Many new books get published every year, and only a fraction of them become popular among the readers. So the prediction of a book success can be a very useful parameter for publishers to make a reliable decision. This article presents the study of semantic word associations using the word embedding of book content for a set of Roget's thesaurus concepts for book success prediction. In this work, we discuss the method to represent a book as a spectrum of concepts based on the association score between its content embedding and a global embedding (i.e. fastText) for a set of semantically linked word clusters. We show that the semantic word associations outperform the previous methods for book success prediction. In addition, we present that semantic word associations also provide better results than using features like the frequency of word groups in Roget's thesaurus, LIWC (a popular tool for linguistic inquiry and word count), NRC (word association emotion lexicon), and part of speech (PoS). Our study reports that concept associations based on Roget's Thesaurus using word embedding of individual novel resulted in the state-of-the-art performance of 0.89 average weighted F1-score for book success prediction. Finally, we present a set of dominant themes that contribute towards the popularity of a book for a specific genre.


Nanoscale bright sources that produce high-purity single photons and high-fidelity entangled photon pairs are the building blocks to realize high security quantum communication devices. To achieve high communication rates, it is desirable to have an ensemble of quantum emitters that can be collectively excited, despite their spectral variability. In case of semiconductor quantum dots, Rabi rotations are the most popular method for resonant excitation. However, these cannot assure a universal, highly ef- ficient excited state preparation, due to the sensitivity to excitation parameters. In contrast, Adiabatic Rapid Passage (ARP), relying on chirped optical pulses, is immune to quantum dot spectral inhomo- geneity. Here, we show that the robustness of ARP holds true for the simultaneous excitation of the biexciton states in multiple, spatially separated and spectrally different quantum dots. For positive chirps, we also find a regime where the influence of phonons relax the sensitivity to spectral detunings and lower the needed excitation power. Being able to generate high-purity photons from spatially multiplexed quantum dot sources using the biexciton to ground state cascade is a big step towards the implementation of high photon rate, entanglement-based quantum key distribution protocols.


We examine students' commonsense understanding of computer science concepts before they receive any formal instruction in the field. For this study, we asked students on the first day of a CS1 class to describe in English how they would arrange a set of numbers in ascending, sorted order; we then repeated the experiment asking students to sort a list of dates (in mm/dd/yyyy format).We found that a majority of students described a coherent algorithm; some described versions of insertion or selection sort, but many gave unexpected algorithms. We also found significant differences between responses given for sorting numbers versus dates. Based on our analysis of the data we suggest that beginning-programming instructors more explicitly discuss data types, begin loop instruction with post-test loops, assist students in recognizing implicit conditional and iteration use in natural language solutions to probls, and recognize that novices and experts focus on different aspects of the probl in even basic probl solving tasks.


A joint venture between Enerdyne LLC, a small independent oil and gas producer, and Pumping Solutions Inc., developer of a low volume electric submersible pump, suspended from a cable, both based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has re-established marginal oil production from Red Mountain Oil Field, located in the San Juan Basin, New Mexico by working over 17 existing wells, installing cable suspended submersible pumps ( Phase I ) and operating the oil field for approximately one year ( Phase II ). Upon the completion of Phases I and II ( Budget Period I ), Enerdyne LLC commenced work on Phase III which required additional drilling in an attempt to improve field economics ( Budget Period II ). The project was funded through a cooperative 50% cost sharing agreement between Enerdyne LLC and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), United States Department of Energy, executed on April 16, 2003. The total estimated cost for the two Budget Periods, of the Agreement, was $1,205,008.00 as detailed in Phase I, II & III Authorization for Expenditures (AFE). This report describes tasks performed and results experienced by Enerdyne LLC during the three phases of the cooperative agreement.


The invention relates to a double-acting platform type parallel mechanism vibration reducing platform. The double-acting platform type parallel mechanism vibration reducing platform comprises an upper moving platform, an upper fixed platform, a lower moving platform and a lower fixed platform, wherein the upper end surface of the upper moving platform is used for placing goods, and is arranged on the top surface of the upper fixed platform through an upper vibration reducing mechanism; the lower end surface of the lower moving platform is provided with a hanging component for hanging the goods, and is arranged on the bottom surface of the lower fixed platform through a lower vibration reducing mechanism; an extension mechanism is connected and arranged between the upper fixed platform and the lower fixed platform; the vertical height of the upper fixed platform is adjusted through the extension mechanism, and then the height of the lower moving platform and the hanging space are adjusted; the upper vibration reducing mechanism comprises a central magnetorheological fluid vibration reducer respectively connected with the upper moving platform and the upper fixed platform through two ends, and multiple upper peripheral magnetorheological fluid vibration reducers; and the lower vibration reducing mechanism comprises multiple lower peripheral magnetorheological fluid vibration reducers respectively connected with the upper fixed platform and the lower moving platform through two ends. Compared with the prior art, the double-acting platform type parallel mechanism vibration reducing platform has such advantages as wide vibration isolating field, high bearing capacity and quick response speed of a vibration isolating system.


Purpose:  The purpose of this thesis is to examine how companies can favorablycommunicate their sustainable practices in a transparent way in order tobe perceived as trustworthy so that a competiti ...


The present investigation has as aims demonstrate the current situation in the one that is the bullying and cyberbullying in the country. With this intention, one interviewed several experts in the topic to be able to obtain a more wide vision of the problematic. To demonstrate the problem one relied on persons' testimonies that they have been victims in different school scenes. In addition, for contextualized and to investigate in the topic bore in mind different Ecuadoran laws and you change personal and documentary sources. The investigation threw information about the types of sanctions that an aggressor can receive, the psychological problems that can have both the victim and the aggressor and of how the colleges take the cases of school harassment.


Endo-beta-galactosidase (EC 18.104.22.168) of Bacteroides fragilis, at 250 mU ml-1, did not cleave the internal galactosidic linkage of the linear radiolabelled trisaccharide GlcNAc beta 1-6Gal beta 1-4GlcNAc, or those of tetrasaccharides Gal beta 1-4GlcNAc beta 1-6Gal beta 1-4GlcNAc and Gal beta 1-4GlcNAc beta 1-6Gal beta 1-4Glc. The isomeric glycans which contained the GlcNAc beta 1-3Gal beta 1-4GlcNAc/Glc sequence were readily cleaved.


The serum of mice immune to Nematospiroides dubius contains antibodies which can be detected by immunoelectrophoresis, excretory pore precipitates on exsheathed third-stage larvae, passive cutaneous anaphylaxis, and tests for skin-sensitizing antibodies. Immune mice are subject to anaphylactic shock on intravenous injection of worm antigens, and the intestines of such mice participate strongly in the reaction. They also respond with cutaneous anaphylaxis to the intradermal injection of worm antigens. Anaphylactic shock induced by a heterologous antigen-antibody combination (horse serum-antihorse serum) causes a significant reduction in the worm burdens of mice undergoing a primary infection with N. dubius. Hence changes associated with anaphylaxis prevent the establishment of a large proportion of larvae. The stomach of immune mice becomes pale and contracts in diameter about a half an hour after the administration of larvae. Changes in physico-chemical conditions in the stomach probably accompany this reaction. It is concluded that a state of immediate hypersensitivity is involved in the immunity of mice to N. dubius. It is suggested that, in immune mice, a fresh intake of larvae initiates an anaphylactic reaction, and that changes associated with this reaction prevent a large proportion of the inciting larvae from becoming established. In a previous paper (Panter, in press), it was shown that mice develop an immunity to Nematospiroides dubius after two or three stimulating infections of 200 larvae. The reduction in worm burdens of immune mice (mice infected for the third or fourth time) occurred largely before the larvae encysted in the small intestine, i.e. during the first 2 days of infection. For this reason, the action of antibodies, rather than cells, was suspected. The present paper describes experiments on the mechanism of immunity of mice to N. dubius. MATERIALS AND METHODS Preparation of worm antigens and mouse serum Worm antigens were prepared from adult N. dubius worms by grinding washed worms in 0.85% NaCl (allowing 4 ml of saline to 1 g of worms), and standing at 4 C for 2 hr. The sediment was removed by centrifugation for 2 min in a Beckman/Spinco microfuge. The supernatant-"worm antigens"-was used immediately or stored at -15 C in screw-cap bottles. No preservatives were added. The protein content of the preparation was approximately 30 mg/ml. Mouse blood was obtained by cardiac puncture, allowed to stand for 1 hr at room temperature, and the serum removed and spun at 750 g for 10 min. Immunoelectrophoresis The technique of immunoelectrophoresis was adapted from those presented in Crowle (1961) and Wieme (1959). Difco Bacto-agar (final concentration 1%) in barbital buffer pH 8.4, and containing 1:100 merthiolate as a preservative, was Received for publication 22 March 1968. used to pour slides. The worm antigen preparation was applied to holes cut in the agar. The slides were placed in an electrophoresis box, and each was subjected to a current of 21/2 milliamps, with a potential difference of 30 volts across the slide. The troughs cut between the holes were charged with serum from infected and non-infected mice. Precipitin lines were allowed to develop for 48 hr. The lines were stained with amidoblack (Wieme, 1959). Effect of immune serum on larvae in vitro Exsheathed third-stage larvae were obtained from mice infected 16 to 18 hr previously, by incubating the stomach in saline at 37 C for 30 min. The larvae were washed and suspended in a drop of immune serum (from mice infected 3 or 4 times with 200 N. dubius larvae) or normal serum or saline on a slide. The coverslip was sealed, and the worms observed under the microscope, magnification 300 X. Active systemic anaphylaxis In a preliminary study of anaphylactic reactions in immune mice, Evans blue was injected intravenously in an attempt to show areas of increased capillary permeability at sites of infection. Immune mice, at various times after a fourth infection with N. dubius, were warmed beneath a 100-watt lamp, then injected via a lateral tail vein with 0.07 ml of a 1% solution of Evans blue in saline. Thirty minutes later, the mice were killed and the intestines examined. Uninfected mice were injected and killed in the same way. Cutaneous anaphylaxis The method of Ovary (1958, 1964) for active cutaneous anaphylaxis was followed. Volumes of 0.05 ml of 1:20 antigen solution and saline were injected into the skin of the abdomen of immune and normal mice. Immediately after the intrader-


Different-aged (from recent to Paleozoic ones) fluvial valley and channel systems are collectors for mineral deposits of wide spectrum: from distal gravitational accumulations (placers of Au, PGE, Sn) through proximal placers (diamond, heavy minerals, and finegrained gold) to leached deposits on complex geochemical barriers (U, Mo, TR). The wide tectonic diversity in the Eurasia North (cratons, different-aged plates and erogenic belts) allows to compare styles of palaeovalley and palaeochannel minerageny according to the type of the Earth crust.


Language develops and changes constantly,whose structure also changes day by day.As time goes on,it is more difficult to interpret Xunzi correctly.This paper,based on the analysis of the structure format of the contrastive sentence in Xunzi,summed up the contrastive sentence of syntax face.The study found that the contrastive sentencey;it is more common in the argument text as a benefit to reduce the labor to understand the complex sentence types.The clause of the contrastive sentence strictly correspond to the structure,which level is distinct and single;its description of different aspects of the same common sense,naturally show ownership of a sense of "sympatric".The contrastive sentence with two main clauses and clear comparison is easy to screen the distinct subtle differences;the corresponding form makes the information of clause pass on each other in the contacts to obtain clear and stable meaning.


Primates as Auditory Specialists, Asif A. Ghazanfar and Laurie R. Santos Causal Knowledge in Free-Ranging Diana Monkeys, Klaus Zuberbuhler Auditory Temporal Integration in Primates: A Comparative Analysis, Kevin N. O'Connor, and Mitchell L. Sutter Mechanisms of Acoustic Perception in the Cotton-Top Tamarin, Cory T. Miller, Daniel J. Weiss, and Marc D. Hauser Psychophysical and Perceptual Studies of Primate Communication Calls, Colleen G. Le Prell and David B. Moody Primate Vocal Production and Its Implications for Auditory Research, W. Tecumseh S. Fitch Developmental Modifications in the Vocal Behavior of Non-Human Primates, Julia Fischer Ecological and Physiological Constraints for Primate Vocal Communication, Charles H. Brown Neural Representation of Sound Patterns in the Auditory Cortex of Monkeys, Michael Brosch and Henning Scheich Representation of Sound Location in the Primate Brain, Kristin A. Kelly, Ryan Metzger, O'Dhaniel Mullette-Gillman, Uri Werner-Reiss, and Jennifer M. Groh The Comparative Anatomy of the Primate Auditory Cortex, Troy A. Hackett Auditory Communication and Central Auditory Mechanisms in the Squirrel Monkey: Past and Present, John D. Newman Cortical Mechanisms of Sound Localization and Plasticity in Primates, Gregg H. Recanzone Anatomy and Physiology of Auditory-Prefrontal Interactions in Non-Human Primates, Lizabeth M. Romanski Cortical Processing of Complex Sounds and Species-Specific Vocalizations in the Marmoset Monkey (Callithrix jacchus), Xiaoqin Wang, Siddhartha Kadia, Thomas Lu, Li Liang, and James Agamaite


Already more than 20 years ago, in the pivotal trial of IFNb-1b, it was shown that NAbs totally blocked the clinical effects of IFNb-1b. In months 13–36, when NAbs had developed, the relapse rate in NAb-positive patients was reduced by 50% compared with that in NAb-negative patients and was similar to the relapse rate in placebo-treated patients. Since then a large number of studies with an appropriate duration (>2 years) have demonstrated the detrimental effects of NAbs both on clinical and MRI outcomes (reviewed by Sorensen). Occasionally, there will be a single study like the BEYOND that does not show consistent NAb effects on clinical outcomes, i.e. only shows an effect in patients treated with IFNb-1b 500mg and not in patients treated with IFNb-1b 250mg, which can only be explained by a statistical type II error, and such observations should not muddle our understanding of the effects of NAbs. After more than a decade of controversies joint transatlantic recommendations for clinical use of data on neutralizing antibodies to IFNb therapy in multiple sclerosis were issued last year. There are mainly two reasons why the authors have failed to show a consistent effect of NAbs on clinical outcomes, but only on MRI outcomes in the BEYOND study. One reason is that NAbs account for only a minor part of breakthrough disease. As IFNb only reduces the relapse rate by approximately 30%, and as NAbs occur in less than 5% of patients treated with IM IFNb 1a only a small proportion of relapses that occur during treatment with IM IFNb 1a is a result of NAb formation. The majority of on-treatment disease activity is caused by the spontaneously occurring variation in underlying disease activity between patients with multiple sclerosis. The other main reason is the problem that even in a study comprising a large number of patients the statistical power disappears when patients are split into subgroups and, hence, there is a strong possibility of type II errors. If, for example, 30% of the treated patients become NAb-positive in a trial, and the original design had a statistical power of 80% for showing an effect of NAbs on relapses, then the power will be reduced to 44% just by looking for the effect in NAbpositive and NAb-negative subgroups separately. In the BEYOND study the authors state an estimated power of 83% to detect a 50% increase in the relapse rate, but dividing the patients into groups with low, medium and high titres dilutes the statistical power considerably. It is, however, mandatory to divide patients according to the NAb titres, at least into patients with low and patients with medium/high titres, because whereas IFNb patients with high titre NAbs invariably have lost all bioactivity and therefore must be considered untreated, patients with low titres may have preserved some or full bioactivity and therapeutic effect of the administered IFNb. Further, the vast amount of knowledge about NAbs that has been collected during the last decade should be taken into consideration. Neglect of NAbs kinetic and pharmacodynamics, will make the study heavily biased and contribute to obscure the NAb effects on clinical outcomes. Several studies have shown that NAbs against IFNb are characterized by low affinity antibodies in the first 6–12 months that have a protective effect on IFNb and hence increase the effect of IFNb. Further, 40% of patients treated with IFNb1b will revert to NAb-negative status within 4 years. Therefore, the once positive, always positive principle is not suitable for an evaluation of the effects of NAbs in patients treated with IFNb-1b. It is peculiar that NAbs in the patients treated with IFNb-1b 500mg caused a highly significant effect on relapses in both patients with moderate (63% increase) and high (78% increase) titres, whereas this could not be demonstrated in the patients treated with IFNb-1b Multiple Sclerosis Journal 18(2) 131–132 The Author(s) 2012 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1352458511419438 msj.sagepub.com


On 29 March 1917 Dada artist Sophie Taeuber danced to Hugo Ball's sound poem Song of the Flying Fish and Seahorses in a noisy but vibrant Galerie Dada. Her face was concealed by an alienating rectangular mask with dangerouslooking, half-open eyes and a fearful open mouth. She wore a long, white dress, presumably made of felt and coloured paper (Krupp 2018: 153). This garb was decorated with geometrical symbols and rigid cardboard tubes that enclosed her arms (fig. 1). The double masking of face and body—here labelled as 'body mask' (Manning 1993: 71)—completely veiled her individual and expressive features. Did Taeuber's performance realize the 'self-effacement of a woman who did not want to leave behind any traces' (Bargues 2017: 98)? Or did her specific engagement with the abstract body mask instead allow her to reappear—beyond gender norms—from her erased position in a male-dominated Dada art scene? What is it exactly that her masked body reveals?


A set of 29 advanced breeding lines and named cultivars from different breeding programs in Australia was compared with 18 genotypes developed by the CIMMYT/ICARDA breeding programs for their adaptation and yield performance using 5 locations in the WANA region for 2 years. Classification analysis identified 13 CIMMYT/ICARDA genotypes that had a pattern in yield performance similar to 2 Australian cultivars, Leichhardt and Hartog. The classification of environments effectively identified trials that experienced heat stress and received supplementary irrigation. Most of the genotypes developed by the CIMMYT/ICARDA breeding programs showed wide adaptation in the WANA region. Genotypes developed for Australian Mediterranean environments failed to show wide adaptation in the WANA region. However, many Australian genotypes showed specific adaptation to heat-stressed environments. Variation among Australian genotypes for disease resistance and heat tolerance couldbe used for wheat improvement in the WANA region.


The emerging recollections, perceptions and storied biographies of older lesbians and gay men and their experiences in rural Britain are presented in the article, alongside consideration of the multiple qualitative methodologies used in a unique multi-method participatory action research project. The project aimed to empower older lesbians and gay men in rural areas through a collaborative design and meaningful participation in the research process itself. Methods included the core Biographic Narrative Interpretive Method (BNIM) (JONES, 2001, 2004; WENGRAF, 2001) with its interpretation of data by panels of citizens. In addition, visual ethnographic site visits, a focus group and two days of theatrical improvisation of interview data to explore action within the texts were used. The project embraced the principles of a performative social science (GERGEN & JONES, 2008; JONES, 2006, 2012) in its dissemination plan. Four of the collected stories are elaborated on here. These and other stories, reports and observations contributed to the creation of the main output of the project—a short professionally made film (Rufus Stone). The film is used to encourage community dialogue and inform service providers, opening up new possibilities of connectivity, communication and common ground at both macro and micro levels.


The present research developed and validated a new stability‐indicating technique for the stereo‐selectively enantiomers of the antiviral nucleoside analog Valacyclovir hydrochloride (VAL). The chiral separation was performed using normal‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a chiral stationary phase consisting of amylose tris(3‐chloro‐5‐methylphenylcarbamate) and a mobile phase of "n‐hexane, methanol, ethanol, and diethylamine", flow rate of 0.60 mL/min, column temperature of 30°C, injection volume of 10‐μL, detection wavelength of 254‐nm, and run time of 25‐min. The enantiomers (S‐enantiomer, L‐isomer, R‐enantiomer, and D‐isomer) of Valacyclovir were separated with a resolution of 4.8 and no interference. The validation parameters verified for the proposed method, linearity in a range of 0.1002–24.3486 μg/mL (0.02–4.86%) with a regression coefficient of 0.999, and the accuracy was determined with excellent recoveries ranging from 94.38%–109.97%. The concentrations established for the detection limit and quantitation limit were 0.01% and 0.02%, respectively. The forced degradation experiments were used to assess the stability‐indicating qualities. D‐Valacyclovir impurity was successfully evaluated in release and stability samples of VAL in drug substance and tablet dosage forms using the proposed normal phase chiral HPLC approach.


Discloses an apparatus and method for planarizing a wafer in a provided with adjustable pressure zones and zone control between the barrier potential carriers. Chemicals - during which the wafer is pressed to the polishing surface in the mechanical polishing apparatus, a region surrounded separately available central zone and concentric controlled to distribute the pressure on the back surface of the wafer is provided with a carrier. Pressure region may be formed by fixing a plurality of recesses having the elastic web diaphragm carrier housing. Corresponding plurality of resilient ribs in the ring shape may be projected from the web diaphragm opposite the recess for. Therefore, to define a central region surrounded by rib areas surrounding one or more of a plurality of concentric ring-shaped. Using the fluid transport for the corresponding planarization process may be a pressure area, and the barrier individually. A method for implementing the present invention begins by selecting a having the convex portion and the number and position as the corresponding controllable pressure zone to the bone on the wafer carrier. An area corresponding to a region of high pressure is applied is greater than the area corresponding to the lower region of the wafer. The pressure of the barrier between the zones may also be preventing leakage, or optimize the pressure distribution between the neighboring regions of the back surface of the wafer jirok made smoothly between the regions. Carriers, wafer planarization, CMP


The present study reports an investigation into the reproductive biology and ecology of two sympatric species of Mastus endemic to the island of Crete (southern Greece). The study lasted 6 months, from September 1997 to March 1998, and involved field observations on single and copulating individuals, and the study of the spermatophores within the genital tract. The two species have different aestiva- tion habits and emergence times. Mastus olivaceus, which aestivates closer to the surface of the soil or in the litter, emerges soon after the first rains, while Mastus cretensis emerges later. Additionally, M. oli- vaceus starts aestivating over a month earlier than M. cretensis. M. olivaceus reproduces from late September till early January, while M. cretensis starts in early November and ends in early March. The bursa-like diverticulum of M. cretensis bears only one spermatophore, but in M. olivaceus from one to three spermatophores were found. The 91 spermatophores of M. olivaceus examined indicate intra- population variability in the number of transverse ridges and number of spines in the ornamentation of its distal part. These types of difference in spermatophore morphology should not, therefore, be considered species-specific.


It is, I believe, familiar knowledge that the work on Rhetoric called Kāvya-prakāśa was composed by two authors, Mammaṭa and Alaka or Alaṭa. The traditional verse quoted by Rājānaka Ānanda, in his commentary entitled Kāvya-prakāśa-nidarśanā— informs us that Mammaṭa wrote the work as far as Parikara, and the rest was completed by Alaka. Sanskrit scholars therefore inferred that "about a third of the last chapter on Figures of Speech, or roughly speaking a tenth of the whole work, was written by Alaka, i.e. from the second half of the 118th, verse onwards". But the reference to the joint authorship of the seventh Ullāsa by Arjunavarmadeva has given rise to the question whether "Alaka had a hand not only in the tenth, but also in the seventh chapter". An attempt is made in the present article to examine the question and to arrive, if possible, at some definite conclusion in the matter.


Alcohol expenditures can provide a different perspective on alcohol use by providing an understanding of the consumer demand for alcohol, the effect of alcohol sales on the economy and the impact on the household budget. Previous studies have focused on alcohol expenditure at the individual-level and have not considered population level factors or the influences of geographical variation. The goal of this study was to examine the socio-economic and builtenvironment characteristics associated with alcohol expenditures at the small-area level in the City of Toronto. Alcohol expenditure data consisting of purchases in licensed premises and purchases in stores for the year 2010 were retrieved from the Survey of Household Spending (SHS) at the Dissemination Area (DA) level. Socio-economic and built-environment variables were retrieved from the 2006 Census of Canada and DMTI Enhanced Points of Interest (EPOI) data, respectively. Multivariate spatial regression models were used to analyze the associations between alcohol expenditure and both socio-economic and built-environment variables (i.e. alcohol outlet density, restaurant density and subways).Global Moran's I identified geographic variation for both types of alcohol expenditures. Local Moran's I identified three hot-spots and three cold-spots for licensed premises expenditures whereas four hot-spots and two cold-spots were identified for purchases in stores expenditures. The spatial Durbin error model was identified as the best spatial model for both types of alcohol expenditures. For licensed premises expenditures, positive associations were found with seven socio-economic variables and three built-environment variables. For purchased in stores expenditures, positive associations were found with three socio-economic variables and subway intercepts.


Objective To explore the characteristics of bacterial infection in patients with hematological diseases,so as to provide reference for clinical treatment.Methods The characteristics of clinically isolated 543 strains of pathogens from patients in hematology department of six hospitals in Beijing and Hebei Province during June 2008 to May 2011 were retrospectively analyzed.Results Pseudomonas(16.76%),Klebsiella pneumoniae(14.36%),Enterococcus(11.79%),Escherichia coli(10.497%) and Staphylococcus epidermidis(6.45%) were the most frequent pathogens.Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection had been increased year by year.Conclusion The distribution of pathogens in patients of hematology department has been changed.It is very important to promptly know the change in distribution of pathogens in order to rationally select antibiotics and reduce the incidence of bacterial infections.


Gender was determined by laparoscopic visualization of the gonads for 38 adult American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber ruber L.) and 36 adult Chilean flamingos (P. chilensis L.). Concomitant body weight (kg) and linear measurements (mm) of the culmen (bill), tarsus (tarsometatarsus), middle toe, and wing were taken. Statistical comparisons of body weight and linear measurements for male vs. female were made for each species. Also, the same-sex statistical comparisons were made between these two species, and between each of these two species and with data for greater flamingos (P. r. roseas L.) from a previous publication. As previously published for greater flamingos, an overlap between sexes existed in all measurements with males on average larger than females for both American and Chilean flamingos. However, Students' t-test indicated a significant sexual difference for all measurements between males and females of each species except for culmen length in Chilean flamingos. Students' t-test also indicated a significant difference when species were compared (Chilean vs. greater, and American vs. Chilean) and subspecies (American vs. greater) were compared for most of the 5 measurements. Thus, despite limitations imposed by between-sex overlap, weights and linear measurements, especially tarsus, middle toe, and wing length, appear to be useful in determining an individual's gender when species or subspecies identification is considered.


"[W]hen there is an income tax, the just man will pay more and the unjust less on the same amount of income."--Plato (1) INTRODUCTION Globalization has produced a world where capital is highly mobile and deployed across multiple taxing jurisdictions by single corporate taxpayers. This mismatch between global capital and national taxing jurisdictions has proved vexing for national taxing authorities as they attempt to allocate global corporate income and deductions on a national basis. One of the most significant manifestations of this allocation problem is the phenomenon of multi-national enterprises (MNEs) shifting profits to relatively low-tax jurisdictions through intra-firm transfer pricing, creating what is called the transfer pricing problem. To illustrate the problem, consider the hypothetical case of a United States company that wishes to build a factory in Hong Kong for the manufacture of fiat screen televisions, with the intention of marketing the televisions in the U.S. Assume a marginal cost of production of $100, a retail price of $150, and U.S. and Hong Kong corporate income tax rates of 35% (2)q and 16.5%, (3) respectively. In terms of corporate structure, the parent company (Parent) has two basic options: build the factory as a foreign branch within the corporate structure of Parent, or establish the factory through a wholly owned subsidiary (Sub) incorporated as a Hong Kong entity. Under the first option, the tax consequences are relatively straightforward. Since Parent both manufactures and sells the televisions, a U.S. tax is assessed on the profit derived by Parent from the manufacture and sale, which will be roughly equivalent to the sale price less the cost of production, or $50 x 35% = $17.50 corporate tax assessed per unit sold. The second option introduces an additional step in the chain of production and sale. Upon manufacture of the televisions, the Parent must set the transfer price--the intra-firm price the Sub will charge the Parent-for the televisions. Consider the pricing incentives in light of the considerable rate differential between the U.S. and Hong Kong. In the absence of any restrictions on the intra-firm price, the natural incentive will be to set the transfer price at $150 per television, booking $50 of profit to the Sub and $0 of profit to Parent. This price minimizes the overall tax burden to the firm by locating the entire profit of the production and sale enterprise in Hong Kong, the low-tax jurisdiction. In this hypothetical, a Hong Kong tax is assessed on the sale to Parent of $50 x 16.5% = $8.25 corporate tax assessed per unit. Parent realizes no gain on the resale of the televisions in the U.S., and accordingly no U.S. tax is levied. (4) From this example we see that the transfer price effectively functions to allocate profit between Parent and Sub, with the blended tax rate on the productive activity equal to the average of the two tax rates weighted by the percentage of profits allocated to each jurisdiction, respectively. (5) The above example illustrates how transfer pricing creates the incentive for MNEs to shift profits to low tax jurisdictions. Absent some legal constraint, the transfer pricing problem would erode the corporate tax base of relatively high-tax jurisdictions. The prevailing legal mechanism for preventing this erosion, embodied in U.S. law (6) and as an international standard, (7) is to adjust the price of the transaction to reflect what the parties would have bargained for at arms-length. This principle, known as the arms-length standard (ALS), requires firms to set transfer prices according to their hypothetical equivalent arms-length price, and empowers taxing authorities to reset prices, reallocating income and deductions accordingly. This price setting is principally achieved by looking to comparable uncontrolled prices and transactions. Consider how ALS would be used to correct strategic pricing behavior in the original hypothetical. …


Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is found in approximately one quarter of postmortem examinations.1 Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is able to detect PFO with almost the same frequency in the clinical setting.2 The intraoperative utilization of TEE presents a dilemma to clinicians if PFO is diagnosed at the time of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Acute alterations in preload and afterload, which often occur intraoperatively, make it more difficult to evaluate the clinical significance of a PFO. Also, patients are unconscious (general anesthesia) at the time of detection of the PFO and hence cannot participate in the decision to close or not to close the PFO. It is unclear whether closure of a PFO should be performed in this context, which would require opening of the right atrium for access and performing bicaval cannulation to establish total cardiopulmonary bypass (likely increasing risk for the patient). There has been a recent trend toward an increased use of the off-pump approach to CABG surgery.3 The decision to close a PFO diagnosed intraoperatively in a patient scheduled for elective off-pump CABG requires a radical change in management; that is, from no cardiopulmonary bypass for off-pump CABG to initiation of total cardiopulmonary bypass. Currently, there are no clinical data available to guide clinicians presented with this scenario. The authors present a patient who was diagnosed with a PFO intraoperatively, underwent CABG surgery without closure of the PFO, and subsequently developed a possible postoperative paradoxical embolism. CASE REPORT*


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Objective
To evaluate the role of suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) in the spinal cord of chronic sciatic constriction injury (CCI) mice.

Methods
Part one: four Kunming mice were selected to receive the CCI operation by sciatic nerve ligation. Seven days after operation the mice were sacrificed and L4~6 segments of the spinal cord were removed.The co-expression of SOCS3 with NeuN (for neurons), GFAP (for astrocytes), or IBA1 (for microglia) in spinal were detected by immunohistofluorescence. Part two: thirty-two Kunming mice were divided into 4 groups according to random number table: sham operation group (group SH), CCI group (group BP), CCI+ Lenti-SOCS3 group (group BS), CCI + Lenti-vector group (group BV). Group BS were intrathcal injected of Lenti-SOCS3 (2 μl) and group BV were intrathcal injected of Lenti-vector (2 μl) on 7 d, 8 d, 9 d after operation.Paw withdrawal latency (PWL) and paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) were measured at 1 d before operation and 5, 7, 10, 12, 14 d after operation. Mice were then sacrificed and L4~6 segments of the spinal cord were removed for determination of GFAP, IBA-1 by Western blot and IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α by Elisa on 14 d.

Results
SOCS3 was distributed in dorsal horn, and expressed in astrocytes and microglia, but hardly colocalized with neurons. Compared with group SH, the PWL and PWT of group BP and BV were significantly decreased after operation (all P<0.05), and the expression of GFAP, IBA-1, IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α was significantly increased (all P<0.05). Compared with group BV, the PWL (5.1±0.9, 7.5±0.8, 7.2±1.4) and PWT (6.1±1.4, 8.9±1.1, 8.2±2.1) of group BS was significantly increased on 10, 12, 14 d (all P<0.05), and the expression of GFAP (1.69±0.45), IBA-1(1.76±0.25), IL-6 (181±8), IL-1β (151±7), TNF-α (216±9) was significantly downregulated (P<0.05).

Conclusion
SOCS3 alleviates neuropathic pain by inhibiting the glial activation and the expression of proinflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α.

Key words:
Suppressor of cytokine signaling-3; Neuropathic pain; Glia; Spinal cord; Mice


Objective: To review the available scientific literature on the restorative treatment of non-carious cervical lesions; in particular, the restorative materials that present optimal performance in this type of clinical situation.  Methods: A literature review was performed using Pubmed search engine with the aim of determining the ideal restorative material for restorations of non-carious cervical lesions.            Results: Beautifil II (Shofu INC.) restorative material showed satisfactory results in terms of fracture resistance, flexural strength and excellent aesthetics, in addition to components that act as anti-cariogenic, anti-plaque and oral pH balance. The Clearfil SE Bond adhesive (Kuraray NORITAKE) showed in clinical research the highest bond strength rate compared to other adhesive systems available in the dental market.      Conclusion: Non-carious cervical lesions are multifactorial lesions that require the professional knowledge to conduct the treatment effectively. The Shofu Beautifil II showed the best results in fracture resistance, flexural strength and excellent aesthetics, it has anticariogenic potential, anti-plaque bacteria and contributes to the oral pH balance. The Clearfil SE Bond adhesive showed the highest retention rate among its competitors. Keywords: Restorative materials; non-carious cervical lesions; class V


Neutron diffraction is a powerful tool for investigating interlayer coupling phenomena in magnetic superlattices. In the absence of interlayer spin coherence the diffraction spectrum has the form of a broad smooth maximum, i.e., it essentially reproduces the shape of the single-layer structure factor. In contrast, spectra from correlated superlattices exhibit characteristic fringe patterns. However, doubts are sometimes expressed as to whether the presence of fringes indeed provides meaningful evidence for interlayer coherence; such opinions are usually based on results of computer simulations that produce "fringelike" features even though the magnetization in consecutive layers changes in a random fashion. Clarity in this issue is certainly of importance, especially in studies of systems with antiferromagnetic layers, in which neutron diffraction is practically the only experimental tool capable of detecting interlayer spin coherence. We report the results of thorough computer modeling studies that show that the "pseudofringes" obtained from simulations on uncoupled superlattice models disappear after averaging the data from a sufficiently large number of random configurations. It is a reasonable expectation that in a real superlattice each magnetic layer breaks into a large number of domains, so neutrons passing through the sample "see" different situations. Hence, realistic modeling does require averaging over many random configurations, and our results point out that in following such a procedure, the "fringelike" features eventually wash out, and the simulated spectra become fully consistent with the analytical single-layer structure factor. However, there is still the possibility that in special situations the spectra from uncoupled systems may exhibit fringes. Suppose that the system symmetry allows discrete domain states (e.g., corresponding to in-plane easy axes), and that the average domain size and the superlattice period are both small in comparison to the coherence length of the incident neutron wave (since the coherence length in a typical experiment is of the order of 1000 A, this is not an unusual situation). Then, arguably, there is always a finite probability that equivalent domains located in different layers will fall into the "coherence volume," and give rise to constructive interference, even though the domains are not coupled by any interactions. In view of that, our work included simulations on several different model systems that might, in principle, exhibit such an effect. Again, the averaged data from many thousands of runs showed no anomalies at the expected fringe positions, providing more evidence that neutron diffraction allows a fully reliable distinction of coupled and uncoupled superlattice systems.Neutron diffraction is a powerful tool for investigating interlayer coupling phenomena in magnetic superlattices. In the absence of interlayer spin coherence the diffraction spectrum has the form of a broad smooth maximum, i.e., it essentially reproduces the shape of the single-layer structure factor. In contrast, spectra from correlated superlattices exhibit characteristic fringe patterns. However, doubts are sometimes expressed as to whether the presence of fringes indeed provides meaningful evidence for interlayer coherence; such opinions are usually based on results of computer simulations that produce "fringelike" features even though the magnetization in consecutive layers changes in a random fashion. Clarity in this issue is certainly of importance, especially in studies of systems with antiferromagnetic layers, in which neutron diffraction is practically the only experimental tool capable of detecting interlayer spin coherence. We report the results of thorough computer modeling studies that show ...


Well-being Bioproducts RIC, Kangwon National UniversityAbstract In this study, we evaluated the lipoprotein lipase (LPL) inhibitory activity of 11 water extracts derived fromCinnamomum cassia Blume, Sarcodon aspratus, Cordyceps militaris, Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge, Corni fructus, Alliumcepa, Coix lacryma-jobi, Plantago asiatica L., Lentinus edodes, Rosa rugosa, and Foeniculum fructus. The results of theLPL secretion and activity assay showed Sarcodon aspratus (NE) extract have an LPL secretion inhibitory acitivity. Thecause of reduction in LPL secretion after NE treatment was investigated using molecular biology methods. NE treatmentaffected the LPL content in cells, but did not affect LPL mRNA expression. It also increased the mRNA expression levelof sortilin-related receptor LDLR class A (SorLA), a receptor that induces endocytosis and intracellular trafficking of LPL.Finally, cell fractionation revealed that NE treatment induced the expression of CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein beta (C/EBPβ), a SorLA transcription factor, in the nuclei of 3T3-L1 adipocytes. These results show that NE's anti-obesity effectinvolves inhibition of LPL secretion through C/EBPβ-mediated induction of SorLA expression.Keywords: Sarcodon aspratus, lipoprotein lipase, sortilin-related receptor, CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein beta (C/EBPβ),anti-obesity


In the past, two main approaches have been used to try to enhance the enzymatic hydrolysis step of a lignocellulosics residue-to-ethanol process. In one approach, cellulosic substrates can be pretreated to increase their susceptibility to cellulases. In an alternative approach, the cellulases are recovered and re-used in order to lower the cost of the enzymes required for the hydrolysis step. The increased susceptibility of pretreated substrates has been attributed to an increase in the surface area accessible to cellulases, as the enzymes must first adsorb to the substrate in order to carry out hydrolysis. However, it has not been clearly demonstrated that the amount of cellulase adsorbed to different substrates is the primary factor determining the hydrolysis rate. In the first part of this study, CBDcex, the nonhydrolytic cellulose-binding domain of a Cellulomonas fimi cellulase, was evaluated as a probe to measure the surface area available for cellulase adsorption. The adsorption isotherms of CBDcex and Celluclast, a commercial cellulase mixture, were determined using various cellulosic substrates. It was found that the adsorption of both protein preparations could be represented by the Langmuir isotherm. Pmax. t n e maximal adsorbed protein, was calculated in order to compare the amount of surface area in each substrate that was available to CBDcex or Celluclast. The surface areas of nine different substrates, as measured by CBDcex and Celluclast adsorption, were found to be different in all cases except one. In the second part of this study, the relationship between cellulase adsorption and the initial hydrolysis rate was examined. The accessibility of the various substrates to cellulases and the corresponding hydrolysis rates were measured. There was no apparent correlation between the amount of enzyme


Twin pregnancy is currently an exclusion criterion for prenatal repair of open spina bifida (OSB). The main objective of this study was to report on our experience of treating twin pregnancies with OSB using the skin‐over‐biocellulose for antenatal fetoscopic repair (SAFER) technique. We also discuss reconsideration of the current exclusion criteria for fetal OSB repair.


Grower concerns, coupled with recent reports, have suggested that potato virus Y° (PVY°) may be spread as the result of mechanical transmission following the cutting of infected tubers during seed multiplication, or through vine abrasion caused by the passage of row equipment used during spraying operations and post-emergence tillage. We present the results of a series of greenhouse and field experiments (on the potato cultivars 'Shepody', 'Russet Norkotah', 'Russet Burbank', 'Jemseg', 'Kennebec', and 'Superior') to examine this possibility. Our results provide no evidence to support the view that mechanical transmission of PVY° occurs through the use of (hand or mechanical) cutting knives. Statistical analysis of the spatial pattern of in-field virus spread in the highly susceptible cultivar 'Shepody' did not show a significant clumping of infected plants within plot rows, arguing, in this case, that the passage of farm equipment and associated tillage operations are of no practical significance in the epidemiology of PVY° under growing conditions currently found in the Maritime provinces.


Although the Save Our Seas supporters include industry and the Ocean Conservancy, some environmental groups say the legislation won't solve the problem.


OVERVIEW For every pound of payload landed on Mars, 226 pounds are required on Earth to get it there. Due to this enormous mass gearratio, increasing commonality between lander subsystems, such as power, propulsion, and life support, results in tremendous launch mass and cost savings. HumanMars architectures point to an oxygenmethane economy, utilizing common commodities scavenged from the planetary atmosphere and soil via InSitu Resource Utilization (ISRU) and common commodity tankage across subsystems.


Hardware-in-the-loop simulation is usually used to test its performance in the process of design of transfer aligment system. Many computers were used to set up hardware-in-the-loop simulation of distributed transfer aligment system, each computer undertook different simulation tasks, To improve the instantaneity and similarity of simulation system, simulation computers were connected through real-time network, flight rocker was adopted to simulate the flight of the plane more realistically, and it is convenient to do the motions on each axis. The component of hardware-in-the-loop simulation, the design of hardware interface, the design of software, and the algorithm of each slave system were discussed, meanwhile the working process of the system was introduced in detail, the solution of time delay in the system was proposed. The experiment shows that the hardware-in-the-loop simulation system is appropriately designed, stable and reliable, and has been applied in a certain plane simulation system.


Now a day, it is observed that flexible pavements deteriorates faster than its design period. So there is a need for Pavement Performance Study. Pavements are major assets of highway infrastructure. Maintenance and rehabilitation of these pavements to the desired level of serviceability is one of the challenging problems faced by pavement engineers and administration in the highway sector. The evaluation of pavement performance using pavement condition indicators is a basic component of any Pavement Management System. Various indicators like Pavement Condition Index (PCI), Present Serviceability Rating (PSR), Roughness Index (RI), etc. have been commonly used to assign a maintenance strategy for the existing pavements. The present paper is an effort in the similar direction, to develop a Pavement Condition Index (PCI) for the selected road networks. The methodology includes identification of urban road sections, pavement distress data collection, development of individual distress index and finally developing a PCI for the network. This project also involves in stating reasons behind pavement distresses and so the crack initiation and propagation models are developed. Laboratory tests are done to know the properties of material that are used in different layers of pavement. Non-destructive tests like Benkelman beam are done to evaluate structural performance of pavement. The proposed index is expected to be a good indicative of pavement condition and performance. The developed PCI can be used to select the maintenance strategy for the pavement section.


The objective of this study was to evaluate the roles that cooking rate and relative humidity has on the sensory development of beef strip steaks. Thirty USDA Choice beef strip loins were collected from a commercial packing facility. Each strip loin was cut into steaks and randomly assigned to 1 of 6 cooking methods utilizing 2 oven temperatures (80°C and 204°C) and 3 levels of relative humidity [zero (ZH), mid (MH), and high (HH)]. Cooked steaks were used to evaluate internal and external color, Warner-Bratzler and slice shear force, total collagen content, protein denaturation, and trained sensory ratings. Relative humidity greatly reduced cooking rate, especially at 80°C. Steaks cooked at 80°C-ZH had the greatest (P < 0.01) cook loss of all treatments, and cook loss was not affected (P > 0.05). Steaks cooked at 80°C-ZH appeared the most (P < 0.01) well-done and had the darkest (P > 0.01) surface color. Total collagen was greatest (P < 0.01) in steaks cooked with ZH, regardless of oven temperature. Myosin denaturation was not affected (P > 0.05) by treatment. Increased (P = 0.02) sarcoplasmic protein denaturation was observed with ZH and MH, while increased (P = 0.02) actin denaturation was observed only with ZH. Oven temperature did not influence (P > 0.05) protein denaturation. Trained panelists rated steaks the most tender (P < 0.01) when cooked at 80°C and with ZH and MH. Humidity did not affect (P > 0.05) juiciness at 204°C; however, MH and HH produced a juicier (P < 0.01) steak when cooked at 80°C. Humidity hindered (P < 0.01) the development of beefy/brothy and brown/grilled flavors but increased (P = 0.01) metallic/bloody intensity. Lower oven temperatures and moderate levels of humidity could be utilized to maximize tenderness, while minimally affecting flavor development.


Ultrasound (Figures 1 and 2) did not identify an appendix but demonstrated a fixed, noncompressible, dilated, blind-ending 4.7 x 2.2 cm tubular hypoechoic structure subjacent to the anterior wall of the left lower quadrant. The structure demonstrated an irregular internal wall and a normal gut signature of hyperechoic mucosa/submucosa and hypoechoic muscularis propria, with no wall thickening and no vascularity on color Doppler sonography. The lumen contained heterogeneous debris, anechoic fluid and shadow ing gas. There was surrounding echogenic fat and tenderness to transducer pressure. CT scan (Figures 3 and 4) revealed a blind-ending, tear-drop shaped tubular structure extending from ileal loops in the midline to the left anterior abdominal wall, containing minimal luminal gas and slightly hyperdense fluid. There was no wall thickening or enhance ment. There was surrounding fat stranding and free fluid. A normal appendix was identified to the right of midline. The differential diagnosis included enteric duplication cyst or Meckel's diverticulitis. Open exploration resulted in resection of a 6-7 cm large, blind-ending tubular structure approaching the mesenteric side of the ileum. The structure was not contained in serosa and appeared ischemic but not perforated. Some small bowel loops appeared volvulized around the structure resulting in Figures 1 and 2


In a previous paper, we have investigated the potential of the compact polarimetry mode at longer wavelengths in a space environment for soil moisture estimation. At longer wavelengths, one of the main challenges in dealing with compact polarimetry is the Faraday rotation estimation and correction. One proposed technique relies on bare surface scattering properties. Identifying the bare surfaces can be done using the conformity coefficient. This new coefficient can also be used to discriminate between surface, volume and double bounce scattering. It provides similar results to the Freeman-Durden classification in discriminating bare surfaces.


The competitiveness of a country, besides the quantity and quality of factors of production, is largely dependent on institutional factors. It is not surprising therefore that the alteration of formal institutions (e.g. laws, measures, policies etc.) is a hot topic nowadays. But it is important to note that the efficiency of formal institutions is based on informal ones. Traditions of a country, culture, the values of the people are all factors that fundamentally affect the functioning of explicitly recorded, and so easily changeable formal rules. Measures taken to enhance the competiveness of a country often fail to have any noticeable effect, because they don't harmonise with the value system or traditions of the people. The paper provides a short overview on the connection of values and economic performance, then considers the possible efficiency of a few economic policy instruments recently suggested by experts.


The invention concerns a method for preparing zeolite with MTT structure, which consists in: preparing a crystallising gel by successively adding under stirring a strong base aqueous solution, a silicon precursor soluble in said solution, an aluminium precursor soluble in said solution, a strong acid and a MTT zeolite germ, in proportions such that 0.05 </= OH/Si </= 0.8, 15 </= Si/Al </= 500, the ratio by weight in added germ/silica ranging between 0.05 and 0.5; in subjecting the crystallising gel after ripening to a hydrothermal autoclave process under autogenous pressure, at a temperature ranging between 120 DEG C and 200 DEG C for a time interval ranging between 0.5 hour and 10 days, while stirring, then in washing and drying the reaction medium to obtain anhydrous zeolite.


Clustering Algorithms have been used in the field of remote sensing for classification purposes. Our approach focuses on the application of difference-inclustering on AVHRR Sea Surface Temperature (SST) data to detect upwelling regions and frontal boundaries. Results demonstrate the effectiveness of this algorithm in the Monterey Bay Region. We provide two quantitative criteria that can be used to test the existence of an upwelling region and subsequently detect and segment that region in a SST image. We present the results of application of the difference-in-clustering technique over the SST images available during August 2003, and show the effectiveness of this technique for the detection of oceanographic features.


The relation of growth temperature to "bolting" (premature seed-stalk development) in swede turnips was investigated by growing plants in a greenhouse at high and low temperatures for different periods of time at various stages of their development. It was found that an initial growth temperature of approximately 53° F. for 30 to 50 days induced incipient bolting 71 days after seeding, as indicated by a rapid increase in internode length accompanied by a retarded root development. Flowering was inhibited to a large extent by growth temperatures above 65° F. in plants that had shown incipient bolting as a result of previous low-temperature treatments. None of the plants grown continuously at high temperatures gave any indication of bolting. It may be concluded, therefore, that high temperatures favor vegetative growth while low temperatures favor sexual reproduction.


Objective To investigate the relationship between pulse pressure index(PPI) and the severity of coronary artery stenosis in elderly hypertensive patients.Methods Two hundred and eighty-six elderly hypertensive patients who were suspected to have coronary heart disease(CHD) were divided into CHD group(187 cases) and non-CHD group(99 cases) according to the results of Judkins coronary angiography.All of the patients were evaluated for the severity of coronary artery stenosis with Leaman score.Results The scores of coronary artery stenosis obviously increased with increasing PPI(P0.01).Age,smoking,duration of hypertention,reaching the standard of decrease in blood pressure,diabetes mellitus,abnormal blood lipids,pulse pressure and PPI in CHD group were significantly higher than those in non-CHD group(P0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that PPI is strongly correlated with coronary artery disease in elderly essential hypertensive patients.An increment in PPI by 0.10 led to increase in the incidence of coronary artery disease by 28%(95%CI 1.21~1.33,P0.01).PPI had a positive correlation with coronary artery disease.Conclusions The pulse pressure index,pulse pressure and SBP have positive correlation with the severity of coronary artery stenosis in elderly hypertensive patients.PPI is an important and independent forecasting index for the occurrence and development of coronary artery disease in elderly hypertensive patients.


Open gingival embrasures or ―Black triangles‖ are created due to incomplete fill of interdental papilla. (1) . Aim of the study: To compare the effect of hyaluronic acid gel alone versus hyaluronic acid gel combined with carboxymethyl chitosan hydrogel In the Management of the black triangle of interdental papilla. Patients and methods: 40 deficient dental papilla sites that were randomly assigned into two equal groups. Group (A) using hyaluronic acid gel only. Group (B) using carboxymethyl chitosan hydrogel with hyaluronic acid gel. Following parameters will be evaluated before treatment and recorded at baseline and after 6 months Plaque index (PI), Bleeding index (BI), Gingival recession (GR), Probing depth (PD), Clinical attachment level (CAL), and height of the black triangle. Results: Both groups showed improvement in clinical parameters although they are statistically insignificant. Upon comparing the results of both treatment modalities, No statistically significant difference was detected regarding BI, PI, PD, CAL, or GR scores along the whole studied period with a p-value>0.05. Conclusion: treatment of black triangle of interdental papilla using injectable carboxymethyl chitosan hydrogel and hyaluronic acid gel show more improvement in clinical outcomes. The reduction of the black triangles after 6 months was not statistically significant between both groups.


DTC-1 is a new organic amine corrosion inhibitor which has good corrosion inhibition as well as functions of scale inhibition, Sterilization and antioxygen.This paper has adopted the static weight loss method to study the corrosion inhibition of the new corrosion inhibitor DTC-1 to steel A3 under the conditions of different corrosion inhibitor adding amounts.The results show that the corrosion inhibitor DTC-1 has large application temperature range,suitable to the environment of weak acidity,neutral and alkalinity as well as good corrosion inhibition to steel A3 and in the chloride system.


In the year 1656 John Wallis published his Arithmetica Infinitorum, [1], in which he displayed many ideas that were to lead to the integral calculus of Newton. In this work we find the celebrated infinite product of Wallis which gives π, Earlier in 1593, Vieta [2] found another infinite product which gives π But, since Wallis does not mention it, we suppose that he was unaware of it. (Remarkably, these two seemingly different products are special cases of a more general formula [3].)


In this paper we explore the possibility of using GP GPU technology (General Purpose Graphical Processing Unit) in the context of integrative biology. For more than a decade, 3D cellular automata represent a promising approach to handling multi-scale modeling of organs. However, the computing time of such huge automata has limited the experiments. Current GP GPUs now allow the execution of hundreds of threads with a regular PC hosting a device card. This capability can be exploited in the case of cellular automata where each cell has to compute the same algorithm. We have implemented two algorithms to compare different memory usage. The performances show very significant speedup even when compared to the latest CPU processors. The interconnection of GP GPU boards and servers will be considered to build a local grid of hybrid machines.


Quantum computers are considered as a future alternative to circumvent the heat dissipation problem of VLSI circuits. The synthesis of reversible circuits is a very promising area of study considering the expected further technological advances towards quantum computing. In this report, we propose a linear genetic programming system to design reversible circuits -RIMEP2-. The system has evolved reversible circuits starting from scratch without resorting to a pre-existing library. The results show that among the 26 considered benchmarks, RIMEP2 outperformed the best published solutions for 20 of them and matched the remaining 6. RIMEP2 is presented in this report as a promising method with a considerable potential for reversible circuit design. It will be considered as work reference for future studies based on this method.


The purpose of this study was to analysis how perceived beauty service quality, perceived value influenced on purchase intention of customers. Moreover, this study was suggested strategic solutions for beauty managers and employees to build efficient marketing strategies in order to maximize custome...


Abstract:As a new financial instrument, capital securitization has played a very important part inprope11ing the reforn of Japan's financial system ever since the financial crisis. The paper is de-voted, based on an introduction to the background of the fast development of securitication inJapan in the recent years, to an analysis of the development of Japan's securitization from the an-gle of Japan's securitization's types, its handicaps, relevant legislature and its supervision. Thepaper, in addition to the above, also provides a summary of the experiences and lessons that canbe drawn from Japan's practice.


Network coding structure was an important factor to decide if applying network coding or not in delay nodes.Basing on the characters of multi-hop wireless networks and the existing coding structures,three general network coding structures were firstly proposed to be used in wireless networks,which were Pan-I-Structure,Pan-Y-Structure and Pan-X-Structure.Then,the detailed algorithms and processes of the coding structure discovery,coding and decoding were given.At last,the analysis and simulation on the coding efficiency of the proposed three general coding structures were provided.The simulation results show that the wireless networks throughput could be effectively improved with the use of the proposed three general coding structures.


With the practice of island and reef reclamation projects in the Nansha waters, the research on the physical and mechanical properties of reef limestone has gradually become a research focus in the field of engineering geology. A reef limestone core was obtained from a borehole with a depth of 300 meters on an island and reef in Nansha, and passed the vertical and horizontal wave tests, uniaxial and triaxial compression tests, and reef limestone rheological tests. The following conclusions are obtained:the relationship between the shear wave velocity and the longitudinal wave velocity of the deep reef limestone rock sample is Vs=0.4447Vp+409.94; the reef limestone still has a large bearing capacity after being destroyed, and the reef limestone fractures in a broken strip shape, Breaks along the growth weak surface, the strength of the reef limestone is also very random due to the strength randomness of the cave and the weak surface; the stress threshold for the accelerated creep of the reef limestone is about 5-6 MPa, when the loading level reaches 5-6 MPa the process of accelerated creep occur. The test conclusions provide a basis for the construction of the South China Sea Reef Project, and also provide reference materials for the in-depth study of the engineering geomechanical properties of coral reefs.


The 1993 Constitution of the Russian Federation enshrined the principle of social state, a number of social rights of citizens and other provisions of a social nature. However, according to many researchers, the actual situation, including mass poverty and extreme property differentiation of the population, and the dominant vector of social policy, which is reflected in commercialization and "optimization" of the social sphere, raising the retirement age, strengthening the selective character of social assistance, etc. speak of the dismantling of the welfare state. At the same time, the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation does not adequately fulfill its function of protecting the Constitution and, in particular, ensuring the constitutional principle of social state and social rights of citizens, does not recognize the legislative norms that normatively formalize such reforms as unconstitutional, sometimes — as in the case of considering the constitutionality of increasing retirement age in 2018 — actually avoiding consideration of the case on the merits. The draft Law on Amendment to the Constitution of the Russian Federation "On Improving Regulation of Certain Issues of Organizing Public Authority", proposed by the President of Russia in the winter of2020, was substantiated, inter alia, by considerations of the development of social state, ensuring the social rights of citizens and the corresponding social obligations of the State. The article shows which of the key social problems could be solved within the framework of the previous version of the Constitution; the question is examined whether their solution requires its changing. It is shown that the Law on Amendment to the Constitution of the Russian Federation adopted in the spring of 2020 does not solve a number of the key social problems in modern Russia, and does not make enough use of foreign experience in constitutional regulation of the social sphere. Based on the experience of other countries, the article proposes a number of norms, the constitutional enshrining of which could to a greater extent ensure implementation of the principle of social state.


Understanding the drivers of community stability in times of increasing anthropogenic pressure is an urgent issue. Biodiversity is known to promote community stability, but studies of the biodiversity – stability relationship rarely consider the full complexity of biodiversity change. Furthermore, finding gen-eralities that hold across taxonomic groups and spatial and temporal scales remains challenging because most investigations have narrow taxonomic, spatial, and temporal scopes. We used organismal data collected through the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) at sites across the contiguous United States to evaluate linkages between community stability and biodiversity change for four taxonomic groups: small mammals, ground beetles, fish, and freshwater macroinvertebrates. We defined community stability as constancy of aggregate species ' abundance. We quantified change in biodiversity as (1) dissimilarity in community taxonomic and functional composition and species replacement and richness change components of that dissimilarity


Quantifying the acoustic output of diagnostic and therapeutic medical ultrasound devices is an established practice, using measurement methods based on applying miniature hydrophones to determine acoustic pressure distributions. However, specification standards require manufacturers to describe and declare acoustic output information in the form of intensity values, as these are more relevant to the possibility of adverse bioeffects. Simple relationships exist to calculate intensities from pressure data, but under many circumstances, such as away from the acoustic axis and in the transducer near-field, the underpinning assumptions break down. This paper describes the design, development and testing to proof-of-concept of a novel design of ultrasound sensor which can determine intensity directly. The sensor uses the pyroelectric properties of the piezoelectric polymer PVDF, and takes the form of a conventional membrane hydrophone backed with a highly attenuating polyurethane-based material. Ultrasound incident on the backing material is quickly absorbed, and the rate of temperature increase over a short timescale is proportional to the intensity in the beam, and produces a pyroelectric voltage response in the PVDF film. The new sensor also behaves as a conventional hydrophone, and can be used to derive acoustic pressure profiles. Intensity results are compared with pressure-squared data obtained from beam-plotting a range of simple transducer fields, and suggest differences in the beam profiles, particularly in the acoustic near field.


Mechanical and physical properties are potentially very important for biomaterials to be used as scaffolds. To investigate the effect of adding keratin to polylactic acid (PLLA) on the mechanical and physical properties of electrospun nonwoven fibrous membranes, a series of experiments were conducted, with PLLA/keratin mass proportions of 1:0, 2:1, 1:1, 1:2, 1:4 and 1:8 respectively. Measured mechanical and physical properties include tensile property, compressional property, water vapor permeability, moisture content and moisture management property. The results show that with an increase in the keratin content, tensile property of above membranes decreased; while moisture content and hydrophilicity are increased; compressional property and water vapor permeability, however, are not influenced significantly. It could be concluded from the experimental results that adding keratin into PLLA would significantly change some important mechanical and physical properties of electrospun nonwoven fibrous membranes, which could influence their performances as scaffolds for tissue engineering.


Abstract : The Defense Department and US Military that faces today's threats are far different then the Defense Department of a decade ago. Since 1985 the military force structure was reduced by 38 percent, the force structure was reduced by 33 percent and DoD procurement programs reduced by 63 percent. In an effort to maximize its allotted budget DoD has significantly downsized its workforce, eliminated many government jobs and subsequently increased the number of contracts to civilian providers. This study discusses the impacts of privatization, outsourcing and contractors. This study describes the differences with each of these options. This study also assesses some of the benefits of these business practices compared to their inherent risks.


An important recent trend in reservoir simulation has been the development of multiple application simulators which can model both black oil and compositional processes within a single program. A number of different mathematical formulations have been proposed for solving the fluid flow equations in these simulators. With an IMPES solution scheme there are two basic approaches; Newton-Raphson methods, such as that of Young and Stephenson (1983), and the volume balance method of Watts (1986). Various fully implicit schemes have also been described. Although these methods all solve the same underlying equations, the relationship between them is not easily understood.


Multi-carbazole thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) molecules are promising emitters due to fast reverse intersystem crossing (RISC) rate, and high device efficiency. They are comprised of benzonitrile acceptor and four...


An astonishingly simple analytical frequency approximation formula for a class of strongly nonlinear oscillators is derived and applied to various example systems yielding useful quick estimates.


Tomographic estimation of seismic velocity from directly transmitted arrivals in offset VSP or crosshole data requires the following processing operations: (a) statics estimation and corrections; (b) stacking to enhance arrivals of interest and to remove coherent noise; (c) deconvolution and time picking; (d) iteration between tomographic inversion of picked source-receiver delay times and ray tracing. Velocity tomography with reflection data may also require migration to estimate the position of reflectors for picking two-way travel times. A workstation based software system has been developed which permits interactive tomographic velocity estimation from shallow crosshole and offset VSP data. The flexibility gained by performing velocity tomography interactively has many advantages, such as easy comparisons of intermediate results and the ability to update filtering sequences to accommodate the results of interactive analyses of signal and noise characteristics. We illustrate this for shallow crosshole velocity tomography with examples of (a) interactive tau-p filtering for arrival enhancement and coherent noise removal; (b) the dependence of tomogram resolution on raypath coverage; (c) interactive smoothing to compensate for resolution artifacts related to incomplete tomographic raypath coverage. The use of interactive smoothing to cater for different types of geological prior information in tomography is discussed.


Cooperative spectrum sensing (CSS) has the ability to accurately identify the activities of the primary users (PUs). As the secondary users' (SUs) sensing performance is disturbed in the fading and shadowing environment, therefore the CSS is a suitable choice to achieve better sensing results compared to individual sensing. One of the problems in the CSS occurs due to the participation of malicious users (MUs) that report false sensing data to the fusion center (FC) to misguide the FC's decision about the PUs' activity. Out of the different categories of MUs, Always Yes (AY), Always No (AN), Always Opposite (AO) and Random Opposite (RO) are of high interest these days in the literature. Recently, high sensing performance for the CSS can be achieved using machine learning techniques. In this paper, boosted trees algorithm (BTA) has been proposed for obtaining reliable identification of the PU channel, where the SUs can access the PU channel opportunistically with minimum disturbances to the licensee. The proposed BTA mitigates the spectrum sensing data falsification (SSDF) effects of the AY, AN, AO and RO categories of the MUs. BTA is an ensemble method for solving spectrum sensing problems using different classifiers. It boosts the performance of some weak classifiers in the combination by giving higher weights to the weak classifiers' sensing decisions. Simulation results verify the performance improvement by the proposed algorithm compared to the existing techniques such as genetic algorithm soft decision fusion (GASDF), particle swarm optimization soft decision fusion (PSOSDF), maximum gain combination soft decision fusion (MGCSDF) and count hard decision fusion (CHDF). The experimental setup is conducted at different levels of the signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), total number of cooperative users and sensing samples that show minimum error probability results for the proposed scheme.


Congenital cyst of the prepuce in tight phimosis is a rare condition, of which we have found no cases in the literature. The case we report concerns an 8-year-old patient with a large cyst measuring 5 cm long and 3 cm short that had been developing for six years and a very tight phimosis. The clinic was dominated by urinary problems such as burning miction, dysuria, deformation of the penis by the fluctuating penopreputial mass and psychological trauma affecting the parents, who decided to consult for better treatment. After an operative assessment, the patient was scheduled for surgery, which consisted of a cystectomy combined with circumcision, with simple immediate and long-term after-effects.


This study followed up on a 7‐day, 5th‐grade intergenerational project on aging. The "Age Doesn't Matter" (ADM) project was interdisciplinary; incorporating dance, health education, history, art, and poetry to teach about growing older. Older adults came to the school to interact with the students and the students also went on field trips to a nursing home and a retirement hotel. Thirteen of the original 19 ADM students were still in the same school 1 year after the project's completion. These students were matched by grade, gender, and race with a comparison group (n = 13) one year after the project's completion. Three experts in the field of gerontology were asked to blindly review the students' responses to open‐ended questions about aging and to rate each student concerning his or her attitudes toward aging. The ADM students were judged to have significantly (p < .05) more positive attitudes toward aging than the comparison group students.


AbstractIsatin is an endogenous indole that influences a range of pro-cesses both in vivo and in vitro. It has a distinct and discontinuousdistribution in the brain, as well as in other mammalian tissues andbody fluids. However, the distribution of isatin binding sites in thebrain is not known. Using a real-time b-imager we have investi-gated the distribution of [ 3 H]isatin-specific binding in rat brainsections. The highest labeling was found in hypothalamic nucleiand in the cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum. Administration ofthe mechanism based monoamine oxidase inhibitor, pargyline,reduced but did not abolish the specific binding of [ 3 H]isatin in therat brain. The distribution became cortex, cerebellum, hypothala-mus > hippocampus > brain stem > thalamus striatum.Keywords: brain, b-imager, isatin, isatin-binding sites.J. Neurochem. (2003) 84, 618–620.Isatin(indole-2,3-dione)isanendogenouscompound,widelydistributedinmammaliantissuesandbodyfluids(Medvedevet al.1996;Sandleret al. 2000). In the brain the highest levels have been found in thehippocampus (0.1lg/g) (Watkins et al. 1990) and an immunocyto-chemical staining revealed specific localization within particular cells(Medvedev et al. 1996).Isatin output is increased under conditions ofstress(Tozawaet al.1998).Invivoisatinadministrationcausesarangeofdose-dependentbehavioraleffects(Gloveret al.1998;Bhattacharyaet al.2000;Telegdyet al.2000),includinganxiogeneisisandincreasedwaterretention. In vitro, isatin is a potent inhibitor of both atrial natriureticpeptide(ANP)-stimulatedmembraneboundguanylatecyclase(Medvedevet al. 1996) and nitric oxide-stimulated soluble guanylate cyclase(Medvedevet al.2002).ItisaninhibitorofmonoamineoxidaseB(IC


An explosion accident from a road tanker while carrying hazardous materials can have a dangerous effect on road users and the surrounding area through which the road tanker passes. Based on the evidence of the accident case involving the road tanker reported, it shows that this accident case can cause death and destruction to the surrounding property. In Malaysia, several cases of accidents involving road tankers have also occurred. Among the methods used to determine the impact of a road tanker explosion is the use of the consequences analysis method. Currently, there is limited number of software that can be used to determine the impact of a road tanker explosion accident that carries explosive chemicals such as butadiene, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), etc. However, there are weaknesses in the display of the impact results plotted on the map. Where the impact of the explosion is only shown to the 3 main zones, namely building damage, serious injury, and glass breakage. In this paper, the enhanced contour profile method on the impact of an LPG road tanker explosion on human and structural damage is shown.


Objective To study the effect of curcumin on HUVECs production of NO and expression of ICAM-1.Methods The HUVECs were cultured in vitro and stimulated by 10ng/mL TNF-α,then incubated with(5~40)μg/mL of curcumin for 1h.MTT and ELISA was used to detect NO and ICAM-1 production.Results ICAM-1 expression was inhibited by(5~40)μg/mL of curcumine,and increased NO production in dose-dependent manner.Conclusion Curcumin exhibit cytoprotection and anti-artherosclerosis effect may mediated by inhibition of ICAM-1 expression and NO production.


This letter proposes a novel multicarrier pulsewidth modulation scheme and a reconfigurable dc–dc converter topology, which produces multiple times higher effective switching frequency than the actual switching frequency of the power devices. The reconfigurable topology incorporates multiple switches in series, and their gate pulses are generated using multiple modified and phase-shifted carrier waves. These switches operate alternately to multiply the operating frequency. Since the devices do not actually have to operate at high switching frequency, slower and cheaper power devices can be used. The resulting smaller filter requirement and cheaper power devices make the overall system compact and cost-effective. Moreover, the total switching losses in the proposed converter are distributed among a larger number of devices, which results in low switching loss per device. Consequently, the heatsink requirement comes down. The proposed scheme helps in developing a high-frequency switch mode power supplywithout the use of wide bandgap power devices. Nevertheless, combining the proposed scheme with silicon carbide and gallium nitride-devices can give tremendous enhancement in the operating frequency. The proposed concept has been explained and analyzed in detail and compared with the traditional schemes. Simulation and experimental results validate the concept.


This article focuses on the strategies and discourses of the magazine O Echo to create a specific market in Brazil concerning imported gadgets and sound reproduction machines at the beginning of the twentieth century. Including entertainment, cultural contents and catalog of products, the magazine encouraged new habits related to industrialized objects. The technical artifacts shown in the pages of the magazine promised to take home some "public activities" and helped to forge images of the private space for brazilian families.


We flnd exact values for the game chromatic number of the Cartesian product graphs Sm⁄Pn, Sm⁄Cn, P2⁄Wn, and P2⁄Km;n. This extends previous results of Bartnicki et al. on the game chromatic number of Cartesian product graphs.


Elementary network transformations applied sequentially and iterative power flow solutions constitute a general algorithm for the analysis and hierarchical optimization of large scale networks under realistic limitations.


It is a fact that health expenditures worldwide have been soaring in the last decade, and governments proclaim that this increase is unjustifiable and harmful for the healthcare systems sustainability, and also the sustainability of the respective financial systems as a whole. International analysis of macro-economic indicators is the main element of economic evaluation of health care systems. During the last decades, the relation between public sector expenses, and therefore expenses on healthcare, and economic growth has caused great interest.
The aim of this thesis is to indicate a model of relationship between the healthcare expenses and the economic growth. Our effort is to find all these factors that affect health expenditure. Specifically, the issue examined here is the extent to which the real national gross product (GDP) are influenced by the expenses on hospital healthcare, the bed occupancy rate of acute care hospitals only, the hospitals per 100000 inhabitants and the population density per square km. To achieve this goal, we studied the statistics of four countries of the European Union (Germany, Greece, Spain and Italy) for a time – series of thirty years (1975 – 2005).
Reciprocation analysis with Panel Estimation is the econometric model used for the extraction of the results, a method estimated to be the most appropriate due to intertemporal and stratificated data.


Rosenblueth method in probability is combined with Janbu method in this paper to appraise the stability of the left bank mountain of Tibet Jiangxiong reservoir before and after impound,which shows that possibility of destabilization is large.So reinforcement of mountain body is very necessary.Practice indicates this method is important about the stability appraisement of slope under the unusually changeable plateau climate in Tibet.


We perform simulations of Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) observations of a young supernova remnant RX J1713.7-3946. This target is not only one of the brightest sources ever discovered in very high-energy gamma rays but also well observed in other wavebands. In X-rays, the emission is dominated by synchrotron radiation, which links directly to the existence of high-energy electrons. Radio observations of CO and HI gas have revealed a highly inhomogeneous medium surrounding the SNR, such as clumpy molecular clouds. Therefore gamma rays from hadronic interactions are naturally expected. However, the spectrum in GeV energy range measured by Fermi/LAT indicates more typical of leptonic emission from accelerated electrons. Despite lots of multi-wavelength information, the competing interpretations have led to much uncertainty in the quest of unraveling the true origin of the gamma-ray emission from RX~J1713.7--3946. CTA will achieve highest performance ever in sensitivity, angular resolution, and energy resolution. We estimate CTA capability to examine the emission mechanisms of the gamma rays through simulated spatial distribution, spectra, and their time variation.


Formerly on the staff of the John Herron Art School in Indianapolis, the author now teaches painting at Sarasota Art School. In the spring of 1949, I decided to make use of an opportunity for foreign study that was available to me as to many other exservicemen under the provisions of the G.I. Bill. I had learned that Fernand Leger had an accredited school in Paris, and thought this represented a singular opportunity as Leger was the largest artistic figure teaching at that time.


Theoretical part describes the transportation process, the supply chain connection with logistics, legal regulations for cargo transportation, vehicles and their classification, logistics standards for cargo transportation, the problem of organization of expedition company activities, the latest methods are used for optimization of activities. Analytical part describes logistics company UAB "Treka", software, marketing tools, management structure, expedition manager job regulations. The practical part describes the results of the survey, the analysis of situations, the choice of solutions, the methods to be used to help manage the orders more efficiently and the related logistics processes.


Based on the Census of 2001 and the Municipality Register 2003, and observing the actual processes of inmigration to the province of Malaga, as much of the labor inmigrants proceding from the whole world as retired european inmigrants, all ages foreigners are reaching, but he surveyance an stability of the retired european arrived since the sixtees gives, as a result, the aging of the population of the province of Malaga. In despite of it, the variety in the composition of the inmigraton that reaches every municipality and the resident population ends in different influences on the structure by age.


There have been no population‐based studies of the epidemiology and prognosis of patients with fibrolamellar carcinoma (FLC). We conducted a retrospective cohort study using information collected by population‐based registries of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. The demographic features, stage at diagnosis, and type of therapy, as well as age‐adjusted incidence rates and observed and relative survival rates were compared between persons with FLC and those with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnosed between 1986 and 1999. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was constructed to examine the effect of histology (FLC vs. HCC) on the risk of mortality. There were 68 microscopically confirmed cases of FLC and 7,896 cases of HCC. FLC constituted 0.85% of all cases of primary liver cancer and 13.4% of all cases below the age of 40. Compared to HCC, patients with FLC were more likely to be younger (mean age 39 vs. 65), female (51.5% vs. 26.3%), and white (85.3% vs. 56.9%). A greater proportion of case with FLC had localized disease (41.2% vs. 30.9%), or received potentially curative therapy (resection, transplantation), compared to cases with HCC. The age‐adjusted incidence rate for FLC was 0.02 per 100,000; No significant differences in age‐adjusted incidence rates were observed by gender or race. The 1‐ and 5‐year observed and relative survival rates were significantly longer in patients with FLC than HCC. The 5‐year relative survival rate was 31.8% (95% CI, 20.5%‐43.1%) for FLC, compared with 6.8% (95% CI, 6.3 %‐7.4 %) for HCC. Adjusting for differences in age, gender, race, stage of disease, receipt of resection or transplantation, and time of diagnosis, FLC was independently associated with a 46% reduction in risk of mortality within 5years compared with HCC. In conclusion, in a population‐based study, we observed remarkable differences in the epidemiology and prognosis of FLC compared to HCC. (HEPATOLOGY 2004;39:798–803.)


First Person Vision (Egocentric) video analysis stands nowadays as one of the emerging fields in computer vision. The availability of wearable devices recording exactly what the user is looking at is ineluctable and the opportunities and challenges carried by this kind of devices are broad. Particularly, for the first time a device is so intimate with the user to be able to record the movements of his hands, making hand-based applications for First Person Vision one the most explored area in the field. This paper explores the more popular processing steps to develop hand-based applications, and proposes a hierarchical structure that optimally switches between each of the levels to reduce the computational cost of the system and improve its performance.


The present invention relates to an antibody against epidermal growth factor receptor variant III (EGFRvIII) or an antigen-binding fragment thereof, a nucleic acid encoding the same, a vector carrying the nucleic acid, a cell transformed with the vector, a method for preparing the antibody or an antigen-binding fragment thereof, a composition thereof for preventing or treating cancer, a composition for diagnosing cancer, and a kit for diagnosing cancer.