Paul Dirac (1902-1984) theoretically predicted the existence of positrons for the first time in 1928, and Carl Anderson (1905-1991) found the positrons through cosmic ray observation experiments in 1932. Positrons are the antiparticle of electron, and their spin and mass are equal to electrons and they have the same electric charge but are different in sign. That is, their spin is ½ Fermion, their electric charge is base charge +e, and their mass is approximately 9.11×10−31 kg. Because positrons are the lightest particle with a positive charge, they have an infinite lifespan without collapsing into other particles. But if positron meets with another electron surrounding them, double extinction of positron and electron occurs, and positrons disappear with electrons, and then photons are generated. Because the earth has many electrons, double extinction occurs immediately in most cases even if positrons are created. There is gravity, electromagnetic force, weak interaction in the interaction of positrons, and the isotopes emitting positrons include carbon-11, nitrogen-13, oxygen-15, fluorine-18. For example, carbon- 11 turns into boron-11. These isotopes are used on positron emission tomography device. Electron capture is another way of decay that can occur competitively with positron emission, but the larger the difference of energy is, the higher the probability of decaying due to positron emission is. Researchers say that positrons are generated if there is collision between high energies by the interaction of positrons, but we think that this should be supplemented more. There is a hypothesis that positrons are generated when the unstable radioactive isotopes created during a supernova explosion collapse. It is inevitable that it will cost a lot of time and money when generating radioactive isotopes according to this hypothesis. This makes us try new methods about positrons emission breaking away from conventional fusion methods. Our new methods for generating positrons are to make artificially the fusion with micro/nanoparticles and isotopes emitting positrons and the interchangeability between them, and to create a great deal of heat energy by making micro/ nanoparticles collide into each other with using thermal energy and waves between micro/nanoparticles. We think that our new methods are the best way to generate high heat with a small energy source. To put our ideas into practice, we made a stainless steel rectangular plate using the combined materials of MEGA-STN, that is the new types fused with each of micro/nanoparticles and isotopes emitting positrons, and added MEGA-STN to materials of the existing stainless steel heater stick. We measured temperature changes depending on whether or not the materials are present and depending on the content of the materials, and checked even positrons emission in our study. We also measured the air quality and the amount of oxygen as well as humidity. Consequently, we found out obtaining high-temperature heat energy by investing less energy. The surface temperature of the existing stainless-steel heater stick did not exceed 320℃ when 3Kw electricity was supplied, but one of stainless-steel heater stick which is mixed with the materials of MEGA-STN was 1000℃. Based on these results, we think that our MEGA-STN can be replaced as a heat energy source which is necessary for all industries using fossil fuel, nuclear power, sunlight generation, wind power and so on, and this can bring good synergy to climate and environment. We expect that our emitted positrons cause the changes of the amount of oxygen and air quality, affect plants and animals including ecological growth, and so make a big difference in human life.


The study posits that in the moment of dramatic performance the individual may experience epiphany or insight. The heuristic and qualitative methods adopted in this study are to observe and describe the experience of dramatic performance when the individual is changed; through genuine focus in performance the performer may be aware of a sense of personal transformation; on reflecting upon the phenomenon the performer may be aware of transcendence. The power of focused performance is such that it can change the performer and spectator and this change embodies a spiritual dimension.The link between dramatic performance and spirituality is an exploration of a neglected educational terrain (Carr). By identifying this dimension of the psyche this research adds to the understanding of dramatic performance and suggests that the participation in drama in schools will be beneficial for students if it were to enliven the spiritual aspect of learning.


This article argues that the extent of the Egyptian military's engagement in, or withdrawal from, the political process and its subsequent professionalism have always been a reflection of the nature of the regime it served. While it was the preeminent institution in the political process during the 1950s and 1960s, it has since the 1970s accepted a subordinate role in a presidential system that both safeguards its interests but limits its direct influence in politics. No observer of the Egyptian political system can assert its democratic credentials without a great deal of controversy and disputation. On the other hand, no one can deny that a good degree of procedural democracy has taken hold of the political process whereby political parties have the constitutional (though limited) right to contest elections, newspapers expose corruption and criticize government policies, and courts reverse executive decisions, to name only a few manifestations of contemporary political and social life in Egypt. In fact, what has prevailed in Egyptian politics over the last quarter of a century has been an uneasy and gradual accommodation between a presidential system resting on the institutional dominance of the governing National Democratic Party and a range of political forces, religious movements, and economic elites. What democracy there exists depends on state and executive branch tolerance of ineffectual opposition groups representing either past dominant forces (e.g. the Nasirists) or emergent, yet dependent, elements in society and the economy. Underlying the emergence and development of this limited democratic outcome was the quiet sidelining or disengagement of the Egyptian military after its dominance of the political process during the heyday of the Egyptian Revolution of 1952. Such sidelining was begun by President Jamal 'Abd al-Nasir after the Egyptian defeat in the June, 1967, war with Israel and continued under his successor Anwar al-Sadat, culminating finally under President Husni Mubarak in a docile officer corps interested in preserving its material interests in exchange for unquestioned support for the regime and its domestic and international policies. This article argues that the extent of the Egyptian military's disengagement from politics has always been determined by the nature of the regime and executive leadership it serves. Subsequently, its professionalism has ebbed and flowed according to the degree to which such regime and leadership have allowed it to interfere in political matters and decision making.1 When the regime was a ruler regime2 between 1952 and 1970, the military was prominent in state institutions and political decisions. When the decompression of the early 1970s paved the way for the start of multi-party politics, the military respected the wishes of the political leadership under President Sadat and withdrew from active participation in politics. Since the early 1980s, this non-participation has led to the military's complete subordination to the civilianized authority of President Husni Mubarak. Throughout these periods of changing political roles, the Egyptian military remained the loyal repository of political power answerable only to a strong executive leadership in the person of a former military officer (the President) and sure of its privileged position within the polity. This article is organized in five sections. The first section will analyze the theoretical construct and elements of military disengagement as understood and utilized in this project. The second will discuss the ruler regime established by the Free Officers of the 1952 Revolution and the role the military played from 1952 to 1970. The third will detail President Anwar al-Sadat's approach to the military and his successful attempts to sideline the top brass. The fourth section will analyze the position of the military under President Mubarak and during the current period of multi-party politics. …


second or third generation dual source scanner (Siemens Healthineers, Forkheim, Germany), with spiral axial 128 slice by 0.6 collimation, or axial 192 slice by 0.6 collimation, respectively, with 40% overlap and 1mm slice thickness. Iterative reconstruction was utilized to reduce noise. Multiplanar reformat oblique images were reviewed; and coronal and sagittal maximal intensity projections were obtained with 40% overlap and 3 mm slice thickness. Baseline continuous variables were expressed as mean +/− standard deviation and discrete variables as frequencies and percentages. Comparisons between categorical data were made with the Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests. Continuous data were compared using the Student t -test. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS (IBM SPSS Version 23, Armonk, New York, USA). We identified 30 SCAD patients who underwent CA and CTA for renal and/or iliac arteries FMD screening. Mean age was 53.7±7.6 yr, 93.3% were women, 36.7% had hypertension, 40.0% had ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), and 60.0% had non-STEMI. Of these, 29 had both CA and CTA performed for renal arteries, and 24 had both performed for iliac arteries. The


The authors have developed recently a simple ergometer (1972) to meet the objectives of adaptability and low cost. Called the Ergowheel*, as shown in Fig. 1, it consists basically of a disc with calibrated braking device and transmission system to allow rotation of the disc by the subject. One way of achieving this rotation is by connection of the chain transmission of any conventional bicycle to the chain transmission of the Ergowheel, enabling the subject to perform work under measurable conditions, Fig. 2.


(xuehengpai), "national salvation" and the responses of literary circles to the Shanghai Incident, as well as analyses of the position and role of mass (popular) literature (dazhong wenyi) from the time of the emergence of this term to the 1940s. Part three is made up of seven essays that examine Chinese literary circles in the early years of the People's Republic and the establishment of a system of Chinese socialist realism. Xiao Yemu and Chinese literary circles in those early years of the republic as well as an aspect of criticism of Hu Feng are discussed in separate essays. The essays in Part two display a wide diversity of the subject matter, which covers all the "anti-left-wing" forces of the Republican period. Further perusal of the writings in Part three, which include many of Sakaguchi's early studies, makes it evident that he did not concern himself solely with the currents outside mainstream literature, but elucidated from both inside and outside the complex aspects of events by persistently probing underlying or background movements. In doing so, he attempted to construct a threedimensional history of literature possessing both substance and depth. It could also be said that this book has been organized so that, by reading it from Part one through to Part four, Sakaguchi's view of literary history emerges from behind individual events. Because this book represents a collection of essays written intermittently over a period of 30 years, it cannot be said to offer a coherent "general history" that pays equal attention to all aspects of its subject matter. But the various issues that Sakaguchi continued to raise in his writings as he unearthed hitherto unknown materials are most stimulating and appealing. It is to be hoped that, together with his earlier book, Sakaguchi's research will be read by a wider audience and that each of the issues he raised will be further examined and bear still greater fruit in the process. TA RO F U J I S AWA , Chinese Language and Literature, Obirin University, Machida, Japan


The paper presents results of the nationwide questionnaire survey of trade unions on the five leading megatrends: automation, decarbonisation, demography, digitisation, globalization. The aim was to investigate and complete analysis of the labour market participants' competences and the attitudes to the key problems of the contemporary world.


HE CELL OF ORIGIN OF THE SOLITARY PLEUT ral mesothelioma has been in dispute,l, 4 , 1 1 due in part to the difficulty in proving that the tumor's epithelial elements are, in fact, mesothelial and in part to its predominantly fibrous character. Stout and Murrayll were able to demonstrate that the cellular outgrowth in tissue cultures of a localized pleural tumor had the cytological characteristics of mesothelial cells. In 1960, Foster and Ackerman4 presented detailed morphologic and clinical evidence for the mesothelial origin of these solitary pleural tumors. They described 3 histological patterns: (1) epithelial or papillary, (2) fibrous, and (3) mixed fibrous and papillary. They suggested that even the purely fibrous variety was of mesothelial origin. Seeking evidence for or against the mesothelial origin of this lesion, we have examined tissue from a solitary mesothelioma by electron microscopy.


Abstract. We propose several models to segment images corrupted by additive or multiplicative noise, and by a smooth field (as global intensity inhomogeneity) in a variational curve evolution approach. The proposed energies can be seen as particular K −functionals or J −functionals that arise in the theory of interpolation between spaces. In the additive case, we decompose a data function u0 into the sum v + w + noise. Here, v is a piecewise-constant component, capturing edges and discontinuities, while w is a smooth component, capturing global intensity inhomogeneities. We also propose a piecewiseconstant segmentation model of data corrupted by multiplicative noise. The fidelity term is chosen appropriately for such degradation model. Then, we extend this model to piecewise-smooth segmentation, decomposing the data u0 into the product v · w · noise, where again v is piecewise-constant, while w is smooth. Theoretical and experimental results are presented.


Wilmington field has recoverable oil reserves of about 3 billion bbl, or 32% of the total reserves of the Los Angeles basin. Understanding the origin, migration, and accumulation of oil in the Wilmington field may provide a model for oil exploration in California. One of the most important factors determining Wilmington accumulation appears to be highly efficient oil expulsion and migration from the fractured shale source rock. The major source of Wilmington oil is believed to be the underlying Miocene Mohnian E shale; such a local source indicates that the migration distance was short. Organic geochemistry studies support this interpretation. The Wilmington anticline developed during the early Pliocene from the late Delmonian to early Repettian. This was followed by the initiation of significant oil generation. Major faulting was initiated during the early Repettian with renewed faulting throughout the Repettian. The E shale acted as both a source rock and a fractured shale reservoir. Because of fracturing, the expulsion and migration efficiency of oil must have been very high, perhaps 80-90%.


Background: Heavy metal pollution has become one of the most severe environmental problems, therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate removal of cadmium (Cd) from aqueous solution. Methods: In the present study, nano Prosopis cineraria leaf ash (NPCLA) was used as an adsorbent for removing Cd from aqueous solution. Contact time, initial pH of the solutions, sorbent dosages, and initial Cd (II) concentration were considered as parameters affecting Cd removal efficiency. The experiments were designed by Design of Expert (DOE) software. Results: It was revealed that an NPCLA dosage of 2.45 gL-1, pH of 6.3, and initial Cd (II) concentration of 20.7 mgL-1 in contact time of 60 min was the optimum condition for removal of Cd (II) in the domain of experiments and at this optimum condition, the prediction value of removal efficiency was found 99.9%. Based on the results of kinetics experiments, the sorption system and experiment data of Cd (II) adsorption on the NPCLA followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Freundlich, Langmuir, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), and Temkin isotherm models were investigated. The equilibrium adsorption data were fitted well with linearly transformed Langmuir isotherm with a correlation coefficient of R2=0.9877, and the maximum sorption capacity of NPCLA was obtained to be 25.25 mgg-1. Conclusion: In laboratory conditions, NPCLA can remove Cd from aqueous solution with a high efficiency. Therefore, due to this plant's availability and cheapness, NPCLA can be considered a suitable option for producing adsorbents on industrial scales.


Chinese social interests relationship goes through three stages and shows different characteristics.The evolution basically lies in the gap between the demand of the interests and the relatively unenlightened productivity.The following factors have a direct impact on the evolution: economy growth,structure adjustment and institution variance.The evolution has both positive effect and negative impact on China's development.


The Anthropocene draws our attention to damaging relations we have with other planet beings. Taking that as a starting point, this article combines the cycle of care and an immersion at a market garden. Complementing theory and practices, two researchers from Wageningen University dialogue about how in soil care, there is complementarity and tension between caring for/with/about plants, livelihoods, people, and biodiversity. From a number of conversations this dialogue developed into a work of creative writing with critical reflections on the data gathered through participant observation. We shed light on questions about the relationality of caring with soil in practice, reciprocity between humans, non-humans and entanglement of care practices. The dialogue format allows us to discuss a broader range of facets around soil care. It is clear from the empirical material that soil care is never only about gardening practices. So, in line with our relational approach we let ourselves discuss various topics.  Moreover, the dialogue format allows us to express ourselves in our own words, again staying closer to the empirical reality. This article contributes to the existing literature by (i) providing an example of a productive market garden that allows for the flourishing of all non-human beings; (ii) further developing the cycle of care theory by applying it to a real case; and finally, (iii) exploring various considerations around reciprocity in caring with soil.
Funding InformationAdriana Ressiore's PhD project is supported by the research project Global Epistemologies and Ontologies (GEOS) and funded by NWO Vidi Grant (V1.Vidi.195.026 ETHNOONTOLOGIES). The PhD project of Michiel van de Pavert is financed by a grant from the Wageningen School of Social Sciences (WASS) at Wageningen University.


A method for preparing n-3PUFA marine glyceride through adopting enzyme method includes following steps: refined fish oil is made into n-3PUFA condensate through saponification, acidification and urea adduct method; lipase catalyzes the synthesis reaction between n-3PUFA and glycerol; n-3PUFA marine glyceride is extracted and separated; moreover, n-3PUFA is effectively concentrated in glyceride to be made into functional products which can prevent and cure cardiovascular diseases and nourish the brain and improve intelligence. The raw material of the invention, n-3PUFA, is extracted from natural fish oil, thereby being safe and effective; during production, nitrogen protection is adopted without adding synthetic antioxidant, thereby effectively preventing oxidation of n-3PUFA; with scientific and reasonable technique, the invention completes synthesis by means of biological enzyme method along with high esterification degree of reaction, higher utilization rate of raw material and easily controlled reaction process; therefore, the invention has wide market prospect.


This editorial refers to 'Potential significance of spontaneous and interventional ST-changes in patients transferred for primary percutaneous coronary intervention: observations from the ST-MONitoring in Acute Myocardial Infarction study (The MONAMI study)'† by C.J. Terkelsen et al ., on page 267

The primary goal in patients with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is prompt restoration of blood flow. The current guidelines for the treatment of patients with STEMI include primary angioplasty with the goal of medical contact-to-balloon or door-to-balloon time of 90 min or less.1 This is based on the findings of a reduction in mortality in inverse relationship with the time to reperfusion.2 However, early revascularization does not guarantee optimal myocardial perfusion in patients undergoing primary angioplasty. In some patients, myocardial perfusion remains impaired despite the restoration of TIMI 3 flow, as demonstrated angiographically by TIMI frame count3 and myocardial perfusion blush.4 These patients have adverse outcome. In contrast, reversal of ST-segment on the ECG reflects the effectiveness of myocardial reperfusion. Following successful primary angioplasty, the ST-segment completely resolves at 1 h in ∼50% of the patients. These patients have limited myocardial damage and an excellent prognosis during follow-up. The other 50% of the patients have partial or no resolution of the ST-segment and experience greater myocardial damage and higher mortality.5 As an extension of this observation, we may suspect that patients in whom the ST-segment increases after angioplasty may have a …

*Corresponding author. Tel: +1 501 296 1401; fax: +1 501 686 6180. E-mail address : mehtajl{at}uams.edu


Objectives. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the specific lipoprotein(a)[Lp(a)] removal with immunosorption columns for treatment of severe CHD patients with elevated (more than 30 mg/dL) Lp(a) level. Methods. The following inclusion criteria were used for the recruitment of patients: age – under 55; coronary atherosclerosis documented by angiography; Lp(a) greater than 60 mg/dl; normal total and LDL cholesterol; clinically apparent progression of the CHD. Specific removal of Lp(a) from plasma was carried out with immunosorbtion columns 'Lp(a) Lipopak' contained specific antibodies against human Lp(a). Results. During last 10 years more than 1200 Lp(a) apheresis procedures have been carried out for ten severe CHD patients with 2–3 vessels disease in Moscow, Russia and Ludenscheid, Germany with Lp(a) Lipopak columns (POCARD Ltd, Russia). The Lp(a) level was reduced on the average on 75–85%, other parameters are practically constant during one procedure and duting all period of treatment. Our experience with Lp(a) Lipopak columns has shown that the specific removal of Lp(a) from the patient's plasma to 30 mg/dL or lower by weekly Lp(a) apheresis resulted in a significant improvement in the patient's health status and quality of life. After numerous Lp(a) apheresis procedures the progression of atherosclerosis was stopped in all cases, while some segments of coronary arteries showed regression of atherosclerotic plaques. Conclusion. We conclude that Lp(a) apheresis could be a very effective therapy for severe CHD patients with elevated Lp(a), and/or Lp(a) and LDL but for whom LDL level could be effectively corrected by lipids lowering drugs.


Effects of substantial increase in area of pine plantations from 1960 to 2000 on runoff in a large catchment in southeastern Australia are quantified. Reliable land use maps were prepared for 1960–1979, 1980–1989, and 1990–2000 conditions from various data sources. Land use changes in the subcatchments have occurred at varying rates (16 to 28%) with pines replacing pasture and native woody vegetation. On the basis of long‐term trends in rainfall‐runoff relationships, flow duration curves, and history of land use changes, it is shown that there is strong evidence of reduction in runoff over a wide range. Modeling methodology using a lumped catchment‐scale rainfall‐runoff model (SMAR) and landscape‐scale ecohydrological models (CLASS U3M‐1D, CLASS PGM, and 3PG+) was implemented in a catchment framework to partition the effects of land use change and climate variability during 1960–2000. Runoff reductions from land use change in the range 22–52 mm/yr are estimated for different subcatchments. Annual yield impact per 10% of the catchment forested (AYI/10%) from catchment‐scale modeling is estimated to vary between 14.3 to 19.2 mm/yr for the subcatchments. AYI/10% from landscape‐scale modeling is estimated to vary between 12.8 to 21.3 mm/yr.


In a normal diesel engine, about thirty percent of the total energy is rejected to the coolant. The low heat rejection concept is based on suppressing this heat rejection to the coolant and recovering the energy in the form of useful work. The purpose of this project is to increase the performance of the engine and improved the fuel economy resulting from coating those using partially stabilized zirconia (PSZ) thermal barrier coating for the performance in the diesel engine application. PSZ over the combustion chamber increases the temperature over the inside the combustion chamber and reduces the heat rejection to the atmosphere. Also an experimental investigation performed using a thermally insulated single cylinder direct injection water cooled diesel engine to evaluate the effect of coating on the cylinder head, piston top surface and the valve seats using PSZ to study the heat release, performance and emission characteristics. Studies are conducted for the engine with insulated head and piston and are compared with the base line engine. Based on the experimental studies it is concluded that a thermally insulated engine reduces the fuel consumption, improves the fuel efficiency. Also the emissions of HC and CO are reduced to a great extent while the emissions of NOX are increased due to higher combustion temperature. Various method of reducing NOX emissions will be adopted. Such as retarding the fuel injection timing, lowering the intake temperature, lower compression ratio. Thus, the LHR engine was tested for two different injection timings at Crank angle before top dead centre (BTDC), with the same engine Speeds and load conditions. The results showed that the BSFC and NOx emissions were reduced respectively by retarding the Injection timing.


Finite Element Analysis method of composite soil nailed walls are regarded as a plane problem or a partial spatial one, but the whole three dimensions analysis method is seldom found. Especially the FE M analysis of the dynamic response of the composite soil naile d wall which subjected to earthquake pore pressure coupled is studied rarely. In this paper, with the help of the finite element software ADINA, an actual composite soil nailed wall was solved. The dynamic response of the compos ite soil nailed wall is analyzed and discussed unde r th EL-Centro and man-made Lanzhou accelerogram. And th e variation principles of the soil nailed wall whic subjected to the earthquake, and the earthquake cou pled with pore pressure, are demonstrated respectiv ely. The results of the FEM dynamic analysis can be a useful r erence for engineers of the design and construc tion of the composite soil nailed wall


Pigmentary glaucoma has recently been associated with missense mutations in PMEL that are dominantly inherited and enriched in the protein's fascinating repeat domain. PMEL pathobiology is intriguing because PMEL forms functional amyloid in healthy eyes, and this PMEL amyloid acts to scaffold melanin deposition. This is an informative contradistinction to prominent neurodegenerative diseases where amyloid formation is neurotoxic and mutations cause a toxic gain of function called "amyloidosis". Preclinical animal models have failed to model this PMEL "dysamyloidosis" pathomechanism and instead cause recessively inherited ocular pigment defects via PMEL loss of function; they have not addressed the consequences of disrupting PMEL's repetitive region. Here, we use CRISPR to engineer a small in-frame mutation in the zebrafish homolog of PMEL that is predicted to subtly disrupt the protein's repetitive region. Homozygous mutant larvae displayed pigmentation phenotypes and altered eye morphogenesis similar to presumptive null larvae. Heterozygous mutants had disrupted eye morphogenesis and disrupted pigment deposition in their retinal melanosomes. The deficits in the pigment deposition of these young adult fish were not accompanied by any detectable glaucomatous changes in intraocular pressure or retinal morphology. Overall, the data provide important in vivo validation that subtle PMEL mutations can cause a dominantly inherited pigment pathology that aligns with the inheritance of pigmentary glaucoma patient pedigrees. These in vivo observations help to resolve controversy regarding the necessity of PMEL's repeat domain in pigmentation. The data foster an ongoing interest in an antithetical dysamyloidosis mechanism that, akin to the amyloidosis of devastating dementias, manifests as a slow progressive neurodegenerative disease.


Background
Central venous catheters (CVCs) are responsible for an estimated 250,000–400,000 bloodstream infections per year, with an associated mortality of 10%–35%. Colonization of the external surface of the catheter, distal spread of organisms down the catheters' intraluminal surfaces, and tap water have all been implicated in CVC infections.

Methods
In February, 2005, twenty-nine patients were prescribed and used the CD-1000, a new surgical dressing, to protect their catheter and exit site wound while performing high risk activities such as showering. This retrospective review was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the CD-1000 at protecting the catheter and exit site from water and debris. In addition, patient satisfaction with the dressing and catheter infection rates were evaluated.

Results
The patient group used the CD-1000 for an average of 76.13 days (range, 26–147 days), and 96.4% reported that it was effective at keeping the catheter and exit site dry and clean while showering, and would recommend use of this dressing to anyone living with a catheter. Eleven of the 29 patients (37.9%) reported having had a catheter infection prior to using the CD-1000. During the study period there was 1 catheter infection (3.5%) resulting in a catheter infection rate for the study interval of 0.45/1,000 catheter days.

Conclusion
The CD-1000 allowed patients living with CVCs to return to showering and to engage in other high-risk activities previously not allowed. The dressing performed its intended function of maintaining a dry and clean environment for the catheter and exit site with a high level of satisfaction from the patients along with a low rate of infection during the study interval.


INTRODUCTION In native knees the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) plays a major role in joint stability and kinematics. Sacrificing the ACL in contemporary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is known to cause abnormal knee motion, and reduced function. Hence, there is growing interest in the development of ACL retaining TKA implants. Accommodation of ACL insertion around the tibial eminence is a challenge with these designs. Therefore, a reproducible and practical test setup is necessary to characterize the strength of the ACL/bone construct in ACL retaining implants. Seminal work showed importance of loading the ACL along its anatomical orientation. However, prior setups designed for this purpose are complex and difficult to incorporate into a standardized test for wide adoption. The goal of this study was to develop a standardized and anatomically relevant test setup for repeatable strength assessment of ACL construct using basic force-displacement testing equipment. METHODS Cadaver knees were positioned with the ACL oriented along the loading axis and being the only connection between femur and tibia. 15° knee flexion was selected based on highest ACL tensions reported in literature. Therefore, the fixtures were adjusted accordingly to retain 15° knee flexion when the ACL was tensioned. The test protocol included 10 cycles of preconditioning between 6N and 60N at 1mm/s, followed by continuous distraction at 1mm/s until failure ( Fig. 1 ). Eleven cadaveric knees (4 male, 7 female; 70.9 yrs +/−13.9 yrs) were tested using this setup to characterize a baseline ACL pullout strength (peak load to failure) in native knees. RESULTS The average ACL pullout strength was 935.6N +/−327.5N with the extremes ranging from a minimum of 346N to a maximum of 1425N. There were five failure modes observed: [1] ACL avulsion from the femur with bony attachment (one knee), [2] ACL pull-off from the femur w/o bony attachment (two knees), [3] ACL tear (three knees), [4] ACL pull-off from the tibia w/o bony attachment (one knee), [5] ACL avulsion from the tibia with bony attachment (three knees). One knee showed a combined failure mode of 2 & 4, meaning part of the ACL was pulled off the femur and part pulled off the tibia. CONCLUSION There was a large variation in failure load between specimens. The knee with the minimum failure load had severe arthritis, osteophytes and signs of ACL deficiency. The average failure load (935.6N +/−327.5N) is in line with those published in literature for a comparable age group. This indicates that failure loads and modes obtained with more complex setups could be reproduced by using standard uniaxial load frames and simple fixtures. The failure modes in our experiment were evenly spread between mid-substance, and insertions (either femur or tibia). This test could be used as a standardized method to investigate the strength of the ACL complex following procedures such as ACL reconstruction, partial- and total knee arthroplasty. In particular, this setup provides a reliable mechanism for evaluation of the ACL-bone construct in bi-cruciate retaining (BCR) TKA, which is likely required for regulatory pathways.


Many big companies have go public. And to those companies required to report its financial position to the public on a regular basis. Financial statements are a balance sheet, changes in capital and profit and loss firms in a given period. The report is organized as a form of management responsibility to investors, but that the report can also be used by potential investors, creditors (financial institutions and banks) and also the government. So besides as a means of accountability to the company's internal. The financial statements can be used as a means of communication with external parties with an interest in the company's financial condition. It can be concluded that the level of liquidity in the company of PT. Plaza Indonesia Realty Tbk, is generally experiencing fluctuations or ups and downs. This is caused by the increase and decrease in value of current assets and current debts. But the company's current assets are still able or sufficient to cover debt smoothness. Companies should be as much as possible to get current assets greater smoothness and reduce debt.


The little Bloch space, B0, is the space of all holomorphic functions f on the unit disk such that limlzl?1 lf'(z)l (1- lzl2) = 0. Finite Blaschke products are clearly in B0, but examples of infinite products in B0 are more difficult to obtain (there are now several constructions due to Sarason, Stephenson and the author, among others). Stephenson has asked whether B0 contains an infinite, indestructible Blaschke product, i.e., a Blaschke product B so that (B(z) - a)/(1 - âB(z)), is also a Blaschke product for every element a I D. In this paper we give an afirmative answer to his question by constructing such a Blaschke product. We also answer a question of Carmona and Cufi by constructing a VMO function, f, so that ll f ll8 = 1 and whose range set, R(f,a) = {w : there exists zn ? a, f(zn) = w}, equals the open unit disk for every a I T.


Abstract Musa, H.H., Chen, G.H., Bao, W.B., Cheng, J.H. and Mekki, D.M. 2007. Association of SNPs in intron 8 of avian lipoprotein lipase gene with cholesterol, triglyceride and lipoprotein concentrations. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 32: 155–159. A total of 118 blood samples were collected from Anka and Rugao chickens at 12 weeks of age and total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL, VLDL and LDL were determined. Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) SNPs in Anka and Rugao were detected at 14538bp (C/A) and 14977bp (T/C). Allele frequency was significantly (P<0.01) different in Rugao at LPL10 locus. LPL gene was found to be significantly (P<0.01) different in Anka and Rugao chicken populations. SNPs at LPL9 locus were significantly (P<0.05) associated with LDL in Anka. In addition, total cholesterol and HDL were found to be significantly (P<0.05) different between SNPs genotype at LPL10 locus in both Anka and Rugao chickens. It is concluded that in avian, LPL SNP was significantly associated with LDL in fat chickens and with total cholesterol and HDL in both fat and lean chickens.


Many of the Northern Harriers (Circus cyaneus) that wintered on a saltwater estuary in South Carolina and on a freshwater marsh in Florida attempted to maintain areas of exclusive use. Interactions with individuals of other raptor species usually involved stooping and high-speed pursuit. Although harriers sometimes attempted to repel conspecific intruders in the same manner, most interactions with conspecifics involved escorting the bird out of the area. Harriers were robbed of their prey at both sites, and we suggest that the aggressive behavior that we observed acted to reduce the incidence ofintraand interspecific


General relativity does not allow one to specify the topology of space, leaving the possibility that space is multiply rather than simply connected. We review the main mathematical properties of multiply connected spaces, and the different tools to classify them and to analyse their properties. Following their mathematical classification, we describe the different possible muticonnected spaces which may be used to construct Friedmann-Lemaitre universe models. Observational tests concern the distribution of images of discrete cosmic objects or more global effects, mainly those concerning the Cosmic Microwave Background. According to the 2003-2006 WMAP data releases, various deviations from the flat infinite universe model predictions hint at a possible non-trivial topology for the shape of space. In particular, a finite universe with the topology of the Poincar\'e dodecahedral spherical space fits remarkably well the data and is a good candidate for explaining both the local curvature of space and the large angle anomalies in the temperature power spectrum. Such a model of a small universe, whose volume would represent only about 80% the volume of the observable universe, offers an observational signature in the form of a predictable topological lens effect on one hand, and rises new issues on the physics of the early universe on the other hand.


A new method for the synthesis of trifluoromethyl-allenes from easily accessible α-trifluoromethyl-propargyl benzyl ether derivatives following a gold-catalyzed intramolecular hydride transfer has been developed. Various di- and trisubstituted trifluoromethyl-allenes were obtained in good to excellent yields.


A study on the motivational climate as perceived by Subject matter Specialists (SMS) of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) in North east India was conducted with 76 Subject Matter Specialists drawn from 19 Krishi Vigyan Kendras of the eight north eastern states of India, through a descriptive research design, following a multi-stage, census cum criterion based purposive sampling plan. Assessing the existing motivational climate in the Krishi Vigyan Kendras as perceived by the Subject matter Specialists across the eight north eastern states of India was the main objective of the study. The study revealed that an overall Dependency-Control motivational climate existed in the KVKs of north east India, as perceived by the SMS. Enhancing job satisfaction and job involvement levels, creating a team management leadership style and developing a team work environment in the KVKs are some of the suggestions of the study to reduce this dominant motivational climate strength.


We present our first laboratory calibration and field results of a newly developed commercial ice nucleation chamber, the so-called PINE. The PINE instrument is developed based on the design of the...


Based on 69 specimens, using morphometric, meristic and osteological characters, we describe a new species of Hemibrycon from the Rancheria River, a Caribbean coastal drainage of eastern Colombia that drains the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. H. santamartae is distinguished from congeners by the following: presence of small hooks on the first six to eight branched analfin rays of males, with two to four hooks on only the middle sections of the rays; adipose fin pigmented but with hyaline margins; an apophysis present on the dorsal margin of the rhinosphenoids that is directed toward the anterior tip; ventral process of the angulo-articular reduced and with a straight margin. Data on the phylogenetic position of the new species are presented.


Supervisory Committee Dr. Peter F. Driessen, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Supervisor Dr. T. Aaron Gulliver, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Departmental Member Dr. Daniel N. Bub, Department of Psychology Outside Member Statistical analysis of 3-dimensional motions of humans, animals or objects is instrumental to establish how these motions differ, depending on various influences or parameters. When such motions involve no stretching or tearing, they may be described by the elements of a Lie group called the Special Euclidean Group, denoted SE(3). Statistical analysis of trajectories lying in SE(3) is complicated by the basic properties of the group, such as non-commutativity, non-compactness and lack of a bi-invariant metric. This necessitates the generalization of the ideas of "mean" and "variance" to apply in this setting. We describe how to exploit the unique properties of a formalism called Conformal Geometric Algebra to express these generalizations and carry out such statistical analyses efficiently; we introduce a practical method of visualizing trajectories lying in the 6dimensional group manifold of SE(3); and we show how this methodology can be applied, for example, in testing theoretical claims about the influence of an attended object on a competing action applied to a different object. The two prevailing views of such movements differ as to whether mental actionrepresentations evoked by an object held in working memory should perturb only the early stages of subsequently reaching to grasp another object, or whether the perturbation should persist over the entire movement. Our method yields "difference trajectories" in SE(3), representing the continuous effect of a variable of interest on an action, revealing statistical effects on the forward progress of the hand as well as a corresponding effect on the hand's rotation.


Objective
To explore the therapeutic effect of bismuth potassium citrate combined with famotidine on peptic ulcer and its effects on the levels of lipid peroxide (LPO), malondialdehyde (MDA) and somatostatin (SS).

Methods
One hundred and fifty patients with peptic ulcer who were treated in Cixi Cilin Hospital from January 2018 to May 2019 were randomly divided into famotidine group and combined treatment group, with 75 cases in each group. Famotidine group was treated with famotidine, while bismuth potassium citrate combined with famotidine was used in combined treatment group. H+-K+-ATP ase activity, gastric acid-base value and gastric acid secretion function were detected in two groups. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-7 (IL-7), hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were detected by ELISA, T lymphocyte subsets were detected by flow cytometry, and the levels of T lymphocyte subsets were detected by immunotransmission turbidimetry. The levels of LPO, MDA and SS were measured, and the therapeutic effect, ulcer healing and adverse reactions were compared between two groups.

Results
After treatment, the activity of H+-K+-ATP ase in the combined treatment group was lower than that in the famotidine group [(2.54 ± 0.41) μmol/min vs. (2.87 ± 0.50) μmol/min], the acid-base value in stomach was higher than that in the famotidine group(5.56 ± 1.19 vs. 4.77 ± 0.89), and there were significant differences (P 0.05).

Conclusions
Bismuth potassium citrate combined with famotidine in the treatment of peptic ulcer patients can improve gastric acid secretion function, regulate gastric acid-base value, inhibit inflammatory response, improve immune function, and reduce oxidative stress injury.

Key words:
Peptic ulcer; Bismuth potassium citrate; Famotidine; Immunological functioning


This work is driven by our vision that cybernetic transport systems (CTSs) based on fully automated urban vehicles (cybercars) will be seen on city roads and new dedicated infrastructures in the near future. These automated vehicles can be heterogeneous systems, such as human-driven traffic, each having different features and functionalities. In our case, we have developed a control architecture that can manage automatic driving of two cars: 1) CyCabs and 2) automated mass-produced cars. This architecture is interoperable and generates humanlike control of vehicles in any situation. Installation and communication with each vehicle are easy. The autonomous route-tracking behaviors are similar, even if the mechanical, electronic, software, and hardware configurations are different for both cars. The results of the developments shown in this paper are part of the European Union (EU) CyberCars-2 Project, which is currently under deployment.


This July 2019 issue of Acarological Studies  ( AS )  serves as the Congress Proceedings for the 15 th International Congress of Acarology (XV ICA) which was held from 2 to 8 September, 2018 in Antalya, Turkey. The proceedings include 13 papers accepted for publication after review by at least two reviewers and linguistic editing. I sincerely thank the numerous acarologists who reviewed the submitted papers and ultimately, the accepted papers. I am sure that these articles will be widely read and referenced and also help stimulate studies on the wonderful, diverse world of acarology. Acarological Studies , which provides full, open access, started life at the beginning of this year. This July issue completes the first year of issues of AS . During its first year, AS will have been published twice on-line and have included 22 papers spanning 175 pages in total. AS is expected to give a new impetus to acarology and be an important new platform for acarological research results. With your continuing support, AS will, step by step, reach that objective with each new issue.


To elucidate the relationship between hepatic menin and FoxO1 with respect to protein interaction and post‐translational modification of a metabolically relevant protein.


Acclimation of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) and its relation to endogenous carbohydrates. The aim of this work was to determine the variations in total soluble sugar and starch levels during the different development stages of ginger seedlings. Survival parameters, as well as total soluble sugar and starch levels, were evaluated during micropropagation, acclimation and field cultivation phases. The survival of plants was 100% after 60 days of acclimation, whereas under field conditions such value was 80% after the same period. In the first year of cultivation, mean starch levels were higher in micropropagated plants, both in leaves (303.19 ± 0.17 mgGlu gFM -1 ) and in roots (3341.59 ± 1.24 mg Glu gFM -1 ). High mean starch levels were detected in rhizomes (164.91 ± 2.4 mg Glu gFM -1 ) and buds (190.88 ± 0.25 mgGlu gMF -1 ). The mean levels of total soluble sugars were lower in plants in vitro: 86.56 ± 0.55 mgGlu gFM -1 and 94.26 ± 0.40 mgGlu gFM -1 in leaves and roots, respectively. Higher values were obtained for plants acclimatized in greenhouse, both in leaves (168.22 ± 0.77 mgGlu gFM -1 ) and roots (189.68 ± 0.70


Computer science (CS) labs support student in grasping the main concepts by writing the program codes and seeing them in execution. CS labs are important mainly for introductory CS courses where the students learn the basics of computer concepts and programming. To make the CS lab effective, students are supported by instructors and other lab assistants in pair programming approach where instructors or lab assistant help students write code working side by side at a single computer working on the same problem.Due to COVID-19 restriction, this process could not be continued since two persons must maintain social distancing. To provide the students with the highest quality of instruction in practical lab, CS labs were instead organized using zoom. Students were placed in different breakout zoom rooms, where instructor or lab assistant would drop in to help the student. The instructor and students would be in the lab while lab assistants would connect remotely and would be placed in a breakout room by instructor. While this technology allowed to view student's code privately and support them, there were issues such as loss of time in arranging this setup in every labs, difficulty in connecting to zoom, difficult to understand student/instructor, difficulty for students to ask their question as student's computer did not have microphone. We adapted to the situation and were able to support our students. In this work, we will share how we used this system and discuss the advantages, disadvantages and future improvements on this teaching process.


Sulfur gases are important components of the global cycle of S. They contribute to the acidity of precipitation and they influence global radiation balance and climate. The role of terrestrial sources of biogenic S and their effect on atmospheric chemistry remain as major unanswered questions in our understanding of the natural S cycle. The role of northern wetlands as sources and sinks of gaseous S by measuring rates of S gas exchange as a function of season, hydrologic conditions, and gradients in tropic status was investigated. Experiments were conducted in wetlands in New Hampshire, particularly a poor fen, and in Mire 239, a poor fen at the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) in Ontario. Emissions were determined using Teflon enclosures, gas cryotrapping methods and gas chromatography (GC) with flame photometric detection. Dynamic (sweep flow) and static enclosures were employed which yielded similar results. Dissolved S gases and methane were determined by gas stripping followed by GC.


Self-similarity has been the paradigmatic picture for the pinch-off of a drop. Here we will show through high-speed imaging and boundary integral simulations that the inverse problem, the pinchoff of an air bubble in water, is not self-similar in a strict sense: A disk is quickly pulled through a water surface, leading to a giant, cylindrical void which after collapse creates an upward and a downward jet. Only in the limiting case of large Froude number the neck radius h scales as h(− log h) ∝ τ , the purely inertial scaling. For any finite Froude number the collapse is slower, and a second length-scale, the curvature of the void, comes into play. Both length-scales are found to exhibit power-law scaling in time, but with different exponents depending on the Froude number, signaling the non-universality of the bubble pinch-off.


Coronavirus (COVID-19) still poses a worldwide public health threat. In fact, it needs a full effort to control the dominant population. The new coronavirus is spreading around the world. This new coronavirus appeared at Wuhan and caused many inconveniences everywhere. The unfold of COVID-19 is increasing every day, enforcing human lives and financial system at risk. Due to the improved enormity of the variety of COVID-19 cases, the role of artificial Intelligence (AI) is vital within the modern-day scenario. AI might be a powerful device to fight against this pandemic outbreak by way of predicting the wide variety of instances earlier. Deep mastering-based totally time collection techniques are taken into consideration to are expecting world-huge COVID-19 cases in advance for quick-term and medium-term dependencies with adaptive studying. To start with, the statistics pre-processing and feature extraction is made with the real international COVID-19 dataset. This study, therefore, aimed to apply the linear regression, RBF network, SMO reg modeling approach for projecting coronavirus (COVID-19) prevalence patterns in southern states of Tamilnadu Countries, mainly Kerala, Tamilnadu, Andra pradesh, Madya Pradesh and Karnataka.


We describe here the characteristics of the Doppler waveform of the vaginal azygos arteries1 during pregnancy and their association with the uterine arteries. Transvaginal ultrasound was used to evaluate the cervix of 123 women with uncomplicated pregnancy between 11 and 40 weeks of gestation. Cervical length was measured using standardized methodology. Color directional Doppler was activated and adjusted to include the complete cervix and part of the vaginal wall. The posterior vaginal azygos artery was identified in all women (n = 123) in the midsagittal plane as a straight vessel located in the posterior vaginal wall anterior to the external cervical os (Figure 1). The spectral Doppler sample gate was placed in the segment of the posterior vaginal azygos artery that allowed optimal angle of insonation, and three to five regular waveforms were obtained in the absence of visible fetal movements and with the mother in temporary voluntary apnea. The procedure was repeated once and the mean value was calculated and considered to be representative of the patient. In 44 patients, the anterior vaginal azygos artery was evaluated in the midsagittal plane of the anterior vaginal wall. Doppler waveforms of the uterine arteries were also obtained. The Doppler waveform of the two vaginal azygos arteries showed low resistance and a notable diastolic component, with no significant changes observed during pregnancy and no notching seen at any gestational age. The posterior azygos artery pulsatility index (PI) ranged from 0.43 to 2.9 (mean, 1.2) and the peak systolic


We examined various media and conditions to isolate symbiotic cyanobacteria from the leaf cavities of Azolla spp. Cyanobacteria survived and multiplied to a limited extent on a medium with fructose, Casamino Acids, yeast extract, and NaNO3 under 1% O2. These cyanobacteria were antigenically identical to the endosymbionts.


Combustion characteristics of the pyrolysis product from a municipal household garbage mixture with 9 typical components were studied by using a small-scale external heated fixed bed pyrolyser in a temperature ranged from 300°C to 700°C. The experimental results show that pyrolysis temperature has an effect on the elemental analysis contents and industrial analysis contents of the semi-coke, further impacting on the combustion characteristics of the semi-coke. The heating value of semi-coke decreases obviously as temperature increases, ranging from 24.7 MJ/kg at 300°C to 20.99MJ/kg at 550°C. When pyrolysis temperature is over 550°C, the heating value of semi coke is changed slowly.


This report provides a comprehensive discussion on the methods and strategies used by public transportation agencies in the United States and Canada to enhance their public images and motivate the support and use of public transportation. Additionally, the report identifies and describes methods and strategies used by other industries (comparable to public transportation) to enhance their public image and to motivate the support and use of their products and services. Also, this report examines the perceptions, misperceptions, and use of public transit, and the extent to which these affect support. Finally, the report identifies effective communication strategies, campaigns, and platforms for motivating individuals to action in support of public transportation, and it recommends ways to execute those communication strategies, campaigns, and platforms. This report will be helpful to transit agencies; elected officials; community leaders; business leaders; and federal, state, and local funding agencies in both the United States and Canada.


The author offers and researches the conditions which allo w people and vehicles to levitate on the Earth using the electrostatic repulsive force. He shows that us ing small electric charged balls , people and cars can take flight in the atmosphere . Also, the levitat ed train ca n attain a high speed. He computed some projects and discussed the problems which can appear in the practic al development of this method. It is also shown how this method may be used for creating artificial gravity (attracted force) into and out of space ship s, space hotel s, asteroids , and small planet s which hav e little gravity.


As a basic course, College Chinese is an important subject to strengthen the cultural values of students, but it is often undervalued. Which course shall it take now? It must have a veracious orientation, appropriate teaching material, advanced teaching methods.


The VP1gene of giant panda rotavirus(GPRV)strain CH-1was amplified by RT-PCR from GPRV-infected MA-104cells,and sequencing and bioinformatics analysis were then conducted to investigate the structure and function of GPRV VP1protein.The function of this protein was predicted by bioinformatics software and the phylogenetic tree of VP1gene was constructed.The results indicated that a length of 3 287bp GPRV VP1 protein encoding gene was obtained(GenBank accession number: HQ641297).Bioinformatics analysis showed that the sequence contained the complete coding region,which was 3 267bp,encoding 1 089aa.The protein had no signal peptide and transmembrane regions and 41antigenic determinants were predicted by online analysis.The phylogenetic tree showed that the evolution distance of GPRV VP1gene was homogeneous to porcine rotavirus A.This research provides some new clues for further studying the biological functions of the gene of the virus.


Using negative feedback theory of automatic control in the industry,network learning evaluation model is established in the paper.Evaluation index system is formulated which accords with individualized learning characteristics.A new evaluation algorithm which has fuzzy evaluation adjustment attribute is used in the model..Network learning evaluation system is designed.Experiment results show that network learning evaluation model is more objective and valid than other model.


This Country Program Evaluation (RE-262) covers the period 1990-2000. During the decade, Peru was the focal point for development assistance from both multilateral and bilateral institutions. This paper includes a description of the country context and development challenges, a diagnosis and strategy towards programming the Bank's engagement with Peru, a discussion on the Bank's program and the execution of the program, and an assessment of the initiatives and results.


Received on: 07/02/2020 Accepted on: 08/03/2020 Abstract: This paper argues that a literary translator performs the original work by expressing inwardly her emotions and feelings under character-masks. Her lexical choices are indicative of her inner performance whose intimate subjectivities are visible when in contrast with the language of another translator. To support my point that literary translation is emotionally performative and happens in the state of psychological transition between the fictional Other and multiple selves as well as between mimesis and autothesis, I will explore the possibility of modelling it as a theatre of the mind by means of contrasting semantically the reporting verbs found in the first chapter of William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury and its six translations into Russian, Polish, Lithuanian, Romanian and French.


The article briefly introduces the course and characteristics of the formation of garbage percolate,analyzes and compares several disposal processes currently adopted at home and abroad.The technical process and operation conditions used to dispose the percolate and filtrate from Suzhou Qizishan Garbage Dumping Burying Ground has been described and some useful recommendations have been put forward as well.


This paper deals with the filtering and the enhancement of strongly oriented patterns. We propose a new filter combining scalar and tensor based diffusivities. The computation of an orientation confidence allows its to choose the best strategy to locally diffuse the gray levels. We show that this approach overcomes some drawbacks of the classical methods like corner smoothing or pinhole effect. The proposed method was applied on digital images of engravings. This type of images contain strongly oriented patterns and a large amount of details that have to be preserved during the diffusion.


Functional foods contain ingredients that influence the improvement of general health condition, whether in terms of preventing illnesses or having therapeutic effects. The aim of this paper was to create a profile of consumers of functional foods, or to cover the most important factors that motivate consumers when making purchasing decisions. The point of identifying the profile of consumers of functional foods is to use it when conceptualizing the most appropriate marketing strategy. The key methods used for that were a questionnaire and an interview, accompanied by other standard methods. Consumers are increasingly becoming aware that food and nutrition have a crucial impact on health, and therefore seem to be more interested in foods that can provide a better defense of the overall health condition. Eventually, consumers are ready to change their habits and gradually accept functional foods. Consumers show particularly good reactions when they are given scientific evidence that such foods have a positive impact on health. Functional food is mostly bought by highly educated and employed women who have small children and live in the city. As far as age is concerned, customers are younger women, and elderly people regardless of sex. Respondents with higher income, university education, as well as those who are aware of the impact of diet on health are more willing to pay more for functional foods. Low income, high price and lack of confidence in the authenticity of certain food are the most important reasons why people are not ready to buy something.


We have developed a new, minimal damage approach for examination of luminescent porous Si (PS) layers by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In this approach, chemically etched (CE) PS layers are fabricated after conventional plan‐view TEM sample preparation. Our TEM studies show that crystalline, polycrystalline, and amorphous phases exist in the same CE sample. The microstructure is believed to gradually change from crystalline to amorphous during chemical etching in a HF‐HNO3‐H2O solution. The microcrystallites in the polycrystalline region are estimated to be 15–100 A, while the pore size is on the order of 400 A.


Computer Systems Requirements: Windows computer: 486SX processor or better, 8 MB RAM, dual speed CD-ROM driver or better, 256 color Super VGA monitor set at 640 × 480 pixels—Microsoft Windows 3.1 or later, Windows compatible sound card (16–bit sound card recommended)—external speakers, headphones or a stethophone, mouse and keyboard, a level II multimedia PC is recommended.Macintosh computer: LC Ill or better, 8 MB RAM, dual-speed CD-ROM drive or better, 256 color monitor set at 640 × 480 pixels—Macintosh System 7 or later, external speakers, headphones or a stethophone—mouse and a keyboard $149.95 US, ISBN 0–316–16154–3, Boston, MA, Little Brown and Company, 1995


The pot experiment was conducted during the two consecutive seasons of 2016 and 2017 in plastic house at Horticulture Research Station, Mansoura, Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt as pre-harvest treatments. The main objective of the first experiment was to study the effect of two rates of adenosine triphosphate(0.0 and 7.0 g/l) alone or combined with potassium nitrate at the dose of 2.5, 5.0, 7.5 and 10.0 g/pot, on vegetative growth, flowering and chemical constituents of gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii). The highest values of plant height, number of leaves per plant, leaf area, number of flowers per plant, flower diameter, stalk length as well as the contents of total chlorophyll, carbohydrates, N, P, and K in plants were achieved with adenosine triphosphate(ATP) at 7 g/l as weekly foliar spray with significant difference compared to control. Also, increasing potassium nitrate from 2.5 up to 10.0 g/pot gradually increased the above mentioned parameters during both seasons. Furthermore, using the highest doses of potassium (7.5 and 10.0 g/pot) in interaction with ATP at 7 g/l significantly increased gerbera growth, flowering and chemical constituents compared to untreated plants and the other interaction treatments. From the first experiment the best interaction treatments were 7.5 and 10.0 g potassium nitrate/pot plus1 7 g ATP/l, these treatments were in the second experiment to study the effect of different pulsing solutions on flower vase life, solution uptake and flower fresh weight of gerbera. The obtained results revealed that, the longest vase life of gerbera and the highest quality cut flowers were obtained by using the combination treatments between (7.5 g potassium nitrate/pot + 7 g ATP/l) combined with 3% sucrose + 8-HQS at 200 ppm as holding solution. By studying simple correlation coefficients, gerbera cut flowers vase life exhibited strong positive relationship with each of water uptake and flower fresh weight which, indicated that the increase in these parameters was accompanied by increasing vase life of gerbera cut flowers under the effect of interaction treatments of pre and postharvest.


Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) has an autosomal genetic transmission pattern and can be hereditary. In this type, glucose transporter genes and insulin secretion may contribute to the genetic of the disease. The objective of the study was verify the effects of a single session of resistance and combined training on hemodynamic and metabolic parameters of individuals children diabetics (CDI). Sixteen subjects were selected. The variables of heart rate, blood pressure and capillary glucose (CG) were evaluated. Exercise sessions were divided into two groups - the Resistance Training (RT) group and the Combined Training (CT) group. Both trainings were composed of three phases: warming up, main phase and cooling down. The RT in its main phase was composed of eight resistance exercises and the CT was composed of 20 minutes of aerobic training and the RT protocol. Wilcoxon test and Kruskal-Wallis test was used, adopting p ≤ 0.05. In intragroup analysis, CDI showed significant reduction in systolic blood pressure (SBP) (125.0±10.0 mmHg vs 110.5±15.9 mmHg p=0.01), diastolic blood pressure (81.5±6.4 mmHg vs 71.2±10.4 mmHg, p=0.007), and (CG) (102.8±16.1 mg/dl vs 92.5±10.9 mg/dL p=0.02) in RT. In the intergroup analysis, CDI showed better results in SBP variables (114.75±11.5 mmHg vs 103.75±9.92 mmHg, p=0.01) and CG (93.8±8.02 mg/dL vs 87.0± 4.97 mg/dL p=0.03) in CT. CDI showed positive results after both trainings. However, they may be at risk of further developing T2DM according to pre-exercise CG.


The population development of Western corn rootworm was calculated for a period of 9 years to examine various SILKE KRÜGENER et al., Modellierung der Populationsentwicklung des Westlichen Maiswurzelbohrers ... 70 O rigilarbeit containment measures. The model takes account of various management measures. It uses a mean oviposition of 486 eggs per female and mean mortality from the egg to the adult of 97%. Without any control this results in a growth rate of 7.505 per generation. Application of control measures within a year reduces densities by the corresponding efficacy of the measure. The model calculation shows that 75% of maize and more in crop rotation cause a rapid increase in population density. In this case insecticide seed dressing or soil granules are not sufficient to prevent a rapid increase in population density. The model shows that the control of adults leads to a decrease of the density. Since, however, efficiency is heavily dependent on weather and environmental conditions this measure is not suitable for containment on a large area. 66% of maize in crop rotation causes only a slight increase in density which could be compensated within several years when weather conditions are unfavourable. A combination of 66% of maize in crop rotation and insecticide application at least in first-year maize causes a reduction in population density. Furthermore, the model shows that a maximum of 50% of maize in rotation reduces Western corn rootworm density also without insecticide use. Calculations recommend the following measures for containment: 66% of maize in rotation combined with insecticide application in first-year maize, or a maximum of 50% of maize in rotation. 66% of maize in rotation can only be recommended in combination with continuous monitoring and additional measures in case of increasing densities. Containment of Western corn rootworm is not achieved when maize exceeds 66% in rotation or only insecticide treatment is applied.


The purpose of present study were to find the general trends of mate selecting factors and, marital satisfaction, concentrated on married women, to examine the difference among mate selection factors and marital satisfaction according to socio-demographic variables and psychological variables and to analyze the effects of these variables influencing marital satisfaction. The subjects were 276 wives, living in Kwangju that having passed under 5 years after marriage without divorce experience. The major findings were as follows: 1. In mate selection, factor of high-degree was personality. view of value, personal relations, achievement, emotional mature, self-differentiation, degree of affection`s expression, sense of humor, charms and condition of health. Respondents` marital satisfaction score showed 91.75 and this score was higher than median score(62.5). 2. The external factor of mate selection showed significant difference according to degree of education, career, order, and sex-role attitude. The internal factor of mate selection showed significant difference according to degree of education, career, order, self-differentiation, self-esteem, and sex-role attitude. 3. As correlating mate selectional factors to marital satisfaction, the significance appears in the mate`s personality, view of value, emotional mature, personal relations, self-differentiation, condition of health, achievement, charm, sense of humor and degree of affection`s expression. 4. Married women`s marital satisfaction was influenced by self-esteem, personality and child`s number that were explained about 38% by these variables. In conclusion, to happy marital life must be loved her own self, and above all considered internal factors like personality than external factors in mate selection.


Colonial wars are often forgotten wars, and the mid-nineteenth-century conflict involving New Zealand's indigenous Maori population and the British is no exception. Although punctuated by sporadic violence, early contact between Maori and European was generally peaceful. Both New Zealand's Maori inhabitants and the traders, whalers, missionaries and settlers they encountered found interaction mutually beneficial, but as European settlement increased so did reasons for conflict. In 1845war broke out around the Bay of Islands on New Zealand's North Island. After roughly ten months of fighting the conflict subsided, although in 1846 and 1847 shorter bouts of fighting took place around Wellington and Wanganui. After more than a decade of relative peace, fighting resumed in 1860and continued until the early 1870s. Known collectively as the New Zealand Wars, the various campaigns pitted dissident Maori groups against regulars of the British army, navy, and marines, armed settlers and Maori who allied themselves with the British colonial forces.


To the Editor.—
 In a case report, Arditi et al1 d cefuroxime treatment failure in a child with Haemophilus influenzae meningitis. They substituted ceftriaxone for cefuroxime, but they did not mention that ceftniaxone treatment regimens have been associated with two problems. The first is the basis of a case report which described delayed sterilization of H influenzae type B meningitis under management with ceftriaxone.2 The infant had a positive cerebrospinal fluid culture after 3 days (six doses) of ceftriaxone.


Through the basic model of sonar equation,based on the directive interference between vessels in the anti-submarine formation,through the interference equation,this paper establishes the relation between the max Line-Jamming rang of active sonar and the detecting range,several solvable methods are proposed in the end.The result can offer technology supports for decision-making of tactical officer,which means a lot to improve the operational efficiency of sonar and anti-submarine vessel formation.


The invention discloses a flip chip encapsulating piece and a manufacturing method thereof. The flip chip encapsulating piece comprises a substrate, a chip, a plurality of first conducting columns, a plurality of second conducting columns and an encapsulating material, wherein a plurality of first bonding pads are arranged on one lateral surface of the substrate; a plurality of second bonding pads are arranged on an active surface of the chip; the first conducting columns are arranged on the first bonding pads by a first welding flux; the second conducting columns are arranged on the second bonding pads and are connected to the first conducting columns by a second welding flux, so that the chip is electrically connected to the substrate by the second conducting columns, the second welding flux, the first conducting columns and the first welding flux which are stacked sequentially; and the encapsulating material is filled into the lateral surface of the substrate to encapsulate the chip. The flip chip encapsulating piece can increase space between the chip and the substrate, so that the encapsulating material can be filled into space between the chip and the substrate fully without hole formation.


In Japan the word for marriage broker, "Nakodo," is now being widely used to apply to business "brokers" who arrange joint ventures between firms. As detente opens new markets, particularly in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and China (where Western business executives have had little negotiating experience), an international Nakodo, partial to neither party, can expedite agreements which would otherwise be very difficult and very costly to negotiate.


Accurate travel time information acquisition is essential to the effective planning and management of bicycle travel conditions. Traditionally, video camera data have been used as the primary source for measuring the quality of bicycle travel time. This paper deals with an investigation of bicycle travel time estimation on a short corridor, using Bluetooth sensors, based on field survey of travel time at one arterial road in Hangzhou. Usually bicycle travel time estimates with Bluetooth sensors contain three types of errors: spatial error, temporal error, and sampling error. To avoid these, we introduced filters to "purify" the time series. A median filtering algorithm is used to eliminate the outlier observations. The filtering scheme has been applied on Genshan East Road and Moganshan Road. Test data are used to measure the quality of bicycle travel time data collected by the Bluetooth sensors, and the results show that the new technology is a promising method for collecting high-quality travel time data that can be used as ground truth for evaluating other sources of travel time and other intelligent transportation system applications.


Aim: Sugar-free products have several advantages in protecting teeth against dental caries. The objective of this study was to assess the available sugar-free products in the Saudi market and to determine the most common sugar substitutes found in these products. Materials and Methods: Products carrying the labels such as "sugar-free" or "no sugar" from five major stores in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia were collected. Special emphasis was given to products commonly used as snacks. The type and percentage of each sugar substitute were investigated by checking the product's label or by contacting the manufacturer. Descriptive analysis of sweeteners' type and concentrations were performed. Results: The majority of products had some missing information regarding the type or concentration. Some products contained some carbohydrates such as sucrose. The main sugar substitutes were sorbitol and sucralose in gums and sweeteners, respectively. Acesulfam-K was found in 64% of the products whereas xylitol was present in only 16% with average concentration of 0.6 g/pellet in chewing gums. Conclusion: Several products contain a mixture of different sugar substitutes. The type of the main sweetener was dependent on the product category. Acesulfam-K and aspartame were the major sugar substitutes found. Overall xylitol concentration was low.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether a point-of-care rapid influenza test impacts the diagnostic evaluation and treatment of children with acute respiratory illnesses.

DESIGN
Randomized controlled trial.

SETTING
Pediatric emergency department and acute care clinic of a children's hospital.

PARTICIPANTS
Children aged younger than 5 years with fever or acute respiratory symptoms during 2 influenza seasons (2002 through 2004).

INTERVENTIONS
Surveillance days were randomized to performance or no performance of a point-of-care rapid influenza test. All children had a nasal and throat swab obtained for laboratory tests. The rapid test group had another nasal swab obtained for the QuickVue Influenza Test (Quidel Corp, San Diego, Calif), which was performed by nurses; results were shared immediately with treating physicians.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Rapid test results were compared with results of the viral culture or 2 polymerase chain reaction assays for influenza. Diagnostic test ordering and antibiotic prescribing were compared for the groups.

RESULTS
Of 468 enrolled children, 306 were from the emergency department and 162 from the clinic. Overall, 88 children (19%) had influenza infection. Of 205 children in the rapid test group, 51 (25%) had influenza infection. The rapid influenza test was 82% sensitive and 99% specific. In the emergency department, fewer children in the rapid test group had diagnostic tests ordered than in the no rapid test group (39% vs 51%, P = .03). There was no difference in test ordering in the clinic or in antibiotic prescribing in either setting. The use of antivirals was low.

CONCLUSIONS
Point-of-care rapid influenza tests were sensitive and specific and were associated with less diagnostic testing in the emergency department.


OSTEOPOROSIS is a common condition in the aged, more so in women than in men. It has been assumed that a deficiency of secretion of oestrogens and androgens is a contributing factor.From the therapeutic standpoint, we have not attempted to differentiate senile osteoporosis from the postmenopausal type. It is not our intention to review the literature of the subject,2 to 12 but to relate our experience in the treatment of a group of patients with the regimen outlined below. The diagnosis of postmenopausal or senile osteoporosis in each instance was dependent upon the classical radiological findings of osteoporosis in the vertebral column. These included ballooning of intervertebral discs and in some instances Schmorl's nodules, loss of normal bony trabeculations and frequently compression fractures of the vertebral bodies. In addition, cases were not included in this series unless the results of serum tests for calcium, phosphate, phosphatase and proteins were within normal range. The patients were treatedin the following manner: They were advised to sleep on a bed with a firm mattress and a board under the mattress; a spinal support was prescribed in the form of a corset of suitable height or a Taylor brace; a high protein diet was outlined; 10 mgm. of methyltestosteronesand 1.25 mgm. of Premarin (conjugated cestrogenic substances) was prescribed with the advice to take the tablet daily for six weeks and then, after abstention for a week, to resume for another six weeks, and to continue this programme. There were 42 patients with a diagnosis of osteoporosis treated in the foregoing manner; 33 were women and nine were men. The onset of pain in 24 cases was sudden and severe. In a few cases there had been mild discomfort before the onset of severe pain. In five cases the pain had appeared gradually over a period of time and in the remaining cases the onset was indeterminate. In only one case in which the onset of pain was gradual was there more than


INTRODUCTION The Sandhill Crane (SACR; Grus canadensis) is the most populous of the 15 extant crane species. Their breeding range covers the majority of the continental U.S. and Canada and extends into Cuba and Eastern Siberia. Wintering areas are much more condensed and range typically from the southern and southeastern U.S. into Mexico (Meine and Archibald 1996). While not the most abundant population, the Eastern Population (EP) of greater SACRs (G. c. tabida) is likely the currently fastest growing (3.9% annual average growth rate; Amundsen and Johnson 2010). It is estimated to comprise approximately 60,000 birds (Kruse et al. 2012).


As state policies regarding vaccination for children entering kindergarten eliminate exemptions for personal beliefs, parents turn to claiming exemptions on religious grounds.


The information sharing aspect of information technology is playing a prominent role in all kinds of business either it's non-profit organization or profit organization. Now a days, all types of business requires and adopts the facility of advertisement to promote their services and products.Digital advertisement is the current requirement of the modern businesses sand information world. Scrolling led dot matrix displays are used at international airports, stock exchanges, metro railway stations, shopping complex, bus stations etc. led display is an effective mode on displaying information but the complicated task is to make the message dynamic as the users have to change the massage content according to this specific requirements. In case of changing the message content the user have to connect the led display with the computer, so that the display board cannot be placed any where because of dedicated and complex wiring pattern. Wireless based dot matrix display makes the wireless connection between user mobile and led display. It provides the facility of real time message displaying means the user can change the message content that is to be display. A mobile is used to send the message to the led display and the microcontroller does all processing of displaying the message content on the led display in scrolling pattern. The aim of the project is to develop a wireless scrolling message board that facility the user to change the message content without connecting the display board with the computer or laptop through a cable. The user can update the message content through Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.


ABSTRACT This article analyzes China's use of issue-linkage strategies in its approach to nuclear proliferation. It highlights that China has used its ties to nuclear proliferators as a bargaining chip vis-a-vis the United States. The United States is dependent on Chinese cooperation to secure nonproliferation objectives such as a non-nuclear Iran, and China has used this dependency to extract side-payments for its cooperation. Moreover, Beijing has used non-cooperation on nuclear proliferation as retaliation when the US has hurt its interests in unrelated policy areas, such as through arms sales to Taiwan. In contrast with past studies, the article claims that China's approach to nonproliferation remains partly transactional to this day.


The authors consider the possibility of a self-sustaining thermonuclear reaction in a dense plasma (n ≳ 1016 cm3). The pressure of the plasma is contained by walls and the magnetic field only serves to reduce thermal conductivity in a transverse direction. A solution is obtained for the plasma balance equation that makes allowance for radiation losses along the magnetic field, and it is shown that there is no satisfactory solution across a uniform magnetic field. The authors discuss the possibility of a steady-state thermonuclear reaction with a non-uniform magnetic field.


Competitive activity in Kyokushin places high demands on the level of development of motor coordination, which contributes to the effective realization of motor actions. Coaching impacts the coordination of training funds can be directed to the following technical and tactical actions of punches: combinationanti, counterattacks, the ability of the organization of protection from punches and kicks. On indicators related to the action kicks: the ability of the organization of protection. In the transitional provisions, the thrust of the possible impacts on the implementation of ligaments "hands and feet". In the subgroup of athletes with a high level of sportsmanship compared to the subgroup with low – intensity coordination, manifesting in nonspecific and specific sports activity significantly higher in the subgroup with a high level of sportsmanship.


In order to elucidate the sensitivity of the autoradiographic plate to tritium, and to determine the optimal development time and temperature, standards with varying contents of tritium were prepared. In each of five test tubes was placed 0.3 gm gelatin. An addition was then made of, respectively, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 ml of a radioactive dihydrostreptomycin solution. Distilled water was thereafter added in a sufficient amount to give uniform volumes of liquid in each tube. The solutions were heated to melt the gelatin, meticulously shaken, then poured into dishes and dried to thin flakes. These latter were nevertheless of infinite thickness (20 rng/cmt) for the soft radiation of tritium. The flakes were thereafter gummed to sheets of lead foil, each of which had five flakes with increasing concentrations. The foil, thus prepared, was then placed on Ilford G.5 for exposure. The plates, when developed, accordingly had images of increasing density (see figure 7).


The aim of this study was to gain further insight into the interplay between both extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and AmpC enzymes and different virulence factors (VFs) among Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolated from Mansoura University Hospitals, Egypt. For this purpose 100 E. coli isolates were collected from different clinical sources. All isolates were investigated for production of ESBL and AmpC enzymes. The prevalence of VF encoding genes including: KPsMII (group2 capsule synthesis), FyuA (ferric yersiniabactin uptake), Afa/dra (Dr-binding a fimbrial adhesins), PapA (P fimbriae), PapC (formation of digalactoside-binding Pap pili), iutA (aerobactin receptor) and BssS (biofilm formation) and associations of these genes with both enzyme types were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction. ESBL was produced by 37% of the isolates while AmpC enzyme was produced by 29%. Virulence genes prevalence among ESBL phenotypes were 43.2% KPsMII, 51.35% FyuA, 62.1% Afa/dra, 43.2% PapA, 16.2% PapC, 67.56% iutA and 78.4% BssS. Regarding AmpC phenotypes, the prevalence of  virulence genes were: 51.7% KPsMII, 86.2% FyuA, 68.96% Afa/dra, 55.17% PapA, 24.1% PapC, 82.7% iutA and 100% BssS. Of the tested virulence factor encoding genes, BssS, FyuA and iutA were significantly more prevalent among AmpC producers. In addition, AmpC producers exhibited a statistically significant higher prevalence of multivirulence (MV) (MV≥4) than ESBL producers. Furthermore, AmpC phenotypes showed very significantly higher expression (P>0.01) of BssS gene than ESBLs phenotypes. Our results suggest a correlation between AmpC phenotypes and production of some factors that are reported to be involved in the virulence of E. coli.

 Key words: extended spectrum β-lactamase, AmpC enzymes, virulence factors, Escherichia coli.


STUDY OBJECTIVES
Several studies have examined sleep patterns in rural/indigenous communities, however little is known about sleep characteristics in women of reproductive age, and children within these populations. We investigate sleep-wake patterns in mothers and children (ages 3-5 years) leveraging data from the Ghana Randomized Air Pollution and Health Study (GRAPHS).

METHODS
The GRAPHS cohort comprises of rural/agrarian communities in Ghana and collected multi-day actigraphy in a subset of women and children to assess objective sleep-wake patterns. Data was scored using the Cole-Kripke and Sadeh algorithms for mothers/children. We report descriptive, baseline characteristics and objective sleep measures, compared by access to electricity/ poverty status.

RESULTS
We analyzed data for 58 mothers (mean age 33±6.6) and 64 children (mean age 4±0.4). For mothers, mean bedtime was 9:40pm±56 minutes, risetime 5:46am±40 minutes, and total-sleep-time (TST) was 6.3 hours±46 minutes. For children, median bedtime was 8:07pm (IQR: 7:50,8:43), risetime 6:09am (IQR: 5:50,6:37), and mean 24-hour TST 10.44 hours±78 minutes. Children with access to electricity had a reduced TST compared to those without electricity (p=0.02). Mean bedtime was later for both mothers (p=0.05) and children (p=0.08) classified as poor.

CONCLUSIONS
Mothers in our cohort demonstrated a shorter TST, and earlier bed/risetimes compared to adults in post-industrialized nations. In contrast, children had a higher TST compared to children in post-industrialized nations, also with earlier sleep-onset and offset times. Investigating objective sleep-wake patterns in rural/indigenous communities can highlight important differences in sleep health related to sex, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, and help estimate the impact of industrialization on sleep in developed countries.


The analysis of the results of acoustic properties of rocks study of Pischans`ka iron-ore structure is presented.

The aim of the work is to establish the features of the distribution of acoustic properties and parameters of acoustic anisotropy in samples of core rocks selected from the well No. 3 of the Pischans`ka structure to determine the nature of its occurrence.

A sample of 35 samples from the depth range 144-273 m is divided into 3 groups of rocks, namely: magnetite-pyroxene, quartz-magnetitepyroxene and biotite-amphibole crystalline shales.

Based on an invariant polarization method, a number of acoustic laboratory measurements have been carried out. The values of the measured phase velocities "quasi-longitudinal" and two "quasi-transverse" waves at the stage of measurements showed significant acoustic anisotropy of the rocks. The ranges of the measured speeds of the collection samples are 7661 ÷ 5046 m / s for longitudinal waves and 4232 ÷ 2648 m/s for transverse ones. The difference in values measured for each of the sides of the cubic rhombic dodecahedron is from 100 to 800 m / s and from 0 to 500 m/s for Vp and Vs, respectively.

The parameters of an acoustic ellipsoid were calculated, on the basis of which the division of samples into 3 main groups has been performed, according to the acoustic texture: acoustically linear, shale and rhombic. Separately, a group of samples with a more complex texture was discovered.

The analysis of coefficients of anisotropy by different methods is carried out: longitudinal, transverse and relative acoustic anisotropy. Most of the samples are characterized by low or average acoustic anisotropy (from 2 to 7 %). A group of highly anisotropic rocks (11–14 %), represented by samples of biotite-amphibole crystalline silicates, is singled out.

According to the parameters of the acoustic tensor of most samples, the transverse isotropic type of symmetry inherent to samples from the depth intervals 174–220 m and 222–232 m, while the smaller part is rhombic, is inherent. Differences in the parameters of anisotropy of samples can be explained by the significant heterogeneity of their textures, namely: micro cracks, minerals of various sizes, shapes and orientations.

The results of the research show that the acoustic properties of the samples are quite heterogeneously distributed along the investigated depth range. This indicates the difficult conditions for the formation of rocks at different depths and the presence of different types of deformations, which accompanied the formation of the Pischans`ka structure.


Background Although liver biopsy is an easy procedure for hospitalized patients and outpatients, some complications may occur. Objectives To evaluate the efficiency, complications, safety and clinicopathological utility of ultrasonographic-guided percutaneous liver biopsy in diffuse liver disease. Patients and Methods In our retrospective study, we evaluated ultrasound-assisted needle biopsies that were performed in outpatients from October 2006 to July 2010. The liver biopsies were performed following one-night fasting using the tru-cut biopsy gun (18-20 gauge) after marking the best seen and hypovascular part of the liver, distant enough from the adjacent organs. Results A total of 1018 patients were referred to our radiology department. Most of the patients had hepatitis B (60.6%). The biopsy specimens were recorded and sent to our pathology department for histopathological examination. Conclusion According to the results of our series, percutaneous liver biopsy using the tru-cut biopsy gun guided by ultrasonography can be performed safely. We resolve that routine ultrasound of the puncture site is a quick, effective and safe procedure. The complication rate is very low. The US-assisted percutaneous liver biopsy should be used for all cases.


Osmium coating on microstructures becomes possible by the plasma CVD technique. A metallic osmium fi lm has excellent heat-resistance, conductivity, hardness and environmental performance. An osmium fi lm coated on an electron-microscope aperture-plate is very e ff ective in electri fi ed restraint and beam damage reduction.


Today, many econometric tools are provided for studying consumer expenditures. Less attention has been paid to the fact that, when analysing expenditures for superior goods, these tools have to be adapted to some particularities that have a serious impact on the estimation outcome. First, the considered data, in our case household expenditures for jewellery in Spain, exhibit a strong censoring that must not be ignored. Second, our confidence bands show serious nonlinearities for basically all continuous covariates. Finally, it turns out that especially in the case of luxury goods, one has to control for endogeneity of the covariate 'total expenditure'.


Rapid-acting human insulin analogues, provide more rapid absorption than regular human insulin after subcutaneous administration. The limitations of regular human insulin like variation in absorption kinetics, slow absorption rate, inappropriate prandial control and injection timing were addressed by these modern insulins. Studies have shown strong evidence of better glycaemic control, without an increased risk of hypoglycaemia, together with evidence supporting improved convenience and flexibility of insulin aspart compared with regular human insulin in adult diabetic subjects. These analogues have been associated with improved hospital outcomes with or without critical illness and managing emergencies like DKA. Insulin aspart has unaltered pharmacokinetics in renal failure as well, making it to be modern insulin of choice in emergencies. Insulin aspart and lispro have been approved to be used in GDM by the USFDA and have shown to provide better maternal and foetal outcomes than regular human insulin. Insulin aspart, lispro and glulisine have been used in insulin pumps and studies have shown them to provide better glycaemic control and stability than MDI. The standard preparation of insulin aspart has the potential to better mimic the physiological response to meals than regular human insulin. Overall, there is a good body of evidence to support the efficacy, tolerability and ease of administration of insulin aspart in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. In general, the extensive clinical data with these rapid acting modern insulins is well accepted and that they help to improve diabetes management significantly.


With the rapid development of the economy and society, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has not only caused severe environmental problems, but also posed a threat to public health. In order to improve the estimated accuracy of PM2.5, the input data fine mode fraction (FMF), a key parameter to the PM2.5 remote sensing method (PMRS), should be improved due to its significant errors. In this study, we merge the observations of the fine mode fraction (FMF) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) and the Sun-sky radiometer Observation Network (SONET) using the universal kriging (UK) method to obtain accurate FMF distribution over eastern China. PM2.5 mass concentration is estimated by the fusion and MODIS FMF distributions using the PMRS model. The results show that the parameters in the variogram are relatively stable except for significant differences in correlation lengths in summer. The FMF in the Winter of 2015 shows that the mean error decreases from 0.38 to 0.13 compared with that from MODIS using leave-one-out cross-validation, with the maximum error decreasing from 0.75 to 0.34, indicating that the UK method can provide better estimates of FMF. We also find that PM2.5 estimated from FMF fusion results is closer to the in situ PM2.5 from the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) (87.2 vs. 88.9 μg/m3).