The paper discusses programme competences of students majoring in the specialty 073 - Management in conditions of distance learning caused by the pandemic COVID-19. It analyses the influence of distance learning methods and techniques on the programme competences of managers. The paper studies the curriculum design of the first (bachelor's) degree course 073 - Management within the field of knowledge 'Management and Administration" (07) at one of the typical higher education institutions in Ukraine in conditions of distance learning. The authors consider relevant components of the curriculum design. The analysis allowed the authors to identify which of the programme competences in the course design were made easier, fir the students to acquire due to pandemic-induced distance learning mode. The authors suggest a way to improve the curriculum design for the next year of study.


Tourism development is widely considered a means by which the economies of American Indian reservations (AIRs) can be strengthened. Understanding attitudes toward tourism on AIRs is important to effectively plan for such development. This study contributed to the advancement of such an understanding, drawing upon data from intercept surveys of attendees at American Indian wacipis (pow-wows) in South Dakota, USA. It found that American Indian respondents were generally less sanguine about tourism on AIRs than non-American Indian respondents, that American Indian respondents generally supported tourism on AIRs but such support was by no means universal, that attitudes toward tourism on AIRs were only weakly related to demographic characteristics, that inter-tribal differences in such attitudes existed even among ethnically related Siouan tribes, and that American Indian respondents could be meaningfully disaggregated according to their attitude composites.


Decentralised power generation may lead to an inverse power flow compared to a centralised power supply system. Thus, voltage rises have to be limited at customer level with minimum extra costs during high PV power injection. Therefore, active and reactive power control of PV inverter will become more and more important because the additional grid operator's and end customers' investments could be nearly neglected. The decentralised control has to be triggered directly by the line voltage at the PV inverter ensuring an efficient use based on static characteristics, which are defined by the grid operator without the need of additional investment in IT infrastructure. The voltage dependent control of decentralised power generators is not implemented in the open source load flow calculation software Matpower. An elegant solution was found by integrating the dynamic change in active and reactive power directly into the load flow equations. This provides the basis for the techno-economic assessments which will be performed for different low-voltage distribution grid classes in Switzerland, Germany and Austria.


A novel flow-injection irreversible biamperometric method is described for the direct determination of iodide. The method is based on electrochemical oxidation of iodide at the gold electrode and the reduction of permanganate at the platinum electrode to form an irreversible biamperometric detection system. Under the applied potential difference of 0 V, in the 0.05mol/L sulfuric acid, iodide can be determined over the range 4.00×10-7-l.00×l0-5 mol/L with a sampling frequency of 120 samples per hour. The detection limit for Ⅰ- is 3.0× 10-7 mol/L and the RSD for 40 replicate determinations of 4.0×10-5 mol/L potassium iodide is 1.68%. The new method was applied to the analysis of iodide in table salt with satisfactory results.


The article discusses the August, 1940 financial and legal arrangement negotiated by the Polish and British Governments regarding the Polish Armed Forces based in the United Kingdom and its possessions. The agreement stipulated that the British Government credits for the Polish military, as well as for the support of the Polish diplomatic and civilian personnel, would be based on the escrow of the Polish Gold evacuated from Poland and to be repaid after the war. The legal and financial agreements that were signed in August 1940, and modified throughout the war, document that the Polish Armed Forces were a sovereign military under the constitutional control of the Polish Government in exile. This historical fact has been eroded by time and the consequences to the Polish cause of the outcome of the war. This article attempts to address the mythologies that have spawned, about the Polish Forces, often well meaning but erroneous nonetheless. The article concludes with a summary of the final auditing of expenses in 1946 when the Polish Gold was returned to a communist dominated Poland.


Employee engagement becomes priority among businesses as it can trigger a better performance. This research aims to reveal the influence of employee engagement to the employee performance with job satisfaction as an intervening variable. It is a quantitative research with an explanatory approach to explain the causal relationships of the hypotheses used. The research samples are 75 employees of PDAM in Malang city. Data were collected through questionnaires. Data were analyzed using path analysis. This study show that employee engagement has direct effect on employee performance. It effects employee performance through job satisfaction. It concludes that the engagement of the employees of PDAM in Malang is great, so their performance improves.


The purpose of this paper is to develop a self-test competency scale for the basic nursing skills related to oxygen in nursing students and to verify the validity and reliability. Participants were 318 nursing students in Jeonnam, Gyeongnam, Busan and Daegu. The data was collected from November 19, 2018 to December 27, 2018. The preliminary question was 26 items and validity of contents was by 10 expert groups. The final developed self-test competency scale was a 5-point Likert scale with a total of 25 items. Received(July 4, 2019), Review Result(July 26, 2019) Accepted(September 6, 2019), Published(September 30, 2019) Associate Professor, 147011 Dept. Nursing Science, Dongseo Univ., Jurye-ro, Sasang-gu, Busan, Korea E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com (Corresponding Author) Assistant Professor 47011 Dept. Nursing Science, Dongseo Univ., Jurye-ro, Sasang-gu, Busan, Korea E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com *이 논문은 2019년도 동서대학교 "Dongseo Cluster Project" 지원으로 작성되었습니다(DSU-20190011). Development of a Measuring Scale for Nursing Student' Self-test Competency on Basic Nursing Skills Related Oxygen. Copyright c 2019 HSST 514 The items were 'Common' 4 items, 'Peripheral oxygen saturation measurement and Eelectrocardiogram' 4 items, 'Oxygen therapy using nasal cannula' 4 items, 'Endotracheal suctioning' 7 items, and 'Management of tracheostomy care' 7 items. The results of factor analysis showed that 44.1% of all variables, 10.6% of 'Endotracheal suctioning', 7.9% of 'Common', 6.0% of 'Peripheral oxygen saturation measurement and Eelectrocardiogram', 4.1%. of 'Oxygen therapy using nasal cannula'. The results of this study are expected to be an indicator of the effectiveness of the education program for the improvement of oxygen related basic nursing skills of nursing students.


The PESTLA model Version 2.4 is used to evaluate pesticide leaching from soil under Dutch agricultural conditions. A method is presented to translate the results of a leaching experiment into the standard scenario, using the ratio between measured andcomputed leaching for that experiment. An attempt is made to use an approximating analytical solution for the transport problem, but the deviations from the PESTLA results were too large. The meteorological year 1980 used for the standard scenario was found to be extremely wet in spring. Computations for lysimeter and field conditions gave nearly equal percentages of the dosage leached, except for some wet years with higher lysimeter values.


All plate boundaries are divided into segments -
pieces of fault that are distinct from one another, either separated by gaps or with different orientations. The maximum size of an earthquake on a fault system is controlled by the degree to which the propagating rupture can cross the boundaries between such segments. A large earthquake may rupture a whole segment
of plate boundary, but a great earthquake usually ruptures more than one segment at once.

Earthquakes offshore of Sumatra on December 26th 2004 (MW=9.3) and March 28th 2005 (MW=8.7) ruptured, respectively, 1200-1300 km and 300-400 km of the subduction boundary between the Indian-Australian plate and
the Burman and Sumatra blocks. Rupture in the 2004 event started at the southern end of the fault segment, and propagated northwards. The observation that the slip did not propagate significantly southwards in December 2004, even though the magnitude of slip was high at the southern end of the rupture strongly suggests a barrier at that place. Maximum slip in the March 2005 earthquake occurred within ~100 km of the barrier between the 2004 and 2005
ruptures, confirming both the physical importance of the
barrier, and the loading of the March 2005 rupture zone by
the December 2004 earthquake.

Cruise SO198-1, from Singapore to Merak between 3rd May and
14th June 2008 is the first of three cruises, funded by
the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), which will form a coherent set of geophysical observations in the source regions of the 2004 and 2005 great Sumatra earthquakes. Arrays of 50 ocean-bottom seismometers (OBS) were deployed at each of two locations – between the 2004 and 2005 ruptures, and at the southern end of the 2005 rupture - to record shots from a large-capacity airgun array. Approximately 7 days of continuous airgun shooting at 60s interval was completed at each location. 10 OBS were reconfigured for earthquake recording and deployed with a planned retrieval in early 2009. Gravity, Parasound,
and swath bathymetry data were recorded continuously while in the permitted area, with magnetic field data recorded throughout the airgun shooting, and 101 XBT casts taken at the OBS deployment locations.


The aim of this study was to report the ability of killer toxins, previously used as biotyping techniques, as a new tool to differentiate C. albicans from C. dubliniensis. The susceptibility of C. albicans and C. dubliniensis to killer toxins ranged from 33.9 to 93.3% and from 6.67 to 93.3%, respectively.


https://e-heartfailure.org Heart failure is a clinical syndrome with symptoms and/or signs caused by a structural and/ or functional cardiac abnormality and corroborated by elevated natriuretic peptide levels and/or objective evidence of pulmonary or systemic congestion.1)2) In South Korea, the prevalence rate of heart failure was 2.24% in 2018, and the number of older adult patients is increasing significantly (Heart Failure Statistics in Korea, 2020).3) In addition, older adult patients have various comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, arrhythmia, chronic kidney disease, cancer, stroke, dementia, and arthritis. The use of multiple medications increases the risk of side effects. Therefore, the treatment of chronic heart failure in older adult patients is complicated.


Introduction. The article is an overview of hand-written texts of sutras of the White Old Man's cult. The White Old Man (in Bur.  Sagaan Ȕbgen; in Mong. Caγan ebűgen) is one of the most widespread folklore images of Mongolic peoples. There are a lot of texts concerning the White Old Man, some are devoted to the ritual parts of his cult, and others only mention his name. The texts dedicated to the White Old Man serve as a universal symbolic complex which reflects all the basic elements and parameters of the cosmic order, the way or another simulating the world: sky/earth, earth / water, mountain / tree, ancestors / relatives, animals / snakes, four sides of the world. The White Old Man acts as an ancestor — the mediator between nature and man; space and society. A large number of manuscripts clearly demonstrate popularity of the White Old Man in Mongolia, Buryatia, and Kalmykia till nowadays. For further clarification of a mythological basis of the cult the paper considers two texts contained in the Manuscript Fund of St. Petersburg Branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies (Russian Academy of Sciences), namely: 'Caγan ebűgen-ű neretű sudur orusibai' and 'Caγan ebűgen-ű sudur'. These texts are the most widespread sutra about the White Old Man. The Sutra of The White Old Man ('Caγan ebűgen-ű neretu sudur orusibai'), also known as a sutra 'capable to pacify and suppress the earth and water' ('Үajar usun-I nomuγadγan daruγulun cidaγki neret ű sudur'), is unique in its pseudo-Buddhist form. For consideration of structures, the paper conducts a comparative analysis of versions of the text in which the constant, standard, repeating elements, or invariant text units, form a basis for their description. According to the text, the White Old Man (Sagaan Ȕbgen) has somewhat various functions, being a patron, a defender and at the same time — a harmful spirit. All this specifies ambivalence of this character but in general characterizes the traditional thinking — to allot spirits with various, sometimes polar functions. To consider the rite of sacrifice to the White Old Man as a whole, the paper clearly focuses on achieving of well-being through appeasing the White Old man, as well as asking for his patronage and help. The action plan of the ceremony (incense burning, milk sprinkling, scattering of food pieces), as well as selection of sacrificial animals and supplying them with special marks — white ribbons — served the same purpose


The present case report by Carroll et al. [1] provides a clear documentation of an inadvertent delivery of approximately 0.5–1 cc of a solution of bupivacaine 0.5%—Botulinum toxin B (500 U/mL) in a woman receiving paraspinal "trigger point" injections that ameliorated the back spasms that were part of her clinical presentation. Over periods of days to weeks, the individual reported the development of somatotopically limited dysesthesias of the lower limbs that persisted through 6 months and which then began to resolve. The paresthesias were constituted by "buzzing, tingling, vibration sensation with a component of burning"; and by a shooting pain from the lumbar spine. This well-presented case provides several interesting points of discussion.

Botulinum toxins have been of considerable interest because of their toxicity when ingested (e.g., botulism), for their clinical utility in regulating transmitter release, and for their use as a tool to study the complexly choreographed linkages that relate terminal depolarization, the increase in intracellular calcium, and the mobilization of synaptic vesicles for transmitter release. There are numerous isoforms of these proteases that act to cleave at various …


This era witnesses the rise of a new system of mental health restoration namely; the 'Alternative mental health' which refers to all alternative ways of reinstating mental health in psychiatric patients. Amongst these approaches, the contributory role of dietary regimes in restoring the mental health is a growing subject which needs thorough understanding in an Indian ethos. Moreover, the role of dietary regimes as a preventive factor against mental ill health is also least considered till date. This study aimed to examine the relationships between mental states of individuals and their food patterns. The prime objective was to conduct an extensive literary review regarding the dietary patterns and various mental states and the second was to know the attitudes of health professionals regarding the concerned association. The study design was an exploratory trial. To satisfy the objectives, two arms were attributed, the first half of the study assured the first objective, i.e. an extensive literary review for conceptual data development and the second half by means of an experience survey conducted through a semi structured interview among health professionals. Experience survey – Among the 50 Health professionals, there was a weak agreement score of less than 0.6 as evident from Fleiss Kappa scoring regarding the concerned association. These findings contribute to a growing body of literature that diet quality/patterns are associated with mental health. Professionals from varied health arena have diverse opinion regarding the concerned association.


Finding good entropy sources, designing deterministic (pseudo) random number generators, or simply finding suitable non-deterministic random number generators are major challenges. The goal of this paper is to evaluate the use of three motion sensors present in smartphones as potential nondeterministic, true random bit generators (TRNG). This paper focuses in particular on sensors present in Samsung Galaxy S3 and S4 devices. Data from the sensors was collected and submitted to the NIST STS v-2.1.1 test suite and the resulting bits were found fit enough to be used as the output of a TRNG. In addition, 4 SHA versions were used to whiten the data (as per NIST recommendation). Their conditioning performance was compared to each other, and found to be very close.


Abstract. Thermal tides play an important
role in the global atmospheric dynamics and provide a key mechanism for the
forcing of thermosphere–ionosphere dynamics from below. A method for
extracting tidal contributions, based on the adaptive filtering, is applied
to analyse multi-year observations of mesospheric winds from ground-based
meteor radars located in northern Germany and Norway. The observed seasonal
variability of tides is compared to simulations with the Kühlungsborn
Mechanistic Circulation Model (KMCM). It is demonstrated that the model
provides reasonable representation of the tidal amplitudes, though
substantial differences from observations are also noticed. The limitations
of applying a conventionally coarse-resolution model in combination with
parametrisation of gravity waves are discussed. The work is aimed towards the
development of an ionospheric model driven by the dynamics of the KMCM.


Experimental data have provided stringent constraints on the neutrino mixing parameters. In the standard parameterization the mixing angle θ_(23) is close to π/4. There is also evidence which shows that the CP violating phase is close to -π/2. We study the neutrino mass matrix reconstructed using this information and find several interesting properties. We show that a theoretical model based on the A_4 symmetry naturally predicts δ = -π/2 and θ_(23) = π/4 when the Yukawa couplings and scalar vacuum expectation values are real, reaching a μ-τ exchange and CP conjugate symmetry limit. In this case CP violation solely comes from the complex group theoretical Clebsh-Gordan coefficients. The model also predicts |V_(e2)| = 1/√3, consistent with the data. With complex Yukawa couplings the values for δ and θ_(23) can significantly deviate away from the symmetry values -π/2 and π/4, respectively. But |V_(e2)| = 1/√3 is not altered. This matrix is an excellent lowest order approximation for theoretical model buildings of the neutrino mass matrix.


Applying a methodology developed and tested in previous studies, the contribution from the ionospheric and plasmaspheric regions to the total electron content (measured by ground receivers) is analyzed. The method is based in the electron density profiles retrieved from radio occultations observed with low Earth orbit satellites, combined with an accurate empirical modeling of the topside-ionosphere electron density. The results of a climatological study of the fractional electron content from the ionospheric region are presented for a year of low solar activity. It is shown that a simple parametric model can be used to reproduce the electron content variations in the ionosphere and the plasmasphere between sunrise and midday, the period of the day showing the largest electron content variability.


This paper proposes with error-rate for an ECG classifier to support doctors in clinical diagnosis. In particular, ECG signals, which are diversity, may be obtained from various ECG machines on many patients. Therefore, ECG classification has been a critical challenge for scientists in recent years. In the previous studies, the ECG classification produced a promised precision. However, diversity phenomenon on patients had not been considered yet to be able to increase precision. In this paper, a performance of a state-of-art ECG-classifier in diversity scenario will be analyzed using error-rate. In this research, training and testing data are arranged to be different on MIT dataset. Thus, ECG data are separated and then extracted into each heartbeat using a discrete wavelet transform algorithm. Extracted features are trained using a state-of-art neural network method in diversity and non-diversity scenarios. Experimental results demonstrated that the accuracy of the separated data is higher using the ECG classification.


In this paper, we develop a new mathematical model for a cyclic multiple-part type threemachine robotic cell problem. In this robotic cell a robot is used for material handling. The objective is finding a part sequence to minimize the cycle time (i.e.; maximize the throughput) with assumption of known robot movement. The developed model is based on Petri nets and provides a new method to calculate cycle times by considering waiting times. It is proved that scheduling problem of a robotic cell is unary NP-complete. Achieving an optimal solution for this type of complex, large-sized problem in reasonable computational time by using traditional approaches and optimization tools is extremely difficult. In this paper we implement an algorithm based on the particle swarm optimisation (PSO) method for solving the problem. To validate the developed model and solution algorithm, various test problems are examined some of which are of small-size and some other of large-size. The computational results show that the proposed algorithm achieves optimum solutions for small sized problems, while for large-sized problems this algorithm can find suitable solutions in acceptable time.


In this study the nest-site selection patterns of four tree-nesting sympatric raptor species in Dadia National Park (Greece) were compared in order to provide a sound conservation tool for their long-term management in the area. The species studied were the Black vulture (Aegypius monachus), the Lesser-spotted eagle (Aquila pomarina), the Booted eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus) and the Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis). Twenty-six variables illustrating the landscape context and vegetation structure of nesting sites were analysed. Multivariate-ANOVA and Discriminant Function Analysis were used to test for significant differentiations in nest-site characteristics among the species. The species studied were initially differentiated by geomorphology and distance to foraging areas. Once these were determined their nesting areas were established according to forest structure. Our results indicate that forest management should integrate the preservation of mature forest stands with sparse canopy and forest heterogeneity in order to conserve suitable nesting habitats for the raptors. Specific conservation measures such as restriction of road construction should be implemented in order to protect the active nests and provisions should be made for adequate nesting sites for the Black vulture, which is sensitive to human disturbance.


A hydromechanically coupled finite element method (FEM) algorithm following a mixed continuous Galerkin formulation for displacement and pore pressure is adopted for modeling of spherical indentation in a poro‐elasto‐plastic medium. The fully saturated porous medium is assumed to be isotropic and elasto‐perfectly plastic, obeying a Drucker‐Prager yield criterion with an associative or non‐associative flow rule. The Newton‐Raphson method with the tangent stiffness scheme is employed to deal with plasticity in the solid skeleton. A stabilization scheme, which permits equal‐order interpolation for the displacement and pore pressure fields and suppresses pore pressure oscillation in the incompressible or nearly incompressible limit, is incorporated in this FEM algorithm. The FEM algorithm is extensively benchmarked with poroelastic analytical solutions to the problems of Terzaghi, Mandel, Cryer, and De Leeuw and an analytic solution for one‐dimensional poro‐elasto‐plastic consolidation. Numerical simulations of poroelastic spherical indentation via step displacement loading are conducted to show that the normalized indentation force as a function of dimensionless time has only relatively weak dependence on material properties through a single derived parameter ω . Such universality is shown for three types of surface drainage conditions. For indentation in a poro‐elasto‐plastic medium, it is shown that even though plasticity occurs immediately at the undrained limit, if cohesion is within a certain range, there is no plastic strain accumulation during the transient period and the normalized force relaxation behavior could be approximated as poroelastic.


Integrating digital tabletop systems in private living environments is a promising approach to enhance people's everyday life with information technology. Apart from using the surface of such a tabletop, research on the detection of interaction above and around the surface is increasing rapidly. So far, detection is limited either to very specific gestures above the surface or to rather abstract detection of users in a larger scenario. The detection of body parts in tabletop setups has rarely been investigated, although the knowledge about the whereabouts of body parts would be helpful to establish relationships between users and interactions. In this paper, we propose a system that is capable to detect body parts above and around such a tabletop setup using a depth camera. We further take up an existing approach to present how the detection in this setup could work. Additionally, we propose a new approach to obtain training data for the detection using a color suit.


We consider the bootstrap with arbitrary resample size and apply a modified bootstrap to estimation problems where parameters are smooth functions of population means. In particular, we identify certain class of estimators for which similar well-known results to the jackknife are obtained for the modified bootstrap. We also give a counter-example where the bootstrap fails to estimate the bias of an estimator.


Nonlinear mixed-effects models involve both fixed effects and random effects. Model building for nonlinear mixed-effects models is the process of determining the characteristics of both the fixed and the random effects so as to give an adequate but parsimonious model. We describe procedures based on information criterion statistics for comparing different structures of the random effects component. These include procedures for determining which parameters in the model should be mixed effects and which should be purely fixed effects, as well as procedures for modeling the dependence of parameters on individual-specific covariates. We also consider procedures for assessing the variability in the parameter estimates, based on asymptotic theory and on likelihoodprofiling techniques. These methods are illustrated using the nonlinear mixed-effects methods and classes for S-plus and using data sets from forestry and pharmacokinetics studies.


The maximum yield of enzyme-catalyzed reactions is often limited by thermodynamic equilibrium. The knowledge of influencing factors on limitations of reactions is essential for process optimization to increase yields and to reduce solvent and energy consumption. In this work the effect of solvents/cosolvents [e.g., ionic liquid (IL)] and natural solutes on thermodynamic yield limitations of two enzyme-catalyzed model reactions were investigated, namely, an alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) reaction (acetophenone + 2-propanol ⇌ 1-phenylethanol + acetone) and an alanine aminotransferase reaction (l-alanine + 2-oxoglutarate ⇌ pyruvate + l-glutamate). Experimental results showed that the equilibrium position and the equilibrium product yield of both reactions in aqueous single-phase systems strongly depend on the type and molality of the present natural solute/IL that were present as additives in the reaction mixture. In addition, the ADH reaction was investigated in pure IL and in an IL/buffer two-phase system. Co...


This study aims at investigating types of teaching strategies used by an Englishthe teacher and analyzing how she implemented them in teaching reading comprehension in senior high school. In order to observe the teacher's strategies and how they were being applied, this study employed qualitative design. The instruments used to collect the data were observation, interview and document. The subject was an English teacher at SMAN 11 Banda Aceh.The results of the observation indicates that teacher used partial questioning strategy, review strategy, and feedback strategy. However, the teacher did not elaborate questioning strategy in her lesson plan. The teacher mixed questioning and review strategies at the beginning of the lesson and continued with feedback at the end of the lesson.Those strategies were very useful in attracting students' attention, boosting up their confidence and keeping them focus on the lesson if managed properly.


For the pth-order Korteweg-de Vries equation, ut + u p ux + uxxx = 0, we determine all travelling-wave solutions which may be expressed in terms of a single Jacobi cosinus amplitudinus (cn) function. This development includes the known cnoidal solutions for p = 1 and the soliton solutions for all p. For p = 2, we present a new class of cnoidal solutions with an arbitrary period. Moreover, we show that for odd p, there are solutions in terms of the secant function. 1. Simplifying the equation We begin with the pth-order Korteweg-de Vries equation,


This paper begins with an observation: that threat identification is an intrinsically speculative practice. It requires imagining possible futures. Drawing on methods from speculative design, this paper presents an improvisational role-playing game designed to help software developers identify security threats. It deploys this game with seven software developers, who used the game to successfully identify diverse threats in their software. The insights from this deployment motivate future work on both the game itself and on organizational accounts of security. I call on the design research community to continue to apply its methods and perspectives to computer security, locating threat identification itself, like all speculation, as a site of social and political power.


Nanosized 5.0 wt% Cr/nano-Al2O3 powders with the particle size of ca. 15 nm were synthesized via laser vaporization using irradiation by a cw CO2 laser in different gas atmospheres – Ar, Ar+O2, Ar+H2. All the investigated nanopowders were studied by XRF, XRD, TEM, UV-vis DRS and PL spectroscopy methods. The nanopowders were found to contain the Cr6+ ions located on the surface of Al2O3 nanoparticles and two types of Cr3+ sites. One type is Cr3+ ions located in the bulk (Cr3+ b-sites) of Al2O3 matrix in a strong crystal field. The second type is represented by Cr3+ sites residing near the surface (Cr3+ s-sites) of CrOx/Al2O3 nanoparticles in a weak crystal field. It was shown that varying the composition of the buffer gas (Ar, Ar+O2, Ar+H2) during laser vaporization makes it possible to control the properties of the obtained 5.0 wt% Cr/nano-Al2O3 nanopowders with a change in Cr6+/Cr3+ ratio in the bulk and on the surface of alumina support.


We consider a discrete model describing a locally regulated spatial population with mortality selection. This model was studied in parallel by Bolker and Pacala, [2] and Dieckmann, Law and Murrell [9], [4], [10]. We first generalize this model by adding spatial dependence. Then we give a path-wise description in terms of Poisson point measures. We show that different re-normalizations may lead to different macroscopic approximations of this model. The first approximation is deterministic and gives a rigorous sense to the number density. The second one is a superprocess already studied by Etheridge [6]. Finally, we study in specific cases the long time behavior of the system and of its deterministic approximation.


We attempt a critical reconsideration of "detailed balance" as a principle that can be used to restrict the proliferation of couplings in Horava-Lifshitz gravity. We re-examine the shortcomings that have been usually associated with it in the literature and we argue that easy remedies can be found for all of them within the framework of detailed balance, and that the most persistent of them are actually related to projectability. We show that, once projectability is abandoned, detailed balance reduces the number of independent couplings by roughly an order of magnitude and imposes only one restriction that constitutes a phenomenological concern: the size of the (bare) cosmological constant is unacceptably large. Remarkably, this restriction (which is present in the projectable version as well) has been so far under-appreciated in the literature. Optimists might prefer to interpret it as a potential blessing in disguise, as it allows one to entertain the idea of a miraculous cancelation between the bare cosmological constant and the (still poorly understood) vacuum energy contribution.


are measured after the event, thus ruling out the possibility of reverse causation. A disadvantage is that levels may not reflect the situation immediately before the event, which, from an etiological point of view, would be the ideal situation. However, this is difficult if not impossible to achieve in any study design. Although one might be inclined to expect differences in results between case-control studies and this cohort study simply because different populations were included or different assays used, the results were quite similar. Levels of factor X, factor XII, and factor XIII were not associated with risk of venous thrombosis. 1,5,8 Elevated factor XI was associated with a nearly 2-fold increased risk for the top quintile or percentile, which is quite close to the risk of factor VIII. 1,5,7 High levels of factor IX were associated with an increased risk of venous thrombosis in all studies, 1,5,6,9 but after adjustment for body mass index (BMI), the risk in LITE attenuated to the null. 1 No adjustments for BMI were performed in the case-control studies. 5,6,9 For some coagulation factors, the associated risk is stronger for deep vein thrombosis in the leg than for a pulmonary embolism. The opposite may be true for elevated factor XI in LITE, as the risk of pulmonary embolism combined with deep vein thrombosis appears to be larger than for deep vein thrombosis alone. However, the case classification in this study may not be reliable, preventing strong conclusions. If these overall results are confirmed by other studies, further study into possible mechanisms for the increased risk of elevated levels of factor XI is warranted, which include increased fibrin formation and decreased fibri-nolysis. 10 Furthermore, this study raises the question whether elevated factor XI is also a risk factor for a recurrent venous thrombotic event, and if so, whether treatment prevents recurrent events. Until these results become available, measurement in clinical practice is not yet indicated. 4. Bertina RM. The role of procoagulants and anticoagu-lants in the development of venous thromboembolism.ants associated with deep vein thrombosis. Factor XII clotting activity and antigen levels in patients with thromboembolic disease. variables and risk of idio-pathic venous thromboembolism in women aged 45-64 years: relationships to hormone replacement therapy. enhances fibrin generation and inhibits fibrinolysis in a co-agulation model initiated by surface-coated tissue factor. In this issue of Blood, Burns and colleagues analyzed samples from 18 patients with melanoma, treated …


Nutrition and feeding influence growth, reproduction, and health of fish. Fish is commonly use for meal in every place of all over word. Fish is source of high-protein, high in omega-3 fatty acids and fish oil is the source is vitamin D. Human are consume fist but fish is also consume some food. They are growing with the help of fish food when we are cradle on pond or lack. Flask food for aquarium fish were invented middle of the last century. The invention of flakes and other dried food made life in a fish tank a whole lot easier just few sprinkler and dinner is served its not much like the live water fleas or blood worm. These fish foods are make by different ingredient and help of different food processing equipment.


In this work, a novel technique for designing electronically steerable antennas by using a circular patch incorporated with a reconfigurable mushroom-like substrate has been proposed. The mushroom-like substrate is composed of a periodic structure of metallic rings and of a periodic structure of vias. The beam steering is obtained by controlling the connection of the vias to the ground. The gain, beam direction and return loss have been analyzed for different configurations using a full-wave method. These results show that the proposed antenna is able to steer a beam in two planes with a more than 10 dB gain. Experimental results have been presented to validate the proposed concept.


In this world of advanced technologies, the demand for high speed terabit level data transmission is increasing. Recent advances enable All-optical networks to carry terabit level data transmission. In each such network, any disruptions to the network may lead to huge amount of data loss. So it is mandatory to identify such network faults. Link failure localization is an important and challenging problem for All-optical networks. It is very difficult and challenging problem as compared to normal optical network. This difficulty arises due to the lack of optoelectronic regenerators. Numerous schemes have been proposed for the fast and efficient link failure localization in All-optical networks. We consider an optical layer based novel approach for link failure localization. The main aim of this work is to achieve unambiguous localization of link failures in the networks with minimized cost. This paper proposes an efficient method for link failure localization for improving the reliability of All-optical networks. A detailed comparative study of the monitoring schemes pertaining to m-cycle and m-trail was carried out. On the basis of this study the new approach is proposed by taking the m-trail scheme as the background idea. The whole network is considered as a graph and per-defined set of paths in the graph is considered as m-trails. The link failure localization is considered as a special case of Set Covering Problem. The link failure localization is successfully solved by applying Ant Colony Optimization algorithm on the modified set covering problem. Simulation runs showed that the new approach performs better than existing link failure localization methods. Keywords— All-optical networks, m-cycle, m-trails, Evolutionary Algorithms, Ant Colony Optimization, Set Covering


In recent years a growing number of studies have provided unexpected insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms of brain aging and the role of aging-induced changes in cerebrovascular function in the decline of higher cerebral function and neurodegeneration. The series of articles that follow in the present issue of Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences focus on novel aspects of the relationship between cerebrovascular health and age-related neurocognitive decline, review new developments in synaptic biology as they relate to brain aging, describe age-related and region-specific changes in hippocampal gene expression profile and introduce to aging research a novel invertebrate model of age-related cognitive decline providing further support for the evolutionarily conserved beneficial effects of IGF-1 on learning and memory (1–6). Articles published in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences focus on clinical aspects of the same topics (7–20). In the current issue Masser et al (3). provide the first comprehensive, region-specific analysis of age-related changes in hippocampal gene expression in behaviorally characterized rats. The data provide convincing evidence that gene expression with aging is distinct in each subregion of the hippocampus with the majority of transcriptomic changes observed in only one subregion. These important findings have significance for the design of future microarray studies and the interpretation of the existing data from the literature. Furthermore, the identification of novel age-regulated genes will certainly stimulate follow-up studies to elucidate their pathophysiological roles. The publicly available gene expression data will likely be an invaluable resource for researchers. In the same issue Dr. Deak provides a thought-provoking overview on novel developments from the field of molecular neuroscience suggesting that changes in neuronal mechanisms of intracellular trafficking and vesicle release processes play a role in age-related functional decline of the central nervous system (1). Recently the results from multiple research teams from basic neuroscience and human genetic studies of neurodegenerative fields converged to allow an interesting insight into the regulatory dysfunction of motor proteins and delivery of neurotrophic factors and synaptic receptors in cognitive impairment. This novel and fast developing area is expected to move to the main stream of brain aging research in the near future. Although the major invertebrate models currently used for research on the biology of aging (caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster) proved to be crucial in terms of elucidating gene regulatory networks mediating complex aging processes, they also have important shortcomings, limiting their usefulness for research into agerelated neurocognitive decline. In the current issue Pirger et al. introduces a novel invertebrate model, the pond snail (lymnaea stagnalis (4)), a model organism widely used for the study of learning and memory, to brain aging research. Importantly, l. stagnalis exhibits age-related impairment of associative memory, which can be reversed by treatment with IGF-1 (4). Previous studies have provided ample evidence that IGF-1 exerts significant neuroprotective effects in mammalian aging (21–23). Furthermore, IGF-1 deficiency has been implicated in the pathogenesis of a number of age-related diseases as well as the regulation of longevity in mammals (21,23–36). Thus, the findings obtained in l. stagnalis showing anti-aging and neuroprotective effects of IGF-1 have direct relevance for mammalian aging, providing further validation of the model. Additional studies are warranted using this novel model to dissect the molecular mechanisms responsible for the age-related learning deficit and identify novel pathways that can be exploited for pharmacological treatment to improve memory in aging. An interesting aspect of the study by Pirger et al (4). is the demonstration of the role of changes in pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) in the aging phenotype. In that regard it is significant that deficient autocrine PACAP signaling has been recently demonstrated also in mammalian cells as well (37). © The author 2014. Published by oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of america. all rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com.


The American Dream has been a central theme of American literature since the early nineteenth century. The American Dream has subsequently become a tool for depicting the uniqueness of America. F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby (1925) and Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man (1952) are two classic American novels, depicting the American Dream in different social and racial contexts. This essay examines the representation of the American Dream in these novels, focussing in particular on Fitzgerald's characterisation and criticism of the consumerism of the 1920s, and on the themes of invisibility and racism in Invisible Man. The essay also considers the relationship between the protagonists of both novels and the liberal, capitalist American ideology, concluding that both protagonists suffer from a naive and fatal belief in the American Dream. (Less)


Carotid Intima-Media Thickness (CIMT): A Reproducibility Study

Mindy Columbus, Brian Wagner, Emma Barinas-Mitchell

Implementation of newer ultrasound technology for measuring subclinical atherosclerosis may increase the validity of measurement of carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) cross-sectionally, but may prove to be a challenge for obtaining valid and reproducible progression data in existing follow-up studies. In the Department of Epidemiology Ultrasound Research Lab (URL), participants of the ERA JUMP study are returning for a five year follow-up visit for CIMT measurements to determine progression rates of subclinical atherosclerosis. A Toshiba 140A scanner was used for the baseline measurements and the maintenance service will end soon. There is a newer scanner available for use in the laboratory, and the question is whether the follow-up images that will be taken on this scanner, a Siemens Sonoline® Antares scanner, will provide comparable results to the baseline measurements in order to predict valid progression and not introduce error due to differences in machines. A reproducibility study was conducted to determine whether a Siemens Sonoline® Antares Doppler ultrasound scanner could be used in place of a Toshiba 140A Doppler ultrasound scanner to conduct follow-up visit measurements in the ERA JUMP study. A five year progression rate of ~0.04 mm (0.043) was estimated based on the literature. An average difference of 0.03 mm in CIMT between machines was determined a priori as an acceptable difference as we wanted to detect a difference between machines that was less than the estimated progression rate in order to assess reliability. The study recruited and evaluated 20 volunteers (85% women, age range: 24-77 years) who were scanned on each machine during the same visit by the same technician for between machine reliability. The mean CIMT values for this study population ranged from 0.488 to 1.039 mm. Reproducibility was evaluated on mean CIMT with Spearman and intraclass correlations and by the absolute value of the difference between replicate values. The mean difference in mean CIMT between the machines was -0.045 and the mean absolute difference was 0.052 mm. The mean difference in CIMT values between machines ranged from 0.077 to -0.256 mm, with 95% (19/20) of the differences being negative. This demonstrates systematic bias as the images read on the Toshiba machine were thicker (higher) than the Antares machine. This is likely due to the fact that the Antares scanner produces a crisper and clearer image than the Toshiba scanner demonstrating the advancement of digital technology with the newer scanner. Although the correlation for the mean CIMT between machines was high and agreed well, according to the Spearman correlation (r=0.93, p<.0001) and the intraclass correlation (ICC = (.02534/.0282651) = 0.896), there was still a greater difference between machines than the progression rate. Since the five year mean CIMT progression rate was projected to be ~0.04 mm and the mean absolute difference was 0.052 mm, a difference in progression may be difficult to detect, and in fact, it may appear that the participant's mean CIMT has improved. Based on these results, we conclude, that in this case, the implementation of newer ultrasound technology may adversely affect the validity of progression data for follow-up studies that utilized the older technology for baseline measurements of CIMT.


One aspect of tissue engineering of skeletal muscle involves the transposition and transplantation of whole muscles to treat muscles damaged by injury or disease. The transposition of whole muscles has been used for many decades, but since 1970, the development of techniques for microneurovascular repair has allowed the transplantation of muscles invariably result in structural and functional deficits. The deficits are of the greatest magnitude during the first month, and then a gradual recovery results in the stabilization of structural and functional variables between 90 and 120 days. In stabilized vascularized grafts ranging from 1 to 3 g in rats to 90 g in dogs, the major deficits are ∼25% decrease in muscle mass and in most grafts ∼40% decrease in maximum force. The decrease in power is more complex because it depends on both the average shortening force and the velocity of shortening. As a consequence, the deficit in maximum power may be either greater or less than the deficit in maximum force. Tenotomy and repair are the major factors responsible for the deficits.


This study was to facilitate the effective use of Yr2 gene and Yr2 gene cloning based on tight linkage. Using near isogenic line Taichung 29 * 6/Heines Ⅶ and Susceptible parent Taichung 29, we established F2 segregation population and identified its stripe rust resistance in seeding stage. Genetic analysis suggested that the stripe rust resistance Taichung 29 * 6/Heines Ⅶ was controlled by a single gene. By SSR analysis with 45 pairs of primers located on 7B chromesome in 171 individuals of F2 segregation population and their resistant and susceptible parents, we screened a molecular marker WMC364-207bp/201bp that linked to the stripe rust resistance gene Yr2. Genetic distance among marker WMC364-207bp/201bp and resistance gene Yr2 was calculated as 5. 6 cM.


At present in Shanxi province, crime of underground society organization is going up and its harm is becoming more serious. The crime has presented evolution quickly from gang crime to crime of underground society organization, vastness within the criminal zone and clear type of criminal organization. It puts forward that in the future the crime will vary in criminal number, criminal type, degree of criminal organization and criminal zone.


It is customary to regard the planning function as being distributed over three levels of government—national, local and regional. This analysis radically differs from existing administrative machinery in most modern states: nevertheless it has been widely recognized that comprehensive, nation-wide planning cannot be carried out solely through the normal processes of national and local government. There is a need for a new level of power and responsibility: a level of government intermediate in function between central government and the municipality both geographically and administratively. To quote E. A. Gutkind: "Planning implies a systematic procedure starting from the top and the bottom at the same time. It includes large-scale plans as well as local plans, or in other words, its general framework consists of a national plan while local plans constitute, as it were, the cellular components which are bound together through the medium of regional schemes. Consequently planning proceeds on the different levels of national, regional and local activities forming one coherent whole …." Although this idea is probably true of planning, however its field is defined, it is worth remembering that the word is loose in meaning, and that under it several very different activities have been lumped together. In its commonest usage, planning means city planning: the reconstruction of cities to render them more efficient and more liveable. Though such planning usually requires permissive national legislation for its prosecution, it is emphatically a local activity, carried out normally in the smallest governmental units. Primarily, it is a matter for the architect and the engineer. But equally vital (perhaps more vital) to the community is the planning work of the conservationist, who is concerned to stop the wastage of physical resources and amenities. In the United States, the conservation movement has gathered impetus in this century until there are now many governmental agencies wholly concerned with work of this character. The work chiefly rests with either state or federal agencies: it involves too great an expenditure and too wide a viewpoint to be carried out locally. Lastly there is the group of purely national activities we can label economic and social planning, which may cover anything from public investment policies to such matters as the relocation of industry, the colonization of hitherto undeveloped country, or the systematic restriction of some field of production.


One of the most significant feature in Advanced Driving Assistance System (ADAS) is lane detection with lane departure warning scheme. Lane departure warning is one of the ADAS system's key safety feature. The function proposed is assessed in detail using camerabased real-world lane information and used for quicker decision-making. In this we use the detection algorithm for Hough Transform and Canny Edge. Building this scheme to enhance vehicle safety and road safety. Lane discovery frameworks are valuable in staying away from these mishaps as security is the fundamental reason for these frameworks. Such frameworks have the objective to recognize the lane marks and to caution the driver on the off chance that the vehicle tends to withdraw from the lane. A lane recognition framework is a significant component of numerous insightful transport frameworks. The fundamental goal of this paper is to find the constraints of the existing path identification strategies. This strategy distinguishes the edges of street and divider utilizing canny edge detection algorithm calculation while the edges are refined utilizing Hough transform technique. The separation of vehicle from the center divider is determined by Euclidean separation.


Modeling of pollutant emission dispersion into the air at JSC "Ukrgrafit" is carried out. Concentrations of naphthalene, phenol and carbon monoxide in the air taking into account the background exceed the sanitary norms. The method of catalytic neutralization of gas emissions at JSC "Ukrgrafit", on intermetallic catalysts is developed and recommended.


Objective:To investigate the knowledge of hand-cleaning in student nurses,and cultivate their awareness of washing hands,improve their submitting of hand-cleaning and standardize their washing procedure,so as to reduce the hospital-acquired infection via hands.Methods:A self-designed questionnaire on hand-cleaning-related knowledge and the ways to obtain was used to survey student nurses who entered their clinical practice newly in our hospital.Results:In the 62 questionnaires,some of them had poor-mastering of the indications of hand-cleaning,and had vague concepts of the time,position and frequency of hand-cleaning.The most frequently forgotten part was finger tips(54.8%),the second was wrist(33.9%).Lots of student nurses(16.1%) mistakenly thought that washing hands can be substitute by wearing gloves.Conclusion:The student nurses have relatively poor knowledge on hand-cleaning;more should be done for the hand-cleaning education,to improve the knowledge about hand-cleaning and hospital-acquired infection,develop the cor rect habit for hand-cleaning,and improve the control of hospital-acquired infection effectively.


Surface heat transfer distributions are presented for swept wing semispan models having trailing edge elevon ramp angles of 0, 10, 20, and 30 degrees. The wing sweepback angles are 0, 50, and 70 degrees. The models have attachable cylindrical and flat plate center bodies and various attachable wing-tip fins. The data, obtained for a 0 degree angle of attack, a free stream Mach number of 6, and a wing root chord Reynolds number of about 17,000,000, reveal considerably larger regions of elevon induced thermal loads on adjacent surfaces than would be suggested by fully attached flow analyses.


People employed in the design section of three companies participated in a questionnaire and interview study to investigate the health effects of computer work. Of the members of the study group, 63% used Computer-Aided Design (CAD) systems and the remaining 37% were non-CAD users. Complaints of the hands/wrists, upper back, and skin were significantly greater among those who spent a relatively higher number of hours on CAD work. CAD users who had greater difficulties in handling their CAD system reported relatively more skin rashes and complaints of the elbows and upper back.


In order to solve problem that hardness,dryness lineal shrinkage and heat content of coal gangue is higher, and plasticity index is lower in producing coal gangue ceramic veneer,researchers use microwave radiation technique in breaking and drying coal gangue ceramic veneer adobe. Experiment has proved that this way on the one hand solves technique difficulty in producing ceramic veneer with coal gangue, on the other hand offers new method in exploiting new raw material and increase content of science and technology of producing ceramic veneer.


This paper compares two control charts: Tukey (TCC) and individual/moving range (XmR) control charts. Both are designed to examine single observation per time period, but little is known about which one is more efficient and under what conditions. We simulated data from different distributions and examined the performance of the two control charts on these data. Performance was assessed using the of average run length, extra quadratic loss, median run length, standard deviation run length, performance comparison index, and relative average run length. Overall, TCC was more efficient than XmR, when observations had binomial, Rayleigh, logistic, lognormal, Maxwell, normal, Poisson, Weibull (with α = 10, β = 1), and Student's t (30 and 10 degrees of freedom) distributions. XmR was more efficient when observations had Student's t (with 4 degrees of freedom) and gamma (with α = 4, β = 1) distributions. These results suggest that improvement teams could reach faster conclusions if they use TCC in most common situations. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Substituent effects on the oxidizing ability of tetraarylbismuthonium tetrafluoroborates in alcohol oxidation are reported. Intermolecular and intramolecular competition experiments on geraniol oxi...


&NA; This research study investigated differences in prescriptive practice for pain management in case studies of addicted and nonaddicted populations. A case study was devised describing a severely burned patient. Half of the case studies included a statement of the patient's known heroin addiction. The case studies were randomized by addicted versus nonaddicted patient and sent to members of a South Texas County Medical Association along with a list of analgesic medications. Participants were asked to rank‐order preferred analgesics in the list and then to write in the dose recommended for the patient in the case study. Physicians receiving the case study with the addicted patient prescribed non‐opiate analgesics more often than did physicians receiving the case study with the nonaddicted patient. There was no significant difference in the doses of medications prescribed.


The paper examines the ethics of tax evasion, which the literature explains using three views by Crowe. It presents the results of a survey conducted among business students in Slovenia. The study investigates the business students' view of the ethics of tax evasion and whether the attitude toward these ethics varies according to gender. The study reveals that business students in Slovenia represent the view that tax evasion is ethical under certain conditions and in certain circumstances; differences in gender related to the ethics of tax evasion were identified as well.


The study concerns the attitudes towards Mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) of the participants in a university. Using the mixed-method research design with survey questionnaire as the main data collection tool, the research gained some significant findings and successfully met the aims of the study. The findings from both qualitative and quantitative data reveal that the participants basically held positive attitudes towards the use of MALL inside classroom and towards MALL in general. It is suggested that MALL be adopted as a new approach in English language teaching and learning. Moreover, some measures should be taken to develop the digital literacy of both instructors and learners.


Among the selective courses for college English students,Movie English is one of the most popular,bringing a fresh perspective to college English teaching.This paper points out that pertinent course design,interesting classroom teaching and prompt teaching evaluation are important factors that can bring the advantages of video materials into full play.Teaching practice proves that it is a very effective teaching model to aim at cultivating students' oral communicative ability with the help of e-portfolio,and to enhance culture input and improve other practical abilities.


The reproductive biology of Ethmidium maculatum "machete" from the La Libertad region of May 2018 was studied. The sample consisted of 471 specimens obtained from artisanal fisheries in the ports of Pacasmayo, Puerto Morin and Salaverry. The gonadosomatic index, reproductive activity, spawning frequency, as well as fecundity were determined and a gonadal maturity scale was elaborated. Through the infiltration method, sex cells are seen microscopically in males and females. The highest spawning peaks are shown in the months of March and April (autumn) in both sexes. Reproductive activity and frequency of desire are presented with higher values in the summer and autumn seasons. For fecundity, the parameter that was best adjusted was the body weight of the fish with r = 0.57. Different types of sex cells were observed along the gonadota, in females five types of cells were determined: immature, pre-vitelogenated, vitelogenated, mature and hydrated while in males three spermatographic types, spermatocytes and sperm. The gonadal maturity scale was determined macroscopically and microscopically validated, five phases were established for both sexes, the recovery phase (V) for females and virgin (0) for males and the absent ones. Concluding that the "machete" is a partial spawner, presenting a mayor spawning in autumn.


When I became a medical doctor in the early 1980s, we established diagnoses in children with neurological disorders by obtaining a history, conducting physical and neurological examinations, performing tests of blood or cerebrospinal fluid, conducting electrophysiological studies, such as electroencephalograms and/or nerve conduction studies, and performing brain computed tomography. In many children, it was extremely challenging to make an accurate diagnosis. Sensing the need for specialized training in child neurology, in the late 1980s I began such training at the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry in Tokyo, Japan, where I learned about systematic neurological examinations for the first time. In the same period, magnetic resonance imaging became available, facilitating image-informed diagnoses for central nervous system disorders. After the 1990s, genetic diagnoses became possible for some neurological disorders. From 2010, next-generation sequencing developed and became widely used in daily medical practice. Consequently, genetic diagnoses improved remarkably. Over time, many novel treatment methods for children with neurological disorders have been developed. For example, many patients with epilepsy can now be treated effectively with new antiepileptic drugs. Consequently, brain surgery has led to markedly improved outcomes in some children with drug-resistant epilepsy. Many drugs that interact with neurotransmitter functions have been used for neuropsychiatric disorders, especially in controlling hyperactivity. For many neuronal, degenerative, or metabolic disorders, biological molecular causes and mechanisms have been elucidated, and new treatment methods have been developed. Enzyme replacement therapy has been used for the treatment of several congenital metabolic disorders. mTOR inhibitors are quite effective, especially in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex or certain other cortical malformations. Gene-affecting treatment via oligonucleotide therapeutics has been developed for spinal muscular atrophy and proven to be effective in many patients. Oligonucleotide therapeutics have also been used for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and their clinical use has been implemented. In Japan, gene therapy has been employed successfully in patients with aromatic l-amino acid decarboxylase deficiency. A revolution in treatments for children with neurological disorders has commenced and at this pivotal moment, the 62nd Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Child Neurology will be hosted in Niigata, Japan on 28th to 30th May 2020. The theme of this meeting is 'Integrating science, we can find a cure'. Four distinguished international speakers have been invited to discuss various related topics within the field of child neurology: Dr Marjo van der Knaap (the Netherlands), white matter disorders; Dr William Dobyns (USA), malformations of cortical development; Dr Kathryn Swoboda (USA), spinal muscular atrophy; and Dr Hendrik Rosewich (Germany), movement disorders including ATP1A3-related disorders. In addition, many educational lectures, symposia, and other oral and poster presentations will be presented by child neurologists, adult neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuroradiologists, and basic scientists. We will welcome doctors and researchers from many countries worldwide.


Product Overview Mouse Monoclonal Antibody to Human CD28 molecule, APC-Conjugated Antigen Description CD28 is a T-cell surface homodimeric 44kDa molecule that belongs to the Ig superfamily. CD28 is involved in cell adhesion T-B through the binding to its ligand B7/BB1, which is also the ligand for CTLA-4. CD28-B7 interaction is an important cosignal that allow T-cell proliferation and lymphokine production. CD28 is associated to a PI3 kinase activity. The majority of CD4+ T-cells and 50% of CD8+ T-cells express CD28. The CD28.2 monoclonal antibody induces T-cell proliferation in costimulation with CD2 monoclonal antibodies. It also inhibits the CD4+ proliferation in the allogeneic T-cell response. This antibody has been studied at the Vth International Workshop on Human Leucocyte Differentiation Antigens in Boston. Target CD28 Host Mouse Species Human Clone CD28.2 Conjugation APC Applications FlowCyt


Comparing the level and outcome of collusion and unilateral effects analyses over the 1993-2010 time period shows how facts, not theory, appear to affect FTC evaluations. Malcolm B. Coate (Federal Trade Commission)


The transitory celebrities who compete in Big Brother occupy the arena of their competition agog and open mouthed, for while Big Brother is, apparently, about the contestants, the real star of the reality show is the House in which it takes place. The Big Brother House is a place of mirrors concealing hidden eyes, disembodied voices and multiple voyeurs. Rather than granted refuge in this house, its occupants are exposed in a crazy cottage where Orwell meets vaudeville; and prison cells or luxuriant dens appear overnight installed by mischievous pixies. The BB House is the antithesis of Bachelard's vertically ordered Oneiric Axis of nightmarish cellar, formal, domestic 'middle kingdom', and the dream space of the attic. The Big Brother house is horizontally layered but fabricated, (to build and to lie). The Big Brother House is a model in extremis of what contemporary domestic interior has become. Like a Foucaulvian heterotopia it is an hermetic, apparently complete model of occupancy. Indeed there is no exterior to this house, which is both closed-off and opened-up through live digital streaming, RSS feeds, and text updates. As such the BB House reveals surrealist tendencies: the mirrors are evocative of Magritte; the windows are for the voyeur not external vista; the BB occupants and the TV viewers are passive idle loafers. In this respect, the Big Brother House reflects the spectacular model homes that have adorned expos from the Great to the Ideal Home exhibitions, from Peter and Alison Smithson's House of the Future (1956) to Archigram's 1990 Automated House (1967). Like these other models, the BB House is not a 'real' home, but is as abstracted as a white card maquette But the Big Brother House possesses something that these other simulations lack: occupants who are at the same time real and imagined: The Big Brother House is not a fantasy, but an experiment, as empirically valid as any the most Orwellian of rational modernists could desire. Because the design of the house (and the show itself) is iterative and repeated, learning with each iteration from the experiences of the last, it is a continuing experiment in the negotiation between occupancy and constructed space of the most radical kind. This paper explores the emergence and the development of the many Big Brother Houses of the last decade, and the ways in which they have been occupied, in order to discuss issues that affect more general perceptions of the contemporary interior.


Part 1 The potential of ethical reasoning: what is right? maps for ethical reasoning principles for ethical reasoning using ethical reasoning to resolve dilemmas. Part 2 The impact of moral ethos: the dimesions of a moral ethos the varieties of moral ethos illustrations of moral ethos moral ethos versus individual conscience - three cases moral assertiveness. Part 3 Towards a curriculum for management ethics education: a curriculum for management ethics education adopting the full management ethics curriculum the institutional challenge learning strategies for moral development. Appendix: the research base.


From the practice of the application of the "No 1 Military" project in our hospital and in other hospitals, a key point was brought forth. The application and popularization of standardizing the basic da- ta in the project is of great significance, and the feasibility of the standardization of the basic data was also studied.


The aim of the research: Improvement of the traditional complex treatment of voice-speaking professions during the COVID-2019 pandemic with functional dysphonia on the background of subclinical psycho-emotional disorders by appointment neurotransmitter drugs.
Materials and methods: The study involved 49 people of voice-speech professions with functional disorders of the voice function of the hypotonic type, who were diagnosed with subclinical disorders of the psychoemotional state by questioning on the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS). Before and after treatment, voice disorders were diagnosed using perceptual evaluation of the GRBAS voice scale and video stroboscopy of the larynx. The impact of voice disorders on quality of life during the pandemic was assessed using the Voice COVID-19 (VC-19) questionnaire.
All patients received standardized treatment, which consisted of the use of metabolic, stimulant drugs, physiotherapy and instillation of drugs into the larynx. In 26 patients of the main group (MG), in addition to treatment, a neurotransmitterotropic drug ("Beresh Magnesium plus B6") was prescribed. The comparison group (CG) consisted of 23 people who received traditional therapy. Descriptive statistics were used for statistical analysis of the effectiveness of treatment, comparison of the difference in quantitative indicators by the method of nonparametric statistics using the Mann-Whitney-U-test.
Results: The use of the neurotransmitter correction agent "Beresh Magnesium plus B6" by the patients with MG contributed to the suppression of their susceptibility to anxiety, stress and, as a result of these processes, made it possible to obtain, in comparison with the control group, a significant improvement in such indicators of acoustic parameters as voice strength by 5.78%, integral stroboscopy index - 13.34% and improvement of the quality of life by 34.03%, which indicates the effectiveness of the use of magnesium compounds with vitamin B6 in the complex treatment of patients with hypotonic dysphonia against the background of subclinical psychoemotional disorders.
Conclusions: Addit ional appointment of magnesium citrate and magnesium oxide compounds with vitamin B6, which has a modulating effect on neurotransmitters that affect depression and anxiety, to basic therapy for patients of main group, made it possible to obtain a significant improvement in the main perceptual and functional indicators of the voice and quality of life.


This paper considers a new transmission method (quasisynchronous transfer mode, Q-STM), as a means to eliminate both the cell loss and the network delay fluctuation in an ATM network. the concept of time-switch in circuit switching is introduced into the ATM switching framework. A switching structure and the call establishment procedure are proposed. In the proposed method, the time-switch is introduced, which eliminates in principle the output port contention in the ATM switching fabric. By preparing a buffer with a certain capacity, cell loss due to buffer overflow in the output port of the ATM switch can be completely eliminated.


The results of the 1999 environmental surveillance and monitoring program for the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) are presented and discussed. The purpose of this report is to provide the U.S. Department of Energy and the public with information on the level of radioactive and non-radioactive pollutants (if any) that are added to the environment as a result of PPPL's operations. The report also summarizes environmental initiatives, assessments, and programs that were undertaken in 1999. The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory has engaged in fusion energy research since 1951. The long-range goal of the U.S. Magnetic Fusion Energy Research Program is to create innovations to make fusion power a practical reality--an alternative energy source. 1999 marked the first year of National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) operations and Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) dismantlement and deconstruction activities. A collaboration among fourteen national laboratories, universities, and research institutions, the NSTX is a major element in the U.S. Fusion Energy Sciences Program. It has been designed to test the physics principles of spherical torus (ST) plasmas. The ST concept could play an important role in the development of smaller, more economical fusion reactors. With its completion within budget and ahead of its target schedule, NSTX first plasma occurred on February 12, 1999. The 1999 performance of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory was rated ''outstanding'' by the U.S. Department of Energy in the Laboratory Appraisal report issued early in 2000. The report cited the Laboratory's consistently excellent scientific and technological achievements, its successful management practices, and included high marks in a host of other areas including environmental management, employee health and safety, human resources administration, science education, and communications. Groundwater investigations continued under a voluntary agreement with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. PPPL monitored for the presence of non-radiological contaminants, mainly volatile organic compounds (components of degreasing solvents). Monitoring revealed the presence of low levels of volatile organic compounds in an area adjacent to PPPL. Also, PPPL's radiological monitoring program characterized the ambient, background levels of tritium in the environment and from the TFTR stack; the data are presented in this report.


The discussion of critical thinking skills concerns several multidimensional things, some of them are individual's decision making and problem solving skills. Critical thinking skills related to an individual's ability to understand some words or sentences. Students who had a high interpretation skill were likely to have a high critical thinking skill as well. Since some studies had proven that students with language background had a high critical thinking skill, this study was aimed to find whether students with Sundanese language background also had high critical thinking skills. Using quantitative approach, this study investigated the level of critical thinking skills of Sundanese Language Education students in a public University, in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. The sample in this study was 38 students. This measurement of critical thinking skills uses a test instrument of adolescent critical thinking skills developed by researchers and has moderate reliability. This study used polytomous data, which score range of 0-3 on each item's answer. Based on the results of Scalogram, analyzed using RASCH model, the critical thinking skills of Sundanese Language Education students were in a high category. The validity of this result was shown by the consistency of students in answering questions portrayed in the result of that Scalogram. This finding is allign with several studies that explained that individuals who exceled in language ability and had a high understanding ability, would also have a high critical thinking skill. Some pedagogical implications were also provided in this study.


Envenomation caused by snakes of the Bothrops genus produces a lesion in the bite site and can result in extensive necrosis. The dead tissue can be secondarily infected by bacteria that come from the snake, and the bacteria can be inoculated at the moment of the bite. The bacteria that most commonly cause infection are the enterobacteria, mainly Morganella morganii, Proteus rettgeri, Enterobacter sp., and Escherichia coli. Group D streptococci including here Enterococcus sp. and the Bacteroides sp. are also involved. Based on a study of the sensibility of these bacteria, it has been suggested that this infection must be treated with chloramphenicol, as a sole antimicrobial agent, or with the combinations of benzylpenicillin or ampicillin with aminoglycoside or trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. Although Governmental Health Services do not recommend the prophylactic use of antimicrobial drugs, it is not yet clear that such a procedure would not be useful in cases with a high probability of infection.


Generating high-resolution images or videos have become an essential need for digital image processing and analysis especially in the forensic field. Compressed and at low resolution video frames of common security surveillance videos are found to be very low in clarity and degraded with many noises, distortions, blurs, bad illumination and video compression artifact. This could interfere during image interpretation and analysis process. Using super resolution methods, high resolution image is obtained from a set of low resolution images, after it had undergone two main processes; image registration process based on Keren algorithm and image reconstruction process based on Projection onto Convex Set (POCS) on frequency domain. The validation process of output is done by calculating the Mean Square Error (MSE) and Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR) value to show the comparison of image quality. The proposed combination methods were evaluated against other typical resampling methods and sparse representation method. The experimental results had shown that the sparse representation method has the highest PSNR mean value but our proposed combinatorial method is comparable to it as the difference of the mean is too small.


This study demonstrated that juvenile (glass) eels utilised a specific substrate (eel tiles) to circumvent a model Crump weir under an experimental setting. Upstream passage efficiency was 0% and 67% for the unmodified (no studded eel tiles on the downstream face; control) and modified (with studded eel tiles on the downstream face; treatment) setups, respectively, and greater for a small (59%) compared to large (41%) stud configuration. Eels were active and motivated to ascend the weir during both control and treatment setups. Approach and attempt rates were elevated during the first few minutes of the treatment compared to control trials. Eels were edge oriented under both setups, and ascended the weir through the tiles during single burst swimming events (reaching estimated speeds of 68.5 cm s-1). Eel tiles may provide a cost effective solution for mitigating impacts of anthropogenic barriers to juvenile eel migration. Further research is required to determine passage efficiencies under higher flows, for a greater size range of eel, and for other migratory anguilliform fish (e.g. lamprey, Lampretra spp. and Petromyzon marinus L.). The performance of eel tiles should be validated through robust field studies.


Objective: This study aims to added strontium to hydroxyapatite (HA) through physical means and prepare porous composite ceramic materials with good mechanical properties to further improve the osteogenesis-inducing effect of bone repairing materials. Methods: The composite
 powders of strontium oxide/hydroxyapatite (SrO/HA) was obtained by mechanical milling. Then, porous SrO/HA composite ceramics were prepared by spark plasma sintering. The composition, structure and morphology of these porous composite ceramic materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction
 and scanning electron microscope, and the porosity and mechanical properties were tested. Results: Porous composite ceramic materials with clear composition were prepared, and obvious porous structures were observed. Conclusion: After ball milling, a replacement reaction occurred
 in the prepared porous SrO/HA composite powder with different SrO contents, part of Ca2+ in HA (Ca10[PO4]6[OH]2was replaced by Sr2+, and merely a small amount of powder underwent decomposition during sintering at 1,100 °C.
 Under an electron microscope, the pore characteristics of the composite ceramic materials were obvious, the distribution was uniform, and the connectivity was good. The compressive strengths of these materials ranged within 2–8 MPa. This shows that the strontium element can also be doped
 by physical means, and that the obtained porous SrO/HA composite ceramic material has good pore characteristics and good application potential in bone repair.


This project aims to explore representation of narratology based on some recent postmodern theories backed up by the ideas of some postmodern discourses including Roland Barthes, Jean-Francois Lyotard, Julia Kristeva and William James with an especial focus on Akbar Radi-the Persian Playwright- drama Khanomche and Mahtabi . The article begins by providing a terminological view of narrative in general and postmodern narrative in specific. As postmodern narrative elements are too general and the researcher could not cover them all, she has gone through the most eminent elements: intertextuality, stream of consciousness style, fragmentation and representation respectively which are delicately utilized in Khanomche and Mahtabi. The review then critically applies the theories on the mentioned drama. The article concludes by recommending a few directions for the further research.


At present,some scholars observe that the Marxist labor theory of value has been confronted with new challenge and has incurred censure.The thesis,accordingly,attempts to explicate the viewpoint fi'om the theory and practice that the Marxist labor theory of value signifies no one - sidedness,neither does it mean fallacy.Instead,it is doubtlessly universal in its truth.


Currently, there are several studies focused on determining the impact of contaminants in soil to physical, biological and chemical level and the evaluation of the procedures developed to restore these soils. However, soil also serves as a support for human habitation and studies related to the variation of mechanical properties are scarce. Therefore, in this work the author analyzes the bearing capacity of clayey soil contaminated with diesel fuel. Consolidated drained triaxial tests were conducted in contaminated specimens in laboratory with 10, 20 and 30% diesel and characteristic curves for each case were determined. Variations of the mechanical parameters for each increment of pollutant that are reflected in the value of the bearing capacity as well as the variation in the value of the suction are shown.


Microstrip Patch Antenna (MPA) has several advantages over conventional microwave antenna and therefore are widely used in many practical applications. Microstrip Patch Antenna is generally used in modern communication devices. Study of past few year shows that, most of work on MPA is focused on designing compact sized Microstrip Antenna. As per Microstrip Patch Antenna offer low profile, low cost and low volume. But inherently MPA have narrow Bandwidth so to enhance bandwidth various techniques are engaged. This review paper shows some certain critical issues like enhanced bandwidth and gain through different techniques. I will be enhance results using different techniques like using slots in patch ,by changing height, dielectric constant and feed point.


A one-pot asymmetric sequential amination-alkylation method has been developed for the synthesis of alkyl-alkyl′ α-chiral primary amines (aliphatic primary amines with a chiral center adjacent to the nitrogen atom) from aldehydes. In situ aldimine formation from non-branched, α-branched, and β-branched aliphatic aldehydes with (R)- or (S)-α-(methylbenzyl)amine [catalyzed by 5 mol-% Ti(OiPr)4] followed by reaction with a methyl, ethyl, or n-butyl cuprate complex in the presence of boron trifluoride or an allyl Grignard reagent provides good yield (77–88 %) and diastereomeric excess (77–92 %) for amines 2 or 5. To further demonstrate the usefulness of this method, several of the secondary amine products (2d, 2e, and 5) were hydrogenolyzed, providing the corresponding enantioenriched alkyl-alkyl′ α-chiral primary amines 3d, 3e, and 6 (86–96 % yield).(© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2007)


A series of microbiological tests have been made in order to test the toxicity degree of cationic detergents on some bacterial strains which are present in the biocoenosis in a water treatment plant. In this study we tried the selection of the best of the fungal and bacterial strains tested, which have the ability to resist this kind of contamination and can help the biological sludge in a water treatment plant through the stabilization of biocenosis against the attack of the contaminators. Tests were made on three cationic detergents: chloride alkyl (C12-C16), dimethyl-benzyl ammonium chloride and ammonium didecildimetil, in the presence of the following bacterial and fungal strains: Micrococcus luteus ATCC 9341, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 15442, Bacilus subtilis NCTC 6633, Aspergillus niger ATCC 16404 and Candida albicans ATCC 10231. Bacterial suspension which had to be tested, was added to a sample of solutions of detergents with different concentrations, and then the initial concentrations and the concentrations during the contact with the contaminators were analyzed.


A class of serial turbo codes admitting low-density parity-check (LDPC) representation is considered. Their parity matrix has a random and a structured part. Thanks to their turbo structure, these codes are linear-time encodable, while they can be decoded as LDPC codes. Previous works enlightened the role of the inner encoder in the error floor region and suggested the use of a non-binary iterative decoding algorithm. In this paper, a density-evolution analysis is developed giving insight into the performance of these codes in the waterfall region. The inner encoder is optimized in order to guarantee the best tradeoff between error floor and threshold.


Cite this article: Stephen Morey, Jürgen Schöpf (2012). Tone in speech and singing: a field experiment to research their relation in endangered languages of North East India. In Niclas Burenhult, Arthur Holmer, Anastasia Karlsson, Håkan Lundström & Jan-Olof Svantesson (eds) Language Documentation and Description, vol 10: Special Issue on Humanities of the lesser-known: New directions in the description, documentation and typology of endangered languages and musics. London: SOAS. pp. 37-60


In this thesis, you will find the results of research trying to unravel part of the communication between the endocrine, immune and parasympathetic nervous system. Studying rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as one example of these diseases, we detected triglycerides, free fatty acids (FFAs), norepinephrine, and pancreatic polypeptides as factors of the endocrine system to be potentially new biomarkers to further help identify the individuals at risk of developing this disease, while FFAs are potentially involved in the pathogenesis of RA. As a factor of importance reflecting the parasympathetic system, we found a higher resting heart rate in individuals at risk for developing RA and patients with established RA. We suggest that restoration of autonomic nervous system dysfunction by vagus nerve stimulation could be a potential treatment for patients who have established RA and possibly as a potential preventive treatment in people at risk of developing RA. Based on our findings we also suggest to explore the role of VNS as a potentially safe treatment to restore glucose tolerance, important in type 2 diabetes mellitus. For decades, a role for prolactin (PRL) in RA has been suggested. We detected higher expression of the receptor for prolactin (PRLR) on macrophages in RA and also found increased production of PRL upon stimulation by macrophages. With current knowledge, it might be of interest to evaluate the presence of PRL-PRLR interaction in other inflammatory diseases. Blocking the PRLR using the PRLR antagonists could be an interesting approach to explore in RA.


Hourly soil temperature data at 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5 and 1.0 m soil depths for Brookings, South Dakota, in 2003 were obtained from AG DATA of South Dakota Climate and Weather for analysis of unique trends and variations in time and season. A graphical approach based on temperature at 0.05 m depth was used to select four periods of distinct patterns (positive/negative /flat sloping trends). A 120 x 365 matrix was created from the data (120 = 24 hrs a day multiplied by 5 soil depths; 365 days in a year). Basic statistical analysis was carried out using STATISTICA (Statsoft Version 6). Summer (21.6 ± 2.2 °C) and winter (-2.5 ± 2.4 °C) had the least variations in temperature at 0.05 m depth, while greatest variations were observed in spring (9.3 ± 6.4 °C); similar trends were observed at the other depths. A lag of about 40 days was observed between 0.05 m & 1.0 m depth for the rising trend in soil temperature during spring season.


A transparent micro emulsifier water-based drawing fluid was developed using physical and chemical methods.Thus the titled copper drawing fluid was prepared by introducing emulsifier,antirust agent,and antiwear additive into No.7 base oil and water.The properties of the resulting fluid were investigated.It was found that the drawing fluid had good emulsion stability,antirust ability,and antiwear ability.Moreover,it had good suppression ability to hardwater and good cleaning ability as well,and was capable of reducing end breakage of copper-wire and wear of the drawing mould.In general,the copper drawing fluid was well received among the users.


Abstract: The essay proves the equivalent dia-electric constant of plasma in non-magnetic field. Accordingto the original structured relations, the author thinks that plasma is of same medium in non-magnetic field.And from chromatic dispersion the phase velocity and group velocity of plasma in spreadingelectromagnetic are ganed in the light of which the electro magnetic nature is also anafyzed.


Monte Carlo (MC) research was used to study precision and convergence properties of MC methodology used to assess Type I error in exploratory (post hoc, or two-tailed) UniODA involving two balanced (equal N) classes. Study 1 ran 10 6 experiments for each N, and estimated cumulative p's were compared with corresponding exact p for all known p values. Study 2 ran 10 5 experiments for each N, and observed the convergence of the estimated p's. UniODA cumulative probabilities estimated using 10 5 experiments are only modestly less accurate than probabilities estimated using 10 6 experiments, and the maximum observed error (+0.002) is small. Study 3 ran 10 5 experiments for Ns ranging as high as 8,000 observations in order to examine asymptotic properties of optimal values for balanced designs.


(1981). The Cultural Contexts of Science and Mathematics Education. European Journal of Science Education: Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 222-222.


Audio-Visual Event (AVE) localization requires identifying which segments in a video have an audio-visual event and what category this event belongs to. To process the critical mutual information in both audio and visual modalities at the same time effectively, we propose a multimodal network with cross-modal attention to jointly focus on audio and visual communication. Remarkably, we use the audio-visual fusion features as guidance to focus on the local regions related to the event in visual area while enhancing the corresponding audio features. The importance of the semantic information expressed by different-modal segments in a video is in different degrees of importance. Hence, we adopt a heterogeneous graph-like approach to aggregate features from the other two-modal segments. To address the impacts of unsynchronized audio and visual information, our proposed Multimodal Segment Interaction Module (MSIM) establishes the connection between different segments by setting a similarity threshold, which can filter the useless information brought by other segments. Furthermore, we introduce a gating mechanism to explore the cross-modality relationships without neglecting the intra-modality relation, which is vital for improving the final recognition performance. Extensive experiments on the AVE dataset show that our proposed method performs favorably against current methods in both supervised and weakly supervised settings.


The genus Cypripedium includes 40–45 species distributed mainly in areas of Holarctic region with temperate climate. Its highest species diversity is observed in the eastern part of mainland Asia and in Northern America. In intact habitats, some species of this genus are quite common playing significant role in plant communities forming picturesque landscape aspects during anthesis. Some Cypripedium species are not uncommon in uplands and mountains of subtropical countries, but few of them reach tropical zone. In Central America these are Cypripedium irapeanum, C. molle and C. dickinsonianum distributed from Mexico to Guatemala, Salvador and Honduras. In Asia only two species – Cypripedium lentiginosum and C. subtropicum, reported in the paper, reach truly tropical zone. Localities of these species recently discovered in northern Vietnam represent southernmost locations of the genus area in the Old World. A brief taxonomical review of two discovered species in the flora of Vietnam is presented in the paper. T e treatment includes key for species identification; standard taxonomic citations for the genus, sections, species and synonyms; data on types and their locations; available information on ecology, phenology and distribution,  expected IUCN Red List status; notes on phylogeny, taxonomy, geography and possible conservation actions, as well as the list of studied specimens and relevant materials.


A perturbed constrained nonlinear minimization problem is considered, in spaces of arbitrary dimensions, without convexity or compactness hypotheses. Under some assumptions about the perturbed minimum, the Frechet derivative of the perturbed optimal objective function is related to the Lagrangian for the problem. This result allows bounds to be calculated for the effect of deleting some constraints. This applies, in particular, to the truncation of a semi-infinite programming problem to a finite dimensional, and thus computable, problem. Bounds for adjoining constraints, or deleting variables, are also obtained, under further assumptions.


In the paper, we consider the estimation of indicators on poverty and socialexclusion for population subgroups or domains and small areas. For at-risk-of povertyrate, we discuss indirect estimators including model-assisted logistic generalizedregression estimators and new model calibration estimators. Logistic mixed models areused in these methods. For quintile share ratio, indirect model-based syntheticestimators and new calibration-based predictor-type methods using linear mixed modelsare considered. Unit-level auxiliary data are incorporated in the estimation procedures.Design-based direct estimators that do not use auxiliary data and models are used forcomparison. Design bias and accuracy of estimators are examined with simulationexperiments using register data maintained by Statistics Finland and semi-synthetic datagenerated from the EU-SILC survey.


This study aimed to describe and analyze educational strategies conducted in a university extension project, whose objective was to clarify issues about sexuality, contraception and sexually transmitted diseases (STD). The methodological approach was based on meetings and workshops with interactive activities, using pedagogical models if necessary. The activities were developed in 2014 with students from the 8th and 9th grades of elementary education in a public school in Santos (Brazil). At the end of the project, students responded to a questionnaire prepared in a Likert scale. The survey investigated the perception of learning of the students, the performance of the extension team and evaluated the methodological approaches used. For the statistical analysis of quantitative data, the nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test and Dunn's post-test were used. Personal impressions, comments and opinions corresponded to the collection of qualitative data. In general, we obtained a good acceptance of students in the activities. Issues related to sexuality, such as safe sex, STD and teenage pregnancy aroused the interest of the young people who, in general, were experiencing their first sexual experiences. Even though the project achieved its objectives, contributing for acquisition of new knowledge related to STD by students, the statistical analysis indicated that this knowledge did not necessarily change their behavior. These findings reinforce the importance of project proposals and campaigns related to sexual education for the youth.