This article examines young Syrians' perceptions of higher education after the 2001 reforms, which expanded access to higher education and permitted the establishment of private universities. Data come from in-depth interviews conducted with 22 Syrians residing in Damascus, aged 18–32 in 2009. Analysis indicates youth are critical of the higher education system broadly, and that their discontent stems from two sources: (1) the high level of state involvement in determining youth life paths when uncoupled from labour market security; and (2) the perceived unfairness in university admissions stemming from connections and new forms of privatisation. This youth discontent reflects a larger rejection of the state's role in the higher education admissions process. Given Syria's long-term commitment to a model of state-led development in the post-independence era, the failure of the Syrian state to successfully link expanded higher education to secure employment in the neo-liberal era has contributed to a de-legitimisation of the Syrian state as a whole in the eyes of its youth.


Lecture given Wednesday, September 18, 2013, 9:00 AM at Abilene Christian University: "Leaders from George Washington to Barack Obama have separated church and state to direct nations in a theoretical manner. Discover how this affects the church and its function."


We propose a new space-time coding scheme for the quasi-static multiple-antenna channel with perfect channel state information at the receiver and no channel state information at the transmitter. The new scheme includes both trellis space-time codes and layered space-time codes as special cases. Our scheme can be efficiently decoded by minimum mean-square error (MMSE) decision-feedback interference cancellation coupled with Viterbi decoding through the use of per-survivor processing (PSP). We discuss the code design for the new scheme, and show that finding codes with optimal diversity is much easier than for conventional trellis space-time codes.


The present invention, even in the silica coating formed with alkali metal silicates, silicon oxide-coated zinc oxide and its production method and a silicon oxide-coated zinc oxide containing composition eluted zinc ion is suppressed and cosmetic It is provided. Silicon oxide-coated zinc oxide of the present invention is a silicon oxide-coated zinc oxide formed by the surface of the zinc oxide particles coated with silicon oxide film, the average primary particle diameter 50nm of the zinc oxide particles exceeds and in 500nm or less There, and definitive when held for 1 hour in a buffer solution of pH = 5, the dissolution rate S of zinc oxide defined by the following formula (1) is 50% or less. Dissolution rate S = (eluted amount of zinc oxide) / (the amount of zinc oxide of silicon oxide-coated oxide in the zinc) ... (1)


To provide estimates of the nationwide prevalence of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) in individuals younger than 20 years of age in Germany from 2002 to 2020 and to identify trends.


The economic sector has become vulnerable to human resource development in Indonesia, some have succeeded and some have failed. One of the policies to help the poor's economy is the food aid program. The Indonesian government implements the Raskin assistance program which is hoped to be a solution in meeting the people's daily food. Problems that often occur include distribution that is not right on target, not on time, not of right quality, not right, and not yet right on price. This study uses a qualitative approach with a descriptive method. Data obtained through interviews and observations supported by documentation. The collected data will be processed to draw conclusions. The results of the study show that the success of the RASKIN program can be measured by the achievement of the 6Ts, namely the right target beneficiaries, on time, on the right quantity, on the right price, on the right administration and on the right quality. Community empowerment in the Raskin program is based on the policy of the Rice Subsidy Program for the Community. The effectiveness of the Raskin program can be achieved through coordination, synchronization and harmonization of relevant ministries/institutions both at the central and regional levels. In principle, the distribution of Raskin is done every month. If there are regional policies or obstacles, including harvest season, geographical conditions, climate/weather, and transportation barriers, so that it is not possible to distribute Raskin regularly every month in an area, the distribution will be changed according to the time and needs of the community.


HMG-CoA inhibitors have been widely used in primary and secondary prevention of atherosclerosis for more than 30 years. The evidence base for statins includes dozens of randomized clinical trials (RCT), involving hundreds of thousands patients. According to the results of the latest meta-analyses, reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-CH) level by 1 mmol/l in statin-treated patients could decrease cardiovascular risk by 0,8 %. Atorvastatin (Liprimar®) is a modern synthetic statin, which has been thoroughly studied in several RCTs over the last 15 years. These trials demonstrated its effectiveness and tolerability in patients with chronic coronary heart disease, acute coronary syndrome (ACS), Type 2 diabetes mellitus, and arterial hypertension. In the studies comparing atorvastatin (10-80 mg/d) to other statins, baseline LDL-CH levels were reduced by 53 % in atorvastatintreated patients. Atorvastatin therapy was also well tolerated. Compared to placebo, atorvastatin therapy in the dose of 10 and 80 mg/d was associated with the incidence of hepatic transaminase elevation of 0,1 % and 0,6 %, respectively. This evidence base (in particular, the results of the trials on 80 mg/d atorvastatin therapy in ACS patients) has been a cornerstone of modern clinical guidelines, recommending target LDL-CH levels of 2 mmol/l. Currently, atorvastatin is the most widely prescribed statin in the majority of both developed and developing countries. Increasing initial dose and prescribing high-dose atorvastatin therapy (40-80 mg/d) could facilitate an improvement in treatment quality and a reduction in high levels of cardiovascular mortality inRussia.


The United States Atomic Energy Commission first released radioiodine (I 131 ) for general use in July, 1946. This material was made in the atomic pile at Oak Ridge. Investigations with the isotope were then initiated to determine the clinical value of the isotope in the diagnosis and treatment of hyperthyroidism, in addition to the studies in many other fields. Prior to this, radioiodine had been tried in the treatment of hyperthyroidism. Hertz and Roberts 1 and later Chapman and Maloof 2 had available to them I 130 , the 12-hour half-life isotope of stable iodine, made in the cyclotron. Hamilton and Lawrence 3 employed I 131 , the 8-day half-life isotope. Except for the few patients treated by Soley with these latter investigators, I 131 was not used further until the action of the Atomic Energy Commission; and at that time therapeutic interest in I 130 virtually ceased. The highly successful initial


ICT and digital artifacts is an important resource in the society, especially in schools. That is why we have chosen to study if and how teachers uses ICT and other digital technology in their educ ...


Examining In this thesis, I ask how our understanding of human relations carries implications for the way we understand the affordances of communication technology on human relations. To this end, I examine and compare two opposed perspectives of human relations and social life. The first perspective, networked individualism, is a version of network theory that begins with a foundation of agentic individuals who actively construct and manage their social worlds. Levinasian relationalism, the second perspective, offers a contrasting view that sees human relations as constitutive of human subjectivity. In comparing these two perspectives, I argue that networked individualism is an inadequate framework inasmuch as its ontological assertions prevent it from seeing some of the significant affordances of technology on human relations, and I suggest that Levinasian relationalism is a viable alternative.


This paper presented an impedance modeling of the Equivalent Circuit (EC) for a unit cell of the square loop Frequency Selective Surface (FSS) structure. The unit cell of the square loop FSS is designed and simulated using the CST Microwave Studio software at 2.4 GHz based on industrial, scientific and medical bands (ISM) standard. The square loop FSS is simulated without FSS, with square FSS and FSS with slot. The investigation has been done on the length of substrate (s), width of substrate (w), length of square FSS (a) and length of slot (b). Imaginary (Im) component of EC has been modeled based on physical parameters of the square loop FSS in wavelength. EC gives a simple alternative method in FSS analyses which are useful for quickly predicting the performance of FSS.


A timed rate control applies to a system having a device 12 for varying a medium 14, a sensor 13 for detecting variation in the medium, and a pneumatic line 11 for varying the device 12 in response to the sensor. This includes many pneumatic control systems that the invention can effectively stabilize to reduce fluctuation and improve operating accuracy and efficiency. The pneumatic line is opened and closed by a solenoid valve 17, and a setable timer 18 variably determines both closed and open intervals for the solenoid valve. The timer is connected to the solenoid valve to control alternate operation between the closed and open intervals while the system operates. This limits each adjustment to a brief duration separated by inactive periods that allow the system to stabilize.


The paper presents the design of a compact penta-band antenna for portable and embedded devices. The bands covered include GSM-900/1800/1900, UMTS-2100 and 2.4GHz WLAN. A folded planar inverted-F antenna with a relocated shorting-stub and a secondary arm introduced on the bottom layer of the substrate provides resonances at the 900, 1800 and 2400MHz bands. The inclusion of a narrow slot in the ground plane offers an additional resonance at 2300MHz, resulting in more than 800MHz bandwidth centered at 2100MHz. The final design is confirmed by measurement showing the 6dB return loss from 890–960 and 1650–2550MHz with better than 10dB return loss at the centers of the GSM-900/1800 and 2.4GHz WLAN bands.


Preface Part I. Puzzles: 1. A natural curiosity: how did language begin? 2. A peculiar habit: what is language for? 3. The bother at Babel: why do languages differ so much? 4. Distinct duties: is language an independent skill? Part II. Origin: 5. The family tree: the evolutionary background 6. A devious mind: the basic requirements 7. Broken air: inherited ingredients 8. Small beginnings: first steps Part III. Evolution: 9. The secong word: the emergence of rules 10. The tower of speech: expansion 11. Time travelling: extra attachments 12. Rebuilding on the high seas: keeping going Part IV. Diffusion: 13. The widening circle: moving outwards 14. The hidden core: the hunt for universals 15. The real magician: ruling the rules 16. Unweaving the rainbow: separating the strands 17. The endless stair: past and future Symbols used in the text Notes and suggestions for further reading References Index.


Critical infrastructure, which used in energy, industry, and financial area, is one of essential components for modern society. Thus, critical infrastructures and its availability must be kept secure. Inspecting cyber threat is needed to prevent cyber-attack on critical infrastructure. By using OSINT (Open Source INTelligence) process, it is possible to gather meaningful intelligence related to security. In this paper, a cyber threat inspection framework for critical infrastructure based on OSINT process, is proposed.


A new synthesis methodology for carbon quantum dots (CQDs) for large-scale production is proposed for the first time by X. Ji and co-workers on page 7861. The as-obtained CQDs can be transformed into 3D porous carbon frameworks exhibiting superb sodium storage properties with an ultralong cyclelife and ultrahigh rate capability, which are comparable to state-of-the-art carbon anode materials for sodium-ion batteries.


Stone formation is one of the common urological disorders;the Unani system of medicine provides an immense treasure of single and compound formulations for the safe management of urolithiasis. The objective of the study is to evaluate the effect of Unani Medicine formulation Safoof-e-Pattharphori with Sharbat Bazoori Moatadil in patients of Hasat-ul-Kulya (Renal stone) as conservative treatment.

This was a single-arm; open-labeled, pre and post without control clinical trial entailing 30 diagnosed cases of Hasat-ul-Kulya (Renal Stone)up to 10mm diagnosed by USG, belonging to 18-65 years of age, either sex and who had agreed to sign the informed consent form and follow up the protocol. The patients were exposed with Unani formulation i.e., 5gm of Safoof-e-Pattharphori orally once daily with 50ml of Sharbat Bazoori Moatadil up to 45 days with three follow-ups. The assessments of subjective parameters were done at every 15th day of follow-up by using an arbitrary scale. The assessments of objective parameters were carried out before and after the trial. The results were analyzed statistically using Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Student's paired t-test (two-tailed), and proportion test.

The subjective parameters like pain in the abdomen showed significant relief with (p < 0.001). Objective parameters like USG abdomen showed significant results (p <0.001). The size of the stone showed a statistically significant reduction (p <0.001). No significant adverse changes were observed in safety parameters during and after the trial.

It can be concluded that the Unani formulation Safoof-e-Pattharphori with Sharbat bazoori moatadil is safe and effective in renal stone treatment.
Clinical Trials Registry of India


Background&Objective: Ascorbic acid, an antioxidant vitamin, is found throughout the mammalian central nervous system. Although, the centeral role of ascorbic acid is unclear, but there is good evidence that ascorbic acid modulates opiate withdrawal syndrome. This study was done to determine the effect of ascorbic acid (A.A.) on naloxone-induced withdrawal signs in morphinedependent guinea-pigs. Materials&Methods: In this experimental study, male guinea-pigs (300-400 g; 8-10 animals/group) were rendered dependent on morphine by subcutaneous (s.c.) injections of morphine sulfate 3 times a day for 3 days, and withdrawal signs were induced by intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of naloxone (15 mg/kg) 2 h after the tenth injection of morphine sulfate on day 4; then animals were placed individually into a cylindrical glass (25 cm in diameter, 180 cm height) and the withdrawal signs were recorded over a 60-min period. Results: Chronic pretreatment of guinea-pigs with A.A., 200 mg/kg, s.c. 3 times daily for 3 days, reduced withdrawal jumping, digging, writhing, rearing, facewashing, head and body shakes, penile licking and diarrhea. The mixed dopamine D1/D2 receptor agonist apomorphine (0.5 mg/kg, s.c.) markedly antagonized the inhibitory effect of A.A. on the withdrawal signs. The effect of apomorphine was blocked by the dopamine D1 receptor antagonist SCH23390 (0.5 and 1 mg/kg, i.p.) but not by the dopamine D2 receptor antagonist sulpiride (50 mg/kg, s.c.) nor the peripheral dopamine receptor antagonist domperidone (1 mg/kg, s.c.). Conclusion: It is concluded that chronic administration of ascorbic acid inhibits opiate withdrawal, via a central dopamine D1 receptor mechanism.


The present study assessed the kinematics of the total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) during level, uphill and downhill walking of a pain vs. a no pain group by means of videofluoroscopy. The main rotation of the TAA occurred for all subjects around the talar construction axis itself, rotations in the transverse and frontal planes were small. The motion pattern did not differ significantly between the two groups. Thus, no motion pattern of the TAA was observed that is causal for anteromedial pain.


The inverse method, based on a numerical sequential estimation, has been applied for the determination of the wall shear stress of a liquid single phase flow in a sliding rheometer using multi-segment probe. This method requires the inversion of the convection diffusion equation in order to apply it to instantaneous mass transfer measurements. Polarography technique, known as the limiting diffusion current method, has been used. This requires the use of Electro-Diffusion ED probe which allows the determination of the local mass transfer rate for known flow kinematics. In addition, two-segment platinum probe was mounted flush to the inert surface of the upper disk of the sliding rheometer. Hydrodynamic oscillations have been imposed to the torsional flow (type sinusoidal), in order to study the frequency response of the sandwich probe for a fixed polarization voltage. Possible error sources which are likely to affect the interpretation of the results e.g. the directional angle effect, the inertial effect, the diffusion effect and the frequencies of oscillations effect have been studied in order to test the robustness of the inverse method within the presence of such impacts. Furthermore, to demonstrate the possible effect of non-negligible inertia and diffusion, we refer to ED results for both modified Reynolds number defined by [1] and Peclet number ranges as well as for different directional angles. An algorithm has been developed for the numerically filtering of the mass transfer signals, and therefore the wall shear stress signals. It permits to eliminate any possible noise effect due to the imposed vibrations to the torsional flow. The analysis shown that the inverse method is in a good agreement with the ED experimental results for the different cases of study, i.e. for different dimensionless Reynolds numbers, for high and low oscillation frequencies, as well as for different directional angles. The little difference is probably caused by the sensitivity of the double probe to such directional angles or to the neglecting of the insulating gap effect on the inverse method solution as a first step of the study of the inverse method for double probes signals.Copyright © 2010 by ASME


The ability to interact with others is a necessary condition for the emergence of both cooperative and conflictual interstate relations. Yet, the spaces separating states vary in terms of the opportunities they offer for contacts to take place: some borders are difficult to traverse, others are not. Building on Harvey Starr and G. Dale Thomas's work on the permeability of land borders, we test the three most prominent hypotheses about the forces that shape cross-border interaction opportunities. The results confirm that that the desirability of trade influences the accessibility of borders. However, the anticipated relationship between state capacity and accessibility does not materialize clearly. Finally, our results suggest that governments invest in transportation infrastructure when facing threatening neighbors, resolving a debate over the relationship between mobility and security in favor of those who argue that accessible borders facilitate military defense.


Handicrafts are the art of creating decorative products using raw indigenous materials. Bankura has a rich cultural heritage of handloom industry and handicraft. It is world famous for terracotta temples, hand-woven textiles and exquisite craft of conch sh Turbinella pyrum which bears ritual and religious significance in Hindu mythology. This paper attempts to explore the nutritional of Bankura. Conch shell workers numbering 88 in the age group of 19 co-operate for the study were selected by convenient sampling method status revealed presence of malnutrition (27.27 %) among workers. The mean height, weight, BMI and Waist/ Heap ratio of the population were 1.57 m, 52.77 Kg, 21.32 & 0.95 respectively. The age wise distribution of the worker of 36-45 years while most (44.45%) of the female were in the upper This Conch shell industry was mostly dominated by males (79.55 %). Joint family (52.27%) prevails in the community in which 45.46 % were medium in size. The literacy rate among conch shell artisans was 97.73 %. The economic profile disclosed that the average monthly household income (Rs. 6700) and standard of living of the workers a musculoskeletal pain, asthma and respiratory trouble have been found to be more prevalent.


A simple plane-strain solution is derived in this paper for the functionally graded multilayered isotropic elastic cylinder under static deformation. The solution is obtained using method of separation of variables and is expressed in terms of the summation of the Fourier series in the circumferential direction. While the solution for order n


While much has been written in recent decades about management accounting change in advanced economies, little is known how management accounting systems (MAS) may be designed and used in the dynamic environment. The aim of the paper is to provide evidences about the changes in the scope of MASs in the dynamic economic context on the example of Estonian companies. The empirical results of the paper were gathered through questionnaire survey carried out among the largest Estonian companies. The study highlights several interesting features of MAS scope and its changes during 2004-2007 based on the 65 company responses. Findings revealed that, the increasing use of externally and internally oriented non-financial performance measurement approaches characterise the shift towards more broad scope MASs in the companies studied. The shifts towards broader MAS scope place further demands on an company's managers' knowledge in dealing with the ever more complex information systems in organisations. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.em.17.2.2164


Arial 10) Graphene based materials have been applied as sensing materials in these few years due to its special chemical and electric properties. Hydrogen peroxide is one of the most frequently-utilized markers in food and biomedical applications, and graphene had been used as non-enzymetic H2O2 sensor. In addition, various metallic or metal oxide nanoparticles were used to catalytic the oxidation of hydrogen peroxide. However, there were more potential interferences during the oxidation sensing of H2O2 which might reduce the selectivity of the sensor. In order to eliminate the interference effect, reduction of hydrogen peroxide is a promising solution and iridium has been used as electrocatalyst in the previous study [1]. In this study, reduced graphene oxide, which is easier to be modified than graphene, was chosen as based material. Iridium oxide nanoparticles were decorated onto reduced graphene oxide surface utilizing a simple one-pot strategy for reduction deposition. The surface morphology of the IrOx decorated reduced graphene oxide (IrOX/RGO) was characterized by TEM. The IrOX/RGO electrode catalyzed the reduction reaction of H2O2. IrOX/RGO electrode showed larger electron transfer rate than the RGO electrode. Cyclic voltammograms reveal that the onset potential for the reduction of H2O2 on the IrOx decorated reduced graphene oxide electrode occurs at -0.30 V vs. Ag/AgCl which is more anodic than the electrode without IrOx nanoparticle decoration. In addition, the IrOX/RGO electrode exhibited monotonic relation in a wide range from 10 M to 20 mM. Since uniform distribution of IrOx catalyst, the electrode showed not only high sensitivity but also the reproducibility. In order to apply in biomedical environment, potential interference effect has been evaluated. The experimental results suggested that a high reliability H2O2 sensing platform has been successfully developed.


Semiconducting Vanadate (V2O5 based) glass has plentiful application in the field of electrochemical batteries and optical switches. Theoretical investigation for density and molar volume are done for semiconducting glass with composition 60V2O5.(40-x) ZnO.xMoO3 (x=10,13,16,19,22). The density decreases from 4.168-4.057g/cm3 with increasing MoO3 content and an opposite behavior is observed for Molar volume. Using Lorentz- Lorenz equation index of refraction is calculated and found to be very high (4.103 to 3.920) and Oxide ion polarizability varies little in the range 2.6935- 2.6908A3. Using generalized Miller's rule, third order nonlinear optical susceptibility found to be very high 2.39x10−6 to 1.61x10−6 esu. and Nonlinear Index of Refraction varies from 2.194x10−5 to 1.555x10−5esu.Semiconducting Vanadate (V2O5 based) glass has plentiful application in the field of electrochemical batteries and optical switches. Theoretical investigation for density and molar volume are done for semiconducting glass with composition 60V2O5.(40-x) ZnO.xMoO3 (x=10,13,16,19,22). The density decreases from 4.168-4.057g/cm3 with increasing MoO3 content and an opposite behavior is observed for Molar volume. Using Lorentz- Lorenz equation index of refraction is calculated and found to be very high (4.103 to 3.920) and Oxide ion polarizability varies little in the range 2.6935- 2.6908A3. Using generalized Miller's rule, third order nonlinear optical susceptibility found to be very high 2.39x10−6 to 1.61x10−6 esu. and Nonlinear Index of Refraction varies from 2.194x10−5 to 1.555x10−5esu.


The conceptual understanding andcomparison of quasi-square waveandtheir relative amplitudes always remain pulse width modulation (PWM)strategies canbetter bedone thesame. WithPWM,however, therelative amplitudes ofthe through analytical characterization thanthecircuit simulation. harmonics change with themodulation index. Thispaperpresents a general methodfordetermining the PWM strategies havebeenthesubject ofmanyyearsof theoretical harmonic components ofPWM. ThesimulationPW M ategie harmonicbject ofmatears of softwares ofdifferent nature (circuit level/system level) which are research effort andtheharmonic benefits ofstrategies suchas notdistinguished forharmonic analysis arecompared for hirdharmonic inJected reference waveforms, space vector spectral components ofsingle-phase PWM inverter outputmodulation anddiscontinuous conduction, arenowwell voltage. Thedifference amongtheresults ofthesimulation established (3)-(4). Incontrast, however, a mathematical softwares isfound greater thanthevalue which isa(marginal) analysis forthese benefits isless well known, andthis canlead benefit rendered bymostoftherecent PWM strategy variations. tomisunderstandings amongless experienced engineers asto Finally the supremacy and necessity of analytical whichPWM strategies areadvantageous inparticular characterization aresupported byhardware results andthebest applications. Variety ofcontrol schemes developed inlast three suited simulation software forharmonic analysis isidentified. decades focused onimproving anyspecific performance index; didnothavea significant expedition fromconventional Keywords-Analtical characterization duty cycle, harmonicSPWM.Themostofrecent variations ofSPWMdiffer onlyin


Human action recognition is a significant task in automatic understanding systems for video surveillance. A detector of spatio-temporal interest points is presented in this paper combining Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) with 3D Hessian detector. The Features descriptors of 3DHOG/HOF are computed on the pixels around these interest points. We perform a unified action recognition framework based probabilistic latent semantic analysis (PLSA). Experiments on the CASIA dataset apply the leave-one-out and compare our proposed approach with other methods. The result shows that our proposed approach is effective. Compared with other approaches our approach is more robust, easier to compute.


We devise an algorithm using normalization by evaluation (NbE) for deciding equality between terms in a λcalculus equipped with strong sums. While proofs of correctness and completeness are still work in progress, the originality of this algorithm is its use of exceptions, which yields a particularly simple solution to this intricate problem.


XCS-GP (Generic Prognosis) is a new process to compute system degradation in industrial prognosis activities field. Our approach is based on XCS core algorithm [6] extended with an auto-diagnosis module and dynamic learning strategies. We've tested our system on a real Airbus use case. We predict the degradation of an A340 system brake wear based on the aircraft mission plan. The underlying idea of our approach is to find implicit links between aircraft data and environmental data which leads to specifics aircraft degradation. Results are promising, furthermore our approach does not need experts knowledge. It is therefore generic and could be easily applied to other systems.


This paper demonstrates a simulation methodology based on a reasonable 3D channel model. System level simulations on various 3D antenna port configurations are performed, and results are compared with those of 2D MIMO system. Several interesting observations are made from the evaluation results: (1) the vertically distributed active antenna elements provide less MIMO gain than the horizontally distributed active antenna elements; (2) with the same number of antenna elements, the 3D active antenna configuration can provide better performance than the 2D one, and the performance improvement is much larger for MU-MIMO than SU-MIMO; (3) even when the 2D antenna configuration has more antenna elements (providing more antenna array gain) than the 3D active antenna configuration, the 3D configuration can still outperform the 2D one if there are enough transmitter ports.


Download Publication Manual Of The American Psychological Association 6th Edition 2009 Pdf filetype: PDF, Epub, Doc, Docx, MOBI this nice ebook and read the Publication Manual Of The American Psychological Association 6th Edition 2009 Pdf ebook. You won't find this ebook anywhere online.Read the any books now and should you not have considerable time you just read, it is possible todownload any ebooks for your laptop and check later this popular ebook and read th ebook. You will not find th s ebook an where online. Brows the any books now a d unless you have lots of time to see, it is possible to download any ebooks in our device and re d later Read Pu l cation M u l f The Ameri n Psych logical Associa ion 6th Edition 2009 Pdf File Online To ay Kindle ebook can be continue reading phones employing a Ki dle app. Y u are through the nt r int rnet. Scri is web site tha enables us rs t express ocuments round the web.Targeting the right audience together with your ads is essential to being effective. The goals would be to receive allof the str tegies and secrets to get the absolute m st out of running Facebook ads!! Every so often, it's just unb lievable an application so good is completely free. How to Get S arted with Publ ation Ma ual Of T e America Psychologi al A s ciation 6 Editi 20 9 Pdf File O lin ? Th r are l t of s rategies for d termining the word count of a pecifi . You m st be c rtain u son ordaughter feel onfid nt nd t is familiar with s ci lizing w th d fferent children. R ading books b ut l ke y toschool or discussing a number f the activities your young ter will probably be in a position to participate in areg d method f k ping them utilized to the theory. ue to c pyrigh issu , you must r ad Publi ti n Man a O The Amer can P ychol gic l Associ tion 6 Edition 2009 Pdf nli e. You can r ad Publication Man al Of T e Am rican Psyc ological As ciation 6th Editi n 2009 Pdf online u ing button el w.


The X-ray crystallographic study of the title compounds has shown a remarkable structural variation induced by minor changes in the anion, [PhCH2SLi·NC5H5]∞ forming an infinite folded ladder polymer with Li–S rungs, removal of the CH2 group to give [PhSLi·(NC5H5)2]∞ resulting in a polymer containing an infinite Li–S chain, while the introduction of an Me group into the ortho-position in [o-MeC6H4SLi·(NC5H5)3] prevents association; all three structures have tetrahedral lithium whereas the co-ordination around sulphur varies from 2 to 4.


The complete nucleotide sequence of the cya gene from E. coli was determined. The gene encodes a polypeptide consisting of 848 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular weight of 97,542. The deduced protein structure reveals that cyclase is comprised of two domains, an amino-terminal region exhibiting catalytic activity and a carboxy-tenninal region possibly carrying regulatory function. The frequent appearance of rare codons in the beginning of the gene as well as the sequence duplication in the promoter-initiator region suggest possible regulation (s) at the translational level. An unknown gene (cyaX) which seems to code for a very hydrophobic protein was found following the cya gene. Sequence analysis suggests that the cyaX is a part of the cya operon. INTRODUCTION While it is well recognized that cAMP is a central regulatory entity in prokaryotes as well as in eukaryotes, the mechanism by which the cellular level of cAMP is controlled is still poorly understood. However, knowledge concerning activity and expression of bacterial adenylate cyclase has been accumulated. Cyclase is sensitive to the nature of the carbon source on which the cell is feeding. The regulation involves, in a still not completely understood manner, a phosphorylation cascade known as the phosphoenolpyruvate dependent carbohydrate phosphorylation system (1,2). In this cascade a phosphorylated protein (enzyme III Glc) controls in a positive way adenylate cyclase activity (3). With respect to enzyme structure, it has been observed that adenylate cyclase is a large protein (ca 95 kb) and may comprise two domains, namely the amino-terminal domain displays cAMP synthesizing activity whereas the carboxy-terminus seems to be involved in regulation of cyclase activity by the © IRLPrets Limited, Oxford, England. 9427 Nucleic Acids Research carbon source (4,5). On the other hand, little is known about the regulation involved at the level of cyclase expression, although recent studies of the cloned cya gene unraveled some of the complexities of the cya regulatory region (6-8). There exist contradictory data concerning the regulation of cya expression by cAMP and its receptor protein (CRP or CAP). Some experiments suggest the involvment of cAMP-CRP as a negative effector for cya transcription (8-10) while other data refute this possibility (6,11,12). To gain a better understanding of the structure and function of the adenylate cyclase as well as its expression, we have determined the nucleotide sequence of the entire cya gene of 12. coli. The data suggest that the enzyme is made of two domains, and the gene is organized in a cya operon. Some regulatory aspects deduced from the DNA sequence are also discussed. MATERIALS AND METHODS Materials Plasmid pCA2 and pCA3 carrying the cya gene (7) were used for DNA sequencing. Restriction endonucleases and T4 polynucleotide kinase were obtained from Takara Shuzo. [y~] ATP ('WOOO Ci/m mol) was purchased from New England Nuclear. Preparation of DNA and DNA sequence determination Plasmid DNA was purified essentially as described by Birnboim and Doly (13). Restriction fragments were isolated from polyacrylamide gels and labeled at their 5 ends with [P-f-ATP] by T4 polynucleotide kinase. Singly end-labeled DNA fragments were prepared either by a secondary restriction cleavage or by electrophoretic strand separation. Nucleotide sequences were determined by the method of Maxam and Gilbert (14). RESULTS Nucleotide sequence of the cya gene The restriction map of the DNA region for the cya gene is given in Figure 1. The sequence was obtained on both strands for each nucleotide by several independent experiments. Each


Synopsis The mechanism of cracking in concrete under sustained axial tension is investigated experimentally. This involves the development of new loading and measuring techniques: in particular, the development of a specimen with shoulder-pieces composed of high alumina cement concrete which permits the direct transmission of ultrasonic pulses along the longitudinal axis. Observations indicate that cracks form in the concrete at an early stage of loading at interfaces between the cement matrix and aggregate but that failure is governed by the growth of cracks within the cement matrix. The results are used to establish a law relating sustained stress to time to rupture, which may prove to be of value in analysing the behaviour of more complex structures under sustained load.


Monodispersed, spherical MTiO3(M=Ba, Sr, Pb) fine powders were synthesized by the hydrolysis of metal alkoxide in a mixture of alcohol and dipolar aprotic solvent. Ba -Ti, Sr -Ti or Pb -Ti double alkoxide were used as starting materials. The synthesis factor such as water and alkoxide concentration, type of solvent and reaction temperature influenced particle size, particle size distribution and the state of aggregation. Monodispersed powders were obtained when the volume ratio of octanol to acetonitrile was in the range from 60:40 to 80:20. As-prepared powders were amorphous and then crystallized to a perovskite-type structure by calcination at 600°C. Spherical morphology was retained after calcination at 600t. Fluoresence X-ray analysis showed that the BaO / TiO2, SrO / TiO2and PbO / TiO2 ratio of as-prepared powders was 48:52, 49:51 and 49:51, respectively.


Analysis on nutritional components of fruit body of oyster mushroom cultivated by tea waste with different ratios was made. Three oyster mushroom strains were involved. Cotton seed hull was set as the control substrate,and fruit bodies cultivated from it were also analyzed and compared with other groups.Protein,amino acid,polysaccharide and other nutrients were determined. The results showed that utilization of tea waste in oyster mushroom substrate may result in higher protein,minerals and amino acid content in oyster mushroom fruit body. What's more,as proportion of tea waste increased in substrate content of above three components also presented increasing trends. However,polysaccharide content presented a decreasing trend as tea waste proportion increased. This study provided a reference basis on utilizing tea waste as a new kind of oyster mushroom substrate with higher nutritional quality and yield.


The effects of molding conditions, such as the set temperature of the band heaters and the screw rotation rate, on the temperature history and distribution in the heating cylinder have been studied by measuring the barrel temperature and the temperature at the screw surface. The temperature history at the screw surface during the molding process was measured by using a thermocouple telemetry system. The measured results were compared with the set temperatures of the heaters. Representative PP and PS resins were used in the experiments.The observed temperature distribution along the screw axis indicates a steep temperature rise at the feed zone, and it differs largely from the set values. The set temperature at the feed zone notably affects the temperature of the polymer melt in the compression and metering zones. The results obtained in this study will be useful for an optimum design of the heating cylinder and also for the construction of a CAE model.


In recent years, the levelized cost of electricity produced by onshore wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants has decreased below than the cost of electricity produced by new combined-cycle (СС) and coal-fired steam-turbine power plants. This leads to a sharp increase the share of wind and photovoltaic power units in the total volume of power input to the detriment of combined-cycle and coal-fired steam-turbine power plants. Nevertheless, such new units should be input to replace outdated ones and cover unavoidable discrepancies between the current request for electricity consumption and electricity generation of wind and PV power units with their uncontrollable variations in time. Of urgency is to develop solution of optimizing the share of wind power units and solar power stations in the total installed capacity of power systems, as well as the ratio between reserve capacities of traditional power plants and power store batteries. Under consideration are main characteristics of new combined-cycle and coal-fired steam-turbine power plants of the world's leading producers put into commercial operation in the last decade. These units are considered prototypes for those to be put into operation en masse in the nearest future.


And to provide an industrially method for inexpensively producing a useful 2-alkenyl-3-aminothiophene derivatives as agrochemical intermediates. The present invention can be represented by the general formula (2) is represented by the 3-aminothiophene derivative or is reacted with a ketone of the general formula (1) without the use of a salt of the protecting group, the 3-aminothiophene derivative method for introducing the alkenyl group at the 2-position, and to useful 2-alkenyl-3-aminothiophene derivatives as agrochemical intermediates (3a) ~ (3d).


This paper analyzes the dynamic effects of pipe wall viscoelasticity on hydraulic transients. These effects have been observed in transient data collected from two polyethylene (PE) pipe systems. The first is a 270 m pipeline, 50 mm diameter, at Imperial College London, and the second is the world's longest experimental PE pipeline, 1.3 km long, 110 mm diameter, buried underground at Thames Water Utilities (London, UK). A mathematical model has been developed to calculate hydraulic transients in polyethylene pipe systems based on the assumption that the viscoelastic behaviour of pipe walls is linear. An additional term has been added to the continuity equation to describe the retarded deformation of the pipe wall and the resulting governing equations are solved by the Method of Characteristics. The numerical results are compared with both the classic elastic solution and with collected transient data. Good agreement between numerical results for the viscoelastic solution and observed data was obtained by fitting the creep function J(t). Unlike classic water hammer analysis, the developed mathematical model is capable of accurately predicting transient pressures in polyethylene pipes and the circumferential strains in the pipe walls.


Drawing upon research from a Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) study looking at connections between lifelong learning, citizenship, and the craft of writing fiction, this paper explore the possibilities of fostering critical literacies and democratic learning opportunities. The paper explores the concept of critical literacies, discusses some of the insights provided by participants in the study with regards to how a critical approach to understanding fiction may foster democratic learning, and discusses strategies for fostering critical literacies amongst learners. Introduction If, as Brookfield and Holst (2010) assert, one of the main objectives for educators should be to work towards creating democratic learning opportunities that encourages learners to pay attention to the needs of those who are less privileged, then it is important for educators to consider strategies to engage learners to think deeply and critically about the societies in which they live. A critical literacy framework (Huang, 2011; Lapp & Fisher, 2010) challenges learners to think about the social, cultural and political contexts that frame issues that they may be reading about and considers how learners may be encouraged to think about writing in critical and creative ways. Drawing upon a Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) funded study that examines connections between lifelong learning, citizenship, and fictio n writing, this paper focuses on what is meant by the term "critical literacies", examines how fostering critical literacies is an important component of developing the capacity for active and engaged citizens, and finishes with some strategies to facilitate learning that may encourage critical literacies connected to fiction reading and writing. Critical Literacies Critical literacies draw attention to power relationships that exist within reading and writing texts. Lapp & Fisher (2010) explain that "critical literacy is the practice of evaluating information, insights and perspectives through an analysis of power, culture, class and gender" (p. 159). They point out the value of having learners consider how different perspectives can be explored and debated. Huang (2011) discusses how developing the capacity for critical literacies may encourage students to develop "conscious reading" skill that involves "considering multiple ways of viewing an issue" (p. 150). Some of the benefits of this are that students may then be more open to considering alternative frameworks for understanding, and may also be more motivated to write themselves as a way to express their own perspectives or viewpoints. While discussions around critical literacy often focus on learning within formal education and schoolbased settings (Harvard-Hinchburger, 2006; Wilner, 2005), critical literacies can also be fostered


Re-engineering encompasses repowering, refurbishing, rehabilitating, renovating, upgrading, or uprating. This article describes how utilities are re-engineering to improve performance, capacity factor, and/or availability of large fossil-fired and nuclear central stations. Goal is to make existing assets produce power more competitively. Most of the powerplants operating in the US today--38 GW of oil- and gas-fired steam plants and 51 GW of coal-fired steam plants--will be 30 years or older by the end of this decade. Over those 30 years, the electric power industry has seen dramatic change, dictated by singular events--such as the Great Northeast Blackout, the oil embargo, and passage of the Clean Air Act. These plants now face the shock waves spawned by the Energy Policy Act of 1992, which christened the era of deregulation. At a time when their advanced age typically causes losses in efficiency and reliability, these 30-something plants are suddenly being asked to become competitive. While re-engineering choices are many and varied, there are areas where consensus has emerged: (1) The solution must be tailored to each individual plant based on a sophisticated assessment of site specifics, and (2) candidates for re-engineering must be competitive power-generating units, not just existing plant whose retirements are merelymore » delayed.« less


As the UK begins to limber up for its forthcoming general election, the incumbent government is beginning to sharpen up its policy statements for the future. Educational policy is high on the agenda, as are the policies that underpin other social and welfare services. Not surprisingly, (but perhaps disappointingly) the ideas that appear to underpin the emergent educational policies are rather narrow, focusing mainly on education as a panacea for the national economy. The underlying rationale for this approach appears to be that better educated people get jobs; that this in turn leads to economic growth and increased competitive advantage and these lead in turn to a more equal and inclusive society. Although there may be some evidence to indicate that economic success results in contented and stable societies, the relationship is not necessarily a direct one. Any focus on the economic benefits of education alone narrows its scope and curricula to employment-related activities alone. This approach ignores the alternative contributions education can make to other aspects of democratic societies. What are these other contributions and what is their impact on societies? This edition of the Journal explores some of these questions from several different perspectives. Gorard et al. argue inter alia that no amount of employment-related education can ensure that people get jobs. What is needed is a concerted effort from government to ensure that they encourage employment-creation schemes and effective educational provision. But even if there were to be such schemes, they could not guarantee full employment, because an individual' s employability is frequently dependent upon her/his level of qualifications. Gorard' s research indicates that a plethora of factors beyond the control of individuals determine whether or not s/he succeeds in her/his initial education and in turn whether or not this leads to employment. For those who do not succeed at school adult education can provide alternative learning pathways in later life, and we need also to note that adult education can be the only alternative pathway available to the least powerful in our societies – for women, for the aged and for unqualified adults. The education of adults can, of course, occur in many different ways, none of which is included in those national policies that focus on the role of education as a saviour of the economy. People learn about themselves and their societies through their roles as parents and as citizens and Tett' s article describes what parents can learn as a result of their relationship with the teachers responsible for schooling their children. Her article provides a sobering realization of how teachers can unwittingly reinforce the divide between thoese who are in the know (themselves) and those who are not (some parents). In Tett' s article we see how teachers, by enforcing the norms and values of traditional schooling can alienate parents who wish to engage participatively in their children' s education. The reasons for the teachers' behaviour are complex and are rooted deeply in their underpinning philosophy of what education is for. According to their paymasters, education is for the benefit of the economy – and it follows that educationalists must therefore concentrate their efforts on developing the skills and knowledge INT. J. OF LIFELONG EDUCATION, VOL. 20, NO. 3 (MAY–JUNE 2001), 149–150


Curing is the most important part of concrete in construction. Nowadays there are much shortage of water in some areas, therefore curing cannot be done properly and also curing cannot be done properly in many cases due to inattention of human, inaccessibility of structure and areas, and some time due to presence of fluoride. There are two types of curing, first one is External Curing which is done by manually by human, and the second one is External Curing (Self-Curing) which is done by curing agent. Self-curing of concrete maintain the require moisture content and helps the concrete to obtain its strength and durability. Self-Curing method decrease the water evaporation, therefore water remains in the concrete as compared to conventional concrete. Specially for curing process nowadays water requires are 3m in 1mof concrete. Self-Curing admixture is much important and beneficial where water resource is insufficient. The admixture is a water soluble polymer. Fly ash improves concrete's workability, ultimate strength and durability as well as solves many problems. In this study polymer added with 0.5% and 1% by weight of cement and fly ash added with 20% by weight of cement.


Abstract Nine consecutive flocks of SCWL pullets were started at 13-wk intervals and housed in individual laying cages. Beginning with the fourth flock, four different age groups of hens from the same genetic line were housed in the same environment and fed the same experimental diets to test the hypothesis that the methionine and total sulfur amino acid (TSAA) requirements of hens vary with age and stage of production. For the last eight weeks of each 13-wk period, estimates were made of methionine and TSAA requirements for maximum egg production, egg weight, and egg mass. Results indicate that the methionine and TSAA requirements do not diminish with age and stage of production. Requirements were greater for the middle and final quarters of production than for the initial quarter. Peak daily requirements for methionine were 384, 380, and 402 mg/day for egg production, egg weight, and egg mass, respectively. These results indicate that the application of a phase feeding program based upon a reduction in protein or amino acid requirement as hens age has no scientific basis. Adjustments should be made in dietary amino acid levels to compensate for changes in daily feed intake as influenced by environmental changes, feather covering, or other factors in order to maintain a constant amino acid intake, but adjustment based on age or stage of production is not justified.


Bifunctional allyl tetrahydrothiophenium hexafluoroantimonate was synthesized via a one-pot reaction of 3-chloro-2-chloromethylpropene with thiophene in the presence of sodium hexafluoroantimonate. The initiation capability of this salt, in conjunction with a photochemical free radical source such as 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenyl acetophenone and benzophenone, via an addition-fragmentation mechanism in the cationic polymerization of cyclohexene oxide and butyl vinyl ether is investigated.


In this paper we present some results on the accuracy of planimetric, and altimetric data generated from a stereo-pair of Radarsat images acquired over Hong Kong which has a generally rugged topography. In our analysis, an assessment of the orbit quality is first made with suitable ground control points (GCPs) obtained from high resolution (1:20000) contour maps of the region. Here we compare ground coordinates of the GCPs generated within the standard radargrammetric analysis with those available from the contour maps. Essentially, the residues provide a measure of the inaccuracies in the satellite's state vectors. We then apply an automatic matching algorithm to register the images. The quality of the registration is assessed by comparing the disparities of tie-points obtained through the automatic procedure with those obtained manually. We also provide estimates of the root mean square errors in both the planimetric and altimetric data obtained through the automatic procedure.


Abstract Reaction woods of three softwoods, Pinus merkusii, Cryptomeria japonica and Cedrus deodara, were investigated by alkaline nitrobenzene oxidation (NBO) to characterize the condensed-type structures in compression wood lignins. A novel biphenyl-type NBO product carrying guaiacyl (G)- and p-hydroxyphenyl (H)-units, dehydrovanillin-p-hydroxybenzaldehyde (HG-biphenyl product), was identified using the authentic standard compound. On the basis of the yield of this novel NBO product, as well as those of GG-biphenyl-, β-5-, and uncondensed-type products [e.g. dehydrodivanillin, 5-formylvanillin, vanillin and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde], the compression wood lignins contained more HG-type biphenyl and H-type β-5 structures than the opposite wood lignins. The increase in the condensed-type structure content was largely offset by the decreases in the content of GG-biphenyl and G-type β-5 structures. Consequently, the relative yields of biphenyl, β-5 and uncondensed-type NBO products were very similar between the compression wood and the opposite wood, even though the H-unit having no methoxy group on its aromatic ring can be assumed to have a greater probability to form condensed-type structures during lignin biosynthesis than the G-unit.


Cyst formation, like the development of neoplasms, involves a dysregulation of the balance between cell proliferation and cell death. Induced proliferation of epithelial cell rests (rests of Serres or Malassez) in the jaw region plays an important role in the pathogenesis of odontogenic cysts. Factors such as inflammation or trauma stimulate epithelial rests to proliferate sealing off the inflamed or traumatized region from the surrounding healthy tissues. Odontogenic Keratocyst, another common cyst arising from dental lamina or remnants of the dental lamina, has been deeply studied due to its aggressive clinical behavior with high recurrence rates, distinct histopathologic features, singular growth mechanism, and genetic alterations. It may also be associated with the Nevoid Basal Cell Carcinoma Syndrome (NBCCS), an autosomal-dominant disease characterized by several developmental abnormalities and a predisposition to neoplasm development. The potential for aggressive clinical behaviour and local recurrence resulted in its recent classification as a benign odontogenic tumor with a new nomenclature: keratocystic odontogenic tumor. Several studies have demonstrated the higher proliferation activity of the epithelial lining in keratocystic odontogenic tumors (KCOTs) in relation to odontogenic cysts. Thus a review of the histopathological features, biological behaviour and a contemporary outline of the WORLD JOURNAL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES SJIF Impact Factor 6.647 Volume 6, Issue 11, 310-322 Review Article ISSN 2278 – 4357 Article Received on 21 August 2017, Revised on 11 Sept. 2017, Accepted on 02 Oct. 2017, DOI: 10.20959/wjpps201711-10354 *Corresponding Author Dr. Himanshu Thukral Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon, CEO Sarita Dental


Milling process is one of the important processes in manufacturing. It can be defined as the machining procedure of utilizing rotating cutter to remove material from a work-piece. In this process, there are a few things that we must know especially type of clamping used. Basically, clamping or work holding is a generic term for any device used to hold the work-piece while machining process. Milling machine vise is one of the common clamping device that use in industry and for learning purpose. The purpose of milling
vise is to reduce working time by permitting snappy set-up. Besides that, it also functions as a supporter during machining process and help to increase accuracy of the completed parts. However, these current vises have its own weakness. One of them is only limited surface of the work-piece can be cut in one single clamping. This required the operator to load and unload the clamping vise with a several times. Obviously, the process is not effective and efficient due to waste of time. In this project, the design of the clamping is presented for flexible positioning of the work-piece during machining process. This product will allow the manufacturer reducing their setup time and manual inspection. Besides, the machine used in the process to produce this product are milling machine and turning machine. After product is finished, one testing is done on the flexible clamping to evaluate the product which is surface roughness testing using Portable Surface Roughness
Tester, SJ-401. Then, the result will compare to current vise result. From the result indicate that the average of Ra value using current vise as a clamping method is higher
than using flexible clamping as a clamping method which are 1.543 when using current vise and 1.151 and 1.106 when using flexible clamping before and after rotation respectively for delrin as a work piece. While for aluminum as a work piece, the average of Ra value using current vise as a clamping method is lower than using flexible clamping as a clamping method which are 0.542 compared to 0.640 when using flexible
clamping.


INTRODUCTION:
The lungs are paired organs connected by bronchi and trachea and function as one unit. In order to perform procedures on the lung or provide optimal surgical exposure, surgeons may require lung separation and one-lung ventilation.
Of the three ways to achieve lung separation i.e. double lumen endotracheal tube (DLT), bronchial blocker and single lumen endo-bronchial tube, the double lumen endotracheal tube (DLT) is the commonest way of lung separation.
Choosing an appropriate tracheo-bronchial tube has been referred to as one of the "dark arts" of anaesthetic practice. One of the main difficulties encountered on insertion of the DLT is with regards to the correct placement of the bronchial end of the DLT into the left or right main bronchus. The selection of the correct size of the tube is bound to make insertion easier. Selecting the correct size of the DLT is difficult as the internal diameter of the left main bronchus has no close correlation with height, weight, age or sex.
A simple method of predicting the appropriate size of DLT would be likely to decrease the incidence of laryngeal trauma, reduce the need for repeated intubation attempts and cost associated with the same. Computed Tomography (CT) of the thorax is an investigation routinely done in patients undergoing elective surgeries requiring one-lung ventilation. The left main bronchus can be easily visualized and the size measured on the CT Thorax.
Studies done in Caucasian and Asian populations used CT scans to measure the diameter of the left main-stem bronchus and they found prediction of the size of the double lumen tube based on left main-stem bronchial diameter to be fairly accurate. I have not come across any study done for DLT size determination in the Indian population in published literature.
I would like to compare the size of the left-sided double lumen tube used in the adult Indian population undergoing elective surgery requiring one-lung ventilation and isolation with the size of the double lumen tube based on the left main bronchial diameter from the CT of the thorax. My aim is to assess applicability of recommendations based on a study done in Asian population in Singapore by Chow et al. (1999) in the adult Indian population in choosing the correct size of double lumen tube for lung isolation or perhaps come up with recommendations relevant to the Indian population.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:
AIM:
To assess applicability of internationally derived recommendations using left bronchial diameter from CT scan to determine double lumen tube size in adult Indians undergoing elective surgery requiring one-lung ventilation and isolation.
OBJECTIVES:
1. To determine double lumen tube size based on left main bronchial diameter from computed tomography of the thorax.
2. To determine double lumen tube size used for adequate lung isolation in the Indian population undergoing elective surgery.
3. To compare double lumen tube size that is used for adequate lung isolation in the Indian population undergoing elective thoracic surgery with the calculated double lumen tube size based on left main bronchus diameter from CT scan.
PATIENTS AND METHODS:
SETTINGS:
The study was done in the Operation theatre in the Main Theatre Complex of Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India. Christian Medical College is a tertiary care centre in South India catering to patients from North India and Bangladesh in addition to South India. The Cardio-Thoracic Department performs about 250 to 300 thoracic procedures a year, about half of which require lung isolation using a doublelumen tube. The Gastro-Intestinal Surgical Unit performs about one to two esophagectomies per month requiring one lung isolation and ventilation using a double-lumen tube.
In our institution, there is no definite protocol to choose the double-lumen tube size for an individual. It is most commonly based on personal experience or preference. Various criteria may be used including sex and height as mentioned in standard anaesthesia textbooks or radiological measurements of the tracheal or bronchial diameters from the chest Xray or computed tomography scan of the thorax. Computed Tomographic scans of the thorax are routinely done in almost all patients scheduled to undergo a thoracotomy in our institution.
INCLUSION CRITERIA:
1. Age more than 17 years and less than 80 years.
2. Elective surgery requiring one lung ventilation and isolation with a leftsided double-lumen tube.
3. Computed Tomographic scan of thorax done as part of routine preoperative work-up.
EXCLUSION CRITERIA:
1. Age more less than 17 years and more than 80 years,
2. Patients requiring a right-sided double-lumen tube to achieve one lung, isolation and ventilation,
3. Patients with a documented difficult airway,
4. Mediastinal mass causing distortion of airways.
The study recruited patients who met the inclusion criteria from November 2011 to November 2012. The protocol received approval from the Institutional Review Board of Christian Medical College, Vellore and was funded by the fluid research fund of the Christian Medical College, Vellore.
SAMPLE SIZE:
In the study done by Chow et al in the Singaporean population using bronchial diameter to predict double-lumen tube size, the positive predictive value was found to be 84.4% for males and 61.1% for females. Sample size was calculated using the formula 4pq/d2, where p denotes a positive predictive value of 75%, q=100-p, d is the precision of 10 %, with alpha of 5%. Based on this calculation, the study aimed at recruiting 75 patients who underwent elective surgery requiring one lung isolation and ventilation using a double-lumen tube. The study was stopped at 55 patients in order to meet the deadline for submission of thesis.
STATISTICAL METHODS:
Statistical analysis was done using SAS (Statistical Analysis System) Software. All categorical variables were described using mean and standard deviation. All continuous variables were described using frequency and percentages.
CONCLUSIONS:
Successful lung isolation after the first attempt at intubation using a double lumen tube was 81.8% (45/55). But the success rate in the females was 71% (10/14) while it was 85.4% (36/41) in the males. In male patients, double-lumen tube selection based on experience and the height criteria seems to be accurate. We observed that in the smaller female patients using more than one criterion (height and left main bronchial diameter) will improve success rates. Selection of double lumen tube size based on the height and sex of the individual correlated best with the double-lumen tube size used to achieve good lung isolation in our study patients. The double-lumen tube size based on left main bronchial diameter did not statistically correlate with the double-lumen tube size used to achieve one lung ventilation and isolation in our study patients. We observed that if the bronchial diameter in our shorter females was measured prior to doublelumen tube size selection, complications like repeated attempts at intubation with an over-sized tube, failure to advance the over-sized double-lumen tube and associated trauma may be avoided.


Modern industry is firmly based on technology. Failure by industry to make full use of scientists and technologists will therefore prove disastrous. Mr Liddiard shows in this article how the independent professional can help industry get full value from the scientific and technical services for which it pays


In the last decade, the paradigm used by researchersin the study of acute pediatric pain has broadenedfrom simply examining the level of children's dis-tress behaviors or reports of distress to discerningdistress in a historical, medical, and social context.That context includes children's previous medicaltreatments, the different phases of the current pro-cedure, the efficacy of particular coping behaviorsused by children for reducing distress, and the in-fluence of parents' and medical staffs' behaviors onchildren's coping and distress. Assessment researchevaluating the proximal aspects of the Proximal-Distal Model of Children's Acute Procedural DistressDuring Acute Painful Medical Procedures (Blount,Bunke, & Zaff, in press; Varni, Blount, Waldron, &Smith, 1995) has produced clear implications forthe design of empirically derived treatment proto-cols. Additional lines of research have examined theinfluence of the more distal factors, including tem-perament, coping styles, and other personality vari-ables. Although some interesting findings haveresulted from these studies, these findings have notyet proven heuristic for the development of treat-ment interventions. Whether this is due to the na-ture of, and associations among, these distalvariables, or simply to researchers not using thoseresults to develop effective treatments, remains tobe seen.


The characteristic industrial park is an important form of industrial clusters,Both The Yellow River Delta Efficient Eco-Economic Zone Development Plan and Shandong Peninsula Blue Economic Zone Development Plan clearly the characteristics industrial park construction requirements.In response to the problems in the development of characteristics park,urgent needing to carry out of specialty industrial park standardized research,learning from domestic and foreign advanced experience of the construction park,strengthening the standardization of their ability to support.


Building on economic and cultural theories about transnational media flow, this study investigates individual countries' self-sufficiency in broadcast television programming. It traces and predicts the airtime shares of domestic and American programs, using longitudinal data taken at decade-long intervals during 1962–2001 for 20 countries or territories worldwide. Regression analysis reveals that the airtime share of homemade programs is an increasing function of the size and affluence of that country's domestic audience. That of American shows is, in contrast, negatively related to not only the same economic descriptors, but also the cultural distance of that country from the U.S.


Linear compressors with clearance seals and flexure bearings have been used for many years for space applications, and this article describes the development of linear compressors at Oxford. A new design of moving magnet motor is introduced and the use of flexure springs, linear motors, valves and their integration are all discussed. A ring down test indicates that the 'viscous' damping in the linear compressor is acceptable (in terms of the decay ratio against the number of periods). The measured motor characteristics compared well with the vector fields electromagnetic finite element model. With a revised structural design it is predicted that the motor efficiency would be ∼86% for the rated power (200 W shaft power at 50 Hz) enabling the linear compressor to have a high overall efficiency. The companion paper covers the experimental evaluation of the linear compressor.


The results of mineralogical study of pyropes and olivine from the Vymskaya horst-anticline structure (Kyvvozh goldbearing placer field, Middle Timan), that found during the heavy mineral concentrate sampling, are presented. Optical microscopy, electron microprobe, and scanning electron microscope were used in the research. High preservation of the endogenous surface of some pyrope individuals and olivine is demonstrated, indicating the closeness of their magmatic sources. The studied pyrope garnets belong to the lherzolite paragenesis of mantle minerals. Microinclusions of chrome spinels and orthopyroxene (enstatite) were found in some garnet grains. Abundant microinclusions of the high-pressure and high-temperature titanium-zirconium mineral srilankite (the first find on Timan) were found in one pyrope individual from the headstream of Belaya Kedva river. Investigated pyropes are characterized by compositions, which are identical to the ones for pyrope garnets from Umba kimberlite field (Middle Timan). It seems that magmatic rocks from the Umba pipes field are analogues of parent rock sources of pyropes from Kyvvozh goldbearing area and (or) themselves are sources for these pyropes.


This long-awaited volume summarizes papers from the Fourth International Meeting on Phytolith Research (IMPR) held at Cambridge (UK) in August 2002. It is a welcome addition to the growing number of monographs and edited volumes in the field of phytolith analysis. Although it took over four years to put this book in print, there is enough new information in it to justify the cost of purchase. The volume highlights recent work of researchers in countries ranging from India to Argentina to Russia to Oman to Spain and spans four major topical areas of phytolith analysis (methodology, botanical research, archaeology, and palaeoecology). Altogether, the volume contains 19 papers, all well illustrated with numerous graphs, diagrams, tables, phytolith microphotographs and line drawings. The presence of new, previously unpublished illustrations of phytolith morphotypes is one of the most important contributions of this book to the study of silica microfossils worldwide. Because the papers represent work of researchers from different countries and backgrounds, and cover many disciplines, the overall quality of the volume is uneven. This is not unusual at IMPR meetings, where seasoned researchers meet beginning scholars. There is evidence of much careful editorial work that went into the production of the single edited volume. The illustrations are of good quality, and most papers are substantially error-free with respect to syntax and proper usage of English terms. Nevertheless, some rough spots in a few papers make casual reading difficult. A number of articles suffer from having too much detail in descriptions of the field methods and standard techniques, or contain extensive lists of collected specimens. Some of that is probably a reflection of thesis research being presented in a condensed format. In my opinion, further trimming could have been done. There are a few very well executed studies that can serve as models for future research. In particular, I would like to highlight three papers that may serve as good references: phytoliths from Dhofar, Oman (Ball et al.); microfossils from South Andean economic plants (Korstanje and Babot); and a phytolith study of the middle Rhone Valley in France (Delhon). The first of these contains a survey of phytoliths from an archeologically important, but greatly understudied, area of the Middle East. The paper presents illustrations of phytolith production in 120 species of plants, or about 25% of the studied flora. Previously, these images were only accessible through a CD available from the International Society of Phytolith Research. The second paper discusses starch and silica microfossils in economically important plants of northwesternArgentina, an area of intensive archeological research. The authors provide exemplary illustrations of the most common microfossils in specific taxa. The 'field guide'-like format allows for easy identification and cross-referencing. The third paper is a neat study highlighting the complementary potential of the investigation of phytoliths and charcoal in southern France soils, particularly in detecting mid-Holocene shifts in regional vegetation and land use. It is very well illustrated with excellent summary diagrams and charts. Other papers that are worth mentioning include an interesting methodological study by Strömberg of the biases that may be involved in preparing phytolith microscopy slides. This is an important contribution to the efforts of making the counts more objective, something that must be done to ensure compatibility of results across multiple analysts in the same lab. Sangster and Hodson demonstrate differences in silicification of common species of conifers as measured by SEM and energy dispersive x-ray microanalyses. It is an important taphonomy study because it demonstrates that phytolith preservation in soil records may be tied to the pH of soils, microbiota, and specific taxa of conifers themselves. Nine out of the 19 papers are related to archaeological studies, almost all involving time intervals of interest to the readers of The Holocene. Studies from Abric Romani and Ambrona in Spain focus on the late Pleistocene. Studies from India, Australia, Russia, and Scotland focus on the last few thousand years of change.Avariety of extraction techniques, analytical methods, and interpretations of these data provide an excellent overview of the diversity within the archeological community when it comes to application of phytoliths. In summary, I feel that the volume reviewed here is a worthy addition to the library of any researcher interested in the growing field of phytolith analysis. I would hope that the International Society for Phytolith Research will find a more rapid means of publication of papers presented at their more recent meetings in Moscow, Russia (2004); Barcelona, Spain (2006); Mar-del-Plata, Argentina (2008); and the forthcoming meeting in Denver, Colorado, United States (2010).


The need for software engineers has grown with the increased use of software and computers in our society. Presently, formal education of software engineers is being conducted at the graduate degree level. There are pressure to extend this education to other academic levels; in fact, many baccalaureate degree programs today include one or more software engineering courses. Difficulties confronting software engineering education at the associate-degree level include: limited educational and experience backgrounds of the students; faculty whose own education did not include software engineering; and severe time and content constraints imposed on such two-year programs. The author concludes that the two-year associate-degree-level vocational/technical computer science program should continue to focus on producing graduates with sound programming and problem-solving skills with which to gain entry level employment, and upon which those graduates can build, with further experience and education, toward a software engineering career, Software engineering education in the two-year vocational/technical program, then, should be restricted to that which directly enhances the development of these basic skills; specific recommendations are offered for consideration.


It is obvious that if p and q are even then we can only pay an even number of units. More generally, if k is the greatest common divisor of p and q, that is, gcd(p, q) = k, then we can only pay amounts that are integer multiples of k. These comments suggest that we proceed as follows. Let d be the greatest common divisor of p and q, and let p1 = p/d and q1 = q/d. Then p1 and q1 are coprime integers, and (in the obvious sense)


Background: To evaluate relation between air pollution and rate of flare and   hospital admission among IBD patients. Methods: During a 10 months period, the number and average duration of hospitalization of patients admitted in GI ward due to IBD flare were recorded in an industrial capital city. Concomitantly the level of 4 major air pollutants including SO2, CO, NO2 and O3 measured and the correlation between severity of IBD flare and air pollution determined by Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: Average number of admission was 7 patients per month (1-12). This figure for Crohn's disease (CD) was 2.9 and 3.7 for ulcerative colitis (UC). The average duration of hospitalization for UC and CD were 2.8 days (1 – 13) and 2.9 days (1 – 22) respectively. After comparison of average concentration of 4 major air pollutants with rate of IBD flare, , there was a relation, although non-meaningful, between CO concentration and number and duration of admissions due to UC flare (P= 0.135 & 0.08, correlation coefficient 0.196 & 0.251 respectively). DATA analysis did not reveal any significant relation between SO2 and NO2 and the rate of admission due to IBD flare (P > 0.05) and Interestingly there were a reverse meaningful correlation between concentration of O3 and number and duration of admissions due to Crohn's disease flare (P= 0.016 and 0.006, Correlation Coefficient -0.338 & -0.413 respectively). Conclusion: It seems that CO as one of the major air pollutants can aggravates course of ulcerative colitis and on the other hand O3 could have a potential protective effect on Crohn's disease. This issue should further be clarified in future studies.


Vision is a complex process that integrates multiple aspects of an image: spatial frequencies, topology and colour. Unfortunately, so far, all these elements were independently took into consideration for the development of image and video quality metrics, therefore we propose an approach that blends together all of them. Our approach allows for the analysis of the complexity of colour images in the RGB colour space, based on the probabilistic algorithm for calculating the fractal dimension and lacunarity. Given that all the existing fractal approaches are defined only for gray-scale images, we extend them to the colour domain. We show how these two colour fractal features capture the multiple aspects that characterize the degradation of the video signal, based on the hypothesis that the quality degradation perceived by the user is directly proportional to the modification of the fractal complexity. We claim that the two colour fractal measures can objectively assess the quality of the video signal and they can be used as metrics for the user-perceived video quality degradation and we validated them through experimental results obtained for an MPEG-4 video streaming application; finally, the results are compared against the ones given by unanimously-accepted metrics and subjective tests.


Feasibility of investment in PV system needs to an accurate expectation of the system yield. This yield depends on the installation site, PV technology and balance of system. Therefore, this paper analyzes the actual performance of installed 5.94 kW of PV systems consist of mono-crystalline (2.04 kW), poly-crystalline (2.04 kW) and amorphous (1.86 kW) silicon technologies. The analysis period extends over different five days in order to assess the performance of PV technologies under various climatic conditions. These days are characterized by clear sky with high temperature, clear sky with low temperature, cloudy sky, rainy and snowy days. Also the PV performance such as output power and voltage affects the performance of other system components specially the solar inverters. Therefore, the paper applies standard IEC 61724 (1998) PV system performance indicators such as final yield, array yield, capture losses, system losses, DC performance ratio and AC performance ratio on each PV system. In addition, the paper suggests a new index (inverter performance index) to describe the effect of PV system on inverter performance due to deviation from nominal operating condition. The analysis data such as (ambient temperature, solar irradiation, modules temperature, DC power…etc.) are collected from the site each five minutes using dedicated monitoring system.


Soybean potential yield (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) is determined by temperature, radiation, photoperiod and genotype in every location. The variability of potential yields is strongly associated with changes in available solar radiation through years. Selection of management practices that lead to maintaining high yields are: genotype, sowing date and row spacing. Sowing date enables coupling solar radiation offer with the crop stages were yield is defined. Furthermore, potential yield for every environment depends on genotype. Selection of the maturity group (MG) defines the initiation of the reproductive period, which conditions the nod number, the maximum leaf area index (LAI) and the environmental conditions during grain filling. Additionally, growth habit of each genotype is also related to potential yield. Early sowing date allows the expression of the greatest differences among MG. A crop growth simulation study showed that the average potential productivity of early maturing cultivars (MG from III to V) achieved higher yields than later maturing cultivars (MG from V to VII) at early sowing date conditions in Uruguayan latitudes. Later maturing cultivars localize their critical period when daily radiation curve declines (late January - February) and consequently the growth rate during reproductive stage is not maximized. The objective of this study was to determine the potential crop growth and yield of different MG in two ambient crated by early and mid sowing date, at southern Uruguayan latitudes. The experiment was carried out during summer 2014-2015. Contrasting MG -from III to VII-were tested on two sowing dates: 15/10 and 15/11. Different growing variables were measured during the growing season: evolution of the intercepted solar radiation, biomass (B), soil water content, number of pods per square meter and crop yield. Results showed that early maturing cultivars expressed higher yields in both sowing dates. The yield on mid-October sowing date ranged from 5400 to 6300 kg ha-1 for early maturing cultivars and 4600 to 5600 kg ha-1 for later maturing cultivars. For mid November sowing date the yields ranged from 4600 to 5200 kg ha-1 for early maturing cultivars and 3800 to 5500 kg ha-1 for later maturing cultivars. However, evolution of LAI and B was similar among MG. The main difference showed was accumulated biomass at initial reproductive stage. Daily water uptake did not differ among MG; nevertheless, total water uptake responded positively to the increase of the crop cycle length. The highest potential yield for season 2014-2015 was reached with early maturing cultivars. Results showed that yields could be maximized with management practices as supplementary irrigation and the use of short MG sowed in October. The use of these practices lead to obtain over 6000 kg ha-1 crop yield combined with high water productivity.


Microwave structure behavior prediction is an important research topic in radio frequency (RF) design. In recent years, deep-learning-based techniques have been widely implemented to study microwaves, and they are envisaged to revolutionize this arduous and time-consuming work. However, empirical data collection and neural network training are two significant challenges of applying deep learning techniques to practical RF modeling and design problems. To this end, this letter investigates a transfer-learning-based approach to improve the accuracy and efficiency of predicting microwave structure behaviors. Through experimental comparisons, we validate that the proposed approach can reduce the amount of data required for training while shortening the neural network training time for the behavior prediction of microwave structures.


This paper uses the radial basis function neural
network (RBFNN) for system identification of nonlinear systems.
Five nonlinear systems are used to examine the activity of RBFNN in system modeling of nonlinear systems; the five nonlinear systems are dual tank system, single tank system, DC motor system, and two academic models. The feed forward method is considered in this work for modelling the non-linear dynamic models, where the KMeans
clustering algorithm used in this paper to select the centers of radial basis function network, because it is reliable, offers fast convergence and can handle large data sets. The least mean square method is used to adjust the weights to the output layer, and Euclidean distance method used to measure the width of the Gaussian
function.


In this paper, a real-time cyber intrusion detection mechanism based on recurrent neural networks is implemented for detecting cyber-physical attacks targeting AC microgrids (MG). An AutoRegressive eXogenous Neural Network (NARX) model is deployed as an Intelligent Detection System (IDS), to detect cyber-physical anomalies in the behavior of exchanged active power in a connected AC microgrid. Results are validated through a Hardware-in The loop simulation using the Opal RT real-time simulator and an external microcontroller board (Arduino) for Embedding the used Artificial Neural Network ANN.


ABSTRACT This essay examines contemporary art as a tool of political resistance against existing and emerging ideologies as well as controversial and discriminatory cultural norms. On the example of the 2017 Venice Biennale, this research project analyses art, and more specifically, selected nation-specific exhibits, as pieces of critical pedagogy, representative of ideological and cultural resistance. Concentrating on the comparative analysis of art exhibits from US-American, Russian, and German national pavilions, this research project explains what their respective art communicates, what the main messages are, and elaborates on the impact, the salience, and the affect the exhibits have on their numerous audiences today, when the sphere of international and intercultural relations is challenged like never before. This essay further demonstrates that the exhibits challenge and critique the past and the present of their respective national cultures and attempt to refocus and humanize the future in the globalized world.


report showed an isolation of MRSA sensitive to vancomycin, linezolid and tigecycline. The erythematous rash started to subside after day 6-7 of illness. On day 7, the patient was afebrile and blood pressure was 112/76 mmHg without inotropic support. At this stage, Injection tigecycline was added at a dose of 50 mg intravenously 12 hourly, to the above treatment. ABSTRACT Toxins produced by bacteria can result into various systemic manifestations through the release of cytokines which leads to changes at the molecular level. This index case of an 18 years old adult immuno-competent male patient, presented with high grade ongoing fever for 3 days, had wound on left arm in deltoid region. there were diffuse maculo-papular rash predominantly in both palms feet and trunk, erythematous and blanchable on examination. Patient was treated with inj. Piperacillin- Tazobactam and Linezolid, i.v. fluids and nor-adrenaline infusion. Patient was diagnosed with concurrent Staphylococcal Scalded Skin Syndrome (SSSS) and Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS). The two syndromes are caused by different toxins produced by different strains of Staphylococcus aureus . The source of infection was a pus discharging sinus on left arm. The findings were proven on skin biopsy and met the case definition criteria of TSS. He is currently asymptomatic after the treatment being given against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from the pus. It is therefore possible for a single strain of bacteria being capable of producing different toxins, resulting in two different clinical syndromes having a concurrent presentation.


MicroRNA's (miRNA's) are non-coding RNA's that can regulate gene expression. miRNA's are small (~22 nt) and can bind by complementation to mRNA's resulting in direct degradation and/or interference with translation. We used paired-end RNAseq and small RNAseq to examine expression of mRNA's and miRNA's, respectively, in total RNA's isolated from frontal cortex of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and control (CTL) subjects. mRNA's were aligned to the hg38 human genome using Tophat2/Bowtie2 and relative expression levels determined by Cufflinks as FPKM (fragments per kilobase of exon per million mapped reads). miRNA's were aligned to the hg19 human genome and quantitated as number of mature known miRNA reads with miRDeep*. Using a false-discovery rate (FDR) of 10% (FDR ≤ 0.10) applied to 11,794 genes with FPKM > 2.0, we identified 55 genes upregulated in AD and 191 genes downregulated in AD. The top 145 miRNA's with the highest mean expression were mostly under-expressed in AD (132/145 miRNAs had AD/CTL < 1.0)). AD samples had increased coefficients of variation for miRNA and mRNA expression, implying greater heterogeneity. miRTAR analysis showed that 32 (58%) of the mRNA genes upregulated in AD could be controlled by one or more of 60 miRNA's under-expressed >1.5-fold in AD (AD/CTL < 0.67). AD frontal cortex gene expression analysis showed extensive regulation by miRNAs that appear to interact with the majority of overexpressed protein coding genes. The temporal sequence of appearance in AD brain and etiologies of this extensive, heterogeneous regulation by miRNA's are unknown. (243 words) Correspondence to: James P. Bennett, Jr. M.D., Ph.D, Neurodegeneration Therapeutics, Inc., 3050A Berkmar Drive, Charlottesville, VA 22901-3450, Tel: 434-529-6457, Fax: 434-529-6458, E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


Biosensor device for detecting a low-molecular analyte is provided. Apparatus, using molecular e.g. protein of the first class, which binds to both the analyte and the molecule such as nucleic acids of the second class. Binding to the analyte protein and nucleic acid are mutually impossible exclusively, the presence of analyte in the sample, as a result, a nucleic acid to a detectable displacement of the protein. Alternatively, binding to nucleic acids of the protein may depend on the presence of analyte in the sample. In certain embodiments, any protein or nucleic acid is immobilized on a solid support. Arsenic detection system is demonstrated. ArsR binding sequences from E. coli ars operon is immobilized on gold plate surface. ArsR protein binds to DNA in the absence arsenic is released when there is arsenate sodium or oxidation phenyl arsine. As a result of protein is released, the surface plasmon resonance changes, the magnitude of change or motion indicates the concentration of arsenic.


Computerized, continuous monitoring environmental early warning systems are complex networks that merge measurements with the information technology. Accuracy, consistency, reliability and data quality are their most important features. Several effects may disturb their characteristics: hostile environment, unreliable communications, poor quality of equipment nonqualified users or service personnel. According to our experiences, a number of measures should be taken to enhance system performances and to maintain them at the desired level. In the paper, we are presenting an analysis of system requirements, possible disturbances and corrective measures that give the main directives for the design, construction and exploitation of the environmental early warning systems. Procedures which ensure data integrity and quality are mentioned. Finally, the contemporary system approach based on the LAN/WAN network topology with Intranet/Internet software is proposed, together with case descriptions of two already operating systems, based on computer-network principle.


This study was taken up to demonstrate the effect of relactation intervention on mothers who had complete lactation failure and the infants had been suffering from illnesses inherent to top feeding. (excerpt)


The research seeks to give a detailed description of the current state of affairs within the local authorities in Palestine. Notably, the issues that are explicitly addressed are how the pandemic has affected the local authorities' capacity to offer essential services to the citizens. A conceptual frame is extensively used to facilitate a proper understanding of the extent to which the pandemic has negatively impacted the local authorities' abilities. Also, the crucial roles, such as environmental services, water services, solid waste elimination, among others, are equally mentioned to ensure that one understands how the pandemic has limited the delivery of these services. Additionally, the challenges facing the local authorities in the face of this pandemic are equally highlighted. Finally, a recommendation section is included to address some of the measures that the local authorities can implement to prevent the effects associated with the occurrence of the pandemic.


REM SLEEP BEHAVIOR DISORDER PREDICTS COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT IN PARKINSON DISEASE WITHOUT DEMENTIA To the Editor: We read the article by Vendette et al. with great interest.1 We have been prospectively investigating patients with Parkinson disease (PD) without dementia with polysomnography (PSG)confirmed or excluded REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) and cannot uniformly confirm an association of cognitive impairment with the presence of RBD in PD (table e-1 on the Neurology Web site at www.neurology.org). In a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment, patients with PD with RBD had lower scores in figural fluency, verbal and figural memory tests except for recognition, and had more difficulty with visuospatial tasks. Patients with PD also made more interference errors as in Vendette et al. 's study, but patients with PD with RBD performed better in verbal fluency with fewer perseverations in the Goldenberg test, which evaluates concept learning and shifting. Apraxia, visuoperceptual, and other cortical deficits were not found in either group but no quantitative measures had been performed. Compared to matched healthy controls (unpublished data), our patients with PD with and without RBD showed mild impairment of executive function and memory, which can be seen in the early stages of PD.2 In contrast, patients with PD without RBD and healthy controls had similar test results in the study by Vendette et al. Although statistical significance is lacking, which in some tests might be explained by the smaller number of subjects, and there are differences including other neuropsychological tests and a longer disease duration with more advanced motor impairment in our patients, these results underline the need for a larger prospective study to verify whether RBD is associated with cognitive impairment and predicts later development of dementia as the authors also have suggested. To confirm this second hypothesis, the study should control for cognitive impairment as the latter by itself predicts dementia. Neuropathologic studies could clarify whether degeneration of brainstem nuclei which causes RBD can also manifest with cognitive impairment.3 Conversely, the association of RBD and cognitive impairment may simply reflect a more widespread neurodegenerative process affecting brainstem and cortex which ultimately leads to dementia.


This article presents the findings of a study into the effectiveness of trained volunteers working with families where substance abuse was identified as an issue. The study was initiated by Mater Family Support (now known as Mater Parent Aide Unit), Mater Health Services, Brisbane, and funded by the Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services (now known as the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs). The goals of the study were to begin to understand the effectiveness of volunteer Parent Aide services that have been provided to myriad client groups over many years. The findings demonstrate that the services are valued by this particular target group. This is summed up in the words of one participant who said, 'Government has to fund this for more people because there are so many people I know who could use it, but haven't been offered the chance'. Replication of the study with other client groups will further enhance understanding of volunteer service provider effectiveness.