Until recently, dental educators placed minimal emphasis on teaching guidelines for the prescription of radiographs. In my predoctoral dental training during the early 1960s, I was taught that patients need a full mouth series at the initial examination and every 5 years thereafter, and that posterior bitewings are needed at 6-month intervals as a component of recall examinations. Since I believed that what was taught in dental school must be correct, I incorporated this approach into my clinical practice for 2 years in the United States Air Force and the initial years of my 10 years as a private general practitioner. As my practice grew and matured, I began to see many negative bitewings at recall and unproductive periapical films in the 'every 5-year' full mouth series. This observation led me to modify my clinical protocol for recall patients by selectively lengthening the interval between bitewings and prescribing less than a full series for new patients with low disease levels. Hence, this subject has been of particular interest to me for three decades. Since becoming a dental educator in 1974, it has been very interesting to observe the approach to the use of radiographs in dental school clinics. Upon my employment at three US dental schools beginning in 1974, 1975 and 1988, I observed that radiographs, usually panoramic, were being made for screening-admission purposes in addition to definitive films taken to complete a diagnosis and treatment plan. This approach resulted in most dentulous adult patients receiving a panoramic radiograph and full mouth series for the initial examination. School protocols for recall bitewings were generally not specified and clinicians used their 'best judgement' when prescribing recall radiographs. Naturally, because this was the approach used in the schools, dental students believed this was the standard care for dental practice. It is safe to say that there are many differing opinions regarding the design of initial and recall radiographic examinations both among dental practitioners and dental school faculty. Surveys of private practices and dental schools have shown this to be true, with wide variations in selection of the types and number of radiographs for initial patients and radiograph intervals used for recall exams. Efforts to develop systematic recommendations for radiographic selection criteria based on scientific evidence began in the early 1970s. Published reports indicated that the use of historical and clinical patient criteria for head trauma victims reduced the number of skull films by 40%. Subsequently, selection criteria were developed by expert panels sponsored by the US Public Health Service (USPHS) for pelvimetry, head trauma victims, and screening and presurgical chest films that have become national standards for the use of these procedures. Similar protocols have been developed in other countries, for instance the UK. Interest in the development and testing of dental radiographic selection criteria was stimulated by a National Conference on Radiographic Referral Criteria for X-Ray Examinations in 1978 sponsored by the US Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Conference recommendations stated that expert panels on radiographic selection criteria should be formed to develop criteria for the use of medical and dental radiographs. In 1983, the USPHS convened a dental panel to study the use of X-rays in dentistry. The Dental Panel met over a 5-year period and published guidelines for prescription of radiographs for general dentistry patients. The report describes background research on efficacy of dental radiographs, effectiveness of the use of patient indicators for selecting radiographic examinations, a protocol for prescribing X-rays for new and recall general dentistry patients and rationale statements for elements of the protocol. Its publication was an important step towards standardization of radiograph prescription in dentistry, and subsequently these recommendations were adopted by the American Dental Association and other dental professional groups. The next phase of work is to gain implementation of the guidelines in dental schools and clinical practices. Although the guidelines have been disseminated widely to schools and dentists, their impact on clinical practice is unknown at the present time. Also, as with any new clinical protocol, continued research to assess the efficacy of the radiology guidelines is needed to confirm and refine the appropriateness of types of radiographs recommended and recall radiograph schedules.


When previous research is cited incorrectly, misinformation can infiltrate scientific discourse and undermine scholarly knowledge. One of the more damaging citation issues involves incorrectly citing article content (called quotation errors); therefore, investigating quotation accuracy is an important research endeavor. One field where quotation accuracy is needed is in the learning sciences given its impact on pedagogy. An integral article in pedagogical discussions surrounding how to teach at the college level is the meta-analysis on active learning by Freeman et al. The Freeman et al. meta-analysis compared active learning to traditional lecture in terms of its effects on student learning and has been important in national initiatives on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) reform. Given its influence coupled with the impact quotation errors could have in scientific discourse, we used citation context analysis to analyze whether assertions in the citing text that related to the efficacy of lecture and active learning were supported by what was explicitly stated in the cited meta-analysis. Assertions were analyzed under supported, unsupported, or irrelevant for purposes of study categories. The most prevalent supported category related to active learning being more effective than lecture; the most prevalent unsupported category related to the effectiveness of specific activities/approaches other than the general approach of active learning. Overall, the percentage of supported assertions was 47.67%, and the percentage of unsupported assertions was 26.01%. Furthermore, the percentage of articles containing at least one unsupported assertion was 34.77%. Proactive measures are needed to reduce the incidence of quotation errors to ensure robust scientific integrity.


This Task Order continues earlier work aimed at establishing performance measures for monitoring the economic competitiveness of the freight sector as part of the implementation of the California Sustainable Freight Action Plan (CSFAP). The purpose of this task order is to defme competitiveness in California's freight sector, and work with industry, public and state and local government stakeholders to establish performance measures and targets relative to the implementation of the CSF AP. The task order is in support of the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), which is taking the lead role in establishing these new defmitions and metrics in relation to the state's greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals and development of a sustainable freight system for California.


Functional verification is one of the main bottlenecks of the hardware design process and its complexity and demands are growing in an even faster pace than design complexity. Many technologies and methodologies that improve the quality of the verification process and the productivity of the verification team have been developed and successfully deployed throughout the years. Random stimuli generation is certainly one of the main advances in the field of functional verification. The shift from manually created test cases to machine generated stimuli helped automating many aspects of the verification process, replacing expensive and scarce human experts with readily available compute power.


The high‐resolution standard proximity sensor (HRSPS) is a true contact‐less eddy current displacement measuring system qualified for high‐reliability satellite applications. It is also available in an 883B flight version for micro‐gravity and for the International Space Station (ISS). Three different sensor sizes covering three measuring ranges up to 9 mm (0.35 in.) are available. The HRSPS offers either two independent single or one differential output(s) with a resolution of 1 nm. The temperature range for standard space flight is −55‐70°C but the sensors have provision for operation to −150°C (−238°F) for mission to Mars. The reliability figures of the HRSPS are 1.7 million hours for ISS applications and 2.5 million hours for the satellite version. It is operating under +28 V DC (with fuse) 2 W or ±15 V DC 1.5 W. The power consumption in the sensor head is below 15 mW. This paper presents the test results and the final confirmation of the performances of the HRSPS. The HRSPS should become the standard...


Nest-site fidelity is a life-history trait of birds that may produce benefits in terms of fitness. We studied the relationship between breeding success and nest fidelity in the White Stork Ciconia ciconia. We also studied how other factors such as age, sex, habitat, colony size and productivity in previous breeding attempts might interfere with this relationship. Our results showed that pairs with higher fidelity rates also have lower failure rates, and that breeding failure and productivity in the previous season influenced the frequency of nest change in the following season. In addition, a curvilinear relationship was found between age and nest fidelity. These results suggest that age is a major factor related to nest fidelity and therefore individual experience could explain this behaviour in the White Stork. Changing the nest involves a reproductive cost for which nest fidelity can be considered as an adaptive strategy to increase fitness.


The problem of surface tension driven two component magnetoconvection is investigated in a Porous-Fluid system, consisting of anincompressible two component electrically conducting fluid saturatedporous layer above which lies a layer of the same fluid in the presence of a uniform vertical magnetic field. The lower boundary of the porous layeris rigid and the upper boundary of the fluid layer is free with surfacetension effects depending on both temperature and concentration, boththese boundaries are insulating to heat and mass. At the interface thevelocity, shear and normal stress, heat and heat flux, mass and mass fluxare assumed to be continuous suitable for Darcy-Brinkman model. Theeigenvalue problem is solved in linear, parabolic and inverted parabolictemperature profiles and the corresponding Thermal Marangoni Numberis obtained for different important physical parameters.


The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the time of day on the cognitive performances of the handball's goalkeeper (GK) in terms of attention and reaction time (RT). The protocol involved 12 healthy GK volunteer males (age: 18.5 ± 1.7 years, level of experience: 8.3 ± 2.4 years, height: 1.80 ± 5.8 cm, weight: 79 ± 4.2 kg). They performed three cognitive tasks, i.e. the RT test, the Stroop test, and the barrage test at 08:00, 12:00, 16:00, 20:00 h, and midnight to evaluate simple RT, and selective (SA) and constant (CA) attention. Resting oral temperature was measured at the beginning of each test session. The results showed a significant time-of-day effect on RT, SA, and CA. Whereas, RT was higher (slower) at midnight, SA and CA were the highest (best) at 08:00 h. Likewise, the core temperature was time-of-day dependent with the highest values observed at 16:00 h. Therefore, cognitive performances of GK are time-of-day-dependent with the highest values observed in the morning for SA and CA, and at midnight for RT. However, these rhythmicities are not in phase with the rhythm of core temperature. Therefore, the activities that require better cognitive performance should be programed in the morning.


The continuing provision of an efficient, reliable and cost-effective service for solid waste management requires the preparation of a sound long-range plan. It is suggested here that such a plan is one which has been chosen by local politicians from a short list of alternative plans, each of which has been evaluated in depth. An examination of the few plans currently available in the U.K. suggests that this ideal is far from being achieved. This article critically examines each of the steps involved in producing a sound plan. Some of the political issues which underpin the planning process are addressed, while existing computer models to assist the evaluation of plans are examined and found wanting. A new approach is introduced, in which the waste manager himself (or herself) uses the computer "interactively", interjecting his skill and judgement as required, with the aim of shortlisting for further study several interestingly different plans, each having a similar cost.


Aristolochia manshuriensis Kom. is a relict liana, endemic of the Manchurian floristic region with limited habitat, gradually shrinking due to anthropogenic impact. This species is listed in the Red Book of Russian Federation as endangered one. A. manshuriensis hardly multiplies generative and vegetative ways, so to obtain a sufficient amount of material for the further reintroduction purpose, clonal micropropagation is used. A. manshuriensis clonal micropropagation method was optimized at the main stages of in vitro cultivation. It is shown that the most efficient use as primary explants is the application of apical and lateral buds isolated from plant in immature and mature age states. The highest multiplication factor (14,84±0,8) was achieved on Murashige-Skoog medium with addition of 0.8 mg/l 6-BAP and 0.05 mg/l IAA. The optimum culture medium for rooting: ½ MS containing 3.0 mg/l IBA.


Introduction: Few data exist on resource utilization with pediatric ventricular assist device (VAD) use. We aimed to describe hospital costs and lengths of stay (LOS) in a contemporary cohort of pe...


Metal clusters with different sizes and shapes may have very different optical, electronic, magnetic, and catalytic properties. The possible geometrical structures of Pdm (m = 3–12, the number of P...


3582 Background: Chemokines released from organs provide homing signals to specific receptor-bearing cells, conferring migrational and invasive properties to those cells. Our hypothesis is CXCR4 ex...


Background: Infections due to the use of implants is a problem that often occurs. It
can be influenced by biocompatibility, and surface topography of the implant.
Manipulation of the implant surface and the coating with the antibacterial agent is
required as a better approach. Cinnamon oil has been shown to have quite strong
antibacterial capability compared to other oils. Implant coatings using cinnamon can
be a good alternative in the treatment of infection related to the use of implants.
Method: This is an experimental in vitro study using chitosan 2%, 3% and cinnamon
0.125%, 0.25%, 0.5%, 1%, 2% coated schanz screw. Then divided into bovine bone
inserted and non-inserted groups. Schanz screw is exposed to S. epidermidis by using
liquid dilution (TSB) and cultured on a Muller Hinton medium. Evaluation is done by
assessing the level of turbidity and S.epidermidis growth in culture media then
assessing material using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
Result: Obtained gradual decrease in turbidity levels and the number of colonies
correspond to the increase of cinnamon concentration and eliminate S. epidermidis at
2% concentration in both groups. There was no significant difference between both
groups (p > 0.05).
Conclusion: The insertion of cinnamon loaded chitosan coated schanz screws did not
affect the effectiveness of inhibiting bacterial growth of S. epidermidis.


Anatomical structure of leaf epidermis of two species, Rhododendron brachycarpum and Rh. fortunei, was investigated on the first and second year of its life. For these species diagnostic features was clarified, as well as comparative morpho-anatomical analysis was conducted.


Women's small share of professional and managerial occupations compared with their share of the total labor force is examined for the 11 largest racial and ethnic minorities in the United States. Gender-related characteristics—women's labor force participation rates, marital status, and the sex ratio—influence women's share of the top jobs, as do class and ethnic variables such as place of birth, population size, and class of worker. Labor market gender inequality is greatest among the smaller, more affluent minorities, many of whom are recent immigrants to this country. The larger, frequently indigenous, minority groups exhibit less of this kind of inequality. Minority and gender status intersect, so that men monopolize surplus resources among the more affluent minority groups and use these resources to secure a more advantaged labor market position.


Electric drives are used to control electric motors, which are pervasive in industrial applications. In this paper we propose enhancing the electric drives to fulfil the role of fog nodes within a Fog Computing Platform (FCP). Fog Computing is envisioned as a realization of future distributed architectures in Industry 4.0. We identify the system-level requirements of such an FCP, including requirements that are extracted from the current architecture of drives, which we consider as a baseline. These requirements are then used to design a system-level architecture, which we model using the Architecture Analysis & Design Language (AADL). We identify the "technology bricks" (components such as hardware, software, middleware, services, methods and tools) needed to implement the FCP. The proposed fog-based architecture is then used to implement a Conveyor Belt industrial use case. We evaluate the resulting use case on several aspects, demonstrating the usefulness of the proposed fog-based approach. By developing the electric drives as fog nodes, that we call fogification, new offerings like programmability, analytics and connectivity to customer Clouds are expected to increase the added value. Increased flexibility allows drives to assume a larger role in industrial and domestic control systems, instrumenting thus also legacy systems by using drives as the data source.


For much of the last decade, Japan's banking crisis has been at the center of attention in the ongoing discussion of that country's broader economic difficulties and of what public policy actions could alleviate them. The enormous loan losses and balance sheet erosion that nearly all Japanese banks have sustained during this period, and the resulting impairment of their ability to carry out ordinary credit creation activities, have been both a consequence and a cause of Japan's prolonged economic stagnation. Of the 21 institutions that made up the standard list of Japanese ''large banks'' in 1990, by the decade's end two had disappeared through failure and nationalization, and four others were consolidated into two by merger. At the time of writing, five of the remaining 17 are in the process of merging into two new entities, thus reducing the list to 14. But few observers think the shrinkage is over, or that the banks that remain are now healthy institutions. Questions about what further steps the Japanese authorities should take to foster the banks' recovery—and to ensure their soundness once they have recovered—therefore continue to be pertinent. A decade ago, it was US banks, and even more so the US savings and loan (S&L) industry, that were in crisis. These institutions too suffered major loan losses, experienced failure rates unprecedented since the depression of the 1930s (especially among S&Ls, but among banks as


Pamela Laufer-Ukeles's Mothering for Money: Regulating Commercial Intimacy imagines that a less polarized vision of commercial surrogacy can emerge by examining commercial surrogacy arrangements through lenses of relational autonomy and mixed commodification. This commentary finds much to appreciate in Laufer-Ukeles's contribution and urges a more expansive examination of surrogacy that would address the ban on commercial surrogacy that exists in many countries around the world.


RESTROSPECTIVE CONSIDERATION OF UNITED STATES relations with Latin America during the decade of the 1960s has centered on the Alliance for Progress and the Cuban Missile Crisis. The second of these has been analyzed and re-analyzed as a case study in decision making and as a critical point in the nuclear confrontation between the United States and the USSR. Recently, a series of meetings, both political and scholarly, was conducted with what amounts to a nostalgic atmosphere to reevaluate the crisis. All of the participants recalled the episode within the context of East-West relations. The fact that Cuba was a part of Latin America scarcely entered into their reconstructions of events. The scholars who took part in these meetings were specialists in national security issues, in Soviet affairs or in military affairs. Latin Americans or Latin Americanists were conspicuous by their ab-


Research is being carried out on the utilization of waste products in concrete as a replacement of natural sand and cement. Such waste products included in this paper are the rejects from ceramic industries, mainly quartz powder and grog. Each of these waste products has significant effects on the properties of concrete. The use of waste products in concrete not only makes it economical, but also helps in reducing waste disposal problems. In this paper it is planning to replace both fine aggregate and cementitious material with the rejects from ceramic industries. After the physical and chemical analysis of quartz powder and grog, it will be able to identify its chemical and mineralogical composition. During the physical analysis like grain size analysis it is able to determine the utility size i.e. whether it can be replaced for sand or cement. In this paper both fine aggregate and cement is replaced with quartz and grog simultaneously and also fine aggregate alone is replaced with different proportions of quartz and grog . After the experimental analysis and testing an optimum replacement of 5% fine aggregate and 5% cement is possible. It is also found that compressive strength and splitting tensile strength of replaced specimens increases up to 25% replacement of fine aggregate without replacing cement .


Qaryah Thayyibah Learning Community (QTLC) is a non-formal school with an anti-mainstream method inspired by Freire and Ivan Illich, rather than adapting national-conventional curricula. In the age of information overload, in line with the emergence of digital natives in QTLC, it is important to discuss (1) how were the critical information literacy practice in this community; (2) teachers' roles associated with the literacy; (3) and critical pedagogy perspective on the phenomenon. This research was designed using the ethnographic method with a qualitative approach. It was conducted from December 2016 until June 2017 in Kalibening village, Tingkir subdistrict, Salatiga district, Central Java province, Indonesia. The result was that the students of QTLC had been practicing critical information literacy although neither optimal nor ideal yet based on Potter's criterion and DIKW diagram. The main supporting factors were the culture of discussion and expressing opinions that had been cultivated and ingrained in their school activities, in line with the product or works-based learning strategy. The efforts of the school committee and management to be on the "free school movement" track to some extent—compared to regular schools—freed this community to determine the most appropriate learning method with QTLC's vision of critical pedagogy, one of which is the practice of critical information literacy. However, the interaction between students and teachers was dominated by hysteric discourse and showed very little of any analytic discourse which is an important factor to realize critical pedagogy. Despite the shortcomings that currently exist, QTLC represents a step toward the realization of critical pedagogical practices in information literacy.


Based on analysing the present situation of Dalian rural tourism, the paper focuses on the research on the consuming behaviors of Dalian rural tourists, which used the methodology of observation, quetionnaire and interview. Then, the paper gives some suggestions as to boost the industry in the aspects of improving the management system, developing the tourism products catering for different groups of consumers, strengthening the promotion efforts, and developing special tourist commodities. 乡村旅游者消费行为探究 以大连市为例 刘牧溪, 张欣 大连工业大学南安普顿国际学院,大连,中国 通讯作者


Purpose: Most of the disorders related to tooth eruption occur during transitional stage of dentition. Among all the eruption problems, ectopic eruption is said to be the most frequent. This study is undertaken to observe ectopic eruption of different permanent teeth and their relative frequency of occurrence in early mixed dentition stage. Methods and Materials: After thorough clinical and radiographic examination, a sample of 169 subjects with at least one ectopic permanent tooth in age group of 6-13 years were selected. Data of ectopically erupted teeth was collected and subjected to statistical analysis. Results: Females are having higher rate of ectopic eruptions when compared to males at a ratio of 2:1.5 and unilateral ectopic eruptions occurred most commonly (68.2%). Conclusion: Ectopic eruption of more than one class of permanent teeth was observed in 1/5th of the subjects. Mandibular lateral incisors are the most commonly ectopically erupted teeth.


Boron carbonitride (BCN) nanofibers with rapid and efficient adsorption performance were prepared by electrospinning technology. TEM, XRD, XPS and N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms were performed to study the microstructure of the nanofibers. The results showed that the BCN fibers synthesized at 1000 °C (BCN-1000) have good crystallinity and high specific surface areas (403 m2 g−1). BCN-1000 nanofibers adsorb 70% of amino black 10B (AB-10B) within 10 minutes and reach adsorption equilibrium within 60 minutes. Compared with previous reports, it is found that the adsorption rate of BCN-1000 nanofibers to amino black (AB-10B) is much higher than that of other adsorbents. And BCN nanofibers exhibit a large adsorption capacity (625 mg g−1). In addition, the process of AB-10B adsorption on BCN nanofibers was systematically investigated, which was in accordance with the pseudo-second-order kinetics model and Langmuir isotherm model.


Transit time distributions (TTD) are being increasingly used as tools for exploring catchment hydrological function and a means of process conceptualization. Estimating the parameters of TTDs usually involves relating the temporally varying input concentration of a conservative tracer to the signal in the stream. To date, most studies have been confined to single sites or to a small number of nested catchments with short ( 10 years) data sets of O and Cl− from 38 catchments (ranging in size from 0.5 1600km), in 8 geomorphically and climatically distinct parts of the Scottish Highlands. The most appropriate TTD to model the tracer signals in streams using convolution integrals was the gamma distribution: The associated α and β parameters allow more flexibility to parsimoniously account for non-linearities in the system response than other distributions. The resulting mean transit times (MTT = αβ) ranged between 40 and 1500 days for the individual catchments. Multiple linear regression models suggested that catchment MTT is largely controlled by the proportion of responsive (i.e. overland flow generating) soil cover, drainage density and precipitation intensity (R = 0.90). Although calibrated only for catchments of up to 35km, these controls also hold for catchments of up to 1600km in other regions of the Scottish Highlands.


A two- and, alternatively, a four-crystal monochromator were used for simultaneous measurements of the profiles backward (h) and forward (o) diffracted by a thin Si (111) crystal plate for diffraction angles up to exactly 90 ° at DCI-LURE (Orsay). It is shown that the set-up with a four-crystal monochromator allows the characterization of the back-diffraction region for any crystal plate reflection. Asymmetry and full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the experimental backwarddiffraction profiles are analyzed. Possible simultaneous diffractions occurring near 90 ° incidence, giving extra peaks in the forward-diffracted profiles, are studied. The good contrast of the o-beam profiles suggests that the back-diffracted o beam could be used as a highly monochromatic beam.


The present invention relates to a device and method for detecting a small amount of polarized light to the polarized beam in a linear transmission line in the optical axis direction by the birefringent medium. The apparatus of 2 for detecting the first beam splitter (7), each of the components (3, 4) for dividing an on-axis portion (2) of the polarizing beam in the linear with the vertical component (3,4) photodetectors (8, 9), the second beam splitter 12 is incident is disposed to the oFF-axis of the beam (1) linearly polarized, perpendicular to the off-axis portion 11 of the polarized beam in the linear component of the second beam splitter 12, a light detector of the second set for detecting the second component of the divided by second beam splitter 12, 15 and 16 for dividing (15, 16); And 2, including a number of first optical detector the removal device 17 for removing the received signal by the photodetector of the second set 13, 14 in the respective signals received by the (8,9) achieved.


Activity recognition and monitoring are finding important applications in ambient assisted living healthcare. Among the various types of motions which researchers are attempting to detect and recognize, fall detection has gained significant interest. In this paper, we investigate the application of high-frequency (24 GHz) FMCW radar for multi-perspective micro-Doppler (μ-D) activity recognition. Data from two different types of motion; falling and picking-up an object, were collected from three aspect angles and put through a fine-grained classifier to not only differentiate the motions, but to also identify their aspect towards the radar receivers. A key novel component of this work is the application of the fine-grained classification task, where a label discriminate sparse representation classifier is proposed to improve recognition performance over very similar μ-D signatures. This is achieved by learning a discriminate dictionary constrained by the label information and meanwhile preventing the overfitting problem. The greatest increase in classification performance was found to be of the order of 8 %.


This work presents a multi-channel high voltage analog multiplexer with digital calibration for battery management systems (BMS). For a high voltage battery management systems, the front end circuit must be able to accommodate input voltage up to tens of volts, perhaps even hundreds of volts. To realize a possible solution on silicon, the front end of BMS shall be fabricated using an advanced HV (high voltage) semiconductor process, which usually is constrained by the voltage limitation between gate and source of HV devices. To overcome such a limitation, a high voltage gate control circuit is proposed in this work, including digital calibration that can compensate the output voltage loss of the multiplexer. An experimental prototype is implemented using a typical 0.25 μm 1-poly 3-metal 60V BCD process. The post-layout-extracted simulation results reveal that the worst-case error is less than 2 mV with calibration, which is 91% improvement compared with the state of art based on thorough simulations.


Background.
 Plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) regulates arterial remodeling and intimal hyperplasia after vascular injury. PAI-1-R is a recombinant mutant that completely lacks anti-protease activity yet binds vitronectin (VN) with normal affinity. PAI-1-R inhibits cell migration in vitro and neointima formation in rodents by binding VN and competitively blocking its binding to integrins.

 Objective and Methods.
 To determine if PAI-1-R inhibits intimal hyperplasia under experimental conditions highly relevant to human coronary artery disease we performed balloon angioplasty of the left circumflex coronary artery (LCX) of male pigs and administered PAI-1-R by direct coronary infusion immediately after angioplasty and by peripheral intravenous infusion on each of the next two days (5 mg/infusion; total dose 15 mg/pig). Thirteen pigs (weight 24±4.3 kg) received PAI-1-R and 13 pigs (weight 24 ± 4.7 kg) received identical infusions of vehicle control. Animals were euthanized 14 days after angioplasty and neointima formation in the injured LCX was determined by microscopic morphometric analysis.

 Results.
 Plasma PAI-1-R concentrations assessed 1 hr after each infusion were 32±18, 89±60, and 59±16 ng/mL, respectively, in PAI-1-R-treated pigs and undetectable in controls. There was no significant difference in LCX neointima formation between PAI-1-R- vs. vehicle-treated pigs (maximal intima thickness 523±47 vs. 581±49 μm, p=0.41; intima area/media area normalized to media rupture length 3.7±0.3 vs 3.8±0.3, p=0.8).

 Conclusion.
 Short-term, bolus infusions of a dominant negative form of PAI-1 do not significantly inhibit neointima formation in pigs after coronary angioplasty. These results contrast with rodent data and suggest that alternative strategies that achieve higher concentrations of PAI-1-R at vascular injury sites will be required to assess the efficacy of this strategy under clinically relevant conditions.


It is widely accepted that quite a number of double compact objects (DCOs) in the Milky Way can be identified by future space-based gravitational wave (GW) detectors, while systematic investigations on the detection of the GW sources in nearby galaxies are still lacking. In this paper, we present calculations of potential populations of GW sources for all types of DCOs in the Local Group galaxy M31. For M31, we use an age-dependent model for the evolution of the metallicity and the star formation rate. By varying assumptions of common-envelope ejection efficiencies and supernova-explosion mechanisms during binary evolution, we make predictions on the properties of DCOs that can be detected by the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). Our calculations indicate that a few (a dozen) DCOs are likely to be observed by LISA during its 4 (10) yr mission. We expect that the sources with black hole components are more likely to be first identified during a 4 yr mission since these binaries have relatively large chirp masses, while the systems with white-dwarf components dominate the overall population of detectable GW sources during a 10 yr mission. LISA can only detect very tight fast-merging systems in M31, corresponding to the peak of orbital period distribution from ∼2 minutes for double white dwarfs to ∼20 minutes for double black holes.


PREVIOUS paper described the results of the antigenic analysis of a A series of co-isogenic stocks consisting of a reference stock (" Isogenic "1, two single-mutant stocks derived from it (ruby and vermilion), and a double-mutant stock (ruby-vermilion) derived from the single mutants (Fox 1949b). It was found that Isogenic possessed an antigenic fraction, subsequently called Antigen 1, not possessed by the mutant stocks. Vermilion and ruby-vermilion were found to possess a different antigenic component (Antigen 2) not present in Isogenic and ruby. Ruby could not be demonstrated to possess a specific antigenic fraction. Assuming that the mutant stocks differed from Isogenic only with respect to the vermilion and ruby loci, it was concluded the Antigen 1 was the interaction product of the wild alleles of these loci. The present investigation consists of two parts. The first part comprises a test of the above assumption and yields evidence supporting its validity. The second part consists of a test which indicates that one or more loci in addition to ruby and vermilion participate in the production of Antigen 1. An addendum describes the partial chemical isolation and characterization of Antigen 1, Genetic. four


Introduction:Christia vespertilionisis is a plant herb that has been used traditionally due to its benefits for potentially to treat some disease. It contain potential phytochemical compound that can be a component of drugs or natural products. This study was conducted to investigate the total phenolic content and its antioxidant radical scavenging activity on C. vespertilionisis. Hence, a series of test in determining the total phenolic content in three different type of extractions was conducted and its relationship with antioxidant scavenging activity was studied. The C. vespertilionis's powder was extracted with 80% methanol and hydrolyzed with HCI and NaOH. The total phenolic content was determined using Follin-Ciocalteu and DPPH assay was used for antioxidant activity. Based on the test, the total phenolic content of all extracts was 9.13± 0.13 mg of GAE/g with insoluble bound extracts revealed a highest value of 4.94 ± 0.042 mg of GAE/g followed by soluble bound and free phenolic extracts with (3.16± 0.28 and 0.98 ± 0.07 mg of GAE/g respectively), (p<0.05). The antioxidant scavenging capacity extracts of IC50 showed that insoluble bound extracts showed lowest value (38.13 ± 0.65mg/ml) followed by soluble bound extracts and free phenolic extracts with (39.54 ± 0.77 and 42.59 ± 1.69mg/ml respectively).


The genetic progress (GP) was evaluated after eight cycles of recurrent selection for resistance to angular leaf spot in common bean and indirect gain for yield and grain type. The base population (Cycle-0) was obtained from the diallel cross of seven lines with carioca grain and ten resistance sources. To obtain Cycle I, the most resistant S0 plants of Cycle 0 were intercrossed. The same procedure was adopted in the subsequent cycles. GP for resistance to the pathogen was estimated by the overall average of the progenies of each cycle in comparison with control Carioca MG and for productivity in comparison to the controls Carioca MG and Perola. Lines of the first six cycles were used for grain type. No GP was detected for resistance to angular leaf spot. However, the indirect yield gain was 2.3% and 2.5% in the selection for grain type, with values similar to those obtained by direct selection for these traits.


Further experimental results are presented concerning high conduction and switching in Al–SiO2–Si sandwich structures. The high‐conduction state is filamentary and is governed mainly by the voltage across the sandwich. It is relatively insensitive to variations in device geometry. Periodic current oscillations are observed for certain combinations of series load resistance and applied voltage. Once the high‐conduction state is achieved, it can be maintained at applied voltages below the one required to cause the transition but larger than a minimum voltage, which may be related to the minimum ionization energy in SiO2. Fluctuations are observed that depend on external circuit configuration, i.e., the load line, and on the ambient temperature. It is shown that a two‐branched current‐voltage characteristic can account for the observed behavior. A physical model is presented in an attempt to provide a qualitative explanation of the origin of this form of characteristic. Local damage is evident whenever the h...


Issuing price making and the price fluctuation are highly relative to the fiscal information provided by the listed companies.While marketizing the issuing price making,securities companies,first and second-degree market investors respond differently to the fiscal information.


Prospect Theory-Based TOPSIS Method for Multiple Attribute Decision Making with Uncertainty LIANG Wei, WANG Ying-Ming (Decision Sciences Institute, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China) Abstract: For the multi-attribute decision making problem with attribute weights being unknown and attribute values being hesitant fuzzy sets, this study proposes a multi-attribute decision making method based on prospect theory and rough set, which fully considers the influence of decision makers' psychological risk factors on decision results. Firstly, the positive and negative ideal points are used as reference points to calculate the prospect value function under each attribute and to define a new comprehensive prospect value, and a discernibility matrix is obtained according to the given threshold. Then, according to the discernibility matrix, attribute reduction is performed to determine the attribute weight. Finally, the weighted comprehensive prospect value of each alternative is calculated, and the TOPSIS method is used to rank all the alternatives. An example is given to illustrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.


Abstract : In the past three years we conducted theoretical and experimental studies of some naturally occurring ionospheric disturbances. Periodic amplitude variations of satellite beacon signals were observed as the precursors of the plumes of equatorial ionospheric irregularities. Some outstanding features of explosive spread F reported in Woodman and La Hoz and Woodman and Kudeki can be reasonably understood in terms of the lightning induced electromagnetic effects. The spectral broadening of monochromatic VLF radio signals detected by satellites in the topside ionospheric was attributed to the nonlinear scattering of waves off ionospheric density irregularities. Furthermore, the irregularity anisotropy can give rise to prominent effects on the Faraday polarization fluctuations of linearly polarized radio signals. This fact can be used to develop the radio diagnostics of the anisotropic nature of ionospheric irregularities, namely, to determine the geometry of field-aligned density irregularities, namely, to determine the geometry of field-aligned density irregularities. efforts were also made on the reduction of ionospheric effects on the polarization measurements during satellite tracking.


The invention relates to a lightweight plaster in paste form, which has an improved storage stability. This is based on a composition containing a binder, inorganic fillers, light fillers, water and other additives. The light plaster according to the invention can be used in the form of final coats on arbitrary substrates.


This paper deals with the problem of adaptive beamforming using a uniform linear array to suppress the coherent interference in the presence of multiple GPS signals. For coping with the performance degradation due to the presence of coherent interference, a matrix reconstruction scheme in conjunction with an iterative algorithm is designed to alleviate the effect of the coherent interference. And then an interference-blocking (IB) transformation is developed for removing coherent interference, while the desired signals and noise retained. Adaptive beamforming is then performed based on the IB transformation data consisting of the desired signals and noise to produce maximum output signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR). Simulation examples for illustration and comparison are also given.


Drug law violations and other crimes related to substance abuse incur dire costs in terms of both financial outlay and human suffering. This review of the current professional literature addresses the identification of risk factors and the longitudinal course of addiction and criminal behavior. Results indicate that neither criminally active drug users nor drug users in general are monolithic groups in terms of manifestations of criminal behavior. Drug use and criminal activity are depicted as mutually facilitative behaviors, with research outcomes tending to convey that although drug addiction does not turn nonviolent criminals into violent criminals, active addiction does increase the frequency of criminal activity.


Triphenylphosphine, dialkyl acetylenedicarboxylates, and phthalic anhydride react in one pot to afford novel spirocyclic compounds in fairly good yields at room temperature.


This paper studies the twisted representations of vertex operator algebras. Let V be a vertex operator algebra and g an automorphism of V of finite order T. For any m,n ∈ 1 T Z+, an Ag,n(V )-Ag,m(V )-bimodule Ag,n,m(V ) is constructed. The collection of these bimodules determines any admissible g-twisted V -module completely. A Verma type admissible g-twisted V -module is constructed naturally from any Ag,m(V )-module. Furthermore, it is shown with the help of bimodule theory that a simple vertex operator algebra V is g-rational if and only if its twisted associative algebra Ag(V ) is semisimple and each irreducible admissible g-twisted V -module is ordinary.


High-speed train (HST) seismology has emerged recently, which regards the HST as a repeatable moving seismic source. To make full use of the HST source for the detection and monitoring of near-surface geological structures and physical properties, the wavefield modeling for the HST source is crucial to deeply understand and illustrate the wavefield characteristics of the HST source. In this article, we simplify the near-surface as a two-layered model and treat the HST as a moving combination source with uniform velocity, containing a series of moving subsources (single wheel). Using the principle of superposition, we derive the semianalytical formula of the HST wavefield for a two-layered model. By computing the synthetic seismograms, the multidomain characteristics of the HST wavefield are comprehensively analyzed. Furthermore, we illustrate the wavefield energy distribution of HSTs with the different moving velocities. When the moving velocity of the HST source exceeds the Rayleigh-wave velocity, the response in the direction perpendicular to the railway exhibits the slower decay and higher amplitude. To integrate with the practical applications, we make a similarity comparison between the synthetic data and the field data. The results of the two-layered model show good agreement with the field data in both time and frequency domains. In particular, we evaluate the detection capability of HST vibration signals received at distances away from the railway up to a few kilometers. These conclusions will contribute to the practical applications of the HST source in seismic imaging and monitoring of geological conditions around high-speed railways.


Thank you for reading medicines brave new world bioengineering and the new genetics. Maybe you have knowledge that, people have look numerous times for their chosen books like this medicines brave new world bioengineering and the new genetics, but end up in infectious downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of tea in the afternoon, instead they juggled with some infectious virus inside their laptop.


An interactive computer lens design program has been developed. It has capabilities for editing lens data, optimizing zoom lens, evaluating image qualities, etc.. A Tessar lens and an IR zoom telescope designed by using this program are discussed.


We report experimental observation of room‐temperature current gains as large as 50 in a novel transistor grown in the InAs/GaSb/AlSb material system. Due to the unique degree of flexibility this material system offers in choosing band alignments, the base and collector terminals are separated by a quantum barrier while electrons traveling between the emitter and collector terminals do not tunnel across any classically forbidden regions, even though a quasi‐bound state exists in the quantum well collector. This asymmetry in current conduction between the terminals of the device leads to transistor action: applying a bias to the base terminal electrostatically modulates the emitter‐collector current through Stark shifts of the energy levels in the quantum well collector, while the quantum barrier between the base and collector terminals suppresses the base current. Because transport through the structure is dependent on resonant transmission, this novel transistor holds promise for the fabrication of high‐...


The crystal and orientation were studied on the dragline and cocoon silk fibers ot Araneus ventricosus spiders.The relationships are analyzed between the molecular assignment,crystal structure and mechanical properties of the spider silk.


A variety of statistical methods are available for making criminal justice predictions. None possesses a clear-cut advantage over the others, and this may be due to the poor quality of available data. Factors that affect the accuracy of predictions, regardless of the method used, include measurement reliability, base rates (the relative frequency of an event in the study population), selection ratios (the proportion of events identified by the prediction method as belonging to the outcome class), sample representativeness, and cross validation. The present ability to predict the decisions of criminal justice functionaries or offender behavior is modest. Predictions of decisions are more accurate than are predictions of behavior, and empirical studies indicate that statistical predictions outperform intuitive or clinical predictions. Predictive accuracy can be enhanced by improving data reliability, by improving measurement of prediction and outcome variables, by using both statistical and subjective bootstrapping models, by using theory-driven approaches, and, finally, by devoting greater attention to ethical implications of prediction methods and uses.


The writer of The Three of Us,YANG Jiang tries not to fall into the normal mode of biographic writing,and sticks to her natural way of writing with a stand in the ordinary life.The most usual and most lasting experience and love flow out of her fountain pen in an elegant and tender touch,revealing the fantastic realm of human life and mean while,passing on to the readers her wise and abundant inner thoughts and feelings.


PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to guide commercial and policy action to improve smallholder Indonesian cattle systems.Design/methodology/approachA survey (n = 304) of smallholder cattle farms in six villages in two districts of Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia. Principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) were employed to classify cattle farms into business models according to observed innovation. Differences between business models were identified using a one-way-analysis-of-variance (ANOVA).FindingsFour business models were identified, representing profiles of innovation adoption and elements of business models, socio-economic characteristics, farming system and performance variables including revenue, cost and profit. The business models display a range of orientation to buyer requirements and a range of approaches to production, indicating a need to promote in a variety of ways the change from supply-push to demand-pull in the cattle value chain.Research limitations/implicationsThis study offers guidance on how business models might be strengthened over time, by using simple indicators of performance and the models' linkage to innovation in the context of each business model. The business models developed here, and refinements to them based on localised conditions, offer a targeted and accelerated pathway to improved performance in smallholder systems.Originality/valueThis study proposed a novel approach to the recognition of business models based on innovation.


Current polynomial methods used in the modelling of the dose distributions in high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy have been reformulated to improve accuracy. An example is provided in order to assess the errors in some of the conventional methods. We observed relatively high discrepancies between our accurate results and those from some of the standard models, but acknowledge that our algorithm is not very easy to use. We therefore advocate a departure from the polynomial methods of modelling, which are merely empirical and do not reflect the physical processes of the interaction of radiation with tissue. We suggest the use of the parameters like the absorption and attenuation coefficients for the primary and scatter photon beams. With this, we shall have easy - to - use algorithms; doses could be calculated accurately both within and beyond the region of parametrization. Corrections could also be made for finite patient sizes and shapes. JOURNAL OF THE GHANA SCIENCE ASSOCIATION Volume 2 No. 2 (2000) pp. 129-135


The vibrational energy levels and partition functions of the nonrotating H3+ molecular ion have been calculated by using second order perturbation theory, including constant, linear, and quadratic terms in the vibrational quantum numbers. Energy levels have been assigned to A'1, A'2, and E' symmetry species up to 29 244 cm−1, and perturbation theory energy levels have been compared with the results of accurate quantum calculations. The root‐mean‐square error in 141 energy levels is 4.0 cm−1, as compared to 11.7 cm−1 in the harmonic approximation. Furthermore, perturbation‐theory partition functions have errors of 7.4% or less over the factor‐of‐20 temperature range from 200 to 4000 K. The effect of the constant term in perturbation theory is also discussed; it improves the vibrational partition functions by ∼4% at 200 K.


A wealth of tactics thought is an important and a very lively part of Deng Xiaoping Theor,Which not only has ensured the smooth prosecution of basic line and policies made by the CPC since the third plenary session of the eleventh central committee,but also fully showed Deng Xiaopings outstanding leading art and distinguish skill of controlling the situation.The author is trying to reveal the distinctive characteristics and great theoretic and practical value of Deng Xiaoping's tactics thought.


This article has three main objectives. First, it establishes the economic rationale for governments to assist research and development (R&D) by briefly reviewing the economic theories that link R&D and economic growth, identifying the market failure that would otherwise lead to underinvestment in R&D, and reporting literature estimates of the size of that market failure. Second, the article considers ways in which governments assist R&D. In particular, it focuses on describing the income tax incentives for R&D available in the G7 countries and Australia, and provides a ranking of the relative attractiveness of those tax-based support mechanisms. Third, the article comments briefly on how well tax-based R&D incentives have been found to perform in stimulating additional R&D spending per dollar of tax revenue forgone and in enhancing real income.


PURPOSE: An LED module fluorescent lamp driving circuit is provided to protect a driving circuit and an LED module by blocking the abnormal input power. CONSTITUTION: A first power input unit(10) and a second power unit(20) includes a protection unit(11,21), a noise remover(13,23), and a smoothing unit(15,25). The first power input unit and the second power input unit are electrically connected to both sockets of the fluorescent lamp frame. The protection unit prevents the over voltage and the excess current of the input power. The noise remover removes the noise of the output power of the protection unit. The smoothing unit smooths the output power of the noise remover. A driver(30) converts the output power from the first or second power input unit to the constant current for driving an LED module(60). A feedback unit(50) feeds back the current to the driver by sensing the current supplied to the LED module.


Next generation Internet should support the requirement of multi level the Quality of Service (QoS). In this paper, information flow is analogous to fluid. We established information flow continuity equation based on fluid character. Density change of information flow is analogous to water wave. We describe information flow density change, spread of density flow and limit density at an initial condition, which bring on congestion. Finally, we point out gist for admission control that supports QoS.


Introduction: It is well established that periodontal disease (PD) and diabetes mellitus (DM) can have a detrimental effect on each other's disease course, and that cigarette smoking exacerbates both conditions. However, literature on the periodontal status of smokers with DM is scarce, and the studies conducted to date did not use healthy controls or non-smokers with DM as controls. Consequently, the individual effects of smoking and DM on PD are difficult to untangle and estimate. Methods: A total of 128 participants were recruited to this study and their data analyzed. They were assigned to four groups: smoking patients with DM (SDM); non-smoking patients with DM (NSDM); smokers without DM (control group, SC) and (4) non-smokers without DM (control group, NSC). Each group consisted of 32 age-matched participants. The periodontal status of the participants was assessed by full oral examination. To express periodontal status, we used the four-stage classification introduced by Fernandes and colleagues (J Periodontol. 80(7):1062–1068, 2009). The control of DM was estimated by measuring hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels in the peripheral blood. Results: A significant difference in the severity of PD was found between the SC and NSC groups (p = 0.027) and between the NSC and SDM groups (p = 0.000), while the difference between the NSDM and SDM groups approached significance (p = 0.052). No person in the smoker groups could be classified as having a healthy periodontal status. The four-stage classification followed a normal distribution in the healthy, non-smoking controls (NSC). Smoking caused a shift toward medium-severe PD, while a marked shift toward the most severe stage was observed when both smoking and DM were present (SDM). There was no significant association between the type of DM and periodontal status, nor between diabetes control and the severity of PD. Persons in the SDM group had significantly fewer teeth than those in the NSC group (mean ± standard deviation: 16.0 ± 7.9 vs. 20.7 ± 5.6; p = 0.02). E. Battancs D. Gheorghita M. Antal (&) Department of Esthetic and Operative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com S. Nyiraty C. Lengyel T. Várkonyi Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary G. Eördegh Faculty of Health Sciences and Social Studies, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary Z. Baráth Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary Diabetes Ther https://doi.org/10.1007/s13300-020-00933-8


Operating frequencies in the gigahertz range is creating an increased need for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing. In the United States, FCC regulations require conformance to radiated and conducted emissions specifications. An EMC laboratory was established at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (screen room, test instrumentation, and software) and an experiment was developed to explore conducted emissions effects. This paper will describe the test configuration, explain the calibration procedure needed to acquire accurate measurements, and illustrate measurement techniques applied to two example systems. In addition, the data collection process is illustrated through software donated by CKC Laboratories (EMC specialists). To verify the functionality of the laboratory and to assess measurement accuracy, two 12V/15W switching power supplies are characterized for conducted emissions performance; one as supplied by the vendor (KGCOMP) and a second unit with the EMC filters removed. The noise spectrum for both units are plotted against frequency and compared to FCC specifications. The unaltered unit is shown to be in compliance, thus verifying the accuracy of the test procedure and instrumentation.


The purpose of the project "Optimisation of In‐Service Performance of Boiler Steels by Modelling High Temperature Corrosion" (G5RD‐CT‐2001‐00593, acronym OptiCorr) was to establish a set of focused procedures, both in terms of applications of thermochemical standard software and in terms of dedicated new developments, which enable a user to investigate the behaviour of boiler components based on the application of rigorous thermodynamics. Thermodynamic databases which cover the materials involved had to be compiled and assessed in order to be able to apply the appropriate software. Particular new results coming from the databases work will be highlighted. The results of phase equilibrium calculations are shown in appropriate diagrams and compared with published experimental data.


In the title compound, C4H15N32+·2C6H3Cl2O3S−, the bis(2-ammonioethyl)amine is protonated at the N atoms of both aminoethyl groups. Crystal packing is stabilized by a network of strong N—H⋯O hydrogen-bond interactions involving all the ions.


In this paper, the traffic confidentiality and study of the traffic pattern concealment problem via routing control is focused. First, the number of nodes in a WMN is limited. Second, traffic forwarding relationship among nodes is strongly dependent on their locations and the network topology, which is static and known a priori in WMN. To better utilize the wireless channel resource and enhance the data delivery performance, a short path is usually selected. In light of these problems, it is aimed to design a light weight traffic privacy preserving mechanism for WMN. The penalty-based routing algorithm is proposed to achieve the goal of hiding traffic pattern by exploiting the richness of available paths between two nodes in WMN. The algorithm operates in three phases, path pool generation, candidate path selection and individual packet routing. These results show that with this algorithm, the destination node is able to consistently limit the proportion of mutual information it shares with the observing nodes


The evaluation and treatment of mixed urinary incontinence receives relatively little attention as compared to other forms of incontinence. Mixed incontinence, however, defined as the combination of stress and urgency incontinence, accounts for the largest proportion of incontinence, with an increased incidence in older women. The condition can be very challenging to manage due to the coexistence of multiple pathologies. Treating either component can worsen the other, which means careful discussion of the risks and benefits, in addition to considerations of multimodal treatment approaches are required. In the older adult population, where this condition confers a significant impact on quality of life, there are many special considerations when evaluating and treating patients. Evaluation requires a careful assessment of the impact on QOL and goals of care and may need to involve caregivers and/or family members in the discussion, in addition to considerations of more advance evaluation on an individual basis prior to invasive treatments. Conservative treatments including behavioral and lifestyle modifications and pelvic floor physical therapy should be the mainstay of first-line treatment for older women with MUI, while taking into careful consideration how cognitive and/or physical limitations may impact treatment. Pharmacologic therapy should include a consideration of vaginal estrogen replacement, however oral medications for urgency and overactive bladder have increased risks in older women, which means more advanced treatments may want to be introduced sooner. There is really limited data on the use of third-line overactive bladder treatments in older women with mixed incontinence, however there may be some demonstrated benefits. Finally, when considering surgical interventions in this population, although the data demonstrate some benefit in mixed incontinence, providers may want to utilize a formalized assessment of frailty due to the increased morbidity associated with frailty in surgeries for incontinence.


Objective
To analyze the effect of pain control on pressure ulcer during peroperative period in older patients with hip fractures.

Methods
Between October 2011 and October 2014, 214 older patients with hip fracture were divided into two groups: treatment group (121 cases) and control group (93 cases). Patients in treatment group were not subjected to special analgesia, and control group underwent one of following procedures: intravenous analgesia pump, intramuscular injection of analgesic drugs, oral administration of central analgesics and non-steroidal analgesics. Then the incidence and grading of pressure ulcer were recorded.

Results
There were significantly difference in pressure ulcer scale between two groups after 1 week post-operation (P 0.05). There were difference in incidence and grading of pressure ulcer between two groups (P 0.05).

Conclusions
Suitable control of the pain may decrease the incidence of pressure ulcer during peroperative periodinolder patients with hip fractures. Intramuscular injection and oral administration of non-steroidal analgesics could be used conveniently, tolerantly and effectively.

Key words:
Hip fracture; Pain control; Pressure ulcer


The results of surgical treatment in 22 elderly patients aged over 75 years with ruptured intracranial aneurysms were analyzed, especially from the viewpoint of postoperative mental function. The cases corresponded to 7% of all surgical cerebral aneurysms with subarachnoid hemorrhage during 1985 to 1994. Only 32% of the cases showed good outcome at discharge, and morbidity and mortality rates were 54% and 14%. There were more good outcomes in the group with Hunt and Kosnik grades I (including I-a) and II than that with III and IV. At long-term follow-up, 4 cases showed improvement into good recovery, all of which were moderately disabled at discharge due to mental disorder. In 5 cases, long-term follow-up revealed further deterioration, 4 of which had already fixed definitive neurological deficits at discharge. Neuropsychological examination showed that postoperative outcome had closer correlation with Hasegawa dementia scale (HDS) than Kohs block design test (KBD). All cases with higher score rates than 50% in HDS showed good outcome, even if with any score in KBD.


In this paper, we present a multiple-scattering solver for nonconvex geometries such as those obtained as the union of a finite number of convex surfaces. For a prescribed error tolerance, this algorithm exhibits a fixed computational cost for arbitrarily high frequencies. At the core of the method is an extension of the method of stationary phase, together with the use of an ansatz for the unknown density in a combined-field boundary integral formulation.


The objective of this report is to provide a tool to facilitate the application of thermodynamic work potential methods to aircraft and engine analysis. This starts with a discussion of the theoretical background underlying these methods, which is then used to derive various equations useful for thermodynamic analysis of aircraft engines. The work potential analysis method is implemented in the form of a set of working charts and tables that can be used to graphically evaluate work potential stored in high-enthalpy gas. The range of validity for these tables is 300 to 36,000 R, pressures between between 0.01 atm and 100 atm, and fuel-air ratios from zero to stoichiometric. The derivations and charts assume mixtures of Jet-A and air as the working fluid. The thermodynamic properties presented in these charts were calculated based upon standard thermodynamic curve fits.


The world biggest decameter wavelength radio telescope UTR-2 and VLBI system URAN, as well as main observational programs carried out with the above mentioned instruments, are described. At the beginning of the 1970's the Ukrainian T-shaped Radio telescope, second modification (UTR-2), was built near Kharkov (Braude et al. 1978). It has the following parameters: operating range: 8 40 MHz; beam width at 25 MHz for zenith direction: 25'; maximum effective area: 150,000 m2 ; number of array elements: 2040; sector of beam steering: 70° from zenith for both coordinates; the time of electrical beam directing to every point of the sector: less than 0.1 s; step of beam moving: about 4'; the whole number of beam positions in the sector: about 2x 106 ; the number of simultaneously working beams: 5 8; the side lobe level: regulated in range from -13 dB to -30 dB; system temperature corresponding to brightness temperature of galactic background: about 30,000 K at 25 MHz; sensitivity (3a level, band width of 10 kHz, integration time 60 s): about 10 Jy at 25 MHz. It is possible to work simultaneously at every frequency of the operating range and independently using the North-South (1800 m x 60 m) and West-East (900 m x 60 m) antennas. The radio telescope is equipped with various analog and digital devices for receiving and registration. They are used correspondingly to performed scientific programs and to kind of received radio emission. The telescope equipment includes multi-channel receivers of continuous emission, correlation spectral analyzers, an acoustic-optical analyzer, dynamic spectrographs, polarization measurement devices, a heliograph, magnetic tape recorders and computer systems for data collecting. The telescope is controlled using personal computers. On the base of radio telescope UTR-2, the decametric VLBI system URAN was built (Megn et al. 1997). Besides the UTR-2, it includes another four radio telescopes of smaller size. URAN-l and URAN-4 belong to Institute of Radio Astronomy. URAN-2 is owned by Gravimetric Observatory of NASU (Poltava) and URAN-3 belongs to Institute of Physics and Mechanics of NASU (Lviv). The system has bases from 40 km to 900 km. The angular resolution reaches 1 angular second (which corresponds to the fundamental limit imposed by scattering in the interstellar medium at these frequencies). Its ideology is analogous to that of high frequency VLBI networks. Comparatively narrow analysis band (up to several tens of kHz) and long wavelengths give the possibility to use rubidium frequency standards instead of hydrogen ones. Besides, quality commercial video recorders and personal computers for correlation data processing are employed. Now, the measurements with URAN are limited to determina-


This paper discusses on the classification algorithm of osteoporosis from data collected by normal physical examination. Due to the low correlation coefficients between osteoporosis and data from normal physical examination and also the large covariance of physical examination data,traditional linear methods such as the linear regression cannot be used. It makes use of the nonlinear proper of data,and builds the classification algorithm on kernel Hilbert space. With the Gaussian Radial basis function,the osteoporosis can be classified with low error. Besides the design of classification algorithm,it proposes information combination method based on the result of multiple classification algorithms so that a unique conclusion can be drawn when outputs from different classificatory contradict to each other.


the article is devoted to the arbitration institutions that have a specific narrow specialization in the sphere of the alternative dispute resolutions – the arbitration of special competence. It was examined the investment, sport, maritime and grain arbitrations. The investment arbitration is presented through the specificity of the special subject, the role of state immunities, "umbrella clauses". The sports arbitration is reviewed as a part of the system for resolving disciplinary and commercial disputes in the field of sports. The maritime arbitration deals with disputes from contractual and other civil law relations that arise during commercial navigation and require specific qualification of the arbitrators. The subject of grain arbitration is the grain and feed trade disputes (under the terms of GAFTA contracts) and oils, seeds, fats trade disputes (under the terms of FOSFA contracts). The main institutions of each type special competence arbitration are presented.


Electronic data interchange (EDI) is a subset of electronic business-to-business (B2B) data exchange. It is one of the technologies that enable businesses to transact in an automated paperless way. Massive amounts of transactions that may take hours or days to process manually require a few seconds in EDI. This paper reviews the current state of EDI and the modern challenges it is facing. It fills a gap in the current literature where existing research on certain aspects of EDI is either absent or deprecated.EDI message representations are discussed with a specific focus on the genre implemented in international EDI standards. Different modern concepts are detailed, including electronic enveloping and translation. The current internet-based EDI protocols are discussed and evaluated for security issues. Finally, the security requirements are summarized along with a possible control mechanisms.


Double-solid rotor magnetic coupling is a new type of asynchronous permanent magnetic coupling developed on the Electromagnetic Induction Theory. The rare permanent magnets are laid on the outer rotor only. The new-type magnetic coupling can effectively solve the problem of the former magnetic pump's failure to carry high-temperature medium, and thus possesses higher economic value and brighter prospects. The working performance of magnetic coupling depends on the thickness of the outer layer of the inner rotor. The double-solid rotor asynchronous magnetic coupling is analysed using the software ANSYS, and the veracity is demonstrated by experiment.


In this paper the authors investigate the relationship among legality, financial development and economic growth in China by collecting the panel data from China's provinces during 1997-2006.First,the authors find the bank credit to private sector can explain the inter-provincial difference in economic growth while the total bank credit can not.Second,the improvement in legality can facilitate bank loans to private sectors,not to the state-owned sectors.


A bilinear DTFTCS model with static output feedback controller is developed. The model is corrupted by additive and multiplicative noises and disturbances. Second moment stability for the proposed bilinear DTFTCS is to be characterized. Necessary and sufficient stability conditions are derived in terms of nonlinear matrix inequalities. Given a set of control gains, sufficient conditions that test for the second moment stability and delta-level of disturbance rejection property are derived in terms of a feasibility solution for a set of linear matrix inequalities (LMI).


With hope of preventing future taxonomic confusion, notes that some of the specimens in the Brady collection which had been reported as missing are now available in the British Museum.


The endogenous growth literature focuses exclusively on Cobb-Douglas. Elasticities other than unity are ignored. A recent paper by Klump and Grandville (2000) examined other elasticities but assumed an exogenous saving rate. By contrast, this paper studies elasticity and endogenous growth. Endogeneity is important since elasticity preserves capital's productivity and encourages saving. Two models are presented. The first assumes exogenous technological change. We find elasticity to have a positive level effect on income. No rate of growth effect is found. The second model allows learning by doing from capital accumulation. In addition to the level effect, rate of growth effects are found.


The diffusion rate of C02, into and out of the red cell, was measured by using a stopped flow method with pH-sensitive fluorescence of 4-methylumbelliferone. A red cell suspension of 15 % hematocrit with the Pco2 of 8 Torr (or 65 Torr) was mixed with the same amount of saline solution having 65 Torr (or 8 Torr). Carbonic anhydrase was added to the external solution at a concentration of 20 mg/100 ml in order to accelerate the hydration and dehydration reactions, so that the Pcoz change in the fluid could be observed instantaneously through pH. In the inward diffusion Pcoz showed a large change, suggesting a lack of HC03shift across the red cell membrane. In the outward diffusion, however, the PC0, change was smaller, suggesting that H+ ions produced in the external solution by C02 hydration were rapidly buffered by the red cell. The half times of the inward and outward diffusions were, on an average, 0.08 and 0.13 sec, respectively. The results of the simulation revealed that the above difference in half times was attributed to the difference in slope between the two dissociation curves with and without the HC03--shift. The diffusion rate was almost constant and remained independent of the direction of C02 flux. That is, at a low pH range the permeation of H+ ions across the red cell membrane was much faster than the diffusion rate of C02.


A.-An employer has to take reasonable care for his workpeople's safety so as not to expose them to an unnecessary risk. Unless the medical evidence is definite that there is no risk of contracting the disease from daily contact with a number of the new recruits in the confines of a factory, the plan has obvious dangers. To be entitled to damages, any one of the present employees who contracted the disease would have to show that he had caught the infection from the new recruits. Although strict proof would be impossible, a strong enough inference to convince


This edition reflects the Institute of Personnel and Development's Autumn 1996 syllabus. Topics covered include: personnel and development management; organizational behaviour, design and development; resourcing; employee reward; and health, safety and welfare. An LPBB/ELBS edition is available.


A physiologically-correct mathematical model of blood flow in the human aorta is developed from previously reported experimental data. The blood is assumed as a viscous fluid flowing through a compliant tube. This phenomenon is modeled by combining the Navier-Stokes' equations and Laplace Law. The model is validated using experimental data collected at a leading specialist catheterisation laboratory. The mathematical model is then manipulated to derive a pressure transfer function between the aortic pressure and the pressure at the iliac bifurcation. The results of a comprehensive senstivity analysis carried out on this transfer function are discussed in this article. This study indicates that Coriolis and viscous effects insignificantly affect the wave propagation characteristics. The effect of arterial tapering on the transfer function is also recorded as insignificant. Changing the stiffness of the tube causes the pressure wave to travel faster through the system. The system natural frequency also increases when the tube wall is stiffened.Copyright © 2007 by ASME


The absolute cross sections for ArL2.3 X-ray emission have been measured for 0.25-14 keV electrons, 30-500 keV protons, 30-150 keV H2+, 30-800 keV He+, and 600-2000 keV alpha particles, incident on argon gas. Experimental problems associated with absolute measurements of the X-ray cross sections, particularly the detection efficiency, are discussed. In order to calculate mean fluorescence yields the X-ray data have been compared with available L2.3 Auger-electron-ejection cross sections; the accuracy of the absolute fluorescence yields obtained is about 37%. An extensive analysis is presented on the outer-shell charged-state distributions of the Ar L ions formed, considering the fraction of normal Auger transitions, the different types of excitation mechanisms and some empirical models.


x GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 Dissertation Organization 1 Literature Review 1 Part I. Interactions of ^-carotene and lutein 1 Part H. Application of stable isotope tracer methods in studies of (3-carotene metabolism 4 Part EI. Molecular characterization of P-carotene cleavage enzymes 18 References 30 A PHYSIOLOGICAL DOSE OF LUTEIN DOES NOT INHIBIT THE BIOAVAILABILITY AND BIOCONVERSION OF p-CAROTENE IN YOUNG WOMEN AS MEASURED USING '^C TRACERS AND GC-C-IRMS 53 Abstract 53


Exploring renewable, sustainable and green energy resources is a critical challenge for scientists and engineers. Large-scale ambient energy, such as the solar energy is available but current technologies are not yet ready to capture it with great efficiency. The sun radiates visible light and also infrared energy, some of which is soaked up by the earth and later released as radiation for hours after sunset. In this study, the use of arrays of carbon nanotubes (CNT) Field Effect Transistors (FET) as photovoltaic (PV) elements is investigated. The interaction between electromagnetic waves and the CNT array is simulated using COMSOL Multiphysics in order to calculate the amount of absorbed power. The effects of the distribution of PV elements on the array performance are studied in order to maximize power absorption for the same number of elements.


The tension in the distribution of power, with particular regards to the centralization and decentralization techniques, commonly impedes a coherent association between territorial realities and national demands, and could even encourage peripheral and separatist resistances. In spite of different resources available in the States, it is possible to query whether policies jointly executed by distinct levels of government are a sufficient illustration of inter-territorial interaction. This paper examines the unitary and federal models from an interterritorial perspective, with the purpose of finding common grounds, as well as mechanisms that will encourage concerted efforts and actions.


The aim of this work was to establish the cultural, economic and social profile of herb sellers, as well as to survey postharvest procedures for medicinal plants commercialized in open-air markets from Maceio, Alagoas State, Brazil. Social, economic and cultural aspects from 46 herb sellers were evaluated, as well as the postharvest procedures adopted for conservation of medicinal plants commercialized in Maceio. Most of the interviewed herb sellers were born in Maceio, catholic, married, predominantly mulatto and black, and usually received more than one minimum wage per month. The majority of them had been working with medicinal plants for more than 10 years and their knowledge on the plants was mainly acquired from parents and grandparents. Around 30.43% concluded elementary studies. The mostly adopted method for plant drying was the alternated exposure to sun and shadow. The maximum drying and storage times were four days and one year, respectively. Drying and storage usually occurred in the seller's tent after work. There are failures regarding the adopted methods, which can compromise the efficacy of the plant curative compounds.


Objective:To explore the status of unattended teenagers in Anhui province to provide evidence for effective strategies and intervention in physical and mental health improvement of this population.Methods: By using stratified cluster sampling method,we conducted the survey on 3421 subjects,among whom 682 were unattended adolescents,from 7 middle schools in both south and north Anhui province,and self-programmed questionnaire was used to look at this population regarding the basic demographic information and the state of being left behind.Results: In Anhui province,19.94% of the subjects aged 10 to 18 were left at home.South Anhui accounted for 20.62% comparable to 16.98% in north Anhui(χ2=4.331,P0.05).The number appeared higher in rural areas,senior school students and child with siblings than that of urban areas,junior school students and only-child(26.51% vs.13.66%;25.86% vs.11.95%;24.74% vs.15.54%,respectively),and yet,no significant difference was found in sexes(χ2=0.112,P0.05).Conclusion: We found that the left-behind population varied in areas and school years,which suggesting that we should give greater concern for the teenagers left unattended in rural areas,high school students and children with siblings.


A chip-scale optical transceiver was developed based on silicon photonics technology and optical/electrical assembly for 25-Gbs× four -channel applications. Optical transmitters and receivers were integrated on a single silicon platform enabled by the hybrid integration of a quantum-dot laser diode, optical pins, and a 28-nm CMOS based electrical IC. Temperature compensation functions were implemented in a modulator driver and a transimpedance amplifier for high-temperature operations. The functions allowed us to successfully demonstrate error-free 25 Gb $/\mathrm{s}\times \mathrm{four}$ -channel data transmission at 85°C.


The sun plays a major role in prematurely aging our skin. Our skin is at the mercy of many forces as we age: sun, harsh weather, and bad habits. But we can take steps to help our skin stay supple and fresh-looking. Sunlight is a major cause of skin aging. The increasing knowledge of the genetic bases of several common multifactorial diseases paves the way to personalized medicine that disease Abstract involved in aging process aspreviously described in literature, could be promising to predict skinproperties evolution and address anti‐aging and skin treatment againstspecific metabolic target.


In this work, chalcogenide all-solid hybrid microstructured optical fibers (Ch-ASHMOF) using As2Se3, As2S5 and AsSe2 glasses are proposed. The polarization-maintaining properties are induced by breaking the symmetry of the rod arrangement and the core shape. The fibers have all-normal chromatic dispersion profiles which are flattened about -10 ps/km/nm over a wavelength range from 5 to 10 m and the birefringence values are up to 4.5x10-4 at 10 μm. By pumping the fiber with a 200-fs-pulse laser source at 5.3 μm, a broad supercontinuum generation from 2 to 10 μm in the mid-infrared window is experimentally demonstrated.


Water scarcity will constitute a crucial constraint for agricultural productivity in a nearfuture. High throughput approaches in model species have identified hundreds of genespotentially involved in survival under drought conditions, but very few having beneficialeffects on quality and yield in crops plants. Nonetheless, controlled water deficits mayimprove fleshy fruit quality through weaker dilution and/or accumulation of nutritionalcompounds. In this context, the first part of the PhD was aimed at deciphering the geneticdeterminants of the phenotypic response to water deficit in tomato by exploring thegenotype by watering regime (G x W) and QTL by watering regime (QTL x W) interactions intwo populations. The first population consisted in recombinant inbreed lines (RIL) from across between two cultivated accessions and the second was composed of diverse small fruittomato accessions mostly native from South America. Plants were phenotyped for majorplant and fruit quality traits and genotyped for thousands of SNP. Data were analyzed withinthe linkage and association mapping frameworks allowing the identification of QTLs andputative candidate genes for response to water deficit in tomato. The second part of the PhDhad the objective to explore gene regulation in green fruit and leaves of tomato plantsstressed by water deficit. For this purpose, RNA-Seq data were collected on the two parentalgenotypes of the RIL population and their F1 hybrid. Data were analyzed to identifydifferentially expressed genes and allele specific expression (ASE). Then, the expression of200 genes was measured in leaves and fruits of the whole RIL population by high throughputmicrofluidic qPCR. eQTLs and eQTL by watering regime interactions were mapped for thosegenes using linkage mapping. Colocalisations with the phenotypic QTLs were analyzed. Theknowledge produced during this PhD will contribute to a better understanding of the tomatoplant interaction with their environment and provide bases for improvement of fruit qualityunder limited water supply.


Small sized batch jobs with large product diversification require intelligent machine tools to optimize cutting conditions by adapting operation planning to the machining environments, e.g., the combinations of cutting tool, work material, and machine tool. In this paper, autonomous operation planning, which optimizes machining operations for each machine tool using adaptive prediction of machining processes, is proposed. In adaptive prediction, the machining processes are predicted and optimized more accurately with adapting parameters of governing equations used for analytical prediction, and/or parameters of neural networks through learning of machining results. Adaptive prediction enables us to predict dimensional accuracy with machining point, and to predict surface roughness with machining time. In an operation planning considering tool wear and surface roughness, machining operation is optimized to minimize machining cost by flank wear predicted with analytical approach based on metal cutting theory and by surface roughness predicted with neural network.


The current research was performed in order to analyze the effects of cylindrical and row trench cooling holes with the alignment angle of 90 degrees on the film-cooling effectiveness near the combustor endwall surface at the blowing ratio of BR=3.18. The three-dimensional representation of a Pratt and Whitney gas turbine engine was simulated and analyzed with the commercial finite volume package, FLUENT 6.2.26. in order to find the most effective row trenched cooling holes. The analysis was done with Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes turbulence model (RANS) on internal cooling passages. This combustor simulator was combined with the interaction of two rows of dilution jets, which were staggered in the stream-wise direction and aligned in the spanwise direction. In comparison with the baseline case of cooling holes, using a row trenched hole near the endwall surface increased the film-cooling effectiveness by 44% in average.


Two separate problems appear to be associated with attempts
to formulate voting processes or social welfare functions that incorporate
"intensity" of preference. The first is that of identifying
a measure for intensity of preference. The second problem is that
of incorporating the measure into a voting process. In this paper the
former problem is ignored. It is assumed that a measure of "relative
intensity" has been chosen and that this measure has the
properties of the positive real numbers.


In allusion to some questions existed in current community authorization service(CAS) pushing-model,a pulling-model is proposed.In the pulling-model,a CAS caching server is introduced;resource provider,but not users,require user's authorization assertion from the CAS caching server to obtain final effective rights for users on the resource,constrained with local authorization policies.The authentication steps how users require services on providers,are described in detail.It is contrastively analyzed with pushing-model from performance,security and dependability.


Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the association between expressions of five periodontal pathogens (Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (Aa), Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), Tannerella forsythensis (Tf), Treponema denticola (Td) and Prevotella intermedia (Pi) and the periodontal pocket depth (PD) in people suffering from periodontitis. A study of 1164 plaque samples from individuals with periodontitis were conducted by multiplex real-time quantitative fluorescence-polymerase chain reaction to evaluate the PD and loads of five periodontal pathogens. The total bacterial number did not differ significantly between people with different subtypes of periodontitis. However, expression of specific pathogens (Pg, Td, Tf, Pi) showed a significant increase with the development of periodontitis. Expression of Pg, Td and Tf showed close correlation between them as well as with PD. Analyses of receiver operating characteristic curves showed that expression of Pg, Td, Tf and Pi had good potential for grading periodontitis severity. We found a close correlation between the relative expression of Pg, Td and Tf and PD. Measuring expression of target bacteria in the oral cavity could facilitate the understanding of the role of bacteria in periodontitis. Taking the appropriate steps to eliminate these pathogens might aid the prevention of periodontitis development.


Chinese business development flourished into a major new historical stage during Wei,Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties.When the country's market system recovered from a divided state,the market types added and the trading volume expanded.Imperial,official and civil businessmen took a fierce competition.The traditional policy of "Restraining business" weakened as the result of segmentation.In order to obtain strategic materials,split regimes adopted policies of mercantilist policies.Business operations gained further development.


The dielectric stack of multilevel metal interconnections of integrated circuits contains various forms of dielectrics separating metal conductors. Silicon dioxide deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) is one such dielectric. The formation of voids in some of the metal layers stimulated a study of the thermal desorption of H2O from oxide films. The films were deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition using a tetraethylorthosilicate precursor. The total amount of H2O desorbed was measured as a function of two deposition variables, deposition substrate temperature, and deposition plasma power. The total amount of H2O desorbed could be reduced by either increasing the deposition substrate temperature or increasing the deposition plasma power.


In this paper, an improved adaptive genetic algorithm of grid resource scheduling based on quantum information techniques is proposed. The grid resource scheduling problem is firstly described in detail. Then the traditional genetic algorithm and its application in grid resource scheduling are introduced. An adaptive genetic algorithm is improved by using quantum control technique, to maintain the diversity of the population and ensure the convergence of genetic algorithms. Simulation results show the high efficiency of the proposed algorithm in this paper.


Antibiotic resistance mediated by beta-lactamase enzyme expression is a serious and growing threat. The typical workflow in a clinical microbiology lab leading to identification of beta-lactamase expressing organisms typically requires 48 to 72 hours and involves multiple manual steps. Empiric treatment with potentially ineffective antibiotics often occurs before susceptibility testing results are available. Objective: The objective of our study was to determine if beta-lactamase activity could be detected in clinical urine samples to provide same-day rule-out of select empiric treatment regimens for urinary tract infections. Methods: We acquired urine samples from 40 patients with extended spectrum beta-lactamase expressing (ESBL) infections and 100 patients without ESBL infection as determined by standard culture and sensitivity methods. These samples were incubated with spiked beta-lactam antibiotics susceptible to ESBL degradation (ceftriaxone, cefazolin, and oxacillin) or resistant to ESBL degradation (meropenem). Results: Hydrolysis of spiked drug was detected after a 4 hour incubation with either liquid-chromatography mass-spectrometry (LC-MS) or matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) methods. A 100 to 1000 fold reductions in measured concentrations of spiked ceftriaxone, cefazolin, or oxacillin were observed with LC-MS or MALDI-TOF methods for all 40 ESBL containing specimens and unchanged concentrations of spiked drug were observed in all 100 non-ESBL containing specimens. Concentration of spiked meropenem (resistant to ESBL degradation) were unchanged in all specimens after incubation regardless of ESBL status. Addition of a beta-lactamase inhibitor prevented ESBL degradation of ceftriaxone, cefazolin, and oxacillin demonstrating that beta-lactamase activity (and not another method of drug degradation or signal masking) is being detected. Incubation times as long as 24 hours (to determine method specificity) and as short as 30 minutes (to determine method sensitivity) all showed robust discrimination between ESBL-containing and non-ESBL containing specimens. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that beta-lactamase activity can be robustly detected in urine samples days before culture and susceptibility results could be available. Clinical utilization of the assay described would enable clinicians to reduce ineffective empiric treatment of ESBL urinary infections.


The effects of reaction parameters including copolyester composition, catalyst type and amount, temperature, time, endgroup concentration (molecular weight), and degree of crystallinity were determined for the reorganization of random to block poly(ethylene terephthalate-co-succinate). The crystallization-induced reactions, which were the basis of these ordering processes, were carried out at temperatures at or below the terephethalate unit melting points of the initial copolyester. All samples so treated showed increased melting points, recrystallization temperatures, and degrees of crystallinity which correlated with increased blockiness of the terephthalate units, as determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. At reaction temperatures greater than 15°C below the initial copolyester melting point, those parameters which controlled the rate of the ester interchange reaction also controlled the extent of the reorganization. Within approximately 15°C of the melting point, the reaction rate was apparently less important than physical factors related to the crystalline properties of the initial copolyester.