In Malaysia, total dumping sites are 73 sites, controlled dumping sites are 71 sites and sanitary landfill are 11 sites. These disposal sites will increase over time because population in Malaysia has been increased at a rate of 2.4% per annum or about 600,000 per annum since 1994. The increase in population would increase the amount of waste generated. Thus, it will increase the number of dumping sites. The dumping area which has a full capacity of waste will eventually closed. These closed dumping area which are to be developed for new development are prone to settlement. The settlement at dumping area are to be predicted and simulated using Power Creep Function. The heterogeneous content of waste soil from dumping area are complicated to characterize and classified. The content of waste dumped at the dumping area is important to analyse because the degradation process changes with time. The degradation process are called power creep function. Power Creep Function (PCF) is time dependent deformation which is under constant stress. The two constant variables which are M' and N'. M' is the compressibility constant and N' is rate of compression varies with age placement condition. The input parameters for PCF are H0, ∆σ, t, Tr, M' and N'. These parameters are simulated based on two cases whereby, case 1 where M' and N' are kept constant and time (t) increases from 25 days to 75 days. Tr is kept constant at 1 day. Case 2 is where M', N' and Tr are kept constant and time (t) increases from 240 days to 730 days. The settlement prediction at the dumping area for Case 1 is 0.024 meters to 0.042 meters and for Case 2 the settlement is in the range of 0.074 meters to 0.130 meters. The prediction of total settlement for dumping area would be used to determine the depth of foundation for the new development at the dumping area.


The activity of industrial enterprises is considered in the article. Improvement of procedures for production and technical activities is inextricably linked with the work of personnel, and is carried out by increasing its qualifications. Top management is interested in the continuous growth of professional staff, and in the development of their personal qualities. Improving the skills of employees is the most important factor in reducing staff turnover and increasing the efficiency of work, competitiveness and further successful development of the enterprise in the changing conditions of market economy. The article proposes a methodology for assessing the planning and development of an advanced training plan based on the analysis of the failure of HR functions.


Objective: To analyze the clinical risk factors for deep vein thrombosis(DVT) after fracture surgery. Methods: The data of 515 patients with fracture undergoing operations in a hospital in Tianjin between December 2003 and January 2005 were consecutively studied. Color Doppler ultrasonography (American ACUSON128/XP) was used to detect DVT of bilateral lower extremities in all patients in 7 days after operation. The patients were divided into two groups according to with or without DVT. Twenty clinical factors were examined by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis in order to analyze their influence on DVT after surgery. Results: The prevalence of DVT after surgery was 11.3% in patients of two groups (58/515). Overall comparison between the two groups, smoking, body mass index, function exercise, duration of operation, extradural anesthesia, thrombin time ratio, D-dimer and whole blood viscosity were different (P 0.05 or P 0.01). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated a definite association of smoking, body mass index, duration of operation, whole blood viscosity rose and D-dimer with odds ratio of 3.275, 1.722, 1.582,4.758 and 1.571 respectively (P 0.05). Other clinical factors had no statistical significant association with DVT (P 0.05). Conclusion: Smoking, body mass index, duration of operation, whole blood viscosity and D-dimer are the risk factors for DVT after fracture surgery.


The idea of qualifying motion of the myocardium as a sign of its pathologic function has been around already since early MRI. In 1988, Zerhouni et al proposed to label myocardium and follow it during contraction. This has been further developed to give all the specialized MRI tracking sequences: Spatial Modulation of Magnetization (SPAMM), Displacement Encoding with Stimulated Echoes (DENSE), and Strain-Encoded (SENC) imaging. The application of feature tracking algorithms, designed originally for echocardiographic image analysis, to cardiac magnetic resonance cine images is a novel approach with potential advantages over existing methods. Such a technique would eliminate the need for additional time-consuming scans designed specifically for strain measurement. Additionally, the described method of cardiac magnetic resonance feature tracking is quite rapid and mostly automated. As suggested by Amzulescu et al, myocardial tissue tracking imaging techniques have the potential to contribute, incremental to ejection fraction, to the diagnosis of cardiac diseases. cvi42 tissue tracking software (Circle Cardiovascular Imaging, Calgary, Canada) is supposed to construct a deformable myocardial model based on the tracking, assuming the myocardium is nearly incompressible. It has been validated against other tracking software. Since in scar tissue healthy myocardial muscle is replaced by fibrosis, it seems obvious that dyskinetic behavior should be expected in cardiac segments with scar, but as pointed out by Alessandro Pingitore et al there is no one-to-one matching between mechanical markers and scar, akinetic myocardium without scar may exist in some pathologies. It has been underlined for a long time in different reviews, such as the one from Chitiboi and Axel that while global function measures like ejection fraction are commonly used in the clinic, MRI also provides a range of approaches for quantitatively characterizing regional cardiac function, including the local deformation, but they have had relatively little clinical evaluation. In this issue of JMRI, an article by Zhao et al advances our understanding of local strain quantification by reporting, in 109 patients with ischemic heart disease, global and segmental level data for longitudinal and circumferential strain. This quantification has been done with strain taken from the tissue displacement plugin of cvi42 commercial software. These values come from 109 patients and 50 volunteers carefully and retrospectively selected in a population of 179 patients and another population of healthy subjects. In clinical praxis by looking at rest cine MRI, even without feature tracking, clinicians already report dyskinesis, but qualitatively. The availability of the feature tracking software analysis with easy contour propagation is one piece that has enabled production in such a large population of quantitative measurements. A quite significative portion (17%) of the recruited potential population had to be excluded due to insufficient image quality. Since ischemic heart disease may not be the only pathology presenting motion impairment, the authors chose the population ruling out other causes, like heart failure. All ischemic heart pathologies are well documented with proven coronary artery stenosis, stress and rest perfusion cardiac magnetic resonance examination, and late gadolinium-enhanced MRI. The patient population and the segments are independently divided into three categories: tissue presenting late gadolinium enhancement, tissue without enhancement but ischemia perfusion stress/rest mismatch, and tissue without ischemia nor enhancement. The use of a Z-score to account for the variability of strain observed in different segments, even in a healthy population, is an elegant analysis tool that enables to group data coming from all segments for a category. Differences in longitudinal and circumferential strain between the four groups, three pathologic categories and healthy, are analyzed and statistically significant differences are observed between groups. Differences between groups are of less than 2% and observed variances within groups are on the order of 2–5%.


In recent years,the problems of atmospheric pollution are more prominent in Taiyuan city,Shanxi province,of which SO2 needs particular attention.According to the monitoring data of SO2 from 1996 to 2005,the time characteristics and causes of SO2 pollution were analyzed,and the changing trends of the concentration of SO2 in ten years were described by using Spearman rank related coefficient rs.The conclusions showed that SO2 pollution is of soot-type;the monthly and seasonal variation of SO2 concentrations presented an obvious regularity;the decline trend of annual concentration of SO2 showed significant;the proportion of concentration of SO2 of heating month and season showed a downward trend;but the annual average concentration of SO2 surpassed Class Ⅱ of State Environmental Quality Standard;the drop tendency was obvious fluctuation after 1998.


This article assesses the extent to which non-financial measures of Internet usage are incrementally value-relevant over and above basic financial information across four Internet industry sectors. Using ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis we test the extent to which net income, book value, unique users, page views, and hours per user are able to explain stock prices for a sample of 341 firm quarters for the period Q1: 1999–Q1: 2000. Our results indicate that net income has no ability to explain market values for the pooled sample or for any of the Internet sectors examined. With respect to the non-financial variables, we find that for e-tailers and content/community firms, page views have the greatest explanatory power. For service companies, unique users have the greatest ability to explain market values, and for infrastructure companies, none of our non-financial variables are significant. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


With the depletion of conventional oil and gas resources in the world, unconventional oil and gas resources have become the focus and hotspot of exploration and development (Li et al., 2019; Yin et al., 2020a; Fan et al., 2020; Li, 2022a). In recent years, a series of unconventional oil and gas resources (e.g., tight sandstone gas, shale gas, coalbed methane, and gas hydrate) have been explored and developed in China, among which tight sandstone gas and shale gas have been commercially exploited (Wu et al., 2022; Xie et al., 2022). Tight sandstone gas is the earliest unconventional gas developed in China, which plays an important role in China's total natural gas reserves and production, with a total resource of about 17.4 × 10–25.1 × 10 m, and its recoverable resource is about 8.8 × 10–12.1 × 10 m (Zou et al., 2018). In the past decade, China has achieved significant exploration and development achievements in shale gas. Eight shale gas fields have been built in and around the Sichuan Basin (e.g., Fuling, Luzhou, Changning, Weiyuan, and Zhaotong). In 2021, China's shale gas production reached 230 m × 10 m, mainly from shale formations shallower than 3,500 m. Deep shale gas resources (more than 3,500 m) will be long-term exploration and development targets for more than 80% of the total resources (Li J. et al., 2022a). Both tight sandstone and shale reservoirs have the characteristics of ultra-low porosity and permeability, and shale reservoirs have the worst physical properties (Li J. et al., 2022b; Fan et al., 2022). Therefore, quantitatively characterization of such reservoirs'multi-scale pore and fracture characteristics is of profound significance for tight oil and gas. OPEN ACCESS


Electronic structures of p-doped Ga 2 Se 3 are calculated by using the first-principles pseudopotential total-energy method in the local density approximation. It is found that doped V atoms have the tendency to locate at Se sites and P atom is the suitable p-type dopant among various V atoms. Doping with P imports holes into the top of valence bands and induces the one-dimensional conductive property for Ga 2 Se 3 .


Nowadays, the improvement of governance, ensurance the security and the timely detection of propaganda against the government are major problems of e-government. Extraction of hidden social networks is one of the most actual problems in the term of government security. The extraction of hidden social networks operating against the state in e-government is one of the key factors to ensure the security in e-government. In the paper, a method has been proposed for extracting hidden social networks to improve management in e-government, prevent promotion against the government and ensure the security. In this approach, hidden social networks are extracted through the analysis of user's comments via opinion and text mining technologies.


Abstract : Low D region electron density profiles are deduced from the H-2, H-3, H-4, and H-6 Arcas continuous wave propagation experiments conducted at Ft. Churchill, Manitoba, Canada during the November 2, 1969 Polar Cap Absorption Event (PCA). The profiles compare favorably with others obtained during the PCA and should contribute to the total collection of data of relevant ionospheric parameters associated with the event. The results indicate a major influence of solar radiation on the ambient electron density, evident by a strong dependence of the electron density profiles on solar zenith angle. The electron density profiles are interpreted according to simple chemical models of three-body attachment processes at night, ion-ion neutralization, and possible dissociative recombination mechanisms involving water cluster and non-water cluster ions.


—This paper proposes a method to generate a fill-in- the-blank test to detect the understanding failures of students in introductory programming course as early as possible. In programming class in educational institutions, what is important for novices is to make them acquire abilities to exert knowledge and skills in programming in an appropriate way according to each situation. The method pays special attention to the fact that students sharing specific understanding failures are likely to write similar inappropriate code. To generate a fill-in-the-blank test, the proposed method determines code fragments to be blanked out in model code, differentiating inappropriate code written by past students from the model code. An experiment has revealed the method can detect students having understanding failure with high precision rates. The fill-in-the-blank tests generated with our method prevent students from leaving their understanding failure unsolved, because teachers can intensively supervise students who fail to acquire abilities to fully exert the knowledge and the skills in the early stages of the programming course.


The first moderate- to high-resolution Holocene marine stable isotope record from the nearshore Antarctic continental shelf (Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Hole 1098B) suggests sensitivity of the western Antarctic Peninsula hydrography to westerly wind strength and El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-like climate variability. Despite proximity to corrosive Antarctic water masses, sufficient CaCO3 in Palmer Deep sediments exists to provide a high-quality stable isotopic record (especially in the late Holocene). Coherence of benthic foraminifer delta(18)O, delta(13)C, sedimentologic, and CaCO3 fluctuations suggests that rapid (<20 years) Palmer Deep bottom water temperature fluctuations of 1D-1.5DC are associated with competitive interactions between two dominant oceanographic/climatic states. An abrupt shift from a warmer, stable Upper Circumpolar Deep Water (UCDW) state to a cooler, variable shelf water state occurred at S3.6 ka. Palmer Deep bottom waters oscillated between UCDW and shelf water-dominated states between S3.6 and 0.05 ka. Cool shelf water intervals correlate with Neoglacial events, the most recent and largest being the Little Ice Age (LIA; S0.7-0.2 ka). Similarities between Palmer Deep and global Holocene records and the rapidity of inferred bottom water fluctuations suggest that western Antarctic Peninsula shelf hydrography has not been controlled by thermohaline reorganizations but by variable strength and/or position of the Southern Hemisphere westerly wind field. We suggest that these atmospheric perturbations may have originated in the low-latitude tropical Pacific.


The newest Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on December 6 for launch processing. TDRS-L is the second of the third generation satellites and will launch from a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on January 23, 2014.


EU-Russia relations have been defined by a number of defining parameters that affect the conflict-cooperation framework of the two actors. Nicholas Ross focuses on this complex relation by scrutinising the effects and side-effects of the Ukraine Crisis, as well as the role of western security architecture in qualitatively defining the cooperation-conflict ratio. The author's descriptive approach covers both overt and covert elements that have constituted points of friction in an analysis that implicitly refers to a forceful interdependence framework. The Ukraine crisis has emerged as a critical test that still divides the two sides and sets challenges on multiple, inter-connected levels. RossSmith's supports that the crisis gave vent to divergent, if not contending, theoretical approaches to regional security settings and the way interests of the sides involved can be accommodated. The book by Nicolas Roth Smith looks into the issue from different perspectives with a view to providing insight to a complex security spectrum that, to a great extent, defines security in the bilateral, multilateral and European contexts. The three levels of analysis used, namely historical, empirical and theoretical, provide an inclusive and conclusive picture of the choices made by the EU and Russia in the Ukraine crisis under the impact of NATO's expansion to the East. The book reflects insights into neo-classical theory, defining the spatial dimension of the issue within the context of a "shared neighbourhood". The author defines Ukraine as a testing territory, a testing ground for EU – Russia relations. After pointing out the increased, in the specific milieu, importance of constructivism, he uses the main EU-centric theories of explaining EU foreign policy choices, namely: the institution-oriented approach


We report here the identification and characterization of a new low-frequency platelet alloantigen Cas a involved in a case of neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (NAIT). A 29-year-old mother gave birth to a full-term male infant who exhibited petechiae at birth. Nine hours post-delivery the platelet counts revealed a severe thrombocytopenia (16.10 9 platelets/L) leading to platelet transfusion therapy associated with IVIG. The outcome was uneventful. Blood samples from the parents and infant were referred to our laboratory for investigation because of suspected NAIT. Maternal serum showed a specific positive reaction with the antigen-capture assay (MAIPA) only when it was tested with the paternal platelets and the monoclonal antibodies Gi9 (Immunotech, Marseille, France), P16 (NIBSC, Bristol, UK), and AK7 (Abcys, Paris, France) directed against the GPIa-IIa (a 2 b 1 integrin). Nucleotide sequence analysis of GPIa cDNA of the father and newborn showed a nucleotide substitution at position 2235 (2235G>T according to the International Nomenclature). This substitution induces a Q716H amino acid change in the GPIa mature protein, located outside the I domain involved in cell-adhesion for collagen. In vitro analysis of recombinant CHO cells expressing wild-type or mutant (Q716H) human GPIa allowed us to demonstrate that this single amino-acid substitution is responsible and sufficient for inducing Cas a antigen expression. Adhesion of CHO cells to collagen coated on microtiter plates was not modified by the Cas polymorphism, nor by the maternal anti Cas a alloantibodies, indicating that the mutation does not affect the function of the integrin a 2 b 1 . PCR-SSP was developed for Cas a genotyping. In a Caucasian population study none of the 100 unrelated blood donors was found to be Cas a carrier. In conclusion, the Cas a antigen described here, implicated in a case of severe neonatal thrombocytopenia is a low-frequency platelet antigen in the Caucasian population. This study highlights the high polymorphism of the GPIa gene.


The effect of exogenous melatonin (EM) on growth, physiological and haematological parameters of West African dwarf (WAD) bucks was evaluated in the experiment. Intact selected sixteen WAD bucks were distributed into 4 treatment groups of 0, 3, 6 and 9 mg EM. Bucks were orally dozed with EM 3 times per week for 16 weeks. Blood samples were collected at 0th week, 8th week and 16th week of experiment for evaluation of haematological parameters. Analysis of Variance was carried out and significant means were separated using SAS. Results showed bucks given 6 mg EM had higher average daily weight gain of 31.3 g compared with others. Feed and water intake were similar across treatments, but feed conversion ratio was significantly lower in bucks given 6 mg EM. Values recorded in the morning of data collection days showed pulse and respiratory rates to be significantly different, with bucks given 6 mg of EM having lowest values.  6 mg group was also different for packed cell volume (32.57%), haemoglobin (10.72g/dl), red blood cell (11.38 1012 /L), neutrophil (35.50%) and lymphocyte (64.30%). Therefore, dose of 6 mg/animal EM influences growth performance, physiological and haematological parameters of WAD bucks positively and is therefore recommended for WAD bucks for optimal performance.


Spatial data are prevalent in location-based services (LBS), sensor networks, and RFID monitoring systems. Data readings collected in these applications are often imprecise. The uncertainty in the data can arise from multiple sources, including measurement errors due to the sensing instrument and discrete sampling of the measurements. It is often important to record the imprecision and also to take it into account when processing the spatial data. The challenges of handling the uncertainty in spatial data includes modeling, semantics, query operators and types, efficient execution, and user interfaces. Probabilistic models have been proposed for handling the uncertainty. In this paper, we examine the modeling and querying issues of this kind of databases.


Under normal conditions the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) system has an aproximate volume of 150 ml. The ventricular system makes up about 20-25 ml. CSF is mainly formed in the part of the choroid plexus located in the lateral ventricles at a rate of about 500 ml/24 hours (i.e. about 0.3 mljmin). The fluid then passes through the foramina Monroi into the third ventricle and further through the acqueduct to the fourth ventricle and, via the foramina of the fourth ventricle into the subarachnoid space. From here it flows in the subarachnoid space through the basal cisterns, the interhemispheric fissure and over the convexities to reach the pachionian granulations and the venous sinuses where most of the CSF is absorbed. The normal intraventricular pressure is about 1115 mmHg.


Many potential sources of gravitational waves still await for detection. Among them, particular attention is given to a non-axisymmetric neutron star. The emitted, almost monochromatic signal, is expected to be detected in the near future by LIGO and Virgo detectors. Although the gravitational waves waveform is well known, its small amplitude makes it extremely hard to detect. The accepted approach in searching for continuous gravitational waves is a matched filter technique, known as the F-statistic method. The method consists in cross correlation of the collected data stream with signal templates in the frequency domain. Thus, for an all-sky search in which the parameters of the sources are not known, large number of templates have to be checked and therefore a large number of candidate gravitational-wave signals is produced and further analyzed. In this work, we propose deep learning as a fast method of classification for various types of candidates. We consider three types of signals: the Gaussian noise, the continuous gravitational wave, and the stationary line mimicking local artifacts in the detector. We demonstrate one and two-dimensional implementations of a convolutional neural network classifier. We present the limitations of our model with respect to the various signal-to-noise ratios and frequencies of the signal. The following work presents deep learning as a supporting method for the matched filtering detection pipeline.


An instrument is described which extracts from the complex speech wave, as produced by the deaf child or its teacher, information related to the subjective pitch of the sound. It then displays this information on the long‐persistence screen of a revolving cathode‐ray tube in such a manner that a continuous graph of pitch vs time is obtained. The deaf child is, therefore, enabled to compare visually the pitch patterns produced by its own voice with the standard as produced by the teacher and to correct defects in the pitch changes, rhythm, and phrasing of his speech.An experimental model of this instrument is being used successfully, but some deficiencies exist which require further study before an improved design can be finalized.


Objective To investigate whether recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) may benefit regeneration of neural axons and blood vessels after the focal cerebral infarction in rats. Methods Model of focal cerebral infarction was established in healthy male Wistar rats. The rats were randomly assigned to the ischemia group, drug group and the sham operated group, then the transient focal ischemia injury was induced. Im-munohistological staining was used to detect vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to verify growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43) expression. Results ①During days 1 to 10, GAP-43 expression appeared to have an ascending trend in both ischemia group and drug group, but was different in level of expression between these two groups at every time point. ②The expression of VEGF increased slowly during days 1 to 10 in the ischemia group (P0.05), whereas in the drug group, VEGF showed a rapid up-regulated expression during days 1 to 4, peaked on day 4, then tended to decline during days 4 to 10. Difference in VEGF expression was significant between the drug group and sham operated group even on day 10. Conclusion G-CSF was shown to promote regeneration of neural axons and proliferation of blood vessels, which may extend the time window for treatment of thrombolysis and achieve significant neuro-protective effects.


Desorptivity, R, defines the water retaining ability of mortars in the freshly-mixed wet state. Sorptivity, S, defines the liquid absorption ability of a porous substrate such as brick, stone or concrete block by capillarity. Transfer sorptivity, A, is a function of both sorptivity and desorptivity and defines the ability of a porous substrate material such as brick to withdraw water from a freshly mixed wet mortar. The purpose of this thesis is an investigation of the possible role of supplementary cementing materials (SCMs) on the water retaining ability of hydrated lime (CL90) and Portland cement (PC) mortars. The SCMs investigated in this thesis were fly ash (FA), ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS), silica fume (SF) and metakaolin (MK). Desorptivity is determined by a modified American Petroleum Institute pressure cell. A new experimental method has been developed to measure the sorptivity of high suction materials (e.g. Cyprus sandstone). The results show that the very water retaining CL90 mortars become progressively more water releasing with increased volume fraction replacement levels of both GGBS and FA. The presence of 50% FA in CL90 mortars causes a dramatic increase in desorptivity which is quantitatively equivalent to the most water releasing PC mortars. On the other hand, the very water releasing PC mortars become more water retaining with the addition of SF. It is concluded that desorptivity and hence transfer sorptivity increases as the volume fraction of GGBS and FA increases in CL 90 mortars and decreases with increased volume fraction addition of SF in PC mortars. Since the time taken to dewater a mortar joint (tdw) is inversely proportional to the transfer sorptivity, tdw is also dramatically altered by the addition of SCMs to both CL90 and PC mortars.


The summary. In work results of sociological interrogation of students about satisfaction are shined (covered) with their organization of medical aid at gynecologic diseases.


Background: Health care system in Slovenia has not fully defined all liabilities to cancer patients at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels. No official documents describing precisely the mission of oncology and its tasks to be performed at each individual level have been so far available. Given that we are lacking an adequate national cancer control program and that the management of a cancer patient in Slovenia is included in the compulsory health insurance system. Our health care as well as health insurance policy should have long ago accepted the challenge of taking more decisive steps. The quality of management of cancer patients is as much dependent on medical proficiency (knowledge) as on organization of work at the primary and secondary levels. The major critique addresses particularly undergraduate and postgraduate education, i. e. the fields that have not been touched by the changes in the epidemiologic view of morbidity for several decades. Conclusions: The prerequisites in oncology, such as multidisciplinarity and multiprofessionality, are considered as new added values which should have a direct effect on the quality and multiplicity of individuals and institutions that are likely to be included in diagnostic and therapeutic networks. In oncology in Slovenia, the views on multidisciplinarity are not consistent, multiprofessionality has not yet entered our conscious awareness, quality assurance is often out of control, whereas multiplicity is history-based. It is high time that health care policy steps in and takes adequate measures in the management of cancer patients. The first prerequisite is to set up a national cancer control program and, of course, to appoint supervisors who will be in charge of (as the term indicates itself) supervising the implementation of the program. Its smooth implementation can only be ensured by applying a uniform information system, thereby also assuring a uniform evaluation of costs.


Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging has long been proven useful for numerous medical applications, especially image-guided surgery since it can deeply penetrate tissue and acquire a fluorescence image from the FDA-approved fluorescence dye known as indocyanine green (ICG). NIR imaging-guided surgery can help enhance outcomes by better defining surgical margins and minimizing operative time. However, most commercial NIR fluorescence imaging systems are bulky and expensive. In this work, we introduce a low-cost and portable NIR fluorescence imaging system. The proposed system exploits an inexpensive complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) based on Nyxel® technology, considerably improving quantum efficiency (QE) in the NIR range. Therefore, it can acquire a NIR fluorescence image with outstanding quality. Furthermore, we conjugated ICG with nanoworm particles (NWs-ICG) since nanoparticle-conjugated dye can increase accumulation in a tumor. We show impressive applications of our system for ex vivo tissues and in vivo image-guided surgery using NWs-ICG as a contrast agent for breast tumors from transgenic mice.


The risk of flooding has increased as a result of climate change inspired by global warming. In this study, the difference in tolerance to flooding between grafted trees and seedlings was investigated in mango trees (Mangifera indica L.). Two levels of flooding treatment were established, in addition to a non-treated control. One was "30-flood," in which trees were submerged up to 30 cm from the soil surface, and another was "10-flood," in which trees were submerged up to 10 cm from the soil surface. Grafted trees treated with the 30-flood were submerged up to 5 cm above the graft union. Only the grafted trees in the 30-flood treatment began to decrease Fv/Fm and the root sugar content during treatment, then died after the completion of treatment. In grafted trees and seedlings alike, both flooding treatments also reduced root vigor, as determined by triphenyl tetrazolium chloride reduction tests and root starch content. However, root vigor and root starch content in grafted trees treated with the 10-flood as well as seedlings treated with both 10- and 30-flood recovered within two months after the completion of treatment, so that no significant differences were detected between the control. These results suggest that the submergence of the graft union into water causes the decline in photosynthesis of the scion first and the death of the grafted trees as a result.


The invention provides a method for dyeing cotton fabrics through color matching of natural vegetable dyes. The method comprises the following steps: preparing a dyeing solution from two different vegetable raw materials according to different extraction methods, and reasonably blending a mixed dyeing solution for dyeing the cotton fabrics according to the dyeing performance of the dyeing solution so as to obtain different colors. The defect that the vegetable dyes are single in colors and types is overcome, the colors and types of the vegetable dyes on the cotton fabrics are enriched, and the dyed cotton fabrics are uniform in color, soft and natural in luster, high in color fastness and difficult to fade and discolor.


We consider the one-dimensional, nonlocal, evolution equation derived by De Masi et al. (1995) for Ising systems with Glauber dynamics, Kac potentials and magnetic field. We prove the existence of travelling fronts, their uniqueness modulo translations among the monotone profiles and their linear stability for all the admissible values of the magnetic field for which the underlying spin system exhibits a stable and metastable phase.


The paper explores parasitic diseases of calves and young cattle in the Republic of Belarus and finds out that they are mainly revealed as parasitocenosis with great diversity of followers. The agents of gastrointestinal parasitocenosis and the degree of infestation by them are closely related with the age of an animal. Associative parasitosis was observed in calves aged 2 months. The authors designed the composition of complex specimen Viracoccha, which includes modern anticoccidial, anthelmintic, organic acids and tocopherol acetate. This concentration allows to treat animals from parasitic protozoa and helminthes and protect their immune system. When exploring acute and chronic toxicity of new complex specimen Viracoccha, the authors highlight that it does not cause any deviations from the physiological norm in clinical condition in mice and according to GOST 12.1.007-76 Harmful substances belong to the 4th class of hazard (low hazard substances), it does not spoil the skin of laboratory animals and does not have sensitizing (allergenic) ability, it does not cause intoxication and any deviations from the physiological norm in rabbits which receive specimen as preventive specimen and 3 times exceeding dose. The effect of Viracoccha dosed 100 mg/kg of live weight in the associative infestation (Strongyloides+ Eimeria) of calves was 100%.


Meat surfaces become contaminated with bacteria during slaughter and processing. Understanding bacterial attachment process to specific structures of meat could lead to interventions that reduce health risk and product spoilage. Seventeen bacterial strains consisting of ten Escherichia coli and seven Salmonella strains were tested on its attachment properties to muscle extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins (collagen I, fibronectin, collagen IV and laminin), measured by using a crystal violet stain assay. The effect of temperature on attachment was also reported. Only five of 17 strains showed significant attachment to ECM proteins. Highest attachment levels occurred at 4°C for collagen I and at 25°C for the remaining three proteins. Higher number of bacterial strains attached to laminin and collagen IV as compared to the other proteins. Our study demonstrated that attachment properties to ECM displayed a distinct variation among strains and that temperature had a major effect on this process. Introduction Meat is among the top food vehicles that causes foodborne illnesses. Microbial contamination of meat carcass surface is certain to occur during slaughter and post-slaughter processing (Jackson et. al, 2001). Attachment to the targeted surface is the essential initial step for any contamination events to occur (Selgas et. al, 1993). Due to the complexity and the heterogenous nature of meat tissue, studies of bacterial attachment to specific structures within meat would be beneficial to understand the specific mechanisms of the attachment process. Extracellular matrix proteins (ECM) are the major components of meat connective tissues which are located at the fascia and within the muscular tissues itself (Taylor, 2004). In this study, we investigated the bacterial attachment properties to ECM and the effect of temperatures relevant to meat production on attachment process. Materials and Methods Ten E. coli and seven Salmonella strains were used in this study (Table 1). Bacterial attachment to ECM proteins was measured using a modified crystal violet staining method (Stryiak et. al, 1999). Attachment assay were done on ECM (collagen I, fibronectin, collagen IV and laminin) coated 96-well plates. Attached cells were quantified by measuring absorbance values using a microplate reader (Bio-rad® Benchmark microplate reader, USA) at 595nm. The absorbance values obtained were corrected by subtractions of the average absorbance values from un-inoculated control wells which served as blanks. Experiments were performed in triplicate and each experiment was repeated twice. The averages of three absorbance values were calculated. Results for all experiments were presented as mean ± standard error of the mean (sem). Data were analyzed using ANOVA followed by Tukey's test. All statistical tests were performed using the IBM SPSS Statistics 19. Results were considered significant when p < 0.05, unless otherwise stated. Table 1: List of bacterial strains Strain ID Bacterial species Serotype EC01 Escherichia coli M23Sr (with streptomycin resistance) EC02 Escherichia coli O157:H7 sakai EC03 Escherichia coli O157:H7 EC04 Escherichia coli O157:H- EC05 Escherichia coli O157:H12 EC06 Escherichia coli O26:H11 EC07 Escherichia coli O111:H- EC08 Escherichia coli O127:H6 EC09 Escherichia coli O78:K80:H11 EC10 Escherichia coli M23 (parent strain) ST135 Salmonella enterica Typhimurium 135 ST9 Salmonella enterica Typhimurium 9 SI Salmonella enterica Infantis SA Salmonella enterica Anatum SC Salmonella enterica Chester SM Salmonella enterica Mississippi SS Salmonella enterica Sofia Results and Discussion Results from this study showed wide variation in attachment to ECM between the strains tested (Figure 1). Overall observations indicated that only five strains attached significantly to ECM at all temperatures. In general, Salmonella strains attached in lower numbers than E. coli strains. Attachment to ECM was noticeably selective based on the anatomical location of the proteins. More strains showed relatively high attachment to basement membrane proteins (laminin and collagen IV) than interstitial proteins (collagen I and fibronectin). This indicates that attachment to ECM is a specific interaction that involves specific receptors which are not present on all strains (Ofek et al., 2003). We also demonstrated that attachment to ECM is highly influenced by the temperature. Highest attachment levels of cells were observed at 25°C for all proteins except at 4°C for collagen I. We relate this behavior with the presence of bacterial adhesins such as exopolysaccharides and curli that might mediate the attachment process, in which temperature is known to affect their expressions (Olsen et. al, 1993). These particular findings on the effect of temperature are especially important as it is one of the important control parameter in an abattoir. It would also provide the information on the likeliness of bacterial attachment process to occur throughout the various post-slaughter processes. From this study, we believed that by understanding the mechanisms of bacterial attachment to ECM proteins could lead to the development of new interventions targeted at specific structures of the meat surface to help in reducing carcass contamination, product spoilage and health risk associated with meat.


Evidence was obtained suggesting that olive trees with Verticillium wilt (caused by Verticillium dahliae) could be recovered after soil solarization of individual 10- to 15-yr-old trees. Rate of recovery of trees in solarized soil significantly exceeded natural recovery of untreated control trees and was attributed to the lack of root reinfection. Microsclerotia of V. dahliae were nearly eliminated in the soil around treated trees, whereas propagules of Talaromyces flavus, a known antagonist of V. dahliae, not only survived solarization but also increased in treated soil, compared with untreated control soils (...)


The principal objectives in this paper are to compare and contrast quality management initiatives for a longitudinal sample of 871 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Australian manufacturing sector that have embarked upon different growth development pathways. It also examines possible connections between SME growth, and the implementation of quality-related practices. Statistical analysis reveals highly significant differences in the implementation and use of quality-related practices, across the low, moderate and high growth SME development pathways.


Since 1982, Catt has claimed to have found a fatal flaw in electromagnetism, which he named, with a sense of drama, "The Catt's Anomaly". It is a sort of "thought experiment" (a gedankenexperiment), in the tradition of twentieth-century physics, where Einstein, as already remembered, devised ingenious physical paradoxes capable of putting into crisis the fundamentals of the emerging quantum theory. Indeed, this is the aim of Catt: to crash the theory of electro magnetism. Actually, he has compared himself to Dingle rather than Einstein, but Catt specifies that his anomaly is easier to comprehend and more important than Dingle's twin paradox. The basic idea of the "thought experiment" of Catt is described in the next section.


This article presents the topic of Fairtrade Town certification, the conditions associated with obtaining it and the potential for its holders. Quantitative research was carried out on the example of a selected Czech town in order to determine the awareness of the town and its surrounding area about the Fairtrade label as such and the potential willingness and interest to support the town's application for Fairtrade Town certification. Furthermore, a benchmarking analysis of existing Czech Fairtrade towns was prepared. The results of the research were then used for suggestions that can help the selected town to become a successful applicant for Fairtrade Town certification and for other Czech towns as a possibility to steer their future, taking into account the implementation of sustainable development goals, where the Fairtrade issue clearly belongs. The results of the research have shown that the residents of the town, and in their perception the town as such, are not yet ready for the process of Fairtrade Town certification and its active implementation. However, due to the growing interest in this topic and the marketing and communication activities of various stakeholders, it can be expected that in the short or medium term the selected town will be able to apply for Fairtrade Town certification.


ABSTRACT A major concern of occupational therapy (OT) fieldwork educators (FEs) is that supervising students takes increased time and could lead to reduced productivity. A standardized tool to measure time-use while supervising OT students has not been developed. The purpose of this study was to gain consensus on items to include in a time-use tool. Utilizing a modified Delphi, ten experienced OT FEs completed a two-round online survey. Round 1 presented time-use items, whereas Round 2 obtained consensus. Twenty-eight (28) items were presented and agreed upon by FEs. Results will aid development of a standardized tool for assessing productivity.


Objective The purpose of this study was to correlate T2 signal intensity values in nucleus pulposus of lumbar discs with patient age,gender and stage of nucleus pulposus degeneration.Methods Lumbar imaging findings of 422 cases subjects were retrospectively reviewed through T2 signal intensity values of nucleus pulposus evaluated based on the signal intensity values of MR T2-weighted mid-sagittal images of the lumbar spine,the t2 signal intensity values at all five lumbar levels (from L5-S1 to L1-L2) between male and female were used independent sample t-test and the Spearman correlation analysis.The age and grade of nucleus pulposus of disc degeneration and T2 signal intensity values were estimated by calculating and Chi-square test and the Spearman correlation analysis.The t-test was used to correlate the different anatomic levels of disc degeneration;T2 signal intensity values among the five different anatomic levels using non-parametric correlation analysis.Results There were significantly differences in T2 signal intensity values of nucleus pulposus at the same grade and anatomic level between male and female.Advanced with age,T2 signal intensity values of nucleus pulposus decreased and stage of disc degeneration increased accordingly.T2 signal intensity values may represent the nucleus pulposus degeneration of interverterbral disc.L4-L5 was the highest incidence among the nucleus pulposus degeneration of intervertebral disc.Conclusions The T2 signal intensity values based approach may be a feasible and practical tool to determine nucleus pulposus degeneration.T2 signal intensity values of nucleus pulposus of lumbar intervertebral disc are correlated with grade of degeneration and patient age.


About ±10% glycerol is produced as byproduct in KOH alkali-catalysis transesterification of Jatropha curcas oil and methanol. The glycerol contains some soluble impurities such as catalyst, soap, excess methanol, water, and other substances. The glycerol needs purification treatment so that glycerol can be utilized into other products. The first step in the glycerol purification is mineral acid addition to neutralize the base content and to split the soap content into salt and free fatty acid that are more easily separated from glycerol. The purposes of this research are to select the kind of acid that could separate the glycerol from the base catalyst and soap, to study the effect of the molar amount of added acid, and to identify the quality of salt as byproduct of glycerol purification with the best treatment. The experiments conducted in complete randomized factorial design, consisted of two treatment factors: kinds and molar amount of mineral acids. Kind of acids were HNO 3 15.27 M, H2SO4 18.01 M, and H3PO4 14.74 M. Molar amount of acids were 54 mmol, 90 mmol, 126 mmol, 162 mmol, and 198 mmol (added into 200 g of glycerol). The observed response variables were pH of glycerol, glycerol content, and ash content of glycerol. The crude glycerol from KOH alkali-catalysis of Jatropha curcas biodiesel production contained: glycerol (40.48%), KOH (2.39%), soap (7.82%), evaporated compounds at 105 C (46.81%), and ash (5.16%). The kind and molar amount of mineral acid significantly affected the pH-value, glycerol content, and ash content. The treatment with 126 mmol H 3PO4 14.74 M, in 200 grams glycerol, resulted highest glycerol content (78.77%), lowest ash content (1.085%), and pH-value 6.63. Precipitated salt produced from the best treatment contained (based on dry base, except evaporated compounds): K 2O (13.17%), P2O5 (20.14%), chloride (2.67%), free acid (26.18%), and evaporated compounds at 130C (33.93%). FANANI. F34102005. Kajian Pemurnian Gliserol Hasil Samping Biodiesel Jarak Pagar Menggunakan Asam Nitrat, Sulfat, dan Fosfat. Di bawah bimbingan: Erliza Hambali dan Dwi Setyaningsih. 2010.


The invention relates to a high-pressure and high-pressure bidirectional metal sealed floating ball valve. The floating ball valve comprises a valve body, a ball body and a valve deck. The valve deck is provided with a medium inlet channel and a medium outlet channel, an inlet side valve base is arranged between the side, corresponding to the medium inlet channel, of the valve deck and the ball body, an outlet side valve base is arranged between the side, corresponding to the medium outlet channel, of the valve deck and the ball body, a U-shaped ring and a positioning ring are further arranged at the portions, corresponding to the inlet side valve base, of the outer side of the valve deck, one side of the U-shaped ring is welded to the inlet side valve base, the other side of the U-shaped ring is welded to the positioning ring, and the other side, opposite to the U-shaped ring, of the positioning ring is welded to the valve deck. According to the technical scheme, the high-pressure and high-pressure bidirectional metal sealed floating ball valve has the technical advantage of being suitable for meeting the use requirements for high-temperature and high-pressure bidirectional sealing.


Abstract : This thesis presents a discussion of the problems involved in estimation of Circular Error Probable (CEP). Several estimators are compared through simulation, under two models; the power model and the Rayleigh model. Several measures of effectiveness are calculated for each of the competing estimators. It is found that maximum likelihood estimation based on the power distribution performs well for heavy tailed distributions; the Rayleigh unbiased estimator performs well for most other situations.


In vitro antioxidant activities(AOA)of different polarity flavonoids from extract of Caulis Polygoni Multiflori were studied.The prussian blue spectrophotometry measure and salicylic acid colorimetry were used to evaluate the effects of the different polarity flavonoids from extract of Caulis Polygoni Multiflori on the reducing power and scavenging hydroxyl radical.The pyrogallol autoxidation method was used to evaluate the effects of the extract of Caulis Polygoni Multiflori on the scavenging superoxide anion radical and the changes of the oil oxidation were determined by storage in baking oven.The results showed that the AOA in different polarity flavonoids from extract of Caulis Polygoni Multiflori was good.


In California it¿s hard to drive anywhere without spotting people bending down to pick strawberries¿some 10 million pint baskets a day during peak season. Because such farming isn¿t practical in labor-starved Japan, the government there is backing a more fundamental solution: robots.


In this work we are interested in the asymptotic behaviour of the trajectory of solutions of a differential equation, driven by a discrete scheme, which corresponds to a particular inertial Forward-Backward (i-FB) algorithm considered in [2]. The interest of studying this ODE is its connexion with the fast minimization of a convex differentiable function F . More precisely, under some appropriate hypothesis, the convergence rates of the values of the functional F to its minimum and the norm of the velocity of the trajectory-solution are the same order to the ones obtained in [2] of their "discretized versions".


Objective: To report our 20–year experience with nephron–sparing surgery in the treatment of Fraley's syndrome.Materials and Methods: From September 1976 to July 1996, 6 women, 18–43 years old, underwent surgical treatment. All patients had been suffering debilitating right flank pain for at least 6 months before the operation. Diagnosis was in call cases made with the use of intravenous pyelography and renal arteriography, which showed a vascular impression on the superior infundibulum with secondary dilatation of the upper pole calyx. This was localized only on the right side in 5 cases, while in 1 it was bilateral though more severe on the right. Ipsilateral nephroptosis was observed in 2 of the patients. In 2 cases in whom the superior infundibulum was sufficiently long, an infundibulo–infundibulostomy with everted flaps was performed. In a case in whom a short infundibulum was compressed between a venous and an arterial branch, Fraley's infundibulopyelostomy was carried out. In 1 patient in whom the infundibulum was compressed by the anterior–superior segmental artery, a Heineke–Mikulicz–type infundibulorrhaphy was combined to vasopexy. In the remaining 2 cases, the infundibulum was not cut: in one case, a simple vasopexy of two vascular branches was carried out, while in the other, a minor arterial branch was ligated and divided. In 4 patients, nephropexy was also performed.Results: No significant intra– or postoperative complications were observed. Follow–up averaged 102.5 months. Pain relief was complete in 5 cases, in whom disappearance of the vascular impression was also radiologically demonstrated. Only 1 patient, who underwent infundibulorrhaphy and vasopexy, experienced occasional flank pain and urinary infection after the operation, with just a slight improvement in the excretory urogram.Conclusions: Surgical treatment of Fraley's syndrome is indicated only in symptomatic and/or complicated cases; in relation to the type of obstruction and the anatomy of the intrarenal structures, whether excretory or vascular, several effective nephron–sparing techniques can be selected.


The credit cooperative movement in North Eastern Region (NER) of India which initially started with the establishment of Gaonlia Banks in 1912 in Assam. At present, the eight State Cooperative Banks in the region have 237 branches. The Meghalaya Cooperative Apex Bank (MCAB) was established in 1971 and at present occupies a significant place in cooperative banking in the country. The objectives of this paper are to access the growth and structure of cooperative credit societies in the North Easter Region of India. Further, to access the financial health and to identify overall performance of Meghalaya Cooperative Apex Banks is another objective of this study. The present paper is exploratory research in nature. The nature of data which is collected and used for this research article is secondary. The study covers 8 years from 2002-03 to 200910.This paper tries to explore the growth and current status of Meghalaya Cooperative Apex Banks in particular and State Cooperative Banks in North Eastern Region in general. It also aims to study the financial performance and financial health of Meghalaya Cooperative Apex Bank through descriptive statistics and ratio analysis of some selected financial indicators. The following parameters are taken to evaluate the performance of MACBs: 1) Owned Funds parameters: a. Share Capital b. Reserves.2) Business Parameters: a. Deposits b. Loans and Advances (Outstanding). 3) Recovery Performance Parameters: a. Demand b. Collection c. Overdues. However, it is observed that SCBs in North Eastern Region are not at par with the rest of the country. The Meghalaya Cooperative Apex Bank is the exception in this context but still faces some common problems that are suffered by other State Cooperative Bank in the region. Low Credit-Deposit (C-D) ratios, high over dues, high volume of NonPerforming Assets etc are common to all State Cooperative Banks in the North Eastern Region of India. But among the rest of all State Cooperative Banks in North Eastern Region, the Meghalaya Cooperative Apex Bank is performing very well in terms of profitability and operational efficiency. JBFSIR                        Volume 2, Issue 3 (March, 2012)               ISSN 2231‐4288 Sri Krishna International Research & Educational Consortium http://www.skirec.com ‐ 21 ‐


The role of the spontaneous vegetation in the abatement of greenhouse gas in Lombardy. The aims of the study are the evaluation of the actual vegetation in relation to its capability of carbon sequestration and its natural value, and the estimation of the improvement in carbon sequestration that spontaneous vegetation could recover if it is guided to the potential vegetation. A judgment of environmental quality was assigned to each class of land use in Lombardy by means of two aggregate indexes. The main part of the region (ca. 45%) is assigned to the vegetation of negligible environmental quality, because its contribution is much poor both in carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation. The potential vegetation could only contribute with a decrease in NEE value of about 17% as regards to estimated NEE value of the actual vegetation (-4.6 TgCO2 a -1). The carbon sequestration can be enhanced by practices of proper environment management and restorations of deprived ecosystems, also in biodiversity levels, mostly in the plain area where land uses of agriculture type are prevalent. «NATURA BRESCIANA» Ann. Mus. Civ. Sc. Nat., Brescia, 2009, 36: 257-261


Based on the data of torrent disasters prevention regionalization and the data of compartment from the achievement of mountain torrents control programming and the critical precipitation of mountain torrent disaster,combining the forecast of rainfall in high resolution the forewarning region is calculated in the way of the vector overlay analysis by the GIS technology.And the society and economic information within the region is queried.The method of how to overlay the Guangxi fundamental geography data and make the alarm theme map is also introduced.The forewarning theme maps become an good reference for the flood and drought control department.


With the widespread use of deep foundation pit engineering in engineering construction, the force calculation problem about deep foundation pit support engineering has become a common problem in today's engineering construction process. In this paper, based on the elastic foundation beam method, a simplified mechanical model of pile-anchored structure is proposed, and a systematic and practical calculation method is proposed for the force and deformation calculation of deep foundation pit support structure. The method simplifies the support structure as a vertically placed elastic foundation beam, the support, anchor and geotechnical body are replaced by a spring system, the spring stiffness of geotechnical soil can be calculated by the deformation modulus of geotechnical soil, and a systematic calculation method is proposed for the dynamic characteristics of the construction and structure of the foundation pit project; Based on the monitoring data of a deep foundation pit project, the calculation method of the simplified mechanical model proposed in this paper is verified, and the theoretical calculation value is compared with the field monitoring results; Single factor analysis is carried out on the detailed parameters of pile-anchor supporting structure to study the influence of cable prestress, cable dip Angle, pile diameter, pile length and other related parameters on the deformation and stress characteristics of supporting structure. Then the orthogonal combination of all factors is carried out to propose the optimization design. The results show that the maximum settlement deformation of the calculated value is 23.437 mm, and the maximum settlement deformation of the monitored value is 26.517 mm, and the difference between them is small. The maximum bending moment is 1210 kN⋅m after 150 kN and 250 kN horizontal prestressing is added to the second- and third-layer anchors respectively. After optimization, the maximum bending moment of pile row is 336.87 kN⋅m, and the maximum horizontal displacement of pile body is 16.505 mm, which is reduced by 11.97% compared with the original design.


1. In male houseflies (Musca domestica) the frontal dorsal region of the eye contains a unique class of central rhabdomere (R7/8) not found in other eye regions or in female flies (Fig. 1). The rhabdomeres may be recognised in vivo by their red autofluorescence, and are called here 7r and 8r respectively. 2. Difference spectra of 7r rhabdomeres, measured by microspectrophotometry of single rhabdomeres are indistinguishable from those of R1-6 (Fig. 2). 3. Intracellular recordings coupled with dye injections have established that: a)7r cells are indistinguishable from the peripheral photoreceptors R1-6, at least with respect to spectral, angular and absolute sensitivities, response waveform and noise characteristics (Figs. 4, 5; Table 1); b)8r cells however are clearly distinguishable by virtue of their spectral sensitivity (Fig. 6), noise characteristics and response waveform (Fig. 5). 4. Axonal profiles from cells stained intracellularly with the dye Lucifer yellow (Fig. 9) show that: a) 7r cells do not project to the medulla but terminate in the upper region of the lamina cartridge layer where they also project out one or more lateral branches; b) 8r cells project long axons through to the medulla. 5. Electron microscopic examinations of cells initially identified by their autofluorescence indicate that 7r cells approximate many features of R1-6 cells, including cell body, rhabdomere and axonal diameters. In these respects 8r cells differ and show the characteristic morphology of other R7 and R8 cells (Fig. 8, Table 2).


Objective:To investigate the effect of prothymosin α(ProTα) as adjuvant on anti-HBsAg immunoresponses in mice.Methods:The antigens were injected into the mice(BALB/c) twice i.m.at a interval of 14 days.The mice were divided into six groups with 10 mice in each group immunized with:①1 μg HBsAg;②0.1 μg ProTα+1 μg HBsAg;③0.5 μg ProTα+1 μg HBsAg;④1 μg ProTα+1 μg HBsAg;⑤aluminum adjuvanted heptatis vaccine(1 μg Vacon vaccines);⑥1 μg ProTα+1 μg Vacon vaccines.The anti-HBs titers in sera(IgG and subclass IgG1 and IgG2a) were detected by ELISA.Results:The anti-HBs antibody titers from mice immunized with 1 μg ProTα+1 μg HBsAg group were significantly higher than those of HBsAg group(P0.05),and the antibody persistent time was potentially longer than HBsAg group.Prothymosin α made a better balance in Th1 and Th2 immune response,so the IgG1/IgG2a in 1 μg ProTα+1 μg HBsAg group were significantly higher compared with HBsAg group(P0.05).Compared with aluminum adjuvant,antibody responses to HBsAg were boasted by ProTα and the seroconversion rate was also improved.Conclusion:Both HBsAg specific humoral and cellular immuno-responses were boasted by ProTα in mice investigated,therefore ProTα was a potential adjuvant for HBsAg.


Loan is the main source of fund of basic construction in higher schools.With the larger scope of enrollment,the scale of loan is in creasing.In the meanwhile.the fund for returning the loan is limited,so the risk of loan can't be ignored.The article states the characteristics,reason and results of higher schools' loan,puts forward the countermeasures to prevent the risk of loan.


Defining prime farmland scientifically and reasonably plays a very important function in protecting cultivated land,stabilizing agriculture production and promoting area social-economic sustainable development.At present,emphasizing on quantitative protection,but despising qualitative protection and ecosystem protection is the main problem for protecting prime farmland.In order to realize the quantitative and qualitative management of prime farmland,using outcome of land quality assessment is one of important technology support.The technique idea of agricultural land classification and graduation is summarized.Then the material application way using outcome of land quality assessment to confirm quantity of prime farmland,to confirm space distribution of prime farmland reasonably,and to manage prime farmland in classification way is put forward.


Systemic sclerosis-related interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) involves a combination of inflammation, fibrosis and vascular pathology that is typically assessed on CT imaging as a mixture of ground-glass opacification (GGO) and fibrotic changes. We hypothesized that proteins recovered from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) could be used to probe the underlying pathobiology associated with GGO and fibrotic changes.(1) To assess the relationship between 68 unique BAL proteins measured in participants of Scleroderma Lung Study (SLS) I1and radiographic and physiologic measures of ILD; (2) To identify inter-correlations among specific proteins to enlighten our understanding of how specific biological pathways contribute to SSc-ILD.Bronchoscopy was performed on 144 of the 158 participants in SLS I with 103 BAL samples available for analysis. BAL was lyophilized, concentrated 10X and used in a multiplex protein analysis for 68 different cytokines, chemokines and other factors. Kendall tau correlations were performed to assess the relationship between individual proteins and baseline measures of pulmonary function and quantitative CT scores for fibrosis, GGO and total ILD. Those proteins found to correlate significantly with at least 2 clinical measures of ILD were entered into a cluster analysis with inter-correlations expressed as a heatmap.Significant correlations were observed between fibrosis scores and several biologic pathways including pro-fibrotic factors (transforming growth factor beta [TGF-β], platelet-derived growth factor [PDGF]), proteins involved in tissue remodeling (Matrix metallopeptidase [MMP]-1,7,8,9; Hepatocyte growth factor [HGF]), and those involved in monocyte/macrophage migration and activation (Monocyte chemoattractant protein [MCP]-1,3; macrophage colony-stimulating factor [MCSF]). These same pathways correlated with the diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO). In contrast, GGO scores correlated primarily with immune and inflammatory mediators (interleukin [IL]-5,8,13,15, IL-1 receptor antagonist and interferon gamma) with only limited overlap to proteins that related to fibrosis. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels were lower in patients with more extensive GGO, fibrosis and diffusion impairment, suggesting that vascular changes are a central feature of SSc-ILD. Specific proteins were highly correlated with one another in a pattern suggesting biologically-related networks (Figure) that might provide additional insight regarding disease pathogenesis.Combining a diverse analysis of BAL proteins with the rich dataset available from SSc-ILD patients participating in SLS I, the study findings suggest the involvement of distinct biologic pathways, inter-related networks, and specific biologic signatures associated with unique radiographic features of ILD. The relationship of these factors to other SSc disease features, patient outcomes and as predictors of treatment responses will be studied in future analyses.[1]Tashkin DP, et al. NEJM 2006.Figure.Correlation heatmap of BAL proteins associated with at least 2 clinical measures of ILD in SSc patients. Absolute correlations are depicted, and darker colors signify stronger correlations.Elizabeth Volkmann Grant/research support from: Forbius, Corbus Pharmaceuticals, Consultant of: Boehringer Ingelheim, Forbius, Speakers bureau: Boehringer Ingelheim, Donald Tashkin: None declared, Ning Li: None declared, Grace Kim: None declared, Jonathan Goldin: None declared, Airi Harui: None declared, Michael Roth Grant/research support from: Genentech/Roche


The fate of fuel nitrogen during the pyrolysis of brown and bituminous coals at 900 °C, in the presence of iron precipitated from FeCl3 solution, has been studied with a fluidized bed reactor. The catalysts at 0.2−0.7 wt % Fe promote N2 formation, whereas they lower nitrogen conversions to HCN, NH3, N-containing oil, tar, and char. The nitrogen distribution is not changed significantly by increasing iron loading. The effect of the iron on nitrogen distribution is larger with brown coal, the conversion to N2 being ≈50 and ≈20% for brown and bituminous coals, respectively. The size of iron particles is smaller in brown coal chars, which appears to lead to a larger catalytic effect. Comparison of nitrogen mass balances in the presence and in the absence of iron shows that N2 comes from not only volatile nitrogen but also char nitrogen. The X-ray diffraction measurements reveal the presence of graphitized carbon as well as cementite (Fe3C) in brown coal chars. These observations suggest that carbon atoms in t...


Abstract:This essay maps the ways that antebellum politics and parties operated as federal systems and reveals the significance of this for understanding the rise of the Republican Party. Drawing on evidence from the late 1850s, it offers a guide to the ideas, structures, and mechanisms that made American politics operate as a federal system. Using federalism as a frame forces us to rethink common assumptions about the Third Party System and to see northern politics as competitive, turbulent, and regionally distinct. Acknowledging how federalism served as the scaffolding of political competition changes our view of the political parties. Adapted to the devolved and dispersed nature of American elections, parties functioned federally, composed of national, state, and local iterations that communicated and collaborated but acted largely without interference. The success of the Republican Party becomes a story not just of the triumph of antislavery principles but of the party's flexibility and skill in morphing its identity and messaging to suit local conditions.


To provide improved operation of data storage devices and systems, various systems, devices, methods, and software are provided herein. In a first example, a data storage system is presented. The data storage system includes data storage devices configured to store and retrieve data, power supply modules configured to provide power at least to the plurality of data storage devices, and a management controller configured to monitor performance characteristics associated with the power modules Reduced performance. Reacting to the reduced power state, the management controller is configured to make adjustments to a performance of the data storage devices to mitigate the degraded performance.


The changes of three immune-related factors,superoxide dismutase ( SOD) activity,alkaline phosphatase ( AKP) and acidic phosohatase ( ACP) in the internal organization of Scortum barcoo were examined under the laboratory condition of different salinity stresses ( 0,5,8,11,13,16) within 20 days. The results showed that salinity stress had certain effects on three immune factors of juvenile S. barcoo. With salinity increasing,SOD activity of S. barcoo gradually reduced first,and then rose; AKP activity rose temporarily,while obviously declined then; ACP activity increased gradually. It was concluded that low salinity could cause stress reaction and appropriate enhancement of the immunity of juvenile S. barcoo,but substantial high salinity could decrease the immunity of S. barcoo significantly.


Analyzing currents and fields in VLSI devices requires solving three coupled nonlinear elliptic partial differential equations in two dimensions. Historically, these equations have been solved using a special-purpose program and batch runs on a large fast computer. We use a general-purpose program and interactive runs on a large minicomputer. We discuss the physical formulation of the semiconductor equations and give three example solutions: a short-channel MOSFET near punchthrough, a DMOS power transistor in the ON state, and a beveled p-n junction. These examples demonstrate that solutions to a very general class of semiconductor-device problems can be obtained using these methods.


Abstract. 1. California red scale Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell) and oleander scale Aspidiotus nerii Bouché (Homoptera: Diaspididae) are not completely suitable for the development of the encyrtid endoparasite Habrolepis rouxi Compere.


The goal of this study is to examine the colonial concerns depicted in the futuristic Australian fictions Terra Nullius and The Swan Book. The Swan Book, a 2013 Australian novel by Alexis Wright, digs deeply into subjects like climate catastrophes and the repressive condition of the natives in a future Australia. Claire G. Coleman's fantasy novel Terra Nullius, on the other hand, presents a futuristic Australia in which many colonial themes are subtly and implicitly depicted. This research article aims to emphasize the aftermath effects of colonization and to put together how they are thinking about Australia's problems in the future by analyzing the two novels of these indigenous authors using important psychoanalytic theories. This study also highlights the impact of magic realism in these texts.


In order to regulate the work of enrollment and education of graduates scientificly,this paper presents the important significance and detailed requirements of the enhancing of the enrollment and education affairs of graduates through analysis over the aspects of enrollment,curriculum and dissertation.Meanwhile,it suggests that the educational management shall not be derived of the graduates enrollment and education affairs,thus the effective management is claimed to ensure a high-profile influence on the improvement of graduates' enrollment and education quality.


Effective and robust production systems are required in the competitive environment of today's manufacturing companies. Creating system robustness should be made during the design phase and not during operation when most system parameters already are set. Each production system is the result of a unique and context dependent development process, and its comprising design and evaluation activities are most vital for system performance. The full-text paper is based upon results from more than ten years of theoretical and empirical research studies in the field of production system design and evaluation and lately also in the 1 Monica Bellgran's main research area concerns production system design. 2 Kristina Safsten's main research area concerns production system evaluation. field of robust production systems concerning e.g. manufacturing efficiency and disturbance handling. Industrial examples of how production systems are designed and evaluated will be shown, and its consequences discussed in terms of system robustness and performance in a life-cycle perspective. Issues of importance are e.g. the use of systematic procedures and methods and decisions concerning personal competence and learning strategies.


Prediction of vibrational frequencies of polyatomic molecules using density-functional theory (DFT) methods has become common because of its accuracy and therefore consistency with experimental data. However, the utility of DFT methods in predicting vibrational frequencies and normal mode descriptions of excited state intermediates has not been addressed so far. In this paper we have evaluated the performance of Hartree- Fock (HF) and various density-functional (DF) and hybrid Hartree-Fock/density-functional (HF/DF) methods in predicting the structure, vibrational frequencies, and normal mode descriptions of transient intermediates, taking p-benzoquinone (BQ) as an example. The structures, bond orders, harmonic vibrational frequencies, and isotopic shifts for BQ and its lowest triplet state, semiquinone radical, and semiquinone radical anion have been calculated using all of these methods employing 6-31G(d) and 6-31G(d,p) basis sets. Assignments of the calculated vibrational frequencies were made with the help of normal mode analysis. The calculated structural parameters and bond orders indicate that the structure of the triplet state is intermediate between those of the ground state and radical anion. The semiquinone radical shows a mixed aromatic and quinonoid structure. Geometrical changes involved in the triplet excited state and semiquinone radical anion with respect to ground state structure are explained on the basis of the calculated electronic structures. Of all the methods tested, the three parameter hybrid HF/DF methods (B3LYP, B3P86, and B3PW91) were found to give the most accurate geometries. These methods are also found to reproduce the experimental frequencies of the ground state as well as transient species within 2-4% error, whereas the isotopic shifts calculated for the deuterated species using the BP86 method are superior and show excellent agreement with experiment. Calculations using all of the methods show that both 6-31G d) and 6-31G(d,p) basis sets yield very similar results.


Magnetic nanorods were successfully prepared in water by a simple and fast method through microwave (MW) assisted reduction using akaganeite β-FeOOH nanorods and hydrazine as precursors and reductor, respectively. Elongated paramagnetic akaganeite precursors are synthesized for the first time using dopamine as green chemical shape-control agent. The nature and the growth mechanism are identified by XRD, Raman spectroscopy and HRTEM analysis. Fast MW reduction process induces a structural and magnetic change depending on MW irradiation cycles. After 2 min, MW reduction leads to iron oxide nanorods with aspect ratio 3.2. XRD and Raman spectroscopy indicate a heterogeneous composition with high proportion of maghemite. The FMR spectrum is characteristic of shape anisotropy and weak ferromagnetic behavior is observed from SQUID measurements.


Extreme-ultraviolet images from the Solar Dynamics Observatory often show loop-like fine structure to be present where no minority-polarity flux is visible in magnetograms, suggesting that the rate of ephemeral region (ER) emergence inside "unipolar" regions has been underestimated. Assuming that this rate is the same inside coronal holes as in the quiet Sun, we show that interchange reconnection between ERs and open field lines gives rise to a solar wind energy flux that exceeds 105 erg cm−2 s−1 and that scales as the field strength at the coronal base, consistent with observations. In addition to providing ohmic heating in the low corona, these reconnection events may be a source of Alfvén waves with periods ranging from the granular timescale of ∼10 minutes to the supergranular/plume timescale of many hours, with some of the longer-period waves being reflected and dissipated in the outer corona. The asymptotic wind speed depends on the radial distribution of the heating, which is largely controlled by the rate of flux-tube expansion. Along the rapidly diverging flux tubes associated with slow wind, heating is concentrated well inside the sonic point (1) because the outward conductive heat-flux density and thus the outer coronal temperatures are reduced, and (2) because the net wave energy flux is dissipated at a rate proportional to the local Alfvén speed. In this "hybrid" solar wind model, reconnection heats the lower corona and drives the mass flux, whereas waves impart energy and momentum to the outflow at greater distances.


Immature embryos of Panicum maximum Jacq. (Guinea grass) were cultured on Murashige and Skoog's medium containing 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (5 mg/l) and coconut milk (5%). The epidermal and subepidermal cells ofthe scutellum at the coleorhizal end either formed somatic embryos directly or gave rise to embryogenic callus at several loci. Somatic embryos were formed later also at the periphery of these embryogenic calli. The embryoids originated from single, densely staining, nonvacuolated and starch-containing cells with thickened walls and developed through characteristic stages of grass embryogeny. SOMATIC EMBRYOS can now be induced in tissue cultures of all major cereal and grass species (Vasil, 1982, 1983, 1985). The determination ofthe origin ofthe somatic embryos-whether from single cells or from groups of cells-is considered important in the isolation of mutants and nonchimeral plants and their use in plant improvement. In a previous study we have reported somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration from cultured immature embryos and inflorescences of Panicum maximum (Lu and Vasil, 1982). In this report we describe the histology of the formation of embryogenic callus and somatic embryos from cultured immature zygotic embryos of P. maximum. MATERIALS AND METHODS-Immature seeds of Panicum maximum Jacq. 199 (an apomictic selection) were collected from field grown plants. The seeds were surface sterilized and immature embryos (0.5-1.0 mm long) were excised and cultured on Murashige and Skoog's ( 1962) medium supplemented with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (5 mg/l) and coconut milk (5%) as previously described (Lu and Vasil, 1 982). Freshly dissected immature embryos were fixed in formalin-acetic-alcohol for comparison with the cultured embryos. Six to 10 cultured embryos and proliferating tissues were fixed daily for 15 days after culture initiation. Thereafter, fixations were made every 3-4 days until 32 days after initial culture. Fixed tissues ' Received for publication 7 February 1985revision accepted 16 July 1985. We thank Dr. Henry C. Aldrich for use of the Biological Ultrastructure Laboratory, and Dr. Rex L. Smith for providing the experimental plants used in this study. The assistance of Dr. Lewis Berner in the use of his Zeiss Photomicroscope is gratefully acknowledged. Florida Agriculture Experiment Station Journal Series No. 5998. were dehydrated in a tertiary-butanol series and embedded in paraplast. Serial sections were cut at 8-10 ,um and stained with safranin-fast green (Johansen, 1940). Cultured embryos, proliferating calli, and somatic embryos at different stages of development were fixed in 2% glutaraldehyde in 0.1 M cacodylate buffer (pH 7.2) at room temperature and processed for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) as described by Vasil and Vasil (1984). The tissues were examined and photographed in a Hitachi S-450 scanning electron microscope. The results described are from the examination of embryos cultured during two summer seasons. RESULTS-At the time of culture the embryos showed a well-differentiated shoot-root axis and were fully organized (Fig. 6). Nevertheless, these young embryos were physiologically immature and lacked characteristic storage reserves in the scutellum. The procambium was evident as a strand of elongated cells located centrally in the embryo axis, and it extended also from the scutellar node into the upper half of the scutellum. The scutellum had a single layer of epidermis over its entire surface. Elongation of the embryo and divisions in cells adjacent to the procambium around the scutellar node could be observed 2 days after culture initiation. By this time the scutellar parenchyma cells below the nodal area had enlarged and the abaxial epidermal cells of the scutellum had elongated (Fig. 1, 7). Cell divisions started in the scutellum near the procambium and extended outward to cells of the scutellar epidermis. Except in isolated areas, there was extensive enlargement and dissociation of the scutellar parenchyma at the radicle end. This resulted in the separation of


This community service aims to provide a solution to the limitation of the movement of the Nahwa Nur Amil Zakat Institution (LAZ) in seeking potential Zakat, Infaq and Sodakoh (ZIS) funds during the Covid-19 pandemic. The materials were given online and then assistance was given to lighten the funding burden in ZIS management. LAZ Nahwa Nur personnel apparently still do not fully understand the fundraising strategy during the Covid-19 pandemic as it is today, even though they have used an online strategy using their own platform, it is still not optimal. So it is advisable to use an external platform that already exists in ZIS fundraising


The present study aimed to prepare an inventory of ethnomedicinal plants used by the Chakma tribe of Tripura state, India. Chakma people are mostly residing in deep forest and depend on their own traditional health care system. The survey was conducted during 2012 in Agartala, Tripura by interviewing the local health practioners of the different villages of the state. In the present work a total of 19 angiosperms and one pteridophyte have been documented for folklore medicinal plants used by Chakma tribes of Tripura. Of these 19 angiosperms eight are herbs; one is woody tree, seven shrubs, one climber and one cactus. Bryophyllum pinnatum species is used for two different remedies using different methodologies.The analysis of data reveals that Bark is used for one ailment, roots are used for two ailments, rhizomes are used in two ailments, leaves are used in 13 ailments, whole plant is used in one ailment, and Stem is used in one ailment. Maximum formulations are in complex mixture of preservatives such as water, honey, salt, some other plant parts, animal products. It is also noticed that same formulation is used in two or more different


A statistical characterization of the complexity function of the Verdu optimum multiuser detection (VOMD) algorithm is presented for a communication system employing a finite number of randomly accessed orthogonal channels and a finite number of simultaneous users. Multichannel code-division multiple-access (CDMA) systems are proposed. It is proved that the probability, in which the individual channel complexity is greater than A/sup r(1+/spl alpha/)/, approaches zero exponentially fast as the average number of simultaneous users in each channel increases, where A is the modulation alphabet size and /spl alpha/>0. When the number of simultaneous users is large, the complexity of applying the VOMD algorithm to each individual channel is negligible when compared with the complexity of applying the same algorithm directly to the traditional single-channel CDMA system supporting the same number of simultaneous users. The probability distribution of the joint complexity function of the aggregate system is found. It is shown that when the number of simultaneous users is large, the joint complexity function is negligible compared with applying the VOMD algorithm directly to the traditional single-channel CDMA system supporting the same number of simultaneous users. Therefore, a multichannel CDMA communication system can support a comparable population of simultaneous users to the traditional single-channel CDMA system of comparable bandwidth, while reducing the complexity of optimum multiuser detection to a practical level.


The necessity of a very high isolation mode rejection ratio-the ability of the amplifier to suppress feedthrough from voltages across the isolation barrier to the output-is argued. Two ways of preventing an interference output signal result from isolation mode voltages are described. One approach is to reduce the actual voltage across the isolation capacitance with an additional circuit. Another approach is to design the amplifier in such a way that the feedthrough of high isolation mode voltage remains negligible. It is shown that an eight-channel isolation amplifier with a very good isolation mode rejection ratio can be built with commercially available components, provided that special attention is paid to the shielding of the amplifier inputs. A design of a multichannel amplifier with an isolation mode rejection ratio of 160 dB is described.<<ETX>>


The weight optimization of a structure can be conducted by using fewer and downsized components, applying lighter materials in production, and removing unwanted material. Topology optimization (TO) is one of the most implemented material removal processes. In addition, when it is oriented towards additive manufacturing (AM), it increases design flexibility. The traditional optimization approach is the compliance optimization, where the material layout of a structure is optimized by minimizing its overall compliance. However, TO, in its current state of the art, is mainly used for design inspiration and not for manufacturing due to design complexities and lack of accuracy of its design solutions. The authors, in this research paper, explore the benefits and the limitations of the TO using as a case study the housings of a front and a rear brake caliper. The calipers were optimized for weight reduction by implementing the aforementioned optimization procedure. Their housings were topologically optimized, partially redesigned, prepared for 3D printing, validated, and 3D printed in titanium using selective laser melting (SLM). The weight of the optimized calipers reduced by 41.6% compared to commercial calipers. Designers interested in either TO or in automotive engineering can exploit the findings in this paper.


Homily IV deals with topics that are of central importance in the theological thought of Gregory of Nyssa: desire, justice, satiation and filling, divine names, E1tEJC'tacrt~, the centrality of Jesus. He is the justice of God, states Gregory at the very end of his homily. By studying this homily, it can easily be perceived that we are dealing with a sermon if we are to judge by the topics touched upon and by the manner in which they are treated which we can say to be typically Nyssean. The text is of great sobriety and logical coherence. Ideas flow from one another almost spontaneously as their natural consequence. I will carry out this study by providing, at the same time, a scheme or a possible partition of the homily.'


This paper emphatically described the ideal ink dot through study on spreading and edge feather effect for matt color ink-jet printing paper to pigment and dye ink.Based on the distance space to establish ink diffusion model and quantize the visual effects,and use the IJS(Ink Jet Spreading) model parameter to show the ink diffusion level on paper.The subjective evaluation results show that when IJS values of diffusion level on matt paper pattern are consistent with the results of pair comparison,the accuracy of establishing the ink diffusion model is higher.


The origins of the resemblances between living organisms are discussed. It is suggested that at the lower levels of organization, exemplified by biochemical characters, cell organelles, and early embryonic forms, similarities do not necessarily imply common ancestry; independent origin is equally probable. The reasons for advocating this view are given and the problems which it raises in attempting to define the term `homology' are examined. The relevance of the idea to discussions of the phylogeny of the lower organisms is briefly considered.


This is a translation of an excerpt from the last three pages of Finnegans Wake (FW 626.30 – 628.16), in which the river-character Anna Livia Plurabelle (ALP) presents a bitter farewell monologue, motivated by the abandonment of her family and the supposed betrayal of her mountain-husband Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker (HCE) with her cloud-daughter, young Issy. While remembering the past, ALP feels old, alone and without the strength to continue, disintegrating herself from a world in which she no longer fits. She, who monologues at the same time that her family sleeps, goes to meet the father-sea in a flow that closes the last page of the work with the excerpt "A way a lone a last a loved a long the" (no period). However, this absence of punctuation provokes a circular movement that takes the reader back to the initial page, which begins with the word riverrun, in lowercase, which connects itself with the incomplete sentence "A way a lone a last a loved a long the" from page 628. In this way, what seemed to be the end of the character and also of the book soon becomes the restart of both. It is as if the river-woman who disappears into the sea evaporates herself and reappears on the front page after raining from her cloud-daughter, being vigorously reborn through her rival.


The main contributor to hippocampal blood supply is the posterior cerebral artery. Additional contribution of the anterior choroidal artery distinguishes potential dual from single hippocampal vascular supply. In a previous study on patients with cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) and older controls by Perosa et al. (Brain, in press), dual hippocampal vascularization was functionally associated with better cognition and structurally associated with increased anterior hippocampal volumes. The CSVD patients showed declined cognitive abilities. However, dual supply was able to alleviate performance loss in CSVD patients, indicating resilience against pathology. We examined the effect of dual vascular supply on anterior/posterior hippocampal volume and global grey matter (GM) volume, which might mediate the beneficial effect on cognition, and whether it conveys resistance against CSVD.


Coercion loses ground to cooperation as the State's main mechanism to obtain information. E-gov emerges in this context and is i nfluenced, also, by the evolution of software applications from virtual environments to agents of sociotechnological systems ‐ whose functioning depends on the dynamic cooperat ion of human and artificial agents. This article presents the concept of sociot echnological system and considers its application to e-gov, illustrated by means of a soc iotechnological description of the Brazilian Lattes Platform for science and technolog y information and knowledge. That kind of description allows for the conjecturing and investigation of the emergence of sociotechnological e-gov systems and their properti es.


W ith the inclusion of $19.5 billion in the federal economic stimulus legislation enacted by Congress earlier this year to accelerate the use of electronic records in physicians' offices and hospitals, financial obstacles to development of a statewide health information exchange (HIE) network for patients' health records have been reduced. A handful of states, such as Rhode Island, had already begun to develop a statewide infrastructure, allowing connections so that records could be easily and securely shared. Now that the federal funding is available, more states are also looking to implement plans. Although many benefits of expanding the use of electronic health records may be clear, providers and patients ought to be engaged with policy makers to address potential risks associated with HIE network operations. Many policy makers, businesses, healthcare providers, and healthcare facilities, such as hospitals, are looking to health information technology (HIT) as a means to improve healthcare quality. According to the National Consumers League, the combination of overuse, misuse, and underuse of healthcare accounts for up to 30% of our national healthcare expenditures, and hospital errors are the nation's eighth leading cause of death. Electronic health records assist providers in staying organized and making better clinical decisions. When multiple providers are able to share health information electronically and have access to the information they need to make better clinical decisions whenever and wherever it is needed, the network is referred to as the HIE. Public health benefits may also emerge from early detection of infectious disease and improved tracking of chronic disease management. The HIE also has the capacity to provide consumers with information to make better decisions about their own healthcare and that of their loved ones. Update on the Implementation of Electronic Health Records and Health Information Exchange Networks


In order to enhance the acceptance of computer assisted surgery in joint replacement, a development-cooperation with BrainLAB, Germany was set up to develop a user-friendly handheld navigation device. A sterile draped Apple® IPod-Touch which is placed into a hardcover cradle, is used as navigation monitor and touchscreen control. Different instruments, such as navigation-pointer are attached to the cradle. In addition the workflows for TKR and THR procedures have been optimised. Therefore the main focus for TKR is navigation of femoral and tibial resection as well as leg alignment control. For the THR the system enables an intraoperative control of leg-length and femoral-offset measurement in comparison with the preoperative situation. Each step of the procedure is supported by video animations of the specific navigation workflow. Between September and December 2010 the first clinical study on the usability in TKR and THR was performed for 20 cases using a prototype system. The study was approved by the local ethic committee and the "German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM)". Special interest was taken to the aspects of usability and the necessary time periods for specific steps of the procedure. Usability was measured for specific time periods of the procedure assessment of the usability of the surgical team. In addition postoperative x-rays were evaluated for implant position, leg alignment for TKR and hip joint geometry for THR cases. Throughout the study for each assigned patient the procedure could be performed as planned. Several design inputs were identified for further improvement of the final system. Therefore time measurements of the first five cases were excluded. For the TKR cases the registration process of the last 5 cases was less than 3 minutes. The interval for the tibial resection was between 3 and 7 minutes (aligning tibial cutting block – end of tibial verification). The interval for the distal femur resection was between 7 and 11 minutes (aligning femoral cutting block – end of femoral verification). All 10 Patients showed a final leg alignment on the postoperative standing x-ray within the save-zone of +/− 3° from neutral alignment. For the THR cases the preoperative registration period including the femoral head resection and acetabular registration was between 7 and 12 Minutes. Each final measurement of the hip geometry was done in less than 2 minutes. The evaluation of the pelvic ap-x-ray pre- and postoperative showed equivalent measurements of the new hip geometry compared with the intraoperative measured values. No specific complications occurred throughout the study. In conclusion the BrainLAB–DASH-System has shown a high grade of usability and very short learning curve within this first clinical study. The use of a standard Apple® IPod-touch as a user interface seems to enhance the acceptance of the navigation technique. Equivalent precision compared to standard navigation systems have been demonstrated.