A growing number of coal mine operators are developing plans for degasifying coalbeds within active mines and for piping the methane through underground passageways to the surface. This interest flows from the safety and cost benefits that might accrue by reduced quantities of methane being liberated in the mine atmosphere during mining; interest has been furthered by the demands to utilize fully all energy resources of our nation. Methane piped through mine passageways in quantities and concentrations sufficient to contaminate large areas of the mine justifies caution and concern in the design of the system, its installation, protection, and maintenance. Pipeline leaks and ruptures are not uncommon; a pipeline, for example, in a northern West Virginia mine was destroyed by electrolytic corrosion within 1 year. Fires and explosions involving compressors have had serious ramifications. Thus, it is important that the safety features needed in underground degasification systems be considered carefully. Toward that end, a task force of the Mining Enforcement and Safety Administration (MESA) (now called the Mine Safety and Health Administration, MSHA) studied the experiences of the natural gas industry and of European coal miners pertinent to pipeline construction and safety. The results of that study are discussed inmore » this report. The reader is cautioned that many of the findings may not necessarily be applicable to conditions in a specific mine and that some recommendations were projections beyond the present state-of-the-art. The task force concluded that methane transport through pipelines in underground passageways could be safe where the installations are subjected to continuous evaluation by all concerned and where the installations are designed, installed, and maintained by knowledgeable and competent persons.« less


We consider a system of diffusing particles on the real line in a quadratic external potential and with repulsive electrostatic interaction. The empirical measure process is known to converge weakly to a deterministic measure-valued process as the number of particles tends to infinity. Provided the initial fluctuations are small, the rescaled linear statistics of the empirical measure process converge in distribution to a Gaussian limit for sufficiently smooth test functions. We derive explicit general formulae for the mean and covariance in this central limit theorem by analyzing a partial differential equation characterizing the limiting fluctuations.


Long-term sequestration of carbon-dioxide is intimately linked to wellbore integrity, as wellbores present an obvious vertical conduit for subsurface trans-mission of CO2 and CO2-rich brines. Understanding the movement of these fluids along cement fractures and interfaces is of particular importance, as these pathways offer potential escape routes around seals and out of the wellbore environment.Thehighdegree of heterogeneity in subsurface and well conditions, combined with an absence of knowledge about environmental factors, implies that these systems are often best investigated using uncertainty quantification and risk analysis techniques. However, to be effective such methods require lightweight models for rapid quantification of multiple realizations – full-scale high fidelity simulations are simply too computationally expensive. Hence, there is a need for reduced order models, derived from more detailed simulations, that accurately reproduce the relevant system response over a range of appropriate input parameters. The following report details the development of such a reduced order model to describe the behavior of fractures in wellbore cement.The model has been developed to provide input for a larger-scale model representing the large-scale geomechanical behavior of the wellbore-system [9]. The larger-scale model has been developed in a modular fashion with several avenues for user modification – including the ability to specify the effect of stress/deformation on changes to the permeability tensor. It is to this permeability module that the reduced order model described in this paper will be coupled. Specifically, the reduced order model describes the response of hydraulic and mechanical aperture in cement fractures as a function of fracture roughness, confining pressure, offset and fluid volume fraction. In Section 1, we outline the underlying numerical model from which the reduced order model is derived. The underlying high-fidelity model is used to conduct a series of simulations, the results are summarized in Section 2. The reduced order model is then fitted to results, as in Section 3. Conclusions and future


Purpose

To design for additive manufacturing (AM), the decision to use AM needs to be taken early in the product development process. Therefore, engineers need to be able to estimate AM part cost based on the few parameters available at this point in the process. This paper aims to develop suitable cost estimation models for this purpose, focusing on buy scenarios, as many companies choose to buy parts at service providers.

Design/methodology/approach

This study applies analogical cost estimation techniques to a data set of price quotations for laser sintering and laser melting parts.

Findings

The paper proposes easy-to-apply cost estimation models for laser sintering and laser melting for buy scenarios. Further, it generates new insights on the AM service provider market.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed models are only suitable for buy scenarios and are only a snapshot of cost achievable in 2014.

Practical implications

The proposed cost estimation models enable engineers to approximate AM part costs early in the product development process and thereby ease the decision to rapid manufacture certain parts.

Originality/value

This study addresses two gaps in the AM cost literature. It is the first study to take a qualitative approach to AM cost estimation, which is more suitable early in the product development process than the currently available quantitative studies. Further, it develops the first cost estimation for buy scenarios.


In original P-Grid overlay network,a large number of peers with low availability are organized to form high availability system.Considering peers in distributed environment do not always have low availability but show periodical feature,an availability improved P-Grid with periodical organization is presented.Peers are categorized into three types,that is Long Term Peer(LTPeer),Periodical Peer(PPeer),Normal Peer(NPeer).LTPeer is organized as main body binary tree with original P-Grid style.Suitable information tables are designed to establish relations among LTPeer,PPeer and NPeer.Algorithms about search,join of peer and register of data object are proposed accordingly.Numerical analyses show that in the same number of peers and the same height of tree,periodical organization can reach higher availability and does not affect maintenance cost.


Abstract Background Vancomycin (VAN) is renally eliminated and clearance (CL) correlates with glomerular filtration rate (GFR). The bedside Schwartz equation (Schwartzbed), currently used to estimate GFR in children, relies solely on creatinine (Cr) and is inaccurate in critical illness. We compared the Schwartzbed against various GFR-estimating equations that incorporate the novel biomarker cystatin C (CysC) in a population pharmacokinetic (PK) model of VAN CL in critically ill children. Methods Children 2–18 years of age receiving intravenous VAN in the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia PICU were enrolled. Three PK samples were collected during a single steady-state dosing interval in addition to VAN concentrations collected for clinical care. A sample was obtained prior to and during PK sampling for the measurement of CysC and Cr. VAN concentrations, dosing histories, and covariates (age, height, weight, sex, eGFR) were analyzed using nonlinear mixed-effects modeling with NONMEM v7.4. Model evaluation/selection was based on successful convergence, precision of the parameter estimates, the Akaike Information Criteria (AIC), and comparison of goodness-of-fit diagnostic plots of models including Schwartzbedand other published Cr- and CysC-based eGFR equations. Results We enrolled 20 subjects age 12.7 years (range: 3.9–18.2); six were female. Median VAN dosing at PK sampling was 57.4 mg/kg/day (range: 26.4–80.1). Median Cr was 0.35 mg/dL (IQR 0.3–0.5) and CysC was 0.5 mg/L (IQR 0.4–0.8); correlation between Cr and CysC was poor (0.24). Population PK data were described by a two-compartment model with allometric scaling for all parameters. The full age spectrum equation using both Cr and CysC [eGFR = 107.3/((Cr/QCr)*0.5 + (CysC/QCysC)*0.5); QCr and QCysC are normal values for age] as a covariate on CL had the largest reduction in AIC compared with Schwartzbed (ΔAIC −11.571) and provided best model fit. Typical population PK parameters (95% CI) normalized to 70 kg were 0.13 L/minute (0.11,0.14), 24.5 L (7.7,41.5), and 0.14 L/minute (0.01, 0.28) for CL, V1, and Q, respectively. Conclusion Incorporation of eGFR calculated using the Cr- and CysC-based full age spectrum equation improved population PK model fit for VAN among critically ill children compared with Schwartzbed. Clinical use of CysC may help estimate VAN CL among critically ill children compared with use of Cr alone. Disclosures K. Downes, Merck, Inc.: Investigator, Research support. Pfizer, Inc.: Investigator, Research support.


A local area network built by directly connecting a superior computer, a plurality of computers, a database and other computer-related devices through a network interface card and a communication medium by adopting local area network technologies is referred to as a database local area network. Network databases of a unit or a unit group and other business-dedicated computers and computer-related devices of the unit and the like constitute respective local area networks and the local area networks are connected through respective authentication computers, routers to the Internet to constitute a wide area network collectively, referred to as a database network, through which data can be interoperated in a safe manner. The superior computers, the private networks with special functions, and the like of different database networks of the headquarters of the unit and the trans-regional branches thereof distributed at different geographical locations are connected through respective authentication computers to the Internet, which constitutes a safe and reliable unit database intranet. According to different private networks with special functions, different database intranet systems are formed: a Web database intranet, an object-oriented database intranet, a multi-media database intranet and the like.


(65) Cirrhosis of the Liver. SENATOR (Benl. klin. Woch., December 18th, 1893) refers to differences of opinion as regards the various forms of this disease and sketches the histoly of our knowledge of it. The irritation may start (1) from the portal vein, a periportal eirrhosis resulting; (2) from the bile channels when it is due to biliary stagnation or, in addition, to the presence of inflammatory factors, such as micro-organisms; (3) from the hepatic vein, as in unicompensated cardiac lesions. This cyanotic induration is with difficulty, or not all, distinguishable from other interstitial cirrhoses, and (4) fromn a perihepatitis, the inflammation spreading to the intralobular connective tissue. Some of these conditions may be combined. Anatomically it may be difficult to make out the starting point of these changes. It is almost universally admitted that in hypertrophic cirrhosis with icterus (Hanot) the intralobular connective tissue is chiefly involved, and that the liver cells are more or less maintained. Later, owing to biliar-y stagnation, tlle eells perish, and blood changes occur which cause death. The author then discusses the size of the liver, the preence or absence of icterus, ascites, and splenic enlargement. (1) The size of the liver depends on the amount and condition of the newly-formed tissue and upon the behaviour of the hepatic parenchyma. In Laennec's cirrhosis the connective tissue tends to shrink and the cells perish, hence the diminution in size. In Hanot's cirrhosis there is no destruction of the minute portal channels or of capillaries, and the connlective tissue does not 'eni to shrink. These conditions are not always present in like degree, and fatty infiltration may occur, leading to enlargement of the organ. Thus mixed forms of eirrhosis exist. (2) Ieterus depends on the integrity of the liver cells and the escape of the bile. Another neeessary condition is that there should be no obstruction to the lymphatics. In Laennee's cirrhosis the conditions are not favourable to jaundice, since the hepatic cells perish, the outflow to the bile is unhindered and the lymph channels are obstructed. In Hanot's cirrhosis the opposite conditions prevail; it is difficult, however, to understand the biliary obstruction, unless it lie in the medium-sized bile channels (angiocholitis). (3) As regards ascites and venous engorgement, a chronic mesenteric periphlebitis often exists. (4) The splenic enlargement is difficult to explain as vascular engorgement cannot alone account for it. Probably the same cause produces hyperplasia in the spleen as in the liver. The author would adopt the. following classifieation: (1) Granular atrophy. He would add here, as subgroups, those cases in which (a) the liver is not diminiished in size, but may be enlarged-atrophy may certainly occur subsequently; (b) icterus is present; this may be a chance complication. (2) Biliary cirrhosis with subsequent atrophy. The enlargement is due to biliary retention, and there is no splenic enlargement or portal obstruction, and it is more common in women. In a subgroup placed here the spleen may be found enlarged. (3) Hanot's hypertrophic cirrhosis, the rarest of all the forms. The whole course of the disease reminds one of a series of attacks of catarrhal jaundice. The enlarged spleen is important here. There are always cases which will not fall into any of these groups. The prognosis is more serious in cases with diminution in the size of the liver or witlh enlargement of the spleen. Perhaps it is less serious if the cause can be removed, such as obstruction by gall *stones. In portal cirrhosis milk diet and potassic iodide lhave been recommended. Early puncture should be practised in ascites. In forms (2) and (3) high injections of oil, soap and water, or solutions of salicylates, together with massage of the liver and the occasional administration of cholagogue purgatives should be tried. Prolonged warm baths with massage, a Carlsbad course and suitable diet -appear to be not without effect on the outflow of the bile.


The dynamic response of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) to power demand remarkably influences the energy management system for hybrid hydrogen vehicle applications. This study established a one-dimensional PEMFC model considering the interfacial gas transport behaviors to investigate the most fundamental dynamic process – step loading. The model provided rigorous analytic equations to describe the transient response of output voltage, and a dimensionless variable, Σ=(L/Γg)/(δ/τr), was found to link the appearance of undershooting quantitatively with the structural characteristics of components and operating processes. The analytic equations showed that the main reason for undershooting was the weaker capacity of remaining oxygen in the catalyst layer than the diffusion capacity of gas diffusion media. Deductions from analytic equations were confirmed by experimental results further and indicated that the degree of undershooting (∆VOS) was linear to the loading step (∆I), which expressed as ∆VOS=b∙ε(Σ)/(4FDc/L-I1)∙∆I to some extent. The quantitative expressions based on the fundamental theories were achieved in this study and provide new perspectives and methods on the studies of dynamic controlling of the PEMFCs power system.


The invention discloses a dumbbell-shaped grouting sleeve and a method for performing assembly construction by using the grouting sleeve. The dumbbell-shaped grouting sleeve comprises two grouting sleeves which are longitudinally arranged and have the same height as well as a rectangular cavity for connecting the two grouting sleeves, wherein the grouting sleeves communicate with the rectangular cavity, the upper part of the outer side of one grouting sleeve is provided with a grout outlet, and the lower part of the outer side of the grouting sleeve is provided with a grout inlet. Ribbed barsare inserted into the sleeves with annular bulges in inner cavities, then special, high-strength and non-shrinkage grouting materials are poured, the grouting sleeves at the two sides work simultaneously, and the bars at the upper and lower ends of the two sides are connected, so that the connection effect higher than the bar base material strength in rapid construction can be achieved. The construction efficiency and the overall performance of a building structure can be effectively improved, construction processes can be simplified, and the dumbbell-shaped grouting sleeve is suitable to be applied to regions with high construction environment requirements and high earthquake frequency.


Original Research Article Basal cell carcinoma scleroderma is a scarce form of basal cell carcinoma. It is special in its architecture and its aggressive evolution as well as high frequency of recidivism. Treatment remains primarily surgical with a centimeter of margin regardless of location. Micrographic surgery remains the only means of local control. The objective of our study was to assess the severity of this clinico-histological form on the local level and to determine the risk factors for tumor recurrence.


In order to find out the overwintering form and place and to further study the vector position of Ixodes persulcatus,fifty adults, nymphae, larvae of each blood-sucking and unsucking were put into the plustic tube(12cm diameter,20cm high)containing moist sawdust. The top and bottom of the plustic tube were bound by two layers of gauze and a layer of cotton cloth with rubber band at the laboratory.The plastic tube containing ticks (30 adults, 30 larvae, 30 nymphae) was removed on the grassland in the nearby woods out of the laboratory on the first ten days of Nov.,then put weeds (15~20cm thickness of weeds) on it. It would be taken back to the laboratory on the first ten days of April the next year (while the ice and snow were melting) and the survival rate and development of the overwintering ticks of each life stage were observed. The results showed that the survival rate of the nymphae, larvae and adults of the blood-sucking were 93.3%, 96.6% and 3.3%, respectively; those of blood-unsucking 86.6%, 6.6% and 90%. On the basis of the observing results in the scene, the overwintering forms of Ixodes persulcatus were deduced to be the adults blood-unsucking, larvae blood-sucking and nymphae blood-sucking or blood-unsucking. The overwintering ground may possible be the thicker grassland with an elevation of 1 500~1 700 metres.


In ancient China with morality as its standard,firm belief of Confucian morality is the core education idea.In order to ensure the sacredness of Confucian morality and internalize it to unconscious ethical behavior,ancient China made a four-dimension construction of morality education system which includes poem education,music education,etiquette education and history education.The system put morality education into poem,music,etiquette and history to achieve the goals of"cultivating the people's virtue"and"teaching the people to distinguish between good and evil".It is a valuable historical heritage and is of significance for the construction of modern morality education.


We extend the concept of Voronoi diagram in the ordinary Euclidean geometry for n points to the one in the Laguerre geometry for n circles in the plane, where the distance between a circle and a point is defined by the length of the tangent line, and show that there is an $O(n\log n)$ algorithm for this extended case. The Voronoi diagram in the Laguerre geometry may be applied to solving effectively a number of geometrical problems such as those of determining whether or not a point belongs to the union of n circles, of finding the connected components of n circles, and of finding the contour of the union of n circles. As in the case with ordinary Voronoi diagrams, the algorithms proposed here for those problems are optimal to within a constant factor. Some extensions of the problem and the algorithm from different viewpoints are also suggested.


73 Assignee: United Catalysts Inc., Louisville, Ky. Primary Examiner Walter D. Griffin Assistant Examiner Tam M. Nguyen * Notice: This patent issued on a continued prosAttorney, Agent, or Firm Scott R. Cox ecution application filed under 37 CFR 1.53(d), and is subject to the twenty year 57 ABSTRACT patent term provisions of 35 U.S.C. 154(a)(2). An adsorbent product for the adsorption of trace elements of 21 Appl. No.: 09/005,801 Sulfur, arsenic, mercury, compounds which contain these y 9


A new vibrational Hamiltonian operator for ammonia is presented. The potential energy part is expressed in terms of symmetrized bond-angle valence coordinates and an inversion coordinate, which is a function of the bond angles. In the exact kinetic energy operator, the stretching part is instead given in terms of unsymmetrized bond displacement coordinates. Six-dimensional ammonia potential energy surfaces are calculated using high-level ab initio tools, the CCSD(T) method with aug-cc-pVQZ and aug-cc-pVTZ basis sets. The potential energy functions are constructed in two, two-dimensional steps. The surfaces are expressed as a Taylor-type series with respect to the doubly degenerate asymmetric stretching and bending coordinates. This representation is given along a two-dimensional surface of the totally symmetric stretching and inversion coordinates of ammonia. Vibrational energies are calculated variationally in a finite basis representation. Employing successive basis set contractions, it is possible to o...


This article presents the issue of the level of maturity of management systems according to the ISO 9004:2009 self-assessment model in Polish companies and its influence on financial performance. The paper presents the results of research conducted on a group of 29 polish organisations operating in the food industry. The analysis showed that the level of maturity within a group of companies with at least one certified management system (no matter what kind of management system it was) is higher than within a group of companies without any system. Companies with an International Food Standard/British Retail Consortium certificate have a higher management maturity level in comparison to companies with ISO 9001. The link between maturity level and financial performance is not obvious. Performance measured by indicators such as: assets, revenue, and net profit is correlated with the maturity level or with key elements of maturity level according to the ISO 9004 model. On the other hand, there is no statistically significant correlation between the maturity level of a company and its financial efficiency measured by indicators such as: return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE) and return on sales (ROS). Moreover, in the case of companies where key elements of the ISO 9004 model such as managing and processes rank higher, lower financial efficiency is achieved as measured by ROA, ROE and ROS. Generally, according to the results of the research, there is no evidence that small and medium enterprises with higher maturity levels achieve higher financial efficiency.


We introduce QuantumGEP, a scientific computer program that uses gene expression programming (GEP) to find a quantum circuit that either (1) maps a given set of input states to a given set of output states or (2) transforms a fixed initial state to minimize a given physical quantity of the output state. QuantumGEP is a driver program that uses evendim, a generic computational engine for GEP, both of which are free and open source. We apply QuantumGEP as a powerful solver for MaxCut in graphs and for condensed matter quantum many-body Hamiltonians.


MARK4 belongs to the serine/threonine family and is found to be involved in apoptosis and many other regulatory pathways. Therefore, MARK4 is considered a potential target for cancer therapy. HTVS and XP of LOTUS and NPACT revealed that Ligand 11 and Ligand 7 respectively show good binding affinity along with ADME properties towards MARK 4. Further MD simulations for 50 ns suggested that the binding mechanism of Ligand 11 and 7 stabilizes the MARK4 by forming a stable complex. Both the ligands were bound to the active site of MARK4. This work provides a new insight into the use of Ligand 7 and Ligand 11, which were obtained from herbal extracts belonging to the class of Flavonoids and Megastigmanes, respectively, showing anticancer activities. The MD simulation studies suggest that Ligand 11 and Ligand 7 can be considered as potential inhibitors to MARK 4. Overall, this study provides an experimental evaluation of the herbal compounds identified during the study against MARK 4-associated cancers


Treatment of gestational diabetes with insulin and/or diet is a topic still under research. There are many views of thought on the subject, consequently varying styles of treatment. No matter which approach your institution or provider is using, the universal goal is control of blood glucose levels and prevention of macrosomia (infant weighing more than 9 lb or 4000 g). Since the data are not out yet, the most beneficial method of treatment is still


According to the World Health Organization report, in 2019 47 million children under 5 were wasted, of which 14.3 million were severely wasted. In most cases, the main reason for nutritional deficiencies in the world is a child's diet low in calories, dietary protein deficiency and inferiority, as well as inadequate intake of vitamins and minerals. The article presents a modern literature review devoted to the main problems in creating adapted formulas for infants who are deprived of the opportunity of getting breastfeeding. Among the most pressing problems are: difficulties in bringing the total protein concentration in the formula to the breast milk level while keeping an adequate amino acid profile, the high risk of animal milk protein allergies in infants, unfulfilled hopes for the preventive effect of partially hydrolysed formulas in relation to the development of allergic diseases, as well as the high prevalence of functional gastrointestinal diseases in children who are formula-fed. At the same time, it was emphasized that the use of goat's milk as a protein base for basic infant formulas may in the future help solve some of the above problems. The protein component of goat's milk compares favourably with cow's milk, and the amino acid composition helps reduce protein concentration in the finished formula enriched with whey fraction to the recommended level. The article stresses that there is a need to continue studies on the effectiveness and safety of adapted goat's milk formulas in infants to give definite answers to the questions posed.


Supported employment services for people with mental handicaps are being developed in many parts of the country. These aim to provide them with the levels of job-finding assistance, training, and support required to enter and remain in employment. Finding jobs is crucial to the success of these ventures. This study examines the problem of marketing the labour of people with mental handicaps to employers. The research is based on interviews with 57 employers in Sheffield. It investigates the attitudes, perceptions, and practices of employers in relation to the employment of people with mental handicaps.

The findings show that the label "mental handicap" is not always understood accurately by employers. It often communicates negative images. Several concepts were found to underlie employers' perceptions of their employees. People with mental handicaps were expected to perform better than their non-handicapped counterparts on four of these: job satisfaction, genuineness, grafting, and loyalty; but less well on productive capacity, supervision and risk, and learning capacity. The results indicate that small organisations with a low rate of recruitment are the most sympathetic employer groups. The survey also showed that problems envisaged by employers with no experience of employing people with mental handicaps were not reported by those experienced in doing so, especially with respect to safety and co-worker acceptance.

The findings will be used to develop a more effective marketing strategy for the supported employment services organisation, Intowork, which is based in Sheffield.


【Objective】The aim of the study are to analyze the impact of long-term fertilization on the heterogeneity of the soil particle-size distribution of red soils, to investigate the mechanisms of soil development process affected by different fertilization strategies and to explore the ways to promote sustainable development of agriculture while maintaining soil quality. 【Method】 A laser particle size analyzer was used to measure the particle size distribution of the soil samples. The soils were collected from the top 20 cm soil depth in four treatments with a wheat-maize rotation system at two time points in the long-term fertilization experiment on red soil in Qiyang, Hunan province in 1990 and 2012. The treatments include long-term continuously non-fertilizer(CK), chemical fertilizer(NPK), NPK plus manure(NPKM), and manure alone(M). The changes of the multi-fractal parameters of particle sizedistribution were analysed by the box dimensions method. Furthermore, the correlation analysis between the multi-fractal parameter, soil particle and organic matter was also carried out. 【Result】 The results showed that the multi-fractal parameter represented the heterogeneity of soil particle-size distribution much sensitively and accurately and it was significantly correlated to the contents of soil clay or silt particle and soil organic matter. Generalized dimensions(D(q0)) were more sensitive than that of D(q0) in the range of-10≤q≤10, indicating that the scaling property of D(q) in the sparse range was less than that in the dense range. Compared to the values of Ds from initial soil samples, long-term fertilization did not significantly influence the capacity dimension(D0) or information dimension(D1), but significantly increased the correlation dimension D2(0.864-0.883), D1/D0(0.921-0.932), the singular strength(1.129-1.177) and the singular spectrum width of(1.966-2.707). 【Conclusion】 Long-term application of manure with or without chemical fertilizer significantly improved the local intensity of soil particle-size distribution, promoted soil refinement and accelerated the development of soil inhomogeneity under the similar soil-forming conditions, cropping system and agricultural management. The multi-fractal parameter was much more sensitive to the changes of soil particle-size distribution, which could provide a technical support for the research on precision of soil particle size distribution.


In the article features the provision of social services in a crisis, a comparison of domestic and foreign laws in the social sphere, the main directions of modernization management system of social services.


Along with the horizontal exaltation in people physical life, the obesity increases increasingly, threatens seriously human health. However through fulfillment proof: cognition the mechanism of reducing weight very clearly, science an establishment sport prescription is just the best therapy of the prevention and cure obesity.


An investigation involving large number of animals is often resulting incomplete or in accurate information such as animal parentage, or misidentify on sex due to unlabeled sex samples. A PCR method by applying Y chromosome markers (UTY and SRY) facilitates in determination of unknown sex problem. This study was intended to determine sex from unlabelled sex of blood samples by applying PCR method using a pooled-DNA template. Twenty five of unknown sex blood samples from Nusa Penida, Bali were used in this study. The samples were plotted into 5 pooled-DNA whith each pool DNA consisted of 5 individuals DNA. Two pairs of sex primers, UTY (58oC) and SRY (60oC) with 35 cycles were applied to amplify the samples. The result showed there was only one pooled-DNA (P4) amplified by UTY (484bp). Whereas re-PCR of the positive pooled-DNA (P4) using SRY primer, only one out of 25 samples determined as male Bali cattle (325bp). This finding suggests that UTY and SRY primers are suitable for sex determination and the pooled-DNA could be used as an efficient PCR method both in consumables and PCR process for sex determination.


In this paper some new retarded integral inequalities are established and explicit bounds on the unknown functions are derived. The present results extend some existing ones proved by Lipovan in [A retarded integral inequality and its applications, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 285 (2003) 436-443].


Tenpatients received aloading doseoftobramycin of60mg/m2intravenously over0.5hfollowed immediately by60mg/m2over-2 h every4h.Thehighest mean serum concentration (attheendoftheloading dose) was 6.0 0.3ug/ml (range, 3.2to10.9 ,Ig/ml). Themean serumconcentration 2hafter theendofthe initial2-hinfusion was 3.0 ± 0.2ug/ml(range, 1.6to3.9ug/ml). Thisschedule of tobramycin was usedtotreat117patients withpresumed or proveninfection. There were no differences inthemean serum concentrations oftobramycin at comparable times ondays3to4and6to7.Only60%ofpatients hadserumlevels between 3,ug/ml (trough) and10ug/ml(peak). Thisintermittent schedule of administration resulted insubstantial fluctuations inserum concentrations of tobramycin andproduced trough concentrations which were toolowor peak concentrations which were toohighinsome patients. Infection isthemostfrequent causeofmorbidity andmortality inpatients withmalignant disease (4,5).Gram-negative organisms areresponsible formostepisodes ofinfection. The aminoglycoside groupofantibiotics havethe broadest spectrum ofactivity against these organiisms; however, their efficacy isdiminished in neutropenic patients (1). Various schedules of administration ofaminoglycosides havebeeninvestigated. Aminoglycosides havebeengiven by aninterrupted dosage schedule at6-to8-hintervals whichresults inahighpeakserumconcentration, butalowserumconcentration 6to 8h after adose(7). Tobramycin, gentamicin sulfate, sisomicin, andamikacin havebeengiven bycontinuous infusion withamoreconstant serumconcentration maintained throughout the period ofinfusion (2,6). 'rhe continuous infusion ofaminoglycosides hasthedisadvantage ofrequiring morenursing attention andrequiring oneintravenous site solely fortheadministrationoftheaminoglycoside. Thispharmacology study wasinitiated toinvestigate amethodof interrupted aminoglycoside (tobramycin) administration whichwouldallow theadministration ofother antibiotics through thesameintravenous site.


The integration of cognitive radio (CR) in Internet of Things (IoT) is an effective step into the smart technology world. The capability of CR can effectively solve spectrum-related issues for IoT applications, but this association is still a big challenge that has led to a new research dimension of CR-based IoT. To this extend, in this paper the authors propose a novel distributed spectrum management approach based on mobile edge computing (MEC) technology in cooperative environment that enables CRIoT devices to share the unutilized spectrum efficiently. The simulation results show that the proposed solution achieves good performance in terms of spectrum access/sharing and maintains a balance energy consumption of CRIoT users within lower latency.


The increasing advancements in the field of Information Technology & World Wide Web, causing human beings frequently confront with various kinds of unauthorized access. Also with the enlargement of mankind's activity range, the importance for person's status identity is becoming more and more important. So many different techniques for person's status identity have been proposed for this practical task. Conventional methods for status identity check like password and identification card are not always reliable, because these methods can be easily forgotten, stolen or forged. A wide variety of biometrics have been developed for this challenge, examples include automatic retinal vasculature scan, iris recognition, fingerprints matching, hand shape identification, handwritten signature verification, and voice recognition systems. In this paper we propose a multimodal biometric system which employs iris, fingerprint and knuckle print. We will also present a brief introduction about multimodal biometric systems, different levels of integration and some previous research work. In the last section, we have presented our proposed multi-biometric system.


We report 2 cases with hemorrhagic complications following percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) for carotid stenosis. Computed tomography (CT) scanning of these cases demonstrated diffuse subarachnoid hemorrhage in 1 case, and intracerebral hemorrhage in the other case on the day after PTA. In the latter case, we measured cerebral blood flow velocity and mean transit time with transcranial doppler (TCD) and dynamic CT scan, and TCD and dynamic CT demonstrated a remarkable increase in blood flow velocity and peak height respectively. From these results, postoperative hyperperfusion was supposed to have caused the hemorrhagic complication.


ABSTRACT Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is a particular strand of discourse analysis that focuses on the role of language in society and in political processes, traditionally targeting texts produced by elites and powerful institutions, such as news and political speeches. The aim is to reveal discourses buried in language used to maintain power and sustain existing social relations. However, since the internet and social media have come to define much of the way that we communicate, this brings numerous challenges and also opportunities for CDA. The relationship between text and ideology, and between the author and reader, appears to have changed. It is also clear that new methods are required for data collection, as content takes new forms and also moves away from running texts to language that is much more integrated with forms of design, images, and data. Also, new models are required to address how the technologies themselves come to shape the nature of content and discourse.


Adolescence represents a developmental continuum between childhood and adulthood. Assessment of an adolescent's behavior can be based upon his efforts in accomplishing developmental tasks and his functioning relative to his stage of development—early adolescence and the casting-off of childhood; middle adolescence with the teen-age subculture; or late adolescence with the establishment of adult values. One should be aware of the conflicts and complications which may arise in each stage of development and routinely evaluate the adolescent's functioning within his family, peer group, and school situation. Assessing behavior in this frame of reference enables the physician to differentiate variations of normal development and behavior from pathological states in his adolescent patients.


The standard wisdom says that patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib) and hemodynamic compromise should undergo immediate cardioversion, but data are


Spillways and channel chutes are widely used in hydraulic works. Two kinds of abutment—walls and steps—are usually constructed to dissipate energy; however, they may also cause cavitation at the abutment position. In this study, we used Flow 3D with the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) and large eddy simulation (LES) turbulent models which included air entrainment to simulate the free surface flow through the spillway, channel chute and stilling basin of the Ngan Truoi construction to optimize the configuration of walls and dams. We measured the water level, velocity and pressure to estimate the influence of grid size and the turbulent model type used. Our results highlight the need to include air entrainment in the model simulating rapid flow over a hydraulic construction. With adjustments for energy loss, this study shows that walls provide the best results and the optimal distance between two walls is 2.8 m.


Change is something to replace with another so to match with the changing environment and to become a successful organization different organizations have clear impact on their organizational development. The objective of this study is to analyze the reasons of organizational change and cultural impacts on organizational development. 200 questionnaires were distributed and 170 out of 200 were received complete questionnaires at the response rate 85 % to analyze the impact of organizational culture Organizational change on Organizational development. To observe the impact of Organizational Change and Organizational Culture on Organizational Development Pearson's moment correlation was analyzed and to test the effect of Organizational Change and Organizational Culture on Organizational Development linear regression was conducted. Results indicate that organizations have to change them for superior and developed organizations. Research limitations and future directions are also discussed in this study.


This article presents a novel approach for fraud detection in automobile insurance claims by applying various data mining techniques. Initially, the most relevant attributes are chosen from the original dataset by using an evolutionary algorithm based feature selection method. A test set is then extracted from the selected attribute set and the remaining dataset is subjected to the Possibilistic Fuzzy C-Means (PFCM) clustering technique for the undersampling approach. The 10-fold cross validation method is then used on the balanced dataset for training and validating a group of Weighted Extreme Learning Machine (WELM) classifiers generated from various combinations of WELM parameters. Finally, the test set is applied on the best performing model for classification purpose. The efficacy of the proposed system is illustrated by conducting several experiments on a real-world automobile insurance defraud dataset. Besides, a comparative analysis with another approach justifies the superiority of the proposed system.


The invention concerns a method for upgrading composite materials and polyethylene terephthalate, which consists in carrying out solvolysis of the composite materials and polyethylene terephthalate, optionally in the presence of a catalyst, and in separating the product of the solvolysis containing the degradation products of the matrix of the composite materials and of the polyethylene terephthalate from the other constituents of the composite materials and other possible impurities from the polyethylene terephthalate.


The utility model relates to the field of tent accessories, in particular to a tent pole frame assembly. The tent pole frame assembly comprises a tent pole, a positioning device and a sliding seat. The sliding seat is slidably arranged on the tent pole and is fixed through the positioning device. An installing hole is formed in the tent pole. An elastic device arranged in the tent pole is connected to one end of the positioning device. The positioning device is arranged in the installing hole in a penetrating mode and can slide relative to the installing hole. The tent pole frame assembly further comprises a button used for controlling the positioning device. When a tent is unfolded, the sliding seat will be positioned through the positioning device to be fixed relative to the tent pole; when the tent needs folding, an operator just needs to press the button to unlock the sliding seat, and accordingly the tent can be conveniently folded. The tent pole frame assembly is simple in structure and convenient to operate, and makes the tent capable of being more safely and more reliably unfolded or folded.


Inflammation in the central nervous system occurs in diseases such as multiple sclerosis and leads to axon dysfunction and destruction. Both in vitro and in vivo observations have suggested an important role for nitric oxide (NO) in mediating inflammatory axonopathy. The purposes of this study were to model inflammatory axonopathy in vitro and identify modulators of the process. Rat cortical neurones were cultured and exposed to an NO‐donor plus potential protective factors. Cultures were then assessed for neuronal survival, axon survival and markers of intracellular signalling pathways. The NO‐donor produced dose‐dependent neuronal loss and a large degree of axon destruction. Oligodendrocyte conditioned medium (OCM) and insulin‐like growth factor type‐1 (IGF‐1), but not glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), improved survival of neurones exposed to NO donors. In addition p38 MAP kinase was activated by NO exposure and inhibition of p38 signalling led to neuronal and axonal survival effects. OCM and IGF‐1 (but not GDNF) reduced p38 activation in NO‐exposed cortical neurones. OCM, IGF‐1 and GDNF improved axon survival in cultures exposed to NO, a process dependent on mitogen‐activated protein kinase/extracellular signal‐related kinase signalling. This study emphasizes that different mechanisms may underlie neuronal/axonal destructive processes, and suggests that trophic factors may modulate NO‐mediated neurone/axon destruction via specific pathways.


Along with the gradual deployment of new GNSS constellations, the International GNSS Service (IGS) has pursued the extension of its GPS and GLONASS work into a true multi-GNSS service. Supported by numerous national agencies and individual institutions a global network of more than 200 monitoring stations has been established, which supports tracking of Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS, in addition to the legacy navigation systems. In the frame of the IGS Multi-GNSS pilot project (MGEX), six analysis centers (ACs) are now generating precise orbit and clock solutions for new constellations. Out of these, three ACs provide comprehensive multi-GNSS product covering all five constellations. The presentation discusses the deployment and capabilities of old and new GNSSs and describes the status and achievements of the MGEX project within the IGS. The orbit and clock product quality of new GNSS constellations is addressed and remaining limitations for their use are identified. Special attention is given to the prospects of Galileo, which is close to completing a full constellation and offers high accuracy signals for precise point positioning users.


Hydroxamic acids are functional groups with the ability to strongly chelate metal ions found in the reaction centers of biologically important proteins including that of Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha Converting Enzyme (TACE)/(ADAM-17).  These hydroxamic acids are able to inhibit the enzymatic activities that are necessary for the normal progression of diseases such as HIV and cancer. One example is hydroxamic acids (Vorinostat) ability to block the release of the TNFalpha into the bloodstream of cancer and HIV patients thereby decreasing the inflammation response and slowing disease progression. This work sought to understand what modification surrounding the hydroxamic acid would be able to increase the overall binding affinity for metal chelation.  Differences in the inductive effects that surround the acids will be explored using ab-initio energy (DFT-B3LYP-631++G, and DFT-B3LYP-321-G) changes between apo/metal chelated molecules. These differences will seek to determine the best structural modification for improved hydroxamic acid design.


In the development of wireless mobile technology, the mobile e-commerce begins to get favour from people, which better broadens the running space of our e-commerce industry, allowing for a wider range of e-commerce. Combination of mobile e-commerce and enterprise e-commerce platforms, and connection with computer terminals, smart phones and other related mobile devices, allow fast completion of business transactions. This paper, based on an overview of mobile e-commerce, discusses the main contents of mobile e-commerce, analyzes the current development of mobile e-commerce, and proposes future application prospect of mobile commerce.


ABSTRACT European co-ordination is pivotal for an effective regulation of the common market, and European administrative networks are currently mushrooming. Recent quantitative empirical research reveals that national agencies are gaining policy autonomy from their parent ministries when they become involved in European networks. However, the quantitative approach has only partially elucidated the causal mechanisms of this effect. To close this gap, this article examines two fields with dense European administrative networks: financial market regulation and energy regulation. It demonstrates that involvement in European networks exacerbates information asymmetries (particularly those regarding so-called negotiation knowledge) between agencies and their parent ministries. These information asymmetries aggravate ministries' control problems and can even be strategically exploited by agencies, which has far-reaching consequences for the process of multilevel co-ordination.


A revision of the conodont fauna originally described in 1913 from lower Dicellograptus shale (Ordovician) of the Fagelsang area, south Sweden, in the light of new material.


Background: Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukins (IL)-6 which was salivary cytokines serve as potential biomarkers and commonly used. TNF – α which was found in saliva more abundant compared to that in serum used as diagnostic utility in oral tumors Interleukin – 6 a multifunctional pleiotropic affecting many type of cells, it is a glycoprotein formed from 184 amino acid, Oral Benign Fibro osseous lesions, group of intraosseous disease of facial and cranial bones, define as replacement of normal bone by cellular ossifying fibrous tissues in spite of healthy type of bone. Aim: The study aims to evaluate of cytokines expression tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) andInterleukin-6 (IL-6) in the saliva of oral benign fibroosseous tumors and healthy controls. Patients and methods: The study was involved sixty patients who were examined divided into two groups thirty patients (n=30) with oral benign fibro osseous lesions and thirty person (n=30) healthy control volunteers with good oral health. Results: revealed that the mean tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) of the control group was 2.71 and standard deviation was 0.46 while the mean examined group was 2.95 and standard deviation was 0.42 which was statistically significant p value = 0.039. Our results revealed that the mean Interleukin-6 (IL-6) of control group was 15.96 and standard deviation was 2.49 while the mean examined group was 31.42 and standard deviation was 3.79 which was statistically highly significant p value = 0.0001 which was complained of benign oral fibro-osseous lesions. Conclusion: Salivary cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) and the Interleukin-6 (IL-6) were high level in examined group.


Is the lay sermon an apt style for a modern liberal? More nearly than one might think. A great deal of recent social and political writing has operated at one or the other extremes: a concentration on the legal framework of politics or a narrow focus on policy. This has left a substantial hole in the middle ground where Dewey operated. The lay sermon is at home in this middle ground; between pure philosophy and a policy paper lies the terrain of intelligent persuasion.


ABSTRACT This article analyzes the influence of investors' fear on their investment behavior in the Taiwan stock market. This study used the volatility index (VIX) as a barometer of investors' fear. Our results show that herding behavior increases with the VIX; that is, herding behavior is encouraged by an increase in investors' fear. Moreover, our results demonstrate that investors react more quickly to bad news than to good news when their fear increases, supporting the hypothesis of the presence of an asymmetric reaction to news. However, investors react more quickly to good news when their fear decreases, indicating an inverse asymmetric reaction. In addition, our empirical results reveal that herding behavior tends to exist on days with a large trading volume.


Introduction : Cyclophosphamide, bortezomib and Dexamethasone (CyBorD) has become the standard frontline approach for the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) in many centers across Canada. In the non-transplant eligible setting, recently a randomized controlled trial reported on the impact of Lenalidomide and Dexamethasone (LD), showing that this doublet-therapy is a feasible and efficacious combination. Based on the above-mentioned success of the LD combination, we aimed to compare the effect of CyBorD and LD for the treatment of non-transplant eligible MM (NTE) patients in the Alberta Myeloma and Dysproteinemia Program (AMDP).

Patients and Methods : The primary objective was to assess ORR and PFS for NTE MM patients treated with CyBorD and LD. The recommended CyBorD regimen was as follows: bortezomib 1.3-1.5 mg/m2 SC or IV days 1, 8, 15 of a 28 day cycle (as of August, 2013 we adopted the a strategy whereby bortezomib can also be given on day 22), cyclophosphamide 300 mg/m2 PO days 1, 8, 15 and 22 and dexamethasone 20-40 mg PO days 1, 8, 15 and 22 with an aim to deliver a minimum of 9 cycles of treatment. LD was given at 25 mg days 1-21 of a 28-day cycle with Dexamethasone 20-40 mg PO days 1, 8, 15 and 22. Dose adjustments were at the discretion of the treating physician. Two-sided Fisher exact test was used to test for differences between categorical variables. A p value of <0.05 was considered significant and survival curves were constructed according to the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log rank test.

Results: Ninety-one patients have received CyBorD and 56 have received LD. Clinical characteristics are shown in Table 1 . At the time of analysis, 64 and 32 patients in the CyBorD and LD are alive of which 10 and 11, respectively, have progressed, ORR and VGPR rates were 85.7% and 56% for patients treated with CyBorD, and 83.9% and 64% for LD respectively (p=0.3). Estimated median OS was 40 months for CyBorD compared to 66 months for LD (p=0.156). In addition, median PFS was longer for LD patients compared to CyBorD (26 months vs 16.4 months, p=0.018). The rate of treatment discontinuation was similar between both groups (8.7% vs 10%, p=0.3).

In Conclusion: CyBorD and LD appeared to be effective treatment options for NTE myeloma patients with similar response rates. Recognizing the limitations of a retrospective series, it is interesting to note a longer PFS and a trend towards better PFS in the LD group, however, longer follow-up and prospective validation is still required.

| Characteristic | CyBorD, n=91 | LD, n=56 | P value |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ | ------- |
| Age (median) | 73.9 | 73.6 | 0.2 |
| Gender Male Female | 57 (62.6%) 34 (37.4%) | 34 (60.7%) 22 (39.3%) | 0.8 |
| B2microglobulin (µmol/L) | 4.9 | 4.89 | 0.4 |
| Albumin (g/L) | 35 | 36 | 0.7 |
| Stage I Stage II Stage III | 17.7% 35.4% 46.9% | 23.5% 37.2% 39.3% | 0.6 |
| BMPC (%) | 32 | 37.5 | 0.6 |
| Heavy chain: IgG IgA FLC only IgD IgM Biclonal | 50 10 18 1 1 3 | 26 17 9 0 1 0 | 0.068 |
| Response rate ORR CR/nCR VGPR PR | 85.7% 23% 31.8% 30.7 | 83.9% 28% 37.5% 17.8% | 0.3 |

* Ab : BMPC: Bone marrow plasma cell

Table 1.
Clinical Characteristics

![Figure 1.][1]

Figure 1.
Overall Survival according to treatment regimen

![Figure 2.][1]

Figure 2.
Progression-Free survival according to treatment regimen

Disclosures Jimenez-Zepeda: Celgene: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria; JJ Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Honoraria. Sandhu: Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria. Duggan: Celgene: Honoraria; Jansen: Honoraria. Neri: Celgene: Research Funding. Bahlis: Johnson & Johnson: Speakers Bureau; Johnson & Johnson: Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy; Johnson & Johnson: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau.

 [1]: pending:yes


Stunting in general is a failure condition growth against children, caused by malnutrition in a long time. Milk has a good nutritional content and required by the body for the process of growth. In Indonesia, there are still many toddlers and children who do not consume milk that can cause stunting. It is influenced by the high milk prices in the market. To overcome the problem, soy milk can be a solution, because it contains a substance which is equivalent to cow's milk. The village Kutagandok is one of the villages stunting, which is located in Karawang District. Countermeasures carried out of the village to reduce stunting is the provision of soy milk to toddlers and kids. The process of the production of soy milk is made by the people of the village Kutagandok. But the thing is, there are still some obstacles in the production of, namely the limited human resources (HR) for the separation process soy beans with the skin's epidermis. So then it takes a HR more to make the production time to be shorter. In addition, the length of time filtering soy milk which resulted in easy casserole. The purpose of this service is to help the village of reducing stunting, by way of automation peeler soybeans from the epidermis and the filter tool to separate the soy milk with the dregs. Initially the process of the production of soy milk is used in a conventional manner. Furthermore, through this service uses the peeler semi-conventional. With the filter tool, then the time the production process is faster and quality is better.


This chapter examines how Nat Cole, in the early to mid-1940s, actually enjoyed two careers at the same time; one as leader of a "commercial" trio; the other as a "gigging" jazz pianist. With Norman Granz as producer, he recorded a series of sessions with Lester Young, Dexter Gordon, and Illinois Jacquet. Then, in July 1944, Granz launched the iconic Jazz at the Philharmonic series with an all-time classic concert, thankfully recorded, in which Nat created musical history in a brilliant duet with rising guitar star Les Paul. We also look at other instrumental sessions that Cole made in these years and the people he played with: the Capitol International Jazzmen with Benny Carter and Coleman Hawkins; the Sunset All Stars with Charlie Shavers, Herbie Haymer, and Buddy Rich; and the Keynoters with Willie Smith.


The pathogenesis of post‐combat syndromes, such as Gulf War syndrome, is poorly understood. Recently, it has been postulated that the symptoms of veterans with such syndromes are due to a disturbed cytokine balance shifted towards a T‐helper (Th) 2 profile. We investigated this hypothesis in 21 symptomatic former UNTAC soldiers and compared their results with those obtained in 21 healthy former UNTAC soldiers matched for age, sex and military force.


In the United Kingdom, the Highway Authority Direct Labor Organizations (DLOs) are increasingly being required to operate in direct competition with private contractors. The DLOs must minimize their equipment costs. This discussion briefly describes the Transport Management Organizations' renting of equipment to the DLOs in open competition with private hire companies, and in some instances taking over the management of mechanical services.


The mere thought of parrots mingled with plants strikes fear in the heart of the horticulturist. This need not be, as some parrot species· can indeed be housed among the leaves and flowers. You certainly wouldn't want your macaw in a planted flight, unless it's planted with mature oak trees! On the other hand, lories and plants generally get along fine together. We have some softbills that cause more damage to the plants than do the lorikeets; mousebirds for example will even eat the weeds!We have tried some of the larger lories along with our softbills and plants, but they seem to intimidate many of the quieter birds. Of course, Chattering Lories do far worse than intimidate! Our only attempt with Chatterings in a mixed aviary led to the rapid mutilation of other birds, as well as chewed off branches on ferns and plants. This was long ago, and we have learned the lesson well. Chattering are always housed alone.Some of the smaller lories have worked out well in planted flights. We bred Meyer's Lorikeets as well as Stella's in this mixed softbill, planted flight. Goldie's Lorikeets did fine but refused to breed. Even a previously proven pair never laid an egg in the mixed aviary. As soon as they were moved into a cage, they went right back to nest. This was also the case with this species at Pittsburgh Aviary several years ago according to Dr. Lindsay Clack.Some of the softbill species that shared this particular aviary, which was about 350 square feet, 10 feet high, were: White-cheeked Turacos, Bali Mynahs, Black-spotted Barbets, and Spur-winged Plovers, all of which bred in this environment. Other inhabitants that did not breed successfully were Gold-fronted Chloropsis, Fulvus-breasted Woodpeckers, Black-headed Sibias, Pekin Robins, and Jambou Fruit Doves. The Meyer's Lorikeets were almost non-stop breeders in this flight. The Stella's, which were not in there at the same time as the Meyer's, raised young, less successfully. Both species had access to a variety of nest sites, from wooden nest boxes to hollow logs, but chose wooden boxes about 9 in. square and 18 in. deep.Since the planted aviaries were intended mainly for softbills, which generally have a different diet than lories, it was interesting that the lories consumed large amounts of softbill diet, with a particular fondness for mealworms. Also of interest was the number of softbills that relished the lory nectar. I never thought of woodpeckers as nectavors but they sure went through it! When the Meyer's Lorikeets were rearing young, which was most of the time, they were the first birds on the mealworms, driving off even the more aggressive barbets.In the wild, some species of lorikeets, such as the Fairy, nest in bromeliads. In captivity they maintain a very wet nest, necessitating changing shavings every couple of days when chicks are present. I intend to introduce a pair of Fairies to a planted flight that will contain several types of bromeliads and plants, such as stag horn fem, among others, just to see if they will nest outside of a nest box. I have an aviary now with a large stag horn in it, but the occupants, a pair of double-eyed fig parrots, seem bent on destroying it! They have chewed through fronds that are 4 ft. long, apparently just for fun, as they are nesting in a small boot box hung high in the flight. This may turn out to be true with the Fairy Lorikeets as well. Rosemary Low in her Lories and Lorikeets mentions a pair of Fairies in her care that demolished a small tree in their flight, although a friend with the same species in a large, planted, softbill flight suffered no damage.Lorikeets will take advantage of any flowering plants. We have cape honeysuckle growing over several of our flights; the reachable flowers are quickly devoured. Grapes which have seeded themselves from the lory food falling through are left alone by most of the smaller species, while Trichoglossus and Chalcopsitta leave nothing within reach. Red Flanks, however, do not seem to touch greenery.If you do intend to house lorikeets in a planted environment, pay special attention to the plants that you use. While you can plant most anything in a flight intended for softbills, some can be toxic to chewing birds, such as lorikeets. If you have the space, one of the best ways to enjoy these wonderful little parrots is in a planted aviary. It is especially enjoyable when they bathe in the leaves wet from rain. Try adding some "feathered flowers" to your garden!


The basic physical properties, mechanical parameters, hygric and thermal properties of two types of ceramic brick produced at the beginning of the 20 th century and a contemporary ceramic brick are studied, in order to analyze the applicability of the current bricks at the reconstruction of historical masonry. Among the basic physical properties, the bulk density, matrix density, total open porosity and pore size distribution are analyzed. The mechanical performance is characterized by the bending strength, compressive strength and dynamic Young's modulus. The moisture and salt solution transport is studied using a free water or salt solution uptake experiment where the penetration of either distilled water or 1M NaCl water solution is observed. The capability to accumulate water vapour is studied by a dynamic vapour sorption device. Thermal parameters are measured using a transient pulse method. The experimental results show that the analyzed current ceramic brick is suitable for the reconstruction works on historical buildings.


Creosote, a complex mixture of aromatic compounds (ACs), contaminates numerous sites in the USA and elsewhere. In addition to pollution of the water column directly after a creosote spill, contaminated sediments can continue to act as source of pollution for many years, because natural and anthropogenic perturbations may redissolve or resuspend sediment‐associated contaminants. A 48‐h static renewal assay compared survival of the bay mysid, Mysidopsis bahia, exposed to water‐soluble fractions (WSFs) generated from two different sources: whole creosote and creosote‐contaminated sediment. Sediment was obtained from a Super Fund site located on the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River in Virginia, USA. Whole creosote, contaminated sediment, and WSFs derived from these source materials were characterized. Median lethal concentrations of WSFs generated from whole creosote and sediment (expressed as total identified ACs) were 180 μg/L and 700 μg/L, respectively. The creosote‐derived WSF consisted of more than 70% low molecular weight nitrogen heterocyclics. These heterocyclics were below detectable limits in the sediment‐generated WSF, suggesting that losses of these compounds had occurred via weathering. Nitrogen heterocyclics likely contributed to the acute toxicity of the whole creosote WSF.


Much of the use of Mumford-Tate groups has been in the classical case of weight one polarized Hodge structures (theory of Shimura varieties). Since this topic will be covered elsewhere in the summer school, this set of lectures will emphasize the non-classical, higher weight case which is much less explored. The first four of these lectures will be largely self-contained, making use of the lectures of Lê Dung Tráng, Cattani, Tu, El Zein, Voisin, and Carlson at this summer school. Lectures V and VI will use some of the basic structure theory of semi-simple complex and real Lie groups and Lie algebras, and will be largely without proofs. At the end we indicate, in very general terms, where some potentially interesting directions for further work might lie.


The rise of nanotechnology has created an ever-increasing need to probe structures on the atomic scale, to which transmission electron microscopy has largely been the answer. Currently, the only way to efficiently thin arbitrary bulk samples into thin lamellae in preparation for this technique is to use a focused ion beam (FIB). Unfortunately, the established FIB thinning method is limited to producing samples of thickness above ∼20 nm. Using atomistic simulations alongside experiments, we show that this is due to effects from finite ion beam sharpness at low milling energies combined with atomic-scale effects at high energies which lead to shrinkage of the lamella. Specifically, we show that attaining thickness below 26 nm using a milling energy of 30 keV is fundamentally prevented by atomistic effects at the top edge of the lamella. Our results also explain the success of a recently proposed alternative FIB thinning method, which is free of the limitations of the conventional approach due to the absence...


This commentary to the recent article by Musso et al. (2013) discusses issues related to model fitting, comparison of classification accuracy of generative and discriminative models, and two (or more) cultures of data modeling. We start by questioning the extremely high classification accuracy with an empirical data from a complex domain. There is a risk that we model perfect nonsense perfectly. Our second concern is related to the relevance of comparing multilayer perceptron neural networks and linear discriminant analysis classification accuracy indices. We find this problematic, as it is like comparing apples and oranges. It would have been easier to interpret the model and the variable (group) importance's if the authors would have compared MLP to some discriminative classifier, such as group lasso logistic regression. Finally, we conclude our commentary with a discussion about the predictive properties of the adopted data modeling approach.


An effective assessment of ecological health in aquatic ecosystems has become an important issue for researchers, policy-maker and environmentalist globally. The potential of thermodynamic oriented ecological indicators such as eco-exergy (Ex), structural eco-exergy (Exst), phytoplankton biomass (BA), and zooplankton biomass (ZA) in ecological assessment and management were used to calculate the ecological health and then correlated individually as well as multiply of Baiyangdian Lake located in the China. To establish a relationship between sub-EHI values of indicators to the overall EHI, data on thermodynamic indicators of the Baiyangdian lake were calculated from literature. The result indicates the ecological health of Baiyangdian lake is coming under the middle categories i.e. EHI= 40-60. A deeper analysis of the relationship between the thermodynamic parameters and EHI using mini tab software and the multiple regression revealed that the R2>0.9 for Baiyangdian Lake indicates that these correlations could be tentatively used to predict the ecological health of the Baiyangdian Lake in the future.


Lead and calcium arsenates have been used as insecticides in the past with various adjuvants added to increase their effectiveness. Adverse health effects have been reported in industrial situations where these materials were formulated, and packaged, and occasionally used. Reduction of arsenate has been demonstrated to occur when mixtures of lime, lime sulfur, sulfur, and casein were added to lead or calcium arsenate. The formation of soluble arsenite increased with time after the formulations were dry mixed. Levels of soluble arsenite declined in aqueous suspension after 1 day but increased again after 2 months. Total arsenite varied from 0.6 to 2.4% of the arsenic present 253 days after formulation.


Flint, Michigan was recently faced with lead contamination that affected 6,000-12,000 children. The contamination led to the death of 10 people as a result of Legionnaires' disease. Exposure to lead has long term health effects including neurological problems in children, kidney failure and cancer. The contamination in Flint, MI was due to the leaching of old lead pipes into the water supply system. The problem started when the authorities switched the water supply from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to the Karegnondi Water Authority. The river water required more chlorine as compared to the lake water and hence the cause of the lead leaching. The problem could have been solved earlier had the authorities responded timely to the concerns of the users about the changes in the water color and odor. Some officials were found to have falsified the tests and test results. The State and Federal governments finally intervened with promises to remove all the lead pipes. The US President approved the provision of funds and personally visited the city. Several law suits were filed but the nature of the legislation made it difficult for the top officials to be prosecuted. Four officials were, however, dismissed with one being prosecuted. The problem can be attributed to negligence. Other cities have also faced similar lead water pollutions including Washington DC, Durham NC, Greenville MS, Sebring OH and Columbia SC. The research methodology involved the use of secondary sources for data collection and analysis.


Abstract In this article, I examine my practice-as-research pieces What The Money Meant and SERVUS! in terms of how their design and delivery make visible those labour and exchange relations characteristic of late capitalism. After a brief introduction, I take the reader through theoretical debates around service work's proliferation and existing arguments about its relationship to performance, as well as an argument for the 'agonistic' potential of aesthetic activity. I move on to argue that SERVUS! provides an example of how the one-to-one performance form can both reveal reification in action and rupture or speak back to its enactment, via techniques including explicit payment, over-enunciation or 'flourish' and what I term affective dissonance. I then demonstrate how What The Money Meant extends these techniques by applying them across a specific scenographic design and participatory structure. What The Money Meant invites audience members to communicate with the performer by tipping, which I argue might be seen as a dramaturgical tactic of audience participation. I conclude by arguing that the performance of service, especially that which plays upon the one-to-one structure, can work 'agonistically' by both revealing the precarity of late capitalist labour and subverting its delivery.


Filter strip standards cur- rently applied to forest roads in the southern Appalachian Mountains may specify greater widths than are necessary with prevailing construction practices. Measurements of the distance that sediment traveled downslope below newly constructed roads were less than previously reported. Distances were notably less if natural ob- structions existed on the forest floor, brush barriers constructed at the edge of the right-of-way, road fills grass-covered, and roads outsloped and drained by broad- based dips. Discussion of management con- siderations lead to proposed revised guide- lines for minimum filter strip widths for the southern mountains.


270 Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics | July-September 2012 | Vol 3 | Issue 3 low score to the information received on the substitution of a brand name drug by a GD, similar to the results of other studies,[2-5] suggesting the need for greater health education. Possible study limitations include the fact that the results are only applicable to our organizational model and physicians, and cannot be easily generalized to other institutions. One limitation of the study may be due to recall bias, due to the time elapsed between the period of replacement of drug and the realization of the interview. However, all patients were taking a drug at the moment of interview. In conclusion, although the use of GD is vital in order to reduce pharmaceutical expenditure, patients who received substitute generic brands of amlodipine and simvastatin and the physicians who prescribed them both evidenced a worrying lack of information on their use.


Use of high frequency (HF) vibrations at MHz frequencies in Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) advanced nanoscale property mapping to video rates, allowed use of cantilever dynamics for mapping nanomechanical properties of stiff materials, sensing μs time scale phenomena in nanostructures, and enabled detection of subsurface features with nanoscale resolution. All of these methods critically depend on the generally poor characterized HF behaviour of AFM cantilevers in contact with a studied sample, spatial and frequency response of piezotransducers, and transfer of ultrasonic vibrations between the probe and a specimen. Focusing particularly on Ultrasonic Force Microscopy (UFM), this work is also applicable to waveguide UFM, heterodyne force microscopy, and near-field holographic microscopy, all methods that exploit nonlinear tip-surface force interactions at high frequencies. Leveraging automated multidimensional measurements, spectroscopic UFM (sUFM) is introduced to investigate a range of common experimenta...


Russian Abstract: В статье анализируется реакция российского общества на введение в стране электронных идентификаторов личности: универсальных электронных карт и электронных паспортов. Показаны преимущества электронных документов и вместе с тем обобщаются аргументы религиозно ориентированной части общества, не желающей принимать эти документы. Предлагается решение проблемы. English Abstract: The article analyzes the reaction of Russian society to the introduction of the electronic identity of a person: universal electronic cards and electronic passports. It shows the advantages of electronic documents and, at the same time, summarizes arguments of part of society, which is religiously oriented and does not want to accept these documents. It also offers the solution.


This paper aims to the design and construction of the validity and reliability of the evaluation sheet instruments to collect data regarding health Multicriteria Model with Hierarchy Process approach analyzes were evaluated by five dimensions and the Management of Ecological Economic Zoning that are evaluated by five dimensions. I) those that conceive, ii) that structure, and iii) the operating plan: To this end, a Work Plan consists of three stages are stable. The instrument to establish its validity is subject to multidisciplinary peer review by three experts, and Fleiss Kappa Index or Concordance of Experts to determine the mean for both variables with total degree of 0.96 (applied almost Agreement perfect). On the other hand, for the results of the reliability test, fifteen specialists transversal was determined and whose professional profile is related to the work of the Management of Ecological Economic Zoning and used the Alpha Cronbach coefficient, which concretized for both variables Reliability coefficient of 0.831 (very high agreement).


The fashion industry is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Sustainable fashion (SF) aims to address this issue by designing, creating, and marketing socially and environmentally responsible products. This paper provides a broad overview of the extant literature on SF marketing to understand the trends and future directions. The paper starts with a discussion on sustainable consumption and marketing in the particular context of fashion and ends with potential research gaps, which have scope for further work. For the analysis, 97 research papers were selected based on a structured, systematic search with a particular set of keywords. The review finds that marketing SF from a customer's perspective has been emphasized in the existing literature. Widely studied topics include consumer behavior, purchase behavior, and the attitude–behavior gap. Further research is required to explore how SF can gain from B2B marketing, circular economy, sustainability-oriented innovations, and subsistence markets, particularly in emerging economies. This paper contributes to theory and practice by providing state-of-the-art sustainable fashion marketing research, identifying research gaps, and providing future research directions.


Groundwater contributes to the delivery of phreatic water to crop aeration zones via evapotranspiration, which is important for crop growth in drought-prone regions. Most studies on groundwater contribution have not considered the influence of crop growth stage or daily evapotranspiration. In this study, a neural network based on a genetic algorithm and the Levenberg–Marquardt backpropagation algorithm, as well as formula methods based on an accelerated genetic algorithm, were built to assess soybean groundwater contribution; in addition, a performance comparison was conducted. The results indicated that machine learning had the best performance for fitting errors, with values for relative mean error (RME), root mean square percentage error (RMSPE), and correlation coefficient of 1.088, 2.165, and 0.762, respectively; in addition, for validation errors, it had values for RME, RMSPE, and correlation coefficient of 1.069, 2.136, and 0.735, respectively. The machine learning method is recommended for readers seeking to calculate groundwater contribution.


A general algorithm is presented for determining values for unit cost coefficients that reflect water use priorities for network flow programming models of water resource systems. The overarching principle for setting unit penalties for priority-based operations is that senior unit penalties must exceed the combined junior unit penalties for any feasible competing space-time path through the system for any unit of water potentially available at the senior location. The algorithm accommodates both storage and flow related water uses over multiple periods and accounts for the effects of return flow on flow allocation, which can introduce a complexity that inhibits the use of intuitive or trial-and-error methods for determining cost coefficient values. The approach is formulated initially as a linear program that can be used as a preprocessor to the network flow modeling and is applied to a water-rights model of the Truckee-Carson system. The formulation is generalized for a location connectivity matrix and ...


The second conducting channel is created in AlGaN/GaN type high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) heterostructures deposited by the metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) technique, in which the pressure changes during the growth of the buffer GaN layer to ensure its high resistivity. It is stated that a second, parasitic, conducting channel is induced as a result of nonintentional doping that occurs at the GaN–GaN interface. The Hall measurements, in the wide range of temperatures, from 77 to 420 K, are used to obtain sheet resistivity, sheet carrier concentration, and electron mobility of the heterostructures. The theoretical model of the multilayer transport in AlGaN/GaN type HEMT heterostructures, based on an equivalent circuit, allows for estimation of compensatory current. Based on the theoretical model, the correction map for the Hall measurement of the samples with two conducting channels is evaluated. The measured electron mobility μmeas obtained from Hall measurement is applied for the determination of the 2D electron gas (2DEG) mobility μ1 of the samples with two conducing channels using the equation μ1 = αμmeas. It is observed that the appropriate correction coefficient α depends on second channel parameters, i.e. the sheet resistance and mobility of the second conducting channel.


Advances in the performance of millimeter-wave two-terminal devices, namely, Gunn, IMPATT, and resonant tunneling diodes, are reviewed, and results for the different semiconductor materials systems used (Si, GaAs, InP) are compared. Plots of the state-of-the-art power-versus-frequency performance experimentally achieved with Gunn and IMPATT diodes confirm the preeminence of Si IMPATTs as high-power solid-state sources and that of InP as medium-power local oscillators. A stable summarizing the main characteristics of the most interesting resonant tunneling diodes that have been grown so far is given.<<ETX>>


To reveal the impact of knowledge base diversity (KBD) and network embeddedness on cross-industry innovation performance (CIP), we performed an empirical hierarchical regression analysis using patent data from the mobile phone industry. The results show the following. (1) There was an inverted U-shaped relationship between relevant KBD and CIP and a U-shaped relationship between nonrelevant KBD and CIP. (2) The effects of relevant KBD on CIP were negatively moderated by an enterprise's structural embeddedness (SE) and relational embeddedness (RE) in the innovation network. (3) The effects of nonrelevant KBD on CIP were positively moderated by an enterprise's SE and RE in the innovation network. The findings contribute to the body of knowledge on the influencing factors of CIP and provide guidance for cross-industry innovation practice.


Depending on Hanzhong Section of Shiyan-Tianshui Highway,the weights of factor set,evaluation set and membership functions required by fuzzy comprehensive evaluation of highway slope instability are studied and defined,through which the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model is established to carry out comprehensive evaluation of slope instability and confirm the hazard grade of typical disaster places.The result shows that the this slope's stability is in high hazard grade and have to be reinforced.


In this Letter we describe a method for population transfer using intense, ultrafast laser pulses. The selectivity is accomplished by careful shaping of light-induced potentials (LIPs). Creation and control of the LIPs is accomplished by choosing pairs of pulses with proper frequency detunings and time delays. As an example, selective population transfer is demonstrated for a three-state model of the sodium dimer.


Cell based immunity is driven by CD8+ cytotoxic T cells bearing TCR that recognize specific tumor-associated peptides bound to class I MHC molecules. Survivin, an inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP), is a tumor-associated antigen that is widely expressed in nearly all human cancer cells and undetectable in most normal tissues. Although there is evidence for cytotoxic T cell responses against survivin in patients, tolerance to self antigens can be a limiting factor in generating highly avid T cells capable of killing tumor cells. An alternate approach involves peptide immunization of HLA-A2 transgenic mice that express the human class I HLA-A2 molecule, which could in principle generate more highly avid TCRs to human antigens. In this study, we vaccinated A2 transgenic mice with a modified survivin epitope, Surv96M (LMLGEFLKL) and successfully generated CD8+ CTL clones that react against Survivin96-104 and a human pancreatic cancer line. The α- and β- chains for the TCR of reactive CTLs were cloned and inserted into an retrovirus vector incorporating 2A linker peptides between coding sequences of α- and β- chains of TCRs against survivin. Transduction of survivin specific TCR retrovirus constructs into human PBMCs yielded up to 70% TCR redirected lymphocytes and specific effector function as measured by IFNgamma release following co-culture with peptide-pulsed targets and one A2+ pediatric osteosarcoma line. Ongoing work is underway to increase the TCR affinity to potency.


Threads are the vehicle for concurrency in many approaches to parallel programming. Threads can be supported either by the operating system kernel or by user-level library code in the application address space, but neither approach has been fully satisfactory.
This paper addresses this dilemma. First, we argue that the performance of kernel threads is inherently worse than that of user-level threads, rather than this being an artifact of existing implementations; managing parallelism at the user level is essential to high-performance parallel computing. Next, we argue that the problems encountered in integrating user-level threads with other system services is a consequence of the lack of kernel support for user-level threads provided by contemporary multiprocessor operating systems; kernel threads are the wrong abstraction on which to support user-level management of parallelism. Finally, we describe the design, implementation, and performance of a new kernel interface and user-level thread package that together provide the same functionality as kernel threads without compromising the performance and flexibility advantages of user-level management of parallelism.


Background: Apolipoprotein E (apo E) plays a major role in lipid metabolism, and its genetic variations have been associated with cardiovascular risk. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of the APOE promoter (�491 A/T, �427 T/C and�219 G/T) and coding region (APOEe2/e3/e4) polymorphisms in atherosclerosis disease by association and linkage disequilibrium analyses. Materials and methods: We analyzed these polymorphisms in a sample of 286 subjects with atherosclerosis disease: 153 subjects with atherothrombotic stroke (ATS) and 133 subjects with ischemic heart disease (IHD); and in two control groups, 103 newborns and 114 elderly subjects. Results: The e4 allele was associated with more severe carotid stenosis in the ATS group, being the percentages of e4 carriers 26.7% and 11.4% for the higher and lower carotid stenosis groups, respectively (p =0 .066). The �491 T/T IHD subjects presented higher vessel scores than subjects A/A and A/T genotypes at that position (p =0 ,041), and the frequencies of e2 (5.1% versus 14.1%, p =0 .060) and �427C (10.3% versus 24.4%, p =0 .019) alleles were lower in IHD subjects with higher extent score versus lower extent score. The e2 allele was in linkage disequilibrium with the �427C allele in all studied groups, and the �219T allele was associated with the e4 allele in the IHD group. Conclusion: In summary, the e2 allele was in linkage disequilibrium with the �427C allele in all studied groups, and only slight associations between the analyzed APOE polymorphisms in the promoter and in the coding region and carotid and coronary vascular disease have been observed.


Any disease that affects one million people in the United Kingdom and causes 30 000 deaths a year must be so familiar to all practising doctors that articles on treatment and management might be considered superfluous, particularly when the effects of treatment are unlikely to be dramatic. No intervention shorf of a lung transplant is going to affect the irreversible changes ot chronic bronchitis and emphysema, but appropriate treatment can help the patient considerably and should reduce the number of hospital admissions. Unfortunately most patients present at a late stage of the disease when symptoms are becoming a problem and considerable airways obstruction is present.' I propose therefore to discuss treatment for these symptoms and the two main complications of arterial hypoxaemia-polycythaemia and pulmonary hypertension.


Food and packaging materials from three separate fires were analyzed for volatiles by purge and trap/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (PT/GC/MS) and compared to unexposed control samples. Concentrations of naphthalene and small alkyl-substituted (methyl, ethyl, dimethyl) naphthalene residues were consistently higher in the smoke odor containing foods than in the controls. Naphthalene and methylnaphthalene residues were used as indicators of smoke exposure in food and packaging materials. By using this method to analyze foods that had been exposed to smoke yet contained no organoleptically detectable smoke residues, it was shown that this PT/GC/MS naphthalene method is a more sensitive indicator of smoke exposure than is organoleptic evaluation.


Background: The aim of this study was to determine the early outcomes and complications following the implantation of a hydrogel synthetic cartilage implant (SCI, Cartiva) for the treatment of hallux rigidus by a single surgeon. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed of consecutive patients who underwent treatment for hallux rigidus with an SCI between August 2016 and April 2018 by a single surgeon. Demographic information, radiographic assessment, and concomitant operative procedures performed were evaluated for all patients. Postoperatively, PROMIS physical function (PF) and pain interference (PI) scores, patient satisfaction, reoperation, conversion to arthrodesis, and need for further clinical treatment were collected. Sixty-four SCIs were implanted in 60 patients. Follow-up averaged 18.5 months (range 12-30 months). Results: 14% (9/64) of patients were very satisfied, 28% (18/64) satisfied, 20% (13/64) neutral, 11% (7/64) unsatisfied, and 27% (17/64) very unsatisfied with their outcome. In addition, 45% of patients underwent additional procedures at the time of SCI, and 23% had a history of surgery on the hallux before implantation. PROMIS PF scores averaged 42 and PROMIS PI scores averaged 60. Overall, 63% completed PROMIS PI, 66% completed PROMIS PF, and 100% completed a satisfaction survey. In addition, 30% (19/64) underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) postoperatively due to pain. There was a 20% reoperation rate, which included an 8% rate of conversion to arthrodesis. Conclusion: Synthetic cartilage implantation yielded neutral patient satisfaction, mild pain, and physical dysfunction at early follow-up. We believe patient selection and counseling regarding early postoperative limitations are important before proceeding with SCI. Level of Evidence: Level IV, case series.


Objective To study the synergistic bactericidal effect of citric acid with heat and its toxicity.Methods Carrier quantitative germicidal test,simulation field test and animal toxicity test methods were used in the laboratory.Results When the carriers contaminated with Bacillus subtilis var.niger spores were soaked in 20.68 g/L citric acid which heated to 80 ℃ for 10 min,the killing logarithm value was 3.00.When 20.68 g/L citric acid was loaded in the pipeline of dialysis machine,heated to 80 ℃ for 10 min,the killing logarithm value of B.subtilis var.niger spores on the pipeline was 3.00.The mouse acute oral LD50 was above 5 000 mg/kg(weight).Result of micronucleus test of mice marrow polychromatophilic erythrocyte was negative.Conclusion 20.68 g/L citric acid when heated to 80 ℃ has good synergistic bactericidal effect to spores.And the citric acid disinfectant belongs to non-toxic level.


Abstract : The Defense National Stockpile Center (DNSC) maintains stockpiles of high-grade ores at various locations throughout the country and has a requirement to produce current weight estimates for selected piles as part of a national audit. The ore piles for this study are located at the Seneca Army Depot, NY; Stockton Depot, CA; Somerville and Belle Mead Depots, NJ; and Large, PA. Microgravity measurements were performed over selected ore piles to provide high-resolution surveys of the gravitational field with which to determine the average bulk density of the ore material. Parasnis' method was used to analyze the gravity anomaly data. Ore pile volumes were determined using standard land surveying methods. The computed weights for each ore stockpile are compared to the DNSC reported weights and the differences should be within 10 and 15 percent. Results of this investigation indicated that the computed weights of 24 of the 45 piles surveyed are below or within the expected percent difference error range. Seventeen ore piles have differences ranging from 15 to 25 percent and four stockpiles had differences greater than 25 percent of the reported values. The greatest differences were computed over piles in which settlement of the ore material below the ground surface had taken place or site conditions were such that definition of the true pile base was poor.


PURPOSE: An apparatus and a method for controlling lighting is provided to control the phase of power by receiving an audio signal through an FM band multi-channel frequency by wireless. CONSTITUTION: An RDS(Radio Data System) FM transceiver(110) receives an audio signal and a data signal transmitted from a sound source generator through an FM band. A PWM(Pulse Width Modulation) power control unit(120) controls the power inputted to a lighting device through a PWM method. A phase detection controller(130) detects the phase origin of the AC power. A controller(140) controls the flash of the general lighting for AC or an LED lighting for DC according to resolution. A PNP type driver(150) supplies power to the LED lighting for DC. A traic driver(160) supplies power to the general lighting for AC.


Latinos and Latinas (Latin@s) lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders (LGBTs) attempting to enter into the U.S. experience significant challenges that are systemic in the processes and application of the U.S. immigration laws. Latin@s are the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States according to the Office of the U.S. Census 2010 data. The foci of this article are to review the challenges in obtaining entry and a U.S. visa from those in Latin America, to examine the extent of reported violence experienced by Latin@ LGBTs, to understand the major ways LGBTs are targeted in Latin America that motivates them to seek refuge, and to illustrate ways health and human services providers can intervene.


Building on the tools developed for American call options in financial markets and the optimal timing of investment under uncertainty in economics, this paper proposes a stylized equilibrium model to study the optimal time for a risk-averse unemployed individual, who receives an unemployment insurance benefit and may receive a recall from the old job, to exit from a waiting (and hence unemployment) state and start a new job. It is shown that as a result of the individual's exercising the optimal timing strategy, there is a duration of "waiting" and that this duration is affected by a number of economic factors, prominent among which are uncertainty on the part of the unemployed individual and the attitude of this individual toward risk.


Five-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is being used to induce formation and accumulation of endogenous protoporphyrin IX both in preclinical and clinical studies on photodynamic therapy and diagnosis. At the high concentrations needed for clinical application, ALA is not stable in aqueous solutions in the neutral to basic pH range. This could be of critical importance for the clinical use of ALA. The chemical instability of ALA was studied by using UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy. Our results show that ALA undergoes a chemical reaction, which is a nonreversible condensation process yielding two different products -- a hydropyrazine and a pyrazine, the latter formed by oxidation of the hydropyrazine. Preliminary kinetic studies of this reaction showed a complex pH-, concentration and temperature-dependency of the reaction rate. On the basis of these studies we optimized conditions for the preparation of ALA solutions to be used in clinical trials, leading to the expected accumulation of protoporphyrin IX in tumor cells.