Alzheimer's disease is a condition of gradually declining mental capacity with onset in the senium or pre-senium. This deinenting process is heralded by a progressive loss of memory for recent events. Clinical features include not only memory impairment but disorientation, decreased concentration, and often also anxiety, delusions, hallucinations, personality change, and neuromuscular disorders. A presumptive diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is based on typical clinical and laboratory findings, but the diagnosis is definitive only with histologic confirmation of characteristic findings, such as senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Etiology is unknown; various genetic, viral, toxic, and defective immune system theories have been advanced. This case depicts a patient with a presumptive diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease that began at 74 years of age. Her twin sister had a similar clinical picture beginning at age 68.


Over the past decade, Environmental, Social and Governance Investment or ESG Investment has become a mainstream investment approach in the investment community around the world, especially in the US and Europe. There is increasing evidence from academic and practitioner research around the world that better ESG performance by companies leads to reduction in risks, improvement in financial performance, higher stock market valuations and hence, enhanced returns for investors investing in stocks of such companies. Hence, incorporating ESG factors can lead to better informed and improved investment decisions. This has led to development of ESG indices and funds, to enable investors to identify high ESG performing companies for investment purposes. Absence of convincing research on the performance of ESG investment has been one of the major factors responsible for the slow adoption of this valuable investment approach in developing economies like India.This study aims at empirically investigating the performance of ESG investment in an emerging economy - India. For the purpose, it analyses the risk-return performance of ESG India Index as compared to the conventional benchmark index, using the Capital Asset Pricing Model and the Brown-Forsythe Levene's Test. The findings distinctively reveal that even in the short time since inception, ESG India Index outperforms the conventional index and hence, ESG investing enhances investment returns, without any significant difference in risk. Thus, it provides valuable guidance to investors that they can invest in highly rated ESG stocks without paying a penalty in terms of investment returns. This paper makes valuable contribution to empirical literature on ESG investment in developing economies, specifically India. It has important implications for the regulatory agencies, governments and other international organisational initiatives which are trying to popularise ESG investment, particularly in emerging economies.


Menaced with extinction as a result of a presumably inevitable "uberization", firms have to speed up their digital transformation. This detailed study of approximately twenty French firms and organizations that have advanced toward this transformation shows that theories based on management fashions do not suffice to explain such a deep trend. The strategies worked out and applied by these firms are much more specific and thorough than specialists' vague strategic recommendations. The facts of these cases even lead us to question whether the scare of uberization is a valid explanation, since it is, as shown, possible to survive from Uber, Airbnb, Booking and even Amazon. Various strategies can be adopted: confront these platforms head-on (even belatedly), avoid them, negotiate with them or become their vassals. Returning to the work of drafting an in-depth corporate strategy would signal a break with the rudimentary, mimetic strategies that prevailed during the past two decades of globalization.


Abstract : One of the defining properties of the next generation of air and missile defense (AMD) command and control (C2) systems is an Increasing reliance on automation. This report is the second in a series of three dealing with human performance and training issues in the development and effective use of automated systems for real-time AMD C2. The first report (Hawley, Mares & Giammanco 2005) addresses the impact of automation on air defense operators and the consequences of their role change from traditional operators to supervisory controllers. The present report expands upon that original material and discusses developing effective human supervisory control in AMD C2 systems. Together, these reports are intended as a primer on automation, supervisory control, and effective human performance for commanders, concept developers, system designers, trainers, and other personnel involved with acquisition and use of the next generation of AMD C2 systems.


Magnetic helicity is a useful quantity in characterizing the magnetic systems of solar active regions. The purpose of the present work is to check for consistency between the local correlation tracking (LCT) method used to measure helicity injection through the photosphere, and the linear force-free field (LFFF) method used to determine helicity in the corona, based on the principle of helicity conservation in the solar corona. We have calculated the amount of magnetic helicity injected through the photosphere during the first disk passage of AR 10696 using the LCT method initially described by Chae. We have also measured the coronal magnetic helicity as a function of time using the LFFF method. With a value for the force-free α, the coronal field is constructed from the extrapolation of the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) MDI magnetograms, then compared with the coronal loops in the EUV images taken by the SOHO EIT. The force-free α that best fits the loops is used to calculate the coronal helicity. From a careful comparison of different helicity measurements during each time interval, we have reached the core conclusion that our measurements follow the helicity conservation principle with an uncertainty of ~15% and hence support the consistency between the two different methods with the same amount of uncertainty.


Optimal power flow (OPF) is an important tool for economic dispatch and other power system applications. Due to the non-convex nature of OPF formulations, convex relaxation serves as a bridge linking OPF formulation variants with efficient polynomial-time algorithms to obtain a global optimum. This paper proposes: 1) an OPF model based on branch flow model in rectangular form, and 2) two convex envelopes for this OPF model. First, by introducing explicit redundant variables for bi-directional power flows, and the products of bus voltages for each branch, OPF is formulated into a non-convex quadratic programming (QP) model. For an n-bus, l-branch power system, the non-convex part of this QP model is collectively expressed by 2n quadratic terms and 4l bilinear terms. Second, primal and dual convex envelopes for these terms are derived to convert the non-convex QP model into a convex one. Third, the tightness of primal and dual convex envelopes is validated via a spatial branch-and-bound framework using IEEE 14-bus system. Numerical studies show that the proposed convex envelopes are tight to get an optimum with small optimality gap and slight bus power mismatches.


In order to improve the research and application of traditional Chinese medicine,a software system is developed to mine the pharmacology from traditional Chinese medicine prescription.The system architecture,the designation of database and data preprocessing are described.Normalized data processing and statistical techniques are used in the system to mine the properties,flavors,channel from traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions.Dimensional vector technique combining the theory of traditional Chinese medicine is used to quantize and mine the information about effect and syndromes of a prescription.


The adaptability of imported varieties is quite different in Sichuan, two of those can yield 10% more than local mainly cultured varieties. The varieties persisted their original characters and the resistance to wilt and drought is good. According to our studies, the peanut varieties imported from Shandong can attain the target of high yidld and efficient in Sichuan.


Whether tax or customs duty has been paid to the contents of the container is a device for determining electronically. Tax paid by which whether a radio frequency identification tag indicating containing information (RFID tag) (310) is placed on the container (100). RFID tag and the radio frequency transmitter circuit connected substrate and, to a predetermined length of antenna is mounted on and also a substrate mounted on a substrate, preferably, projections fixed to the substrate (318), or and a slot provided in the substrate. To engage the ratchet wheel (240) which is connected to the container when the cap (300) is attached to the container (100), RFID tag is placed in the container cap (300), the cap is removed from the container when the substrate is broken, whereby such RFID tag is permanently disabled, it is preferable that the ratchet wheel (240) is engaged with the projections or slots. .FIELD 1B


A method for preparing self-assembled monolayers of decanethiolate on Au(111) with large (ca. 50−100 nm) regions of hexagonal (√3×√3 R30) lattice is reported. Such samples could be transformed from this structure to a c(4×2) superlattice under the influence of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip. These images were comparable to those obtained by thermally annealing the sample. Using an atomic force microscope tip in friction force mode (FFM), the c(4×2) superlattice could be observed on thermally annealed samples, but pressing upon the sample with a moderate tip load (as high as 80 nN) did not induce this structure. Comparative analysis of the results obtained by these two techniques suggests that this transformation occurred as the result of the tip pressing upon the surface. In addition to this final structure, intermediate structures were observed during these tip-induced transformations. The STM-induced transformation revealed an intermediate structure of p2 symmetry. The FFM-induced transformat...


The microstructure of polyethylene (PE)/PE composites, consisting of the high-density PE (HDPE) matrix and ultrahigh molecular-weight PE (UHMWPE) fibers, was investigated. Single-fiber composites were prepared and analyzed in a hot-stage crystallization unit attached to a polarizing microscope, aiming to find out how the conditions of crystallization affected the transcrystallinity (tc) growth at the fiber-matrix interface. Thermal treatments leading to two extreme microstructures, of either maximum or minimum thickness of the transcrystalline zone, were sought. It was found that a uniform transcrystalline layer was developed on the UHMWPE fiber from the HDPE melt under isothermal conditions, whereas rapid cooling from the melt prevented the generation of tc. The mechanical properties of unidirectional composite laminae either with or without the transcrystalline zone were measured. A comparison of the transverse strength predicted by theoretical models with the experimental values revealed good interfacial adhesion in the PE/PE system. It was shown that the tc growth had a negligible effect on the composite mechanical properties in the longitudinal direction, whereas it resulted in a 50% decrease of the transverse tensile strength and strain to failure. Scanning electron microscopy attributed that observation to premature brittle failure at tc/tc contact regions


Non-destructive techniques, such as infrared thermography and ground penetrating radar, have the potential to produce rapid and accurate assessment of airport pavements. In this work, an examination of asphalt pavements situated at the International Airport of Athens in Greece, is performed. Infrared thermography and ground penetrating radar are introduced with the purpose of providing prompt and accurate condition assessment of airport pavements. These techniques are used efficiently in the detection of cracks, voids and other imperfections appearing either from the ageing of the materials or due to poor workmanship. Finally, this paper describes the problem of deteriorating airport pavements, the procedure and the equipment used for the in situ tests, while the results obtained lead to the suggestion of a predictive monitoring non-destructive technique for the inspection and appropriateness of efficient engineering structures.


IoT is a new communication paradigm that gains a very high importance in the past few years. This communication paradigm supports various heterogeneous applications in many fields and with the dramatic increase of the number of sensor devices, it becomes a demand. Designing IoT networks faces many challenges that include security, massive traffic, high availability, high reliability and energy constraints. Thus, new communication technologies and paradigms should be deployed for IoT networks to overcome these challenges and achieve high system performance. Distributed computing techniques (e.g. fog and MEC), software defined networking (SDN), network virtualization and blockchain are common recent paradigms that should be deployed for IoT networks, either combined or individually, to achieve the main requirements of the IoT networks at a high system performance. Fog computing is a form of edge computing that has been developed to provide the computing capabilities (e.g. storage and processing) at the edge of the access network. Employing Fog computing in IoT networks, as an intermediate layer between IoT devices and the remote cloud, becomes a demand to make use of the edge computing benefits. In this work, we provide a framework for the IoT system structure that employs an edge computing layer of Fog nodes controlled and managed by SDN network with the blockchain technology to achieve a high level of security for latency sensitive IoT applications. The proposed system employs SDN network with distributed controllers and distributed OpenFlow switches; these switches are enabled with limited computing and processing capabilities.  Furthermore, a data offloading algorithm is developed to allocate different processing and computing tasks to the distributed OpenFlow switches with available resources. Moreover, a traffic model is proposed to model and analyze the traffic among different parts of the network. The proposed work achieves various benefits to the IoT network, such as the latency reduction, security improvement and high efficiency of resources utilization. The proposed algorithm is simulated and also the proposed system is experimentally tested over a developed testbed to validate the proposed structure. Experimental results show that the proposed system achieves higher efficiency in terms of latency, security and resource utilization.


Abstract In this trial we examined the quality of eight old Sicilian apple varieties ( Cannamelo, Cardinale, Gelata Cola, Gelata, Granatino, San Giuseppe, Virticchiaro, Zitella) and a commercial one ( Annurca variety traditional clone) through bio-agronomic performances and chemical-physical analyses. We also analyzed flowering time, ripening time, pomological characteristics and generated a specific descriptor list that indicates a great variability among the varieties. The data obtained showed interesting characteristics in Granatino , Virticchiaro , and Zitella such as total soluble solid , fruit size, peel cover color, yield efficiency and crop load. Keywords: Malus domestica , germplasm, descriptor list, soluble solids, flesh firmness, titratable acidity, cover color. Introduction The development of intensive apple ( Malus domestica Borkh.) growing, based on the use of low-vigour rootstocks, accounts for the almost complete extinction from culture of many ancient cultivars, obsolete from an agronomic and productive perspective, resulting in a great biodiversity loss. Some of these old varieties are characterized by specific flavours and aroma, and, at the same time, by interesting quality features (Bounous et al., 2006; Guerrera et al., 2008) and, in some cases, disease resistance (Bignami et al. 2003


Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are additive flame retardants which have found applications in polymers for many consumer plastic and electronic goods. Wide use of these chemicals has led to their extremely high concentrations in the indoor environments. This paper presents an exploratory study of the photodebromination of five individual lower polybrominated diphenyl ether congeners (BDE-28, BDE-47, BDE-99, BDE-100 and BDE-101) irradiated with white light and different UV (A, B, C) light ranges. The capability of photodegradation of lower PBDEs under room lights was proven by the debromination which occurred with various effectiveness for the selected PBDE congeners and depended of light source. Almost all PBDE congeners showed the greatest decay when exposed to UV-C, with the exception of BDE-100. The decay of irradiated congeners occurred rapidly during the first 5 min of experiment. The final degradation varied from 38% decay (BDE-28, UV-C) to 94% (BDE-47, UV-C). These findings can help in predicting PBDE behavior in indoors and also be useful in the design of PBDE remediation processes.


Most of Obrecht's liedekens have been handed down without full text. In many cases, only the first line is given. Were these compositions meant as instrumental or vocal pieces? Assuming the latter possibility as a working hypothesis, a project undertaken with Camerata Trajectina in 2005 is discussed, in which Obrecht's liedekens were supplied with new texts by the Dutch poet Gerrit Komrij. Ic draghe de mutse clutse offers an example through which to reach a scholarly evaluation of this practical undertaking. As a first step, a reconstruction was made of the textual form, following the scheme of rhymes and accents. The abstract scheme was then made visible and audible by means of a dummy text. Finally, Komrij was asked to write new texts, using the dummy as a model. This process revealed rhythmic details in the music that offer suggestive evidence in favour of a vocal original for Obrecht's liedekens. Furthermore, Obrecht's notes became more meaningful when performed vocally—even with words Obrecht never knew.


Based upon the probability distribution of common parts life and concerning the important effect of the determination of parts maintenance cycle in the expert management system of equipment maintenance, it is studied that a mathematical model established to determine the parts maintenance cycle by means of mathematical statistics. It is also analyzed together with some practical examples.


Abstract The elaborated principles of nanoengineering of linen textile materials implement the techniques of spatially localized effects of protein catalysts on polymeric cellulose companions with selective splitting of impurity compounds without damaging technologically necessary nano-sized formations of binders in the fiber structure. The ranges of optimal values of the residual content in flax fiber prepared for spinning are identified on the basis of the analysis of the successive stages of enzymatic and peroxide treatments contribution to the breakdown of polymers and the differentiation of the influence of impurities on the yarn technological properties. The recommended level of residual pectin, lignin and hemicellulose (wt. %) is: after enzymatic treatment P1 = 1,0±0,1; L1 = 3,9±0,3; Hc1 = 11,0±1,0; after peroxide bleaching P2 = 0,4±0,05; L2 = 2,3±0,3; Hc2 = 7,5±0,5. The required level of fiber structural modification at the stage of preparing roving for spinning can be achieved through use of protein catalysts whose globule size is 50...100 nm. The use of enzymes with these dimensional characteristics helps to ensure breaking of polymer adhesives on the surface of incrusts and in the areas of intercellular formations, which hinder fiber crushing, without damaging nano-sized binding fractions. The implementation of this method contributes to a significant improvement in the uniformity of structural and physical and mechanical properties of flax yarn. Increase in yarn fineness and strength properties of semi-finished products, as well as improvement of deformation properties and reduction of yarn breakages during the spinning processes are achieved.


The growth rate and efficiency of a general traveling wave interaction (TWI) can be significantly enhanced by selectively suppressing those electrons which are phased to gain energy from the wave. By superimposing a periodic, weak transverse magnetic field onto the guiding field, a second resonance condition is introduced, that of gyroresonance with the "wiggler" field. The wiggler period is chosen such that the electrons which gain energy in the TWI become more resonant with the wiggler and thereby fall out of resonance with the TWI. Meanwhile, the favorably phased electrons which lose energy in the TWI are relatively unaffected by the wiggler. In this way only the electrons which are phased to gain energy are suppressed. We have observed in simulations of a particular TWI, a cyclotron autoresonant maser (CARM), the increase of efficiency by a factor of three and growth rate by two.


The low quadrupole of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), measured by the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) and confirmed by the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), has generated much discussion recently. We point out that the well-known correlation between temperature and polarization anisotropies of the CMB further constrains the low-multipole anisotropy data. This correlation originates from the fact that the low-multipole polarization signal is sourced by the CMB quadrupole as seen by free electrons during the relatively recent cosmic history. Consequently, the large-angle temperature anisotropy data make restrictive predictions for the large-angle polarization anisotropy, which depend primarily on the optical depth for electron scattering after cosmological recombination, τ. We show that if current cosmological models for the generation of large-angle anisotropy are correct and the COBE/WMAP data are not significantly contaminated by non-CMB signals, then the observed C amplitude on the largest scales is discrepant at the ~99.8% level with the observed C for the concordant ΛCDM model with τ = 0.10. Using τ = 0.17, the preferred WMAP model-independent value, the discrepancy is at the level of 98.5%.


This study was carried out in association with the Stanford Center for Health Care Research, William H. Forrest, Jr., Director. It was conducted as part of a larger project on the quality of surgical care, known as the Institutional Differences Study, with Forrest, Scott, and Byron Wm. Brown, Jr., as principal investigators. The project was supported by Contract PH 43-63-65, National Institute of General Medical Sciences administered through the National Center for Health Services Research, HEW. Additional support for this study was obtained from the Organizational Research Training Program at Stanford University under a training grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, HEW.


It remains a formidable challenge to prepare an economical and stable electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction using non-precious metals. In this study, MXene (Ti3C2Tx) nanosheets were prepared by high-energy ultrasound treatment, and Cu nanoparticles were prepared by NaBH4 as a reducing agent. Then, the electrocatalyst Cu/Ti3C2Tx, suitable for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), was prepared by supporting Cu with Ti3C2Tx. The structure, morphology, crystal phase and valence state of the obtained catalyst were determined by a variety of characterization analysis methods, and the influence of these properties on the catalytic performance is discussed here. The results of Brunner–Emmet–Teller (BET) showed that Ti3C2Tx can effectively inhibit Cu agglomeration. Results of Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) showed that Cu has metallic and oxidized states. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) further revealed the existence of multivalent states in Cu, which would contribute to the formation of electron transfer channels and the enhancement of electrocatalytic activity. In addition, the Cu/Ti3C2Tx catalyst has strong hydrophilicity, as measured by contact angle, which is conducive to HER. Ti3C2Tx has acceptable electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance: under alkaline conditions, when the current density is 10 mA cm−2, HER overpotential is as low as 128 mV and the Tafel slope is as low as 126 mV dec−1. Meanwhile, Ti3C2Tx showed adequate stability for HER (94.0% of the initial mass activity after 1000 CV cycles). This work offers insights into the development of high-performance non-precious metal-based catalysts to achieve the high performance of HER in alkaline electrolytes.


This study examines whether country-specific risk attenuates the association between tax policies and corporate risk-taking. We define country-specific risk (political and fiscal budget risk) as taxpayer's risk that tax refunds on losses cannot be paid due to the institutional environment or fiscal reasons. We exploit a cross-country panel with 234 changes in corporate tax rates and 49 changes in loss offset rules. We investigate whether government risk-sharing via loss offset rules and tax rates affects risk-taking conditional on country risk. We also examine whether tax rate changes, that scale the risk-sharing effect, influence the propensity to conduct risky projects in different country-level risk environments. Our results suggest that country-level risk fully attenuates the previously documented association between tax policies and corporate risk-taking. It attenuates both the effectiveness of loss offset rules and tax rate changes on corporate risk-taking. While changes in tax policy are attractive to policymakers because alternative instruments to encourage risk-taking cannot as easily be adjusted, we provide significant evidence that country risk considerably limits policymakers' ability to induce firm risk-taking via changes in tax policies.


Background and Aim: The ability of conversational repair is a subset of pragmatic language. When the listener does not understand the speaker's intention, and the speaker cannot find a way of repairing the conversation to make his/her massage clear, communication will fail. This study aims to examine and compare the conversational repair skill in two groups of three and five year old children, to determine different conversational repair strategies and compare these skills among these groups. Methods: One hundred and twenty Persian speaking children of three and five years of Ahwaz, Iran, were selected. The study tools were two series of pictures. During the retelling of the pictures the examiner created a situation to elicit a conversational repair strategy. Percentages of the usage of different kinds of conversational repair in each group were calculated and compared using student's ttest. Results: The usage of repetition and inappropriate response is decreased in the group of five year olds compared to the three year olds, but cue-repair and repetition method is increased. The addition method has remained relatively constant. There was a significant difference between average percentage of using repetition (p=0.04) and cue-repair (p=0.001) of the two groups. The percentage of application of repetition method in three year olds and cue-term method in five year olds were significantly higher than other conversational repair strategies. Conclusion: With the increase in age and development of language skills the probability of using more complex and difficult strategies, like the cue-repair method, increases.


The aim of this study was to determine whether attributional style is a stable pattern in somatizers, to analyse the sociodemographic and psychopathological characteristics that can modify it, and to study the relationship between attributional pattern and outcome. A total of 147 somatizers and 46 psychologizers from a representative sample (n=1559) of primary care patients in Zaragoza, Spain were followed up for 1 year. Attribution of somatic symptoms was a stable construct in somatizers. Patients who modified attribution were younger (by 15 years on average), tended to be without a partner, and had a shorter illness duration (by 20 months on average) than those who maintained it. Attribution showed no correlation with outcome at the 1‐year follow‐up.


Background: Infants of diabetic mothers (IDMs) have a significantly greater risk for perinatal morbidity, mortality, and altered immune response. Aim of work: To assess the immune response of IDMs for hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine and to compare them with infants of non-diabetic mothers as a control group. Patients and Methods: 150 neonates met the inclusion criteria; 100 IDMs and 50 infants' non-diabetic mothers as controls. All neonates who met the inclusion criteria received HBV vaccine during the first 24 hours of age and at 1 and 6 months of age according to the WHO guidelines. Furthermore, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B virus surface antibodies (anti-HBs), and hepatitis B virus core antibodies (anti-Hbc) were measured at 9, 12, and 24 months of age. Results: IDMs had significantly higher birth weight when compared to infants of the non-diabetic mothers (3.6 ± 0.4 kg and 3.03 ± 0.5 kg, P-value 0.01). There was a significant difference between the response to anti-HBs between case group and control group at 9 months 7±12 mIU/dL versus 20±23 mIU/dL (P-value < 0.0001). However, anti-HBs antibodies levels follow-up at 12 and 24 months showed no significant differences between the case and control groups. Conclusion: At 9 months of age, post HBV vaccination, there was a delayed immune response for HBV vaccine was present in IDM compared to infants of non-diabetic mothers. However, IDM became immune at follow-up at 12 and 24 months of age.


This paper describes methodological details used by WHO in 2018 to estimate TB incidence and mortality. Incidence and mortality are disaggregated by HIV status, age and sex. Methods to derive MDR-TB burden indicators are detailed. Four main methods are used to derive incidence: (i) case notification data combined with expert opinion about case detection gaps (43 countries representing 16% of global incidence in 2017); (ii) results from TB prevalence surveys (23 countries, 60% of global incidence); (iii) notifications in high-income countries adjusted by a standard factor to account for under-reporting and underdiagnosis (144 countries, 15% of global incidence) and (iv) capture-recapture modelling (6 countries, 9% of global incidence). Mortality was obtained from national vital registration systems of mortality surveys in 127 countries (57% of global HIV-negative TB mortality), and among 19 of them, based on estimates published by the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation. In other countries, mortality was derived indirectly from incidence and case fatality ratio.


The hydrodynamic shock formed outside the homologously collapsing core of a Type II supernova progenitor seems to stall for certain mass ranges in many numerical calculations. A way to revive the stalled shock through late-time neutrino heating was proposed by Bethe and Wilson (1985). Here semianalytic models are used to calculate the extent of neutrino heating self-consistently with the changes in nuclear equilibrium behind the shockfront. Heating rate seems to be extremely rapid during a particular short phase of shock recession and whether the shock is revived sufficiently or not depends critically on the total neutrino luminosity and to a lesser extent on the neutrino-sphere radius. 11 references.


With recent advances in Internet computing and its growing importance in our day to day life, the need for confidential communication has increased. The falling of sensitive and confidential data such as top intelligence secrets into an enemy nation's hands can lead to the misuse of technology and destruction of masses. Therefore, researchers have developed techniques such as cryptography and steganography to protect the data being transmitted. Cryptography uses mathematical algorithms to convert the data into an unreadable form and steganography on the other hand hides the data in a carrier such as image, data, audio or video. Both of these algorithms have disadvantages i.e. in case of cryptography the altered text can be easily detected by an intruder while in steganography the distortion of the carrier can attract an adversary. The proposal combines the advantages of both the techniques and provides a study tool for security. It calls for the combination of the two techniques which increases the brute force search time but at the same time ensures that the increase in time complexity of the result and process is within acceptable limits. Moreover this paper depicts a mathematical calculation of the errors in the embedded image with respect to the original image through the calculation of mean square error, peak signal to noise ratio and histogram representations.


To a great degree, watercolor researchers always has studied on material, ingredient, techniques and steps etc. But the evolution history of various materials and the relationship between the evolution of watercolor materials and the watercolor creation rarely has been studied. Based on the previous research, the evolution of watercolor materials were roundly analyzed and researched, in order to clarify the close relationship between the evolution of watercolor materials and the watercolor creation, present the feasibility strategy of using innovative materials to enrich and develop the contemporary watercolor creation, and point out the diversification of watercolor.


Methods for the covalent modification in aqueous solution of poly-γ-D-glutamic acid from Bacillus licheniformis have been studied. Co-derivatization of a synthetic UV-absorbent amine and ethanolamine, using a water-soluble carbodi-imide coupling agent, yielded a water-soluble modified polymer. Derivatization of the polymer was accompanied by cleavage of the γ-linked polypeptide backbone, and a reduction in molecular mass from 170 to 10 kDa. A procedure was developed for the removal of noncovalently bound ligands by treatment with 5 M CaCl2. The polymer sidechains also reacted in aqueous solution with p-nitrophenyl acetate to form covalent linkages. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J. Polym. Sci. A Polym. Chem. 36: 1995–1999, 1998


In this article, turbulent flows will be studied and the method of calculation in the wind-farms will be examined. Gilan wind-farm power plant and increasing the efficiency in it will be studied as a sample.


The thermal oxidation of Si with a planar interface in the dry oxidation condition is studied by constructing a continuum model based on a reparametrization-invariant reaction–diffusion equation. B...


The Optimal Formalism is reviewed and applied to determining various amplitudes from observables in pp elastic scattering. A sophisticated Regge model fails to explain these amplitudes, but OPE remains valid. Striking simplicity is found in the "sidewise" frame. The relevance of QCD is


In order to research the decoding performance of watermark auxiliary low density parity check scheme in high-speed coherent optical communication system,this paper presents a forward error correction scheme of watermark symbols auxiliary low density parity check code used in the coherent communication system.Compared with the traditional low density parity check code,the new scheme can greatly improve the noise immunity of coherent receiver.After running on the 100Gbit/s 16 QAM coherent optical simulation system,the results show that an improvement of 0.45 dB signal noise ratio(SNR)gain has been realized by the proposed forward error correction scheme compared with traditional low density parity check code,at post-forward error correction bit error rate(BER)of 10-9.Also,to obtain the same BER,the number of iterations used in watermark system auxiliary LDPC decoding decreases.


The physicochemical properties of different grades of Malaysian crude palm oil (high free fatty acid crude palm oil (HFFA-CPO) and low free fatty acid crude palm oil (LFFA-CPO)) were analyzed in this study to determine their applicability as edible oils. The percentages of free fatty acids (FFAs%), iodine value, hydroxyl value, unsaponifiable value, moisture content for HFFA-CPO and LFFA-CPO were 8.7 ± 0.3 and 3.8 ± 0.1%; 53.1 ± 0.4 and 56 ± 0.3 g I2 /100 g; 32.5 ± 0.6 and 18.5 ± 0.9 mg KOH/g oil; 0.31 ± 0.01 and 0.46 ± 0.02%; 0.31 ± 0.01 and 0.33 ± 0.01%, respectively. The fatty acid compositions were determined using a gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The results showed that the dominant fatty acids are palmitic acid (43.2%–44.4%) and oleic acid (39.8%–41.4%). The major triacylglycerols (TAGs) of HFFA-CPO and LFFA-CPO estimated using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), were POP (30.8%–33.6%) and POO (24.9%–29.7%). In general, the physicochemical properties of HFFA-CPO and LFFA-CPO are consistent with the standard Malaysian crude palm oil, with the exception of FFAs%, hydroxyl value, moisture contents.


Stephen Mazza, Interim Dean, University of Kansas School of Law: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the Kansas Law Review Annual Symposium. I am Steve Mazza, the Interim Dean at the KU Law School. We are honored to have with us today distinguished members of the judiciary of the legal academy and of the practicing bar. The topic of today's symposium, State Constitutional Laws Steps Out of the Shadows, was suggested by our own Professor Stephen McAllister who is widely known for his work as the Kansas Solicitor General and his involvement in several important state constitutional cases. Steve, working with the Law Review Symposium Editor, Joseph Hinckley, the Law Review Editor in Chief, Melissa Plunkett, and the Managing Editor, Daniel Buller, and the entire Law Review staff, has put together an outstanding program and what I think you will find to be an interesting approach to today's event. Instead of following the typical model of having a single presenter followed by a question and answer session, the program organizers opted to employ discussion panels, each having a convener and a group of panelists. As a result, I expect we are going to get a much livelier discussion of the issues this morning. So without further ado, I want to thank all the panel participants and I will turn the program over to the Symposium Editor of the Kansas Law Review, Joseph Hinckley, who will introduce the panels. Thank you.


This chapter aims at examining financial distress issue by designing a comprehensive model to explain and predict financial distress in Egypt. This comprehensive model incorporates accounting ratios, market-based ratios and macroeconomic ratios. The sample of the existing research includes all the listed firms in two main sectors: basic resources and chemicals. Using logistic regression model, the results showed that adding market ratios and macroeconomic ratios enhances the predictability of the model and accounting information are not sufficient to explain financial distress.


Background Influenza is an infectious disease, caused by RNA virus. Mainly, manifestations of influenza are related with the respiratory tract, but influenza can affect any other system or organ, including nervous system. The aim of the study was to analyze the frequency of neurological signs and the disease course in patients with influenza. Material and methods 294 children aged from 12 days old, to 17 years 3 months (median 27 months) were hospitalized due to influenza during three consecutive influenza seasons (between September 2015 and August 2018). There were 197 cases of influenza type A, 76 cases of influenza type B, and 21 cases of mixed influenza A and B infection. Influenza was confirmed with Rapid Influenza Diagnostic Tests (RIDT) and/or quick Real Time-Polymerase Chains Reaction (qRT-PCR). Results 13.9% children (41 out of 294) showed neurological symptoms. The most common neurological signs were seizures (68.3%; 28/41), loss of consciousness (21.9%; 9/41) and other consciousness' disorders, and hallucinations (9.8%, 4/41). In 4 patients neurological symptoms occurred without relationship with fever. 43.9% (18/41) of patients have been chronically ill, including history of feverish convulsions in three patients; one was treated because of epilepsy. No one had been vaccinated against influenza. Complications were diagnosed in 36.6% (15/41) patients, and antibiotic therapy was used in 46.3% of patients (19/41). Conclusions Influenza manifestations may be including nervous system. It should also be remembered that neurological signs and symptoms may be the first manifestation of influenza. This study was supported by CMKP. Grant number 501-1-20-19-18


The Space Interferometry Mission (SIM PlanetQuest) can provide astrometric data of such high quality that it will be possible to determine geometric (luminosity-independent) distances to the nearest spiral galaxies, even though these systems are too far away for direct trigonometric parallax determination. Instead, the method to use is that of the "Rotational Parallax" [RP; Peterson & Shao (1997); Olling & Peterson (2000) and Olling (2007)]. Percent-level distances from M 31 and M 33 are within reach of a SIMPQ-based observing program. Such accurate geometric distances will be required for many projects such as: 1) to establish a small systematic error on the Hubble constant, 2) double-check on the "determination" of H0 from cosmological data sets, 3) obtain 5D phase-space coordinates for galaxy-dynamics studies with unprecedented accuracies and 4) establish a uniform comparison between the many stellar populations (and their formation histories) between Local Group galaxies. Subject headings: galaxies: distances and redshifts, Local Group — galaxies: individual (LMC, M31, M 33) – cosmology: cosmological parameters, dark energy and distance scale – astrometry and celestial mechanics: astrometry


The paper analyzes the issues of WebGIS application based on B/S,and proposes a rich Internet WebGIS framework based on ArcGIS Flex API.Using this design framework,we develop a factory Basic Geographic Information Sharing And Serving System which is extensible neatly,efficient and inter-operation efficiently,with rich presentation and user rich experience.This system design may advance GIS functions,such as graphics with context,GIS query and statistics,spatial analysis,download a map after application and so on.


Utilization of an Electromechanical impedance (EMI) technique with Piezoelectric (PZT) sensors has showed potential for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). The changes in mechanical structure via flexural bending and cracking can be detected by monitoring the deviations in electrical impedance signals recorded with embedded PZT sensors. This paper has conducted a comprehensive study on the potential of an EMI technique with embedded PZT sensors with 3D Concrete Printing (3DCP) structures subjected to flexural bending test until plastic failure. The impact of different Piezoelectric housing methods and materials has been studied comprehensively through the monitoring of EMI signals. Experimental results indicate that material housing types and thickness affect the sensitivity of EMI readings but also performed as a reinforcement when a load is directly applied. The embedded PZT sensors with the EMI technique have shown strong potential to address the cost and lifecycle challenges posed by traditional construction methods as the insertion of PZT sensors seamlessly functions with 3DCP workflows. Further developmental work can be carried out to address the sensitivity of the sensor, performance as a reinforcement, and installation automation. The results proved that the coated sensors could detect fractures in 3DCP concrete with decreased sensitivity on thicker coating layers through the variance in materials and coating thickness in the paper.


Catalytic oxidation of cycloolefins С6-С8 by oxygen in air in presence of homogenous catalysts – soluble in salts of variable valency metals (Со, W and Mo) at temperature of 60-80 о С was studied. It was determined that the Co containing homogeneous catalysts show high activity in oxidation reactions of cycloolefins where the conversion of cycloolefin reachs 40-45% on the taken substrate. The primary products of the oxidation are the corresponding hydroperoxides of cycloolefins. The combination of W and Mo with high selectivity under mild conditions (5060) 0 C converts the accumulated in the oxidation reaction corresponding hydroperoxides to the epoxides, unlimited (unsaturated) alcohols and ketones


Hot Jupiters have proven themselves to be a rich class of exoplanets that test our theories of planetary evolution and atmospheric dynamics under extreme conditions. Here, we present three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations and analytic results that demonstrate that a dynamo can be maintained in the thin, stably stratified atmosphere of a hot Jupiter, independent of the presumed deep-seated dynamo. This dynamo is maintained by conductivity variations arising from strong asymmetric heating from the planets' host star. The presence of a dynamo significantly increases the surface magnetic field strength and alters the overall planetary magnetic field geometry, possibly affecting star–planet magnetic interactions.


In Optical Music Recognition (OMR), a kind of Optical Character Recognition that focus on the recognition of music symbols, it is useful to build a system that allows the transformation of digitalized music scores into a machine-readable symbolic format like MusicXML. These systems start processing the documents by searching for music staves. Many works have been done in the area, although one of the most important pre-processing steps that precedes the staff finding step has always been overlooked: the binarization. This pre-processing consists in dividing the pixels of an image into two groups: the objects pixels (that get value 0) and the background pixels (that get value 1). Two major binarization techniques exist, the most common being the global thresholding in which a single intensity threshold is found for the whole image, dividing the pixels by intensity above or bellow that threshold. The adaptive methods, on the other hand, find a different threshold for each section of an image or even for each pixel. Although many papers have been published describing methods for binarization of images, there is currently no study or comparison between such methods applied to music scores and no method developed that binarizes the documents with some a priori knowledge of the contents in a music score. Instead, most authors use an arbitrary method that in many cases results in loss of information, either by deleting the music staves or by covering the music symbols with noise. This paper introduces Binarization based in LIne Spacing and Thickness (BLIST), a new method for content aware music score binarizarion that makes use of information that can be extracted from gray-scale music scores, before any pre-processing is applied. This method determines the staff line thickness and spacing in a gray-scale music score, and determines the threshold that assures the most staff lines with that thickness and spacing. In addition to this global thresholding method, an adaptive version of BLIST is also described, by applying the method independently to vertical windows of the music score and interpolating the results to find a threshold for each vertical line of pixels. These novel methods were compared to several state of the art binarization techniques, all applied to music scores, in order to analyze which algorithm assures the binarizations with the most staff lines and less noise. All the methods presented in this paper performed well above average. The global version of BLIST performed better than any other global method. The adaptive version of BLIST produced less noise but also seemed to result in more degraded staff lines.


When a solid target is irradiated by a Petawatt laser pulse, its surface is heated to tens of millions of degrees within a few femtoseconds, facilitating a diffusive heat wave and the acceleration of electrons to MeV energies into the target. Using numerically converged collisional particle-in-cell simulations, we observe a competition between two surface heating mechanisms–inverse bremsstrahlung in solid density on the one hand and electron scattering on turbulent electric fields on the other. Collisionless heating effectively dominates above the relativistic intensity threshold. Our numerical results show that a high-contrast 40 fs, f/5 laser pulse with 1 J energy will heat the skin layer to 5 keV, and the inside of the target over several microns deep to bulk temperatures in the range of 10–100 eV at solid density.


This brief proposes a novel low–cost serial asynchronous communication protocol analyzer based on ARM7TDMI micro controller. The paper also suggests the hardware configuration & software algorithms to implement such an embedded system. The ARM-7 microcontroller, a 32-bit architecture along with a full fledge 16C550 UART, high speed configurable timers, number of power saving modes & efficient algorithms explained in the paper, becomes very good choice for implementing a portable serial link debugging tool. The system compared to basic analysis tool like oscilloscope & logic analyzer, will not be able to detect voltage levels but will certainly be able to extract timing parameters. The system will be able to detect serial parameters like baud rate, data bits & parity at data layer & refresh rate, ideal time, transmission time, message format at application layer. This system unlike the traditional protocol analyzers can be made very light, compact, low power, low cost & rugged, making it suitable for field operations. The protocol analyzer proposed here has been thought off keeping in view the resource lacking & not so friendly debugging environment of most of the military systems operating in the field.


Based on conceptualizing leader-member exchange quality as comprised of the three subdimensions of perceived contribution to the exchange, loyalty, and positive affect, a short (6-item) new LMX scale was developed (LMX-6). Using data from two samples (N = 281 and 115), the three-dimensional structure of the new scale was confirmed by multiple maximum likelihood confirmatory factors analyses in each sample separately. The two-and one-week test-retest stability of the new scale was established in a third (N = 86) and fourth (N = 44) sample, and acceptable internal-consistency estimates of reliability obtained for all four samples. The LMX-6 scale showed a high (.82) and statistically significant (p < .001) correlation with a commonly-used measure of leader-member exchange in the fourth sample. Finally, in the first two samples, concurrent correlations with autocratic and delegative decision-making, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and rated job performance supported the validity of the new scale. Directions for future research are briefly discussed.


Sesame meal was widely consumed in Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh, India which was not known to most of the people and under-utilized. Moringa leaves were another nutritious food that is also under-utilized and not available in urban areas. The aim of this work was to develop the sesame meal and dried Moringa leaves as a ready to cook curry mix by assessing the ratio of sesame meal and dried Moringa leaves as to determine the best closer fresh leaves and sesame meal blend. The Moringa leaves were treated with citric acid, and potassium meta bisulphite to retain the colour and dried by different techniques such as shade drying, solar drying and drying in Ezidri food dehydrator at 60, 50, 35oC. The leaves dried in Ezidri food dehydrator retained more Original Research Article Mummaleti et al.; EJNFS, 12(1): 64-75, 2020; Article no.EJNFS.54768 65 colour and nutrients. The dried leaves were used to prepare curry with sesame meal taking fresh leaves as a control in the ratio 1:2. The dried leaves and sesame meal were taken in the ratio 0.1:1, 0.12:1 and 0.14:1, prepared samples were evaluated for sensory characteristics and compared with the control sample. The curry prepared in the ratio 0.12:1 is best accepted and close to the control sample. The nutritive value shows Sesame meal and Moringa leaves were the best cheapest sources of protein, calcium, iron, potassium and vitamin A.


SUMMARY There has been an expansion in Independent Forest Monitoring (IFM) initiatives, with more predicted under the FLEGT processes. Yet the characteristics of IFM are not widely understood, and other activities such as management systems audits, log tracking, civil society activism and NGO campaigning are seen as substitutes, whereas in fact they all complement each other in a 'system of accountability'. The official yet independent nature of IFM is particularly suited to 'bridging the gap' between the role of the state and that of civil society in regulation and law enforcement, and needs to be adapted to local circumstances. IFM-style mechanisms of civil society oversight need to include freedom to investigate a broad range of issues, a review mechanism to build ownership and accountability, a firm legal basis and proper authority, and secure funding, so that reports are acted on and the monitoring function is institutionalised beyond a project horizon.


Nowadays, most organizations use content management systems (CMS) to manage large volume of content which are created in their daily work. For many large organizations and enterprises, different CMS might be used for various reasons. Although the demand of exchanging content crosses different CMS is imperative, the interoperability is difficult to realize due to proprietary APIs. The Content Management Interoperability Service is an open standard which defines a domain model and some services to improve the interoperability for CMS. Despite many enterprise content management systems have now implemented CMIS, it has received relatively less attention in the important class open source web content management system (WCMS). This research aims to find how the CMIS standard can be implemented to support open source PHP based WCMS. To achieve the expected goal, a CMIS server is implemented for WordPress and an evaluation tool is implemented to investigate the feasibility and performance issues of the server implementation compared to a Java ECM implementation. By using the server implementation, organizations are able to get content from the WordPress and execute query operations. Although the performance of the server implementation needs to be improved, the server implementation does not have a significant detrimental impact on the computer's performance. Furthermore, the server implementation provides a potential way for CMIS to support other WCMS.


The Scottish Committee of the British Medical Association has submitted a memorandum of evidence to the departmental committee (the Willink Committee) appointed by the Minister of Health and the Secretary of State for Scotland to estimate on a long-term basis the number of medical practitioners likely to be engaged in all branches of the profession in the future and the consequent intake of medical students required. Broadly speaking, the Committee feels that almost every aspect of the subject is " fraught with prognostic difficulty." It was possible to discern certain trends, but their continuance depended upon factors so unpredictable that " nothing short of efficient crystal gazing could give the answer." However, the Committee has set out those considerations which have enabled it to reach some conclusions.


Demographic changes affect the market for urban transportation in many ways. Identifying these changes and monitoring demographic trends can give the planner better insight into the future nature of the transit market. An inductive approach is used to examine some of the demographic variables most important to the transit market. Then the market segmentation that exists in the Portland standard metropolitan statistical area is identified.


The MCS-40 microprocessor system is designed to provide control and data-processing capabilities previously unavailable in most low-cost microprocessor systems and is expected to be used in a variety of applications.


The essence of the peasant (farm) enterprise as a separate direction of entrepreneurial activity is reviewed. The factors of agricultural production and features of peasant (farm) enterprises that affect the efficiency of their activities and predetermine their competitive advantages are presented. The relevance of the State support for the development of small business forms is specified. The essence of the basic methodological approach for evaluation of the efficiency of grant support for peasant (farm) enterprises, involving the evaluation upon the performance criterion, is presented. The concept and advantages of the methodological approach, involving the calculation of a three-dimensional efficiency indicator, are presented. The indicator is based on the determination of the strength and directions of the correlation between: the volume of grant support and operating income, the volume of grant support and material production costs, the volume of grant support and the volume of investments in technical equipment. The three-dimensional efficiency indicator allows normalizing the results of the evaluation to a unified scale that shows quantitative measures of efficiency: relevance, performance, efficiency, influence, stability.


Abstract Methods have been developed for measuring the equilibrium binding constants (K) for lanthanide shift reagents with donor substrates. Although Infrared Spectroscopy proved useful1 for determining the binding of substituted anilines to the tris-tetramethylheptanedionate of Ytterbium, it was found that NMR was more sensitive and applicable to a wider range of substrates than simple alcohols and amines2,3. The NMR procedure of progressive


Range optimal trajectories for an aircraft flying in the vertical plane are obtained from P on try agin's minimum principle. Control variables are the load factor, which appears nonlinearly in the equations of motion, and the throttle setting, which appears only linearly. Both controls are subject to fixed bounds. Additionally, a dynamic pressure limit is imposed, which represents a first-order state-inequality constraint. For fixed flight time, initial coordinates, and final coordinates of the trajectory, the effect of the load factor limit on the resulting optimal switching structure is studied. All trajectories involve singular control along arcs with active dynamic pressure limit. For large flight times the optimal switching structures have not yet been found.


AbstractEnglish language is taught in Pakistan as a compulsory subject up to degree level However, students fail to acquire the required competence in the area of writing skills due to the absence of any systematic process and lack of implementation of error analysis system. And, in general, our students remain unable to write grammatically correct English even at degree level. In this backdrop, the current paper examines existing situation of writing skills of degree level students of University of the Punjab (Pakistan) in four selected districts of the province of the Punjab. Through an analysis of the answer scripts of the December Test (2009) of the students of degree level of the selected colleges, the errors committed by students are investigated. It is examined what are the causes, nature, types, and frequency of occurrence of errors of different types in these answer scripts. Overall the paper throws light on how and how far the non use of Error Analysis System (EAS) in the teaching and learning of English at degree level results in committing a large number of errors on the part of the learners. Some recommendations in the light of the findings are also given.Keywords: Error analysis system, rectification process, feedback strategies, classroom interaction, graduation/degree levelIntroductionErrors are natural and basic ingredient of human beings as Richard (1974) claims that "it is matter of common observation that even the most intelligent, motivated learners do make errors even when learning under the best possible conditions." Language learning is a complicated process whether a child is acquiring his first language or an adult is learning a second or third language, both go through the same hit and trail process. In Pakistan, students barely get acquainted with the nature of writing process and teachers also hardly make any conscious effort in this regard. Consequently, students start committing errors and mistakes in writing and these errors/mistakes are not rectified by the teachers using proper EAS. Finally, these errors and mistakes become permanent feature of their writing. The present decline in the standard of writing skills is due to many reasons as one of them is described by Siraj (2000, p. 19) "the teaching of writing is carried out in the most disappointing and discouraging manner." The observation about writing in our EFL/ ESL classrooms is that writing is often writing as a channel rather than a goal. Moreover, in-use methodology of making corrections of errors and mistakes does not come-up to the level of standard evaluation/assessment. The nature of evaluation of English language is a test of memory as knowledge of a subject like History and not like skill subject as swimming or cycling. As a result of this approach, students reproduce the crammed/memorized material in the exam but on their own they cannot produce even a single paragraph without errors and mistakes. If we look at the outcomes of this failure, the answer would be that our methodology of EAS is out-dated, incorrect and deficient. Thus, the lack of awareness of EAS on the part of English language teachers may be the root cause for poor writing progress of students in English. Researchers of second language also realize that learners' errors need to be analyzed carefully because these errors provide key to understand the process of second language acquisition/learning.Literature ReviewErrors and mistakes are inevitable parts of the learning process. In foreign language learning errors made by learner are intrinsic parts of the complex learning process. According to Klassen (1991) the term 'error' is used to refer to a form or structure that a native speaker deems unacceptable because of its inappropriate use.Error is the use of a linguistic item in a way which a fluent or native speaker of the language regards as showing faulty or incomplete learning (Richards, 1985). Corder (1973, p. …


Measurement and control of rapid optical processes usually require pulsed lasers or fast-response instruments, which are too expensive or complicated for use in industries. A motor-driven polygon mirror can deflect an optical beam so that it passes across a distance of 1 mm in 5 ns, i.e., a sweep velocity of 190 km/s. This time-space conversion realizes rapid modulation of a continuous-wave beam and observation of nano-second phenomena. This article reports some experimental results that were attained by the use of this sweep method.


This study explores the theme of nostalgia in contemporary Anglo-Arab literature from the 1990s to the present. Examining the implications of nostalgic tropes in Anglophone novels by Arab writers, ...


Objectives/Goals The primary objective of the project was to evaluate the effects of sleep on the performance of 6th grade students from 5 different schools in the Chino Valley Unified District Methods/Materials The project was designed to be a multicenter, two arm, nonrandomized, uncontrolled, blinded, convenience sample behavioral science study. The project was started with a comprehensive research. Based on the research a seven (7) question survey was developed. Students were explained the purpose of the research, and all survey questions were reviewed with the students. The students were asked to share the survey with their guardians and seek their permission. Data from the surveys that were returned was entered in the Microsoft Excel Sheet 2007 (Microsoft Corporation). The data from the surveys was entered sequentially in the rows (S1 #. S300; S = Student) and responses to the seven questions from each survey were entered in the columns created for each question in Data Entry sheet. The database also had multiple Analysis Sheets. Each Analysis Sheet obtained the data from the Data Entry sheet. For primary analysis the data automatically calculated students in group A that earned honor roll in the appropriate cell by using the #COUNTIF# command of the Microsoft Excel. Similary data for Group B and secondary analysis was calculated and populated using the same command. Results The overall participation of the students in the survey was 29%. Mean age of the students was 11.25 years. There was no difference in ages of the students across schools or genders. Girls participation was higher than boys by 14%. Sixty percent of the students indicated that they sleep for 8 hours or more. Responses from students with Honor Roll was 2.33 times more than their peers without honor roll. Primary analysis of the data confirmed the Alternate Hypothesis and showed that students who sleep 8 or more hours secure 9% more Honor Rolls compared to their peers who sleep for less than 8 hours. The data failed to show any relationship of performance to either 1) Breakfast eating habits, 2) Reading habits, 3) Playing activities at home, or 4) Study help at home. Conclusions/Discussion The primary analysis satisfied the Alternate Hypothesis and showed that students that sleep for 8 or more hours had better performance in the schools.


8088 Background: Advanced NSCLC patients continue to have high mortality with median survivals less that one year despite advances in anti-cancer therapies. This high mortality and symptom burden i...


It is difficult to obtain the parameters by the existing single observer passive localization methods when the target is wideband signal.A new location model based on motion information of the target contained in the time delay and time delay rate for wideband signal is developed on the basis of fixed single station.Then this model is processed with PF algorithm.Computer simulation verifies the availability of this method.


This demonstration highlights an interactive Unix-like shell for operating wireless sensor networks, where the user uses familiar Unix commands to complete tasks ranging from wireless installation of user applications to retrieval of data reports with the help of a built-in Unix-like file system.


PZT(45/55) ferroelectric thin films were deposited on platinum-coated silicon wafers with no substrate heating using RF magnetron sputtering. The effects of target and annealing process on the compositions, structures and electrical properties of the sputtered thin films were studied. A single perovskite phase structure was obtained with post-annealing at 500°C for 60 min in O2. This crystallization temperature is the lowest value reported. Also, the PbO in the thin films is not made volatile during the annealing process, even at temperature as high as 700°C. This is in contrast to what has been reported, and the properties of the thin films are improved. The thin films have a maximum remnant polarization (Pr) of 13.8 µCcm-2 and a minimum coercive field (Ec) of 55.5kVcm-1 when annealed at 650°C for 60 min.


AbstractThe results of three full-scale lateral load tests of cast-in-drilled-hole RC piles are evaluated to provide insights into the soil-pile interaction behavior as represented by p-y curves (p = soil reaction/length; y = lateral pile deflection) spanning from elastic conditions to mobilization of the soil capacity. The test sequence enables evaluation of the diameter effects on the p-y behavior as a result of testing two otherwise similar specimens, but with different diameters (0.6 and 1.8 m), and evaluation of the head-fixity effects as a result of testing similar specimens (with a 0.6 m diameter) under flagpole and fixed-head conditions. A constrained exhaustive search procedure that facilitates data interpretation even in the presence of severe shaft nonlinearity is introduced, which was needed because the testing was performed to full structural failure conditions. The p-y curves obtained with the present test data differ from the predictions of a standard (American Petroleum Institute) model, i...


Infection is a disease caused by pathogenic bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus , Escherichia coli , Bacillus cereus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa . The wood ear mushroom ( Auricularia auricula ) has been empirically and scientifically proven as an agent that can treat infections because it contains antimicrobial properties like polysaccharide and protein complex. This study aimed to determine the antimicrobial activity of the A. auricula extracts and fractions. The first stage of the test comprised the collection, determination, and processing of the test plant. The simplicia was characterized by its water content, ash content, acid solubility, and total ash content. The next step was reflux extraction using 96% ethanol. After a concentrated extract was formed, it was subjected to phytochemical screening and fractionation using liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) with n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol-water solvents. Each of the A. auricula extracts and fractions was tested for antimicrobial activity. Microdilution method was employed to determine the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC), which were later compared with the antibiotic properties of tetracycline. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was used to observe any morphological changes in the tested bacteria. The MICs of the A. auricula extract, n-hexane fraction, and ethyl acetate fraction against S. aureus were 256 μg/mL, 128 μg/mL, and 64 μg/mL, respectively. However, the bactericidal effects of the test mushroom were not achieved in the experiment. Based on the MICs, the ethyl acetate fraction has the best inhibitory activity. Moreover, the bioautography test of this fraction produced Rf value= 0.78, implying the formation of a zone of growth inhibition. The SEM of the A. auricula extracts and fractions proved that this mushroom altered the morphology of S. aureus bacteria—i.e., the cells became rounded and tapered and showed indications of cell shrinkage and damage. As a conclusion, the ethyl acetate fraction of A. auricula has the best antimicrobial activity against S. aureus.


Previous studies have shown that wetland plants can treat wastewater in a cost-effective and sustainable way, however, the studies on the performance of ornamental wetland plant diversity in treating urban sewage were scarce. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess and select wetland polyculture combination that was effective in urban sewage treatment in subtropical areas. We formed five combinations out of six ornamental wetland plant species including Thalia dealbata, Cyperus alternifolius, Iris pseudacorus, Lythrum sastlicaria, Nymphaea tetragona, and Zantedeschia aethiopica. The growth state and removal effects of each plant combination were systematically measured and assessed. The results indicated all the combinations exhibited remarkable total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N), and chemical oxygen demand chromium (CODcr) removal rate of 70.75%-77.67%, 63.86%-73.71%, 69.73%-76.85%, and 57.28%-75.69%, respectively. Additionally, pH was reduced to 7.54-8.00 in the sewage. The purification effect reached the best during 30-36th day. The comprehensive assessment showed the mixture of Thalia dealbata + Cyperus alternifolius, closely followed by Thalia dealbata + Cyperus alternifolius+ Lythrum sastlicaria, was highly effective at extracting various pollutants, and both of them could be used as favorable combinations to convert eutrophication and purify municipal wastewater. Linear regression showed that TP, TP, NH4+-N, and CODcr. were significantly related to plant biomass, indicating that plant biomass essential indicator for screening purification plants. Our study highlighted the importance of plant diversity in biological wastewater treatment, however the competition between plants was suggested to take into consideration in future studies.


Even as proliferation of automation increases, ever so often there are pockets in processes that are manually controlled. These pockets are generally exceptions to the standard process and hence require manual involvement. We illustrate in this paper how repetitive instances of manual decision making can be automated using the Case Based Reasoning technique, bringing a signifi cant level of automation even in the otherwise manual activity. This solution has helped an organization go one step further towards maturity by strengthening the processes via increased automation.


Pedagogy is regarded in various ways by specialists of different scientific areas. Some consider it as a science, others as art. Most of scientists consider pedagogy as a science and art at the same time. In this paper it is stated that pedagogy appears not just as art but as a science. The art relates not to the scientific base of pedagogy but to the subject of pedagogical work peda-gogue who uses different resources for forming, developing of personality of a student, a pro-fessional. The characteristic traits of pedagogy as an independent science are listed. The author holds that the main mission of pedagogy must be developing of spiritual culture of ahuman person and that effectiveness of educational institutes is determined first of all by native Tradition. The problem of spirituality is connected primarily to such form of social consciousness as faith. The author notes that materialists explained the spiritual sphere of personality unsatisfac-torily, unfoundedly reducing it to animal nature. So the essential issue for pedagogical science and practice, in author's opinion, is the problem of spirituality in the context of the aims of education. This is topical for the present-day state which is characterized by wide spread of pseudoforms in educational process, uncritical borrowing of Western educational technologies. Also in this paper the author considers the problem of all-round and many-sided developing of personality in the native educational space. The clear differentiation of denoted aims of educa-tion is essential to practical work of educational institutions.


In this paper, we report the development of an effective implicit finite-volume solver for general-purpose turbulent flow computations on unstructured hybrid mesh system. For the inviscid and viscous fluxes, we employ the Rotated-Roe-HLL and alpha-damping fluxes, respectively. The implicit solver is constructed by a defect correction method, where the residual Jacobian is constructed based on a low-order compact scheme. It enables efficient time-dependent computations by an unconditionally-stable implicit time-integration scheme. Numerical results show that a significant speed-up is achieved over an explicit pseudo-time stepping scheme and the exact first-order inviscid Jacobian gives superior iterative convergence over a simplified inviscid Jacobian for both steady-state and transient analyses.


Redundant tendon-driven systems such as the human hand or the ACT robotic hand are high-dimensional and nonlinear systems that make traditional control strategies ineffective. The synergy hypothesis from neuroscience suggests that employing dimensionality reduction techniques can simplify the system without a major loss in function. We define a dimensionality reduction framework consisting of separate observation and activation synergies, a first-order model, and an optimal controller. The framework is implemented for two example tasks: adaptive control of thumb posture and hybrid position/force control to enable dynamic handwriting.


The object of this study is to suggest recommended area for reasonable public facilities of elderly housing by analyzing area of public facilities and their operation by time period. The results were as follows. 1) The recommended floor area per resident for facilities of elderly housing was shown in . For example, 0.70㎡ for lobby and lounge; 0.75㎡ for physiotherapy room, 0.25㎡ for market, 0.44㎡ for office, 0.11㎡ for laundry room, 0.89㎡ for kitchen, 1.81㎡ for cafeteria, 1.90 for restaurant, 0.49㎡ for sauna(men), 0.56㎡ for sauna(women), 2.27 ㎡ for fitness center, 1.12㎡ for computer lab, 1.00㎡ for auditorium, 0.27㎡ for cafe and so on. 2) The recommended area for public facilities of elderly housing in Seoul metropolitan area may be reduced by 3.89%(1,169.62㎡). 3) Because the usage of food and beverage facilities in lunch time was the highest in a day, the proper area for food and beverage facilities had been determined based on the number of users during lunch time and was 2.70㎡ per user. As a result, the area of public facilities in 6 elderly housings built after 2000 and located in Seoul metropolitan area was excessive. We expect based on the results of this research more efficient and economic public facilities would be planned in the future.


Non-linear equations having multiple Solutions are usually associated with sharp turning points in the associated solution curves. Existing solution methods often fail or become extremely slow in the neighbourhood of such turning points. This paper presents an efficient algorithm based on the backward-differentiation formula (BDF) which overcomes this problem.

For the special subclass of non-linear series-parallel circuits, this algorithm is generalized to allow all branches of driving-point and transfer characteristics to be traced efficiently. For any fixed value of the driving-point voltage or current source, this algorithm guarantees that all solutions are found.


Stretching of the muscle spindle produces a receptor potential (a local depolarization) in the muscle spindle which gives rise to repetitive spikes in the sensory nerve (1). In addition, it has been suggested that the dynamic component of the receptor potential is simply the result of a change in membrane capacity, and that the successive static component may be due to a change in membrane permeability (1). Henatsch and Schulte (2) found that the afferent discharges from the muscle spindle were increased by acetylcholine or succinylcholine in the muscle of frog. Ottoson (3) reported that acetylcholine (1×10-4 g/ml) had no significant effect on the sensory endings while higher concentrations caused a slight reduction of their activity. Some reports (4-6) indicated that d-tubocurarine or atropine affected the discharges from the muscle spindle. The problem thus remains whether acetylcholine or cholinesters play an essential role in the generation or transmission of spikes. It was expected that use of various anticholinergics might provide an important clue in elucidating the mechanism of static generation and transmission of spikes. Strychnine was shown to have curare-like action (7) and also depressive action on the afferent discharges from the muscle spindle (8). The present study deals with d-tubocurarine, atropine, hexamethonium, hemicholinium-3, procaine and also strychnine. It is concerned with effects on muscle spindle discharges, receptor potential, nerve conduction and muscle twitch.


Utilizing strong nonlinearity and dispersion engineering in silicon-wire waveguides, we observe development of soliton radiation at high power and ultrashort pulses. With this observation, we investigate a novel way to determine the third-order dispersion coefficient.


Fractal mesh refinement enables mesh refinement regimes to the Gibson scale and beyond. Conventional multifractal subgrid models have cost considerations which also lead to local mesh refinement, but more importantly, the application of these models to compressible turbulent deflagration fronts is a topic for future research, while subgrid models tuned to this complex physics lack a multifractal search focus, and for cost reasons do not allow the large search volumes required to find the sought for rare event to trigger a DDT.
Here we propose methods to resolve fine scales and locate rare possible DDT trigger events within large volumes while addressing multifractal issues at a feasible computational cost. We are motivated by the goal of confirming or assessing the hypothesis of a delayed detonation in type Ia supernova and to assessing the delay in this event if it is found to occur.


gas press measuring is very difficult work in mine,being using bad sealed device.Now gas press can be mensurated exactly by active applying three-phase froth plugging,but three-phase froth press need adjusting continuously for pressure decreasing,that caused by froth fracture.After analyzing the character of three-phase froth,the auto puff transformation valve is designed and applied in mine according to required gas press potting and mechanical fundamentals. the result is very good in mine and raise the level of automatic mensurating gas press.


Objective To analyze the death spectrum and years of life lost(YLL) caused by malignant tumors in residents in Fujian,and understand the distribution characteristics of regions and population groups for death caused malignant tumors and their impacts to residents.Methods The mortality surveillance data for total population in 2010 from the Fujian Disease Surveillance in 10 counties(cities/districts)(3 in urban area and 7 in rural area) were conducted by proportionally stratified cluster sampling,and the deaths and YLL due to malignant tumors were analyzed statistically.Results The total number of deaths caused by malignant tumors in Fujian was 6 992 in 2010,and the mortality and standardized mortality were 162.86/100 000 and 130.71/100 000,respectively,ranking in the first and accounting for 29.10% of total deaths.Successively,the top five lethal malignant tumors were lung cancer,liver cancer,gastric cancer,esophageal cancer,and intestinal cancer,making up 76.16% of all deaths caused by malignant tumors.The total deaths caused by malignant tumors for male and female were 4 723 and 2 269,respectively.The crude death rates for male and female were 217.51/100 000 and 106.93/100 000(P0.01),respectively.As the standardized rates for the two genders were 175.06/100 000 and 84.82/100 000 respectively,the mortality of malignant tumors in male was significantly higher than that in female.For both genders,the death rate of malignant tumors was rising with the age growing,and increased rapidly after the age of 25 years.The total deaths caused by malignant tumors for residents in urban and rural areas were 1 828 and 5 164,respectively.The crude death rates for residents in urban and rural areas were respectively 167.00/100 000 and 161.44/100 000(P0.05),and the standardized rates for the two different regions were 116.58/100 000 and 136.56/100 000,respectively.The years of potential life lost(YPLL) for malignant tumors in residents in Fujian was 88 516 person-years,making up 38.71% of YPLL for all death cause and being at the top for all life loss death cause.The average years of life lost(AYLL) due to major malignant tumors were 12.66 years,and the rate of YPLL was 20.62‰,in which,liver cancer ranked the first.Expect for the exclusive tumors for female,the rate of YPLL of malignant tumors in male was all higher than that in female.Conclusion Since malignant tumors is the first cause for death and life loss in Fujian,the prevention and treatment should be emphasized on controlling the malignant tumors.


Understanding requirements engineering concepts and practices is one of the key factors in software engineering. Based on the Problem Based Learning methodology, the "Problem Solving I"curriculum component addresses areal problem forknowledge building regarding Requirements Engineering practices. This article aims to analyze the lessons learned throughout the component through subjective questions that report both positive and negative experiences. The results obtained through the content analysis method indicate a higher percentage of practices that worked and that group work was the most challenging element.


The Eurasian Union plans to reach a new level of economic cooperation, and not be restricted to interact only with the individual member states. For this purpose, the Eurasian Union intends to initiate the establishment of a long-term and stable relationships with major integration associations in the world. The assessment analysis found the economic effects of possible cooperation of the Eurasian Union with megaregional structures and taking into account the applicability in the context of the prospects for the «Big Eurasian Partnership» the project shows that in working through various options for cooperation should be taken into account a variety of factors, ranging from issues of tariff regulation to foreign situations, concerning certain countries, integration associations. Priority for identifying potential partners for cooperation given to economic and trade associations with a high degree of costoriented integration. For assessment of the economic effects of a possible cooperation of the Eurasian Union with megaregional structures was used the gravity model to identify the sensitivity of imports to changes in tariff policy, and an analysis of the competitive advantages of production of the Eurasian Union countries was conducted with competitiveness index.Â


The issue of disparity in the region both in terms of economic, social
demography and physically it is a problem that never grows old and depleted.
Almost all regions in Indonesia are still found to the problem both from region to
district scale. If not immediately addressed in more detail, it will cause a degree of
inequality widens and becomes increasingly difficult to overcome. Malang
Regency as one of the region with a fairly high growth and has contributed to the
GDP of East Java Province by 15%, was still experiencing uneven development in
various regions. Therefore, this study will assess the condition of the disparities
and the factors that influence it. In addition, this study also will look at the
relationship between the indicator with the causes and indicators of the most
important in looking at disparities in the region of Malang Regency.
This research was conducted with a deductive approach, through a
statistical method (using multiple regression and canocial correlation) and
descriptive method. Based on the analysis found that the disparity did occur
between sub-districts in Malang regency either under IPM and local revenues,
especially central and northern areas with its hinterland area. As well, there was a
relationship of opposites or not the direction between the two indicators of
disparity, where human devepoment index (HDI) is more influenced by the
physical and demography aspects, while local revenues are more influenced by
economic and demographic aspects. Of both indicators, the most important in
looking at disparities is IPM. There are seven (7) factors that significantly affect
the disparity between districts in Malang. Of these factors, only four (4) that
contribute most to the disparity in Malang Regency, namely trade and services
facility, accessibility, population density and distribution of industrial sector
development.
Currently the Government of Malang Regency have been pursuing various
policies and programs to address disparities in the region. However, until now,
inter-district disparities in the region is still relatively high. This is because
government programs that have been undertaken are still oriented targets based on
economic growth and its natural resources without seeing the needs of the region
in more detail. In addition, programs are still general and concentrated of high
growth development area. As a result, urbanization has become increasingly high.
Therefore, the future need for government policies that emphasize equity urgent
distribution to all four factors above and pay special attention to low growth
development of districts, so that the problems of urbanization of the hinterland
(low growth development) to the central region (rapid development) can be
reduced. Thus, disparities between districts can also be minimized.


In recent years, awareness and concern has grown within the psychological and medical communities regarding "behavioral addictions": these are defined as the compulsive performance of otherwise normal everyday activities such as sex, gambling, use of the Internet and online video games, and shopping. This chapter examines 3 such addictive disorders: gambling disorder, compulsive buying disorder (CBD), and Internet gaming disorder (IGD), exploring their definitions, prevalence, diagnoses, consequences, and treatment. All 3 disorders share similar neurobiological mechanisms, acting on the pleasure centers of the brain and having potentially severe social, mental, and psychological repercussions, including loss of interest in life and withdrawal symptoms as intense as those felt by substance abusers when quitting drugs. Certain pharmaceuticals, CBT, and treatment principles similar to those followed by substance abusers, as well as various non-traditional modalities such as acupuncture and yoga, all have shown promise in treating these disorders.


In this paper,a fast precise integration method(FPIM) for computing the dynamic responses of large-scale structural systems has been proposed.By using the sparse property of system matrix and especially the physical nature of the system,the special structure of matrix exponential was given,then a fast algorithm for computing matrix exponential and the dynamic responses of large-scale structural systems was proposed.The numerical examples illustrate that the proposed method is fast and accurate.


When performing functional requirements analysis, software developers need to understand the application domain to fulfil organizational needs. This is essential for making trade-off decisions and achieving the success of the software development project. An application domain is dealt within the modelling phase of the business process lifecycle. Assuming that functional changes are inevitable, we propose to use the standard COSMIC to evaluate these changes and provide indicators of change status in the business domain. Expressing functional changes in terms of COSMIC Function Point units can be helpful in identifying changes leading to potential impact on the business process's functional size. In addition, we propose a top-down decomposition approach to specify requirements and analyse change impact on BPMN models at different


We introduce a new distributed location service, the hypercubic location service (HLS) for wireless mobile ad hoc networks. It provides information about geogr aphic position of nodes, which is required by position based routing methods. Together with a position based routing, in particular with a greedy routing in appropriate spanner graphs, HLS contributes an e fficient network layer of wireless ad hoc networks. Underlying HLS is anO(logn) degree graph which is based on a dynamic version of hypercubi c graphs, especially of the De Bruijn graph. We introduce the n otio of effective bits of node IDs and we define the hypercubic neighborhood relation accordingly. W e show how dynamic operations, insertion and deletion of a node with a random ID can be performed in loga rithmic time in such hypercubic graphs. A key feature of HLS is its very strong fault tolerance as well as scalability to large changes in the number of nodes, allowing very flexible control over the netw ork size. A large network can be gradually built from a few nodes and then again it can be reduced to a very small size with fast network topology updates. In addition the architecture is extremely fault to lerant. It resists the simultaneous failure of a constant fraction of the nodes, including even a systemati c destruction within certain regions. The combination of scalability and fault tolerance results in a network which survives even a fast destruction.


The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of clothing color and exposure on stereotype formation of female appearance. The subjects for the research survey were 418 male and female university students in Taejon, Korea. The measuring instruments were a self-administered questionnaire and six written scripts which described a woman wearing clothing manipulated by clothing color and exposure variables. The collected data were analyzed using content analysis, T-test, crosstabs analysis, ANOVA, and Duncan's multiple range test. The results of this study were as follows. First, three dimensions (global image, appearance inference, and appearance evaluation) emerged from the subject responses. Clothing exposure had the greatest impact upon the stereotype formation of female appearance. The woman wearing exposed clothing was rated as 'sexy', 'confident', and 'glamorous' whereas the same woman wearing unexposed clothing was rated as 'slim', 'humdrum', 'ladylike', and 'neat'. Second, the gender of the subject played a role in forming stereotypes of women's appearance. The male subjects rated the woman wearing exposed clothing as 'sexy' and 'glamorous' whereas the 1em81e subjects rated the same woman as 'slim' and 'pretty'. Third, the male subjects evaluated the woman wearing expend clothing in much more negative terms than the female subjects did, indicating that men tended to use 'modesty' to evaluate the woman whereas women tended to use 'fashion trend' in addition to 'modesty' as the important criteria when assessing women dressed in exposed clothing. Fourth, the subjects judged the woman wearing exposed clothing to be an entertainer or prostitute in her early 20s. On the other hand, the subjects judged the woman wearing unexposed clothing to be either a university student or a professional business women in her mid 20s.


Quality management is among the current trends of public administration modernization in the Czech Republic aiming at improving of its service to citizens. It tries to ensure that public services are delivered more friendly and in the fit for purpose manner. Current approaches to quality management presumes development of culture which enables and facilitates communication and networking of public administration and its stakeholders and which also includes continuous evaluation of stakeholders satisfaction. Practices of quality management instruments in public administration have led to diskussions about the quality of quality management itself. The paper introduces points of such discussions which concern implmenetation of CAF that is among the most popular quality management instruements in Czech public administration. Discussed issues contain also possible problems of stakeholders participation and evaluation of stakeholders satisfaction. The research, the partial results of which are presented in this article, was carried out within the framework of the project of the Czech Science Foundation no. 402/07/1486


Backtrough curtain wall connection technique has four kinds of connection methods,including cantilever component connection,bolt fixing connection,fastener connection and general exchange.It has favorable compatibility with other connection technique and is convenient for installation.Relevant contents are introduced,such as technical process of backtrough curtain wall,point distribution,calculation of parameter,material and structure,as well as node diagram design.


In Peru, the pineapple (Ananas comosus var. comosus) has 14 000 cultivated hectares, with an average yield of 22 t/ha. Commercial cultivars in order of importance are'Samba','Hawaiana','Pucalpina','Roja Lisa' and 'Golden' (MD-2) which are cultivated in different regions of the country, but the largest areas are in the central jungle. The pineapple has several phy-tosanitary problems, but the most important is the "fruit spot" caused by Penicillium funiculosum and Fusarium moniliforme . There are three types of spots: "dry black spot", "wet black spot" and "spot with galleries", the latter being the most important and associated with the "pineapple fly" ( Melanoloma viatrix ). This paper presents a review of the biology of the "pineapple fly", a description of the "spot with galleries" and the experiences developed for its control in the country.


Second language learning has continued to pose learning challenges to English as a SecondLanguage Learner (ESL) learners in Nigeria. Many scholars have carried out various research workson the problems of language learning and have come out with various recommendations, but in spite ofthese efforts, the problems of learning to use a second language have persisted. As it is, many of theteachers of English are non – native speakers and secondly, the language is being learnt and used faraway from its natural environment. Elugbe (2000) observes that non native speakers are not likely tohave expertise in second language because only the native speaker can claim to have expertise andproficiency in his language, other users are only aspiring to reach the target of proficiency, especially inspoken English. This challenge is the focus of this paper.