OpenSearch is a de-facto standard specification and a collection of technologies that allow publishing of search results in a format suitable for syndication and aggregation. It is a way for websites and search engines to publish search results in a standard and accessible format.

Evolved through extensions within an international standards organisation, the Open Geospatial Consortium, OpenSearch has become a reference to make queries to a repository that contains Earth Observation information, to send and receive structured, standardized search requests and results, and to allow syndication of repositories. It is in this evolved form a shared API used by many applications, tools, portals and sites in the Earth sciences community. The OGC OpenSearch extensions that have been implemented for the NextGEOSS DataHub, following the OGC standards and validated to be fully compatible with the standard.

The OGC OpenSearch extensions implemented for CKAN, the open source software solution supporting the NextGEOSS Datahub, add the standardized metadata models and the OpenSearch API endpoints that allow the indexing of distributed EO data sources (currently over 110 data collections), and makes these available to client applications to perform queries and get the results. It allowed to develop a simple user interface as part of the NextGEOSS DataHub Portal, which implements the two-step search mechanism (leveraging data collections metadata and data products metadata) and translates the filtering done by users to an OpenSearch matching query. The user interface can render a general description document, that contains information about the collections available on the NextGEOSS DataHub, and then get a more detailed description document for each collection separately.

For generating the structure of the description documents and the result feed, we are using CKAN’s templates, and on top of that we are using additional files which are responsible for listing all available parameters and their options and perform validation on the query before executing. The search endpoint for getting the results feed, uses already existing CKANs API calls in order to perform the validation and get the filtered results taking into consideration the parameters of the user search.

The current NextGEOSS DataHub implementation therefore provides a user interface for users who are not familiar with Earth observation data collections and products, so they can easily create queries and access its results. Moreover, the NextGEOSS project partners are constantly adding additional data connectors and collecting new data sources that will become available through the OGC OpenSearch Extensions API. This will allow NextGEOSS to provide a variety of data for the users and accommodate their needs.

NextGEOSS is a H2020 Research and Development Project from the European Community under grant agreement 730329.


Co based alloy coated on the base of 20 steel was obtained by laser cladding.The surface layer of the steel and the relative zone were analyzed and studied by denuded metallograph and other analytical technologies of electron.The crystallization mechanism of the steel surface layer are planar extension growth and screw dislocation growth. It is beneficial to the latter if the input energy is increased. At the same time, the morphology of the thermal effect zone is coarse to produce micro crack.Though the carbon is poor in diffusion layer,the solid solution of the other alloy and the twin substructure strengthen it.And Co,Ce make it good wear resistance.


With the deepening of the study on the digital library,the copyright problem in the digital library is becoming more and more conspicuous and worthy of exploration.This article describes various copyright problems involved with the construction of the digital library and how to protect the copyright of digitalized works in the digital library environment.


The mechanisms of streamer generation and propagation in nanosecond pulsed surface dielectric barrier discharge (SDBD) on both sides have been analyzed and investigated by experiment and numerical simulation. The fully exposed asymmetric SDBD has two discharge processes located on high voltage electrode (HVE) side and ground electrode (GE) side. Discharge images of HVE side and GE side are taken by digital camera under continuous pulse, and ICCD is utilized to diagnose the generation and propagation of streamers in single pulse discharge. In order to understand the physical mechanism of streamer evolution more deeply, we establish a 2D simulation model and analyze it from the aspects of electron density, ion density, reduced electric field and electron impact ionization source term. Numerical simulation shows that the secondary negative streamer on the HVE side is caused by the reverse electric field between HVE and dielectric surface. It also indicates that the secondary positive streamer on the GE side is caused by the negative charge accumulated on the dielectric surface and the falling pulse voltage.


The performance of tokamak fusion plasmas is heavily linked to the radial heat and particle transport, which is known to be mainly produced by turbulence driven by micro-instabilities. Understanding such processes is thus of key importance for the design and operation of future fusion reactors such as ITER. One of the most commonly used tools to study turbulent transport in the very hot core of tokamaks is gyrokinetic theory, which aims at reducing the physical complexity by averaging out the fast gyromotion, while keeping its averaged effect. The ORB5 program is a numerical code solving the gyrokinetic Maxwell-Boltzmann system of equations to study various phenomena such as turbulent transport. It is a global particle-incell code using a finite element representation with B-spline basis function for the fields and various noise control schemes. The main objective of this work is to improve the performance and physical model of ORB5 in order to be able to carry out simulations relevant for the Tokamak à Configuration Variable (TCV) at the Swiss Plasma Center. This is done in three major steps. First, the code undergoes a complete refactoring and optimization process with the aim of increasing its maintainability and performance. Using a simple test bed being a simplification of the PIC method while retaining the key elements, various algorithms and parallelization schemes are developed. Furthermore, it is shown that one of the most critical kernels of the PIC algorithm, the charge deposition, can be accelerated by a factor 2.4 in ORB5. Second, the hybrid electron model, which is used to simulate certain electron modes at a lower numerical cost than the fully kinetic electron model, needs to be corrected. Indeed, in this model, trapped electrons are kinetic while passing electrons have an adiabatic response. This is problematic because it does not satisfy the ambipolarity condition and produces spurious sources of particles and momentum. A corrected model in which the flux-surface averaged contribution of the passing electrons is treated as kinetic is developed and implemented in ORB5. As a first step, an approximation of the flux-surface average consisting of a Fourier filter retaining only the n = m = 0 mode is tested. Linearly, both the proper flux-surface average and its n = m = 0 approximation lead to an accurate description of the geodesic acoustic mode dynamics. Nonlinearly, the n = m = 0 model exhibits interesting physical features such as sharp radial structures at the mode rational surface q = 1 and a transport regime transition. To conclude this chapter, a first attempt at studying TCV transport stiffness is shown. Finally, a moment-conserving heat source is implemented in the ORB5 code to allow


A parabolic trough collector was subject of a thermal study considering heat exchange mechanisms involved in the conversion process of solar energy into heat. The physical model presented was developed with assumptions related to steady state conditions. A code, developed under Matlab, allowed to estimate, by an iterative calculation, all temperatures encountered in the studied system and to calculate, consequently, various efficiencies: optical, energetic and exergetic. After validation of the model, a parametric analysis was carried out in order to consider the influence of the main model parameters on the exergetic behavior of the solar system.


Background: The upsurge of the SARS-CoV-2 infection continues even after two years of its inception due to inadequate and unequal distribution of approved vaccines. There are only ten approved vaccines as per the WHO report as of Jan 2022. Hence, there is a large demand for antivirals designed to combat SARS-CoV-2. However, the development and approval of a new drug will take nearly 10 to 15years. Thus, repurposing of existing drugs developed against other diseases is considered the appropriate action to meet the global demand.Methods: The computational approach based drug repurposing is an emerging field and it screens large numbers of drugs within a short span of time utilizing knowledge and omics data available in pharmaceutical research. The CoV-DrugX Pipeline server is a computational tool for repositioning existing drugs for COVID-19 treatment. Results and conclusions: The camostat drug was found to be effective against COVID-19 based on CoV-DrugX analysis and the CoV-DrugX Pipeline could be a productive computational tool for drug repositioning in terms of usage and function.


A fungus bag for enabling black fungus to achieve high yield is mainly composed of the following raw materials, by weight, 40-50% of bits of wood, 30-50% of ramulus mori, 0.8-1.2% of gypsum powder and 5-10% of wheat bran. An appropriate amount of water is added in the raw materials to be stirred until the water content is 55-60, and then the mixture is bagged. According to the fungus bag, the ramulus mori resources and the climate environment in Liucheng of Guangxi province are completely used for producing high-quality and high-yield black fungus. The black fungus planted in the fungus bag is good in color and taste, and bright in color.


PURPOSE AND PROCEDURE The purpose of the paper is to report briefly my studies about (1) how the interests of Japanese men change or develop from the time when they are in the middle school (lower high school) to the time when they get around 50 years old, settled in some occupation or other, through the high school (i.e., the senior high school) and the college years: (2) if and how the college students are differentiated in their interests from each other group, depending upon the major of the courses they are pursuing : (3) how the interests of the different groups of Japanese employed in different sorts of occupations are compared with those of the high school students (the senior high school). The writer constructed a couple of years ago a vocational interest test for Japanese males, called the Strong-Kodama Vocational Interest Inventory, adapted from the Strong Vocational Interest Inventory. The Inventory contains ten scales for Japanese males, including journalist-radio-announcer, engineer, financiers I (including securities, insurance and trust firm executives), financiers II (bankers), business executives other than financiers, educators, government officials, natural scientists, and light industry mechanics and operatives. The scales have been standardized on the test results of nearly 2000 Japanese who were successfully engaged in ten different occupations, as contrasted with those of about 1000 high school students. The Strong-Kodama Vocational Interest Inventory is composed of 7 parts with 360 items as follows : Part I Occupations100 items Part II School Subjects 40" Part III Amusements60 " Part IV Activities45 " Part V Peculiarities of People 60 Part VI Comparison of Interest 35 " between Two Items Part VII Rating of Present Abilities and Characteristics 20 "


This paper proposes a control strategy for voltage source‐type isolated AC/DC matrix converter. In this paper, differences of control strategy between a current source‐type and a voltage source‐type isolated AC/DC matrix converter are discussed by using instantaneous space vector diagrams. In addition, a commutation scheme of the voltage source‐type isolated matrix converter is proposed. The operation of proposed space vector modulation and commutation method is confirmed by the simulation results. © 2018 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


Mangrove Forest which is located at Karang Talun village, Tritih Kulon subdistrict, North Cilacap, Central Java has a various potentials to develop. Its development can be conducted by utilizing local community for participating to improve with mastery of English language. Thus, it is necessary to conduct empowerment of local community through English language training to create qualified ones who can support in tourism field. The purpose of this training is to improve their English language skill and increase their economy and be able to survive by being local tour guide in the New Normal. There were 15 participants consist of traders and some employees who work in Mangrove forest. It was conducted for three days and used some methods, namely preaching method i.e, giving theory and practice learning on each unit of learning and drilling and repetition method. In addition, they were given pre test and post test to evaluate each participant's skill. From the result, the participant's skill in pronunciation, vocabulary and practicing dialogue has improved, but it still needs more practices. Drilling and repetition method in learning activity has been success to be applied for participants.


This paper summarizes the traits of national culture of Dong Miao minorities.It includes the elements of harmony,nature,religion,groups,cultural restraints and optimism.And then it analyzes the connotation of the modern hotel culture from the material,institutional and spiritual cultures.At last,it discusses the impacts on the culture connotation of hotels from the six traits.


Introduction: Childhood psychosis is rare. In Indonesia, strong cultural influences on how people perceive mental disorders. Culture and knowl edge interact dynamically in mental health in Indonesia. Lack of mental health knowledge, results in abandonment among psychosis patients, especially in their first episode. This negligence leads to no medical treatment associated with a worse disease course. Aims: To study childhood psychosis negligence and the challenges related to the psychosocial aspects faced, such as lack of knowledge, strong influences of cultural beliefs on the patient for the cause, and treatment-seeking for the illness. Method: Case Report. Result: 27 years old male with the third episode of psychosis, presented with schizoaffective disorder mixed type. The earliest suspected psychosis episode was at the age of 12 and was not treated medically. The patient was treated after his second episode of psychosis at the age of 26 but exhibited non-adherence to the treatment caused a relapse. After being discharged, the patient was currently in the stabilization phase for 5 months with oral antipsychotics and long-acting antipsychotic injections. The patient also sought spiritual treatment from psychics and religious treatment. Conclusion: Negligence of psychosis during childhood, could progress to worse episodes in later periods of life, but the protective factors influenced by culture are dynamism of belief related to the illness, endorsed multiple causations for the illness including natural and


Based on the framework of effective-mass approximation and variational approach,the optical properties of cubic GaN/Al0.15Ga0.85N quantum dots were investigated theoretically.Considering the three-dimensional confinement of electron and hole,the exciton binding energy,the emission wavelength and the oscillator strength were calculated as function of the dot height L.The results indicate that the dot height L has a significant influence on the exciton binding energy,the emission wavelength and the electron-hole recombination.Furthermore,exciton effect will make the emission wavelength increase.


Relationships between composition of secondary vegetation and environment were studied in central North Island, New Zealand. A classification procedure was used to identify broad compositional groups which included forest, broadleaved scrub, shrub-fernland, sclerophyllous scrub and shrubland, and tussock-shrubland. Generalised additive models (GAMs) were used to examine relationships between species' distributions and mean annual temperature and rainfall, stand age, distance from intact forest, slope, topography, and drainage. There were marked differences in the environmental relationships of individual species. We conclude that temperature and rainfall have a dominant role in determining succession after disturbance at a regional scale, but distance from intact forest, topography, slope and solar radiation, become important at local scales. Variation unaccounted for by these environmental factors is most likely linked to historical factors such as variation in disturbance and/or grazing and browsing regimes. Intervention by managers will probably be required in the future if the current diversity of secondary vegetation in central North Island is to be maintained. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


The Octahedral layer structure manganese oxides (Buserite and Birnessite) have been synthesized and modified by aging a MnOx gel which was produced from the redox reactions between Mn2+ and MnO4- in the presence of other metal cations (Mg2+, Ni2+, Co2+ or Cu2+). The present study investigates the structure transformation between Buserite and Birnessite using X-ray powder diffraction conducted on cation doped manganese oxides at different stages of before and after hydration. The results indicate that introduction of Mg2+ into the interlayer can completely achieve the structure transformation between Birnessite and Buserite after hydrated at 24h, and Ni2+ can partially reverse.


The concept of the more electric aircraft is aimed at electrifying the mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic subsystems on aircraft. With increasing usage of power electronics, the architecture of onboard electrical power distribution systems becomes more complicated. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the stability of the system. This article, first, presents and validates an impedance model of a permanent magnet synchronous generator as a source and dual active bridge converter as a load. These models are used for the stability analysis of a simple dc power system. In addition, two new control strategies are proposed to enhance the stability of the system. The stabilization effects of the new control strategies are verified with experimental results.


Three perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) populations (R1, R2, and R3) with suspected resistance (R) to acetolactate synthase (ALS) or acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase) herbicides were collected from wheat (Triticum aestivum) fields in northwestern Greece to study the underlying mechanisms of resistance and their impact on growth rate and competitive ability against wheat. Preemergence and postemergence plant dose–response assays showed that the R1 population was cross-resistant to the ALS inhibitors chlorsulfuron, mesosulfuron + iodosulfuron, and pyroxsulam, but susceptible (S) to imazamox. However, all populations were susceptible to the ACCase inhibitors clodinafop-propargyl, clethodim, diclofop-methyl, and pinoxaden. The analysis of the ALS gene sequence revealed a substitution of Pro197 by His or Leu in the ALS enzyme in L. perenne, which is reported for the first time in this weed and indicates a potential mechanism of target site-mediated resistance. The R1 population grown in the absence or presence of wheat competition displayed similar aboveground biomass and tiller number trends, and therefore similar estimated growth rates. In addition, the aboveground biomass of wheat was similarly reduced by both the R1 and S populations, supporting the evidence of their similar competitive ability against wheat. In general, these findings indicate that there is no clear evidence for the fitness advantage of R1 over the S population.


A new resistant cabbage variety 'CT-171' to Fusarium wilt was bred by crossing with resistance to the disease and 397- with good density and color. 'CT-171' was selected after combining ability, seed gathering and regional adaptability test in 2008. For breeding of resistant varieties, we investigated the development of Fusarium wilt on cabbage seedlings inoculated with Fusariumoxysporum f. sp. conglutinans by root dipping inoculation method. As a result, 'CT-171' showed higher resistance to Fusarium wilt than 'Asiaball' used as control. The maturity of new variety was 58 days and was faster than control and well suited for autumn cultivation because of cold resistance. The anthocyanin pigment of plant was not revealed. The weight, height and width of head were 1.5 kg, 14 cm and 15 cm, respectively and the core size was 5.7 cm and stable in various cultivation environments. 'CT-171' which showed good agricultural character and resistance to Fusarium wilt filed for variety protect right in Korea Seed & Variety Service on February 2013. The new variety will be appropriate for export and domestic consumption.


The research is proposed to analyze Marriage which is respresented by the
character in Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House play by Feminist Approach. The research
sets two objectives: first is to analyze the play based on the Feminist Approach.This
study is qualitative using the play of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House play (1879)as the
object. There are two kinds of data source: primary and secondary. The primary data
sources is the play of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House play and the secondary data
source are some literary books and some articles related to the play. The method of
collecting data in the research is library research by reading and summarising the
data. In analyzing the data, the writer employs descriptive analysis. The outcome of
the study is as follow: first, In this drama, based on the structural analysis of each
elements, it shows that the character and characterization, setting, plot, theme, point
of view, style are related to each other as a narrative elements and technical elements
such as mise en scene (set dressing and props, costumes and make up, lighting, and
design), sound and symbol. Second, based on feminist approach, marriage system in
A Doll's House harms women's, because women are marginalized and oppresed.


Education is the key to awareness. Keeping in mind the importance of early identification, the researcher identified a sample ( n=200) in Ernakulam, Kerala State, that are unaware about Autism Spectrum Disorder ( ASD). The methodology included preparation of pictorial slides for the learning package, a selfdesigned questionnaire, to assess the awareness level about autism, before and after the educational programme. A booklet and pamphlet about ASD was also prepared. The results were subjected to percentage analysis


This study carried out the analysis of historical topographic data composed of two study areas interacted with coastal structures, Sendai Port and Yuriage Port, located in the Miyagi Prefecture, northeast of Japan. In case of Sendai Port, there is the breakwater constructed in 1968, extending for approximately 2 km. The dominant waves caused northward longshore sediment transport; as the matter of fact, this area should be advanced owing to the sand trapping at breakwater. On the other hand, the severe erosion has progressed due largely to the oblique wave confront with breakwater result in wave reflection then interact in beach change. The second case study, Yuriage Port was constructed in the 1990s which included 2 jetties and breakwater. It was found that the predominant sediment transport move northwards that resulted in the advancement of shoreline in the southern area of port due to sand deposition in front of breakwater. This study aims to make a comparative study of topographic variability between Sendai Port and Yuriage Port where the predominant wave caused longshore sediment transport move to the same direction. The difference in topographic evolution observed in both cases caused by the layout of coastal structures interacted with wave action which should have more clear understanding before the construction of any sea defences. This study also attempted to analyse the shoreline behaviour around Nanakita River mouth by utilising the aerial photograph. The GIS tool also is used in processing aerial photograph which have taken regularly in that area. The results shows the left shoreline of river mouth tend to advance with rate around 1 m/year. On the contrary, the right shoreline tend to retreat with rate around -1.5 m/year during 1990 ~ 2007.


1. Transdermal therapeutic system (5) comprising a base layer (1) consisting in contact with the base layer (1) a polymeric layer (2) containing silicone adhesives, and in contact with the polymer layer (2) a peelable protective layer ( 3), characterized in that the contact side of the base layer (1) is provided with an adhesive layer (4) obtained by siliconization, which is firmly connected with the base layer and contains vinyl groups with organopolysiloxanes and organopolysiloxanes with Si-H.2 groups. Transdermal therapeutic system according to claim 1, characterized in that the base layer (1) is a film of a polymeric material selected from the group consisting of polyester, especially polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyurethane, layers of ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer in combination with the polyester, polyvinylidene chloride, polyaramids, copolymer of ethylene and (meth) akrilata.3. Transdermal therapeutic system according to claim 1, characterized in that the base layer (1) consists of a material selected from the group consisting of ethylcellulose, cellulose acetate, cellophane, paper, metal-polymer composite material, ethylene vinilatsetata.4. Transdermal therapeutic system according to claim 1, characterized in that the polymer layer (2) comprises a silicone adhesive is based on silicone polymers and smoly.5. Transdermal therapeutic system according to claim 1, characterized in that the silicone adhesive is selected from the group polisiloksanov.6 polysiloxanes and mixtures thereof. Transdermal therapeutic system according to claim 1, characterized in that the polymer layer (2) comprises microreservoirs for pharmaceutically active substance


A field experiment was conducted in 2016–17 to study the effect of polymers and nutrient management on sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) under custard apple (Annona squamosa L.) based agri-horti system in rainfed conditions of eastern Uttar Pradesh, India. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design with four replications. Three levels of polymers, viz. Control, NCPC @ 5 kg/ha and Hydrogel @ 5 kg/ha and four level of the nutrient management as Control, 100% RDF, 100% RDF + Azotobacter and 100% RDF + PSB were taken in main-plots and sub-plots. Results indicated that the application of NCPC @ 5 kg/ha produced the best results in terms of the sesame seed yield (448.51 kg/ha) and stalk yield (609.97 kg/ha). The nutrient management with 100% RDF + Azotobacter gave better results as compared to control (no fertilizers). Their conjoint application can be beneficial to farmers for sustaining the crop productivity in the rainfed condition of eastern Uttar Pradesh.


In this paper, an integrated optimization program, based on PYTHON script programming language, has been developed by integrating CFD software and optimization package for shape optimization of high speed flight vehicles. The program comprises four functions connected with PYTHON scripts: geometry module, flow grid generator, flow solver, and optimizer, and the data of each part can be exchanged and updated automatically until the iterative study is completed. The paper takes two-dimensional hypersonic inlet with planar lip as an example for design and analysis. The numerical results show that the boundary-layer separation caused by shock boundary-layer interaction in the shoulder of inlet is reduced significantly and the total pressure recovery coefficient of the inlet is greatly improved against the model before optimized. With the increase in computer performance, the integrated optimization coupling with CFD technology will be the trend for vehicle design with aerodynamics in the future.


Abstract Though Six Sigma has proven to be an effective framework for performance improvement in a wide variety of industries for many years, the future development of Six Sigma needs to be explored. In this paper, we briefly review the background and development of Six Sigma and suggest ways to enhance and extend the effectiveness of Six Sigma in the coming years. We propose the future development of Six Sigma from three perspectives: strategy, integration and innovation. Some challenges are addressed for Six Sigma's spreading to service systems. Research shows that when Six Sigma becomes more pervasive and inclusive, it will offer opportunities for excellence in performance in the production of goods and services in a wide variety of businesses.


The present study examines the influence of creative drama on the creativity of 4 to 6 years old children. Accordingly, using a multi-stage cluster sampling, 52 children (21 girls and 31 boys), of district of Ahwaz city, were chosen and then randomly divided into two groups of experimental (33 people) and control (19 people). The researched was directly involved in intervention as regarded the experimental group. The intervention group participated in creative drama activities for two months (15 sessions). The creativity level of the children in these two groups, before and after the intervention, was measured using the creativity test of Jean-Louis Cellier? This test includes verbal creativity, completing and interpreting the pictures that are determinative of creativity components, fluidity, extension, flexibility and originality. The data and the results were analyzed based on descriptive statistical and inferential methods such as frequency, mean, standard deviation and non-parametric rank (Kruskal-Wallis, Wilcoxon and the Spearman correlation). The results indicated that the creative drama significantly increased the creativity of children at the ages of 4 to 6.


: AbstractCicely Saunders isn't well known as being a nursing theorist and is undoubtedly worthier of her recognition as the founder of the modern hospice movement. The theory of 'total pain' bases care of the dying on the whole of the person, treating not just the physical expressions or perceptions of pain but the psychological, social and spiritual. How do other models of nursing for end-of-life care compare to Cicely's Total Pain theory, and can the total pain theory be applied into practice today?


A new effective approach to estimate a tensile strength of materials with inhomogeneities was proposed. As the example, the calculation of ultimate strength for cast irons with graphite inclusions or inclusions of phosphide eutectic was carried out. The comparison with the known experimental data was done and good coincidence was shown.


Widely tunable mid-infrared (MIR) lasing has been demonstrated from the novel medium namely chromium-doped cadmium manganese telluride (Cr:CdMnTe) in a spectral region from 2.17-3.01 /spl mu/m. Laser applications of this wavelength region are remote sensing of green-house gases or air pollutants, biomedical uses, pump sources of optical parametric oscillations (OPO) for producing far infrared lasers, etc. A compact, efficient, and widely tunable MIR laser based on a transition metal-doped solid is an alternative to nonlinear mixing techniques such as OPOs. Recently, MIR lasers have been developed from divalent chromium doped binary or ternary compound II-VI semiconductors. The choice of host materials (ZnSe or ZnS, CdSe, and CdMnTe) for divalent chromium depends on melting points, crystal growth techniques, and spectroscopic behavior of chromium ions. Depending on the host material chromium ions show different spectroscopic features such as luminescence lifetime, quantum efficiency, and emission profile. The laser output energy of chromium-doped binary-compound hosts still remains tens of micro joules in a pulsed mode. The melting points of these hosts are relatively high compared to CdMnTe. In addition, Cd/sub 1-x/Mn/sub x/Te is a ternary-compound semiconductor which provides different ligand field environments for Cr ions depending on its chemical composition (0<x<0.77). This compositional tuning can result in new physical effects. This paper reports crystal growth, spectroscopy, and widely tunable MIR lasing of Cr/sup 2+/:Cd/sub 0.55/Mn/sub 0.45/Te.


Objective To investigate the mechanism of action of scalp cluster needling in the treatment of cerebral infarction by observing its effects on pathomorphology and apoptosis-related gene caspase-3 in rats with acute cerebral infarction. Methods Seventy-two female rats were randomly allocated to a sham-operation group(A),a model group(B) and a scalp cluster needling group(C),24 rats each.According to different times after cerebral infarction,each group was reassigned to 3 subgroups: 6 h,24 h and 3 d,8 rats in each subgroup.A animal model of acute cerebral infarction was made by a thread-occlusion method.The effects of scalp cluster needling on pathomorphology and expression of apoptosis-related gene caspase-3 in the brain tissue on the ischemic side at different times were investigated in the rats with acute cerebral infarction. Results In group B rats,complete necrosis appeared in the central zone of infarction,and the number of neurons decreased significantly and the brain tissue showed obvious edema and loose and light-stained neuropil in the peripheral zone,at 3 days after cerebral infarction.Compared with group B,glial cells proliferated and brain tissue edema abated in the peripheral zone of infarction in group C rats.At 24h to 3d after cerebral infarction,the expression of apoptosis-promoted gene caspase-3 reduced obviously in the cortex on the ischemic side in group C rats.There was a statistically significant difference compared with group B(P0.01). Conclusion Scalp cluster needling can improve neuronal function and promote neuroglial cell proliferation in the penumbra zone of cerebral infarction.It plays a certain role in cerebral protection by inhibiting the expression of apoptosis-promoted gene caspase-3.


In the first part of this paper a set of technical codes and recommendations of international associations are analyzed regarding rehabilitation and/or strengthening of structures, and in brief a survey of literature in this field is also included. Comments are given on recommendations of the International Association of Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE), American Concrete Institute (ACI), Euro-international Committee for Concrete (CEB) and Association for Prestressing (FIP), from 1998 integrated into International Association for Concrete (FIB), Society for Research of Materials and Structures (RILEM) and ECS -Parts 1-4 on repair (rehabilitation) and strengthening of structures damaged in earthquakes. A list of technical codes (regulations and standards) is given dealing with various materials referring to maintenance, effects and aggressiveness of environment as well as to protection of structures made of concrete, steel and timber in order to improve their durability. Also a review of Yugoslav regulations (Yu-codes) in this area is presented along with its comparison to international regulations. The paper gives a large bibliography from this field. In the second part six papers submitted for the XXII Congress are reviewed.


One of the master narratives in the presidential primaries thus far has been the ''street cred'' narrative. The candidates have sought to reassure voters that their particular brand of political experience matters most. ''Experience of Washington is not knowledge of the world,'' Barack Obama reminded voters in an April, 10 speech. Thus, if the Bush-Kerry contest of 2004 ultimately played out as a question of likability, the McCain-Clinton-Obama contest is taking shape as a question of legitimacy, of how to define a political education. Accordingly, the ongoing debate over the trope of ''experience'' has revolved around the candidates' particular service contributions, legislative accomplishments, foreign policy credentials, and level of exposure to runway sniper fire. I want to argue that the significance of this debate over experience goes beyond simple calculations of which candidate has suffered more or longer for the country. The debate, I suggest, is more broadly an expression of concern over the fate of political subjectivity today. All the questions and comments we hear in the news stream about the candidates' age and readiness and battle tested-ness manifest a broader cultural nervousness, I argue, over the democratic prospects of the political subject. This nervousness arises from a dilemma of exposure. In its relation to the state, today's political subject is suffering from both overexposure and underexposure; that is, from too much discipline and too little trust. This dilemma has produced a petrified and noxious political landscape that I argue is precisely what explains Barack Obama's unexpected success in the Democratic primaries. A glance at his virtuoso rhetorical style reveals Obama as the promise of a revitalized democratic subjectivity.


Super-resolution image reconstruction algorithms produce a high-resolution image from one or a set of low-resolution images of the desired scene. In this paper, we present a novel two-stage super-resolution (SR) algorithm combined sparse signal representation with the projection onto convex sets (POCS). In the first stage, inspired by recent results in sparse signal representation, we get a high-resolution intermediate image based on learning dictionary method for each low-resolution image of an input image sequence. In the second stage, by fusing these high-resolution intermediate images, a higher resolution image is generated based on POCS method. Experiment results show the effectiveness of our method and the improved performance over other SR algorithms.


A man is one of the biggest factors affecting the landscape. One of his activities is the management of the landscape - land use. The object of the study is a unique landscape type with rocky cliffs, forests, traditional pastures, meadows and agrarian micro-structures on the terraced slopes. In this article we evaluate and describe the types of landscape structure in relation to the hydric potential of the model area – the Pieniny National Park (PIENAP). PIENAP represents the smallest national park in Slovakia. In the agricultural land there have been observed gradual changes of abandoned historical plots to the forest land. The protection of the area is focused not only on the natural value of the national park, but also on the different components of the environment, that means added value to the landscape management in relation to the hydric potential. The area of the Pieniny National Park is located in the basin of the Dunajec river in seven cadasters: Cervený Klastor, Lesnica, Lechnica, Veľký Lipnik, Haligovce, Straňany and Kamienka.


Pore network modelling was utilized to simulate the oxygen transport behavior and water saturation within stochastically generated gas diffusion layers (GDLs) at various liquid water inlet conditions. The oxygen diffusion coefficient in dry conditions was found to linearly decrease as a function of the MPL intrusion depth into the GDL. In partially saturated conditions, increasing MPL intrusion minimized the fluctuations in both oxygen diffusion coefficient and breakthrough saturation over the range of sparse inlet conditions (7% inlet face coverage) to flooded inlet conditions (80% inlet face coverage). Breakthrough saturation was highly dependent on MPL intrusion depth with flooded liquid water inlet conditions compared to sparse liquid water inlet conditions. This study suggests that when the GDL is invaded by liquid water through cracks in the MPL, preferential MPL configurations exist for improving oxygen transport and minimizing substrate saturation given particular inlet conditions.


Atrial fibrillation is the most commonly sustained cardiac arrhythmia. Drugs currently approved by the US FDA for the treatment of this arrhythmia are imperfect owing to either side effects or limited efficacy. Drug development strategies have focused on two areas: the modification of existing agents--such as Class III drugs aimed at improving their safety and efficacy profile--and targeting newly postulated mechanisms of atrial fibrillation. In this article, we review new drugs currently in development and promising drug strategies for atrial fibrillation prevention and treatment.


The Compton profile (CP) of polycrystalline silver oxide is measured with the use of 59.54 keV γ-radiation from a 241 Am source. The experimental data are compared with the renormalized free atom (RFA) model calculation using Watson's + 1 well solution for the oxygen 2p state. Oxygen 2p 6 and hybridization of different 4d-5s configurations of Ag are considered in the theoretical calculations. The theoretical values from such calculations agree well with experimental results


Eight cultivars of spring wheat, Triticum aestivum L., were evaluated at seeding rates of 110, 270 and 430 seeds/m2 in a total of nine experiments spanning three locations, two dates of seeding and 2 yr. Grain yield exhibited a significant cultivar × experiment × linear response to seeding rate interaction. Grain yield of Pitic 62 showed a significant decrease with increased seeding rate in one experiment while giving the greatest increase in another. Over all experiments, the highest seeding rate gave the highest grain yield. For straw yield, Chester showed the greatest response to seed rate, Canuck the least. With the exception of Canuck, which showed a significant increase in harvest index with increased seeding rate, harvest index tended to be greater at the intermediate seeding rate.


Murraya koenigii is a leafy medicinal as well as a green leafy aromatic shrub that belongs to the family Rutaceae of angiosperms. The various pharmacological activities of the plant have been seen such as activity on Antidiabetic, cholesterol-reducing property, antimicrobial activity, antiulcer activity, Antioxidative property, anti-diarrhea activity, anti-cancer activity with much other phagocytic activity.


The present invention generates an error flag for error correction device, and relates to the method, the error correction error flag generation apparatus for, the data block by the frame sync error information frame sync error memory for storing; Data block by BIS error flag memory which stores a BIS error flag; And includes the frame sync error memory, error information stored in the frame sync and the BIS error flag of the BIS error flag stored in the reference memory, an error flag generation unit for generating an error flag indicating whether or not the error occurs in the ECC data. Error flag generation apparatus and method for error correction in accordance with the present invention, and has the improved performance provided an effect of implementation is easy and cost consumption is reduced for the implementation.


This issue commemorates the beginning of our eleventh year of publication. I express my gratitude to my companions who have found their ways intersected with Comparative and Continental Philosophy. I offer my deep thanks to Jason M. Wirth and Michael Schwartz, my esteemed co-founders of this journal, who are more than just collaborators; they are dear friends who have changed the countenance of philosophy through our many collaborations together and with others. And to Harriette Grissom, who has made the prose of our authors, and especially my own, flow more easily and elegantly, I am most grateful. From the beginning, sometimes working gratis, she has always been there when needed and has always been valued and most appreciated. As we evolved, Andrew K. Whitehead emerged as an indispensable organizational force in the operations of Comparative and Continental Philosophy, and he carries the torch of our projects along with his own, bringing light into philosophy's future. Later, Sarah Flavel joined our ranks bringing her valued skills to our operations as well. Our Advisory and Editorial Boards comprise some of the best and most interesting thinkers in Continental and Comparative Philosophy. The landscape of philosophy has changed only for the better because of them. The many anonymous reviewers are crucial to our success in producing a journal of the highest quality by way of its inclusivity and creativity – one that pushes the limits imposed on us by the old god of standardized philosophy, a god who casts a steady gaze that has excluded so many others, in spite of the differences among its own adherents. This old god, who remains relatively fixed in the region of the not-yet-gone, still reigns in dire determination, defying its own death until the very last; this god who proclaimed philosophy's only origin was in Greece – the isolated place of Greece without any influence coming from distant lands such as India. The old god's grip still has its hold on us. Despite philosophy's many distinct differences, this god proclaimed Western philosophy as the only true philosophy, and proposed that all those other distant places of profound insight and thoughtful analyses were, at best, nothing but settings for what it would call the "wisdom traditions." And these wisdom traditions were seen as devoid of any philosophical import, worthy only for religious considerations. Even Nietzsche, that great avatar and incarnate teacher of so many of us, avowed in his "New battles" in the Gay Science that...


FetA, the recently characterized gonococcal ferric enterobactin receptor, exhibited extremely rapid phase variation between high‐ and low‐expression levels. The frequency of phase variation was ≈ 1.3% in both directions in gonococcal strain FA1090. FetA expression in the 'high phase' was significantly greater than the level of expression in the 'low phase'. Expression levels correlated with the number of cytosine residues in a string of cytosines located close to the transcriptional start site for fetA between the putative −10 and −35 consensus sequences. Antibody production against FetA commonly occurs in infected patients, and we therefore hypothesize that phase variation reflects a balance between the advantages of being able to use a ferric siderophore as an iron source and evasion of the host immune response.


The relative photometric calibration errors in the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys (LS), which are used for DESI target selection, can leave imprints on the DESI target densities and bias the resulting cosmological measurements. We characterize the LS calibration systematics by comparing the LS stellar photometry with Gaia DR3 synthetic photometry. We find the stellar photometry of LS DR9 and Gaia has an rms difference of 4.7, 3.7, 4.4 mmag in DECam grz bands, respectively, when averaged over an angular scale of 27′ . There are distinct spatial patterns in the photometric offset resembling the Gaia scan patterns (most notably in the synthesized g-band) which indicate systematics in the Gaia spectrophotometry, as well as honeycomb patterns due to LS calibration systematics. We also find large and smoothly varying photometric offsets at decl. < −29.°25  in LS DR9 which are fixed in DR10.


For high rise buildings a combination of flat concrete slabs and composite columns is becoming increasingly common and leads to very economic structures. Where composite columns with small dimensions are used, often the resistance to punching shear is relevant for the slab thickness. In order to avoid localized thickening of the slab, especially in case of small dimensions of the columns, additional reinforcement systems with double headed studs often used. Another possibility is the use of structural steel shear heads integrated in the slab. The paper deals with the development of a new composite shear head system. Test results, Finite-Element studies and a simplified design model are presented for this new type of composite shear head system.


Summary: There is continued concern about protease inhibitors (PIs) causing increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in HIV‐infected patients. This ongoing observational study examines CHD and myocardial infarction (MI) hospitalization rates among HIV‐positive members of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program of Northern California, before and after PI use, and before and after any antiretroviral therapy (ART). Also, CHD and MI hospitalization rates among HIV‐infected members are compared with members not known to be HIV‐positive. With 4.1 years' median total follow‐up, age‐adjusted CHD and MI hospitalization rates were not significantly different before versus after PIs (6.2 vs. 6.7 events per 1000 person‐years); or before versus after ART (5.7 vs. 6.8). However, comparing HIV‐positive and ‐negative members, the CHD hospitalization rate was significantly higher (6.5 vs. 3.8, p = .003), and the difference in the MI rate also was higher (4.3 vs. 2.9, p = .07). Differences between HIV‐positive and ‐negative members in the CHD risk factors measured were mixed, and the overall clinical significance of these differences is uncertain. Our data suggest that PIs and other antiretroviral therapies do not yet increase CHD or MI hospitalizations among HIV‐infected individuals; however, longer follow‐up is needed. Other HIV‐related mechanisms may be at work, causing increased CHD and MI risk among all HIV‐infected persons.


The preparation of extracts is one of the ways of increasing hops yield, solvents ranging from water and non-polar substances to gases liquefied at supercritical pressure. This paper reports obtention of an extract using ethanol as solvent, in continuous solid-liquid extraction and percolation systems. The former uses 3 solid-liquid relationships and 2 solids feeding rates at a constant pulsing frequency. Use of this extract allowed an increase durability study, pelletized hops showed 38 % loss in alpha-acids, while the extract remained unaltered at the temperature values tested.


The study explored the nature of the relation between phonological working memory and sentence comprehension in conduction and agrammatic aphasia. We compared two types of processing required during sentence comprehension: syntactic-semantic and word-form(phonological) reactivation, in 12 individuals with input-buffer conduction-aphasia(repetition), 3 with output-buffer conduction aphasia(reproduction) and 7 with agrammatism. This was done via the analysis of comprehension of relative-clauses, sentence with lexical ambiguity, and rhyming judgment. The results of the 3 experiments indicated that phonological working memory limitation only hampers comprehension when phonological reactivation is required, and the distance between the initial word and its reactivation exceeds the WM limitation.


The article takes a timely subject of usingactivizing methods of teaching preschoolers.Writers are primarily looking up the questionin the theoretical aspect basing on theliterature of the subject. Carrying outresearch in selected kindergartens of the cityof Biala Podlaska (Poland) lets us answerthe question: what activizing methods ofteaching teachers are using in their work?


The objectives of this study were to characteristic productive and reproductive traits of native Shami cows in Syria and to study the effect of nongenetic factors on their productive and reproductive traits. In this study, 2654 records were collected on 605 cows from 1980 to 2010 of Deir al-Hajar station in Syria. Data were analysed using the General Liner Model (XLSTATE. 2019). The least squares means for age at first calving (AFC), calving interval (CI), total milk yield (TMY), daily milk yield (DMY), lactation period (LP) and dry period (DP) were 30.9±0.16 months, 454±0.16 days, 1503±0.16 kg, 9.1±0.16 kg, 163±0.16 days and 292±34 days, respectively. The results showed that year of birth had a significant (p<0.01) effect on age at first calving. While season of birth haven't significant effect on (AFC). Also, results showed that year of calving and parity had a significant (p<0.01) effect on all studied traits. Season of calving had significant (p<0.01) effect on all studied traits except for dry period. Improve management conditions and genetic improvement for Syrian native Shami cows could be improve reproductive performance that leads to increase milk yield and number of calvings of their cows.


The present paper aims to introduce our work in developing the quantitative chemical industry zone risk assessment model.As is known,with the ever-increasing rate of chemical works accidents,such as fire,explosion and toxic diffusion,it has become more and more urgent to enhance the research on how to analyze such disastrous accidents and prevent them more effectively,particularly,close attention to the study of the hazards taking place in industrial zones.As a matter of fact,most risk evaluation methods concerning the safety distance between the industrial zones and the human residential areas.Such research and evaluation items have been remarkably valuable due to their high subjective factors.On the contrary,industrial area quantitative risk assessment(IAQRA) is generally regarded as an effective method for evaluating the risks of chemical industry parks.It is just for the purpose of such research of the IAQRA,this paper has introduced the procedures of IAQRA and its evaluation criteria along with the calculation model of personal and social insurance risks.To increase the reliability of the evaluation results,we have done investigations over all the accidental scenarios concerning the evaluation model and accumulate large amounts of related data from the actual process of the realistic disasters.Since the evaluation involves huge amounts of calculation in the IAQRA model,we have accomplished the whole work via computer-aided processing.In addition,we have also adopted SAFETI software developed by DNV for the risk assessment.With the help of SAFETI software,both the standards of the personal insurance situation and that of the social insurance in Tanyi company area have been established with the isopleth of personal insurance and the F-N diagram of social insurance project perfected.The standard of the personal insurance and social insurance are actually closely related to the geological environment,the current economical development level,to the land development condition as well as the humanitarian environment.In our work,we have also introduced the reference standards of personal insurance and social insurance.Based on the referential standards,we have analyzed the insurance situation in the Tanyi company area and the rang of personal insurance displayed in a GIS system.According to the isopleth of personal insurance,we have worked out the maximum acceptable value 1×10-6 a-1 in the company area.Based on our research,we have developed the evaluation method of IAQRA in Tanyi company area,which may have great significance for strengthening the security and safety management of the chemical industry parks and urban land-use planning.


How do children learn to read Chinese? Three abilities identified as cognitive cores for reading in alphabetic orthographies are letter knowledge, phonemic awareness, and rapid automatized naming (RAN; Hulme & Snowling, 2013). What are the cognitive cores for Chinese? Identifying such cores is important for two reasons. First, if they can be identified, cores can be tested early to distinguish those children who might be at risk for reading difficulties, helping prevent and remediate dyslexia. Second, training of such core abilities might facilitate more optimal word recognition and word writing over time. In other words, identifying such core abilities can suggest more effective ways to teach early Chinese literacy skills. In this article, we argue that phonological sensitivity, RAN, and morphological awareness are cores for Chinese learning. In addition, visual-orthographic abilities may be associated causally with Chinese literacy skills over time.


Birth defects is the structural or functional abnormalities already existed before birth(which can be found in a lifetime years before or after birth),and its causes including genetic,environmental and both of joint action.Environmental factors have become threats to humanity even in the reproduction of the species.Nowadays,birth defects has become one of the hot topics.This review focuses on recent environmental factors on the impact of birth defects,and focus on the ultrasound and psychological factors associated with birth defects.


A drug combination of OSU-03012 (AR-12) and Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors (Viagra, Cialis) decreased virus infectivity via reduced viral receptor expression on the surface of target cells and prevented virus replication in infected cells via down-regulation of the protein chaperone GRP78. Data were obtained using Chikungunya, Influenza, Mumps, Measles, Rubella, RSV, CMV, Coxsackie virus and serotype 5 Adenovirus. AR-12/Viagra was also able to reduce expression of viral receptors for Ebola, Marburg, Hepatitis A / B / C and Lassa Fever viruses. The chaperone GRP78 / Dna K is conserved throughout evolution down to prokaryotes. AR-12 reduced expression of the proteins Dna K and Rec A in bacteria and induced cell death in pan-antibiotic resistant forms of E. coli and N. gonorrhoeae. AR-12 restored antibiotic sensitivity in resistant E. coli and N. gonorrhoeae. In brain cancer stem cells, AR12/Viagra killing was reduced by GRP78 over-expression but not by HSP90 over-expression. Collectively these findings indicate that Dna K and bacterial phosphodiesterases may represent novel antibiotic targets and that targeting of GRP78 / Dna K is of significant therapeutic value for both cancer therapy and for the treatment of multiple bacterial and viral infections. A provisional patent has been filed by Virginia Commonwealth University on this technology, and Dr. Dent will donate any monies he receives from this discovery to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children, London, England.


In the six decades since T. S. Eliot observed of Ben Jonson's court masques that the artistry of spectacle was no longer fully appreciated, we have learned a good deal about the complexity of a genre once easy to dismiss as excessive flattery of princes who ought to have been spending time on state affairs instead of spending on entertainment money they did not have. We better understand, for example, Jonson's skillful handling of such formal restrictions as a king who stayed a spectator, and the need to include dancing. We better understand the contributions to the masque of the scenic designer Inigo Jones. And we have had traced for us the ways the structure and content of Jonson's masques generally, and in some cases specifically, reflect the political concerns of the day.' That the performance of a masque was a state occasion of some importance is attested to by the frequent disputes between ambassadors to James's court over precedence at those expensive evenings. Masques were meant to demonstrate the ruler's generosity and authority, to show off the magnificence of "that great name Britannia, this blessed isle" (Blackness 216).2 It is worth remembering, however, that James is praised in Jonson's masques for his virtue as well as for his power, and that to Jonson the context of a masque was moral as well as political. Looking back at over twenty years of writing for the court in the introductory remarks to his first Caroline masque, Jonson granted primary importance to the great claim of his age about the moral seriousness of literature, acknowledging the importance of royalty only in a parenthesis:


chapter headings are "Original Boeing Fighters", "The Famous Fighter Family" (dealing with the P-12 and F4B series), "The B-17 Flying Fortress", "Jet Bombers", "Jet Transports." There are no less than seven appendices, dealing variously with projects which did not see production, US and foreign civil registrations, serial numbers of Boeing aircraft in the US Army, Navy and Air Force and British Commonwealth Air Forces. There are also introductory chapters on designations and markings, which makes life for the reader more bearable, since American service and manufacturing designations can be confusing. It is a pity that the photographs of the surviving F4B-4 and P-12E shown on pages 169 and 165 were taken when these two aircraft were still in inaccurate colour schemes, and that this fact was not mentioned. Otherwise the photographs are excellent. I was not impressed by the index, which seems to be a fault in some Putnam books. This, once more, is an index of aircraft only and arranged alphabetically by manufacturer, with the exception that Boeing types are included by their type design-nation. The result is that, for example, after the Douglas types listed we get Enola Gay, F 9 , . . . F-13, Fairchild types, then FB-1, FB-2, etc. I found it rather confusing. This book is a must for those interested in aviation history. The serious student will find it fascinating and an invaluable reference book; the less serious student will find it equally absorbing and very readable.—E. J. MacADAM.


The cytogenetic interactions of ionic (diatrizoate, ioxaglate) and nonionic (iohexol) contrast media (CM) with antineoplastic drugs cyclophosphamide (CPA) and carmustine (CARM) were evaluated in a rat bone marrow cell model. Male Wistar rats were anesthetized with a 6% chloral hydrate solution and divided into five groups of five rats each. In protocol 1, there groups of rats received diatrizoate, ioxaglate, and iohexol (2.5 mL/kg) intravenously within 30 seconds. The remaining two groups were similarly injected with CPA and CARM (10mg/kg). Control animals were injected with nonpyrogenic streile water or saline solution. After 12 and 24 hours, that animals were killed with an overdose of ehloral hydrate, and bone marrow smears were prepared for determining chromosomal damage in polychromatic erytrocytes (PCEs) by a micronucleus test. In protocol 2, CPA and CARM were injected, and 15 minutes later, bolus injections of diatrizoate, ioxaglate and iohexol were given through the same route. Both ionic and nonionic CM induced significant numbers of micronuclei in PCEs (P < .05). CPA caused a severe cytogenetic effect, whereas CARM did not produce a significant number of mcronuclei in PCEs compared with control. In protocol 2 experiments, antagonism with CPA and synergism with CARM was demonstrable. Clinical limplication of the cytogenetic intractions between CM and antineoplastic drugs remains to be established.


Tank mixtures of difenzoquat and propanil or propanil/MCPA were evaluated for the control of wild oats (Avena factua L.) and green foxtail (Setaria viridis (L.) Beauv.) in a single spray operation. Both propanil and propanil/MCPA reduced the efficacy of difenzoquat on wild oats, but the efficacy of propanil or propanil/MCPA on green foxtail was not adversely affected. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) tolerance to the tank mixture was lower than to either of the components of the mixture. Uptake of 14C-difenzoquat by wild oats was reduced markedly in the presense of propanil and propanil/MCPA. If the herbicides were applied separately, the reduction in uptake depended on the extent of overlap of droplets of the two spray preparations on the leaf surface. There was no evidence of a chemical change in difenzoquat in the tank mixes, but the observed separation of components of the mixture soon after mixing may be partly responsible for the reduced uptake. We conclude that the marked inhibition of difenzoquat uptak...


Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) is frequently associated with an increased fat mass and an altered fat distribution. The adipocyte derived hormone, leptin has been shown to interact with insulin at various levels and may be intimately involved in this process. However, only limited data concerning the interaction of insulin, glucose tolerance and leptin are available and no data exist on the potential influence of bound vs. free circulating leptin. We therefore studied free and bound leptin in 136 patients (77 males, 59 females) with IGT, in relation to plasma glucose, insulin, proinsulin and C-peptide levels as well as serum free and bound leptin concentrations during an oral glucose tolerance test (oGTT). The expected positive relation of free serum leptin levels with body mass index (BMI) was found. Free leptin concentrations were higher in women than in men. Analysis in tertiles revealed a significant relation between free leptin (16-58, 60-160, and 169-932 pmol/l) and mean fasting insulin levels (65, 93, and 100 pmol/l). This relationship remained significant in a multiple regression analysis with BMI and gender as covariates. Similar independent relationships to leptin serum levels were observed for HbA1c and plasma C peptide levels and the proinsulin/insulin ratio but not for plasma glucose and proinsulin levels. These data suggest a fine tuning of leptin by small changes in circulating insulin levels observed in impaired glucose tolerance.


This study investigates whether organisational innovation has positive impacts on small and medium enterprises, using three waves of the South Korean innovation survey. While correcting for endogeneity, we find that the probability of achieving a process or product innovation conditional on organisational innovation increases in a linear fashion from small to large firms. Moreover, the effects of organisational innovation are more pronounced for process innovation relative to product innovation. We show that R&D performers who implement an organisational innovation have a greater probability of introducing a new product or process. We also show that larger R&D performing firms benefit more from organisational innovation than smaller firms. Finally, we find evidence that high-tech industries benefit more from organisational innovation, in accordance with one of our hypotheses.


The high-speed mash seam welding experiments were conducted on cold rolled SPCCsheet steel with thickness ranges of 0. 5 to 1. 5mm, followed by simulated continuous annealingtreatment on some of the samples. The microstructure and splash morphology was investigated.The tensile strength at room and elevated temperature was tested. The effect of splash and continuos treatment on the joint strength was discussed. The results show that the strength of theas-welded joint is greatly reduced when there is crack resulted from splash or incomplete fusion,in the weld. Joint strength is higher than base metal in recrystallized state, and lower than basemetal in non-recrystallized state.


Axisymmetric solitonic states (chiral skyrmions) were first predicted theoretically more than two decades ago. However, until recently they have been observed in a form of skyrmionic condensates (hexagonal lattices and other mesophases). In this paper we report experimental and theoretical investigations of isolated chiral skyrmions discovered in PdFe/Ir(111) bilayers two years ago by Romming et al (2013 Science 341 636). The results of spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy analyzed within the continuum and discrete models provide a consistent description of isolated skyrmions in thin layers. The existence region of chiral skyrmions is restricted by strip-out instabilities at low fields and a collapse at high fields. We demonstrate that the same equations describe axisymmetric localized states in all condensed matter systems with broken mirror symmetry, and thus our findings establish basic properties of isolated skyrmions common for chiral liquid crystals, different classes of noncentrosymmetric magnets, ferroelectrics, and multiferroics.


The present invention relates to the use of a combination of polyalkoxylated polyamine and polyacrylate in washing or cleaning agents for improving the washing or cleaning performance on bleachable stains and in relation in relation to protein-containing stains.


This thesis is concerned with the study of optimal quantization and its applications. We deal with theoretical, algorithmic and numerical aspects. It is composed of five chapters. In the first section, we study the link between the stratification-based variance reduction and optimal quantization. In the case where the considered random variable is a Gaussian process, a simulation scheme with a linear cost is proposed for the conditional distribution of the process in a stratum. The second chapter is devoted to the numerical approximation of the Karhunen-Loeve eigensystem of a Gaussian process with the so-called Nystrom method. In the third section, we propose a new approach for the quantization of the solutions of SDE, whose convergence is investigated. These results lead to a new cubature scheme for the solutions of stochastic differential equations, which is developed in the fourth chapter, and which is tested with option pricing problems. In the last chapter, we present a new tree-based fast nearest neighbor search algorithm, based on the quantization of the empirical distribution of the considered data set.


VI design is an important component in CI,so in the teaching teachers should make students know CI and vision recognition that includes the basic element system and applicable element system.


Summary The curative action of corn oil in healing the "spectacled eye" condition has been demonstrated. The identity of the factor in liver which prevents these symptoms with the other members of the vitamin B complex has been discussed. Direct and indirect evidence is offered that, besides the crystalline vitamins contained in the ration, the factor concerned is not identical with pantothenic acid, factor W and the factor preventing nutritional achromotrichia. A possible relationship of this factor to the so-called "accessory factor" preventing acrodynia and of this condition to the "type III" dermatitis of György and Eckardt is pointed out. Further, the relation of this condition to the deficiency of the essential fatty acids is discussed.


different geographical locations. Chapter 9 (222–46) considers the Syrian Salafi armed group Aḥrār al-Shām. Here, Jérôme Drevon describes the group's emergence, internal structure and role in the Syrian conflict. He shows how the armed group transformed itself and became politicized by putting forward realistic political objectives and engaging with other opposition groups and foreign states to reach the objectives. In Chapter 10 (247–71), Belal Shobaki examines the emergence of Salafi jihadism in Palestine. He argues that it is the result of the widening gap between Hamas's original discourse and its new political discourse after taking part in the political process. Becoming aware of the inconsistencies, some members joined the Salafi-jihadi camp, which they find consistent with their religious and intellectual upbringing. The decline of the Muslim Brotherhood and some other factors also contributed to the emergence of Salafi daʿwa in Palestine. For the international community, there is no difference between the two, but adopting jurisprudence in their interpretation of religious texts makes Hamas different from the Salafi-jihadists, who read these texts literally. Again, for Hamas the only enemy is Israel, but for the Salafi-jihadists the enemy is everyone who disagrees with them. In the concluding chapter (272–86), ItzchakWeismann tries to pull together the issues discussed in the previous chapters and place them within the larger context. He deduces that the opening up of Saudi Arabia is the most influential factor in the evolution of Salafism. In general, the book brings the theoretical and practical diversification within the Salafi camp to the reader's attention. It seems that the history of Salafism, particularly jihadi Salafism, is being re-written, and the reader must be carefully aware about the apologetic and propagandist outputs.


In this study, we examine the applicability of prior year reserve size and rank in determining the level of foreign currency reserves held by central banks. We test for the size (Gibrat's Law) and rank (Zipf's Law) using annual total reserve data, in US$, excluding gold, for 116 countries for the period of 2000 through 2014. We find that Gibrat's Law of Proportionate Effect does not hold in the accumulation of foreign currency reserves, implying that the size of the reserve in the prior period is not independent of the growth rate. With regard to Zipf's Law, we find that the law holds, as there is an inverse relationship between the size of reserves and subsequently ranked countries, from the advanced and developing country views. We further test the predictive capabilities of Zipf's Law and other IMF adequacy measures to forecast foreign currency reserves holdings for the top ranked 10 countries, but find them weak. We conclude that the no single benchmark is sufficient to forecast reserves holdings consistently because the determinants of the demand for foreign currency reserves are dynamic and includes a myriad of quantifiable and unquantifiable factors, which no single measure can capture.


An electronic circuit that tracks the phase of a sinusoidal signal and then 'remembers' the phase for a short time after the signal has collapsed to zero, is described. A simple tuned circuit will accomplish the desired result at one frequency ; the self-tuning circuit described here will operate properly over a range of frequencies.


The success of poxviruses as pathogens depends upon their antagonism of host responses by multiple immunomodulatory proteins. The largest of these expressed by ectromelia virus (the agent of mousepox) is C15, one member of a well-conserved poxviral family previously shown to inhibit T cell activation. Here, we demonstrate by quantitative immunofluorescence imaging that C15 also limits contact between natural killer (NK) cells and infected cells in vivo. This corresponds to an inhibition in the number of total and degranulating NK cells, ex vivo and in vitro, with no detectable impact on NK cell cytokine production nor the transcription of factors related to NK cell recruitment or activation. Thus, in addition to its previously identified capacity to antagonize CD4 T cell activation, C15 inhibits NK cell cytolytic function, which results in increased viral replication and dissemination in vivo. This work builds on a body of literature demonstrating the importance of early restriction of virus within the draining lymph node. summary Poxvirus B22 family proteins are important virulence factors known to inhibit T cell functions. Peauroi et al. identify a novel function of the ectromelia virus homolog, C15, which inhibits NK cell-target contact and cytolytic function to facilitate early viral spread. (Provide a short, ∼40-word summary statement for the online JEM table of contents and alerts. This summary should describe the context and significance of the findings for a general readership; it should be written in the present tense and refer to the work in the third person.)


The methods of preparing nanofluids are introduced.The mechanism of heat transfer enhancement on nanofluids is discussed.According to the research trend of our laboratory,the method of adding nanoparticles into wax emulsion to enhance its heat transfer property is put forward for the first time,and nano-aluminium/wax emulsion is prepared.The performance of the suspension is analyzed,the results show that thermal conductivity enhancements of up to 29.4% is observed at the 0.1wt% suspension,which enhance its heat transfer rates greatly.Compared with water as heat storage and transfer media,the novel phase change emulsion possesses higher heat storage density and better heat transfer performance.Finally,the present problems of nanofluids research are pointed out,and the future application of nanofluids is prospected.


The paper attempts at comparing two well known models, CIR model and Vasiceck model, for credit spreads, in literature. The innovation consists in comparing them after applying to both a kalman filter, and using them as benchmark to imply spreads from observed defaultable bond prices. Both models are shortly described and implemented in order to estimate credit spreads related to a common dataset. The aim of the experiment is to define and compare the predicting power of the models and show possible applications for risk management purposes. Results show that both models achieve good performance in prediction of credit spreads line and the results are easy to directly be applied to risk management purposes. Default predictions of financial positions benefit from the application of the kalman filter, with a slight predominance of Vasiceck model over the CIR model.


Pottery production within Islamic lands including Iran in Samanid era went through profound changes. At this time, slip painted pottery is among the most beautiful and, at the same time, mysterious pottery in Islamic eras having various ornamental patterns. At museums and diverse collections of the world, there exist so many samples of this pottery kind, some of them having certificate and some have not been studied yet. At Treasury of Tehrn's Bonyad Museum, a sample of slip painted Buff ware by a motif in the form of a man holding a cup is preserved that to date no information around it has been published. In this study, this object will be introduced. The study was conducted through a corresponding – descriptive method and its date collection was done by field and attributive method within which corresponding the object under study with certificated samples in other collections was done with the aim of introducing and answering to these two questions where and when the probable construction site and date of this pottery is. Finally, this result was achieved that this sample is among Nishapur's productions and relating to the third and fourth centuries (LY).


The technique of micro-cut tapping with gas-stimulation was first carried out in clone PR107 by Dongfeng Branch from 2007.Labor intensity was reduced due to the advantages of shorter cut,simplicity of operation and rapidness of tapping using the technique.The technique was an effective method to increase productivity,obtaining the output of the normal tapping method,through the gaseous stimulation to compensate the shortened cut.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework to investigate how the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) excellence model enablers influence the four types (product, process, organizational and marketing) of innovation performance of a manufacturing firm.

Design/methodology/approach
The study uses survey data from a sample of 580 manufacturing firms in Greece and employs structural equation modeling to test the developed hypotheses.

Findings
The results reveal that enablers of the EFQM model are either directly or indirectly associated with the four types of innovation. Furthermore, the findings show that it is essential for a firm to manage all the facilitating enablers included in the EFQM model, since they cannot boost innovation when implemented in isolation.

Research limitations/implications
The sample is limited to one country (Greece). In addition, researchers have to assess the same relationships considering the effect of external factors such as environmental uncertainty. The potential consequences of enablers on innovation performance may be mediated by customer or people results.

Practical implications
The empirical findings of the present study help managers to develop the appropriate quality strategies and allocate the respective resources according to the desired type of innovation.

Originality/value
Based on the multi-dimensional structure of quality, this empirical study determines the contribution of EFQM model enablers to specific innovation performance dimensions of manufacturing companies.


ABS>The resonant emission and absorption of gamma rays are discussed in relation to the Mossbauer effect. Applications in chemistry are discussed, andd one example given is confirmation of the polymer-like structure of SnF/sub 4/. Other applications implied include the use of the Doppler shift of the gamma ray as a sensitive noncontact motion-indicator and a technique of mineral assay. (R.E.U.)


Since the 1980s, growing globalisation and economic restructuring coupled with expansion of tertiary education contributed to tremendous change in the labour market entry process in Europe. Most previous studies have been quantitative, concentrated on the supply aspect and analysed the role of education as the explanatory variable of youth labour market outcome equations. By contrast, the demand aspect has gained less attention. In this paper, using Estonia as a case study in both perspectives – employers' practices and graduates' experiences – are combined to answer the question: how employers use information provided by tertiary education credentials in the recruitment process. Semi-structured interviews with the 15 biggest employers and focus groups consisting of 63 recent graduates comprise the base data of our study. The results reveal that it is useful to examine the mechanisms why education affects recruitment processes separately among service providers and goods producers as well as in different stages of recruitment (pre-selection, getting a job offer). In all sectors, the educational credentials were used in the pre-selection process as a screening device. However, in a job offer, service providers emphasised the role of credentials as signals of trainability while for goods producers credentials informed employers about their job-specific skills.


Capsules, for example, the method according to the present invention for producing a capsule for delivering a drug, using two films of a water-soluble polymer material (18). The process according to the invention, to deform the the two films (18) to form a multiplicity of recesses, and drug or the like filled in the recess, two adjacent rotary die having a recess (16) and (14, 15) use deforms the film (18) in a recess (16). Rotary die (14, 15) functions as an electrode for fusing together by dielectric welding film (18) to form a filled capsule (30). By at least one rotating die coated with an electrical insulator (21) (14), or from the rotational web dies (14, 15), by transferring to the second pair of dies for separating the capsule to separate capsule (30) from the web.


This work details the chemical characterization of four NiMo/Al2O3 hydroprocessing generation catalysts (1979-1986, 1993-1998, 2003-2008 and 2008-2011) employed to perform hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of diesel fractions in the same hydrotreater of a Brazilian refinery. The basic differences are the quality of the feedstocks and the HDS experimental conditions. Samples were characterized by X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, C CP-MAS NMR, elemental analysis, loss of volatiles, specific surface area and average pore volume. The amount and variety of foreign elements deposited on the catalyst increased in the most recent generations due to the higher amounts of impurities in the processed feedstocks. Coke became more aromatic and loss of textural properties was more prominent in these samples as expected from the more drastic HDS conditions and the quality of the crude diesel. On the other hand, loss of volatiles was lower due to the low carbon content, partial oxidation of sulfur to sulfate species and oxidation of some elements deposited on the catalyst. Coke tended to ignite as it became more aromatic. For this reason, leaching of decoked samples from the most recent generations by sulfuric acid presented very low yields due to the formation of refractory oxides that are insoluble in the leachant.


[1] If apparent polar wander paths (APWP) cross, the question arises how to prove the older magnetization to be primary and not just a younger overprint. This problem is typically met in areas affected by percolating mineralizing fluids and/or heating due to a younger regional igneous activity. The Permian magnetic overprint is the classical example. Earlier paleomagnetic studies over the Lowermost Cambrian Nekso Sandstone Fm (NSF) of Bornholm (Denmark) yielded a characteristic remanent magnetization (ChRM) similar to the Permian directions for Baltica. Since a possible reason could be a chemical overprint, we checked whether this phenomenon did take place on a regional scale. Some samples therefore were collected from other Lower Cambrian clastics of Bornholm and Southern Scandinavia. In result we show that the well-grouped and stable ChRM of the NSF contrasts with fairly chaotic, soft, and badly preserved magnetizations of the Balka, Hardeberga, Mickwitzia, and Lingulid sandstones of Bornholm and Southern Sweden, thus not indicating widespread paleomagnetic overprint. We demonstrate that the ChRM of the NSF is most probably of syndepositional/early diagenetic origin and its similarity to the Permian direction for Baltica is only casual. We propose a normal polarity and a near-equatorial position on the Southern Hemisphere for Baltica in the early Cambrian time, as well as a more complicated trend of the APWP for this paleocontinent than envisaged by other authors. Paleomagnetic results from the Arenigian limestones of the Laesaa Formation (Bornholm) that yield excellently defined but most probably only secondary components are also presented.


The role of faculty colleagues in the evaluation of col lege teaching has yet to be defined adequately: national studies of evaluative information on teaching (3, 23,37) have shown trends of diminishing faculty involve ment. The percentage of colleges and universities using col league opinions, classroom visits, examination of course syllabi, and student achievement measures has decreased over the years. On the other hand, there has been a drama tic increase in the use of student ratings. Although in the


Biomimetic total synthesis of citromycetin (1a) is described. Regioselective cyclization of the enetrione (5), chosen as a common intermediate for the syntheses of citromycetin (1a) and fulvic acid (2a), with conc. HCI–AcOH (1:30) gave the chioromethylpyrone (7b). Oxidation, followed by demethylation of the substituents of the pyranobenzopyranone obtained by debenzylation and cyclization of the reactive intermediate (5), yielded citromycetin (1a).


Let k := Q( √−D ) be an imaginary quadratic number field and Zk be the corresponding ring of integers. We consider the family of relative Thue equations Ft(x, y) = x 3 − (t− 1)xy − (t + 2)xy − y = ` with t, ` ∈ Zk, t / ∈ Z and |`| ≤ |2t + 1|. Let k(α) be the cubic extension of k generated by a root α of the polynomial ft(x) = Ft(x, 1), and let Zk(α) be its ring of integers. A pair (x, y) with x, y ∈ Zk is a solution of the Thue equation if and only if the element γ = x − αy ∈ Zk(α) has a norm satisfying |Nk(α)/k(γ)| ≤ |2t + 1|. We determine all elements of Zk(α) having norms less than or equal to |2t+1|. Further we solve the above Thue equation for all t ∈ Zk, t / ∈ Z with <t = − 12 and all |`| ≤ |2t + 1|.


Given are the results of assessment of epidemiological and epizootiological situation on brucellosis in the Russian Federation in 2015. It is characterized as challenging. Compared to 2014 (368 cases, intensive index - 0.26), recorded is 5.1 % increase in the number of people infected with brucellosis (393 cases, intensive index - 0.27). The highest incidence rates among the population are registered in the North-Caucasian, Southern and Siberian Federal Districts, where the main source of infection is cattle and small ruminants. Revealed is a significant rise in brucellosis incidence in the Stavropol region too. External epidemiological risks, associated with the intensification of cooperation in the supply of livestock products from the Mediterranean countries, Middle East, and South America, which are endemic as regards cattle brucellosis, will remain pressing. Given the sustained adverse epidemiological and epizootic situation, taking into account the internal and external risks of infection with brucellosis, brucellosis incidence among the population is predicted to be within the range of 390-420 cases.


We consider a network consisting of a single source and n receiver nodes that are grouped into m equal size communities, i.e., clusters, where each cluster includes k nodes and is served by a dedicated cluster head. The source node keeps versions of an observed process and updates each cluster through the associated cluster head. Nodes within each cluster are connected to each other according to a given network topology. Based on this topology, each node relays its current update to its neighboring nodes by local gossiping. We use the version age metric to quantify information timeliness at the receiver nodes. We consider disconnected, ring, and fully connected network topologies for each cluster. For each of these network topologies, we characterize the average version age at each node and find the version age scaling as a function of the network size n. Our results indicate that per node version age scalings of $O(\sqrt n ),O\left({{n^{\frac{1}{3}}}}\right)$, and O(log n) are achievable in disconnected, ring, and fully connected cluster models, respectively. Finally, through numerical evaluations, we determine the version age-optimum (m, k) pairs as a function of the source, cluster head, and node update rates.


This study aimed to investigate the effects of a short-term (36h) fasting period combined with an acute bout of exercise on markers of immune function and inflammation in healthy human subjects. Fourteen moderately trained male subjects (aged 19-39 years) participated in a 36 hrs Fasting-Trial (FA-T) followed by an acute bout of moderate exercise (60% VO2max). After one week, the same subjects, as their own control, participated in a Non-Fasting-Trial (NFA-T), in which they performed an exercise trial of the same duration and intensity. Blood samples were taken before, immediately and one hour after each exercise bout and analyzed for several immunological and metabolic markers. At baseline, fasting subjects showed lower levels of T cell apoptosis, lymphocyte proliferative responses, IL-6, MCP-1, insulin, and leptin (P<0.05) as well as higher levels of neutrophils oxidative burst and TBARS than those in the NFA-T (P<0.05). Following the exercise protocol, fasted subjects revealed higher T cell apoptosis, neutrophils oxidative burst, TBARS, TNF-α, and MCP-1 levels as well as lower levels of lymphocyte proliferative response, IL-6, insulin, and leptin than those in the NFA-T (P<0.05). Short-term fasting aggravates perturbations in markers of immune function and inflammation were induced by an acute moderate-intensity exercise protocol.


The infrared decoy countermeasure technology develops along with the infrared imaging guidance technology. The release of infrared decoys can block the object and destroy the integrity of the object features. The traditional statistical approach based on feature fusion matching for pattern recognition is not effective in handling this problem. To improve the characterization ability of the invariant detail features in the infrared object domain and improve the classification accuracy of the probability identification model, this article proposes an inference recognition model that combines the convolutional features and the Bayesian network. The proposed model exploits the convolutional neural network to extract the detailed feature information of the object in the infrared image. Then, it uses the 2DPCANet screening mechanism to reduce the dimensionality and select more obvious detailed information in the candidate region. Based on the combination of human prior knowledge and posterior data, an infrared object recognition probability model is established through the application of the Bayesian network. The performance of the proposed algorithm is tested on the complex air combat simulation image dataset. The experimental results indicate that the recognition rate of the proposed anti-interference recognition algorithm reaches 94.17%.


The calculating methods of geochemical anomaly thresholds are very important in mineral exploration and resource prediction.As traditional threshold methods have theoretic limitation,a multiple content-frequency fractal algorithm is put forward in the paper based on the research of geochemical data distributions.The testing results show that the new algorithm contrasting with traditional methods has a wider applicability because of its sophisticated theoretic foundation


Moving towards developed and high income nation by 2020, the pace of industrialisation in Malaysia has been increasing rapidly. On the other side of the spectrum, industrialisation process that is not considering the sustainable development would significantly increase the risk to safety, health and environment. Therefore, Cleaner Production (CP) provides an assessment of production process that aim to reduce the impact to safety, health and environment as well as increase the productivity of the company. This paper aims to investigate the carbon dioxides emission from the chicken slaughtering industry by focusing into five entities namely fuel consumption, electricity consumption, water consumption, wastewater generation and solid waste generation. The methodology used to achieve the objective are direct observation, reviewing relevant documents and on site measurement. It is found that among the five entities, the highest contribution of carbon dioxide emission is from the electricity consumption. CP options were suggested to the company to reduce the electricity consumption and subjected to the feasibility study in the future.


ABSTRACT Nanostructured precursors of yttria-alumina garnet powders have been synthesized using the glycine–nitrate technique. It was shown that the main characteristics of the powders are determined by the glycine/nitrate (G/N) molar ratio in the initial solution and the temperature of the heat treatment of the precursors. The maximum specific surface area of the powders was obtained for the G/N ratio of 0.4. Subsequently, the powders were subjected to mechanical treatment and sintering. The effects of the treatment conditions and the amount of the sintering additive (Sc2O3) on the properties of the resulting ceramics were studied using erbium-yttrium garnet (Er1,5Y1,5Al5O12) as an example. Ceramics with a transparency of approximately 70% were obtained at 1790°С.


This paper discusses the importance of physical spaces, as a source of context, with relation to electronic resources. The presented arguments are based on a geo-located mobile application (due for launch in November 2016) developed for the Letters of 1916 project that allows users to see letters from the collection near them. The application is available for the Android platform and allows users to read letters from the Letters of 1916 based on the device's geolocation providing a different way to engage with the resource. While the abstract considers a wider perspective, the presented paper will focus more on the implementation of the application and the means of access it provides.


Judith A. Sylva is a professor with the College of Education at California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, California. How does one determine what constitutes the natural environment as a context for early intervention service delivery for students living in culturally diverse families and communities? This question was posed by an Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) teacher in a large culturally and socio-economically diverse urban school district. The question is central to the gap between research and practice in early intervention. In the United States, federal legislation provides the framework and guidelines under which all children between birth and age 22 with disabilities are provided equal access to educational opportunities in public schools. This legislation is known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Part C of IDEA addresses the unique needs of children between birth and age 3 and their families. Part C is unique because it not only provides for individualized supports and services for the child, but it recognizes the importance of the family as the primary context in which to promote optimal child development. When Congress revised and amended Part C of IDEA in 1997 (P.L. 105-17), it mandated that service delivery to young children between birth and age 3 be carried out in natural environments (Walsh, Rous, & Lutzer, 2000). The IDEA regulations defi ne natural environments as "settings that are natural or normal for the child's age peers who have no disabilities" (34 CFR Part 303.18). This statement is qualified by the stipulation that "to the maximum extent appropriate, early intervention services are provided in natural environments" (34 CFR Part 303.167(c)). This stipulation and defi nition of natural environments has led to continued discussion about what constitutes natural environments with respect to the diversity that characterizes the families and young children who are eligible to receive early intervention services. Family-centered philosophy and practice has been a central component of early intervention for infants and toddlers that is related to natural environment service provision. Family-centered practices have been widely accepted in the provision of early intervention services since the 1960s (Bruder, 2000). Research indicates that families are essential to the success of early intervention services (Baily et al., 1998; Guralnick, 1998; Roberts, Innocente, & Goetze, 1999). However, the family is strongly infl uenced by culture as it pervades all aspects of the family structure and it infl uences how a family defi nes itself. Therefore, understanding cultural infl uences in relation to the family system increases the likelihood that interventions will be appropriate (Wayman & Lynch, 1991). This article will explore the literature related to natural environments, family-centered practices, and the infl uence of cultural diversity as it relates to service provision in early intervention in an attempt to link the research to practices that promote appropriate and effective early intervention services.