Mesoporous Prussian blue Ni analogues as high-performance electrode materials in Na-ion batteries are prepared through a template-free, environmentally friendly, and low-cost method.


dam Kemezis' first book, which arrives as an expansion of his 2006 PhD thesis, adopts a welcome set of innovative approaches to three Greek authors of the Severan age whose literary originality has only come to be recognised in recent decades: Cassius Dio, Philostratus, and Herodian. This is not a study of literature as such, nor is it the author's intent to shed light upon the ways in which these historians (broadly defined, 19) moulded and adapted different historical methods. Rather, this book aims to understand the kinds of Roman history these historians created in response to the vicissitudes of their Severan age. In short, this is not a study of how Severan historiography was written, but why it was written. Kemezis' argument is that the string of political upheavals at the highest level, which marked the transition from the Antonine to the Severan dynasties, generated a vacuum of consensus between the ruling princeps and the ruled elite. This vacuum led these Greek authors to begin to reinterpret both the recent past and the longue durée in a way that may not be detected in the historiography of the comparatively peaceful Antonine dynasty. In previous periods, high-level literary narratives of the past were a means of creating consensus around the legitimacy of the ruling power and its capacity to deliver positive change and continuity. The Severan dynasty, however, failed miserably to assert this element. In the absence of such consensus, Kemezis argues that these authors composed their narratives without the assistance of a persuasive imperial line to follow. Rather, they did the job of finding continuity and positive change in the Severan age for themselves; and, predictably, used their works to advertise their interest-groups as the replacement for that element (4–8).


Abstract. Objectives. To assess the effect on the fibrinogen concentration of sleep disturbance and mental stress, taking into account the effect of 21 other variables related to the risk of cardiovascular disease.


Summary
Breed additive and non-additive effects plus heritabilities and repeatabilities for milk yield per lactation (LMY), milk yield per day (DMY), lactation length (LL), annual milk yield (AMY), annual milk yield per metabolic body weight (AMYBW) and cow weight at calving (BW) were estimated for 5464 lactation records collected from purebred Boran (B), Friesian (F), and crosses of Friesian and Jersey (J) breeds with the Boran breed raised in the tropical highlands of Ethiopia. Single trait analysis was carried out by using two equivalent repeatability animal models. In the first model the genotype was fitted as a fixed group effect, while in the second model the genotype was substituted by breed additive, heterotic and recombination effects fitted as fixed covariates. Both the F and J breed additive effects, measured as a deviation from the B breed were significant (p   0.05) for BW. The heterotic contributions to the crossbred performance were also positive and significant (p < 0.01) for all traits. The F1 heterosis expressed as a deviation from the mid-parent values were 22 and 66% for LMY, 11 and 20% for DMY, 29 and 29% for LL, 21 and 64% for AMY, 42 and 42% for AMYBW, and 2% (p < 0.05) and 11% for BW for the F × B and J × B crosses, respectively. The recombination effect estimated for the F × B crosses was negative and significant for LMY (−526 ± 192 kg, p < 0.01), DMY (−3.0 ± 0.4 kg, p < 0.001), AMY (−349 ± 174 kg, p < 0.05) and BW (−68 ± 11 kg, p < 0.001). For the J × B crosses the recombination loss was significant and negative only for DMY (−2.2 ± 0.7 kg, p < 0.05) and BW (−33 ± 17 kg, p < 0.05). The direct heritabilities (h2) estimated for LMY, DMY, LL, AMY and AMYBW were 0.24 ± 0.04, 0.19 ± 0.03, 0.13 ± 0.03, 0.23 ± 0.04 and 0.17 ± 0.05, respectively. Based on the genetic parameters estimated, the best breeding strategy to increased milk production under highland Ethiopian conditions is to apply selection on purebred base populations (Boran and Friesian) and then crossing them to produce F1 dairy cows. However, for breeding decision based on total dairy merit, further investigations are needed for traits such as milk quality, reproduction, longevity and survival.


Several 2'-(substituted)benzylidene hydrazino-5-arylamino-l,3,4-thiadiazoles (5a-m) have been synthesized by the condensation of 1-(N-aryl thioamido)thiocarbohydrazides (3a-f) and different aromatic aldehydes in benzene medium, followed by intramolecular cyclization of compounds (4a-m) in refluxing ethanol medium. The former in turn have been prepared by the reaction of aryl isothiocynates (2a-f) and thiocarbohydrazide (1). Compounds (5a-m) on bromination with bromine in glacial acetic acid afforded dibromo derivatives (6a-m). The synthesized compounds were assayed for their antimicrobial activity against gram positive as well as gram negative micro-organisms.


Introduction Bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) is a chronic lung disease, which occurs after an insult to the lower airways, in particular after airway infections or after stem cell transplantation, and which results in persistent inflammation. N–3 and n–6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) have been shown to influence the inflammatory processes in chronic inflammatory conditions. Since BO is maintained by persistent pulmonary inflammation, a disbalanced n–6/n–3 fatty acid profile could support the inflammatory process in patients with BO and therefore, could become an approach to new therapeutic options. Methods Twenty-five patients with BO (age: 13; 7–39) and 26 healthy controls (age: 19; 7–31) participated in the study. Lung function (forced viral capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume 1 (FEV1), residual volume (RV)), and lung clearance index (LCI) were measured. Induced sputum was analyzed for cytology and cytokine levels (IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α) using cytometric bead array (CBA). The PUFA profile was determined in the serum and induced sputum by gas chromatography. Results Patients presented with significantly lower FVC and FEV1 as well as higher RV and LCI measurements compared to the control group. Apart from a massive airway inflammation indicated by elevated numbers of total cells and neutrophils, the CBA analysis showed significantly increased levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8. The analysis of PUFA in sputum and serum revealed a significant difference in the ratio between the n–6 PUFA arachidonic acid (AA) and the n–3 PUFA docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (AA : DHA). Furthermore, the AA : DHA ratio significantly correlated with the inflammatory cytokines in induced sputum. Conclusion Lung function in BO is significantly impaired and associated with uncontrolled neutrophil-dominated airway inflammation. Furthermore, the imbalance in the AA/DHA ratio in favor of n–6 PUFA demonstrates a pro-inflammatory microenvironment in the cell membrane, which correlates with the inflammatory cytokines in induced sputum and might be an option for an anti-inflammatory therapy in BO.


The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of doing act of kindness as intervention program to enhance subjective happiness as correlates of student's academic success for college freshmen. The subjective happiness of the respondents were assessed twice before and after the intervention program. The respondents' academic achievement in their Psychology class was correlated to their academic achievement. Using the One – Group Pre-test and Post-test design the effectiveness of the intervention program was determined. The results of the pre-assessment (degree of their subjective happiness before the intervention program) and post-assessment (degree of their subjective happiness after the intervention program) was compared and analyzed using the t-test for dependent means. The study concluded that the respondents' perceived degree of subjective happiness had increased after the conduct of the intervention program. The difference on the subjective happiness of the respondents before and after the intervention program is significant. Thus the intervention program is effective. There is significant relationship between the respondents' subjective happiness and academic achievement in Psychology class. Results depict that happiness is a correlates of students' academic success


A survey of the expectations of a casemix Management Information System (M.I.S) amongst the staff at the Bundoora Extended Care Centre. The premise under which the survey was conducted is that user expectations of an M.I.S are a useful predictor of its success. The 28 respondents, in a variety of occupations, were shown a number of sample reports and questions were asked relating to the influence of a casemix M.I.S on healthcare, the organisation, the workforce and about the system itself. In general, although the survey population was small, the expectations resulting from the survey were encouraging.


This article briefly reviews the developmental history. and great contribution of blast furnace ironmaking technology, pointing out problems and obstruction being faced in development . It summarizes the present situation of development of non-blast furnace process, such as Corex process which is in the stage of ripeness and taking its place on the industrial production, and Finex process which is about to put into industrial production, as well as advantages and disadvantages and the existing problems of them. Facing to the new technology, we should positively respond to it, which is also the road we must take to move towards iron and steel powerful nation.


Abstract.  Conventional unit root tests are known to be unreliable in the presence of permanent volatility shifts. In this paper, we propose a new approach to unit root testing which is valid in the presence of a quite general class of permanent variance changes which includes single and multiple (abrupt and smooth transition) volatility change processes as special cases. The new tests are based on a time transformation of the series of interest which automatically corrects their form for the presence of non‐stationary volatility without the need to specify any parametric model for the volatility process. Despite their generality, the new tests perform well even in small samples. We also propose a class of tests for the null hypothesis of stationary volatility in (near‐) integrated time‐series processes.


OBJECTIVE: To investigate the occurrence of adverse drug reactions(ADRs) in our hospital and to promote rational drug use in the clinic.METHODS: 105 ADR cases collected between 2004 and 2005 in our hospital were analyzed retrospectively.RESULTS: Of the total ADR cases,79(75.24 %) was induced by intravenous drugs,86(81.90%) was induced by combined drugs use,and 80 were induced by antibacterials,which dominated the first place on the list of ADR-inducing drugs.CONCLUSIONS: Importance should be attached to the reporting and monitor of ADRs so as to lessen or avoid the occurrence of ADRs in the clinic.


Measuring the parameters of TCP and conducting performance tests allow us to accurately study the connectivity characteristics of WLANs. It also helps us to investigate how TCP traffic will affect other traffics such as video, audio, etc. In this paper, we measured the performance of TCP/UDP in IEEE 802.11 wireless networks in the one-hop and multi-hop scenarios using throughput and bit error rate (BER) as the measurement metrics. We use three parameters in the experiments, namely, "signal to noise ratio (SNR)", "packet size in TCP layer" and "TCP receiver-advertised window (rwnd)". Our experiment results show that the SNR is the most important one for transmission. The packet size also affects the TCP throughput greatly, especially when the SNR is low. The value of TCP receiver-advertised window should be set properly to get the best performance of TCP in wireless networks


This thesis entitled "Physical Discrimination in Roald Dahl's THE BFG Novel". This study discusses physical discrimination, social discrimination in the novel "THE BFG" and describes the impact of living figures reflected in the main character. The data source is the novel "THE BFG" by Roald Dahl. In this discussion, the author using Gordon Allport's theory for discrimination analysis. Data collected using descriptive methods were carried out by descriptive qualitative method in the form of essays. Research findings are the forms, causes, and effects of physical discrimination in the novel "THE BFG" by Roald Dahl. This novel is one example that presents a problem with injustices and inequalities that occur in human life.

Keywords: Physically, Discrimination, Novel


At the southwestern rim of the Khorat Plateau, the upstream part of the Mun River flows through clastic sedimentary rocks leading to a massive amount of sand was transported via the Mun River to downstream. The Mun Bon Dam was constructed in 1986, and it would be effect more or less on river system. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to analyze the geomorphological changes before and after the Mun Bon Dam construction. Moreover, the sedimentary facies from geological and shallow geophysical surveys were characterized. The geomorphic parameters was analyzed from series of aerial?photo and satellite image which were taken in 1974, 1986, and 2011. The sinuosity, width and radius of curvature of the river channels were comprehend the channel stability and possibility of cut off or bank erosion process. Medium and Small sized paleo-channel were recognized and their average channel widths were 35 m and 16 m, whereas the Mun River is of 13 m. SI values of two paleo-channel belts are categorized as meandering river system. The channel stability indicated that the Mun River has low rate of erosion for long time with the migration rate of 0.71 to 2.64 m/yr. Shallow geophysical survey was verified with on-sited boreholes along survey lines. Four radar reflection patterns including reflection free, shingled, inclined and hummocky reflections were represented lateral accretion of point bar from GPR survey. Besides, subsurface lithology and channel geometry derived from the different of resistivity from Electrical Resistivity Tomography survey.


Attitudes toward teenage sexuality are markedly different in Sweden and the US. The more accepting attitude toward adolescent sexuality and the greater availability of family planning information and services may explain why Sweden has a lower adolescent pregnancy, abortion, and childbirth rate than the US. In contrast to the situation in the US, the Swedish mass media presents a realistic view of sexuality to the youth of the nation. It stresses the responsible use of contraception and the need to protect against sexually transmitted diseases in both its entertainment and educational shows. No commercials are aired on Swedish TV; therefore, Swedish youth are not exposed to the blatant and irresponsible image of sex frequently conveyed by commercials in the US. Moreover, in Sweden, parents accept the fact that their older teenagers will engage in sexual activity and help their children prepare for this activity. As a result, teenagers are reassured that their parents understand their feelings and emotions. These teenagers, in turn, are likely to accept their parents' advice about engaging in responsible sexual behavior. In contrast, in societies like the US, which are nonaccepting of adolescent sexual behavior, teenagers are likely to feel their parents and the larger society do not understand their feelings. These teenagers are likely to reject parental or societal advice on sexual matters. Sweden's accepting attitude toward adolescent sexuality is relatively recent. Prior to the 1960s, attitudes in Sweden were similar to those of present day American society. Eventually the government, the schools, and the parents recognized that they were creating a breach between the generations, and they gradually adopted a more realistic and accepting stance on sexual matters. By 1970, all Swedish children were receiving sex education in school. Television programing in sex education began in the 1960s. The broad distribution of printed sex education materials also began in the 1960s. Young people in Sweden are not totally protected from exposure to negative sexual protrayals. Pornography is common. In 1970, following the parliamentary repeal of an old law prohibiting pornography, mass produced pornography began to appear in Sweden. A broad based campaign against pornography lead to the passage in 1980 of a law prohibiting child pornography. Currently, legislation is being considered which would regulate sexual violence in films, tapes, and television and control the printing of sadistic pornographic pictures. In line with past traditions, Swedes believe it is possible to maintain an open attitude about sexual matters while prohibiting the portrayal of sexual exploitation and sexual violence.


A new tactile interaction device was designed by this study based on the tactile icons (Tactons). Handwritten message could be converted into the message matrix of tactile vibration on this device, and allowed users to identify simple graphic or text outline. The results showed that the correct rate of female (Mean= 4.40) was higher than male (Mean= 4.00) in the tactile messages recognition. The subject"s gender was not significant differences for the tactile messages recognition (p> 0.05). However, the type of character could affect the tactile recognition accuracy (p Mean= 1.35), and showed significant differences (p Finally, the results of this research were expected to build more complete tactile interaction design basics and could be developed some innovative concepts for the Tactons interactive design. The results could also be interactive research base for the wearable technology.


Creating a virtual community, the company may know what the value of its target audience and develop a sensible way to delivery of the product. The history of the social marketing can be divided into two generations. The first generation was the brand as the centre of the discussion, with very little interaction between the fans. But now, when social media became more developed and universal, the cycle of communication involves much more interaction between the fans. Although about 81% of consumers still prefer to find information for the purchase of the web site of the product, 58% of consumers joined the Internet community on the basis of the message a friend Facebook (Ignasiak,2014). While social networks have their value belonging to the properties it provides elements to social networks such as Facebook, may not. They provide individual design, advanced access to data and additional management capabilities. A well-planned strategy in the field of social networks is likely to include social networks, such as Facebook, in addition to the contingent resources online.


Summary It has been possible to induce specific immunologic unresponsiveness to protein antigens in adult guinea pigs with injections of small amounts of antigen in saline at the time of sensitization with the same antigen in complete Freund9s adjuvant. Adult guinea pigs, receiving a single intravenous injection of 5 mg of human serum albumin (HSA) or bovine γ-globulin (BγG) in saline at the time of sensitization with 10 µg of the same antigen in complete Freund9s adjuvant, showed depression of delayed hypersensitivity and antibody formation. The phenomenon was antigen specific and persisted for at least 8 to 16 weeks. Delayed reactivity and 7 S γ 2 - and macroglobulin antibody formation were suppressed more completely and for a longer time than was 7 S γ 1 antibody. A similar but less persistent state of immunologic unresponsiveness was produced with one tenth the suppressing dose but not with 50 µg of antigen. Less unresponsiveness resulted when a larger sensitizing dose of antigen (1 mg) was employed. The 5-mg. suppressing dose was effective as long as 3 weeks prior to sensitization and when injected by routes other than the intravenous if administered at the time of adjuvant sensitization. The mechanism responsible for this phenomenon and its relation to other states of immunologic unresponsiveness are discussed.


This paperwork tended to verify the social interactional theory contributions to school inclusion of special education necessity people. It Intended to describe, based on a qualitative study, bibliography description, the considerations of theorists who defend learning construction based on interaction exchanges in a enviroment of superations. The learning dynamic is made through mutual interactions, in which students and teachers establish both social and affective relationships. In inclusive classroom those relationships lead the way to promote and effectuate formal learning.


A seal assembly between inner and outer wellhead members, optionally a casing hanger 18 and a wellhead housing 10 respectively, has an inner seal leg 22 for sealing against the inner wellhead member and an outer seal leg 26 for sealing against the outer wellhead member. An energising ring 41 is insertable between the inner and outer seal legs to urge them outwards and set the seal. An extension 51 supports the inner leg of the seal to prevent buckling of the inner leg during the setting operation, preferably via an upward facing shoulder 55 that contacts the lower surface 42 of the inner seal leg. In one aspect, the extension has a lower surface 53 that rests on a shoulder 19 of the inner wellhead member to provide a reaction point for setting operations. A lock ring 52 may be retained within interior portion of the extension.


Abstract Polyaniline (PANI) thin film electrode studied in electrochemical capacity cooperation of the morphology with biomimetic hierarchical structure was first demonstrated. Three dimensional surface construction onto the PANI electrode was replicating fresh plant leaves as a template through nanocasting technique. The multiscale papilla-like and texture structures of the Xanthosoma sagittifolium leaves were successfully copied on the electrode evidenced by the scanning electron microscope (SEM)/ atomic force microscopy (AFM) investigation. The resulting of electrochemical capacitance properties characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge/discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. The multiscale structures PANI electrode showed a large specific capacitance of 420F/g at a current density of 1A/g higher than normal plane PANI electrode with capacitance of 280F/g revealing the great potential for energy storage application. After 1000 charge/discharge cycles, the retention of PANI-3D thin film fail decreased about 40%. To improve cyclic stability of PANI-3Dfilm, we usedmulti-wall carbon nanotube (MWNT) to prepare PANI/MWNT nanocomposite films.The surface morphology of PANI nanocomposite electrodes including multiscale papilla-like and nanoscale texture were also successfully replicated from the Xanthosoma sagittifolium leaves. The morphology, roughness and dispersed MWNT of PANI/MWNT nanocomposites were characterized using fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR),transmission electron microscopy (TEM), SEM and AFM.It was found that the well dispersed MWNT and the multiscale morphology foamed a uniform nanocomposite. Such uniform structure together with the observed more surface area and high specific capacitance and good cycling stability during the charge-discharge process. A specific capacitance of as high as 530 F/g at current density of 1A/g was achieved over a MWNT 5wt% loading coupled with high roughness PANI nanocomposite, and maintained the capacitance with the increment of scan rate density to 3A/g. These easily fabricated PANI nanocomposite electrode reveals a great potential for energy storage application.


Alerts, Notices, and Case Recruitment for the 3-Carotene and Retinol Efficacy Trial (CARET) to Prevent Lung Cancer in Smokers and Asbestos-Exposed Workers GILBERT S. OMENN, MD, PhD, GARY GOODMAN, MD JAMES GRIZZLE, PhD, MARK THORNQUIST, PhD LINDA ROSENSTOCK, MD, SCOTT BARNHART, MD GARNET ANDERSON, PhD Seattle, Washington JOHN BALMES, MD, JAMES CONE, MD San Francisco, California MARTIN CHERNIACK, MD, MARK CULLEN, MD New Haven, Connecticut ANDREW GLASS, MD, BARBARA VALANIS, PhD Portland, Oregon JAMES KEOGH, MD Baltimore, Maryland FRANK MEYSKENS, Jr, MD, JAMES WILLIAMS, Jr, MD Orange, California THERE ARE THREE major lung cancer chemoprevention trials under way worldwide. One, the f-Carotene and Retinol Effi- cacy Trial (CARET), is recruiting subjects primarily in Cali- fornia, Oregon, and Washington. Our purpose in this article is to share information about the design of CARET and the recruitment strategy and to address some questions physi- cians may raise about their patients who participate in CARET. The investigators welcome referrals to the CARET study centers in Irvine, San Francisco-Vallejo-Santa Clara, Portland, and Seattle (as well as Baltimore and New Haven). Lung cancer is the number one cancer killer of both men and women in the United States and in an increasing number of other countries. Lung cancers account for 27% of all can- cer deaths and 6% of total deaths in the United States, an estimated 143,000 deaths in 1991.1 Despite aggressive ef- forts at early diagnosis and multimodality therapy, the five- year survival rate from lung cancers remains miserably low, about 15%.2 Unlike most common cancers, the causes of lung cancer are well established.35 Thus the National Can- cer Institute has placed highest priority on the prevention of lung cancer. Primary prevention requires preventing the initiation of cigarette smoking, assisting cessation of smok- ing, and protecting people from exposures to asbestos, radon, arsenic, and a few other known pulmonary chemical carcinogens. (Omenn GS, Goodman G, Grizzle J, et al: Recruitment for the (3-Carotene and Retinol Efficacy Trial (CARET) to prevent lung cancer in smokers and in asbestos-exposed workers. West J Med 1992 May; 156:540-544) From the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Cancer Prevention Research Unit, and the University of Washington Schools of Public Health and of Medicine, Seattle (Drs Omenn, Goodman, Grizzle, Thomquist, Rosenstock, Bamhart, and An- derson); the Department of Medicine, University of Califomia, San Francisco (Drs Balmes and Cone); the Department of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Con- necticut (Dr Chemiack); Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, Portland, Oregon (Drs Glass and Valanis); the Department of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore (Dr Keogh); and the Department of Medicine and Cancer Center, University of Califomia, Irvine, Orange (Drs Meyskens and Williams). This project is supported by grant CA 34847 from the National Cancer Institute. Reprint requests to Gilbert S. Omenn, MD, PhD, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, SC-30, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195. Reports For tens of millions of Americans who have already in- curred decades of cigarette smoking exposure and several million Americans who have had considerable occupational exposures to asbestos, especially in West Coast seaports, so- called secondary prevention is essential to overcoming the risk factors already at work. About 75% of men and 50% of women between 55 and 64 years of age are current or former smokers.6 Without secondary prevention, the increased risk of lung cancer does not decline in former smokers after smoking ceases, even though the relative risks do decline compared with continuing smokers or with persons who have never smoked.7 Among workers already exposed to asbestos, 4,000 to 6,000 are projected to die of lung cancer per year at least until the year 2000 and up to 8,000 to 10,000 will die of all asbestos-related cancers per year.8'9 The rationale for cancer chemoprevention programs is based on interrupting late stages of promotion and progres- sion in the multistage process of carcinogenesis. Such actions are exactly what is needed for high-risk persons to take ad- vantage of the latent period (or time bomb ) of 20 to 40 years between first exposure and peak risk for lung cancer. Among the multiple classes of chemicals with apparent che- mopreventive activity, vitamin A (retinol) and fl-carotene are leading candidates for efficacy in human beings. 10-12 As de- scribed elsewhere, studies in animals, epidemiologic analy- ses, cell culture experiments, and short-term clinical trials to reverse bronchial metaplasia or buccal mucosa cell micro- nuclei have laid a strong foundation for direct intervention trials. 13 Three potentially definitive clinical chemoprevention tri- als, supported by the US National Cancer Institute, are under way. The Harvard Physicians Study, which was initiated to assess the effect of aspirin on heart disease, was continued to ascertain the effect of f-carotene on overall cancer incidence in 22,000 physicians. The a-Tocopherol-fl-Carotene Study was established to test the combination of f-carotene plus vitamin E in the chemoprevention of lung cancer in 29,000 smokers in Finland. Finally, the CARET trial was designed to test the combination of f-carotene and vitamin A in 18,000 smokers and asbestos-exposed workers. The design and re- cruitment strategy for CARET are described herein. Subjects in chemoprevention trials are healthy volunteers without cancer, not patients who might tolerate considerable discomfort or risk. Because the risk of lung cancer, even among high-risk asbestos-exposed smokers, is on the order of 1 per 100 per year, it is essential that a chemopreventive regimen be shown to have no major objective or subjective side effects. Design of CARET CARET is a two-armed, double-blind, randomized che- moprevention trial to test the hypothesis that the oral admin- istration of f-carotene, 30 mg per day, plus retinol, 25,000 IU per day, will decrease the incidence of lung cancer in heavy smokers and asbestos-exposed workers who have smoked. 14 5 Choice of Agents The presumed mechanisms of action of fl-carotene and of vitamin A (retinol) are attractive and complementary. fl-Car-


India and China have emerged as important sources of outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) in the global economy. The increasing presence of their enterprises in the advanced countries has posed a challenge both to theory of internationalization of firms and public policy alike to explain why this has happened. In this paper, an attempt is made to examine, in a comparative framework, the trends, patterns and determinants of OFDI from India and China. The critical review of theory and empirical evidence related to internationalization of firms clearly brings out that unlike firms of advanced countries, there are multiple sources of the strength of Chinese and Indian firms that drives overseas investment. The study covers the period from 1990 to 2010. The major finding that emerged from the analysis is the dramatic rise of stocks and flows of OFDI from India compared to that from China. The outward to inward FDI ratio for India has increased at a higher rate during 2000-2007 but this ratio was much higher for China between 2008 and 2010. China's OFDI was more concentrated in financial services and Asian countries, whereas in case of India, it was predominantly in manufacturing sector and advanced countries. Internationalization of firms from China and India has been driven by push factors that enable firms to acquire resources, markets and technologies. The public policy regarding OFDI has undergone substantial transformation from merely permissive to encouraging in both the countries. The pattern of investment abroad and internationalization of firms from both India and China seems to have been largely determined and guided by the state policy.


Children's Literature Association Quarterly tions Twitter account to recommend "the best on diverse children's and YA literature every day at noon" and their work on the innovative Humanizing Stories initiative (69). The collection ends with a comprehensive and wellorganized bibliography of scholarship in the field compiled by Mike Cadden. This "Resources" section is another marker of the collection's commitment to reflecting the existing scholarship in the field: where it has been and where it is going. Teaching Young Adult Literature, ultimately, is a work of great intellectual and pedagogical generosity on the part of its editors and contributors. It should prove galvanizing to new and seasoned instructors alike.


This narrative about the beginnings of CESR and CLEO covers mainly the period from 1974, when discussions about the possibility of building an e+e− collider at Cornell were begun, to 1981 when CLEO had been taking data for some eighteen months. Labeling this as a narrative is meant to emphasize that much of it is undocumented and relies on my memory.


This paper presents the development of a robotic driver for the automation of dynamometer based vehicle testing. The aim is to successfully follow industry standard test cycles used for emissions testing and produce repeatable results. Success will be measured by not exceeding the limits set for human drivers for a successful test. The design of this robotic driver is unique; it uses a single linear motion to actuate the brake and throttle pedals controlled by two cascaded PID controllers (vehicle speed and pedal actuator position). A full SIMULINK model has been created and used for simultaion and rapid control prototyping using dSPACE. The system has been developed and tested from simulation through to actual dynamometer testing. Test results show that by time-shifting the drive cycle 2 seconds forward, the robotic driver successfully adhered to the ADR 37/01 standard, and produced repeatable results. Further development is needed to improve the performance and overcome current system limitations such as motor saturation and accelerator pedal stick-slip.


Minichromosomal Maintenance protein 7 (MCM7), a member of the MCM family of proteins critical to the DNA replication complex, has recently been shown to improve the sensitivity and specificity of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer (EOC) diagnosis but its function in Carcinogenesis is not clear. We evaluated MCM7 gene expression, RMI and CA125 serum level as diagnostic tools of primary ovarian cancer in Egyptian women. The MCM7 gene expression was evaluated by SYBR green Quantitative Real Time PCR (Q RT-PCR) in ovarian tumor tissues of 50 Egyptian women. 25 malignant and 25 benign tumor tissues were studied. Serum Human cancer antigen 125 (CA 125) was measured in the serum of all participants of the study using immune sorbent assay (ELISA). The MCM7 showed significant difference among ovarian malignant tumors patients compared to the control subjects (p< 0.01). Absolute sensitivity of MCM7 & 96% specificity were found with the best cutoff value at 1.96 .There was a significance correlation between MCM7 with RMI and with CA125 in all patients of the study (p<0.01 for both). The mRNA expression of MCM7 was positively correlated with the progression of the stage & grade of the tumor (p <0.01) for both.


A boat cradle and loading device attached directly to a roof carrier with two laterally positioned parallel horizontal support members the device including two parallel side members aligned along the sides of the vehicle top, to each of which are attached right triangle support boat members which are positioned to form a "V" shaped cradle, one to the front and one to the back for the hull of the boat to rest and the keel of the boat to rest directly on at least one of the horizontal carrier support members with a roller intermediately disposed on the top of one side member positioned such that the keel of the boat may ride on the roller to allow the boat to be pushed onto the top of the cradle device while pushing on the rear of the boat with the keel riding on the roller until the boat center of gravity passes the roller at which time the boat end can be swung around and the boat drops in to the cradle.


The acid properties of BEA/MOR(intergrowth of zeolite β and mordenite) samples with SiO_2/Al_2O_3 molar ratio of 25 were characterized by temperatureprogrammed desorption of NH_3(NH_3-TPD).There is a volcano-type relationship between the higher NH_3-TPD peak temperature and the mordenite content of the BEA/MOR samples,and the NH_3-TPD peak temperature reached the maximum at mordenite content of about 65%.In contrast,there is a linear relationship between the higher NH_3-TPD peak temperature and the mordenite content of the mechanical mixtures of zeolite β and mordenite.No obvious difference in the acid strength existed between the BEA/MOR samples and the mechanical mixtures when the mordenite content was less than 50%.However,when the mordenite content exceeded 50%,the BEA/MOR samples possessed much higher acid strength than the mechanical mixtures.The BEA/MOR sample with 65% mordenite showed the highest acid strength,which was higher than that of the mordenite.The catalytic activity measurements of all the samples for methanol dehydration were carried out in a fixed-bed reactor under atmospheric pressure,temperature of 180 ℃,and methanol space velocity of 2 h~(-1).Dimethyl ether and water were the only products for each catalyst.No coke formation and catalyst deactivation were observed in the reaction of 6 h.There is a linear relationship between the methanol conversion and the mordenite content of the mechanical mixtures.The BEA/MOR samples with mordenite content higher than 40% showed higher catalytic activity than HM,and the BEA/MOR with 65% mordenite showed the highest methanol conversion.The catalytic activity of BEA/MOR also exhibited a volcano-type behavior.Compared with the mechanical mixtures,the BEA/MOR samples displayed higher catalytic activity.The HM with SiO_2/Al_2O_3 molar ratio of 11 deactivated after 60 h reaction though it had high initial activity.The HBEA/MOR with SiO_2/Al_2O_3 molar ratio of 53 showed relatively high catalytic activity and stability.


The Covid pandemic has delivered the deepest economic slump since the 1930s and the widest global spread ever. Despite warnings, most governments were unprepared for the pandemic. No resources had been devoted to disease vaccine research and public health systems had been degraded for decades by spending cuts and privatisation. As a result, governments were forced into 'lockdowns' of various levels of imposition. Now the vaccines are being rolled out — at least in the major advanced economies — and the expectation is that the world economy can return to 'normality'. But that normality was already, pre-pandemic, expressed in weak economic growth, trade and investment. And the impact of the Covid slump has left permanent 'scarring' of economies. The monetary and fiscal policy tools of governments will be inadequate to restore prosperity for all. We need to reset the economy through public control and ownership of the means of production with a global plan aimed at social objectives, not private profit.


Electrical stimulation of the spinal cord and of the detrusor was compared in 5 'acute' dogs. Strong detrusor contraction and rise in intravesical pressure were obtained either way but, with spinal cord stimulation, concomitant rise in urethral resistance prevented micturition. Stimulation with a bladder pacemaker induced detrusor contraction high enough to overcome outflow resistance, thus was more effective in initiating voiding.


A linear pole-placement technique is presented for magnetic momentum removal of Earth-pointing spacecraft. First probed are the twomost commonly used momentum removal schemes, linear and bang-bangH £ B schemes (whereH is the excess angularmomentumvector andB is the geomagneticŽ eld vector), bothbased on a comparison between a constant disturbance torque and an averaged magnetic control torque acting on a spacecraft. Through analysis and illustrations, it is shown that these two methods lack a precise technique for determining control gains or strength (in ampere meter squared) of roll, pitch, and yaw electromagnets. As an alternative, a linear, closed-loop, pole-placement technique is devised, which correlates control gainswith the closed-loop pole locations and steady-state amplitudes of roll/yaw and pitch momentum under an orbit-averaged magnetic controller and disturbances. Special cases of lowand high-inclination orbits where pitch and yaw electromagnets, respectively, are ineffective are formulated. This new scheme and the mentioned two classical schemes of momentum removal are compared and illustrated, and generally applicable conclusions are drawn.


A good education system will produce superior human resources who can be relied upon in the progress of the nation and the welfare of the Indonesian people in the future. The role of teachers and parents, facilities and infrastructure in the implementation of the learning process greatly determines the quality of learning outcomes. Parent Teaching Day (PTD) is one of the programs from SMAN No. 1 which provides opportunities for parents to teach at school, related to various kinds of knowledge or competencies possessed by their respective parents. One of the PTD materials carried out by SMANSA class XI D is an introduction to the Department of Marine Science, Tanjungpura University. The purpose of this activity is to introduce the marine science department which includes knowledge about the marine environment by one of the student's parents as well as an attempt to increase student motivation. The activity was carried out using the lecture and demonstration method about 3 fields of study in the marine science department, attended by 36 students of class XI D and their homeroom teacher, carried out smoothly and the participants responded very enthusiastically. The evaluation of the introduction to the marine science department was carried out through a verbal questionnaire by the presenters, showing an increase in the understanding of class XI D SMANSA students as participants in the activity. Keywords: system, PTD, SMANSA, marine science.


THE profiles to be described are composed of the ten part scores of the Metropolitan Achievement Test. All scores were rewritten as standard scores. In this process of converting scores to standard scores, two factors were arbitrarily held constant in so far as they affected means and standard deviations. First, and probably as an unnecessary precaution, boys' profiles were drawn against a background of individual differences for boys, and girls' profiles in terms of individual differences for girls. Second, profiles were pictured against the spread of abilities for those at approximately the same average level. This precaution was taken in view of the uncertainty that still exists concerning the relation between level of ability and unevenness.2 The data to be described could not have been


Mobile computing is becoming popular all over the world. Especially, notebook PCs are playing an important role in mobile computing. Fujitsu has been focusing on the importance of mobile computing and has been developing new technologies for downsizing, power management, and communication. These technologies have been applied to the latest notebook PCs and to a mobile information tool called INTERTop. This paper looks at the development history of Fujitsu's mobile computing products, the features of the latest models, and the technologies required in mobile computing. Then, we describe the current trends in Fujitsu's technology development. Finally, we describe the important technology of simulation by giving an example of transmission waveform simulation technology on a printed-circuit board (PCB). This technology is one of the key elements that enabled us to achieve the high graphic performance of the FMV-BIBLO 6266NA (called Lifebook 990Tx2 in North America and Europe) released in April 1998.


Objective:To assess the diagnostic value and limitation of three-dimensional dynamic contrast-enhanced MR pulmonary angiography (3D DCE MRPA) in diagnosis of pulmonary embolism.Methods:38 patients with suspected pulmonary embolism were performed 3D DCE MRPA with fast field echo (FFE) sequence.Scan parameter TR/TE:9/3ms,Matrix 256×128 and flip angle 20°.Results:43 emboli in lobar or segmental pulmonary arteries were found in 30 cases.3 out of 30 patients accompanied with pulmonary artery hypertension.The direct signs of MRPA were intravascular filling defect and complete occlusion;pulmonary infarction,enlargement of proximal pulmonary artery and a little fluid in the thoracic cavity were the indirect signs.Conclusion:In demonstrating central,lobar,and segmental pulmonary embolism,3D DCE MRPA is a safe and reliable diagnostic method,but it has limitations for detecting emboli located in subsegmental pulmonary artery;3D DCE MRPA is also a promising noninvasive imaging modality for identification the patients with acute or chronic pulmonary artery hypertension.


Objective To investigate the association between TAM infiltration and Borrmann' classification and VEGF expression in gastric cancer.Methods Immunohistochemistry method was used to detect CD68 and VEGF levels in 30 patients with gastric cancer.Results There was difference in CD68+ cells infiltration between Borrmann type Ⅰ-Ⅱstage and Borrmann type Ⅲ-Ⅳ stage.CD68+ cells in patients in stage of Borrmann type Ⅲ-Ⅳ were more than those in Borrmann type Ⅰ-Ⅱ.VEGF was expressed in gastric adenocarcinoma cells and normal glandular cells beside the tumor tissue.There was no difference in VEGF expression among cells in Borrmann type Ⅰ-Ⅱcancer stage,Borrmann type Ⅲ-Ⅳ cancer cells and normal gastric gland cells.Conclusions TAM infiltration is associated with Borrmann' classification.It facilitates turmor vessel formation and cancer cells'malignant behavior by upregulating the expression of VEGF.


The electrostatic potentials and fields created by the thiol protease, papain, are computed on the surface envelope of the protein and in the region of its active site using a technique based on accurate multipole expansions of the electron density of appropriately chosen subunits. The effect of binding counterions to the protein is considered specifically. The possible role of the "electrostatic environment" in the functioning of the enzyme is discussed and it is found that this environment can favor the proton transfer between Cys 25 and His 159 that is thought to initiate its mode of action, but that the reasons for this appear more complicated than earlier models would suggest.


High-order harmonic generation with KrF and Ti:sapphire lasers is analyzed with an emphasis on the contribution of multiply charged ions. It is confirmed that the intensity dependence of strong optical field ionization is explained by the Ammosov-Delone-Krainov (ADK) theory or by the barrier suppression ionization model regardless of the wavelength. The harmonic distributions are compared with the single-atom responses calculated using the short-range potential model with the effective interaction intensity determined by the ADK theory. From this analysis, we propose that for the KrF laser the harmonics above the 21st in Ne and above the 13th in Ar may be due to doubly charged ions.


Objective: To characterize the evaluation and management of alternative diagnoses prior to diagnosis of ALS and their association with onset to diagnosis interval (ODI).
Background: ALS is diagnosed by the presence of progressive upper and lower motor neuron signs in the absence of an alternative diagnosis. Few studies have characterized the evaluation and management of alternative diagnoses.
Methods: Retrospective analysis of evaluation and management of alternative diagnoses in ALS, using multivariate regression modeling to determine factors associated with prolonged ODI.
Results: 93 subjects were included (mean age of onset 59.1 years, SD 14.1, range 22-81; mean ODI 11.6 months, SD 9.0, range 2-60). Among bulbar onset subjects, the most frequently ordered diagnostic studies included EMG/NCV (100[percnt]), MRI Brain (100[percnt]), MRA Head and Neck (52[percnt]), MRI Cervical Spine (36[percnt]), myasthenia panel (36[percnt]), Lyme antibodies (16[percnt]) and paraneoplastic panel (16[percnt]). Among limb onset subjects, the most frequently ordered diagnostic tests included EMG/NCV (100[percnt]), MRI Cervical Spine (88[percnt]), MRI Brain (84[percnt]), MRI Lumbar Spine (53[percnt]) and MRI Thoracic Spine (40[percnt]), creatinine phosphokinase (26[percnt]), aldolase (22[percnt]), Lyme antibodies (18[percnt]), antinuclear antibodies (15[percnt]) and flow cytometry (15[percnt]). 35[percnt] (n=33) of subjects received treatment for 93 alternative diagnoses retrospectively attributed to ALS including stroke risk factor modification (n=11) intravenous steroids (n=8), intravenous immunoglobulin (n=6), antibiotics > 2 weeks (n=5), carpal tunnel release (n=5), lumbar (n=4) and cervical decompression (n=4). Multivariate analysis showed that mean ODI was significantly longer among those receiving lumbar decompression (aOR 2.0, 95[percnt] CI 1.6-2.7, p=0.02), intravenous immunoglobulin (aOR 1.7, 95[percnt] CI 1.3-1.9, p=0.04), intravenous steroids (aOR 1.5, 95[percnt] CI 1.1-1.6, p=0.01), cervical decompression (aOR 1.5, 95[percnt] CI 1.3-1.7, p=0.01) and carpal tunnel release (aOR 1.3, 95[percnt] CI 1.2-1.6, p=0.001).
Conclusions: Treatment with intravenous steroids, immunoglobulin and surgical interventions prior to diagnosis of ALS is associated with a significantly prolonged mean ODI. Disclosure: Dr. Kannan has nothing to disclose. Dr. Glass has nothing to disclose.


STUDY OBJECTIVES
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and short sleep duration have been separately associated with inadequate serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels. However, whether these 2 factors may concurrently influence 25OHD in the general population is unknown. We hypothesized that both OSA and short sleep duration would be independently associated with lower concentrations of 25OHD in a gender-dependent manner.

METHODS
In this cross-sectional study, 712 individuals, part of the prospective EPISONO cohort (Brazil), underwent polysomnography, answered sleep questionnaires, and had their blood collected for serum 25OHD quantification.

RESULTS
Individuals with a sleep duration of <6 hours had 2-fold increased odds of 25OHD<20 ng/mL compared to those who reported 6 or more hours of sleep, even after adjusting for confounding factors. Subset gender analysis revealed that men with a sleep duration of <6 hours had 4-fold increased odds of 25OHD<20 ng/mL. In women, short sleep duration was not associated with lower 25OHD levels. The presence of OSA (as classified according to the individual's Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) was not independently related to 25OHD concentrations in men or women. Sleep parameters, including sleep latency and sleep efficiency, had no association with 25OHD<20 ng/mL.

CONCLUSIONS
Short sleep, but not AHI, was an independent factor associated with low 25OHD serum levels in men, but not in women. AHI scores were not associated with 25OHD levels in neither gender. These results raise the possibility of investigating gender-specific characteristics, such as gonadal hormone regulation, and re-evaluating obstructive events by classifying them in mild, moderate, and severe OSA.


Aminomethyl acrylamide was prepared by reacting acrylamide with formaldehyde and dimethylamine. Then, the resultant product reacted with dimethyl sulfate and polymerized to obtaine the antistatic agent poly (acrylaminde quaternary ammonium) . When the polymer antistatic agent was applied in solution form at the concentration of 1.44% to polyester fabric, it rendered the fabric better antistatic property and fair washing durability.


Abstract In this essay, we trace the evolution of four different patent laws in Sweden; from the first Swedish law of privilegia exclusiva in 1819 to the country becoming only the third country in the world to introduce novelty searches into the law of 1884. We discuss the ensuing contemporary public debates surrounding new proposals for legislation, as well as discernible effects of new patent laws. From being mainly a question about the "tyranny of monopolies" in the early laws to being one of "life and death for Swedish industry" in the subsequent laws, we show how changes in patent legislation resulted in three different types of innovation; technological, market and organizational. The results show that although the early laws implied severe litigation problems and considerably shorter patent terms, an early market for technology emerged as legislation had clearly established that intellectual property could be sold, bought and inherited. Concurrently the law of 1856 created a market for patenting services and patent agencies by requiring the use of Swedish agents by foreign patentees. Finally, foreign patenting increased as restrictions on patentees being non-Swedish citizens were gradually phased out.


Sibjotang (SJT), which was first documented in the Shanghanlun, has been prescribed for the remedy of body fluid disorders. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of SJT on Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) secretion, atrial dynamics and the possible mechanisms in beating rabbit left atria paced electrically. SJT significantly increased ANP secretion and atrial dynamics such as stroke volume and pulse pressure in a concentration‐dependent manner in perfused atria. EK or DG, components of SJT, also significantly increased ANP secretion and atrial dynamics, whereas, there were no significance on ANP secretion and atrial dynamics by treatment of EP or ZJ, respectively. Interestingly, the SJT‐induced increase of ANP secretion was significantly higher than the sum of each EK‐induced increase and DG‐induced increase of ANP secretion (p<0.01). SJT‐induced increase in ANP secretion was attenuated by GO6976, PKC ¥á/¥â inhibitor. In addition, LY333531, PKC ¥â inhibitor, also decreased SJT‐induced ANP secretion.


Historical research has shown that Anglo-American journalism, at least in its 'informational' form (Schudson, 1978) is in part the inheritor of Enlightenment values (Anderson, 2018; see also Mindich, 2000; Ward, 2006). Part of this commitment can be seen in journalism's embrace of procedural mechanisms for determining social truth, alongside a professional belief in the importance of institutional fora as the field in which these procedures play themselves out. In other words, one of journalism's primary values is its' belief in process. The difficulty lies when these procedural values contradict other values also inherited from the Enlightenment tradition. This, I argue, is the situation in which Anglo-American journalism finds itself today, and untangling the conflict between processes and values constitutes the primary challenge facing journalism in the 21st century. In this, journalism can serve as a case study of the crisis facing Western democratic institutions in general. In this brief overview, I want to compare the proceduralism of journalism to several other forms of procedural democratic practice – voting, deliberative democracy, and participatory culture. I next highlight the manner in which journalism's practices and professional codes embody a certain type of procedural faith in the clear separation of facts from values and compare journalism to science, its epistemological cousin. I conclude by discussing how the present political moment highlights tensions that lie at the heart of journalism's liberal, Enlightenment project.


In Negotiorum Gestio, the actor implements the act of safeguarding or enlarging beneficiary's interest based on morality without any actual benefit. This runs against Rational Man Hypothesis in economics, and the actor should have no incentive when the behavior would not maximize its personal economic interests. This article will take a game theory analysis on Negotiorum Gestio in self-study room, in order to strive the reasonable incentive for a rational man to act Negotiorum Gestio.


ABSTRACT What is the future for and of law and society scholarship? The Issue Editors here introduce the issue's themes of disruption, temporality and law and their interconnection. Questioning the deeper implications that an era of political, cultural and technological disruption has for law and society scholarship, the various contributions to the special issue are given in outline and drawn together. The broader point emerges that any linear conception of temporality must find itself disrupted not by technology itself but by a radical plurality of laws.


In this study, the gene frequencies of α-s1-casein, §-casein, §-lactoglobulin and κ-casein types were determined in the Brown Swiss cattle which were raised in Turkiye. The frequencies of α-s1-casein were determined as 0.941 and 0.059 for α-s1-KaB and α-s1-KaC, respectively. Differencies between empricla and theoretical distributions for α-s1-casein genotypes were non-significant. The frequencies of §-casein, were determined as 0.856, 0.134 and 0.009 for §-KaA, §-KaB and §-KaC respectively. Differencies between emprical and theoretical distributions for §-casein genotypes were non-significant. The frequencies of §-lactoglobulin, were determined as 0.497 and 0.503 for §-lgnA and §-lgnB, respectively. Differencies between emprical and theoretical distributions for §-lactoglobulin genotypes were non-significant. The frequencies of κ-casein, were determined as 0.521 and 0.479 for κ-KaA and κ-KaB, respectively. Differencies between emprical and theoretical distributions for κ-casein genotypes were non-significant.


For public buildings,HVAC energy consumption is one of the most important factors in all the building consumptions.In this paper,the status and deficiencies of energy conservation monitoring are introduced firstly and the importance of HVAC monitoring is pointed out.The paper also analyzes the common problem in monitoring and pointed out that it is necessary to regulate the energy-saving standards for truly air-conditioning energy-efficient.Also there are many suggestions and measures offered for the government in order to save energy and reduce emission.


The dip-coating method has been used to prepare silica membrane. The gas flow rate relationship with the gauge pressure showed a Knudsen type of mechanism of gas transport. The flux was found to decrease with respect to temperature indicating non-activation mechanism of transport through the membrane. The order of the gas kinetic diameter with respect to the gas flow rate was He > Ar > CO2 > N2 confirming a molecular sieving mechanism of gas transport. The characterisa- tion of the resin catalysts was carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM morphology of the Amberlyst 16 resin catalysts showed a defect-free surface before esterification process. Amberlyst 15 catalyst exhibited some defect on the surface indicating a lower resistance to lactic acid and decomposition at higher temperature after the esterification process at 60˚C. The order of the gas viscosity with respect to the gas flux was N2 > Ar > CO2 > He.


The relative absence of child psychiatrists among professionals actively involved in the field of child maltreatment and other forms of childhood traumatic stress is largely attributable to a historical lack of attention to this subject in standard child psychiatry residency training. This article describes a curriculum for a child and adolescent psychiatry residency that focuses on childhood traumatic stress and integrates this subject into all of the required clinical rotations and didactic courses. Ways in which existing training programs in child psychiatry and related fields can integrate this focus into standard curricula are discussed, and such programs are encouraged to pay greater attention to this topic in training new professionals to work with children and families.


A recent study of Li abundances in field red giant stars suggested that the phenomenon of enriched surface Li may be a short-lived phase of red clump evolution for stars with masses near 2 M_sun. Although the exact mechanism for generating this Li is not fully understood, it may be related to the He-core flash that immediately precedes the red clump stage. To test the incidence and timescale of this proposed process, we are targeting red clump stars in four southern open clusters, using the cluster ages to ensure that the stellar masses are ~2 M_sun. Additionally, we observe at least one upper red giant branch star in each cluster to establish the baseline Li abundance prior to the He flash. Here, we present preliminary results on the relative abundances of Li in the clusters' red clump stars.


IntroductionEuropean soccer fandom is perhaps one of the most recent additions to the repertoire of popular culture of Africa south of the Sahara. A number of studies have investigated the socio-cultural implications of this relatively new phenomenon, and among others include, Solomon Waliaula, (2015b, 2015a, and 2012), Godwin Siundu 2011, Richard Vokes 2010, Gerard Akindes 2010, Olaoluwa and Adejayan (2010), AyokunleOlumuyiwaOmobowale (2009) and Leah Komakoma (2005). One could argue that these studies seem to agree on at least two aspects in the evolution of this cultural practice. First, the fandom identities hailed in this experience is associated to the influence of media on television audiences and secondly, this media encounter is also a cultural encounter. However, the studies differ in their interpretation of this media/cultural encounter.The differences range between two positions. On the one end we have the media/cultural imperialist oriented perspectives that consider the fandom experience as an index of the use of transnational media to skew the construction of identities in ways that resonate with what Akindes has termed as 're-colonization'. On the other end we have 'fandom-as-cultural-agency', perspective that considers this fandom experience as creatively adapted to the immediate contexts, a process that has been described by Olaoluwa and Adejayan - in relation of the South Western Nigeria experience - as 'the audacity of fandom', (2010, p81). This article traces this audacity of fandom to the context of fandom talk that is embedded in the ordinary social interaction among members of this fandom community. It focuses on one individual fan called Geoffrey Ogendi that considers himself a die-hard fan of the English football club Arsenal and also an 'expert' on European soccer. This practice is compared to an oral performance and Ogendi compared to an oral narrator. It is a comparison made against the background of a number of concepts drawn from selected theories and perspectives of media practice, popular culture and oral performance. In doing so, the article aligns itself to the fandom-as-culturalagency perspective. We argue that Ogendi and his audiences engage in a process of cultural production. Secondly, the cultural production is located in a sort of middle ground between the reality of soccer matches mediated on transnational television and the narrative reconstruction of the said soccer matches.Research questioning of this practice is made in a number of contexts. First, this phenomenon is perceived in relation to contemporary dynamics of sportmedia and, in this sense, Ogendi and his audiences are in the words of Elizabeth Bird (2010, p.85), defined as a mediated audiences. Secondly, considering that Ogendi dominates conversations based on a theme that is fairly well known, we investigate his practice in view of Richard Bauman's (1977) argument that performance could also be perceived as a display of communicative competence.Bauman adds that audiences do not enjoy the thematic substance in itself but the intrinsic qualities of the act of expression, (p.11). This paper perceives these 'intrinsic qualities' using the concept of narrative framing as has been developed by, among others, Lee Harving (2004, pp.229-245), Hayden White (1984, pp1-33) and Harold Scheub (1975, pp.353-377). The main point drawn from these is that the narrative quality of a performance is sustained by a distinct and socially approved manner of expression that draws on modes of verbal artistic expression. I argue that Ogendi employs artistic frames of narrative emplotment and imagery to attract and sustain audiences.The third question relates to the definition of this form in the context of both mainstream media and oral narrative. The paper perceives Ogendi's art in the context of what John Fiske's (1992, pp. 30-49) concept of enunciative production, which in his view is the outcome of media audience communication of their interpretation of media texts. …


The common goals and tasks of state privatization programs have not taken into account the peculiarities of defense industry (DI) enterprises even though they comprise a considerable part of the country's scientific, industrial, and manpower potential. DI enterprises also produce a large relative share of high-tech and technically sophisticated civilian products and non-food consumer goods. In 1994 the defense complex accounted for 80 percent of the nation's total production of these products. The privatization of DI enterprises has therefore pursued the goal not only of preserving but also of further improving their scientific-technical and manpower potential. The principal tasks of privatization in this sphere include:—the minimization of the cost of producing and developing arms and military equipment with due regard to the demands of military doctrine and of ensuring Russia's defensive capability on this basis;—the creation of an optimal structure of production in the DI corresponding to market conditions;—the maximally effective use of the DI's manpower, scientific-technical, and production potential to stabilize the socioeconomic situation in the nation in the shortest possible time.


A FIRST LOOKAT U.S. EXPENditures for research and development in 2001 and 2002 shows that, although R&D spending continued to rise in these years, the rate of growth eased off from that experienced during the boom years of the 1990s. Preliminary data from NSF's Division of Science Resources Statistics place total R&D spending in the U.S. in 2002 at $291.7 billion, up from an estimated $281.8 billion in 2001 and $264.6 billion in 2000. After adjusting for inflation, R&D spending rose 2.4% from 2001 to 2002. That's less than the estimated increase of 4.0% in real terms from 2000 to 2001. From 1994 to 2000, investment in R&D was rising at an inflation-adjusted annual rate of 5.8%. The slowing rate of growth for R&D spending reflects the slower growth of the U.S. economy as a whole in 2002 (see page 7). In fact, the fraction of the overall gross domestic product ...


After the analysis of different algorithms which deal with triangulation of scattered data points,an effective triangulation al-gorithm forscattered data points is putforward.This algorithm solves the problem that datapoints must be partitioned for multi-projection realized by traditional 2D triangulation methods.The three basic processing operations of 3D triangulation algorithm composed by bound-ary loop extending,splitting,closing are summarized.The mesh can be created with the change of curved face.The algorithm can deal with scattered data of diversified surface.


In this paper, we identify a quantum coherence with the ability to induce collective dynamics in an atomic gas, when a cooling laser is applied. When present, the mean phonon number per particle changes at a rate, which is proportional to the total number of particles in the system. We then propose to use this effect to cool atoms in a cyclic two-stage process to very low temperatures. During each displacement stage, the atoms move freely inside an asymmetric trapping potential, thereby accumulating away from its centre. During each cooling stage, a cooling laser is applied, which returns the atoms to the centre of the trap, while decreasing their mean phonon number. Alternating both stages is shown to transfer the atoms to a final temperature, which vanishes in the infinitely-many particle limit.


This study aims to examine the use of information technology and the effectiveness of accounting information systems on employee performance. The object of this research is the Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia. The population in this study was 50 employees in 3 units of the ministry of trade, namely the General Bureau unit, the Directorate of Export and Import Facilitation units and the Directorate of Agricultural and Forestry Product Exports. The sample of this research is 3 units in the Ministry of Trade. The sampling technique used in the study was purposive sampling method. The results of this study indicate that (1) the use of information technology has an effect on employee performance, (2) the effectiveness of accounting information systems has no effect on employee performance.


Summary form only given. This talk will be a review of the history of quantum Hall effect metrology from a personal point of view since I had the chance to participate in this history from the beginning. At CPEM 80 von Klitzing introduced his discovery to the metrological community. The question arose, if there is a possible metrological application. Consequently in the early eighties a lot of effort was put into the availability of suitable samples and into experiments, which had been characterized mainly by decreasing the measurement uncertainty, by the search for the best values for the characteristic constant and by clarifying if it might be possible to detect any deviation from the quantization. It was the time when the international co-operation between the metrological institutes in this field started to become very intensive. At the CPEM held in Tsukuba in 1988 a working group of the CCE reviewed critically the experiments available at that time and stated a draft for a recommendation to applicate the quantum Hall effect for the maintenance of the ohm. Through the official bodies of the metre convention this recommendation became effective on January 1st, 1990. All national metrological institutes follow this recommendation since that date. In the meantime this procedure has been established very successfully. The BIPM has built a transportable quantum Hall effect measurement system and has performed up to now at several NMIs bilateral comparisons in calibrating resistances. They show that the results in the calibrations do not differ more than the uncertainties of the set-ups, which have reached a few parts in a billion. Stimulated by this great success in the maintenance of the ohm the desire among metrologists is great to develop a similar procedure for the maintenance of an ac quantity, the farad. Therefore a great effort is put at several institutes into the experimental investigation of the quantum Hall effect with alternating currents in the kHz range. Although the experimental effort is much higher compared to dc measurements, the results indicate that a similar application will be possible.


In 10 dogs in anti-reflux procedure by intussusception of the ureter is examined. The surgical procedure is developed and the urinary flow and prevention of the anti-reflux valve are explored. The study shows that an invagination is technically possible and that reflux can be prevented in half the cases without significant obstruction of the urinary flow.


The reaction conditions of calcium with acid chrome blue K(ACBK) were studied.A new method for determination of calcium was established by negative absorption spectrophotometry.There was a linear relationship between the content of calcium and negative absorbance in the range of 0—2.4μg/mL and the detection limit was 2.3×10-5g/L.This method is applied to determine calcium in the milk with satisfactory results.


In the last two decades, South Africa has experienced a marginal increase in life expectancy due to high mortality burden. It coincides with variations in age- and cause-specific mortality among females and males. The study aimed at quantifying the role of age- and cause-specific mortality to the gender gap in life expectancy in South Africa from 2000 to 2015. The study measured the trends in cause-specific mortality and contributions of each cause to life expectancy among South African males and females. Andreev's decomposition method was applied to decompose the contributions of age- and cause-specific mortality to the gender gap in life expectancy. The study revealed that recorded gender gap in life expectancy concentrated in the age group 15-34 was as a result of the differences in the contributions of the infectious diseases and external causes of mortality. In the elderly years, the gap in life expectancy among males and females were due to the variations in the contributions of mortality from circulatory and respiratory diseases. Given these, health policies and programs should target infectious diseases and external causes of death in the young adult years, the leading causes of mortality and circulatory and respiratory diseases, emerging major causes of mortality in the elderly years in South Africa


Introduction to dynamic meteorology mathematical preliminaries properties of the velocity field the equation of motion special cases of the equation of relative motion conservation of mass transformation of the vertical coordinate general thermodynamics thermodynamics of water substance thermodynamics of Moise air the atmosphere at rest circulation and vorticity numerical weather prediction.


Unit 1: Answering the phone Unit 2: Beginning a call Unit 3: Ending a call Unit 4: Consolidation Plus Unit 5: Connecting people Unit 6: Message 1 Unit 7: Message 2 Unit 8: Consolidation Plus Unit 9: Communication problems Unit 10: Appointments and arrangements Unit 11: Recorded information Unit 12: Messages 3 Unit 13: Consolidation Plus Unit 14: A telephone conference Unit 15: Review.


The article analyzes the development of rapid-transit and high-speed railway traffic using as an example the St. Petersburg to Moscow mainline which is the practice ground for new technologies in organizing passenger transit in Russia, and justifies the intention of the Russian railways to become deeply integrated in the international transit system.


With the continuous reform of China's education and the development of the educational environment, English will no longer be the third subject for Chinese students and physical education will replace it as the third subject. The teaching mode has also gradually changed from the traditional artificial mode to the current smart education. In the context of artificial intelligence, physical education can also apply this technology to daily teaching. After physical education becomes the third subject, it is necessary to reform the existing teaching mode and conduct quality evaluation and informatization analysis. In order to achieve this effect, we use artificial intelligence action scenes to detect students' detailed actions and identify key actions and then use computer vision system to create regression models and Bayesian formulas to give the criteria for judging the subsequent training points of the computer. Then, according to the training data of each student in the training process, the quality analysis and informatization evaluation of the teaching reform of physical education are carried out. Using the action bank algorithm as the basic algorithm of feature extraction, a template research method based on multispectral clustering is proposed to facilitate its dissemination in the computer background database. Then, through experiments to compare the before and after optimization of the algorithm, the data analysis of the resolution, time consumption, and detection error of the action bank model were carried out, and it was found that the performance was improved. Then, by means of mean shift detection method and spatiotemporal action detection method, the resolution, time consumption, and detection error of the action bank model are optimized to achieve the quality evaluation and informatization analysis of physical education teaching reform.


This article, forthcoming in the Journal of Environmental and Sustainability Law (formerly the Missouri Environmental Law and Policy Review), describes the evolution of U.S. environmental law through four generations and the characteristics of each generation. The fourth generation of environmental law (Fourth-Generation Environmental Law) aims to increase the resilience of linked social systems and ecosystems (social-ecological resilience). Given that systems can collapse under disturbances and shift to entirely new structures and functions, our environmental law institutions need improved adaptive capacity. There are five distinct and important alternatives to traditionally rigid, fragmented, certainty-seeking environmental law structures: adaptation, adaptive management, adaptive planning, adaptive governance, and adaptive law. Fortunately, adaptive environmental law and governance institutions are emerging, aimed at improving social-ecological resilience. Examples include developments in adaptive watershed governance institutions. These examples of fourth-generation environmental law suggest reasons to hope that environmental law can adapt for resilient communities and ecosystems. However, the article also explores the reasons why fourth-generation environmental law might disappoint us: its inherent limits and flaws. Nonetheless, hope itself is an adaptive and resilience-building strategy. The final section of the article discusses research on the psychology of hope and what it means for how we think about environmental law in the United States.


The 13C chemical shift of the substituted or functionalized carbon of various medium and large rings is plotted against ring size (6–15 carbons). The curves thus obtained allow a conformational analysis of the corresponding derivatives.


alpha, beta-ethylenically have an unsaturated nitrile monomer units, silica nitrile rubber having an iodine value of 120 or less (A1), the CaO value in composition analysis by fluorescent X-ray is 0.5 wt% or more ( B1), and, cross-linkable nitrile rubber composition comprising a cross-linking agent (C1). According to the present invention, excellent mechanical properties such as elongation and gives a small highly saturated nitrile rubber cross-linked product of the compression set, the crosslinkable nitrile rubber composition having excellent workability, and the rubber composition obtained by crosslinking can be provided rubber cross-linked product.


Furniture and interior integrated cultural and materialistic,conversely,the culture and materialistic exert influence on,even alter,the form and function of furniture.The article analyzed the religion of Yi,and its reflects on Yi's furniture and interior.


Ba ferrite films with non-stoichiometric composition were deposited using Facing Targets Sputtering apparatus. The films with well c-axis orientation and remarkable perpendicular anisotropy were attained even at the substrate temperature below 600°C. Sufficiently large saturation magnetization 4πMf,of 3.7 kGand small crystallite size below 20 nm were attained using the targets with Fe-excessive composition. Their good crystallographic and magnetic characteristics were thought to be satisfactory for high density magnetic recording media.


The suburban passenger rail transport sector plays a significant role in the country's economy, ensuring the freedom of movement of citizens, contributing to the increase of transport accessibility of certain areas and the functioning of advanced development zones. Improving suburban services in the largest agglomerations is identified as the most important task in the development Strategy of the "Russian Railways" holding for the period up to 2030. Increasing speeds on the main routes will attract significant passenger traffic and improve the economic and social condition of the regions. All these reasons, in addition to the significant sustainability challenges that this priority sector is currently facing in all aspects, justify the interest in research through strategic analysis based on the traditional Porter's Five Force model. The application of this model will allow getting a general strategic vision that will provide a deeper knowledge of the object under study, which will serve as the basis for the subsequent development of a strategy for the development of suburban passenger transport by rail. The purpose of the paper is to assess the level of intra-industry competition in the regional market of suburban passenger transport in order to develop a strategy for the development of suburban passenger transport by rail.


All sites organized by subject are also listed under the alphabetical tab for browsing or for quickly locating known items.


The objective of this thesis is to demonstrate the importance of control software and hardware design in economic optimization of a production process. It is proposed that the improvement in production economics depends on the system's ability to meet the needs of a process model formulated from a sound understanding of the process. To illustrate these concepts, an NC lathe machining language is created to exploit the UBC Controller's ability for reducing production cost, ensuring part quality and improving machining safety, all based on the guidelines from a practical process model. The language uses a feature based approach to part geometry definition which simplifies data entry and operation planning. The tool path is automatically generated for volume primitives and sent to the controller with process control information. Unlike other systems, which are restricted by the traditional NC code block format in communicating process information to the controller, the process data can be made to correspond with small motion increments and help the controller cope with the expected variations in cutting conditions due to the cut geometry. Experiments with a force monitoring scheme demonstrate how a simple algorithm can keep the force within the prescribed limits for machining safety and product quality. Implementation of a rudimentary process identification and optimization scheme shows the system's ability to reduce machining cost while observing the practical constraints. This low cost system is intended to allow smaller firms to benefit from the current level of process knowledge and production technology.


The present baryon asymmetry of the universe has finally been determined at the finite temperature electroweak phase transition. The strength of this transition plays a crutial role. The effective action is presented to h igher orders, including wave function correction factors and the full g4 , >.2 effective potential. An upper bound for the Higgs mass mH "" 70 GeV is concluded for the reliability of the perturbative approach. The finite temperature electroweak phase transition is studied on the lattice and the most important results of four dimensional Monte-Carlo simulations are collected . For larger Higgs boson masses lattices with asymmetric lattice spacing is used. Perturbative relationship between the lattice asymmetry and the anisotropy parameters of the action is presented.


Coronavirus-2019 has turned out to be a global pandemic impacting millions of people. Following recovering from Covid-19, patients suffer from post-COVID Syndrome which has an impact on lung function resulting in exertional dyspnea, cough, hypoxia or pulmonary fibrosis thereby reducing exercise as well as functional capacity. Along with medical intervention, pulmonary rehabilitation program is essential to reduce the symptoms in post-COVID-19 survivors and thereby improve the quality of life. This case study describes a 38 year diagnosed with viral pneumonitis with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) who was given a structured supervised home based Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR) program for 6 days a week, for 8 weeks post discharge from hospital. Results showed improvement in oxygen saturation at rest on room air, 6 minute walking distance (6MWD), Post Covid-19 Functional Status (PCFS) Scale, Functional Independent Measure (FIM) scale, World Health Organization Quality of Life Instruments (WHOQOL-BREF) and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale–21 (DASS-21). This case report proposes PR as an important intervention to improve exercise as well as functional capacity thereby reducing the significant negative impact on post COVID survivors.

Key words: COVID-19, Pulmonary Rehabilitation, Post-COVID, Exercise.


The construction of different types of orthogonal arrays is quite different. This paper studies the construction of orthogonal array and demonstrates its orthogonality.


The term corpus as used here refers to a collection of spoken or written texts encoded into a specific machine readable format. Corpora are used in language engineering to gather both qualitative and quantitative real language evidence. Qualitative evidence consists of examples which can be used for the construction of computational lexicons, grammars, and multi-lingual lexicons and term banks, for lexicography, etc. Quantitative information consists of statistics indicating frequent or characteristic uses of language. These statistics can also be used to guide preference-based parsers, assist in lexicography, determine translation equivalents, etc. In addition, statistics can be used to drive morphological taggers, POS taggers, alignment programs, sense taggers, etc. Common operations on corpora for the purposes of language engineering include extraction of sub-corpora; sophisticated search and retrieval, including collocation extraction, concordance generation, generation of lists of linguistic elements, etc.; and the determination of statistics such as frequency information, averages, mutual information scores, etc. We do not address corpora intended for other applications, such as stylistic studies, socio-linguistics, historical studies, information retrieval, etc., although these uses are not excluded a priori (in fact, many of the features required for these applications may be the same as those needed for language engineering). The encoding format should be standardised and homogeneous both for reasons concerning interchange and open-ended retrieval tasks [1]. Treating a restricted domain enables development of a tighter standard than that of the TEI, by providing specific encoding solutions rather than general or multiple ones, and, most importantly, by providing standards for elements particularly important in that domain (e.g., linguistic annotation). The texts are selected according to explicit criteria, according to the main purpose the corpus is supposed to serve (lexicographic tasks; terminological data extraction/acquisition; contrastive/comparative studies on parallel texts; grammar induction; machine translation; etc.). Based on several linguistic classification criteria, Sinclair defines in [1] a corpus typology (see also [2] in this volume). From that typology, we are here concerned with the special and parallel type corpora.


The sexual labor of music making began, in earnest, with the classic Blues women of the 1920s who epitomized the turn to a national Black popular culture. Gertrude "Ma" Rainey was one of the most prolific of her cohort and made a career describing, in intimate detail, the interior lives of Black women and working class communities. Her popularity was a testament to her talents as a singer and performer but also to the skill of those around her, including the "Father of the Gospel Blues," composer Thomas Dorsey and his wife, seamstress Nettie Dorsey. The materiality of the relationship shared between Mrs. Dorsey and Rainey is found in the dresses painstakingly sewn by Dorsey and glamorously displayed on stage by Rainey. While pleasant for the eye, these dresses also carry sounds—the music of its making as well as its performative display, making this object a text. In this examination, Redmond exposes the close proximities that exist within the costumes sewn by Mrs. Dorsey and worn by Rainey—namely the relationship between pious respectability and working-class nonheternomativity, laboring femininity and sonorous vocalities. Mrs. Dorsey's work documents dressmaking as a sonic production capable of facilitating the growth of new industries and challenging the normative practices within the early twentieth century Black public sphere. Microreadings of these items, laborers, and artists expose some of the detail of Black political cultures in this moment and highlight the intertextual and multimedia enterprise of Black women's sexual economies.


This is to examine the correlation between self-image and others-image in 1920's Gaebyeok. Representation of abroad in the world-system is connected with formation of colonial modern subject Knowledge and writlng of other 1920's Gaebyeok branch from enlightenment into news, critic and confession. This is correspond with specialization of nation, class, individual in society The knowledge and writing of abroad 1920's Gaebyeok is next. Powerful country as crisis description, lesser power country as teleological and historical narrative. This denote postcolonial longing political liberation


The technical report presents the design and implementation of PACO-PLUS robot platforms (humanoid head for active vision and audio perception and a haptic sensor concept for a five-finger anthropomorphic hand) as well as the specification of the hardware and software interfaces that allows for efficient exchange of hardware and software modules in order to minimize the overhead in the overall system development and for the integration of several components from different partners in the PACO-PLUS robot platforms. Furthermore, a summary of the communication between the groups in the first six month is given.


Large clouds of cold atoms prepared in a magneto-optical trap can develop spatio-temporal instabilities when the frequency of the trapping lasers is brought close to the atomic resonance. This system bears close similarities with trapped plasmas, whereby effective Coulomb interactions are induced by the exchange of scattered photons and lead to collective nonlinear dynamics of the trapped atoms. We report in this paper a detailed experimental study of the instability threshold, and comparisons with three-dimensional simulations of the interacting, laser-driven cloud.


To successfully use an exhaust aftertreatment system to overcome high HC and CO emissions in Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) engines requires high exhaust gas temperatures for oxidation catalysts. Low exhaust gas temperature in certain HCCI conditions is a limiting factor to obtain a large desirable operating range in HCCI engines. This paper investigates the influence of combustion chamber charge conditions on the exhaust gas temperature in a single cylinder experimental engine at over 160 operating points. For the conditions tested, more than half of the collected data exhibits an exhaust gas temperature below 300◦C which is below the light-off temperature of typical catalytic converters in the market. Location of ignition timing is found as a main factor to influence HCCI exhaust gas temperature. HCCI combustion occurring immediately after TDC indicates a lower exhaust temperature compared to the HCCI combustion that occurs late after TDC. HCCI ignition timing also influences HC and CO and NOx emissions and advancing ignition towards TDC causes lower HC and CO but higher NOx emissions. In addition, results at a constant load condition indicate longer burn duration and higher fueling rate in Spark Ignition (SI) mode lead to have higher exhaust gas temperature in SI mode comparing to that of HCCI mode.


New-generation computational software is the emerging and enabling technology that is revolutionizing the delivery of education and the analysis of results to yield information. This allows for the dynamic and interactive analytical processing of both archival and current experimental data. The design and usability of a database-driven computational system that demonstrates the qualitative analysis of the dynamic balance of thermoregulatory processes is discussed. Incorporated within the software are educational modules that describe the effect of exercise on body temperature and heart rate, the effects of the environment on body temperature, methods of prevention of heat illness and first-aid procedures to be utilized in the event of a medical emergency. These modules are linked to clinical and experimental research databases. A user-friendly interface allows both non-technical users and scientists to retrieve information of interest easily. Simple examples are presented which demonstrate the utility of the interface. These include normal (indoor) body temperature, body temperature while hiking in a mountainous region and partial results from a study that characterized the skin temperature and heart rate response during bicycle ergometry. Temperature was measured by thermistors from 13 body segments. The data was collected and compiled into a relational database. Several algorithms, some of which utilize artificial intelligence objects incorporated within the database, analyze the data and yield results based on user preferences.


The main business of the conference centered around a series of 15 workshops in which 15 program directors of their designates discussed various components of the Space Grant Program. On the basis of the workshops and conference discussion, the workshop facilitators redrafted and edited the reports, and these reports are presented. The topics covered include: an evaluation of the NASA Space Grant Consortia Programs; pre-college and college education; the use of continuing adult education; publicity and public relations; underrepresented groups; outreach and public service; state and local governments; university-industry interaction; program management; and use of fellowships.


Four novel Brønsted acidic ionic liquids with two different acid sites on the imidazolium cations were synthesised and employed as catalysts and solvents for the ring-opening of cyclic anhydrides to synthesise half-esters. The results showed that these novel Brønsted acidic ionic liquids were efficient and recyclable. Good yields, short reaction times and mild reaction conditions were achieved.


Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is highly prevalent, and over 50% of AUD patients also suffer major depressive disorders. Selective 5-HT reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can reduce rodent ethanol drinking but exert modest clinical efficacy in alcoholic individuals. Finding new pharmacological strategies that could modulate alcohol consumption and depression is necessary. We have analyzed the effect of Galanin (1–15) [GAL(1–15)] on escitalopram (ESC)-mediated effect in alcohol consumption using the alcohol self-administration test, the nuclei involved in the effect, and whether GAL(1–15) + ESC modulated the response in despair or anxiety tests in animals under chronic alcohol intake. GAL(1–15) + ESC combination substantially reduced alcohol intake in the alcohol self-administration test and, moreover, enhanced the reduction of reward capacity of ESC on different reinforcers such as sucrose or saccharine. GAL(1–15) + ESC coadministration significantly decreases the number of C-Fos-IR TH cell bodies in the VTA, and PCA analysis suggests that one functional network, including VTA, RMTg and DR, is involved in these effects. Significantly in rats with chronic alcohol consumption, GAL(1–15) reversed adverse ESC-mediated effects in the depression-related behavioural test and forced swimming test. The results open up the possibility of using GAL(1–15) in combination with the SSRI Escitalopram as a novel strategy in AUD comorbidity with depression.


How much unavoidable randomness is generated by a positive-operator-valued measure (POVM)? We address this question using two complementary approaches. First, we study the variance of a real variable associated with the POVM outcomes. In this context we introduce an uncertainty operator which measures how much additional noise is introduced by carrying out a POVM rather than a von Neumann measurement. We illustrate this first approach by studying the variances of joint estimates of {sigma}{sub x} and {sigma}{sub z} for spin-1/2 particles. We show that for unbiased measurements the sum of these variances is lower bounded by 1. In our second approach we study the entropy of the POVM outcomes. In particular, we try to establish lower bounds on the entropy of the POVM outcomes. We illustrate this second approach by examples.


Aseptic loosening (AL), secondary to particle-caused periprosthetic osteolysis, is one of the main reasons of artificial joint failure. Suppressing the macrophage inflammatory response caused by wear particles extends the life of prosthesis, and the long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) may play a predominant part in it. Here, titanium particles' (TiPs') stimulation increases both the cytoplasmic and nuclear levels of lncRNA Neat1 in bone marrow derived macrophages (BMDMs), which further induces the inflammatory response. Mechanically, Neat1 facilitates Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) transcription by reducing the transcriptional factor KLF4, which further activates the NF-κB pathway, NLRP3 inflammation, and M1 polarization in BMDMs. Cytoplasmic Neat1 also works as an miRNA sponge in miR-188-5p-regulated BTK expression in the post-transcriptional stage. In vivo, Neat1 downregulation can reduce the TiP-induced pro-inflammatory factors and reverse the osteolysis induced by BTK overexpression. In addition, the PLGA-based microparticles loaded with si-Neat1 are developed for the treatment of the mouse calvarial osteolysis model via local injection, presenting satisfactory anti-osteolysis efficacy. These findings indicate that Neat1 is a key regulator of AL. Funding: The source of funding in this study was the National Natural Science Foundation of China (project number: 82072453). Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics Approval Statement: The study obtained approval from the Ethics Committee at Sun Yat-sen University, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital ([2017] Ethic Record No. 26), and all experiments were carried out with the patients' consent.


A novel codebook generation scheme for vector quantisation is presented. The proposed scheme is of comparable computational complexity to the Linde-Buzo-Gray (LBG) algorithm, but its performance is shown to be superior.