A cross sectional study was conducted from November 2014 to April 2015 to determine the general prevalence and identification GIT nematodes in small ruminant at generic level in and around Gondar town. A total of 384 randomly selected small ruminants (244 sheep and 140 goats) were examined using standard parasitological methods including floatation and coproculture. The total prevalence of GIT nematodes in small ruminants in the study area was 271 (70.6%). Out of the total sampled animals 171 (70.1%) sheep and 100 (71.45%) goats were positive for 8 genera of gastrointestinal nematodes. Based on coprological examination Strongyle type of nematodes (45.3%) were the most prevalent parasite followed by Trichuris (10. 4%) and mixed infection of Trichuris and strongyle-type (9.1%) in both species of the study area. Age and body condition of the animals were shown to have statistically significant association (p<0.05) with prevalence. Whereas species, history of anthelmintic treatment, sex and location of the animals were not shown statically significant association (p>0.05) with prevalence of GIT nematodes. Coprocultural examination of samples positive for strongyle type of nematodes revealed the most prevalent larvae were belongs to the genus Haemonchus followed by Trichostrongylus as single infection both in sheep and goats of the study area. The present study showed that poly parasitism of GIT nematodes in both host species of the study area. Thus, further studies on species-based prevalence and larval ecology are recommended in order to design appropriate control measures.


The hypothesis that stomatal wax plugs in Agathis robusta (C. Moore ex F. Muell.) F. Muell. (Araucariaceae) protect leaves against fungal invasion by preventing hyphae entering the stomatal pore was tested. Leaves with intact wax plugs and leaves from which wax plugs had been experimentally removed were inoculated with either Botrytis cinerea (De Bary) Whetzel or Alternaria solani (Ellis & G. Martin) L.R. Jones & Grout. Interactions of fungal hyphae with stomata were subsequently analysed by scanning electron microscopy. Wax plugs blocked the penetration of fungal hyphae into stomata of A. robusta in 100% of encounters. In contrast, hyphae readily penetrated stomata of leaves from which wax plugs had been removed or where the wax plugs were damaged. On rare occasions, hyphae were also observed to penetrate directly through the cuticle. Florin rings around the external surface of stomata also acted to deflect fungal hyphae from the stomatal opening. Formation and degradation of wax plugs was also examined to assess the period over which they offer protection from fungal invasion. Wax plugs formed in young leaves in spring and were complete by summer. There was subsequent degradation of wax plugs in the following winter, and they then regenerated again in spring. However, regeneration of wax plugs appeared to decline after the leaves reached 2 years of age. The data are discussed with reference to the adaptive significance of wax plugs in conifers and other plants.


The content of this article concerns the controversial issue regarding the scope of application of Articles 185 and 186 of the Penal and Fiscal Code (PFC) regulating the substitute forms of enforcing the unpaid fine imposed for criminal fiscal acts. The author attempts to resolve whether the above-mentioned provisions of PFC shall be applied both to the cases of a default on payment and failure to enforce a fine imposed for fiscal offences and fiscal transgressions or only to fines imposed for fiscal transgressions. The paper concludes that Articles 45 and 46 of PFC in conjunction with Article 178 § 1 of PFC, and not specific provisions of Articles 185 and 186 of PFC, shall apply to unenforced fines imposed against perpetrators of fiscal offences. In order to eliminate basic interpretation discrepancies, which may lead to jurisdiction disparity and consequently to unequal treatment of perpetrators sentenced to a fine for criminal fiscal acts of a varied weight, the regulatory intervention may seem required here.


HIV transmission predominantly occurs across mucosal surfaces. Efforts to find an effective and efficacious HIV vaccine, requires understanding the various mechanisms of sexual HIV transmission including immune responses to various HIV vaccine candidates along the mucosal pathways.  In this paper, we describe the experiences of health volunteers in three Phase 1 HIV vaccines trials and an observation study that comprised of high- risk and low risk healthy participants with regard to the collection of rectal, cervical and seminal mucosal samples. The paper emanates from a study that examined the views and experiences of volunteers in participating in HIV clinical research, at the KAVI-Institute of Clinical Research, Nairobi, Kenya. The study followed a mixed methods phenomenological research approach with a dominant qualitative strand. In the first phase, quantitative data was collected via a survey questionnaire involving 116 volunteers that helped identify 28 volunteers for the qualitative phase.  Quantitative data were analyzed using SPPS while qualitative data was transcribed verbatim, thematic themes identified for coding and entered into Atlas ti for analysis. Participants had a mean age of 28.5 ± 5.7 years (range 20–51 years). There were more males (n =85) than females (n= 31). In general, volunteers expressed mixed reactions towards the collection and use of mucosal samples. Both none-consenting and consenting volunteers cited invasiveness of their privacy. Also reported were experiences of physical and psychological discomforts, with men terming the collection of semen via masturbation as unnatural and contravening individuals' religious and cultural beliefs. The findings reveal a knowledge gap among community members with use of mucosal samples and modes of collection.


The orchestration of DNA repair is of fundamental importance to the maintenance of genomic integrity and tumor suppression. DNA damage must be detected in the context of the varied chromatin landscape, its presence must be communicated throughout the cell to alter many ongoing processes, and the machinery that will mend the lesion must be recruited to the damage site. In my presentation, I will discuss our recent efforts in mapping genome maintenance pathways using genome-scale CRISPR/Cas9 screens in human cells. I will highlight how these screens can also identify potentially actionable synthetic lethal genetic interactions that could form the basis of new oncology drug discovery efforts. I will focus particularly on our efforts to uncover and characterize the synthetic lethal interaction network surrounding BRCA1 and BRCA2 deficiency, as well as our work that led to the discovery that inhibition of the PKMYT1 kinase is lethal in cells with amplification in the cyclin E-coding gene, CCNE1.
 Citation Format: D Durocher. CRISPR screens to identify novel DNA repair defects synthetic lethal therapies [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2021 Dec 7-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(4 Suppl):Abstract nr MS1-1.


In this study free vibrations of anti-symmetric angle-ply composite plates including shear deformation under clamped-clamped boundary conditions are presented. Two types of numerical methods are adopted to analyze the problem. The spline and radial basis functions base mesh free scheme are applied simultaneously to approximate the displacement and rotational functions. Comparative studies have been made for analyzing the frequency parameters with respect to the material properties, number of layers, fiber orientations, side-to-thickness ratio and aspect ratio. The results are depicted in terms of tables and graphs.


The mobile game industry has been growing rapidly in both the number of games and revenues. Choosing the right interactions for a game has become a major challenge for developers. Some developers use inappropriate interactions in their games which causes them to be less fun than they should be. This research focuses on gathering and defining possible mobile game interactions so as to guide and enable designers and developers to choose the right interactions for their games. The researchers have extensively reviewed and explored various mobile game interactions both through research studies and through existing mobile games. Subsequent to observations, mobile game interactions were then categorized as follows: 1) Touch interaction 2) Motion/Movement interaction 3) Video interaction 4) Sound interaction 5) Special purpose interaction 6) Location interaction 7) Electroencep-halography (EEG) interaction 8) Date/Time interaction 9) Weather interaction 10) Light interaction 11) Proximity interaction 12) Network interaction 13) Social interaction and 14) Bioinformatics interaction. These 14 interactions can be used to support gameplay, ideas, and innovation of mobile games.


The U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center, Improvement of Search and Rescue Capabilities Project has conducted studies of the motion of Lagrangian drifters and search and rescue (SAR) targets relative to the water. This slippage was measured using InterOcean S4 electromagnetic current meters (EMCM), and related to measured winds. The slippage of a FGGE Hull drifter (12 days of slippage data in the Labrador Current) was measured with EMCMs attach above and below the window shade drogue. Preliminary studies have been conducted on a WOCE mixed layer drifter (61.6 hours of slippage data) and a CODE surface drifter (37.4 hours of slippage data). All slippage records show considerable high frequency variability. The FGGE drifter had a slippage of 5 cm/s in 10 m/s wind. The WOCE drifter had slippage of 2 cm/s in 10 m/s of wind. The CODE drifter had a slippage of 0.5 cm/s in 5 m/s of wind. Canadian/US Coast Guard have used EMCM to directly measure the leeway of various SAR targets in winds up to 18 m/s. The SAR targets studied have included 5 and 20 man life rafts, drouged and undrouged, with light and heavy loadings; 5.6 m plank boat, L1011 slide raft, and a enclosed life capsule. Results are currently being assimilated.


The Atmospheric Ultraviolet Radiance Analyzer (AURA) has been designed to furnish global UV emissions measurements in the 115-175 nm range of sufficient sensitivity for observations of the weak emissions from the tropical arcs and the aurora from a nearly circular high-inclination orbit. Excellent S/N is obtained by AURA in the case of day airglow measurements. Two UV observation channels are available, each of which is based on a 1/8 Ebert-Fastie spectrometer and a telescope with a scanning mirror; each can furnish data in any one of three operational modes.


Hearing impairment is often caused by loss of auditory sensory hair cells which is irreversible in current clinical practice. The phenomenon of auditory hair cell regeneration including the recovery of hearing function is known for most vertebrates including birds. However mammals, including humans have not demonstrated the ability to regenerate lost hair cells most likely due to a lack of proliferative capacity in their sensory epithelia. Recent insights into cell cycle regulation in the mammalian hearing organ may provide a promising basis for inducing hair cell regeneration in mammals.


As a financial institution Bank Jabar Banten Surabaya Branch (Bjb) want to always maintain its existence, by always providing excellent service to its customers so that customers become satisfied and loyal. In order for service excellence can be implemented, of course there must be a subject or principal that can provide excellent service that becomes the main goal. The subject or actor in intent is customer service. Bank Jabar Banten Surabaya Branch (Bjb) certainly has a standard service excellence that must be applied by customer service. Therefore, the authors are interested to examine the Implement Service Excellence (Service Excellent) applied by customer service Bank Jabar Banten (bjb) Surabaya Branch using existing standards. The main problem in this research is application. Against the actual services that occurred in Bank Jabar Banten (bjb) Surabaya Branch implemented by CustomerService. The type of this research is field research (field research) by taking the research location at Bank Jabar Banten (bjb) Surabaya Branch by using qualitative approach. The data in this research consist of primary data and secondary data obtained by using interview method with customer service, documentation and observation. The results show that customer service is able to carry out the service and apply the standard set by Branch of Bank Jabar Banten (Bjb) Surabaya. Action, Attention, Appearance, Attitude, Ability (ability) that is able to satisfy and attract customers to stay loyal Bank Jabar Banten (bjb) Surabaya Branch
Keyword : Service Excellent, Customer Service, Bank Jabar Banten (bjb) Surabaya Branch


Purpose:In order to assess the therapeutic effect of Gamma knife radiosurgery for hepatic carcinoma in early stage,diffusion weighted imaging technique was used in patients with hepatic carcinoma after Gamma Knife radiosurgery.Methods:Seventy-two patients with hepatic carcinomas(62 primary carciomas and 10 metastases),who had 77 lesions totally,were treated with Gamma Knife radiosurgery.All patients received MR examinations,including conventional sequences and DWI scan before,three days after and three months after radiotherapy.The patients were divided into three groups:relieved group,stable group and progressing group based on the changes of tumor size during treatment.ADC values in the area of tumor center and boundaries were measured and compared.Results:In relieved group and stable group,after Gamma Knife radiosurgery,ADC values of tumor center were statistically different from those obtained before treatment.However,in progressing group,there was no statistically significant difference between pre-treatment and post-treatment measurements.In all groups,pre-treatment and post-treatment ADC values of tumor boundaries were statistically different.Especially,ADC values of the progressing group were significantly higher than those of the other two groups.Conclusion:After Gamma Knife radiosurgery,ADC values can reflect pathological changes in tumor tissue and provide quantity indicators to assess the therapeutic effect in early stage.


This lavish book, a watershed in recent revaluation of 'possibly the worst poet of antiquity', would justly have delighted its subject, Dioscorus of Aphrodito (midsixth century ..), local dignitary, o ̧cial, poet, and owner of the Cairo Menander codex. Early editors of his archive (discovered in 1905 at Kum Isqaw in Upper Egypt) were overwhelmed by the poor technical quality of D.'s verses. But a broader historical perspective now acknowledges the unique riches of this material and appreciates that understanding of late-antique culture is limited indeed if conμned to the literary output of an unrepresentative élite. Leslie MacCoull's Dioscorus of Aphrodito and his World (Berkeley, 1988) recognizes (Chapter II) that the Coptic bureaucratic documents must be studied in conjunction with D.'s Greek writings. Fournet's objective, more circumscribed yet more fundamental, is presentation of D.'s poems and other Greek literary texts, and their evaluation in the context of the whole archive. The texts (pp. 7–237) are three new/partially edited items from D.'s library—an Iliad, a volume of Scholia Minora on the Iliad, and a set of verbal conjugation tables; in addition (pp. 239–665) μfty-two autograph poems are entirely re-edited. Each document is meticulously presented, with discussion of location and state of the various fragments—those in Cairo have survived much better than those released to the antique markets (e.g. P. Strasb. gr. inv. 2454, conjugation of ποι%: plate XXXIV), identiμcation of the hands, signiμcance and range of marginal signs, reconstruction of the original volume, relation to other exemplars, detailed technical commentary, seventy-seven monochrome full-page plates, and excellent indices. Impressive in itself, this work underpins F.'s concluding cultural proμle of Dioscorus (pp. 669–90). The Iliad is in a late μfth/early sixth-century hand, subsequently retouched; fragments survive from Books 2 (frequently represented in papyri), 10, and 11. F. proposes a two-volume edition (like the OCT). The text has a unique system of punctuation and accentuation, the latter added by later hands, the former designed to aid close textual study, manifest in Books 10–11, which have been collated with another edition. The codex was much used, its various students leaving their marks. The scholia, written in documentary cursive at the turn of the fourth/μfth centuries, were used for 200 years and likewise annotated and re-inked by later hands, none certainly D.'s own. Fragments from Books 2 and 18–20 are preserved in Cairo, and from 4–5 (Diomedes' aristeia was much studied, as often) in Strasburg, a rich haul among papyri of this text, of which μfty-seven exemplars are known, but only eight postdate the fourth/μfth centuries. D.'s copy has unique abridgements and contamination between the glossographical tradition of the Scholia Minora and the    27


It is still not clear why the long-term properties of plastic weld seams can only be differentiated by the very expensive medium tensile creep tests. One hypothesis for justifying this is based on the change in the structure of the weld seam surroundings, another cites the consumption of antioxidants and the following ageing in the weld seam area to be responsible for this Butt-welded weld seams made of poly(propylene) were systematically produced under different process parameters. Corresponding to the particular hypothesis, these weld seams were then analyzed in various ways to find correlations or to prove one of the hypotheses. Regarding their short-term weld seam quality, the analyzed weld seams could not be differentiated through short-term tensile or short-term bend test. However, the medium tensile creep tests showed significant differences in both tine until failure and long-term weld seam quality. Under long-term loading, the start of the brittle crack could be detected in most weld seams in the fine spherulite-zone or between this zone and the area of the flow lines. This demonstrated again that only long-term tests are Suitable for examining different weld seam qualities. Depending on the welding parameters, times until failure decline with increasing heated-tool temperature and heating time. Though these parameters lead to a higher consumption of antioxidants in the weld seam, a degradation was not detected in the breaking area. In fact, increasing heated-tool temperatures and heating times, as well as higher joining pressures lead to a change in the internal structure of the material. This can be seen in morphological structure analyses in the larger bend of the entire weld seam area. A larger bend, however, correlates with higher residual stresses in the weld seam. In the medium tensile creep tests, these residual stresses as well as the tensile stress in the border region and the compressive stress in the middle are superimposed by the tensile stress resulting from the test stress. Thus a greater bend of the weld seam area and higher residual stresses in the weld seam itself lead to shorter times until failure in medium tensile creep tests.


Simulation experiments are typically conducted repeatedly during the model development process, for example, to revalidate if a behavioral property still holds after several model changes. Approaches for automatically reusing and generating simulation experiments can support modelers in conducting simulation studies in a more systematic and effective manner. They rely on explicit experiment specifications and, so far, on user interaction for initiating the reuse. Thereby, they are constrained to support the reuse of simulation experiments in a specific setting. Our approach now goes one step further by automatically identifying and adapting the experiments to be reused for a variety of scenarios. To achieve this, we exploit provenance graphs of simulation studies, which provide valuable information about the previous modeling and experimenting activities, and contain meta-information about the different entities that were used or produced during the simulation study. We define provenance patterns and associate them with a semantics, which allows us to interpret the different activities and construct transformation rules for provenance graphs. Our approach is implemented in a Reuse and Adapt framework for Simulation Experiments (RASE), which can interface with various modeling and simulation tools. In the case studies, we demonstrate the utility of our framework for (1) the repeated sensitivity analysis of an agent-based model of migration routes and (2) the cross-validation of two models of a cell signaling pathway.


The purpose of this article is to discuss the integration of safety issues into the land-use planning process. A new method is presented for decision making in land-use planning. The focus is on the location of chemical sites (CS), or other industries that have a spatial impact, in urban areas. The method has been developed in an interdisciplinary research project (Land Use Planning and Chemical Sites—LUPACS) financed by the European Union (EU). This paper gives a brief overview of the method, which is explained more fully in the references cited. The importance of analysing this issue arises from the dramatic impacts that a CS can have on the surrounding areas, although it is difficult to say if and in what forms or how often it could be dangerous. However, there have been accidents, several of which have had minor effects on people and environment, while a few have had major effects (Hewitt, 1997). In 1974, a chemical plant exploded in Flixborough, UK, and 28 people were killed. In 1976 an accident occurred in a chemical plant in Seveso, Italy, and 2000 persons were treated for dioxin poisoning and major damage occurred to the environment. In 1976, there was an accident in a fertiliser plant in Basel, which had environmental effects in several countries. In Bhopal, India, 2500 people were killed and approximately 200 000 were injured or affected when an accident occurred with a toxic gas leak in 1984. How can planners handle these types of locational issues? What sorts of methods are available to support and help in the analysis and decision making? This article discusses these issues.


By using the method of documentary and system theory,this paper makes research on physical industry of big sports game about the developing system constitution and operation mode.The result shows that the system constitution of physical industry of big sports game is a multi-layer of network system.Under the physical industry development department belonging the big sports game committee,there are essence physical industry development department,related physical industry development department,extension physical industry development department and edge physical industry development.The purpose is to develop the physical industry,refresh the physical competition by using the terrace of big sports game,maintain the physical by using the physical itself and keep the physical industry sustainable.


This paper reports the implementation procedure of a real-time frequency tracking algorithm for induction motor drive velocity estimation on a commercial cRIO real-time/FPGA platform. The general software architecture required to establish a real-time frequency tracking routine is presented and its frequency tracking performance illustrated in practical tests on a 7.5 kW induction motor drive. The presented architecture is shown to provide a flexible and effective platform for real-time frequency estimation applications in electric motor drives.


Automatic diamond cut measuring system is an accurate and rapid measuring system combined with the digital image processing.Some key corners of diamond projection image are detected by using some image processing methods.The diamond cut ratios,such as girdle diameter,total depth,pavilion depth,pavilion angle,crown depth,crown angle,table size,girdle depth and the other related symmetry parameters,can be calculated with those key corners.The hardware and software of the automatic diamond cut measuring system developed by Gemmological Institute,China University of Geosciences(Wuhan),are mainly described in the paper.


Many species of social animals are known to exhibit intraspecific variation in social traits between different populations. In the social insects, geographically separate populations may show wide-ranging forms of social behaviour, presumably because of variation in environmental parameters such as climate. For example, several bee species are known to exhibit eusocial or solitary behaviour depending on the latitude or altitude of the population. However, there is little or no empirical evidence to determine if this variation is a result of behavioural plasticity or long-term adaptation to local conditions, both of which have implications for the evolution of sociality. In this study, colonies of the allodapine bees Exoneura robusta and E. nigrescens were translocated between a montane and heathland habitat in southern Australia to assess the effect of habitat change on social behaviour. Results indicate that brood development in translocated colonies of both species differed from control colonies, leading to opportunities for different forms of social behaviour. However, there was also a high degree of variation within each habitat, suggesting an influence of both within and between habitat factors.


Recently, evolutionary algorithms coupled with simulated developmental processes have been used successfully for generating designs ranging from neural networks to artificial creatures. Although several of these models do exist, their evolutionary dynamics, and more specifically how the ontogenic models themselves interact with artificial evolution are still poorly understood. One of these specific interactions, and of particular importance in biological systems is heterochrony — the change in timing and rate of developmental events by evolution. In this paper, we analyze heterochronic change in one artificial developmental model - the cellular encoding model first described by Gruau [1]. For this purpose, we apply the framework and methods defined by Alberch et al [2] for biological systems to neural networks evolved for the odd-3-parity problem. Preliminary results show that: 1) All heterochronic changes occur with significant frequency; 2) The combined effects of predisplacement, hypermorphosis, and neoteny was the most common heterochronic change; 3) Pure recapitulation (isomorphosis) is prevalent.


STATUS OF VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE IN CATHOLIC HIGH SCnooLs.-Organized discussion of the need of guidance in Catholic secondary schools began around the turn of the century, when the National Catholic Educational Association meetings first brought together Catholic school teachers and administrators from all parts of the country. Practice in vocational guidance in Catholic high schools, as a group, has lagged far behind theory. This fact is brought out convincingly in a recent investigation' which is an important and opportune contribution, not only to the literature on guidance, but also to a growing body of factual data on practices in Catholic high schools. That the practice of guidance dates back, at least, to early centuries of the Christian era is illustrated in a prologue which shows, dramatically, that the need for guidance and the duties of the counselor were foreshadowed in the Rule of St. Benedict. In the first chapter is presented the problem: to trace historically the development of vocational guidance in Catholic secondary schools and to determine its present status, as revealed in answers to a questionnaire. In chapter ii the growth of the concept of vocational guidance during the decades of the present century is traced from an examination of the papers and the discussions in the annual conventions of the National Catholic Educational Association and also in educational conferences of a local nature. Related studies on vocational guidance in Catholic high schools are summarized in chapter iii. In chapter iv are presented the development of Catholic high schools and certain facts regarding their distribution, size, control, and organization. Comparisons are made with corresponding data for public schools. Results from questionnaires sent to 1,004 Catholic high schools, 61 per cent of such schools with enrolments of 25 or more pupils and representative of all having a student body of 25 or more, are given in chapter v. The data concern the number of schools offering vocational guidance, the techniques and the activities employed, the school grades in which guidance is offered, the officers and the time that they devote to guidance, and the training that they have received for personnel work. The presentation of the data would be more clear-cut were the question, "To what extent are techniques


Two important points come out clearly from this study of how ordinary people in Paris, Oxford, Brussels and Louvain react to European integration. The first is that lots of people are of two minds ...


The invention discloses a grid-shaped steel-concrete combined long-service-life pavement slab structure. The structure comprises multiple rows of steel-concrete combined pavement slabs which are distributed in the longitudinal extension direction of a road, wherein a transverse expansion joint is formed between every two adjacent steel-concrete combined pavement slabs; the steel-concrete combined pavement slabs are connected through multiple longitudinal dowel bars; each row of the steel-concrete combined pavement slabs is formed by splicing multiple rectangular pavement slabs; a longitudinal expansion joint is arranged between every two adjacent rectangular pavement slabs; the pavement slabs are connected through multiple transverse dowel bars; two ends of each longitudinal dowel bar are respectively fixed inside two front and back adjacent rectangular pavement slabs; two ends of the transverse dowel bar are respectively fixed inside two left and right adjacent rectangular pavement slabs; each rectangular pavement slab comprises a grid-shaped framework and a concrete pouring structure which is poured inside the grid-shaped framework and is made of concrete. The pavement slab structure is simple, reasonable in design, convenient in construction and good in use effect, and the problems that an existing pavement is easy to deform and damage and is short in service life and the like can be solved.


Perfluorokerosene can almost always be used as the mass calibrant for ions produced through electron impact ionization of compounds introduced into a mass spectrometer in the gas phase. Unfortunately, no completely universal calibrant is available for ions created by electrospray ionization (ESI) or atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) of analytes introduced into a mass spectrometer in the liquid phase. ESI and APCI generally provide less sensitivity than electron impact ionization of compounds introduced in the gas phase and a portion of the weaker total signal must arise from calibrant ions. Solvent conditions must be found that provide ions from both the calibrant and analytes, or an alternative flow to the ionization region must be provided for the calibrant solution. These problems were avoided by developing a methodology to determine elemental compositions of ions without using mass calibrants. The methodology utilizes the ability of double focusing mass spectrometers to accurately measure relative abundances of ions and exact mass differences between ions. This approach should simplify analyses of environmental samples that contain mixtures of compounds not amenable to gas chromatography or volatilization from a probe. From one to five steps were used. First, from mass peak profiles of the molecular ion or protonated molecular ion, [M]+, and the [M + 1]+ and [M + 2]+ ions, abundances for the [M + 1]+ and [M + 2]+ profiles relative to the [M]+ profile were determined. The [M + 1]+ and [M + 2]+ profiles resulted from the heavier isotopes of the elements in [M]+, and the profile abundances limited the number of possible elemental compositions for [M]+. Then, to determine if [M]+ contained N atoms, the [M + 1]+ profile was observed with sufficiently high mass resolution to at least partially resolve the profiles of ions containing a 15N or a 13C atom. Next, for a prominent fragment ion, [F]+, relative abundances of the [F + 1]+ and [F + 2]+ profiles were also determined, and the [F + 1]+ profile was inspected for a profile due to 15N atoms to provide a shorter list of possible compositions for [F]+. The lists for [M]+ and [F]+ were compared, and [M]+ compositions that could not produce any possible compositions of [F]+ were rejected, as were [F]+ compositions that could not arise from any possible composition of [M]+. Fourth, exact mass differences between ions were obtained from three mass peak profiles by referencing an unknown exact mass difference against a known exact mass difference. Exact mass differences between [M]+ and [F]+ ions provided compositions of neutral losses from [M]+. Only compositions of [M]+ that could lose the observed neutral loss to provide possible compositions of [F]+ remained viable. Finally, if multiple compositions of [M]+ were still possible, profiles were obtained for [M]+ and two fragment ions resulting from known neutral losses using theoretical exact masses based on each [M]+ composition as the center masses of the three profiles. When the calibration mass option was not used in the multiple ion detector (MID) descriptor, three centered profiles were obtained only for the correct composition. This methodology was demonstrated for seven compounds with molecular weights between 159 and 318 Da. For the lowest-mass compound, only the first step was required to obtain the correct composition of [M]+ while, for the other compounds, two or more steps were needed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Abstract This paper considers whether new information and communication technologies have significant effects on citizen participation by evaluating the development of a major innovation in electronic governance. We analyze the creation of an electronic system in Los Angeles to provide stakeholders a warning of upcoming political decisions and an opportunity to furnish feedback. We evaluate this innovation not only as a technological innovation that affects citizens' capacity and motivation for participation but also as an alternative institutional means for involving citizens in policy making and public administration. To place this experiment within this larger institutional perspective, we draw upon the lessons of historical reforms aimed to expand citizen participation. We find that although technology does positively affect individuals' capacity and motivations, technology, by itself, does not overcome the political, institutional, and behavioral impediments that have limited previous participatory reforms. This research was supported by National Science Foundation Information Technology Research Grant #0112899 and the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation. The authors would like to thank Tony Silbert, Nail Oztas, Kyu-Nahm Jun, Tony Valluzzo, and Alicia Kisuse for expert research assistance. All errors are the authors' own.


Objective To investigate the association between susceptibility to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the polymorphisms and methylation of glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC) gene.Methods One hundred and sixty-six patients with COPD (COPD group) and 166subjects without COPD (control group) were recruited in this study.The single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of GCLC promoter region of two groups were investigated by DNA sequencing,which entailed the analysis on the association between haplotypes of individual SNP locus of GCLC gene and the risk of developing COPD.The level of GCLC promoter methylation was determined by using methylated DNA immunoprecipitation chip (MeDIPchip).The GCLC mRNA expressions and the levels of serum glutathione (GSH) were examined and compared between two groups.Results Twelve SNPs in GCLC gene promoter region were identified by direct DNA sequencing.Only 4 SNPs (-2137MT,-129C/T,+27591C/G,+37764MG) were found to harbor 10% incidence in both groups.The-129C/T was in linkage disequilibrium with-2137A/T,+27591C/G and + 37764A/G.However,no difference in GCLC SNP allele frequency or genotype frequency was observed between COPD patients and controls (all P>0.05).Compared with the control group,the methylation level of GCLC promoter was significantly increased in COPD patients (P<0.001),as evidenced by the MeDIP-chip assay,and the expression of GCLC mRNA was down-regulated in the lung tissues (3.71±0.48 vs 5.16±0.39,P<0.05) and serum GSH levels decreased [(109.72±32.38) mg/L vs (179.87±46.23) mg/L,P<0.05] in COPD patients.Conclusion Methylation,but not polymorphisms of GCLC promoter is associated with the susceptibility to COPD in Chinese population.

Key words:
Pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive;  Genetic predisposition to disease;  DNA methylation;  Glutamate-cysteine ligase


In the spring 2012 narrow plastic covered roofs were erected over 6 x 8 trees in rows of Red Elstar and Rubens apples. Three of the eight trees were sprayed with sulphur and potassium bicarbonate in case of rain, the other 5 remained unsprayed. The roofed treatments were compared to unsprayed trees, and trees sprayed intensively with sulphur and potassium bicarbonate. The aim of the experiment was to investigate if reduced leaf wetness caused by the protection of the roofs could substitute the use of fungicides.


To observe the clinical curative effect of Chinese herbal fumigation in combination with Cefazolin on postoperative wound infection after gynecological surgery. Methods: One hundred and thirty patients with postoperative wound infection after gynecological surgery were divided into the observation group and the control group,with 65 cases in each group. The patients in the control group were treated with Cefazolin,while the ones in the observation group were also given Chinese herbal fumigation based on the treatment of the control group. Results: The effective rates of the control group and the observation group were 78. 45% and93. 85% respectively,and the difference between them had statistical meaning( P 0. 05). What' s more,in terms of pain score,depression score,life quality score,pathogen elimination time,hospital stay,would healing time,drainage,eliminating time,the differences between the two groups also had statistical meaning( P 0. 05). Conclusion: Chinese herbal fumigation in combination with Cefazolin can control on postoperative wound infection after gynecological surgery and improve the clinical effects.


The main types of social networks are covered in the article, their importance for modern enterprises marketing activity is shown. The necessity of creating a firm profile in business social networks is substantiated. The basic ways of promoting enterprises and their products in social networks are singled out and analyzed. It is proposed to use advertising in social networks as a secondary element of products promotion.


The main objective of the article is an attempt to determine the marketing utility of opinion-forming weeklies in the view of political actors. The following chapters include answers to questions, such as: 1. What kind of functions in the political debate are fulfilled by opinion-forming weeklies? 2. What distinctive features are related to the concept of political marketing? 3. What kind of marketing instruments remain at the disposal of politicians in pluralistic systems? 4. What is the significance of the marketing utility of opinion-forming weeklies in the view of political actors appealing for public support?


This study argues the risk of transaction cost at the transaction of technological knowledge. The knowledge transaction is very useful for the innovation performance, but it can cause the unexpectable high transaction costs. Therefore the firm which tries to buy technological knowledge from outside ...


AF T The genetic basis of interspecies cooperation and conflict in naturally-occurring isolates of a model plant symbiont Rebecca T. Batstonea,1, Liana T. Burghardtb, and Katy D. Heatha,c aCarl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1206 West Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL 61801 USA; bDepartment of Plant Science, The Pennsylvania State University, 103 Tyson Building, University Park, PA, 16802 USA; cDepartment of Plant Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 286 Morrill Hall, 505 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801 USA


The results showed that energy intake variables are the dominant variables associated with obesity after controlled by the Cr intake, fiber intake and physical activity. Energy intake derived from the accumulation of macro-nutrient intake (carbohydrates, fats and proteins intake). Any reduction in 1 μ g Cr Intake, the Body Mass Index (BMI) value will rise by 0.01 kg/m2 after controlled by energy intake and physical activity variables. Any decline in physical activity score of 1 point, the BMI value will rise by 1.25 kg/m2 after controlled by the energy intake and Cr intake variables. Recommendations resulting from this research is obese people should pay attention to the balance of nutrient intake and physical activity. Needed to do research to determine the content of micronutrient chromium in food in Indonesia and determine the recommended dietary allowance rate of micronutrient chromium intake per age group.


The whole body counter of Geneva has been calibrated for potassium measurements by using a 42K standard solution and natural potassium.


The potential of computer mediated communication (CMC) to enable new forms of social interaction and foster democratisation of decision making has raised much interest but has been challenged by contradictory research results. Conceived as a tool, CMC was examined in terms of its social effects, thus indicating a degree of technological determinism. We explore CMC as an extension of a productive social space of linguistically-mediated interaction, drawing on J. Habermas's (1984; 1987) theory of communicative action. By examining the evidence from a field study of a university, we identify how participants appropriate CMC to produce a consultative discourse motivated by divergent agendas. This investigation helps us better understand communicative practice and concurrent tendencies of CMC towards encouraging and obstructing democratisation.


We have successfully fabricated high hole mobility Ge p-channel metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (p-MOSFETs) with GeO2/Ge formed by direct thermal oxidation, which can yield a significantly low interface trap density (Dit). Al2O3 films are employed as capping layers for protecting the GeO2/Ge MOS interfaces during the MOSFET fabrication processes. The source/drain (S/D) regions are formed by boron ion implantation in a self-align way with Al gate metal. The good MOS interface properties are found to be maintained even after the activation annealing at temperatures sufficient for obtaining the excellent junction properties. The fabricated MOSFETs exhibit high source and drain on/off current ratios of 105–104 and a high peak hole mobility of 575 cm2 V-1 s-1 at maximum, both of which are attributable to the excellent GeO2/Ge MOS interface properties. The effects of the substrate impurity concentration and the thickness of GeO2 on the hole mobility are examined. It is found from the results for different substrate impurity concentrations that the universal curve between hole mobility and the effective field Eeff holds for η= 1/3. We also investigate the impact of the oxidation temperature dependence on hole mobility in order to examine the scattering mechanism limiting the mobility of GeO2/Ge interfaces through the modulation of the MOS interfaces by changing oxidation temperature. It is found that the mobility in low-temperature and low-surface carrier density (Ns) regions is well corrected with Dit evaluated from S factors in MOSFETs. In addition, it is revealed from transmission electron microscopy analyses that the interface roughness between GeO2 and Ge is reduced with increasing oxidation temperature. From these experimental results, the higher mobility of GeO2/Ge p-MOSFET at higher oxidation temperatures can be explained by the reduction in the density of Coulomb scattering centers and surface roughness at elevated Ge oxidation temperatures.


Abstract In this paper we define a class of stable equivalences, namely, the stable equivalences of adjoint type, and study the Hochschild cohomology groups of algebras that are linked by a stable equivalence of adjoint type. This notion of adjoint type is a special case of Morita type, covers the stable equivalence of Morita type for self-injective algebras, and thus includes the case where Broué's conjecture was made (see for instance [Broué M.: Equivalences of blocks of group algberas. In: Finite dimensional algebras and related topics (V. Dlab and L. L. Scott eds.). Kluwer, 1994, 1–26]). The main results in this paper are: Let A and B be two artin k-algebras such that A and B are projective over k, and let Hn (A) and Hn (B) be the n-th Hochschild cohomology groups of A and B, respectively. (1) If A and B are stably equivalent of adjoint type, then Hn (A) ≃ Hn (B) for all n ≥ 1. (2) If A and B are stably equivalent of Morita type, then the absolute values of Cartan determinants of A and B are equal. In particular, two cellular algebras over a field have the same Cartan determinant if they are stably equivalent of Morita type. 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 16G10, 16E30; 16G70, 18G05, 20J05.


Momordica charantia L. (M. charantia), also known as bitter melon, belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family. M. charantia is cultivated in many regions globally, including Asia, South America, and Africa. It has many varieties and local names, including the Chinese variety (lai-pu-tao, ku-gua), Japanese variety (goya), Indian variety (karela), Vietnamese variety (la khoqua), and Thai variety (mara). Varieties differ substantially in the shape and bitterness of the fruit. However, they have the same scientific name as Momordica charantia L.. The plant has been widely used as herbal anti-aging medicine. Major pharmacological activities that have been observed in bitter melon include abortifacient, antidiabetic, antibacterial, antiviral, and antitumor. These characteristics have been correlated with the presence of phytochemicals, including saponins, alkaloids, triterpenes, steroids, and proteins. Several compounds have been isolated from all plant parts, such as momordicins, charantins, cucurbitins, and goyaglycosides. Charantins, a mixture of steroidal saponins found in the fruits of M. charantia exhibit hypoglycaemic activity. Many proteins and peptides which possess RNA N-glycosidase, DNase-like, antitumor, immunosuppressive, and antimicrobial activities have also been isolated, such as


This study examined the factors that influence the results and longevity of operational excellence projects. The evaluation took place through a set of four factors: technicians; strategic; management structure and motivation of teams. It was characterized as proposition a model of effectiveness of operational excellence projects.


Drying of bee-bread is an important technological process, which determines the quality of the product produced. Drying of bee-bread is carried out in conditions that prevent the occurrence of irreversible changes in the product, which can lead to deterioration of its quality. These changes are largely associated with the processes of denaturation of proteins and inactivation of enzymes caused by heating of bee-bread during drying at temperatures above 40oC. Analysis of literature sources has shown that bee-bread is dried mainly either by convection or vacuum drying. Sometimes these drying methods are combined with infrared heating. The disadvantage of the convection drying method is the high energy intensity of the process. The disadvantage of the vacuum method is the high cost of equipment, so it cannot be recommended for small businesses. To reduce the drying time and energy intensity of the process, it is possible to add infrared heating to the main drying methods. But to date, parameters and modes of operation of such a technological process are not defined, which makes it difficult to use it in agriculture. The article presents the results of modeling the joint use of convection and infrared methods of drying bee-bread in the device focused on small businesses. Simulation of the combined drying process was carried out in the program Comsol Multiphysics 5.4. The resulting mathematical model allows determining parameters and modes of the process of drying bee-bread without losing the quality of the product.


This is a case study of usage of two print media — newspapers and magazines — by secondary school teachers in an educational district of Nigeria. Using a survey design, the study found varying levels of significance of usage of the media for functional purposes, i.e. entertainment, personal identity, information, integration and social interaction.


Preliminary reports have demonstrated that technetium (Tc)-labeled cyclic [Cys, D-Phe]a-MSH3–13 (CCMSH) exhibits high tumor uptake and retention values in a murine melanoma mouse model. In this report, the tumor targeting mechanism ofTc-CCMSH was studied and compared with four other radiolabeled a-melanocyte stimulating hormone (a-MSH) peptide analogues:I-(Tyr )-[Nle, D-Phe]a-MSH [I(Tyr )-NDP]; Tc-CGCG-NDP; Tc-Gly-CCMSH; and TcNle-CCMSH. In vitro receptor binding, internalization, and cellular retention of radiolabeled a-MSH analogues in B16/F1 murine cell line demonstrated that >70% of the receptor-bound radiolabeled analogues were internalized together with the receptor. Ninety % of the internalized I-(Tyr )-NDP, whereas only 36% of internalizedTc-CCMSH, was released from the cells into the medium during a 4-h incubation at 37°C. Two mouse models, C57 mice and severe combined immunodeficient (Scid) mice, inoculated s.c. with B16/F1 murine and TXM-13 human melanoma cells were used for thein vivo studies. Tumor uptake values of 11.32 and 2.39 [% injected dose (ID)/g] forTc-CCMSH at 4 h after injection, resulted in an uptake ratio of tumor:blood of 39.0 and 11.5 in murine melanoma-C57 and human melanoma-Scid mouse models, respectively. Two strategies for decreasing the nonspecific kidney uptake of Tc-CCMSH, substitution of Lys in CCMSH with Gly 11 or Nle, and lysine coinjection, were evaluated. The biodistribution data for the modified peptides showed that Lys replacement dramatically decreased the kidney uptake, whereas the tumor uptakes ofTc-Nleand TcGly-CCMSH were significantly lower than that of Tc-CCMSH. Lysine coinjection significantly decreased the kidney uptake (e.g., from 14.6% ID/g to 4.5% ID/g at 4 h after injection in murine melanoma-C57 mice) without significantly changing the value of tumor uptake ofTcCCMSH. In conclusion, the compact cyclic structure ofTc-CCMSH, its resistance to degradation, and its enhanced intracellular retention are the major contributing factors to the superior in vivo tumor targeting properties of Tc-CCMSH. Lys residue in Tc-CCMSH is critical to the tumor targeting in vivo, and lysine coinjection rather than lysine replacement can significantly decrease the nonspecific renal radioactivity accumulation without impeding the high melanoma-targeting properties of Tc-CCMSH. The metal-cyclized CCMSH molecule displays excellent potential for the development of melanoma-specific diagnostic and therapeutic agents.


OBJECTIVE:To estimate nonlinearity pharmacokinetic parameters on the basis of the superiority of Genetic Algorithms which is of strong searching ability for the whole or the part.METHODS:Plasma concentration-time data of one-compartment model were fitted using Least Square Method.RESULTS:There was no significant difference of pharmacokinetic parameters between Genetic Algorithms and classic method(P0.05).Results of study showed that it was reasonable to use Genetic Algorithms to estimate the nonlinearity pharmacokinetic.CONCLUSION:Genetic Algorithm is suitable for the estimation of the pharma-cokinetic parameters of nonlinearity compartment models.


We have developed a novel depth perception control method for a monocular head-up display (HUD) in a car. However, it is difficult to achieve an accurate depth perception in the real world because of car vibration. To resolve this problem, we focus on a property that people complement hidden images by previous continuous observed images. We hide the image on the HUD when the car is vibrated. We aim to point at the accurate depth position by using HUD images with having users compliment the hidden image positions based on the continuous images before car vibration. We developed a car which detects big vibration by an acceleration sensor and is equipped with our monocular HUD. Our method pointed at the depth position within a 3.4 [m] error, which was 2 times more accurate than the previous method does.


Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection acquired in utero may present with non‐vesicular dermatologic findings in affected newborns, which may pose a diagnostic dilemma. We aimed to describe and assess the range of non‐vesiculobullous skin lesions that neonates with intrauterine HSV infection may manifest at birth.


The study attempted to analyse that part of maize-poultry value chain in Mahbubnagar district, manufacturing powder and pellet poultry feed. The study was conducted in two major agricultural marketing committees Badepally, Shadnagar and surrounding villages where maize is grown. The farm harvest price of maize at farmer's level ranged from Rs. 970 to 1150 per quintal. There is a single predominant value chain in the study area, in which maize is used for poultry feed (powdered) and pellet feed manufacturing. The study found that the poultry farmers who procure feed from poultry feed manufacturers who in turn obtain the raw maize from the traders/commission agents, are at loss as the feed cost is high due to long marketing chain and high marketing costs Rs. 1188.5 to Rs. 1308.5 per quintal. On the other side maize farmers received only 41.53 per cent in powdered poultry feed manufacturing channel and only 39.04 per cent in pellet feed manufacturing channel as producer's share in consumer's rupee. The poultry feed (powdered) cost was Rs. 2350 of which less than pellet feed cost Rs. 2500 per quintal. Feed manufacturers' margin was highest i.e., Rs. 161.5 and Rs. 191.5 per quintal for powdered poultry feed and pellet feed respectively among all stakeholders of value chain. Total marketing costs for granular/powdered poultry feed was Rs.1188.5 and for pellet feed was Rs. 1308.50 per quintal. The producer's share declined with increased costs of value addition while the ultimate end user paid high price, necessitating the need for direct linkages and low cost feed mixers easy to be operated by poultry farmers. Encouraging direct marketing that can bring down cost of value addition. The suggested that the poultry manufacturers can have contractual agreements with maize farmers to buy the raw maize (with assured quality and quantity) by paying a predetermined price to be beneficial to maize farmers as well as end users i.e., poultry farmers. For better energy conversion bio-fortified maize can be tried. Reduced processors marketing costs may reduce the final price of feed by at least Rs. 150 per quintal.


Two novel electron-donating quinonoid compounds, 2,5-bis(4',5'-dimethyl-1',3'-dithiolan-2'-ylidene)-2,5-dihydrothiophene (1b) and 2,5-bis(1',3'-dithian-2'-ylidene)-2,5-dihydrothiophene (1c), were synthesized successfully. The homopolymerizations of 1b and 1c took place only in the presence of oxygen to give the corresponding polymers composed of three different structural units. The ratios of the structural units in the polymers were significantly dependent on the polarity of the solvents used for the polymerizations. On the basis of NMR analysis of the resulting polymers and of the reaction products of 1b and 1c with water, a possible polymerization mechanism via a radical-cation intermediate was proposed.


In order to well understand the varieties and quantities of the waste from rural farming industry and provide reference for the comprehensive utilization of rural residues,this paper had investigated a typical village applying the investigation methods as questionnaire survey method,interview method and observation survey method in Xi Baidian Village,Pinggu District of Beijing,a representative and ongoing pilot village of circular agriculture.Through overall investigation,the paper had made clear of the waste varieties and quantities of the three subsystems of farming,breeding and living environment.According to the developing situation of circular agriculture,the paper had anatomized the waste comprehensive utilization measures,using effect and the existent problems.The countermeasures and development directions of waste comprehensive utilization and rural environmental protection of such villages had been proposed as well.


Due to low water cement ratio(water binder ratio) and the addition of mineral admixtures for high performance concrete,its hydration reaction is extremely violent,therefore,the pretty high autogenous shrinkage and thermal deformation occur at the early age of HPC casting.This may lead to early age cracking of HPC structures,and then may influence the durability of HPC.Hence,great concerns have been concentrated on early age properties of HPC in civil engineering field.The early age properties of HPC was monitored successfully by embedded FBG strain sensor.FBG sensor can monitor the deformation of HPC specimens just after HPC casting,and the data is continuous and stable,thereby,it is superior to traditional sensor which measures deformation of HPC only after concrete hardening.The study on the early age property of HPC is much significant for the research on the long-term properties such as durability and permeability.


In the editorial section Shannon Doocy et al. (466) call for a continuing crisis response in Venezuela. Claudia Chamas et al. (467) summarize recent initiatives to address diagnostic technology gaps in lowand middle-income countries. Tatum Anderson (470–471) describes WHO's work to improve reporting of attacks on health care in con ict settings. Ahmed Hankir talks to Vijay Shankar Balakrishnan (472–473) about his e orts to combat stigma surrounding mental health.


This paper addresses the issue of supporting time-sensitive multiplayer games in a single hop ad-hoc network. We first propose an analysis of the gameplay experience in such network. To this end, we conducted several experiments of an FPS (First Person Shooter) game over a real ad-hoc network. The poor performances experienced when the number of players reaches a certain value (11, in our scenario) lead us to propose an application layer solution, which could be easily considered by game developers, rather than modifying the wireless technology to support gaming. Our proposal combines packetization at client side and broadcasting at the server side. The performance evaluation, through extensive experiments, proved that these two simple techniques could reduce packets losses (due to collision), and by this way greatly improves the game experience.


Complexes of Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) with an asymmetric tridentate Schiff base prepared by condensation of ethyl 2-amino-4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-1-benzothiophene-3-carboxylate with (3Z)-3-(hydroxyimino)butan-2one were synthesized and characterized on the basis of elemental analysis, molar conductance measurements, magnetic susceptibility values, UV-Vis, IR and NMR spectral data wherever possible. Spectral studies show that the ligand behaves as tridentate chelating agent and bonded to the metal ion through azomethine nitrogen, ester carbonyl and the enolic oxygen atom. Electronic spectra and magnetic susceptibility measurement reveal octahedral geometry for Ni (II), tetrahedral configuration for Zn (II) complex, and square planar structure for Cu (II) complex. The complexes are found to be non-electrolytic in nature on the basis of low molar conductance.The thermal behavior (TGA/DTA) of the complexes were studied and kinetic parameter was determined by the Coats-Redfern method.


Publishers have discovered that while the market for edited volumes has shrunk, the appeal of the so-called research handbooks which can be often regarded as reference works remains relatively robust. It is therefore no surprise that most major academic publishers now have an extensive range of handbooks in their lists. The book under review comes from Edward Elgar, an independent publisher that specialises in carefully focussed handbook titles. This volume presents nearly 30 contributions that examine the international political economy of production, most often through an examination of the interrelation of (globalised) production and labour. This is perhaps not altogether obvious from the title but can be detected easily from the table of contents, and is clearly set out in the editor's introduction and section overviews. If this might seem narrower than one would expect, actually the volume does an excellent job of expanding the analytical and disciplinary focus than might be inferred from the title. This is to say, Kees van der Pijl has organised a volume as pluralistic, multi-disciplinary and varied in commitments as one would expect from contemporary pluralist 'European' international political economy (IPE). Conversely, and representing a slight departure for contemporary critical IPE, the volume seems much less obsessed with financialisation; a shift of focus at least partly driven by the frequent analytical grounding in labour issues (with case material from around global supply chains). Moreover, the breadth of contributions allows debates about analytical priorities and theoretical commitments to be balanced with a range of chapters that base their analysis firmly on the actuality of labour relations across the global system. This comes together in the third section of the volume where contributors explore, across a number of dimensions, the manner in which the real world of labour relations is both reflected in social ideas but also is (re)produced through sociality. Interestingly, in the conclusion to the volume, penned by Saskia Sassen, the question of contemporary financialisation is re-integrated into the discussion, although (perhaps) the reader is left to infer the more detailed interactions between this final intervention and the volume's main body of contributions. Overall then, no-one interested in the contemporary global political economy would fail to find a number of the chapters of interest, although few may find every contribution equally compelling, and thus the book's implicit place as a reference work is likely assured. Indeed, for scholars able to afford the rather expensive hardback version of the handbook, the volume offers an interesting opportunity to survey the myriad ways labour relations should be integrated into our contemporary account of (global) political economy. This may aid sales of the paperback when it no doubt appears, but until then, this volume is well worth ordering for the library and recommending to advanced students in IPE.


cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglyceride). HICT group performed HICT (maximal effort to complete 12 exercises for 30 seconds with 15 seconds rest between exercises) 6 times a week for 12 weeks. Control group were asked to keep their daily activity. Using the ANCOVA to compare variables between groups. The significant level was set as α = .05. RESULTS: After 72 times HICT over 12 weeks, HICT group significant improved all variables (p < .05) besides muscle mass, total cholesterol, and triglyceride. Compare to control group, HICT group only improved body fat% (25.1±5.1% vs. 23.2±4.1%), fat mass (19.5±5.7 kg vs. 17.5±4.4 kg) and fitness level (63.9±14.1 vs. 72.4±16.9) however there was no difference in other variables between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Around 60 minutes one week HICT over 12 weeks could improve body composition and aerobic capacity but has limit effects on metabolic syndrome markers in overweight middle aged male.


Abstract Encouraged by resents years' increased interest in project portfolio management (PPM), this paper conducts a review of two stocks of highly regarded publications on PPM — one stock representing most cited publications of all years, and the second representing the most cited publications from the last five years. Utilizing the theoretical lens proposed by Svejvig and Andersen (2015), we apply two complementary analytical perspectives to classify and analyze the stocks. One perspective, denoted as classical project management (CPM), highlights key characteristics of conventional research. A second perspective, denoted as rethinking project management (RPM), highlights characteristics of progressive research. Not surprisingly, characteristics from CPM are very dominant in the stock of most cited publications of all years — instrumentality and controllability in particular. In the newest stock, the aforementioned characteristics remain cornerstones, but are much less dominant. Instead, the RPM concept uncertainty seems to have conquered the agenda. Furthermore, based on our data we identify the following emerging trends: 1) increased focus on human actors, 2) broader accept of alternatives to rational explanations, 3) increased focus on adapting to a faster changing world. The limitations of our research are several, among these the limited size and timespan of our sample, and the scope of the utilized theoretical lens. Nevertheless, we argue that our research serves as a starting point to reveal overarching conjunctures of the discipline's legacy and current knowledge base. As such, this paper modestly contributes to conceptual clarification of what we know and proposes directions for future research.


This chapter introduces the basic geometry of reconstruction of points in 3-D space from image measurements made from two different (calibrated) camera viewpoints. We then introduce a simple algorithm to recover the 3-D position of such points from their 2-D views. Although the algorithm is primarily conceptual, it illustrates the basic principles that will be used in deriving both more sophisticated algorithms as well as algorithms for the more general case of reconstruction from multiple views which will be discussed in Part III of the book. The framework for this chapter is rather simple: Assume that we are given two views of a set of N feature points, which we denote formally as I. The unknowns are the position of the points in 3-D space, denoted Z and the relative pose of the cameras, denoted G, we will in this Chapter first derive constraints between these quantities. These constraints take the general form (one for each feature point) for some functions f i. The central problem to be addressed in this Chapter is to start from this system of nonlinear equations and attempt, if possible, to solve it to recover the unknowns G and Z. We will show that it is indeed possible to recover the unknowns. The equations in (5.1) are nonlinear and no closed-form solution is known at this time. However, the functions f i have a very particular structure that allows us to eliminate the parameters Z that contain information about the 3-D structure of the scene and be left with a constraint on G and I alone, which is known as the epipolar constraint. As we shall see in Section 5.1, the epipolar constraint has the general form Interestingly enough, it can be solved for G in closed form, as we shall show in Section 5.2. The closed-form algorithm, however, is not suitable for use in real images corrupted by noise. In Section 5.3, we discuss how to modify it so as to minimize the effect of noise. When the two views are taken from infinitesimally close vantage points, the basic geometry changes in ways that we describe in Section 5.4.


Subject. The article focuses on the modern financial system of Russia.
Objectives. I determine the limit of the contemporary financial system in Russia.
Methods. The study is based on methods of descriptive statistics, statistical and cluster analysis.
Results. The article shows the possibility of determining the scope of the contemporary financial system in Russia by establishing monetary relations as the order of the internal system and concerted operation of subsystems, preserving the structure of the financial system, maintaining the operational regime, implementing the program and achieving the goal. I found that the Russian financial system correlated with the Angolan one, and the real scope of the contemporary financial system in Russia.
Conclusions and Relevance. As an attempt to effectively establish monetary relations and manage them, the limit of the contemporary financial system is related to the possibility of using Monetary Aggregate M0 to maintain the balance of the Central Bank of Russia. To overcome the scope of Russia's financial system, the economy should have changed its specialization, refocusing it on high-tech export and increasing the foreign currency reserves. This can be done if amendments to Russia's Constitution are adopted. The findings expand the scope of knowledge and create new competence in the establishment of monetary relations, order of the internal system and concerted interaction of subsystems, structural preservation of the financial system and maintenance of its operational regime.


(51) Int. Cl. CI2P 13/12 (2006.01) (52) U.S. Cl. ........................................................ 435/113 (57) ABSTRACT A method for producing L-cysteine and the like is provided by developing a novel technique for improving bacterial L-cysteine-producing ability. The method includes the steps of culturing a bacterium belonging to the genus Escherichia which has L-cysteine-producing ability, and in which expres sion of a gene involved in Sulfite reduction is enhanced, in a medium containing thiosulfate, and collecting L-cysteine, a related substance thereof, or a mixture thereof which accu mulate in the medium.


As the local government invested and contributed companies increase rapidly, it causes moral hazard problem, financial inefficiency. Since it was needed to reform of public agencies and increases interests of systematic management, the law related invested and contributed companies established. The law laid the foundation for management of local government invested and contributed companies and requires personnel management regulations and organization. However, the law doesn"t include the management of the number of staff and human resource concretely. In general, local government invested and contributed companies should operate with an autonomy because they have different purpose of establishment, strategy, size of an organization. Thus, the local government invested and contributed companies manage personnel management autonomically. The way to secure autonomy and of an organization is employment cost ceiling system. This study was performed to seek a proper management method in this context. For this, this research analyses the number of present employees, vacancy rate and growth rate of employment costs(total costs and employment costs per capita). Then, those institutions are categorized according to the growth rate of employment costs. By classifying, a more relevant management methods can be provided. First, an organization with high increase rate in total and per capita costs for employment should construct management system by calculating fixed number of employee, analysis of actual employment condition. Second, organizations -which have a high increase rate in total costs and low growth rate in per capita costs- pay particular attention to control organization expansion. Third, organization costs have increased gradually are required to prepare an appropriate implement of human resource management. In addition, the vacancy rate is a point to be considered in management. In conclusion, personnel management of invested and contributed companies in local government should analyse current situation of manpower in detail. That is, diverse factors like position, department, sex, age must also be considered in the analysis. Moreover, it is needed to investigate the situation of recruitment, promotion, and systematic personnel management system.


The collision detection problem is a classical problem in computer graphics research field. It has become a hot topic in recent years with the development of virtual assembly technology. And accurate collision detection is crucial to improve the reliability and authenticity of virtual assembly. In this paper, we designed a collision detection algorithm with a pre-segment strategy based on OBB-Tree algorithm, took advantage of the shape characteristics of component model, used a smaller bounding box for operation. Experimental results showed that the efficiency of the algorithm is about 10% higher than that of traditional OBB-Tree algorithm.


Pollen morphology of ten woody plant species was carried out using light microscope. The study adopted Erdtman method of pollen analysis. Pollen characters studied are pollen shape, aperture type, surface pattern, pollen size, and grain arrangement. The result revealed that 50% of the species accounted for Tricolporate class, 30 % for triporate class, 10 % each for tricolpate and pantoporate classes. 50% of the species accounted for reticulate exine pattern, 20% for psilate, while 10% each accounted for baculate, granulate and echinate pattern. Result of pollen shape indicates that 50% of the species accounted for prolate-spheroidal, 20% for suboblate and 10% each for spheroidal, oblate and peroblate shapes. 40% of the species accounted for medium size pollen, 30% small size pollen, 20% large pollen and 10% for very large pollen. All the species were observed to possessed monad grain arrangement. Variations observed in the morphology of the studied species revealed pollen characters that can be reliably used to separate and delineate taxa.


Provided is a curable resin composition comprising components (A), (B), (C), and (D). Component (A) is a bisphenol-type epoxy resin having a softening point of 80°C or higher; component (B) is a bisphenol-type epoxy resin in liquid form at 25°C; component (C) is a (meth)acrylate compound that is difunctional or higher; and component (D) is a curing agent.


John M, a 50-year-old patient, recently had a routine colonoscopy and was diagnosed with diverticulosis. Concerned because a friend has had multiple bouts of diverticulitis and a partial colectomy, John schedules an appointment to discuss management of diverticulosis. His friend has told John he'll have to follow a strict diet and avoid nuts, corn, and popcorn altogether. Anxious to avoid the complications his friend has experienced, John turns to you for dietary advice. Would you know what dietary advice is best? Diverticulosis affects one-third of the US population by age 60; by the age of 85, two-thirds are affected.2,3 This common digestive disorder has been associated with a diet high in refi ned carbohydrates, and is less prevalent among people who follow a vegetarian diet.4-6 Up to 35% of patients with diverticulosis develop complications, including diverticulitis and diverticular bleeding, that frequently require hospitalization and invasive procedures.7,8


The study of single-phase glasses by X-ray scattering experiments requires special techniques. Experimental methods and data evaluation procedures aimed at obtaining reliable scattering data in the range of small and intermediate scattering angles are described. These techniques have been applied to the study of the intermediate-range order of silica and phosphate glasses. For commercial silica glasses and for phosphate glasses, the zero-angle scattering was found to be a very suitable parameter to quantify the optical homogeneity. The zero-angle scattering of alkaline-earth metaphosphate glasses was analyzed in terms of the formalism of Bhatia & Thornton [Phys. Rev. B. (1970), 2, 3004–3012]. From the results, conclusions were drawn about the chemical short-range order. In magnesium phosphate glasses, the presence of small clusters of about 1 nm diameter was established.


Radiation therapy has undergone immense growth in knowledge, technology, and precision. Treatments for breast cancer have evolved from sole reliance on bony anatomy and clinical setup to detailed dose measurements to organ substructures. Imaging techniques have evolved from 2-dimensional (2D) to 3-dimensional (3D) with the standardized use of computed tomography simulation and target delineation. Advances in technology with intensity-modulated radiotherapy and volumetric modulated arc therapy have increased high-dose conformality and low-dose normal-tissue exposure. Proton therapy is emerging as a modality that can minimize the compromises between target coverage and avoidance of organs at risk. Although not yet in clinical use, a significant step in precision radiotherapy is on the horizon: the use of genomics, which may allow tailored radiation doses based on the genetic make-up of the tumor and patient-specific factors conferring radiosensitivity or radioresistance. Introduction The benefit of radiation therapy in the treatment of breast cancer has been well-established. While a multitude of radiation techniques can be used to treat breast cancer, all are directed by the simultaneous goals of covering the target and avoiding organs at risk (OARs). While various studies have shown improvements in local-regional control, disease-free survival, and overall survival with the use of radiation therapy for breast cancer, toxicity to the nearby normal tissue can detract from the therapeutic ratio. Even with significant improvements in systemic therapy in recent years, modern studies continue to show a benefit to radiotherapy. Reduction in target volume with partial breast irradiation and cardiac-sparing techniques, such as deep-inspiration breath hold and prone positioning, have contributed to show improvement in the therapeutic


The optical feedback system that consists of a video projector and a camera enables appearance manipulation, which manipulates apparent color, and brightness, etc., with adaptive radiometric compensation and it affects our material perception. Its application field includes the visual inspection, assistance for visual impairment, optical illusion, and installation art.


science, formal logic, and individualism. The implication being that the presence of the phonetic alphabet in the West contributed greatly to the thought patterns which then allowed these concepts to arise and come into being in the cultural milieu. The tendency of the Western phonetic alphabet to lead toward a greater abstract thought process as opposed to the pictographically oriented code systems of the East explains, for McLuhan, why science began in the West rather than the East, despite the greater technological advancements of the Chinese culture (McLuhan & Logan, 1977). McLuhan and Logan also give an explanation for why the phonetic alphabet developed in the West as opposed to the East. They suggest that the spoken languages of the East, being monosyllabic, produce a large redundancy of sounds in the spoken tongue. As an example, there are 239 words with the same sound: "shah." This being the case, the linguistic distinctive in Eastern languages did not lend themselves to the development of a phonetic alphabet as much as they did in the fractured languages of the West. The phonetic alphabet of the West laid the foundation for abstract thinking and even more so since the very environment of writing serves as a double abstraction. The written word, being a symbolic abstraction of the spoken word (which itself is an abstraction of experience), "is broken up into its constituents of semantically


The conflict of longevity of satellite's service and limited life of Sterling cooler decides that coolers should work on the intermittent mode in space. As a result, The HgCdTe (MCT) infrared (IR) detectors in satellite are commonly subjected to thousands of repeated thermal cycles from below -173°C to room temperature (20°C), which brings some new reliability problems. Especially the mismatch of coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of different materials may lead to some unfamiliar failure modes with such low temperature and nearly 200°C span of thermal cycles. In order to study the characteristics of MCT detectors under the stress of thermal cycles, this paper introduced a special automatic system. The system is mainly composed of a sub-container of liquid nitrogen, a heater controlled by the PID hardware, and an object stage on which the MCT detectors to be tested are mounted. Furthermore, the sub-container, the heater and the stage are positioned in a large vacuum tank. In the course of thermal cycles, the object stage moved up and down with MCT detectors is driven by a step motor. When it rises to the bottom of liquid nitrogen sub-container, the stage is to be cooled with detectors, and when declines to the heater, the stage to be heated with detectors, too. At last, two long wavelength MCT detector samples are tested with this equipment, and the resistance, the signal and the noise are measured. It shows that all the pixels' resistance didn't change beyond 5% after 5000 cycles. However, the tested signal of the last pixel of both detectors increased sharply after 1000 cycles, and fell to normal level after 5000 cycles, with its noise altering a little from beginning to end. A deduction is given in this paper for this phenomenon. In accordance, the thermal cycle equipment and the experimental data, would supply some references to the design and fabrication of MCT IR detectors.


Recent developments in philosophy and in criminology indicate that there are significant respects in which the two disciplines can be mutually informing. Many philosophers are increasingly interested in exploring empirical aspects of philosophical claims, and criminologists are finding their way past the alleged fact/value distinction and are rediscovering the moral significance of facts, especially regarding punishment and desistance. In some recent criminological studies there are implicit links to the British moralists such as David Hume and Adam Smith, and to Aristotle as well. This paper explicates those links and some of the possibilities for philosophy and criminology to be mutually informing.


Currently, literacy acquisition is one of the major problems facing South African education. Despite tremendous efforts made to deal with this problem over the past few years, literacy acquisition remains a major challenge in South African schools particularly for those schools in rural areas. These problems are caused predominantly by poor infrastructure, lack of good reading habits, inadequate support of literacy activities and illiteracy at home. It is the position of this study that literacy acquisition programmes should expand beyond traditional methodologies by making use of visual strategies such as this one, as in different cases, the use of visual images proved more effective; for example in health campaigns. This dissertation, then, sets out to investigate how graphic design materials could be used as a resource in an attempt to address the issue of literacy acquisition in rural schools of the Eastern Cape. This was achieved by studying how learners responded to the use of graphic design materials which were designed specifically for this investigation; it could then be seen how the learner's responses to these materials might affect the acquisition of literacy. An in-depth investigation with the Grade Six learners from three rural schools (two from the Eastern Cape and one from KwaZulu Natal) was conducted as part of a phenomenological research process to provide variations and comparable research outcomes, and was carried out from within both the emic and etic viewpoints. This meant that the researcher was privy to both the participants' world (from his own childhood background in the Eastern Cape) and his (more recently acquired) researcher's point of view. Findings include a reflection on learner's experiences as well as on the context or the conditions of the learners' everyday lives. The goal was to focus on participant's experiences as they experienced them in their lived world. The research outcomes are discussed in terms of how the current schooling conditions affect literacy acquisition in rural schools, and, to counter this, what effect learners' responses to the visual images, in particular, might have on literacy acquisition. In all these three schools, the study suggested that the use of these graphic design materials has amongst other things, made reading fun and easy to understand. This study concludes by reflecting on the research outcomes and offering suggestions as to how graphic design materials could be used to address some of the problem identified by this investigation. It is thought that the originality of the research lies in the starting point and focus of literacy acquisition being the visual aspect of storytelling, rather than the verbal, and in moving from the visual to the verbal, using narrative as the bridge exploiting the connection between the two.


Excitation functions of nine evaporation residues populated through complete and/or incomplete fusion in 14N + 124Sn system in the projectile energy range ≈4−7 MeV/nucleon have been measured. Recoil catcher activation technique using offline γ -ray spectrometry has been employed in these measurements. The evaporation residues produced through xn and pxn channels are found to be well reproduced by the theoretical predictions of PACE-4. In case of evaporation residues produced through α-emitting channels, significant enhancement in the measured excitation functions over their theoretical predictions has been observed. This enhancement indicates that these α-emitting channels are attributed to the incomplete fusion process. The comparison of present study with literature data also shows that the ICF probability depends on various entrance channel parameters. A new combined parameter AS EC T PZ Z         


This study tested whether experience with television helped very young children in the US learn from it. Using a post-test only design, we attempted to teach children (6–24 months) novel words and a simple action either from a parent live, a parent on video, or a stranger on video. Children's past exposure to television was also measured. Babies who had a favorite television program imitated actions demonstrated by their mothers on television more frequently than infants without a favorite show. There was no association between experience with television and word learning. Lastly, only imitative learning and not word learning showed the curvilinear relationship to the age of the child predicted by the discounting hypothesis. Thus, some television experience does seem to aid in imitation, but not in word learning, and television experience is useful when babies imitate mothers on the screen but not when they attempt to imitate strangers.


Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is widely produced and consumed in India. It is one of the staple foods of India. As majority of Indian population have vegetarian diets, cereals constitute a major portion. Important nutrients like iron are usually from non-haem sources. Although, wheat contains iron, it has low bioavailability due to the presence of iron inhibitors like phytate. Recent studies have indicated that beta carotene can be a potential iron enhancer with the probability of phytate-chelating mechanism. As ionisable iron is an indicator of bioavailability, this study analysed the influence of beta carotene (synthetic and natural) on ionisable iron content of wheat. Three varieties of wheat samples were procured, ground into flour and prepared into rotis. The total iron, ionisable iron and phytate content of grain, flour and roti was estimated. The percent increase in ionisable iron content for synthetic beta carotene was 13.1±6.7%, whereas, for natural beta carotene, i.e., carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus), it was 10.06±1.35%. This study indicates that both synthetic and natural beta carotene have a positive effect on ionisable iron content of wheat. Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science www.foodandnutritionjournal.org ISSN: 2347-467X, Vol. 08, No. (1) 2020, Pg. 88-96 CONTACT N. Butler firstname.lastname@example.com Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey Women's University, Women's University,


One of the most important factors in the process of integrating ICT has to do with the existing leadership in schools. This work begins with the purpose to understand how dynamics of the organization of a school have an influence in the process of introduction and use of ICT, especially the importance of the role of the headship team and its leadership in the development of this process. To accomplish that, it has been used a research design based on the analysis of a multiple Case Study at three different moments, from a Grounded Theory approach. A type of headship team "e-competent ' has been identified, which is mainly characterized by its strong educational, transformational and distributed leadership and motivation to develop measures and strategies to promote the integration of ICT. As a result, it was found that the management leadership is a key factor in promoting educational innovation, especially in the integration of ICT in schools, as it will greatly affect the organization and decision-making, acting as a catalyst and facilitator of this process.


The development of methodologies for the automatic implementation of floating-point algorithms in fixed-point architectures is required for the minimization of cost, power consumption and time to market of digital signal processing applications. In this paper, a new methodology of implementation in Digital Signal Processors (DSP) under accuracy constraint is presented. In comparison with the existing methodologies, the DSP architecture is completely taken into account for optimizing the execution time under accuracy constraint. The justification and the different stages of our methodology are presented.


Photograph of Chris and Hillary, as identified by their name tags, at a Career Fair at the University of North Texas. The purpose of the fair is for companies, businesses, organizations and other work-forces to engage with the students and alumni at UNT to consider working with them. Hillary is seen holding up a clipboard in her hands and jotting down information when her and Chris' photograph was taken.


BACKGROUND: Primigravida mothers are more apprehensive about their ability to breastfeed their neonate and may
have less condence about the breastfeeding ability. Very few studies have been done on the effect of sleep & fatigue on
breastfeeding efcacy in postpartum mothers, in India
OBJECTIVE: To study the correlation between sleep quality & breastfeeding efcacy, fatigue & breastfeeding efcacy, postpartum depression
& breastfeeding efcacy in primigravida lactating mothers.
MATERIALS AND METHOD: Hospital based cross sectional study was conducted at the tertiary care hospital in Mumbai.Total assessment
questionnaires, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue (MAF) Scale,
Breastfeeding Self Efcacy Scale (BSES), Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) were used to gather information from 84 primigravida
lactating mothers attending anti-natal clinic during study period. Fifty-two mothers lled all the questionnaire and 32 mothers did not complete
all questionnaires appropriately.
RESULTS. The very weak negative correlation between BSFS with PSQI, BSES with ISI, BSES with MAF, BSES with EPDS, PSQI with MAF,
ISI with MAF and MAF with EPDS. High correlation was observed in PSQI with ISI (0.794), PSQI with EPDS (0.732), ISI with EPDS (0.736)
with 'p' value<0.05. In analysis it was revealed that Quality of sleep, Insomnia and Postpartum depression has good correlation between them.
These factors does not signicantly correlate with the breastfeeding efcacy of postpartum lactating mothers
CONCLUSION: Quality of sleep, level of fatigue, fatigue and postpartum depression does not impact directly on the perception of
primigravida mothers on their breastfeeding ability


Preservation and development of the democratic foundations of the society are impossible without the involvement of the younger generation in politics, as this sphere is more responsible for the democratic potential. During the political socialization, the formation of the personality as a citizen of the country is observed and the citizens' adaptation to the existing political system is reached that is one of the most important conditions for its stability. As a result, a certain level of legitimacy is maintained and the boundaries, within which the political course is held, are set. It is the youth, that forms the relationships and patterns of behavior determining the strategy for the development of national and humanistic traditions, political culture and tolerance. On how the process of political socialization of modern Russian youth mostly depends on the consolidation of the whole society and the prospects for the Russian Federation as the legal and democratic state, as the youth is one of the largest social groups. However, the political socialization is not only a tool, by which a certain level of legitimacy and the result of free choice of the young generation are maintained. In the era of globalization and social transformation, it is also necessary to support the development of the democratic institution, not losing the national framework and a sense of civic solidarity. And the role of active socialization of the young generation, including political socialization, in this connection is important, because the youth itself is the driving force of social changes and innovative reforms. In addition, the youth political and public organizations can be seen as a space of possibilities for the implementation of political socialization, including self-realization, as well as formation of civic culture of the young generation. In this regard, the prospects for the democratic society depend on the effective involvement of the young generation into the political system.


A study was designed to investigate the safety of angiography immediately preceding free flap transfer. Orthotopic abdominal wall free flaps were constructed in uninjected rats, in saline-injected controls, in animals injected with Hypaque, and in animals injected with Conray. No difference in free flap survival could be found among any of these groups. It was concluded that early preoperative angiography does not adversely affect free flap survival.


Abstract. We present a new and improved version (V4.0) of the NASA standard nitrogen dioxide (NO2) product from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on the Aura satellite. This version incorporates the most salient improvements for regional OMI NO2 products suggested by expert users, and enhances the NO2 data quality in several ways on a global scale through improvements to the air mass factors (AMFs) used in the retrieval algorithm. The algorithm is based on a conceptually new, geometry-dependent surface Lambertian equivalent reflectivity (GLER) operational product that is available on an OMI pixel basis. GLER is calculated using the vector linearized discrete ordinate radiative transfer (VLIDORT) model, which uses as input high resolution bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) information from NASA's Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments over land and the wind-dependent Cox–Munk wave-facet slope distribution over water, the latter with contribution from the water-leaving radiance. The GLER combined with consistently retrieved oxygen dimer (O2-O2) absorption-based cloud fractions and pressures provide high-quality data inputs to the new NO2 AMF scheme. The new AMFs increase the retrieved tropospheric NO2 by up to 50 % in highly polluted areas; these differences arise from both cloud and surface BRDF effects as well as biases between the new MODIS-based and previously used OMI-based climatological surface reflectance data sets. We quantitatively evaluate the new NO2 product using independent observations from ground-based and airborne instruments. The improved NO2 data record can be used for studies related to emissions and trends of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and co-emitted gases. The new V4.0 data and relevant explanatory documentation are publicly available from the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center ( https://disc.gsfc.nasa.gov/datasets/OMNO2_V003/summary/ ), and we encourage their use over previous versions of OMI NO2 products.


Quality Diversity (QD) algorithms in population-based reinforcement learning aim to optimize agents' returns and diversity among the population simultaneously. It is conducive to solving exploration problems in reinforcement learning and potentially getting multiple good and diverse strategies. However, previous methods typically define behavioral embedding in action space or outcome space, which neglect trajectory characteristics during the execution process. In this paper, we introduce a trajectory embedding model trained by Variational Autoencoder with similarity constraint to characterize trajectory features. Based on that, we propose a hierarchical trajectory-space exploration (HTSE) framework using Determinantal Point Processes (DPP) to generate high-quality and diverse solutions in the selection and mutation process. The experimental results show that our HTSE method effectively completes several simulated tasks, outperforming other Quality-Diversity Reinforcement Learning algorithms.