Background Prior work has not studied the effects of transportation accessibility and patient factors on clinic non-arrival. Objectives Our objectives were: (1) to evaluate transportation characteristics and patient factors associated with clinic non-arrival, (2) to evaluate the comparability of bus and car drive time estimates, and (3) to evaluate the combined effects of transportation accessibility and income on scheduled appointment non-arrival. Methods We queried electronic administrative records at an urban general pediatrics clinic. We compared patient and transportation characteristics between arrivals and non-arrivals for scheduled appointments using multivariable modeling. Results There were 15 346 (29.8%) clinic non-arrivals. In separate car and bus multivariable models that controlled for patient and transit characteristics, we identified significant interactions between income and drive time, and clinic non-arrival. Patients in the lowest quartile of income who were also in the longest quartile of travel time by bus had an increased OR of clinic non-arrival compared with patients in the lowest quartile of income and shortest quartile of travel time by bus (1.55; P<0.01). Similarly, patients in the lowest quartile of income who were also in the longest quartile of travel time by car had an increased OR of clinic non-arrival compared with patients in the lowest quartile of income and shortest quartile of travel time by car (1.21, respectively; P<0.01). Conclusions Clinic non-arrival is associated with the interaction of longer travel time and lower income.


Acute heart failure, especially cardiogenic shock, is still correlated with a poor prog-nosis. Although systemic inflammation and multi organ dysfunction as well as multi organ failure are of high predictive value, drug therapy in acute heart failure is predominantly based on the concept of hemodynamic stabilization directed to myocardial pre- and afterload and con-tractility. Under hemodynamic stable conditions diuretics and vasodilators are recommended, while in case of hemodynamic instability vasopressors and inotro-pic drugs are preferred therapeutic opti-ons. All drug treatment strategies in acute heart failure – in contrast to chronic heart failure – are characterized by little evi-dence.


JETIRDY06335 Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR) www.jetir.org 2121 Evaluation of Blended Biodiesels with Nanomaterial Additives: A Review Sumit Kanchan, Patel C H School of Mechanical Engineering, Lovely Professional University Abstract This report is a comprehensive review on performance, emission and combustion characteristics of a diesel engine fueled with diesel, biodiesel and its blends with the nano-metal additives such as Aluminum oxide, copper oxide, zinc oxide, ferrous oxide and cerium oxide. Many researches were done on various biodiesels and additives used for blending of biodiesels and still going on. The main aim of these researches is to reducing the cost of fuel, more efficient fuel, increase the life span of engine and to reduce the emissions coming out from engines or due to the usage of the fossil fuels. This study mainly focuses on biodiesel with nano metal oxide additives to improve the performance characteristics and combustion characteristics of the engine and to reduce the fuel consumption, cost of the fuel and reducing emissions evolving from the engines in the form of exhaust gases.


A series of amino acid-conjugates of 10-hydroxycamptothecin and 9-nitro-10-hydroxycamptothecin were synthesized by means of a two-carbon side chain from 10-hydroxycamptothecin. The cytotoxic activities of all the synthetic compounds on KB, HepG2 and C26 in vitro were evaluated by CCK-8 assay. The results revealed that part of the conjugates exhibit potent anti-proliferative activities against selected tumor cell lines. Among them, the amino acid-conjugates of 10-hydroxycamptothecin show more potent activities than those of 9-nitro-10-hydroxycamptothecin in vitro as antitumor agents.


The invention discloses a casting production process for a high temperature resistant PTFE separation film, which comprises the following steps: (1) raw material preparation; (2) raw material extrusion; (3) blank cooling; (4) cooling and setting; (5) drawing and flattening; (6) trimming and rolling; (7) inspecting and packing. The casting production process has the benefits that the process is simple and easy to operate, the product quality is easy to control, the cost is low, the prepared film has the uniform thickness, is good in surface gloss, equal in tensile strength in various directions, and good in tear resistance, and can be stripped from the surface of the cured composite material, and no damage caused by tearing is caused, and no residuals exist.


Phytoplankton blooms are natural event and when it is associated with a harmful effect, they are called harmful algal bloom. Globally, the main syndromes caused by phycotoxins are PSP, DSP and ASP. This paper describes the results of the monitoring of the occurrence of harmful algae and phycotoxins at Ribeirao da Ilha, a mussel culturing area at Baia Sul/Florianopolis, southern Brazil, behind February and September of 2006.The occurrence of phycotoxins in Perna perna tissue was accessed by mouse bioassay and high performance liquid chromatography, while the presence of harmful species by light microscopy, from net and integral tube samples. The water temperature ranged form 17 to 28 oC, the salinity from 32 to 35 ‰ and the transparency from 0.6 to 3.1 meters. Chlorophyll a varied from 1.1 to 5.9 mg m-3, characterizing this as a mesotrophic environment. Harmful species observed included Dinophysis acuminata and D. caudata in plankton net samples and P. minimum and some species of Pseudonitzschia at low counting, with a maximum of 7.2x103 and 4.6x104 cel.L-1, respectively. Samples were dominated by nontoxic algae, with an average of 3x105 cel.L-1, causing the observed negative results for toxin analysis and bioassays.


Prevention of cervical cancer has evolved very rapidly in recent years; now has a better understanding of the natural history of infection with oncogenic human papilloma virus, is known more about the genesis of pre-cancerous lesions and subsequent progression to invasive cancer (1). As a result of this better understanding of the natural history of disease, it has also seen an evolution in the recommendations for detection (2) and management of precursor lesions of cervical cancer (3). In this issue we are presenting the first case for discussion, which must be followed by other cases shared by the author, or cases received from colleagues readers of this magazine.


freethinking dimension. In the nineteenth century it would be the urban poor who were most detached from the church, and historians of urbanization have seen one of the roots of this alienation in the inadequate response of established churches to urban growth in the second half of the nineteenth century. This is one area where more extensive discussion would have been worthwhile. But all in all this is an impressive volume. It can be recommended to students, but it will also offer new insights to the specialist. And it is highly readable—a virtue seldom found in fat, teamwritten volumes.


Field experiment was conducted in the fields of Agriculture Collage, Kerbala University, Iraq, during winter season of 20162017 to evaluate the activity of herbicide iodosulfuron-mesosulfuron affected by magnetic treatment on weed control in five wheat cultivars. Randomized completely block design was used in split plot arrangement in three replications. The main plots were five wheat cultivars (Sham6, Bhoth 22, Ipa99, alfateh and Tahady) while herbicide treatments represent (100% and 50% of the recommendation of iodosulfuron -mesosulfuron) were made with or without magnetization of spray solution as sub plots. The results showed significant effect of the herbicide spraying solution by increasing efficiency of herbicide absorption by weeds and decreasing its density and biomass on the unit area. The weed control percentage used at half recommendation for the herbicide with magnetization has exceeded use of full recommendation concentration without a magnetization. The response of the cultivars to herbicide spraying treatments were various according to different susceptibility of the weeds competition and different growth season.


ABSTRACT Two vermicompost treatments providing 45 (V1) and 90 (V2) kg P ha−1 and mycorrhizae (M) inoculation were evaluated alone and in combinations for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) growth and soil fertility status. The treatments included; the Control, nitrogen (N): dipotassium oxide (K2O) as basal dose (BD; 120:60 kg ha−1), N: phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5): K2O as recommended dose (RD; 120:90:60 kg ha−1), BD+Myccorhiza (BDM), BD+V1 (BDV1), BDM+V1 (BDMV1), BD+V2 (BDV2), and BDM+V2 (BDMV2). Combination of mycorrhizae and vermicompost (BDMV1 and BDMV2) significantly and maximally improved the growth, plant N, phosphorus (P), and micronutrient concentrations over the control, reduced the soil pH by 5 and 6%, increased OM by 25 and 112%, total N by 41%, and extractable P up to 200% while the extent of improvement was directly related to the content of added vermicompost. Results indicated that vermicompost at either level synergistically affected the mycorrhizae in plant nutrition as well as improved soil fertility status and soil chemical properties.


Abstract : Because of concerns over the use of chemical weapons by Soviet Forces and by client states, a U.S. Armed Forces tri-service committee established the Joint Working Group to Determine Drug-Produced Decrements in Military Performance (JWGD--MILPE11F) to address short-term problems associated with the operational use of pyridostigmine as a chemical warfare (CW) antidote and to identify and develop the test battery that would evaluate the performance effects of other possible antidotes. NAMRL was directed by NMRDC to develop a research program with the following technical objectives: (1) develop and validate a tri-service performance test battery for assessing the effects of CW antidotes on the performance of military personnel with and without protective clothing, (2) develop guidelines for the use of commonly used medications and CW antidotes by naval aircrews under operational conditions, and (3) develop medical CW doctrine for Navy operations. The research program was designed in four phases: (1) conduct in the laboratory, a comprehensive range of tests to evaluate performance of biomedical functions relevant to naval and Marine Corps aviation tasks (2) tests shown to be affected by the antidotes were incorporated as a test battery into mobile facilities for transport to the field for further testing on personnel engaged in military training activities designed to simulate critical tasks in the operational environment, (3) evaluate synergistic effects of antidotes and CW protective clothing on performance, and (4) evaluate synergistic effects of antidotes and commonly used drugs such as salicylates and antihistamines and also those prescription drugs approved for treating patients while remaining on normal duty status. Chemical defense, Antidotes, Human performance


The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to measure the impact of servicelearning on academic achievement of students enrolled in an introductory course in agricultural applications of microcomputers. The treatment consisted of a service-learning project that engaged students in the conversion and compression of digital video clips for integration into PowerPoint shows they developed for research faculty in the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Life Sciences at Clemson University. Student performance was measured using a pretest and posttest developed from a test bank that accompanies the course text. No significant difference was found between the treatment and control groups in the study.


Presenting the best of women's writing from the past two centuries, including Toni Morrison, Edith Wharton, Jane Austen, Willa Cather, Anais Nin and Marianne Moore. For each writer, this book includes a concise biography, selected excerps from her writings, and a full-color portrait.


Duodenoscopic sphincterotomy (DS) can be considered the single most important advance of the seventies in the management of calculous biliary tract diseases. Much experience has been gained and the technique has vastly improved since the initial reports appeared simultaneously from two centres.', The procedure has proven itself so well that the time has come now for surgeons to justify the indications, if any, of surgical exploration of the common bile duct (CBD) rather than endoscopists justifying sphincter~tomy.~ Adopting such provocative adversary postures is, however, counter-productive since the endoscopist has a basic obligation to work in concert with the surgeon to establish the precise role of these essentially complementary approaches in the best interest of a given patient.


COVID-19 is a disease with a diverse spectrum of clinical manifestations and complications. Many studies have shown that demographic factors such as sex, age, underlying medical conditions, co-infection or superinfection with bacteria significantly increase the risk of severe or critical illness in COVID-19 patients. However, these parameters are not sufficientto explain different disease prognosis in patients with similar background characteristics, or severe to critical conditionsin young andhealthy subjects. In addition, the occurrence of breakthrough cases, the effectiveness of vaccination varies among populations that also shows the role of genetic factors in disease control and prevention. Genome analysis of COVID-19 patients at different levels of disease have


Neal's procedure has been applied to determine the electron density ρ(x) for the H2 molecule. The chemical hardness has been calculated employing the ab initio and density functional theory methods and the values are found to be reasonably good. The principle of maximum hardness (PMH) was tested. Fukui functions and the distribution of electron density around the internuclear distance were studied employing the electron density of the H2 molecule. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 81: 4–10, 2001


of Key Issues This report reviews the key findings from four recent studies: The Poverty and Human Development Reports (PHDR, 2002 and 2003), Tanzania Participatory Poverty Assessment (TzPPA, 2002-03), and the Policy and Service Satisfaction Survey (PSSS, 2003-04). These studies were commissioned by the Research and Analysis Working Group (R&AWG). R&AWG is part of the Poverty Monitoring System (PMS) set up by the Government of Tanzania to monitor the implementation of the Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS). PRS is currently being revised for a second phase (2004-2009). Along with these four studies, we also review findings from other recent research on poverty in Tanzania. Tanzania was one of the first countries to benefit from Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) debt relief, following the preparation of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). Debt relief and enhanced donor support helped finance the first phase of the PRS (2000-2003), which saw a considerable increase in social sector funding. We review the major trends in service provision since the beginning of the PRS, including service users' views. Most of the available data on poverty trends reviewed here cover the 1990s, and thus predate PRS. In this summary, we present information on overall trends in human development, starting with child health, infant mortality and nutritional status, adding the distributional dimension (impact on the poor and non-poor) where information exists, and paying special attention to the most vulnerable groups of children. We then consider gender inequalities and the impact of HIV/AIDS, both of which threaten to further undermine already low levels of social development and welfare. Trends in basic education, health services, domestic water and sanitation, and roads round of the discussion of key non-income poverty issues. The summary concludes with a review of recent trends in income poverty and inequality and some of the main underlying causes, including access to natural resources, internal and external terms of trade, and broadly defined governance issues: budgeting, taxation, corruption and regulation. First, we summarise the main messages from our review concerning key income and non-income poverty issues.


The present invention comprises the mean (ⅰ) one or more primary and / or secondary carbamate group, (ⅱ) at least one functional group comprising a bond which can be activated with actinic radiation, and (ⅲ) one or more of the dispersibility of the ionic functional group It relates to a novel aqueous dispersion comprising at least one polymer. Furthermore, the novel invention contains the use thereof in the production of coatings, adhesives and sealants that can be cured by the method, and thermal or actinic radiation to produce an aqueous dispersion, and the novel aqueous dispersion or configured to, It relates to a coating agent, adhesive and sealant.


Teriparatide, recombinant parathyroid hormone (PTH[1‐34]), and abaloparatide, an analogue of PTH related‐peptide (PTHrP[1‐34]), are both anabolic medications for osteoporosis that target the PTH receptor PTH1R. PTH1R is a G protein–coupled receptor, and the stimulatory Gs protein is an important mediator of the anabolic actions of PTH1R activation in bone. We have published that mice lacking the α subunit of Gs in osteoprogenitors do not increase bone mass in response to PTH(1‐34). Unexpectedly, however, PTH(1‐34) still increases osteoblast numbers and bone formation rate in male mice, suggesting that PTH1R may have both Gs‐dependent and ‐independent actions in bone. Here we examine the role of Gs signaling in the anabolic actions of abaloparatide. We find that abaloparatide increases bone formation in male mice with postnatal deletion of Gsα in Osx‐expressing osteoprogenitors (P‐GsαOsxKO mice) but not in female P‐GsαOsxKO mice. Therefore, abaloparatide has anabolic effects on bone in male but not female mice that appear to be independent of Gs‐mediated signaling. © 2022 The Authors. JBMR Plus published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.


Corn is an important crop. Potency of corn productivity in Indonesia are still low. Main obstacles of increasing corn productivity is convertion of fertile land into non agriculture interest. the increase of corn productivity can be done by administrating NPK fertilizer and hybrid variety. This research is aiming at deciding and analyzing the effect of NPK fertilizer administration and hybrid corn variety towards growth and result. This research was held in June to October 2017, at Srimartani Village, Piyungan Districts, Bantul Regency, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta with regosol soil type and land altitude around 80 meter above sea surface. This experiment arranged in split plot design by factorial. Experimented factor are two corn hybrid variety ABCD and EFGH (main plot) with three doses of NPK fertilizer 200, 300 and 400 kg ha -1 (sub plot). The result of research show that there are responds in two variety towards NPK fertilizer dosage almost same (unreal interraction). ABCD and EFGH variety reach highest result of height and component at 300 kg ha -1 doses. Variable of cob weight with husk, cob weight without husk, cob length, total row, dry pipilan weight per plot, 100 seeds weight, fresh stover wieght, dry stover weight, harvest index and yield per hectare the highest average is variety of EFGH. NPK fertilizer dosage 300 kg ha -1 is the best amount to optimally increase the growth and yield of hybird corn (8,92 ton ha -1 ). EFGH variety with 300 kg ha -1 NPK fertilizer dosage can increase the potency of hybird corn yield. EFGH variety is showing better results (9,26 ton ha -1 ).


In Western Siberia, the main oil-producing region of Russia, all functioning regulated marketsof associated petroleum gas (APG) have been liberalized. Because of the monopoly-monopsony structure there is a threat of market prices deviation from socially optimal levels, corresponding to the maximum of public good. The analysis of this threat and assessment of the factors that support it is an urgent problem, which has not yet been covered in the scientific literature. The purpose of the study is to assess the consequences of the liberalization of APG markets. The tool for solving the problems of the study is the economic theory of formation of market equilibrium prices in the joint production of APG and oil. On a liberalized APG market, the maximum public welfare corresponds to a set of market prices, which are determined when considering a virtual competitive market. The actual price is formed under the influence of non-market factors. The liberalized market has no mechanism for forming a socially optimalcomposition of non-market factors, and the parties have no information allowing them to determine the corresponding socially optimal APG price. Therefore, it must be set by the regulator. The algorithms for calculation of marginal costs of joint production of oil and APG and socially optimal price of APG are constructed.


Experience of laparoscopic cholecystectomy has increased rapidly since the operation was first performed in France in 1987; approximately 20 000 operations have been performed in the USA alone'. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is now the treatment of choice for patients with symptomatic gallstones'. Opinion is, however, divided as to the need for routine peroperative ~holangiography~. Even when a selective policy is adopted, cholangiography will be necessary in certain cases, particularly when ductal anatomy is unclear or common bile duct (CBD) stones are predicted. Unexpected CBD stones can be anticipated in 4-10 per cent of cases4. A number of specially designed cholangiography catheters and clamps are available for use in laparoscopic cholecystectomy, but they are expensive and not always readily available. For laparoscopic cholangiography in this unit, two simple inexpensive pieces of equipment that should be available in any operating theatre are used.


A hybrid algorithm for the optimization of multi\|peak continuous function is put for\|ward. It defines a proper fitness function. Adjacent groups of local optimum are formed auto\|matically by genetic algorithm. After clustering, the excellent populations act as initial points, and the steepest descent algorithm is used to search rapidly. The global optimum and local optimum are obtained simultaneously. Simulation shows that the method is effective. It converges quickly and is of high precision.


This study aims to evaluate the prevalence and individual characteristics of the metabolic syndrome (MBS) in sergipanas women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) using age as an association variable. It is a cross-sectional study involving 50 women aged 25-50 years old with PCOS in accord with Rotterdam criteria (2003). For the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome, the National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III) was considered. The prevalence of the MBS was 56%. As for the individual components of MS, was evident: abdominal circumference > 88 cm in 72%, triglycerides ≥ 150 mg/dL in 32%, HDL-cholesterol 88 cm (40%), modified triglyceride levels (20%), HDL-cholesterol to levels below 50 mg/dl (34%), altered levels of fasting glucose (22%), systolic blood pressure (SBP) equal to or above 130 mmHg (36%) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) equal to or above 85 mmHg (26%). There was a statistically significant association (p <0.05) between age and the following variables: AC, triglycerides, fasting glucose and DBP. There was a significant prevalence of MS in more than half the women studied, indicating increased chances for developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) and pointing out the need for tracking cardiovascular risk among women with clinical manifestations of PCOS.


A 64-year-old black woman presented with a 2-week history of a tender lump on her palate. Her medical history included hypertension, diabetes mellitus and pulmonary sarcoidosis treated with oral corticosteroids 1 year prior to presentation. On physical examination, a well-defined, purple, tender, submucosal mass, 20 mm in size, was seen on the midline of the hard palate (Fig. 1). The lesion was nonblanching. All other mucosal surfaces were healthy.


The late Michael Mennim was a partner in the notable York firm of Ferrey and Mennim, whose office immediately opposite the south door of the Minster, tucked in behind the parish church of St Michael-le-Belfrey, always seemed to me to be one of the most perfectly situated of workplaces. And the genius loci evidently affected the kinds of work that Ferrey and Mennim took on, for they specialised in conservation work rather than new design (as their successors continue to do). Mennim's work led him to many medieval and later buildings and he developed a truly encyclopaedic corpus of material. Hall Houses is the work of his retirement and gathers together prodigious amounts of information. Its stated aim is to be a compendium of information for owners and their architects, a set of notes for identification: 'so it is hoped that some owners who read these notes may find that their property is far more important than they realised and rescue it, to enjoy it even more and appreciate the nature and significance of hall houses and the processes involved in their conservation . . . It is not a learned treatise so does not pretend to have academic or historic importance. It is therefore more descriptive than analytical and practical more than philosophical' (p. xvii). It was a laudable aim, but I have to say that I have severe reservations about the final product. Broadly divided into three sections (context, the buildings themselves and a final too-brief-to-be-useful chapter on conservation), it is indeed a set of notes, not always accurate and not often clear and Mennim has been cavalier with other people's work. His overall grasp of the subject is revealed as slight in the opening pages. On page 3 we read that: 'the standard medieval hall had attained its fully developed form by about 1330– 40 (Emery, p. 4) as at Boothby Pagnell.' Emery is rightly cited here — indeed to have omitted him would have opened up the possibilities of plagiarism, since the phrase is lifted directly from Volume 1 of his magisterial Greater Medieval Houses of England and Wales — but it seems to have escaped Mennim that Boothby Pagnell dates to around 1200 and indeed, the unwary might suppose that the bêtise is Emery's, not Mennim's. Furthermore whether one sticks to the original interpretation as a first-floor hall or follows Impey and Harris (in The Seigneurial Residence in Western Europe AD c800–1600 (2002)), in their reinterpretation of the structure as a chamber block associated with a ground-floor hall, it can by no stretch of the imagination be suggested as a type site for 'the standard medieval hall'. But the whole debate on first floor halls and chamber blocks is in any case dismissed in half a sentence on page 80. The spectacular advances made through dendrochronology are similarly waved aside with a single sentence on page 117: 'Dendrochronology or tree-ring dating provides accurate dates for the felling of timbers, but not for their use, although accumulated research and recording is [sic] beginning to provide a bank of reliable information.' Where he does seem to admire writers enough to bother with them, he often misreads. What are we to make of the following on page 12? 'Numerous medieval houses were built in parts of Somerset, Kent, Essex, Devon, Suffolk and Wiltshire, whereas virtually none were built in Derbyshire, East Yorkshire or in the limestone belt from Gloucestershire to Lincolnshire. Only very few were built in Cornwall, the area north of Bristol, Leicestershire, Norfolk, Northumberland and Nottinghamshire', a statement followed by a reference to Maurice Barley's Houses and History. Poor Maurice — I guess he's not so much spinning in his grave as petitioning the Almighty to locate Mennim in another Circle. The historical context has a ring of those midtwentieth-century school textbooks that some of us were brought up on: 'There had been a good deal of geographical migration before the Black Death in 1348 but it intensified thereafter and the population of England was reduced by a third. This created a great scarcity of labour, which led to a rise in its value, as expressed in wages and there was a further rise due to the endeavour of the workmen to exploit their very strong negotiating position. These radical changes revolutionised the old social order and caused a surge in building hall houses as manor houses, farm-houses and parsonages — to meet demand. This became known as "the golden age of the peasantry"' (p. 6). I've been teaching too long, perhaps, but you wouldn't let a first year undergraduate get away with this sort of erroneous and unsubstantiated generalisation. Even a modicum of chronological control and evidence would have been welcome. Such incoherence persists, alas, into the sections on the buildings themselves, where elements are presented as a series of disconnected notes. To take one example,


Provided are a polymer derived from: a polyamic acid comprising a polyamic acid comprising repeating units represented by chemical formulas 1 and 2, a copolymer thereof, or a blend thereof; a polyimide comprising a polyimide comprising repeating units represented by chemical formulas 3 and 4, a copolymer thereof, or a blend thereof; or a combination thereof, a preparation method thereof, and a molded product comprising the same.


Effects of the degradative agents on the melt flow rate and molecular weight distribution of polypropylene during chemical degradation were investigated The results showed that the degraded polypropylene has higher melt flow rate and narrower molecular weight distribution, it could meet the need of fiber-grade polypropylene special resins


Objective To explore the relationship between heart rate variability(HRV)and serum high sensitivity C-reactive protein(hs-CRP)in type 2 diabetic aged patients.Methods Totally 30 aged patients with type 2 DM were enrolled in this study who were selected from the outpatients and inpatients of Department of Gerontology in the Third People's Hospital of Chongqing,and another 30 non-diabetic matched individuals were recruited as control.Their serum hs-CRP and 24 hour-electrocardiography were examined.HRV was assessed by calculating the indices based on statistical operation on RR intervals(time domain analysis)from 24-hour Holter recording,including:standard deviation of normal to normal RR intervals(SDNN),standard deviation of 5-minute mean RR intervals(SDANN)and square root of differences between adjacent NN intervals(rMSSD).Linear correlation analysis was carried out between their serum hs-CRP and HRV.Results HRV parameters of type 2 DM patients were significantly lower than those of non-diabetic patients,but hs-CRP values were significantly higher than those of control.Linear correlation analysis indicated that HRV was in a positive correlation with hs-CRP in type 2 diabetic aged patients.Conclusion Altered autonomic nervous function may be associated with altered serum hs-CRP in aged patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.


Incidentally do you know that you saved my life again the other day when with an infinitely forgiving movement you allowed me to tell you where the trouble [le mal] is, its return always foreseeable, the catastrophe coming in advance [prevenante, also 'thoughtful', 'warning'], called, given, dated. It is readable on a calendar, with its proper name, classified, you hear this word, nomenclatured. It wasn't sufficient to foresee or to predict what would indeed happen one day,/forecasting is not enough/, it would be necessary to think (what does this mean here, do you know?) what would happen by the very fact of being predicted or foreseen, a sort of beautiful apocalypse telescoped, kaleidoscoped, triggered off at that very moment by the precipitation of the announcement itself, consisting precisely in this announcement, the prophecy returning to itself from the future of its own to-come [a-venir, also 'future', 'writ of summons']. (4)


Three accessions, corresponding to different 'foundation' farms, of each of the alfalfa (lucerne) Italian ecotypes 'Vogherese' and 'Marem-mano', and two varieties were studied in order to evaluate: (1) the among- and within-ecotype variation; and (2) the possibility of distinguishing the populations by means of bio-agronomic characters and molecular markers (amplified fragment length polymorphisms, AFLPs). The two ecotypes could be distinguished by the differences in persistency after 15 cuttings in 3 years cultivation and by the seasonal distribution of the dry matter yield. Within-ecotype variation was always of minor importance as compared with the among-ecotype differences. The AFLP analyses generated 20 polymorphic fragments in 'bulk' samples: none was able to distinguish the two ecotypes, while variety-specific fragments were found. The same analysis on an individual plant basis (485 polymorphic fragments) confirmed the absence of differences among ecotypes, while 10% of the total variance was attributable to variation among accessions within ecotype. The results of the analyses using agronomic traits and molecular markers are discussed in relation to the possibility of ecotype identification.


Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is economically as well as medicinally an important flowering plant, generally known as golden condiment. As generative propagation in nature is practically impossible, growing can be maintained asexually with daughter corms year after year. Demand of the corm is increasing year after year, due to the various factors affecting corm production. Plant growth regulators have important roles in plant growth and development. The externally applicable chemicals belong to different action classes and each one has a crucial and effective role at different plant growing stages. In our study we used different media combinations along with phytohormones, which revealed, maximum corm multiplication (05) in media combination comprising of Cocopeat+Vermiculite+Soil (1:1:1) supplemented with colchicines (0.5%)+GA3(100ppm)+NAA(200ppm)+CCC (500ppm) and vermiculite+soil (3:1) supplemented with GA3(150ppm)+NAA(150ppm)+CCC (400ppm) as compared to control,with least number of corms(2.3). Hence the growth regulators when applied exogenously to saffron can enhance the corm multiplication rate, if used in proper concentration and combination along with different media.


The utility model relates to a distributed contention control backoff method for wireless local network based on probability P, belonging to the wireless communication technology. The method is based on the basic idea of executing backoff on the basis of nodes; by executing carrier monitoring mechanism, the nodes estimate the network congestion status; the time slot utilization ration is calculated according to the time slot number when the channel is busy and the total time slot number passed in the backoff process, and the congestion degree probability P is thereby determined; a value of the contention window of the nodes is arranged according to the value of the probability P and the node random number; each time after the nodes is sent successfully, the probability P is used to judge whether the contention window is turned into the minimum value; therefore, unnecessary collision is avoided. When collision occurs in the channel, the value of the contention window is doubled until the maximum value is achieved; then the value of a backoff counter is determined according to the contention window, and the collision of the network data is thereby controlled. The utility model is based on the present IEEE802.11 standard protocol, and no other hardware requirement is needed; the utility model is in complete distribution mode; the throughput, the time delay and other functions of the utility model are all superior to the prior backoff methods.


We discuss improved integral equation methods for estimating the incidence of HIV infection. We examine the nature of the incubation period distribution and provide estimates of the level of HIV infection in Australia.


This paper presents an on-line diagnosis approach for locating the interconnect faults in field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)-based systems. The diagnosis proposed approach consists of two phases. Phase one is locating the faulty tile through partitioning the FPGA-based system into self-checking tiles. The faulty tile can be detected concurrently with the normal system operation. This operation is performed prior to scheduling and allocating the circuit. The proposed partitioning approach was applied on certain circuits as a case study, and has been implemented using Xilinx foundation CAD tool with FPGA chip XC4010. The simulation study proved that our partitioning scheme reduces the test complexity and produces lower overheads. Upon locating a faulty tile and by the aid of a proposed path-list file per tile created during the routing process, the second phase of the diagnosis approach is applied only on the utilized interconnection of that tile for locating the faulty wires and switches. Therefore, the diagnosis approach is considered to be simplified.


We present analytic self-similar solutions for the one, two and three dimensional Madelung hydrodynamical equation for a free particle. There is a direct connection between the zeros of the Madelung fluid density and the magnitude of the quantum potential.


State governments in the United States traditionally have established library agencies at the state level to meet the needs of the States, but more diversity than uniformity exists among these agencies. In all fifty states library agencies are maintained; in each state these agencies provide all or a part of those Services required by the state; in some states these Services are fairly complete; and in some few states they are centralized. As Dr. Monypenny and his staff found in their survey of the library Services of the states, the ränge of Services provided is more nearly uniform than the method of the administration of these Services. State library agencies have always played a dual role; on the one hand they provide library service on the state level to the governor, legislators, and to other state officials and their staffs; on the other, they are oriented to the development of public libraries and to supplementing the resources of these libraries. State library agencies provide a specialized reference service to state government; at the same time, provide encouragement and assistance to public libraries and to public library Systems being established and consultation to those already established. In considering the activities of the state library agency in relation to public libraries, it is interesting to note that public libraries were established subsequent to a decade that had been most active in the formation of state library agencies devoted to the encouragement of public libraries. Dr. Ed Wight wrote, in part, concerning this period of development of state and public libraries, "It may be assumed that there was, in more than half the states, a direct connection between the establishment of the state extension agency and the founding of public libraries ... the formation of a state library agency ... may be regarded äs one of the powerful forces working successfully to achieve library extension." State library agencies are no longer working toward the creation of a greater number of administrative library units but rather to a possible


Although trained as an organic chemist, John Daly embarked in his early years at NIH on several research projects that involved a significant and sophisticated application of biochemistry and pharmacology. He was able to work with impressive leaders in these fields, including the late Nobel Laureate, Julius Axelrod. In this report, we highlight two aspects of this work—his involvement in the discovery of the NIH shift and the development of a method to quickly assay cyclic AMP biosynthesis. The strong pharmacological component of his research career evolved from these and other early seminal discoveries. DISCOVERY OF THE NIH SHIFT: INTRODUCTION Scientific advances often are most impressive when things appear to be going wrong. Perseverance, keen observations, and intelligence are necessary in order to take advantages of the surprises that research provides. The story of the NIH shift is a good example of this. This is an important chapter in the early research that John Daly conducted. This work involved the input of many NIH scientists and this prompted one of the players, Dr. Bernhard Witkop, Chief of the Laboratory of Chemistry (now the Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry), to name the fundamental process that was discovered the NIH Shift. 1 OXIDATIVE ENZYME ASSAYS BASED ON RADIOISOTOPE RELEASE: John and the late Gordon Guroff, a biochemist in the National Heart Institute (now NHLBI), published an initial observation that turned out to have immense ramifications. 2 Oxidative enzymes catalyze the HETEROCYCLES, Vol. 79, 2009 85


observed NB-GFRs being underestimated by the NBGFR equation while lower observed NB-GFRs were overestimated by the NB-GFR equation, which may be fixed by adding split renal function or parameters such as tumor characteristics including tumor complexity and contact surface area. Recently, a new simple model was reported that incorporates split renal function and renal-functional compensation provides a more accurate prediction of NB-GFR after radical nephrectomy. On the other point of view, the surgeon's technique and surgical complications certainly affect postoperative renal function, so in a sense, the conclusion is destined to be individualized.


In this communication, we present some results of laser ultrasonic experiments on nano and meso porous films and photonic crystals. In the beginning, low-k materials were studied with the pump probe technique. We start by presenting their mechanical and optical properties extracted through analysis of our transient reflectivity results. Our results were compared to data collected by other optical techniques. Some inhomogeneities in the mechanical properties were observed. Secondly, we focused on nano-porous alumina structure. Some resonance phenomena and interferometric measurements helped to determine its elastic properties and dimensions. The last part of this work was allocated to the study of synthetic opals. The pump-probe technique was used to probe the eigenmodes of the submicron spheres. We could also draw some correlations between the photonic band gap (PBG) structure and the excitation/detection wavelength. A qualitative description of their photonic behaviour was formulated.


Polarization and Depolarization Current (PDC) measurement is a non-destructive dielectric testing method used to determine the electrical properties of transformer insulation. Nowadays, natural ester has been used as alternative liquid insulation in transformers because it can be easily decomposed, highly flammable, resistant to moisture, and prolong of pressboard (solid insulation in a transformer) compared with mineral oil. Furthermore, palm oil is also an interestingly alternative insulating liquid. This paper presents the PDC characteristics of mineral oil, natural ester (FR3), and palm oil under various temperatures. All received liquid specimen were dry in the controlled temperature oven at 70°C under 200 mbar and then they were cooled down to ambient temperature around 25-30°C. The liquid samples were investigated for three cases as follows: 1) moisture content measurement according to ASTM D1533, 2) dielectric dissipation factor measurement as per ASTM D924, and 3) polarization current and depolarization current measurement at liquid temperature of 30°C, 50°C, and 70°C respectively. The PDC characteristics of mineral oil impregnated pressboards and natural ester impregnated pressboards were also investigated. The PDC test results were analyzed. It was found that the dielectric response of mineral oil was significantly different from natural ester (FR3) and palm oil. Besides, it was clearly that the conduction current of liquid insulation increased with increasing liquid temperature. Moreover, the pressboard impregnated with natural ester provided better insulation characteristics such as lower conduction current than that of the pressboard impregnated with mineral oil.


Chapter 3 focuses on George Oppen's first two books, the lost 21 Poem (discovered in 2017) and Discrete Series (published in 1934). Considered by critics to be inscrutably gnomic, unrelated, and discontinuous (indeed, "discrete") a reconstruction of Oppen's source text—the Oxford English Dictionary, which had been completed to much celebration in 1928 just as Oppen was writing his poems—reveals his exhaustive inclusion of even the specialist definitions of certain key words. In addition to establishing continuities among the putatively discrete poems, the chapter offers fresh historical readings of modern mechanism (automobiles and elevators) that populate his poems and that served in turn, for William Carlos Williams, as the figure for the poems' own lexical machinations. Furthermore, the logic of the signifier that structures the dictionary reveals an unexpected self-portraiture at work, across Oppen's œuvre, in certain figures of glass enclosures and windows.


A boundary transfer matrix formulation allows to calculate the Loschmidt echo for one-dimensional quantum systems in the thermodynamic limit. We show that non-analyticities in the Loschmidt echo and zeros for the Loschmidt amplitude in the complex plane (Fisher zeros) are caused by a crossing of eigenvalues in the spectrum of the transfer matrix. Using a density-matrix renormalization group algorithm applied to these transfer matrices we numerically investigate the Loschmidt echo and the Fisher zeros for quantum quenches in the XXZ model with a uniform and a staggered magnetic field. We give examples---both in the integrable and the non-integrable case---where the Loschmidt echo does not show non-analyticities although the quench leads across an equilibrium phase transition, and examples where non-analyticities appear for quenches within the same phase. For a quench to the free fermion point, we analytically show that the Fisher zeros sensitively depend on the initial state and can lie exactly on the real axis already for finite system size. Furthermore, we use bosonization to analyze our numerical results for quenches within the Luttinger liquid phase.


Dr Eddy Sethna was born on 3 December 1925 in Bombay, India. He won two scholarships which entirely funded his medical school training and he qualified with MB BS from Bombay in 1951. Having completed house jobs in Bombay, he became a senior house officer in medicine at the Bury and Rossendale Group


This book, a copy of the title The Boy's King Arthur from the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, is going on a loan to the Taft Museum of Art. Overall, the book is in fair condition. The corners of the binding are worn with small losses of the covering materials. Additionally, there is a preferential opening in the textblock between pages 166‐167. In preparation for exhibition, a custom mat board cradle was created to display the book to pre-selected plate. A custom corrugated clamshell enclosure was also created for transport and long term storage.


ABSTRACT In this study, Ni–B/hBN composite coatings were galvanostatically electrodeposited on 304 L grade steel substrates with 50 mA cm−2 of current density from a modified Watt type nickel electrodeposition bath including trimethylamine-borane complex (TMAB), and hBN with the average particle size of 100 nm. The effect of the concentration of hexadecylamine (HDA) as a nonionic surfactant has been investigated. The concentration range was 0–400 ppm. HDA has a significant positive effect on mechanical, tribological and corrosion protection properties of the electrodeposited composite coatings due to its increasing effect on the hBN volume fraction in the coating. According to the results of this study, HDA may be a new nonionic surfactant alternative for metal-matrix composite electrodeposition.


Based on previous mass researches,the concepts,evaluation steps and respective characteristics of biological integrity index and hydro-geomorphology evaluation method were summarized systematically.Though evaluations on ecosystem health and function were put forward from different sides by hydro-geomorphology evaluation and biological integrity evaluation,both of them were similar on the theory and method.Combining the both to use in wetland assessment was very necessary and feasible.


Objective: To investigate microwave heating in inactivation of virus in low pH intravenous immunoglobulin preparations. Methods: Microwave heating in low pH intravenous immunoglobulin(IVIG) was done by using VSV and Sindbis viruses as viruse indicator. Results: Microwave heating at 50℃ for an hour can inactivate viruses completely without changing the IVIG biological activities. Conclusion: Microwave heating is applicable to the inactivation of the viruses in low pH IVIG and also improves the safety of the preparations.


The distributed amplifier photodiode combination shows a superior signal to noise ratio over the grounded source one when used with a lossy photodiode. A 8.34 dB improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio is predicted at a 40 GHz bandwidth. The effect of photodiode resistance on the signal to noise performance is very small. >


This paper discusses the functions and quality requirements of student teaching feedback reporters,and explores the training mechanism in order to perfect the management system of student teaching feedback reporters and improve the quality control of teaching.


Background and Purpose: Infarct volumes predict malignant infarcts in patients undergoing decompressive hemicraniectomy (DH) for large middle cerebral artery territory infarcts. The aim of the study was to determine the optimal magnetic resonance imaging infarct volume threshold that predicts a catastrophic outcome at 1 year (modified Rankin Scale score of 5 or death). Methods: We included consecutive patients who underwent DH for large middle cerebral artery infarcts. We analyzed infarct volumes before DH with semi-automated methods on b1000 diffusion-weighted imaging sequences and apparent diffusion coefficient maps. We studied infarct volume thresholds for prediction of catastrophic outcomes, and analyzed sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the curve, a value ≥0.70 indicating an acceptable prediction. Results: Of 173 patients (109 men, 63%; median age 53 years), 42 (24.3%) had catastrophic outcomes. Magnetic resonance imaging b1000 diffusion-weighted imaging and apparent diffusion coefficient infarct volumes were associated to the occurrence of 1-year catastrophic outcome (adjusted odds ratio, 9.17 [95% CI, 2.00–42.04] and odds ratio, 4.18 [95% CI, 1.33–13.19], respectively, per 1 log increase). The optimal volume cutoff of were 211 mL on b1000 diffusion-weighted imaging and 181 mL on apparent diffusion coefficient maps. The 2 methods showed similar sensitivities and specificities and overlapping area under the curve of 0.64 (95% CI, 0.54–0.74). Conclusions: In patients with large middle cerebral artery infarcts, optimal magnetic resonance imaging infarct volume thresholds showed poor accuracy and low specificity to predict 1-year catastrophic outcome, with different b1000 diffusion-weighted imaging and apparent diffusion coefficient thresholds. In the setting of DH, optimal infarct volumes alone should not be used to deny DH, irrespectively of the method used.


Pleural effusion in which a high proportion of the cells are eosinophils is not a widely recognized phenomenon. One purpose of this paper is to report that the cause of such an effusion may be a fungus infection. Two patients with eosinophilic effusion are described in detail, and several others of which we have knowledge are mentioned briefly. Finally, we will review the pertinent literature on this subject. Report of Cases Case 1.— A 42-year-old male laborer was admitted to the Albuquerque Veterans Hospital on Dec. 5, 1961, with acute pleuritic left lateral chest pain of one week's duration. He had come to New Mexico from California about ten days previously, working as an itinerant laborer, and shortly thereafter had become ill as described, with temperature up to 102 F and severe malaise. There was a history of vague aching in the chest, knees, and hips together with slight dyspnea


One of the disadvantages of the direct torque control(DTC)is the poor performance at low speed,and the dead-time effect is an important factor influencing its low speed performance. A scheme of dead-time compensation is proposed by the analysis of dead-time effect and the simulation of the system is carried out. The simulation results show that the current distortion is significantly reduced,and the algorithm is simple and easy to implement.


Nowadays overpopulated countries like Bangladesh have become a warzone where thousands of people lose their lives and even more become handicapped due to road accidents. With the recent popularity of ride sharing apps like Pathao, Uber Moto, Shohoz etc. the number of bikes in Dhaka city has increased drastically. As bike accidents are becoming quite an alarming issue, we felt the need of an improved bike safety system. In this paper, we have proposed a system that detects bike accidents using MPU6050 (gyro sensor and accelerometer), SIM808 (GPS+GPRS+GSM), Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and Arduino Uno. We have placed the proposed system on the surface of the bike. If an accident occurs, the sensors will trigger and send a message containing the number and location of the biker to the nearest hospitals, police stations and registered family members.


This article explores issue of the race of Mohe(靺鞨)through analyzing theanthropological materials of Troitskiy cemetery and SaPuCa cemetery of Mohe in Russian FarEast area.Seen from the results of the study,the constitution type of Mohe people at SaPuCa is closer to that of Ancient Siberian,whereas the constitution type of Mohe people at Troitskiy is closer to that of ancient Mongoloids,which suggests that the composition of Mohe people is complicated and has multiple sources.The archaeological culture and ethnic composition ofTroitskiy cemetery is influenced by Baikal people especially by Turkic people.There are differenttendencies in the final gene flow of Troitskiy and SaPuCa Mohe pepple.


In this paper we present WERITAS, which is based in part on the traditional Active Shape Model (ASM) segmentation system. WERITAS generates multiple statistical texture features, and finds the optimal weighted average of those texture features by maximizing the correlation between the Euclidean distance to the ground truth and the Mahalanobis distance to the training data. The weighted average is used a multi-resolution segmentation system to more accurately detect the object border. A rigorous evaluation was performed on over 200 clinical images comprising of prostate images and breast images from 1.5 Tesla and 3 Tesla MRI machines via 6 distinct metrics. WERITAS was tested against a traditional multi-resolution ASM in addition to an ASM system which uses a plethora of random features to determine if the selection of features is improving the results rather than simply the use of multiple features. The results indicate that WERITAS outperforms all other methods to a high degree of statistical significance. For 1.5T prostate MRI images, the overlap from WERITAS is 83%, the overlap from the random features is 81%, and the overlap from the traditional ASM is only 66%. In addition, using 3T prostate MRI images, the overlap from WERITAS is 77%, the overlap from the random features is 54%, and the overlap from the traditional ASM is 59%, suggesting the usefulness of WERITAS. The only metrics in which WERITAS was outperformed did not hold any degree of statistical significance. WERITAS is a robust, efficient, and accurate segmentation system with a wide range of applications.


Using input-output –method, this study evaluates direct and indirect income and employment effects of reducing roundwood imports from Russia on both the wood working and the pulp and paper industry in Eastern Finland. Four different scenarios of roundwood import reduction and two different possibilities to increase domestic roundwood procurement were analysed. Due to lack of data, similar effects for the Republic of Karelia are calculated using two alternative scenarios to compensate reducing exports. The results indicate that forest industry, together with multiplier effects on other sectors, in Eastern Finland is facing considerable structural changes if the custom tariffs programme for roundwood exports from Russia is fulfilled. The key issue for the development of employment and incomes in Eastern Finland's forest industry is how the domestic wood procurement or roundwood imports from other countries can be increased to compensate the roundwood imports from Russia. In the worst scenario with only limited possibilities to increase domestic wood procurement, unemployment will increase nearly six thousand and value of production will decrease even by over one milliard euros. Even if domestic wood procurement can compensate the reducing roundwood export amounts to some extent, the employment will decrease by few hundreds of employees and the loss in production value will be in the range of tens of thousands millions to over several hundred million euros. The only sector which will face positive income and employment effects is forestry because of increasing domestic loggings, transportation and other related services. The corresponding results for the Republic of Karelia due to the decreasing roundwood exports indicate also considerable increasing unemployment and decreasing value of output in regional economy, if the domestic production capacity especially in mechanical wood working industry is not able to increase production volumes.


Water irrigation is an efficacious decontaminating method for dermis exposures to corrosive agents and hence has been widely applied to treat especially alkali burns. Nevertheless, once alkali has infiltrated the deep subcutaneous tissue, washing the tissue surface with water irrigation does not attenuate the damage progress. Therefore, significant efforts have been devoted to promising strategies aimed at removing the deeply infiltrated lye. According to a recent report, the negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) reduces the pH value of the exudate from alkali‐provoked burns thus accelerating wound healing. However, it remains to be ascertained whether or not NPWT coupled with water irrigation, that is, iNPWT, more effectively hinders the alkali injury deepening. In this study, we compared the effectiveness of an early application of water irrigation with or without NPWT in preventing the progressive deepening of the alkali burn in an animal model. Our histological examination results showed no appreciable difference in tissue injury depth, dermal retention, inflammatory cell infiltration, re‐epithelization, and cellular function between iNPWT and water irrigation alone treatments. Thus, our results prove that the more expensive NPWT coupled with water irrigation does not more effectively hinder the alkali's injury deepening. Hence, iNPWT use should be more cautious in clinical practice.


The invention discloses a foamed environment-friendly wood-plastic composite material. The foamed environment-friendly wood-plastic composite material comprises the following raw materials in parts by weight: 80-90 parts of polyvinyl chloride plastic particles, 60-70 parts of wood fibers, 10-12 parts of wollastonite powder, 4-6 parts of aluminium silicate, 2-3 parts of polytetrafluoroethylene fibers, 2-3 parts of propanediol adipate polyester, 1-2 parts of sodium peroxide, 2-3 parts of nano zinc oxide, 2-3 parts of allyl alcohol, 1-2 parts of 3-glycidyloxypropyl trimethoxysilane, 3-4 parts of calcium stearate, 2-3 parts of p-toluenesulfonhydrazide and 3-4 parts of binding auxiliary. The foamed environment-friendly wood-plastic composite material has good mechanical properties and strong creep resistance and impact resistance, is environment-friendly, can be decomposed and can not cause white pollution.


Silicon Drift Detectors (SDD), were originally developed for use in high energy physics experiments, however, in recent years, they have been transformed to extend their operational mode as X-ray Energy Dispersive Spectrometers (XEDS) systems [1-3]. Three of the most important reasons for this development are: 1.) their relatively large size ( ~1 cm) yields large solid angles, 2.) an ability to operate at near room temperature removing the need for LN2, and 3.) their inherently low capacitance which enables high counting rates. This new breed of detectors has, to-date, been incorporated into X-ray Diffractometers, X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometers, and Scanning Electron Microscopes [4-5], however, no work has yet been reported on their use in the AEM/TEM/STEM instruments. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the performance of the SDD on an intermediate voltage AEM, particularly with respect to potential applications in the US DoE TEAM project [6].


We use some of the standard notation of analytic number theory; ψ(x) is defined in (1), page 12, and where μ(n) is the Möbius function.


To assess the feasibility of measuring tubular and vascular signal fractions in the human kidney using nonnegative least‐square (NNLS) analysis of intravoxel incoherent motion data collected in healthy volunteers and patients with renal pathologies.


Trajectories of psychotropic drug purchases around disability pension process have only been studies among awarded applicants. The aim was to follow and compare psychotropic drug purchases between awarded and rejected applicants before and after the application ruling, and to analyse whether such differences are affected by diagnostic group and sociodemographic background.

 A representative 70% sample of Finnish adults applying disability pension due to mental or behavioral disorder in 2009-2011 (N = 18,087) were followed for four eight years in three-month periods. Registers of purchased psychotropic drugs measured in defined daily doses (DDDs), gender, age, occupational class, unemployment history, and diagnostic group were used. The DDD levels and trends were analysed using growth curve models.

 The average purchased DDDs of psychotropic drugs increased before the application ruling and decreased gradually thereafter among both awarded and rejected applicants. Before the application ruling the DDD level was higher for the rejected applicants. However, the increase in DDDs was steeper for awarded applicants. The inversed U-curve of purchase amount was most prominent awarded applicants in diagnostic groups of bipolar disorders, depression, anxiety disorders and schizophrenia. The results partly varied between sociodemographic groups.

 The early high level of psychotropic drug purchases of rejected disability pension applicants signals long running ill-health, calling for earlier measures to uphold their functional ability. Respectively, for awarded applicants, the steep DDD increase before the ruling may reflect accurate identification of worsening condition but also access to precise treatment.

 Rejected disability pension applicants with mental disorders suffer from long-running mental ill-health, calling for earlier measures to uphold their mental health and prevent the pension process. Awarded disability pension applicants with mental disorders may have access to more precise treatment, but their worsening condition appear to be accurately identified by Finnish system.


T he CJU has a strong commitment to bring global and international healthcare awareness to our readers. As attention is focused on emerging healthcare issues in developing nations, many of the challenges involve urological diseases. We are very pleased to publish, in a special section in this issue of CJU, Urologic cancer in Africa—Papers from the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC) meeting


H ISTORICAL OBJECTIVITY is no easy task. David Daube has shown there is no scholarly effort independent of fashion (by which he understands a cultural trend) and idiosyncracy (by which he understands a personal bent). 1 A further element obscures the truth: the self-selection of scholars. Independently of fashion and idiosyncracy, those scholars who choose to work in a particular field will share some common features. Scholars who choose to specialize in Roman law will tend to admire the Romans and their achievement in law-making. They will want to approve of the rules they find in the legal sources, hence they become blind-or at least excessively short-sighted-to some obvious blemishes. I should like to discuss three aspects of the law of slavery which have been widely misunderstood, and where the misunderstanding makes Roman law more decent than it was. Roman slavery may be condemned by later scholars but they neglect or misinterpret information on some of its most distressing features.


AbstractSince the abstracts of original papers are one of their most frequently read and most easily accessible elements, they should be as informative and accurate as possible. It is therefore worrying that 18–68% of 264 abstracts from six major general medical journals, were shown to contain data that were either inconsistent with or absent from the main body of the article. This paper provides an overview of published structures for writing an abstract of an original study or review and quality criteria to assess such abstracts. Guidelines for structured abstracts were first proposed in 1987 and have been under continuous review since. Today, nearly all journals request authors to prepare a structured abstract before peer review, preferably in accordance with the IMRAD format (i.e. Introduction, Methods, Results And Discussion) or the 'eight-heading' format (i.e. Objective, Design, Setting, Patients and participants, Intervention(s), Main outcome measures, Results, and Conclusions). In addition, guidel...


(57) [summary] (A) and CH Wherein, B, U, X, Y, Z, m, n, and p are defined in the text. Characteristics of macromonomer, one or more of the following variables: a, b, and c the molar ratio of is controlled by adjusting the temperature, monomer concentration, and the conversion rate.


Cantus Planus Regensburg . David Hiley, Project Director. URL: http://www.uni-regensburg.de/Fakultaeten/phil\_Fak\_I/Musikwissenschaft/cantus/

 Corpus Antiphonalium Officii-Ecclesiae Centralis Europae [CAO-ECE]. Laszlo Dobszay and Gabor Proszeky, Directors. URL: http://www.zti.hu/earlymusic/cao-ece/cao-ece.html

 CANTUS: A Database for Latin Ecclesiastical Chant . Debra Lacoste, Project Manager and Principal Researcher; Jan Kolacek, Developer and Research Assistant; Kate Helsen, Research Assistant. URL: http://www.cantusdatabase.org

 Global Chant Database . Jan Kolacek, Director. URL: http://www.globalchant.org/

 The CANTUS Index . Jan Kolacek, Project Director; Debra Lacoste, Project Manager; Elsa De Luca, Co-founder; Kate Helsen, Research Assistant. URL: http://cantusindex.org/

Since the advent of the internet two decades ago, online digital projects in the field of chant studies have emerged which allow unprecedented free access to digital facsimiles, manuscript inventories, and tools for reportorial analysis. These open-access resources save valuable time in locating manuscript concordances and in the comparative analysis of repertoire and variants. They furthermore facilitate two new kinds of reading: the first, a broad survey across a wide sampling of manuscripts made possible by large data collections, and the second, the close examination of individual manuscripts in digital facsimile, unfettered by the constraints posed by traditional archival study. The emergence of such tools has moreover encouraged a refocusing of scholarly interest from the earliest origins of chant to include a diversity of repertoires and practices across space and time.

For individual chant scholars, digital resources not only save valuable time and expand the possibilities of comparative research: they also offer an opportunity for digital publication. Once a standard system of crediting individual contributions has been established, projects such as the CANTUS Database and the CANTUS Index will provide the means for scholarly digital publication of manuscript descriptions and inventories—essential tools which are created in the research process, but which are increasing impractical to publish in a print medium. The publication of individual work in collaborative digital projects such as the CANTUS Database and the newly established CANTUS Index promises to benefit both the individual researcher, and the field as a whole. Yet numerous challenges confront project directors: foremost among these are the need to ensure the sustainability of digital projects across institutional and technological changes, and the imperative of establishing standards for crediting individual authors for their scholarly contributions.

Ask a chant scholar, and you will discover that we are keepers of tables: meticulously compiled personal inventories of …


One of the major goals of cognitive therapy is to generate cognitive restructuring for clients. While generating cognitive restructuring plenty of cognitive interventions can be useful. One of those interventions is building a Pie Chart (PC) prepared collaboratively with clients. In literature large amount of example related to target areas of PC has been stated. Investigating reasons of an event or a situation, appraising one's responsibility, testing catastrophic evaluations regarding a life event, challenging labeling thoughts and setting goals are some of the major target areas of PC. When using PC it is aimed at expanding perspectives of clients and helping them achieve an objective point of view towards life events and situations. The goal of the current paper is to explain the target areas for PC as a tool for cognitive restructuring.
Key Words: Cognitive Therapy, Cognitive Restructuring, Pie Chart Technique


The ecosystem in Karst region is very fragile,the vegetation is difficult to recover after destruction caused by the human factors including population growth,agricultural activities,industrialization,etc.Ecotourism has been said to be the only way to remedy and reconstruct the Karst area ecosystem.The purpose of this paper is to discuss the regional sustainable development by reviewing on the Karst sight exploitation.


Atherosclerosis disease of the carotid is one of the major reasons for stroke and a leading cause for morbidity and mortality. An accurate diagnosis and severity quantification of the disease is therefore needed to prevent symptoms and decide the appropriate treatment. The most important indicator for the risk of symptoms is the Degree of Stenosis (DS). Very recently, a new score was proposed, called Enhanced Activity Index (EAI), which is more complex but more accurate than DS. EAI, however, only takes into account medical information about the patient. In this work, other factors besides the medical ones, e.g., age, gender, expected costs and effects of surgery to the patient, are considered together with EAI in order to improve the information available for the decision making process of endarterectomy. Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALY), and its respective Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratio (ICER), when compared to medical therapy, will be considered. The optimal EAI cut-off for endarterectomy is computed under the Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) framework. A Graphical User Interface (GUI) is described to help the medical staff in the decision making process. The optimal decision point is adjusted according to population characteristics, inherent to the ROC curve, patient information and economic aspects. Complementary analysis of medical outputs, in a comparative perspective of different strategy therapies, is assessed and quantified in terms of the life expectancy, QALY and ICER are included in the overall Computer Aided Diagnosis (CAD) tool for endarterectomy decision making purposes. The method is tested with real data acquired at Instituto Cardiovascular de Lisboa and Department of Vascular Surgery, Hospital de Santa Maria, Lisbon. The created tool outputs coincident results to the ones presented in different studies of the bibliography. This preliminary approach to the problem lead to promising results that strongly suggest its application at medical facilities in clinical practice. Nevertheless, it would be interesting to incorporate both the EAI and the economical information in a global index.


Metal complexes bearing dichalcogenated imidodiphosphinate [R2P(E)NP(E)R2′]− ligands (E = O, S, Se, Te), which act as (E,E) chelates, exhibit a remarkable variety of three-dimensional structures. A series of such complexes, namely, square-planar [Cu{(OPPh2)(OPPh2)N-O, O}2], tetrahedral [Zn{(EPPh2)(EPPh2)N-E,E}2], E = O, S, and octahedral [Ga{(OPPh2)(OPPh2)N-O,O}3], were tested as potential inhibitors of either the platelet activating factor (PAF)- or thrombin-induced aggregation in both washed rabbit platelets and rabbit platelet rich plasma. For comparison, square-planar [Ni{(Ph2P)2N-S-CHMePh-P, P}X2], X = Cl, Br, the corresponding metal salts of all complexes and the (OPPh2)(OPPh2)NH ligand were also investigated. Ga(O,O)3 showed the highest anti-PAF activity but did not inhibit the thrombin-related pathway, whereas Zn(S,S)2, with also a significant PAF inhibitory effect, exhibited the highest thrombin-related inhibition. Zn(O,O)2 and Cu(O,O)2 inhibited moderately both PAF and thrombin, being more effective towards PAF. This work shows that the PAF-inhibitory action depends on the structure of the complexes studied, with the bulkier Ga(O,O)3 being the most efficient and selective inhibitor.


Abstract Background Fungemia is associated with high rates of morbidity, mortality and increase in length of hospital stay. Several studies have recognized increased rates of candidemia since the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted at a tertiary healthcare system in Detroit, Michigan to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on incidence of candidemia. The "pre COVID-19" timeframe was defined as January – May 2019 while the "during COVID-19" timeframe was January – May 2020. To compare incidence and patient characteristics between cohorts, t-tests and chi-square analysis was used. Additional sub-analysis was performed in candidemia patients during COVID-19 timeframe comparing outcomes of patients based on COVID-19 status. A Fisher Exact and Satterthwaite Test were used for analysis of categorical and continuous variables, respectively. Results Overall, 46 cases of candidemia were identified in both the pre COVID-19 and during COVID-19 periods. Pre COVID-19, the average number of cases was 3.0 ± 1.2 per month. The incidence more than doubled during COVID-19 to 6.2 ± 4.2 cases per month (p = 0.14) (Figure 1). No significant differences in patient demographics were detected between cohorts, however, patients in the COVID-19 cohort had higher rates of corticosteroid use, mechanical ventilation and vasopressors (Table 1). In the 2020 period, 31 patients developed candidemia and 12 (38.7%) patients tested SARS-CoV-2 positive. On average, COVID-19 patients developed candidemia 12.1 days from admission, compared to 17.8 days in the COVID-19 negative cohort (p = 0.340). Additionally, COVID-19 patients with candidemia coinfection were significantly more likely to expire; 83.3% (n=10) COVID-19 patients expired compared to 36.8 (n=7) in the COVID-19 negative cohort (p = 0.025) (Table 2). Figure 1. Incidence of Candidemia in the Pre-COVID-19 (January 2019 – May 2019) and During COVID-19 (January 2020-May 2020) periods Table 1. Characteristics of Candidemia patients in the pre-COVID (January 2019-May 2019) and during-COVID periods (January 2020-May 2020) Table 2. Characteristics of Candidemia patients in the SARS-COV-2 negative and SARS-COV-2 positive cohorts from January 2020-May 2020 Conclusion The prevalence of fungemia markedly increased during the COVID-19 surge. Increased use of corticosteroids and broad spectrum antimicrobials, prolonged use of central venous catheters and prolonged ICU length of stay likely contributed to this increase. Patients who developed candidemia co-infection with COVID-19 were found to have poorer outcomes as compared to those who were SARS-CoV-2 negative or untested. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures


Multi-layer graphene has many unique properties for realizing graphene-based nano-electronic device applications as well as for fundamental studies. This paper mainly focuses on the conductance fluctuations in multi-layer graphene. The low-temperature saturation of dephasing time in multi-layer graphene is one order magnitude shorter than that in single-layer graphene, and the onset temperature of the low-temperature saturation of dephasing time in multi-layer graphene was significantly lower than that in single-layer graphene, which is noteworthy in the low-temperature saturation of dephasing time. We speculate that the carrier transport is shielded by capping transport and bottom layer graphene due to the substrate impurities and air molecules scattering.


Abstract. We consider the design methods and operation principles of a fast-response optical sensor for precise measurement of small temperature variations, which is based on ring resonators of micron size made from waveguides with one or two slots filled by a liquid crystal. The sensor sensitivity and measurement region can be changed by modifying the parameters of the waveguide or resonator, such as width of the waveguide strips or slots, slot separation, resonator bend radius, coefficient of coupling between the ring and input/output waveguides, etc. We analyzed the dependence of the transverse field distribution and effective indices of the orthogonally polarized modes in the slot and double-slot waveguides on the waveguide and resonator parameters, and we have considered the optimization of the temperature sensor structure based on such waveguides.


The reliability of electric power distribution networks has gained greater interest in recent times. One of the main causes of frequent failure of electric power distribution networks is exceeding the current carrying capacity of the conductors being used. That normally happen as a result of failure of utility companies to upgrade the conductor to a bigger size as the load increases due to lack of resources. The projected annual load growth for metropolitan areas in Ghana averages 8% per annum. For that reason, the projected load growth for the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis for the years 2020, 2025 and 2030 was estimated using the 8% annual load growth rate. The modelling and the simulation results indicated that aluminium conductor of size 265 mm 2 is required to sustain the projected load growth beyond the year 2030 but will require switch shunt capacitor compensation.


The objective of this study is to analyse the formation of older and ageing drivers in Swedish transportation policy. Documents from the Swedish Government, the Riksdag and, in a few cases, public ...


The honey bee tracheal mite Acarapis woodi (Rennie) (Acari: Tarsonemidae) is an internal obligate parasite of the respiratory system of adult honey bees (Apis mellifera), which may be one of the factors causing the loss of bee colonies and the decrease in the beekeeping industry. In Argentina, the last prevalence study of A. woodi was in 1998, and therefore there is no current data on the prevalence and impact of the mite in colonies of A. mellifera in this country. For this reason, the objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of A. woodi in honey bee colonies of apiaries belonging to different geographic regions of Argentina (Northwest, Chaco, Mesopotamic, Pampean and Patagonic) using two different methods of diagnosis. One method was traditional microscopy, which is based on direct visualization of A. woodi in the prothoracic tracheas of bees, and the other technique was molecular analysis using real-time PCR with specific primers to amplify CO1 gene of A. woodi. To perform the analysis of prevalence, bees were collected during winter, because during this season, populations of A. woodi are more abundant in bee colonies. The results were negative for both methods of diagnosis, with prevalence equal to 0%. Considering that in recent years it has been reported an increased mortality in bee colonies in Argentina, we note that acarapisosis is not currently impacting on the disappearance of A. mellifera colonies in Argentina.


The aim of this paper is twofold: first, to demonstrate that two criteria (power and solidarity) are not sufficient to explain different systems found in different cultures; second, to propose four parameters (power, solidarity, respect and distance) and to apply them both as single, prototypical principles and as interactional features. In most cases these four interactional features work together in verbal interactions. The speaker may refer explicitly to his own status (as in the title of this paper) or to the status of the addressee in speech acts which may be considered as metainteractional statements.


Nigeria has a population of about 160 million people and an area of land covering 200,000 square kilometres. Amongst the numerous natural resources in Nigeria; water resources is most plenteous and is developing at a fast pace. Because of the lack of sound early


As the humidity of the ocean environment is relatively high, it will affect the working performance of the wind power converter, it is essential to enhance the anti-condensation effect of the converter. Therefore, in this paper, we will study the active anti-condensation technology of offshore wind power converter based on thermal control in terms of converter topology selection, loss and thermal model, active anti-condensation technology, selection of connection scheme and converter technology improvement in order to reduce the impact of offshore humidity environment on converter efficiency and keep it in good working condition.


Using a operator that E.Sanchez presented , some simple and convenient critical methods on a fuzzy relational equation solution were renewed. The methods on a special fuzzy relational equation minimum solution were given. The critical methods on a fuzzy similar matrix equation solution were presented in this paper.


The junctional membrane protein vascular endothelial (VE)–cadherin mediates contact inhibition of growth and inhibits apoptosis of endothelial cells. In this article we show that VE-cadherin induces expression of growth arrest–specific 1 (Gas1), an integral membrane protein upregulated in nonproliferating cells. By comparing syngenic endothelial cell lines, we found that Gas1 mRNA was increased by 3-fold in VE-cadherin–positive cells in comparison to VE-cadherin–null cells. Ectopic expression of Gas1 in endothelial or 293 cells strongly reduced apoptosis without affecting cell growth. Addition of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) also up-regulated Gas1 and this effect was augmented more so in confluent nonproliferating cells than in sparse cultures. VE-cadherin–blocking antibody partially inhibited VEGF-induced Gas1, suggesting that VE-cadherin clustering is required for an optimal response to this stimulus. Inhibition of phosphoinositole3-OH kinase (PI3-kinase) pathway by Wortmannin prevented Gas1 synthesis and the antiapoptotic effect of VEGF, but, in cells ectopically expressing Gas1, Wortmannin was ineffective. Furthermore, inhibition of Gas1 expression by short interfering RNA (siRNA) both in vitro and in allantois organ cultures made endothelial cells refractory to the antiapoptotic effect of VEGF. Overall these data indicate that Gas1 induction by VE-cadherin and VEGF in endothelial cells requires activation of PI3-kinase. Gas1 expression positively correlates with inhibition of endothelial cell apoptosis and may contribute to the integrity of resting endothelium. (Blood. 2004;103:3005-3012)


Bacillus subtilis was found to produce PHB and the amount of PHB produced was estimated under various conditions like pH, temperature, and also using different substrates. PHB was also produced using various inexpensive substrates like arrowroot powder; rice water: and sago water and the amount of PHB produced were estimated by reading the absorbance at 235nm.


FIELD: veterinary medicine. SUBSTANCE: method comprises administering in ovo during the final quarter of the incubation period of an effective immunising dose of the immunogenic composition directly into the embryo. EFFECT: use of invention enables to enhance the immune response due to more effective route of administration. 22 cl, 17 tbl, 7 ex


This paper shows an application of Bloom and Esik's iteration algebras to model graph data in a graph database query language. About twenty years ago, Buneman et al. developed a graph database query language UnQL on the top of a functional meta-language UnCAL for describing and manipulating graphs. Recently, the functional programming community has shown renewed interest in UnCAL, because it provides an efficient graph transformation language which is useful for various applications, such as bidirectional computation. However, no mathematical semantics of UnQL/UnCAL graphs has been developed. In this paper, we give an equational axiomatisation and algebraic semantics of UnCAL graphs. The main result of this paper is to prove that completeness of our equational axioms for UnCAL for the original bisimulation of UnCAL graphs via iteration algebras. Another benefit of algebraic semantics is a clean characterisation of structural recursion on graphs using free iteration algebra.


Based on the deformation character of full coal roadway in deep mining,for example 261308 air return way coal in xinji mining,the new supporting system was put forward that high strength bolt of more dense and length was put in middle of tunnel side to keep plastic deformation stability,prestress anchor was applied in middle of tunnel roof to eliminate interlayer separation and to keep loose coal interlayer stability and floor bolt was put to control heaving floor deformation.through application in 261308air return way coal in xinji mining,its effect was satisfactory.


The development of health technologies by transnational pharmaceutical industries has been considered the most profitable industrial activity on the planet. This economic power facilitates the favoring of the interests of those who are the biggest sponsors and promoters of research in their relationships with researchers, institutions and associations of patients. In developed countries, about 90% of clinical trials are conducted by large pharmaceutical industries, in developing countries it varies between 100 and 95%. That is, in the reality of countries like Brazil and Angola there is a clear dependency due to the low research capacity. There are some differences in the rigor with which the concept of conflict of interest has been defined. We will work with the International Council of Science Editors' definition that has been used by most of the highest impact scientific journals. In this definition, any financial relationship or other types of advantages offered by sponsors and promoters to researchers and research institutions already characterizes a factual and not just potential conflict of interest. We will try to demonstrate the most common practices these conflicts appear through the hiring of medical consultants, injection of resources in journals, medical associations and organizations of patients, payments or advantages to institutions, researchers, research participants and ethics committees, as well as in funding of scientific events. We will finally present some results of a recent publication conducted by me and a graduate student in Bioethics on conflicts of interest between sponsors of Brazilian national specialty congresses and researchers and the results of clinical trials for drugs presented.


There's a group of metallic fits which are present in many Iberian Iron Age contexts that are being usually interpreted as horse bits by the Spanish research. However, neither their morphology, nor their archaeological contexts make credible these interpretation. In addition, there are a lot of European similar findings, mainly from chariot tombs from the Hallstatt and La Tene Cultures, which are interpreted as closing yoke pieces (toggles) and which can indicate the true function for these Spanish findings. Some iconographical evidence from a horse stone sculpture coming from Andalusia could confirm this use in the Late Iberian Iron Age.


This work evaluates the possible correlation between low fracture toughness (critical CTOD) and local brittle zones (LBZ) occurrences in heat affected zone (HAZ) coarse grain regions. The fracture toughness of a welded API 5L X80 steel was characterized using SE(B) specimens for CTOD determination with notches located in the HAZ. The specimen dimensions are thickness B=17mm, width W=34mm, span S=138mm and crack length to width ratio, a/W=0,5. The effects of LBZ are evaluated through tests carried out in temperatures of -40oC, -50oC and -70oC. The critical CTOD values obtained in this work had presented low fracture toughness and these results can be attributed to local brittle zones formed in the welding process.


This paper discusses the successful implementation of the use of final-year accounting students, known as teaching assistants (TAs), to improve the learning experience of students in the first year of their course. TAs were paid to attend tutorials and provide assistance to students under the direction of the tutor. The university's survey of course experience showed a significant increase in perceptions of good teaching. Subsequent surveying of students who had been in the TA-resourced courses provided data suggesting that the TA Scheme was a significant factor influencing the course experience data improvement. Evidence of improved grade distributions also provides strong support of the TAs. The cost of the project has been funded for two years which provides evidence that projects with identifiable success will attract funding.


ABSTRACT We report upconversion multicolor tuning based on uniform β-NaYF4:Yb/Tm/Er nanoparticles. The as-synthesized nanoparticles with an average diameter of 25 nm are well dispersed in a wide range of nonpolar solvents including hexane, cyclohexane, dichloromethane, and toluene. These nanoparticles show intense upconversion emissions and the color output can be precisely modulated by adjusting activator ratios of Tm3+ to Er3+. Dopant-concentration dependent emission properties of the triply doped particle system are also investigated. In addition, we demonstrate that these nanoparticles can be readily transferred to polar solvents such as ethanol and water by growing a thin silica layer (10 nm) around the particles, providing potential applications in biological labeling and imaging.


Nowadays, small autonomous underwater robots are strongly preferred for remote exploration of unknown and unstructured environments. Such robots allow the exploration and monitoring of underwater environments where a long term underwater presence is required to cover a large area. Furthermore, reducing the robot size, embedding electrical board inside and reducing cost are some of the challenges designers of autonomous underwater robots are facing. As a key device for reliable operation-decision process of autonomous underwater robots, a relatively fast and cost effective controller based on Fuzzy logic and proportional-integral-derivative method is proposed in this thesis. It efficiently models nonlinear system behaviors largely present in robot operation and for which mathematical models are difficult to obtain. To evaluate its response, the fault finding test approach was applied and the response of each task of the robot depicted under different operating conditions. The robot performance while combining all control programs and including sensors was also investigated while the number of program codes and inputs were increased.


Two kinds of mixed crystals of transition metal dichalcogenides (TX2), Mo1-XWXSe2 and MoSe2-YSY, have been studied using the scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Both mixed crystals have shown atom intensity variation in STM images, whereas very uniform atom images have been observed for pure MoSe2. This indicates that both surface and subsurface atom substitutions induce atom intensity variations. The observed features can be explained qualitatively in terms of their band structures.


Presently, conventional cytogenetic analysis of metaphase chromosomes remains the reference approach in prenatal diagnosis. However, this method is labor‐intensive and time‐consuming. The first step toward the rapid identification of aneuploidies is achieved by interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with centromeric or locus‐specific probes. Spot counting using this type of probes is a reliable approach, but is very time‐consuming with some technical and biological limitations. In this study, we present a new FISH method using image cytometry for the detection of trisomy 21 within interphase nuclei.


Schisandra chinensis fruit is a famous tonic traditional Chinese medicine and healthy food. The chemical components of dried fruits may vary with the initial processing methods of fresh fruits. Therefore, in this study, the influence of drying was evaluated based on targeted metabolomics analysis. The ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-QQQ-MS) was applied in determination of multicomponent including lignans, organic acids, and oligosaccharides. The fresh fruits of Schisandra chinensis were processed by natural drying in the sun, hot air drying and vacuum drying at different temperatures, and vacuum freeze drying, respectively. The contents of lignans, organic acids, and oligosaccharides in different fruit samples were quantified and statistically analyzed by partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). The variation of totally 10 lignans, 5 organic acids, and 9 oligosaccharides with different drying process were compared. The results showed that the drying time of natural drying method was much longer than the other methods using instrument. For hot air and vacuum drying samples, most of lignans, organic acids, and oligosaccharides gradually decreased with the increase of temperature. And the appearance of fruit drying at higher temperature was dark red. At the same processing temperature, vacuum drying takes longer time than hot air drying. In addition, organic acid and oligosaccharide contents of vacuum freeze drying treated samples were higher than the other processed samples significantly. According to the targeted metabolomics analysis, the lignans, organic acids, and oligosaccharides markers were screened out for holistic quality evaluation of Schisandra chinensis fruits. In comprehensive consideration of multicomponent, drying time, fruit appearance and storage, and production feasibility, hot air drying at 50°C is more suitable for the process of Schisandra chinensis. The result is expected to provide a scientific basis for the selection of proper method for drying process of fresh Schisandra chinensis fruit.


In this work a new approach is introduced for surface properties control by laser texturing process. By UV laser irradiation, we are able to control the surface wettability of a chitosan polymeric film in which is introduced a chloroauric acid salt by immersion. Specifically the UV irradiation is responsible for the creation of gold nanoparticles at the irradiated surface of the polymeric film. This photolytic process allows us to localize and design accurately surface patterns and moreover to tune metallic particle size in the range of nanoscale. After the characterization of our gold textured surfaces by atomic force and scanning electron microscopies, we demonstrate the link between wettability surface properties and gold nanoparticles size. The experimental results indicate the influence of the laser intensity, the irradiation time and the polymer film thickness (by increasing the gold concentration) on the gold nanoparticle density and size.


The hypothesis of Webbink (1976) that the accretion of a torus of matter onto a main-sequence star caused secondary maxima during the 1866 and 1946 eruptions of the recurrent nova T CrB is examined. Simple 1D calculations show that the accretion disk viscosity must increase with time to produce light curves resembling observations. It is inferred that the physical mechanism responsible for producing the viscous dissipation in the accretion disk has a fast growth rate and saturates to a viscosity parameter of order unity. The good agreement between parameters estimated from observations and those derived from a physical mechanism suggests that the growth rate instability identified by Balbus and Hawley (1991) is a promising source for accretion disk viscosity.