During the development and validation of a receptor-binding radiopharmaceutical it is necessary to assess its brain regional distribution. Film contact autoradiography (AR) points such distributions to be evaluated on a fine anatomical scale, and avoids the inherent risk a microdissection experiments of missing interesting localization pattern. However, in vivo film AR may require a 1000-fold higher activity of a F-18 or I-123 radioligand than microdissection. In addition to health physics considerations, problems with receptor saturation can easily occur after injecting, say, 10 mCi into a 250g rat. A less commonly appreciated problem even with in vitro AR, using slide-mounted brain sections, is that it may be impossible to use sufficient F-18 to obtain acceptable images using film, because of receptor saturation. Phosphorimaging is superior in sensitivity to film by a factor of 10-50, and so relaxes constraints on injected activities and specific activities. Furthermore, it is also superior to film in terms of dynamic range and linearity of response. We have recently used phosphorimaging in two situations where film AR gave unsatisfactory results. (1) the novel cannabinoid CB1 receptor radioligand, I-123 AM281, was injected intravenously at 800 microcurie per rat. Animals were sacrificed at 2 h, frozen and whole bodymore » sections prepared. I-123 was clearly visualized in discrete brain areas (substantia nigra, globus pallidus, entopeduncular nucleus , hippocampus and cerebellum) consistent with the distribution of CB1 receptors previously demonstrated only in in vitro studies. (2) Rat brain sections were thaw mounted on gelatin/alum coated glass and incubated with the novel nicotinic acetylcholine receptor ligand F-18 2{prime}-fluoro-2{prime} nor-chloroepibatidine (1 nM).« less


A high-performance, custom monolithic charge-coupled device (CCD) is used as a key element in two Image Chamber Analyzers (ICA). The CAMAC ICA can operate either as a 4-channel unit with a maximum number of 320 sampling points per channel and a variable sampling rate of up to 50 MHz, or as a 2-channel unit with 640 samples and up to 100 MHz. Test results are presented. A description and a status report on the development of a 32/16-channel CCD-based FASTBUS ICA is offered in the last portion of the paper. The unit has features similar to that of the CAMAC unit, but offers much higher channel density, shorter conversion time, hit detecting capability and lower per-channel cost.


Purpose – This paper seeks to report the results of an empirical study examining the influence of cross-cultural differences on the value creation process from e-business systems in the supply chain. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was sent out to senior managers in companies operating in two culturally distinct national cultures. The effects of cross-cultural differences were examined by testing for between-group differences in the structural model using the multi-group partial least squares (PLS) statistical approach. Findings – Consistent with the resource-based view (RBV), contingency "fit" theory, and prior research, this study demonstrates that the value creation process from e-business systems is significantly enhanced in companies operating in national cultures that emphasize cooperation and interdependence, and promote group-level interests over individual interests. Originality/value – The mechanisms through which performance improvement is achieved from e-business systems are stil...


A reveiw of Independent Stardom: Freelance Women in the Hollywood Studio System by Emily Carman, Austin: University of Texas Press, 2016.


Extrahepatic biliary system cancer(EBSC)is an uncommon disease with a poor prognosis. There is no change to making radical resection in most patients because most of the diseases are diagnosed at late stage.Chemoradiotherapy has been a major therapeutic modality of EBSC.In recent year,the progress of chemoradiotherapy has been made in management of resectable and unresectable EBSC.

Key words:
Bile duct neoplasms; Bile ducts,extrahepatic; Drug therapy; Radiotherapy


Samples of a long‐chain branched polyethylene were subjected to shear modification in a mixing extruder under various controlled shear conditions. The melt elasticity (time‐dependent recoverable strain) of the shear modified samples was found to decrease as the extrusion temperature was decreased or the rate of shear was increased, thereby demonstrating that the amount of shear modification can be controlled by these processing factors. The shear modification was found to be a reversible process. Reheating of the modified material resulted in the melt elasticity increasing back to the large recoverable strain exhibited by the unmodified material.


The use of contrast agents has lead to great advances in magnetic resonanceangiography (MRA). Here we present the first application of projection reconstruction (PR) to contrast-enhanced MRA. In this research the limited angle projection reconstruction trajectory is implemented to acquire higher resolution images per unit time than with conventional Fourier transform (FT) imaging. It is well known that as the field of view (FOV) is reduced in conventional FT imaging, higher resolution per unit time can be obtained, but aliasing may appear as a replication of outside material within the FOV. The limited angle PR acquisition also produces aliasing artifacts. This method produced artifacts that were unacceptable in x-ray CT but that appear to be tolerable in MRangiography. Resolution throughout the FOV is determined by the projection readout resolution and not by the number of projections. As the number of projections is reduced, the resolution is unchanged, but low-intensity artifacts appear. This thesis presents the outcome of using limited angle PR for contrast-enhanced angiography. 3-D volume images of the renal arteries, carotic arteries and pulmonary vessels were obtained with 512 readout resolution, about 128 projections and 32 slice encodings. This provided in-plane resolution of 0.5×0.5 mm in a 24 s scan for the carotic arteries; resolution of 0.8×0.8 mm in a 17 s breath-hold for the pulmonary vessels; and resolution of 0.8×0.8 mm in a 24 s breath-hold for the renal arteries. These images have about four times greater resolution than conventional FT images acquired in equal scan time.


Generally, plant species with shorter leaf longevity
maintain a positive carbon balance by decreasing leaf mass per area (LMA) and
increasing photosynthesis. However, plants at high elevations need to increase
LMA against environmental stresses. Therefore, plants need to increase both LMA
and photosynthesis at high elevations. To examine how deciduous plants maintain
a positive carbon balance at high elevations, photosynthesis and related leaf
traits for deciduous broad-leaved tree Betula
ermanii were measured at three elevations. LMA was greater at middle and
high elevations than at low elevation. Leaf δ13C
was greater at higher elevations, and positively correlated with LMA,
indicating greater long-term deficiency of CO2 in leaves at higher
elevations. However, the Ci/Ca ratio at photosynthetic
measurement was not low at high elevations. Nitrogen content per leaf mass and
stomatal conductance were greater at higher elevations. Photosynthetic rates
and photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE) did not differ among the three
elevations. Photosynthetic rate showed a strong positive correlation with
stomatal conductance on a leaf area basis (R2 = 0.83, P B. ermanii compensates the deficiency of CO2 in leaves at high elevation by increasing
stomatal conductance, and maintains photosynthesis and PNUE at high elevation
as much as at low elevation.


With the development of space technology, the large diameter long-life of the space telescopes became more and more urgent. This paper mainly discussed the feasibility of the space telescope on-orbit maintenance for science unit module. This paper took the WFC3 module of the Hubble space telescope for example. In this paper, the Hubble space telescope was analyzed for on-orbit maintenance. By discuss the installation of the science unit maintenance, the paper way to achieve space telescope in orbit maintenance.


There is a general consensus that primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is the most adequate approach to reperfusion therapy in ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI), associated with more efficient reperfusion and less mortality, recurrent ischaemia, stroke, and major bleeding complications compared with fibrinolysis. The systematic use of intravenous GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors, especially abciximab as an adjunctive therapy to primary PCI, is associated with a further reduction of mortality and ischaemic events in this setting. Nevertheless, the need for transfer from centres without round-the-clock PCI facility, may delay myocardial reperfusion and reduce the benefit of primary PCI. In order to accelerate the flow restoration in the infarct-related artery, during the gap between presentation and primary PCI, several pharmacological approaches have been proposed. The facilitation of primary PCI by full or half-dose fibrinolytics alone or in association with GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors has raised some unresolved safety and efficacy issues. Recent trials of the early administration of GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors prior to primary PCI have shown improved flow restoration and myocardial perfusion compared with in-catheterization laboratory administration of such treatments. Although such trials have been underpowered to detect differences regarding clinical outcomes among patient groups, the administration of intravenous abciximab is recommended as soon as possible in STEMI patients who are candidates to direct primary PCI. Further, large trials are needed to assess the efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness of facilitation strategies and to eventually identify subgroups of patients in whom such strategies would be most beneficial.


The one trip system is a bagless transfer system for egress of waste from gloveboxes into 55 gallon one-trip drums. The contents of this document give an overview of the assembly, loading, and handling of the one-trip drum for use in the WRAP-1 plant.


A method of extrapolating configurational entropies from high pressure DSC data will be described. The method allows the separation of configurational entropies from entropy changes due to the volume changes of the transitions. The results on the solid-solid transitions in the plastic crystals cyclohexane (with the use of literature data) and diamantane (using own experimental DSC measurements up to 5 kbar) are discussed with respect to the number of possible molecular orientations. Contrary to literature data rather small numbers are found that can be more easily discussed with consideration of the geometrical parameters of the molecule and the crystal lattice.


The invention discloses a method and system for displaying a FLASH downloading progress on a webpage in real time. The method comprises the following steps: S1. a client side obtains a loading address and sends a loading request to a web server; S2. the web server downloads the loading resource corresponding to the loading address to the client side; S3. the client side obtains the FLASH address and sends a FLASH downloading request to the web server; S4. the web server downloads the FLASH resource corresponding to the FLASH address to the client side; S5. the client side computes the downloading progress of the FLASH; and S6. the client side loads the downloading progress of the FLASH in loading and displays the downloading progress. The method and system for displaying the FLASH downloading progress can be used for displaying the downloading progress of FLASH in real time and enabling users to know the FLASH downloading progress in real time, thereby saving the time of users for waiting the FLASH to be downloaded.


The 13C NMR spectra of lupeol and related triterpenes were recorded and all carbon shifts assigned. Their analysis aided in the shift assignment of the structurally related hopane-like triterpenes.


AbstractThe out-of-plane behavior of as-built and retrofitted unreinforced masonry (URM) walls was investigated by conducting in situ static airbag tests in four buildings. The age of the buildings varied from 80 to 130 years, and all but one were constructed using clay brick masonry with timber floor and roof diaphragms. The fourth building was a reinforced concrete frame structure with precracked clay block partition walls in addition to partition walls that appeared undamaged. The test program was composed of testing five one-way vertically spanning solid URM walls from the group of three URM buildings and testing four two-way spanning URM partition walls from the reinforced concrete frame building. All walls were tested with their original support conditions, but three one-way spanning walls were additionally retested with modified support conditions. These additional tests allowed the effects of wall support type to be investigated, including the influence of a concrete ring beam used at the floor le...


ABSTRACT Theatre artists and philosophers all over the centuries have often pointed out the existence of two levels within every phenomenon; we call this thought "Dualism". During the last centuries, many have focused on a specific, although traditional, example of dualism, which envisions a superior, transcendent reality – that is not connected to ours -. The performer can create such a connection, through her work on "verticality", touching the superior invisible realm, which must then descend back to our everyday dimension. This article analyses one of the main tools used in order to set up a connection between these two dimensions, that is attention, according in particular to one of the main thinkers of the twentieth century: Simone Weil. In this regard, the author explores the last pedagogical work of French actor and theatre pedagogue Louis Jouvet and the last period of research by Jerzy Grotowski and his pupils, both focused on that "attention" and "descending way", which works on the same line of what is better known as "Verticality". In the second part, Campo comments on Weil's selected passages.


This paper presents tables for the number of current students and graduates with Linkedin accounts from approximately 225 colleges and universities in the United States. The Linkedin membership data are for August 2015 and are presented as a proportion of the full and part-time undergraduate student enrollment of the schools in 2014 and by the average undergraduate full and part-time enrollment of the schools for the years 1991 and 2014. Two hundred of the colleges and universities are from the 2014 U.S. News & World Report ranking of top national universities in the United States. These data are also presented for colleges and universities in the New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Los Angeles metropolitan areas.


Traffic congestion is a major operational problem on urban freeways. In the case of recurring congestion, travelers can plan their trips according to the expected occurrence and severity of recurring congestion. However, nonrecurring congestion cannot be managed without real-time prediction. Evaluating the efficiency of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) technologies in reducing incident effects requires developing models that can accurately predict incident duration along with the magnitude of nonrecurring congestion. This paper provides two statistical models for estimating incident delay and a model for predicting incident duration. The incident delay models showed that up to 85% of variation in incident delay can be explained by incident duration, number of lanes affected, number of vehicles involved, and traffic demand before the incident. The incident duration prediction model showed that 81% of variation in incident duration can be predicted by number of lanes affected, number of vehicles involved, truck involvement, time of day, police response time, and weather condition. These findings have implications for on-line applications within the context of advanced traveler information systems (ATIS).


Bacterial infection of the urinary tract is defined as the presence of bacteria in the urinary tract and the symptoms should be attributable to this organism. Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) are more common in women due to the anatomical disadvantage. Many UTI cases in males are complicated and are associated with abnormalities in the urinary tract. As age progresses, the incidence of UTI also increases.


This paper summarized the design ideas and features of two kind clustering algorithms,such as GN clustering of network community division and AP clustering in pattern recognition.To serve as an example of the customer group,it constructed the data set from library borrowing records,and then made the comparison of two clustering algorithms.The results indicate that the two kind algorithms have revealed much more about the structure of the customer group,the outcome of GN clustering algorithm is close to customer macrostructure,and the result of AP clustering algorithm reflects the customer requirement distribution.And it also discussed the effect of algorithm design principles on experiment results.This work can give a va-luable reference for design improvement of clustering algorithm and customer behavior data mining.


The main purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between pollution prevention (P2) policy instruments and adoption of P2 modifications. Using facility level data on U.S. pulp and paper mills for 1991-2002, we estimate the fixed effects negative binomial model to test the hypotheses of whether P2 state legislation and policies on target setting, reporting requirement, mandatory planning, and grants have positive impact on P2 adoptions: (1) when they are grouped together and (2) when combined in two categories: (a) management and logistical modifications or (b) product and process. In addition, we examine the effects of regulatory and political threats, P2 firm spillovers and prior mill experience with P2 modifications, firm and mill size, and type of mill product. We find that: (1) policy instruments have different effects on the two groups of P2 modifications, (2) mandatory planning and grants have perverse results, (3) regulatory and political threats, firm spillover and prior mill experience are strong predictors of P2 adoptions, and (4) there are substantial diseconomies of scale associated with P2 modifications. Robustness checks indicate that adopting mandatory P2 planning can lead to perverse results because of their non-public and non-binding nature. To contribute to previous research, we examine the impact of each P2 policy instrument individually and include state P2 grants. Preliminary Version: September 15, 2015 JEL Classification: L67, M14, Q52, Q55, Q58


Objective: To determine the protective effects of intraocular lens implantation without viscoelastic agents on corneal endothelial cells. Methods: Patients with age-related cataract were randomly divided into two groups: Group A (24 patients, 30 eyes) underwent phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation without viscoelastic agents, and group B (21 patients, 30 eyes) underwent phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation with viscoelastic agents. The corneal endothelial cell counts, percentages of hexagonal cells, and central corneal thicknesses were evaluated at 1 week, 1 month, and 6 months after surgery. Results: There was no significant difference in preoperative basic characteristics between the two groups (p > 0.05). The postoperative corneal endothelial cell count and percentage of hexagonal cells in both groups decreased compared with preoperative values at 1 week, 1 month, and 6 months after surgery, and the decrease of group A was significantly lower than that of group B at all time points (p 0.05). Conclusions: Compared with regular intraocular lens implantation, intraocular lens implantation without viscoelastic agents is less damaging to corneal endothelial cells, resulting in greater corneal safety.


mended once again, that does not mean that traces of the German original have in all instances been eliminated. My impression is that I have found more Germanicisms in the English of this volume than in earlier ones (e.g., n. 12 on p. 402, or "Achaemenidian" [p. 402] instead of Achaemenian; p. 420, lines 16-18). In one instance the translator has missed the nuance of a German paraphrase of an Aramaic text (p. 402: "In the event br 'n§ ('someone') dies, thou hast broken the treaty" [Sefire 3.16]; it should read "In whatever way a man shall die . . .") . A great amount of broken type has not been caught by proofreaders; broken and missing letters abound, and there are many more errors in the Greek and Hebrew texts quoted (e.g., p. 402, n. 12 [Aramaic br is given as rb]; p. 420, line 25 [ianânë instead of ianäney]; etc.). As in the case of former volumes, one must conclude by recommending TDNT wholeheartedly. Even if one must disagree with specific interpretations given in the articles (and there are many that one would dispute, especially in Colpe's article on the Son of Man), the over-all detail and wealth of information are what make of Kittel-Friedrich the gold mine that it is for the NT student.


In the human and ovine fetus, the presence of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 allows cortisol and other corticosteroids to act at mineralocorticoid receptors (MRs) in lung and brain. To test the physiologic role of MRs in the late gestation fetus, fetal lambs were infused with a specific MR antagonist for 12 h. Infusion of the MR antagonist significantly increased plasma ACTH and cortisol concentrations. Infusion of the MR antagonist also significantly increased fetal Pco2 and hematocrit, and decreased fetal pH, but did not alter fetal heart rate or blood pressure. Infusion of the MR antagonist altered the ratio of Na+ to K+ in lung fluid but did not alter the rate of production of lung liquid or the expression of the epithelial sodium channel α or of the Na,K ATPaseα1 in lung. These results suggest that corticosteroids act at MR to regulate ACTH and blood volume and modulate lung fluid composition in the fetus, but basal levels of corticosteroids do not alter lung liquid production rate through effects on MR.


This paper describes the importance of small-scale private sector or NGO providers of water and sanitation in a great range of urban areas in Africa, Asia and Latin America. It includes many examples of where - contrary to conventional wisdom - they provide good quality, low-cost services. Without these operations, large sections of the South's urban populations, including tens of millions of low-income households, would be worse off. Yet these generally operate with no subsidy and have to recover their costs. This paper discusses how public policy can support (or at least not seriously constrain) small-scale entrepreneurs in water and sanitation provision while ensuring checks on the quality and price of the services they provide.


The number of mental health problems among the young people in Malaysia is increasing, and this is worrying. Prompt action is needed as the young generation especially university students are the future leaders of the country. This study aimed to evaluate the level of stigma and attitudes of university students towards mental health disorders since limited study regarding this issue conducted in Malaysia. This is a cross-sectional study design whereby 496 students from MAHSA University were asked to complete a pre-validated questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of three main sections which were demographic, measures of knowledge and attitudes of respondents towards mental health disorders. The findings showed that there was a significant difference between knowledge score of the different age groups, ethnicity, faculty and current education level of respondents. Besides that, significant differences were reported between attitude score of the different age groups, faculty and current education level of the respondents. It was also found that there was a statistically significant positive correlation between mental health knowledge and attitudes towards mental health disorders. Overall, the respondents displayed good knowledge and attitude towards mental health disorders.


Following the New Structural Economics theoretical framework, this article attempts to explain why Algeria's industrialization strategy has failed over the period 1967-1989. Based on this approach, this paper has shown that the overdevelopment of a big push industrialization strategy in Algeria since independence, which prioritized capital –intensive heavy industry, violates the comparative advantage principle identified by its factor endowments and gives rise to domestic market distortions and the misallocation of scarce resources. Simultaneously, to scaffold such a development mode, the Algerian government put forth an organic system, yet deeply distorted. We conclude that the experience engendered serious weaknesses in Algeria's industrial structure and planning, and it resulted in an unbalanced economic structure. Thus, Algeria's industrialization strategy was disappointing in terms of economic outcomes and impact. This failure is often perceived as one of the main origins of the political, social and economic crisis faced by the country for more than a decade. Our findings suggest that the redesign of growth and industrialization strategies should better reflect Algeria's endowments structure and level of development. Indeed, consistency of a broad–based and industry–based economy with its comparative advantage is one of the best ways to achieve high sustainable economic growth in Algeria.


The invention relates to a new preparation method of 4-hydroxyl-2-methoxybenzaldehyde as a medical intermediate, belonging to the technical field of chemical preparation. The new preparation method comprises the following steps of: (1) carrying out esterification reaction by adopting m-hydroxybenzoic ether, acetic anhydride and an ion liquid catalyst, as materials, and after the esterification reaction is finished, carrying out reduced-pressure distillation and separation to obtain 3-acetoxyl anisole; (2) introducing aldehyde groups to the obtained 3-acetoxyl anisole, N, N-dimethylformamide and phosphorus oxychloride by Vilsmeier reaction and generating reaction liquid; dripping the reaction liquid into water, stirring fully after the dripping is finished, and generating 2-methoxyl-4-acetoxybenzaldehyde; rising the temperature continuously, stirring to remove acetyls, generating a target product, standing for layering to obtain an organic layer, washing the organic layer with water, distilling to remove the water content of the organic layer, and obtaining the 4-hydroxyl-2-methoxybenzaldehyde. The new preparation method has the advantages that the reaction condition in the whole process is mild, the product quality is good, the yield is high, and the implementation is easy.


Ecologically sound models of the terrestrial biosphere are needed in the investigation of the Earth system and global change. Traditional ecosystem models simulate many processes and dynamics relevant to the functioning of the Earth system, but their application is limited by their local, small-scale, often site-specific nature. We address this limitation by deriving a method for predicting regional biosphere dynamics by extrapolation from smaller-scale ecosystem models. We use models of local ecosystem carbon dynamics to predict the seasonal exchange of CO2 between the atmosphere and terrestrial ecosystems of 64°N to 90°N latitude. Monte Carlo simulation is used to integrate solutions of a tundra model and a coniferous forest model across within-biome heterogeneity in the models' climatic driving variables. The product of the expected value of each model's output and the area of the region occupied by that biome or ecosystem type is an estimate of biome-scale CO2 exchange. Regional CO2 exchange is the sum of the biome exchanges. Comparisons of the extrapolation's results with independent estimates of seasonal CO2 exchange and annual net primary production support the proposition that extrapolation of ecosystem models can be used to simulate regional biosphere dynamics.


Modern manufacturing systems have to continuously adapt to variable custom environment, satisfy to discerning expectations of customers and maintain in the increasing competition. Nowadays, manufacturing plants are very complex, in many cases distributed, composed of many subsystems with different functions that are exchanging a vast amount of data, i.e. events. In the case of observable malfunction, the amount of events grows substantially and during the system resurgence can lead to information explosion. We describe a few methods to help system's users to mitigate this information explosion and introduce an agent-based expert system proposal that will be able to provide a solution to a new arisen problem that is possible to be revealed from automated recognition of communication patterns. Such an expert system should also provide users with user-friendly manufacturing plant processes overview and management; allow searching for event patterns and simplifying the event processing.


Abstract High pressure and high temperature synthesis experiments were carried out on In-Sb and B-Sb systems with a laser heated diamond-anvil cell. InSb was synthesized starting from In and Sb at various pressures ranging from 0.2 to 10 GPa. The cubic as well as the high pressure phases were successfully synthesized. Experiments above 8 GPa, wherein antimony exists in the tetragonal phase, have revealed no new phases of InSb. Trials of synthesizing a compound from B and Sb gave negative result to at least 30 GPa.


16 non-persisters in an individualized mastery approach of introductory psychology in a community college had significantly higher initial state anxiety than 26 persisters, but there was no significant difference in trait anxiety. Non-persisters were also significantly higher than persisters in attributions for achievement to external context.


Lipid peroxidation induced by oxygen free radicals is a contributing factor in ischemia-reperfusion injury. Lazaroid U-74389G (LAZ-G) is a group of new synthetic 21-aminosteroids and inhibits irondependent lipid peroxidation. We investigated the effects of LAZ-G on pulmonary ischemia-reperfusion injury in dogs. Twenty dogs were divided into three groups. In the LAZ-G group (


Tourism circular economy research field covers both circular economy and tourism and it is considered as effective way in ensuring sustainable development of tourism.In this paper,a circular economy assessment indicator system of tourism spots is given by using the methods of Delphi and AHP,integrating the "3R" principle of circular economy,and considering the economic,social and environmental features in semi-arid and arid areas.A case study of the Sand Lake and the Shapotou tourism spots in Ningxia is made.Some suggestions are put forward with regard to the development of tourism circular economy in arid and semi-arid areas.


Assume that An and Gn denote the arithmetic and geometric means of the integers 1;2;:::;n, respectively. It this paper, we obtain some sharp inequalities and the asymptotic expansion of the ratio An=Gn.


A computational inverse procedure for transonic airfoils in which shapes are determined supporting prescribed pressure distributions is presented. The method uses the small disturbance equation and a consistent analysis-design differencing procedure at the airfoil surface. This avoids the intermediate analysis-design-analysis iterations. The effect of any openness at the trailing edge is taken onto account by adding an effective source term in the far field. The final results from a systematic expansion procedure which models the far field for solid, ideal slotted, and free jet tunnel walls are presented along with some design results for the associated boundary conditions and those for a free flight.


Use of internet for assessing health-related information has been growing exponentially in the past few years. The objective of this study was to assess the quality of information on the websites on Google and DuckDuckGo. A total of 120 URLs were recorded from Google and DuckDuckGo using the search terms "immunity booster," "immunity boosting foods," and "immunity boosting drinks." These were rated by three independent raters using DISCERN tool. The average ratings for the DISCERN questions were in the range of 2.01–3.82. More than 85% of the websites were of moderate quality. There was excellent inter-rater reliability among the raters. About 47% of the websites depicted immunity boosting as beneficial. About 11% of the websites recommended use of supplements for immunity boosting. Diet, exercise, and adequate sleep were the most commonly recommended strategies for immunity boosting. Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and gingerol were the most commonly recommended dietary components for immunity boosting. Overall, there was no statistically significant difference in the quality of websites on Google and DuckDuckGo. Most of the websites suffered from shortcomings in the quality of information based on DISCERN quality criteria.


As the case of destroying the evidence through deleting or modifying the data on the computer are occurred frequently,this is a new challenge to forensic scientists. The data which are destroyed and modified are shattered data. At present , the main kinds of shattered data are the hardware shattered data and the software shattered data. This paper give a detailed discussion on the principle of data storage, data recovery, and the recovery methods.


ABSTRACT Cost effectiveness analysis, – a method of comparing costs and outcomes, – appears to be a useful method of economic analysis, which is increasingly being applied to healthcare interventions. The basics of the method itself, and some its benefits and shortcomings are presented. Applications of the method to analysis of treatment of hyperlipidemia with statin drugs are discussed.


In view of the increasing population size of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) and its mixed or over- lapping occurrence with Aphis gossypii Glover in cotton field,feeding preference of predatory natural ene- my Propylea japonica (Thunberg) to A.gossypii and B.tabaci,and its offspring development fitness were compared.Results show that larvae and adults of P.japonica could predate nymphs of B.tabaci and A.gossypii ;but the adults preferred A.gossypii when the two preys coexisted.In enlarged space or at reduced population size of A.gossypii,predacious efficiency on the whiteflies increased.Although P. japonica larvae feeding nymphs of the two pests could complete development and moulted into adults of the same sex ratio,those feeding whitefly nymphs showed significantly longer durations (3 d longer),in- creased morality (by 5.45 fold) and dramatically decreased weight.The beetle adults feeding whitefly nymphs layed fewer eggs.


The aim of the research is to prepare a proposal for developing the abilities of agricultural and veterinarian female staff to provide extension service for rural women in Baghdad governorate. To achieve this goal, the ability development plan has been developed, including 11 areas: adaptation to the new task, gender, communication, planning, dissemination of agricultural technologies, rural women training, interaction, coordination and teamwork as well as operational, technical and organizational abilities, which included 46 sections. The data were collected from a sample of agricultural and veterinary staff of 108 respondents distributed base on the management levels (higher, middle and executive levels) into four governmental agricultural, extension and veterinary organizations: the Extension and Agricultural Training Department, the Baghdad (Karkh and Rusafa) governorate, the veterinary hospital and the veterinary clinics through a questionnaire included areas and sections of the proposed scenario were presented to the respondents according to the five importance levels (very important, important, somehow important, insignificant, unimportant), and percentages and averages were used in the data analysis. The results of the study showed that the numerical values of the average importance of the proposed conceptual sections from the point of view of the respondents (46 sections) ranged between (1-5), from 3.55 to 4.6 degrees, with an average overall significance of 4.35 degrees and 86.9% of the sections got significant averages between (4.6 4) degrees and an average of (4.28) degrees and within the level of very important. The first section was selecting the location of implementation of agricultural activity followed by development of the work plan (components, characteristics) and the establishment of sites of implementation and the importance and roles of extension service in the development of agricultural production to meet the challenges of Iraqi agriculture, while the rest of the sections (13.1%) has obtained an average between (3.99 3.55) and an average of 3.8 degrees within an important level, Including the factors related to the effectiveness of the indicative communication, the use of the participatory rural appraisal method, the factors affecting the effective dissemination of agricultural technologies and the realization of the concept of gender. It can be concluded that there is a need to develop the abilities of female agricultural and veterinary staff in the field of extension service, and the development process should be comprehensive and integrated. The study recommends that the Ministry of Agriculture, Extension and Agricultural Training Department, in cooperation with the relevant authorities should prepare an integrated training program in order to develop the abilities of female agricultural and veterinary staff in the field of extension service according to the areas and sections of the proposed program.


It is common sense knowledge that medical research and medical practice need a specialized language, or, in other words, a language for specific purposes (LSP) with an international coverage – English is the leading candidate as the lingua franca. Admittedly, it fulfils different communication functions within professional environments alongside the interpersonal level; it shows real-life purpose, being used at a higher and more intense level because of globalization and technology advancement, medical technology included.


Oliveria decumbens is a famous endemic plant of Flora Iranica used for therapeutic purposes. Traditionally Oliveria decumbens is used for indigestion, diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever. Major research about the therapeutic effect of Oliveria decumbens consists of antibacterial, antioxidant, antifungal and antimicrobial activities. No previously published studies have reported the effect of Oliveria decumbens on type 2 diabetes. A survey of literature indicates that 14 molecules were identified in essential oil from all parts of Oliveria decumbens. The aim of this work is to carry out the relationship between essential oil composition from all parts of Oliveria decumbens and type 2 diabetes by observation of complex formation with DPP-4 enzyme. The researchbased pharmaceutical industry has increasingly employed modern medicinal chemistry methods, including molecular modeling, as powerful tools for the study of structure-activity relationships (SAR). Molecular docking is one of the most frequently used methods in computational chemistry because of its ability to predict, with a substantial degree of accuracy, the conformation of small-molecule ligands within the appropriate target binding site, molecular docking became an essential tool in drug discovery. Molecular docking in this work permits a rapid means of identification of the best-predicted binder of 14 compounds from Oliveria decumbens against DPP-4 enzyme. The findings from this study may help researchers in the identification of new natural bioactive molecules which may be investigated further to develop new drugs for diabetes treatment.


The text introduces the basic train of thoughts and methods to repair,improve and install TRUMATIC202W punching and contour-Nibbling Machine with Numerical continuous path control in combination with the examples and practical work. By replacing control system,using domestically produced vibration reducing bottom plate,and adopting proper ways of installation and adjustment of machine tool,we have solved the difficult problem of producing product parts in the factory.


This paper describes the new Fairchild family of integrated circuits which will allow the development of high performance digital signal processing systems with a small number of building block circuits.


Quality assurance of education is one of the national policies that must be implemented in all schools in Indonesia. The school principal has three main tasks, namely managerial, supervisory, and entrepreneurial development which is guided by the National Education Standards as the basis for the education quality assurance policy. The education quality assurance policy has not been implemented properly so that public primary school report cards still show low scores, and this is due to the low commitment of school principals to implementing education quality assurance policies. Commitment to implementing education quality assurance policies is significantly influenced directly by organizational culture, interpersonal communication, achievement motivation, and job satisfaction. Organizational culture and interpersonal communication also have an indirect effect through achievement motivation and job satisfaction. Increased commitment for implementing quality assurance policies can be done by improving organizational culture, interpersonal communication, achievement motivation and job satisfaction.


Third order nonlinear susceptibility of two-level atoms dressed by the cavity vacuum is studied to see the effect of Rabi oscillations. It is found that while the interference effects remove the peaks of on-resonance third harmonic generation, peak splitting is seen for Raman scattering and two photon processes.


This guide will help you cite your sources properly to avoid plagiarism, important for students to maintain academic integrity. It also introduces various tools for creating and managing citations, including library-supported Mendeley and Zotero.


This paper analyses the defeat of the Congress party in the India's 2014 election in which it plummeted to its lowest ever vote share (19 per cent) and seat tally (44 of 543). We argue that the defeat is the end result of a gradual decline punctuated by recoveries that began much earlier. We show that the Congress was gradually becoming less competitive in more and more states and constituencies as indicated by its falling to third position or worse. We try to relate this to the desertion of the party by social groups that once supported it in a number of states and other factors. The larger question is whether a Congress-type, encompassing, umbrella party can survive the sharpened politicisation of social cleavages, in the Indian case, religious, caste and regional cleavages since such a party will tend to lose out to parties based on religious, caste and regional identities in identitarian outbidding.


Abstract The behavior of steel in chloride-free and chloride-contaminated simulated concrete solutions was studied to observe the degradation of steel as a result of addition of chlorides. One of t...


A new and effective method is described for designing composites to repair damage or enhance the overload strength of concrete infrastructures. The method is based on composite mechanics, which is available in computer codes. It is used to simulate structural sections made from reinforced concrete, which are typical in infrastructure, as well as to select reinforced concrete structures. The structural sections are represented by a number of layers through the thickness where different layers are used in concrete, and for the composite. The reinforced concrete structures are represented with finite elements where the element stiffness parameters are from the structural sections, which are represented by composite mechanics. The load carrying capability of the structure is determined by progressive structural fractural. Results show improvements of up to 40% for damage and for overload enhancement with relatively small laminate thickness for the structural sections and up to three times for the composite enhanced select structures (arches and domes).


The mode of reproduction of a species determines its genetic diversity and, in turn, its ecological and evolutionary success (Normarck et al., 2003; Simon et al., 2003; De Meeus et al, 2007). In a sexual interbreeding population, meiotic recombination allows that new combinations of genes are constantly formed and destroyed. Offspring from sexual parents are generally more genetically diverse compared with offspring from asexual females. On the contrary, in a strictly asexual lineage, where mutation is supposed to be the only source of genetic diversity, clonal diversity in the population is reduced every generation. In fact, a brief evolutionary life span is expected for asexual organisms which are generally regarded as evolutionary dead ends and supposed to go extinct within a short time (104 - 105 generations) (Lynch and Gabriel, 1990). Despite that, different studies have shown that the genetic diversity of asexual populations may have levels comparable to those of sexual populations if they are produced at high rate or through various mechanisms (Schwander et al., 2011). In these cases, asexual populations will emerge repeatedly generating a pool of diverse, polyphyletic asexual lineages. Thus, studying the origin and evolution of asexual lineages, and understanding how genetic diversity is generated and preserved in such lineages is very important to know their ecological adaptability and their outcome competitiveness with their sexual relatives in the short term and to evaluate their long term evolutionary potential of asexual populations. Few experimental systems allow a direct comparison of the genetic and evolutionary consequences of sex versus asexual reproduction. They are organisms showing the coexistence of different reproductive modes. Artemia is a genus of anostracan crustaceans widely known as brine shrimps. It includes gonochoric sexual species with separate males and females, and lineages of obligate parthenogenetic populations of different ploidy levels, which often co-occur (Abatzopoulos et al., 2002b). Diploid parthenogenetic lineages produce occasional fully functional rare males (Stefani, 1964; Bowen et al., 1978; MacDonald and Browne, 1987; Amat et al., 1991; Cai, 1993; Mura and Nagorskaya, 2005), which might be involved in the origin of new parthenogenetic lineages (Simon et al., 2003; Innes and Hebert, 1988; Lynch et al., 2008; Engelstadter et al., 2011; Eads et al., 2012). In addition, in Artemia interspecific hybridization, which is known to occur (Bowen et al., 1978; MacDonald and Browne, 1987; Cai 1993; Kappas et al., 2009), could also result in the generation of new parthenogenetic lineages. Such characteristics make the brine shrimp an exceptional model system to investigate evolutionary transitions between reproductive systems and to understand the mechanisms generating genetic diversity of asexual lineages in the genus. This thesis explores the origin and evolution of Artemia reproductive and genetic diversity, with a special focus on using molecular markers to understand the mechanisms behind the generation of new parthenogenetic lineages, including hybridization and contagious parthenogenesis and the potential role of rare males. On one hand, we used nuclear and mitochondrial markers to explore the phylogenetic relationship between diploid asexual populations and Asian sexual relatives, to understand how many times parthenogenesis has arisen and to infer the possible genetic mechanisms involved in the evolution of diploid parthenogenetic lineages; on the other hand, we established laboratory cross-mating experiments between rare males and females of sexual Asian related species (Artemia urmiana, Artemia sinica, Artemia tibetiana, Artemia sp. Kazakhstan) to investigate the reproductive role of rare males and to understand if they have the potential of generating parthenogenetic strains. This survey substantially expands our knowledge of diploid genetic diversity in Eurasia and allows inferring the possible mechanisms generating genetic diversity of asexual lineages in the genus. Our results indicate that there are three maternal clades of diversity in diploid parthenogenetic Artemia, related to A. urmiana, Artemia sp. from Kazakhstan and to haplotypes of two A. tibetiana populations. These three maternal clades are not differentiated in their nuclear DNA since the nuclear genes are very closely related in all the sexual species and parthenogenetic lineages except for A. sinica, who presumable took no part on the origin of diploid parthenogenetic strains. That may be explained by repeated hybridization between sexual similar lineage groups or by contagious events between one lineage group and another. Results from cross-mating experiments between rare males and females of sexual Asian related species show that rare males are fully functional and capable to fertilizing eggs from all Asian sexual females. Artemia rare males undergo meiotic reduction (producing haploid sperm) and are able to transmit their alleles to their offspring. In two of the F2 generations, those from the crosses between rare males and Artemia sp. Kazakhstan and A. urmiana, we identify morphologically females that are able to reproduce parthenogenetically. Molecular analysis confirm the parentage of hybrid parthenogenetic F2. Our study documents the first laboratory synthesis of new parthenogenetic lineages in Artemia and supports a model for the contagious spread of parthenogenesis. The production of parthenogenetic individuals only in the second generation suggests a recessive inheritance of obligate parthenogenesis in Artemia. Moreover, the proportions of parthenogenetic females isolated in the F2 generations from the two crosses were very different. This means that asexuality is not determined by a single recessive locus but it is likely that more genes are involved. Our study is the first one to generate new parthenogenetic lineages in Artemia by mating rare males with some Old World sexual species females, providing evidence that contagious parthenogenesis may occur in the genus Artemia, particularly in populations inhabiting conspicuous biotopes in this Old World.


This article through to the 220kV transformer differential quick-break protection in the external fault malfunction analysis,discusses the DC component,TA access,the transformer is grounded on the TA saturation effects.


Finally an author has supplied students of Chilean politics an unbiased discussion and analysis of the major interest groups of Chile! Professor Burnett has rejected the urge to place his own political philosophy in print (as others such as James Petras have done) and consequently has produced a relatively dispassionate monograph. This welcomed objectivity may be a result of the author's copious research, both oral and archival.


Isogeometric analysis is a new concept of Finite element method which has been proposed to bridge the gap between the CAD systems and the FEM solvers. In Isogeometric analysis, the same basis functions, typically splines or NURBS, are used for geometry description as well as for approximation of unknowns and thus the same model can be shared between CAD and IGA systems. This results in a higher accuracy and overall efficiency of the analysis. Many isogeometric elements have been already proposed and implemented into the existing finite element solvers, but the automatic connection with a CAD system is usually missing. Our goal is to develop such a connection and to provide a tool which would interactively run the analysis when the model changes. This approach can enormously enhance the design process as it can provide the basic knowledge about the structural behavior already in conceptual design phase.


This paper introduces attempts to obtain the 'representative'characteristics of the apparent mass (or dynamic mass) of seated Korean subjects under vertical vibration. Individual responses of driving-oint apparent masses obtained from forty one Korean subjects are illustrated. Four kinds of vibration levels and three different sitting postures are selected to collect the characteristic responses of each subject. Those individual responses are used to estimate the 'mean'apparent mass, which may be expected to be a representative model to Korean subjects. Several interesting features of the estimated apparent mass are suggested and compared to those of ISO 5982.


Hashin's macroscopic theory of fatigue damage is further discussed and a new method has been proposed for prediction of cumulative fatigue damage of material and its lifetime under nonsymmetrical cyclic loading.


Background: A quarter of adults are diagnosed with a disability in the United States, with almost half considered being inactive (CDC, 2020). The population of persons with disabilities (PWD) are at higher risk for secondary health concerns due to a sedentary lifestyle (Diaz et al., 2019). CrossFit recently implemented their first adaptive division in 2021 (CrossFit, LLC, 2022), however there continue to be barriers preventing PWD from participating in CrossFit. Problem/Purpose: PWD may experience limited access to CrossFit due to structural and social barriers to access equipment and participating in movements. The purpose of this project was to develop a program that improves access to desired exercises and equipment in CrossFit for PWD. Occupational therapists (OT) have a role in adapted sports; however, participation in leisure is not always a focus. The person- environment-occupation-performance (PEOP) model was used to create a program that considered personal factors within the context of environment to enhance occupational participation for PWD. Methods: This project assessed the CrossFit environment, needs of the coaches, and analysis of CrossFit movements. Feedback on the effectiveness of the program was provided by the Adapted Training Foundation and through observations with coaches and adaptive athletes. Results: A comprehensive adapted CrossFit program was developed that included a synopsis of each qualifying disability and acquired injuries, injury prevention, an adaptive equipment resource, and a coaching resource for onboarding use. Further implementation is needed to understand program satisfaction and ability to improve access to participation for PWD in CrossFit.


Many traditional conceptions of ethics use categories and arguments that have been developed under conditions of pre-modern societies and are not useful in the age of globalisation anymore. I argue that we need an economic ethics which employs economics as a key theoretical resource and which focuses on institutions for implementing moral norms. This conception is then elaborated further in the area of business ethics. It is illustrated in the case for banning child labour. 1 Economic Ethics – Introduction In the global society, the economy is playing a dominant role. After the downfall of communism, a globalised market has emerged that extends across nearly all countries and regions. But, in theoretical discussions as well as in public opinion, the role of the economy is often in doubt. This is especially the case in ethics: On the one hand, there are those who see the capitalist market economy as the key to promotion of ethical ideals like peace and prosperity. On the other hand, there are many others who believe this market economy to be a major threat to national and international solidarity, to cultural pluralism, and to a sense of community. Who is right? This problem might be discussed in different ways. The task of a philosopher, I think, lies in questioning whether the categories and arguments used in this discussion are adequate: We might be stuck with categories and arguments that were fit to answer the problems of a different time or era or of a different problem situation. And if we are using inadequate, ill-adapted, categories, we cannot realistically hope to solve the problems at hand: We will run into insoluble 1 N. Bowie (1999: 13) states that "the general public judges business from a strict Kantian position" that categorically separates business from ethics.


Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text Abstract Background: Patients' recovery after surgery is the major concern for all perioperative clinicians. This study aims to minimize the side effects of peri-operative surgical stress and accelerate patients' recovery of gastrointestinal (GI) function and quality of life after colorectal surgeries, an enhanced recovery protocol based on pre-operative rehabilitation was implemented and its effect was explored. Methods: A prospective randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted, patients were recruited from January 2018 to September 2019 in this study. Patients scheduled for elective colorectal surgeries were randomly allocated to receive either standardized enhanced recovery after surgery (S-ERAS) group or enhanced recovery after surgery based on pre-operative rehabilitation (group PR-ERAS). In the group PR-ERAS, on top of recommended peri-operative strategies for enhanced recovery, formatted rehabilitation exercises pre-operatively were carried out. The primary outcome was the quality of GI recovery measured with I-FEED scoring. Secondary outcomes were quality of life scores and strength of handgrip; the incidence of adverse events till 30 days post-operatively was also analyzed. Results: A total of 240 patients were scrutinized and 213 eligible patients were enrolled, who were randomly allocated to the group S-ERAS (n = 104) and group PR-ERAS (n = 109). The percentage of normal recovery graded by I-FEED scoring was higher in group PR-ERAS (79.0% vs. 64.3%, P < 0.050). The subscores of life ability and physical well-being at post-operative 72 h were significantly improved in the group PR-ERAS using quality of recovery score (QOR-40) questionnaire (P < 0.050). The strength of hand grip post-operatively was also improved in the group PR-ERAS (P < 0.050). The incidence of bowel-related and other adverse events was similar in both groups till 30 days post-operatively (P > 0.050). Conclusions: Peri-operative rehabilitation exercise might be another benevolent factor for early recovery of GI function and life of quality after colorectal surgery. Newer, more surgery-specific rehabilitation recovery protocol merits further exploration for these patients. Trial Registration: ChiCTR.org.cn, ChiCTR-ONRC-14005096


Polycythaemia Vera or erythrocytosisis a medical condition with high concentration of red blood cells. The thicker blood is less able to travel through blood vessels and organs. Most symptoms of polycythaemia are related tothis sluggish blood flow. Moderate symptoms of polycythaemia include headache, blurredvision, red skin, tiredness, elevated blood pressure, dizziness, abdominal discomfort, bleeding problems, gout and itchy skin although more severe medical events like vas-occlusion, thrombosis and strokes may occur. This case reports a 50 year old female with an unusual presentation of polycythemia vera in the form of abrupt onset &one-day-old' history of massive hematemesis with otherwise unremarkable physical exam except caput medusa around umblicus. A diagnosis of Polythythaemiavera complicated by portal vein thrombosis induced portal hypertension was finally made.Patients with polycythemia vera are at high risk of vaso-occlusive events. While the etiology of events in polycythemic patients is likely to be multifactorial, hemodilution is potentially beneficial. Attending clinicians should be well aware of the unlikely associations and squeal of thrombotic events in polycythemia vera like portal venous occlusion and hypertension.


The present work applies saddlepoint approximation to calculate the left-hand tail of the distribution of the unit root t test and an asymptotic equivalent test under the null hypothesis of a unit root. (This is the tail of interest when testing against a stationary alternative.) The saddlepoint equation is solved numerically. Distribution approximations are obtained both in the asymptotic and finite-sample cases. In the finite-sample case, two slightly different methods are suggested and compared.


An improved free volume theory is presented, and is shown to predict the variation of viscosity with temperature and pressure satisfactorily for liquids composed of simple, nonpolar molecules, when the density is greater than twice the critical value. Allowance is made for the temperature dependence of the minimum free volume for a jump, and for the density dependence of the activation energy at constant volume. Corresponding states relationships are provided for these quantities, the reducing parameters being the temperature and molal volum at the melting point.


Condensed phases in the environment are often chemically complex. Reactivity can differ significantly depending on the physical state (i.e. solid or liquid) and composition. Many laboratory studies that investigate reaction kinetics in condensed phases are done under simplified conditions that do not accurately reflect the complexity found in the environment. I have measured photolysis rate constants of the aromatic pollutants toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes (TEX) and anthracene under environmentally-relevant conditions in order to improve fate predictions. The photolysis kinetics of TEX in water, ice and at ice surfaces were investigated using environmentally-relevant wavelengths. Previously, photolysis has not been considered a viable degradation pathway for these compounds in the environment because their absorbance spectra in water does not overlap with wavelengths that reach the Earth's surface. However, I observed photolysis in ice granules, suggesting direct photolysis could be an important removal pathway for TEX in snow-covered environments. Sodium chloride (NaCl) and organic matter (OM) are common constituents of condensed phases in the environment. However, the combined effects of salt and organic matter on anthracene photolysis rate constants have previously not been investigated. Therefore, I measured anthracene photolysis rate constants in water, octanol, and phase-separated aqueousorganic mixtures containing varying concentrations of sodium chloride. In aqueous-organic mixtures, anthracene photolysis rate constants were largely explained by a salting-out effect. However, these results are complicated by turbulence, as evidenced by different kinetics observed in stirred and stagnant mixtures. My results suggest that anthracene photolysis kinetics in the environment may not be well described by simple matrices. Photolysis Kinetics of Aromatic Pollutants in Liquid and Solid Environmental Condensed Phases


OBJECTIVE
To compare empty zona pellucidae (ZP) and human of mouse oocytes for sperm cryopreservation.

STUDY DESIGN
ZP was prepared by evacuating the cytoplasm of human or mouse oocytes. The evacuated ZP were injected with spermatozoa from patients with severe oligoasthenozoospermia from normally fertile men. After a freezing-thawing procedure, the spermatozoa were aspirated outside the ZP. According to the different origins of ZP and sperm, the spermatozoa number per ZP, motile sperm number before freezing and after thawing, lost sperm number per ZP after freezing and sperm recovery rate were compared.

RESULTS
Spermatozoa number, motile sperm number before freezing and after thawing, lost sperm number per ZP and sperm recovery rate in all groups were comparable. The total mean motile sperm number before freezing and after thawing, mean lost sperm number after thawing and sperm recovery rate were 15.1%, 12%, 1.6% and 80%, respectively.

CONCLUSION
ZP is an ideal vehicle for cryopreservation of sperm collected from patients with severe oligoasthenozoospermia. There were no differences between human and mouse ZP for sperm storage.


In this paper, a detailed study was carried out on the PTFE reinforced with TiO2 and CaTiO3. The filler content of ceramic powder was a fixed value of 61 wt% and the content of CaTiO3 in PTFE matrix varied from 0 wt% to 16 wt% with a step size of 4 wt%. The effects of CaTiO3 loading on the density, moisture absorption, thermal expansion, microstructure and microwave dielectric properties were investigated. As CaTiO3 loading content increased from 0 wt% to 16 wt%, the thermal expansion initially displayed a sharp increase, and showed a slight enhancement when the content of CaTiO3 exceeded 12 wt%. The density experienced a continuous decrease with the addition of CaTiO3. The moisture absorption displayed a steady increase with the increasing CaTiO3 loading amount. The changing of dielectric constant (er) and loss tangent (tanδ) were similar to that of the moisture absorption in a manner. Good dielectric properties with values of er = 11.60, tanδ = 0.002 were obtained in the PTFE matrix with 16 wt% CaTiO3 and 45 wt% TiO2.


Abstract Background Evidences for antipsychotic augmentation for schizophrenic patients with sub-optimal efficacy have been lacking although it has been widespread therapeutic strategy in clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of blonanserin augmentation with an atypical antipsychotics (AAPs) in schizophrenic patients. Methods A total of 100 patients with schizophrenia partially or completely unresponsive to treatment with an AAP recruited in this 12-week, open-label, non-comparative, multicenter study. Blonanserin was added to existing AAPs which were maintained during the study period. Efficacy was primarily evaluated using Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) at baseline, week 2, 4, 8, and 12. Predictors for PANSS response (≥20% reduction) was investigated. Results The PANSS total score was significantly decreased at 12 weeks after blonanserin augmentation (-21.0 ± 18.1, F=105.849, p<0.001). Response rate on PANSS at week 12 was 51.0%. Premature discontinuation was occurred in 17 patients (17.0%) and 4 patients among them discontinued the study due to adverse events. Nine patients experienced significant weight gain during the study. Response to blonanserin augmentation was associated with severe (PANSS>85) baseline symptom (OR=10.298, p=0.007) and higher dose (>600mg/day of chlorpromazine equivalent dose) of existing AAPs (OR=4.594, p=0.014). Discussion Blonanserin augmentation improved psychiatric symptoms of schizophrenic patients in cases of partial or non-responsive to an AAP treatment with favorable tolerability. Patients with severe symptom despite treatment with higher dose of AAP were benefited from this augmentation. These results suggested that blonanserin augmentation could be an effective strategy for specific patients with schizophrenia.


The displacement of footwear industry plants, observed in the last 30 years, driven by the need to adapt to the competitive requirements of this industry, mainly abundant and cheap labor and natural resources existence, are building a new global distribution of footwear production, in which China takes the role of global provider of shoes. In the current distribution, traditional manufacturers are losing traditional markets and seeking to improve the participation in niche markets, where the key attributes are quality, design and brand. The obstacles are even greater for the Gauchos manufacturers: the association between the Chinese competition and the national currency appreciation leads to shrinkage of markets and drop in foreign sales. To compensate this effect, the local manufacturers are directing their shoes production to segments of greater added value and thus higher prices, alongside the adoption of diversifying markets and investment in own-brand marketing strategies.

Key words: Gaucho footwear industry; Brazilian exports of shoes; international shoe market.


International human resource management has become a mature discipline in the last 30 years. As a sub-discipline of social sciences, international human resource management is characterised by paradigmatic divisions. The aim of this review article is to map the presence of three dominant social science paradigms in the field. Four major journals which publish relevant studies of international human resource management have been analysed in order to give an overview of the paradigmatic state of play. After investigating 1649 articles, it is evident that positivist studies prevail, whereas constructivist works are in a minority. Critical approaches to international human resource management are largely absent in these journals. This paper presents examples of each type of research and explains the decisive characteristics of each paradigm. Finally, future directions are outlined: (1) more paradigm reflexivity is required, (2) non-mainstream (namely, constructivist and even critical) research is needed, and (3) new paradigmatic directions are recommended. Newly introduced paradigms or multiparadigm studies should be undertaken.


The preparation and properties of new high-spin five-co-ordinate and low-spin six-co-ordinate chromium(II) complexes are reported, [Cr(tdpep)X][BPh4][X = Cl, Br, or I; tdpep = tris(2-diphenylphosphinoethyl)phosphine] and [Cr(pdma)2X2][X = Cl, Br, or I; pdma =o-phenylenebis(dimethylarsine)] respectively.


Superconductivity without spatial inversion symmetry has begun to attract much attention since the discovery of the superconductor CePt3Si. 1) It is presumed that the absence of spatial inversion symmetry causes an admixture between even and odd parities of superconducting pairing due to antisymmetric spin–orbit coupling (ASOC). However, there has been no clear evidence of the admixture thus far, and hence the spatial noncentrosymmetric effect on superconductivity remains experimentally controversial. Recently, ASOC has also been discussed in transition-metal superconductors. In this system, we can consider ASOC without strongly correlated electron systems, which would be appropriate for tracing the effect of ASOC. Interestingly, in Li2Pt3B, it was reported that unconventional superconductivity with a line node and a spin-triplet pairing state emerge, which are ascribed to ASOC. These reports suggest that ASOC can induce a novel superconducting state even though there is no strong electron correlation. The intermetallic binary Ir2Ga9 does not possess spatial inversion symmetry and becomes superconducting below Tc 1⁄4 2:2K. Specific heat and resistivity measurements showed that the compound is a weak-coupling BCS superconductor with an isotropic gap, and located near the boundary between type-I and type-II superconductivities with an upper critical field Hc2 150Oe. In this letter, we report on the characteristics of superconductivity in noncentrosymmetric Ir2Ga9 probed by Ga-nuclear-quadrupole-resonance (NQR) measurement at a zero field (H 1⁄4 0). The spatial noncentrosymmetric effect on the superconducting state is discussed. A single crystal of Ir2Ga9 was grown by the Ga flux method. Powder X-ray diffraction indicated that the compound forms in the primitive monoclinic Rh2Ga9 type structure. The sample of Ir2Ga9 was crushed into coarse powder for NQR measurement to allow the penetration of the rf field. The NQR measurement was performed by the conventional spin-echo method in the temperature (T) range of 1–280K. T1 was measured at f 26:45MHz, which was the 1 Qð 1=2 $ 3=2Þ transition of Ga (I 1⁄4 3=2), as shown in Fig. 1. The NQR spectrum ensures the quality of the sample, because the full width at half maximum (FWHM) is as small as 54 kHz, as shown in Fig. 1. The NQR signal of the isotope Ga (I 1⁄4 3=2) was confirmed at f 42:08MHz, which was consistent with the ratio 69Q=Q 1:59 (Q is the quadrupole moment) because NQR frequency is proportional to Q. Figure 2 shows 1=T1T as a function of T in the temperature range of 1 T 280K along with the ac-susceptibility measured using an in-situ NQR coil. In the normal state above Tc, a T1T 1⁄4 const. relation is valid up to T 50K, which is usually seen in conventional metals. Above T 50K, although 1=T1T gradually deviates from the constant, it is probably ascribed to the local structural distortion of the crystal because NQR frequency also shifts in the same T range, as seen in the inset of Fig. 2. This structural change may bring about an increase in the density of states at the Fermi level, leading to an increase of the 1=T1T constant value in the high T region. It is important to investigate the precise crystal structure of Ir2Ga9 at a low T where the superconductivity emerges. In the superconducting state, NQR intensity is largely suppressed below Tc 1⁄4 2:2K, as shown in the inset of Fig. 1. This is consistent with the previous reports that 26.2 26.3 26.4 26.5 26.6 26.7 26.8 N Q R in te ns ity ( ar b. u ni t)


Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) has many applications which require meeting specific wavelength windows. The most prominent examples are photothermal therapy in biology, matched to the biological window (650–1350 nm), and communication relying on photodetection in optoelectronics, matched to the communication window (1260–1675 nm). However, for the classic noble metals (Au, Ag), tuning LSPRs from visible region to these two windows is still a demanding task due to their intrinsic limitations on charge density and dielectric function. Here, the discovery of near‐infrared biological and communication window‐matched plasmonic properties of semimetal TiS2 nanosheets (NSs) is reported for the first time. Developed synthesis procedures allow fine‐tuning width and thickness of single‐crystal TiS2 NSs. During characterization a new and intensive absorption peak in the 1000–1400 nm range is observed from both TiS2 NS colloid solutions and films. This peak is attributed to LSPR due to its dependence on particle shape and on the refractive index of solvents. The superiority of such LSPRs is demonstrated in both, biological and optical applications: excitation at 808 and 980 nm generates a ≈50 °C photothermal temperature rise, while excitation at 1310 nm results in two‐times enhanced photocurrents of PbS photodetectors compared to untreated devices.


The irregularity in the statistic scope of national financial agricultural funds causes the confusion in the theoretical comprehension and the negative influence in practice.Besides,some items in the statistic scope are not directly related to the agricultural development and the farmer's benefit.This is one factor resulting in the low efficiency of the national financial agricultural funds.To promote the agricultural development and the construction of the rural area,the statistic scope of national financial agricultural fund should be redefined and regulated.


In resin transfer molding processes, the edge effect caused by the nonuniformity of permeability between fiber preform and edge channel may disrupt resin flow patterns and often results in the incomplete wetting of fiber preform, the formation of dry spots, and other defects in final composite materials. So a numerical simulation algorithm is developed to analyze the complex mold-filling process with edge effect. The newly modified governing equations involving the effect of mold cavity thickness on flow patterns and the volume-averaging momentum equations containing viscous and inertia terms are adopted to describe the fluid flow in the edge area and in the fiber preform, respectively. The volume of fluid (VOF) method is applied to tracking the free interface between the two types of fluids, namely the resin and the air. Under constant pressure injection conditions, the effects of transverse permeability, edge channel width, and mold cavity thickness on flow patterns are analyzed. The results demonstrate that the transverse flow is not only affected by the transverse permeability and the edge channel width but also by the mold cavity thickness. The simulated results are in agreement with the experimental results. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 118: 1014-1019, 2010


necessary for the general uplifting of mankind. Callahan's work, on the other hand, may very well provide the answer as to why Progressivism failed in this country. School board decisions appeared to be solely determined by economic and political expediency. Can it be that the structure and controls of public education have been exactly the same for an indefinite period of time? Or is the concept of mismanagement in education a cognitive aspect of our cultural heritage ?


Introduction With more than one-third of the world's population living in areas at risk for transmission, dengue fever is a leading cause of illness and death in the tropics and subtropics. Neurological manifestations such as meningoencephalitis, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, transverse myelitis and Guillain–Barre ́ syndrome have been recognised as clinical consequences of dengue infection. Meningitis is a rare complication. This article reports a case of dengue meningitis. Case report We report the case of a 16-year-old Sri Lankan Sinhalese male who presented with fever, headache and neck stiffness without the typical symptoms of dengue infection. Dengue was suspected because of associated thrombocytopenia, and cerebrospinal fluid analysis shows lymphocytic pleocytosis and slightly elevated protein level. Dengue infection was confirmed by demonstration of IgM antibody in both serum and cerebrospinal fluid sample. Conclusion This case report demonstrates that cerebrospinal fluid analysis is necessary to differentiate headache due to systemic infection from that due to meningitis. In addition, meningitis can be the first manifestation of dengue infection. In endemic areas, dengue infection should be considered and tested as a probable aetiological agent of viral meningitis. Introduction With more than one-third of the world's population living in areas at risk for transmission, dengue fever is a leading cause of illness and death in the tropics and subtropics1. Although several neurological manifestations of dengue infection, such as meningoencephalitis, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, transverse myelitis and Guillain–Barre ́ syndrome have been described, the true prevalence is unknown owing to underdiagnosis and under-reporting of these rarer presentations2–5. Meningitis is a rare manifestation of dengue fever, and only few such cases have been reported in the literature5–7. Despite the high prevalence of dengue infection, meningitis caused by dengue virus has not been reported previously in Sri Lanka. We describe the first case of meningitis caused by an oligosymptomatic dengue infection that occurred during the dengue epidemic in 2013 in Sri Lanka. Case report A 16-year-old Sri Lankan Sinhalese male was admitted to our institution with symptoms of high-grade fever, generalised throbbing headache and vomiting for a duration of 4 days. He did not have arthralgia, myalgia, abdominal pain, bleeding manifestation or significant past medical history. Upon admission, he was rational and oriented. Neurological examination revealed neck stiffness with a positive Kernig's sign. Rest of the examination was normal. Laboratory investigations upon admission showed thrombocytopenia (93 × 109/L), leucopoenia (2800 × 109/L), normal haemoglobin and increased levels of liver transaminases (aspartate aminotransferase 384 U/L, alanine aminotransferase 112 U/L) with normal C-reactive proteins, erythrocyte sedimentary rate, serum creatinine and serum electrolytes. Brain computed tomography scan did not show any abnormalities. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis showed white blood cell count of 112 cells/mm3 (lymphocytes 88%), no red blood cells, CSF glucose 68 mg/dL (blood glucose 106 mg/dL) and CSF protein 97 mg/ dL. CSF gram stain and fungal stains were negative and CSF bacterial culture was done. His CSF was tested for IgM antibodies against herpes simplex virus 1, 2 and Japanese encephalitis which were found to be negative. He was started on intravenous acyclovir and ceftriaxone. Despite his clinical improvement over next 2 days, his platelet count continued to drop, and hence the possibility of dengue infection was considered. His serum was positive for both dengue IgM antibody and non-structural protein 1 (NS1) antigen and his CSF was positive for dengue IgM antibody. By this time, CSF bacterial culture was available and was negative. Intravenous acyclovir and ceftriaxone were withheld. He was discharged on the tenth day of illness with complete recovery and was found to be well on follow-up. Discussion Dengue fever is currently the most important mosquito-borne viral infection of public health significance in Sri Lanka8. Dengue fever is caused by any of the four dengue virus serotypes (DEN 1–4) that are closely * Corresponding author Email: firstname.lastname@example.com Ward 45, Department of Medicine, National Hospital of Sri Lanka, Colombo, 01000 Sri Lanka


Applying the control serum to the internal quality control may ensure the reproducibility and accuracy of the test, and make the test have stable results. At present, ELISA laboratories are still using the quality control method the clinical biochimica laboratories always use. Because of the limit of ELISA speciality, (the valid period of ELISA diagnostic kit is short, the test number of some object is few, etc), there ecists the deficiency in the practical test by using this method. On the basis of this routine quality control method, our laborary apply "instant" quality control to the test at the same time (only continue to test three times, the No 3 test can be controled). It can avoid the above deficiency efficiently and have satisified effect.


In the enterprise development process,the role of corporate culture is to improve their staff motivation and sense of responsibility to the common values and mission of the enterprise secvices,by strengthening the cohesion of employees.This paper describes the positive energy of corporate culture,and further illustrates the necessity of establishing corporate culture as well as the fruits of enterprise.


e19110 Background: In the last few years, new drugs and strategies have emerged in the management of lung cancer (LC). ESCAP-2011-CPHG, promoted by the French College of General Hospital Respiratory Physicians, is an ancillary study of KBP-2010-CPHG, a prospective multicenter epidemiological study aiming to describe the characteristics and survival of patients with LC diagnosed in 2010 and managed in French general hospital chest departments. The aim of the study is to describe therapeutic strategies in LC during the first 2-year after diagnosis. Methods: For each patient, a standardized form was completed following each change in treatment strategy, up to 2 years after diagnosis. Results: 53 of the 104 centers (7051 patients) participating in KBP-2010-CPHG agreed to participate in ESCAP-2011-CPHG, which corresponded to 3943 patients, including 2003 patients with metastatic NSCLC. There was no significant difference in baseline characteristics between KBP-2010-CPHG and ESCAP-2011-CPHG patients. In patient...


Objective
To explore the effects of group intervention model based on self-disclosure theory on burden of main caregivers among stroke patients.

Methods
From January 2015 to January 2016, we selected 60 main caregivers of stroke inpatients from Department of Neurology and Neurological Rehabilitation in Seventh People's Hospital of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine as subjects by convenience sampling. All of the patients were divided into observation group and control group according to the admission time, 30 cases in each group. Observation group received group intervention model based on self-disclosure theory. Control group carried out routine nursing instruction. Burden and life quality were evaluated with the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview (ZBI) and World Health Organzation Quality of Life Assessment Instrument Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF) before and five weeks after intervention.

Results
There were statistical differences in the total score of ZBI and the scores of two dimensions (personal burden and responsibility burden) of main caregivers of stroke patients in observation group before and after intervention (P 0.05) . The differences in the total score of ZBI and the scores of two dimensions of main caregivers of stroke patients were statistical between two groups after intervention (P<0.05) . There were statistical differences in the total score of WHOQOL-BREF and the scores of two dimensions (psychology and social relations) in observation group before and after intervention (P<0.05) . There were statistical differences in the total score of WHOQOL-BREF and the scores of social relations in control group before and after intervention (P<0.05) . There were statistical differences in the total score and scores of physiology, psychology and social relations between two groups before and after intervention (P<0.05) .

Conclusions
The application of group intervention model based on self-disclosure theory in main caregivers of stroke patients can effectively reduce caregivers burden and improve their quality of life.

Key words:
Stroke; Caregivers; Self disclosure; Group intervention; Caregiver burden


The site specificity in the absorption of sodium taurocholate (STC), one of the most common bile salts, and its consequence on drug absorption was investigated in the rat using the in situ perfusion technique. The absorption of STC by the jejunum was negligible both below and above the critical micellar concentration and it was absorbed solely by the ileum. Marked but variable change in absorbability of drugs was observed depending upon the physicochemical nature and the absorptive characteristics of drugs. The extent of the bile salt enhancement of the absorption of sulfaguanidine was more predominant in the ileum than in the jejunum, while the inhibitory effect of STC on the absorption of imipramine was less remarkable in the ileum. Possible mechanisms of these site specificity was discussed.


Organic rice farming is a farming that cannot be separated in relation with use of factors that affect production. In order achieve high production, then the production factor used must be optimized. This research aimed to know (i) the general overview of organic rice farming in Simbur  Naik village,  sub-district of Muara Sabak Timur, Tanjung Jabung Timur Regency. (ii) To determine the effect of  productions factors on production on organic rice in Simbur  Naik village,  sub-district of Muara Sabak Timur, Tanjung Jabung Timur Regency, (iii) To analyze the economic efficiency of the use of production factors on the production of organic rice farming in Simbur  Naik village,  sub-district of Muara Sabak Timur, Tanjung Jabung Timur Regency. This reserach was done from Agustus 30th to September 19th 2017. Production function of Cobb  Douglas was used to to know the effect of  of the use of seed production factor, manure, Petrobios fertilizer, liquid organic fertilizer, urine pesticide, and labor as independent variables. Economic efficiency was used to evaluate the use of production factors. The data were obtained from 48 selected respondents by using census method. This reserach show that (i) in doing farming business, the farmer in Simbur Naik village could only carry out the rice cultivation process once a year and they used organic fertilizer as used in organic farming generally, namely manure or farmers also used petrobios fertilizer and liquid organic pertilizer.


This paper reports our work in designing and developing an android application ("Fight Alzheimer") to help doctors in diagnosis and treatment of dementia and Alzheimer disease (AD). Historically, doctors examine the progress of their patients through games in a paper format. Although there is a huge number of such games, there isn't a software application to help doctors in this regard. The application contains different games each of which helps a patient in different section of his mind which tends to be damaged due to the disease. The application can be used to keep the progress of the patient and help therapists to apply these games for his/her treatment. Keywords— android application, dementia, Alzheimer disease.


Examines seasonal variation in population numbers of Diamondback moths, and estimates mortality, due to parasitoids, of larvae at different stages of development.


Development of cracks in the concrete leads to mitigation of the strength and durability of the concrete structures. This paper deals with the application of self-healing concrete for an irrigation canal in a village near Erode. The selfhealing of concrete is a result of calcite precipitation by bacteria (Bacillus Megaterium MTCC 3353) mixed with natural fibres. Here, the compressed soil made irrigation canal which has been used by the farmers for agricultural purpose over a century was lined with the self-healing concrete in order to reduce the evaporation and infiltration of water into the soil thereby improving and increasing the functionality yield of the canal. A controlled crack width is assured by means of the fibres used which substantially increase the tensile capacity of the concrete. The properties of the fibre reinforced bio-concrete was evaluated by conducting flexural and compression tests along with study of amount of crack-healing in concrete with and without the use of bacteria.


During adipogenesis, numerous adipogenic transcription factors need to be sequentially expressed and tightly modulated. Among these transcription factors, peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is the most important one during adipogenesis. PPARγ is a nuclear receptor and its activity is sophisticatedly regulated through the binding of coactivators and corepressors. However, the activation mechanisms of PPARγ during adipogenesis are poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate that the E3 ubiquitin ligase ring finger protein 20 (RNF20) would be involved in adipocyte differentiation by regulating PPARγ. In RNF20 heterozygous‐null mice, the size of adipose tissue and adipocytes were reduced. Knockdown of RNF20 suppressed adipocyte differentiation of 3T3‐L1 cells. Conversely, overexpression of RNF20 promoted adipogenesis. We observed that RNF20 bound to nuclear corepressor (NCoR1) and increased the activity of PPARγ by repressing NCoR1. Taken together, these results suggest that RNF20 would act as a positive regulator for adipocyte differentiation by enhancing the activity of PPARγ.


The study investigated the relationship between mismanagement and underdevelopment in Nigeria in relation to the sustainable management perspective. The qualitative technique of exploratory research design was used through which primary and secondary data were generated and analyzed using the descriptive statistical method. The study found evidence that there is gross mismanagement of Nigeria's natural resource wealth, and in such a situation the nation remains in the league of the LDCs of the world. On the basis of statistical analysis it was found that mismanagement is positively associated with underdevelopment in Nigeria. A major contribution of this study to knowledge is that it will afford the government and the people of Nigeria the opportunity of finding better ways of managing her natural resource wealth for the sustainability of the country. It was suggested among others, that the federating states in Nigeria should buckle up with the payment of workers' salary, pension and gratuity as a means of reducing poverty and hunger everywhere as sought for by the UN SDGs 2030 target.


Visual object tracking aims to predict the bounding box in the whole sequence by giving an initial position, which has been paid more and more attention in recent years. The newly proposed Siamese trackers show great potential on high accuracy and robustness. In this paper we introduce a visual object tracker based on the Siamese region proposal network (SiamRPN) with multi-scale feature fusion. Specifically, it employs an additional feature fusion operation in the Siamese sub-network for feature extraction. It has achieved higher accuracy than the baseline SiamRPN without fine-tuning the original network and without considerable efficiency loss.


A 37-year-old woman presented 24 h after returning from a walking safari holiday in South Africa with a 7-day history of fevers, sweats, malaise, myalgia, arthalgia and a rash. A sore red lump behind the right knee had developed 4 days before the onset of these symptoms. She did not recall any insect bites. On physical examination, multiple erythematous papules were seen scattered over the trunk, limbs, face, palms and soles. There was a black eschar with a surrounding erythematous halo located in the right popliteal fossa (Fig. 1a), and another similar lesion on the left shoulder. There was tender right inguinal lymphadenopathy and low-grade pyrexia of 37.2 C. A skin biopsy of an erythematous papule was taken for histology.


Abstract Evaluation of the creep behaviour of 2.25Cr–1Mo and 9Cr–1Mo ferritic steel base metals, 9Cr–1Mo steel weld metal, and 2.25Cr–1Mo/9Cr–1Mo ferritic–ferritic dissimilar weld joints has been carried out at 823 K in the stress range 100–260 MPa. The weld joint was fabricated by shielded metal arc welding using basic coated 9Cr–1Mo electrodes. Investigations of the microstructure and hardness variations across the joint in the as welded, post-weld heat treated (973 K/1 h), and creep tested conditions were performed. The heat affected zone (HAZ) in both the steels consisted of a coarse prior austenitic grain region, a fine prior austenitic grain region, and an intercritical structure. In the post-weld heat treated condition, a white etched soft decarburised zone in 2.25Cr–1Mo steel base metal and a black etched hard carburised zone in 9Cr–1Mo steel weld metal around the weld fusion line developed. Hardness troughs also developed in the intercritical HAZ regions of both the steels. The width of the carburised and decarburised zones and hardness differences of these zones were found to increase with creep exposure. The 9Cr–1Mo steel weld metal showed higher creep strength compared to both the base metals. The 9Cr–1Mo steel base metal exhibited better creep resistance than the 2.25Cr–1Mo steel base metal at lower applied stresses. The dissimilar joint revealed lower creep rupture strength than both the base metals and weld metal. The creep strain was found to concentrate in the decarburised zone of 2.25Cr–1Mo steel and in the intercritical HAZ regions of both the steels. Creep failure in the stress range examined occurred in the intercritical HAZ of 2.25Cr–1Mo steel even though this region showed higher hardness than the decarburised zone. Extensive creep cavitation and cracks were observed in the decarburised zone.


The present invention relates to a method for producing omega-3 and / or omega-6 fatty acids in oleaginous yeast. Thus, for the synthesis of ARA and EPA, linoleic acid (LA) to γ-linolenic acid (GLA), α-linoleic acid (ALA) to stearidonic acid (STA), GLA to dihomo-γ-linoleic acid (DGLA), Conversion of STA to eicosatetraenoic acid (ETA), DGLA to arachidonic acid (ARA), ETA to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), DGLA to ETA, EPA to docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), and ARA to EPA Catalytic desaturases and elongases have been introduced into the genome of Yarrowia.


We propose a method to improve the translation of pronouns by resolving their co-reference to prior mentions. We report results using two different co-reference resolution methods and point to remaining challenges.


In Nigeria, Islam – rooted for centuries in the North – is increasingly challenged by dynamic Christians. Christianity presented itself from the coasts and the Niger River in the 19th century. While the English colonial masters limited missionary expansion in the northern territories, neopentecostal African churches introduced Christianity to the north to recent decades. Christians, however, are divided between the Anglican, Roman Catholic, mainstream Protestant churches and an array of new churches in the evangelical or neopentecostal movement. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is un umbrella for them all, but its unity has been severely undermined. Boko Haram poses a real threat to living together in Nigeria. But as its fight – especially since the election of President Buhari – appears first as a struggle within the Muslim world, a veritable "religious war" can still be avoided.


The main tendencies of the waste products formation and recycling in the Russian Federation and in the Sverdlovsk region have been analyzed and the principal factors restraining the inclusion of anthropogenic formations into the economic circulation have been revealed in the work. A technical approach to the estimation of both ecological and economic integral efficiency of the recycling projects that, in autors, opinion, secures higher objectivity of this estimation as well as the validity of the made decisions on their realization.


If you're looking for more than just a vacation getaway, this most iconic places in Malta might just be the best for you.


We have designed a polymer micelles based on Pluronic P123 and Polyethyleneimine 600 (termed as P123P600). Upon critical micelle concentration the P123P600 unimer formed micelles in water. These micelles not only could simultaneously delivery hydrophobic anticancer drug paclitaxel (PTX) to cancer cells but also could deplete ATP and inhibit P-gp expression in MDR cells. In vitro researches demonstrated that these micelles showed the excellent biocompatibility, high drug loading efficiency, stably controlled releasing behavior, enhanced cellular up-take and improved serum stability. In vivo studies demonstrated that the PTX loaded micelles induced tumor cell apoptosis and inhibited the growth of tumor to overcome drug resistance through a synergistic effect. All these findings suggested that P123P600 for delivery of anticarcinogen provided a promising strategy for reversal of MDR in cancer treatment.