During the pandemic process, nurses felt more anxious and nervous compared to other health professionals and were frequently exposed to verbal-emotional-psychological violence. This study was conducted to determine the anxiety levels of nurses, their exposure to violence, and the factors affecting the anxiety and witnessed violence of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey. The descriptive study data were collected in the period between October 2020 and March 2021 via the online questionnaire published on the Turkish Nurses Association's website. The study sample consisted of 3,230 nurses. In this study, it was found that the majority of participants in the study were women (83,5%), working 24-hour shifts (49.3%) at hospitals run by the Ministry of Health (68.7%), caring for COVID-19 patients (82.1%). Nurses experienced very high levels of anxiety and were exposed to violence from patients, family members, or other healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, this study shows that nurses experienced high anxiety levels and increased exposure to violence in association with the high number of patients to provide care for, long working hours, being forced to work despite COVID-19 symptoms, working with COVID-19 patients, the fear of infecting family members, having difficulties in caring for family members, financial losses, and the unavailability of changing rooms. In line with the results of this study, the responsibility range of managers and decision-makers is wide in protecting the physical and mental integrity of nurses, anticipating, and addressing their needs and resolving their problems, and managing the nurse manpower and the supply of PPE in accordance with standards so that nurses can provide qualified and safe nursing practices. The findings of this study will help to ensure that nursing care is safe, consistent, and competent, as well as guide future planning.


Purpose – The purpose of this research is to analyze the development of high-tech international new ventures as an acting process by individuals in relationship networks. Design/methodology/approach – The study cross-fertilizes research on internationalization of international new ventures, opportunity development of entrepreneurs and innovation development in technology-based firms. A longitudinal case study on the development process of an international new venture operating in the software business is used as a base for analytical generalization and theory development. Findings – The study illustrates events at three intertwined levels of acting on the development of an international new venture. It defines internal problem solving, external solution creation, opportunity selling and opportunity organizing as the behaviors driving the emergent, multi-level process and embedding the venture in various networks. Research limitations/implications – Statistical generalization based on common patterns experienced by several firms was not sought in this study. Using the process research approach with event-based analysis, the study, however, provides an in-depth analysis of international new venture development through the actions of individuals at the level of key events. The methods for examining a complex development process over time can be utilized by other process researchers. Practical implications – The complexity of building high-tech international new ventures is, to a great extent, due to the necessity of handling the process at three levels simultaneously and in connection with one another. Since international new ventures are often based on business opportunities that have a short window of opportunity, the timeline creates further challenges. Embedding the business into various resourcing, legitimizing and otherwise assisting networks is crucial. Originality/value – The study provides an insight into the ways of acting in networks that intertwines the internationalization, opportunity and technology development with development of a high-tech international new venture. The study follows the development process in real time, something that is quite rare in previous international entrepreneurship research.


The Koch snowflake curve is a classic story in the history of mathematics. It is a simple example of a self-similar fractal. In this paper, the computer simulation algorithm for drawing the Koch snowflake curve is given in detail using the 6 directions chain code, and then the 6 directions chain code algorithm is calculated compared with recursive algorithm and L-System according to the following evaluation index: single rule, correctness, readability and time complexity. The advantages and disadvantages of each algorithm are obtained.


The aim of this study is to give a more precise interpretation, using the commemorative form of activity of confraternity, of the function and purpose behind such depictions, in the case of a few selected early medieval images of rulers, from the historical and social contexts of their genesis and the liturgical and commemorative aims of their use.


I. INTRODUCTION In recent years, the once moribund field of law and development has experienced an impressive revival. Many development practitioners have embraced the idea that improving the quality of legal institutions is critical to development, and it is now commonplace for lawyers from developed countries to be consulted on law-reform initiatives in developing countries.(1) Not surprisingly, there has been a corresponding increase in interest in law and development among members of the legal academy. Historically, one of the central concerns of law and development scholars has been whether and how legal institutions transplanted from developed countries should be adapted to reflect the distinctive social and economic features of developing countries. In this Article, this tradition is continued by focusing on one distinctive characteristic of many developing countries: ethnic minority dominance of the economy, or at least large sectors of it. Recently, Amy Chua suggested that this phenomenon has significant, yet under-appreciated, implications for the design of legal institutions in developing countries.(2) This analysis is intended to reflect and contribute to broader debates over paradigms of economic development and their implications for institutional design. Within the last decade, a major paradigm shift has occurred in the thinking of international economic agencies, economists, and others concerned with theories of development. This paradigm shift contains two elements. First, there is a greater reliance on domestic and international private markets as the drivers of economic development, rather than on the dirigiste development policies that have often prevailed in the past. Second, notwithstanding the contraction of some of the functions of the state envisaged by the first element, the paradigm shift contains an enhanced concern with the quality of public-sector governance institutions. This new perspective is often referred to as New Institutional Economics.(3) In the context of this Article, New Institutional Economics makes two claims, one positive and one normative.(4) The positive claim is that low quality institutions play a large role in explaining reliance on truncated intra-ethnic group contracting networks for non-simultaneous exchanges. The reasoning in support of this claim recognizes that spot market and hierarchical (corporate integration) transactions require little support from the judiciary, whereas middle range transactions, in particular long-term contracting involving non-simultaneous exchanges, are particularly vulnerable in the absence of credible third-party enforcement mechanisms.(5) Information flows amongst kin and family, reputation effects, and informal group sanctions support nonsimultaneous exchanges within ethnic groups but at the expense of foregone potentially mutually beneficial exchanges among a much larger network of trading partners for whom these conditions do not hold.(6) The normative claim advanced by New Institutional Economics is that developing countries ought to reduce their inhabitants' reliance upon highly personalized exchanges.(7) Underlying this claim is the notion that a society that foregoes the potential gains from mutually beneficial transactions with a wider range of trading partners limits the extent of the available market and the possible division of labor and specialization in much the same way that protectionist trade policies constrain the exploitation of comparative advantage internationally.(8) The relevant policy prescriptions entail major political, bureaucratic, and legal reforms that are designed both to facilitate and support non-personalized contracting among a much wider array of potential trading partners. Of course, such reforms will also presumably reduce the advantages that flow from restricting trade to members of one's own ethnic group. Consequently, institutional reforms should reduce the economic dominance of ethnic groups that currently benefit economically from their superior abilities to engage in non-simultaneous exchange. …


Utilizing the theories of BK spaces and multiplier spaces, this paper discuss the necessary and sufficient condition which fundamental and total biorthogonal system in Banach spaces which don't contain copy of is unconditional basis.


PurposeTechnologies continue to disrupt logistics and freight transport (known as smart logistics), but their impacts on smart city sustainability is underinvestigated. Drawing on technology, organisation and environment (TOE) perspective, the objective of this study is to empirically investigate the hierarchical effects of smart logistics on smart city sustainable dimensions (i.e. environmental, social and economic).Design/methodology/approachThe study used cross-sectional survey to collect data from urban transporters, warehouse managers, retailers and information technology (IT) managers in Australia. Data were analysed using structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the hypothesised relationship between constructs of smart logistics and smart city sustainable performance.FindingsThe findings reveal that information and communications technologies (ICTs) use and IT capability (ITC) have positive and significant effects on smart logistics. Technology-enabled smart logistics have an immediate positive effect on smart city environment, which in turn has positive impacts on social and economic performance.Practical implicationsThe study informs managers that smart logistics equipped with freight transport telematics can improve smart city environment through enhanced tracking and tracing of goods movement. The improved environmental stewardship is likely to support social and economic performance.Originality/valueSmart city research remains primarily theoretical and focussed on concerns surrounding sustainable growth amid urbanisation and digitalisation. City logistics and urban freights play key role in smart city economic growth, but vehicular pollution pose social and environmental challenges. Technology-assisted smart logistics are likely to improve smart city sustainable performance but yet to find how they affect each other.


Argentine-born novelist, poet, and playwright Leopoldo Marechal (1900-1970) belonged to a generation that actively sought to break with the established cultural and intellectual paradigm of his time. This generation, often referred to as Martinfierristas because of its participation in the Martin Fierro magazine, constituted the visible face of the literary avant-garde in Argentina. This movement, which in the 1920s incorporated a diverse array of intellectuals, was revolutionary in its own terms, yet more moderate than its European counterparts. The group's concern with the notions of nationality and identity would later resurface in Leopoldo Marechal's play Antigona Velez. In this play, first staged in 1951, Marechal achieved a two-fold purpose by recapturing the essence of the Sophoclean myth. First, he explored the cultural conflict that lay at the core of the new nation, by adapting the myth to the socio-cultural reality of the Argentine pampas in the nineteenth century. Second, he produced a reflection of the fratricidal conflict that would mark the political life of his generation and of those who would come afterwards. Like much of Marechal's work, Antigona Velez was neglected for many years in spite of the author's vision. Antigona Velez by Leopoldo Marechal Translation by Walter Corbella Second Act [...] (Silence. Afterwards both choruses slip away in distress, the men to the right, the women to the left. The choruses gone, Antigona rises: it would seem her ears are turned outside, as if to pick up some lamentation in the night.) ANTIGONA: (muffled calling).--Ignacio! (Louder.) Ignacio! (Listening.) Yes, when he was a child he was afraid of the dark. He would be sent at night to look for stirrups, reins and muzzles. And he would run back and his little head full of ghosts would lean tightly against my breast! (Bitterly.) Why have they forgotten there that Antigona Velez has also been a mother to her little head fully of ghosts would lean tightly against my breast! (Bitterly.) Why have they forgotten there that Antigona Velez has also been a mother to her little brothers? He was afraid of the dark: and they have now laid him out in the night, without a light at his head! Ignacio! Why is he not running to Antigona's breast? He can't ! They have sunk his feet in the black water! Yet Antigona will search for her lost child tonight, and she will find him when the moon rises and shows her where they have placed his bloodied pillow. Have they forgotten there that Antigona Velez was a mother to her little brothers? Why doesn't the moon rise up against so much evil? She would understand how a woman can not forget the weight of a child, when he returns afraid of the dark, with two silver stirrups in his trembling hands! (She covers her face with both hands. Deep silence. The whole scene is gradually lit by the light of the moon rising in the horizon. Antigona, uncovering her face, sees that growing light, jubilantly shouts, and swiftly slips away to the left.) [...] Fourth Act (Plateau on the hilltop: bare land, clear sky. At the centre of the stage, an ombu tree with snakelike roots and a bare top. Lisandro, to the right of the tree, and Antigona Velez, to the left, both standing still, resemble a biblical vignette: the first couple next to the first tree.) LISANDRO: My father was never soft; but he was always fair, and he knew how to punish. What has happened, Antigona? Everything has fallen under a spell here since the Pampas arrived from the South. Everything has hardened here, men and women! Even the animals act as if possessed, and things seem to bite. ANTIGONA: No, Lisandro. Everything remains the same now: the living in their chores, the dead in their ground. LISANDRO: My father has not been fair! ANTIGONA: Why not? He accepts his duty and does it; I accepted mine, and carried it out. …


Pellets of about 0.8 mm diameter containing the drug over an 8 hour period under aqueous conditions over the pH range 1 to 7.5 wi th the intention that their oral use i n mcn would avoid local high concentrations of potassium chloride which have been shown to be highly corrosive to mucous membranes. controlling step of drug release from the pel lets involved diffusion through the membranes constituting the pellet coots. In vivo studies in rabbits showed that the pellets produced considerably less mucosal damage than occurred using enteric coated tablets or sustained releose tablets of potassium chloride. The releose of drug from the pellets and from other products was investigated ___ in vitro under different conditions of temperature, pH and agitation using rotating basket, rotating paddle cnd rotating bottle methods. cantly by pH change i n the ranges 1 .5 to 6.8 and thereafter progressively increased with higher pH values. than did currently available slow releose potassium tablets (i.e. 2 to 6 h.).


The present article by Andrey Pavlovich Zabiyako, the Doctor of Philosophy, professor, the head of the department of religious studies and history, the head of the laboratory of archeology and anthropology of Amur state university, professor of department of philosophy and religious studies of School of arts and the humanities of Far Eastern Federal University, the editor-in-chief of the "Religious studies", brings up and discusses the main questions and problems of modern religious studies as a science. According to him, religious studies arose already more than a hundred years ago, but the process of its isolation from other types of scientific and unscientific knowledge is still incomplete; therefore there is a need of an accurate boundary demarcation of religious studies as a science. First of all these lines should be drawn on the fields of contact of religious studies with philosophy and theology. Such a boundary demarcation is a guarantee of successful interaction between different types of knowledge. The development of religious studies is caused first of all by the progress of humanitarian and natural sciences. Since the beginning of the 21st century the latest discoveries in the field of anthropogenesis and culture genesis has had a particular importance for the science of religion. Huge successes of archeology and anthropology led actually to scientific revolution in understanding of the problems of origin and evolution of mankind, its culture, religion. Religious studies is a science which comprises, on the one hand, the level of knowledge of fundamental type, on the other hand, the level of applied knowledge. Religion is closely twisted in surrounding reality of social, political, ethnic life. Therefore examination problem is one of the most important issues of religious studies as a strict science. The procedure for the materials' scientific expertise, methods of interpretation of empirical data, and outputs should be based on a uniform, strictly scientific basis within the expert community. Developing fundamental and applied components, the religious studies approves itself not only as a strict, but also as a necessary science.


Longevity of teliospores of Ustilago scitaminea, the causal agent of sugarcane smut, was studied in soils collected from fields with or without a sugarcane cropping history. Few viable spores (1%) were detected after 4 wk in contact with saturated soil, and none were detected after 6 wk. When teliospores were mixed in nonsterile soils adjusted to three moisture levels, the number of viable spores decreased rapidly after 1-4 wk. Viable spore numbers consistently decreased most rapidly in the wettest soil, but spore longevity was similar for all three moisture levels in each soil. In three experiments, longevity of spores was limited to 7-9 wk in soils containing moisture. The number of viable spores also decreased rapidly with time in sterile soils with different moisture contents, and longevity was limited to 4-7 wk (.)


The ATST scientific instruments are located on benches installed on a large diameter rotating coud lab floor. The light path from the telescope to the instruments is greater than 38 meters and passes from external ambient conditions to the 'shirt-sleeve' environment of the coudé lab. In order to minimize any contribution to local seeing or wavefront distortion, two strategies are implemented. First, an air curtain is installed where the beam passes from ambient conditions to the lab space and second, the coudé lab environmental conditions are tightly controlled. This paper presents the design parameters of the environmental conditions, the basis of each design parameter, an overview of the equipment and components of the system planned to control those conditions, and the thermal and computational fluid dynamic analyses that have been performed in support of the system as designed.


Objective To examine the expression of dystroglycan complex in the membrane of rat's schwannoma cell (RT4). Methods By the means of immunofluorescence,SDS PAGE and immunoblot assays the expression of dystrolgycan complex in RT4 cells. Results The dystroglycan complex was observed expressing on RT4 cell membrane and molecular weight was tested. Conclusion The dystroglycan complex provides a tight link between the ECM and the membrane of RT4 cell.


The structure of a steady wave system is considered which is admitted by the continuum equations for materials that undergo phase transformations with exothermic chemical reaction. In particular, the dynamic phase front structures between liquid and gas phases and solid and liquid phases are computationally investigated. With its theoretical basis in one-dimensional continuum shock structure analysis, the present approach estimates the micro-width of waves associated with phase transformation phenomena. For illustration purposes, n-heptane is used in the evaporation and condensation analysis and HMX is used in the melting and freezing analysis of energetic materials of interest. The estimated thickness of the evaporation–condensation front of n-heptane is on the order of 10−2 µm while the HMX melting–freezing front thickness is estimated at 1 µm. The present structure analysis is being extended to account for a broader range of energetic materials whose phase front thickness measurements are neither available nor experimentally attainable.


Many conjugated polymers have been synthesized, and some optical properties both in solution and in the solid state have been studied, aiming for the application to the next-generational optical devices, sensing devices, nonlinear optical materials (NLO), electroluminescent (EL) materials, and so on. Poly(phenylacetylene) derivatives (PPAs) having all-cis main-chain structure were prepared with a Rh complex catalyst 1 and have attracted much attention for those helical structures. One-handed helical structural PPAs were obtained from the monomers with a chiral substituent 2 or from the achiral monomers with a Rh catalyst -chiral cocatalyst system. 3 Helical conformation ofcisPPAs in solution can be changed by external conditions including temperature, 4 pH,5 solvent polarity, 6 and the addition of a chiral molecule 7 because of their flexible main-chain structure in solution. As regards the solid cis-PPAs, colors of powdery poly( p-alkoxyphenylacetylene)s were reported to change by the external stimulation such as compression 8 and contacting with organic solvents. 9 For example, a yellow powder of cis-poly(phenylacetylene) having a 2-hydroxyethoxy group at the para position could be changed to red or black by contacting with organic solvent vapor. 10 We recently reported about the color-changeable films of PPAs. 11 These colorchangeable PPAs have a relatively long linear alkyl or alkoxyl group and/or polar group such as OH group at the paraposition. There have been some examples of helical conformational change of polymers in the solid state by thermodynamical phase transition. For instance, helical inversion occurred reversibly for optically active polypeptide 12 and polysilane. 13 Helical conformational change in the solid state is expected to be applicable to practical use like a micromachine, a molecular motor, and optical devices, though the study of helical structural cis-PPAs in the solid state has scarcely been conducted. It is expected that helical structure of PPAs is changed by the molecular motion during the color change described above. We designed a novel optically active and color-changeable PPA (poly-1 in Scheme 1) having a chiral OH group which should form a hydrogen bond to affect the helical structure. The helical conformational change of this polymer in the film state was studied by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. The monomer-1 was prepared according to the literature. 14


The axle housing for a 0.75 ton automobile is tested by hydroforming.There are two types of failure about the bulging:crack and wrinkle. The FLD(forming limited diagram) is drew by the test data and the relationship of the limit bulging coefficient and axial strain is revealed,that is Kr=l+δ-1.72e2.The results show that:the inherent attributes of the tube material and exterior load primarily effect the forming together. The wrinkles during the bulging include effective wrinkle and ineffective wrinkle. As a perform method the effective wrinkle could accumulate material for the later forming and the forming limit could be enlarged.


This paper presents a new methodology based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) of Saaty to evaluate the development trends of the residential trade and industry up until 2050. The purpose is an universal macroeconomic model that involves fundamental variables such as build quality and environmental social features, but also comprises the key component of demographic development, which will have strong future implications for portfolio management in the countries of the European Union 27, especially those with shrinking populations. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4995/ICBM.2015.1139


A method is presented in this paper to analyze the dynamic response behavior of suspended building structures. The effect of semi-rigid connections that link suspended floors with their supporting structure on structural performance is investigated. The connections, like the restrains in non-structural suspended components, are designed as semi-rigid to avoid pounding and as energy dissipation components to reduce structural response. Parametric study is conducted to assess the dynamic characteristics of suspended building structures with varying connection stiffness and suspended mass ratios. Modal analysis is applied to identify the two distinct sets of vibration modes, pendulum and bearing, of a suspended building structure. The cumulative modal mass is discussed to ensure the accuracy in applying the method of response spectrum analysis by SRSS or CQC modal combination. Case studies indicate that a suspended building having semi-rigid connections and proper suspended mass ratios can avoid local pounding failure and reduce seismic response.


and other research funding organizations (e.g., American Cancer Society). Term/Amount:NCI anticipates making up to six (threepair) two-year awards and six (three pair) three-year awards, and plan to set aside a total of $4.0 million for the first year of funding. The total annual directs cost budgets for the MSI and the Cancer Center applications together are expected to range between $50,000 and $250,000 each year depending upon prior progress in planning and setting priorities. The amount requested should be specific to the stage of development, for example, planning and prioritysetting stages are not as costly as the implementation stage. Third party contractual Facilities and Administrative costs will not be counted toward the maximum combined direct costs of $250,000. Applications exceeding the $250,000 direct cost limit will be considered unresponsive to this RFA and will be returned without further consideration. Funding in response to this RFA is dependent upon the receipt of a sufficient number of meritorious applications. Although this program is provided for in the financial plans of NCI, the award of grants pursuant to this RFA is contingent upon the anticipated availability of funds for this purpose. Awards are not renewable. The NCI will make a commitment for funding the collaboration for the full term of the award. The anticipated award date is April 1, 2002. The total project period for applications submitted in response to this RFA may not exceed three years. Contact:The letter of intent is to be sent to Sanya A. Springfield, Ph.D. Chief, CMBB, OCTR, ODDES National Cancer Institute 6116 Executive Blvd. Suite 7018A Bethesda, MD 20892-8347 Telephone: (301) 496-7344 Fax: (301) 402-4551 Email: firstname.lastname@example.com Applications are to be submitted using the Form PHS 398 (rev. 4/98) using the SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTIONS provided below and at: http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/ cmbs/index.htm on or before August 13, 2001. A Form PHS 398 (rev. 4/98) application kit is available at most institutional offices of sponsored research and from the Division of Extramural Outreach and Information Resources, National Institutes of Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7910, Bethesda, MD 20892-7910, Phone: (301) 4350714; FAX: (301) 480-0525; Email: email@example.com. Forms are also available on the following NIH website: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html. Deadline:Letter of Intent Receipt Date: July 9, 2001. Application Receipt Date: August 13, 2001.


For the first time the article reveals a so far recondite facet of Vasyl' Barka's creative endowment – the art of painting. On examining his artistic paintings, exhibited in the National Museum of Literature of Ukraine a few years ago, the author of the article briefly acquaints with the exhibits of the display, draws parallels with the visual art works by Čiurlionis and Roerich.


Various studies have been written about human rights and freedoms. Addressing this issue appears to be within everyone's reach and everyone seems to be good at launching discussions about human rights and freedoms. When we are given the opportunity of collecting information about these concepts or of expressing a point of view, we should first refer to the concept itself, as researched by scholars, and then see how these studies can be found in practice, in everyday life. Otherwise, purely theoretical studies and Abstract: analyzes do not have any sense; do not produce any effect, facts which would render them useless. In this paper we aim at analyzing the concepts of legal obligation, of ensuring and protecting the human rights, viewed as a whole, as a unit, just as an idea is perceived. Thus, we are going to place human rights and freedoms in relation to legal normativity, to theory and their legal regulation on the one hand, and, on the other hand, we are going to focus on the materialization and implementation of these concepts, particularly within the national borders, but also in the European Union.


With increasing degree of power electronics in power system, the interaction between controllers of different FACTS devices poses a greater threat to security and stability of the system. In this paper, a linearized state space model with SVC and STATCOM was established, and the negative interaction mechanism of FACTS device in transient process was analyzed and summarized considering control characteristics, operation mode and setting principle of PI controllers. A model predictive control (MPC) is proposed to replace traditional PI link to establish a coordination controller to overcome the difficulties of PI control parameter setting and global optimization.


Simple Summary In mammals, KISS-1 metastasis suppressor (KISS1) has emerged to stimulate the secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) to initiate the first estrus in the hypothalamus. However, KISS1 was recently demonstrated to be widely expressed in various ovarian compartments, including oocytes, granulosa cells (GCs) and theca cells. But the biological functionalities of KISS1 have not been explored in GCs. In this study, the overexpression plasmid of pcDNA3.1-KISS1 was built to explore the biological effects of KISS1 on the phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3K) signaling pathway, estrogen signaling pathway, cell apoptosis, cell cycle, and estradiol-17β (E2) secretion in porcine GCs. We found that overexpression of KISS1 could affect the PI3K signaling pathway, significantly decrease the apoptosis of GCs, and suppress GCs at G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle. Furthermore, overexpression of KISS1 could activate the estrogen synthesis signaling pathway and significantly increase the concentration of E2 in the supernatant and the mRNA expression levels of ESR1 and ESR2. These findings were highly accorded with the supposed role of KISS1 to promote the follicular development. This study would be of great interest for exploring the biological functionalities of KISS1 in regulating the maturation of follicles in mammals. Abstract Previous studies have strongly recommended that KISS-1 metastasis suppressor (KISS1) plays an essential gatekeeper of the initiation of reproductive maturation in mammals. However, KISS1 has been recently reported to highly express in ovarian granulosa cells (GCs). But the biological functionalities of KISS1 on cell apoptosis, cell cycle, and synthesis of estradiol-17β (E2) have not been explored in GCs. In this study, using porcine GCs as a cellular model, the overexpression plasmid of KISS1 was built to explore the biological effects of KISS1 on the PI3K signaling pathway, estrogen signaling pathway, cell apoptosis, cell cycle, and E2 secretion. We found that mRNA of KISS1 highly expressed in the ovary and significantly increased from immature to mature follicles in gilts. Overexpression of KISS1 could significantly increase the mRNA expression of PIK3CG, PIK3C1, and PDK1, and significantly decreased the mRNA levels of FOXO3, TSC2, and BAD of PI3K signaling pathway. Furthermore, results of the flow cytometry showed that overexpression of KISS1 significantly inhibited the apoptosis of GCs and decreased the percentage of GCs at G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle. Additionally, overexpression of KISS1 could increase the mRNA levels of Star, CYP17, 3B-HSD, 17B-HSD of estrogen synthesis signaling pathway, significantly increase the concentration of E2 in the supernatant of the cultured GCs, and up-regulate the mRNA expression levels of ESR1 and ESR2. These results suggested that KISS1 might suppress cell apoptosis through activating the PI3K signaling pathway and stimulate synthesis of E2 via boosting the estrogen synthesis signaling pathway. This study would be of great interests for exploring the biological functionalities of KISS1 in the folliculogenesis and sex steroid production of the ovaries in mammals.


Aim: To evaluate the knowledge and attitude of dentists toward geriatric dental care during the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Materials and methods: An online questionnaire survey was conducted among a self-selected sample of dentists from different parts of India. The first part of the questionnaire comprised 12 items that collected information regarding knowledge, and the second part comprised 14 items that assessed the attitude of participants toward geriatric dental care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Evaluating knowledge–65% of participants were aware of guidelines by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) for dentists that should be practiced during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 93.6% were aware of post-COVID complications present in older adults after recovering from the acute phase of the disease. Evaluating attitude: A total of 69.8% of them found it difficult to deliver dental care to geriatric patients after following all the COVID-19 practice guidelines, and 97.1% of participants were willing to treat a post-COVID older adult in the dental clinic. Conclusion: A total of 69.8% of them found it difficult to deliver dental care to geriatric patients after following all the COVID-19 practice guidelines. Around 31.4% of dentists were not aware of the precautions to be taken to treat older adults with post-COVID complications. Hence there is a need for further studies on post-COVID complications and guidelines for treating the elderly during the pandemic. Clinical significance: As a consequence of newly emerged barriers and post-COVID complications, much poorer oral health outcomes might occur among geriatric patients in the near future. Hence it is important to understand the knowledge and attitude of dentists towards geriatric dental care in order to equip the already small workforce interested in geriatric oral health care. © The Author(s). 2023.


Hamsters exposed to short daylengths undergo testicular involution followedby recrudescence and refractoriness to the regressive effects of such photoperiods. Insensitivity of pineal target tissues to the antigonadal actions of melatonin plausibly accounts for this refractoriness. The present experiments indicate that insensitivity to melatonin persists in the absence of the pineal gland and confirm that long-day treatments which break refractoriness to short photoperiods also restore sensitivity to melatonin. The ability of long days to resensitize the neuroendocrine axis to melatonin was shown to require participation of the pineal gland. Thus the pineal mediates the effects of both long and short daylengths in phasing the seasonal reproductive cycle of the hamster.


In this paper, we investigate the frequency reuse efficiency and the reverse link capacity of the CDMA PCS microcellular system. It is shown that in microcellular environments, the interference from neighboring cells is very small and thus the frequency reuse efficiency is much higher than in macrocellular ones. To calculate the frequency reuse efficiency we formulate 'modified frequency reuse efficiency' including softer handoff effects and analyse it for the finite number of softer handoff related microcells and various T ADD's. In conclusion, this paper shows that the number of microcells related softer handoff must be increased and T ADD lowered in order to increase frequency reuse efficiency.


This analysis is motivated by the large number of studies on the result of guided discovery (GDL) in relation to the research competencies with respect to students, especially in learning science (Natural Sciences). Based on the research article obtained that the low competency of students can be pursued by applying a learning design that requires students to be active during the research process. GDL  is one of the interactive research models which encourages students to be central in the research process. GDL is effective to encourage the activeness of students in the research course, because this research model requires students to play an active part in conclusion their own knowledge with the guidance of the teacher. The view of that analysis was to look at the efficiency of the influence of GDL  on the student competencies in science. That investigation is an expost facto study with descriptive data analysis. Based on the results of the investigation, the article found which the influence of guided discovery has a direct reaction on the competence of students in learning science


The invention discloses a tunnel section sedimentation and convergence analytical instrument and measuring method. The analytical instrument comprises a semi-circle accurate laser ranging system which is connected with a system host. The system host is fixed on a host carrying plate, a front verticality measuring laser system and a rear verticality measuring laser system are arranged on the front and rear sides of the host carrying plate respectively. A left level bubble and a right level bubble are arranged on the left and right sides of the host carrying plate respectively. A left horizontality fine adjuster and a right horizontality fine adjuster are arranged on the left and right sides of the front verticality measuring laser system respectively. The host carrying plate is fixed on a tripod carrier system. The analytical instrument and the measuring method have the advantages that the front and rear verticality measuring laser systems are arranged on the instrument, so that the consistency and the accuracy of the instrument section before and after measurement are guaranteed; by the aid of the semi-circle accurate laser ranging system, sedimentation or convergence values of 19 measurement points o the tunnel can be measured accurately, and sedimentation or convergence of the tunnel section is monitored effectively.


We prove the existence of canonical scrolls; that is, scrolls playing the role of canonical curves. First of all, they provide the geometrical version of Riemann Roch Theorem: any special scroll is the projection of a canonical scroll and they allow to understand the classification of special scrolls in PN. Canonical scrolls correspond to the projective model of canonical geometrically ruled surfaces over a smooth curve. We also prove that the generic canonical scroll is projectively normal except in the hyperelliptic case and for very particular cases in the nonhyperelliptic situation. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


OBJECTIVE To explore the mechanism of methylamphetamine(MA) on heart toxicity.METHODSThe effects of MA on delayed rectifier potassium current(IK) and action potential(AP) were analyzed in isolated guinea-pig ventricular myocytes by the whole-cell patch clamp technique.RESULTS MA 0.5 mmol·L-1 decreased AP from 121.6 to 106.0 mV and delayed the action potential duration(APD),but had no effect on the resting potential.The 10%,25%,50%,75% and 90% of APD(APD10,APD25,APD50,APD75 and APD90) were delayed by 179.0%,88.7%,47.7%,43.4% and 31.9%,respectively(P0.05).MA 0.5 mmol·L-1 inhibited the membrane potential of rapidly activating delayed rectifier potassium current(IKr) and slowly activating delayed rectifier potassium current(IKs),downward shifted the Ⅰ-Ⅴ curve,but had no effect on the curve shape and could be partly recovered after flushing.The tail current IKr was blocked concentration-dependently after perfused by MA 0.01-3.0 mmol·L-1 for 5 min,and could be partly recovered after flushing.IKs tail current was similarly inhibited by MA.CONCLUSION MA has inhibitory effects on IK and AP in ventricular myocytes,which may be one of the possible electrophysiological mechanisms of the cardiac damage caused by MA.


It has been argued recently that the antipsychiatry movement has transmogrified into a patient-based consumer movement. Instead, the author suggests, various activities and ideas that legitimately could be described as antipsychiatry, or, at least, as highly critical of psychiatry, are burgeoning. These activities include the works of intellectual scholars, such as disgruntled psychiatrists, critical social scientists, and humanistic psychologists ; the analyses and writings of high-profile and prominent investigative journalists; blogs, Web sites, and social media that communicate a disdain for psychiatry among citizen Internet activists; and the ongoing, well-documented critique of followers of Scientology. The author concludes that a renewed yet amorphous critique of psychiatry is emerging, even though the tarnished name of antipsychiatry is studiously avoided by all. This critique may intensify, given the likely media and public interest surrounding the upcoming release of DSM-5. T he term " antipsychiatry " originated in the 1960s to describe a broad-based movement that questioned the legitimacy of standard psychiatric theory and practice. The movement specifically challenged the validity of psychiatric categories, diagnostic practices, and common forms of treatment (1). The antipsychiatry movement was motivated by anger at the perceived arbitrariness of psychiatric diagnostic practice as well as outrage at the apparent inhumanity of certain treatments, such as electroconvulsive therapy and long-term involuntary hospitalization (2). Specific parts of the critique propelled reform, including rapid de-institutionalization and attempts to improve the codification and reliability of psychiatric categories and diagnostic practices embodied in DSM-III and standardized clinical interviews. Nevertheless, mainstream psychiatry —the body of accredited personnel working in psychiatry and the common practices, treatments, theories, and categorizations they employ— rejected the underlying critique that psychiatry was little more than a pseu-doscientific agent of social control. Mainstream psychiatry perpetuated its theories and practices in officially endorsed training programs, educational curriculums, diagnostic manuals, and professional journals sanctioned by the American Psychiatric Association and other organizations. A 2006 article in this journal argued that the antipsychiatry movement has dramatically diminished and has trans-mogrified into " a patient-based con-sumerist movement " (3). This Open Forum presents evidence from various sources that antipsychiatric sentiment and action are experiencing a resurgence beyond the patient-based consumer movement. Psychiatry The original antipsychiatry movement was led by psychiatrists, many of whom resented the label " antipsychiatry " and insisted they wanted reform rather than revolution within the discipline. The best known of these individuals are R. (4,5). Are there still psychiatrists who …


There are few existing omnipotent sensors that handle a complex surface inspection task in an accurate and effective way. The prevailing solution is integrating multiple sensors and taking advantage of their strengths. One key task is the extrinsic parameter calibration (global calibration) of the multiple sensors before measurement. This paper proposes a method of optimal extrinsic calibration for a structured light sensor (SLS) and conoscopic holography sensor (CHS). In adopting this method, a common planar calibration board is placed with different poses in front of the multisensory system, and the extrinsic calibration problem is solved through a three-dimensional reconstruction of the calibration board and using geometric constraints of the views from the SLS and CHS. This calibration method, which uses only the plane calibration board, is simple. Physical experiments demonstrate that the proposed method is robust and accurate in the calibration of multiple inhomogeneous optical sensors for the measurement of a complex surface.


With regard to Qumran and the New Testament, this chapter demonstrates that wealth is not merely a matter of social conditions or social reality concerning the relationship between the rich and the poor in society. It presents some of the approaches towards wealth in the Qumran sects and the early Christian communities. It explains similarities and significant differences between Qumranic and early Christian approaches. The chapter also shows that certain approaches to wealth and its conceptualisation as a social boundary are markers of sectarian ideology. In doing so the author is following his own treatment of the subject in his book Sectarianism in Qumran: A Cross-Cultural Perspective . Hence, it is possible to observe whether the early Christians adopted sectarian approaches to wealth, quite similar to the Qumran sects, or were they rather more conformist in relation to the surrounding society. Keywords: early Christian approaches; New Testament; Qumran; sectarian ideology


In this book chapter, we study a problem of distributed content caching in an ultra-dense edge caching network (UDCN), in which a large number of small base stations (SBSs) prefetch popular files to cope with the ever-growing user demand in 5G and beyond. In a UDCN, even a small misprediction of user demand may render a large amount of prefetched data obsolete. Furtherproacmore, the interference variance is high due to the short inter-SBS distances, making it difficult to quantify data downloading rates. Lastly, since the caching decision of each SBS interacts with those of all other SBSs, the problem complexity of exponentially increases with the number of SBSs, which is unfit for UDCNs. To resolve such challenging issues while reflecting time-varying and location-dependent user demand, we leverage mean-field game (MFG) theory through which each SBS interacts only with a single virtual SBS whose state is drawn from the state distribution of the entire SBS population, i.e., mean-field (MF) distribution. This MF approximation asymptotically guarantees achieving the epsilon Nash equilibrium as the number of SBSs approaches infinity. To describe such an MFG-theoretic caching framework, this chapter aims to provide a brief review of MFG, and demonstrate its effectiveness for UDCNs.


Deep venous thrombosis of lower limbs is one of the most common cause of pulmonary embolism, which in turn is responsible for the majority of deaths. The main objective of this study is to analyze the spectrum of findings on colour Doppler ultrasound in patients with clinical suspicion of DVT and also to evaluate the distribution of thrombi in the lower extremity.


In this paper, we propose a method for generation of panoramic image suitable for a building wall surface using the side-view in-vehicle camera. In the proposed method, alignments and geometric normalizations are performed on the basis of planar features of the images. This allows no need for rigorous calibration for camera setting, such as camera postures and positions. Therefore, the proposed method is comparatively tolerant of image distortions which arise from the movement of a car. Experimental results show that the proposed method provides promising panoramic image.


Measurement of the electrical characteristics of 250 devices on the same 2 in. diameter wafer shows that Ti/Al/Ir/Au Ohmic contacts on AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) have lower average specific contact resistance after annealing at 850 °C for 30 s (4.6×10−5 Ω cm2) compared to more standard Ti/Al/Ni/Au contacts (2×10−4 Ω cm2). HEMTs with these Ir-based contacts also show average interdevice isolation currents approximately a factor of 2 lower, higher peak transconductance (134 mS/mm compared to 121 mS/mm), and higher device breakdown voltage (31 V compared to 23 V) than the devices with Ni-based contacts. This Ir-based contact metallurgy looks promising for applications requiring extended thermal stability of the HEMTs.


All electronic circuits generally use inductive elements, such as transformers, coils, or relays, and some applications, such as stepper motors, also have inductive loads. Unfortunately, the failure of switching devices in inductive circuits is a frequent problem and causes system failure. Switchingtransistor and MOSFET failure is common in motor drivers, switched-mode power supplies, and similar electronic systems. The causes for the switch failures can be intrinsic or extrinsic. In an intrinsic failure, the device itself may be faulty, it may have undergone degradation, or it may have a latent defect that initial device testing did not detect. Extrinsic causes of failure include simply misapplying the device or making it operate beyond its safe-operating-area characteristic during normal operation of the system. In this case, the device is bound to fail due to excessive stress. The stress can be electrical (Figure 1) or thermal overstress.


Low-loss waveguide bends are necessary for many proposed integrated optical circuits to improve the packing density, and for certain devices, e.g., directional couplers. Previous bend loss measurements have been reported for Ti: LiNbO3 at λ = 0.633 μm and 1.06 μm, with losses as low as 0.3 ± 0.3 dB for an S-shaped transition between straights separated by 3 mm longitudinally with an lateral offset of 0.10 mm.1 For comparable transition regions bend losses of 2-3 dB were measured using two constant curvature segments,2 4 dB using a straight-segment transition,3 and 1.8 dB using three straight segments with coherent coupling.4


Abstract Broiler breeder hens received water containing 1.90, 3.55, 5.19, or 10.38 mg/L nitrate-nitrogen (o, 10, 20, or 40 mg/L added sodium nitrate) and 0 or 100 CFRU/mL Escherichia coli (E. coli) during a 40-wk production cycle. Hen day egg production (HDP) was not affected by treatment with nitrate or bacteria alone. Combined E. coli and 10.38 mg/L nitrate-nitrogen treatment resulted in egg production significantly (P≤.05) lower than that in hens drinking only E. coli-contaminated water. Dietary water treatment did not affect follicle size, but fewer (P≤.05) rapidly growing small follicles (≥10 mm) and more (P≤.05) atretic follicles occurred on the ovary of hens as reproductive age increased from 15 to 40 wk of egg production. Neither water treatment affected fertility of eggs; however, birds consuming 10.38 mg/L nitrate-nitrogen laid eggs with the lowest (P≤.05) fertile hatchability. Decreased fertile hatchability may result from lowered vitamin A availability, as nitrate toxicity has been reported to impair vitamin A metabolism. Results from this experiment further confirm the negative effect of low-level water nitrate-nitrogen on domestic poultry.


paradox; it has become both established and disestablished more or less concurrently. The establishment is unquestionable - recognition in universities and colleges throughout most of the world for sociology as a subject with academic standing and with legitimate research functions - a rapid growth in the range of accredited and well-funded research institutes; definitive recognition through direct sponsorship from major funding organizations and through public grant-awarding bodies. The establishment of research in sociology has been a necessary condition of the establishment of the discipline itself. Only by demonstrating, empirically that there are laws governing human behaviour in societies could sociology substantiate its claim for a legitimate separate existence either from literature with its established capacity to describe and interpret human interaction, or from history with its established strategies of analysing unique events and their consequencesl. The battle for scientific recognition of this kind was first fought by the psychologists, successfully but at considerable cost to the development of the subject - where the crudities of behaviourism, having the manner of approved scientific method, were tolerated, while the existing but largely untestable hypotheses in the field of psychoanalysis presented continuous embarrassment. The rigorous formalism of the British Psychological Society, still largely modelled on the prestigious pure science organizations, points to a continuing belief in a need for scientific respectability. Sociology was spared some of these traumas. The recognition of psychology opened the path for the recognition of sociology even though it was along a path that had been laid down by the psychologists. But at least some of the exertions to establish it could be avoided by sociologists who were able to devote somewhat more of their time to exploring sociological as opposed to scientific perspectives. In this they were helped by the standing of anthropological study as a distinct and acceptable even if somewhat remote area of study. Yet the influence of the psychological interpretation of the pure science model on sociology is regularly to be seen, and Swift (1973) has noted that sociologists in Britain still find themselves "forced" into doing social psychology'. He suggests that many of the problems in the way of a fruitful relationship between sociology and psychology spring from the psychology determined path of recognition that has had to be trodden by sociologists. There are many examples in present day sociology that reaffirm this history. The almost


In this paper,we investigate the modulation instability for generating femtosecond pulses in fibres with slowly decreasing dispersion.Higher-order dispersion and higher-order nonlinear effects are taken into account when the continuous wave or quasi-continuous wave evolves into sub-picosecond and femtosecond pulses by modulation instability in the optical fibres.Our research results show that the gain spectrum of the dispersion-decreasing fibres is much wider than that in conventional fibres.The third-order dispersion effect has no contribution to gain spectrum,while the self-steepening effect reduces the maximum value and gain bandwidth,and the Raman self-scattering effect widens the extent to which the modulation instability occurs.


With the rapid development of our country's retail trade, inter-organizational information systems get attention by the retailers and suppliers. Many scholars have been research on the factors affecting the adoption of inter-organizational information systems, but research is mainly very little about the adoption of supplier — retailer inter-organizational information systems and adoption hierarchy, this paper mainly researches affecting factors to suppliers-retailers inter-organizational information systems from the leadership and environment. The results of the study show that these factors have positive influence to adoption willing of supplier — retailer inter-organizational information systems including leader's risk preference, information demand and competition degree; Leader's risk preference and information demand have positive influence and to adoption hierarchy of supplier — retailer inter-organizational information systems.


AIM: To study efficacy and safety of buflomedil in the treatment of lower extremities ischemia. METHODS: A controlled open multi center clinical trial of buflomedil was conducted for the treatment of 83 patients (130 limbs) with lower extremities ischemia. The patients were treated with 200 mg, iv drip, qd, for 3 wk. RESULTS: After the treatment, symptoms in lower extremities had been alleviated. The intermittent claudication, rest pain, paresthesias and ischemical ulcer were differently improved. Their effective rates were 61%, 91%, 80% and 55% respectively. The total effective rate was 80%. Serious adverse reaction had not been found during the treatment. CONCLUSION: Buflomedil is a safe and effective drug in the treatment of lower extremities ischemia.


Since 9/11, advanced homeland security-related technologies and specialized services have been implemented—and more are under consideration—to prevent and detect security threats, and to respond to and recover from any incidents that occur. These technologies and services are expensive, and citizens differ in their support and willingness to pay for them. Support may be dependent on where one lives. If this is so, then it would be appropriate for public decision-makers in certain localities to expend more effort and scarce resources to pursue homeland security grants, participate in homeland security programs, and invest in homeland security technologies. The paper explores this notion by examining whether people who live in New York City are more likely to support, and more willing to pay for, terrorism prevention and detection technologies and services. The authors use data from surveys administered to citizens nationally and in New York City in 2006 and regression analysis to explore two causal models. The authors find that New Yorkers are more willing to pay for these services and technologies.


We propose a new image quality degradation assessment method based on the dual-tree complex discrete wavelet transform (DT-CDWT) for evaluating the image quality of watermarked images. The peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and structural similarity (SSIM) are widely used to evaluate image quality degradation resulting from embedding a digital watermark. The majority of digital image watermarking methods embed a digital watermark in the spatial or frequency domain of an original image. They evaluate image quality degradation using only the spatial domain in spite of the fact that the majority of digital image watermarking methods embed a digital watermark in the spatial or frequency domain. As a result, they do not always fairly evaluate the image quality degradation. Therefore, our method evaluates image quality degradation of the watermarked images using features in the spatial and frequency domains. To extract the features, we defined three indices: 1-norm estimation using bit-planes in the spatial doma...


The discrete forms of the topological laws for source magnetic fields can be formulated by mesh incidence matrices using cohomology concepts. In this paper, an algorithm utilizing these mesh incidence matrices is developed for the fast generation of source magnetic fields. The algorithm is based on an integer Gaussian elimination procedure


The in-service training delivered in Pendidikan Profesi Guru (PPG) aims at increasing teacher's knowledge and skills in teaching English. Language Teaching is dependent on philosophical assumption on the nature of language and language learning. Language teaching is terminated at using language skillfully in various communicative events. The in-service training is based on a general theory that is implemented through the application of high order thinking (HOT), the innovative instructional design, namely: Problem Based Learning (PBL), and Project Based Learning (PjBL). This study intended to find out the application of HOT, PBL and PJBL. The data of this study were taken from lesson plans (RPP) and its implementation in classroom interaction. The data were analyzed by using the related theory as temporary category of identification, classification and interpretation. The results show that (1) the teachers are constrained by the use of operational verbs of HOT in formulating its indicators in KD 3 (knowledge competence), and in KD4 (skills) which resulted in the improper way of teaching English, (2) the teachers are compelled by the syntax of PBL and PjBL into improper steps of teaching English, (3) the teachers unconsciously made technology as media as the objective rather than as facilitation to language learning and consequently it turned the teaching of English into teaching about language, like teaching content knowledge such as Biology, Physics, etc, rather than enabling the students to use English communicatively. These findings lead to the conclusion that the teaching of English should be mainly based on the theory of language and the theory of language learning. Other theories imported from other disciplines or from educational psychology should be adapted to the theory of language and language learning. Key Words: Media, Competence, High order thinking, Innovative instruction.


In this chapter, we explore whether RETAIN, a continuing professional development programme (CPD) designed to retain early career teachers (ECTs), offers a potential
solution for early career teacher retention. We provide a rationale for the development of RETAIN, identifying shortages in teacher supply and the need to address this. The Education Endowment Foundation, a grant-funder focused on closing the attainment gap for disadvantaged pupil through research-informed interventions, funded the development of RETAIN, a pilot programme situated in coastal-rural primary schools with high levels of persistent disadvantage in Cornwall, England.
The chapter continues with a discussion of the research findings used to inform the key components of the RETAIN model and the methodological approach used to evaluate the findings from the pilot programme. The conclusion is that the RETAIN model does demonstrate, through indicators of impact and longer-term outcomes, promise as a solution for early career teacher retention. The key components of classroom, collaboration, coaching and child – the 4 'Cs' of RETAIN – create a model for CPD that improves teacher self-efficacy through enhancing skills, knowledge and understanding of pedagogy and practice, and that keeps teachers in teaching. We therefore answer the question of the importance of how CPD is delivered: a model of effective CPD.


Abstract Recently, industry expectation of partnerships with universities in Japan has greatly increased. Since 2000, the government has taken various steps to promote industry-university collaborations, and universities have also made various efforts to react to all kinds of collaboration needs. However, our data revealed that there are some gaps in the perceptions of the research collaborations between the universities and industry. Research links with universities have become more and more important for industry and have been increasing proportionately. However, the same cannot be said on the university side. In this study, we take an overview of this situation, which includes the trends and characteristics of the research collaborations in Japan, especially focusing on the university-industry collaborations and the increasing international collaborations.


The electronic properties of [Fe(SCH3)4]-,2-, a model for the iron−sulfur site in rubredoxin, and the conformational dependence of these properties were investigated with ab initio calculations. The calculations were done at the unrestricted Hartree−Fock level with various basis sets, and the effects of electron correlation were tested in some calculations using second-order perturbation theory. The conformational dependence was studied using five conformations of the model complex that differed by rotations about the Fe−S and C−S bonds. Geometry optimizations showed that these bond lengths changed little among the conformations examined, except where steric crowding existed. The atomic spin populations and spin contamination values (S2) were also homogeneous among the conformations. The relative energies of all but one of the conformations were very small in both the oxidized and reduced states; thus, the total energy changes upon reduction, ΔEredox, of all but one of the conformations were within 30 mV ...


Decadal climate predictions exhibit large biases, which are often subtracted and forgotten. However, understanding the causes of bias is essential to guide efforts to improve prediction systems, and may offer additional benefits. Here the origins of biases in decadal predictions are investigated, including whether analysis of these biases might provide useful information. The focus is especially on the lead-time-dependent bias tendency. A ''toy'' model of a prediction system is initially developed and used to show that there are several distinct contributions to bias tendency.Contributions from sampling of internal variabilityand a starttime-dependent forcing bias can be estimated and removed to obtain a much improved estimate of the true bias tendency, which can provide information about errors in the underlying model and/or errors in the specification of forcings. It is argued that the true bias tendency, not the total bias tendency, should be used to adjust decadal forecasts. The methods developed are applied to decadal hindcasts of global mean temperature made using the Hadley Centre Coupled Model, version 3 (HadCM3), climate model, and it is found that this model exhibits a small positive bias tendency in the ensemble mean. When considering different model versions, it is shown that the true bias tendency is very highly correlated with both the transient climate response (TCR) and non‐ greenhouse gas forcing trends, and can therefore be used to obtain observationally constrained estimates of these relevant physical quantities.


Gestational diabetes mellitus is detrimental to the health of both the mother and the fetus,and therefore greater attention is being paid to the earlier diagnosis and treatment of the condition.This article offers an overview of the research progress in the predictive factors of gestational diabetes mellitus.


The eruption of Vesuvius of 79 AD is the first large explosive eruption described in detail by Pliny the Younger. The eruption began with a high eruptive column depositing a thick airfall pumice deposit to the South East of the volcano, and it was followed by the emplacement of destructive glowing avalanches which destroyed the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabiae. In this paper we re-evaluate the succession of the events based on the letters of Pliny, the volcanic deposit and the extensive damages caused also by the earthquakes occurring during the eruption. We estimate the impact of the synchronous seismic activity by evaluating its intensity and effects on the wider Campanian plain and drawing novel isoseismal maps. We suggest that the strong intra-eruption seismicity conditioned the behavior of the inhabitants of Pompeii during the eruption, compelling many of those, that were still in the houses to flee from the collapsing buildings. We suggest also a different timing of the travel of Pliny the Elder from that proposed by earlier authors We infer an earlier destruction of Herculaneum during the first day of the eruption, as witnessed by the Elder during his travel from Misenum to the vesuvian region, which compelled him to deviate to Stabiae where he died, the following day, a few minutes after the inhabitants of Pompeii.


IN CONSIDERING the contents of the aqueous and vitreous cavities, wve are challenged to explain why twvo stubstances, aquieouis and vitreous humor, so similar in chemical composition, differ so drastically in physical strtucture. XVith regard to the vitreous humor, the problem is to explain the stability of the structture of a substance wvhich contains so lowv a concentration of those constituents-namely protein and hyaluronic acid-wvlichi miglht contribute to its physical state. Evidently the minimual protein and polysaccharide contents are of such a molectular natture and physical organization as to be able to bind relatively large quiantities of water to form a gel-like structure. An understanding of how this strtuctture liqtuefies, collapses, and retracts may be a key to some of the many clinical conditions related to pathologic states of the vitreotus, suchi as liquefaction of the vitreous wvith age, separated retina, and traction sequtelae consequent to loss of vitreouis at operation. In this regard Mleyer (i) has suggested that simple glatucoma may wvell be explained on the basis of an abnormal hyalturonic acid content due to inhibition of the enzyme, hyaluronidase. WVitlh the goal of attaining such understanding the followving basic research was uindertaken. At present this wvork is limited to sttudy of the macromnolecules of soluble


The experimental hardware results of a high speed 8-port, 32 word/spl times/64-bit register file in 1.8 V, 0.25 /spl mu/m CMOS bulk and SOI silicon technology are presented. Such a register file is designed for bulk technology but is also remapped and fabricated in SOI technology without any body contacts. It is shown that the register file in SOI achieves more than 20% performance gain over the counterpart.


Many activity coefficient models are known till now. All models contain parameters whose values are found arbitrarily by curve fitting method. This technique is usually time-consuming. So there is need for introducing a model whose parameters are well defined. A considerable amount of work has been done on DPD module of Materials Studio. Interaction parameters are used as inputs to this module. Earlier, this set of parameters was successfully used to find the inter facial tension of liquids. This same set is now used to find the liquid-liquid equilibrium of binary liquid systems. An equation of Gibbs Excess Free Energy was introduced based on certain conditions and it includes the DPD interactions parameters. These
parameters are found using formulae (which are in terms of isothermal compressibility) making them well-defined.


Background:To know actual conditions and a balance between food intake and energy expenditure of each of the elderly in the super-aged society is very important. Aim:To determine the resting energy expenditure(REE)of the elderly residing in the"Roken". Methods:For Study 1,REEs of 47 elderly people in the Roken were measured. For Study 2,REEs of 22 patients who were admitted to a general hospital were measured. Results:In Study 1,REE of the elderly people in the Roken ranged from 523 to 1,628 kcal/day/body;the mean value was 909±239 kcal/day/body(mean±SD)and 21.6±4.5 kcal/kg/day. A discrepancy between REE and dietary energy intake was observed. In Study 2,REE of patients in the hospital widely ranged from 589 to 2,549 kcal/day/body;the mean value was 1391±459 kg/day/body(mean±SD). Conclusions:The mean value of REE of the elderly in the Roken was 74% lower than that of the healthy individuals in previous reports. The observed discrepancy between REE and dietary energy intake suggested the need for improvement in the effective absorption of nutrients from the digestive system, which may be more important than food intake.


The fact that just simply consider the relation between educational theory and practice as "association" or "divorce" is unilateral to some degree. In brief the relation between educational theory and practice is a spiral progress from natural unification to mutual divorce to re-unification. After the subject-differentiating stage of educational-research development, no matter whether it is association or unification, a certain difference must exist between educational theory and practice. With view of development of educational science, we can have a better understanding of such a process.


Archaeologists have long considered intervisibility essential to understanding settlement patterns and landscape structure. The idea of intervisibility as a driver stems from the premise that, across epochs and cultures, (in)visibility is manipulated for communication, control and sometimes defense. For these reasons a broad suite of viewshed analyses were explored by archaeologists, primarily using GIS, from the 1980s.
Many of these studies suggest that vegetation plays an important role in blocking, altering, and framing sightlines, but these suggestions remain relatively unexplored. The increasing availability of airborne laser scanning (ALS) datasets invites us to revisit these propositions. ALS data allows us to consider -with relative ease- multiple vegetation scenarios in which we vary spatial distributions and canopy structure to understand potential impacts on specific visual networks.
The approach illustrated in this paper employs 'rapid initial visual assessment' of the elements of intervisibility analyses. Multiple 3D scenes are built using sightline vectors, DTMs, and vegetation models. These scenes allow us to immediately understand the impact of terrain and different vegetation states. This rapid exploratory protocol lets us establish a generalized chronology of the changes in extents of woodlands based on presumed or known visual networks. Because calculations are not computationally expensive, quickly modeling many scenarios is practical- opening the possibility of new approaches to visual networks.
In this paper our approach is demonstrated use the 'ceinture de fortifications' constructed around Besancon in 19th century. Because the state of forest at the time of construction, and the intentions of the architects to create a visual network are well documented, the ceinture provides an ideal case study. We then consider the visual dynamics of two castles and a citadel, constructed and active in the Medieval and Early Modern periods, with reference to historical evidence for competition and cooperation between their respective communities.


Joining the EU, among others meant that Czech Republic has gained opportunity to draw financial funds of the EU. In the context of profitability and overall economic performance of agricultural enterprises, the most serious threat is currently reduction or even elimination of agricultural subsidies as came out from discussions about future development of the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) already in 2011. In 2011, the CAP was a point of interest especially because of approaching the end of programme period of 2007–2013. During the last decade, the CAP has been reformed substantially while these reforms and changes reflect requirements of society connected to environment, to food quality and safety, and to developing needs of the EU´s economy. Based on these discussions across all the EU countries, three principal scenarios have been formulated in order to solve the main political objectives of future CAP. In each scenario, different stress is put on single objectives of the CAP. These three scenarios are the adjustment scenario, the integration scenario and the re-focus scenario. Changes of CAP, which were covered by single scenarios have been focused on market interventions, direct payment and on policy of rural areas development.


The implementation of wavelets in differing areas of signal processing has been a popular research area over the last decade. However, utilising this technology in compressing two dimensional signals, such as digital images is relatively new. Wavelet compression has many distinct advantages over earlier compression methods, the most important of which is suitability to error protection as well as the ability to precisely truncate the compressed bitstream to achieve a desired bit rate for transmission. In this paper some of the recently emerging technologies pertaining to wavelet coding of images will be reviewed, particularly with the use of wireless channels. These developments include techniques to filter images that have been degraded through the addition of noise as well as reconstructing parts of images that have been lost as a result of the fading that characterises wireless mobile environments.


Less varied learning methods make learning activities boring. Emphasis on mastery of concepts and teacher dominance make students' activities passive. The correct methods are needed to achieve the learning objectives. This study aims to evaluate the practicality of natural science learning devices for junior high school on the concept of environmental pollution using a problem-solving learning model. The research method uses Design Development Research by Tessmer. The data was taken at the small group evaluation and field test. Data were collected through observation of teacher and student activities with a scale of 1-4; self-assessment with a score of 1 (positive) and 0 (negative); and student response questionnaires on a scale of 1-5. The data were categorized and analysed descriptively. The results of the small group evaluation are: teacher activities get a good category; student activities with good categories in the preliminary and closing activities, but main activities are still quite good; self-assessment aspects show eight positive and two negatives, and student responses show nine positive and one negative. The field test results are: teacher and student activities get a "very good" category; self-assessment aspects show eight positive and two negative, and student responses are positive for all aspects.


This research aims to study the components and to do confirmatory factor analysis, and study the perceptions of ICT leadership of school administrators in Thailand. The results indicate that eight components of information and communication technology (ICT) leadership: developing a vision and administrative plans for the use of ICT in schools, establishing strategies for promoting teachers' and students' use of technology in instruction; developing plans for improving teachers' and supporting staff's technological skills; managing, supporting and facilitating an atmosphere conducive to the use of ICT and providing information technology (IT) resources; learning about meeting ICTrelated challenges with prudence and care; acting as a role model in applying ICT to daily personal and professional matters; sharing knowledge, opening up opportunities and creating an ICT culture in schools in order to develop a learning community, and overseeing and doing follow-up on data storage and data updates for the benefit of decision making and problem solving. Confirmatory Factor Analysis suggests that the components of IT and communication leadership correspond significantly with empirical data and school administrators' perceptions of ICT leadership for use to develop guidelines for efficiently and effectively improving the capacity of ICT school leaders.


First technological process, which ceramic producers of ceramic products use for their future ceramic product is mining process. Mining methods, Transport methods and processing methods are basic technological processes. The process of drying, firing and shaping of brick products are specific. Babylonian gardens, Hagia Sofia, are one of the most beautiful churches that has ever been built. The great Wall of China, medieval castle Malbork from northern Poland not far from Gdansk`s bay which resembles small town, Skyscraper Chrysler Building in New York are the outstanding brick creations in the world. All of these buildings have one thing in common and that is material from which they were built. The material is brick, one of the simplest, the most beautiful, the most universal and the oldest building product which is known for moreover than 10 000 years [1]. Brick association of Czech and Moravia, nowadays unites 6 regular members with 19 plants where are created fired building materials. Furthermore it unites 7 associated members who ensure various services for brickmakers and 7 honorary members. Producers, members of brick association represent 92 % of Mason material capacity in the Czech Republic and 100 % of fired roofing tile capacity.


We establish a correspondence between rational solutions to the matrix KP hierarchy and the spin generalization of the Calogero–Moser system on the level of hierarchies. Namely, it is shown that the rational solutions to the matrix KP hierarchy appear to be isomorphic to the spin Calogero–Moser system in a sense that the dynamics of poles of solutions to the matrix KP hierarchy in the higher times is governed by the higher Hamiltonians of the spin Calogero–Moser integrable hierarchy with rational potential.


Fitting a computed SAXS scattering curve onto its experimental counterpart is an essential task in processing the SAXS data, implemented in several toolkits (Svergun 1995, Schneidman-Duhovny 2013). Quality of the fit can be used to choose from among several candidate conformations. The process gets more complicated when an unknown mixture of the candidates is expected. Methods available so far (Pelikan 2009, Tria 2015) use genetic algorithms to determine a small subset of the ensamble, followed by a search of the weights. We propose an alternate direct method based on randomized global optimization. The search space is formed by weights of all the candidate conformations and two more parameters (characteristics of solvent and solvent accessible surface in Debye formula). The global optimization combines either stochastic tunelling or random walk with constrained local optimization (Powell 2009). The two appoaches give comparable results -- random walk is likely to hit a good fit faster but it must polish the solution with local optimization in every step, while more systematic stochastic tunelling proceeds with shorter but faster steps. It appears that the optimization picks the right subset of candidates seemlessly, quickly eliminating the others by setting their weights to zero. The method is limited by the number of dimensions of the search space, i.e. the number of candidate conformations, several hundreds are applicable. Therefore it is suitable for for combined NMR+SAXS experiments; NMR restraints are processed first (e.g. with Cyana) to yield a few dozens of candidates, and combined with SAXS using our tool then. Practical computation takes few minutes with current CPUs typically; its complexity is quadratic w.r.t. number of atoms due to straightforward implementation of the Debye formula. We present example results with few moderate-size proteins. The application is available to the community also as a web portal at http://saxs.cerit-sc.cz.


The fact that, since 1 May 2004, Poland has the status of European Union member involves certain consequences for Poland's competitiveness in the international services trade market. What competitive position will Poland finally occupy among the EU countries in the postaccession period will to a large extent depend on Poland's present position in the services trade with the EU countries. So, the paper tries to present, on the basis of the most recent available statistical data published by the OECD and Eurostat, the size and structure of Poland's services trade with the EU countries during the preaccession period and, basing on these data, analyzes the degree of Poland's competitiveness in the services trade with the EU countries in the years preceding Poland's accession to this integration group. In the paper, the size and structure of the export and import of services as well between Poland and the European Union as a whole as between Poland and individual EU countries are presented and the service sectors are identified in which Poland enjoys a comparative advantage and those in which there is no such advantage. Also, kinds of services are identified in which some EU countries specialize and, consequently, are Poland's competitors. The paper also deals with the phenomenon of the intrabranch trade as a kind of international exchange alternative to the interbranch trade, that in a particular way refers to the turnover of services.


Abstract Background Timely empiric antifungal therapy is essential in the management of candidemia but must be weighed with the risks of overuse. The purpose of this study was to compare preemptive antifungal therapy and outcomes following a negative T2MR or BDG test result among ICU patients. Methods IRB-approved, quasi-experiment in a four hospital system, May 2014–October 2017. T2MR implemented November 2015. Inclusion: preemptive anidulafungin (AFG), negative blood culture(s) and either a negative BDG by system guideline interpretation or T2MR. Exclusions: transplant, neutropenia, or another documented indication for antifungals. Primary endpoint: days of preemptive AFG. Secondary outcomes: ICU and hospital length of stay, incidence of invasive candidiaisis after discontinuation of preemptive therapy, reinitiation of antifungal therapy in the index admission, and inpatient mortality. Early discontinuation defined as single dose only. Results A total of 179 patients included: BDG n = 79, T2MR n = 100. Median age: BDG 63 (50, 71); T2MR 59 (50, 70). Baseline SOFA score: 8 (6,11) BDG; 12 (8,15) T2MR. Candida score ≥ 3: 43 and 41%, respectively. Preemptive AFG: 2 (1,5) days BDG and 1 (1,2) days T2MR (P < 0.001). Subsequent proven candidemia: 2 (2.5%) BDG; 1 (1%) T2MR. Antifungal reinitiated: 13 (17%) BDG; 12 (12%) T2MR. Mortality: 35 (44%) BDG, 59 (59%) T2MR, P = 0.07. AFG was discontinued early in 91 (51%) patients. T2MR was the only characteristic associated with early D/C (Table 1). Conclusion T2MR testing facilitates use of early preemptive echinocandin therapy in ICU patients and minimizes unnecessary prolonged therapy when compared with use of BDG.Table 1. Early Discontinuation Early D/C (n = 91) Continuation (n = 88) UnadjOR (95% CI) T2MR 59 (65%) 41 (47%) 2.1 (1.2–3.9) SOFA > 7 74 (81%) 70 (79%) 1.1 (0.5–2.3) Vasopressors 45 (50%) 50 (57%) 0.7 (0.4–1.3) Candida score > = 3 35 (39%) 40 (46%) 0.8 (0.4–1.4) Severe sepsis 86 (95%) 82 (93%) 1.3 (0.4–2.3) Surgery 25 (28%) 30 (34%) 0.7 (0.4–1.4) TPN 7 (8%) 11 (13%) 0.6 (0.2–1.6) Multifocal colonization 7 (8%) 12 (14%) 0.5 (0.2–1.4) Disclosures G. Alangaden, T2 Biosystems: Speaker's Bureau, Educational grant and Speaker honorarium.


that women with occult proliferative lesions in the control group pool preferentially refused to volunteer for our study. This seems unlikely. The difference in cytologic results was significant when corrected for age, as indicated in our reference 19. Page and DuPont suggest that we should have removed from the experimental group the two patients with PBD in whom breast cancer was detected during our study. We reported that, in one case, PBD was detected 1 year before the diagnosis of cancer and, in the other, the classification of PBD (on the basis of fine-needle aspirates) was made independent of the suspicion ofcancer (as detected by mammography). Such individuals should be considered as affected with PBD in genetic and statistical analysis. These examples strengthen our contention that cytologic analysis can be an effective diagnostic tool in studies ofgenetic susceptibility to breast cancer. We used a one-tailed test ofsignificance because our hypothesis stated that TBD is more frequent in the clinically normal relatives of two closely related women with breast cancer than in controls.' A two-tailed test, which would be appropriate for detecting positive or negative associations between PBD and breast cancer, also revealed a significant correlation (P < 0.04). We would like to reemphasize that systematic sampling ofthe breast by fine-needle aspiration is strictly a research tool, and we discourage its use as a clinical screening method for asymptomatic women. We have no specific clinical recommendations to make to women who have histologically or cytologically defined PBD (4) other than to follow established screening guidelines. MARK SKOLNICK C. JAY MARSHALL WILLIAM MCWHORTER DAVID GOLDGAR LISA CANNON-ALBRIGHT JOHN H. WAR HARMON EYRE University of Utah Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT 84132 G. BERRY SCHUMANN University ofAlberta, Edmonton T6G 2R7, Canada D. TIm BISHOP Imperial Cancer Research Fund, Leeds LS2 9LU, United Kingdom


To improve radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) classification ability, this paper proposes a three-phase RBFNN learning algorithm. Firstly, the initial hidden structure of the network is determined by dynamic decay radius clustering algorithm. Then the hidden centers are modified by the sum squared error (SSE) rule, and the radius widths are calculated with the within-cluster and between-cluster distances. Finally the pseudo-inverse algorithm is utilized to train the weights between the hidden layer and the output layer. The experiments are implemented on Iris and Wines datasets, which shows that the proposed RBFNN training algorithm has a better classification ability compared with the conventional methods.


Fused deposition modelling is a simple additive manufacturing technology utilising fine filament extrusion of predominantly thermoplastic materials to build 3D objects layer by layer. This research explores the feasibility and the factors involved in using fused deposition modelling to produce natural fibre reinforced composite components. Uniform 3-mm filaments of both hemp and harakeke (Phormium tenax) in varying weight percentages within polylactic acid (PLA) polymer were successfully produced and used to print tensile test samples. Tensile test results supported harakeke to be a useful fibre in terms of mechanical properties achieved which surpassed the Young's modulus and tensile strength of plain PLA samples by 42.3% and 5.4%, respectively.


Background: Congenital gastric antral web is a rare cause of gastric outlet obstruction in children. Treatment options have evolved from the traditional surgical approach to endoscopic balloon dilatation (EBD). The authors would like to share their experience in using minimal invasive endoscopic techniques in the treatment of pediatric gastric antral webs. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study between 2015 and 2019. Data obtained included patient demographics, symptoms, image studies, endoscopic treatment, postoperative feeding, length of hospital stay, and outcome. Results: A total of four patients with gastric antral web who received electrosurgical incision (ESI) and EBD were enrolled. The median age was 12.5 months old (range 2–30 months). Recurrent vomiting was the most frequent symptom. The diagnosis was confirmed by upper gastrointestinal series and esophagogastroduodenoscopy. All patients underwent a combined procedure: endoscopic ESI of the web followed by EBD. The median duration of the procedure was 85 min. The median postoperative feeding started at 2.6 h. The median length of hospital stay after the procedure was 1.5 days. The median follow-up was 24 months. There were no recurrences or redo procedures. Follow-up of each patient was all symptom-free with adequate weight gain. The success rate was 100%. Conclusion: The use of ESI in combination with EBD is safe and effective for the definitive treatment of gastric antral webs in infants and children. With available expertise, it can be used safely as the first-line treatment. With the addition of ESI, it is associated with low recurrence rate and a faster recovery.


Professor Carl J. Friedrich, Eaton Professor of the Science of Government at Harvard University and former President of the American Political Science Association, was elected President of I.P.S.A. on 20 September 1967 during the course of the 7th World Congress in Brussels. He succeeded Professor Jacques Freymond, Director of the University Institute of Advanced International Studies in Geneva. Professor Serge Hurtig, Director of Research at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, resigned as Secretary General of I.P.S.A. after performing his function between 1 January 1961 and 23 September 1967. He was replaced by Andre Philippart, Secretary General of the Belgian Institute of Political Science and Research Fellow at the Free University of Brussels. Finally, the outgoing Executive Committee (1964-1967) formed of Professors Jacques Freymond (Switzerland) Chairman, Stanislaw Ehrlich (Poland), Carl J. Friedrich (U.S.A.), Georges Lavau (France) all Vice Chairmen, Yavuz Abadan (Turkey), D. Norman Chester (U.K.), S.A.H. Haqqi (India), J. E. Hodgetts (Canada), A. I. Lepechkine (U.S.S.R.), Kaoru Matsumoto (Japan), W. H. Morris-Jones (U.K.), Andre Philippart (Belgium), Stein Rokkan (Norway), Alberto Spota (Argentine), Dolf Sternberger (Federal German Republic), was largely renewed during the council meetings held during the 7th World Congress. The new Executive Committee (1967-1970) is formed of Professors: Carl J. Friedrich (U.S.A.) President of I.P.S.A. and Chairman of the Executive Committee,


The series of title compounds (0.15 ≤ x ≤ 1.0) is synthesized from the elements (Ta tubes, Ar, 750 °C, 18 h, followed by annealing at 400 °C for 5 d, 90—95% yields) and characterized by single crystal XRD and TB-LMTO-ASA electronic structure calculations to analyze the effect of valence electron concentration on MgZn2.


The development of water quality models face some unique challenges. Poorly understood fundamental relations, coupled with a chronic scarcity of measured data, often driving a model with ill-defined or multiple goals all combine to require careful planning if the model is to be useful. Despite the challenge many important aquatic ecosystem models have been developed spanning a large variety of ecosystems and modelling philosophies. This paper presents a short review of some of these modelling techniques, and argues that a relatively simple ODE type model is adequate and stands some chance to be validated. A preliminary model, adapted from a previous eu


ABSTRACT This paper examines /ɛ/ lowering before /r/ in Louisiana Regional French (e.g., père, /pɛr/ → [pær], [pɛr] 'father') between 1977 and 2011 in a small geographic region. The analysis of 436 tokens from 32 speakers shows that /ɛ/ lowering has changed through time from a generational to a geographical boundary marker. This explains differing /ɛ/ lowering rates reported in the literature (Guilbeau, 1950; Dubois, 2005; Salmon, 2009). Results confirm that sociolinguistic factors play an active role in Louisiana Regional French, despite its endangered status (Dajko, 2009; Dubois, 2005), underscoring the need to better control for diatopic factors in future research.


The present paper will try to explore the representation of the "immigrant's image" in children's books that were circulated in Greece but also in Albania the recent years (from 1995 and after). The image of the immigrant consists a separated, self-articulated and independent case in the general scheme that tries to articulate the "other". The narratives of children's literature consist a way to represent the cultural reality in and through which the persons and the social groups proceed, distribute and discover the ideological and cultural space of their era. The way that a major and public symbol, like the child or the teenage "immigrant", is represented, includes certain mentalities and ideologies -that often are turned into delusions- through which the conscious or unconscious social practices and ideologies are mirrored. Having said that we point that through the representation of the "immigrant" we can also investigate the self-image of a people, in our case the self-image of the Greek and Albanian people. It is generally accepted that the self-image cannot exist independently but only in contradiction with the image of the "other", of the "foreigner", or in other words (in our case) of the "immigrant". The material of the present research and its goals impose the selection of Synergies


The cross section of main frame structure is preferable to be a cylinder for plants and animals in order to adapt to their environment. There are some exceptionals. One of those is a hemp palm branch. It has an up side-down isosceles triangular shape. Since the hemp palm branch has unusually large leaves and a relatively slender branch stem as compared with other trees, the branches must be subjected a large twisting moment. A triangular cross section reinfored by a functionally graded distribution of fibers must be a solution for that problem, which can reduce the induced stress. This paper presents a torsional analysis of a triangular bar based on the 2-layerd model. Deriving an analytic solution using conformal mapping and complex warping function, the stress distributions and torque were computed. The two layerd bar reduced the maximum shear stress as compared with the one of a homogeneous bar.


Data are reported for the swelling in water of the mono-, di-, and tri-ethanolammonium forms of a cation-exchange resin. The results suggest that some association occurs between the organic cation and the resin, and that this is least for the mono- and greatest for the tri-ethanolammonium ion.