The sequential recommendation aims to recommend items that may be of interest to users based on user behavior sequence information. However, most of the current sequential recommendation tasks cannot adequately model the longterm preferences and short-term intentions of users when mining user preferences. In order to model and integrate the user's long-term and short-term preferences effectively, a new sequential recommendation method, which integrates item relationship and user preference, named IRUP, is proposed. Firstly, Graph Convolution Network (GCN) and an itemrelation level attention mechanism are utilized to model long-term and short-term preferences of users respectively; secondly, a co-attention mechanism is used to learn the cross-correlation information between long-term and short-term preferences, which enhances the user's preference representation; finally, the long-term preference and the short-term preference are fused, and the inner product is introduced to calculate the recommendation list. The experimental results on two public datasets Beauty and Home show that the proposed method IRUP can effectively improve the recommendation performance. Compared with the best baseline method KDA, the two evaluation metrics HR@5 and NDCG@5 have an average improvement of 8.28% and 7.03%, respectively.


The article summarizes the history of resonance ionization spectroscopy (RIS) and its growing potential as a tool in physics and analytical chemistry. The use of RIS is classified in these respects: (1) basic ways of counting atoms; (2) use determined by the type of particle detector; (3) classification of RIS applications according to source preparation; (4) uses in physics and chemistry; (5) use in the neutralization of daughter atoms. Research programs are underway to find useful combinations of RIS technology with mass spectroscopy, and with accelerators. 2 figures, 4 tables.


Evaluation of: Zolopa AR, Andersen J, Komarow L et al.: Early antiretroviral therapy reduces AIDS progression/death in individuals with acute opportunistic infections: a multicenter randomized strategy trial. PLoS ONE 4, e5575 (2009). The present study, also known as AIDS Clinical Trial Group (ACTG) A5164, was conducted to evaluate when antiretroviral therapy (ART) should be initiated in patients presenting with AIDS. Patients were randomized to receive ART immediately or after the completion of the treatment for the acute disease. The study indicates that immediate ART resulted in reduced AIDS progression and longer survival compared with deferred ART, with no increase in adverse events such as immune reconstitution syndrome or loss of virologic response. The main finding is that, in patients with advanced HIV disease, even 1 month of ART was sufficient for a difference to be observed between the two groups in terms of 1-year survival. This study has important clinical implications, even if it is not dir...


This article discusses the findings of a study in which 160 volunteer members of the public observed one of four mini rape trial reconstructions and were asked to deliberate as a group towards a verdict. In a context in which research into the substantive content of the deliberations of real jurors is prohibited by the Contempt of Court Act 1981, these discussions were analysed to assess whether, and in what ways, perceptions of adult rape testimony are influenced by different modes of presentation. While lawyers and other observers have speculated about the possible undue effects of alternative trial arrangements on juror perceptions and the evaluation of evidence in rape trials, the issue has received scant empirical attention. In an effort to bridge this knowledge gap, this study investigated the influence upon mock jurors of three special measures currently made available in England and Wales to adult sexual offence complainants by the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999, namely (1) live-links; (2) video-recorded evidence-in-chief followed by live-link cross-examination and (3) protective screens. Following a careful and contextual exploration of the content of the mock juries' deliberations, the researchers conclude that there was no clear or consistent impact as a result of these divergent presentation modes, suggesting that concerns over the use of special measures by adult rape complainants (at least in terms of juror influence) may be overstated.


The ever-increasing number of text articles on the internet necessitates automated key phrase tagging. Information retrieval is aided by automatic key phrase generation in resources. An automated approach that extracts the key ideas directly from the text is needed to produce key phrases for texts from all possible domains. We present a graph based unsupervised framework for summarization that extracts keywords from a single document automatically. In this paper, an improved page rank algorithm is proposed for directed graph. Initially the document is taken as an input, then the input document is converted into a graph. The sentences are represented by the nodes of the graph and the similarity scores between the sentences are represented by the edges. To calculate the similarity score between the sentences we combine the result of cosine similarity and semantic similarity. We set a threshold value as an average of similarity scores, if the edge weight is more than or equal to the threshold value, then only edge will be included into a graph. The graph is converted into a directed graph then apply the proposed page rank algorithm on it to calculate the rank of the sentences. Our model is executed on the following data sets: Inspec (Hulth, 2003) data set and NUS (Nguyen and Kan, 2007) data set for keyphrase extraction and DUC 2002 data set and BBC News Articles for text summarization.


The presence of major water strider species was recorded in a survey of 53 lakes covering a wide range of acidity near Sudbury, Ontario. The mean pH of lakes on which Metrobates hesperius and Trepo...


Conceptualization of Hope in Conceptual Metaphors in the Statements of Patients with Malignant Tumor and Healthy People
The article presents the results of analyses of language structures obtained from blog texts, divided into two parts: research group and control group. The analyses aimed at checking which metaphors are used to conceptualize hope among people with cancer and healthy people, and to identify differences in the conceptualization of this feeling. The difference is in the attitude of the conceptualising people: patients describe themselves more often as passive participants in events, and they usually borrow hope from others, while healthy people are more active. The issue of the influence of individual contextual factors on the formation of metaphors is also very interesting.


This study aimed the investigation of the reasons that led undergraduate students of the Chemistry course at Universidade de Brasilia to abandon the course before its conclusion. From the former students' point of view, the reasons that led them to leave the course were related to aspects of their academic life prior to university entrance, expectations which failed to be met by the course, the intricate nature of the academic system, personal and social experiences. Abandonment is a consequence of the problems he encounters during the course and takes on a connotation of protest, more than of failure.


This study provides biochemical and functional evidence pertaining to the role of the intracellular protein tyrosine phosphatase, SHP‐1, in influencing thresholds for TCR activation. Although the loss of SHP‐1 in thymocytes from motheaten mice had minimal effects on the initial rise of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration following TCR triggering, the post‐stimulation equilibrium levelsof Ca2+ were consistently elevated. In keeping with a SHP‐1 effect on PLCγ function, IP3 generation was increased in SHP‐1 deficient thymocytes. Importantly, we demonstrate that loss of SHP‐1 results in a relaxation of the normally stringent co‐stimulatory requirements for IL‐2 production. SHP‐1 deficient single‐positive CD4+ thymocytes revealed a significantly enhanced capacity to produce IL‐2 in response to anti‐CD3 stimulation alone. In contrast, the simultaneous triggering of CD3 and CD28 was required for equivalent IL‐2 production in control single‐positive CD4+ thymocytes. Furthermore, SHP‐1 deficient thymocytes generated an increased and prolonged proliferative response to anti‐CD3 stimulation alone. In addition, the simultaneous triggering of CD28 and CD3 resulted in equivalent proliferative responses in SHP‐1‐deficient and control thymocytes, suggesting that a strong co‐stimulatory signal is able to override the effect of SHP‐1 loss on TCR hyperresponsiveness. Collectively, these results suggest that SHP‐1, rather than acting directly on TCR signaling, may indirectly raise thresholds for TCR triggering by modulating co‐stimulatory signals.


• Weyl semimetals. What are they? Discuss the fact that Weyl points have a chirality, and relate to Berry fluxes and Chern numbers [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. (Note that [1] is a generally nice review of topological materials.) • Resta's position operator and localization measure [7, 8]. Discuss how, in the single-particle case, it is related to the spread of the Wannier functions. Also tie into the theory of Souza and co-workers on polarization fluctuations [9]. • Resta's paper on the Chern number and orbital magetization as local quantities [10]. • Haldane's paper on the anomalous Hall conductivity as a Fermi surface property [11]. • The above is a big subject. A narrower topic could be the density-of-states correction due to Berry curvature discussed by Niu and co-workers, and its consequences [25].


A method and a device for universal plug and play communications, wherein the method includes checking for a change in the presence of a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server in a network to which the communication device belongs, changing an Internet protocol address used by the communication device into an Internet protocol address allocated appropriately for the changed environment if it is determined as a result of the checking that a change has occurred in the presence of the DHCP server, and notifying another communication device of the changed Internet protocol address.


The main objective of this paper is to provide an estimation approach for non-parametric GARCH (2, 2) volatility model. Specifically the paper, by combining the aspects of multivariate adaptive regression splines(MARS) model estimation algorithm proposed by Chung (2012) and an algorithm proposed by Buhlman and McNeil(200), develops an algorithm for non-parametrically estimating GARCH (2,2) volatility model. Just like the MARS algorithm, the algorithm that is developed in this paper takes a logarithmic transformation as a preliminary analysis to examine a nonparametric volatility model. The algorithm however differs from the MARS algorithm by assuming that the innovations are i.d.d. The algorithm developed follows similar steps to that of Buhlman and McNeil (200) but starts by semi parametric estimation of the GARCH model and not parametric while relaxing the dependency assumption of the innovations to avoid exposing the estimation procedure to risk of inconsistency in the event of misspecification errors.


Objectives This study aims to address, for the first time, the challenges of constructing small area estimates of health status using linked national surveys. The study also seeks to assess the concordance of these small area estimates with data from national censuses. Setting Population level health status in England, Scotland and Wales. Participants A linked integrated dataset of 23 374 survey respondents (16+ years) from the 2011 waves of the Health Survey for England (n=8603), the Scottish Health Survey (n=7537) and the Welsh Health Survey (n=7234). Primary and secondary outcome measures Population prevalence of poorer self-rated health and limiting long-term illness. A multilevel small area estimation modelling approach was used to estimate prevalence of these outcomes for middle super output areas in England and Wales and intermediate zones in Scotland. The estimates were then compared with matched measures from the contemporaneous 2011 UK Census. Results There was a strong positive association between the small area estimates and matched census measures for all three countries for both poorer self-rated health (r=0.828, 95% CI 0.821 to 0.834) and limiting long-term illness (r=0.831, 95% CI 0.824 to 0.837), although systematic differences were evident, and small area estimation tended to indicate higher prevalences than census data. Conclusions Despite strong concordance, variations in the small area prevalences of poorer self-rated health and limiting long-term illness evident in census data cannot be replicated perfectly using small area estimation with linked national surveys. This reflects a lack of harmonisation between surveys over question wording and design. The nature of small area estimates as 'expected values' also needs to be better understood.


Pitfall trapping is one of the most widely used methods for sampling ground-dwelling insects (Gullan & Cranston, 2004). The type of preservative used in pitfall traps may affect not only the sampling efficiency but also the condition of the samples (Lemieux & Lindgren, 1999; Schmidt et al., 2006). Furthermore, the type of preservative may affect the suitability of samples for further investigation, as demonstrated by a molecular study of spiders (Gurdebeke & Maelfait, 2002) and measurements of heavy metal concentrations in woodlice (Hendrickx et al., 2003). In most insects, the condition of the gonads (e.g., egg maturation) and morphology of the genitalia can provide useful information. Gonad condition is often used to estimate reproductive season (Loreau, 1985; Telfer & Butterfield, 2004) or as an index of parental investment (Morrow & Gage, 2000; Simmons & Emlen, 2006). The morphology of the genitalia can be examined for valuable taxonomic (Sasakawa & Kubota, 2005; Takami & Sota, 2006), phylogenetic (Sasakawa, 2005; Sota et al., 2005), and/or functional (Pitnick et al., 1999; Sasakawa, 2006) information. However, to date, no studies have examined the effects of preservatives on the condition of internal organs (e.g., gonads and genitalia) in collected samples. This study provides the first descriptions of such effects of pitfall trap preservatives on the morphologies of gonads and genitalia, using three carabid species.


Phlogopite from Kimberlite pipes of the Arbarastakhsky massif is 661 million years or Riphean. However, the age of intrusion is shown to be post-Jurassic, i.e. less than 140 million years, on basis of an Upper Jurassic belemnite found in a xenolith. Previous theories of kimberlite formation are reviewed. It is concluded that kimberlite is intruded as a cold solid acting as a fluid under gravitational and tectonic pressures at great depth.–M. Russell


Personal responsibility could be understood as a value that individuals try to satisfice instead to optimize. Usual dilemmas between rational choice and other processes linked both to our emotions and agency, are not actual dilemmas. We analyse personal responsibility and trust as two devices that contribute to build on a complementary view of rationality that overcome narrow notions. From Aristotle to Adam Smith there are philosophical insights that go round this topic. Our bounded rationality is an interwoven process that help us to elucidate three apparent dichotomies in moral studies very well exposed by Amartya Sen.


Matrix multiplication (MM) has several applications in fields such as statistics, physics, economics, and computer science. For instance, the main computation behind deep neural networks (DNNs) is a convolution that can be implemented as MM. The increasing demand for executing MM quickly has motivated several proposals to design specialized hardware for it. Among the proposals, systolic arrays [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] have seen significant interest mainly because of their unique interconnections that satisfies the unique requirement of data reuse in MM. Systolic arrays are networks of connected compute units that independently compute partial results as a function of the input and pass data within their structure.


Nitrate pollution from agriculture is an important environmental problem, caused by the excessive use of inorganic fertilizers. The internalization of this externality, via a tax on mineral nitrogen, could lead to a second best solution, reducing nitrate emissions. Several authors suggest that a reduction in agricultural support could produce similar results. In this paper we examine the effects of a nitrogen levy on nitrate pollution from agriculture in northern France under two different policy scenarios corresponding to (i) the Agenda 2000 and (ii) the Luxembourg reform of 2003, including the 2006 arrangement. The analysis aims at revealing what synergies or conflicts are created between a fertilizer levy and the policy scenarios, with respect to nitrate pollution mitigation. The applied methodology is based on the coupling of the economic model AROPAj with the crop model STICS. For each policy scenario, a nitrogen tax is simulated, involving different tax levels up to 100% the input price. Results reveal that at higher tax levels the reformed CAP can lead to slightly greater nitrate reductions than Agenda 2000, while the opposite applies when the tax is low. A down-scaling method is then used for the spatial distribution of the outputs, allowing for a more detailed representation of the nitrate abatement effects of the N-tax at different geographical levels.


Over the past century there have been a number of distinct attempts by geographers to generalize about the nature of international boundaries. The most influential contemporary movement is that which considers them as examples of more general processes of "bordering" or "bounding." This approach is insightful but not without limitations, and can be advanced through writing what are termed "boundary biographies" that explore how specific boundaries materialize, rematerialize, and dematerialize in different ways, in different contexts, at different scales, and at different times. A biography of the Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan boundary traces its materialization as a result of the 1924 through 1927 process of national territorial delimitation and its multiple and varied re- and dematerializations throughout the Soviet and particularly the post-Soviet periods. This biography illustrates the importance of geography for understanding processes of nation-state formation and political contestation in Central Asia.


A dual fuel system (10) comprises a plurality of fuel injectors (12), said fuel injector (12) having a non-injection configuration, the liquid fuel injection configuration, a gaseous fuel injection configuration and combinations fuel injection configuration. Each fuel injector (12) and a gas fuel common rail (14) and the liquid fuel common rail (16) fluidly connected. Each fuel injector (12) comprises along a common center line (19) to move the three-way gas control valve (28) and a three-way fluid control valve (29). When the gas control valve element (105) is in the non-injection corresponding to the configuration of the first position, each fuel injector (12) of the gas control chamber (92) (152, 154) with the liquid through the two parallel paths fuel rail (16) fluidly connected. When the fluid control valve member (105) is in the non-injection still corresponds to a position of a first configuration, each fuel injector (12) fluid control chamber (95) also by two parallel passages (150, 151) in fluid connection with the liquid fuel common rail (16).


ABSTRACT Introduction: Pleural effusion is the most common manifestation of pleural disorders and is mostly secondary to bacterial infections in children. Aims and Objectives: The primary objective was to study the clinical presentation of pleural effusion in hospitalized children. The secondary objective was to establish the etiology. Methods: A prospective observational study conducted from April 2014 to September 2015. Children >1 month and <14 years diagnosed to have pleural effusion on clinical and radiological examination were included in the study. Data regarding demographic profile, presenting complaints, immunization history, anthropometry, biochemical and radiological investigations, and the outcome of the patients were collected. Results: Seventy-five patients were included in this study. The mean age of the patients was 69.97±48.23 months. Regarding etiology of pleural effusion, it was parapneumonic in 35 (46.6%), empyema in 18 (24%), transudative in 12 (16%), tubercular in 9 (12%), and malignant (non-Hodgkin's lymphoma) in 1 (1.3%) case. The presenting complaints were fever (82.6%), cough (78.7%), respiratory distress (69.3%), chest pain (36%), and abdominal pain (9.3%). There was no sex predominance. About 16% patients were severely malnourished. Severe anemia was present in 5 (6.7%) patients. None of them required decortication surgery, and none of the patients expired during hospitalization. Conclusion: Pleural effusion is a major health problem with parapneumonic effusion still being the most common etiology. Our study also confirmed that fever, cough, and respiratory distress were the most common presenting complaints and most of the children were malnourished. A high index of suspicion is required to avoid delays in diagnosis that may influence treatment and outcome.


The inverse kinematics of general 6R serial robot is a central problem in theory and practice.When analyzed mathematically,the problem can be reduced to solving a system of multivariate equations.In this paper,10 kinematic equations are chose and a univariate polynomial that expresssed as matrix form is obtained by using certain techniques,and then the roots of the polynomial correspond exactly to the eigenvalues of a 16×16 matrix.The other roots of the system are obtained by computing eigenvectors.Compared with computing determinant,this algorithm is efficient and practical.


1. INTRODUCTIONThough "deterrence models" proposed by Allingham and Sandmo (1972) and Srinivasan (1973) have failed to fully explain why individuals pay taxes, they still remain significant in tax compliance research. The concept of "psychological tax contract" proposed by Feld and Frey (2007) and Torgler, Demir, Macintyre and Schaffner (2008) have also contributed to understanding why individuals pay taxes without enforcement. The combination of these efforts provides a robust framework known as the "Slippery Slope Framework" by Kirchler, Hoelzl and Wahl (2008) which to a certain extent, explains why people pay taxes with or without enforcement, i.e., either through trust in authorities leading to voluntary tax compliance or through power of authorities leading to enforced tax compliance. Since the emergence of the Slippery Slope Framework, studies have been conducted to test the effect of trust and power to explain compliance behavior using real taxpayers and students simulations. However, analyses have not yet been using cross-country data. Therefore, this study aims to examine the effect of trust and power using African cross-country data generated from difference sources.The second part of the paper provides a conceptual framework and review of previous empirical analyses relating to the effect of trust and power on tax compliance. The third part deals with the methodology used to conduct the study. The fourth part presents the results and analysis. Finally, a conclusion is drawn.2. CONCEPT OF TAX COMPLIANCE BEHAVIORTax compliance has been divided into two perspectives: administrative compliance, i.e., adherence to applicable tax laws; and judicious compliance in terms of accurate completion of tax returns (Chow, 2004). Regardless of its type, tax compliance has been defined as reporting to the relevant tax authority all income and tax payments using the applicable tax laws and regulations as well as court orders (Jackson & Milliron, 1986). It can also be defined as an individual's act of filing tax returns, declaring all income accurately for tax purposes and paying tax liabilities on the due dates as stipulated by the authority or applicable tax laws (Palil & Mustapha, 2011). Similarly, voluntary tax compliance has been defined as "timely filing and reporting of required tax information, the correct self-assessment of taxes owed and the timely payment of those taxes without enforcement action" (Silvani & Baer, 1997, p. 11). Under voluntary tax compliance, taxpayers have to assess themselves using correct information in a timely manner, report the tax due, file the tax returns with the relevant tax authority and make timely payment of the tax payable, usually to designated banks. However, enforced compliance refers to a situation where taxpayers will only be willing to comply with their tax obligations either due to fear of being detected or audited.The issue of tax and tax compliance behavior is as old as mankind (Ramona-Anca & LarissaMargareta, 2012). People naturally do not want to pay taxes; however, in this world, two things are inevitable, i.e., death and taxes (Alm, 1999). This inherent hatred to pay taxes has therefore resulted in authorities being very concerned about tax compliance behavior. This has led to researchers widely studying the effect of tax evasion and noncompliance. Noncompliance comprises two categories: intentional and unintentional. Intentional noncompliance is caused by tax evasion; while unintentional non-compliance is caused by the taxpayers' lack of knowledge or ignorance of tax laws or financial condition (Loo, 2006).The issue of tax noncompliance is a global phenomenon that governments in both developed and developing nations have to deal with. For instance, the amount of unpaid income taxes for individuals and corporations was about USD 127 billion for the 1992 tax year in the United States (US) (Alm, 1999). Recently, tax evasion in the US averages USD 285 billion annually (Cobham, 2005). …


Evaluating and selecting new ideas are central activities in project portfolio management (PPM). PPM dominant approach assumes that both ideas and decision criteria are clearly defined at their evaluation. It does not take into consideration ambiguous situations in which ideas are not fully understood, or there are opposing opinions about their potential. We explore evaluation of ideas when PPM decision makers experience ambiguity. We found that decision makers allow ideas to be developed further, which helps them to understand purposes, reveal benefits and construct judgments. However, it also affects resource allocation because it requires resources that had already been assigned.


The classification of forest roads is essential because it allows communication without terminology problems, providing subsidies to the planning, implementation, conservation and evaluation of the existing roads. The objective of this work was to elaborate a classification of forest roads and their respective construction costs and apply this classification to a Brazilian forest company. Through the combination of quality indexes, 20different classes of roads were obtained with their respective transport vehicle operational speed and 120 different types of roads were obtained with their respective construction costs. In the area where this work was conducted, three categories of road were observed: main, secondary and tertiary, with construction cost estimate of R$9050.00, R$4050.00 and R$2937.00/km, respectively.


Abstract We present a new formal model of query and computation on the Web. We focus on two important aspects that distinguish the access to Web data from the access to a standard database system: the navigational nature of the access and the lack of concurrency control. We show that these two issues have significant effects on the computability of queries. To illustrate the ideas and how they can be used in practice for designing appropriate Web query languages, we consider a particular query language, the Web calculus, an abstraction and extension of the practical Web query language WebSQL.


3-Aza-bicyclo[3,3,1]nonanes are synthesized via the reaction of the pyrrolidine enamine of N-toluene-p-sulphonylpiperidone and α-bromomethylacrylate: the stereochemistry of the adduct and some of its transformation products is discussed.


Platelets play key roles both in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and in the development of acute thrombotic events. Platelet size correlates with platelet activity and can be assessed by platelet volume indices, which are mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), and Platelet-large cell ratio (P-LCR). We enrolled 101 patients with stable angina, unstable angina or myocardial infarction undergoing coronary angiography. Patients were divided into three groups according to their degree of stenosis and the number of stenotic vessels; Non-significant coronary artery disease (CAD) was defined as a stenosis 50% in at least 1 coronary vessel, while severe coronary artery disease was defined as left main and/or three-vessel disease >50%. Blood samples were run through the automated blood analyzer to obtain the platelet indices. As a result, a statistically significant increase in all three platelet volume indices was observed in patients with severe CAD compared to those with non-significant CAD. We concluded that platelet volume indices, MPV, PDW, and P-LCR, are useful markers for the diagnosis of severe coronary artery disease.


Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is used for such tasks as surveillance, widespread environmental sampling, security, and health monitoring widely. In this paper, a WSNs topology is proposed for lightning monitoring of distribution lines, which decides the number of nodes, routing protocol and power efficiency. The WSNs is deployed along the distribution line with nodes mounted on tall towers, which is used to monitor the lightning activities and accomplish fault diagnosis. At last, a monitoring system based on WSN is fabricated.


The anaemia of Hypersplenism is due to a number of causes, but it is probable that red cell pooling in the enlarged spleen and/or the expansion of plasma volume play a part in the aetiology of the anaemia in every case. Several studies of red cell and plasma volume in patients with splenomegaly have been done. Fudenberg et al. (1961) described a 'splenic reservoir' and their studies showed that pooling of red cells took place in concentrated form in enlarged spleens so that the ratio whole body haematocrit/venous haematocrit (Hb/Hv) rose in proportion to the degree of splenomegaly. Others have not Produced such convincing evidence of concentrated red cell pooling, but investigators have generally found increased plasma volumes in patients with enlarged spleens (Bowdler, 1970; Donaldson et al., 1970; Toghill and Green, 1972; Christensen, 1973). The mechanism is not entirely clear, but a recent paper (Hess et al-, 1976) suggests that the increase may be a result of the activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in these patients. Bowdler (1970) found cviuence of red cell pooling by means of surface Co"nt:ng over the spleen, and again by calculating the difference in red cell V?lume measured by taking a six minute blood specimen and a 45 minute one after injection of radioactive chromium (51Cr)-labelled red cells. In another study (1969) he examined 28 patients with splenomegaly with surface counting for regional variations in haematocrit and concluded that enlarged spleens had a definite but variable tendency to contain blood with a higher haematocrit value than that of the peripheral venous level. Bowdler concluded that a raised Hb/Hv ratl? associated with splenomegaly is more dependent on the concentration of the P??l ?f red cells relative to the venous haematocrit than on the actual volume of P?oled red cells and spleen size. toghill and Green (1972) found a positive correlation between clinical "measurements of spleen size and increased measurements of plasma and total oo volume, but no correlation between spleen size and erythrocyte mass. ever, the volume of pooled red cells in the spleen did show significant c?rrelationswith the degree of splenic enlargement. They used a three minute nitial blood specimen but otherwise their method of estimating the volume of the P enic pool was similar to Bowdler's. Th e present study is an investigation of red cell and plasma volume, Hb/Hv and a osmolality in 26 patients with various blood diseases, excluding polycy-


In this study we provide evidence on the health status and the role of gender and socioeconomic inequality in self-reported health and morbidity status amongst the elderly in Portugal. We find a negative self-perception of health status amongst the elderly; high prevalence of chronic diseases since an earlier age; high level of depression problems reported by women; and high levels of disability amongst the oldest old. There are, nonetheless, substantial differences in health status between age groups that suggest a potential for health gains in the future. The prevalence of chronic diseases, mental problems and high disability requires an adequate (re)organization of healthcare delivery to the elderly. Moreover, the evidence presented clearly calls for a gendered perspective on health policy, particularly in mental health policy.


This study investigates the possibility of integrating FIDO authentication standards with a new digital ID card, called New eID which is an ongoing plan organized by the Taiwan government. To increase the security during the data transmission of application services enabled by New eID, we introduce a single sign-on application service architecture. The proposed architecture can be well-integrated with existing government services to provide more security robustness through a two-factor authentication scheme.


Aim. The aim of the research was to analyze the early postoperative complications after transanal hemorrhoidal dearterialization with mucopexy, and rectum mucosa lifting in patients with III and IV stage of hemorrhoidal disease and in patients with combined pathology of the anal canal. The paper presents the ways of its prevention and treatment. Material and methods. The study included 96 patients with chronic hemorrhoids of stages III-IV, 25 patients had combined pathology of the anal canal. All patients underwent transanal hemorrhoidal dearterialization with mucopexy, and lifting the mucosa of the rectum. In cases of anal canal combined pathology, simultaneous operations were performed. Results and discussion. The following complications were observed in the early postoperative period: eight patients had bleeding, acute hemorrhoidal thrombosis occurred in three patients, the expressed painful syndrome was observed in two cases. Two patients with bleeding had second operation hemorrhoidectomy, other patients had haemostatic therapy with final hemostasis. A blockade of the anal sphincter procedure was performed in patients with expressed pain syndrome. Conservative therapy for acute hemorrhoidal thrombosis allowed stopping the inflammation. Conclusion. To prevent early complications after transanal hemorrhoidal dearterialization with mucopexy, and lifting the mucosa of the rectum it is necessary to upgrade the operating techniques. Patients should thoroughly fulfill postoperative doctor's advice. Occurrence of bleeding requires an integrated treatment approach.


This article reports on a numerical investigation of the transient heat and moisture transfer behavior in clothing insulation made of fibrous battings and covering fabrics. The finite-volume method (FVM) is applied in the mathematical formation and numerical calculation. The method provides more accurate representation of the element properties and their grid locations. Combined with the upstream scheme in dealing with the moisture bulk flow and considering the effect of condensate on the permeability of the fibrous batting, the present model improves the accuracy of the numerical solution. The calculated results of water content and temperature distributions in two kinds of clothing assemblies show improved agreement with the experimental ones. Based on the new method, the effects of various clothing parameters on the condensation and moisture absorption within clothing are investigated numerically and discussed.


Based on the analysis of some popular methods for GPS-leveling fitting,the special advantages of mobile interpolation and its improved method are studied with emphasis.Finally,some contents to be further studied are pointed out.


Abstract During the past several years, we have studied a total of 41 patients during 52 courses of oral and intravenous furosemide therapy. All patients had renal disease and significant renal ins...


Gorbachev's 'new thinking' sees the security of the Soviet Union as 'increasingly a political and economic (rather than a military) problem', it emphasizes 'the exclusively defensive nature' of Soviet military doctrine, and it calls for 'a mandatory reduction in weapons and armed forces'. Does this portend one of the great turning points of Soviet military strategy, or does it merely signify a change in Soviet tactics and style? Are we witnessing a fundamental change in Soviet beliefs that lie at the core of the USSR's ideological heritage — especially the nature of the military threat from the West — or are we just seeing a new twist to its long-held declaratory policy that it is a 'peace-loving socialist state'?


Abstract This paper presents a review of palaeoenvironmental reconstructions of scleractinian corals from the Oligo–Miocene Qom Formation in northeastern Esfahan, central Iran. A total of nine genera and four species of colonial corals are identified, including Platycoenia iranica, Goniopora sp., Porites sp., Tarbellastraea reussiana, Solenastrea sp., Favites neglecta, Leptoria sp., Hydnophora cf. pulchra, Hydnophora sp., and Madracis (?) sp. These corals, all parts of massive colonies, are indicative of a reefal environment, with the main constituents, including Leptoria and Hydnophora, possessing massive meandroid, massive hydnophoroid and massive mushroom- to dome-shaped hydnophoroid colonies. The corals identified here are generally indicative of the upper photic zone and shallow water depths of less than 20 m. In the reefal environment, these corals built a wave-resistant and rigid carbonate framework in the form of a reef-front zone encapsulated by environmental conditions including low sedimentation rates and high wave energy. The occurrence of Goniopora and Porites with distinct calicles reflects clearer waters in the external part of the reefal environment.


This paper uses genetic algorithm to optimize the relevance vector machine algorithm to extract the characteristic vector of fault classification, and by contrasting with relevance vector machine, the support vector machine and BP neural network method, it is know that the relevance vector machine optimized by genetic algorithm (ga) can more accurately classify the fault type of conclusion.


These summarize methods for solving the diffusion equation. 1 Parabolic equations The diffusion equation is ∂φ ∂t = ∂ ∂x k ∂φ ∂x (1) This can describe thermal diffusion (for example, as part of the energy equation in compressible flow), species/mass diffusion for multispecies flows, or the viscous terms in incompressible flows. In this form, the diffusion coefficient (or conductivity), k, can be a function of x, or even φ. We will consider a constant diffusion coefficient: ∂φ ∂t = k ∂ 2 φ ∂x 2 (2) The diffusion equation is the prototypical parabolic PDE. The basic behavior of the diffusion equation is to take strongly peaked concentrations of φ and smooth them out with time. The simplest way to difference this equation is explicit in time (i.e. the righthand side depends only on the old state): φ n+1 i − φ n i ∆t = k φ n i+1 − 2φ n i + φ n i−1 ∆x 2 (3) This is second-order accurate in space, but only first order accurate in time (since the righthand side is not centered in time). As with the advection equation, when differenced explicitly, there is a constraint on the timestep required for stability. Looking at the growth of a single Fourier mode, φ = A n e ijθ with j = √ −1, we find: A n+1


Leaders need to be able to respond quickly to crisis situations when information is incomplete and the scope for damage is increasing rapidly. Communicating with a range of stakeholders during a crisis in a Web 2.0 environment is a general management competency that can best be learned through practice. The MBA elective course described here used interactive media tools and student-centered learning to build leadership skills. Participating as members of crisis response teams, students outlined action plans on wikis and delivered emergency messages to key stakeholders by online video. Student self-awareness increased through instructor feedback following weekly crisis role-play. The teaching techniques and class activities described here illustrate how business educators can develop agile, entrepreneurial leaders who can act and communicate effectively in the face of the unknown. Applications are possible to general management courses, for business, public, or nonprofit administration, as well as to elective courses on leadership and crisis management.


Fifty years after the Second Vatican Council and its release of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, that universal call to holiness resounds in the life of the Catholic health ministry in the United States. And the "fruits of grace," those gifts of the Holy Spirit, are vitally evident in a growing reality: that of laypeople accepting and performing the role of canonical sponsor of the health care apostolate. In fact, this growing movement into stewardship of the Catholic health ministry by the laity, codified by the Vatican's formal assignment — what is known canonically as "concession" — of juridic personality to entities directed by groups of laypeople, follows a trajectory that reaches back to the council. Thus, in the U.S. health care ministry today, the seeds sown by Vatican II are rooted, growing and maturing. This growing leadership role for the laity in Catholic health ministry is not merely the effect of the diminished number of religious. Rather, it is a specific affirmation of the vocation that all Christians share to witness to the Gospel by deeds of love and service in the world and within the church. Pope Francis has reminded the church, recalling the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, that all the lay faithful "are protagonists in the work of evangelization and human promotion" by virtue of their baptism. Speaking at a March 2014 conference on the laity, he said, "Incorporated in the church, each member of the People of God is inseparably a disciple and a missionary."


The Conference sought to provide a platform to foster multidisciplinary discussions and support debates on the different sociological, economic, historical, pedagogical, philosophical, scientific and technological issues surrounding systemic studies. It sought to advance knowledge about the effective and efficient implementation of systemic thinking by individuals, groups, organizations, society and nations for the improvement of economic and social welfare. Important for the Conference were the contributions building on established lines of work as well as novel research streams. In particular, focus was placed on high quality well-defined and analyzed theoretical surveys that provide a synthesis and comprehensive review of the historical development of one particular area of interest, and empirical studies, with strong grounding in a current or new theory, on important issues that have potential impact on organizations and are of value to researchers and practitioners in general and to the social sciences research community in specific. Being open to a wide variety of issues and topics, the Conference was accepted a variety of system-related issues and topics from a wide range of scientific fields including, but not limited to: sociology, management, e-business, public policy, economics, finance, accounting, engineering, computer science, communication technologies, operations research, design science, organization studies, decision making, health care, cognitive science, environmental science, education, project management and strategic management. Diverse methods and approaches were welcomed providing that they were relevant to the main theme of the conference.


This study used portable technology based on Experience Sampling Methodology (ESM log) to register workday practices of school principals and heads from Chilean schools who were implementing school...


This paper presents computer analysis of how geometry of reconstructed gastrointestinal tract can influence outcome of Billroth II gastric resection. We performed three-dimensional computer simulation in order to predict duodenal stump blowout. For creation of initial three dimensional FE models of preoperative gastroduodenal region we used data from Multi Slice Computer Tomography (MSCT). Using the initial model we performed virtual gastric surgery. All post operational models were examined separately in order to find correlation between post operational geometry and pressure in duodenal stump. Data acquired by methodology presented in this study can be valuable to surgeons for prediction of suture dehiscence after gastric surgery.


Using a Q switched light-pumped Nd: YAG laser,die steel were processed to obtain surfaces with different sizes and distribution of micro-convex. The friction and wear of die steel samples of different surface textures by laser texturing as well as the smooth die steel specimen were comparatively investigated on a UMT-Ⅱ tribo-meter. Results showed that the friction coefficient and wear volume varied according to the texture of specimens. Compared with unstructured samples,friction coefficient was higher while wear volume was lower under a low speed and heavy pressure conditions to simulate drawing die. With the increasing of the diameter and interspacing of micro-convexes,friction coefficient and wear volume of die steel decreased slowly. The laser-textured specimen showed better friction and wear characteristics than that of smooth specimen.


Traditional frontier based exploration strategies operate by iteratively selecting the next best sensing location myopically and moving to the specified location, until the entire environment is explored. And it does not consider the new information added to the map through continuous observations by the robot along the way to a selected location. This can sometimes lead to redundant traversal by the robot, such as traveling towards a dead-end when the nearby area is already mapped. In this work, we augment the traditional frontier based exploration strategy to include a probabilistic decision step that decides whether further motion on the planned path to the next sensing location is desirable or not. If the motion is not desirable, it is cancelled and a new sensing location is selected as the next sensing task. Simulation and real world experiments conducted in indoor and outdoor environments validate that the introduction of a sensing task cancellation step reduces the redundant motions of robots thus improves the efficiency of exploration missions, which is vital when used in time critical search and rescue robotic missions.


Statistical evidence is adduced to support the contention that significant patterns are discernible in fields of divergence values computed from the horizontal winds using the Bellamy triangle technique.

An objective method is presented for determining:

(a)the percentage of the variance of a given data field which is explainable using a statistical objective analysis technique on a specified observational network,
(b)the principal wavelengths present in the data field,
(c)statistically determined weight curves for the objective analysis of the field.

Space autocorrelation shows a 1,700 nautical mile wavelength to be dominant in the tropospheric divergence fields and the noise level to be about 10−5 sec−1. the case history of a developing storm is presented and the divergence patterns associated with various aspects of the development are shown to be in agreement with synoptic experience.


A series of experiments of chemical grouting into a fracture with flowing water are carried out by using fracture grouting equipment based on orthogonal test design.The correlation among water plugging effect,seepage pressure variation,and grouting technology is obtained by analyzing the test results.The results show that the seepage pressure curves of grouting into a fracture with flowing water can be divided into four types,including single peak type,platform type,multi-peak type and ladder type.The water plugging effect is good when the seepage pressure curves are platform type and multi-peak type.It is poor for water plugging when the seepage pressure is ladder-type.In order to improve the water plugging effect and save the grout,the grout amount should be increased while the seepage pressure is peak type;but it should be decreased while the seepage pressures are platform type and multi-peak type;and the volume ratio of grout should be regulated to short gel time while the seepage pressure is ladder-type.The results can improve the efficiency and technology of grouting based on seepage pressure monitoring.


During the May 4th Movement,there were two reasons for us to spread Marxism.The one is the social and historical reason,and we hoped to rebuild the traditional Chinese culture and change the Chinese society by Marxism for saving our nation and culture;the other is the cultural and psychological reason,and that traditional Chinese cultural psychology agrees with the Marxism is the psychological condition for us to accept Marxism.Marxism took root and blossomed in China rather than her hometown,and it is the proof for her agreement with traditional Chinese cultural psychology.


The middle layer of the aortic valve, termed the spongiosa, consists mainly of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Its function is to serve as a shock absorber and resist compression forces between the two outer layers of the valve, and is therefore a necessary component of the bioengineered valve. MCSCs were created by seeding radial artery cells (RACs; 2×106/ml) mixed with endothelial growth media and Matrigel onto small intestinal submucosa, and incubated at 37°C for 0, 1, 2 or 3 weeks. Composites were stained with Alcian Blue for GAGs and immunohistochemistry was used to detect the core protein decorin. Thickness of constructs and cell proliferation were quantified, and gelatin zymography was performed to test for extracellular matrix remodeling. Constructs stayed intact for a minimum of three weeks and stained positively for GAGs and decorin. As culture time increased, MCSC thickness increased. Cell density was stable across all culture times. Zymography revealed the presence of both latent and active matrix metalloproteinase 2. In summary, these composites have shown they are capable of producing GAGs, along with one of their associated core proteins, can lay down new matrix, maintain a constant rate of proliferation, and are likely to be engaging in matrix remodeling. These findings support the use of Matrigel and RACs in our bioengineering efforts. This research is funded by The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario.


Objective:To provide scientific basis for the utilization and development of smoothstalk madder root by establishing the identification and determination method.Method:The qualitation identification was carried out by microscopic identification and TLC.And quantitation determination was carried out by HPLC.Result:The results of microscopic identification and TLC showed that significant characteristics were found for smoothstalk madder root.The results of HPLC quantitative analysis showed that the linear range of rubimaillin was 0.00503 mg·mL-1 ~ 0.1006 mg·mL-1.Conclusion:These methods are convenient,accurate,reliable with good reproducibility and can be used in the identification and determination of the medicinal material.


Nail biopsies are key to ruling out some types of neoplasm or skin cancer. Certain types of warts are associated with skn cancer and can be distinguished through nail biopsy. Dermatologists who shy away from nail biopsies because they don't know how to do it properly and are worried they will cause permanent scarring, should consider mentoring with a dermatologist who does nail biopsies in order to gain a higher level of comfort for performing the procedure.


This study was conducted to identify the types of non-wood forest products from the mangrove forests that are used by people of the mangrove fringe, reviewing the contribution of non-wood forest product sales of mangrove forest on the edge of the mangrove population income sources and investigate the local use of mangrove's non-wood forest products of socio-economic development of the mangrove fringe population. The method which was used is by distributing the questionnaires and carried out formal interviews with the respondents. The locations which were studied are Kampung Limau Limauan, Kampung Bukit Kelapa, Kampung Longgom Kecil and Kampung Indrasun Laut. The questionnaires comprises of three parts which the first, second and third parts are containing the information regarding on the demographic of the respondent, the inventory of the mangrove's non-wood forest products which sells by the respondent and the contribution of the mangrove's non-wood forest product to the development respondent's socioeconomy respectively. The respondents as a whole are more than 53 people and only 13 people only involved in the recruitment of mangroves. Of the total, found only three respondents whoactually depend on the mangrove's non-wood forest products, while 10 others were only made to take the job as a sideline of mangrove forests. The types of mangrove's non-wood forest products stated are mangrove crab (Scylla sarrata), shell (Cerithidea obtuse), cat fish (Plotosus sp.), mullet fish (Valamugil seheli) and marine shell (Polymesuda expansa). However, only four out of six products are marketed which are marine shell, shell, and mangrove crab and cat fish while the other is for domestic purposes. Based on data collected on correlation of the relationship between the average incomes of non-wood forest product sales of mangrove forests with a total average monthly income of respondents, it shows a positive relationship with r=0.527. The value of contribution of the average income from the selling of mangrove's non-wood forest product over the total average of monthly income is 28.7 %. The Local usage value of mangrove's product is calculated based on the formula of Local usage value = ?Pi Qi – Ci. The value of the local use non-wood forest products from the mangrove forests which are marketed by RM 1924.40 per month while the total value of products marketed locally applied to each individual is at RM 148.03 a month. As a conclusion,mangrove forests do contribute to the development of residence's socio-economy although the value is low.


Coating of particulate material with thin polymeric shell, which is obtained by polymerization on the particle surface, was considered. A mathematical model of this process is presented. The model simulates heat and mass transfer, polymerization kinetics and evaporation surface change in coating process.


Communication links in low-power wireless visual sensor networks (WVSNs) are subject to short-term and long-term noise variations. These variations can cause a WVSN to exhibit prolonged or periodic transitional or bursty transmission performance. In this paper, we present our work on how to generate noise traces that simulate real-world transitional and bursty network behavior in TOSSIM. We develop a toolset called BurstyGen for TOSSIM which can facilitate WVSN protocol designers and application developers to better understand WVSN performance under these conditions. BurstyGen allows users to model both short time-scale and long time-scale variations in WVSN noise environments for the simulation and testing of WVSN system algorithms and protocols.


Insecticide flubendiamide was sprayed thrice at 21 days interval between December-February on cardamom at two concentrations, i.e. 0.72 g a.i. 10 L-1 (X), and 1.44 g a.i. 10 L-1 (2X). Samples of capsules were collected at regular intervals for 15 days after application of the insecticide for residue analysis. The initial deposit of flubendiamide in capsules was 0.42 and 0.60 mg kg-1 for X and 2X treatments, respectively that dissipated with a half-life of 1.25 and 2.53 days, respectively. No residue of des-iodo flubendiamide (the metabolite of flubendiamide) was detected in any of the samples up to 15 days. The limit of quantification (LOQ) of the method was 0.05 mg kg-1, for both flubendiamide and des-iodo flubendiamide.


Thermochemical and phase diagram data for the Ga-N system were assessed by employing the CALPHAD method. A consistent model representation of available thermodynamic properties agrees well with the critically evaluated experimental data. Thermodynamic extrapolation/interpolation of these data was applied to estimate the sublimation and melting characteristics of the GaN compound: at atmospheric pressure of nitrogen, gallium nitride sublimates incongruently by decomposing into nitrogen-rich gas and gallium-rich liquid, but can melt congruently at high nitrogen pressure (4.9 GPa).


The V777 Her pulsator KIC 8626021 has been observed continuously by the Kepler space telescope for nine months. Two new independent pulsation modes are detected in the extended dataset, which both match the predicted sequence of \ell = 2 modes. We demonstrate the photometric stability of the main pulsation modes and discuss the prospect of measuring period changes within the context of the extended Kepler mission.


Too many children in the United Kingdom continue to face many of the same problems today that they did 100 years ago, says a report from UK children's charity Barnardo's. These include poverty, neglect, abuse, and discrimination.

Vulnerability to sexual exploitation is just one of the many problems that were around in 1905, when Dr Thomas Barnardo died, says the report, compiled to mark the centenary of the founder's death. But modern society has produced new ways in which children can be exploited—for example, via new technologies, such as the …


In the experiments of Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation of the hybrid poplar 741, Populus alba (P. davidiana ×P. simonii) ×P. tomentosa, we developed a rapid and efficient method of shoot regeneration from the leaf explants in-vitro on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium. The leaf explant segments was first cultured on medium I (MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/L of BA and 1.0 mg/L of 2,4-D ) for 2~3 days and then transferred to medium SH (MS medium containing 2.0 mg/L of BA and 0.1 mg/L of NAA) to culture for 10 days. 86.7% of leaf segments produced shoots after the leaf segments were transferred from medium SH to medium II (MS medium with 0.5 mg/L of BA) for 1 week. The average shooting number was 40~50 per 1 cm×1 cm of leaf segment. However, if the leaf explants incubated on medium I longer than 5 days, they produced more roots instead of shoots.


Dopant‐free hole transport layers (HTLs) play a crucial role in achieving high‐efficiency and stable perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, only a limited number of these HTLs have demonstrated power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) surpassing 21%. Here, we present the design and synthesis of two polymeric HTLs with a novel DA'D‐A backbone. The incorporation of two A units (benzothiazole and imide functionalized aromatics) in the polymer imparts a rigid backbone, high mobility, appropriate film morphology, excellent thermal stability, and a deeper HOMO energy level, crucial for achieving more suitable energy level alignment between HTL and perovskite layer. Notably, the champion PSC based on our HTLs exhibits a remarkable PCE of 22.02% with minimal hysteresis and excellent thermal stability, surpassing the performance of devices based on the benchmark polymeric HTL PTAA under identical conditions. These findings underscore the immense potential of our DA'D‐A backbone strategy in developing high‐performance dopant‐free polymer HTLs for enhancing the PCE of PSCs.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


The three governance modes of state, market and network have long been recognized as key forms of social organization. However, the failure of these modes to solve complex public problems has meant that new hybrid arrangements drawing on and mixing the strengths of each mode have come to the fore. This situation results in what is contended to be a "crowded" policy domain which may erode the potential for positive service delivery and programme outcomes. This paper argues that policy and decision-makers need to recognize the difference between these modes and select optimal mixes. The paper proceeds by tracing the evolution of the expanded mix. It sets out a coherent framework to aid decision-making and explores the challenges faced by governments in balancing the structural and operational mechanisms necessary to sustain the engagement of such a diverse set of players


Introduction: It has been shown that Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) changes serum protein levels, and can lead to changes in thyroid function tests (TFTs). At present limited literature is available regarding this topic; the aim of this study therefore was to compare the TFTs results of CAPD and HD patients with those of a control grop. Materials and Methods: In a case control study, 24 CAPDs,36 HDs and 36 controls were randomly selected from among individuals who had undergone at least 3 months of dialysis, and had no history of thyroid disorders or related drug use, which could influence the TFTs. Fasting samples were collected between changes of peritoneal dialysis fluid, and just before initiating of hemodialysis and heparin injections. The TT4, TT3, FT4, FT3, TBG (RIA), TSH(IRMA), were measured. Data presented as Mean±SE and Median, IQ75-25 range. Data were analyzed by ANOVA, Post hoc test (Tukey test) and KruskalWallis using SPSS 10 software. Results: The mean ages of participants in the CAPD, HD and normal groups were (51±3), (54±3) and (40±2) years, respectively. The means for TT4 in CAPD, HD and normal subjects were (6.6±0.3), (6.6±0.2) and (8.8±0.3) μgr/dl, respectively (p<0.0001). The TT4 mean was lower in CAPD and HD than in normal subjects (p<0.01). The means of TT3 in CAPD, HD and normal subjects were (106±3.4), (113±5.5) and (112±3,4) ng/dL, respectively, and were not statistically significant. The means of FT4 in CAPD, HD and normal subjects were (19.2±1.3), (15.8±1) and (14.3±0.6) pmol/l, respectively (p<0.02). The mean for FT4 in CAPD was higher than that of HD and normal subjects (p<0.001). The means of FT3 in CAPD, HD and normal subjects were (2.9±0.1), (3.1±0.1) and (3.8±0.1) pmol/L respectively (p<0.0001). In CAPD patients, FT3 was lower than in normal subjects (p<0.01), but no statistically significant difference with HD was seen. The TBG levels in the dialysate was 3.6±0.3 IU/ml, and its serum level in CAPD group was significantly higher than in others (16.7±0.8, 7.5±0.5 and 8.5±0.4IU/mL respectively p<0.001). TSH (Median,IQ2575) in CAPD, HD and normal subjects were 1.4 (0.95–2.45), 1.2 (0.9–1.7) and 0.8 (0.6-1.1) mIU/ml respectively. TSH levels were higher in the CAPD group as compared with controls (p<0.001). Two cases of high TSH were observed in the CAPD group. The means of serum albumin in CAPD, HD and normal subjects were (3.6± 0.2) (3.8± 0.1) and (4.2±0.03) gr/dL respectively (p<0.0001), and these levels, in CAPD and HD patients, were lower than in normal subjects (p<0.0001). Conclusion: Apart from FT4 and TBG, all other thyroid function tests did not differ statistically between CAPD and HD individuars / patients. Considering the similarity in changes in TFTs in the CAPD and HD groups, it would seem that CAPD in comparison to HD would shows no additional changes in TFT.


The paper is a report of most of the major findings of a study in searching the periodical eye research literature. Questions were collected from eye researchers and a selected group of these were searched in nine different secondary sources. Articles thought to be relevant were Xeroxed and sent to the eye researchers who subsequently rated the articles. Articles of eye research interest are found in a wide variety of journals, but a small number of journals carry a large proportion of the articles judged valuable by the eye researchers. Approximately a fourth of eye research articles are in foreign languages. Translations are not readily available. Despite a delay of more than 15 months between the original appearance of articles in journals and the mailing of photocopies, about half of the articles of interest to the researchers were not known to them previously. For extensive retrospective searches more than one secondary service must be used. Index Medicus and Excerpta Medica (Section 12) or Ophthalmic Literature would be good sources. MEDLARS demand searches were not shown to be clearly superior to manual searches of Index Medicus. Titles, abstracts, and full text were shown to be equally effective in permitting searchers to retrieve references that were subsequently rated as relevant by the researchers. A searcher with a background in ophthalmology was able to retrieve more articles of research interest than other non-ophthalmologist searchers.


caused by a GAA expansion in intron 1 of the FXN gene, which encodes frataxin. In two recently published studies, the pathological consequences of this FXN mutation have been successfully counteracted in in vitro and in vivo models with the use of different approaches, each with therapeutical potential. In the first study, David Corey and colleagues built on existing evidence that the GAA expansion in FXN leads to formation of an R‐loop, in which pre‐mRNA binds to template DNA, that interferes with transcription. The researchers aimed to block this tran‐ scriptional suppression by targeting the repeat expansion. "We had previously shown that we could target expanded CAG repeats to decrease expression of Huntingtin, ataxin‐3 and atrophin‐1," explains Corey. "We decided to target FXN expression because of the unmet need for agents that selectively activate FXN expression." The team first introduced syn‐ thetic anti‐GAA duplex RNA mol‐ ecules into patient‐derived cells that had the FXN mutation. Introduction of the anti‐GAA RNA increased expression of frataxin by up to sixfold. Chromatin immunoprecip‐ itation showed that the RNA duplex reversed histone acetylation and methylation that is associated with the GAA expansion, thereby activat‐ ing gene expression. Single‐stranded anti‐GAA locked nucleic acid mol‐ ecules had the same effect, whereas control non‐complementary strands did not, confirming that binding of the synthetic RNA to the pre‐mRNA is responsible for gene activation. "Other labs have reported that histone‐modifying agents could activate FXN expression, but not in a gene‐selective way," says Corey. "We used synthetic duplex RNA and single‐stranded oligonucleotides because they permit sequence‐ specific recognition of target RNA." The authors believe that their findings are a starting point for the development of RNA‐based drugs, and are looking to take the next step. "We look forward to helping labora‐ tories in acadaemia or industry move forward into animal model testing," says Corey. The second study, led by Javier Diaz‐Nido, did not involve targeting the FXN gene, but aimed to block the apoptosis that, as previously shown by the same research group, is a result of frataxin underexpression that leads to neurodegeneration. "As it is well known that neurotrophic factors are potent suppressors of neuronal apop‐ tosis, we decided to check whether they were able to protect neurons from death triggered by frataxin gene silencing," explains Diaz‐Nido. The researchers initially created an in vitro model of frataxin under‐ expression, in which small hairpin RNA against frataxin was delivered by lentiviral infection of cultured neurons. They showed that the pres‐ ence of recombinant neurotrophins, particularly brain‐derived neuro‐ trophic factor (BDNF), reduced activity of caspase‐3 (a marker of apoptosis) that resulted from frataxin underexpression, and increased cell viability. The same benefit resulted from the more clinically relevant approach of lentiviral gene transfer to produce overexpression of BDNF. Once the principle had been proved in cultured cells, Diaz‐Nido and his team tested the same approach in mice. They used lenti‐ viral infection to reduce frataxin expression, and showed that co‐ delivery with the gene that encodes BDNF protected cerebellar cells against apoptosis. Furthermore, BDNF overexpression countered the deficits in motor co‐ ordination that were seen in mice with frataxin underexpression but no BDNF overexpression. Diaz‐Nido points out that their results are some way from clinical application, but says that they suggest new therapeutic approaches to Friedreich ataxia. "For instance, one approach being considered for Friedreich ataxia is gene therapy, but efficient delivery of the viral vectors is still an issue. We plan to test whether there is a synergy between two gene therapy strat‐ egies: one based on frataxin gene replacement and the other based onneurotraphic factor gene delivery," Diaz‐Nido concludes. Ian Fyfe M OV E M E N T D I S O R D E R S


In the course of our chemical studies on the sexual reproduction of Phytophthora spp., we happened to find that P. cinnamomi Ax mating type was caused to produce enormous numbers of spherical swellings on its hypae in the vicinity of an aerial contaminant identified as Aspergillus flavusX) on an agar plate. From the culture filtrate of the fungus we isolated the active principle designated as aspirochlorine, which was found to be identical with the antibiotic A30641 isolated from Aspergillus tamarii NRRL 8101.2) We assigned the quite unusual epidithiodiketopiperazine structure 1 to aspiro-


In this paper, we investigate the downlink of large-scale MIMO systems considering two practical constraints related to system power. More precisely, we consider a non-negligible circuit power consumption and we impose a per-antenna power constraint due to limitations on the linearity of the RF power amplifier. Hence, a sum-rate maximization problem considering the two constraints is formulated for conjugate beamforming and zero forcing beamforming. Next, we propose efficient greedy antenna selection and power allocation algorithms in order to heuristically solve the formulated problem with reasonable computational complexity. Simulation results show the efficiency of the proposed algorithms compared to random antenna selection and optimal brute force antenna selection.


VIP (Vacuum insulation panel), as a high performance insulation component, combine with limited thickness, have recently been introduced to numerous energy conservation applications. VIP consists of a highly insulating core material and a gas tight barrier envelope which is generally composed of plastic film and aluminum film. When the envelope is stainless steel sheet, VIP is called VIS (vacuum insulation sandwich). Because of this hardly permeable rigid barrier, VIS presents more fantastic properties such as resistance against external mechanical loads and penetration of atmospheric gases and water vapor. Consequently, the service life of VIS is significantly longer than that of VIP. Detailed structure and some practical applications of VIS elements are also reviewed in this paper.


OBJECTIVES
Preclinical and clinical evidence indicate that echinocandin-triazole combinations provide enhanced killing versus triazoles alone against some Aspergillus isolates, however, in vitro test results designed to detect this combined effect are difficult to interpret.

METHODS
We used a straightforward pharmacodynamic approach based on a microdilution format and a colorimetric analysis to harmonize growth end points.

RESULTS
We detected a fourfold decrease in the EC90 of voriconazole when tested in combination with micafungin (4 mg/L) against isolates of Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus terreus, but not against an isolate of Aspergillus flavus. Echinocandin-enhanced voriconazole activity was confirmed in A. fumigatus and A. terreus but not A. flavus by fluorescent morbidity staining and fluorescence microscopic analysis of damaged hyphae.

CONCLUSIONS
A microdilution-based pharmacodynamic method for testing antifungal combinations provides a less ambiguous description of the combined effects of antifungals against moulds and could be useful in reference laboratories that routinely evaluate the activity of antifungal combinations in vitro and in vivo.


Analysis of the dynamic processes in the case of inadequate wheel-rail adhesion during starting and electrodynamic braking of locomotives in heavy trains. Mathematical model used for the analysis.


Nitrogen (N) fertilizer carves a lion's share amongst the nutrient source required for plant growth and development. Fertilizer N is touted as one of the key inputs in cereals, in particular rice production in Asian countries. Amongst the nutrient management techniques, N management is the main concern in rice production. N holds a distinctive prominence amongst the nutrient elements and is the "mineral of life" for rice. It is the utmost needed input that restricts rice production in irrigated environment. There is no conciliation on the requirement for the efficient use of N fertilizer for augmenting rice production though the price of N fertilizers escalates with time. The leaf nitrogen concentration (LNC) is highly correlated with chlorophyll content. To measure it, there are many devices like leaf colour chart (LCC), SPAD, at LEAF of chlorophyll or nitrogen. As these devices are cost effective and unavailable with all farmers, LCC provides prospects to the farmers for estimating plant N requirement in actual time for effective fertilizer use and augmented rice yields.


Pleiotropic drug resistance (PDR) transporters, which are part of the ABCG subfamily of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, have been found to be involved in heavy metal tolerance. Salix species (willow) is widely regarded as a perfect candidate for phytoremediation of heavy metals because of its substantial biomass, strong tolerance, and remarkable capacity to accumulate heavy metals. However, the phylogeny and mechanisms underlying the response to heavy metals within the PDR family in willow have yet to be determined. In this study, we discovered and valuated a total of 21 PDR genes in the genome of Salix purpurea. The phylogenetic relationships of these genes were used to classify them into five major clades. The SpPDRs exhibited variations in exon-intron distribution patterns and gene lengths across different branches. Cis-acting elements linked to stress response, drought induction, low temperature, and defense response were discovered in the promoters of PDRs. Significant variations in the transcription levels of various PDR genes were observed across different tissues under heavy metal stress, with distinct heavy metals regulating different PDR members. In roots, PDR4 and PDR21 exhibited high expression levels. Meanwhile, PDR7 and PDR17 showed similar transcription patterns across all analyzed tissues. Furthermore, there was a significant and positive correlation between PDR5 and PDR16, whereas a significant and negative correlation was detected between PDR3 and PDR9, suggesting that the response of PDR members to heavy metals is complex and multifaceted. These findings will establish a vital basis for comprehending the biological functionalities of PDR genes, specifically their involvement in the regulation of willow's tolerance to heavy metals.


Through successfully using shotcrete for strengthening of reinforced concrete frame column, the design and constructing technology of shotcrete were expounded. Shotcreting is a valuable method for reinforcement of constructions or structures. Helpful experience will be provided for reinforcement of similar structures.


Ischemia that causes strike induces inflammation of brain cells and apoptosis and as a result. it influences much in the functional part of a man. The...


Originality/value
The value of this chapter lies in the fact that several models and their similarities were presented with an underpinning tool called theming. As not much research have been done on theming, the guidelines presented by all the models have been considered in a systematic manner that would assist visitor attraction managers in forming a better understanding of the use of the tool and issues related to it. With this said, there are several aspects highlighted in the chapter which necessitate more research in order to assist managers effectively in designing effective themes.


The article investigate the religious aspects of history and culture in Vladikavkaz in 1920-1930s, determine the role of a religious temple in life of city and townspeople, show the changes in turning point of historical epoch.


In this paper, for the first time we defined and studied a new two parameter lifetime model by using the T-X method, called the Log-Gamma Rayleigh distribution. This distribution can be considered as new generalization of the Rayleigh distribution. We obtain some of its mathematical properties. Some structural properties of the new distribution are studied. The method of maximum likelihood is used for estimating the model parameters. An application to a real data sets is given to show the flexibility and potentiality of the new model.


Thank you very much for downloading training for results a systems approach to the development of human resources in industry. Maybe you have knowledge that, people have look numerous times for their chosen books like this training for results a systems approach to the development of human resources in industry, but end up in harmful downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of tea in the afternoon, instead they juggled with some harmful bugs inside their computer.


Gravel beaches are prevalent natural features on many coastlines and play a vital role in shore protection, often inspiring protection structures (Bayle et al., 2020) and nature-based solutions. Dynamic revetments are constructed features, designed to mimic gravel beaches, dissipating wave energy and preventing or limiting erosion. Compared to sand beaches, gravel revetments dissipate incident wave energy and dampen backwash intensity by percolating through the relatively large pore volume space (Komar, 2007). During storm events, gravel particles move up the beach, accreting at the crest. This predominately onshore-directed transport of gravel material differs from the storm-driven morphodynamic behaviour of sandy beaches, which tend to exhibit higher rates of offshore-directed transport (Komar, 2007). Ahrens' Theorem continues to be used as a design volume estimator for dynamic revetments (Bayle et al., 2020). This primary objective of this study is to investigate how dynamic revetments with different D50 reshape under various wave conditions.


We study two specific mappings defined on the class of infinitely divisible distributions on Z+ with finite log-moments. As a consequence, we re-derive some known stochastic integral representations for Fselfdecomposable distributions and obtain some new ones for F-semi-selfdecomposable distributions. Stochastic integral representations for discrete distributions in nested subclasses of F-selfdecomposable and F-semi-selfdecomposable distributions are established via the iterates of the aforementioned mappings.


Summary Computing semantic similarity between two texts, like disease descriptions, has become important for many biomedical text mining applications. Here, we present PyMeSHSim, which is an integrative, lightweight and data-rich MeSH toolkit that recognizes biomedical named entities (bio-NEs) from texts, maps the bio-NEs to the controlled vocabulary MeSH and measures the semantic similarity between the MeSH terms. Availability Package's source code and test datasets are available under the GPLv3 license at https://github.com/luozhhub/pyMeSHSim Contact email@example.com or email@example.com


Based upon engineering example the value of prestressing losses caused by friction between prestress without bond bar and wall of hole is measured and compared with theoretical calculation. The influences of prestressing losses of post tenstioned prestressing beam on the tension are analyzed. The research results have instruction functions for post tenstioned prestressing construction.


We use lattice simulations to examine the detailed dynamics of inflaton fragmentation during and after preheating in λϕ4 chaotic inflation. The dynamics are qualitatively similar to preheating after m2ϕ2 inflation, involving the exponential growth and subsequent expansion and collision of bubble-like inhomogeneities of the inflaton and other scalar fields. During this stage fluctuations of the fields become strongly non-Gaussian. In the quartic theory, the conformal nature of the theory allows us to extend our simulations to much greater times than is possible for the quadratic model. With these longer simulations we have been able to determine the timescale on which Gaussianity is restored, which occurs after a time of the order of a thousand inflaton oscillations.


Part 1 Food for kids: good nutrition food choices. Part 2 Nutrition for growing bodies and minds: from birth to six months seven to eighteen months eighteen months to three years four to seven years eight years to puberty. Part 3 Tempting recipes for babies and children: first foods - purees and mashes first cereals and breakfast must-haves essential main meals puddings and treats easy alternatives vitamin and mineral requirements.


Mortality of eggs, first, third, and fifth instars and adults of fall army worm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), after exposure to several insecticides on cotton indicated that the FAW is susceptible to most insecticides currently used to control Heliothis spp. Most insecticides tested exhibited ovicidal activity. High mortality of first instar larvae was observed for most treatments, including the biological insecticide, Bacillus thuringiensis (Berliner). More variation in mortality among treatments was observed in third and fifth instars than in first instars. Pyrethroid, carbamate, and organophosphorous insecticides resulted in higher mortality than did B. thuringiensis. Diflubenzuron, an insect growth regulator, was as effective as commonly used insecticides against third and fifth instar larvae when mortality was observed at pupation. Third instar FAW placed on plant tissue from the upper section of cotton plants sprayed in field situations suffered higher mortality than those placed on pl...


Inrush current of large induction motor with DOL starting introduces a voltage sag on the downstream distribution system. In some severe cases, this voltage sag leads to tripping of the incoming feeder. Several starting methods are applied to reduce inrush current, such as star-delta, reactor, and solid-state soft-starter. This paper proposes a new method to reduce the negative impact of the starting of the large induction motors by integrating PV farm into the plant. PV farm inverter control is synchronized with inrush current waveform to inject current into incoming MV bus to minimize voltage sag during motor starting. Analysis showed that adding a large capacitor is required to compensate for inrush current to maintain dc bus voltage at the suggested level. Simulation based on the 4500 HP medium voltage induction motor data has been performed to show the proposed method. The simulation showed that integration of PV farm could maintain the voltage sag less than 5%.


Pseudephemerum (Limb.) I. Hagen , represented by P. nitidum (Hedw.) Loeske, collected from the forests of Banda Village, Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh is a new generic record to Peninsular India.


Context. We present a Chandra analysis of the X-ray spectra of 56 clusters of galaxies at z >∼ 0.3, which cover a temperature range of 3 <∼ kT <∼ 15 keV. Aims. Our analysis is aimed at measuring the iron abundance in the intra-cluster medium (ICM) out to the highest redshift probed to date. Methods. We made use of combined spectral analysis performed over five redshift bins at 0.3 <∼ z <∼ 1.3 to estimate the average emission weighted iron abundance. We applied non-parametric statistics to assess correlations between temperature, metallicity, and redshift. Results. We find that the emission-weighted iron abundance measured within (0.15−0.3) Rvir in clusters below 5 keV is, on average, a factor of ∼2 higher than in hotter clusters, following Z(T ) 0.88 T−0.47 Z , which confirms the trend seen in local samples. We also find a constant average iron abundance ZFe 0.25 Z as a function of redshift, but only for clusters at z >∼ 0.5. The emission-weighted iron abundance is significantly higher (ZFe 0.4 Z ) in the redshift range z 0.3−0.5, approaching the value measured locally in the inner 0.15 Rvir radii for a mix of cool-core and non cool-core clusters in the redshift range 0.1 < z < 0.3. The decrease in metallicity with redshift can be parametrized by a power law of the form ∼(1 + z)−1.25. We tested our results against selection effects and the possible evolution in the occurrence of metallicity and temperature gradients in our sample, and we do not find any evidence of a significant bias associated to these effects. Conclusions. The observed evolution implies that the average iron content of the ICM at the present epoch is a factor of ∼2 larger than at z 1.2. We confirm that the ICM is already significantly enriched (ZFe 0.25 Z ) at a look-back time of 9 Gyr. Our data provide significant constraints on the time scales and physical processes that drive the chemical enrichment of the ICM.


This thesis deals with the status of legal protection in the insurance industry. The first chapter defines insurance background theory, defined the basic concepts of non-life insurance and describes the history of legal expenses. The second chapter describes the legal expenses in selected European countries, analyzing their legislative and compares selected indicators of the insurance market and includes suggestions and rules de lege ferenda. The third section contains an analysis of selected commercial insurance company and comparing the implementation of positives and negatives of legal expenses.


This study aims to examine reciprocal effects between business performance and the development of business unit structure. The correlation between business performance and the development of business unit structure for the craftsmen of sasirangan fabric is a new study that is interesting to research in relation to employment and regional economic growth. There have not been any studies examining reciprocal effects between business performance and the development of business unit structure on the sector of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). This study was conducted in Banjarmasin, Indonesia. The type of research is quantitative. The sample was determined by using census. The respondents of this study were the craftsmen of sasirangan fabrics. The data were collected from 139 craftsmen filling out the questionnaires. Data analysis technique used reciprocal equation model assisted by AMOS program to test the three research hypotheses. The results of this research show that sasirangan fabric craftsmen focus more on productivity and thus become ineffective in using business development opportunities. On the other hand, it is found that sasirangan fabric craftsmen who focus more on the utilization of market opportunities can have a positive impact on their productivity improvement. Keywords: Business performance, development of business unit structure, Indonesia


The survey result of Ministry of Health national hospital infection monitoring network in both 2001 and 2003 shows that meanapplication rate of cross sectional antibiotics in hospital is over 54%, generally are joint therapy. The domestic monitor also indicates that thepathogenic bacteria resistance to drugs is increasingly growing. Aiming at the problems, article outlines several matters a clinical physician shouldthink before prescribe antibiotics: if there is indication for using antibiotics? If the antibiotics selected understood? Which drug is selected? if thereis indication for joint therapy with antibiotics? Which channel, dosage and time for drug administration? If there is antibiotics administration forspecial host or special pathogenic bacteria infection? Closely observe if the antibiotics administration is effective or not? For local infection,puncture or surgical operation needed for focus drainage? There is adverse effect caused by antibiotics administration? Interrelation of drugs?Irrational use of antibiotics? And the article outlines the suggestions towards each problem.


Dual pH-responsive PAAc/ PVAm core-shell particles to encapsulate water-soluble material were prepared through the deposition of PVAm on the surface of PAAc core particles. The structural characteristics of the core-shell particles were confirmed by SEM and CLSM. To investigate the release profiles of the core-shell particles and PAAc core, methylene blue, which is a cationic water-soluble dye, was introduced. Release profiles were dominantly affected by the core swelling behavior at different pH values. The release rate of the core-shell was less than the PAAc core, indicating that it is affected by ionic interactions between the particle and the cationic dye.


This study offers a Construction Morphology account of the organizational structure of the class of lexical compound verbs in Japanese, covering two newly proposed types (thematic and aspectual compound verbs) (Kageyama 2013) and two understudied types (prefixed and lexicalized type compound verbs), as an alternative to a traditional listing of types. It argues that compounds are arranged in two dimensions: one contains the inheritance hierarchy, with its root node diverging according to the position of the semantic head (for thematic, aspectual, and prefixed type compounds); the other covers compounds with extended senses (for the lexicalized type). The study also proposes constructional schemas for compound verbs (e.g. those with affixoids such as -hateru 'completely') to illustrate how they are organized in the inheritance hierarchy.


Nowadays, producing information is a significant function of financial intermediary, and the social informatization makes notable effects on financial intermediary's information production. Thus,the social informatization plays a great role in the intermediary evolvement, exactly in two ways.


The present invention discloses an apparatus and method for a high-voltage battery cooling fan controlled by the apparatus and method using fuzzy control for effective control of the high-voltage battery cooling fan. For this purpose, the control means comprises a cooling fan configured to sense the temperature of the internal temperature of the battery pack assembly (or first) sensor and a current sensor configured to sense the battery pack assembly output current. Fuzzy controller by using the output of the temperature sensor and the current sensor as an input to the fuzzy control output duty cycle to the cooling fan, and a pulse width modulation (PWM) controller by using the output of the fuzzy controller as input to the PWM control It outputs a control signal for driving the cooling fan.


A diffusionless cubic (c)..-->..metastable tetragonal (t') phase transformation occurs in certain alloys in the ZrO/sub 2-/Y/sub 2/O/sub 3/ system on quenching from elevated temperatures. Microstructural features due to this phase transformation, principally anti-phase domain boundaries (APB's) and mechanical accommodation twins, have been characterized using transmission electron microscopy. Certain differences between the authors' interpretation and those of other workers are discussed.


Contraceptive effectiveness is conventionally measured by the number of pregnancies occurring per 100 years of contraceptive exposure. Different methods for computing contraceptive failure are discussed and illustrated in the chapter. It must be taken into account that pregnancy rate changes through time. For this reason studies of different durations should be undertaken. It is important to consider what happens during the course of a marriage i.e. the advancing age of husband and wife and how that affects frequency of coitus.


The mechanism for electrical tuning in non‐mammalian hair cells rests within the widely diverse kinetics of functionally distinct, large‐conductance potassium channels (BK), thought to result from alternative splicing of the pore‐forming α subunit and variable co‐expression with an accessory β subunit. Inside‐out patches from hair cells along the chicken basilar papilla revealed 'tonotopic' gradations in calcium sensitivity and deactivation kinetics. The resonant frequency for the hair cell from which the patch was taken was estimated from deactivation rates, and this frequency reasonably matched that predicted from the originating cell's tonotopic location. The rates of deactivation for native BK channels were much faster than rates reported for cloned chicken BK channels including both α and β subunits. This result was surprising since patches were pulled from hair cells in the apical half of the papilla where β subunits are most highly expressed. Heterogeneity in the properties of native chicken BK channels implies a high degree of molecular variation and hinders our ability to identify those molecular constituents.


Several months ago, a new psychiatrist came from a prestigious university in the Northeast to work in the VA hospital out West where I practice. During one of our initial conversations, he expressed the emphatic view that "benzodiazepines are only useful for acute alcohol withdrawal or psychiatric emergencies and other than that they have no place in pharmacology." I juxtaposed this position with that of several of our older clinicians, who are equally strong advocates of the generous use of benzodiazepines for a variety of psychiatric symptoms.


The summer climate of Kushiro, locating on the coast of eastern Hokkaido, is charac-terized by sea fog, which results in relatively low temperature, high humidity, and insufi-cient sunshine. The sea fog in this district is explained as follows. The prevailing south-erly air flows, which have travelled over the cold sea surface of the NW-Pacific, are cooled from its lower level to form sea fog. The sea fog invades as an advection fog in the Kushlro District. At eight stations in the Kushiro District (Fig. 1), wind observations with recording windvanes were carried out for three years from 1970 to 1972, for the purpose of air pollution resarches. In the present study, the author analysed the data from May to August for the three years. Some field observations and analyses of winds were made in June and August, 1972. In addition, the observations on wind-shaped trees were made in order to make clear the detailed distribution of the prevailing wind in summer. The results obtained are summerized as follows. (1) The wind roses for every three hours in a given period at each observation station (Fig. 2-Fig. 6), show that there is a marked diurnal change. Calm and weak northerly winds prevail from mid-night to early morning. In the forenoon, the wind direction changes clockwise from the north to the south (i.e., the beginning of sea breeze). At noon, winds reach its maximum speed. After about 15h, winds become gradually weak or calm, and then are replaced by weak northerly winds. This wind system seems to be a character of land sea breezes. (2) The sea breeze sets in on the coast first, and then gradually invades inland (Fig. 7 and Fig. 8). From the daily records of wind direction and speed at each station from May to August in 1972, frequencies of the onset time of sea breeze are shown in Fig. 9. Fig ure 10 illustrates the relationship between the mean onset time of sea breeze (Ts in hour) and the distance from the coast to the station (D in km). The relation is represented by the following equation Ts=0.11 D+8.00. (3) The diurnal change of wind speed at each station is shown in Fig. 11. This figure was made by averages of 26 days in June, 1972. Each station shows a remarkable regularity with maximum in the daytime and minimum early in the morning. The wind speed increases for 4-5 hours after the sea breeze invasion and reaches its maximum nearly at noon. (4) An observation of wind shaped trees enables the author to draw detailed stream lines in the district (Fig. 12). The stronger wind regions appear in the eastern part of the district, on the north-western slope of the Lake Harutori, west of the Nishi Port and the inland marshy ground (Kushiro Shitsugen). Topographical features, land uses, vegetations and geographical distribution of urbanized areas influence slightly on the wind directions. (5) Fig. 13 clarifies the relation between the mean wind speed of the prevailing winds in summer at the eight stations and the degree of deformation of wind-shaped trees of larch (Larix leptolepis) near each station. The result is represented by the following equation Ws=0.51 G1+2.57 where, Ws means mean wind speed (m/sec) of prevailing wind direction at each observation station, GL the degree of deformation of wind-shaped trees of larix.


Objective:To investigete chromosomal in ascitic exfoliative cellsso as to provide sciencific basis for different diagnosis.Methods:To harvest the cultivation cells in various kinds of ascitic fluid,then studied chromosomal by microscope.Result:Intrachromosomal aberration could be found in malignant ascites,Subdoubleness could be detected in benign ascites.Conclusions:Chromosomal detecting is usefull in differential diagnosis of benign and malignant ascites.


New archaeological evidence suggests that the important patriarchal buildings called the Thomaites and Makron were immediately south-west of the sixth-century church of Hagia Sophia, rather than to its north-east as usually supposed. These structures were built in the sixth-century, suggesting only limited rebuilding of the Patriarchate by patriarch Thomas in the early seventh century.