Introduction: Development of the lumbar fusion technique has resulted in fusion rates approaching 95%, but this has not correlated with a comparable increase in successful clinical outcomes. Some of the recent literature questioned the efficacy of spinal fusion as the choice of operation of low back pain and lumbar spinal degeneration. Additionally, adjacent segment disease following spinal fusion in the long-term continues to be a concern. Lumbar spinal dynamic stabilization systems have been developed as the alternative to lumbar fusion to preserve the kinematics of the surgical segments and allow stabilization without bone grafting. Clinical outcomes of dynamic stabilization have been variable in the literature. Schnake et al. [1] reported similar clinical results as seen in fusion cases with pedicle screws, whereas Grob et al [2] did not show better clinical outcomes when comparing dynamic stabilization to fusion. Range of motion of the dynamically stabilized segment has been reported to be less than that of intact level of the spine [3] and was controllable by the length of spacer used in the operation [4]. However, few studies have evaluated the kinematics of dynamic stabilization in vivo. Radiostereometric Analysis (RSA) is an accurate in vivo measurement technique and has been used to examine spinal kinematics. The purpose of this study was to examine the kinematics of a dynamically stabilized segment over time using RSA. Two questions were examined with this study. (1) Would there be any changes in the kinematics over time? (2) How would the kinematics compare to other common lumbar procedures such as lumbar discectomy or posterior lumbar fusion? Materials and Methods: Informed consent was obtained by each subject following approval by the Institutional Review Board. Four patients (2 males & 2 females, ages: 63.5 ± 11.3 yrs) with lumbar spondylosis with/without instability were enrolled to undergo dynamic stabilization (Dynesys® Dynamic Stabilization System, Zimmer Spine) with decompression at L3/L4, L4/L5 and/or L5/S1 (DYS group). Another four patients (2 males & 2 females, 64.8 ± 8.3 yrs) with the same diagnostic criteria were enrolled to undergo posterior lumbar fusion and pedicle screw fixation with decompression at L2/3, L3/4 and/or L4/5 (PLF group). Eight patients (4 males & 4 females, 40.9 ± 5.7 yrs) with lumbar disc herniation at either L4/5 or L5/S1 were enrolled to undergo lumbar discectomy (LD group). The patients were followed post-operatively at 1 month, 1 year and 2 year. Five levels from DYS, five levels from PLF and eight levels from LD were analyzed for this study. Standard surgical technique was followed in this study population by four spine surgeons. During surgery, 3-5 tantalum beads (0.8 or 1.0 mm diameter) were implanted into the adjacent vertebra at the operated levels. At each post-operative follow-up, biplanar standing neutral (ST), forward bending (FB) and backward bending (BB) radiographs were obtained and segmental motions were calculated based on the relative motion of the superior vertebra to the inferior vertebra. Sagittal rotation (ROT), superior/inferior (SIT) and anterior/posterior (APT) translations were calculated for flexion (ST to FB), extension (ST to BB) and sagittal ROM (BB to FB). To address the first question of interest, each dependent variable (ROT, SIT and APT) for the three movements was submitted to a one-way MANOVA with time as a factor (1 month, 1 year, 2 year). For the second question, each dependent variable was submitted to a MANCOVA with type-of-operation (DYS, PLF and LD) as a testing factor and time as a covariate. Results: Relating to the kinematic changes of a dynamically stabilized segments over time, there were no significant changes in any motions for any movements. Concerning the differences based on type of operation, there were significant main effects for type of operation in flexion (p=0.013), extension (p=0.021) and sagittal ROM (p=0.001). However, there were not any significant covariate effects in any tests. The post-hoc analyses revealed ROT and SIT of DYS were significantly smaller than those of LD in flexion (p=0.017, p=0.017) and sagittal ROM (p=0.002, p=0.004). SIT of DYS was significantly smaller than that of LD in extension (p=0.012). APT of flexion (p=0.01) and ROT of sagittal ROM (p=0.039) in PLF were significantly smaller than those of LD. Table 1 summarizes the differences in motion based on type of procedure. Discussion: The segmental motions were significantly smaller than those of lumbar discectomy during sagittal movements. Previous studies demonstrated that Dynesys stabilization significantly decreased the magnitude of ROM after implantation in all directions in vitro [4] and in sagittal movements in vivo [5]. Additionally, the current study suggests that the decreased sagittal kinematics of a dynamically stabilized segment remains up to 2 years without significant changes over time. In comparison to fusion, there were no significant differences in sagittal kinematics with dynamic stabilization. The most distinctive motion preserved after dynamic stabilization was APT in sagittal movements. The premise behind dynamic stabilization is to control the abnormal motions and to restore physiologic load transmission to relieve pain and prevent adjacent segment disease. Injury to the spinal segment has increased the neutral zone in vitro and dynamic stabilization has been shown to restore the neutral zone to a magnitude less than that of the intact spine [4]. In the current study, the decreased ROT and SIT following dynamic stabilization during the sagittal movements may support the premise of controlling abnormal motions, although future studies would have to confirm this in comparison to unsymptomatic motion. References: 1. Schnake, KJ, Spine, 2006; 2. Grob, D, Spine, 2005; 3. Freudiger, S, Arch Orthop Trauma Sug, 1999; 4. Niosi, CA, Eur Spine J, 2006; 5. Beastall, J, Spine, 2007 Acknowledgements: Financial support from Zimmer Spine, Inc. (Warsaw, IN, U.S.A.) and DePuy Spine, Inc. (Raynham, MA, U.S.A.). Table 1. Sagittal range of motion (in deg) of surgical segments based on type of lumabr surgery


To improve billet quality and the trackability and stability of secondary cooling water during continuous casting,the tundish temperature is introduced into the water distribution for secondary cooling to design the relevant control system,based on the distribution model,tundish temperature,surface temperature and fuzzy self-adaptive PID.A spray cooling system is thus set up for simulation in lab to test the step signal from the conventional,integral separated and fuzzy self-adaptive PID controllers and the simulated casting.The simulation results show that the fuzzy self-adaptive PID controller's performance is better than the other two controllers',which provides a foundation for further study and application.


This article provides an overview on the current state of research in the area of software agent applications. The other contributions to this special issue already cover a variety of application domains. They document the successful application of agent technology in scheduling, knowledge management, simulation and health care. This article gives a broader insight onto software agent systems and briefly presents other applications.


Based on the granulometric results of 36 surface station samples and a non-disturbed core sam-ple,both of which are taken from the intertidal flat between Haihe River mouth and Duliujianhe River mouth,this paper reveals the characteristics of the local grain size distribution.Horizontally,from south to north,the surficial sediments on the tidal flat change gradually from silty sand to fine sand,and showing coarsening northward with increased sorting quality.Vertically,finer sediments are dominant below 45 cm,but above it are mainly fine sand and/or very fine sand,disclosing coursening up with increased sort-ing quality.Such general coarsening trends with sorting improvement both northward and upward are re-flection of the modern process of Haihe Delta due to decreased river discharge after sluice construction half the century ago and increased nearshore marine influence since then.


Objective To compare the ball silicone tube implantation, dacryocysto-rhinostomy for chronic dacryocystitis treatment. Methods 67 patients (75 eyes) with chronic dacryocystitis ccollected from January 2006 to May 2011 in our department were divided into two groups, group A of 37 patients (40 eyes) using the ball head silicone tube implant surgery, group B of 30 patients (35 eyes) using dacryocystorhinostomy, to compare the patients' effects between the two groups. The valid index included postoperatively disappeared or improved eye symptoms, and lacrimal patency. Follow-up period was 6 months. Results Group A and group B had significantly different efficiency. Conclusion Ball silicone tube implantation is more effective than dacryocystorhinostomy for chronic dacryocystitis.


Abstract The government of India implemented social distancing interventions to contain the COVID‐19 epidemic. However, effects of these interventions on epidemic dynamics are yet to be understood. Rates of laboratory‐confirmed COVID‐19 infections per day and effective reproduction number (Rt ) were estimated for 7 periods (Pre‐lockdown, Lockdown Phases 1 to 4 and Unlock 1–2) according to nationally implemented interventions with phased relaxation. Adoption of these interventions was estimated using Google mobility data. Estimates at the national level and for 12 Indian states most affected by COVID‐19 are presented. Daily case rates ranged from 0.03 to 285.60/10 million people across 7 discrete periods in India. From 18 May to 31 July 2020, the NCT of Delhi had the highest case rate (999/10 million people/day), whereas Madhya Pradesh had the lowest (49/10 million/day). Average Rt was 1.99 (95% CI 1.93–2.06) and 1.39 (95% CI 1.38–1.40) for the entirety of India during the period from 22 March 2020 to 17 May 2020 and from 18 May 2020 to 31 July 2020, respectively. Median mobility in India decreased in all contact domains during the period from 22 March 2020 to 17 May 2020, with the lowest being 21% in retail/recreation, except home which increased to 129% compared to the 100% baseline value. Median mobility in the 'Grocery and Pharmacy' returned to levels observed before 22 March 2020 in Unlock 1 and 2, and the enhanced mobility in the Pharmacy sector needs to be investigated. The Indian government imposed strict contact mitigation, followed by a phased relaxation, which slowed the spread of COVID‐19 epidemic progression in India. The identified daily COVID‐19 case rates and Rt will aid national and state governments in formulating ongoing COVID‐19 containment plans. Furthermore, these findings may inform COVID‐19 public health policy in developing countries with similar settings to India.


The system of doctoral education in Poland requires significant reconstruction. Analysis of different models of doctoral education in Europe indicates that the most effective solution can be a system based on the so-called doctoral schools founded by the best universities. Such schools could become an important factor in building the reputation and prestige of the universities. The establishment of doctoral schools should promote the implementation of optimal conditions and will provide the internationally-oriented PhD students with possibilities for performing the research as well as enhancing their comprehensive development. On the one hand, the PhD schools should be equipped with the adequate autonomy system, but on the other hand, they should offer a welldefined and precise scope of responsibilities. The proposed solution is confronted with different models of doctoral education systems in Europe.


Objectives The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between childcare teachers' teacher efficacy, teachers' professional perception, and role performance, and to examine the mediating effect of professional perception on teacher efficacy and role performance.
Methods The study subjects used data collected from 212 nursery teachers from daycare centers located in Gyeonggi, Seoul. The structural equation model was analyzed to identify the structural relationships between the major variables, and the bootstrapping method was used to determine the mediating effect.
Results First, the results of this study showed a significant static correlation between teacher efficacy, professionalism recognition, and teacher role performance of childcare teachers. Second, it was discovered that childcare teachers' perceptions of expertise had a direct impact on their ability to perform their roles. Third, there was a partial mediating effect of professionalism recognition in the relationship between teacher efficacy and role performance of childcare teachers.
Conclusions It is important to raise teachers' awareness of efficacy and professionalism in order to increase the level of role performance of childcare teachers. Based on the results of this study, basic data were provided for the development of national policies and professional education programs be of significance to.


The new constellation of remote sensing satellite COSMO/SkyMed will guarantee a combination of spatial and temporal resolution never reached by previously systems. The full exploitation of this system can allow the development of new applications, like these aiming at providing insight into the magnitude of a disaster and a detailed assessment of the damages as required by first responders for planning relief actions.


This study examines the tradeoffs that an entrepreneur makes in an initial public stock offering between the incremental costs and benefits of selecting a Big 6 audit firm. The benefit of hiring a Big 6 auditor is assumed to be reduced underpricing, consistent with Beatty (1989) and Balvers, et al. (1988). The cost of hiring a Big 6 auditor is higher auditor compensation. Evidence drawn from a sample of IPOs during the early 1990s is consistent with a differentiated market for audit services where owners select the type of auditor that minimizes the sum of underpricing and auditor compensation costs.


The research study investigates the conditions under which alliances with large firm create value for the small firm. Using a resource dependency perspective, it is hypothesized that high power differences between the alliance partners may create instabilities in the alliance, negatively affecting the value which the small firm may gain from the alliance operations. On the other hand, it is argued the degree of mutual interdependence between the partners fosters an atmosphere of cohesion, trust and information exchange positively affecting the value which the small firm may gain from their alliance operations. Data is tested on 142 small firm-large firm alliances in the biotechnology industry. The results suggest that high power differences between the alliance partners negatively affect the value which the small firm may gain from the alliance operations. The results also suggest that small firms were able to overcome the problem of their power handicap when they established repeat alliances and when firms established coalitions or multi-partner alliances. Finally, the study offers implications to small firm managers to be extremely cautious and prudent when they establish alliances with larger firms.


A growing body of research has shown that taking tests can result in enhanced learning, a phenomenon known as the testing effect. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the addition of postdiscussion quizzes to interteaching, a new behavior-analytic teaching method, produced a similar effect. Students in two sections of an undergraduate psychology of learning course participated in interteaching sessions and took postdiscussion quizzes prior to some of their exams. The authors found that students who took the quizzes had exam scores that were not significantly different from the exam scores of students who did not take the quizzes. These results provide additional evidence that including postdiscussion quizzes in interteaching may not produce a testing effect. This may be because interteaching already contains components that enhance student learning.


This paper examines the effects of incarceration on marriage and family life. The paper reports on three empirical analyses. First, estimates show that incarcerated men are only about half as likely to be married as noninstituional men of the same age, however they are just as likely to have children. By 2000, more than 2 million children had incarcerated fathers; 1 in 10 black children under age 10 had a father in prison or jail by 2000. Analysis of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 and the Fragile families Study of Child Wellbeing, indicates that formerly incarcerated men experience lower marriage rates and increased risks of divorce. Finally, analysis of domestic violence data shows that formerly-incarcerated men are about twice as likely to have assaulted the mothers of their children than men of the same age, race, and recent hsitory of spouse abuse. Married women in longlasting and affectionate relationships are at lower risk of domestic violence. These results suggest that the crime-suppressing effects of incarceration, through incapacitation, may be offset by the negative effects of imprisonment on marriage. As imprisonment became common for low-education black men by the end of the 1990s, the penal system also became familiar to poor minority families. By 1999, 30 percent of noncollege black men in their mid-thirties had been to prison and through incarceration many were separated from their wives, girlfriends, and children. Women and children in low-income urban commmunities now routinely cope with absent husbands and fathers lost to incarceration, and adjust to their return after release. Poor single men detached from family life are also affected, bearing the stigma of a prison record in the marriage markets of disadvantaged urban neighborhoods. Discussions of the family life of criminal offenders typically focus on the crime-suppressing effects of marriage, not incarceration. Researchers find that marriage offers a pathway out of crime for men with histories of delinquency. Not a wedding itself, but marriage in the context of a warm, stable, and constructive relationship offers the antidote to crime (Sampson and Laub 1993; Laub, Nagin and Sampson 1998). Wives and family members in such relationships provide the web of obligations and responsibilities that restrain young men and reduce their contact with the male friends whose recreations veer into anti-social behavior (Warr 1998). The prison boom places the link between crime and marriage in a new light. If a good marriage is important for criminal desistance, what is the effect of incarceration on marriage? The connections between incarceration, marriage, and the family are also implicated in the larger story of rising urban inequality. In the last three decades, American family life was transformed by declining marriage rates and growth in the number of single-parent households. Marriage rates fell among women from all class backgrounds. Between 1970 and 2000, the share of white women aged 25 to 34 who were married, declined from over 80 percent to just over 60 percent. Marriage rates for African American women


The U.S. and India are the world's largest democracies. Yet for most of the cold war, the relationship was frequently cantankerous. This book examines the impact of dramatic changes in the geopolitical environment and of recent developments in India and U.S. policy options. It considers the prospects for better economic relations and the implications of India's power potential, including its nuclear and missile programmes.


In the past decade, there have been numerous examples of surfaces created with novel functionalities. These functional surfaces are predicted to have a massive impact on a range of commercial sectors within the next five years. Most realized functional surfaces rely on tailored microand nanoscale roughness, which cannot be produced with current mass fabrication technologies. The technology platform needed to create these surfaces has to be directly compatible with current mass production platforms, to commercially realize microand nanotextured surfaces. This comparability can be achieved by direct microand nanostructuring of commerical injection molding tools to create the desired surface structures directly in the molding process. The aim of this project was to enable the fabrication of surfaces with controlled wetting by injection molding. During the project, I have demonstrated improvements in many of the fields related to mass-fabrication of water repellent surfaces. Including: • Basic research in wetting phenomena; studying the role of multiple heights, irregular structures, and the transition to hierarchical structures. • Development of algorithms for improved contact angle fitting. • Simulations of wetting transitions. • Clean room fabrication of functional surfaces, and production of microand nanostructured mold inserts. • Injection molding of microand nanostructured polymer parts on a commercial injection molding machine. • Co-invented a patented technique for microstructuring steel molds able to produce superhydrophobic polymer parts. The patented microstructuring technique generates microstructures similar to those found on the leaf of the lotus flower, without the overlaying nanostructure. Despite the lack of hierarchical structures, the microstructured surface shows excellent water repellent properties. The demonstration of a single level, superhydrophobic, structure with low aspect ratio, served as inspiration for studies in the underlying wetting mechanisms. This resulted in two published studies. The first study concerns the differences between lattice based clean room structures and the irregular structures produced by the patented microstructuring technique. The second study bridges the gap between silicon structures produced by planar processes in the clean room and the smooth multi-height structures often found in nature. Finally i have demonstrated a novel type of hierarchical structures to get a better understanding of the role of hierarchy in wetting phenomena. I have produced and characterized hierarchical structures with the same surface coverage achieved in several different configurations. This leads to an interesting finding, not covered by modern wetting theories, where the local configuration of nanostructures governs the wetting behavior of the hierarchical structure.


Working together with the Soprintendenza of Rome on the Campus Martius it has been possible to reconstruct the shape of the temple of Matidia, to clarify many details in the decoration of the theatre of Pompejus and to study some other buildings in their marble decoration. So, the connection of different parts of that important Region in Imperial Rome became more visible, mainly for the period of Domitian with his important feast of the Capitolia and further in the reign of Hadrian and the following emperors with their Dynastic cult.


Mine water and mine return air is good for the renewable energy due to heat storage underground, and the recycling has been a new technology of the energy utilization in water source heat pump system. Utilizing the waster heat of coal mine is beneficial in reducing the coal consumption of winter heating boiler or even replacing it completely. Comprehensive analysis the research situation and the project example, this paper points out that the technical of mine water applied for water-source heat pump system is feasibility in the practical project and theory in view of advantages, like energy saving, environmental protection, high efficiency and short payback period, etc. Therefore, application of mine water for water-source heat pump system is a new advanced energy-saving technology.


In this paper, the authors propose a conceptual model that aims to increase the competitiveness of a company though a systems engineering approach. This process which the company adopted to enhance its manufacturing system in a step-by-step manner is elaborated. Central to the strategy is the implementation of an integrated manufacturing system through the application of a systems engineering approach. The detailed design and implementation of the system is conducted through the systematic manufacturing strategic analysis. The integration process encompasses various elements such as Total Quality Management (TQM), Manufacturing Resources Planning (MRPII) and Real Time Monitoring System (RTMS). It emphasises not only the use of appropriate modern technology but also the management of technological change. In this paper, the model is used to describe the integration process. The detailed implementation is also documented using the proposed implementation process model. By adopting the integrated manufacturing system, and through continuous improvement, the productivity and hence profit of the company is increased. It is anticipated that the use of the systems engineering approach to design and implement manufacturing systems make an important contribution towards research into manufacturing strategy.


The dynamic of planthopper population was investigated in mixture planting of organic rice fields.The results showed that the number of white back planthopper(WBPH)reduced significantly in mixture planting of varieties as compared with single planting in early rice.The number of WBPH in single inter-planting was 3.33times-8.57times that in mixture planting.It was similar to that of Brown Planthopper(BPH)in the second season rice.The number of BPH in single inter-planting increased 2.34times-4.96times compared with that in mixture planting.The above results indicated that the mixture planting of the varieties could decrease the num- bers of rice plathopper in organic population.


Within the development of network multimedia technology, more and more real-time multimedia applications arrive with the need to transmit information using multicast. These applications require a multicast routing protocol which has packets arriving at the multicast receptors within a specified delay and delay variation bound. D2-VND-CS (delay and delay variation Core Selection) problem consists in choosing an optimal multicast router in the network as the root of the shared path multicast tree (SPT) within a specified delay and delay variation bound. The choice of this designated router is the main problem concerning multicast tree construction; this choice influences multicast routing tree structure, and therefore influences performances of both multicast session and routing scheme. The determination of a best position of the core within a specified delay and delay variation bound is an NP complete problem: it needs to be solved through a heuristic algorithm. In this paper, we propose a new Core Selection CS algorithm based on Variable Neighborhood Descent algorithm, based on a systematic neighborhood changing. D2-VND-CS algorithm selects the core router by considering tree cost, delay and delay variation. Simulation results show that good performance is achieved in terms of multicast cost, end-to-end delay and tree construction delay and other metrics.


This study aims to investigate reading strategies and factors affecting the use of strategies of Thai EFL English majors enrolled in public and private universities in Bangkok. The
participants were 482 college students and the study used both quantitative and qualitative analysis. In addition to using the questionnaire adapted from The Survey of Reading Strategies (SORS) questionnaire (Mokhtari and Sheorey, 2002), think-aloud protocols, retrospective interviews,
and document study were used. The quantitative results demonstrated that the participants used a combination of reading strategies but the problem-solving strategies seemed to be the most reported strategies used. Overall, the factors affecting the use of reading strategy were the instructional
type and the self-rated reading ability type. In addition, qualitative data showed that the English proficiency levels, the years in school, the opportunity to use English, and the instructional type affected the participants' strategy use.


In this issue of the journal, Saint-Lorant and coworkers report a clinical study aiming to detect the presence of irinotecan and its major metabolites (SN38 and APC) as well as total platinum (Pt) in the plasma and red blood cells of surgeons performing HIPEC [1]. Irinotecan and oxaliplatin were administered at a dose of 200 and 300 mg/m, respectively, and chemoperfusion was performed at 43 °C during 30min. Of note, the combination of oxaliplatin and irinotecan is rarely used for HIPEC nowadays, since a comparative study showed that compared with oxaliplatin alone, the combination with irinotecan resulted in higher surgical morbidity without any benefit in cancer outcome [2]. During the study, which was performed from 2015 to 2018, adequate protection measures were taken, including triple gloves, FFP category three mask, and smoke evacuation. The results showed that, out of 19 plasma samples taken at 18 h (median) after completion of HIPEC, 15 were contaminated with irinotecan (median concentration 100 pg/mL). In addition, seven samples were contaminated with platinum, but at low concentrations (<16 pg/mL). The results highlight the environmental and potential health risks associatedwith themanipulation of hazardous compounds. The use of antineoplastic drugs has increased rapidly over the past decades, resulting not only in contamination of surfaces and floors in hospitals, but also in the release of these drugs in the wastewater of hospitals, and henceforth in the surface water and food chain [3]. Exposure of healthcare workers to antineoplastic agents through skin contact, ingestion, or inhalation has been associated with DNA damage and with adverse reproductive outcomes [4, 5]. According to a recent systematic review by the U.S. National Toxicology Program (available at https://doi.org/10.22427/NTP-MGRAPH-5), there is a moderate level of evidence that occupational exposure to chemotherapy is associated with an increased risk of spontaneous abortion and structural DNA damage. However, the evidence on the risk of cancer was found to be inadequate. Nevertheless, the findings highlight the importance of systematic environmental assessment and biomonitoring programs based on analytical chemistry, which are currently not performed in most hospitals. The use of chemotherapy in the operating room during HIPEC and PIPAC has prompted several toxicological studies. These allow to conclude that exposure of health care personnel is negligible with adequate precautions [6, 7]. However, contamination of floors, shoes, keyboards, and other surfaces has been detected. In addition, patient urine and abdominal drainage fluids can be a source of contamination in the ICU and hospital wards [8]. The finding of trace amounts of Pt, a known environmental pollutant, in the study of Saint-Lorant bears little clinical significance. Indeed, Ndaw et al. found no differences in urinary Pt between a control group and the medical staff involved in HIPEC and PIPAC procedures, highlighting the fact that the general population is exposed to Pt, specifically in urban environments. The presence of irinotecan and two of itsmetabolites in the surgeon's blood is of uncertain significance. A major drawback in the interpretation is the lack of a control group. Strikingly, the authors mention in the discussion that irinotecan was found in a plasma sample from a surgical resident who did not participate in any HIPEC procedure, suggesting that the source of contamination of the surgeonmay lie elsewhere. Of note, similar to Pt, irinotecan can be considered an environmental pollutant, since the presence of the drug has been repeatedly reported in hospital effluents and wastewater treatment plants [9]. Also, the clinical risks of trace amounts of irinotecan are doubtful—as a comparison, the mean plasma concentration after IV treatment with irinotecan is 10 mg/L, which is 100,000 times higher than themedian concentration found in the surgeon's blood. Wim Ceelen, Department of GI Surgery, Ghent University Hospital, Corneel Heymanslaan 10, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium, E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-76924419 Pleura and Peritoneum 2021; 6(2): 47–48


This paper addresses the problem of reworking of defective items and develops an integrated cost model so as to minimize the extra costs of reworking/scraping of work pieces. Items to be reworked are the results of quality problem. To improve a product's quality, the selection of process target is extremely important since it directly affects the process defective rate, material cost, rework or scrap cost, and loss to customer due to deviation of product from desired specification. The amount of investment necessary to economically correct a defective process is still an issue of research. This research is a contribution to this type of problem. In addition to cost estimation, the integrated cost model focuses on optimal tolerance, and optimal mean and variance of the output characteristics. The symmetrical truncated loss function is used to evaluate the cost of poor quality in a production system. Specifically, we investigate the possible economic investment in a process improvement to reduce its variance and shifting the process mean close to its target, resulting in the reduction of waste like rework/scrap. Numerical examples are presented to show all the steps involved and to verify the proposed model. Utilizing this model, decision-makers can evaluate any quality investment in order to achieve a significant financial return


In this study, we evaluated the effect of different matrices (MRS, milk and milk with inulin) on the tolerance of probiotic strains (Lactobacillus acidophilus La-5 and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12) to simulated conditions similar to those found in the gastrointestinal tract. Both probiotic strains demonstrated a significantly lower viability after exposure to in vitro gastric and intestinal conditions, and B. animalis subsp. lactis BB-12 showed higher survival during the test compared to L. acidophilus La-5 in all tested matrices. Milk and inulin protected probiotics from in vitro gastrointestinal stress. These results suggest that it is critical to formulate the food matrix to be used as probiotic carrier.


In his seminal work on context-sensitivity, Kaplan (1989) famously claimed that monsters—operators that (in Kaplan's framework) shift the context, and so "control the character of indexicals within [their] scope"—do not exist in English and "could not be added to it" (1989: 510). Kaplan pointed out that indexicals (like the English words "I" and "you") seem to be interpreted in the same way no matter how they are embedded, so that (for example) if David utters a sentence like (1), "I" picks out David (rather than Otto):


Previously, we reported the identification of a thiazolidinedione‐based adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase (AMPK) activator, compound 1 (N‐[4‐({3‐[(1‐methylcyclohexyl)methyl]‐2,4‐dioxothiazolidin‐5‐ylidene}methyl)phenyl]‐4‐nitro‐3‐(trifluoromethyl)benzenesulfonamide), which provided a proof of concept to delineate the intricate role of AMPK in regulating oncogenic signaling pathways associated with cell proliferation and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) in cancer cells. In this study, we used 1 as a scaffold to conduct lead optimization, which generated a series of derivatives. Analysis of the antiproliferative and AMPK‐activating activities of individual derivatives revealed a distinct structure–activity relationship and identified 59 (N‐(3‐nitrophenyl)‐N′‐{4‐[(3‐{[3,5‐bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]methyl}‐2,4‐dioxothiazolidin‐5‐ylidene)methyl]phenyl}urea) as the optimal agent. Relative to 1, compound 59 exhibits multifold higher potency in upregulating AMPK phosphorylation in various cell lines irrespective of their liver kinase B1 (LKB1) functional status, accompanied by parallel changes in the phosphorylation/expression levels of p70S6K, Akt, Foxo3a, and EMT‐associated markers. Consistent with its predicted activity against tumors with activated Akt status, orally administered 59 was efficacious in suppressing the growth of phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN)‐null PC‐3 xenograft tumors in nude mice. Together, these findings suggest that 59 has clinical value in therapeutic strategies for PTEN‐negative cancer and warrants continued investigation in this regard.


Compared with the traditional local IDE, online IDE provides a no-install programming environment. The proceeding in this area is attracting more and more researchers' focuses. Although online IDE can bring developers a lot of convenience for developing process, it also suffers from some special challenges. While most current research work focuses only on the implementation of basic features, some tough problems are still less touched. This paper summarized three main kinds of actual problems (Wrong file operations, Banned method calling, and Excessive resource consumption) encountered when using the online IDE, and proposed a program behavior analysis based solutions to control these problems adaptively. Finally, this paper demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed solutions by applying them in a real online IDE.


When it comes to patients with uncontrolled hypertension, those working with teams that include a pharmacist have better blood pressure control than those only working with doctors, according to research by the University of Iowa (UI).


© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht Nonstructural components (NSCs) should be subjected to a careful and rational seismic design, in order to reduce the economic loss and to avoid threats to the life safety, as well as what concerns structural elements. The design of NSCs is based on the evaluation of the maximum inertia force, which is related to the floor spectral accelerations. The question arises as to whether Eurocode 8 is able to predict actual floor response spectral accelerations occurring in structures designed according to Eurocode 8. A parametric study is conducted on five RC frame structures in order to evaluate the floor response spectra. The structures, designed according to Eurocode 8, are subjected to a set of earthquakes, compatible with the design response spectrum. Time-history analyses are performed both on elastic and inelastic models of the considered structures. Eurocode formulation for the evaluation of the seismic demand on NSCs does not well fit the numerical results. Some comments on the target spectrum provided by AC 156 for the seismic qualification of NSC are also included.


In the exploration of deep-sea nodule mineral resources, computer vision-based methods have been widely used to assess nodule mineral resources, such as abundance, particle size, coverage and other information. Among them, the separation of nodule minerals from the background is an important part of deep-sea mineral resource assessment. Threshold segmentation, clustering segmentation, multispectral segmentation and other traditional segmentation methods need to rebuild the model from scratch once the distribution of feature space changes. However, the data-driven deep learning method provides a general framework to solve this problem, which has strong generalization and robustness. In order to improve the segmentation performance, a novel deep sea nodule mineral images segmentation algorithm based on Mask R-CNN was proposed. The comparative analysis is also processed on some other different deep learning methods, such as U-Net, and the Generative Adversarial Network. The experimental results show that, the method based on Mask R-CNN is better than the method based on U-Net, improced U-Net and Conditional Generative Adversarial Networks on the dataset.


The poor in their daily live exist in economic livelihood that characterized by: Firstly, the income, amount of transactions and investment done by the poor is in micro scale. Secondly, the live of the poor filled by high risk and insecurity as a consequence of the type of their economic activities that non formal, subsistent, and marginal. Thirdly, there are strong social ties that govern their activities and behavior.


The purpose of this research is to analyze the influence of education level, social security and training on employee productivity at supermarket partner sukoharjo. This research uses Random samplin type of data and data source used in this study by using primary data obtained from respondents' answers in the form of charging quizoner from employees of Self Employer Mitra Sukoharjo which amounted to 100 employees. Data analysis techniques used are multiple regression analysis, F test, t test and R square. The conclusion of this study is the Level of Education, Social Security and Training partially influence on Employee Productivity at Supermarket Partners Sukoharjo.


Background: Surgical lift of eyebrows is one of the most efficient facial rejuvenation methods. Although the popularity of those procedures seems to be increasing among men, little is known about aesthetically pleasant male eyebrow shape and position. Methods: Semiautomatic photogrammetric analysis of 300 professional White male models of assumed age (18 to 39 years old) was performed. The assessment was conducted in two sessions, using A.I.D. software. A set of linear, angular, and surface area morphometric parameters of the periorbital region was measured. Results: A total of 600 periorbital regions were quantitatively evaluated. Statistical analysis showed high interrater reliability for all three types of measurements. The mean width of the eyebrow was found to be 47.28 ± 4.55 mm. The male eyebrow was flat and low-located, overlying the orbital rim. The apex was located at the lateral two-thirds of the brow's width. The vertical distance between the eyebrow's peak and the hairline was 51.3 ± 7.15 mm. In addition, averaged body contours were generated using the A.I.D. software, enabling graphic summarization of facial outline and periorbital contours of all analyzed subjects in the form of a single figure. Conclusions: Based on the aesthetic preferences of several leading modeling agencies, a concept of the ideal eyebrow for White men was created. The collected morphometric data on the periorbital region may guide the surgical rejuvenation attempts of achieving youthful and natural brow contours. It may also aid its reconstruction using hair transplant techniques.


The phenomenon of climate change is one of the events that affect the coastal communities of Pacitan Regency, especially their livelihoods as fishermen. The purpose of this study is to analyze the adaptation activities of fishermen due to climate change that affects fishermen's household income using a sustainable livelihood approach. Determination of respondents through purposive sampling technique, where the total sample is 104 fishermen. This study uses a survey method in the field with fishermen based on several questions through questionnaires submitted to coastal fishermen in the District of Pacitan Regency. Factor analysis and multiple regression were used to analyze the data. The results showed that simultaneously the variables of fishermen's adaptation choices, government adaptation choices, education level, age and experience as fishermen, fishermen's distance to the sea, location of mangrove areas, savings, asset ownership, credit, participation in fisherman group organizations, and ownership of tools. Simultaneous capture has a significant effect on the total income of fishermen. Partially, the variable of fisherman adaptation choice, education level, age, the distance of fishermen when fishing, location of mangrove area, savings, asset ownership, credit, and ownership of fishing gear have a significant and positive effect on the total income level of coastal fishermen in Pacitan Regency, while the experience variable as fishermen have a negative and significant effect on the total income level of coastal fishermen in Pacitan Regency.


Abstract : The critical tasks in the 94 highest-density MOSs were analyzed to determine the basic skills that are considered necessary to successfully perform them. The results of this analysis are described in a large computerized data base which is installed at the National Institutes of Health's computer facility. The data base is described in this research product, as well as the procedures required to access the data.


The damping of the collective vibrations in hot nuclei is studied within the semiclassical Vlasov-Landau kinetic theory. The extention of the method of independent sources of dissipation is used to allow for irreversible energy transfer by chaos weighted wall formula. The expressions for the intrinsic width of the giant multipole resonances are obtained. The interplay between the one-body and the two-body channels which contribute to the formation of the intrinsic width in nuclei is discussed.


In this paper, we design a high-speed and wide-bandwidth continuous-time sigma-delta modulator (CT-SDM). We emphasize the design of low power wide-bandwidth (10MHz) CT-SDM for WLAN Std. 802.11b receiver. In the application of wireless receiver, continuous-time sigma-delta ADC is more suitable than pipeline ADC. Instead of active-RC filter, we use Gm-C filter in our CT-SDM design because Gm-C filter consumes lower power and requires less limitation on op-amp. The CT-SDM is implemented with TSMC 0.35μm CMOS process. The proposed CT-SDM achieves a 43dB peak SNR and 48-db DR with a 10-MHz bandwidth at a 1GHz sampling rate for WLAN Std. 802.11b. The power consumption is 17.3mW with 3.3V power supply.


Long Term Evolution (LTE), the next generation of radio technologies designed to increase the capacity and speed of mobile networks. The future communication systems require much higher peak rate for the air interface but very short processing delay. This paper mainly focuses on to improve the processing speed and capability and decrease the processing delay of the downlink channels using the parallel processing technique. This paper proposes Parallel Processing Architecture for both transmitter and receiver for Downlink channels in 3GPP-LTE. The Processing steps include Scrambling, Modulation, Layer mapping, Precoding and Mapping to the REs in transmitter side. Similarly demapping from the REs, Decoding and Detection, Delayer mapping and Descrambling in Receiver side. Simulation is performed by using modelsim and Implementation is achieved using Plan Ahead tool and virtex 5 FPGA.Implemented results are discussed in terms of RTL design, FPGA editor, power estimation and resource estimation.


To the Editor Lee et al 1 conducted an interesting meta-analysis to estimate the relative efficacy of checkpoint inhibitor vs docetaxel for treatment of advanced non-small cell lung carcinoma. The meta-analysis consists of 5 comparative clinical trials (CheckMate-017, CheckMate-057, Keynote-010, OAK, POPLAR) with the overall survival (OS) end point. For each study, the hazard ratio (HR) was used to quantify the treatment effect. A weighted average of 5 HRs was constructed as the pooled treatment effect from checkpoint inhibitors using the fixed-effects inverse-variance-weighted method. This resulted in a combined HR (checkpoint inhibitor vs docetaxel) of 0.69 (95% CI, 0.63-0.75).


A 76 year old woman was admitted to our cardiology clinic with a history of dyspnoea on exertion and palpitation over a period of several months. Irregular …


FIELD: chemical technology. SUBSTANCE: claims describes oxygen- -accumulating material with high thermal stability that comprises cerium oxide and at least one stabilizing agent taken among group including praseodymium oxide, lanthanum oxide, yttrium oxide and neodymium oxide. Stabilizing agent or stabilizing agents and optionally cerium oxide present in highly dispersed form on specific surface of carrier with highly developed surface taken among group including aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, titanium oxide, silicon oxide, cerium oxide and their mixed oxides. Specific surface of oxygen- accumulating material after calcinations in air at 900 C for 10 h is yet above 20 but preferably above 30 m 2 /g. Invention provides preparing material with high thermal stability and time-prolonged stability. EFFECT: improved preparing method, enhanced and valuable properties. 6 cl, 4 dwg, 6 tbl


BACKGROUND: Postoperative wound infections or surgical site infections (SSIs) are associated with increased morbidity and mortality as they can cause delay in recovery, increase length of stay and increased health care costs. This study was conducted to find out the prevalence and sensitivity pattern of surgical site infections among post surgical cases at Calicut Medical College. METHODOLOGY: The study was conducted for a period of one year from July 2007 to June 2008. Two swabs were collected from each site. One swab was used for direct smear examination after Gram staining and second swab was subjected to culture and antibiotic sensitivity testing by standard microbiological techniques. RESULTS: The total numbers of surgeries done during the one year period in three surgical units were 1902. The number of clinically suspected cases was 102 (5.36%). The study included 27 'clean', 32 'cleancontaminated' , 13 'contaminated' and 30 'dirty' cases. Culture proven cases were 36 out of 102. Lowest infection rate was seen in clean (18.5%) surgery followed by clean-contaminated (37.5%), contaminated (38.5%) and dirty surgeries (47%). MRSA (Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus) (83%) and multidrug resistant gram negative bacilli were predominant isolates. Alarming rate of resistance to ciprofloxacin, cefazolin, ceftriaxone and ampicillin were observed. CONCLUSION: The commonly used antibiotics for empiric treatment of post operative wound infections may not be effective. Development of a suitable antibiotic policy and surveillance is essential to reduce the postoperative wound infection rates.


If we shall put a glance towards Indian traditional and cultural heritage it becomes clear that ancient Indian society gave more emphasis on women empowerment because the, the then people knew that if women will be worshipped then only all sort of prosperities can be expected. The ancient woman was able to change the society in a positive way. Such things are just an example for the present society. Among the ancient glorious and truthful women Sita can be considered to be the fore most one. We can get this idea when we shall cover the whole research paper. In the entire paper we can find out the truthfulness, devotion, dedication, and affection, etc of Sita towards her elders and youngers. She never hesitated to sacrifice her life for the benefit of the entire humanity. Putting her in number of problems and obstacles she devoted her life for the establishment of righteousness in the universe.


Over the last century, Steiner, Dewey, Montessori and Malauzzi have all made the case for the numerous benefits of sensory play. With evidence that children's access to sensory play is in decline, the treasure basket can potentially offer a tool for increasing sensory stimulation, especially when the three stages of play set out in the Sensory Play Continuum are followed. Treasure baskets are used for simple exploration, problem solving and domestic role play (see Goldschmied and Jackson, 2004); older children use them in pretend and goal-oriented symbolic play, where the objects became something new, reflecting and portraying children's ideas and thoughts; when combined with other resources, the potential for creativity and problem solving significantly increases. Adults have a crucial, yet subtle role in maximising quality sensory play opportunities from play with a treasure basket across all three stages of the Sensory Play Continuum. This chapter explores whether treasure baskets can help compensate for children's limited access to multi-sensory experiences and, if so, what role adults have.


Construction of buildings in mountain hilly areas, in order to save costs, while ensuring the overall structure of the safe and reliable, in the floor at the natural slope treatment, the abolition of the retaining wall. Due to the cancellation of the retaining wall, the vertical weighing member of the slope construction is subjected to the larger level of earth pressure. In this paper, PKPM and Midas software are used to analyze the slope structure and explore the design method and measures of the slope structure.


On an example of the broadband filter on oscillatory contours with the combined communication influence of an inclination of curves of frequency dependence of communication factors on their values on resonant frequency is investigated. The corner of an inclination of curves is adjusted by a parity of inductive and capacitor components of communication factor. Communication factors values for the adjusted filter are compared to the values received under formulas of direct synthesis. The increase in an inclination of a dispersive curve demands increase in communication factor value at the central frequency of a passband.


Purpose

The environments provided by classrooms to facilitate learning among students can be seen as useful vehicles for making meaning out of gossip, lies, exaggeration and partial truths (i.e. counter-knowledge). This paper aims to focus on professional learning communities as a process to counteract the problem of counter-knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper has analysed the relationships between professional-learning communities and counter-knowledge using an empirical study of 210 undergraduate students to identify whether there is a significant impact on student achievement by professional learning communities. This study uses PLS-Graph software version 3.0 to conduct an analysis of the data collected.

Findings

Outcome findings support that professional learning communities provide a way of counteracting counter-knowledge and the noise heard through gossip, lies, exaggeration and partial truths.

Originality/value

Results also confirm that counter-knowledge is a variable that, when controlled, has the effect of strengthening the relationship between learning and student achievement.


as a relational and spiritual process, not just physiological; (iii) develop networks of care which lead support for people dying, caring and grieving; (iv) encourage conversations and stories about everyday death, dying and grief; and (v) recognise death's value. The Commission recognises Kerala, India as one community that has addressed the challenge of reclaiming death, dying and grief as social concerns, transforming restrictive policies on opioid availability and helping health-care professionals to work in partnership with people and families. The authors identify 'death systems' as the means by which death and dying are understood, regulated and managed. They suggest radical changes are needed across all death systems globally to transform how people die and grieve today. Child death is not addressed in this document.


The pharmaceutical industry discovers, develops, produces, and markets drugs or pharmaceutical drugs for use as medications to be administered (or self-administered) to patients to cure them. Pharmaceutical drugs and ingredients are manufactured from raw materials through both chemical and physical means. During this process various unit of operations are performed like separation, crystallization, evaporation, filtration, distillation and reaction by using diverse chemicals flammable liquid, flammable solid, flammable gas and other hazardous chemicals. In pharmaceutical industry there is huge risk of fire due to handling of variety of flammable liquid, flammable solid, flammable gas and other hazardous chemicals. Hazardous Area Classification in pharmaceutical is the evaluation and classification of hazardous (classified) locations using scientific and engineering principles, within facilities where chemicals are manufactured, processed or utilized. Hazardous areas are classified solely for the purpose of ensuring the safe and proper specification and installation of electrical/ electronic equipment located within them.


In a practical wireless network, the coding opportunities may be reduced by limited decoding buffers. In this paper, we introduce a new scheme called decoding buffer management (DBM) in practical wireless network coding. The DBM is composed of two parts named respectively decoding buffer filtering and packet information distributing. By decoding buffer filtering, the packets invaluable for future coding/decoding are filtered instead of storing in decoding buffer. Meanwhile, through packet information distributing, the overhead brought by packet information announcing is further reduced. We evaluate the proposed scheme on a regular 4×4 grid wireless network. Comparing with COPE, the simulation results show that when decoding buffers are limited, the DBM has up to 6.7 times coding opportunities while the amount of the packets stored in decoding buffers is reduced by up to 88% and the amount for packet information announcing is reduced by over 95%.


In the biomedical field, the laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) technique is a non-invasive method to monitor skin perfusion. On the skin of healthy humans, LDF signals present a significant transient increase in response to a local and progressive pressure application. This vasodilatory reflex response may have important implications for cutaneous pathologies involved in various neurological diseases and in the pathophysiology of decubitus ulcers. The present work analyses the dynamic characteristics of these signals on young type 1 diabetic patients, and on healthy age-matched subjects. To obtain accurate dynamic characteristic values, a de-noising wavelet-based algorithm is first applied to LDF signals. All the de-noised signals are then normalised to the same value. The blood flow peak and the time to reach this peak are then calculated on each computed signal. The results show that a large vasodilation is present on signals of healthy subjects. The mean peak occurs at a pressure of 3.2 kPa approximately. However, a vasodilation of limited amplitude appears on type 1 diabetic patients. The maximum value is visualised, on the average, when the pressure is 1.1 kPa. The inability for diabetic patients to increase largely their cutaneous blood flow may bring explanations to foot ulcers.


Mathematical models used in ecology often inherit the complexity found in nature and thus are governed by a large number of variables. Aggregation of variables methods is used to make such models mathematically tractable by building an approximate system governing fewer variables. We extend here aggregation methods for linear discrete models with processes occurring at different time scales. In practical cases, some processes that occur at a fast time scale are often only measured at a slow time scale, like mortality. We present a general class of models with two time scales involving such kind of processes. We show how they should be re-scaled in order to be taken into account at the fast time scale in a more realistic approach. The approximate aggregation of these models is undertaken and justified in mathematical terms. We also provide an application to a model of a structured population in a two-patch environment.


Introduction. The article describes the fundamentals of regional innovation clusters, trends in their growth in the world and in Russia, and emphasizes the significance of improving their management in light of clusters' growing importance in boosting the innovation potential of the nation as a whole and of particular regions. The issues regarding organizing and managing the growth of innovation clusters are given special consideration. The study revealed the benefits of focusing on the innovative ecosystem integrator strategy, which uses networking forms of cluster development regulation in the form of regional innovation ecosystems. The article examines the outlook for innovation clusters in Russian areas with a high potential for technological and scientific advancement. Methods. The study's tasks were resolved using both theoretical and empirical research methods. The former include the abstraction, generalization and systematization methods. The latter include the methods of algorithmization, comparative analysis and modeling, which allowed for a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of innovation clusters, and helped formulate the outlook for the coordinated development of the economy of regions and clusters. Results and Discussion. The authors, guided by the criterion of innovation-sectoral orientation of Russian innovation clusters, identified the different types of clusters formed in the Russian regions, examining their strategies and development priorities, which predetermine the decision in favor of a specific development direction. Conclusion. The potential future development paths of regional innovation clusters in Russia were taken into consideration; management strategies and priority development areas to increase the effectiveness of clusters in the regions were formulated. A promising direction for this problem's future elaboration appears to be the modeling of motivational mechanisms for the growth of regional innovation clusters and boosting their efficiency.


The assimilatory activity of cotyledons can play an essential role in the survival of seedlings with a slow and delayed development of primary leaves. Changes in the photosynthetic activity of the cotyledon, from the onset of greening through senescence, were studied in two such plants, carob and sunflower, in order to determine its efficiency and duration, also in connection with the achievement of assimilatory autonomy by the plantlet. Chlorophyll analyses showed that the cotyledon's chloroplasts reached maximal greening in plantlets with a pair of expanded leaves. In contrast, the cotyledon's photosynthetic activity, measured as the rate of oxygen release, started to decrease early, before expansion of primary leaves. The decrease was due to the inactivation of a number of photosystem II (PSII) units, as revealed by immunodetection of breackdown products of the reaction centre's D1 and D2 thylakoid proteins. No signals of PSII alteration were noticed in the primary leaf chloroplasts that differentiated under the same environmental conditions. The damage to the cotyledon PSII, occurring in a non-photoinhibitory situation, might be due to a slower rate of turnover of D1 polypeptide than in the leaf thylakoids. The differential turnover of this protein in cotyledons and in leaves might represent an organ-specific regulation of the photosynthetic activity. The peculiarity of the cotyledon thylakoids make these organs useful objects for studying the metabolic cycle of both D1 and D2 proteins in vivo, under non-photoinhibiting conditions.


Wireless charging technology is considered as one of the promising solutions to solve the energy limitation problem for large-scale wireless sensor networks. Obviously, charger deployment is a critical issue since the number of chargers would be limited by the network construction budget, which makes the full-coverage deployment of chargers infeasible. In many of the applications targeted by large-scale wireless sensor networks, end-devices are usually equipped by the human and their movement follows some degree of regularity. Therefore in this paper, we utilize this property to deploy chargers with partial coverage, with an objective to maximize the survival rate of end-devices. We prove this problem is NP-hard, and propose an algorithm to tackle it. The simulation results show that our proposed algorithm can significantly increase the survival rate of end-devices. To our knowledge, this is one of very first works that consider charger deployment with partial coverage in wireless rechargeable sensor networks.


Noise is a pollutant by the combustion process that may have direct effect upon surrounding environment. In this study, noise measurements were taken for multi cylinders, four stroke Fiat engine converted to run as dual fuel engine on diesel and gaseous fuels of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and natural gas (NG). The study focused on the influence of some operating parameters. These parameters included: engine load, pilot fuel injection timing, pilot fuel mass, and engine speed. It was found that using LPG as the main fuel in duel fuel mixture exhibits higher engine noise compared to NG or neat diesel. The results showed that advancing injection timing from optimum ones increased engine sound pressure levels.


Memtransistor, a hybrid transistor and memristor, features both semi-conductive and resistive switching properties. We demonstrate that the resistive property in both $\text{MoS}_{2}$ crossbar memristor and planar memtransistor structures based on highly compatible CMOS process with heavily-doped poly-Si as bottom electrode (BE) and source/drain (S/D), respectively. Low-resistance/ high-resistance state current ratio $(\mathrm{I}_{\text{LRS}}/\mathrm{I}_{\text{HRS}})$ in memtransitors can be modified by both back gate and S/D electrodes, favoring operation of artificial neural networks. A boosted ION is found after the set process, exhibiting a new manner to acquire high-performance $\text{MoS}_{2}$ devices. Our work presents a novel memtransistor concept based on 2D material device for memory and logic applications.


Experiments of plastic film mulching and time of removing were carried out in Liangshan Tobacco Research Institute.Results show that plant height and leaf growth were both distinctly affected by different mulching time treatments.The activity of nitrate reductase of leaf and invertase in mulching plastic film treatment were more active than in non-mulching treatment.The most active one is identified in the treatment of removing plastic film after 35 days of transplanting.The experiments also found that the activity of nitrate reductase in root had a different tendency from that in leaf during the growing period.Results show that the activity of Nitrate Reductase in root was higher in non-mulching treatment than in mulching treatment.


The vertical vibration responses of YBCO superconductor maglev system on different suspension heights and different vibration frequencies are investigated in this letter.For lower vibration frequency,the system can resume the suspension height,like a spring system.The resonant frequency,which led to a small damping and an intense vibration,linearly increases when decreasing the gap between the superconductors and the magnet.It makes the energy loss and suspension height of the system significantly to be reduced.These relationships are useful in improving the levitation performance of high temperature superconductor maglev systems.


We have shown in a computational model that a poor memory for context could result in some of the behaviors associated with ADHD, which is well in line with the dynamic developmental theory. Given the important role of context in extinction, a weaker context due to a steeper delay-of-reinforcement gradient would result in impaired inhibition.


We propose a cost-effective and scalable OXC/ROADM that consists of a subsystem-modular express switch part and a transponder-bank-based add/drop part. The effectiveness of the proposed architecture is verified via a hardware scale evaluation, network performance simulations, and transmission experiments. The architecture enables large throughput and offers significant hardware-scale reductions with marginal fiber-utilization penalty against the conventional architectures. A part of the OXC/ROADM designed to accommodate 35x35 express fiber ports and 2,800 transponders for add/drop is constructed. Its net throughput reaches 314 Tbps using 80 channels of 120-Gbps signal (30-Gbaud dual-polarization quadrature phase-shift-keying signals with 7% overhead are assumed).


NESTLING IN THE GENTLY ROLLING HILLS OF REMOTE NORTH-WEST ROMANIA IS A MAGICAL LAND THAT TIME FORGOT. BUT NOW THE YOUNGER GENERATION WANT OUT


The emerging high efficiency video coding (HEVC) Standard has significantly improved the compression performance in comparison with its predecessor H.264/AVC. However, it was originally designed for generic video contents. The backgrounds are generally static in the surveillance and conference videos. The background coding errors will propagate to the subsequent frames in coding the videos. In this paper, a background error propagation (BEP) model-based rate distortion optimization (RDO) scheme in HEVC is proposed for the surveillance and conference videos. First, the R-D performance of the long-term frames is optimized globally. The global RDO scheme can efficiently exploit the background error propagation. Second, a BEP model is studied to express the linear relationship between the distortion of the first frame and that of its subsequent frames. Based on the BEP model, enhanced frames are proposed to be coded with a small quantization parameter so as to improve the global performance. Third, a decay model is proposed to investigate the variation of the error propagation ratio as the frame order increased. Based on the decay model, a periodical optimization scheme is presented by deploying the enhanced frames periodically. Experiments are tested on the surveillance and conference videos. The results show that the proposed algorithm achieves significant performance improvement.


In this present work, selective surfaces with Ni and NiO had been produced in chamber of vacuum with the use of cathodic deposition ("sputtering"). The pressure of the chamber was adjusted in 2x10 -2 mbar and the power 600W. The time for deposition of Ni varied of 10 to 60 minutes and the time for deposition of Ni-NiO of 10 to 90 minutes. The mixture of gases was constituted of argon (inert gas) and oxygen (active gas). The percentage in volume of oxygen varied of 20 to 70%. The identification and the quantifica- tion of the phases were carried through by X-Ray Diffrac- tion (XRD). The microstructure of the samples was exam- ined to the Scanning Eletronic Microscope (SEM). The sur- face morphology was investigated by Atomic Force Micro- scope (AFM). The solar absortance was calculated from the measures of reflectance for Spectroscopy for Fourier Transformed Infrared Ray (FTIR). In some samples peaks of 99% of thermal absorption had been reached. Films with better absorption of heat for applications in solar collec- tors, was prepared with the relation of the chemical com- position, microstructure and the optic properties of these materials.


A way of reading eight-bit-and-seven-segment LED by keybord scanning based on FPGA is introduced in this paper.This article contains an application and elements mapping way.The way is simple and understandable.Thus,it needn't define a lot of signal,map ports and transfer component.The design way tend to be simple.


Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF) is an infectious disease caused by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito. Dengue fever is very susceptible to occur in residential conditions that do not care about environmental cleanliness. One of the efforts to reduce the incidence of dengue fever in schools is to increase students' knowledge regarding the prevention of dengue transmission. Health education is able to provide and improve the knowledge, attitudes, practices of both individuals and communities in maintaining and improving their own health. The purpose of this study was to increase students' knowledge about preventing dengue transmission in the school. The implementation method is to use the lecture and discussion method. Community service is carried out on students at SDN 1 Kekeri, West Lombok Regency. The number of respondents involved as many as 40 people. Evaluation of activities using the questionnaire given at the pre and end post test. The results of the activity showed that knowledge about the prevention of dengue disease was increased. Conclusion: Counselling students about dengue fever has an impact on increasing students' knowledge regarding the prevention of dengue transmission in the school environment.


Nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR)‐like immunoreactivity (IR) was studied in PC12 cells treated for 96 hr with NGF (40 ng/ml), using immunogold labeling and electron microscopic morphomctric analysis. The cells were exposed to the anti‐NGFR antibody 192‐IgG, followed by immunoglobulin (IgG) conjugated with colloidal gold. PC12 cells exhibited occasional gold label (positive NGFR‐IR) on all surfaces. Cells treated with colcemid (0.05 μg/ml) or cytochalasin D (2 μg/ml), which limit microtubule (MT) and microfilament (MF) formation, respectively, displayed an increased NGFR‐IR in terms of gold labeling. NGFR‐IR was also seen on taxol (0.85 μg/ml)‐exposed cells, an agent that promotes MT assembly. Cells treated simultaneously with cytochalasin D and taxol had a dramatically augmented NGFR‐IR on their surfaces, which exceeded levels obtained with either agent alone. Prominent NGFR‐IR was localized frequently in coated endocytotic vesicles, in smooth endoplasmic reticulum, and in secondary multivesicular lysosomes, in both treated and untreated cells. The results suggest that a large number of NGFRs (positive NGFR‐IR) in PC12 cells are cryptic and not available for ligand binding. Changes in cytoskeletal organization that may affect mobility of integral membrane proteins can modulate the distribution of NGFR‐IR on neuronal surfaces.


The construction of onshore wind turbines has rapidly been increasing as the UK attempts to meet its renewable energy targets. As the UK's future energy depends more on wind farms, safety and security are critical to the success of this renewable energy source. Structural integrity is a critical element of this security of supply. With the stochastic nature of the load regime a bespoke low cost structural health monitoring system is required to monitor integrity. This paper presents an assessment of 'embedded can' style foundation failure modes in large onshore wind turbines and proposes a novel condition based monitoring solution to aid in early warning of failure.


It is necessary to systematically review the literature since the information and communication technology (ICT) assisted flipped pedagogical approach in English education has been increasingly popular. By way of visualization through CiteSpace and other qualitative research methods, we arrived at the conclusion that most of the studies support the ICT-assisted flipped pedagogical approach in EFL education although there are still some different findings. The flipped classroom pedagogy in EFL education may bring many advantages to students, teachers, and researchers. Disadvantages of the ICT-assisted flipped pedagogical approach include difficulty in supervising students' learning activities, organization of in-class academic activities, cautious attitudes, and some negative learning outcomes. We also explored the number of recent publications and citations, co-citation clusters of the cited literature, citation counts, and rankings by bursts, centrality, and sigma. Future research may focus on the interdisciplinary research into the ICT-assisted flipped pedagogical approach.


Abstract
The recent history of Qatar, a country long under foreign influence, highlights its aspiration towards independence and the affirmation of its foreign policy. If sheik Hamad Al-Thani, who came to power in 1995, employs a more nationalist policy, it is nevertheless the Iraq War of 2003 that has contributed to the emergence of a Qatarian diplomacy that is more assured, most notably towards Saudi Arabia. Qatar has become closer with the United States in welcoming the Forward Headquarters of the US Central Command (CENTCOM). Qatar's position, as a non-permanent member of the Security Council in 2006, has also given it the opportunity to develop its international ambitions, through an active diplomacy, in particular where it concerns Israeli-Palestinian, and Lebanese questions, and sometimes stands apart from the Americans.


Iron deficiency anemia in adolescents still be a problem. If it untreated, it will continue into adulthood and contribute greatly to maternal mortality, premature birth, and low birth weight babies. The aim of this studi was to determine the risk factors on the incidence of adolescent girls iron deficiency anemia in urban and rural areas Banyumas. This study conducted with cross sectional approach to 120 sample of adolescent girls who study at the high school. Data knowledge of nutrition and body image obtained through questionnaires, consumption obtained through food recall, Hemoglobin levels with test strips, and analysis by chi square test and multiple logistic regression. The samples of the study, 70 came from urban and 50 were from rural, 92.9% of urban adolescent  girls and 76% of adolescent  girls in rural sample anemic. Bivariate analysis showed that factors associated with the incidence of iron deficiency anemia in adolescent girls in urban were protein intake and iron intake. Multivariate showed that the most factor on the incidence of iron deficiency anemia in urban was protein intake. We expected Dinas Kesehatan to have a collaboration with the Dinas Pendidikan to solve the problem of adolescent anemia


The social process by which people interact and behave in a group environment is called group dynamics. Group dynamics involves the influence of personality, power, and behaviour on the group process. Is the relationship between individuals conducive to achieving the groups goals? Is the structure and size of the group an asset in pursuing both the task and maintenance functions of the group? How is formal and informal power used to build consensus or reach decisions? Does the combination of individuals produce the right culture? How these individuals, cultures, and internal forces interact allows us to analyze and better understand group effectiveness.


Objective:Observe the clinical curative effect on treating CSA with massage manipulation,accupuncture and medication.Method:Offer massage,accupuncture and medication according to patients' symptoms and observe the curative effect after 21-day treatment.Result:Discuss the curative effect of the therapy based on result validity.Conclusion:The positive result can be achieved with massage therapy on treating cervical spondylosis.


The article is devoted to the peculiarities of a folklore lexeme; the semantic structure of a folklore word, which conditions its multidimensionality and polyfunctionality, is described. Special attention is paid to folklore connotations. Substantial properties of a folklore word are examined through the prism of the folklore world image.


Several pharmacoepidemiological studies indicate that proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) significantly increase the risk of dementia. Yet, the underlying mechanism is not known. Here, we report the discovery of an unprecedented mode of action of PPIs that explains how PPIs may increase the risk of dementia.


transference interpretation plays a small part. Follow ing such delineation the patient then works through in actual life situations, developing the conviction that the beliefs are indeed irrational until finally they are extinguished. Cognitive psychoanalysis has come more to the fore in the United States in recent years, with a particular following in the American Academy of Psychoanalysis. It can, I think be seen as an extension of the American emphasis on autonomous ego functioning. The book contains a number of papers describing the approach in various areas, the author has parti cular interest in work inhibition and this is associated with masochism. The style is quite readable and there are numerous clinical examples.


The designs of universal tooling and their application in the pretreatment and electophoresis process were introduced.In particular it solved a painting problem for car of centre sliding door.Thus it not only guaranteed the painting quality of products,but also was beneficial to realization of mechanization and automotion production.


Logistic regression with L1-regularization has been recognized as a prominent method for feature extraction in linear classification problems. Various optimization methods for L1 logistic regression have been proposed in recent years. However there have been few studies conducted to compare such methods. This paper reviews existing methods for optimization and then tests the methods over a binary dataset. Results are recorded and comparisons are made. After analyzing the results, the conclusion is that the GLMNET method is the best in terms of time efficiency.


An FPGA-based digital-receiver has been developed for a low-frequency imaging radio interferometer, the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA). The MWA, located at the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory (MRO) in Western Australia, consists of 128 dual-polarized aperture-array elements (tiles) operating between 80 and 300 MHz, with a total processed bandwidth of 30.72 MHz for each polarization. Radiofrequency signals from the tiles are amplified and band limited using analog signal conditioning units; sampled e-mail: email@example.com 1 Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bangalore, India. 2 National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Green Bank, USA. 3 ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO). 4 Australian National University (ANU), Canberra, Australia. 5 MIT Kavli Institute, Boston, USA. 6 International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research Curtin University, Perth, Australia. 7 CSIRO Computational Informatics, Australia. 8 Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia. 9 Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, USA. 10 Arizona State University, Tempe, USA. 11 MIT Haystack Observatory, Westford, USA. 12 University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. 13 University of WashingtonSeattle, Seattle, USA. 14 Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. 15 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, USA. 16 National Centre for Radio Astrophysics TIFR, Pune, India. 17 University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. 18 University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia. 19 Square Kilometre Array South Africa (SKA SA), Cape Town, South Africa. 20 Department of Physics and Electronics, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa. 21 CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science, Australia. 22 University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA. 23 SKA Organisation, Jodrell Bank Observatory, UK. and channelized by digital-receivers. The signals from eight tiles are processed by a single digital-receiver, thus requiring 16 digital-receivers for the MWA. The main function of the digital-receivers is to digitize the broadband signals from each tile, channelize them to form the sky-band, and transport it through optical fibers to a centrally located correlator for further processing. The digital-receiver firmware also implements functions to measure the signal power, perform power equalization across the band, detect interference-like events, and invoke diagnostic modes. The digital-receiver is controlled by high-level programs running on a single-board-computer. This paper presents the digital-receiver design, implementation, current status, and plans for future enhancements.


Abstract : The Army Reserve had been a strategic reserve since its inception over 102 years ago, but recently Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers have been required to deploy on a rotational basis similar to their active duty counterparts. As recently as February 1991 during Operation Desert Storm under the previous strategic formation and a traditional battle field, the strategic reserves would primarily execute a rear echelon support role. In the current COIN operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, all soldiers are exposed and susceptible to direct and indirect fire even if their mission is Combat Support (CS) or Combat Service Support (CSS). This increased exposure has resulted in an escalation of reservists' risk for lingering combat stress symptoms, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Minor Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) and suicide. Combat stress is one area that can either be exacerbated or ameliorated depending on a soldier's training, support system, and personal situation. Evidence shows differences in the lingering effects of combat stress and behavioral health in service members serving in the reserve component and the active component upon return home.


Star sensors have been developed to acquire accurate orientation information in recent decades superior to other attitude measuring instruments. A star camera takes photos of the night sky to obtain star maps. An important step to acquire attitude knowledge is to compare the features of the observed stars in the maps with those of the cataloged stars using star identification algorithms. To calculate centroids of the star images before this step, they are required to be extracted from the star maps in advance. However, some large or ultra large imaging detectors are applied to acquire star maps for star sensors with the development of electronic imaging devices. Therefore, star image extraction occupies more and more portions of the whole attitude measurement period of time. It is required to shorten star image extraction time in order to achieve higher response rate. In this paper, a novel star image extraction algorithm is proposed which fulfill the tasks efficiently. By scanning star map, the pixels brighter than the gray threshold are found and their coordinates and brightness are stored in a cross-linked list. Data of these pixels are linked by pointers, while other pixels are neglected. Therefore, region growing algorithm can be used by choosing the first element in the list as a starting seed. New seeds are founded if the neighboring pixels are brighter than the threshold, and the last seed is deleted from the list. Next search continues until no neighboring pixels are in the list. At that time, one star image is extracted, and its centroid is calculated. Likely, other star images may be extracted, and then the examined seeds are deleted which are never considered again. A new star image search always begins from the first element for avoiding unnecessary scanning. The experiments have proved that for a 1024×1024 star map, the image extraction takes nearly 16 milliseconds. When CMOS APS is utilized to transfer image data, the real-time extraction can be almost achieved.


This text is devoted to an analysis of the Moocs, taking the viewpoint of the participants in these distance courses. Drawing on the emergence of new practices of training consumption, it tries to make the link between different perspectives of research: those coming from distance education, those relating to the analysis of educational resources, from textbooks. Taking into account the evolutions of books, especially with digital and Internet, it shows that considering Moocs as contemporary forms of educational (or cultural) books leads to change certain research issues and, more simply, the analyses devoted to them. Finally, it discusses two central processes in education, conversation and control, and shows how their articulation is reflected in the Moocs and how they are designed and used.


Polymer Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells are known as the most significant alternatives to internal-combustion engines, but still there is a long way to achieve this ideal in reality. To achieve such a goal lots of optimizations are needed to be done on fuel cells. Water management is critical for achieving high performance of PEM fuel cells. In highcurrent densities, condensed water fills the pores of the Gas Diffusion Layers and thus oxygen transfer to the catalyst layers would be limited. In this study, for the sake of analyzing the PEM fuel cell characteristics and their variations, using the COMSOL software, the twophase flow regime in PEM fuel cells was simulated. To determine the saturation level in the cathode, a separate differential equation for mass conservation of liquid water was solved and due to the dependencies of other parameters of the mixture on the saturation level, these parameters are determined.


We demonstrate that a duality‐symmetric action proposed by Zwnaziger for describing Maxwell fields interacting with electric and magnetic sources is dual to a duality‐symmetric Maxwell action discussed by Deser and Teitelboim, and by Schwarz and Sen.


Purpose of reviewHigh-density lipoprotein (HDL) protects against atherosclerosis, transporting cholesterol from peripheral cells to the liver, where it is excreted into the bile. However, HDL also has prominent vascular protective effects. Recent findingsRecent studies have uncovered mechanisms through which HDL decreases vascular inflammation, boosts nitric oxide production, and inhibits thrombosis. The discovery that dysfunctional HDL can also have proinflammatory effects has uncovered a new aspect of HDL biology. SummaryLow-density lipoprotein is the primary target for drug therapy of dyslipidemias. Drugs that increase HDL also affect additional metabolic pathways. Development of selective drugs targeting key aspects of HDL metabolism may enable us to alter the composition of HDL and inhibit atherogenesis.


The article analyzes scientific approaches to defining the concept of inclusive growth, its place, and its role in the structure of economic systems. Attention is paid to the participation of various researchers and international organizations in the formation of this concept. The practical as-pects of the implementation of the concept of "inclusive economic growth" are determined and the prospects for further research on this concept are outlined, in particular, in terms of different levels of the economy.


Background: Advances in diapers and skin barrier products are often aimed at reducing water penetration of the skin to prevent diaper dermatitis and evaporimetry has commonly been measured to quantify excess water in the skin. The aim of this study was to critically review the methods used to measure water vapour flux density (WVFD) using evaporimetry in order to identify a standardised methodology.


The relation between the angular distance of a quasar from a nearby galaxy and the red shift of the galaxy, as found by Burbidge, O'Dell, and Strittmatter for five galaxy-quasar pairs, disappears if one takes a more complete sample of paired systems. Previous statistical conclusions compact objects and galaxies thereby remain valid. (auth)


It has been recognized that many models predicting ice accretion on wind turbine surfaces fail to predict the shape of horned ice accretion correctly while the results for rime type ice are fairly reasonable. One of possible sources of discrepancy is perhaps due to the fact that these models neglect the ice densification effect occurring during the icing process. To investigate the significance of densification effect, a proper, firstprincipled based analysis is required. This effort will move towards more accurate prediction of ice accretion and their impacts on design for industrial users. This paper presents a Windows based package that allows the user easily to input test conditions and predict the mass accumulated on the wind turbine blades. The software package combines features from a CFD solver, the LEWICE ice accretion code and the densification icing code. A flexible and interactive interface tool is developed using Visual Basic and C programming tools. Discussions are given in details to the definitions of input parameters, theories, iteration scheme and accuracy estimation. A qualitative comparison with available experimental data and prediction by the LEWICE code is also made. NOMENCLATURE c chord length, m d droplet diameter, m g gravitational acceleration, m/s2 h film heat transfer coefficient, W/m2-K hm mass transfer coefficient, W/m -s k thennal conductivity, W/m-K LWC liquid water content, g/m3 m ice mass flux, kg/m2-s


Tetragonal zirconia polycrystals were produced from high purity powders containing 1.5 to 5.0 mol% Y/sub 2/O/sub 3/ by cold isostatic pressing and sintering, hot-pressing, and hot isostatic pressing. The mechanical properties and microstructures of these resulting materials were examined, with emphasis on the relation between strength and fracture toughness.


Activated carbon prepared from sawdust is endeavored as adsorbent for the removal of reactive dye, namely Remazol Red (RR) from aqueous media. The adsorption of RR has been studied onto activated sawdust at various particle size, adsorbent dose, temperature and pH values. The adsorptions of the above mentioned dye were designed for the Langmuir and Freundlich Isotherms. Pseudo first and second order kinetic models were used to calculate the amount adsorbed at equilibrium (q e ). The calculated values of qe for pseudo-second order equation were found to be in good agreement with those of experimental values. The monolayer capacity (q m ) for treated sawdust (8.00 mg g –1 ) is greater than commercial charcoal (0.074 mg g –1 ). It is established that treated sawdust has been used as a better adsorbent for the removal of RR as compared to commercial charcoal. This process may eventually be used to get industrial waste free purified water. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bpj.v16i1.14501 Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal 16 (1): 93-98, 2013


Abstract : The nonoily liquid wastes (other than bilge and ballast waste water) generated aboard U.S. Army LCU 1561, during its normal deployment, were characterized. Waste generation rates, as well as the physical, chemical, and bacteriological nature of the collected waste water, were determined. Twenty- three grab samples, representing the waste water in the port and starboard holding tanks, were collected and analyzed.


Objective: To determine whether proton MRS (1H MRS) can detect long-term metabolite abnormalities in abstinent methamphetamine users. Background: Methamphetamine is toxic to dopaminergic and serotonergic neurons in rodents; however, little data are available on the toxic effects of methamphetamine on the human brain. Methods: 1H MRS was performed in 26 abstinent methamphetamine abusers with a history of methamphetamine dependence (median total cumulative lifetime exposure, 3,640 g; median recency of last methamphetamine use, 4.25 months) and 24 healthy subjects without a history of drug abuse. Cerebral metabolite concentrations on 1H MRS were measured in the frontal cortex, frontal white matter, and basal ganglia. Results: The concentration of N-acetylaspartate ([NA]), a neuronal marker, was reduced significantly (−5 to −6%) in the basal ganglia and frontal white matter of methamphetamine users compared with control subjects. The frontal white matter [NA] correlated inversely with the logarithm of the lifetime methamphetamine use. The methamphetamine users also showed significantly reduced total creatine in the basal ganglia (−8%), and increased choline-containing compounds ([CHO], +13%) and myo-inositol ([MI], +11%) in the frontal grey matter. Conclusions: The reduced [NA] on 1H MRS provides evidence for long-term neuronal damage in abstinent methamphetamine users.


Axisymmetrical slopes like circular pit or circular truncated cone are special case of three dimensional slopes.Based on limit stress field which satisfies the three-dimensional Mohr-Coulomb yield criterion,equilibrium equations of force and moment were obtained for stability analysis of axisymmetrical slopes.Three calculation methods were developed,which are similar to the two-dimensional methods including Fellenius,Bishop and multiple sliding surface methods.The calculation example shows that the safety factors of prominentia axisymmetrical slopes are greater than those of two-dimensional slopes.When the radius of curvature increases,the safety factors of prominentia axisymmetrical slopes approach to those of two-dimensional slopes.


Photoperiod (day‐length) has enduring effects on an organism's physiological functions like metabolism and behavioral phenotypes including cognition and affect. Circadian rhythm manipulations are potentially effective non‐pharmacological strategies in the management of central nervous system insults. In our previous study, we demonstrated the efficacy of short photoperiod regime (SPR; 06/18 hr light‐dark cycle) in establishing functional recovery in ventral subicular lesion (VSL) rats. The present study further demonstrates the efficacy of SPR in mitigating anxiety and depression as well as facilitating socio‐cognitive behavior in VSL rats. VSL elevated the basal plasma corticosterone levels, increased anxiety, anhedonia, and behavioral despair with decreased self‐care. The VSL rats also exhibited a considerable degree of impaired social cognition, in terms of altered social preference and social novelty. Exposure to SPR for 21 days mitigated the anxiety‐ and depressive‐like phenotypes as well as improved social cognition significantly. Thus, the study demonstrated the effectiveness of SPR strategy in reversing most of the behavioral deficits caused by VSL. SPR, perhaps, would have regulated the hypothalamo‐pituitary‐adrenal axis responsiveness as we observed a decrease in plasma corticosterone levels following SPR in VSL rats. The study implies the need for developing a task‐dependent SPR strategy to achieve complete behavioral recovery as the functional demands of each behavior is distinct. In summary, the study highlights the efficacy of photoperiod manipulation as a novel, non‐pharmacological approach in mitigating the affective and cognitive deficits associated with neuropsychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder and Alzheimer's disease wherein circadian rhythm alterations are implicated.


This paper investigates, according to the main methods of intonation description and from the standpoint of perceptual model of functional phonology (HALLIDAY, 1970; CAGLIARI 1982; 2007) and autosegmental phonology (PIERREHUMBERT, 1980), the relation between the perception and the physical reality of a sound in relation to the phenomenon of intonation. Our main interest is to understand whether the perception corresponds to the acoustic analysis or whether it has its own characteristics. In order to conduct this study, we also want to demonstrate that the correlation between an acoustic analysis and an auditory perception interpretation provides a better explanation of the melodic variation of the language, as well as its relation with others levels of grammar (syntax, semantics and pragmatics).