Using a revised Kirchhoff diffraction integral and the finite-difference time-domain method we show that an optical vortex generated by a refractive spiral plate with a relief step has an asymmetric profile. The annular diffraction pattern in the optical vortex beam cross-section is found to be disturbed not only for near-field diffraction but also for the Fresnel zone. For a spiral phase plate with topological charge 3, fabricated on a resist, optical vortex asymmetry has been shown experimentally by near-field scanning optical microscopy.


This case study is the last of five looking at the influence of culture on fundraising activities in international non-profits. The American British Cowdray School of Nursing (ABCSN), a nonprofit school affiliated with a local Mexican hospital and university, reflects many of the fundraising practices common to Mexican non-profit organizations, which are in fact few. In Mexico, fundraising and philanthropy have never been widely practiced, a restrictive legal and tax framework inhibits fundraising activity, there is a general mistrust of nonprofits, and there is a general lack of knowledge about or skills with fundraising among nonprofit organizations. This case study examines the organizational structure and fundraising strategies of the ABCSN, and then reflects on the influence the cultural context of the organization has played on shaping them.


We present the status of the VLT Survey Telescope (VST) and OmegaCAM projects. VST is a 2.6m telescope which will be integrated in the ESO-VLT environment at Paranal and will be equipped with a 16k × 16k CCD camera (OmegaCAM) covering 1 square degree with a resolution of 0.21 arcsec/pix. The main scope of this observing facility is the selection of targets for VLT science. It is expected that VST+OmegaCAM will become operational in spring 2004.


To gain insights into a possible immune defect predisposing to disseminated mycobacteria infection, we studied three of six surviving children with disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex infection, who had no recognized form of immunodeficiency. We used mycobacteria isolated from the patients and diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine (DTP) to study antigen‐specific T lymphocyte responses. We observed that interferon‐gamma (IFN‐γ) production by T cells in response to antigens (both mycobacteria and DTP) in these patients with disseminated infection was greatly impaired. This defect did not seem to be the result of T cell unresponsiveness, as phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) stimulation was able to induce high levels of IFN‐γ comparable to those seen in control patients with localized infection. Further experiments showed that peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from patients with disseminated infection were able to present influenza haemagglutinin (HA) peptides to specific T cell clones. However, this ability was lost when the whole HA protein was used as source of antigen. Taken together, these observations support the notion that the primary immune defect in these patients with disseminated mycobacterial infection rests in the antigen‐processing functions of their antigen‐presenting cells (APC). These findings may provide clues to the wider problem of susceptibility to mycobacteria and other intracellular pathogens and have implications in designing therapy for these patients.


This study evaluated posttraumatic stress (PTS) and the appraisal of six traumatic aspects of pediatric spinal cord injury (SCI) in 64 patients, 64 mothers, and 49 fathers. Ratings of fear and helplessness for all injury aspects were extremely high. Mothers and fathers perceived the trauma experience to be more frightening/helpless than did the patients. Patients rated the injury and treatment aspects to be as frightening/helpless as the event that caused the SCI, but rated the social aspects as less helpless than the precipitating event. Parents rated medical and social aspects as less frightening/helpless than the event that caused the injury. Relationships were found between patients' fear/helplessness and patients' PTS, fathers' and mothers' fear and mothers' PTS, and mothers' and patients' helplessness and fathers'PTS.


Although most adaptive software for initial value problems is designed with an accuracy requirement—control of the local error—it is frequently observed that stability is imparted by the adaptation. This relationship between local error control and numerical stability is given a firm theoretical underpinning.The dynamics of numerical methods with local error control are studied for three classes of ordinary differential equations: dissipative, contractive, and gradient systems. Dissipative dynamical systems are characterised by having a bounded absorbing set $\mathcal{B}$ which all trajectories eventually enter and remain inside. The exponentially contractive problems studied have a unique, globally exponentially attracting equilibrium point and thus they are also dissipative since the absorbing set $\mathcal{B}$ may be chosen to be a ball of arbitrarily small radius around the equilibrium point. The gradient systems studied are those for which the set of equilibria comprises isolated points and all traje...


Gain of a helical continuous channel electron multiplier, operated under the existence of extennal magnetic fields, was measured. When the intensity of the magnetic field was increased in one direction (this direction was regarded as a negative direction), the gain increased and then began to decrease. On the other hand, when the magnetic field was applied in an opposite direction (positive direction), the gain decreased and attained the minimum. A further increase of the field in this direction showed the similar behavior in the case of the negative magnetic field. The slope of the magnetic flux density versus the gain curve at the zero field was about 8%/gauss. To analyze the mechanism of the variation of the gain with magnetic field, Monte Carlo simulations of the electron multiplication process were performed. The gain obtained with the simulations agrees qualitatively with the observed value. The simulations show that, when the direction of the magnetic field is negative, multiplications are repeated mainly at the outer dynode surfuce, and, when a relatively strong magnetic field is applied in the positive direction, multiplications are repeated mainly at the inner dynode surface. In the positive weak field (about 20 gauss), electrons proceed zigzag and averagemore » flight lengths become long, so that the gain decreases due to the decrease of the number of the multiplication stages. (auth)« less


Article discussing the problem of corrugations on unpaved roads. Offers smoothing techniques which are less expensive and time-consuming than conventional methods. Government divisions in Great Britain have been testing the use of 'Corrufix', a drag made of alternating fluted rubber scrapers and steel reinforcing held in tension by steel cables.


An automated apparatus for the characterization of the surface area, pore size distribution, and density of powdered materials is described. A newly developed liquid nitrogen level control system maintains the nitrogen level around the tube containing the sample within ±0.2 mm of the initial predefined level. The dosing volume and pneumatically operated control valves are maintained at 25.00±0.05 °C. Equilibrium pressure is measured with the accuracy of ±0.05% of reading. The apparatus may be operated either in a manual or an automatic mode. The control software developed, using the VISIDAQ Version 3.11 software package, operates involving equilibrium and barometric pressure measurements, opening and closing pneumatically operated valves, and transferring experimental data to MS EXCEL spreadsheets. The subroutines developed within the spreadsheet program plot the adsorption and desorption isotherms, calculate the sample specific surface area and density, and provide αs- and t-plots and mesopore and microp...


Hildegard Goss-Mayr may have done more than anyone alive to further nonviolence around the world. She was born into a culture of nonviolence despite the war raging throughout her childhood world. At the tender age of 12, she was among a crowd of schoolchildren taken to welcome Hitler on the Ringstrasse when he arrived in Vienna. As the Nazi leader's convoy approached, she could feel the people around her being gripped by his power and said to herself, "No, I can't get caught by that. I don't care if they kill me, I will refuse to put up my arm."


This paper analyzes the effect of skylight distribution aiming at therequirement of school gymnasium by the econtect.Under the influence of different of glazing-floor ratios,skylight quantities and spacing on school gymnasium.Contrasting the simulative data on different models,we can draw the diagram of the influence of daylight factor,uniformity and direction of daylight.Then,the influences of daylight on different skylight were discussed.


✓ In 16 rhesus monkeys, rhizotomy of the whole trigeminal nerve and selective rhizotomy of each division were carried out, and neural degeneration techniques used, to determine whether a trigeminal root component exists which projects only to the main sensory or spinal nucleus of the trigeminal nerve. Such a root component was not found. Section of the rostral trigeminal fibers resulted in degeneration in both the main sensory nucleus and the spinal trigeminal nucleus. Section of the caudal fibers of the root produced degeneration similar to third division transection, indicating that the caudal fibers are from that division. The first- and third-division fibers were found to project to the ventral and dorsal portions of the main sensory nucleus and spinal nucleus. Findings showed that the most rostral portion of the root immediately adjacent to the motor root is predominately from the ophthalmic division. Some proprioception from the trigeminal area appears to be mediated through the medial cuneate nucle...


This paper describes the optical fiber transmission of addressed multifrequency signals on 2 data channels. Each of a pair of data channels and an address signal channel consists of 4 bits which correspond to multifrequencies at 210 kHz, 520 kHz, 715 kHz, and 1.02 MHz. Data on the data channels modulates the PM subcarriers at 5.0 MHz and 8.5 MHz. Address signals on the address channel modulate the FM subcarrier at 2.3 MHz. These FM subcarriers are grouped by mixer and fed to the VCO used as an SWFM modulator operating at 20 MHz before being sent to the electrical-to-optical (E/O) converter. The electrical SWFM signal is converted into the optical SWFM signal by the E/O converter, the optical SWFM signal is fed from the sender to the receiver through the GI optical fiber, and the optical SWFM signal is converted into the electrical SWFM signal at the receiver. The GI optical fiber is used to send digitized temperature data at low speed over a distance of 1 km. Data was satisfactorily transferred between the sender and the receiver.


Introduction: Mountain of Smoke: Bahrain, the First Post-Oil State 1. Group-based Political Mobilization in Bahrain and the Arab Gulf 2. Al-Ftih wa al-Mafth: The Case of Sunni-Shi'i Relations in Bahrain 3. Religion and Politics in Bahrain 4. Surveying Bahrain 5. Rentier Theory and Rentier Reality 6. Political Diversification in the Age of Regime Insecurity Appendix Notes Bibliography Index


Complex distributed interactive counter-simulation(DICS) system required powerful directing control system(DCS) so as to direct,monitor,control and manage the simulation system.First,the basic concept and characteristic of DCS was analyzed based on military requirements of DICS.Second,the detail function of DCS was discussed from four periods(drilling preparation,drilling initialization,underway drilling and drilling end) and four functionary places(total simulation system,single side,node and entity).Third,the whole framework was designed from two aspects of simulation node's logical structure and software components' function.The principle and function of directing sub-system in DCS was analyzed emphatically.Finally,the implementation approach was applied to submarine and aviation antisubmarine force simulation system and it has been proved to be effective.


This study was carried out to investigate ABO blood groups association with malaria parasitaemia among patients attending general hospital Billiri local government area, Gombe State from the month of June to August 2013. One hundred and eighty (180) randomly selected person comprising 95 males and 85 females were examined for malaria parasitaemia and typed for ABO blood group using standard parasitological and haematological procedures. The overall prevalence of malaria parasitaemia was 96.67%, but prevalence varied with sex and age. Prevalence of malaria parasitaemia was signicantly higher in males (97.89%) than in females (92.29%) (p<0.05). Among the age groups, prevalence of malaria parasitaemia was 100% in 1-10 years and lowest (90%) in 11-20 years age group.The difference in prevalence among the age groups was signicant (p<0.05). Plasmodium falciparum was the most prevalent species accounting for 91.38% of positive cases of malaria parasitaemia, followed by P. ovale (6.32%) and P. malaria (2.11%). ABO blood group prevalence was 28.89%, 17.78%, 10.55% and 42.78% for blood groups A, B, AB and O respectively. Malaria parasitaemia prevalence varied signicantly (p<0.05) with blood group, being highest 100% in blood group AB, 98.70% in group O, 96.15% in group A, and 90.62% in group B. The study reveals that patients attending General Hospital Billiri Local Government Area is International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology, Basic and Applied Sciences ISSN Hard Print: 2465-7301, ISSN Online: 2467-8171 Vol. 2, No. 1 September, 2015 68 http://internationalpolicybrief.org/journals/international-scientic-research-consortium-journals/intl-jrnl-of-innovative-research-in-tech-basic-applied-sci-vol2-no1-Sept-2015 hyperndemic for malaria andthat ABO blood group could be a factor that inuences susceptibility to infection by human plasmodium species.


OBJECTIVES
To measure health literacy (HL) of caregivers of adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDDs); to determine the association between HL and a medication administration task (MAT) assessment; and to identify caregiver characteristics associated with higher HL and MAT scores.

DESIGN
Cross-sectional study.

SETTING
Southeastern Michigan.

PARTICIPANTS
Caregivers, aged 18 years or older, who provided supportive care of adults with IDDs.

INTERVENTIONS
Survey and demonstration.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (STOFHLA); a MAT assessment consisting of interpretation of five sets of medication instructions followed by demonstration of understanding using a pill box; and a survey of caregivers' demographics, medication-related experiences, education, characteristics of persons for whom they provide care, and care-related activities performed.

RESULTS
A total of 47 caregivers provided data. Caregivers had a mean age of 45.7 ± 14.6 years; 41 (87.2%) were women and 38 (80.9%) had education beyond high school. Caregivers were involved in obtaining medication from pharmacies, reminded the person with IDD to take medications and/or administered them to the person, documented medication and health information, and accompanied persons with IDD to physician offices. Most did not conduct monitoring procedures. The STOFHLA mean score was 34.5 ± 2.5 (median, 35; range, 22-36), while the MAT mean score was 12.0 ± 2.2 (median, 12; range, 6-15). Compared with family caregivers, direct support staff more frequently had undergone some medication training and had other people with whom they could discuss medication questions, but they had worked with the person with IDD a significantly shorter amount of time. No significant differences in STOFHLA and MAT scores between the family caregivers and direct support staff were observed. Caregiver education was significantly correlated with the STOFHLA score. MAT scores were not significantly correlated with caregiver characteristics.

CONCLUSION
Caregivers are involved in the medication use process for people who have IDD. Ensuring caregiver understanding of medication regimens and/or improving medication-related HL may be an important step to ensure safe and effective use of medications by people with IDD.


The Common Market Organisation for wine contains th e protection of products of defined origin. This emphasis of protected origins is consi dered as a potential mean of differentiation against products of international competitors. By n ow there exist only limited empirical examinations if consumers honour a specified origin of wine or sparkling wine with a price mark-up. The impact strength and effectiveness of the origin of base wine in sparkling wine was analysed within a comprehensive survey of n=1.029 c onsumers. The German sparkling wine production differs as so far from European wine gro wing countries as there are used more than 85 percent of imported base wines, mainly form Italy, Spain, and France. Therefore it is of particular interest to what extend the origin of the base wine can be used for the commercialisation of sparkling wine beside the dominant u se of branding. Especially the questions which consumer segments do have a sufficient willin gness to pay for German base wine is of particular relevance for the German viticultural se ctor. As a result of the empirical analysis six consumer s gments can be distinguished by there relevance of characteristics of sparkling wine with in t e purchase decision: the Undemanding, the Brand-conscious, the Ambitious, the Region-of-o rigin-conscious, the Vine varietyconscious and the Experts. Within these six consume r segments a Conjoint-Analysis could only measure a sufficient willingness to pay for Ge rman base wine for the last two groups of Vine-variety-conscious and Experts. The analysis a llows strategic marketing recommendations for the origin-relevant groups. 1. Relevance Germans are world champions in the consumption of s parkling wine. Despite the per capita volume declined by more than one litre from its pea k in 1994 to 3,7 litre in 2005 no other county drinks so much sparkling wine per person (fo r a more detailed analysis of demand and supply see MÜLLER 2006, p. 23ff.). Another record is held by the Ger mans – there is no wine producing country in the world that uses so much im ported wine for the production of sparkling wine. Last extensive census data by B OCK (1999) estimate that 80 to 85 percent of base wines of in Germany produced sparkling wine ar imported from European wine growing countries, mainly Spain, Italy and France, and used as European cuvees. Here Germany plays an exceptional role as sparkling wine s with defined origin dominate the market in all other wine growing countries, like Ch ampagner, Crémant, or Cava. The country-of-origin of the base wine of sparkling wine is not compulsory declared to consumers as the legislator classifies sparkling wi ne as an industrial product and not an originate product. Therefore the consumer can only reconstruct the origin of the used base 3 International Wine Business Research Conference, Montpellier, 6-7-8 July, 2006 Working Paper wines of in Germany produced sparkling wine by facu ltative declaration the applies to at maximum five percent of the market supply (for an d etailed analysis see M ÜLLER 2006 p. 32ff.).This only facultative declaration of origin does not result in a problem of consumer misguidance if the consumer makes the knowledge and competency of the producer and not the origin of the raw material responsible for the quality of the final product (see argumentation of German wine producers in K OCH 2002, p. 91). But empirical explorations of NÖLL/HOFFMANN (2001) show that consumers reason from the origin of the brand of sparkling wine to the origin of the used base wine. For sounding brands the absolute majority of the interviewed consumers assumed that German wi nes were used for production. When the true origin was disclosed consumers felt disapp ointed and misguided. For misguidance to be a juridical matter of fact is has to be shown th at e country-of-origin of the base wine is purchase decision relevant for a not insubstantial part of consumers (H EFERMEHL 2001, p. 965). The aim of the study of M ÜLLER (2006) was therefore to develop an objective theoretical approach prove the hypothesis of consum er misguidance. 2. Theoretical approach Müller (2006) generates an extensive theoretical ap proach that comprises 1) the development of a scale of the country-of-origin image of base wine in sparkling wine (content analysis and confirmatory factorial a nalysis, for more details see MÜLLER (2006, p. 163ff.)) to measure the consumer beliefs about the images of different countries of origin, 2) a decompositional Conjoint-Analysis to measure the individual implicit willingness to pay for and the individual attribute weight of the country-of-origin of the base wine (see MÜLLER 2006, p. 78ff.), 3) the finding of six homogeneous consumer segments relating to the stated relevance of product attributes for the purchase decision based on a non-hierarchical cluster analysis (see MÜLLER 2006, p. 256ff.) 4) a compositional structural equation analysis of a modified Theory of Reasoned Action-Model by AJZEN/FISHBEIN (1980) to examine the causal effect of the countryof-origin-image on the purchase decision on a segme nt-level (see MÜLLER 2006, p. 111ff.). Because of the coverage limitation and the applied focus of the OIV conference this paper will mainly focus on the empirical and marketing-re levant results for the six consumer segments derived by the application of these theore tical concepts. 3. Empirical survey The main empirical survey of the study was conducte d as a combined internet survey and written interview in of a survey studio in Berlin a d comprised in total n=1.029 persons. The composition of the sample is as in most voluntary s urveys not representative for the German population. Young, educated and wine interested per sons are over-represented within the sample (for a more detailed descriptive analysis of demographic and socio-demographic characteristics of the sample see M ÜLLER (2006, p. 156ff.). Therefore the study does not allow an exact answer for how many consumers the country-oforigin of the base wine in sparkling is purchase de cision relevant. Instead approximate estimations of the relative existence of the consum er segments in the German populations have to be done. 3 International Wine Business Research Conference, Montpellier, 6-7-8 July, 2006 Working Paper 4. Consumer segments All participants of the survey were asked about the relative importance of seven product attributes of sparkling wine: flavour type (dry, me dium-dry, sweet), brand, price, fermentation method (bottle or tank fermentation), vine variety (e.g. Riesling), country-of-origin of the base wine and regional origin of the producer withi n Germany for a normal and special purchase occasion. These attribute weights were tra nsformed into percentages that individually sum up to 100 percent. According to th ese attribute weights a cluster analyses was conducted with the aim to separate homogeneous c n umer types that regard similar product attributes as relevant for there purchase d ecision. A hierarchical cluster analysis based on the ward-c riteria resulted in a 6-cluster solution that was subsequent determined with a non-hierarchical K -Means cluster process. The average attribute weight for an everyday purchase occasion for sparkling wine of the seven analysed product attributes for each cluster (consumer segme nt) can be seen in Figure 1. Flavour type Percent 0 10 20 30 40 50 100 Price Brand Purchase criteria of sparkling wine: normal occasion Fermentation method Percent


The SKH mold steels were pre-processed, ground by the precise sharpening stone to have Ra=10-15 µm for subsequent precise grinding allowance, and then precisely ground by the CBN grinding wheel. The influence of the main axel rotation speed and the sample hardness on the grinding situation was discussed in this study. The result shows that the surface roughness of the low hardness SKH51 mold steel could be improved markedly as rotation speed increased. On the contrary, there is no obvious improvement for the high hardness SKH59 mold steel. With increasing rotation speed, t he surface roughness of workpieces improved significantly due to the increasing of grinding force. However, at high rotation speed, it was unable further improved since the grinding force nearly remaining the same level, causing the less improvement on the surface roughness of workpieces.


Highly transparent conductive Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) films and GZO films with indium codoping (GZO:In) were deposited on glass substrates at 200 °C by ion plating using direct-current arc discharge. Etching in 0.1 wt % HCl solution made it possible to form a craterlike textured surface with a high haze value. For a textured GZO:In film with a remaining thickness of 388 nm, the sheet resistance was 8.1 Ω/□. Damp-heat test results showed that highly moisture-resistant GZO films with a textured surface could be achieved after indium codoping. For the textured GZO:In film, the relative change in sheet resistance was as low as 5.8% while maintaining a high transparency. The moisture-resistant GZO:In films with a textured surface have great potential for use as window layers in thin-film solar cells.


Objective:To understand the effect of diagnosis CT combined with X-rays of the cervical spondylosis.Method:129 cases of patients with neck and shoulder discomfort,nausea,vomiting,dizziness were divided into Group A,Group B,Group C from March 2011 to September 2012, 43 cases in each group.Group A used the X-rays examination;Group B with CT examination;Group C with two ways to combine checks.The examination of the three groups were compared.Result:The vertebral osteophyte Luschka joint abnormalities,abnormal foraminal ligament calcification detection rates of group A were 4.65%,2.33%,9.3% and 2.33% respectively.The detection rates of group B were 6.98%,6.98%,4.65% and 4.65% respectively. The detection rates of group C were 20.93%,18.6%,23.26%,and 16.28% respectively.Conclusion:CT combined X-ray better than the simple use of CT or X-ray diagnostic value of cervical spondylosis,especially suitable for complex cervical lesions patients.


In this paper, a min-max model predictive controller is developed for tracking control of wheeled mobile robots (WMRs) subject to the violation of nonholonomic constraints. The performance of the control algorithm is verified via the computer simulations with a predefined trajectory and the result shows that the proposed method has a good tracking performance.


Aims. We seek to constrain the surface composition of the trans-Neptunian object (90482) Orcus and its small satellite Vanth, as well as their mass and density. Methods. We acquired near-infrared spectra (1.4−2.4 μm) of (90482) Orcus and its companion Vanth using the adaptive-optics-fed integral-field spectrograph SINFONI mounted on Yepun/UT4 at the European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope. We took advantage of a very favorable appulse (separation of only 4 �� ) between Orcus and the UCAC2 29643541 star (mR = 11.6) to use the adaptive optics mode of SINFONI, allowing both components to be spatially resolved and Vanth colors to be extracted independently from Orcus. Results. The spectrum of Orcus we obtain has the highest signal-to-noise ratio to date, and we confirm the presence of H2 Oi ce in crystalline form, together with the presence of an absorption band at 2.2 μm. We set an upper limit of about 2% to the presence of methane, and 5% for ethane. Since the methane alone cannot account for the 2.2 μm band, the presence of ammonia is suggested to the level of a couple of percent. The colors of Vanth are found to be slightly redder than those of Orcus, but the large measurement uncertainties prevent us from drawing any firm conclusions about the origin of the pair (capture or co-formation). Finally, we reset the orbital phase of Vanth around Orcus, and confirm the orbital parameters derived by Brown and collaborators.


CHAPTER 1: Anatomy of the Paranasal Sinuses CHAPTER 2: Physiology of the Paranasal Sinuses CHAPTER 3: Imaging of the Paranasal Sinuses for Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery CHAPTER 4: Sinusitis, Allergic Rhinitis, and Asthma CHAPTER 5: The Medical Management of Sinusitis CHAPTER 6: Endoscopic Diagnosis and Preoperative Evaluation CHAPTER 7: Surgical Management of Pediatric Sinusitis CHAPTER 8: Equipment Selection CHAPTER 9: Endoscopic Functional Paranasal Sinus Surgery: Anterior-to-Posterior Approach CHAPTER 10: Endoscopic Total Sphenoethmoidectomy CHAPTER 11: An Anatomic Approach to Endoscopic Paranasal Sinus Surgery: A combined Approach CHAPTER 12: Endoscopic Frontal Sinusotomy CHAPTER 13: Ancillary Procedures CHAPTER 14: Powered Instruments CHAPTER 15: Avoidance and Management of Complications CHAPTER 16: Revision Surgery CHAPTER 17: Doc, My sinus surgery didn?t wor


Bioremediation of crude oil polluted soil can be enhanced by addition of easily assimilated carbon sources such as glucose. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of increasing concentration of glucose on biodegradation of hydrocarbons in crude-oil polluted soil undergoing bioremediation. Some hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria and fungi were used as bioremediation agents in the study. Soil artificially polluted with crude-oil was divided into 5 setups: CT (control), S1, S2, S4, and S8. Suspension of the bioremediation agents and nutrients were added to the setups. About 5, 10, 20, and 40 g glucose were added to S1, S2, S4, and S8 respectively: equivalent to 1, 2, 4, and 8 % glucose concentration. Soil moisture in the setups was maintained at 10-20 % during the experimental period. Total hydrocarbon concentration (THC), and population of total heterotrophic bacteria (THB), hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria (HUB), total fungi (TF), & hydrocarbon utilizing fungi (HUF) were determined on day 1 and 21. Results obtained showed that increase in HUB occurred only in setup S1, and setup S1 had the highest extent of hydrocarbon degradation (18.93 %). Setup S8 had the lowest extent of hydrocarbon degradation (0.79 %). It is concluded that glucose concentration of 1 % and below will enhance biodegradation of hydrocarbons in crude-oil polluted soils, whereas high glucose concentration will retard hydrocarbon biodegradation. Also, the study indicates the possibility of fungi not partaking in hydrocarbon degradation when glucose is made available.


Tracking the movement of tissue boundaries in the heart helps cardiologists to identify abnormalities such as poor muscle contraction or reduced motion during the cardiac cycle. Currently this is a time consuming process, as cardiologists are required to manually trace the boundaries in each frame of an ultrasound video. This technology is a fully automated method for identifying these boundaries, which is based on an autocorrelation algorithm. Different structures of the heart reflect echo signals at different amplitudes, and an edge detection technique is applied to this amplitude difference thus identifying the boundaries. To increase accuracy, a machine learning technique can be used to find the optimal threshold value for identifying echo amplitude differences, even varying this threshold from frame to frame if necessary.


Education quality directly influences the effectiveness of teaching and has been widely subjected to public attention; however, the content of education quality and the interaction among the various factors are still not known. In order to effectively control education quality, the educational administration hopes to continue to improve education quality through regular evaluation; however, quality criteria possess inter-dependence and feedback situations among them, therefore, setting the weights becomes complicated and the relationship among the criteria is also an objective evaluation of education quality. This has become a problem that must be overcome. This study proposes an evaluation method of education quality different from the past methods. The study uses Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) to construct an applicable education quality evaluation model, to examine the key factors of education quality of the University of Technology and the importance of their improvement. This method can calculate the relations and connections of the cause and effect of the various criteria and clarifies the mutual relationships among them, so that when the evaluation feedback is provided, the maximum weight or the highest degree of connection can be selected to show unsatisfactory items, which can be used to continue the improvement of important items, so as to effectively control the key evaluation criteria. The relevant conclusions and suggestions can be provided as references for educational administrations and interested researchers.


Purpose : This paper examines how The U.S has led to global intervention in the issue of intellectual property protection and proposes a multilateral approach to the demand for a strong level of intellectual property protection. Research design, data and methodology : This paper examines the WTO agreement specially Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights(TRIPS) and analyzes the relevant articles, the developing history of the United States relating IP regime and IPR protection modes. Results : When emerging economies such as China, Brazil, and India become strong and innovative countries, and these countries reflect the US IPR system as it is in creating their intellectual property systems, it may eventually lead to a dilemma. Conclusions : A lot of effort is still needed for WTO member states, except for developed countries, to meet the high-level IPR protection and implementation system that the US insists on. Therefore, it would be most exemplary if the current TRIPS improvement could escape the dilemma of focusing on strong IPR protection and implementation.


This study aims to investigate the impact of active learning in the economics subject in Perak secondary school on students' achievement, motivation, interest, and social interaction. This study applies a quasi-experimental research design, which involves the control and the treatment groups with thirty and thirty-four participants, respectively. The active learning materials for the treatment group were based on active learning methods provided by the Ministry of Education with support from structured lesson plans namely: simulations, discussions, brainstorming, case studies, and visits in the school's compound. A questionnaire is also used to measure students' motivation, interest and social interaction before and after the intervention. The results showed that students who had experienced active learning activities score higher than their counterparts significantly for topic 1 and 2. Besides, findings show that they were motivated and interested in learning economics through active learning compared to the traditional approach. However, the researchers find that the social interaction element is not as significant as the others. It has been concluded that the active learning method attracts student's interest and motivation in the economic subject and subsequently improves their achievement. Students also will get benefit from the varieties of teaching method with a focus of learning outcomes to enrich student-learning activities.  https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19.10.2


In 1949, former Farm Security Administration (FSA) photographer Russell Lee was hired to provide photographic documentation for a two-year sociological study undertaken by two University of Texas at Austin researchers that was titled "The Spanish-Speaking People of Texas." The nine hundred images Lee shot were never published, yet Lee saw them as his finest body of work. A critical-historical examination of these images reveals that Lee worked in the same survey style he had employed during his FSA years. His images indeed demonstrate the lack of social justice and civil rights accorded to Mexican Americans in the late 1940s in Texas, while also displaying his subjects' aspirational nature. Time constraints, a broad shooting script, and the photographer's own lack of a deep understanding of the individuals he photographed worked against Lee, however, since his coverage displays little depth and the richness of Mexican American life is lacking in his images.


Gifted education, like all of education, faces critical issues as the nation becomes increasingly diverse. School districts everywhere are challenged to more effectively meet the needs of their gifted and diverse student population, while maintaining high standards. This dilemma epitomizes the ongoing debate between excellence and equity. In particular, our field struggles with finding solutions to the persistent and pervasive under‐representation of minority students in gifted education (Ford, 1996, 1998). And once these students are recruited (i.e., identified and placed), schools are faced with a new set of questions; How do we serve gifted minority students? What are their needs? What are their interests?


Examination of damage expected to various material in space environment, loss of organic and inorganic materials in vacuum, radiation and meteoroid effect


The article considers the role of the seaport in the economy and politics of the state. There are listed the main functions of seaports: trade, transportation, employment, industrial, fiscal, and political functions. The important role of the seaports of Syria in improving the quality of transport support for foreign trade activities was noted. The favorable geographical position of the Syrian ports on the Mediterranean coast determines a significant role in international maritime trade between European and Oriental countries. The statistical data on the seaports of the Syrian Arab Republic in the cities Latakia and Tartus have been analyzed. The dynamics of the volumes of containers transshipped through the seaport of Latakia, as well as through the seaport of Tartus is considered. A comparative analysis of the dynamics of the traffic volumes between both ports was carried out. The pace of development in the work of the Syrian ports is being studied on the basis of the GCI (The Global Competitiveness Index) and the liner shipping service index. Comparison of the liner shipping service index between Syrian ports and ports of neighboring countries has been made. The international rating of Syrian ports is presented in comparison with the rating of the nearest ports in the region by infrastructure. Conclusions are made about the low rating of Syrian ports in comparison with competing countries and international ports in general. There has been found the necessity of a detailed study of the reasons for the low competitiveness of the Syrian ports, including the crisis of 2011, rupture of relations between Syria and many countries of the world, economic sanctions against Syria, etc., in order to further develop measures to increase the competitiveness of Syrian seaports.


Objective:To investigate the expression of survivin and its relationship with apoptosis and proliferation in acute leukemia cells.Methods: Leukemia cells were isolated from peripheral blood samples of 32 patients with acute leukemia.The expression of survivin and proliferation cell nuclear antigen(PCNA)were assayed by immunohistochemistry.The apoptosis of leukemia cells was detected by TUNEL.Results:Survivin was expressed in 21 of 32 cases.The apoptosis index was 6.73±2.40.A correlation coefficient test showed a negative correlation between the apoptosis index and survivin expression(r=-0.253,P0.05).The proliferaling index was 42.25±4.30.There was positive correlation between survivin and PCNA protein expression in acute leukemia(r=0.441,P0.05).Conclusion:Survivin expression is increased in a lot of acute leukemia cells.Survivin plays a role in the pathogenesis of leukemia by influencing cell apoptosis and proliferation.


At the invitation of CAFIU, a 40-member Hiroshima Kagura troupe, headed by Mr. Sen Nakata, President of the special non-profit organization "Sekai" visited China from June 24 to 29, and staged a performance in Beijing andDalian respectively on June 25 and June 27, in


Key issues in AGN and galaxy formation are discussed. Very successful Unified Models explain much of the variety of AGN with orientation effects; the ingredients are shadowing by a dusty "torus" and relativistic beaming. A spinoff result is described which is important for the formation of massive elliptical galaxies, the most spectacular and unequivocal AGN feedback phenomenon known. This is the so-called "alignment effect" in powerful radio galaxies at z∼>1. One of them is a BAL radio galaxy! Next, I explain a very robust derivation of the reddening law for nuclear dust, which reveals a dearth of small grains on parsec scales. Then, the quasistatic thin accretion disk model, thought by many to explain the energetically dominant optical/UV continuum, is thoroughly debunked. Much of this was known when the model was proposed 35 years ago. A new argument is provided that trivially falsifies a huge superset of such models. I then show that it is possible to see the central engine spectrum with the atomic and dust emission surgically removed! Few have noticed this breakthrough work. Finally, the far IR dust emission in Cygnus A is 10% polarized; to date, high nuclear dust polarization has been seen in all radio loud objects and no radio quiet ones.


We demonstrate an obvious electric-field control of magnetic properties in CoPt/PMN-PT heterostructure at room temperature. Not only the remanent magnetization but also the coercivity exhibits an obvious response with the electric field. Without the aid of magnetic bias field, the remanent magnetization of the CoPt film shows an analogous on-off behavior with the electric field switching on and off alternatively. The magnetization reversal can be electrically controlled in this heterostructure due to the variation of coercivity caused by electric field.


We present a modification of conjugate beamforming for the forward link of cell-free massive MIMO networks. This modification eliminates the self-interference and yields a performance that, without forward pilots, closely approaches what would be achieved with such pilots in place. The simplicity of conjugate beamforming is preserved, with no need for matrix inversions, at the expense of fading-rate coordination among the access points.


Culture is a central concept in the social sciences, but it is often conflated with institutions. Conceptually, I argue that culture and institutions greatly overlap but are distinct. Empirically, I study the oldest university in East Africa and a cradle of political elites, Makerere University, where halls of residence developed distinct cultures in the 1970s such that some hall cultures are activist while others are respectful to authorities even though assignment to halls has been random since 1970. I leverage this unique setting to understand how culture forms and affects the values and behaviors of young elites living in a shared institutional environment. Participant observation, interviews, and archives suggest that cultural differences arose from critical junctures that biased group/hall composition and from intergroup/interhall competition. Hall governments promote cultural and institutional persistence through the intergenerational transmission of norms and practices, thereby highlighting the role of political hierarchy in reproducing culture.


Purpose: The aim of this study was to estimate the true recurrence rate of lumbar disc herniation after open discectomy, and to compare these results with those from other studies. Materials and Methods: From January 1992 to June 2002, the medical records and radiological findings, including a telephone survey were studied retrospectively. This study examined 306 cases, who had been operated by an open discectomy on a single level and had no other spinal lesions such as spondylolisthesis, spondylolysis, or spinal stenosis. MRI was used to confirm the diagnosis of a lumbar disc herniation in all cases. The recurrence of lumbar disc hemiation was diagnosed only in those cases who had the same pattern of symptoms and was confirmed by MRI. The cases who had undergone additional surgery at another hospital at the same spinal level were also included as ecurrence. In order to make up for weak points such the losses to a long term follow-up, statistical survival analysis was carried out using a life table method. In the life table method, the assumption is that all patients undergo surgery simultaneously. The longest follow-up duration was 11 years. Results: In 252 of the 306 cases (82%), follow-up study was possible. The average duration of the follow-up was 5.9 years (from 1 to 11 years). The average age of the patients was 27.1 years (17 to 75), and the male to female ratio was 11.6:1. The most common lesion of lumbar disc herniation was L4-5 (74%) at the initial diagnosis. The simple recurrence rate was 8.3% (21 cases) using the conventional method, in which the cases lost to follow-up were excluded. Survival analysis showed that, the annual recurrence rate was highest at the first year postoperatively as 3.4%, but decreased with time. At the last follow-up of 11 years, the cumulative survival rate was 88.9% and the recurrence rate was estimated to be 11.1% at final stage. Conclusion: Using survival analysis, the true rate of a recurrence of lumbar disc herniation after an open discectomy calculated. Even though the annual recurrence rate decreased with time, the true recurrence rate using the conventional method may be higher than the results obtained suggest.


The objective of this work was to create a practical and effective mathematical model for the early prediction of crops based on some phenological attributes of the plant: height, number of fruits in the 4th and 5th internodes of the plagiotropic branches, length in meters of the planted coffee row and diameter measured at the lower region of the coffee plants. The experiment was carried out in the coffee plantations of IFSULDEMINAS - campus Machado - where the productivity of four cultivars of different sizes were analysed during the 2010-2011 season: Catucai, Mundo Novo, Ruby and Topaz. Each of these was an experimental unit, from which 10 plants were randomly chosen. Of these, 6 branches of each plant were sampled (three on the side of the rising sun, and three on the side of the sunset; two in the upper third, and two in the middle region, and two in the lower region of each plant). Data were collected at the end of February 2011. The model which considers the proportion of the coffee plant canopy in order to get closer to the real architecture of the plant was the most significant, with a coefficient of determination of 0.83.


A microscopic model recently proposed to calculate the temperature and concentration dependence of the cholesteric pithch was applied to experimental results on the molecular weight and degree of substitution dependence of the cholesteric pitch of cellulose derivatives


Based on morphological research methods, the morphological characteristics of a rare species of polyporoid fungi –Polyporus rhizophilus, adapted to live as a parasite of grasses in steppe communities of subarid and arid regions, were evaluated. Morphological structures of fruiting bodies of fungi are subject to variability, which may be due to the influence of environmental factors and the specifics of the substrate on which the fruiting bodies of fungi develop. The appearance of identical morphological features in different phylogenetic groups is adaptive convergent. In this regard, molecular genetic research is a necessary condition for distinguishing taxa and clarifying their phylogenetic relationships.


Classification of imbalanced data is a challenging task that has captured considerable interest in numerous scientific fields by virtue of the great practical value of minority accuracy. Some methods for improving generalization performance have been developed to address this classification situation. Here, we propose a cost-sensitive ensemble learning method using a support vector machine as a base learner of AdaBoost for classifying imbalanced data. Considering that the existing methods are not well studied in terms of how to precisely control the classification accuracy of the minority class, we developed a novel way to rebalance the weights of AdaBoost, and the weights influence the base learner training. This weighting strategy increases the sample weight of the misclassified minority while decreasing the sample weight of the misclassified majority until their distributions are even in each round. Furthermore, we included P-mean as one of the assessment markers and discussed why it is necessary. Experiments were conducted to compare the proposed and comparison 10 models on 18 datasets in terms of six different metrics. Through comprehensive experimental findings, the statistical study is performed to verify the efficacy and usability of the proposed model.


In this manuscript, a class of generalized - weak contraction is introduced and some fixed point theorems in the framework of - metric space are proved. The result presented in this paper generalizes some of the earlier results in the existing literature. Further, some examples and an application are provided to illustrate our main result.


This paper expounds the relation between subjective education thoug ht and information quality education, and puts forward the problems of strengtheni ng the cultivation of information quality talents from four aspects.


A new secure steganography, which is based on Huffman encoding and modified quantized discrete cosine transform (DCT) coefficients, is provided in this paper. Firstly, the cover image is segmented into 8×8 blocks and modified DCT transformation is applied on each block. Huffman encoding is applied to code the secret image before embedding. DCT coefficients are quantized by modified quantization table. Inverse DCT(IDCT) is conducted on each block. All the blocks are combined together and the steg image is finally achieved. The experiment shows that the proposed method is better than DCT and Mahender Singh's in PSNR and Capacity.


Aiming at classification for maintenance spare parts of the ECM equipment support,a hybrid model based on analytic hierarchy process and fuzzy synthetic evaluation is proposed according to the research of evaluation theory,to provide decision support for spare parts classification. First of all,the design principles of classification index system are put forward based on the analysis of the factors that affect classification of the ECM equipment,and the hierarchical structure model of index system is established. Then,the weight of indexes can be achieved with AHP and Delphi to provide support for synthetic evaluation. After that,the multi-hierarchy fuzzy synthetic evaluation model is built up to evaluate the maintenance spare parts that affected by multi-factors and the synthetic score can be acquired. Finally,the spare parts can be classified as ABC according to the score. The model provides a scientific and effective theory source for classification decision of the ECM equipment maintenance spare parts.


Summary The Croatian Constitutional Court rejected the challenge against AZTN's decision prosecuting the exclusive importer of the Volkswagen automobiles in Croatia for abuse of dominant position…


Nanoparticles have become a significant component of advancing industries from technology to medicine and the environment. However, the synthesis of nanoparticles can impact their ability to function effectively within real-world applications, and this can cause negative consequences. This novel approach that utilizes processes such as regulation, control, clean-up, and remediation aims to increase the eco-friendly level of these essential particles. By reducing harmful by-products produced through the process of conventional nanoparticle synthesis, there will be less toxic unsustainable products created. The use of natural resources such as organic systems will aid in achieving the goal of creating a greener and more sustainable economy; however, it will require industrial assistance with the adoption of these alternative approaches. Metallic nanoparticles can be synthesized in a more sustainable and 'green' process through utilizing plant alternatives or biological materials such as bacteria, fungi, algae, and plant extracts. This greener approach can be a single step or 'one pot' process which requires a lower energy level than conventional processes. Another benefit is that this reduction method is more cost-efficient. Green-synthesized nanoparticles have clinical applications. When silver nanoparticles were treated against S. aureus, their antibacterial activity was at its peak. Nanoparticles used as drug carriers are highly stable, can incorporate both hydrophobic and hydrophilic substances, and can be delivered via a variety of routes also including oral application and inhalation.


Motivation -- Many empirical accounts of slip errors have focused on identifying causal factors. However, to what extent can avoiding slip errors be considered a cognitive skill?
 Research approach -- A series of experiments have shown that some actions seem to "spring to mind" for the performance of a task, whereas others do not, and that the latter are much more likely than the former to feature in erroneous actions.
 Findings -- The results suggest that procedural and sensory cues need to be strong enough to capture a participant's attention away from actions that "spring to mind".
 Research limitations/Implications -- Avoiding error can be considered a cognitive skill when a 'window of opportunity' is utilised to rehearse procedural steps or when participants are able to create their own environmental cues.
 Originality/Value -- The research suggests that identifying how people avoid making errors can provide us with a deeper understanding of why errors happen.
 Take away message -- Rehearsal and personalised cue creation is spontaneous and can be used to minimize the likelihood of error.


Abstract This research aims to confirm the reliability of agency theory as an approach to explaining the impact of CEO narcissism, corporate governance as represented by boards of size and female directors, financial distress, and company size on corporate tax avoidance. In this quantitative study, companies trading on the Indonesia stock exchange in 2017–2021 serve as the population and the research samples. This study uses panel data to integrate concepts, theories, and data on research variables in the investigation of ordinary least squares, random effects, and fixed effects with Stata software. Principals can use panel data-based research with testing to choose agents to run the business. Analyzing panel data is one way to test research that gives more accurate results. According to the first finding, CEO narcissism has a negative impact on corporate tax avoidance; the second finding, the board size had a positive impact on this strategy; the third finding, female directors had a positive impact on this strategy; the fourth finding is that financial distress does not affect this strategy; and on the fifth finding, the company size, the less likely its leaders are to engage in corporate tax avoidance strategies. The results of this study support agency theory in finding empirical evidence about the influence of CEO narcissism, corporate governance, financial distress, and company size on corporate tax avoidance with limitations on sampling in companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange with the LQ 45 category.


In this article, optical soliton solutions from the modified nonlinear Schrödinger equation with conformable fractional derivative have been obtaibed by applying the Kudryashov R function method. This method has the advantage of not requiring the use of a specific function form in computations. This method is highly influential and reliable for discovering hyperbolic function solutions to nonlinear equations. This approach yields efficient, straightforward and simple algorithm for obtaining solitary wave solutions. By applying this approach, bell-shaped bright and singular soliton solutions have been retrieved from the governing equation. On the basis of the outcomes, it can be stated that the employed method may be useful for solving highly nonlinear problems in various fields. The dynamic properties of some bell-shaped bright and singular solitons of the governing equation have been shown in 3D, 2D and contour graphs by giving the particular values for the relevant parameters.


This paper proposes a new particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm with an adaptive weight. Benchmark tests of the algorithm is described. Compared with standard PSO, it shows better convergence as well as ability of escaping from local optima. Diesel engines must meet the increasing demands for higher efficiency, cleaner exhaust gases and better drivability. Model-Based control is one of effective solutions to satisfy these demands. In this paper, a model-Based control system Based on the proposed algorithm is designed for the objective of raising fuel efficiency and reducing environmental-burden. A set of simulation results have demonstrated potential of such advanced engine control logic.


This report concerns an evaluation of three in vitro teratogenesis tests: the Dugesia regeneration assay, the Hydra reaggregation assay and the Xenopus embryo assay. Our approach involves the establishment and/or refinement of test protocols, definition of endpoints, and evaluation of test performance by comparison with available results of in vivo mammalian studies. Chemicals used for preliminary evaluation studies were the known mammalian teratogens, vinblastine sulfate (VIN) and hydroxyurea (HU), a coeffective teratogen, cadmium chloride (Cd), and an National Toxicology Program priority chemical, 9‐aminoacridine hydrochloride (9AA). The Dugesia assay takes advantage of the ability of beheaded flatworms to regenerate and can be completed in 7–14 days. Concentrations of VIN of 3.2 mg 1−1 inhibited auricle formation and further regeneration observed in 3–6 days. Similarly, eyespot and auricle formation was blocked by HU (180 mg 1−1). The duration of regeneration, measured as the time elapsed between decapitation and eyespot formation (control =5 days), was extended by 1–4 days during exposure to 9AA. Sublethal Cd had little effect on regeneration. The Hydra assay is an evaluation of the ability of dissociated cells to regenerate complete organisms when randomly reassociated. A teratogenic test substance is detected by observing the ratio of the minimal effective concentrations of a substance between intact organisms and regenerates. Compounds with a ratio > 2.0 are potential teratogens. The ratios determined for 9AA, VIN, HU and Cd, respectively, were 10.0, 4.0, 2.7 and 1.2. These results indicate that the first three compounds tested positive for teratogenesis. The Xenopus assay has several endpoints, all of which can be compared with embryolethality in order to index teratogenic hazard. A 4‐day test encompasses development from the blastula stage, through hatching, to formation of swimming tadpoles. Reduced growth was noted during exposure to HU concentrations above 50 mg 1−1 (embryolethality of HU was above 200 mg1−1). Significant skeletal abnormalities, recorded as moderate to severe spinal curvature and resultant loss of swimming ability, were observed during exposure to all four test chemicals. However, this phenomenon was apparent at non‐embryolethal concentrations only for HU and VIN. Further abnormalities, such as altered skin pigmentation and osmoregulatory failure were also recorded.


The aim was to ascertain the extent of under-reporting of serious traffic crashes, as recorded by police in New Zealand, and to what extent this coverage was biased by demographic, crash and injury factors. Public hospital records (resulting from on-road traffic crashes) and traffic crash records were linked using probabilistic methods. This involved the use of computer based linkage, in addition to manual review of indeterminate links. Linkage rates were examined by a range of environmental, demographic and injury factors. For 1995, less than two-thirds of all hospitalised vehicle occupant traffic crash victims were recorded by the police. It was found that linkage rates were affected by demographic factors, specifically age and ethnicity. Crash factors also affected linkage rates. The number of vehicles involved and whether or not a collision occurred were found to be important explanatory factors. Injury severity and length of stay in hospital affected linkage rates, and they varied widely by geographic region, which could not be accounted for by regional variations in ethnicity and age distributions. Potential users of traffic crash records need to be aware of the extent and nature of the biases contained within this database. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see IRRD abstract no. E200232.


Human persons seem to be unique in their capacity to purposefully affect what they are like in significant ways. This capacity can have dramatic consequences for how a person is treated and for that person's quality of life. In my dissertation, I first propose an original account of what human persons are. I then argue that just as human persons have the capacity to make artifacts out of material like wood or plastic, human persons can also make artifacts out of human persons. I then show how this capacity explains some of the most significant features of human persons by applying my account to gender. I conclude by briefly indicating how this account relates to broader discussions in feminist theory.


Combining state-of-the-art atomic level analysis and theoretical calculations is an increasingly fruitful strategy for analyzing structures and properties of a range of electronic ceramics. For example, solid-state Li-ion conductor (La,Li)TiO3 (LLTO) is an Li-ion battery material that shows high Li conductivity at room temperature that has been studied for many years. Details of its Li conduction mechanism, however, are still not well understood. We have used a combination of atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and first-principles calculations within the framework of density functional theory (DFT) to address this issue. STEM revealed that domain boundaries are distributed throughout LLTO crystals, allowing the positions of La and Ti to be observed directly [1]. A typical high angle annular dark field (HAADF)-STEM image of a 90° domain boundary is shown in Fig. 1. The bright spots correspond to high occupancy columns of La, labelled La1, while darker spots correspond to low occupancy La2 and Ti columns. It can be seen that La1 layers intersect at the domain boundary. DFT calculations of LLTO were performed using the VASP [2] code, with Li migration in the bulk crystal and near a 90 o domain boundary probed using the nudged elastic band method [3]. First we modeled a single crystal of (La0.5,Li0.5)TiO3 assuming alternative stackings of La and Li layers in the c direction of the tetragonal (SG P4/mmm) unit cell (Fig. 2 (a)). Facile rotation of TiO6 octahedra enabled Li ions to hop easy from one site to the next, so that the calculated Li conduction migration energy was small (Ea = 0.19 eV), as seen in Fig. 2 (b). The experimentally reported value for polycrystalline samples, however, is 0.4 eV. To identify the cause of the large difference between theoretical and experimental values, we modeled Li conduction at a 90° domain boundary using first-principles methods. Two Li conduction mechanisms were considered: (a) Li conduction through a fully occupied La1 layer, and (b) Li conduction through a vacancy-containing La1 layer. The first type of migration has a very high activation energy, Ea = 3 eV, indicating that the La layer effectively blocks Li migration when fully occupied. When a vacancy is present in the La1 layer, however, the migration energy decreases significantly to 0.6 eV, which is much closer to the experimental value. Because Li ions must always pass through La1-type layers at a 90° domain boundary, the results suggest that these boundaries, which are distributed throughout the crystals, contribute to the higher Li-ion migration energy measured experimentally.


ABSTRACT To the Editor:— In The Journal October 29, page 1684, a reply to a query asking about the racial incidence of hypertension stated that there is no well defined racial difference in the incidence of hypertensive disease. This statement is not at all in agreement with the literature, especially that which has to do with hypertension in colored people.The proneness of Negroes to hypertension and its resultant or concomitant cardiac and renal changes has been noted and studied by several investigators. Adams (Am. J. M. Sc.184:342 [Sept.] 1932) made several blood pressure readings on each of 5,074 male employees and one reading on each of 9,000 applicants for employment. About one third of these were colored and the remainder white. The average white systolic pressure was 121 mm. and the diastolic 81 mm.; for the colored, systolic 128 mm., diastolic 85 mm. In each age group the


This study evaluated the cooling properties of summer cooling towels of different brands by studying the water vapor transmission behavior. All the samples were found to provide a cooling effect at first contact after being wetted. The samples of N-rit showed the highest cooling effect followed by Cooldyxm and Ice Towel, whereas Perfect Fitness had the poorest cooling effect.


Over recent years a number of papers have uses individual or household longitudinal survey data to investigate the rationality of income expectations. In this paper we provide a novel contribution to this literature by examining the ability of individuals to correctly predict their own future life satisfaction using longitudinal data for East Germans. The environment in which this analysis is based is the decade following reunification of Germany, and it is generally accepted that reunification was completely unexpected and delivered a particularly large shock to the future prospects of the inhabitants of the former East Germany. We therefore take it as a 'natural' experiment through which to study the rationality of expectations and the adjustment of expectations over a period of substantial transition. Our results show that the majority of East Germans significantly over-estimated the gains from reunification. As with the recent literature on income expectations, we find strong evidence of micro-heterogeneity with the largest prediction errors being for the young, the poorly educated and those with children. An important result, however is that expectations and realisations of life satisfaction in East Germany had essentially converged only five years after reunification, at a level considerably below that of West Germans.


Non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely used as analgesic and anti‐inflammatory drugs. However, adverse effects, including gastrointestinal, renal, cardiovascular side effects, seriously complicate NSAIDs use. Their gastrointestinal side effects are the most known serious complications in patients taking these drugs. Previously we have shown that preconditioning stress attenuates the ulcerogenic action of indomethacin (IM) on the gastric mucosa. According our findings glucocorticoids, released in response to stressor, are gastroprotective hormones and involved in stress preconditioning protective effects. Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF), a major mediator of stress response, stimulates ACTH release through CRF receptors of subtype 1 and ACTH, in turn, stimulates glucocorticoid production. Here we verify the hypothesis that pharmacological preconditioning by CRF or ACTH can protect the gastric mucosa against ulcerogenic action of IM in rats through mechanism associated with glucocorticoids. For this, preliminary fasted (24 h) rats were administered by CRF (2.5 or 5 µg/ kg, ip) or ACTH (1U/kg, ip) 30 min before IM injection (35 mg/kg, sc). Gastric lesions were examined 4 h after IM administration. Plasma corticosterone levels were measured before and 4 h after IM injection. Since the gastrointestinal injury is accompanied by changes in somatic pain sensitivity, we also measured tail flick latencies (tail flick test) before and 4 h after IM. Both CRF and ACTH by itself caused an elevation of plasma corticosterone levels, which was accompanied by an increase of tail flick latencies (analgesic effect). IM administration resulted in the gastric erosion 4 h later. Pretreatment with CRF or ACTH reduced an area of gastric lesions caused by IM (gastroprotective effect). IM‐induced gastric injury was accompanied by an increase of tail flick latencies, which was prevented by CRF (normalization of somatic pain sensitivity). To estimate the role of glucocorticoids in CRF‐induced gastroprotection an inhibitor of corticosterone synthesis metyrapone (30 mg/kg) or CRF receptor type 1 antagonist NBI 27914 (10 mg/kg) or glucocorticoid receptor antagonist RU‐38486 (20 mg/kg) was administered before CRF. Both metyrapone and NBI 27914 injected before CRF administration caused an inhibition of CRF‐induced corticosterone response and prevented protective effect of CRF on the gastric mucosa against the IM‐induced injury. The gastroprotective effect of CRF was also eliminated by the pretreatment with RU‐38486. Thus, CRF as well as ACTH can protect the gastric mucosa against ulcerogenic action of IM. Gastroprotective action of CRF accompanied by normalization of somatic pain sensitivity is provided by mechanism associated with glucocorticoids.


ichthyosiform state only resembling ichthyosis vulgaris. We presume this ichthyosis vulgaris-like state is related to the underlying metabolic disease, and to our knowledge, a similar condition has not been previously described associated to MMA. Additional data from a 2-year follow-up is that our patient's dermatosis does not seem to depend on dietary treatment or episodes of metabolic decompensation, in contrast to those patients previously reported.


A name called coronavirus is everywhere which started in Wuhan in CHINA and now spread all over
the world. It has become now pandemic. The first case came on 17th January 2020 in China. It has
affected globally there are 1,426,096 in this total death are 81,865 recovered are 300,054. The United
States of America is the most affected with 396,223 confirmed cases with 12,722 deaths. In India there
are 5,274 confirmed cases and 152 total deaths, most of the confirmed cases are from Maharashtra with
1018 confirmed cases with 61 deaths followed by Tamilnadu with 690 confirmed cases and 6 deaths.
Many alternative medicines are being used in India like the department of Ayush under the government
of India prescribed various ayurvedic and umami drugs for prophylaxis and there is also the use of
hydroxychloroquine. In this article, we will see various managing strategies for Novel Coronavirus.


viral hepatitis remains a serious problem and a public health priority in Egypt and major cause of morbidity and mortality. Aims of the study: To determine the seroprevalence of both HCV and HBV infection among infertile couples and assesses knowledge regarding HCV and HBV infection. Methods: A cross-sectional research design carried out in Women's Health Center at Assiut University hospital from client in Gynecology department. Purposive sample included a total of 200 infertile couples according the budget from Assiut University. Data collected by using; tool (1): structured interviewing questionnaire for assessment knowledge of couples and included demographic data and infertility, medical and surgical history, Tool (2): serological blood tests to detect infection with HCV and HBV. Results: The mean maternal age of females and males was (29.2±9.8 & 34.5±11.3 respectively), the prevalence of HCV was 8% (4.5% females and 3.5% males) and prevalence of HBV was 4% (1% females and 3% males) and Majority of couples had poor knowledge regarding HCV and HBV. Conclusion: There is a significant poor knowledge of infertile couples toward Hepatitis B and C. Recommendation: need more researches for a larger number of people from different geographical areas to increase awareness about HBV and HCV.


Aitor Correas Serrano Compressed sensing based high-resolution DoA estimation for automotive radar with real measurements Radar sensors are one of the key elements in autonomous driving systems. The performance of radar sensors is robust independently of weather and visibility conditions, and can accurately detect targets positioned over a hundred meters away from the sensor. In vehicles, radar sensors are often required to be able to position the detected targets in a 2D grid, by measuring the distance and the angular position of the object with respect to the sensor, as well as the radial speed of the targets. While the accurate measuring of range and radial speed of the targets can easily be achieved with the commonly used modulations and frequency bands assigned to automotive radar, the angular positioning of the targets, or direction of arrival (DOA) estimation, still requires improvement for complex autonomous driving systems. The goals of this project are two. First, we aim to improve the performance in DOA estimation by applying compressed sensing (CS) based algorithms instead of the traditional FFT approach. The FFT approach needs uniform arrays, requiring a high amount of elements as the aperture of the sensor widens. In contrast, the CS based approach allows for the use of non-uniform sparse arrays, allowing for the design of arrays with a big aperture but a reduced amount of elements. The second


This paper introduces the basic theory of digital phase locked loop,analyzes the performance of integrated phase locked loop chip ADF4107,and uses ADF4107 to design a kind of wideband frequency synthesizer with multi-channel,which has characteristics such as simple structure,perfect stability,high precision and easy realization,etc..


Investigate expert teacher and undergraduate, Be compared with traditional games and the new organized form, we hope to have the contribution for the construct and development of college sports culture.


___________________________________________________________ ii DECLARATION _______________________________________________________ iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ________________________________________________ v LIST OF FIGURES _____________________________________________________ ix LIST OF TABLES ______________________________________________________ xi DEDICATION _________________________________________________________ xii CHAPTER 1 ______________________________________________________ 1 Literature review ________________________________________________________ 1 1.


to theological literature. In his first chapter, &dquo;Problems for Dogmatic Theology&dquo;, Father Rahner points out that, while the last two centuries have witnessed great transformations of a cultural and spiritual nature, there has been no corresponding development in theological science. This is regrettable for it would be absurd to think that our present-day theology has exhausted the riches of revelation. The two chief marks of this theology, as Father Rahner sees it, are orthodoxy and stagnation and there is an appalling sameness from Billuart to Billot. He has little difficulty in indicating several areas of inquiry in which considerable development might take place and his own suggestions to this end are the subject-matter of chapter two, &dquo;A Scheme for a Treatise of Dogmatic Theology'.'. It'represents an interesting but radical re-ordering and re-casting of the various tracts of theology with the inclusion of several questions hitherto undreamt of. Room is found, for example, for such topics as the theology of the states and events of human life-birth, age, eating and drinking, laughter, music, etc.; the theology of history, of the life of Jesus, of the Church of sinners, of hell


Parallel evolution, the repeated, independent evolution of similar traits in similar environments, has played an important role in evolutionary biology, in part because repeated, habitat-associated divergence provides evidence for a deterministic role of natural selection in evolution. However, non-parallelism (variation in the direction or magnitude of divergence among ecotype pairs) has increasingly been reported in ostensibly parallel traits. In my thesis, I first demonstrate that non-parallelism is both common and underappreciated in studies of parallel evolution in fishes. The ubiquity of non-parallelism motivates my subsequent chapters, which investigate different potential drivers of non-parallelism in separate study systems. By comparing wild-caught and common-garden lake-stream stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) from three evolutionary replicates, I show that plasticity is especially important in certain traits and in one replicate. In general, plasticity leads to greater parallelism in body shape than has been achieved by genetic divergence in these three watersheds. Next, I consider non-parallelism between the sexes in the body shape divergence between beach-creek spawning sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka). My results suggest that sexual dimorphism leads to non-parallelism between the sexes to the extent that excluding either sex would lead to different conclusions regarding the extent of parallelism, which demonstrates the importance of considering individuals from both sexes in studies of parallel evolution. Finally, I investigate the role of evolutionary history in independent lineages of pink salmon (O. gorbuscha) in common habitats, and find that evolutionary history plays a relatively minor role in shaping migratory phenology, but does contribute to non-parallelism. Overall, my thesis points to the fact that although non-parallelism is underappreciated and rarely formally quantified, seeking to identify the drivers of non-parallelism could provide many valuable insights into the processes that shape adaptive divergence and speciation.%%%%L'evolution parallele (l'evolution repetee et independante de caracteristiques similaires dans des environnements similaires) est un sujet de recherche important en biologie evolutive, notamment parce qu'elle fournit des preuves que la selection naturelle agit d'une facon deterministe. Cependant l'evolution non-parallele (variation de la direction ou de l'ampleur des changements entre des paires ecotypiques) est observee de plus en plus frequemment. Ici, je demontre que l'evolution non-parallele est commune dans les etudes sur les poissons, mais qu'elle est aussi mal appreciee. Ce resultat motive mes autres chapitres, chacun enquetant une cause potentielle de l'evolution non-parallele chez une espece de poisson differente. Premierement, je demontre que la plasticite est un facteur important dans l'evolution parallele des epinoches (Gasterosteus aculeatus) des lacs et des ruisseaux, en utilisant une experience de jardin commun. En general, la plasticite augmente…


This thesis explored the effects of age on free recall patterns in episodic memory. Neuropsychological and neuroimaging instruments were used to investigate the input (i.e., serial position effects) and output (i.e., temporal vs. spatial contiguity) of free recall in younger vs. healthy older individuals and in older adults with cognitive decline. In study 1 (Chapter 4), primacy (intended as the tendency to better remember items presented at the beginning of a list compared to the middle) at delayed recall was the most accurate serial position effect in predicting conversion to early stage Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), from a baseline of cognitively functioning older adults. In study 2 (Chapter 5), age differences in the use of spatial vs. temporal contiguity (intended as the tendency to retrieve items following the temporal, or spatial, context in which they have been learned) were explored in younger vs. healthy older adults. It was found that temporal contiguity was the most utilised associative process in both groups, although older adults showed lower temporal contiguity compared to younger adults. In study 3 (Chapter 6), the universality of temporal contiguity and the relationship between attentional processes and the output order of free recall were examined. Temporal vs. spatial contiguity were investigated during tasks meant to interfere with encoding processes, that is Divided Attention (DA) tasks and tasks involving presentation of verbal vs. pictorial material. Results showed consistent use of temporal contiguity in all experimental conditions, therefore suggesting the ubiquity of temporal contiguity and its involvement in retrieval processes. In study 4 (Chapter 7), the output order in free recall was investigated in younger and older adults in relation to prefrontal blood oxygenation, by means of functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS). It was found that areas involved during temporal contiguity change with age, as younger adults showed greater activity of the right prefrontal cortex, whilst older adults engaged alternative or opposite regions. In study 5 (Chapter 8) the use of unrelated memory lists was investigated as a sensitive measure to detect age-related differences on the use of temporal vs. spatial contiguity. Moreover, age-associated differences in the use of temporal contiguity were explored at immediate vs. delayed recall. It was found that unrelated lists are able to detect age-related changes in the use of contiguity effects, and that temporal contiguity is negatively affected in both younger and older adults at delayed recall. In study 6 (Chapter 9) temporal clustering was investigated as potential predictor of conversion to Cognitive Unimpaired Declining (CUD) status, from a baseline of cognitively functioning older individuals. Results supported the hypothesis that temporal contiguity is a marker of cognitive decline, also when controlling for genetic information and for variables typically used in clinical practice. In summary, the findings of this thesis show that the input and output order of free recall, although quite stable, decline with age and that they may be added as a potential tool for early detection in clinical settings, and in the research field.


The «know-how» toning up light alcohol drinks with use berry fruit syrups, skim milks and wheys is developed. The structure berry морсов on the basis of sea-buckthorn berries, a black currant, a red currant, mountain ashes is resulted. Drinks with the maintenance 1,0; 3,0; 5,0 and 8,0 % of ethyl spirit are investigated. Data on influence of conditions of storage on structure and properties of drinks are cited.


Objective To explore the distributive characteristics of central aortic pressure(CAP) in a hypertensive,community-based sample.Methods CAP was obtained from 321 primary hypertensive subjects aged 35 years old or older.Results The value of central systolic blood pressure(cSBP) in females was significantly higher than that in males(both P0.01),while the differences between gender in subjects beyond 60 years old was not significant after the subjects grouped by age(P0.05).Age was correlated with cSBP(correlation coefficient ranged from 0.122 to 0.350,P0.05).Systolic blood pressure(SBP) was correlated with cSBP(correlation coefficient ranged from 0.239 to 0.229,both P0.05).Conclusion The value of cSBP in females was significantly higher than that in males.Age and systolic blood pressure was correlated with central systolic blood pressure in both gender.cSBP was higher than SBP in most hypertensive subjects.


The results of laboratory-based research into factors which may influence the shear strength of dewatered coal preparation plant tailings when mixed with small quantities of ordinary Portland cement are presented. The effects of cement source and dosage, tailings moisture content, particle size distribution and ash content, together with liquid properties (pH, flocculant type and dosage) are reported. The failure of cemented tailings to regain their shear strength after disturbance through reworking is noted.


The rising humanoid robot industry has brought significant interest from the public and treasure seekers who see this industry as the future. Tesla, a leading motor manufacturer and artificial intelligence company, has also joined the competition of humanoid robots by introducing "Optimus." The service robotics industry, which "Optimus" focuses on, is fast-growing, with approximately 119% growth over the last four years. Compared with its competitors, Tesla has a few advantages. First of all, it has abundant experience in the field as it has accumulated countless data on human behavior through the beta that its Tesla cars have provided over the years. In addition, Tesla has more capital than its competitors. As of September 10th, 2021, Tesla has a market capital of 939 billion dollars. However, Tesla is also known for its overconfidence in its products, as it usually exaggerates the delivery date and the capability of its products. Another obstacle that Tesla faces comes from the industry itself. Admittedly, it is not a mature industry without much experience that Tesla can learn from. As a result, like many of its competitors, Tesla has to develop all of its technologies in-house, leading to the high prices of humanoid robots on the market. However, suppose Tesla is able to develop a complete version of "Optimus" faster and better than its competitors. In that case, it is very likely for Tesla to become the leader in the humanoid robot industry.


In this paper, we propose, in a first part, an approach to reduce the computational complexity of fractal image encoding by using the Shannon entropy (APENT). A speedup factor of 8 is obtained while image quality is still preserving. In a second part, we improve the APENT by using the AP2D approach that we have proposed in a previous study. We refer to this proposed approach as AP2D-ENT. The experimental results show that AP2D-ENT is effective in speeding up the encoding time without decreasing the image quality. Indeed, a speedup factor of 18 is reached for the test images with an increase of the compression ratio (CR) and a good image quality.


Processing the area to be treated limited to a predetermined pattern surface method, (a) a first step, a surface area is the process wherein provided on the first surface area to be treated a reagent (reagent) layer may cover at least a predetermined pattern area and; (B) providing one or more additional reagents which are added to the reagent necessary for the processing of the surface; And (c) of the predetermined pattern by acting with the predetermined is achieved by a step of applying at least one of the addition of the reagent over the area to be treated according to a pattern, wherein the first reagent is at least one additional reagent and treating the surfaces in the area. The present step can be particularly applied to the etching where the etchant (etchant) having at least two components used. In such a case, at least the surface being coated on the first caustic component is applied to at least one additional component is caustic predetermined pattern of.


We model the impact of an extreme solar flare on the Mg+, Na+, O+ and He+ ion density distribution in Mercury's magnetosphere. The Flare Irradiance Spectral Model of the solar irradiance during the X9.3‐class flare on 6 September 2017 is used as input to the time‐dependent Latmos Ionized Exosphere ion density model. We find that the time‐evolution of the planetary ion distribution differs with respect to energy, location and species. There exist two ion energy populations on the dayside that experience different dynamical evolution. The peak ion density in the nightside plasma sheet is delayed by ∼7–8 min compared to the dayside. The maximum Mg+ density occurs ∼4 min before He+ and O+ in the whole magnetosphere. The time delay between different species does not necessarily occur for solar flares that erupt near the apparent solar limb, where the optical depth is large.


Introduction: Several  attempts  have  been  made   from healthcare professionals around the world to  determine the effective methods for early prediction  and  prevention  of  preterm  birth. Aim of Work: The aim of this study was to determine the predictive value for spontaneous preterm birth by using transvaginal ultrasonography of the uterocervical angle (UCA) in pregnant women with singleton pregnancy.  Subjects and methods: This study was a prospective Case-control study that was conducted at Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at Al-Zahraa University Hospital and Kafr Elshiekh General Hospital. Results:Utero Cervical angle (UCA) was significantly increased in preterm group>95 degree compared to control group (p< 0.001). Also, CL was significantly decreased in preterm group less than 27mm compared to control group .By using ROC-curve analysis, UC can predict preterm birth with accuracy (75.4%). The sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV was 70%, 76%, 74.47% and 71.7% respectively (p< 0.001). CL can predict preterm birth with accuracy (66%). The sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV was 74%, 62%, 66.07% and 70.45% respectively (p= 0.003). Conclusion: Ultrasonographic measurement of uterocervical angle performed in routine vaginal ultrasound during second trimester is a useful strategy in the prediction of preterm birth in pregnancies and better than cervical length alone.


Direct Benefit Transfer is an attempt to change the mechanism of transferring subsidies launched by Government of India on 1 January 2013. This program aims to transfer subsidies directly to the people through their bank accounts. In DBT, benefit or subsidy will be directly transferred to citizens living below poverty line. LPG being an essential commodity having a large scale of LPG supply chain has been subject to minimal prevention of trade control and illegal diversions. This growing demand coupled with rising international prices has put increased pressure on LPG subsidy burden. The introduction of DBTL undoubtedly has a lot of merits, but it has also generated a lot of problems on the part of the consumers. This paper aims at analyzing such problems which if overcome, could be highly beneficial to the consumers.


Natural disasters such as floods, wildfires, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions usually result in significant human losses and environmental degradation. To minimize the consequences of these catastrophic events, fire managers and national authorities are in need of accurate information regarding the geographic extent of the affected areas, both during the outbreak and shortly after the suppression of the fire event. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether analysis of Earth Observation (EO) data acquired through the International Charter 'Space and Major Disasters' can be successfully used to address the requirements of environmental disaster management. Specifically, operational information extracted through reliable and robust object‐based classification models was provided on the extent of the total burned area and the environmental implications in the Peloponnese (southern Greece) following a request from the National Forest Service and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Hellas. The results not only revealed the size of the disaster but also indicated the potential operational use of remote sensing in order to provide immediate and precise information to local, national and international organizations in relation to the post‐fire impact assessment.


Current methods of diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer patients should be closely linked to the advances in molecular biology The ways of increasing the effectiveness of combined treatment of the patients with secondary−edema of breast cancer, namely the tactics of personalized treatment on the basis of evaluation of molecular−biological tumor markers and the data of magnetic resonance imaging have been presented in this paper. Here it has been emphasized that the proposed method of assessing the prevalence of the tumor process in the patients with secondary edematous breast cancer allowed the determination of the tumor size and edema, as well as to optimization of the treatment protocols. This research was performed in 54 patients aged of 37−75 years and these patients comprised the main group. All of them underwent the sessions of neoadjuvant polychemotherapy, surgical treatment, remote radiotherapy in the presence of affected lymph nodes in terms of sequential comprehensive treatment. The immediate results of the effectiveness of combined treatment were evaluated by one− and two−year overall and relapse−ree survival of the patients with secondary edematous breast cancer. The findings (follow−up period of 1−2 years) have indicated that the personalized treatment of patients with secondary−edema of breast cancer depending on the molecular−biological marker clusters with determination of the degree of aggressiveness and choice of treatment tactics is a highly effective method. Owing to the use of the personalized treatment, a complete or partial regression was achieved by more than by 30 % in 83.3 % of patients in the main group versus 50 % of the control, that jointly with the data on therapeutic pathomorphosis confirms the effectiveness of this method.

Key words: secondary edematous breast cancer, molecular biological markers, pathomorphosis.


Parasitic diseases like gastrointestinal (GI) nematodes and trypanosomiasis are worldwide an important cause of reduced production efficiency in ruminants, and partly even limiting livestock production in some regions of the world. GI nematodes are among the most important infections faced by livestock, especially affecting poor keepers (Perry et al., 2002). A potential alternative to alleviate the problems is breeding for disease resistance. It has been well established that the ability of animals to acquire immunity and express resistance against diseases varies substantially among and within breeds and is at least partly under genetic control (Miller et al., 1998; Amarante et al., 2004). Beside the scientific evidence, there is much anecdotal evidence pointing to the greater disease resistance of different breeds. For example, when countries enter details of their livestock breeds in FAO's DAD-IS system, they have the opportunity to indicate whether the breeds have any particularly interesting trait like disease resistance. Currently, four goat and 13 sheep breeds were reported to DAD-IS as having resistance or tolerance to a certain degree against parasitic diseases in general or against specific parasites. Even if these claims are not based on scientific investigations they can be correct. The long evolutionary history for example of nematodes and their ancestors has produced a rich and complex series of coadaptations by host and parasite (Stear et al., 2009). The fundamental theorem of natural selection suggests that evolution will fix genes that improve fitness (Fisher, 1930). Therefore, genes or alleles which are related to parasite resistance should mainly be found in breeds which originate from regions with high parasite burden because of high natural selection pressure. In this context, breeding of such native breeds, which until recently was neglected because these animals were considered to be poorly productive, is receiving increasing attention. However, the genetic component of resistance or tolerance against diseases is still not estimated for most of these local breeds. Therefore, more information is needed which underlines the necessity of conserving these animal genetic resources.


Objective:To detect and evaluate the TK gene mutation induced by genistein.Methods:L5178Y mouse lymphoma cells were exposed to genistein at concentrations 5,10,15 and 20 μg/ml for 3 hours without S9 metabolic activation. Determination of cytotoxicity, plating efficiency and mutant frequency were performed by using the microwell method.Results:Cytotoxicity of genistein for L5178Y cells increased dose-dependently. Induced mutant frequency was increased significantly than spontaneous mutant frequency at TK locus in L5178Y cells at concentrations of 15 μg/ml and 20 μg/ml.Conclusion:Genistein has obvious cytotoxic and mutagenic effects for L5178Y cells.


AbstractThis paper presents and discusses the results of experiments on the behavior of composite columns made of concrete-filled hollow sections subjected to fire and restrained thermal elongation...


I'm writing this in April 2020, when the world is suffering through the COVID-19 pandemic. Everything has drastically changed since we started planning this issue. The template for the next year is discussed way in advance, and each member of the editorial board selects an issue for the upcoming year. That means that around June–July last year (2019), each of us knew which issue we would be involved with (and responsible for). My task was to select interesting and educational topics in infectious diseases. Little did I know that by the time this issue was completed and being sent to the printing office, almost everyone would be having one thought, and only one thought: the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic!

We are living in very challenging and uncharted times, no matter in what part of the world we are. This virus has affected everyone, with a morbidity and mortality that none of us had seen before—except if you were alive during the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918. I certainly hope the final numbers of the COVID-19 pandemic will be nowhere close to the flu pandemic of 1918.

As issue editor, when we embark on the process …


THE present invention relates to compositions comprising an aqueous dispersion of lipid vesicles with an aqueous core CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the dispersion comprises at least one pigment Uncoated Dispersed in Aqueous Phase and because the lipid vesicles with an aqueous core HAVE A lipid membrane formed from at least one ester fatty acid. These compositions are stable, homogeneous COLOR contain no or virtually no accumulation of pigment. They USED IN COSMETIC OR DERMOFARMACIA PARTICULARLY IN CARE PRODUCTS AND / OR MAKEUP. The invention also relates to a process for dispersing a filler in an oil in water DISPERSION lipid vesicles THROUGH A high-pressure homogenizer. THIS PROCEDURE APPLIED TO YA PIGMENTOS Uncoated lipid vesicles with an aqueous core BASED ON FATTY ACID ESTERS, allows the compositions of the invention.