National metrology institute of Japan is developing AC magnetic field standard to calibrate AC magnetometers in high frequency bands. The demands for calibrations of the AC magnetometers in high frequency are increasing as electromagnetic field in several tens and hundreds kHz is used for some applications in these days. We designed and built several Helmholtz coils which has different diameters and wires. In this paper, the impedances of those Helmholtz coils are measured, and comparisons are performed. It is expected that these results are useful to choose a suitable size of Helmholtz coil at a target frequency and magnetic field level. The highest frequency is up to 500 kHz.


A 27-year-old Filipino woman working as a domestic helper in Singapore was admitted one night with a 3-day history of colicky right-sided abdominal pain. This was not associated with vomiting and she was still able to pass small amounts of loose stools. There was no history of fever, dysuria, previous abdominal surgery, recent change in bowel habits or bleeding per rectum. Clinically, her abdomen was soft, with some tenderness in the right hypochondrium but no rebound tenderness or guarding to suggest peritonitis. There were no other masses felt per abdomen. Digital rectal examination showed soft brown stools. Her laboratory tests were all within normal range. The abdominal radiograph did not show any dilated bowel loops but there is a suggestion of paucity of bowel gas on the right. With a provisional diagnosis of biliary colic, an ultrasound of herhepatobiliary systemwasobtained the next day. This showed a normal biliary tree with no gallstones. Instead a target sign on transverse scanning of the colon was consistent with ileo-colonic intussusception.The intussusceptumappeared to extend into the transverse colon. Free fluid was also noted in the pelvis (Fig. 1). An urgent computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen was carried out to confirm the ultrasound findings (Fig. 2). This showed a large, right-sided ileo-colonic intussusception that extended up to the level of the mid-transverse colon. The origin was in the region of the right iliac fossa, where a narrowed transition point was identified, and mesenteric vessels were noted to be entering with the intussusceptum. Proximal small bowel dilatation was noted and distally the descending colon and sigmoid were collapsed. A small amount of free fluid was present in the pelvis. En bloc resection was performed laparoscopically following strict oncologic principles. The specimen was exteriorized through a 3-cm extension of the umbilical port, and extracorporeal stapled anastomosis with TLC75 stapler performed (Ethicon, Johnson & Johnson, Somerville, NJ, USA). Upon opening the excised bowel segment, an exophytic lesion was found in the caecum right next to the ileocaecal valve (Fig. 3). The patient started taking food and was mobilizing by the second postoperative day. The final histology returned as moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma of the caecum invading the muscularis propria, with 0 out of 28 lymph nodes positive (pT2N0M0). The patient made a full recovery. Microsatellite instability test was positive; she and her family members are undergoing further tests. Adult intussusception is uncommon, accounting for only 5% of all intussusceptions1 and 1–5% of all cases of intestinal obstruction in adults.2 In cases such as this a high index of suspicion for intussusception must be maintained, because not all cases in adults will present as acute-onset intestinal obstruction. A subacute– chronic presentation of intermittent abdominal pain with partial intestinal obstruction is in fact most common in published series.1,3 Abdominal masses are palpable in 24–42% of patients, and identification of a shifting mass or one that is palpable only when symptoms are present is suggestive of intussusception or volvulus.1 The diagnosis may be clinched with CT imaging in up to 95% of cases.3 As demonstrated in the present case, the dense nature of the intussuscepted mass, consisting of oedematous bowel wall and IMAGES FOR SURGEONS


Objective 16-slice spiral CT in the diagnosis of cerebral aneurysms CTA inspection application value.Methods 16-slice spiral CT of 23 cases of intracranial aneurysms in patients with CTA inspection and post-processing by imaging,with the DSA and surgical results.Results The 23 cases of patients with aneurysms CTA found in 26(of which three cases for two aneurysms),parts of the distribution of the incidence of anterior communicating artery were 15,5 posterior communicating artery,anterior cerebral artery 3,middle cerebral artery 2,basilar artery 1.CTA showed aneurysm site,size and its relationship with the surrounding blood vessels with DSA and surgical results are basically the same.Conclusion 16-slice spiral CT cerebral aneurysms in the application of CTA check the high rate of diagnostic accuracy,as a non-invasive,safe,reliable,simple means of inspection,has important clinical value.


The results of analysis of the state and progress of informatization processes trends of the rehabilitology are considered. Three main directions, most full reflecting t h e modern state of th ese processes of development, are analysed. A conclusion about th e necessity of intensification of scientificallypractic researches for t h is direction is made.


This article discussed the historical process of the Heilong River ancient nation's rise and decline.It thinks that the Heilong River's ancient nationalities are interdependent, study from each other, and friendly intercourse.They have closely relationship in politics, economy, culture and so on.


Infantile spasms (IS) is an age related specific epileptic encephalopathy that may cause devastating effects on the developing brain. The onset generally occurs between the ages of 3-10 months, with a peak onset between 4 to 6 months 1 . The true onset is often earlier than reported. A delay in recognition occurs due to the subtle nature of spasms at the beginning. Occurrence beyond 1 year is rare; however cases up to 5 years have been reported. The incidence is estimated at 3 to 5 per 10,000 live births 2,3 with a prevalence rate of 0.2 to 0.5 per 1000 children aged 10 or younger 4 . It contributes to 10% of all mental retardation and more than 50% evolve to different epilepsy syndromes, which are often difficult to control.


Buckling Restrained Braced Frames (BRBFs) are widely used as seismic force resisting systems due to their ductility and energy dissipation. However, because of the modest overstrength and relatively low post-yielding stiffness, BRBFs subjected to seismic loading may be susceptible to concentrations of story drift and global instability triggered by P-∆ effects. Due to the use of simplistic methods that are based on elastic stability, current code design provisions do not address seismic stability rigorously and do not consider the particular inelastic response of a system. Design strategies are needed to prevent undesirable seismic response in BRBFs, such as drift concentration and large residual drift. This study used the FEMA P-695 Methodology to evaluate the response of current U.S. code-based BRBF designs and to study the effect on seismic stability of three potential enhancements: strong-axis orientation for BRBF columns, gravity column contribution, and a BRBF-SMRF dual system. Results from nonlinear static and dynamic analyses allowed assessment of seismic behavior. Results from collapse performance evaluation quantify the improvement that is achieved with each alternative and provide a means of comparison.


This report makes available, through 1983, the records of water levels and
related data for the principal aquifers of the State. It is written for
municipalities, industries, institutions, consultants, drillers, hydrologists
and other people interested in ground-water resources.
Data on yield of wells, pumpage, quality of water, and trends of groundwater
levels for the past 5 years are shown in the text. Many hydrographs are
included to illustrate changes in water levels. Records of water levels in
observation wells and records of pumpage by most major ground-water users, are
given in tables 1 and 2. Distribution of observation wells is shown in figure 1.
Location of wells sampled for water-quality data and years sampled are shown in
figure 2. No water-quality data was obtained during 1983.


Background: Diabetes mellitus is a significant health problem that can lead to macrovascular complications mainly cardiovascular disease which is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among diabetic patients. Aims: The aim of this research is to study the health problems among Malaysian diabetic patients and to recognize the predictors for cardiovascular disease among those patients. Study Design:  cross sectional study.  Methods: A retrospective review analysis of the records of diabetic patients who attended the XXX in 2010 was conducted. Two hundred and forty five diabetic patients' records were reviewed. Results:  Cardiovascular disease was reported in 19.6 %. Those with cardiovascular disease have a longer duration of diabetes than those without cardiovascular disease (P=0.03). Total cholesterol level was higher among diabetics with cardiovascular disease than in those without cardiovascular disease (P=0.02). High density lipoprotein cholesterol level was lower among diabetics with cardiovascular disease (P=0.01). Conclusion: Predictors of cardiovascular disease were family history of premature cardiovascular disease, age risk, total cholesterol, low high density lipoprotein cholesterol, and duration of diabetes.


WE are dismayed that this Government is issuing licences to cull badgers.

Defra's own Independent Scientific Group (Defra 2007) concludes its £50 million research project by stating 'careful evaluation of our own and others' data indicates that badger culling can make no meaningful contribution to cattle TB control in Britain'.

This massacre would cause untold suffering to badgers, and the 'perturbation effect' could cause TB outbreaks in surrounding areas (Defra 2007). Perturbation of other TB carrying species such as foxes, deer, rats, voles, mice and birds (Chambers 2009, Hardstaff and others 2012) could also further its spread.

Has a thorough disease risk analysis …


There has been much recent interest in the relationship between arterial stiffness and cardiovascular disease. Pulse pressure and pulse wave velocity, surrogate measures of arterial stiffness, indicate that arterial stiffness increases both with age and in certain disease states that are themselves associated with increased cardiovascular risk, including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolaemia and end‐stage renal failure.1 As changes can be detected before the appearance of clinically apparent vascular disease, arterial stiffness may act either as a marker for the development of future atherosclerotic disease, or may be more directly involved in the process of atherosclerosis. Arterial stiffening has been particularly implicated in the development of isolated systolic hypertension, a disease mainly affecting the elderly population and associated with considerable excess morbidity and mortality.

Arterial stiffness may be measured using a variety of different techniques, although at present the majority of measurements are made for experimental and physiological studies rather than in clinical practice. However, it is likely that over the next few years measurement of arterial stiffness will become an increasingly important part of the process of risk assessment, and may possibly also improve the monitoring of therapy in patients with conditions such as isolated systolic hypertension. Therefore, it will become necessary for physicians both in primary care and hospital practice to understand the importance of arterial stiffness and the techniques available for its clinical assessment, which will be the focus of this review.

Assessment of the arterial pulse has always been an important part of clinical examination, and the ancients recognized that changes in the character of the pulse indicated the presence of disease. However, the 'golden era' of the pulse was the 19th century. With the development of the sphygmograph by Marey2 and its refinement over the next few years by Mahomed,3 Broadbent4 and …


SYNOPSIS Site delineation based on a six unit geomorphic model that emphasizes slope angle and profile form has considerable merit for plantation management in areas with humid and subhumid climates where relief is strongly expressed and lithology has a dominant influence on landform development. Six geomorphic units are defined; their association in the landscape, their soil characteristics and the implications for tree growth are discussed and compared with other hill-slope models from the literature.


To be successful, handheld computers known as Personal Travel Assistants (PTAs) must be connected to external information sources. The viability of using the Internet and the world wide web (www) as such sources is explored. Considerations include whether www is flexible and robust enough to support various travel applications, whether to use a simulated passenger transportation terminal, and whether existing Internet protocols would be appropriate for PTAs.


Global asymptotic stabilization problem of underactuated surface vessels has been so far considered not only by designing complicated nonlinear control law, but also by requiring the velocity feedback or the known model parameters. This paper proposes a simple robust proportional (P) position stabilization static control law for underactuated surface vessels with unknown model parameters, which takes a simple linear form excluding velocity feedback, observer and adaptive law. A novel nonnegative function is for the first time constructed, together with Lyapunov direct method and Barbalat's lemma, showing that the proposed control law guarantees the position error and velocity variables globally asymptotically convergent to zero. The effectiveness of the proposed control scheme is demonstrated by the simulation example.


The ability to rapidly introduce new components for assembly is an important concept in agile manufacturing. An agile workcell should therefore minimize the amount of downtime spent on retooling the system whenever components are introduced. In order to reduce the changeover time, a means for automatically generating gripper designs based on part geometry would be highly desirable. Such grippers should ideally be capable of handling multiple parts, and should be insensitive to uncertainties in the part positions. This paper presents a proposal for accomplishing these goals through the use of rapid prototyping technology.


The problem of estimating the population total of a variable of interest by sampling from a finite population with units arranged in a rectangular array is considered. As an alternative to simple random sampling, a two-step sampling procedure is proposed. The procedure first chooses some rows (columns) by simple random sampling without replacement, then some columns (rows) by simple random sampling without replacement and uses the sample consisting of the units corresponding to the intersection of rows and columns selected. An unbiased estimator of the population total, using this step-wise sampling procedure, is proposed. The variance of the estimator is derived and further, an unbiased estimator for that variance is obtained.


To perfect the data available for product life cycle assessment (LCA) in the current enterprise resources planning(ERP) systems, such as materials, products, technical process, transportation and solid waste, the framework of an ERP system supporting LCA was proposed. In this system, by adding an environmental function module, it can track, analyze and control environmental data for product production continuously and automatically gather the data for LCA. As a result, a new approach of implementing LCA and environment management was provided.


We consider a distributed network, the topology of which is described by a undirected tree without multiple edges and loops. The network itself can change its topology using special "commands" supplied by its nodes. The paper proposes an extremely local atomic transformation: the addition of an edge connecting the different ends of two adjacent edges, and the simultaneous removal of one of these edges. This transformation is performed by a "command" from the common vertex of two adjacent edges. It is shown that any other tree can be obtained from any tree using only atomic transformations. If the formation does not violate this restriction. As an example of the goal of such a transformation, the tasks of maximizing and minimizing the Wiener index of a tree with a limited degree of vertices without changing the set of its vertices are considered. The Wiener index is the sum of the pairwise distances between the vertices of the graph. The maximum Wiener index has a linear tree (a tree with two leaf vertices). For a root tree with a minimum Wiener index, its type and a method of calculating the number of vertices in the branches of the neighbors of the root is proposed. Two distributed algorithms are proposed: the transformation of a tree into a linear tree and the transformation of a linear tree into a tree with a minimum Wiener index. It is proved that both algorithms have complexity not higher than 2n 2, where n is the number of tree vertice.


Purchasers of light rail vehicles, concerned with the risks of developing new technology, have applied contractual remedies independently of one another. Members of the manufacturing and supply industry have complained that standardized guarantee/warranty/reliability (GWR) provisions in contracts for the procurement of transit rail cars were becoming too restrictive and could have adverse financial effects on the industry. Analysis of recent rail car contracts and discussions with transit operators and equipment suppliers support this claim. More importantly, operators and suppliers have generally not worked together in developing and drafting GWR terms and conditions. They have felt that because of the variations in rail cars being (new versus existing designs)and differences in local/state laws and regulations, standardized GWR provisions were neither workable nor applicable. This report presents the results of a study of the need to develop standardized contract provisions. The need to establish a cooperative spirit between operator and seller developed as a key consensus of the study. To encourage cooperation, a rail transit car contract warranty model and a screen for preparing rail transit car warranty/reliability contract provisions were developed. The screen is used in preparing the specific clauses of the model. The screen and model presented in this paper are for guidance only; they are not recommended for direct use in a contract. They summarize the ideas of the operators, suppliers, and engineers interviewed in this study and should be presented to the rail transit industry for further refinement. Ultimately they should be reviewed and modified by competent legal counsel for consistency with local laws and regulators.


Purpose – Effective management of suppliers is one of the ways manufacturing companies can improve their performance. Typically, it has been argued in the literature that close relationships with suppliers should be developed, in contrast to the traditional price‐driven transactional relationships. However, there has been relatively little empirical research on how supplier management is applied.Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents research probing how manufacturers manage their suppliers and takes a sample from Germany – which has a large manufacturing sector. In‐depth interviews with purchasing managers were used to understand whether relationships with suppliers were being utilised.Findings – The analysis of the data indicates that a significant portion of the companies surveyed had experienced a change in their relationship with suppliers in the last few years. In the main, relationships had become closer and the use of partnerships was in evidence.Practical implications – The research re...


We have studied the biosynthesis of altered 0-glycan structures on leukocytes from patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia and with acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML). It has been shown previously that the activity of CMP-NeuAc:Gal01-3GalNAca-R (sialic acid to galac tose) a(2-3)-sialyltransferase (EC 18.104.22.168) is increased in leukocytes from patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (M. A. Baker, A. Kanani, I. Brockhausen, H. Schachter, A. Hindenburg, and R. N. Taub, Cancer Res., 47: 2763-2766, 1987) and with AML (A. Kanani, D. R. E. K. L. A. Hindenburg, I. W. This increased activity may in part be responsible for the hypersialylation observed in leukemic leukocytes; however, hy- persialylation may also be due to changes in underlying 0-glycan struc tures. To test this hypothesis, we have assayed in normal human granulocytes and leukemic leukocytes several glycosyltransferases involved in the synthesis and elongation of the four common 0-glycan cores. 11)1'-GlcNAc:Gal01-3GalNAc-R (GlcNAc to GalNAc) 0(l-6)-GlcNAc trans- ferase (EC 188.8.131.52), which synthesizes 0-glycan core 2 (GlcNAc/31-6|Gal/Sl-3]GalNAca), is significantly elevated in chronic myelogenous leukemia (4-fold) and AML (18-fold) leukocytes relative to normal human granulocytes. Neither normal nor leukemic cells show detectable activities of GlcNAc transferases which synthesize O-glycan core 3 (GlcNAc01-3GalNAc-R) and core 4 (GlcNAc,81-6|GlcNAc01-3| GalNAc-R) or the blood group I structure. The 03-GlcNAc transferase which elongates core 1 and core 2 was found at low levels in normal granulocytes but was not detectable in leukemic cells. The /93-GlcNAc transferase and /34-Gal transferase involved in poly-/V-acetyllactosamine synthesis, as well as the /83-Gal transferase synthesizing core 1 (Gal/33 GalNAc), were present in all samples but were significantly increased in patients with AML. The observed changes are consistent with hypersi alylation in leukemia.


Computer security is the process of preventing and detecting unauthorized use of your computer. Unfortunately, maintaining the security of your computer can be challenging task. Hackers often seem to be one step ahead of computer users, even those who are following the best security practices. However, securing your computer is essential to protecting your privacy, reducing the risk of identity theft, and preventing hackers from taking over your computer.


This article,taking the New Survey of the Xining Prefecture as visual angle,probes into the thoughts of national relations and practice of Yang Yingju from the background of the times of compilation and so on,its purpose lies in providing the theoretic basis and historical reference for constructing socialist national relations of new period.


This paper introduces the comparative analysis of binary logic with quaternary logic.As quaternary logic build the circuits which are more compact and simple as compared with binary logic .For This two devices are used the first one is PMOS and other one is N-Type single electron transistor(NSET).For Comparative analysis basic hybrid SETMOS Quaternary logic gates as well binary SETMOS Quaternary logic gates are desined and simulated.Similarly three different multiplxers are designed and simulated .Comparison is done with the help of power dissipation.


With the data from the "Database of Chinese Periodicals Full-text Web(1994~2004),and by using bibliometric method,the paper has analyzed the regional distribution,related journal,key authors,number and title of sturgeon documents.The author has found that some regularity of the distribution of sturgeon documents in China,and revealed current domestic situation of sturgeon research.


Abstract This paper reviews the state of the art of field Malware Detection and Protection for the Distributed Control Systems particularly in Oil & Gas Sectors with a focus on industrial control system applications. This paper is reviewing the existing Malware Detection and Protection for the Distributed Control Systems on the basis of malware detection. Control systems are system of electronic components that control the physical operations of machines – basically encompassing all digital systems that interact with the physical world. There are various types of control systems which are classified according to the use and application - Process Control Systems (PCS), Cyber Physical Systems (with actuators and sensors), Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, Distributed Control Systems (DCS) etc. The malware detected in whole industrial area operating through integrated network is quite hard to recognize. The functional barrier at each step of process need to inform malware detection through the protection process.


Forty-five used automobile engine oils were analyzed with conventional fluorescence techniques as well as synchronous excitation and variable separation synchronous excitation fluorometry. Only two samples were considered to be indistinguishable in this group of samples. The high sensitivity, nondestructiveness, and rapidity of these procedures, coupled with their high discriminating power, make fluorometry a method that can be recommended in forensic oil individualization.


Therefore, manyclinicians recommend early in-tervention to correct the underly-ing problems.This report shows a simplemethod of interceptive treatmentin the early mixed dentition,using a modified Quad Helix.*DiagnosisA 7-year-old female in themixed dentition presented with apersistent thumbsucking habit,which had caused a constrictedmaxillary arch and anterior openbite (Fig. 1). Clinical examina-tion revealed a unilateral cross-bite on the left side from molar tocanine. The patient had a Class Imolar and canine relationship onthe left side and a Class II rela-tionship on the right. The man-dible deviated 2.5mm toward theleft side in centric occlusion, re-sulting in significant dental andfacial midline shifts.Panoramic radiography in-dicated a normal eruption se-quence and no apparent condylarhypertrophy. Cephalometric val-ues were within normal limits.Appliance DesignTo correct the thumbsuck-ing habit and resolve the trans-verse, vertical, and functionaldeficiencies, we used an anteriormodified Quad Helix, made of.036" stainless steel wire sol-dered to bands on the first per-manent molars (Fig. 2). The lin-gual arms of the appliance wereextended to the deciduous cus-pids, and the anterior heliceswere brought as far forward onthe palate as possible.Spurs for thumbsuckingprevention were formed fromthree segments of .032" stainlesssteel wire, soldered to the anteri-or bridge of the Quad Helix. Thewire segments were inclined lin-gually to avoid impingement onthe sublingual mucosa.


System for correcting aberrations effect due to the valve of the plasma cell, an illumination light source configured to generate an illumination, a plasma cell having a valve for receiving a gas volume, illumination from the illumination light source by focusing on the gas volume, which is configured to correct the ellipsoid that is configured to generate a plasma in the gas volume, the generated aberration due to one or more optical components, the illumination light source and a, and one or more adaptive optics positioned along the illumination path between the plasma cell and.


In a strapdown magnetic compass, heading angle is estimated using the Earth's magnetic field measured by Three-Axis Magnetometers (TAM). However, due to several inevitable errors in the magnetic system, such as sensitivity errors, non-orthogonal and misalignment errors, hard iron and soft iron errors, measurement noises and local magnetic fields, there are large error between the magnetometers' outputs and actual geomagnetic field vector. This is the necessity of magnetic calibration of TAM, especially in navigation application to achieve the true heading angle. In this paper, two methodologies, including clustering swinging method and clustering velocity vector method are presented for magnetic compass calibration. Several factors for clustering process have been introduced and analyzed. The algorithms can be applied in both low-cost MEMS magnetometer and high-accuracy magnetic sensors. The proposed calibration algorithms have been evaluated using in-ground and in-flight tests. It can be concluded from the experimental results that, applying the clustering calibration algorithms bring about a considerable enhancement in the accuracy of magnetic heading angle


Prelude - Sally S Simpson Introductory Chapter - Don C Gibbons Criminology, Criminologists, and Criminological Theory PART ONE: ACCOUNTING FOR GENDER, RACE AND CLASS DIFFERENCES IN CRIMINALITY AND CRIME CONTROL Differential Association Theory and Female Crime - Peggy C Giordana and Sharon Mohler Rockwell Feminist Theories of Women's Crime - Jody Miller Robbery as a Case Study Racial Hoaxes - Katheryn K Russell Applied Critical Race Theory The War on Crime as Hegemonic Strategy - Katherine Beckett and Theodore Sasson A Neo-Marxian Theory of New Punitiveness in U.S. Criminal Justice Policy PART TWO: TRADITIONAL CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORY UPDATED The Systematic Theory of Neighborhood Crime Rates - Robert J Bursik Jr Strain Theory and School Crime - Robert Agnew The Dramatization of Evil - Ruth Triplett Reacting to Juvenile Delinquency During the 1990's PART THREE: NEW DIRECTIONS IN THEORY - NEW IDEAS, APPLICATION, AND ISSUES The Social Control of Corporate Criminals - Sally S Simpson, M Lyn Exum, and N Craig Smith Shame and Informal Sanction Threats Whither the Beast? - Jeffrey Bouffard, M Lyn Exum, and Raymond Paternoster The Role of Emotions as a Rational Choice Theory of Crime Understanding Illicit Drug Use - Paul Maxerolle Lessons from Developmental Theory The Routine Activity Approach as a General Crime Theory - Marcus Felson


The benzodiazepines are widely used for pre- and post-operative sedation and for intravenous sedation. We here review these uses and compare diazepam (various brands) with the newer lorazepam (Ativan).1


The acoustical output of loudspeaker systems is usually measured in the far field under anechoic conditions requiring a large measurement distance and special treatment of the room (absorbing room boundaries, air condition). Also, the measurements of directivity characteristics at sufficient angular resolution are very time consuming. The measurement in the near field of the sound source provides significant benefits (dominant direct sound, higher SNR, less climate impact) but requires a scanning process and a holographic processing of the measured data. This paper describes the theoretical basis of this new measurement technique and practical consequences for the loudspeaker diagnostics.


A study has been conducted on the presence of antibiotic resistant germs in thermal waters. These germs, once isolated, were characterized with the aid of a computerized system that also estimated minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC). Although these routine analyses were favorable, the detection of antibiotic resistant strains was higher than expected. These data call for additional investigation in this area.


other outcomes, they report survival estimates according to the receipt of surgical resection. Surgical treatment offers a chance for long-term survival for pancreatic cancer patients, and increasing resection rates will also incur an improved prognosis. However, only 10% to 20% of patients present with tumors that are resectable at diagnosis. The use of neoadjuvant therapy to increase the number of patients eligible for surgical resection is highly debated, and the study by Rangelova et al is therefore timely and important. However, we see 2 important shortcomings of this study. First, their study is prone to immortal time bias. Immortal time bias arises when the definition of an exposure requires the completion of certain events after the start of follow-up. The term ''immortal time'' refers to a period of time during follow-up, during which the outcome could not have occurred. In the study by Rangelova et al, investigators followed patients from the date of pancreatic cancer diagnosis until death, truncating follow-up at 5 years. Yet, the authors conducted a survival analysis characterizing patients as either resected or nonresected depending on whether their tumor could be resected or not—critically, this information was not available on the date of cancer diagnosis. Accordingly, the patients in the ''resected'' group had to survive their neoadjuvant treatment before undergoing surgery. Thus, the time from cancer diagnosis until resection—which was likely to be approximately 3 months for neoadjuvant therapy and posttherapy recovery before surgery—is considered immortal time, as the outcome (death) could not have happened during this period. This phenomenon can be visualized in Figure 2 of the manuscript, in which it is evident that no patient in the ''resected'' group dies during the first 5 to 6 months (our estimate from the survival curve) of the study. This approach substantially overestimates the survival time in the ''resected'' group, leading to an underestimation of the mortality rate and thus hazard ratio. There are various ways to combat immortal time bias. One strategy is to conduct a ''landmark'' analysis. In the case of the Rangelova study, all patients would undergo neoadjuvant therapy, but follow-up would commence on the date of surgery or at a predefined time when neoadjuvant therapy is expected to have been completed and surgery performed (eg, 6 mo after cancer diagnosis). Patients are then classified as either ''resected'' or ''nonresected'' based on information available at that time. Another approach is to consider resection as a time-varying covariate. Here, all patients would contribute person-time in the ''nonresected'' group (because we do not know if they will eventually undergo resection at the date they initiate neoadjuvant chemotherapy). Then, at the date of resection, they would switch to the ''resected'' group and begin accruing person-time in this group. It would be interesting to see the results from the study by Rangelova et al reanalyzed using one of these approaches. The conclusion may not be altered, but the survival estimates most likely would be. Another shortcoming of this study is the reliance on statistical significance testing. Relying solely on a P value when interpreting findings from a scientific study can incur substantial misinterpretation. For example, Rangelova et al state that there was no difference in survival between patients with borderline resectable and locally advanced cancers. Although this may be true, the authors report 5-year survival of 16.4% and 6.4%, respectively. Thus, patients with borderline resectable tumors may live close to 3 times longer than patients with locally advanced cancers. However, the authors did not report the confidence intervals, so we do not know the precision of these estimates (which may be low given the size of the study population). However, this illustrates the importance of reporting both estimates and confidence intervals, rather than P values, for a thorough interpretation of the findings. We see the study by Rangelova et al as important, but we suggest the abovementioned improvements of the analytic strategy and reporting of results.


This paper presents an empirical analysis about how the Nielsen's usability heuristics are perceived by novice evaluators. Twenty-eight undergraduate students of an Informatics Engineering program were trained in usability and heuristic evaluations for this purpose. They were asked to perform a heuristic evaluation of a transactional Web site. A survey was taken in order to capture their perceptions about the usability heuristics. The design of the survey was focused on determining evaluators' perceptions about six dimensions: ease of use, usefulness, clarity, checklist necessity, intention to use and completeness. Analyzing the results, we could determine that all the above mentioned constructs have an influence in the intention to use the heuristics in future usability evaluations, excepting the perceived clarity. Based on the obtained results, a perception-based model of the usability heuristics is presented.


Sparsity has been showed to be one of the most important properties for visual recognition purposes. In this paper we show that sparse representation plays a fundamental role in achieving one-shot ...


The stereo correspondence problem represents a great challenge in Photogrammetry. In recent years, the Semi-Global Matching (SGM) method proposed by Hirschmüller et. al. is a promising approach for solving stereo matching problems in different applications and data sets, including aerial images. In this paper, a Ground Control Points based Semi-Global stereo Matching (GCP-SGM) method is proposed for aerial images. Ground Control Points are incorporated into the global energy function model in SGM to lessen matching ambiguities. Significant accuracy improvement is obtained by utilizing the prior information in the ground control points as soft constraints. Experimental results in real scenes show that when such prior information exists, the GCP-SGM method can effectively improve accuracy.


The functional asymmetry of the lower limbs has been regarded as one of the most relevant factors of the performance of Football players. In this sense, the present work had the purpose to ascertain whether a specific technical training programme for the non-preferred foot has implications in the increasing utilization rate of the respective member during the game. The study was held with 71 young Football players, who were randomly divided into Experimental Group (EG) (N=35; 14.37±1.94 years) and Control Group (CG) (N=36; 14.50±1.81 years) and developed in three stages. The first intended to assess the index of utilization of both limbs during the game, the second consisted of the application of a technical training program that promoted the drilling of specific motor skills exclusively directed to the non-preferred foot during 20 minutes, three times a week, with the duration of six months; and the third, which took place at the end of six months, proposed to review the new rate of use of both limbs during the game. The main findings were: (1) the use of the non-preferred foot increased significantly with the program of technical training in the EG (Δ= +117.4%, p<0.001), and remained constant in the CG (Δ=+5.97%, p>0.05), (2 ) the use of the preferred foot decreased significantly in the EG (Δ= -7.5% , p< 0.001), and remained similar in CG (Δ= +0.2%, p=0.979). Given these results, it is clear that the effective training of the non-preferred foot in the EG had significant implications on the appropriate utilization rate compared to the CG, which allows us to infer that a protocol of systematic and specific training for the non-preferred foot increases its use and enables the reduction of functional asymmetry in game situation improving the player's performance.


My own investigations have led me to include Sefer yesirah among a group of texts that together constitute the first chapter in the history of Hebrew scientific literature. I must emphasize right away that I am not asking when Jews first began to evince an interest in science. The question I want to answer is when Jews first wrote Hebrew texts whose primary purpose was the exposition of scientific knowledge. I have found that a group of Hebrew texts affiliated with different scientific disciplines share some significant literary featuresa fact that indicates that their authors worked in the same temporal and cultural milieu and decided to produce texts on science based on a certain literary model. These texts appear to have been composed in the eighth or ninth centuries, somewhere in the Middle East. Each of these texts has a weighty bundle of philological problems associated with it. Only one of them can be dated with any precision; all of them may contain several layers of accretions. Although I am not oblivious to these issues, I feel that, from the perspective of the history


This paper is intended to improve the performance of signalized intersections, one of the most important systems of traffic control explained within the scope of smart transportation systems. These structures, which have the main role in ensuring the order and flow of traffic, are alternative systems depending on the different methods and techniques used. Determining the operation principles of these systems requires an extremely careful and planned study, considering their important role. Performance outputs obtained from the queue analyses made in previous studies formed the input of this study. The most important techniques are used in the effective control of intersections, such as signal timing: in particular, the use of effective green time and order of the transitions between phases. In this research, a traffic-sensitive signalized intersection control system was designed with the suggested methods against these two problems. The sample intersections were selected from three cities with the highest population density as the case study area. In the analysis of the performance of the connection arms of the selected intersections, flow intensity data were taken into consideration, as well as the arrival and service rates. Based on this, the outputs of the two proposed models regarding the use of phase transitions and effective green durations were compared with two other adaptive control systems and their positive results were shared. The results showed that signalized intersections, operating with a well-planned and correctly chosen technique, better regulate density and queuing.


The invention discloses a chip card assembly and disassembly structure of an electronic device. The structure comprises a shell, an elastic part, a stretching part and a circuit board, wherein the shell comprises a bottom wall and an end wall; the bottom wall is provided with an accommodating frame for accommodating a chip card; the end wall is provided with an opening which is communicated with the accommodating frame; the elastic part is fixedly connected to one end on the shell corresponding to the opening; one end of the stretching part is connected to the elastic part, while the other end stretches out of the opening; the circuit board is arranged on the shell and covers the accommodating frame; the chip card is inserted into the opening to be arranged; and the elastic part is pressed against the chip card to make the chip card withdrawn from the opening by pulling the stretching part. The chip card assembly and disassembly structure has the advantages of simpleness, small occupied space of the electronic device, and contribution to the assembly and withdrawal of the chip card.


There are two classical ways of handling this problem. The first is to write the grammar rules such that the two values of the token have the same znt4rnal name (at least within the input scanner). For example, the equal sign (=) in the BASIC statement above is also ambiguous; the first occurrence is a test for equality, and the second specifies an asszgnment. In practzce however, this poses no problem; the following two rules can be used:


Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have an immunosuppressive effect and can inhibit the proliferation of alloreactive T cells in vitro and in vivo. Cotransplantation of MSCs and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) from HLA‐identical siblings has been shown to reduce the incidence of acute graft‐vs.‐host disease. MSCs are heterogeneous and data on the inhibitory effects of different MSC subsets are lacking. The antigen Stro1 is a marker for a pure primitive MSC subset. We investigated whether Stro‐1‐enriched induce a more significant suppressive effect on lymphocytes in a mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR), and whether this action is related to a specific gene expression profile in Stro‐1‐enriched compared to other MSCs. We demonstrated that the Stro‐1‐enriched population elicits a significantly more profound dose‐dependent inhibition of lymphocyte proliferation in a MLR than MSCs. One thousand expanded Stro‐1‐enriched induced an inhibitory effect comparable to that of 10 times as many MSCs. Inhibition by Stro‐1‐enriched was more significant in contact‐dependent cultures than in noncontact‐dependant cultures at higher ratio. The Stro‐1‐enriched inhibitory effect in both culture types was linked to increased gene expression for soluble inhibitory factors such as interleukin‐8 (IL‐8), leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), indoleamine oxidase (IDO), human leukocyte antigen‐G (HLA‐G), and vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM1). However, tumor growth factor‐β1 (TGF‐β) and IL‐10 were only up‐regulated in contact‐dependant cultures. These results may support using a purified Stro‐1‐enriched population to augment the suppressive effect in allogeneic transplantation.


having bearing assembly of a device thereof a cylindrical part with a bearing portion (14) at one longitudinal end and a rotating shaft (70) from the bearing section (14) projects outwards, and the bearing assembly, a drive unit for rotating the rotary shaft (70) , wherein the bearing section (14) is located at a resin injection-molded part, a burr (B) at one end of the bearing portion (14) is present, the cylindrical member is a bobbin (10), wherein the bobbin (10) is made of resin, the bobbin (10) includes an outer cylindrical portion (13) and an inner cylindrical portion (11, 12), a coil around the outer cylindrical portion (11, 12) of the bobbin (10) is wound, and a permanent magnet (90) within the outer cylindrical portion (13) of the bobbin (10) is inserted and with the rotary shaft (70) rotates, the rotary shaft (70) is a pointer shaft of a display device of a vehicle, the rotational shaft (70) having an annular groove (74) at a peripheral portion relative to the bearing section (14), wherein each end (73a, 74b) of said annular groove (74) from the groove bottom a chamfer at the end of the groove (74), the ridge (B) extends to the interior of the annular groove (74), the depth of the annular groove (74) is greater than the size of the ridge (B), a portion of the annular groove (74) outwardly beyond the bearing section (14), and a lubricating oil (74a) is disposed between the rotary shaft (70) and the annular groove (74), wherein the lubricating oil (74a) at the bearing section (14) caused due to the through the chamfer and of the ridge (B) capillary is held.


The link failure due to the secondary users exiting the licensed channels when primary users reoccupy the licensed channels is very important in cognitive wireless mesh networks (CWMNs). A multipath routing and spectrum allocation algorithm based on channel interference and reusability with Quality of Service (QoS) constraints in CWMNs (MRIR) was proposed. Maximizing the throughput and the acceptance ratio of the wireless service is the objective of the MRIR. First, a primary path of resource conservation with QoS constraints was constructed, then, a resource conservation backup path based on channel interference and reusability with QoS constraints was constructed. The MRIR algorithm contains the primary path routing and spectrum allocation algorithm, and the backup path routing and spectrum allocation algorithm. The simulation results showed that the MRIR algorithm could achieve the expected goals and could achieve a higher throughput and acceptance ratio.


We have investigated the behavior of the absolute density of hydrogen (H) atoms in ultrahigh-frequency (UHF), (500 MHz) silane (SiH4) plasma by using a vacuum ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy technique with a microdischarge hollow cathode lamp. In the UHF plasma using SiH4 highly diluted with hydrogen molecule (H2) at a pressure of 20 Pa, an UHF power of 1000 W, and a total flow rate of 200 sccm, the absolute density of H atoms slightly increased from 7.4×1011 to 7.9×1011 cm−3 with increasing the SiH4 flow rate ratios from 0% to 2.5% and then the H atom density decreased at the ratio of 5%. The decrease of the density is due to the increase of the reaction between the H atom and the SiH4 molecule. The behavior of the absolute density of H atoms was compared with that of the Balmer α(Hα) emission intensity. It was found that the behaviors of the absolute H atom density and the Hα emission intensity were quite different. Moreover, the kinetics of H atom density in SiH4 plasmas have been clarified on the ...


Social network data are being mined for extracting interesting patterns. Such data are collected by different researchers and organizations and are usually also shared via different channels. These data usually have huge volume because there are millions of social network users throughout the world. In this context, ownership protection of such data sets with huge volume becomes relevant. Digital watermarking is a more demanding solution than any other technique for ensuring rights protection and integrity of the original data sets. The objective of this paper is to devise a reversible watermarking technique for the social network data to prove ownership rights and also provide a mechanism for data recovery. Robustness of the proposed technique is evaluated through attack analysis using experimental study. In this paper, Z notation-based formal specification is also provided to show the working of the proposed reversible watermarking technique for social network data sets for enabling data trust in Cyber, Physical, and Social Computing (CPSCom).


In this paper the exact as well as the asymptotic distributions of the product of determinants of matrices which are jointly distributed as noncentral matrix variate Dirichlet have been derived.


Pulmonary reperfusion injury (PRI) after pulmonary arteries unifocalization is relatively newly described complication of the early postoperative period. This article presents a case of PRI in 2 years old patient on the 3rd day after the unifocalization procedure that was accompanied by respiratory failure increase with the need of respiratory function restoration and mechanical ventilation implementation. Laboratory and bacteriological examination, as well as computed tomography and angiography were performed to clarify the diagnosis. Positive dynamics was observed on the fifth postoperative day. There were no symptoms at hospital discharge.


The problem of developing an abstract integration theory has been approached from many angles (6). The most general of several definitions based on the norm topology is that of Birkhoff (1), which includes the well-known and widely used Bochner integral (3). The original Birkhoff formulation was based on the notion of unconditional convergence of an infinite series of elements in a Banach space and the closed convex extensions of certain approximating sums.


This study will provide an investigation of the prevalence of psychiatric symptoms in children and the efficiency of child psychiatric treatments at an open children's and adolescent's psychiatric clinic in Sweden. Quantative analysis of 1190 semi structured, normed interviews were conducted which make this sample including every intake patient at the clinic during a given time. 206 follow-up interviews were completed. The investigated clinic has four different child's and adolescent's out-patient teams where three of the teams are each conducting different specialized treatments on the basis of the patient's symptoms, whereas the fourth team are performing treatments on a generalized basis with distinctive competences within the team. The results of this study are indicating that the team with the generalized perspective and thus are treating patients regardless of symptoms shows an equal or higher treatment effect-size assessed by symptom reduction in comparison to the other teams. The study indicates that BCFPI (Brief Child Family Phone Intervju) has worked well when it comes to referring the patients to the "right" team. The results are also indicating difficulties with evaluations procedures at the clinic due to insufficient organizational circumstances.


Objective To establish a primary culture of human melanocytes from tiny skin sheets harvested by using a suction blister method, to carry out a serial subcultivation of the melanocytes with human amniotic membrane (AM) as a scaffold, and to observe the influence of AM on the adhesion, proliferation and dendrite development of melanocytes. Methods Tiny skin sheets were collected from the flexual forearm or lower abdomen of a healthy male volunteer by a suction blister method and melanocytes in the skin sheet were counted following Dopa staining under a microscope. The trypsinized skin sheets were scraped with a scalpel to harvest melanocytes which were subjected to a primary culture. Then, the melanocytes were inoculated onto fresh or cryopreserved AM followed by a culture for various durations (4, 8 and 12 days). The morphology and dendrite development of melanocytes were visualized under an inverted microscope after dopa-staining, cell viability evaluated by MTT assay, the adhesion to AM examined by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining protocol. Results The density of melanocytes was 1543.1±13.3 cells per mm2 and 857.4±101.7 cells per mm2 in skin sheets obtained from the forearm flexure and lower abdomen of the volunteer, respectively. A skin sheet of about 25.1 mm2 from approximately two blister roof was required to ensure the success of primary culture of melanocytes within 1 month. After culture on fresh or cryopreserved AM for 4, 8, and 12 days, most melanocytes were bi-polar with extended slender dendrites compared with those cultured in common cell culture medium. HE staining showed that melancytes adhered and were evenly distributed on the basement membrane of AM. MTT assay showed that the AM inhibited the proliferation of melanocytes, and no statistical difference was observed in the inhibitory effect between fresh AM and cryopreserved AM (P> 0.05). Conclusions Enriched with melanocyes, flexural forearm is a preferable donor site to offer skin sheets for primary culture of melanocytes. Human AM could improve the adhesive growth and dendrite development of melanocytes, and may serve as a promising bioscaffold for in vitro expansion of melanocytes.

Key words:
Melanocytes;  Cell culture techniques;  Vitiligo


The embodiment of the utility model provides a pole-mounted insulating bracket for bypass operation. The pole-mounted insulating bracket for the bypass operation includes a first hoop (1) and a second hoop (2) which are shaped in an arc semicircle structure; the first hoop (1) and the second hoop (2) are cooperated to form a ring structure; one end of the hoop A (1) and one end of the hoop B (2) are movably connected; the other end of the first hoop (1) and the other end of the second hoop (2) are is connected through a wire tightener; the middle part of the first hoop (1) is provided with a connecting pipe (6); one end of an insulating pipe (8) through the connecting pipe (6) is fixedly connected with the first hoop (1); and the insulating pipe (8) is provided with a cable fixing clamp (9). According to the utility model, in the actual distribution network live working, the pole-mounted insulating bracket for the bypass operation can safely and reliably fix the cable or drainage wire, so that the live operation is carried out in a faster and safer manner.


The attitudes of Western powers toward the Baltic states were in 1945–1990 steadily affected by how they perceived Baltic history: whether it even existed and if so, what did its most recent phase represent–occupation or voluntary union? The Baltic refugees were initially poorly prepared for the struggle about history, because they lacked not only English language skills but also understanding of democratic societies. Their books were printed by little-known publishers, and studies in scholarly journals were almost completely absent. A breakthrough took place in the 1960s. Major figures were Vytas Stanley Vardys, who was first to publish articles in top journals and books with major publishers, and Jānis Gaigulis, who initiated and kept going the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies (AABS) and its Journal of Baltic Studies. Support for scholars was strong in the Latvian exile community, while hesitant in the Estonian and Lithuanian ones. By the time of the 'Singing Revolution' the struggle for Baltic history had been won in the Western world. It had become widely accepted that the Baltic peoples and their histories existed, and Moscow's attempts to rewrite Baltic history could not take root in the West. Winning the struggle for the past helped in the struggle for the future of the Baltic peoples.


Due to cutouts that may lead to failure during the application process of CFRP, the study of impact performance and failure analysis can understand the failure mechanism, which can guide the design optimization of cutouts and realize the significant performance improvement of composite materials. This paper uses the finite element modelling method to simulate the failure behaviour of the carbon fibre-reinforced plastic thin-wall tubes. Two laminate stacking angles are used to investigate the effect of stacking angle on CFRP tubes under quasi-static loading. The effect of the cutouts, distribution and diameter size of the cutouts on the mises stress nephogram is investigated. It was obtained that as the stacking angle increased, the axial stiffness of the tube decreased, which reduced the initial peak load. For the effect of cutout distribution, the maximum stress appeared around the edge of cutout, which regularly showed at the end edge of the tube. It was shown that the cutout size was one of the essential factors on thin-walled CFRP tubes under quasi-static loading. The study deals with the buckling behaviour of thin-walled CFRP tubes with cutouts. Through finite element analysis, the conclusions of this study can be used to guide the cutouts of CFRP thin-walled tubes in different ways and provide conditions for the mechanical connection between CFRP thin-walled tubes.


As an important philosophical category of the history of the western philosophy,the meaning of irrationality is not always accurately understood.In this essay,from theoretical and historical dimensionalities,the authors have reviewed irrationality and irrationalism,which are two tightly correlative conceptions,and they have concluded that irrationality is a conception that has both epistemological and ontological meanings.


INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE:5-Alpha Reductase Inhibitor (5ARI) induced prostatic fibrosis may facilitate haemostasis during Holmium Laser Euncleation of the Prostate (HoLEP), but may similarly imped...


In the ovarian ascorbic acid test for LH in the rat, the ascorbic acid content of the luteinized ovary falls markedly as early as 4½ hr after hypophysectomy. This hypophysectomized animal does not respond any more to doses of LH active in the normal animal. The administration of (ovine) prolactin at the time of hypophysectomy maintains the content of ovarian ascorbic acid and the responsivity to LH.


The present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for displaying a conversation interface, which fall within the field of mobile communication terminals. The method comprises: when a call request of a calling party is received, displaying an incoming call display interface, acquiring a dynamic picture associated with the calling party while displaying the incoming call display interface, and displaying the dynamic picture on the incoming call display interface. By means of a dynamic picture, the other conversation party is marked, so that the display effect is more diverse and visualized, thereby improving the usage and visual experience of a user.


ABSTRACT The steady and controlled desalination is achievable with Hybrid-CV-CC capacitive deionization (CDI). In this paper, we assess the performance of Hybrid-CV-CC CDI by evaluating the standard performance indicators within reasonable ranges of operating and design parameters, i.e., flow rate, voltage, capacitance, cell volume, and current. However, the conflicts among performance indicators for similar operating conditions instigate the need for optimum tradeoffs. Therefore, multi-criteria optimization techniques were used for the estimation of optimum tradeoffs in the system performance. The optimized system annunciated net improvement in performance in terms of desalination (salt absorbed), energy consumption, and average salt adsorption rate up to 16%, 70%, and 117%, respectively.


This study reports on Ni and Ni-Cu graphene foam prepared by atmospheric pressure chemical vapour deposition. The Ni-Cu foam alloys were prepared using a three-dimensional (3D) scaffold template of polycrystalline nickel foam which is commonly used as a current collector in supercapacitor electrodes. The morphological, composition and structural characterization of as-grown Ni and Ni-Cu graphene foam were carried out using confocal Raman spectroscopy imaging, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results demonstrated that Ni-Cu graphene foam is mainly monolayer and bilayer as compared to Ni graphene foam which is typically a few-layer graphene. The electrochemical performance of Ni and Ni-Cu graphene foam as current collectors were evaluated in a three-electrode electrochemical cell using 1 M NaSO 4 aqueous electrolyte and porous activated carbon (AC) produced from lightweight material cork ( Quercus suber ) as the active electrode material. The AC on Ni-Cu graphene foam current collectors exhibited a high specific capacitance (250–300 F g −1 at 1 A g −1 ) and good electrochemical stability (94–100% capacitance retention) over 6000 constant charge-discharge cycles at 5 A g −1 .


Purpose: The experimental verification of the Acuros XB (AXB) algorithm was conducted in
a heterogeneous rectangular slab phantom, and compared to the Anisotropic
Analytical Algorithm (AAA). The dosimetric impact of the AXB for stereotactic
body radiation therapy (SBRT) and RapidArc planning for 16 non-small-cell lung
cancer (NSCLC) patients
was assessed due to the dose recalculation from the AAA to the AXB. Methods: The calculated central axis percentage depth doses
(PDD) in a heterogeneous slab phantom for an open field size of 3 ×3 cm2 were
compared against the PDD measured by an
ionization chamber. For 16 NSCLC patients, the dose-volume parameters from the
treatment plans calculated by the AXB and the AAA were compared using identical
jaw settings, leaf positions, and monitor units (MUs). Results: The results from the heterogeneous slab phantom study
showed that the AXB was more accurate than the AAA; however, the dose
underestimation by the AXB (up to ?3.9%) and AAA (up to ?13.5%) was observed.
For a planning target volume (PTV) in the NSCLC patients, in comparison to the
AAA, the AXB predicted lower mean and minimum doses by average 0.3% and 4.3%
respectively, but a higher maximum dose by average 2.3%. The averaged maximum
doses to the heart and spinal cord predicted by the AXB were lower by 1.3% and
2.6% respectively; whereas the doses to the lungs predicted by the AXB were
higher by up to 0.5% compared to the AAA. The percentage of ipsilateral lung volume
receiving at least 20 and 5 Gy (V20 and V5 respectively) were higher in the AXB
plans than in the AAA plans by average 1.1% and 2.8% respectively. The AXB
plans produced higher target heterogeneity by average 4.5% and lower plan
conformity by average 5.8% compared to the AAA plans. Using the AXB, the PTV
coverage (95% of the PTV covered by the 100% of the prescribed dose) was
reduced by average 8.2% than using the AAA. The AXB plans required about 2.3%
increment in the number of MUs in order to achieve the same PTV coverage as in
the AAA plans. Conclusion: The AXB
is more accurate to use for the dose calculations in SBRT lung plans created
with a RapidArc technique; however, one should also note the reduced PTV
coverage due to the dose recalculation from the AAA to the AXB.


This letter focuses on a transmitter or base station (BS) side beyond-diagonal reflecting intelligent surface (BD-RIS) deployment strategy to enhance the spectral efficiency (SE) of a time-division-duplex massive multiple-input multiple-output (MaMIMO) network. In this strategy, the active antenna array utilizes a BD-RIS at the BS to serve multiple users in the downlink. Based on the knowledge of statistical channel state information (CSI), the BD-RIS coefficients matrix is optimized by employing a novel manifold algorithm, and the power control coefficients are then optimized with the objective of maximizing the minimum SE. Through numerical results we illustrate the SE performance of the proposed transmission framework and compare it with that of a conventional MaMIMO transmission for different network settings.


An efficient protocol for plant regeneration of Chimonanthus praecox (L.) Link, was developed using leaves from seedlings of seeds. Shoots induction were influenced by cytokinins and nodal positions. The results show that the highest callus induction frequency was obtained on MS medium supplemented with 2.0 mg l −1 6-benzyladenine (6-BA) and 0.9 mg l −1 1-naphthalene-acetic acid (NAA) after 10 days incubation in darkness. The frequency of callus induction of different nodal leaves (from the first to the forth node) varied from 70.0 to 93.5%; the highest frequency of callus induction (93.5%) was observed in the second node group. Through many times subculture of callus, green and compact callus was selected and transferred to regeneration medium (MS, 1/2 MS and woody plant medium (WPM) supplemented with different concentrations of thidiazuron (TDZ) (2.37, 4.74 and 9.48 mg l −1 ) and NAA (0.74, 1.48, and 2.96 mg l −1 ). It was shown that the optimal combination of the three factors was WPM + NAA + TDZ. The highest adventitious shoot regeneration frequency of leaf explants (71.33%) and the highest mean number of shoots per explant (2.23) were obtained on WPM supplemented with 2.37 mg l −1 TDZ and 1.48 mg l −1 NAA. Optimal rooting was seen on 1/2 MS medium with 1.5 mg l −1 IBA for eight days, followed by transfer to hormone-free MS medium. Rooted plantlets were easily acclimated in a glasshouse. Key words: Chimonanthus praecox, in vitro regeneration, adventitious buds.


This study aims to probe into designers' practice of personal knowledge management, their cognition of knowledge management and the effect of each constitutional dimension of knowledge management on personal design performance and work efficacy, in order to reorganize their personal knowledge management as reference for designers. Interviews and questionnaire surveys were conducted. The results showed that most of designers can actively absorb knowledge by different channels, store knowledge related to design works, and reorganize design information in database. In addition, they share knowledge with others, and enhance personal learning motivation. By others' experience, they improve their practice, apply knowledge saved in database to work, and demonstrate and modify theory at work. Moreover, the results of regression analysis revealed that, knowledge saving and professional knowledge study significantly influence personal design performance. Knowledge saving, knowledge sharing, knowledge application and professional knowledge study significantly influence personal work efficacy. Meanwhile, both personal design performance and personal work efficacy are most influenced by knowledge saving; it shows the importance of carrying out knowledge saving work.


Two groups of fresh crushed Brazilian quartz grains (0.4–0.6 mm) were placed in 10 ml of various saturated salt solutions (sodium sulphate, sodium chloride, magnesium sulphate, sodium carbonate, and sodium carbonate and soil). One group was placed in an environmental cabinet programmed to simulate summer diurnal temperature and relative humidity values recorded in Wheeler Valley, a dry valley in southern Victoria Land, Antarctica. The other group was allowed to remain at normal laboratory conditions. Quartz grains from both groups were removed at pre-selected intervals for examination using the scanning electron microscope. After 50 hours chemical surface textures were formed on the quartz grains in all but the sodium sulphate solution. At the 140 hour interval all the salt solutions used were producing chemical surface textures on the quartz grains. This paper demonstrates that chemical surface textures can be produced on quartz grain surfaces by saturated salt solutions in a short period of time and may prove to be representative of chemical surface textures produced in a saturated saline environment.


A new image injection system was presented to realize the direct transmission of PC simulated images.Firstly,the system received a BMP file obtained by simulation for the measured data of the external field using PC though USB2.0.Then,a FPGA was used to control the buffer module consisting of two SDRAMs for the image cache,and the image was sent to the image acquisition card by Camera Link.Finally,the image was acquired by the image acquisition card and displayed on a monitor.The ping-pong operation was adopted for data cache to avoid the condition that the data couldn′t be received continuously and valid data may be lost.Experiments show that the image injection system has advantages in well real time,vividly and high-speed features,and provides reliable data for optical equipment scanning and manipulator training.


A functor F from rings (possibly without identity) to groups or abelian groups is called a homotopy functor if the canonical map F(R) -* F(R[t]) is an isomorphism for every ring R. To each F one may attach its "homotopization" HF = F which is a homotopy functor. There is an epimorphism F -F (onto for every ring) through which every morphism from F to homotopy functors uniquely factors. For details consult [3], [7] or [6]. Since there are natural transformations from the Quillen-Swan-Gersten K -groups to the Karoubi-Villamayor K -n-groups, and the latter are homotopy functors, it is natural to wonder whether they are the homotopizations of the Kn. This is lent credence by the fact that K I = K1 and that for regular rings one even has K-n = Kn. The following question was therefore raised [7], [2]:


The impact of an intermodal facility on location and transportation decisions for biofuel production plants is analyzed. Location decisions affect the management of the inbound and outbound logistics of a plant. This supply chain design and management problem is modeled as a mixed integer program. Input data for this model are location of intermodal facilities and available transportation modes, cost and cargo capacity for each transportation mode, geographical distribution of biomass feedstock and production yields, and biomass processing and inventory costs. Outputs from this model are the number, location, and capacity of biofuel production plants. For each plant, the transportation mode used, timing of shipments, shipment size, inventory size, and production schedule that minimize the delivery cost of biofuel are determined. The model proposed in this research can be used as a decision-making tool for investors in the biofuels industry since it estimates the real cost of the business. The state of Mississippi is considered as the testing grounds for the model.


In order to gain information about the environment at the solution region within the low molecular-mass organogels, photochromic reactions of title compound were investigated in 12-hydroxystearic acid– and 1,2-(1S,2S)-bis(stearoylamino)cyclohexane–toluene gels in comparison with those in toluene solution. The results suggested that the environment at the solution region within these gels was essentially the same as that in toluene solution although a small fraction of gelator molecules did not embed in the gel network but existed in the solution region.


Preface Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1: Epistemology and Emotion Chapter 2: Belief in Action Chapter 3: The Emotional Unity of the Self Chapter 4: Egoism and Emotion Chapter 5: Empiricism and the Roots of Morality Chapter 6: Mind and Love Conclusion Appendix Index


On May 17, the national news media resonated with the message: "Coffee linked to lower risk of fatal prostate cancer" (1). This was triggered by a paper in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in which the investigators "observed a strong inverse association between coffee consumption and the risk of lethal prostate cancer" that "appears to be related to non-caffeine components of coffee" (2). This was not the first paper to examine relationships between prostate cancer risk and coffee consumption. Within the past year, two meta-analyses have been published the topic of coffee and prostate cancer (3,4)—both of which were methodologically flawed. Neither conducted meta-regressions to examine dose-response curves across the consumption ranges in the studies. Both compared only lowest with highest intakes. Nor did they include all the published studies available at the time of their compilations. Park et al., when combining 8 case control and 4 cohort studies (having overlooked 3 additional cohort studies (5–7), reported an overall increased risk of prostate cancer incidence with higher coffee consumption (overall OR of 1.16 95% CI 1.01–1.33). Yu et al., while examining coffee and cancer of all sites, using only cohort studies, (and overlooking 2 additional publications (8,9), reported a protective effect of 0.79 (95% CI of 0.61–0.98). So why did the recent JNCI report one cohort study among at least 8, receive such attention? It was not because of confirmation of a protective effect of coffee on cancer incidence. These authors, in fact, confirmed the lack of a protective effect of coffee drinking on prostate cancer. However, among the 20 models they presented, only those involving advanced or lethal cancers were negatively associated with high consumption of decaffeinated coffee, and (surprisingly) not with regular coffee. Figure 1, which is drawn from their data, shows drinkers to be different from non-drinkers; across all intakes the risk is lower, but not significantly so. No dose-response between regular cof-


To investigate the effectiveness of nursing innovation workshop in enhancing clinical nurses' innovation ability and research ability in a tertiary hospital.


This study aimed to describe students' metacognitive awareness and higher-order thinking skills through environmental issues-discovery. The research design was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design. The data were collected through 52 Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI) statements and the critical thinking test. The results show that the levels of students' metacognitive awareness are undeveloped (18 Percent), at-risk (8 Percent), poor (15 Percent), developed (22 Percent), high (14 Percent), and excellent (23 Percent). The discovery learning model significantly affects students' higher-order thinking skills (significant value of 0.000 with a 0.05 confidence level). Therefore, teachers are advised to utilize the surrounding environment in the discovery learning model to improve higher-order thinking skills and metacognitive awareness. Studies on other learning models need to be carried out to add references in organizing the learning process.


Silk fabrics is indispensable to be treated with flame retardants for legal requirements in many countries.This paper mainly deals with the modification of silk fibers with phosphorous based monomer dimethyl-2-(methacryloyloxyethyl)phosphate(DMMEP).The flammability,physical and mechanical properties and structures of the silk fabrics modified with DMMEP were investigated.The flame retarded silk fabrics have a little strength loss and whiteness,but both are negligible.Thermogravimetric analysis(TGA) and differential thermal analysis(DTA) were applied to explore the pyrolysis of silk fabrics and the flame resistance mechanism.


The test of fertilizer application for 14 year-old and 34 year-old larch plantations grown in lessivage dark brown soil were performed at Maoershan Mt. Experiment Forest Farm, Heilongjiang, China. Nine fertilizer application rates and a check were designed in forest land with the method of complete random processing. The total N and P, and photosynthetic rate, respiration rate, chlorophyll content, etc., were determined. The results showed that the urea application rate of 520 kg/hm2 increased total N and P, and also increased photosynthetic coefficient and chlorophyll content, and was an optimal application rate in all treatments. Those above indicated that phosphorous deficient in the larch plantation at the forest age could easily occur and adequate amount of fertilizers were needed. The application of potassium chloride increased the transportation of N and P in toots, and N and P content of leaves due to K fertilizer, which was of benefit to photosynthesis. Therefore reasonable application of fertilizer not only increased nutrients content in roots and leaves of larch plantation but also promoted photosynthetic ability of leaves. The treatment of a small amount of N and sufficient P, or mixed application of N, P, K gave rise to the best results for the young growth.


The structural analyses contained in this report were carried out under the direction of the National Transportation Safety Board Modeling Group with the participation of Professor Toshio Nakamura through an external contract with the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Added resources and expertise were acquired through a subcontract with Dassault Systèmes Simulia Corporation for assistance with the Abaqus finite element software used for the structural analyses. Parallel investigations undertaken by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC) in collaboration with this effort are documented in a separate report. The finite element analyses in this report relied on global models of the bridge that were constructed at the FHWA TFHRC and made available to the Modeling Group. The analyses were performed and the results reported with full oversight and approval of the National Transportation Safety Board Modeling Group. The complete and final report on the finite element modeling activity is available at: http://www.ntsb.gov/dockets/ Highway/HWY07MH024/405446.pdf


"Victoria provides the best exposed section across the Lachlan Fold Belt, which extends from eastern Tasmania through central and eastern Victoria into New South Wales. Western Victoria also contains the eastern parts of the Delamerian Fold Belt. The rocks include the late Proterozoic to Lower Carboniferous sequences that were folded in the Palaeozoic up to the Early Carboniferous Kanimblan Orogeny. The rocks are traversed by thrust faults more or less parallel to the north-south structural grain. The largest faults separate rocks with different ages and structural histories, and have been used to subdivide Victoria into seven structural zones. The oldest mapped rocks are Late Proterozoic or Cambrian and are either calc-alkaline island arc-type volcanics (mainly in the west) or mid oceanic ridge basalts (mainly in central Victoria). The island arc-type volcanics have potential for major volcanic-hosted massive sulphide deposits (VHMS) deposits. The Wickliffe and Hill 800 prospects are in this environment. Small copper-gold deposits are hosted by tholeiitic basalts. An example is the Mount Ararat Prospect which contains an inferred resource in excess of 1 million tonnes of 2.7% copper, 10 g/t silver and 0.6 g/t gold. Electrical exploration methods were ineffective due to a conductive surface layer. Magnetic induced polarization defined anomalous responses coincident with the mineralisation. In eastern Victoria, two cycles of transtensional rifting generated and preserved voluminous silicic volcanics and marine sediments. The Silurian cycle formed the Cowombat Rift, host to significant base metal deposits. These include the Wilga and Currawong VHMS deposits near Benambra. Both were geophysical discoveries. The time-domain electromagnetic surveys showed the massive sulphides were associated with conductivity responses and the aeromagnetic data showed discrete magnetic responses over the mineralisation. The total reserves at Wilga were 3.93 million tonnes of 3.64% copper and 5.44% zinc. The unmined Currawong orebody resource is 8.9 million tonnes of 1.9% copper and 4% zinc. Early Devonian transtension formed the Buchan Rift and smaller basins, into which volcanics and/or marine sediments were deposited. These host the possible Irish-style carbonate-hosted lead-zinc mineralisation at Back Creek, and possible Tennant Creek style mineralisation at Nowa Nowa. The Nowa Nowa deposits were identified from intense magnetic responses and led to the discovery of magnetite - haematite +- chalcopyrite mineralisation. The mineralisation within the Cambrian Mount Stavely Volcanic Complex at Thursdays Gossan, while low grade and uneconomic, is significant because it is the first porphyry copper style identified in western Victoria. It offers the possibility of mineralised porphyry systems being formed in a favourable environment potentially equivalent to other high-gold VHMS deposits in southeastern Australia. In eastern Victoria mixed I-, S- and A-type granites were intruded in the Early Devonian; several broke through to the surface and formed calderas. Some of the granites around the Buchan Rift, at Dogwood and Sunday Creek, are host to porphyry mineralisation. Major government initiatives to encourage mineral exploration have led to the collection of regional semi-detailed geophysical data and so improved the quality and speed of geological mapping. For the first time, the explorer now has access to low cost, high-quality regional scale magnetic, radiometric, digital terrain and gravity data to include in a modern exploration program and to help determine mineral exploration targets. For base-metal exploration, they are particularly valuable. In the highlands of eastern Victoria outcrop is generally good but access can be difficult while in western Victoria geophysical techniques are required to focus exploration beneath cover. In both regions, the new data have highlighted new potential."


This article investigates the potentially competitive relationship between paid work and parent care provided by daughters and daughters-in-law. In line with the scarcity hypothesis of role theory, four subhypotheses were formulated and tested empirically. In a population-based probability sample of middle-aged women (n = 581), only partial empirical support was found for the scarcity or role conflict hypothesis. It appeared that employment significantly reduces the chances of becoming a caregiver. However, parent care and employment are not conflicting in time as the amount of care provided to parents was not affected by out-of-home employment. Parent care has only a small impact on work decisions, and employed caregivers do not experience more caregiver role strain. It was hypothesized that employed women not yet providing care anticipate a role conflict when a parent becomes frail and needs help. Consequently, a self-selection process takes place whereby the nearest living daughter with the least competing demands is most likely to accept the caregiver role. Once the caregiver role is accepted, both role strain and the time spent on parent care are determined by factors other than employment status or work hours.


Synthetic diamond thin or thick films are suitable materials for many applications because of their weak friction coefficient and their large hardness, Young modulus, and thermal conductivity. A series of diamond thin films of variable quality obtained by plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition lying on titanium alloy substrates has been studied by picosecond ultrasonics. Femtosecond laser pulses allow the generation and detection of picosecond acoustic pulses that can be used to study the elastic properties of thin micrometric and submicrometric films. Acoustic fields generated in the substrate and propagating in the transparent diamond film are detected by an interferometric technique; they give rise to oscillations and abrupt step-like changes in the transient reflectivity variations. An analysis of these different features allows the determination of various characteristics of these films, such as longitudinal elastic constant, thickness, and roughness in terms of the diamond quality.


In order to develop the most effective health information web sites or instructional materials for physicians and consumers, designers frequently use a suite of best design practices, including Needs Assessment, Goal Analysis, User Interface Principles, and Rapid Prototyping. These best practices are not enough, however. If designers want to ensure the best possible product, they must also subject their products to Heuristic Evaluation and Usability Testing. A Web site designed to collect and evaluate family health history will be used to illustrate these principles.


Adopting information technology to improve management and the quality of service is the focal point of college reform in education management at present. The intelligent management of computer experimental building is a tpyical example for improving the whole management. By the means of adopting modern information technology fully,we can accomplish unmanned monitoring of the computer experimental building. This can reduce expenses and improve management effect greatly. Through long-term practical exploration and improvement,we find out a designing scheme for the intelligent management in the computer experimental building,as well as provide selected equipments. We hope that our managing ability should be enhanced soon in order to save the investment from our college.


Reclamation and drainage of peat basin is an important land development in Malaysia. A clear understanding on the hydrologic behavior of a drained peat basin is the essential factor towards an optimal management of the resource. Hydrological data from Madirono peat catchment located in Johor State, Malaysia was collected and used to characterise its hydrologic characteristics. The characterizations were made using the ordinary quantitative hydrologic approach. The magnitude of changes in the major hydrologic component of the study catchment was quantified. The study catchment experienced a large variation in runoff coefficient, indicating that a drained peat basin is a highly dynamic hydrologic system. A decaying trend in the annual runoff coefficient was observed. The annual runoff coefficients were large, ranging from 0.32 to 0.92. This indicates that the hydrology of the study catchment was extremely dynamics, highly permeable and very flashy. The low flow condition of the basin was extremely small but improving over time indicating that the basin could not sustain river flow during dry spell. The mean annual water table decreased over time by 2.7 cm per year.


Cellphone text messaging: build a telephone GUI on a PC and use it to send texts to your (or another's) phone.


To optimize the structure of the circulating water system and ventilation system for cooling water tower, making full use of recycled water into mechanical energy to work, transforming into the wind turbine power; system optimization can decrease scale deposition, and the tower fan power consumption, to achieve the optimization of energy saving. Improve the circulating water treatment equipment, reduce the scale, improve the heat transfer coefficient, and realize the protection of the implementation of the case, structural optimization. In this paper, the traditional water tower optimization design improvement on today's used cooling tower is a kind of transformation using, which saves the current structure of the current, and also reduces the operation cost of building saving energy equipment has a certain role.


Abstract Quaternary environments on the Arabian Peninsula shifted between pronounced arid conditions and phases of increased rainfall, which had a profound impact on Earth surface processes. However, while aeolian sediment dynamics are reasonably well understood, there is a lack of knowledge with regard to variability in the fluvial systems. Presented here are the findings from several locations within wadi drainage systems to the west of the Hajar Mountains (United Arab Emirates). The performance of optically stimulated luminescence dating using a customized standardized growth curve approach is investigated, showing that this approach allows reliable determination of ages by reducing the machine time required. Three main periods of fluvial activity occurred at 160–135, 43–34, and ca. 20 ka. Additional ages fall into the latest Pleistocene and Late Holocene. None of the ages coincides with major wet periods in SE Arabia that have been identified in stalagmites and by the deposition of lake sediments. It is shown that fluvial activity was partly contemporaneous (within the given time resolution) with phases of aeolian deposition and was almost continuous, but likely sporadic, during the Middle to Late Pleistocene. This highlights the need for regionally defined paleoenvironmental records to fully understand the response of dryland systems to long-term climatic change.


Mindfulness has lost its ability and energy to reflect, think, and analyze the secrets of Allah's s.w.t. The mind is no longer powerful in thinking of the truth and worse is the mind of no power to seek and discover the paths that lead to the goodness, wellbeing and divine truth that can give meaningful life. Sometimes a person is wise to speak on matters of goodness and truth by submitting the arguments from the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, but he is unable to practice the knowledge he knows and even his mind becomes fearful and daring to looking for a way to utilize that known knowledge into him. God's Word s.w.t: Individuals become more ignorance and do not care to reflect and analyze the secrets of Allah's S.W.T. They are no longer interested to think about the good and the bad things which can lead them to a more meaningful life. There are times, an individual is only able to preach well in accordance with Sunnah and Al-Quran verses, but somehow unable to practice the talk, although in the right mind, it is the exact thing to do.


Background: 4T1 is a mice transplantable mammary carcinoma cell line with highly tumorigenic and invasive properties, making it a suitable preclinical oncology model for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). This pilot study aimed to create a model of clinical stages in TNBC mice and to evaluate the response to treatment with paclitaxel (PTX) and doxorubicin (DOX) based on antiangiogenic effects.
Methods: Syngeneic tumors were developed in BALB/c female mice by 4T1 cell line. The mice were randomly distributed into three different groups, each containing four. A group of four was considered as healthy normal. When tumor growth reached 100- 200 mm3 , two groups received the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of PTX and DOX, respectively. Normal saline was injected into the sham control group. The tumors and tissue margins were removed by surgery one week following chemotherapy. Angiogenesis genes and microvessel density (MVD) were analyzed by real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Response to treatment was also assessed by standard methods of H&E staining.
Results: TNBC tumors were confirmed by pathological staining. The volume of tumors and the angiogenesis gene expressions of VEGFR1, VEGFR2, and HIF1α decreased in treated tumors compared to control (p < 0.05). Response to treatment to PTX was more than DOX, and the MVD decreased in both PTX and DOX chemotherapy groups.
Conclusion: Although PTX is more effective than DOX in reducing angiogenesis genes, both have the potential for treatment in the 4T1 mouse model.


This paper intends to introduce the analysis method and the structure frame of RAINS model for reference and calculate the SO_2 emission-control cost mode so as to collect economic and technical indicators over the control technology in Beijing.The so-called RAINS model is nothing but a method for systematically analyzing SO_2 control strategy.In this paper,we have analyzed four scenario of SO_2 in Beijing.The modeling system and the RAINS-ASIA mode are used to predict the SO_2 emission quantity and determine the control cost under four scenario in 1990,1995,2000,2005,2010,2015,2020,2025,2030 in Beijing.And as a result of SO_2 total emission quantity estimation,we have obtained the SO_2 area source emission quantity and total SO_2 area source control cost.And,in the end,we have found the general trend of the SO_2 emission and control cost under different scenario in the capital area.The result of our work shows:(1) The SO_2 emission quantity of area source in Beijing is more than that of point sources;(2) The point sources has been reduced to a great extent in Beijing.The area sources can be subtracted large more compared with the point sources.So the area sources should be put into the first placeto be subtracted in Beijing and puts forward the further control scheme of subduing its emission quantity;(3) The wet flue gas desulphurization is more effective than the current strategy to the power plant and central heating department,meanwhile the control cost is very near.So it suggests that the wet flue gas desulfurization is the priority selection to subtract SO_2 emission quantity.


Was developed and implemented to the clinic original technology plastics hepaticocholedochus end-to-end anastomosis with benign strictures. From 1991 to 2008, 65 patients were operated. Most of them (54) had a stricture «+1» and «+2». Postoperative complications occurred in 7 (10,8%) patients without hospital mortality. Anastomosis leakage was in one patient. Long-term results were followed for 3 to 19 years. Recurrence of stricture was observed in 3 patients (4,6%) and in only one case required a reoperation. According to X-ray, ultrasound and biochemical monitoring of excellent and good results were obtained in 95,3% of patients.


An adaptive-Vth CMOS/SOI DC-DC converter scheme, which consists of a low-Vth charge-pump circuit and a high-Vth DC-DC converter, and enables to operate at 0.3-V, is proposed. The low-Vth circuit starts to boost a small input voltage and generates output power. And then the high-Vth converter continues the boosting operation by using the power of the low-Vth circuit. If once the high-Vth converter starts, the low-Vth circuit automatically stops the boosting operation. We fabricated the adaptive-Vth DC-DC converter with a 0.8-mum FD-SOI process and verified the converter has a conversion efficiency of more than 80% at an input voltage of 0.3 V


Methods for the retrieval of curcumin from Curcuma longa L. rhizome are reviewed and evaluated. Solvent extraction of the rhizome is the best route for obtaining the dye.


SUBTITLE: FRANFURT IS ONE OF EUROPE'S BUSIEST AIRPORTS, AND GERMANY'S SINGLE LARGEST EMPLOYER: DR. WILHELM BENDER, PRESIDENT OF THE MANAGEMENT BOARD OF FLUGHAFEN FRANKFURT AG (FAG) DISCUSSES A RANGE OF ISSUES OF CURRENT DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL INTEREST.


Abstract Insectivorous bats are an integral part of ecosystems because they consume significant quantities of nocturnal insects. White-nose syndrome is decimating populations of susceptible bat species in North America; thus, inventorying and monitoring bats are critical first steps in managing these important populations. We inventoried bat species at Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area (BOHA), MA, from 2010 to 2011. Using a combination of capture and acoustic methods, we documented 6 bat species, including Eptesicus fuscus (Big Brown Bat), Lasiurus borealis (Eastern Red Bat), Lasiurus cinereus (Hoary Bat), Lasionycteris noctivagans (Silver-haired Bat), Myotis lucifugus (Little Brown Bat), and Myotis septentrionalis (Northern Long-eared Bat). Bats occurred at all inventoried islands, although most activity of Northern Long-eared Bat, a species Federally listed as threatened, was documented at a mainland site in Worlds End, near Ice Pond. Although the full extent of bat use on the islands remains unclear, we provide evidence of bats roosting and foraging on the islands. During long-term acoustic monitoring at Thompson and Lovells Islands, we assessed the effects of weather and season on bat activity; the latter analysis provided evidence of bats migrating through the area in spring and autumn.


Objective To evaluate the effects of psychological drug complex treatment on 40 cases with burning mouth syndrome(BMS).Methods 40 patients that had been made a definite diagnosis of BMS were treated by clonopin + prozac and psychological dredging,and their oral symptoms,somatization symptoms,and psychological scales were studied.Results Total efficiency rate was 95%,among which 67.5% of the cases were cured and to began show the result.Most of the somatization symptoms obviously reduced or disappeared(P0.01),and obvious improvement occurred in SAS,SDS,and SCL90 scales after treatment(P0.01).Conclusion Psychological drug treatment can be effectively used in the treatment of psychogenic BMS,but indications must be grasped strictly,and the principles of long-term,continuing and sequence treatment are to insist.The cooperation between doctors and patients is the key to success.