Electronic reporting is an important part of all national eGovernment initiatives. XML4DR is a standard based on XML, proposed by a consortium funded by the European Commission. An application used for reporting from municipalities to central government has been developed by Comfact AB. A platform independent application will allow each municipality to freely chose tools such as browser, text processor and operating system. A platform independent application will rely on either open standards or a set of vendor specific pieces of code for the deviation form the standard. In this thesis I have evaluated the possibility of using W3C DOM to implement a reporting system using the results from the IQML project. Since DOM is still in a rapid development, Internet browsers have just started to develop the support for W3C DOM. Also the application developed by Comfact have some vendor specific code, because the needed methods were not available in any browser at the time of development. To determine the feasibility of using DOM for the reporting system I have compared the required functionality of the reporting application to the functionality defined in DOM and the standard compliance of some Browsers. To confirm the results I also developed a " hello world " application, that only followed standard. I have found out that the standards that are defined by standardization organizations cover the required functionality for implementing the hello world application. Unfortunately, currently none of the browsers supports all the functionality needed to implement the hello world according to the DOM standard. Currently, Mozilla is the browser with the best standard conformance. Only the XML uploading of a file to the server is missing.


The invention discloses a dual-station laminator with telescopic shooting devices. The dual-station laminator comprises an operation platform on which an X-axis guide rail is arranged, a first lamination station movably arranged on the X-axis guide rail, a second lamination station movably arranged on the X-axis guide rail, a lamination device arranged at the upper end of the center of the X-axis guide rail, a first shooting device arranged at one end of the lamination device, and a second shooting device arranged at the other end of the lamination device, wherein the first shooting device and the second shooting device are arranged at the upper end of the operation platform in a manner of vertically lifting; the first shooting device and the second shooting device are symmetrically and separately arranged at two sides of the center in the length direction of the X-axis guide rail. Through the dual-station laminator with telescopic shooting devices, the technical problem of lack of operation space of the dual-station laminator is solved.


Retail is a sector that must keep the customer at its core of operations. Is the customer one person? The obvious answer here – Every person or customer is different. When attributes such as demographics, preferences, age, gender, likes and dislikes, are added to the equation, retailers realize that their best way forward is to customize and curate an experience – at scale.

The execution at scale is often hampered by the physical and large-scale computational limitations of human beings (even as a collective). That's where digital marketing tools step in.

The paper talks about these digital marketing tools, how and why they have become relevant, and the ways in which it is customizing experiences and enhancing customer satisfaction.


In this paper, in order to settle the problem of unintentional interference between communication devices and obtain effective information quickly and accurately in cognitive radio (CR) , and an intelligent modulation pattern recognition method based on wavelet approximate coefficient entropy (WACE) is proposed. Based on the traditional wavelet entropy, an improved wavelet entropy, WACE, is presented, which can characterize the modulated signal pattern and suppress the noise effectively. Furthermore, in order to solve the problem of high complexity for linear weighting calculation, the deep neural network (DNN) is adopted, and the vector of the WACE is used as the input of the DNN to realize intelligent recognition of a variety of typical communication signal modulation patterns. Simulation results verify the correctness of the theoretical analysis, and show that the proposed intelligent recognition method can effectively realize the modulation pattern recognition of multiple signals at low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), with relative low computational complexity.


An inspection of the state of blood comprising: a container centrifugal disc blood supply step; rotating disc with a blood vessel in a centrifugal centrifuged into blood cells and plasma, and the step of actual moving distance per hour blood cells in the centrifugal container is detected; establishing a first and a graph representative of actual moving distance of the blood cells per hour and moving distance of the second graph represent theoretical hourly blood cells, and then calculated hematocrit blood cells by comparing the first graph and the second graph and a step of plasma viscosity.


Inter‐annual variations in Arctic sea ice drift speed (Vi) in 1989–2009 were analyzed on the basis of buoy data and atmospheric circulation indices. In the circumpolar and eastern Arctic and the Fram Strait, the annual mean Vi was best explained by the sea level pressure (SLP) difference across the Arctic Ocean along meridians 270°E and 90°E, called as the Central Arctic Index (CAI). In general, Vi was more strongly related to CAI than to the Dipole Anomaly (DA). This was because CAI is calculated across the Transpolar Drift Stream (TDS), whereas the pressure patterns affecting DA sometimes move far from TDS. CAI also has the benefit of being a simple index, insensitive to the calculation method applied, whereas DA, as the second mode of a principal component analysis, is sensitive both to the time period and area of calculations. In summer, the circulation index most important for the circumpolar mean Vi was the SLP gradient across the Fram Strait. In the Canadian Basin in winter, the Arctic Oscillation index was most important. Circulation indices explained 48% of the variance of the annual mean Viin the circumpolar Arctic, 38% in the eastern Arctic, and 25% in the Canadian Basin. The local air‐ice momentum flux (τ) was always better than the 10 m wind speed in explaining Vi, but τ outperformed the circulation indices only in the Fram Strait. Atmospheric forcing did not explain the increasing trend in Vi in the period 1989–2009.


Hegelian reading of Christianity, was itself already developed in all of its radicality by Thomas J. J. Altizer, the most colorful proponent of the so-called "God is dead" theology, a short-lived theological movement which flowered in the second part of the 1960s. The Hegelian reading of Christianity which was proposed by Altizer (in his 1966 book The Gospel of Christian Atheism) and which is now being re-endorsed by Žižek in The Monstrosity of Christ entails that it was God Himself who died when Christ died on the cross on Calvary and that this death marks the transition from God as transcendent Father to the Holy Spirit as the community of believers, understood by Žižek in terms of a collective of revolutionary individuals. 2 This basic scheme, adopted from Hegel"s Lectures on the Philosophy of Religion, has informed the Christological reflections offered by Žižek in the past ten years, 3 but it has been rejected by a majority of theologians as being heterodox and therefore unacceptable. Moreover, "God is dead" theology – albeit somewhat fashionable for a couple of years and sparking many heated debates in the media and among theologians – was never fully able to become mainstream. Such comes as little surprise, given the fact that it is actually a theological dead-end: it seems to offer merely a theological justification for the end of theology as God-talk. Moreover, Žižek"s dependency on Hegel"s basic scheme seems to suggest that one is forced to an all-or-nothing choice when it comes to accepting or rejecting his Christological reflections: either one shares this basic scheme and is able to follow Žižek in his ruminations on Christ or one does not share the basic scheme and can only reject Žižek"s interpretation of the Christ-event. However, the aim of the present article is to show that in approaching Žižek, even if one does not follow him in his Hegelianism, one can nevertheless enter into a theological dialogue with him. As Žižek"s contributions to The Monstrosity of Christ are very dense and touch upon a wide variety of issues, in what follows I will focus on one element, namely his interpretation of the Biblical character of Job and its relation to the issue of atheism. To start our discussion from within the context of contemporary theology, I will begin by taking a look into the reading of the Book of Job which has been offered by French philosopher Paul Ricoeur (1913–2005), one of the founding fathers of contemporary hermeneutical theology.


The new accounting standards has a big change and innovation based on the accounting standards,these changes and innovation to some extent affects the various aspects of the auditing practices.This article has elaborated the impact of the new accounting standards affecting the CPA practices at first,then puts forward a few proposals on how should CPA respond to innovation of the new accounting standards.


Summary form only given. We are to apply the chaotic features in the analysis of neuronal activity recorded from brain area involved in learning. Neural plasticity during learning is a major theme in the neurobiology of learning and memory. We recorded the multiple-unit activities at four brain sites that involve the classical conditioning of rabbits' nictitating membrane responses. The neuronal data were analyzed using chaotic features including the box-counting dimension, fractal dimension and central tendency, as well as statistical features. The chaotic characteristics represent the change of neuronal response by learning. Each index showed the change within a trial, the change across the training sessions, and the differences between the trials showing the learned responses and the trials not showing. The chaotic characteristics could be useful indices in the representation of the neural plasticity.


The paper develops a model in which targeting of the nominal interest rate is a reasonable guide for monetary policy. Expected real interest rates and output are exogenous with respect to monetary variables, and the central bank ends up influencing nominal interest rates by altering expected inflation. In this model the monetary authority can come arbitrarily close in each period to its (time-varying) target for the nominal interest rate, even while holding down the forecast variance of the price level. The latter objective pins down the extent of monetary accommodation to shifts in the demand for money and other shocks, and thereby makes determinate the levels of money and prices at each date. Empirical evidence for the United States in the post-World War II period suggests that the model's predictions accord reasonably well with observed behavior for nominal interest rates, growth rates of the monetary base, and rates of inflation. Earlier periods, especially before World War I, provide an interesting contrast because interest-rate smoothing did not apply. The behavior of the monetary base and the price level at these times differed from the post-World War I1 experience in ways predicted by the theory


The invention relates to known N-dimensional filters (100) and methods for N-dimensionally filtering for applying noise reduction to an original image pixel. However, carry ing out only noise reduction to a pixel of an image is often not enough when a good picture quality is required. Thus, additionally sharpness enhancement (peaking) is carried out. However, noise reduction and peaking have contrasting Spectral behaviors which leads to non-optimal results when both operations noise reduction and peaking are imple mented in Series. Starting from that prior art it is the object of the invention to provide noise reduction and Sharpness enhancement to the original pixel in an easier and cheaper manner. This object is Solved according to the present invention by defining coefficients C(p, n) or f3(p, n) of Said transmission function Such that the transmission function is capable of applying noise reduction as well as Sharpness enhancement to the input Signal of Said N-dimensional filter (100).


There are many ways to organize and execute a wildlife education program. While there are numerous resources for wildlife rehabilitators on public education, there are few that include school-aged children. A successful approach to wildlife education in the public school classroom takes into consideration developmental characteristics for preschool through high school students, teaching styles, and matches programs with state standards. English language learners and students of schools in lower income areas require special considerations.


of Dissertation Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy FUNCTIONS OF POSITIVE REAL PART ON THE UNIT BALL OF A NORMED SPACE By Miriam Salomé Castillo Gil August 2012 Chair: Michael T. Jury Major: Mathematics We study some classes of holomorphic functions of positive real part on domains Ω that are the unit ball for some norm over C and characterize these classes through operator-valued Herglotz formulas and through von Neumann-type inequalities. Inspired on the work of J.E. McCarthy and M. Putinar we extend results valid for the unit ball, due to M.T. Jury, to the polydisk and other unit balls by defining a family of Fantappiè pairings on Ω in order to establish duality relations between certain pairs of classes.


Abstract We present techniques to design routing parameters for positive compartmental conservative systems. Such systems capture the dynamics of some material flowing through a network of interconnected reservoirs and have become popular, in particular, as models of air traffic flows. These techniques use Linear Programs (LP) to design static routing parameters for single destination networks with the following objectives: (a) minimize delay, (b) minimize delay and satisfy additional delay constraints which are formulated as integral constraints on the states of the network, and (c) satisfy capacity constraints. For each of these problems, we prove that the resulting closed loop systems are stable, positive, conservative and exhibit a user defined interconnection of sections. Additionally, problems (a) and (b) are shown to minimize delay over all choices of routing parameters such that the closed loop system exhibits these characteristics.


Abstract Various initial and boundary value problems for a 2-dimensional reaction-diffusion equation are studied numerically by an explicit Finite Difference Method (FDM), a Galerkin and a Petrov-Galerkin Finite Element Method (FEM). The results not only show the transition processes from different local initial disturbances to quasitravelling waves, but also demonstrate the long term behaviour of the solutions, which is determined by the system itself and does not depend on the details of the initial disturbances.


Abstract:The poem "Bad Queer (Homunculus)" centers on a subject who is struggling with gatekeeping in the queer community. The poem is addressing the ways in which queer-identifying people have to construct and perform elements of our identity while also trying to avoid the day-to-day violences of a heteronormative society.


Abstract In this article, a microstrip antenna having circular polarization switching capability is presented. This antenna consists of a circular-shaped radiating patch with a single co-axial probe feed line. The polarization reconfigurability is achieved by introducing four symmetrical U-shaped slots and silicon PIN diodes on the radiating patch. A prototype of the design is fabricated on an FR-4 substrate with overall dimension of 70 × 70 × 1.6 mm to verify the performances. The measured results of the antenna exhibit an impedance bandwidth (S 11 < −10 dB) of 5% in the frequency range of 2.37–2.49 GHz. The maximum gain of the antenna is found to be 2.99 dBic at 2.43 GHz. The antenna shows stable radiation performances at 2.4 GHz with 4.1% of 3-dB axial ratio bandwidth, and more than 105° of 3-dB axial ratio beamwidth for both right-hand circular polarization and left -hand circular polarization which make it suitable for ISM band Smart city applications.


EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP JOHNSON, RODRIGUEZ B.A./B.S. TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY, 2005 M.A. THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, 2006 THE EFFECTS OF LEADERSHIP PRACTICES AND SELECT VARIABLES ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT FOR GRADES 1-5 IN A METRO ATLANTA SCHOOL Committee Chair: Dr. Trevor Turner Dissertation dated May 2014 It was a goal of this study to identify leadership strategies and other select variables such as instructional strategies, professional staff development, teacher-student relationship, parental support, and student academic motivation and their relationship with student achievement. Pearson correlations, ANOVA, Alpha Cronbach, construct validity, and regression tests were used to analyze the data that had the greatest significance on student achievement scores. The researcher concluded that instructional strategies, parental support, student academic motivation, and teacher expectation have the greatest significance on student achievement scores. Recommendations were suggested for classroom teachers, educational leaders, teacher preparation programs, and future researchers. THE EFFECTS OF LEADERSHIP PRACTICES AND SELECT VARIABLES ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT FOR GRADES 1-5 IN A METRO ATLANTA SCHOOL A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF EDUCATION


HighlightsA convolution neural network (CNN) model, called M_Net, was designed to recognize early blight and late blight in potato.Our model achieves the highest accuracy with low computation requirements compare with other popular deep neural networks.Hyperparameters tuning is performed to optimize accuracy, generalization, and computation requirements for potato disease classification.Experimental results show that the combination of multiple datasets improves the generalization of the model.Abstract.Early and late blight are two of the most common potato diseases. Intelligent tools for automatically detecting these two diseases can benefit farmers and agricultural extension officers. However, it remains a challenge to use traditional image processing methods to recognize these diseases. Convolution neural network (CNN) is an advanced methodology in computer vision, which shows great promise in image classification. This article explores CNN models to classify potato early blight and late blight based on leaf images. This research task has three challenges: lack of adequate datasets, noise in existing data, and the construction of a model that handles variability in image backgrounds. This research designs a CNN model M_Net based on MobileNetV1 network and uses different dataset sources in the construction of a CNN model with a strong generalization ability to identify disease leaves and healthy leaves. Furthermore, this article adds a new dataset to the field by supplying the model with potato leaf images. The results show that the CNN model achieves the highest accuracy with low calculation cost compared to some classical models and the final model has a strong generalization capacity. Keywords: Accuracy, CNN, Early blight, Generalization ability, Late blight.


Stephen M. Gilman, M.D., Marc Galanter, M.D. and Helen Derkmatis, Ph.D. Division of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, Department of Psychiatry, New York University Medical Center/Bellvue Hospital Center, Room 20N29, 550 First Avenue, New York, NY 1 00 1 6. Substance Abuse: Journal of the Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse 22 (4): 247-56, 200 1 . Methadone Anonymous (MA) was founded in 1 99 1 by a recovering alcoholic, Gary S., who felt that methadone patients were being treated unjustly within existing recovery fellowships. Notably, a woman with 90 days clean and sober but on methadone maintenance was directed to give back her 90-day chip because she was "still on drugs." MA's 1 2 steps are essentially the same as those of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) except for the inclusion of "illicit" in their first step , so as to read, "We admitted we were powerless over ILLICIT drugs, including alcohol ." This article, based on interviews with 53 members who are also in a methadone maintenance treatment program (MMTP), is the first survey study of MA. Much good information was obtained by the authors, who concluded that, "MA appears to have the potential to address the issue of secondary substance use amongst methadone patients. The MA social affiliation dimensions and endorsement of the 1 2-Step principles suggest that MA can provide an enhanced method of services not traditionally available in MMTP at little or no cost." Comment: The controversy surrounding methadone treatment and recovery has a long history. Despite A.A. materials that clarify the use of prescribed medications for individuals in recovery, such as long-acting barbiturates for seizure control and lithium for bipolar disorder, individuals and even groups within the 1 2-Step fellowships persist in viewing any medical use of psychoactive or related substances as "still on drugs," sometimes with disastrous results to patients who are advised to flush their medications.


This article examines the work and philosophy of Walter Benjamin as
an important source of information for international relations (IR) and
International Political Sociology (IPS) scholars, particularly in light of
his methodological contributions, which could provide important
ground for movements such as the aesthetic turn in IR and everyday
life ⁄ popular culture studies within IR and IPS. Benjamin's contributions
are examined in light of his most controversial, albeit unfinished, project—
The Arcades Project, a recently published volume that focuses on a
selection of documents from the Benjamin archive; and a study by Howard
Caygill on Benjamin's attempt to create a ''new philosophy,'' and
along with it, a new methodology for studying ''experience.'' The article
focuses on three main elements that stand at the basis of Benjamin's
unique methodology: (1) his process of selecting the object of study;
(2) his treatment of temporality and processes of change ⁄ history; and
(3) his focus on the visual as key to escaping the limitations of
traditional ''philosophical'' text.


Taking maize variety Biandan No.3 as experimental material,the optimum density and nitrogen application were studied by two-factor randomized block design.The results showed that Biandan No.3 was a variety with high yield potential and density medium,the optimal density was 70 000 plant·hm-2,optimal nitrogen application was 180 kg·hm-2.


Almost 20 years ago, in a paper introducing the text mining (TM) technique to my fellow statisticians, I expressed the fear that: "it would be unfortunate that this technique, because it is apparently so easy to use, would be abused by incompetent analysts" (Lahlou, 1994, my translation). And therefore I urged expert statisticians to engage in this issue and circumscribe abuses.


Amendment added nothing new to the Constitution, and was not intended to add anything new. It merely confirmed what should have been clear without the new words, that these are rights that citizens did not surrender to government. This fact, that the First Amendment (something of a misnomer) did not change anything in the Constitution, he thought, did not diminish the importance of the protection of the rights of religion, speech, press, and assembly; it only explained the Constitution's great strength in helping to secure them. Morgan, by returning again and again to Madison's iterations of this point, and by reminding us frequently of Madison's worries about "parchment barriers," adds greatly to our instruction on a central question, what truly secures our basic rights. Morgan, was not served well, alas, by his publisher's copy editors, who allowed too many minor errors to slip through in the printing of what is otherwise a careful, thorough, valuable, and instructive book.


(57) In connection with the Abstract: OBJECTIVE steel structural members and angle cat, it does not cause problems, such as welding process, providing the angle cat units for the steel structure. [Configuration] to form a through-hole 3a at a predetermined position of the steel structure member 3, in correspondence with the through hole 3a is formed a through hole 7a in the L-shaped angle cat 7, a through hole 3a of the steel structure member 3 a through-hole 7a of the angle 7 aligned arrangement, the bolts 8a arranged to be inserted through the through hole 7a of the through-holes 3a and angle cat 7 steel structure member 3, it is screwed with the bolt 8a into the bolt 8a nut by 8b, angle cat 7 And integrating steel structure 3.


Mid-infrared modulators based on tunable metasurface enable us to design modulators with high modulation depth (MD) at the desired wavelengths. Regarding the combination of numerous variable parameters affecting the modulator operation, a multi-objective optimization approach was proposed and employed to achieve high MD mid-infrared optical modulators. The multi-objective gray wolf optimizer (MOGWO) is an appropriate method that we are utilizing to maximize the modulators MD. Optimally designed structures, in this work, have demonstrated adequate MD atλ1= 6 µm andλ2= 7 µm. The suggested approach, as a general method, can be used in design optimization of the mid-infrared modulators based on tunable metasurface and tune at any desired wavelength for different usages.


In order to find a set of SSR core primers for purity identification and genetic diversity research on rapeseed,746 SSR primers were screened using 100 representative materials of Brassica napus L.collected from different areas of China.44 primers were selected according to PIC(polymorphism information content) value,reproducibility,patterns and distribution on genome.Among them,20 were determined as preferred core primers,others were candidate core primers.There were 3 to 9 alleles amplified by each pair of preferred primers with PIC values range from 0.56 to 0.80.A total of 102 polymorphism alleles were detected by the preferred SSR core primers.They covered 11 linkage groups of B.napus.The effectiveness of core primers on purity identification and cultivar protection was tested on a randomly selected hybrid F1.Consistent result was obtained between amplification and field identification even by a randomly chosen core primer.And the primer was able to identify the seed from non-female parent.Results from genetic clustering and family origin assay also showed the validity of the core primers for germplasm diversity analysis.


Corporate failures and fraud have turned attention to company governance. While much of the literature is on for-profit governance, there is a steadily increasing non-profit literature arguing for industry specific governance studies, such as this one. Researching arts organisation governance in Asia, where profitability or sustainability are not the only measures for performance, provides a better understanding of theses cultures and economies. Here, a comparative review of arts governance is undertaken in order to inform debate in a discipline and in countries less frequently included in analysis. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) and Singapore are included in this brief review of Asian governance. What constitutes good governance and the unique cultural variables in each region are considered.


A bumper collection of riddles, tricks, picture puzzles and brain teasers - both new ones and favourite old ones with an unexpected twist.


Queen's Hospital on September 218t, I896, unAer the care of Dr. Foxwell (by whom he was subsequently transfet red to my care), having been sent in as a case of typhoid fever. About ten years ago he fell down and hurt his head, and subsequently had a discharge from the right ear, which, with short periods of intermission, had continued to the present time. He was able to work until a month ago; then the discharge became more profuse, and he suffered from pain in the frontal region at night. He remained in bed, but became worse. There had not been any vomiting, but there was a history from the friends of several fits and two rigors. Ten days ago a painful swelling was noticed below the right ear, which inereased and became more painful. There was a foul discharge from the right ear. The temperature was 1030, pulse 84; tongue very foul, a'nd coveredwith thick white fur; knee-jerks absent, no paralysis; double optic neuritis. On the 24th fluctuations were detected in the swelling in the neck, and he was seen by me on the 25th. An incision was at once made, and some ounces of very foul pus evacuated. for two days after this he was more comfortable, but his temperature kept high, and on the 27th he had a rigor, his temperature rising to 105 20. Although there was no recurrence of the rigors he kept in an unsatisfactory condition, temperature varying from 980 to I050, pulse from 70 to I00. On October 2nd the abscess cavity was explored with a view of ligaturing and removing, if necessary, the right internal jugular vein, but no trace of it could be found, and I concluded that it had been destroyed by the suppuration His subsequent condition became more unsatisfactory, and it was deemed advisable to explore further. He was therefore trephined on October 14th. over the right temporo-pphenoidal lobe, and both this -and the cerebellum carefully explored with a needle. No abscess cavity was found. A crown of bone was then removed to open both the mastoid antrum and lateral sinus; the former contained a small quantity of caseous pus, the latter a blood clot The opening was packed with iodoform gauze. There was little change in the patient's condition after the -Operation; if anything he was more irritable and restless, and he refused food. There was no further vomiting. He gradually sank, and died on the night of the z5th. Po8t-mortem no trace of the right internal jugular vein could be found. The lateral sinus was thrombosed with blood clot, which had not become organised. In the white matter of the brain there were eight small abscesses found, evidently secondary; none elsewhere. Looking at these cases, it is evident that the first three practically form a group of uncomplicated abscess of the temporo-sphenoidal lobe, and that a fairly accurate diagnosis was possible. The symptoms in favour of the diagnosis were: l. A long history in each case of the chronic purulent ear trouble-twenty-fie years, fourteen years, and nine years respectively. 2. No mastoid tenderness (except in Case III) and no ten4derness on percussion over the sigmoid sinus. 3. No thrombosis of the internal jugular vein. 4. No high or greatly-varying temperatures, and pulse not rapid. 5. Absence of pysemic symptoms other than the two rigors in Case iii. 6. Cerebration little affected in the early stages, but becoming slow later. 7. Marked emaciation. S. A chronic course terminating in coma. In favour of the abscess being temporo-sphenoidal rather than cerebellar there were the facts that there was no occipital headache, no marked vomiting nor disturbance of -equilibrium, no sensory aphasia, and no implication of the sixth nerve. Apart from the non-implication of this litter nerve, t.he neuritis present in the several cases did not much assist t.he diagnosis, but it is noteworthy that in three of the cabes the *fifth nerve was early involved, and that the aid of a deiital surgeon was sought to eliminate a possible dental cause of the pain. In Case iv the diagnosis was septic basal meningitis, and this was probably correct, though from the sudden onset it is j.ust possible that a latent abscess may have burst into the lateral ventricle. There was no sudden change in the symptoms during the subsequent progress of the case to indicate _4hat this had taken place. Case v was primarily a septic thrombosis rapidly extending -down the jugular vein, and destrojing it by suppuration. The brain abscesses were secondary and pysemic, and could not have been discovered by operation. With regard to the time at which trephining is generally performed, commencing coma still seems to be the signal for surgical action, and that it is not a too-late one is shown by the complete and rapid recovery of these and other similar oaseg. The quost.ion is, Cqn we anticipate this time with a reasonsable hope of suceees ? The experience of the first three cases leads we to hiope that an exploratory operation might with advantage be undertakeu without waiting for coma in all cases presenting a series of symptoms similar to those here recorded. If there is much doubt as to the location of the abscesstemporo-sphenoidal or cerebellar, or possible implication of the sigmoid sinus-the method suggested by Mr. Percy Dean should be followed, and a crown of bone removed, if inch behind and ' inch above the centre of the external meatus, through which all these regions can be explored. I need hardly say that if there is any mastoid tenderness the antrum should always be opened first, and the surrounding parts carefhlly examined for any evidence of extension from this cavity. It is interesting to note that two of the cases had been under careful treatment for the aural condition for years, and that the possibility of intracranial complications had been discussed, as also the advisability of a mastoid operation as a preventive measure, which unfortunately had not been accepted by the patients. The cases very forcibly show the importance, or rather the necessity, for a mastoid operation in all cases of suppurative middle-ear disease which do not yield to careful treatment by ordinary methods.


After storage in the condition made by the saturated LiCl and MgCl2 solution for 1 month, the water content of seeds was about 2.82% , 4.96% . And then the peanut, Arachis hypogaea seeds (Shanyou 523、Yueyou 79、Zhanyou 30) were treated with 1 mmol/L methyl jasmonate (MJ) and stored for 6 months. These seeds were inoculated with spores (1×106/mL) of Aspergillus flavus and were cultured 9 days. Some enzymes activity and the aflatoxin B1(AFB1) content of seeds were detected. The results showed that MJ may promoted peanut seeds resistance to Aspergillus flavus by increasing the activities of exochitinase, endochitinase and decreased the content of AFB1.


The present invention relates to oligonucleotides for modulation of target RNA activity. That is, the present invention provides an oligonucleotide that binds to the micro-RNA binding site of the target RNA. Oligonucleotides, the RNaseH or RNAi may be activated. In a preferred embodiment, the oligonucleotide is to prevent the micro RNA binds to the binding site of the target RNA, thus micro RNA is prevented from controlling the target RNA. Such oligonucleotides, have utility in the research and development of new therapeutic agents.


Eclipse/BSD is an operating system derived from FreeBSD. Eclipse/BSD provides flexible and fine-grained Quality of Service (QoS) support for (server) applications. We have implemented hierarchical proportionalshare cpu, disk and link schedulers, the /reserv file system providing an API to manipulate "reservations" and a tagging mechanism for the association of reservations with schedulable operations. Currently, Eclipse/BSD is being used to guarantee QoS to server applications, and in particular to differentiate the performance of different web sites hosted on the same platform.


A scenario-based optimal planning strategy of wind distributed generations (WDGs) for a radial distribution network (RDN) considering the dual reactive power support (DRPS) of the three level solid state transformers (SSTs) is proposed in this paper. The K-means algorithm is employed to generate a multi-scenario model for wind speed estimation analogous to each hour of the day and a 24-hour variable load demand is considered in this work. A multi-objective mixed integer non linear programming problem (MINLP) is formulated to address the objectives of voltage profile enhancement (VPE) and energy loss curtailment (ELC), to obtain the capacity and location requirements of SSTs together with the locations and numbers of units of wind turbines to be integrated into the system. The simulation results validated the proposed model and algorithm's applicability and logic on the 33 bus RDN. The programming was developed in MATLAB R2020a and the paretosearch algorithm is used to address MINLP.


Child English classroom teaching is a systematic and complicated project.Teachers should melt their love into teaching behavior,explore the new skills and ideas,cultivate children′s interests in language learning and reflect their teaching behavior.Only in this way can make the successful English class.


Let j be a Lawvere-Tierney topology (a topology, for short) on an arbitrary topos E , B an object of E , and jB = j × 1B the induced topology on the slice topos E/B. In this manuscript, we analyze some properties of the pullback functor B∗ : E → E/B which are dealing with topologies. Then for the left cancellable class M of all j-dense monomorphisms in a topos E , we achieve some necessary and sufficient conditions for that the pair (M,M⊥) is a factorization system in E , which is related to the factorization systems in slice topoi E/B, where B ranges over the class of objects of E . Among other things, we prove that an arrow f : X → B in E is a jB-sheaf in E/B whenever the graph of f , is a section in E/B as well as the object of sections S(f) of f , is a j-sheaf in E . Furthermore, we introduce a class of monomorphisms in E , which we call each member of the class j-essential. Some equivalent forms and some of their properties are presented. Also, we prove that any presheaf in a presheaf topos has a maximal essential extension. Finally, some similarities and differences of the obtained result are discussed if we put a (productive) weak topology j, studied by some authors, instead of a topology.


new method of treatment for infants with transposition of the great arteries. In order to survive, these children are dependent on some degree of communication between the systemic and pulmonary circulations. Surgical procedures to produce such a communication have a high mortality and Rashkind devised a technique whereby a double lumen catheter with an inflatable balloon is introduced into the left atrium through a foreman ovale and the balloon then inflated with radiopaque dye and sharply withdrawn from the left to the right atrium, thereby tearing the atrial septum and allowing increased mixing between the circulations. I had performed 18 balloon septostomies in this Unit between August 1966 and January 1970. There were two early deaths (that is within 24 hours of the procedure). This 11% mortality is comparable to that in other series (Rashkind and Miller, 1968; Singh, Astley, and Burrows, 1969; Venables, 1970) in which the combined early mortality is 17% in 95 cases. Initially the Edwards Company balloon catheter was employed, but for the past three years the Rashkind catheter (United States Catheter and Instrument Corportion) has been used.


This article discusses the need for greater certainty of subject-matter in developing guiding principles in intellectual property rights. It begins by noting the importance of certainty of subject-matter in property law in general and argues that certainty as to the scope of what is protected by intellectual property law is no less important especially with the strengthening of the rights conferred (particularly in copyright). It examines briefly the need for certainty of subject-matter in the context of registered trade marks and patent law before moving into a discussion of copyright and in particular the position of names and titles. It argues for greater caution in the use of competition driven mantra such as "reaping where you have not sown" in developing property based rights and for copyright law to make conscious attempts to apply with greater clarity and rigour the expression/idea or facts dichotomy.


Lontra felina (Molina, 1782) or Marine Otter is an endangered species according to the IUCN Red List and lives mainly on the rocky coast of Peru and Chile. In Peru it inhabits some marine protected areas, ports and some rivers. To determine the current state of conservation, monitoring data of National Reserves of Paracas, San Fernando & the Guano´s Islands, Islets & Capes National Reserve System were analysed as well as the management plans of each marine protected area. According to the results, the Marine Otter is only a target species in the Paracas Reserve. The Guano´s Islands, Islets & Capes National Reserve System is a network of mini-reserves that maintains the largest population of Marine Otters in Peru in at least 14 of its 33 protected sites. The effectiveness of management for L. felina is only verified in the case of the National Reserve of Paracas.


• It often helps contextualize abstract understandings. At times, information about a given situation which may have been desiccated into abstraction in a formal written process or policy, is rehydrated through storytelling, which describes in detail how this played out in a particular situation. In turn this provides more interpretive "hooks" for the listener to use in order to ascertain the story's relevance for her current situation.


: Background: Atraumatic extraction preserves bone, gingival architecture, and allows for the option of future or immediate dental implant placement.Physics forceps were designed by Dr. Richard Golden in 2004; it enables to predictably remove even the most grossly broken down teeth with little or no trauma to the surgical site. The biomechanical design of this instrument decreases the incidence of root fracture, and maintains the buccal bone plate, which is essential for the proper healing of an immediately placed dental implant.Post-extraction complications are few, but could be further minimised by proper handling of patients, reducing the number of extractions and by emphasising the need of early reporting of patients with post-extraction complications.The development of Physics Forceps® by Golden|Misch in an attempt to change the face of dental extraction.The purpose of this study which we conducted at our institute was to evaluate the efficacy of physics forcep over conventional forceps in simple dental extraction. Materials and Methods: Group I: Extraction in 100 patients using the conventional forcep extraction technique will be considered as control group for the study.Group II: Extraction in 100 patients using the physics forcep extraction technique.The time required during extraction of tooth with physics forceps and conventional extraction technique will also be compared.The time taken is considered from the time of application of the forcep on the tooth to be extracted till the tooth is delivered out of the socket.Post operative pain will be assessed on 2 nd , 5 th , 7 th and 15 th day using verbal pain intensity scale (VPIS) (Fig.No.6) and post operative wound healing will be assessed on 5 th ,7 th and 15 th day between both the forceps techniques. Results: There was statistically very highly significant (p < 0.001) difference of mean extraction time of patients more in conventional forceps group than physics forceps group. There was statistically significant (p < 0.05) difference of complete wound healing more in physics forceps group than conventional forceps group on 15th postoperativeday. Conclusion: Physics forceps is clinically valuable in atraumatic tooth removal and in preserving the buccal bone plate which is important for implant dentistry.Hence in our study we conclude that the physics forceps to be more efficient than conventional forceps in dental extractions.


Electro-coating has been an important technology for aluminum treatment as its features of high corrosion resistance, wear resistance and transparency, good decoration and environmentally friendly. The present and developing trend of aluminum electro-coating in China were described. Electro-coating process, maintenance and paints manufacture were also discussed.


The deterioration of metal due to microbial activity is termed biocorrosion or microbially influenced corrosion (MIC). Owing to its economic and environmental importance, MIC has been the subject of extensive studies for the past five decades Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) is one of the agent that colonize metal surface and cause localized corrosion. The present study was carried out to gain an insight into biochemical aspect of oxidoreductase of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) which is possibly responsible for MIC. A computational approach was employed to obtain informations of protein domain architecture, biological processes, subcellular locations, physicochemical properties and protein-protein interaction network. By using as series of online publicly available bioinformatics tools, our comprehensve data has increased our understanding of mechanisms governing MIC by SRB. We suggest that, the deterioration of metal may be contributed by the electron flow from metal surface to metal ion-binding domains of SRB oxidoreductase. The acquired electrons are utilized by SRB to support energy production and its colonization on metal surface The participation of SRB oxidoreductase in high number of protein-protein interaction also may be important for establishment of SRB biofilm on metal surface The discovery of these informations are very useful for further wet lab approach to characterize the biofilm-metal surface interaction.


Bulky waste contains valuable raw materials, especially wood, which accounts for around 50% of the volume. Sorting is very time-consuming in view of the volume and variety of bulky waste and is often still done manually. Therefore, only about half of the available wood is used as a material, while the rest is burned with unsorted waste. In order to improve the material recycling of wood from bulky waste, the project ASKIVIT aims to develop a solution for the automated sorting of bulky waste. For that, a multi-sensor approach is proposed including: (i) Conventional imaging in the visible spectral range; (ii) Near-infrared hyperspectral imaging; (iii) Active heat flow thermography; (iv) Terahertz imaging. This paper presents a demonstrator used to obtain images with the aforementioned sensors. Differences between the imaging systems are discussed and promising results on common problems like painted materials or black plastic are presented. Besides that, preexaminations show the importance of near-infrared hyperspectral imaging for the characterization of bulky waste.


Objectives : The aim of this study was to determining the cut-off for recurrent depressive episode to predict diagnostic conversion from unipolar depression to bipolar disorder by means of retrospective reviews of medical records. Methods : The medical records of 250 patients with a diagnosis of maj...


BACKGROUND Eosinophilic granuloma (EG) is a proliferative condition that affects the cells of bone tissue. There are no specific clinical signs or imaging manifestations in the early stages of the disease, making it simple to overlook and misdiagnose. Because of the disease's rarity, there is presently no standardized treatment principle. There are few accounts of such occurrences affecting the axis among children. We discovered a case of a child whose EG resulted in atlantoaxial joint dislocation and destruction of the axial bone. CASE SUMMARY After having pharyngeal discomfort for more than six months without a clear explanation, a 6-year-old boy was brought to our hospital. Following a careful evaluation, the pathology indicated a strong likelihood of an axial EG. Ultimately, we decided to treat the boy with posterior pedicle screw fixation and local steroid injections. CONCLUSION EGs of the upper cervical spine are quite uncommon in children, and they are exceedingly easy to overlook or misdiagnose. Posterior pedicle screw fixation and local steroid injections are effective treatments for patients with axial EGs affecting the atlantoaxial junction.


Introduction: Coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) is associated with non-negligible radiation doses; current Methods: to lower radiation dose include the use of decreased 100 kV tube voltage. Hypothesis: CCTA using further reduced 80 kV tube voltage will Results in an incremental reduction in radiation dose with preserved image quality in patients with normal body habitus. Methods: We performed a prospective multicenter multivendor randomized trial evaluating 142 consecutive patients without prior coronary revascularization and normal body mass index ( =50%) coronary artery stenosis. Results: ...


Objective: To investigate the efficacy of low-molecular-weight heparin calcium in treating patients with acute cerebral infarction and its impact on blood coagulation function. Methods: A total of 120 patients with acute cerebral infarction were randomly divided into 2 groups: the treatment group and the control group . Patients in control group were treated with routine method in conjunction with the Compound danshen injection. Those in treatment group were treated with the routine method plus low-molecular-weight heparin calcium injection. Function of blood coagulation was examined before initiation of therapy and 10 days after in both groups of patients. Neural function was evaluated by a neural function score system before and 21 days after treatment. Results: The accumulative efficacy for patients in the treatment group was significantly higher than that in control group (P0.01). The quantity of blood platelet , plasma prothromin time (PT), activated thromboplastin time (APTT),and fibrinogen (FIB) in both groups demonstrated no significant difference before and after treatment (P0.05). Conclusions: Treating patients with acute cerebral infarction by low-molecular-weight heparin calcium is both safe and effective. It can improve neural function and prognosis at 21 days.


Block Wavelet Transforms (BWTs) are orthogonal matrix transforms that can be obtained from orthogonal subband filter banks. They were initially generated to produce matrix transforms which may carry nice properties inheriting from wavelets, as alternatives to DCT and similar matrix transforms. Although the construction methodology of BWT is clear, the reverse operation was not researched. In certain cases, a desirable matrix transform can be generated from available data using the Karhunen–Loeve transform (KLT). It is, therefore, of interest to develop a subband decomposition filter bank that leads to this particular KLT as its BWT. In this work, this dual problem is considered as a design attempt for the filter bank, hence the wavelets. The filters of the decomposition are obtained using a constrained least mean square (LMS) search on the parameterized filter coefficient domain.


This paper presents a multilevel framework to cope with the complex variations in Chinese sentential F0 contours in order to recognize lexical tones. Tone nucleus model is to get rid of the influence of intrinsic F0 transition loci at sub-syllable level. The pitch anchoring concept is used to normalize tonal F0 contours at syllable level. The hypo- and hyper-intonation model is used to account for the interplay of tone coarticulation and higher level prosodic effects. The whole approach achieved significant higher performance than the conventional method.


Generally,the time of natural gas accumulation is late.But the filling history of the Carboniferous natural gas in the Dinan uplift-Wucaiwan of Junggar basin gives a special sample.Natural gas has low dryness coefficient of 0.92 and N2 content of 3.04%,but the δ13C1 value of-32.12‰ indicates that natural gas would be at the highly mature stage.By means of genetic origin of natural gas and recovery of filling history,we consider that natural gas was formed at early stage but accumulate at late stage in the Dinan uplift-Wucaiwan of Junggar basin.There are three stages of gas accumulation,including late Hercynian,late Indo-Chinese and middle Yanshan,but the Yanshan is the main stage of gas accumulation.At Yanshan Era,natural gas was derived from the Carboniferous source rock with thermal maturity of 0.8%-1.2%RO,causing methane enriched in 13C.


Qualitative research, on the chemical composition and total alkaloid content of Suaeda rigida were measured by water and organic solvent extraction. The results showed that the chemical composition of Suaeda rigida contained sugar, polysaccharide or glycoside, volatile oil and fats, alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins and steroidal saponins, phenols, tannins and hydrolysis of tannins, amino acids, peptides and proteins, didn't contain a reducing sugar. These results could provide an initial base for the progressive study on chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of Suaeda rigida.


Carotid intimal medial thickness (IMT) is a sign of subclinical atherosclerosis and is associated with the onset of cerebral infarction. Studies have found that IMT may also change when some genes change, such as hepatic lipase, apolipoprotein, cholesterester transfer protein, paraoxonase, angiotensin converting enzyme, matrix metalloproteinase 3, inflammatory cytokine (interleukin 6), and endothelial nitric oxide synthase, thus increases the risk of stroke.

Key words:
atherosclerosis;  intimal medial thickness;  gene polymorphism


I present a phylogeny of the Latin American snake genus Chironius based on 36 external morphological and hemipenal characters. Data from the literature for the 20 recognized species of Chironius were combined with data I collected from 20 outgroup taxa. I assessed the monophyly and in-group relationships of Chironius using both parsimony and methods. Two optimal trees were obtained using parsimony criteria; the genus Chironius is supported as monophyletic with 93% bootstrap support from six unambiguous synapomorphies, including an even number of scale rows at midbody. A Bayesian analysis of the data supports the monophyly of Chironius with a posterior probability of 100%. Both analyses inferred similar topologies; recognized species groups are partially supported, but this analysis suggests that revision of the genus is necessary. I propose elevation to full species status of taxa within the carinatus, fuscus, multiventris, and quadricarinatus species groups on the basis of morphological features unique to each taxon. Future molecular work is necessary to resolve the remaining taxonomic issues within Chironius.


In this article I deconstruct the polar cultural myths about ageing and how these two influencing memes generate two contrasting scenarios for the future of the city. One meme can be seen as a weight resisting the preferred future whilst the other provides the attractive pull towards the preferred image. Both are interlinked by the reality of an ageing global population – a demographic driver that is shaping the city of tomorrow. This preferred image however is not inevitable; I argue that memetic change of Western society's episteme of ageing is fundamental to achieving the City of all ages.


Faith Wainwright reports on her year as President, summarising the challenges faced and the vital role the Institution and its members can have on tomorrow's built environment.


Drilling into mature, depleted fields is often difficult because of tight pressure margins. Increasing the pressure control will enable wells that previously were considered undrillable, to be dril ...


FIELD: production of polymers. SUBSTANCE: polymer stabilizing agents having polysiloxane structure comprise steric hindranced phenol groups and reactive groups which are able to bind with polymer structure being stabilized. EFFECT: improved quality of desired product. 5 cl, 4 tbl


Restricted adaptive oblivious transfer was introduced by Herranz in 2011, which is the main approach to protect user privacy in e-transactions involving operations on digital confidential data or sensitive information. There are many practical applications for restricted adaptive oblivious transfer, such as medical or financial data access, pay-per-view TV, and so on. However, so far as we know, there are only two protocols for restricted adaptive oblivious transfers which were both proposed by Herranz [8]. Furthermore, these two protocols are very expensive. In this paper, we propose a new protocol for restricted adaptive oblivious transfer by using fully homomorphic encryption. Compared with Herranz's constructions, our protocol is more efficient in the cost of communication and computation.


The kinetic behavior of noble metal catalysts (Pt and Rh supported on Al2O3/CeO2 mixed oxides) and of Cu catalysts (conventional CuO–ZnO–Al2O3 (CZA) catalyst and CuFe2O4 spinel) has been compared in methanol steam reforming, which is the second step in the steam reforming of dimethyl ether (SRD). To ascertain the adequacy of these catalysts for use as metallic function in the bifunctional catalyst for SRD, the experiments have been performed in the 200–500 °C range, which are conditions of interest for this process. The reaction mechanisms differ between these catalyst families because the initial step is methanol dehydrogenation on noble metal catalysts and direct reforming on Cu catalysts. Nevertheless, the H2 yield on CuFe2O4 spinel and Pt/CeO2 catalysts is similar, 97% at 400 °C. This good behavior of the CuFe2O4 spinel as metallic function has also been proven in the SRD process on a CuFe2O4/γ-Al2O3 bifunctional catalyst. Therefore, bearing in mind its better performance and moderate cost, CuFe2O4 sp...


To explore and establish reasonable vegetable-grain crop rotation patterns,a study was made on the allelopathic effects of water extracts of Brassica juncea var. tumida leaf( 5,10,50,100 g / L) on germination and seedling growth of B. juncea var. tumida,Zea mays and Oryza sativa by indoor culture. Results showed that the water extracts of B. juncea var. tumida leaf had some inhibitory effect on the seed germination and seedling growth of three receptor crops,and the inhibitory effect increased as the concentration of water extract treatments increased. The water extracts of B. juncea var. tumida leaf showed different allelopathic effects on the three crops,the allelopathic intensity on B. juncea var. tumida was greater than on Z. mays and O. sativa in seed germination,the inhibitory effect on Z. mays was greater than on B. juncea var. tumida and O. sativa in seedling growth,and the inhibitory effect on root length was greater than on plant height. The water extracts had significant influence on MDA content of seedlings,which was the highest when the water extracts concentration was 100 g / L. The water extracts of B. juncea var. tumida leaf showed stronger inhibitory effect on Z. mays than on O. sativa,which indicated that the rotation mode of B. juncea var. tumida and O. sativa had more advantages in increasing crop yields from the viewpoint of allelopathy.


The process of the forced aging of flue-cured tobacco leaves were studied extensively from various scientific points of view. The Flue-cured tobacco leaves were inoculated and fermented with nicotine resistant Hansenula yeast, or the leaves were subjected under simple forced aging. The above two processes of forced aging were studied from the summarized points of microbiology, physics, chemistry, and biochemistry, and the resulted products ware compared in their physical, chemical and biochemical quality determining factors with that of raw material tobacco leaves (dried-tobacco leaves) and 2 years aged high quality tobacco leaves. The summary results were as follows. 1) The Korean flue-cured tobacco leaves, were forcedly aged under the basic optimum aging condition, temperature , moisture contents 18%, relative humidity 74%. It was found that this aging condition was the best in bringing the quality of forcedly aged tobacco leaves to the utmost state. 2) Under this optimum temperature and moisture condition of forced aging in about 20 days the forcedly aged tobacco leaves both with yeast inoculation and without yeast inoculation showed the equivalent tobacco qualities comparable with that of more than 2 years aged tobacco leaves. 3) The forcedly aged tobacco leaves both with and without yeast inoculation under temperature and relative humidity achieved the necessary quality determining physical and chemical changes in about 20 days. 4) The microbial changes during the forced aging were as follows. The population of yeasts and bacteria increased until to 15 days of aging, then decreased thereafter. Whereas the molds grew continously until the end of fermentation. 5) The tobacco quality determing physico-chemico-properties of yeast inoculated aged and simple forcedly aged tobacco leaves, progressed as the follows in time. As the forced aging progresses, swelling and combustibility properties were improved. The pH, total reducing materials, total sugars, alkaloids contents decreased. The contents of organic and ether extractable materials increased. The total nitrogen, protein, crude fiber, ash contents showed no changes. The color properties, excitation purity, luminance, main wave length, showed equivalent changes comparable with that of 2 years aged tobacco leaves. 6) The changes in chemical components in yeast treated and simple forcedly aged tobacco leaves during of forced aging were as follows. The following chemical components decreased as the aging. Sugars-sucrose. rhamnose, glucose. Pigments-chlorophyll, carotenes, xanthophyll and violax anthine. Polyphenols-rutin, chlorogenic and, coffeic acid. Organic acids-iso-butylic, crotonic, caprylic, galacturonic, tartaric, succinic, citric acid. Alkaloids-nicotine, nornicotine. The following components increased as the forced aging progressed. Sugars-frutose, maltose, raffinose. Amino acids-proline, cystine. Organic acids-formic, acetic, propionic, n-butyric, iso-valeric, n-valeric, malic, oxalic, malonic, , fumaric, glutaric acid. 7) During the forced aging of tobacco Leaves the oxygen-uptake decreased gradually. The enzyme activities of polyphenol oxidase, decreased gradually. The activities of the enzymes, catalase, and invertase increased once then decreased at the later stage.


Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic gastrointestinal condition characterized by abdominal pain and altered bowel habits. Non-immune food reactions or food intolerances affect up to 20% of the general population and are commonly seen in patients with IBS. Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been described as an emerging, effective treatment for IBS. To date, there have been no reports on changes in food intolerances in patients with IBS treated with FMT. A 35-year-old female presented with an 18-month history of nausea, abdominal pain, alternating bowel habits, headaches/migraines, brain fog, and fatigue. The patient described severe food intolerances to dairy, gluten, egg, and soy. Extensive investigation identified no pathology, and IBS was diagnosed. The patient underwent treatment with antibiotics followed by treatment with FMT enema infusions decreasing in frequency for 12 months. At 12-week follow-up during FMT infusions, the patient reported an 80–90% improvement in her symptoms with formed bowel motions 1–2/day, occasional abdominal pain, and nausea and improved energy levels. The patient reported progressive improvements in her food tolerance from approximately 2 months into the FMT treatment. At week 24, she was tolerating gluten and dairy foods in her diet. At week 52, she was including gluten and dairy in her diet with no symptoms. This case demonstrates that antibiotics, followed by FMT may be an effective treatment for IBS and food intolerances pointing to the gut microbiome as a potential target for treatment.


Max W. Abbott was co-director of the first national pathological gambling prevalence study in 1991 and has since retained significant involvement in gambling research, predominantly focused on epidemiology and measurement. He has had a major role in gambling policy and service development, alongside management and governance positions in academic, health and NGO settings. He has over 250 publications in gambling studies, migrant adaptation and health and other areas within public health and mental health.


Tourism plays a dominant role in the Austrian economy. A total of approximately 109,000 rooms are offered on 21,000 Austrian farms. Thus the farmers represent one sixth of the total Austrian supply of tourist beds. In recent years the holiday farmers have organised their representation and marketing more professionally, first on a regional level, then in the provinces. Finally in 1991 the Austrian Farm Holidays Association was founded to represent the interests of the farmers on a nationwide level. A positive development towards 'farm holidays' as a brand name has begun generating an additional source of income for farmers and enabling tourists to spend interesting and valuable holidays on an Austrian farm. The paper outlines the situation of farm holidays in Austria (statistics, etc.), the tasks of the organisation to promote farm holidays on each level as well as the nationwide strategies of the Federal Association (common logotype, uniform system of quality standards, specialised products). Finally som...


Because of stateless characteristics of HTTP, is not possible for HTTP servers to adapt responses on the basis of previous interactions with the same user. Although efficient, this is a limiting aspect of the protocol, particularly for Web documents that are directed toward a broad audience, including experts and novices and an adaptive response would be helpful in providing information with the right style. We present here the key concepts of CHEOPS, a system that is being developed as a tool that can be used by hyperdocument designers to provide their document with adaptivity and navigational aids. Version 0.9 of CHEOPS, actually available, is implemented by several CGI-BIN scripts that enables an HTTP server to interact with a user and follow her on the Path to Knowledge. Solution is transparent to the user and to the client, and has a moderate impact on server performances. Further directions of the work toward version 1.0 is also presented.


Abstract Objective As part of quality improvement effort to decrease antibiotic use for presumed pneumonia (PNA) in our neonatal intensive care unit, we introduced minibronchoalveolar lavage (mBAL) to obtain culture specimens. We evaluated the effect of tracheal sampling method and culture results on antibiotic use. Methods We performed a retrospective review of culture results of samples obtained by tracheal aspirates (TAs) and mBAL between January 2017 and April 2018. Noting the time cultures were obtained, we reviewed the records to determine if the patients met the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria for PNA and evaluated culture results and antibiotic treatment practice. Fisher's exact and Mann–Whitney's tests when appropriate were used for the analysis. Results Thirty-five (35) mBAL (on 21 patients) and 42 TAs (on 39 patients) were done prior to antibiotic therapy. The tests were done at similar median day of life in both groups (mBAL 55 days and TA 62 days). The frequencies of positive culture were similar in both groups (mBAL 60% and TA 57%). At the time of obtaining the sample, more mBAL patients met the CDC criteria for PNA (mBAL 54% and TA 26%). Antibiotic days and duration of antibiotic treatment were significantly higher in the mBAL group compared with the TA group. In patient with no clinical PNA, antibiotic days were significantly higher in those with positive cultures (which more likely reflect colonizing microbes) than those with negative cultures and were also higher in the mBAL group than in the TA group. There was a significant increase in the frequency of positive cultures in patients with longer hospital stay. Conclusion Our results show that tracheal cultures on sick neonates with no clinical PNA and with long hospital stay might contribute to unnecessary antibiotic use regardless of the tracheal sampling method.


This paper presents a study on the behavior of dual buildings in seismic areas. The structure analyzed here is composed of a masonry walls core surrounded by reinforced concrete frames. It will be built in Bucharest, Romania. Masonry can be used in seismic areas as infills for framed structures or as bearing walls. Buildings need the shape and rigidity distribution to minimize the effects of torsion. The masonry walls assure an enhanced rigidity to the structure. This dual system is interesting as it associates two different kinds of elements. This system behavior is studied in both elastic and plastic state. Masonry walls have a stiff behavior while the frames are very flexible. The study also focuses on the walls stresses that are monitored as the plastic mechanism develops.


Objective To explore the effects of VEGF siRNA on chemosensitivity of leukemia cells to Ara-C.Methods VEGF siRNA was constructed and then transferred to HL60 cells.The proliferation was detected by CCK8 method.The level of VEGF mRNA was detected by RT-PCR.The expression level of VEGF protein was determined by ELISA.The cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry.Results VEGF siRNA increased the sensitivity of leukemia cells to Ara-C,VEGF siRNA plus Ara-C significantly decresed the survival of HL60 cells in which the inhibition rate was 82.9 percentages(F=121.63,P0.01).VEGF siRNA decreased significantly expression of VEGF mRNA121(F=17.17,P0.01) and VEGF protein(F=3290.49,P0.01).However,VEGF siRNA didn't promote the level of apoptosis induced by Ara-C.Conclusion VEGF siRNA increases the sensitivity of leukemia cells to Ara-C by inhibiting proliferation.


Electronic government is an information system that uses information and communication technology to improve public administration efficiency and policy effectiveness, to increase the convenience, performance and accessibility of government services to internai and external users. This research tests an integrated model of e·-Govemni.ent satisfaction that incorporates constructs from the technology acceptance model .(TAM) and end-user satisfaction (EUS). The mqdel explains a large proportion of the vanance in citizen's intention-to-reuse Macao's e-Govemment portal. Results support the hypothesis that satisfaction with theeGovemment portal partially mediates the relationship between success factors and intention-to-reuse the portal. Information quality, system quality and sociai influence (but not perceived effectiveness) were confirmed as detenriinants of the adoption of, and satisfaction with Macao's e~Govemment portal. INTRODUCTION It is apparent that, in many countries, information and communications technology (ICT) has permeated and transformed many aspects of how organisations go about their business and of how people live their lives. The advantages afforded by ICT justify the proliferation ofe-commerce activity, whether business to business (B2B) or business to consumer (B2C), now complemented by extensive consumer to consumer (C2C) activity. Likewise, there is an opportunity for governments to implement e-Govemni.ent, -to improve the' delivery of public service to individual citizens and businesses alike, enhancing user satisfaction (Ho, 2002), and to build better relationships with its constituents through citizen empowerment and increased transparency (World Bank, 2002). Considered by many as the most general reform in the public sector (Hood & Margetts, 2007), e-Govemment has been formally defined as "a broad-based transformation initiative, enabled by leveraging the capabilities of information and communication technology (/CT); ( 1) to develop · and deliver high quality, seamless and integrated public services; (2) to enable effective constituent relationship management; and (3) to support the economic and spc,ial devdopment goals of citizens, business, and civil society at local, state, national and international levels" (Grant & Chau, 2004, p. 8). · Nevertheless, e-Govemment also inherits the less positive characteristics of information systems (IS), including a high failure rate of information technology based projects and user adoption rates below expectations that may compromise its potential. Low adoption may be explained by the transition process of users from the traditional public service delivery process to the new e-version, as well as by reasons ranging from imperfect information dissemination about -the new services and system complexity, to users' lack of proficiency in accessing e-services and resistance to innovation adoption. E-Govemment deployment success depends. on achieving a state of adoption that combines user satisfaction gains with the discontinuation of . traditional processes. As long as users can choose between using e-Govemment and traditional methods to access public services, adoption can be expected to depend on e~ternal users' attitudes and perceptions. PURPOSE AND APPROACH Notwithstanding significant investment by many gove~ents, knowledge about e-Govemment remains limited. For e-Govcmment to realize its potential, it needs to be grounded on an in-depth understanding of potential users' needs, perceptions and other factors influencing its uptake. Still in its infancy, e-Govemment lacks a theoretically grounded and empirically proven modd to evaluate its effectiveness based on external user satisfaction. This study seeks to identify and examine factors influencing e-Government user satisfaction and, ultimately, e-Government adoption by individual (non-business) citizens in Macao. This is achieved by combining the positive examination of the model developed by Schaupp et al., (2006) for assessing e-commcrce websites with interpretive inquiry into its. applicability. in the Asian eGovernment context of a sample of Macao'~ individual citizens who are repeat users of the e-Govemment portal. 201 202 GlobalBusiness & Economics Anthology, March 2010 INTEGRATED MODEL OF E-GOVERNMENT SATISFACTION . The model developed by Schaupp et al., (2006) integrates measures from the technology acceptance model or TAM (Davis, 1989; Davis et al., 1989) and end user satisfaction (BUS) theories (DeLane & McLean, 1992; Doll et al., 1995), examining user satisfaction when using a computer application, both of which are theoretically grounded and empirically supported (Wixom & Todd, 2005). TAM identifies perceived usefulness and ease of use as factors influencing IS adoption, aJthough providing limited guidance about how to influence usage through design and implementation (Taylor & Todd, 1995) ancj assuming· that all behaviour is under an individual's complete volitional control (Furneaux, 2006). The strength of BUS is in its ability to link design characteristics with user satisfaction (Wixom & Todd, 2005), despite its inability to link attitude to behavior and to fully capture the significant determinants of satisfaction (Au et al., 2002). · Given the limitations in both cases, their combination may yield a better understanding of user acceptance and adoption (Melone, 1990 and Seddon, 1997). The integrated model used in this research identifies four success faCtors -informaticm quality (IQ), system quality (SQ), perceived effectivenes_s (PB) and social influence (SI) which impact user satisfaction with a e-Govemment portal (SAT), ultimately influencin~ intention to reuse (IU). · In terms of the success factors, IQ .refers to the degiee to which. information on the e-Govemment portal is perceived to be accurate, relevant, complete a11d in the format required by the user (Schaupp et al., 2006). SQ is the degree to which the e-Govemment portal is easy to use in accomplishing a desired goal. It is equivalent to perceived ease-of-use (Davis, 1989).l!nd effort expectancy (Venkatesh et al., 2003) and involves three dimensions, namely access (portal's speed and availability when users attempt to use it), usability (portal's visual appeal, consistency, fun and ease to use) and navigation (how easy it is for a user to find sought information within the portal) (Huizingli, 2000; McKinney et al., 2002). PB is the degree to which a ·user believes the website to be useful, similarly with 'percei~ed usefulness' (Davis et al., 1989), usefulness and relativeness (Moore & Benbasat, 1991) and 'performance expectancy' (Venkatesh et al., 2003). SI refers to users' perception of peer expectations about their use of the portal. Deemed to be a significant predictor of IT-adoption, SI is equivalent to 'social norm' (Seddon, '1997) 'subjective norm' (Thompson & Higgins, 1991) and 'image' (Moore & Beilbasat, 1991). The outcome measures are user satisfaction with the e-Govemrilent portal (SAT) and user intention to reuse (IU). Overall, the study proposes that user perceptions about the e-Govemment por:tal, influence user attitude towards the portal. The following research questions are examined: RQ1: Which factors affect SAT? RQ2: Which factors influence e-Govemment portal adoption by individual citizens? RQ3: Are there any relationship between identified factors in the explanation of e-Govemment portal acceptance by Macao citizens? The following hypotheses were developed from the literature to address the questions: H1: The effect ofiQ on IU is mediated by SAT H1a: IQ is positively related to IU. Hlb: IQ is positively related. to SAT. H1c: SAT significantly predicts IU after controlling for IQ. H2: The effect of SQ on IU is mediated by SAT. H2a: SQ is positively related to IU. H2b: SQ is positively related to SAT. H2c: SAT significantly predicts IU after controlling for SQ. H3: The effect of SI on IU is mediated by SAT. H3a: SI is positively related to IU. H3b: SI is positively related to SAT. H3c: SAT significantly predicts IU after controlling for Sl. H4: The effect of PB on IU is mediated by SAT . H4a: PB is positively related to IU. H4b: PB is positively related to SAT. H4c: SAT significantly predicts IU after controlling for PB. H5: Together with SAT, the success factors (IQ, SQ, SI) are good predictors ofiU. Global Business & Economics Anthology, March 2010 METHODOLOGY This cross-sectional study is an ex post evaluation of Macao's e-Government portal, three years after its inauguration (Doherty & King, 2004). Estimated to exceed 260,000 individuals (RTHK, 2007), the target population is the set of all non-business users of Macao's e-Govemment portal, 18 years or older self-reported to have used the portal more than once. The questionnaire used in this research was adapted from instruments previously tested for validity and reliability (see Table 1). In addition to collecting demographic information, the questionnaire comprised 38 random ordered items and one reversed coded question. All scales were phrased as questions on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 'strongly disagree' to 'strongly agree'. The satisfaction construct used a fiye-point semantic scale. A series of statements were asked to gauge the degree of satisfaction from 'very dissatisfied' to 'very satisfied', 'very displeased' to 'very pleased', 'frustrated' to 'contented' and 'disappointed' to 'deljghied'. With thl{ ·exception of the satisfaction construct, items in the survey website were randomly presented as a ~eans to reduce common method bias and potential monotonous responses (Hu et al., 1999). 0 u tc om e m e as u res Perce i Effectiveness porta I sa tis fa cfio n G efen et al.,2002 heung & Lee,2005; McKinney, et al., 2002; 0.91 9 5


The bachelor thesis deals with the subject starting from prison system history to the foundation of the detention prison in Olomouc. Its graudal formation, structure, capacity, organisation, management, duty operation following the teenage programs and employment of the prisoners are focused in this labour. The conclusion focuses on employees, their education opportunities and on the prison officials accompanied with the scheme.


The paper introduces a kind of data processing system,with PIC series microcontrollers as the core component,for quick moisture measurement.The system is simple,working, reliable and portable.


Finding parking space can be difficult these days. Expensive and inconvenientparking lots oftentimes causes many motorists to chooseto park on-street which leads to traffic congestion, car emission ...


Osmotic stress‐specific transcription factor NFAT5 (Nuclear Factor of Activated T cells) and heat stress‐specific factor HSF1 induce transcription of HSP70 and other protective proteins. Our previous work suggests NFAT5 as a novel cellular marker of whole‐body dehydration. We aimed to further characterize NFAT5, HSF1, and chaperone responses to progressive stress (dehydration, exercise, and heat) and recovery in humans.


A DNA‐driven gold (Au) heterodimer for intracellular telomerase detection is fabricated. The highly biocompatible and intracellularly stable probe shows an active chiroptical property in the visible region, due to the scissor‐like configuration formed by prolate nanoparticles. Importantly, the telomerase activity is specifically quantified using circular dichroism intensity in situ after internalization of the heterodimer into cancer cells. Moreover, the results clearly illustrate that this method has a remarkable linear range from 0.8 × 10−12 to 32 × 10−12 IU, and the limit of detection for telomerase activity is 1.7 × 10−15 IU in a single HeLa cell. This strategy paves the way for chirality‐based ultrasensitive detection of intracellular cancer markers.


In recently, the special asphalt pavement(including porous asphalt pavement) modified with high viscosity asphalt binder has been increased in domestic region. It is natural that the necessity of special asphalt pavement recycling will be indicated in the near future. In this paper, the recycling case of Japan porous asphalt pavement was presented. The main content was the summary of laboratory test of two types reclaimed aggregates and hot plant recycling production. According to the analysis, the input percent of recycling aggregate should be considered with deliberately and the sticking of asphalt binder on the dryer was serious problem. Though with all these problems, the mixture test result of plant recycling has almost same performance compared to Japan asphalt pavement specifications.


The main objective of this chapter is FEA simulation of resonating tube with different size and material configuration for evaluation of resonant frequency. Resonating tube is an important component of Electro-Mechanical Mass Flow Sensor (EMMFS) used for measuring direct mass flow. Omega and U-shaped resonating tube type EMMFS have been investigated for 200mm, 300 mm and 400mm height with three different materials Copper, Aluminium and Mild Steel. EMMFS analysis is highly nonlinear study having fluid structure interaction. To simplify the solution large deformations in resonating tube countered to be absent. Sensing points are located symmetrically at limbs of resonating tube to sense the phase shift for measuring mass flow rate. FEA simulation of EMMFS has been done using Ansys. Solid Edge and Pro-E has been used for modeling of omega and U-shaped resonating tube. Design and Simulation of Electro-Mechanical Mass Flow Sensor (EMMFS): Evaluation of Resonant Frequency Using Different Configuration of Resonating Tube


The root-based and chunking approach is not a newly invented ESL (English as a Second Language) teaching approach. Technically, it has been widely used by a majority of ESL teachers ever since TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) courses were acknowledged and adopted by the bulk of non-English speaking countries to train their own ESL teachers. While an increasing number of ESL teachers are aware of the value of learning roots and chunks, the misuse of root-based and chunking approach emerges and lead to some adverse effects. Before this paper was written, a comparative study had been done in one of my courses, during which I noticed that their reactions towards the words' affixes, roots and synonyms are obviously different. Hence this paper was written mainly to analyse the causes of these differences, trying to improve the traditional root-based and chunking approach using the theory of multiple intelligence.


The critical micelle concentration, CMC, degree of dissociation, and dissociation constant of chromium laurate in alcohols (methanol, ethanol, propanol-1, butanol-1 and pentanol-1) were determined using conductometric measurements. The results show that chromium laurate behaves as simple electrolyte in dilute solutions below the CMC, and the conductance results can be explained according to Ostwald's formula and Debye-Huckel's theory of electrolytes.


The preparation and spectral properties of low-spin ferric phosphine complexes of a series of synthetic and natural porphyrins have been reported. The proton NMR spectra of Fe(TPP)(PMe/sub 3/)/sub 2/ClO/sub 4/ and Fe(TPP)(PMe/sub 3/)(1-Melm)ClO/sub 4/ have been analyzed. The axial ligand hyperfine shifts have been separated into their dipolar and contact contributions by using both the dominant dipolar shifts for certain porphyrin positions and the magnetic anisotropy data derived from low-temperature ESR spectra. The contact shifts are shown to arise primarily from iron ..-->.. phosphine ..pi..* charge transfer. The trimethylphosphine H peak is shown to shift characteristically upfield on going from (Fe(TPP)PMe/sub 32/)/sup +/ to (Fe(TPP)(PMe/sub 3/)(1-MeIm))/sup +/, confirming that this resonance may serve as a new probe for hemoproteins. 25 references, 2 figures, 3 tables.


Abstract Let X be an irreducible complex analytic space with j: U ↪ X an immersion of a smooth Zariski-open subset, and let 𝕍 be a variation of Hodge structure of weight n over U. Assume that X is compact Kähler. Then, provided that the local monodromy operators at infinity are quasi-unipotent, IHk (X, 𝕍) is known to carry a pure Hodge structure of weight k+n, while Hk (U, 𝕍) carries a mixed Hodge structure of weight at least k +n. In this note it is shown that the image of the natural map IHk (X, 𝕍) → Hk (U, 𝕍) is the lowest-weight part of this mixed Hodge structure. In the algebraic case this easily follows from the formalism of mixed sheaves, but the analytic case is rather complicated, in particular when the complement X — U is not a hypersurface.


Sexually transmitted diseases (STD) other than AIDS are an important cause of morbidity disability and loss of productivity particularly in women. There is also growing evidence that infection with STDs may facilitate the sexual transmission of HIV infection. This evidence is important to AIDS control programs for STD patients are at high risk for HIV infection and could easily be counseled when they present to mollify and/or eliminate their symptoms of STD infection. Accordingly an increasing number of Caribbean countries have organized programs to prevent and control STDs in conjunction with their AIDS control programs. The authors discuss the integration of STD control into the health care system. For the optimal planning of an STD control program information is needed on the patterns of STDs and their complications high-risk groups for STDs social and behavioral elements relevant to STD control the existing health system and the financial capacity to support STD control. In the Caribbean adolescents migrant farm workers prostitutes and their clients and informal commercial importers have been found to often have high rates of infection with STDs. They must thus be considered priority groups for programmatic intervention. Priority activities for STD control in many countries include health education to change sex behavior and to encourage the use of condoms; adequate treatment of STD patients and their sex partners; case-finding for syphilis and eventually gonorrhea in pregnant women; ocular prophylaxis at birth to prevent gonococcal ophthalmia neonatorum; and screening for HIV gonorrhea and syphilis in high-risk groups. Support components for an STD control program include surveillance training laboratory support and research. Program management is considered.


Recently EEG/functional magnetic resonance imaging (f MRI) has been proposed in epilepsy research to study and map electrophysiological activity. It can detect regions in the brain activated during interictal or ictal EEG abnormalities and thus contribute to a clearer understanding of neurophysiologic mechanisms underlying epileptic phenomena (1‐3). However, f MRI studies are limited by a number of factors: some are related to the technique itself (nonstandardized technical approach, heterogeneous procedures used in the experimental paradigms, image processing and statistical analysis, and varying sensitivity of the instrument), whereas others are related to the seizures (unpredictable occurrence, technical problems, and artifact on images in case of motor activity). It may, consequently, be difficult to verify the reproducibility of results over time, as is suggested by the lack of studies focusing on this aspect.


A large number of litigants in family court are proceeding without legal representation and placing a significant burden on court personnel and judges. It is unclear whether this trend toward self-representation is also true for litigants in family mediation and whether these clients also place a significant burden on mediation programs. Given concerns about mediating with violent couples, another important question is whether the type of representation differs between nonviolent couples and couples experiencing intimate partner violence and/or abuse. This article is an exploratory study of litigants in mediation in Arizona and Indiana, two very different jurisdictions. We provide descriptive statistics concerning the types of representation of clients entering mediation in these jurisdictions and the number of sessions attended by attorney-represented versus pro se clients. We also provide descriptive statistics concerning the levels and types of violence and/or abuse reported by pro se versus represented litigants. We then explore the relationship between representation, violence and abuse, and reaching agreement in mediation. Implications of the findings for mediation are considered.


Abstract New metal complexes of the types[Cu2(H2L)X2·2H2O]·2H2O, X = Cl or Br, [Co(HL)2·2H2O] and [M2L2·2H2O]·nH2O (M = Ni(II), Zn(II) and Cd(II); n = 0–2, PHT = H2L = 4-phenyl-1-hippuroyl-3-thiosemicarbazide have been synthesized and characterized employing elemental analysis, molar conductance, magnetic moment, electronic and IR spectral studies. The different modes of chelation and the stereochemistry of the complexes are investigated. The ligand behaves as a reducing agent towards Cu(II) and Fe(III) salts forming Cu(I) and Fe(II) complexes, respectively. Square-planar and low spin octahedral structures have been proposed for Ni(II) and Co(II) complexes.


Abstract. Onyango AO, Kokwaro JO, Onyango DW, Yusuf AO. 2018. Study on ethnobotany, phytochemistry, toxicity and effectiveness of herbal remedies against Boophilus decoloratus in Suba, Kenya. Asian J Ethnobiol 2: 38-50. Plants have been found to have a variety of biological activities against insect pests, some of which have been confirmed. The ethnobotany, phytochemistry, toxicity, and acaricidal behavior of crude extracts of three selected plants against blue-tick in Suba Sub-County, Kenya were investigated as part of this study. In Suba Sub-County, a total of 32 herbalists, ranging in age from 28 to 87, were interviewed using a questionnaire about their knowledge of acaricidal plants. The name of the area, the component used, the conventional method of planning, and the administration method were all recorded. The number of medicinal plant citations was highly correlated with the age of the informants. Based on independent researches (IR), the study described 16 plants distributed among 13 families. For phytochemical tests, Phytolacca dodecandra, Cissus quadrangularis, and Ipomoea kituiensis were collected and extracted in methanol, dichloromethane (1:1 v/v), and distilled water separately. Terpenoids, tannins, saponins, flavonoids, and alkaloids were all present in the three plants, with the exception of flavonoids, which were absent in P. dodecandra.To test the efficacy of crude extracts of these selected plants, larvae of the Boophilus spp. tick were used in an in vitro acaricidal activity analysis. The effects of 2.5, 5 and 10 mg/mL concentrations of water and methanol in DCM (1:1 v/v) crude extracts of P. dodecandra (leaves), C. quadrangularis (whole), and I. kituiensis (leaves) were compared to that produced by the standard reference acaricide, almatix® (12.5 percent amitraz) as positive control. The extracts' activity against larvae was tested, and the extracts were most active at 10 mg/mL concentration. The death rate was determined within 24 hours. The extracts of Cissus quadrangularis (100 kills at 10 mg/mL) and P. dodecandra (100 kills at 5 and 10 mg/mL) were the most potent compared to that of almatix, while I. kituiensis methanol/DCM (1:1v/v) extract was the least potent. The variance analysis revealed significant differences in the acaricidal activity of plant extracts at all concentrations tested (2.5, 5, and 10 mg/mL) (P?0.05). The LC50 of Boophilus decoloratus larvae was determined if methanol: DCM (1:1 v/v) extracts of I. kituiensis showed mild toxicity, whereas those of P. dodecandra and C. quadrangularis showed high toxicity. This study concluded that C. quadrangularis (whole), I. kituiensis (leaves), and P. dodecandra (leaves) extracts are acaricidal and as potent at high concentrations as almatix. The mortality of the larvae increases with increasing extract concentration, indicating that the extracts of the top three study plants are effective in blue-tick control. It is recommended that isolation and purification of crude compounds and bioassay of these isolated compounds be performed on the same blue-tick larvae to achieve highly efficacious conventional acaricides


Objective:To investigate the clinical significance of keratinocyte growth factor expression(KGF) in prostatic carcinoma tissues.Methods:The expression levels of KGF in 22 sample of prostatic carcinoma tissues and normal prostate tissues were detected by semi-quantitive RT-PCR immunohistochemical staining.Results:The expression levels of KGF in prostatic carcinoma tissues were higher than those in normal prostate tissues (P0.05). There was no significant correlation between the increased expression of KGF and the pathologic grading as well as clinical stages of Pca.Conclusion:The expression of KGF in Pca tissues was higher than those in nomal prostate tissues. KGF was closely involved in the genesis and developmentr of Pca.


There is a need to accurately analyze the load effects on bridge decks from permitted overload trucks on Michigan's roads. The AASHTO Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges, 17 edition, provides a distribution width of live loads when reinforcement is parallel to traffic in section 3.24.3, but not when reinforcement is perpendicular to traffic. There is a distribution width factor, E, for cantilever slabs given in section 3.24.5; however, the structural action for this case is different than that of a continuous deck slab over multiple beams. In the Bridge Analysis Guide, 2001 edition, it is stated in Example 9, Bridge Deck Rating For Designated Loading, that, "Based on study of the AASHTO method, the moment effect of the wheels of tandem axles spaced at 3'-6" will overlap, and hence are additive." The study of the AASHTO method was basic and a more detailed method is needed to correctly model wheel loading from overload trucks on bridge decks.


It was investigated whether tuberculin hypersensitivity could be induced in guinea pig embryos. Two fetuses in each litter have been injected with heat-killed tubercle bacilli in liquid paraffin through the intact abdominal wall of the dams about 7 days prior to parturition . Forty injections in all were performed in 20 dams. Eight out of 49 youngs delivered by the dams, excluding 16 stillborns, gave rise to positive tuberculin reactions at birth. Positive reactors increased to 20 animals when all the live young were skin-tested about 2 weeks after birth. The hemagglutinating antibody was also detected according to the Middlebrook-Dubos's method in all sera taken from 15 animals which showed the positive skin reaction, although the titers varied widely. These findings indicate that guinea pig embryos about 7 days before birth already have the capacity to produce both cellular and humoral antibodies.


FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS 1476426 7/1973 European Pat. Off. ............ 208/144 Primary Examiner-John Doll Assistant Examiner-Anthony McFarlane Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Alexander J. McKillop; Michael G. Gilman; Malcolm D. Keen 57 ABSTRACT A visbreaking process for the conversion of heavy re sidual petroleum charge stocks is provided in which an organic sulfur compound containing a thiol sulfur is added to said petroleum charge stock and the visbreak ing reaction is carried out at increased severities in the presence of highly aromatic petroleum refinery hydro gen-donor materials which are characterized by an HA proton content between about 20 and 50 percent and an Ha proton content of at least about 20 percent. Typcial hydrogen-donor materials include FCC main column bottoms, clarified slurry oil and light cycle oil.


This paper presents a decision model of planning the optimal configuration of hybrid wind/solar off-grid power systems. The proposed decision model is utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of reducing the hourly power supply variability through integrating the wind and solar power generation. In addition, the tradeoff between the cost minimization and power supply variability reduction is analyzed. The decision variables are composed of the number of installed wind turbines and solar panels. A multi-objective particle swarm optimization algorithm is applied to solve the proposed model. The computational results provide the optimal configurations of the hybrid wind/solar power systems due to various preferences of cost and power supply variability to meet the load requirements.