Objective To investigate the clinical effect of psychological care for spinal cord injured patients with hope and disappointment theory.Method Psychological care and health education of 48 spinal cord injured patients were given by hope and disappointment theory.Results These psychological nursing care methods helped the patients out the mood of disappointment,arose the confidents and hope of life,and decreased the rate of complications.Conclusion Psychological care for spinal cord injured patients by hope and disappointment theory is an effective method to accelerate their psychological and physical healing.


Grazing of fluorescent latex beads, bacteria, and various species of phytoplankton by Poterioochromonas malhamensis (Pringsheim) Peterfi (about 8.0 μm in diameter) was surveyed. The alga ingested fluorescent beads and various live or killed and nomnotile or motile organisms including bacteria, blue‐green algae, green algae, diatoms, and chrysomonads. The size range of grazed prey was from 0.1 to 6.0 μm for latex beads and from 1.0 μm (bacteria) to about 21 μm (Carteria inverse) for organisms. As many as 17 latex beads (2.0 μm) or more than 10 Microcystis cells (5–6 μm) were ingested by a single P. malhamensis cell. Following such grazing, the cell increased in volume by up to about 30‐fold. The range of cell volume of ingested prey was from 0.52 μm3 (bacteria) to about 3178 μm3(Carteria inversa). This study demonstrates for the first time that P. malhamensis is capable of grazing algae 2–3 times larger in diameter than its own cell and of grazing intact motile algae. Poterioochromonas malhamensis is an omnivorous grazer. Food vacuole formation and digestion processes were examined. The membrane that was derived from the plasma membrane and surrounded the prey disappeared sometime after ingestion. The food vacuole was then formed by successive fusion of numerous homogeneous vesicles accumulated around the prey. The prey was enclosed in a single membrane‐bound food vacuole and then digested.


A transmission line is discussed for application in an underwater spark-discharge technique in the cleaning of a horizontal well by incorporating a power-transmission model into the simulation. The pulsed-spark-discharge technique has been proposed for clogged-well rehabilitation, because it removes incrustations that are attached to well screens by using strong pressure waves that are generated by the rapid expansion of a spark channel. To apply the pulsed-spark-discharge technique to the cleaning of horizontal wells, the coaxial cable between the pulsed power supply and the spark gap as a load needs to be extended to a few hundred meters. Prior to field application, pulsed-spark-discharge experiments were conducted and the role of the transmission line was examined using an improved simulation model. In the model, a non-linear interaction of the spark channel and the capacitor bank is described by the pulse-forming action of the coaxial cable. Based on the accurate physical properties of the water plasm...


The Monument No. 2 site consisted of a large open-pit mine, an upgrader, a concentrator and a heap leaching operation. Ore from the mine as well as products from other operations were shipped to mills for further processing and are included in the production totals. Unpublished records of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) indicate the Monument No. 2 site produced more uranium during its procurement program (1947-1970) than any other mine in the State of Arizona. Production tonnage in published records ranged from 773,132 tons in Gregg and Evensen (1989) to 766,998 tons in Scarborough (1981). The purpose of this report is to give a summary of the production history of the site and to present what is believed to be the correct total as the result of researching existing records.


We study the gravitational wave (GW) signature in the doublet left-right symmetric model (DLRSM) resulting from the strong first-order phase transition (SFOPT) associated with $SU(2)_R\times U(1)_{B-L}$-breaking. For different values of the symmetry-breaking scale $v_R =20,~30$, and $50$ TeV, we construct the one-loop finite temperature effective potential to explore the parameter space for regions showing SFOPT. We identify the region where the associated stochastic GW background is strong enough to be detected at planned GW observatories. A strong GW background favors a relatively light neutral CP-even scalar $H_{3}$, arising from the $SU(2)_R$ doublet. The $SU(2)_L$ subgroup of DLRSM is broken by three vevs: $\kappa_1,~\kappa_2$, and $v_L$. We observe a preference for $\mathcal{O}(1)$ values of the ratio $w=v_L/\kappa_1$, but no clear preference for the ratio $r=\kappa_2/\kappa_1$. A large number of points with strong GW background can be ruled out from precise measurement of the trilinear Higgs coupling and searches for $H_3$ at future colliders.


Objectives | The main purpose is to analyze the role of tourism in the economic and functional organization of small historical towns. The survival and development of these towns are very important in many European countries because a significant proportion of the population lives in these places. Within Europe, Italy is the country of small towns for excellence: about half of the population (47.3%) live in cities with less than 20,000 inhabitants. The aim is to show that tourism can play a major role in the preservation and development of small towns because their tourist magnetism tends to grow over time; magnetism founded on several factors: history and culture, landscape and environment, urban morphology and architecture, festivals and crafts. And the preservation of these sites helps to save the landscape, the collective memory and the local and national identity.


A varactor-based tunable diplexer with wide tuning range is proposed in this paper. The proposed diplexer consists of two varactor-loaded open-loop resonator filters. Size reduction and wide tuning range are achieved by using the varactor-loaded open-loop resonator. A simple microstrip T junction at the input and two filters responsible for the respective passbands is applied. Simulated insertion loss of our designed diplexer is obtained between 1.3 to 2.1 and 1.2 to 2.7 dB over the tuning range for Tx and Rx channels filter bands, respectively. Both filters exhibit better than 30 dB rejection in the passband of its counterpart. The varactor diode attached to both filters allow 48% and 50% center frequency tunbility in Tx and Rx filters bands, respectively.


We investigated the structural variation and the concomitant change in the emission characteristics of hot-filament chemical-vapor-deposition-grown nanostructured carbon films induced by the addition of ammonia to source gases. At low ammonia concentrations the film morphology was dominated by carbon nanoparticles encapsulating metal and/or carbide cores. As the ammonia concentration was increased nanotube density increased, and in the medium ammonia-concentration range nanotubes dominated the film morphology. However, at 80% of ammonia concentration the number of nanotubes decreased substantially and nanoparticles became the dominant species again. The diameter, length, and shape of nanotubes also showed systematic ammonia-concentration- dependent variations, while the nanoparticle size did not change significantly. Another important variation was found in the quality of carbon layers constituting the carbon nanoparticles and nanotubes. As more and more ammonia was added to the source gas, large structur...


Objective To analyze the syphilis infection of voluntary blood donors in Shaoguan city from January 2008 to December 2012,to provide a basis for the future to take precautionary measures to ensure blood safety.Methods Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit to check blood donors treponema pallidum (TP) antibodies,and analyze the epidemiological characteristics of syphilis infection.Results 129,504 voluntary blood donors TP antibodies were detected,positive rate of 0.71%,showed an increasing trend.The difference between the voluntary donors gender did not show significant difference (P>0.05) ; different age groups,different education,household type,marital status,voluntary blood donors prevalence difference was significantly different (P<0.01).Conclusion The Shaoguan area blood donation syphilis infection rates upward trend

Key words:
Voluntary blood donation;  Syphilis;  Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay


Please note that as part of the production process, APS converts all articles, regardless of their original source, into standardized XML that in turn is used to create the PDF and online versions of the article as well as to populate third-party systems such as Portico, Crossref, and Web of Science. We share our authors' high expectations for the fidelity of the conversion into XML and for the accuracy and appearance of the final, formatted PDF. This process works exceptionally well for the vast majority of articles; however, please check carefully all key elements of your PDF proof, particularly any equations or tables.


In the present study a biomonitoring surveys has been performed in many different active volcanic systems: Mt. Etna and Vulcano (Italy), Nisyros (Greece), Nyiragongo (DRC), Masaya (Nicaragua), Gorely (Kamchatka, Russia). We sampled leaves of different species Betulla aethnensis, Pinus nigra, Populus tremula, Senecio aethnensis and Rumex aethnensis on Etna, Cistus creticus and salvifolius on Vulcano and Nisyros, Senecio ssp. on Nyiragongo, a Fern on Masaya and Salix arctica at Gorely. All samples were analyzed by ICP-MS and ICP-OES for 49 elements after acid digestion with a microwave oven (HNO3 + H2O2). Major constituents in leaves are K, Ca, Mg, Na, Si, Al and Fe ranging from about 10 3 to 105 ppm. Manganesium, Sr, Rb, Ba, Zn, B, Cu show also relatively high concentrations (100-103 ppm) while the remaining elements (As, Bi, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Ga, Li, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sc, Se, Th, Tl, U, V, Y and lanthanide series) display much lower values (10-4-101 ppm). Nearly all investigated elements show their highest concentrations in the samples collected closest to the main degassing vents (open craters, fumarolic fields). Increased concentrations are also found in the samples collected in the downwind direction where volcanic emissions are prevailingly dispersed.


Respondents identified in a representative community sample as alcoholics, persons with chronic stomach trouble, and persons with 'neither pathology were re-interviewed with their spouses in the current study. Women in the alcoholic and comparison groups were asked a series of childhood symptom questions about their children. More symptomatology was reported for the children of alcoholics, corroborating the frequent general observations about the detrimental effect of parental alcoholism on children.


In anticipation of diminishing narcotism of 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexahydro-8-hydroxy-2,6-methano-3-benzazocine opioids, the corresponding 2,6-epithio-3-benzazocines have been synthesized by intramolecular cyclization of 1-(2-aminoethyl)-3,4-dihydro-1H-2-benzothiopyrans with tert-butyl hypochlorite, and subsequent treatment of the 5-membered cyclic aminosulfonium salts with NaOH


LABOR is A RESOURCE and TIME is A RESOURCE, as we do in our culture, we tend not to see them as metaphors at all" (66); "Where the purposes won't mix, the metaphors won't mix" (95); "Metaphor unites reason and imagination" (193); the notion of "negotiating meaning" (231). Unfortunately, the authors never get beyond generalities in formulating these insights. And so, while they rightly claim that regularities of linguistic form cannot be explained in formal terms alone, i.e., syntax is not independent of meaning (138), their own analysis is neither necessary nor pertinent to the syntactic-semantic description of linguistic data; it is analysis of metaphors as metaphors. Even on these terms, there are frequently points with which one would argue. So, for example, in the opening pages, where the ARGUMENT IS WAR metaphor and the hypothetical ARGUMENT IS DANCE metaphor are discussed, Lakoff and Johnson claim that "a portion of the conceptual network of battle partially characterizes the concept of an argument, and the language follows suit" (7). But this is surely a confusion of cause and effect; it is because language can follow suit,i.e., because there is potential to transfer and apply numerous features of the concept of war to the concept of argument, that the metaphor was adopted in the first place. There is no such potential for the ARGUMENT IS DANCE metaphor. Elsewhere, it is simply not true, as Lakoff and Johnson claim, that the entailments of the CONDUIT metaphor (It 's hard to get that idea across, etc.) mask the nature of the communicative process; they merely favour a concept of meaning which is not admissible as the sole or primary one. This last example, incidentally, illustrates Lakoff and Johnson's predilection for taking examples of usage where the topic is language itself. This tendency reaches its full potential for confusing the reader in the discussion of the CLOSENESS IS STRENGTH OF EFFECT metaphor (128ff.), where the metaphor is part of both topic and comment.


In this paper, we aim at assessing the complexity and resilience of the European Transmission Power Grid (ETPG) following a data science approach. We consider open data related to energy policies and infrastructural and economic variables, together with ETPG reliability data (i.e., major failures and blackout data) of most European countries, considering data from a period of 14 years' (2002 – 2014). A Data Science approach is used to understand spatio-temporal patterns of failures and blackouts of the ETPG along the different countries and periods. A combination of clustering methods with post-processing interpretation techniques and complex networks analysis is applied to understand the factors associated with blackouts and failures in the different regions and temporal periods. An innovative approach in the field of multivariate time series is used to introduce additional covariables into the analysis, by completing the blackout data with additional open data related to energy policies and infrastructural and economic variables. Adding contextual information to time series contribute to a better understanding of the phenomenon. Our results offer a novel approach to understand the relation between these variables and to improve our ability to maintain and guarantee the ETPG's resilience, defined by its structural integrity, security of supply and transport efficiency.


ABSTRACT This article explores the crossover between the history of education and the history of childhood. The emergence of state-sponsored national schooling, institutions for juvenile delinquents, home-schooling and expanding higher education were legal and social manifestations of cultural assumptions concerning the needs of children and projections of futurity that accompanied childhood. Several avenues ripe for collaboration between historians of childhood and education are proposed, including a move towards transnational and globalised history, a renewed attention to socialisation and a return to the school as a source for children's writing and activities. In doing so it can be seen how educational practices and pedagogical beliefs regarding the nature of children reveal the underlying logic that governs modern categories of belonging and difference particularly in reference to the British and Ottoman empires.


Background: Fulvestrant is a pure anti-estrogen hormonal agent formally lacking any estrogen-agonist activity. We analyze the effect(s) of fulvestrant treatment on estrogen target systems in hormone-sensitive advanced breast cancer patients. Methods: Fifty-one patients (median age 65 [range 48 - 82] years) were enrolled. All patients received previous hormonal treatments, with 90.2% receiving ≥2 courses. Last hormonal treatment was exemestane, letrozole, anastrozole and other in 30-10-7-4/51 patients respectively. Median withdrawal time was 18 days (range 3–1456). Complete fasting lipid blood profile and coagulation indices were assessed before fulvestrant administration, every 3 months and at discontinuation time. Endometrial mucosa thickness was evaluated before fulvestrant administration and at end-study time. Results: Patients received a median of 5 fulvestrant injections (range 3-19). We observed a partial response in one patient, disease stability in 21 and disease progression in 29 patients with a clinical benefit of 43.2% and a median time to progression of 5 [range 3-20] months. Total cholesterol levels significantly decreased during treatment (219.8 ± 45.3 vs 201.4 ± 42.1 mg/dl; p = 0.0054) together with LDL-cholesterol (129.7 ± 41.39 vs 112.3 ± 37.1 mg/dl; p = 0.018). HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides did not show significant changes. Reduction of total and LDL-cholesterol was independent from last hormonal treatment or treatment duration. All coagulation indices and mean endometrial mucosa thickness value did not vary. Conclusions: we observed a lipid lowering effect of fulvestrant possibly related to an influence on lipid metabolism by a mechanism in which a role could be played by progesterone receptor.


Parliamentary libraries serve members of parliament in the execution of their legislative, representational and oversight duties. In many cases, such libraries also serve citizens, for example, by disseminating information about legislation being debated or passed. In 2015, the IFLA Section on Library and Research Services for Parliaments (IFLAPARL), in partnership with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), published the Guidelines for Parliamentary Research Services. The Guidelines were a response to numerous requests over the years from others who sought advice on how to develop a research service for their parliaments. This paper presents general results from two surveys on the use of the Guidelines since it was published.


Traffic jams constitute an important problem in the cities. Before improving or modifying the infrastructure and the traffic equipments, it seems necessary to evaluate and to measure their impacts on the traffic system on the capacity as well as on the safety. The evaluation of the proposed solutions can be done by tools such as microscopic traffic simulation models, provided that the studied solution deals with local phenomena. But to study the local traffic situations it would seem necessary to take into account the driver's behaviors. Nevertheless, in many traffic studies, the authors introduce normative behaviors in their models, e.g. they follow the rules from the highway code. Unfortunately, the drivers behaviors are not normative, moreover in some crossroad situations they can established their informal rules which can differ from the established ones. Not to take into account the driver's behavior in the crossroad modeling is a barrier for a better use of the traffic simulation models. Our aim in this paper is to present a model where the driver's behavior is based on a larger view of its environment, and thus to propose a new mechanism focused on both the resolution of the conflicts at the crossroad and the management of the longitudinal space, e.g. the space in the front of the simulated driver. This mechanism allows the storage at the center of the intersection independently of the equipment.


The teleoperator retrieval system vehicle was designed to reboost and/or deorbit the Skylab; however, usefulness in survey, stabilization, retrieval and delivery was examined. Thrusters, designed for cold gas propulsion, were adapted to hydrazine propulsion. Design specifications and cost analysis are given.


Disclosed is a beam pumping unit with motorised and manual balancing, comprising a power machine (1), a speed reducer (2), a crank (3), a connecting rod (4), a walking beam (5), a support (6), a horse head (7) and a base (8), wherein the power machine, the speed reducer and the support are fixedly mounted on the base; the crank is mounted on a power output shaft of the speed reducer; the lower end of the connecting rod is hinged to the crank; the walking beam capable of oscillating up and down is hinged to the top end of the support by means of a middle support bearing seat; the top end of the connecting rod is hinged to the left part of the walking beam; the horse head is fixedly mounted on the right end of the walking beam; a beam hanger is mounted on the horse head; and a suspended arm is mounted on the left end of the walking beam. A drive apparatus for a weight adjusting apparatus moves the mobile-type weight adjusting apparatus forwards and backwards on the suspended arm, altering the moment of the weight box, balancing the suspended load and thereby improving balancing efficiency and effects of the whole machine.


Abstract The distribution, free concentration and metabolism of drugs can be significantly altered as a result of binding to albumin. At the same time, the conformational of serum albumin was also changed by interaction with low molecular weight drugs. In present work, we first equilibrated HSA in aqueous solution to obtain the solvated-HSA model. Further solvated-HSA was performed molecular docking with paclitaxel to find the binding sites. The two docking HSA-paclitaxel complexes were obtained and further equilibrated by a 12 ns MD simulation. Then, MMPBSA method was used to investigate the binding free energy of them. Finally, we correlated the fluctuations of residues with corresponding changes in the secondary structure by dssp method. Two binding sites of paclitaxel were found on HSA having considered the solvation effect. More hydrogen bonds were formed at site I respected to site II. A larger binding energy for primary binding also indicated that paclitaxel showed higher binding affinity mainly due to the stronger hydrogen bonding interactions. There was a significant difference between the two complexes on structure according to the dssp results. Moreover, structure of the binding sites exhibited more fluctuations after binding paclitaxel compared with other regions. Paclitaxel binding also induced distinct conformational changes in drug binding site even when it was empty and have contributed to a reduced binding capacity of HSA towards adriamycin.


To study one unit repairable system with single repairman vacation,a kind of new maintenance and replacement model is proposed.Supposing that the system is repairable,the successive survival time of the system constitutes a decreasing geometric process stochastically,while the consecutive repair time of the system constitutes an increasing geometric process.Under the conditions that the repairman vacation time is respectively random variable and constant,replacement policy is considered based on the working age T and the failure number N for the system and the long-run expected downtime per unit time as objective function is chosen,and mathematic models is established by using renewal process and geometric process theory,the explicit expressions of the objective function are derived.According to the difference of objective functions,the optimal replacement policy T~* and N~* are obtained by minimizing the objective function or setting downtime limit.Finally,two simulation examples are given to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.


In a Minskian world, the "moment" occurs after a cumulative process toward financial instability. Minsky argued that during a sustained boom, an upward revision of profit expectations should lead to higher leverage ratios and greater risk taking. In this article, I investigate whether the balance sheet of the nonfinancial corporate sector, which plays a central role in Minsky's theory, exhibited any such patterns. I conclude that the nonfinancial corporate sector did not move toward a more precarious position, hence the properties that must exist for a "Minsky moment" are absent.


Abstract Placing a new interpretive plaque on an old monument or popping it into a museum is often held up by historians as a satisfactory resolution to awkward history. But this defence of out dated monuments as heritage smooths over past historical injustices rather than confronts them. It also offers a way to defend other yet to be contested monuments. This essay responds to contributions to the contextualisation of the Statue Wars presented in this issue and how these historians address such flashpoints of history.


The Berangkat Pluton of the Stong Complex can be divided into three units, namely Sg. Lah Granite, Bertam Granodiorite and Dabong Tonalite. The subdivision is based on distinct differences in rock type and distribution, petrography and geochemistry. Sg. Lah Monzodiorite is the core of the pluton and it consists of monzonite to quartz monzonite, has good porphyritic texture with random distribution of K-feldspar and is dark grey in colour. Bertam Granodiorite is the dominant rock unit and is light grey to dark grey in colour. It is moderately porphyritic and medium to coarse-grained. Dabong Tonalite occurs as an localize isolated body. It is found at the northeast of Berangkat Pluton and consists of medium-grained biotite hornblende tonalite to granodiorite. It has isogranular texture, light grey in colour and alignment of minerals is well developed. All units are classified as metaluminous rock and belong to the shonshonitic series. They are interpreted to have crystalized from one magma source.


This thesis focuses on the issues of food donation in the Czech Republic. It aims to identify preferences on the form of donation as related to the age, sex, education and social status of the donor. It also studies the donors' motivation for charitable activities, attitude of the respondents to wasting food in their households, their willingness to contribute to a food collection and whether they prefer to donate specific gifts or to contribute finances. The results of this work will help the organizers of collections to become more efficient when approaching potential donors. Our work and its informational and research character aims to ensure that charitable activities become a part of everyday life for all people.


The goal of this paper is to present in the field of the Multiple Criteria or Multi-attribute ranking problems some new ranking methods using multiple weights and random alternative evaluations, which could be employed particularly in various medical applications. We illustrate and apply these ranking procedures for multi-criteria evaluating and ranking a set of medical offices. Each of these methods is numerically illustrated and the correlations between the results obtained by different methods are presented. Some conclusions concerning the influence of some particular criterion on the global evaluation are presented.


The Starfire Optical Range (SOR) division of the Air Force Research Laboratory operates a 3.5m aperture telescope system near Albuquerque, New Mexico. The SOR conducts advanced research into adaptive optics and the imaging of space objects. September of 1997 saw the 'first light' for a 941 actuator adaptive optics system for this 3.5m telescope.


We present a novel low-complexity digital filter-based backpropagation (DFBP) technique to compensate the nonlinear distortions induced by a wavelength converter based on four-wave mixing in a semiconductor optical amplifier. We first develop the DFBP based on a small-signal approximation and probe performance via numerical simulations. We also experimentally demonstrate that application of DFBP to wavelength conversion of 10 Gbaud 16-QAM and 5 Gbaud 64-QAM signals significantly improves the error-vector magnitude and the bit error rate when the wavelength converted signal is limited by the nonlinear distortions.


This paper analyzes the problems existing in teaching English pronunciation to sports English majors.On the basis of actual teaching practice,it points out the problems existing in students' learning of English pronunciation and in teachers' teaching of English pronunciation,and puts forward some effective countermeasures.


TPS108 Background: Trastuzumab-associated cardiotoxicity leads to morbidity and a potentially less optimal treatment in a part of patients (pts) adjuvantly treated for HER2+ breast cancer (BC). Interventions that reduce the chance to develop this toxicity are needed. Drugs interfering with the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, e.g. angiotensin II-receptor blockers (ARB), are used to treat various types of cardiac dysfunction. The aim of this study is to investigate whether ARB treatment can ameliorate or prevent trastuzumab-associated cardiotoxicity during adjuvant treatment for HER2+ BC, thereby reducing treatment-related morbidity in pts with early BC. Methods: In this multicenter, double blind study (EUDRACT 2006-001707-11), women with early HER2+ BC are randomized between treatment with ARB (candesartan 32 mg once daily) or placebo. Inclusion-criteria: age ≥ 18 yrs, adjuvant regimen with anthracycline followed by trastuzumab, Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF) ≥ 50% prior to treatment, adeq...


An attempt has been made to model the plane-strain fracture toughness, K Ic, in Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloy forgings subjected to overageing. The proposed model, based on the multiple micromechanisms, reveals the quantitative relations between fracture toughness, fraction of all fracture modes and microstructural parameters associated with multiscale-sized second-phase particles and precipitate-free zones. The new model is validated by the present quantitative data of microstructural and fractographic analysis performed along with mechanical tests on hot-forged plates in T73 condition. The relevant parameters changed by the compositional variations were determined in two orientations. It was found that the predicted K Ic values represent the tendency of fracture toughness change well. The new model provides better agreement for the case of dominant transgranular fracture mode.


The quantification of methane (CH4) emissions from global rice paddies is still highly uncertain. The extrapolation of CH4 release rates from point measurements to regional level or empirically correlating methane emission rates with a few factors (e.g., temperature and rice primary production) is unlikely to yield reliable results. Reducing the uncertainties in estimates of current CH4 emission and predicting its future change require a process model to simulate CH4 emissions from various paddyland environments. CH4 emission is an ecosystem process closely coupled to plant growth and soil organic matter decomposition. In this study a methane emission model was developed based on supplies of carbon substrate for methanogens by rice primary production and soil organic matter degradation, direct environmental controls on methanogenesis, and the balance between CH4 production and consumption by methanotrophic oxidation. A validation of the model indicated its reasonable ability to calculate CH4 emission rates and their seasonal variations. The model, when coupled with supporting data sets, would complement spatial and dynamic analysis of CH4 emissions from rice paddies in the framework of climate-plant-soil interactions.


ABSTRACT Objective: In the literature, some studies show a relation between tooth agenesis and craniofacial morphology, whereas other authors conclude that dental agenesis exerts little influence on dent facial structures. The objective of this study was to determine the existence of any relation between bilateral agenesis of the maxillary and/or mandibular third molars and the anteroposterior dimensions and vertical growth pattern of the jaws. Subjects and Methods: Sixty-eight subjects between the ages of 13 and 17 years with bilateral agenesis of maxillary third molars (group I, n=37), bilateral agenesis of the mandibular third molars (group II, n=19), and agenesis of all third molars (group III, n=12) as well as 33 subjects without third molar agenesis (group IV) were selected from the radiology archive. A before and after treatment orthopantomograph and the pretreatment cephalometric radiograph of the subjects were used. Several angular and linear parameters representing the anteroposterior dimensions...


The utility model discloses a self-balance type mechanical sealing device, which comprises a movable ring (4), a stationary ring (5), a plurality of springs (8) and a drive sleeve (7) which is fixed on a shaft (14) through a fastening screw (9), wherein the working face of the movable ring (4) is attached to the working face of the stationary ring (5), a plurality of spring holes (13) for placing the springs (8) are arranged on the drive sleeve (7), a drive pin (10) is assembled on the drive sleeve (7), the tail outer wall of the movable ring (4) and the inner cavity of the drive sleeve (7) can form sliding surfaces which are mutually matched, a movable ring O-shaped ring (3) is arranged between the movable ring (4) and the drive sleeve (7), the springs (8) are supported between the spring holes (13) and the movable ring (4), a drive pin hole (12) is arranged on the movable ring (4), and one end of the drive pin (10) is arranged in the drive pin hole (12). The self-balance type mechanical sealing device not only can guarantee the sealing faces of the movable ring and the stationary ring to receive even force, but also has strong temperature resistant impact and small deformation, thereby avoiding the dropping of the movable ring.


Acrylic bone cements are used rather extensively in orthopedic and spinal applications. The incorporation of calcium phosphate additives to bone cements, to induce osteoconductivity, have typically resulted in increased cement viscosity, decreased handling, and detrimental effects of the mechanical performance of the cement. Additionally, bioactive bone cements are offered at a premium cost, which limits clinical use of these materials. The goal of this study was to examine and characterize an alternative two-solution poly (methyl Methacrylate) (PMMA) bone cement (referred to as TSBC), after incorporation of several calcium phosphate additives and antimicrobials. These bioactive and antimicrobial two-solution cements were designed to have adjustable properties that meet specific requirements of orthopedic applications. The addition of a bioactive agent would lead to increased levels of bone reformation after surgery, while an antibiotic within the cement would decrease the ability for pathogens to grow in the interface between the bone and new implant. TSBC is a pre-mixed bone cement that exhibits a combination of attractive properties including high strength, adjustable viscosity, adequate exothermal properties, as well as offering the possibility of using the same batch multiple times. The addition of antibiotics has not been previously explored in two-solution bone cements. Therefore, it is desirable to induce antibacterial activity with this formulation. Hydroxyapatite (Ca5(PO4)3(OH)), Brushite (CaHPO4•2H2O), and Tricalcium Phosphate (Ca3(PO4)2)(TCP) were incorporated into the TSBC in varying concentrations (25 and 50 wt%), and the rheological characteristics were examined to verify the feasibility of adding high concentrations of fillers to this cement formulation. Results demonstrated that unlike commercial powder-liquid formulations, calcium phosphate additives in TSBC do not detrimentally affect handling and the rheological properties of the material, while also providing maintenance of cement strength and other physical properties. TSBC material spends a dramatically increased amount of time in the swelling phase, as compared to powder-liquid formulations and thus is better suited to incorporate additives fully into its polymer matrix. Current two-solution bone cements do not contain any osteoconductive or antimicrobial agents. This study investigated the effects of addition of these bioactive agents in the physical and mechanical properties of the cement. Cement porosity was investigated to ensure that the porous nature of the bioactive cement does not damage the mechanical stability of the material. Further imaging will be conducted to demonstrate the improved osteointegration of these bioactive cement with osteoblasts (Figure 1). Degradation studies have been conducted to validate the biodegradable properties of the bioactive components and antibiotics release profile. It is further hypothesized that the degradation time will correlate to the antimicrobial activity. As the cement is replaced with natural bone, more and more antimicrobial will become exposed to the physiologic environment causing a continuous antimicrobial release as the material is partially replaced with new bone over time. Antimicrobial effectiveness and antimicrobial release studies are under-way to illustrate the cements ability to restrict growth at the cement surface, as well as show the antimicrobial release profile over time.


Partial molar heat capacities (text-decoration:overlineC0p2) and volumes (text-decoration:overlineV02) of some nucleic acid bases, nucleosides and nucleotides in 1, 3 and 6 mol kg–1 aqueous urea solutions have been measured using a dynamic-flow microcalorimeter and a vibrating-tube digital densimeter, respectively. The corresponding heat capacity and volume transfer parameters from water to aqueous urea solutions have been used to understand the nature of interactions between the constituents of nucleic acids and urea molecules. It has been inferred that urea molecules have weaker interactions with the nucleic acid bases at low concentrations of urea. However, at high concentrations of urea, the significantly positive values of heat capacities (text-decoration:overlineC0p2, tr) and volumes of transfer (text-decoration:overlineV02, tr) indicate stronger hydrophilic–hydrophilic/ionic group interactions of the nucleic acid bases, nucleosides and nucleotides with urea and which may be responsible for the denaturation of the nucleic acid helix in high concentration aqueous urea solutions.


Abstract Buen Vivir (BV) is a holistic vision for social and environmental wellbeing, which includes alternative economic activities to the neoliberal growth economy. This article looks at how tourism initiatives under a BV approach can lead to degrowth by drawing on a case study of how BV is put into practice through tourism in the Cotacachi County in Ecuador. We argue that by degrowing socially and environmentally damaging extractive sectors and growing alternative economic activities like community-based tourism, a BV approach could increase social and environmental wellbeing. We refer to LaTouche's notion of degrowth as a matrix of multiple alternatives that will reopen the space for human creativity. This complements the notion of BV as a plural approach, and in turn works to decolonise the parameters of how we might understand degrowth. In the case of Cotacachi, the vision for tourism is based on the needs of the community, rather than to satisfy a Eurocentric ideal of development supported by a policy of extractivism. BV is key to how this community conceptualises the potentialities of tourism because it considers the wellbeing of the people and the environment. In this case, degrowth is a consequence of BV, rather than the objective.


The fabrication and structure controlling of inorganic fullerene-like nanocompounds
have attracted wide interests in recent years. A new approach of exfoliating-restacking-structure
controlling was applied to overcome some technological problems in present preparation approaches.
MoS_2 and WS_2 powders were used as precursor materials and exfoliated into single layers by
butyllithium. The sample was treated by MnCl_2 solution at 80℃ to introduce Mn~(2+) cations
into the reactive system. In this way, the single layer was restacked and the structure of product
could be controlled. The products were characterized by XRD, TEM and HRTEM respectively.
XRD results indicate that multimetal disulfide compounds can be fabricated by this new approach.
TEM results show that the morphology of the multimetal disulfide compounds exhibits hollow-
like nanotubes. HRTEM results show that the structure of the hollow-like nanotubes is of double
layers. And the substructure of the inner layer exhibits multi-wall shape. Based on the above
results, a possible formation mechanism of hollow multi-wall nanotubes was discussed.


This article briefly reviews how to construct an enzyme based hydrogen peroxide sensor involving nanomaterials, which has the advantages of high efficiency, good sensitivity and selectivity, fast response time and an extended range of linearity with lower detection limit. Glucose biosensor is constructed by immobilizing glucose oxidase enzyme on the polycarbonate membrane and the protective cover is then filled with a physiological phosphate buffer, pH 7.4. The novel blocking hydrophobic membrane which is only permeable to hydrogen peroxide is used to eliminate electrochemical interferences. This constructed enzyme based H2O2 biosensor is miniaturized by the involvement of nanomaterials like carbon nanotubes, platinum nanoparticles and silver nanoparticles and it can achieve the effective microscopic detection of glucose. The introduction of nanomaterials including some pure metals (Ag, Au, Pd, Ni, Pt, and Cu), metal oxide (ZnO and TiO2), bimetallic (Au/Ag and Au/Pt) and carbon (nanotubes and graphene) nanomaterials in the construction of the enzyme based H2O2 biosensor improves its sensitivity and performance by enhancing the enzymatic activity, and allows the introduction of many new signal transduction technologies in biosensors. This review article summarizes the working principles of glucose oxidase based hydrogen peroxide sensor, importance of involving nanomaterials in biosensor manufacturing, basic characteristics and components of a biosensor, generations glucose biosensors, procedure of making hydrogen peroxide based biosensor, synthesis of nanomaterials involved in hydrogen peroxide biosensor, and finally some examples of nanomaterials which intervene in hydrogen peroxide biosensor.


Introduces the virtual laboratory's functions and characteristics,mainly introduces the system structures and relative technologies of virtual electron Laboratory and virtual reality Laboratory,and gives developing trend.


We present an atypical case of tuberculosis in an immunocompetent man from New Delhi, India. The patient entered the hospital with pain in left hip for two months. He had a history of joint pains involving both small and large joints for past two months, which was migratory in nature. There were no constitutional symptoms of fever, night sweats, weight loss or loss of appetite. Diagnosis of tuberculosis was made by full body FDG-PETCT Scan, followed by histopathology of the biopsy from the enlarged supraclavicular lymph node. Tuberculosis cases with such presentation are rather known with immunodeficient patients. Extrapulmonary tuberculosis, especially skeletal tuberculosis is seen more frequent in young immunocompetent patients. The migratory nature of the joint pains is rather unknown in cases of skeletal tuberculosis and needs more evaluation of such cases in the future. Introduction Worldwide, TB is one of the major causes of death and the leading cause from a single infectious agent (above HIV/AIDS). The incidence and prevalence of this disease are directly related to the degree of poverty and eradication requires prevention, early diagnosis and institutional support. TB with pulmonary involvement is the most common form of presentation, and in extrapulmonary sites, lymph nodes are the most common, followed by pleural, osteoarticular, military, genitourinary, peritoneal and central nervous system involvement. Pulmonary TB can spread by contiguity, hematogenous dissemination or by swallowing infected lung secretions. TB presents with symptoms like fever, night sweats, cough (in pulmonary involvement) which may be absent at disease onset and may be productive or not, anorexia and weight loss. In case of extrapulmonary involvement, the symptoms are pertaining to the organ involved. We report a case study of disseminated tuberculosis in an immunocompetent patient where severe migratory joint pain without joint effusion was the dominating feature. Case Report A 26-year old male was admitted with a history of severe pain in his right hip, which he described to be insidious to begin with, gradually progressive in intensity, stabbing in nature and located closer to the midline. There was no history of radiation of this pain to either of the thighs. He gave a twomonth long history of multiple joint pains involving both small and large joints mainly of the left side and was migratory in nature. The small joints of left foot were involved first, followed by http://jmscr.igmpublication.org/home/ ISSN (e)-2347-176x ISSN (p) 2455-0450 DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v8i1.116


Following the January 1967 fire that took the lives of the Apollo 1 astronauts, NASA established a Senior Flammability Test Review Board.


The paper examines the clinical and psychopathological features of women with schizophrenia, who have committed socially dangerous acts against a person depending on the psychopathologic mechanism underlying the commission of an aggressive act. A comparative analysis is presented of social factors contributing to perpetration of criminal aggression by schizophrenic women.


The market economy is a kind of c redit economy.The enterprise credit is an important component in the social credit composing system.Good credit is the basis for an enterprise to settle down and get on with its life.It plays a vital role in the survival and development of an enterprise.In this paper,the writers analyzed the current credit situation and the reasons for the lack of credit of Anhui's private SMEs,and put forward some countermeasures and suggestions on how to strengthen the credit system construction of Anhui's private SMEs from different angles,on the basis of drawing on the experience of the credit system construction of the domestic private SMEs.


Abstract : The thesis investigates the transferability of an existing large expert system, FRESH, from its current arena of employment, the Command Center of the CINCPACFLT, to the Fleet Command Center of the CINCLANTFLT. The research is limited to the rules, heuristics and encoded knowledge used by the FRESH system and does cover interface issues. A literary review of expert system theory begins the thesis and analysis of the two fleets follows in succeeding chapters. System documentation is used to obtain a high level view of FRESH system rules, heuristics and encoded knowledge and these are then compared to Atlantic fleet manual procedures gained by the use of classical knowledge engineering techniques. The environment differences developed by these comparisons between the two fleets are cited and their possible implications on the systems transferability to the Atlantic fleet explored. The Thesis concludes with a suggested method of transfer to the Atlantic fleet in light of their lack of experience with automated scheduling systems and modifications to the existing system which will be required to allow its use in the Atlantic. Keywords: Theses, and Artificial intelligence.


Upcoming Sunyaev–Zel'dovich surveys are expected to return ∼104 intermediate mass clusters at high redshift. Their average masses must be known to the same accuracy as desired for the dark energy properties. Internal to the surveys, the cosmic microwave background (CMB) potentially provides a source for lensing mass measurements whose distance is precisely known and behind all clusters. We develop statistical mass estimators from six quadratic combinations of CMB temperature and polarization fields that can simultaneously recover large-scale structure and cluster mass profiles. The performance of these estimators on idealized Navarro–Frenk–White (NFW) clusters suggests that surveys with a ∼1′ beam and noise in uncontaminated temperature maps can make a ∼10σ detection, or equivalently a ∼10% mass measurement for each 103 set of clusters. With internal or external acoustic scale E-polarization measurements, the ET cross-correlation estimator can provide a stringent test for contaminants on a first detection at ∼1/3 the significance. For surveys that reach below , the EB cross-correlation estimator should provide the most precise measurements and potentially the strongest control over contaminants.


Earth observation is a key activity to mitigate and monitor the impact of the human civilization. Satellites in charge of these missions are equipped with reflectors and feeds onboard as part of the imaging devices, which gather information about the planet in many ways (land, sea, air, climate change…). This paper presents Sener Aeroespacial solution for satellites devoted to Earth Observation in the bands C, X, K and Ka.


One of the challenges in creating a 3D human knee joint model is accurately defining the area of interest. Prior studies employed simplified bone models, which could potentially compromise the precision of the analysis, posing a contemporary issue. To address this, a multi-step technique was adopted to mitigate the problem and enhance the accuracy of the human knee joint model using analytical and simulation methods. In this endeavour, healthy male knee scanning data were used to reconstruct 3D knee models. Various types of units were employed to segment different parts of the bones. The knee model comprised distinct bone components, and cartilages were created by removing and distinguishing bone layers. For representation, the knee models of a person in both a standing position and while ascending stairs were represented by linear spring elements. Extensive analysis calculations were conducted to validate these models.


Purpose: The danger of radiation at low doses continues linearly, and without a threshold, investigations concluded that although the risk of cancer from Computed Tomography (CT) scans is low, it is not zero.
This study aims to determine the patient's radiation dose and estimate the Lifetime Attributable Risk (LAR) of cancer incidence for a single chest CT scan in children.
Materials and Methods: We divided 1,105 children into four age groups: 0 years, 5 years, 10 years, and 15 years. Dosimetric data of chest CT scan were plugged in VirtualDoseCT software, and organ dose and effective dose were calculated. The cancer risk based on organ dose is estimated according to the BEIR VII report.
Results: The highest dose in boys was related to lung (5.13 - 6.8 mSv) and heart (5.27-5.97 mSv), and in girls, lung (4.98 - 5.91 mSv), breast (4.24 - 5.21 mSv), and heart (4.9 - 5.71 mSv) had the highest dose. The highest LAR (per 100,000) was obtained for the breast in the age group of 0 years (61.01), followed by the breast for the age group of 5 years (46.16) and lung in the age group of 0 years (43.32) in girls.
Conclusion: This study shows a better concept of radiation dose in the chest CT scan in children and how much effective dose and organ dose values increase the cancer risk.


Radio frequency (RF) sputtering is a potential medical device coating technology that is commercializable; however, a suitable commercialized target for sputtering the hydroxyapatite (HA) coating onto titanium medical devices is more important. Therefore, this study used three HA targets in conducting sputtering experiments for HA films, which were manufactured in a laboratory by using three different processes: cold pressing and sintering (CPS), hot isostatic pressing (HIP), and atmospheric plasma spraying (APS). Subsequently, the sputtering performance of each type of target and the properties of the HA films were assessed to develop an appropriate process for modifying the surfaces of medical devices. The experimental results showed that the APS target, with a density of approximately 2.83 g/cm3, was suitable for use in HA sputtering. Additionally, the APS target could withstand a high discharge power over 300 W, whereas the CPS target could nearly endure a power below 70 W. The APS target, with Ca/P ratio of 2.401, consisted of a combination of HA, α-tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP), β-TCP, and tetracalcium phosphate phases (TTCP). In addition to being able to perform at a high sputtering power of more than 300 W, the APS target achieved a higher deposition rate than did the CPS target. This study shows that the processing technology used for the APS target is a potential method for applying HA sputtering for the surface modification of artificial aggregates.


A mixed potential NOx sensor apparatus for measuring the total NOx concentration in a gas stream is disclosed. The NO x sensing apparatus (10) comprises a multilayer ceramic structure (30, 40, 50, 60, 70), and (80), with electrodes (34) and (84) for sensing both oxygen and NOx gas concentrations and includes screen-printed metallized patterns that function to heat the ceramic sensing element (32) and (82) to the proper temperature for optimum performance. This design may provide advantages over the existing technology by miniaturizing the sensing element to provide potentially faster sensor light off times and thereby reduce undesired exhaust gas emissions. By incorporating the heating source (52) and (54) within the ceramic sensing structure, the time to reach the temperature of operation is shortened, and thermal gradients and stresses are minimized. These improvements may provide increased sensor performance, reliability, and lifetime.


We report the use of DBD plasma to improve the osteoblast cells adhesion and proliferation on PCL scaffolds. The effects of plasma treatment were characterized by surface energy, surface topography, and surface biocompatibility. The PCL film treated for 5 min showed the highest degree of total surface energy, mouse osteoblast cell proliferation and surface roughness. It is demonstrated that the oxygen plasma treatment not only enhances the hydrophilicity and increases solid surface energy, surface roughness of PCL but also improves the initial attachment and the proliferation of osteoblasts on the PCL substrate.


Secure subset problem is important in secure multiparty computation, which is a vital field in cryptography. Most of the existing protocols for this problem can only keep the elements of one set private, while leaking the elements of the other set. In other words, they cannot solve the secure subset problem perfectly. While a few studies have addressed actual secure subsets, these protocols were mainly based on the oblivious polynomial evaluations with inefficient computation. In this study, we first design an efficient secure subset protocol for sets whose elements are drawn from a known set based on a new encoding method and homomorphic encryption scheme. If the elements of the sets are taken from a large domain, the existing protocol is inefficient. Using the Bloom filter and homomorphic encryption scheme, we further present an efficient protocol with linear computational complexity in the cardinality of the large set, and this is considered to be practical for inputs consisting of a large number of data. However, the second protocol that we design may yield a false positive. This probability can be rapidly decreased by reexecuting the protocol with different hash functions. Furthermore, we present the experimental performance analyses of these protocols.


This paper analyses changes in the legal protection of shareholder and creditor rights in 24 transition economies from 1990 to 1998. It documents differences in the initial conditions and a tendency towards convergence of formal legal rules as the result of extensive legal reforms. Convergence seems to be primarily the result of foreign technical assistance programmes as well as of harmonisation requirements for countries wishing to join the European Union. The external supply of legal rules notwithstanding, the pattern of legal reforms suggests that law reform has been primarily retroactive rather than proactive. In comparison, the pre-socialist heritage of transition economies has little explanatory power for the observed patterns of legal change. A partial exception are countries with German legal heritage, which favour creditor over shareholder protection and display substantially better creditor protection than other transition economies. The paper discusses the implications of the response pattern of legal change with externally supplied legal solutions for the prospects of effective law enforcement and compliance with the law in transition economies.


Accelerated life tests are widely used to evaluate the product reliability within a resonable amount of time and cost. This article provides literature review about accelerated life test plans between 2006~2015. The literature on planning accelerated life tests are reviewed with respect to the test scenario, assumed accelerated model and estimation method and optimization criteria. Finally, recommendations for the future research are presented.


Matrix proteins have important roles in molluscan shell formation, and their amino acid sequences have been characterized for some species. However, the mechanisms of shell formation have barely been clarified. In order to setup a platform for a systematic functional analysis of shell matrix proteins, we performed a combined transcriptome and proteomic analysis of the shell matrix proteins for the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis. We found a total of 203 shell matrix proteins from the shell matrix of L. stagnalis. A total of 161 amino acid sequences of them showed sequence similarities to known proteins, including four paralogs of dermatopontin, which was previously reported from the shell matrix of L. stagnalis, when searched against public databases, while the remaining 42 showed no similarity to the proteins in the current databases. Next, in order to discriminate 'functional' shell matrix proteins from those that were accidentally entombed in the shells, we compared the levels of expression of these shell matrix proteins between the right side and the left side of the mantle, which makes the shell, underlying assumption being that genuine functional shell matrix protein genes would be more strongly expressed in the right hand side of the mantle in the dextral shells, while there would be no such differential expression pattern for the proteins which were accidentally trapped within the shells. Actin is the most abundant shell matrix protein found in the shell of L. stagnalis, but the expression patterns of the actin gene showed no difference between right and left of the mantle. On the other hand, the second most abundant shell matrix protein called Pif-like protein, which is an acidic shell matrix protein identified also in Pinctada fucata and Crassostrea gigas, showed that its gene is more strongly expressed in the right hand side than the left hand side of the mantle. Our results suggest that Pif-like protein is a functional shell matrix protein, while actin is a protein occluded in the shell accidentally. Finally, we searched for conserved domains of these amino acid sequences. We found various domains and classified them into six categories. Those are extracellular protein, enzyme, cation-interaction protein, polysaccharide interaction protein, proteinase inhibitor, and others. Conserved domains allow us to estimate possible functions of novel shell matrix proteins. Characterization of those novel proteins, and functional analyses of all those proteins identified in this study for this 'model organism' will help understand the mechanisms of biomineralization as well as the evolutionary processes of shell formation in molluscs.


With the prevalence of online video-sharing platforms increasing in recent years, many people have started to create their own videos and upload them onto the Internet. In filmmaking, background music is also one of the major elements besides the footage. With matching background music, a video can not only convey information, but also immerse the viewers in the setting of a story. There is often not only one piece of background music, but several, which is why audio editing and music production software are required. However, music editing is a professional expertise, and it can be hard for amateur creators to compose ideal pieces for the video. At the same time, there are some online audio libraries and music archives for sharing audio/music samples. For beginners, one possible way to compose background music for a video is "arranging and integrating samples", rather than making music from scratch. As a result, this leads to a problem. There might be some gaps between samples, in which we have to generate transitions to fill the gaps. In our research, we build a transformer-based model for generating a music transition to bridge two prepared music clips. We design and perform experiments to demonstrate that our results are promising. The results are also analysed by using a questionnaire to reveal a positive response from listeners, supporting that our generated transitions conform to background music.


Background Whether differences in outcome between primary (pIgAN) and secondary IgA nephropathy (sIgAN) exist is uncertain. Methods We conducted a retrospective, observational study that included all histologically diagnosed IgAN patients between 2010–2017 (N = 306), 248 with pIgAN and 58 with sIgAN. To obtain samples with similar risk of progression, sIgAN patients were grouped as liver disease and autoimmune/viral disease and propensity score matched to corresponding pIgAN samples. Univariate (Kaplan Meier) and multivariate time-dependent (Cox modelling) analyses were performed to identify predictors of the composite end-point (doubling of serum creatinine, end-stage kidney disease or death). Results Of the whole cohort, 20% had sIgAN (6% alcoholic cirrhosis, 6% autoimmune disease and 8% viral infections). sIgAN patients were older, had more comorbidities, lower proteinuria and higher haematuria, but similar distribution in MESTC lesions and eGFR as those with pIgAN. They reached the end-point in similar proportions with those with pIgAN (43 vs. 30%; p = 0.09) but their mortality was higher (19 vs. 3%; p<0.0001). Both in unmatched (HR 0.80, 95%CI 0.42–1.52; p = 0.5) and matched samples (log-rank test: liver disease-IgAN vs. pIgAN, p = 0.1; autoimmune/viral-IgAN vs. pIgAN, p = 0.3), sIgAN was not predictive for end-point. In analyses restricted only to sIgAN, those with viral infections (HR, 10.98; 95% CI, 1.12–107.41; p = 0.03) and lower eGFR (HR, 0.94; 95%CI, 0.89–0.98; p = 0.007) had a worse prognosis. Immunosuppression did not influence outcome. Conclusions The differences in MESTC score and outcome between pIgAN and sIgAN seems to be minimal, suggesting that "associated" describes better than "secondary" the relationship among the two. Immunosuppression did not to influence outcome of sIgAN.


The genetic contribution to schizophrenia etiopathogenesis is underscored by the fact that the best predictor of developing schizophrenia is having an affected first-degree relative, which increases lifetime risk by tenfold, as well as the observation that when both parents are affected, the risk of schizophrenia increases to approximately 50%, compared with 1% in the general population. The search to elucidate the complex genetic architecture of schizophrenia has employed various approaches, including twin and family studies to examine co-aggregation of brain abnormalities, studies on genetic linkage and studies using genome-wide association to identify genetic variations associated with schizophrenia. 'Endophenotypes', or 'intermediate phenotypes', are potentially narrower constructs of genetic risk. Hypothetically, they are intermediate in the pathway between genetic variation and clinical phenotypes and can supposedly be implemented to assist in the identification of genetic diathesis for schizophreni...


The present dissertation is devoted to the construction of exact and approximate analytical solutions of the problem of light propagation in highly nonlinear media. It is demonstrated that for many experimental conditions, the problem can be studied under the geometrical optics approximation with a sufficient accuracy. Based on the renormalization group symmetry analysis, exact analytical solutions of the eikonal equations with a higher order refractive index are constructed. A new analytical approach to the construction of approximate solutions is suggested. Based on it, approximate solutions for various boundary conditions, nonlinear refractive indices and dimensions are constructed. Exact analytical expressions for the nonlinear selffocusing positions are deduced. On the basis of the obtained solutions a general rule for the single filament intensity is derived; it is demonstrated that the scaling law (the functional dependence of the self-focusing position on the peak beam intensity) is defined by a form of the nonlinear refractive index but not the beam shape at the boundary. Comparisons of the obtained solutions with results of experiments and numerical simulations are discussed.


We propose an improved routing and wavelength assignment method called Distributive Probing for Relative Capacity Loss (DPRCL) which is based upon Relative Capacity Loss. This method uses probing packages for each request to collect the routing and the capacity loss information of the light-path through which each package passes. The routing and the wavelength of package with minimal capacity loss is then chosen to setup the light-path for the request. DPRCL greatly reduced the computation complexity and the cost of exchanging network state information among network nodes. Moreover, DPRCL can use more flexible routing algorithm to obtain better performance, instead of keeping to the fixed routing as RCL.


Does the Finneson–Cooper score reflect the true value of predicting surgical success before discectomy? The aim of this study was to identify reliable predictors for surgical success two year after surgery for patients with LDH. Prospective analysis of 154 patients with LDH who underwent single-level lumbar discectomy was performed. Pre- and post-surgical success was assessed by the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) over a 2-year period. The Finneson-Cooper score also was used for evaluation of the clinical results. Using the ODI, surgical success was defined as a 30% (or more) improvement on the ODI score from the baseline. The ODI was considered the gold standard in this study. Finally, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive power of the Finneson–Cooper score in predicting surgical success were calculated. The mean age of the patients was 49.6 (SD = 9.3) years and 47.4% were male. Significant improvement from the pre- to post-operative ODI scores was observed (P < 0.001). Post-surgical success was 76.0% (n = 117). The patients' rating on surgical success assessments by the ODI discriminated well between sub-groups of patients who differed with respect to the Finneson–Cooper score. Regarding patients' surgical success, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the Finneson-Cooper ratings correlated with success rate. The findings indicated that the Finneson–Cooper score was reflective of surgical success before discectomy.


The stratified manchurian ash(Fraxinus mandshurica) seeds were selected in this study to examine the feasibility of redrying and storage of non-dormant seeds.And the results showed that: redrying of statified Fraxinus mandshurica seeds in room temperature(20-23℃) was feasible.The germination rate and mean germination time of the redried seeds in room temperature had no obvious changes,but the germination index would have a little decline.Whereas,redrying of statified Fraxinus mandshurica seeds in low temperature(5℃) was unfeasible.The germination rate and germination index of the redried seeds in this temperature would decline obviously,and the mean germination time would increase distinctly.After redrying in room temperature,germination rate of the seeds stored for 16 months in low temperature(5℃) had no obvious change,but the germination index would decline obviously and the mean germination time would increase distinctly.Germination of stored redrying manchurian ash seeds could not be promoted by KT,GA3 and ethephon treatment.


PurposeThe study examines the existence of target level of working capital and the speed of adjustment toward the target for eight manufacturing sectors of Indian economy. In addition, this study examines the impact of financial constraints on the speed of adjustment.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on secondary financial data of 1936 Indian manufacturing companies from eight sectors for a period of 18 years (2000–2018). This study employs two-step GMM techniques to arrive at results.FindingsResults of the study confirm that firms do have target working capital, but the speed of adjustment from the current level of working capital to the target working capital is slow, and the speed of adjustment varies across sub-sectors. Moreover, we found that firms that are likely to be less constrained adjust their working capital quickly compared to firms facing high financial constraints.Originality/valueThis study contributes to working capital management literature by examining the speed with which the firms move toward their target and also the impact of financial constraints on the speed of adjustment across eight manufacturing sectors of Indian economy. Further, the study examines the impact of financial constraints on the speed of adjustment.


State Training Services provides funding for Vocational Education and Training courses which provide accredited training in job related and technical skills.


At first glance, it would seem that a document destruction business and an electronics recycling company have little in common. But when you think about how information stored on computer hard drives and business-sensitive documents can be used for consumer fraud, it becomes clearer how the two companies could work together.


The single relaxation time of epoxy glass, a thermoset having crosslinked molecular structures, was evaluated during tensile yielding process by using a nonlinear single relaxation model. The model consisted of two elastic springs expressing linear viscoelastic behavior and a dashpot with variable viscosity as a single parameter representing strain-induced structural change. We calculated the strain-dependent relaxation time τSS by fitting the model to experimental stress-strain curves observed at various strain rates and temperatures. The relaxation time τSS steeply decreased with increasing strain at the beginning of stretching, and then attained to low steady values at strains slightly larger than the yield strain. The steady values of τSS were almost inversely proportional to the strain rate, and slightly shorter at a higher stretching temperature. These dependences of τSS for epoxy glass on strain, strain rate and temperature were qualitatively identical to those for thermoplastic glassy polymers without crosslinked molecular structures. Strain-dependent relaxation times for thermoplastic glassy polymers are known as the result of change in glassy structures. Thus, it is concluded that the nonlinear viscoelastic behavior of crosslinked epoxy glass arises from strain-induced structural change.


We present extreme ultraviolet and visible spectra of promethiumlike tungsten and gold obtained with an electron beam ion trap (EBIT). Although the contributions from a few charge states are involved in the spectra, the charge state of the ion assigned to the observed lines is definitely identified by the time-of-flight analysis of the ions performed at the same time with the spectroscopic measurements. Experimental results are compared with collisional-radiative model calculations as well as previous experimental and theoretical studies.


Neurofibromatosis type 2 is a genetic autosomal dominant disorder caused by a spontaneous mutation in the gene located on chromosome 22 q11-13.1, which usually emerges in adolescence or early adulthood and is characterized by the development of bilateral vestibular schwannoma. We hereby report the classical case of Neurofibromatosis type 2 in a 25-year-old young male with multiple tumors associated with the disease. This patient presented to us with 3 years history of multiple painless nodules on his skin, facial weakness, left-sided progressive hearing loss, and 20 days history of weakness in the left lower limb. On Examination, he was vital with a GCS of 15/15. He was anemic with no jaundice. He had left inguinal lymphadenopathy along with multiple subcutaneous nodules on different areas, including the scalp, face, left mid-axillary line over the abdomen. He also had Right-sided facial palsy and horizontal nystagmus. CNS examination revealed an upgoing plantar on the left side, right facial nerve palsy, and bilateral vestibulocochlear nerve paralysis. Spine examination revealed spinal tenderness in the lower lumbar region. Superficial abdominal reflexes were absent. Upper limb and right lower limb power, tone, and reflexes were normal while the tone and power in the left lower limb were reduced power being ⅗. Reflexes were also exaggerated in the left lower limb. The right ankle showed swelling, most probably a plexiform neuroma. On investigations, he had normochromic normocytic anemia with mild leucocytosis. Platelets were normal. The rest of the biochemical investigations, including serum electrolytes, liver function tests, and renal function tests, were also normal.MRI brain and spine confirmed bilateral acoustic neuroma and multiple cranial and peripheral nerve tumors i.e., classical presentation of a rare disease neurofibromatosis. He was referred to the neurology unit for further assessment and treatment.


Stainless steel material will become one of the main materials for flexible large-size display substrates. Chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) will be one of the most practical processing technologies to achieve super smooth, non-damaged stainless steel surface. In this paper, the effects of different surfactants on material removal rate and surface roughness were studied. The results show that when adding the surfactant of the sodium hexadecyl sulfate in CMP slurry, the MRR was significantly higher than the other two kinds of surfactants. When the content of the sodium hexadecyl sulfate was 0.04wt%, the MRR reached the Maximum. When the content of the sodium hexadecyl sulfate was 0.2 wt%, the surface roughness reached the Minimum. So, the sodium hexadecyl sulfate is selected as the surfactant of the hydrogen peroxide-oxalic acid type CMP slurry.


Interconnected manipulators possess the advantages of both parallel and serial manipulators to a great extent since they combine the serial and parallel structures inherently, which differentiates them from the hybrid manipulators. However, the passive joints in such manipulators degenerate their rigidity. The gravity balancing of a newly developed interconnected manipulator is achieved by adding springs connecting the driving links with the base. Such springs do not affect the rigidity of the manipulator. In this work, we design a new balancing system where the springs are distributed between the manipulator links without using any auxiliary links. The methodology for balancing this interconnected manipulator depends mainly on dividing it into several serial kinematic chains with passive-revolute joints. Each link of these kinematic chains is transformed into a single-link-equilibrator subsystem which can be easily balanced. The balancing of this subsystem is carried out by attaching a spring between the considered link and a vertical link attached with it by a revolute joint. The distribution of springs between the links transfers the main loads, which are the vertical gravitational loads, to other directions and locations. This new distribution of forces produces lower bending moments and hence decreases greatly the main vertical deflection of the end-effector. The results show that not only the gravity balancing has been achieved, but also the rigidity of the system is greatly enhanced.


What is the message? The evidence concerning high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) suggests three key patterns involving people with diabetes (PWD): (1) a disproportionately negative impact on low-income individuals; (2) low healthcare literacy as a predictor of poor health outcomes; (3) the influence of insurance design on consumer and health behavior. The patterns suggest that HDHPs can be customized to the diabetes disease state in order to reduce cost and improve health outcomes. Changes include policy advances, special initiatives for PWD, and leadership by employers.


Given an arbitrary graph $E$ we investigate the relationship between $E$ and the groupoid $G_E$.
We show that there is a lattice isomorphism between the lattice of pairs $(H, S)$, where $H$ is a hereditary and saturated set of vertices and $S$ is a set of breaking vertices {associated to $H $}, onto the lattice of open invariant subsets of $G_E^{(0)}$. We use this lattice isomorphism to characterize the decomposability of the Leavitt path algebra $L_K(E)$, where $K$ is a field.
First we find a graph condition to characterise when an open invariant subset of $G_E^{(0)}$ is closed.
Then we give both a graph condition and a groupoid condition each of which is equivalent to $L_K(E)$ being decomposable {in the sense that it can be written as a direct sum of two nonzero ideals}.


A novel wavelength multiplexing scheme for off-plane Computer-Generated Waveguide Holography using dislocated binary grating is proposed. Phase modulation is optimized to form a smiley face at λ= 590nm and a danger sign at λ= 650nm.


Previously reported experimental results [J. Acoust. Soc. Amer. 42, 6–17 (1967)] on nonlinear sound transmission through an orifice are compared with the results obtained from a simple theoretical analysis.


If it takes a whole community to raise a child, then supporting a child with a disability necessitates understanding the family and larger social context in which that child is raised. Though many assessment tools have been utilized to evaluate different aspects of family living, few have attempted to capture an integrated ecological perspective of the many factors that impact daily life. Furthermore, many assessment practices fall short of meeting the basic requirements of reliability and validity typically demanded of sound assessment tools. Between the instrument development extremes of no empirical support and exhaustive validation lie many steps towards soundness. In the present research, parents and professionals form an "expert panel" to rate the utility of the Family Context Survey, and to offer recommendations for its improvement. Also, a field study was conducted in which 67 parent participants completed the survey to assess the reliability and validity of this measure for general community use. Implications for family counselling, support service management, and governmental policymaking are discussed. Assessing Family Context of Children with Disabilities iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................ ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................ iii LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................ v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................... vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW ........................ 1 Theoretical Framework.................................................................... 2 Assessing Family Dynamics............................................................... 4 Assessing Psychosocial Stages of Coping............................................ 7 Assessing Satisfaction of Social Supports............................................ 11 Benefits of a Global Context Assessment Instrument................................ 14 Sound Research............................................................................ 16 CHAPTER 2: METHODS Study 1: A Pilot Study for Item Development......................................... 18 Participants........................................................................ 18 Procedure.......................................................................... 19 The Questionnaire ............................................................... 19 Analysis and Preliminary Results............................................... 20 Redrafting the Family Context Survey........................................ 20 Study 2: Field-Testing The Family Context Survey.................................. 20 Participants........................................................................ 21 Description and Background Information of Participants................... 21 Strategies for Item Evaluation .................................................. 22 Assessing Family Context of Children with Disabilities iv CHAPTER 3: RESULTS.......................................................................... 26 Family Functioning Style................................................................. 26 Psychosocial Stages of Coping.......................................................... 27 Satisfaction with Social Supports....................................................... 28 CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION Validity and Reliability of the Family Context Survey .............................. 30 Theoretical and Practical Implications ................................................. 33 Limitations of the Study and Future Research......................................... 38 Conclusion................................................................................. 39 REFERENCES .................................................................................... 41 TABLES............................................................................................. 46 APPENDIX A. STUDY #1: INSTRUCTIONS FOR EXPERT PANEL.................. 62 APPENDIX B. STUDY #2 PARTICIPATION RECRUITMENT POSTER.............. 63 APPENDIX C. STUDY #2 COVER LETTER SENT WITH EACH SURVEY......... 64 APPENDIX D. FAMILY CONTEXT SURVEY SCORING KEY......................... 65 APPENDIX E. FAMILY CONTEXT SURVEY.............................................. 67 Assessing Family Context of Children with Disabilities v LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1: STRUCTURE OF DOMAINS, SUBSCALES, AND ITEMS OF THE FAMILY CONTEXT SURVEY................................................46 TABLE 2: ITEMS SHOWING SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN MEAN RATINGS BETWEEN FOUR TYPES OF EXPERTS..................... 47 TABLE 3: MEAN ITEM QUALITY RATINGS FOR PARENTS AND TOTAL EXPERT PANEL............................................................... 48 TABLE 4: MEANS, STANDARD DEVIATIONS, AND SKEWNESS FOR ALL BACKGROUND VARIABLES, SUBSCALES, AND KEY VARIABLES..................................................................... 52 TABLE 5: CORRELATION MATRIX FOR SUBSCALES AND OTHER KEY VARIABLES.............................................................. 54 TABLE 6: COMPONENT LOADING MATRIX FOR ITEMS IN FAMILY FUNCTIONING DOMAIN.................................................... 57 TABLE 7: COMPONENT LOADING MATRIX FOR SUBSCALES 'A' THROUGH 'E' IN FAMILY FUNCTIONING DOMAIN ..................58 TABLE 8: FACTOR LOADING MATRIX FOR ALL SUBSCALES IN FAMILY FUNCTIONING DOMAIN....................................... 59 TABLE 9: FACTOR LOADING MATRIX FOR PSYCHOSOCIAL COPING DOMAIN............................................................. 60 Assessing Family Context of Children with Disabilities vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The writer wishes to thank Dr. Marvin McDonald of the Graduate Counselling Psychology Program at Trinity Western University for his encouragement, guidance, and good humour. Without this support, a project of this scale would not have been inspired let alone accomplished. Similarly, a special note of gratitude is made to the writer's wonderful wife, Leean West, for all of the love, encouragement, and support offered throughout this project. Debbie Hancock is graciously acknowledged for her exceptional and extensive editing of this manuscript, and Dr. Philip Laird is recognized for his dedicated support. Lastly, the writer extends a special note of appreciation for the time and effort offered by the many parents throughout the Fraser Valley Region who have children with disabilities. Because your children and families have always been a source of passion, the writer wishes to dedicate this project to you and your journeys; may our work here truly benefit the lives of others on the same path. Assessing Family Context of Children with Disabilities 1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW Families that have children with disabilities live a unique experience of joy, despair, fear, ecstasy, and exhaustion (Barnbill, 2000). The challenges that such families face are numerous, as well as quite unlike those faced by families with "typical" children. From the moment that parents begin to suspect that there is something "different" about their child, their journey of "family life" begins to depart from that of the norm (Cowie, Quinn, Gunning, & Gunning, 1998). They find themselves to be on "foreign ground" where the journey that lays before them is indeed long and fraught with unexpected challenges and disappointments. Ideally, such families will find themselves a professional guide or expert in the disability area challenging their child who can assist them along their journey towards being a happy, healthy, and fully functioning family again. This journey, however, is far from clear and straightforward. Instead, there are several elements or features of a family's world that must be accurately assessed and effectively addressed if professionals are to deliver the services that the family truly needs. For example, professionals need to clearly understand the interpersonal dynamics within the home, the family's background and history, the ages and personalities of all family members, the degree of marital harmony, and the nature of support that is available from the extended family and community because each of these factors is a determinant of a family's ability to cope and succeed with a having a child with a disability (Mahoney & O'Sullivan, 1992). As such, when assessing any child with a disability, professionals must also assess the unique and dynamic context within which that child lives (Whitehead & Deiner, 1990). Assessing Family Context of Children with Disabilities 2 Trying to understand the context of any of today's post-modern families requires recognizing that demographics and family composition change from region to region and home to home. Some families are having fewer children than others, a significant number are getting divorced (or are raising children in blended or step families), and most families now rely on the income of both parents (Wolsh, 1982; cited in Whitehead & Deiner, 1990). Also, families are increasingly being recognized as a fluid and interacting system within themselves, rather than being seen from the more traditional model where the mother was the sole spokesperson and executive director of the family unit (Whitehead & Deiner, 1990). Similarly, the family unit is being seen as a system that interacts with other systems, such as the neighborhood, the school, and the medical community (Deiner, 1987). Clearly, professionals must consider all of these shifting dynamics and unique family needs in their attempt to accurately asses the needs and status of an individual child (Whitehead & Deiner, 1990) if they are to keep their work meaningfully related to the context of each child's family. In light of this increasing complexity and diversity of today's families, there is a growing need for family assessmen


In the fall of 2010 the Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science (CIS) at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) completely abandoned its traditional lecturebased pedagogy for incoming freshmen, and in its place implemented a radically different project-based curriculum for all first year students. With this new approach, all incoming students work together as a single integrated multidisciplinary team for a full academic year to design, develop, build, and test a unique, fully functional imaging system. The goal in implementing this approach is to provide the students with a foundational experience which is more relevant, more engaging, more challenging, and more motivating than the pedagogy which has been used to date. As a result, it is expected that the students will be better prepared to succeed in their upper class studies, and ultimately to graduate with the tools they will need to thrive in an increasingly dynamic, collaborative, and innovative workforce. This new pedagogy is based on two fundamental beliefs. The first is that incoming college students are far more capable of successfully undertaking complex technical challenges than conventional pedagogical paradigms would suggest. Therefore, the students engaged in this curriculum are given a level of autonomy and responsibility rarely seen by first year undergraduates at other universities. Although their efforts are scaffolded by an experienced team of faculty mentors, these freshmen largely determine the nature and direction of their own activities as they work toward their project goals. The second fundamental belief is that student motivation and therefore performance are enhanced when their efforts are connected to relevant, exciting, authentic applications. The students are given the opportunity to interact with professional researchers from around the world who are doing work on the cutting edge of their respective fields through the use of imaging systems very similar to the one being designed in this class. And in an effort to maximize the authenticity of their experience, the students play an active role in oral and written dissemination of their results throughout this global community of researchers. The effectiveness of this pedagogy is being formally evaluated by an external review team. If it proves to be successful, the impact on STEM education at the college freshman level could be transformational. At a minimum, this project could change long-held perceptions about the abilities of first year students, and could lead to a new understanding of the role of faculty in undergraduate education. After describing the new pedagogy at length, this paper provides a detailed account of its effect to date on the first cohort of students and the implications of those effects on the ultimate effectiveness of this approach.


Clinical Effects.-Trifluoperazine is the most active of the phenothiazines and more potent than chlorpromazine; its effects are long lasting, and it is reported to be safe for long-term therapy. Its onset of action is rapid; clinical effects, including control of disturbed behaviour in psychiatric patients, occur within five or six days. Intramuscular medication is often necessary initially in daily divided doses of 1-3 mg. for acutely disturbed patientse.g., acute mania, delirium tremens, or schizophrenia. Intramuscular medication should not exceed S mg. a day, and, becauise of the drug's long duration of action, injections should not be given more often than four-hourly. Once the acute disturbance is brought under control, oral medication is substituted. Trifluoperazine has also been used successfully in the treatment of patients with mild mental and emotional disturbances, including anxiety and tension states, and for relief of gastro-intestinal manifestations of emotional tension, anxiety, headaches, and tension syndromes associated with menstruation or childbirth. Side-effects.-These usually appear and are usually restricted to the first two or three weeks of therapy. At the higher dosage range extrapyramidal symptoms often appear, consisting of Parkinsonism or dystonic manifestations. They can be reversed by lowering the dosage or by giving antiParkinsonian drugs. Motor restlessness, insomnia, and a feeling of jitteriness sometimes occur. Other infrequent side-effects are dizziness, dryness of the mouth, and blurring of vision. Jaundice, contact dermatitis, and blood dyscrasia have not been reported, but are worth bearing in mind as possible complications. Contraindications.-The drug is contraindicated for comatose and stuporous patients, and must be given with caution when cardiovascular function is seriously impaired or when administered with barbiturates, opiates, or other sedatives and narcotics.


Abstract One of the major concerns with detecting global climate change is the quality of the data. Climate data are extremely sensitive to errant values and outliers. Prior to analysis of these time series, it is important to remove outliers in a methodical manner. This study provides statistically derived bounds for the uncertainty associated with surface temperature and precipitation measurements and yields a baseline dataset for validation of climate models as well as for a variety of other climatological uses. A two-step procedure using objective analysis was used to identify outliers. The first step was a temporal check that determines if a particular monthly value is consistent with other monthly values for the same station. The second step utilizes six different spatial interpolation techniques to estimate each monthly time series. Each of the methods is ranked according to its respective correlation coefficients with the actual time series, and the technique with the highest correlation coefficie...


Light yield and spatial uniformity for a large variety of configurations of scintillator tiles were studied. The light from each scintillator was collected by a Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) directly viewing the produced scintillation light (SiPM-on-tile technique). The varied parameters included tile transverse size, tile thickness, tile wrapping material, scintillator composition, and SiPM model. These studies were performed using 120 GeV protons at the Fermilab Test Beam Facility. External tracking allowed the position of each proton penetrating a tile to be measured. The results were compared to a GEANT4 simulation of each configuration of scinitillator, wrapping, and SiPM.


Prepared for the 2016 GSA Rocky Mountain Section Meeting, this well-illustrated volume offers guides to the lavas of the Columbia River basalts, megaflood landscapes of the Channeled Scablands, Mesozoic accreted terranes, metamorphic Precambrian Belt and pre-Belt rocks, and other features of this tectonically active region.


BACKGROUND
Postoperative parotitis is a well known entity which can develop in patients who undergo major abdominal surgery.

METHODS
We present a case of postoperative parotitis which occurred after a laparotomy for incisional hernia repair.

RESULTS
After establishing diagnosis by ultrasonography assessment and blood chemical tests, patient was successfully treated by morphine discontinuing and antibiotics therapy.

CONCLUSION
Beside sialolithiasis, sitting position or dehydratation we suggest that morphine could play a substantial role in the development of postoperative parotitis.


The main visible changes in Slovak health care policy between 1990 and 1996 have been described with the emphasis on primary care reform. The key fact is that although there has been official support for privatisation, decentralisation, mixed sources of provision, accountability and individual choice, in practice progress towards these goals has been very slow. The reasons for some differences between the first enthusiastic, ambitious plans and the recent status can mainly be found in chronic political instability. Having six different Ministers of Health in a period of six years formed a real barrier to the endeavour to fulfil some long-term strategic plans in the health care model transposition in the country. Recently, differences are being seen between the new health financing system in Slovakia and the previous one, but central control and regulation is still dominant. Primary care doctors are increasingly being switched to the private sector, but most of them are not prepared to become practice mana...


A variety of factors such as rapid increase in electricity demand, rights-of-way, delays in implementing new transmission facilities and interconnection of new generation facilities such as large scale wind-farms have led to more widespread use of series capacitors on transmission lines. Most of these transmission lines are protected using conventional phasor based distance relays that operate based on voltage and current signals, measured locally. The presence of series capacitors can create abnormal system conditions (voltage inversions, current inversions, sub-harmonics and DC offsets) that potentially lead to unintended operation of conventional distance relays. This paper describes how such factors can affect the performance of the conventional distance relays and outlines solutions to overcome these challenges.


The authors present results of a study involving the design, manufacturing, and test of a large (1.1-m) dichroic subreflector for an offset Cassegrain reflector antenna. The primary focus feed operates at 10.7-11.7 GHz, and the secondary feed operates at 18.1-20.2 GHz, both with linear orthogonal polarizations. A preliminary design of the dichroic structure using an equivalent circuit approach showed that, given the desired closeness of the transmission and reflection bands, double-layer frequency selective surfaces with single resonant elements were the most promising configuration. Two layers of crossed dipoles with an interlayer distance of about 5 mm were selected. Results for electrical performance tests are presented.<<ETX>>


The Acts of Thomas contains two unique epicleses of the Holy Spirit in chapters 27 and 50. The aim of the present contribution is to study the transmission and reception of some key concepts of these epicleses in the liturgical homilies of Mar Narsai, the renowned East Syrian poet–theologian. It is argued that Narsai's use of 'Come-phrases', so distinctive for the epicleses under consideration, suggests that he had first-hand knowledge of the Acts. A close comparison between the third- and fifth-century texts shows both continuity and discontinuity. The latter is mainly caused by the shaping of orthodoxy.