We evaluated the effect of altered loading conditions on left ventricular (LV) diastolic pressurevolume relations during acute coronary artery occlusion that was produced by inflation of an intracoronary balloon. Open-chest anesthetized dogs (n=18) were instrumented so that LV pressure (micromanometer) and LV volume (conductance) could be measured without disturbing the pericardium. The effects of brief periods of occlusion (1-2 minutes) were assessed under steady-state conditions before and after dextran infusion with the pericardium present and absent and during vena caval occlusion. Under steady-state conditions before dextran infusion with the pericardium removed, at an LV end-diastolic pressure (EDP) of 8.4±1.4mm Hg, occlusion resulted in a rightward shift in the diastolic portion of the LV pressure-volume loop (ALVEDP, 2.7±23 mm Hg; ALVEDV, 63±4.7 ml, bothp<0.05 versus control). After dextran infusion (LVEDP, 20.9±6.0 mm Hg), occlusion resulted in a rightward and upward shift in the diastolic portion of the LV pressure-volume loop (ALVEDP, 5.8±4.4 mm Hg; ALVEDV, 4.2±3.0 ml, both p<0.05 versus control). At low cardiac volumes before dextran infusion, the intact pericardium did not affect the response to occlusion. By contrast, after dextran infusion in the presence of an intact pericardium, LVEDP significantly increased (A, 6.4±3.6 mm Hg,p<z0.05) but LVDEV did not (A, 0.7± 1.5 ml, p=NS). There was a parallel upward shift in the diastolic portion of the LV pressure-volume loop that was eliminated by removal of the pericardium. Thus, the change in LV diastolic pressure and volume during occlusion varied and depended on the baseline cardiac volume and presence of the pericardium. Before dextran infusion with the pericardium present and absent, coronary artery occlusion did not alter the LV diastolic chamber stiffness parameter, which was calculated from the diastolic interval of an averaged steady-state beat (0.040±0.019 versus 0.036±0.015 mm Hg/ml, p=NS). After dextran infusion with the pericardium present and absent, coronary artery occlusion increased the LV diastolic chamber stiffness parameter (0.057±0.034 and 0.074±0.034 mm Hg/ml, both p<0.05 versus controls, respectively). Vena caval occlusion eliminated the shifts in the diastolic portion of the LV pressure-volume loop with the pericardium present and absent. In addition, the LV end-diastolic pressure-volume relation obtained by vena caval occlusion during occlusion with the pericardium present and absent was similar to that of the nonischemic LV. Thus, these data indicate that right ventricular and pericardial influences are responsible, in large part, for the shifts observed in the LV diastolic pressure-volume relations during acute coronary artery occlusion. In conclusion, the shift in position of the diastolic portion of the LV pressure-volume loop during coronary artery occlusion varies and is modulated by both the volume status of the LV and the pericardium. Despite these varying responses, the LV diastolic pressure-volume relations before and during acute coronary artery occlusion are similar when examined throughout the same LV pressure-volume range. (Circulation 1991;83:661-673)


We report a case of hypercholesterolemia that occurred 2 weeks after the start of highly active antiretroviral therapy following a needlestick exposure to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in an HIV-negative health care worker who was receiving thyroid replacement therapy. The elevated thyrotropic hormone level and hypercholesterolemia resolved after the antiretroviral therapy was stopped.


The maritime Canadian province of New Brunswick has recently created the TeleCampus, an economic development initiative that supports the creation of an on find virtual learning environment. The TeleCampus supports public-private sector cooperation, and the seeding o small companies to develop exportable education and training content for marketing world wide. This initiative is a manifestation of the New Brunswick view that education and training is a growth industry with great potential for job creation. As such, the New Brunswick government, in collaboration with the private sector and the Regional Development Corporation, is supporting the TeleCampus initiative with an investment of more than CDN$15 million. This initiative is being administered by, and integrated with TeleEducation NB, a province-wide distributed learning network, which promotes education and training and supports, the development of the provincial advanced training technology sector of the economy. TeleEducation NB is a bilingual (French/English) distributed learning network that has now been in existence since 1993. The network provides technical and pedagogical support, training and financial aid to public and private sector education and training institutions. It facilitates the delivery of courses to more than 100 remote sites in 47 communities within the province (see http://teleeducation.nb.ca/). The TeleCampus initiative is an integral component of the economic development strategy of the province, which is promoting the development of knowledge industries. The world economy is moving from its traditional manufacturing, primary industries base into one that is based on knowledge. The knowledge economy means that most economic activity will be based on the creation, transmission and transformation of knowledge. This is not an ephemeral concept. Education and training are taking a central position in the economy. This new economy relies heavily on the ability to produce a welltrained and educated workforce. The first regions that can provide a thriving environment for continual training (whether on the job or in the home) will enjoy significant advantages. Jobs will be attracted to the regions with quality knowledge economy work forces. New Brunswick's Edge TeleEducation NB through the Telecampus is creating an on-line environment that will support the development of multimedia courseware and the on-line delivery of courses at all educational levels, involving public and private sector training organizations and courseware developers. Each government department is identifying training priorities that can be met through the development of on-line courseware and delivered on a distributed network. The implementation process itself is promoting economic development through broadening access to reaming opportunities, training teachers and students in using the new media, and developing provincial expertise in information technologies. The multimedia content area is one of the fastest growing sectors of the world economy. The provincial government is stimulating the growth of small entrepreneurial courseware development and training companies by specifying their own training priorities and guaranteeing an initial market for the courseware that is produced. New Brunswick, through the efforts of NBTel (The New Brunswick Telephone Company) and Fundy Cable, has gained international recognition as a leader because of its advanced telecommunications infrastructure. To date, the province is the only province or state that has a 100% digital fiber optic infrastructure connecting all towns. Through their collaborative efforts, the provincial government and NBTel have succeeded in positioning New Brunswick as a North American leader in hosting telephone call centers. TeleEducation NB has added to this reputation in the training technology/distributed reaming field. Already, as a direct result, the Information Technology sector has grown from three small companies in the province in 1992 to over 200 companies in 1991, including Canada's largest courseware development company, First Class Systems, and the world's largest on-line trainer-Scholars. …


The overarching objective of the World Bank Group's support to India and its low-income states is to support poverty reduction and shared prosperity. With a young population and 8 million people entering the labor force every year, India could reap a substantial demographic dividend, but there could also be considerable stress if employment opportunities are not commensurate with expectations. As India ranks 135 on the Human Development Index as of 2014, promoting human development and strengthening social programs are crucial to economic integration and inclusive growth; these goals require better accountability arrangements with incentives and community participation for enhancing service delivery. A focus on learning outcomes is warranted across all levels of education with the role of teachers highlighted as a major determinant of quality. To have systemic or transformational impact, teacher education needs to innovate and pilot new approaches, introducing innovative financing instruments for leveraging resources. The Enhancing Teacher Effectiveness in Bihar SURE program, with its use of results-based financing and use of new ICTs, and its focus on professional development and teacher performance tracking, is the World Bank's new effort in this sector. This study has immense relevance for teacher education programs at the global level, reflecting the need for periodically monitoring teacher performance and eventually incentivizing good performance. Tracking the effect of investments in the education sector on teacher behavior and performance would help generate robust feedback loops that can be built in to training programs to synchronize teacher training with teacher needs for improved teacher performance. The tools can be enhanced for more sophisticated use at the national level in India and in countries with similar teacher education profiles for improving teacher accountability.


Please be advised that this information was generated on 2017-04-04 and may be subject to change. In the cichlid fish Oreochromis mossambicus prolactin cell activity is inversely related to the osmolarity and the Ca: ~ concentration of the ambient water. Prolactin cell activity was estimated, at the end of a 3-week experimental period, by determination of the rate of prolactin synthesis during incubation of the rostral parts of the pituitary gland, in the pres ence of 13HJlysine. Since the secretory activity of isolated prolactin cells is known to be inversely related to the osmolarity of the incubation medium, the possibility was investi gated that the effects of changes in ionic composition of the ambient water on prolactin secretion in vivo are mediated by changes in osmolarity of the blood plasma. No support was found for this hypothesis. In fish exposed to high water osmolarities prolactin cell activity was reduced, while plasma osmolarity increased. In contrast, at high Ca: ~ con centrations of the water, when prolactin secretion was inhibited to a similar extent, plasma osmolarity was significantly reduced. Although direct effects of plasma osmolarity on pro lactin cells cannot be excluded completely, it is unlikely that plasma osmolarity is the predominant factor in the control of prolactin cell activity in situ. The physiological signif icance of the capacity of isolated prolactin cells to respond to changes in osmolarity of the ambient medium— a capacity shared with some other endocrine cell types— is therefore unclear. V 1985 Academic Press. Inc. In general there is consensus about the osmolarity of the water as an important am  bient factor controlling prolactin secretion in fish (Ensor and Ball, 1972; Dubourg ct cil., 1980; W endelaar Bonga and Van der Meij, 1981). For species such as stickle backs and the cichlid O reochrom is mos-scimhicus (further called tilapia), the water concentrations of Ca2+ and Mg2 + and the pH of the water are important additional cies-specific differences have been reported for the responses of prolactin cells to changes in external Ca:+ levels (Dubourg ct a i, 1983). With respect to the internal control of larity. There is ample evidence for the pres ence of hypothalamic control (Wigham ct ul. 1981). The osm olarity of blood plasm a could be a factor in mediating the effects of the osmolarity of the water on prolactin se cretion (Sage, 1968; N ag ah am a ct cil., …


Nitro- and Allyloxy-Substituted Helical [2.2]Metacyclophanes: Synthesis, Circular Dichroism and Crystal Structures

The preparations of the title compound 3a, intraannularly nitro-functionalized, of the extraannularly substituted reference compound 3b, and of the sulfone 4 are described. Enantiomeric resolution of these helical phanes was accomplished on (+)-PTrMA and cellulose tris(3,5-dimethylphenyl)carbamate by HPLC. Racemization of the enantiomers of 3b is faster than that of the previously reported extraannularly substituted phanes. The crystal structure of 3a as well as that of the allyl ether 3d show severe distortions of the benzene rings; the CD spectrum of 3a is pointing at an intramolecular charge-transfer complex, an effect that cannot be evaluated from the CD spectrum of 3b.


Safety performance management is at the core of safety management system (SMS) in any organization. Managing organization's safety performance in maritime transport is achieved through the identification of key performance indicators (KPIs), which are used to monitor and measure safety performance. Aim of this paper is to determine how behavior pattern of key performance indicators (KPIs) in the organization, can be simulated. Methods used for this research include methods of gathering, describing, and analyzing key performance indicators data of sample organization, as well as statistics, causal modeling, and simulation. Results show behavior pattern of key performance indicators (KPIs) in the organization due to causal impact of certain key performance indicator. In conclusion, the simulation showed how causal modeling techniques can be useful to simulate behavior pattern of key performance indicators (KPIs) in the organization in order to improve organization's safety performance.


We demonstrate the importance of multi active layer stacking in realizing a semiconductor broadband quantum-dash-in-well laser. The photoluminescence measurements show the negligible factor of largely localized inhomogeneous quantum-dash ensembles in producing ultra-wide envelope of emission.


Objectives: Due to the morphological similarity and frequent occurrence of intermediate forms as well as morphological variations of aerial part, the correct identification between Rhei Radix et Rhizoma and Rhei Undulatai Rhizoma is very difficult. To develop a reliable method for correct identification and improving the quality standards of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma and Rhei Undulatai Rhizoma, we analyzed RAPD and developed SCAR marker. Methods: To amplify target DNA at the genomic level, 32 Operon 10-mer random primers were applied with four Rheum species, R. officinale, R. palmatum, R. tanguticum and R. undulatum. The nucleotide sequences were determined and species-specific primers were prepared depending on the species-specific RAPD amplicons after subcloned into the pGEM-Teasy vector. To develop the SCAR markers, species-specific PCR amplification and mutiplex-PCR were carried out using the single species-specific primer pairs and combinations of them, respectively. Results: We used RAPD analysis of four Rheum plant species to obtain several species-specific RAPD amplicons. From nucleotide sequences of these RAPD amplicons, we developed two SCAR markers that amplified 314 bp and 390 bp DNA fragments in only R. undulatum but not in R. officinale, R. palmatum, R. tanguticum and R. undulatum, for distinguishing Rhei Undulatai Rhizoma and Rhei Radix et Rhizoma. Furthermore, we established SCAR markers for the simultaneous discrimination of the three species within a single reaction by using multiplex-PCR. Conclusions: These genetic markers can be used for the efficient discrimination of plants species and commercial herbal medicines between Rhei Undulatai Rhizoma and Rhei Radix et Rhizoma, to ultimately prevent indiscriminate distribution and prescription of these herbal medicines.


Abstract The point of departure for this study is the understanding of customer relationship management (CRM) as a set of technological solutions key for efficient business management, the benefits of which, highlighted by previous works, are presented and defined here as crucial for entrepreneurial success. Of particular interest for this purpose are the existing studies on sustainability, which provide a viable research model to assess and validate the potential effect of each CRM component (sales, marketing, and services) on the three dimensions of sustainability (economic, environmental, and social). Upon confirmation of our hypotheses, the subsequent validation of such model should bring a better understanding of the way in which CRM-related benefits may increase the positive impact of its components on each dimension of sustainability. CRM can hence be considered a sort of Green IT, oriented toward digital transformation and sustainable business model innovation. Indeed, this research model may be the basis for a more specific methodology to measure the impact and benefits of applying CRM, understood, as we will contend, both in terms of sustainable business models and innovation.


ABSTRACT Katherine Dunham's 1959 memoir, A Touch of Innocence, offers a remarkable opportunity to understand urban space — a crucial location of modernist experimentation — through the kinesthetic training, experience, and awareness of a dancer. If Dunham was redefining herself, her memoir rewrote urban space through the dancer/choreographer's kinesthetic awareness of gendered and racialized embodiment. After two decades of stagecraft that was shaped by and participated in Caribbean négritude, Dunham's memoir experimented with a choreography of urban space to produce a powerful critique of racism and female endangerment. She remapped Chicago through the movement vocabulary she had acquired by the time of her "retreat." Thus her memoir stages her childhood experience through north-south circuits that become inner circles for other movements: the Great Migration north that reconfigured Chicago's race relations, and Dunham's movement south to the Caribbean for alternative dance forms and versions of négritude. Dunham's memoir offers an opportunity to consider how dance, Chicago, the Caribbean, and black femininity become entangled in complex ways at specific historical locations, giving rise, in this case, to a powerful movement vocabulary and transformative geography.


In this paper, we establish necessary and sufficient conditions for the doubleness all of the eigenvalues, except the lowest, periodic and anti-periodic problems for Hill's equation in terms of the complex-valued potential $q(x)$.


We fabricated leakage channel microstructured crystalline fiber (MCF) from solid solution AgClxBr1-x for middle IR with one ring of six rods and large mode field area 13 600 μm2 for the first time. Experiments proved that MCF is effectively single mode at 10.6 μm wavelength, which corresponds to numerical simulation. Measured optical losses are 8 dB/m.


Tobacco hornworm larvae were subjected to oral doses of fenitrothion (0,0‐dimethyl 0‐(3‐methyl‐4‐nitrophenyl) phosphorothioate) ranging from 0.001 to 1.0 mg/kg body weight. Treated larvae developed asynchronously, required more time to reach the pupal stage, and had greater maximum larval body weights than the control. Regressive moults were observed in the 0.001, 0.1 and 1.0 mg/kg samples. Insects of the treated samples completed pupal development faster than the control. Adults of the treated larvae exhibited shorter longevity than the control. Treated samples, in general, completed development earlier than the control. Explanations for the observed effects are presented.


Prefilled syringe contains premeasured amount of solute in powder or concentrate form used to deliver solute to sterile interior of large-volume parenteral (LVP) bag. Predetermined amount of sterile water also added to LVP bag through sterilizing filter, and mixed with contents of syringe, yielding sterile intravenous solution of specified concentration.


Hydrolysis is one of the rate-limiting reactions in the anaerobic digestion (AD) of wastewater sludge; thus, reliable kinetic models for hydrolysis reactions are essential in numerical simulations of AD.


The present invention provides a bit interleaving method, a bit interleaving device, a signal processing method and a signal processing device. The bit interleaving method involves applying a bit permutation process to a QC LDPC codeword made up of N cyclic blocks each including Q bits, and dividing the codeword, after the bit permutation process, into a plurality of constellation words each is made up of M bits, the codeword being divided into N/M sections, each constellation word being associated with one of the N/M sections, and the bit permutation process being performed such that each of the constellation words includes one bit from each of M different cyclic blocks associated with a given section.


Large scale of grid-connected renewable energy and diversified development of load have come up with higher requirements on power system flexibility. In this paper, the assessment and optimization methods on power system flexibility are reviewed, and a comprehensive flexibility optimization strategy on power system with high-percentage renewable energy is proposed. First, the definition of power system flexibility is generalized and that the cause of serious wind abandoning and solar abandoning in China that is insufficient flexibility is pointed out. Next, several flexibility assessment indexes put forward in various references are compared and two system-level flexibility quantitative indexes are emphatically introduced. In addition, power system flexibility resources are analyzed according to the hierarchy of "source-grid-load-storage", which are also comparatively studied. Finally, starting with the perspective of planning, operation and management, a comprehensive power system flexibility optimization strategy is put forward.


Because inhalation steroid therapy has the advantage of being able to deliver the drug directly to the affected region, it is widely used in the treatment of allergic diseases as the most effective first-line treatment. Many types of inhaler devices have been developed along with new synthetic glucocorticosteroids, and for the treatment of nasal allergy. A dry powder inhaler (DPI) for beclometasone dipropionate (BDP) capsules has been available on the market with a special sprayer called a "pabulizer". The DPI-BDP contains hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) as the base material and has several pharmaceutical properties, such as gradual drug release, improved adherence to nasal mucosa, and local protective function. We have recently developed a new device for DPI-BDP that contains 15-day doses of BDP inside the sprayer itself. In this study, we evaluated and compared the handling and usefulness of the new "one-piece" DPI-BDP device with the conventional "pabulizer" device. A survey was carried out on 145 normal volunteers to evaluate the ease of understanding the instructions and the usability of these inhalation devices as well as the time required for instruction by pharmacologists. The proportion of volunteers who had learned how to use the devices correctly after the initial explanation was the same for both devices (87.6%). The time required to explain and to learn how to use the device was less for the "one-piece" device (109 sec) than for the "pabulizer" device (121 sec). The volunteers were also asked to rate the acceptability and their satisfaction with each device in a questionnaire. The degree of satisfaction was significantly higher for the "one-piece" device in terms of "ease in spraying", "suitability for daily use", and "understanding instructions". The overall satisfaction rate for the "one-piece" device was 87.6%x.


In this article we address educational processes related to politics, namely, processes of socialization and political resocialization experienced by workers living in a popular neighborhood, who were part of the metallurgical sector in ABC Paulista during the political and union movement of the "Great strikes". We are interested in understanding the impacts that the experience and the different levels of adhesion and participation in this movement exerted (and still do) on the learning, the understanding and the political participation of these workers throughout their lives. To this end, we analyze the biographies of two former metalworkers, residents of the neighborhood and who experienced the movement in question.


Background: The wheezing infant is a common but difficult patient to approach diagnostically. The prevalence of immunoglobulin (Ig) G subclass deficiency in wheezing infants is still controversial.


Distribution of naloxone rescue kits has been found to be safe, reduce death rate from overdose, and be associated with a decrease in high-risk opioid use A rural emergency department (ED) developed an intervention to increase provision of naloxone rescue kits to patients at risk of opioid overdose. Naloxone rescue kits were stocked in the ED Omnicell. An order set was created in the electronic medical record (EMR) consolidating order for rescue kit and referral to substance abuse treatment center. ED providers were given an educational session to demonstrate the effectiveness of naloxone rescue kits and the new care plan. A retrospective review of 12-month periods pre- and post-intervention was completed. Patients at risk of opioid overdose were identified by diagnosis or provider judgement. Primary outcome was order for rescue kit provision at time of discharge. Secondary outcomes included buprenorphine order in ED, referral to substance abuse treatment center, and attendance of 7-day post-discharge follow-up encounter. Analysis performed with chi-square test and a p value of <0.05 was considered significant. Rate of naloxone rescue kit order rose from 1.6% to 10.4% ( p = 0.0025). Rate of buprenorphine ordering rose from 14.2% to 31.3% ( p = 0.0007). Referrals to outpatient treatment did not differ (12.6% versus 19.6%; p = 0.1). Attendance of 7-day follow-up encounter decreased (24.5% versus 46.5%; p = 0.0001). This intervention modestly increased the provision of naloxone rescue kits in one ED. Future work should focus on care coordination with outpatient clinics to improve the follow-up rate.


Insights from A.F.K. Organski's work on parity and war provide robust and rich explanatory power in understanding international conflict. Several recent applications of this theoretical structure to sub national groups also demonstrate strong support for a parity conflict relationship between competing domestic parties (Benson et al 1997; Benson and Kugler 1998). In this paper, we demonstrate that this theoretical structure has general explanatory power in identifying the necessary conditions for conflict both between and within states, and serves as a useful tool in forecasting the prospects for conflict or cooperation. We study the regional distributions of capabilities in the Horn of Africa to account for the context of conflict in the Sudan and then evaluate the prospects for peace following the 2011 anticipated referendum on independence established in the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Two major findings emerge. The referendum will not affect the regional hierarchy in the Horn of Africa. However, the necessary conditions for conflict do emerge between Northern and Southern Sudan given the referendum, with most of the posited scenarios suggesting the possibility of renewal of the decades long North South conflict.


In this paper, I argue against a perceptual model of moral epistemology. We should not reject the claim that there is a sense in which, on some occasions, emotions may be said to be perceptions of values or reasons. But going further than this, and taking perception as a model for moral epistemology is unhelpful and unilluminating. By focusing on the importance of the dispositions and structures of the self to moral knowledge, I bring out important disanalogies between moral epistemology and typical cases of perceptual expertise. As a result, how we gain, or fail to gain, moral knowledge should not be understood in terms of the operation of a perceptual capacity.


Venture capital is investment or a collection of funds with high risks and high profits in high-tech industries, and the role of investors in such activities is of great importance. As the core of venture capital investment, arison betwe en earlier and modern American investors of venture capital, draws a conclusion of their features,and points out the necessary qualities Chinese investors should possess and the measures we are to take at present.


I Anonymous. Control of chronic pain. Br MedJ7 1981;282:1095-6. 8 Snow H. Opium and cocaine in the treatment of cancerous disease. Br MedJ 1896;ii:718-9. 9 Twycross RG. Diamorphine and cocaine elixir BPC 1973. Pharmaceutical journal 1974;212:153, 159. 10 Twycross RG, Fry DE, Wills PD. The alimentary absorption of diamorphine and morphine in man as indicated by urinary excretion studies. BrJ Clin Pharmacol 1974;1:491-4. 1 Kaiko RF, Wallenstein SL, Rogers AG, Grabinski PY, Houde RW. Analgesic and mood effects of heroin and morphine in cancer patients with postoperative pain. N EnglJ7 Med 1981 ;304:1501-5. 12 Grabinski PY, Kaiko RF, Walsh TD, Foley KM, Houde RW. Morphine radioimmunoassay specificity before and after extraction of plasma and cerebrospinal fluid. I Pharm Sci 1983;72:27-30. 13 British Medical Association, The Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. British National Formulary, 5. London: British Medical Association, The Pharmaceutical Press, 1983. 14 Beaumont IM. Stability study of aqueous solutions of diamorphine and morphine using HPLC. Pharmaceutical Journal 1982 ;229 :39-41.


This artful volume extends beyond the traditional concern for reading word problems and math textbooks to consider how reading can support inquiry-oriented mathematics instruction. Three perspectives on reading are presented, each of which highlights a different way that reading can enhance mathematics learning. Detailed narratives of classroom experiences illustrate these perspectives and show the range of strategies teachers can use to enrich students' understanding of mathematical concepts.


This paper implements a novel digital solution to avoid the problem of dead-zone behavior in digital phase locked loop (DPLL) caused by the quantization effect of time-to-digital converter (TDC). The dead-zone behavior results in chaotic limit cycle behavior causing higher than expected in-band phase noise and strong spurious tones. This behavior is dependent on the initial phase difference between the output and reference clock which makes the DPLL performance inconsistent and unpredictable. To alleviate this problem, a noise shaped offset is added to the phase error, in the digital domain to keep the TDC active and away from the dead-zone. The proposed solution is verified by extensive simulation and using a DPLL prototype in a 0.13 μm CMOS process.


Fruit and vegetables (FV) are the major source of bioactive compounds for human beings. FV supply chains are complex and sensitive due to various features, including the seasonality of products, variations in demand, and short shelf-lives. The amount of waste in FV supply chains is significant compared with other supply chains as 44% of fresh FV produced globally are wasted in the food chain. This large amount of waste has a significant impact on the economy, food security, available natural resources, and the environment. To reduce food losses in the fresh food supply chain (FFSC), the root causes of waste must be first identified. While a number of researchers have investigated food losses in Australia, most only consider a specific stage in the supply chain and multiple stages in the FFSC are often overlooked. Additionally, the impact of advanced storage technologies, packing, handling, and transport on food losses should be investigated. Furthermore, supply chain practices are changing in response to uncertainties, such as the pandemic and climate changes, which also need to be captured. This research aims to identify the key factors contributing to fresh fruit and vegetable losses through a comprehensive empirical study. Primary data were collected through a well-designed questionnaire-based survey targeting major stakeholders in the FFSC, including farmers, distributors, and retailers in Australia. The survey investigates current postharvest practices and the effects of these practices on food losses. The main factors influencing food losses were identified and the options to reduce these losses were outlined. The results showed that losses mostly occurred at the farm level, and picking practices and preharvest conditions largely contributed to FV losses. The results highlight the need for proper training and education for workers involved in harvesting and handling fresh produce.


Most studies on 2,3-butanediol production by microbial fermentation have been carried out using Klebsiella oxytoca and Bacillus polymyxa. In these fermentations there is a significant conversion of carbon source into ethanol, glycerol and various organic acids as by-products. On the other hand, this investigation has shown that the major products of fermentation by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens are 2,3-butanediol and some minor acids. In a typical fermentation about 33 g of butanediol was produced from 100 g of glucose.

The effect of pH, various carbohydrate source, initial glucose concentration and aeration on the 2,3-butanediol fermentation by B. amyloliquefaciens were investigated. The butanediol productivity and yield was found to be highest with glucose as the carbohydrate source. The glucose concentration was varied between 30 and 100 g dm−3 with oxygen transfer rate controlled between 47.5 and 78.0 h−1. Oxygen and the initial substrate concentrations significantly influence the yield, productivity and by-product formation.


A common pattern in the development of primary extractive industries often follows this sequence: continual introduction of, resistance to, and eventual acceptance of ever more
efficient modes of resource extraction. Implicit in this
process, but generally unstated, is the notion of an infinite resource base. Although cries of resource depletion may be sounded under the veil of ecological concern, in reality such
resistance is most often shown by those possessing less efficient systems of resource extraction, thus reflecting little
more than the fear of the inability to compete with newer technology.
One of the more dramatic examples of the introductionresistance-
acceptance pattern in technological development
occurred in the sardine fishing industry in and around Monterey Bay during the first half of the twentieth century.
Viewed in retrospect, the role of changing net technology can
be seen as one of the fundamental causes of the vicissitudes and decline of that industry. What follows is a survey and analysis of the major introductions, oppositions, and adaptations
of fishing net technology.


Abstract : A brief and nonrigorous development of useful gas flow relationship is presented. The flow is considered from the one-dimensional aspect; however, relevant flow phenomena that do not fall into the one-dimensional category are considered. In general the treatment is for nonviscous flow; however, nozzle boundary layer effects are considered. Next the theory is applied to illustrate the functioning of a ramjet as a heat engine. The design and detail functioning of the diffuser, combustor, and exit nozzle and how these are affected by flight environmental conditions and the requirements of thrust and power output are considered. How the basic thermodynamic calculations of a ramjet engine are made is shown. Various engine arrangements are considered, and from there the one having the best figure of merit is picked.


The purpose to optimize gears requires a very good understanding of their dynamic behaviour. Very important is the influence of vibrations on the operation of the gears. As a result of environmental constraints such as acoustics, gears are increasingly subject to stringent requirements in terms of load capacity, efficiency, noise and vibrations. The deformations of the gears involve deformations, in particular, located near the contacts that require great finesse. Gearboxes are equally sources of current vibrations as they are commonly used in industry. They are the subject of numerous studies to characterize their kinematic and dynamic behaviour. At present, research activities focus on the development of multidisciplinary experimental, theoretical and numerical skills that are put into play when designing structures, machine elements or, in general, mechanical systems. In this paper, we have proposed to find the dynamic response of the gearbox to the action of external disturbing factors. To this end, we have called for the use of integral transformations which, algebraizing the problem, greatly simplifies calculations.


# Bariatric Surgery—Saving Lives {#article-title-2}

The American Medical Association has labeled obesity as a disease. This is no shock to those of us who always thought so. Certainly, obesity fits the definition of a disease—a condition that results in complications of health. Obesity is the


Early detection of breast cancer with high-quality mammographic screening and treatment at an early stage has succeeded in lowering the death rate from breast cancer by nearly 50% among women who have attended screening regularly. The challenge of successful screening should be met with a commitment to master the complexities of image production, the variations in normal breast anatomy, the heterogeneity of breast diseases, and the progressive nature of breast cancer. In the authors' experience, competence in breast image interpretation can be best achieved by direct comparison of mammographic, ultrasonographic and magnetic resonance images with large-section histologic and subgross, thick-section (three-dimensional) histologic images of large, contiguous tissue samples that contain the lesions. This article provides an overview of the variants of normal breast anatomy and a systematic viewing technique to find breast cancer at its earliest detectable phase. Comparison of the mammographic findings with la...


Distance education,ever since its begining,has been pursuing the educational mode of individualizes learning,the principle of learning varying for different learners,and the interaction between the learners and the tutors and the learners themselves.Learner-centered and autonomous learning development has been regared as an important view of all-round education and lifelong education.


User-centered design (UCD) has become a popular design philosophy and process in recent years. According to this design philosophy, end users' needs, expectations and limitations when interacting with interfaces or systems are also taken into consideration at each stage of the design process. At the practical usability evaluation stage, how to select test subjects as end users always concerns the reliability of the evaluation results. In a small pilot study, three usability evaluation methods were employed to evaluate the experienced users' performance on a simple interface, the interface of a Whirlpool microwave oven in a lunchroom at a working-place. The purpose of the study was to investigate how well experienced users handled the interface by performing casual tasks. The aim was to obtain proposals from the evaluation results for future redesign issues. Three usability evaluation methods were used in the study; i.e. Heuristic evaluation (HE), Thinking-Aloud method (TA), and Co-discovery method (CO). Seven typical task scenarios which reflect the typical main functions in practical daily usage of a microwave oven were selected for the evaluation. Altogether sixteen staff members of the working-place participated in the empirical tests. The results from the three methods were compared to each other, in terms of prediction on problem severity, task completion time, and satisfaction. Subjective assessment on task scenarios was also made in the end of each evaluation session. Statistical T-test and Mann-Whitney test were used in the analysis of the results. The results showed that all the test subjects failed in completing several task scenarios, which promotes designers and human factors engineers to reconsider the practical usage and efficiency of multi-functionality on product design and users' expectations on interface design. In addition, the results also implied some interesting findings and differences among the three evaluation methods, which provide useful information for selecting usability evaluation methods.


While the mean and unconditional variance are to be predicted well by any reasonable turbulent combustion model, these are generally not sufficient for the accurate modelling of complex phenomena such as extinction/reignition. An additional criterion has been recently introduced: accurate modelling of the dissipation timescales associated with fluctuations of scalars about their conditional mean (conditional dissipation timescales). Analysis of Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) results for a passive scalar shows that the conditional dissipation timescale is of the order of the integral timescale and smaller than the unconditional dissipation timescale. A model is proposed: the conditional dissipation timescale is proportional to the integral timescale. This model is used in Multiple Mapping Conditioning (MMC) modelling for a passive scalar case and a reactive scalar case, comparing to DNS results for both. The results show that this model improves the accuracy of MMC predictions so as to match the DNS results more closely using a relatively-coarse spatial resolution compared to other turbulent combustion models.


Two coordination polymers [Pb6(H2O)2(cit)4]·3H2O(1)(H3cit=citric acid)and Pb(tar)(H2O)2(2)(tar=tartaric acid)were synthesized under hydrothermal conditions and characterized via IR,TG-DTA,C,H,N elemental analysis,XRD and single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.There are three Pb,two cit ligand and two free water molecules in the asymmetry unit in complex 1.The Pb ions in complex 1 coordinate to cit anions with the coordination number of 4,5,7 to form a neutral 3D framework.Complex 1 crystallizes in the triclinic system,space group P1 with a=0.97053(19)nm,b=0.9764(2)nm,c=1.0955(2)nm,α=109.016(3)°,β=98.380(3)°,γ=92.136(3)°,V=0.9671(3)nm3,Z=2,R1=0.0420,wR2=0.01049,GOF=1.064.In the asymmetry unit of complex 2,there are a six-coordinated Pb,a tar ligand and a water molecule.Complex 2 has a structure of extended racemic ladder-like chain,these chains are assembled by complicated H-bonds to 3D supramolecular structure.It crystallizes in the orthorhombic system,space group Pbac with a=1.39739(6)nm,b=0.64922(2)nm,c=1.80354(10)nm,V=1.63620(13)nm3,Z=8,R1=0.0283,wR2=0.0649,GOF=1.014.In both complexes 1 and 2,the α hydroxyl and α carboxyl adopt a chelate mode,and the 6s lone pair of electrons of Pb has a stereochemistry activity resulting the distribution of the bonds in a hemisphere.


A new species of oribatid mites, Scheloribates (Scheloribates) flagellisetosus sp. nov. (Scheloribatidae), is described and based on adult specimens from trees of southern Vietnam. It is characterized by the presence of a U-shaped notogastral furrow, long lamellar and interlamellar setae with a flagellate tip and the absence of aggenital setae. The taxonomic status of the genera Neoscheloribates, Andeszetes, Grandjeanobates and Aellenobates are discussed, resulting in the following taxonomic proposals: Scheloribates (Scheloribates) Berlese, 1908 (=Neoscheloribates Hammer, 1973 syn. nov.); Scheloribates (S.) grandiporosus (Hammer, 1973) comb. nov.; Scheloribates (S.) (=Andeszetes Hammer, 1961 syn. nov.); Scheloribates (S.) diversidactylus (Hammer, 1961) comb. nov.; Scheloribates (Grandjeanobates) Ramsay, 1967 stat. nov.; and Scheloribates (G.) novazelandicus (Hammer, 1967) comb. nov. The initial taxonomic positions of the genus Aellenobates Mahunka, 1978 and the species Scheloribates (S.) laticlava Hammer, 1961 are supported. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:CCC7EAA6-23AC-49AB-9320-2A9F92A6975B


[Objective]To understand the condition of quality of work life and its influencing factors of nurses in county hospitals. [Methods]477 nurses of 5 county hospitals in Shaoyang city of Hunan province were selected by methods of simple random sampling and proportional sampling to complete the questionnaires. The datas were analyzed by one-way ANOVA,LSD and multiple linear stepwise regression analysis.[Results]The differences of scores of quality of work life between different ages,marital status, educational background and the average monthly income had not statistically significant( F = 1. 905,0. 014,0. 01,2. 311, P 0. 05). The differences of scores of quality of work life between different years of working,duties and departments had statistically significant( F = 5. 729,5. 229,2. 785,P 0. 001). The influencing factors of quality of work life of nurses were occupational interest( β = 8. 794),social support( β = 3. 077),availability of transportation( β = 1. 902),ICU department( β =-7. 388) and ages( β = 1. 617).[Conclusions]The quality of work life is different between different years of working,duties and departments. After controlling other factors,occupational interest,social support,availability of transportation,ICU department and ages are the main influencing factors of quality of work life.


In Schwarzschild spacetime, the gravitational spin-orbit couplings of the massless Dirac field and the photon field can be studied in a unified way. In contrary to the previous investigations presented mainly at the quantum-mechanical level, our work is presented at the level of quantum field theory without resorting to the Foldy-Wouthuysen transformation. If massless Dirac particles and photons have the same momentums, their energy-level splittings due to the gravitational spin-orbit couplings are the same. Massless Dirac particles and photons coming from the Hawking radiations are partially polarized as long as their original momentums are not parallel to the radial direction of a Schwarzschild black hole.


The topics of clustering, isotropy, and redshift cutoff are in reality just different aspects of the problem of the three-dimensional distribution of quasars, assuming, of course that the redshifts are cosmological and therefore an indication of radial distance. The distribution in redshift has additional interest because of the substantial lookback times involved, up to four fifths of the age of the universe. The radial variation of quasar density between redshift zero and two, and the attendant questions of density and luminosity evolution, are discussed elsewhere in this symposium by Green and shall not be treated here. Rather we shall concern ourselves with the behavior at redshifts larger than two and the specific question of a steep decline of quasar density at redshifts near three. For simplicity we may characterize the problem as one of studying either the formation of quasars as we normally see them in a cosmologically short time or of the properties of the universe and its optical depth, should intergalactio absorption contribute significantly to blocking our view at redshift three. Of course other hypotheses are also possible. The topic of quasar clustering is analogous to that of clusters of galaxies and superclusters at low redshift. One wishes to see if quasars at large redshifts exhibit clustering properties, and, if so, what bearing they have on the development of clustering with time in the universe. Quasars provide our only chance of seeing the state of clustering at redshifts or cosmic epochs intermediate between those of the microwave background, which is very smooth, and the present, which is very clumpy on scales up to at least those of superclusters. The association of low redshift quasars with galaxies is an important topic that is to be discussed by Yee at this symposium. Here we shall limit the discussion to that of quasar clustering itself. The topic of isotropy concerns the distribution of quasars on much larger scales than those considered for clustering and therefore bears on the structure of the universe at very large scale. If it can be established that the density of quasars in regions of the sky separated by tens of degrees varies significantly, then the implications for cosmology would be profound indeed. Let us examine recent results on these three topics one by one.


The provision of social care applications is crucial for elderly people to improve their quality of life and enables operators to provide early interventions. Accurate predictions of user dropouts in healthy ageing applications are essential since they are directly related to individual health statuses. Machine Learning (ML) algorithms have enabled highly accurate predictions, outperforming traditional statistical methods that struggle to cope with individual patterns. However, ML requires a substantial amount of data for training, which is challenging due to the presence of personal identifiable information (PII) and the fragmentation posed by regulations. In this paper, we present a federated machine learning (FML) approach that minimizes privacy concerns and enables distributed training, without transferring individual data. We employ collaborative training by considering individuals and organizations under FML, which models both cross-device and cross-silo learning scenarios. Our approach is evaluated on a real-world dataset with non-independent and identically distributed (non-iid) data among clients, class imbalance and label ambiguity. Our results show that data selection and class imbalance handling techniques significantly improve the predictive accuracy of models trained under FML, demonstrating comparable or superior predictive performance than traditional ML models.


In this paper, we generalize the Discrete Extended Kalman Filter (D-EKF) to the case where the state and the observations evolve on Lie group manifolds. We propose a new filter called Discrete Extended Kalman Filter on Lie Groups (D-LG-EKF). It assumes that the posterior distribution of the state is a concentrated Gaussian distribution on Lie groups. Our formalism yields closed-form equations for both nonlinear discrete propagation and update of the distribution parameters based on the likelihood. We also show that the D-LG-EKF reduces to the traditional D-EKF if the state evolves on an Euclidean space. Our approach leads to a systematic methodology for the design of filters, which is illustrated by the application to a camera pose estimation problem. Results show that the D-LG-EKF outperforms both a constrained D-EKF and a D-EKF applied on the Lie algebra of the Lie group.


Objective:To investigate the prevalence of depression and influential factors in drug users receiving methadone maintenance treatment in Nanchang,trying to find some evidence for more mental intervention.Methods:Drug users receiving metha-done maintenance treatment in Nanchang were selected by convenience cluster sampling and surveyed with questionnaire including self-rating depression scale(SDS) and self-made general questionnaire.Results:The overall prevalence of depression was 53.91%(207/384) in drug users receiving methadone maintenance treatment in Nanchang;the mean score of depression was(55.03±11.05).Multivariate logistic analysis indicated that female(OR=0.243),good economic conditions in their own conceit(OR=0.550) and learning more about the knowledge of HIV/AIDS(OR=0.358) had a protective effect on depression;having a drug addiction attack(OR=1.762)and great economic pressure(OR=1.585) were risk factors for depression.Conclusion:The depression are common in drug users receiving methadone maintenance treatment in Nanchang;therefore,we should take appropriate preventive measures in accordance with the patient's specific situation in the clinical work,so as to prevent the occurrence of depression in drug users receiving methadone maintenance treatment.


The lessons learned so far from a variety of deployments of wireless sensor networks is that they are still expensive and complex systems to deploy, run, and maintain. One way to make sensor networks more cost effective is to support concurrent queries rather than a single static query from a single application as it is today the case in most systems and deployments. To this end, in this paper we describe how to perform multi-query optimization in wireless sensor networks. The optimizer we propose takes a constant stream of queries as input and dynamically determines what is the best execution plan (or small set of plans) to run at the sensors while still being able to answer (a potentially much larger set of) user queries. As queries arrive and depart, our optimizer tries to merge and split the queries to optimize the work done at the sensor level. It then processes the resulting streams to answer all running user queries. The paper discusses the data model, query operators, cost models, query optimization strategies, and data stream operators we use.


Therapeutic Apheresis (TA) is increasingly applied as support treatment in dermatological diseases especially in severe and/or refractory autoimmune bullous diseases. Since the pathogenetic relevance of autoantibodies could defined in various diseases, disease-specific adsorbers have been developed.Especially, dermatologic immune-mediated diseases respond to TA.The different TA methods, such as Therapeutic Plasma Exchange (TPE), Immunoadsorption (IA),adsorptive cytapheresis, Extracorporeal Photopheresis (ECP) were discussed elsewhere [1,2]. Dermatologic immune-mediated diseases represent a heterogeneous group of disorders associated with circulating autoantibodies against distinct adhesion molecules of the skin and/or mucosa. The incidence of autoimmune blistering skin diseases for example in Germany has doubled during in the last 10 years, to about 25 new cases per million humans per year, because of improved diagnostic techniques as well as the age of the population [3]. The incidence of Pemphigus Vulgaris (PV) in Europe is one to two cases per million humans per year, and 80% of pemphigus patients have PV [4]. Bulbous Pemphigoid (BP) is the most common type of subepidermal autoimmune blistering skin disease in Europe, with an incidence of about 13 cases per million humans per year. Avens Publishing Group Inviting Innovations Citation: Bambauer R, Schiel R. Therapeutic Apheresis and/or Monoclonal Antibodies in Dermatological Diseases. J Clin Investigat Dermatol. 2021;9(1): 3 J Clin Investigat Dermatol 9(1): 3 (2021) Page 02 ISSN: 2373-1044 munosuppressive medication [14]. Rituximab, in usually dosages, is almost given as an adjuvant drug, i.e., in addition to another type of immunosuppressive treatment. Complications of rituximab in patients with autoimmune blistering skin diseases include infections, deep venous thrombosis of the lower limbs, pulmonary embolism, longterm hypogammaglobulinemia, and neutropenia with an overall mortality of 4%. Mycosis fungoides and its leukemic variant, Sézary syndrome (SS), are the most common types of Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL) whose pathogenesis remains elusive [2]. CTCL is incurable. Therapy is aimed at alleviating symptoms, improving skin manifestations, controlling extra cutaneous complications, and minimizing immunosuppression [8]. Chemotherapy is recommended for aggressive SS, with alemtuzumab in usually dosages and stem cell transplantation being considered for refractory disease. In CTCL ECP is indicated. ECP involves the collection of circulating malignant CD4+ T cells, ex vivo treatment with 8-methoxypsoralen and UVA light and reinfusion of the cells. The therapeutic effect appears to be mediated by in vivo stimulation of antitumor immunity through the interactions of irradiated, apoptotic lymphoma cells with antigenpresenting dendritic cells [2]. ECP should be planned for a minimum of 6 months (2 to 3 treatments per week in the acute phase), or it can be reduced to once every 6-12 weeks. TPE is in combination with immunosuppression probably successful due to the pathogenesis of severe cases of dermatitis herpetiformis and herpes gestationis [15,16]. Herpes gestationis or pemphigoid gestationis is an autoimmune subepidermal blistering disease that occurs in women in the second or third trimesters of pregnancy or even puerperium. It is a rare skin disease, the incidence of which has been estimated of approximately one case in every 40,000–60,000 pregnancies [16]. Scleroderma or systemic sclerosis is a rare, generalized autoimmune disease. Scleroderma is characterized by vascular abnormalities, fibrosis, inflammatory changes, and late-stage atrophy/obliterative vasculopathy. Localized scleroderma forms show a longitudinal or circumscribed skin involvement [17]. The effectiveness of TPE in progressive scleroderma and dermatomyositis is still disputed. Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare, polyetiological syndrome based on a pathological immune reaction. In over 40% of cases, this disease occurs together with colitis ulcerosa. In the vessel walls of vasculitic lesions, granular IgG, C3, complement, and IgM deposits have been observed [18]. PG is a non-infectious neutrophilic dermatosis that usually starts with sterile pustules that rapidly progress to painful ulcers of variable depth and size with undermined violaceous borders. In 17%-74% of cases, PG is associated with an underlying disease, most commonly inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatological or hematological disease, or malignancy. PG is characterized by painful, enlarging necrotic ulcers with bluish undermined borders surrounded by an advancing zone of erythema; its clinical variants include ulcerative or classic, pustular, bullous or typical, vegetative, peristomal, and drug-induced. It can be idiopathic or associated with cancer, infections, medications, and systemic diseases [19]. The treatment with corticosteroids and cyclosporin is documented as first-line therapy. In cases that do not respond to this treatment, alternative therapeutic procedures (e.g., systemic corticosteroids and mycophenolate mofetil; mycophenolate mofetil and cyclosporin; tacrolimus; infliximab in usually dosages, or TPE (8 to 10 treatments) are recommended [20]. Drug-induced Epidermal toxic necrolysis (TEN), also known as Lyell's syndrome, is a life-threatening drug reaction characterized by extensive destruction of the epidermis and mucosal epithelia. The eyes are typically involved in TEN. The disease has a high mortality rate. TEN and the Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) are closely related, although their severity and outcome are different. The SJS and TEN are rare but present severe skin manifestation. They are estimated to occur in one to three people per million per year in Europe and the United States [21]. They are characterized by a low incidence but high mortality, and drugs are most commonly implicated in 80% of TEN cases. TEN is the most severe form of drug induced skin reaction and is defined as epidermal detachment of 30% of total body surface area [22]. In Lyell's syndrome, the acute phase can be very successfully treated by TPE. The allergic or toxin-induced skin necrolysis is usually triggered by a drug acting like a hapten [23]. Lyell's syndrome is fortunately very rare but has a high mortality rate, approximately 50%, and thus, early administration of TPE is justified, 6 to (8 to 10 treatments) every day or every other day. TPE is a safe intervention in severely ill TEN patients and may reduce the mortality in this severe disease [24]. Behcet disease a multisystem inflammatory disorder, presents with the involvement of muco-cutaneous, ocular, vascular, central nervous and gastrointestinal systems. It is an idiopathic, chronic, and recurrent disease characterized by exacerbation alternating with plasma of quiescence, episodic pan uveitis, and aggressive no granulomatous occlusive vasculitis of the arteries and veins of any size with explosive ocular inflammatory attacks that primarily affect the retinal and anterior segment vasculature of the eye [25]. Central nervous system involvement, most often due to necrotizing vasculitis, may be the most protean manifestation of the disease, leading to death. The frequency of ocular manifestations is 70%-85% in these patients. Although TPE has been has been successful in individual cases [26]. The frequency is 3 to 6 treatments daily or every other day, a chronic treatment of TPE with 1 treatment every two or four weeks for two or three months is possible, too. In recent years, there have been reports on the successful treatment with implementation of cyclosporin A, tacrolimus, or infliximab, etc. Psoriasis vulgaris is a common autoimmune chronic inflammatory skin disease that affects approximately 2% of the world's population. Fundamental for its immunopathogenic mechanism is the secretion of type 1 (Th 1) cytokines by T cells and their activation [27]. TPE may be beneficial in patients with psoriatic arthropathy and not responding to conventional therapy [28]. However, blocking TNF-α by infliximab or etanercept has shown particular promise, especially in the management of psoriasis. Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) is a systemic vasculitis that affects vessels of small size. The vascular purpura is usually confined to the lower limbs and is associated, at varying degrees, with joint, gastrointestinal, and renal involvement. It is a systemic disease Citation: Bambauer R, Schiel R. Therapeutic Apheresis and/or Monoclonal Antibodies in Dermatological Diseases. J Clin Investigat Dermatol. 2021;9(1): 3 J Clin Investigat Dermatol 9(1): 3 (2021) Page 03 ISSN: 2373-1044 where antigen-antibody (IgA) complexes activate the alternate complement pathway, resulting in inflammation and small-vessel vasculitis [29]. HSP is defined as the presence of two or more of the following criteria: age of disease onset (20 years or younger), palpable purpura, acute abdominal pain, and granulocytic infiltration in the walls of arterioles or venuoles. All patients develop palpable purpura. In the skin, these deposits lead to subepidermal hemorrhage and small-vessel necrotizing vasculitis producing the purpura (2). IgG autoantibodies directed at mesangial antigens may play a role in pathogenesis. In other organs, necrotizing vasculitis leads to organ dysfunction or hemorrhage. The recommendation for TPE are severe cases. Eight to 10 treatments daily or every other day until the antibodies disappeared. Porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT), a genetic enzyme defect, was also considered as being a treatable condition with possible indication for TPE (1). PCT is a metabolic disorder of the hem biosynthesis caused by decreased activity of uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase [30]. PCT is manifest by fragility, erosions, bullae, milia, and scars on sun-exposed skin. Excess porphyrins in the skin interact with light of approximately 400-nm-wave length radiant energy, forming reactive oxygen species. PCT is categorized


The traditional software development method is difficult to support the early verification of requests, so it is easy to cause out of control projects. Among them, the idea of reusing the combination of object-oriented technology and software, as the design idea and method of domain name in engineering, the suggestion of reusing the object-oriented software development method. On this basis, the existing software development models are compared and analyzed, the objectoriented software reuse waterfall model is proposed, and several problems in the development process of application system based on the development model are discussed. This development mode can effectively shorten the software development cycle and reduce the burden of developers.


OBJECTIVE The aim of current study was to prepare and characterize novel iron heparin nanoparticles.METHODS Iron heparin nanopaticles were obtained through ionic complexation between Fe3+ and heparin.Iron heparin nanoparticles were characterized using dynamic light scattering(DLS),Zeta potential,scanning force microscopy(SFM) and fourier infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR).The content of heparin of iron heparin nanoparticles were determined by toluidine blue heparin assay.The anticoagulant activity of iron heparin nanoparticles were tested by activated partial thromboplastin time(APTT) assay.RESULTS Size(139.0-219.9) nm and Zeta potential(-22.5——36.5) mV of iron heparin nanoparticles were conveniently modulated by varying ratio of Fe3+ and heparin.IR result showed Fe3+ interacted with O-sulphate groups.The content of heparin of iron heparin nanoparicles were in range of 29.5%-33.1% and anticoagulant activity of iron heparin nanoparicles were in range of 43.2~46.5 u·mg-1 by varying ratio of Fe3+ and heparin.CONCLUSION Novel anticoagulant iron heparin nanoparticles were fabricated by using only complexation of Fe3+ and heparin.


In the recent term, structure of beef consumption has changed for health care. The aim of the paper is to explore the effective factors on beef consumptions in Izmir. The data of the study were randomly obtained from face to face interviews from the consumers. Logistic regression analysis is used. According to the results of this study demonstrate that gender, age, education, income, household size and existing a ill person in house are affective factors on beef consumption. If there are not ill person in house, beef consumption probability is 1.20 times increase. For lowest income group, the odds of beef consumption versus the combined higher are 2.52-8.10 times greater, given the other variables are held constant in the model.


A few studies have investigated the practise patterns of Malaysian speech-language pathologists (SLPs) when working with children with speech and language problems whose language intervention is necessary. However, these studies did not provide in-depth information about the SLPs' experiences as the studies were conducted quantitatively. Moreover, none of the studies focus on late-talkers (LTs), in which intervention for them can vary along a continuum from a wait/watch-and-see approach to direct intervention. Thus, this study aimed to explore SLPs' experiences in managing LTs in Malaysia. Twelve SLPs participated in individual, semi-structured phone interviews. They were asked about their experiences in managing LTs. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and a content analysis was performed. Two themes were identified; a) practises of SLPs and b) challenges faced by SLPs in managing LT cases. The practises of SLPs included conducting assessments, developing intervention plans, providing intervention, sharing information, giving homework, providing support, and managing appointments. The challenges faced were related to parents, other individuals close to LTs, LTs themselves, and resources. Although the SLPs' practises aligned with the international standard of speech-language pathology service delivery, there is room for improvement, especially in collaborating with parents, as one-to-one direct interventions for LTs might not be suitable due to the challenges related to resources. In addition, a few suggestions related to centred-based care and trusted social media pages can be provided to parents to assist them outside therapy sessions besides initiating the development of awareness programs and information resources for parents and other caregivers. Keywords: Late talkers, language intervention, Malaysian speech-language pathologist, practise, challenges


The following research presents a numerical evaluation of existing and conceptual urea-mixing devices used in close-coupled (to the engine) selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems. The analysis was aimed at the assessment of urea-mixing devices that could considerably enhance the reduction of nitrogen oxides from the diesel-engine combustion process under a wide range of operating conditions, including cold starts.

The analysis showed that replacing blade-equipped static mixers with perforated stationary mixing devices may provide a more uniform spatial distribution of ammonia at the inlet to the SCR catalyst and reduce pressure drops generated by mixing devices. Moreover, the conceptual mixing devices, based on combinations of the blade and perforated mixers to develop intensive turbulence, enabled the increase of the mixing length leading to effective decomposition of the urea-water solution (UWS), and provided uniform spatial distribution of ammonia, even for the small-sized mixing systems. However, the intensive mixing was often associated with a significant rise in the pressure drop.


L IntrOOuction The newly revised Course of Study compiled by the Ministry of Education. Culture, and Science holds the notion of "communication'" in remarkably high esteem. The word "communication" tends to evoke simultaneous asscx::iation with "conversation." However, in order for meaningful communication to take place between people from different backgrounds, something more profound than mere conversation is needed. Meanwhile, the majority of secondary s::hool students are taught English, in many casE5 for 6 years, only to realize that they rarely, if not never, encounter the situations in which they are pressed to put it to practical use. Noting these facts, objectives of teaching English other than merely attempting to develOping students' ability to speak it must be sought, though the value of being able to communicate in the English language has so far gone unchallenged. Promoting cress-cultural understanding offers such a challenge, since it raises communication beyond superficiallinguist:ic exchange. It is, therefore, a worthy goal. The main aim of this study is to search in the English language classroom for a way to dirEct the students to openmindedne::s and empathy toward the rest of the world, based on the result of a questionnaire. . The s:'qle of this study is confined to culture with a small 'e' with spe::ial reference to American dietary customs.


The current work aimed at to investigate the insecticide potential of essential oils of Croton heliotropiifolius, Croton pulegiodorus, Myracrodruon urundeuva and Ocimum basilicum on adults of Tribolium castaneum in stored maize. For each oil, it were performed fumigation tests, repellency and the effect on the instantaneous rate of increase (ri), in five concentrations (0; 5; 10; 15 e 20 μL). Bioassays were carried out under constant temperature conditions (28±2 °C), relative humidity (70±5%) and scot phase of 24 hours. In fumigation different concentrations of test oils were applied on filter paper strips attached on the bottom of the fumigation chamber cover (1.5 L), which contained 20 grams of food substrate and 10 unsexed adults of T. castaneum. The insect mortality was recorded after 48 hours of exposure. The repellency tests were performed in arenas composed of two pots connected to a central box. In a pot it was deposited feed substrate, with concentrations of the essential oil, in the other pot (control) it was deposited only food. Ten adult insects were released in the central box, being exposed for 5 days to evaluate the preference. In the fumigation tests, insecticide activity of the essential oil of M. urundeuva was observed on adults of T. castaneum. In the repellency tests, all the tested oils presented repellent effect. The emergency of T. castaneumreduced between 33% and 100% when they were in the powdered maize treated with the essential oils. Maize grains treated with C. pulegiodorus and O. basilicum essential oils caused a significant decrease in the populations of T. castaneum. The tested oils proved to be an efficient control alternative for the use in managing programs of T. castaneum in storing units.


To determine correctly a non-convex pre-kernel for TU games with more than 4 players can be a challenge full of possible pitfalls, even to the experienced researcher. Parts of the pre-kernel can be easily overlooked. In this note we discuss a method to present the full shape of the pre-kernel for a permutation game as discussed by Solymosi (2014). By using the property in which the pre-kernel is located in the least core for permutation games, the least core can be covered by a small collection of payoff equivalence classes as identified by Meinhardt (2013d) to finally establish the correct shape of the pre-kernel.


Significance Disruption of normal transcriptional splicing is a common mutational mechanism for disease-predisposing alleles. Some splice-altering mutations can be difficult to detect, and their effects difficult to characterize, because they lie deep within exons or introns. We developed cBROCA, an experimental approach that characterizes the transcriptional effects of genomic mutations anywhere in a locus. With patient RNA as template, cBROCA yields quantitative estimates of all effects of altered splicing in tumor suppressor genes. cBROCA analysis of mutations from patients with familial cancers revealed a wide variety of consequences of abnormal splicing, including whole or partial exon skipping, exonification of intronic sequence, loss or gain of exonic or intronic splicing enhancers or silencers, complete intron retention, and combinations of these alterations. Mutations responsible for inherited disease may act by disrupting normal transcriptional splicing. Such mutations can be difficult to detect, and their effects difficult to characterize, because many lie deep within exons or introns where they may alter splice enhancers or silencers or introduce new splice acceptors or donors. Multiple mutation-specific and genome-wide approaches have been developed to evaluate these classes of mutations. We introduce a complementary experimental approach, cBROCA, which yields qualitative and quantitative assessments of the effects of genomic mutations on transcriptional splicing of tumor suppressor genes. cBROCA analysis is undertaken by deriving complementary DNA (cDNA) from puromycin-treated patient lymphoblasts, hybridizing the cDNA to the BROCA panel of tumor suppressor genes, and then multiplex sequencing to very high coverage. At each splice junction suggested by split sequencing reads, read depths of test and control samples are compared. Significant Z scores indicate altered transcripts, over and above naturally occurring minor transcripts, and comparisons of read depths indicate relative abundances of mutant and normal transcripts. BROCA analysis of genomic DNA suggested 120 rare mutations from 150 families with cancers of the breast, ovary, uterus, or colon, in >600 informative genotyped relatives. cBROCA analysis of their transcripts revealed a wide variety of consequences of abnormal splicing in tumor suppressor genes, including whole or partial exon skipping, exonification of intronic sequence, loss or gain of exonic and intronic splicing enhancers and silencers, complete intron retention, hypomorphic alleles, and combinations of these alterations. Combined with pedigree analysis, cBROCA sequencing contributes to understanding the clinical consequences of rare inherited mutations.


At present,we should stimulate domestic demand with the help of expanding investment demand,which is of great significance for solving the problem of continuous drop in economic growth rate.But the stimulation of domestic demand will ultimately depend on the stimulation of consumption demand.So,the stimulation of investment demand will be followed by the vigorous stimulation of consumption demand.And the focus of stimulating consumption is to improve the social security system,and eliminate obstacles embedded in systems that will lead to insufficient consumption demand.


The invention relates to an underwell drilling tool of petroleum drilling, in particular to an underwell oil layer driller. A hollow flexible shaft of the driller is composed of a plurality of flexible shaft short sections, through holes are arranged at the center of the flexible shaft short sections, flexible shaft male connectors are arranged at the upper ends of the flexible shaft short sections, and flexible shaft female connectors are arranged at the lower ends of the flexible shaft short sections; the flexible shaft male connectors are designed into spherical bodies, and grooves are symmetrically distributed on the surfaces of the spherical bodies; the flexible shaft female connectors are designed into spherical body grooves, the spherical body groove of the flexible shaft female connector of the last flexible shaft short section is matched and connected with the spherical body of the flexible shaft female connector of the next flexible shaft short section through pins in the grooves of the flexible shaft male connectors, a positioning ring clamps the flexible shaft male connectors and is welded with the flexible shaft female connectors, a guide rail groove is a cylinder, and a smooth arc-shaped rail is arranged in the guide rail groove. The underwell oil layer driller is simple in structure, convenient to detach, and capable of operating in multiple layers and multiple boreholes of the same layer, effectively increases the drainage area, and is long in horizontal borehole section and low in manufacture cost.


The paper presents a control strategy based on improved first harmonic approximation model of the single-phase dual active bridge (DAB) converter. The model consists of three state-variables: output DC voltage and two orthogonal components of first harmonic of transformer current, equivalent to active and circulating powers. Foremost, a strategy based on the conventional output voltage control is designed to regulate the output voltage. Subsequently, the first harmonic current control strategy, which aims to control the active power component of the current to regulate the output DC voltage, is introduced. Based on this strategy, a method to design the control system is suggested and its implementation in digital domain is described. The two control strategies are validated through time-domain simulations. Finally, the schemes are implemented for a prototype 500V/270V DC/DC converter. The experimental results are reported and compared against the developed control models for verification.


Scoliosis as a spinal disorder is very frequent in children population. The objective parameter to define the gravity of scoliosis and to assess its evolution is the Cobb angle. The variation of the Cobb angle in different tilted positions is studied within an experimental program. Data is acquired from a set of sensors attached to the patient's back and is processed to provide the Cobb angle. The mathematical approach is based on a fifth degree polynomial, which approximates the shape of the column. The results show that lumbar and thoracic Cobb angle vary in opposite directions, so that the flexion to the right and to the left aggravates the scoliosis, no matter on which side it is.


3-pyridinecarboxylic acid is very wide used ligand.A novel compound Co(L) 2(H2O) 4 is synthesized and itsstructure are determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction in the paper.The crystal belongs to monoclinic,space group c2 /mwith a=14.155 2(13),b=6.882 7(6),c=8.492 1(8),β=118.284 0(10) °3,V=728.57(11),Z=2,M r =375.20,Dc=1.710/m3,F(000)=386,μ = 1.224 mm-1,R1 = 0.023 2,w R2 = 0.069 2.Through the analysis of thestructure of it,we know that it is a new complexes of cobalt.


The article regards interconnection between emotional intelligence and parafunctional activity of mastication muscles. Interconnection between psychic disorders and parafunctional activity of mastication muscles is realized through the activity of central nervous system, and particularly blood supply to brain structures. Expressiveness of clinical evidence of mastication muscles parafunctions is observed in the case of patients of elder age group suffering from somatic diseases.


The roles of nitrogen absorption and nitrogen utilization efficiency under different fertilizer rates were studied in a field experiment involving Taihu Lake region Fe-leaching-Stagnic Anthrosols.The 15N tracer technique was also employed to reliably calculate the amount of nitrogen loss.We measured rice yields,nitrogen utilization efficiencies,and the amounts of nitrogen loss under different levels of application of nitrogen fertilizer in the paddy field.The economic benefit and environmental benefit were evaluated with the data obtained from the experiment.In accordance with the calculus theory of mathematics and the Coase Theorem of Environmental Economics,the results showed that the ecologically and economically appropriate amount of nitrogen fertilizer for producing rice in this area was in the range: 219-255 kg hm-2,and the corresponding economic and ecological yield was in the range: 8600-8661 kg hm-2 using current agricultural production technology.


Abstract : The Cold War threat that was characterized by a USSR launch of a large number of ballistic missiles towards the United States has been replaced today by an even less stable ballistic missile security environment. The US National Security Strategy recognizes the existence of threats with both the capability and will to use weapons of mass destruction launched by ballistic missiles. This threat environment coupled with a high leverage to attack ballistic missiles in the boost phase, points to a National Missile Defense (NMD) solution that includes laser weapons. Four boost-phase laser architectures have been evaluated using NMD technical, operational, fiscal and political criteria. The Space Based Laser (SBL), SBL with Relay Mirrors, Ground Based Laser (GBL) with Relay Mirrors, and Airborne Laser (ABL) with Relay Mirrors each meet the NMD requirements with varying degrees of success. Overall, a Relay Mirror architecture accepting multiple laser sources was found to produce the best NMD boost-phase defense while reducing potential technical, operational, and political issues. This analysis shows that US Space Command should implement a Relay Mirror architecture with the ability to accept multiple laser sources, such as the planned ABL or a future GBL. This would enable a powerful boost-phase NMD capability with future expandability at minimal cost. Improvements to this architecture could be implemented using SBL, GBL, or ABL sources as NMD or adjunct mission requirements increase.


We suggest that both the Bordoni and the Hasiguti peaks (of the type P1 and P3) be addressed in terms of one basic microscopic mechanism; the nucleation of multikink–antikink pairs in pinned dislocation segments. Correspondingly, the relevant activation energies are multiples of one quantum of energy, the single kink (antikink) rest energy, whence the possibility of ordering these internal friction peaks according to simple spectral series. Such a conclusion appears to be consistent with the experimental data.


The paper describes some of the findings on the regional and temporal distribution of water soluble sulfates collected daily on glass fiber filters mounted on high volume particulate samplers. for a 1 year period, 12 widely separated stations in the northeast quadrant of the U.S. were studied. This region has the highest density of SO/sub 2/ emissions from industry, fuel burning, and other anthropogenic activities. Results show regional and seasonal distribution to be highest in the summer throughout the region, with monthly average sulfate concentrations ranging from 8 ..mu..m/m/sup 3/ in colder months to 20 ..mu..g/m/sup 3/ in summer. A relationship exists between occurrences of atmospheric sulfates and dew point temperature, with an increase of sulfates with increased temperature. In comparison with other data, a significant difference in sulfate behavior seems to occur in different geographical regions, with highest annual sulfate levels observed in the West Virginia--Western Penn. region. This suggests a cumulative effect of many large SO/sub 2/ sources situated in the path of an air mass combined with slow atmospheric oxidation processes.


The rapid generation of accessible protein data sources has generated confusion over protein data representation. The protein ontology project seeks to provide a set of structured vocabularies for protein domains that can be used to describe cellular products in any organism. The work includes modelling protein structure and experimental data. The protein ontology framework describes: (1) Protein sequence and structure information, (2) Protein folding process, (3) Cellular functions of proteins, (4) Molecular bindings internal and external to Proteins and (5) External factors affecting final protein conformation. In this paper we will also discuss the implementation strategy for the protein ontology project. The protein ontology project provides a community resource using these, vocabularies promoting the use of common protein data representation. The goal of the protein ontology project is to produce a dynamic, controlled data and query vocabulary that can be applied to all proteins even as the knowledge of protein roles in cells is accumulating and changing.


Objective To investigate the relationship between serum cystatin C(Cys C) and left ventricular diastolic function in elderly patients with hypertension.Methods Retrospective analysis was performed in 66 cases of elderly patients with hypertension,who were divided into normal diastolic function group and diastolic dysfunction group.Serum levels of Cys C were detected by latex-enhanced immunoturbidimetric assay;the parameters of left ventricular systolic and diastolic function were measured by color doppler.The data such as the levels of lipids,creatinine,urea nitrogen,uric acid and other information were also collected.Results Compared with the normal diastolic function group,the levels of serum Cys C were higher than that in diastolic dysfunction group(P 0.05);the levels of serum creatinine,uric acid and urea nitrogen had no significant difference between two groups(P 0.05).There was negative correlation between the level of Cys C and left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)(r =-0.617,P 0.05);after controlled by creatinine,the partial correlation coefficient was-0.591(P 0.05).Conclusions Increased serum Cys C may be an value predictor of heart dysfunction in the elderly patients with hypertension.


In this study, we propose a focused ultrasound surgery protocol that induces and then uses gas bubbles at the focus to enhance the ultrasound absorption and ultimately create larger lesions in vivo. MRI and ultrasound visualization and monitoring methods for this heating method are also investigated. Larger lesions created with a carefully monitored single ultrasound exposure could greatly improve the speed of tumor coagulation with focused ultrasound. All experiments were performed under MRI (clinical, 1.5T) guidance with one of two eight-sector spherically curved piezoelectric transducers (1.1 and 1.7 MHz). An ultrasound detector ring was fixed with the therapy transducer to monitor gas bubble activity during treatment. FUS exposures were delivered to the thighs of seven New Zealand white rabbits. The experimental, gas bubble-enhanced heating exposures consisted of a high amplitude 300 acoustic watt, half second pulse followed by a 7 W, 14 W, or 21 W continuous wave exposure for 19.5 seconds. The respective control sonications were 20-second exposures of 14 W, 21 W, and 28 W. During the exposures, MR thermometry was obtained, and MR T2-enhanced imaging was used to evaluate the resulting lesions. Specific metrics were used to evaluate the differences between the gas-bubble enhanced exposures and their respective control sonications: temperatures with respect to time and space, lesion size and shape, and their agreement with thermal dose predictions. The bubble-enhanced exposures showed a faster temperature rise and higher overall temperatures than the sonications without bubble formation. The MRI derived spatial temperature and thermal dose maps closely correlated with the resulting lesion as examined by T2-wieghted imaging. The lesions created with the gas-bubble enhanced heating exposures were 3 times larger by volume, were consistently more spherical in shape, and closer to the transducer than the control exposures. The study demonstrates that gas bubbles can reliably be used to create significantly larger lesions in vivo.


Study has been made o n t he d esign, construction and testing of an acety lene generator us ing proper proportion of charging material and hi gh strength l ow al loy steel (HSLS) as a c orrection ag ainst the use of m ild steel commonly p ractice by the local cr aftsmen welders in Zaria, K aduna State, N igeria for the construction of acetylene generator. All the construction techniques of an acetylene generator were followed. Calcium car bide an d wat er was u sed in t his design as the main c harging materials to produce the acetylene gas (main output ) t hat was used. Determination of response of charging m aterials, output and testing of the d esigned components with a complete sy stem was performed. However, the output performance of t he constructed acetylene generator w as sa tisfactory.


Transmission and distribution coordinated economic dispatch (TDCED) will be necessary to settle the problems caused by high penetrations of distributed generators in future grids. An efficient heterogeneous decomposition algorithm (HGD) was proposed to solve the TDCED, but it may diverge occasionally. To overcome this shortcoming, a new HGD (N-HGD) with enhanced convergency is proposed and studied in this paper. Compared with the previous HGD, the N-HGD similarly decomposes the TDCED into transmission ED and distribution ED subproblems, but it considers the sensitivity of the boundary locational marginal price to load injections to enhance convergency and avoid divergence. Two kinds of sensitivity computing methods, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${M}_{ {c}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${M}_{ {p}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, are studied. <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${M}_{{c}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is based on a centralized sensitivity equation, executed on the transmission side. <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${M}_{{p}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is based on a probing mechanism and can be executed distributedly on the distribution side. The reason for the N-HGD's improved convergency is theoretically analyzed, and the optimality is proven. Numerical tests show that N-HGD performs better than the original HGD, as well as a penalty-based modified HGD that needs a careful parameter-tuning process. Furthermore, compared with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${M}_{{c}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, an <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${M}_{{p}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-based N-HGD is preferable because it has a much lower computational cost and no additional communicational cost.


The purpose o f this study was to find out the challenges of strategy implementation in chartered private Universities in Kenya. Specifically the study sought to find out if communication, lack o f top management commitments, lack o f resources and poor organizational structures are the major challenges of strategy implementation. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics while qualitative data was analyzed by organizing data into categories. The study found out that strategy implementation is faced by various challenges such as lack of commitment from the top management, lack o f good communication, poor resources allocation and poor organizational structures. Further other challenges observed were lack of funds, lack of training of the personnel involved in strategy implementation and finally the lack of proper skills in change management.


The current literature about old-age pensions can be characterised by the numerous analyses of pension system reforms in developed countries as well as in developing ones. Although the radical change in economic and social values during the process of transition from command economy to market economy offers many special cases for economists as well as social scientists, only some of them have analysed the developments of pension systems in Central and Eastern European countries. Therefore, the purpose of the present paper is to analyse the adjustments in publicly managed pillar as well the implementation of the funded component of pensions in Estonia, described by previous analyses in general as successful reforms in comparison with the other transition countries. Firstly, in the working paper the aims and the design of the pension system as well as main factors determining pension reform are studied on a theoretical basis. Next, the general overview of the reforms and more specific assessment of the changes in publicly managed scheme and the implementation of the funded scheme in Estonia are given. Finally, the challenges of the multi-pillar pension scheme in Estonia are described and in order to cope successfully with these challenges, some suggestions are made. The study explains that the undervaluation of the social dimension in comparison with the economic one has taken place during the transition period. The pension reform has to some extent ensured the financial sustainability of the pension system, but not fulfilled the two other objectives defined in 2001 by the European Council in Goteborg as a basis of sustainability of the pension system – to guarantee safe and adequate pensions and to respond to the changing needs of society and individuals. The present old-age pensioners (as well as the pensioners in the future) are directly placed at the risk of poverty and the opportunities of elderly people to participate in the societal life are very limited in comparison to the active population. The changes in publicly managed scheme as well as the implementation of the mandatory funded system (II pillar) and supplementary funded system (III pillar) during the period 1997–2002 have not been successful in avoiding potential demographic and macroeconomic risks in the near future.


This article is a reflection based on the proactive approach to the concept of subject group justified by its purpose that is perceived as achieving a ecosophic education for learning to live together in practice an inclusive culture for a complex daily in understanding problems in the morigeracion to pronounce the killer phrases in acts of everyday speech, the need to become cultural amphibians to go back and forth from one culture to another without problems by increasing the life and dynamics of the subject group ( cultural hybridization ) in the search for a different androcratic man for a new democratic and participative society , but above all be ecosophical men and ecopracticos to restore the environment. Keywords :  proactive approach - subject group - ecosophic - inclusive culture - andocratico - ecopracticos.


We apply the stochastic approach to the calculation of the Reggeon Field Theory (RFT) elastic amplitude and its single diffractive cut. The results for the total, elastic and single difractive cross sections with account of all Pomeron loops are obtained.


Speckle imaging is a well known method to achieve diffraction-limited (DL) imaging from ground-based telescopes. The traditional observing method for speckle has been to observe a single, unresolved, source per telescope pointing over a relatively small field of view (FOV). The need for large DL surveys of targets with high sky density motivates a desire for simultaneous speckle imaging over large FOVs, however it is currently impractical to attain this by covering the entire focal plane with fast readout detectors. An alternative approach is to connect a relatively small number of detector pixels to multiple interesting targets spanning a large FOV through the use of optical fibers, a technique employed in spectroscopy for decades. However, for imaging we require the use of coherent fiber bundles (CFBs). We discuss various design considerations for coherent fiber speckle imaging with an eye toward a multiplexed system using numerous configurable CFBs, and we test its viability with a prototype instrument that uses a single CFB to transport speckle images from the telescope focal plane to a traditionally designed, fast readout speckle camera. Using this device on University of Virginia's Fan Mountain Observatory 40-inch telescope we have for the first time successfully demonstrated speckle imaging through a CFB, using both optical and NIR detectors. Results are presented of DL speckle imaging of well-known close (including subarcsecond) binary stars resolved with this fiber-fed speckle system and compared to both literature results and traditional speckle imaging taken with the same camera directly, with no intervening CFB.


Abstract The homopolymer complex, (dAn·dTn), will direct the synthesis of r(A)n or r(U)n, or both, in the presence of highly purified RNA polymerase from Micrococcus lysodeikticus. When either 14C-ATP or 3H-UTP is present with saturating amounts of (dAn·dTn), AMP incorporation is considerably greater than UMP incorporation. This difference appears to reflect a product inhibition which is observed only in the case of r(U)n synthesis. When both ATP and UTP are present with (dAn·dTn), each substrate exerts an influence on the incorporation rate of the other. UTP nonspecifically decreases AMP incorporation, whereas ATP specifically enhances UMP incorporation resulting in similar rates of incorporation for both substrates. This "coupling" phenomenon occurs at all Mn++ and Mg++ concentrations, although the UMP:AMP incorporation ratio is highly dependent upon the metal ion concentration. Since the specific enhancement of UMP incorporation by ATP is not related to the template activity of nascent r(A)n, the coupling phenomenon is interpreted in terms of an interaction of the nascent r(A)n product with the nascent r(U)n product. Nascent r(A)n probably enhances the rate of UMP incorporation by facilitating the release of r(U)n, which would otherwise form a triple stranded complex with (dAn·dTn). This hypothesis is supported by the finding that r(U)n, added to the (dAn·dTn) template before the addition of RNA polymerase, completely blocks UMP incorporation but does not affect AMP incorporation. Since this interaction of the two complementary product strands must be immediate, it is suggested that both are simultaneously synthesized at the same site by a dimeric enzyme. A similar coupling phenomenon does not occur with the double stranded ribosyl template, r(A)n·r(U)n, and comparative studies indicate large kinetic differences between ribosyl and deoxyribosyl templates.