81 percent of existing hospice programs have boycottedhospiceMedicare program R ecently released Medicare regulations for health maintenanceorganizations(HMOs) includeaspecialclause that involvesthoseMedicarepatientsin anHMO whoalso wantto receivehospicecare.Accordingto thenewregulations,HMOs arenot requiredto providehospicecareto patients,but must inform thoseusing Medicareof the availability of hospicecareif thereis a Medicare-certifiedhospicein theimmediategeographicarea.HMOs mustalsoinform their patientsof hospiceservicesif it is routinepractice for patientsto be referredto hospicesoutside the immediate geographicarea. This new regulationwill allow aMedicarepatientto continueto participateinanHMO while alsoreceivinghospicecare.Medicarewill reimbursethe hospicefor their services.The HMO will beabletobill Medicare on a "fee-for-servicebasis" for any care given by the attendingphysicianor for appropriateservicesthatwereprovidedfor an illness that wasunrelatedto the terminalillness. The regulationsrecommendthat Medicare-certifiedhospiceproviderscontactHMOsin their area.Thiswill allow for informationto beonfile attheHMO in orderthatreferralsbeappropriatelymadefor Medicareenrolleesdiagnosedas terminally ill.


Multiple Fixed Ratio Extinction force and displacement data for lever pressing were obtained from a rhesus monkey restrained in a primate chair. Two basic behaviors were defined: responses, which were reinforced, and errors, which were not. When a Fixed Ratio 4 baseline was used and the reinforced force or displacement band was shifted, relative frequency force and displacement distributions shifted in the same direction. Under force-specific or displacement-specific reinforcement the number of errors preceding the first response of the fixed ratio was always larger than the number preceding any of the other responses. It appeared that S discriminated the response requirements, and that the procedure can be used to study such discrimination in detail.


By folding a thin flat sheet with periodically set slits or punched out portions into the third dimension, ultra-lightweight strong and functional core models are newly devised. The basic idea of this modeling arises from the application of origami technique to engineering. Based on the space filling models, fundamental flat cores and skew type sponge cores have been newly developed. By applying these models, such modified core models as curved cores and 3D honeycomb core are newly devised.


Result: A 30-year-old male who previously underwent cervical spine surgery for Pott's disease, presenting with watery ear discharge and mandibular resorption was initially diagnosed with tuberculosis. On MRI, a mildly contrast-enhancing soft tissue mass involving the left infratemporal and middle cranial fossae consistent with residual or recurrent tumor as well as an inflammatory process was seen. He underwent transtemporal excision of the mass with external auditory canal blind sac closure and obliteration. Final histopathology revealed Langerhans cell histiocytosis. A review of slides of the specimen from the previous spine surgery was done and signed out as Langerhans cell histiocytosis.


In this paper we report results from an exploratory study of design structures in scientific research software. Dependency Structure Matrix (DSM) is used as a modelling tool to capture and analyze dependencies among system elements such as functions. We compute several architectural complexity metrics and present preliminary results from two open-source scientific computing software applications.


Introduction. In Russia, the problem of toxic hepatitis is of great importance and relevance. The etiology of toxic hepatitis (industrial toxicants, drugs, ethanol) and, as a consequence, pathogenesis may have significant differences at the molecular genetic level. The aim of the study was to analyze the expression of genes involved in the response to toxic liver damage of various etiologies. Material and methods. Toxic hepatitis was modulated in male albino mongrel rats weighing 180-200 grams assigned to four groups (control group, carbon tetrachloride, paracetamol, ethanol). After 24 and 72 hours of paracetamol administration, rats were anesthetized and the mRNA levels of the Chek1, Gclc, Gstm1, Gstp1, Gstt1, Nfe2l2, Nqo1, Ripk1 genes in the liver homogenate were examined. Results. As a result of the analysis of the genes expression studied, the expression profile was found TO be differed depending on the etiology of toxic hepatitis. With carbon tetrachloride poisoning, an increase in the expression of the Nqo1 genes (p = 0.001), Gstm1 (p = 0.037) and a decrease in the expression of the Nfe2l2 genes (p = 0.004), Ripk1 (p = 0.004) was observed. With the liver damage by paracetamol and its metabolites, opposite to the expression of the Gstm1 gene (p = 0.001) decreased, and the expression of the Nfe2l2 (p = 0.009), Gclc (p = 0.001), Chek1 (p = 0.011) genes increased. During alcohol intoxication, there were no statistically significant changes in the expression profiles of the genes studied. Conclusion. the results obtained may indicate the involvement of various molecular genetic mechanisms in the process of response to toxic liver damage, depending on the etiology.


This study discusses the profile of eight corporate environmental programs implemented by different companies, located in five Brazilian states. The study identified and reflected on the content and environmental activities developed by these companies, under Mata's theoretical framework (1996), concerning the removal/estrangement to the environment; Reigota (1994), emphasizing the importance of the reflexive component of the environmental education and Simons (2006), who points out the passivity in the transmission of the knowledge originating from the companies. The results point the dissociation in the conception between Social Responsibility and environmental issues; punctual environmental programs; a concept far from the environment, turned to nature, the minimum execution of the technical requirements of Norm ISO 14000, insufficient number of professionals to act in the environmental sector, the existence of so-called educational programs to certain groups of employees from some sectors just prior to audits, among others.


Coil structures have been designed to permit nondestructive testing of bubble wafers. Wafers can be electrically or optically inspected and operated from quasi-static frequency to maximum device operating frequency.


VIRGINIA'S INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY RESOURCE TEACHER PROGRAM: TEN YEARS LATER, WHAT WE KNOW, WHERE DO WE NEED TO GO? By Cherise Ann Hodge, PhD A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2017 Director: Dr. Whitney Newcomb, Professor, Educational Leadership In 2004, Virginia's Department of Education (VDOE) identified the need for technology integration in instruction to meet the needs of the 21st century student. For this to happen effectively, Virginia legislators authorized and funded an instructional position, the Instructional Technology Resource Teacher (ITRT), for each 1000 students in Virginia's 132 school divisions (Virginia Standards of Quality [SOQ], 2004). The VDOE established guidelines for this position to direct school division implementation. Primary responsibilities for the position involve activities relating to teacher professional development. Virginia divisions chose varying models for deploying the ITRT to meet this requirement. In 2012, the legislature edited the directive for the position to give localities the option to use the position as an ITRT, as a data coordinator, or as both positions (Virginia Standards of Quality, 2012). This study uses survey data to determine how ITRTs are spending their time, ten years after the implementation of the program.


In this paper, a new technique is proposed for automatic segmentation of multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions from brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The technique uses textural features to describe the blocks of each MRI slice along with position and neighborhood features. A trained support vector machine (SVM) is used to discriminate between the blocks in regions of MS lesions and the blocks in non-MS lesion regions based on mainly the textural features with aid of the other features. The MRI slice blocks' classification is used to provide an initial segmentation. A comprehensive post processing module is then utilized to refine and improve the quality of the initial segmentation. The main contribution of the proposed technique described in this paper is the use of textural features to detect MS lesions in a fully automated process without the need to manually define regions of interest (ROIs). In addition, the post processing module is generic enough to be applied to the results of any other MS segmentation technique to improve the segmentation quality. This technique is evaluated using ten real MRI data-sets with 10% used in the training of the textural-based SVM. The average results for the performance evaluation of the presented technique were 0.79 for dice similarity, 0.68 for sensitivity and 0.9 for the percentage of the detected lesion load. These results indicate that the proposed method would be useful in clinical practice for the detection of MS lesions from MRI.


FIELD: organic chemistry, pharmacy. SUBSTANCE: invention describes novel alkenylcarboxylic acids guanidides of the formula (I) where R(6) and R(7) mean H or (C 1 -C 8 -alkyl; R(1), R(2), R(3), R(4) and R(5) mean hydrogen of fluorine atom being at least one or residues R(1), R(2), R(3), R(4) and R(5) must be fluorine atom, and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts. Compounds of the formula (I) are synthesized by interaction of the compound of the formula (II) with guanidine. Compounds of the formula (I) show ability to inhibit cellular Na + /H + -exchange and they therefore are suitable for treatment of patients with increased Na + /H + -exchange and can be used individually or as components of pharmaceutical composition. EFFECT: new compounds indicated above, improved method of synthesis, valuable pharmacological properties. 14 cl, 1 tbl, 12 ex


— This study aims to determine the effects of addition of powdered Cassia Vera extract on chemical composition and organoleptic value of unripe areca nut syrup. This research used Completely Randomized Design (CRD) consisting of four treatments and three replications. However, chemical, physical, and microbiological testing takes two of the most preferred products and one control product. Observational data were analysed by using a statistical program 8, followed by Tukey test at 5% level.The treatments in this study were the addition of cassia vera extract into unripe arecha nut syrup: A (0% addition as control), B (2% addition), C (4% addition ), and D ( 6% addition). The observations were the analysis of raw materials unripe areca nut including moisture, ash, fat, protein, antioxidants activity, alkaloids measurement, tannins and carbohydrates. In addition, chemical analysis of areca nut syrup includes moisture content, ash, sugar, antioxidants, and tannins while viscosity test for physical analysis. For microbiological analysis such as total plate count and organoleptic test includes taste, odor, and color preference had chosen by the preference test methods.The results of this study indicates that the addition of powdered cassia vera extract into areca nut syrup significantly had different influence on ash content, water content, sugar content, antioxidant level, viscosity and tannin level. The total plate count and alkaloids measurement also had a significant effect on areca nut syrup processing. The results of organoleptic test showed that the product C was the most preferred product by the percentage of panelists who chose like-really like level at 95%-100%. Product C as the most preferred product, has an average 42,347% of water content, 0,061% ash content, 71,333% sugar, 15,273% antioxidant level, 7,21% tannin content, viscosity 0,933 dPa.S, alkaloids measurement (+), and total plate count 4,0×10².


There is a rapid decline with time in the retention of the skills of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). In the teaching of CPR, most standard-setting groups place considerable emphasis on the exact positioning of fingers and hands for the handgrips for airway maintenance during expired air resuscitation (EAR). This study assessed the retention of EAR skills in 490 members of the general community who were randomly divided in three groups. In a series of three-hour sessions 8-12 members of each group were taught CPR in an identical fashion except for the difference in handgrip. Group 1 was taught 'hand under the neck', Group 2 was taught jaw support as recommended by the American Heart Association, Group 3 was taught 'the pistol grip' jaw support as recommended by most Australian authorities. By the end of the class 95070 of Group 1 had achieved mastery of hand under the neck but only 70070 in the other groups had mastered their grip exactly. Approximately five months later, 55070 of Group I used their grip exactly but only 16.2070 of Group 2 and 26.1070 of Group 3 used their grip exactly. However approximately 70070 of the subjects in all groups were able to achieve satisfactory ventilation of the manikin. There was a marked but similar drop in all groups in the number of external compressions over a two minute period due to a failure to retain the ratio of 2: 15 EAR:ECC which had been taught.


Field experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of nitrogen(N) rates(N0,N150,N225 and N300) and topdressing ratios(N1/9,N3/7,N5/5 and N7/3) on post-anthesis dry matter and N assimilation and translocation,using wheat cultivars with different grain protein contents,i.e.Ningmai 9(low protein) and Yumai 34(high protein).The results showed that grain yield and protein content increased with increasing of an appropriate N rate and topdressing ratio.With the increment of N rate and topdresssing ratio appropriatly,dry matter translocation amount increased.However,dry matter transfer efficiency and the contribution of dry matter translocation to grain yield decreased when more N fertilizer and topdressing ratio was applied.N tranlocation amount increased with an increase of N rate and an appropriate topdressing ratio,but N translocation efficiency and the contribution of N translocation to grain N decreased with the increment of N rate and topdressing ratio.The correlation analysis indicated that increasing post-anthesis dry matter accumulation was favorable for improving grain yield and increasing N translocation from vegetative organs to grain was favorable for improving grain protein content.High N rate and basal ratio increased N loss amount and decreased N utilization.It is suggested that the N rate was 225 kg·hm-2,topdressing ratio was not more than 50% for Ningmai 9,and 50%~70% for Yumai 34 had a better grain yield,protein content and N utilization efficiency,reduced N loss.


Table of Contents: You can go to (p. 6) -- Talking Turkey Days (p. 12) -- Radio House (p. 14) -- Raford (p. 15) -- Miss Texas' Mr. (p. 16) -- 23 Skidoo (p. 18) -- How Tom Peeps (p. 19) -- Gay Times (p. 20) -- Pigskin Packin' Peyton (p. 21) -- Girl of the Month (p. 22) -- Plow Boys (p. 23) -- Texas Folklore (p. 27) -- Bop to Bach (p. 28) -- Faculty Cackles (p. 37) -- Cartoon Contest (p. 40)


Based on the fractal theory,the surface morphology of connecting rod bushing was studied.Through the fractal interpolation,the surface morphology of connecting rod bushing was reconstructed and compared with the SEM photographs.The result shows that the method can characterize the surface morphology of parts qualitatively.The surface roughness and fractal dimension between actual surface and reconstructed surface are compared.It is found that the fractal dimension can characterize the surface morphology of parts more accurately.


The sensory quality of grape products was directly influenced by the aroma components in grape juice.The volatile aroma components in the grape juices of Vitis amurensis and Vitis vinifera were detected by solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(SPME-GC-MS).Sixty-five volatiles were identified and classified into 9 groups including ester,alkene,aldehyde,alcohol,ketone,alkane,furan,benzene and heterocycle.The varieties and contents of aroma components in the grape juice of V.amurensis were higher than those of V.vinifera.The main volatiles in V.amurensis were aldehydes,alcohols and alkenes,while the main volatiles in V.vinifera were esters and aldehydes.


At present the control and protection of relay of electromotor uses combined circuit, which has the limitation of weak control and faulty protecting function .This paper provides a equipment having integration of control protection break-down memory and functional display. It has perfect protecting effect and nicer protecting characteristic It has the function of the display of charge state and indication of regulation ; it can protect magnetizing coil of contactor and main contacting dot well, it can make contactor function quietly and frugally it keep the memory of diversified malfunction while electromotor is functioning ,in order to make user to eliminate malfunction rapidly its controlling circuit is easy , it has merits of saving energy markedly.


A fetal influence over gestation time is recognized in several mammals; clarification of the mechanisms involved might suggest approaches to the prevention of prematurity. Fetal pituitary or adrenal defects lead to prolonged gestation, and ACTH or glucocorticoid administration can induce premature labor. We have attempted to distinguish fetal and placental mechanisms by performing fetectomy in macaques. Fetuses were removed from 10 monkeys at gestation ages from 65 to 143 days; placentas were left in situ. Of the 10 placentas, 7 were carried past normal term (155-176 days), and were delivered at 181 to 243 days. Four were delivered spontaneously and 2 after giving dexamethasone; 1 was removed surgically. At fetectomy, plasma progesterone values were highest in the umbilical vein, lower in fetal heart and uterine vein, and lowest in maternal peripheral vein. Following fetectomy, maternal progesterone values remained at or above normal pregnancy levels until placental expulsion or shortly before. Following expulsion, values fell promptly to non-pregnancy levels. Estradiol values (5 animals) fell within 7 to 19 days after fetectomy to 1/3 of pre-fetectomy levels and the rise normally seen before delivery did not occur prior to expulsion. These results indicate that in the absence of the fetus, delivery of the placenta is usually delayed, but that the ability of a glucocorticoid to precipitate expulsion remains. Maternal plasma progesterone levels are maintained, but estradiol levels fall.


OBJECTIVE: To study the distribution of estrogen receptor (ER) subtypes in ovarian tumors and to correlate the levels of expression with clinical factors. METHODS: Estrogen receptor-&agr; (ER&agr;) and &bgr;-mRNA expressions in 58 normal, 25 borderline, and 161 malignant ovarian tissue samples were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The expression levels were correlated with clinical data, including the histologic subtypes, the stage of the disease, and the disease-free and overall survival, with a median follow-up of 80 months. RESULTS: Estrogen receptor-&bgr; (ER&bgr;) expression, but not ER&agr;, was significantly higher in normal tissues compared with malignant tissues (P<.001). Estrogen receptor-&bgr; expression was also significantly higher in stage I disease compared with stage II-IV disease (P<.001). A higher ER&bgr; expression was found to be significantly associated with a longer disease-free survival (P=.007) as well as overall survival (P=.011). Estrogen receptor-&bgr; expression remained a significant predictor for disease-free survival and overall survival in multivariable analysis that took into account other factors that were shown to be associated with survival in univariate analyses, including stage of disease, type of tumor (borderline or malignant), and optimal debulking. CONCLUSION: Loss of ER&bgr; expression in ovarian tumors may be a feature of malignant transformation. Determining ER subtypes expression may improve response to hormonal therapy by tailoring the use of selective estrogen receptor modulators with different ER affinity in selected women. As a prognostic indicator, ER&bgr; levels may be useful in deciding the need for and choice of adjuvant treatment in women with early ovarian cancers. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II


Grass clump dwarf wheat plants (L. em Thell.) are characterized by their reduced stature, increased tiller number, and frequent lack of reproductive growth. Three types of grass-clump dwarf wheat plants occur in the progeny of crosses of normal wheat cultivars. Temperature has been shown to have a dramatic effect on the growth of the most severe dwarf but its effect has not been investigated with the less severe dwarf types. On the other hand, the inheritance of the trait has been most studied with the less severe dwarf types. In this study the temperature requirement for normal growth of the three types of grass-clump dwarfs and the inheritance of the trait was determined.Crosses of several common wheat cultivars were made and the F's were grown in controlled environmental growth cabinets under conditions of continuous 16,146 to 18,299 lux incandescent/fluorescent illumination and constant temperature regimes of 11, 16, 21, and 26 C.In general, type 1 dwarfs grew normally at temperatures of 26 C or higher, type 2 dwarfs grew normally at 21 C or higher, and type 3 dwarfs grew normally at 16 C or higher. At temperatures below these values, the characteristic grass-clump dwarf morphology was displayed in plants possessing a dwarfing genotype.Conventional genetic analysis of F populations and F lines showed that a three complementary dominant gene system adequately explained and predicted the origin of grass-clump dwarfs in inter-class wheat crosses.


English travel literature reaches a remarkable development along the Victorian period. Among many other branches of special interest, a particular significance is to be granted to the group of publications devoted to the islands of the near Atlantic, namely those of Madeira and the Canaries, on which the British touristic and editorial companies have laid their attention. An illustrative piece of this production is Tenerife and its six satellites, by Olivia M. Stone, an outstanding project, in a unique format, and, no doubt, the most complete representation of the Canary group. These and other reasons present it as a very attractive object of analysis to approach, among other topics, its nature as a text and the features of the Canaries' image depicted in its pages. This approach is focused on three chapters which reveal interesting observations and ideas, among other aspects, on Stone's points of view concerning different matters, her attitudes with regard to the land she visits and the dwellers she meets, the main aspects her attention is focused on, and the way her female vision and sensibility are handled and expressed.


【Abstract】According to the operation mechanism of the sleep mode for the power saving type I in IEEE 802.16e, this paper builds a multiple vacation queueing model with exponential variational vacation length. The queueing parameters such as queueing length with steady state, the average waiting time and the average busy cycle are given. The formula of the energy saving ratio and the performance measure of average response time are derived. Dependency relationship between the system performance measures and the size of initial sleep window are obtained through numerical examples. 【Key words】power saving type I; sleep mode; multiple vacation queueing system; performance measure


Through hardness test, impacting test, SEM of failure surface and microstructure observation, the relationship between the toughness and its microstructure of welding joint of T92 steel was studied. It is concluded that, with lower impact toughness, weld metal has higher hardness value than HAZ. The SEM appearance of weld metal and HAZ is very different discrepancy, the coarse martensite laths is a key factor which cause that the impact energy of weld metal is lower than that of HAZ.


In the supply chain, a warehouse is an essential component for linking the chain partners. It is necessary to allocate warehouse resources efficiently and effectively to enhance the productivity and reduce the operation costs of the warehouse. Therefore, warehouse management systems (WMSs) have been developed for handling warehouse resources and monitoring warehouse operations. In this paper, a RFID technology is adopted to facilitate the collection and sharing of data in a warehouse. Tests are performed for evaluating the reading performance of both the active and passive RFID apparatus. With the help of the testing results, the efficient radio frequency cover ranges of the readers are examined for formulating a radio frequency identification case-based logistics resource management system (R-LRMS). The successful case example proved the feasibility of R-LRMS in real working practice.


Summary

This study aimed at evaluating the influence of screw speed (250–600 rpm), barrel temperature (100–160 °C) and water content (16.4–22.5%) on rapidly digestible (RDS), slowly digestible (SDS) and resistant (RS) starch levels of waxy, normal and high-amylose maize starches. In native starches, an increase in amylose content was correlated with lower SDS content. After extrusion, this trend was reversed. Both waxy and normal maize starches became rapidly digested. However, for normal maize starch, some SDS fraction remained. In contrast, the high-amylose maize starch showed a significant increase in digestibility and an increase in SDS content from 20.4% in the native starch up to 27.5% after extrusion. This high level of SDS may be attributed to the presence of some remaining granular structures and formation of crystalline orders, which have slow digestion properties.


1. The Chief Concepts of Thompson's Analysis. D'Arcy Thompson looked upon himself as a follower of Aristotle in biology, and was an erudite student and translator of biological writings of the Stagyrite.' A number of Aristotle's chief terms are to be found in Thompson's masterpiece, On Growth and Form, although these terms-such as 'cause,' 'form,' 'movement,' and the like-undergo some change, generally a contraction, of meaning. But as a tireless investigator of living bodies of all sorts, Thompson developed his own methods for manipulating his concepts, and it is my hope to indicate briefly but critically what the methods are. In so doing, it will be profitable to make comparisons with certain other biologists of past and present, to point up the issues more sharply.2 Where Herbert Spencer and Darwin, for example, avoided setting up basic contrary terms, preferring to introduce what distinctions they had into their subject-matters by sets of terms defined literally and independently of each other, Thompson generally makes an effort to get his terms together in pairsmatter and energy, efficient and final cause, and so forth-and relate these somehow as opposites.3 Where Spencer had integration, force, matter, and differentiation as his principal (and not really contrary) notions, and tried to establish a set of propositions about all nature primarily and about living things only secondarily, Thompson takes up the problem of showing how non-living and living conform to the same mathematico-physical equations, by a kind of analogy. Thus he views his task as one of correlation of biological phenomena with physical ones-the correlation being not a causal one, but rather consisting of identifying one single mathematical form that would equate both types of phenomena as instances of the same law. The applications to physics are for the most part taken for granted. (17, p. 292) For Thompson, matter has no power, is passive to energy; but the energy must always be associated with a given material system, so that in a sense the two are correlative. (17, p. 290; cf. p. 20) Mechanism is an arrangement of matter-whatever checks and guides energy and leads it to manifest itself as work. (17, p. 291) Mechanism is always the efficient cause in the production of any body, and


Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease. MIF protein is one of proinflammatory cytokines has been implicated in various inflammatory and immune-mediated diseases. Therefore, the goal of the study was to assess the role of MIF in the pathogenesis of RA in Iraqi patient. One hundred and eighty (180) participants were involved; ninety patients with RA and ninety healthy controls. All participants were assessed by the following diagnostic lab analyses: RF, Anti-CCP, ESR, CRP and CBC to confirm RA disease. MIF level were evaluated in participants' sera by using ELISA assay. The age mean of RA patients was (52.03 ± 13.01); the patients more than 50 years age represent 57.80%. Significant difference was recorded in male and female frequencies among patients and controls (p=0.023). The mean of RA patients' body weight was (83.68 ± 14.15). According to disease duration, more than 10 years of disease duration was the most frequent (44.4%). Disease activity score recorded that (55.6%) of patients represent a moderate RA activity. Median levels of RF, CRP, Anti-CCP Abs and ESR recorded a significant increase in RA patients' sera; RBCs and HGB recorded lower values in patients of RA compared to control group; WBCs, lymphocyte and PLT count recorded no significant differences between the study groups (p-value>0.05 for all), while significant high value of neutrophils was recorded in RA patients than in healthy control (p<0.001). The mean of MIF serum level showed significant increase in RA patients compared to controls (22.51 vs. 4.33 ng/ml; p< 0.001); receiver operator characteristics curve (ROC) of MIF indicated that MIF was a predictor of RA. Patients at the age group (20 – 29 years) showed a significant increased mean of MIF level compared to other age groups of patients; no significant differences between MIF level and disease activity score in RA patients. In conclusion, MIF is an important biomarker for RA that may have a role in the pathogenesis of this disease.


In this paper, we study Projected non-stationary Simultaneous Iterative Reconstruction Techniques (P-SIRT). Based on algorithmic operators, convergence result are adjusted with Opial's Theorem. The advantages of P-SIRT are demonstrated on examples taken from tomographic imaging.


This research work is an endeavour to reduce the consumption of water in textile wet processing sector. In this work knitted cotton materials were dyed by using reactive dyes by varying the pretreatment process. The dyeing was carried out by using conventional, two bath and one-bath pretreatment methods. The substrates were evaluated to find out the colour difference (AE) and fastness properties by using spectrophotometer. It was observed that two-bath pretreatment and dyeing can be used without much problem by careful selection of dyes and auxiliaries.


This paper focuses on performing Data Analytics and learning the data trends using a few Machine Learning algorithms. Basically the data gathered from all dumpsters, their capacity of how much it is filled will be captured and we can perform Data Analytics and gain some insight from the collected data. Some of the supervised and unsupervised methods like KNN and Density Estimation can be applied on data and actions can be taken for future operations to be performed on the data. This will help in Value Creation in the IoT Industry which will bring benefits to the owner or to the society. Keywords-Big Data Analytics, Internet of things, Machine Learning, Cloud computing. -------------------------------------------------------------------***-------------------------------------------------------------------


The objective of this work in progress is to analyze the entrepreneurial intention within the framework of the personal characteristics and factors of the environment of women of a University in Bucaramanga, Colombia. The methodology is structured under a quantitative approach and has a non-experimental, cross-sectional and explanatory design. In this sense, a survey consisting of 33 questions related to the factors under study was applied to 147 students. The results reveal that there are significant differences in the relationship between the entrepreneurial intention and the personal characteristics and the environment of the students of the four faculties.


Purpose Scenario models creation of the regions equation development on the basis of fiscal politics realization. These models give an opportunity to conduct the analysis of territories development structural disbalances in a perspective period and to define the parameters of fiscal politics, providing their removal or warning. Methodology/approaches Theoretic – methodological approach to scenarios creation of regions socio-economic development is based on principles of anticipate management, evolution recurrence conception of the economic systems. The approach allows forming the preventive strategic measures intended for structural crisis warning and providing of the regions equation development Practical application of results The results are realized in activity of state administration organs at forming of regions socio-economic development strategy Limitations/Consequence Offer algorithms and charts of scenario creation can be used for prognostication of regions socio-economic development on the basis of different administrative influences not only in the field of fiscal politics but also in the field of employment assistance politics, development of international cooperation etc. Originality / value Devised scenarios of regions socio-economic development management allow to estimate co-ordination of tax, budgetary politics, dynamics of investment processes, their influence on the processes of regional development convergence. Keywords: region, socio-economic development, inequality, structural disproportions, warning, management, regional politics, fiscal politics, equation, scenario modeling, imitation modeling


The aims of this study were two‐fold: (i) to investigate the effect of exposure to antibiotic agents on the risk of acute liver injury using a self‐controlled case series and case‐crossover study and (ii) to compare the results between the case‐only studies.


In this paper, the correlativity between transmission capacities limits and suppliers with node price are discussed by an intelligence agent simulation model with node price on pool-based electricity market. The research shows that under market condition suppliers' pursuing profits behaviors will obviously change line flow and transmission capacities limits can magnify suppliers' market power. Power grid firms gain profits with suppliers' market power actualizing and the strict measures are needed to break their relation. In this paper, it is also analyzed that the impacts of transmission capacities limits may form intersected market problem by the corresponding shares in congested transmission lines. A new method to analyze suppliers' market power behaviors is put forward.


This paper presents a study which evaluates the financial consequences of three policy options that farmers might follow in response to financial stress.' The study compares these options to the effects of higher commodity prices or increased government subsidies and to the effects of lower commodity prices or decreased government subsidies. The analysis estimates the yearly cash flow, net income, and balance sheet statistics of a farm over a four-year period using the Farm Financial Simulation Model (FFSM) developed by Schnitkey et al. (1985). The three policy options evaluated are as follows: sale of 35% of the assets with a lease-back plan, a partial debt forgiveness, and a reduction in interest rates.


The paper elaborates the value for utilization of Anoectochilus roxburghii,one kind of medicinal plants and its resource condition.Based on exhausted resource situation,it proposes the conception on developing artificial cultivation under forest and initially discusses the techniques for it.


Eighteen years after an infrared excess was discovered associated with the white dwarf G29-38, we report ground-based measurements (JHKsKL′N′) with millijansky-level sensitivity of GD 362 that show it to be a second single white dwarf with an infrared excess. As a first approximation, the excess around GD 362, which amounts to ~3% of the total stellar luminosity, can be explained by emission from a passive, flat, opaque dust disk that lies within the Roche radius of the white dwarf. The dust may have been produced by the tidal disruption of a large parent body such as an asteroid. Accretion from this circumstellar disk could account for the remarkably high abundance of metals in the star's photosphere.


Based on the analysis on characteristics of urban development and transport demand in Lanzhou city, this paper presents the relationship among Lanzhou transportation strategy, economic development and urbanization process. Furthermore, the paper discusses the target of developing the integrated planning system. Taking the Lanzhou circumstances into account, some promoting measures are given to realize the target, in order that Lanzhou transportation system can be of benefit from the integration planning system proposed in this paper.


Magnetic nanocapsules with Fe3O4 nanorods as the core and hydrothermal carbon (HTC) as the shell have been synthesized using a nanocasting method. Due to the strong shape anisotropy of the nanorods, the nanocapsules exhibit a higher coercivity and increased resonance at the high frequency range. Benefiting from the improvement of dielectric loss and magnetic loss at high frequency, the Fe3O4@HTC nanocapsule composites show superior microwave attenuation properties.


Energy monitoring and targeting (M and T) is a way to help schools control their energy costs and for power companies to provide a value added service. This paper presents the findings of the M and T trial by ECNZ for development as part of the ECNZ Schools Energy Programme. The costs and potential benefits are evaluated and discussed along with some of the pitfalls in setting up M and T systems in schools. The potential for M and T systems as a learning tool for students is also discussed.


For the power supply of the gradient coil set in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) system, i.e., the gradient driver, a highly stable flat-top current with a fast-rising stage and fast falling stage is needed. This article proposed a novel topology using partial power processing to generate the current repetitively, which can significantly reduce the switching frequency of all switching devices compared with conventional topologies, resulting in less switching loss and higher stability. Topology analysis and parameter design have been made for a 2000A peak current, 20ms flat-top, 500µs rising time, 1000 ppm stability application situation. And simulation results verified the proposed topology's superiority in lower switching frequency.


Project cost control became a critical issue for the construction projects under global recession. There are various methods for cost controlling according to types of contracts. Crucial difference in principal is between Lump-sum and Unit-Price basis contracts. According to my past construction projects experience, usually a project can be completed on time, with acceptable safety, security, health and environmental conditions and in acceptable quality. But cost variance has been always encountered in projects because of a lot heterogeneous construction conditions. Effects of two difference type of contract as unit price and lump-sum basis have been reviewed in this study. Planned profit had been defined according to the cost report in the beginning of the project that was carried out in Bucharest. But the contractor paid more money at the end of the project in spite of quantities of some items were increased under unit price basis contract. Because unit prices of the work items were defined mistakenly without making a comprehensive study. Furthermore, at the end of the project actual overhead costs increased because of additional fixed and time related costs those could not estimate by the contractor. In condition of lump-sum basis contract, as a result of some increased or new appeared job items have not been paid by the client because of the contract spirit, gross income has been changed to lose money. As is understood, the contractor could not evaluate comprehensively all the contract documents, especially structural drawings have not been reviewed and made calculation precisely.


Submitted for the MAR11 Meeting of The American Physical Society Building blocks for the shapes of confined elastic sheets1 ROBERT SCHROLL, UMass Amherst, ELENI KATIFORI, Rockefeller University, BENNY DAVIDOVITCH, UMass Amherst — Several configurations, such as d-cones, minimal ridges, and developable patches, occur regularly in the configuration of elastic sheets. We dub such features "building blocks." Here, we study elastic sheets confined in a manner that prohibits the sheet from taking on a single-buckle shape. We find not only building blocks where stress focuses, reminiscent of d-cones, but also "diffuse-stress" regions. The former is characterized by a geometrical constraint (inextensibility) while the latter is governed by a mechanical constraint: the dominance of a single component of the stress tensor. We characterize how boundary conditions and applied tension select which building blocks appear and discuss implications for the curtain problem. 1We acknowledge support from the NSF-supported MRSEC on Polymers at UMass (DMR-0820506). Robert Schroll UMass Amherst Date submitted: 07 Dec 2010 Electronic form version 1.4


The issue of privacy is constantly brought to the spotlight since an ever increasing number of services collects and processes personal information from users. In fact, recent advances in mobile communications, location and sensing technologies and data processing are boosting the deployment of context-aware personalized services and the creation of smart environments but, at the same time, they pose a serious risk on individualspsila privacy rights. Being situated in the realms of legal and social studies, the notion of privacy is mainly left, concerning its protection, to legislation and service providerspsila self-regulation by means of privacy policies. However, all laws and codes of conduct are useless without enforcement. Based on this concept, this paper presents a framework conceived on the basis of privacy legislation. It uses a semantic model for the specification of privacy-aware data access rules and a middleware system which mediates between the service providers and the data sources and caters for the enforcement of the regulatory provisions.


As an important part of object-oriented technology,MVC is now widely accepted by computer experts to analyze and design information system.MVC is used to analyze and design MIS,and Struts technology is employed to solve concrete problems in the course of system development.


Rational green space landscape pattern and proper plant community composition are essential to the ecological effect of urban green space system,and also,a very important aspect in the planning and design of the system,especially for its construction in eco-factory.Under the supports of remote sensing and GIS,the green space landscape pattern and the plant community composition in twelve functional units in Baoshan Iron Steel Co.,Ltd.were analyzed,and the results demonstrated that there were three dominant green space landscape types in the Company,i.e.,tree-shrub,tree-shrub-grass,and shrub-grass.In parts of the 12 functional units,higher degrees of landscape fragmentation and of the isolation between green patches were observed,which would apparently affect the ecological functions and ecosystem services of the green space.Aiming at these problems,some suggestions including enlarging green patch area,increasing landscape connectivity with green corridors,complicating plant community structure,increasing more indigenous species,and enhancing green biomass in three dimensions were put forward to further improve and optimize the green space landscape pattern in the Company.


Improvement in the forage quality of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) through phenotypic selection for increased in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) has been demonstrated. This study tested the hypothesis that genetic improvement of fiber digestibility in switchgrass has been achieved by selection for a strain with a decreased quantity of ammonia-labile bonds. Tissue samples of a high-digestibility (high-IVDMD) and a low-digestibility strain (low-IVDMD) of switchgrass were ammoniated at rates of 0, 10, 20, and 40 g kg -1 dry matter


This research aimed at (1) investigating if asynchronous online discussion in Blended Learning (BL) affect positively on students' concept comprehension and attitude, as well as (2) describing why asynchronous online discussion in BL is better at improving students' concept comprehension and attitude. This research combined quantitative and qualitative research utilizing explanatory sequential design. The quantitative design with Randomized Posttest-Only Comparison Group Design with a sample of 68 junior high school students in Bali, the qualitative design used descriptive approach on five population subjects which was done purposively. The quantitative data in the form of students' concept comprehension and attitude was collected by using essay test and questionnaire. The qualitative data was in the form of: (a) students' responses towards the implementation of online discussion, (b) online and group discussion activities, (c) students' works, collected by using (a) interview, (b) observation sheet, (c) documentation. The quantitative data was analysed by using Manova test with 5% significance level. The qualitative data was analysed in the steps of: (a) data reduction, (b) data presentation, and (c) data verification. The result of the experiment showed that the concept comprehension and attitude of the students who attended asynchronous online discussion in BL was significantly better than the students who attended synchronous online discussion in BL. This was because the students who attended asynchronous online discussion were more enthusiast, more trained in communicating their understanding, more motivated in discussion and in learning process.


"A Technique for Producing Ideas" by James Webb Young is the classic, best-selling prescriptive guide to the creative process from one of advertising's most recognized and lauded practitioners, now reissued as a McGraw-Hill Advertising Classic.


An efficient, catalyst-free continuous flow procedure for the condensation of acid chlorides and alcohols was developed. Different esters could be obtained using this protocol with excellent conversions starting from the corresponding acid chlorides and alcohols in very short reaction times (5–7 min). The reaction was performed solventless for liquid reagents but requires a solvent for solid reagents in order to prevent clogging of the microreactor. Since no catalyst is needed, the purification of the reaction mixture is very straightforward. Scale-up of the reaction to a microreactor with an internal volume of 13.8 ml makes it possible to produce 2.2 g min−1 of ester with an isolated yield of 98% and recuperation of the formed HCl.


Developers increasingly take to the Internet for code snippets to integrate into their programs. To save developers the time required to switch from their development environments to a web browser in the quest for a suitable code snippet, we introduce NLP2Code, a content assist for code snippets. Unlike related tools, NLP2Code integrates directly into the source code editor and provides developers with a content assist feature to close the vocabulary gap between developers' needs and code snippet meta data. Our preliminary evaluation of NLP2Code shows that the majority of invocations lead to code snippets rated as helpful by users and that the tool is able to support a wide range of tasks.


Dissimilatory sulfite reductase activity in different fractions of the sulfate-reducing bacteria Desulfovibrio piger Vib-7 and Desulfomicrobium sp. Rod-9 isolated from human intestine was studied. Sulfite reductase, an important enzyme in the process of sulfur metabolism in these bacteria, was solubilized from the membrane fraction. The highest activity of the enzyme in the cell-free extract of the bacterial strains was measured (0.032±0.0026 and 0.028±0.0022 U×mg-1 protein for D. piger Vib-7 and Desulfomicrobium sp. Rod-9, respectively) compared to other fractions. The optimal temperature (+30...35 °C) and pH 7.0 for sulfite reductase reaction in the extracts of both bacterial strains was determined. The spectral analysis of purified sulfite reductase from cellfree extracts was carried out. The absorption maxima were 284, 391, 412, 583, and 630 nm, as well as 287, 393, 545, and 581 nm for sulfite reductase of D. piger Vib-7 and Desulfomicrobium sp. Rod-9, respectively. Analysis of the kinetic properties of the bacterial sulfite reductase has been carried out. The sulfite reductase activity, initial (instantaneous) reaction rate (V0) and maximum rate of the sulfite reductase reaction (Vmax) were higher in the D. piger Vib-7 cells than in the Desulfomicrobium sp. Rod-9. However, Michaelis constants (Km) of the enzyme activity were similar for both bacterial strains. The studies of the sulfite reductase activity, the kinetic properties of this enzyme in the intestinal sulfate-reducing bacteria strains, and their production of hydrogen sulfide in detail can be useful for clarification of the etiological role of these bacteria in the development of inflammatory bowel diseases in humans and animals.


The problem of homeless and beggars in urban cities are an uneven social welfare problem between village's growth and urban growth resulting in social gap that leads to urbanization. The displacement of villagers to the city is not followed by adequate human resource that is resulting, in increasing of urban poverty. The education place is designed as temporary shelter as well as providing training for a certain period of time and can be their provision for viable livelihood. The concept used is "Local Culture Puzzle" using the local cultural approach and expected to completed a puzzle after finished education in this place. This concept is applied through the design variations.


On-site monitoring of pesticide presence on the surface of crops is a growing trend in precision and intelligent agriculture. In this study, we prepared a wearable biosensor for in-situ detection of pesticides on surfaces of crops. Here, a flexible fiber membrane substrate was prepared via the electrospinning technology. After the three-electrode system was transferred onto the membrane substrate use screen printing, resulting in a screen printing electrode (SPE) that can effectively adapt to the irregular surface of crops or fruits. By modified the SPE with acetylcholinesterase (AchE), the biosensor showed excellent selectively and recognize for the methyl parathion. To further enhance the electrochemical performance, the surface of the work electrode was modified with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and reduced graphene oxide (rGo). The developed wearable sensor successfully detected methyl parathion, showing a good linear relationship within the range of 1 to 2 ppm. The detection limit was measured to be 0.48 ppb, enabling on-site monitoring of pesticide levels in plants. This work presents a straightforward, sensitive, and efficient biosensors to analysis pesticide, which holds potential for application in detecting other agrochemicals. Moreover, this advancement could significantly contribute to the progress of precision agriculture in the future.


As South Africa is going through major acts of transformation, its higher education system certainly reflects many of those changes and re-structuring. This paper presents a local perspective; starting from the wider scope of higher education, to the particulars of a university and finally the details of one of its support programmes. The University of Witwatersrand is used here as an example to demonstrate how recent challenges are being met and what are the means currently used to address issues of equity and justice in education. The paper reviews the programme of the School of Construction Economics and Management and highlights its attempts to be in-line with the broader university commitments and national policies. It mainly concentrates on the school's effort regarding financial and academic support to its previously disadvantaged students. It reviews the development and highlights the different formats for such support. That support, the paper argues, is an absolute necessity for the students at this point in time to ensure their success and their positive, meaningful contribution to this fast-developing society. Keywords: academic development, South Africa, support programme Botswana Journal of Technology Vol 14(1) 2005: 71-75


This Event is brought to you for free and open access by the Conferences and Symposia at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Proceedings of the Integrated Crop Management Conference by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact firstname.lastname@example.com. Nielsen, R. L., "Relative Hybrid Maturity: Are GDD Ratings Better Than 'Days to Maturity'?" (1993). Proceedings of the Integrated Crop Management Conference. 17. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/icm/1993/proceedings/17 brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk


Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) dysfunction is a common complication in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). Elevated serum level of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) was associated with atherosclerosis and cardiovascular mortality. However, its association with vascular access outcomes remains elusive. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship of serum FGF21 levels with AVF dysfunction and all-cause mortality in patients undergoing MHD.

 We performed a study of patients undergoing MHD who received AVF creation at a tertiary medical center in China from January 2018 to December 2019. Serum FGF21 concentration was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Patients were followed-up to record two clinical outcomes, including AVF functional patency loss and all-cause mortality. The follow-up period ended at April 30, 2022. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to analyze AVF dysfunction events and mortality. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional risk model analyses were used to calculate risk ratios (HR) and 95% CI and independent prognostic factors. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and area under the curve (AUC) were used to analyze the predictive value of FGF21 in AVF functional patency loss and all-cause mortality.

 Among 147 patients, the mean age was 58.49±14.41 years, and 58.50% of them were males. The median serum level of FGF21 was 150.15 (70.57-318.01) pg/ml. During median follow-up period of 40.83 months, the serum level of FGF21 was an independent predictor for AVF functional patency loss (per 1 pg/mL increase, HR 1.002 [95% CI: 1.001-1.003, P = 0.003]. Besides, patients with higher serum level of FGF21 was more likely to suffer from all-cause mortality (per 1 pg/mL increase, HR 1.002 [95% CI: 1.000-1.003, P = 0.014]. The optimal cutoffs for FGF21 to predict AVF functional patency loss and all-cause mortality in patients undergoing MHD were 149.98 pg/ml and 146.43 pg/ml, with an AUC of 0.701 (95% CI 0.606-0.796, P = 0.001) and 0.677 (95% CI 0.566-0.788, P = 0.006), respectively.

 Serum FGF21 level was an independent risk factor and predictor for AVF functional patency loss and all-cause mortality in patients undergoing MHD.


Implementing children's perspectives into playground management could be a way of improving play possibilities for children in the local public space and supporting sustainable development, but it requires adults' understanding. Children's perspectives on playground use were studied through group interviews in two Swedish towns and were also compared with the understanding among the local park workers. Children described their playground use through challenges, manipulation and place-making, something which was partly recognised by the park workers. The results indicate that children's perspectives on playground use, particularly manipulation, should be implemented more fully into management work. Children's participation in on-site management activities is discussed as a way of making playgrounds more adapted to children's use and perspectives.


Earthworks are the fundamental steps in a construction job, and are mainly comprised of smaller tasks performed by construction machinery. The productivity of the construction job can be improved by optimizing excavation, filling, and other such operations. Earthworks involve a lot of mechanical work performed by the collaboration between various kinds of construction equipment, which in turn leads to higher fuel consumption. Actual earthworks depend mostly on the intuition and experience of the driver of the machines, thus leading to inefficiency and environmental problems caused by unnecessary emission of carbon, Recently automated and information-oriented technologies are consistently being researched towards the improvement of efficiency of earthworks in the construction industry. The present research involves the introduction and understanding of the decision-making elements of heuristics which can be applied to the earthwork planning. A method is also suggested for creating an effective work path for construction machine to perform task packages (TP) for cutting and filling processes. A simulation test is performed to verify the effectiveness of suggested methods in terms of space interference and total moving distance of construction equipment.


Solar window insulation manufactured by Solar Master Film Corp. will save a Labor Department building $82,000 annually in electricity costs for air conditioning and $58,000 in steam costs. There could be an additional savings of about $1800 after one year because of lower demand charges for electricity. Solar film decreases the U-value of glass, thus lowering the conduction losses of cool air in the summertime and of warm air in the winter. The quality of Solar Master's two-ply insulation and the experience of the firm and bid price were criteria that helped Solar Master get the contract.


The current Doctoral Thesis studied the effect of the ovarian status, as evaluated by ultrasonography, on oocyte developmental competence in small ruminants. The first experiment assessed differences in oestrus cycle characteristics, follicle growth in response to exogenous FSH administration, hormonal milieu and oocyte quality in aged and adult sheep. Results obtained evidenced that aging in the sheep is accompanied by alterations in follicle functions, but fertility seems to be maintained, as evaluated by oocyte in vitro developmental competence after FSH stimulation. The second experiment examined the effects of melatonin on ovarian follicular growth patterns and on in vitro oocyte developmental competence in anestrous goats. Melatonin treatment prior to oocyte collection hastened dominant follicle growth phase, thus increasing ovarian follicle turnover, and improved oocyte quality. The third experiment determined influence of the glucogenic supply on follicular growth patterns and oocyte developmental competence in Sarda sheep. Short-term energy inputs modified the growth dynamics of ovarian follicles by increasing both their recruitment and development to larger categories, and improved oocyte developmental competence. In conclusion, this study evidenced the strong link existing between follicle function and oocyte developmental competence and set the basis for the development of new protocols aimed at improving oocyte quality in small ruminants.


Airborne measurements of ocean skin temperature T/sub s/ are presented from the Coupled Boundary Layers, Air-Sea Transfer in Low Winds (CBLAST-Low) Pilot Experiment in August 2001 off Martha's Vineyard, MA. We used an infrared (IR) camera with a spatial resolution of 1 m or less and temperature resolution of roughly 0.02/spl deg/C. Using subframe sampling of the IR imagery, we achieve lower noise and higher spatial resolution than reported by previous investigators using IR radiometers. Fine-scale maps of T/sub s/ exhibit horizontal variability over spatial scales ranging from O(10 km) down to O(1 m) that are related to atmospheric and subsurface phenomena under low to moderate wind conditions. Based on supporting measurements of wind and waves, we identify coherent ramp-like structures in T/sub s/ with stratification breakdown and meandering streaky features with internal waves. Regional maps of T/sub s/ show the standard deviation for the region is /spl plusmn/1.04/spl deg/C, while the meridional and zonal variability is 0.23/spl deg/C /spl middot/ km/sup -1/ and 0.27/spl deg/C /spl middot/ km/sup -1/, respectively. This temperature variability results in meridional and zonal scalar heat flux variability of 7.0 W /spl middot/ m/sup -2/ /spl middot/ km/sup -1/ and 7.6 W /spl middot/ m/sup -2/ /spl middot/ km/sup -1/, respectively. Our results demonstrate the potential for airborne IR imagery accompanied by high-quality ocean data to identify T/sub s/ features produced by subsurface circulation.


As humans we tend to perceive what we expect to perceive. In a medical setting, this means that the type of language used to communicate with patients influences their expectations and experience. Research dating back to the 1960s has shown that good communication during the patient–anaesthetist interaction reduces anxiety, stress, postoperative analgesia requirements, length of stay and improves patient satisfaction. There is a variety of specific language techniques (Table 1) which research suggests can benefit or harm patients, many were mentioned in a recent article by Cyna in this journal. We conducted an observational audit to assess the frequency with which senior anaesthetists used specific language techniques including rapport building (e.g. discussing personal topics, attentive listening, reflective listening), nocebo language, positive suggestion and simple relaxation techniques (e.g. guided relaxation, lived-in imagination). The investigator (ANC) observed a convenience sample of 30 specialist anaesthetists during 57 interactions in the operating theatre before the induction of anaesthesia.


An image recording method and apparatus for small particles, to analyze the mass of the particle, in particular to detect any cracks in the particles. The method comprising the steps of: transmitting at least one sample of each particle comprising a particle (102) to a position for recording an image; illuminated simultaneously from at least two directions (104) a particle sample, for each direction at different light wavelength illumination. The method further comprises the step of: using an image recording apparatus for recording an image of the illuminated particle sample (106), a partial image of the sample of particles in the image recording apparatus for recording on different wavelengths sensitive to different frequency bands; and the different parts of the image with comparing (108), to analyze the particle sample, the sample of particles in each section of the image display is illuminated from one direction only by a band different from one of the recording light wavelength.


Abstract A comparison of different silylating agents was conducted by gas-chromatography, using methandienon e(17α-methyl-androsta-1, 4-dien-17β-ol-3-one) as a model substance for steroids with hindered hydroxyl groups. A very significant catalytic effect of methoxy-amine on the reactions was found with all examined silylating agents. A 100% yield was found using N-trimethylsilyl-imidazole in combination with the catalyst in an "on-column" reaction.


Abstract. The paper investigates several morphosyntactic features of polysynthetic languages in light of Jelinek's (1984, 2006) Pronominal Argument Parameter (PAH) and Baker's (1996, 2006) Polysynthesis Parameter referred to as Morphological Visibility Condition (MVC). It shows that the consequences of these parameters, such as non-configurationality of DPs with respect to verbs, may not always derive from the position of Pronominal Arguments (PAs) as direct arguments of verbs and DPs as syntactic adjuncts (Jelinek 1984), but rather from the information status of these arguments. Based on the analysis of the morpho-syntactic phenomena such as Case marking, person agreement, and determiner quantification drawn primarily from Georgian, the paper concludes that the macroparametric approach to polysynthetic languages is no longer tenable and the microparametric approach would fit better for the analysis of the mapping between syntax and the morpho-phonological interfaces of language. 1. INTRODUCTION. Jelinek's Pronominal Argument Hypothesis (1) (PAH, 1984) analyzes non- configurational properties of polysynthetic languages in terms of the Pronominal Argument (PA) Parameter, which claims that the agreement markers of subjects and objects on verbs occupy direct argument positions and the corresponding DPs are syntactic adjuncts to clauses that are formally well-formed without DPs (2). This view on PAs entails a number of consequences for the morphosyntax of polysynthetic languages by dispensing with the necessity of Case checking on DPs since the latter are projected as syntactic adjuncts on the PAH view. The position of DPs as adjuncts has been deemed responsible for the free order of DPs with respect to verbs, which is also one of the defining characteristics of polysynthetic languages. Later Jelinek (2006) following Hale (1984) came up with the PA parameter which entails the following consequences for the syntax of these languages: (1) Pronominal Argument Parameter (PA) a. The order of arguments in PA languages is extremely free, b. These languages extensively use null anaphora, i.e. DPs that are optional due to the co-indexation with the PAs, c. They display high productivity of discontinuous constituents including discontinuous NPs (3). In this paper, we focus on just the first property of these languages, which is the free order of DPs with respect to verbs. The main point argued here is that the non-configurationality of arguments with respect to verbs does not derive from the status of DPs as syntactic adjuncts since they display standard behavior of syntactic arguments projected in A-positions and have the case marking typically attested on syntactic arguments in Lexical Argument (LA) languages such as English. The paper proposes that in order to account for the properties listed in (1), it is necessary to develop a microparametric approach and abandon the macroparametric one proposed in Jelinek (1984, 2006) and Baker (1996). Baker (1996, 2006) extends the effects of the PA Parameter by adding the requirement of CASE filter for DP arguments (Chomsky 1986). He argues that argument-indexing affixes absorb the abstract Case of DPs and instead of PAs, the null DPs occupy argument positions in these languages (as in Jelinek's system). Both Jelinek (1984) and Baker (1996) have argued that only those languages that index their argument structure with relevant agreement morphology on verbs can be defined as POLYSYNTHETIC. However, these authors along with many others acknowledged that not all morphologically complex languages can satisfy this criterion. According to Baker's (1996) Morphological Visibility Condition (MVC, a non-configurational language may be considered polysynthetic not just due to the greater number of concatenated inflectional and derivational morphology but when it satisfies the following requirements: (2) The Morphological Visibility Condition (MVC) A phrase X is visible for [theta]-role assignment from the head Y only when it is co-indexed with the morpheme in the word via: a) an agreement relationship, or b) movement relationship. …


The southern Cape is a particularly dynamic region of South Africa in terms of climate change as it is influenced by both temperate and tropical circulation systems. This paper presents pollen and microcharcoal data generated from a sediment core extracted from the coastal lake Eilandvlei spanning the last ∼8900 years. With an average sample resolution of 57 years, this record represents the highest resolution record of Holocene vegetation change from the region. The data indicate that cool, seasonal and moderately dry conditions characterized the Wilderness Embayment from ∼8900 to 8000 cal a BP. Afrotemperate forests expanded from ∼8000 cal a BP until 4700 cal a BP. This humid period is followed by indications of more arid and seasonal conditions until 3500 cal a BP. A long‐term increase in forest taxa suggests steadily increasing moisture availability across the late Holocene. Strong affinities are noted with records from more tropical regions of South Africa, suggesting that tropical systems are of importance in maintaining higher moisture availability in the region. An important mechanism of climate change is the Agulhas Current, which transmits what appears to be a localized signal of tropical variability to the southern Cape coast.


The effect of copper additions up to 2 wt % on the structure and mechanical properties of sintered and deformed Al-20Sn composite materials (CM) was studied. The investigated samples were obtained by the vacuum sintering of compacts made of a mixture of pure metal powders. Equal channel angular pressing by route A (ECAP (A)) was chosen as the method of deformation. It was founded that copper is located mainly as brittle inclusions in Sn interlayers and only a small part of Cu dissolves in the aluminum matrix. The strength and hardness of sintered CM are increased with the increase of Cu content and intensity of deformation, but the CM ductility is significantly reduced. The low ductility of the deformed Al-20Sn-Cu CM leads to their catastrophic wear under the dry friction against steel disc.


Introduction. Analysis of the foreign experience of the organisation and reformation of the armed forces in other countries, with the respective systems of military education being an integral part, reveals the specific national aspect of such activities in each country. In the meantime, there are some general methodological approaches used in military pedagogic practice across different countries of the world to be practicably considered and applied. Purpose. To carry out the analysis of the current state of the military education system of the republic of Latvia for integrating the experience of officer training in the course of further reformation of the national military education system.  Methods. The system of the general scientific methods of theoretical and empirical research, in particular, the theoretical-methodological analysis of the problem and the relevant scholarly resources, systematization and generalization of the scientific information pertaining to the essence and content of the set objectives, monitoring of the existing system of military specialists training in the armed forces of the republic of Latvia, scientific generalisation, the general scientific methods of logical and comparative analysis, systems approach, peer review, analysis and interpretation of the obtained theoretical and empirical data.  Results. The experience of officer training for the armed forces of the republic of Latvia was considered. The options to provide training of officers for the primary positions as well as the "trajectories" of the latter's enrolment were outlined. The process of officer training for different armed services was analyzed. The information about the existing network of the military education institutions providing training for the tactical and operational grade officers for the Army Military Command, the Air Forces, and the Navy was represented. The terms and officer training trades on the tactical and operational levels were specified. Originality. The article was the first to comprehensively analyse of the officer training system for the armed forces of Latvia to the current models of military specialists training adopted in NATO member states. Conclusion. The existing military education system in Latvia has successfully underwent the period of transformation of the armed forces towards meeting NATO standards, building on the experience of military specialists training in the developed member states of the alliance and considering the peculiarities of the national educational system. It provides officer training in the required military trades in the unique military education institution – The National Defense Academy of Latvia, which autonomously provides tactical grade officers training for the Land Force, also training Air Force officers jointly with the Riga Technical University and navy officers in collaboration with Naval Academy . The training of operative and strategic grade officers is provided on the respective courses at the National Defense Academy of Latvia as well as the Baltic Military College.


A research project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for award of the degree of master of education in the school of education, Kenyatta University, November 2018


The anatomy and pathophysiology of obstructive airways diseases are reviewed, with emphasis on the pivotal functional roles of the respiratory and terminal bronchioles. The array of radiologic findings associated with abnormal airways, large or small, is correlated with gross pathologic changes, using surgical and autopsy cases. Examples of inflammatory changes of smaller airways are also drawn from pathologically unproven clinical material. Peripheral linear and nodular densities, which can be distinguished from vascular shadows or septal lines, are seen in association with small bronchial and bronchiolar inflammation. In many cases it is possible to distinguish airways disease patterns from those of "alveolar" or "interstitial" disease.


Abstract The correlation between the hydrophilicity of sodium lignosulfonate (NaLS) and its dispersing performance towards pesticide particles has been investigated. NaLS was classified into three fractions by adsorption chromatography on macroporous resins. A positive correlation has been found between the hydrophilicity and the contents of phenolic hydroxyl and sulfonic acid groups. On the other hand, the NaLS fraction with high carboxyl content is not strong hydrophilic. With decreasing the hydrophilicity of NaLS, its amounts on pesticide particles surface increased and the dispersing performance of pesticide particles was improved. Obviously, NaLS and pesticides with similar hydrophilicity match better according to the "similarity-intermiscibility" theory. Carboxymethylated alkali lignin (CML) is not as hydrophilic as NaLS. The adsorption and dispersing performance of CML for hydrophobic pesticide particles are better than those of NaLS, demonstrating that lignin formulations with lower hydrophilicity are an alternative to obtain excellent pesticide dispersants.


The reproductive cycle of Venus verrucosa Linnaeus, 1758 was studied using histology and changes in flesh dry weight, in the littoral of Malaga (southern Spain), from June 1999 to May 2000. Histological study of the gonads showed spawning throughout the year, with two peaks. The first lasts from March to April, and is accompanied by the highest decrease of weight; the second is from May to August with the highest percentage of population spawning. There is new activation of the gonads from postactive stages, without passing through a resting period (with a high percentage of the population in the cytolized stage). The absence of a resting period in the reproductive cycle could be explained by the mild seawater temperatures and high levels of chlorophyll a in the littoral of Malaga. In the light of these data, we propose a closed season from March to April, months during which there was the most intense release of gametes in the population. © 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.


Hot-dip galvanised coatings used either alone or with an organic coating (duplex system) constitute an effective anticorrosion protection. Adhesion between the coating and the zinc substrate plays a vital role in the durability of the duplex system. Conditions of the galvanising process and alloying additives incorporated into the zinc bath influence mechanical and protective properties as well as thickness, structure, and surface morphology of the zinc coatings. The influence of the surface morphology of zinc coatings on the adhesion of organic coatings was studied. The tests were carried out on zinc coatings produced in baths with varying Pb content and by employing various cooling methods after the galvanising process. It was noted that a rapid cooling in water produces zinc coatings with a fine-grain structure, more suitable for paint application compared to the air-cooled ones, with a spangle.


The present invention, a transparent substrate, and relates to an optical device comprising a first transparent layer on the substrate lattice, and the lattice structure is periodically comprises alternating areas having different refractive index. According to the invention, the device comprises a first by a second transparent lattice structure of periodically also includes alternating areas having different refractive index as the location on the grid floor, have more of a first grid layer having a high refractive index zone more to be at least partially aligned with the zones of the second grid layer having a low refractive index, and, to be partially arranged as in the opposite case, the second lattice structure is a non reduces the amount of light that is diffracted into a zero transmission order. The invention for example allows a so-called shown to reduce the rainbow effect in the HUD (head-up displays).


Conventional bulk- and thin-film diffusion has been a topic of study for many years, and these studies have addressed various technical problems which are encountered whenever two dissimilar materials are joined together. One such system that has been studied intensively is the platinum-aluminium (Pt/Al) thin-film couple due to its multiple applications. It is a well known fact that platinum-based alloys are being developed for high-temperature applications due to its good resistance to corrosion and oxidation. In the pursuit of increasing the efficiency of modern gas turbines, the working temperatures of various parts of theenginearebeingpushedhigher.Thisincreaseinworkingtemperaturecreatednewoxidationchallenges.Toovercomethese high-temperatureoxidationproblems,varioussurfacecoatingsandcoatingtechniqueshavebeendevelopedandstudied.Pt/Al alloysbasedonthePt3/Alcompoundhavethepotentialofhigh-strengthalloyswithsuperiorcorrosionandoxidationresistance at ultrahigh temperatures. Diffusion studies are being undertaken to assess the mobility of the different elements within a Pt/Rh/Alalloy,andtoassessthestabilityofthemicrostructureoverlongperiodsoftimeathighannealingtemperatures.Inthis study,achemicalpotential,MonteCarlomodel,isdevelopedandemployedtopredictthemicrostructureofaPt/Rh/Althin-film system at an annealing temperature of 550 ◦ C. The predicted results are compared to experimentally measured auger electron spectroscopy(AES)elementalmapsandSEMimages.Agoodcorrelationbetweenthetheoreticalmodelandtheexperimentally measured results were found. Copyright c � 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


We compute the compactly supported cohomology of the standard realization of any locally finite building. MathematicsSubjectClassification(2010). Primary 20F65; Secondary 20E42, 20F55, 20J06, 57M07.


erosive tooth wear diagnosis risk factors and prevention is available in our book collection an online access to it is set as public so you can download it instantly. Our books collection hosts in multiple countries, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one. Kindly say, the erosive tooth wear diagnosis risk factors and prevention is universally compatible with any devices to read


The capability of learning from accidents as quickly as possible allows preventing repeated mistakes to happen. This has been shown by the small time interval between two accidents with the same aircraft model: the Boeing 737-8 MAX. However, learning from major accidents and subsequently update the developed accident models has been proved to be a cumbersome process. This is because safety specialists use to take a long period of time to read and digest the information, as the accident reports are usually very detailed, long and sometimes with a difficult language and structure. A strategy to automatically extract relevant information from report accidents and update model parameters is investigated. A machine-learning tool has been developed and trained on previous expert opinion on several accident reports. The intention is that for each new accident report that is issued, the machine can quickly identify the more relevant features in seconds-instead of waiting for some days for the expert opinion. This way, the model can be more quickly and dynamically updated. An application to the preliminary accident report of the 2018 Lion Air accident is provided to show the feasibility of the machine-learning proposed approach.


Being motivated by applications to the physics of Weyl semimetals we study spectral geometry of Dirac operator with an abelian gauge field and an axial vector field. We impose chiral bag boundary conditions with variable chiral phase θ on the fermions. We establish main properties of the spectral functions which ensure applicability of the ζ function regularization and of the usual heat kernel formulae for chiral and parity anomalies. We develop computational methods, including a perturbation expansion for the heat kernel. We show that the terms in both anomalies which include electromagnetic potential are independent of θ.


pyoderma gangrenosum is a rare inflammatory skin condition characterized by progressive and recurrent skin ulceration of destructive course. It is usually associated with rheumatoid arthritis, paraproteinemia, myeloproliferative diseases and inflammatory bowel diseases, especially non-specific ulcerative proctocolitis. In these situations, skin lesions are described as concurrent with the intestinal condition. However, reports on pyoderma gangrenosum preceding intestinal findings are less frequent. The authors describe a case of a woman with febrile condition associated with skin lesions diagnosed by biopsy as pyoderma gangrenosum. Two weeks later, she developed diarrhea, arthralgia and sepsis, being diagnosed as ulcerative proctocolitis. After the administration of the treatment for ulcerative proctocolitis, she showed improvements in sepsis care, remission of diarrhea and regression of skin lesions. This case highlights the importance of considering pyoderma gangrenosum as a manifestation associated with inflammatory bowel disease, regardless of its timing in relation to intestinal symptoms.


The developments of the transdiscipline Informing Science not only furnish useful criteria for those creating or offering informing services, but also result in a new responsibility associated with them. Checking the information quality features of the processes involved provides many suggestions to improve the resulting service. The paper describes an informing service for agri-businesses that will offer information about the impact of changes in real world data on their businesses , rather than just report these changes. A customer formulates a mathematical model which includes real world variables – representing external data relevant to his business – as well as his own variables. The service will implement ways to obtain up-to-date values for the variables offered to its customers, typically through intelligent agents or information brokers. The impact of changes in values of the external variables on other variables results from an execution of the model. The client may query his data, but also can define situations in which the he wishes to be warned, with some degree of urgency, that something happened which merits an action or decision on his part. These alarms are delivered through an email or a text message. The components of the service are described. Different attributes of the information's quality were examined, and changes in the design to comply with them improved the informing service.


Ashley Clark's new book Facing Blackness: Media and Minstrelsy in Spike Lee's "Bamboozled" arrived at a timely moment. Shortly after I finished it, controversy about Zoe Saldana's skin tone in the biopic Nina soared, and suddenly Bamboozled became as up-to-the-minute as a 2000 movie can be. For those who have not followed the Nina debate, its mostly white creators enlisted Saldana to play jazz legend Nina Simone, a proudly Afrocentric artist who "fought the erasure of dark-skinned women by embracing Negritude," as Brent Staples put it in a New York Times column. The filmmakers' big mistake (alleged or actual, depending on your point of view) was faking the Negritude by altering Saldana's looks, darkening her complexion and broadening her nose. The nose might be written off as traditional Hollywood flimflam—think Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese's Raging Bull (1980) or Nicole Kidman in Stephen Daldry's The Hours (2002)—but the skin smacks instantly of blackface, a queasy reminder of the time when bigotry against African-Americans was even more pervasive and destructive than it is today. This is therefore an apt moment for revisiting Lee's movie, in which blackface figures prominently. The first thing to note is that the audience for Bamboozled has been miniscule. Revenues from its initial release totaled less than a quarter of its $10 million budget, and reviews have tilted toward the negative, apart from balanced appraisals from perceptive observers like New York Times critic Stephen Holden, who called it "an almost oxymoronic entity, an important Hollywood movie," and New Yorker critic Richard Brody, who described it more recently as a "sharp, riotous satire" with "a wide range of incisive, sardonic, hyperbolic humor and drama." Given its low visibility, I will briefly summarize the film. Damon Wayans plays Pierre Delacroix, an African-American writer determined to turn his creative flair and Ivy League degree into a big-time media career. Taking a job at a small-time cable network, he decides to implement the loopiest idea he can dream up, figuring that he will either (a) boost the network's dismal ratings and ride high on his success, or (b) ruin the company and enjoy the satisfaction of humiliating his white boss, Thomas Dunwitty (Michael Rapaport), who thinks his black wife and African art collection give him "soul brother" bona fides. Pierre proceeds to create a show so God-awful that the network will surely self-destruct,


Objective:To investigate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF),P53,PCNA and microvascular density(MVD) in non-small cell lung cancer and normal lung tissue and their correlation on biological behaviors.Methods: Expression of VEGF,P53,PCNA and MVD were detected by immunohisto chemistry method in 62 cases of NSCLC,the relationship between such expression and clinicopathological features of NSCLC was also studied.Results: The positive immunostaining rate for VEGF was 58.1%(36/62),whose expression was associated with tumor differentiation(P0.05).The positive immunostaining rate for P53 was 46.8%(29/62),the expression of P53 was associated with tumor differentiation(P0.05).The positive immunostaining rate for PCNA was 61.0%(36/59),the expression of PCNA was associated with tumor differentiation(P0.05).The value of MVD was associated with tumor differentiation(P0.05).There were no relation to lymph node metastasis,TNM stage and pathological types of cancers.Conclusion: VEGF,PCNA,P53 and MVD play important roles in the development,progression,metastasis and prognosis of NSCLC.They may be new markers for prognosis of NSCLC.


L 3428, a benzofuran derivative, was tested for its effect on various resting cardiovascular parameters and compared to glyceryl trinitrate, pentaerythritol tetranitrate, dipyridamole and propranolol. L 3428 increased coronary blood flow and coronary sinus oxygen content and decreased left ventricular work, mean arterial blood pressure, left ventricular oxygen consumption, coronary vascular resistance, total peripheral resistance and heart rate; left ventricular output was either unchanged or slightly increased. The nitrates (glyceryl trinitrate and pentaerythritol tetranitrate) produced effects that were qualitatively similar. That is, coronary blood flow, left ventricular output and heart rate increased whereas left ventricular work, mean arterial blood pressure, coronary vascular resistance and total peripheral resistance decreased. Dipyridamole increased coronary blood flow and decreased calculated left ventricular oxygen consumption, coronary vascular resistance and total peripheral resistance; alight alterations occurred in left ventricular work, heart rate, mean arterial blood pressure and left ventricular output. Propranolol decreased coronary blood flow, left ventricular oxygen consumption, mean arterial blood pressure, heart rate and left ventricular output; coronary vascular resistance and total peripheral resistance increased. The pharmacologic findings are discussed in light of current concepts that an antianginal drug should reduce myocardial oxygen requirements and improve myocardial oxygen supply.


The nuclear physics experiments at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility often require longitudinally polarized electrons to be simultaneously delivered to three experimental halls. The degree of longitudinal polarization to each hall varies as function of the accelerator settings, making it challenging in certain situations to deliver a high degree of longitudinal polarization to all the halls simultaneously. Normally, the degree of longitudinal polarization the halls receive is optimized by changing the initial spin direction at the beginning of the machine with a Wien filter. Herein, it is shown that it is possible to further improve the degree of longitudinal polarization for multiple experimental halls by redistributing the energy gain of the CEBAF linacs while keeping the total energy gain fixed.


The investigation of the relationship between affective symptoms and dopamine transporter (DAT) density provided conflicting data in both Parkinson's disease (PD) and non‐PD patients. However, the potential interference of psychoactive as well as anti‐parkinsonian drugs on DAT density should be taken into account.


The article aims to examine how policies and measures taken by the Government, The President and the Parliament inß uence the country's economic diplomacy activities, and its relevance in Croatia's foreign policy. Firstly, the paper analyses the economic diplomacy features, main actors, and identiÞ es factors that have power to affect its capacities to build a positive image of Croatia as a reliable partner in trade, and attract investments.


This article provides an analysis of the historical process of development of industrial safety in the oil industry, and an overview of its current state. In the Soviet Union over a long period was carried out scientific-technical policy, focused on constant growth of volumes of industrial production. The damage caused by technological progress, essentially in attention is not accepted. Nowadays the modern society pays great attention to industrial safety. The stages of development of industrial safety, made the analysis of features of its functioning at different stages.


Genipin (GN) is a natural molecule extracted from the fruit of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis according to modern microbiological processes. Genipin is considered as a favorable cross-linking agent due to its low cytotoxicity compared to widely used cross-linkers; it cross-links compounds with primary amine groups such as proteins, collagen, and chitosan. Chitosan is a biocompatible polymer that is currently studied in bone tissue engineering for its capacity to promote growth and mineral-rich matrix deposition by osteoblasts in culture. In this work, two genipin cross-linked chitosan scaffolds for bone repair and regeneration were prepared with different GN concentrations, and their chemical, physical, and biological properties were explored. Scanning electron microscopy and mechanical tests revealed that nonremarkable changes in morphology, porosity, and mechanical strength of scaffolds are induced by increasing the cross-linking degree. Also, the degradation rate was shown to decrease while increasing the cross-linking degree, with the high cross-linking density of the scaffold disabling the hydrolysis activity. Finally, basic biocompatibility was investigated in vitro, by evaluating proliferation of two human-derived cell lines, namely, the MG63 (human immortalized osteosarcoma) and the hMSCs (human mesenchymal stem cells), as suitable cell models for bone tissue engineering applications of biomaterials.


An experiment was conducted to determine the conditions under which selective imitation of relative clauses could be produced in preschool. Seventy-two preschoolers took part in a 2 (modeling, imitation training) X 2 (instructions, no instructions) X 2 (reinforcement, no reinforcement) X 3 (baseline, Probe 1, Probe 2) factorial design. Imitation training was more effective than modeling alone, and instructions and reinforcement were effective in an additive manner. Relative clause usage increased significantly after imitation training but not after modeling or no treatment. The results are discussed in terms of the efficiency of various teacher techniques in increasing language usage. Implications for the role of imitation in language development are also discussed.


Personal computers-valuable tools or expensive luxuries? Over the past few years a considerable number of companies have developed instruments, both sophisticated and simple, which incorporate microprocessors in their design. Evidence from various conferences and exhibitions seems to suggest that .after a number of initial problems several instrument companies are getting the design concepts right and are producing microprocessor-controlled instruments to good specifications and often at a lower cost than previous designs. If in addition the instrument companies can provide a standard output line to allow data and software to be transferred to other devices or computers this will be an added advantage. However, parallel to these developments, many analytical chemists are attempting to use personal computers in their laboratories, primarily for instrument control and data capture and analysis. Whilst the investment in hardware for these computers is quite low and the development of software an interesting diversion from pure analytical chemistry, it is questionable whether this approach is the best and most economic route. My own view is that the true costs of developing software and interfacing systems to analytical instruments are not fully considered. Developing a program on a computer may be fun, but to design a software system which copes with all parameters including instrument failures, faulty button pushing and the like is difficult and costly. Simply hooking a PET or Apple onto an instrument and mechanising the manual calculation processes previously used is not the best way to automate or computerise the analytical process. A much broader view is required before the detail of the application to a specific instrument is developed. This constitutes a truly analytical approach to the problem; the analytical chemist should not focus attention simply on the measurement process. Although we have no accepted definition of 'automation' it is true to say that there is also no real understanding of the term 'analysis'. Analysts require to look at the problem in general terms as well as at particular facets of the analysis involved. The analyst must question why he is asked to carry out the tests, to define a suitable strategy for sampling, design his experiments to obtain the maximum data required to the desired degree of accuracy and precision for the overall aims. Many academic groups are considering the problem of correctly defining the terms used in our science and also are creating undergraduate training programmes to meet the specific needs of …


Owing to its various deleterious effects, abatement of pollutants gases from point sources assumes significant importance over the years. In order to decrease their emissions, the design and construction of an acid gas removal from a solid waste incinerator was developed. The incinerator is located in the San Juan Industrial Park, Argentina. This system is formed by a quench and a scrubber, which consists on a spray tower. The quench has a double function: to cool the gases to the absorption temperature at the scrubber, as well as to absorb acid gases (as: HCl, HF and SO2) and to eliminate the fly ash partially. The gaseous flow enters to the spray tower by the bottom, while an alkali solution is sprayed from the upper section. The height of the column was calculated in order to assure an efficient elimination of the acid gas pollutants, to fulfill regulatory schemes. The alkali solution used is a NaHCO3 solution, because the sodium salts present bigger solubility, reactivity and performance; the products of the reactions also present high solubility facilitating their later treatment. The monitoring carried out by the Environmental Sub Secretary of the Provincial Government; indicate an efficient operation of the designed system.