This study investigated college and university counseling center directors' perceptions of the adequacy of the preparation of master's-level counselors for work in college and university counseling centers. Results indicated that counselors were rated on average as prepared; however, many directors had concerns about counselors' ability to work with students presenting more severe mental health issues. Findings are discussed, and implications for the training and preparation of college counseling practitioners are presented. Keywords: counselor preparation, college counseling, training ********** In recent years, college and university counseling centers have emerged as increasingly complex settings for mental health professionals to practice. College counselors serve many functions, including providing counseling and crisis intervention to students experiencing problems, conducting preventative outreach programming to the campus community, consulting with faculty and staff, conducting research and program evaluation, and providing training and supervision to interns and junior staff (Boyd et al., 2003; Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education, 2009; DeStefano, Petersen, Skwerer, & Bickel, 2001; Gallagher, 2009). In addition, college counselors serve an increasingly diverse student body facing a multitude of concerns. Examples of diverse student populations include racial and cultural minorities, international students, nontraditional students, and openly gay and lesbian students (Chang, 1999). Recent studies reflect an increase in minorities, students over the age of 25, and international students (Choy, 2002; Institute of International Education, 2006). In light of this increase in diversity, counselors in these settings must be more multiculturally sensitive and adjust services such that they are relevant and accessible to a demographically changing student population (Benshoff & Bundy, 2000; Bishop, 1990; Hodges, 2001; Stone & Archer, 1990; Wright, 2000). Counselors may provide services for students presenting a variety of personal, academic, and career concerns (Pace, Stamler, Yarris, & June, 1996; Stone & Archer, 1990; Whiteley, Mahaffey, & Geer, 1987). Moreover, some studies suggest there is an increase in the severity of presenting mental health issues of students (Bishop, 2006; Gallagher, 2009; Sharkin & Coulter, 2005). College counselors also face multiple legal and ethical challenges. One challenge is balancing emerging demands against administrative and budgetary constraints (Bishop, 2006; Davenport, 2009). Administrative and budgetary pressures compel counselors to make difficult decisions regarding client care at the same time that demand for services is rising. Counseling centers have responded by limiting the number of sessions allotted to students, implementing wait lists, and referring some students to community resources outside of the college or university (Bishop, 2006; Stone & Archer, 1990). Each of these responses may create ethical and legal dilemmas for counseling center staff. Another challenge is managing the conflicts of multiple roles and allegiances that counselors have within the institution (Bishop, 2006; Davenport, 2009). Szasz (1967) referred to college counselors as double-agents, serving both students and administrators. Counselors build alliances with students to help them face issues that may relate to professors and the institution. At the same time, counselors may provide consultation to faculty and staff regarding students with problems and accept mandated referrals (Francis, 2000). These competing allegiances have become more complex after the mass tragedies on campuses, such as the 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech. In the wake of such events, campus administrators have increased pressure on college and university counseling centers to serve as homicidal prevention gatekeepers, with a focus on providing additional attention to screening for students who may pose a risk to others on campus (Davenport, 2009). …


Introduction. The concept of seasonal variability of sperm parameters is controversial. However, it should be considered during medical evaluation and solicitation of sperm donors.
Aim. To evaluate seasonal variability of sperm parameters from anonymous sperm donors in a reproductive medicine center.
Materials and methods. A retrospective study of 1252 semen samples from 39 sperm donors (mean age 27.1 ± 3.9 years) in a reproductive medicine center in Saint Petersburg during the period from October 1, 2015 to October 1, 2017 was performed according to WHO 2010 recommendations. Semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm number, progressive motility, and number of progressively motile sperm were analyzed.
Results. Individual variability in semen parameters was high. The mean ejaculate volume in the summer months was higher than in the autumn, winter, and spring (t = 3.65, p < 0.001; t = 4.18, p < 0.0001; t = 1.92, p = 0.056 respectively). The lowest volume (2.83 ± 1.32 ml) was registered in January. The mean sperm concentration in summer was lower than in autumn, winter, and spring (t = 3.65, p < 0.001; t = 4.18, p < 0.0001; t = 1.92, p = 0.056 respectively). It was higher in winter than in spring and autumn (t = 2.54, p = 0.012; t = 1.72, p = 0.082 respectively). The highest mean sperm concentration was registered in January and the lowest in July (157.2 ± 46.6 and 131.9 ± 44.0 million sperm per ml, respectively). No significant seasonal differences were found in total sperm number, progressive motility, or number of progressively motile sperm (p > 0.1).
Conclusions. The study suggests there is both individual and seasonal variability in sperm donors' semen parameters. As several semen samples are needed to rate semen quality, we recommend that semen analysis for a potential sperm donor be performed in the summer months.


An alka]i-sensitive mutant, 18224, of the a]kaliphilic BaeilZus sp. strain C-125 was characterized. The nucleotide sequence of the Pvul-?VlaIV DNA fragment hat recovers the alkaliphily of 18224 has been cloned from the mutant and sequenced. Comparison of the nucleotide sequences of the corresponding regions found a G to A substitution in the mutant. The mutation resulted in an amino acid substitution from 82CJy to Glu of the putative ORF3 product, wh;ch


Abstract The market for cereal cover crop straw and herbage seed straw has diminished in many seed-production areas due to there being less livestock. Seed growers therefore want to chop and return the straw both in the sowing year and in the seed-harvest years. The objectives of this research were (1) to compare decomposition rates of straw of barley and wheat cover crops and timothy (Phleum pratense L.), meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis Huds.), and red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) seed crops, (2) to study the effect on soil microbial activity of adding mineral nitrogen or fresh leaves from undersown seed crops, and (3) to evaluate the effect of straw placement/soil contact on straw-decomposition rates. Microbial activity/straw-decomposition rates were evaluated by regular measurement of CO2 production in four laboratory incubation experiments lasting for 150–161 days. Microbial activity was always enhanced by adding straw on the soil surface. Straw of barley resulted in higher CO2 production than did straw of wheat, while straw of red clover and meadow fescue resulted in higher CO2 production than with straw of timothy. Inclusion of fresh leaves of white clover and timothy increased CO2 production during the first and second half of the incubation experiments, respectively. Neither in the sowing year nor in the seed-harvest year was microbial activity stimulated by adding fertilizer nitrogen, but soil mineral nitrogen by the end of the experiments was higher after adding fertilizer or fresh leaves, and lower after adding grass seed straw. Presumably owing to higher humidity, straw decomposition in a field experiment was higher in timothy stubble than in wheat stubble and higher at 2 cm than at 10 cm above the soil surface. For practical seed production, growers are recommended to leave short stubble, to chop the straw as finely as possible, and to distribute the straw evenly on the surface in close contact with soil particles.


An investigation is made of the approach to steady state of a certain class of systems of independent subsystems. It is found that, roughly speaking, the variance, a matrix, approaches its steady‐state functional dependence on the mean, a vector, at twice the rate that the mean approaches its steady‐state value.


Stream processing prevails and SQL query on streams has become one of the most popular application scenarios. For example, in 2021, the global number of active IoT endpoints reaches 12.3 billion. Unfortunately, the increasing scale of data and strict user requests place much pressure on existing stream processing systems, requiring high processing throughput with low latency. To further improve the performance of current stream processing systems, we propose a compression-based stream processing engine, called CompressStreamDB, which enables adaptive fine-grained stream processing directly on compressed streams, without decompression. Particularly, CompressStreamDB involves eight compression methods targeting various data types in streams, and it also provides a cost model for dynamically selecting the appropriate compression methods. By exploring data redundancy among streams, CompressStreamDB not only saves space in data transmission between client and server, but also achieves high throughput with low latency in SQL query on stream processing. Our experimental results show that compared to the state-of-the-art stream processing system on uncompressed streams, CompressStreamDB achieves 3.24× throughput improvement and 66.0% lower latency on average. Besides, CompressStreamDB saves 66.8% space.


This study estimated the annual available amount of forest biomass resources from profitable sub-compartments in the Kanuma Area of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, by considering the regeneration expenses incurred by the sustainability of forest management and by discounting the future revenues and costs to the present net values. In addition to the economic balances, this study estimated the GHG emissions including CO2, CH4, and N2O. Under the Feed-in-Tariff program, the economic balances of both, direct combustion and small-scale gasification facilities would be positive. For log prices of 10,000 JPY/m3 and forest biomass resources prices of 3,000 JPY/tDM, the annual available amount of forest biomass resources with subsidies and regeneration costs was estimated at 12,044 tDM/year. Since subsidies play important roles on economic balances of regeneration and thinning operations in Japan, the annual available amount of forest biomass resources without subsidies was reduced to 2,710 tDM/year. In relation to log price increments, the annual available amounts of forest biomass resources were increased. The GHG emission of the direct combustion plants having a capacity of 5 MW was of 68 gCO2eq/ kWh. On the other hand, the GHG emission of a small-scale gasification power plants having a capacity of 2.4 MW was 52 gCO2eq/kWh. Further studies should be undertaken for detailed analyses.


Introduction: BOLD kidney MRI thus far has been acquired during breath holding to reduce motion related artifacts in T2* and R2* maps [1]. Because breath holding may not be feasible for elderly or diseased subjects, it is beneficial to explore novel techniques for BOLD kidney analysis that allow for quiet breathing during image acquisition. Fractal analysis on real-time BOLD data has been used to study microvascular organization in rectal carcinoma [2]. In this study, real-time BOLD data from healthy kidneys was analyzed to determine whether signal variations are fractal, and if so whether they can be characterized as fractional Gaussian noise (fGn) or fractional Brownian motion (fBm). Materials and Methods: In a study approved by our research ethics board, the kidneys of healthy subjects (n=5) were imaged using a T2* weighted (BOLD) GRE EPI sequence (TR/TE=250/35ms, flip=70, FOV=30cm 96x96 matrix, 3 slices 5mm thick, 0mm skip, oblique-coronal plane, 2400 temporal points, 10 minutes total time). The acquisition plane was prescribed from a sagittal multiphase FIESTA to select along the longitudinal axis of the right kidney, which is the direction of motion during breathing. All scans were done using a GE Healthcare 3T HD Signa MRI and 8 channel torso phased array coil. During BOLD scanning, subjects were instructed to breathe normally. After data collection, the images were processed with a template matching algorithm previously used for kidney analysis [3]. Regions of interest (ROI) were selected for the renal medulla and renal cortex using AFNI [4], and this data was exported to MATAB (The Mathworks, Natick MA). Data was analyzed in MATLAB using an in-house developed algorithm based on the work done by Eke et al. [5] to calculate the fractal dimension and Hurst coefficient of data within each ROI. Results: In both the renal medulla and cortex, the data was found to be fractal, both having a majority of voxels being fGn (Table 1). The mean Hurst coefficients (H) and fractal dimension (D) are shown in (Table 1). Mean ± standard deviation of Hurst coefficient in the cortex and medulla were 0.7140 ± 0.1657 and 0.7448 ± 0.1494 respectively. Voxels with fBm were excluded from the calculation of these means as their H values differ greatly from fGn and they represent fewer voxels.


Simple Summary Wildlife rescue centers play a key role for crested porcupine rescue and conservation. There is a lack of guidelines for management and liberation, which is a crucial issue, especially for porcupettes to ensure a suitable behavioral development for wildlife. In this work, preliminary data on the post-liberation behavior and survival of rescued porcupines under different management and liberation strategies were collected, providing the first useful knowledge base and fulfilling the urgency to develop official guidelines. Abstract The crested porcupine is a frequent host species in wildlife rescue centers and no guidelines for its management, liberation and post-liberation monitoring are yet available. Here, captive-grown porcupines' behavior and survival in the wild after liberation were investigated and described for the first time. Management strategies adopted at the centers could affect porcupine adaptation to the natural environment. The detention of porcupettes in single cages and fed only human-supplied food may not ensure ethological welfare, nor a suitable behavioral development compatible with wildlife. The liberation of captive-grown porcupines should also be carefully planned to promote and increase the possibility of post-liberation success.


We argue that a system of straight rigid rods of length k on a square lattice with only hard-core interactions shows two phase transitions as a function of density ρ for k ⩾ 7. The system undergoes a phase transition from the low-density disordered phase to a nematic phase as ρ is increased from 0 at ρ = ρc1, and then again undergoes a re-entrant phase transition from the nematic phase to a disordered phase at ρ = ρc2 < 1.


N-doped TiO2 films were prepared on indium tin oxide(ITO) conducting glass by dc-reactive magnetron sputtering using a Ti target in an O2/N2/Ar mixture gas in combination with heat-treatment at 300 -500 ℃. The microstructure,optical and photoelectrochemical properties of the as-formed films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and UV-Vis transmittance spectrum. Highly porous NiO was deposited onto the N-doped TiO2 layer by chemical bath deposition to obtain ITO/ TiO2-xNx/NiO bilayer thin films and they exhibited excellent and noticeable photoelectrochromism. The TiO2-xNx film annealed at 400 ℃ showed the highest photocurrent response. The color of films changed from colorless to brown and the transmittance varied from 79.0% to 12.6% at 500 nm after 1 h of irradiation.


The content of Zn,Fe,Cu,Ca in hair of 222 children with anorexia and 165 normal children was studied in Zhongshan city The results indicated that the anorixia had much less Zn in hair than that in the normal children ( P 0 01),and so was Ca in hair (0 05 P 0 01).While Fe,Cu content children with anorexia was the same as those in normal children There was no obvious difference between the two groups It was concluded that anoraxia is one of the earliest symptons of the desease of Zn deficiency,which appears mosthy in children of 1~3 years old and 3~6 years old The rations of Cu/Zn in the two groups were compared. The results showed that the anorexia group was significantly higher than that in normal group( P 0 01) It suggested that the change of Zn is the most distinct among the micronutrients in humman body The content of Ca and Zn has negative correlation


The atomic configurational order of random, symmetric, and crystalline states of sodium is investigated using molecular-dynamics simulations. Pair distribution functions are calculated for these states. Consistent with the liquid- and random-state energetics, we find that, by cooling, the liquid configurations evolve continuously to random-state structures. For sodium, the random pair distribution function has a split second peak characteristic of many amorphous materials and has the first subpeak exceeding the second subpeak. Experiments have shown this to be the case for amorphous Ni, Co, Cr, Fe, and Mn. A universal pair distribution function is identified for all random structures, as was hypothesized by liquid-dynamics theory. The peak widths of the random pair distribution function are considerably broader, even at very low temperatures, than those of the bcc and symmetric structures. No universal pair distribution function exists for symmetric structures. For low-temperature random, symmetric, and crystalline structures we determine average Voronoi coordination numbers, angular distributions between neighboring atomic triplets, and the number of Voronoi edges per face. Without exception the random and symmetric structures show very different trends for each of these properties. The universal nature of the random structures is also apparent in each property exhibited in the Voronoi polyhedra, unlikemore » for the symmetric structures. Angles between neighboring Voronoi triplets common to random close-packing structures are favored by the random structures whereas those hinting at microcrystalline order are found for the symmetric structures. The distribution of Voronoi coordination numbers for both random and symmetric structures are peaked at 14 neighbors, but while the symmetric structures are essentially all 14, the random structures have nearly as many 13 and 15 neighbor polyhedra. The number of edges per face also shows a stark difference between the random and symmetric structures; the number is broadly distributed about the peak value 5 for the random structures, but contains many more four- and six-edged faces (and very few five-edged faces) for the symmetric structures. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}« less


Convective‐scale ensemble prediction systems (EPSs) are often initialized with downscaled initial condition perturbations (ICPs) from a global coarser EPS. Although downscaled ICPs have been shown to have a positive impact at short ranges, they cannot represent the uncertainty at small scales. Hence, there is a spin‐up of around 9–12 h until the forecast perturbations develop realistic small‐scale structures. On the other hand, ensemble data assimilation (EDA) is a common approach to obtain initial perturbations at all scales resolved by the numerical model. However, the high computational cost of EDA systems severely limits their size and their resolution. An alternative cheaper method to derive small‐scale ICPs is considered here, based on a random sampling of the model background‐error covariances. This article provides an evaluation of random and EDA‐based IC perturbation methods against the baseline downscaling approach, in the framework of the pre‐operational convective‐scale EPS developed at Météo‐France with the AROME‐France model at a 2.5 km horizontal resolution.


The spectral characteristics of the relative intensity noise (RIN) of two amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) sources are experimentally measured. An Er-doped fiber superfluorescent source (EDF-SFS) is investigated and compared with a super-luminescent diode (SLD) source, using a simple tunable fiber Bragg grating filter-based system. Experimental results based on normal ASE operation conditions showed that the RIN distribution of the EDF-SFS is correlated with its emission spectral profile, which is different from the results observed using the SLD source. This finding shows for the first time that an EDF-SFS based ASE has fundamentally different RIN characteristics from other known existing spontaneous emission broadband sources. The amplifying process of the EDF-SFS is discussed and confirmed using a rate equation-based simulation.


PDLC with micrometer or submicrometer sized droplets have been demonstrated using acrylate syrup as polymer precursor. In this paper the ability of thiol-ene monomere to lead to such PDLC is investigated. Electro-optic response of bulk composite material is measured by an interferometric setup and compared to theoretical model. A morphological study has shown a specific response of submicrometer PDLC. UV laser(355 nm)has been used to record gratings. The weakness of diffractive efficiency seems to show an intrinsic limitation of nanosized PDLC for low spatial frequencies.


Humans generate complex hierarchies across a variety of domains, including language and music, and this capacity is often associated with activity in inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). Non-human animals have also been shown to represent simple hierarchies in spatial navigation, and human neuroimaging work has implicated the hippocampus in the encoding of items-in-contexts representations, which constitute 2-level hierarchical dependencies. These fields of research use distinct paradigms, leading to disjoint models and precluding adequate cross-species comparisons. In this study, we developed a paradigm to bring together these two areas of research and show that anterior hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex encode hierarchical context, mimicking findings from animal spatial navigation. Additionally, we replicated classic neurolinguistic findings of 1) left IFG and posterior temporal cortex in the representation of hierarchies and 2) the association between IFG and processing automaticity. We propose that mammals share an evolutionary ancient system for the generation of simple hierarchies which is complemented in humans by additional capacities. Highlights HPC and mPFC activity is specifically modulated by hierarchical context Syntax-related regions in the left hemisphere encode for hierarchy in general IFGop activity is maintained in later trials for hierarchies but not sequences These findings mimic those from animal spatial navigation and neurolinguistics


[1] The interactions between the solar wind and the neutral gas from Mars' moon Phobos and from the Martian exosphere are examined in order to check the feasibility of the energetic neutral atoms (ENA) remote sensing technique applied to Phobos' environment. Both solar wind and Mars exosphere models, as given in the literature, have been used. The density distribution of an outgassed neutral oxygen population located at Phobos' orbit has been simulated via Monte Carlo integration. Images and energy spectra of ENA, escaping through charge exchange processes, have been reconstructed applying a line of sight integration method. The performed simulation shows that the ENA signal originated from Phobos' environment is faint while observing far from Phobos location; anyway, it could be detected in some particular Mars-Phobos vantage point configurations. The possibility that the neutral oxygen outgassing rate might be estimated through ENA signal deconvolution is briefly discussed.


Forty-two adult male albino rats Sprague –Dawley strain were classified into normal control group and five diabetic rat groups which were control (+ve), drug, zinc , vanadium and zinc with vanadium. The diabetic control (+ve) group showed a significant increase in the values of glucose ,glucosalated hemoglobin ,serum alanine and aspartate amino transferase (ALT & AST), alkaline phosphatase (Alk-phos) enzymes, creatinine , urea ,cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), LDL-c, VLDL-c level , cholesterol/ HDL-c ,liver cholesterol, liver total lipid and liver malondialdehyde (MDA) but a significant decrease in final weight, weight gain, FER, insulin, hemoglobin (HB) , packed cell volume ,HDL-c ,liver glycogen, liver glutathione peroxidase (GPX)compared to normal control group. The diabetic rat groups which treated with drug, zinc, vanadium and zinc with vanadium showed a significant decrease in the values of serum glucose , glucosalated hemoglobin, ALT ,AST ,urea, serum cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), LDL-c, VLDL-c level , cholesterol/ HDL-c ,liver cholesterol, liver total lipid and liver malondialdehyde (MDA) but a significant increase in the values of final weight, weight gain percent , FER ,insulin ,packed cell volume (PCV) ,HDL-c ,liver glycogen and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) compared to control (+ve) group. [Nabila, M. Rashwan and Farida Abdullah Al-Firdous. Insulin-mimetic activity of vanadium and zinc in diabetic experimental rats. Journal of American Science 2011;7(1):407-416]. (ISSN: 1545-1003). http://www.americanscience.org.


The measurements of dilepton production in photon-photon fusion with the CMS-TOTEM Precision Proton Spectrometer (CT-PPS) are presented. For the first time, exclusive dilepton production at high masses have been observed in the CMS detector while one or two outgoing protons are measured in CT-PPS using around 10 fb−1 of data accumulated in 2016 during high-luminosity LHC operation. These first results show a good understanding, calibration and alignment of the new CT-PPS detectors installed in 2016. Presented at EPS-HEP2017 EPS Conference on High Energy Physics Measurement of high-mass dilepton production with the CMS-TOTEM Precision Proton Spectrometer Ksenia Shchelina∗ † Universita e INFN Torino (IT) E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com The process pp→ pμ+μ−p(∗) has been observed at the LHC for dimuon masses larger than 110 GeV in pp collisions at √ s = 13 TeV. Here p(∗) indicates the second proton is undetected, and either remains intact or dissociates into a low-mass state p∗. The scattered proton has been measured in the CMS-TOTEM Precision Proton Spectrometer (CT-PPS). The spectrometer operated for the first time in 2016, collecting ∼10fb−1of data in regular, high-luminosity fills. The procedure for detector alignment, optics corrections, and data analysis including background estimate are described. The present data constitute the first evidence of this process at such masses. They also demonstrate that CT-PPS performs as expected. The European Physical Society Conference on High Energy Physics 5-12 July Venice, Italy ∗Speaker. †On behalf of CMS and TOTEM Collaborations c © Copyright owned by the author(s) under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). https://pos.sissa.it/ Measurement of high-mass dilepton production with CT-PPS Ksenia Shchelina


A simple model to determine the interrelation between the integral characteristics of Hall thrust ers with an anode layer is proposed. The model includes the equation describing the balance of forces acting on the Hall current region, as well as the relationship between the current of accelerated ions and the rate of working gas consumption. For fixed geometrical characteristics of a specific Hall thruster, this model allows one to interrelate the main integral characteristics of the thruster, such as the accelerating voltage, the mag netic field, the propellant flow rate, and the current of accelerated ions. The results of calculations for TAL WSF/D 55—one of the most widely used Hall thrusters with an anode layer—are presented. The domain of existence of the discharge in the channel of the Hall thruster is analyzed. It is shown that taking into account kinetic effects of neutral particle expansion and working gas preheating lead to a decrease in the current of accelerated ions and the engine thrust. DOI: 10.1134/S1063780X14020068


Background : On examination MRCP patient pediatric in Radiology Hospital Santo Borromeus using tools made of PVC. But the use of such aids has a deficiency, ie the size is too large so that there is a distance between objects to be checked with body coils that can reducing value of the signal generated. The purpose of this research is to know the design of equipment tools investigation MRCP pediatric examination, difference of image quality and anatomical information resulting from the use of standard hospital aids and modification aids. Methods : This research is a quantitative research with experimental approach to design of modification aids in water phantom and patient pediatric examination MRCP sequence T2 FRFSE axial. The test was performed on image quality that was statistically analyzed by paired T test using SPSS 22. Beside that, the test was also conducted on anatomy information which was assessed by 2 radiologists with qualitative assessment. Results : The results of this study there are significant differences in SNR between the use of standard hospital aids and modification tools with p value 0.001. CNR differences were also significant between the use of standard hospital aids and modification aids with p value 0.001 (p <0.05). Conclusion : The results of image quality and anatomical information showed the best results in the use of tools modifications.


Objectives This study investigates risk of mortality associated with nurses' assessments of patients by physiological system. We hypothesise that nursing assessments of in-patients performed at entry correlate with in-hospital mortality, and those performed just before discharge correlate with postdischarge mortality. Design Cohort study of in-hospital and postdischarge mortality of patients over two 1-year periods. Setting An 805-bed community hospital in Sarasota, Florida, USA. Subjects 42 302 inpatients admitted for any reason, excluding obstetrics, paediatric and psychiatric patients. Outcome measures All-cause mortalities and mortality OR. Results Patients whose entry nursing assessments, other than pain, did not meet minimum standards had significantly higher in-hospital mortality than patients meeting minimums; and final nursing assessments before discharge had large OR for postdischarge mortality. In-hospital mortality OR were found to be: food, 7.0; neurological, 9.4; musculoskeletal, 6.9; safety, 5.6; psychosocial, 6.7; respiratory, 8.1; skin, 5.2; genitourinary, 3.0; gastrointestinal, 2.3; peripheral-vascular, 3.9; cardiac, 2.8; and pain, 1.1. CI at 95% are within ±20% of these values, with p<0.001 (except for pain). Similar results applied to postdischarge mortality. All results were comparable across the two 1-year periods, with 0.85 intraclass correlation coefficient. Conclusions Nursing assessments are strongly correlated with in-hospital and postdischarge mortality. No multivariate analysis has yet been performed, and will be the subject of a future study, thus there may be confounding factors. Nonetheless, we conclude that these assessments are clinically meaningful and valid. Nursing assessment data, which are currently unused, may allow physicians to improve patient care. The mortality OR and the dynamic nature of nursing assessments suggest that nursing assessments are sensitive indicators of a patient's condition. While these conclusions must remain qualified, pending future multivariate analyses, nursing assessment data ought to be incorporated in risk-related health research, and changes in record-keeping software are needed to make this information more accessible.


The extraction of nonstarch polysaccharides from fruits and vegetables has received much attention recently in terms of their utilisation in functional food systems. In New Zealand kiwifruit production is one of the major fruit growing exploits. This paper explores the potential extraction techniques which may be employed to extract water soluble polysaccharides from kiwifruit material, in an attempt to utilise this commodity as an added value food ingredient. Crude water soluble polysaccharides of fresh gold kiwifruit were extracted under different extraction techniques (acid, hot water and enzyme) and conditions (time, temperature and concentration). The recovery of water soluble polysaccharide fraction (WSP), chemical composition, and their rheological behaviour were examined. The extraction technique had a significant effect on the WSP yield, galacturonic acid content, as well as the viscosity. Enzymatic extraction method yielded higher WSP and galacturonic acid than water and acid extraction, but this fraction exhibited lower viscosity. Acid extracted WSP yield decreased with increasing temperature and time. In contrast, water extracted WSP yield increased with increasing temperature and time. The selected extraction parameters for acid extraction were temperature 50 °C, extraction time 60 min, and 1:6 kiwifruit puree to acid solution ratio. The water extraction optimum parameters were 25 °C, 30 min and 1:4 puree to water ratio and 25 °C, 30 min with medium concentration for enzymatic extraction. The WSP viscosity and galacturonic acid content was maximum under these extraction conditions.


In present study the results of surgical treatment of 60 patients with chronic venous insufficiency of the lower limbs are submitted. Alongside with conventional interference simple venectomy by Babcock, authors also used subfascial endoscopic perforance ligation and cathether sclerotherapy of the main shaft of the saphenic vein. In the group of patients, in treatment of which one miniinvasive methods were used, there were no purulent complications. Also the introduction in clinical practice of the SEPS method in combination with a distal saphen trunks scleroobliteration shortens the stay of patients in hospital and substantially decreases economic expenses on their treatment. The further study of subfascial endoscopic perforance ligation and cathether sclerotherapy of the main shaft of the saphenic vein capabilities in treatment of other stages of chronic venous insufficiency is necessary.


Non Fungible Tokens which are commonly known as NFT's are digital items such as audios, Videos, Photographs etc. NFT's are unique cryptographic tokens that exist on a blockchain and cannot be replicated. All Non Fungible Tokens have unique identification codes and metadata that differentiate each token from each other.


For the solving of the electromagnetic field problem coupled with the thermal diffusion problem we use a FEM-BEM hybrid procedure that allows also taking into account the movement of the charge. The FEM network is built only once, and part of the materials that are necessary to obtain the equation system is calculated also once. The efficiency of the used procedure allows us to analyse rapidly the parameters of a radio-frequency dying installation and to choose the best solution.


This paper presents a novel parallel system for Rail Transit based on ACP approach (Artificial systems, Computational experiments, Parallel execution), which is proposed to address issues on safety, efficiency and reliability of their operation and optimization. Firstly, the construction of dynamic, overall and real Artificial Rail Transit Systems and their demonstration are provided. Then, based on these systems, the platform, content and analysis of computational experiments and comprehensive evaluation system are researched. Finally, parallel control and management of the actual systems via parallel execution can be achieved. By Parallel Rail Transit Systems, a set of recommendations and strategies of railway can be formed, which would improve the overall functionality of the trail transit system.


In the past studies for active control of flexible hub-beam system,linear model and zeroth-order approximation model are usually used as control model,and it is often thought that the zeroth-order approximation model is valid in representing the dynamic behavior of the system.However recent studies indicate that there exists in fact some limitations of the zeroth-order approximation model .In this paper,a first-order approximation model is applied for active position control of a flexible hub-beam system,where the controller is designed by the classical optimal tracking control theory.Simulation results demonstrate that the traditional zeroth-order approximation model may result in divergence to the dynamic problem of a flexible hub-beam system.The desired hub-beam position may be obtained by the optimal tracking controller and the residual vibration of the flexible beam may be repressed as well.


Aim: Reduced calorie intake by food restriction leads to extension of life span by exerting beneficial effects on metabolism. Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rat is a type 2 diabetic model with obesity, showing the incidence of diabetes after 7 weeks of age. The present study investigated effects of 2-week food restriction on the pancreas in ZDF rats. Methods: ZDF rats were pair-fed with Zucker lean (ZL) rats from 7 to 9 weeks of age (The amount of food in ZDF rats was calculated based on the daily food consumption in ZL rats). Body weight and biochemical parameters such as serum glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, non-esterified fatty acid and insulin levels, were evaluated. After necropsy, islet size and insulin content in pancreas were measured. Original Research Article Miyajima et al.; BJMMR, 9(6): 1-7, 2015; Article no.BJMMR.18712 2 Results: The ZDF rats showed increased blood glucose, insulin and lipid levels at 7 weeks as compared with those in ZL rats. After food restriction for 2 weeks, the blood glucose, insulin, and triglyceride levels in pair-fed ZDF rats were decreased. The islet size in pair-fed ZDF rats decreased as compared with that in ad lib-fed ZDF rats, but the insulin content in pancreas of pairfed ZDF rats increased remarkably. Conclusion: ZDF rats showed improvement of pancreatic disorders by food restriction. Caloric restriction applied at an insulin resistant pre-diabetic stage is an effective means for preventing the pancreatic disorder in diabetes with obesity.


The study was carried out to predict, in the field, the occurrence of populational peaks of adults of Piezodorus guildinii (West.), Nezara viridula (L.) and Euschistus heros (Fabr.) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), using a degree-day model. Considering the development of the biological cycle, it was observed that more than 70% of adult emergence of P. guildinii, N. viridula and E. heros occurred when means of 307.7, 753.8 and 370.3 degree-day respectively had been accumulated. The differences between predicted and observed dates for emergence were 0-3 days for P. guildinii and N. viridula and 5-6 days for E. heros.


The Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (KSPRS) was founded in 1966, and began to circulate the Journal in the Korean-language from 1974. The Society members had long desired to communicate with the rest of the world, and found the language issue to be the limiting factor. In 1996, a forward-thinking editor-in-chief had pushed for an English version of the Korean Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (KJPRS), but this effort was not sustainable from the mere fact that very few manuscripts were being prepared in English at the time (Fig. 1). By 1998, it was clear that the fledgling English journal was not a viable enterprise, and for the time being, Korean plastic surgeons and researchers continued to submit their research findings in the native language.

Fig. 1

The first issue of the English journal of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons

The matter, however, continued to be reviewed at each of the annual KSPRS Board meetings throughout the 2000's. I was elected to be the chief editor of the KJPRS in November 2010, with the ambitious goal of re-starting an English journal to be circulated among Korean and international scholars.

It took all of 2011 to overcome the logistics of starting a whole new journal in a new language, and the very first issue of Archives of Plastic Surgery (APS) was published in January of 2012 [1]. Since the inception, the editorial committee, staff, and I have made a concerted effort in improving the quality despite the limited finances alloted for the activity. Considering the state of our Journal-healthy and growing in volumes-I would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the authors for the quality of articles submitted, to the 124 Korean and 41 international reviewers who have stimulated a discussion on the ideas presented in each of these articles, and to the readers of Journal without whom these ideas would remain isolated and soon forgotten.

To produce a worthy academic journal, APS has solicited review papers from prominent surgeons both within and outside of Korea. Ethical standards are higher, with strict no-resubmission policy for manuscripts containing plagiarized elements found via CrossCheck reference program. Written permissions are now a strict requirement for inclusion of patient photographs. In addition, figures and illustrations adhere to a more consistent format from the cover to the last page. Research articles supported with academic funds have especially been welcomed.

We have made a concerted effort to invite manuscripts from the international community, with a specific focus on our Asian counterparts. The editorial committee have attended many international conferences to promote the Journal, and have signed a mutual agreement with Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Global Open (Fig. 2). For more than a year now, articles published in APS are indexed by many of the academic search engines, including PubMed Central. Currently, our email subscribership encompasses approximately ten thousand of plastic surgeons around the world. More recently, we have been gearing up for the official journal proposed for the Asia Pacific Section of International Federation of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery.

Fig. 2

A global relationship between Archives of Plastic Surgery and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

The international outreach effort is evident in the increasing number of international submissions over the past two years. In our first year, 2012, just 22 of the 192 total submissions had come from outside of Korea (11.5%). However, this figure underwent a dramatic increase to 126 submissions from international authors, out of the 303 total (42%). This increase in international submissions was accompanied by a concomitant increase in the number of countries from which these manuscripts originated (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3

Manuscript submissions to Archives of Plastic Surgery, by country (2013-2014 May)

In Korea, as elsewhere, the SCI indexed is an important litmus test for an academic journal, and we are sensitive to the needs of academicians who benefit from publishing their scientific work in such journals. Though impact factor (IF) for APS will not be available until 2015, our recent analysis of data from Scopus and Web of Science has revealed a high number of citable articles and expect IF to increase rapidly [2,3]. The most significant role the Journal plays is appreciable by the fact that APS is the only English plastic and reconstructive surgery journal in east of Asia.

The definition of what constitutes a citable article continues to change, and the total number of articles published through the Journal is hard to estimate for the rest of the current calendar year. However, our current estimates place the IF in a range between 0.6 to 0.9 based on data of Scopus and Web of Science [2,3]. Considering that Korean plastic surgery researchers have published 256 articles in 2012 and 103 articles so far this year in relevant SCI(E) journals [3], we expect that this trend will lead to a greater number of APS articles being cited.

The future of Journal should not be weighed against the indicators above mentioned. Rather, it should be evaluated by the quality of the scientific works submitted, fairness and promptness of the review process, and the up-to-date information made available to the readers. To achieve these goals, we have been closely watching the manuscript review process. Currently, a 3-person peer review process takes an average of 70.4 days (60.5 days and 74.1 days for rejected and accepted manuscripts, respectively), and we are striving to bring quality articles to the readers as soon as possible. In 2013, the rejection rate had increased to 27.4 percent, and this is expected to further increase, to around 40 percent.

To further improve the quality of the Journal, the number of editorial members was expanded to 46, among whom 22 international members live across 5 separate continents. We expect the proportion of international members to continue to grow for the committee.

All of these strategies have increased the number of manuscripts submitted from countries other than Korea. Since 2013, a total of 174 papers from 32 countries, excluding Korea, have been submitted for review (Fig. 3). In addition, our open access policy makes available the contents of each and every article at no cost to the readers. We intend to continue to develop and maintain our relationship with various international plastic surgery communities through our involvement in various academic conferences in Korea and other Asian countries.

Along with Korean wave (Hallyu) in Asia, South Korea has become and continues to be the plastic surgery mecca in the Pacific Asia. It is our hope that Archives of Plastic Surgery will find its place as an examplary journal within the field and that the Journal would provide a medium through which Asian plastic surgeons could share and improve the art of the discipline. Through the plastic surgery APS Asian academic exchanges, and spread the hope.


Context: Synovium is the site for a series of pathologic processes that are characteristic and in some cases specific, to a particular disease. Examination of the synovial biopsies plays a key role in the diagnosis of joint diseases as the disease affecting the joints can have varied clinical presentations. Materials and Methods: We present here the different spectrum of synovial lesions that was diagnosed on synovial biopsy. Results: There were ten cases of synovium and related diseases which includes two cases of Chronic nonspecific synovitis, one case of Septic arthritis, two cases of Tuberculous synovitis, one case of Rheumatoid arthritis, one case of Tenosynovial giant cell tumor of tendon sheath, one case of Synovial lipomatosis, and two cases of Secondary chondromatosis. Conclusion: This series highlights the various spectrums of joint diseases. Synovial biopsy is an important and final tool for definitive diagnosis of joint disorders. Correlation with clinical, radiological, and serological findings helps to arrive at an accurate diagnosis.


The problem of defining a threshold for even a single carcinogen is both old and new. If one defines "threshold" as the quantity of carcinogen or other etiologic agent just capable of producing a tumor, then at least a common ground is described. However, this "threshold level" may be modulated upwards or downwards in the organism by various environmental and internal factors. A specific case in point is the known influence of dietary fat, especially polyunsaturated fat as an enhancer of many types of tumors, i.e., it appears to be acting to lower the threshold level of carcinogen that is required to elicit a tumorigenic response. Conversely, many dietary antioxidants such as BHT, BHA, and propyl galIate have been shown to effectively raise the threshold level, or decrease the tumorigenic response to a given level of carcinogen. The possible mechanisms through which the dietary factors modify tumorigenesis will be discussed. These will include specific influences and interactions of dietary factors on 7, 12-dimethylbenz(a) anthracene-induced mammary car-cinogenesis, carcinogen uptake and retention by the target tissue, as well as influences on glandular development which may result in an alteration of the number of possible "targets" available at the time of carcinogen exposure.


After the remarkable start-up of LEP, the installation of a Large Hadron Collider, LHC, in the LEP tunnel will open a new era for the High Energy Physics. This report summarizes the main LHC parameters and subsytems and describes the more recent studies and developments.


In order to military reconnaissance and monitoring system problem, a new and feasible introduced the conception and structure of the Space-Air-Ground sensor networks(SAGSN). Then presented a new localization algorithm of range-TOA-D based on the TOA and direction information of anchor for the application of the network. Simulations show that the TOA-D algorithm can satisfy the performance needs of military reconnaissance and monitoring system to localization.


Introduction : FA is an autossomal recessive syndrome that usually presents with congenital abnormalities, progressive pancytopenia and an increased risk of cancer.The first stem cell transplant for FA was performed in Latin America in 1983 and since then the BMT center from Curitiba, Brazil became a reference center for this disease. From 1983 until June 2004, 140 pts received a stem cell transplant for FA and most of them were in aplastic phase. In this study we performed a retrospective analysis of 36 patients who received an unrelated stem cell transplant for FA in our BMT center. Patients and methods : Period: 04/1996 to 06/2004, age 4 to 19 year old (median: 9y), sex: 20F/16M. Disease duration: 7 to 122 months (Median: 45), Previous transfusions: 0 to 400 (Median of 21). Aplastic phase: 35 pts. Myelodysplastic syndrome:1pt.Stem cell source : bone marrow 15 pts ( 6/6 : 12pts; 5/6 : 3pts) , cord blood : 20 pts ( 6/6: 3pts , 5/6 :8 pts and 4/6 : 9 pts) and peripheral stem cell : 1 pt ( 6/6). Preparatory regimen: 9 pts received only Cyclophosphamide (CY), 15 pts received CY + Fludarabine + Thimoglobuline, 4 pts received Fludarabine + TBI (200cGy), 4 pts received CY+ TBI ± ATG and 4 pts Fludarabine + CY. GVHD prophylaxis: Cyclosporine (Csa) + MTX: 18 pts, Csa + steroids: 14 pts and other: 4pts. All pts received prophylactic antibiotics according to common practice. Results : 13 pts are alive and well 45 to 1579 days after transplant (median 303 days). 34 pts were evaluable for engraftment (2 pts died before day 28 due to bacterial sepsis and CNS hemorrhage). Median time to reach PMN> 500/uL was 21 days after transplant (+ 12 to + 57) and platelets> 20.000/uL was 22, 5 days (+14 to + 49). Pts who received CY + Fludarabine + Thimoglobuline had a better survival (56%) but it did not reach statistical significance when compared to other preparatory regimens. Acute graft versus host disease (A-GVHD) occurred in 9 pts (grade III: 4 pts, grade IV: 5 pts). Three pts with grade III A-GVHD developed C-GVHD (2 were extensive and severe). VOD was diagnosed in 3 pts (moderate/severe). Mucosytis grade III- IV occurred in 16 pts. Twenty-three pts died at a median time of 58 days after transplant (7 to 226 d). All pts with primary graft failure (11) and 5 pts with only a neuthrophil engraftment died. Causes of death: 15 pts: infections or hemorrhage related to rejection; 4 pts: GVHD, 3 pts:VOD , 1 pt: P carinii and 1 pt EBV lymphoproliferative disease. Transplant related mortality (TRM) was 55% for the whole group (38% for the pts who received CY+ Fludarabine + ATG). It was also lower (35%) for the pts who received cord blood transplants but it did not reach statistical significance regarding survival rate. Conclusions: Treatment of FA pts with unrelated stem cell transplant must be directed at a more effective control of rejection and GVHD. Transplant related mortality is still very high in this group of pts. Our study shows that the use of CY + Fludarabine + Thimoglobuline may improve survival but we still need more pts and a longer follow up to confirm this data.


Pre-stressed Concrete Cylinder Pipe(PCCP) fixed in the tunnel have been used in Shanxi Yellow River Diversion project.In this project,the diameter and the weight of PCCP increased Construction deadline has to be advanced.PCCP has to be used as the mold of tunnel lining concrete.PCCP construction has to be combined with lining concrete.These are difficulties for tunnel construction and machine for carrying and fixing PCCP in tunnel.Improved methods such as appropriative machine,PCCP with reinforcing fabric outside,self compacting concrete,horizontal backfill grouting pipe are used to simplify construction process,save time and reach an overall target of the project.


Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the intra-operator reliability of a 2D image analysis method for tooth dimension measurements. Methods: Occlusal and vestibular surfaces of teeth from ten study models were captured with a digital camera. Images were transferred on a computer and different tooth dimensions (mesio-distal, occluso-gingival, vestibulo-oral and perimeter) were measured using the Image Pro Insight software. Measurements were repeated after two weeks. Fleiss' coefficients of reliability were calculated. Results: A high degree of reliability has been established for every type of measurement: all coefficient values of reliability being not less than 0.95. Conclusions: The 2D image analyzing system is an adequate alternative for measuring tooth dimensions. All measurements were in the excellent category of reliability. The method allows precise and repeatable measurements, generating an image database as well, available for future studies.


Abstract This paper describes the impact of early family participation within the inpatient assessment and treatment process of youth diagnosed with a First Episode Psychosis. Family members' common emotional and behavioural responses to early psychosis are highlighted and depicted through a case study. The author illustrates the effectiveness of blending two family-focused approaches to intervention: the Partnership Model and the Family Consultation Model. Further, collaboration with the family's local resources is deemed an additional and essential component of the Partnership Model.


was opened in a In use rented from Baboo Ivuli l'rosunno Singh, about half a milo to the north of Chitpoor Bridge. It was, we believe, hoped at the time that sufficient funds would soon be collected for the erection of a special building, and that the quarters then occupied, and which were very ill adapted for a hospital, would only bo required temporarily. Eighteen month* have gone by, and while the necessity for accommodation for the sick poor in the northern suburbs h;u been proved beyond


The willingness to pay for a certain attribute (time, reliability, comfort, security) is defined as the marginal rate of substitution between this attribute and the money. This willingness to pay is used to monetize benefits in project evaluation and to forecast demand for new projects. In freight transport, in particular in rail freight transport, the reliability and the potential improvement of this variable are often even more important than time savings. Despite the importance of such variables, a relatively small number of studies (using both stated and revealed preference) are dedicated to the valuation of the value of time and the value of reliability in freight transport. These two main issues in the cross-Alpine and Cross-Pyrennean choice between rail and road freight transport are reviewed. On the base of the last revealed preference studies on cross Alpine and cross Pyrennean transport, it discusses the value and the importance of these variables. Moreover, on the basis of the Cross Alpine Freight Transport survey of 2004, it provides an original estimation of the value of time in this context, using the classic logit model and the mixed logit model. The analysis shows a very high variability of results and questions their impact in terms of socio-economic evaluation. The effect of distributed values in the context of new operators and the potential for revenue maximization for rail infrastructure managers, in the context of market liberalization, are discussed. For the covering abstract see ITRD E145999


This article analyzes the mechanical properties of compression resistance of walls with dimensions of 0.5 m long and 0.5 m wide, made with mud bricks that were manufactured by bricks, sabana clays, which have dimensions of length, width, height of: 0.25 x 0.10 x 0.06 m, these walls are horizontally between the joints, with two different materials, a correspondence to the polypropylene plastic strap, the other, recycled plastic strips of PET bottles. The reinforcement was located perimeter every two lanes, in such a way as to provide an increase in the elasticity of the masonry, a total of 9 specimens were made, of which 3 were made without any reinforcement, 3 with plastic strap reinforcement in polypropylene, the remaining amount with reinforcement in recycled plastic strips, in the end the results of the specimens will be compared without any reinforcement against the reinforced ones, obtaining a 16% increase in resistance in the reinforced with polypropylene plastic strap and 4% in the made with recyclable plastic strips.


Applying network technology,the remote dialing connection between two computers on distance on different place was achieved.The digital seismological and precursory data can be processed quickly.


*1 Manager, Electricity & Applied physics Research Department, Research & Innovation Center *2 Chief Staff Manager, Electricity & Applied physics Research Department, Research & Innovation Center *3 Electricity & Applied physics Research Department, Research & Innovation Center *4 Engineering Department, Turbocharger Division, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engine & Turbocharger, Ltd. *5 Chief Staff Manager, Engineering Department, Turbocharger Division, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engine & Turbocharger, Ltd. Development of High-speed Single-phase Motor for Automotive Turbocharger


The fermentation conditions of sulphate reducing bacteria producing sulfite reductase were reported, including carbon sources, nitrogen sources, temperature, pH, the loading amount and so on. The experiments, indicates that the culture for sulfite reductase production consistes of soluble starch, urea, the C: N rate of 1: 3. After fermentation at pH 7.0,5 percent of inoculating amount, with loading amount of 1: 3 (v/v) and fermented at 35*C for 42 hours, the enzyme activity was about 16.2U/mL.


The following basic lemma is useful to our proofs, which will be used several times. Its proof follows from the convexity of V (y, ·) and the fact that V


The utility model discloses an anti-counterfeiting radio frequency identification electronic tag, which comprises a radio frequency identification chip, wherein the radio frequency identification chip is arranged on an etching antenna through a conductive adhesive; an anti-damage protective layer is attached to the surface layer of the etching antenna; the other side of the radio frequency identification chip is attached to a strong adhesive sticker layer; and the adhesion between the conductive adhesive on the radio frequency identification chip and the etching antenna is smaller than that between the radio frequency identification chip and the strong adhesive sticker layer. The strong adhesive sticker layer of the electronic tag is firmly attached to the surface of the product, when the electronic tag is manually torn and cut, the etching antenna on the surface layer of the tag is removed, the radio frequency identification chip is adhered to the strong adhesive sticker layer, the torn and cut electronic tag is difficult to restore and use, and secondary illegal use of the torn and cut electronic tag can be effectively avoided; and moreover, due to the protective layer arranged on the etching antenna, the etching antenna can be effectively prevented from being damaged during transportation, and the transportation safety of the product is guaranteed.


Preeclampsia, known as the "new onset of persistent hypertension," can increase the morbidity and mortality of mothers and fetus. The Indonesian Health Profile shows that the maternal mortality rate (MMR) due to preeclampsia in Indonesia reaches 25%. The Corona Virus Disease 2019 impacted the access to, and quality health services, including for maternal and neonatal. This study aim to determine the risk factors for preeclampsia at Budhi Asih Hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic. This was a retrospective, observational case-controlled study, using medical records of woman on antenatal care from March 2020 – March 2022. Samples size was 128 participants (64 cases and 64 controls) using a simple random technique. Data analysis used the Chi-square test and logistic regression. The results showed that the variables associated with the incidence of preeclampsia were maternal age (p=0.049), parity status (p=0.041), chronic hypertension (p=0.000), and BMI (p=0.003). Variables that were not related to the incidence of preeclampsia were previous history of preeclampsia (p=0.094), pregnancy interval (p=0.367), and family history of preeclampsia (p=0.154). The most dominant variable was chronic hypertension (OR 36.162; 95% CI 4.453-293.655). This study concludes that chronic hypertension, obesity, age at risk (<20 years or >35 years), and nullipara or primipara are risk factors for preeclampsia at Budhi Asih Hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic.


Introduction * The Amenity Value of the Climate of Britain * The Amenity Value of the Climate: The Household Production Function Approach * The Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture in Britain * In Search of Warmer Climates: the Impact of Climate Change on Flows of British Tourists * The Amenity Value of the Climate of Italy * The Effects of Climate on Welfare and Well-being in Russia * A Hedonic Study of the Non-market Impacts of Global Warming in the US * The Amenity Value of the Climate of India: A Household Production Function Approach * Appendix 1: The Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture in Britain * Appendix 2: The Effects of Climate on Welfare and Well-being in Russia * Appendix 3: A Hedonic Study of the Non-market Impacts of Global Warming in the US * References * Index


In a dual mode university, identical programs can be offered on campus and at a distance. In both cases the economies of scale mean that the cost per student is significantly lower for distance students than for campus based students. In the United States, increasing potential student numbers in some states has led to an increase in demand that cannot be met by the conventional universities and many are now realizing the advantages that distance learning can bring. In the paper we discuss the reasons why the single mode system is successful in the UK and how Deakin University in Australia has managed to provide high quality distance education from a dual mode university. Both systems have strong student support systems in place and this is one of the major reasons for their success. The current increase and availability of electronic communications, particularly conferencing systems, is enhancing the support that students receive as well as the style of learning material, so that the concept of a virtual university is now even closer to fruition. We then look at how distance learning can be used in the United States to create dual mode universities and to establish such a virtual university, using, as an example, the association between the Open University, Florida State University and the Community Colleges in Florida to provide a BSc Program.


The h-index, also called as Hirsch-index, is a new tool for measuring research outputs by citations. This h-index is not only easy to calculate, but also robust enough to handle various citation data. After its suggestion by Hirsch in 2005, many researchers applied the h-index to their own areas, and some others tried to improve the weak points of the h- index such as low discriminating power. Firstly, several of these efforts are reviewed in the present article, and then novel indexes are suggested to measure research outputs by citations more fairly and reasonably. Calculating these indexes on both artificial data and real data showed that the newly suggested indexes in this article can replace the h-index and its variants.


The authors discuss some characteristic aspects of the culture of the island of Soqotra, located in the Indian Ocean, 400 Km from the coast of Yemen and the main island of a small archipelago that looks like the natural extension of the Horn of Africa.  The geo-physical configuration of the island provides for a great variety of climates; consequently, its flora is extremely rich and it includes an impressive percentage of endemic species.  The main source of sustenance for the Soqotri population is goat farming, since the land is not suitable for agriculture; fishing has become increasingly important after the construction of paved roads and the diffusion of modern means of transport, thus reducing the distance between coast and inland areas.  Wild plants have always been very important for the survival of the inhabitants of Soqotra, who used them as remedies for both people and animals. This central role of plants is reflected in the botanical knowledge of the islanders: the different uses of plants are well known and plants that have the same uses share the same name. In the past commercial trading was extremely developed; historically trade linked Soqotra with the Horn of Africa, Egypt, Rome and India. In more modern times the commercial importance of the island stems from its strategical position in the Indian Ocean. Not only goods moved, but people too. The case of the Soqotra fishermen is often cited as an example: some of them are the descendants of ancient African settlers. Even the Soqotri language, now endangered, tells a story of ancient contacts.


Biogenic amines are indispensable components of living cells; nevertheless these compounds could be toxic for human health in higher concentrations. Putrescine is supposed to be the major biogenic amine associated with microbial food spoilage. Development of reliable, fast and culture-independent molecular methods to detect bacteria producing biogenic amines deserves the attention, especially of the food industry in purpose to protect health. The objective of this study was to verify the newly designed primer sets for detection of two inducible genes adiA and speF together in Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli genome by Real-time PCR. These forenamed genes encode enzymes in the metabolic pathway which leads to production of putrescine in Gram-negative bacteria. Moreover, relative expression of these genes was studied in E. coli CCM 3954 strain using Real-time PCR. In this study, sets of new primers for the detection two inducible genes ( speF and adiA ) in Salmonella enterica and E. coli by Real-time PCR were designed and tested. Amplification efficiency of a Real-time PCR was calculated from the slope of the standard curves ( adiA , speF , gapA ). An efficiency in a range from 95 to 105 % for all tested reactions was achieved. The gene expression (R) of adiA and speF genes in E. coli was varied depending on culture conditions. The highest gene expression of adiA and speF was observed at 6, 24 and 36 h (R adiA ~ 3, 5, 9; R speF ~11, 10, 9; respectively) after initiation of growth of this bacteria in nutrient broth medium enchired with amino acids. The results show that these primers could be used for relative quantification analysis of E . coli .


$^{*}$ The research reported in this abstract has been sponsored in the Geophysics Research Directorate, Air Force Cambridge Research Center.


In the proposed Irrigation system IoT is implemented, in this system all the information that are received from the sensors and the various parameters are given to the Arduino UNO microcontroller as an analog input. A preset value of soil moisture sensor is fixed in microcontroller and also for fencing. When it goes beyond the particular threshold value water is automatically irrigated to the crops and once the required amount of water is fulfilled it stops. The Microcontroller transmits that information on the internet through a network of IoT in the form of wifi module ESP8266 that is attached to it. This enhances automated irrigation as the water pump can be switched on or off through information given to the controller. Soil Parameters like Soil Moisture, Temperature, Humidity are measured using two respective sensors and sensed values are displayed in LCD. Soil Moisture, Temperature, Humidity and Motor status are intimated to the farmer through the respective application. The values are stored in the cloud and represented in a graphical format. The graphs are updated for every two seconds or when the sensors starts calculating. The farmer can access the server about the field condition anytime, anywhere. This approach is for the advancement of irrigation process by automatic method without manpower by measuring various parameters related to the field and thus improves irrigation and reduces man power.


A previous study showed that intragastric (ig) 2 M NaCl load increases mean arterial pressure (MAP) in rats with chronic electrolytic lesions of the commissural nucleus of the solitary tract (commNTS), but not in sham rats, suggesting that commNTS mechanisms inhibit pressor responses to osmoreceptor activation. In the present study we investigated the effects of ig 2 M NaCl load on MAP and heart rate (HR) in rats with lesions of the A2 noradrenergic neurons located in the NTS. Male Wistar rats (280–320 g) were submitted to lesions of DβH‐containing neurons in the commNTS achieved by injections of anti‐DβH‐saporin (12.6 ng/60 nl, n=11). Sham rats received injections of immunoglobulin‐G‐saporin (12.6 ng/60 nl, n = 5). Thirty days after saporin injections, MAP and HR were recorded for 60 min before and 60 min after ig 2 M NaCl load (2 ml). Intragastric 2 M NaCl increased MAP in A2 lesioned rats (14 ± 2 mmHg), but not in sham rats (3 ± 2 mmHg), without changing HR in both groups. A2 lesions produced no change on baseline MAP (112 ± 2 vs. sham: 118 ± 4 mmHg) and HR (341 ± 12 vs. sham: 382 ± 26 bpm) and also on baro and chemoreflex tested previously to ig 2 M NaCl. The results show that lesions of A2 noradrenergic neurons in the NTS facilitate pressor responses produced by increases in plasma osmolality, suggesting that A2 neurons are part of the mechanisms that inhibits osmoreceptor‐induced pressor responses.


Abstarct––A sensitive and specific isocratic RP-HPLC was developed fo r quantitative estimation of naproxen in Tablet formulation. Naproxen is chemically (+)-(S)-2-(6-methoxynaphthalen-2-yl) propanoic acid. Naproxen is a non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) with analgesic and antipyretic properties. Both the acid and its sodium salt are used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other rheumatic or musculoskeletal disorders, dysmenorrhea and acute gout. The developed method consist of mobile phase Phosphate Buffer and Methanol in (40:60) with isocratic programming, Symmetry C18, 250×4.6mm, 5µm column as stationary phase with a flow rate of 1.3 ml/minute. Proposed method was found to be linear in the concentration range of 2 to 20 ppm levels, the correlation coefficient was found to be 0.999. System suitability parameters were studied by injecting the standard solution five times and results were well under the acceptance criteria, the proposed method is found to be sensitive, rapid, reproducible, and accurate.


Turkish people, who have a long historical background, have a rich culture in terms of cuisine. "Dolma" (meal made by stuffing/wrapping) is one of the most important dishes of the Turkish Cuisine. Turks produced very different types of meals made by stuffing or wrapping and by combining herbals, meat and offals products. Stuffed Lamb Ribs (in Turkish; Kaburga Dolmasi or Sura) is a special dish that is known in many regions of Turkey. Since it is a dish whose preparation is hard and requires virtuosity, it is generally cooked as a feast meal on religious holidays, and commonly cooked on the Feast of Sacrifice for Muslims. This study aims to present how "Stuffed Lamb Ribs" are prepared, which is one of the traditional dishes of Turkish Cuisine and is one stuffed dish that has started to become forgotten. In this study, the data was collected by personal interviews with source people who are over 60 years old, live in different provinces of Turkey, and traditionally cook this dish. This study ensures the promotion of a very special taste, which has begun to be forgotten and is not known widely even in Turkey, at an international level.


The rate of discharge through the stray electrolytic capacitor between the pipe and the remote earth is to be considered as the corrosion current. The electrochemical properties of the soil, which are the soil resistivity of the soil volume, the relative permittivity of the soil layer around the pipe and the chemical properties which could be considered as the pH of the soil film layer around the pipe, are affected directly by the humidity change. When considering the room temperature and by neglecting the effect of CO2 content in the soil, these values of the electrochemical properties of any soil returns back to its initial conditions after soil dryness to its initial condition. This means that corrosion rate will also be changed during the humidity change around the pipe segment. So, when considering the fact that the pipeline will not be changed or replaced and the surrounding medium around it will not be changed or replaced by another kind of soil, then the behavior of the electrical parameters (stray electrolytic capacitance, stray potential, surface created charge) of the pipe-soil-earth system will act as a print of this combination of this pipe and this soil. The average error reduced to be less than ± 5% for the general equations of the electric parameters while the print curves & constants at natural condition with and without applying cathodic protection system in terms of the electrochemical properties around the pipe were deduced. This will help to study both the corrosion problem and cathodic protection for a complete pipeline by an electric concept with an electric analogue circuit which is the aim of this study. This will help, in the future, in the choice of pipeline route, pipeline cathodic protection design and cathodic protection maintenance process for the pipe line along its route, however long it is. One of the most critical problems in CP systems is the effect of a sudden change of the soil humidity around the protected pipe line. The behavior of the protection current demand of the pipe-soil-earth system during the change of the electrochemical properties of the soil could be plotted as protection current print which will be always valid in all times as the pipe-soil-earth system is maintained and without any external interference. In other words, if the system is subjected to humidity change, there will be another new protection current demand with new print for this pipe-soil-earth system to keep the pipe cathodically protected. Of course, as a result of humidity change, the pipe to soil potential will be changed. This paper tries to calculate segmental pipe to soil potential along the pipe line without the need of both the test point and Cu/CuSO4 half cell by a general equation of the pipe to soil potential which is function of both the segmental protection current and the soil factor around the pipe segment during such humidity change. Another critical problem in CP systems is the presence of the earthing network beside the protected pipe line. The behavior of the stray potential between the external surface of the pipe and earth could be plotted as stray potential print which will be always valid in all times as the pipe-soil-earth system is maintained and without any external interference. This paper tries to calculate pipe to soil potential along the pipe line without the need of Cu/CuSO4 half cell by the deduction of a general equation of the pipe to soil potential which is function of an electric quantity and system's print. In other words, the aim is to deduce a correlation between pipe to soil potential and both of the measured stray potential of the pipe segment and the measured soil factor around it in the presence of an earthing grid. (Ashraf Abdel Raouf Mohamed Fouad Ahmed. review: Electrical study of: pipe - soil - earth system. Life Science Journal. 2011;8(2):695-723) (ISSN:1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com.


Summary. The petrology of stone axes found in the Channel Islands is examined. Recent research has resulted in the identification of an axe production centre at Le Pinacle, Jersey, and axes produced there have been recorded on Guernsey, Alderney and Sark. The Channel Island assemblages also include axes of Type A dolerite, flint, jadeite, eclogite and fibrolite, produced at known centres on the European mainland: together, these 'exotic' axes account for around 32% of the total Channel Island sample. A marked fall-off is noted between Jersey and the other islands in terms of the occurrence of these imported axes, and this can perhaps be explained in relation to factors affecting navigation. The social significance of inter-island and island/mainland interaction is explored.


Tourism is a temporary movement of people to a destination of their choice intended for leisure or recreation. The resulting of this movement can be divided into interdestination dan intradestinastion. This study is about interdestination movement which is characterised by movement from tourist-generating regions to one or more destinations. This research aims to analyse the movement of international tourist who come to Langkawi in 2010 and 2011. The application geographic information system (GIS) is aids in visualizing spatial data through mapping. Regression analysis using SPSS was also used to examine the relationship between the distance and the amount of flow that exists. Map of the distribution and flow of tourist was produced to facilitate the analysis. The results of the analyses show that the tourist movement is driven by certain factors such as climatic, economic, distance and etc. Regression analysis showed the nexus between the distance and the amount of the tourist flow was not strong. Map produced can be used by LADA specifically for planning marketing strategies and etc.


Optimal deployment of radar net is to research the form of radar networking and deployment decision-making of the radar net,to build rigorous,reasonable,and high-powered,multilayer radar net,so that the mission of radar army can be accomplished.Aiming at the effect of interference on radar network,general model and interference model of radar net are set up in this paper.Simulation of model with MapX is realized and the effect of interference on radar network detection ability is analysed in detail.The simulation results have importance to effectiveness evaluation of radar network.


Explores the lives of heralded Holocaust rescuers Andre and Magda Trocme, and the people of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon France who saved thousands of Jews from the Nazis


This paper summarized the current situation of GAP in the horticulture industry development of China and analyzed the impact of GAP on development of horticulture industry from production,circulation,imports and exports.Finally this paper puts forward some suggestions on problems in the development of horticulture industry.


The consumers' emotions are one of the most important factors that shape the consumer behavior according to the global research. The current study focuses on the negative emotions, especially on brand hate and as result on the negative consumer behavior, especially on the non-choice, the anti-choice and the revenge on a specific product or brand that the consumer has the above mentioned emotions. Primary quantitative data have been used for aim of the study. The research tool that have been used, is structured around three research aims, in order to evaluate a) the factors that are connected with the brand hate, b) the actions that are recorded as consequences from the hate emotions and c) the factors that mediate and regulate the relationship between the above mentioned factors and the brand hate. The construction of the questionnaire has been based on other research tool of the relevant literature that perceives the relation of consumer behavior with the brand hate on the same model. The research evaluates the most hated brands according to the consumers and concludes according to the factor analysis on the existence of a six-factor model that consent to the negative behavior of the consumer: the positive impressions, the negative influence to others, the negative influence from others, the intense dislike and avoidance of a brand/product, personal reasons and the online complains. Moreover, the study assesses the existence of statistically significant differences between categories with different demographic characteristics as the age of the consumers, the educational level and the consumers' type of work.


Abstract Objective: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer (PCa) are the most common benign and malignant diseases of the prostate gland. The clinical distinction between BPH and PCa should be determined to guide patients to appropriate treatment. We aimed to evaluate the value of PSA, prostate volume (PV) and associated parameters for the detection of PCa in patients with PSA levels of 2.5–30.0 ng/mL. Materials and methods: A total of 211 men with a biopsy (≥10 cores) and a PSA of 2.5–30.0 ng/ml were included in the study. To evaluate the performance of PV in diagnosing PCa, subjects were divided into PSA 2.5–10.0 ng/ml and PSA 10.1–30.0 ng/ml groups. Age, BMI, PSA, PV, f/t PSA, PSAD, and biopsy Gleason score were included in the analysis. Results: PCa was diagnosed in 74 (35.1%) of the 211 patients. The differences in f/t PSA, PV, and PSAD for patients with and without PCa were statistically significant. (p < .001). PV was a significantly better indicator of PCa than PSAD and f/t PSA ratio in both groups. Conclusions: PV plays an active role in predicting PCa in patients with PSA in gray-zone as well as in patients with PSA 10.1–30 ng/mL.


Ash gourd (Benincasa hispida, Bh) is traditionally claimed useful in treating asthma, cough, diabetes, haemoptysis and hemorrhages from internal organs, epilepsy, fever and balancing of the body heat. One of the major phenolic acids presented in Benincasa hispida is gallic acid, a phenolic compound which is linked with its ability in reducing Type II diabetes. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of different extraction techniques on the concentration of gallic acid in Bh. The Bh extracts were prepared with three different techniques namely; fresh extract (FE), low heating (LH) and drying and heating (DH). The gallic acid has been detected and quantified using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with UV-Vis detector. The amount of gallic acid detected in FE, LH and DH were 0.036, 0.050 and 0.272 mg/100 g, respectively. The limits of detection was 0.75 μg/mL while the limit of quantification and recovery were 2.50 μg/mL and 95.53%, respectively. In summary, HPLC technique coupled with UV detector systems able to quantify gallic acid in Bh extracts. The gallic acid were present at higher concentration in Bh extracted using drying and heating, followed by low heating and fresh extract methods.


So far quality oriented education was introduced to classes as expermental research.which had developed in every aspect.Cooperative teaching thought,based on the joint work of teacher student,and student studnet,aim at creation of democratic teaching atmosphere and procedure of mutual work and study.Set up the main postition of students,and make the thought of quality oriented education run through the whole educational process.This article adopts"cooperation"to combine individuality and collective spirit of students in sport classes to develop their comprehensive ability in all fields and also connects individuality with inter communication intrinsically,completely embody the thoughts of quality oriented eduation,and help to improve the integral teaching.


Aim of the study : Pneumonia remains the leading killer of young children despite the availability of: simple, safe, effective and inexpensive interventions to reduce its capacity to kill. Objective:The aim of the study is to tracing of pneumonia disease in relation with some socioeconomic factors in children under five years. Methodology:A descriptive study was carried out in Al-Zahraa and Al-Hakeem Hospital for the period of 1/10/2012 to 28/3/2013. A purposive (non probability) sample of (100) patients was included. Questionnaire was constructed for the purpose of the study, data were collected through the application of the questionnaire and interview technique. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistical approach ( pie and bar chart) and inferential statistical approach (t-Test) by using of (SPSS version 17). Results: The study results indicated that the highly percentage of pneumonia patients was in age group of ( 0-1 year ), (83 %) and it gave a highly statistical significant deference (HS=P<0.001). The highly percentage of pneumonia patients (86%) was in low income more than another incomes and it gave a highly statistical significant deference (HS=P<0.001). The highly percentage of causes of pneumonia was bacteria (90%), in comparison with another causes and it gave a highly statistical significant deference (HS=P<0.001). The highly percentage of pneumonia patients was in male (62%), than female (38%), and it gave a statistical significant deference (H=P<0.05). The highly percentage in distribution of pneumonia patients was in urban area (91%), than rural area (9%), and it gave a highly statistical significant deference (HS=P<0.001). The highly percentage of pneumonia occurrence was in a history of family smoker (30%, 38%) respectively, than non smoker (32%) and it gave a statistical significant deference (H=P<0.05). Conclusions: pneumonia was common in the following statuses:age group of ( 0-1 year), in low income, in bacterial infection, and urban area. While pneumonia was less common in the following statuses:between gender and effect of cigarette smoking. Recommendation: Strengthening of pneumonia health care to make its reaches to the majority of Iraqi mothers through the following : Training of doctors and medical workers and use the mass media as a health education about the disease. Key word: pneumonia, children under five years, socioeconomic factor .


This paper describes some of the history and the current design of the Chicago Adaptive Optics System (ChAOS). ChAOS is a facility AO system using a sodium layer laser beacon which is due to be permanently mounted on a 3.5 meter ARC telescope located at Apache Point New Mexico. First light is expected in 1995.


Objective: Ectopic pregnancies (EP) commonly occur in the fallopian tube. As a result of improvements in technology and surgical techniques, laparoscopic surgery is a widely-utilized therapy in cases of EP in the fallopian tube, and also seems to be useful in cases of unusual EP. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of laparoscopic surgery for unusual EP. Method: We defined unusual EP as peritoneal pregnancy, ovarian pregnancy, and interstitial pregnancy. We experienced 165 cases of EP from April 2011 to March 2016. Among these cases, 105 cases underwent surgery. 85 cases occurred in a fallopian tube, and 20 cases occurred in an unusual site (peritoneal pregnancy n=5, ovarian pregnancy n=5, interstitial pregnancy n=10.). We retrospectively investigated the clinical features and analyzed treatment from the medical records of unusual EP at our hospital. Results: Laparoscopic surgery was performed in two cases of peritoneal pregnancies (40%), five cases of ovarian pregnancies (100%), and three cases of interstitial pregnancies (30%). Although in eight cases with unusual EP there was a presentation with massive bleeding, laparoscopic surgery was tried in three of eight cases and completed without conversion to laparotomy. By undertaking intraoperative red blood cell salvage, we were able to could avoid homologous blood transfusion, except in one case. Conclusion: EP requires emergency treatment, and the diagnosis of unusual EP is particularly difficult. Laparoscopy can facilitate correct diagnosis, results in less physical stress for the patient, and is effective in treatment.


Abstract In the chemical reaction of phenylglycidyl ether with glutathione, NMR analysis showed that the major product of nucleophilic attack of the thiol group of glutathione was at the least substituted carbon of the epoxide yielding the normal product. An analytical reversed phase HPLC system indicated that this reaction was regioselective with a ratio of 92-8 for the normal vs the abnormal product (attack at the more substituted epoxide carbon). This HPLC method shows promise for following the glutathione transferase and hydratase detoxification of the phenylglycidyl ethers. The S-9 rat liver homogenate detoxification of the phenylglycidyl ether per se was regiospecific yielding only the normal main reaction product of the chemical reaction and a minor amount of phenoxy-propanediol.


We present the results of an investigation on the effects of rapid thermal annealing (RTA) temperature (Tp) and time (tp) on the structural and electrical properties of silicon–silicon oxide systems. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to provide information on the oxide composition of the annealed oxide sample. We found that a higher Tp and/or a longer tp will increase the percentage of SiO2 in the annealed oxide layer and thus improve the oxide quality. We also discovered that increasing Tp and/or tp will result in a thicker oxide layer. The suboxide density calculation based on the XPS results indicates that the Si–SiO2 interface of our RTA samples is not abrupt. We have used the conclusions obtained from the XPS study to provide satisfactory explanations for the different current versus voltage characteristics exhibited by our tunnel diodes.


The article examines a Trimdadian calypso and its reception as a case study to weigh the discourses of hybridity, creolisation, and a local variant, 'douglarisation'. In cultural studies discourse, 'creolisation' is often used synonymously with hybridization. However, it is a different metaphor, with a different genealogy, and is much more grounded in specific histories and places, namely the New World sites of plantation slavery. In Trinidad, the pejorative term 'dougla' sigmfies the offspring of a union between persons of African and Indian ancestry, while 'douglarisation' denotes the contested processes of Afro- and Indo-Trinidadian interculturation. 'Douglarisation' can be read as a particular instance of both hybridity and creolisation, but with very different implications. We argue that hybridity and creolisation advance different political agendas, the former attentive to multiple roots and the latter to new connections.


The main goal of the study was to determine and predict the possibility of the slippage of thermal insulation when subjected to the seismic load. The research was focused on the behaviour of insulation under the foundation slab. The experimental study of the coefficient of friction between different layers was performed at the Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering. Two types of insulation were studied: a) the insulations with smooth surface, and b) with grooves on the upper side, which provided better connection between the foundation slab and insulation. We also evaluated the design formula for coefficient of slippage, which was defined for one-storey buildings and compared with the friction coefficient defined by an experimental study. The base-shear stresses were compared with the available friction stresses. It was found that the slippage of thermal insulation could occur especially when a structure has a fundamental period of vibration, which is in the resonant area of the acceleration spectrum, and the building responds essentially elastic to an earthquake load. The formula was evaluated for two examples: a) a RC wall structure, which can be considered as an infinity rigid, and b) a frame structure, whose fundamental period is in the resonant area. The simplified method is based only on the first mode of vibration. For the most common structures (wall structural systems – infinity rigid), the results, especially in a resonant area, can also be generalised and shown in a simple table, which makes them easier to use. The final equation to evaluate the coefficient of slippage represents a quick and simple tool, useful for designers in order to check a possible slippage of thermal insulation subjected to the seismic load. At the end we designed two typical construction systems (wall and frame system) by the Eurocode 8 standard. With the pushover analysis in SAP2000 and N2 method we evaluated target displacements for the insulation system with smooth upper surface. By using insulation system with grooves, total base shear of the structure does not even reach nonlinear
behaviour.


Background: Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in childhood, and acute asthma is the most common emergency and one of the main reasons for hospitalization in children. One in 20 people suffers from asthma around the world. Objectives: The present study has evaluated the effect of inhaled corticosteroids (Pulmicort), on the symptoms of asthma and hospitalization duration in children with acute asthma attack. Methods: This study is a randomized clinical trial study had done as a pilot form with a control group (generally 80 children were studied) and is organized as a double blinded. All children have asthma disease and at the first of the study their asthma scores were determined. Then patients are divided into two groups (case and control). Ventolin and hydrocortisone are given to children in both groups. Also, the case group received nebulized budesonide (Pulmicort) and the control received nebulized normal saline (as a placebo). Results: The mean age among participants is 6.6± 2.8 years old. The difference of sex and age between case and control is not significant. Asthma severity and rate of respiratory between two groups at the first of study were not different too, and both groups were in moderate to severe asthma attack. The differences of wheeze, cough, and distress scores between two groups are significant at 6h, 12h, 24h, and 48h. So that in terms of improving the score of wheezing, cough and respiratory distress in the case group compared to the control group in the mentioned hours are quite significant ( P value: <0.001).The difference of hospitalization time between case and control are significant too (P value <0.001), In a way we saw its duration shortened in a case group. Conclusion: The study showed that budesonide makes the procedure of the treatment faster and it reduces the duration of the hospitalization. The results showed that the effect of budesonide on patient's symptoms was positively considerable. In this study no side effect of inhaled corticosteroid was observed during hospitalization. Therefore, it can be a good choice used for the treatment of acute asthma besides the standard guideline of acute asthma treatment.


ON more than one occasion, Professor Yuan Ming has been mistaken for a man. It isn't her appearance, but her high status in academe that confuses people. Yuan, 48, is president of the International Relations Research Institute of Beijing University, managing council member of the China Institute for Study of the United States, council member of the International Strategic Foundation of China and vice-director of the AsianPacific Research Center of Beijing University. Many people who had only heard of Yuan took it for granted that she was an