[Objective]To observe the influence of acupuncture on the expression of IL-6 in brain tissue and serum in rats with focal cerebral ischemia.[Method] Focal cerebral ischemia in rat was established by obstructing one side middle cerebral artery with thermocoagulation method,and the expression of IL-6 in brain tissue and serum was measured with radio-immunologic method.[Result] Compared with the normal group,the expression of IL-6 in brain tissue and serum in the ischemia group at 3,6,12,24 hours after cerebral ischemia was all significantly increased(P0.01).Compared with the ischemia group at the same time periods,the IL-6 expression in brain tissue in the acupuncture group at 3,6,12 hours after acupuncture treatment was significantly reduced(P0.01),and was obviously lower than that in normal group(P0.01).After cerebral ischemia,the serum IL-6 expression sharply increased after three hours.Compared with the sham operation group and the normal group at the same time periods,the serum IL-6 expression in the ischemia group at 3,6,12 hours was significantly increased(P0.01).Compared with the ischemia group at the same time periods,the serum IL-6 content in the acupuncture group at 3,6,12 hours after treatment was significantly reduced(P0.01).The serum IL-6 expression in the acupuncture group at 24 and 48 hours was obviously increased,and compared with the normal group and the sham operation group it had significant difference.(P0.01).[Conclusion]Through regulating IL-6,the acupuncture can exert its anti-inflammatory and neuro-protective effect,and can promote the recovery of the injured neurons.That may be one of the effect mechanisms of acupuncture for treating ischemic cerebral apoplexy.


Track fasteners on the railway tracks are extremely critical to ensure the safe operation of the railway transportation system. Fast and accurate fastener detection is of great significance for improving the inspection efficiency of railway tracks. However, the existing fastener detection methods have the problem that the detection accuracy and detection speed of the model cannot be well balanced. In this paper, we present a track fastener detection method, which is based on the YOLOv4-Tiny deep convolution neural network. Specifically, data augmentation technology is applied to resolve imbalanced samples, the swish activation function is applied to track fastener detection, and the optimized detection model is deployed in Jetson Xavier NX embedded platform. The experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively improve the accuracy and speed of fastener detection. It paves the way for the real-time track inspection tools to reduce track inspection cost and improve track safety.


The evolution of the regulation of gene expression probably played an important part in gene subfunctionalisation and neofunctionalisation. The existence of gene specific transcript profiles suggests functional diversification, hence loss of functional redundancy, and could explain the maintenance of numerous paralogues in a genome. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR techniques proved to be suitable for the expression studies of gene families with highly variable expression levels and related sequences. The model genome of Arabidopsis thaliana contains a DEAD box RNA helicase family (RH) of 58 members, i. E. Almost twice as many as in the animal or yeast genomes. Transcript profiling using real-time quantitative PCR has been obtained for 20 AtRHs from 9 different organs. Among the members of this housekeeping gene family, two AtRHs exhibited plant specific transcript profiles while the other 18 AtRHs had similar profiles, but very different levels of transcription. The main regulatory element of the transcript level is the simultaneous presence of a TATA-box and an intron in the 5' UTR. There is a positive and highly significant correlation between the size of the 5' UTR intron and the transcription level, as long as a characteristic TATA-box is present. Our work on the expression of the AtRH genes suggests a scenario for the evolution of duplicated genes in the same terminal branch of a phylogenetic tree and that often present different expression levels. After the duplication of a highly transcribed ancestral AtRH, an alteration of the transcriptional activity of the divergent duplicates occurs through successive events of suppression of the TATA-box and/or the 5' UTR intron.


By the Bohren's decomposition,a mathematical model of chiral obstacle in electromagnetic scattering problems was established,and the Helmholtz equations with the coupling boundary conditions were obtained.A g function whose norm is infinity on the boundary was introduced.By this property,the theory of reconstruction method is given and the boundary of obstacle is reconstructed.


Nigella sativa, a commonly consumed natural supplement, is known for its antioxidant and neuroprotective effects. Following the previous studies which showed its positive effects on spatial memory performance, the current study focused on the neurohistological effect of Nigella sativa on hippocampal cornu ammonis 1 (CA1) pyramidal neurons. The hippocampus is important for memory formation; thus, it is essential to elucidate the characteristics of its constituent neurons. Male Sprague Dawley rats were chronically force-fed for five days a week for 20 consecutive weeks (100 days) with Nigella sativa oil (NSO) (6.0 µl/100 g body weight) and corn oil (CO) (0.1 ml/100 g body weight) as control. Dorsal hippocampal transverse sections (10 µm thick) from both groups were visualized under the light microscope and morphometric analysis was conducted using the Image-Pro Premier 9.1 64-bit software. Only cresyl-violet stained neuronal somas with each having whole visible nucleus and nucleolus were included in the morphometric analysis. Mean number of neuronal cell count in NSO group was found to be higher than the controls. Significant differences in somatic area/SA, somatic perimeter/SP, somatic aspect ratio/SAR, somatic circularity index/SCI, and somatic roundness/SRo were observed between the groups. Values of two parameters (SA and SP) of NSO group indicated significantly larger sized CA1 neurons, whereas values of the other three parameters (SAR, SCI and SRo) significantly indicated less round in shape CA1 neurons. These distinct effects on the morphological characteristics could be due to NSO various biochemical constituents.


The paper analyzes the bifurcation diagram of a modified Lorenz system and presents a relationship between this system and Kolmogorov system. The transformation procedure of the Kolmogorov type of the chaotic system is illustrated in detail according to the bifurcation diagram through the system parameter change. Furthermore, the corresponding mechanics analyses about different modes under different torques are discussed, such as inertial, internal, dissipative torques and the combination. The conversions of energy analyses are also studied including Hamiltonian, kinetic and potential energies in order to verify the energy effect on the system dynamics.


The weak methods occur pervasively in Al systems and may form the basic methods for all intelligent systems. The purpose of this paper is to characterize the weak methods and to explain how and why they arise in intelligent systems. We propose an organization, called a universal weak method, that provides functionality of all the weak methods. A universal weak method is an organizational scheme for knowledge that produces the appropriate search behavior given the available task-domain knowledge. We present a problem solving architecture in which we realize a universal weak method. We also demonstrate the universal weak method with a variety of weak methods on a set of tasks.


A novel end-point detection method based on a combination of shear force and its spectral amplitude was proposed for barrier metal polishing on copper damascene structures. Under some polishing conditions, the shear force changed significantly with polished substrate. On the other hand, the change in shear force was insignificant under certain polishing conditions. Therefore, a complementary end-point detection method by monitoring oscillation frequency of shear force was proposed. It was found that the shear force fluctuated in unique frequencies depending on polished substrates. Using Fast Fourier Transformation, the shear force data was converted from time domain to frequency domain. The amplitude of spectral frequencies corresponding to the rotational rate of wafer carrier and platen was monitored. Significant frequency amplitude changes were observed before, during and after the polished layer transition from barrier film to silicon dioxide film. The results indicated that a combination of shear force and its spectral amplitude analyses provided effective end-point detection for barrier CMP process.


Use of dapsone in the manufacture of a dermatological mixture to be applied topically, to reduce a number of non-inflammatory acne lesions.


We present results showing an improvement of the accuracy of perturbation theory as applied to cosmological structure formation for a useful range of quasi-linear scales. The Lagrangian theory of gravitational instability of an Einstein-de Sitter dust cosmogony investigated and solved up to the third order is compared with numerical simulations. In this paper we study the dynamics of pancake models as a first step. In previous work the accuracy of several analytical approximations for the modeling of large-scale structure in the mildly non-linear regime was analyzed in the same way, allowing for direct comparison of the accuracy of various approximations. In particular, the Zel'dovich approximation (hereafter ZA) as a subclass of the first-order Lagrangian perturbation solutions was found to provide an excellent approximation to the density field in the mildly non-linear regime (i.e. up to a linear r.m.s. density contrast of sigma is approximately 2). The performance of ZA in hierarchical clustering models can be greatly improved by truncating the initial power spectrum (smoothing the initial data). We here explore whether this approximation can be further improved with higher-order corrections in the displacement mapping from homogeneity. We study a single pancake model (truncated power-spectrum with power-spectrum with power-index n = -1) using cross-correlation statistics employed in previous work. We found that for all statistical methods used the higher-order corrections improve the results obtained for the first-order solution up to the stage when sigma (linear theory) is approximately 1. While this improvement can be seen for all spatial scales, later stages retain this feature only above a certain scale which is increasing with time. However, third-order is not much improvement over second-order at any stage. The total breakdown of the perturbation approach is observed at the stage, where sigma (linear theory) is approximately 2, which corresponds to the onset of hierarchical clustering. This success is found at a considerable higher non-linearity than is usual for perturbation theory. Whether a truncation of the initial power-spectrum in hierarchical models retains this improvement will be analyzed in a forthcoming work.


Myotonic dystrophy is a disease affecting the muscle fibers with loss of muscle mass. The principal characteristic of the disease is myotony or slow muscle relaxation following muscle contraction that is further aggravated as a result of stress, pain, cold, or by the administration of succinylcholine. Similar to other muscle pathologies, myotonic dystrophy is considered a multisystem disorder, usuallywith cardiac and respiratory involvement, a fact to be kept inmindwhenplanning anesthesia.Moreover, there is a potential association with malignant hyperthermia or rhabdomyolysis associated with somemuscle diseases. The case herein discussed is an example of themanagement of anesthesia in this group of patients to avoid the potential triggers of a myotonic crisis.


Seedling cotyledons of the soybean cyst nematode(Heterodera glycines Ichinohe)-susceptible cultivars of Zhonghuang 13,Heidou 44 and Heidou 51 were co-cultured with Agrobacterium rhizogenes strain K599 under dark conditions.Transformation efficiency was tested through GUS staining.The results showed that there were significant differences among soybean genotypes in their susceptibility to A.rhizogenes.The conditions of 25 ℃ and 12 h/d light were found to be optimal for hairy root induction of Heidou 44.The transformation efficiency of Heidou 44 had no significant difference with that of Heidou 51,while it was significantly higher than that of Zhonghuang 13.Light or darkness had no effect on Zhonghuang 13,but the inducing efficiency of Heidou 44 and Heidou 51 in the dark conditions were significantly higher than that in light condition.The infective efficiency of Heidou 44 was significantly higher than that of Heidou 51 and Zhonghuang 13.


We report the current progress of our development of near-ultraviolet (NUV) III-nitride vertical-cavity LED emitters and avalanche photodetectors grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The III-N emitters are designed to be UV vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers operating at 369.5nm. We describe the development of the growth and processing of an air-gap/AlGaN distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) consisting of five-pairs of quarter-wavelength layers of Al0.12Ga0.88N and air-gap regions created by selective chemical etching. A 4-6λ cavity was employed in the laser structure. We also report on the electrical and optical emission characteristics of these microcavity emitters. The photodetectors are GaN- and AlGaN-based p-i-n avalanche photodiodes (APDs) designed for front-side illumination. We report on the electrical and optical detection characteristics of these photodetectors.


The effects of ditch size on growth and production of mono-sex tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus in rain fed concurrent rice–fish system were technically and economically evaluated for a period of 4 months. Three different ditch sizes were tried: 5%, 10% and 15% of the total cultivable rice field. The fish fingerlings stocking density (5000 ha−1) and management practices were similar in all plots. The water temperature, dissolve oxygen, pH, Secchi disc visibility, ortho-phosphate, ammonia nitrogen and alkalinity were found to be in the range of 31.5–31.9°C, 5.10–5.27 mg L−1, 7.56–7.62, 34.81–35.41 cm, 0.88–0.96 mg L−1, 0.014–0.021 mg L−1 and 66.23–69.76 mg L−1, respectively, and all the values were found suitable for tilapia fish farming. Sediment organic matter, available nitrogen and phosphorous were increased significantly (P < 0.05) in all plots after cultivating the fish. Larger ditch size (15% of the total land area) resulted in significantly (P < 0.05) higher specific growth rate, survival and fish production compared with the smaller (5%) and medium (10%) ditch sizes. However, significantly (P < 0.05) higher net income and benefit–cost ratio were obtained in medium ditch size with the values of 2.6% and 3.6% higher than the smaller and larger ditch sizes respectively. It is concluded that rice–fish farming in a rain fed ecosystem of Bangladesh with medium ditch size and stocking density of 5000 ha−1 mono-sex tilapia can achieve better economic return.


In order to implement the ability of carrying heavy loads and reduce the energy consumption of the human moving, the wearable exoskeleton robot driven by hydraulic is studied in this paper. Firstly, the mathematical model of exoskeleton robot is established and the required torque of each joint is obtained through the simulation of the simplified model of the robot in ADAMS. Then, on the basis of the above analysis, the mechanism design of exoskeleton robot is completed. Finally, by using virtual prototyping technology, the simulation results show that the performance of exoskeleton robot meets the design requirements.


The article presents data on a scientific experiment conducted on quails of the Japanese breed. Data on the influence of the prebiotic drug «BioAxel» on the physiological parameters of quails have been established. The dynamics of the live weight of quails when feeding different dosages of the drug is estimated. In the experiment, the positive effect of different doses of the feed additive «BioAxel» on the average daily and gross growth of experimental birds (by 8,2–16,5% compared to the control) was established. The most effective method was feeding part of the BioAxel (5% of the feed weight) plus another part (4%) with water. A comprehensive veterinary and sanitary examination of quail slaughter products was also carried out when using the prebiotic drug «BioAxel»in the diet. It was found that this drug does not have a negative effect on the quality of meat. At the same time, the indicators of biological safety are within the limits of the norm established by current regulatory documents. In terms of nutritional value, the meat of quails raised with the use of the prebiotic drug «BioAxel» exceeds the meat of quails from the control group. The content of essential amino acids significantly increased in poultry meat of the experimental groups, and the total biological value in the test with Tetrahymena pyriformis exceeded the control parameters.


The aim of this research was to analyze the infuence of the fashion involvement and money available toward the impulse buying behaviors through positive emotion. The research was conducted in the biggest shopping center in Surabaya with the samples of 218 samples. The data analyses were by using SEM. The result of the research pointed out that fashion involvement signifcantly be infuenced toward the positive emotion and the impulse buying, the positive emotion was also infuenced signifcantly toward the impulse buying. Money available was infuenced signifcantly toward the positive emotion however was not signifcantly infuenced toward the impulse buying. Summary, purchasing activities were not caused by fashion-oriented impulse buying only, but also caused by planned impulse buying and reminder impulse buying. Key words: involvement, money, emotion, impulse buying


The invention relates to a high-voltage switching partition dust removal system regulated and controlled wirelessly by a host. The high-voltage switching partition dust removal system comprises a base, the base is provided with solar cell panels through supporting rods, glass protection layers are arranged on the solar cell panels, air deflectors are arranged on one sides of the supporting rods, and the air deflectors are connected with a fan. A plurality of dust removal areas are arranged on the lower surfaces of the glass protection layers, a plurality of parallel electrodes are arranged on each dust removal area, the ends of the electrodes are connected with high-voltage switches respectively, and the high-voltage switches are electrically connected with a high-voltage switching module. A power detection module is connected with the output ends of the solar cell panels, detected power data are transmitted to a digital processing and controlling module through the power detection module, the digital processing and controlling module is connected with the high-voltage switching module through an intelligent control module, the output end of the intelligent control mould is further connected with the fan, and the digital processing and controlling module is connected with host through a WIFI transmission module. The high-voltage switching partition dust removal system has the advantages of being good in dust removal effect, high in work efficiency and low in energy consumption.


The main goal of the current study is to investigate the effects of L-carnitine supplement mixed with methionine on fat metabolism efficacy and consequently growth performance improvement in rainbow trout. In order to study the interaction effects between methionine and L-carnitine, three levels of methionine (0.5, 1 and 1.5%) and three levels of L-carnitine (0.5, 1 and 1.5 g/kg) were added to a an experimental diet. This led to nine experimental diets. The results showed that growth parameters such as final weight, feed conversion rate and specific growth rate were influenced by addition methionine (p<0.05). However, L-carnitine supplementation did not change growth parameters in rainbow trout, except final weight (p>0.05). The result also revealed that in general fish fed diets containing methionine and L-carnitine showed a better growth performance in comparison to control diet (without methionine and L-carnitine). Inclusion of both methionine and L-carnitine reduced blood glucose concentration compared with control diet (P< 0.05). Carcass protein level increase by addition of both methionine and L-carnitine compared to control diet (p< 0.05). Dislike to protein, administration of both methionine and L-carnitine reduced fat content of carcass compared to control diet (p< 0.05). In conclusion, administration of L-carnitine along with methionine at low level had a larger positive impact on growth and musscle composition in rainbow trout.


The purpose of this research was to obtained the enhancement of lactic acid
levels on salt concentration and the duration in pikel radish fermentation
manufacturing. The material which was used in this research was white radish.
 The basic material which was used in this research was white radish. The
research method consisted of two phases, those were the preliminary study and the
main study. The preminary study was carried out the analysis of basic material
toward the lactid acid levels, water content and total sugar content in radish. The
main study was done after the priminary study. It was manufactured of pikel radish
by using fermentation. After fermentation, it was carried out the analyisis of lactic
acid levels by titration method and analyzes the total of bacteria in pikel radish by
TPC method.
The result of firts phase research, which was the preliminary study, was
obtained that the basic radish materials contained water content component
amounted to 94,74%, 0,072% lactic acid levels, and 1,6% the total of sugar content.
For the result of the second phase research, was obtained that the salt
concentration could affect lactic acid rate. It was Where the radish is fermented
with 2,5% salt concentration obtaining the highest lactic acid level, that was
research 0,546% with 3,19 pH. Salt concentrations affect the rate of lactic acid,
color and texture pikel during fermentation, the higher the salt concentration of the
levels of lactic acid produced the lower, the more soft pikel texture and color to
yellow. In this study showed that the rate of lactic acid only increased lactic acid
levels up to the 12th day and began to decrease lactic acid from the 13th day until
18th day. The total of bacteria during fermentation increased until the 18th day and
the total bacteria obtained at the highest salt concentration of 2.5% that is 2,35 x
10
4
.

Keywords: Radish, fermentation, pickle and the lactic acid.


This article investigates the boom and bust of the largest cotton surge in South African history, which occurred in the years following Union. Cotton figured as a preferred crop within emerging national agricultural policy because it accorded with the political and ideological priorities of the new white settler state. By the late 1920s, however, cotton was in trouble, especially in the key Zululand growing area. There were two reasons for this dramatic downturn. The first stemmed from the social relations of production underpinning cotton-growing ventures: the Zululand boom enticed ill-suited settlers to cultivate a crop most knew precious little about. Cotton's expansion into Zululand was poorly conceived and executed: officials and farmers selected unsuitable land, transport was inadequate, the labour supply was intermittent and insufficient. The second reason was the more trenchant issue of ecological incompatibility, which compounded mistakes in planning and production. Poor agricultural decision-making exacerbated environmental constraints to production, undermining Zululand cotton's fortunes.


Seismic imaging for RVSP or drill-bit data recorded for deviated or horizontal wells is a challenging task. Conventional filtering methods such as dip-filtering will fail to separate the primary (upgoing) and multiple (downgoing) reflections because the drill path generates primary and multiple reflections with similar moveout and the same polarity. In this paper, I present a new migration method using both primary and free-surface reflections to image the reflectors below the drill bit. The merit of this method is that it does not require the separation of the primary and multiple reflections. This joint imaging is implemented using the autocorrelogram imaging condition because it can produce a subsurface image without knowing the pilot signal. Additionally, it is also capable of suppressing the static errors at the source or/and receiver positions. I test the sensitivity of joint autocorrelogram migration to velocity and statics shift errors using synthetic data for a 5-layer synthetic model and a source in a horizontal well. Test results on synthetic data show that our method is capable of suppressing spurious interferences and also performs robustly when seismic data are distorted by statics shifts at the source and receiver locations. In the field data example, the joint imaging approach produces better "look-ahead" image compared with primary autocorrelogram images.


Swine flu is caused by novel H1N1 virus, lead to the major pandemic in 2009. World Health Organization declared it phase 6 level of pandemic. As of 1 August 2010, worldwide more than 214 countries and overseas territories or communities reported laboratory-confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including over 18449 deaths. 1 In India, especially Gujarat suffered most from its high case fatality rate with 1674 cases and 144 deaths as on February 2015. 2


I am going to interpret my terms of reference—the non‐print media—a little more literally and widely than the Chairman has suggested. We heard so much this morning of the need for accuracy in the interpretation of a brief that I cannot content myself simply with a talk on films!


Corrosion and oxidation are the results of chemical reaction between a solid surface (such as of a metal or alloy) and its environment, to form a corrosion product. The product may adhere to the surface, thereby usually providing some protection from further attack, or may be removed from it (e.g. by volatilization or by dissolution in the environment). In either case this leads to changes in topography, morphology and, often, composition of the surface. Study of such changes can provide considerable information and assistance in the determination of the mechanisms of degradation. Scanning electron microscopy with associated microanalysis has thus enabled significant advances to be made in understanding many corrosion and oxidation processes. The progress attained in several areas where the technique has played a major part but has been extended to its maximum capabilities is discussed and related to the particular advantages and limitations of scanning electron microscopy in this field. One such area is the study of high‐temperature corrosion processes. Here, the high resolution and depth of focus of the instrument have provided detailed information on the microstructure of high‐temperature oxide and other corrosion‐product scales and underlying alloy. For instance, the sizes and distributions of pores in the scales give important insight into the possibility of growth mechanisms involving gas‐phase transport within the scales themselves. Associated microanalysis can assist in identification of rate‐determining layers and of other localized diffusion paths which can short‐circuit bulk lattice diffusion.


Aiming at computational difficulties between eccentric,mean and true anomalies,in order to realize the direct transformations between them,the series expansions of their transformations are derived using the power series method with the help of computer algebra system Mathematica.Their coefficients are expressed in a power series of the orbital eccentricity and extended up to eighth-order terms of the orbital eccentricity.The principle of the method is described firstly,and verified by the numerical examples.The results show that the precision of these expansions is higher than 10-5″when the orbital eccentricity is smaller than 0.05,which could satisfy practical application.


Submitted for the MAR07 Meeting of The American Physical Society Exchange-controlled single-spin rotations in quantum dots WILLIAM COISH, DANIEL LOSS, University of Basel — We show theoretically that arbitrary coherent rotations can be performed quickly (with a gating time ∼ 1 ns) and with high fidelity on the spin of a single electron confined to a quantum dot using exchange. These rotations can be performed using experimentally proven techniques for rapid exchange control, without the need for spin-orbit interaction or ac electromagnetic fields. We expect that implementations of this scheme would achieve gate error rates on the order of η ∼ 10−3, within reach of several known error-correction schemes. William Coish University of Basel Date submitted: 20 Nov 2006 Electronic form version 1.4


This paper takes consideration of (voices of) the characteristics of voice processing by the human auditory system, adopts triangle filter to do signal preprocessing, and uses logarithm operations of all filter output for extracting Mel frequency cepstrum Coefficient (MFCC). By Matlab simulation of MFCC vectors of typical signal of male and female, an analyses is given of the probability to be applied into speech recognition systems.


The NASA sponsored E3 Program, being conducted by Pratt & Witney Aircraft, is described, including program objectives and goals. The evolution of the Flight Propulsion System design and the related work of the aircraft manufacturers is discussed. The status of the component technology substantiation program is summarized.Copyright © 1980 by ASME


The present invention discloses an automotive electric actuating device-travel detection, wherein the automotive electronic control unit is configured to control one or more of claims from travel position moves / move a car or a travel position of the plurality of electrically actuated devices, wherein the electronic control unit is configured based on the following items detected automotive electric actuator device reaches the stroke end position or stop position: the automotive electrical actuator amplitude apparatus absorbed current; current by the vehicle electrical actuator device absorbent amplitude gradient ; ripple frequency and amplitude of the electric current by the vehicle device actuating absorption.


Drilling at Site 332 recovered a wide variety of relatively fresh, chemically primitive, low-titanium, olivine or olivine-plagioclase phyric tholeiitic basalts. Apparent crystallization sequences are either olivine + chromite, plagioclase, clinopyroxene, titanomagnetite or olivine + plagioclase (± chromite), clinopyroxene, titanomagnetite. Cr in pyroxenes falls off rapidly with crystallization, followed by a decrease in Al and an increase in Ti, reflecting chemical changes in the host melts with advancing crystallization. Coarse-grained rocks recovered at Site 334 are serpentinized lherzolitic peridotites and two pyroxene gabbros ± olivine. Textures and primary pyroxene compositions indicate crystallization from a low-alkali, olivine tholeiite magma. Complex exsolution features and a high degree of equilibration within pyroxenes indicates a long cooling and annealing time within the oceanic crust, probably within layer 3.


【Objective】To learn reproductive health status of female university students in order to give their targeting health education.【Methods】An anonymous questionnaire survey was distributed among 310 female college students in Changsha,and then the collected data was analyzed with SPSS 12.0 statistical software.【Results】Among these 310 students,those with irregular menstruation,dysmenorrhea and gynecologic inflammation respectively accounted for 30.97%,69.68% and 20.97%.There was significant difference in the symptoms of menstrual anxiety among those with or without dysmenorrhea(χ2=76.50,P 0.01).64.19% of the female students had sex,15.48% of them experienced abortion.The incidence of gynecological inflammation in women with history of sexual behavior were more than that of other women(χ2=19.75,P 0.01).59.03% of them got menstrual reproductive and sexual health knowledge through the network and television media.【Conclusions】The status of students' menstrual,reproductive and sexual health is quite disturbing.In order to enhance female students' initiative and effectiveness in self-protection,colleges and universities should strengthen education in menstrual and reproductive health.


This paper presents convection behavior investigation of CMOS MEMS convective accelerometers using both analytical and FEM techniques. In a first part, a newly developed accelerometer 3D model is u...


An inductively coupled plasma source with an internal straight antenna was developed. By inserting an antenna into plasma, the induction of a strong electric field in the plasma and the efficient transmissions of power to plasma is enabled. However, there was a practical problem in that antenna sputtering occurred. Suppression of antenna sputtering and methods of insulating the antenna were studied. Consequently, it was found that sputtering impurities were reduced by covering the straight antenna with a quartz pipe. Furthermore, the amount of quartz pipe etching could be reduced to as little as 1/10th the original value. As a result of fabricating and evaluating the plasma source in which four straight antennas were arranged in parallel, electron density was determined to be as high as 1011 cm-3 even at a pressure as low as 4 mTorr. When the processing performance of the plasma source was evaluated, the ashing rate of the photoresist and the etching rate of the poly-Si were, respectively, 4.8 µm/min and 450 nm/min. These values are at practically applicable levels.


. Consider the matrix products G n := g n . . . g 1 , where ( g n ) n > 1 is a sequence of independent and identically distributed positive random d × d matrices. Under the optimal third moment condition, we first establish a Berry-Esseen theorem and an Edgeworth expansion for the ( i, j )-th entry G i,jn of the matrix G n , where 1 6 i, j 6 d . Using the Edgeworth expansion for G i,jn under the changed probability measure, we then prove precise upper and lower large deviation asymptotics for the entries G i,jn subject to an exponential moment assumption. As applications, we deduce local limit theorems with large deviations for G i,j n and upper and lower large deviations bounds for the spectral radius ρ ( G n ) of G n . A byproduct of our approach is the local limit theorem for G i,jn under the optimal second moment condition. In the proofs we develop a spectral gap theory for the norm cocycle and for the coefficients, which is of independent interest.


This paper presents an analysis of the issues concerning the "null GIVE" and "negative GIVE" construction meaning of ditransitives in English and Chinese.The analysis shows that "null GIVE" and "negative GIVE" cannot serve as an integrated explanation of the meaning of ditransitive construction with the [NSVN1N2] structure,because certain verbs and nouns that are inserted in a ditransitive construction significantly influence or even change,by dint of their semantic meanings,the construction meaning.It is concluded that the idea of Construction Grammar,that the construction meaning is independent of the semantic meanings of its component lexical items,is problematic and requires further investigation.


Rainfall is one of the vital form of precipitation which affects not only agricultural activity but also entire ecology in any region. Hence rainfall distribution and its trends in district is important to understand water availability and to take decisions for the agricultural activities in area. This research paper is an effort to assess the spatial and temporal rainfall variability of Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra State. Ahmednagar is popularly known as the largest district of Maharashtra with fourteen Talukas. The average annual rainfall of this district is 621 mm with an average of 46 rainy days. In this study the spatial and temporal rainfall distribution of this district is taken in to account. Short-term annual rainfall data are considered from 1998 to 2014. The daily rainfalls of monsoon months of all the fourteen Taluka are analyzed for the year 2015.It was found that spatial and temporal variability is high in the District.


AbstractThe mesoscale kinetic energy (KE) spectra of the mei-yu front system are investigated through idealized numerical simulations. In the mature stage, the upper-tropospheric KE spectrum resembles a −3 power law for wavelengths between 1000 and 400 km and shallows to a slope of approximately − at smaller wavelengths. A similar behavior can be observed in the lower stratosphere. At both levels, the rotational KE spectrum shallows nearly to the same extent as the divergent KE spectrum at smaller wavelengths, accounting for the transition in the total KE spectrum. About 12 h after the latent heating is turned off, the mesoscale KE spectra hardly show the distinct spectral transition, especially in the upper troposphere.The spectral KE budget for various height ranges is analyzed and compared. In the upper troposphere, the mesoscale KE is deposited through the buoyancy flux and removed by the advective nonlinearity and vertical pressure flux divergence. The buoyancy flux spectrum in the mature phase has a...


The need for a standardized Arabic proficiency language test for speakers of other
languages and/or even native speakers of Arabic still poses a challenge for specialists in
Arabic applied linguistics and teachers of Arabic to speakers of other languages alike.
Despite many attempts to produce such a standardized test over the past decades, yet
they fall short of being satisfactory to be accepted as international tests like other
international recognized and widely implemented language proficiency tests due to their
many short comings. This study is twofold: first, it is an attempt to shed light on some of
the Arabic language proficiency tests produced and implemented thus far such as the test produced by the American Association of Teachers of Arabic (AATA), the test produced by the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) and the test, with limited implementation,produced by the Arabic Linguistics Institute at King Saud University (ALI). The studypresents a thorough analysis pertaining to content and theoretical framework in light of standards for language proficiency tests. Second, the paper presents an empirical study on the results of 70 students from three language levels in the department of Language and Culture who were studying Arabic as a second Language and sat for the ALI test when experimenting on it. The variables examined were the number of languages they speak, the number of years they spent learning Arabic before joining the program and the level they were placed in according to the department own language test. The goalwas to see the impact of these variables on the four language skills; writing, reading, listening and speaking and whether their results in the proficiency test matches their placement by the department in the different language levels. Statistical results and discussions are based on SSPS. The study concludes with some pedagogical implications and recommendations.
Keywords: Proficiency, Test, Standards, Standardized tests, Arabic for speakers of other
languages.


Contour maps, showing topological distribution of extracted features, are crucial for many applications. Building a dynamic contour map in a wireless sensor network is a challenging task due to the constrained network resources. In this paper, we present the design of a contour mapping engine (CME) in wireless sensor networks. Our design incorporates in-network processing based on binary classification to reduce the total number of active nodes. The underlying network architecture is analyzed to derive an optimal configuration. We show, by extensive simulations, the superiority of CME over the state-of-the-art contour mapping techniques.


Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have attracted increasing interest in integrating them in next-generation wireless communication. It has reached a consensus that unmanned aerial system (UAS) plays an intensely crucial role in the emerging aerial networks. Concerning connected UAV, a multitude of communication scenarios are involved, such as intercommunications between UAVs and interactions with the ground user equipment (UE), the cellular base station (BS), and the ground station (GS), etc. In this article, we pour attention into the essentials of corresponding air-to-air (A2A) and air-to-ground (A2G) links in the above scenarios from the perspective of channel modeling. We first extract new characteristics related to UAV channel modeling, compared with traditional cellular and vehicular channels. We then provide a brief review of A2A and A2G channel statistics and models based on existing works. Following that, we show the impacts of the environment and frequency on A2G channel characterizations with the aid of measurements. Besides, we employ a realistic channel model to show how it influences communication performance. Finally, potential directions are discussed for paving the way to more accurate and effective UAV channel modeling.


A differential transconductance element based on CMOS inverters is presented. With this circuit a linear, tunable integrator for very high-frequency continuous-time integrated filters can be made. This integrator has good linearity properties (THD<0.04%, Vipp=1.8 V), nondominant poles in the gigahertz range and a 40 dB DC gain


Many different nonlinear phenomena and techniques have been used to produce phase conjugate beams. Until recently, however, only barium titanate1 (BaTiO3) and cerium-doped strontium barium niobate2,3 (SEN) have been successfully used as self-pumped phase conjugate mirrors for milliwatt beam powers. Self-pumped phase conjugation, as reported here, is completely self-contained and requires no external mirrors, pumping beams, or applied electric fields.


During the 1970s, a consensus emerged that juvenile deinstitutionalization and diversion offered great promise for lowering recidivism. However, critics charged that community-based programs had failed to achieve their stated objectives and that diversion actually "widened the net" of social control. The present research examined the impact of "restructuring" by analyzing data on the national growth and distribution of open facilities in the United States. The study found that a bifurcated system has developed, in which public facilities are primarily responsible for institutionalized corrections while the private sector administers the majority of open-environment programs. The ramifications of this system and specific constitutional issues regarding the privatization of corrections are discussed.


Objective: To investigate the influence of polysaccharide of Spirulina platensis(PSP) on inhibition activity of immobilized phycocyanin (PC) against proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells SW1990. Methods: PSP was added to the wells of cell culture polystyrene which was immobilized with PC, and SW1990 cells were cultured on this kind of biomaterial in serum free medium. Results: When the concentration of PSP was 15 mg/L, the inhibition activity was mainly caused by PSP, and when the concentrations were 10, 17.5 and 25 mg/L, PSP was cooperative with immobilized PC. The best immobilized amount of PC was 0.02 mg/well, which could inhibit 86% SW1990 cells. Conclusion: PSP can enhance the inhibition activity against pancreatic cancer cells SW1990 from immobilized PC.


The effects of the mixture ratios of swine manure and food wastes when vermicomposed on earthworm(Eisenia foefida) growth, the production amounts and the chemical properties of casts for plant growth media were evaluated to optimal mixture ratio. Earthworms were grown in swine manure, substituted with 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 50% and 100% food wastes. All of earthworm grown in swine manure substituted with 60%, 80%, and 100% food wastes died, therefore the process of swine manure substituted with 60%, 80%, and 100% food wastes by vermicomposting were impossible in this experiment. Worm cast produced from swine manure substituted with 0%, 20% and 40% food wastes after vermicomposting sufficiently contained required quantities of available phosphorus, exchangeable potassium, exchangeable magnesium, and cation exchange capacity. The survival rates of earthworm in swine manure substituted with 0% and 40% food wastes was significantly higher than those in swine manure substituted with 20%, 40% food wastes. Casts weight and proportion of casts weight in 100% swine manure were significantly higher than those in swine manure substituted with 20% food wastes, but was no significant difference between those in swine manure substituted with 40% food wastes. Therefore 100% swine manure was estimated to be superior than the others treatments. However an adequate mixture ratio of food wastes for processing mixture of swine manure by vermicomposting was estimated to be 40%. Because there was no significant difference in mean flesh weight, increasing rate, casts weight, proportion of casts weight, and reduction rate of volatile solids among 3 treatments and survival rate and conversion efficiency(CE) in swine manure with substituted 40% food wastes were significantly higher than the other treatments.


Chiefly to say the book-list on shelves is the simple instructions posted on the shelves for the collections at a library which includes the whole lists and the book-cards and plays the functions of saving time for readers consulting the books and offering convenience for Liberians answering the readers' inquiry and books layout. Preparing the book-list on shelves involves preparing both the whole lists and the cards. The lists are not irrevocable. The well-prepared lists will be adjusted and reposted according to the increasing or decreasing book quantity for fitful exhibited places to guarantee the neatness and order of the collections at a library.


We show that nding a graph realization with the minimum Randi c index for a given degree sequence is solvable in polynomial time by formulating the problem as a minimum weight perfect b-matching problem. However, the realization found via this reduction is not guaranteed to be connected. Approximating the minimum weight b-matching problem subject to a connectivity constraint is shown to be NP-Hard. For instances in which the optimal solution to the minimum Randi c index problem is not connected, we describe a heuristic to connect the graph using pairwise edge exchanges that preserves the degree sequence. In our computational experiments, the heuristic performs well and the Randi c index of the realization after our heuristic is within 3% of the unconstrained optimal value.


We give a lattice-theoretic characterization for a manifold of $\mathrm{OG}10$ type to be birational to some moduli space of (twisted) sheaves on a K3 surface. We apply it to the Li-Pertusi-Zhao variety of $\mathrm{OG}10$ type associated to any smooth cubic fourfold. Moreover we determine when a birational transformation is induced by an automorphism of the K3 surface and we use this to classify all induced birational symplectic involutions.


Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus L.) is grown in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The present study conducted in Solapur district of Maharashtra state. Ten villages from one tahsil of these district were selected randomly having maximum area under watermelon cultivation. A total of 120 respondents from ten villages formed sample for the study. The data were obtained by interview schedule. The respondents were contacted personally and interviewed. Watermelon is important vegetable crop having good prospects in state as well as country. The total area under cultivation of watermelon in India is 92.00 thousand ha and production 2292.00 thousand MT. (Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India, 2015-16). Watermelon is an important vegetable crop grown in Solapur district. In this research observed that, 100 per cent had complete knowledge about favorable climate for watermelon, 67.50 per cent respondents had complete knowledge of seed required for watermelon cultivation, 78.33 per cent of the respondents had complete knowledge about Madhubala variety, 70.00 per cent of the respondents had complete knowledge of Sugarbaby variety of watermelon, 52.50 per cent of the respondents had complete knowledge about recommended basal dose of fertilizers, 78.33 per cent had complete knowledge about major weeds in watermelon i.e Gajargavat, 80.33 per cent of the respondents had complete knowledge of cultural methods for weed management, 83.33 per cent of the respondents had complete knowledge about chemical methods for controlling pests of watermelon and 93.33 per cent of the respondents had complete knowledge about major diseases of watermelon. In this research observed that overall knowledge, 72.50 per cent of the respondents had medium level of knowledge about improved cultivation practices of watermelon followed by 15.83 per cent and 11.67 per cent of the respondents having high and low levels of knowledge.


The objective of this research was to develop and evaluate a computer program (expert system) to assist design engineers, fabricators, and field inspectors in determining the extent of damage due to bridge steel fabrication errors and to specify the necessary repair solution. A printout with the situation entered and solution is provided for documentation. If the case situation is beyond the knowledge base, the program will give a "No solution" response instead of an incorrect solution. Testing included 33 actual cases which had not been used to develop the system and 18 hypothetical cases. The program gave correct responses in 34 cases and "No solution" in the other 17. No incorrect responses were given. An effort to augment and enhance the knowledge base of the system using Machine Learning was investigated. Automatically generated knowledge bases comparable to the manually crafted knowledge bases were created. This report discusses the purpose, advantages and shortcomings of inductive learning and the steps of this investigation.


The success in the modern era is determined by how students strive to have certain skills. This can be achieved by students through the development of cognitive domain, because it is considered as the ability to master subject matter with regard to thinking ability in addition to learning. Hence, this research aims at improving the learning outcomes in the cognitive domain of students at the primary school level. This research was conducted using the Pre-Experiment method with the pretest-posttest One-Group design. The lessons were implemented using Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)-based learning, while the learning method was referred to the Engineering Design Process. The stages consist of problem scoping, idea generation, design and construct, design evaluation and re-design. The research involved 30 fourth grade primary school students in Cimahi City as the research samples. The data were collected using observation and analyzed using quantitative descriptive analysis. The research results revealed that there were differences in learning outcomes in the cognitive domain. To conclude, STEM-based learning could improve primary school students' cognitive skills.


The article analyzes the causes of imbalance development of regions of Ukraine. The subject of research are theoretical and practical bases of occurrence of imbalance development of regions of Ukraine. The aim of the research is theoretical justification and identify ways to overcome the imbalances of regional development. To conduct the study were used special methods of scientific knowledge, namely: the methods of dialectic, logic and systematic approaches, conceptual analysis, comparison and grouping in the study of the causes of imbalances. The hypothesis of the study is that decentralization of power and regional financial resources will contribute to overcoming the imbalances, and in the Donbass stop the war, financial support devastated areas, an important role should play the administrative-territorial reform, the amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine and the implementation of the Minsk agreements. The results of the study allowed to define four types of regions of Ukraine: rural regions, depressive regions, the Donbas, the developed regions. Special attention is paid to the causes of imbalance development of regions. Chief among them is the lack of financial resources, military action in Eastern Ukraine, small business  agricultural production, the demographic crisis. The proposed new paradigm of regional development, where an important component is the budget strategy of regional development. Research can be the basis for the reform of regional policy, decentralization of local government and local budgets. To overcome existing imbalances, it is important to create a new paradigm of regional development, it is necessary to consider the factor that the problems of the region often go beyond the region and are global in nature, for example in the Donbass


The influencing factors to remove phosphate were evaluated by converter slag (CS). Experiments were performed by batch tests using different CS sizes and column test. Solutions were prepared at the different pH and concentrations. The maximum removal efficiency was obtained over 98% with the finest particle size, within 2 hours in batch tests. The removal efficiency was increased in the order of decreasing size with same amount of CS for any pH of solutions. The adsorption data were well fitted to Freundlich isotherm. From the column experiment, the specific factors were revealed that the breakthrough removal capacity (BRC) , was decreased by increasing the influent concentration. The breakthrough time, tb was lasted shorter as increasing the influent concentration. The pH drop simultaneously led to lower BRC drop during the experimental hours. The relation between the breakthrough time and the BRC to influent concentration was shown in the logarithmic decrease. Results suggested that the large surface area of CS possessed a great potential for adsorptive phosphate removal. Consequently particle size and initial concentration played the major influencing factors in phosphate removal by converter slag.


The milk fat percentage records of 2174 daughters belonging to 12 half sib families were analyzed for the identification of QTLs on 8 chromosomes in buffaloes using chromosome scans. The single marker analysis revealed 49 markers to be associated with milk fat percentage in 10 sire families. The interval mapping using R/qtl identified 43 QTLs on 8 chromosomes of buffalo. The meta-QTL analysis was carried out to define consensus QTLs in buffaloes and total 28 meta-QTL regions could be identified for milk fat percentage. Most of the QTLs identified in the experiments have been reported for cattle; however, few new chromosomal locations were also identified to be associated with fat percentage in buffaloes. The additional QTLs identified in buffalo may be due to high level of heterozygosity in buffalo compared to Holstein Friesian and other exotic milk breeds for which QTLs have beenreported. Assuming buffalo-cattle synteny, a total of 1118 genes were identified underlying the QTL regions, out of these 45 genes were identified to be associated with lipid metabolism. The interaction among the genes and gene ontology analysis confirmed their association with lipid metabolism. These 45 genes have potential to be candidate genes for milk fat percentage in buffaloes and underlie the QTL regions identified in buffaloes in the present study.


Abstract : The project has as its ultimate objective the fabrication of microminiature circuits in gold, nichrome, aluminum and silica by a process in which these materials are etched directly by a photosensitive material according to an incident light pattern. The evaluation of potential light sensitive halogens was extended. Spectrophotometric studies of chloro, bromo and iodo systems for etching gold were conducted. Etchant products are identified and etching mechanisms are proposed. Studies of the compatibility of polymers, solvents, and photo etchants were conducted. Reaction rate studies were initiated. The production of circuit patterns in gold and nichrome by several photometallic systems was demonstrated. (Author)


Learning strategies play an important role in the development of language skills. Vocabulary learning strategies, regarded as the backbone of these strategies, have become a major part of English language teaching. This study aims to compare use and preference of Vocabulary Learning Strategies (VLS) among freshmen and senior EFL medical sciences students across different fields of study. 449 students participated in the study, of which 64.6% were female and 35.4% were male. The instrument utilized in this research was a questionnaire consisting of 41 items related to the students' approach to vocabulary learning. The items were classified under eight sections as dictionary strategies, guessing strategies, study preferences, memory strategies, autonomy, note- taking strategies, selective attention, and social strategies. The results indicated that freshmen students, particularly students majoring in surgical technology used memorisation technique followed by dictionary use and note taking strategies more than the senior students. In particular, male students were more autonomous while female students preferred to use social strategies. Overall, guessing and dictionary strategies were the most frequently used strategies among all the learners (p=0.000). Based on the results, which indicated more strategy use by the freshmen students, it is recommended that language teachers recognize the different needs of the students at different levels, and adjust teaching and learning procedures accordingly.


Three new chromanone derivatives, calopolyanic acid (1), isocalopolyanic acid (2), and isorecedensic acid (3). were isolated from the pericarps of Calophyllum polyanthum WALL ex CHOISY, along with seven known compounds, apetalic acid, blancoic acid, chapelieric acid, methyl isoapetalate, isoapetalic acid, isocalolongic acid, and recedensic acid All of these compounds were reported from C polyanthum for the first time The structures of 1-3 were elucidated by spectroscopic methods


Direct chemical analysis of electrode/electrolyte interfaces can provide critical information on surface phenomena that currently limit the performance of Libased battery systems [1-5]. In this work we introduce the use of ex situ femtosecond (fs) Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) to probe compositional variations within the Solid Electrolyte Interphase (SEI) layer [6-8]. Nanometer-scale depth resolution was achieved for elemental and molecular depth profiling of SEI layers formed on Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite (HOPG) electrodes in an organic carbonate-based electrolyte. This work demonstrates the use of ultrafast laser spectroscopy as a highly versatile, light element-sensitive technique for direct, real-time chemical analysis of interfacial layers in electrochemical energy storage systems.


The paper addresses the problem of increasing the accuracy of determining the repetition period of a pulsar signal using the Chinese Remainder Theorem (CRT). The proposed approach can be applied in various systems that are using pulsar signals.


The article is devoted to the work of the French artist Dominique Papety, whose copies of Mount Athos paintings served as one of the sources of the "Byzantine project" of Prince G.G. Gagarin, who later became vice-president of the Imperial Academy of Art and who strived to revive the "national" ecclesiasti cal art in Russia. The analysis of Papety's works and of his views on art shows that in his religious works the art ist was inspired by the art of the remote past - in par ticular, that of Byzantium, while in his secular paintings he followed the painters of late Renaissance - Rapha el's third manner, Titian, Michelangelo, Paolo Veronese, Bellini, Francia. Special attention is paid to the art ist's travel to Mount Athos, undertaken by him in 1847 under the impression of the Athos manuscript with in structions for icon-painters that had been published two years earlier by A.N. Didron, an archaeologist. The cop ies of the frescoes by Panselinos, a Greek painter of the 12th century (according to Mt Athos monks), that were made by Papety at Mount Athos, show the impact of academic education on the French artist, who per fectly mastered the "plasticity" of form in pain ting. This feature of Papety's copies allows the author of this ar ticle to conclude that, for Gagarin, they must have be come a visible demonstration of the fruitfulness of com bining the "Greek Christian thought" with the "Greek pagan form". The idea of this combination was subse quently used by Gagarin to revive the "national style" in church paintings.


At the beginning of 21st century, companies all over the globe change their focus from customers to the employees, realizing that only good internal relations and communications can keep customers with the company in the long run. Modern companies are enhancing their efforts in developing and maintaining good relations with their employees as their key stakeholders. Companies use the power of good employee relations, building through the efficient internal communication. In Croatian economy, which has been strongly hit with recession and presently is still seriously affected with global economic crisis, one of the strongest companies' competitive advantages can be gained through building good relations with their employees and other stakeholders. Communications with companies' employees become very important aspect of corporate communications generally, regarding employees as a key resource and valuable asset in the turbulent times. Introduction and utilization of ISO standards could enhance company's formal communication structures and make them more transparent to all interested parties. ISO standards describe and prescribe communication channels and processes, creating a consistent system of internal communications. That should, together with other contributions from ISO standards introduction, lead to higher performances at all levels, including overall enterprise (business) results. The main intent of this paper was to investigate how and to what extent ISO certification influences on internal communication, corporate communication function, and organizational performance. This research has been based on the assumption that there is a positive link between having ISO certification and achieving higher level of development of internal communications (and employee relations in general), specifically if the companies use dominant standards, ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. Empiric part of the research is based on a survey that has been conducted in 2011, on a sample from the list of 'the best 500 Value Added' Croatian companies for the year 2009. Although some previous researches have come to the conclusion that ISO certified companies achieve higher results in added value, this research did not succeed to discover and confirm any significant relationship between ISO certification and quality of internal 337 communications as a part of corporate communication function, as well as different indicators of organizational performances. We came to conclusion that the introduction of ISO standards very often, at least in Croatian companies, was not motivated by achieving real and fundamental improvements, so significant correlation with the quality of internal communications could not be expected nor detected.


As is well known, the limitation of single-base real-time kinematic (RTK) GPS carrier phase-based techniques is the constrained distance between base receiver and the rover receiver due to distance-dependent measurement biases.
For high productivity GPS surveying techniques, requiring very fast on-the-fly ambiguity resolution, the baseline length is generally restricted to less than 10km. However, techniques have been developed to overcome this distance dependence using a network of GPS reference stations. Because the measurement biases can be modelled and corrected for using multi-reference receiver data, the positioning accuracy will be almost independent of the inter-receiver distance. This class of techniques is now variously referred to as Network-RTK, Multi-Reference Station Positioning, Wide Area Positioning, and the Virtual Reference Station Technique. The authors will describe the basis of Network-RTK techniques, and discuss the challenges in implementing the infrastructure necessary to support Network-RTK users in Sydney. This
paper will also describe the components of a continuously operating reference station (CORS) network currently being established in the Sydney basin area, suitable for supporting Network-RTK techniques.


Dr. Tao et al. examined the interactive effects of plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) APOE genotype on cognition and Alzheimer disease (AD) biomarkers in 566 participants from the Alzheimer Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. Elevated CRP was associated with lower Mini-Mental State Examination scores at baseline and the 12-month follow-up only in participants with 2 APOE ε4 alleles. Furthermore, the interaction of 2 APOE ε4 alleles and elevated CRP was associated with increased CSF levels of total tau and phospho-tau. In a reader response, Dr. Royall cites their prior work that demonstrated CRP's mediation effect on the association of APOE with prospectively measured dementia severity in the Texas Alzheimer's Research and Care Consortium. Dr. Royall also posits that the elevated plasma CRP levels in ε4 homozygotes may reflect the residual influence of APOE-independent processes, given that CRP levels are observed to fall as a function of increasing APOE ε4 burden in several cohorts. Responding to these comments, the authors suggest that these drops in CRP levels may relate to cerebrovascular deposition of CRP in ε4 homozygotes, citing interesting evidence from a mouse model. This discussion highlights our evolving understanding of the role of inflammatory markers in the pathophysiology of AD, which may become another focus of therapeutic targets in the future.


Original scientific paper Cooling of injection moulds manufactured by machining has limitations because cooling channels are formed by conventional straight holes. With additive manufacturing, the cooling channels can be produced in the shape which is adjusted to the cavity and core surface of injection moulds. Those kinds of cooling channels are called the conformal cooling channels. Conformal cooling channels can significantly reduce cycle time of plastic injection moulding process and significantly improve the quality of products. Thus, in this work conformal cooling channels for industrial case study were constructed and analysed. Besides expected tests, cooling simulation has been performed, comparing conventional and proposed cooling technology. Results have been confirmed also by testing prototype with conformal cooling channels, showing significant improvement in reducing cycle time, more than 40 %.


Abstract The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of thinning eucalyptus trees on yield and nutritive value of corn for silage and palisadegrass in a crop–livestock–forest integrated system and to evaluate the total aboveground biomass yield in systems with and without trees. Plant variables, as well as the incidence of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and soil moisture, were evaluated between October 2016 and March 2018 in São Carlos, Brazil, in a crop–livestock–forest and a crop–livestock system. In the crop–livestock–forest system, eucalyptus trees (Eucalyptus urograndis clone GG100) were planted in April 2011, in single rows, with 15 × 2 m spacing. In 2016, the trees were thinned, and the spacing was changed to 15 × 4 m. The treatments comprised measurements at 0.00, 3.75, 7.50, and 11.25 m from the trees of the North row in the integrated crop–livestock–forest (iCLF) system and integrated crop–livestock (iCL) system. Palisadegrass (Urochloa brizantha) was sown after harvesting the corn. Corn yields were similar between treatments, with an average of 13.6 Mg ha−1. Corn for silage presented a higher percentage of grain in total biomass in the crop–livestock–forest positions (41.4 and 42.1%) than in the crop–livestock system (35.6%). No differences in forage accumulation were observed. Crude protein content in corn for silage and palisadegrass was higher in the crop–livestock–forest treatments than in the crop–livestock system. Such results indicate that thinning was favorable to production in the crop–livestock–forest system. Total aboveground biomass yield was higher in the iCLF system, indicating better land use for this type of integrated system.


We introduce a novel approach to computer-based modelling which allows the construction of cognitive artefacts with an unusual degree of openness and a potential for close integration with other artefacts and with human processes. Four particular artefacts concerning railway operation, timetabling, restaurant management and warehouse management are described briefly and attention is drawn to those properties concerning knowledge representation and communication which show that the modelling methods used have a significant contribution to make the development of more effective decision support systems in a business context.


A design of 5V/120A special power supply for LED display screen is indtrodnced. The appheations of lossless snubber technique and primary current compound technique in the circuit are discussed, the experimental results are given.


The significance of wave-absorbing materials was explained.The absorbing mechanism in different conditions,the species and the characteristics of general wave-absorbing materials were introduced.The recent progress and application of ferrite material,surperfine metal powders,nanometer absorbing material and optics transparent absorbing material were reviewed.Finally the trend of research and development was pointed out.


The paper explores the curing processes of unfilled epoxy resins ED-16. Mathematical modeling of curing processes has been performed and mathematical models of curing processes are presented in the form of full quadratic polynomial models. Separately, the degree of curing of unfilled epoxy compositions is studied. As a result of exploring the obtained models and performing optimization procedures for the ED-16 resin, theoretical aspects of curing high-viscosity epoxy systems were developed and recipe-technological parameters for obtaining a high-strength polymer matrix based on the high-viscosity ED-16 resin were proposed, which makes it possible to obtain epoxy composites with specified parameters structures and properties.


Nimbus-7 SMMR brightness temperatures have been reprocessed in a form that simplifies the data handling associated with estimation and analysis of global land parameter fields. Spatial and temporal analyses of the brightness temperatures indicate their sensitivities to land surface and atmospheric conditions, and show trends linked to changing surface moisture, temperature, and vegetation patterns. An estimation algorithm is used, calibrated to sites in arid regions and forests, to obtain preliminary estimates of the land parameters for a given geographic region focusing on semiarid areas were the potential for observing moisture variability using the SMMR channels is greatest, the estimates are compared with model output data. Results of the study are helpful in evaluating the potential of future L-band spaceborne radiometer measurements, which would have greatly increased capability for surface moisture estimation if available.


ABSTRACT We evaluated 3 species of predacious mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae), Galendromus occidentalis (Nesbitt), Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot and Neoseiulus californiens (McGregor), as biological control agents for citrus red mite, Panonychus citri (McGregor) (Trombidiformes: Tetranychidae), on citrus in southern Alabama. Three separate experiments were carried out during 2008 and 2011 to evaluate various factors (i.e. release rate, release frequency and initial prey density) that may impact the performance of the predacious mites. In the first experiment conducted in 2008 on trees with moderate initial prey densities (i.e. < 4 P. citri motiles per leaf), one single release of P. persimilis or G. occidentalis at a rate of 100 or 200 per tree effectively prevented the prey from exceeding the economic threshold (5 motiles/leaf) for the entire duration (35 d) of the experiment. The result of the second experiment in 2008 on trees with high initial prey densities (i.e. ≥ 5 motiles per leaf) showed that 2 releases of P. persimilis or G. occidentalis at a rate of 100 or 200 per tree per release could not provide adequate suppression of P. citri below the economic threshold. In both experiments, P. citri densities were significantly lower in most predacious mite treatments compared to the control (no release). Also, lower P. citri densities were recorded at the higher release rate (200 per tree) compared to the lower rate, but this was only significant in a few cases. The third experiment conducted in 2011 in large plots on trees with low initial P. citri densities (i.e. < 1 motile per leaf) showed that 2 releases of N. californiens or P. persimilis at a rate of 200 per tree per release effectively maintained P. citri at low densities (< 1.5 motiles per leaf) throughout the duration (56 d) of the experiment. Limited observations in spring 2012 confirmed the establishment of the predacious mites released in the 2011 study. These results showed that all 3 phytoseiid species were effective in reducing P. citri densities on citrus. However, initial prey density may be an important factor influencing their performance.


The white prawn, Fenneropenaeus indicus (H. Milne Edwards) (Perez-Farfante & Kensley 1997), is a species native to east-southeast Africa. Until 2004 South Africa boasted a small yet viable prawn industry which, during its prime, produced an annual harvest of approximately 130 mt of cultured F. indicus. At times pond yields surpassed total yearly trawls of wild stocks caught offshore, but due to high running costs the farms were forced to close. Renewed interest by investors to revive and expand the industry using large scale farming techniques is presently being addressed. However, there remains concern about the high costs incurred in manufacturing feeds since, in both natural and prepared diets, protein is the main and most expensive nutrient. To date, diets formulated for F. indicus have a protein content of approximately 33 43 %. To assess if protein requirement changes with age the survival, nutritional indices, body composition gains and growth response in approximately 2, 7 and 14 g prawns fed diets with protein concentrations ranging between ~ 5 to 50 % during 35 day growth trials, was investigated. Results indicated that dietary protein significantly influenced growth and nutritional indices and that the protein requirement for 2, 7 and 14 g prawns was 34, 35 and 41 % of the diet, expressed on a dry matter basis, respectively. Moreover the quantitative aspect of protein utilization (g nutrient/unit of mass gain) was examined by implementing the Reading model, primarily used to establish the optimal requirement of essential amino acids in laying hens based on economical terms. Results indicated that the optimum dose increased with age with protein requirements of 18, 46 and 152 mg/day recorded for 2, 7 and 14 g prawns. In formulated diets fish meal, although the most suitable source of protein with a digestibility coefficient in excess of 90 %, remains the most expensive ingredient and due to fishing. pressures_may become scarce in the future. A1ternati¥.~and less _exp.ensiv~ SOillces of _ plant proteins viz. wheat gluten, sunflower oilcake, brewers yeast and soybean meal together with a slightly more expensive animal protein, casein, were investigated and found to have digestibility coefficients of97, 96, 95, 88 and 90 %, respectively. Moreover, a model used to describe growth in pigs and poultry was adapted to describe and predict growth in F. indicus. The model describes the potential rate of increase of body protein using the Gompertz equation, which estimates body protein mass at a point in time (PI) from the mature body protein mass (Pm), the degree of maturity at birth ~ where ~ = PI/ Pm and from the rate of maturation (fJ), which is a Gompertz constant. In addition the potential rate of increase in mass of each body component viz. flesh and exoskeleton and their respective chemical fractions, expressed as a function of the current protein mass, may be calculated using allometry. Body mass of the animal at any given point in time is then determined by adding the mass of each component and their associated fractions. In this study the procedures used to establish the relevant parameters of the Gompertz growth equation (i.e. p, Pm) under assumed non-limiting conditions involved the measurement iand comparison of the growth of prawns reared in a laboratory system and in a growout pond for 400 days. Based on a series of mixed samples of pond-reared male and female prawns, the inherent growth parameters of the species, when reared at 19 27 °C and in 21 27 %0, were as follows: Pm of 6541.00 mg, fJ of 0.014 per day, maximum rate of protein deposition of 32.68 mg/day, and lipid:protein, ash:protein, water:protein, carbohydrate:protein at maturity equal to 0.03, 0.02, 3.30 and 0.06, respectively. Animals require dietary energy for maintenance and growth. In order to establish the metabolic rate of fasting F. indicus the oxygen consumption of 5, 7 and 14 g prawns at temperatures of20, 25, 30°C and salinities of 15,25 and 35 °/00 was measured. In addition the percentage increase in metabolism caused by the specific dynamic action (SDA) for the same size animals fed diets of 21, 31 and 41 % crude protein was measured. Salinity had no significant effect on respiration rates but metabolic rates were affected significantly by temperature. Oxygen consumption (mg. hour· l ) as a function of live mass of fasting animals at 20,25 and 30°C was described by 0.194 MO. , 0.243 MO. and 0.341 MO. , respectively, at 15 35 °/00' Despite SDA contributing to an increase above pre-feeding levels of about 9, 10 and 13 % for prawns fed diets containing 21, 31 and 41 % crude protein respectively, no significant differences in respiration rates between animals fed the different diets were found. Oxygen consumption of fasting prawns, together with a conversion rate of 20 kJ/f O2 respired, provided a means of calculating the minimum digestible energy required by the species at the above-mentioned environmental parameters. For example, an individual of 14 g at 20°C is predicted to have a maintenance requirement for energy (HEf) of [0.1 94x(14)o.782] x 20 = 0.031 kJ /hour x 0.744 kJ/day. Emmans (1984) and Oldman and Emmans (1990) have shown that an estimate of -----metabolizable energy (ME) is not an-accurate means ()f describing energy-yields.of feedstufL-------since the heat increment of feeding is not accounted for. A solution known as the effective energy system, proposed by Emmans (1984; 1994) and Emmans and Fisher (1986), takes these deficiencies into account and was used here in place of the ME system when calculating dietary energy content and prawn requirement. The daily energy requirement (EERQ) of prawns may be predicted using: EERQ = HEr + 47 PR + 56 LR + 17 CR (kJ/day) where PR, LR and CR are the retention of body protein, lipid and carbohydrate, respectively. The desired feed intake (DFI) is calculated as DFI = EERQ -:EEC. Using these same principals the desired protein intake based on the amino acid requirements for maintenance and growth was established. This study indicated that, with estimates of potential growth rate, fasting metabolic rates and changes in body composition, the nutrient requirements of F. indicus could be predicted. With this knowledge, especially for protein and energy, producers can make better decisions that will ultimately lead to increased production and a decrease in costs.


The quality of vocational education in a country will determine the potential of the country's economic development to some extent. In the face of the current situation of students who are tired of learning and poor cultural basic knowledge, every teacher is actively exploring solutions. In the teaching of economic geography, the full use of multimedia-assisted teaching methods can arouse students' interest in learning, improve the quality of education and teaching in large-capacity teaching, and at the same time play the special role of geography teachers in patriotic education.


Human diploid fibroblast cells produce a spectrum of necessary growth factors and extracellular matrix (ECM) components essential for growth and proliferation of a variety of other cell types. In this study, the effect of five human embryonic fibroblast cell lines, isolated from liver, lung, skin and foreskin tissues, was investigated. A coculture system analyse was employed to cloning efficiency (CE) and DNA synthesis of a human Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-transformed lymphoblastoid cell line (LCL) in long- and short-term cultures. The fibroblast cells were used as feeder layer after treatment with mitomycin C. Optimal density of the feeder cells induced 10 to 43 times higher CE than cultures supplemented with conditioned media (CM) or cultures without a feeder layer. The stimulatory effect of the feeder cells was partly associated to their tissue origin, with the lung and liver fibroblasts being the most and least effective feeder cells, respectively. Short-term cultures of LCL cells with feeder cells or their CM resulted in a marginal increase in DNA synthesis and proliferation as evidenced by the index of ³H-thymidine incorporation. Our results demonstrated supportive effects of feeder cells on the LCL growth, which can not be replaced by their CM. These supportive effects were partly associated with cell density and tissue origin of the feeder cells. Iran. Biomed. J. 7 (4): 147-153, 2003


The Simultaneous Saccharification and Fermentation (SSF) of alkali-acid pretreated sugarcane trash to ethanol was optimized using commercial cellulase and Saccharomyces cerevisiae TISTR 5596 cells. Substrate concentration (12.5% w/v, 15% w/v, 17.5% w/v and 20% w/v), enzyme loading (25 FPU/g Dry Substrate (DS), 50 FPU/g DS and 75 FPU/g DS), and temperature (30 o C, 35 o C and 40 o C) were evaluated. The SSF optimal conditions for alkali-acid pretreated sugarcane trash were 20% w/v of substrate concentration, enzyme loading 50 FPU/g DS, temperature 35 o C, initial pH 5.0 and yeast inoculum 10 7 cells/mL. Under the above optimal conditions, ethanol concentration was possible to reach in the range between 50.14 g/L and 55.08 g/L at 96 hrs and 144 hrs, respectively. This study could establish the effective utilization of sugarcane trash for bioethanol production using optimized fermentation parameters.


The results of the coloristic properties research of art items with copper coatings applied by cold gas-dynamic spraying (CGDS), as well as the color determination technique, allowing to improve the approach to the decoration and restoration of art items, are presented. This allows us to study the quantitative properties of the color of decorative surfaces, which largely determines the quality and aesthetic properties of coatings and their subsequent decorative treatment.


This study deals with the accident models of arterial link sections by driving type. The objectives is to develop models by driving type using the accident data of 24 arterial links in Cheong-ju. In pursuing the above, this study gives particular emphasis to modeling such the accidents as the straight, lane change and others. The main results analyzed are as follows. First, the number of accidents is analyzed to account for about 59% in straight, 31% in lane change and 10% in others. Second, the number of left-turn lane as common variables, and the ADT, number of pedestrian crossings, connecting roads and link length as specific variables are selected in developing models(number of accident and EPDO). Third, 8 models which are all statistically significant are developed. Finally, RMSE of the driving type models was analyzed to be better than that of dummy variable.


Self-efficacy is the ability to perform in dealing with various activities. Changes in learning activities due to Covid-19 affect the learning environment which has an impact on selfefficacy. This study aims to obtain an explanation of mathematics self-efficacy and its relationship with mathematics performance in online learning. The sample in this study was the mathematics performance score on trigonometry, and the Mathematics self-efficacy score of 75 students at one of the universities in Mataram. This research is a correlational research. The research instruments were in the form of a Mathematics Self-efficacy questionnaire and mathematics performance scores on trigonometry. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to measure the mean and standard deviation of mathematical self-efficacy and analysis of the correlation between mathematical self-efficacy and mathematics performance. The results showed that most respondents had a high level of mathematical self-efficacy in online learning. Further analysis shows that there is a positive relationship between mathematics self-efficacy and mathematics performance, with an R coefficient of 14.8%. These results explain that variations in Mathematics performance can be explained by variations in Mathematics self-efficacy of 14.8%.


We answer some questions raised in [1]. In particular, we prove: (i) Let F be a compact subset of the euclidean plane E2 such that no component of F separates E2. Then E 2\F can be partitioned into simple closed curves iff F is nonempty and connected. (ii) Let F C E2 be any subset which is not dense in E2, and let 5 be a partition of E 2\ F into simple closed curves. Then 5 has the cardinality of the continuum. We also discuss an application of (i) above to the existence of flows in the plane. Statement of results. This note is a sequel to [1], whose notation and terminology we follow faithfully. Throughout the paper, F is a subset of the euclidean plane E2, and 5 is an alleged partition of E 2\ F into simple closed curves (scc's) (i.e. 5 is a cover of E2 \F by pairwise disjoint topological replicas of the unit circle). We are interested in two kinds of question: (i) (existential) what conditions on F ensure or prohibit the existence of a partition 5; and (ii) (spectral) what are the relationships between F and the set of cardinalities of possible partitions S? Existence questions are considered in [1, 2]. We summarize what we know: If the cardinality I FI of F is less than the continuum c, and if either the number of isolated points of F or the number of cluster points of F (in E2) is finite, then 5 exists iff F I= 1. We conjecture that the conclusion is still valid under the weaker hypothesis "I F j< c"; however, the conclusion fails when the hypothesis is weakened further to "F is totally disconnected", as is witnessed by a nice construction due to R. Fox [1, Theorem 12]. In [1] we also raise the question of when 5 exists for F compact. This brings us to our first result. 1. THEOREM. Let F be a compact subset of E2 such that no component of F separates E2. Then E2\F can be partitioned into scc's iff F is nonempty and connected. Questions of spectrum are considered in [1, 2,4]; in particular, in [1] we ask: for which F is it necessarily the case that I 5= c (if it exists at all)? 2. THEOREM. Let F be any subset of E2 which is not dense in E2, and let 5 be a partition of E 2\ F into scc's. Then I j= c. Received by the editors December 3, 1982 and, in revised form, February 24, 1983. 1980 Mathematics Subject Classification. Primary 54B15, 57N05; Secondary 54H20.


A simple method for the preparation of 4- Methoxy Benzylchloride from 4- Methoxy Toluene is reported. The electrolysis was carried out at room temperature in a divided electrochemical cell fitted with graphite electrodes. The conversion of 4- Methoxy Toluene varies   from 80 to 85 % and the selectivity observed is above as 99%. The effects of different electrode, solvent, current densities are studied and reported.


The objective is to clarify the geochemical characteristics of Al Waabah Crater; compare the volcanic assemblage with other nearby lavas, and to get better understanding of magma types and tectonic evolution. Rock sequence includes: basaltic scoria; olivine basalt and alkali olivine basalt together with subordinate andesine and scare dacite. Geochemical study using major elements, trace elements and REE's are carried out for 30 samples. Geochemical variation diagrams exhibit generally, linear to gently curved trends of chemical data. However, plots of Al2O3, K2O, Na2O and P2O5 show erratic variations.TiO2 plots form two cluster areas. Alteration effect prove that there is precludes variation in the nature of the lava and /or changes in the source plum. Andesitic rocks have generally high Ba content indicating accumulative K-feldspar. Using HFS elements on the spider diagram, shows general enrichments of Pb, Nb, Ta and depletion of Cr, Li and Y. The acidic varieties are mostly enriched in LILE (Cs, Ba & Rb). The rocks are, generally, comparable with that of OIB normalized pattern (than the other patterns). In TAS diagram they composed mostly, of basalts, hawaiite and mugearites together with more acidic varieties including andesites and subordinate dacites. The volcanic assemblage is compared with Harrat-Al Madinah using both TAS diagram and SiO2 vs K2O diagrams. It is evident that the rock plots overlap field plots of Harrat-Al Madina lavas. The volcanic exhibits wide range of magma types including alkaline, subalkaline and low – k subalkaline indicating transition magma affinity. REE's data are normalized to both chondritic normalization and ocean crust. They show parallel and moderate patterns related to both chondrite and ocean crust patterns. However, they exhibit partial depletion for both Dy and Yb. Relative enrichment is recorded for Tb and Tm. Basic varieties shows split normalized pattern practically regarding LREE. The more acidic varieties perform more or less harmonic REE pattern. Lack of Eu depletion indicates absences of subduction signature.


Some analysis on the Lorentzian distance in a spacetime with controlled sectional (or Ricci) curvatures is done. In particular, we focus on the study of the restriction of such distance to a spacelike hypersurface satisfying the Omori-Yau maximum principle. As a consequence, and under appropriate hypotheses on the (sectional or Ricci) curvatures of the ambient spacetime, we obtain sharp estimates for the mean curvature of those hypersurfaces. Moreover, we also give a sufficient condition for its hyperbolicity.


As the penetration level of wind power increases, displacing conventional power generation with wind power will reduce the inertia of power system and decrease the frequency stability. Energy storage devices with only 5% energy storage of wind farm's rated capacity can produce the same virtual inertia as a same capacity synchronous generator. To reduce the additional costs of individual energy storage devices, this paper proposes a new hybrid modular multilevel converter (HMMC) with integrated battery energy storage. It has the capability of smoothing battery current and reducing battery voltage, while possessing DC fault ride-through capability with no additional costs in comparison with previous work on energy storage MMC. Voltage balancing, control strategy and parameter design are discussed in the paper, while simulation results illustrate three working states (charging, discharging, and idle) of battery and power balancing of submodules. If the proposed new submodule accounts for half of the cells, the new HMMC is able to provide sufficient virtual inertia for the wind farm with capacitor voltage requirement only 5% higher than conventional MMC.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of over-expressed monocarboxylate transporter (MCT) on apoptosis, cell cycle, migration and invasion of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.

METHODS
Eukaryotic expression plasmid pcDNA3.1/MCT and empty plasmid pcDNA3.1 were respectively transfected into MDA-MB-231 cells. The expression of MCT gene was tested by real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting. After stained respectively by annexin V-FITC/PI and PI, the apoptosis and cell cycle in the MDA-MB-231 cells over-expressing MCT were detected by flow cytometry. The abilities of invasion and migration in the MDA-MB-231 cells with over-expressed MCT were respectively determined by Transwell(TM); and scratch wound healing assays.

RESULTS
In mRNA and protein levels, the expression of MCT was higher in pcDNA3.1/MCT transfected group than in negative control group and untreated group. Over-expression of MCT in the MDA-MB-231 cells enhanced cell apoptosis, reduced the cell number of G2 phase and increased the cell number of S phase. The abilities of invasion and migration in the MDA-MB-231 cells were inhibited significantly.

CONCLUSION
Over-expression of MCT in the MDA-MB-231 cells promotes apoptosis, regulates G2/M checkpoint and inhibits the abilities of invasion and migration.


Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text Abstract Background: Accurate prediction of ischemic stroke is required for deciding anticoagulation use in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Even though only 6% to 8% of AF patients die from stroke, about 90% are indicated for anticoagulants according to the current AF management guidelines. Therefore, we aimed to develop an accurate and easy-to-use new risk model for 1-year thromboembolic events (TEs) in Chinese AF patients. Methods: From the prospective China Atrial Fibrillation Registry cohort study, we identified 6601 AF patients who were not treated with anticoagulation or ablation at baseline. We selected the most important variables by the extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) algorithm and developed a simplified risk model for predicting 1-year TEs. The novel risk score was internally validated using bootstrapping with 1000 replicates and compared with the CHA2DS2-VA score (excluding female sex from the CHA2DS2-VASc score). Results: Up to the follow-up of 1 year, 163 TEs (ischemic stroke or systemic embolism) occurred. Using the XGBoost algorithm, we selected the three most important variables (congestive heart failure or left ventricular dysfunction, age, and prior stroke, abbreviated as CAS model) to predict 1-year TE risk. We trained a multivariate Cox regression model and assigned point scores proportional to model coefficients. The CAS scheme classified 30.8% (2033/6601) of the patients as low risk for TE (CAS score = 0), with a corresponding 1-year TE risk of 0.81% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.41%–1.19%). In our cohort, the C-statistic of CAS model was 0.69 (95% CI: 0.65–0.73), higher than that of CHA2DS2-VA score (0.66, 95% CI: 0.62–0.70, Z = 2.01, P = 0.045). The overall net reclassification improvement from CHA2DS2-VA categories (low = 0/high ≥1) to CAS categories (low = 0/high ≥1) was 12.2% (95% CI: 8.7%–15.7%). Conclusion: In Chinese AF patients, a novel and simple CAS risk model better predicted 1-year TEs than the widely-used CHA2DS2-VA risk score and identified a large proportion of patients with low risk of TEs, which could potentially improve anticoagulation decision-making. Trial Registration: www.chictr.org.cn (Unique identifier No. ChiCTR-OCH-13003729).


One of the important parts of a research article is an introduction. As the initial part of an article, it should provide all the ideas confirming that the study needs to be conducted. Therefore, the ideas presented should be well organized. One of the ways to confirm a good organization of ideas in the introduction is by paying attention to the theme structure used to build the clauses. This study analyzed the theme types and structure used in the introduction section of articles published in Indonesian national journals. This study was conducted using qualitative content analysis. Using a documentation technique, the data were collected from 15 research articles published in the latest volumes (2020-2021) of four Indonesian national journals. The data were analyzed using a content analysis method, following the established procedure of the clause theme analysis. The results of the study found the dominant use of simple themes in the introduction section of the research articles, indicating a lack of ideas organization. Besides, it was also found that the theme structure of the clauses was realized in nine theme patterns. These patterns are used in presenting different contents of an introduction. It is concluded that theme types and patterns contribute to producing a good quality introduction section of a research article.


This article describes a compact trackside low-cost measuring sensor with basic advantages such as immunity to electromagnetic interference and ability to remotely evaluate information (the tested distance was 3000 m). The proposed sensor is constructed to detect vibration-acoustic responses caused by tram vehicles. The sensor was tested in real tram traffic. Over a period of six months, a total of 1435 tram vehicles were recorded (different types of tram vehicles) with 100 % detection success. The massive expansion of optical cables along the railways provides our system could be directly connected to as well as being remotely monitored and evaluated.