Previous research has highlighted the primary objective of social entrepreneurship as balancing social and commercial purposes. Social entrepreneurs face significant challenges in managing their ventures, and there is a pressing need to equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills to overcome these challenges through social entrepreneurship education. To address this need, the authors propose a curriculum matrix based on the Identity Capital Model to aid students in achieving social entrepreneurship objectives while incorporating the principles of innovation and sustainability. The proposed curriculum matrix was developed based on data collected through semi-structured interviews with successful youth social entrepreneurs. The sample size was determined using data saturation. The authors analyzed the backgrounds, personal experiences, motivations, and difficulties encountered by participants in launching and operating their social enterprises using the Narrative Analysis Theory of William Labov and Joshua Waletzky. The Identity Capital Model was used as a theoretical framework to identify the key factors contributing to the success of youth social entrepreneurs.


Purpose
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a cardiac rehabilitation program on the acute response on endothelial progenitor cells and circulating endothelial cells after maximal exercise in patients with chronic heart failure of different severity.

Methods
Forty-four chronic heart failure patients were enrolled in a 36-session cardiac rehabilitation program. All patients underwent an initial maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test before and a final maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test after the cardiac rehabilitation program. The patients were divided in two groups of severity according to the median value of peak VO2. Blood was collected at 4 time points; 2 time points at rest, and 2 time points after each cardiopulmonary exercise test. Five endothelial cellular populations were quantified by flow cytometry.

Results
Although there was a higher increase in the mobilization of subgroups of endothelial progenitor cells and circulating endothelial cells after the final cardiopulmonary exercise test compared to the initial test within each severity group (p < 0.05), no significant differences between severity groups were observed (p > 0.05).

Conclusions
A 36-session cardiac rehabilitation program had similar beneficial effects on the acute response of endothelial progenitor cells and circulating endothelial cells after maximal exercise in patients with chronic heart failure of different severity.


The upper part of Bed 3 of the type section of the Gorge Formation (Upper Cambrian) has yielded 15 kinds of trilobites, of which all but one [Plethometopus sp.] are previously described species. Four unnamed pygidia are also present. The fauna is characteristic of that described by P. E. Raymond in 1924, 1925, and 1937 from the lower zone (or Zone 1) of the same formation, which has been commonly referred to as the Hungaia magnifica fauna.


Strain-mediated magnetoelectric coupling strongly depends on the morphology of ferroelectric and ferromagnetic domains in composite materials. The unique self-assembling properties of block copolymers can be used to control the morphology. For this purpose, we aimed for the synthesis of ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) containing block copolymers. Trichloromethyland phenyl methylchloride-terminated PVDF macroinitiators were used to initiate the atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of styrene (S), 4-vinylpyridine (4VP) and tertbutylmethacrylate (tBMA). The use of these monomers facilitate the preparation of a nanoporous ferroelectric network, which can be backfilled subsequently by a ferromagnetic material. Furthermore, the kinetics were studied extensively to investigate the controlled behavior of these reactions.


Background. In order to reduce the mortality risk of aneurysm rupture, a timely diagnosis and treatment are vital. There are different reasons for aneurysm, such as hypertension, arteriosclerosis, and heredity. An efficient and cost-effective method to study the generation, development, and rupture of aneurysm and also analysis of treatment methods can accelerate progress. The Computational Fluid Dynamics is a well-known tool to simulate various phenomena. A reliable virtual modeling in biology depends on our knowledge about variety of characteristics, that is, biological features, structural properties, and flow conditions. Objective. Because of the vast research about the related subjects, an organized review is required. The aim of current review article is classification of the required foundations for a reliable virtual modeling of cerebral aneurysm, especially in the Circle of Willis.


The authors study damage spreading in the Ising model, on a square lattice, by a Monte Carlo approach, using a general 'f-dynamics' (0<or=f<or=1) which reproduces, for f=0 the well known heat-bath dynamics and for f=1 Glauber dynamics. They find, for initially small damage, a critical value fc=0.50+or-0.03 as the threshold for damage spreading. For fc<f<or=1 the damage is non-zero only for Tc<T<T0(f), where Tc is the usual critical temperature and T0(f) rises with f like T0(f)-Tc infinity (f-fc)alpha ( alpha =0.83+or-0.08). For Tc<or=T the damage D(T,f) seems to satisfy the scaling relation D(T,f) approximately mod 1n(f-fc) mod -1T((1-Tc/T)/(f-fc)alpha ).


Preceding crops as a source of organic matter are important sources of micronutrient and can play an important role in the soil fertility and soil cycling of micronutrients. In addition to the role of the organic matter in increasing the concentration of micronutrients in soil solution, attention should be also paid to the role of the kind and the quantity of the root's exudates released in response to the incorporation of different plant residues in the rhizosphere. Present research was conducted with the objective of studying the effect of the kind of preceding crops: Trifolium (Trifolium pretense L) and Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L) on chemical forms of copper (Cu) in solid phases of a calcareous soil in a completely randomized block field experiment with split plot (3 m × 5 m) arrangement, consisting of 3 replications and 3 treatments. After incorporation of the residue, wheat (genotype back cross) was planted. After harvesting the wheat, soil samples were collected from root zone of wheat. Selected soil properties and chemical forms of Cu were determined in the solid phases of the soil samples. Incorporation of plant residues significantly increased the concentration of DTPA-extractable Cu, in the soil. The highest effect was obtained for Trifolium treatment. Incorporation of plant residues decreased the carbonate-bound Cu (Cu-Carb) fraction in the solid phase and increased oxide-bound Cu (Cu-Ox) as compared to the control (fallow treatment). Fraction of organic-bound Cu (Cu-Org) in the soil increased with incorporation of plant residues as compared with the fallow treatment. Trifolium was the most effective in increasing Cu-Org. Cu-Ox and Cu-Residual (Cu-Res) forms showed a significant negative correlation and Cu-Org showed a significant positive correlation with the concentration of DTPA-extractable Cu. Incorporation of Trifolium residues decreased the fraction (%) of Cu-Carb and Cu-Ox (less soluble forms) and consequently increased the fraction (%) of Cu-Org which in turn elevated the concentration of DTPA-extractable Cu. Trifolium was the most effective in increasing the phytoavailability of Cu in soil.


The sense of reality of Rembrandt's oil paintings reflects that we can find characteristics and rules in three aspects from fineness and magnificence to candidness and simpleness. the reason of transformation of sense of reality and aesthetic value of sense of reality in his works, which can reveal the unique value of the sense of reality in oil paintings. By doing so, can we explain the importance of various application and expression of sense of reality in oil painting creation. Through the research on the sense of reality of Rembrandt's works, we can re-understand the oil painting's language. It is an indispensable method for us to understand the maestro. Meanwhile, to study this subject can make us more comprehensively appreciate and understand the painting essence from maestros. We can draw on the merits and develop our own painting language. Keywords—Rembrandt's oil painting; sense; Language


The goal of this project is to build an object recognition module to solve the interested object counting problem of an ecological image database. Taiwan Forestry Research Institution (TFRI) deployed a remote camera on a bee nest for population tracking. The camera captures one picture every minute in daylight, and transfers those images to the server at night. In order to shorten the data process, this project implements a computer vision approach to count the number of bees in every picture. If the counting result turns out good enough, it can avoid transferring any image but instead just some numbers. The source images of this project come from Archiving Gallery of Shanping Workstation of TFRI [5]. This report is going to present the implementation of this project (section 2), and then talk about the problems of the current approach (section 3), compare the complexity of two implements and open the discussion to further development (section 4).


Key words: urinary tract infection; complicating urin-even when renal involvement is present. Nevertheless it is useful to distinguish between upper and lower ary tract infection; recurrent urinary tract infection; radiological imaging; treatment; prevention UTI because treatment differs. The question arises whether localization studies should be performed or whether it is sufficient to monitor the response to treatment. We propose that radiological imaging


We describe our system participating in the SwissText/KONVENS shared task on low-resource speech-to-text (Plüss et al., 2020). We train an end-to-end neural model based on Mozilla DeepSpeech. We examine various methods to improve over the baseline results: transfer learning from standard German and English, data augmentation, and post-processing. Our best system achieves a somewhat disappointing WER of 58.9% on the held-out test set, indicating that it is currently challenging to obtain good results with this approach in a low-resource setting.


Some of the first recorded archaeology done in North America was accomplished by John Rowzéé Peyton in 1774. With two companions, Peyton escaped from jail in Santa Fe. Using a compass and a copy of the Delisle map of 1703, he made his way to an Osage camp on the Missouri River and thence to St. Louis. En route, he stopped to excavate in a burial mound. His interpretation of the mounds he saw is one of the first recorded instances of the Mound Builder myth. There is reason to suspect that Peyton may have been responsible for the origin of the myth, as an oral tradition among the educated elite of the American colonies.


We demonstrate a compressive light field microscopy method for 3D neural activity measurement. Individual neurons are identified computationally, without the intermediate step of reconstructing volume images. Results on Zebrafish show volume activity recording at 100fps.


A self⁃adaptive Uzawa block relaxation method was designed for Stokes problems under nonlinear slip boundary conditions. For the variational formulation of the problem, an auxiliary unknown was introduced to transform the problem into a saddle⁃point one based on an augmented Lagrangian function, which can be solved with the Uzawa block relaxation method. To improve the performance of the method, a self⁃adaptive rule was proposed with the proper penalty parameter chosen automatically. The main advantage of this method is that each iterative step consists of a linear problem while the auxiliary unknown can be computed explicitly. The convergence of the algorithm was analyzed. The numerical results show the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method.


Abstract : Risks are inherent in the development and acquisition of new weapon systems whose performance requirements surpass those of currently fielded systems. If not anticipated and managed "up front and early" in tne acquisition cycle, these risks can have profound effects on a program's cost and schedule and, ultimately, on the combat effectiveness of the Armed Forces. Current Office of Management and Budget (0MB) and Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition policy requires the Program Manager (PM) to develop and tailor an acquisition strategy for each new program. The strategy must include methods for assessing and managing contractor and Government risks. For the U.S. Marine Corps' Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAAV) acquisition program, development of a risk management methodology is the responsibility of the Direct Reporting Program Manager (DRPM/AAAV). Accordingly, this thesis investigates the risk management methodology employed within the AAAV program, illustrates how this methodology converges with and diverges from risk management methodology prescribed by and/or suggested by the "Body of Knowledge" (B OK) relating to risk management, and analyzes the applicability of the "Spiral Model". This thesis concludes by recommending areas where the BOK and the DRPM's methodology can be enhanced and suggests areas warranting further research. (KAR) P. 2


Our patient is a 32-year-old, married, white male brought to the ER after a neighbor found him outside "talking nonsense." He was responding to internal stimuli, talking to "customers at an auto repair shop where he works." His neighbor was unable to provide any other relevant history. His physical exam showed a well-developed Caucasian male in severe distress, acting paranoid and anxious. His vital signs showed a BP of 159/92, a pulse of 110, respirations of 20, an afebrile temperature, and an O2 Sat of 99% on room air. He was diaphoretic with tachycardia, and he had some ecchymosis over the left ribs. Neurological exam was grossly normal except for his disoriented state. His laboratory findings were essentially normal including his urine drug screen. ECG showed a normal sinus rhythm and a head CT performed after sedation was also negative. When the patient's wife arrived, she explained that her husband had been using gamma butyrolactone (GBL), the proform of GHB, since 1997 to treat social anxiety as well as several other perceived problems. The patient had heard about GHB from a news report describing its use at clubs and raves. He looked it up on the Internet and what he found "seemed good": purported anti-aging properties, muscle enhancement, increased sexual desire, and energy-boosting effects. He also discovered that it made him more talkative and outgoing. Because of these "benefits," the patient used GBL daily from 1997 until 2005. He ordered it as a packet of GBL and sodium hydroxide, which, when mixed, would create GHB. After 2000, however, he started using pure GBL, which he could obtain more easily. He would order 99.9% 40 ml solutions of


Nuclear Criticism emerged late in the Cold War as a short-lived but important critical enterprise, seeking to understand the cultural impact of military and civilian nuclear technology. Critics argued that the possibility of a civilization-ending nuclear war affected the production and reception of literary texts, and that scholars should reflect this in their research and their teaching. 'Cultures of Terror' looks afresh at this critical moment and makes two claims.

First, it argues that in Nuclear Criticism two broadly oppositional trends in literary studies came together, one ethically orientated, while the other was more sceptical of an ethics of literature and rooted in cutting-edge theoretical debates. Second, it calls for a new Nuclear Criticism. Such a criticism can, in part, revisit 'nuclear' texts of the Cold War era, reading them with perspectives made possible by the post-Cold War perspective. It can, also, though embark on a more radical enterprise, questioning the simple assumption that nuclear issues ceased to be pressing with the fall of the Berlin Wall, tracing the morphing of nuclear anxiety into other fears, and contextualizing contemporary conceptions of 'terror' in terms of an earlier geopolitics of nuclear anxiety.


In October 2014, the US Food and Drug Administration released a draft guidance for the development of drugs for the acute treatment of migraine. This guidance offered the option of replacing the previously required 4 co‐primary endpoints: pain freedom, freedom from nausea, freedom from photophobia, and freedom from phonophobia, all at 2 hours posttreatment, with 2 co‐primary endpoints: pain freedom and freedom from most bothersome symptom (MBS) other than pain, both at 2 hours posttreatment. At the time the new draft guidance was released, no large clinical trials had been undertaken with these 2 co‐primary endpoints, posing a challenge in determining the sample size that might be required to achieve statistical significance. As a number of trials have now been completed, we conducted a review of the observed placebo responses, drug effect sizes, and sample sizes to better inform the design of future trials.


Underground natural gas (NG) leaks pose an urgent safety threat, motivating ongoing efforts to improve leak detection methods. The objectives of this study were to investigate how realistic environmental conditions affect methane concentration distributions near leaking underground NG distribution pipelines and ultimately to inform protocols for leak detection by walking surveys. In the first study to do so to date, subsurface and atmospheric methane concentrations were measured at high spatial resolution at a field-scale testbed configured to allow controlled release of NG from an underground source. Our findings demonstrate the importance of considering the effects of subsurface processes with respect to above-ground methane concentrations measured in walking surveys. While subsurface methane concentrations from a large leak (0.52 kg/h of NG, 0.44 kg/h of methane) exceeded 80 vol % 20 cm below the ground, atmospheric concentrations dropped below 100 ppmv (0.01 vol %) within the first 10 cm above the gro...


Laser radiation is extensively used for optical diagnostics of various scattering media. In most cases, laser beams having a Gaussian profile are applied for this task. At the same time, other-type light beams have some features that can be used to obtain additional information about investigated objects. In this context, a relevant task is to reveal the penetrability of different-type light beams in a scattering medium with their subsequent application for the nondestructive testing of various objects, including biological tissues. In this article, a comparative analysis is carried out for four different configurations of laser light beams (Gaussian, Laguerre-Gaussian, and zero- and first-order Bessel light beams) in relation to the power stored by them after passing through a scattering medium layer. To form the light beams we used helium-neon laser emitting at a wavelength of 0.633 micrometers, and a modular optical system. This system makes it possible to change the light beam profile by the inclusion / exclusion of the corresponding modules from the light path. As the scattering medium we used plane-parallel layers of semi-transparent silastic with the thickness ranging from 0.17 to 6.61 mm. It is investigated experimentally how the power of the light beam passing through the scattering medium layer depends on the layer thickness. According to the obtained results, the approximating curves are plotted in the form I = exp (–Dx) where D is the attenuation coefficient, I is the total power of the beam, x is the layer thickness. The values of the coefficient D for different-type beams are calculated. The D values for different-type beams scarcely differ (within the standard error) from each other. It means that the beam type in the optical system configuration has almost no effect on the penetration properties of the light beam, and on the total energy of the light passing through the scattering medium layer.


Anxiety and depression are recognized comorbidities that may limit control of asthma. The purpose of this study is to identify the associations between perceived stress, somatization, and perceived asthma control in patients with asthma.


The selection of the right extender is very important when formulating emulsion paints in deep shades, as the effect of some extenders on the tinting strength and the colour fastness is considerable. In the following note results on the investigation of weathering resistance of emulsion paints containing calcium carbonates as compared to those containing kaolins are reported.


In this paper, we identify the issues for effective use of open science and solve food cultural transferring problems using Kataribe Cloud platform, which facilitates the handling of spatiotemporal information and customization according to various contexts. We describe the construction of a food culture database system.


The new ligands N-[2-(arylazo)phenyl]salicylideneamine, H 2 L sal [where H represents the dissociable protons upon complexation and aryl groups of H 2 L sal are phenyl for H 2 L 1 sal , p-methylphenyl for H 2 L 2 sal , and p-chlorophenyl for H 2 L 3 sal ], were prepared by the reaction of 2-(arylazo)aniline, H 2 L, with salicylaldehyde. H 2 L sal ligands afforded stable orthometalated complexes, (L sal )Ni, upon treatment with Ni(CH 3 -COO) 2 .4H 2 O. The dianionic (L sal ) 2- ligands bind Ni II in tetradentate (C,N,N,O) fashion in distorted square-planar geometry. Reaction of (L sal )Ni with meta-chloroperbenzoic acid, tert-butyl hydroperoxide, or hydrogen peroxide furnished the metalloazosalophens, (OL sal )Ni, as a result of oxygen insertion into the Ni-C bond. The X-ray structures of (L 1 sal )Ni and (OL 1 sal )Ni were determined as representatives for unequivocal characterization. Treatment of (OL 1 sal )Ni with dilute HClO 4 liberated 2-(2-aminophenylazo)phenol, H 2 L 1 OH, which is an ortho-hydroxylated derivative of H 2 L 1 . The cyclic voltammograms of (OL sal )Ni complexes display a reversible reductive response near -1.06 V vs. SCE.


The complex formation equilibrium of ethylenediaminetetramethylenephosphonic acid (EDTMP, H8L) with europium (III) has been studied potentiometrically at 25°C and ionic strength of 0.15 M (NaCl). To examine the experimental data, titration curves of ligand in presence of europium (III) were compared with the references curves obtained in its absence. The complex formation constants were determined with the PSEQUAD program. The speciation in the system Eu (III) – EDTMP was calculated and drawn with HySS computer program.


years of age, the majority being women. It frequently followed chronic diarrhoea, and child-bearing seemed especially to predispose to it. Those affected became extremely pale, and the skin of their hands, feet, and face acquired a swollen look. They became weak, had fits of giddiness and palpitation of the heart; the appetite failed, and there was a feeling of pressure in the pit of the epigastrium. Transient diarrhoea often occurred, and there were attacks of feverishness without the fever assuming any particular type. Anaemic murmurs were sometimes present of such intensity that organic disease of the heart was suspected, but none was ever found after death. With all these symptoms of failing health, it is a very remarkable fact that no actual diminution of the fat covering the body could be made out. As the disease progressed, ecchymoses appeared in the retina, even though vision remained intact. Sometimes there were small petechiae under the skin, and less frequently haemorrhages took place from the nose and kidneys. Transient paralyses were probably due to small haemorrhages into the brain substance. Towards the end of life dropsy set in, and delirium also occurred. The course of the disease was always chronic, and the termination always fatal. The necropsy invariably showed a partial fatty degeneration of the papillary muscles of the heart, and fatty degeneration of the smaller bloodvessels of various organs. No treatment was of any avail."?Medical Times and Gazette, 21st November 1874.


While a year and a half has been passed since the launch of KTX service, traffic volume of Gyung-bu High Speed Railway is still much lower than the forecasted value. This situation has been badly affecting not only Korail's financial status but also KRNA's general railway construction projects as general public responds negatively to such projects as New Ho-ram Line Construction. This paper outlines traffic volume forecasting methodologies applied to construction of Gyung-bu High Speed Railway, identifies major causes of forecasting deviations, and finally extracts problems through comparison between the forecasted results and actual traffic volume.


Abstract The mirror neuron system in primates matches ob- 13 servations of actions with the motor representations used for 14 their execution,and is a topic of intenseresearchand debate in 15 biological and computational disciplines. In robotics, models 16 of this system have been used for enabling robots to imitate 17 and learn how to perform tasks from human demonstrations. 18 Yet, existing computational and robotic models of these sys- 19 tems are found in multiple levels of description, and although 20 some models offer plausible explanations and testable predic- 21 tions, the difference in the granularity of the experimental 22 setups, methodologies, computational structures and selected 23 modeleddata makeprincipled meta-analyses,common in oth- 24 er fields, difficult. In this paper, we adopt an interdisciplinary 25 approach, using the BODB integrated environment in order to 26 bring together several different but complementary computa- 27 tional models, by functionally decomposing them into brain


Precise theoretical predictions are vital for the interpretation of Standard Model measurements and facilitate conclusive searches for New Physics phenomena at the LHC. In this contribution I highlight some of the ongoing efforts in the framework of the Sherpa event generator to provide accurate and realistic simulations of Standard Model production processes. This includes the automated evaluation of NLO QCD and NLO EW corrections and their consistent consideration in the parton-shower evolution of scattering events. Particular emphasis is given to examples and applications involving the production of top quarks.


Objective:To monitor the hypertension and health status of the middle aged and the elderly intellectuals in a university.Method:The blood pressure,body weight,body height and some serum biochemical indexs of 1 477 intellectuals over 40 years old were measured.The relationship between hypertension and other items were analyzed.Results:The total incidence of hypertension was 30 9%,and in which isolated systolic hypertension(ISH) was 13 3%.Both systolic and diastolic blood pressures were increased with the age increasing.The levels of serum glucose,triglycerides,uric acid and body mass index(BMI) in hypertension group were higher than those in normal blood pressure group,but the difference of serum total cholesterol between the two groups was not significant.There were positive correlations between hypertension and glucose,triglycerides,uric acid,insulin,age as well as BMI.


Abstract Heterozygotes for hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRTase) deficiency, although they demonstrate HGPRTase positive and negative cells on fibroblast culture, generally have...


In order to select suitable varieties of Lagenaria siceraria var.hispidafor Hangzhou area,taking seven different varieties of Lagenaria siceraria var.hispida as materials,including Yuepu 1,Yuepu 2,Zhepu 8,102,Nanguo 1,Chaojizaosheng and Hangpu 1,the growth period,botany properties,commodity and yield were investigated.The results showed that Zhepu 8was suitable,because of its great shelf quality,while Yuepu 1could not meet the demands of consumers in Hangzhou.But Yuepu 1still could be a reserve variety for exporting with its high yields.Melon longitudinal diameter of Hangpu 1,Nanguo 1and Yuepu 2was around 40 cm,that of Chaojizaosheng was less than 25 cm,and its yield was less,the four varieties were not recommended currently in Hangzhou area.


NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine will speak to, and take questions from, media about how technologies originally developed for space exploration now are used to cultivate farms, predict crop yields, manage water resources, and more, during his Tuesday, Feb. 12, visit to World Ag Expo in Tulare, California.


Objective To compare clinical outcomes of domestic Gamma nails and InterTan nails in treatment of femoral intertrochanteric fractures.Methods Sixty eight patients with femoral intertrochanterie fracture who were treated in our department from January 2010 to November 2011 were retrospectively compared.Thirty eight patients were treated with domestic Gamma nail and 30 with InterTan nails.The two groups were compared in intraoperative blood loss,terms of operative time,fracture healing time,complications and Harris hip score.Results Thirty two patients in Gamma groups and 26 in InterTan groups were followed up for(12.4±2.5)months and(12.6±3.2)months respectively.The operative time was(63.6±16.2) minutes and(81.5±13.5)minutes respectively for the domestic Gamma and InterTan groups,with a significant difference(P 0.05).However,there were no significant differences between the two groups in blood loss,fracture healing time,complication rate and Harris hip score(P 0.05).Conclusion Two internal fixation can be used to treat femoral intertrochanteric fractures,resulting in good clinical outcomes.For patients in poor general condition,we should shorten operation time as much as possible.Using domestic Gamma nails can not only ensure the safety of operation,but also provide sufficient strong fixation.


Network has a great negative influence on college students' psychological personality,moral personality and judicial personality,which causes the disharmony of their personality.To mould their harmonious personality under the vision of network,we put forward some intervention strategies in this paper.Government should strengthen protection on web technology.We should construct the "red" website on Socialist Core Value System in the school.Ideology and politics teachers focus on the humanistic and emotional education.Students should foster their aesthetic taste on the internet.


Objective: This study aimed at comparing different recovery-based methods to assess the highest exercise oxygen uptake value ( V˙ O2peak) when swimming at low-moderate, heavy and severe intensities. Complementarily, the different recovery curve kinetics were analysed. Approach: Eighteen competitive swimmers performed a 5 × 200 m front crawl intermittent protocol (0.05 m · s−1 increments and 3 min intervals), with respiratory gas exchange being continuously measured breath-by-breath during and post-exercise using a portable gas analyser. The directly determined V˙ O2peak ( V˙ O2dir) was compared with the values obtained by linear and exponential backward extrapolations (of different intervals) and the recovery curve mathematical modelling. Main results: V˙ O2dir rose with intensity increase: 41.96 ± 6.22, 46.36 ± 6.89 and 50.97 ± 7.28 ml · kg−1 min−1 for low-moderate, heavy and severe swims. Linear and exponential regressions applied to the first 20 s of recovery presented the V˙ O2peak values closest to V˙ O2dir at low-moderate (42.80 ± 5.54 vs 42.88 ± 5.58 ml kg−1 min−1), heavy (47.12 ± 4.91 vs 47.48 ± 5.09 ml kg−1 min−1) and severe intensity domains (51.24 ± 6.89 vs 53.60 ± 8.54 ml kg−1 · min−1, respectively; r = 0.5–0.8, p < 0.05). The mono-exponential function was the best fit at low-moderate and heavy intensities, while the bi-exponential function better characterized the severe exercise domain (with a slow component amplitude, time delay and time constant of 6.2 ± 2.3 ml kg−1 min−1, 116.6 ± 24.3 and 39.9 ± 15.2 s, respectively). Significance: The backward extrapolation of the first 20 s of recovery is the best method to assess the V˙ O2peak for a large spectrum of swimming intensities. Complementarily, intensity increases imply different recovery curve kinetics, particularly a mono-exponential behaviour for low-moderate and heavy exertions and a bi-exponential dynamics for severe paces.


Background: Cardiac patients need comprehensive support due to the adverse effects of this disease on different aspects of their lives. Synergy intervention is a model that focuses on patients' requirements.
Objectives: This study aimed to determine the eightfold characteristic of cardiac patients based on the synergy model that represent their clinical requirements.
Materials and Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 40 cardiac patients hospitalized at the cardiac care unit (CCU) of Yazd Afshar Hospital were randomly selected. The data were collected by using a two-part check-list including demographic characteristics and also by studying eight characteristics of patients through interviewing and reviewing their records. The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency (percentage) and analytical statistics such as Spearman and Mann-Whitney test with the SPSS software, version 18.
Results: The results showed that among patients' internal characteristics, reversibility (70.6%), vulnerability (68.6%), and predictability (80.4%) at level 1 (the minimum score) had the highest frequency and stability (49%) and complexity (54.9%) were at level 3 (average score). Among external characteristics participation in decision-making (80.4%) at level 1 had the highest frequency while care (62.7%) and recourses (98%) were at level 3.
Conclusions: Ignoring any of the eightfold characteristics based on the synergy model interferes with comprehensive support of cardiac patients. Therefore, it is necessary for professional health practitioners, especially nurses, to consider patients' eightfold characteristics in order to provide quality care.


Efficiency of hydrogen fuel cells is analyzed using a non-equilibrium theory of mixtures based on classical irreversible thermodynamics. The efficiency is expressed in terms of processes taking place inside the fuel cells revealing which processes are responsible for efficiency losses. This provides a new method of optimization. It is shown that efficiency losses are not only given by entropy production rate but also by some additional terms, which become important if steep gradients of temperature are present. Consequently, we compare the new theory with the standard entropy production minimization approach. Finally, we discuss effects of the additional terms in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells and in solid oxide fuel cells showing that the new theory gives the same results as the standard theory in the former case while it becomes important in the latter case.


A review about on the spectroscopy of light scalar mesons is given. Special emphasis is given to the results in antiproton-proton annihilation, where the observation of the f0(1500) as a possible candidate for the scalar glueball has stimulated the discussion about the lowest lying scalar mesons. Possible assignments of nonets will be discussed with the focus to open questions in experiment and theory.


Genetic improvement programs are an alternative to obtain pepper genotypes resistant to several diseases. The wide genetic variability of these genotypes makes them promissory for the control of Potato virus Y (PVY). The RAPD markers are a useful tool to characterize the genetic diversity of pepper varieties. The aim of this work was to evaluate the genetic variability of pepper genotypes obtained in the breeding program for PVY resistance using RAPD markers. In general, the results showed a low variability between the genotypes studied.


Integrated quantum photonic circuits (IQPCs) with deterministically integrated quantum emitters are critical elements for scalable quantum information applications and have attracted significant attention in recent years. However, scaling up them towards fully functional photonic circuits with multiple deterministically integrated quantum emitters to generate photonic input states remains a great challenge. In this work, we report on a monolithic prototype IQPC consisting of two pre-selected quantum dots deterministically integrated into nanobeam cavities at the input ports of a 2x2 multimode interference beam-splitter. The on-chip beam splitter exhibits a splitting ratio of nearly 50/50 and the integrated quantum emitters have high single-photon purity, enabling on-chip HBT experiments, depicting deterministic scalability. Overall, this marks a cornerstone toward scalable and fully-functional IQPCs.


Upper limb movements are essential from a very early age in children's learning processes, and play an important role in school tasks such as handwriting. In cerebral palsy (CP), the functions of upper limbs are often impaired, a factor that affects children's learning success. The aim of this paper is to briefly present the results of research that has been carried out in recent years at the Eötvös Loránd University's Bárczi Gusztáv Faculty of Special Needs Education, investigating the upper limb movements of students with CP and their self-assessment of function. Standardized hand function tests (MACS, QUEST, JHFT, Abilhand-Kids specific to CP) were used to assess upper limb function, and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health core sets for CP (ICF core set for CP) was used to self-assess functioning of students. The results suggest that CP pupils in inclusive education have a high level of upper limb function in general; they do not generally report serious problems with their own function and their environment, but they rate themselves lower than their peers in special education. Changes during the school year were poorly detectable. The ICF-based self-assessment also highlighted problems that other outcome measure methods cannot detect but may affect school life.


The education of young mechatronics engineers is crucial for the development of powerful and sophisticated products in a modern marketplace where the best technology is having the greatest economic impact. Therefore, this paper aims to design and introduce a robotic hand to facilitate and accelerate the teaching/learning process when designing mechatronics systems in different undergraduate lecture‐based courses and, consequently, gain more practical experience under a "hands‐on" experience. The results from an evaluation carried out at a Mexican university present the design and implementation of a movement control system for recognition of hand gestures. Quantitative and qualitative data are also provided to demonstrate that students experienced high‐positive perceptions during the evaluation.


This study investigated a stability analysis of the numerical approximation of a differential equation model of HIV-infection of CD4+ T-cells which is susceptible to infection, that is target cells T, which through interactions with virus V, become infected. Analytical solution of the model was considered, the steady state solution of the model was investigated and the linear stability analysis of the model was obtained. The numerical solution shows that upon the variation of the rate of production of CD4Tcells, a mixture of stable and unstable steady state-solutions was found. And by varying the death rate of virus particlesγ, we found a combination of stable and unstable steady state-solutions which became a predominant unstable when the per capita rate of disappearance of infected cells was varied.


In Gilbert & Sullivan's undeservedly obscure operetta, Utopia Ltd., English invaders seek to colonize the impressionable citizens of this tropical island paradise by employing "a marvelous philologist who'll undertake to show, that 'yes' is but another and a neater form of 'no.'" In our two-party form of government, citizens are colonized the same way, proving that truth can be just as goofy as fiction. We can say No to one candidate only by saying Yes to the other. That is American democracy, reinforced by laws and courts. In many of our states there are more laws concerned with the institution of political parties than there are laws concerned with the institution of marriage. This legal safety net for the two-party system was reinforced in 2000 by a decisive 7–2 Supreme Court opinion invalidating as unconstitutional a California "blanket primary" law giving voters the power to pick anyone they want—from any political party or any independent—to nominate as their candidate to run in the general election for a particular elective office. The Court called the blanket primary "a stark repudiation of freedom of association" that stripped the political parties of the ability to control their own nominating process.


A program of research, technology, and monitoring of the phenomena of the upper atmosphere, to provide for an understanding of and to maintain the chemical and physical integrity of the Earth's upper atmosphere was developed. NASA implemented a long-range upper atmospheric science program aimed at developing an organized, solid body of knowledge of upper atmospheric processes while providing, in the near term, assessments of potential effects of human activities on the atmosphere. The effects of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) releases on stratospheric ozone were reported. Issues relating the current understanding of ozone predictions and trends and highlights recent and future anticipated developments that will improve our understanding of the system are summarized.


In the current economic challenge, methods to accurately predict system failure has become a holy grail in maintenance with the goal to reduce the cost of unavailability due to unscheduled shutdown. This has led to the current research with the aim to achieve a more accurate fault diagnosis for rotating machinery using a neural network (NN) with principal component analysis (PCA) as a pre-processing step to fuse multiple sensor data. The multisensor data fusion has been proven to improve the fault detection ability for machinery compared to single source condition monitoring. In this paper, an NN-based methodology is presented, where PCA is applied as preprocessing step to detect the rotating machinery faults during operation. The effectiveness of the proposed model is illustrated by a case study on two shaft industrial gas turbine where the real-time performance monitoring data collected from the plant and used to train and test the proposed algorithm. The analysis results show that the PCA-based fusion process has significantly enhanced the performance of NNbased model when compared against NN algorithm without PCA.


This paper examines the consequences of accounting scandals to top management, top financial officers and outside auditors. We examine a sample of 518 U.S. public companies that announced earnings-decreasing restatements during the 1997–2002 period and an industry-size matched sample of control firms. Using logistic regressions that control for other determinants of management turnover, we find strong evidence of greater turnover of chief executive officers (CEOs), top management and chief financial officers (CFOs) of restating firms compared to the control sample. On average, over the three-year period surrounding the year of restatement announcement, CEOs and CFOs face, respectively, a 14% and 10% greater probability of being replaced in restating firms than in control firms, after controlling for other factors. These represent increases of about 42% and 23%, respectively, compared to the usual turnover probabilities for CEOs and CFOs. The magnitudes of these effects are even larger for restatements that are more serious, have worse effects on stock prices, result in negative restated earnings, are initiated by outside parties, are accompanied by Accounting and Auditing Enforcement Releases (AAERs), or trigger securities class action lawsuits. We find little systematic evidence that auditor turnover is higher in restating firms. Our paper provides evidence of effective functioning of internal governance mechanisms following accounting scandals.


Correspondence Address: PARSONS HSUE & DE RUNTZ, LLP 655 MONTGOMERY STREET SUTE 1800 SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94111 (US) The present invention relates to the use of ozone (O) as a reagent in chemical mechanical planarization either in aque ous Solution or as a gas directly impinging on the Surface to be planarized. An aqueous Solution containing OZone may optionally contain abrasive particles and/or additional CMP (21) Appl. No.: 10/783,651 reagents co-dissolved with the OZone including carbonate 22) Filled: Feb. 19, 2004 and bicarbonate anions, and organic acids Such as formic, (22) File e 9 Oxalic, acetic and glycol. Abrasives that may be added Related U.S. Application Data include alumina, Silica, Spinel, ceria, Zirconia. Typical con centrations of OZone aqueous Solution are in the range from (62) Division of application No. 09/783,069, filed on Feb. approximately 1 part-per-million up to Saturation, Ammo 13, 2001, now Pat. No. 6,756,308. nium Salts, particularly ammonium carbonate facilitate pla narization in cooperation with OZone-containing aqueous Publication Classification Solution. Low k dielectric materials, organic as well as inorganic, and difficult to oxidize metals can be planarized (51) Int. Cl." ....................... H01L 21/302; H01L 21/461 with OZone reagents pursuant to the present invention.


We study the consequences of a series of migration policies that restricted the migration of Indonesian female domestic workers towards traditional destinations, namely Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. Our difference-in-differences specification exploits the differential impact across Indonesian villages of this unique natural experiment, intended to stop repeated cases of mistreatment of Indonesians working overseas. Our results suggest that the moratoria had negative effects on economic activity and households' welfare, and worsened labor market conditions, especially for women, in the origin communities. Our results highlight the unintended effects that migration restrictions may have precisely on those they were intended to benefit.


Bacteria and toxin from a borth culture of a porcine strain of Corynebacterium pyogenes were lethal to white Swiss mice within 24th of inoculation. The pyogenic factor was shown to be a component of the bacterial cells and not of the toxin. Mouse protection tests using a formolised bacterin and formolized toxoid conferred protection to experimental challenge. It is suggested that this toxoid may be of value in protecting animals against the natural infection.


The use of low coherence broad band optical source in Mach- Zehnder type optical fiber interferometric sensor is presented. The cross-sensitivity effect has been studied for simultaneous measurement of temperature strain. The DFTS technique has been used to retrieve the phase modulation from the interferogram.


: Objective: To evaluate if there is an association between palatally displaced canines and sella turcica bridging, ponticulus posticus development. Materials and methods: There was a total of 70 patients in the control group with normally erupted canines and 35 patients in the cases group with palatally displaced canines. Pre-treatment records (Lateral Cephalogram and CBCT) of all patients were used to assess sella turcica bridging and palatally displaced canines. Independent sample t tests were used to compare sella dimensions between patients and controls, whereas chi-square test was used to compare the association between sella bridging and palatally displaced canines. Results: The prevalence of Type I bridging was 25.7% in the cases group, compared to 54.3% in the control group. The control group contained 32 subjects (45.7%) with sella turcica bridging (types II and III according to Leonardi et al), while the cases group had 26 subjects (74.3%) with this anomaly (types II and III combined). In participants with canine impaction, the frequency of sella bridging was substantially higher than in controls (P=0.006). In PDC patients, the sagittal interclinoidal distance was observed to be significantly reduced (P=0.002). Ponticulus posticus was seen in 22% of the cases group and 12% of the controls group. (chi-square P=0.006) Conclusions: Palatally displaced canine patients showed a higher prevalence of sella turcica bridging. The length of sella is reduced in these patients. The development of ponticulus posticus is also associated with the occurrence


The invention relates to a method for recovering N,N-dimethyl acetamide (DMAC) from waste liquid generated in cefuroxime acid production through extraction. The method comprises the following steps: adding alkali (sodium carbonate) into wastewater generated in cefuroxime acid production, wherein DMAC accounts for 17 to 18 wt% of wastewater; allowing the system to stand still, filtering to remove impurities, adding an extractant according to a certain ratio of extractant to alkali containing wastewater, allowing the system to stand still to carry out layering so as to obtain an organic phase, and subjecting the organic phase to rotary evaporation to remove solvents with a low boiling point so as to obtain pure DMAC. The isoelectric point of DMAC is slightly alkaline, so N,N-dimethyl acetamide is recovered by an extractant under an alkaline condition to improve the recovery rate of N,N-dimethyl acetamide. The method can be carried out under a normal pressure at a normal temperature, has the advantages of low energy consumption, simple operation, short time, easy realization, little using amount of alkali, and high recovery rate, and can well process medicinal wastewater.


The article discusses the theory and practice of optimizing the supply of perishable food products in the context of the concept of supply chain management, taking into account the harmonization of the economic positions of supply chain companies. The purpose of the study is to develop a method of managing the efficiency of supply chain systems of perishable food products, taking into account the variability of the logistics cycle. Object of study – the processes of managing the supply of perishable foodstuffs in the respective supply chains. The subject of the study are methods and models of managing the supply of perishable food. Research methods – systematic approach, probability theory and mathematical statistics, optimization. As a result of the conducted researches the method of managing the efficiency of supply chains of perishable foodstuffs taking into account the variability of the logistic cycle is proposed, which allows to evaluate the effectiveness of measures for the improvement of logistic, and considered in its structure of transport, servicing of supply chains of perishable foodstuffs in the context of development perishable food supplies. KEYWORDS: QUALIFIED SUPPLY PRODUCTS, SUPPLY CHAIN, LIKELY-STATISTICAL MODEL, SUPPLY MANAGEMENT, VARIABILITY.


As the Global Financial Crisis has demonstrated, fragility without purpose and vigilance is the defining characteristic of any complex system. The tentacles of the finance industry traverse state boundaries. They create moral and economic hazards as well as opportunities. Each poses legitimacy and authority implications. Failure to address those threats have contributed to a populist turn which, in turn, runs the risk of further policy uncertainty and instability. Responding to this crisis through resilience as both metaphor and organising framework is, however, problematic. The paper argues that notwithstanding its increasing usage, resilience is not a neutral concept. Privileging resilience as an end in itself may prove counter-productive unless underpinned by a normative reset of the purpose of the corporation and the market and duties and responsibilities each owe to society. It concludes that without clear definition of purpose and accountability regulatory structural form is irrelevant, as demonstrated by the failure of the twin peak model in Australia.


We report the development of a model that predicts the decay of fiber Bragg gratings based on growth data and validate the same using experimental data obtained from accelerated aging studies.


In most vertebrates, males are larger than females. For raptors, sexual size dimorphism is reversed, with females being larger. Reversed sexual dimorphism (RSD) in raptors is strongly linked to diet, with species feeding on the most agile prey, for example bird-eating raptors, showing the greatest size differences between the sexes. Hypotheses for reversed sexual dimorphism (RSD) include the 'intersexual competition' hypothesis, which proposes that RSD evolved to enable pairs to expand their dietary niche (taking a wider range of prey sizes) during the nestling period when both sexes occupy and hunt within the same territory, and thereby reduce competition between the sexes. If intersexual competition is responsible for the evolution of RSD, we predict that sex-related differences in prey size and dietary niche breadth will be particularly pronounced during the nestling period (cf. the non-nestling period). We explore this prediction in the highly dimorphic Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus), which displays the largest degree of RSD of all raptors, using web-sourced photographs to identify diet throughout the entire year. We analysed 666 photographs of sparrowhawks on their prey over time. In contrast to our predictions, sex-specific prey sizes were most similar during the nestling period compared to any other time of the year. Both males and females reduced the size of their prey during the nestling period which may be a result of the 'ingestion rate' hypothesis, or a strategy employed to prevent hunting-related injuries during this critical period of the year.


THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM IS MORE THAN THE PLACES AND OBJECTS central to the heritage of the United States. The national park system embodies intangible meanings—beauty, health, wonder, freedom, democracy, and struggle —that are central to our collective identity. The survival of the national park system in the 21st century depends on how it interacts with society and how much society values it. The Interpretation and Education Program is the primary means by which the National Park Service engages diverse publics with their national parks, provides access to meanings, establishes relevance, and connects people and communities to national heritage. It is critical that the NPS Interpretation and Education Program be strong, vital, flexible, and effective. To that end, it is exciting that the NPS is in the midst of an interpretation and education renaissance—a commitment to build on existing success, and to learn, grow, and respond to our changing society. The National Park System Advisory Board Education Committee is honored to be a catalyst for this renaissance and is pleased to see the director and the National Leadership Council forming a strong partnership with regional, park level, and field leaders within interpretation and education. This National Park Service Interpretation and Education Evaluation Summit was a historic step toward creating a culture of evaluation within NPS, which is one of the central pillars of the renaissance. It was clear to me that summit participants found the experience of this day and a half of dialogue to be fulfilling and thought-provoking. The contributions of our panelists and outside experts provided fresh and useful insights, and the responsive discussion from NPS staff and partners demonstrated the depth, creativity, and commitment that we bring to this challenge and opportunity. The National Park Service must work to find the resources that will help to create this culture of inquiry and on-going learning. This is not something that can be accomplished overnight. This will be a long journey, but ultimately the effort will be fulfilling, worthwhile, and enjoyable. Creating a culture of evaluation will be a key piece of taking the NPS from "good" to "great."


This book features top commentators on the American political scene reporting on the biggest stories of the year.This anthology - the seventh in a highly regarded series - draws on a wide variety of publications and political viewpoints to present the year's most insightful and entertaining articles on the current political scene, including coverage of the 2008 elections, America's continuing struggles in Iraq and Afghanistan, and profiles of the presidential candidates.The selections include Jane Mayer's investigation of the various highly coercive interrogation techniques routinely employed by the CIA and the Pentagon, Jonathan Chait's report on how radical economic extremists have seized political power and hijacked national policy, Andrew Sullivan's article on "Why Barack Obama matters," and Todd Purdum on the late-second-term blues of the White House. The writings come from such publications as "The New Yorker", "The New Republic", the "Atlantic Monthly", and "Vanity Fair".


The present invention relates to a method of multi-phase for programming a nonvolatile memory ( "NVM") cells in a NVM array (100), circuits, and systems. The present invention, during a first programming phase (2000), and determine when one or the more NVM cells of the first set have reached or exceeded the first intermediate voltage of the cell, further, the charge pump circuit to (130), the terminals of one or more cells of the first set (100), a large threshold relatively more in the cell having less stored charge than in cells with more accumulated charge relatively more It may include a controller (110) for applying a second phase program (3000) a pulse that induces a voltage change.


The general theoretical model and the way to put it into effect of federated filtering for multi-sensor information fusion are researched.For request of application,characteristics of general model are analyzed,the practical algorithm to get the info-partition coefficient and the specific method to realize the model are presented.Based on INS/GPS/RDSS/Doppler/CNS,a specialized integrated navigation system,math-simulating and analysis are proceeded.The results of simulation show that the way to realize general model which remain the global optimality,stability,high computational efficiency,is improved.


The coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic is defining a global health crisis, which is the hugest challenge the world has faced since World War II. Accordingly, the global economy as well is facing the worst economic catastrophe since the 1930s Great Depression. The case in Egypt is similar to the rest of the world. Despite being threatened by GDP decline and income losses; the Egyptian government has reacted early to restrain the pandemic outbreak. By mid-March, many measures had been undertaken to contain the spread of the virus. More than three months after imposing them, Egypt began lifting many of the restrictions put in place to curb the spread of coronavirus. Predictions of the potential spread of Covid-19 based on time series Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) and econometric Autoregressive-Distributed Lag (ARDL) forecasting models are utilized in this paper for designing and/or evaluating countermeasures. The aim of this study is threefold, first using the most recent available data to find the best prediction models for daily cases and death in Egypt and forecast them up to 7 November 2020. Second, to analyze the effect of mobility on the incidence of the pandemic using Google Community Mobility Reports (GCMR) to evaluate the results of easing lockdown restrictions. Finally, providing some recommendations that may help lessen the spread of the virus and eradicate new deaths as possible. The results revealed that mobility of population is affecting the incidence of new cases of Covid-19 significantly over the period of the study. Additionally, the total number of infections on November 7 2020 is expected to reach 102,352 cases, while the total death toll is predicted to be 5,938 according to the most accurate methods of forecasting. Accordingly, in order to sustain the predicted flat pandemic curve, many restrictions must be continued and emergency mechanisms need to be considered. For instance, adhering to the precautions of social distancing advised by the health minister and the declared hygiene rules to ensure that infection is prevented or transmitted is necessary. Besides, being prepared with re-imposing lockdown strategies and health system support are essential among others. It should also be noted that this expected pattern can shift, yet that depends on people's actions.


Statistics R a based on power divergence can be used for testing the homogeneity of a product multinomial model. All R a have the same chi-square limiting distribution under the null hypothesis of homogeneity. R 0 is the log likelihood ratio statistic and R 1 is Pearson's X 2 statistic. In this article, we consider improvement of approximation of the distribution of R a under the homogeneity hypothesis. The expression of the asymptotic expansion of distribution of R a under the homogeneity hypothesis is investigated. The expression consists of continuous and discontinuous terms. Using the continuous term of the expression, a new approximation of the distribution of R a is proposed. A moment-corrected type of chi-square approximation is also derived. By numerical comparison, we show that both of the approximations perform much better than that of usual chi-square approximation for the statistics R a when a ≤ 0, which include the log likelihood ratio statistic.


ABSTRACT This article assesses the development and current state of climate history research conducted in the five Nordic countries and Estonia. The possible societal impacts of past climatic changes already interested a handful of Nordic historians in the early twentieth century, but the lack of data on past climate fluctuations constrained scholarship in this field until recently. The data availability has increased fundamentally over the past decades due to the advances of palaeoclimatology. However, these advances have created new challenges, related to the ability to utilize data from the natural sciences in historical research as well as acquiring a basic knowledge on climatology. In many European countries, climate history has established itself as a strong academic subfield and consequently has created approaches as to how to overcome some main pitfalls, like climate determinism, related to the early works in the field. These epistemological advances are just beginning to gain a foothold in Nordic historical research. Thus, the article concludes with ten recommendations to improve future research in Nordic climate history.


Recently, the Somali diaspora has found itself at the centre of heightened security concerns surrounding the proliferation of international terrorist networks and their recruitment strategies. These concerns have reached new levels since the absorption of al-Shabaab into al-Qaeda in 2012. Based on a qualitative analysis of interviews with 118 members of Canada's largest Somali community, this article draws upon narrative criminology to reverse the 'why they joined' question that serves as the predicate for much recent radicalization scholarship, and instead explores, 'why they would never join'. We encounter Somali-Canadians equipping themselves with sophisticated counternarratives that vitiate the enticements of al-Shabaab. Particularly, notions of 'coolness', 'trickery' and 'religious perversion' mediate participants' perceptions of al-Shabaab and enable a self-empowering rejection of its recruitment narratives. In particular, we find resonances between the narratives of non-recruits and 'bogeyman' narratives that exist commonly in many cultures. The efficacy of these narratives for resilience is three-fold, positioning the recruiters as odious agents, recruits as weak-minded dupes and our participants as knowledgeable storytellers who can forewarn others against recruitment to al-Shabaab.


Conformal totally symmetric arbitrary spin currents and shadow fields in flat space-time of dimension greater than or equal to four are studied. A gauge invariant formulation for such currents and shadow fields is developed. Gauge symmetries are realized by involving the Stueckelberg fields. A realization of global conformal boost symmetries is obtained. Gauge invariant differential constraints for currents and shadow fields are obtained. AdS/CFT correspondence for currents and shadow fields and the respective normalizable and non-normalizable solutions of massless totally symmetric arbitrary spin AdS fields are studied. The bulk fields are considered in a modified de Donder gauge that leads to decoupled equations of motion. We demonstrate that leftover on shell gauge symmetries of bulk fields correspond to gauge symmetries of boundary currents and shadow fields, while the modified de Donder gauge conditions for bulk fields correspond to differential constraints for boundary conformal currents and shadow fields. Breaking conformal symmetries, we find interrelations between the gauge invariant formulation of the currents and shadow fields, and the gauge invariant formulation of massive fields.


A CONFERENCE on "The Metallic State" was held in the University of Bristol at the H. H. Wills Physics Laboratory on July 2-5, about forty visitors being present from other parts of England and from the Continent. Most of the visitors were housed in Wills Hall, one of the University halls of residence.


The trends of chemical abundances and abundance ratios observed in stars of different ages, kinematics, and metallicities bear the imprints of several physical processes which concur, thus shaping the host galaxy properties. By inspecting these trends, we obtain precious information on stellar nucleosynthesis, the stellar mass spectrum, the timescale of structure formation, the efficiency of star formation, as well as any inward or outward flows of gas. In this paper, we analyse recent determinations of carbon-to-iron and carbon-to-oxygen abundance ratios in different environments (the Milky Way and elliptical galaxies), using our latest chemical evolution models that implement up-to-date stellar yields and rely on the tight constraints provided by asteroseismic stellar ages, whenever available. A scenario where most carbon is produced by rotating massive stars, with yields largely dependent on the metallicity of the parent proto-star clouds, allowed us to simultaneously fit the high-quality data available for the local Galactic components (thick and thin discs) and for microlensed dwarf stars in the Galactic bulge, as well as the abundance ratios inferred for massive elliptical galaxies. Nevertheless, more efforts are needed from both observers and theoreticians in order to base these conclusions on firmer ground.


Low mood and depression are common mental states among older people, and are difficult to diagnose and treat, causing suffering and declining functions. The aim of the study was to describe registered nurses' experiences of barriers in providing care for older persons with low mood in Swedish municipal settings. Ten registered nurses working in municipal settings were interviewed using a qualitative approach. The analysis resulted in two main categories, 'Professional barriers in the care of older persons with low mood' and 'Organisational barriers in the care of older persons with low mood', and four subcategories. Improvements regarding increased knowledge about the use of assessments tools are suggested. Registered nurses should strive to listen to the older person's desires and needs. Furthermore, suggestions about improved collaboration within the organisation as well as with other caregivers in order to provide quality care to older persons with low mood, are made. COREQ was used as criteria to report qualitative data.


In the present issue of the Journal, O'Dea [ l ] reviews the remarkable changes in health seen in the Australian Aborigines as they have assumed a Westernized diet and life style. Diabetes has become a major health problem, and obesity and various important risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) have become apparent. In short. the Aborigines are rapidly developing the major health problems of the Western world as they become part of it and adopt its life style. The estimated prevalence of diabetes in Australians of European descent is around 3.4% [2], similar to that in Sweden and other European countries. Various studies have shown that the prevalence of diabetes in Aborigines is between 10 and 20%. This high prevalence is attributable to non-insulin-dependent diabetes (NIDDM), while insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM) appears to be a rare entity. The onset of NIDDM also occurs at an earlier age in Aborigines than in Caucasians. Apart from the high diabetes prevalence, elevated triglycerides, lower HDL-cholesterol levels, hypertension and hyperinsulinaemia are frequently seen. This constellation of risk factors for CVD, commonly termed the 'metabolic syndrome ', has been attributed to insulin resistance [31, i.e. impaired sensitivity to insulin in target organs. The transition from a traditional hunter-gatherer life style to a westernized life style leads to new health problems in many indigenous people. Various aspects of the 'metabolic syndrome ' have been described, diabetes being the most extensively studied, due to the existence of international criteria for its diagnosis. Perhaps the most well-known group are the Pima Indians in Arizona [4]. At the beginning of this century diabetes was probably a very rare disease in this tribe. However, their life style became westernized as a result of the diversion of the water supply needed to support their subsistence farming. Today they buy rather than produce their own food, and obesity has become a severe health problem. Furthermore, the Pima Indians have the world's highest known diabetes (NIDDM) prevalence, of around 50%. In fact, in the age group with the highest prevalence (over 55 years), about 80% of both men and women become diabetic. Thus in these Indians diabetes is the norm, while a normal glucose tolerance is abnormal ! Similar results, although with a lower prevalence than in the Pima Indians, have been reported for several other American Indian tribes, Polynesians and inhabitants of Pacific Islands such as Nauru, Samoa and Fiji, Mexican Americans and Mauritians. Migration of various ethnic groups has also been associated with increased diabetes prevalence. This is most notable in Japanese people living in Hawaii or Chinese individuals living in Mauritius. Although both native Japanese and Chinese have a low prevalence of diabetes, it is high in migrants living in Hawaii or Mauritius, respectively [51. Although development of NIDDM is linked to genetic background, these epidemiological results clearly demonstrate the profound importance of both environment and life style in precipitating the disease. In fact, considering the extremely high prevalence in the elderly Pima Indians (around 80%). the question arises as to whether the genetic susceptibility to diabetes is ubiquitous. Thus is it possible that, under the right environmental conditions, the genetic susceptibility is virtually loo%? Is this only true for the Pimas and other Indian tribcs, or are we all prone to developing diabetes ? Genetic susceptibility obviously determines at what degree of 'environmental stress ' diabetes may be precipitated. The interesting study of O'Dea et al. referred to in this issue [ l ] , where diabetic Aborigines were reverted to their original life style, shows the important role of the environment. The fasting glucose levels were markedly reduced and, in many subjects, fell below the diagnostic level for diabetes. In addition, blood pressure and triglyceride levels were also markedly lowered. A further interesting, but not unexpected, finding was the observed increase in the proportion of unsaturated plasma fatty acids during the traditional diet.


By evaluating the obtained results of PM3 computations, the following correlations were found: (i) the diarylamines redox potentials (E) with the first ionization potentials (I); (ii) the pKa values characterizing both the amines nitrogen protonation and the carboxy substituted reagents dissociation via the COOH group, with the proton affinities of the corresponding diphenylamines and COO--containing anions; (iii) the experimental values of the molecules dipole moments (μ) with the theoretical ones. The feasibility of the simple semiempirical quantum chemical evaluation of E, pKa, and μ of the diphenylamine series as redox reagents was determined.Key words: diphenylamine series, redox potential, pKa, dipole moment, semiempirical quantum chemical evaluation


L-band geosynchronous synthetic aperture radar (GEO SAR) images will most likely deteriorate in the presence of ionosphere scintillation interference due to the low carrier frequency of GEO SAR. Meanwhile, because of the high orbit and the long working time above the region with the active ionosphere, GEO SAR will experience ionospheric scintillation with a higher probability. To make the GEO SAR avoid being interfered by ionospheric scintillation, we propose an orbit-optimization strategy by utilizing the diurnal and geographical pattern of the ionospheric scintillation occurrence in this letter. As the equatorial region is likely to experience ionospheric scintillation during the specified time window from the early evening after sunset to midnight, the orbit can be optimized by tuning the GEO SAR orbit parameters (e.g., a proper time past perigee) to avoid imaging over the equatorial region during the specified time window. Finally, simulation is conducted to verify the effectiveness of the method under the proposed three types of GEO SAR orbits, and the corresponding effective sets of time past perigee are obtained.


Conservatives and liberals harmonize on few issues, but they are. at least, equally vehement in criticizing television entertainment. On the liberal side, women and minority groups claim that television's unflattering portrayals of them perpetuate negative stereotypes. Conservatives object to the loose morality which they view as undermining the traditional American values of family, hard work, and patriotism. And myriad groups, from the PTA to the National Institute of Mental Health, worry that pervasive television violence is breeding aggressive individuals or even criminals.


A precise isochronous condition for reference particles is essential to precisely determine the mass of nuclei using the Rare RI Ring (R3); therefore, one of the main purposes of a machine study for R3 is the isochronous tuning with beams. An isochronous field is formed by a combination of the edge-angle and gradient magnetic field of dipoles that are equipped with 10 trim coils. In the first machine study, a first-order isochronous field tuned to a Kr primary beam was successfully formed by adjusting the trim coils. The time-of-flight (TOF) spectrum after extraction as a function of momentum can be used to verify the isochronism, as shown in Fig. 1. Although it is natural that the sec-


Resource provisiomng is an important and challenging problem in the large-scale distributed systems such as Cloud computing environments. Resource management issues such as Quality of Service (QoS) further exacerbate the resource provisioning problem. Furthermore, with the increasing functionality and complexity of Cloud computing, resource failures are inevitable. Therefore, the question we address in this paper is how to provision resources to applications in the presence of resource failures in a hybrid Cloud computing environment. To this end, we propose three Cloud resource provisioning policies where we utilize workflow applications to drive the system workload. The proposed strategies take into account the workload model and the failure correlations to redirect requests to appropriate Cloud providers. Using real failure traces and workload models, we evaluated the performance and monetary cost of the proposed policies. The results of our experiments show that we can decrease the deadline violation rate of users' requests to as low as 20% with a limited cost on Amazon public Cloud.


This article is devoted to the problem of text analysis and, in particular, the aspect of cohesion and coherence realization within it. The author shows the effectiveness of predication-centered approach when implemented to this problem (especially when texts in the Oriental isolating languages). The possible ways of improving the existing approaches to text analysis are also shown, with the prospects of integrating the most significant ones.


Utilizing the technique of cavity excitation, this paper proposes a novel beam steering antenna with low sidelobe level. The whole beam steering antenna consists of two parts, i.e., a parallel plate waveguide based ferroelectric lens and a cavity-type feeding source. By independently tuning the DC bias voltage of each column of the ferroelectric lens, the beam of feeding source can be effectively collimated and steered in the far-field. By eliminating the spillover radiation at lens edge, low-sidelobe beam steering can be implemented. Full-wave simulated results show that the proposed antenna can achieve sidelobe levels of -34 dB at 0° steering angle and -25 dB at 30° steering angle. Without involving the complex feeding networks, the proposed lens antenna provides a promising alternative of complicated phased array antennas.


Digital image interpolation is important role in the geometric manipulation of a digital image. Interpolation is related to the process of mapping pixels, forward and reverse.Then this research will implementation of the bicubic interpolation method in the image process that is 16 pixel  nearest neighborhood contained in the input image and generated a new pixel value with upscale  and . Tests carried out on the type of RGB and images with BMP format with a variety of different image sizes. Tests with secondary data "Set5" and "Set14" validation results on upscale 3x using the PSNR method and results based on the average value of the secondary data "Set5" 30.40 and "Set14" 27.54 Keywords: Bicubic Interpolation, Super Resolution, PSNR,


The fundamental principle of runoff high efficiency use in dryland on Loess Plateau is presented, and the effect and benefit of supplemental irrigation of runoff water on the fruit tree,greenhouse vegetation,field grain were studied.The limited runoff water stored in water tank should irrigate the crops with high economic value at first, and them to field crops.


Hybrid sol-gel technology was used for fabrication of prototypes of coaxial two, three and four telescopes beam combiners for astronomical applications. These devices were designed for the astronomical J-band and have been characterized using an optical source with emission centered at 1265 nm and with a spectral FWHM of 50 nm. Interferometric characterization of the two, three and four beam combiners, showed average contrasts respectively higher than 98%, 96% and 95%. Interferometric spectral analysis of the beam combiners revealed that the chromatic differential dispersion is the main contributor to the observed contrast decay in the latter cases. The laser direct writing technique was used for fabrication of a coaxial two beam combiner on sol-gel material; it showed a contrast of 95%. The measured high contrast fringes confirm that the procedures used lead to performant IO beam combiners. These results demonstrate the capabilities of the hybrid sol-gel technology for fast prototyping of complex chip designs for astronomical applications.


Background: The membrane proteins, TatA, TatB, and TatC, enable the transmembrane passage of folded precursor proteins. Results: The transmembrane helix of TatA makes contacts with TatC and precursors recognized by the TatBC complex. Conclusion: Following its insertion into the TatBC receptor complex, a Tat signal sequence contacts a nearby monomer of TatA. Significance: TatA interacts with twin-arginine precursors prior to the actual translocation event. Twin-arginine translocation (Tat) is a unique protein transport pathway in bacteria, archaea, and plastids. It mediates the transmembrane transport of fully folded proteins, which harbor a consensus twin-arginine motif in their signal sequences. In Gram-negative bacteria and plant chloroplasts, three membrane proteins, named TatA, TatB, and TatC, are required to enable Tat translocation. Available data suggest that TatA assembles into oligomeric pore-like structures that might function as the protein conduit across the lipid bilayer. Using site-specific photo-cross-linking, we have investigated the molecular environment of TatA under resting and translocating conditions. We find that monomeric TatA is an early interacting partner of functionally targeted Tat substrates. This interaction with TatA likely precedes translocation of Tat substrates and is influenced by the proton-motive force. It strictly depends on the presence of TatB and TatC, the latter of which is shown to make contacts with the transmembrane helix of TatA.


This paper addresses the problem of dynamic thread mapping in heterogeneous many-core systems via an efficient algorithm that maximizes performance under power constraints. Heterogeneous many-core systems are composed of multiple core types with different power-performance characteristics. As well documented in the literature, the generic mapping problem is an NP-complete problem which can be formulated as a 0-1 integer linear program, therefore, prohibitively expensive to solve optimally in an online scenario. However, in real applications, thread mapping decisions need to be responsive to workload phase changes. This paper proposes an iterative approach bounding the runtime as O(n2/m), for mapping multi-threaded applications on n cores comprising of m core types. Compared with an optimal solution, the proposed algorithm produces results less than 0.6% away from optimum on average, with two orders of magnitude improvement in runtime. Results show that performance improvement can reach 16% under iso-power constraints compared to a random mapping. The algorithm can be brought online for hundred-core heterogeneous systems as it scales to systems comprised of 256 cores with less than one millisecond in overhead.


Parafoil vehicles in maneuvering flight differ significantly from other, wconventional", aircraft types in that control input produces turn rate, rather than roll rate, and also in that turning is associated with side-slip or "skidw. The case of a steady turn is analyzed. Expressions for turn response to control input are derived, based on a linearized (constant coefficient) model. Aerodynamic coefficients of a typical parafoil, calculated using a discrete vortex computer program, are tabulated for use in example turn calculations. The program and details of the model geometry are discussed. Examples are calculated, illustrating the effects of scale and wing loading on turn and turn radius. rate


As stated previously the most widely used Pai-ch'ien is obtained from Cynanchum stauntoni (Dcne.)Hand.-Mazz.and C.glaucescens(Dcne.)Hand.-Mazz.,and Pai-wei obtaincd from C. alratum Bge.and C.versicolor Bge.,all belong to the family Asclepiadaceae.In this paper,detailed macrospopical and microscopical descriptions of the commercial drugs derived from these four plants are given,while the commercial samples of Pai-chien and Pai-wei derived from the other eleven plants,namely,Cynanchum amplexicaule Hemsl.,C.japonicum Morr.et Dcne.,Cynanchum sp., Pycnostdma paniculatum K.Sch.,Gerbera piloselloides Cass.,Melandryum lankongense Hand.- Mazz.,Asparagus schoberioldes Kunth.,Asparagus pallasii Printz.,Asparagus officinalis L.,Aspa- ragus Oligoclonus Maxim.,Iris dichotoma Pall.,and a recently collected species Disporum sessile Don,used as Pai-wei in Szechuan,may be regarded as substitutes and adulterants.Only their macro- seopical characters are described. The differences in macroscopical and/or microscopical characters between the above sixteen commercial samples of different botanical origin are discussed together with a key of identification.


Variations of the testicular permeability are demonstrated in Locusta migratoria by using tracers such as iron-containing particles of protein. The testicular region containing spermatids is never penetrated by the tracers in contrast to the apical region containing gonia and young spermatocytes. Permeability of this compartment shows variations during the intermoult.


During embryonic, individual postnatal early life and adult period, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal(HPA)axis could be programmed by some types of stresses, behaviors, drugs, diets and nutrients. The function set-point reset. Once HPA axis was programmed, even to remove these factors of programming, the function of HPA axis still retained a hyper state or hypofunction state. We thought HPA programming forms a new stable state, which is meaningful to make animal model for ZHENG of traditional Chinese medicine without automatic recovery and to understand the core mechanisms of ZHENG. In addition, HPA programming was proved to be associated with increased incidence and development of multiple diseases, but so far no intervention was generated. Therapies from traditional Chinese medicine possessing advantages in modulating endoenvironment might open a new ield in correcting abnormal HPA programming.


In order to screen pesticides against Diorhbda tarsalis Weise,toxicity of the pesticides was assayed by indoor and field experiments. The results of indoor toxicity showed that the sensitivity of D. tarsalis to vertrine 0.5% (SL) is the highest; the LD 50 value is 0.139 mg/L,the followings are azadirachtin 0.3% (EC),L2,matrine 1% (SL),and L1; the LD 50 values of these pesticides are 0.457,1.352,2.014 and 2.251 mg/L respectively. Those are all higher than that of other biogenic pesticides and chemical pesticides. The results of field efficacy showed 100% control effect of vertrine against D. tarsalis in 21 days,while the effect of matrine and azadirachtin are both 86.67%. The control effect of L2 and L1 are only 66.67% and 40%,respectively. In addition,above pesticides has distinct control effects to non-target pest Empoasca spp. as well. Those control effects in 21 days,except for L1,are all higher than 68.89%. Azadirachtin,matrine,L2,and L1 are safe to narural enemies Hippodamia variegate and Chrysopa sinica; the highest correction reduced rate is 57.14%. What is more,these pesticides has minor effect on bio-diversity in ecosystem. The average bio-diversity index of matrine in all time is 2.93,that of azadirachtin,L1,L2,and vertrine is 2.88,2.45,2.43,and 2.07,respectively. Therefore,azadirachtin and matrine are considered to be ideal pesticides to control D. tarsalis.


Our knowledge of housing in Cairo during the Ottoman period from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century is uneven Various sources (waqf documents in particular) furnish detailed descriptions of important residences such as mansions and palaces. It is possible to examine numerous extant buildings of this type.1 Unfortunately, we have little information on "average" dwellings. Although great variety exists within this building category, the general concept remains fairly constant. The private house of the Ottoman period opened onto a secondary street or cul-de-sac. A corridor gave access to an interior courtyard. Windows opened either on this or, in the case of important dwellings, the arcades of a maq'ad (loggia). The house was often two or three stories tall and included a closed reception room, the qa'a. These houses were located in areas near the central commercial districts inside the Fatimid region of the town (Qahira).


The government's response is one basic concept in the field of administration,which is of more and more practical significance to the work of the grass-roots maintaining stability.Recently the governments at all levels have made active explorations on strengthening the government's response capability in the work of the grass-roots maintaining stability;however,some problems still remain to be solved.For example,the enthusiasm of the government's response is low,the ways of the government's response are traditional and uniform,and the mechanism of the government's response is not perfect.In order to solve these problems,some strategies are put forward including establishing a citizen-based service consciousness,constantly enriching and innovating the ways of the grass-roots government's response,and improving the grass-roots government's response mechanisms of legislation,consultation,supervision,evaluation and feedback.


INTRODUCTION In Denmark large gas fired engines are widely used as a local supply for heat and power. On some occasions this gives rise to several kinds of environmental problem for nearby neighbours. Ordinary noise problems are usually considered in the planning phase, while low frequency problems come as a surprise afterwards. Many of these installations are made in existing buildings originally meant for more quiet use. As a consequence low frequency noise, infrasound and vibration problems are possible companions to these installations. This presentation is based on a case study from an installation in Nykebing Mors, Denmark. After installation of two 3200 kW Niigata 18V261 IX-G engines in new buildings the neighbours started complaining about low frequency noise and were worried about vibration induced damage to their houses. Several years earlier a Pielstich 6PC 2.5 L 400 LCV engine had been installed without any reaction from the neighbours.


In this study, the protonation states of ionizable groups of human lactoferrin in various conformations were investigated theoretically, at physiological pH (7.365). These calculations show that the transition of the protein from a conformation to another one is accompanied by changes in the protonation state of specifi c amino acid residues. Analysis of the pKa calculatons underlined the importance of participation of two arginines and one lysine in the opening / closing of the protein. In addition, it was found that the mechanism of iron release depends on the protonation state of TYR-192. Protonated state of this residue in the closed form of lactoferrin will trigger the opening of protein and release of iron ions.


A facile method for the preparation of porous ultrafine nanofibers was demonstrated. The PAN/NaHCO3 composite nanofibers were electrospun, and then NaHCO3 was removed by a selective dissolution and reaction with the solution of hydrochloric acid (10 wt%). The obtained PAN fibers showed highly porous surfaces after the extraction of NaHCO3. The structure and properties of ultrafine PAN nanofibers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetry (TG). The results indicated that NaHCO3 could be introduced into the PAN solution and successfully electrospun. CO2 is released and pores are formed on the fibers. The morphology image of the fibers was detected by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and showed that many pores aligned the nanofibers. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


This paper addresses some aspects of the development of a fully coupled thermal-structural reduced order modeling of planned hypersonic vehicles, most notably the construction of the thermal and structural bases. A general framework for this construction is presented and demonstrated on a representative panel considered in prior investigations. The thermal reduced order model is first developed using basis functions derived from appropriate conduction eigenvalue problems. This basis is validated using published data of which it is found to provide an accurate representation. The coupling of this thermal model with a recently developed nonlinear structural reduced order model of the same panel is next considered. This coupling requires first the enrichment of the structural basis to model the elastic deformations that may be produced consistently with the thermal reduced order model. This step is detailed for the present panel and then the temperature dependent coefficients of the structural model are determined. The validation of the combined structural-thermal reduced order model is carried out by comparison with full finite element results (Nastran here) corresponding to pure mechanical loads, pure thermal loads, and combined mechanical-thermal excitations. Such comparisons are performed here on static solutions with temperature increases up to 2700R and pressures up to 3 psi for which the maximum displacements are of the order of 3 thicknesses. The reduced order model predicted results agree well with the full order finite element predictions in all of these various cases.


It is significant to recognize the evolvement from normal to fault for acquainting running-states and ensuring machining accuracy.The character extraction method with varying scales was proposed to improve the veracity of state recognition,and was compared with the traditional method with the example of headstock bearing's abrasion.The simulation and experimental results indicate that the signal characters with more state information can be obtained pertinently by using the character extraction method with varying scales.The veracity of recognition is 98.44% in the 192 test samples,which is higher than that of the traditional method.


ABSTRACT In the last two-and-a-half decades, the political landscape in Malawi has undergone a remarkable metamorphosis which has been characterized by institutional and legislative instruments that tilt towards enhancing democracy and the enjoyment of human rights. In Malawi's case, the establishment of the Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC), the Office of Ombudsman, and reform of the Malawi Police Force to the Malawi Police Service, to mention just a few, as well as the reintroduction of the Bill of Rights in the Republican Constitution, attest to this metamorphosis. For a society that lived under oppressive conditions for a long time (from pre-independence to the independence single-party era), the euphoria with democracy has proven to be difficult to tame and the rights-enhancing institutions and laws, while meant for good, have to some extent provided loopholes and a breeding ground for moral decadence. The recognition of moral decadence is widely acknowledged; and there are initiatives at global, regional, and national levels to address it. The economic, social and reputation costs associated with moral decadence are enormous. The need for remedial measures to address it and enhance an effective compliance mechanism cannot therefore be overemphasized. This paper further dissects the moral decadence concept and its associated costs and offers suggestions for a workable ethics and compliance program.


Through the analysis of the traditional management of personnel archives and the anticipation of the development trend in the modern management of personnel Archives, this article puts forward some measures that should be taken in the modern management of personenl archives, namely the reinforcement in modernization of information management of personnel archives, consciousness of management and information of the leadership, professional knowledge of administrative personnel, etc.


Planning urban snow removal, which is a complex optimization problem, is an important task in some countries like Sweden. A number of streets in a city must be cleared of snow by a limited number of vehicles and the tours for the vehicles must be planned in order to minimize the time and/or cost. Since modern real life city networks often contain parts that are trees, one can take advantage of the tree structure, in order to improve the computational eÿciency. In this paper, we study tree parts and develop a tree elimination procedure for the snow removal problem, to be used before searching for optimal tours. We have implemented the procedure and applied it to real life city networks. The numerical results compare obtaining feasible tours for real life city networks with and without tree elimination. It shows that the total solution time is signifcantly decreased with tree elimination, and larger areas can be handled.


PurposeThe objective of this paper is to extend the debate on audit quality in the less complex entity (LCE) context by analyzing comment letters submitted to the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB). The IAASB has drafted a new, stand-alone standard for audits of LCEs' financial statements.Design/methodology/approachThe Gioia method is utilized to conduct the qualitative analysis. This enables the material to shine and provide a comprehensive picture of the important aspects of the comment letters about the International Standard on Auditing (ISA) for LCEs. A content analysis of the 145 comment letters is conducted to identify the extent of the support for and the arguments against the new, stand-alone draft standard for audits of LCEs' financial statements. In addition, this study considers how the comment letters describe the respondents' views on audit quality in relation to the new standard. Finally, the tone of the comment letters and audit quality arguments is investigated.FindingsThe findings provide a useful framework of the most frequently used arguments supporting and opposing the ISA for LCEs. Within the themes identified, a wide variety of issues and concerns are discussed. The results reveal that the arguments in the comment letters are contradictory. For instance, when discussing audit quality, those interest groups that perceived many positive opportunities in the adoption of the ISA for LCEs thought that the audit quality would increase. Conversely, those interest groups that were skeptical about the success of the ISA for LCEs argued that the audit quality could be compromised by the general prejudice that the ISA for LCEs might be perceived as a lower-quality audit with fewer procedures.Originality/valueThis paper is, to the best of the authors' knowledge, the first to examine the content of comment letters in the context of a new, stand-alone standard for audits of LCEs. The international audience can utilize the results in the context of the widely discussed issue of reducing LCEs' auditing obligations. This study aims to contribute to the two streams of accounting literature concerning audit quality and political lobbying.