Because clinical oncology course for undergraduates is related to many clinical specialties, traditional teaching of this course is likely to lead to repetition and contradiction of knowledge. Clinical medical college carried out integrated curriculum in clinical oncology for three years during the implementation of teaching reform to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages. Teaching and research sections related to clinical oncology were horizontally integrated under the guidance of teaching affairs office; On the premise of meeting the requirements of teaching outlines, the clinical oncology in internal medicine, surgery and gynecology was systematically improved in accordance with cognitive laws. Following the previous year, PBL teaching program in clinical oncology still focused on the integration of theoretical course and probation course. After integration, the sub-specialty teacher team was gradually shaped, the teaching quality was significantly improved and the clinical thinking of medical students was enhanced.

Key words:
Clinical oncology; Curriculum integration; Teaching reform; Teaching evaluation; Teaching management


A new approach to characterising connected and karst water systems by means of hydrograph analysis has been developed. Two-dimensional analytical solutions for baseflow discharge facilitate a quantitative baseflow separation, and can be applied for the estimation of aquifer hydraulic parameters by means of hydrograph analysis. An extensive numerical study has been undertaken to verify the validity of analytical formulae. According to the analytical solution, baseflow can be expressed as a superposition of an infinite number of exponential components. Higher order components vanish at early stages of the recession process. This explains the imaginary exponential behaviour of baseflow. In reality, the recession coefficient calculated for each time step monotonically decreases over time, as confirmed by numerical model simulations. An analytical solution for diffusive flux from symmetric and asymmetric rectangular blocks has been developed.


As South Africa works its way through the economic recession, the risk of supply chain disruptions will increase due to financial and operating failures. It has become imperative for companies to manage their supply chain in an integrated and holistic manner. Of greater importance to companies at this critical juncture is the effective and efficient management of their supply chain processes and the associated supplies / supplier / services risks.


The paper analyzes the microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti49.8Ni50.2 alloy (at.%) under uniaxial tension at room temperature after isothermal abc pressing to true strains e = 0.29 − 8.44 at T = 723 K. The analysis shows that as the true strain e is increased, the grain–subgrain structure of the alloy is gradually refined. This leads to an increase in its yield stress σy and strain hardening coefficient θ = dσ/dε at linear stage III of its tensile stress–strain curve according to the Hall–Petch relation. However, the ultimate tensile strength remains invariant to such refinement. The possible mechanism is proposed to explain why the ultimate tensile strength can remain invariant to the average grains size (dav). It is assumed that the sharp increase of the ultimate tensile strength σUTS begins when (dav) is less than the critical average grain size (dav)cr. In our opinion, for the investigated alloy (dav)cr ≈ 0.5 µm. In our study, the attained average grain size is larger the critical one. The main idea of the mechanism is next. In alloys with an average grain size (dav) less than the critical one, a higher external stress is required for the nucleation and propagation of the main crack.


The magnetization processes in Fe nano-systems are investigated using the numerical simulations based on classical magnetic dipole moment interactions. The domain energies are calculated from moment-moment interactions over whole systems using large scale computing resources. The results directly show most of basic magnetization phenomena. The Barkhausen effects are represented with jumps and terraces of magnetization steps induced from external field changes of {\Delta}H.


Dahl salt‐sensitive (SS) rats are the most widely used rodent genetic model of human salt‐sensitive hypertension. Earlier studies have established the importance of impaired regulation of the renin gene in contributing to endothelial dysfunction in SS rats and the protective effect of low dose angiotensin II (ANG II) infusion in restoring endothelial function via the ANG II type1 receptor (AT1R) in the SS genetic background. Activation of the Mas1 receptor (Mas1R) for angiotensin (1‐7) [ANG (1‐7)] generally opposes ANG II‐mediated effects of AT1R activation. In Sprague‐Dawley rats fed high salt diet, binding of ANG (1‐7) to the Mas1R can activate NRF2 defenses and restore impaired endothelial function. The goal of the present study was to provide initial phenotyping of a Mas1R knockout (Mas1R KO) rat in the Dahl SS genetic background. Mas1R KO rats and wild type (WT) controls (12–15 weeks old) were maintained on a low salt (LS; 0.4% NaCl) or switched to a high salt (HS; 4% NaCl) diet for 3 days or 10 days. Arterial pressure measured via telemetry was similar in Mas1R KO rats (121±7 mmHg, n=3) and WT rats fed LS diet (124 mmHg, n=2) and increased in WT (138 mmHg, n=2) and Mas1R KO rats (132±5 mmHg, n=3) fed HS diet for 10 days. In rats fed LS diet, Mas1R KO eliminated vasodilator responses to ANG (1‐7) and AVE0991 (Mas receptor agonist) in middle cerebral arteries (MCA) and mesenteric resistance arteries (MRA) and reduced acetylcholine (ACh) reactivity in MCA. Because superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes contribute to antioxidant defense by catalyzing the dismutation of superoxide radicals and help to prevent diseases related to oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction, we measured superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) and superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) activity in the liver of WT and Mas1R KO rats after 3 days of HS diet. High salt diet increased SOD1 activity (WT‐LS 1.04±0.16 U/ml vs WT‐HS 1.65±0.12 U/ml) and SOD2 activity (WT‐LS 0.76±0.03 U/ml vs WT‐HS 1.06±0.11 U/ml) in WT rats, but not in Mas1R KO rats. SOD1 and SOD2 mRNA expression (evaluated via RT‐PCR) tended to increase in WT rats fed HS diet vs. LS diet (1.3 – 1.8 fold change, p > 0.05). SOD1 mRNA expression was significantly higher in HS‐fed Mas1R KO rats vs. Mas1R KO rats fed LS diet (2.8 fold change, p = 0.01) and SOD2 mRNA tended to increase as well (1.7 fold change; p = 0.1). SOD1 and SOD2 protein expression measured by Western blot analysis was similar in WT and Mas1R KO rats fed either LS or HS diet. The present study using the Mas1 receptor knockout in the Dahl SS rat genetic background suggests that Mas1R activation by its agonists (AVE 0991) and ANG (1‐7) improves endothelial function and may provide novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of low‐renin salt‐sensitive hypertension.


Thickness and stability of films formed by different surfactants are studied by means of thin film balance (TFB) technique to observe the formation and stability of the films. It is demonstrated that stable Newton black films (NBFs) can be easily obtained with non-ionic surfactants (C12ES, C12G2) than ionic surfactants (C12TAB, C16TAB). Common black film(CBF) was obtained with C16TAB at 5×10-3 mol/L, while the film of C12TAB is unstable. It has been demonstrated that the horizontal forces should also be taken into consideration for explaining film stability.


Objective To investigate the impact of 1-week ventilator circuit change on ventilator-associated pneumonia and its cost-effectiveness compared with a 2-day change. Design An observational cohort study. Setting A tertiary level neonatal intensive care unit in a university-affiliated teaching hospital in Taiwan. Patients All neonates in the neonatal intensive care unit receiving invasive intubation for more than 1 week from July 1, 2011, through December 31, 2013. Intervention We investigated the impact of 2 ventilator circuit change regimens, either every 2 days or 7 days, on ventilator-associated pneumonia of our cohort. Measurements and Main Results A total of 361 patients were maintained on mechanical ventilators for 13,981 days. The 2 groups did not differ significantly in any demographic characteristics. The rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia was comparable between the 2-day group and the 7-day group (8.2 vs 9.5 per 1,000 ventilator-days, P=.439). The durations of mechanical ventilation and hospital stay, and rates of bloodstream infection and mortality, were also comparable between the 2 groups. Switching from a 2-day to a 7-day change policy would save our neonatal intensive care unit a yearly sum of US $29,350 and 525 working hours. Conclusion Decreasing the frequency of ventilator circuit changes from every 2 days to once per week is safe and cost-effective in neonates requiring prolonged intubation for more than 1 week. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014;00(0): 1–7


This is the continuation of the list of "Books and Documents on Africa in Microform" which appeared in die April 1969 issue of the Bulletin. It is confined to materials which are commercially available and does not include materials in microform held by individual l ibrar ies . The original publisher and publication date are given if available. Prices are , of course, subject to change. The list of addresses of the microform companies mentioned is on p . 208. Persons having information about works not included are urged to write to the Foreign Area Materials Center, University of the State of New York, State Education Department, 11 West 42nd Street, New York, N.Y. 10036. A sequel to tiiis list , on "Newspapers and Periodicals on Africa in Microform," is found on page 193 .


The purpose of this study is to examine and analyze the effect of financial performance as measured using Return On Assets (ROA), Current Ratio (CR) and Earning Per Share (EPS), macroeconomic indicators using the BI rate, exchange rate and inflation as well as adding systematic risk as the intervening variable on sharia stock returns in the manufacturing sector on the Indonesian Sharia Stock Index (ISSI). The research sample was 51 companies with a range of observations from 2016 to 2020, using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) method and IBM AMOS (Analysis of Structural Moment) V.22 software for testing the available data. The findings of the direct test results show that financial performance and systematic risk have an effect on Islamic stock returns, while macroeconomic indicators have no effect. The test results through the intervening variable found that financial performance had an effect, but macroeconomic indicators still had no effect on Islamic stock returns through systematic risk. Activities in the consumer goods industry and basic industry which have always been the main needs are the reason why issuers in the manufacturing sector at ISSI are not affected by changes in macroeconomic indicators.


The aim of this study was to experiment with activities that can be done during lectures and tutorials to improve engagement with students. The various activities took place during lectures and tutorials of ENB240 - Introduction to Electronics, a second year Electrical Engineering subject. In the first stage of the project, students were asked what could be done to both improve engagement in lectures and tutorials and to assist with their learning. Based on student responses, various activities were undertaken during the semester including: online quizzes; worked examples on the document camera; using an audience response system with keypads; and passing around physical devices in class. At the end of the semester, 'Worked examples on the document camera' was reported by the most students as assisting with their learning, while 'Use of keypads' was reported by the most as improving engagement in the lecture.


Both the German Bundestag and Baden-Württemberg's State Parliament offer the opportunity to the Members of Parliament to interpose questions to the speaker . It is not uncommon to address such questions to members of the government, whose right to speech is constitutionally guaranteed . This article traces the formalization of the interposed question in both these Parliaments . The guiding principle of the said formalization was, on the one hand, to enliven parliamentary sittings and, on the other hand, to prevent interruptions by mere hecklings . It is against this backdrop—and on the occasion of a minister's refusal to accept an interposed question—that the question is discussed on what legal grounds the President of the State Parliament may interrupt the privileged speaker in order to authorize an interposed question . This article comes to the conclusion that by interrupting the privileged speaker, the President of the State Parliament expresses a limitation inherently set by the State Constitution . This limitation is based on the avoidance of disturbance of the privileged speech .


Introduction: Since 1900, disasters in the Northern Triangle of Central America—Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador—have caused over one-hundred-thousand deaths, affected millions of people, and caused billions of dollars of damages. As climate change causes increasingly frequent severe weather events, the catastrophic effects of disasters are likely to contribute to poverty and political and economic instability in the region leading to greater levels of migration out of the Northern Triangle. Method: This study provides a descriptive analysis of all disasters recorded in the EM-DAT database affecting Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador between 1900-2022. Disasters are analyzed by frequency, severity, financial cost, distribution by country, burden of death, affected and financial cost by country, and type of disasters most prevalent in each country. These trends are then graphed over the time period of the database. Results: EM-DAT records 359 disasters in the Northern Triangle between 1900 and 2022. Meteorologic events (floods and storms) were the most common types of disaster (44%), followed by transport accidents (13%). Meteorologic events and earthquakes were the most severe, as measured by deaths (62% of total deaths caused by disasters), people affected (60%), and financial cost (86%). Guatemala had the greatest number of disasters (45%), deaths (68%), and affected people (52%). The financial costs of the disasters were evenly distributed between the three countries. Conclusion: Meteorologic disasters are the most common and most severe type of disaster in the Northern Triangle. Earthquakes and transport accidents are also common. As climate change causes more severe storms in the region, disasters are likely to increase in severity as well. Governments and aid organizations should develop disaster preparedness and mitigation strategies to lessen the catastrophic effects of these coming disasters. Missing data in the EM-DAT dataset limits the conclusions of this study to general trends


The Supply Chain could be benefited from concepts from Knowledge-Based View (KBV) and better use of its resources and relationships through sharing of processes that depend on the organizational knowledge, thereby the formation of a network of knowledge through distance learning can become a new important competitiveness factor.


Frequency-guided sequential demodulation (FSD) is a technique used to recover the phase of closed fringe patterns when only a single interferogram is available. FSD is a sequential method that follows simple and intuitive processing steps for interferogram demodulation, guided by the frequency of the fringes. The objective of this work is to apply an optimizer block that feeds from the first stages of the FSD and make feedback in such a manner as to optimize the search for guided frequencies. This approach significantly reduces demodulation errors, especially when dealing with high-frequency fringe patterns. The results of using the FSD with and without optimizers are compared. The optimizers used are the Harmonic Search Optimization (HSO) as well as the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). Results show that FSD with PSO delivers better results compared with other methods here analyzed.


Hemangiopericytoma is a rare vascular neoplasm, which arises from specialized cells (pericytes) around the capillary walls. Only 5% of hemangiopericytomas in the series of Stout occurred in the oral cavity and pharynx. Several studies have revealed that due to chances of late recurrence or metastasis, long-term follow-up is necessary in patients with this tumor even after radical resection. We report a case of hemangiopericytoma of mandible in a 26-year-old woman, with 4 years' follow-up.


The utility model discloses a nasal part icing device which comprises a soft ice bag, an injection tube and a sealing part. The soft ice bag is prepared by adopting medicinal rubber and used for being pasted on a nasal part of a human body for icing, the injection tube is arranged on the soft ice bag and used for injecting a pre-proportioned mixture of normal saline and medicinal alcohol, and the sealing part is arranged cooperatively with the injection tube and used for preventing the soft ice bag from liquid leakage during freezing and/or icing. The nasal part icing device can overcome defects of difficulty in fitting the nasal part of a patient, poor icing effect, limiting on normal activities of the patient and the like in the prior art to realize advantages of convenience for fitting the nasal part of the patient, effectiveness in icing and freeness of influences on normal activities of the patient.


Statement of the problem. The creative output of American composer Morton Feldman (1926–1987) is a unique phenomenon that stands out from the overall musical context. With each passing year, there is a growing interest in the composer's personality and work, leading to an increase in performances and the emergence of more monographs. A significant work in Morton Feldman's repertoire is the cycle of miniatures for viola titled «The Viola in my Life». However, this cycle remains the only instance where the viola timbre is used as the leading voice. Therefore, «The Viola in my Life» can be seen as both a unique example in the composer's body of work in terms of the choice of the solo instrument and as a transitional piece from indeterminacy to clear fixation. Thus, the question of the uniqueness of timbral representation and the role of the viola in Morton Feldman's later works arises, explaining the choice of this subject matter. Analysis of recent research and publications. The article's theme encompasses sources that investigate the timbral semantics and development of timbral characteristics in viola sound within works of various musical styles and genres (H. Kosenko, 2018; E. Kuprianenko, 2010; A. Gorodetsky, 2019; M. Udovichenko, 2022). The question of viola timbral representation is also explored in articles by the author of the proposed article. The theoretical advancements of contemporary musical hermeneutics and interpretology are methodologically combined with research that illuminates various aspects of Morton Feldman's creativity: annotations by the composer himself in the score (Feldman, 1972), works by D. Cline (Cline, 2016), M. Majmon (Majmon, 2005), V. Terrazas (Terrazas, 2014), B. Varga, K. Villars (Varga, Villars, 2019). Considering that the research is closely related to the study of the concept of «late period of creativity», it is worth mentioning N. Savitska's fundamental work, «Chronos of Compositional Life-Creation» (Savitska, 2008). The main objective of the study is to highlight the specifics of realizing the polytimbral potential of the viola in the selected work of M. Feldman as a vivid example of exploring new meanings of the instrument's timbre. The scientific novelty. A compositional-dramaturgical analysis of the cycle of miniatures «The Viola in My Life» has been conducted, exploring the techniques of instrumental exposition and thematic material development. Based on this analysis, the fundamental characteristics of viola timbral semantics in the late works of the composer have been identified, allowing for the expansion of the inherent features of the dominant viola timbral representation. This defines the novelty of this research and its relevance to the theory and practice of viola art. Methodology. To achieve the stated goal, the methodological framework developed by the Department of Interpretology and Music Analysis at Kharkiv I. P. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts (in terms of the phenomenology of personality) has been utilized, along with compositional-dramaturgical and semantic methods in the analysis of the works. It should be emphasized that our approach is broader than purely semantic. The performance analysis aims to describe the paths of exploring the timbral representation of the viola (which varies in each movement of the selected work by M. Feldman) as a search for new meanings in music (in accordance with the composer's creative concept). Results. The analytical observations regarding Morton Feldman's work «The Viola in My Life» within the scope of the proposed research were focused on documenting the parameters of the composition that led to the exploration of new qualities of the viola timbral representation as a search for new meanings in music. These explorations, in turn, manifested themselves in semantic and compositional parameters. Indeed, the development of the cycle illustrates how the role of the viola as a soloist strengthens from the first movement to the finale, progressing from filigreed monophonic passages and micro-motifs to an expansive monologue in the fourth movement. In our view, this is somehow related to the concept: despite the composer positioning the work as a sequence of "individual compositions" (Feldman, UE), the overall dramaturgy of the piece demonstrates a connection to the sonata-symphonic cycle, where the first movement serves as an extended introduction, the second exhibits traits of a scherzo with a quasi-waltz theme as the refrain in rondo form. The third movement, chamber-like in character, fulfills the role of a lyrical section, while the fourth movement assumes a "massive" character through the accumulation of significant performing resources. Simultaneously, the inheritance from symphonic dramaturgy is evident through numerous thematic connections at a distance, including the utilization of the theme from the first movement in the second movement (the "cuckoo" theme) and the viola's thematic passage from the second movement in the third; the quasi-dance theme from the second movement reappears in the finale as the foundation of the rondo theme. The composer's rejection of a specific compositional technique does not allow for a definitive understanding of their working method with materials. However, it does not hinder the tracing of influences from existing compositional techniques, which the selected composition illustrates. In the case of «The Viola in my Life» there are contrasting influences of serialism on one hand and repetitive minimalism on the other. Signs of serialism can be observed in the composer's inclination to assign specific modes of articulation and thematic elements to each instrument. For example, in the first movement, the viola predominantly features sustained pedal tones with tone filigree (dynamic intensification and attenuation), the percussion utilizes tremolo rolls, the strings employ individual harmonics or chords, or pizzicato sounds, and the piano mainly employs cluster-like chords with a soft attack. As a result, the development is constructed through the constant combination of these elements in various sequences, with minimal exchange of material between different instruments. Similarly, one can trace characteristics of the repetitive principle in «The Viola in my Life» since each of its thematic elements, in their simplicity and repetitiveness, approaches a pattern within the composition. The entire presentation of material, such as in the first movement, from the initial filigreed tone of the viola to the tremolo of the large drum (bass drum), can be characterized as a set of patterns that are subsequently repeated, recombined, and varied. The composition «The Viola in my Life» illustrates a distinct but not new type of thinking. It is associated with delving into specific musical material, which, over time, leads to a breakthrough and the birth of something new. Сonclusions. In addition to the inherent characteristics of the dominant viola timbral representation, such as timbre as the primary feature in shaping the timbral representation, declamatory-narrative quality of the viola timbre, performing influence on viola timbral representation, inclination of timbre towards melancholy and romantic yearning, and the use of two elements of viola timbreregister to depict contrasting internal images, there is another equally important characteristic of viola timbral semantics – polytimbricity. The composer reveals the polytimbral potential of the viola by bringing it closer to other ensemble members.


Canfield and Rahn (2) have theorized that an arterial-alveolar difference in inert gas pressure is established whenever various units of the lung have unequal ventilation-perfusion ratios, even though the net inert gas exchange is zero.' The magnitude of this difference is expected to serve as an index of the variance of ventilation-perfusion ratios among the alveoli. The existence of such a difference has been shown in anesthetized dogs (2, 3). Similar measurements have not yet been made on man. The major difficulty in these determinations is the lack of a sufficiently, accurate and reproducible method for measuring the partial pressure of inert gas in the arterial blood. It can be argued (see below) that urine inert gas tension reflects arterial inert gas tension. With this in mind, a method for determining the inert gas content of urine (4) has been applied to human urine in a manner believed to enable the calculation of the arterial inert gas tension within ±42 mm Hg. Since the inert gas tension of mean alveolar air can be calculated with similar accuracy, a study of the arterial-alveolar inert gas pressure difference has been possible. This difference is +3 mnm Hg in normal laboratory personnel and can be over +20 mm in patients with diffuse, obstructive emphysema.


Implementation is an action or implementation of a plan that has been prepared carefully and in detail. Implementation is usually done after planning has been considered a fix. Cost optimization is an effort made to obtain a better final result, or it can be an attempt to obtain a smaller expenditure / effort to minimize expenses and obtain maximum profits. Method of transportation or often called stepping stone is the method used to manage distribution from sources that provide the same products in places that need them optimally. The allocation of these products must be arranged in such a way because there are differences in transportation costs (allocations) from one source to several different destinations - and from several sources to a different destination


The hill tribes in Thailand traditionally depend on rotational shifting cultivation (RSC). However, insufficient understanding remains on post-fire soil properties and soil erodibility (k-values) with fallow years. To address this gap, the levels of soil organic carbon (SOC), soil total nitrogen (STN), soil nutrients, and soil erodibility after fire in RSC were investigated. Topsoil (0–10 cm) samples from sites with 4 (RSC-4Y), 5 (RSC-5Y), and 7 (RSC-7Y) fallow years in Chiang Mai Province, northern Thailand, were taken at four time points: before burning, 5 min after burning, 9 months after burning, and 2 years after burning. Soil pH, electrical conductivity, and soil nutrient (available P, K, and Ca) levels were increased after burning and remained higher than the pre-burning levels for at least 2 years. The SOC stock decreased after burning in all fallow fields. At 2 years after burning, the SOC stock in RSC-4Y was higher than before burning, whereas in RSC-5Y and RSC-7Y, the levels had not reached the pre-fire levels. The STN stocks of all studied fields significantly decreased after burning and had not reached the pre-burning levels after 2 years. After burning, the topsoil of RSC-4Y was most susceptible to erosion. However, only in RSC-4Y, the k-value was unchanged at 2 years after burning. Three different approaches are recommended for post-fire land management: 1) farmers should not cut and remove the weeds and grasses at the soil surface, 2) burning should be performed around late winter or early summer (November–February) to inhibit complete combustion, and 3) contour-felled log erosion barriers should be made by using the trunks remaining after the fire to trap the sediment and slow down surface runoff.


Basically, the quality of an image can be evaluated on its spatial and spatial-frequency resolutions, image interpolation and superresolution are perhaps the way to respectively produce high spatial and spatial-frequency resolutions of images especially for a single downsampled image. For convenience, the term "hyper-resolution" used here represents the approach to enhancing both the spatial and the spatial-frequency resolutions of an image.


Both (+)-pinoresinol 6a in Forsythia suspensa and (–)-secoisolariciresinol 14a in F. intermedia are formed via a direct stereochemically-controlled coupling of coniferyl alcohol 2 derived moieties (cf. the typical peroxidase-catalysed reaction in the presence of H2O2), and the dibenzylbutyrolactone lignan, (–)-matairesinol 10a, in F. intermedia is formed from a post-coupling modification of (–)-secoisolariciresinol 14a; this transformation has been demonstrated in vivo, and in vitro with a crude enzyme preparation, and represents the first report of an enzyme specifically involved in lignan biosynthesis.


Background: Affective disturbances can influence the attitude toward smoking in patients with various diseases. This study aims to assess the level of anxiety and its influence on smoking behavior in a group of adult patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Methods: The study included 64 smokers with CAP admitted in the Clinic of Infectious Diseases, Timisoara between 2012 and 2014. All patients answered the State Trait Anxiety Inventory-X2 anonymous test. The final scores allowed the classification of patients by their level of anxiety: minimal (score below 40), moderate (score 40-60) and severe (score over 60). Other variables were: sex, education, number of cigarettes smoked/day, etc. The obtained data was statistically processed with EpiInfo 6 program. Results: Out of study group, 40 patients (62.51%) were male and 24 (37.50%) werewomen; and were recorded43 patients withsevere anxiety and 21 with moderate anxiety (p=0.02); 22 patients were smoking less than 10 cigarettes/day and 42 patients were smoking more than 10 cigarettes/day were smoking (p=0.04); Out of the 22 patients who were smoking less than 10 cigarettes/day, 18 patients showed with moderate anxiety and 4 withsevere anxiety were reported. Out of the 42 patients who were smoking more than 10 cigarettes/day, 36 withsevere anxiety and 6 with moderate anxietywere reported.Only 13 (20.31%) patients accepted anti-smoking counseling. Conclusions: Taking in to consideration the level of anxiety among the patients with CAP leads to an increased number of cigarettes smoked/day, it is required to establish programs in order to enhance the level of medical education and to support the anti-smoking counseling.


One of the important components in the theory of the evolution of species is the idea of natural selection. The question is, are the assumptions of the subject in the idea of natural selection compatible with the religious conception of nature and the world around? In this study, the author will discover on the base of Quranic verses that how the theory of biological resource scarcity as one of the basic assumptions in the idea of natural selection conflicts with the Qur'anic interpretation regarding nature. If we can show the lack of credibility and inaccuracy of the idea of the biological resources scarcity and the inappropriateness of biological resources with the needs of the creatures-as one of the assumptions underlying evolutionary theory-in this case, an important step has been to distort the above-mentioned theorem. In the Holy Qur'an, traits such as selfishness are often warned that are considered as the basis of excesses leads to poverty and shortages. Quraanic promises according to which righteous individuals will govern on earth, on the one hand, and the divine promise of securing the living of the beings on the other hand effectively challenges the idea of natural selection.


The study of the solution of the linearized Boltzmann equation has a very long history arising from the classic work by Chapman and Cowling. For small departures from a Maxwellian, the nonlinear Boltzmann equation can be linearized and the transport coefficients calculated with the Chapman‐Enskog approach. This procedure leads to a set of linear integral equations which are generally solved with the expansion of the departure from Maxwellian in Sonine polynomials. The method has been used successfully for many decades to compare experimental transport data in atomic gases with theory generally carried out for realistic atom‐atom differential cross sections. There are alternate pseudospectral methods which involve the discretization of the distribution function on a discrete grid. This paper considers a pseudospectral method of solution of the linearized hard sphere Boltzmann equation for the viscosity in a simple gas. The relaxation of a small departure from a Maxwellian is also considered for the linear ...


Background:  Hypertension disease becomes a popular disease suffered and most feared. There are various music therapies that can be applied to people with hypertension, namely traditional music, one of which is gamelan music therapy.
Objectives: This study aims to determine the effect of gamelan music therapy on blood pressure reduction in hypertensive patients.
Methods: Pre experimental research design with    pretest-posttest design. This research population is all patients with hypertension and samples using total sampling techniques with a total of 20 respondents. Data collection is a blood pressure observation sheet and intervention from music gamelan   therapy. Using Shapiro Wilk's statistical test.
Results: The average blood pressure result before gamelan music therapy was 153.10 systolic and diastolic 91.15. And after systolic therapy 146,10 and diastolic 85,55.  Statistic test result obtained p-value value 0.000 < α (0.05)
Conclusion: Shows how gamelan music therapy affects blood pressure reduction in hypertensive patients


Every year, millions of people attend sports and entertainment events across the globe resulting, in a multibillion dollar industry. Yet, the question remains: Are these customers (i.e., the fans) satisfied? More specifically, what are the variables that drive satisfaction with an event? If an event collects and analyzes customer satisfaction data, its management is better positioned to make staffing and process adjustments in an effort to improve customer service. If an event does not measure customer satisfaction, managers end up merely hoping their customers are satisfied. Despite its importance, few academic researchers have examined event customer satisfaction overall or the factors that influence it. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to outline the importance of customer satisfaction at sports and entertainment events, discuss the challenges that events face, with regard to measuring customer satisfaction, and develop a theoretical model of sports and entertainment event customer satisfaction. In doing so, researchers will have a cohesive framework to guide future empirical investigations.


According to the Huygens' principle for a wave-front propagation, any point on a wave front may be regarded as the source of secondary waves and the surface that is tangent to the secondary waves can be used to determine the future position of the wave front. Therefore, the flamelet velocity-vector is defined as a vector perpendicular to it.However, it seems that this definition is not well understood. In the present paper, the definition of velocity-vector of the wave front is discussed. There is a difference between the particle velocity and the front velocity. The particle velocity, in general, has a component parallel to the front. The front velocity, by definition, is normal to the front. For fronts that propagate from particle to particle, it is impossible to introduce a unique definition of front velocity that has a component parallel to the front. It has been shown that the flamelet velocity-vector is the sum of the burning velocity-vector of the flamelet and the component of the gas velocity-vector parallel to the flamelet velocity-vector.


The objective of the study was to assess awareness and practices related to fluoride use for caries prevention as well as identifying the influencing sociodemographic and behavioral factors.

A cross-sectional study was conducted among students in Health Sciences Training University in Tanzania. Data were collected through self-administered structured questionnaire inquiring on sociodemographics, usage of fluorides and awareness of fluorides for caries prevention, and relevant oral health-related behaviors. Data processing was done using SPSS version 23. Cross tabulation with Chi-square test and adjusted binary logistic regression assessed presence, strength, and direction of association between awareness of as well as practices related to fluoride for caries prevention with sociodemographic and oral health behaviors.

Three hundred and eighteen university students were assessed with a mean age of 22.7 (SD 2.8) years. Overall, 55.0% of the participants were aware of the role of fluoride in caries prevention and 44.3% had appropriate practice related to fluoride use. Significantly higher proportion of older students (64.9%) and those in senior years (65.5%) of the study were aware of fluoride use in caries prevention compared to their counterparts. The statistically significant differences for appropriate practices related to fluoride use were only for the females (27.1%), senior students (28.1%), and those who visited dental facilities (35.0%). The odds of being aware (Odds ratio 2.5, 95% confidence interval 1.6, 4.0) of and having appropriate practices related to use of fluorides for caries prevention were higher among senior (Odds Ratio 2.4, 95% Confidence interval 1.3, 4.2) participants than the junior participants.

Relatively low proportion of university students was aware of fluoride use for caries prevention. Likewise, a few had appropriate practices related to fluoride uses. Sociodemographically, those who were in their senior years of study were more likely to be aware and use fluoride for caries prevention than the juniors.


Elaboration of regional comparative studies of the factors, mechanisms and effects of desertification is considered today as one of the most important research works. It is obvious that these studies could be a transitory stage from detailed regional and local studies to the attempts of global synthesis. Such a synthesis seems to be impossible at present. It is so because of nearly complete lack of reliable informations on desertification of the vast Asian territories in Iran, Afghanistan and in the borders of Pakistan and India, in west China and Tibet and also inside the Arab Peninsula. Although it is very well known that the desertification processes are growing in these regions to nearly catastrophic proportions, it is, however, impossible to gain any detailed reports on the issue. Such comparative studies were recommended by UN Conference in Nairobi, and in the initial stage UNESCO played special role in coordinating these studies (see for example J.A. Mabbutt, C. Floret, 1980) but in more recent time FAO is taking more significant part in this field.


The thesis deals with the conflict between a child and his parents and its managing. The theoretical part describes basic concepts such are family, conflict, impact of upbringing, methods and manners. I look for possible reasons of conflict situations and their types. In the practical part I evaluace interviews with parents. I bring up the question whether conflict situations affect the well-being of a parent and the whole family and how serious conflict situations for parents are.


The invention discloses a device for automatically detecting a signal protocol type in an international standardization organization/international electrotechnical commission (ISO/IEC) 14443 protocol. The device comprises a radio frequency module for receiving a radio frequency signal with data information and decoding a digital signal out according to the ISO/IEC 14443 protocol, and an automatic identification module for sampling the digital signal generated by the radio frequency module according to a clock signal, if a certain amount of continuous 'logic 0' is acquired, the current received radio frequency signal is in a protocol type, namely Type B, otherwise, the current received radio frequency signal is defaulted in a protocol type, namely Type A; and under the control of the automatic identification module, an output signal selection module selects one of signals decoded by a Type A decoding module and a Type B decoding module as an output signal. On the same chip, the device can automatically detect the signals in the two protocol types, namely Type A and Type B; and on the same chip, the two protocol types, namely Type A and Type B, can be compatible with each other, so the flexibility of application of a non-contact card is improved.


A screening process has been developed to evaluate four dietary supplements for their potential to affect coagulation through the extrinsic pathway in human tissue. An established analytical method was used to determine prothrombin time (PT) using a clinical laboratory fibrometer.1,2 Dong quai, Korean ginseng, cat's claw, and ginger were studied. Extracts of plant material were made by mixing the native material in synthetic plasma at room temperature for 1.0 hour. Plasma was simulated by preparation of 6% bovine albumen, phosphate buffered at pH 7.3, with the ionic strength controlled using common physiologic salts. Concentrations of the extract were prepared by varying the amount of material extracted with a given volume of synthetic plasma. Initially, a volume study was conducted to determine the extent to which an aliquot of human plasma could be diluted before changing the PT. Ten microliters of the appropriate extract were added to an aliquot of pooled human plasma collected from male volunteers between the ages of 18-57 years and the PT measured. Evaluation of the data (n = 6) using an unpaired t-test and assuming equal variances at a= 0.05 suggests that Korean ginseng and ginger do not alter prothrombin times, using this model. Conversely, dong quai and cat's claw extracts significantly increased PT when compared to the blank, p = 6.9 X10 "5 and 5.022 X10−12 at herb extract ratios of 309.5 mg/ml and 249.2 mg/ml, respectively. Dong quai and cat's claw extracts combined with human plasma yielded mean prothrombin times that were 109.1% ±2.57 and 163.0% ±4.15 of their respective blanks. This study shows that the in vitro model may be useful to predict changes in PT in patients consuming dietary supplements and in identifying potential interactions with dietary supplements and anticoagulant therapy.


Abstract As an answer to an increasing demand of companies who wanted to optimise their internal and external multilingual communication. Didascalia started the development of company‐specific language courseware. In this article we want to give an overview of: how we specified an answer to that demand; how we have proceeded to develop a solution; the conclusions drawn after eight years producing company‐specific language courseware.


PURPOSE: A waste pyrolysis gasification and incineration system is provided to increase the combustion of wastes because vibration is generated while in the state that a grate unit is installed in both sides of an incinerator so that the generation of bridges and clinkers is prevented when burning the wastes. CONSTITUTION: A waste pyrolysis gasification and incineration system comprises an incinerator(40), a waste heat boiler(50), a dry reactor(60), primary and secondary filter dust collectors(70,80), a selective catalyst reactor(90), and a grate unit(120). The incinerator is arranged in an inner side of a closed building(10) and burns wastes which are provided from a waste transferring unit(30). The waste heat boiler is connected to the incinerator and recovers heat generated in the incinerator. The dry reactor decrease dust of combustion gas generated by the waste boiler, harmful acidic gas, heavy metal, and organic harmful substances of dioxin. The primary filter dust collector collects fine dust of gas which has passed through the dry reactor and the secondary filter dust collector collects the fine dust of the gas which has passed through the primary filter collector. The selective catalyst reactor removes chemical gas which is not filtered by the secondary filter dust collector and chemicals through chemical reactions. The grate unit delivers the wastes received in a waste receiving hopper(110) to an inlet of the incinerator.


We demonstrate high optical quality factors in aluminum nitride (AlN) photonic crystal nanobeam cavities. Suspended AlN photonic crystal nanobeams are fabricated in sputter-deposited AlN-on-insulator substrates using a self-protecting release process. Employing one-dimensional photonic crystal cavities coupled to integrated optical circuits, we measure quality factors up to 146 000. By varying the waveguide-cavity coupling gap, extinction ratios in excess of 15 dB are obtained. Our results open the door for integrated photonic bandgap structures made from a low loss, wide-transparency, nonlinear optical material system.


Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are used as cell therapy for a variety of disorders, largely because of their immunosuppressive and regenerative functions by exerting immune effects via direct and indirect interactions with many types of immune cells. MSCs recruit and promote the generation of regulatory T cells (Tregs) both in vitro and in vivo. Toll-like receptors (TLRs), known for roles in innate and adaptive immunity, are involved in numerous pathological conditions, including graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Several TLRs, especially TLR3 and TLR4, are highly expressed on MSCs and affect immunomodulatory functions and possibly, therapeutic potency. Indeed, two distinct anti- and pro-inflammatory MSC phenotypes have been reported after activation of TLR3 and TLR4, respectively. The role of TLRs on MSC-mediated Treg generation, however, is not known. In this study, we investigated the role of TLR3 and TLR4 in the MSC-mediated generation of Tregs in an allogeneic co-culture model. Data for each experiment were collected from 1 PBMC donor and 3 MSC donors. We found that pre-activation of TLR3 and TLR4 by their ligands (poly I:C for TLR3, LPS for TLR4) enhanced the generation of Tregs by MSCs: 1.2 ± 0.2% in CD4+ cells cultured alone, 3.9 ± 0.3% in co-culture with control MSCs, 6.04 ± 0.1% in co-culture with TLR3-activated MSCs and 6.6 ± 0.4% in co-culture with TLR4-activated MSCs. siRNA-mediated silencing of TLR3 and TLR4 reduced Tregs by 51.7% and 61.8% in co-culture with poly I:C- and LPS-primed MSCs, respectively. Treg levels for the poly I:C-activated group were 6.3 ± 0.2% for co-cultures with control MSCs, 5.2 ± 0.3% for MSCs treated with scrambled RNA and 3 ± 0.3% for MSCs treated with TLR3-siRNA. For the LPS-activated group, Treg levels were 6.7 ± 0.3% with control MSCs, 5.7 ± 0.5% with MSCs treated with scrambled RNA and 2.5 ± 0.3% for MSCs treated with TLR4-siRNA. MSC-mediated Treg induction required cell-cell contact as conditioned media (CM) from TLR-activated or control MSCs failed to induce Tregs among CD4+ enriched cells: 4.75 ± 0.1% in direct co-culture vs 2.72 ± 0.3%, P= 0.004 in CM from control MSCs, 6.35 ± 0.2% in direct co-culture vs 2.97 ± 0.2%, P=0.0008 in CM from TLR3-activated MSCs, 6.7 ± 0.3% in direct co-culture vs 3.2 ± 0.3, P=0.001 in CM from the TLR4-activated group. We showed that the notch pathway is activated in CD4+ cells co-cultured with TLR-activated, but not control MSCs, and inhibition of notch signaling reduced MSC-mediated Tregs in co-cultures with TLR3- and TLR4-activated, but not control MSCs: 4.75 ± 0.1% vs 3.76 ± 0.4%, P=0.09 in control MSCs, 6.35 ± 0.2% vs 4.43 ± 0.3%, P=0.012 in TLR3-activated MSCs, 6.7 ± 0.3% vs 3.97 ± 0.1%, P=0.001 in TLR4-activated MSCs. Our data show a new role for TLR3 and TLR4 in the immunoregulatory function of human MSCs, and indicate the involvement of notch signaling as a mechanism for the further induction of Tregs in TLR3- and TLR4-activated MSCs. These studies have implications for the use of TLR-activated MSCs in the enhanced generation of Tregs such as for the treatment of acute GVHD. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Abstract Sedimentologic studies of the coarser-grained fluvial units of the Jurassic Morrison Formation, along with their finer-grained interbeds, in the southern San Juan Basin area suggest that the coarser-grained units were deposited by predominantly braided streams while the finer-grained units were deposited predominantly in lacustrine and overbank depositional environments. The coarser-grained, or fluvial units can be divided vertically into three major separate fluvial complexes, each with its own preferred paleotransport direction. Fluvial deposition in the area began with northeasterly-flowing streams in the Recapture Member. This fluvial transport direction persisted through early Westwater Canyon time. By late Westwater Canyon time, however, the dominant transport direction, throughout the area, was toward the southeast. A return to northeasterly-flowing streams is recorded by the Poison Canyon sandstone (of economic usage) that is only locally present. The fine-grained units, including much of the Recapture Member, a "K" shale interval above the Westwater Canyon and finer grained parts of the Westwater Canyon Member formed in environments distal and adjacent to the braided stream complexes. The "K" shale exposed in the Poison Canyon area is interpreted as largely lacustrine in origin, whereas the other fine-grained units studied contain both overbank and lacustrine deposits. Surface ore trends in the Poison Canyon sandstone (of economic usage) coincide with distinct facies in the underlying "K" shale and overlying Brushy Basin Member. Where these units contain thick, greenish-gray, smectitic, pyritic lacustrine claystones and mudstones, the adjacent sandstones of the Poison Canyon are mineralized. Where the "K" shale and Brushy Basin change facies laterally into coarser and more oxidized units, the sandstones in the Poison Canyon are barren of uranium. The greenish-gray mudstones and claystones that accompany ore-bearing sandstone are viewed as convenient, local sources of the humate that impregnates the sandstone; alkaline, reducing, humic-rich pore-waters, expelled from these muds by seepage or compaction may have transported the dissolved humic substances into the nearby sandstone beds, where precipitation of the humate occurred. Uranium, probably derived from ash incorporated in Morrison sands, was carried by ground waters that flowed through the Poison Canyon sandstone, where it was fixed by the humate to form the tabular orebody. The lacustrine-humate model, as outlined here for the genesis of surface primary ore trends in the Poison Canyon sandstone, may also explain the distribution of primary tabular, or trend, ores elsewhere in the Grants mineral belt.


Nitrogen is the larger element which effect growth,yield and quality of tobacco,it effect production,the formation of aroma and taste quality of tobacco. To study the effect of nitrogen application amount and time on the oriental tobacco Basma No. 14,the different nitrogen application and time of tobacco were surveyed. We recorded height,number of leaves,stem girth,leaf length,leaf width,root length,root fresh weight,of each treatment of tobacco each growth stage( after transplanting 25 d,50 d,75 d and 90 d). Strains of the main chemical components of tobacco maturity were measured. The results showed that: Nitrogen fertilizer had a greater impact on plant height,but has a smaller impact on stem girth,root length. But there was no significant difference among different treatments. Nitrogen topdressing time had implications for the tobacco agronomic traits. At early growth stage,reduction of fertilizer could promote early development of root. Total nitrogen fertilizer applied with 6 kg /667 m2( mu) in the processing of three times had the highest content of nicotine of tobacco,appropriate content of sugarand protein. Its comprehensive quality tobacco was higher than other treatments.


For more than a century the tridimensional vision has been of interest for scientists and users in several fields of application. The mathematical bases have remained substantially unchanged but only the new technologies have allowed us to make the vision really impressive. Photography opens new frontiers and has enriched of physical, mathematical, chemical, informatical and topographic notions by making the images so real to make the observer fully immersed into the represented scene. By means of active googless the 3D digital technique, commonly used for video games, makes possible animations without limitations in the dimension of the images thanks to the improved performances of the graphic processor units and related hardware components. In this paper we illustrate an experience made by the students of the MSc'degree course of Topography, active at the University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, in which the photography has been applied as an innovative technique for the surveying of cultural heritage. The tests foresee the use of traditional techniques of survey with 3D digital images and use of GPS sensors. The ultimate objective of our experience is the insertion in the web, allowing us the visualization of the 3D images equipped with all data. In conclusion these new methods of survey allow for the fusion of extremely different techniques, in such an impressive way to make them inseparable and justifying the origin of the neologism "Geomatics" coined at the Laval University (Canada) during the eighties.


Phrasal verbs in English present varying levels of semantic idiosyncrasies. Aiming to detect some of these idiosyncrasies (in this case, how much of the meaning of a phrasal verb can be extracted from each of its words) a set of measures was proposed by MCC (2003), which use a thesaurus as input. This work reimplements those measures, focusing on checking how robust they are, by applying them on several thesauri. The thesauri were built using the method in Lin (1998). We evaluate our results using a gold standard, and the results suggest the PMI as the best way to filter the contexts the verbs are found in.


Abstract Linear and nonlinear exponential family and quasi-likelihood regression models form a class of models with a structure that invites using one algorithmic framework to compute parameter estimates and regression diagnostics. This framework extends our work on nonlinear least squares; it includes iteratively reweighted least squares but also encompasses secant updates for part of the Hessian matrix of the likelihood or quasi-likelihood function along with tests for when to use this information. The framework also provides basic machinery for computing "leave one out"-style regression diagnostics. We describe the framework, discuss some implementation details, and present some numerical experience.


This paper presents an analytical study on static moment redistribution and resultant reduction of lateral resistance caused by sudden beam fractures in steel moment frames. A numerical example is presented for a simple multispan frame, and the step-by-step processes of beam fractures, moment redistribution, and loss in resistance under statically increasing lateral deflection are examined. The mechanism of moment redistribution is interpreted using the three-moment equations, and the possibility of sequential fractures in the course of static moment redistribution is investigated. A sudden fracture of a beam changes moment distribution rather locally, particularly when plastic hinges are already formed in beams by the time of the fracture. Sequential fractures are less likely to occur during static moment redistribution when rotations corresponding to fracture are large (to simulate fractures after significant plastification) and vary from plastic hinge to plastic hinge (to allow for the random nature of fractures). It should be carefully noted that the above observations are applicable for static moment redistribution, and do not necessarily represent the effects of beam fractures on dynamic responses.


Since 1986, Dedicated Short Range Communications technology has evolved from simple automatic vehicle identification (AVI) through more complex and intelligent generation of products for electronic toll collection (ETC) or electronic toll and traffic management (ETTM). Today, products designed for the DSRC market are being used for road user charging (RUC), congestion charging, traveler demand management, access control and many other roles where speed of account recognition and chained events with high accuracy are required to address the growing demands of the transport industry. This paper addresses the European CEN 278 technology and the newly arrived American standard, 5.9 GHz WAVE. While both are addressing the worldwide market for ETC and a range of other applications in ITS, both are substantially different and unique unto themselves. Both offer different advantages and both have their shortcomings. As more and more of the world looks to electronic road pricing (ERP), ETC and ETTM, it is important to recognize how each technology compares and contrasts. ETC with CEN 278 is certainly the more mature and established technology. After years of wrangling and arm wrestling in Europe for a standard, the CEN 278 is delivering a common protocol for tolling and the issues - from roadside to back office are being addressed systematically through a common frequency and developing standards for interoperability between toll facilities, Regions and Countries throughout Europe. Despite its success, DSRC does have its limitations. As a standard it is described as "broad" and various interpretations of the standard by manufacturing companies has meant that the elusive goal of interoperability may still not be reached. Furthermore, whilst great time and effort has been put forth to harmonize efforts in the CEN 278 world, there is no single independent testing agency charged with certifying that a CEN278 product meets the requirements of the standard. The new American 5.9 GHz Wave Standard in newly established. It has no history or case history to indicate how well or how fully it meets the challenges of Open Road Tolling (ORT) or ERP. It does, however have a common root with the computer industry in that it is an 802.11 family member with its own designation. As such, it does have a common framework to forge interoperability. Its natural advantages may be its range and capacity. Both greatly exceed and overcome shortcomings of the CEN standard. It also comes with a nascent standards testing body in the OmniAir Group. As such, it may be on the verge of becoming the new worldwide standard in the industry and the favorite amongst the automotive industry to carry more than simple tolling information but realize a world of ITS applications for safety and TDM. The author will use the latest developments around the world to illustrate his comparison of the two new protocols and standards that may compete or cooperate in developing greater worldwide interoperability or competition. The Paper provides a thought-provoking guide for other possible demand management implementations around the world and use of both ETC standards.


In their article "The Theoretical Basis and Framework of Variation Theory" Shunqing Cao and Zhoukun Han re-examine the conclusions on variation theory drawn from Cao's The Variation Theory of Comparative Literature. Drawing on the past three decades of Chinese comparatist practice, the proposal of variation theory in that book is a scientific endeavor from China. China's comparative literature has sustained a focus on comparison of literatures Eastern and Western. And Chinese scholars have long been aware of the heterogeneity of civilizations and the variability in literature exchanges. By demonstrating uses and potentials of variation theory, this thesis attempts to show that variation theory offers a response and potential way forward for the current disciplinary crisis in comparative literature. Shunqing Cao and Zhoukun Han, "The Theoretical Basis and Framework of Variation Theory" page 2 of 10 CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 19.5 (2017): http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/clcweb/vol19/iss5/2 Special Issue Against the "Death" of the Discipline of Comparative Literature. Ed. Shunqing Cao Shunqing CAO and Zhoukun HAN The Theoretical Basis and Framework of Variation Theory Comparative Literature has existed as a discipline for more than a century. French scholars proposed influence study, while American scholars brought back analogy study and paid due attention to its research and practice. These two paradigms generated two schools of Comparative Literature. In the recent thirty years, multiculturalism and globalization have been two important topics in the discipline. Through this context, we are confronted with many new issues, such as how to get access to world literature. We also ask how to do comparative studies between heterogeneous civilizations. Since Chinese literary comparatists over the past thirty years have been striving to initiate study by comparing Chinese literature and literary theory with western counterpart, they have made a lot of achievements in Chinese-West literary comparisons. But according to the framework of comparative literature in the West, there is little room for comparisons of literatures between different civilizations. That means, most of the Chinese comparatists' work look very dubious or even illegitimate. How to explain their work in a reasonable way? Can we compare literatures of different cultures or civilizations? We posit that Western theories of Comparative Literature are not reliable today to determine the boundary of this discipline. On the basis of former theory and practice, Cao came up with a new theory of comparative literature--variation theory. This article gives a four-part explication of variation theory. The first section describes the background for this theory. The second section gives a formal introduction to variation theory. In the third section, the potential contributions of variation theory to comparative literature are illuminated before concluding in the fourth section. The disciplinary framework of comparative literature generated by the European literary traditions had largely maintained sameness as the core of comparison, namely, the sameness between different national literatures. In more recent theoretical paradigms, heterogeneity and variation were the more emphasized key concepts. Comparability is the basis where we find legitimacy to support the comparing work. In other words, comparability concerns what is worthy of comparing. The French school and the American school established their paradigm with comparability respectively in pursuing similar origins and similar literariness. It is apparent that the two schools, which dominated the scholarly conversations in comparative literature for nearly a hundred years, lay their theoretical foundation on pursuing sameness. However, given the gap between literature in the East and the West, so in juxtaposition there is more difference than sameness. That is why some scholars as Weisstein used to doubt the legitimacy of comparison between them (Comparative 27). If we don't face up to heterogeneity in different literatures, we will encounter difficulties. Just as Liu Xie said in 文心雕龙·知音 (Dragon-Carving and the Literary Mind: An Appreciate Critic), "Each brings his own limited views to the judgment of writings, and yet writings are by nature diverse. If people look to the east, they will not see the western wall" ("各执 一隅之解, 欲拟万端之变, 所谓东向而望, 不见西墙也" [691]. All translations are ours). The time of seeking sameness within a common civilizational sphere is over. Though it is difficult to do comparison between heterogeneous civilizations, we should not hesitate at this endeavor. Variation theory shifts the priority to differences. Differences are also regarded valuable in literary comparison, and to some extent, it should be given more attention in the contemporary world. The initial intention of comparison is to recognize heterogeneity, and the ultimate purpose of comparison is to cross heterogeneity. In other words, it is a time for the transformation of comparative literature from the sameness to variability. The proposal of heterogeneity and variation is not a groundless point. In fact, they (heterogeneity and variation) have long been observed by many scholars. The Chinese scholar Yue Daiyun, who points out that the twenty-first century will see a new stage of East-West cultural communication which is characterized by heterogeneity and so-called heterology, suggests that cultural dialogue should be predicated on the dialectical relation between difference and identity. She observes, "actually, without 'the other', there will not be 'difference'; and without 'difference', communication will not be probable" ("事实上, 没有'他者', 就不可能认知'差别', 没有'差别', 也就不可能有'互动'" [Yue, Bridge 3]). The French sinologist François Jullien, who claims that his academic interest is in the heterogeneity between Eastern and Western literature and culture, in his book Detour and Access: Strategies of Meaning in China and Greecehe tries to seek a detour through China to access European thoughts, that is attempting to deconstruct the latter by making use of the geographical, historical, and linguistic exteriority of a pre-Western-impact China. For him, heterogeneity is an important idea to stand against the so-called universality of Western thoughts. Shunqing Cao and Zhoukun Han, "The Theoretical Basis and Framework of Variation Theory" page 3 of 10 CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 19.5 (2017): http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/clcweb/vol19/iss5/2 Special Issue Against the "Death" of the Discipline of Comparative Literature. Ed. Shunqing Cao All the researches on heterogeneity and variation have built a solid foundation variation theory. In 2013, variation theory was given an all-round elaboration in Cao's book The Variation Theory of Comparative Literature. Cao first came up with variation theory in 比较文学学 (The Study of Comparative Literature) in 2005, in which the third chapter is titled "文学变异学" (Literary Variation) (Cao, The Study 184). Through all these years Cao has been improving and perfecting this theory. The Variation Theory of Comparative Literature is a landmark achievement for Chinese comparatists, and has gained recognition from many colleagues. Although Comparative Literature studies flourished in China in the 1980s, the unremitting efforts of Chinese scholars were "virtually unknown outside China" (Fokkema, "Forward" v).Thus in Douwe Fokkema's view, the publishing of The Variation Theory of Comparative literature in English"is a welcome attempt to break through the linguistic barrier that keeps most comparatists in China enclosed within their own cultural domain" ("Foreword" v). Besides, this book is a dialogue with scholars abroad, and "the Variation Theory is an answer to the one-sided emphasis on influence studies by the former 'French school' as well as to the American focus on aesthetic interpretation" ("Foreword" v). The Variation Theory of Comparative Literature is not only a reflection on comparatists' effort both in China and abroad, in Wang Ning's opinion, but also an original Chinese contribution to the field of comparative literature ("Variation" 2). And César Domínguez believes this book is an "important contribution in the direction of an imperative comparative literature—at least as procedure" (Introducing 50). In a word, variation theory, which has its comparability's theoretical base on heterogeneity and variability, advocates to pay more attention to heterogeneity, and it is a basis for a new disciplinary paradigm. Cao also postulates that "the comparison between Chinese and Western civilizations is not to find out the specific 'sameness' or otherness, nor is it to establish comparability based on 'sameness' like the French school did, nor is it to excessively pursue heterogeneity and even head off for 'irrelevance' like Jullien did" (Cao, Variation 233). That is, seeking heterogeneity in comparison does not equal the shallow "X+Y" comparison. Instead it aims to find laws of variation by inspecting phenomena of literary variation. From the perspective of heterogeneity and variation, the scope of comparative literature is expanded with its field extended to searching for literary variation in different nations, disciplines, cultures and civilizations. In the new age where intercultural communication is a given, variation stands out as an important concept in literary circulation and contact. Heterogeneity create a world of diversity, while the study of variation builds a world of harmony but not sameness by seeking common ground while preserving differences. Variation theory refers to the study of the phenomena of change in the process of literature transmission across different nations and civilizations, and in the process of interpreting literary works of different nations or civilizations. It aims at finding laws of variation in comparative literature. Unlike influence study and parallel study which


Aseptic loosening arises when periprosthetic bone loss results in mechanical failure at the host-implant interface, and is the main factor limiting implant survival after total hip arthroplasty (THA). The aims of this study were to determine whether genetic variation is a risk factor for loosening, explore the metabolic mechanisms of periprosthetic bone loss, and determine whether bisphosphonates may prevent bone loss and enhance implant mechanical stability after THA. In a genetic association study (J Bone Mineral Res 2003; 18:1995–2001) we found that carriage of the −238A allele within the promoter region of the TNF gene was an independent risk factor for aseptic loosening. A subsequent reporter gene assay showed differential TNF gene responsiveness between the –238A and –238G alleles to polyethylene particule stimulation (Calcified Tissue Int 2003; 72: 251-273). In a cross-sectional study (J Orthop Res 2003; 214: 691–696) we found that subjects with aseptic loosening had lower bone mineral density (BMD) in the region of the femoral calcar and higher urinary excretion of cross-linked collagen breakdown products than their counterparts with fixed femoral implants. In a randomised controlled trial we found that a single dose infusion of a bisphosphonate (pamidronate) reduced femoral bone loss over 2 years after THA, but did not affect pelvic bone loss or implant migration (J Bone Miner Res 2002; 17: 1328). Transient increases in bone turnover markers occurred after surgery and were highly predictive of later femoral BMD change. The main predictor of early implant migration was patient age, but not periprosthetic BMD change. In summary, genetic as well as environmental factors affect implant survival after THA. Aseptic loosening is associated with regional changes in bone mass and turnover as well as focal osteolytic lesions. Bisphosphonate therapy is well tolerated after THA and has a clear biological effect. However, the impact of preventing early bone loss on late aseptic loosening remains unclear and awaits long term study.

[Winner, Robert Jones Gold Medal and Association Prize, 2003]


Unwanted water in association with crude oil is one of the major production challenges in petroleum industry. Costs of lifting, handling, seperation of large amounts of produced water; are just a few of the many problems that can occur. The use of polymer gels as a diverting/blocking agent have been widely practiced to improve productions of oil and gas wells. Polymer gels are typically composed of polymers or copolymers and a water-soluble cross-linker which are injected into the target zones. The main purpose of this experiment is to compare the gelation time between three polymer solutions each containing polymer with different molecular weight mixed with chromium acetate (III) as cross-linker. The experiment was done under constant shear rate, salinity, and temperature. Different molecular weight of polymers resulted in different gelation time in parameters of temperature and time. These differences can help in determining optimum gel formulation for water shut-off treatments at certain conditions. In this experiment, the gelation time of the solutions were tested at a constant temperature of 40°C using Brookfield viscometer at 1 rpm. The results showed that the rate of gelation time in higher molecular weight polymers were much faster than in lower molecular weight polymers. As the nominal MW of the polymer used in a solution becomes higher, the amount of time needed to reach gelation time decreased by 34.27% from polymers with nominal MW difference of 10^6 daltons, 44% from polymers with nominal MW difference of 2xl0^6 daltons, and 63.24% from polymers with nominal MW difference of 3xl0^6 daltons.


Objective: To determine the viral myocarditis model and to observe the development of the acute viral myocarditis.Methods: 30 BALB/c mice were inoculated intraperitoneally with coxsakiverius B\-\{3m\} (CVB\-\{3m\}).The mice were killed and their hearts were examined on day 3,5,7,10,14 post-inoculation.The CVB\-\{3m\} RNA were detected with reverse transcription-polmerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), the RT-PCR product were coloned in plasmid to test the DNA sequence.The myocardial histopathological damage were examined.Results: The DNA sequence was similar as CVB\-\{3m\} cDNA by 99.3 percent.The myocardcyte swelling,lymphocytes infiltrating and necrosis,inflammation were found increased with the development of myocarditis.The damages went up to the peak at day 10 after CVB\-\{3m\} infection.To day 14, the infllammation gradually decreased with the different degrees of fibrosis.Conclusions: The strain we used was right one,can induce the BALB/c mice myocarditis model.The method of colone and DNA sequence test was suggested to difine the strain for model.


N‐Protected cysteines 4a–c each with a free sulfhydryl group were prepared in 70–75% yields by treatment of l‐cysteine with 1‐(benzyloxycarbonyl) benzotriazole (Cbz‐Bt) 1a, N‐(tert‐butyloxy‐carbonyl)benzotriazole (Boc‐Bt) 1b, and 1‐(9‐fluorenylmethoxy‐carbonyl)benzotriazole (Fmoc‐Bt) 1c, respectively. N‐Protected, free sulfhydryl cysteines 4a–c were then converted into the corresponding N‐protected, free sulfhydryl cysteinoylbenzotriazoles 7a–c (70–85%), which on treatment with diverse amino acids and dipeptides afforded the corresponding N‐protected, free sulfhydryl N‐terminal cysteine dipeptides 8a–e and tripeptides 8f–h in 73–80% yields. N‐Protected, free sulfhydryl cysteine‐containing dipeptides 9a,b were converted into the corresponding N‐protected, free sulfhydryl dipeptidoylbenzotriazoles 10a,b (69–81%), which on treatment with amino acids, dipeptides, and a tripeptide afforded internal cysteine tripeptides 11a–c, tetrapeptides 11d,e and pentapeptide 11f, each containing a N‐protected, free sulfhydryl groups in 70–90% yields under mild conditions. Treatment of N‐protected, free sulfhydryl cysteinoylbenzotriazole 7a with diamines 12a,b afforded directly the cysteine‐containing disulfide‐bridged cyclic peptides 14a,b in 50% yields.


We study a class of Monge–Ampere-type functionals arising from the Lp dual Minkowski problem in convex geometry. As an application, we obtain some existence and nonuniqueness results for the problem.


Objective To probe the effect of probiotics on preventing translocation of bacteria and endotoxin from the gut.Methods A modle of 30% Ⅲ° TBSA scald rats of 100 were divided randly into normal control(NC),burn control(BC),treatment of probiotics. Biopsies were made to observe of cecum mucosal microflora,changes of sIgA in intestinal mucas.Results Compared that group NC the quantities of Bifidobacteria were not fifferent in probiotics,while in groups BC were reduced (P0.01).Quantities of yeast and E.coli in group BC were significantly increased.The levels of sIgA in group probiotics were high at any term,while in group BC were significantly low in all term.Conclusions After severe burns,microbes and microbial products,including endotoxin,might across the insulted gut mucosal barrier to cause systemic infection.Bifidobacteria significantly low,E.coli and Yeast were increased,probiotics were useful in improving the situation,however probiotics functions more early and more validly.


[Objective]The aim was to study the effects of vitamin C and E on the quality of Ctenopharyngodon idellus fillets during storage.[Method]The mass lose,total volatile basic nitrogen,pH,whiteness of Ctenopharyngodon idellus fillets was determined after two days cold storage,partial freezing and frozen storage.[Result]The results showed that mass lose of the samples processed by means of vitamin E were lower than that by means of vitamin C,and both higher than that of the blank samples;pH of the samples processed by means of vitamin C and E were close to the blank samples;the total volatile basic nitrogen value of the samples processed by means of vitamin C were the lowest of the three samples;the color of the fillets were protected by means of vitamin C and E during cold storage and partial freezing.[Conclusion]The spoiling of the fillets were prevented and the color of the fillets were protected by means of vitamin C during cold storage and partial freezing;the color of the fillets were protected by means of vitamin E during cold storage and partial freezing.


Introduction

Poor staff health costs £11 billion per year to the UK economy. 60% of adults waking hours are spent in the workplace providing an ideal setting for health promotion. National Health Service (NHS) staff health and wellbeing is found to be poorer than other sectors (Boorman, 2009). Therefore, we developed an onsite NHS workplace health promotion program (WHPP). The objectives were to assess;

1. staff engagement with a new WHPP

2. the impact of WHPP on employee …


The finite-difference time-domain method (FDTD) is first applied to investigate the reflection and radiation properties of a finitely long coaxial antenna with circumferential slots on its outer surface. The end effect and multislot effect intractable for the moment method and mode-matching method are analyzed efficiently and demonstrated in detail. According to the accurate analysis, the circumferential slots have a strong influence on the characteristics of the antenna. This effect can be used to effectively adjust the impedance matching and radiation pattern of the antenna. The verification of the method is also presented by reference to the experiment and the literature. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 21: 35–39, 1999.


This paper analyzes the deformation cause of bottom composition for high-voltage isolating switch from the aspects as structure,material,and manufacturing process which is treated as key point.The bottom composition process optimization scheme is brought forward and carried out,which solved the deformation problem about bottom composition.


Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the concurrent validity between Figure-of-8 Walking Test (F8W), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Four Squared Step Test (FSST), and Timed UP and GO Test (TUG) in patients with stroke. Methods: Forty two participants (26 men, 16 women, 55.0±11.72) with at least three months post stroke who were able to walk at least 10 m without walking aid participated in this study. Assessment of concurrent validity between the F8W (time and steps) and BBS was performed using Spearman rank order correlation and between the F8W (time and steps), FSST and TUG assessed using Pearson correlation. Results: The time of the F8W showed correlation with BBS (r=-0.46, p<0.01), FSST (r=0.64, p<0.01), and TUG (r=0.81, p<0.01), and steps of the F8W showed correlation with BBS (r=-0.43, p<0.01), FSST (r=0.47, p<0.01), and TUG (r=0.51, p<0.01). Conclusion: The F8W is a valid measure of balance and walking skill among patients with stroke and may provide complementary information with regard to dynamic balance and functional walking for the real life of stroke patients.


13B type forged yoke is a kind of common drawing component used in couplers of railway wagons.The product is an abnormal long-axis forging.According to the characters of 13B type forged yoke body,the forging process was made as follows:the ingot was forged by roll forging and then formed by die forging and trimming.Based on rigid and plastic FEM,the process of roll forging and die forging for the workpiece was simulated using Deform-3D.The metal flowing rule of the process was revealed.The load and deformation rules during roll forging and die forging process were analyzed.The improved forging process was tested successfully.


This study has been investigated, the effects of three different polar polyacrylamides (anionic, cationic, and nonionic) on asphaltene deposition in porous media. All experiments were carried out in various dead oil flow rates (0.2, 0.1 and 0.02 cc/min) and different polymer concentrations (500, 2500, 4000 ppm). The results indicated that asphaltene precipitation was affected by the presence of polar additives such as charged polyacrylamide. In general, anionic polyacrylamide increased the asphaltene deposition. The amount of deposition is proportional directly to the increasing concentration of anionic polyacrylamide. Anionic polyacrylamide with the concentrations of 2500 and 4000ppm behaved as a promoter while the hydrophilic property of nonionic polyacrylamide acts as an inhibitor of the precipitation. Stabilization of asphaltene deposition was disturbed in the presence of cationic polyacrylamide. Moreover, the electrostatic and acid-base mechanisms had showed a retarding effect on it. The flow rate is another parameter, which is taken into account besides other factors.


Objective To discuss the influence of family nursing in treating hypertension complicated diabetes.Methods From June 2006 to June 2008,106 cases of hypertension complicated diabetes were divided into test group and intervene group,each group had 53 cases.The integrated family nursing such as psychological nursing and propagation and education of hypertension complicated diabetes knowledge.Set up the mechanism to understand patients'feelings regularly.Results Through comprehensive evaluation,intervention group patients can adhere to rational drug use,blood pressure and good blood sugar control,that standard rate of 81 percent,none of a Cardio-brain vascular disease in-cident,the readmission rate accounted for only 2 percent,no deaths.The control group,that can follow doctors orders,adhere to long-term ra-tional drug use accounts for only 24.5 percent,with cardio-brain vascular disease incidence 8 cases,accounting for 15 percent,aga in within 6 months 13 cases of hospitalized patients,accounting for 24.5 percent.Conclusion family nursing continuation of hospital nursing and inter-vention efforts to enhance the capacity of the follow doctors orders,so that patients can adhere to a reasonable long-term medication,treatment significantly improved quality of life.


Embedded sensors and smart devices have turned the environments around us into smart spaces that could automatically evolve, depending on the needs of users, and adapt to the new conditions. While smart spaces are beneficial and desired in many aspects, they could be compromised and expose privacy, security, or render the whole environment a hostile space in which regular tasks cannot be accomplished anymore. In fact, ensuring the security of smart spaces is a very challenging task due to the heterogeneity of devices, vast attack surface, and device resource limitations. The key objective of this study is to minimize the manual work in enforcing the security of smart spaces by leveraging the autonomic computing paradigm in the management of IoT environments. More specifically, we strive to build an autonomic manager that can monitor the smart space continuously, analyze the context, plan and execute countermeasures to maintain the desired level of security, and reduce liability and risks of security breaches. We follow the microservice architecture pattern and propose a generic ontology named Secure Smart Space Ontology (SSSO) for describing dynamic contextual information in security-enhanced smart spaces. Based on SSSO, we build an autonomic security manager with four layers that continuously monitors the managed spaces, analyzes contextual information and events, and automatically plans and implements adaptive security policies. As the evaluation, focusing on a current BlackBerry customer problem, we deployed the proposed autonomic security manager to maintain the security of a smart conference room with 32 devices and 66 services. The high performance of the proposed solution was also evaluated on a large-scale deployment with over 1.8 million triples.


Abstract Perchlorate (ClO4 −) is an emerging contaminant whose presence and origin is of considerable environmental interest. This article discusses known sources of perchlorate and available forensic techniques to distinguish between naturally occurring and anthropogenic origins. Forensic techniques presented include stable isotopic analysis (37Cl/35Cl, 87Sr/86Sr, 16O/17O), surrogates analysis (nitrates, sodium, chlorides, phosphate, nitroglycerins, metals, strontium), historical information assessment (aerial photography, propellant use and chemistry, firing range usage), geologic analysis (limestone, caliche, playa crusts, hanksite [Na22K(SO4)9 (CO3)2Cl], potash, phosphate ore, etc.), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In this article, the detection of a source of naturally occurring perchlorate in soil and groundwater associated with the Mission Valley Formation in San Diego California is presented. Modification of existing agricultural soil sampling techniques USDA 60-6(26) and USDA 60-6(27a) were used for sample preparation along with EPA Standard Method 314 for extract analysis. X-ray diffraction (XRD), polarized light microscopy (PLM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), surrogates analysis, geologic evaluation, and aerial photography were used in this investigation. The results of this analysis indicated a naturally occurring source of perchlorate is associated with the Mission Valley Formation. No statistical relationship between major ions (sulfate, total nitrate, chloride) and perchlorate was identified.


p Aminophenyl benzyl ether has been synthesized by reduction of p nitrophenyl benzyl ether. Using microwave radiation technology, p nitrophenyl benzyl ether is synthesized by reaction of p nitrophenol with benzyl chloride. The factors which can affect the reaction have been determined and the yield is 84.3 %.


The logarithm of standard oxygen consumption of adult Petromyzon marinus increased linearly with the logarithm of weight at each of 5, 10, and 15 C. The proportionate change in standard oxygen consumption for a given change in temperature was independent of size, the mean regression coefficient being 0.949. Standard oxygen consumption for a sea lamprey of fixed weight increased from 52.7 to 124.0 mg/kg per hr over the range 5–20 C with the greatest changes occurring between 10–15 C, 64.5–114.3 mg/kg per hr. Active oxygen consumption was estimated for a few individuals at 10 C and found to be 475.5 mg/kg per hr, within the range reported for teleosts.


This paper reviews the current status of lithium niobate device applications and describes the research activity carried out at the Polytechnic of Bari in the field of linear and nonlinear integrated optics exploiting channel lithium niobate waveguides.


The sample was mostly females (graphic 1) and the mean age was 42±14 (20-‐64) years old. Regarding the BMI, 38.1% was Normal weight, 28.6% Pre-‐Obesity, 14.3% Obese type I, 14.3% type II and 4.8% type III. Regard to the BF%, 4.8% was Under fat, 28.6% Healthy in fat and 66.7% was Over fat. The Energy consump>on was 23.8% Hypo caloric, 33.3% Norm caloric and 42.9% Hyper caloric. The Psychotropic Therapy used was 80,9% An>depressants, 47,6% Anxioly>cs, 14,3% Mood stabilizers and 52,4% An>psycho>cs. There was a moderate posi>ve correla>on between the Energy consump>on with BMI (R=0,588; p=0,005) and with BF% (R=0,470; p=0,032). There was a strong posi>ve correla>on between Energy consump>on with number of Psychotropic drugs consump>on (R=0,717; p<0,001). Regarding the Psychotropic treatment and BMI or FM%, no correla>on was found. Anthropometric Data, Energy Consumption and Psychotropic Therapy in Psychiatric Patients Guilherme, Ana1; Simões, Joana1; Sousa, Vanessa1; Arvela, Ana2; Almeida de Souza, Juliana1.


We apply formal verification techniques for studying the behavior of signaling pathways important in cancer. In particular, we use Model Checking for verifying behavioral properties of a single-cell, in silico model of pancreatic cancer. We are interested in properties associated with apoptosis (programmed cell death), cell cycle arrest and proliferation. The properties are specified in temporal logics and include, for example, whether there are checkpoints that the cancer cell should go through before it reaches a given state. Our model includes several major signaling pathways, including the Hedgehog, WNT, KRAS, RB-E2F, NFkB, p53, TGFβ, and apoptosis pathways, which have been recently found to be mutated frequently in pancreatic cancer. The model is formally analyzed via symbolic Model Checking, and shown to agree well qualitatively with experiments. We conclude that Model Checking offers a powerful approach for studying logical models of relevant biological processes.


In this paper, we explore how a light projection sought to convey a range of qualities: conviviality, a sense of place, playfulness, defamiliarization, and the affective and sensory capacities that were experienced through walking in the distinctive, liminal realm of Bendigo Creek. The projection aspired to solicit a sensory and affective empathy that chimed with the experiences of an earlier event in which dozens of pedestrians were filmed walking in the Creek. The projection contributed to a local campaign to reappraise the much-maligned Creek as a local public amenity. We discuss the productive potential of solitary and collective walking, and subsequently, the attributes of the projection in its static and mobile manifestation. In so doing, we suggest that publicly engaged, inclusive creative practice can offer potent place-making possibilities.


In 2007 we identified a specimen with mixed characters between Lissotriton montandoni and Lissotriton vulgaris in the Oas region from the north-western part of Romania, in an area where L. vulgaris is absent from. Its appearance is considered a proof of contact between the two species that are previous to the last glacial maximum, because the Oas region probably represented a refuge for Lissotriton montandoni but not for Lissotriton vulgaris as well.


The simulated radiation efficiency and SAR behavior of a mobile telephone antenna beside the numerical CAD-based SAM phantom is investigated. The effects of the thin solid shell, the frequency-dependent electrical properties of the head liquid and the type of the numerical discretization of the phantom on the simulated results are investigated. It is shown that the solid shell has a significant effect on the simulated efficiency and SAR results. It is also shown that this kind of simulation can be generally simplified by using a liquid-filled phantom with fixed electrical head liquid properties. Finally, it is shown that the stability of the simulation can be improved further, without significant loss of accuracy, by applying a simplified discretization technique for the phantom.


In traditional Chiness cultrue are there such ideas as of "Heaven and Man combining into one", "interpersonal harmony", "Refrain for being affected by too much of material Pleasure", trying to be quiet with an open mind, as Well as introspection, etc., all of which are merely general propositions. The contemporary Western disease, on the other hand, refers to a kind of condition under which the contemporary Westerners, who give themselves over to material absorption, too overjoyed to stand, under the stimulus and guidance of "instrumental rationality" and "scientisim", have fort and forgotten those basic propositions as mentioned above. "Looking back for the past two thousand and five hundred years, It is advisable for us to take in the wisdom of Confucious." -- this slogan is no more than another way of expressing those general propositions, only being picked up again at a different moment; it embodies not only a rational reflection, but the the expectation and prospect of constructing the new century.


Laboratory experiments were designed as follows in an attempt to evaluate the potential importance of eels in dispersal of Gyrodactylus salaris: exposure of uninfected eels to infected salmon; exposure of infected eels to uninfected salmon; exposure of uninfected eels to infected eels; indirect infection of uninfected eels; parasite transmission preference, using "two-choice" host tests; and parasite survival on eels following their isolation. Gyrodactylus salaris was found to be transmissible from salmon to eels, and vice versa, both at 4 and 13 °C. Eel to eel transfer of G. salaris was also demonstrated, as was infection of fish from the bottom of the tank. Transmission of G. salaris to eels also occurred in the "two-choice" host tests. Transmission rate was positively correlated with water temperature and transmission was more frequent from dead than living infected salmon. The maximum duration of infection on eels was 8 days. The transfer of infection to eels is thought to parallel events in nature an...


Here, we demonstrate self-powered ultraviolet photodetectors that are capable of generating opposite current flow when illuminated at different wavelengths. The photodetectors are composed of n-ZnO/Polyaniline (PANI) p-n and PANI/ZnGa2O4 type-II heterojunctions and operate without any need for external power source. Devices display superior stability in ambient conditions within months. Results provide opportunities for developing devices for optical recognition.


Some aromatic aldehydes are subjected to react with urea (or thiourea) and acetyl acetone in a one-pot Biginelli-type cyclocondensation reaction to give 5-acetyl-4-aryl-6-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-pyrimidines 2a-j. Aldehydes with ortho-hydroxy substituent namely salicylaldehyde and 2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde undergo Michael-type addition of the hydroxyl-proton to the C 5 -C 6 double bond of the pyrimidine ring to form the tricyclic derivatives 3a-d while 2-hydroxy-3-nitrobenzaldehyde reacted normally to give 2j. Compounds from the type 2 react with basic hydroxylamine to give the respective isoxazolopyrimidine derivatives 4a-g through an intramolecular addition of the oxim-hydroxyl proton to the C 5 -C 6 double bond of the pyrimidine ring. The oxime derivatives from the tricyclic compounds 3a,c undergo rupture of the oxacyclic ring followed by addition of the oxim-proton to the C 5 -C 6 double bond of the pyrimidine ring giving rise to the corresponding isoxazolophenols 5a,b. Furthermore, when hydrazine hydrate reacts with the acetyl derivatives 2a, 2f and 2h afford the corresponding 4-aryl-5-(l-hydrazono-ethyl)-6-methyl-3,4-dihydro-1H-pyrimidin-2-one 6a-c, while the compounds 2d and 3c react under the same reaction conditions to give the pyrazolopyrimidine derivatives 7 and 8, respectively.


In this paper, we described the field programmable gate array (FPGA) implementation of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon-based indoor positioning system. Indoor positioning system relies on received signal strength indication (RSSI) from indoor wireless devices. The accuracy of indoor positioning system is easily affected by several signal interference. In order to correct for unstable RSSI values, Kalman filtering technique that has faster and lower error rate is adapted in this system. Also, we adopted the improved trilateration algorithm that has an error range of less than 0.5 m. This system was implemented using Intel's FPGA design tools Quartus II on DE1-SoC board. Keywords— Bluetooth low energy beacon, BLE, beacon, indoor positioning system, position-based service, Kalman filtering, improved trilateration algorithm