INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 516 I. WHAT IS 3D PRINTING AND WHO CARES? ....................................... 518 A. The History and Mechanics of 3D Printing........................................... 518 B. The Market for 3D-Printed Organs ..................................................... 521 II. PAYING FOR 3D-PRINTED ORGANS IS "NOTA" FEDERAL CRIME .... 523 A. 3D-Printed Organs Are Not "Human Organs" ...................................... 523 B. Market Rate Reimbursement Is Not "Valuable Consideration" .................. 525 III. 3D-PRINTED ORGANS FIT IN THE EXISTING FRAMEWORK OF THE FEDERAL FOOD DRUG AND COSMETICS ACT AND CAN BE REGULATED BY THE FDA ............................................................. 527 A. The FDA Is the Appropriate Agency to Regulate 3D-Printed Organs ........ 527 B. 3D-Printed Organs Will Be Regulated Differently than Human Organs for Transplantation .......................................................................... 528 C. 3D-Printed Organs Should Be Regulated as Biological Products ............... 529 D. 3D-Printed Organs Should Also Be Regulated as Drugs .......................... 530 E. 3D-Printed Organs Should Not Be Classified as Medical Devices ............ 531


Antithrombotic effect of recombinant human thrombomod-ulin in mice, both in vitro and in vivo, was studied. The soluble recombinant human thrombomodulin was expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells and purified from the conditioned medium by a modification of the conventional method. Recombinant thrombomodulin prolonged thrombin clotting time for mouse plasma in a dose-dependent manner. Thrombin was injected into the lateral tail vein of mice and caused acute thromboembolism. All HROMBOMODULIN is an endothelial cell surface T protein that forms a 1:l complex with thrombin. In this complex, thrombin activates protein C approximately 1,000-fold faster than thrombin alone' and loses its procoagulant activities, which include fibrinogen clotting, factor V activation,, and platelet a~tivation.~ Activated protein C is a vitamin K-dependent serine protease, which inactivates factor Va and factor VIIIa4.' and neutralizes an inhibitor of tissue-type plasminogen activator.6 Thus, thrombomodulin plays a role as a physiologically important anticoagulant on endothelial cell surfaces. Thrombomodulin has been purified from rabbit,' bovine,' and human placenta,* and human lung.9 We previously isolated a human thrombomodulin cDNA clone. " The amino acid sequence deduced from the nucleotide sequence indicated that human thrombomodulin is synthesized as a precursor consisting of 575 amino acids and contains an 18-residue signal peptide. Mature human throm-bomodulin is composed of five domains: an NH,-terminal domain (Dl); a domain with six epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like structures (D2); an 0-glycosylation site-rich domain (D3); a transmembrane domain (D4); and a cytoplas-mic domain (D5). In our previous report, we demonstrated that the region including the fourth, fifth, and sixth EGF-like structures of the second domain (D2) is the minimum region necessary for protein C activating cofactor activity and anticoagulant activity. " We have constructed soluble throm-bomodulin D123, which contains domains 1, 2, and 3, and expressed immunoreactive and functionally active thrombo-The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked " advertisement " in accordance with 18 U.S.C. section 1734 solely to indicate this fact. mice injected with thrombin died of thromboembolism: however, preinjection with recombinant human thrombo-modulin neutralized the lethal effect of thrombin in a concentration-dependent manner. Histologic examination showed that fibrin deposits were found in all large and small arteries in the lung from mice injected with thrombin; however, fibrin deposits were not detected in any large arteries from the mouse preinjected with thrombomodulin. 0 1990 by The American Society of Hematology. modulin in …


According to the investigation and experience of highway engineering,using the method of systematic analysis,the composition and division of systems and function of drainage system for highway are researched,and that the drainage system could be divided into the subsystem according to the corresponding converging area of the small bridges and culverts are proposed.It is point out the slope drainage system is a net system composed of intercepting and draining ditches.Meanwhile,aiming at the questions that the small bridges and culverts existed in designing and using,the research points out the important factor influencing design discharge of the small bridges and culverts.On the basis of introducing erosion chain theory,a new theory is raised: the key positions about the drainage system are in corners of several pieces of slope of subgrade section.Rational setting of the drainage system could control effectively the development that the slope is corroded,and lighten the rainfall runoff to hazard the highway.The rusults offer the reference for the highway drainage design and the preventing and reduction of hazard.


The Manufacturing Execution System (MES) is adopted on the factory floor to monitor and manage the work-in-process. This may include automatic and manual forms of labor as well as production reporting. It may also include links to tasks online inquiries and follow-ups. Manufacturing Execution Systems are used to control work orders, shipping, scheduling, receipt of goods, quality control, and maintenance as well as other related activities. The Quality Management module is a part of a Manufacturing Execution System (MES) and is used to control work orders, scheduling and reports in terms of Quality Control. The involvement of information technology in manufacturing processes has increased over the last few years. Information technology is used to improve the overall result. MES has helped many industries to improve their processes, which has led to a sustainable improvement. North America and Europe account for similar market shares in the global manufacturing execution system market. Since the APAC region is becoming the manufacturing hub for many industries, this region possesses great potential for the MES market and all major players are focusing on APAC. Nevertheless, the consumer adoption intention of an MES Quality management module in a public limited food exporting company in Thailand seems to be limited. Academic and practical studies addressing this issue are also lacking. This signifies the need to conduct the current study. This study used a questionnaire to collect data from 148 respondents who are production managers, quality managers, IT managers and engineering managers of a public limited food exporting company in Thailand. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA and Pearson Correlation were adopted to analyze the data. It was found that ____________________________________________________________________________________________ * a student of MBA (International Program), Dhurakij Pundit University (DPUIC), Bangkok, Thailand ** a research supervisor


This study puts under a new light dairy family farms on the Amazonian frontier in Brazil: the technical organization of work. Labor appears to be an essential factor of livestock management and a constraint to the sustainable development of the farms. But, very little knowledge has been gathered to date. To show the work organization over one year, the working time was quantified and working groups described based on the so-called Travail Bilan method in seven dairy/beef farms. The same routine tasks were carried out with the dairy cattle in all the farms, with variations in daily working hours from 1h45 to 6h30 per permanent worker. Differences between farms were related to the number of permanent workers, to the number of milked cows, and to the manner the milk was marketed. During the year, 17 to 328 days were dedicated to seasonal work, including 17 to 176 days to pasture management. Some pasture activities (weeding, sowing, fencing) were delegated to temporary wage earning workers or volunteer family members. Three farmers' strategies were identified based on simplified livestock management or the organization of workers' groups. The study concludes that work is a factor to be taken into account to support the transformation of farming practices and sustainability of Amazonian family farms. Future actions of research-development in the Amazon region will enhance the knowledge necessary to identify possible ways of improvement.


We have compiled L (3.4–4.1 μm) and M ′ (4.6–4.8 μm) photometry of 63 single and binary M, L, and T dwarfs obtained at the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope using the Mauna Kea Observatory (MKO) filter set. This compilation includes new L measurements of 8 L dwarfs and 13 T dwarfs and new M ′ measurements of 7 L dwarfs, 5 T dwarfs, and the M1 dwarf Gl 229A. These new data increase by factors of 0.6 and 1.6, respectively, the numbers of ultracool dwarfs (Teff . 2400 K) for which L ′ and M ′ measurements have been reported. We compute Lbol, BCK , and Teff for 42 dwarfs whose flux-calibrated JHK spectra, L photometry, and trigonometric parallaxes are available, and we estimate these quantities for 9 other dwarfs whose parallaxes and flux-calibrated spectra Department of Physics and Astronomy, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218-2686 United Kingdom Infrared Telescope, Joint Astronomy Centre, 660 North A'ohoku Place, Hilo, HI 96720 NASA–Ames Research Center, Mail Stop 245-3, Moffett Field, CA 94035 Steward Observatory, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0065 Gemini Observatory, 670 North A'ohoku Place, Hilo, HI 96720 Princeton University Observatory, Princeton, NJ 08544 United States Naval Observatory, Flagstaff Station, P.O. Box 1149, Flagstaff, AZ 86002-1149 National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 300 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20546-0001 Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, 525 Davey Laboratory, University Park, PA 16802 Apache Point Observatory, 2001 Apache Point Road, P.O. Box 59, Sunspot, NM 88349-0059 Sloan Digital Sky Survey builder.


The positive association between endogenous estrogen levels and breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women has been well established. However, evidence for whether irreversible hydroxylation of the parent estrogens (estrone and estradiol) at the 2- or 16-position plays an important role in breast cancer etiology among postmenopausal women remains limited. We performed a nested case-control study within the Nurses' Health Study to examine plasma estrogens and estrogen metabolites (jointly referred to as EM) among postmenopausal women not using menopausal hormone therapy at blood draw (in 1989-1990). Breast cancer cases (N=341) were diagnosed between 1996 and 2004. Controls (N=679) were individually matched to cases. Total concentrations of each EM, including conjugated and unconjugated forms, were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Multivariate conditional logistic regression, adjusting for breast cancer risk factors, was used to estimate the relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of breast cancer comparing highest v. lowest quintiles of individual EM, summed 2-hydroxylation catechols, summed 16-hydroxylation pathway, and pathway ratios. Secondary analyses included adjustment for unconjugated and total estradiol and estrone. Unconditional logistic regression with adjustment for batch, matching factors, and breast cancer risk factors was performed to estimate the RR by breast tumor subtype, defined by estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) status. Higher concentrations of both total estradiol and total estrone were associated with increased risk of breast cancer overall (both p-trend The 2-hydroxylation of parent estrogens to 2-catechols was associated with a higher risk of overall breast cancer, independent of parent estrogens. This pathway may provide etiologic insight and targets for further research into risk assessment and prevention. Citation Format: Kristen D. Brantley, Regina G. Ziegler, Susan E. Hankinson, A. Heather Eliassen. Circulating estrogen metabolites and risk of postmenopausal breast cancer in the Nurses' Health study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 590.


Tensile properties of 2519 aluminum alloy at low temperature were investigated by means of tensile properties test,scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron micro- scopy. The results show that when temperature is lowered from 293 K to 77 K,the ultimate tensile strength of the specimens in longitudinal direction is drastically increased from 493.64 MPa to 607.35 MPa,while the yield strength is increased from 454.83 MPa to 516.53 MPa.The ultimate tensile strength and yield strength of the specimens in longitudinal direction are increased drastically by 23.1% and 13.7%,while those of the specimens in transverse direction are increased by 23.6% and 20.0%,respectively.And the ductility of those specimens deformed at 77 K is increased a little.Deformed at low temperature,planar slip is inactivated in order that deformation homogeneity and strain hardenability are both strengthened.


To examine associations between changes in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) symptoms and depressive symptoms adjusted for other time‐varying characteristics, and to test if these associations differed by education, race/ethnicity, or gender.


This work presents nanoscale four-probe measurements on metallic nanowires using independently controlled scanning tunnelling microscope tips. This technique has allowed us to follow the change in resistance with probe separation. Gold, zinc and nickel nanowires were grown by electrodeposition within porous polycarbonate membranes. Their structure and composition were studied by transmission electron microscopy. Four-probe electrical transport measurements were taken using four independently controlled scanning tunnelling microscope tips positioned using a high resolution scanning electron microscope. Multiple I–V measurements were taken at varying tip separations, on each nanowire, and the change in resistance with separation was observed to be in good agreement with predictions based on the nanowire geometry. The resistivity values of the nanowires were found to be close to bulk values.


The eight papers in the first part of this special issue were originally presented at the 2010 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference, held in February. These papers target bio/health applications.


The invention relates to a low-profile conformal antenna, which comprises a feed network, a dielectric substrate, a metal sheet and a metal back cavity plate which are fixedly connected in a layered manner in sequence. The overall low-profile conformal antenna is in an arc-shaped lath form; the profile height is 1/30-1/50 of wavelength of the center frequency of the low-profile conformal antenna and is much less than those of a waveguide slot antenna and a microstrip patch; and the requirement of a modern carrier on low air resistance is met. The feed network comprises an input end and at least four output ends; at least four radiating slots are evenly distributed in the metal sheet; at least four cavities are evenly distributed on one side surface of the metal back cavity plate; and a coaxial feed joint is arranged at the middle part of the other side surface of the metal back cavity plate. More than two low-profile conformal antennas are connected in parallel to form a low-profile conformal antenna array. The low-profile conformal antenna easily conforms to various carriers, and is simple in structure and convenient to process.


The present invention discloses a warning hierarchical management system, through the security services classification by the multi-processing center, in accordance with the division of labor jobs and skills, and through collaborative software assurance geographic information and user information database of the centers through broadband by prior agreement process collaboration, so that each service center staff process their most efficient or good parts can be performed to provide diversified services to customers efficiently.


Ergonomic assessment tools help to design ergonomic products as well as healthy and safe socio-technical work systems. Digital ergonomic assessment tools underwent significant development within the last years, but in most cases the procedure is still time consuming and expensive. The aim of the present study was to figure out if low budget markerless tracking, which is mainly used in gaming industry, might be suitable for ergonomic assessment. Since August 2014 the second generation of the Microsoft Kinect sensor (the v2 sensor) is available with improved tech specs compared to the first generation. As a basis for subsequent posture analysis, the accuracy of the v2 sensor is compared to the Kinect sensor under different circumstances like changing distance, light, clothes, view angles and velocity. Based on these findings, their suitability for ergonomic assessment is rated.


Abstract The ground-state and the finite-temperature phase diagrams with respect to magnetic configurations are studied systematically for thin magnetic films in terms of a classical Heisenberg model including magnetic dipole-dipole interaction and uniaxial anisotropy. Simple relations are derived for the occurrence of the various phase boundaries between the different regions of the magnetic orientations. In particular, the range of the first- and second-order reorientation phase transitions are determined for bilayers and trilayers.


The fate of the residues of benalaxyl, dimethoate, iprodione, metalaxyl, phosalone, procymidone, and vinclozolin in sunlight and oven raisin processing was studied. The drying process caused a fruit concentration factor of 4, while the decreases in residue with the two drying processes were different for the different pesticides. In sunlight-drying the residue level in the raisins was identical to that in the fresh fruits for benalaxyl, metalaxyl, and phosalone, whereas it was higher for iprodione (1.6) and lower for vinclozolin and dimethoate (one-third and one-fifth, respectively). The oven-drying process was preceded by washing, which caused residue decreases for iprodione and procymidone of 57 and 41%, respectively, whereas no decrease was observed in all of the other pesticides. During oven-drying pesticide residues in raisins with respect to fresh fruits showed an increase of 2.7 for phosalone, the same values for benalaxyl, metalaxyl, and procymidone, and lower values for vinclozolin and dimethoate...


Adult stem cells are inextricably linked to whole‐body physiology and nutrient availability through complex systemic signaling networks. A full understanding of how stem cells sense and respond to dietary fluctuations will require identifying key systemic mediators, as well as elucidating how they are regulated and integrated with local and intrinsic factors across multiple tissues. Studies focused on the Drosophila germline have generated valuable insights into how stem cells are controlled by diet‐dependent pathways, and increasing evidence suggests that diverse adult stem cell populations respond to nutrients through similar mechanisms. Systemic signals, including nutrients themselves and diet‐regulated hormones such as Insulin/Insulin‐like growth factor or steroid hormones, can directly or indirectly affect stem cell behavior by modifying local cell‐cell communication or intrinsic factors. The physiological regulation of stem cells in response to nutritional status not only is a fascinating biological problem, but also has clinical implications, as research in this field holds the key to noninvasive approaches for manipulating stem cells in vivo. In addition, given the known associations between diet, stem cells, and cancer risk, this research may inspire novel anticancer therapies. WIREs Dev Biol 2012 doi: 10.1002/wdev.48


The article is devoted to Hebrew predicate nominal sentences in which the lexical item ze fulfills a copula-like function. A hypothesis is put forward according to which the demonstrative ze has acquired its new function under the influence of Slavic contact languages.


ABSTRACT Reproduction of the African murid genus Mastomys, multimammate rats, is seasonal, starting after the rains and extending well into the dry season. During a two-year study in Tanzania, we tested three hypotheses to investigate the proximal causes of this seasonality. Food availability was no limiting factor since food supply could not induce continuous breeding. Temperature was always high and thus not a restrictive climatic factor. Diet was probably always sufficiently varied and protein-rich to allow reproduction. This contradicts earlier hypotheses that consider Mastomys as an opportunistic breeder in which reproduction is seasonally limited by poor conditions; environmental predictors were believed not to be involved since the animals live in an unpredictably unstable environment. However, although the occurrence of rain may be unpredictable, it is highly predictable that heavy rainfall will be followed by good conditions. Laboratory experiments show that sprouting grass has a stimulatory effect on reproduction, suggesting that breeding is triggered by new vegetation.


ABSTRACT The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) decreases poverty and food insecurity for millions of Americans. Yet not all eligible households participate, and disparities in participation exist by household size, race, ethnicity, and place. We examine the county-level associations between maximum benefit levels and SNAP enrollment by household size, race, ethnicity, and metropolitan status from 2007 to 2013 in the state of Georgia. National county-level data on participation in SNAP by racial or ethnic group are not available, but Georgia features substantial variation by race and ethnicity as well as metropolitan status at the county level that make it well suited for our analysis. Maximum SNAP benefit levels were associated with increases in county-level SNAP enrollment across the board but especially for single-person households, Hispanics, and rural Whites. These findings have implications for future changes to SNAP benefits.


1 Platelet‐activating factor (Paf, 0.04‐4.50 nmol) dose‐dependently induced coronary vasoconstriction and decreased cardiac contractility in rat, isolated perfused hearts and concomitantly released leukotriene‐like bioactivity into the cardiac effluent. 2 Platelet‐activating factor (0.9 nmol) induced an increase in 6‐keto‐prostaglandin F1α (6‐keto‐PGF1α), PGF2α, PGE2 and thromboxane B2 (TXB2) measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA) of cardiac effluents following partial purification using C18 Sep‐Paks. 3 The leukotriene‐like bioactivity released by Paf was identified as leukotriene C4 (LTC4) using a combination of isolation on reverse phase‐h.p.l.c. (r.p.h.p.l.c.) and quantitation by RIA. In addition, LTB4 was also identified by r.p.h.p.l.c. and the levels, determined by RIA, were within the range having biological activity. 4 The release of cyclo‐oxygenase products by Paf was prevented by indomethacin (2.8 μM), markedly attenuated by diethylcarbamazine (7.7 mM) but unaffected by FPL 55712 (1.9 μM)‐pretreatment. Furthermore, LTC4 (50 pmol) did not increase the release of the cyclo‐oxygenase products measured. 5 The release of LTB4 and LTC4 appeared to be unaffected by indomethacin pretreatment whereas diethylcarbamazine‐pretreatment markedly inhibited release. 6 The coronary vasoconstriction induced by Paf (0.9 nmol) was attenuated by pretreatment with indomethacin or diethylcarbamazine, whereas FPL 55712 caused a marked inhibition of the response. In contrast, the decrease in cardiac contractility was prevented by indomethacin or diethylcarbamazine and unaffected by FPL 55712 pretreatment. 7 It is concluded that LTC4 may be largely responsible for the coronary vasoconstriction induced by Paf with cyclo‐oxygenase products having a possible modulatory role whereas the latter appear to be involved in the Paf‐induced decrease in cardiac contractility.


This book by Ian Wray catches the zeitgeist. It is important because it provides a lucid explanation for the decline of the United States and is mirrored in other Western countries, especially the ...


Purpose

Many booking services in traditional people-processing service areas such as gastronomy were recently transformed into online reservation services. While advantages for platform providers (i.e. a share of the respective business) and merchants (i.e. increased operational efficiency) seem obvious, it is less known about how customers respond to these new forms of online services. This paper aims to illustrate how booking traditional people-processing services online is different from booking it via phone.

Design/methodology/approach

This study conceptualized a 2 × 2 experimental survey design by manipulating users' booking channel (online vs low) and the service complexity of different, less digitized people-processing services (high: dentist vs low: restaurant). After conducting several pretests, the authors surveyed 282 respondents familiar with online booking and reservation.

Findings

The results show that the booking channel (online reservation vs phone reservation) affects associated perceived booking risk and negatively affects users' intention to use the reservation service. Additionally, users' attitudes toward online reservation moderate the influence of booking channel on perceived booking risk.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first research that investigates adoption of online reservation in people-processing services.


Quantum Computation can solve many problems that are intractable with classical computers. Development of quantum algorithms requires quantum circuits for elementary arithmetic. Reversible requirement makes quantum circuit design more difficult than classical circuit design. The number of qubits must be kept minimal. In this paper we present an optimal, in term of qubit usage, reversible quantum circuit for multiplication.


In order to reasonably evaluate the flight operation efficiency, the civil aviation flight operation efficiency evaluation index system is established from five aspects: quality and safety, environment, transportation efficiency, capacity resources and economic benefits. In view of the fact that the flight operation efficiency index weight is not fixed, the catastrophe progression method is introduced into such evaluation. Using the actual operational data of China's civil aviation, the model is used for evaluation, and the evaluation results obtained are basically consistent with the actual development of China's civil aviation industry.


Recent advances on the application of Monte Carlo simulation in supercritical fluids were reviewed. The selection of ensembles, sampling methods and optimization of potential energy parameters have been discussed, and various simulation results of radial distribution function (RDF), clustering phenomena and solubility were compared. We closed this review with an outlook for future simulation work in this field.


The struggle to defend the faith in the global Anglican Communion is not merely a recent phenomenon. There has never been a "golden age" when the Reformed faith of the Elizabethan Settlement was unchallenged. The emergence of a global fellowship of national churches has highlighted the difficulties of discipline across national borders. Tragically, there has been repeated failure on the part of the Communion's leadership to guard the faith once for all delivered to the saints, but there is hope in the courage and biblical faithfulness of a new generation of leaders from the Global South. KEYWORDS: Anglicanism, Lambeth Conference, discipline, jurisdiction, bishops, Global South, GAFCON, John Colenso, Canterbury


The article is devoted to the questions of optimization of civil-legal bases of the estimation of the investment appeal of the region. Civil-law bases of the estimation of investment appeal demand further perfection of the civil legislation regarding contractual regulation of investment relations. Thus, expediently, proceeding from subject structure of investment relations it is obvious to delimit the concepts of «the investment deal» and «the investment contract» and to fix them at the legislative level. It is necessary to recognize the enterprise character as a key sign of the investment deal.


A new approach for the operational management of water distribution networks is herein presented, which introduces district metered areas (DMA) with dynamic topology. The approach facilitates the operation of an open and adaptive network that reverts back to the original DMA structure only at night for leakage detection purposes, therefore eliminating the disadvantages of a closed topology such as reduced resilience to failure and suboptimal pressure management. The concept and technology is currently being implemented on a water distribution network in the UK, and a novel optimization method used for its control has been derived that is fast and reliable. © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the CCWI2013 Committee.


Purpose: This study describes the development and implementation of a mechanical ventilation education program with a blended learning method for nursing students.Methods: Sixty-five nursing students were recruited either to the experimental group (n=33) or to the control group (n=32) in May 2020. This program was developed based on the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation model. The analysis phase consisted of a literature review, expert consultations, and target group survey. In addition, learning objectives and a structure were designed, and an online program was developed. In the implementation phase, the program was conducted over the course of 2 weeks. The evaluation phase involved verification of the effects of the program on knowledge of mechanical ventilation, self-confidence, and ventilator nursing skills performance, as well as an assessment of satisfaction with the program.Results: The experimental group had significantly higher scores on knowledge of mechanical ventilation (t=4.29, p<.001), self-confidence (t=2.31, p=.024), and ventilator nursing skills performance (t=4.65, p<.001) than the control group.Conclusion: The results indicate that this mechanical ventilation education program with blended learning was effective in meeting the needs of nursing students and can be widely used in this context.


Commissioned by Faith and Spirituality, University of the West of England.
First performed at the University of the West of England Carol Service by the
UWE Singers, organ Alison Howell, conductor Ian Holmes,
Bristol Cathedral, 10 December 2015.


The theory of ANN and SOFM are introduced and the evaluating index system of the level of agricultural modernization is constructed.Based on SOFM method of ANN,16 evaluating indexes and correlative data are put to use to make a demonstration on the level of agricultural modernization of 17 cities of Shandong province.17 cities are classified into developed,quite developed,developing and under-developing 4 types.The spatial pattern of the agricultural modernizaiton of Shandong province is brought forward and 4 agricultural economy zones are divided.Finally correlative strategy countermeasures of every zone are illustrated.


The systems, methods, and computer program products are provided for displaying on the graphical user interface ( "GUI") to a plurality of applications. The application control system ( "ACS") may determine whether any applications are to be displayed, ACS is able to determine the best layout for the application on the GUI. ACS may be carried out a movement and / or resizing of the application and the application will automatically determine the optimum layout to substantially fill the portion of the GUI. Additionally, ACS may facilitate communication between an application using an application programming interface ( "API"). The application can obtain information from any of the other applications on the GUI by sending a request via an API.


The environmental impact of the healthcare sector has become an important factor globally and is continuing to draw the attention of regulators. The energy use of the healthcare sector (whose largest sub-segment is `hospitals') has been growing due to many factors. These factors include the rapid growth and adoption of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in healthcare. The new IT technologies and applications used in healthcare include `cloud computing', `mMedicine', i.e. `mobility in Health', eHealth, and tele(health) care for `remote delivery of healthcare services'. In general, the healthcare industry needs to reap the benefits of emerging technologies such as mobile computing and cloud computing, along with the use of Health Information Technology (HIT) to help solve the ever growing operating cost problems. One challenge facing the healthcare sector is how best to calculate the energy efficiency of this very complex sector. The work done over the past few years to analyze and create very energy efficient data centers presents an excellent opportunity for cost effective green IT at hospitals.Green IT is an ideal way for hospitals to make a significant step in the green direction for several reasons. First, IT is continually being refreshed at hospitals and most organizations as part of the need for the hospitals to keep vital technology up to date. That refresh cycle is similar to the refresh cycle for our company owned laptops, i.e. every three or four years. Any electronic waste (eWaste) from this refresh cycle must be recycled as part of a sustainability program. Replacing the IT equipment and upgrading the application architecture with energy efficient systems such as virtual servers, virtual data storage, and efficient application and database structures, can easily reduce IT power consumption for the replaced equipment by 50 percent. A second compelling reason to move to green IT is that virtual server and virtual data storage technology are methods that allow hospitals to reduce equipment and system management costs. Include private cloud computing for both your production and test / development systems, and the savings are even greater. So the latest green technology is based around a very solid business case without even considering the savings due to reduction in energy costs. This paper describes a process for calculating a hospital's IT Energy Efficiency along with information on the best ways to improve energy efficiency in a cost effective manner. The process builds on the work done in other sectors (mainly data centers) in effectively measuring and improving IT energy efficiency.


SR (synchronizing resources) is a PASCAL - style language enhanced with constructs for concurrent programming developed at the University of Arizona in the late 1980s. MPD (presented in Gregory Andrews' book about Foundations of Multithreaded, Parallel, and Distributed Programming) is its successor, providing the same language primitives with a different, more C-style, syntax.
The run-time system (in theory, identical, but not designed for sharing) of those languages provides the illusion of a multiprocessor machine on a single Unix-like system or a (local area) network of Unix-like machines.
Chair V of the Computer Science Department of the University of Bonn is operating a laboratory for a practical course in parallel programming consisting of computing nodes running NetBSD/arm, normally used via PVM, MPI etc.
We are considering to offer SR and MPD for this, too. As the original language distributions were only targeted at a few commercial Unix systems, some porting effort is needed. However, some of the porting effort of our earlier SR port should be reusable.
The integrated POSIX threads support of NetBSD-2.0 and later allows us to use library primitives provided for NetBSD's phtread system to implement the primitives needed by the SR run-time system, thus implementing 13 target CPUs at once and automatically making use of SMP on VAX, Alpha, PowerPC, Sparc, 32-bit Intel and 64 bit AMD CPUs.
We'll present some methods used for the impementation and compare some performance values to the traditional implementation.


A direct acting free piston internal combustion engine/hydrostatic pump is analyzed. This device would take the place of a conventional engine-driven hydrostatic pump, and would be expected to offer significant advantages in cost, weight, and efficiency. The free piston configuration eliminates the need for a crankshaft-connecting rod system, and the comparable mechanism of the pump that converts rotary to reciprocating motion. Analysis of the design was done by computer simulation using a thermodynamic model of the combustion cylinder in combination with the system dynamics


This paper examines and describes how design visualisation methods support decision making processes in two strategic projects currently running in an engineering SME company. We first describe the range of visualisation methods and how they are used in r


The National Audit Office is clear that progress towards integrated health and social care has been too slow and is at significant risk. Helena Frankova examines the barriers to achieving the goal of a financially sustainable health and care system by 2020


A warning system applied to long-distance crossing-border monitoring by the technology SMS and infrared laser is introduced.Center station based on PC and TC35i module could transmit or receive short message by COM communication.Monitoring station watches the forbidden zone produced by a semiconductor infrared(IR) warning apparatus.CMOS chip AT89C52 inceptes the warning informations,then transmittes out a warning mesagge by module TC35i.Circumstance of hardware and software are provided and programming is described.The system can overcome the shortages and astrictions of the means of conventional communication and monitoring apparatus.


The aim of the present study was to determine the styles of coping with stress in the case of people with eating disorders by means of Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) by Endler and Parker. The studies comprised 26 women with anorexia, 36 with bulimia and 46 healthy women, who constituted the control group. Persons with eating disorders use emotional style of coping with stress significantly more often than healthy ones, while using task-related style significantly more rarely. In stress-causing situations, women with eating disorders get involved in supplementary activities, while the healthy ones seek support in others. Styles of coping with stress differentiate the forms of eating disorders. Women with anorexia use task-related style in dealing with problems significantly more often. Women with bulimia prefer style connected with getting engaged in supplementary activities and seeking social support. Determining the styles of coping with problems in people with eating disorders seems especially important from the point of view of the undertaken prophylactic activities and planning as well as applying different methods and forms of therapy.


An experimental study on Al deoxidation of 18Cr-8Ni stainless steel under the presence of the top slag with CaO-Al 2 O 3 -MgO-F system was performed to understand the formation mechanism of alumina, spinel, magnesia and calcium aluminate inclusions. Alumina or spinel inclusions were formed immediately after the addition of Al. MgO and CaO in the slag phase were reduced by Al to generate soluble Mg and Ca in steel. This tendency was enhanced when Al was added to the slag surface. Thereafter, soluble Mg reacted with the inclusions, which formed early to form MgO inclusions, due to its higher activity than Ca in the molten 18Cr-8Ni stainless steel. The behavior of MgO.Al 2 O 3 and MgO inclusions agreed with the phase stability diagram calculated with thermodynamic data. This result validates the assumption of maintaining the local equilibrium between the inclusions and the molten steel. Calcium aluminate inclusions, which have proved to be the most stable with the thermodynamic calculation, formed at the last stage of deoxidation when the molten stainless steel contained Ca of at least 1 mass ppm and Al ranging from 0.1 to 1 wt. %.


Aims. We study small open star clusters, using Strömgren photometry to investigate a possible dependence between age and metallicity in the Magellanic Clouds (MCs). Our goals are to trace evidence of an age metallicity relation (AMR) and correlate it with the mutual interactions of the two MCs and to correlate the AMR with the spatial distribution of the clusters. In the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), the majority of the selected clusters are young (up to 1 Gyr), and we search for an AMR at this epoch, which has not been much studied. Methods. We report results for 15 LMC and 8 Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) clusters, scattered all over the area of these galaxies, to cover a wide spatial distribution and metallicity range. The selected LMC clusters were observed with the 1.54 m Danish Telescope in Chile, using the Danish Faint Object Spectrograph and Camera (DFOSC) with a single 2k × 2k CCD. The SMC clusters were observed with the ESO 3.6 m Telescope, also in Chile, using the ESO Faint Object Spectrograph and Camera (EFOSC). The obtained frames were analysed with the conventional DAOPHOT and IRAF software. We used Strömgren filters in order to achieve reliable metallicities from photometry. Isochrone fitting was used to determine the ages and metallicities. Results. The AMR for the LMC displays a metallicity gradient, with higher metallicities for the younger ages. The AMR for LMCSMC star clusters shows a possible jump in metallicity and a considerable increase at about 6 × 108 yr. It is possible that this is connected to the latest LMC-SMC interaction. The AMR for the LMC also displays a metallicity gradient with distance from the centre. The metallicities in SMC are lower, as expected for a metal-poor host galaxy.


Objective To explore effects of acrylonitrile(ACN)exposure on the concentrations of serum male sex hormone in male workers. Methods Blood samples of 112 male workers exposed to ACN and 128 male control workers(unexposed to ACN)were collected.The concentrations of testosterone(T),luteinizing hormone(LH),follicle stimulating hormone(FSH) and estradiol(E_2)in sera were determined by radioimmunoassay(RIA). Results The results showed that concentrations of both T and FSH in exposure group were lower than those in control group(P0.05).When the male workers exposed to ACN were divided into groups by working workshop,serum T concentrations of male workers working in the solvent workshop with the lower air ACN concentrations were higher than those in other three workshops,but there was no statistical significance.When male workers exposed to ACN were divided into groups by exposure cumulative dose(including smoking),the concentrations of both FSH and T in exposure group were declined with the increased in cumulative dose.When cumulative dose was at and over \{50 g\},the serum T concentrations were significantly decreased(P0.05),and E_2 concentrations were significantly increased((P0.05)).The concentrations of both FSH and T were significantly decreased,as cumulative dose was at and over \{100 g\}. Conclusions The results showed that ACN and its metabolite(2-CEO)could induce changes in the concentration of serum T,FSH and E_2 in male workers.The results indicate that CAN exposure might injure both the endocrine function and Sertoli cells and Leydigs cells in testis,and cause sex function disorder.


This paper considers the organizational and legal support of the processes of digitalization of innovation in the financial and tax sectors. The main prerequisites were identified, and the role of financial and tax innovations in the development of the economy at the macro level was defined. Emphasis is on digital technologies as the main driving force of innovation in the financial and tax sector. The relationship between the concepts of "financial and tax innovations" and "financial engineering" has been established. The main directions of digitalization of the financial and tax sectors are identified. The digital technologies that have the greatest impact on financial and tax innovation are identified, namely: blockchain, Big Data, artificial intelligence, cloud technologies, the Internet of Things. The directions of legal regulation were substantiated and further steps to develop legal support for the digitalization of the financial sector were determined. To this end, the components of legal regulation, institutional regulation, and scientific and methodological regulation of digitalization of the financial sector are detailed. In contrast to numerous studies in the field of legal support and regulation of digitalization of the financial and tax sectors, it has been hypothesized and proved that the greatest effect is achieved with the harmonious interaction of institutional components. The system of management of financial and tax innovations in the context of digitalization has been improved. To this end, the stages of the transformation process of the financial and tax innovation management system in the context of digitalization were detailed and an algorithm for digitalization of the financial sector has been developed. The scope of practical application of the research results is the development of the financial and tax sector through the introduction of digital tools


THE CHESAPEAKE & OHIO. recently installed a centralized traffic control system near Clifton Forge, Va., which covers a two-mile section of double-track main line, as well as switches and crossovers at the entrance of a yard and an outlying main-line crossover which is located about two miles west of the yard entrance ; all trains in this territory are directed by signal indication. A classification yard for eastbound freight cars is located at Clifton Forge, and eastbound freight trains leave the main line two miles west of Clifton Forge to enter the receiving yard. The grade is descending for eastward trains when approaching the entrance to the classification yard, and in order to control the speed of the trains entering the yard, all trains are brought to a stop before making the diverting movement into the yard. Prior to the C.T.C. installation, a mechanical interlocking was maintained at the east end of the Steele center passing siding, which is located eight miles west of Clifton Forge and about midway between Clifton Forge and Covington, Steele being the next passing siding and open interlocking plant to the west of Clifton Forge. All eastward freight trains stop at Covington to turn clown air retainers after descending the east slope of the Alleghany mountains, and this delay, together with that experienced in entering Clifton Forge yard, results in an average time of one hour and twenty minutes from arrival at Covington to clearing the main line at Clifton Forge. Eastward tonnage Eastward home signals at HY


The human cytochrome P450 enzymes and their substrates are reviewed, together with current knowledge on the three-dimensional structures of P450s obtained from X-ray crystallographic studies and from homology modelling based on mammalian P450 template crystal structures. There is a particular focus on human Phase 1 drug metabolism mediated by P450s, and a rationalization of their substrate selectivities and binding strengths in terms of lipophilicity and active site interactions. The combination of molecular modelling and quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) studies facilitates understanding of the factors which determine substrate selectivity and binding to the human drug-metabolizing P450s.


In this paper the operating expenses of the central bank system of the euro area are analyzed and put into perspective. Contrary to the classical cost-saving argument for central banks and fiat money, our case study shows that the eurosystem operates under relatively high expenses. Its overall operating expenses are about three times as high as White's estimate of the annual costs of an alternative system based on a gold standard with fractional reserves. Moreover, the eurosystem's overall operating expenses are very likely to be higher than the proportion of the costs for global gold production that corresponds to the eurozone's share in world GDP. This is of particular interest, because global gold production has considerably expanded even after the transition to a fiat standard in the 1970s and continues to divert real resources from other productive uses in the economy.


In October 1993 , former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher released her political memoirs , The Downing Street Years. In her account of the events surrounding the opening of eastern Europe at the end of the 1980s, Thatcher was remarkably blunt . She wrote: "The German question and the consequences of reunification were my chief preoccupation when, in September 1989, I decided during my return trip from a conference in Tokyo, to pay a brief visit to Moscow in order to talk with Mikhail Gorbachov." Thatcher added, "I told him quite frankly that while we in Europe traditionally acknowledged the goal of German reunification, in reality this caused us great concern. This I added, was not only my own opinion; I had also discussed this question with another top political figure, by which I meant President Mitterrand . . . . This [discussion with Gorbachov] strengthened my own resolve to slow the already hectic tempo of developments . ,,1 Thatcher's hostile view of the transformation possibilit ies in eastern Europe, and most emphatically against German unification in 1989-90, is thus a matter of public record . Such a response from Britain at the end of the twentieth century would be astonishing only if one were ignorant of the long standing British doctrine of "balance of power" or "geopoli tics ," in which British politicians and diplomats have been schooled at least since the 1 8 1 5 Congress of Vienna .


Objective To identify in the Australian context: (a) treatment and support services that are accessed by people living with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and their carers, (b) perceived benefits and challenges associated with these services, and (c) changes these individuals would like to see with regards to service provision and access. Method This project involved semi‐structured qualitative interviews with 12 participants (75% female, M age = 39.9, SD = 11.7), nine with lived experience of BPD, three carers and two identifying with both roles. Additionally, two online focus groups were conducted via online peer support communities involving 11 participants in total. Interview transcripts and focus group text were analysed thematically. Results Participants described mixed experiences across a range of treatment types, locations and intensities. Themes were: identity and discovery, (mis)communication, complexities of care, finding what works (for me), an uncertain future, and carer empowerment. Participants described community‐based psychotherapy as being critical for reducing symptoms of BPD and improving quality of life, but reported challenges at the macro and micro level with regards to costs, service access, clinician factors and client factors. Experiences were often not aligned with a recovery model of mental health. Conclusions The current Australian mental health system is not designed to best meet the needs of people living with BPD, which remains highly stigmatised and misunderstood. Future research should consider how the system could be modified or restructured to better support recovery for these individuals and others with complex mental illness.


This paper presents a note written by Yugoslav diplomat Veljko Mićunović on board the ship Galeb in April 1961, shortly after his conflict with Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito. The document significantly enhances our understanding of the Mićunović–Tito conflict, as well as the ways in which Yugoslav diplomats collaborated with the Yugoslav President at different stages of representing Yugoslav interests on the international stage.


Abstract : Records of cinetheodolite balloon observations at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico (WSMR) to 8000 feet above the surface have been analyzed in sets of 11- and 20-minute intervals to determine the magnitude of horizontal wind vector changes. The means of the magnitude for the horizontal wind vector changes varied from 1.8 to 2.8 ft/sec for time intervals of 11 and 20 minutes. The means of the horizontal wind direction change over the same time intervals varied from 7 to 34 degrees. The greatest variability occurred in layers below 3000 feet.


In this project we have presented an approach to generate questions from a paragraph and the size of the paragraph is defined by its scope. A mix of syntax and semantic based approach to natural language processing is used to generate the questions from the paragraph. Important sentences from the paragraph are selected based upon the certain features and the questions are generated for these selected sentences. Our system implements generation of question from paragraph and also generating simple and complex types of questions. And the research till date works on either implementing question generation from single sentences or implementing generation of simple questions from paragraph or implementing question generation of complex questions from paragraph.


The invention relates to a biomass pretreatment method which can be a substitute for alkali, acid and steam explosion and reduce the cost and environmental pollution. The invention adopts the technical scheme that: crushing the biomass into powder, sterilizing, cooling, then adding proteinase, hydrolyzing protein in the biomass into free amino acids, and then using other methods to hydrolyze cellulose and hemicellulose into monose for alcoholic fermentation. The proteinase comprises acid protease, alkali protease or collagenase and the like. The biomass comprises crop straws, grass, wood or fibrous plants.


This letter presents the use of two heuristic search algorithms, named simulated annealing and genetic algorithms, for the extraction of power amplifier (PA) behavioral model parameters. Their application in this letter consists in determining the memory length and the most significant delays of the considered model structure. Two PA behavioral models have been considered: an augmented nonlinear moving average model and a nonlinear auto-regressive moving average model. By using WCDMA signals measured from a three-stage LDMOS class AB PA, both PA models were extracted. Finally, results presenting the advantages of using these heuristic search algorithms are provided.


This paper aims to propose a modification to an algorithm proposed by Peter D Turney for the purpose of sentiment analysis. The implementation of Turney's algorithm requires the use of Alta Vista's NEAR operator. The modified algorithm aims to eliminate the need of the search engine by the use of sentiment weights. These sentiment weights are to be derived from a word lexicon annotated with it's corresponding polarities. This will enable the application to run offline and eliminate the need of an external search engine.


Trisomy 21 is commonly associated with thyroid problems. Although autoimmune hypothyroidism is the commonest thyroid problem in Trisomy 21, infants with this chromosomal disorder are also known to have dysregulated pituitary thyroid axis. This results in elevated thyrotropin (TSH) levels in absence of autoimmunity and structurally normal thyroid gland. The mechanism for this phenomenon is not clearly understood and it is possible that this may be due to genomic imbalance from trisomy of chromosome 21. Some authors have proposed that thyroid hormone resistance (RTH) might be a contributing factor to this. However, the genes coding for TSH receptor and the two proteins known to be implicated in TSH resistance are normal in patients with Trisomy 21. In newborns, transient hyperthyrotropinaemia is considered to be associated with maternal thyroperoxidase (TPO) antibody positivity. We describe a case of term infant with Trisomy 21, who was identified on newborn congenital hypothyroidism screening. The infant had high TSH and raised plasma free T4 (FT4) with clinical signs and symptoms of congenital hypothyroidism. We discuss the management of this case and possible mechanisms contributing to the uncommon presentation.


Smallholder tobacco farmers in Zimbabwe have not yet fully adopted the strategies to reduce deforestation as recommended by tobacco contracting companies and government agencies such as the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB), Forestry Commission of Zimbabwe (FCZ) and Environmental Management Agency (EMA). The majority of them continue to use wood fuel for curing, leading to high rates of deforestation. This study focused on assessing the factors influencing the adoption of strategies to reduce the rate of deforestation from tobacco production, including gum plantations and coal for tobacco curing in the Makoni district's Headlands area. The target population was tobacco farmers in the study area, and the sample size was 320. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to analyze the data. Based on the results, the factors that were significant in influencing farmers to adopt were the farmer's age, farming experience, agricultural training, education level and occupation. The study recommends that government agencies, including the FCZ, enforce the implementation of afforestation events like tree planting day across the country to help protect the environment from deforestation.


Aim: the aim of this study to evaluate the kidney structure and function in dilating vesicoureteral reflux patients with anorectal malformation. Materials and methods: This is a retrospective study based on the Author's personal experience and cases operated in the Department of Paediatrics surgery Patna Medical College and Hospital, Patna Bihar, India for 10 year. Total 150 consecutive VUR >grade III (dilating VUR or D-VUR) patients include in this study. Subjects were divided into two groups according to the presence of ARM to give ARM+ (n=20; 30 ureters) and ARM– (n=100; 120ureters). Results: The differences between ARM+ and ARM– for sex distribution (male: 55% vs 62%), mean incidence of all UTI (including preoperative) per patient (2.1±1.7vs 2.6±1.9), incidence of bilateral D-VUR (20% vs 38%) or mean overall duration of follow-up [defined as the period from the initial consultation to the final consultation at our institute; 6.4±1.3years andgrades of D-VUR were not significant. The incidence of BBD in ARM+ was significantly higher than that in ARM– (40% vs 10%; p=0.0007). However, differences in the mean ages of BBD patients with respect to ARM were not significantly different [7.2±2.4 years forARM+versus7.5±2.2yearsfor ARM–, p=0.62]. DMSA scans indicated that both severe multiple and diffuse renal cortical lesions (RDS: 2m, 2d) were identified significantly more often in ARM+ than in ARM– (65% versus 30%, p=0.042). Conclusions: we concluded that the renal cortical lesions were correlated with grade of DVUR in ARM– and RDS was significantly higher in ARM+, BBD did not appear to contribute to progressive renal dysfunction as is commonly believed. Introduction Vesicoureteric reflux (VUR) is the retrograde passage of urine into the upper urinary tract, during detrusor contraction at micturition. In the absence of lower urinary tract outlet obstruction and neurogenic bladder, it is considered to be primary. Primary VUR is regarded as a risk factor for urinary tract infections (UTIs) and post infectious scarring. In most patients, VUR including higher grades undergoes spontaneous resolution over a period of time. VUR has been shown to be associated with renal scarring, referred to as reflux nephropathy; 7%–17% of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is reported to be associated with primary VUR.There is a strong association of bladder–bowel dysfunction (BBD), VUR, and UTI.Treatment strategies for VUR include surgical re-implantation of ureters or endoscopic injection of a bulking agent at the ureterovesical junction or medical treatment with low-dose antibacterial prophylaxis with the aim of preventing UTI and consequent scarring. Considerable research has been conducted on the optimal treatment for VUR, and studies have improved the understanding on renal damage associated with VUR. Milder grades of VUR are considered innocuous. Further, it is increasingly recognized that aggressive therapies for VUR may not affect renal damage or development of ESRD. As VUR is detected on investigations that are carried out after an episode of UTI, there is debate European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine (EJMCM) ISSN: 2515-8260 Volume 07, Issue 11, 2020 4754 on the need for detailed evaluation protocols for UTI. This review focuses on an evidence-based approach to the diagnosis and management of VUR. the prevalence of VUR is presumed to be 1%.However, a study on normal infants and children found reflux in 28% on micturatingcystourethrography (MCU). Other studies in children without predisposing conditions show VUR in 0%–30%. As VUR may be subclinical, resolves with time, and requires MCU for diagnosis, determining the prevalence would require subjecting al newborns to an invasive procedure that is not possible. VUR is often diagnosed following evaluation of one or more UTI. In a large retrospective study, the prevalence of VUR was estimated at 37% in children with UTI and 34% without UTI. A large meta-analysis estimated the incidence of VUR in siblings and offspring of patients with VUR at 27.4% and 35.7%, respectively. Variability in the reorted prevalence of VUR is largely due to design, selection bias, and methods used for its diagnosis. Researchers believe that ~1% prevalence of VUR is conservative, with a more reliable estimate of 10%–40%. VUR is also diagnosed in children who are evaluated for chronic kidney disease (CKD), hypertension, renal stones, and rarely for proteinuria. Materials and methods This is a retrospective study conducted based on the Author's personal experience and cases operated in the department of Paediatrics surgery Patna Medical College and Hospital, Patna Bihar, India for 10 years from August 2010 to July 2020. Methodology Total 150 consecutive VUR >grade III (dilating VUR or D-VUR) patients include in this study. Patients with neurogenic bladder due to tethered cord, spina bifida and sacral anomalies, ureteropelvicjunction obstruction, cloaca or lower urinary tract obstruction were excluded as being secondary causes of VUR, leaving 120 patients as subjects for this study. Subjects were divided into two groups according to the presence of ARM to give ARM+ (n=20; 30 ureters) and ARM– (n=100; 120ureters). Data for gender, type of ARM, grade of D-VUR assessed by using voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG), incidence of UTI (defined as fever >38C accompanied by leukocytosis with left shift, and positive catheterized urine culture growing at least 10 bacteria per mL), use of prophylactic antibiotics to prevent UTI, presence of BBD (defined by the American Urological Association as a combination of at least one lower urinary tract symptom, such as presence of urinary frequency, urinary urgency, extended periods between voiding, daytime wetting, perineal or penilepainorholdingmaneuvers,withatleastonetype of dysfunctional defecation, such as constipation, or encopresis) reported by the parents or the patient in lay terms, without specific use of classification tools, duration of follow-up and a simple renal dysfunction score (RDS), based on a format approved by the Japanese Reflux Nephropathy Forum involving scoring renal cortical lesions detected on dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scintigraphy on a scale of 0–2 with 0 representing no cortical lesions, 1 representing less than two lesions or split renal function >40% and 2 representing split renal function.As part of our routine protocol for evaluating patients with ARM preoperatively for definitive corrective surgery, we performed a VCUG and contrast enema to diagnose and classify the ARM. VUR was usually diagnosed at this time, and a baseline DMSA scan was performed. By the time of preoperative assessment for ARM, almost all patients had experienced UTI as a consequence of their VUR , While prenatally diagnosed ARM was an indication for more intensive management during pregnancy, prenatally diagnosed hydronephrosis did not tend to warrant any extra attention unless it was severe, so only a few ARM− were diagnosed with hydronephrosis prenatally, and in most ARM−, VCUG and DMSA were performed only.After the first UTI, with the result that most ARM− cases did not routinely have baseline European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine (EJMCM) ISSN: 2515-8260 Volume 07, Issue 11, 2020 4755 DMSA studies. Thus, while ARM+ had DMSA scans performed before and after definitive corrective surgery, ARM− did not. Similarly, during postoperative follow-up, DMSA scans were performed at least 3 months after the last UTI in order to avoid documenting acute renal cortical lesions and at least every 2 years in all patients to update the status of renal cortical lesions. Statistical analysis The recorded data was compiled entered in a spreadsheet computer program (Microsoft Excel 2010) and then exported to data editor page of SPSS version 20 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, USA). Descriptive statistics included computation of percentages, mean and standard deviation. Test applied for the analysis were Mann-Whitney U test, the unpaired t-test, the χ2 test and the one-way analysis of variance test were used for statistical analysis. A p value less than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.


In this paper we describe a modification to Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) that improves generalization to unseen data. It consists of doing two steps for each minibatch: a backward step with a small negative learning rate, followed by a forward step with a larger learning rate. The idea was initially inspired by ideas from adversarial training, but we show that it can be viewed as a crude way of canceling out certain systematic biases that come from training on finite data sets. The method gives∼ 10% relative improvement over our best acoustic models based on lattice-free MMI, across multiple datasets with 100-300 hours of data.


This study compared the instructional contexts of 15 students with severe disabilities who were educated in general education elementary classrooms, and 15 general education students in those same classrooms. Results suggest that (a) different instructional contexts existed for students with severe disabilities; (b) more individualized instructional supports were provided for the students with severe disabilities, including one-to-one instruction, small group instruction provided by special education staff, physical and gestural prompting, and teacher focus on the student with severe disabilities; (c) most of the more individualized supports were provided by special education staff. Implications for supporting students with severe disabilities in general education elementary classrooms are discussed.


Although novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mainly affects lung, it also affects thecardiovascular system Cardiac manifestations of COVID-19 include myocardial injury, myocarditis,heart failure, acute coronary syndrome, thromboembolism, and arrhythmias Cardiovascularinvolvement in COVID-19 is related to poor prognosis and increased mortality Therefore,the recognition of cardiac complications and prompt treatment of cardiac injury inpatients with suspected COVID-19 is essential In this review article, we discuss the cardiovascularmanifestations of COVID-19 and their related imaging findings


First, we have studied the stability of Sr2-xBaxCu3O4Cl2-yBry of the 2342 phase with the Cu3O4 plane, which is composed of the Cu(1)O2 and extra Cu(2) sublattices, in the temperature range between 600 and 950°C. It has been found that a mixture of (Sr, Ba)2CuO2(Cl, Br)2 With the CuO2 plane and CuO becomes stable instead of the 2342 phase with the Cu3O4 plane for smaller values of x and y at low temperatures. Next, the electrical and magnetic properties of Sr2-xBaxCu3O4Cl2-yBry with the Cu3O4 plane have been investigated. The electrical resistivity exhibits semiconductive behavior. The magnetic susceptibility shows three-dimensional antiferromagnetic order below TN(1)=300-400K and TN(2)-30K for the Cu(1) and Cu(2) sublattices, respectively. A broad peak due to the two-dimensional antiferromagnetic order in the Cu(2) sublattice is also observed around TN2D(2)=100K. With increasing x and y, the lattice parameters increase, the electrical resistivity increases and values of both TN(1) and TN 2D(2) decrease. These results are explained as being due to the decrease of the overlaps between Cu3d and O2p, COP, Br4p orbits.


IN ITS ANALYSIS OF THE PROBLEM OF THE scientist's responsibility for the results and application of his work, Die Physiker stands as a rejoinder to Brecht's Leben des Galilei. But the conflict worked out in Durrenmatt's comedy can be seen, at least in part, as an ironic confirmation of the major conclusion reached and stated by Galileo in the course of Brecht's "Schauspiel" -namely, that the scientist has a responsibility towards his fellow men. The purpose of this article is to analyse Durrenmatt's treatment of the themes of scientific, personal, and social responsibility. At the same time I hope to indicate how Diirrenmatt, in rebutting others of Brecht's arguments, has at the same time taken over from the earlier drama attitudes and ideas and examined their implications in a manner which shows that he in fact retains the letter of these attitudes while modifying their spirit.


A questionaire was sent to 150 College members selected at random. The answers given by the 112 (72%) who replied are summarised. They indicate a marked interest in psychotherapy. The majority believe that formal training in psychotherapy is both possible and necessary but that the doctor's own personality is important and may raise difficulties in training. Personal and group supervision are the preferred methods of teaching.


The casing boundary layer flows behind an isolated axial compressor rotor with various tip clearances were measured under design and off-design conditions. The velocity distributions inside the boundary layer, measured by a slow-response 5-hole pressure probe, are closely related to the phase-locked flow pattern of a leakage vortex measured by a fast-response slanted hot-wire. As the vortex is stronger, the local efficiency of a blade element becomes higher near the casing wall, and becomes lower at the inner side of the vortex center. The integral parameters of the casing boundary layer were calculated to clarify the effect of the tip clearance on the boundary layer development. blade-tip efficiency is introduced by use of these parameters. There is no significant difference in the variation of the blade-tip efficiency with tip clearance between the design and the off-design condition, except an incipient stall condition.


Biopsy: April, 1969. "The histological changes are slight and non-specific in nature. There is slight hyperkeratosis and possibly mild hyperpigmentation of the basal layer of the epidermis. The derniis shoAvs senile elastosis and CEdema Avith separation of the collagen bundles in the deeper dermis. There is a very occasional infiaininatory cell in the dermis. The histological appearances are consistent Avith the diagnosis of scleredema adultorum (Buschke). The almost total absence of inflammatory cells Avould probably exclude the diagnosis of early scleroderma."


Shrinking the dimensions of organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) down to the nanometer scale offers new, defect-free charge transport regimes. This may lead to the improvement of the device performance, such as larger carrier mobilities, increased device speed, lower power dissipation, and enhanced on/off ratios. Therefore, much effort has recently been made to scale down both the thickness of the OFET devices (the semiconductor and/or insulator layers) and their lateral dimension (source–drain distance). With size reduction, however, the device performance is mainly hampered by the parasitic contact resistances with a high injection barriers and the poor long-range order of organic semiconductors. Most commonly, gold source–drain (S/D) electrodes are used as the charge-injecting metal in organic electronic devices. Gold is used because of its chemical stability and its work function that matches the energy level of organic semiconductors in most cases, thus lowering the Schottky barriers. To reduce the contact resistance, several alternative materials, including carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon nanotube/polymer nanocomposites, graphene multilayers, and conductive polymers, have been utilized as potential substitutes for the expensive gold S/D electrodes. On the other hand, molecular organization can be improved by forming dense and well-ordered self-assembled monolayers through bottom-up approaches, as illustrated by the work of Smits et al. To optimize the performance of OFETs, device fabrication should be considered as a holistic process. The electrode materials, the contact surface, and device fabrication are so closely interrelated that they cannot be optimized independently. To date, only few examples of OFETs have been demonstrated to achieve high-performance by holistic consideration of all these parameters. With this in mind, herein we present a new class of highperformance photoresponsive molecular field-effect transistors formed from Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) monolayers of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc), using two-dimensional (2D) ballistically-conductive single-layer graphene as planar contacts. The unique feature detailed herein is the integration of LB techniques with the fabrication of nanogap electrodes to build functional molecular electronic devices. LB techniques offer a promising and reliable method to prepare large-area ordered ultrathin films with well-defined architectures. In previous work, we and others have demonstrated the successful applications of the LB technique to CuPc and conjugated polymers in producing ultrathin film OFETs. However, the charge carrier mobilities m in these devices were low, namely about 10 –10 3 cmV 1 s . This might be mainly ascribed to the high contact resistance when gold was used for S/D electrodes and to the defects in the micrometer-long channels. For this study, we employed single-layer graphene as S/D nanoelectrodes to overcome these difficulties. This choice is because graphene, a new class of 2D carbon nanostructure, holds a set of remarkable electronic and physical properties, such as ballistic transport with low resistivity, high chemical stability, and high mechanical strength. Recently, we developed a reliable method of oxidatively cutting single-layer graphene as ideal 2D contacts for producing nanoscale organic transistors. Due to the reduced hole-injection barrier and the large contact area, these devices showed bulk-like FET properties (m 10 3 cmV 1 s ). In the current work, we present a combined method based on the holistic consideration mentioned above. The significant improvement is that this method gives almost 100 percent yields of working monolayer transistors with higher carrier mobility, higher on/off ratio, and reliable reproducibility. We also present the details of their very sensitive photoresponsive behavior, which has never been reported before in monolayer transistors. The structure of CuPc monolayer transistors is illustrated in Figure 1. The fabrication of cut 2D graphene nanogap electrodes was detailed in our previous work. In brief, three-terminal graphene-based transistors were first made by the combination of a peeling-off technique and electron beam [*] Y. Cao, S. Liu, L. Gan, Prof. X. Guo, Prof. Z. Liu Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University Beijing 100871 (P. R. China) Fax: (+86)10-6275-7789 E-mail: email@example.com email@example.com


We study the effect of photon and ultralight pseudoscalar mixing on the propagation of electromagnetic radiation through the extragalactic medium. The medium is modeled as a large number of uncorrelated magnetic domains. We obtain an analytic expression for the different Stokes parameters in the limit of a small mixing angle. Stokes parameters are found to change linearly with the number of domains. We verify this result by direct numerical simulations. We use the formalism to estimate the effect of pseudoscalar-photon mixing on the cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization. We impose limits on the model parameters consistent with CMB observations. We find that the currently allowed parameter range admits a CMB circular polarization up to order 10{sup -7}.


For the heat equation in a bounded domain we give a stability result for a smooth diffusion coefficient. The key ingredients are a global Carleman-type estimate, a Poincar\'e-type estimate and an energy estimate with a single observation acting on a part of the boundary.


This article discusses the use of a conference format in teaching a required English composition course. The focus of the course is student research and presentation; thus, simulating a conference was a natural fit for the course's overall goals. Students worked in one of four committees: the Call for Proposals Committee, the Proposal Evaluation Committee, the Program Committee, and the Conference Facilitation Committee. The students chaired or cochaired one of these committees. Although none of the students had presented at a conference or submitted a proposal for presentation, they quickly grasped the professionalism associated with these tasks. Debriefing revealed overwhelming support for the simulated conference approach to teaching research and presentation skills.


In this work,eutectic Al/Cu powder was used to prepare Al/Cu alloys by SHS-sintering(laser-induced self-propagating high-temperature synthesis).Influences of the pressing pressure,laser power and sintering time on microstructure of the sintering alloys,densification and hardness were studied by SEM,OM,XRD and Brinell′s Hardness Tester.It was found that uniformity and relative density of the sintering alloy increased with the laser power and sintering time.When the relative density of the original compacts was 85%,the sintered density could be up to 3.11 g/cm3;the highest hardness of sintered alloy was 131HB and this was at the central area.In order to estimate the sintering cooling rate of the location,the measure of secondary dendrite arm spacing is proposed.


Wavelength conversion via cross-gain modulation is demonstrated for the first time ar 40Gbit/s in a distributed feedback laser monolithically integrated with a semiconductor optical amplifier. A bit error rate penalty of 2.2dB at 10(-9) is reported for the operation.


On a base of time-resolved step-scan IR-spectroscopy data, we present a detailed model of the segmental reorientation during the ferroelectric and electroclinic switching of a chiral liquid crystalline dimer. We detected that the magnitude of the motion of the molecular segments differ from each other: The tilt angle is maximal for the mesogens and minimal for the ``virtual polysiloxane backbone.'' In contrast to a recently published conjecture, we prove that in the \ensuremath{\mu}s scale the responses of different molecular segments are unambiguously synchronous with each other.


Disclosed is a method of performing a handover of a mobile device 201 from a first wireless network to a second wireless network, the mobile device being operably connected, via a tunnel 231, to a Server of a Mobile IP system 230, and to an information server 210 coupled to the first and second wireless networks, wherein the information server 210 is arranged to provide handover messages to the mobile device to assist the mobile device in performing a handover from the first wireless network to the second wireless network, comprising the steps of :the mobile device transmitting a handover data packet to the information server via the tunnel; and the mobile device transmitting a handover data packet to the information server via another route 233. The other route may be a direct transmission of handover packet data to the direct IP address of the information server.


The article introduces the application of fuzzy mathematics in the field of diagnosis about equipment fault,and points out that there are two types such as fuzzy mode identification and fuzzy cluster in fuzzy diagnosis.there are the biggest subordination principle ,the shortest distance principle and the apt principle in fuzzy mode identification .The article also points out the difference between fuzzy mode identification and fuzzy cluster.


The article "Strengthening Sociological Perspectives on Organizations and the Environment" (DOI: 10.1177/1086026609345216), by Rachael Shwom, published in September 2009 issue (Volume 22, Number 3) of Organization & Environment, carried incorrect corresponding author information on page 271.


The association between nonstenotic plaque at the petrous internal carotid artery (ICA) and embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS) remains unknown. We aimed to test the hypothesis that the presence of a larger build‐up of petrous plaque is more prevalent in the ipsilateral versus the contralateral side among ESUS patients without plaque in the intracranial and proximal ICA.


This chapter contains sections titled: Multicasting on a LAN Segment Multicasting between Network Segments Multicast Distribution Trees Multicast Forwarding: Reverse Path Forwarding Multicast Forwarding: Center‐Based Tree Algorithm Implementing IP Multicast in a Network References


We investigate the path-loss of vehicular visible light communications based on the radiation pattern of a commercial car taillight. The measured pattern is incorporated into a ray-tracing model and simulation results indicate up to 4.2 dB variation in the path-loss compared with the Lambertian model.


Objective To investigate the effects of dexmedetomidine on postoperative cognitive dysfunction(POCD) in elderly patients.Methods Forty-six elderly patients undergoing total hip replacement surgery were randomly divided into dexmedetomidine group(n = 23) and control group(n = 23).The patients in dexmedetomidine group were infused 0.6 μg/kg dexmedetomidine at first 10 min,followed by 0.4 μg /(kg·h) infusion until the end of operation.The patients in control group received intravenous infusion of saline.All the patients underwent total intravenous anesthesia.Serum S100 B was measured before anesthesia,1 h during operation,12 h,24 h and 48 h after operation.MMSE scores were estimated at baseline,12 h,24 h and 48 h after operation.Results There was no difference in S100 B and MMSE scores at the baseline between two groups(P 0.05).Compared with control group,serum concentration of S100 B decreased in dexmedetomidine group at 1 h during operation,12 h,24 h and 48 h after operation(P 0.05).The MMSE score was higher in dexmedetomidine group than that in control group at 12 h,24 h and 48 h after operation(P 0.05).Conclusion Dexmedetomidine can reduce the incidence of POCD,which may be related to the decrease of S100 B.


Hybrid superconductor-semiconductor heterostructures are promising platforms for realizing topological superconductors and exploring Majorana bound states physics. Motivated by recent experimental progress, we theoretically study how magnetic insulators offer an alternative to the use of external magnetic fields for reaching the topological regime. We consider different setups, where: (1) the magnetic insulator induces an exchange field in the superconductor, which leads to a splitting in the semiconductor by proximity effect, and (2) the magnetic insulator acts as a spin-filter tunnel barrier between the superconductor and the semiconductor. We show that the spin splitting in the superconductor alone cannot induce a topological transition in the semiconductor. To overcome this limitation, we propose to use a spin-filter barrier which enhances the magnetic exchange and provides a mechanism for a topological phase transition. Moreover, the spin-dependent tunneling introduces a strong dependence on the band alignment, which can be crucial in quantum-confined systems. This mechanism opens up a route towards networks of topological wires with less constraints on device geometry as compared to previous devices which require external magnetic fields.


In recent years, a large body of work has analyzed the cultural and social ramifications of data-driven digital environments that currently structure digital practice. However, the position of the user has scarcely been developed in this field.
In this paper I discuss how user subject positions are invoked by digital infrastructures as an alternative to big technology platforms. With subject positions I mean a shared and often unarticulated understanding of what kind of technological practice is meant when we talk about users: user as a cultural form. I start with the analysis of a crisis in user subjectivity as it manifested in the migratory waves from Twitter to Mastodon at the end of 2022, after Elon Musk bought Twitter. Like Twitter, Mastodon is a microblogging service, but it operates as a network of connected servers run by nonprofit organizations and communities. I argue that Mastodon—by way of its infrastructural organization around servers and communities—invokes a different subject position of the user than the self-contained autonomous liberal subject, one that is based on a relationship with a community. In a second case study, I discuss how the artistic activist practices of Trans*Feminist Servers create a territory to rethink relations to technology itself, most prominently through raising questions of servitude: what does it mean to serve and to be served? I argue that through this, Trans*Feminist Servers are able to reformulate use as part of relations of care and maintenance and implement them in their technological practice. As I conclude, both Mastodon and Trans*Feminist Servers project a user exceeding the neoliberal subject. While Mastodon does so by proposing a subject position related to a community first, Trans*feminist Servers go a step further and moreover open use as a practice beyond consumption, thus operate on relations to infrastructure itself.


It was the first performance-testing in China to remove gaseous benzene-toluene using new lines of Chrysanthemum morifolium in the dynamic fumigation.The results showed that while selective removal of benzene or toluene was not significantly shown in nine lines of Chrysanthemum,most of them removed more toluene than benzene.Removing rates varied significantly among lines.Samples from 6-hour of fumigation suggested that above 30% of removal rate of both benzene and toluene were reached by lines of the number 2,4,5,9,in the meanwhile removal rate of toluene from line of the number 7 dropped to 0 from 13% at 3-hour of fumigation.From the results of removal amount,lines of the number 2,4,5,8,9 should be taken for application performance testing in real world considering better performance-testing results.


Bachelor thesis deals with the bill of exchange and its use in banking practice in commercial and business relationships. The research is divided into three chapters. The first chapter explains a bill of exchange as a security and provides general information on its use. The second chapter analyzes the possibilities of bills of exchange in conditions of Eximbank SR and its banking activities during the years 2009 - 2011. The third chapter provides some examples of the particular uses of a bill of exchange in banking activities generally. The aim of work is to introduce options of bill of exchange as a tool of payment and credit to the public and to analyze use of bill of exchange for export promotion in conditions of Eximbank.


In "Calibration of Robust Empirical Optimization Models," Gotoh, Kim, and Lim study the statistical properties of ɸ-divergence distributionally robust optimization with concave rewards. They show that worst-case sensitivity of the expected reward to deviations from the nominal is equal to the in-sample variance and that significant out-of-sample variance (sensitivity) reduction is possible with little impact on the mean if the robustness parameter is properly chosen. The authors also explain theoretically why the out-of-sample expected reward of robust solutions can sometimes "beat" that of sample average optimization, a phenomenon that has been observed empirically, and that the difference is typically small. This paper highlights that robust solutions are not "too conservative" if both mean and variance (sensitivity) are considered when selecting the size of the uncertainty set (e.g., via the bootstrap).


w In 1888 the cowboys Richard Wetherill and Charlie Mason first set eyes upon the magnificent Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde. So began the archaeology of the American southwest, arid now MELINDA ELLIOT'S Great excavations: tales of early south western archaeology, 1888-1939 (xviii+253 pages, 32 illustrations. 1995. Santa Fe (NM): School of American Research Press: 0-933452-42-X hardback €40 & 0933452-43-8 paperback €201, a work that strives to convey 'the sense of romance and excitement' that went into uncovering these prehistoric roots. In these days of 'critical histories', ELLIOT has written a history of old; in simple, readable prose she presents the beginnings of southwestern archaeology through the excavations of eight great figures. Besides Wetherill's work at Mesa Verde, we read of A.V. Kidder at Pecos Pueblo, Earl Morris at Aztec Ruin and Neil Judd at Pueblo Bonito, to name a few. Information gleaned from interviews and personal correspondence lends substance to their voices. The image we get, both literally and photographically, is of the frontier. These men (although wives are mentioned valiantly 'in dispatches') 'lived and worked during a period when there were few if any standards for them to follow, a time when their task of necessity, involved introducing a glimmer of scientific order where there had been none': Kidder's work on seriation and ceramic dating is one such instance. There is, however, more than a sense of discovery in this work: a sensitivity to the concerns of contemporary Native Indians has eliminated all illustrations of skeletal remains or ritual burial contexts. Yet we know that these were vital to Kidder's work; lie paid a bonus for each burial found and no less than 1900 were excavated at Pecos Pueblo alone. There are photographs of Hopi, Zufii and Navaho work parties at these excavations, but what did they make of their discoveries? In 1901 the Hyde excavations at Pueblo Bonito were stopped on account of 'local protest' at the wholesale removal of artefacts (leading to the first US law on antiquities]; at Chaco, in 1898, Richard Wetherill himself was shot and killed by a Navaho Indian. There is another book here. The accounts of another great archaeological explorer, the 'American traveller', are completed with the appearance of JOHN LLOYD STEPHENS' Incidents of travel in Yucatan (xiv+286 pages, 85 plates, 11


and familiarity. The changes in tone do allow the voices of the individual authors to emerge; however, when there is wide variance between them the result is unsettling for the reader and sacrifices a unified identity for the book. For those interested in US Catholic schooling, this is a significant text but it is one best approached as a collection of individual essays – more a la carte than set menu.


Flow cytometric immunophenotyping is deemed a fundamental tool for the diagnosis of B‐cell neoplasms. Currently, the investigation of novel immunophenotypic markers has gained importance, as they can assist in the precise subclassification of B‐cell malignancies by flow cytometry. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate the expression of CD307a during normal B‐cell maturation and in B‐cell malignancies as well as to investigate its potential role in the differential diagnosis of these entities.


We study geometry and topology as complementary and dual aspects of the mathematical space. The same is used to get a better understanding of the Cosmological Constant. Having failed so far to include gravity in a proper unified framework with the other three fundamental gauge forces, we are now faced with an additional unwanted fifth force of repulsion, also envisaged as the Dark Energy problem. How does one understand this 3+1+1 fundamental force dilemma? We introduce here a novel idea of the Fundamental Forces. This will give us an additional and an all-encompassing way of classifying these five fundamental forces in a consistent manner and thereby strengthen the geometry-topology complementarity concept. This also helps us to understand as to what one actually means when substituting ${g_{\mu \nu}} = {\eta_{\mu \nu}} + {h_{\mu \nu}}$ with the last term being "small" in General Relativity. This provides an understanding of the generic relationship and the complementarity of the geometric and the topological structures which is then formalized as a basic theorem enabling us to understand the underlying connection between the physical reality and the pure mathematical structures.


Since China's reform and opening up, China's economy has been is in a state of rapid development, people's living standards gradually rich, economic system constantly improve, the urban population increase gradually, accompanied by a large number of population into the city, in promoting economic growth but also to the city's infrastructure has brought a lot of pressure, reasonable traffic planning management system is not perfect in our country, in terms of how to support social and economic development is still an important problem of the local governments. In this paper, according to the urban road traffic planning management in recent years, the problems in the process of analysis on the present situation and reasons, find out the defects existing in the urban road traffic planning management, finally from the perspective of strategic management to analyze it and optimization measures are put forward, the urban road traffic planning of strategic management in China are put forward new ideas and new measures, in order to solve the problems arising from the urban road traffic planning management.


How do coalitions form in games with externalities? This is important for understanding whether full cooperation be sustained in tackling problems such as climate change. In traditional coalition formation games, each player makes a binary decision on whether or not to cooperate. But what if players within coalitions choose not to cooperate fully with each other? This study looks at the coalition formation process


A composite membrane biopolymer chitosan filled fly ash was fabricated as alternative membrane electrolyte for fuel cell application. The membrane was synthesized from chitosan from deacetylation of shrimp shells and then cross-linked with sulfonic acid network by introducing fly ash. The aim was to investigate fly ash adding to the performance of membrane. The membranes were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), water uptake, methanol uptake, permeability, and proton conductivity assessment. SEM images analysis showed that the fly ash was successfully incorporated in chitosan polymer matrix. Water and methanol uptake for the composite membranes decreased with increasing fly ash loadings. The resulting membranes exhibited proton conductivities up to 6,863 mS/cm. The obtained results indicated that the optimum composite membrane could be considered as a promising candidate to developed membrane electrolite for fuel cell applications. Keywords— Chitosan, Fly Ash, Membrane, Fuel cell.


Ionospheric scintillations occur due to electron density irregularities in the ionospheric plasma, predominantly in low and high latitude regions. They can cause severe distortions to radio waves at lower carrier frequencies which are transmitted and received by a spaceborne SAR system resulting in impulse response degradation at imge level. The degradation can strongly impair the image quality and prevent accurate retrivals from the intensity. ESA's Earth Explorer Biomass mission will be the first spaceborne SAR mission to operate in P-band. Previous studies have shown that for this system disturbances in SAR images are expected due to ionospheric scintillations [1]. The ground processor of the biomass mission will include an ionospheric mitigation step for single SAR images [2], where the ionosphere is estimated from the Faraday rotation using the Bickel & Bates algorithm [3]. Additionally, autofocus will be optionally performed to correct defocusing of SAR images due to scintillations. This work focuses on combining both techniques to improve the estimation of ionospheric scintillations. This work proposes a new approach based on the combination of both methods to improve the estimation of ionospheric scintillations. The combination approach is similar to the one propsed in [4], but developed for SAR not INSAR products and the methods which are combined are different. By performing the correction at image level, the image quality is guaranteed, which, in the frame of the BIOMASS mission, is required by the inversion algorithms based on the image intensity in order to estimate the biomass.