Accuracy of c-KIT in lung cancer prognosis; a systematic review protocol" instead of c-KIT expression in lung cancer prognostic evaluation - A systematic review protocol

Background: Extensive efforts have been made to investigate c-KIT expression in lung cancer specimens and its correlation with clinical outcomes, but the issue remains unresolved. Thus, this study will be conducted to clarify the prognostic value of c-KIT expression in lung cancer patients. Materials and Methods: We will search Pubmed, SCOPUS, and ISI web of sciences with no restriction of language. Studies with any design (except case reports or case series) evaluating correlations of c-KIT expression with survival or outcome in patients with lung cancer will be included. The outcome measures will include all types of survival indexes, including overall survival rate and disease free survival using Kaplan-Meier analysis and hazard ratios. Study selection and data extraction will be performed by two independent researchers. Quality assessment (assessment of risk of bias) and data synthesis will be implemented using Stata software version 11.1. Results: No ethical issues are predicted. These findings will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at national and international conferences. Conclusions: This systematic review protocol is registered in the PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews, registration number = CRD42015023391

Influence of tillage depth, penetration angle and forward speed on the soil/thin-blade interaction force

In this study, an experimental investigation regarding the influence of three independent variables including tillage depth (10, 15, 20 cm), angle of attack (60, 75, 90 degrees) and forward speed (0.5, 1, 1.35, 1.7 m/s) on draft force of a thin blade is presented.  Chisel plow in this research was constructed in two furrows with a blade width of 3 cm and a maximum depth of 25 cm (the distance between two blades was 1 m).  Some changes were made in the chassis of the chisel plow in order to obtain different attack angle of the blade.  The experimental work was then complemented with a new theoretical model for predicting the blade force using dimensional analysis method.  The final expression for estimating the pull resistance is as a function of several soil engineering properties (soil bulk density, soil adhesion and cohesion coefficients), blade parameters (blade width and blade rake angle) and operational conditions (tillage depth and forward speed).  Finally constants of the model were computed based on obtained experimental data.  The proposed model properly estimated the draft force of a thin blade.  Results obtained in this study indicate the stronger influence of tillage depth on the pulling force of a thin soil-working blade compared to the penetration angle and forward velocity.  The average error for the vertical blade with depth of 20, 15 and 10 cm were obtained equal to 4.5%, 4% and 1.5%, respectively.   Keywords: tillage, thin blade, chisel plow, interaction force, dimensional analysi

Local stabilisation of polar order at charged antiphase boundaries in antiferroelectric (Bi_0.85Nd_0.15)(Ti_0.1Fe_0.9)O₃

Observation of an unusual, negatively-charged antiphase boundary in (Bi<sub>0.85</sub>Nd<sub>0.15</sub>)(Ti<sub>0.1</sub>Fe<sub>0.9</sub>)O<sub>3</sub> is reported. Aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy is used to establish the full three dimensional structure of this boundary including O-ion positions to ~ ± 10 pm. The charged antiphase boundary stabilises tetragonally distorted regions with a strong polar ordering to either side of the boundary, with a characteristic length scale determined by the excess charge trapped at the boundary. Far away from the boundary the crystal relaxes into the well-known Nd-stabilised antiferroelectric phase

Influence of different tempering period and vacuum conditions on the rice grain breakage in a thin layer dryer

Drying and milling of the paddy are known as the most important process influencing the rice grain breakage. Therefore in this study, influence of tempering period and the reduced atmospheric pressure (vacuum) on the crack formation of two rice varieties (Nemat and Pajouhesh) during the tempering stage is presented. Four different level of drying temperature (40, 50, 60 and 70°C) were used in this study. After drying, paddies have been transferred to a vacuum chamber ranging from 0.4 at to 1 atm (ambient pressure). Based on the results obtained in this study, crack formation in rice grains increases with increasing drying time and drying temperature. In contrast, a reduced pressure during the relaxation stage significantly reduced the rice grain breakage. During the relaxation period in the vacuum chamber, heat transfer within the rice grain occurs slowly, yields minimizing the thermal and moisture stresses. The optimized combination of temperature, time, and pressure for the Nemat and Pajouhesh rice varieties obtained 60°C, 5 hr, and 0.8 atm, respectively

Providing models for socialization of educational spaces relying on the Constructivism Approach and production of space

This research focuses on the expansion of educational spaces compatible with the teacher-centered method that has caused the lack of improvement of these spaces with the student-oriented instruction methods. The hypothesis is that by applying constructivist approaches and theories of social production of space, school environments can be designed to enhance students’ interactions and active participation in learning that ultimately increases their motivation for education. The research is descriptive-analytical in nature and follows a qualitative and interdisciplinary approach as well as uses a developmental method. The educational spaces of three purposefully selected schools are analyzed using various theories. The analysis results in the identification of five types of educational spaces that can support the application of constructivist methods of instruction and promote students' social interactions. The proposed spatial structure includes classroom sets, public spaces, and common areas, aiming to create a spatial convergence and fluidity that prevent spatial disarray. The intention is to move away from teacher-oriented spaces and towards more flexible and open environments that foster social interactions and student engagement. Overall, this research contributes to the understanding of how educational spaces can be adapted to facilitate the student-oriented instruction and promote constructivist learning approaches. The findings offer insights into the design principles that can enhance students' motivation and active participation in the education process

Measurements of scattering observables for the pdpd break-up reaction

High-precision measurements of the scattering observables such as cross sections and analyzing powers for the proton-deuteron elastic and break-up reactions have been performed at KVI in the last two decades and elsewhere to investigate various aspects of the three-nucleon force (3NF) effects simultaneously. In 2006 an experiment was performed to study these effects in $\vec{p}+d$ break-up reaction at 135 MeV with the detection system, Big Instrument for Nuclear polarization Analysis, BINA. BINA covers almost the entire kinematical phase space of the break-up reaction. The results are interpreted with the help of state-of-the-art Faddeev calculations and are partly presented in this contribution.Comment: Proceedings of 19th International IUPAP Conference on Few-Body Problems in Physics, Bonn University, 31.08 - 05.09.2009, Bonn, GERMAN