The propensity to speak and share emotional experiences, denoted as the social sharing of emotions (SSE), has been thoroughly investigated, showing in different cultural settings that 80% to 95% of emotional experiences, negative or positive, are object of SSE. The present study's main objective was to obtain descriptive data concerning SSE in the Dominican culture. A total of 306 Dominican laypersons responded to a questionnaire which recollected autobiographical data aiming: to establish main SSE descriptive indicators (rate, recurrence and delay) and to identify social sharing targets in this cultural context. Findings corroborate previous studies concerning SSE global indicators. First, this Dominican sample is at comparable levels regarding sharing rates 92.48% of emotional episodes were socially shared. Secondly, 68.62% of participants reported having shared the emotional episode the same day it took place. Third, findings revealed that 72.55% of participants talked about the emotion-eliciting event several times. To conclude, the study's findings show that Dominican laypersons are at comparable levels as other populations when it comes to SSE indicators and that Dominicans' choice in social sharing targets, intimates, is compatible with numerous SSE studies (Rime, 2009).


This paper reports experimental results and molecule-modeling analysis on origin of specific molecule-adsorption induced surface-stress. Using self-sensing piezoresistive micro-cantilevers, specific surface-adsorption experiment for a group of relative molecules is implemented, with the generated surface-stress recorded. Compared with the balanced space of self-assembled monolayer (SAM) on Au-(111) substrate, big stero difference in molecule-size can cause opposite surface-stress. For molecules with similar stero-factor, however, hydrogen-bond intensity will dominate the lateral inter-molecular effect and cause great disparity (times to one-order-of-magnitude) in the generated surface-stress.


Due to the scarcity of the proper access point to the deep waters by divers and snorkelers, bays and lagoons are used as sheltered marine areas in the southern Egyptian Red Sea and are represented very valuable recreational areas. With the recent booming in tourism along the Egyptian coast of the Red Sea, the sheltered bays and lagoon reefs are tremendously impacted by recreational SCUBA diving activities. Three bays with similar environmental and topographic characteristics, but with different levels of diving and snorkeling activities were selected to study the impacts of recreational SCUBA diving on sedimentation rate, substrate analysis, coral cover, diversity, coral recruitment and coral reef fish assemblages. In addition to the expected physical damage causes by incidental contacts to corals by divers, the results showed that increasing sedimentation rate as a result of intensive SCUBA diving also caused a serious impact on coral reef communities of the surveyed bays. Highest sedimentation rate was estimated at the over-dived site of the Marsa Um El-Gurifat (approximately 51,000 divers per year). Walking and standing of divers on the sea floor was disturbing the fine sediments of the bay floor, increasing turbidity and sedimentation rate on the nearby coral reefs of the bay. High sedimentation rate on the reefs of Marsa Um El-Gurifat caused the following: reduced the coral cover; overgrown soft coral that dominated coral cover, reduced the recruitment of new coral colonies, increased dead coral cover, increased the macroalgal cover especially on the reef flat areas, decreased the diversity of hard coral and coral reef fishes, shifted the fish assemblage toward higher occurrence of herbivore fishes comparing with corallivore and carnivore ones.


The background,principles and characteristics of the solar distillation technology for seawater desalination were introduced.Based on the summary of research progress in this field,the research methods and situation of the solar distillation technology for seawater desalination were reviewed from the aspects of the technical principles,the device classification,the device performance,the determination of the natural convection coefficients as well as the evaluation of economic means of the solar distillation devices.The existing problems of the traditional solar distillation technology were put forward: large area of the devices,low water yield and low utilization of solar energy.The causes for the low water yield were analyzed.The solar distillation technology for seawater desalination in the future was prospected.


with the introduction of ergotamine;1 however, it was another 62 years before the next significant advance in the acute treatment of migraine was realized with the introduction of sumatriptan.2 It is surprising that in 2005, some 17 years after the early reports of the use of sumatriptan for the acute treatment of severe migraine, we are only just beginning to determine the optimum way of using triptan compounds in the treatment of migraine. Michel Ferrari and colleagues,3 in their meta-analysis of 53 trials of oral triptans in acute migraine treatment, point out that in all the trials up to 2001, patients were instructed to treat their migraine headache only when the pain was "moderate or severe on a 4-point pain severity scale (0=no pain; 1=mild; 2=moderate; 3=severe) and within 6-8 hours of onset". This was the standard for trial design4 and presumably was done to ensure that the headaches that were being treated really were migraine; however, it is my impression that most headache neurologists have gradually come to advise their patients, who have migraine without aura, to treat as soon as they feel the headache start— despite the lack of strong evidence to support this recommendation. In the trials of sumatriptan therapy, the gold standard for successful headache treatment—"pain-free state within two hours of dosing"—proved to be disappointingly elusive—being obtained in only 29% of the 53 clinical trials reviewed by Ferrari et al.3 While most neurologists felt that triptans represented an improvement over ergotamine, there was still a significant group of migraineurs who were under-served by it. In 2000, Roger Cady and colleagues5 did a retrospective analysis of data from three clinical trials of sumatriptan and found that if patients used their medication early, they were able to achieve pain-free rates at two hours of 51% (sumatriptan 50 mg), 67% (sumatriptan 100 mg) and 28% (placebo). Furthermore, early treatment seemed to reduce the need for redosing. In that same year, Burstein and colleagues6 commented on triptan failure in migraine. They postulated that the initial throbbing phase of migraine was mediated by peripheral trigeminovascular neurons that innervate the meninges. They further postulated that later in the attack, the development of cutaneous allodynia—the perception of innocuous touch as painful—is mediated by sensitisation of central trigeminovascular neurons that receive input not only from the meninges but from the face and scalp. They found that treating migraine attacks with a triptan once allodynia (i.e. central sensitisation) had developed was ineffective at achieving a pain-free state—further supporting the idea that treating early might improve triptran efficacy. Post-hoc analysis of open-label studies of almotriptan found that when patients treated their migraine when the pain was mild, 84% were rendered pain-free at two hours compared to only 53% who waited until their pain was moderate or severe.7 Now, in this issue of the journal, Jelinski and colleagues8 report the results of a randomised, double blind, placebo controlled clinical trial of 361 patients that looks at the question of early use of triptan in the treatment of migraine. It is important to point out that the patients included in this study came from specialized headache clinics, from the practices of community neurologists and from family physicians with special interest and expertise in the management of headache. This means that the findings of this study are derived from a group of patients who probably have more severe migraine than that seen typically in the general migraine population. Nevertheless, they are probably not too different to the type of headache patient seen by most neurologists. The two-hour pain-free rates achieved by Jeliniski et al8 with early treatment with sumatriptan 100 mg (50%) were significantly higher than those reported in the Ferrari metaanalysis (29%).4 Interestingly, in this study, even placebo works better if taken early in the course of migraine (16% versus 10%) and the authors suggest that this is because, like sumatriptan, endogenous opioids—thought to be responsible for some if not all of the placebo effect—are more effective when the pain is mild. It is always nice when the results of a study confirm one's own biases. I have always used what I call "the fire analogy" with my migraine patients. I suggest to them that they should think of their migraine headache as a fire. When for example, the kitchen stove catches fire they don't pull up a chair and say to themselves, "I'll just wait and see if the fire is going to get worse" because by the time the kitchen cupboards are on fire, their little hand fire extinguisher is completely over-whelmed and they are having to call the fire department! Jelinski and colleagues have gathered good solid data that lend support for continuing to treat migraine in a way that is consistent with the fire analogy—i.e. treat the headache as soon as you are aware that it has started. What this study also shows is that despite taking sumatriptan early in the headache phase, fully one half of patients will not achieve pain-free status. Our fire extinguishers, so to speak, even when used early are imperfect. Furthermore, this was a short-term study and as the authors point out, we need to be vigilant that early treatment of mild headache does not lead to triptan over-use and eventual worsening of headache control.


In June, Gold broke the triangle on the daily chart, tested the neck line at 1078.047 successfully and confirmed that it will make new highs. Still the commodity looks like in a correction mode, crawling around the top line of the wedge. Backed by risk-of


Several previous researches attempt to examine factors which influence system usage, those areonline banking using TAM model (technology acceptance model)—with two main construct,perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. Therefore, this research attempt to develop TAMmodel by adding variables: perceived enjoyment, security and privacy, internet connection, andamount of information. The purpose of this research is to test the influence of each factors to systemusage empirically. Data which are used are primary data by using questionnaire. Samples aretaken from Mandiri bank consumers in Semarang. The result of this research are: (1) perceivedusefulness significantly influences system usage; (2) perceived ease of use does not significantlyinfluence system usage; (3) perceived enjoyment significantly influences system usage; (4) securityand privacy significantly influences system usage; (5) internet connection significantly influencessystem usage; and (6) amount of information significantly influences system usage.


The Family Planning Information Service has undertaken a project to revise and update its range of leaflets on family planning methods. It was decided that feedback from the intended audience should be obtained to provide guidance on the proposed changes. The Advertising Research Unit at the University of Strathclyde was commissioned to conduct the appropriate research. This article looks at 1 aspect of the research findings: respondent perceptions of the need for family planning information. The results suggest that such information is seen as desirable in general terms but the individuals inclination to make use of it is inhibited by a number of factors. The research used small group discussions instead of quantified approaches. A total of 12 group discussions each with 7 respondents were conducted giving a total sample of approximately 85 people. The sample consisted of 18 to 45 year old single and married men and women of varying social class backgrounds. Fieldwork was conducted in Glasgow Edomburgh and London England during October and November 1985. Factors which restricted interest in and desire to seek out information about family planning include: the individuals perceived need for information; gender: male versus female responsibility; the process of choosing a method of family planning; embarrassment/anxiety about family planning. The embarrassment experienced can affect family planning in 3 ways: obtaining contraception; using contraception; and getting information . Although selection of a method of contraception should be based on informed consent among respondents selection was largely based on trial and error.


The purpose of this special issue is to encourage the emerging role of analytics in marketing and public policy research. We draw attention to a multitude of comprehensive data sources and analytical techniques that tackle important public policy and marketing issues. We highlight six key domains that provide fruitful avenues for such pursuit: retail analytics, social media analytics, marketing mix analytics, services including healthcare, nonprofits and politics, and artificial intelligence and robotics. We also offer an overview of the various articles and commentaries that are included in this special issue, and we encourage future research building on the underlying analytics approaches, substantive findings, and theoretical discoveries.


The pourpose of this paper is to show that the analysis on the links between liberalism and despotism was already present in the philosophy of the Enlightenment, before the French Revolution. Such an analysis took the form of a thorough criticism of the theory of reasonable power. According to that theory it was legitimate that a few, on behalf of the liberal State, steered politics rationally adjusting the majority to their strategic guidelines, becoming spokesmen of the public reason. The origin of this conviction would be, according to their critics, a hygienic and abstract determination of the reason and the human nature.


This study sought to expand on the current understanding of a relationship between two self-regulatory systems: cognitive control and emotion regulation. Cognitive control ability was measured through the error-related negativity (ERN) and post-error behavioral measures during a Stroop task. Emotion regulation ability was assessed by measures of cortisol levels and heart rate after a stress manipulation as well as a selfreport measure of coping skills (the CISS). We predicted that individuals with better cognitive control abilities would show lower levels of cortisol and heart rates in response to the stress manipulation and higher scores on the CISS problem focused coping subscale. While we found that higher levels of cognitive control were correlated with lower levels of cortisol after the Stroop task, we did not find this expected correlation in response to the stress manipulation. There were also no significant correlations between our other measures of emotion regulation (heart rate and the CISS) and cognitive control ability. Implications of this finding as well as directions for future research are discussed. Self regulation mechanisms 3


Pattern formation and morphogenesis require coordination of cell division rates and orientations with developmental signals that specify cell fate. A viable mutation in the TILTED1 locus, which encodes the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase ε of Arabidopsis thaliana, causes a lengthening of the cell cycle by ∼35% throughout embryo development and alters cell type patterning of the hypophyseal lineage in the root, leading to a displacement of the root pole from its normal position on top of the suspensor. Treatment of preglobular and early globular stages, but not later stage, embryos with the DNA polymerase inhibitor aphidicolin leads to a similar phenotype. The results uncover an interaction between the cell cycle and the processes that determine cell fate during plant embryogenesis.


Hwang Yoon-seok(黃胤錫) lived in 18C. At that time as conflicts in politics was becoming more acute in the central government`s main political parties, such as No-ron, So-ron and Nam-in. And there was the boundary between the central and local government. Also it was the time of a new challenge to the local intellectuals. Because of the appearance of new leadership, that is 'Gyunghwasajok' which was grown up in capital region, the local intellectuals' opportunity to participate in politics was dwindled away. Especially Hwang Yoon-seok came from Honam Province and he made efforts to establish his identity as part of No-ron to overcome his discrimination. So he asserted that he studied under Kim won-haeng and succeeded to the learning of Song si-yeaul. However, although Hwang Yoon-seok's academic standing was No-ron, his career as governmental officials was depended upon by influence of So-ron. He was recommended by So-ron which was against the opposing party, No-ron. It was possible for him to go into the central government. Afer all, his Career as Governmental Officials and political position was influenced by the political direction related to So-ron. Chungmyung Party was organized by No-ron which was joined hands with two other opposition parties, So-ron and Nam-in. Chungmyung Party was the new political force which supported King Jeongjo. Therefore Hwang Yoon-seok lightened the burden of political bitterness and he exchanged the relation of So-ron and No-ron party continuously. But Hwang Yoon-seok was ousted from office by hawkish No-ron party, a provincial governor Sim Iji and secret royal inspector Sim-Hwanji. Hwang Yoon-seok's life was a series of coming up to the capital and going down into the country. This fact is enough to show how a local intellectual was in a disadvantageous position. But he got over a difficult situation and achieved his academic works.


One of the most visible developments in finance markets in recent years has been the rapid growth in the issuance of low~rated bonds to finance corporate activity. The quarterly volume of new debt issues with a Moody's rating below Baa (referred to variously as "noninvestment grade", "high yield", or "junk" bonds) amounted to only $380 million as recently as the first quarter of 1982, but had grown to $11 billioh by the second quarter of 1986. Presently, junk bond financing represents 20 to 30 percent of all corporate debt issuance.


3.1 RADIATION Water vapor is an important greenhouse gas, with strong absorption and emission in the long-wave, infrared part of the energy spectrum. Figure 3.1 shows the greenhouse absorption for a typical tropical atmospheric profile calculated using a line-by-line radiative transfer code (Brindley and Harries, 1998). The strong water vapor rotation band in the far infrared (wavenumbers from 50–400 cm−1 or wavelengths from 200–25μm) and the vibration-


In November 2014, journalists from the Australian newspaper The Sydney Morning Herald broke a story detailing academic misconduct by international students at several Australian universities (McNeilage & Visentin, 2014). The misconduct in question concerned the purchase of customised academic essays from the now defunct website MyMaster, an academic ghostwriting business run by Chinese-born, Australianeducated businesswoman Yingying Dou. The Sydney-based company advertised its services in Chinese and targeted university students with on-campus advertising in the Sydney area. Meticulously kept records revealed more than 900 assignments for students at 16 Australian universities had been purchased, with company revenue exceeding 100 000 Euros. The universities most heavily embroiled in the scandal, including The University of Newcastle, Macquarie University, University of Technology Sydney and The University of Sydney have since launched internal investigations into the affair. To date, students found guilty of academic misconduct under the individual university policies have been variously expelled, suspended, failed or had degree qualifications rescinded, though action is ongoing.


The mesenteric small intestine is a difficult organ to examine. Long-term experience has shown that there are no shortcuts to achieving a reliable examination, and several parameters need to be respected if a confident diagnosis is to be made. These include: selection of patients, closely supervised studies, background data, image quality, familiarity with imaging findings and utilization of radiologic-pathologic correlations. Thoughtful selection of patients by clinicians is essential to make radiologic examination cost-effective. Closed supervised studies, incorporating an adequate index of clinical suspicion, co-operation between a focused radiologist and a keen physician, expertise, and time are important. Familiarity with imaging findings and image quality, are necessary to guarantee demonstration of fine surface mucosal detail and transitional morphological changes. Applying the principles of radiologic-pathologic correlation to the interpretation of radiological findings offers a certain advantage and in association with the background data available, including localization and distribution of changes, extent of involvement, the solitary or multiple nature of the lesions present and the clinical history, enable a confident differential diagnosis. Based on its long-term follow-up results and its high negative predictive value, enteroclysis has been shown as a most reliable screening examination for the assessment of possible small bowel disease. Enteroclysis combined with computed tomography (CT) offers the advantages of both techniques. Distention of small bowel lumen and cross-sectional display are proven imaging qualities gained with CT enteroclysis. Available prospective data suggest that the technique is advisable in patients with obstructive symptoms, in patients with known or suspected malignancy and when assessing complications of small bowel Crohn's disease. Magnetic resonance enteroclysis (MRE), a combined functional and morphological imaging method, has only recently been performed routinely in clinical practice with adequate image quality and sufficient small bowel distention (Fig. 1). Thus far, results have shown that the functional information provided by MRE equals that of enteroclysis alone, whereas the inherent advantages of an MR imaging approach over enteroclysis include detection of extra-luminal pathologic conditions, and detailed morphological evaluation of the bowel wall, as well as of the entire abdomen. Moreover, MRE has a distinct advantage over the currently available CT enteroclysis technique, due to its ability to provide real-time functional information. Clinical entities that may require radiological investigation of the small intestine most frequently include Crohn's disease, small bowel neoplasms and Meckel's diverticulum. IDKD 2006


This paper investigates the queueing process of a bulk service queueing system under Bernoulli schedule. It also generalizes some known scenarios concerning the choice of service and re-service types. The queueing process is studied both in discrete time and in continuous time. Performance measures are derived and used to implement an optimal management policy of the system.


A flexible grinding technology based on the electric current control is presented to resolve the problem of low rigidity of PCB on grinding,the thickness of which varies from 0.1 mm to 3.5 mm.The comparative results between the real-time and setting current during grinding control the frequency and the number of servo pulse and then the servo motor adjusts the grinding depth of cut at several different speeds,in order to realize the constant grinding force in the process of grinding.The results show that the PCB can be grinded efficiently and accurately by means of the flexible grinding technology based on current electric control.


In this paper, the robust H∞ filtering problem is concerned for nonlinear systems with sensor saturation, multiple communication delays and packet losses. The phenomenon of communication delays satisfies the Bernoulli distributions and the packet losses occur in a random way. The sensor saturation in the system is handled by a decomposition approach. The purpose of this work is to design a full-order filter such that in the presence of above conditions, the filtering error system is exponentially mean-square stable, and the H∞ performance index is achieved. By means of linear matrix inequalities, the explicit expression of the desired filters is also derived. Finally, a numerical example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.


This work outlines an Intelligent Navigation System (INS) for autonomous robots. The primary focus of the proposed INS is to provide a logical, computationally efficient algorithm which serves as a basis to map and navigate unknown environments. For demonstrative and testing purposes, the INS was implemented both in simulation form using MATLABTM™ SIMULINK™ as well as practically, using an omni-directional robot (ODR) platform. The INS requires input data acquired from a stereo vision system mounted on the ODR, and functions by employing a spatial information spectrum of its surrounding using the data acquired by the vision system. This proposed information spectrum is a novel tool that conveys the already identified objects and information gaps (pathways the robot can travel through, to obtain more information about the unknown environment) within the vicinity of the robot, to the INS. The INS then decides the most efficient way to map and traverse this unknown environment based on this information spectrum. Experiments were carried out in a multitude of simulated environments. Metrics such as time taken to completely map these environments and the information gathered within a given time, were used to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed algorithm. A further extension to this algorithm is proposed to handle dynamic and moving obstacles in unknown environments.


A process for producing a monoalkylated aromatic compound, comprising the step of contacting a polyalkylated aromatic compound with an alkylatable aromatic compound in the liquid phase and in the presence of a transalkylation catalyst comprising TEA mordenita- having a crystal size means less than 0, 5 im, in order to produce a monoalkylated aromatic compound.


The anomalies of geomagnetic variations in Hokkaido at a period of 5min are explained by the effect of the induction and the conduction currents within the surface layer such as the conducting sea and the sedimentary layer. However, the behaviour of the anomalies at longer periods than 5min is different in each region. From the model calculations to explain the period dependence of the CA transfer functions for each region, the following conclusions are drawn. The highly conducting layer (0.1S/m) exists at a likely depth range from 30 to 70km beneath the inner part of the Volcanic Front of the northeastern Japanese arc. On the contrary, the shallower part of the upper mantle beneath the outer part of the Volcanic Front seems to be poorly conducting (10-4S/m or so) though a quite thin and highly conducting layer may be present at a depth of about 130km. These results are consistent with other independent geophysical data such as heat flow and attenuation of seismic waves in and around Hokkaido.


Tea waste (TW) was modified by depositing hydrated manganese oxide (HMO) onto it through in situ precipitation and a novel hybrid bio-adsorbent, namely HMO-TW, was obtained. The successful deposition of HMO in/on tea waste was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis. The removal of four typical heavy metals (i.e., Pb(II), Cd(II), Cu(II), Zn(II)) by HMO-TW was pH-dependent, and higher pH favored the sorption at the tested pHs of 2–7. HMO-TW showed excellent sorption selectivity toward all four metal ions, and the removal efficiency of target metal ions was sustained at 30%–90% even in the presence of 50 times higher competing Ca(II) and Mg(II) ions. Sorption isotherms of four metal ions by HMO-TW are all well represented by the Freundlich model, and the maximum experimental sorption capacities of Pb(II), Cd(II), Cu(II), Zn(II) were 174.3, 78.38, 54.38 and 37.5 mg g−1, respectively. Compared to the unmodified tea waste, the sorption capacities and selectivity of Pb(II), Cd(II) and Cu(II) onto HMO-TW improved significantly. The sorption process reached equilibrium within 200 min, and the kinetics could be well fitted by a pseudo-second order model. Fixed-bed column sorption results further showed that the bed volume (BV) of Ce/C0 reaching 0.5 for Pb(II), Cd(II), Cu(II), Zn(II) were 1170, 1130, 820 and 1450 BV, respectively. In addition, the exhausted HMO-TW can be effectively regenerated using a 0.5 M HCl solution. All results reported herein validate that HMO-TW is a promising sorbent for practical treatment of heavy metal contaminated water.


BACKGROUND
 Cancer survivors are vulnerable to experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression and may benefit from accessible interventions focused on improving emotion regulation. CanCope Mind was developed as an internet-delivered intervention adapted from the Unified Protocol (UP) for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders to improve emotion regulation and support the mental health of cancer survivors.

 OBJECTIVE
 This protocol aims to provide an outline of The CanCope Study; a randomized controlled trial comparing the efficacy of an UP-adapted internet-delivered intervention (CanCope Mind) designed for cancer survivors compared to an active control condition – an internet-delivered healthy lifestyle intervention (CanCope Lifestyle). The primary aim is to assess and compare the efficacy of both interventions in improving emotion regulation, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and quality of life. The secondary aims involve assessing the mechanisms of the CanCope Mind intervention.

 METHODS
 Cancer survivors will be recruited and randomized to either CanCope Mind or CanCope Lifestyle. Both interventions comprise four online modules and are expected to take participants at least eight weeks to complete. Participants' mental and physical health will be assessed via self-reported surveys at baseline (T0), between each module (T1, T2, T3), post-intervention (T4), and at three-months follow-up (T5). The study aims to recruit 110 participants who have completed T4.

 RESULTS
 The CanCope Study began recruitment in September 2020. As of December 2021, 224 participants have been randomized and 116 have completed the post-intervention survey (T4). Data collection for all timepoints is expected to be finalized by May 2022.

 CONCLUSIONS
 This will be one of the first trials to develop and investigate the efficacy of an online intervention for cancer survivors that specifically targets emotion regulation.

 CLINICALTRIAL
 ACTRN12620000943943


Starch,one of the most important industrial raw materials,is a renewable resource.Functional Sweeteners made from starches such as functional oligosaccharides,functional glycitols,and functional monosaccharide feature their fine chemical and physiological functions,and are used widely in food,feed,medicine and chemistry industries.The properties and preparation of these functional sweeteners are discussed in this paper.


EXAMINATION of human and monkey temporal bones reveals that neuronal degeneration and subsequent ganglion cell loss occur only if supporting elements of the organ of Corti have degenerated. Forty-three per cent of humans with congenital and acquired profound hearing loss retained more than two-thirds of their ganglion cells within the cochlea. Recent study indicates that this amount is more than sufficient to respond to cochlear implant stimulation. The percentage loss of ganglion cells was computed for the various turns of the cochlea in the different causes of profound hearing loss. Results show that degeneration of neurons proceeds from the base to the apex of the cochlea. Therefore, the electrode of the implant must go beyond the posterior basal turn to stimulate the greatest possible population of ganglion cells. and remaining in the spiral canal of patients with profound sensorineural hearing loss. This paper is a detailed study of the population of viable spiral ganglion cells in congenital and acquired profound sensorineural hearing loss. Also included are observations from the study of primate temporal bones processed in our laboratory.


In the study, chitosan was decomposed into low molecular weight chitosan by using different H2O2 concentrations for chain termination, and then chitosan was prepared with different concentrations of tripolyphosphate cations (TPP). We have obtained the following result: the formation of chitosan depends on the concentration of TPP; TPP at low or high concentrations does not react with chitosan to form small chitosan molecules. Properly structured chitosan is only obtained when the mass ratio of chitosan/TPP is 6 : 3. At this rate, when the mass ratio of chitosan/TPP is approximately 6 : 3, there the formed nanochitosan particles have good antibacterial ability against strains of E. coli, M. catarrhalis, and S. aureus. In this work, initially, a successful preparation of a suspension between nasal spray and small chitosan suspension was found at manufacturing ratios: 5 ml nasal spray and 5 ml manufactured chitosan suspension at concentrations of 1 mg/ml, 3 mg/ml, and 5 mg/ml. It proves that the chain termination process by using H2O2 and the creation cross-linking when adding TPP are successful to a certain extent.


There is accumulating observational evidence suggesting that damped Ly (cid:11) absorption systems systems are the progenitors of present-day spiral galaxies. We use the observed properties of these systems to place constraints on the history of star formation in galactic disks, and on cosmological theories of structure formation in the universe. We show that the observed increase in (cid:10)HI contributed by damped Ly (cid:11) systems at high redshift implies that star formation must have been considerably less e(cid:14)cient in the past. We construct a model in which gas is converted into stars with an e(cid:14)ciency that increases with time, and we show that this model can reproduce most of the observed properties of damped Ly (cid:11) systems, including the observed distribution of column densities. We also show that the data can constrain cosmological models in which structure forms at late epochs. A mixed dark matter (MDM) model with (cid:10)(cid:23) = 0 : 3 is unable to reproduce the mass densities of cold gas seen at high redshift, even in the absence of any star formation. We show that at redshifts greater than 3, this model predicts that the total baryonic mass contained in dark matter halos with circular velocities V c > 35 km s (cid:0) 1 is less than the observed mass of HI in damped systems. At these redshifts, the photo-ionizing background would prevent gas from dissipating and collapsing to form high column density systems in halos smaller than 35 km s (cid:0)1 . MDM models are thus ruled out by the observations. radius of the halo. We (cid:12)nd that our model is in good agreement with the available observations. Finally, we show that our empirically-derived star formation law leads to disk galaxies with spectral properties similar to those of present day spiral galaxies.


Using scanning electron microscopy to study molluscum contagiosum lesions, it has been possible to demonstrate a unique, well defined sac enclosing the virion colony of each infected keratinocyte. This confirms the presence of a structure demonstrated over 50 years ago by micro‐dissection, but ignored since it is not seen on either light or transmission electron microscopy. It is postulated that this sac, of unknown origin, favours replication of the virions by providing a site that is both anatomically and immunologically privileged. Such relatively unimpeded growth of the virions results in an enlarged cell in which the cytoplasm and nucleus are compressed into a thin outer shell. In the aggregate, this produces a tumour of virus‐packed cells rather than a tumour composed of virus‐induced cell hyperplasia.


stock market crash on hedging strategies by portfolio insurers, which dictated selling stocks as soon as prices fell. The fact that the practice of buying and selling stocks as portfolio insurance has virtually disappeared since then has given many comfort that a replay of the 1987 crash, when prices fell so much so quickly, is unlikely. This note argues with this view by developing a model in which crashes are possible in the absence of portfolio insurance. In our model, a crash is driven by panic selling among rational but uninformed traders.


The related link of the three coordinate measuring and the data of pre-processing in reverse design of large assemble was discussed.Based on detailed analysis of the whole function of the heavy car bridge house and request of assembles,the programming way of the total diagraph project was discussed,and with means of the ATOS optics measure to scan in optics with different directions,the portfolio of mutiviews and the data of pre-processing with installing the steel ball for positioning were carried out,which satisfies the accuracy's request of total measure,and makes good foundation for anti-seeking of the late data.


The recovery of gallium from dilute solutions is known to be slow and inefficient due to competing hydrogen evolution and the limitations of mass transport. Methods used to improve the process include pulse plating, inhibition of hydrogen evolution by suitable additives, increasing the pH, and conducting the process at temperatures above the melting point of gallium. In the present work, an alternative approach was taken employing microelectrodes to enhance the rate of mass transport and thus to increase the rate of gallium recovery. Potentiostatic plating and stripping experiments were performed using electrodes ranging in diameter from 1 cm down to 45 ..mu..m. The effect of electrode diameter on the rate and efficiency of the plating of gallium was studied at different potentials and under different conditions of mass transport. The effect of plating time was also determined, and the conditions for the optimum recovery of gallium in terms of the overall rate as well as the current efficiency were evaluated. Carbon fiber epoxy composites can serve as ensembles of microelectrodes. It was shown that, with a typical radius of 3-5 ..mu..m for the individual fibers, considerable enhancement of the rate of recovery of metals from dilute solutions can be expected.


gate the stimulus-specific, perceptual nature of the supWhen you look into a mirror and move your eyes left pression. to right, you will see that you cannot observe your own We used event-related fMRI in combination with high eye movements. This demonstrates the phenomenon temporal resolution eye-position monitoring in the scanof saccadic suppression: during saccadic eye movener to determine which brain areas are involved in sacments, visual sensitivity is much reduced. Given that cadic suppression. Our experimental design relied on humans make more than 100,000 eye movements each the finding of Burr et al. [6] that saccadic suppression day, it is clear why suppression is needed: without it, selectively reduces the visibility of stimuli with low spathe motion on the retina would prevent us from seeing tial frequencies that are defined by luminance contrast, anything at all. Psychophysical data show that supbut not those defined by isoluminant color contrast. We pression is stimulus selective: it is strongest for the translated this finding to a testable hypothesis about kind of stimuli that preferentially activate magnocelluBOLD signal changes: in an area that is involved in the lar thalamic neurons. This has led to the hypothesis psychophysical phenomenon of saccadic suppression, that saccadic suppression selectively targets the magwe expect to find a perisaccadic reduction in BOLD nocellular stream. We used fMRI to find brain areas signal for luminant gratings, but not for isoluminant gratwith a stimulus-selective suppression of the BOLD ings. In the main experiment we therefore compared signal that matches the psychophysical data. We the BOLD signals evoked in four stimulus conditions: a found such a neural correlate of saccadic suppression luminant or isoluminant grating presented either long in the dorsal stream (hMT , V7) and in ventral area before a saccade or around saccade onset. These four V4. These areas receive magnocellular input; hence conditions will be referred to as pre-lum, pre-iso, periour findings are consistent with the magnocellular hylum and peri-iso, respectively (see Figure 1 and Experipothesis. The range of effects in our data and in single mental Procedures for details). cell data, however, argues against a single thalamic


We present Chronos, a system that enables a single WiFi access point to localize clients to within tens of centimeters. Such a system can bring indoor positioning to homes and small businesses which typically have a single access point.

The key enabler underlying Chronos is a novel algorithm that can compute sub-nanosecond time-of-flight using commodity WiFi cards. By multiplying the time-of-flight with the speed of light, a MIMO access point computes the distance between each of its antennas and the client, hence localizing it. Our implementation on commodity WiFi cards demonstrates that Chronos's accuracy is comparable to state-of-the-art localization systems, which use four or five access points.


Objective To evaluate the safety and effects of nitinol alloy stent made in China to treat malignant serious airway stenosis by fibrobronchoscopy and under X-ray guidance.Methods 12 patients with malignant serious airway stenosis were treated with nitinol alloy stents by fibrobronchoscopy and under X-ray guidance.The dyspnea indexes were 3 grade in 3 patients and 4 grade in 9 patients.Results One Stent was implanted into trachea in 11 cases and 1 patient was used 2 stents.The procedure was successful in all patients.Dyspnea was improved immediately.Dyspnea index:0 grade was in 5 patients and 1 grade was in 7 patients.No serious complications happened.3 patients accepted actinotherapy and chemotherapy,5 patients underwent actinotherapy only and one patient underwent chemotherapy.All patients were followed-up for one month to 4 years and no dyspnea happened except 2 patients.Conclusion Nitinol alloy stent implantation by fibrobronchoscopy and under X-ray guidance is simple,prompt and safe.It is a effective method in treating serious malignant airway stenosis.


In order to improve the quality of image segmentation, graph optimal binary tree is proposed. Firstly,pixel corresponding graph edge weight is established between nodes, minimum spanning tree edge weight is determined optimal segmentation threshold, length which is larger threshold edge is cut; Secondly, similar relation function of two regions is determined optimal segmentation region. Thirdly, segmentation of region is judged merge; lastly, process is presented. Simulation result shows this algorithm effect segmentation of image is good, isn't affected by external factors, uniform measure is largest.


A facile, industrially viable strategy is proposed for the scalable production of transition metal disulphide/graphite nanoflake composites by a combination of ball milling and short-time sonication. The experimental conditions are mild and energy efficient, and the yields are fairly high. This strategy can produce larger MoS2 and WS2 nanoflakes with more lithium storage sites than the conventional, long-time sonication method. Besides, the obtained graphite nanoflakes have a higher degree of lattice integrity than reduced graphene oxide that is structurally permanently damaged, and can thus serve as a high-efficiency conductive additive. A prominent synergy is witnessed between the excellent electrochemical performances of the MoS2 and WS2 nanoflakes and the high electronic conductivity of the graphite nanoflakes. The resulting MoS2 and WS2/graphite nanoflake composites exhibit superior lithium storage capacities, cycling stabilities and rate capabilities, thus providing a basis for developing high-performance anodes of next-generation lithium-ion batteries.


Starting with birth, infants are in constant interaction with the people surrounding them. Especially in urban settlements, an increasing number of families employ nannies for child-care, and the nannies become one of the main actors on a child's life (Hitt, 2016). Unlike most of the other occupations, nannies are actively involved in the daily lives of their employer families as well (Akay, 2013; Barnhart, Huff, & Cotte, 2014). Since the child's interactions and their subsequent attachment patterns in the first years of life are known to affect life adjustment in later years (Sroufe & Rutter, 1984), it is important to investigate the nanny care and their effects on the cared child's development. However, to the best of our knowledge, there are not any publications which have evaluated the literature on the matter. In accordance with the aim of filling this gap, this review has been organized around two goals: First, defining nannying and summarizing the working conditions of the nannies in Turkey, to better understand the nanny-family relationship dynamics; second, presenting the literature pertaining to the nannies and the employer families.


The assessment of sources of receipt of biogene substances in waters of lakes of Yakutsk is given. dynamics of these substances is considered, and also the characteristic in which basis long-term data of supervision over a hydrochemical mode of lakes are put is given.


We present R2G, a tool for the automatic migration of databases from a relational to a Graph Database Management System (GDBMS). GDBMSs provide a flexible and efficient solution to the management of graph-based data (e.g., social and semantic Web data) and, in this context, the conversion of the persistent layer of an application from a relational to a graph format can be very beneficial. R2G provides a thorough solution to this problem with a minimal impact to the application layer: it transforms a relational database r into a graph database g and any conjunctive query over r into a graph query over g. Constraints defined over r are suitably used in the translation to minimize the number of data access required by graph queries. The approach refers to an abstract notion of graph database and this allows R2G to map relational database into different GDBMSs. The demonstration of R2G allows the direct comparison of the relational and the graph approaches to data management.


The present invention relates to a cylinder of an internal combustion engine which is connected to a common gas pressure vessel by an adjustable brake valve. The gas pressure vessel is in communication with an exhaust line of an internal combustion engine via an outlet line and the outlet valve. The gas pressure vessel, through the recirculation line, is connected to a check valve arranged thereto, the check valve is associated with an intake pipe of an internal combustion engine.


The development of law in Eastern countries such as China, Korea and Japan, in 702-716 years AD comes under review in this article. The author considers problems of criminal law, family law, civil law etc.


Objective To elicit patient stakeholders' experience and perspectives about patient-centred care. Design Qualitative. Setting A large urban healthcare system. Participants Four patient stakeholders who are prostate cancer survivors. Main outcome measures Experience and perspectives of patient stakeholders regarding patient-centred care and treatment decisions. Results Our patient stakeholders represented a diverse socio-demographic group. The patient stakeholders identified engagement and dialogue with physicians as crucial elements of patient-centred care model. The degree of patient-centred care was observed to be dependent on the situations. High severity conditions warranted a higher level of patient involvement, compared to mild conditions. They agreed that patient-centred care should not mean that patients can demand inappropriate treatments. Conclusions An important attribute of patient-centred outcomes research model is the involvement of stakeholders. However, we have limited knowledge about the experience of patient stakeholders in patient-centred outcomes research. Our study indicates that patient stakeholders offer a unique perspective as researchers and policy-makers aim to precisely define patient-centred research and care.


The classical quasi–static Biot model [1] for soil consolidation, describes mathematically the time dependent interaction between the deformation of an elastic porous material and the fluid flow inside of it. This model can be formulated as a system of partial differential equations for the unknowns displacement and pressure. By u = (u, v) we denote the displacement vector and by p the pore pressure of the fluid. Here, we consider the case of a homogeneous, isotropic and incompressible medium Ω, so the governing equations are given by


We report measurements of the birefringence-induced losses in silicon single crystals for [001] and [111] crystallographic orientation and for different doping levels. These results are compatible with the so-called spatial-dispersion-induced birefringence in cubic crystals. These angular maps have been used to fix some tolerances for the next generation of optics in the Virgo gravitational-wave detector.


The boundary element method is applied to derive cutoff condition of TEl0 mode in TEM cells. Cutoff frequency is determined by the secular equation with respect to the wavenumber. We show the usefulness of a symmetrical condition under which higher order modes are divided into a pair of odd-even modes.


In the case of the existing power equipment industry, various insulators and accessory parts have been manufactured with petroleum-based epoxy. Recently, in order to reflect international eco-friendly policies and to produce insulators using eco-friendly materials in the power equipment industry, research on bio-epoxy and many insulating parts using the same is being conducted. Since injection molding of electric power equipment using bio-epoxy has different characteristics from existing resins, it is essential to optimize the molding conditions accordingly. In addition, since empirical data do not exist like existing resins, optimizing molding conditions through experience takes a lot of time and high cost. Therefore, for new resins such as bioepoxy, it is essential to optimize the process conditions through simulation.In this paper, the process conditions for manufacturing an insulating spacer for GIS (Gas Insulated Switchgear) using bio epoxy were simulated through Moldflow. For the simulation, the thermal and dynamic characteristics of bio-epoxy were analyzed and applied to the simulation, and the temperature and curing characteristics of the inside of the mold according to each heating temperature were analyzed to present the insulating spacer process conditions using bio-epoxy.


It 's difficult to deal with the heterogeneous anisotropic geological conditions in TOUGH2 simulator,therefore,a new algorithm,using anisotropic permeability tensor,was coupled in TOUGH2 simulator. And the direction of rock's hydraulic conductivity and elements connection parameters for anisotropic medium was added in the TOUGH2's input file,which can solve the problems of the anisotropic permeability in different regions and the disparity between the main direction of permeability and the axis direction. Through the simulation of the anisotropic media's influence on the spatial distribution of CO2 gas saturation,it can be found that CO2 migrates faster and further in the principal direction than the other directions, thereby the effectiveness of the algorithm is proved. The study effectively enhances the function of the TOUGH2's simulator, which can deal with the seepage problems of complex geological conditions and make the simulation result more objective and practical.


In recent papers Benzi et al. presented experimental data and an analysis to the effect that the well-known "2/3" Kolmogorov-Obukhov exponent in the inertial range of local structure in turbulence should be corrected by a small but definitely non-zero amount. We reexamine the very same data and show that this conclusion is unjustified. The data are in fact consistent with incomplete similarity in the inertial range, and with an exponent that depends on the Reynolds number and tends to 2/3 in the limit of vanishing viscosity. If further data confirm this conclusion, the understanding of local structure would be profoundly affected.


The invention discloses a synthetic method for 1,2-epoxybutane. The method mainly comprises the step that the 1,2-epoxybutane is prepared through an one-step oxidation method, wherein an oxidizing agent is hydrogen peroxide. The synthetic method is simple in technological process, high in reaction yield, relatively low in preparation cost, and environmentally friendly in the whole process.


Aims The audit was undertaken to explore if inpatients with treatment resistant schizophrenia (TRS), or whose condition has not adequately responded to two antipsychotics of an optimal duration and dose, were offered clozapine as per NICE guidelines (CG178 184.108.40.206). Methods Data were collected retrospectively and anonymously from all electronic notes via the UK-CRIS analysis platform. The inclusion criteria required patients, aged 18–64 years, to have a schizophrenia (ICD10 F20) diagnosis and to have been admitted to one of ten Trust inpatient wards between 01/01/2020 and 01/01/2021. Patients were required to fulfil the criteria of treatment resistance, as having an inadequate response to two or more antipsychotic drugs, one of which was an atypical agent. Patients who had previously tried or were currently on clozapine were excluded. Those with non-schizophrenia psychotic disorders were also excluded. 347,645 records were electronically screened according to the criteria, and 209 records were reviewed. Results 43 patients from the 209 patients reviewed were found to be eligible for clozapine. 28 (65%) were offered clozapine during their admission and 9 of these patients had started the titration process (21% of those eligible). Of the 19 patients who declined clozapine when offered, 14 had refused the drug with the most common reason of not accepting the required blood monitoring (n=10). Of the 15 eligible patients who were not offered clozapine, the clinical team had documented a consideration to offer clozapine in 6 patients (14%) but had rejected its, predominantly due to concerns of non-compliance. For 3 patients (7%) the clinical team considered for but did not offer clozapine. There was no documentation regarding clozapine for 6 patients (14%). Conclusion This audit identified that most patients with TRS were offered clozapine during their admission. However, a proportion of patients were not offered the gold standard treatment for TRS and this may lead to poorer outcomes. It demonstrated that a minority of eligible patients ultimately start the drug. There are barriers for eligible patients to accept clozapine, for instance around the regular blood monitoring required.


This study mainly discussed the medium optimization for Micrococcus lysodeikticus fermentation, which can produce catalase. The results showed that the best carbon source for Micrococcus lysodeikticu fermentation is maltose, the best nitrogen source is peptone and yeast extract, and the best inorganic source is MnSO4. The optimal medium was found as follows: maltose 6%, peptone 1. 3%, yeast extract 0. 8%, NaCl 0. 5%, K2 HPO4 · 3H2 O 0. 2%, NaH2PO4 · 2H2O0.2%,MnSO40.1%,MgSO4 · 7H2O 0. 05% ,CaCl20. 05%. The fermentation curve of Micrococcus lysodeikticus showed that enzyme synthesis occurred at the time of 12-14 h. The optimal fermentation conditions were as follows: initial pH 7. 0 ;medium loading ratio of 10%(25 mL medium in 250 mL flask);seeding 5% and fermentation at 37℃for 12 h.


An experimental result has been obtained which indicates that, in a low-temperature NaCl-type-alkali-halide crystal, positronium atoms move coherently through the interstices between ions almost without experiencing the exchange forces from the electrons in the ion cores.


(-) Nicotine, in doses of OG%O~Ol mg/kg given intravenously over 1 min, produced transient behavioral arousal and EEG activation in cats with chronic indwelling brain electrodes. The effects of nicotine were evident when the animals were in natural slow wave (deep) sleep as observed behaviorally and by the EEG with recordings from various cortical and subcortical sites. After nicotine administration, the animals were aroused for a few minutes and later became sleepy behaviorally and showed EEG slow waves. This was frequently followed by activated or fast wave sleep. This phenomenon was not evident following infusion of equal volumes of warmed saline solution. In equal doses (+) nicotine, nicotine-N-oxide and cotinine did not affect EEG and behavior in slow wave sleeping cats. However, equipressor doses of (+) nicotine (0.05 mg/kg) and nicotine-N-oxide (1.5 mg/kg) produced slight behavioral and EEG arousal in cats with slow wave sleep. Massive doses of cotinine (2.5 mg/kg) given intravenously were less effective than (-) nicotine in doses of 0.01 mg/kg. Equipressor doses of epinephrine (E) (0402 mg/kg), phenylalanyl lysine vasopressin (50 milliunits/kg) and DMPP (04XtS mg/kg) produced weaker EEG activation and behavioral arousal than ( -) nicotine. Pretreatment with trimethidinium (2 mg/kg) prevented the cardiovascular effects of nicotine but did not alter greatly its behavioral arousal or EEG activation effects. On the other hand, mecamylamine (0.6 mg/kg) completely blocked the cardiovascular actions of nicotine as well as its effects on EEG and behavior. Larger doses of mecamylamine interfered with the natural sleep cycle of the cat. By use of such pharmacologic techniques it is concluded that the behavioral arousal and EEG desynchronizing effects of nicotine are due primarily to an action on the central nervous system rather than peripheral afferent stimulation or release of various neurohormones. However, these latter effects contribute to the total phenomenon produced by nicotine in intact animals.


The authors present a model of formation of political culture for students by means of general teacher training. It is indicated that the optimal algorithm of the model implementation is to divide the process of formation of political culture into three stages: motivation and installation, propaedeutic, forming. The forming is a key stage in the implementation model. Based on the integration of procedural and substantial blocks, it provides the necessary level of development of political culture.


Method for making moldings from plastic sheet, has plug assists moved by servomotor fitted with speed sensor or resolver and drive brake, control unit applying retaining brake to spindle in molding position. Method for stamping out or combined molding and stamping out of moldings (3) comprises intermittent feeding of heated plastic sheet between molding tools (13.1, 13.2). This is pressed into molds (20) by compressed air and plug assists (12) which are driven by a servomotor (4) fitted with a speed sensor or resolver (5) and drive brake (14) and connected to it by a spindle (6). When the plug assists reach a desired position and the drive brake has been applied a control unit (9) applies a retaining brake (16) to the spindle to limit the force transmitted to the motor during the deep drawing process. An Independent claim is included for a plug assist drive for stamping out or combined molding and stamping out of moldings as described above.


Purpose – The aim of this paper is to discuss the impact of energy pricing on the implementation of low energy design principles in buildings.Design/methodology/approach – The problem of rising air‐conditioning loads is not simply a matter of availability of power‐plants, but also one of the limited time periods over which demand peaks occur. The relationship between the feasibility of technical solutions and pricing policies of electricity is examined by means of a Greek case study, which is representative for Southern Europe.Findings – The paper finds that in conventional air‐conditioning systems the impact of the peak cooling demand on the building's capital expenditure is low, compared to the operational expenses over the buildings' life cycle. In that sense the latter's reduction lies in the interest of the building's user, rather than the investor. If, however, changes in the pricing policies were to be adopted, annual operational expenses would more than double, making energy saving measures far mo...


Nature is undoubtedly the basic concept for ecology and environmental law. Terms, it is expressed in the legal field, are "nature" and "natural environment". Standard definition of "environment" in the current legislation of the Russian Federation (however, and the Republic of Kazakhstan) due to certain contradictions and raise questions. In particular it is the identification of the unfounded "environment" and "environmental protection". Sees the need to understand (quite clearly) the nature and content of the object of study, which is the nature. It will be possible to formulate a definition of "environment": a consistent, in a conjugate between natural science and its legal sense only on the basis of this study. The problem is very significant and requires immediate permission.


The aims of this study is to identify the internal and external factors, to determine the strategic priorities and also to formulate the alternative strategies that can be applied to sell Zalzia Soy Milk in Bengkulu City. This is a qualitative study that took 55 respondents as the sample. In order to collect the data, the writers used questionnaires and documentation which then analyzed by using SWOT Analysis. From the results of the study, it was found that IFAS and EFAS, the strength of the Zalzia Soy Milk Business in Bengkulu City was 37.82 while the weakness was 1.24 so the cell (quadrant) of internal factors was 37.82 - 1.24 = 36.58. Moreover, the opportunities possessed the strategy is 27.04 with a threat of 16.13 so the cell (quadrant) of external factors is 27.04 - 16.13 = 10.91 which is in quadrant cell 1 on the SWOT analysis diagram. Finally, the aggressive marketing strategy that can be used is to improve the taste, quality and quantity of the product and also to recognize the characteristics of the marketing environment.


Animal welfare is attracting increasing interest worldwide, especially in developed countries where the knowledge and resources are available to (at least potentially) provide better management systems for farm animals, as well as companion, zoo and laboratory animals. The key requirements for adequate food, water, a suitable environment, companionship and health are important for animals kept for all of these purposes. There has been increased attention given to farm animal welfare in the West in recent years. This derives largely from the fact that the relentless pursuit of financial reward and efficiency, to satisfy market demands, has led to the development of intensive animal production systems that challenge the conscience of many consumers in those countries. In developing countries, human survival is still a daily uncertainty, so that provision for animal welfare has to be balanced against human welfare. Animal welfare is usually a priority only if it supports the output of the animal, be it food, work, clothing, sport or companionship. In principle, the welfare needs of both humans and animals can be provided for, in both developing and developed countries, if resources are properly husbanded. In reality, however, the inequitable division of the world's riches creates physical and psychological poverty for humans and animals alike in many parts of the world. Livestock are the world's biggest land users (FAO 2002) and the farmed animal population is increasing rapidly to meet the needs of an expanding human population. This results in a tendency to allocate fewer resources to each animal and to value individual animals less, for example, in the case of farmed poultry where flocks of over 20,000 birds are not uncommon. In these circumstances, the importance of each individual's welfare is diminished. Increased attention to welfare issues is just as evident for companion, laboratory, wild and zoo animals. Of increasing importance is the ethical management of breeding programmes, since genetic manipulation is more feasible, but there is less public tolerance of the deliberate breeding of animals for improved productivity if it comes at the expense of animal welfare. However, the quest for producing novel


members of Congress have had questions about the unique functions of AHRQ today. As an example, comparative effectiveness research was first developed as an idea at AHRQ, but under the Affordable Care Act, comparative effectiveness research moved to the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, so some questioned if AHRQ was still needed. But of course, comparative effectiveness research is just one element of AHRQ. Similarly, AHRQ has talked about translating research findings into practice, and the NIH has talked about "translational research," which can lead to misunderstandings about whether similar work is going on in 2 places. So I'm trying to make sure that members of Congress and their staffs understand AHRQ's unique contributions. There is no other federal agency that has AHRQ's mission to improve quality and safety, to think about equity and access and affordability. This is really AHRQ's unique function, so I feel being able to communicate about that is very important and hopefully will contribute to members of Congress feeling more confident they are not funding a redundant agency.


According to direct shear tests performed on artificial discontinuous intermittent joints,the mechanical mechanism of weakening process of discontinuous joint rock bridge during shearing is described,i.e.tensile failure of micro-unit rock bridge under shear loads results in the mechanical properties weakening of rock bridge.And the development law of weakening zones in rock bridge is also investigated.Based on the above analysis,assuming that rock bridge micro-unit strength is of Weibull random distribution and the minor principal stress of rock bridge micro-unit is adopted as the random distribution variable,model for explaining the weakening process of rock bridge is set up;and a parameter δ,which is named as the degree of weakening,is defined to characterize the degree of rock bridge weakening during shearing.And then,based on direct shear tests,rock bridge weakening mechanical model that takes shear displacement as random distribution variable is derived from analogy method.Finally,the change laws between the degree of rock bridge weakening δ and parameters m,u 0 are analyzed.The results show that the new model can properly reflect the weakening and failure process of rock bridge during shearing.


We have measured the resistive upper critical field of overdoped single crystals of Tl[sub 2]Ba[sub 2]CuO[sub 6] from the zero-field transition temperature T[sub c] (approximately 20 K) to temperatures as low as 12 mK, corresponding to less than 0.001 T[sub c]. In sharp contrast to the predictions of standard theories of superconductivity, the critical field is found to rise steeply with positive curvature as the temperature is reduced, and no sign of saturation is observed down to the lowest temperatures reached. 27 refs., 7 figs.


In an earlier paper (1)†, the performance characteristics of combinations of two-stroke compression ignition engines with compressors and turbines were analysed under the headings(1)Turbosupercharged engines with mechanically driven scavenge blowers,(2)Gas generators,(3)Compound engines with fixed ratio geared connection between engine., compressor, turbine and output shaft.The object of the present paper is to extend the method of analysis outlined in the previous paper to cover various compound engine arrangements with differential rather than fixed ratio gear connection between the members of the aggregate. It is shown that such units meet to a very high degree the specific requirements of the traction application, namely(1)High unit power achieved by the use of high boost pressures,(2)Torque-speed characteristics approaching the ideal hyperbolic law, and permitting drastic simplification of the external transmission system,(3)Good part-load efficiency—superior to both the turbocharged and the gas gene...


Chemical energy supplied by the catalytic decomposition of H2O2 is introduced into macroscopic building blocks, which self-propel, interact with each other, and finally assemble into ordered and advanced structures. The geometry is highly dependent on the way that the catalyst is loaded. The integration of catalyst and building block provides assembling component as well as its energy of motion.


ABSTRACT In this interview carried out by two staff writers of the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev recalls how he engaged in dialogues with the United States in the final years of the Cold War. But the "peace dividend" brought by the initiatives of Gorbachev and his US counterpart has been largely eclipsed by renewed arms race between the United States and Russia. Gorbachev, in his sober understanding of the horror of nuclear war and the Chernobyl disaster, makes a strong case for a world without nuclear weapons, and calls for a moral world.


This paper presents an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model to predict the excitation capacitance value necessary to sustain the generated voltage of a wind-driven self-excited reluctance generator (WDSERG) within preferred limits. The network was trained, validated and tested with input data which comprises load impedances, power factor and wind speed values and a corresponding output data consisting of the excitation capacitance for each input condition. A mean square error value of less than 0.11 and an R-value of more than 0.999 were obtained for the network. These indicate a very accurate ANN training. The network was then utilized in the complete model of WDSERG under diverse input states of wind speed and load variation. The predicted capacitance value obtained from the network provides the required excitation to keep the generated phase voltage at a preferred constant level of 220±5 V under each input condition. The results depict the effectiveness of the neural network application to provide excitation capacitance control for the WDSERG output voltage when varying wind speed and load profile are considered. The method proposed in this work can provide a basis for the design of a variable capacitor to keep the generated voltage of wind-driven SERG within desired limits despite wind speed and load variation.


The astringency and real-time character of Newton iterative method are connected with initial iterative value in the magnetic survey solution of high-speed rotating ammunition,and the convergence is slow and even divergency appears.The GA was applied to quickly search the approximate solution,and the solution was taken as initial iterative value.Taking high-speed rotating ammunition as an example,the attitude angles were solved using the proposed method,and the algorithm errors such as fixed attitude angle data error,initial fixed parameters error and magnetic measured data error were analyzed.The results show that the GA-Newton iterative method can effectively improve the convergence and rapidity.When a given attitude angle error is less than 5° and magnetic data error is less than 500nT or initial geomagnetic component error is less than 1000nT,the attitude angle error is less than 3°,and the algorithm has higher precision.


The principles and deficiencies of the traditional trace moisture analyzers were analyzed firstly,and then the merit of trace moisture analysis technology based on diode laser absorption spectroscopy(DLAS)was introduced.The principles of the DLAS technology and modulation absorption spectroscopy technology were also analyzed in detail.We designed the trace moisture analyzer based on DLAS and applied the analyzer in measuring the trace moisture of the PVC production.Experimental results show that the analyzer works very well with many advantages,such as low detection limit(20 ppb),little linear error( 1%F.S.)and short response time.Therefore,on-line trace moisture analyzer based on DLAS can provide favorable solutions for the trace moisture measurements in the erosive gases or liquids environment in chemical industry.


Probiotics, defined as live or attenuated bacterial or bacterial products that exerts health effects beyond inherent basic nutrition, have the potential to provide a clinical benefit to the host. The most widely used probiotics in humans are bifidobacteria and others. This paper will review the most recently published literatures that demonstrated the therapeutic benefits of bifidobacterium in patients with active ulcerative colitis including recurrent or refractory pouclitis. In addition, studies that evaluated the response of irritable bowel syndrome to probiotic preparation have also been reviewed. Short term synbiotic (containing B. longum and synergy 1) treatment of active ulcerative colitis results in improvement of the clinical appearance of chronic inflammation in patients receiving this therapy.


upper extremity. In the former case a tender swelling forms along the thenar eminence and passes above the wrist 011 the radial side. When the common synovial cavity becomes invaded the hand becomes extremely painful, the fingers immobile, while the palm becomes swollen and tense, a secondary swelling appears for about an inch above the anterior annular ligament, and there is much oedema of the back of the hand. In superficial suppurations a cellulitis may occur in the forearm and even spread over the entire arm. When the deep tissues of the palm are involved suppuration is liable to occur amongst the tendons and muscles of the forearm; this may be associated


The event was organized by the Asian Development Bank and the Asian Development Bank Institute with support from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the National Tax Agency of Japan and financed by the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, Government of Japan. Presentation materials are available at http://www.adbi.org/event/6525. cooperating.combat.tax.evasion/ Tax evasion is a global concern that reduces government revenue and undermines trust in the tax system. International cooperation among national tax authorities, through the exchange of information (EOI) on taxpayer-related information including cross-border transactions and taxpayers' foreign assets, is an important tool for combatting the problem. Many Asian countries are upgrading their capacity to handle EOI by meeting the international standards set by the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes.


Abstract We propose an approach for real-time physically semi-realistic animation of strings which directly manipulates the string positions by position based dynamics. The main advantage of a position based dynamics is its controllability. Instability problems of explicit integration schemes can be avoided. Specifically, we offer the following three contributions. We introduce the non-elongating and non-stretchable mass spring dynamics model based on Position Based Dynamics to simulate 1D string. We introduce a method for propagating the twisting angle along the chain of segments. In addition, we solve collision constraints by regularly distributing the spheres along the chain segments followed by particle projection to validate the positions. Proposed strain limiting constraint can handle the strings fixed in multiple locations contrary to single fixed side as is common for hair models. The use of multiple constraints provides an efficient treatment for stiff twisting and non-stretchable mass spring dynamics model.


The chassis dynamometer room in the automotive laboratory UTHM is one of very few chassis dynamometer room available in Malaysia. Therefore, it is considered as a one of rare facilities for test concerning engine performances, fuel consumptions and exhaust emissions. SIRIM for instance, needs the equipment for experiments on new invented biodiesels. The room is already equipped by a ventilation system, but unfortunately this existing system is not sufficient to support activities conducted in the room, as high temperature and accumulated smoke in the room are obviously observed. Hence, the person in charge has to depend on natural ventilation which is windows and doors opening. However, the problem is still occurring. Therefore, health and comfort issues are crucial. Furthermore, reliability of the chassis dynamometer test results could be questioned due to the instability of temperatures and relative humidity in the room during experiments. In order to obtain good results both temperature and relative humidity in chassis dynamometer room shall be maintained at certain constant values during testing. In the present work the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in the chassis dynamometer room is has been proved to be poor, leading to hazardous and uncomfortable working environment. Thus, the development of an improved ventilation system is essential. Therefore, the present study is carried out to determine the ventilation rate and heat load needed for the chassis dynamometer room. From the results, the undersized existing ventilation system is of evident.


There is growing agreement that genetic factors play an important role in the risk to develop heroin addiction, and comparisons of heroin addiction vulnerability in inbred strains of mice could provide useful information on the question of individual vulnerability to heroin addiction. This study examined the rewarding and locomotor‐stimulating effects of heroin in male C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice. Heroin induced locomotion and sensitisation in C57BL/6J but not in DBA/2J mice. C57BL/6J mice developed conditioned place preference (CPP) to the highest doses of heroin, while DBA/2J showed CPP to only the lowest heroin doses, indicating a higher sensitivity of DBA/2J mice to the rewarding properties of heroin vs C57BL/6J mice. In order to investigate the neurobiological substrate underlying some of these differences, the effect of chronic 'intermittent' escalating dose heroin administration on the opioid, dopaminergic and stress systems was explored. Twofold higher μ‐opioid receptor (MOP‐r)‐stimulated [35S]GTPγS binding was observed in the nucleus accumbens and caudate of saline‐treated C57BL/6J mice compared with DBA/2J. Heroin decreased MOP‐r density in brain regions of C57BL/6J mice, but not in DBA/2J. A higher density of dopamine transporters (DAT) was observed in nucleus accumbens shell and caudate of heroin‐treated DBA/2J mice compared with heroin‐treated C57BL/6J. There were no effects on D1 and D2 binding. Chronic heroin administration decreased corticosterone levels in both strains with no effect of strain. These results suggest that genetic differences in MOP‐r activation and DAT expression may be responsible for individual differences in vulnerability to heroin addiction.


Summary. The variability of deep crustal reflections in USGS line 1A across the offshore New England Appalachians shows the differing influence of Paleozoic and Mesozoic tectonic events. Mesozoic extension has not significantly modified Paleozoic thrust faults penetrating the lower crust in the northern Gulf of Maine. Mesozoic extension or Paleozoic crustal melting could explain the lower crustal character in the central Gulf.


Numerous facilities in the non-nuclear sector in Belgium (e.g. in the non-radioactive waste processing and management sector and in the metal recycling sector) have been equipped with measuring ports for detecting radioactive substances. These measuring ports prevent radioactive sources or radioactive contamination from ending up in the material fluxes treated by the sectors concerned. They thus play an important part in the protection of the workers and the people living in the neighbourhood of the facilities, as well as in the protection of the population and the environment in general. In 2006, Belgium's federal nuclear control agency (FANC/AFCN) drew up guidelines for the operators of non-nuclear facilities with a measuring port for detecting radioactive substances. These guidelines describe the steps to be followed by the operators when the port's alarm goes off. Following the publication of the European guideline 2003/122/Euratom of 22 December 2003 on the control of high-activity sealed radioactive sources and orphan sources, a procedure has been drawn up by FANC/AFCN and ONDRAF/NIRAS, the Belgian National Agency for Radioactive Waste and Enriched Fissile Materials, to identify the responsible to cover the costs relating to the further management of detected sealed sources and if not found to declare the sealed source as an orphan source. In this latter case and from mid-2006 the insolvency fund managed by ONDRAF/NIRAS covers the cost of radioactive waste management. At the request of the Belgian government, a financing proposal for the management of unsealed orphan sources as radioactive waste was also established by FANC/AFCN and ONDRAF/NIRAS. This proposal applies the same approach as for sealed sources and thus the financing of unsealed orphan sources will also be covered by the insolvency fund.Copyright © 2007 by ASME


Abstract Changes in the optical transmission induced by electric fields have been studied in a smectic side-chain polysiloxane liquid crystal. The transmission varied from effectively zero, for a highly scattering (opaque) texture, to total, for a homeotropic texture, on increasing the applied voltage across the material. The field-induced textures were durably stored in the smectic phase, enabling the order parameter of the side groups to be studied by dielectric relaxation measurements. For the highly transparent texture, a side group order parameter of 0-92 has been observed.


The Malaysian constitution can hardly be called a neglected topic. It has been the subject of a number of books, articles, and essays, and an annotated edition will appear shortly. There is much in it, nevertheless, to analyze and discuss, and this collection of fifteen essays by a most impressive array of contributors, mainly lawyers (and mainly, though by no means all, Malaysians), is most welcome. Although it is a book primarily by and also for lawyers, it will doubtless interest politicians, civil servants, and political theorists, and prove invaluable to law students in the region. While the period of twenty years has no special significance, and though it is not expressly intended as such, this collection appears to be a twentieth birthday present, an anniversary commemoration of two decades of constitutional independence. An air of congratulation pervades the volume, whose only real defect is that its contributors have, with one or two exceptions, opted for analysis and eschewed evaluation. This is not to say, however, that there is nothing to celebrate; the point is well made by Professor Hickling in his opening essay, "An Overview of Constitutional Changes in Malaysia: 1957-1977": "In spite of the shocks and disasters of the past two decades parliamentary democracy still counts for something in Malaysia. Debate and consensus continue to be accepted as the means whereby reasonable men may attain to a harmonious resolution of their differences of opinion. To have held on to that concept is, in all the circumstances, remarkable" (p. 1). In this essay, distilled from a wealth of experience with and mature reflection on the constitution of Malaysia, Professor Hickling touches on most of the areas discussed by the other contributors, offering some personal views of great interest. Article 153 (the reservation of quotas for Malays) which, with its rigorous direct and indirect entrenchment, is not dealt with by any of the other contributors, is, he says, "so entrenched in the constitution that it has become impossible of discussion. . . . Whether this gag upon discussion will work to a tolerance and acceptance of Article 153 remains to be seen. Fires long suppressed can . . . erupt with sudden and devastating fury" (p. 12). On the other hand, "it seeks, to the best of its intent, to balance the interests of all the races in Malaysia in as equitable a manner as conditions may admit" (p. 18), and, "it offers a means of progress and justice; as its existence cannot be questioned, let its implementation at least fall for such judicial review as may be necessary. In such a way may the common bond of citizenship develop" (p. 23). It is worth noting that Article 153 is not such a fearsome beast as it appears at first. For example, it is subject to Article 136, which reads: "All persons of whatever race in the same grade in the service of the Federation shall, subject to the terms and conditions of their employment, be treated impartially." Yet Professor Hickling does not doubt that there should be a term to Article 153, and offers a qualified hope for the future: "Wisdom and skill will be required of everyone in authority if bloodshed, chaos, anarchy and partition are not to come about. The nation walks on a razor's edge" (p. 25).


In general, science subjects in the lower grades (grades 1 to 3) are not in curriculum 13, but in fact, science subject matter is always present in every learning theme. At the age of grades 1 to 3 children begin to interact with their peers and the environment around them. To develop the child's social spirit, a lower grade teacher is certainly very good if learning uses cooperative methods. One of the alternative cooperative learning models that can be used by teachers in the lower grades is the STAD and jigsaw cooperative learning methods. Writing this scientific paper aims to find out how the STAD and Jigsaw learning models are applied in the lower classes. The method used in this scientific writing is a type of qualitative research that takes a background at MI Ma'arif Caruy. The results showed that the STAD and Jigsaw learning methods in the lower grades could be applied well even though they were still accompanied by the teacher. Students could collaborate with their group mates or with other groups with the help of worksheets that had been prepared by the teacher, so that students could learn science material well. can work together, respect each other, appreciate and help each other if his friends are having difficulties.


This study aimed to develop and investigate the effect of application of indigenous skin coating materials for kinnow fruit, which surely would have superior effect on shelf stability and an attractive alternate for inedible coatings. Economical and underutilized sources were explored for this purpose. Eight different formulations were developed to check their suitability through various physico-chemical analyses. It was concluded that edible coating prepared from corn starch, stearic acid, jojoba oil and monoglycerides (T 8 ) was observed best in terms of physico-chemical properties of fruits and significantly increased the shelf life.


This comic shows the importance of understanding and undertaking public engagement with responsiveness. Research driven by the commitment to engage with different stakeholders reflects a principle where we all learn by creating and sharing knowledge.


[Objective] To investigate the causes and prevention of delayed post-operative hemorrhage after laparoscopic thyroidectomy via breast approach.[Methods] From March 2002 to April 2010,laparoscopic thyroidectomy were performed on 1600 patients.2 of the patients happened delayed hemorrhage after the surgery.These two cases were reviewed and analyzed for the causes of delayed post-operative hemorrhage and the possible prevention for it.[Results] There were two cases of delayed post-operative hemorrhage.1 patient received laparoscopic subtotal thyroidectomy and small arterial bleeding happened 4 days after the surgery.Another patient received laparoscopic near-total thyroidectomy and the post-operative hemorrhage happened 9 days after the surgery while the patient was loudly speaking.These two cases required emergency surgery.Result of surgical hemostasis,achieved by suturing and ligation,were both satisfying.[Conclusions] Surgeons must be familiar with the surgical anatomy of the thyroid region,and the hemostatic effect by using harmonic scalpel.One should be cautious while sealing the vessels with harmonic scalpel,adequate hemostasis should be achieved.Two weeks after the surgery,patients should be advised to ingest food which is not too hot and could be easily swallowed.Loud speaking and consistent coughing as well as vigorous movement of the neck should be avoided.Bed rest is critical for prevention of delayed post-operative hemorrhage.


In this short expository note we revisit elementary coding constructions (shortening, puncturing, and the duality between them) as part of some analogue of Riemann-Roch theory. This allows to present Riemann-Roch, Serre duality, Cli ord, and gap and gonality sequence theorems for linear codes, and more generally for matroids. As an illustration, a proof of Wei's duality for higher weights is reinterpreted in this framework.


Collaborative filtering is one of most important technologies in the field of recommender systems, the process of making predictions about user preferences for products or services by learning known user-item relationships. In this paper, slope one and item-based nearest neighbor collaborative filtering algorithms are analyzed on the Movie Lens dataset. In order to obtain better accuracy and rationality, a new combined approach is proposed that takes advantages of slope one and item-based nearest neighbor model. In addition, simple gradient descent and bias effects are used further to improve performance. Finally, some experiments are implemented on the dataset, and the experimental results show that the proposed final solution achieves great improvement of prediction accuracy when compared to the method of using slope one or item-based nearest neighbor model alone.


Balance of plant issues for the current baseline EU near-term demonstration power plant design (DEMO) have been assessed for the first time by exploratory power cycle modeling considering both Rankine (water/steam-based) and Brayton (helium-based) cycles, together with examination of the technology readiness, precedence and risk for components within each power cycle option. Fixed primary circuit designs were considered for DEMO with the assumption of near-term, ITER-like components with operational temperatures dictated by material performance. Cycle simulations indicate Rankine cycles are able to meet the required net plant efficiency target of 25% via incorporation of the divertor heat in the cycle with reheat and feed heating. By contrast, for the operational temperatures proposed, Brayton cycles offer very low plant efficiencies and cannot meet the electrical output target. A technology assessment demonstrates that the required water/steam-based plant for the Rankine cycle offers substantial operational precedence and low levels of technical risk for key components. Helium-based plant instead presents increased risk and limited component precedence, at these powers, for both the primary blanket circuit and any secondary Brayton cycle applications.


Summary This paper reviews research on marketing in China by examining publications in leading English language academic journals from 1978 to 1998. It summarizes the papers that have been published, identifies the contributing individuals and institutions, examines the importance these journals have given to China-related marketing research, and compares the research with research published in leading journals in other business disciplines. The paper concludes by discussing the future of research on marketing in China. Future reviews should include research on marketing in China published in leading Chinese language academic journals.


THE quickening FIRST of HALF the reform of the and nineteenth humanitarian century movements saw a decided in quickening of the reform and humanitarian movements in the Society of Friends. Springing from the deep conviction that each individual possessed inside himself some small part of God, the concerns of Friends arose wherever this divine-human relationship was being violated. The movements for prison reform in England, for abolition of the cruelty and injustice of slavery, and for fairer treatment of the Indians in America, were largely the work of men driven by the inexorable Quaker conscience. Of all the testimonies that Friends have held, the one of most lasting significance, perhaps, has been the peace testimony. From the day when George Fox turned down a captaincy in the Parliamentary army to the present, war has been for Friends the supreme violation of that of God in every man. During this period of reform there was something of a change in the Quaker attitude toward the peace testimony. The negative idea that they should keep themselves wholly apart from wars and fightings began to be transformed into a positive attempt to eliminate the causes of conflict. The seeds of war in poverty, oppression, and misunderstanding must be removed, if the violence growing out of them was ever to be checked.


A semi-recurrent hybrid VAE-GAN model for generating sequential data is introduced. In order to consider the spatial correlation of the data in each frame of the generated sequence, CNNs are utilized in the encoder, generator, and discriminator. The subsequent frames are sampled from the latent distributions obtained by encoding the previous frames. As a result, the dependencies between the frames are maintained. Two testing frameworks for synthesizing a sequence with any number of frames are also proposed. The promising experimental results on piano music generation indicates the potential of the proposed framework in modelling other sequential data such as video.


Effects of thyroidectomy and thyroxine supplement were studied on amino acid incorporation into secretory granules obtained from rat anterior pituitary slices incubated with alanine-14C in vitro.Thyroidectomy stimulated the incorporation of alanine into TSH-rich granules specifically, and this stimulation was suppressed by thyroxine administration.The same suppressive effect was seen when T4 was added to pituitary slices in vitro.Since T4 dose administered in vivo or in vitro was in the range of physiological level, the effect mentioned above could be considered to be of physiological significance.It was assumed that pituitary TSH synthesis is continuously carried on under the influence of circulating thyroid hormone level, and through this mechanism the feed-back relationships are maintained, at least partly, between the thyroid and the anterior pituitary.


It was observed that passive anaphylaxis in rats and mice is not accompanied by mast cell damage or histamine release and does not duplicate the full picture of active anaphylaxis in these species. Furthermore, pretreatment with Bordetella pertussis although enhancing mast cell damage and histamine release in active anaphylaxis of rats and mice does not induce these phenomena in passive anaphylaxis. It was also observed that injection of soluble antigen-antibody complexes in rats and mice also do not reproduce the mast cell damage and histamine release found in active anaphylaxis.

It is suggested that the mast cell damage and histamine release in active anaphylaxis of rats and mice is due to non-precipitating antibodies of an unknown nature and that anaphylaxis in passively sensitized rats and mice is the consequence of interaction of antigen with precipitating antibodies which do not lead to mast cell damage or histamine release in these species. It is also suggested that in active sensitization of rats and mice B. pertussis acts by stimulating the production of antibodies that are very efficient in inducing mast cell lysis on reaction with antigen. The possible role of soluble antigen-antibody complexes in passive anaphylaxis of these species is considered.


This paper describes a new videosonde designed for providing shape and size of raindrops. It makes use of a CCD camera and image processing to acquire image sequence, to detect raindrops, to segment and measure shape and size of each detected particle. Depth is obtained by one fixed camera with 2 lights, which is a key feature of the video sonde. Raindrops are detected by their 2 shadows. As no model are accurate to represent raindrops, image processing uses a-contrario method for detection, and constraint filtering for matching. Results are evaluated on glass ball and real rain simulator.


The value of topical administration of antimicrobial agents to prevent irradiation mucositis of the oral cavity and oropharynx was investigated in this pilot study. Thirty-six patients receiving radiotherapy for head and neck cancer were included. Lozenges containing polymyxin E, tobramycin, and amphotericin B (PTA-lozenges) were administered during and after the course of irradiation to eradicate gram-negative bacilli and yeasts. Mucosal reactions and dysphagia were assessed and oropharyngeal cultures were obtained. Thirty-six patients treated in a previous period served as controls. Sixteen of the 36 patients in each group received irradiation predominantly to the oral mucosa. Confluent mucositis was observed in only 1 of 16 patients receiving PTA-lozenges but in 10 of the 16 patients of the control group (P = 0.001). Average duration of mucositis was also less with PTA-lozenges as well as dysphagia. Mucosal reactions and dysphagia in the patients who had mainly oropharyngeal mucosa in the treatment volume were not reduced. Persistent colonization by gram-negative bacilli occurred in only three patients. It is concluded that topical administration of polymyxin E, tobramycin, and amphotericin B may reduce irradiation mucositis of the oral cavity. The underlying mechanism must be further elucidated. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.