We present modular implicits, an extension to the OCaml language for ad-hoc polymorphism inspired by Scala implicits and modular type classes. Modular implicits are based on type-directed implicit module parameters, and elaborate straightforwardly into OCaml's first-class functors. Basing the design on OCaml's modules leads to a system that naturally supports many features from other languages with systematic ad-hoc overloading, including inheritance, instance constraints, constructor classes and associated types.


Jason-1, the TOPEX/POSEIDON (T/P) radar altimeter follow-on, is intended to continue measurement of the ocean surface with the same, if not better accuracy. T/P has demonstrated that, the time variation of ocean topography can be determined with an accuracy of a few centimeters, thanks to the availability of highly accurate orbits based on SLR and DORIS tracking. For verification and cross-calibration, Jason-1, was initially injected into the T/P orbit, flying just 72 seconds ahead of T/P. This configuration lasted over 21 Jason cycles. In mid-August T/P was maneuvered into its final tandem configuration, a parallel groundtrack, in order to improve the combined coverage. Preliminary investigations using cycles 1-9, shown at the June 2002 SWT, indicated that nominal Jason orbits can achieve the 2-3 cm accuracy objective, however several puzzling aspects of SLR and DORIS measurement modeling were also observed. This paper presents recent analysis of Jason SLR+DORIS POD spanning more than 20 cycles, and revisits several of the more puzzling issues, including estimation of the Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA) offset. The accuracy of the orbits and of the measurement modeling are evaluated using several tests, including SLR, DORIS, and altimeter crossover residual analysis, altimeter collinear analysis, and direct comparison with GPS and other orbits. T/P POD results over the same period are used as a reference.


Zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) is a very important bio ceramic implant material with excellent biocompatibility as an inert bone substitute material for orthopedic applications and also for dental implants. In this study, alumina (Al2O3) and yttria stabilised zirconia (YSZ) nano powders in soft agglomerate form were synthesised by co-precipitation method. Aluminium nitrate {Al(NO3)3•9H2O}, zirconium oxynitrate {ZrO(NO3)2•xH2O} and yttrium nitrate hexahydrate {Y(NO3)36H2O} were dissolved in distilled water. NaOH solution was added as precipitant. The solution was turned into gel by mixing on hot plate magnetic stirrer at ambient temperature. In this way, Al2O3 and YSZ nano powders were synthesised together to produce the ZTA bioceramic implant material. The crystal structure, morphology and other physical properties of synthesised nano powders were investigated and characterised by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The composition ratio of ZrO2/Al2O3 and co-precipitation conditions had significant effect on the synthesised powder morphology and particle size and distribution in final product. The powders have a different morphology like formless and spherical and have the particle size distribution in the range of 100-900 nm. The final products have a very high relative sinter density about 91%, a small particle size of < 2 µm and homogeneity of particle and porosity distribution in microstructure.


Data collection activities related to travel require large amounts of financial and human resources to be conducted successfully. When available resources are scarce, the information hidden in these data sets needs to be exploited, both to increase their added value and to gain support among decision makers not to discontinue such efforts. This study assessed the use of a data mining technique, association analysis, to understand better the patterns of mode use from the 2009 U.S. National Household Travel Survey. Only variables related to self-reported levels of use of the different transportation means are considered, along with those useful to the socioeconomic characterization of the respondents. Association rules potentially showed a substitution effect between cars and public transportation, in economic terms but such an effect was not observed between public transportation and nonmotorized modes (e.g., bicycling and walking). This effect was a policy-relevant finding, because transit marketing should be targeted to car drivers rather than to bikers or walkers for real improvement in the environmental performance of any transportation system. Given the competitive advantage of private modes extensively discussed in the literature, modal diversion from car to transit is seldom observed in practice. However, after such a factor was controlled, the results suggest that modal diversion should mainly occur from cars to transit rather than from nonmotorized modes to transit.


It is suspected that metabolic disorder rates among Egyptian newborn has high incidence due to the prevalence of consanguinity (38%), where NBS for metabolic disorders is neither mandatory nor available. This pilot study is the first attempt to elicit prevalence of metabolic disorders in Egypt by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Subjects and Methods: 16000 neonates (3-7 days) and 550 children (3 months to 15 years) presenting to the neuro-metabolic outpatient (OP) clinic, Cairo University Children Hospitals (CUCH) underwent expanded metabolic screening by MS/MS. Dried blood spots samples –were extracted, derivatized and submitted to MS/MS analysis. Amino acids & acylcarnitine values were calculated. Method validation was achieved through participation in CDC NBSQA program and our own QC samples. Results: From the 16000 screened neonates, 10 cases were detected (1/1600). Four PKU (1/4000); 1case MSUD (1/16000), 5 cases with abnormal acylcarnitine profile approximately (1/3000). Accordingly, the first Egyptian reference values for expanded screening by MS/MS were calculated. From 550 patients presenting to the neurometabolic clinic, 24 patients with metabolic disorders were detected approximately (1/23). Fourteen PKU cases (1/39), 2 MSUD (1/275), 1 patients with citullinemia(1/550) , 2 homocystinuria (1/275) and 5 cases with abnormal acylcarnitine profile (1/110). Conclusion: MS/MS technology was effective in identifying several metabolic disorders. Overall incidence was found to be high particularly among disabled children, who could have been saved from disabilities if expanded NBS was offered. The study provided the first Egyptian reference values for amino acids and acylcarnitines measured by MS/MS for newborns.


What is the competitive advantage of interoperable information systems? Taking this research question as a guideline the paper discusses how to approach the challenge of assessing the benefits of integrated systems. The main focus is laid on the direct and indirect effects of standardization projects which aim at continuous and homogenous order processing data. The knowledge based approach starts on data level and takes care of the interdependencies between the subsequent levels of aggregation. The problem immanent complexity is caused by the variety of heterogeneous product and process describing attributes. The application of management cybernetics in order to handle this challenge constitutes the focal point of this paper.


ABSTRACT This article provides an overview of theoretical and research issues in the study of writer identity in written discourse. First, a historical overview explores how identity has been conceived, studied, and taught, followed by a discussion of how writer identity has been conceptualized. Next, three major orientations toward writer identity show how the focus of analysis has shifted from the individual to the social conventions and how it has been moving toward an equilibrium, in which the negotiation of individual and social perspectives is recognized. The next two sections discuss two of the key developments—identity in academic writing and the assessment of writer identity. The article concludes with a brief discussion of the implications and future directions for teaching and researching identity in written discourse.


Recent evidence has supported the folllowing views:

1. Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) is a plastidic enzyme that is unclear-coded, but is inactive until incorporated into the plastid.

2. In healthy green tissues PPO exists in a latent form on the thylakoid membrane and is not involved in synthesis of phenolic compounds. In leucoplasts, proplastids, or amyloplasts PPO is often present in a latent form in rudimentary thylakoids.

3. PPO normally functions as a phenol oxidase in vivo only in sencent or damaged cells.

4. In the functional chloroplast, PPO may be involved in some aspect of oxygen chemistry – pherhaps mediation of pseudocyclic photophosphorylation.


This paper presents a two-stage 3.3V ring VCO in a 0.35/spl mu/m CMOS technology with differential control and quadrature outputs. The measured common mode noise rejection at 1MHz is 32dB better than for a single-ended control topology. It also has improved supply noise rejection which is 38dB better than conventional differential ring oscillator at 320MHz. The measured phase noise is -117dBc/Hz at a 1MHz offset from the 973MHz center frequency. Since the trend of low-voltage operation degrades oscillator phase noise, our design is particularly well suited for low voltage high performance systems.


With the strong recovery of world economy, world energy prices have increased dramatically since 2002. Because changes in energy prices are often seen as a trigger for inflation and recession, it is important to understand the effect of energy price shocks on aggregate economic activity in China. In this paper the author will study the energy prices-macroeconomy relationship by means of studying the impact of energy price shocks on both economic activity and consumer price indexes for China over the period 1995:1-2005:9. The results suggest that energy prices have a statistically significant effect on economic activity in the long run. Moreover, energy price increases and high volatility in energy prices may have a significant effect on inflation rates, the energy prices-consumer prices relationship appears to be more significant than the energy prices-economic growth relationship for China


Background: the number of cases of Covid-19 reached more than 11 million people in Brazil, but mostly in Caxias city (Rio de Janeiro) high death rates are very worrysome. In this scenario, homeopathy therapy, along with sanitary and therapeutic measures, should be recommended by health authorities. Aims: to evaluate the use of homeopathic complex (Bryonia alba, China officinalis and Metallum album 30cH), concerning the severity of the illness, during the coronavirus pandemic. Methodology: the complex was administrated at multiple families from Caxias, with (FW) and without (FWO) symptoms similar to COVID-19's, therefore qualifying the project as a quasi-experimental longitudinal observational cohort study (applied in 51 families or 128 people). With this, the influence of homeopathic intervention in sick (FW) and health (FWO) groups was estimated. All volunteers used three drops of the medicine, once a day, per 60 days. The medicine was prepared accordingly to the Brazilian Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia1. The follow-up was carried out within seven days, which resulted in a total of 8 weeks, since the first interview. The data was organized and statistically analyzed with a 5% significance level, for categorical variables, by Fisher Exact test, in Excel sheet and SPSS 17.0 platform. The ethical committee approved this project under the code: CAAE 31601020.3.0000.5243. Results and Discussion: the preliminary results showed the absence of deaths in both groups (FW and FWO), without any statistically significant difference related to the severity of illness. Most of the families (98.03%) were thrilled to contribute in this particular homeopathic research and reported to have had general health symptoms' improvements (84.31%). Despite the previous comorbidities presented in 52.9% of the families and considering that Covid-19 infected 0.020% of them, only 0.098% looked for medical assistance and none needed hospitalization. Conclusion: no differences between previous sick and health groups were detected after homeopathy intervention.


Humanistic atmosphere is one that is created for the creator and the others with regard to both the physical and mental development of human beings.In a way,it comprises the cultural connotation of college libraries,carries out its cultural infiltration and proves to be one of the key components that help colleges implement comprehensive education with emphasis laid on the students' qualities.The paper focuses on the following three aspects,namely,how to create humanistic atmosphere in college libraries,the internal relations between the humanistic atmosphere in college libraries and the students' academic progress and the significance of necessary concentration on the creation of the humanistic atmosphere in college libraries.The probe into the internal relations between the humanistic atmosphere in college libraries and the students' academic progress attempts to put forward a suggestion that more attention should be paid to the creation of humanistic atmosphere in college libraries so as to pave the way for the students' academic progress.


In order to deal with the mismatched unknown parameters and disturbance,this paper proposes an adaptive robust controller with L_2-gain for a class of uncertain nonlinear systems.By combining robust L_2-gain control stragtegy with nonlinear damp technology,a backstepping design Lyapunov-based approach is developed to construct the adaptive state feedback controller explicitly,and realizes the robust output adjustment even in the presence of mismatched unknown parameters and bounded disturbances.The new controller not only employs nonlinear damp term to eliminate the unknown disturbance and avoids the overparametrization in traditional adaptive controller,but also makes the L_2-gain from the disturbance input to the controlled output have less than or equal to a prescribed index γ.Simulation results are provided to demonstrate the correctness and flexibility of the controller.1 fig,8 refs.


OBJECTIVES: To compare the interrater and intrarater reliability of the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS) with the Standardized Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (SADAS).


Introduction: In the INSTAGE trial in patients with IPF and DLco ≤35% predicted, nintedanib plus sildenafil was not associated with a significant benefit on SGRQ total score (primary endpoint) vs nintedanib alone. However, nintedanib plus sildenafil was associated with stabilisation in BNP, a marker of right ventricular strain, and reduced decline in FVC vs nintedanib alone. Aim: To assess whether baseline BNP influenced the effects of nintedanib plus sildenafil vs nintedanib alone. Methods: In post-hoc analyses, patients with baseline BNP ≤ vs > median were compared on changes from baseline in BNP at week 24 and in SGRQ total score and FVC at weeks 12 and 24; time to absolute FVC ≥5% predicted or death; and time to relative FVC decline ≥10% predicted or death. Results: At baseline, median BNP was 52 ng/L; 140 patients had BNP ≤52 ng/L and 133 had BNP >52 ng/L. All endpoints showed numerical benefits of nintedanib plus sildenafil vs nintedanib alone in both subgroups. Compared with patients with baseline BNP below the median, the combination provided a significantly greater benefit on BNP levels and a numerical benefit on FVC in patients with higher baseline BNP. Conclusions: In patients with IPF and severely impaired gas exchange, the benefit of nintedanib plus sildenafil vs nintedanib alone on changes in BNP and FVC seemed more pronounced in patients with baseline BNP above the median.


Direct read-write layer 3 switch Mib library through the standard SNMP protocol,Implement Web services and back-end services to the automatic management of Layer 3 switches,gave a key code and operating results,reduced the burden of network management,increased efficiency.


Abstract A sequential conjugate gradient-restoration algorithm is developed in order to solve optimal control problems involving a functional subject to differential constraints, nondifferential constraints, and terminal constraints. The algorithm is composed of a sequence of cycles, each cycle consisting of two phases, a conjugate gradient phase and a restoration phase. The conjugate gradient phase involves a single iteration and is designed to decrease the value of the functional, while satisfying the constraints to first order. During this iteration, the first variation of the functional is minimized, subject to the linearized constraints. The minimization is performed over the class of variations of the control and the parameter which are equidistant from some constant multiple of the corresponding variations of the previous conjugate gradient phase. For the special case of a quadratic functional subject to linear constraints, various orthogonality and conjugacy conditions hold. The restoration phase ...


The purpose of this work is to evaluate the effects of intrinsic fluctuations of the discrete distribution of dopants on the threshold voltage and on the off-state current of n-MOSFETs. We use a model taking into account the Fermi-Dirac statistics of electrons and holes, a polysilicon gate, and the effect of doping fluctuations in the polysilicon gate, source and drain. In addition, we also consider the dispersion of the off-state current, which leads to an overall increase of the standby power dissipation. We will present results obtained with definitions of the threshold voltage based on the subthreshold current and on the linear extrapolation of the input characteristics, and will compare them with analytical models and numerical 1D simulations.


Rather than evaluate managers on the basis of activities traditionally prescribed for success, an observation study was conducted to determine empirically which activities successful managers actually perform. Trained participant observers recorded the behaviors of 52 managers in three diverse organizations-a state department of revenue, a medium-sized manufacturing plant, and a campus police department-over a two-week period. In analyzing the data collected, the authors measured success by using a promotion index of level over tenure and by considering the top managers of each organization to be successful. Regression analysis found that two activities were significantly related to managerial success: interaction with outsiders and socializing/politicking. Further comparative analysis of managers ranked in the top and bottom thirds indicated that successful managers exhibited more behaviors related to conflict management, and comparisons of top-level managers with those in the middle and first levels indicated that successful managers exhibited more behaviors related to decision making and planninglcoordinating. The study found that some of the activities of the successful managers apparently depended upon the type of organization in which they worked.


Reactions of selenazadienes with chloroacetonitrile yielded 1,3-selenazol-5-carbonitriles in moderate to high yields. Reactions of the selenazadienes with chloroacetyl chloride and then with amines gave 1,3-sele-nazole-5-carboxamides.


The authors point to the difficulty of assessing fiscal sustainability when revenues fluctuate sharply and unexpectedly. They note that in recent years tax revenues in Japan have been considerably unstable, so it is no longer appropriate to calculate the amount of structural tax revenue using a standard elasticity. The paper examines the fluctuation of Japan's corporate tax revenue and its elasticity since 1980. In particular, it evaluates the role of structural and cyclical changes in the distribution of value-added, the relationship between interest rates and return on capital, asset price movements and return from foreign investment, the divergence of economic fluctuations among sectors and the deductions of carried-over losses. Finally, the paper discusses appropriate methods for the estimation of structural corporate tax revenue.


The quality of the business environment influences the speed and quality of economic development, and optimizing the business environment helps improve enterprises' innovation ability. This article selects urban business environment and micro-enterprise data of Chinese listed companies from 2013 to 2019. It constructs a comprehensive evaluation index system for the urban business environment in China through the entropy method, exploring the specific path of promoting enterprise innovation ability through the business environment. The empirical results indicate that optimizing the business environment can encourage improving innovation efficiency in enterprises. A good business environment can increase government subsidies and enterprises' Assumption of risk ability to promote technological innovation. Financing constraints and supply chain concentration can negatively enhance the driving effect of the business environment on enterprise innovation. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that the business environment is more conducive to stimulating the drive for technological innovation among state-owned enterprises, large-scale enterprises, and manufacturing enterprises. This article provides new insights into the relationship between the business environment and the innovation efficiency of enterprises.


This report discusses the Department of Defense (DOD) policy via the Defense Utilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for disposing of government equipment and supplies considered surplus or deemed unnecessary to the agency's currently designated mission. The report focuses on DRMS background, as well as the most recent DRMS policy modifications.


In the superfused guinea pig vas deferens, prostaglandin E2 (1–10 ng/ml) caused a dose dependent and reversible depression of the overflow of 3H-noradrenaline in response to trans-mural stimulation. Increasing the calcium concentration in the superfusion medium from 1.8–5.4 mM enhanced the overflow of 3H-noradrenaline and reversed the inhibitory effect of prostaglandin E2. Closely similar effects were obtained with prostaglandin E1. In the presence of elevated calcium (5.4 mM), prostaglandin E2 was still inhibitory, but the dose-effect curve was significantly shifted to the left, making the compound less effective in inhibiting the overflow of 3H-noradrenalhe. The results are compatible with, and add further weight to the consideration that prostaglandins of the E series restrict the release of noradrenaline from sympathetic nerves by inhibiting the influx of calcium ions into the neuron.


John Ankerberg and John Weldon. Behi1ld the Mask of Mormonism. Eugene, Ore.: Harvest House, 1992 . 499 pp., with index. $14.99. Reviewed by Daniel C. Peterson Constancy amid Change Have I done any good in the world today? Have I helped anyone in need? .. Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure, A bless ing of duty and love. I Behind the Mask of Mormonism is a reprint of Everything You Ever Wanred to Know about Mormonism: The Tn/ti! abollf the Mormon Chllrch, by Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. Dr. John Weldon, wh ich was first publi shed in 1992.2 Its copyright page notes the title change and features a new ISBN number, but is otherwise almost exact ly identical to the corres pond ing page in the earlier printing. This printing is a rat her sil ently revi sed edition. Its pagination is almost prec ise ly what it was before. And it s co pyri ght date rema ins 1992. In 1993, I publi shed a lengthy and hi ghly critical rev iew o f Everything YOII Ever Wanted to Know about Mormonism, detailing scores of errors and distortions in that vo lume.3 So you can perhaps imagine my di sappointment when it seemed that Dr. An kerberg and Dr. Dr. Weldon had changed nothing of their book beyond its name. For example, they persist in dema nding (o n pp.28586) that Latter-day SainI scholars furni sh examples of


This special issue explores everyday practices and politics of accessing the state and state resources from a southern, urban perspective. The collection of papers documents, urban low-income residents' everyday relationships with the state, through the study of actual practices of interaction with a range of state representatives at the local level (councilors and officials, at various levels of local government). Formal and informal, legal and illegal, confrontational and cooperative, we analyze the multiple tactics of engagement with the state by low-income residents to understand the extent to which they allow access to state resources and to degrees of state recognition, even in contexts of mass poverty, informality and scarce public resources. The modes of interaction with the state also embody and frame low-income residents' representations of the state, of their expectations, and of their own citizenship. This special issue critically draws together a wide-ranging and important debate on governance, and the relationships it constructs between state and civil society. The main question we raise is how the dynamics of governance reform, with attempted development or deepening of both decentralization and participation, affect everyday practices to access the state and the resulting politics that shape state–society relations in southern contexts? Collectively, the papers in the special issue reflect on the ways in which low-income citizens' access to the state challenges existing theories of the state and democracy. Stemming from a research programme entitled 'The Voices of the Poor in Urban Governance: Participation, Mobilization and Politics in South African Cities',1 this special issue focuses on South African cities primarily but not exclusively. Although the contexts examined have their own specificities, we argue that they provide an interesting and critical context in which to work through the debate from a Southern perspective. South African societies are specific in the huge expectations residents have in the post-apartheid state, and in the ways that ideals continue to be framed in modernist terms, as emblematized by policies of mass public housing delivery and effort towards mass access to urban


Vision capabilities have a significant effect on many applications of robots. The limitation of current imaging systems with regard to a limited field of view affects the performance of the robotic system. A whole world view sometimes is required and is often desirable. The general approach relies on mechanical scanning to record an entire world view; however, omnidirectional viewing by a fish eye lens can provide a full hemispherical field of view at the same instant. The development of omnidirectional vision appears to have definite advantages. The paper reviews the development of omnidirectional viewing and present the basic configuration of a fish eye lens. The projection features of omnidirectional lenses are discussed. A design of an omnidirectional robot vision system is described. The striking topics for its applications in the field of robotics, an omni-image restoration technique and an omnivision navigation technique, are briefly outlined.


This paper presents parallel matrix multiplication in C#. Threaded computation was distributed to all available cores in the shared memory system. Number of threads created to parallelize for-loops is equal to the number of cores in the system. The main aim of this work was to accomplish parallelization similar to what Microsoft .NET V4.o provided in their parallel extensions library and make it easy to use.


As a precursor to simulation transfer studies, this research assessed the level of competence in basic offshore safety gained through a virtual environment training program and investigated the training time required to reach competence. The experiment demonstrated that the offshore egress learning objectives can be taught using the All-hands Virtual Emergency Response Trainer (AVERT) training program with some limitations. The two main findings were: 1. due to individual differences in spatial learning, some individuals required more exposure to the virtual setting to ensure knowledge retention; and 2. the procedural learning objectives required reinforcement during training scenarios to ensure knowledge acquisition. Overall, this research recommends modifications to the training and technology design in order to prepare for future transfer studies and offshore applications.Copyright © 2015 by ASME


Background: ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI) is a pathological process that involves cardiac muscle tissue death. Intravenous thrombolysis with fibrinolytics or primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), an invasive technique, can be performed for tissue revascularization. PCI has been preferred as compared to non-invasive methods, although few studies have described its use in Brazil. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to analyze data on the use of primary PCI and investigate the relevance of hospitalizations for the treatment of STEMI in the country. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional analysis of data from the Brazilian Unified Health system (SUS) Department of Informatics (DATASUS) from 2010 to 2019 was conducted. Results: Hospitalizations for STEMI represented 0.6% of all hospital admissions in Brazil in the analyzed period, 0.9% of hospital costs, and 2.1% of deaths. The number of hospitalizations due to STEMI was 659,811, and 82,793 for PCIs. Length of hospital stay was 36.0% shorter and mortality rate was 53.3% lower in PCI. The mean cost of PCI was 3.5-fold higher than for treatment of STEMI. Conclusions: Data on hospitalizations for STEMI treatment in Brazil revealed high hospitalization and mortality rates, elevated costs, and long hospital stay. Although primary PCI is a more expensive and less used technique than other methods, it can reduce the length of hospital stay and mortality in the treatment of STEMI.


Abstract The first years of practicing a profession have a significant impact on the development of competence and professional identity. Teacher educators are aware of the importance of acculturation and recognition to beginning teachers. Engaging in service learning in their schools is an effective way for teachers to become full members of their new communities while developing their collaboration skills. This article describes the service-learning component of a graduate course for special education teachers that is designed to establish reflection and collaboration as career-long professional practices. Background Engaging in service learning during a clinical experience is increasingly becoming a part of professional education. The National Service Learning Clearinghouse has links to numerous examples of service learning that have been incorporated into professional education for doctors, nurses, public health professionals, lawyers, social workers, architects, and many others. The goals and activities of the service-learning experiences may differ by area, but the over-riding purpose is usually to introduce new professionals to their chosen field via work that has significance and worth for both the recipients and the practitioners. In recent years, the preparation of teachers has been extended beyond traditional courses and student teaching experiences to include structured support and an introduction to advanced skills and knowledge during the first few years of teaching (Boyer & Gillespie, 2000). Teacher educators and administrators have realized that a structured induction period can greatly increase new teachers' confidence, sense of efficacy, and likelihood of remaining in the profession (Ingersoll & Smith, 2004). One aspect of support that teachers at the beginning of their careers often value is the security of being in a community. Providing service to one's new school community is a natural way to learn about its members, become acculturated, and be accepted as a member oneself: There is now a sufficient history of using service learning in preservice teacher education programs to have produced positive and consistent outcomes (Root, Callahan, & Sepanski, 2002; Wade, 1997). Shumer (1997) and others have promoted the preparation of teachers for service-learning, noting "focus on using the real-world, contextual nature of service experiences allows for emphasis on reflective practice, enhancing the overall development of the newer teacher (p. 5)." In addition to helping them become reflective practitioners, service-learning experiences can provide teacher candidates with knowledge of cultures and communities that differ from their own backgrounds, and skills in collaborating and communicating with other professionals and community members (AACTE, Winter 2002; Vickers, Harris & McCarthy, 2004). Such important teaching dispositions as caring, commitment to democratic values, and sensitivity to differences in students are effectively developed through service-learning (AACTE, Spring/Summer 2002). Service learning as part of teacher preparation has also been shown to increase teacher candidates' commitment to teaching as well as their interest in using this pedagogical approach in their own future classrooms (Root et al., 2002; Wade, 1995). Using service-learning as a strategy for inducting teachers into their profession potentially offers the same benefits that accrue to preservice teachers, as well as others that capitalize on the immediacy of the situation. In addition to daily demands for planning, instruction, and classroom management, new teachers have to enter a pre-existing school community, develop their place in this community, and learn how to become part of a school wide team. While their preservice preparation has focused on the former aspects of their teaching role, the latter may not have been addressed in any substantive way. …


n Friday,September 4, 1841, the fourth d·ay of an intense raci·al riot in Cincinnati,Ohio,a mob of angry voung white men pursued a group of blacks into the predominantly black section of town. There,the black residents desperately tried to defend themselves,their businesses,homes, and families. According to the Cincinnati Daily Gazette,at approximately one o' clock in the afternoon,a portion of the mob procured an iron six pounder from ne·ar the river, loaded with boiler punchings, Bcc. and hauled it to the ground, against the exhort·ations of-the Mayor ·and others. It was posted on Broadway and pointed down Sixth street. During an attack that lasted well into the night, the mob proceeded to open fire with the cannon several times on African American homes. Two days later, the Queen City appeared calm. However,reverberations from the outburst continued in the months to come, oil the streets,in meeting halls,and in the newspapers of the divided city,as anti-abolitionists blamed Underground Railroad activists for provoking the incident.1 This essay explores the nature of anti-abolition sentiment in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the early 1840s through an analysis of a shortlived antiabolition


One result of the recent clinical and experimental investigations of circulatory disturbances and of the clearer recognition of the functions of the heart muscle has been an analysis of the various forms of arrhythmia. Diagnosis, prognosis and treatment alike demand that the physician understand, if possible, the pathological physiology of any given instance of cardiac irregularity. A group of cases in which arrhythmia is not infrequent, and in which the determination of the type of arrhythmia is of considerable importance, is that which includes the irregularities of the pulse occurring during and after infectious diseases. While all textbooks call attention to the fact that the heart may be irregular in almost any of the infectious diseases, there has been little accurate work, based on cardiographic methods, to show what types of irregularity are most often present. This is doubtless due partly to the fact that, with the exception of


Many URLs on the Internet point to identical contents, which increase the burden of web crawlers. Techniques that detect such URLs (known as URL de-duping) can greatly save resources such as bandwidth and storage for crawlers. Traditional de-duping methods are usually limited to heavily engineered rule matching strategies.In this work, we propose a novel URL de-duping framework based on sequence-to-sequence (Seq2Seq) neural networks. A single concise translation model can take the place of thousands of explicit rules. Experiments indicate that a vanilla Seq2Seq architecture yields robust and accurate results in detecting duplicate URLs. Furthermore, we demonstrate the efficiency of this framework in the real large-scale web environment.


Introduction: The purpose of this study was to establish the effective time parameters of physical education (PE) lessons and the amount of time that children spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Methods: The study involved a total of 189 third-grade pupils (94 boys and 95 girls), aged 8 to 9 years, from five primary schools in the Slovenian coastal region. We used an accelerometer in each school to measure the quantity and intensity of activity during three PE lessons led by the class teacher and / or PE teachers. Results: We found that the average duration of a PE lesson was 36.6 ± 7.7 minutes: lesson preparation time 14.9 ± 7.7 minutes, the main activity 19.3 ± 7.1 minutes and the conclusion 1.8 ± 2.4 minutes. Time spent in MVPA was 13.2 ± 4.1 minutes, with no statistical differences between genders (P = 0.338). An average PE lesson carried outdoor on the outside playground lasted an average 7 minutes less than lesson in the gym (P = 0.066) , and the average PE lesson's effective time was shorter by 1.5 minutes as well (P = 0.011). The children led by both teachers together showed, on average, that their MVPA had been shortened by 3.5 minutes. There were no statistical differences between a PE teacher and a classroom teacher. Furthermore, it was revealed that the time spent in MVPA tends to decrease proportionally with the increase in the number of children participating actively in the PE lesson ( r = -.12; P = 0.092 ). Conclusions: The research only included the time spent in MVPA during PE lessons and not their content. However, it can be concluded that everyday PE lessons could extend the time spent in MVPA by 6 % a week.


Princeton Professor David Billington died on March 25, 2018 at the age of 90. David was a structural engineer, scholar, and a master teacher. He taught two courses at Princeton University. By Princeton standards these were very large courses, impacting as many as 20% of all students
 graduating from Princeton from the mid-1990's until he retired in 2010. One course was "Structures in the Urban Environment" and it focused on structural artists – engineers who designed efficient, economical, and elegant structures. The other course was "Engineering in the Modern World"
 and it focused on the history of engineering from the time of the American Revolution to the present day. Both courses are still being taught by his colleagues, Prof. Maria Garlock and Prof. Michael Littman. This article is about David's approach to educating the general public and engineers
 as described by Michael Littman, who co-taught the "Engineering in the Modern World" course with him for over 20 years.


Thermal performance data for a test-prototype Transwall system in a passive test room are analyzed and used to revise and validate a thermal network model of the Transwall system. The mathematical model is then used to predict Transwall thermal performance as a function of design parameters in an hour-by-hour simulation throughout the heating season for the climates of Boston, Madison, and Albuquerque. System parameters are varied one at a time, holding all other parameters at the values for a standard reference design. The Transwall design parameters varied are: collector area to building load ratio, Transwall thickness, transmittance of the absorber plate, and amount of internal thermal mass. The solar savings fraction is calculated for each condition and compared to that of the reference design in a graphical presentation. Results indicate that excellent thermal performance may be obtained while still allowing substantial design flexibility to achieve a viable system.


Voice activity detection (VAD) in noisy environments is a very important preprocessing scheme in speech communication technology, a field which includes speech recognition, speech coding, speech enhancement and captioning video contents. We have developed a VAD method for noisy environments based on the modulation spectrum. In Experiment 1, we investigate the optimal ranges of speech and modulation frequencies for the proposed algorithm by using the simulated data in the CENSREC-1-C corpus. Results show that when we combine an upper limit frequency between 1,000 and 2,000 Hz with a lower limit frequency of less than 300 Hz as speech frequency bands, error rates are lower than with other bands. Furthermore, when we use the frequency components of the modulation spectrum between 3–9, 3–11, 3–14, 3–18, 4–9, 4–11, 4–14, 4–18, 5–7, 5–9, 5–11, or 5–14 Hz, the proposed method performs VAD well. In Experiment 2, we use one of the best parameter settings from Experiment 1 and evaluate the real environment data in the CENSREC-1-C corpus by comparing our method with other conventional methods. Improvements were observed from the VAD results for each SNR condition and noise type.


Plasmonic metal nanoparticles and polymer materials have independently undergone rapid development during the last two decades. More recently, it has been realized that combining these two systems in a hybrid or nanocomposite material comprised of plasmonically active metal nanoparticles dispersed in a polymer matrix leads to systems that exhibit fascinating properties, and some first attempts had been made to exploit them for optical spectroscopy, solar cells or even pure art. In my thesis, I have applied this concept to tackle the urgent problem of hydrogen safety by developing Pd nanoparticle-based "plasmonic plastic" hybrid materials, and by using them as the active element in optical hydrogen sensors. This is motivated by the fact that hydrogen gas, which constitutes a clean and sustainable energy vector, poses a risk for severe accidents due to its high flammability when mixed with air. Therefore, hydrogen leak detection systems are compulsory in the imminent large-scale dissemination of hydrogen energy technologies. To date, however, there a several unresolved challenges in terms of hydrogen sensor performance, whereof too slow sensor response/recovery times and insufficient resistance towards deactivation by poisoning species are two of the most severe ones. In this thesis, I have therefore applied the plasmonic plastic hybrid material concept to tackle these challenges. In summary, I have (i) developed hysteresis-free plasmonic hydrogen sensors based on PdAu, PdCu and PdAuCu alloy nanoparticles; (ii) demonstrated ultrafast sensor response and stable sensor operation in chemically challenging environments using polymer coatings; (iii) introduced bulk-processed and 3D printed plasmonic plastic hydrogen sensors with fast response and high resistance against poisoning and deactivation.


This paper applies a methodology based on a mostly-analytical Foldy-Lax full wave scattering model to analyze via arrays in a multilayered printed circuit board. We have demonstrated good model-to-hardware correlation up to 20 GHz by simulating and measuring 8×8 via arrays including 29 signal vias and 35 ground vias in a 18-layer test board. The required CPU in the 64-via case is 4 seconds which is more than four orders of magnitude faster than the market leading general-purpose 3D full wave solver.


This paper presents the results of a combined experimental, theoretical, and computational study of the adhesion between suspended polymeric films and a substrate in a model drug-eluting stent. Atomic force microscope is used to measure the pull-off force between the polymer and the substrate. The adhesion energy was then obtained from the measured pull-off forces and adhesion theories. Subsequently, the adhesion energy was incorporated into interfacial fracture mechanics zone model that was used to determine mode mixity dependence of the interfacial fracture toughness. The mode mixity-dependent fracture toughness conditions were then integrated into finite element models that were used to compute the critical push-out force of the suspended polymeric films. The predicted push-out forces were in good agreement with the results obtained from the experiments.


Calcium homeostasis modulator 1 (CALHM1), a newly discovered voltage-dependent nonselective ion channel, has drawn attention to its role in neuronal activity and taste sensation. Its sluggish voltage-dependent activation is facilitated by lowering extracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]e). Here, we investigated the effects of extracellular and intracellular pH (pHe and pHi) on human CALHM1. When normalized to the amplitude of the CALHM1 current (ICALHM1) under whole-cell patch clamp at symmetrical pH 7.4, ICALHM1 decreased at acidic pHe or pHi, whereas it sharply increased at alkaline pHe or pHi. The effects of pH were preserved in the inside-out configuration. The voltage dependence of ICALHM1 showed leftward and rightward shifts at alkaline and acidic pHe and pHi, respectively. Site-directed mutagenesis of the water-accessible charged residues of the pore and nearby domains revealed that E17, K229, E233, D257, and E259 are non-additively responsible for facilitation at alkaline pHi. Identification of the pHe-sensing residue was not possible because mutation of putative residues impaired membrane expression, resulting in undetectable ICALHM1. Alkaline pHe-dependent facilitation, but not inhibition at acidic pHe, was use-dependent, suggesting that the sensitivity to pHe could be due to H+ diffusion through the open-state CALHM1. At pHe 6.2, decreased [Ca2+]e could not recover the inhibited ICALHM1 but further augmented the increased ICALHM1 at pHe 8.6, suggesting that unidentified common residues might contribute to the [Ca2+]e and acidic pHe. This study is the first to demonstrated the remarkable pH-sensitivity of CALHM1, which might be responsible for the pH-dependent modulation of neuronal excitability or taste sensation.


A small, lightweight, portable apparatus based on an electrochemical sensing principle has been developed for monitoring low concentrations of ethylene in air. Ethylene has long been known to be produced by plants and to stimulate the growth and other aspects of the development of plants (including, notably, ripening of fruits and vegetables), even at concentrations as low as tens of parts per billion (ppb). The effects are magnified in plant-growth and -storage chambers wherein ethylene can accumulate. There is increasing recognition in agriculture and related industries that it is desirable to monitor and control ethylene concentrations in order to optimize the growth, storage, and ripening of plant products. Hence, there are numerous potential uses for the present apparatus in conjunction with equipment for controlling ethylene concentrations. The ethylene sensor is of a thick-film type with a design optimized for a low detection limit. The sensor includes a noble metal sensing electrode on a chip and a hydrated solid-electrolyte membrane that is held in contact with the chip. Also located on the sensor chip are a counter electrode and a reference electrode. The sensing electrode is held at a fixed potential versus the reference electrode. Detection takes place at active-triple-point areas where the sensing electrode, electrolyte, and sample gas meet. These areas are formed by cutting openings in the electrolyte membrane. The electrode current generated from electrochemical oxidation of ethylene at the active triple points is proportional to the concentration of ethylene. An additional film of the solid-electrolyte membrane material is deposited on the sensing electrode to increase the effective triple-point areas and thereby enhance the detection signal. The sensor chip is placed in a holder that is part of a polycarbonate housing. When fully assembled, the housing holds the solid-electrolyte membrane in contact with the chip (see figure). The housing includes a water reservoir for keeping the solid-electrolyte membrane hydrated. The housing also includes flow channels for circulating a sample stream of air over the chip: ethylene is brought to the sensing surface predominately by convection in this sample stream. The sample stream is generated by a built-in sampling pump. The forced circulation of sample air contributes to the attainment of a low detection limit.


Hybrid stress elements are known to provide accurate results for analyses of plate bending; in particular, for the prediction of moment distribution. The construction of hybrid stiffness matrix requires numerical inversion of a moment matrix, evaluation of some relatively complicated boundary integrals and several matrix transformations. Each of these operations can be time-consuming, and the matrix inversion can result in a loss of numerical accuracy.

This paper devises methods to explicitly invert the moment matrices. We find that for triangular elements the inverse is independent of the element shape and is only inversely proportional to its size. We also use a novel set of displacement variables, which greatly simplifies the boundary integration. The displacement variables are chosen in a hierarchical form so that lower order elements can be determined by straightforward reduction of excess terms in a higher order element. Except for the nodal displacements at the vertices, the present approach involves only variables at the midpoints of the sides of an element.


as by the extracorporeal circulation of blood through cooling coils. The former method is adequate in small animals; the latter is commonly resorted to in animals weighing more than five kilograms. Compensatory warming is often prevented by anesthesia or narcosis. Later, rewarming is aided by surface warming or by warming the coils containing the externally circulating blood. Sometimes localized warming, as of the heart region, is used. The task of students of hypothermia consists of measuring the changes in function that occur with body temperature. These functions, here referred to as activities, all eventually diminish in rate or intensity as temperatures decrease. However, temporarily some functions such as oxygen consumption or heat production markedly increase. Each activity may be related conveniently to the temperature of the tissue manifesting it (FIGURE 1). 288 I : I


The purpose of this study was to design weaving methods for the aesthetic and practical recycling of various types of clothing waste, making creative woven textiles and three-dimensional virtual textiles based on them. This study is a follow-up study on the production of upcycling fabric using clothing waste and was conducted to overcome the limitations of the preceding study. Before conducting this study, a preliminary survey was conducted on the perception of clothing waste recycling among weaving participants. The investigation found that the necessity of recycling clothing waste was recognized, but methods for doing so were not known. The demand for easy and diverse recycling methods that can aesthetically improve clothing waste has been identified. In this study, seven weaving methods based on plain weaving were designed. The weaving method was based on the plain weaving method, and warp, weft, and matt weaving were divided into regular or irregular weaving. Warp yarn was used to improve the durability of the textile, and weft yarn was utilized to increase the use of clothing waste and maintain the aesthetic effects of the original materials. The twenty people who participated in the preliminary survey performed creative textile production using clothing waste and evaluated materials and weaving methods. Creative textiles using clothing waste were created as 3D virtual textiles by the author. A group of experts evaluated the novelty and appropriateness of the creative textiles and 3D virtual textiles and participated in a focus group interview. As a result of this study, 140 creative textiles and 3D virtual textiles were produced based on the developed methods. According to the evaluation of the materials and design methods, the preparation of the material was easy, the suitability of the material was high, and the difficulty of the weaving method was low. The difficulty of each weaving type was the lowest for the plain and matt regular method, and the highest for the weft irregular method. The irregular type was highly evaluated in the novelty category, and the regular type was highly evaluated in the appropriateness category. In the focus group interviews, experts positively evaluated the usefulness of the material, the appropriateness of the design methods, the novelty of the woven textile, and the appropriateness of the material for 3D virtual clothing.


This paper advocates a distinction between realism and objectivism. I treat realism about affirmations of a given type as the view that these affirmations are to be understood as factual assertions which attempt to describe features of a largely independent reality, and that they are correct if and only if they manage to do so. I treat objectivism about affirmations of a given type as the view that they are subject to adequate, non-arbitrary standards of correctness, and that there are a significant number of nontrivial affirmations of this type that can be known to be correct. So understood, realism and objectivism are independent. I compare and contrast these conceptions of realism and objectivism with those of Dummett and Wright; illustrate how they can be used to classify and make sense of different positions that philosophers have taken or might be tempted to take on various subject matters; elaborate the conceptions by developing and defending criteria for evaluating realist and objectivist theses; and illustrate how these criteria can be applied to support objectivism without realism with respect to theoretical reasons for beliefs about the macro-physical environment.


SummaryObservation of the development of the buds on plum-tree witches' brooms provoked by Taphrina insititiae (Sad.) Johans, showed that the form of the witches' broom results from a balance between a surplus of vigor and a tendancy to die, two opposing characteristics that are related to the parasitism. In addition, experiments in which shoots or isolated nodes were forced showed that the inhibition of bud opening observed in healthy plum-tree buds once have entered the resting state is only potential in diseased shoots.


This work aimed at the evaluation of the in vitro susceptibility of Amblyomma cajennense nimphs and adults to isolates of Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae fungi. Three isolates of M. anisopliae (959, 319 e E9) and two of B. bassiana (986 e 747) were used. Conidia suspensions were made from fungi grown up in a rice culture medium and each test consisted of four treated groups (105, 106, 107, 108 conidia/ ml) plus a control group. Viability of individuals was assessed 15 days after treatment or after adult ecdisis. Significative differences were found for all treatments and for all stages studied. A large reduction in the viability of ticks was observed, and this effect increased as conidia concentration raised. Based upon the results obtained, it can be concluded that all isolates tested presented an in vitro lethality for the biological stages of A. cajennense evaluated, suggesting a potential use in the biological control of this tick species.


Changes in the numbers of 10 species of parasites belonging to 5 classes of roach and Siberian dace were investigated in the transect "Selenga River – Delta – Lake Baikal" in 2001–2006. The numbers either increased along this transect (myxosporea Myxobolus bramae, monogeneans of genus Dactylogyrus, diplostomatids metacercariae and Rhipidocotyle campanula, parasitic copepodes Ergasilus sieboldi and E. briani) or decreased (myxosporea Myxidium rhodei, cestoda Caryophyllaeides fennica, trematoda Allocreadium isoporum). Differences in the infection rates of fishes in the transect are explained by features of the parasite morphology and biology, and by levels of water contamination.


We present a study on the statistically uncorrelated optimal discriminant plane in this paper. A new concise formula for finding the statistically uncorrelated optimal discriminant plane has been developed, which overcomes the shortcoming of Jin's statistically uncorrelated optimal discriminant plane. The numerical experiments conducted on IRIS data verify the correctness of the above statements


When present as a pollutant in water, the hexavalent chromium compounds are carcinogenic, corrosive on tissue, and toxic to bacteria, plant, animals and people even at low concentrations. This chapter presents an investigation of adsorption efficiency of coconut husk, sugarcane pulp residue, and powdered activated carbon as adsorbents for the removal of chromium from aqueous solution. The effects of solution pH, reaction time, adsorbent loading and agitation speed on the adsorption process were studied. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were fitted to the experimental data. The Freundlich isotherm fitted better when coconut husk and sugarcane pulp residue were applied as adsorbent, however, the Langmuir model could better explain the adsorption process in the case of powdered activated carbon. Pseudo-first and pseudo-second order kinetic models were used to analyze the adsorption process. The analyses revealed that the pseudo-second order model could explain the adsorption better. Furthermore, it was found that coconut husk had the highest adsorption capacity with 2.736 mg Cr (VI) per gram adsorbent, while sugarcane pulp residue and powdered activated carbon exhibited 1.8733 and 1.3618 mg/g adsorption capacities, respectively.


This research focused on examining the relationship between self-esteem and job insecurity in outsourcing employees. The hypothesis of this research was the existence of a negative and significant relationship between self-esteem and job insecurity. There were 211 participants in this study, who were outsourcing employees. Data was collected by using Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES, α = 0.745) and Job Insecurity Scale (JIS, α = 0.723). Technique that was used to analyse the data was Spearman's rho correlation technique because the data was not normal. The results showed that there were a negative and significant relationship between self-esteem and job insecurity (r = -0,246; p = 0,000), positive self-esteem and job insecurity (r = -0,237; p = 0,000), negative self-esteem and job insecurity (r = -0,169; p = 0,007). The higher the self-esteem, the lower the job insecurity of outsourcing employees. Keywords: Self-Esteem, Job Insecurity, Outsourcing Employees


The thermo/viscoelastic analyses predicts a maximum drillhole surface pressure of approximately 3,000 psi after one-half year of heating, assuming the drillhole surface is fixed against radial displacement. With the drillhole surface free to displace radially, the radial displacement is observed to be about 1.5 inches after twenty-five years of heating, for a total drillhole closure of 3.0 inches. In this particular case, with the centerline of the pillar being a line of symmetry, the material expansion upon heating forces the salt upward and into the room and drillhole areas. (20 figures)


Agricultural, environmental and ecological modeling requires soil cation exchange capacity (CEC) that is difficult to measure. Pedotransfer functions (PTFs) are thus routinely applied to predict CEC from easily measured physicochemical properties (e.g., texture, soil organic matter, pH). This study developed the support vector machines (SVM)-based PTFs to predict soil CEC based on 208 soil samples collected from A and B horizons in Qingdao City, Shandong Province, China. The database was randomly split into calibration and validation datasets in proportions of 3:1 using the bootstrap method. The optimal SVM parameters were searched by applying the genetic algorithm (GA). The performance of SVM models was compared to those of multiple stepwise regression (MSR) and artificial neural network (ANN) models. Results show that the accuracy of CEC predicted by SVM improves considerably over those predicted by MSR and ANN. The performance of SVM for B horizon (R2 = 0.85) is slightly better than that for A horizon (R2 = 0.81). The SVM is a powerful approach in the simulation of nonlinear relationship between CEC and physicochemical properties of widely distributed samples from different soil horizons. Sensitivity analysis was also conducted to explore the influence of each input parameter on the CEC predictions by SVM. The clay content is the most sensitive parameter, followed by soil organic matter and pH, while sand content has the weakest influence. This suggests that clay is the most important predictor for predicting CEC of both soil horizons.


The article tries to present the place and role played by the Middle East region on the international market of natural gas due to its high potential of production and export. Important gas reserves are not extracted due to poor infrastructure, difficult technical conditions and lack of needed investments. But the main problem which creates great obstacles for the capitalization of gas resources and impedes the countries' development and export is the conflictual situation persisting in the region for many decades. Instead of cooperation one can see a permanent confrontation which seriously harms the social and economic progress, and that is why democratic and responsible regimes are required, with a new vision upon international relations, but also it is needed the economic, financial and technological support of the great powers, in particular of USA and EU, that is essential and extremely beneficial for the future of this region.


This letter presents a highly linear power tracking Doherty power amplifier (DPA) for wide-band code division multiple access (WCDMA) repeater system. To achieve maximum linearity without extra linearization circuits, the drain bias voltages of the carrier and peaking amplifiers as well as the gate bias voltage of the peaking amplifier are adaptively controlled using the power tracking method according to average power level of the input signal. For experimental verification, a two-way DPA has been implemented at the WCDMA band of 2.11~2.17 GHz and tested using one-tone, two-tone, and four-carrier WCDMA signals. Two-tone and WCDMA test results show the notable cancellation of the IM3 and IM5 components and the significant improvement in adjacent channel leakage ratio over a wide range of output power levels.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework for designing a multiple performance measurement tool for evaluating, comparing and benchmarking the working of engineering educational institutes in a group based on total quality management (TQM) criteria and performance measurement criterion, respectively.

Design/methodology/approach
Proposed framework is based on fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) which takes in to account the fuzziness of human opinion for realistic outcome and generalization of the results. Based on the proposed framework a case study was conducted on engineering institutes of central India for collecting data and analyzing the current practices followed in these institutes. A relationship among TQM implementation criterion was developed, their respective weights derived and then institutes were ranked.

Findings
It was found that the rank of institutions based on both the criterion is same, which indicates that the institutes having better TQM implementation have better performance.

Research limitations/implications
The research in this paper is limited to Indian scenario; studies in other countries and sectors may be conducted to compare the results obtained.

Practical implications
The results will help policy makers in identifying institutions having poor performance in the region.

Originality/value
The paper is navel in its attempt to provide a model based on TQM criteria for evaluating the working of engineering educational institutes in a group in terms of their relative weightage and benchmark.


The basin natures of eastern Linqing depression are different in different tectonic periods due to the control from a number of tectonic movements since Mesozoic.Based on the accurate interpretation of seismic data,the paper analyzes the tectonic evolution history of Linqing depression since the Triassic,restores the denuded thickness and the original thickness of Lower-Middle Jurassic and initially analyzes the growing characteristics of the early-middle Jurassic basin in corporation with the fault system diagram of the same period.The study result shows that J1-2 stage of Eastern Linqing is under growing in the depression basin;the denuded thickness is mainly controlled by the structures formed by the tectonic movements after late Jurassic and is characterized of alternative distribution regularity with different sizes in NE direction;and the J1-2 basin distribution is in NE direction and the formation distribution is mainly controlled by the compression structure formed in Indo-China period.


The stepping cooling beds of JiGang 4300mm production line adopts a kind of intelligent multi-point lubrication system.This system may accurately watch the state of each lubrication points in the system,and simultaneity make the program debugging according to the oil mass of each lubrication points through tuning the oil time primarily and the cycle time.The system can ensure the equipment lubrication,and save fat usage,which will be worth promoting vigorously.


In this study, numerical analysis was carried out through considering various SCP lengths during SCP construction method. Numerical analysis program using Midas GTS analyzed ground movement classified by construction stage. Ground settlement, surface settlement and pore water pressure were compared and analyzed in accordance with each construction stage divided by constructing SCP, filling earth on the ground and leaving a structure when lasting 365 days after completion of construction. As a result considering economical and safety factor, surface settlement and pore water pressure at the stage of partially penetration SCP considering fully penetrated SCP under toe of filling earth and partially penetrated SCP under middle of filling earth were similar to those of fully penetration SCP under whole parts of fillings earth.


1 Reservations of the CISG: Regional Trends and Developments 2 The Perversity of Contract Law Regionalization in a Globalizing World 3 CISG in Time of Crisis: An Opportunity for Increased Efficiency 4 The Avoidance of Contract Under the CISG: Some Comparative Remarks from a Chinese Perspective 5 Globalizing International Trade, Investment and Commercial Laws Through Regionalism: The Prospects 6 Brazil's Adhesion to the CISG - Consequences for Trade in China and Latin-America 7 CESL and CISG


This paper describes some recent developments of the Culham Particle-in-Cell (PIC) software for use in the design vacuum electronic devices. Increasingly complex devices, with volume and surface physics models and coupling to external circuits can now be modelled in detail, making virtual prototyping a powerful and cost effective adjoint to mathematical analysis and laboratory testing.


With the recent emergence and the explosion of users in social networks, Internet users have come to know more about other people or companies through information obtained from online groups or communities and therefore meet new opportunities. An avalanche of diverse and unstructured information is created every minute, for billions of devices connected to the Internet all the time. Analyze, process, understand and evaluate these data, it is a challenging task, given the volume, velocity and variety of information from these social networks. However, a better understanding of the process of monitoring networks and the use of tools of this kind are essential for people, companies and the academic world. The application of monitoring systems, information management and the possibility of bringing brands to people, are some positives that this research will provide better knowledge of the problems. In this research will be analyzed monitoring tool of social networks SCUP, its details, its features and the tool related to business management. In conclusion, we present all the peculiarities of the software and the possibilities applicable in the corporate environment, as aid to decision making.


ABSTRACT When the epithelial cell layer covering two adjacent tissues is removed accidentally or intentionally during surgical procedures, the underlying connective tissue will grow together during the wound- healing process. Similarly, when two connective tissue surfaces not covered by endothelium but separated by elastoviscous fluid containing high molecular weight hyaluronan are wounded by trauma or during surgical procedures, they can grow together during the healing process. Such adhesion between two tissue surfaces may interfere with function and the excessive new connective tissue formed (scar tissue) may exert pressure on adjacent nerves, causing chronic pain. This paper describes the use of new formulations of dry films containing only hylan. In animal models, this film prevented adhesion formation between two tissue surfaces denuded from their mesothelial or epithelial cell cover. The most important property of this film after it is hydrated by tissue fluids was that it still adhered to the tissue surface, ensuring its stay in place. Thus, it functions as a barrier material, separating the healing tissues. The films do not cause inflammation or foreign body reaction and they do not interfere with the healing of adjacent tissues. These films successfully prevented adhesions between tissue surfaces in liver and cecal abrasion models in rat and uterine horn abrasion models in rabbits. Such films can also be used as delivery vehicles for various drugs, influencing them by combining their physical barrier effect with regulation effects on the healing process.


The purpose of the article is to study the hydrographic features of the transboundary Western Bug River basin in Ukraine, its hydrochemical regime and ion flow, as well as possible manifestations of anthropogenic influence on them. Methods. The methods of statistical processing of data of observation series, the method of calculating the ion flow were used. Results. The features of the hydrochemical regime and the ionic runoff of the transboundary river are estimated. Western Bug on the main ions in Ukraine. Especially noted anthropogenic influence r. Poltva, into which the wastewater of Lviv is dumped, on the quality of water of the Western Bug . Scientific novelty. The flow of chemicals with the waters of the Western Bug basin from the territory of Ukraine and Poland within the general part of the basin has been calculated. Practical significance. Noted the need to comply with hydro-environmental conditions on the river. Poltva, which introduces a significant portion of chemicals in the river. Western Bug and affects the quality of its waters.


The importance of the study lies in the extent to which the trainer possesses strategic agility and employs it in his training work. The problem arises in the study of the strategic agility of a handball coach. Research objectives: Building and applying the scale of strategic agility for handball coaches from the players' point view, as well as setting standard levels for the scale of strategic agility of handball coaches from the players' point of view, and the researcher used the descriptive approach in the survey method because it is more appropriate for the objectives of the research and the nature of the problem. The research community consists of the Iraqi handball premier league players for the season (2019-2020) of (140) Player, and all the research sample was deliberately chosen. The researcher concluded building and codifying the strategic agility scale for handball coaches from the players 'point of view. The research sample was distributed over five levels of the strategic agility scale for handball coaches from the players' point of view. Therefore, the researcher recommends adopting the scale designed for coaches, a tool for measuring the trainers' possession of strategic agility.


This article presents an analysis of women participation in several guerrilla groups in two countries: Guatemala y El Salvador, during the second half of the Central American 20th century, through written testimonies such as autobiographies and collective compilations. It is considered that in that critical period revolutionary movements enlightened wishes and opened politic-social possibilities for women; and so, as in other history times, they got organized thinking and projecting social emancipation, that in this case took form being guerrilleras. However the path was not easy because even with the revolutionary promise of the «hombre nuevo», apparently neutralized, their experiences show us that their sexed women bodies embodied incomprehensible qualities in that space. Something that affected their revolutionary live. We took some topics of their reflections to make a critic reading that allow us to learn with that guerrilleras voices.


Abstract: The paper introduced the gas control in T 2 195 fully mechanized caving face of Tangshan Mining Branch. With adjustmentf of ventilation and air pressure, comprehensive gas drainage and other comprehensive control measures, gas emission in goaf and gas content over limit in the coal mining face was effectively controlled, which could allow a safety production in a coal mining face and set a firm base to have a high production and high efficiency coal mining face.


The paper describes a method for people detection and tracking from multi-camera views. The proposed approach is based on 3D models of the person shape, where motion tracking is carried out in 3D space with re-projection onto calibrated images to perform target validation according to a prediction-verification paradigm. Multiple cameras with partial overlap can be used to cover a much wider area. The referred examples are based on the data base from PETS 2006 video sequences and a data base from EU-ISCAPS demonstration environment.


First Order Operation and Administration Many organisations have clearly defined objectives. A furniture manufacturing company obviously exists to make and sell furniture. All the activities which take place within such a company are ultimately dependent on the successful performance of this primary task. Many operations have to be completed if this task is to be accomplished. Some of these are physical in character and others are administrative. Employees will not work without payment. Consequently, it is essential that pay be calculated and distributed. Again, the company will be obliged to pay tax and produce financial returns of various kinds. Work of this sort is unavoidable if the primary task is to be accomplished. The company may need to raise finance to maintain or replace its plant and equipment. The work which this involves is also evidently necessary to the successful accomplishment of the primary task. Work which is essential to the accomplishment of primary tasks will be called "first order operations". Some of these will be administrative in character and will be designated "first order administration".


Summary It was hypothesized that recruiting for pay or college credit would considerably increase the similarity of volunteers to their parent populations (and to nonvolunteers) in intellectual ability and personality. For the testing of this hypothesis, volunteers for research-participation were recruited from introductory psychology classes by the instructor, with class credit as a reward: 68 volunteered, 34 did not. Comparisons were made for academic ability and achievement and for "MMPI personality." In a second experiment women were recruited by the orientation testing administrator for a three-hour paid experiment: 123 volunteered, 318 did not. Of the 123 volunteers, 29, who took tests in a manner identical to the non-volunteers, were compared for "MMPI personality." Differences did not exceed chance expectations for either group comparison. It is concluded that tangible rewards considerably increase the representativeness of volunteers for psychological experiments, since the selection is on other ...


The method of vibration signal processing for interferometric optical fiber sensor is presented in this paper. For stable vibration, the method of frequency spectra analysis is used. For random vibration, using the system of fiber optic sensor in special coherence combined digital image processing setup and recording to moved number and direction of interferometric fringe and physical formula, collecting and processing image signal of vibration state is presented and professional software is studied and stress-time curve under random vibration state is measured after stress-time curve and vibration frequency for stable vibration were measured where they correspond with theory solution. This research provides a kind of new method for vibration monitoring of structure engineering.


We present various suggestions for the study of flares (fast emission variations, heating mechanisms), prominences (fine structure, magnetic field, energy balance), and sunspots (umbral structure, heating mechanisms, depth and structure of the penumbra, Evershed flow). From these cases we derive the requirements for the future European Solar Telescope: spectropolarimetric capabilities, high signal-to-noise ratio, multi-line spectroscopy, high spatial and temporal resolution.


Cyber Laboratory for FPGA-based logic design course is underdevelopment. It combines the existing actual hardware laboratory and the remote laboratory, with newly designed CAD services and FPGA-run services realized in the form of the Web Services. A Cloud-storage is employed to transfer large CAD files and simulation data files among laboratory FPGA-Platforms and student laptop/desktop home PCs. Design Files can be shared among students, TAs and Teachers for further consultations. Students can easily migrate from actual laboratory to remote laboratory and vice versa. The Cyber laboratory takes advantage of student PCs' active participations in the remote laboratory mode to off-load time consuming tasks, such as logic simulation, from actual laboratory's FPGA-design platforms. It is also effective to avoid network latency and to improve interactive response. Cyber laboratory uses commercial Verilog-HDL logic synthesis tools, FPGA Test-beds and logic analyzers, those are tightly integrated into specific hardware platforms and difficult to decouple. So, actual laboratory organization is still plays an important role in the remote laboratory mode. CAD Web services and FPGA-run Web services are developed to combine remote student PCs with actual laboratory FPGA-Platforms. Those handle compilation, FPGA-run and logic analyzer setup/measure tasks in the form of the Web services. As the laboratory FPGA-Platforms have to serve in two ways: actual laboratory services and remote laboratory services, two separate Virtual Machines are prepared for all laboratory PCs in the form of VM PC clusters. A VM managing PC handles the allocations of VMs to laboratory PCs, according to the usage of PCs. When the actual laboratory is in use, most PCs are assigned as the actual lab VMs. During off-class hours or at night-time, most PCs run the remote service VMs. In this way, a scalable and efficient FPGA based logic design cyber laboratory can be realized.


The interrelations of Russia and Germany are widely regarded as having the fundamental meaning for European security and the entire constitution of the West. While some people tend to believe in the reliability of Germany as the USA partner and its so-called Westbindung as a whole - because of its relations with the Russian Federation, others point to the leading role of Germany in the European foreign policy, while still others see German-Russian relations as a common barometer of conflict and co-operation in Europe. How Germany chooses to approach Russia and how it deals with the crisis in Ukraine in particular are questions that underlie several possible visions of the future European order.


Discrete-time symmetric polynomial equations with complex coeecients are studied in the scalar and matrix case. New theoretical results are derived and several resolution algorithms are proposed and evaluated.


Among clinic,afford to have the phenomenon about alopecia of dogs.Alopecia have a great of course,The major are inherited disease,parasitic disease,fungal dermatopathy,endocrine disease and nutrition metabolic disease.This article to summarize the characteristic of clinical symptom of each disease and to provide the thinking and method of differential diagnosis about alopecia of dogs,it provide the foundation of theory and practice to Cure too.


China has a high degree of population aging, pension has become a hot topic. Based on this, this study focuses on the private doctor service assisted pension market, and investigates doctors, young people and the elderly respectively. The correlation analysis was used to obtain the relationship between respondents' willingness to accept private doctors and various factors. Further with the help of Logistic regression model, it is concluded that doctors in private hospitals, young and middle-aged elderly men and elderly people living alone and with high cost of living are more willing to accept the service of private doctors.


Abstract. The Commission has conserved the specific names ofAnguis jamaicensis Shaw, 1802 and Anguis lumbricalis Linnaeus, 1758 for two species of blind snake from the Caribbean in their accustomed usage, by ruling that Anguis jamaicensis Shaw, 1802 is not to be treated as a replacement name for A. lumbricalis Linnaeus, 1758 (currently Typhlops lumbricalis). A neotype is designated for A. jamaicensis.


Objective To observe on the correlation of expression of IL-1β with corticotropin-releasing factor, (CRF) in the hippocampus of rat VaD models following cerebral ischemia-reperfusion. Methods Cerebral ischemic rat models were subjected to left middle cerebral artery occlusion (LMCAO) by a suture. The rats were ~sacrificed at time points from 30 min to 7 d after onset of the reperfusion. Sham-operated rats were regarded as control groups. We measured the number of the expression of IL-1β and CRF proteins in the region of hippocampus in brain tissue using immunohistochemistry. Results IL-1β immunoreactive cells showed significantly ~increase in the ischemic region as early as 1 h (97.4±~39.3) following cerebral ischemia-reperfusion. IL-1β continued to increase and peaked at 2 h (610.67±188.4) after reperfusion, until the 7~th day (6.6±5.9) after ward, the expression of IL-1β found at very low levels in all ~regions examined; The expression of the protein of CRF started at 2 h (97.2 ±18.4 ), and peaked at 12 h ~(374.4±56.95) and weak in the following sequences, while second peak appeared on 7~th day (396.3±50.98). Conclusions Such data suggest that up-regulating expression of IL-1β may induce release of CRF after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion.


Financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Project ECO2016-77631-R and Fundacion Caja Navarra FUNCAN-07445 are gratefully acknowledged.


Tumor hemodynamics in vascular state is numerically simulated using pressure node solution. The tumor angiogenesis pattern in our previous study is used for the geometry of vessel networks. For tumor angiogenesis, the equation that governed angiogenesis comprises a tumor angiogenesis factor (TAF) conservation equation in time and space, which is solved numerically using the Galerkin finite element method. A stochastic process model is used to simulate vessel formation and vessel. In this study, we use a two-dimensional model with planar vessel structure. Hemodynamics in vessel is assumed as incompressible steady flow with Newtonian fluid properties. In parent vessel, arterial pressure is assigned as a boundary condition whereas a constant terminal pressure is specified in tumor inside. Kirchhoff's law is applied to each pressure node to simulate the pressure distribution in vessel networks. Transient pressure distribution along with angiogenesis pattern is presented to investigate the effect of tumor growth in tumor hemodynamics.


The growth law of austenite grain in 9310 steel was investigated by metallographic technique and theoretic at 800~1200 ℃.The results show that the variation of average austenite grain size with the isothermal time follows Beck's law.The hardness of the experimental steel decreases with the increase of average austenite grain size,which approximately keeps a linearrelationship.The values of lime and activation energy foraustenite grain growth in 9310 steel are worked out based on the experimental results,and the mechanism of the grain growth is discussed.


This paper proposed a novel monopole antenna design for LTE/UMTS/WLAN applications used in USB dongle. The antenna is printed on a 1.6 mm thick FR4 substrate with overall dimension of 60 mm × 12 mm. The proposed antenna is comprised of an antenna section of 20 mm × 12 mm and a system ground of 40 mm × 12 mm. The RF signal is fed by a 50-ohm mini coaxial cable line. To excite broad dual-band operation, the antenna structure introduces a folded arm and a meandered arm, and penta-band applications that can cover the LTE700 (0.698–0.787 GHz), UMTS (1.92–2.17 GHz), WLAN (2.4–2.484 GHz), LTE2300 (2.305–2.4 GHz) and LTE2500 (2.5–2.69 GHz) are achieved.


Identifying infected male partners of women with Chlamydia trachomatis infection is a challenge. To assess compliance with testing, investigators randomized 96 infected Danish women to give their sexual partners of the prior six months either 1) supplies to obtain a …


SUMMARY It has become a common practice to use simulation to generate large databases of good grasps for grasp planning in robotics research. However, the existence of a generic simulation context that enables the generation of high quality grasps that can be used in several different contexts such as bin-picking or picking objects from a table, has to our knowledge not yet been discussed in the literature. In this paper, we investigate how well the quality of grasps simulated in a commonly used "generic" context transfers to a specific context, both, in simulation and in the real world. We generate a large database of grasp hypotheses for several objects and grippers, which we then evaluate in different dynamic simulation contexts e.g., free floating (no gravity, no obstacles), standing on a table and lying on a table. We present a comparison on the intersection of the grasp outcome space across the different contexts and quantitatively show that to generate reliable grasp databases, it is important to use context specific simulation. We furthermore evaluate how well a state of the art grasp database transfers from two simulated contexts to a real world context of picking an object from a table and discuss how to evaluate transferability into non-deterministic real world contexts.


Objective To investigate boundary violation that results in therapist impairment in psychotherapy Methods The Exploitation Index (EI) was applied to all the participants in a senior training program for psychotherapy in China A semi structured questionnaire about Chinese culture and therapeutic relationship (TR) was also conducted Results Seventy six (80%)of the 95 participants finished the investigation 75(98 7%) responders were positive of boundary violation according to EI Responders who worked in the larger cities had higher scores of eroticism(11 11±2 50) and exhibitionism(6 84±1 88) than that worked in the smaller ones ( P 0 05) The EI total score and the scores of eroticism, dependency and greediness were higher in male therapists than in female ( P 0 05) Semi structured questionnaires showed TR was affected by social , cultural and economical situations The TR in China was affection oriented, and there were some differences compared with that in the West Conclusion The research shows that there is boundary violation in the psychotherapists There are differences between the both sexes and between the sizes of cities they work in But the social and cultural factors should be considered as to explaining the results


This thesis consists basically of two parts. They are, however, interrelated by the fact that both parts concerns modelling of catalytic reaction systems and also by the fact that in both parts, spectral methods are used for simulation. The first part describes the numerical treatment of the dispersion model. The model is used to simulate a packed-bed reactor producing formaldehyde from methanol with an iron/ molybdenum catalyst. The self-adjoint partial differential operators involved in the model can, based on the Spectral theorem, be used to obtain infinite series of ordinary differential equations. After solving these equations, the solution to the original equation is obtained by summation. An advantage of the solution method is the possibility to obtain information regarding system behaviour, before actually simulating the system. This information can be extracted from the spectra of eigenvalues obtained after resolving the self- adjoint operators. The second part describes the simulation of heterogeneous/homogeneous combustion where the catalyst is located at the solid wall in contact whith a reactive gas flow. The full equation system, describing compressible fluid flow and chemical reactions, is solved. The numerical solution includes handling of non-linear differential operators which makes the simulation much more difficult than the one performed in part I. The impact of the convective/diffusive operators involved in the simulations become differently important in different areas in space, i.e. in areas far from the solid phase, the convective part will dominate whereas the diffusive part will dominate close to the solid. In order to resolve each contribution efficiently, a fractional step method was used whereby the equation systen was divided into hyperbolic, parabolic and reaction steps. The different steps were then calculated with spectral methods suitable for each specific type of equation system. (Less)


This paper investigates 3D positioning in an indoor line of sight (LOS) and nonline of sight (NLOS) combined environment. It is a known fact that time-of-arrival-(TOA-) based positioning outperforms other techniques in LOS environments; however, multipath in an indoor environment, especially NLOS multipath, significantly decreases the accuracy of TOA positioning. On the other hand, received-signal-strength-(RSS-) based positioning is not affected so much by NLOS multipath as long as the propagation attenuation can be correctly estimated and the multipath effects have been compensated for. Based on this fact, a hybrid weighted least square (HWLS) RSS/TOA method is proposed for target positioning in an indoor LOS/NLOS environment. The identification of LOS/NLOS path is implemented by using Nakagami distribution. An experiment is conducted in the iRadio lab, in the ICT building at the University of Calgary, in order to (i) demonstrate the availability of Nakagami distribution for the identification of LOS and NLOS path, (ii) estimate the pass loss exponent for RSS technique, and (iii) verify our proposed scheme.


Games of self-reference, increasingly common in modern art and literature, are a long-standing tradition in the theatre. Well before physicists, philosophers, and psychologists jeopardized comfortable notions of meaning, integrity, and permanence, theatre artists were subverting these ideas through a logical extension of their own practices, ever inclining toward a view of the human condition as fundamentally theatrical. Caryl Churchill 's dramaturgical strategies continue the sophistication of this trend. Her deployment of conspicuously theatrical pretense throughout Cloud Nine evokes a persistent double-vision that not only capitalizes on the essential quality of her medium, but also illuminates a multiplicity of issues inherent in her work. Theatrical experiment figured even in the germination of Cloud Nine, Churchill's work on the play began in conjunction with members of the Joint Stock Theatre Group dur ing a three week workshop on sexual politics. 1 She describes the nature and extent of this collaboration as follows:


To identify risk factors for knee osteoarthritis (OA) 10–15 years after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. We hypothesized that quadriceps muscle weakness after ACL reconstruction would be a risk factor for radiographic and symptomatic radiographic knee OA 10–15 years later.


Concerned by the impacts of agriculture on the environment, an increasing number of farms move to organic agriculture. This change in their evolution is more or less easy to manage, depending on their biophysical and economic context but also on their specific dynamics. In fact, some observers are worried about the survival of farms which convert without being sufficiently prepared, especially as the knowledge and tools needed to monitor such a change are not all operational. Numerous studies have been made on the multiple dimensions of the process of change occurring during the conversion, but few analyzed it with an integrated approach. Based on the adapted ESR framework (Hill and MacRae, 1995), we present in this article the preliminary results of a multi-scale integrated analysis of the changes occurring during the conversion to organic farming and highlight the diversity of these changes.


The main purpose of the study is the investigating the relationship between the entrepreneurial intention of physiotherapists and the factors that prevent this, for the establishment of physiotherapy, wellness and counseling centers that will contribute to the treatment of the ongoing symptoms of COVID-19, respond to changing patient expectations and support healthcare provision whose burden and resources are reduced by the pandemic Following the main purpose of the study, 351 physiotherapists were reached using the convenience sampling method. Socio-demographic and occupational information of the participants were questioned with the "Personal and Professional Information Collection Form" prepared by authors. The data relating to the analysis were obtained by using the Entrepreneurial Intention and the Entrepreneurial Barriers Scales. The obtained data were analyzed through SPSS 22.0 and SmartPLS. The results show that the entrepreneurial intention of the physiotherapists is at the level of "partially agree" and needs to be improved. Also, it was determined that the greatest impact on entrepreneurial intention is the fear of failure, followed by the perceived lack of support ((p<0.05). It was observed that the perceived lack of competence had no statistical effect (p>0.05). It is thought that while the study expands the literature on the concept of entrepreneurial intention in the field of health, also it will make important contributions with suggestions for practice.


Chronic liver disease is one of the major health issues which occur throughout the world irrespective of age, sex, region or race. Liver diseases have being ranked the fifth most common cause of death and the second leading cause of mortality amongst all digestive diseases with approximately 2 million deaths per year worldwide. Aimed at determining the relative prevalence of chronic liver diseases in Nigeria, this shows that up to 46% of global diseases and 59% of the mortality is due to chronic liver diseases and almost 35 million people in the world die of chronic diseases with liver disease rate steadily increasing over the years. In Nigeria, (35 million) 2-20% of the population, are infected with hepatitis B and C virus with a prevalence rate of 4.3%-23.3% and 0.5-15% been reported respectively from different part of the country depending on the geographical location. A prevalence rate of 4.3% was reported from Port Harcourt, 5.7% from Ilorin, 11.6% from Maiduguri, and 8.3% from Zaria, 6.78% from Ado-Ekiti among pregnant women, 13.50% from Lagos, 11.50% from Abuja Urban among HIV Patients with a seroprevalence of 23.3% been reported among patients attending all clinics in Kano.


Activity concentration of natural radionuclides and 137Cs were studied in leaves of the deciduous trees. In the spring and autumn season, leaves were collected in the area of normal background radiation levels represented by city parks in a multi-year period (2002–2012). Measurements by means of gamma-ray spectrometry showed 226Ra and 210Pb seasonal accumulation in leaves, while 238U and 235U could be detected only in autumn. Difference between seasons was not found significant for 40K and 137Cs. The study of radionuclides transfer factors was conducted by analyzing its relationships with basic soil properties at the beginning and the end of the vegetation period.