The hottest place in Latin America has got to be Merida, Yacatan in late June. I normally would have taken a more southernly route back to the United States but was to meet my wife in Merida for her first real taste of Mexico. Traveling west through the Ucaran peninsula we soon crossed the Rio Usurnacinra, the last of the truely wild rivers in Northern Central America. Soon we were at our destination, the ruins of Palenque, Chiapas. After walking throughout the ruins area and taking the normal tourist type pictures we decided that the hot summer sun was getting the best of us and that we best leave and seek a friendly iced glass of cola. As soon as we were at the last leg of the exit path a strange croaking sound vibrated from the forest above the ruins. Only one call was needed to spark "it's a keel-billed toucan!l " We scoured the treetops for nearly ten minutes before discovering the location of this big beaked bird. It was the first toucan that Mary has seen in the wild and although I have seen countless others we both stood, sweat dripping down our foreheads, watching the comical antics of this wonder of the bird world. The Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus) can be found in reasonable numbers from Lago Catemaco, Veracruz, Mexico south to Northern Columbia. Inhabiting lowland forest up to about 2500 feet in elevation, it seldom ventures outside the dense forest as does the smaller aracaris and toucanets. Much of the year it remains in flocks roaming from fruiting tree to tree. During the spring months the males spread out among the forest and perch atop a tall tree where they emit that froglike "Gaab" for hours on end. Nesting in holes, generally in live trees where a branch broke off, or a woodpecker home from past years, the toucan lays its one to four dull white eggs in an unlined cup that may be from several inches to several feet below the entrance. Although a fruiteater most of the year it frequently has been observed feeding small lizards and insects to its young. Not kept as pets by the natives, it is a frequently hunted species as it is fairly tasty and is easy prey for even the poorest shot with a slingshot. This was illustrated vividly when I discovered a Polaroid type photo of a young Indian holding five keel-bills by their feet. Apparently these were prized trophies as he had a large smile of pride on his face. The photo was posted on the wall of a hut where the residents of the village gathered. Although such activities undoubtedly have an affect on the local population, it is the loss of habitat that creates the greatest problem. A smaller but equally colorful species, the Collared Aracari (Pteroglossus torquatus) shares much of the same range with the Keel-billed Toucan, but ventures outside the lowland forest into woodland edges and coffee and fruit plantations. It also can be encountered in higher elevations, being recorded up to 4000 feet. Not as froglike of a call, its squeaky "we-chip" really doesn't stand out in the forest as does the Keel-billed toucan's call. I have seen a number of these aracaris flying across my path in varying numbers but have never discovered a nest. A friend involved in making wildlife films did find such a nest and documented it feeding its young insects and lizards. Having the strange habit of communal roosting in tree cavities, several birds will pile into a cavity at dusk. With tails vertical and bills over their backs, they pass the night. The species is not hunted to the extent of the larger toucans but the slash/bum techniques of agriculture will undoubtedly affect its population if the natives continue. A much less colorful toucan, the Emerald Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus prasinus), being green with a black and yellow bill, blends in well with the upper canopy of the forest where it spends most of its life. Having heard several individuals state that "an Emerald Toucan et nested in this tree,' ' or, "this is the type of tree that Emerald T oucanettes like," it was only last year that I finally discovered such a tree and nest cavity with the toucanettes in residence! Even with the knowledge that such birds are in a tree is no assurance that you will be able to locate them. The possibility of locating a nest is equally as fruitless (unless you follow a bird into a cavity) as they generally prefer holes with tangles of vegetation at the entrance. The most wide ranging of the three toucans found in Northern Central America, it is considered to be a bird of the highlands and cloud forest, from Southern Mexico into Costa Rica. There it...


The Pacific Asian urban transition is part of a process of globalization that is pitting city against city during intensifying games of competition for internationally footloose investment. The major dilemma posed by this form of globalization is how to make cities more livable and environmentally sound as vagabond capital demands higher levels of subsidies and giveaways, and lower impositions of environmental costs on business. Intercity cooperation within and among nations is proposed, to overcome the "grow now, clean up the environment later" syndrome, by using livability as a means of securing global investment and gaining greater local economic resilience.


Introduction Old English literature (sometimes referred to as Anglo-Saxon literature) encompasses literature written in Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon) in Anglo-Saxon England from the 7th century to the decades after the Norman Conquest of 1066. "Caedmon's Hymn", composed in the 7th century according to Bede, is often considered the oldest extant poem in English, whereas the later poem, The Grave is one of the final poems written in Old English, and presents a transitional text between Old and Middle English.[1] Likewise, the Peterborough Chronicle continues until the 12th century. The poem Beowulf, which often begins the traditional canon of English literature, is the most famous work of Old English literature. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle has also proven significant for historical study, preserving a chronology of early English history.Alexander Souter names the commentary on Paul's epistles by Pelagius "the earliest extant work by a British author".[2][3] In descending order of quantity, Old English literature consists of: sermons and saints' lives, biblical translations; translated Latin works of the early Church Fathers; Anglo-Saxon chronicles and narrative history works; laws, wills and other legal works; practical works ongrammar, medicine, geography; and poetry.[4] In all there are over 400 survivingmanuscripts from the period, of which about 189 are considered "major".[5] Besides Old English literature, Anglo-Saxons wrote a number of Anglo-Latin works. Scholarships:Volume II, Issue II, June 2014 ISSN 2321-7065


each student is provided different starting materials to produce different flavones, many of which have not been described in the literature.


Increased audibility and intelligibility of sentences by a 13-yr.-old Mexican boy read from books or spoken spontaneously with a therapist, in class, and in group-therapeutic sessions were observed after implementation of simple differential reinforcement using a tape recorder.


Characteristics of nanocrystalline materials are known substantially dependent on the microstructure such as grain size, crystal orientation, and grain boundary. Thus it is desired to have systematic characterization methods on the various nanomaterials with complex geometries, especially in low dimensional nature. One of the interested nanomaterials would be a pure two-dimensional material, graphene, with superior mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. In this study, mechanical properties of "polycrystalline" graphene were numerically investigated by molecular dynamics simulations. Subdomains with various sizes would be generated in the polycrystalline graphene during the fabrication such as chemical vapor deposition process. The atomic models of polycrystalline graphene were generated using Voronoi tessellation method. Stress strain curves for tensile deformation were obtained for various grain sizes (5~40 nm) and their mechanical properties were determined. It was found that, as the grain size increases, Young`s modulus increases showing the reverse Hall-Petch effect. However, the fracture strain decreases in the same region, while the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) rather shows slight increasing behavior. We found that the polycrystalline graphene shows the reverse Hall-Petch effect over the simulated domain of grain size (< 40 nm).


This article makes a general study of IT project management problems, specifically in an era of digital transformation. The collection of quantitative and qualitative data has been done by means of investigation reports already published in international groups, direct observation in the field (the case of an IT company), and interviews with project managers and different stakeholders during the implementation of IT projects. The results of this study allowed us to identify the key factors of failure of IT projects, which are directly related to the way this specific type of project is managed. Throughout the observation, solutions to each problem were identified, tested, and improved. In order to propose a well-defined framework, for the management of IT projects. This framework is presented in the form of a project lifecycle, defining the different stages of each phase of the IT project lifecycle.


The Cross-hole Sonic Logging (CSL) technique is one of the most effective quality assurance methods for testing foundations in terms of assessing the homogeneity and integrity of in-situ concrete foundation elements. This paper aims to study the effects of sonic access tube materials (such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and steel) on the signal strength of ultrasonic waves when carrying out a CSL test. This aim was achieved by the use of an in-house developed multi-channel ultrasonic data acquisition prototype, referred to as the 'Multiple Referencing System' (MRS). The prototype was developed based on National Instruments (NI) hardware in a LabVIEW (Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench) environment. It was designed for pre-programmed data acquisition, processing and visualising. With the development of the in-house developed prototype MRS, the transmission velocity and signal strength of the acquired waveforms were determined by the use of different sonic access tubes. According to the experimental results, PVC tubes produce a lower attenuation than steel tubes due to a smaller difference in acoustic impedance between PVC and the testing medium. For each material, the signal strength increases with increasing sonic access tube diameter due to the effect of a curved surface of the walls of sonic access tubes. Sonic profiles with unclear and fuzzy successions of white and black lines may be obtained by the use of a larger-diameter (ie 150 mm diameter) sonic access tube, even though no defect is presented inside foundation concrete elements, as the probes can move around inside the tube. Inside sonic access tubes with a diameter more than twice the diameter of the probes, the probes should be fitted with centralisers to prevent undue movement during measurement.


In order to develop spatial interpolation models for a large area, localization is required to partition global spatial data into local areas. Fuzzy c-means clustering are normally used to perform this task. However, the method needs prior information to determine the most proper number of cluster. This study proposes the use of two cluster validation methods, statistic-based method and simulation-based method to determine the optimal number of cluster for spatial data. The statistic-based method analyzes standard deviation of spatial data to determine the number of cluster, whereas the simulation-based method analyzes the training performance of artificial neural network. The proposed methods were applied to the spatial rainfall data in the northeast region of Thailand. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed methods could provide reasonable results. The statistic-based method is statistically explainable for human analysts, whereas the simulation-based is an easy-to-use technique for cluster validation.


The thesis of the futurologist A. Clark that «sufficiently advanced technologies are indistinguishable from magic» is relevant nowadays as never before. Modern science, unlike magic, although it relies on logically consistent physical theories, formalisms of mathematics and the possibilities of computing, has not made the world less mysterious, especially with regard to the natural phenomena of consciousness, thinking and intelligence. From the point of view of computer science, a distinctive feature of these phenomena is their network-centric neuromorphic organization and the availability of complex memory resources - a non-casual computing mechanism for «transporting» processed data, the results of calculations and information interactions in time. Formalization of these features makes it possible to determine a model of cognitive processes on a multidimensional set of states, on which a strict relation between the time order and numerical equality is not introduced, therefore, contextually significant information, about past as well as current or forecast states, can be used for calculations at the same time states. For control systems operating under uncertainty, a distributed heterogeneous reconfigurable structure is proposed that implements the technology of «computation in memory» both for algorithms reflecting causal relationships and learning processes that require operational reconfiguration of the computation field.


Most traffic control strategies are designed considering effects at the junction and in the rest of the network in the short and medium term, but not the long-term consequences when drivers vary their routes because of the change in traffic flow. The paper argues for the use of responsive signals, with network capacity (rather than total travel cost) as control criterion. The capacity of the network is maximised if the signals operate so as to equalise traffic pressure on the most pressurised parts of the network.<
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Political Articulations of Hunters to the State: Means of Resisting Threats to Subsistence Production in the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement Hunting peoples are with increasing frequency trying to actively respond to the repeated threats to their subsistence activities from nation state governments and international economies by creating linkages to existing national political and economic structures. The present paper presents an account of one instance of this relatively unstudied phenomenon, the articulations sought and established by the Eastern James Bay Cree of northern Quebec during the negotiation of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement. Approximately a dozen articulatory responses are identified, including: legal definition of rights and obligations binding on governments ; macro-system recognition of Cree cultural and social structures and practices ; guaranteed allocations of wildlife and exclusive species and areas ; and guaranteed annual incomes for hunters. The paper indicates how these articulations were designed to respond to perceived threats to Cree hunting society, given the general political and power setting of the negotiations with the state. Questions for further analysis are raised concerning the macroÉTUDES/INUIT/ STUDIES 1979 VOL. 3 N° 2 37 This content downloaded from 220.127.116.11 on Tue, 11 Sep 2018 22:10:51 UTC All use subject to https://about.jstor.org/terms political effectiveness of such articulations, and their social and cultural consequences for local integrity and autonomy.


Functional disorders (i.e. interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome) are associated with hyperexcitability of afferent nerves innervating the urinary tract and the bowel, respectively. Various non‐5‐HT3 receptor mRNA transcripts are expressed in mouse urothelium and exert functional responses to 5‐HT. Whilst 5‐HT3 receptors were not detected in mouse urothelium, 5‐HT3 receptors expressed on bladder sensory neurons plays a role in bladder afferent excitability both under normal conditions and in a mouse model of chronic visceral hypersensitivity. These data suggest that the role 5‐HT3 receptors play in bladder afferent signalling warrants further study as a potential therapeutic target for functional bladder disorders.


The emergence of political outsiders is a phenomenon that has occurred in numerous representative democracies. The term outsider has been discussed in academic work by multiple scholars who have observed the position of outsider candidates towards the party system, the characteristics of their political strategies and their rhetorical practices. Although definitions vary and not all researchers agree on the same characteristics of this type of politicians, in broader terms, a political outsider is understood as a person who does not belong to the party system, has no political record or administration experience, does not
identify himself with a specific ideology or program, and appears as an independent candidate or with a new political party shortly before elections. Although analysis on political outsiders has increased in the past years, their rise to power is not a new phenomenon.


Open display networks represent a new paradigm for large scale networks of public displays that are open to applications and content from third party sources. Web technologies may be particularly interesting as a technological framework for third-party application development in open display networks because of their portability and widespread use. However, there are also significant challenges involved that result from the specificities of this particular usage domain. In this work, we identify and characterize some of those specificities and analyze their implications for the use of web technologies. This contribution builds on our own experience with the development of multiple web-based applications for public displays and will inform the design of new models for this type of applications.


Citation for published version (Harvard): Monteiro, DA, Taylor, EW, Rantin, FT & Kalinin, AL 2017, 'Impact of waterborne and trophic mercury exposures on cardiac function of two ecologically distinct Neotropical freshwater fish Brycon amazonicus and Hoplias malabaricus', Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C: Toxicology & Pharmacology, vol. 201, pp. 2634. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpc.2017.09.004


Drip irrigation system can achieve high uniformity. When the system is designed for uniformity coefficient equal or more than 70%, the water application in the field can be expressed as a normal distribution and further simplified to a linear distribution. This paper will describe the irrigation scheduling parameters, percent of deficit, application efficiency and coefficient of variation by simple mathematical model. Using this effective model and the irrigation application, the total yield affected by the total water application for different uniformity of irrigation application can be determined. More over, this paper uses the cost of water, price of yield, uniformity of the drip irrigation system, crop response to water application and environmental concerns of pollution and contamination to determine the optimal irrigation schedule. A case study shows that the optimal irrigation schedule can achieve the effect of water saving and production increment compared with the conventional irrigation schedule in which the whole field is fully irrigated.


Maureen, are you tied up at the moment? Not at all, Professor Dingbat, I was simply idling away a few minutes putting Dr Quintock's Cultural Studies slides on line for the first years, sending out a reminder that no one has yet paid their ten pounds towards the examiners dinner and trying to revive Professor Lapping's rubber plant. Jolly good Maureen, you know about this Net Neighbours scheme don't you? The one where you can do a bit of online shopping on behalf of an older person? Yes, that's the one. I thought at first it wouldn't take very long but they've given me three to look after and some of them blather on for an absolute age. You wouldn't believe what I have to listen to, their neighbours kids this and their bilious distress that. You've no idea how annoying it is -people blithering away about their problems while you're trying to get things done! I think I can just about imagine it. Well anyway, I've got this cheque through the post from one of my old dears "Old dears", Professor Dingbat? Dr Quitntock's slides state very clearly that the term "old dears" is sexist, ageist and offensive. Ah, of course, where would we be without Dr Quintock's unfailing guidance. Quite right Maureen, well one of my elderly ladies Dr Quintock's slides go on to note that the term "elderly" is also contested. Age is a social as well as a biological construct. Well what am I supposed to call them? Chronologically challenged? Ha ha ha! Professor Dingbat! That's just the kind of reactionary humour that has made "politically correct" a term of abuse. Dr Quintock says that "older people" is the phrase currently used by those of us who aren't quite so keen on being offensive. Well it's a good thing that Dr Quintock isn't here then isn't it? Now listen carefully, one of my coffin dodgers has sent me a cheque to cover the shopping I ordered for her. Make yourself useful and run along to the bank with it sometime this week will you, I haven't got time myself. Oh and here's a list of the ones who haven't paid yet, ring them up and remind them when you've got a spare moment or two. (Pastiche Scenario from Taylor 1994)


Because of the unique social status of women in ancient China,the uniqueness of female painting came into being.Subjects of their paintings are mainly birds and flowers.Their technique preferences are both brush stroke mainly expressed in color,and fine brushwork together with freehand brushwork.


Along with the rapid development of the "Internet+", shopping demands under the e-commerce are becoming greater and greater, the logistics and express industry which support steady progress of e-commerce change rapidly. The contents of the online shopping services mainly show "online" and "offline" two aspects, students as the main force of online shopping groups, their satisfaction evaluation for logistics determines the direction of future development of logistics and express company. This paper aims at the "offline" service, obtain data through the students' individual interviews, questionnaires and other means, the factor analysis, reliability analysis, regression analysis, variance analysis in the SPSS statistical analysis are used to do empirical analysis for customers' satisfaction of campus express logistics, and draw conclusions that consumers generally have low satisfaction for the quality factor, stability factors and convenience factors of the campus express industry, and proposes the suggestion that improve the terminal service team, integrate and standardize the terminal agent for the campus express industry, it has important practical significance for the development of modern express industry.


Program directors and faculty face continuous demands to develop and improve curricula and instruction. Learning theories can provide a lens to guide curricular innovations and offer new teaching strategies, yet few faculty feel the need or are equipped to apply these theories to inform practice. A simple typology, based on 3 key lenses on learning, can help faculty demystify learning theories and appreciate their utility in guiding practice.


Bacteriophages can provide alternative measures for the control of E. coli O157:H7 that is currently an emerging food-borne pathogen of severe public health concern. This study was aimed at characterising E. coli O157:H7 specific phages as potential biocontrol agents for these pathogens. Fifteen phages were isolated and screened against 69 environmental E. coli O157:H7. Only 3 phages displayed broad lytic spectra against environmental shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 strains. These 3 lytic phages were designated V3, V7 and V8. Subsequent characterization indicated that they displayed very high degree of similarities despite isolation from different locations. Transmission Electron microscopy (TEM) of the phages revealed that they all had isometric heads of about 73 – 77 nm in diameter and short tails ranging from 20 - 25 nm in diameter. Phages V3, V7 and V8 were assigned to the family Podoviridae based on their morphology. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) genome estimation of the 3 phages demonstrated identical genome sizes of ~ 69 nm. The latent periods of these phages were 20 min, 15 min, and 20 min for V3, V7 and V8 respectively while the burst sizes were 374, 349 and 419 PFU/ infected cell respectively. While all the phages were relatively stable over a wide range of salinity, temperatures and pH values, their range of infectivity or lytic profile was rather narrow on environmental E. coli O157:H7 strains isolated from cattle faeces. This study showed that the Podoviridae bacteriophages are the dominant E. coli O57:H7-infecting phages harboured in cattle faeces in the North-West Province of South Africa and due to their favourable characteristics can be exploited in the formulation of phage cocktails for the bio-control of E. coli O157:H7 in meat and other meat products.


In this paper, we study the restriction of an irreducible unitary representation $\pi$ of the universal covering $\widetilde{Sp}_{2n}(\mb R)$ to a Heisenberg maximal parabolic group $\tilde P$. We prove that if $\pi|_{\tilde P}$ is irreducible, then $\pi$ must be a highest weight module or a lowest weight module. This is in sharp constrast with the $GL_n(\mathbb R)$ case. In addition, we show that for a unitary highest or lowest weight module, $\pi|_{\tilde P}$ decomposes discretely. We also treat the groups $U(p,q)$ and $O^*(2n)$.


Biochemistry is a branch subject of chemistry, which is the study of chemical structures and processes associated with living organisms. COVID-19 pandemic is a problem for human beings. From the perspective of biochemistry, this paper demonstrates the chemical structure and interactions of SARS-CoV-2's spike protein and its receptor (human angiotensin converting enzyme 2), and summarizes the related research progresses. The authors hope to provide insights for the development of COVID-19 vaccine.


A quaternary system of borophosphate glasses formulated with zinc and antimony were prepared in three series, namely series A, series B and series C. All the samples in each series were prepared using melt quenching technique followed by annealing at 350oC for 1 hour. The best composition in Series A [10P2O5–40B2O3–(50-x)Sb2O3–(x)ZnO] (10 = x = 50) in terms of stability and transparency, was selected for preparation of Series B [10P2O5–40B2O3–40Sb2O3–10ZnO–1 RE] (RE=Sm3+/Eu3+/Er3+/Nd3+), in order to study the effect of the different dopand ions to the molecular structure and luminescent properties of the glass system. Series C of [10P2O5–40B2O3–40Sb2O3–10ZnO–(x)Sm2O3] (0.5 = x = 2.0) was prepared to study the effect of samarium concentration on the luminescence properties. The XRD results showed that the crystalline phase of the glass changed with different amount of zinc and antimony substitution. Crystalline phase was observed for sample containing more than 30 mol % of zinc oxide. Result of IR spectroscopy indicated that ZnO affected the basic coupling units of P-O bond and Sb3+ ions entered the glass system by breaking up the B-O-B bonds. The modification of zinc antimony borophosphate glasses with rare earth was studied and showed that the presence of rare earth ion in the glass system did not change the structural features. Among various rare earth, Eu3+ and Sm3+ showed the strongest luminescence intensity. The luminescence intensity of Sm doped glass changed in no specific pattern when the concentration, x increased from 0.5 to 2.0 mol %. The samarium doped glass showed intense luminescence with a very sharp peak dominated by the 4G5/2 ?6H7/2 transition at 590 nm.


The basic equation of image formation describes the image intensity distribution as the convolution of the optical point spread function ( OPSF ) with the intensity distribution of the object. In the Fourier domain the image equation takes the form: G(u) = H(u)F(u ) where G is the Fourier transform of the image, F is the Fourier transform of the object and H is the transform of the OPSF, often referred to as .the Optical Transfer Function ( OTF ). The diffraction theorem of optics describes the OTF as the autocorrelation of the pupil of the optical system. Thus, the OTF must go to zero at some maximum spatial frequency, and no object information is passed into the image above this frequency, referred to as the diffraction limit. The prospect of retrieving object spatial frequency information from beyond the diffraction limit, by processing the image, has been the subject of research for a number of years, spurred by a theorem on the analytic function prperties of the Fourier transform of most real objects [l]. The recovery of such information beyond the diffraction limit is called SuperResolution. One of the early demonstrations of SuperResolution was the iteration scheme of Gerchberg. Other algorithms have been published since then, but none have addressed a central question : How much bandwidth extension is possible in SuperResolution, and what parameters govern the degree of bandwidth extension? We analyze the amount of bandwidth extension by a simple model. Two point source objects are assumed, as per the classical experiment of Rayleigh. Each source is assumed to emit photons with Poisson statistics. Bayes law is used to formulate the statistical relationship between the object and image, given the image formation equation and the Poisson statistics. The Likelihood function is derived from the Bayes expression, with a free parameter for the entire model being the separation distance between the two sources of photons. The problem is to now estimate the separation of the two sources when the distance between them is less than the classical resolutin limit, i.e., the Rayleigh distance. Any estimate which can do this is a SuperResolution process. We desire to estimate how good such an estimate can be. The Cramer-Rao Bound gives the performance of any estimate, and we calculate the CRB for the model described above as a measure of the best performance that can be achieved by any algorithm. We t:hen interpret the CRB in the context of the implied bandwidth extension that is achieved and express it through the parameters of interest, i.e., SNR, OTF, etc. Typical values of the CRB and degree of bandwidth extension are displayed.


We re-examined the effect of teaching and learning with technology on student cognitive and affective outcomes using the meta-analytic technique. Screening studies obtained from an electric search of databases such as PsyInfo and ERIC resulted in 58 studies (1997-2011). Overall, effect sizes were small to moderate across the cognitive and affective outcome measures. Specific teaching/learning components such as context/making sense, challenging activity, instructional conversation, and joint productivity were associated with effect sizes. Instructional features such as objectives, pattern of student computer use, and type of learning task also moderated effect sizes. Suggestions are made for pre-service teachers and in-service teachers to include these instructional features and teaching strategies in teaching and learning with technology.


AN EXAMINATION OF GHANAIAN IMMIGRANT INSTITUTIONS IN GREATER CINCINNATI AREA OF THE SOUTH WEST OHIO, USA By Kewku Siripi Ocran This thesis examines Ghanaian immigrant associations in Cincinnati, Ohio and how they fulfill social, economic, religious and cultural needs of their members. It assesses the role immigrant institutions play in maintaining Ghanaian heritage and identity, and also help in facilitating the settlement processes of members into the mainstream American system. By examining the nature, purpose, functions and formation of these associations, the thesis unravel not only the problems and successes they encounter, but also, how they have continually undergone restructuring to help members overcome many barriers and discriminations in their experience and adaptation processes. An in-depth discussion on four identified Ghanaian immigrant associations in Cincinnati, Ohio, reveals fluctuating but dynamic changes in membership, functions and resource generation. In spite of many teething problems they confront, the associations have increasingly become the avenue for many Ghanaian immigrants to adapt and cope with the American system. These associations have therefore become agencies for sustaining not only the immigrants' unique socio-economic, religious and cultural needs but also reinforcing Ghanaian identity. This study provides some understanding to the African immigrant experience through associational life and how it compares and compliments experiences of the Europeans, Asians, and South Americans in the USA. The findings suggest and readily support the assertion that Ghanaian immigrant associations in Cincinnati are continually striving to meet the needs of members to settle but have not yet achieved the full potential to mobilize resources to undertake socio-economic development projects and/or transnational activities with their country of origin. AN EXAMINATION OF GHANAIAN IMMIGRANT INSTITUTIONS IN GREATER CINCINNATI AREA OF THE SOUTH WEST OHIO, USA A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Miami University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Geography by Kweku Siripi Ocran Miami University Oxford, Ohio 2005 Advisor _____________________ (Dr. Ian E. A. Yeboah) Reader _____________________ (Dr. Thomas Klak) Reader _____________________ (Dr. Patricia Ehrkamp)


main objective of this research is to propose an Opinion Analysis Model for classification of opinions with the evolutionary approach and to improve the classification accuracy. The research presented three proposals to heed to various real-world problems. Some processes were posed, described, discussed and compared with existing classification algorithms. An improvement of classification accuracy is noticed when the data is preprocessed by KN preprocessing algorithm. Thus, the formed corpuses were applied in the existing classification algorithms which showed an increase in the accuracy rates. The enrichment of the classification algorithms with the neural network and genetic optimization brought a significant intervention in the classification accuracies. The research, for analyzing, took into account Mobile Learning (M- Learning) dataset from Android Market website. In order to assess the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms, the benchmark experiments are conducted with Internet Movie Database (IMDb) dataset comprising of movie reviews. KeywordsAnalysis Model (OAM), KN preprocessing algorithm, Classification Algorithms, Neural Network, Genetic Optimization, M-Learning, Internet Movie Database (IMDb) dataset.


Powdered samples representing geological (soils) and biological
(infant formula) materials were prepared for laser ablation as
pressed pellets and as poured pellets with a liquid binder. The
possibility of using sol-gel technique allowing homogenous
dispersion of internal standard or calibration solutions spiked
in the solid material was studied. UV and IR laser ablation of
prepared pellets with 266 nm and 1064 nm Q-switched Nd:YAG
laser was investigated. Ablation craters were studied using the
SEM method which allowed definition of the crater sizes and BSE
method for more detailed analyses yielded an elemental map
showing element distribution on the crater bottom and rims of
the ablation track and the surrounding surfaces. Elemental
analysis of prepared pellets was performed using LA-ICP-OES,
the precision and accuracy of created methods were compared.


Abstract The research is entitled "Code Mixing by The Indonesian Music Hosts On MTV". It is an Attempt to analyze and explain the code mixing analysis in Hosts on MTV. The objective of this research is to identify, classify, and analyze the code mixing by the Indonesian music hosts on MTV. The writer conducts this research by using descriptive method. In collecting data, videos were taken from youtube as a source data. In analyzing data, the writer used theory by Hoffman (1991:116). The theory consists of ten reasons, they are: talking about a particular topic, quoting somebody else, being emphaty something (express solidarity), interjection (inserting sentence fillers or sentence connectors), repetition used for clarification, intention of clarifying the speech content for interlocutor, expressing group identity, to soften or strengthen request or command, because of real lexical need, to exclude other people when a comment is intended for only a limited audience. The result of this research shows that in code mixing there are 66 sentences by hosts on MTV programme by Hoffman theory (1991:116). Keywords: sociolinguitics, code mixing, MTV (Music Television), hosts


Synthesis of the 14-membered macrolide core of migrastatin is accomplished by the use of furyl carbinol in 13 linear steps from furfural with 11% overall yield. Key strategies in the synthesis include the oxidative ring opening of furan and its use as a four carbon synthon, SN2 displacement of a functionalized allyl bromide and ring closing metathesis (RCM) to obtain the macrolactone.


Volume 1:4 Summer 2008 – Conceptual and Theoretical Models for Evidence-Based Design Research and Projects Conceptual and theoretical models explain the relationship among variables of interest in a research study and provide a framework to guide decision making in healthcare design projects. With a new and emerging discipline in evidence-based healthcare design, it is important to develop and test conceptual and theoretical frameworks that can be used in research to test hypothesized relationships among variables that are believed to affect organizational, patient, and provider outcomes. Deadline date for submissions: Closed.


Weights of mineralized dental tissue have been determined in incisors dissected from ten pairs of twins failing to survive beyond 7-8 months' gestation. Logarithms of weights were compared as ratios (lower/upper) with data from foetuses of similar development. Intra-twin differences were thus shown to be significantly less than inter-twin differences when comparing central incisors. Lateral incisors were too variable to allow this demonstration. The linear regression equation combining logarithms of lower and upper central incisor weights was suitable for estimating foetal age to within one week of the recorded age.


Using the Mann iteration we prove a convergence result and a data dependence for two clases of contractive type maps.


Acidic nuclear proteins and histones were extracted at several points in time from human lymphocytes cultured in media containing phytohemagglutinin, and their amounts were measured according to Folin‐Lowry's technique. The amount of acidic nuclear proteins continually increased, but the histone level neither increased nor decreased. It is suggested that acidic nuclear proteins might restore histone‐inhibited DNA‐dependent RNA synthesis in human lymphocytes activated by phytohemagglutinin.


On the basis of machine vision,a detection system based on machine vision is finished.The theory of image processing and edge detection is detailed.A new automatic alignment method of fuzzy alignment and accurate alignment and theory of secondary camera calibration are proposed.This research has developed a detection system of machine vision by making VC++ program in order to finish automatic alignment to get high quality image.


Family businesses and financial decision making is a growing topic of research. It is of value given the impact family businesses have on many economies. Family businesses are regarded to have it m ...


Event sequences capture system and user activity over time. Prior research on sequence mining has mostly focused on discovering local patterns appearing in a sequence. While interesting, these patterns do not give a comprehensive summary of the entire event sequence. Moreover, the number of patterns discovered can be large. In this article, we take an alternative approach and build short summaries that describe an entire sequence, and discover local dependencies between event types.
 We formally define the summarization problem as an optimization problem that balances shortness of the summary with accuracy of the data description. We show that this problem can be solved optimally in polynomial time by using a combination of two dynamic-programming algorithms. We also explore more efficient greedy alternatives and demonstrate that they work well on large datasets. Experiments on both synthetic and real datasets illustrate that our algorithms are efficient and produce high-quality results, and reveal interesting local structures in the data.


Impressive data from a large clinical trial of Merck & Co.'s immunotherapy Keytruda herald a new approach to treating certain kinds of lung cancer. The results were reported last week at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) meeting in Chicago. The Phase III study explored whether adding Keytruda to chemotherapy, the current standard of care, could extend the lives of people with advanced lung cancer. The definitive answer was yes. In the study of more than 600 patients, people given the combination were half as likely to die from their disease as those given chemotherapy alone. Combining Keytruda and chemotherapy "really may represent a new standard of care for this group," Leena Gandhi, director of thoracic medical oncology at New York University's Perlmutter Cancer Center and a leader of the study, told reporters at the meeting. Keytruda is a checkpoint inhibitor, an antibody that releases the brakes on immune


The problem of adolescent suicide is the mission that the adolescent social workers have to face.As the professional adolescent social workers,in the process of solving the problem,necessary study has to be done to the suicide tendency and relevant reasons,which can help to offer effective and scientific proof to establish the intervention system to the adolescent suicide problem.


Skeletal biopolymers and proteins in marine organisms are present as complex mixtures and have great potential applications in the biomedical field [...].


. The New State Board of Equalization and Assessment annually determines for each taxing jurisdiction within the state, an estimate of the ratio of its assessed values to market values. The methods used in constructing such ratios are reviewed as well as the ways in which the ratios are used. Special emphasis is given to the use of the ratio by taxpayers in tax inequality or certiorari cases. Using data on New York City, it is estimated that maximum use of the ratio in such cases could lead to as much as a 22 percent reduction in the City's property tax base. As well, estimates are made of the redistributive effects across different property types in the city under the assumption that tax rates are increased to just offset the revenue effects of the tax base erosion. The most obvious effect is the increased burden on residential housing owner-occupiers.


The present invention relates to AC / DC converter with PFC and DC / DC converter. It discloses a power factor corrector and DC / DC converter and a power converter comprising a power converter.


Vacuum Insulation Panels have seen a fast development in the building sector due to their high insulating performance. For this reason several researches were and are performed on this topic. The present work summarizes the research activities carried on Vacuum Insulation Panels by Politecnico di Torino during these last years. In particular, a critical discussion of the most relevant results obtained by the research group are presented. The aim of the paper is to show how the conducted investigations have provided reliable data on VIPs actual performances and general guidelines to assess the VIP thermal properties under actual working conditions.


The utility model discloses a lifting arm and engineering machinery equipment. The lifting arm is used for lifting weight and comprises a carbon fiber cover plate and a steel cover plate, wherein the carbon fiber cover plate and the steel cover plate are fixedly connected along a longitudinal direction; a section of the lifting arm forms a closed pattern through the carbon fiber cover plate and the steel cover plate. According to the lifting arm and engineering machinery equipment disclosed by the utility model, the deadweight of the lifting arm can be reduced, and the rigidity of the lifting arm is improved.


SUMMARY The history of MICHELI'S illustration called « Marsilea terrestris, minima, angustifolia, nigricans, flore bipartito » (incidentally the type of Blandowia michelii Corda in modern nomenclature) is traced through an engraving by PETIVEE and a series of notebook illustrations by TOZZI. These illustrations are believed to have had their foundation in a specimen of Utricularia. The other half of the Italian podostem legend, the report by CORDA from Lombardia of an undoubted member of the Podostemaceae, now Blandowia preissii (Tulasne) Weddell, still awaits a satisfactory explanation.


The question of race continues to generate a lot of debate and interest. It also continues to provoke heated passions which sometimes lead to dangerous situations of conflict and even genocide as history as repeatedly demonstrated. Indeed, the connections between genocide and race are not only long standing, but are constitutive of the entire experience of modernity and even the condition to which we now refer as the 'postmodern' following Lyotard, the poststructuralist philosopher. In the same vein, the phenomenon of race continues to be very topical within the post-apartheid dispensation in South Africa. Consequently, academic studies of all kinds are still being published on the issue. Philippe-Joseph Salazar, a French philosopher based in South Africa tackles the matter of race in present-day South Africa from a rather interesting angle. He explores the phenomenon of race by employing an uncommon assemblage of discursive approaches that draw from rhetoric studies, Greek antiquity and postmodern forms of discourse, to explain how it intersects with post-apartheid constitutionality, public deliberation and space. In this way, Salazar suggests that the matter of race need not always be violent. Instead, the question of race can offer ways of exploring the multiple possibilities of postmodern democracy and cosmopolitan life. More specifically, this essay examines the different rhetorical constructions of race within the contemporary South African context and their implications for the establishment of a so-called 'rainbow nation'. Finally, it links the conceptual understandings of race in the present age of molecular biology with the possibilities for postmodern democracy or what the sociologist, Paul Gilroy has termed "cosmopolitan democracy."


The internal structure of leaflets and stems of five Astragalus species (A. dactylocarpus Boiss , A. hamosus L, A. kirrindicus Boiss , A. russelii Banks &Sol , A spinosus (Forssk) Muschl , from Iraq  were studied in relation to photosynthetic  pathway. Anatomy  of these  plant organs  was  found  important in seprating  between  studied  species and in identification of their photosynthetic pathway as well. According to leaflet anatomy, A. dactylocarpus Boiss , A. hamosus L. and A. kirrindicus Boiss were characterized as C3 – plants  while  A.russelii Banks &sol  and A. spinosus (Forssk) Muschl. exhibited  two different forms of  C3-C4 plants.


The effect of cooling rate and firing stage on the hardness and microstructure of the firing simulated Au-Pt-Pd metal-ceramic alloy was investigated by means of hardness test, field emission scanning electron microscopic observations, X-ray diffraction analysis. The effective cooling rate for hardening of alloy during simulated porcelain firing was quick cooling and stage 0, and the hardening effect became weak as the cooling rate became slower than stage 0. The hardness of the firing simulated specimen until final glazing stage was slightly lower than that of only glazing treated specimen. Thus, repetitive firing decreased the hardness of the Au-Pt-Pd metal-ceramic alloy. By oxidation treatment which is the first firing stage, the formation of fine grain interior precipitates was observed, which resulted in apparent hardening by severe lattice distortion. By repetitive firing or by reducing the cooling speed, the grain interior precipitates became coarse, which resulted in softening of the Au-Pt-Pd metal-ceramic alloy.


Tangguh LNG Project is the mega-projects that build LNG plant in Teluk
Bintuni district, West Papua Province. Construction of the Tangguh LNG plant
and involves the relocation of Tanah Merah Villages. In 2004, the entire
population of Tanah Merah villages relocated to a new settlement which is
located not far from their original residence. Resettlement has brought many
changes in the development of society, both in terms of social, economic, and
cultural. These changes also result from the activities of the Tangguh LNG gas
plant construction and the presence of programs for the community that
accompanies this resettlement. The method used in this study is qualitative and
inductive data analysis with a phenomenological approach.
This research resulted in 4 (four) findings wich are: 1) the limitations of
environmental facilities and supporting facilities


This brief report summarizes the results of a survey of professors of educational administration in the southern region of the United States, which sought to determine whether preparation programs were democratically administered. The survey included some demographic questions, 12 questions that asked respondents to rank preparation programs relative to democratic administration, and a rank ordering of curriculum courses currently being taught. A total of 70 respondents at 48 universities returned the questionnaire. The quality of the rating scale was statistically determined through Cronbach's alpha analyses. Table 1 presents respondents' rank orders of 11 curriculum courses showing that courses in leadership and organization were ranked highly for inclusion of principles and processes. Table 2 gives means and standard deviations for each of the survey questions. Also noted are the results of t-tests performed to examine differences by gender and by public school experience. The survey concludes that while there is clearly a trend toward changing beliefs concerning democratic administration, there are still problems to be overcome. (CH) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** SURVEY REPORT TO THE SRCEA MEMBERSHIP AT THE 1996 MEETINGS IN SAVANNAH, GEORGIA "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY Ralph R. Karst TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." Ralph R. Karst Northeast Louisiana University Monroe, Louisiana November, 1996 11-c U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) rtl This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. This fall a survey was sent to professors of educational administration identified as being members of faculties in the southern region of the United States. It is likely that many of these professors are members of the SRCEA. The survey included some demographics, 12 questions that dealt with a rating scale, and a rank-ordering of curriculum courses currently being taught. The purpose of the survey was to determine the opinions of professors and related others regarding democratic administration within preparation programs. Forty-two universities were identified and six others unidentified for a total of 48 universities that returned the questionnaire with 70 individual respondents that included 77% male and 23% female. This appears to be a satisfactory number of respondents for data interpretation applied to the SRCEA southern region of the United States. Thirteen percent of the respondents reported they were a department chair or head. Thirty-four percent of the respondents reported they were full-professors, 13% reported le 2 JEST COPY AVAILABLE 2 they were associate professors, 16% reported they were assistant professors, 2-% reported they were at the instructor level, 16% reported such positions as director, coordinator, dean, or faculty member, and the remaining 60 reported no rank designation. The respondents had an average of 16.3 years (sd=10.0) of experience in higher education, 13.6 years (sd=10.1) of public school experience, and a total number of years of administrative experience with an average 17.6 (sd.11.6). There is no doubt that the respondents were highly familiar with administrative practices. The question remains, however, what their views of the democratic process of educational administration was and whether their views offer us any prognostications of what the future holds for our profession. Table 1 requires some explanation. Since not every course listed is included in every curriculum, it was necessary to indicate an "other" category which merely shows the percentage of professors who chose other courses at that rank-order. For example, 88% chose leadership as the top course, but 12% chose other courses as the top course, totaling 100% of the sample. As another example, 13% chose facilities as the 10th ranked course and 33o chose other courses as the 10th ranked course, totaling 46% of the sample who felt facilities or other 10th ranked courses had some democratic implications while 54% felt it didn't or the program didn't offer facilities courses.


The volume is dedicated to the investigation of non-canonical passives, namely constructions with a passive 'flavor', displaying some, but not all, characteristics of the canonical passive. It contains contributions dealing with these structures in a wide variety of languages, with most authors focusing on semantic and syntactic aspects of the constructions. The introduction, 'Non-canonical passives', by the editors Artemis Alexiadou and Florian Schäfer, presents the general issues which the volume aims to address. It begins with establishing the properties of canonical passives, which serve to identify those passives which are noncanonical : (i) argument suppression, (ii) Case absorption, and (iii) argument enhancement. The authors then include a short discussion of some of the better known cases of non-canonical passives across languages, notably the get-passive in English. The introduction ends with a chapter-by-chapter overview. The contributions start with Chapter 1, by Andrew McIntire, 'Adjectival passives and adjectival participles in English'. The chapter discusses a wealth of phenomena related to English adjectival participles, presenting some novel claims and providing new arguments for claims already present in the literature. The author follows recent suggestions that in different languages, adjectival passives can be divided into several subtypes, depending mainly on the implication of an event and/or an agent (Anagnostopoulou 2003, Embick 2004, Meltzer-Asscher 2011). The two main original claims in the chapter are: (i) there exists a class of 'situation-in-progress ' adjectival participles (e.g. 'The car is badly driven'), not recognized before; and (ii) adjectival participles are productively formed from unaccusative verbs with a relatively stable result state (e.g. 'recently departed people '). Additionally, new considerations are presented in favor of assuming that the theme argument is not generated as a complement of an adjectival participle, and that some adjectival passives may include implicit agents. The chapter ends with a proposal on how different types of adjectival participles are derived, specifying the semantics of the participle morpheme (Prt) in transitive resultative J. Linguistics 50 (2014), 231–265. f Cambridge University Press 2014


Objectives: Hemorrhoids are a common disorder and a major cause of rectal bleeding and perianal discomfort. Nonendoscopic rubber band ligation (RBL) is an effective treatment for hemorrhoids, but to date, this technique has not been widely employed by gastroenterologists. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy, complications, success rate, and recurrence rate at 3 months for the CRH-O'Regan Disposable Hemorrhoid Banding System in the outpatient gastroenterology setting. Methods: Eleven physicians at 7 locations, including offices and endoscopy centers, in a single-specialty gastroenterology practice employed the CRH-O'Regan Disposable Hemorrhoid Banding System after completing initial standardized inservice training. A total of 113 adult patients of all ages underwent hemorrhoid banding from June through November 2008. These included men (n = 62, 55%) and women (n = 51, 45%), with an average age of 54 years (range, 19–78). A total of 257 banding events were performed either in the office (n = 56, 50%) or in the endoscopy center (n = 57, 50%). Eight patients (7%) had prior hemorrhoid surgery. Indications for RBL included rectal bleeding alone (n = 62, 55%) or multiple symptoms (n = 51, 45%). External hemorrhoids were not treated in this study. Internal hemorrhoid grading included grade I (n = 8, 7%), grade II (n = 84, 74%), and grade III (n = 21, 19%). The data were abstracted retrospectively from the clinical chart. Safety data was abstracted for all 113 cases. Response data were abstracted for patients completing 2 or more RBL sessions (n = 76, 67%). A 3-month follow-up questionnaire was subsequently sent to each of these 76 patients. Results: Initial symptoms were resolved in 71 of 76 patients (94%). Rectal bleeding resolved in 90% of patients after at least 1 banding event. Complications included severe immediate discomfort (n = 1, 0.8%), thrombosis (n = 1, 0.8%), urinary hesitancy (n = 2, 1.8%), and near-syncope (n = 1, 0.8%). Severe bleeding occurred in 1 patient (0.8%). Severe pain occurred in 1 patient (0.8%). There were no cases of pelvic sepsis. No patient required time off because of the procedure. At the 3-month follow-up, symptom resolution or improvement, including rectal bleeding and discomfort, was noted in more than 80% of respondents. Conclusion: Outpatient treatment of hemorrhoids by gastroenterologists using the CRH-O'Regan Disposable Hemorrhoid Banding System is safe and effective. This is a novel, nonendoscopic approach to treating common symptoms of internal hemorrhoids, such as rectal bleeding, perianal discomfort, and other associated complaints. It can be employed in the office or endoscopy center, and patients do not require time off from work after the procedure.


The mixed oxides LaNiO3, La0.1Sr0.9NiO3, La2NiO4 and LaSrNiO4 with perovskite (ABO(3)) and related(A(2)BO(4)) structures were prepared and the adsorption property for NO and the catalytic activity for NO decomposition over these oxidse were also tested. The catalysts were characterized by means of BET surface measurement, chemical analysis, NO-TPD etc.. It was shown that the adsorption amount of NO is correlated with the concentration of oxygen vacancy formed and the adsorption type and strength of NO are related to the valence of metallic ion. Generally there are three kinds of adsorption species, NO-, NO+ and NO on the mixed oxides, among them the negative adsorpion species (NO-) are active for NO decomposition. The weaker the adsorption of oxygen on the catalyst is, the faster the mobility of oxygen is and the easier the redox process takes place in reproducing the active sites in which the oxygen species (O-, O2-) would participate.


A cross sectional study was conducted to determines the prevalence of coccidiosis and its associated risk factors in Addis Ababa town from October 2009 to March, 2010. Flotation and McMaster counting techniques were used for qualitative and quantitative studies, respectively. The study involved questionnaire survey, fecal examination. In the present study a total of 384 chickens were examined those reared under intensive management system. Out of the 384 chicken examined, 106 (27.6%) were positive for coccidian parasites. The prevalence increased with the age of the chickens. Chickens with 8-30 days of age showed the highest prevalence of coccidiosis (41%). The prevalence rate of coccidiosis was higher in floor housing system (44.5%) comparing with caged system. Statistical analysis revealed that the distribution of coccidiosis in chickens was highly significant (P < 0.01) between the age groups and types of housing system. The mean oocysts count per gram of faeces was significantly (P< 0.05) higher in young than adult birds. The findings suggested that coccidiosis was a common health problem in grower layer chickens and in floor housing system. Various managerial problems that are associated with this prevalence of coccidiosis are identified and appropriate control strategies are recommended.


Learning Objects (LOs) are widely used for teaching because these can be reused in alternative contexts to supportspecific learning goals. One of the most important challenges in this area is to provide accurate LOs recommendation tosimplify LOs search, description, composition, articulation and reuse. The current problem confronted by teachers in aneducational area is the large effort required to compose educational material based on LOs. Usually, LOs descriptionsare incomplete, inaccurate and/or contain unreliable information. This article presents an approach to improve the LOsrecommendation process based on a domain model (ontology) and a categorization method, reducing the effort requiredto find, reuse and compose LOs. The proposed approach was validated through a case study which allow to us the evaluationof the quality and effort of a posterior object composition process. This study was applied into the History and Geographydomain and compared our approach with an Ad-Hoc approach. Our results indicate that by using our approach teacherscomposed classes using the LOs recommended with a similar quality that using the Ad-Hoc approach, but with less effort inthe process.


A direct methodology for solving the seismic intensity of each point on the capacity curve is proposed. By utilizing the procedure, a continuous curve between the structural response and the seismic intensity, the structural response function, can be easily generated. Unlike previous procedures that search for the performance point of a determined seismic intensity, the proposed methodology easily draws the full curve without iterations. The procedure is applicable to both a smooth design spectrum and an actual response spectrum. Examples indicate the methodology is accurate and fast, and convenient to be combined with existing procedures, such as Modal Pushover Analysis.


This study aimed ro develop an effeccive health education activity on mannied women seeking Pap smean test in Lampang Pnovince' Pnecede Fnamewonk and Health Belief Model wene modified activities wiEh social suppont inco sample gnoups. This neseanch is Quasi-Expenimental Reseanch and one hundned and eighceen mannied women wene assigned into two gnoups, both ane in Amphun Muang, Lampang Pnovince. Time neseanch was five months since Novemben t g9+ to May tsss. The daEa was collecEed by Ouestion-naine and OPD Cand' The nesulC of this Study can be summanized as follow:aften the sUudy, Uhe expenimental gnoup gained significantly highen connecE pencepLion on suscepEibility, sevenity of cenvical cancen Ehan befone the sCudy and that of companison gnoup and showed significant nelationship with social suppont fnom woman community leaden' lnconclusion' Health education acEivity pnognam with HBM was consisteng behavion facton that was lack in the sample gnoup, to be include motivate fnom woman community leaden who be changed behavion in knowledge and belief and pnactice' The Flesult may be considened and applied fnom this neseanch fon cont'nol and pnevention of cenvical cancen in women.


This paper discusses some potential low‐temperature thermochemical and hybrid cycles for nuclear‐based hydrogen production and considers them as a sustainable option for hydrogen production using nuclear process/waste heat and off‐peak electricity. We also assess their thermodynamic performance through energy and exergy efficiencies. The results show that these cycles have good potential and become attractive due to their high overall efficiencies 50% based on a complete reaction approach. The copper–chlorine cycle appears to be a highly promising cycle for nuclear‐based hydrogen production in this regard. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


UV photoemission spectra of single crystals of polycyclic hydrocarbons were measured using two methods, 1) covering a sample with a thin layer of gold and 2) inducing photoconduction in the sample with low-energy light, to eliminate sample charging. Their ionization thresholds obtained are all smaller than the values for corresponding polycrystalline thin films.


728 Question: A 61-year-old white woman was evaluated for complaints of intermittent attacks of a sharp, severe, periumbilical abdominal pain for 15 years with recent worsening in severity and nocturnal episodes. Her symptoms were partially alleviated by bowel movements and no worsening factors were identified. Her past medical history was significant for a total hysterectomy and adhesiolysis. Physical examination revealed prior surgical incisions over the abdominal wall and otherwise benign on examination. She denied fever, nausea, vomiting, painful adenopathy, weight loss, night sweats, recent infectious exposures, or foreign travels. Laboratory studies, including a complete blood cell count with white blood cell differential, renal profile, hepatic transaminases, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, serum electrophoresis, and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid levels, were negative or within normal values. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy and colonoscopy were unremarkable. A tuberculin purified protein derivative test was negative as was computed tomography (CT) of the chest. CT enterography (Figure A) showed enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes in the right mid abdomen (arrows). Capsule endoscopy and upper and lower double balloon enteroscopy with complete visualization of the entire small bowel lumen were unremarkable. Because of persistent symptoms, follow-up CT enterography was performed 8 weeks later and showed interval increase in the size of the conglomerate lymph nodes masses in the right side of the mesenteric fat, as well as cicatricial changes involving loops of bowel adjacent to the mesenteric masses. CT-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy was performed. What is the diagnosis? Look on page 914 for the answer and see the GASTROENTEROLOGY web site (www.gastrojournal.org) for more information on submitting your favorite image to Clinical Challenges and Images in GI.


We consider the new class of the Markov measure-valued stochastic processes with constant mass. We give the construction of such processes with the family of the probabilities which describe the motion of single particles. We also consider examples related to stochastic flows with the interactions and the local times for such processes.


Kicker magnets inRapidCycling Synchrotron (RCS)ofJapanProton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC) arenowunderconstruction. Extraction kicker magnetsareshortpulsemagnetswithhigh charging voltage ofmorethen60 kV whichis installing invacuumchambers. Theymainly consist of aluminumalloy aselectric plates andferrites as magnetic cores. Outgassing reduction fromthose components isveryimportant toprevent notonly electrical discharge butalsointeraction between the proton beamandresidual gasinthevacuum. Some structures ofthemagnetwereimproved tosuppress discharge. Wethoroughly reduced outgassing fromthe components. Surface ofthealuminumalloy was finished bypit-free electropolishing. Aluminumalloy andferrites cores werebakedundervacuumbefore construction ofthemagnet. Theywerebakedeach other until water, whichwasthemaincomponent of outgassing, wasreduced. Asaresult, outgassing rates ofthealuminumalloy andferrite cores werereduced lessthan10-9and10-6Pam/sec, respectively. We construct thesystemwhichisbakedanytimeas neededbymicroheaters directory mountedonthe chambers.


Following a short introduction on Bassini's operation, alternative surgical techniques are discussed: Postempski, Halsted, Mugnai-Ferrari, Anson-McVay, Marcy, Ferguson, Shouldice with their indications, advantages and disadvantages. Personal experience in the surgical treatment of 516 patients suffering from inguinal hernia is then reported and stress is laid on the need for precise anatomic knowledge of the inguinal region and skill in one technique in particular to limit the risk of recurrences.


Contemporary pragmatists often distinguish between epistemologies: those com mitted to interpretation, and those rooted in metaphysics. But if Richard Rorty, assuming such a distinction, argues for the advantages of a liberal hermeneutics committed to contingency, then Stanley Fish has argued that even liberalism presupposes its own metaphysical assumptions. Fish's skepticism towards liberal universalism and his concomitant emphasis on local interpretations, this essay argues, echoes an earlier Rabbinic skepticism and praxis. But where even the radical skeptic Fish re-instates the Enlightenment opposition between pragmatics and theology (thereby casting aspersion on theological hermeneutics), the works of Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik, an expositor of the epistemology of the Talmud, provides a hermeneutics which fully acknowledges the 'risks of interpretation', without, however, abandoning truth. Indeed, in Soloveitchik's halakhic epi stemology, metaphysics collapses into practice, and truth emerges through interpretation. In his introduction to Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity, Richard Rorty proclaims that anybody 'who thinks that there are well-grounded theoretical answers ... algorithms for resolving moral dilemmas' is 'still, in his heart, a theologian or a metaphysician'. Against those explicit or merely residual metaphysicians, Rorty posits his own vision of a 'liberal Utopia: one in which ironism in the relevant sense is universal'. Those ironists 'who face up to the contingency of [their] most central beliefs and desires' would be the inhabit ants of Rorty's 'post-metaphysical culture'—a culture, Rorty hopefully adds, which is 'no more impossible than a post-religious one, and equally desirable'.1 If there can be said to be a central argument running through the essays collected in Stanley Fish's There's No Such Thing as Free Speech,2 it is that universalist claims like Rorty's (unrobust as they may be [NST, p. 230]), whether emerging as a consequence of pragmatism, liberalism, or what Fish calls 'anti-foundationalist theory hope' are themselves particularisms, and © Oxford University Press 1996 This content downloaded from 22.214.171.124 on Thu, 11 Aug 2016 04:21:09 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms


SHRIMP U/Pb-zircon data and Nd mean crustal residence ages indicate that the lmataca Complex developed from an Archean (≥3.2Ga) continental protolith which has undergone considerable isotopic disturbance plus and juvenile accretion during late-Archean (-2.8Ga) times. Transamazonian granulites experienced peak metamorphic conditions of 750-800℃, 6-8kbar with associated transpressive thrusting and tectonic imbrication. Geochronology on zircon, pyroxene and garnet constrains the timing of peak metamorphism at 1.98-2.05Ga. Diffusion modeling of Fe-Mg exchange between biotite inclusions and host garnet yields (near metamorphic peak) cooling rates of 50-100℃/Ma, with petrological cooling rates being generally consistent with cooling rates determined from geochronology. Combining the retrograde P-T path with cooling rates suggests that after the metamorphic peak, large portions of the lmataca Complex were exhumed from 30 to 17km at a rate of 7-2km/Ma.After this, exhumation rates progressively decreased as the rocks approached the surface. Rapid overall upliftlerosion had ceased when the rocks passed below 600-550℃ at 2.01-1.96 Ga ago. Observed variations in mineral cooling ages are interpreted as to reflect episodic differential tectonic exhumation within major fault systems. Inferred (maximum) ages of fault re-activation generally coincide with major continental accretion events in the Amazonian Craton and reflect long-term thermal evolution of the lmataca terrane, as conditioned by variable response to continued continental convergence during the Proterozoic.


The freeze-out of hot and dense hadronic matter formed in relativistic nuclear collisions is probed by HBT interferometry of identical pions, kaons, etc. Coulomb repul-sion/attraction of positive/negative particles show up at small particle momenta and is also very sensitive to the freeze-out conditions. The source sizes and times freeze-out are extracted from ? == + spectra and HBT radii and compared. An asymmetry in the number of opposite charge pions has been observed at intermediate energies and has recently also been identiied in heavy ion collisions at energies around 1 AGeV ?], 11.4 AGeV ?], and 158 AGeV ?]. The ratio of negative to positive pions at low pion momenta is 3 at SIS energies, but only 1:6 at AGS and SPS energies for the central collisions of heavy nuclei as Au or Pb. This eeect can be explained by the Coulomb interaction between the produced pions and the positive charge from the reaction partners. At ultrarelativistic collision energies it is important to include the rapid expansion of the system and its net charge as well as retardation eeects when considering the Coulomb eeect on particles. For rapid longitudinal Bjorken expansion we nd (see ?] for details and more elaborate calculations) that the Coulomb eld decrease with time as t ?1 and is proportional to the net charge (proton) rapidity distribution dN ch =dy. The pions are assumed to freeze-out at time f from a cylindrical symmetric source of transverse size R f. On average a charged pion of transverse momentum p ?;0 at freeze-out and nal momentum p ? receives a momentum change or \Coulomb kick" p c for respectively p c jp ? ? p ?;0 j ' 2e 2 dN ch dy 1 R f : (1) The momentum change is only a slowly decreasing function of the freeze-out time. For example, p c varies 10% for p ? f =m ? R f in the range 0:5 ? 0:8.


ARDS is transmitted by multiple inflammatory mediators and cytokines.It has been focused on the mechanism and therapy of this disease all the time.This paper reviews the advances on the treatment of ARDS in recent 10 years in the world.


ABSTRACT In this research, the effect of vascular self-healing configuration on the healing behaviour of epoxy/glass (50/50) composite has been experimentally studied. Hollow glass fibres (HGFs) of 450 ± 10 μm diameter and 30–35% hollowness were produced by using an extruder. The hollow glass fibres were filled with healing components and subsequently employed as vascular healing system in the composite laminate. The orientations of embedded HGFs were selected at three levels of 0, 45 and 90°, and the distances of HGFs were chosen at three levels of 200, 500 and 800 μm in composites. A damage at tensile strain of 1.2% initiated, and following, the self-healing process took place. The virgin and healed specimens were characterised in terms of tensile behaviour, and subsequently, the healing performance was obtained. In addition, the formation of micro-cracks, fracture of filled HGFs and morphology of healed zones in self-healing composites were analysed by employing SEM.


We study the effects of financial shocks on the United States economy by using a Bayesian structural vector autoregressive (SVAR) model that exploits the non-normalities in the data. We use this method to uniquely identify the model and employ inequality constraints to single out financial shocks. The results point to the existence of two distinct financial shocks that have opposing effects on inflation, which supports the idea that financial shocks are transmitted to the real economy through both demand and supply side channels.


Studies on turbulent inlet flows have a wide variety of applications, Backward Facing Step (BFS) facilitates this study. The phenomena of flow separation occur due to an abrupt change in geometry, causing the creation of a re-circulation zone and a flow reattachment point. The present numerical study focuses on the assessment of different turbulence models. The flow velocity is in the turbulent region characterized by the Re=7000. Steady State Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes equations are solved along with various turbulence models using OpenFOAM® which is an open-source Computational Continuum Mechanics toolbox for conducting numerical simulations. The simulated data is processed using Paraview and the assessment of the turbulence models is performed via quantitative (reattachment length) and qualitative (Line Integral Convolution visualizations) methods.


Cuspy triaxial potentials admit a large number of chaotic orbits, which moreover exhibit extreme "stickiness" that makes the process of chaotic mixing surprisingly inefficient. Environmental effects, modeled as noise and/or periodic driving, help accelerate phase space transport but probably not as much as in simpler potentials. This could mean that cuspy triaxial ellipticals cannot exist as time-independent systems.


This report describes a panel session on HCI Education held at the HCI'95 Conference. During the debate, expert views were expressed about many of the key issues affecting HCI teachers today, including: how can educators cope with the flood of new HCI ideas? should HCI be fully integrated into software engineering courses or taught in specialist modules? what are the core elements of HCI that all students should learn? there are perceived cultural differences in HCI teaching in the UK, USA and Scandinavia --- are these differences real and are they important? should we be sharing educational materials? can HCI design be taught or are creative designers born not bred?


SETTING
Initial cost-effectiveness evaluations of Xpert(®) MTB/RIF for tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis have not fully accounted for the realities of implementation in peripheral settings.

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate costs and diagnostic outcomes of Xpert testing implemented at various health care levels in Uganda.

DESIGN
We collected empirical cost data from five health centers utilizing Xpert for TB diagnosis, using an ingredients approach. We reviewed laboratory and patient records to assess outcomes at these sites and10 sites without Xpert. We also estimated incremental cost-effectiveness of Xpert testing; our primary outcome was the incremental cost of Xpert testing per newly detected TB case.

RESULTS
The mean unit cost of an Xpert test was US$21 based on a mean monthly volume of 54 tests per site, although unit cost varied widely (US$16-58) and was primarily determined by testing volume. Total diagnostic costs were 2.4-fold higher in Xpert clinics than in non-Xpert clinics; however, Xpert only increased diagnoses by 12%. The diagnostic costs of Xpert averaged US$119 per newly detected TB case, but were as high as US$885 at the center with the lowest volume of tests.

CONCLUSION
Xpert testing can detect TB cases at reasonable cost, but may double diagnostic budgets for relatively small gains, with cost-effectiveness deteriorating with lower testing volumes.


Double parton scattering is measured in different channels using the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC. Data from pp collisions collected at 7 and 8 TeV center-of-mass energy are used. Several final states are investigated to identify and measure the signature of double parton scattering in inelastic events. Parameters are extracted from the data that are suited in an optimal way to distinguish double parton scattering from various backgrounds. Multivariate analysis techniques are exploited to maximise the sensitivity. Presented at EPS-HEP 2015 European Physical Society Conference on High Energy Physics 2015 Measurement of Double Parton Scattering at LHC with the CMS experiment Ankita Mehta∗† Panjab University, INDIA E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Double parton scattering is measured in different channels using the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC. Data from pp collisions collected at 7 and 8 TeV center-of-mass energy are used. Several final states are investigated to identify and measure the signature of double parton scattering in inelastic events. Parameters are extracted from the data that are suited in an optimal way to distinguish double parton scattering from various backgrounds. Multivariate analysis techniques are exploited to maximize the sensitivity. The European Physical Society Conference on High Energy Physics 22–29 July 2015 Vienna, Austria ∗Speaker. †On behalf of the CMS collaboration. c © Copyright owned by the author(s) under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). http://pos.sissa.it/ Double parton scattering measurements using CMS experiment Ankita Mehta


In northern freshwater ecosystems whitefish is a valuable commercial species. Their decreasing stocks are caused by the human economic activity. Complexity of the ichthyofauna of northern ecosystems is explained not only by the number of species, but also by the abundance of various ecological forms. On the whole, in the Topo-Pyaozero Reservoir, the division of whitefish according to forms was not practiced even in the years of developed fishing with significant catches, and at present most fish producers do not distinguish between these forms. The ratios of different forms of whitefish in catches are relatively stable, but their biological parameters are of interest, if the question arises about the dominance of individual forms of whitefish during the long-term exploitation of their commercial stocks. The aim of the study was to consider the biology of different forms of whitefish in the Topo-Pyaozero Reservoir (the Republic of Karelia). Whitefish is the only limiting object of fishing in the Reservoir. By morphological and ecological features there are distinguished 6 forms of whitefish: 2 lacustrine (at least 50% of the catch) - coastal and deep-water (lattaneni), and 4 anadromous (leaf fall (lehtisiiga), kukkaneni, kutcheri, suurisiga). All forms can be found on both the Pyaozero and Topozero reaches of the Reservoir. In the light of the materials given on the features of all forms of whitefish caught in the Topo-Pyaozero Reservoir, it is clear that a biologically justified catch size will correspond to a minimum size of whitefish - 26 cm. These data will encourage more abundant catches of whitefish, which corresponds to the current Fishing Rules for Northern reservoirs of Russia


Two reduced tillage systems, both of which utilize controlled traffic farming techniques, are being compared to conventional tillage system to evaluate input energy requirements, time required to prepare the fields for planting, crop yield, and soil compaction. Results from the first three years of the study have shown the Sundance treatment to have the lowest energy requirement of 61 kW-h/ha, the USM system the second lowest of 85 kW-h/ha and the conventional to have the highest of 131 kW-h/ha. Field preparation times for the two reduced tillage systems were found to be approximately one half that of the conventional system, while no statistically significant differences in cotton lint yield have been found among the treatments. Analysis of the soil cone penetrometer data has also shown no statistically significant differences among the three tillage systems.


The hydrophobic flocculation of fine coal particles with natural hydrophobicity in aqueous solution, which is called natural hydrophobic flocculation, has been studied in this paper. It features no surfactant addition but only high intensity mechanical agitation. The experimental results showed that this flocculation occurred even in the case of {minus}58 mV jet potential of coal particles, that is contrary to the classical DLVO (Derjaguin-LandauVerwey-Overbeek) theory. Wettability of coal particle surface dominates the stability o fine coal particles in aqueous solution. The bigger the contact angle, the more intensive the flocculation of the coal particle suspension. The quantitative theory of natural hydrophobic flocculation is presented in this paper. Using this theory, the authors have calculated the total potential energy of interaction between coal particles in aqueous solution. The results demonstrate that the hydrophobic interaction plays a dominant role in the interaction between coal particles in aqueous solution.


This study was performed to identify neighborhood deprivation indicators associated with health and to : test the contextual effects of those indicators on individual health. This study calculated SMR based on Dong district and see the differences of prediction across deprivation index and indicators. Then, a multi-level analysis using HGLM was conducted to test the contextual effect of neighborhood depreivation indicators on health after controlling for demographic and socioeconomic status of individuals. The results showed that regional SMR had strong correlations with land price, education, welfare recipients, female household proportion in Dong district but failed to show the correlation with individual health and neighborhood deprivation. Individual health was only associated with individual level of demographic and socioeconomic status. That is, spatial dispersion of illness is understood as the distribution of social classes in terms of socioeconomic status of individuals, not the contextual aspects of community.


This chapter contains sections titled: Choices and Devoirs, Living the Certified Life, The Limits of Private Standards?, Building Standards That Are Fair, Equitable, and Effective, Toward a Trustworthy Society


Abstract The association between stopping statins and 1-year mortality in the general population of the oldest-old – with or without ischemic heart disease (IHD) – has been studied herein for the first time. This was a retrospective study. Included were all consecutive patients (n = 369) aged 80 years or more (mean age 87.8 years) hospitalized in a single Geriatrics department during 1 year. The study group included 140 patients in whom statins were stopped upon admission (statin stoppers). The control group included 229 patients who did not use statins in the first place (statin non-users). All-cause 1-year mortality rates were studied in both groups following propensity score matching and in IHD patients separately. Overall, 110 (29.8%) patients died during the year following admission: 38 (27.1%) statin stoppers and 72 (31.4%) statin non-users (P = .498). Cox regression analysis showed no association between stopping statins and 1-year mortality in the crude analysis (hazard ratio [HR] 0.976, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.651–1.463, P = .907) and following propensity score matching (HR 1.067, 95%CI 0.674–1.689, P = .782). Among 108 IHD patients, 38 (35.2%) patients died during the year following admission: 18 (27.7%) statin stoppers and 20 (46.5%) statin non-users (P = .059). Cox regression analysis showed a nearly significant association between stopping statins (rather than not using statins) in IHD patients and lower 1-year mortality (HR 0.524, 95%CI 0.259–1.060, P = .072). Hence, stopping statins in the general population of the oldest-old – with or without IHD – is possibly safe. Future studies including the oldest-old statin continuers are warranted to confirm this observation.


Cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD) is a rare autosomal dominant skeletal dysplastic disease associated with mutations in the gene encoding the Runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2). CCD is characterized by hypoplastic clavicles and patent cranial sutures. Management is essential to prevent complications during growth of the patient. Herein, we report a sporadic case of an infant with hypoplastic skull and clavicles at birth, which correlated with clinical findings of CCD. A heterozygous mutation was identified in the RUNX2 gene, which confirmed the diagnosis of CCD.


Eupterote undata (Lepidoptera: Eupterotidae) is a polyphagous defoliator. The effect of four preferred host plants of
forestry importance viz., Paulownia fortunei, Populus deltoides, Tectona grandis and Toona ciliata on the larval
development of E. undata was studied. There was a significant difference in the consumption of leaf quantity,
duration of larval stages and weight gained by larval instars of E. undata when reared on different host plants. Total
consumption of leaf of T. ciliata was maximum (10989.37 mg) by a larva of E. undata during its total larval period
when leaves were provided separately. It was followed by 10075.83 mg of T. grandis, 8301.87 mg of P. deltoides and
6260.37 mg of P. fortunei. E. undata showed shortest larval period of 114.97 days when larvae fed on P. fortunei and
longest development period (151.66 days) on T. ciliata. Among the four host plants studied, maximum total weight
(1768.08 mg) was gained by the larvae fed on P. fortunei and minimum (980.54 mg) by the larvae fed on T. ciliata.
Larvae gained 1229.31 mg weight when fed on P. deltoides and 1071.15 mg on T. grandis.


Operating systems, the most fundamental software layer in virtually every computer system, are notoriously insecure and unreliable. A possible reason for this situation is that progress on language-based safety and security mechanisms has largely been ignored in the context of operating systems. There is a lack of mechanical checking of safety properties (both at compile- and run-time) as well as a framework and a mechanism for expressing, safely transporting and enforcing such properties. Our solution is to leverage language-based mechanisms by reversing the traditional relationship of operating systems and programming languages --- implement operating system functionality on top of a provably safe and secure language and its runtime environment instead of the other way round. We propose to leverage these mechanisms, many of which have been developed in the context of mobile code infrastructures, to build secure systems from the ground up. Such a system would be more secure, flexible and scalable compared to existing systems.


The World Wide Web serves as the primary source of many informa- tion requirements. The Semantic Web and related technologies provide an in- frastructure to organise data based on its semantics. Since the web has grown exponentially, it is difficult to keep track of all individual preferences. The sys- tem proposed here, Boek, enables users to organise semantically a subset of web data. Boek can store links to web pages and retrieve them later based on semantic information. Boek also holds reserved space for its users to store their favourite data semantically. The individual data models can then be combined to form a universal data store which can then act as a knowledge base for eve- ryone. Future work will involve extending Boek to address a number of do- mains such as business, medicine, education and the creative industries.


Successful ageing continues to be a key theme in contemporary ageing discourses, where good physical and cognitive health in older age is an individualised responsibility. This paper explores how Australian aged care stakeholder discourse contributes to constructions of self-responsibility for brain health and dementia prevention in older persons. Brain health advice messages about diet, exercise and 'brain fitness' by aged care stakeholders are argued to construct a moral framework of 'brainwork practices' to prevent or delay dementia. This study performed discourse analysis of a sample of public online aged care stakeholder documents (N = 170) to reveal three key concepts in discursive constructions of dementia. The first concept characterises dementia as a disastrous force to be opposed; the second is a biomedical concept of dementia as preventable (or able to be delayed) in a 'successful' older age, while the third reflects neurocultural ideas that fetishise perfect memory as the best defence against cognitive decline and dementia. Identifying this matrix of responsibilising 'brainwork practices' messages by aged care stakeholders makes a contribution within social gerontology to revealing neoliberal conceptions of older age as an outcome of lifestyle and consumer choices, where dementia is constructed as 'failed' or 'unsuccessful' ageing.


On the basis of the Preparations so far, we are now ready to look at a formal derivation of dual scaling. As you may have guessed from the many names for the quantification method and from the earlier discussion of the many ideas behind dual scaling, there are a number of ways to formulate it. This paper contains a detailed description of one of them. Some readers may find this paper too technical 𝜼 Many formulas are presented in this paper occasionally without sufficient background information .However, once of the basic idea is understood, technical matters can be mastered through self-directed endeavor, and this paper should serve such guide by offering bird's eye view of mathematical treatment of dual scaling.


SMARCB1 (INI‐1)‐deficient vulvar neoplasms comprise a group of rare tumours that include epithelioid sarcoma (ES), myoepithelial carcinoma (MEC), the recently described myoepithelioma‐like tumour of the vulvar region (MELTVR), and sarcomas that are difficult to classify. It has been suggested that so‐called vulvar yolk sac tumours (YST) may represent morphologic variants of SMARCB1‐deficient tumours; thus, we investigated the immunoreactivity of germ cell markers in SMARCB1‐deficient vulvar neoplasms.


When the input inductor operates in discontinuous current mode (DCM), the Cuk converter can automatically achieve power factor correction (PFC) function with only a simple voltage mode control loop. However, the conventional Cuk PFC converter suffers from high intermediate capacitor voltage because of the lack of feedback of the intermediate capacitor voltage and relatively low power factor (PF). In this paper, a Cuk PFC converter using variable inductor which varies with the transient rectified input voltage is proposed to enhance the PF and reduce the intermediate capacitor voltage by injecting a controlled DC bias current into the auxiliary winding of the variable input inductor. The operating principles of the proposed Cuk PFC converter based on variable inductor are analyzed in detail, and the analysis of PF, the voltage of intermediate capacitor, and design considerations are provided. To verify the feasibility of the proposed scheme and compare the characteristics of both the traditional and proposed Cuk PFC converter, a 108W experimental prototype of the proposed converter is built and tested. The experimental results show that the proposed Cuk PFC converter can significantly enhance the PF, decrease the intermediate capacitor voltage, and increase efficiency compared with the traditional Cuk PFC converter.


The purpose of this study is to exam how two environmental organizations reason about the loss of biodiversity. The research questions are; what is the view in these organizations regarding biodive ...


While the introduction of the euro is bound to give new impetus to economic convergence across the European Union, different forms of unevenness-along with different tax and social security regimes-will persist for the foreseeable future. Different approaches to compensation and benefits will also persist, although there have been some signs of convergence during the past ten years. Corporate HR policies will have to con-tinue to take these differences into account, especially when a company operates both inside and outside the eurozone.


As the community of computer users expands beyond experienced professionals to encompass novice users with little technical training, human factors considerations must play a larger role. "Computer shock" and "terminal terror" cannot be cured, they must be prevented by more careful human engineering during the system design phase. This paper offers four approaches to including human factors considerations during system design. These approaches focus on increasing user involvement and emphasize extensive pilot testing. Human factors cannot be added as refinements to a completed design; they must be a central concern during the initial requirements analysis and through every design stage.


This research is aimed to identify the relationship between board compliance and firm performance, measured by return on assets and return on equity. The board compliance is measured by good corporate governance codes, which are developed by KNKG 2006. Data are taken from the annual reports from 2004 until 2006 of manufacturing companies listed in Jakarta Stock Exchange. The study results showed that there is no relationship between board compliance and firm performance measured with different indicator both return on assets and return on equity. It means that the higher level of board compliance do not guaranteed better firm performance.