It was disheartening and sad to read Dr. Elihu Richter's knee-jerk response to the publication of our article 'Imprints on the Consciousness … .' in the European Journal of Public Health recently, as he was trying to justify the unjustifiable and distort reality. We are all too aware of the problem of falling into the trap of counting dead bodies and fixating on the consequences rather than the causes of death, injury and ill health in both Palestine and Israel, as the cause of suffering of all is the Israeli military occupation of Palestinian land. And whereas this is not our preferred approach to argument, we find ourselves in the unfortunate position of having to respond in line with the logic that he used in critiquing what we have written.

From September 14th 1993 till September 28th 2000, 389 Palestinians were killed by Israelis, while 262 Israelis were killed by Palestinians. Palestinian fatality accounted for 60% of all Palestinian and Israeli fatalities during this Post Oslo Peace Accords period. …


The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) is the most comprehensive, and the most widely used set of foreign language education standards throughout the world. The recent reforms in foreign language teaching in Uzbekistan have mainly touched upon teaching English language in all levels and stages of education. At this point CEFR plays as the main framework to be adopted in developing the national standard. In this article, we shall discuss reforms of adoption and implementation of the new standard which was a requirement of time and has started a new era in the whole system of foreign languages learning in Uzbekistan.


Mathematics courses are widely applied in the overall sector because mathematics is not only about the calculation or formulation, but also help in solving problems using mathematical modelling. Students need to have a good understanding of the theory of mathematics in order to produce the best results. In the world of digitization, subjects in science, technology, engineering and mathematics have become Malaysia's agenda in the preparation to compete globally. Empowering in these subjects enable the creation of innovators of the future, hence create job opportunities in the digitization world. However, the academic institutions have been facing a critical problem in potential growth of achieving the mission and vision in enhancing the students' performance when it is related to the students' interest. This study focuses on students' perception toward mathematics learning among 60 undergraduate management mathematics major's students at UiTM Perlis using fuzzy set conjoint analysis. The attribute in each dimension is ranked according to the highest similarities values. The finding showed that students were rated neutral toward the preparation before class (student's attitude); strongly agree that the lecturers are knowledgeable and well prepared before class (lecturer's role); and rated neutral on female students are more qualified mathematician and their passion toward mathematics but strongly agreed that mathematics is difficult to understand in short period of time (student's perspective).


This qualitative study explores how youth in Tanzania, with low levels of basic education, manage their personal lives and seek opportunities in the workplace or in postbasic education training programs. In Tanzania, Education for All (EFA) has served as a key focal point of coordination between the government and the international donor community. While substantial attention has centered on the challenges of ensuring the sustainability and quality of EFA, there is relatively little known about the socio-economic circumstances of young school leavers and their perceptions of education and its relation to their post-school life trajectories. Using structuration theory as the theoretical framework to illuminate the dynamic interconnectedness of social structures and youth agency, I conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 young male and female school leavers. Disturbing patterns of social reproduction and a fundamental discontinuity between basic education and post-school challenges were revealed in the research. Yet, in view of their resilience, orientation to the future and entrepreneurial resourcefulness, findings suggest that despite profound qualitative shortcomings, aspects of basic education and the structuring effects of economic liberalization may be contributing to enhanced youth agency. The dissertation contributes to the theoretical discourse in the study of youth phenomena by adapting and advancing Klocker's (2007) use of the notion of thinners and thickeners of agency within structuration theory. Exploring factors like educational quality and attainment level, in addition to those already established by Klocker (tribe, gender, age, and poverty), my research shows how young people's agency can be attenuated or accentuated in space and time. This dissertation contributes empirical, hermeneutic and YOUTH AGENCY AND THE EFFICACY OF BASIC EDUCATION IN TANZANIA iii narrative data to illuminate the educational experience and post-basic education realities for a group of Tanzanian youth, reducing what has heretofore been described as a paucity of such qualitative accounts of marginalized African youth and the challenges they face. YOUTH AGENCY AND THE EFFICACY OF BASIC EDUCATION IN TANZANIA iv LIST OF KEY TERMS AND DEFINITIONS EFA Education for All SSA Sub Saharan Africa GoT Government of Tanzania WB World Bank UPE Universal Primary Education CIDA Canadian International Development Agency MDG -Millennium Development Goals RD -Restless Development NGO -Non-Governmental Organization HCT -Human Capital Theory UNCRC -United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child OAU -Organization for African Unity SAP -Structural Adjustment Programs ODA -Official Development Assistance NYA -Northern Youth Abroad CCM -Chama Cha Mapinduzi GDP -Gross Domestic Product PRSC -Poverty Reduction Support Credit HBS -Household Budget Survey CSOs -Civil Society Organizations FBOs -Faith Based Organizations PMO-RALG -Prime Minister's Office (Regional and Local Government) YOUTH AGENCY AND THE EFFICACY OF BASIC EDUCATION IN TANZANIA v CSEE -Certificate of Secondary Education Examination PSLE -Primary School Leaving Examination ISEs -Informal Sector Entrepreneurs ESA -Education Sector Analysis NSGRP -National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty QT -Qualifying Test TVET -Technical and Vocational Training TVETDP -Technical and Vocational Training Development Plan FDCs -Folk Development Colleges YOUTH AGENCY AND THE EFFICACY OF BASIC EDUCATION IN TANZANIA vi


Objective To assess early effect and side effect of three dimensional conformal radiotherapy plus thermotherapy for uterine cervix cancer recurrence treatment.Method Eighteen patients with recurrent uterine cervix cancer were treated with three dimensional conformal radiotherapy plus thermotherapy.Among 18 patients,7 recurred after surgery,8 after radiation therapy,3 after surgery plus radiotherapy.The prescription dose was 44 to 66Gy with 2Gy per fraction.Planning target volume was surrounded with 90% isodose curve.Thermotherapy with 6 to 10 fraction was applied during radiotherapy.Results Complete response was observed in 7 patients,partial response in 8 patients,and stable disease in 3 patients.The total effective rate was 83.3%.Palliation in kinds of Clinical symptoms were achieved.No side effect above 3 grade was observed.Conclusion The early effect is satisfied with three dimensional conformal radiotherapy plus thermotherapy for recurrent uterine cervix cancer treatment.The clinical symptoms relieved remarkably with slight side effect.


In this paper, a practical 40Gb/s 12:16 converter is implemented for VSR parallel optical transmission. The converter realizes the functions of mapping OC-768 frame to/from parallel optics. Using two chips of Altera FPGA and Agilent81250, a complete simplex communication experiment system is built. Detailed design such as frame synchronization, deskew algorithm and converter are presented. In addition, we design a SFI-5 interface verifying board to verify the deskew function. Testing results are also given illustrating that the converter works well.


Abstract Over 17 000 electrical resistivity measurements have been made in the Central Volcanic Region of New Zealand since 1963. Both the Wenner and Schlumberger electrode configurations have been used although the Schlumberger array has been used exclusively since 1970. Improved instrumentation and measurement techniques have led to much improved quality of more recently acquired data, and the incorporation of self consistency tests allow suspect data to be identified. These electrical resistivity data are now being published as a map series, based on the NZMS 260 topographic maps, on a scale of 1:50 000. For each map sheet, two contour maps are issued, one incorporating data with a nominal Schlumberger array spacing of 500 m, the other with nominal spacing of 1000 m. Measurements made with the Wenner configuration, with electrode spacing 1800 ft (549 m) and 3600 ft (1097 m) are used to augment the data for each of these maps, respectively. Because the Wenner data are not directly compatible with the Sc...


Due to the deflection of light by density fluctuations along the line of sight, weak lensing is an unavoidable systematic uncertainty in the use of type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) as cosmological distance indicators. We derive the expected weak lensing signatures of SNe Ia by convolving the intrinsic distribution in SN Ia peak luminosity with magnification distributions of point sources. We find that current SN Ia data at high z show both the presence of a non-Gaussian tail at the bright end (possibly due to high magnifications), and a faint-ward shift of the peak of the distribution (possibly due to demagnifications). Weak lensing effect may have begun to set in as a non-negligible systematic uncertainty in the use of SNe Ia as a cosmological probe, and should be minimized by flux-averaging. Subject headings: cosmology: observations—cosmology: theory—gravitational lensing


The paper compares secondary school curricula of nine European countries with the aim of presenting how communicative competence is operationalized in the foreign language section. Particular emphasis is placed on the conformity with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and the language policy of the Council of Europe. Results have shown that the CEFR, or a communicative approach to language teaching and the corresponding recommendations of the Council of Europe, have been used as a point of reference in most of the analysed foreign language curricula. In the current Croatian secondary school curriculum for English as a foreign language there are no indicators of systematic use of the CEFR, although there are elements of a communicative approach to language teaching and the language policy of the Council of Europe. The author recommends that the CEFR be used when designing the new Croatian foreign language curriculum for secondary schools, particularly in defi ning communicative competence and the levels of knowledge, and that special emphasis be placed on educating teachers, who will work according to that curriculum. The Slovenian model could provide a good example in designing the curriculum as it consistently implements the abovementioned elements.


A method of fabricating an avalanche photodiode pixel includes growing a second doped semiconductor layer on a first doped semiconductor layer having a first doping concentration. The second doped semiconductor layer is grown with a second doping concentration and is of an opposite majority charge carrier type as the first doped semiconductor layer. A doped contact region having a third doping concentration is formed in the second doped semiconductor layer between the doped contact region and the first doped semiconductor layer. The doped contact region is of a same majority charge carrier type as the second doped semiconductor layer. The third doping concentration is greater than the second doping concentration. A guard ring region is formed in the second doped semiconductor layer, is of an opposite majority charge carrier type as the second doped semiconductor layer, and extends through the second doped semiconductor layer surrounding the doped contact region.


This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of theSecond International Bioinformatics Research and Development Conference, BIRD 2008, held in Vienna, Austria in July 2008. The 49 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected. 30 papers are organized in topical sections followed by 11 papers from the ALBIO workshop and 8 papers from the PETRIN workshop.


Objectives: To compare rates of institutionalization of dementia patients cared for by Latina and Caucasian female caregivers and to explore which caregiver and care‐recipient characteristics predicted institutionalization.


The fixing number of a graph G is the cardinality of a smallest set of vertices of G that is not fixed by any non-trivial automorphism of G. In this paper we investigate the fixing number of finite graphs with abelian automorphism group.


Choreographed and performed by Faustin Linyekula of Studios Kabako. Co-presented by the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival and the Dance Centre's Global Dance Connections Series at the Scotiabank Dance Centre, Vancouver, Canada, 2015.


In order to study the novel biometric of eyebrow,this paper presented an eyebrows verification based on wavelet transform and support vector machines(SVM).Extracted the features of the eyebrows image by wavelet transform,and then classified them based on SVM.Verification results of the experiment on an eyebrow database taken from 100 of self-built personal demonstrated the effectiveness of the system.The system had a lower FAR 8.22% and FRR 29.58%.Therefore,eyebrow recongnition may possibly apply to personal identification.


ABSTRACT This article argues that accounts of the Russian media system that tend to view the time from Vladimir Putin's rise to power in 2000 as a single homogenous period do not capture major qualitative shifts in state-controlled media coverage. By analyzing the output of Russia's two main television channels during Putin's third presidential term, we identify a range of distinctly new features that amount to a new media strategy. This involves a significant increase in the coverage of political issues through the replacement of infotainment with what we term agitainment—an ideologically inflected content that, through adapting global media formats to local needs, attempts to appeal to less engaged and even sceptical viewers. Despite the tightening of political control over the media following the annexation of Crimea, the new strategy paradoxically has strengthened the constitutive role played by the state-controlled broadcasters in the articulation of official discourse.


The proposition, development and research situation of the theory of bio-thermocatalytic transitional zone gases (BTTZG) are comprehensively introduced, suggesting that the gases are mainly composed of methane formed under the external agents at the specific stage between the end of biochemical processes and the onset of thermocatalysis. The corresponding burial depths range from 1500m to 2500m or even 3000m, the δ 13 C_ 1 values range from -60‰ to -45‰, and R_o values range from 0.3% to 0.6%. The evolution model and formation mechanism of bio-thermocatalytic transitional zone gases are summarized from several aspects such as tectonic setting of the basin, sedimentary and diagenetic characteristics, organic matter composition, early evolution, hydrocarbon generation process, de-grouping and condensation reaction under the control of mechanochemistry produced by extremely active structural stress and clay mineral catalysis. According to the relationship between δ 13 C_ 1 and C_ 1 /(C_ 1 -C_ 5 ), BTTZG can be divided into 4 types: low-evolution and migration type; typical BTTZG; remained type; and the bio-reformed or multiple origin type. The geological and geochemical indicators are identified and the potential BTTZG resources of different kinds of oil-bearing basins in China are prospected.


The importance of group projects in engineering education can make them a central aspect of student experience. Targeting team work self-efficacy beliefs to explore gender dynamics, this survey of upper-level engineering students found that men and women reported differences in self-efficacy and the tasks they were likely to accomplish in a team project. Both genders appeared to have less confidence in female team members. Overall, the interaction between a person's gender and the gender composition of the team appeared more important than the person's gender. However in the three clusters which emerged in Hierarchical Clustering Principal Component analysis, there was no clear gender dimension. Thus, gender is one but perhaps not the most important influence in selfefficacy and group dynamics. This contradicts previous work which found more significant differences for gender and suggests avoiding an overemphasis of this aspect in group dynamics. Summary Team work skills and group project are widely seen as essential in engineering programmes (Crawley et al.,2014; Colbeck et al., 2000; Lehmannet al., 2008) and are part of accreditation criteria (ABET, 2013; Commission des titres d'Ingénieur, 2012). However, working in a group can pose challenges around negotiating leadership, free-riders, and conflicts (Colbeck et al., 2000). Prior work by some of the current authors found 58% of first-year engineering project teams reported tensions which had a strong impact on their group (Isaac & Tormey, 2015). Gender cuts across this focus on group processes in interesting ways. All of the female students interviewed by Barnard et al. (2012) reported that the majority male environment of their engineering programmes had an impact, either positive or negative, on their experiences as students. This is pertinent as sustained efforts to promote engineering to women have failed to significantly increase the proportion pursuing engineering education (Barnard et al., 2012). One way in which gender dynamics of participation in engineering education can be understood is in terms of self-efficacy beliefs (Mara et al., 2013). Self-efficacy beliefs contribute to what people do with the skills and knowledge they have (Bandura, 1997) and were thus taken as a measure for a teamwork setting, where the interplay of social interactions and expectations influence the dynamics. METHOD: The study was conducted with final-year Bachelor and Master students of a large Swiss engineering school in the spring of 2016. The instrument addressed various aspects of teamwork selfefficacy, teamwork experience, and presented a team project scenario. Apart from demographic information, all items used a 5 point Likertscales. Central to the questionnaire were the scenariobased questions, where series of situations involving a project group were posed to respondents. There were two versions of the scenario: in version A, the other members of the group are three female students and in version B, it is three male students. This allowed us to compare four different situations: (a) female respondents in an all-female group, (b) female respondents in a predominantly male group, (c) male respondents in an all-male group and (c) male respondents in a predominantly female group. The term 'gender' did not appear in the questionnaire and so, while students were asked to consider gendered scenarios, they were not asked to explicitly think of them in terms of the gender of participants. This meant we had a better chance of accessing their implicit gendered beliefs and assumptions. A total of 216 valid responses were obtained, including 52 responses from females (version A: 30 and version B: 22) and 164 responses from males (version A: 84 and version B: 80). All trends reported are statistically significant at p<0.05 level. FINDINGS: Males were more likely than females to report confidence that their opinions would be valued by the rest of the group. Their reported self-confidence was higher when working with a group of females than with a group of males. Males also reported less concern than females about if their ability to accomplish a task met the team's standards. Men were also more likely than women to report that they would believe they were being monitored too closely if asked a lot of questions about their progress. There were also differences between male and female students on the tasks they saw themselves taking on in a group. Males were more likely than females to identify themselves as working on technical tasks while, females reported being assigned more frequently to report writing. Both male and female respondents appeared to have less confidence in female teammates: both males and females were more likely to assume responsibility for a female team member who was falling behind on their part of the project than for a male teammate, and females were more likely to want to know about all aspects of a project if they were working with a group of females than if they were working with a group of males (suggesting less trust in the abilities of other female team members). The data was re analysed using clusters. Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) was used to describe the data in a lower multidimensional space and the clustering algorithm (Hierarchical Clustering Principal Component, from the FactoMineR package for R) was used to recursively group respondents that were close to each other. Three clusters emerged: strong self-efficacy people, leaders without trust and low self-efficacy people. Interestingly, there was no clear gender dimension to these clusters. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest that, when explicitly looking for differences in teamwork selfefficacy and experience based on gender, a person's gender together with the gender composition of the team they are working with is more relevant than solely the person's gender. Exploring the way in which an individual's gender interacts with the gender of group members seems to show something more interesting than if we had only focused on the gender of the student themselves. There is a pervasive belief that setting up group projects will implicitly teach engineering students effective group skills (Colbeck et al., 2000; Ford & Morice, 2003). However our data suggests that a student's experience of group work may depend on a range of gendered assumptions which they make about themselves, and which others make about them. These findings suggest that sexism or gender bias is not only something that is imposed upon students by the culture of an institution, it is also something that students have internalised; it is built into their self-concept and their implicit beliefs about others. These assumptions may need to be made explicit in order that students can recognise gendered patterns of beliefs and behaviour in order to confront it and maximise their learning from group work. However, it is possible to become too focused on gender as the key dynamic: the three emergent clusters in our sample had little to do with gender, implying that gender is one but perhaps not the most important influence. This contradicts previous work which found more significant differences for gender (Peinado Pére et al., 2015; Rosch et al., 2014).


The goals and purposes of the study included conducting all phases of field research on the creation of a novel method for weed management in goat's rue herbage that is based on the use of NRS. An arable community is referred to by the biological term "agrophytocenosis." The components of an agrophytocenosis include sowed cultivated plants and satellites, which are species of segetal weeds. These components are linked to the soil by seed banks and banks of vegetative rudiments. When determining an agrophytocenosis, not a particular sowing but rather the complete rotation of crops in a crop rotation within a homogenous region is taken into consideration; if the crop rotation is altered in any way, the agrophytocenosis will also be altered


Abstract: Leaching of leaf litter is the primary source of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in forest soils. However, the interspecific variations of litter-derived DOM characteristics and biodegradation and their controlling factors remain unclear in subtropical plantations. Using fresh leaf litter of two broadleaf trees (Liquidambar formosana and Schima superba) and two coniferous trees (Pinus massoniana and P. elliottii) in subtropical plantations of China, we assessed the effects of tree species on the amounts and properties of litter-derived DOM with a short-term leaching experiment, and examined the interspecific variation of DOM biodegradation using a 56-day laboratory incubation method. Broadleaf tree litter generally leached higher amounts of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved total nitrogen (DTN), and dissolved total phosphorus (DTP) than coniferous tree litter. Compared with coniferous trees, broadleaf trees had higher DOM aromaticity and molecular weight, but lower DOC:DTP and DTN:DTP ratios in the litter leachates. Despite greater DOM aromaticity and molecular weight, broadleaf trees had higher litter-derived DOM biodegradation than coniferous trees because of the relatively lower DOC:DTP and DTN:DTP ratios. These results indicate the distinct patterns of litter-derived DOM characteristics and biodegradation between broadleaf and coniferous trees, and also highlight the predominant role of C:N:P stoichiometry in driving the interspecific variation of litter-derived DOM biodegradation in subtropical plantations of China.


Aiming at no bonding pre-stress concrete cored slab bridge,this paper utilizes finite element software for numerical simulation,compares and analyzes the minimal cutting depth of ring openings,square openings and translots of different dimensions as the stress release of surface concrete is up to zero,providing the reference for existing prestress detection of such bridges.


This report examines the consistency of police and hospital reporting of outcomes of road traffic crashes using a database linking police accident reports and hospital accident and emergency (A&E) department data. The database used consisted of linked records of road traffic crashes for the period 1 October 1987 to 31 December 1988 from police reported casualty crashes, the discharge records from all hospital admissions in Western Australia, the Registrar-General's death records, and records for each ambulance trip to a road crash in the Perth metropolitan area.


The one-step transesterification process for biodiesel prepa ration with THF as a the cosolvent and acid as a catalyst was studied,the effects of alcohol-oil mol ratio,THF concentration,water and fatty acids contents in raw materials were discussed.The results show that with the increase of alcohol-oil ratio or THF concentration,the conversion rate,yield increase obviously and acid content decreases,the proper conditions are as follows:21∶1 of alcohol-oil molar ratio,35 wt% of THF concentration.The content of water in raw materials has obvious effect on transesterification reaction,with the increase of water concentration,the conversion rate decreases and acid content increases,the conversion rate is lower than 90% when the water concentration is higher than 1.6 wt%.The concentration of fatty acids in raw materials has less effects,with the increase of fatty acids concentration,the conversion rate decreases and acid content increases.


Background and Objectives: Klebsiella pneumoniae complications with limited therapeutic options is considered as one major health issues concerning healthcare professionals worldwide. It is one of the leading nosocomial bacterial pathogen that causes most urinary tract infection, and recently the antibiotic resistance of Klebsiella pneumonia has totally increased dramatically. Cross-sectional study was performed from September 2021 to the end of December 2021. This aimed at the isolation and antibiotic sensitivity of the Klebsiella pneumoniae among patients with signs and symptoms of UTI.
Materials and Methods: Cross- sectional study was performed from September 2021 to the end of December 2021. About120 urine specimens collected were analysed to detect the presence of Klebsiella pneumoniae. The Disc diffusion method was used to determine the antibiotic sensitivity pattern of the isolates.
Results: Of the 120 specimens collected, only 72 (60%) produced growth. The sensitivity test revealed that all the isolates were sensitive to levofloxacin, 30 isolates (14.2%) were sensitive to ciprofloxacin, 28 isolates (13.2%) were sensitive to gentamycin, 20 isolates (9.4%) were sensitive to travid, while Augmentin has the sensitivity of 17 (8.1%). It revealed that levofloxacin has the lowest resistance of 0 (0%) while travid has the highest resistance of 15(21.7%).
Conclusion: The antibiotic sensitivity pattern of the isolate revealed that all the isolates were completely sensitive to levofloxacin and more resistant to Augmentin and travid.


We have proposed a novel method for seismic trace interpolation using f-x regularization nonstationary autoregression (f-x RNA). f-x RNA interpolation can deal with the events which have space-varying dips because the estimated f-x RNA coefficients are smoothly dependent on space direction. This method includes two steps: the estimation of f-x RNA coefficients and the reconstruction missing traces using estimated f-x RNA. Similar to Spitz's f-x interpolation, we also use f-x RNA estimated from low frequency components to obtain f-x RNA of aliased high frequency components. We implement the algorithm by iterated scheme using complex-numbers conjugate gradient method. The applicability of the proposed method is examined using synthetic and field data examples.


A new method for selection of appropriate training areas which are used for supervised texture classification is proposed. In the method, the genetic algorithms (GA) are employed to determine the appropriate location and the appropriate size of each texture category's training area. The proposed method consists of the following procedures: 1) the determination of the number of classification category and those kinds; 2) each chromosome used in the GA consists of coordinates of center pixel of each training area candidate and those size; 3) 50 chromosomes are generated using random number; 4) fitness of each chromosome is calculated; the fitness is the product of the Classification Reliability in the Mixed Texture Cases (CRMTC) and the Stability of NZMV against Scanning Field of View Size (SNSFS); 5) in the selection operation in the GA, the elite preservation strategy is employed; 6) in the crossover operation, multi point crossover is employed and two parent chromosomes are selected by the roulette strategy; 7) in mutation operation, the locuses where the bit inverting occurs are decided by a mutation rate; 8) go to the procedure 4. Some experiments are conducted to evaluate searching capability of appropriate training areas of the proposed method by using images from Brodatz's photo album and their rotated images. The experimental results show that the proposed method can select appropriate training areas much faster than conventional try-and-error method. The proposed method has been also applied to supervised texture classification of airborne multispectral scanner images. The experimental results show that the proposed method can provide appropriate training areas for reasonable classification results.


I . INIR(X)U(;TION There are situations where one wants to use a subset of sa~le primary sample units (PSUs) for a survey. This paper compares two strategies for accomplishing this. Consider, for example, taking a subsample of the Current Population Survey (CPS), conducted by the Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics to collect labor force data. This survey is a two-stage s t ra t i f i ed design of 729 sample areas, one sample PSU per stratum. We might be interested in a subsample of CPS PSUs for a much smaller scale one-time survey. For such a survey, i t would be very inefficient to conduct i t in al l the CPS sample PSUs. I t would, of course, be possible to independently strat i fy and select sample PSUs for the new survey, but that would cause such high sampling and interviewing costs in PSUs not in the CPS sample as to usually be infeasible. Also, extra calendar tinm, not usually available, is needed to independently s t ra t i f y PSUs. Thus, a preferred design would guarantee complete overlap in sample PSUs between the two surveys. Throughout this paper, we assume that complete overlap is a requirement for the sample design of the new survey. Some aspects of the general problem of how best to take a subset of sample PSUs for a reduced survey are addressed in this paper. We confine our remarks to the case where the original survey selected one PSU per stratum, possibly in a dependent manner between strata. One general approach is to collapse together strata from the original survey. For example, i f about a 1/2 subsample of PSUs is desired, one might form pairs of the nonself-representing strata and retain only one sample PSU from the pair with probabi l i ty proportionate to the size of stratum. Collapsing would be done by using available information for auxi l iary variables believed or known to be correlated with the most important survey characteristics to form homogeneous collapsed strata, or superstrata. Other approaches for taking the subsample could also be used: sample PSUs could be sorted in an appropriate manner and a systematic sample taken. The issue addressed in this paper is which of two general strategies for subsan~ling a set of sample PSUs is better: use estimates of the auxiliary variables based on the original survey's sample PSUs or each stratum as a whole. The f i rs t strategy uses information on the outcome of PSU selection by the original survey in determining the sample design; the second does not. We call them the informed and the uninformed strategies. At f i r s t glance, the informed strategy appears potentially biased. To many people, i t appears to yield higher variances than use of f u l l strata data. However, we show in this paper that use of sample PSU information is unbiased. We also explain why i t tends to yield lower between-PSU variances for the s t ra t i f i ca t ion variables or function. Section I I of the paper gives a non-mathematical explanation for why use of sample PSU data is preferable. Section I l l compares the components of variance between the two strategies and gives an example to further c la r i f y the comparison. Section IV provides variance estimators for both one sample PSU and two sample PSUs per superstratum in the new survey. The methodology for two sample PSUs is innovative and of potential application to other situations.


Introduction: Pneumothorax is a common complication encountered in the trauma bay in patients presenting with blunt trauma or post RTA. Imaging plays an important role in detecting pneumothorax in the trauma setting. A supine chest radiograph despite its limitations is usually the first investigation that is performed. Computed Tomography of the chest has been considered to be the gold standard in ruling out pneumothorax.
Aims & Objectives: The aim of this study is to predict the sensitivity for detection of pneumothorax on supine chest radiograph on patients in the trauma bay, and compare its sensitivity based on the CT Scan Chest Findings.
Materials & Methods: 100 patients who presented to the Trauma bay were retrospectively evaluated for the presence of pneumothorax on portable supine chest x-ray followed by Computed Tomography of Chest, and the results of both were compared.
Results: Out of the 100 patients that were evaluated, 18 patients showed presence of pneumothorax on Computed Tomography of the Chest. Out of these 18 patients, only 8 were detected with pneumothorax on the supine chest radiograph. The sensitivity of supine chest radiograph was found to be 44.44% for this respective study.
Discussion: The sensitivity of detection of pneumothorax on supine chest radiograph in our study was found to be 44.44%. The supine chest radiograph failed to detect more than half the cases of pneumothorax in the study. The findings of pneumothorax on the supine chest radiograph tend to be subtle and are often hard to detect compared to the CT Scan of the chest. The low sensitivity of the supine chest radiograph alone in the detection of pneumothorax warrants a follow up with CT Scan of the chest which can provide much more additional information.
Conclusion: In the setting of trauma, the sensitivity of detection of pneumothorax on supine chest radiograph remains low. The findings from this study show that a CT Scan is significantly more likely to yield additional information than a supine chest radiograph alone. The supine chest radiograph should be followed up by a CT Scan for better detection and management of pneumothorax. CT Scan of the chest remains the Gold Standard investigation for detection of pneumothorax in the trauma bay.


A six-feature all-sky star field identification algorithm has been developed. The minimum identifiable star pattern element consists of an oriented star triplet defined by three stars and their celestial coordinates and visual magnitudes. This algorithm has been integrated with a CCD-based imaging camera. The autonomous intelligent camera identifies in real time any star field without a priori knowledge. Observatory tests on star fields with this intelligent camera are described.


994 (Catholicism in particular) and technology (AFHRC, Christianisme et science, 1989; M. Lagrée, La bénédiction de Prométhée, 1999). Nevertheless, the volume echoes more recent methodological developments (J. Stolow, Deus in Machina, 2013) challenging dominant assumptions about religion and technology belonging to separate domains. Historians of technology will therefore not only find nuanced tales of hybridizations and overlaps that convincingly demonstrate the many ways that technology affects belief but also how tools and machines are mediated and regulated by faith and religious practices. Finally, the volume deliberately builds on the "media turn" in the study of religion (H. de Vries and S. Weber, Religion and Media, 2001) and adds significantly to the current trend of assessing the technological materialities that are essential for religious practices and imaginations to exist.


Using theoretical formulations by Alain Badiou, mainly his concept of generic, this essay is dedicated to exploring and expanding the unfolding of the matter of truth for psychoanalysis. The truth, being undiscernible, where Lacan placed the woman, would be what would stand out from the process that constitutes the being of the One. In adjunction of a truth, when we will thus be able to refer to subjects, transcendences are disqualified, decisions about non-decidable issues become possible, creating a process operated by immanent manner, where the path, random and contingent, is enabled through enrichment of the language. In this process, we can point out the role of the proper name, which would have the duty of endorsing, granting duration, the fidelity of a truth.


Increasing the number of vehicles makes a great business opportunity for car wash services. AutoClean Waterless is a company engaged in car wash services that utilise innovation by using special fluids so that it saves water. The problem faced by AutoClean in Bogor City is AutoClean's sales have not been stable because there is still a decrease in transaction and termination of partners. Sample in this research were 185 respondents. Data were analysed using descriptive analysis and SEM LISREL. The result of this research shows that consumer use behaviour is influenced by weather, priority factors in using car wash services are quality, price, ease for access, and customers more often come to outlets that are not in the mall and majority customers use silver packages. Consumer perception of AutoClean innovation shows that innovation is one of the most essential factors in usage decisions of the consumer. The marketing mix (7P) has a significant influence on usage decisions. Marketing strategies to increase sales in AutoClean Waterless can be applied by making AutoClean customer segmentation based on customer characteristics. Then the company can make priority targets  following following predetermined segmentation. Next, AutoClean can make positioning by looking at the priority factors when customers choose car wash services, such as quality, price and ease of access


Purpose: High-dose recombinant human interleukin-2 (IL-2) therapy is of clinical benefit in a subset of patients with advanced melanoma and renal cell cancer. Although IL-2 is well known as aT-cell growth factor, its potential in vivo effects on human immunoregulatory cell subsets are largely unexplored. Experimental Design: Here, we studied the effects of high-dose IL-2 therapy on circulating dendritic cell subsets (DC), CD1d-reactive invariant natural killerTcells (iNKT), and CD4CD25 regulatory-typeTcells. Results:The frequency of both circulating myeloid DC1and plasmacytoid DC decreased during high-dose IL-2 treatment. Of these, only a significant fraction of myeloid DC expressed CD1d. Although the proportion of Th1-type CD4 iNKT increased, similarly to DC subsets, the total frequency of iNKT decreased during high-dose IL-2 treatment. In contrast, the frequency of CD4CD25 Tcells, including CD4Foxp3 Tcells, which have been reported to suppress antitumor immune responses, increased during high-dose IL-2 therapy. However, there was little, if any, change of expression of GITR, CD30, or CTLA-4 on CD4CD25 Tcells in response to IL-2. Functionally, patient CD25 Tcells at their peak level (immediately after the first cycle of high-dose IL-2) were less suppressive than healthy donor CD25 Tcells and mostly failed toTh2 polarize iNKT. Conclusions: Our data show that there are reciprocal quantitative and qualitative alterations of immunoregulatory cell subsets with opposing functions during treatment with high-dose IL-2, some of which may compromise the establishment of effective antitumor immune responses. Interleukin (IL)-2 was first identified in 1976 and entered clinical trials in cancer patients after it was shown to exert potent antitumor activity in several murine tumor models (1, 2). In highly selected patients with metastatic melanoma or renal cell cancer (RCC), treatment with high-dose bolus IL-2 has now been shown to produce durable responses (3, 4). Although IL-2 is well known as a T-cell growth factor and has been shown to result in the early depletion and subsequent expansion of lymphoid subsets after in vivo administration (5), no data are available on the effects of high-dose IL-2 therapy on immunoregulatory natural killer (NK) T cells and CD4CD25 regulatory T cells. CD1d-restricted invariant NK T cells (iNKT) display a semiinvariant T-cell receptor (Va24/Ja18 in human and Va14/Ja18 in mouse) and are characterized by their capacity to rapidly produce large amounts of cytokines on triggering. iNKT cells have been shown to promote antitumor immune responses by rapidly producing copious amounts of IFN-g, resulting in the activation of NK cells, dendritic cells (DC), and conventional CD4 and CD8 T cells as well as in the inhibition of tumor angiogenesis (reviewed in refs. 6, 7). Importantly, the circulating pool of iNKT cells shows quantitative and qualitative defects in cancer patients (8, 9), which seem to be clinically relevant, as increased numbers of intratumoral or circulating iNKT cells are associated with improved prognosis (10, 11). In contrast to iNKT cells, CD4CD25 regulatory T cells, a population of CD4 T cells constitutively expressing the IL-2 receptor a-chain, have been shown to suppress immune responses, including antitumor immune responses, via both contact-dependent (CTLA-4 and CD30) and contact-independent 4 J.W. Molling, personal communication. Cancer Therapy: Clinical Authors'Affiliations: Cancer Biology Program, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Internal Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Medisch Centrum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and Department of Immunology, University ofWashington, Seattle,Washington Received 7/7/06; revised11/10/06; accepted11/28/06. Grant support: Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research NWO-TALENT grant and grant 920-03-142, Dutch Cancer Society (KoninginWilhelmina Fonds) academic grant, NIH grants R01DK066917 and R01AI42955, Dana-Farber/ Harvard Cancer Center Skin Cancer Specialized Program of Research Excellence grant P50 CA93683, Harvard Medical School Center for Human CellTherapy pilot grant, and Hershey Family Prostate Cancer Research Fund. The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges.This article must therefore be hereby marked advertisement in accordance with18 U.S.C. Section1734 solely to indicate this fact. Requests for reprints: Mark A. Exley, Harvard Institutes of Medicine, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02115. Phone: 617-667-0982; E-mail: mexley@ bidmc.harvard.edu. F2007 American Association for Cancer Research. doi:10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-06-1662 www.aacrjournals.org Clin Cancer Res 2007;13(7) April 1, 2007 2100 Cancer Research. on January 20, 2018. © 2007 American Association for clincancerres.aacrjournals.org Downloaded from (IL-10 and transforming growth factor-h) pathways (reviewed in refs. 6, 12, 13). As elevated numbers of CD4CD25 regulatory T cells have been observed in melanoma and various other types of cancer (14, 15) and are associated with reduced survival (16), a recent study evaluated whether depletion of CD4CD25 regulatory T cells using recombinant IL-2 diphtheria toxin (DAB389IL-2) would enhance tumor-specific T-cell responses in patients with RCC, as indicated by earlier reports in mice (17), and found that this was indeed the case (18). As discussed above, both iNKT cells and CD4CD25 regulatory T cells seem to play important roles in the regulation of antitumor immune responses. As CD4CD25 regulatory T cells constitutively express the IL-2 receptor a-chain (CD25) and IL-2 is an important growth factor for both iNKT cells and CD4CD25 regulatory T cells, both these regulatory T-cell subsets could be important cellular targets during high-dose IL-2. Here, we evaluated the in vivo effects of high-dose IL-2 on circulating iNKT cells, CD4CD25 regulatory T cells, and the DC with which they interact. Materials andMethods Patients. Patients (mean age, 53 years; range, 30-68 years; 15 males; 10 females) in this study had been diagnosed with either advanced melanoma (n = 15) or RCC (n = 10). All were treated with high-dose IL-2 as described (3). Peripheral blood was obtained on four occasions: before treatment, after the first week of high-dose IL-2, before the second week of high-dose IL-2, and after the second week of high-dose IL-2. Informed consent was obtained from all patients, and the study was approved by the Committee for Clinical Investigation of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston, MA). Clinical responses were assessed using previously reported criteria (19). Flow cytometry. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were obtained by Ficoll-Paque (Amersham Pharmacia, Uppsala, Sweden) density gradient centrifugation of heparinized peripheral blood. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were stained using combinations of the following reagents after an initial incubation with 10% human pooled serum to reduce nonspecific binding. FITC-labeled CD3, FITC-labeled CD25, phycoerythrin (PE)-labeled CD56, PE-labeled CD1d, PE-labeled CD8a, PE-labeled HLA-DR, PE-labeled CD86, PE-labeled CD80, PE-Cy5-labeled CD19, PE-Cy5-labeled CD25, PE-Cy7-labeled CD4, PE-Cy7-labeled CD14, FITC-labeled anti-invariant Va24Ja18 T-cell receptor monoclonal antibody (mAb) 6B11 (9), and the appropriate isotype controls were obtained from BD PharMingen (San Jose, CA). PE-labeled Va24 and FITC-labeled Vh11 were obtained from Immuno tech (Marseille, France). FITC-labeled BDCA-1, BDCA-2, and BDCA-3 were obtained from Miltenyi Biotec (Bergisch Gladbach, Germany). FITC-labeled anti-CTLA-4, FITC-labeled CD30, and PE-labeled anti-GITR were obtained from R&D Systems (Minneapolis, MN). The anti-human Foxp3 polyclonal antibody was obtained by repeated immunization of rabbits (20). Flow cytometry was done on a Cytomics FC 500 (Beckman Coulter, Fullerton, CA). Generation of iNKT cell lines. iNKT cells were enriched from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of healthy adult volunteers by positive selection using biotinylated anti-invariant T-cell receptor mAb (6B11) in combination with anti-biotin microbeads (Miltenyi Biotec) and subsequently expanded using a-galactosylceramide (a-GalCer)loaded (KRN7000, kindly provided by the Pharmaceutical Research Laboratory, Kirin Brewery, Ltd., Gunma, Japan) and lipopolysaccharidematured monocyte-derived DCs and 100 units/mL recombinant human IL-2 (National Biological Response Modifier Program, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD). In some cases, iNKT cell lines were further purified using high-speed sorting (Modular Flow FACS, Cytomation, Fort Collins, CO). Functional evaluation of CD4CD25 regulatory T cells. For evaluation of the suppressive properties of CD4CD25 regulatory T cells, CD4CD25 and CD4CD25 T cells were purified using high-speed fluorescence-activated cell sorting (MoFlo Cytomation, Boulder, CO) or by CD25 mAb magnetic microbeads at relatively low density to favor removal of CD25 cells and cocultured with purified iNKT cell lines (purity >95%) and a-GalCer – pulsed monocyte-derived DCs for 48 h essentially as described elsewhere (21). CD25 cells were obtained by magnetic-activated cell sorting. Cells were rested overnight after sorting to release beads before use. Assays were carried out in 96-well plates. CD25 cells (column ''flow through'') were used in all wells plus variable levels of autologous CD25 cells. For the highest level of CD25 cells (''high''), a 1:1 ratio to CD25 cells was used. At lowest level (''low''), the relative ratio was 1:16 of CD25 cells to CD25 cells, respectively. Results of the middle dilution of CD25 cells were intermediate and therefore not shown for


We propose a simple method for dynamical coupling of two sub‐systems with different characteristic scales described with different theoretical models, such as the fine‐scale sub‐system with the atomistic model (AM) such as the empirical inter‐atomic potential and the coarse‐scale sub‐system with the coarse‐grained particle (CGP) method, in a concurrent hybrid simulation scheme. Naive coupling of the different‐scale sub‐systems results in reflection of high wavenumber waves at the interface because of the differences in the phonon Brillouin‐zone and in the dispersion relation. To solve the problem, the present scale‐coupling method introduces (virtual) extra atoms and particles for the AM and the CGP sub‐systems, respectively, beyond the atom–particle interface, and uses the extra atoms and the particles to mutually transfer information of the waves between the two sub‐systems and to suppress the artificial reflection of the incident wave in the whole wavenumber range. As the algorithm in the present scale‐coupling method is local in time and space, it is applicable to hybrid systems with any interface shape at low computation and memory requirement. Accuracy of the present scale‐coupling method is compared with that of the existing methods for a simple model system. The hybrid AM‐CGP simulation of indentation of a graphene nano‐drum using the present scale‐coupling method is performed to demonstrate its accuracy and usefulness through its comparison with the fully atomistic results. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Laboratory and field evaluations are ongoing on several commercially available corrosion inhibiting admixtures for concrete. The study, presently in its seventh year focuses on long-term performance in partially submerged coastal marine applications. The study includes laboratory and field evaluations to determine the ability of the inhibitors to remain stable over long periods of time, determinations of long-term effectiveness of corrosion inhibiting capabilities and a tentative quantitative assessment of durability improvements and possible negative side effects.


Cars have become an increasingly important and exciting test bed for ubiquitous computing. However, smart car space is still little addressed in the literature to enable high adaptation in a mobile and resource-limited space. This paper focuses on building a context-aware software infrastructure for smart car space in middleware framework. To support context-awareness, we embed capabilities of context modeling and context reasoning. We apply a three-layer manner, including sensor, context atom, and context situation, to efficiently acquire and process contexts. We implement rule-based reasoning in our prototype. We evaluate the performance, and show the proposed middleware is promising.


The paper traces back the history of the cultural resources in Mentougou District and analyzes its special features and advantages.It also discusses the route of cultural industrialization adapting to the market economy and ecological progress.Firstly,it brings in new modernistic connotations to the Mentougou District culture.Secondly,the exploration and utilization of its cultural resources should be combined with its market development.Thirdly,in view of its Jingxi ecological zone,the contemporary cultural industries should be made larger and stronger by keeping the harmonious relationship between man and nature. Fourthly,setting up a good brand for cultural products will promote its export.This is a realistic choice Mentougou District is confronted with.


We use cluster analysis to describe the regional linkages that arise through funding of research contract networks in the EU. We find five significantly different kinds of networks, that we label: 1) Technological development, 2) Basic research, 3) Quasi-elite, 4) Elite and 5) Southern. These networks are described in terms of three basic dimensions: quality, type of partners, and size combined with cost of the project. We find that the networks are homogeneously formed and that regions of similar technological capabilities are linked together. We then discuss related issues of European technology policy.


Segmenting H'rê music regions in the mountains of Quảng Ngãi is very difficult. In reality, the differences in music practices between the H'rê people and the H'rê regional dialects are unclear, as well as the problem of cross-cultural relationships in music taking place with neighboring ethnic groups. However, some scholarly approaches (Tô Ngọc Thanh, 1995; Lê Huy and Minh Hiến, 1994) still boldly segment the H'rê music with the desire to provide some scientific information about a cultural phenomenon of the H'rê people in a specific location. The article divides H'rê music practices in Quảng Ngãi into two relatively different regions: the center region and the suburban region. In particular, the center region includes the districts of Sơn Hà, Ba Tơ and Minh Long; The suburban region includes places that preserve, promote, reconcile music practices that are at risk of disappearance. In addition, the article also highlights the different elements of H'rê music practices in different regions of Quảng Ngãi province.


In this paper, we present a novel approach to robust skeleton extraction. We use undirected graphs to model connectivity of the skeleton points. The graph topology remains unchanged throughout the skeleton computation, which greatly reduces sensitivity of the skeleton to noise in the shape outline. Furthermore, this representation naturally defines an ordering of the points along the skeleton. The process of skeleton extraction can be formulated as energy minimization in this framework. We provide an iterative, snake-like algorithm for the skeleton estimation using distance transform. Fixed topology skeletons are useful if the global shape of the object is known ahead of time, such as for people silhouettes, hand outlines, medical structures, images of letters and digits. Small changes in the object outline should be either ignored, or detected and analyzed, but they do not change the general structure of the underlying skeleton. Example applications include tracking, object recognition and shape analysis.


Real size cylindrical thermal barrier coating (TBC) models, subjecting to symmetric temperature distribution to the radial direction, were taken into consideration in order to evaluate thermoelastic behaviors such as temperature distribution, displacement, and thermal stresses. Heat flux at each layer interface is adjusted to display temperature distribution profiles and the governing differential equations were derived based on thermoelastic theories. The variation of the ratio between the top coat and the substrate yields deep influence on the thermoelastic characteristics of the cylindrical TBC models. The temperature distribution profiles corresponded closely and more sensitive to the change of k of the top coat than the ratio of k2/k1 value. The thermoelastic characteristics in the cylinder react sensitively to the variation of three representative parameters. The 944 Jaegwi Go et al. ratios of mechanical and thermal properties between the top and bond coats, and between the top coat and substrate are crucial factors to be considered in controlling the thermoelastic behaviors of the TBCs, which can be estimated though mathematical approaches.


Oklahoma has often stood at the fringe of the South, both in the study of southern politics and in the mindset of Oklahoma. While Oklahoma was not a state at the time of the Civil War, many of the events and cultural factors that structure Oklahoma politics are distinctly southern. As in many southern states, the GOP has enjoyed a dramatic growth in adherents, and has sustained electoral success in contests for major offices. What is so intriguing about the GOP growth in Oklahoma is the catalyst for change. In most southern states, studies have shown that Republican growth can be linked to race. Race is not such a divisive issue in Oklahoma. Only 6.7 percent of the state population is black (Morgan, et al., 1991 ). Instead, religion, the growth of the Christian Right, appears to be a major catalyst in the GOP upswing (Bednar and Hertzke, 1995a, 1995b).


We show that the earlier proposed explanation of the nature of magnetic chemically peculiar (MCP) stars (which can be the close binary systems with invisible companion being neutron star) opens the new possibilities to understand the inexplicable properties of these stars.


Epiphora or tearing is the presence of a watering eye, which is a common complaint to be referred to oculoplastic clinics for evaluation. Not only does it cause social embarrassment, epiphora can also affect the quality of a patient's life as it may interfere with daily activities, especially reading and driving. Excessive tearing may also hinder proper visual performance.

 To calculate the prevalence of punctal stenosis in patients presenting with obstructive epiphora to the outpatient ophthalmology clinic at Ain Shams University Hospitals.

 This descriptive cross sectional study included 75 eyes of 51 patients, with the age ranging from 4.5 to 77 years and a mean age of 52.32 ± 16.19 years. The study results showed that punctal stenosis is the most commonly encountered cause of obstructive epiphora in the study population with a prevalence of 62.7%. There was a female predominance of epiphora and punctal stenosis (68%).

 Our study results revealed that epiphora was more prevalent in the older age subgroups, where the highest prevalence was among the oldest age subgroup (> 60 years old) (45.1%). Similarly, punctal stenosis was the most prevalent in the > 60 years old age sub group (56.3%).

 Punctal stenosis is the most commonly encountred cause of obstructive epiphora in the study population, with a female predominance. Moreover, increasing age was shown to be the most important determinant for the existence of punctal stenosis.


Abstract : The objective of this thesis research was to create an embedded tutorial for the Ramtek-9400 Color Graphics Display System. An embedded tutorial is a self-paced Computer Aided Instruction (CAI) learning technique which is implemented on the actual equipment the subjects are learning to use. This technique has tremendous potential in helping the Department of Defense meet its goal of increased manpower effectiveness. The tutorial should eliminate the necessity for each user to possess and master large quantities of often confusing documentation. It should also free members of the laboratory staff from repetitive teaching tasks, allowing them to provide more specialized consulting. Goals of good CAI system design and man-machine interface, and the design techniques actually used to implement the embedded Tutorial are discussed. Evaluations by faculty, staff, and students were performed to identify areas of improvement. A user's manual and software maintenance manual were also written to accompany the embedded tutorial. (Author)


As organisations become globalised, there is an increasing need to employ expatriates for global assignments. Investigate the issues in the expatriation process from different perspectives are of utmost important to enhance understanding and improve performance of the companies in global world. This study had used a qualitative approach with the purpose to investigate the opinions from four Malaysian Human Resource Managerial Personnel regarding the issues in expatriate management in the Multinational Companies' subsidiaries. The findings revealed that some of the issues and trends that companies encounter include the high costs of expatriation; expatriation is a necessary alternative; non-returning of expatriates to home country; managing expectations; difficulty in retaining global careerists; difficulty to achieve work-life balance; the utilisation of the home trip allocation to travel to other countries; increasing diversification of expatriates, increasing women and intra-Asia transfer; and local employees need to adjust themselves every time there is changes of expatriates in company. It is hoped that the findings of this study could be used as major references for any organizations to improve their expatriation practices by considering the related issues pertaining to expatriation management.


This study aims to find out how much influence the Performance Allowance and Work Environment on Work Motivation of Office Workers of the Ministry of Religion in Medan City and the dominant variable gives influence on Employee Work Motivation at the Office of Ministry of Religion in Medan. The population of respondents in this study were all employees in the Office of the Ministry of Religion in Medan totaling 85 employees. The number of samples is calculated using the Slovin formula, then a total sample of 70 employees is obtained. The results of this study indicate that the independent variables, namely the performance allowance and work environment have a positive and significant effect on the work motivation of Medan City Ministry of Religion office employees at 69.9%. The results of this study also showed that the dominant variable affecting work motivation of Medan City Ministry of Religion office employees was Performance Allowance.


Heterogeneous high-performance computing systems with GPUs are equipped with high-performance interconnects like InfiniBand, Omni-Path, PCIe, and NVLink. However, little exists in the literature that captures the performance impact of these interconnects on distributed deep learning (DL). In this article, we choose Horovod, a distributed training middleware, to analyze and profile various DNN training workloads using TensorFlow and PyTorch in addition to standard MPI microbenchmarks. We use a wide variety of systems with CPUs like Intel Xeon and IBM POWER9, GPUs like Volta V100, and various interconnects to analyze the following metrics: 1) message-size with Horovod's tensor-fusion; 2) message-size without tensor-fusion; 3) number of MPI/NCCL calls; and 4) time taken by each MPI/NCCL call. We observed extreme performance variations for non-power-of-two message sizes on different platforms. To address this, we design a message-padding scheme for Horovod, illustrate significantly smoother allreduce latency profiles, and report cases where we observed improvement for end-to-end training.


However, spin-momentum locking is not a strict requirement for unidirectionality; here we describe how nearfield directionality can be achieved beyond this effect [5]. We do so by considering the whole electromagnetic field, instead of relying solely on its electric component. This unveils the existence of a dipolar source, termed Janus dipole, whose coupling to waveguided modes is topologically protected, so that it is allowed or forbidden depending on which of its sides faces the waveguide. The near field directionality of the Huygens' dipole is also revealed, and a generalised Kerker's condition is introduced. Circular electric and magnetic dipoles, together with Huygens' and Janus sources, form the complete set of all possible directional dipolar sources in farand near-field.


Background: Systolic heart failure is a prognostic factor for several adverse clinical situations. Proposal : to determine if left ventricular systolic dysfunction is associated with cardiac events after coronary artery bypass surgery. Method: a prospective, longitudinal and observational study with 130 revascularizated patients by coronary artery bypass surgery since the reopening of this activity at 2010 at the Cardiovascular Institut was done. Evolution of patients until 12 months after surgery was determined by external consults and phone calls. Population of the study was divided in two groups: with left ventricular ejection fraction more than 45% (119 patients) and less or equal of 45% (11 patients) for statystical. Chi square and t-student was used to compare qualitatives and quantitatives variables respectively. Probability of survival free of events was determined by Kaplan-Meier test and comparison between groups by Cox-Mantel test. Results: previous myocardial infarction(p=0.02), higher endiastolic and endsytolic diameters(p=0.00) and higher creatinin levels were more frequent in the group of patients with ejection fraction less than 45%. There were differences between both groups according to the incidence of intra-hospital cardiac events (p=0.008) and cardiac mortality(p=0.03). Survival probability without cardiac events at 12 months was less in patients with ejection fraction less than 45%. Conclusion: preoperative left ventricular systolic dysfunction is associated with a higher intra-hospital cardiac mortality.


To the Editor.— The review of R. Joe Noble, MD, "The Patient With Syncope" (237:1372, 1977), is timely and quite helpful. However, two points require comment for different reasons. The first has its obvious bedside diagnostic implications; while lack of increase of heart rate with drop of blood pressure points to autonomic dysfunction, tachycardia on standing does not exclude a diagnosis of idiopathic orthostatic hypotension. 1 In contrast to usual teaching, heart rate in this disorder does vary in many patients with head-up tilt. 2 Cardiac nerves may not be involved until later in the evolution of the disease. The second concerns the value of plasma renin activity (PRA) in the localization of the neurologic defect. The distinction made in the diagram is based on one report 3 that has not been confirmed; in fact, our experience 4 and that of others is that PRA can increase with


Mental retardation is present in approximately 780,000 school age children. Cerebral palsy affects 750,000 Americans, and nearly 2,000,000 individuals have epilepsy. Countless individuals suffer combinations of these neurologic disabilities. In an effort to assess our current state of knowledge about the pre-and perinatal factors associated with these brain disorders and to set research goals for the coming decade, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the National Institute of Neurologic and Communicative Disorders and Stroke (NINCDS), appointed a task force to survey current knowledge about pregnancyand birth-related events that account for the continued incidence of neurologic handicap among infants and children. This report, titled Prenatal and Perinatal Factors Associated with Brain Disorders, represents a watershed in our thinking about the causes of mental retardation and cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Despite major advances in obstetric and neonatal medicine, physicians, patients, and attorneys still believe that the major causes of these brain disorders are related to birth trauma and the problems of labor. The committee found that only cerebral palsy could be related to perinatal insults. Only when mental retardation or epilepsy were found in association with cerebral palsy, could ischemia or hypoxia be causally related. The committee stated 'although it was once simple to say that a specific event such as birth trauma or asphyxia caused these brain disorders, it is not usually possible to pinpoint a single cause and its effect'. Cerebral Palsy Cerebral palsy was found to be associated with prematurity, growth retardation and asphyxia at birth. The asphyxiated infant, documented by an Apgar score of less than 3 at 10–15 min, neurologic abnormalities in the newborn period and neonatal seizures, had a dramatically increased risk of later cerebral palsy. However, the majority of children with these risk factors had no evidence of neurologic dysfunction. More than 75% of children who had later cerebral palsy did not demonstrate these risk factors in the neonatal period. Mental Retardation Severe mental retardation is primarily genetic, biochemical, viral and developmental and not related to birth events. Only when it was associated with cerebral palsy, did severe mental retardation possibly link to asphyxia. Mild retardation, the most common degree of retardation, appears not to be related to pregnancy or birth events, but rather to social and environmental conditions. Associated factors, including maternal life styles, poor nutrition, cigarette smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, increase the likelihood of mild retardation. Prematurity and intrauterine growth retardation are commonly linked to these life styles. The risk of these problems was also correlated with the risk of being raised in an impoverished environment with less opportunity for optimal neurologic and intellectual development. Epilepsy Epilepsy did not appear to be related to preor perinatal events except when associated with cerebral palsy. Current Challenges and Directions for Research The committee noted that major challenges for the future included identifying women at high risk for bearing a neurologically handicapped child. For some such women, lowering the risk may begin before pregnancy, by management of conditions leading to risk and changes in life style. During pregnancy identification of the fetus with growth retardation may be an important area for reducing risk. The amount of damage due to hypoxia or ischemia depends both on its duration and severity, and on the infant's biologic reserve and repair capabilities. Most infants who experience difficult labors do not develop later neurologic handicaps; most infants who demonstrate later brain disorders had no evidence of problems during the perinatal period. Premature infants are subject to the additional stress of hypoxia, respiratory distress and intraventricular hemorrhage. Prematurity was found to be the salient birth-related risk factor for later cerebral palsy. Understanding premature labor, and prevention of prematurity are the most important challenges in preventing later brain disorders. Major challenges now lie in detecting asphyxia earlier and knowing both its severity and duration. Neurologic damage to the fetus from asphyxia depends on the duration of the asphyxia, its severity, and on the gestational age of the fetus. Criteria which take into account these factors need to be developed for intervention. 176 Richardson


Asimplified method to predict the rnaneuvering hydrodynamic forces in shallow water has been developed by Hirano and Qthers . In the method . a ship hull is replaced by a single discrete vortex and shallow water effect on the hydrodynamic forces is expressed by using infinite images of the vortex . In the previous report , influence of the position Qf the single vortex on hydrodynamic forces evaluated for a ship 皿 oving obliquely was examined . In the present report , similar treatment is made for hydrodynamic forces on a turning ship . Here , characteristics of the position of the single vortex and the position where the boundary condition is satisfied are presented . It should be notlced that the characteristics for a ship in turning differ greatly from those for the ship moving obliquely .


Quantitative decision analysis and respective planning models offer many benefits in forest planning. They are efficient, quick, inexpensive, objective, and repeatable. However, quantitative planning and the respective planning models also include many sources of uncertainty. In this paper our research objective is to analyse decision makers' preferential uncertainty in the context of multicriteria forestry decision making by using statistical models for so-called interval-scale continuous decision problems. The models are based on 0–1-type utility functions by applying a Finnish school grading system for collecting the preference data. The basic idea is to assess the preferences at some discrete points and then estimate the continuous priority function according to the statistical estimation techniques. An interactive approach for reducing the preferential uncertainty included in the priority model is also developed. In the interactive step, the improvements of the priority model are based on uncertainty...


The present paper deals with the composition of soil seed banks and vegetation in selected tropical dry deciduous forests sites. The primary objective is to provide data of this kind so as to establish the relationship between the soil seed bank composition with extent vegetation. Important factors which influence the composition of soil seed banks in forest include the dispersal mechanism of seeds, losses due to anthropogenic activities, damage due to fire, diseases, physiological death, decomposition and predation by animals. Result of the present study indicate the poor species richness in soil seed banks structure and composition as compared to above ground vegetation at the study site.


STIKOM Dinamika Bangsa Jambi is one of the computer colleges in the city of Jambi. Currently STIKOM Dinamika Bangsa Jambi already has an academic information system that is processed by the BAAK. As with private universities in general, every semester of the academic process should be reported to their respective Kopertis Region. Problems that arise is the process of inputting data that is repeated data that has been inputted to the application of academic information system will insert again to be reported using application feeder PDDIKTI (Pangkalan Data Pendidikan Tinggi). Application of Web Service Technology To Integrate Basisdata Academic Information System Stikom Dinamika Bangsa Jambi With Basisdata Feeder Pangkalan Data Pendidikan Tinggi (PDDikti) can be utilized to solve existing problems in data entry activities in STIKOM Dinamika Bangsa Jambi.


The method of shift formulas is employed to obtain approximate analytic expressions which can be used to calculate?with sufficient accuracy for practical applications?the waveguide and polarization dispersion of the dominant orthogonally polarized modes in anisotropic optical fiber waveguides. It is shown that the anisotropy of a dielectric in the transverse cross section and the ellipticity of the shape of this cross section (shape anisotropy) alter the waveguide dispersion of modes in such waveguides compared with an isotropic waveguide. In the case of waveguides which conserve the state of polarization of the transmitted signal the changes in the waveguide dispersion due to the transverse anisotropy of the refractive index are considerably greater than the changes due to the ellipticity of the shape of the transverse cross section of the waveguide. In a waveguide with a transverse anisotropy of the refractive index the maximum waveguide dispersion of two mutually orthogonal modes occurs at different frequencies.


In this paper, the equivalent electronic LS coupled atomic state is simulated by Matlab in parallel calculation, and a series of zero field-ultra low field atomic states of different LS coupled chemical molecular samples are obtained. Combined with the method, the analytical solution of the time optimal control of any single spin rotation of the two-spin system under zero field conditions is obtained, and the optimal control operation is achieved on the built experimental platform, with an average fidelity of 99 %. Compared with the previous single-core computing, the optimal control of multicore parallel computing can save 70-80% of the time. This work has a certain guiding role for Matlab parallel computing simulation.


For more than three decades, Box and Jenkins' Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) technique has been one of the most widely used linear models in time series forecasting. However, it is well documented that many software failure observations are nonlinear and ARIMA is a general univariate model developed based on the assumption that the time series data being predicted are linear. Therefore, in this study, the utilization of Support Vector Machine (SVM) as a nonlinear model and ARIMA as a linear model are integrated in software reliability forecasting. Experiments on real-world data set validate the effectiveness of the hybrid model. These results also show that the proposed methodology can be a more effective way in order to combine linear and nonlinear models together than traditional methodologies. Therefore, it can significantly improve the prediction performance and can be applied as an appropriate alternative approach for software reliability forecasting field, especially when higher prediction performance is needed.


The analysis of the state of production and consumption of beer products in Russia is conducted. It is established that today, despite challenging economic conditions, a number of food industry branches are developed dynamically in Russia, including the production of beverages. In the beverage industry there is a steady trend of the growth of production and consumption of beverages with a reduced alcohol content; a liberal share of these drinks accrues to beer. The peculiarity of Russian brewing industry today is the fact that there is steady development of not only the famous brewing companies, but also a significant increase of new independent mini-breweries that offer a wide range of beer products. One of the largest companies are JSC "Brewing company "Baltica" (Saint Petersburg), JSC "Brewery "Moscow-Efes" (Moscow), JSC "Klin Brewery" (Klin, Moscow region), "Ochakovo" (Moscow), whose products are widely represented in the trading network of the city of Chelyabinsk. Consumer market research has shown that the main types of beer products are beer and beer drinks, while beer dominates because it accounts for more than 90 %. The most popular types are light and dark beer. Their ratio in the structure of the range is 4:1. Semi-dark beer is extremely rare. The study is conducted in "MAVT" company, which is one of the largest alcoholic beverage chains, having 22 stores only in the city of Chelyabinsk and Chelyabinsk region. This company takes into account trends in the development of the brewing industry and offers a fairly wide range of products, which has more than three thousand kinds of products today.


Artificial induction of nitrogen deficiency symptoms (leaf chlorosis) with two root respiratory inhibitors(DNP and NaS) was studied and regarded to be the same characteristic to red discoloration in rice var. Tongil seedling leaves as well as adult ones. Tongil(IR 667) was shown to be more nitrogen sensitive and have more distinctive appearance of the leaf discoloration than Punggwang(a native Japonica-type varity.) Conclusions were drawn from the present data that so-called red discoloration of Tongil under the natural field conditions is brought about either by insufficient nitrogen supply in soils or certain factors which may limit at any time the root absorption of nitrogen (low temperature, toxic gases or substances, poor drainage, around roots, etc.) in soils even with ample supply of it.


Glutamic acid was transformed into succinimide in a two step procedure involving a dehydration in water to pyroglutamic acid followed by an oxidative decarboxylation using a silver catalyst.


The photovoltage generated in metal films conflicts with the prevailing intuitive model of light-metal momentum exchange, establishing the need for a new microscopic model of radiation pressure, and newly revealing the distribution of optical forces.


Models are sometimes incomplete, especially in scaling data where other information of large regions needs to be predicted by smaller ones. Uncertainty analysis is the process of assessing uncertainty in modelling or scaling to identify major uncertainty sources, quantify their degree and relative importance, examine their effects on model output under different scenarios, and determine prediction accuracy. Especially for large dimensional data where spatial process in regional investigation are difficult to applied due to incompleteness leading us to spatial heterogeneity and non-linearity of our data. Modelling the uncertainty particular in scaling data starts with a general structure (linear most of the time) that explains as accurate as it is the real data and the model is built through adding variables, which are significant or which aid in prediction (hierarchical modelling). Parameter estimation is an important issue for the evaluation of these proposed models. Statistical techniques based on the spatial modelling could be proposed to overcome the problem of dimensionality and the spatial homogeneity between different grains levels based on the neighbourhood structure of the regions with similar characteristics. Investigation of the neighbourhood structure analysis could be applied using kriging or variogram techniques. In this work, we introduce and analyse methodologies for scaling data under uncertainty where incomplete data can be explained by spatial Modelling Spatial Medical Data


In this commentary to Westergaard (2021), we focus on two main questions. The first, and most important, is what type of L3 data may be construed as supporting evidence–as opposed to a compatible outcome–for the Linguistic Proximity Model. In this regard, we highlight a number of areas in which it remains difficult to derive testable predictions from the model that go beyond compatibility with multiple outcomes that should, in principle, be mutually exclusive. The second part of this commentary deals with Westergaard's (2021) a priori questioning of wholesale transfer as a tenable hypothesis on the basis of it creating a context for massive unlearning, both in L2 and L3 acquisition, when humans seem to display conservative learning traits from L1 acquisition already. We argue here that decades of accumulated empirical data in L2 and L3 studies have shown enough evidence of L1 transfer and restructuring to render this argument a non sequitur. In connection to this, we discuss some of the issues related to adaptive accounts of linguistic transfer across instances of language acquisition.


The effect of infrared radiation (IR) on thephysicochemical characteristics, pectin methylesterase activity (PME), hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content, microbiological activity, color, and sensory aspects on black lime juice was studied. IR was compared to conventional thermal heating (CTH) in batch infrared extraction pasteurizer, designed to allow both infrared and conventional heating. IR resulted in a reduction in pH and Brix values and a mild increase in titratable acidity, as compared to CTH and control. After 60 days at 5 ◦C, the ascorbic acid percentage was decreased by 24.90%, 29.75%, and 58.31% in the control, IR and CTH, respectively. The total amount of phenols in juice treated with IR was higher as compared to CTH and control, while there was a significant decrease in the antioxidant activity. The statistical analysis reflected significantly low (p < 0.05) activity of PME for IR samples as compared to CTH and control. The amount of Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in all juice samples steadily increased during the storage at 5 ◦C in 60 days. The microbial content of control was 3.85 log cfu/mL after 60 days at 5 ◦C, while it was 2.1 log cfu/mL for IR which reflected a significant difference between the IR, CTH, and control samples. Additionally, color and sensory analysis of IR treated sample when compared to control, reflected similar attributes. Overall, IR was found to be an excellent substitute for the preservation of black lime juice as a rapid pasteurization technique with less heat exposure; wherein the nutrition and health benefits of the juice could be maintained for a minimum period of 60 days.


This paper presents a pedagogical approach to the topic Marajoarian Ceramics in Art Education. This study is based on the use of ceramics in the school environment. The aim of this paper is to introduce teaching and learning strategies in Art, making use of Marajoarian Art in the classroom, to be used with the intermediation of the teacher. Thus, we intend to present the teaching experience, making use of the art of Amazonian ceramics in the Municipal School Maria Valdionice Pereira, in the city of Carutapera-MA. This work reveals the synchrony between the areas of archaeological research concerned with sharing scientific knowledge with society. Moreover, it may be an auxiliary instrument for schools in methodologically demonstrating that museum collections are important documents, revealing information and, therefore, being a valuable and useful asset to society.


Simple Summary Current diagnostic and follow-up methods for the clinical management of bladder cancer (BC) have limitations, and there is an urgent unmet need for non-invasive biomarkers for this highly prevalent disease. Furthermore, personalized treatments for patients could improve their quality of life and overall survival. The aim of this article is to review the literature in this area, with a primary focus on metabolic and epigenetic biomarkers of BC, as well as the targeted therapies discovered to date. We show the dynamic biological interplay established between epigenomics and metabolomics in the context of BC. These findings may be useful both for researchers and physicians in the field of BC, and could facilitate clinical decision-making regarding patients at diagnosis, prognosis, monitoring, or treatment. Abstract Bladder cancer (BC) represents a clinical, social, and economic challenge due to tumor-intrinsic characteristics, limitations of diagnostic techniques and a lack of personalized treatments. In the last decade, the use of liquid biopsy has grown as a non-invasive approach to characterize tumors. Moreover, the emergence of omics has increased our knowledge of cancer biology and identified critical BC biomarkers. The rewiring between epigenetics and metabolism has been closely linked to tumor phenotype. Chromatin remodelers interact with each other to control gene silencing in BC, but also with stress-inducible factors or oncogenic signaling cascades to regulate metabolic reprogramming towards glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway, and lipogenesis. Concurrently, one-carbon metabolism supplies methyl groups to histone and DNA methyltransferases, leading to the hypermethylation and silencing of suppressor genes in BC. Conversely, α-KG and acetyl-CoA enhance the activity of histone demethylases and acetyl transferases, increasing gene expression, while succinate and fumarate have an inhibitory role. This review is the first to analyze the interplay between epigenome, metabolome and cell signaling pathways in BC, and shows how their regulation contributes to tumor development and progression. Moreover, it summarizes non-invasive biomarkers that could be applied in clinical practice to improve diagnosis, monitoring, prognosis and the therapeutic options in BC.


Aim To investigate a possible additional cholesterol-lowering effect when a plant stanol ester-containing margarine was added to a cholesterol-lowering diet. Methods and Results Moderately hypercholesterolaemic men (n=28) and women (n=33) were randomly assigned to treatment with a strictly controlled lipid-lowering diet plus a low-fat stanol ester-containing margarine, to the identical diet plus a low-fat control margarine without stanol esters, or to their usual diet plus the low-fat stanol ester margarine (reference group). The calculated intake of fat in the test diet corresponded to 8% of the total energy input (8 E%) of saturated fatty acid, 18 E% of monounsaturated fatty acid, 9 E% of polyunsaturated fatty acid, and 240 mg . day -1 of cholesterol; this was in close agreement with analysed values. The effect of the stanol ester-containing margarine on serum total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol was additive when given with the lipid-lowering diet. Combined use of the stanol ester test margarine and the lipid-lowering diet reduced serum total and LDL cholesterol by 15% and 19%, respectively (both P<0.001). These reductions were significantly greater than those in patients on the test diet with the control margarine (- 8% and - 12% for total and LDL cholesterol; P=0.0035 and P=0.0158, respectively), or those in the reference group (-9% and - 12%, P=0.0059 and P=0.0034, respectively). No clinically significant effects were observed on serum levels of lipid-soluble vitamins or antioxidants. No adverse effects were reported. Conclusion Dietary plant stanol esters seem to be a safe and effective dietary tool as part of a cholesterol-lowering diet, to lower elevated cholesterol levels also on a population basis.


The creation of data centers allowed global access to huge computational resources, previously only available to large companies or governments. By renting the desired computational power, small companies (or even an individual person) do not need to worry about large investments. In current data center environments, a client can ask for a computational instance of various sizes, and the service provider assures levels of guaranteed performance (through an SLA) for that computational instance. However, these guarantees are not extended to the networking layer. Cloud providers do not offer network performance guarantees to their tenants. Since communication is carried over a network shared by all tenants, the performance that a tenant's application can achieve is unpredictable and depedent on several factors some outside the tenant's control. In this work we propose omniCluster, which solves these problems by using the abstraction of virtual networks. Virtual networks are isolated from each other, providing performance guarantees. We designed a scalable OpenFlow controller, that is able to allocate virtual networks (with bandwidth guarantees) in a work-conservative system, and achieves both high consolidation on the allocation of virtual networks and high resource utilization of the Data Center's resources. Our assessments shows that the above mentioned properties are achieved, being carried out in two common data center network topologies: Tree and Fat-tree.


Type of funding sources: None.

 Atrial Fibrillation (AF) affects 30% of the world's population and accounts for 3 million deaths annually, and current management pathways often result in poor outcomes in recurrence of AF with up to 50% reoccurring post pulmonary vein isolation cardiac ablation (PVICA). Epicardial Adipose Tissue (EAT) is a metabolically active substrate implicated in the pathogenesis of AF. Increased levels of EAT thickness have been associated with the risk of developing AF and has also been associated with poorer outcomes and increased likelihood of AF recurrence after PVICA.
 The aim of this work was to explore current knowledge on levels of EAT in people with AF, post cardiac ablation, taking account of physical activity (PA).
   Objectives:  Three research questions were set:
 · Does volume of EAT contribute to the pathogenesis and severity of AF?
 · Does any kind of PA modify EAT volumes?
 · Does PA improve outcomes in patients with AF who have undergone PVICA?

 An umbrella review format was adopted with eligible studies from PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of controlled trials (CENTRAL), Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Scopus and registered on Prospero.  All results were reported adhering to Preferred Reporting items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA).  Quality assessment evaluation involved the AMSTAR 2 tool and risk of bias evaluated using the ROBIS tool.  No ethical considerations were identified for this review.

 Ten reviews were eligible for inclusion in the analysis. Five examined the relationship between EAT and AF occurrence, three examined EAT modifications with PA and two examined the effect of PA on AF outcomes.  The quality of the studies was high, with a low risk of bias. Increased EAT volumes were associated with a large effect size for the development of AF Hedges' g=0.86[0.79,0.92] for Total EAT volume and g=1.31[1.16,1.47] for Left Atrial (LA) EAT volume, and AF severity also had a large effect size for both Total and LA EAT volumes with g=0.87[0.71,1.02] and 0.99[0.69,1.3] respectively. EAT also showed a large effect on recurrence of AF post PVICA in both the Total and LA EAT groups 1.15[0.88,1.43] and 0.92[0.65,1.2].  The overall impact of PA showed a small to medium effect in reducing EAT volumes g=0.23[0,0.46]. Despite this PA was shown to significantly improve outcomes in reducing AF frequency, duration and severity and risk of mortality and serious adverse events in the intervention groups

 Higher levels of EAT are associated with AF after PVICA but the influence of PA is unclear. This review highlights the need for further research evaluating the impact that physical activity has on EAT volume reduction and recurrence of AF post PVICA.


To gain high signal processing capability in radar and sonar fields,this paper proposes and realizes communication interface among parallel signal processing machines with TIPC.It lists the main features of TIPC compared with other communication protocols.It also analyzes the basic principles of TIPC and its implementation in details.At the same time,it compares the communication performance between TIPC and TCP.At last,it puts forward a new method to enhance communication reliability among parallel signal processing machines based on TIPC.


Today's children enter classrooms with technology skills influenced by Internet surfing, blogging, texting, messaging, networking, and gaming. Educators should engage students with technology to teach them skills needed in the 21st century. Shifts in Web-based social practices call for changes to print-based pedagogies to include authentic digital forms of communication (Mills & Levido, 2011), as technology has changed communication in a global world. Web 2.0 technologies empower learners to participate in the location, production, sharing, and critical analysis of online text within an international, collaborative environment. The purpose of this chapter is to describe important Web 2.0 tools, the new literacies they reflect, and their applications for classroom use. The chapter will focus on current Web 2.0 practices and research on the use of these tools to improve literacy.


The new test ring was designed and built as part of the European research project BRITE DIANA 4436 «Development and Integration of an Advanced Unified Approach to Structure Borne Noise Analysis». A new technique was developed to measure the dynamic transfer stiffness of engine mounts for translational degrees of freedom in horizontal and vertical directions and rotational degrees of freedom. The dynamic transfer stiffness functions describe the relationship between the vibration on the engine side of the mount and the forces on the body side. The test rig is part of a concept for improving procedures for transfer path analysis


In chronic addicts, the secondary handicaps usually dominate the disease pattern. There is a lack of therapeutic facilities which can be used specifically to tackle this problem. The authors introduce an institution which has been working since March 1974 with the consequent application of a Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PSR) concept in the treatment of chronic addicts. The method of working and the ranking of PSR are explained in detail. Efficiency control carried out within the framework of a dissertation for a diploma in psychology, confirms the efficiency of the PSR approach for the group of chronic addicts and points to further approaches towards therapeutic differentiation.


In this paper, we discuss a new testing process to generate test cases for object-oriented programs. We focus on classes with mutable objects. The test case construction process is guided by formal object-oriented specifications. In our approach, testers first analyze the formal specification of a class to partition the state space of the class and identify a test model that is based on finite-state machines, then analyze the class specification and the test model to select a set of test data for each method of the class, and finally prepare the test cases of the class from the test model by following various well-developed testing criteria. This paper also extends the subtype relationship to allow testing information on superclasses to be inherited by subclasses. The subtype relation is defined on the formal specification and test model, and improves on the effectiveness of testing using the class inheritance hierarchy.