The purpose of this paper aims to clarify the distributional pattern of the ancient settlements in the 'Middle Nomes' (9th-15th) in Upper Egypt from a geographical and toponymical point of view.The origins of urban settlement in ancient Egypt still remain unknown. Most of the ancient settlements were buried by thick alluvial soils of the Nile, or occupied by later settlements. Therefore empirical studies for the ancient settlements remain very difficult.The place-names derive from the characteristics of the past. Therefore, the toponymical study may help to classify the spatial structure of nomes. The results of this study are as follows.1. 148 pre-Islamic settlements were specified in the targeted region, and the location sites of the 88 place-names could be identified. 70% of the identified place-names were of hieroglyphic origin, while 25% were of the Coptic origins, and the remainder 5% were of Greek origin.2. About 29 settlements are located at the desert edges. Most of them originated from the Predynastic or the Greco-Roman eras, however the majority of them had already vanished or become smaller settlements.3. Only 17 place-names may have been of Greek origin. Most of their settlements were concentrated in the Hermopolite nome where the Greeks had actively settled. From the lack of historical data it can be construed that the Greek place-names were not popular among the Egyptians; therefore their settlements did not remain in later times. Another reason for thelimited Greek origin was due to the fact that their settlements were severely damaged bythe low water level of the Nile and the desertification at later times. After the original settlements were ruined, new settlements on the reclaimed lands were never built any more.4. The number of settlements of the Coptic origin reaches 30, however, most of these settlements had already vanished or become smaller.5. The Nile Valley of this region is relatively widespread, so a number of settlements had developed on the flood plains, particularly in the 9th, 10th and 15th nomes.6. Most of the ancient settlements that had developed in the regional centers were located on the Nile bank or on the natural levees and low mounds near the bank. However, many of the ancient settlements are not situated on the present Nile banks any more, because the river had changed its position over the years.7. Few settlements in the Middle region except the 9th, 10th and 12th nomes were located on the east bank of the Nile. The settlements on the east bank were scattered intermittently, while the settlements on the west bank were distributed evenly.8. The distributional pattern of the ancient settlements in the 'Middle Nomes' is lattice-like, which was based on the network of transportation and irrigation canals.9. Many place names of the ancient settlements, even the Greek or the Coptic names, derived from the local deities. Names derived from geographical aspects such as geomorphological characteristics were uncommon.


An improved encryption algorithm based on digital chaotic coding system is proposed. The problem of finite state is resolved by changing the parameter of chaotic mapping using msequence. To further improve the random statistic property of output chaotic sequence, the chaotic sequence is made to transfer in various subspaces. The output chaotic sequence through the perturbation function distributes uniformly in the whole state space. This method overcomes the disadvantage of limited precision, increases the period of output sequence and makes it measurable. This method can produce a private key with good statistic property and is easy to implement.


Children's health and wellbeing are top of the government's priorities and a number of programmes have been developed in recent years to benefit young people. Practitioners are being encouraged to work together in integrated teams where communication and shared vision are essential for success.


The cogging torque of a 12-slot 10-pole PM motor was analyzed quantificationally using FEM at different sizes and groove-shapes of auxiliary slot.The results show that the cogging torque are associated with the size and the groove-shapes of auxiliary slot.The cogging torque can be reduced by selecting the appropriate auxiliary slot size and groove shape.


The literature on members of police organizations adopting new technology is generally descriptive and rarely explanatory. However, the Diffusion of Innovation Theory and the studies that have grown out of it have contributed to creation of a model that helps explain adoption rates of new technology by individuals working in an organization. To verify whether this model can be used to study the adoption of technology in police organizations, our study examines the factors that influence the adoption of social media (SM) by members (n = 177) of Quebec police organizations. Our findings confirm that the factors identified in the literature on innovation—the perception that potential users have of the new technology as well as organizational factors, such as the respondent's role in the organization—can also help explain why and how frequently a member uses SM in his or her work.


The recent coming of age of genomic techniques and bioinformatics tools has led to an unprecedented proliferation of publications on genomewide association studies and expression profiling for use in genetic analysis, molecular classification, and prognostication of various diseases. Such reports, however, have often resulted in confusion and, at times, disappointment. The use of expensive methods to subclassify histologic variants of tumors as accurately as $15 immunohistochemical assays, the inability to replicate more than 98% of published genomewide association studies, and multiple retrospective studies using single-group series with small sample sizes all contribute to these sentiments. For these reasons, the article . . .


This thesis was focused on a capability of two Rhodococcus strains to decompose several synthetic compounds containing 2-ethylhexyl chain. The biodegradation was tested by the growth of both bacterial strains on the substrates individually; the growth was monitored by measuring of optical density using UV-VIS spectrophotometer after incubation. Further, the growth kinetics was measured for selected substrates by the OXITOP apparatus. The obtained results showed that, both strains were able to grow using Bis(2-Ethylhexyl) adipate, Bis(2-Ethylhexyl) sebacate, 2-Ethylhexyl acetate and 2,2-Ethylenedioxydiethyl bis(2-Ethylhexanoate) as the only carbon and energy source.


The Italian Government, over the years, has strongl y supported the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (PfA) and has reaffirmed it s commitment to a full and effective implementation of these important instruments, thro ugh the promotion of policies and actions at a national level, in order to achieve th internationally agreed development goals, including those of the Millennium Declaratio n.


This study is a preliminary study conducted by researches on how people deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, researcher wanted to show how people's views of COVID-19. In addition, researcher in this initial study also wanted to see how the validity and reliability of the fear of Covid-19 scale which was the result of language translation. The 71 respondents (21 males) were involved in this preliminary study with the age range of respondents ranging from 17-32 years (M = 21.79, SD = 3,468). The respondents in this study came from several cities in Indonesia with various activity backgrounds. Furthermore, the descriptive analysis in this study was carried out with the help of SPSS for windows version 22. The results of the analysis show that most of the respondents in this study have a moderate level of fear of Covid-19 with a percentage of 73% of respondents. against COVID-19, which is 14% of respondents. Meanwhile, at a low and very high level of fear, there were 13% and 14% of respondents, respectively.


introduced FUSE system in humans. The results emerging from this pilot study, together with results from the published in vitro study and recent communications at the Digestive Disease Week and the United European Gastroenterology Week, are encoura-ging and suggest the potential of the novel FUSE platform to significantly improve CRC screening and surveillance colonoscopy. Studies comparing FUSE with standard forward-viewing endoscopy in a back-to-back and tandem design are already in prepara-tion, and the results of these studies are highly anticipated.


The invention relates to a device, in particular an extrusion or injection molding machine, for user-specific monitoring and preferably for regulating the processing of plastics, with a material supply device (1) which supplies the plastic as a raw material, a plasticizer (2) plasticizing the raw material. homogenized, and a shaping device (3), which forms the plasticized / homogenized raw material into a product. A controller (5) is datenverbindbar with an input device (130) via which at least a value of a processing input variable, such as the cost of the device, the raw material, the energy and the processing amount can be entered. At least one processing control quantity and / or processing input quantity can be determined by a processor device (14) in substantially real time, such as product cycle duration, product cost, raw material / energy input per product cycle, expected production costs for a given quantity of product, and product cycle number up to one Maintenance. The control device (5) can be data-connected to an output device (16) via which at least one value of at least one processing monitoring variable, such as the actual, setpoint, average value, the integrated value since starting, its history or tendency is output and preferably displayed via the map can be.


The Gulf of Mannar and adjoining Cauvery basin to the north between India and Sri Lanka are associated with a failed rift, which initiated during the late Jurassic to early Cretaceous as a precursor to the breakup of East Gondwana. Despite the occurrence of igneous rocks that can be noted in seismic profiles, offshore, and deep seated occurrence of those have lead only to the limited understanding of igneous activity in the Mannar basin. Rock cuttings recovered in the Barracuda exploratory well in the Mannar basin shows approximately 700 m thick basalt rock sequence interlayered with sediments at a depth of 3500–4200 m below mean sea level. Here, we analyzed samples recovered from the Barracuda well for major and trace element composition. Major and trace element data suggest that the basalts were crystallized from two different degrees of partial melts from a similar source. Chondrite normalized rare earth element (REE) patterns indicate that the basalts are similar to continental flood basalt, though they show a distinct Ba positive anomaly. Importantly, supported with previously available K–Ar data, we decipher that these basalts are contemporaneous with the Deccan traps. Rifting between Seychelles and India which had occurred at ~62 Ma approximately 3.5 Ma after the main Deccan eruption is synchronous with the Barracuda volcanism suggesting coeval rifting between Seychelles–India and India–Sri Lanka. Thus, our data suggest simultaneous rifting between Seychelles–India and India–Sri Lanka. Large plate reorganizations that took place during this time period in the Indian Ocean have likely caused consequent passive rifting in the Mannar basin.


Epidemiological studies analysing the prevalence of running injuries suggest that chronic injuries are a prominent complaint. Foot orthoses have been advocated for the treatment of running injuries yet the mechanism behind their effects are not well understood. This study aimed to examine the kinetics and tibiocalcaneal kinematics of running as a function of orthotic intervention. Fourteen recreational runners ran at 4.0 m.s. The kinetics and tibiocalcaneal kinematics of running were obtained when running with and without orthotics and contrasted using paired t-tests. The results show that tibiocalcaneal kinematics were not significantly influenced by foot orthoses. However, it was demonstrated that kinetic parameters were significantly reduced as a function of the orthotic intervention. This study supports the notion that runners who are susceptible to chronic injuries related to excessive impact forces may benefit from foot orthoses and may provide insight into the clinical efficacy of orthotic intervention.


A 24-year-old male, a member of the Japanese Ground Self Defensc Force, was admitted to a hospital in January 1957 with complaints of fever, malaise and ulcer in the hard palate. Clinical diagnosis was gangrenous stomatitis. In March, the ulcer was perforated into the nasal cavity. He was sent to our hospital in July. Histologic diagnosis of nasal lesions was progressive gangrenous rhinitis. From July to August he was treated with local x-ray irradiation (2800 r) and antibiotics, and he was also given the whole blood of about 8 liters. In October he again complained of fever, anorexia, and epigastric pain. Liver and spleen were found slightly enlarged and a tumourous mass measuring 5 ~ 2 c m was palpated in the upper peritoneal cavity. He was treated under the diagnosis of serum hepatitis due to transfusion. Needle biopsy of liver, performed in March, 1958, revealed chronic hepatitis. Although hepato-splenomegaly had not completely disappeared, the patient was discharged in April. On 4, September 1958, he was admitted to another hospital with complaints of high fever, dizziness and sweat in night. On 22, October 1958, he was again sent to our hospital after a transient recovery. On the second admission, perforated but healed lesion was found in the hard palate. Liver, spleen and left cervical lymphnodes were enlarged and a small tumourous mass was palpable in the upper abdominal cavity. He had a remittent febrile course and the x-ray film revealed pulmonary lesions which simulated miliary tuberculosis. In spite of energic administration of streptomycin, PAS, INAH and cortisone (70 g, 130 g, 11 g, and 4,000 mg respectively), his clinical conditions were not ameliorated and the patient expired on 7, December 1958. Laboratory examination : Blood Wasscrmann reaction negative. Tuberculin senstivitp test negative. Moderate leucopenia with relative neutrophilia. Low serum protein with inverted value of albumin-globulin ratio. Normal serum bilirubin value. Tubercle bacilli were negative in culture of blood, spinal fluid, urine and sputum.


Cyclization of 2-methoxy-6-benzyloxy acetophenone hydrazone gave 3-methyl-4-methoxy indazole and 3-methyl-4-methoxy-7-benzyl indazole in the presence of polyphosphoric acid (PPA). The hydrazone was probably converted to 2-hydroxy-6-methoxy acetophenone hydrazone and 2-hydroxy-3-benzyl-6-methoxy acetophenone hydrazone followed by cyclization to the corresponding indazoles in acidic conditions. Cyclization of 2-methoxy-6-(halo or alky] or aryl benzyloxy) acetophenone hydrazones gave similar products. Cyclization of 2-methoxy-6-(p-nitrobenzyloxy) acetophenone hydrazone gave 2-(p-nitrophenyl)-3-methyl-4-methoxy benzofuran and 3-methy]-4-methoxy indazole while 2-methoxy-6-(m-nitrobenzyloxy) acetophenone hydrazone gave 3-methyl-4-methoxy indazole, 3-methyl-4-methoxy-7-(m-nitrophenyl) indazole and 3-methyl-4-(m-nitrobenzyloxy) indazole.


By many measures, banks have managed a successful entry into the retail investment services business. In the decade and a half since the first banks began offering annuities, mutual funds, and discount brokerage services, banks have expanded their presence so that last year banks accounted for 12% of all nonproprietary mutual fund sales and 15% of all individual annuity sales in the U.S. According to the Kehrer-Alliance Capital Bank Investment Program Benchmarking Study, the typical bank investment program has a profit margin of 31%, which is high by traditional securities industry standards [Chart A, p.44]. Banks have achieved these margins by focusing on the most profitable part of the retail securities business -- selling load mutual funds and especially annuities to customers with substantial savings that can be converted to other investments. While so far bank retail investment programs contribute only about 4% to the overall banking enterprise's net income, the investment services unit appears to have accomplished its other main objectives of helping stem the loss of customers to securities and insurance firms. Too late to the party? On the other hand, a skeptic might argue that banks have embraced the traditional retail securities business just as it was dying. While banks have been building up sales forces to sell load mutual funds, investors have been increasingly turning to no-load mutual funds and fee based planners. While mutual fund sales have been booming overall, no-load mutual fund sales have been growing much faster than load mutual fund sales. Since 1986 (around the time many banks were starting to sell load funds), assets in no-load funds have grown by 23% a year, compared to an average annual growth rate of 16% for load funds. By 1996 no-load funds accounted for 53% of all mutual fund sales. While full-commission brokerage firms such as Merrill Lynch and Smith Barney still control about 38% of all investable assets, the picture is changing. In 1995 (the latest year such information is available), mutual fund assets grew 31%, compared to growth of only 12% for full service brokers. The assets in discount brokers, driven by the no-load mutual fund supermarkets at Charles Schwab, Fidelity Investments, and Jack White, grew even more -- 35% [Chart B]. Here come the planners At the same time, more and more investors are turning to fee-based planners or independent investment advisors for financial advice, and investment purchases. These planners and advisors have actually experienced a larger growth -- 41% -- in their share of investable consumer assets than the other financial services competitors. Indeed, a recent Dalbar survey found that over two-thirds of the investing public perceive financial planners as providing reliable advice, almost twice as many of those who deem investment advice from bankers to be reliable. Stockbrokers are perceived to be somewhat more reliable than bankers, but not as reliable as planners and independent investment advisors [Chart C]. Are banks being outflanked in the battle for consumer investable assets? If we look beneath the surface of these trends, we see opportunities for banks with stockbroker sales forces. According to Alliance Capital's Richard Davies, the statistics on the growing market share of no-load mutual funds are misleading, as a large percentage of no-loads are sold institutionally through 401(k) plans and increasingly through fee-based financial advisors. Only one-third of retail mutual fund sales come from direct marketing; two-thirds are still "advisor assisted." Davies and others see the real growth in investment services in investment accounts in which the advisor or planner is paid a fee to manage the account, rather than the more traditional form of advice -- suggesting an investment in an individual stock, bond, or mutual fund for which the investor pays a commission. …


ABSTRACT Pneumonia still is a disease with high mortality in children aged 1 to 4 years. Effective interventions to reduce pneumonia deaths are available, but reach few people. The caregiver's role is essential to notice the disease first signs and the doctor must have knowledge about the correct therapy for each situation. This report exposes a situation that is usual in medical care, in which the disease has an atypical presentation and evolution which reflects the large existing types of microorganisms and the increasing resistance to available drugs.


The invention relates to a low-voltage circuit breaker (1) produced from a profiled semi-finished connecting bars, wherein the connecting rails (2; 3) are designed such that the spacers (12; 13; 14; 15) each as an integral part in the connecting rails (2; 3) are integrated. (1) the required rated current of the low-voltage circuit breaker selected in accordance with and the dimensions of the spacers in accordance with the difference between the thickness of the connecting rails used; this case, the cross section of the current-carrying part of each connecting rail (2: 3) (2; 3) and the size of the openings (10; 11).


A case report is presented of a student naval flight officer with pigment dispersion syndrome. The diagnosis, treatment, and aeromedical disposition of this condition are discussed.


On February 29, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the first patients in the United States hospitalized for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were located in King County, Washington, in a single skilled nursing facility (SNF). Investigation and contact tracing among the ~130 SNF residents and 170 health care personnel was initiated. There were 81 residents, 34 health care personnel, and 14 visitors who tested positive, and by March 27, 2020, there were 23 deaths. Americans were given the news the COVID-19 pandemic had reached the United States through a nursing home near Seattle. In New York State, COVID-19 was soon detected, and at least 6400 people died in SNFs and long-term care nursing facilities (NFs) by summer. Overburdened hospitals in New York lacked options for where to discharge patients with COVID-19. Unable to admit new patients because of capacity issues, acute care hospitals were instructed to discharge patients to SNFs. In late March 2020, NY SNFs were issued an administrative directive by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. This order mandated SNFs to accept COVID-19 patients despite reports of inadequate personal protection equipment (PPE) and insufficient staff to provide care. The impetus was to free up hospitals for fresh waves of COVID-19 patients. Family members and nursing home staff feared that sending those patients to nursing homes would create a dangerous environment that allowed the virus to quickly spread. The outcomes of this directive were controversial but clearly demonstrated the enormous role that SNFs and NFs play in the U.S. health care system. As these events unfolded, physiatrists caring for patients in SNFs were instantly thrust into Ground Zero of the U.S. COVID-19 pandemic.


Purpose – This paper deals with real‐time control of urban traffic with an emphasis on public transportation systems. The main objective is the regulation of traffic after the occurrence of disturbances. In a few words, the problem is to find a feasible schedule for some vehicles of some lines subject to certain constraints in order to design a decision support system (DSS) that detects, analyses and resolves disturbances.Design/methodology/approach – This work is achieved in cooperation with a public transport company called SEMURVAL. It consists of developing a DSS for the future transportation network of Valenciennes (city in the north of France). As a consequence, regulators of traffic have to treat a new lot of information and it becomes necessary to assist them in order to keep up with demands and to come up to passengers' expectations and hopes.Findings – From the case study finds that the solution proposed assures that arrival times of vehicles are more regular.Originality/value – The solution pro...


During Vatican II council a group of bishops and theologians studied the problem of church poverty. They tried to push poverty into official debate and texts. The group, inspired by the french theologian Paul Gauthier, worked during the four session of the Vatican II council (1962-1965) and it was many times under the lenses of television and press. Paul VI also asked cardinal Lercaro to follow the activity of the group.


Every true Confucian, says the North China Herald, is an agnostic. He believes only in the seen, the unseen he regards as unknown and unknowable. When asked how we should serve the spirits, Confucius replied, "Unable to serve men, how can we serve spirits ? " Confine your thoughts to human duty. To serve men well is the best way to serve the gods. To the question which immediately followed, regarding death, his answer was, " Not knowing life, how can we know death ? " Attend to the present why trouble yourself with insoluble riddles about the future ? Life and death are one. Live well and you will die well. Confucius was a thorough-going agnostic. He did not deny the existence of gods and spirits, nor the possibility of a future life. He simply regarded such subjects as beyond human knowledge, and refused todiscuss them. He was sure of his five senses, and declined to move a step further. As an agnostic the Confucianist is tolerant of other creeds. He goes even further, and will admit that for the ignorant multitude, and especially for women, an apparatus of gods and demons is necessary. He does not care, therefore, to proclaim his skepticism, still less to actively propagate it. His creed is only for the wise ; the masses are better as they are. He will subscribe tothe temples, and take part in idolatrous ceremonies. To the com mon people, Confucian agnosticism has never been very satisfac tory. But the agnostic philosophy has not been without its influence on the masses. There is but little religious fervor, and scarcely any deep faith. The people will ridicule their own gods, laugh at their own worship and freely criticise all the creeds. Speak to any Chinese, no matter what his rank, about the future life, and his reply is almost certain to be, " Who knows anything about it?" and is likely enough to add, " Eating and drinking are realities," implying that all else is doubtful. Refer to the subject of future rewards and punishments, and his sarcastic remark will probably be, " I have seen the living suffer, but never seen the dead in cangues." The present is certain ; the future is all unknown. He therefore keeps a sharp eye to the present chance. It must be now or never ; there may be no to-morrow. Intense worldliness and general animalism are the natural results. The conclusion of the whole matter shows how far superior morally the original and orthodox systems of Buddhism and Taoism are to the agnostic attitude.


Kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) were advised to tightly adhere to government recommendations to curb the spread of SARS-CoV-2 because of a high risk of morbidity and mortality and decreased immunogenicity after vaccination. The aim of this study was to analyze the change in adherence to preventive measures after vaccination and awareness of antibody response, and to evaluate the effectiveness of these measures.

 Questionnaires were sent to 3531 KTRs enrolled in the Dutch RECOVAC studies, retrospectively asking for adherence to nine preventive measures on a 5-point Likert scale before and after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and after awareness of antibody response. Blood samples were collected 28 days after the second vaccination. Antibody response was categorized as non-responder (≤50 BAU/mL), low-responder (>50 ≤300 BAU/mL) or high-responder (>300 BAU/mL), and shared with participants as a correlate of protection. Adherence before and after vaccination were compared by the Wilcoxon signed rank sum test. Logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the association between antibody response and adherence, and adherence on acquiring SARS-CoV-2 infection.

 In 2939 KTRs (83%) who completed the first questionnaire on adherence to preventive measures, adherence was higher before than after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination (4.56, IQR 4.11-4.78 and 4.22, IQR 3.67-4.67, p < .001) (Figure 1). Adherence after awareness of antibody response was analyzed in 2399 KTRs (82%) of whom also blood samples were available, containing 949 non-responders, 500 low-responders and 950 high-responders. Compared to non-responders, low- and high-responders reported lower adherence (Figure 2). Higher adherence was associated with lower infection rates before and after vaccination (OR 0.67 [0.51-0.91], p = 0.008 and OR 0.48 [0.28–0.86], p = 0.010).

 To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to show that KTRs became less adherent to social isolation and other preventive measures after vaccination against COVID-19. Adherence decreased in KTRs who were aware of a subsequent antibody response compared to those without. Moreover, preventive measures in this vulnerable group are effective, regardless of vaccination status.


An experimental investigation was conducted to investigate the potential of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) nanoparticles as friction modifier and antiwear additive in engine oil. In this study, an optimal composition (0.5 vol.%) of 70 nm hBN nanoparticles was dispersed in SAE 15W-40 diesel engine oil by sonication technique. Sample was stabilized using 0.3 vol.% oleic acid as a surfactant. The tribological test was performed using a four-ball tribometer. Surface morphology and its chemical composition were carried out using a profilometer, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy-dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX). It was found that the optimized nano-oil could reduce the coefficient of friction and increase wear resistance, as compared with conventional diesel engine oil. Some adhesive and abrasive wear types were identified as predominant wear mechanisms.


The Enterprise moral education increasingly plays a striking role in the development of enterprises. The present enterprise moral education leaves much room for improvement in goals, objects and mechanisms. The method goes as follows: take the overall development of the staff members as the starting point; take the promotion of the moral qualities of the individual staff and ethic character of the whole enterprises as the goal; provide training for the related persons of direct benefits of the enterprises; train the moral strength of the enterprises and enhance synthetic competitive strength of the enterprises through ethicized decisive mechanism, improvement and performance of the systems and mechanisms of the entire, systematical and consistent moral training from the contents to the methods.


Knowledge discovery of data is very much necessary in order to deliver a correct decision to the user, in decision making process. In this paper efficiency of knowledge learnt by SVM transparent approach is compared with opaque approach. We have selected DT, and NBTree as transparent approaches to evaluate the eclectic rule extraction approach of SVM. Where the training dataset available is modified according to the predictions of learned SVM. This modified data is expected to represent the knowledge learnt by SVM during training. Transparent approaches are then employed and the understanding of SVM is evaluated in the form of rules. The conclusion drawn after extensive experimentation is that improved comprehensibility is achieved.


Abstract This paper outlines the transition from football games played for occasional amusement to a system of organized football clubs playing regular matches in Lancashire in the mid-nineteenth century. This was led by young men of an emerging Lancashire leisured class being, in the main, the public school educated sons of the northern county's commercial and industrial elite. These families had accumulated sufficient wealth, especially in the first half of the nineteenth century, to exempt a considerable part of their population from work both at weekends and during the normal working week with football becoming an act of conspicuous consumption. Three case studies of individual clubs and leading individuals within those clubs are presented with detailed archival research carefully avoiding the teleology implicit in much historical writing of the past. It also swells the paucity of good historical material about the organization of sport at levels below national bodies. In so doing, it aims to illuminate some of the shadows in the big picture of the evolution of sport and leisure in Lancashire and Britain itself while informing the ongoing orthodox/revisionist debate into the origins of football in the nineteenth century.


Heterogeneity of snow cover in high mountain area may increase avalanche hazard. In Antarctica, drifting snow plays an important role in the surface mass balance and therefore on the sea level rise. It is therefore necessary to evaluate blowing snow in the field in terms of snow fluxes and occurrence, and, if possible, using to automatic measurements. We present here two sensors based on the same measurements techniques, using the optical beam obstruction method: the Snow Particle Counter (SPC) and the Wenglor YH08PCT8 sensor. The SPC has been widely tested and used in the past and is considered the reference in the present study. The Wenglor YH08PCT8 sensor is a relatively simple, inexpensive commercial counter used in industry which recognizes extremely small parts, holes, slots and notches. It has been tested for 4-5 years as a sensor for a eolian sand and snow transport. The present study focused on the performance of the Wenglor sensor in the context of blowing snow measurement. During two consecutive winters from 2011 to 2013, we set up Wenglor sensors and SPCs at Lac Blanc Pass (French Alps 2800 m) and tested Wenglor sensors in cold room. The results presented here will focus on Wenglor sensor's performance and limitations for uses in high mountain area and cold regions.


OBJECTIVE
To systematically summarize the clinical features of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children.

METHODS
PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, CNKI, Weipu Database, and Wanfang Database were searched for clinical studies on COVID-19 in children published up to May 21, 2020. Two reviewers independently screened the articles, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias of the studies included. A descriptive analysis was then performed for the studies. Related indices between children with COVID-19 and severe acute respiratory syndromes (SARS) or Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) were compared.

RESULTS
A total of 75 studies were included, with a total of 806 children with COVID-19. The research results showed that the age of the children ranged from 36 hours after birth to 18 years, with a male-female ratio of 1.21 : 1. Similar to SARS and MERS, COVID-19 often occurred with familial aggregation, and such cases accounted for 74.6% (601/806). The children with COVID-19, SARS, and MERS had similar clinical symptoms, mainly fever and cough. Some children had gastrointestinal symptoms. The children with asymptomatic infection accounted for 17.9% (144/806) of COVID-19 cases, 2.5% (2/81) of SARS cases, and 57.1% (12/21) of MERS cases. The children with COVID-19 and MERS mainly had bilateral lesions on chest imaging examination, with a positive rate of lesions of 63.4% (421/664) and 26.3% (5/19) respectively, which were lower than the corresponding positive rates of viral nucleic acid detection, which were 99.8% and 100% respectively. The chest radiological examination of the children with SARS mainly showed unilateral lesion, with a positive rate of imaging of 88.9% (72/81), which was higher than the corresponding positive rate of viral nucleic acid detection (29.2%). Viral nucleic acid was detected in the feces of children with COVID-19 or SARS, with positive rates of 60.2% (56/93) and 71.4% (5/7) respectively. The children with COVID-19 had a rate of severe disease of 4.6% (31/686) and a mortality rate of 0.1% (1/806), the children with SARS had a rate of severe disease of 1.5% (1/68) and a mortality rate of 0%, and those with MERS had a rate of severe disease of 14.3% (3/21) and a mortality rate of 9.5% (2/21).

CONCLUSIONS
Children with COVID-19 have similar symptoms to those with SARS or MERS, mainly fever and cough. Asymptomatic infection is observed in all three diseases. Children with COVID-19 or SARS have milder disease conditions than those with MERS. COVID-19 in children often occurs with familial aggregation. Epidemiological contact history, imaging examination findings, and viral nucleic acid testing results are important bases for the diagnosis of COVID-19.


The growth of 20 rice varieties, including both lowland and upland varieties, was evaluated in Kenya under well-watered and water-deficit conditions in four different soil types (black cotton, red clay, volcanic ash, and sandy clay) to compare the adaptability of these varieties to the two water regimes. Under water-deficit condition, after terminating irrigation, the reduction in soil water potential differed markedly according to soil type. The rice varieties tested were classified into four groups, which were largely consistent with differences in rice variety ecotype. We confirmed that lowland varieties such as Basmati 370 should not be considered as a candidate for cultivation under rain-fed upland conditions in Kenya. Furthermore, the results revealed that even potentially high-yielding varieties may not attain their yield potential if the cultivation environment is unsuitable. Although we found that five upland varieties (Dular, IRAT109, NERICA 1, NERICA 4, and Yumenohatamochi) presented relatively higher grain yield under water-deficit conditions in all soil types, individual variety's grain yield depended on the soil type. Their higher yield is attributable to certain root traits and their yield variations to an interactive effect between root development and soil type. Our results indicated that the varieties Dular, IRAT109, NERICA 1, NERICA 4, and Yumenohatamochi are suitable for cultivation under rain-fed upland conditions across the major rice-growing areas in Kenya and that soil type should be considered when selecting varieties for an area's maximum productivity.


Abstract:The reputation of George Meredith has fluctuated over time. Every so often there are predictions that he will once again enjoy the esteem accorded him at the turn of the nineteenth century, countered by assertions that he is past reviving. This essay concentrates on the period from 1971, when the aim of Ian Fletcher's Meredith Now: Some Critical Essays was to establish him as 'a major if flawed artist' (p. vii). Fletcher's volume of essays by various hands coincided with publication of other works in 1970-71 including Gillian Beer's critical study, a new edition of his letters, and a Critical Heritage volume. Almost all commentary on Meredith tackles his stylistic mannerism and obscurity, while recognizing his versatility.The essay traces Meredith's reputation up to his death in 1909, and its subsequent decline. Until the mid-twentieth century, commentary continued to focus on Meredith's ideas about nature and the Comic Spirit. Meredith Now, in offering various critical approaches, serves as a point of reference for subsequent discussion though reframing old questions rather than formulating new ones. Particular considerations since 1971 include the impact of new historicism and of gender and sexuality studies; revival of attention to Victorian poetry; availability of scholarly editions of both his poetry and fiction; his erudition, especially awareness of scientific work; and the value of situating him in the intellectual context of the late nineteenth century. Some reflections on Meredith's relation to modernism are offered, and possible directions for future research indicated.


GATA‐3, a transcription factor, participates in regulating cell development, proliferation, and death. This study was aimed at evaluating the roles of GATA‐3 in protecting osteoblasts against oxidative stress–induced apoptotic insults and their possible mechanisms. Pretreatment with nitric oxide (NO) for 24 hours protected osteoblasts, prepared from neonatal rat calvaria, against oxidative stress–induced apoptotic insults. Such protection involved enhancement of Bcl‐XL messenger (m)RNA and protein syntheses and the translocation of this antiapoptotic protein from the cytoplasm to mitochondria. GATA‐3 was detected in rat osteoblasts, and GATA‐3‐specific DNA‐binding elements exist in the promoter region of the bcl‐xL gene. NO preconditioning attenuated oxidative stress–caused suppression of GATA‐3 mRNA and protein synthesis and the translocation of this transcription factor from the cytoplasm to nuclei. Application of GATA‐3 small interfering (si)RNA into osteoblasts decreased the levels of this transcription factor and simultaneously inhibited Bcl‐XL mRNA synthesis. Pretreatment with NO lowered the oxidative stress–caused alteration in the binding of GATA‐3 to its specific DNA motifs. Oxidative stress–inhibited Runx2 mRNA expression, but NO preconditioning decreased such inhibition. NO pretreatment time‐dependently enhanced the association of GATA‐3 with Runx2. Knocking down the translation of GATA‐3 using RNA interference significantly decreased the protection of NO preconditioning against oxidative stress–induced alterations of cell morphologies, DNA fragmentation, and cell apoptosis. In comparison, overexpression of GATA‐3 could promote NO preconditioning–involved Bcl‐XL expression and cell survival. Therefore, this study shows that GATA‐3 plays critical roles in mediating survival signals in osteoblasts, possibly through upregulating bcl‐xL gene expression. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.


The aim of this paper is to design a system to provide as substitute for grid-power derived from fossil fuel, a reliable and clean source of energy for a textile plant in Mauritius. This is done by designing a small-scale Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) hybrid system capable of generating electricity for the facility. The technical and financial feasibility of the system operating with an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) and a combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) as hybrid system is proposed in this work. The power plant is designed and modelled in the process simulation solver, System Advisor Model. The size of the solar field is optimized for the maximum annual solar to electric conversion efficiency using the concept of solar multiple. The electrical consumption of the facility is analysed in order to meet the power demand. The annual electricity generation of the design system, at a rated capacity of 2 MWe, is determined at a selected location from specific hourly data of direct normal irradiation and indirect active thermal energy storage system, and an optimum hybridization fraction. The simulated annual performance of the design system is compared to the current energy consumption of the facility. The results demonstrate that the power plant has a significant potential during the summer season, but manifests some limiting factors in the winter season. Moreover, a financial appraisal, which includes the total investment cost of the project and its payback period, is presented along with an assessment of the greenhouse gas emission.


In this paper, we compare the role of outward-bound international patenting in "reverse innovation" and in conventional international modes of innovation. Through analysis of panel data from 148 co...


The invention provides a PXIe bus based GNSS signal simulator and an implementation method thereof. The simulator constructs the whole system platform based on the PXIe bus. A hardware signal generator comprises a synchronous control card, an intermediate frequency modulator card, an up converter card and a combiner card which are inserted into a standard PXIe case in the form of boards. The system adopts the synchronous control card to generate and transmit reference clocks and reset and time base signals through an equal-length clock line, a single end and a differential star trigger line of the PXIe bus. All the boards can be controlled by upper computer software through the PXIe bus. The system of the invention has excellent flexibility, compatibility and expandability, and can support the multi-constellation and multi-frequency point satellite navigation signals for integrated navigation in the present and future signal systems.


Emerson describes Kilauea caldera between March 24 and April 14, 1886, following the subsidence of March 1886; the paper is accompanied by a map (plate 1). Halemaumau was a great empty pit, 900 ft below Volcano House, with a smaller pit in its center. Before the collapse, lava in Halemaumau rose 1 ft per day, decreasing to .4 ft per day. This paper is followed by van Slyke, 1887.


Tonye Victor Erekosima was born to Kalabari Ijo parents from Buguma City in the Niger Delta of Nigeria. His father, Chief Isaac Dagogo Erekosima, a paramount chief for twenty years, was directly descended from the Kalabari Chief Ikiri JohnBull, and his maternal grandfather was Amanyanabo (King) Charlie Kieni Amachree V. After primary education at St. Anna's Catholic School, Umuahia, Nigeria, he attended Government College, Umuahia, where his father was the first African principal. Offered several opportunities for higher study, he accepted the prestigious continental African scholarship, ASPAU, in 1961, winning it from among top students in forty-two countries, and attended the University of Rochester in New York State. He graduated cum laude in three years with a BA degree in political science, then accepted both a Danforth Foundation Fellowship and Ford Foundation Scholarship to pursue and receive an MA degree in comparative politics with emphasis in African development at UCLA. During this period, he was invited to present at a United Nations conference in Geneva. He also toured Ghana as part of an expansive socioeconomic study, invited by the Ghana Academy of Sciences. He returned to Nigeria to join the Economic Development Institute (EDI), University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Shortly afterward, the Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970) developed; he became heavily involved in the Republic of Biafra leadership. For two years after it ended, he was held under house arrest and denied work by the Nigerian government. After clearance, he taught and in 1975 decided to pursue further graduate studies. He was offered admission to Oxford University, England, but because this meant waiting another year, he enrolled in a new field, educational technology, at Catholic University of America, Washington DC, earning a second MA degree in 1977. In 1976, he married Dinah Nkem Ezumah from Arochukwu, Nigeria. His two sons, Dagogo and Onimi, were born in 1977 and 1978, respectively, and he later adopted his father's last daughter, Ibiobele. In 1981, he returned to Nigeria to complete fieldwork for his PhD at Catholic University and became Director of General Studies at the Rivers State College of Education, Port Harcourt, Nigeria, leaving to become Director of the Instructional Resources Center, University of Port Harcourt. In 1984, Buguma City celebrated its centennial and the Amanyanabo invited him to be the chief editor of a history of Buguma. He returned to the United States in 1986, completing his PhD in 1989 in Human Performance Engineering, a specialty of Educational Technology. His most widely recognized academic contribution was conceiving and developing the notion of cultural authentication, an idea emphasizing that objects and ideas seemingly "borrowed" from another culture instead become indigenously changed, recognized, and valued. The madras textile imported from India and used by the Kalabari to make the cut-thread textile they call pelete bite inspired his concept. He was an admired scholar, but his passion was social reform and development. He was founding president of the Kalabari Development and Unity Movement (KADUMO), board member of the Kalabari National Association (KNA), USA, and first founding vice president of the Sons and Daughters of Buguma, (SOADA), USA. His efforts to empower disenfranchised communities included designing a drug and substance abuse prevention program for high-risk youth, funded by the Disctrict of Columbia government. He was devoutly religious, becoming an ordained Christian minister after returning to the United States in 1986. During this period, he was diagnosed with stomach cancer, but later told that it was in remission. In 1988, cancer was again diagnosed and metastasized. As a response he dedicated himself to service in his Hyattsville, Maryland, church, holding several leadership positions until his death, along with serving other related ministries, such as the Board of Directors of the Take Heart Association Project (which helps children in Kenya receive heart transplants), and took leadership in the National Day of Prayer. In May 2008, he felt a sharp pain in his chest and was hospitalized and thought to be anemic, but was later diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. He died with his family around him on August 1. A memorial service and life celebration were held in Hyattsville on August 29–30 and his body was sent back to Buguma for a proper Kalabari funeral held on October 3. His eldest son astutely appraised his father's life as "not fitting in a box." I first met Tonye briefly in 1966 at the Enugu campus where EDI was based, and he and his parents acted as hosts for a weekend in Buguma before I returned to the United States. That weekend was to become pivotal in bringing about our work together, as his family gave me the curious cut-thread textile that had not yet been researched. Much later he saw a photograph of his mother wearing a pelete bite wrapper in my book Nigerian Handcrafted Textiles and contacted me, which resulted in my questions, his help to answer them, and our collaboration that expanded into Kalabari funerals and male and female dress. Although a reluctant academic, his contributions were often brilliant, always sound, detailed, and precise. He liked abstract thinking and developing analytic models, His contributions will live far beyond his mortality.


The experiment was design and conduct in control environmental condition for the purpose to investigate the impact of given metals Fe 3+ and Cu 2+ in the presence of nitrate and phosphate on the growth, protein level ( root, leaf, fruit ) production of photosynthetic pigments in macrophyte and its metal accumulation and removal capacity in the provided condition. T. natans survive very well with Fe 3+ in presence of nitrate and phosphate by increasing in biomass 1.17% more than the Cu 2+ . In the protein level there is increment of 10.11%, 5%, 13.16% observed in leaf, root and fruit respectively. Photosynthetic pigments was observed 4.88% more in Fe 3+ treated plant than that in Cu 2+ treated plant and it was also noticed that bio accretion of Fe 3+ was 8.8% more than of Cu 2+ . Its resulted that given plant also played an important role in the elimination or purging of pollutant/metal ions (Fe 3+ , Cu 2+ ) in the maintenance of water quality, whereas in case of Fe 3+ T. natans also tolerated the biochemical and physiological stress and have a positive characteristic for the remedial process of polluted water.


Of all the ways to speak of transcendence, the perception of objects as spatially and temporally transcendent to us would seem to be one of the more mundane. So allow me to make the case right at the start as to why understanding how Hans-Georg Gadamer explains our perceptual awareness of objects is interesting and relevant. First, there is the general point that to fully appreciate Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics we need to take seriously its place within the phenomenological tradition; the nature of perception has been a central theme from the beginnings of phenomenology, and the nature of our awareness of objects as transcendent has been a central theme of the nature of perception. That things are experienced as irreducible to the way they are experienced-experienced as having being beyond their appearance-is our most common encounter with transcendence. When we think of transcendence as moving out from us or as going beyond something-that is, when we think of it as best captured through spatial metaphors-it is because we are drawing on this most familiar sense of transcendence, the transcendence of spatial-temporal objects. Gadamer inherits from classical phenomenology the view that perception is directly of the objects of perception; perception is not mediated through ideas or representations, rather "consciousness is," as he puts it, "according to its own essential structure, already with objects."1 Since there is disagreement among phenomenologists about how object perception should be best characterized, it is worth knowing where Gadamer stands on the issue; however, since he did not write anything extensive or detailed about the nature of perception, knowing where he stands will take some interpretive reconstruction. Second, Hubert Dreyfus has joined a debate around John McDowell's denial of the possibility of a non-conceptual awareness of objects. Two things make this debate relevant to Gadamerians. First, McDowell appeals to Gadamer to help respond to a pressing concern with his view. If we start from McDowell's view that human perception is the actualization of conceptual capacities, how can we explain the continuities between the way mature humans perceive the world and the way beings that lack those conceptual capacities, such as infants or non-human animals, perceive the world?2 McDowell relies on Gadamer's distinction between an environment and a world: animals exist in an environment, driven by solving problems related to their biological imperatives; humans live in a world toward which we are conceptually oriented to allow for reflection and action in ways not simply reducible to biological imperatives. Dreyfus thinks that McDowell under-appreciates the resources the phenomenological tradition provides for a richer understanding of the meaningfulness of embodied, skillfully coping, non-conceptual actions.3 He argues that Martin Heidegger and Maurice Merleau-Ponty provide the tools for understanding the origins and the nature of the perceptual transcendence of objects. Separately, Dreyfus has criticized Gadamer for not taking "a stand on Heidegger's claim that there is a level of everyday practice (the Vorhabe) beneath our theoretical presuppositions and assumptions (the Vorsicht),"4 and this objection connects to his objection against McDowell. So Gadamer has been drafted into the debate on the side of the Sellarsian McDowell, while Dreyfus presents his response as phenomenology's response to McDowell. By laying out Gadamer's actual views about the way we are aware of objects as transcendent, we can better position him with respect to the issues at stake between Dreyfus and McDowell on the possibility of non-conceptual perception. The general question I want to address is this: How does Gadamer articulate object transcendence?5 The four key claims that he makes are: (1) that the body is first and foremost an opening to the world and is incapable of being fully objectified; (2) that the way the world is disclosed spatially according to our bodies parallels the way the world is disclosed conceptually through language; (3) that the bodily disclosure of objects is not prior (temporally or logically) to the linguistic disclosure of objects; and (4) that there is in the perception of objects a double transcendence, a spatial-temporal transcendence that reveals the object as surpassing any particular appearance of it, and a linguistic/conceptual transcendence revealing it as not just an individual object, but an object disclosable though language, and, as such, conceptually relatable to other objects. …


Union website. A short appendix has tables about the Apollo lunar landing missions, the main satellites of the planets, the constellations, the brightest stars, the nearest stars, the Messier objects, the main members of the Local Group of galaxies, an A to Z of variable star types and the planets: orbital and physical data. This dictionary is a good quick reference for amateur astronomers, students of astronomy and astrophysics, and for anybody looking for a handy reference in this field. The price of the book is rather affordable, however, one has to make a concession regarding the quality of the paper. In times of nearly unlimited access to knowledge on the internet, books like the present one still serve well as a short, fast-access reference from a trustworthy source.


In order to model accurate protein networks we must extend our current knowledge of the protein associations occurring in molecular systems. We have significantly increased the accuracy of protein association predictions by the meta-statistical integration of different computational prediction methods specifically designed for the study of eukaryotic proteomes. These methods exploit diverse and orthogonal information, such as fused domain analysis based on the comparison of more than 575 genomes, gene expression similarity and homology signals. We assess the potential of this bio-computational approach to build accurate and comprehensive network models of human and yeast proteomes and compare these to models based on the combination of experimentally inferred protein association datasets from seven comprehensive biological databases. The models reveal that the predicted networks resemble the topological and noise features of the experimentally inferred networks and we show that this observation is not due to random behaviour. Moreover, the predicted networks topology contains information on true protein associations beyond their constitutive first order binary predictions suggesting that the predicted networks contain sound information on the real biological networks. We observe that the majority of the predicted network is "dark matter". This term has been applied by analogy to astronomical systems, to represent the set of reliable predicted protein as- sociations, which have not yet been experimentally characterized. This leaded to the generation of novel hypothesis in the field with the finding of novel interactions and proving that part of this "dark matter" contains key functional elements of protein networks, such as hubs associated with important functional areas like the regulation of Ras protein signal transduction in human cells. The functional analysis of the PPI "dark matter" suggests that current high-throughtput experimental assays could being performing biased screenings of the real protein networks leaving important areas as interaction related to membrane-associated proteins or transient protein interactions poorly characterized. We have model specific systems using predictions in mitotic spindle, angiogenesis, H4R and human kinetochore. And successfully validated experimentally novel spindle and anti-angiogenic proteins based on these predictions with an average of success above random in all the cases out-performing their counterpart empirical approaches, such as, for example, genome-wide screens. The methodology developed in this work allows efficient focused screenings on promising candidate genes, reducing assays complexity, cost and resources.


We had two patients with respiratory tract stenosis and decannulation difficulty after high tracheostomy.In the first case, vocal cord was adhering by trauma, in the second case, granulaions were increasing with great tenacity.But we scceeded the decannulation.The authors discussed the etiology and treatment of traumatic laryngeal stenosis and high tracheostomy.


Aiming at the insufficient existing fundamental,combined with the structure characteristic of deception jammer,generation mechanism of gate-pull jamming and its action mechanism to the concrete radar receiver,the variation of radar receiving signal's characteristic is anaylzed when jamming enteres the system.The statistical and fine fetures of the receiving signal is extracted to detect jamming,and theoretical model of jamming identification is studied according to the interaction and time-varying characteristic between the real echo and jamming in the process of gate-pulling.A gate-pull jamming subtype identification approach is formed based on processing which provids theoretical basis to further improve radar system anti-jamming ability.In the end,experiments show that this method is feasible and has comparatively better correction identification ability.


Since pre-Columbian times, indigenous farmers of Quechua and Aymara origin have occupied the highlands surrounding the city of Cochabamba. Between the 15th Century, at the beginning of colonial times, and the middle of the 20th Century, landlords owned the land, while former peasant landowners were kept under serfdom. In the agrarian reform initiated in 1952, the government abolished serfdom and returned the land to farmers who were willing to form a syndicate, which was later on transformed, through gradual incorporation of indigenous organizational elements, into what is today perceived as a "community" (Rocha, 1999).


Fatal transfusion‐associated graft‐versus‐host disease developed in a 69‐year‐old woman with colon cancer who underwent elective hemicolectomy. During the perioperative period, she was transfused with 4 units of nonirradiated fresh whole blood less than 6 hours after the blood was donated by family members. She was immunocompetent and was not treated with any immunosuppressive agents such as corticosteroids, chemotherapy, or irradiation therapy. The implicated donor was thought to be her daughter, who was homozygous for an HLA haplotype that was shared with the recipient: A24, Bw52, CBL, DR2. This is the most common haplotype in the Japanese population. This case and others in the Japanese literature indicate that the transfusion of fresh, nonirradiated blood that contains immunocompetent lymphocytes and peripheral hematopoietic precursor cells from HLA‐homozygous donors can be lethal to the recipient.


A study by Canadian researchers shows that preventive oophorectomy reduces risk of ovarian, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cancer by 80% in women who have BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations. Published in The Journal of Clinical Oncology, the report also documented a 77% reduction in all-cause mortality.


The role of supercharge operators is studied in the case of a Dirac particle moving in a constant chromomagnetic field. The Hamiltonian is factorized and the ground state wave function in the case of unbroken supersymmetry is determined.


The superconductivity of some amorphous alloys made of refractory tran-sitional metals as well as the relationship between structural changes after heattreatment and the superconductivity were described in this paper.The weakpinning superconductors with their critical current densities in these alloyshave a long way to go to the values which are required in practical use,butthey have high critical fields,good mechanical properties and resistance toradiation damage.


Menstruation is a biological process in which females shed blood every month. Various menstrual absorbents are used by females to absorb the
blood and sanitary napkins are widely used among the various menstrual absorbents available in the market. These menstrual absorbents should
produce and packed in hygienic conditions. It should be free from pathogenic microbes especially from S. aureus. The sterility testing of sanitary
napkins are import as they are directly come in contact with vagina. In this paper microbial assessment of 27 napkins were performed as per BIS
5405:2019 to check its hygienic conditions. All the 27 napkins were purchased from retails shops and some from the online platforms and found to
be packed in safe and hygienic conditions


Osman Dogan˘Program in Economics, The Graduate School and University Center, The City University of New York,New York, NY 10016, USA; E-Mail: email@example.com; Tel.: +1-212-817-8255Academic Editor: Giuseppe ArbiaReceived: 14 October 2014 / Accepted: 27 January 2015 / Published: 26 February 2015Abstract: In this study, I investigate the necessary condition for the consistency of themaximum likelihood estimator (MLE) of spatial models with a spatial moving averageprocess in the disturbance term. I show that the MLE of spatial autoregressive andspatial moving average parameters is generally inconsistent when heteroskedasticity is notconsidered in the estimation. I also show that the MLE of parameters of exogenous variablesis inconsistent and determine its asymptotic bias. I provide simulation results to evaluate theperformance of the MLE. The simulation results indicate that the MLE imposes a substantialamount of bias on both autoregressive and moving average parameters.Keywords: spatial dependence; spatial moving average; spatial autoregressive; maximumlikelihood estimator; MLE; asymptotics; heteroskedasticity; SARMA(1,1)JEL classifications: C13, C21, C311. IntroductionThe spatial dependence among the disturbance terms of a spatial model is generally assumed to takethe form of a spatial autoregressive process. The spatial model that has a spatial lag in the dependentvariable and an autoregressive process in the disturbance term is known as the SARARmodel. Themain characteristic of an autoregressive process is that the effect of a location-specific shock transmitsto all other locations with its effects gradually fading away for the higher order neighbors. The spatialautoregressive process may not be appropriate if there is strong evidence of the localized transmissionof shocks. That is, the autoregressive process is not the correct specification when the effects of


In this paper I investigate the relocation decision of manufacturing plants in the German economy. The relocation decision involves whether a plant moves its location from one region to another over a time period or whether it stays in the same region. To analyze the relocation of plants, I constructed a novel dataset based on comprehensive regional data as well as official German firm statistics. The results reveal that in particular an improved regional road infrastructure and accessibility of regions positively affects the decision to relocate a plant in the German economy. A reduction of 10 percent in travel time on roads to reach the three nearest agglomeration centers leads to an increase in the relocation probability of about 9.5 percent on average. Further effects are related to market potential, a better educated workforce, and the regional tax base.


Neurilemmomas of the brachial plexus are uncommon but they are important because of the functional significance and anatomical location of the brachial plexus. Only symptomatic neurilemmomas of the brachial plexus should be removed because the risk of injury is great. An attempt should always be made to remove the neurilemmoma from the nerve and preserve the neural integrity. Familiarity with and adequate exposure of the axilloclavicular region is essential in any dissection of the brachial plexus. Clavicular transection is usually required which necessitates stabilization with wire, metal plate, or threaded intramedullary pin.


: State assignment for a finite state machine (FSM) is an important process in logic synthesis of the sequential circuits in programmable devices. Using the proper algorithm provides among other things the reduction of the power dissipation. In this paper we focused on the algorithms that reduce power dissipation. The analysis of the column based algorithm (described in [1]) as well as two algorithms proposed by authors: sequential [7] and iterational was made. Experiments were made on standard benchmarks, researched in Microelectronics Center of North Carolina [9]. Obtained results showed significant reduction of the power dissipation when using the sequential algorithm (12% in comparison with the column-based algorithm). Iterational algorithm improves the results by additional 1%.


Hypothesis / aims of study Dual-task walking deficit and mixed urinary incontinence (UI) (1) are both associated with an increased risk of falls in older adults. Moreover, walking with a full bladder is recognised as a divided attention activity (i.e., a dual task) and the strong desire to void has been associated with increased gait variability in continent adults. Given that, the combined impact of trying to retain urine while walking (a dual task) has a negative impact on gait pattern (2), UI treatments based on dual-task training could prove to be an effective treatment for reducing UI and gait variability (linked to walking with full bladder) and, indirectly, preventing falls among the elderly. Virtual reality rehabilitation (VRR) is a proven dual-task treatment approach; one that could also prove to be effective in treating conditions linked to or acerbated by dual-task demands. Thus, the study's aim was to assess whether pelvic floor muscle (PFM) training using a dual-task training VRR approach could improve the gait parameters of older women with mixed UI when walking with full bladder.


4577 Background: Epiphora (E), excessive tearing (ET) due to insufficient drainage, is toxicity unique to 5FU or D. It is more common with q wk versus q 3 wk D (Esmaeli, Ophthalmology 2002). D is secreted in tears and causes inflammation and canalicular stenosis resulting in E, which can cause significant problems with reading, driving, and other activities as well as present the false impression of crying. While it has been reported mainly in pts with breast cancer, E has also been seen in other tumors treated with weekly D. Our preliminary experience in PC pts is presented.

METHODS
Pts with high-risk PC were treated with neoadjuvant D 35 mg/M2 and M 4 mg/M2 q wk x 3, with 1 wk off, for a total of 12 doses prior to radical prostatectomy. Pts who developed ET were instructed to use artificial tears; if symptoms (sx) did not improve, 1% prednisolone acetate eye drops were prescribed on the day before, the day of, and the day after chemotherapy.

RESULTS
Of 41 pts on protocol, 21 had ocular sx including blurry vision (1), eye irritation (1), ET (15), dry eyes (2-1 had ET later), photophobia (1), ingrown eyelashes (1), or infection of the upper eyelid (1). ET occurred at a median of 7.5 weeks (range 1-17) after starting chemotherapy. None of 6 pts treated with steroid eye drops improved and 1 with pre-existing glaucoma experienced an increase in intra-ocular pressure (IOP) requiring addition of a beta-blocker eye drop. In five pts who saw an ophthalmologist, ET was due to canalicular stenosis (2), ingrown eyelashes (1), "floppy eyelid syndrome"(1), normal (1).

CONCLUSIONS
Weekly D and M can cause significant OT. Given these findings, baseline ophthalmologic evaluation and monthly follow-up are recommended. As weekly D administration is widespread and the impact of OT on quality of life can be significant, prophylactic use of artificial tears and/or steroid drops, and early intervention with silicone intubation of the canaliculi should be studied. Better documentation of the range and grading of OT due to D is needed. [Table: see text].


Convolution type operators acting between Bessel potential spaces defined on a union of two finite intervals are studied from the point of view of their regularity properties. The operators are assumed to have kernels with Fourier transforms in the class of piecewise continuous matrix functions which is a frequent situation in several problems from mathematical physics. Various Wiener‐Hopf operators having the same regularity properties as the considered convolution type operators are presented. Moreover, besides a criterion for the Fredholm property, sufficient conditions for the invertibility of the operators in study are obtained. The approach is based on the consideration of relations between different kinds of operators. In this way, the transfer of regularity properties, between the related operators, appears as a natural consequence. An application to a wave diffraction problem with impedance conditions is illustrated. (© 2003 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


SUMMARY IN the genera Barbus and Labeo of the family Cyprinidae there is a typical twolobed, cylindrical swimbladder: a shorter anterior and a longer posterior lobe, connected by an isthmus. The pneumatic duct passes from the anteroventral end of the posterior lobe to the oesophagus. In the genus Labeo two spiral bands encircle the posterior lobe twice. No rete mirabile, nor any indication of a gas gland, was observed. The species Hydrocynus vittutus of the family Characidae has a very similarly shaped swimbladder to that of the Cyprinidea. Inside the anterior lobe, however, there is a peculiar structure, which is evidently the gas glad, although a rete mirabile was not observed. In the families of the Siluriformes, studied, with the exception of the Clariidae, a single lobed, heartshaped swimbladder is present. It is divided by a longitudinal and a transverse. septum into three chambers: an anterior, a right and a left posterior chamber. The pneumatic duct originates from the medial posteroventral part o...


Calligraphy album making, just as in other fields of art, gained importance in the course of the Ottoman Empire. It can be understood from some old album samples that the calligraphy albums containing different art branches such as calligraphy, illumination and miniature were made in the workshops of Timuri palace, and were improved in Turkman and Safevid palaces.In our country, we can see calligraphy album samples of different periods in specific libraries in accordance with written masterpieces. In these samples, written calligraphy albums are of importance with regard to calligraphy art.  Among these albums, two samples, which belonged to Topkapi Palace Museum Library, but were in Manisa Museum for a while, and then were put in Manisa Manuscript Libraryare of importance with regard to calligraphy and ornament. We will present two calligraphic albums in this paper.


This paper report the results of an integrated study with a geophysical EM-VLF, remote sensing and geological survey applied to groundwater prospection in a crystalline region of NE Brazil. The surveyed area is composed by fractured gneiss in three principal directions, N 70° - 80° W, N 50° - 60° E and N 40° - 50° . The regional gneiss lineation trend is in the N-S direction. The combined methods have been deployed to detect possible zones of concentrate fractures in the basement that may be groundwater aquifers. A very good agreement of this combined methods was very important to deduct a potential place to drill.


The sluggish kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction at the anode severely limits the hydrogen production at the cathode in water spitting systems. While electrocatalytic systems based on cheap and earth-abundant metal copper catalysts have been promising for water oxidation under basic conditions, only very few examples with high overpotential can be operated under acidic or neutral conditions, even though hydrogen evolution in the latter case is much easier. This work presents an efficient and robust Cu-based molecular catalyst, which self-assembles as a periodic film from its precursors under aqueous conditions on the surface of glassy carbon electrodes (GCE). This film catalyzes the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) under neutral conditions with impressively low overpotential. In controlled potential electrolysis, a stable catalytic current of 1.0 mA/cm 2 can be achieved at only 2.0 V (vs. RHE) and no remarkable decrease in the catalytic current is observed even after prolonged bulk electrolysis. The catalyst displays first-order kinetics and a single site mechanism for water oxidation with a TOF (k cat ) of 0.6 s -1 . DFT calculations are performed to study the OER behavior of the periodic Cu(TCA) 2 (HTCA = 1-mesityl-1H-1,2,3-triazole-4-carboxylic acid) film and reveal that TCA defects within the film create Cu(I) active sites which can provide a low overpotential route for OER. This route involves Cu(I), Cu(II)-OH, Cu(III)=O and Cu(II)-OOH intermediates and is enabled at a potential of 1.54 V (vs. RHE), requiring an overpotential of 0.31 V.


Abstract Background: Depression is a common mental health problem among Chinese elderly, but it often goes undiagnosed and untreated. Despite an increase in the population of elderly Chinese immigrants in the US, there have been few published studies on this topic. Objective: Our purpose was to determine the extent of depression in the participant population, using an updated Chinese translation of the original 30-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS; Yesavage et al., 1983). Study Design: A convenience sample of 102 Mandarin speaking Chinese elderly participants in two senior centers in Santa Clara County, CA was recruited. Results: A total of 29.4% of participants showed symptoms of depression, higher than the range found in the older adult American population (13-20%). Those most likely to be depressed ranged in age from 60 to 69 years (32%), lived with their children (37%), rated their financial and health status as below average, had less than a high school education, and lived in the US for less than 5 years. Conclusion: This updated Chinese translation of the GDS is a promising screening measure to detect depressive symptoms in elderly Chinese.


Wood characterization studies allow the optimization in different timber segments, especially wood processing and utilization. This study determined the anatomical, chemical, physical, and mechanical properties of Cordia glabrata (black laurel wood) to increase knowledge about the potential of underutilized species. The wood has high lignin content, long fibers and thin-to-thick fiber walls. It is classified as a high specific gravity wood and has medium dimensional shrinkage. This species also has medium values of compression parallel to grain and modulus of rupture, high values of shear stress, and low values of splitting. C . glabrata wood may be used in different ways in Brazilian timber sector, especially as decorative veneer, wood flooring, and products that require natural durability and regular mechanical strength.


Recent studies on the dynamics of sediment transport have progressively highlighted the need to explain the link between the turbulent near-bed boundary layer and the processes of particle entrainment and transport. As a result, a proper way to recognize and measure the entrainment and motion of individual particles is necessary for joint analysis with water flow field data. In this work we show the results obtained from the application of Particle Tracking Velocimetry (PTV) to bed-load plastic grains in a "natural" bed. Here "natural" means that the particles, though plastic, were not artificially coloured and moved over a background of similar loose ones, with no significant difference from the case of natural sand. Recognition of the moving grains was achieved by means of image subtraction and filtering, while particle tracking was made using the Fluid Stream software. The manuscript documents the results obtained from the application to a bed load experiment, as well as the measurement validation. The present limitations of the measurement are acknowledged and some strategies to improve its quality are proposed.


In this paper, design and analysis using analytical expressions for the inverse class-E power amplifier (PA) operating at the outside nominal operation, i.e., class-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{E}_{\mathrm{n}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> PA, is presented. This operation is defined as nonzero current switch (n-ZCS) and nonzero-derivative-current switch (n-ZDCS) conditions. The generalized design equations as a function of design specifications, load resistance, and a given dc-supply voltage are derived. Two degrees of the design freedom achieved thanks to n-ZCS and n-ZDCS that are utilized for the simultaneous satisfaction of design specifications, such as peak-switch-voltage and peak-switch-current along with a given load resistance. The output power capability is affected by n-ZCS and n-ZDCS conditions, which can be obtained in the desired value using the controlled adjustment of introduced deviation parameters. In order to prove the validity of the proposed design methodology, an inverse class-E PA operating in 2 GHz with output power of 23 dBm is implemented in 0.25-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> AlGaAs–InGaAs pHEMT technology. There is a close agreement between the theoretical and simulation results and the measurements of the fabricated prototype PA, which proved the validity of the obtained design expressions.


Nowadays, less technical individuals can create false videos by only source and target images, using deepfakes generation tools and methodologies. Distributing false information on social media and other concerns related to the deepfakes have thus significantly increased. To deal with the challenges posed by incorrect details, efficient Deepfakes detection algorithms must be developed considering the tremendous advancement in deepfakes generating techniques. Existing techniques are not reliable enough to find deepfakes, especially when the videos are made with various deepfakes generation methods. The Swin Y-Net Transformers (SWYNT) architecture we created in this paper can visually discriminate between natural and artificial faces. The architecture uses a Swin transformer, encoder, and decoder in a U -Net architecture with a classification branch to build a model that can classify and segment deepfakes. The segmentation process creates segmentation masks and helps train the classifier. We have evaluated our suggested method using the extensive, standard, and diverse FaceForensics++ (FF++) and the Celeb-DF dataset. The generalizability evaluation of our process, which is part of the performance evaluation, reveals the model's promising performance in identifying deepfakes videos generated using various methodologies on both large-scale datasets.


The emergence of wireless communication systems heralds the development of new technologies such as virtual reality, autonomous vehicles, Internet of things, autonomous robots and unmanned aerial systems. These advanced technologies call for high transfer rates, high reliability and, extremely low latency. These requirements may be promised by the fifth generation to meet them all. The fifth generation cannot meet these requirements without the use of artificial intelligence technology, it is expected that the fifth generation networks will generate unprecedented traffic, which in turn will enable wireless research designers to access large data that helps to predict the demands of users. Many researchers have applied artificial intelligence techniques to several ways of 5G network design like cybersecurity, network management and radio resource allocation. A deep inspection of artificial intelligence technology for the fifth generation of wireless communication systems will be conducted within this paper. This paper aims to conduct survey on the use of artificial intelligence technology within the fifth-generation wireless networks via reviewing several subjects and highlighting the difficulties associated with them, in addition to mentioning some future research directions in fifth-generation wireless communications.


This study describes the application of a soft computing method - known as differential evolution (DE) to implement the harmonics elimination pulse-width modulation (HEPWM) for a 15-level, multi-level voltage source inverter (MVSI). The main feature of this technique is the wide range of fundamental output voltage that can be achieved, while maintaining a very low total harmonics distortion (below 6%). The fundamental voltage can be controlled very precisely (very small step size) and the trajectories of the HEPWM angles are continuous over the whole range of modulation index - making it very suitable for utility and variable speed drives application. The study details the procedures to obtain the HEPWM angles trajectories, which include the formulation of objective functions, appropriate selection of the DE evolutionary parameters and stopping criterions. The viability of the proposed method is simulated using MATLAB/Simulink and verified by a three-phase, cascaded-type MVSI test rig. Experimentally, The HEPWM waveforms are implemented using the Altera field programmable gate array, whereas the 15-level MVSI is built using metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor H-bridge. Selected results are presented; the simulation and hardware results are found to be in very close agreement with the theoretical predictions.


We demonstrate dynamic strain measurement using a high-speed (100 kHz) optical sensor interrogator with a thermally tunable silicon ring resonator. Resonance frequencies of the aluminum cantilever plate under impact loading were measured up to 7.36 kHz.


The content of the potentially health-defensive and disease-preventive flavonoids quercetin, kaempferol, myricetin, apigenin and luteolin of 31 vegetables were determined by RP- HPLC with UV detection. Vegetables were purchased at the local markets in Budapest at a period of their most frequent consumption. Quercetin levels in the edible parts of most vegetables were generally below 10 mg kg Ś1, except for onions (67Ś121.5 mg kg Ś1), lettuce (13.5Ś35.0 mg kg Ś1), dill (74.5 mg kg Ś1), broccoli (15.5 mg kg Ś1) and spinach (272.2 mg kg Ś1). Kaempferol was below 30 mg kg Ś1 except for parsnip (66.4 mg kg Ś1) and leek (45.8 mg kg Ś1). Myricetin could only be detected in lettuce, Swedish turnip, parsley and celery leaves, and dill. Detectable amount of luteolin was in radishes, some representatives of Brassica, sweet peppers, celery leaves and spinach while apigenin was only in Swedish turnip, celery root and celery leaves. These data provide a basis for the evaluation of the average daily intake of Hungarian ...


In this paper,the formulae are deduced for the floatation response of heated pipelines laying in liquefied soil on the basis of virtual work principle.A beam model of elastic foundation beam is set up,and a computer program based on finite element method has been developed.This research is to study the effects of several important parameters including the axial force of pipeline,the diameter of pipeline,the length of liquefied zone,and the nonlinear soil constraint.


A central problem in the analysis of teams of agents is to assess when a group of autonomous agents, who may have private beliefs and goals, know enough together to be able to achieve a goal, should they so desire. In this paper, we present a definition of joint ability in the presence of sensing. We show through some simple examples involving private and public actions that it makes appropriate predictions with respect to coordination.


The previous part of this survey described the basic physics of avalanche diodes. This paper considers the optimum design of an IMPATT oscillator and reviews the properties of the conventional device. The physics of high efficiency gallium arsenide diodes is then described, and possible advances upon present designs are discussed. The limitations of avalanche diodes, in terms of power, frequency, noise and stability are then discussed in some detail. Finally the effects of material parameters on device performance are described and the properties of silicon and gallium arsenide are compared.


This paper presents the impact of hollow sphere on biaxial hollow slab. To derivate the impact of hollow sphere on biaxial hollow slab, numerical simulations using nonlinear Finite Element Methods are ongoing by the nonlinear finite element program LUSAS. Recently, various types of slab systems which can reduce self-weight of slabs are studied as the height and width of building structures rapidly increase. A biaxial hollow slab system is widely known as one of the effective slab system which can reduce self-weight of slab. A biaxial hollow slab has hollow spheres within slabs in order to reduce self-weight of slabs. Because of reducing self-weight of slabs by hollow spheres, size of vertical elements like walls and columns can be smaller and slabs span can be longer. A capacity of biaxial hollow slabs is influenced by the shape and volume of hollow spheres. Therefore, In this study, several biaxial hollow slabs which has different shapes of hollow spheres are analyzed by using the finite element method program in order to derive the impact of hollow sphere on biaxial hollow slab


ABSTRACT In search of modernity in China, history played a crucial role. Many leading intellectuals in modern China were historians and/or historical thinkers. Despite his untimely death, Li Dazhao was particularly important. Among his cohorts, Li was arguably the first one who paid close attention to the need for the Chinese to change their views of the past and accept Darwinism as a new historical outlook. That Li later became an avowed Marxist also had a good deal to do with his belief in Darwinism or evolutionism. He was fully convinced that history moves along a linear progressive path, which enabled him and many others to argue the necessity of changing China for the modern. In a word, the acceptance of historical evolutionism paved the way for the commitment to modernity by the Chinese.


Background Ideally, an airway for a surgical procedure should be secured with the method that offers the greatest safety, the most efficiency, and the least morbidity. General anesthesia for oral and maxillofacial surgery is one of the most challenging tasks for an anesthetist. Nasotracheal intubation is usually required in these patients to allow an unrestricted surgical approach. It poses an interesting problem, particularly when associated with difficult airways. The GlideScope video-laryngoscopy (GVL) appears to provide better glottic visualization than direct laryngoscopy. However, the effectiveness of GlideScope for nasotracheal intubation in patients for oral or maxillofacial surgery with difficult airways requires more investigation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of GVL versus a direct laryngoscope for nasotracheal intubation in adult patients with difficult airways presenting for oral or maxillofacial surgery. Patients and methods In this study, the Macintosh laryngscope and the Glidescope were compared for nasotracheal intubation in 40 patients ASA I–III with difficult airways undergoing oral or maxillofacial surgery. The patients were randomly assigned to a laryngoscopic group (DL group) or a Glidescope group (GV group). Before nasotracheal intubation, all patients were given a Cormack and Lehane (C&L) grade by a separate anesthetist using a Macintosh laryngoscope. The patients were then intubated using direct laryngoscopy or the GlideScope. Outcome measures included grading of view, the success or failure of intubation, numbers of intubation attempts, time to intubation, usage of Magill forceps, and complications. Results There were no differences between groups with respect to hemodynamic and oxygen saturation during the study period, P greater than 0.05. There was a significant difference in laryngoscopic views according to the C&L classification. The C&L I and II views obtained by the conventional laryngoscope increased from 70 to 95% of cases with the GlideScope ( P P less than 0.05. The intubation was successful in 95% of the patients in the GV group versus 85% in the DL group. The nasotracheal intubation performed with the direct laryngoscope (45.1±7.8 s) was significantly faster than that with the GlideScope (53.5±14.7 s), P less than 0.033. Magill forceps were used in 25% in the GV group, but were used 60% of the time in the DL group, P =0.02. The intubation failure rate was higher using the direct laryngoscope 15 versus 5% with the GlideScope, P =0.49. The incidence of a postoperative sore throat was significantly reduced in the GV group 15 versus 40% in the DL group, P =0.07. Conclusion Oral and maxillofacial surgery has a potentially difficult airway, but if managed properly, the morbidity and mortality can be reduced or avoided. The GVL can be used successfully for nasotracheal intubation in difficult airways in oral and maxillofacial surgery.


The search for a quantum theory of gravitation is considered one of the most important problems in theoretical physics. Might black holes provide a key? Researchers are beginning to think that the emergence of a true black hole astronomy based on the measurement of gravitational waves and radio interferometry could bring quantum gravity into the field of experimental or observational science.


The importance of dietary fat in human obesity remains a controversial issue as the prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased despite no dramatic change in the amount of ingested fats over the last decades. However qualitative changes, i.e. the fatty acid composition of fats, have been largely disregarded. In this review, we summarize experimental evidence which supports polyunsaturated fatty acids of the x6 series as potent stimulators of both adipogenesis in vitro and adipose tissue development in vivo. Changes observed over the last decades in the fatty acid composition of dietary fats observed in breast milk and formula milk, i.e. increase in LA with lower or no change in LNA content, may be responsible at least in part of the dramatic rise in the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity. Similar changes, which are observed in most consumed foods, can be traced to changes in human food habits and in the feeding pattern of breeding stock. These qualitative changes, acting in concert with a positive energy balance, should promote excessive adipose tissue development. Whether prevention of obesity appears critical to avoid difficult if not insurmoun- table health problems to solve in the future, the status of dietary lipids should be reconsidered from the very beginning of the food chain.


Recent NASA wind tunnel tests of airfoils in a simulated rain environment under extremely heavy rain conditions have shown reductions in maximum lift and increases in drag. Conventional airfoils were tested with and without high lift devices and tests of laminar-flow airfoils without high-lift devices were conducted. Both types of airfoils indicated performance decrements when exposed to a simulated heavy rain environment. For the laminar flow airfoil, the rain influence was observed to occur throughout the angle of attack range, whereas for the conventional airfoil in a high lift configuration, the rain influence occurred mostly at the higher angles of attack. The performance decrement for the laminar-flow airfoil appeared to be a result of laminar-to-turbulent boundary-layer transition whereas the performance penalty for the conventional airfoil appeared to be the result of premature separation. The results of these tests are presented and the implication of the results to general aviation airplanes are discussed.


A 50-year-old man developed a rapidly growing tumor in old burn scar on the left heel which had been ulcerated for recent 5 years. A firm, immovable subcutaneous nodule was palpable in the left femoral area. Below-knee amputation of the left leg and radical groin dissection were performed. Six courses of CYVA-DIC chemotherapy were also given. Two years after the operation, a lymph node metastasis around external iliac artery developed. After the radical dissection, another chemotherapy including CBDCA, DTIC, ACNU and tamoxifen was introduced. Histological examination revealed the bulk of the primary tumor was composed of atypical, amelanotic, spindle cells with fibrous tissues. Small nests of epithelioid cells were also present. Neural invasion was observed in the deep dermis. Neuroid structures composed of atypical cells in fibrous stroma were present in the section of the inguinal subcutaneous tissue. The metastatic lesion to the lymph node adjacent to left external iliac artery showed similar changes to the primary skin tumor, with more marked fibrosis. The tumor cells were strongly positive for S-100 and NSE. In the primary tumor and metastatic lesion to the lymph node, the tumor cells were positive for alpha-1 antichymotrypsin and lysozyme as well.


We propose a method of cloaking for arbitrary shape objects exploiting an anisotropic adjoint variable method (AVM). We optimize the constitutive parameters of the cloak to minimize a wideband cloaking objective function. The sensitivities of the objective function with respect to the tensor elements of the constitutive parameters are required per iteration. Our wideband anisotropic AVM simulator efficiently supplies the associated sensitivities by applying only one extra simulation.


Background An efficient registration system for all these types of Taiwan medical institutions will enable outpatients to register online and inform them of the best time to go to the hospital and when their turn for medical treatment is. Hence, understanding the outpatients'/users' actual needs is important for hospital managers to design a user-friendly registration system. Purpose This study, based on means-end chain (MEC) theory and the Kano model, aims to: 1) understand user preferences toward using a hospital online registration system by constructing the Kano–MEC hierarchical value map, and 2) deduce and formulate effective system planning and promotion strategies. Methodology/approach Mixed methods research was employed to collect data. A total of 16 hospital registration websites were examined and 34 in-depth interviews were conducted. All the interview transcripts were analyzed, and 16 attribute, 13 consequence, and 4 value variables were obtained for a final questionnaire design. A total of 376 valid samples were collected from a questionnaire survey to construct a Kano–MEC hierarchical value map. Results The Kano–MEC hierarchical value map depicts hospital online registration users' innermost thoughts and cognitive structure with regard to their attribute/consequence/value preferences and their attribute performance, as categorized by Kano's quality classifications. Conclusions The Kano–MEC map showed that "right-clicking the registration by department tab," "modifying or canceling one's appointment," "downloading doctor's schedule," "doctor introduction," "right-clicking the registration by doctor's name," and "instant messaging" are classified as Kano's one-dimensional attributes that can improve users' satisfaction and reduce their dissatisfaction by increasing quality fulfillment. Practice Implications Evidently, managers should focus on "right-clicking the registration by department tab," "modifying or canceling one's appointment," "downloading doctor's schedule," "doctor introduction," "right-clicking the registration by doctor's name," and "instant messaging" to formulate their system planning for enhancing the functions of their online registration system and increasing user satisfaction.