Introduction: Knowledge of T1 can be important for accurate relative and absolute quantification of brain metabolites when the repetition time is on the order of T1, such as in quantitative CSI (1, 2). T1 relaxation times have been measured at 9.4 and 11.7T (2, 3) for proton metabolites and a general trend towards increased T1 has been noted with increasing B0. The aim of the present study was to measure in vivo T1 relaxation times of the neurochemical profiles at 14.1T in rat brain. Methods: Experimental: H spectra were measured in 6 adult rats (SpragueDawley, VOI=3x4x5mm including frontal cortex, corpus callosum and striatum). All data were acquired on a 14.1T/26cm system (Varian/Magnex Scientific) using a home-built 14 mm quadrature coil as RF transceiver, and the SPECIAL spectroscopy sequence (160 averages) (4). Field homogeneity was adjusted using FASTMAP (5). T1 measurements were accomplished using a progressive saturation technique (by increasing TR from 1-10s, 9 measurements, TE=2.8ms), which was validated with an adiabatic inversion recovery measurement (TI=0.1-1.8s and one fully relaxed measurement to obtain the Meq values, TE=20ms) for selected metabolites (Figure 1). Data analysis: The progressive saturation series were analyzed using the LCModel software (6), combined with a simulated basis-set of metabolites containing the spectrum of macromolecules measured in vivo using an inversion recovery technique. The IR measurement was evaluated for the resonances labeled on Figure 1 using jMrui software (7). The T1 relaxation curves were fitted with two-parameter single exponential functions, fitting the Mo and T1 for the IR series and Meq and T1 for the progressive saturation series. To assess the quality of the T1 fits, the correlation coefficients were also calculated. Results and Discussions: The T1 of 16 metabolites were estimated in the rat brain at 14.1T using the progressive saturation technique and LCModel (mean±SD in Figure 2). The correlation coefficients of the fittings were 0.91-0.99 and the T1 relaxation times obtained with the two approaches were the same within 15%. The T1 were found in a relatively narrow range from 1.4s to 1.9s for all metabolites, except for Tau (2.6s). The methylene resonances of NAA and Cr+PCr had lower T1 than their corresponding methyl resonances and similar to that of Cho. The macromolecules had the lowest T1 (0.66±0.07s). These results indicate that at 14.1T the T1 relaxation time corrections are likely to be similar when using rapid pulsing conditions, which will bring a benefit for the CSI. The T1 measured at 14.1 T is similar (~10%) to those measured at 9.4 and 11.7T (2, 3) suggesting that for metabolites, T1 increases are of minimal consequence beyond 9.4 Tesla. Figure 1: One series of in vivo spectra acquired at 14.1T in the rat brain (VOI=3x4x5 mm) using the SPECIAL sequence (160 averages) with different inversion times (TI), ranging from 0 to 1.8s and a TE=20ms.


The result of the 6 years study of patients with Hydatiform Mole (HM) and its malignant degeneration in Isfahan are presented. The over all frequency is estimated to be one HM in 440 child births. This frequency has remained relatively unchanged through out the study. Increased consumption of meet did not seem to lower the frequency of Hydatiform mole in our study. The over all frequency of malignant degeneration was 13.15 percent. The study was divided in two periods of three years. The frequency of malignant trophoblastic disease was compared in these two periods. In the group of patients who referred with HM and were treated in our institution, it was found that the frequency of malignancy was considerably lower during the second three years period (4.27% compared to 27.39%). In contrary the frequency of patients who had their HM treated outside and referred to us with trophoblastic malignancies remained unchanged (7.5% and 5.6%). It is suggested that this improvement is due to earlier diagnosis, and aggressive treatment of Hydatiform mole and also due to more adequate follow up.


Abstracts 269 demonstrated in the most extreme case by patients suffering from SCID. Agonist-induced calcium oscillations in many cell types are triggered by calcium release from intracellular stores and driven by SOCE. However, their relative roles in agonist-mediated calcium oscillations remain ambiguous. We here report that while both STIM1 and STIM2 contribute to store-refilling during calcium oscillations in mast cells, T cells and human embryonic kidney cells, they do so dependent on the level of store depletion. Molecular silencing of STIM2 by siRNA or inhibition by G418 selectively suppresses SOCE and agonist-mediated calcium oscillations at low levels of store depletion, without interfering with STIM1-mediated signals induced by full store depletion. Thus, STIM2 is preferentially activated by low-level physiological agonist concentrations that cause mild reductions in ER calcium levels. We conclude that with increasing agonist concentrations, SOCE is mediated initially by endogenous STIM2 and incrementally by STIM1, enabling differential modulation of calcium entry over a range of stimulus intensities and levels of store depletion.


It has been reported recently by Foda and Vaughn (1953b) that maltose oxidation by several strains of Acetbacter melanogenum proceeds via hydrolysis to glucose, followed by conversion of the monosaccharide to 5-ketogluconic acid. This conclusion is inconsistent with the findings of Katznelson et al. (1953) who showed that both intact cells and cell-free preparations of A. melanogenum oxidize glucose through gluconic and 2-ketogluconic acids to 2,5diketogluconic acid. In view of the altemative presented by Foda and Vaughn, it was felt desirable to reexamine the maltose oxidative pattern. The results demonstrate that the action of A. melanogenum on maltose proceeds by the pathway previously indicated for glucose oxidation.


The hoplonemertean genera Prosadenoporus Bürger, 1890 and Pantinonemertes Moore and Gibson, 1981 are revised and synonymized based on a morphological re‐evaluation. We redefine Prosadenoporus Bürger, 1890 on the basis of characters held in common by the eight species: Prosadenoporus agricola (Willemoes‐Suhm, 1874) comb. nov., Prosadenoporus arenarius Bürger, 1890, Prosadenoporus spectaculum (Yamaoka, 1940) comb. nov., Prosadenoporus winsori (Moore and Gibson, 1981) comb. nov., Prosadenoporus enalios (Moore and Gibson, 1981) comb. nov., Prosadenoporus mooreae (Gibson, 1982b) comb. nov., Prosadenoporus mortoni (Gibson, 1990) comb. nov. and Prosadenoporus fujianensis (Sun, 2001) comb. nov. We describe a new semi‐terrestrial species Prosadenoporus floridensis sp. nov. from Belize and Florida and compare its morphology to other species of Prosadenoporus. The average sequence divergence of P. floridensis sp. nov. from other congeners is 9.15% (16S) and 10.65% (COI) and 7.8% and 10.3% respectively from the nearest sequenced congener P. mortoni.


The research process has as main objective, determining ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT AND ITS IMPACT ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES IN EDUCATIONAL UNIT "JUNCTION" El Empalme Canton Province of Guayas 2015. In terms of methodology of work, They applied the methods: deductive, inductive, analytic and synthetic, which served to process the empirical data as well as for the analysis of cases, to make comparisons and relationships, which allowed us to understand the causes that caused the problem in the academic and administrative development of the institution; They were also helpful in drawing conclusions, check and verify the assumptions and establish general criteria on the issue investigated. The technique used as an aid to data collection was the survey, which allowed us to know and have a general idea about the administrative and academic activities of the institution. After the investigation it was found that in the planning, organization, management, control and evaluation of the administration not involved teachers, students and parents holistically; besides, it was deduced that the administrative process, there is centralization of functions, dysfunctional in planning projects, mismanagement of resources, lack of socialization of the institutional evaluation processes, resistance to evaluation, lack of communication and institutional motivation. With regard to academic offerings there is close monitoring of the process of training the student is provided, as it refers in rigorous, academic aspect, based on the guidance in this context provides the Ministry Education underestimated. After the process of analysis, systematization and interpretation of the results obtained in the field work, it is determined that the assumptions made are approved.


Abstract Introduction. Young people are particularly vulnerable to new trends in internet use. Schoolchildren often lose themselves in the virtual world, forgetting about the real world. This leads to difficulties in contact with family or peers, a decline in academic performance, and even to road accidents. Some young people try to gain popularity on the Internet at all costs, thinking that only this will make them better people. In some youth circles, people who are less popular in the Internet are excluded – social media are therefore another reason for dividing young people. Aim. The aim of the study is to determine the habits related to the use of social media by young people in order to analyze the obtained data in terms of: assessing an addiction of the studied group, impact on private life, education and selecting the necessary educational programs. Material and method. The study used an anonymous questionnaire conducted in electronic form on a group of students attending high schools and technical schools all over Poland. The study was conducted using a proprietary questionnaire (Google form) completed online. The questionnaire mainly consisted of closed-ended questions verifying habits related to using social media and a certificate (age, gender, voivodship, size of the place of residence, type of school). The following computer programs were used for statistical analysis of data: Statistica and Microsoft Excel. Results. The research proved that the most popular social media among young people are Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat. Most of the respondents spend 3-4 hours a day on social media. Most of the respondents neglect sleep and household chores because of them. Conclusions. Young people spend too much time during the day using social media. Social media have a negative impact on school education and the length of sleep of young people. A large proportion of young people is unaware of the dangers that await them online, and that social media have a negative impact on interpersonal contacts in the real world, therefore it is necessary to increase the knowledge of young people about the dangers lurking on the Internet and introduce educational programs to solve this problem.


The invention relates to a color wheel for use in the illumination system of a projector. The color wheel according to the present invention comprises a rotor and a motor for rotating the rotor, the rotor comprising a ring shaped translucent area formed by color filter segments, the translucent area being adapted to continuously extend into a light path as the rotor is rotated, the rotor in a first plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation further comprising first means for balancing, the rotor in a second plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation further comprising second means for balancing, wherein first and second plane are spaced apart. Due to the dual plane balancing means the color wheel is better balanced.


The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of acute Whole Body Vibration (WBV) on static and dynamic balance in physical education students. A total of 30 healthy physical education students participated in this study. The participants were divided into two groups as the Control Group (n = 15) and the Whole Body Vibration group (n = 15). The control group did not carry out any trainings; and the WBV group did acute WBV. The first measurements of height, weight, flamingo balance test for static balance, and the Y balance test for dynamic balance were made for both groups before applying the WBV program. The final measurements were made right after the WBV application. Results are presented as mean ± standard deviation. The values that were obtained from the pre-test and post-test were analyzed with the paired sample t-test after their normality was checked with the Shapire-Wilk Test. The comparisons between the groups were analyzed by using an independent sample t-test at a significance level of p < 0.05. The flamingo balance test was applied to determine the static balance values. According to the flamingo balance test, there was a significant difference between the right leg pre-test and post-test values of the WBV group (p < 0.05). A significant difference was detected between the left leg pre-test and post-test values of the WBV group (p < 0.05). The Y balance test was applied to determine the dynamic balance results. There was a significant difference between the right leg pre-test and post-test values of the WBV group (p < 0.05). There was a significant difference between the left leg pre-test and post-test values of the WBV group. It was determined that the acute WBV has a positive effect on static and dynamic balance.


Once Upon a Revolution: An Egyptian Story, by Thanassis Cambanis. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2015. 275 pages. $26 cloth; $16 paper.Reviewed by Joshua StacherOnce Upon a Revolution by Thanassis Cambanis explains the various choices made by the military, deep state, Muslim Brotherhood, and other revolutionaries after protests dislodged President Husni Mubarak in February 2011. It details the political opportunism, strategic blunders, and shifting power relations among these groups. Cambanis provides informed observations beginning with the initial protests and concluding with Defense Minister 'Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi's installation as president.Cambanis has a knack for narrative writing. He tells Egypt's story through an accidental revolutionary as well as a disaffected Muslim Brother to illustrate the dramatic turns. These characters tread the path of political uncertainty while growing and shrinking personally against the larger national events. Basem Kamel goes from being an apolitical and successful architect to joining a party, winning a parliamentary seat, and ultimately quitting party politics. Moaz Abdelkarim is a young Muslim Brother pharmacist, who leaves the organization to work with the revolutionaries. He struggles with the creeping polarization gripping his countrymen, his connections to the Brotherhood, and ultimately flees Egypt to live in exile after the coup.Cambanis records political moments in reflective ways. For example, he got used to seeing the state deploy violence against protesters but instantly knows when he sees a new paradigm emerge. After the October 2011 massacre of Coptic Christian demonstrators at the Maspero state television building, Cambanis writes, "The massacre at Maspero felt different from the violence in January and February. It felt out of control. It didn't feel like the calibrated violence of a brutal state" (p. 136). The author also is savvy enough to see the rival narratives being written by the state and the revolutionaries as the latter's began to disconnect from society or political reality.Making sense of this complexity, Cambanis notes the fault for the failed revolution lay at the unassailable privilege of the military, the power-intoxicated policies of President Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, and the unreformed state. It is refreshing to see analysis that does not pin the chaos solely on the hopeful revolutionaries that launched an experiment to improve their lots. Yet, his conclusions about the revolutionaries expose a regrettable assumption in the author's portrayal. As Cambanis writes, "Egypt's revolution was defeated because it wasn't organized, it wasn't political enough, and, most fatally, it didn't have a compelling, constructive idea at its center" (p. 248). This sentence unmasks the key deficiency of the book. No coherent - much less single - idea could have resulted in the revolution's success. The existing structural power inequalities among these groups decided the current moment in Egypt's history. It is these inequalities that go unexplored in this book.Mobilizations that break the former elites' hold rely on resiliency to castrate existing power inequalities. Furthermore, they break the previous restrictive playing field of formal politics. …


Introduction. The article examines the situation in the vegetable market in domestic and foreign markets in order to analyze the supply of different types of vegetables market and the factors influencing them in the Ukraine.
One of the priority tasks in modern political and economic conditions is to improve the food supply of the population with food of own production, in particular vegetable products. There is a growing demand for vegetable products all over the world and in Ukraine. The vegetable industry is developing dynamically, but does not fully meet the needs of the population in providing quality vegetable products.
In order to make certain management decisions, businesses must have information about the market situation of vegetables in which they operate. Due to the lack of coherence with all parts of the marketing subcomplex, vegetable products are not competitive in both domestic and foreign markets.
The purpose of the article is to analyze the situation on the vegetable market in Ukraine and the world, the factors influencing them and study best practices for implementation in the national market.
Results. As a result of the study, two main groups of criteria for assessing market conditions are considered: economic and social. The world experience is analyzed, which proves that about 80% of agricultural products are sold in agricultural cooperatives. It is generalized that Ukraine is among the top seven world leaders in the gross production of melons and vegetables, but in terms of yield among the 20 most advanced countries in the world, Ukraine ranks only 15th. Thus, the practical significance of the study lies in the need to develop a perfect market for vegetable products in Ukraine, which involves the use of experience of developed countries with established civilized market relations, in particular on a cooperative basis.


Objective: The mediating technology involved in communications has enabled a significant increase in the amount of interactions between producers and consumers of information, products or services. In this article, a proposal will be presented for the organization of the necessary information in the development of mediating elements known as virtual assistants (Chatbots). These integrating communication channels will be conceptualized as boundary objects and their prototyping as an activity suggested to Information Science professionals in search of an ever-greater synergy with Data Science.
Method: The article is based on a methodology of an exploratory nature and applied with the use of a "Case Study" guided by a thorough bibliographic review of the theory of boundary objects and the study of artificial intelligence platforms used for the development of chatbots, investigating the actions, methods and tools for organizing information.
Results: A proposal for a method for the organization of information based on a specific taxonomy for the domain of interactions established between the government and citizens is presented. In this context, a set of intentions, entities and informational dialogues are established that can precisely provide the necessary skills for prototyping the virtual assistant.
Conclusions: Boundary Objects are an appropriate alternative for mediating social practices used by different types of communities that need to exchange information in a structured way. Through a knowledge base previously modeled in the form of intentions, entities and dialogues, the informational needs of different communities are now met, with the consequent opening of an exceptional field for the work of the Information Science professional.


The purposes of this study were to (1) explore the relationship of preclinical assessment outcomes and grade point averages (GPAs) with full-time clinical education experience (CEE) performance and (2) determine the predictive value of associated variables to full-time CEE performance.

 In-program academic variables such as performance tests, comprehensive examinations, and GPAs reflect a measure of student performance before clinical education. Limited and conflicting physical therapist education research exists examining the relationship between preclinical in-program academic variables and CEE performance.

 A retrospective convenience sample of 130 graduated PT student academic records with expected graduation years of 2018, 2019, and 2020.

 Academic records related to performance test outcomes, cumulative program GPAs, utilization of a practical retake appeal policy, and comprehensive examination performance were correlated with CEE performance. A dichotomous ordinal rating scale quantified CEE performance per full-time experience based on the presence of a learning contract. Overall CEE performance was defined as the percentage from the combined CEE performance scores across all experiences. Data analyses included Pearson's correlation coefficient, Spearman's rho, and a multiple linear regression analysis.

 Ten of 25 course-specific performance tests had significant associations with CEE performance. Cumulative GPA and the practical retake appeal were significantly associated with the CEE III score and overall CEE performance. The practical retake appeal was a significant contributor to clinical performance, explaining 5.3% of the variance (β = 0.24, P = .01, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.09, part correlation = 0.23, tolerance = 0.91).

 These findings support the use of performance tests as an effective assessment strategy before CEEs but only represent one aspect of the full picture of readiness to practice. Academic progression policies can offer a mechanism for early identification to support at-risk students before the CEEs.


Traumatic lesions in temporary dentition are very frequent. It is important that dentist and pediatricians know their treatment, since children going to the dentist's in emergency situations when urgency is needed may influence the diagnosis in a direct way. This fact leads us perform a literature review in order to establish the proper recommendation for the treatment of traumatic lesions. Therefore, through the proper handling of the patient's anxiety, an accurate diagnosis, careful hygiene, and a good monitoring, it is possible to save
traumatized primary teeth that might be lost if this practice was not taken into account. After many investigations it is surprising that there is no universal consensus on the management and protocols of ideal treatments to perform on traumatized temporal teeth, finding in a bibliographical search a large number of investigations that expose the advantages, disadvantages and risks of each of the treatments, However, some authors still have the same concern, since until today there is great controversy about the management of trauma in mixed or deciduous dentition. On the other hand, there are several treatment options in temporary teeth, since the deciduous dentition plays a decisive role in the development and growth of children, in aspects such as phonation, chewing, appearance, prevention of bad
habits and guidance of the eruption. The therapeutic decision making in dentistry, as in other areas of the health field, implies a deep knowledge of the pathology to be treated, a constant updating and training in new techniques and also being aware at all times of the abilities and
limitations to the time to perform the treatments. It must be taken into account that in pediatric dentistry there are many factors that influence when evaluating the possibility of extraction or performing a restorative, periodontal or surgical treatment.


In this paper, a simple control methodology for macro/micro manipulator system is proposed. The macro/micro manipulator system consists of a multi-link rigid body manipulator as a macro manipulator and a machining unit mounted on the end-effector of the macro manipulator as a micro manipulator. It is shown that the state equations of the proposed macro/micro manipulator system are identical with the singular perturbed system. A simple method of control system design of this system can be derived from the singular perturbation theory. Simulation results show that the proposed control scheme perfectly compensates the tracking errors. An experimental verification of the proposed control algorithm is shown by applications to electrodischarge machining.<<ETX>>


Vocational teachers should play a positive initiative in the use of vocational English teaching,flexible use of resources for teaching practice services,which requires careful preparation and processing of teachers,students taught according to the foun-dation and the actual situation and the curriculum standards requirements,the content of teaching methods and materials provided by the rational use.The author describes several ways in the English classroom problems,and on strategies to address these issues and improve the measures.


During the Stalin era, interest in the composer Scriabin noticeably weakened compared to the 1910s and 1920s. Nevertheless, the discussion of his works and personality continued. Particularly, in the 1930s and 1940s, his role in the Soviet vision of world art was formed. In the specialized music journal "Soviet Music" during those years, the Soviet myth of Scriabin was constructed. For this purpose, the epistolary heritage and early writings were studied, his work and the influence of Russian culture on him were discussed — as a result, the image of a deluded genius was created.


Presented here is a design of the four-dimensional mode for an integrated autopilot/autothrottle control system named Total Energy Control System. This design involves integrating a four-dimensional flight trajectory generator with the Total Energy Control System to create an outer-loop time error control law and integrating spoilers with the Total Energy Control System to increase the energy bleedoff capacity of the system during descent. The resulting system follows a precomputed four-dimensional profile in cruise, except if there is a large time error when the system is engaged. In such a case, the system generates a speed profile to null out the time error by the top of descent. During descent, the system follows a fixed profile by employing both throttles and spoilers. The system was tested on a full nonlinear simulation and all portions of the system were shown to perform as desired.


Abstract : Studies have been conducted to improve the performance of structural and ablative composites composed of graphite- and carbon-fiber reinforced epoxy and tested for changes in interlaminar shear strength. Carbon fibers were coated with nickel and several oxides, and the oxidation resistance measured by thermogravimetric analyses in air. Chemical oxidation by nitric acid and thermal oxidation in air of graphite fibers were performed and found to increase the interlaminar shear strength of graphite/epoxy composites. These treatments also increased the surface activity of the fibers as measured by chemical group analysis and surface area. The surface cleaning treatments of solvent extraction and degassing were less effective in increasing composite shear strength, as were several chemical finishes applied to graphite and carbon fibers. The nickel coating of fibers had little effect on composite shear strength; a nylon coating produced a moderate increase. Of several oxides deposited on carbon fibers, the application of silica by vapor-phase deposition yielded the best coating and resulted in a moderate increase in oxidation resistance of the fibers. Deposition by electrophoresis and from organosilicates were attempted, but uniform fiber coatings were not obtained. Nickel, platinum, and rhodium were coated on carbon fibers electrochemically, with electroless nickel producing the best coatings. (Author)


This paper studies consensus control problem for a class of nonlinear leader-following multi-agent system under switching topologies with uncertain parameters of system matrix and nonlinear unknown terms existed. By parameterizing the unknown terms and uncertain parameters of system matrix, a distributed adaptive consensus algorithm is proposed for each follower. Under the jointly connected topology and the observer-based approach, the consensus analysis of the considered multi-agent system has been transformed to the stabilization of an error dynamic system. It is proved that the consensus could be achieved based on the Lyapunov theory and the Riccati inequality. Numerical simulations are conducted to illustrate the theoretical result.


A number of European standards for visual testing are currently being prepared by working group 8 of CEN Technical Committee 138. The UK holds the Convenorship of this group. This paper is intended to outline the current status of the three work items and to describe the layout and the content of the draft proposals. The important features of the drafts for the new European standards will be highlighted and discussed, such as the amendments to the visual acuity tests and the introduction of procedures as an option, as well as checklists.


We previously showed that human CYP3A expression in vitro is under the transcriptional control mediated by NFAT5, which is a tonicity responsive transcriptional factor. Interestingly, hypertonicity increases CYP3A expression, while hypotonicity decreases it, suggesting constitutive regulation roles of the NFAT5‐CYP3A pathway. In contrast, mouse Cyp3a was unresponsive to ambient hypertonicity in vitro. In the present study, our objective was to show if human CYP3A expression can be induced by hypertonic stimuli in vivo. The humanized CYP3A4–3A7 transgenic mice were subjected to 4 cycles of 24h water deprivation every other day, or to a 7‐day high‐salt diet (8% salt content, HSD), that mimics the dehydration and hypertonic luminal content in the intestine, respectively. In the kidney of mice undergoing the cyclic dehydration, NFAT5‐regulated BGT1 mRNA was significantly increased compared to control (5.9±1.1 fold: M±SEM; p=0.003). Fold‐changes of the CYP3A4 and 3A7 were 2.5±0.5 (p=0.02) and 0.7±0.2 (p=0.13), respectively. In mice after HSD, fold‐induction of the duodenal BGT1, CYP3A4 and 3A7 expressions were 25.2±8.2 (p=0.02), 4.7±0.9 (p=0.01) and 2.0±0.3 (p=0.08), respectively. Our findings suggest that human CYP3A transcription is under the influence of ambient tonicity. Direct involvement of NFAT5 in vivo awaits further studies.


PURPOSE: To provide a mechanism which automatically registers a printer driver controlling a printer when the printer is connected to a receiver and used for a system which receives television broadcasts. CONSTITUTION: The television broadcast receiver which receives television broadcasts has a setting means which sets download information on a printer driver to be obtained, an acquiring means which acquires a printer driver file specified with the download information set by the setting means, and an installing means which installs the printer driver file obtained by the acquiring means in a performable state in a storage means.


Severe drought events are affecting forests around the world, even in temperate climates. A viable climate change adaptation strategy may involve planting forests with trees more resilient to drought. The majority of the 300 million seedlings planted annually in western Canada are genetically-selected trees derived from tree breeding programs. Since tree breeding populations supply the seed that is deployed on the landscape, it is important to closely examine the degree of genetic control of drought resilience in these populations – yet methods for evaluating drought responses in mature experimental trials are limited. We evaluated the potential to use tree rings to infer genetic adaptation to drought. Specifically, we used annual growth increments to evaluate the genetic component behind variation in drought resilience. We also quantified potential genetic trade-offs between drought resilience and growth in long-term progeny trials. We worked with two economically and ecologically valuable sympatric conifers, coastal Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii) and western redcedar (Thuja plicata). Annual growth increment and tree height data were obtained from 1980 coastal Douglas-fir trees (93 polycross families on two well-replicated sites at age 19) and 1520 western redcedar trees (26 polycross families on three well-replicated sites at age 18). All trees showed substantial reduction in growth under drought, but there was clear variability in the longer-term response of families within each breeding population. The heritability (h2) of such drought resilience, or proportion of this variation explained by genetics, was high for Douglas-fir (h2 = 0.26, SE = 0.07) and moderate for redcedar (h2 = 0.13, SE = 0.04). Preliminary genetic correlations between tree height and drought resilience were also positive for both species (Douglas-fir: rg = 0.77, SE = 0.18; redcedar: rg = 0.62, SE = 0.17). Families that were both high-yielding and drought resilient could also be identified. Since growth response to drought is a variable and heritable trait, these traits are therefore under the control of the tree breeder. Moreover, the positive genetic correlations between tree height and an adaptive growth response to drought suggest that historic selection for tree height did not compromise drought resilience of planted seedlings. Tree rings appear to be an effective tool to screen these populations for drought resilience, which will help ensure that planted trees will remain healthy and productive under climate change.


This paper aims to propose a mathematical model in order to minimize total waiting time of passengers in metro systems. The main contribution of this paper is considering the capacity of trains and stations, as well as the assumption of a constant interval for travelling between two successive stations. To reach this aim, the sum of dwell time and travel time are assumed constant. The dwell time is considered a function of number of passengers who can board the train. To show the effectiveness of the proposed model, a numerical example is studied. The parameters of the metro system are considered according to Tehran Urban and Suburban Railway Operation Co. The results show that an increase in the capacity of trains and the number of trains separately leads to the reduction of total waiting time. Furthermore, the best amount of Headway in order to minimize the waiting time is six minutes.


Abstract This paper first analyzes the procedure process and needs of identifying poor students in colleges and universities and constructs a working system to help them. Secondly, it analyzes the evaluation process of the comprehensive system for assisting poor students and constructs an evaluation index system for their aid work. Then, the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation was established to comprehensively evaluate the work of poor students' aid, and the results were tested using the EDA model. Finally, the quantitative analysis of index weights and satisfaction was conducted with the example of H University. The results showed that, from the index weights, the index weight of the identification of poor students was the largest, 0.3294, and the weights of the construction of rules and regulations and work effectiveness were the smallest, 0.0838 and 0.0178, respectively.


ABSTRACT For petroleum fingerprinting in support of natural resource damage assessments (NRDA) and other regulatory and litigation-driven scientific studies, the state of the art now focuses on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and saturated biomarker analyses, coupled with ratio and/or principal component analysis techniques, for advanced chemical fingerprinting (ACF) and allocation of petroleum mixtures to multiple sources. This strategy is being applied to oil spills, in-ground petroleum releases, and coal tar-petroleum source differentiation scenarios. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) draft injury guidance on NRDA recommends the application of ACF to oil spill assessments under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990.


Nana- The slow, sustained melodies in Excerpt VII of Airs d'Espagne are played over a drone in the lower-sounding instruments.


This review discusses empirical research on social networks and the environment; it summarizes findings from representative studies and the conceptual frameworks social scientists use to examine the role of social networks. The article presents basic concepts in social network analysis, summarizes common challenges of empirical research on social networks, and outlines areas for future research. Finally, the article discusses the normative and positive meanings of social networks.


The emergence of relationships between humans and artificial things in the home is analyzed from the perspective of attachment emotion. In this paper, we compare the cognitive activities of owners with attachment emotions and owners without attachment emotions; focusing in particular on the contrasts between owners of a toy doll with strong long-term attachment and short-term owners of a home robot who have not formed attachment. The method employed is protocol analysis which has been extended to the analysis of fan letters and interviews. The results indicate that attachment functions (a) to make human think more positively about things, (b) to elicit a specific action tendency, (c) to evoke the sense of subjective well-being, and (d) to enhance pro-social cognition.


In this paper,application of 3D chemical simulation to production practice is introduced,and the significance of introducing such new teaching mode into the teaching sector of the students is discussed.It is proved that the Abstraction relative to the traditional two-dimensional chemical simulation,3D chemical simulation virtual field station close to the same chemical plant device,it can inspire students' enthusiasm and initiative,chemical engineering simulation training will push to a new dirction.


The distributions of metal flow rate along different extrusion directions and the pressure of welding room during hot extrusion of 6063 aluminum alloy profile were studied by HyperXtrude software.The reasons of size deviation were analysed and restrictive blockings were used to optimize the extrusion die.The simulation results show that the flow rates of metal in different directions was slow down after adding restrictive blockings,especially inward direction,so restrictive blockings could decrease the size deviation of the profiles.After the optimization method was applyed to pratical extrusion process,it was found that the uniformity of flow rates of metal were improved and the qualified aluminum alloy profiles could be obtained.


Abstract INTRODUCTION ALL colleges which offer Poultry Husbandry as a major curriculum require at least one course in judging. The number of courses of which judging is a part and the number of credit hours offered in each course vary from one institution to another. There seems little question that knowledge gained from judging the characteristics of the laying and non-laying hen and of the differences in breed type is an improtant part in the education of poultry majors. Still, the amount of time that a student can profitably devote to poultry judging is another matter. Judging poultry, like that for livestock in general, is a skill that is acquired through practice. One learns the art of judging from competent teachers. Usually there is no text book to serve as a guide, and the teacher's decision, right or wrong, in placing a class of birds is final. If the teacher himself . . .


Phenomenology, peekaboo, and play are notions that may not tempt the reader to take a paper very seriously. Phenomenology is a philosophical form of qualitative research that is guided more often by the fortuitous serendipity of contemplative insights than by the rationality of reproducible social science procedures. Peekaboo is an infant game of the eyes that hardly seems worth addressing in a self-respectful research journal, and the topic of play is equally suspect to scientists for whom the cheerful idleness of play is the opposite of the seriousness and purposiveness of work or labor. However, here I will propose that (a) peekaboo may give us inceptual insights into the phenomenon of eye contact; (b) idle play is not just a counter concept of seriousness and work, but a phenomenon in its own right; (3) phenomenology is a serendipitous form of research that is philosophic and may give us compelling insights into the lived meanings of quotidian experiences in our lives, and (d) the mythological figure of Kairos speaks to the enigma of our humanness and provides an understanding of time as the discontinuous instant of the now and of the phenomenological method as intuitive grasping of meaning. Phenomenological writing is rarely easy and yet it can be highly satisfying in its results. I aim to show that meaningful insights are gained through a patient and attentively alert surrender to Kairos time and serendipitous moments.


For languages, especially for Czech language featured by a free-word-ordering, the prosody serves a critical information for the recognition and understanding system. For some sentences the speaker's style is essential to determine the core of the communication, depending on a speaker who thus emphasises a meaning of the sentence. This paper describes the first results of speaker's style determination. The experiments show that the speech recognition quality is increased by the style determination by using prosody characteristics.


Regional income distribution, which shows the proportion that people living in different regions of a country takes from income, is one of the important criteria reflecting the developmental differences between regions. The disappearance of interregional differences over time means that the regions are converging. Convergence will point to the development process in the whole country if the undeveloped regions are catching the advanced ones. However, if convergence arises as a result of the retroation of the developed regions, the opposite is the case. One of the issues highlighted in the literature is that the development levels of the regions can also be explained by neighborhood relations. Therefore, it is of particular importance that neighborhood effects are taken into account in convergence analyses. In this study, income distribution convergence for NUTS 2 regions in Turkey is analyzed for the period of 2003-2014, 2003-2015 and 2003-2016, by using cross-sectional data. Within the scope of the analysis, which also included spatial effects, for the period 2003-2014 both beta convergence and spatial dependence were determined. For 2003-2015 and 2003-2016 periods while beta convergence were realized but no spatial effect was observed. As of the research period the findings indicate that the NUTS 2 regions in Turkey are converging at the deteriorating national income distribution level.


We present a new pipeline designed to derive the physical properties of emission‐line galaxies from ongoing massive spectroscopic surveys (e.g. VVDS, DEEP, …). The first tool performs a stellar continuum fitting and substraction of a large amount of spectra in a minimum waste of time. It then measures all the parameters (flux, EW, etc) of emission‐lines together with the "spectroscopic" magnitudes and colors. The second software takes all these measurements and derive a number of physical properties like chemical abundances, dust extinction, spectral classification, etc. The pipeline is designed to be fully automatic and flexible, with many configurable options.As an example, we show the first results of a project aiming to derive the physical properties of emission‐line galaxies at intermediate redshifts (z = 0.2 ∼ 1.0). We took advantage of this sample to test the efficiency of our pipeline compared to manual measurements. We also check that it will give good results on lower resolution spectra, which i...


Medical Books for Holland SIR,-Would you be good enough to allow us space to make an appeal for our Dutch colleagues. There is almost no limit to the kind of help which the Dutch need, but there is one special form of assistance which the medical profession may be able to afford. We are, both of us, members of the Help Holland Council, and are thereby kept in very close touch with that country. Information has reached us that there is need at the moment for small modern medical libraries which can be consulted by the medical students in the training hospitals in Holland. If the depleted ranks of the medical profession of Holland are to be filled, up-to-date medical literature for the students is of vital importance. We suggest that a doctor should look through his shelves to see if he can spare any up-to-date medical, surgical, or scientific books. Gifts will be greatly appreciated, and should be sent to Help Hollan,d Council, Norman House, 105/109, Strand, W.C.2. -We are, etc., MORAN. ALFRED WEBB-JOHNSON.


When a three-dimensional photoelastic model is viewed under polarized light the total relative retardation is due not only to the integrated effect of the secondary stresses but also to the rotation of the secondary principal axes. In investigations on a finite slice taken from such a model it is generally assumed that the birefringence and the isoclinic parameters refer to the state of stress in the mid-plane. The validity of this assumption and the errors involved are analysed.


For two given point sets we present a very simple almost trivial algorithm to translate one set so that the Hausdor distance between the two sets is not larger than a constant factor times the minimum Hausdor distance which can be achieved in this way The algorithm just matches the so called Steiner points of the two sets The focus of our paper is the general study of reference points like the Steiner point and their properties with respect to shape matching For more general transformations than just translations our method eliminates sev eral degrees of freedom from the problem and thus yields good matchings with im proved time bounds That research was supported by the Jubil aumsfond der Osterreichischen Nationalbank Institut f ur Grund lagen der Informationsverarbeitung Technische Universit at Graz Schie stattgasse A Graz Austria e mail oaich igi tu graz ac at This research was supported by the ESPRIT Basic Research Action Program No Project AL COM II Freie Universit at Berlin Fachbereich Mathematik und Informatik Takustra e D Berlin Germany e mail alt inf fu berlin de Institut f ur Mathematik Technische Universit at Graz Kopernikusgasse A Graz Austria e mail rote ftug dnet tu graz ac at


Diagnosing individuals at ultra high risk (UHR) for psychosis can improve early access to treatment, and a two‐stage model utilizing self‐report screening followed by a clinical interview can be accurate and efficient. However, it is currently unclear which screening cut‐offs to adopt with different populations.


The disease caused by the new coronavirus (COVID-19), initially investigated in the city of Wuhan, located in China, during 2019 later spread worldwide, affecting millions of individuals, therefore, it triggered the pandemic event, perpetuated with consequences in areas population and economic. However, Dengue is an arboviral pathology with endemic proportions in tropical areas, spread through Aedes aegypti because it spreads the infectious agent. Therefore, the clinical picture emerges that culminates in an increase in body temperature, bleeding events, cephalalgia or pruritus. Thus, the studies were published in the years 2020 to 2021, being the equivalent of 36.36% in the year 2020, and about 63.64% in the year 2021. In this way, the contents of the research found referred to Aspects between Dengue and COVID-19 coinfection. Both have similar clinical manifestations, so their main difference is the respiratory compromise that is more evident in COVID-19.


The Orthopteroid fauna is dominated by the very large and highly modified Olathrotitan which, although considered within the Orthoptera Saltatoria, has a most curious stridulatory apparatus. It is very interesting also to record two quite distinct Protorthoptera from Triassic strata. Perlaria are recorded from the Upper Permian strata of Belmont, so it is not surprising to find them in this Triassic fauna, particularly as these two localities are less than one hundred miles apart.


Inter-domain traffic engineering is beneficial for supporting end-to-end QoS guarantees, optimizing network resource utilization, and ensuring fast recovery against link/node failures, This paper introduces the research progress on inter-domain traffic engineering, and analyzes various implement methods in detail. Finally we point out the problem of implementing inter-domain traffic engineering as well as the future work.


Presented in the first part of the article is Weber's early picture of charisma as a phenomenon associated with premodern conditions. Charisma's revolutionary moment is discussed. In later work Weber came to view charisma as a general factor to supersede social inertia. Charismatic impulses were particularly important during the development of Occidental modernity, because «dualistic» beliefs provided charismatic impulses with direction and lasting impact; a culture of opposition and dissent was formed that made for vitality. Finally, Weber's idea to include a populist-charismatic element in Germany's new constitution is discussed and the modification of the charisma-concept that followed.


The application of Metal Additive Manufacturing (MAM) in the aerospace industry has been gaining attention. The poor surface quality of parts greatly limits the prospects of MAM-produced parts in the aerospace industry as fatigue performance hinges on a good surface finish and homogeneous microstructure. Post-processing treatments are important to improve the surface quality and the overall performance of MAM-produced parts during static and dynamic loadings. This paper provides a review of the current state of post-processing treatment options for MAM-produced parts. The advances in the post-processing treatments of MAM parts to improve fatigue strength, tensile strength, surface integrity and other properties of parts are reviewed. Future research prospects on metal additive manufacturing of aerospace parts are briefly expounded. Abbreviations: AM: Additive Manufacturing; CMT-WAAM: Cold Metal Transfer-Based Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing; CSD: Cold Spray Deposition; DA: Direct Aging; DED: Directed Energy Deposition; E: Elongation; EBAM: Wire-feed Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing; EBAM Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing; EBSD: Electron Back Scattered Diffraction; FRAM: Friction Rolling Additive Manufacturing; FSAM: Friction Stir Additive Manufacturing; FSP: Friction Stir Processing; HFDB: Hybrid Friction Diffusion Bonding; HIP: Hot Isostatic Pressing; HSA Homogenisation + Solution Treatment + Aging; IFSP: Interlayer Friction Stir Processing; IPF: Inverse Pole Figure; KAM: Kernel Average Misorientation; LAM: Laser Additive Manufacturing Process; LENS: Laser Engineered Net Shaping; LDM: Laser Deposition Manufacturing; L-PBF: Laser Powder Bed Fusion; MAM: Metal Additive Manufacturing; MTFS: Multi-track Multi-layer Friction Surfacing; O-WLAM: Wire Oscillating Laser Additive Manufacturing (O-WLAM); S: Solution Treatment; SA: Solution Treatment + aging; TEM: Transmission Electron Microscope; UAM: Ultrasonic Additive Manufacturing; UTS: Ultimate Tensile Strength; WAAM: Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing; YS: Yield Strength


This study aims to test the moderating effect of internal quality control procedures on therelationship between perceptions of organizational justice and employee fraud. This researchalso aims to test the effects of five organizational factors, namely: environmental ethics, internalaudit activity, the risk management training, communication and information, andmonitoring on the quality of internal control procedures (ICP). This study was conductedusing the survey method of internal auditor of Universitas Surabaya, Universitas KristenPetra, Universitas Airlangga, STIE Perbanas Surabaya, and Universitas Widya Mandala.There were two developed models in this study. The first model test was using linier regressionanalysis and the second model was using residual test. The results showed that the firstmodel reveals that the environmental ethics affect the quality of internal control proceduresbut has a negative coefficient, internal audit activity and monitoring affect the quality of internalcontrol procedures but has a positive coefficient. And risk management training andcommunication and information not affect the quality of internal control procedures. In thesecond model suggests that reveals that the quality of ICP has a moderating effect on the relationshipbetween perceptions of organizational justice and employee fraud.


This article combines the relevance of big data accounting and financial information, and analyzes the difference between big data accounting and traditional accounting. The research content of this paper includes many aspects such as the change of thinking mode, fragmented or unstructured, data system structure, and the manifestation of information value. The author studied descriptive statistics, correlation testing, regression and analysis, robustness testing, and so on. The purpose of the research is to improve the effect of corporate financial information management and promote the sustainable development of the corporate economy.


Peptides and relative compounds, have been widely used and studied during the past decades. In the present thesis, an enantioselective synthesis and structural study of a variety of cyclobutane-containing beta-peptides and ureas is exposed. By means of experimental and theoretical techniques, their adoption of different folding structures due to the presence of self-assembling properties is described. These properties, in some cases, allowed the preparation of stable gels in organic solvents, which obtaintion was fully studied. In addition, the use of solid-phase peptide synthesis strategy was assaied in order to prepare hybrid cyclobutane-proline hexapeptides. Those, were studied as possible cell-penetrating agents.


This paper Dealed with the pool wall which was cooled and had drainage pipeline of glass tank furnace. Researched on the heat working property of internal and burying cooling arrayed pipes sturcture. Established the mathematical model, numerical calculation and simulation expriments. Got the temperature distribution of the pool wall under the different conditions and parameters, in order to select the optimum cooling structural dimention.


Three-dimensional (3D) visualization technology, such as augmented reality (AR), has served as the display for building information modeling (BIM)-based architectural design collaboration to provide more effective design observation and communication for stakeholders. That said, AR has several technical limitations in terms of personal device issues, user experience, and visualization quality. A new form of AR called spatial augmented reality (SAR) has been introduced to address these issues, which uses a digital projector to present graphics on physical objects for augmenting real-world objects. Therefore, SAR has great benefits and potentials to combine with BIM for design collaboration. This paper introduces a BIM-based SAR operational framework, where 3D building models generated from BIM software are imported to projection mapping tools to display building surface textures on physical white building models. A case study using Revit and 3ds Max as the BIM software, and MadMapper as the projection mapping tool, was conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed framework and to evaluate the projection performance of SAR. The case study showed that the texture of BIM models could be projected on the objects clearly and realistically. Additionally, the proposed SAR method potentially offers intuitive observation of building models and comfortable wear-free experience for collaborative design, and the qualitative analysis by changing the parameters was conducted to test the different projection conditions. Since it is expected that the use of SAR can be promoted by overcoming the discussed technical limitations and possible solution application, this study aims to traceability provide the whole process of BIM-based SAR for architectural design collaboration.


Materials and Methods In order to evaluate the feasibility of using the higher levels of soluble and insoluble fibers in ostrich ' s diet, this experiment was undertaken using 30 ostrich chicks in a completely randomize design with 5 treatments and 6 replicates in each treatments (one bird in each replicate) in three periods; prestarter (1- 2 months), starter (2- 4 months) and grower (4-6 months). The experimental treatments were as follows: 1-Control diet with standard fiber level, 2- Treatment contains 2% more soluble fiber than control (sugar beet pulp as the source of soluble fiber), 3- Treatment contains 4% more soluble fiber than control (Sugar beet pulp as a source of soluble fiber), 4- Treatment contains 2% more insoluble fiber than control (wheat bran as a source of insoluble fiber) and 5- Treatment contains 4% more insoluble fiber than control (wheat bran as a source of insoluble fiber). A total 30 ostrich chicks were reared at an average weight of 3082± 202.37 grams in cages. In order to determine the digestibility of nutrients, AME and AMEn, the total excreta were collected. Nutrients contents of feed and excreta were measured according to AOAC (1997) methods. The raw energy of feed and excreta was measured by the calorimeter bomb apparatus. Megazim kit was used to measure the total dietary fiber (AOAC Official Method 991.43). The amount of soluble fiber was calculated by subtracting the insoluble fiber from total dietary fiber. Data were analyzed using SAS software (2002) using mixed procedure for repeated measurements with a significance level of 0.05 by Tukey Cramer method. significant difference in AME in treatments that had more soluble fiber compared with the control group, but AME and AMEn increased significantly with increasing insoluble fiber compared to treatments that had more soluble fiber (P<0.0001). Which is probably related to the effect of insoluble fiber in the small intestine. Insoluble fiber diets improve the efficiency of nutrients utilization due to increasing the villi height to crypt depth ratio, therefore increased AME and AMEn. The differences in AME and AMEn with consumption of insoluble fiber source in comparison with other treatments are related to the greater effect of different fiber sources on the small intestine. Insoluble fiber decreases the viscosity of digestive contents and increases the effect of digestive enzymes secreted from intestinal cells (such as alpha amylase) and improve the digestion of starch and other nutrients and increase the energy obtaining from the diet by the ostriches. AMEn significantly increased with aging that may due to the increase of the activity of older birds, increase the energy required for maintenance and activity and hence more consumption of energy by the bird. The microbial population of the cecum and colon of the ostrich (from 3 weeks onwards) is similar to the rumen, which has the ability to ferment the fiber and produce volatile fatty acids, which these volatile fatty acids provide part of the metabolizable energy. Conclusion According to the results of this study, a suitable range for soluble and insoluble fibers in ostriches diets from one to two months old were suggested to be 7.5 to 11.5 percent and 16 to 20 percent, at the age of 2 to 4 months 7.6 to 11.6 percent and 20 to 24 percent and at the age of 4 to 6 months 8.25 to 12.25 percent and 25.5 to 29.5 percent, respectively.


A computer system for allowing proprietary forwarding elements to interoperate with standard control elements in an open network architecture. The computer system comprises a forwarding element that is adapted to perform data forwarding functions in a computer network. A control element is adapted to perform network signaling and control functions in the computer network. The control element is adapted to generate a standardized data set for configuring the forwarding element. An interconnecting element operatively connects the forwarding element to the control element. A forwarding element plugin is integrated with the control element for receiving the standardized data set from the control element, translating the standardized data set into a specialized data set, and transmitting the specialized data set to the forwarding element to configure the forwarding element. The forwarding element utilizes the specialized data set to configure the forwarding element for performing data forwarding in the computer network.


The investigated area is located on the wide continental shelf north of the deep oceanic Baffin Bay Basin. This triangular shelf represents a down-faulted area between two basement highs, the Thule and Inglefield lands in Greenland and the Inglefield Uplift on Ellesmere Island. Most of the shelf is covered by the polynia of Northwater Bay and therefore of comparably easy access for ships during the Arctic summer.


© 2008 The Authors JEADV 2009, 23, 317–368 Journal compilation © 2008 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology especially in black skin, and in differential diagnosis should be included both benign and malignant processes including epithelioid sarcoma. The awareness of this possibility is important to avoid over-treatment, like amputation, of the benign condition (SGA). There are only a few scattered reports of the imaging appearance of this entity in the literature; thus, we think that evaluation of a soft tissue mass in a child should proceed with a differential diagnosis in mind, based on the clinical history, travel history, age of the child, and location of the abnormality.5 A wide variety of superficial soft-tissue masses may be seen in clinical practice, but a systematic approach can help to achieve a definitive diagnosis or limit a differential diagnosis. Rapidly growing, painless small, superficial masses can be initially evaluated with sonography to avoid excessive diagnostic testing and, on occasion, inappropriate therapy. This diagnostic tool requires a great deal of training and experience to be practical, and sometimes, it can substitute the microscopic examination. Advancements in technology will improve the correlation of clinical findings with sonography findings in the assessment of several skin diseases.


Windows are key elements in the building envelope in terms of energy performance and comfort. The recent development of a new generation of so-called smart thermochromic glazings with the purpose of improving thermal comfort inside buildings raises the question of the visual comfort level offered by such glazings. This paper looks into the response of several commercial products to the specific Danish climate by running numerical simulations of a single-room building with the Energy Plus (DesignBuilder) software. The study case has a central window on each wall. The study highlights that the thermochromic effect is not activated for a major part of the year. In addition, we point out the decisive influence of the sky condition, as well as the non-negligible wind influence on the thermochromic response. Regarding indoor illuminance comfort, we observe a very variable annual performance depending on the tested thermochromic glazings. Moreover, we notice that thermochromism causes an increase in under-lighted annual time, which raises comfort issues, especially in a Nordic context.


The most important implication of the Vega/Giotto flyby missions to Halley's Comet for cometary cosmogony is the opportunity to absorb the results of the in-situ measurements as made onboard the spacecrafts. Unfortunately the exploration of ejecta form the nucleus was unable to provide an unambiguous definition of the chemical-mineralogical nature of the nucleus: it failed to provide information comparable to that which was expected from a sample return mission. However, the obtained results are significant enough to affect and redirect cosmogonical thinking. Accordingly, the understanding of the cometary-matter dichotomy is modified as deduced from the distiction of water-dominated volitiles and silicate-based non-volitiles. Organic carbon compounds emerge as a major constituent of cometary nuclei. Presently, it is likely that the revision of Whipple's classic concept of the icy conglomerate cannot be avoided. Affected by the Vega/Giotto flyby missions to Hally's Comet, cometary cosmogony seems to enter a new conceptual period. The results of the in-situ measurements (mass spectrometric, UV spectroscopic, and IR spectroscopic) appear to be of basic importance. A chemical explanation is employed to explain the occurrence inside the nuclei of the variety of species, as inferred from the mass spectrometric data, to predict the results of the processes possibly involved. A cosmochemical factor is postulated to operate behind the observed cometary phenomena. The chemistry of the interstellar medium, covering the circumstellar and interstellar dust, advances cometary cosmogony.


An experimental investigation of jet interaction on conŽ gurations with lifting surfaces is presented. The experiments were carried out at supersonic Mach numbers of 2, 3.3, and 4.5 and at the hypersonic Mach number of 8. The test model was an ogive-cylinder body with interchangeable lifting surfaces that can be mounted at various locationsalong the body.Several body–surface combinationswere tested representing wing, tail, wing plus tail, and strake conŽ gurations. In some cases, the presence of the surfaces resulted in large force and/or moment ampliŽ cation due to the interaction of the jet-induced  owŽ eld with the planar surfaces. Large ampliŽ cation factors were obtained at zero angle of attack for some conŽ gurations even at the lowMach number of 2. In contrast, for similar tests using body of revolutionwithout additional surfaces, only small force ampliŽ cation, at best, could be obtained at small angles of attack. The force ampliŽ cationwas also shown to vary inversely with jet pressure. For low values of the jet stagnation pressure, ampliŽ cation factors in excess of 2 were obtained. The interaction moments could be used to obtain an additional, aerodynamic, lifting force, which for some conŽ gurations can further increase the control force.


A data‐matrix (DM)‐technology approach in cell biology is implemented as an efficient method for the multiparameter monitoring of cell cultures. The proposed method takes advantage of the know‐how developed for fault tolerance in digital information technology by measuring the amount of errors induced by intervening cells upon checking a DM code placed behind them. It gives continuous access to several quantitative parameters of the observed culture, such as cell coverage, mean size, viability, and transfection efficiency.


The objective of this paper is to present developments in progress on reflectarray antennas, ranging from the reflectarray antenna as an alternative for shaped reflector, the reconfigurable reflectarray antenna with MEMS controlled elements, and the mechanically selectable reflectarray antenna.


In the increasingly interesting topic of e-learning, there is a tendency among practitioners to use "richer" media (such as fullmotion video) that cost significantly higher than other media choices (such as sound only) without any clear and justifiable estimates of incremental learning effectiveness. This paper presents the current results of a research in progress to link the choice of media (not choice of delivery technology) with learning effectiveness. Our research model hypothesizes that the link between choice of media for contents and learning effectiveness is moderated by the characteristics of the subject matter, learning styles of the learners and the learning objectives. The research, operationalized as a series of quasi-experiments based on the Solomon's four group design method, is also described. The results from the initial quasi-experiment will be presented at the conference.


In his paper [11] Shimura defined a correspondence between modular forms of half integral weight and modular forms of integral weight. To each pair (t, f(z)), consisting of a square-free integer t ≥ 1 and a cusp form of weight k/2 (k odd, ≥ 3), level N (divisible by 4) and character ϰ, he associated a certain function f(t)(z) (Ft(z) in Shimura's notation).


Re-envisoning Health and Community in Tower Hamlets, London This project began with research into the historical and contemporary forces which have shaped the physical, social and economic character of the borough of Tower Hamlets. The area is made up primarily of government built social housing estates and is now one of the most deprived areas in the United Kingdom. This proposal aims to change the perception and use of the selected site through a number of small interventions. By reexamining the qualities and deficiencies of the site as it is today and in a historical context it is possible to see potentials which may have otherwise been overlooked. The design proposal involves changing the context and surroundings of the existing buildings as much as changing the buildings themselves. The site is made up of a housing estate from the 1960s as well as a local health center. The project is made up of a new masterplan for the housing area as well as an addition to the health center and a new public space providing access to it. This project is part of an urban strategy developed with a group of students. This urban strategy is made up of a 'pedestrian spine' which provides a new connection and orientation device running from the south to north of Tower Hamlets. The project also fits into the British government's 'Healthy Borough Program' which aims to improve health in key areas of the country through healthy living programs.


Articles of agreement of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Done at Washington December 27, 1945. Entered into force December 27, 1945. TIAS 1502. Signature and acceptance: Malawi, July 19, 1965. Articles of agreement of the International Monetary Fund. Done at Washington December 27, 1945. Entered into force December 27,1945. TIAS 1501. Signature and acceptance: Malawi, July 19, 1965. Articles of agreement of the International Finance Corporation, as amended. Done at Washington May 25, 1955. Entered into force July 20, 1956. TIAS 3620, 4894. Signature and acceptance: Malawi, July 19, 1965. Articles of agreement of the International Development Association. Done a t Washington January 26, 1960. Entered into force September 24, 1960. TIAS 4607. Signature and acceptance: Malawi, July 19, 1965.


Data from surveys in 1951, 1972, 1973 and 1978–79 showed that tick numbers are generally low on the miniature breed of cattle in the Yemen Arab Republic and tick-borne diseases have not been recognised as a serious problem. This breed should be investigated for properties of resistance to tick bite. Each tick species commonly infesting livestock has been recorded as transmitting viruses (and some also rickettsiae) causing human illness in Africa and/or Eurasia. Between 1300 and 2000 m in altitude, Amblyomma variegatum (F.) is more abundant on camels than on cattle and Boophilus annulatus (Say) infests cattle. Below 1500 m, B. kohlsi Hoogst. & Kaiser is more abundant on goats than on sheep. Haemaphysails sulcata C. & F. infests sheep in certain highland areas. Hyalomma dromedarii Koch is the most prevalent and abundant tick of livestock. H. anatolicum excavatum Koch is next in abundance on camels. The numbers of H. anatolicum anatolicum Koch vary greatly in collections from different years. Few examples of H. erythraeum Tonelli-Rondelli were taken. H. impeltatum Schultze & Schlottke and H. marginatum rufipes Koch are widely distributed; the former is most abundant in coastal lowlands, the latter in humid habitats. H. arabica Pegram, Hoogst. & Wassef is recorded from goats, and also sheep, in southern hills. Immature examples of Hyalomma spp. are especially abundant on camels and hares. Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi Neum. is common in the highlands, as is R. simus Koch below 2000 m. Species of the R. sanguineus (Latr.) group occur on some livestock.


Land mobile satellite (LMS) systems and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are the key enablers for broadband wireless networks to serve terrestrial mobile users over a broad area with low cost. However, with the increasing dependency on the aerospace communication infrastructure, the wiretapping and security threats would be a major concern. In this paper, we investigate the secrecy performance of a downlink LMS system by employing a UAV-based friendly jammer in the presence of an eavesdropper on the ground. Specifically, we derive the secrecy outage probability (SOP) of the considered LMS system under the pertinent heterogeneous channels for the satellite links and the air-to-ground jammer. We further derive an asymptotic SOP expression to gain more insights into the system performance. Our theoretical results are validated through simulations and they reveal the impact of UAV position and other key parameters on the secrecy performance of LMS systems.


difference in any combination of two means . Judging from the significant result of analysis of variance mentioned above and the actual 員gures given in Table 4, however, it would be adequate to distinguish at least the scarcity of borers on August 10th from the density 正evels on the other investigation days. It is again noticeable that in 1965, the population density lasted unchanged for a month frQm Ju正y lst. At the same time , however, it should not be overlooked that the following serious difference  is detectable between the results of investigations in 1964


ABSTRACT Tolerance analysis, as an effective tool for predicting the effects of geometrical and dimensional deviations on the key characteristics, plays an essential role in increasing the functionality and quality of mechanical products. The conventional methods in the literature have been developed based on this main assumption that the assembly function is available in an explicit form. However, in most industrial applications, deriving an assembly function in an explicit form may be difficult if not impossible. On the other hand, one of the major weaknesses of the conventional tolerance analysis methods in the literature is that all effective dimensions should be varied under the normality assumption. To overcome these weaknesses, in this paper, a new tolerance analysis approach is developed based on the univariate DRM and Pearson system concepts. The proposed method can analyze directly without the need to define any assembly function and also the rejected product rate can be easily predicted using evaluations of the assembly dimension at the limited number of special points. Finally, for verification of the proposed method, some illustrative case studies are considered and results are compared to obtained results of the Monte-Carlo Simulations and the improved Hassofer-Lind and Rack-Fizzler reliability index methods.


The utility model relates to a double-end center-drilling-hole special machine which comprises a machine tool base. A transverse slide carriage driven by a first lead screw is arranged in the middle of the machine tool base, a workbench used for clamping workpieces is arranged on the transverse slide carriage, lathe beds are symmetrically arranged at the left end and right end of the machine tool base, a slide body driven by a second lead screw is arranged on each lathe bed, a power head is arranged on each slide body, and a center drill which is clamped by a chuck is arranged on each power head. By means of the structure, centre holes at the two ends of axis parts can be machined at the same time, the parts do not need to turn round, machining precision is high, and machining efficiency is high.


American historiography has changed multiple ways during the 20 th century,while a grand narrative of liberalism still remains. This narrative emphasizes the progressive-liberal development in American history,treating conservatism as a marginal and extreme force,far away from American political and social mainstream. Since the1960 s,this historical paradigm has been increasingly questioned by many scholars. They argue that different conservative movements in the 20 th century America actually derived from American heritage; conservatism also belongs to American political and cultural mainstream and need more scholarly attention. But the study of the history of conservatism did not really prospered until Alan Brinkley addressed "The Problem of American Conservatism " in1990 s,which aroused much debate among historians. The origin and development of modern American conservatism,the South and resurgent of conservatism,the relation between conservatism and liberalism,and many other topics have been studied and reinterpreted. Historians also began to reflect their achievement of these years and try to find the defect and deficiency in it.


We explore the OPE of certain twist operators in symmetric product (SN ) orbifold CFTs, extending our previous work [1] to the case of N = (4, 4) supersymmetry. We consider a class of twist operators related to the chiral primaries by spectral flow parallel to the twist. We conjecture that at large N , the OPE of two such operators contains only fields in this class, along with excitations by fractional modes of the superconformal currents. We provide evidence for this by studying the coincidence limits of two 4-point functions to several non-trivial orders. We show how the fractional excitations of the twist operators in our restricted class fully reproduce the crossing channels appearing in the coincidence limits of the 4-point functions.


As a fund, InnoEnergy aims to simplify and shorten the journey from lab to launch. We focus on developing and investing in innovative and commercially viable products and solutions, and we finance multi-skilled partnerships that significantly reduce the risks of product development. We provide researchers and inventors with access to a deep pool of complementary skills and resources, and connect them to markets and commercial opportunities across Europe. Our collaborative model encourages businesses of all sizes to participate in innovative partnerships, consider new ideas and support new research from across Europe.

Recently, we have finalized a broad study into the impact of energy innovation, novel business models and policy enablers on the reduction of smog and other forms of air pollution linked to urban energy consumption. The Clean Air Challenge report has been drafted in response to the European Commission's recent assertion that smog may account for as many as 1 in every 10 premature deaths in the world, and will cost the EU an astonishing €475 billion per year between 2018 and 2025. That represents 2.9 per cent of average annual GDP. Our study outlines what can be achieved within the air quality domain through boosting the penetration of economically viable, novel technologies and solutions for transportation and heating, indicating that smog reduction through the adoption of innovative solutions could save European citizens €183 billion by 2025.

In coming years solutions for tackling air pollution will be one of the key focus points of InnoEnergy investment policy.


This paper introduces the technical process and main equipment of th e electron beam flue-gas desulfurization technique, analyzes on the major facto rs influencing the ratio of desulfurization and denitrification, and puts forwar d the main technical and economic indexes of the electron beam flue-gas desulfu rization technique.


Shaundra Eichstadt Jean Y Tang Daniel C Solis Zurab Siprashvili M Peter Marinkovich Nedra Whitehead 3 Matthew Schu 3 Fang Fang Stephen W Erickson Mary E Ritchey 3 Max Colao Kaye Spratt 4 Amir Shaygan Mark J Ahn 5 Kavita Y Sarin 1 1Stanford University School of Medicine, Department of Dermatology, Redwood City, CA 94063, USA; 2Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Palo Alto, CA, USA; 3RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA; 4Abeona Therapeutics, New York, NY, USA; 5Department of Engineering and Technology Management, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA Background: Recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) is an inherited genetic disorder characterized by recurrent and chronic open wounds with significant morbidity, impaired quality of life, and early mortality. RDEB patients demonstrate reduction or structural alteration type VII collagen (C7) owing to mutations in the gene COL7A1, the main component of anchoring fibrils (AF) necessary to maintain epidermal-dermal cohesion. While over 700 alterations in COL7A1 have been reported to cause dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB), which may be inherited in an autosomal dominant (DDEB) or autosomal recessive pattern (RDEB), the incidence and prevalence of RDEB is not well defined. To date, the widely estimated incidence (0.2–6.65 per million births) and prevalence (3.5–20.4 per million people) of RDEB has been primarily characterized by limited analyses of clinical databases or registries. Methods: Using a genetic modelling approach, we use whole exome and genome sequencing data to estimate the allele frequency of pathogenic variants. Through the ClinVar and NCBI database of human genome variants and phenotypes, DEB Register, and analyzing premature COL7A1 termination variants we built a model to predict the pathogenicity of previously unclassified variants. We applied the model to publicly available sequences from the Exome Aggregation Consortium (ExAC) and Genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD) and identified variants which were classified as pathogenic for RDEB from which we estimate disease incidence and prevalence. Results: Genetic modelling applied to the whole exome and genome sequencing data resulted in the identification of predicted RDEB pathogenic alleles, from which our estimate of the incidence of RDEB is 95 per million live births, 30 times the 3.05 per million live birth incidence estimated by the National Epidermolysis Bullosa Registry (NEBR). Using a simulation approach, we estimate a mean of approximately 3,850 patients in the US who may benefit from COL7A1-mediated treatments in the US. Conclusion: We conclude that genetic allele frequency estimation may enhance the underdiagnosis of rare genetic diseases generally, and RDEB specifically, which may improve incidence and prevalence estimates of patients who may benefit from treatment.


X-ray diffraction is a well-known experimental technique for measuring residual stresses in metallic materials. If XRD is applied to the fracture surface of a broken part it becomes a fractographical technique, that is to say that it is possible to relate the results of the measures to the loading condition that lead a component to fail. In this paper, after an introduction about the technique, XRD fractography is applied to a fatigue failed diesel engine crankshaft. It was possible to determine the load that lead the crankshaft to fail and to evidence some original aspects about the application of this technique to real machine parts.


Background/Aims: Prognosis of Borrmann type 4 gastric cancer is still poor. To improve the prognosis of patients with Borrmann type 4 gastric cancer, it is important to understand the clinicopathological features of patients with a long-term survival. Thus, we compared the characteristics of the patients with a long-term survival (survival duration more than 5 years) with patients with a short-term survival. Methods: We analyzed retrospectively 370 patients who were diagnosed as having Borrmann type 4 gastric cancer and underwent gastric resection between 1989 to 1997 at our hospital. Twenty-one percent of the patients survived longer than 5 years. For comparison of clinicopathlogical factors, the chi-square test was used and multivariate analysis was performed in order to focus on prognostic factors. Results: The 5-year survival rate of the total 370 patients was 21 %. Significant difference was noted in the following variables: location of tumor, size, peritoneal metastsis, hepatic metastasis, lymph node metastasis, depth of invasion, stage and curability. In multivariate analysis, the location of tumor was the most significant independent prognostic factor. Conclusions: These results suggest that even in Borrmann type 4 gastric cancer, a localized disease can be cured by a radical resection.


This connector comprises: - a cannula (12) on which is mounted the end of the tube to be connected, - a seal (14) mounted between the cannula (12) and the tube (4), - a connecting device instant with a locking ring (8) having teeth extending radially inwardly and inclined with respect to the axis of mounting tube.Avant on the cannula (12), the tube end (4) connected is recalibrated.


Diabetes mellitus (DM) and thyroid disorders are both caused by endocrine abnormalities, and both have been shown to have a reciprocal influence and frequently coexist. Hence, the current study aims to detect the thyroid functions markers among patients with Type 2 diabetes (T2DM). In this research study, 90 enrolled participants aged 40 to 60 years were taken as samples for the study. There were 66 with T2DM and 24 who were non diabetic healthy individual. All individuals were investigated in terms of age, gender, diabetes duration, glycemic control (HbA1c), fasting blood glucose (FBG), diabetic complications, Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and family history of DM. Samples were to assess serum thyroid hormones (TSH, FT3 and FT4), HbA1c, FBG, and insulin levels. The study's findings showed higher glucose incidence, hyperinsulinemia and higher insulin resistance (IR) in diabetic patients. Additionally, it has been noted that T2DM patients have low TSH concentrations and elevated blood concentrations of FT4 and FT3 than controls. Moreover, there was a highly significant correlation between serum FT4 and FT3 with values of FBG, insulin and IR. Also, a significant association between WC with insulin and Homa – Ir was noted. In conclusion, the diabetic patients showed significant relations with thyroid functions status.


The implications of urban expansion as a dynamic, evolutionary process: are far from self evident. Such problems as the ecologically sound allocation of land resources and the orderly provision of essential services•in urban fringe areas,• are not being solved. The importance of the rural-urban land conversion process, i n long range planning for metropolitan regions, requires that a method be found for describing the likelihood'of the rate, extent and location of urban expansion. Within this context the study is. concerned with f i r s t l y , the shortcomings of present methods for examining and forecasting urban expansion. I t i s pointed out that the regional planner needs to understand the dynamics of land assignment, i n the urban expansion process, i f he i s to know i n advance the probable consequences of his actions and be able to f u l f i l planning objectives. That this elementary point i s frequently ignored or misunderstood can be seen i n the attempts to prescribe how a process should behave, instead of f i r s t trying to discover how i t does behaveThis i s most noticeable where techniques. are used which entail


In ttus issue the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction-4 (TIMI-4) trial mvestigators extend previous observations made both before and dunng the thrombolytlc era, that smokers seem to have a lower mortality rate after myocardial infarction than nonsmokers (see Zahger et al for the TIMI investigators, page 232) They report that smokers are more likely to have TIMI grade 3 infarct artery flow 90 mmutes after thrombolytic therapy. Early and complete (TIMI flow grade 3) reperfusion is strongly associated with better survwal. 1 These findings therefore suggest an explanation for the paradox that patients who are smokers on admission appear to do better than nonsmokers, even when multwarlate analysis is performed allowing for lower-risk baselme characteristics mcludlng younger age 2, but are there other possible explanations? Smoking is clearly detrimental to health and particularly to the heart. It lmpatrs endothelial function, damages endothelial cells, and accelerates the atherosclerotic process. There is an Important interplay between smokmg and other primary risk factors, with a decrease m l'ugh-density hpoproteln cholesterol. Myocardial blood flow is impaired by coronary artery vasoconstriction and there is displacement of hemoglobin-bound oxygen by carbon monoxide as well as an increased oxygen demand from an increased heart rate and blood pressure Furthermore, smoking promotes thrombogenesis by increasing platelet aggregation and fibrinogen levels and by decreasing fibnnolytlc activity Smoking is also arrhythmogenic, mcreasing sympathetic discharge and lowering the ventncular fibrillation threshold. Patients who are smokers on admission to coronary care units are unhkely to continue smoking after admission to the hospital The process of stopping smoking could acutely reverse some of the adverse effects of smoking, but which ones 9 Could loss of endothelialdependent relaxation and abnormal vasoconstriction, arrhythmogenesls, thrombogenesis, or abnormal regionarmyoeardlal blood flow return quickly to normal? Rapid reversal of these effects resulting in a better outcome would seem improbable. Cessation of the vasospastlc and hemodynamlC effects of nicotine and improvement in oxygen-carrying capacity could provide a partial explanation The immediate effects of smoking on constriction of epicardial arteries have been shown to resolve within 30 minutes 3 Relief of vasospasm could decrease the amount of intermittent opening and closing of infarct-related arteries, and could


The questioned document examiner as well as the rest of the citizenry have been thrust into the computer age—whether we like it or not. As consumers, we are on the receiving end of the computer. The machine juggles payrolls, adjusts charge accounts, makes reservations, and performs other essential services for us. When the periodic snafus occur, hopefully we catch them and then find a way to correct the error. Document examiners, however, are now being asked to examine materials involved in civil and criminal matters involving computers and computer-generated documents.


The kernel of the Cooray-Rubinstein formula in the time domain involves a modified Bessel function of order zero. In this letter, approximations of the kernel are proposed, which do not use any special function, and, hence, are able to simplify the numerical evaluation in view of lightning-induced voltages calculations.


1. Jacob S, Agarwal A, Chaudhry P, Narasimhan S, Chaudhry VN. A new clinico-tomographic classification and management algorithm for Descemet's membrane detachment. Contact Lens & Anterior Eye: The Journal of the British Contact Lens Association 2015; 38: 327–33. 2. Couch SM, Baratz KH. Delayed, bilateral Descemet's membrane detachments with spontaneous resolution: implications for nonsurgical treatment. Cornea 2009; 28: 1160–3. 3. Ismail Z, Fitt AD, Please CP. A fluid mechanical explanation of the spontaneous reattachment of a previously detached Descemet membrane. Mathematical Medicine and Biology: A Journal of the IMA 2013; 30: 339–55. 4. Zhang B, Pan F, Yao YF. Spontaneous resolution of extensive Descemet membrane detachment caused by sodium cyanide injury to the eye. Cornea 2012; 31: 1344–7. 5. Kumar DA, Agarwal A, Sivanganam S, Chandrasekar R. Height-, extent-, length-, and pupilbased (HELP) algorithm to manage post-phacoemulsification Descemet membrane detachment. J Cataract Refract Surg 2015; 41: 1945–53.


Patients with severe atopic dermatitis (AD) not controlled with topical therapy have limited treatment options. Ciclosporin A (CSA) is a commonly used, broad immunosuppressant in AD, but treatment with CSA requires monitoring for potentially serious adverse effects. In a previous phase III trial, tralokinumab plus topical corticosteroids (TCS) as needed provided early and sustained improvements in AD signs and symptoms.


A normally-on MOSFET structure called j-MOS for automotive electronic systems applications is discussed. These devices are built on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) and in bulk silicon and can be integrated as a smart power circuit element. The lowest on-resistance j-MOS device is built in an ideal trench configuration in bulk silicon and can be operated in either a three-terminal or a four-terminal mode. When operated in accumulation, a specific on-resistance of 0.8 m Omega cm/sup 2/ is reported. This low on-resistance is attributed to the combination of bulk conduction and surface accumulation, as well as to the details of the electron current flow in the channel. A factor of two superiority is reported in on-resistance over a trench DMOS structure for a given drain blocking voltage and feature size. In the four-terminal mode, a high transconductance, 290 S/cm/sup 2/, is achieved by controlling the voltage on the small junction in the gate. In the three-terminal mode, mixed pentode-triode drain characteristics are exhibited. Response times are comparable to those of a junction FET. This simple self-aligned structure could be useful in power switching and control applications.<<ETX>>


JADASSOHiN OF BRESLAU has been hailed as the originator of the patch-test (Jadassohn, 1896). But it is largely due to the work of Bonnevie (1939) in Copenhagen that the patch-test, particularly when exhibited in battery form, has come to hold its present important place in modern dermatology. Bonnevie also established a tradition for excellence in the technique of patch-testing throughout Scandinavia which has been maintained to the present day. A number of investigations employing batteries of patch-tests has now been reported, but the largest of these studies was one carried out by ten European dermatologists and involved applying a battery of twenty common allergens to more than four thousand patients referred for a variety of reasons to dermatology clinics in Denmark, England, Germany, Holland, Italy and Sweden between March 1967 and June 1968. The results of this investigation were analysed and published by Fregert and colleagues (1969). For convenience this work will hereafter be referred to as the European study. We felt it would be of value and interest to record the contact allergens currently prevalent in this area. Accordingly arrangements were made to patch-test all patients referred to our clinics over a period of time whom we clinically suspected to be suffering from contact dermatitis. Exactly the same standard battery was employed as had been used in the European study, but with additional patch-tests when it was considered these were indicated.


Building a medical multimedia teaching resource library is beneficial to distance medical education and the efficiency of multimedia resource usage. Its construction depends on not only modern information technology and the network, but also a comprehensive design from the angle of resource integration.

Key words:
Multimedia;  Teaching resource library;  Infomationization


The University of the Philippines Mindanao and Curtin University have been organising small-scale vegetable farmers in Mindanao into cluster marketing groups to improve their access to markets and returns from the sale of their vegetable products using the 8-Step Clustering Approach for Agroenterprise Development developed by the Catholic Relief Services (Philippines). This paper reports on an action research investigation with around 30 marketing clusters. Cluster marketing has led to: better and wider market access, improved prices, reduced costs, improved human capital and social capital, and higher incomes. However, the current process may not lead to sustainable cluster marketing without support and may lead to dependency. This paper discusses strategies to overcome key challenges identified and deficiencies in the current process and suggests changes to the 8-step process so that it may improve the chances of cluster success and sustainability.


Self-organized Nb2O5 nanobelt scaffolds and quasi-aligned bamboo slip-like Nb2O5 nanobelt arrays have been directly fabricated on Nb foils by a hydrothermal reaction in an alkaline solution followed by protonation and annealing. The length and width of the nanobelts can be controlled by varying the fabrication parameters such as reaction temperature, alkaline concentration, and reaction time. The morphology, structure and composition of the nanobelts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS).