Alas Purwo National Park is a nature conservation area which has some
vegetation formations, including the formation of mangrove forest. Research on
the structure and composition of mangrove forests in the Pangpang Bay, Alas
Purwo National Park aims to determine population and community structure and
species composition of mangrove forests in the Pangpang Bay, Alas Purwo
National Park.
This research was carried out in the Pangpang Bay Alas Purwo National
Park with an area of 198 Ha. The used method is a combination of terraced path
line methods. Vegetation analysis performed on 15 lines of observation. At each
point, it is made the observation plots 2 x 2 for seedlings, 5 x 5 m for saplings and
10 x 10 m for the pole and tree. Data are analyzed to determine the population
structure by dividing the diameter of the plant that got into 13 class intervals of
1.5 cm diameter. Knowing the community structure is an important value indices,
diversity indices and spatial distribution.
The results show the number of individuals at the trees level with the
minimum number (366,23 individuals/ha), followed by pole (961,64
individuals/ha), saplings (1.777,05 individuals/ha), and the highest is the number
of individuals at the seedling (7.918,03 individuals/ha). C. tagal is a type that has
the highest IVI value at three levels, namely the growth of seedlings, saplings, and
poles. While at the tree level, the highest IVI value is owned by
R. apiculata. Diversity index of mangroves in the Pangpang Bay, Alas Purwo NP
is calculated using the Shannon Wiener index with values ranging from 0.9718 (at
the seedling level) to 1.6448 (at tree level). Spatial distribution obtained there are
2 patterns, namely clumped and uniform patterns / regular. The species has a
relatively large number of individuals which have a clumped dispersion pattern
(Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, Bruguiera sexangula, Ceriops tagal, Rhizophora
apiculata, Rhizophora mucronata, Sonneratia alba), whereas the types which
have a relatively small number of individuals have a pattern of uniform / Regular
(Aegiceras corniculatum, Avicennia lanata, Avicennia marina, Ceriops decandra,
Excoecaria agallocha, Heritiera littoralis, Lumnitzera rasemosa, Xylocarpus
mollucensis), except X. granatum which has small amounts but it had a clustered
pattern.


Abstract Lung cancer has high mortality, often accompanied with systemic metabolic disorders. The present study aimed at defining values of trans‐nodules cross‐clinical phenomic and lipidomic network layers in patients with adenocarcinoma (ADC), squamous cell carcinomas, or small cell lung cancer (SCLC). We measured plasma lipidomic profiles of lung cancer patients and found that altered lipid panels and concentrations varied among lung cancer subtypes, genders, ages, stages, metastatic status, nutritional status, and clinical phenome severity. It was shown that phosphatidylethanolamine elements (36:2, 18:0/18:2, and 18:1/18:1) were SCLC specific, whereas lysophosphatidylcholine (20:1 and 22:0 sn‐position‐1) and phosphatidylcholine (19:0/19:0 and 19:0/21:2) were ADC specific. There were statistically more lipids declined in male, <60 ages, late stage, metastasis, or body mass index < 22 . Clinical trans‐omics analyses demonstrated that one phenome in lung cancer subtypes might be generated from multiple metabolic pathways and metabolites, whereas a metabolic pathway and metabolite could contribute to different phenomes among subtypes, although those needed to be furthermore confirmed by bigger studies including larger population of patients in multicenters. Thus, our data suggested that trans‐omic profiles between clinical phenomes and lipidomes might have the value to uncover the heterogeneity of lipid metabolism among lung cancer subtypes and to screen out phenome‐based lipid panels as subtype‐specific biomarkers.


Novel polyacrylamide hydrogels containing immobilized bilayer membranes have been synthesized and characterized. Iridescent color appears to result from the Bragg diffraction of visible light by the periodic structure of bilayer membranes of a polymerizable surfactant (n-dodecyl glyceryl itaconate (DGI). The iridescent structure of DGI has been immobilized inside a polyacrylamide gel. The iridescent color of the gel thus obtained can be changed by controlling the swelling degree of the gel. Anisotropic hydrogels in the entire bulk body have been synthesized by polymerizing the gels under shear flow and immobilizing the macroscopically aligned bilayer membranes inside the gel networks.


Consumer price index (CPI) is an index of the cost of all goods and services of a typical consumer. CPI is a key measure of inflation that relates the rise in prices over a period of time. It is a fixed quantity price index and is used as an economic indicator, more specific as an inflationary indicator. As the most widely used measure of inflation, CPI is an indicator of the effectiveness of government policies. The business executives, labour leaders and private citizens use the index as a guide in making economic decisions. It is also called cost-of-living index. This work presents an attempt to forecast CPI using an adaptive model, a neural network with fuzzy inference system. The adaptive models transform the internal behavior structure to include changes in the outside world. The data used for the model is related to Greece and is from OECD Factbook 2008. The value of the year 2000 is consider for comparison and is equaled with 100. The results are compared with traditional forecasting models.


Mitochondrial dysfunction is well established in neurodegenerative disease 3,4 . Because synaptic mitochondria are more vulnerable than non-synaptic mitochondria to calcium overload, aging, and neurotrauma 5–7 , functional studies of neurodegenerative disease may necessitate isolating synaptic mitochondria. The isolation of synaptic mitochondria is possible due to the formation of synaptoneurosomes, which are the result of the attachment of presynaptic compartments (synaptosomes) to postsynaptic elements (neurosomes) during brain tissue homogenization. Although ultracentrifugation (UC) with sucrose density gradients can be used to separate non-synaptic and synaptic mitochondria 5,8,9 , the method requires access to an expensive ultracentrifuge, necessitates a high level of technical proficiency, can be time consuming, and has limitations in mitochondrial output. Thus, there is a need for a mitochondrial isolation technique, such as affinity purification, that can preserve mitochondria yields and mitochondrial heterogeneity when using lower amounts of brain tissue. ,


This dissertation provides a comprehensive and systematic examination of anthropoid primate milk composition and its relationship to a species' evolutionary history, ecological context, and life history strategy. Milk samples from 14 species of anthropoid primate (Alouatta paliatta, Callithrix jacchus, Cebus apella, Gorilla beringei beringei, Gorilla gorilla gorilla, Hylobates lar, Leontopithecus rosalia, Macaca mulatta, Macaca sinica, Pan paniscus, Pan troglodytes, Pongo pygmaeus, Saimiri boliviensis boliviensis, and Symphalangus syndactylus) were analyzed for proximate composition (fat, protein, lactose, dry matter, and minerals) and milk fatty acid composition. The objectives of this study were identification of primitive features in anthropoid milks, shared-derived features of anthropoid families or superfamilies, and unique-derived features of species, including Homo sapiens. Results did not support the null hypothesis of a generalized anthropoid milk composition. Variation among anthropoids in milk fatty acid profiles and proximate milk composition was influenced by phylogeny and the life history strategy of the species, as well as the diet and environment (captive or wild living) of the mother. Maternal diet had a direct influence on fatty acid profiles and created distinct groupings of wild and captive living individuals. Phylogenetic patterns were identified within captive and wild groups, particularly a distinction between milk fatty acid profiles of hominoids (including humans) and monkeys. Significant variation in proximate milk composition was identified at the level of the superfamily. Cercopithecoid milk was highest in mean fat, dry matter, the proportion


Summary. One of the most common malformation of the musculoskeletal system in children is congenital clubfoot, which occurs from 2 to 5 cases per 1000 newborns. Treatment of idiopathic clubfoot by the Ponseti method is now standard, and most feet can achieve satisfactory initial correction using this technique. But the high relapse rate (from 20 to 40%) and the existing postoperative complications necessitate the search for approaches to reduce them. One of such approaches is the application of the I.Ponseti technique at the stages of preoperative preparation.
The aim of our work is to reduce the incidence of complications in the surgical treatment of congenital clubfoot by applying the I.Ponseti technique.
Materials and methods. An analysis was made of the treatment of 62 children (74 feet) with idiopathic congenital clubfoot, who were inpatient and outpatient treatment at the NSH «Ohmatdet» from september 2015 to august 2018. Of these, 39 were patients with recurrence of congenital clubfoot after the initial treatment according to method I.Ponseti and 23 patients with relapsed deformity after initial surgical treatment. Of these, 35 boys and 27 girls.
All patients were separated into two groups. Group I – 27 patients (32 feet) who did not use casting according to the I.Ponseti technique before surgical treatment. Group II – 35 patients (42 feet) who underwent staging casting according to I.Ponseti technique at the stages of preoperative planning. The average age of the patients is 4 ± 0.85 years.
Result. Use of the I.Ponseti technique at the stages of preoperative preparation in the treatment of congenital clubfoot can significantly reduce the incidence of postoperative complications. The result of which is the possibility of early rehabilitation of patients and prevention of recurrence of deformity.


Cardiac sympathetic nerve and myocardial interstitium play important roles for preservation of heart function.Different extent of the interstitial remodeling and neuroplasticity commonly occur in many kinds of cardiovascular diseases.The abnormalities interact and contribute to progression and worsening of the diseases.There is accumulating evidence suggesting that protein kinase C activation as a regulator involves in and mediates interaction between the neuroplasticity and remodeling under such conditions,which plays a critical role in the nerve dysfunction and myocardial fibrosis.


We show that online prices can be used to construct quarterly purchasing power parities (PPPs) with a closely matched set of goods and identical methodologies in a variety of developed and developing countries. Our results are close to those reported by the International Comparisons Program (ICP) in 2011 and the OECD in 2014, and can be used to obtain more up-to-date estimates of real consumption across countries without the need for consumer price index extrapolations. We discuss advantages and limitations associated with the use of online prices for PPs, including issues of representativeness and limited coverage of product categories and countries.


In this article, an ultralong period fiber grating (ULPFG) based on periodically embedding multimode fiber into single mode fiber (PEM-ULPFG) is proposed to simultaneously measure the liquid refractive index (RI) and temperature with high sensitivity. Five resonant dips belong to different cladding modes, and diffraction mode orders appear in the transmission spectrum. The responses of the dips to RI and temperature are different. Therefore, high sensitivity and dual-parameter measurement are realized. Numerical simulation based on the beam propagation method (BPM) is also carried out to design and optimize the parameters of the device. Experimental results show that the maximum RI sensitivity of −1230 nm/RIU in the range of 1.4021–1.4383 RIU is achieved by tracing the target dip (dip 4). The temperature response of dip 4 is also characterized to be as low as 52.6 pm/°C. Another dip (dip 5) is used for measuring temperature with the temperature sensitivity of 92.3 pm/°C. Different responses to the external changes of the dips obtained by the PEM-ULPFG make the proposed sensor competitive in the field of high sensitivity and dual-parameter sensing.


The gastric mucosal barrier is a complex of interacting physical and chemical defense mechanisms that protect the gastric mucosa from erosions and ulcers. Several conditions can disrupt the gastric mucosal barrier, leading to gastric mucosal damage (e.g., gastritis, gastric erosions, ulcers). Causative factors include the use of NSAIDs or glucocorticoids, hepatic or renal disease, hypoadrenocorticism, shock, spinal cord disease, primary gastrointestinal disease, and neoplasia.This article reviews the normal physiology of the gastric mucosal barrier and the pathophysiologic factors that disrupt it. Article #1 CE An In-Depth Look: THE GASTRIC MUCOSAL BARRIER IN DOGS COMPENDIUM 340 May 2006 (H2) (Figure 1). These three primary secretogogues act synergistically to promote gastric acid secretion. Gastrin is produced in the G cells of the gastric antrum, and its secretion is stimulated by ingestion of food and increased gastric luminal pH. Acetylcholine is released from cholinergic nerve fibers in response to cephalic influences such as the site, smell, and taste of food and by gastric influences such as gastric distention. When gastrin or acetylcholine bind to receptors on the basolateral surface of the parietal cell, they increase cytosolic calcium, which in turn stimulates protein kinase C, resulting in activation of the hydrogen ion (H)–potassium ion (K) ATPase pump on the apical surface. Endocrine cells called enterochromaffin-like cells are in close proximity to parietal cells and have receptors for gastrin and acetylcholine as well as serve as a major source of histamine secretion. Histamine, the most potent stimulator of acid secretion, is released from enterochromaffin-like cells and acts in a paracrine fashion to activate H2 receptors on parietal cells. This results in activation of adenylyl cyclase, which Send comments/questions via email email@example.com or fax 800-556-3288. Visit CompendiumVet.com for full-text articles, CE testing, and CE


The article presents the results
of research and analysis of responses to the word "Communism" in the databases in the
field of sciences as ISI Web of Knowledge (Zoological Records, Biological Abstracts, Medline, Web of
Science). In total, 3007 publications match this query. An analysis of information about the
Communism was made. The issues have been grouped into several thematic blocks: health
and ecological problems (most results), history of abuse of psychiatry for political repression,
diseases of the communist leaders, research on the brain of Lenin, communist persecution as
feature biographies of scientists, strange experiences as attempts hybridization of man with
the monkeys, analysis of starvation as a structural problem of communism, espionage and
science, relationship of Communism and Nazism. There were a few publications on Poland
(2.8%); only 10 articles were devoted to the Katyn massacre.


We propose a new method for the measurement of high resolution topography from a stereo pair. The main application area is the study of planetary surfaces. Digital elevation models (DEM) computed from image pairs using state of the art algorithms lack quantitative error estimates. This can be a major issue when the result is used to measure actual physical parameters (e.g. slope or terrain roughness).


The need of a modern system to be more autonomous with regard to its environment make autonomic systems very attractive, providing them with self-management capabilities. Usually, an autonomic system reconfigures itself to overcome some problem or optimize itself. However, these reconfigurations may result in a loss of performance or even a service degradation. To avoid such situations, this paper proposes a performance prediction approach for autonomic systems, based on formal modelling. Our goal is to forecast the most appropriate configuration for an autonomic system, particularly, a multi-tier system, in order to get an efficient use of resources. The main idea is to model resource allocation triggered by the autonomic loop for achieving the best configuration. Then, we show how to analyse the whole system and evaluate the autonomic loop impact on system performances. The method is based on Stochastic Petri Nets (SPN) modelling. The resource availability, the workload intensity and the autonomic features are targeted. A typical example of a multiers system with one server is presented, analysed with the GreatSPN tool, to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.


Objective To compare the difference between 18F-FDG PET and CT for evaluating the activity of pulmonary tuberculosis.Methods 18F-FDG PET-CT was performed in 31 pulmonary tuberculosis patients,the activity of the tuberculosis lesions was evaluated by PET and CT images,the results of the two imaging methods were compared separately.Results The results obtained with the two imaging methods were consistent in 26 cases and inconsistent in 5 cases.6 eases which CT diagnosed as inactive tuberculosis (healed lesions) were also judged as inactive lesions by PET imaging.In 16 cases,CT displayed that most of the lesions were calcified and associated with little streaks and diagnosed as inactive tuberculosis (obsolete lesions),among them PET judged 5 cases as active lesions,of which 3 cases with partly calcified lesion associated with mild radioactive uptake,2 eases with streaks associated with mild radioactive uptake.9 cases which CT diagnosed as active pulmonary tuberculosis,PET judged as active iesions too.Conclusions 18FFDG PET and CT have the same judgment in diagnosing healed and active tuberculosis lesions,while 18FFDG PET is superior to CT in evaluating the active lesions residue in obsolete lesions.

Key words:
Tuberculosis, pulmonary;  Fluorodeoxyglucose F18;  Positron emission tomography; Tomography, X-ray computed


We study the self-selection of migrants at crossing locations along the Mexican-U.S. border distinguished by stark differences in physiography and border enforcement intensities. We model the triggers of hazardous crossings, and reveal self-selection patterns that are alternative specific: individuals with low economic prospects at origin communities are favorably selected at high-risk, high-reward crossing locations. Using comprehensive migrant journey level trajectories from the Mexican Migration Project (1980 - 2005), and identification based on enforcement reforms, community-level trade and weather shocks, as well as migrant-specific characteristics, we estimate a McFadden choice model of border crossing. Results confirm the negative-selection of migrants in high-risk, high-likelihood of success border crossing locations, in addition to nuanced variations when economic shocks are idiosyncratic rather than permanent. The implications of these observations on the effectiveness of border walls and trade walls in mediating cross-border migration flows are also discussed.


Current ecological concepts for large lowland rivers (e.g. the Flood Pulse of]UNK et al. 1989) recognise the importance of floodplain-river connectivity. Rewetting of dry floodplain sediments triggers the release of carbon and nutrients, and the reproduction and growth of both aquatic and terrestrial organisms (BOULTON & LLOYD 1992, GEHRKE et al. 1995, HILLMAN 1995). Carbon, nutrients, algae and microorganisms are then transported to the river as flood water recedes (BRINSON et al. 1983, ]UNK et al. 1989, PrNAY et al. 1990, SPINK et al. 1998). In particular, the transfer of carbon, in either dissolved or particulate form, is thought to be important, as it is the primary source of energy for aquatic organisms. lt forms the basis of aquatic secondary production, and is an important structural component of cells (CHAMEIDES & PERDUE 1997). Carbon is derived from a variety of sources; however, it has been suggested that the majority of the carbon present in floodplain rivers may be derived from the floodplain surface itself during floods. Consequently, maintenance of the biological production and integrity of floodplain rivers depends o n the cycle o f wetting an d drying of floodplain sediments (BRIGGS et al. 1985, SPINK et al. 1998). Awareness of the fluxes of carbon is imperative for understanding the ecological functioning of river-floodplain systems (SAUNDERS et al. 1980).


This paper examines optimal repair-cost limits for a Weibull-distributed time to failure and an exponentially distributed repair cost. Bounds are derived for the optimal repair cost limit that minimizes the average cost per unit time for repairs and replacement. With those bounds, a simple algorithm is developed to obtain the optimal repair-cost limit. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the algorithm.


VLSI-based processor arrays have been widely used for computation intensive applications such as matrix computations, FFT, and graph problems. In these systems, fault tolerance is a primary concern because even a single fault can cause a catastrophic outcome. In this dissertation, an efficient algorithm-based fault tolerance design employing a new checksum coding technique is first examined to solve matrix computations. Comparisons with other schemes reveal that the proposed scheme is very efficient in terms of time and hardware overhead.
Two new concurrent error detection schemes for FFT networks are then proposed. The first scheme calculating the checksums at the input and output site allows high error coverage with low false alarm rate by applying the linear weight factors to the checksums. Hardware overhead is relatively small and errors can be quickly detected. In the second scheme which computes the checksums in each stage, multiple errors can be efficiently and promptly detected. Fault coverage is almost 100% for any size FFT networks with very small hardware overhead. Efficient error location and correction schemes for FFT networks are also proposed, which can be used along with any error detection schemes employing the checksum approaches. A faulty component can be located at an additional try with smaller number of comparisons than existing designs. An error can also be corrected at a small modification of basic modules with an additional try.
A generalized fault tolerance approach for two-dimensional processor arrays is then presented. The proposed approach can effectively tolerate multiple faults in the array solving linear or nonlinear algorithms by properly scheduling the flow of data and employing the majority voting approach. Most earlier fault tolerance designs are restricted to the array solving linear algorithms. Hardware overhead is almost zero in the approach compared to nonfault tolerant designs, while small time overhead much less than 100% is needed. The number of I/O links is also reduced to about $2\over 3$ of the original nonfault tolerant array. In addition, an efficient scheme is developed, which allows a signficant reduction of the size of the array without affecting the original computation time.


In this paper, we develop a variational method to track and make predictions about a real-world system from continuous imperfect observations about this system, using an agent-based model that describes the system dynamics. By combining the power of big data with the power of model-thinking in the stochastic process framework, we can make many valuable predictions. We show how to track the spread of an epidemic at the individual level and how to make short-term predictions about traffic congestion. This method points to a new way to bring together modelers and data miners by turning the real world into a living lab.


This study reviews and categorises different structures of switched Z-source networks. Generally, these structures are divided into two groups of basic switched Z-source networks and switched Z-source networks with the capability of high boost. Each of these groups is divided into several subgroups and different structures are introduced. For each subsection, the general power circuit is proposed and the extraction method from general power circuit for each structure is obtained. This study also provides a complete analysis of structures by using a conventional control method with two shoot-through and non-shoot-through modes. Small signal analysis for structures with a basic switched Z-source network is conducted and the general signal flow graph is extracted. A comprehensive analysis of all structures with a switched Z-source network is done and the tree diagram for the division of these structures is provided. Finally, different industrial applications and outlook of Z-source networks are introduced.


Introduction: Cephalic index is the percentage of head breadth to head length. The index is calculated from measurement of the diameters of head (head length and head breadth). When applied to living individuals it is known as cephalic index, and when referring to dry skulls, the cranial index. This index is used as a useful anthropological tool for analysis of racial and sexual differences in a population. The present study was done to find out Cephalic Index and to study sexual dimorphism in adult North Indian population. Objective of the study was to calculate the cephalic index and to find out that the present study group belongs to which category in the classification of skull based on cephalic index and to study the sexual dimorphism in respect to cephalic index.
Material & Methods: The present study comprised of 200 medical students of age group between 18 yrs. to 25 yrs. of S.N. Medical College, Agra, not having any significant disease or deformity that could have affected the general or the bony growth.
Two anthropometric parameters; head length and head breadth were recorded in centimeters by using spreading caliper. With these recorded data, cephalic index was calculated for males and females separately as well as combined.
Results: Mean Cephalic Index was significantly higher (p=0.03124) in females (79.350 ± 5.7157) as compared to males (77.715 ± 4.9102).
Conclusion: There was a statistically significant difference in the mean of the cephalic indices of male and female students (p=0.03124). The mean cephalic index of combined population in this study was 78.533 ± 5.3776 which states that the dominant head shape among North Indians is Mesaticephalic.


By using simulation software LS-DYNA,the slamming of trimaran cross structure was studied,a 2-D finite element model was built up and the slamming pressure of trimaran at different velocities was calculated.The results indicate that air captured by the hulls actes as a buffer cushion and reduces the slamming pressure greatly. The recursive analysis of velocity and pressure peak value shows that the effect of air cushion on the slamming pressure peak value decays with the increase of velocities.


The proposing of an accurate and efficient model for automatic keyword extraction of scientific literature is conducive to promoting the development of academic text mining research, such as literature retrieval optimization, research topic discovery, topic evolution analysis, emerging trend detection and so on, with the continuous expansion of digital academic resources. A keyword extraction method is proposed called NER‐RAKE which combines Named Entity Recognition (NER) process with Rapid automatic keyword extraction (RAKE), Bidirectional Long Short‐Term Memory Network Conditional Random Field (BiLSTM‐CRF) is used to recognize the domain entities in the scientific literature so as to enrich the list of candidate keywords divided by RAKE, and the frequency threshold is set to ensure the validity of candidate keywords. NER‐RAKE is better than RAKE in accuracy and recall rate through the keyword extraction experiment in the computer science field. It is effective to combine the process of NER with RAKE, which can improve the efficiency of keyword extraction.


People in the early stages of dementia have support needs that are often not fully addressed. This article, the second of two parts, suggests that early intervention by practitioners, coupled with the use of appropriate assessment instruments, could make a significant contribution to improving sufferers' quality of life.


In this study, a hybrid passive filter (HPF) and single tuned passive filter (STPF) are designed to power systems which consist of several current source type of nonlinear loads. The comparison between HPF and STPF used for compensate to load harmonics is presented. This paper proposes HPF for compensating current harmonics type of load instead of STPF. The proposed filter is eliminate the chances of series and parallel resonance. The power and filter systems are implemented in MATLAB/Simulink environment. Simulation results, obtained from HPF and STPF The simulation results show that the hybrid passive filter can compensate effectively all current source type of nonlinear loads.


Novel structural and chemical properties of Cr monolayer, bilayer, and multilayer films on W(110) have been identified using temperature programmed desorption, low‐energy electron diffraction, and Auger electron spectroscopy. A pseudomorphic (1×1) Cr monolayer forms at T>100 K which is stable up to desorption at ∼1290 K despite a ∼9% lattice mismatch. The second monolayer forms a metastable (2×2) structure in the 500 K <T<800 K range, for which a quad‐cluster model is proposed. An (11×11) coincidence lattice is observed for multilayer films. Oxidation of the Cr overlayers leads to both an interfacial oxide and Cr2O3‐like phases. Cr2O3/W(110) incommensurate epitaxy is observed for thick Cr films.


This special issue of the Journal of Tourism History presents a themed set of papers from the highly successful sessions that were organised by Claudio Visentin and John K. Walton for the International Commission for the History of Travel and Tourism, at the twenty-first quinquennial conference of the International Committee of the Historical Sciences in Amsterdam on 22 28 August 2010. The theme of this strand was 'Travel as a Force of Historical Change', and under this broad umbrella papers relating directly or indirectly to the history of tourism featured prominently. The articles that make up the special issue focus directly on relationships between tourism and historical change in France, Norway, Finland, Australia and New Zealand, an extensive geographical spread which reflects the exciting diversity of a genuinely global conference, and the aspirations of the journal to cast our net as widely as possible. We begin with an important article on how we might measure the relative importance of different kinds of tourist destination in a setting which ought to be better-documented than most: as Bertram Gordon points out, France has long been recognised as one of the leading destinations and communications arteries for international tourism. But the statistical base for establishing trends and comparisons in tourism flows and impacts has never been strong, here as elsewhere, despite efforts to improve it since the 1970s; and its deficiencies have probably helped to damage the credibility of tourism history in the eyes of those who try to insist on precise measurement and classification. Operational definitions of tourist visits and stays have been unduly broad, and unable to differentiate between different modes of, and motives for, travel (which may coexist within the same person on the same journey). Moreover, since the origins of attempts to measure tourism comparatively in the 1930s the overwhelming priority has been the international dimension, to the enduring neglect of domestic tourism in individual countries. Gordon's article draws attention to such problems, not least through the acknowledged limitations of his source material. The categories and definitions


Wordsworth's "Stepping Westward," one of the "Poems Written During a Tour in Scotland" included in Poems, in Two Volumes (1807), has received little critical attention compared with its companion tour poem, "The Solitary Reaper." This essay offers a fresh angle on the poem by placing it within the circumstances of its time of composition in late spring 1805 – circumstances that included the personal grief of bereavement and fears for national security at a critical time in the war against France. More particularly, I propose that Wordsworth's reading of Southey's epic Madoc just prior to writing "Stepping Westward" opens transatlantic horizons of meaning within a poem that otherwise does little to explore the metaphorical potential of its title. Just as modern scholarship has unearthed a complex textual history beneath Southey's published work that reflects his ideological journey during a tumultuous decade, so the strange irresolution of Wordsworth's poem makes sense when both the mythic and contemporary dimensions of westward travel and migration are brought into play.


Background: Chikungunya fever has recently re-emerged in India with a high morbidity. However, the prevalence of chikungunya fever in India has been underreported due to non-availability of specialized kits to confirm the disease in most of the laboratories. Methods: Nine hundred and fifty six serum samples were collected from subjects presenting with a short febrile illness from various places in Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh, between January to October 2009 and were screened for Chikungunya Virus (CHIKV) infection. Virus isolation, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) rapid strip method were employed for the identification of the causative agent. Results: Chikungunya Virus (CHIKV) infection was confirmed in 520 (68.1%) patients by RT-PCR. Seventy seven (40.1%) patients showed the presence of anti-CHIKV IgM antibodies while 12 (6.3%) patients showed the presence of both anti-CHIKV IgM and immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies respectively. The isolation of CHIKV was successful from five patients. Conclusions: The re-emergence and persistence of CHIKV in Andhra Pradesh suggests the need for continuous monitoring and identification of the pathogen and thereby prevention of the spread of the virus to other parts of the country.


On the basis of analyzing, comparing the routing protocol and learning from the advanced thinking, the author proposes the algorithm of wireless sensor network routing based on gradient and the residual energy ant algorithm. Using the character that ant algorithm is simple and easy to realize, works in the part, and it integrates link quality into pheromone and supports many links to design the wireless sensor network routing algorithm based on the gradient and the residual energy ant algorithm. Through the simulation test of the routing algorithm, the test proves that the algorithm achieves design objectives of the wireless sensor network routing algorithm.


Since coming to power in 1988, Myanmar's military rulers have effectively resisted external demands to liberalize the country's political system. In the wake of the "Safran Revolution" in 2007 and a storm of international protest, the military has written a new constitution and promised free multiparty elections for 2010. This article argues that the military is walking a thin line with the reform of the political system. While the "Safran Revolution" has clearly indicated that the military regime has lost its political legitimacy, the military is still pursuing its narrow reform agenda. The new constitution enshrines military rule in Myanmar. The parliamentary representation of the military in the legislature and the heavy involvement of the military in the economy are clear signs that the military will act as gatekeeper in the new "electoral authoritarian regime".


Oral health contributes significantly to self-esteem and quality of life. The ability to smile without embarrassment, to articulate speech clearly, to taste and chew food, and to be free of pain are key for well-being. The high prevalence of dental caries (cavities) and periodontal (gum) disease is a major public health concern with attendant costs for treatment, loss of productivity, diminished comfort and function, and increased risks to systemic health.Dental caries is a complex disease process resulting from a shift in the plaque biofilm on teeth in the presence of sugars. The microorganisms in this biofilm produce acids that demineralize the calcified tooth structure and, if the process is not disrupted, teeth are demineralized until a cavity forms. If untreated or uncontrolled, the caries process may affect the dental pulp, or tooth center, which is rich with vascular, nerve, and connective tissue, resulting in pain and infection.Periodontal disease occurs when plaque (the biofilm with bacteria) is inadequately removed, and destructive inflammation results, affecting the soft and hard tissues (bone) supporting the teeth. Gingivitis is characterized by swelling and bleeding of the gingival tissues. When the inflammatory process progresses from gingivitis to periodontitis, it affects the periodontal ligament (the tissue that attaches the teeth to the bone) and the alveolar bone (the bone that supports the teeth), and can lead to recession, tooth mobility, and eventual tooth loss. Periodontitis affects more than 60 percent of older adults and is severe in 10 percent to 15 percent (Chapple and Genco, 2013). The bacteria, inflammatory mediators (molecules that play a role in inflammation), and antibodies that contribute to periodontitis enter the circulatory system and are carried to other parts of the body (Borgnakke, 2015); this represents a biologically plausible contributing factor to many systemic diseases.Several studies have identified associations between oral health and chronic systemic dis- eases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis, and cancer are responsible for 70 percent of U.S. deaths (CDC, 2016a). The complex associations between chronic systemic diseases and oral disease include common risk factors such as high sugar consumption, obesity (Slotwinski and Slotwinski, 2015), smoking, shared inflammatory pathways, access to the bloodstream via ulcerations of inflamed epithelium (Borgnakke, 2015), medications that increase the risk of oral diseases, and diminished function required to maintain oral health.Data from a large insurance database showed high medical costs and frequent hospitalizations to be common in patients with diagnoses of type 2 diabetes, cerebrovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, or coronary artery disease and periodontal disease. Patients with these comorbidities who received periodontal therapy at least four times per year were compared with those who did not. The treatment group (approximately 1 percent) had significantly fewer hospital admissions and significantly lower medical costs than the non-treatment group for diabetes, cerebrovascular disease, and coronary artery disease (Jeffcoat et al., 2014).The Periodontal Disease and Diabetes ConnectionThere is a public health imperative to conduct prevention and intervention programs for diabetes because there are more than 29 million people with diabetes and 86 million who are pre-diabetic in the United States, at a cost of $245 billion per year and a 50 percent increase in risk of death (CDC, 2016b). People with diabetes are at greater risk of developing periodontal disease and at risk for more severe disease. A bi-directional relationship between periodontal disease and diabetes is well established (Chapple and Genco, 2013). Poorly controlled diabetes increases the risk of periodontal disease, and the presence of periodontal inflammation contributes to poor glycemic control, the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and diabetic complications (Chapple and Genco, 2013; Borgnakke, 2015). …


Since September 2008, 26 cases of hepatitis A with a history of travel to Egypt have been reported in France. Investigations indicate that a common source of contamination linked to Nile river cruises is the most likely explanation of the increase in the number of cases reported in France as well as in several other European Union countries.


Spodoptera littoralis (Boisd.), is one of the most dangerous pests in Egypt, targeting many economically crucial crops. In addition, population growth is major challenge to agricultural production. The aim of the current study is evaluation of insecticidal properties of chloroform/ methanol extract prepared from Conyza dioscoridis aerial part as well as study the biochemical changes on the 4thlarval instars of the cotton leaf worm, S. littoralis under laboratory conditions. Moreover, the bioactive secondary metabolites were isolated from the tested extract by chromatographic techniques and identified using spectroscopic analysis. Also, the volatile constituents distilled from Conyza dioscoridis aerial parts were characterized by GC/MS analysis. Column chromatography of bioactive chloroform/ methanol extract led to the identification of five major compounds including three triterpenes; β-amyrin-3-acetate, β-lupeol-3-acetate, β-amyrenone along with dotriacontane hydrocarbon as well as one methoxyflavone; 5,4ʹ-dihydroxy-6,7-dimethoxyflavone. Insight on insecticidal efficacy, the percentage of cumulative mortalities during pupal and adult stages reached to 76.6% and 83.3%, respectively after feeding 4thlarval instars of S. littoralis on tested extract with insecticidal activity in a dose-dependent manner. Whereas, β-amyrenone, lupeol acetate and 5,4ʹ-dihydroxy-6,7-dimethoxyflavone suppressed 50, 60 and 73.3% of 4th instar larvae of S. littoralis at concentration 0.3, 0.5 and 0.5%, respectively. Also, the extract showed marked decreasing in acetyl cholinesterase activity, total lipids and protein contents. The GC/MS analysis of volatile oil of C. dioscoridis aerial part led to the identification of 63 sensory metabolites that represent 93.68% of total volatile constituents. The oil was characterized by a high percentage of oxygenated sesquiterpenes (36.00%) and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (21.09%), in addition phenylated and aliphatic hydrocarbons (15.43% and 14.58%, respectively). α-Cadinol was the major component (8.47%) accompanied by a high percentage of sesquiterpene alcohols. C. dioscoridis aerial part is a promising botanical pesticide with different mechanisms of action targeting 4th instars of larvae of S. littoralis. It had adverse effects survival, fecundity, oviposition, pupae and adults development and also acts as metabolic and acetylcholine esterase inhibitors against S. littoralis. So, the present findings may encourage more applied researches to evaluate crude extract and/or tested compounds in semi-field and field trial for controlling S. littoralis.


Over the past 2 years, the world has been living through the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic. Children have had to adapt to online classrooms and lessons of some sort, and many parents have been forced to work from home while supervising their child's home learning activities. We used participatory visual methods to understand how children and their parents have coped during this time, engaging parents as co-researchers to ask their child to photograph and/or draw pictures that represent their daily lived experiences over the lockdown period. We then asked parents to interview their children (24 in total, 13 in the UK and 11 in China), using the children's artwork as prompts, and finally we interviewed parents. Through the data collection process, parents captured their children's experiences and feelings since the coronavirus struck. The data was analysed using Foucault's theory of discourse to provide unique and comparative insights into children's experiences in the UK and China during this exceptional time. Ours is the first study to integrate parents' and children's views of Covid-19, drawing on parents as co-researchers. We argue that combining the data collection methods and drawing on parents as co-researchers enabled parents to gain insights into an understanding of their child's lived experiences throughout the pandemic that might otherwise have been unknown. These insights were often unexpected for parents, and have been grouped around themes of parental relief, anxiety and understanding.


This paper expounds the present situation of the management of the library of higher vocational college,analyzes the professional ability and professional quality that the librarians of the library of higher vocational college should have, probes into the paths for improving the professional quality of the librarians of the library of higher vocational college,and sums up the significance of improving the professional ability and professional quality of the librarians of the library of higher vocational college.


A series of alkaloids isolated from the roots of N. orientalis is investigated for the inhibitory activities on in vitro agonists induced human platelet aggregation. Human platelet samples were obtained to investigate the anti-platelet activity by high throughput 98-well microtiter plate format. Adenosine diphosphate (ADP), arachidonic acid (AA), thrombin and thrombin receptor activating peptide-6 (TRAP-6) were used as agonists for in vitro human platelet aggregation. All alkaloids were inactive in the AA induced platelet aggregation. Compound 2 was the only alkaloid to inhibit ADP induced platelet aggregation with the IC50 value of 27.01±7.67 μM and was more potent than the standard drug, ibuprofen (P < 0.05). The compounds 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7 were more potent than the standard drug to inhibit thrombin induced platelet aggregation with the IC50 values of 3.05±0.22, 4.41±0.47, 7.50±0.22, 45.69±1.74 and 4.89±0.13 μM (P <0.05), respectively. None of the potent alkaloids in thrombin-mediated platelet aggregation exhibited the inhibitory effect in TRAP-6 induced platelet aggregation. Compound 2 could inhibit platelet aggregation through the interference of platelet purinergic receptors (P2Y1 and P2Y12 receptors). Moreover, compounds 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7 could have inhibitory effects on thrombin-induced platelet aggregation through the proteolytic inhibition without the interferences of ligand-receptor interaction.


This paper describes an analytical implementation of the component approach for motion predictions of a deepwater CALM buoy as described in the companion paper "Component Approach for Confident Predictions of Deepwater CALM Buoy Coupled Motions — Part 1: Philosophy". The implementation of the approach starts with a "model-of-the-model" validation of the analytical tool. Emphasis is given to making an accurate analytical characterization of the model as tested. To capture the strong coupling between the buoy motions and line dynamics the analyses described herein were carried out in the time-domain. This allows a rigorous treatment of the hydrodynamic forces on the buoy as well as the non-linear mooring loads when analyzing the buoy responses in waves. Since the validation analysis is a model-of-the-model practice at model scale, the proper application of the validated tool to the full-scale system is discussed. This involves modeling of the exact full-scale system and the proper selection of the hydrodynamic coefficients for the buoy and lines. In this paper we will present the numerical modeling procedures and the results from validation work to confirm that the analytical tool is validated correctly. Detailed results from validation analysis versus model test data will be shown for system components including buoy hydrodynamics from the forced oscillation test, line tension from line oscillation test, and the motions and tensions of integrated buoy/mooring/riser system. We point out that the hydrodynamic coefficients at model scale can not be directly applied to the full-scale system analysis even though they are from model test measurements. We will present the difference between the results of the model-scale system using model scale hydrodynamic coefficients and those based on a proper range of the coefficients at full-scale. This will highlight the need to design component tests to determine appropriate full scale coefficients in order to improve the accuracy of full-scale design predictions. These results will show the advantages of adopting a component approach over the common industry practices in the areas of correct use of model test data, validation analysis and the analysis of the coupled CALM buoy system responses in waves.Copyright © 2005 by ASME


Many emerging fields are adopting Internet of Things technologies to incorporate smartness in respective areas. Several IoT based application area produces large volumes of real time data. Data aggregated through sensor nodes may contain highly sensitive information. An effective and successful IoT system must protect sensitive data from revealing to unauthorized persons. In this article, the authors present an efficient privacy-preserving mechanism called Internet of Things privacy (IoTp). The research simulates and analyzes the effectiveness of the proposed data aggregation and data access mechanism for a typical IoT system. Proposed IoTp scheme ensures privacy at data collection, data store and data access phases of the IoT system. The authors have compared proposed work with existing model. Results show that IoTp scheme is efficient and lightweight mechanism for data collection and data access. It is suitable for the resource constrained IoT ecosystems.


Efficacy of progesterone pre-treatments in combination with 'ram effect' on estrus induction and lambing rate in Suffolk ewes was investigated during the late anestrous season. In Trial 1, effects of a single i.m. injection of 20 mg progesterone followed by ram introduction or a single injection of 100 μg synthetic gonadotropin releasing hormone were examined. The proportions of estrous ewes during the first 14 days after ram introduction were significantly larger in the progesterone pre-treated group than in control, but not between 15 and 28 days. No significant difference was found in either lambing rates or prolificacy. An injection of gonadotropin releasing hormone is as effective as the use of 'ram effect' for the lambing rate and prolificacy. In Trial 2, methods of progesterone pre-treatment (a single injection or vagina sponge) before ram introduction were investigated. No significant difference was found between the two groups in the proportions of estrous ewes, lambing rates or prolificacy except a significantly higher proportion of estrous ewes during the first 2 weeks after ram introduction in the group treated with progesterone. However, the use of 'ram effect' combined with progesterone pre-treatment was less effective in inducing out-of-seasonal reproductive activities than the conventional method using progesterone-impregnated vaginal sponge and pregnant mare's serum gonadotropin.


A navigation device is installed in a moving body performing inter-vehicle communication. A navigation device includes a communication means, a moving body direction judging means, and a leading moving body determining means. The communication means receives attribute information about a second moving body around the first moving body having the navigation device. The moving body direction judging means judges from the attribute information about the second moving body whether or not the direction in which the second moving body is traveling is the same as the direction in which the first moving body is traveling. If the direction in which the second moving body is traveling is the same as the direction in which the first moving body is traveling, the leading moving body determining means determines whether or not the second moving body is made a leading moving body to lead the first moving body depending on the degree of the correlation between the attribute information about the second moving body and the attribute information about the moving body.


The stated purpose of this book is to piece together as much information as possible on the specific ways in which the oil companies operate against the public interest. Most of the information presented has been on the public record in one form or another, in little-read congressional reports and studies, in government statistics, and in industry trade journals. Put together, it reveals an awesome pattern of the power of the energy cartel and how that power is used, according to the authors. Various separate aspects of oil industry operations, such as foreign and domestic oil production and transportation of oil by pipeline and tanker, are dealt with individually. In each area, one specific pattern is shown to center around the relationship of the oil industry to the Federal government. The various chapters examine in detail the ways in which the power of the energy cartel is wielded--with the acquiescence or assistance of the government--through (1) exercise of undue influence on government policy; (2) discriminatory operation of joint venture pipelines; (3) exertion of sufficient control over energy research and development to impede the realization of energy from alternative sources; (4) manipulation of intra-company prices, tax evasion, and excessive concern withmore » supplies and prerogatives at the expense of the price of foreign oil; (5) increased prices and diminished supplies of domestic crude oil; (6) overcharge of the consumer and tax evasion through foreign flag shipping; and (7) the misleading of the general public on the meaning of oil company profits. (MCW)« less


Objective To observe the changes of thyroid hormone and reproductive hormone in post-acute traumatic brain injury(TBI).Methods70 post-acute TBI patients were selected from Beijing Charity Hospital from September 2009 to March 2010.The levels of thyroid stimulating hormone(TSH),triiodothyronine(T3),thyroxine(T4),free triiodothyronine(FT3),free thyroxine(FT4),follicie stimulating hormone(FSH),luteinizing hormone(LH),estradiol(E2),progesterone(P),and testosterone(T) were measured at 7 a.m.to 8 a.m.on the second day of admisson.According to the reference ranges,the total abnormal rate and the single hormone abnormal rate were calculated.According to the level of hormone,the subjects were divided into the normal group and the abnormal group.The two groups were compared in gender,age,course of disease,duration of coma,basal fracture and scores of Disability Rating Scale(DRS).ResultsThe total abnormal incidence of anterior pituitary hormone was 77.1% in post-acute TBI.The abnormality of reproductive hormones was higher.The duration of coma was related to the reproductive hormone.ConclusionThe abnormal incidence of anterior pituitary hormone occurs frequently in post-acute TBI.The duration of coma is related to the reproductive hormone.


Recently, in an effort to increase the study in the third party logistics (TPL), it is important to select supplier considering a lot of factors. So we show the way to select supplier company in TPL using Multi-Attribute Analysis. In this study, First, using the solution methodology of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to select the supplier with lots of factors, Second, appling fuzzy set ranking methodologies to integrate the special decision problems. We hav e dev eloped a computer program to solve it and show sample outputs.


Using a modified statistical sampling and verification approach, total uncertainty of INEL`s Passive Active Neutron (PAN) radioassay system was evaluated for combustible and glass content codes. Waste structure and content of 100 randomly selected drums in each the waste categories were computer modeled based on review of real-time radiography video tapes. Specific quantities of Pu were added to the drum models according to an experimental design. These drum models were then submitted to the Monte Carlo Neutron Photon code processing and subsequent calculations to produce simulated PAN system measurements. The reported Pu masses from the simulation runs were compared with the corresponding input masses. Analysis of the measurement errors produced uncertainty estimates. This paper presents results of the uncertainty calculations and compares them to previous reported results obtained for graphite waste.


Tecia solanivora is one of the most limiting potato pests and the use of granulovirus constitutes a promissory alternative for its control. A biopesticide based on a granulovirus isolate from Peru is manufactured in Colombia, for controlling the pest under storage conditions. In a previous work, three native granulovirus from T. solanivora larvae from the localities of Choconta, Mosquera and Carmen de Carupa of the Cundinamarca department were isolated. These native strains could be better adapted to both the host and the environmental conditions of the country. In the present work the three native isolates of granulovirus were evaluated formulated and unformulated under laboratory conditions by using a bioassay and were compared with the Peruvian strain. The formulated native viruses presented the highest efficacy with results between 88% and 100%, while the Peruvian isolate obtained 88%. These results were significantly different from the obtained with the unformulated virus isolates, for which the efficacy ranged between 36% and 86% for native isolates and was 59% for the Peruvian strain. The concentration of occlusion bodies (OB) produced per milligram of larva tissue was measured and no significant differences between the isolates were observed. The average yield was 4.4 x 107 OB/mg larvae. Results allowed to select the native isolate from Mosquera (Cundinamarca) for a future biopesticide development for presenting the highest virulence levels.


The experiment was carried out in a typical hilly area of Central Italy, characterized by the occurrence of two major plant communities (PC) : grassland, dominated by Poa pratensis and Trifolium spp., and forest, where Carpinus betulus and Juniperus oxycedrus were the dominant woody species. The area was used and partly overgrazed during the years prior to the experiment by sheep, goats, cattle, and horses. The animals used in the experiment were 18 Heidschnucken sheep and 16 Alpine and Spanish-type goats, distributed in three homogeneous 5-hectare plots according to the following scheme : only sheep (S) ; only goats (G) ; sheep and goats in equal proportion (GS). Animals were allowed to graze from 800 to 1800 each day at similar grazing pressures (50 kg MW/ha), and penned at night in enclosed sheds.


pages of graphs and computer print-outs (cf. 9), the author not only fails to pay due attention to bias in the sample, but also does not question the reliability of a sample of this size. The expectation of life for women at the age of fifteen is in fact not 29-78 years as stated (147-8). The sample shows only that, considerations of bias aside, the expectation of life can be assumed to lie between 26-11 and 33 • 45 years. There is no index: indeed, the author's preference for discrete arrangement of the evidence renders an index less necessary, albeit at the expense of coherent analysis. The book gives a thorough account of the literary and archaeological evidence for the population of this area during the period in question; and the section devoted to archaeology is certainly valuable. But the aim of providing a scientific demographic study is not achieved; and it is very questionable whether a competent statistical approach would have yielded results worth having.


Owing to serious soil pollution with heavy metal,much attention has been paid to phytoextraction of contaminated soil.However,since lots of complicated soil environment factors and plant factors may confine the efficiency of phytoextraction,a series of chemical and engineering measures are to be taken to enhance the phytoextraction.Though chelate-enhanced phytoremediation has been studied in many other papers,there are still lots of problems and uncertainties,in spite of the fact that most of chelate-induced phytoremediation studies did produce remarkable enhancing effect.From our study,it has been found that problems with chelate-assisted phytoremediation can be solved through selecting proper chelators and applying methods and making certain leaching-prevented measures.Combining traditional soil pollution remediation technology with phytoremediation,electrokinetic enhancement and surfactant enhancement have been used recently to assist phytoremediation.The use of genetic engineering to enhancing phytoremediation has great potential.Transferring the genes involved in heavy metal tolerance and accumulation into target plants can improved their phytoremediation traits.In order to reduce the probability of the spread of gene-transformation activities from a genetically modified crop to the typical natural plant populations and the gene-transformed plants entering into our food chains,we can choose biological encapsulation strategy and non-crop plants which are repulsive to herbivores.The paper has also summarized recent advances in chemical and engineering technologies as strengthening technologies for phytoremediation.The basic principles,involved chelators and genes,main technological procedures,problems and solutions of chemical and engineering enhancement have been discussed.The paper also provides some prospects for the field.


Water soluble pectin in peach (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch) fruit, which is well known to increase with fruit maturation, was isolated and characterized. The water soluble polysaccharides were extracted from crude cell walls of immature and over-ripe fruits and separated on an ion exchange column (DEAE-Agarose 2.5 × 30 cm). By eluting with 50 mM phosphate buffer (pH 6.0) and then the buffer containing 0.1 and 0.5 M NaCl, the water soluble polysaccharides from unripe and ripe fruits were separated into fraction I and II, and fractions I, II and III, respectively. The polysaccharides in fractions II and III (pectic polymers) were applied to the gel filtration column (Sepharose CL-4B 1.5 × 40 cm) to determine their molecular weights. The data reveal that the molecular weight of fraction III was heavier than that of II. The sugar composition analysis, using gas liquid chromatography, indicated that the two dominant neutral sugars in fraction II were galactose (30-40%) and arabinose (40-48%), whereas in fraction III, it was arabinose (more than 65%). These data show that fractions II and III have different neutral side chains of pectic polysaccharides.


The family Potamotrygonidae are the only species of stingrays restricted to fresh water and located exclusively in South America. The objective of this research was to analyze the morphological aspects and germ cells of the male reproductive tract of Potamotrygon amandae. The samples were fixed in 10% formalin, and then dehydrated in an ascending ethanol series (70 to 100%). To carry out light microscopy analyses, they were embedded in paraffin, cut and stained; as for scanning electron microscopy analyses, the samples were dried, glued in metallic bases and metalized. The gross morphology consisted of the following paired organs: testis, epididymis, deferent duct, Leydig gland, seminal vesicle, clasper, and the clasper gland. Microscopically, several stages of spermatogenesis were observed in the testis, occurring in spherical follicles, similar to other stingrays. The epididymis was formed by one duct subdivided in various tubules. The deferent ducts were continuous with the epididymis, and the lumen was full of spermatozoa. The Leydig glands consisted of glandular units with eosinophilic content in the lumen of some, and the deferent ducts ran parallel to the ventral portion. The seminal vesicles possessed numerous compartments to store the sperm, with a wall similar to a hive, and the lumen was full of spermatozoa. Alcian Blue (AB) and Periodic Schiff-Acid (PAS) performed in the Leydig Gland, deferens ducts and seminal vesicle was positive only in the connective tissue, the cilia were PAS+ and the nuclei stained weakly for AB. The clasper gland was composed of unit glands and was covered with striated muscle externally. It stained very well with Periodic Schiff-Acid. The morphological aspects of the male reproductive tract of Potamotrygon amandae were similar to other stingrays.


From the Publisher:
If you're looking for an easy-to-understand introduction to third generation (3G) mobile communication system principles, concepts, and applications, this first-of-its-kind resource is a smart choice. The book clearly presents the basics of UMTS systems in one comprehensive volume, without bogging you down with advanced mathematics. You get a complete overview of UMTS systems, information on the latest 3G technology standards, a review of the wideband CDMA air interface, details on network architecture, and guidance in network planning and management.

Other key topics include new concepts in the UMTS network, 3G system signaling procedures, 3G services and applications, modulation and coding, and standardization organizations and industry groups. Moreover, the book takes a look at the future of wireless communications, projecting the continued evolution of 3G systems. An exhaustive list of references, including key website addresses, is provided in every chapter to help you gain access to further information.


Predicates are used in a variety of formal specification languages, though a predicate does not always mean the same thing in each approach. For example, the predicate false in Z means the same thing as true in the predicative calculus of Hehner. In this paper, we compare the specification languages Z, Morgan's Refinement Calculus, and Parnas's Limited Domain relations, using the timed predicative calculus (TP) of Hehner as an underlying framework. In particular, we show that TP is more expressive than the other languages. We also show that refinement in TP is strictly weaker than the refinement relations associated with the other languages. As a result, refinement laws from the other languages can be reused in TP. We conject that the simplicity of TP makes it a good candidate as a specification language and program development method for the refinement of procedural specifications, as well as real-time object oriented specifications. ∗Email: {jonathan, email@example.com. Supported by a grant from NSERC.


Background: India has the highest number of infant deaths, contributing about 23% to the global burden of infant deaths. Sustainable development goal states that, by 2030, preventable deaths of new-borns and children under 5 years of age should be ended, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal mortality to at least as low as 12 per 1000 live births and under-5 mortality to at least as low as 25 per 1000 live births. Aims of the study: (1) to understand the socio-demographic profile of the study cases, (2) to correlate the causes of infant deaths with age, parity and other obstetrics parameters.Methods: The present study was undertaken for the period of one year from January to December 2016. The study included 120 deceased infants from department of Pediatrics, Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS) Hospital, Belagavi. Information regarding socio-demographic profile, antenatal, intranatal and infant details were collected using a structured questionnaire.Results: 61.6% of study cases were male and three-fourth of them resided in rural area. 56.2% of the deceased infants were LBW, followed by VLBW (34.9%) and ELBW (8.9%).  The common causes of death among the deceased infants were prematurity (45%) followed by, birth asphyxia (34.2%), sepsis (12.5%), pneumonia (3.3%) and congenital anomalies and other (2.5%).Conclusions: Age of the infants, gestational age, place of delivery, delivery assisted and LBW were associated with infant deaths. There is a need for proper implementation of programmes related to mother and child health care.


Focusing on the problems existed in testing leak for engine air valves with kerosene, a device for leak testing is developed with the feature of fluid mechanics and tightness so as to increase production efficiency, reduce cost and improve working environment. Such device is widely applied in Liuzhou Wulin Automobile Co. Ltd, Liuzhou Machinery plant with good results.


Subpopulation algorithm based on novelty (SAN) has been investigated for some time and proved that it can be used for multi-objective optimization problems. It outperforms subpopulation algorithm based on general differential evolution (SAGDE) under the same framework, which highlights its special intrinsic mechanism. This intrinsic mechanism has something in common with some state-of-the-art multi-objective optimization algorithms. However, SAN has not yet proved its ability to be better than these algorithms and has not proven its ability to optimize problems with more than 5 objectives. In this paper, the advantage of SAN over other subpopulation algorithms, i.e., novelty search, is presented in detail. The similarities and differences between the intrinsic mechanisms of SAN, nondominated sorting genetic algorithm series (NSGAs) and multi-objective evolutionary algorithm based on decomposition (MOEA/D) are also analyzed. Finally, these three algorithms are evaluated on several well-known benchmark problems with more than two objectives. The result shows SAN surpassed NSGA-III (latest version in NSGAs) in 20 out of the 32 problems, surpassed MOEA/D in 26 problems in 10 runs, which preliminary proved it surpasses the State-of-the-Art.


The aim of the project is a cost analysis of 2 different strategies "train-the-trainer-seminar" (ttt-seminar) and "implementation guideline" (ig) in the implementation of a standardised patient education program in the inpatient rehabilitation of patients with chronic back pain. The implementation strategies were assigned by chance to 10 rehabilitation clinics. Expenditure of time was evaluated by questionnaire. Additionally materials and travel expenses were calculated. The total implementation costs accounted 4 582 € for the ttt-seminar and were about one third (35%) higher than the costs for the ig-strategy. The higher total implementation costs can basically be attributed to higher personnel costs due to the time-consuming seminar. However, in the ig-strategy postprocessing costs were 23.5% higher than in the ttt-strategy.


Conventional asynchronous control circuit design is complex because potential designs must be analysed for the existence of hazards and state variable races, as these may cause incorrect circuit operation. We present the innovative CMOS direct-mapped asynchronous circuit design approach, which, by defining a one-to-one mapping between state diagram and CMOS circuit implementation, removes the need for race and hazard circuit analysis It allows for regular, fast, multiple-input-change, nonfundamental mode asynchronous control circuits to be realised in CMOS technology.


The Pletmos Basin is one of 5 sub-basins situated in the Outeniqua basin off the south coast of South Africa and covers approximately 18000 km. The Northern Pletmos sub-basin comprises of two depocentres, the Plettenberg Graben and the Superior Graben which are separated by a high prominent transfer arch. Extensive sediment thickness has been mapped adjacent to basin-bounding faults. The Pletmos Basin has proven operating petroleum systems with numerous oil shows, mature oilto wet-gas prone source rocks and good quality reservoir sandstones. Reservoirs often contain lithological elements which are affected by the heterogeneous porosity or permeability distributions that are further affected by complex fault systems that considerably affect fluid flow paths and distribution. Reservoir heterogeneity occurs at regional scale or at a local scale of metres where heterogeneities are controlled by bedding, fluid changes, and diageneitc effects. An integrated approach of seismic analysis and petrophysics has been undertaken to understand reservoir heterogeneity and its impact on the reservoirs. Integration of wireline logs, seismic interpretation and incorporating poisson's dynamic ratio to determine the reservoir heterogeneity. A reliable model of the Pletmos Basin reservoirs will be developed to help characterise the hydrocarbon reservoirs and describe the evolution of their elastic properties with changing depth or fluid fill.


The article is devoted to the criminal-law characteristic and the analysis of problematic issues of a quantitative sign of complicity in a crime, which are carried out on the basis of the existing criminal legislation of Ukraine, the international standards and scientific researches of the last decades. In particular, the attention is focused on fixing of a quantitative sign in legislative definition of concept of complicity in a crime, and also its regulation in other criminal precepts of law
concerning this institute. The question about rather deliberate joint participation of the appropriate subject of a crime together with the person, which isn't allocated with signs of such subject is considered.
Key words: complicity in a crime, quantitative sign of complicity in a crime, subject of a crime, person, qualification of acts.


A deficit was evidenced in solving mathematical problems at "Dr. Pompeyo Montalvo" intercultural Bilingual Educational institute. Consequently, this has resulted in a reduced logical thinking development. The possible causes can be the strategies applied during the teaching -learning process, and lack of student interest in mathematics. This being the cause that led to this investigation and posing as the research objective. This investigation hopes to demonstrate how mathematical problem solving through the use of concrete material, the interpretation of graphical statistics, and the use of fiee software encourages the development of logical thinking in students of ninth year of basic education. This research is non-experimental, descriptive, explanatory and correlational, based on an inductive and deductive research because it allows the situation regarding teaching mathematics to be known. The instrument used is a survey which facilitated data gathering from 25 students of the ninth year of basic education. The process for analyzing the information was obtained by applying concrete material, interpreting statistical graphs, and the Geogebra mathematical software applied to problem solving content designated to ninth year students. In addition, the corresponding hypotheses are proposed. In the alternative guideline, a learning guide called "The use of the Polya and Heuristics method in solving mathematical problems to develop logical thinking". Likewise, the data was interpreted statistically and graphically. The results described the before and after related to the use of the study guide. The hypotheses were tested using a chi-square statistic. It was concluded that it is necessary to apply strategies to help develop logical thinking by solving mathematical problems using concrete material, the interpretation of statistical graphics and the application of Geogebra software. Finally, endorsing the usefulness of the strategies and processes proposed in the study guide.
Keywords: Mathematical Problems, Logical Thinking, Methods and Strategies, Concrete Material, Statistical Graphics and Free


Objective To explore the curative effects of comprehensive therapy under the multi-subjects integrative medical treatment in patients with severe craniocerebral injury(SCCI).Methods The medical resources of departments of neurology and neurosurgery,care of neurology,recovery of neurology,nurse of neurology were integrated into so as to establish a multi-subjects integrative medical group.Of 68 patients with SCCI who were divided randomly into two groups according to priority of admittance to hospital,32 cases received comprehensive treatment under integrative medical model(treatment group),and 36 cases were treated by traditional routine method(control group).The observation indicators were National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS),activities of daily living(ADL),Glasgow coma scale(GCS),Glasgow outcome score(GOS),days in hospital,mortality rate and complications.Results After the treatment,NIHSS,ADL and GCS in the treatment group were 6.87±5.35,90.42±15.35,13.92±1.05,respectively,and those in the control group were 19.67±9.78,63.33±10.45 and 10.86±1.47 respectively.There were significant differences in them between both the groups(P0.01).After treatment,20 cases(62.5%)survived well,3 cases(9.4%)suffered from moderate disability,4 cases(12.5%)severve disability,1 case(3.1%) were vegetable survival,and 4 cases(12.5%)death in the treatment group,while 8 cases(22.2%) survived well,4 cases(11.1%)suffered from moderate disability,10 severve disability(27.8%),2 cases(5.6%)were vegetable survival,and 12 cases(33.3%)death in the control group,the difference between the two groups was significant(P0.01).The incidence of complications in treatment group was 15.4%(5/32),which was lower than that of 41.7%(15/36)in control group(P0.05).The average days in hospital were significantly fewer in the treatment group than those in the control group[(24.7±10.2)days vs(35.3±14.7)days,P0.01].Conclusion The comprehensive treatment under the multi-subjects integrative medical treatment can enhance the cure rate and reduce the complication,mortality,disabled rate and average day in hospital in the patients with SCCI,and enhance the patients' life quality.


The NHS at 75: income inequality is the main driver of poor health Christopher Tiley GP Dixon and Alderwick's editorial on the NHS at 75 was full of relevant and pithy comment.1 It makes only a passing reference, however, to the kind of fundamental shift that is needed to keep the NHS alive and in rude health in the future. The authors deemed catch-up investment unlikely unless "a bigger political appetite emerges for higher taxes or fiscal debt."1 Although this is true, it misses the larger point about the consequences of profound and worsening income inequality; it is the main driver of poor health and poor social outcomes and is therefore the prime cause of the morbidity and stress any future workforce will face. The tap of disease and suffering can be turned down—all I seem to read about is how to repair the bath or make it bigger.


Coating for surfaces, containing at least one polysilazane of the formula 1 - (SiRR'R '' - NR '' ') n- (1) in which R ', R' ', R' 'are the same or different and are independently hydrogen or an optionally substituted alkylene, aryl, vinyl or (trialkoxysilyl) alkyl radical. is wherein n is an integer and n is such that the perhydropolysilazane has a number average molecular weight of 150 to 150,000 g / mol, a solvent and a catalyst. The cured coating has a thickness of at least 0.05-10 microns, preferably 0.2 to 5 microns, most preferably 0.5 to 1.5 micrometers. It is particularly suitable as a transmission-promoting coating for use in sun-sided solar cell covers.


A study is reported that examined how the achievement performances of disabled and nondisabled students are evaluated by others, and the possible role of attribution processes in mediating these performance evaluations. Female college students observed a young male confederate being administered a mathematics test. Whether or not the student appeared to be disabled and the level of performance on the mathematics test were varied in a 2 x 2 design. In contrast to expectations, the results indicated that the disabled student was evaluated more negatively for the same level of performance. Consistent with Weiner's attribution model, perceptions of control were found to be predictive of performance evaluations. However, a regression analysis indicated that attribution processes did not account for the differential evaluations received by the disabled and the nondisabled student.


A vertex coloring is an assignment of labels or colors to each vertex of a graph such that no edge connects two identically colored vertices. A vertex coloring that minimize the number of colors needed for a given graph G is known as a minimum vertex coloring of G. The minimum number of colors itself is called the chromatic number, denoted chi(G), and a graph with chromatic number chi(G)=k is said to be a k-chromatic graph. Brelaz's heuristic algorithm can be used to find a good, but not...


Contributions to the Chemistry of Boron, CVI. Mercury (Dimethylboryl)methylamides

The volatile compounds Hg[NCH3 B(CH3)2]2 and CH3Hg NCH3 – B(CH3)2 have been prepared. They are stable up to 80°C and show no assoziation in solution or the gaseous phase either through Hg N or B N coordinative bonding.


The reduction of gate busline RC propagation delay and the enhancement of pixel electrode aperture-ratio are very critical for large-area and high-resolution active-matrix liquid crystal displays (AMLCDs). To achieve these goals, Cu gate hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin-film transistors (TFTs) must be developed. However, Cu shows high reactivity during PECVD of certain films, poor adhesion to glass substrates, and high diffusivity through PECVD gate insulators under electrical bias. These problems must be overcome before this metallurgy can be used for a-Si:H TFTs. To overcome these problems, we propose to apply gate planarization (GP) technology to a-Si:H TFTs incorporating Cu gate metalurgy. In this paper, we show that it is possible to combine Cu metallization with a low dielectric constant organic dielectric planarization layer to fabricate a-Si:H TFT structures that can be used in AMLCDs. Benzocyclobutene (BCB, ε/sub r/=2.4) was chosen as the planarization layer for the Cu gate electrodes, since it has been successfully used in VLSI technology. In addition, by using the BCB layer, not only has Cu layer adhesion to the glass substrate been improved, but at the same time the high reactivity of the Cu surface can be controlled. The step coverage of the thick gate metal is not a problem with this technology. The low dielectric constant of this material also reduces the parasitic capacitance associated with a-Si:H TFT circuitry.


The thesis has used system approach including pulse process figure and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to analyze systemically the factors which affect the stability of loess slope, and to structure the systemic hierarchiecal relationship between the factors.


The refractive index changes induced by stimulated Brillouin scattering in an optical fiber are measured experimentally by polarization-decoupled four-wave mixing. Under undepleted pump approximation, net phase-matching condition depends on pump power and frequency detuning from Brillouin frequency. By investigating this net phase-matching condition, one can measure spectral change in the refractive index which is responsible for the slow light effect based on stimulated Brillouin scattering. Due to the high sensitivity of the measurement, very small refractive index changes (on the order of 10-8) versus frequency detuning can be determined experimentally, which is the lowest index change reported so far.


Mathematics as a discipline is considered as one of the most difficult subjects among Filipino learners. This study was conducted in a public national high school in the Mandaue City Division, Cebu, Philippines. The respondents were the 177 Grade 9 students enrolled in mathematics. These respondents were selected using probability random sampling. They were asked to answer a standardized survey questionnaire to assess their attitudes and study habits. The tool is consists of three parts. Part 1 gathers the socio-demographic profile of the respondents. Part 2 assesses the attitudes of the respondents towards mathematics, while Part 3 was used to assess the study habits of the respondents. Furthermore, their academic performance in mathematics was measured based on their first quarter grade, which was retrieved from the Registrar's Office. The study revealed that those respondents had positive attitudes towards mathematics in terms of its value while they had a neutral attitude when it comes to their self-confidence, enjoyment, and motivation in mathematics. Also, the study shows that there was a negligible positive correlation between the attitudes and academic performance of the respondents in terms of their self-confidence, enjoyment, and motivation while there was a weak positive correlation between the value of math and their academic performance in math. It was concluded that students' attitudes and their study habits are significant factors that affect their performance in mathematics. The researchers strongly recommend the utilization of the enhancement plan in the teaching of mathematics to junior high school students.


Objective To determine the changes of hemodynamics caused by retinal and choroidal rupture. Methods CDFI was applied to determine the flow parameters of the ophthalmic artery (OA), central retinal artery (CRA) and posterior ciliary arteries (PACs) of the affected, by retinal and choroidal rupture, and unaffected eyes. The peak systolic velocity (PSV), end diastolic velocity (EDV), pulsation index (PI) and resistance index (RI) were measured. Results There was a significant difference (P0.05) between the affected by the retinal and choroidal rupture and unaffected eyes of PSV, EDV, PI and RI in the CRA and PACs. No significant difference (P0.05) was observed in the OA of the affected eye by the retinal and choroidal rupture in comparison with the unaffected. Conclusion The flow velocity in the CRA and PCAs of the affected eye by retinal and choroidal rupture was reduced comparing to that of the unaffected eye, and also the RI was increased. CDFI is used for determining the changes of the flow velocity and RI which serves as an important indicator for the diagnosis, treatment and the prognostic value of ocular injury.


Abstract The tourism industry provides the impetus for the development of the habitat environment, while the development of the habitat environment lays the foundation for the development of the tourism industry, and the two develop in a coordinated manner. In rural habitat improvement, rural tourism development should be integrated with rural habitat improvement, and a coordinated integration system of rural tourism and habitat environment should be built to extend the coverage of rural habitat improvement and improve the level of rural tourism development. This study constructs a comprehensive evaluation system and evaluation indexes for the development level of the rural tourism industry, and the analysis of the coupling coordination degree results shows that Fi(x, t) > F2(y, t) from 2017 to 2020, and Fi(x, t) < F2(y, t) from 2014 to 2016 and 2021 to 2022. From the integration coordination degree (D), from 2014 to 2018, the integration coordination degree (D) of rural tourism and habitat environment shows a fluctuation trend, the integration degree shows an upward trend, the coordination area of rural tourism income level shows a spatial polarization gesture, and the integration of cultural industry and tourism industry reaches the initial coordination by 2021. The integration of rural tourism and habitat environment in China is currently in a dysfunctional state, which is very unfavorable to the long-term development of China's rural tourism industry and threatens the original habitat environment and should adhere to the people-oriented principle, gradually build up a coordinated integration system of rural tourism and habitat environment in China, and realize a win-win situation for the development of rural tourism and habitat environment.


Eighteen vegetable crops species were tested as hosts for Pratylenchus brachyurus under greenhouse conditions: cabbage, cantaloupe, carrot, cauliflower, Chinese kale, cucumber, eggplant, gherkin, green onion, kale, lettuce, okra, onion, pea, squash, sweet pepper, tomato, and watermelon. Corn and French marigold were included as standard resistant and susceptible hosts, respectively. Under onion, cabbage, sweet pepper, carrot, lettuce and the French marigold control the nematode population declined. Cucumber, okra, tomato and cantaloupe were very susceptible to P. brachyurus . Reproduction of P. brachyurus on these plants was equal to or even higher than on corn.


The discussion upon the innovative model for the middle-and-small company logistics is a possible contribution to the improvement of the managing.The paper introduced the current situation of the logistic and analysed the main problems.Some proposals are given based on the characteristics of the companies.


The study has aim of analyze the sensitivity of the (BBS) to detect the risk of falling in individuals with knee osteoarthritis (KOA), and to investigate an association between functional capacity, KOA degree, pain, index of fear of falling, and history of falls with the BBS score. Method: Participants were 69 individuals with KOA. The BBS 45, 47, 49, 51 and 53 cut-off points were used to analyze sensitivity and specificity of the test. The WOMAC questionnaire, Falls Efficacy Scale International (FES-I) and visual analog scale were herein used. The results showed significant differences between the KOA groups with and without history of falls. The BBS showed a strong correlation between the Womac and the FES-I, and moderate correlation between history of falls and KOA degree. The BBS did not show an ideal cut-off point for individuals with KOA. However, the scale is sensitive to individual differences in this population.


Objective To explore the diagnosis and treatment of closed urethral injuries.Methods The clinical data of 23 cases of closed urethral injuries were retrospectively analyzed,including 9 cases of anterior urethral injuries,10 cases of bulbous urethral injuries,and 4 cases of posterior urethral injuries.Indwelling catheterization,ant-inflammation and hemostasis were performed in 2 cases of urethral contusion and 2 cases of incomplete rupture of urethra.Totally 16 cases of incomplete rupture of urethra were treated by surgical operation in which 7 cases were performed by urethral realignment and 7 cases by urethral anastomoses.There were 5 cases of complete rupture of urethra,of whom,urethral realignment was performed in 3 cases,urethral anastomoses in 1 case and simple cystostomy in 1 case.Results Through drug treatment and operation,satisfactory effects were obtained in 23 patients with less complication.Conclusion Reasonable therapeutic measurement should be in accordance with the degree and position of urethral injury.


Abstract Hard sciences such as chemistry contain small but significant areas of unpredictability. Where there is complexity there may be greater unpredictability. This is the case with the relationship between museum collections and their environments. The detenninistic laws of science can only be applied to museum objects with great uncertainty, made even greater by the value judgments that drive museum policy. Study of individual objects will lower that uncertainty, but in general a probabilistic approach to future outcomes is the only one that can be used with confidence.


Introduction: Stroke is one of the most common neurological diseases that cause mortality and morbidity in the society, and management of risk factors is important. Therefore, in our study, we aimed to compare the risk factors in stroke with past and present. Methods: Patients hospitalized in the neurology service of our hospital with a diagnosis of stroke in the first three months after 01.01.2019 were retrospectively handled and a form was prepared in the same format of the study performed 27 years ago. New patients 'Group 1'; Patients 27 years ago were classified as 'Group 2'. Results: In Group1, HT was 63.0%, respectively; DM 32.1%; heart disease 39.8%; previous SVH 25.5%; hyperlipidemia 20.4%; smoking 17.3%; while alcohol use is 3.0%; In Group 2, these rates were 66.4%, 34.0%, 42.7%, 22.7%, 43.9%, 33.6%, 7.0%, respectively. When the risk factors of the patients were compared between the groups, there was a statistically significant decrease in cigarette-alcohol use and hyperlipidemia in favor of today (p>0.05). It was observed that the mortality decreased today compared to the past. (p<0.05). Conclusion: Factors that pose a risk in stroke and complications of combating diseases are evident in reducing mortality; It was thought to be partially effective in increasing the positive morbidity.


The University of California (UC) has adopted the UCLA Grid Portal (UGP), a Globus Incubator project, to create grids of computational clusters [1] at its campuses. Campus grids can also be accessed system wide via the UC Grid Portal. Developed as a set of portlets for the GridSphere Portal Framework, parts of UGP, such as those for data management and job submission, have been rewritten using AJAX technologies. In this paper we will discuss the latest additions to UGP. These include: the various UGP services that were programmed using AJAX technologies, the ability to run interactive applications such as Matlab™ and Mathematica™ through the portal web interface, and appForm, our interface that allows portal administrators to easily create application input forms for users. appForm makes extensive use of Web 2.0 technologies.


Background:
 Use of the Impella 5.5 trans-valvular axial flow pump is increasing among patients with heart failure and cardiogenic shock (HF-CS) as a bridge to advanced therapies or myocardial recovery. The effect of trans-valvular left ventricular (LV) unloading on biventricular hemodynamics remains poorly understood.

 Methods:
 Seven patients with HF-CS underwent Impella 5.5 placement. A conductance catheter was placed first in the right ventricle (RV) then the LV to record pre-support pressure-volume loops. After insertion of the Impella 5.5, LV then RV loops were recorded within 15 minutes of device activation. Pulmonary artery catheter indices were recorded before and after Impella 5.5 activation.

 Results:
 Compared to baseline values, Impella 5.5 activation significantly decreased LV systolic and diastolic pressures as well as LV dP/dt(max) (Figure and Table). Impella 5.5 also significantly decreased right atrial, pulmonary (systolic/diastolic/mean) and RV diastolic pressures. Both LV and RV pressure-volume area and stroke work were not significantly changed with acute LV unloading.

 Conclusions:
 Trans-valvular unloading with an Impella 5.5 decreases biventricular filling pressures and reduces pulmonary pressures. These findings suggest that percutaneous LV unloading in patients with acute decompensated heart failure and cardiogenic shock may improve RV performance.


We map the requirements and design rules for dielectric materials that
target large scale energy storage applications of electrostatic capacitors. The
molecular unit (dielectrophore) must
contain three main components: a polarizable subunit having large electric
dipole, an isolating subunit which prevents current leakage, and a structural
element that promotes self-assembly of molecules in solution and in mesophase
and promotes crystallization in the process of film formation. This structural
subunit is necessary for high molecular density and enhanced resistivity of
film. The process engineering steps required for the supramolecular assembly
and crystal film formation (cascade
crystallization) are addressed.


Heavy rainfall disasters frequently damage bridge piers due to scouring, which resulted in collapse of bridges in many areas in Japan. In this study, we developed a model for evaluating the tilting risk of bridge pier due to scouring around the pier, which fluctuates depending on rainfall conditions based on machine learning. For evaluating the risk potential of scouring, we developed a model based on past disaster data due to scouring around the pier using a neural network. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis was conducted using the parameters of explanatory variables of the developed model, river level, and distance from the water edge to the pier. The results showed that the disaster risk around the pier due to scouring increased with the increase in river level and decrease in the distance from the water edge to the pier. Additionally, a river level prediction model was developed using support vector regression with the precipitation time measured 5 – 8 h beforehand and river level measured several hours earlier as an explanatory variable. Furthermore, this study shows that the two developed models can be combined with each other to assess the disaster risk around the jetty due to scouring, which varies with rainfall conditions, based on the observed meteorological information.


The Multivariate Hensel Lemma for local rings is usually proved as a consequence of the Grothendieck version of Zariski's Main Theorem. This ZMT deals with a more general situation that is a priori much more difficult. In this paper we give a direct constructive proof of the Multivariate Hensel Lemma for ultrametric valuated fields, without using ZMT. In classical mathematics this implies the Lemma for rank-one valued fields.


ABSTRACTThe most primitive mechanism of cellular protection involves the expression of a polypeptide family named heat shock or stress proteins (hsps). Some of these hsps are present in unstressed cells and play an important role in the folding and translocation of polypeptides across membranes. Thu