In this paper I have investigated what factors that may affect the recruitment, such as whether the applicant is a recent graduate, parent of young children, have been trained abroad or approaching retirement. I also want to investigate how the choice of candidates is affected if there is surplus, balance or a shortage of labor as it is for cultural secretaries, for the physical education teachers and dispensers. And what experience and qualities are rewarded for choosing candidates to interview. I used Bourdieu's theories of social and symbolic capital, as well as economic theories about the cause of discrimination. To investigate this further, I conducted a survey for cultural managers, pharmacy managers and headmasters where they had to select three candidates out of six fictitious candidates representing different types of education, experience and qualities. The survey showed that for a job as cultural secretary, where there is a surplus of applicants, it is whether the applicant has previous experience in a similar service that is rewarded. Personal characteristics such as being social and creative are also highly valued, and what Bourdieu calls symbolic capital. For physical education teachers it is important whether the person has a teaching degree. Thus, a newly trained can be selected before someone with years of professional experience, but without a degree. Although it is an example of symbolic capital when someone is attributed certain characteristics by a diploma. Pharmacy Managers also valued experience, but also a recent graduate have a good chance of getting a job. (Less)


Objectives: To evaluate and characterise cognitive impairment in the very early stage of multiple sclerosis (MS), in which patients are still diagnosed as suffering from probable MS. Methods: The Brief Repeatable Battery-Neuropsychological (BRB-N) that has been validated for MS patients was used. Abnormal performance was defined as one standard deviation below the mean reported for healthy age matched subjects. Neurological disability and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed for all patients. Correlation coefficients were calculated between disease burden variables and performance on the BRB-N. Results: Sixty seven patients with probable MS were evaluated within a mean of one month of the onset of new neurological symptoms. Evidence for the presence of cognitive impairment was shown in 53.7% of patients. Verbal abilities and attention span were most frequently affected. Impairment was not correlated with neurological disability or MRI disease burden. Conclusion: Prevalent cognitive impairment already exists at onset of MS.


The Cleft Lip and Palate Association of Ireland, registered charity, is a limited liability company, No. 131497 Rhinoplasty Rhinoplasty, or nasal surgery, is designed to improve the appearance of the nose. It may be carried out because the nose appears either flat or asymmetrical. Ear cartilage is used to build up the flat nose. This surgery is carried out upon the recommendation of the surgeon and can take place anytime from just prior to your child attending school right up into his/her teenage years. Early repair may not prove sufficient as the shape of the nose changes constantly throughout the teenage years requiring further intervention. For this reason you may find the surgeon reluctant to recommend such early nasal surgery. Indeed this surgery is often left until the age of 16-18 years.


Two cases of intractable massive ascites following radical gastrectmy for an early gastric cancer are reported. One case was a 79-year-old male and the other was a 57-year-old female. Both cases had been infected hepatitis C virus. Ascites was confirmed hepatic lymphorrhea, because it had appeared clearly yellowish fluid indicating high specific gravity and high protein density and containing much lymphocytes without chyle. Intraperitoneal infusion therapy with OK-432 was performed for both cases. Six times of the infusion procedure (total 75 KE) were done for the former case, and 3 times (total 25 KE) for the other case. After this therapy, ascites disappered. Both patients were discharged on the postoperative 89th and 75th day, respectively. In conclusion, we considered that the intraperiteal infusion regimen with OK-432 may be efficient therapy for intractable ascites due to postoperative hepatic lymphorrhea.


The principle challenge for engineering viable, cell‐laden hydrogel constructs of clinically‐relevant size, is rapid vascularization, in order to moderate the finite capacity of passive nutrient diffusion. A multiscale vascular approach, with large open channels and bulk microcapillaries may be an admissible approach to accelerate this process, promoting overall pre‐vascularization for long‐term viability of constructs. However, the limited availability of bioinks that possess suitable characteristics that support both fabrication of complex architectures and formation of microcapillaries, remains a barrier to advancement in this space. In this study, gelatin‐norbornene (Gel‐NOR) is investigated as a vascular bioink with tailorable physico‐mechanical properties, which promoted the self‐assembly of human stromal and endothelial cells into microcapillaries, as well as being compatible with extrusion and lithography‐based biofabrication modalities. Gel‐NOR constructs containing self‐assembled microcapillaries are successfully biofabricated with varying physical architecture (fiber diameter, spacing, and orientation). Both channel sizes and cell types affect the overall structural changes of the printed constructs, where cross‐signaling between both human stromal and endothelial cells may be responsible for the reduction in open channel lumen observed over time. Overall, this work highlights an exciting three‐way interplay between bioink formulation, construct design, and cell‐mediated response that can be exploited towards engineering vascular tissues.


Method for regulating the speed of a direct current commutator motor (1) in which, by driving a switch (6) of an oscillator (15) certain timing a, the Kommutationswechsel of the engine-having electrical fluctuation signal to an evaluation device (8, 9) is passed, which generates a control signal by a phase analysis, by which the motor signals roughly predetermined in frequency oscillator (15) is synchronized in frequency and phase with the fluctuation signal, the timing and the engine speed are determined from the synchronized Osziliatorfrequenz.


Objective To Prepare swine cartilage microparticle acellular tissue matrix (CMACTM), provide a new type of scaffold for cartilage tissue engineering. Methods Microparticle acellular tissue matrix were prepared with Kcl, water and trypsin. The diameter of which were from 0.100 mm to 0.154 mm, meanwhile to find the best concentration of trypsin. Fresh swine's knee and elbow articular cartilage weighting 600 g were divided randomly into 5 groups, each containing 8 cases. They were effected by different concentration of trypsin for 2~36 h. specimens were stained with haematoxylin-eosin, collagen, and observed under the light scanning electron microscope. Results The main components of CMACTM were the mixture comprised of collagen, glycosaminoglycan and no antigen substance. They had tough and not regular surfaces. The best concentration of trypsin was 2.5 g/l at the time of (18.3±1.6) h. Conclusion CMACTM might contain nature excellular matrix and be good scaffolds for culturing chondrocytes.


539Background: Previous studies have shown that the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are potential prognostic markers in many different cancers. However, the relationship between the changes of these ratios after concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and clinical outcome in rectal cancer patients was not reported yet. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic relevance of the changes in NLR and PLR in patients with rectal cancer who treated with CRT followed by surgery. Methods: We enrolled 296 patients with histologically confirmed rectal adenocarcinoma who have received preoperative CRT at Kyungpook National University Medical Center (Daegu, Korea) between January 2006 and December 2015. We analyzed full hematological data both pre CRT (initial visit) and post CRT (before surgery) and oncologic outcomes including pathologic complete response (pCR), relapse-free survival (RFS), and overall survival (OS). An NLR≥5 and PLR ≥235 were considered...


In the recent years the extraction techniques, such as supersonic extraction, microwave extraction, extraction with biological ferment, solid phase extraction, supercritical fluid extraction and so on, and the techniques of separation and purification, such as extraction separation, precipitating separation adsorption separation, molecular distillation, film filtration, chromatographic separation and so on, have more rapidly developed. By making research into the techniques of extraction, separation and purification of functional compositions we can improve their quality and promoting the modernized course for functional food.


A Research Project Submitted to the School Of Business in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of Masters of Business Administration Degree (Management Information Systems), Kenyatta University. November, 2018


We show that a real-time trading strategy which front-runs the anticipated forced sales by mutual funds experiencing extreme capital outflows generates an alpha of 0.5% per month during the 1990–2010 period. The abnormal return stems from selling pressure among stocks that are below the NYSE mean size and cannot be attributed to the arrival of public information. While the largest stocks also exhibit downward price pressure, their prices revert before the front-running strategy can detect it. The duration of the anticipated selling pressure has decreased from about a month in the 1990s to about two weeks in the most recent decade. Our results suggest that publicly available information of fund flows and holdings exposes mutual funds in distress to predatory trading.


Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is one of the most important and widely-used tools of large scale marine surveillance. Constant false alarm rate is tailored for maritime metallic target detection in SAR images. However, it is very difficult to distinguish ship targets from other metallic targets. Some manual features have been designed to discriminate ship and non-ship target. These manual features often overfit some scenarios but fail to other situations. Recently, deep convolutional networks have achieved impressive success in optical image classification, which encourages scholars of remote sensing society to leverage this powerful tool to extract robust features of SAR ship targets. This study adopts VGG-16 to extract features of ship and non-ship targets. Then, unsupervised clustering is conducted to group ship and non-ship targets, respectively, using the extracted features, which can effectively tackle intraspecies variants of ship and non-ship targets. Finally, these representative feature vectors are utilised to differentiate ship and non-ship targets of other scenarios. The proposed algorithms are extensively tested undertaken on 11 ALOS-2 SAR images, which demonstrate good performance of the methods.


The FAST, the Federation of Scientific and Technological Associations in collaboration with the Italian Publishers Association, has developed the training course "Beyond the textbook" Adapt II within a project, partly funded by the European Commission and the Ministry Labour and Social Welfare UCOFPL The overall project called ESPERANTO has developed throughout his life, and that means' from 1998 until early 2000, some innovative measures for training, assistance and guidance to businesses and educational publishing education, called to face a difficult transition towards the new learning tools using new technologies.


We study the analytic structure of light-front wave functions (LFWFs) and its consequences for hadron form factors using an explicitly Lorentz-invariant formulation of the front form. The normal to the light front is specified by a general null vector ${\ensuremath{\omega}}^{\ensuremath{\mu}}.$ The LFWFs with definite total angular momentum are eigenstates of a kinematic angular momentum operator and satisfy all Lorentz symmetries. They are analytic functions of the invariant mass squared of the constituents ${M}_{0}^{2}=(\ensuremath{\sum}{k}^{\ensuremath{\mu}}{)}^{2}$ and the light-cone momentum fractions ${x}_{i}{=k}_{i}\ensuremath{\cdot}\ensuremath{\omega}/p\ensuremath{\cdot}\ensuremath{\omega}$ multiplied by invariants constructed from the spin matrices, polarization vectors, and ${\ensuremath{\omega}}^{\ensuremath{\mu}}.$ These properties are illustrated using known nonperturbative eigensolutions of the Wick-Cutkosky model. We analyze the LFWFs introduced by Chung and Coester to describe static and low momentum properties of the nucleons. They correspond to the spin locking of a quark with the spin of its parent nucleon, together with a positive-energy projection constraint. These extra constraints lead to an anomalous dependence of form factors on Q rather than ${Q}^{2}.$ In contrast, the dependence of LFWFs on ${M}_{0}^{2}$ implies that hadron form factors are analytic functions of ${Q}^{2}$ in agreement with dispersion theory and perturbative QCD. We show that a model incorporating the leading-twist perturbative QCD prediction is consistent with recent data for the ratio of proton Pauli and Dirac form factors.


An ad hoc cloud computing environment on the infrastructure point of view is formed by consuming resources from existing occasionally available computing setups that are primarily used for some other purposes, for example, personal computers, mobile phones and such similar devices connected to the internet. In this paper, we propose a mechanism to secure the network layer communications particularity routing and data packet forwarding in ad hoc cloud environment. The paper details the proposed scheme and analyses its robustness on the security perspective.


Recent investigation has focused on the participation of the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) reaction in the invertebrate central nervous system (CNS) during the process of long-term memory (LTM). In this paper, we characterize, localize, and assign a possible role to a cytoplasmic PARP in the brain of Octopus vulgaris. PARP activity was assayed in optic lobes, supraesophageal mass, and optic nerves. The highest levels of enzyme were found in the cytoplasmic fraction. Hyper-activation of the enzyme was detected in Octopus brain after visual discrimination training. Finally, cytoplasmic PARP was found to inhibit Octopus vulgaris actin polymerization. We propose that the cytoplasmic PARP plays a role in vivo to induce the cytoskeletonal reorganization that occurs during learning-in


The sustainable development of the city involves the solving of economic, environmental and social problems through the modernization of various spheres of the urban economy. The modernization of related and interrelated spheres of the city's economy should be based on an integrated approach. The hospitality and public infrastructure are such spheres. Their relationship is due to both technical and technological features and the possibilities of achieving the goals of sustainable development of the city (the hospitality sector contributes to the growth of openness of the city and the life support and environmental sustainability of the city directly depends on the state and development of public infrastructure). The priorities of the modernization of public infrastructure and hospitality for sustainable development of the city have been determined. The condition of the public infrastructure and hospitality in cities of Ukraine was analyzed from the point of view of modernization for sustainable development. The experience of modernization of public infrastructure and hospitality in sustainable European cities (including improving energy efficiency, strengthening environmental safety, creating a barrier-free environment) has been studied. The technical, technological, financial and institutional features that determine the feasibility of modernizing the public infrastructure and hospitality based on the principles of an integrated approach have been determined. The recommendations of the mechanism of public-private partnership using in the implementation of projects for the modernization of public utilities infrastructure and hospitality of the city have been developed. The decision-making tools for managing resources have been proposed for the justification and implementation of a project to modernize public infrastructure and hospitality based on a comprehensive approach.
 Key Words: city, sustainable development, public infrastructure, hospitality, modernization, integrated approach.


into the Hither and Further provinces and into districts, the growth and supervision of the kingdom, and the identity of the district centres. He combines the archaeological evidence presented and discussed in the preceding two chapters with the evidence from the tablets. The crux of his identification of the main centres in the districts rests on three arguments: first, the Pylian taxation system was equitable and was assessed based on a district's size and population (p. 50), districts were grouped together for taxation and, therefore, the taxes can be used to deduce the area of a tax group and the size of a district; second, the main towns/districts, which were listed in a similar order on several different tablets, were recounted in a logical order and from north to south (pp. 47, 49, 56, Table 3); third, the regional centres would have been those sites that were over 2.4ha in size (p. 46). Relying heavily on Chadwick's interpretation of the tablets, he reconstructs the location of the sites by first identifying the districts and correlating the information on the tablets with the survey and excavation data and the natural topography of the region. Once he identifies a district he then uses the archaeological data to locate its main town/centre. In this discussion he disagrees with members of the PRAP team in their identification of the district centres, and argues that Romanou was too close to the palace to be a centre of a separate district as Davis contended and that Ordines was too small and not positioned well enough to be pe-to-no as Bennett posited (pp. 58–9). Instead H.S. argues that Filiatra: Hagios Christophoros should be identified as pe-to-no. This recreation of the location of the district centres potentially changes the way we envision the palace's relationship to the district centres and each district centre's access to resources. The volume deepens our understanding not just of the geographical location of the main sites but also their access to and control of local resources. The summary of the sites by geographic subdivision will be of great use to scholars working in the area. Such work can only lay the foundation for future research on the economy of the region and models of varying scales of interaction.


Abstract A novel caldoactive filamentous bacterium was isolated from a New Zealand hot spring. Optimum conditions for growth were pH 7.0 and 73°C in aerobic conditions. Growth also occurred anaerobically. Acetamide, lactose, nitrilotriacetic acid, succinate and starch could all act as sole carbon source. Carotenoids could be extracted and had a peak absorbance at 450 nm. The organism was Gram-negative. Long chains of cells were formed and showed characteristic coiling, necridia, and bulbs. The organism is compared to other caldoactive filamentous organisms and is sufficiently different to make it probable that it represents a new taxonomic group capable of life at high temperatures.


The pathogen Xylella fastidiosa is a xylem-restricted, gram-negative bacterium that is known to cause diseases of many cultivated plant species. Recent outbreaks of X. fastidiosa diseases in Europe have brought attention to the impact of this pathogen, especially to perennial crops. Among the Prunus genus, X. fastidiosa is known to have a wide range of hosts, including plum, almond, peach, cherry, and apricot. Infected trees have reduced fruit quality, possibly resulting in unmarketable fruits, as well as reduced lifespan. There are no curative management options for X. fastidiosa diseases in Prunus; therefore, development of resistant or tolerant cultivars through breeding represents an efficient option to reduce the impact of this pathogen. In this context, the main objective of this study was to determine the occurrence of X. fastidiosa in germplasm of the Stone Fruit Breeding Program at the University of Florida located in Gainesville, FL, USA, under natural infection conditions. A total of 43 individuals representing 10 different genotypic groups within the Prunus genus were tested for the presence of X. fastidiosa. Additionally, we report a novel and easy sampling method using sawdust collected from tree trunks for the detection of this pathogen in Prunus and the development of an endogenous control for improving the diagnosis of this pathogen using real-time polymerase chain reactions. Our results showed a high incidence of X. fastidiosa in the germplasm tested, with more than 65% of the samples positive for the presence of the bacterial pathogen. However, X. fastidiosa was not detected in most of the P. mume samples tested, whereas almost all the P. mume × P. armeniaca hybrids were positive. Negative individuals were also identified in P. avium, P. campanulata, P. umbellata, and P. salicina × P. ceracifera. These trees have been planted in the field, exposed to natural infection for 4 to 11 years, and are considered to show field resistance. Finally, primers and probes based on the Prunus COX gene developed in this study can be used as an internal amplification control to enhance the interpretation of results of X. fastidiosa detection assays using sawdust samples.


Network models today are often derived from two different methods. On one hand, detailed traffic models are generated based on traces from a single tap into the network. Alternatively, one can collect higher-level traffic-matrix data with SNMP from many routers. However, inferring flow-level details from such data is still an open research issue. Today it is infeasible to collect a fine-grained, packet-level representation of a complete, multi-router network. Even if it were economically feasible to synchronize and monitor every router in a large network, the amount of data generated would tax storage and computation resources. In this work, we propose a methodology to infer flow-level traffic across a network by exploiting the correlations between user populations across different networks. The contribution of this paper is threefold. First, we provide a formal description by which one can quantify the level of "similarity" between two networks. Second, we show that the user-behavior parameters of the traffic (such as user "think" time in web traffic) are correlated across time, while the application-specific parameters of the traffic (such as object size) are correlated across "similar" networks. Finally, by utilizing the correlations between similar networks, we present a methodology for inferring traffic at places where continuously taking measurements are infeasible. We then demonstrate our approach via a case study on traces of web traffic and evaluate its effectiveness via analysis and simulation.


PURPOSE: Provided are a cyclic copolymer containing sulfur, which has low dielectric constant and hygroscopic, high glass transition temperature, and excellent heat stability, oxidative stability, chemical resistance, and adhesion to metal, and which has toughness, and method for preparing the same. CONSTITUTION: The copolymer is a copolymer of a norbornene compound containing sulfur and a norbornene compound. The copolymer is prepared by copolymerizing a norbornene-based monomer containing sulfur(selected from formulae 1,2, and 3) and at least one of norbornene-based monomer(formula 4) in the presence of catalyst system of metal compound of group VIII. The copolymer has low dielectric constant, and excellent heat stability and strength, and can be used as dielectric electronic material, and so on. Also, the copolymer does not generate by-products when adhered to metal, and thus shows excellent adhesion to metal.


Desalination is considered to be one of the most traditional process to generate potable water. The rise in demand for potable water and scarcity of fresh water resources, this process has gained special importance. Desalination processing is the current article target to supply an adequate amount of drinking, irrigation water and waste water treatment for safe disposal to people across the new communities along the remote and arid areas in Indian region. Ganpatiphule a major tourist attraction in Ratnagiri district has been chosen from the survey carried in coastal region for the water scarcity affected areas to implement the desalination process using RO technique to cure the water scarcity problem.
This process works on separation of nearly salt free water from sea or brackish water. The desalination process is becoming a solution for water shortage in the world. The method of water desalination preferably RO is used in this study as complementary methods. This system is economic and cost effective as compared to other techniques of desalination. The work adopted was to search information about localities with drinking water shortages, population, salt water availability.


A framework based on a full-folding model of the nucleon optical potential is presented for studying nuclear densities of closed-shell nuclei using intermediate energy nucleon scattering. Using a density-matrix expansion for the mixed density, a simplified optical potential is obtained that retains the energy and momentum dependence of the effective interaction prescribed by the full-folding model. The interplay between the local density, nonlocality of the mixed-density and off-energyshell degrees of freedom in the full-folding approach to nucleon scattering is made relatively transparent. The validity of the proposed framework is established for momentum transfers out to -2.5 fm ' in p+' 0 and p+ Ca scattering at energies between 200 and 400 MeV. The sensitivity of the scattering observables to nuclear densities is investigated.


Cold hardiness and water content were measured regularly on one-year-old cane cuttings of bearing Concord grapevines in East Lansing, Michigan from Sept 1998 to April 1999 and Jan to April of 2000. Daily ambient temperatures were recorded by an automatic agricultural weather station. Single and multiple linear correlations and regressions were conducted among cold hardiness, tissue water content, and ambient temperatures during the fall/winter season. Research showed water content and ambient air temperatures were closely correlated with cane hardiness; closeness of a specific relationship varied with the time of the winter period evaluated; and the impact of the temperature response appeared to be mediated through its influence on tissue water content.


MQW lasers have been fabricated by means of a single selective epitaxial growth and without waveguide etching. Flat layer interfaces have been obtained for a wide range of mask widths and mask openings while retaining material quality and providing wide bandgap tuning range through the use of QW's. Initial results show good laser performance at 1550 nm demonstrating the feasibility of the easy fabrication method for the realisation of more complex devices by means of active-passive integration.


The most attractive and the most repulsive potential-energy curves for interaction between two Rydberg atoms in a broad superposition of internal angular momentum states are studied. The extreme Stark states have the largest dipole moments and provide the dominant contribution to the interaction which is then expressed as a long-range expansion involving the permanent multipole moments Qj of each polar atom. Analytical expressions are obtained for all Qj associated with principal quantum number n of H(n) and permit the long-range expansion for the H(n)–H(n′) first-order interaction to be explicitly expressed analytically in terms of n, n′ and internuclear distance R. Possible quasi-molecular formation is investigated. Direct calculations show that the H(n = 2)–H(n′ = 2) interaction is capable of supporting 47 bound vibrational levels. As n increases, the long-range interaction becomes increasingly attractive so that molecular formation at large internuclear distances is expected to be scarcely possible for these extreme Stark levels.


The traditional genetic algorithm easily converges to slow speed,leads to a poor climbing ability and shows weak static stability and robustness when seeking a solution.On the basis of analyzing multiconstrained and multi-objective optimization model of power distribution network,this paper describes a method of adopting the simplified network topology method,the multi-parameter decision variable coding and the dynamic penalty functions for model constraints and the annealing genetic algorithm.When the method is used for the actual decision project in rural power distribution network,the results show that the proposed method can obviously strengthen climbing ability,improve the stability chance at 1,increase the times of converging to global optimization and cut running time.Meanwhile,the comprehensive cost is nearly 0.5million yuan cheaper than traditional genetic optimization scheme,which,therefore,achieves further optimization.


Abstract Child molesters (n=13) and sexually non-deviant subjects (n=29) were immersed with virtual characters depicting relevant sexual features while their sexual arousal and gaze behaviour were assessed to characterise their sexual preferences and intentional dynamics. Sexual arousal was measured using circumferential penile plethysmography (PPG). Gaze behaviour dynamics were derived from average gaze radial angular deviation (GRAD) and GRAD coefficient of variation (GRADCV). Results show distinct sexual arousal profiles according to sexual preferences and point towards the existence of specific gaze behaviour dynamics guided by sexual intentions. Theoretical interpretations are based on the ecological psychology of J. J. Gibson, the extended mind theory and the integrated theory of sexual offending. Theoretical underpinnings stemming from these approaches are advocated as being especially well suited to explain how virtual reality can help probing into child molesters' phenomenology as lived from the "first-person" stance.


It is difficult to keep up with ongoing technological advancements for those people who are immobile and suffering from the problems of paralysis. Brain-computer interfacing technologies show a promising solution to this problem. This project represents a brain-controlled EEG system for home automation that is designed to help physically disable and paralysis people. This system picks up the EEG brain signals via the Neurosky mind wave sensor and transmits this raw data to the raspberry pi microcontroller through Bluetooth communication. The raspberry pi takes suitable decisions according to the program and sends a control signal to the relay modules, which controls the power flow in certain types of loads. The microcontrollers are calibrated and programmed to respond for a certain level of attention associated with our brain as the EEG signals propagate through it. After the final implementation of the project, it can be observed that the attention level can be detected with 90% accuracy, with a blink rate accuracy between 60-70% which outweighs the performance of other conventional devices used in a similar purpose. Moreover, we were able to control the switching between 3 TV channels effectively with insignificant error and higher sensitivity.


IHE Notes give account of PLATO'S exposition of Time in the Timaeus (Time as "an everlasting likeness to Eternity," yet "moving according to number") and of ARISTOTLE'S treatise on Time in the 4th Book of his Physics (Time is "the number of change in respect to before and after"). The result is that for both philosophers, though in different ways, Time is connected with motion, and seen as succession (in contrast to the Eternal), and hence as quantitative. ARISTOTLE'S analysis established Time (as far as the mathematical characters of succession are concerned) as analogous to a line, and thus started a view of Time still alive nowadays in daily life as well as in mathematics and physics. But he does not share the error (ascribed to him by VAN HELMONT) of building up time from "Now-points." He expressly states that no continuum can be constructed from points. The view of a continuum as composed from infinite points may have taken its origin from Pythagorean ideas on the line, and is, in its elaborated form, to be found in certain schools of Scholastic philosophy. The Greek theory of numbers as being "species" to which VAN HELMONT objects, is PLATO'S. ARISTOTLE does not hold it. Nor is it, even in PLATO, connected with the philosophy of Time. The mathematization of Time, though a distinct feature in ARISTOTLE'S treatise, does not cover the whole ground of his conception of Time, which reaches further and is, in essence, metaphysical. The following centuries, however, in interpreting it, have rendered it more and more mathematical. The objection to ARISTOTLE'S mathematical view of Time has started from PLOTINUS, who, interpreting PLATO in his own way, established Time as a substance and separated its essence from motion and measuring. His interpretation of Time and his objections to ARISTOTLE'S conception, have had successors throughout the Middle Ages, and it is in this line of tradition that VAN HELMONT stands. For PLOTINUS, however, Time is distinguished from the Eternal, being a derivation from it. It retains its distinct features. VAN HELMONT identifies Time with Eternity: Time is Eternity itself spread out over the world similarly as the light is spread out by the sun over all objects and has no existence apart from its source, the sun.


Type of funding sources: None.

 Remote magnetic navigation (RMN) guided catheter ablation (CA) previously demonstrated high efficiency and efficacy in atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. Heretofore, only the CARTO 3D mapping system was integrated in the RMN system. Recently, a novel high-resolution non-contact mapping system (AcQMap) can be used in combination with the RMN robotic system (AcQMap-RMN).

 To assess efficiency, efficacy and safety of dipole charge density mapping in RMN guided ablation procedures for AF.

 All patients undergoing pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) or redo-PVI using the AcQMap-RMN system were analyzed. The AcQMap identifies different activation patterns such as focal firing, rotational activity, and localized irregular activation for substrate ablation. Procedural efficiency was characterized by procedure time, total ablation time and radiation doses. Efficacy data were based on 12-month follow up and number of redo procedures. Procedural safety was evaluated by intra- and post-procedural complications.

 A number of 71 consecutive patients were included in the study (47 male, 24 female, mean age 60.8±9.9, 49 redo, 22 de novo). Twenty-four patients had paroxysmal (PAF), 47 had persistent AF (persAF). After completing PVI, 42 patients underwent AcQMap based substrate ablation. Twenty-four patients converted to atrial tachycardia/flutter during the ablation. The mean procedure time was 170.5±43.3 min, mean ablation time 1749.6±950.7 s, mean radiation dose was 207.0 (IQR 128.5 - 349.5) mGy. In the PAF group, radiation doses (128.5 vs 256.0 mGy, p=0.00) and application numbers (21.1 vs 37.0, p=0.00) were lower, ablation times were shorter (1312.5 vs 1919.3 s, p=0.02) compared to the persAF patient group. Two patients in the PAF group, and 9 patients in the persAF group had documented recurrence at the 6-month follow-up visits. In the PAF group, 23 patients were AF-free (95.8%), in the persAF group, 34 patients were AF-free at the end of the 12-month follow-up period (72.3%). Six patients had a redo procedure. Two patients were documented with hematoma, as minor post-procedural complication (2.8%).

 AcQMap-RMN integration provides high acute and long-term success rates, improved efficiency and low complication rates in paroxysmal and persistent AF ablation.


Sugarcane harvesting is a labor intensive operation and its mechanization is a recent development in Nigeria. The difficulties in providing the needed spare parts for the imported harvesting machines and labor shortages during harvesting periods impede the country's drive towards self-sufficiency in sugar production. To develop an effective and efficient machine for harvesting of sugarcane, a preliminary data on the energy requirement for the cutting and topping of sugarcane must be available to the designer. A simple apparatus was developed to calculate the energy requirement for cutting and topping of sugarcane. The apparatus consists of: crank, sprocket, chain, freewheel, flange, front hub, spindle, frame and the base support. The result of evaluation test reveals that 15.71 Joules and 23.83 Joules were needed for cutting the top and base of the sugarcane, respectively.


Volcanic aerosols over south east Asia have always been the trigger and sustaining cause of ENSO events. In recent decades this natural plume has been augmented by the anthropogenic plume which has intensified ENSO events especially in SON. Data from the Last Millennium Ensemble (13,872 months), and Large Ensemble (3,012 months) demonstrate this connection with three ENSO indices and aerosol data derived from the same datasets correlating at 1.00 (LME), 0.97 and 0.99 magnitude (segmented and averaged). ENSO events are the dominant mode of variability in the global climate responsible for Australian, Indian and Indonesian droughts, American floods and increased global temperatures. Understanding the mechanism which enables aerosols over SE Asia and only over SE Asia to create ENSO events is crucial to understanding the global climate. I show that the South East Asian aerosol Plume causes ENSO events by: reflecting/absorbing solar radiation which warms the upper troposphere; and reducing surface radiation which cools the surface under the plume. This inversion reduces convection in the region thereby suppressing the Walker Circulation and the Trade Winds which causes the SST to rise in the central Pacific Ocean and creates convection there. This further weakens/reverses the Walker Circulation driving the climate into an ENSO state which is maintained until the aerosols dissipate and the climate system relaxes into a non-ENSO state. Measured aerosol data from four NASA satellites, estimates of volcanic tephra from the Global Volcanism Program (GVP) for over 100 years and the NASA MERRA-2 reanalysis dataset all confirm this analysis.


Simple Summary Prognostication of breast cancer patients is essential for risk communication and clinical decision-making. Many clinical tools for the survival prediction of breast cancer patients have been developed over the years. However, most of them were developed from Western countries. Studies have shown that these tools did not perform well in other ethnicities, such as Asian populations, including Thai. This study developed a new prediction model for survival predictions using modern statistical methods that allow a more accurate estimation of the baseline survival. The model was entitled the Individualized Prediction of Breast cancer Survival or the IPBS model. It contains twelve routinely available predictors that oncologists usually evaluate in daily practice. The survival information provided by the model was proven to be acceptably accurate and might be useful for physicians and patients, especially in Thailand or other Asian countries, to arrive at the most appropriate management plan. Abstract Prognostic models for breast cancer developed from Western countries performed less accurately in the Asian population. We aimed to develop a survival prediction model for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) for Thai patients with breast cancer. We conducted a prognostic model research using a multicenter hospital-based cancer clinical registry from the Network of National Cancer Institutes of Thailand. All women diagnosed with breast cancer who underwent surgery between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2011 were included in the analysis. A flexible parametric survival model was used for developing the prognostic model for OS and DFS prediction. During the study period, 2021 patients were included. Of these, 1386 patients with 590 events were available for a complete-case analysis. The newly derived individualized prediction of breast cancer survival or the IPBS model consists of twelve routinely available predictors. The C-statistics from the OS and the DFS model were 0.72 and 0.70, respectively. The model showed good calibration for the prediction of five-year OS and DFS. The IPBS model provides good performance for the prediction of OS and PFS for breast cancer patients. A further external validation study is required before clinical implementation.


Molecular targeting therapy has become a new approach in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).The sensitivity of lung cancer to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors(EGFR-TKIs) has been found to be associated with mutations in the tyrosine kinase domain of EGFR.However,not all mutations are sensitive to gefitinib.In this review,we discuss EGFR mutation and the association with sensitivity and mechanism for the acquired resistance to EGFR-TKIs.


This study aimed to identify factors discouraging adolescent boys from choosing to become involved in gangsterism, as well as to understand the temptation of becoming involved in gangs. Four focus groups and three in-depth individual interviews were conducted with 23 colored adolescent males between the ages of 16 and 18 years residing in gang-prevalent areas in the Western Cape, South Africa. Attraction to gangs was indicated in terms of external factors, including material gain, entertainment, substance availability, dominance, and survival, as well as internal factors of acceptance and belonging, esteem, and loyalty. Personal factors such as ambition/aspiration, identity, responsibility, and morals emerged as factors discouraging participants from gang involvement, as did relational factors including respect for others, family values, positive relationships, and reputation. Furthermore, fears of danger and its consequences, avoidance of unpleasant psychological experiences and loss, and perceived purposelessness were highlighted as significant factors at play in participants' decisions against gang involvement. If these findings can be acknowledged and attended to by various systems involved in youth development, greater preventative support may be provided for youth at risk.


Abstract : This document contains a comprehensive treatment of the current knowledge of solar-particle events. A qualitative description has been given of the various methods of detecting solar-particle events, and all of the pertinent data available have been tabulated. The characteristics of each of the events have been determined and from these, the intensities and the characteristic rigidities have been estimated for each event. Based upon this information, the radiation doses have been calculated for each event and cumulative dose- probability curves have been derived. Comments are included regarding missions in solar cycle 20 and various techniques for predicting the occurrences of solar-particle events.


This paper presents the construction of the two-point and three-point block methods with additional derivatives for directly solving y ″ ′ = f ( t , y , y ′ y ″ ) . The proposed block methods are formulated using Hermite Interpolating Polynomial and approximate the solution of the problem at two or three-point concurrently. The block methods obtain the numerical solutions directly without reducing the equation into the first order system of initial value problems (IVPs). The order and zero-stability of the proposed methods are also investigated. Numerical results are presented and comparisons with other existing block methods are made. The performance shows that the proposed methods are very efficient in solving the general third order IVPs.


1 Associate professor, Department of Food Science& Quality Control, Research Center for Environmental Determinants of Health (RCEDH), Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran. 2 Students research Committee, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran. 3 MSc of food safety and hygiene, Department of Food Science & Technology,School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. 4 Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, School of Public health,Kermanshah, Iran. Email: email@example.com Received on 10-06-2016 Accepted on 29-06-2016


The article deals with the overview of different classes of antihypertensive centrally acting drugs. Author's own experience concerning the use of moxonidine in postmenopausal hypertensive obese women is also provided.


Canello J. and Pavone P. Mapping the multifaceted patterns of industrial districts: a new empirical procedure with application to Italian data, Regional Studies. This paper illustrates an innovative algorithm to map and classify industrial districts. The theoretical framework uses the Sforzi procedure as a basis for the analysis, revising the main criteria proposed by the original approach. The methodology is tested on the 2001 Italian Census of Industry and Services to allow comparison between the two algorithms. The results show the effectiveness of the new method in identifying industrial districts, without causing distortions to the original framework. The classification proposed allows one to discriminate the areas identified by the procedure according to their structural characteristics, contributing to the unveiling of the diversity underlying the industrial district phenomenon.


We study the Azospirillum brasilense tolerance to water deficit and the dynamics of adaptive process at the level of the membrane.


Introduction: Recent procurement of new endoscopies and accessories led to the reactivation of diagnostic and therapeutic colonoscopy services at our center. A preliminary audit is deemed necessary after a 2-year period of open access colonoscopy. Objective: To assess the pattern of indications, diagnostic yield, and selected key performance indicators in the practice of colonoscopy at our tertiary hospital. Patients and Methods: The endoscopy reports of all patients that underwent colonoscopy from January 2012 to April 2014 were reviewed. The demographic data, indications, and endoscopic findings were recorded. Information on cecal intubation, colonoscopy withdrawal time, polyp detection, adverse events, and bowel preparation quality were also extracted and analyzed. Results: Colonoscopy was performed in 149 patients. They were 81 males and 68 females, aged between 18 and 101 years with a mean of 46.9 ± 22.7 years. 126 (84.5%) patients had a colonoscopy for symptomatic conditions while 5 (4%) were for screening. Bowel preparation was assessed to be excellent in 81 (54.4%), adequate in 42 (28.2%), and inadequate in 26 (17.4%) patients, respectively. The cecal intubation rate (CIR) was 80.2%, polyp detection rate 7.4%, average colonoscopy withdrawal time was 6 min 53 s, overall diagnostic yield 55.9% and there were no adverse events. Tumors were seen in 19 patients (10.1%); 13 were located in the rectum, three in the sigmoid and three in the descending colon. Conclusion: The audit revealed that our CIR could be improved by a more effective bowel preparation, increased expertise, and procedure volume of endoscopists. Tumors of the colorectum were detected in 10.1% of patients.


The observation of quantum jumps in a Dehmelt electron-shelving scheme was made two years ago.1 Prior to these experiments considerable theoretical discussion was addressed to the question of whether the turn-on and turn-off of fluorescence, as described by Cook and Kimble,2 would actually occur. This discussion focused on photon statistics. It was taken to be self-evident that a prolonged cessation of fluorescence from the strong transition implied that the atom had jumped and now resided in the shelved state. This is surely correct but with some qualification. What observational information leads to the conclusion that the electron is shelved? It is the appearance of an abnormally long time interval without recording a single photoelectron at the detector monitoring the strong fluorescence. But how long is abnormally long? What is the time resolution of our quantum jump? I calculate the reduced atomic state following a photoelectric detection event, conditioned on the requirement that no subsequent photoelectron has been observed. For sufficiently long times without recording a subsequent photoelectron the atomic state collapses to the shelved state with high (but not unit) probability. The waiting time required for a confident judgment that the atom is in the shelved state is calculated as a function of transition rates and detector efficiency.


Journalists have no monopoly on gathering and reporting new information; we all do so every day as we report our latest news to family members, friends, coworkers, and others. Such everyday news probably constitutes an overwhelming majority of the news we receive from day to day, and the everyday newsworkers who supply it play vital roles in society. Comparing them with professional journalists suggests some similarities and even more differences, offers some lessons for professional journalism, and represents a fascinating research site for students of the news media.


The chief objective of this paper is to demonstrate the integration of the use of local resources with certain phases of study illustrated in the textbook, "Biology In Daily Life," Curtis and Urban, 1949. In doing this there will be an endeavor to show how an average farm can fulfill the needs of such integration. The flora, fauna, habitats and other ecological conditions represented on a farm will provide a cross section of the living organisms around us. The objectives, evaluation, activities, and reconnaissances will be relative to and integrated with the book material. It is not the objective of this paper to answer or describe proposed objectives for each trip but to set them up for the teacher to use for discussing in detail the textbook and field trip activities that are pertinent to the phase of study.


In this article we have described a multiproduct model of economical dynamics of Gale type, in which the changes in production technology (the dynamics of Gale type production spaces) depend upon the scale of targeted investments. Under such assumptions we have proved a so-called "weak" version of a multilane turnpike theorem in the Gale type economy with varying technology which converges to a certain limit technology. It states that in the long periods of time, regardless of the initial state of the economy, the optimal growth processes almost always lie close to the family of steady growth paths with maximum growth rate called the multilane turnpike.


The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between structure and meaning in multidisciplinary long-term care teams. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 staff working on five multidisciplinary teams in the same long-term care facility in Metropolitan Toronto. Staff in different structural locations have differing meanings of work and teamwork. Direct caregiving nursing staff have simple role-sets, minimal involvement in team decision-making and ritualistic orientations towards their work and teamwork.

Multidisciplinary professionals have complex role-sets, greater involvement in team decision-making and organic orientations towards their work and teamwork. Supervisory nurses are in a contradictory structural location and shared aspects of both orientations to teamwork. The lack of shared meanings results in alienation from work and teamwork for staff in lower structural positions which, in turn, has considerable implications for team functioning.


In September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which include Target 12.3's call for halving food waste and reducing food losses worldwide by 2030. One-third of all food produced each year in the world is never eaten, while at the same time nearly 800 million people go hungry. This situation urges us to take immediate resolutions and steps towards reduction of food waste and food loss. This cannot be done by one person or overnight. This requires systematic analysis in various layers and collective and appropriate effort. This target can be achieved altogether by various sectors including government organizations; non-government organizations; and private companies in collaboration with schools; colleges; universities; research institutes; religion-based organizations such as temples, churches, etc.; and charity-based organizations. This book chapter will discuss the various steps that can possibly be adopted and implemented to address the serious issue of reduction of food waste and food loss.


Determining the number of wholes of an object is of particular interest in several applications in the area of image analysis, for example, quality control of industrial machined parts. In literature we do not find too many methods. Most of them utilize at least four or five arithmetic operations. In this paper two formulations to compute the number of holes of a 2-D binary objet are provided. The first formulation is valid for the case of 4-connected objects, the second one can be used in the case of 8-connected shapes. Both formulations employ a reduced number of comparisons, and are theoretically demonstrated and numerically validated by using a set of objects of different complexity and number of holes.


In this paper, a PSO-DV (Particle Swarm Optimization with Differentially Perturbed Velocity) based approach to find optimal size, number and site of capacitor in radial distribution system is presented. The PSO-DV approach consists of classical Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and differential evolution approach in combination. For capacitor placement problem, the power losses occurring in the system are minimized while voltage profile is improved. Initially to find site of capacitor allocation, candidate nodes using sensitivity analysis w.r.t reactive power injection is done. Then PSO-DV is implemented to find size and number of capacitors considering minimization of power losses as an optimization problem. The proposed approach is tested on 69-bus test system and compared with existing loss sensitivity factor and PSO approach.


In the last two decades, significant effort has been put into annotating linguistic resources in several languages. Despite this valiant effort, there are still many languages left that have only small amounts of such resources. The goal of this article is to present and investigate a method of propagating information (specifically mentions) from a resource-rich language such as English into a relatively less-resource language such as Arabic. We compare also this approach to its equivalent counterpart using monolingual resources. Part of the investigation is to quantify the contribution of propagating information in different conditions - based on the availability of resources in the target language. Experiments on the language pair Arabic-English show that one can achieve relatively decent performance by propagating information from a language with richer resources such as English into Arabic alone (no resources or models in the source language Arabic). Furthermore, results show that propagated features from English do help improve the Arabic system performance even when used in conjunction with all feature types built from the source language. Experiments also show that using propagated features in conjunction with lexically-derived features only (as can be obtained directly from a mention annotated corpus) brings the system performance at the one obtained in the target language by using feature derived from many linguistic resources, therefore improving the system when such resources are not available.


Synopsis After the removal of membranes and cuticle, successive arbitrary layers were dissolved with dilute HC1 from shells laid by a single Thornber " 404 " hen. The rate of solution was inversely related to the nitrogen content at a given level but, for a given nitrogen content, was faster from the inside of the shell than from the outside. Matrix is distributed unevenly through the mineralised shell, the concentration of nitrogen and carbohydrates increasing to a maximum about two‐thirds of the way through the shell from the inside. With the exception of hexose, these concentrations then decrease to values as low, or lower than those found on the inside of the shell. The content of chondroitin sulphates in the matrix is fairly constant while that of sialic acid decreases from the inside to the outside. Non‐chondroitin sulphate polysaccharides are more highly concentrated in matrix in the inner and outer strata of the shell than in the region of maximum matrix concentration. Aspects of shell composition...


John Clare's pre-asylum nature writing (1804-1837) problematizes critical inquiry on two fronts: literary taste and scientific knowledge concerning nature. Most scholars follow the trajectory of ecocriticism, but unfortunately they often treat literary texts a-historically. To redress such an oversight, this thesis sees both John Clare's intervention into literary canon and knowledge formation as two aesthetic choices driven by similar causes. The present thesis contends that Clare challenges decorum existent in the Romantic era through a "rhetorical strategy of awkwardness," in which the polite / rude binary within the neoclassical tradition is deliberately destabilized in writings about natural vulgarity. On the one hand, Clare's concern for the rude in terms of theme and style can be viewed as a trespassing act, which embarrasses the general reading public. On the other, Clare's application of natural history to literature carries out another major trespass. Crossing the boundary between social identities and the disciplinary / methodological divide, this poet-naturalist's nature writing opens up possibilities for the democratization of taste and knowledge.


As an essential path toward the elucidation of the reaction mechanism, the capture of the catalytically active phase and its evolution has been the primary goal of mechanistic studies. Here, the physicochemical properties on In2O3 (111) and Pt/In2O3 (111) thin film model catalysts were tracked in CO2 hydrogenation atmosphere under various pressures and temperatures by ambient pressure X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (APXPS). The redox behaviours of surface Pt and In2O3, the formation and interconversion of reaction intermediates, and the structural dynamics at the topmost surface, as a consequence of the outward diffusion of InOx species, nucleation of surface Pt nanostructures and the formation of PtInOx species, were captured and analyzed. The reconstruction at the Pt/In2O3 (111) interface was also observed by time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. In‐situ spectroscopic and structural analysis on a well‐defined metal/metal‐oxide interface offers a powerful means to probe the mechanistic details of the heterogeneous processes.


We describe a simple novel form of confocal microscope that uses a single-mode laser. We ensure confocal operation by permitting the image light to reenter the laser cavity and detecting the confocal signal as a modulation on lasing power.


Based on the principle of field emission,the internal and external factors which affected field emission current were discussed in the paper.The high electric field on cathode surface was the necessary condition to generate emission current,but the imprecision of emission current,which caused by non-uniformity of pixels and non-linearity of field emission properties,led to the difficulty in controlling of luminance.The structure of cathode driving circuit affected control properties of emission current,because it was a part of emission current loop.The analysis showed that current driving mode could control anode current exactly.


Purpose – Weapon use is recognised as a key crime concern in England and Wales but has received relatively little focused research. The purpose of this paper is to examine weapon use by sexual offenders to develop new insights relevant for a police audience. Specifically, to examine the prevalence of weapons within sexual offenders and explore the differences between weapon and non-weapon enabled offenders on a range of characteristics. Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 1,618 single, stranger, solved, serious sexual assaults were provided by the Serious Crime Analysis Section of the Serious Organised Crime Agency. In all, 20 per cent of offenders were weapon enabled. Findings – There were almost no demographic differences between weapon enabled and non-weapon enabled offenders. In terms of the offence itself, there were many significant differences between the groups in terms of precautions used, victim involvement, injury, attack behaviours, victim approach and attack location. Further multivaria...


Background and Objectives:Endothelial dysfunction is an early change in the process of atherosclerosis. To evaluate endothelial function, expensive and specialized medical devices like high-resolution vascular ultrasound are necessary. Therefore, we sought to compare this atherosclerotic parameter of endothelial function using the inexpensive and simple method of peripheral pulse arrival time (PPAT) measurement. Subjects and Methods:Before and after meals, we measured PPAT and flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD). Resting PPAT in both arms was measured with a PPAT device that was designed by the authors. Hyperemic effect was tested in both arms after raising the blood pressure to 250 mmHg for 5 minutes by using a blood pressure cuff, after which the cuff was released to 0 mmHg. PPAT was measured within the first 1 minute to observe the hyperemic response. FMD was measured in the same process by 7 MHz high-resolution ultrasound in the left brachial artery. The percent change was calculated from the baseline value and that of the hyperemic response. Results:In low-fat diet, PPAT change was not different (3.8% vs. 4.7%, p>0.05). In high-fat diet, PPAT tended to be shorter, but without statistical significance (4.8% vs. 2.7%, p>0.05). In low-fat diet, the change of FMD was not different (11.7% vs. 11.4%, p>0.05). In high-fat diet, there was a significant difference in FMD (11.4% vs. 6.5%, p<0.05). Conclusion:The PPAT measurement could be a method for evaluating endothelial function, but is less sensitive than flow-mediated vasodilation. (Korean Circulation J 2004;34 (2):178-185)


The adiabatic dynamics of a two level atom with spontaneous decay is studied. The existence of a complex adiabatic phase shift is established: The real part being the usual Berry's phase. A closed‐form expression for this phase and the adiabatic transition amplitudes is obtained. Incorporation of a finite preparation time for the initial state yields a new asymptotic form for the adiabatic transition amplitudes which is significantly different from the standard Landau–Zener–Dykhne formula.


Basing on Stute's weighted least squares method for prognosis studies with right censored response variables, this paper first put forward a semi-parametric regression model include two covariate effects, one is for the low dimensional covariates taken a nonparametric form, the other is for the high dimensional covariates taken a parametric form. Then, the selection of parametric covariate effects was achieved by use of a minimax concave penalty (MCP) approach, it is with great consistency in the semi-parametric regression model. In succession, the nonparametric component was estimated by a sieve approach. Finally, a numerical simulation was made, the result shows that the proposed approach has satisfactory performance.


Consumers, when ill, often have the choice of being treated for free in a public hospital or at a positive price in a private hospital. To compensate for the positive price, private hospitals offer a higher quality treatment. Private hospitals and doctors also have a degree of monopoly power in their pricing. In this setting, it is shown that the introduction of an insurance premium subsidy does not affect the number of consumers treated in the private hospital, rather the private hospital and the doctor respond to the subsidy by increasing the prices they charge and the quality of the private hospital experience.


The invention relates to a floor or wall covering from ceramics, wood, plastic, natural or artificial stone, with inlays illuminated by means of optical waveguides, and to tiles and panels used for the same. The aim of the invention is to provide an optical waveguide illuminated floor or wall covering, as well as tiles and panels used for the same, that can be produced and installed at low costs despite a large number of inlays. To this end, at least one recess (12) is provided in which an inlay is inserted that can be illuminated and that consists of a transparent material or of a diffuse reflecting fiber optic element. Said inlay (14) is linked with a light source (60) disposed at a distance via an optical waveguide (30), said optical waveguide (30) being mounted on the exterior of the inlay (14).


The influence of heat treatments at 122, 400, and $800\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}\mathrm{C}$ on the field emission of large-grain and single-crystal high-purity niobium samples has been investigated. Buffered chemical polishing of $40\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$ and high pressure ultrapure water rinsing under clean-room conditions resulted in smooth surfaces with a linear surface roughness of 46 to 337 nm. By means of field emission scanning microscopy, an increasing number of emitters up to $40/{\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ with temperature were found at surface fields up to $160\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MV}/\mathrm{m}$. Two different mechanisms of emitter activation were found, i.e. activation by the applied electric field and activation by temperature. Some emitters with an onset surface field of 50 to $100\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MV}/\mathrm{m}$ appeared already after the low-temperature bakeout. Correlated scanning-electron-microscopy/energy-dispersive-x-ray measurements revealed particles and surface defects as emitters. Their activation will be discussed with respect to the thickness of the insulating oxide layer.


This article reports the results of a socio-legal investigation into how continued work among people living with progressive cognitive impairments such as mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or early onset dementia (EOD) can be supported. This study that makes use of empirical data collected in Finland, Sweden and Canada seeks to give voice to people living with MCI or EOD and set their experiential knowledge in dialogue with equality rights related tools provided by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). The results illustrate that there are effective tools available that remove barriers to participation and support continued work of employees living with cognitive impairments at least for some time while impairments are mild. Ideally, flexibility and solidarity in the workplace automatically eliminates the effects of individual impairment. However, cognitive impairments are often such that along with general accessibility measures individual accommodations are needed. Supporting continued work expands the freedom to continue meaningful work in the preferred manner and offers people the means to gain a livelihood and participate in society as a member of the work community on equal basis with others.


This paper reviewed studies on remote sensing of water depth retrieval. Four water depth retrieval models (single-band, double-ratio-band, multi-band, and BP network models) were evaluated using TM image and water data from Bangong Co Lake, which is located in China's Tibet Autonomous Region and Indian Kashmir. Tested by independent data, comparison of these four models demonstrates that BP network model performed better than the multi-band model, with the single-band model performing the worst. To sum up, this study demonstrates that first, BP network model performed better than the traditional model; second, precise atmospheric correction and radiation study, affected by different water level sand sediment, could improve the precision of water depth retrieval.


A new medium-sized shrew mole species of the genus Uropsilus from Mount Fansipan, Hoang Lien National Park, Lao Cai Province, northwestern Vietnam is described based on morphological and molecular differences. Uropsilus fansipanensis sp. nov. is distinguished from the other Uropsilus species by the combination of the following features: the dorsum is lightly reddish-brown and venter is dark gray; the dark gray tail is long and slender, with a scattered white base and short bristle hairs; orbital process is oriented upwards posteriorly; lacrimal foramen is well developed and much larger than infraorbital foramen; the lower first premolar is approximately the same size as the lower third premolar. Genetic distances in terms of mitochondrial cytochrome b from other Uropsilus species presented pairwise divergences from 8.63 to 20.70%. To date, the new species is known to exist only in the type locality of Mt. Fansipan, a wet and cold temperate climate area with an upper montane forest at an elevation of approximately 2900 m, forming the southernmost distribution of the genus Uropsilus.


common knowledge is the acquistion of fiqqa from important topics because because these topics are related from quran and the its accuracy is determined from quran and the sayings of holy prophet pbuhqiyaas,masaalh,marsala,aarf and hajjaj are related to it  are verified throughout (aam) is that word which is  used for many people words like muslimeen and nisaa  are used for it,there are two types of (aam) first type refers to that condition in which all the people are included and no one can be excluded from it and in this condition the word aam is dominant on its meaning.in this condition the saying is that it is compulsory on every one. the second condition is that aarf according to shariat is liable and it has two types first is aarfqooliaarfqooli is that which is transfered to people through practice and preaching the second type is aarffaali this type comes in that condition which is not against the majority. aarffassida is another type is that condition in which haram is concerted to halal and halal is converted to haram.


essential Indian philosophical texts, and will be of great value, not only to the reader who has no intention of learning Sanskrit and Pali, but also to the serious student of Indian philosophy. We are given here translations of a well-chosen selection from canonical texts (pp. 9-60), post-canonical Hinayana (pp. 61-142), and Mahayana (pp. 143-407), the translations being introduced by exegetical essays which will be valued as highly as the translations themselves. The English volume, while covering a wider field—from the Vedas to Radhakrishnan—is similar in aim, but differs in spirit and presentation. The translations, by a wide diversity of authors, have almost all been published before ; and the reader who turns to the book in search of Indian philosophy may wonder why the Laws of Manu and the Kavfiliya Arihasastra have been included. A curious puzzle is the fact that the Vimsatika and the Trimsika of Vasubandhu are here presented in translations from the Chinese translations— becoming in the process of double translation much more difficult to understand—although the Sanskrit original has been available since Sylvain Levi's edition of 1925. ' Extensive selections from the writings of Kadhakrishnan are not required in a book of this type, since all his major works are still in print and are readily available', writes Professor Moore. He has nevertheless been able to persuade Dr. Radhakrishnan to reprint here in extenso his translations of the BJtagavadgita and the Dhammapada. Appreciative readers of the volume will note with pleasure Professor Moore's assessment of his co-editor : (p. 610) ' Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan is a versatile genius, universally recognized and acclaimed for his remarkable ability as teacher, lecturer, scholar, and administrator, as philosopher, statesman, and India's cultural ambassador throughout the East and the West. His deep learning, his brilliant style, and his absolute tolerance have brought him recognition not only as the greatest living interpreter of Indian philosophy, religion, and culture, but also as an original and creative thinker of the first order '. Claudite iam riuos pueri, sat prata biberunt.


Combined with the practice, it introduces the regular ways and modern technological application for road alignment selection in mountain. Discussion is made on the principle and new sloping way and on the application of modern surveying technologies.


Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most malignant type of brain tumor, its therapy hindered by the hypoxic microenvironment that promotes tumor resistance and inhibits immune cell function. We propose combining dendritic cell (DC) immunotherapy with hypoxia reversal to eradicate GBM. HIF-1α, a transcription factor that stimulates genes promoting angiogenesis and tumor growth, was expressed in both GBM cells and DCs under hypoxia. Hypoxia also downregulated expression of HLA-DR, CD86 and HLA-ABC on DCs affecting their antigen processing and presentation capability in addition to reducing the generation of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF- α and IL-6. In vivo imaging revealed fluorescently labeled DCs migrating away from site of injection into spleen and mediastinal lymph nodes of mice with GBM indicating chemoattraction of DCs to areas of inflammation post hypoxia reversal using using antisense HIF-1α plasmid. In order to identify tumor antigens we used glycan analysis wherein GlcNAc was overexpressed in hypoxic GBM cells. We then enriched GlcNAc expressing glycoantigens and identified 46 glycopeptides derived from 33 glycoproteins. Amongst them Lamb1, SerpinH1, CD63 and others are associated with tumor survival, progression, invasion, immune evasion and therapy resistance. Lectins expressed on DCs complimentary to these glycans will be identified to devise a DC based vaccine, which in conjunction with hypoxia reversal will augment the efficacy of existing therapies against GBM.


In order to provide the dosimetry for Iodine-125 seed production in Brazil, Harshaw thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD-100) will be used. Even if measurements with TLD-100 of the same batch of fabrication are performed, the response will not be the same. As a consequence, they must be measured one by one. These dosimeters are LiF type with a micro-cube (1mm x 1mm x 1mm) shape. Irradiations were performed using Iodine-125 seeds to guarantee the same absorbed dose of 5 Gy in each dosimeter. It has been used a Solid Water Phantom with three concentrically circle with 20mm, 50mm and 70mm diameters. The angle of positions used was 0o, 30o, 60o and 90o. Of course there are 2 positions in 0o and 90o and 4 positions in 30o and 60o. These complete procedures were carried out five times in order to compare the data and minimize the systematic error. The iodine-125 seed used in the experiment was take off in each measure and put again turning his position 180o to guarantee the systematic error was minimized. This paper presents also a little discussion about the statistical difference in the measurement and the calculation procedure to determine the systematic error in these measurements.


The distribution of some characteristics of industrial jobs e.g. the distribution of parallelism are often approximated by the folded normal distribution. Under certain conditions, we shall derive the distribution of parallelism and fit a real data set to the theoretical distribution.


Background: The projections indicate that in 2025, Brazil can grow to be 32 million people
aged 60 and more. Over the past five decades, clinical and epidemiological studies have
shown the benefits of health by practicing regular physical activity, and consolidated the
recognition that physical inactivity is, above all, a serious public health problem, with adverse
repercussions on all stages of the life cycle of the individual. While engaging in a regular
program of physical activity is essentially an individual decision, it has been recognized that
breaks the barriers of access to such programs is a social responsibility as well as the
overthrow of myths, such as the assumption that only intense physical activity produces
health benefits, or that the mere execution of daily activities is sufficient to provide such
benefits. Objective: To analyze the influence of frequency/level of regular physical activity
on self-rated health of elderly ascribed to the Family Health Strategy, the Family Clinic Victor
Valla, Complex Manguinhos, the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro, in year 2013. Material
and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 124 elderly in the period January to
June 2013. To estimate the association between frequency / level of physical activity and selfrated health, controlling for demographic, socioeconomic, health, lifestyle and social relations
was carried out an analysis of multiple binary logistic regression. Results: For the sample
considered, the elderly were mostly women with low income and education. Show a high
prevalence of chronic diseases, especially hypertension, arthritis / osteoarthritis / rheumatism,
heart disease and diabetes. Other characteristics were observed among the elderly: a favorable
perception of their health status, low prevalence of smoking and regular consumption of
alcoholic beverages, in addition to the presence of intake of fruits and vegetables. On the
other hand, the prevalence of physical inactivity among the elderly before the project "Health
Academy", was about 90%, that percentage dropped to 46.0%. Regarding the models of
multiple binary logistic regression applied to this study, physical activity and functional
capacity were factors associated with a perception of poor health (p <.05). Conclusion: This
study highlights the positivity of the physical activity supervised by Primary Health Care for
self-rated health among the elderly. The level of physical activity is shown to be the factor
most strongly associated with a positive self-rated health. Being inactive increases several
times the chance of the elderly perceive their health as poor (OR = 66.66) compared to active.
Support is the rationale for the development of public health policies that encourage physical
activity encouraged and supervised by the primary level / primary health care.


Transformer oil is usually a highly refined mineral oil that is stable at high temperatures and has excellent electrical insulating properties. When high voltages are applied to this insulating material it deteriorates and also with life span .This generates hydrocarbons in the mineral oil. The collection and analysis of gases in an oil insulated transformer was discussed as early as 1928.Many years of empirical and theoretical study have gone into the analysis of transformer fault gases.DGA usually consists of sampling the oil and sending the sample to a laboratory for analysis. On line monitoring of electrical equipment is an integral part of the smart grid. Large power transformers are filled with oil that cools and insulates the transformer winding. Mineral oil is the most common type in outdoor transformers. Fire resistant fluids also used include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and silicone.


For the first time, the WPA Slave Narratives are organized by theme, making it easier to examine-and understand-specific aspects of slave life and culture. * Provides topically arranged access to views expressed in the slave narratives, something never done before * Offers students both contextual analysis and primary source material so they can draw their own conclusions about various aspects of slavery * Creates a personalized understanding of the challenges that accompanied enslavement * Allows various populations, such as previously enslaved women, to speak bluntly about the particular difficulties they faced under slavery


Objective:To explore the safety of cases with pituitary prolactinoma during pregnancy and the effect of therapy on pregnant outcomes.Methods:Clinical data of pre-pregnancy,pregnancy,delivery and the prognosis of 11 mothers with pituitary prolactinoma(9 cases of pituitary microadenoma and 2 cases of pituitary macroadenoma) and their infants after delivery in the hospital from 1988 to 2008 were analysed retrospectively.Results:Oppression symptom appeared in two cases(1 case of pituitary microadenoma and 1 case of pituitary macroadenoma) because of increscent volume of pituitary prolactinoma,the other complications included 1 case of mild preeclampsia,1 case of abnormal glucose tolerance during pregnancy,3 cases of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy,1 case of macrosomia and 1 case of premature delivery.All the cases adopted cesarean section,the follow up of neonates showed no birth defect was found.Conclusion:The termination of treatment of pituitary microadenoma during pregnancy is safe,but the risk of volume amplification of pituitary prolactinoma is high.Pituitary prolactinoma can't increase the incidence of pregnant complications,no birth defect is found.


Abstract : This report summarizes results of basic research on the application of bulk (3-D) optical signal processing and communication technology to the interconnection of digital systems. Emphasis is on the typical distances and bandwidths found at the board and processor level of interconnection. Results are relevant to telecommunications, data networks, and parallel computer architectures. Important issues in the design of any interconnection network (electronic or optical) are: reconfiguration time; synchronous/asynchronous operation; data word size; unidirectional/bidirectional data transfer; broadcast capability; and propagation delay. Crossbar networks are very desirable in that arbitrary 1:1 interconnection of N inputs to N outputs is possible without connection. More than 14 basic optical matrix-vector and matrix-matrix multiplier designs (having binary weights) for implementation of crossbars are given. These systems may use acousto-optic, magneto-optic or electro-optic spatial light modulator, have data bandwidths of up to 1 GHz, and can reconfigure in times as low as 1 microsec. A related result is a design for an optical crossbar network using variable-grating-mode liquid crystal devices. Several types of 3-D dynamic optical networks that interconnect a 2-D array (consisting of N x N input lines) with a similar 2-D array of N x N output lines are given. These 3-D networks are intended to make specific use of the volume (non-planar) aspects of optics. We have designed 3-D extensions to omega or shuffle exchange networks, which can be thought of as an extension of planar shuffle exchange networks.


Background: Objective: Development of a protocol to be applied through a specialized Early Ankylosing Spondylitis Clinic (EAS clinic) that is able to discriminate between different categories of Low Back Pain (LBP) for the sake of shortening the time taken to reach the correct diagnosis and providing the appropriate treatment. Methods: 42 patients with possible inflammatory LBP were assessed over 12 months in a special EAS clinic. The patients' selection criteria were: symptoms of inflammatory LBP ( > 3 months), age < 40 years, insidious onset, morning stiffness > 30min, no improvement with rest and pain at night with gradual improvement upon getting up or with exercise. Each patient completed a copy of the multidimensional PROM questionnaire for spondyloarthritis [1]. Clinical assessment was carried out for: arthritis, enthesitis, uveitis, dactylitis, nail changes, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), response to NSAIDs and family history for spondyloarthritis. Basic blood testing was carried out including ESR, CRP and HLA-B27. X-ray was done for every patient to asses for sacroiliitis (according to modified NY criteria) as well as spondylitic changes. MRI scan for the dorso-lumbar spine and sacroiliac joints to assess for active inflammatory changes and the presence of any other focal pathology was also requested. Results: The mean age of the whole sample was 32.2 þ /- 3.8 years. 78.6% (33/42 patients) were males with a mean disease duration of 14.4 þ /- 2.2 months (range: 6months-6 years). 28 patients were diagnosed to have spondyloarthritis (5 Ankylosing spondylitis, 8 IBD, 15 psoriasis). The remaining 14 patients had other causes for LBP (8 with L5/S1 disc bulge, 6 partial sacralization of L5/ mechanical LBP). HLA-B27 group of ESR and CRP negative predictors for MRI findings (p > 0.05). HLA-B27 in the spondylitis group of patients. Spondylitis and active sacroiliitis patients Sensitivity referral whereas specificity L5/S1 bulges remain strong differential Background: Possession of HLA-B27 is strongly associated with development of the spondyloarthropathies, yet the mechanism by which HLA-B27 confers this susceptibility is unclear. HLA-B27 forms both heterotrimers (B27HT) associated with peptide and b 2m, and heavy chain homodimers (B272). It has previously been shown that B272 can assemble from unstable B27HT undergoing endosomal recycling from the surface. A pathogenic role for these homodimers has been proposed. However, determination of the extent, distribution and triggers of B272 expression have been hampered by the lack of a specific detection reagent. In order to investigate the role of homodimers in AS, we generated an antibody to B272 using phage display technology. Here, the recognition of HLA-B27 by this novel mAb is characterised. Methods: Phage display technology was used to generate mono- clonal antibodies specific for B272. Biotinylated recombinant B27HT and B272 complexes were used for selection of a phage fAb library. One selected clone, HD6, was then sub-cloned to generate a chimeric antibody comprising human fAb2 and murine IgG1 Fc. ELISA was used to confirm its specificity for B272 complexes. For recognition of cell-expressed B272, human B cell line transfectants, AS patient and control PBMCs, and splenocytes isolated from HLA-B27 transgenic rats were used and results analysed by FACS. For further characterisation of the epitope, transfectants were i) treated with acid, ii) cultured with HLA-B27 specific or control peptides or iii) treated with the protease papain prior to FACS analysis. Results: 1) In ELISA, HD6 specifically recognised recombinant B272 but not HLA-A2, B7 or B27HT. 2) HD6 recognises a novel subset of B27 molecules on the surface of transfected B cell lines, including LBL721.220, C1R and T2 transfectants. 3) HD6 surface reactivity is dependent on level of B27 surface expression and is inhibited by aC- terminal HA tag. 4) The HD6 epitope is resistant to acid treatment but sensitive to papain cleavage. 5) Peptide addition abrogates HD6 reactivity at the surface for upto 24h. 6) HD6 bound in FACS toPBMCs from AS patients but not controls, and to a number of cell subsets from splenocytes taken from HLA-B27 transgenic rats but not WT. Conclusions: HD6 is a novel phage display-derived mAb that recognises both recombinant B272 and an epitope on the surface of HLA-B27 transfected cell lines. HD6 stains monocytes from AS patients, implicating these cells in AS pathogenesis, and a number of cell subsets including monocytes from HLA-B27 transgenic rats. Our data suggest that peptide binding is not necessary for expression of the HD6 epitope, and are consistent with B272 expression and recognition at the cell surface. HD6 will be a powerful tool to address the potential pathogenic role of B272 in SpA and may additionally have therapeutic potential. Background: PMR is the most common inflammatory rheumatic disease of the elderly. Accurate diagnosis is difficult because proximal pain and stiffness syndrome, the accepted phenotype of PMR, occurs in other rheumatologic/inflammatory illnesses. Lack of standardized diagnostic criteria has hampered development of rational approaches to management. Methods: International prospective study was developed (21 centers in 10 countries) to evaluate the utility of candidate criteria for PMR in patients presenting with new onset bilateral shoulder pain.Candidate inclusion/exclusion criteria were defined through a consensus confer-ence and a wider Delphi survey. Study population was 125 subjects with PMR and 169 comparison subjects with conditions mimicking PMR (49 RA, 29 new-onset seronegative arthritis or CTD, 52 shoulder conditions, 39 other). Follow-up was done at baseline, weeks 1, 4, 12 and 26. Statistical analyses: chi-square and rank sum tests, logistic regression models, concordance c statistic, factor analyses, classification trees, gradient boosting regression tree models. Results: Criteria items related to hip involvement have significant ability to discriminate PMR from all comparison subjects. EMS, MHAQ, weight loss, raised laboratory markers distinguish PMR from comparison Background: Peripheral neuropathy is a feature of anti-neutrophil cytoplasm (ANCA) associated vasculitis but has not been well evaluated. The objective of this study was to: 1) Describe the incidence and prevalence of peripheral neuropathy (PN) in newly diagnosed ANCA-associated vasculitis; 2) Evaluate the correlation of Background: Thrombosis is a common feature of Behc¸et's diseas with a reported frequency ranging from 10-30%. Venous involvement is more frequent than arterial involvement, most frequently manifesting as thrombophlebitis. Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa (BVAS) clinical checklist of items that is used to quantify disease activity in systemic vasculitis. The Vasculitis Damage Index (VDI) records irreversible scarring that has resulted after the onset of vasculitis. Patients enrolled in the European Vasculitis Study Group (EUVAS) therapeutic trials for newly diagnosed ANCA-associated vasculitis had BVAS and VDI prospectively scored at regular time intervals during the trials. The long-term follow-up of these patients has been performed. The aim of this study are to: 1) To determine the prognostic value of BVAS in predicting early mortality ( < 6 months); 2) To determine the prognostic value of BVAS and BVAS area under the curve for the first 6 months (BVAS-AUC) to predict mortality after 6 months and 3) To determine the prognostic value of VDI at 12 months to predict mortality after this period. Methods: BVAS v.2 scores new/worse and persistent disease sep- arately (version collected during the trials). We transformed BVAS v.2 to BVAS v.3 (new version) which is essentially a composite of new/ worse and persistent disease scores. Serial BVAS v.3 measurements were used to calculate the area under the curve for the 1st 6 months (BVAS-AUC). Age, gender, baseline renal function and ANCA status were chosen as a-priori confounders for all multivariable analysis. Results: 506 patients (269 Wegener's granulomatosis and 237 microscopic polyangiitis) were included in the analysis. There were 41 early deaths, and 79 medium-late deaths in the follow up period (mean 61 months). Early death ( < 6 months) was associated with age and renal function but not BVAS. Baseline BVAS predicted death after 6 months in those who survived to this time-point [HR 1.04 per 1 increase on the BVAS (95%CI 1.01-1.07]. Age [HR 1.07 for every 1 year increase in age (95% CI 1.04-1.09)] and baseline creatinine [HR Background: We have previously presented the results of the cardiovascular events in the long-term follow-up of the European Vasculitis Study Group (EUVAS) therapeutic trials in ANCA-associated vasculitis. Using this data we created a prognostic tool to quantify the 5 year cardiovascular (CV) risk in patients with newly diagnosed Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) without pre-morbid CV disease (presented at BSR 2010). The objective of this update is to: 1) Demonstrate that our new model is superior to traditional risk factor models available for the general population; and 2) To validate the new disease specific cardiovascular risk model using a seperate cohort of patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis. Methods: CV events were defined as: CV-death, stroke, myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass graft, or percutaneous coronary intervention. Logistic regression was performed on the events in the EUVAS cohort to create a model to predict the absolute risk of a CV event. A points based version of the Cox-Framingham risk prediction tool (a general population cardiovascular risk model) was used as the comparator. The Wegener's Granulomatosis Etanercept Trial (WGET) cohort


Background: The majority of patients admitted to the hospital for elective surgery experience anxiety preoperatively which can adversely influence the surgical procedure as well as the patient's recovery. Reduction of anxiety and fear at the preoperative period in patients of elective surgery is essential for surgical preparation. Benzodiazepines are the most commonly used drugs for this purpose.
Materials and Methods: The study was carried out on a series of 60 consecutivepatients, aged 18-60 years, admitted for elective surgery under General Anaesthesia, in Combined Military Hospital, Chattogram during the period September 2021 to February 2022. Patients receiving bromazepam or lorazepam as preoperative medication were selected. Anxiety was scored using VAS (Visual Analogue Scale), sedation was scored by using the Ramsay Sedation scale and anterograde amnesia by asking about preoperative events after 24 hours of premedication.
Results: While evaluating mean anxiety reduction only, mean reduction is greater in the lorazepam group compared to that of bromazepam. Sedation level was less achieved with bromazepam. In the lorazepam group, a greater number of patients could not recall preoperative events but incidence of adverse effects was significantly more in this group.
Conclusion: The standard administration of bromazepam before the procedure provides patients with a moderate reduction of periprocedural anxiety. Premedication of lorazepam is associated with a high incidence of adverse effects. Therefore, this study does not support the routine use of lorazepam as premedication to reduce anxiety before surgery.
Bangladesh Crit Care J September 2022; 10(2): 110-115


This paper is concerned with the derivation of an analytical solution for the acoustic pressure field generated by a line source moving at a constant speed and height above an absorbing plane and summarizes the results obtained in a recent article [Dragna and Blanc-Benon, J. Sound Vib. 349, 259-275, 2015]. As an extension of previous studies, the frequency dependence of the admittance is accounted for. First, a Lorentz transformation is used to obtain an equivalent stationary problem. A special attention is paid to the translation of the admittance boundary condition in the Lorentz space. An analytical solution is obtained as a Fourier transform. Excitation of surface waves is investigated depending on the Mach number. In the far field, an asymptotic expression is sought using the modified saddle point method. The solution is expressed under the form of a Weyl-Van der Pol formula, in which the admittance is evaluated at the Doppler frequency. Comparison of the pressure field obtained with the analytical s...


The use of geographic information systems (GIS) for spatial hydrologic data analysis has provided many benefits for water resources permitting and design. This paper discusses a computer model, developed to aid phosphate mine— reclamation design, as an example of the means and real benefits to be derived by incorporating GIS into hydrologic modeling. The model integrates a commercial GIS, public‐domain surface‐water and ground‐water hydrologic models, and a specially written evapotranspiration code to be run on a microcomputer within a highly structured interface. The user community consists of state and local regulatory agencies, mining companies, and private consultants. The GIS provides an important spatial/analytical function, performing the time‐consuming georeferencing and spatial overlays (GIS modeling) to develop input data as well as providing a mechanism to link the surface‐water and ground‐water codes written with disparate spatial discretizations. This paper supports the premise that the incor...


This study aims to describe: 1) What is the legal basis behind policy of the General Election Commission (KPU) in prohibiting the administrators (functionaries) of political parties as prospective candidates (balloons) for DPD members in the 2019 Election, and 2) how is the form and application of policy of the KPU in prohibiting the administrators (functionaries) of political parties as prospective candidates for DPD members in the 2019 Election. The results of the study provide conclusions: first, the direction of KPU regulates the prohibition for political party administrators (functionaries) as prospective candidates for DPD members in the 2019 Election with reference to the Decision of the Constitutional Court Number 30 / PUU-XVI / 2018 of 23 July 2018. Second, the KPU is responding to the Constitutional Court Decision Number 30/PUUXVI/2018 by regulating the prohibition for political party administrators (functionaries) as prospective candidates for DPD members in the 2019 Election through the provisions of Article 60A PKPU Number 26 of 2018 dated August 6, 2018 in essence prohibit the administrators (functionaries) of political parties as prospective candidates for DPD members.