................................................................................................................................. viii Abstrakt .................................................................................................................................... ix 1. Literature overview .................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Yeasts of the genus Candida ...................................................................................... 1 1.1.1 Taxonomy ........................................................................................................... 1 1.1.2 Characteristics of genus Candida ....................................................................... 1 1.2 Pathogenic Candida species ....................................................................................... 3 1.2.1 Candida parapsilosis complex ........................................................................... 6 22.214.171.124 Candida parapsilosis .................................................................................................. 7 18.104.22.168 Candida orthopsilosis and metapsilosis ..................................................................... 9 1.2.2 Candidiasis ......................................................................................................... 9 220.127.116.11 Antimycotics ............................................................................................................. 11 1.2.3 Virulence factors .............................................................................................. 11 184.108.40.206 Morphology and phenotypic switching .................................................................... 13 220.127.116.11 Adherence and biofilm formation ............................................................................. 16 18.104.22.168 Secretion of hydrolytic enzymes ............................................................................... 18 1.3 Aspartic proteinases ................................................................................................. 20 1.3.1 Characteristics of aspartic proteinases ............................................................. 20 1.3.2 Zymogens ......................................................................................................... 21 1.3.3 Catalytic mechanism, substrate specificity and inhibition ............................... 22 1.4 Secreted aspartic proteinases of Candida spp. ....................................................... 24 1.4.1 Regulation of SAP expression .......................................................................... 25 1.4.2 Secreted aspartic proteinases of Candida parapsilosis .................................... 25 1.5 Yeast secretory pathway .......................................................................................... 27 1.5.1 Intracellular transport of secreted proteins ....................................................... 27 1.5.2 Extracellular space and the cell wall ................................................................ 29 2. Aims of the study ...................................................................................................... 32 3. Results ....................................................................................................................... 33 3.1 Description of the final step in Sapp1p secretion passage through the cell wall


This paper describes , a program which converts Extended Trans- puter Code (ETC) from a modified Inmos occam compiler, into IA32 code for exe- cution on the Intel i386 family of processors within the KRoC/Linux system. Several optimisations are employed in an attempt to maximise performance on this family of processors, including optimisations in the CCSP run-time kernel. These include a graph-colouring type register allocation scheme and various inlining of code. While is mostly architecture dependent, effort has been made to allow the use of arbitrary schedulers, although currently CCSP is the only fully supported one. Various benchmark programs are used to compare the performance of this transla- tor with the old system, giving significant time wins in some c ases. For the benchmark program on an 800 MHz Pentium-3, the old KRoC/Linux system gave 233 ns per communication (2 context switches); the new one, with optimisations and in- lining, gives 67 ns per communication - more than a 3-fold reduction in overheads.


As a standard method of cancer treatment, conventional radiation therapy (RT) involves a frac-tionated dose, delivered over approximately 10 to 30 minutes [6]. In 2014, FLASH-RT was introduced as a radiotherapy method that reduced radiation effects in normal tissue without compromising on its anti-cancer effects [7]. Unlike conventional radiation therapy, FLASH-RT utilizes an ultra-high dose rate (> 100 Gy/s), delivering the same amount of dose in milliseconds rather than minutes. RARAF's FLASH irradiator, is able to achieve much higher FLASH dose rates, locally termed as 'superFLASH' [1]. With instantaneous dose rates up to 30 MGy/second (0.2 - 150 Gy per pulse and 360 pulses per second), many real-time traditional dosimetric methods (like the Advanced Markus ion chamber) fail in this mode, due to signal oversaturation. This report will investigate the feasibility of a fiber optic Cherenkov radiation (FOCR) system as an alternative real-time beam monitor. After a total of five trial runs, it is observed that the FOCR system does work as intended, when certain conditions in the accelerator hall line up. A dual-series trend is observed over four out of five trials, where the remaining trial data successfully and completely correlated with the actual dose observed. The consistency of outlier measurements implies an unknown, systematic variable being overlooked, most likely due to the variance of the Clinac beam width. Though further development of this system is needed, the experiments conducted provide a satisfactory starting point for a real-time electron beam monitor at ultra high dose rates.


According to the ITER R&D program, the bore tools for welding, cutting and weld inspection of blanket cooling pipes by the in-pipe access have been developed. In order to meet the ITER requirements, the YAG laser transmitted through a flexible optical fiber and the electro-magnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT) were adopted for welding/cutting and weld inspection, respectively. Their performance have been verified, including the movement and positioning in the cooling pipes. In addition, the radiation hard ultrasonic transducer (UT) and the leak detectors have been also tested. This paper describes the design outline and test results of bore tools developed for welding, cutting and weld inspection of the ITER blanket cooling pipes.


This work documents our experience of improving the scheduler in Alibaba Function Compute, a public FaaS platform. It commences with our observation that memory and CPU are under-utilized in most FaaS sandboxes. A natural solution is to overcommit VM resources when allocating sandboxes, whereas the ensuing contention may cause performance degradation and compromise user experience. To complicate matters, the degradation in FaaS can arise from external factors, such as failed dependencies of user functions. We design Owl to achieve both high utilization and performance stability. It introduces a customizable rule system for users to specify their toleration of degradation, and overcommits resources with a dual approach. (1) For less-invoked functions, it allocates resources to the sandboxes with usage-based heuristic, keeps monitoring their performance, and remedies any detected degradation. It differentiates whether a degraded sandbox is affected externally by separating a contention-free environment and migrating the affected sandbox into there as a comparison baseline. (2) For frequently-invoked functions, Owl profiles the interference patterns among collocated sandboxes and place the sandboxes under the guidance of profiles. The collocation profiling is designed to tackle the constraints that profiling has to be conducted in production. Owl further consolidates idle sandboxes to reduce resource waste. We prototype Owl in our production system and implement a representative benchmark suite to evaluate it. The results demonstrate that the prototype could reduce VM cost by 43.80% and effectively mitigate latency degradation, with negligible overhead incurred.


The local maximal inequality for the Schrodinger operators of or- der � > 1 is shown to be bounded from H s (R 2 ) to L 2 for any s > 3 . This improves the previous result of Sjolin on the regularity of solutions to fractional order Schrodinger equations. Our method is inspired by Bourgain's argument in case of � = 2. The extension from � = 2 to general � > 1 confronts three es- sential obstacles: the lack of Lee's reduction lemma, the absence of the algebraic structure of the symbol and the inapplicable Galilean transformation in the de- duction of the main theorem. We get around these difficulties by establishing a new reduction lemma at our disposal and analyzing all the possibilities in using the separateness of the segments to obtain the analogous bilinearL 2 −estimates. To compensate the absence of Galilean invariance, we resort to Taylor's expan- sion for the phase function. The Bourgain-Guth inequality in (4) is also rebuilt to dominate the solution of fractional order Schrodinger equations.


Meaningful Learning Experiences: The Influence of Group-Based Adventure Recreation on Behavioral Addiction Treatment Robert L. Henderson Department of Recreation Management, BYU Master of Science Adventure recreation (AR) has been found to supplement addiction treatment and recovery in valuable ways. However, questions about the components and processes of AR and its influence on behavioral addiction specifically, e.g., gambling, video gaming, pornography, etc., still remain. Using the Meaningful Learning Experiences Model (an AR-based framework) and a quasi-experimental pre-post design, the present study examined AR's influence on three therapeutic principles (authenticity, social network support, and therapeutic engagement) that have been found to significantly influence addiction recovery. Seventy-five participants with sexually related addictions, namely pornography addicts, supplemented their 12-Steps recovery meetings with a Meaningful Learning Experience and scuba diving intervention. MANOVA results indicated that AR influenced all variables in therapeutically beneficial ways, with the most saliently effected subdomains being inauthentic living and social support networks. These findings elucidate certain AR components and processes in an addiction treatment context and support previous claims that AR is also a viable and unique supplement for behavioral addicts seeking recovery.


During this past year, nanotechnology companies and inventors have witnessed several important decisions concerning United States patent law. Perhaps the most significant is the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., which attempted to redefine the standard for determining whether an invention satisfies the nonobviousness requirement. In this article, two attorneys involved with that case, Kenneth C. Bass III and Robert Greene Sterne, and patent agent Matthew J. Dowd discuss the potential impact of the Supreme Court's decision on nanotechnology. Every inventor, company, and patent attorney involved with nanotechnology should want to know if and how the Supreme Court changed the bar to patentability for nanotech inventions.


Large quantities of water are consumed directly or indirectly by production and distribution plants. Industries are rapidly required to comply with the principles of sustainable development through United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), focusing on sustainable water management, such as SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), 12 (responsible consumption and production), 13 (climate action) and 14 (life below water) Industrial Water Footprint (IWF) is an important tool for estimating and analyzing water consumption, thus enabling the industry to move to a more sustainable direction. Operational WF focuses on the WF resulting from industrial processes i.e. manufacturing & packaging while supply chain WF represents the WF of the raw materials and products used in the production.
The aim of this paper is to present and compare the operational and supply chain WF of different industrial branches, showcasing its applicability as an environmental pressure indicator. Selected industrial branches, worldwide and also in Greece, where significant water quantities are needed for production will be analyzed, given that water consumption is not only an economic parameter but also a tool to determine process performance within the branch.
Through WF assessment, increased water consumption spots and water recycling potential can be identified, resulting to process or management alternatives, with significant economic and environmental impacts on the production and/or consumer behavior.


Text data understanding on social networking systems has become an important source of data for companies to understand their stakeholders better. The shift from pattern mining of structured database to non-structured text data has alerted companies to have a stronger presence in the new social media world. This research uses text miner module in the Statistical Analysis System (SAS) to analyze conversational data compiled from Yammer enterprise microblogging system. These inputs are used to study the topics discussed among employees. It is also used to examine the knowledge sharing activity among employees in the case company. This can be accomplished by analyzing the topics maps produced SAS software system. One is able to analyze the topic of discussion and the frequency of each topic on microblogging system platforms to observe the knowledge sharing and knowledge creation activity among employees. The case study company in this research project is a knowledge centric organization involves in knowledge sharing activity using a server-based Knowledge Management System (KMS). This research chooses employees that are involved in an active project. They will use Yammer instead of the current KMS system. The topic and text analysis diagrams are used to identify the patterns of discussion and the topics exchanged between employees. SAS (Statistical Analysis System) text mining tool is used to carry out the text mining analysis works where a number of visual representation graph were developed to study the communication patterns among employees. The results of this research had shown that text mining is able to surface employees' frequency of communication and topics of conversation through posting activities using Yammer in this research.


Human resources will become a state's core competitiveness in the knowledge-based economy time.Educated level is one of the most important respects that impact the human resources.So this passage inspects the human resources situation in China only from the quality of the population perspective.Researching the attention degree and the developed level on education in China by factor analysis and clustering analysis methods,the passage finally can reveal the human resources situation in every province of China.


In the present study nano calcium-aluminum mixed oxide material (NCAMO) was synthesized by solution combustion method in 1:1, 1:2, 4:1, 3:2 molar ratios of calcium and aluminum nitrates as oxidizers and urea as fuel for an efficient adsorption of fluoride from drinking water. Molar composition of 1:1 ratio was found to exhibit better adsorption properties and the same was characterized by XRD, FESEM, and FTIR. The optimized conditions for maximum adsorption capacity were achieved at pH4 with contact time of 4 hours by adding 1 g/L of NCAMO to initial fluoride concentration of 8 mg/L. The sorption of fluoride on NCAMO followed Langmuir isotherm model strongly suggested monolayer adsorption. The calculated equilibrium adsorption capacity 23.7 mg/g of NCAMO strongly suggests the dominance of monolayer adsorption process. The adsorption kinetics was well described by pseudo-second order equation confirming chemisorption.


Rights, Policies and Languages: divergences and convergences in/from/for deaf education. In this article, while considering education as a complex and diverse phenomenon, we reflect on the fields of human rights and linguistic human rights regarding deaf education. We have noticed certain convergences and divergences arising from the encounter of rights, policies and languages in both proposal and construction of an educational process that recognizes and values linguistic and cultural characteristics of individuals involved. We also take a critical view towards the Manichaean perspectives that have created illusions involving deaf education, making its complexity invisible, generalizing its peculiarities and reducing its range. Linguistic aspects are central when considering the deaf, since all human rights are linked to language itself. Therefore, linguistic human rights are fundamental to the enjoyment of civil, social, political, economic and cultural rights. Finally, deaf education exists in the midst of the differences that feature it, of the languages that specify it, and the convergences and divergences that (trans) form it.


Cr8-type cold work die steels,such as Cr8Mo2SiV steel have been widely used in recent years due to high strength and high toughness,These steels have obvious secondary hardening effect.It has been widely reported that the secondary hardening mechanism of these die steels resulted from the combination of retained austenite and carbide precipitation.However,less attention has been paid on the secondary hardening of Cr8Mo2SiV steel.In order to investigate the secondary hardening mechanism of Cr8Mo2SiV steel,the hardness,retained austenite and precipitation of Cr8Mo2SiV steel were investigated in this paper by SEM,EDS,TEM and XRD analysis.Experimental results indicate that the secondary hardening peak of Cr8Mo2SiV steel which was quenched at 1030℃appears at 520℃.Deep cryogenic treatment observably reduces the content of retained austenite,and thus increases the tempering hardness before secondary hardening peak and the secondary hardening peak shifted to low temperature by about 20℃.The tempered hardness of Cr8Mo2SiV steel decreased linearly with the increase of soaking time when tempering at 520℃.The secondary hardening mechanism of Cr8Mo2SiV steel is the combination of the transformation of retained austenite and the early stage of Mo_2C precipitation,and the role of transformation of retained austenite is more obvious.The early stage of Mo_2C-carbide precipitation is likely to be G.P.zone which formed by[Mo-C]segregation group.As the tempering time extended,Mo_2C precipitated,and it was dispersive and uniformly distributed.


A workshop was held to pass seed and cone information to field foresters, techni cians, and nursery personnel involved with reforestation in Canada's western and north ern region. Papers were presented on genetic quality of seed source: variation, improve ment and certification; cone collection and processing-effects on seed quality and yield; lodgepole pine seed extraction; effects of in sects on seed and cone production; conifer seed pathology; quick methods for determin ing seed quality in tree seeds; measuring qual ity of tree seed; and impact of seed quality in reforestation.


The main focus of the pharmacokinetic process is hepatic metabolism, which is responsible for biotransformation and elimination of xenobiotics such as drugs. This step depends primarily on the CYP450 system, which plays a role in drug metabolism and changes their therapeutic responses. CYP450 enzyme system includes many notable points such as major families, their functions and also the factors that can alter their activity and cause significant interaction. According to previous studies, the most important factor affecting this enzyme system is the medications that can enhance or inhibit its activity. The aim of this article is to discuss the detailed mechanism of the interaction between CYP450 enzyme and other drugs. This mechanism is very important when prescribing various medications to avoid the problem of drug-drug interaction. We must remember that many drugs undergo metabolism through more than just isozyme interactions or may pass through dual metabolism pathways. Examples of such drugs are anticonvulsants, antidepressant, anti-infectives, immunosuppressant, and cardiovascular drugs.


New information about the records of two carnivoran species in Western Polissia, the findings of which were unknown or unconfirmed by factual materials is presented. Details on the capture of golden jackals and wild cats obtained in 2019–2020 in different districts of Volyn are described. In particular, the jackal was caught in 2020 near Kovel, and the wild cat was caught in 2019 near Novovolynsk and in 2020 near Kovel. The specimens are stored in private collections, but at the time of their transfer to the owners, the authors were able to examine them and take photos with the necessary details. The discovery of the jackal is the first record for Western Polissia; the discovery of the wild cat confirms the ancient findings of the species. The described records confirm the expansion of the habitats of both species in north-western Ukraine.


Di-jet production is studied in collisions of quasi-real photons radiated by the LEP beams at e ++ e −− centre-of-mass energies s√ee=161see=161 and 172 GeV. The jets are reconstructed using a cone jet finding algorithm. The angular distributions of direct and double-resolved processes are measured and compared to the predictions of leading order and next-to-leading order perturbative QCD. The jet energy profiles are also studied. The inclusive di-jet cross-section is measured as a function of EjetTETjet and |ηjet||ηjet| and compared to next-to-leading order perturbative QCD calculations. The inclusive di-jet cross-section as a function of |ηjet||ηjet| is compared to the prediction of the leading order Monte Carlo generators PYTHIA and PHOJET. The Monte Carlo predictions are calculated with different parametrisations of the parton distributions of the photon. The influence of the 'underlying event' has been studied to reduce the model dependence of the predicted jet cross-sections from the Monte Carlo generators.


Hidden Markov models have been widely used to solve some inverse problems occurring in image and signal processing. These models have been recently generalized to pairwise Markov chains, which present higher modeling capabilities with comparable computational complexity. To be applicable in the unsupervised context, both models assume the data of interest stationary. When these latter are actually stationary, the models yield satisfactory results thanks to some Bayesian techniques such as MPM and MAP. However, when the data are nonstationary, they fail to establish an appropriate link with the data and the obtained results are quite poor. One interesting way to overcome this drawback is to use the Dempster-Shafer theory of evidence by introducing a mass function to model the lack of knowledge of the a priori distributions of the hidden data to be recovered. It has been shown that the use of such theory in the hidden Markov chains context yields significantly better results than those provided by the standard models. The aim of this paper is to apply the same theory in the pairwise Markov chains context to deal with nonstationary data hidden with correlated noise. We show that MPM restoration of data remains workable thanks to the triplet Markov models formalism. We also provide the corresponding parameters estimation in the unsupervised context. The new evidential model is then assessed through experiments conducted on synthetic and real images.


The seedlings of 31 families from second generation clone seed orchard of Pinus tabulaeformis carr.were measured in terms of their height and ground diameter.Variance analysis,genetic variance analysis and multiple comparison showed that seedlings from those families have significant difference in seedling height and ground diameter,their mean values being 10.26% and 11.53% over the control respectively.The genetic gains reached 9.68% and 9.12% respectively.Through comprehensive evaluation,B56,C1,C14,B37,81-69-66,B25,81-77-29,G1 and B63 were good to be materials for further genetic improvement.


The bridge designers should find an ideal balance between structure, economy, buildability, aesthetics, durability and harmony with industrial or natural landscape. During the last years, the society has adopted documents providing procedures for evaluation of the impact of the structural appearance on surrounding landscape. The European Landscape Convention defines the landscape as an area perceived by people, whose character is the result of the action and interaction of natural and/or human factors. The Convention indicates the methods for clear and objective assessment of the landscape's visual qualities. The esthetical qualities of bridge structures, appearance and attraction should satisfy not only the technicians - engineers and architects, but mostly the surrounding population. Each of these groups has a different perception of esthetical qualities of structure. Many authors have used different methods and criteria for assessment of bridge aesthetics. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the bridge aesthetic and visual quality assessment methods and criteria.


In this paper, we consider the problem of maximizing the coupling between the isometric projections of two square matrices of dimensions m and n. This coupling is defined as an inner product between the matrices. This is a non-convex optimization problem with isometry constraints on the variables. The optimization set is an equinormed set and we develop a gradient-type algorithm to solve the problem. Numerical experiments and an application to graph matching are also presented. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. AMS classification: 15A18; 15A60; 65K15; 65K10; 05C50


A digital image printed as a binary halftone image can have an optical watermark which becomes visible only if the associated halftone image is superimposed on it. In the scheme of template-dot halftoning, such pair of images can be generated by using different halftone cells on each image at a watermark dot. To make the watermark invisible on either image, a halftone cell should be randomly selected among those available for representing an identical halftone level. This randomness results in noisy appearance of the generated halftone images. In this paper, to reduce the degradation of halftone quality the template cells used for each halftone level are limited to two cells. Either one of the two template cells is randomly selected and used to generate a pair of halftone images with hiding optical watermarks in them. A set of two alternative template cells used for each halftone level which yields less noisy halftone quality is investigated through computer simulation. An example of such set of clustered-dot type cells and that of dispersed-dot type cells are presented.


Romania's admission following the extension of the EU and the globalisation of the maritime industry exposed Romanian employees to the maritime labour market. This market is characterised by increased competition determined by technological advancement and the emerging new Asian maritime nations. These conditions were exacerbated by the increased wage expectations of the European maritime manpower. On the demand side, the maritime industry has historically been characterised by lack of marine officers, in particular of senior rank, but the current slow global economic recovery and the weak commodity demand tend to level the scorecard. These changes affected the marine global labour market and led to structural unemployment among Romanian seafarers. Considering the traditional purpose of marine universities – to prepare marine officers, and the labour market needs – marine officers highly qualified in specific fields, this paper aims at identifying the skills required by marine industry and analysing the possibility to extend them to other positions/qualifications from the marine industry.


An introduction to eclat algorithm is given along with it's map reduce enhancement. Further improvement to map reduce eclat algorithm is given using horizontal layout of database. This algorithm shows good performance in terms of complexity and time. KeywordsAssociation rules, data mining, market basket analysis, eclat, mreclat, map reduce, horizontal database.


SOME THINGS RELEVANT to the human existence never change, such as the need for food and water. That said, consumers' needs continuously change as they identify new goals. Therefore, to achieve and sustain success as they provide products and services that cater to consumers' needs, companies must constantly redefine their identities via their brand names. In Brand Clout, Dennis C. Flynn draws on his extensive consulting experience to introduce several key strategies that show business leaders how to use their company brand to direct rather than follow the flow of commerce. The book is also suitable for professionals from all sorts of businesses and organizations—from Fortune 500 companies to nonprofit organizations. Although his target audience is business leaders, the book would also be suitable for business instructors and students who are interested in branding. Business instructors can use the book as a resource for preparing class lectures and discussions. Students can take away a set of principles to apply to the business world. Flynn surveys the economy of the United States over the past 10 years and examines differences between preand post-September 11, 2001, economies. As Flynn puts it, "we have gone from an economy of security and stability, to one of Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt," or what Flynn calls the FUD economy (p. 16). For companies to embrace the FUD economy fully and still maintain brand relevance, they must use a different approach, relying heavily on customer feedback about their


Highly effective for solid cancers, no side effects, such as chemotherapy, it aims to provide a tough new anti-cancer drugs cause my torch. By introducing four kinds of genes to attract dimension stem cells obtained from the mammal dimensions immortalized stem cell production process for a stem cell with the immortalized stem cell is a predetermined period of oxygen concentrations in the serum-free culture 0.5% to 20% under conditions that are cultured at 23 ~ 27 ℃ under low oxygen concentration conditions, is prepared by a method comprising a condition medium preparation process of preparing a conditioned culture, prepared when cultured under the same conditions except that the oxygen concentration to 20% It provides a pharmaceutical composition for treating cancer containing at least 1.5 times the insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in comparison to the medium.


High-purity quartz (HPQ) is an important material widely used in many high-tech industries. It is a product processed from pure natural quartz raw materials, so selecting suitable quartz raw material is the key to successfully processing HPQ. Hydrothermal quartz vein is one of the most likely raw materials to be purified into HPQ because of its high SiO2 content. This study focuses on the evaluation of HPQ raw material potential of the two gold-bearing quartz vein tailing resources in Chibougamau (CBG) and Tianjingshan (TJS). Petrography and the contents of impurity elements in the two vein quartz samples before and after processing were studied by optical microscope, SEM, Raman spectrometry, XRD, LA-ICP-MS, and bulk solution ICP-OES. Petrographic results reveal that major impurities in quartz are feldspar, mica, iron compounds, ankerite, rutile, silicate melt, and fluid inclusions. LA-ICP-MS analysis result shows that the SiO2 contents are between 99.953–99.971 wt.% in CBG raw quartz and 99.969–99.976 wt.% in TJS raw quartz, respectively, with very low contents of impurity elements, except for Ca. Bulk solution ICP-OES analysis demonstrates that the CBG processed quartz sand has total impurity contents of 56.8 µg·g−1, with 13.1 µg·g−1 Al and 6.6 µg·g−1 Ti, and the TJS processed quartz sand has the total impurity contents of 85.2 µg·g−1 with 29.4 µg·g−1 Al and 6.1 µg·g−1 Ti. Both the contents of Al and Ti fit with the lattice-bound criteria for HPQ. These results, for most of the impurities, are likely hosted by silicate melt, fluid, and mineral inclusions, indicating that these two hydrothermal raw vein quartz samples can be upgraded to HPQ after processing by more advanced methods. Therefore, the CBG and TJS quartz vein deposits would be considered as potential future resources for HPQ to realize efficient recovery and utilization of tailings resources and to improve mine economic benefits.


. Probabilistic specifications are fast gaining ground as a tool for statistical modeling of probabilistic systems. One of the main goals of formal methods in this domain is to ensure that specific behavior is present or absent in the system, up to a certain confidence threshold, regardless of the way it operates amid uncertain information. This paper presents a rewriting logic semantics for a probabilistic extension of Event-B, a proof-based formal method for discrete systems modeling. The proposed semantics adequately captures the three sources of probabilistic behavior, namely, probabilistic assignments, parameters, and concurrency. Hence, simulation and probabilistic temporal verification become automatically available for probabilistic Event-B models. The approach takes as input a probabilistic Event-B specification, and outputs a probabilistic rewrite theory that is fully executable in PMaude and can be statistically tested against quantitative metrics. The approach is illustrated with examples in the paper.


The efficiency of any education and training system is often judged by how well this system prepares the youth for gainful employment and thus bring a positive social and economic change. The students in Eritrea need to acquire appropriate knowledge and skills as part of their education and training. The paper mainly deals with the areas of education and economic development, education and youth. In addition, it also highlights some of the problems and challenges of education in post-independent Eritrea. The methodology used in this paper is essentially a descriptive analysis of data obtained from secondary sources, mainly government and Ministry of Education documents, survey reports, research articles, books and other published, and unpublished, materials on Eritrea.


This paper undertakes a statistical analysis and research on 369 books of the local chronicles-custom of Guangdong.Firstly,a general analysis was completed to the content of the local chronicles-custom of Guangdong.Secondly,a detailed statistical analysis was done to the content of the local chronicles-custom of Guangdong.The statistical analysis indicates that the features of the local chronicles-custom of Guangdong are contained in a wide range of descriptions,numerous categories,and a lot of synonyms in table of contents of the local chronicles.


The aim: to study the stages of primary and secondary biofilms formation by the leading pathogens in children with pyelonephritis on congenital hydronephrosis background depending on child's age. Materials and methods. Venflons, catheters, urine were used as material for microbiological study. Identification of microorganisms was provided with MICRO-LA-TESTÒID kits. Isolates were tested for ability to form biofilms in Petri dishes with d = 40 mm. The morphological structure of the biofilms was studied by scanning electron microscopy. Results: The study of structural and functional features of biofilms formation by leading pathogens of in children with pyelonephritis on congenital hydronephrosis background depending on child's age revealed a number of features and patterns. In addition to the classical stages of biofilms formation as 3D structure there was found a dissemination of planktonic cells with the release of bacteria or loss of single fragments that spread throughout the body and attach to the substrate with the formation of a new or secondary biofilm. In children under 3 years it was shown that the cocci attachment to the substrate appeared faster than in gram-negative rods and had appearance of separate structures. The longest stage of primary biofilms formation in young children was the co-aggregation. Detecting an ability to colonize with the formation of a secondary biofilm in isolates established that the longest stage was re-adsorption and the shortest was re-aggregation, which lasted 2 hours Original Research Article: full paper (2021), «EUREKA: Health Sciences» Number 1


Abstract: Ireland during the 20 century was a demographic outlier, rather than an economic one. With a swing towards population growth, rather than away from it, during the 21 century, this outlier status will persist. However, in relation to population growth and demographics, Ireland is more likely to be delayed rather than different. Two key aspects in which Ireland is likely to converge with its peers over coming decades are urbanization and average household size. The relative lack of urbanization is a symptom of housing market mismatch, rather than – as previously – a reflection of different employment structures. There is, further, little evidence that Dublin's population share is too large, given the country's size. In addition, the recent modest increase in household size is a function of housing supply, not demand. Housing output has not adjusted to reflect the growth of 1-2 person households, meaning that Ireland is missing roughly half a million apartments.


Readable and provocative and written with Paul Johnson's customary vigorous, direct and colourful style, A History of the American People charts the sweep and drama of America's history through its politics and economics, its art and literature and science, its society and manners and, not least, its complex religious beliefs. From Walter Raleigh to Bill Clinton, Paul Johnson casts an admiring but not uncritical eye over events and personalities through the past 400 years. 'Written with a wonder and affectionate curiosity that sweep the reader along...This is the kind of book that brings new readers to its subject by its freshness, its enthusiasm and the quality of its writing' Godfrey Hodgson, Independent 'A masterly rendition of America's unique and rambunctious past that is vivid, thoughtful and absorbing...The book is a gallery of engaging pen portraits, elegantly wrought in a few strokes...Much of the book is a collection of these colourful patches which the author has artfully sewn together into a giant, vibrant, breathtaking American quilt - Johnson at his entertaining best' Raymond Seitz, Sunday Telegraph


In this paper, the authors present their views regarding variable message signs. They first identify the four key function of VMS including: controlling/regulating, warning, advising, and informing. They then present their assessments, emphasizing the importance of appearance, value, and flexible standardization. The authors look at the likely effects of technological developments, policies, and user requirements in providing traffic information.


Objiect:Two types of miniature axial flow pump,type I and type II,have been developed by our group in recent years.The hydrodynamic featured of an axial flow pump were strongly infected by its impeller configuration.With the believe about the pump desgin that "the simplest is the best " in mind,various impellers were compared to optimize pump structure in our research.Methods:The axial flow pump is composed of a mortor sator with columnar pump shell and a propeller set,including flow straightener,diffuser,impeller and magnetic rotor.Impellers of uniform dimension but different structure were sequentially replaced in a same pump to evaluate its alteration in hydrodynamic characteristics in a mock circulation.All of the impellers were 13.8 mm in diameter and 28 mm in length.Results:The impellers with continuous and intercept blades were particularly compared.In vitro study shows that two types of the impeller could produce output of 5L/min against the pressure of 100 mmHg,which was enough for left ventricular assistance,while significant change in the hydrodynamic feature was produced by the replacement of the pump impeller.The hydrodynamic output was slightly decreased with the impeller of continuous blades,indicating that the intercept blades was more effective.Conclusion:The pump with intercept blades has excellent characteristics.Although the impeller of continuous blades would slightly decrease the pump hydrodynamic efficiency but they possess the advantages of simpleness in structure and facility for fabricating.Simplifing the impeller structure with continuous blades is still feasible in further optimization of axial flow pump.


Investigation of the structure and reactivity of β-lithiated β-phenylcarboxamides is reported. NMR spectroscopic investigations of β-lithiated amides 15 and 24 establish that the benzylic lithium i...


This paper reports on an investigation of the potential to use the financial ratios of New Zealand small businesses to discriminate their location as an aid in the accurate targeting of regional economic development programs. To the extent that there are clearly identifiable differences in performance and financial structure of urban and nonurban firms, this could be significant for small business policy development and the efficient implementation of strategies.


Abstract To assess the quality of atmospheric air, the authors propose to apply the process of dry deposition of impurities on an artificial underlying surface that binds impurities in contact with it. The mass of these impurities is calculated upon laboratory exposure, after being transferred to an aqueous solution. The ease of absorber fabrication and the low cost facilitate the monitoring of air pollution at various points in woodlands, where the stationary stations for air-pollution-monitoring are very difficult and costly to arrange. A large number of control points makes it possible to identify forest areas with the highest levels of air pollution. A dynamic air-quality study at one of the monitoring points is necessary and sufficient to determine the concentration of impurities. The authors surveyed an urban forest using the proposed method, and the survey results confirmed that areas with an elevated concentration of airborne nitrogen dioxide exist within the woodland. This can lead to soil eutrophication and changes in forest biodiversity at the species and ecosystem levels.


A 12-year longitudinal study was conducted whereby 86 children of mothers under 18 years of age were compared with 86 children of mother 18 years or older. The mothers were placed in matched pairs controlling for all socioeconomic and other variables other than maternal age. Younger mothers tended to have less physically healthy children were less likely to remain with their children and more likely to have additional children within the 6-8 year period following the 1st child. Children of the younger mothers had more behavioral and intellectual problems than the children of mothers over 18.


During later youth, she suffered from psychological problems such as panic attacks and social phobia. After finishing hotel management training, she worked as an educator until she was 25. She stopped working because of psychological and orthopedic problems. In her twenties, she experienced forced sexual contacts with men. However, in her own sexual fantasies she wanted to be a man with a female partner. At the age of 27, she had a relationship with a bisexual woman. Currently, he has a female partner. A diagnosis of GD was established in 2007, thus 3 years after the mother's diagnosis. During the diagnostic phase, no hormonal nor genetic abnormalities were found. She had a normal karyotype 46, XX. In 2008, cross-sex hormone therapy was started. Bilateral subcutaneous mastectomy and endoscopic hysterectomy/ovariectomy were performed in 2009. Because of a postoperative complication after the mastectomy further genital surgery was temporarily postponed. During transition, he felt supported by his family, although his father initially had a hard time accepting his decision. His parents divorced during the transition process. He was informed about his mother's transition when she already was receiving cross-sex hormonal therapy and initially experienced a feeling of loss. However, since transitioning himself, their relationship has improved. Both father and son are doing well now. It is estimated that about one-third of persons with GD has children.2 The question rises whether children of parents with GD are more likely to show GD themselves. The exact etiology of GD remains unclear although there is a tendency in the more recent literature to focus on biological aspects. With regard to biological factors contributing to the development of GD, research focused on brain structures and genetic factors. The existence of sexually dimorphic brain nuclei has been known for a long time. Several studies revealed that some of these nuclei in transsexuals resemble the nuclei in cis-gendered males and females. Furthermore, these nuclei are considered to be part of a complex network that influences the development of sexual behavior. It should be noted that only one female-to-male transsexual was reported in the referenced work.3 According to neuroimaging studies that used gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs to suppress puberty in adolescents with GD, the microstructure pattern of white matter, the gray matter volume of the putamen and cerebral activation patterns in GD persons before treatment seemed to share more features with those of the experienced gender than those of their natal sex.4 These findings have also been confirmed by neuroimaging studies in untreated transsexual Dear Editor, Gender dysphoria (GD) is defined as a marked incongruence between one's experienced and one's assigned gender. It is characterized by a strong desire to get rid of one's primary and/or secondary sex characteristics and to have the primary and/or secondary sex characteristics of the other gender.1 Here, we present a case of a mother and daughter who were both diagnosed with GD. The mother was diagnosed with GD at age 47. She was the only child and suffered from emotional, physical and sexual abuse by her mother. Although the father also physically abused her, she remembers him as a role model, as he was the only person offering affection and understanding. From the age of three, she started behaving like a boy. During later childhood and youth, the gender dysphoric feelings were repressed. After finishing high school, she started working as a maintenance technician at a psychiatric ward. She married at the age of 18. One year later she became pregnant, but after giving birth she felt no emotional connection with the baby-girl and could only manage the care for the child thanks to the support of her mother in law. A diagnosis of GD was established in 2004. During the diagnostic phase, no genetic nor biologic abnormalities could be demonstrated. The karyotype was normal 46, XX. Shortly after the diagnosis, the client started with cross-sex hormone therapy. In 2006 he underwent bilateral subcutaneous mastectomy and endoscopic hysterectomy/ovariectomy. Metadoioplasty followed by the phalloplasty were performed in 2007 and 2009, respectively. In 2012, the sex reassignment surgery was completed with the placement of an erectile device and testicular prostheses. During this process, the client felt supported by his male partner, but their relationship ended in 2009. He had lost contact with his own mother since youth, and his father had died during the time of the diagnostic phase. Halfway transition, he was informed that his only daughter also experienced GD. As a parent, he struggled with guilt feelings but managed to handle these with the help of his psychiatrist. The daughter was diagnosed with GD at age 31. She was also the only child. She remembered having a good relationship with her parents and had no traumatic childhood memories. Her father took no prominent place in her education, but she remembers a harmonious father-daughter relationship. GD became obvious from the age of eight. Mother and daughter became father and son: a case report


Background: Evidence suggests that Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) is involved in the pathogenesis of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), although experimental data regarding the contribution of BDNF concentration to this psychiatric disorder are controversial. Aim: To evaluate the plasma levels of BDNF in patients with ADHD. Material and Methods: In this cross sectional study, ADHD and controls were recruited from the outpatient clinic of the Shafa Hospital, Rasht; between March 2012 and April 2013. Clinical data concerning ADHD diagnosis and blood samples for patients were collected before treatment. Medical, neurological and psychiatric co-morbidities were excluded. The mean of BDNF concentration measured and compared with healthy controls. BDNF assay was determined using ELISA kits according to manufacturer's instructions. Descriptive statistical analysis was used with analysis of variance to find the significance of data. Results: Statistical analyses showed that the mean BDNF levels were significantly lower in ADHD patients and its subgroups as compared with normal control subjects (p<0.001). Conclusion: This study showed a dramatically lower BDNF plasma levels in untreated patients with ADHD, which might be useful adjunct method for diagnosis of ADHD in society.


Twelve healthy male water buffaloes of 2 - 3 years old with 300- 500kg body weight as well as no fasciolosis confirmed by fecal exmination and Dot - ELISA were chosen, and randomly devided into infection group(n= 9) and control group(n = 3). Each water buffaloes of infection group was orally dosed with once 1600 Fasciola hepatica metacercariae during 26 weeks. Blood sample was collected by jugular vein at same time per week to study the change in the inorganic salts content in water buffaloes post - infection of Fasciola hepatica . The results show that K, Ga, Na, Mg, P and Cl in the water buffaloes serum are fluctuation change post-infection. It suggested that the inorganic salts content in animal organism changed in varying degrees.


Introduction: Brain iron content is a potential biomarker for several neurological diseases. Due to its high sensitivity to changes in iron content, susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) [1] [2] has been gaining popularity in the imaging of neurodegenerative diseases, such as multiple sclerosis [3], Parkinson disease [4], or Huntington's disease. However, the metrics obtained with gradient echo imaging not only depend on tissue properties but also on voxel geometry, slice orientation, head orientation or shim. Despite this potential limitation, the reproducibility of these metrics (magnitude, phase, SWI, T2* decay) has not been investigated yet. Therefore, we determined the reproducibility of magnitude, phase, SWI images and R2* maps acquired with multi echo SWI. Methods: Multi echo SWI data of the brain were acquired twice in 12 healthy subjects (average age 34, range 20 -53 years) on a Philips Achieva 3T system equipped with an 8 channel head coil using a 3D gradient echo sequence. Scan parameters: TE = 13-41ms; ΔTE = 7ms; TR = 45 ms; flip angle = 17o; readout bandwidth = 157Hz/pixel; acquisition voxel size = 0.5 x 0.75 x 1.5 mm; reconstruction=0.4 x 0.4 x 0.75mm3. The time between scans was 1-3 days. No special precautions were made to reproduce the position and orientation of the head within the scanner/coil. The scans were coregistered using FSL (FMRIB, Oxford, UK) by first registering the magnitudes of the first echo and then applying the registration parameters to the real and the imaginary part of all echoes. Phase images and SWI were then reconstructed from the registered complex data. Phase images were corrected using homodyne filters in k-space with the filter behaviour adjusted to the echo time: At TE = 13 ms the size of the filter (a Hamming window) was 0.2 of the k-space dimension. For the subsequent echoes the size was incremented by 0.05 k-space widths. High pass filtered phase images were converted into a negative phase mask and the fourth power of the mask was multiplied with the corresponding magnitude images to obtain the final SWI for each individual echo. Finally, the SWI of the five echoes were averaged. Maps of R2* relaxation rates were computed from the five magnitude images using a Levenberg-Marquardt least squares method for non-linear equations including a correction for signal decay due to background field inhomogeneities [5][6]. Twenty two regions of interest (ROI) in the basal ganglia (red nucleus (RN), substantia nigra (SN; caud = caudal, mid = middle, ros = rostral), subthalamic nucleus (STN), globus pallidus (Gp; post = posterior, ant = anterior), putamen (Pu), caudate nucleus (CN)) and corpus callosum (CC) were drawn in both hemispheres (L and R) for each volunteer. To assess reproducibility in different venous vascular structures, ROIs were drawn in the left and right thalamostriate vein (diameter comparable to voxel size) and a left and right subenpendymal vein (diameter much smaller than the voxel size). To examine intersession reproducibility of phase, magnitude, SWI and R2* maps (in total 19 metrics), the coefficient of variation (COV) between scan A and scan B was calculated. Results: Fig. 1 shows the mean COV ± SD of all metrics in the left middle substantia nigra. An increase in echo time leads to an increase of the COV in phase, magnitude and SWI. The combined magnitude, phase and SWI images have COVs similar to the first two echoes. The behaviour shown in Fig. 1 was found to be similar in all ROIs. Fig. 2 shows the COV for the averages of SWI, phase, and magnitude and for the R2* maps. In all ROIs phase had the lowest and R2* the highest COV. All metrics showed a similar trend throughout the


On November 7, 2017, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the use of letermovir (LMV) for prophylaxis of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in adult CMV‐seropositive allogeneic stem cell transplant recipients. After 6 years of use, a large body of real‐world experience has been accumulated that validates the Phase III clinical trial results, in which LMV was shown to significantly reduce the risk of clinically significant CMV infection—defined as CMV end‐organ disease or CMV DNAemia requiring pre‐emptive antiviral therapy (PET)—and increase survival up to Week 24 after treatment inception. Notwithstanding, several issues still need to be settled, thus further investigation is required. First, since viral DNA may accumulate as a result of LMV‐driven abortive CMV infection, what is the optimal viral load threshold in the blood that would prompt LMV prophylaxis interruption and PET inception? Should this be adapted to the patient's risk? Second, what is the impact of LMV prophylaxis on the reconstitution of functional CMV‐specific T‐cell responses? Would it be a wise approach to individually tailor the duration of LMV treatment according to the number of peripheral blood CMV‐specific T cells at the end of regular prophylaxis? Third, how frequently do LMV‐resistant strains arise while patients are on LMV prophylaxis and how could this be minimized? Here, we discuss the literature addressing these topics.


Visual inspection is a powerful tool that doctors have for medical assessment. Given the limit imposed by scattering and absorption of light into tissue, visual inspection can only provide information over the most superficial layers of the human body.
The advent of medical imaging revolutionized the medical practice with imaging modalities such X-ray computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and stimulated the development of new imaging technologies. Among the imaging technologies developed, optical imaging enables to reveal details with 10-100 times higher resolution than CT and MRI. However, optical imaging techniques suffers from limited penetration depth within biological tissues. To circumvent this shortcoming, endoscopes have been developed to enable imaging of internal organs.
The focus of this thesis is optical coherence tomography (OCT), an interferometric optical imaging technique that allows to create cross-sectional images of tissue.
After a brief introduction (Chapter 1), the fundamental principles of OCT and its extensions adopted in this thesis are discussed (Chapter 2).
In this thesis, polarization-sensitive OCT (PS-OCT), an extension of conventional OCT, which makes use of polarization properties of light was adopted to highlight birefringent tissues. Form birefringence is exhibited by several tissue types with fiber-like structures (e.g. smooth muscle, collagen, fibrosis), therefore PS-OCT is particularly valuable to highlight the presence of specific tissue types which are birefringent.
A PS-OCT system was developed and used for in-vivo imaging of the human lungs. Moreover, an endoscope suitable for lung airway imaging was developed and adopted to perform endobronchial PS-OCT imaging of human lungs.
In chapter 3, endobronchial PS-OCT was used to visualize and quantify airway smooth muscle in severe asthma patients undergoing bronchial thermoplasty (BT) treatment. In chapter 4, the use of endobronchial PS-OCT was extended to interstitial lung disease (ILD) patients, in which the amount of pulmonary fibrosis was assessed. Results of the studies presented in chapter 3 and 4 suggest that PS-OCT holds the potential as imaging modality to study airway remodeling in asthma patients and to evaluate pulmonary fibrosis in ILD patients respectively.
Although (PS-)OCT has potential for structural imaging it is not able to provide molecular imaging contrast and distinguish the presence of specific cell types within the tissue. Molecular imaging contrast can be achieved with fluorescence molecular imaging, which relies on the use of targeted fluorescent tracers: fluorophores conjugated to a tumor-specific target. Among targeted fluorescent tracers, monoclonal antibodies fluorescently labelled with near infrared (NIR) fluorophores can target specific tumor targets by targeting tumor cell receptors or signaling proteins (immuno- near infrared fluorescence, immuno-NIRF).
A dual-modality system in which OCT was combined with immuno-NIRF imaging (immuno-OCT) was developed, as described in chapter 5. The dual modality system developed for immuno-OCT imaging was demonstrated to image ex-vivo esophageal specimens resected from patients with different stages of esophageal cancer. In the study presented in chapter 5, the immuno-OCT system proved to have the sensitivity needed to detect early stage of esophageal cancer with administration of an imaging dose of NIR fluorescently labeled monoclonal antibodies. Moreover, OCT provided morphological information over the esophageal tissue complementing immuno-NIRF, which provided tissue molecular information allowing to reveal the heterogeneity of the tumor microenvironment. Results of this ex-vivo study suggest that immuno-OCT could have potential to enhance early diagnosis of esophageal cancer. However, results should be further validated in-vivo. To this purpose, chapter 6 was dedicated to the design of a dual-modality capsule endoscope that in future will be demonstrated to perform in-vivo immuno-OCT imaging in patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer.
Finally, chapter 7, discusses future research directions and a potential translation of the PS-OCT system into the medical-devices market.


The solution of Laplace's equation for a wide range of spatial domains and boundary conditions is a valuable asset in the study of potential theory. However, purely numerical schemes are often computationally ineecient, while analytical techniques have traditionally been too cumbersome. Recently, classical (separation of variables) series solutions have been modiied to solve Laplace's equation with both irregular and free boundaries. Using the theory of eigenfunction expansions to provide a theoretical basis for the method, the problem is seen to consist of a sequence of curve tting exercises. In this paper, a new approach based on interpolation is presented for the series coeecients estimation problem. It has the advantages of providing a conceptually simpler view of the series technique, and of estimating the series coeecients significantly faster than alternative approaches. A free boundary problem from steady hillside seepage will be solved to illustrate the new technique.


The author of 1 John addresses the serious schism within the community of faith. As he calls his readers back to the received Johannine tradition, he reminds them that sin has the power to damage their fellowship with each other and their fellowship with God and Jesus. He argues that sin is still a reality in the life of the Christian that must be dealt with, and he uses the concept of sin to characterize the divisive apostasy of those who have left the community.


Background Genetic causes of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) are incompletely understood. LRRC10 (leucine‐rich repeat–containing 10) is a cardiac‐specific protein of unknown function. Heterozygous mutations in LRRC10 have been suggested to cause DCM, and deletion of Lrrc10 in mice results in DCM. Methods and Results Whole‐exome sequencing was carried out on a patient who presented at 6 weeks of age with DCM and her unaffected parents, filtering for rare, deleterious, recessive, and de novo variants. Whole‐exome sequencing followed by trio‐based filtering identified a homozygous recessive variant in LRRC10, I195T. Coexpression of I195T LRRC10 with the L‐type Ca2+ channel (Cav1.2, β2CN2, and α2δ subunits) in HEK293 cells resulted in a significant ≈0.5‐fold decrease in ICa,L at 0 mV, in contrast to the ≈1.4‐fold increase in ICa,L by coexpression of LRRC10 (n=9–12, P<0.05). Coexpression of LRRC10 or I195T LRRC10 did not alter the surface membrane expression of Cav1.2. LRRC10 coexpression with Cav1.2 in the absence of auxiliary β2CN2 and α2δ subunits revealed coassociation of Cav1.2 and LRRC10 and a hyperpolarizing shift in the voltage dependence of activation (n=6–9, P<0.05). Ventricular myocytes from Lrrc10 −/− mice had significantly smaller ICa,L, and coimmunoprecipitation experiments confirmed association between LRRC10 and the Cav1.2 subunit in mouse hearts. Conclusions Examination of a patient with DCM revealed homozygosity for a previously unreported LRRC10 variant: I195T. Wild‐type and I195T LRRC10 function as cardiac‐specific subunits of L‐type Ca2+ channels and exert dramatically different effects on channel gating, providing a potential link to DCM.


(57) A method for operating a cryostorage device (100), especially for biological samples, is described which comprises a sample carrier (10) to receive at least one sample (11) and a data storage (20), wherein data are inductively transmitted from the data storage device (20) into a wireless transmission channel (40) and/or conversely using a resonant circuit (30) connected to the data storage device (20). ABSTRACT


An A-module M is catenary if for each pair of prime submodules K and L of M with all saturated chains of prime submodules of M from K to L have a common finite length. We show that when A is a Noetherian domain, then every finitely generated A-module is catenary if and only if A is a Dedekind domain or a field. Moreover, a torsion-free divisible A-module M is catenary if and only if the vector space M over Q(A) (the field of fractions of A) is finite dimensional.


Background : Patients' factors such as knowledge on warfarin use are important in achieving desirable anticoagulation outcomes. Objective : To assess the patient factors impacting on oral anticoagulation control among adult outpatients taking warfarin at Kenyatta National Hospital. Methodology : A cross-sectional survey of 147out-patients on warfarin at Kenyatta National Hospital was carried out between March and April 2015. Data were collected using a pre-designed interviewer administered questionnaire. The data included patient characteristics such as indication and duration of anticoagulation; knowledge on anticoagulation; and international normalized ratio tests. The Oral Anticoagulation Knowledge test was used with a score of ≥75% indicating sufficient knowledge. Logistic regression was used to determine independent variables associated with anticoagulation control. Results : Females were majority (74.9%) while optimal anticoagulation control was at 43.5%. Only 10.1% had sufficient knowledge on anticoagulation. Anticoagulation knowledge scores were associated with marital status (p=0.015), education level (p=0.014) and indication (p=0.032). Independent predictors of poor anticoagulation were female gender (p=0.011) and lower education level (p=0.005). Optimal anticoagulation control was, however, not associated with knowledge on anticoagulation (p=0.794). Conclusion: Knowledge and control of anticoagulation among the patients are poor. Female gender and lower education level were predictors of poor anticoagulation. Provision of information on anticoagulation to patients on was warfarin is recommended. Key words: Knowledge, Warfarin, Anticoagulation, International normalized ratio


PURPOSE: A forest fire smoke detection method using a random forest classification technique is provided to improve the accuracy of smoke detection by determining whether a candidate block is a block indicating smoke or not according to the probability distribution of classes. CONSTITUTION: A key frame is selected among frames including at least one set candidate block(S200). Multiple feature vectors are extracted from the candidate block by comparing the selected key frame with one or more preceding key frames(S300). Learning by different random forest is performed about the extracted feature vectors(S400). According to each generated class, two first cumulative probability histograms are generated(S500). According to a class having the highest probability among the classes comprising a generated second cumulative probability histogram, the sensing condition of the candidate block is determined(S700). [Reference numerals] (S100) Step of setting a first reference value for dividing candidate blocks; (S200) Step of comparing images between consecutively photographed frames, setting blocks whose number of pixels in which a motion can be discriminated is equal to or greater than the first reference value as candidate blocks, and selecting a key frame from the frames including at least one candidate block; (S300) Step of comparing a key frame with the preceding frame and extracting a time feature vector and a space feature vector from the candidate blocks; (S400) Step of learning the time and space feature vectors by different random forest algorithm; (S500) Step of generating two first cumulative probability histograms by accumulating probabilities outputted to a terminal node with respect to classes resulting from the learning; (S600) Step of generating a second cumulative probability histogram by averaging the two first cumulative probability histograms according to class; (S700) Step of determining the sensing condition of the candidate blocks according to the highest probability glass of the second cumulative probability histogram as a delay or non-delay block; (S800) Step of marking the delay block to be discriminated from the non-delay block


Nowardays, the area of protected fruit trees culture is developing rapidly, and so variety. The production and the profit have been remarkably improved in successful production of protected fruit trees, on the contrary, there will be a great loss. This article summarize the protected fruit trees culture current situation, function, characteristic, variety, existing question and development in future.


This paper proposes a design formulae that evaluates the design strength of T-joints made of cold-formed square hollow steel sections with longitudinal branch plate. The T-joints had a configuration that a branch member used to longitudinal plate to the main chord in the plane. This study focused on the branch plate T-joints governed by the main chord flange failure mode among the experimental results. Based on the test results of the longitudinal branch plate T-joint in the square hollow sections, the ultimate strength on the T-joints was defined as 1.5 times the load at 1% B the strength of joints that governed the serviceability in control for and . Existing yield line models for normal T-joints were investigated to be the main chord flange failure for the branch plate T-joint, and this proposal design formula was based on the theory of the yield line model. Finally, the value of the finite element method compared with the value of the test and theory for the T-joints verified the validity of the design formulae.


The energy levels for the first excited State of lithium-like atom are calculated by variational method. The fine structures of the first excited state for lithum-like atom are calcualted by the wave functions of the first excited states obtained from variational method, in which LS coupling is considered. The theoretical result is compared with the experimental data and theoretical error is a tittle.


Traditional teacher leaders function in traditional ways, usually through the time-honored roles of department chair and gradelevel chair. But with educators being held accountable for higher and higher student outcomes, schools need to make a major shift from traditional teacher leadership to shared leadership. Principals can no longer lead instructional reform alone: The voice and expertise of teachers are essential to improve teaching and learning. As Timothy Waters and the coauthors of Balanced Leadership (2009) write,


The article discusses the significance of parliamentary diplomacy in the LX Legislature. The central argument of the authors is that Congress has extended its participation in the design of foreign policy through legislative mechanisms, as the points of agreement. It is important to note that Mexico.s foreign policy has played an important role in various international forums and, as an exercise of this kind, gives us the opportunity to meet some elements of the national foreign policy.


The time has come for students, colleagues and friends to pay homage to Jan Adriaan Louw Taljaard , one of the South African pioneers in philosophy, dedicated to the task of elaborating a vision of reality according to the spirit of God's Word, and committed to a Christian order of life, wrested from the destructive powers of archaic othodoxy and from both past and contemporary humanism.


Linjiaxi ancient slide is located on the way of Shanghai-Ruili expressway,and has collapsed after the cutting slope excavation.To provide basis for prevention structure design,this paper analyzed the forming mechanism of this slide and the the stability evaluation.


The paper deals with calculation of the centrally symmetric and vortex forces for the momentum of a particle in the distortion tensor field from the action minimum, by analogy with the calculation of forces for a charge in an electromagnetic field. It is demonstrated that: 1) The compensating interaction tensor corresponds to the distortion tensor in a solid. 2) The centrally symmetric force of the distortion tensor acts on the momentum as a charge, and is analogous to the Coulomb force. In a gas, it results in change in the momentum value of the molecules exponentially to some extent. The action of this force explains the high-temperature plasma in the gas. 3) The vortex force of the distortion tensor is equivalent to the Peach-Koehler force in a solid. It acts on the momentum flow, similar to the Lorentz magnetic force, and explains the vortex motions in space, in the form of "black holes", and in the atmosphere, in the form of cyclones and anticyclones.


Abstract Fecundity estimates used in a 2004 stock assessment to evaluate the overall health of the population of California sheephead Semicossyphus pulcher were based primarily on two studies. The first estimated the total fecundity of only nine individuals captured near Santa Catalina Island, California, and the second estimated batch fecundity of individuals taken from only one artificial reef. In order to develop a current and more comprehensive estimate of fecundity, we collected California sheephead from seven locations off southern California throughout the spawning season (July through September). To estimate both total fecundity and batch fecundity, we categorized and counted oocytes from ovarian subsamples of 28 and 24 (respectively) mature females (stage 3, spawning capable; determined by histological analysis). Total and batch fecundity increased with somatic mass, standard length, and ovary mass. We found total fecundity to increase with somatic mass to a power of 5.5, which is considerably gr...


Noise has been a major limitation to partial discharge (PD) measurement. It is crucial to suppress noise prior to any PD data analysis. Recent research shows that the discrete wavelet transform, wavelet packet transform and stationary wavelet transform techniques have all achieved good effect in noise rejection in PD measurement. This paper compares the effectiveness and computing time required of the three types of wavelet transform methods when applied to simulated PD data in presence of white noise and sinusoidal interference


Reflectance oximeters based on organic photodiode (OPD) arrays offer the potential to map blood pulsation and oxygenation via photoplethysmography (PPG) over a large area and beyond the traditional sensing locations. Here, an organic reflectance PPG array based on 16 × 16 OPD pixels is developed. The individual pixels exhibit near‐infrared sensitivity up to ≈950 nm and low dark current density in the order of 10−6 mA cm−2. This results in high‐quality PPG signals. Analysis of the full PPG waveform yields insight on the artery stiffness and the quality of blood circulation, demonstrating the potential of these arrays beyond pulse oximetry and heart‐rate calculation.


There are many things stirring within a given community music event. As practitioners, how do we look beyond our planned outcomes to access the unplanned, the unexpected or, as Lee Higgins terms it, the impossible? Understanding affect theory as the social, cultural and psychological
 manifestation of reactions and emotions arising from encounters between subjects and people, and between people and objects in the environment, this article discusses the value of this theoretical framework to uncover a deeper understanding of the interactions and responses from participants
 in a community music event. Using a case study of the organization KW Junk Music, I interviewed participants of three junk music events in Kitchener, ON, Canada. The lens of affective atmosphere, described as the atmosphere produced as a result of the intermingling of affects, emotions and
 sensations within a given space, provides an informative perspective through which to acknowledge the complexities surrounding all stages of a community music event. I argue that the affective atmosphere that emerges out of each event, both by design and by happenstance, has the potential
 for change, agency and transformation.


Equation (1): Borates of the present invention, the durability of the near infrared absorbing dye, can be particularly improved heat resistance and wet heat resistance.


Correction for 'An eximious and affordable GSH stimulus-responsive poly(α-lipoic acid) nanocarrier bonding combretastatin A4 for tumor therapy' by Zhilin Liu et al., Biomater. Sci., 2019, 7, 2803-2811.


ATM network optimization problems defined as combinatorial optimization problems are considered. Several approximate algorithms for solving such problems are developed. Results of their comparison by experiments on a set of problems with random input data are presented.


Nineteenth-century Russia was a prolific source of artistic and scientific genius. Due to the reforms enacted by Peter the Great in the eighteenth century, the Russian educational system promoted an enlightened approach to intellectual development, one that emphasized art and technology equally, and that resulted in producing many polymaths who saw the science in art as well as the art in science. One such polymath was the educator, music theorist and composer Joseph Moiseyevich Schillinger. Born in the Ukraine in 1895, Schillinger was a prodigious student of art, music, science, and philosophy, who later focused his attention on the study of music at the prestigious St. Petersburg Imperial Conservatory of Music. Being a product of an enlightened educational system, Schillinger observed music through the lens of science, and found that it could be described, analyzed, and composed mathematically using simple 'geometric phase relationships', which he called 'interferences'.


Modeling the instantaneous three-dimensional aerosol field and its downwind transport represents an endeavor with many practical benefits foreseeable to air quality, aviation, military and science agencies. The recent proliferation of multi-spectral active and passive satellite-based instruments measuring aerosol physical properties has served as an opportunity to develop and refine the techniques necessary to make such numerical modeling applications possible. Spurred by high-resolution global mapping of aerosol source regions, and combined with novel multivariate data assimilation techniques designed to consider these new data streams, operational forecasts of visibility and aerosol optical depths are now available in near real-time.


This study analyzes mid-21st century projections of daily surface air minimum (Tmin) and maximum (Tmax) temperatures, by season and elevation, over the southern range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The projections are from four regional climate models (RCMs) that are part of the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP). All four RCMs project 2 C or higher increases in Tmin and Tmax for all seasons. However, there are much greater ([3 C) increases in Tmax during summer at higher elevations and in Tmin during winter at lower elevations. Tmax increases during summer are associated with drying conditions. The models simulate large reductions in latent heat fluxes and increases in sensible heat fluxes that are, in part, caused by decreases in precipitation and soil moisture. Tmin increases during winter are found to be associated with decreases in surface snow cover, and increases in soil moisture and atmospheric water vapor. The increased moistening of the soil and atmosphere facilitates a greater diurnal retention of the daytime solar energy in the land surface and amplifies the longwave heating of the land surface at night. We hypothesize that the presence of significant surface moisture fluxes can modify the effects of snow-albedo feedback and results in greater wintertime warming at night than


In the 1960s Tamamuro Taijō, observing how funerals had become the main activity of Japanese Buddhism, critically coined the expression "Funeral Buddhism" to refer to Buddhist practices in modern Japan.Later developments led to an increasing process of commodification, in some cases even spectacularisation, of funeral rituals, applied also to real and robotic pets, as well as to people who are still alive.This commodification has been acknowledged and analysed in a humoristic and/or satirical key within contemporary Japanese fiction and cinema. In particular, the article aims to focus on a story written by Matsuura Rieko, entitled The Day of the Funeral (1978), and on the film The Funeral (1984), by internationally acclaimed director Itami Jūzō.


Serological diagnosis of canine leptospirosis in disease endemic region like Kerala is often difficult due to the presence of antibodies due to a prior infection/vaccination. Many of the available diagnostic tests are either expensive or technically demanding. The present study envisages the coupling of two easy tests such as recombinant LipL 32 based the latex agglutination test (LAT) and IgM- Dot ELISA for rapid, accurate detection of canine leptospirosis. The canine sera samples suspected for leptospirosis were screened using MAT, LAT and IgM Dot- ELISA. It was observed that the LAT was having a high sensitivity of 98.4%, however, demonstrated a low specificity of 67.2% in comparison to MAT. The respective values of IgM Dot- ELISA when compared to MAT were 52.8% and 97.2%.Thus, it was concluded that coupling LAT, a highly sensitive but low specific test with IgM Dot ELISA, a test having high specificity, could identify the acute reactors of leptospiros in a disease endemic region.


Infectious complications such as necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) or neonatal sepsis are main causes of mortality and disability in very low birth weight infants (VLBWIs). Because preterm infants are exposed to too unfavorable environment to promote appropriate intestinal colonization, pathologic organisms can easily colonize and host defense systems are also down-regulated in preterm gut, causing infectious complications such as NEC. To promote appropriate intestinal microbiota, probiotics have been studied for potential benefits by increasing mucosal barrier function, reducing intestinal pathogens, up-regulating immune system balancing inflammation. Large randomized controlled trials have shown favorable effects of probiotics on preterm NEC and mortality. Meta-analysis of clinical trials showed consistent evidence of probiotics uses in preterm infants. However, adequate type, dose, timing, and duration of probiotics have not been standardized for clinical applications. In addition, other interventions promoting preterm intestinal micobiota and immunity, such as prebiotics or lactoferrin, are on studies in combination with probiotics. More clinical trials should be added for the evidencebased clinical use of probiotics in preterm infants.


Summary In view of the valorisation of Yorùbá cultural elements in the poetry of the Atlantic Yorùbá poets, it has been observed that the poets often use enormous continental Yorùbá cultural resources in their creative explorations. This is achieved through the retentive agencies of oral traditions, history and instinct employed by the poets to assert their Yorùbá cultural heritage and create a unique identity for themselves amidst the labyrinth of American rainbow cultures. Identity creation and affirmation becomes important to them, considering the conflict of identities or double consciousness that the peculiar multicultural Atlantic space has fostered on the American Yorùbá and other African Diasporas in the New World. To this end, this article examines the preponderance of Yorùbá cultural elements (Yorubaisms) in Nicolás Guillén's collections: Yoruba from Cuba and Man-making Words to asseverate how his unconscious explores the elements for identity (re)creation, portrayal of transatlantic slavery and propagation of his mulatez integrationist philosophy. The examination is expedient in order to anatomise the cultural configurations of the Americas and identify those unique continental Yorùbá cultural influences there. The article is mainly anchored in Jungian collective unconscious or racial memory to expound peculiar repressed cultural information which finds expression in Guillén's poems.


An adaptive decoupling controller for permanent-magnet synchronous motor(PMSM) is proposed to linearize and decouple the speed regulation system. The proposed intelligent controller adopts a model reference adaptive decouplingneural network generalized inverse(MRAD-NNGI) controller, in which the feedback loop is constructed by model reference adaptive(MRA) controller and the feed-forward loop is constructed by two front controllers. The MRAD-NNGI controller combines the merits of the high-precision tracking ability of self-adaptive theory and the decoupling ability of artificial neural networks. The feed-forward controller is employed to effectively improve the anti-interference performance. The simulation and experimental results show that the proposed MRAD-NNGI controller takes on good stability and precise response regardless of the load disturbances and the system parameters variations.


A case of anastomosis of the internal carotid artery due to persistency of the trigeminal artery is reported. Angiographic studies disclosed the communication. The patient was mentally deficient and had suddenly developed hemiplegia. In addition cerebral cortical atrophy on the side of the anomaly was demonstrated by pneumoencephalography.


OBJECTIVE To investigate the in vitro release and transdermal absorption of Shuangteng Bitong gel ointment.METHODS Using Franz diffusion pool,the content of triptolide and Sinomenine in absorption liquid were determined by HPLC,some dynamic equations about in vitro release and transdermal absorption were obtained.RESULTS The acumulative skin permeation percentage of triptolide and sinomenine was 29.05% and 23.16%,respectively,the acumulative in vitro release percentage of triptolide and sinomenine was 69.14% and 65.53%,respectively.CONCLUSION The transdermal absorption of Shuangteng Bitong gel ointment is a zero-order kinetics.The in vitro release behavior is in accordance with the Higuchi equation.


Abstract. We introduce a retrieval algorithm to estimate lower tropospheric methane (CH4) concentrations from the surface to 1 km with uncertainty estimates using Hyperspectral Thermal Emission Spectrometer (HyTES) airborne radiance measurements. After resampling, retrievals have a spatial resolution of 6 × 6 m2. The total error from a single retrieval is approximately 20 %, with the uncertainties determined primarily by noise and spectral interferences from air temperature, surface emissivity, and atmospheric water vapor. We demonstrate retrievals for a HyTES flight line over storage tanks near Kern River Oil Field (KROF), Kern County, California, and find an extended plume structure in the set of observations with elevated methane concentrations (3.0 ± 0.6 to 6.0 ± 1.2 ppm), well above mean concentrations (1.8 ± 0.4 ppm) observed for this scene. With typically a 20 % estimated uncertainty, plume enhancements with more than 1 ppm are distinguishable from the background values with its uncertainty. HyTES retrievals are consistent with simultaneous airborne and ground-based in situ CH4 mole fraction measurements within the reported accuracy of approximately 0.2 ppm (or  ∼ 8 %), due to retrieval interferences related to air temperature, emissivity, and H2O.


Lignin is extracted from Reed black liquor of papermaking through the method of the organic solvent and inorganic solvent in this article.Firstly,through the acid-precipitation method,collecting Lignin from the black liquor of Reed pulping,we come to a conclusion that the best condition of acid precipitation lignin is:pH =2.0,the reaction temperature is 60 ℃,flocculation time for 45 min,flocculation temperature is 70 ℃.Then using the ethanol to separate the pure lignin out,and through the infrared spectrum,ultraviolet spectrum,1H NMR spectrum,etc method to pure lignin structure characterization.We can know the main constituent of the lignin from the black liquor of Reed pulping is and syringyl alcohol.And the syringyl alcohol is more than the guaiacyl alcohol.


The paper entitled "A semi-automatic procedure to support the detection of rapidmoving landslides using space-borne SAR imagery" presents a semi-automatic procedure, exploiting Sentinel-1 SAR images, which evaluates changes of backscattering signals associated to land cover changes due to landsliding. The manuscript represents a solid and valuable contribution to the current state-of-the art landslide mapping and detection during in post-emergency phases. The scientific and the applied methods are excellently depicted and supported by a robust bibliographic background. The


Modern virtual way of culture's existence is an entirely new state which characterizes the information society. Culture's virtuality is manifested in its clip aesthetics, which is close to «montage way of thinking». The art of post-modernism, instead of the lost consciousness, produces a «clip consciousness», when people get accustomed to rapid alternation of fragments. Modern art is losing the principle of linearity and consistency.


Positron annihilation spectroscopy is used in the study of radiation induced defects in nuclear materials in a non-intrusive way. The positron can be trapped by defects and the number of exponential components in the positron lifetime spectrum is related to the number of defect states. This work concerns classification of positron spectra with respect to the number of spectral components by support vector machine (SVM). The SVM has not yet been investigated for positron spectra analysis. The SVMs use an optimized generalization. The SVM classifier has been constructed by training with the simulated positron spectral data with two and three spectral components. Tuning the hyperparameters, such as the generalization parameter C, has been done by using the 10fold cross-validation error. The experimental spectra available from polymer materials have been analysed by the constructed SVM nonlinear classifier. Experimental data are classified as the class of positron spectra with three spectral components with accuracy of 95.4 %. The SVM calculations show that certain degree of misclassification tolerance can produce a solution with good expected generalisation.


Paleoclimate data have yielded variations with periods of ~23, ~40, and ~100 ky. Thermodynamic changes resulting from orbital eccentricity, obliquity, and precession have been ascribed as the cause of the variations although processes within the oceans and atmosphere may have too short memory to explain such variations. In this work, the dynamics of Sun-Moon gravitation (SMG) were explored for a rotating Earth and were determined to have a long memory in magma, a mostly ignored geophysical fluid with a mass ~3,400 times that of the atmosphere plus the oceans. Using the basic motion and gravitation (including obliquity) of the Sun and the Moon, we determined that SMG-induced magma motion could produce paleoclimatic variations with multiple periods (e.g., ~23, ~40, ~80, and ~100 ky), with considerable power for Earth's heat. Such "reproducible" power could possibly maintain an energetic Earth against collapse, radioactivity, and cooling.


PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To find out an effective method of improving commercial transaction by taking out information of a part of vouchers corresponded between several enterprises. SOLUTION: This transaction system 1 provided in each of several enterprises doing the commercial transaction is provided with an extracting means 18a for extracting the voucher information sent from the enterprise and a storing means 19a for storing the extracted voucher information, and takes action of a series of the commercial transaction out of the storing means 19a of the several enterprises. COPYRIGHT: (C)2002,JPO


This study is an algorithm of calculating days difference between Gregorian & Julian calendar using simplified formula. It consists of two integer function by substituting the year. This formula will determine the exact number of days in any given Year as of December 31. This algorithm has no condition even during leap‐year and 400‐year cycle.


Low mass galaxy pair fractions are under-studied across cosmic time. In the era of JWST, Roman, and Rubin, a self-consistent framework is needed to select both low and high mass galaxy pairs to connect observed pair fractions to cosmological merger rates across all mass scales and redshifts. We use the Illustris TNG100 simulation to identify physically associated pairs between $z=0-4.2$. Our sample includes low mass ($\rm 10^8<M_*<5\times10^9\,M_{\odot}$) and high mass ($\rm 5\times10^9<M_*<10^{11}\,M_\odot$) isolated subhalo pairs, with stellar masses from abundance matching. The low mass pair fraction, i.e. the fraction of galaxies in pairs, increases from $z=0-2.5$, while the high mass pair fraction peaks at $z=0$ and is constant or slightly decreasing at $z>1$. At $z=0$ the low mass major (1:4 mass ratio) pair fraction is 4$\times$ lower than high mass pairs, consistent with findings for cosmological merger rates. Our results indicate that pair fractions can faithfully reproduce trends in merger rates if galaxy pairs are selected appropriately. Specifically, static pair separation limits applied equivalently to all galaxy pairs do not recover the evolution of low and high mass pair fractions. Instead, we advocate for separation limits that vary with the mass and redshift of the system, such as separation limits scaled by the virial radius of the host halo ($r_{\mathrm{sep}}<1 R_{\rm vir}$). Finally, we place isolated mass-analogs of Local Group galaxy pairs (i.e., MW--M31, MW--LMC, LMC--SMC) in a cosmological context, showing that isolated analogs of LMC--SMC-mass pairs, and low separation ($<50$kpc) MW--LMC-mass pairs, are $2-3\times$ more common at $z\gtrsim2-3$.


The paper studied the legal landscape of land use and protection, the basic periods of legislation on research: the July 1, 2006, that the entry into force for Ukraine European Landscape Convention and the present


Our ability to predict the effects of drug combinations is limited, in part by limited understanding of how the transcriptional response of two monotherapies results in that of their combination. We performed the first analysis of matched time course RNAseq profiling of cells treated with both single drugs and their combinations. The transcriptional signature of the synergistic combination we studied had unique gene expression not seen in either constituent monotherapy. This can be explained mechanistically by the sequential activation of transcription factors in time in the gene regulatory network. The nature of this transcriptional cascade suggests that drug synergy may ensue when the transcriptional responses elicited by two unrelated individual drugs are correlated. We used these results as the basis of a simple prediction algorithm attaining an AUROC of 0.84 in the prediction of synergistic drug combinations in an independent dataset.


As the most well-known application of the Internet of Things (IoT), remote monitoring is now pervasive. In these monitoring applications, information usually has a higher value when it is fresher. A new metric, termed the age of information (AoI), has recently been proposed to quantify the information freshness in various IoT applications. This paper concentrates on the design and analysis of age-oriented random access for massive IoT networks. Specifically, we devise a new stationary threshold-based age-dependent random access (ADRA) protocol, in which each IoT device accesses the channel with a certain probability only when its instantaneous AoI exceeds a predetermined threshold. We manage to evaluate the average AoI of the proposed ADRA protocol mathematically by decoupling the tangled AoI evolution of multiple IoT devices and modelling the decoupled AoI evolution of each device as a Discrete-Time Markov Chain. Simulation results validate our theoretical analysis and affirm the superior age performance of the proposed ADRA protocol over the state-of-the-art age-oriented random access schemes.


Objective To probe into the influence of nursing interference on the gestational result of pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) . Methods The 74 cases recent-5-year pregnant women who were diagnosed as GDM in the antenatal examination of our hospital were regarded as the observation group, in which the nursing interference was carried out. The 71 cases GDM pregnant women who were not carried out the nursing interference were regarded as the control group. The incidences of complications against the pregnant women, fetuses and new-birth babies in two groups were compared. Results The incidences of complications against the pregnant women, fetuses and new-birth babies in the observation group were respectively 18. 9%, 12. 2% and 12.5%, while those in the control group were respectively 42.3%, 39.4% and 53.7%. The differencos between two groups were obvious. Conclusions The nursing interference could effectively decrease the mother and baby's incidence of complications and improve the survival quality.

Key words:
Nursing interference;  G estational diabetes mellitus;  G estational result;  Pregnant complications


The article posits that central to contemporary notions of religion and religions has been the gradual development of a differentiated global social system for religion that manifests itself in a plurality of mutually distinguished religions. What counts as religion within this globalizing system and the globalized cultural model for what constitutes a religion are both the product of a highly selective historical process. The presentation of the hypothesis has three parts: a look at the historical development of a particular notion of religion and religions in the context of modern Western Christianity, an analysis of religion that adapts concepts from Luhmannian systems theory to argue that systemic religion uses binary codings as strategies for closure or recursiveness, and an examination of how other religions around the world have formed or not formed according to the systemic and cultural model of what a religion looks like. Throughout all the sections, the concern is not only with the existence of this religious system and its structure, but also with its fragility. The article concludes with implications of the hypothesis for research.