This study examines how the intersect of policy and practice, as articulated by educational leadership, created a school culture that fostered positive educational outcomes for at-risk, poor children in two Philadelphia public elementary schools. The school had reached and sustained an academic achievement standard that defied predicted levels for similar atrisk students. The study hypothesized that a philosophically coherent school community shared by pivotal stakeholders in the child's caregiving system would provide the necessary context for successful child outcomes. Between September 2000 and May 2001, researchers observed in classrooms and interviewed teachers and administrators. Results indicate that the schools had different missions and goals, and that they differed in how school community was structured and sustained by their principals and other in-school academic leaders and in related academic and social value orientations. The purposeful leadership of these two schools' principals contributed to the educational policies and practices that maximized the educational performance outcomes of at-risk students. Both schools provided extensive daily instruction in language arts mathematics, and reading. At both schools, teachers had extensive autonomy, and teacher-student interactions addressed feedback to students about academic performance, student discipline, and praise. Neither school displayed many instances of integrated approaches to racial identity development and cultural diversity within ongoing classroom instruction. (Contains 26 references.) (SM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.


This paper introduces a geometric method for proving ergodicity of degenerate noise driven stochastic processes. The driving noise is assumed to be an arbitrary Levy process with non-degenerate diffusion component (but that may be applied to a single degree of freedom of the system). The geometric conditions are the approximate controllability of the process the fact that there exists a point in the phase space where the interior of the image of a point via a secondarily randomized version of the driving noise is non void. The paper applies the method to prove ergodicity of a sliding disk governed by Langevin-type equations (a simple stochastic rigid body system). The paper shows that a key feature of this Langevin process is that even though the diffusion and drift matrices associated to the momentums are degenerate, the system is still at uniform temperature.


Abstract The conformations of the following ten DNA oligomers in solution have been studied by a Raman spectroscopy; d(ATAT)2, d(TATA)2, d(AATT)2, d(TTAA)2, d(TTATATAA)2, d(AATTAATTAATT)2 (dodecamer 1), d(CGCGATATCGCG)2, d(CGCGTATACGCG)2, d(CGCGAATTCGCG)2, and d(CGCGTTAACGCG)2 (dodecamer 2–5). Each oligomer takes on the B form under low salt conditions, although some differences within a B form family are detected. Among four tetramers, only d(ATAT)2 gives an indication of a salt-induced conformational change under high salt conditions. D(TTATATAA)2 which contains the d(ATAT)2 sequence at the center, however, does not give an indication of a salt-induced conformational change, revealing that the inherent character of the d(ATAT)2 sequence is suppressed by the addition of d(AA):d(TT) sequences at both ends. It is in the same context that the conformation of dodecamer 1 is identical to that of poly(dA):poly(dT) but that it is different from that of poly(dA-dT):poly(dA-dT), indicating that the conformation o...


The present invention includes a laser resonator according to chyeopeu pulse amplifier as in the system according to the alignment of the diffraction grating based on a pulse extender, a grating-based pulse expander applied to chyeopeu pulse amplification system, emitting the pulse extender is a laser beam, a first diffraction grating, the second diffraction grating, comprising: a spherical mirror and a right-angle mirror, and a constant a, the spherical center of the spherical mirror, a mirror with the center of rotation θ By rotation and, in the event the center of the spherical mirror to said second diffraction grating and the mirror perpendicular to the rotational center 2θ Rotate as characterized by implementing the height difference between the I / O pulse. The present invention thus constructed can eliminate adverse influences of the aberration and the distribution of the lens, there is an effect that can solve the spatial limitations, it can be freely adjusted to the size of the offset between the entry / exit pulse between the optical component.


Based on the directions of relative movements of the hanging wall and footwall of a fault, 12 types of fault have been distinguished. The fault lines and patterns thereupon on the map face are defined definitely; so the map face expression can directly reflect the directions of relative movements of the fault blocks and the stress state of local structure.


Respect of delivering DVB service over an IP network, it is the trend to separate the signaling information that describes the service itself services and network provided. This signaling is available to the terminal via the XML file available on the HTTP server. In contrast to this approach, the present invention relates to a method for recognizing digital services on the bidirectional network by the receiver connected to a bidirectional network, the method comprising the steps of the receiver is connected to the first stream, the receiver Meanwhile the streams carrying content services in the steps and on the other hand to be extracted from the stream information about the location on the network and another stream for conveying the information describing the service, because the receiver is to obtain information about the service the step of connecting at least a portion of the stream for conveying the service description information, because the receiver constitutes probably single list of available services on the network, composed of a step of utilizing the information.


Eleven subjects participated in a study designed to test the accuracy of a newer-generation connected speech recognition system using a 49 word vocabulary likely to be used in an aircraft cockpit environment. The 49 vocabulary words were used to create 392 test phrases. These phrases were divided into three groups: Complex phrases, which contain more than five words, and two groups of Simple phrases, which contain 5 words or less. The simple phrases were divided into Simple Alternate and Simple No-Alternate phrases, depending on whether or not the phrase was the only one in the entire vocabulary capable of carrying out a particular action once recognition occurred. Performance of the recognition system was measured with three accuracy statistics: word accuracy, the most commonly reported statistic in speech recognition research, phrase accuracy, which is gaining popularity in connected speech recognition research, and intent accuracy, which is probably the most relevant statistic that could be reported in research of this type. Significantly different word, phrase, and intent accuracy results were obtained for the three different phrase types.


Objective:  To examine the rate of Gleason sum upgrading (GSU) from a sum of 6 to a Gleason sum of ≥7 in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP), who fulfilled the recommendations for low dose rate brachytherapy (Gleason sum 6, prostate‐specific antigen ≤10 ng/mL, clinical stage ≤T2a and prostate volume ≤50 mL), and to test the performance of an existing nomogram for prediction of GSU in this specific cohort of patients.


Widespread precipitation occurred across the western mountains of Wyoming on 02 December 2005 between 0000 UTC and 1800 UTC in moist warm southwest flow ahead of a Pacific low pressure trough, depicted in Figure 1. During the event, a dry, cold, shallow continental polar air mass was trapped in the Wind River Basin, east of the Continental Divide and the Wind River Mountains. Cold pools in the Wind River Basin are found to be similar in nature to those in the Columbia Basin, described by Whiteman et al. (2001), and in the Colorado Plateau Basin [Whiteman et al. (1999)].


Summary Birth history data from women in the 1975–76 Bangladesh Fertility Survey were used to search for intentions to replace dead children. The median intervals between successive births of orders (i) and (i + 1) were not shorter when some siblings of orders below (i) had died. Nor was the median duration between the death of a child and the first posthumous birth shorter when the dead child was a boy or when it was survived by fewer than two brothers. The median intervals were generally shorter when the mother lived in an urban rather than a rural area but this difference was attributable only to the shorter duration of breast-feeding by urban women. These results disputed the notions that the timing of births was deliberately quicker to replace a dead child, that attempts at replacement were sex-selective, or that child replacement intentions were stronger in urban than in rural populations.


The ladybird beetle Harmonia axyridis Pallas was investigated under laboratory conditions to clarify the relationship between food abundance or scarcity and ovarian development or oosorption. Four conditions were used: (1) fully fed for 24 h, (2) 24-h starvation, (3) 48-h starvation, and (4) 24-h starvation followed by 24-h re-feeding. Body length and initial body weight were not significantly related to the number of ovarioles per female. Both starvation conditions significantly increased the percentage of oosorptive individuals and ovarioles per female, and significantly decreased the percentage of mature ovarioles per female. Re- feeding for 24 h after a 24-h starvation resulted in a significantly higher percentage of mature ovarioles per female; however, the per- centage of mature ovarioles remained lower than in the fully fed condition. Oosorption mainly occurred during the intermediate developmental stage of the ovarioles. The rates of ovarian development and oosorption in predatory H. axyridis were much faster compared with those in herbivorous ladybird beetles. Body length, initial body weight, and the number of ovarioles were signifi- cantly correlated with the number of eggs laid during the last 24 h of each experimental condition. From an analysis of the weight loss and the number of eggs laid during the last 24 h of each experimental condition, it appears that the realized weight of the eggs may be directly determined by the amount of food digested by the adult. The ovarian development and oosorption were asymmetric in the right and left ovaries. These may be important strategies for oviposition in H. axyridis, because selective provision of maturing ovarioles in the right or left ovary with digested nutrients would favor their development. In addition, the energy loss through oosorption during the intermediate developmental stage of oocytes would be less than the energy loss resulting from the resorption of mature oocytes. Therefore, one role of the ovary in H. axyridis, in addition to egg production, might be as a kind of energy storage system for increasing reproductive success. An immediate start of ovarian development under favorable feeding conditions and rapid oosorption during food scarcities may be an adaptive ovipositional and survival strategy for female adults of H. axyridis in response to heterogeneous and fluctuating resource conditions.


corruption in a developing country may play a socially useful role in stimulating innovation, investment and competition where the local government lacks an adequate economic policy of its own. The reviewer is sceptical of this but it is a view which nowadays has to be taken into account. Secondly, it is important to note that not all transfers of power are the occasion of wholesale bribery, nepotism and corruption. Thus in the past one could refer to the Puritan revolution which deposed Charles I, and in the present, according to some accounts, to Castro's Cuba. If these examples were to turn out to be well founded, then some of the authors' views might require modification, or alternatively one is faced with a choice between different methods of eliminating corruption.


The article introduces four kinds of applied technologies of domestic wastewater treatment, which include algal pool, oxidation pond, earthworm and ecological filter cell, and filtering and purifying system of roil capillary tube.


This dissertation is a study of the effectiveness implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) in Fico Asia and how TQM tools can be used effectively in economy downturn situation to overcome human morale issue in Fico Asia. It is based on the existin


[Title: The Effect of Thinking Aloud Pair Problem Solving Learning Model Toward Student Physics Science Learning Outcomes]. This study aims to test mechanical on membrane composite membrane based crab shell and poly vinly Acetat (PVA). A mechanical test was performed to test the young modulus of the membrane in maintaining pore size using the "Tensilon" machine. The results show that chitosan / Poly Vinly Acetate composite membrane with preparation of comparison 25% -75%, 50% -50% and 75% -25%. For sample 25% -75% experience drying process faster than other sample. On the mechanical test of chitosan membrane / Poly Vinly Acetat showed the biggest value that is equal to 9.84 Mpa on comparison preparation 50% -50%. 25% -75% and 75% -25% preparations decreased by 4.68 MPa and 1.37Mpa.


Two properties of Super-Resolution calculation for image super-resolution reconstruction are proved,and a new texture adaptive super-resolution algorithm is proposed based on MAP(Maximum a posteriori)model.In Super-Resolution reconstruction process,an initial high resolution image with higher quality is calculated firstly by approximate calculation,and then trilateral model is applied as a regularization term in MAP model to preserve slope edge and roof edge.The fusion parameter and regularization parameter can be adaptively computed by image texture without manual adjustment.Simulation results confirm the effectiveness of this algorithm and demonstrate its superiority to other super-resolution algorithms.


Shandong is a province with the largest number of eldly population in China. In 2005,there are over 12,929,000 people aged 60,accounting for 13.98% of the total population,which means the aging of population in Shandong province has become severely acute. In this paper,according to the revelant data,an analysis of the characteristics of the aging has been presented. After that,it then deeply analyzes the two-sides impact of the aging and then four corresponding countermeasures are advised.


A study was conducted for response of varieties to climate vulnerabilities like floods and droughts in selected villages of 13 districts in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. The demonstrations on improved cultivars along with the respective local checks were compared with the participating farmers. The results showed that improved varieties of paddy (PLA-1100), Indra (MTU-1061) and RGL-2537 in Srikakulam while MTU-1121 and MTU-7029 in West Godavari districts were found tolerant to floods and submerged lands in Andhra Pradesh and registered 25–60% higher yield over respective local checks. The improved varieties of groundnut (K-9), pigeonpea (LRG-41) and castor (PCH-111) in Anantapur, chickpea (Digvijay), pigeonpea (PRG-158), blackgram (LBG-645), greengram (MGG-295) and tomato (Nirupam) in Nalgonda while pigeonpea (MRG-1004) in Khammam were found stable in rainfed environment. In Maharashtra, improved varieties of chickpea (Digvijay) in Ahmednagar, Aurangabad and Nandurbar districts and JAKI-9218 in Amaravati and Gondia districts gave 25–35% higher yield and net returns compared to respective local checks. Improved varieties of soybean (JS-9305) in Pune and Amaravati, JayBt-3028 (cotton), CSH-14 (sorghum) in Amravati, NIAW-34 (wheat) in Ahmednagar, SPV-1411 (rabi sorghum) in Aurangabad gave higher productivity and profitability under rainfed conditions.


Background
Despite declining cancer incidence and mortality rates, Latina patients continue to have lower 5-year survival rates compared to their non-Hispanic white counterparts. Much of this difference has been attributed to lack of healthcare access and poorer quality of care. Research, however, has not considered the unique healthcare experiences of Latina patients.

Methods
Latina women with prior diagnoses of stage 0-III breast cancer were asked to complete a cross-sectional survey assessing several socio-demographic factors along with their experiences as cancer patients. Using a series of linear regression models in a sample of 68 Mexican-American breast cancer survivors, we examined the extent to which patients' ratings of provider interpersonal quality of care were associated with patients' overall healthcare quality, and how these associations varied by acculturation status.

Results
Findings for Latina women indicated that both participatory decision-making (PDM) (β = 0.62, p < .0001) and trust (β = 0.53, p = .02) were significantly associated with patients' ratings of healthcare quality. The interaction between acculturation and PDM further suggested that participating in the decision-making process mattered more for less acculturated than for more acculturated patients (β = -0.51, p ≤ .01).

Conclusions
The variation across low and high acculturated Latinas in their decision-making process introduces a unique challenge to health care providers. Further understanding the relationship between provider-patient experiences and ratings of overall healthcare quality is critical for ultimately improving health outcomes.


Abstract— Compositions of four metal nodules from two ordinary chondrites, WIS91627 (H3.7) and Juin (H5), were determined by instrumental and radiochemical neutron activation analyses. Compared with bulk metal fractions, the metal nodules are characterized by strong and variable depletion of the refractory siderophile elements Re, Os, Ir, Ru, Pt and Rh but normal W and Mo, some fractionation of Co from Ni, and low Cu concentrations. These characteristics are difficult to explain by shock‐induced vaporization followed by fractional condensation, a mechanism suggested by Widom et al. (1986). We propose formation of metal nodules during metamorphism in the parent body. Refractory siderophile elements, such as Ir, Os, Rh, etc., are partly locked up in noble metal nuggets and cannot participate in kamacite formation. The occurrence of metal nodules in both equilibrated and unequilibrated ordinary chondrites suggests that diffusion along grain boundaries was important in the development of kamacite and taenite in ordinary chondrites.


Before 1960, electric resistance heating had been utilised only in cooling lehrs and in bending and hardening furnaces. The introduction of a completely new type of heating element consisting of molybdenum disilicide (Kanthal Super) with element temperature of 1700°C opened up electric heating of pot melting furnace and forehearths. The latest design of the heat-insulation combines Kanthal Super elements integrated into fibre panels to form a heating module called Superthal flat panel. Avant 1960, le chauffage par resistance electrique etait utilise seulement dans les arches de refroidissement, dans les fours de bombage et les fours de trempe. Lintroduction d'un type nouveau d'element chauffant en disiliciure de molybdene (Super Kanthal) avec une temperature d'element de 1700°C a permis le chauffage electrique des fours a pots et des canaux d'alimentation. Le plus recent developpement combine les elements Super Kanthal incorpores dans des panneaux de fibres pour former un module chauffant appele panneau plat Superthal.


Although it is well established that exercise aids in the prevention of disease, recent surveys suggest that many Americans do not engage in regular physical activity. The present experiment examined one possible technique for increasing regular exercise, in sedentary college students. Previous studies had shown that students who are directed to think about action strategies that would increase studying subsequently report greater intentions to study. The present experiment found that directed thinking about actions to increase a target exercise significantly increased time spent on exercising and cardiovascular fitness. The results are discussed in terms of theoretical perspectives on attitude processes.


Abstract : The joint force commander (JFC) and his staff are increasingly challenged with emerging complexities of the 21st Century security environment. The purpose of this paper was to analyze the joint force command environment, trying to assess the factors that influence a JFC's ability to effectively prosecute dual-hatted responsibilities. More specifically, the research investigated to determine whether it is in the best interest of the joint force and the overall objectives of the theater campaign to have a JFC dual-hat himself as a subordinate functional or Service component commander in a major theater of war.


To investigate the clinical features and prevention of acute encephalocele in patients with severe craniocerebral injury. The clinical features, treatment and prognosis of acute encephalocele in severe craniocerebral injury in recent years were analyzed retrospectively, and the prevention and treatment methods of acute encephalocele were discussed. Among the patients with intraoperative encephalocele, 24 cases (55.8%) had delayed intracranial hematoma, including 12 cases of ipsilateral intracranial hematoma, 6 cases of epidural hematoma, 4 cases of contralateral epidural hematoma, and 2 cases of subdural hematoma. And there were 11 cases (25.6%) of acute diffuse brain swelling, also 5 cases (11.6%) of traumatic large area cerebral infarction, as well as 3 cases (6.98%) of intraoperative hypotension or hypoxemia. Patients with acute encephalocele during severe craniocerebral injury surgery are mostly caused by delayed/diffuse intracranial hematoma or large area cerebral infarction, and intraoperative hypoxemia. Therefore, it is necessary to effectively determine the risk of intraoperative encephalocele, actively deal with it, reduce the incidence of acute encephalocele, and improve the prognosis of patients. The prevention of Craniocerebral injury is caused by the direct or indirect effects of violence on the head. Craniocerebral injury is manifested as disturbance of consciousness, headache, nausea, vomiting, epileptic seizure, paralysis of limbs, sensory disturbance, aphasia and partial blindness. Skull base fracture can appear cerebrospinal fluid ear leakage, nasal leakage. Brain stem injury occurs consciousness disorder, respiratory circulation disorder, to the brain tetanus, serious brain hernia life-threatening. As a common clinical critical and severe disease, severe craniocerebral injury is characterized by rapid onset and rapid change, and complicated condition, which may lead to acute brain injury due to the combined action of multiple factors in the process of surgical treatment. This paper discusses the clinical features and prevention of acute encephalocele in patients with severe craniocerebral injury. The specific report is as follows. 1. Materials and methods 1.1 General information 43 patients with severe craniocerebral injury in our hospital who underwent surgery for acute encephalocele were selected as the research objects. All patients had a clear history of head trauma upon admission. The causes of injury included traffic accident, high fall, fall injury, combat injury, and so on, with 24 cases, 9 cases, 7 cases and 3 cases respectively. Among the patients, 27 males and 16 females were aged 28 to 73 years, with an average age of 48. 6 + 3. 5 years. All the patients had serious consciousness disturbance before operation, including 12 patients with GCS score of 3-4, 24 patients with GCS score of 5-6, and 7 patients with GCS score of 7-8. Unilateral pupil dilation was observed in 28 cases and bilateral pupil dilation in 15 cases. There were 14 cases with fracture of limbs and other parts, 9 cases with disturbance of respiratory rhythm, and 7 cases with hemorrhagic shock. Thirty-two patients showed positive unilateral pathological signs and 11 patients showed positive bilateral pathological signs. 2018 4th International Symposium on Biomedical Science, Biotechnology and Healthcare (ISBSBH 2018) Copyright © (2019) Francis Academic Press, UK DOI: 10.25236/isbsbh.2018.034 163 Preoperative head CT showed that all the 43 patients had intracranial hemorrhage and midline displacement of varying degrees, including 9 cases of hematoma in the affected area, 28 cases of hematoma at the hedging site, 6 cases of hematoma on both sides, 38 cases of midline displacement of >1cm, and 5 cases of <1 cm. According to the location of hematoma, there were 30 cases of subdural hematoma with brain contusion, 8 cases of epidural hematoma and 8 cases of intracerebral hematoma, and 5 cases of mixed hematoma.


PURPOSE: To provide a method and the device for forming intermediate frequency signals in the radio frequency part of the radio telephone unit of a digital mobile telephone or the like. CONSTITUTION: By using plural local signals LO2 and LO3 obtained by frequency synthesizers 1 and 2, mixing units 4 and 5 form intermediate frequencies IF2 and IF3 lower than a radio frequency. At the time, one IF3 of the intermediate frequencies is formed by forming a new local signal LO3 (the frequency of the signal is lowered corresponding to an integer) by performing division by using an appropriate integer (N=2, 3, 4,...) by the local signal LO2 of the frequency higher than the intermediate frequency IF3 used for forming the intermediate frequency IF2 and mixing the local signal LO3 with the intermediate frequency IF2 of a higher frequency. COPYRIGHT: (C)1995,JPO


The contradiction between development and environment protection in suburban scenic areas is becoming acute,and simply for a one-sided emphasis on the protection or development can not be a satisfactory outcome.Through in-depth analysis of the four tourism planning projects for the north part of Haidan District,exploration is made from the tourism planning,overall planning,controlling detailed planning,construction detailed planning and activity planning aspects in order to find a planning method to balance the ecological environment improving and the land resource use to promote the economic development and environment construction together.


Men's health is often described in terms of male-specific (sexual and reproductive health) problems, but it is their broader health behaviours and use of health services that contribute to their overall health. Australian men have a shorter life expectancy than women, and seven of the 10 most common risk factors that contribute to burden of disease are more common in men than women. These differences are driven by a combination of gender and biological influences.


Several situations of general interest, in which the symmetry groups usually applied to spectroscopy problems need to be extended, are reviewed. It is emphasized that any symmetry group of geometrical operations to be used in Molecular Spectroscopy should be extended for completeness by considering the time reversal operator, as far as the Hamiltonian is invariant with respect to the inversion of the direction of motion. This can explain the degeneracy of pairs of vibrational and rotational states spanning the so-called separably degenerate irreducible representations, in symmetric tops of low symmetry, and Kramers degeneracy in odd electron molecules in the absence of magnetic fields. An extension with account of time reversal is also useful to determine relative phase conventions on vibration-rotation wavefunctions, which render all vibration-rotation matrix elements real. An extension of a molecular symmetry group may be required for molecules which can attain different geometries by large amplitude periodical motions, if such motions are hindered and are not completely free. Special cases involving the internal rotation are discussed in detail. It is observed that the symmetry classification of vibrational modes involving displacements normal to the internal rotation axis is not univocal, but can be done in several ways, which actually correspond to different conventions on the separation of vibration and internal rotation in the adopted basis functions. The symmetry species of the separate vibrational and torsional factors of these functions depend on the adopted convention.


In this study the impact of different end region cooling arrangements on the endwinding heat transfer is analysed and discussed. An experimental approach to solving the problem has been adopted; two special prototypes have been built and a test bench has been assembled. Open drip proof 'ODP' and total enclosed fan-cooled 'TEFC' frames have been taken into account. In addition, the cooling effect of the fins, always present in the induction motor cage end rings, has also been analysed. The study reports in detail the set-up of the test procedures and the obtained results. Particular care has been devoted to the determination of the heat transfer coefficients concerning the thermal transfer between endwinding and the external frame. The obtained results are of basic importance for the determination of the thermal resistances between endwindings and end caps to be utilised in thermal networks usually adopted in thermal model analysis.


North and South nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have been "partners" in international development for more than a decade. Studies have documented their approaches and strategies, yet little is still known about how they organize and how their projects help them to achieve their mission. The authors propose a contextualized and historical perspective to better understand how and why NGOs organize by projects, and how this strengthens their strategy and commitment to local development.


Background Previous studies indicated the calcium-binding protein S100A12 to be involved in the pathophysiology of pulmonary inflammatory diseases. However, the role of S100A12 has remained elusive in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Therefore, the purpose of this prospective cohort study was to evaluate the association between serum S100A12 with severity and prognosis in CAP patients. Methods Two groups with either 239 CAP patients or 239 healthy controls were enrolled in our study. Fasting blood and clinical characteristics were collected. On admission, serum S100A12 was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results Serum S100A12 was increased in CAP patients compared to control subjects. Furthermore, serum S100A12 was elevated according to the severity of CAP. Correlative analysis suggested that the level of serum S100A12 was associated with blood routine indices, renal function markers, inflammatory cytokines and other clinical parameters among CAP patients. Additionally, linear and logistical regression analyses indicated that serum S100A12 was positively associated with CAP severity scores in CAP patients. In addition, the association of high serum S100A12 and prognosis was accessed using a follow-up research. Elevated serum S100A12 on admission increased the risk of death and hospital stay in CAP patients during hospitalization. Conclusions Elevated serum S100A12 on admission is positively associated with the severity and adverse prognosis in CAP patients, suggesting that S100A12 may involve in the pathophysiological process of CAP. The titre of serum S100A12 may be used as a biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis among CAP patients.


INTRODUCTION Many businesses in the United States have purchased umbrella and excess liability insurance from Lloyd's of London (Lloyd's) in the decades since the 1940s. These insurance policies may apply to pay for environmental and other liabilities. To turn these old insurance policies into assets, however, policyholders need to act quickly. In 1996, most Lloyd's syndicates irrevocably transferred their rights and liabilities under liability insurance policies sold before January 1, 1993—including control of coverage litigation and Lloyd's funds that secure those liabilities—to a new entity called Equitas. In exchange, the individuals who made up those syndicates—London insurance brokers, auditing firms, and others—paid billions of English pounds into a fund to pay for claims made under pre-1993 Lloyd's insurance policies. Equitas administers that fund. Executives at Equitas have announced publicly that they intend to spend £5 billion a year over the next few years to resolve claims for asbestos, pollution, and health (APH) liabilities. They also have confirmed that recently they have increased their reserves for US asbestos liabilities. Policyholders who have old Lloyd's insurance policies may be able to convert those pre-1993 policies into cash if they move now to assert those claims and collect from the billions administered by Equitas. The entity has been willing to pay claims short of litigation when policyholders have presented appropriate documentation of liability covered under pre-1993 Lloyd's liability insurance policies. Equitas has resolved claims made against pre-1993 Lloyd's


Most of the agronomic plant suffer in 0.5 to 5.0 mg mL-1 range of Cr concentration.in nutrient solution and 5–100 mg kg -1 in soil (Ali et al., 2013; Chrysostom et al., 2012). Recently, the use of a variety of organic and inorganic amendments has attained a considerable attention for remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils (Usman et al., 2013; Almaroai et al., 2014; Adrees et al., 2015; Rehman et al., 2015; Rizwan et al., 2016a).


The age of knowledge-based economy puts higher demand on the comprehensive qualities of librarians including academic knowledge,working skill,and management skill,etc..To get continuing education is an effective way for librarians to improve their knowledge structure and integral quality.The paper discusses the content and forms of the continuing education for the librarian in colleges and universities in the information age.


Why can metals or oxides form nanotubes, sometimes even chiral ones? How could silicon, which has little or no propensity for sp2 hybridization, form nanotubes akin with the well understood carbon nanotubes in which the atoms are unequivocally sp2 hybridized? It would be perhaps beneficial, if not expected, for the theory to step up to the plate and engage in the discovery of credible growth mechanisms and atomic structures for the tubular and multi‐shell structures that can determine future directions in nanoscience and nanotechnology. In an effort to contribute to answering these questions, we present here a global optimization method designed specifically for tubular structures. Due to the recent success of the genetic algorithms in elucidating structures of 1‐ and 2‐dimensional nanoscale materials, we base our optimization procedure on the same evolutionary principles. We have found that the cross‐over operations based on planar cuts (which were so successful previously) are not sufficient to ensure c...


This article analyzes the lanthanum, cerium, samarium, europium, terbium, ytterbium, lutetium, uranium, and thorium content in humic acids within soil and paleosol surface horizons from the southern steppe in the Southern Urals. Research demonstrates similar accumulation levels of these elements in paleosols isolated from both the active medium between 3.6 and 3.3 thousand years ago and in recent background soils. Despite the lack of significant differences, research has shown a growing content among the rarest metals in the series "the buried paleosols–man-modified paleosols of settlement–recent background soils". Research has detected the lowest content of La, Ce, Sm, Eu, Yb, Lu, and Th in preparations of humic acids of recent background soils. This reveals a close content to most elements in humic acids of paleosols buried under barrows and ancient settlement paleosols. Additionally, it indicates the virtual absence of anthropogenic impact on binding lanthanides and actinides by humic acids in ancient times. The contribution of humic acids into the common pool for each element was evaluated using a special approach. Research showed that there was less than half the share of elements associated by humic acids of paleosols than in the recent background chernozems in the total pool of lanthanides and actinides. This article considers the prospects of using humic acids of recent and ancient soils in identifying behavioral patterns of metal complexes through time.


"A reversible fiction," Everyman Masters explains to his young friend Jonathan Weyl in Wilson Harris's Carnival, "unsettles false clarities . . . reopens the profoundest human involvements and perspectives to illumine a truth": that "Violence is not the corner-stone of a civilization."1 1 want to suggest that the "profoundest human involvements and perspectives" to which this passage refers are distinctly not social, in the sense that they are not contractual; rather, they constitute networks of mutual obligations that may be called ritualistic. Ritual is a useful conceptual lens through which to view Harris's notion of "false clarities"; it also provides a point of departure for exploring how his novel's unorthodox and unfashionable narrative, with its dense "field of associations,"2 works to "reverse" or "unsettle" those clarities. Despite their irritatingly unacknowledged biases, Jean Baudrillard's comments on "rituality" are worth considering here: '"rituality' is, as a form, superior to 'sociality.' . . . Rituaiity is a much larger system, encompassing the living and the dead, humans and animals, as well as 'nature' whose period movements, recurrences and catastrophes serve, seemingly spontaneously, as ritual signs. By comparison, sociality appears rather impoverished: under the sign of the Law it is capable of bringing together one species (and even then . . .). By contrast, rituality succeeds in maintaining-not by laws, but by rules and their infinite play of analogies-a form of cyclical order and universal exchange of which the Law and the social are quite incapable." In the context


Sorghum was treated with certain rates of the systemic insecticides acephate, disulfoton, CGA 12658 (Ent. no. 27,920), carbofuran, Counter® [ S-(tert -butylthio) methyl O,O -diethyl phosphorodithioate], and aldicarb. Sorghum treated with the latter 3 products had the lowest populations of greenbugs, Schizaphis graminum (Rondani), 37 days after planting and the lowest parasite mummy populations 58 days after planting. These populations were not significantly different from untreated check populations.

At 37 days after planting sorghum treated with certain rates of carbofuran, C.G.A. 12658, and aldicarb had parasite mummy populations which were significantly lower in their numerical differences from the untreated check populations.

The parasites were tentatively identified as Lysiphlebus testaceipes (Cresson) and Pachyneuron siphonophorae (Ashmead).


With increasing reports of allergy cases caused by mustard and sesame, these two minor food ingredients are attracting increasing attention because of their popularity as seasoning material worldwide. In this chapter, research on allergen proteins of mustard and sesame is overviewed and reported detection methods aiming at allergen proteins or genes of mustard and sesame are summarized, including the status quo of commercial testing reagents. The advantages and drawbacks of these methods are also discussed, which would be helpful for developing faster, more sensitive and economical methods for mustard and sesame detection in the future.


The work investigated the problems of risk management of information support for implementing innovations. Under current, highly dynamic operating conditions, any processes (including business processes) are inseparable from risk. It is inherent in all branches of market activity. Risks cannot be ignored. It is advisable to use anticipatory (preventive) measures to prevent them, reduce their level, or compensate depending on the types of risks, circumstances of their occurrence, level, etc. Ensuring the sustainable development of domestic enterprises under the current conditions of instability and crisis in Ukraine is significantly complicated by significant risk factors. An important condition for effective information provision in implementing innovative projects is the ability to turn uncertainty into risk and its subsequent management. Information support for implementing innovations (implementation of innovative projects) is characterized by a high level of risk. The paper analyzes the risk structure of the stakeholders of the innovative project. The proposed process of step-by-step risk management of the information support of the enterprise's innovative activities. The proposed risk management system of information support for implementing innovations by enterprises consists of applying key (main) functions. A functional approach to the risk management process of information support for implementing innovations will involve the planning and organization of this activity, as well as further control and, in the event of deviation from the plan, regulation (adjustment). For the effective implementation of innovative projects, domestic enterprises need to investigate and manage the risks of information provision of this activity at each stage. Improvement, development of information provision of innovative projects, and formation of the risk management system of this activity will help save time for all participants, increase efficiency and accuracy, and reduce uncertainty.


Objective
To evaluate the detection of membrane neutrophil alkaline phosphatase (NAP) in diagnosis of infection in patients with acute cerebral hemorrhage.

Methods
A total of 208 patients with acute cerebral hemorrhage, including 152 cases without infection (uninfected group) and 56 cases with infection (infected group), admitted in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University during January 2010 to July 2016 were enrolled, 30 healthy subjects were also enrolled in the study as control group. The peripheral blood from all subjects were collected, and the counts of white blood cell (WBC), percentage of neutrophil, serum procalcitonin (PCT) and NAP were measured. The value of above 4 indicators in diagnosing infection was determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. ANOVA and t test were used to analyze the data, Pearson correlation was performed to analyze the correlation between NAP and PCT in infected group.

Results
The levels of WBC, percentage of neutrophil and NAP in both infected and uninfected group were higher than those in healthy control group at admission(F=117.64, 100.69 and 425.09, all P<0.01), and the levels of WBC, PCT and NAP were also higher when infection occurred compared with those at admission in infected group (t =3.14, 34.30 and 36.39, all P<0.01) . The expression of NAP was positively correlated with PCT in infected group ( r=0.762, P<0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that the areas under the curves of NAP and PCT in diagnosis of infection were 0.875 and 0.884, respectively. When 10655.28 AB/c and 5.01mg/L were taken as cut-off values, the sensitivities of NAP and PCT in diagnosis of infection were 85.50% and 87.66%; the specificities were 90.50%和90.31%, respectively. The level of NAP in infected patients with gram-positive bacterial infections was higher than that in patients with gram-negative bacterial infections (t=6.29, P<0.01).

Conclusion
The expression of NAP in patients with acute cerebral hemorrhage increases when infection occurs, which may be helpful to the clinical diagnosis of bacterial infection.

Key words:
Cerebral hemorrhage; Bacterial infections; Alkaline phosphatase; Neutrophil; Leukocytes; Procalcitonin


The integral cross sections of the isomeric states of nuclei 113 In, 115 In, 111 Cd, 117 Sn, 87 Sr in (γ,γ¢) reactions, under the bremsstrahlung influence from the electrostatic accelerator of electrons with the voltage applied to a conductor being up to 3.0 MV are present.


With changes in the national educational landscape brought on by the implementation of the K to 12 Basic Education Program and the ASEAN's move towards qualifications standardization among professionals, updating and improving existing curricula have been the way to go for higher education institutions in the country. Together with this comes the need to ensure that the faculty to implement the new curricula are ready to teach new subjects that will certainly be added. Using Hass and Parkay's Model of Curriculum Design, this study looked into the readiness of faculty of Bicol University to implement the new CHED-prescribed AB English curriculum. Through a survey, document analysis, and a Focus Group Discussion (FGD), it determined the perceived level of readiness of the faculty to teach new subjects under the new curriculum and the actual level of readiness of the faculty to teach the said subjects, and it identified strategies that may be adopted to better prepare the English Department for this new curriculum. Findings revealed a discrepancy between perceived and actual readiness of the faculty, where members considered themselves ready, but their documents showing mismatches in educational preparation, teaching experience, and professional development. Training/retooling, full implementation of OBE, production of instructional materials that are K to 12–ready; adequate equipment and facilities; and immersion, apprenticeship, or fellowship abroad are the strategies identified to best prepare the faculty for the implementation of the new curriculum. Recommendations are immediate retooling and earning of appropriate postgraduate degrees, realignment of degrees and careful choice of seminars and trainings to be attended, and preparation of retooling/training package to factor in each individual faculty member in terms of interests and expertise based on the new subjects to be offered in the new CHED-prescribed AB English curriculum.


The pulp and paper industry generates large amounts of residue that can cause environmental damage. On the other hand, the use of such residue in adequate amounts can improve soil quality. This study aims to evaluate chemical and physical properties of a Humic Cambisol and yields of annual crops after surface application of an alkaline residue (dregs) and limestone. The experimental design was randomized complete blocks with four replications, started in 2004 with liming on the soil surface. The treatments were: control with no correction; doses of limestone corresponding to 0.5 and 1 SMP; and doses of alkaline residue corresponding to 0.25, 0.5 and 1 SMP. The dose of 1 SMP was calculated to reach pH 6.0 in the layer of 0 to 0.10 m (CQFS RS/SC, 2004). Physical and chemical soil properties and crop yields were analyzed. The use of alkaline residues improved chemical properties, and did not modify soil physical properties. The yields of wheat and bean increased with correctives, and the highest production was obtained at the highest corrective rate. It is possible to use alkaline residue of the pulp industries when applied on the surface of the acid soil, without tillage.


Abstract Turbulent flows take place in a large variety of astrophysical objects, and often times are the source of dynamo generated magnetic fields. Much of the progress in our understanding of dynamo mechanisms, has been made within the theoretical framework of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). However, for sufficiently diffuse media, the Hall effect eventually becomes non-negligible. We present results from simulations of the Hall-MHD equations. The simulations are performed with a pseudospectral code to achieve exponentially fast convergence. We study the role of the Hall effect in the dynamo efficiency for different values of the Hall parameter.


Evidences of marine body fossils,trace fossils and shell debris as well as marine autogenic minerals show that a Tertiary seaway might have been existed in an area what called "the Second Depression zone"by J.S. Lee between Liaohe River and Yangtze River during the sedimentary period of Kondian Formation and Shahejie Formation. The Tertiary seaway is thought to be existed only in hight stand period. The water depth of the seaway was shallow probably not very much more than fair weather wave base. The original seaway could reach 120 340 km. wide and extended from Liaohe basin in the north to Jianghan basin in the south.The Patch reef and carbonate beach or barrier which could be treated as potential reservoir have developed somewhere in higher structural areas during high stand. In contrast to high stand period, the marine water retreated from "the Second Depression" during low stand period and the original seaway became lakes in lower structural area and incised rivers scattered in palaeovalley districts followed by incised drainage. The importance of fresh and brackish water valley filled deposits are strongly emphasized in this paper in terms of new reservoir prospecting.


The finite element models for tires with smooth tread,longitudinal grooved tread and regular patterned tread were established by using ABAQUS software,respectively,and the stress distribution of the three tires in different conditions were analyzed.The results showed that,in static load condition,the Von-Mises stress distributions of three tires were similar,and the end of belt layer had the largest stress.The whole stress level of the tire with regular patterned tread was the highest while that of the tire with smooth tread was the lowest.However,the stress of 1st belt layer of the tire with smooth tread was quite high.Under static load,steady rolling or cornering rolling condition,the high stress areas of the tire with smooth tread were all in the tire shoulder.However,the high stress areas of longitudinal grooved tire and patterned tire were distributed in the tire shoulder and the central part of tire crown in static load and steady rolling conditions;while the high stress concentrated on the edge of the groove in the middle part of the tire tread under cornering rolling condition.


: Influence of the chemical composition of inorganic share plant phytomass and woody biomass on sintering of ash . In the present work there are evaluated the following biofuels: plant phytomass, wood and bark through the proposed criteria (Ca + Mg) / K (cid:148) 1 from the aspect of ash sintering.The analyses show that the ash content of plant phytomass is 12.5 times higher than the ash content of wood and 2.2 times higher than the ash content of bark. The results of the quantitative representation of calcium Ca, magnesium Mg and potassium K in inorganic matter of plant phytomass, wood and bark indicate, that plant phytomass has more than 7.7 times higher proportion of potassium K than wood and 4.3 times higher than the bark. These facts are reflected in the heat and physical characteristics of the ash. On the basis of the proposed criteria the biofuels can be divided into plant phytomass with the value of ash sintering lower than 1. Inorganic matter of those biofuels on the boiler furnace softens and sinters at temperature range T = 1000 to 1100 °C. On the other hand, woody biomass with significantly higher value of sintering of , more than 1, in the combustion process at temperatures up to 1100 °C is in the form of natural powder. combustion of annual plants, grasses or wood and bark is a mixture of oxides: K 2 O, Na 2 O, CaO, MgO, Fe 2 O 3 , Al 2 O 3 , SiO 2 , P 2 O 5 and thermally undecomposed carbonates and silicates. While the quantitative share of ash from annual plants in the dry state is A = 4 - 10%, of the dry wood of A = 0,3 - 0,7%, and bark in the dry state A = 1 - 5%


Abstract Research on humor has tended to focus on its production. The understanding of humor, perhaps because it is more difficult to document, has received somewhat less attention, especially from a sociolinguistic perspective. The present paper addresses this gap by using examples of humor in crosscultural interaction to propose ways in which two earlier models suggesting how humor is perceived (Carrell 1997) and supported (Hay 2001) may be further developed. These examples show that joke competence is a somewhat dynamic construct, that understanding can be partial and that lack of full understanding need not preclude appreciation. In addition, I suggest that interlocutors' understanding of the wide variety of functions of humor must also be taken into consideration in any broader theory of how humor is perceived and understood. As understanding, like language use, is interactively constructed, I call for a view of humor comprehension that is social, as well as cognitive.


The present paper evaluated the performance of 47 Indian mutual funds for two separate periods of January 8, 2008 to March 9, 2009 and March 9, 2009 to June 30, 2014 characterized by down period (negative market return of 59% ) and up period (positive market return of 67%), respectively. The funds were evaluated on the basis of risk adjusted performance measures like Sharpe measure, Treynor measure, information ratio, Sortino ratio, M Square ; whereas, Jensen measure, Fama net selectivity , Treynor-Mazuy (1966), and Henriksson-Merton (1981) models were used to examine the selectivity and timing skills of fund managers. Results for various risk adjusted performance measures revealed that funds performed poorly during the down period and during the overall period of the study, and also in a different way during down and up periods. The study also found that majority of the funds were able to show signs of selectivity skills during up and overall periods ; whereas, strong evidence of lack of market timing skills was found for all the periods.


Niching ethods are useful extension of evolutionary algorithm that can permit population to search many peaks in parallel in multimodal domains. Traditional niching methods that can effectively be used to solve function optimization problems (FOPs) are not suitable for solving combinatorial optimization problems (COPs). We propose a new genetic algorithm (GA) for forming niches that can be efficiently applied to COPs. For this, we propose four requirements that are needed for an ideal method of forming niches for COPs. We then discuss a niching method we designed that satisfies these requirements. The proposed GA was applied to job shop scheduling problems (JSP) to demonstrate its effectiveness.


The effects of freezing on Cr/sup 51/, Fe/sup 59/, Nb/sup 95/, and Zr/ sup 95/ separation from hydroxide solutions with isotopic carrier concentrations 10/sup -5/, and l0/sup -6/,and ~10/sup -11/ M were studied. Following freezing and thawing the following amount of radioactive isotopes precipitate during 12 hours: 93 to 98% for a carrier concentration of 10/sup -5/ M; 65 to 85% for 10/ sup -6/ M; and 55 to 70 for 10/sup -11/ M. An additional separation can be achieved by centrifuging the solution. An average concentration of neutral salts does not influence the precipitation. Freezing offers a means for colloidal precipitation without a coagulating agent. (R.V.J.)


Experiential Avoidance in Chronic Tic Disorders: An Online Survey and Pilot Treatment Study Using Habit Reversal and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy by Stephanie Helena Best, M.A. Department of Psychology & Neuroscience Duke University Date:_______________________ Approved: ___________________________ John F. Curry, Ph.D., Chair ___________________________ Scott N. Compton, Ph.D. ___________________________ Philip R. Costanzo, Ph.D. ___________________________ Timothy J. Strauman, Ph.D. ___________________________ Jeffrey Brantley, M.D. An abstract of a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Psychology & Neuroscience in the Graduate School of Duke University


Millions of elderly individuals have dysphagia, a debilitating and life‐threatening condition in which the ability to swallow is impaired. Several muscles surround the three regions of the pharynx, which are essential for proper swallowing, yet the effects of ageing and disease on these muscles are not well understood. We demonstrate that the fibre size of murine pharyngeal muscles is differentially affected by ageing and muscular dystrophy depending on their location within the pharynx. Using a mouse model of an age‐associated dysphagic disease (oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy), we show that overexpression of wild‐type polyadenylate binding nuclear protein 1 in muscle tissue prevents age‐related dysphagia and age‐related muscle atrophy of laryngopharyngeal muscles. These results demonstrate that mice are an excellent model for studying mechanisms of ageing and disease on pharyngeal muscle physiology, and such studies could lead to new therapies for individuals with dysphagia.


Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) is a peer-reviewed electronic journal established by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. The mission of PCD is to promote the open exchange of information and knowledge among researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and others who strive to improve the health of the public through chronic disease prevention. The vision of PCD is to be the premier forum where practitioners and policy makers inform research and researchers help practitioners and policy makers more ...


The study directs its focal interest towards rendering processes of virtual characters. Hence, it bids to disclose ways in which different forms of embodied actions and behaviours in virtual realit ...


The present study contains an analysis of "Knowledge. Organization: An International Journal". The study covers 12 volumes published from 1988 to 2000. The study includes yearwise and subjectwise distribution of contributions, Authorship pattern, Author productivity, Institutional affiliation and geographic distribution of contributors, prolific contributors to the journal etc. It is proved that solo research predominates in the field of knowledge organization since 167 out of 214 contributions are by single authors. It is also found that the major topics induded in the journal are: classification, knowledge organiZation. information retrieval system. linguistics and terminology. subject cataloguing and indexing, thesaurus and categoration, natural language processing and artificial intelligence.


We explore the corporate social responsibility (CSR) motives of four large indigenous agribusiness firms in India in pursuit of two linked objectives. One is to contribute to the long-standing debate on CSR motives in developing countries. To this end we assess the validity of the view that CSR in developing countries, compared to developed countries, is influenced substantially more by moral, cultural and religious considerations and less by self-interest and profit seeking. The other objective is to enrich the analysis of CSR in a developing country by employing micro-level rather than macro-level data. Unlike numerous other investigations of CSR that rely on questionnaires and company reports, our data are drawn from in-depth interviews and theme analysis revealing some intricate motives behind CSR behaviour. Our findings indicate that the degree to which such behaviour is affected by the state of economic development and cultural differences is smaller than is often argued.


The statistical properties of three-level lasing are investigated theoretically. It is assumed that the three-level medium is coherently excited by another laser with an arbitrary photon statistics. It is proved that, under the specific conditions, the photon statistics of the three-level laser duplicate the photon statistics of the exciting laser. We call this phenomenon an induced photon statistics . We suggest to use this to analyze the statistical properties of a laser involved into a feedback process. Applying this laser for the coherent pump of a three-level laser, we can follow its photon statistics by means of direct following the three-level generation. In accordance with Ref. [1], we conclude that the feedback in itself is unable to generate the non-classical manifestation in the laser field.


We have shown two types of nano-sized sensors, particle-based nano-sized sensors and quantum dot sensors capable of measuring the type of sodium dynamics that occur in cells. In these studies the sensors were loaded into cells using picoinjection. This minimizes the cell damage seen in electroporation and prevents the sensors from being trapped in endosomes as seen in the endocytotic loading. The sensors were loaded into cells containing voltage gated sodium channels and showed dispersion throughout the cytosol. Optical detection of sodium influx into the cell could be detected.


An attempt was made to investigate the aquatic weeds to remove the nitrogen and phosphorous using four aquatic plants i.e. two emergent plants (Typha latifolia and Phragmites australis) and two floating plants (Eichhornia crassipes and Lamina gibba) from primary treated sewage. This study focuses on the nutrient removal efficiency based on the coverage area and biomass based calculation from the aquatic weeds reactor. Results indicate the highest removal of the nutrients i.e. nitrogen and phosphorous was observed from the plants area based calculation since weight of the emergent plants are higher as compared to floating plants. The study indicates that the physiological characteristics of the aquatic plants greatly affect the performance of the system.


the cells immunize toward cells of the qualitatively for to mutagenic agents. known intentional exposure of cells to mutagenic agents is a requisite for of variant cells having the properties is streptomycin, and gentamicin are not mutagenic cells.) in vivo with very relevant in vitro observations. repeated experimental observations over several years on in vitro spon taneously occurring changes of leukemogenic and antigenic properties in L1210 cells are quali tatively similar to our results obtained in vivo with mutagenic agents. It that they found loss in leukemogenicity so frequently and showed antigenic changes as the main cause of it. They conclude that known intentional exposure of cultured cells to mutagenic agents is not a prerequisite for generation of variant cells having loss of tumorigenicity.


Unified power flow controller (UPFC) is one of the most effective flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS) devices for controlling power flow and improving stability of power system. However, to achieve such functionality, a proper and sufficient control system should be designed for this device. This paper proposes a novel nonlinear multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) predictive control system using optimal control approach to control UPFC. The proposed control scheme is applied to the overall mathematical model of UPFC which consists of the d-q representation model of shunt and series parts of UPFC, in addition to the DC link voltage dynamic model. To validate the proposed control scheme, we perform simulations on single-machine double line infinite bus power system installed with UPFC using PSCAD/EMTDC software package. Steady-state and dynamic stability of the system are investigated under the proposed controller. The simulation results are encouraging and show the robustness and superiority of the proposed controller compared to conventional PI controller. The new controller guarantees the closed-loop stability system and has a good tracking behavior.


Objective We assessed the feasibility and acceptability of delivering a geriatrician-led evidence-based Falls Prevention Clinic to older adults with a history of falls. Design 12-month prospective cohort study. Setting Vancouver Falls Prevention Clinic, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (www.fallsclinic.ca). Participants 188 community-dwelling older adults aged ≥70 years who received a baseline assessment at the Vancouver Falls Prevention Clinic due to having had at least one fall resulting in medical attention in the previous 12 months. Fifty-six per cent of participants were also participating in a randomised controlled trial. Measurements Feasibility was ascertained by measuring demand (clinic attendance). Acceptability was measured by compliance with recommendations, completion of monthly fall calendars and patient experience. Results The attendance was 65% of those eligible and invited. This indicates feasibility for demand. 155 received at least one of the following clinical management recommendations from four domains (compliance reported in %): (1) medication changes (78%); (2) exercise prescription (58%); (3) referrals to other healthcare professionals (78%); and/or (4) lifestyle modifications (35%) excluding exercise. Overall compliance to all recommendations was 69%. Patient experience was related to factors impacting patient perceived physical benefit and attributes influencing patient satisfaction. Conclusion This study demonstrated the feasibility and acceptability of a multifactorial intervention approach based on best available evidence-based medicine.


As one of the regional academic thoughts and part of traditional culture, Xiang Learning appeared in the Song Dynasty, which manifested itself in the form of an academic pursuit, integrating with principle、scholarship and order. After the period of Daoguang and Xianfeng , Xiang Learning began to be attentively noticed in the sphere of learning. Wei Yuan (a New Text School scholar) and Zeng Guofan (a Song learning Scholar) were two important representative scholars of Xiang Learning during this period. Although their masters and academic tradition were quite different, their academic purports were surprisingly similar, which both strived to integrate with principle、scholarship and order. This helped to push forward the modern transformation of Xiang Learning.


1335685 Anti-static polymer compositions UNIROYAL Inc 15 Oct 1970 [17 Oct 1969] 49011/70 Headings C3G C3P and C3R [Also in Divisions B2 and D1] Polymer compositions contain as anti-static agent a mixture of (1) an alkali metal C 1-20 carboxylate and (2) a polyol or polyether glycol of M.W. 62-5000. Typical of many exemplified carboxylates are potassium formate, propionate, octanoate, tartrate, lactate, trichloroacetate, cyanoacetate and thiodiglycolate. Typical polyhydric alcohols are glycerine, ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol of M.W. 600 and polypropylene glycol of M.W. 400 or 3600. In examples, suitable anti-static mixtures are added to (1) aqueous compositions based on carboxylated butadiene/styrene copolymer (60% styrene) and also containing sodium pentachlorophenoxide, alkylated para-cresol, tetrapotassium pyrophosphate, calcium carbonate or whiting, and sodium polyacrylate; (2) a sulphur-cured composition based on a blend of butadiene/acrylonitrile copolymer and a graft copolymer of acrylonitrile-styrene/butadiene-styrene (the total blend containing 58% butadiene) and also containing zinc oxide, titanium dioxide and dibutoxyethoxy ethyl formal; (3) a sulphur-cured composition based on ethylene / propylene / ethylidene norbornene terpolymer and also containing complexed aluminium silicate, hydrogenated naphthenic oil, titanium dioxide, zinc oxide and stearic acid; and (4) an uncured blend of butadiene/acrylonitrile copolymer and a graft copolymer of acrylonitrile - styrene / butadiene - styrene (the total blend containing 18% butadiene). Other polymers which may form the base of the compositions are mentioned, including polyacetates, polyethers, phenol/formaldehyde copolymers, polyesters, polyamides and polysulphones.


Background : Mohs surgery is an increasingly appealing option for skin cancer. It is traditionally performed by a Mohs dermatologist, followed by a secondary repair by a head and neck or plastic surgeon. But one-stage procedure Mohs surgery with immediate reconstruction enhances patient's satisfaction and reduces the need for more than one procedure or multiple postoperative visits. Object : The purpose of this study was to report our experience of Mohs surgery and immediate reconstruction by a dermatologist. Results, complications, and recurrence rates were reviewed. Methods : Seventy five skin cancers, which were treated by Mohs surgery and reconstructed immediately were analysed retrospectively. Result : There were 43 females and 32 males. The mean age was 62.2. Basal cell carcinoma was the most common skin tumor. The Nose was the most common anatomic site. The mean size of tumor was 1.8 cm. The local flap was the most common used to repair surgical defects. Complications were minimal. Recurrent cases were none during 40-months follow up (range, 12-58 months). Conclusion : Immediate one-stage reconstruction after Mohs surgery by a dermatologist is a safe, convenient method to treat skin cancers. (Korean J Dermatol 2003;41(1) : 29-36)


Since its inception by Svedberg and coworkers in the 1920s, the analytical ultracentrifuge has provided a powerful tool in biochemistry and molecular biology, with applications ranging from simple purity checks and particle shape determinations from sedimentation velocity, isolation and purification of macromolecules using density gradient techniques right through to the evaluation of mol wt and mol-wt distributions, thermodynamic second virial coefficients, and association constants using sedimentation equilibrium, without the need for calibration standards. By the 1960s, the familiar"Beckman Model E" had become commonplace in biochemical laboratories worldwide. With the advent of the "high-resolution" techniques of X-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) for structural analysis and the relatively straightforward techniques of gel electrophoresis and gel permeation chromatography for purity and mol-wt analysis, the technique suffered a serious decline in popularity in biochemistry and molecular biology with the result that, by 1980, relatively few laboratories had this tacility. However, for both structural and mol-wt analysis, the technique is now undergoing a form of renaissance, culminating in the launch of the new Optima XLA


The real value of electronic signatures is not in their application to software products but in the level of security and trust they provide in a process. They should be able to provide identification of a sender and at the same time, they should be easy to use, and meet all legal and regulatory requirements as indicated by the legislation. It is obvious that electronic signatures offer a wide range of advantages to a government organization; however, their implementation needs to carefully consider what features are best suited to the specific needs of organizations. In this paper, we introduce a case study in the Justice Area where trust and better productivity were the important features to be supported. We draw some recommendations from the case study by addressing previous requirements, as well as social and managerial issues.


The Naval Battle Group Supply (NBGS) model is a dynamic and stochastic representation of the supply of U.S. Navy battle groups (BGs) worldwide by its combat logistics forces. The model measures the Navy's capability to provide logistics support for critical consumables (ship fuel, aviation fuel, dry goods, and ammunition). Execution of the model provides key system performance measures such as total distances traveled and various service levels, e.g. time combat forces operate below a critical supply level. Information from the model is used to more effectively design supply ships, in terms of sizing and capabilities, and to test and evaluate alternative operating policies. The model considers the supply and resupply of consumables as BGs and supply ships (SSs) carry out operations worldwide. Consumption by BGs, which depends on distances traveled and type of activity, is considered both within theaters of operation and in transit between theater and homeport. Once a BG indicates a need for a consumable, an SS is dispatched to rendezvous with the BG and transfers the material at a model-determined location. Force needs and demand for materials within theaters change based on stochastic actions, e.g. combat, show of force, humanitarian assistance. In order to meet changing force needs, BGs may be pulled from other theaters or from homeport. The model also considers the resupply of supply ships at friendly ports. All combat group and supply ship operational parameter values are populated in the model through a linked database. The NBGS model is developed in Flexsim, a discrete-event and continuous simulation model development and analysis environment. 1. SYSTEM DESCRIPTION A high-level, conceptual view of the NBGS Model is provided in Figure 1. It illustrates the interactions among the model's key components – battle groups and its consumables, supply ships and its consumables, theaters, home ports, friendly ports, commands, sea routes, and rendezvous points for supply. Friendly Port Theater Command Rendezvous BG + SS Battle Group BG Home Port Supply Ship SS SS Consumables BG Consumables Figure 1: Key components in NBGS Model A battle group is a set of ships that operate together; i.e., they move, consume, are supplied, and respond to actions as a unit. Three types of battle groups are considered: carrier strike groups, expeditionary strike groups, and littoral combat squadrons. Battle groups are based in home ports and operate in theaters. Typically, each BG is assigned to a specific theater; however, a BG may be temporarily assigned to another theater in support of non-normal actions that occur within a theater. These non-normal actions range from humanitarian assistance to combat. Each battle group uses consumables during travel between its home port and assigned theater of operation (referred to as underway replenishment), as well as while operating in theater. Consumption depends on the number and type of ships within the group and the type of action that the group is involved in within a theater; these actions are in reaction to military-political conditions which require a naval response. World conditions and subsequent naval actions within theaters vary over time and appear to occur randomly. Therefore, the type of action, start time, duration, and location (in what theater it occurs) are expressed as probability distributions that are derived from historical data. Consumables are supplied to combat forces by a worldwide fleet of supply ships that operate within regionalized commands. When a BG needs to be supplied, it sends a request for supply to a command. The command in turn selects a SS (closest with the requested consumable), assigns it to perform the supply operation, and then the SS and BG coordinate to determine where to rendezvous on the network. The supply ships themselves must be supplied, which is referred to as resupply, with the consumables that they provide to combat forces. Resupplies occur at friendly ports around the world. The resupply of friendly ports is not modeled; i.e., it is assumed friendly ports always have an adequate supply of the consumables they stock. As illustrated in Figure 1, home ports, friendly ports, and theaters are associated with nodes on a network. The network in the model is comprised of approximately 100 nodes and connections among the nodes represent the world's sea routes. The nodes contain spatial information (location in terms of longitude and latitude) and allow the model to determine any distance along a network path. Theaters generate actions (normal, as well as providing humanitarian assistance, engaging in combat, etc.) and must assess and manage its combat force levels in response to changes in its action state. 2. MODELLING APPROACH A mixed discrete-event and continuous simulation model represents the dynamics of the supply and resupply operations, involving naval battle groups and logistics forces, and the stochastic actions that occur during these operations. As shown in Figure 2, that model is developed in Flexsim simulation modeling and analysis software.


JULIAO, J. N. The Deleuze's interpretation of the Nietzsche's concept of nihilism. Revista Universidade Rural: Serie Ciencias Humanas, Seropedica, RJ: EDUR, v. 28, n. 1-2, p. 16-24, jan.dez., 2006. The objective of this article is to present Deleuze's interpretation of the Nietzsche's concept of nihilism, focusing and questioning the strategy argumentative of the French philosopher, which is substantiated from the distinction established between will of power and force.


The yearly population growth rate of the Philippines has risen to 2.32%, as compared with Thailand's at 0.9% and Malaysia at 1.5%. The Philippines' growth rate is considered to be one of the highest in Southeast Asia, and The Philippines is cited as being one of the most populous countries in the world by the UN. This figure prompted President Joseph Estrada to change his views on family planning, and he now considers it a solution to the existing problem in population. Although the president's previous opposition has done damage to the government's family planning programs, concerned officials have assured the public that it did not hinder the government's delivery of family planning services. The Commission on Population (POPCOM) has stated that the government is targeting a population growth rate of 2% by the next millennium. The government is focusing on the appropriation of funds to support family planning programs in order not to find itself flatfooted if foreign funders decide to withdraw their support within 5 years.


A new general scheme for the FD approximation of the Laplace operator, based on a non-regular discretization, is discussed here. It allows to take into account in the FD scheme the boundary conditions, and therefore allows to use the exact shape of the boundary. As a consequence, the field distribution details can be more accurately modeled. This approach has been applied to mode evaluation in ridged waveguides, and allows a precise evaluation of the power capability of those guides.


Reasons are given for projection of coal as a dominant source of fuel in industrial markets. Points out that technologies have evolved which permit the use of coal in systems which meet and often exceed environmental regulations with respect to emissions of SO/sup -//sub 2/, NO /SUB -x/ , and particulates. Graphs show the ratio of oil or gas cost to coal cost; the capability of boilers to fire coal; and a rough comparison between cost of oil and coal plus FGD. Presents tables of distribution by size of oil fired industrial boilers, and a rough comparison of capital costs to replace one barrel per day of oil. Concludes that although the cost of equipment to burn coal is somewhat greater than equipment costs to burn oil or gas, these costs are low compared to other technologies being considered to replace oil in the American economy.


Tocopherols and tocotrienols are two subgroups of Vitamin E with a saturated or unsaturated side chain, respectively. Each subgroup has four isomers (α, β, γ and δ). Among four tocopherols and four tocotrienols, α‐ and γ‐tocopherol are the main form of vitamin E found in daily food. Tocotrienols are not abundant in foods, but some studies have demonstrated that they have beneficial effects on health via their anti‐inflammatory and anti‐oxidative properties. A 12‐week randomized, double‐blinded, and placebo‐controlled clinical trial has been conducted to evaluate the effects of γ‐ and δ‐tocotrienols on bone health and their underlying mechanisms. Accurate and reliable extraction and detection methods are critically needed for measuring blood concentrations of tocopherols and tocotrienols in this study.


Universities are increasingly relying on fees from overseas students, but at what cost to their future prospects, to their brand' and to the positions currently allocated for domestic students? Sir Howard Davies looks at the options for the LSE.


A human factors project on the use of nuclear by-product material to treat cancer using remotely operated afterloaders was undertaken by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The purpose of the project was to identify factors that contribute to human error in the system for remote afterloading brachytherapy (RAB). This report documents the findings from the second, third, fourth, and fifth phases of the project, which involved detailed analyses of four major aspects of the RAB system linked to human error: human-system interfaces; procedures and practices; training practices and policies; and organizational practices and policies, respectively. Findings based on these analyses provided factual and conceptual support for the final phase of this project, which identified factors leading to human error in RAB. The impact of those factors on RAB performance was then evaluated and prioritized in terms of safety significance, and alternative approaches for resolving safety significant problems were identified and evaluated.


S04.01 Quantifying and ranking vulnerabilities in the carbon-climate-human system Michael R Raupach(1,3) , N Gruber(2), P Ciais(3,4),PJ Rayner(3) (1) Centre for Atmospheric, Weather and Climate Research, CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Canberra, Australia (2) Environmental Physics Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, Department of Environmental Sciences, ETH Zürich, Switzerland (3) LSCE/IPSL, Laboratoire CEA-CNRS-UVSQ, CEA de Saclay, Gif/Yvette, France (4) ESSP Global Carbon Project


The Effect of Maternally Administered Magnesium Sulfate On Superior Mesenteric Artery Blood Flow Velocity (SAM BFV) In The Newaborn Period.† 816


Serial sections of palatal mucosa from diabetic and nondiabetic patients were evaluated histochemically. An aldehyde-fuchsin-and acid-orcein-positive deposition occurred primarily in the adventitia of diabetic arterioles, as compared with nondiabetic vessels.


On June 28th, the Supreme Court of the United States announced its decision on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. For the country's health policy watchers, the wait had been as long – and the tension was as high – as for kids on Christmas morning.

The lead-up began months before. There was endless speculation about what the result would be. Would the Court find that the individual mandate was valid or not? What about the other provisions of the Act? How would the vote split? Commentators from across the political spectrum weighed in, as did the stock market and gamblers (Hancock 2012).

And finally, the morning of the decision's announcement arrived. Because it would have profound effects for healthcare, and possibly for the upcoming presidential race, major media outlets treated the story as breaking news. They were broadcasting developments live, each aiming to be first to get the news out.

Almost as interesting as the decision itself (Supreme Court of the United States 2012) was the drama that unfolded around the announcement (Goldstein 2012). Within the Court, the usual protocols and ceremonies were observed. The Marshal of the Court gaveled the Courtroom to order. The Justices took the bench. Outside, millions were anxiously waiting to learn what the decision would be. With the high volume of traffic, the Supreme Court's website failed. As a result, everyone outside the Court, including President Obama, were dependent on the media at the Court to get the results.

I happened to be in New York for a health policy meeting that day. As the clock ticked past 10 o'clock, participants from the United States were risking repetitive strain injury by pressing the "refresh" buttons on their browsers as fast as they could to see the news as soon as it was available.

Bloomberg was first to publish that the decision had been issued and also first to report on the results (Goldstein 2012). Fifty-two seconds after the Chief Justice began speaking at 10:06:40, Bloomberg announced that the Court had upheld the Act. Shortly thereafter, so did Reuters, Associated Press and Dow Jones. But initial on-air reports and social media posts from CNN and Fox News got the results wrong. In just a few minutes, these messages reached thousands, maybe millions, of people.

Those without access to a copy of the judgment were left wondering who was right. Ironically, while new technology compressed the news cycle and helped to spread incorrect information quickly, it also contributed to solving the problem. Many, including the president's communications team, were watching SCOTUSblog, a specialty site that has covered the Supreme Court since 2002. Denied a press credential by the Supreme Court,1 the blog was nevertheless a go-to source for those interested in the judgment, and C-SPAN even broadcast the live blog on television.

At 10:08:30, SCOTUSblog reported that the individual mandate had been upheld. A subsequent posting affirmed that "[t]he bottom line: the entire ACA is upheld, with the exception that the federal government's power to terminate states' Medicaid funds is narrowly read." Fox News reversed itself on air shortly thereafter, citing the blog; CNN issued a formal correction of its earlier report a few minutes later.

The Supreme Court announcement is, perhaps, unique as a high-stakes, time-sensitive example of knowledge translation, but it offers many lessons for those who seek to communicate complex information about health policy issues to the public. For example, it highlighted the challenges of established organizations adapting to new information distribution channels, as well as the growing power and influence of social media. It also served as a potent reminder of the importance of taking a little extra time to get the full facts before making, or communicating, important decisions.

As journal editors, we too have been thinking about how best to ensure that findings published in our journal's pages reach a broader audience in an effective way. To this end, with this issue, we are pleased to launch a pilot with EvidenceNetwork.ca, an initiative funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Manitoba Health Research Council. It links journalists with health policy experts in an effort to improve access to credible, evidence-based information. Over the past year, EvidenceNetwork.ca has published over 200 evidence-based policy op-eds in major English- and French-language papers across the country.

For each issue, an author of a Healthcare Policy paper with broad relevance will be invited to work with EvidenceNetwork.ca to produce an editorial related to his or her research to extend the reach and impact of the findings. EvidenceNetwork.ca will help authors craft and place editorials in the public media, with the intent that these editorials will appear at about the same time as the journal publication. The network will also publish these op-eds via Twitter, LinkedIn Groups and Facebook, complementing Longwoods' strong dissemination to the health community. Likewise, experts who have crafted editorials with EvidenceNetwork.ca that would benefit from more in-depth treatment may submit their work to Healthcare Policy/Politiques de Sante for review and potential publication in the journal's Discussion and Debate section. We welcome your feedback – please let us know what you think of this new approach.


Background: Tuina massage is a traditional method used effectively in the treatment of various ailments in China since ancient time, and currently it is used around the world. Objective: This minireview aims to describe several aspects of Tuina massage an integral part of Traditional Chinese Medicine in order to fill up the knowledge gap concerning traditional practitioners in Saudi Arabia. Methods: Electronic searches of databases using Boolean operators and keywords were conducted to retrieve data published in English and Chinese literature. Thousands of articles were identified and screened by two independent reviewers using exclusion and inclusion criteria, and 56 articles were finally included in this study. Results: Tuina has a very rich history in Chinese culture since antiquity. With continuous Mini-review Article Al-Bedah et al.; JOCAMR, 3(1): 1-14, 2017; Article no.JOCAMR.32941 2 advancements in research, training, regulation and clinical practice, Tuina massage became popular worldwide and now used either alone or in conjunction with other complementary and alternative medicine or conventional therapies in diverse diseases associated with pain and other symptoms with good outcome. Although Tuina has good safety profile with level of evidence (LOE) of I to III, well defined indications and contraindications, a variety of minor adverse effects together with some major complications including deaths have been reported in the literature. Besides continuous training of Tuina practitioners, Tuina massage practice needs regulatory measures and guidelines for avoiding complications and improving the clinical outcome of patients. Conclusion: Evidently, Chinese Tuina massage supported by theory, mechanisms, procedure and included randomized clinical trials snapshots, systematic reviews and meta-analysis with LOE of I to III is reported to be effective in several conditions. Further, rigorous randomized controlled studies with active comparators including other traditional modality or conventional medications or placebo with intensified quality control measures are required to provide further robust evidencebased data to support its efficacy in chronic diseases associated with pain and disabilities.


OBJECTIVES
To examine the effect of periodic preventive care on the progression of periodontal disease in 24 young adults with Down's syndrome (DS) (mean age+/-SD: 20.8+/-5.6 years)

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Subjects were divided into two groups: 13 subjects who had frequently visited our clinic (mean interval between visits: 3.7+/-1.3 months; managed group) and 11 subjects who had not visited our clinic for more than 1 year (mean duration of no visits: 27.5+/-10.1 months; interrupted group). The progression of periodontal disease in the subjects was evaluated clinically, microbiologically and roentgenologically.

RESULTS
Clinical parameters (probing depth, frequency of the presence of a pathological periodontal pocket, alveolar bone loss, frequency of the incidence of pathological bone loss, and modified total PMA (M-PMA)) and benzoyl-DL-arginine-naphthylamide (BANA) scores in the interrupted group were significantly higher than those in the managed group. Subject age showed significant positive correlations with probing depth and alveolar bone loss. BANA scores showed significant positive correlations with probing depth, alveolar bone loss and M-PMA in the interrupted group.

CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that periodic preventive care is effective for suppressing the progression of periodontal disease in young adults with DS.


Purpose - The purpose of this editorial is to consider the importance of random samples subject to a constant-sum constraint (that is, a succession of identically distributed random variables that add up to some predetermined constant) in human experience and intuition. Design/methodology/approach - The importance of constant-sum random samples is motivated by considering the intuition that successive random variables must be negatively correlated to provide the "balance" required by convergence results such as the law of large numbers. Given that the intuition of negatively correlated trials is valid in the context of constant-sum sampling, we explore the roles of this model in both evolutionary and modern-day contexts. Findings - The connection between constant-sum sampling and the intuition that convergence results require negatively correlated random variables suggests that the constant-sum model played a significant role in the lives of our primitive human ancestors. Because of the continued prevalence of constant-sum samples in the modern world, it is concluded that the intuition of negatively correlated random variables should not be so quickly and categorically dismissed. Originality/value - The editorial studies the relationship between constant-sum random sampling and the intuition of negatively correlated random variables, and reveals the important role that the constant-sum model has played – and still plays – in human cognition.


We demonstrated a reversible transparency-changing smart glass that can be operated by mechanical impacts and heat. Active control of transparency/color is the key to many functional optoelectric devices. Applying an electric field to an electrochromic or liquid crystal material is the typical approach for optical property control. In contrast to the conventional electrochromic method, we developed a new concept of smart glass using new driving mechanisms (based on mechanical stimulus and thermal energy) to control optical properties. This mechano-thermo-chromic smart glass device with an integrated transparent microheater uses a sodium acetate solution, which shows a unique marked optical property change under mechanical impact (mechanochromic) and heat (thermochromic). Such mechano-thermo-chromic devices may provide a useful approach in future smart window applications that could be operated by external environment conditions.


In this paper, an adaptive fuzzy control is proposed to improve the tracking performance for teleoperation robot.With the uncertain nonlinear factors affection of slave manipulator, the uncertainties can be compensated for slave manipulator by the method of fuzzy system approximation, which makes each of the joints track accurately according to the trajectory of master manipulator. At the same time, in order to reduce the number of fuzzy rules of the fuzzy logic system, the uncertainties of the slave manipulator dynamics equation will be decomposed and a new control law will be designed, which improves the robustness and stability of the system. The validity of the control scheme is verified by computer simulation,which shows that the adaptive fuzzy control strategy can achieve accurate teleoperation for slave manipulator.


Resumen en: The main goal of agricultural crop management in any country is to guarantee food resources for its population. The heterogeneity of corn-growing condit...


Refugee parents often experience post-traumatic stress due to their past experiences, but how does this affect their parenting? Surprisingly, this study found a high level of parental self-efficacy among Eritrean refugee parents in the Netherlands and Ethiopia. However, this raises concerns about the emotion regulation skills of refugee parents, who have a high level of emotional control and may have learnt to value self-reliance, which can impact on the socio-emotional development of their children. This requires further research as it may affect the long-term development of children of refugee parents and contribute to generational trauma.


The main result of early neoclassical growth models supports the convergence of economic growth among countries. Given that countries converge to their steady state growth path, countries with lower economic growth will move faster than rich ones based on the neoclassical growth models. A tremendous amount of research studies have investigated the growth convergence among different regions and countries. Among others, Barro and Martin (1990) use a neo-classical growth model to find clear evidence of convergence among US states. However, many believe that since the infusion of knowledge appears with a time lag, it may take more than a century for countries to converge to the same economic growth path in a steady state. In this study, we used fixed effect models to test the hypothesis of convergence among Middle East Countries for the period of 1995-2005. We tested for both absolute and conditional convergence using both GDP and per capita income. We also divided countries into two sub-groups, oil producing countries and non-oil producers, to see whether convergence exists within both group and whether the speed of convergence is different. Our results suggest that though there is a tendency of convergence among Middle East countries, the speed of convergence is different for oil producers compared with non-oil producers.


Two studies were conducted to explore the connection between science texts features and students' ratings of the interest level of the texts. In both studies, students from the 8th-10th grade completed a knowledge test prior to reading, studied the texts, and rated the texts in terms of interest. In the first study, 124 students each worked with 48 popular scientific texts in biology. In the second study, 400 students worked with 40 texts from physics textbooks. The students indicated higher interest in texts with fewer abstract words and scientific terms, shorter sentences and words and a lower repeating rate for nouns. Frequent words in spoken language were related to lower interest in textbooks, but higher interest in popular scientific texts. This difference in the results may be attributed to the higher prior knowledge of textbooks (26%) compared to their knowledge of popular scientific texts (6%). Implications of the findings are discussed.


By taking the quantity,quality,structure,environment involved with the population as the second indicators,while the population's density,infant mortality rate and so on as the third ones,the paper sets up an index system of Jiangsu's population development.It then uses its synthetic indexes to evaluate the population development of 13 prefecture-level cities in the province.Cluster analysis is used to divide the cities into five categories from high to low level,and assessment is made on them respectively.Finally the proposal is given that the province should attach great importance to people's livelihood,environment,education,health care,employment and agricultural industry besides economic development,and suggestions are respectively given for each of the city category.