Nowadays, providing high quality recommendation services to users is an essential component in online Web applications, including shopping, making friends, healthcare, etc. In some recent works, the recommendation problem of one-class collaborative filtering has been proposed and been receiving more attention. This approach can make use of users' behaviors with the "one-class" feedbacks form coming from different services to improve the recommendation performance, e.g., "purchasing" in shopping services, "watching" in video websites, and "making appointment" in online health community. Previous works solve the issue via proposing the assumptions of pointwise preference on one item, pairwise preference on items or item-sets based on relative score over two item sets, in which one previous work named Bayesian personalized ranking (BPR) was empirically found performing much better by means of leveraging such one-class data well. Nevertheless, such pairwise preference assumptions with regard to items or item-sets may always invalid. In this paper, we present an improved assumption of pairwise preferences over mixed-type item-sets by defining the preference on two item sets with different type instead of on a simple item set. One is an item set with the same-type feedback relationship; the other is a mixed-type item set. With this improved assumption, we then develop a novel algorithm, MT-BPR (Bayesian Personalized Ranking over Mixed-Type Item-sets). The empirical results based on two data sets, which are collected from a healthcare website and mobile e-commerce application in real world, demonstrate that MT-BPR outperforms than several previous methods in ranking predictions.


This study aims to produce an environment-based picture storybook to increase the reading interest of fourth-grade elementary school students and obtain the results of book product testing until the suitable book used as reading learning for elementary school students is obtained. This research is development research which consists of three stages, which include (1) Preliminary Study, (2) Product Development, (3) Product Test. The subjects of this study were fourth-grade students of SDN 1 Rajabasa Raya, Rajabasa Sub District, Bandar Lampung City, Lampung Province. The data analysis technique in this study adopted a qualitative descriptive technique. Data collection was carried out using questionnaires and interviews. The product validity was tested by learning material and learning media experts. Based on the research conducted, it was found that: (1) environmental-based picture storybooks can increase students' reading interest; (2) environmental-based picture storybooks are suitable to be used as learning resources in learning to read for elementary school students. The results of this study found that the level of validity of the development of picture storybook learning media products in increasing reading interest in fourth-grade elementary school students was very good.


This paper is concerned with the theory for 𝐽-Hermitian subspaces. The defect index of a 𝐽-Hermitian subspace is defined, and a formula for the defect index is established; the result that every 𝐽-Hermitian subspace has a 𝐽-self-adjoint subspace extension is obtained; all the 𝐽-self-adjoint subspace extensions of a 𝐽-Hermitian subspace are characterized. This theory will provide a fundamental basis for characterizations of 𝐽-self-adjoint extensions for linear nonsymmetric expressions on general time scales in terms of boundary conditions, including both differential and difference cases.


To provide practice recommendations for improving transitions for older individuals with dementia, two researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing completed a review of the literature, which revealed seven evidence-based interventions that target transitions in care for older adults with dementia. The study, published in The Gerontologist, suggests that the best outcomes for individuals at high risk for care transitions, such as individuals with dementia, are associated with care that is person-centered in that it is coordinated, responsive, and tailored to the individual's and family's needs and preferences. Best practice recommendations involve successfully connecting medical, social, and supportive care professionals and caregivers to achieve personcentered outcomes in transitions between care settings. Source. "Core Elements Identifi ed for Successful Transitions in Care for Older Adults With Dementia" (2018, March 15). Retrieved April 30, 2018, from https://bit.ly/2HCVBBP.


Based on the theory of induction machine,a simplified three-order dynamic model for doubly-fed generator is presented,which adopts the reference frame of stator's circumrotatory magnetic field with the rotor voltage and mechanical torque as control variables. The simplified model describes dynamic characteristics correctly and is easily implemented by computer. Based on Matlab software,response characteristics of electrical variables when changes have been taken place on generator's running state are simulated and compared between simplified model and exact model. Results show that the simplified model has better definintion and can substitute for the exact model in research of doubly-fed generator with high power factor and large range in rotor speed,such as modeling of variable-speed wind turbines and research of operating characteristics in network. This project is supported by the National High Technology Research and Development of China(863 Program)(2001AA512021-5).


English teachers pay more attention to translation teaching mode.However,it is still less touched by English teachers in higher vocational colleges.After analyzing the present situation of translation classroom teaching modes in higher vocational colleges,the author attempts to construct an easily operational mode adaptive with higher vocational colleges.


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This article describes the first natural gas processing plant in the U.S. that uses Sulfreen as the optimum process for tail gas cleanup. A minimum overall recovery of 98.9% is expected. The Sulfreen process appears to be a viable tail gas treater for Claus units in the U.S., providing high overall recoveries and process reliability. The North Dakota plant joins more than 30 other units operating in Canada, Greece, China and throughout Europe.


Northeast Asia is one of the regions in the world where security is a severe problem.It is the common desire of countries concerned to construct effective security mechanism and to maintain regional peace and stability.The paper discusses the necessity and possibility of constructing security mechanism in Northeast Asia through security cooperation.Conclusions are reached that security cooperation is an option that will satisfy the security interests of all the countries,though it will meet with much resistance and many obstacles.


Selective trust refers to that people could distinguish reliable /unreliable informants on the basis of the accuracy of their objects naming.The current two studies examined the relation between selective trust and children' s prosocial behavior and decision-making.In the first study,75 young children aged 3 to 4 took part in both selective trust and prosocial tasks.Results illustrated that children were likely to share candies with the reliable informant.The second study investigated the relation between selective trust and children's decision making.Since there were candies with 5 different colors,72 3-to 4-year-olds children in the study were likely to choose candies introduced by the reliable informant.


The present paper surveys the more recent techniques related to the swingby maneuver, where a spacecraft changes its energy and angular momentum by passing close to celestial bodies. It is focused on the literature related to extensions of this maneuver, with emphasis in the powered version, where an impulse is applied to the spacecraft near the closest approach. Several mathematical models are considered, including the patched-conics approximation for analytical studies, and the restricted three-body problem for the numerical simulations. The main goal is to show the models and the main conclusions available in the literature for those maneuvers. Some key results are shown to discuss important aspects of this maneuver, including the analysis of the energy variation of the spacecraft, the behavior of the trajectories and other applications.


The localized electronic structure of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) is qualitatively and quantitatively described by use of the first-principles calculations, and the localized molecular orbitals are distilled and the corresponding work functions are calculated within the framework of linear combination of atomic orbitals for molecular orbital. We find that the localized molecular orbital and localized work function are sensitive to the morphology of carbon nanotubes as like local density of states. With the localized electronic structures (i.e., localized work function, localized molecular orbital, and local density of states) of carbon nanotubes with various morphologies, we cannot only easily clarify the field emission characteristics of SWNTs, but also successfully interpret why open-ended SWNTs have higher chemical reactivity than capped ones.


Core/double-shell nanoparticles are produced by solid-state precipitation in an aluminum matrix and characterized by transmission electron microscopy and atom-probe tomography. By choosing three solute elements (Yb, Sc, Li) with substantially disparate diffusivities and by judiciously selecting aging temperatures to precipitate each element sequentially, nanoparticles are formed with three chemically distinct concentric Al3(Yb,Sc,Li) phases with radii of 1.6, 3.4, and 13.4 nm.


High reverberation times (RTs) have always been an acoustic barrier to effective learning in classrooms. Acoustic corrections to reduce RT involve complex acoustic treatment. Previous studies have indicated that classrooms in most schools do not meet the established acoustic criteria, as the school authorities refrain from such acoustic treatment. Aim of the study was to optimize the RT within classrooms through easily-implementable acoustic corrections. Different combinations of acoustic corrections have been experimented in eight classrooms, through a step-by-step approach to optimize RT. After each acoustic modification, the RT was measured and the speech clarity parameter C50, was estimated. At the final step, RT of the classrooms was diminished to a mean value of 0.74 s (standard deviation = 0.04) from the initial mean value of 4.37 s (standard deviation = 0.42). C50 values corresponding to the final acoustic correction were found to fall within good speech intelligibility scale.


Triploid poplar was fractionated using mild organosolv process, and detailed characteristic elucidation of the lignin obtained was performed to determine the effects of various chemicals (sodium hydroxide, triethylamine, and formic acid) and solvents (methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, and n-butanol). Both nondestructive techniques (e.g., NMR technology) and degradation methods (e.g., alkaline nitrobenzene oxidation) were performed to comparatively evaluate the structural degradation of lignin molecules. The addition of acidic and basic catalysts improved the purity of lignin by acid hydrolysis and the cleavage of the ester groups and other types of lignin–carbohydrate interactions formed by polyoses and lignin under the basic conditions. A certain amount of aryl alkyl ether linkages (β-O-4) was cleaved during the fractionation process, whereas other carbon–carbon linkages were resistant to degradation. The formation of new carbon–carbon bonds led to the lignin fraction with obviously higher molecular weight and thermal stability, resulting from the induced carbon cation under the acidic condition. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 39673.


The results of one of the courses of the complex program on hepatitis are represented in this work. Patients with viral hepatitis B+C both with opiomania and without it were the subjects of the inquiry. Their epidemiological characteristics, peculiarities of the clinical course of the viral hepatitis at the background of opiomania and the result of the case monitoring are presented here. The topicality of the study of viral hepatitis at present is first of all related to the constant growth of the disease incidence because of the wide spread of the narcomania. Meanwhile, the majority of the clinical and pathogenetic aspects of this complex and combined pathology is still unexplored. The study of the clinical manifestation of the acute viral hepatitis B+C among 47 patient, who used intravenous introduction of drugs is described here. In order to reveal the features of the disease course among the drug addicts the AVH B+C patients of the same age, who didn't take any psychotropics (46 patients) were also under medical supervision.


Since the sixties, Canadian universities have experienced rapid change that has impacted on many aspects of their cultural make-up. This is true rig ht across the country, although to differing degrees, since the complex nature of the Canadian university syste m and the differing social context of each province h ave favoured the development of differentiated institut ions with many variations on the basic values of higher education. After general considerations, this paper will pay particular attention to the situation in Quebec , which presents an interesting case study. Due to th e specific political and historical context which led to the creation of the University of Quebec System in 1969 , the rate of cultural and organizational change in Quebe c universities was vastly accelerated, and many chang es went further than in the rest of Canada. In the fin al analysis, however, it can be seen that, even in a university designed to break with traditional unive rsity culture, the strength of that culture is such that it acts as


A video conference enables real-time exchange between two or more participants at different locations via audio and video communication. In terms of the visualization of the discussion partners, a videoconference thus differs from a classic telephone conference and expands it to include the visual component. The term videoconferencing system refers to the technological setup or infrastructure behind such a videoconference, the videoconferencing technology. This refers to the hardware and software components that are required to carry out a videoconference technically.


Soybean-oil rosin-based polyester (SRP) has many uses in papermaking, but its performance as an internal sizing agent differs depending on the circumstances. In this study, a comprehensive laboratory approach was used to investigate the process variables affecting SRP application. Five levels of SRP (0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0%, and 2.5%), five levels of aluminum sulfate (0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0%, and 2.5%), and five levels of cationic polyacrylamide (0.05%, 0.1%, 0.15%, 0.2%, and 0.25%) were considered to determine the best process variables within a pH range of 5.0 to 9.0. Aspects that were considered included the mechanical properties (tensile, burst, and tear indices), water resistance (Cobb test, dynamic contact angle test, and scanning electron microscopy), and chemical usage (economical and environmentally friendly procedures). The optimum conditions based on these factors were 1.0% SRP, 1.0% aluminum sulfate, and 0.15% cationic polyacrylamide levels at a pH of 7.0. The results showed that in the optimal sizing system, 15% calcium carbonate can be tolerated.


In 1986 it was 20 years since the European Society for Clinical Respiratory Physiology (SEPCR) was founded. At that time the Society met jointly with the SEP in Paris and it did not seem appropriate to celebrate the anniversary then. However, on the occasion of the Society's 21st congress and at the start of the life of its new journal it is appropriate and opportune to review the past, the present and the future of the Society. Let us first briefly go back 21 years. The European Society was founded in Prague in 1966, by Professors Daum, Ourednik and Sadoul. The founders of the Society put into effect the dream of one scientific society for the whole of Europe, with'out political, linguistic or other barriers, a Society to further the level of respiratory medicine with obvious benefits to patients. The founding fathers were all scientists involved in everyday medicine, often encountering questions for which no answers were yet available. This concept is imprinted on our Society; to promote research of the highest level which not only satisfies our curiosity into the nature of biological riddles but also provides answers to problems in everyday life. The practical way in which the founding fathers achieved their goals has been a cornerstone of the success of the Society. They created working groups led by respected scholars functioning under the urn brella of the Society. Groups of scientists with a common interest met in relative seclusion, with sufficient time for both indepth discussions and personal contact, often leading to longlasting friendships. The SEPCR functions as a Society of clinical and basic specialists regardless of political and other barriers. This is an asset to our Society which we treasure, nurture and will defend. The founding fathers had the vision and drive to achieve aU of this, and Europe owes them a great debt. Apart from cofounding the Society, Professor Sadoul has contributed in a different, extremely important and practical way. In order that scientific research bears fruit in clinical application and further research, the results need to be accessible: 'one should not hide one's light under a bushel'. With great


The quality of ohmic contacts in pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistors (pHEMTs) formed by sequential e-beam evaporation of NilGelAu!AgIAu was investigated as a function of alloying cycles in the range from 390°C to 460°C for duration of 30 sec. The contact resistance <Rc) and the specific transfer resistance (ohm-mm) values of ohmic contacts so formed were measured by Transmission line method (TLM) and compared with the contacts formed without Ag interlayer. XRD technique revealed the presence of Au-Ga phase at alloying temperatures 420°C and 440°C indicative of the formation of good quality and low Rc ohmic contacts. The Ag based contacts showed improved specific transfer resistance values and smooth surface morphology at wider alloying temperatures compared to the contacts formed without using Ag as a barrier layer. This factor is beneficial in the fabrication of lower resistance ohmic contacts in HEMTs, where a deeper penetration of ohmic metal upto the 2DEG channel is desirable. Index Terms Au-Ga, Contact resistance, Ohmic contact, p-HEMT, Specific transfer resistance, TLM, XRD.


Dental ceramics are considered to be the most inert of all dental materials. In literature, there is an insufficiency of data regarding corrosion of specific type of dental ceramic. The purpose of this investigation was to analyze chemical durability of one type of glass ceramic according to ISO standard. Ten specimens of IPS-Empress 2 ceramic (Ivoclar Vivadent, Schaan, Liechtenstein) for layering technique and ten specimens of IPS-Empress 2 ceramic for staining were prepaid. Waxed profiles, dimension 10x10x2 mm, were invested for preparing the specimens. After a final preparation, the weights of specimens were checked and the specimens were placed in 4% acetic solution (ISO- Standard 6872 for dental ceramic). After sixteen hours of immersion, the specimens were cleaned with distilled water, dried and their weight was checked again. Possible weight loss was calculated (m ; g/cm2). From solutions, in which the specimens were placed, concentrations of eluted ions were measured. The concentrations of Na+, K+, Ca2+ were determinate with atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) and concentration of Si4+ and Al3+ with UV/VIS spectrophotometer. The results were statistically evaluated with descriptive statistic and Mann-Whitney test. The statistical analysis showed the significant differences (p<0.05) in chemical durability between tested groups of specimens. Specimens of IPS-Empress 2 ceramic for layering showed significantly greater chemical stability (p<0.05) then specimens of IPS-Empress 2 ceramic for staining. They, also, eluted significantly less ions, except for potassium ions, where the difference between the groups of specimens was not statistically significant. The chemical durability of tested glass ceramics is well below the limit allowed by ISO-Standard 6872. The estimated differences between the groups of specimens are probably caused by their different chemical composition on specimen's surface. The significance of this study is the evidence that, even for the ceramic materials with similar chemical composition and same commercial name, the chemical durability could not be predicted.


The assumption of initial normal stress in the stability analytical method based on the pre-definition of the normal stress on the slip surface was studied using random variables.The adaptability of this method to typical slopes has shown that this method can be used for the solutions to circular slip surfaces and the results have good agreement with those by common limit equilibrium methods.However,for the non-circular slip surfaces containing larger difference between adjacent slices,this method can yield erroneous results.


Give an introduction of the main shaft's transmission and force situation of the ring spinning frame. Also, it gives a feasibility analysis of the machine's hollow main shaft. Of the long ring spinning frame, using the hollow main shaft can save the raw materials consumption and increase the main shaft carrying capacity.


Introduction: Maintaining stable haemodynamics throughout oral and maxillofacial surgeries helps to decrease intraoperative bleeding and thus improves the surgical field avoiding unnecessary damage to vital structures and tissues. Dexmedetomidine improves haemodynamic stability when used as an adjuvant during general anaesthesia. Limited studies have been done using low dose of dexmedetomidine for the attenuation of haemodynamic stability perioperatively in oral oncological surgeries. Aim: To study the effect of two doses of dexmedetomidine, 0.4 mcg/kg/hr, 0.2 mcg/kg/hr and normal saline (0.9%) on haemodynamic stress response in patients undergoing elective oral oncological surgeries. Materials and Methods: The present study was a randomised control study. After institutional Ethical Committee clearance, one twenty patients of American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) physical grades I and II aged between 18-65 years, undergoing elective oral oncological surgeries under general anaesthesia were enrolled. Patients were randomly assigned to 3 groups with 40 patients in each group. Group A received dexmedetomidine 0.4 mcg/kg/hr, Group B received dexmedetomidine 0.2 mcg/kg/hr and Group C received normal saline. The infusion was initiated 15 minutes prior to pre-oxygenation and continued intraoperatively till the beginning of skin closure. Parameters noted were Heart Rate (HR), Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP), Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP) and Mean Arterial Pressures (MAP). Any adverse effects during the observation period were also noted. Statistical tests done were analysis of variance (ANOVA), Post-Hoc Tukey's test, Chi-square, Nonparametric setting for Qualitative data analysis. Results: Intravenous (lV) dexmedetomidine 0.4 mcg/kg/hr effectively attenuated haemodynamic stress response to intubation and surgical stimuli throughout the observation period compared to 0.2 mcg/kg/hr and saline, being statistically significant (p<0.05). No significant side effects were noted. Conclusion: Inj. dexmedetomidine 0.4 mcg/kg/hr IV is the minimum effective dose required to attenuate the haemodynamic stress response to both intubation and surgical stimulus intraoperatively in patients undergoing oral oncological surgeries.


The CBERS-02B image at rice maturity stage was used in this study.Based on the statistics and analyses of the image spectral information,the general regularity and characters of rice spectral reflectance were summarized.It indicated that,at the rice maturity stage,the characters of rice were different between the others′ in the values of red,green,blue bands and NDVI.Bands calculation was used to build the relationships,and the thresholds were defined.Finally the rice planting area was extracted by the relationships and the thresholds.The accuracy reached 91.95%.This method can improve the precision of rice planting area interpretation of remote sensing images.


Since the 1960s, youth people have created their own subculture. It has been motivated from their conflict with the former generation and from their resist toward the mainstream culture. Since the 1990s, a group of young artists have begun an independent and alternative cultural movement in the district called 'Hongdae' in Seoul, Korea. This Hongdae culture resisted to the commercial mainstream entertainment business. With a special concern for the economical and cultural marginalization of the younger generation, this paper traces the history and nature of Hongdae movement as a youth subculture. Also this paper tries to analyze this distinctive cultural movement theologically to suggest insightful ideas for Christian culture. The Hongdae culture can be explained in the notion of 'marginality' and 'nomadism.' It emphasizes on alternative lifestyle based on communitarian play. However, today the Hongdae culture has been seriously declined because of 'gentrification' of the Hongdae district due to capitalistic intervention. As the concept of 'marginality' does not mean a space, Hongdae culture should be developed as a philosophy which stresses on alternative lifestyle in this capitalistic world. It would be a good direction for Christianity, which stresses on the theology of culture "in the world not of the world."


To assess the feasibility and predictive ability of regional cerebral oxygen saturation monitoring during cardiopulmonary resuscitation by emergency medical technicians.


The second, only, of two short papers which I communicated to the Society a month ago, on points connected with the Kinetic Theory of gases, took account of the greater probability of collision between two particles as their relative speed is larger. I propose now to calculate the effect of this consideration on the results of my first paper.


A simple chalcone-based fluorescent chemosensor 1, capable of detecting Fe3+ in aqueous media, has been designed and synthesized by the condensation of 3-formyl-2-hydroxyquinoline and acetophenone. The Fe3+ recognition processes are shown to be barely influenced by other coexisting metal ions, and are found to be reversible with EDTA. Moreover, the sensor is applied in the Fe3+ removal process from environmental water samples by using a membrane separation method.


The political party set up to defend the NHS has secured 20 000 votes across 12 constituencies in the UK general election, including three fourth place finishes.

The National Health Action Party, formed by doctors and health campaigners in 2012 to protest against the government's stewardship of the NHS, did not unseat any of its high profile target MPs in the 12 areas in which it fielded candidates for election. But the party's co-leader, the oncologist Clive Peedell, said that the result was "a great effort in our first general election" and pledged to continue to carry the …


ctinic keratoses (AKs) are superficial, discrete, erythematous and scaly skin lesions. They are also known as solar keratoses or 'sunspots'. AKs are found predominantly on sun-exposed areas such as the scalp, face and forearms.1 Globally, Australians have the highest rate of AK development, resulting in a prevalence of 40 to 60% among the Caucasian population above the age of 40 years.1,2 Not surprisingly, the treatment of AK often falls under the responsibility of GPs so it is important to be aware of the full range of available treatment options.


Quantum fluctuations are ubiquitous in physics. Ranging from conventional examples like the harmonic oscillator to intricate theories on the origin of the universe, they alter virtually all aspects of matter -- including superconductivity, phase transitions and nanoscale processes. As a rule of thumb, the smaller the object, the larger their impact. This poses a serious challenge to modern nanotechnology, which aims total control via atom-by-atom engineered devices. In magnetic nanostructures, high stability of the magnetic signal is crucial when targeting realistic applications in information technology, e.g. miniaturized bits. Here, we demonstrate that zero-point spin-fluctuations are paramount in determining the fundamental magnetic exchange interactions that dictate the nature and stability of the magnetic state. Hinging on the fluctuation-dissipation theorem, we establish that quantum fluctuations correctly account for the large overestimation of the interactions as obtained from conventional static first-principles frameworks, filling in a crucial gap between theory and experiment [1,2]. Our analysis further reveals that zero-point spin-fluctuations tend to promote the non-collinearity and stability of chiral magnetic textures such as skyrmions -- a counter-intuitive quantum effect that inspires practical guidelines for designing disruptive nanodevices.


This paper presents a case study where results from numerical analysis have been compared to model experiments, performed on a 1/16 scale model. The tested model is a circular cage system with a polyethylene cage. The system is tested both in waves and current.Numerical analysis to document the structural integrity of the fish farms are now a requirement. The state of the art analysis tool used in the aquaculture industry is AquaSim [1].Results from model experiments are compared to numerical analysis carried out in AquaSim. Uncertainties in the model experiments are investigated and discussed. The differences between the experimental and numerical results are in the same range as the uncertainties.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


The results of a more careful examination of the painting in Raska from the period of the king and later, of the emperor, Stefan Dusan (1331-1355) render untenable the earlier assessments about its strikingly provincial character and negligible artistic value. The fragmentarily preserved painting of the exonarthex in Djurdjevi stupovi, in Budimlja (spring 1343 - autumn 1345), and St. Nikola in Palež near Studenica (probably the fifth decade of the 14th century), undoubtedly indicate a highly progressive style and very high artistic value. According to their pictorial features, these two monuments are no less sophisticated than the most advanced fresco ensembles of Dusan's times in Macedonia. Besides that, in the painting of the Budimlja exonarthex and the church in Palež, one can also perceive certain iconographic and programmatic novelties, which are characteristic of churches from that period in the south eastern parts of the Serbian state (the Menologion, the elevation of the rulers' portraits to the second zone of the fresco paintings, etc). The coordination of the iconography and the programme with the principles of the Palaiologan high renaissance can also be observed in the fresco painting of some other monuments of Raska from the reign of Stefan Dusan. We refer to the Church of the Annunciation in Dobrun, the exonarthex in Sopocani, the Chuch of St. Nicholas in Baljevac, the so-called Latin Church in Prokuplje, and St. Nicholas in Usee. In the majority of the said monuments, one can notice traces of the rather lively cultural relations with the central and southern parts of the expanded Serbian state. Nevertheless, the painting in the enumerated churches has been only fragmentarily preserved. Consequently, considerations about the fresco painting of the Bela Crkva Karanska (the White Church of Karan) as a rather well preserved monumental ensemble, acquires particular significance for art research in the north western part of Dusan's state.


Summary and Conclusions The disuc-cinate of α-tocopherylhydroquinone has been tested for antisterility activity by daily intravenous injections in pregnant vit. E-deficient rats. This antidystrophic compound was found to be devoid of the antisterility activity associated with α-tocopherol. Moreover, the injection of dystrophic rabbits with large curative doses of α-tocopherylhydroquinone; or its disuccinate, did not lead to the appearance of tocopherol in the serum. Both of these observations indicate that α-tocopherylhydroquinone is not converted to α-tocopherol to a significant extent in the body. It appears therefore that α-tocopherylhydroquinone is an antidystrophic factor or vitamin per se. Alpha-tocopherol, on the other hand, is the antisterility vitamin. It may possess antidystrophic activity as such, or alternatively, it may only be the provitamin for α-tocopherylhydroquinone. The separation of antidystrophic from antisterility activity is discussed with relation to the function of vit. E in muscular dystrophy.


Simple Summary Technological breakthroughs have fundamentally changed our understanding on the complexity of tissue organization, both in healthy and diseased conditions. Characterizing the immune cell composition in relation to spatial distribution and histological changes may provide important diagnostic and therapeutic information. Immunohistochemistry remains a method of choice for these purposes, with crucial implications in clinics or in medical research. Nowadays, the widespread use of fluorophore-conjugated antibodies enables simultaneous visualization of an increasing number of proteins on a single tissue slice, with unprecedented resolution. However, advanced methods usually require modern and specific equipment, a significant amount of time for assay optimization, and highly specialized skills. This work reports on the use of a multiplex immunostaining method based on sequential immunostaining and antibody stripping, combined with digital image processing and analysis. Our aim is to provide the medical and research communities with a simple, cost-effective workflow to encompass some current limitations of multiplex immunohistochemistry. Abstract Technological breakthroughs have fundamentally changed our understanding on the complexity of the tumor microenvironment at the single-cell level. Characterizing the immune cell composition in relation to spatial distribution and histological changes may provide important diagnostic and therapeutic information. Immunostaining on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples represents a widespread and simple procedure, allowing the visualization of cellular distribution and processes, on preserved tissue structure. Recent advances in microscopy and molecular biology have made multiplexing accessible, yet technically challenging. We herein describe a novel, simple and cost-effective method for a reproducible and highly flexible multiplex immunostaining on archived FFPE tissue samples, which we optimized for solid organs (e.g., liver, intestine, lung, kidney) from mice and humans. Our protocol requires limited specific equipment and reagents, making multiplexing (>12 antibodies) immediately implementable to any histology laboratory routinely performing immunostaining. Using this method on single sections and combining it with automated whole-slide image analysis, we characterize the hepatic immune microenvironment in preclinical mouse models of liver fibrosis, steatohepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and on human-patient samples with chronic liver diseases. The data provide useful insights into tissue organization and immune–parenchymal cell-to-cell interactions. It also highlights the profound macrophage heterogeneity in liver across premalignant conditions and HCC.


In the building and construction sector all features are location based. The world of geographic information and application orientation is moving extremely fast, thus challenging the building sect ...


Much print has been dedicated to explaining discordant redshifts in compact groups as unrelated background galaxies. But no one has analyzed the accordant galaxies. It is shown here that when there is a brightest galaxy in the group, the remainder with differences of less than 1000 km s-1 are systematically redshifted. This is the same result as obtained in all other well-defined groups and demonstrates again an increasing intrinsic redshift with fainter luminosity. Defining discordant redshifts as 1000 km s-1 or greater than the brightest galaxy, it is shown that 76 out of 345, or 22% are discordant, reaching excesses of up to 23,000 km s-1. This large percentage cannot be explained by background contamination because the number of discordances would be expected to increase rapidly with larger excesses, exactly opposite to what is observed in compact groups. Hickson's logarithmic intensity image of the NGC 1199 group confirms earlier direct evidence from Arp that a peculiar, compact object of 13,300 km s-1 redshift is silhouetted in front of the 2705 km s-1 central galaxy.


Finding appropriately designed clinical trials to guide critical care practice can be daunting. The intensive care unit (ICU) environment poses logistic obstacles to performing studies, including narrow timewindows to enroll patients, difficulties obtaining consent for patient enrollment, and a mandate to collaborate across institutions to generate results. Lacking robust evidence, critical care guidelines are often based on expert opinion, spawning many controversies, which we explore in this issue of Seminars in Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Evidence is building to address these controversies, and we have been fortunate to recruit an impressive cadre of experts to address many of the challenges intensivists face each day. This issue starts with an elegant summary by Drs. Ahasic and Christiani of progress being made toward realizing the potential of personalized critical care medicine. Subsequent articles review new evidence driving the treatment of severe ARDS by Dr. O'Gara et al and pulmonary emboli by Dr. Marshall et al. Then Dr. Bice et al address growing concerns about chronic critical illness and our approach to discussing the burdens and benefits of tracheostomy with patients and families. Drs. Holdorf and Lilly as well as Drs. Chong and Ward, respectively, address evolving concerns about staffing and resource utilization in critical care, focusing on the e-ICU (or tele-ICU), nighttime staffing, and the role of intensivist "extenders," while also wrestling with ICU bed expansion and the common practice of offering critical care to dying patients. This issue also presents two comprehensive reviews of invasive and noninvasive hemodynamic monitoring tools while exploring their value and limitations in the "postSwan-Ganz" era, one focusing on the right heart failure syndrome by Dr. Kholdani et al and another focusing on overall hemodynamic monitoring in the ICU by Drs. Suess and Pinsky. Multiple critical care practices are gaining momentum, including the implementation of protocols to standardize treatment and the use of bedside-focused ultrasound. The quality of evidence supporting this momentum is thoroughly discussed. Drs. Siner and Connors consider the criteria required to deem a protocol successful, while Drs. BrownandKasal explore sources of error in ultrasound-guided clinical management as well as accumulating evidence to support bedside ultrasonography. We are also updated by Drs. Honiden and Inzucchi on current approaches to optimizing nutritional support and managing hyperglycemia. Another review by Dr. Jutte et al explores evolving concerns about physical, cognitive, and psychological disabilities in ICU survivors, including the barriers to improving long-term outcomes. An issue devoted to current controversies would be incomplete without discussing rapidly evolving priorities related to sedation and end-of-life care. Dr. Debiasi et al beautifully present a comprehensive review of new approaches to preventing and managing agitation, highlighting recent efforts to keep ICU patients more awake. We also include a state-of-the art review by Dr. Akgun et al of palliative care in the ICU, which is gaining traction as we seek to improve care for dying patients. We are enormously grateful to our expert authors. If this issue succeeds, it is because of their thoroughness, novel insights, and lucid writing. Finally, we deeply appreciate the patience and support of Dr. Lynch and his staff and the opportunity given to us to assemble this exciting collection. Wassim H. Fares, MD, MSc


Through the coherent combining of apertures, a multistatic SAR can provide the capability to dramatically increase coverage rates over that of conventional monostatic SAR platforms, while also providing image resolution enhancement similar to that of an equivalent large aperture monostatic SAR. This coherent integration requires that all apertures in the multistatic system be calibrated in both amplitude and phase before combining. While some variance in the amplitude calibration between apertures is acceptable, it is critical that all of the apertures see a given pixel in the same physical location, and therefore accurate phase calibration between apertures is essential. In the work presented here the focus is on using measurements in conjunction with simulation, to develop an adequate calibration scheme. Initially the issue of the appropriate calibration target will be discussed, followed by a discussion of the calibration scheme including representative results.


The instant invention is a sealant composition comprising an ultra-high solid polyurethane dispersion comprising. The ultra-high solid polyurethane dispersion comprises (1) a first component comprising a first polyurethane prepolymer or a first polyurethane prepolymer emulsion, (2) a second component comprising a media phase selected from the group consisting of a second polyurethane prepolymer emulsion, a low solid content polyurethane dispersion, a seed latex, and combinations thereof; and (3) a chain extender. The ultra-high solid polyurethane dispersion has at least a solid content of at least 65 percent by weight of solid content, based on the total weight of the ultra-high solid polyurethane dispersion, and a viscosity of less than 5000 cps at 20 rpm at 21°C using spindle #4 with Brookfield viscometer. The sealant composition may further include optionally one or more surfactants, optionally one or more dispersants, optionally one or more thickeners, optionally one or more pigments, optionally one or more fillers, optionally one or more freeze-thaw agent, optionally one or more neutralizing agents, optionally one or more plasticizers, and/or combinations thereof.


The utility model relates to a positioning construction between an electronic card and a connector, which comprises a connector and an electronic card. The connector is provided with a joint and a plurality of brackets, wherein the brackets are connected with the joint, a notch is arranged on one end of the bracket, a positioning projection is arranged at the bottom of the electronic card corresponding to the notch, the electronic card is inserted into and connected with the connector, and the positioning projection is positioned in the notch, thus the utility model can reach a good localization result, stabilize the electronic card, and guarantee the electronic connection between the electronic card and the connector.


This study evaluated the efficacy of a bereavement program for widowed people. The experimental and control groups each had twenty-five participants. The experimental participants were members who were partaking in a treatment group, while control participants were recruited from a waiting list for future groups. All participants were pre-and posttested on the Texas Revised Inventory of Grief (TRIG). Results showed no significant differences between experimental and control groups on posttest scores. However, recovery from grief was significantly influenced by factors such as circumstances of death and time. Furthermore, males fared much better than females but there were not enough (six) to test for significance.


the operation is undertaken in a centre with good facilities for intensive care and in a unit with experience of the operation. Prolonged corticosteroid therapy should be reserved for patients who have not responded to thymectomy and should not precede thymectomy. The monthly MIMS index of proprietary preparations available in Britain includes the following trade names for the main drugs mentioned in this article (other than broad groups such as corticosteroids): ambenomium: Mytelase; edrophonium: Tensilon; neostigmine: Prostigmin; pyridostigmine: Mestinon.


Models that require hourly weather data as inputs are being constructed to simulate development of insects and plants. Most agricultural and, climatological weather observation stations, however, do not include the capability to record hourly data. Thus, methods, for simulating hourly observations need to be developed if the wealth of data collected in such stations is to be used in these models. One application for simulated temperature data is in the peach industry. This industry uses chilling hours and chill units to determine progression of fulfillment of chilling requirements through the winter season. In the past, chill hours and chill units have been calculated at a limited number of locations using either manually recorded hourly observations or thermograph charts. Richardson (1974) proposed a very simple model for determining temperatures from which chill units were calculated. He used a straight line with 12 hr between maximum and minimum temperature. Richardson recognized the limitations of this model, especially when assuming the daily temperature curve was symmetrical about 12 hr. He suggested that the time between maximum and minimum temperature may need to be changed to better represent daylength changes during the year. McFarland et al. (1987) compared various mathematical representations of the daily heating wave. In their analysis, most published models used a modified sine function to describe heating during daytime hours. A sine function should be a close representation of the curve because daytime temperatures follow the daily solar cycle. The nighttime cooling curve, however, is not as simple. Cooling depends on many factors, including moisture content of the air, cloud cover, and soil heat flow. One form of the cooling curve suggested by Sutton (1953) depends on the square root of time since sunset. Parton and Logan (1981) used an exponential cooling rate to describe nighttime cooling. Eckersten (1986) modified Parton and Logan's model to a sine-sine ex-


Geochemical composition changes in groundwater related to earthquakes have been documented in previous studies, and most such studies focused on the changes in major ions, hydrogen, oxygen isotopes, and geochemical gases. Changes in trace elements were suggested to be more sensitive to small earthquakes than the commonly used chemical constituents such as major ions, yet they received less attention. Beijing is located in the Zhangjiakou-Bohai seismic belt and experiences frequent occurrences of small earthquakes. In this paper, we collected groundwater samples from a hot spring in Yanqing district of Beijing weekly from August 2021 to August 2022. Each water sample contained 41 trace chemical compositions. During the sampling, an earthquake with a magnitude of ML3.3 occurred in the Chaoyang district of Beijing on 3 February 2022, so these trace elements changes were systematically monitored before and after the earthquake: Li, Sc, Ti, and Pb elements had upward changes before the earthquake, while Cu, Nb, Th, Zn, Tl, and U elements had downward changes before the earthquake. Eu (rare earth elements) had upward changes after the earthquake. At the same time, the earthquake caused no significant changes in the groundwater level in the seismic monitoring well near the Songshan spring. Such responses indicate that trace elements are likely to be more sensitive to crustal strain than groundwater level. We considered that the earthquake-induced rock cracks before or after the earthquake caused enhancing water-rock interaction and led to the migration of trace elements between the water column and rocks, which is the mechanism to explain the trace elemental changes. This study probably provides a comprehensive assessment of the sensitivity of trace element constituents to the earthquake. Furthermore, we suggest that more long-term continuous monitoring and research of trace elements in Beijing and Zhangjiakou-Bohai Fault Zone should be considered to explore the response mechanism of groundwater geochemistry to earthquakes in the future.


Bronchiectasis is one of chronic inflammatory bronchial diseases,with the pathological presentation of one or more bronchial permanent dilation,Non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis is usually associated with recurrent infections,immunodeficiency or autoimmune diseases,and a quite portion is specific.The vicious cycle of bacterial colonization,airway inflammation,and airway structural damage results in bronchiectasis.Airway inflammation is the key of the cycle,therefore,the studies of immunoregulatory mechanism of airway inflammation are important,which can guide the research and development of drugs in bronchiectasis.This review focuses on molecular and cellular immunoregulatory mechanism associated with the pathogenesis of bronchiectasis,and discusses the mechanism of bacterial chronic colonization.Drug research and development associated with immunoregulation in bronchiectasis is also discussed.

Key words:
Bronchiectasis ;  Immunoregulation;  Leukocyte;  Cytokine


The application of industry standards to the development of avionics software is discussed, focusing on verification and validation activities. It is pointed out that the procedures that guide the avionics software development and testing process are under increased scrutiny. The Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics DO-178A guidelines, Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification, are used by the US Federal Aviation Administration for certifying avionics software. To investigate the effectiveness of the DO-178A guidelines for improving the quality of avionics software, guidance and control software (GCS) is being developed according to the DO-178A development method. It is noted that, due to the extent of the data collection and configuration management procedures, any phase in the life cycle of a GCS implementation can be reconstructed. Hence, a fundamental development and testing platform has been established that is suitable for investigating the adequacy of various software development processes. In particular, the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the development method recommended by the DO-178A guidelines are being closely examined.<<ETX>>


Animal embryo engineering requires large amounts of synchronized mature oocytes in vitro. However, porcine cumulus-oocyte complexes aspirated from 3-8 mm follicles are at different germinal vesicle stages. They reach metaphase II stages asynchronously when cultured in vitro. In this study, we examined the effects of pretreatment with or without cycloheximide (CHX), equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG), human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), and their combinations on meiotic synchronization and the developmental competence of porcine oocytes in vitro following electrical activation. The COCs were pretreated for 12 h with either control medium (TCM 199), CHX (TCM 199 + CHX), eCG/hCG (TCM 199 + eCG/hCG) or eCG/hCG + CHX (TCM 199 + CHX + eCG/hCG), and then cultured for up to 32 h with TCM199 + eCG/hCG. After 12 h pretreatment, the rates of germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) were lower (P < 0.05) in the CHX (8.4%) and eCG/hCG + CHX (1.5%) groups compared with control (55.4%) and eCG/hCG (27.2%) groups. After remo...


The origin of the novel human coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and its potential for harm increased face mask and medical waste in the environment, thereby necessitating the urgent prevention and control of the pandemic. To estimates the face mask and medical waste generation in Asia during the pandemic to convince the waste management and scientific communities to find ways to address the negative impact that the waste disposal has on the environment. Standardisation, procedures, guidelines and strict implementation of medical waste management related to COVID-19, community habitats and public areas should be carefully considered to reduce pandemic risks in hospitals, as proper medical waste disposal effectively controls infection sources.


An extended class cover problem is presented and then it is reduced to a constrained multi-objective optimization problem. Solving this problem is significantly important to construct a robust classification system. Therefore, through analyzing the parameters of the binary particle swarm optimization, the conclusion that the binary particle swarm optimization can not only explore the search space efficiently, but also utilize the apriori knowledge adequately, is drawn in this paper. Furthermore, a hybrid algorithm combined with the conventional greedy algorithm and binary particle swarm optimization algorithm is proposed to deal with the extended class cover problem. The proposed algorithm can get a better solution in less runtime and the simulated comparative results with other algorithms show its feasibility and validity.


Primary hepatoid adenocarcinoma (HAC) is a rare extrahepatic adenocarcinoma that is defined by morphological and functional hepatic differentiation.[1] The most common site of origin is stomach (63%). It rarely involves ovary (10%), lung (5%), gallbladder (4%), pancreas (4%), and uterus (4%).[2] There are only 34 cases of primary HAC of the lung origin that are described in the world literature, of which only one case has been reported from India.[3] In our study, we report two cases of primary HAC of the lung in two male patients which was diagnosed on fine‐needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) with ancillary studies. The present study, to best of our knowledge, is the second to report with the comprehensive clinicopathological data of two cases of primary HAC of the lung in the Indian literature.


The present invention teaches the use as adjuvants for at least one alcohol alkoxylate and at least one alkoxylated quaternary surfactant blend composition and auxin-based insecticides. Pesticidal compositions using a surfactant blend compositions of the present invention implements the unexpectedly superior efficacy than similar insecticidal composition using only individual surfactant components. The compositions of the present invention, as a tank side additive, or useful as component of the insecticidal formulation.


Abstract The use of a vegetation index in the study of vegetation changes requires that the influences of the signal gain, of atmospheric conditions and of soil be removed. This paper presents a theoretical basis for technique that theoretically removes all these influences from raw data without the use of external inputs. It produces a normalized perpendicular vegetation index that is suitable for vegetation change studies based on non-corrected radiometric data. For several years our remote sensing group has worked on techniques to compare multi-temporal raw data images. It has developed two techniques to normalize vegetation index values (Caloz et al. 1986, Collet and Abednego 1987, Abednego 1989) and soil index values (Caloz et al. 1988, Abednego 1989) derived from uncorrected digital values acquired by satellite remote sensing systems.


We report a new measurement of R{sub b}={Gamma}{sub Z{sup 0}{r_arrow}b{bar b}} /{Gamma}{sub Z{sup 0}{r_arrow}hadrons} using a double tag technique, where the b hemisphere selection is based on the reconstructed mass of the B hadron decay vertex. The measurement was performed using a sample of 130{times}10{sup 3} hadronic Z{sup 0} events, collected with the SLD detector at SLC. The method utilizes the 3D vertexing abilities of the CCD pixel vertex detector and the small stable SLC beams to obtain a high b -tagging efficiency and purity. We obtain R{sub b}=0.2142{plus_minus}0.0034(stat) {plus_minus}0.0015(syst){plus_minus}0.0002( R{sub c}) . {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}


Painterly rendering algorithms often mimic classical hand-painting techniques to automatically generate stylized paintings from input images. These algorithms use a combination of techniques to express a variety of styles and artistic properties (e.g., contrast, mood), but often restrict the user from controlling the rendering order of overlapping brush strokes. This paper illustrates the importance of brush stroke ordering in creating stylistic effects and presents a layer-based painterly rendering algorithm that allows the user to specify a brush stroke ordering. Several of the presented orderings enable the renderer to reduce detail obstruction, simulate handpainting techniques and enhance artistic styles.


The effective spin sum rule is widely used in the quantitative analysis of x-ray magnetic circular dichroism spectra. Here, this important, though imperfect, sum rule is reviewed with a detailed analysis of the various sources for errors and deviations. The simulations confirm that the final state effects of the core level spin-orbit coupling and the core-valence exchange interactions (multiplet effects) are linearly related with the effective spin sum-rule error. Within the charge transfer multiplet approach, we have analyzed these effects, in combination with the interactions affecting the magnetic ground state, including the crystal field strength, the charge transfer effects, the exchange (magnetic) field, and the 3d spin-orbit coupling. We find that for the late transition-metal systems, the error in the effective spin moment is between 5% and 10%, implying that for covalent and/or metallic systems the effective spin sum rule is precise to within 5-10 %. The error for 3d(5) systems is similar to 30% and for 3d(4) systems, the error is very large, implying that, without further information, the derived effective spin sum-rule values for 3d(4) systems have no meaning.


: Recent advances in synthetic biology have enabled the construction of molecular circuits that operate across multiple scales of cellular organization, for example by interfacing gene regulation with signalling or metabolic pathways. Computational methods can e ff ectively aid and accelerate the design process, but current methods are generally unsuited for systems with multiple temporal or concentration scales, as these are challenging to simulate due to their numerical sti ff ness. Here, we present a machine learning method for the e ffi cient optimization of biological circuits across scales. We employ a Bayesian optimization approach and nonparametric statistical models to learn the shape of a performance landscape and iteratively navigate the design space towards an optimal design. This strategy allows the joint optimization of both circuit architecture and parameters, and hence provides a feasible approach to solve a highly non-convex optimization problem in a mixed-integer input space. We illustrate the applicability of the method on gene circuits designed to control biosynthetic pathways, as these display strong nonlinearities and have molecular components that evolve in di ff erent timescales and di ff erent scales of molecular concentrations. We test the method on various models of dynamic production pathways previously built in the literature, and highlight its ability to optimize large multiscale models with more than 20 species and circuit architectures, as well as large parametric sweeps that are useful for assessing the robustness of optimal designs to perturbations. The method can serve as an e ffi cient in silico screening method for circuit architectures prior to experimental testing.


Seismic inversion is a technique of tomographic seismic imaging for creating a model in slowness space that can correctly reconstruct the measured seismic dataset. This is usually implemented by minimizing a least squares inversion algorithm. This algorithm has limitations because it reconstructs images with artifacts yield by ground roll coherent noise contained in the raw seismic input dataset. Recently, improved seismic images were reconstructed using the Huber norm. We achieved superior results via minimizing an objective function that is built using both terms, the least squares norm of measured and modeled dataset misfit and a non quadratic error norm of slowness model. This error norm can regularize the reconstructed slowness image model from input seismic dataset corrupted by ground roll noise. Keywords-ground roll noise, seismic signal, seismic imaging, image filtering.


The current availability of large numbers of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) throughout the genome makes these markers particularly suitable for the detection of patterns of genetic diversity and of genome-wide homozygosity in animal populations. The aim of this work was to estimate genetic diversity and homozygosity in the Maremmana cattle breed. We used a sample of 149 animals (males and females) genotyped with the BovineSNP50 v2 (54K) Illumina BeadChip. After editing for call-rate >0.9 and removing SNP unassigned or on the sex chromosomes, 128 animals and 50,814 SNPs were left. We estimated the following genetic parameters: observed and expected heterozygosity (Ho and He), minor allele frequency (MAF), and the FIS statistic. We also scanned the genome for runs of homozygosity (ROH). In the present study, ROH were detected based on 20-SNP-long sliding-windows, and allowing for a maximum of 1 missing and 1 heterozygote genotype, and a maximum gap between consecutive SNP of 105 bp. ROH contained minimum 10 SNPs, and had a minimum length of 1 Mb and a minimum density of 1 SNP every 50 kbps. The


Through the combination of high speed dispersion and ultrasonic cavitation,under the action of dispersant,the nano-Al2O3/ZrO2 was dispersed in epoxy resin uniformly for toughening.Meanwhile,a new nano-wear-resisting coating applicable for high-speed water flow abrasion was prepared.The influences of the nano-particles dispersion mode,nan-Al2O3/ZrO2 composition ratio,nano-particles content and the amount of dispersant on the coating properties were analyzed.The results showed that the coating has excellent wear-resistant,bonding,salt spray resistant and anti-aging properties.


The invention relates to appliances and machines, especially a centrifuge or a mixer, which are to be fed and emptied in a contamination-free manner in order to allow even toxic materials to be centrifuged with comparatively little effort and then allow the centrifuge to be emptied and be made ready for reuse. This is achieved by closing the open end of the drum housing which is fitted with the drum insert and/or the open end of the drum insert and/or of the drum by means of a disposable cover.


This thesis consists of an analysis of obstetrictraining during medical school. It is based onethnographic research undertaken at twoacknowledged medical schools in Sao Paulo, Brazil.The objective was to study how technical andscientific competence and care, that is, therelationship with the patient, are articulated intheoretical and practical training of birth assistance.The techniques employed in fieldwork were:participant observation, semi-structured interviewsand, in a complementary form, the analysis oftextbooks and assistance protocols. A characterizationof the curriculum offered by the schools and anexamination of students experience with respect tolearning the theory and practice of obstetrics,including the supervision of the various activitiesinvolving obstetric assistance are discussed.Description and analysis of the scission between thedevelopment of technical and scientific competencein the educational process was undertaken. Theimplications of this scission for training in the practiceof medicine as a moral dependent technique arediscussed. Great emphasis is placed on thedevelopment of scientific knowledge during training.Even in the clinical years, emphasis is placed onlearning to construct clinical narratives, placingpriority on memory and the oral transmission ofknowledge rather than written registration andconsultation of patience's charts. Learning andtraining is based in part on so-called "classical"concepts, which sustain a pathological approach tobirthing. In training, this approach involves normsof conduct that have been questioned by scientificevidence and that have even been abandoned inother contexts. Obstetrical decisions involvingconduct and training are not taken in conjunctionwith the women receiving assistance who frequentlyare not even consulted or informed of thesedecisions. Sometimes prejudices influence medicaljudgment and decision-making. There are fewparameters to evaluate student attitudes in theirinteraction with patients. In the work stations where


Reducing the total costs of modules by increasing the efficiency of solar cells is one of the major challenges in today's photovoltaic research. The emitter epitaxy by atmospheric pressure chemical vapour deposition (APCVD) offers a cost-efficient and faster alternative to the standard furnace diffusion process. The epitaxial emitter formation at 1050 °C only takes 1-2 min whereas the diffusion process using POCl3 takes up to 60 min. The purpose of this work is to show the potential of epitaxial grown emitters compared to diffused emitters. PC1D simulations show an increase in voltage of ∆VOC = + 10 mV and a reduction in saturation current J0e of 30% for the epitaxial emitter. These advantages are due to lower surface recombination velocity and reduction of Auger recombination of the optimised emitter profile. The lifetime experiments including an epitaxial emitter show a diffusion length Leff of 750 μm and an emitter saturation current of J0e = 46 fA/cm2 on a planar 10 Ωcm p-type FZ wafer. Another important aim of this work is to determine the limitations of epitaxial emitters due to thermal degradation of the base material, interface recombination and the change of reflective properties on textured wafers due the deposition process. In a first batch, solar cell efficiencies up to 18.4 % underline that emitter epitaxy by APCVD is a competitive process for the emitter formation.


This paper focuses on two strategies used by artists in vulnerable collective to subvert the hegemonic regime of images. Counter-images are representations that go beyond the acceptable in the logic of normativity of the canon, and take a position against it. Translucent strategies, on the other hand, play with visibility and occultation, and create ambiguous images that can infiltrate the regime of representation, and subvert it from the inside. The combination of both can bring a stronger potentiality for disruption. To introduce these strategies we use works by Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Robert Mapplethorpe and collective Senora Polaroiska.


.....................................................................................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .................................................................................................. iii TABLE OF CONTENT ..................................................................................................... v CHAPTER 1 .................................................................................................................... 1 REVIEW OF LITERATURE ............................................................................................. 1 1.1 RNA POLYMERASE II OVERCOMES THE NUCLEOSOME BARRIER DURING TRANSCRIPTION ELONGATION ............................................................................... 1 1.2 HISTONE CHAPERONES ..................................................................................... 2 1.3 HISTONE H3-H4 CHAPERONES ......................................................................... 4 1.3 HISTONE CHAPERONES IN TRANSCRIPTION REGULATION .......................... 5 CHAPTER 2 ................................................................................................................. 13 SPN1 IS A CHROMATIN BINDING PROTEIN .............................................................. 13 2.


The purpose of this research was to ascertain the size and scope of employment at US commercial service airports (CSAs) by: (1) determining the number of full-time and part-time employees employed directly by the operating entities of CSAs; (2) determining the total number of employees employed at these CSAs, including those working not only for airport operators, but also for airport tenants; and (3) comparing the findings to figures found in literature. A literature review was conducted, and all 510 US CSAs were contacted by phone and/or mail and asked to complete a five-question survey. A response rate of 95.1% (n = 485) was obtained. Survey results indicate there are 45,067 full-time and 2,558 part-time employees directly employed by commercial service airport operators. Additionally, when airport tenants are taken into account, survey results indicate 1,154,660 people are employed at CSAs. This study provides more detailed airport employment data than that which is available in current sources, such as the US Department of Labor. It also provides a larger sample size and more comprehensive analysis than previous recent studies, such as the one reported in the November/December issue of Airport Magazine.


We report enhanced superconductivity in bilayer thin films consisting of superconducting La1.6−xNd0.4SrxCuO4 with 0.06 ⩽ x < 0.20 and metallic but non-superconducting La1.55Sr0.45CuO4. These bilayers show a maximum increase in superconducting transition temperature (Tc) of more than 200% for x = 0.06, while no change in Tc is observed for the bilayers with x ⩾ 0.20. The analysis of the critical current and kinetic inductance data suggests 2–3 unit cells thick interfacial layer electronically perturbed to have a higher Tc. A simple charge transfer model with cation intermixing explains the observed Tc in bilayers. Still the unusually large thickness of interfacial superconducting layers cannot be explained in terms of this model. We believe that the stripe relaxation as well as the proximity effect also influence the superconductivity of the interface.


Abstract A developed momentum transfer coefficient based on Wen's 1966 model was proposed, in which the two threshold values were used to keep the continuous particle porosity function. A second-order moment gas–particle two-fluid turbulent model that coupled this coefficient, was established to model and simulate the particle horizontal channel flows. An improved Reynolds stresses transport to close fluctuation velocities correlation between gas and particle phases was set to reveal the fully anisotropic characteristics of particle dispersions. The hydrodynamics of horizontal gas–particle turbulent flow was numerically simulated and validated by experimental measurement with satisfied agreements. Distributions of particle Reynolds stresses are significantly affected by two-phase interactions, turbulent diffusions and particle collisions. Much wider size and flatter profiles distributions were obtained in terms of the horizontal and vertical root-means-square of particle velocities in comparison with Wen's 1966 model.


We present an innovating method to measure the overlay by scatterometry using an optical Fourier transform (OFT) based system. In order to measure the overlay of patterned layers α and β, one line grating is placed in layer α and another in layer β. The two gratings have the same pitch and their lines are parallel. The whole scattering pattern of the double grating structure is then measured at fixed wavelength in a large range of incidence (0 to 80°) and for all the azimuth angles. This measurement is very rapid thanks to the OFT and not sensitive to vibration. The main advantage of OFT compared to standard OCD techniques like normal incidence reflectometry or spectroscopic ellipsometry is that the scattering pattern is more sensitive to overlay at an azimuth depending on the pitch value which is never parallel or perpendicular to the grooves of the gratings. In addition, the optical response is also sensitive to the sign of the overlay in addition to its amplitude. In a second method, we propose to measure the overlay simultaneously along the two directions of the plane using two bi-periodic structures patterned in layer α and β. By using OFT it is possible to deduce directly from the whole diffracted pattern, the overlay signs and amplitudes along both directions of the plane. The paper presents some simulations and some experimental results to illustrate this new method.


A new scan, built-in, self-test technique called SST for testing sequential machines (finite state machines) is presented. This technique uses an external linear feedback shift register (LFSR) or a cellular-automaton-based (CA-based) test pattern generator to generate exhaustive test patterns. These patterns are scanned into the machine and the output responses are scanned out for comparison. It is shown that SST provides exhaustive patterns for sequential machines, which is not the case using the BILBO technique [2] or other pseudorandom techniques [14–16] SST yields shorter test lengths than BIST methods using checking experiments. The technique is well suited to test multiple scan-based sequential machines simultaneously. It does not require that scan paths be reconfigured as test pattern generators on the scan paths, and thus is also suitable for testing sequential machines using off-the-shelf (catalogue) components, such as PLAs or PALs.


Silica glass exhibits a permanent anisotropic response, referred to as polarization induced birefringence (PIB), when exposed to short wavelength, polarized light. The magnitude of the PIB has been empirically correlated with the OH content of the glass. Our recent studies pertaining to PIB have focused on careful characterization of PIB, with particular emphasis on understanding all of the contributions to the measured birefringence signal and finally extracting only that signal associated with birefringence arising from exposure to a polarized light beam. We will demonstrate that a critical contributor to the total birefringence signal is birefringence that comes from exposure beam inhomogeneities. After subtracting beam profile effects we are able to show that PIB is proportional to the OH content of the glass. Polarized infrared (IR) measurements were performed on glasses that developed PIB as a consequence of exposure to polarized 157-nm light. These studies reveal that there is preferential bleaching of a specific hydroxyl (OH) species in the glass with OH aligned parallel to the incident polarization undergoing more bleaching than those perpendicular. Further, we observe a very strong correlation between the measured PIB of these samples and the anisotropic bleaching. From these studies we propose a mechanism that can explain the role of hydroxyl in PIB.


Abstract : A long standing problem in information retrieval is how to treat queries that are best answered by two or more distinct sets of documents. Existing methods average across the words or terms in a user's query, and consequently, perform poorly with multimodal queries, such as: Show me documents about French art and American jazz . We propose a new method, the Relevance Density Method for selecting documents relevant to a user's query. The method can be used whenever the documents and the terms are represented by vectors in a multi-dimensional space, such that the vectors corresponding to documents and terms dealing with closely related topics are close to each other. We show that the Relevance Density Method performs better for multimodal as well as single mode queries than an averaging method. In addition, we show that retrieval is substantially faster for the new method.


Some results on the amplitude-dependent dynamical behavior of poly(methyl methacrylate) are presented. Both the loss tangent (internal friction) and the storage Young's modulus are strain-amplitude-dependent, when measured between room temperature and approximately 400 K, at a frequency of the order of 50 kHz. The data are interpreted in terms of an hyperbolic sine stress dependence of the strain rate, including an effective stress. The activation volume was found to depend on the temperature, with values much larger than those obtained through the usual mechanical tests (tensile, creep, or stress relaxation).


Discloses a system and method for estimating the direction of arrival of sound, a method comprising the steps of: generating a reference signal; separation using two or more spaces, directional or directional microphones spatially separated sound detection, to generate two or more output signals; calculating the relationship between the reference signal and each of two or more output signals; and based on the difference in the relationship between the estimated direction of arrival.


This invention relates to a reactive epoxy compound which has high water solubility. The reactive epoxy compound is obtained by mixing an epoxy resin having at least two epoxy groups per molecule with a compound containing a carboxyl group, wherein the carboxyl group-containing compound is derived from a polyether amine containing a primary amine and derived from a plurality of The carboxylic acid anhydride is obtained by a reaction. The present invention also relates to an aqueous epoxy resin composition in which an epoxy resin is encapsulated in the reactive epoxy compound of the present invention to form core-shell type epoxy resin particles and dispersed in a solvent. The epoxy resin composition is a low volatile organic compound (VOC).


The vapor-liquid equilibrium and miscibility measurement apparatus was developed and used to obtain data for refrigerant/oil mixture. The vapor-liquid equilibrium and miscibility data for R-410A/POE32 and R-410A/POE46 oil mixtures are obtained over the temperature range from -20 to 60℃ with 10℃ intervals and the oil concentration range from 0 to 90 wt%. Using the experimental data, an empirical model is developed to predict the temperature-pressure-concentration relations for R-410A/POE oil mixtures at equilibrium. In the R-410A/POE32 oil mixture, the average root-mean-square deviation between measured data and calculated results from the empirical model is 2.00% and in the R-410A/POE46 oil mixture, that is 3.69%. Flory-Huggins theory is also used to predict refrigerant/oil mixture behavior. Miscibility for R-410A/POE32 oil mixture was observed all over the experimental conditions. Immiscibility for R-410A/POE46 oil mixture was observed at the low oil concentrations(10~30 wt%).


The purpose of this article is to understand user perceptions of new media formats, in this case blogging. While much of the blog research identifies blogging in terms of blog types, this research identifies user perceptions of why they like to blog. By applying Q-methodology to the blogging process, this research asked bloggers to rank subjective statements of blogging. Factor analyses were then applied to the rankings, which provided three main user factors (perspectives) of blogging motivations: Memorians, Bonders, and Soap Boxers. These perspectives provide an alternative to traditional views of social media use and categories of subjective media experience.


An optimized design method for optical system of a spectroanalyzer is proposed. On the basis of ray optics and spot diagrams obtained through high-density sampling for light source and pupil plane as evaluation factors, the whole system is divided into two subsystems from the entrance of monochromator based on evaluation specifications for spectral analyzing system. A post-processing module is developed through optimizing the first sub-system and monochromator, respectively, and the module is integrated into optical design software. A practical example for optical system of atomic absorption spectrophotometer is given and its operating band is from 190 nanometer to 860nanometer. The design results and sample experiments show that the system has attained the demand of 0.3nanometer spectral resolution.


Noise is one of the most widespread problems present in nearly all imaging applications. In spite of the sophistication of the recently proposed methods, most denoising algorithms have not yet attained a desirable level of applicability. This paper proposes a two-stage algorithm for speckle noise reduction jointly in the wavelet and spatial domains. At the first stage, the optimal parameter value of the spatial speckle reduction filter is estimated, based on edge pixel statistics and noise variance. Then the optimized filter is used at the second stage to additionally smooth the approximation image of the wavelet sub-band. A complexity reduction algorithm for wavelet decomposition is also proposed. The obtained results are highly encouraging in terms of image quality which paves the way towards the reinforcement of the proposed algorithm for the performance enhancement of the Block Matching and 3D Filtering algorithm tackling multiplicative speckle noise.


The invention relates to a WiFi-Direct-Based indoor positioning method and system. The system comprises an intelligent terminal and a server, wherein the server is used for receiving the ID (identity) information of indoor WiFi-Direct nodes which the intelligent terminal can connect, matching the ID information with a preset ID information-position database to obtain the position information corresponding to the ID information, and performing indoor positioning on the intelligent terminal through the position of the position information in a corresponding indoor map. According to the WiFi-Direct-Based indoor positioning method, the intelligent terminal searches for and transmitted available preset WiFi-Direct nodes to the server on the basis of the WiFi-Direct technology, and the server determines the position information of the intelligent terminal according to the ID information of the received WiFi-Direct nodes to rapidly position the indoor position of the intelligent terminal, so that indoor positioning accuracy and user experience can be enhanced.


Zambia is among the top five countries of Sub Saharan Africa having HIV/AIDS infection rates of 20% or higher. Out of the 34 million infected people of the world 22.5 million live on this continent. Universities in Sub Saharan Africa are facing the grim realities of high infection rates. Staff and students are falling sick and dying. Effects of the scourge are being seen in enrollments staffing and financial resources of the universities. Human resource base of the universities is being eroded. Yet the role of the universities in starting national regional responses to the scourge can not be overemphasized because it is the universities which empower people by giving them knowledge and life skills required to deal with the epidemic. Universities are centers of research and development of human resources. ADEA is preparing case studies of a few universities in the region to gain insight into the situation at the universities and come up with general policies and practices for students and staff that will help to reduce the transmission of HIV/AIDS. This is one such case study of the University of Zambia (UNZA ). University of Zambia is in the capital city of Lusaka and is one and the older of the only two universities of the country. UNZA has a population of approximately 4500 students and 2000 workers (both academic and nonacademic). Most students live on the campus in student residences. The university depends largely on the government for its funding. Since the 1980s funding to the university has been very poor largely because of the country's poor economy. This case study on the University of Zambia aimed at answering the following questions: In what ways has the University of Zambia been affected by HIV/AIDS? How has the university responded to these impacts? What steps is the university taking to control and limit the further spread of HIV/AIDS in its community? What HIV/AIDS-related teaching research publication and advisory services has the university undertaken? How does the university propose to anticipate and address the larger impact of HIV/AIDS on the national labour market for university graduates? Should university access including via distance education be consciously increased to compensate for expected national losses in skilled professional personnel? (excerpt)


In this paper a new framework for multi-view video content is discussed. The latter framework is based on the MPEG-7 description schemes and is an extension of the Anthropos-7 framework. Furthermore, we propose a new structure that is based on Anthropos-7 and extends the description from single-view to multi-view multimedia content. Moreover, we show that the proposed structure can be used to describe stereo, video plus depth and multi-view video content. The aim of this proposal is to achieve better results in the indexing, filtering and retrieval processes of multi-capturing systems in terms of time complexity.


In previous papers the morphology of this trypanosome and its action on animals were described. The chief object of this paper is to compare the development of this species of trypanosome with that of the trypanosome causing disease in man in Nyasaland—the T. rhodesiense of Stephens and Fantham. The development of the latter has already been described. It will therefore only be necessary here to present the various data in the form of tables and figures, which can then be compared with similar tables and figures in the previous paper. The Development of T. brucei, Zululand Strain, 1913, in G. morsitans. Seven experiments were made with laboratory-bred flies. Three of these were positive and four negative. Two experiments were also made with wild flies, both of which were positive.


We report a facile synthesis of copper/nickel (Cu/Ni) alloy nanospheres in high purity and with tunable, well-controlled sizes and elemental ratios. The success of this synthesis relies on the use of one-pot, direct thermal reduction of a Cu and Ni precursor mixture in the presence of trioctylphosphine (TOP) and oleylamine (OAm) at an elevated temperature to form Cu/Ni alloy nanoparticles with a spherical shape and uniform size. Their sizes could be readily tuned in the range of 6.9–27.3 nm by simply varying the volume of TOP added to the reaction solution. The elemental ratio of Cu to Ni in resultant products was found to remain the same as that in the precursor, which offers a simple way to manipulate the composition of Cu/Ni alloy nanospheres. We also tested the catalytic performance of as-prepared Cu/Ni alloy nanospheres and evaluate the effect of size and elemental ratio using the reduction of 4-nitrophenol as the model reaction. The current strategy enables the size and composition controlled synthesis of Cu/Ni alloy nanomaterials and could find important use in the fabrication of other types of bimetallic alloy nanomaterials with desired sizes and compositions for catalytic purposes.


Background: The Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) is a self-administered questionnaire used to quantify daytime sleepiness (ESS 0–24) with higher scores indicating increased daytime hypersomnolence. The minimum clinically important difference (MCID) of the ESS is unknown. Aims: To determine the MCID of the ESS in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea, started on continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. Methods: ESS was measured at baseline and follow-up (3 months post CPAP initiation). At follow-up, participants were asked to complete a seven-point Likert global rating of change (GROC) in sleepiness questionnaire, ranging from "1: Much less sleepy" to "7: Much more sleepy". The MCID of the ESS was estimated using anchor-based methods (mean change in ESS and Receiver Operating Characteristic curves for those scoring "3: Slightly less sleepy" in GROC). Results: 99 CPAP users returned for follow-up. Baseline characteristics: 66 men (67%); mean±SD: age 55±12years; BMI 33.8±7.5kg/m2; ESS 12.7±5.3. Self-reported CPAP compliance was 4.5±2.8hours. With CPAP, mean(95% CI) change in ESS was -4.5(-5.6 to -3.5). Mean±SD change in ESS for those slightly less sleepy was -2.5±2.1 (Fig 1); an ESS change of -2 had an area under curve of 0.93, sensitivity 91% and specificity 88% in identifying those who scored at least feeling "slightly less sleepy". Conclusion: Using anchor-based methods, the MCID (for improvement) of the ESS lies between -2 and -3.


Objective To explore the effect of Gensenoside Rh2 and its mechanism on the invasion and migration of human breast cancer MCF7ArR cells.Methods The effect of Gensenoside Rh2 on cell viability was tested by MTT.The cell invasion and migration were determined by transwell chamber modcl.The expression of matrix metalloproteinases 2(MMP-2),MMP9,and nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-kB) were detected by Western blot.Results After being treated with Gensenoside Rh2,the proliferation of MCF7/AdrR cells was inhibited in a time and dose-depending manner.The invasion and metastasis of MCF7/AdrR cells were also inhibited.The expression level of MMP-2,MMP9,and NF-kB were decreased.Conclusion Gensenoside Rh2 could affect the invasion and metastasis of the human breast cancer cells Caski.It is probably one of its molecular mechanisms to inhibit the expression of MMP-2,MMP9,and NF-kB.


We have studied a technique to reduce mechanical losses under AC operation by use of a particular bobbin's material as a superconducting coil. The material is a Zylon fiber reinforced plastic (ZFRP). From a viewpoint of mechanical loss reduction, a winding tension at coil-operating temperature is an important element. Since the ZFRP bobbin makes the control of the tension possible, the losses of the coils having the ZFRP bobbins can also be controlled. To investigate the effect of the loss reduction, 9 sample coils whose winding tensions at cryogenic temperature are different from each other, are prepared. The results of the experiment show that the coils whose winding tensions at cryogenic temperature are strong make the reduction of mechanical losses possible. On the contrary, the mechanical losses are significantly greater in the coils having weak tensions. This paper reports that the ZFRP is effective as the superconducting coil's bobbin.


The authors have tried to provide a scientific basis for current recommendations to prevent childhood overweight. They are congratulated for addressing a vulnerable period of childhood development (i.e. between 2 and 5 years of age). This period has not been addressed in previous studies and is considered as a suitable phase for early health promotion and interventions by experts as well as many health authorities. The authors have tried to model the so-called energy gap from a greater longitudinal data set which was found to be between 69-77kcal/d. These numbers should be addressed in future recommendations and measures of behavior changes in preschool children. The following points should be addressed in an revised version of the ms. Modeling of energy gap differs between the different studies cited. This may add to between-studies-differences in results. The authors should use their own data to calculate energy gap using the different strategies. Specifically the percentile-based approach used in ref.8 should be compared with their own strategy. Regarding their own approach a number of questions remained to be answered. Since weight and height were based on self reports from the parents and a number of BMI data were missing these methodological drawbacks should be addressed more systematically. I assume that theses problems may add a considerable error which should be at least quantified. A further question is that for my feeling energy gap was calculated by two different strategies (i.e. from NN to NO and from OO to ON). These data should compared with each other. The authors assumed a linear model. Faced with the normal percentiles of weight and height this cannot be really true. Thus I recommend to use a more sophisticated model taking into account changes in P50 (for NN) and P90 (for OO). This will give a more detailed view on age-dependent changes in energy gain. My major concern is on author's calculation of body composition from the weight data. First, the reference data base of FM used is outdated and is not population-specific (i.e. it cannot be used for Dutch children). There are more recent data bases for FM in European populations of children. Second, using the mean data of percentage FM per weight (or BMI) does not take into account the


In the current era of social distancing, remote and Internet-based treatments have largely replaced in-person treatment, but is the substitution


A new kind of bubble having two stable states for a bias field H B has been found in thin garnet films. The bubble becomes smaller with increasing H B and disappears abruptly at some critical field H_{C1} . However, it does not collapse at H_{C1} . When H B is lowered, it comes into sight suddenly at another critical field H_{C2} . This means that for H B between H_{C1} and H_{C2} the bubble has two stable states, one for a large bubble and the other for an unobservably small bubble. This has been well explained in terms of the stability of bubbles containing a definite number of Bloch lines.


The article substantiates the need to improve the level of education in the field of cyber security, financial and digital literacy as a factor in reducing risks in the crypto market. The authors describe global socio-economic trends of the rapid development of digitalization of social life; highlight the problems caused by the low level of financial and digital literacy; analyze the publications of scholars on financial and digital literacy in the field of cryptoassets circulation, as well as the impact of financial literacy on investment decision-making; assess the practical developments of Ukrainian regulators in creating institutional and legal frameworks for improving the level of financial and digital literacy, as well as cyber security. The authors argue that the actions of educational managers should be aimed at ensuring the improvement of financial literacy, digital competences and cybersecurity skills for middle school students in the general secondary education institutions of Ukraine. The authors note that the educational content should also be developed in accordance with the State Standard of Basic Secondary Education of the New Ukrainian School (NUS) in terms of acquiring key competencies and cross-cutting skills. This will allow students: think critically and systematically when making financial and investment decisions, which will ensure the future well-being and financial stability of the household; solve a wide range of problems with the widespread use of digital technologies; assess the risks of working in cyberspace using the cybersecurity skills acquired during the course; increase the level of knowledge gained in adulthood in the context of lifelong learning. It is concluded that it is expedient to increase the level of financial literacy, digital competences and cybersecurity skills for students of secondary schools in Ukraine. The authors also emphasize that the introduction of such a combined training course will ensure preventive activities and potentially reduce the burden on law enforcement agencies in terms of investigating financial, crypto and cybercrime, which are primarily related to the lack of awareness of citizens.


In the family picture the camera records during the first and last session how each family member arranges other members in a tableau or family sculpture. The picture offers the therapist and family a quick opportunity to learn about each other. It visually depicts the coalitions, the separation or togetherness of family members, which help the therapist formulate therapeutic goals. When the pictures taken during the first session are compared with those taken during the last session, they can be a validation of the positive family changes.


Small and Medium Enterprises or SMEs are the backbones of the economy of all countries. In Lebanon, 98% of all companies are SMEs and they employ 72.4% of the whole workforce. With a high rate of f...


Net-zero energy buildings and communities, which are receiving increasing interest, and the role of energy storage in them, are described. A net-zero energy building or community is defined as one that, in an average year, produces as much energy from renewable energy as it consumes. Net-zero energy buildings and communities and the manner in which energy sustainability is facilitated by them are described and examples are given. Also, energy storage is discussed and the role and importance of energy storage as part of net-zero buildings and communities are explained. The NSERC Smart Net-zero Energy Buildings Research Network, a major Canadian research effort in smart net-zero energy buildings and communities, is described.


Microwave technology plays a key role in diagnostic and therapeutic medicine. This paper presents a comprehensive study of dielectric properties of urine collected at different intervals of time at microwave frequencies. Measurement is done using cavity perturbation technique at the S‐band of microwave frequency. Urine samples are collected from normal as well as persons with diabetes mellitus and the reported results provide an alternative in‐vitro method of diagnosing diabetes mellitus. The same samples are subjected to investigations in the clinical laboratory for quantitative analysis. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 42: 500–503, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.20349