ABSTRACT
 During the post-rainy season (October-March) 2009–10, mealybugs were found on young apical parts and undersides of mature leaves of Withania sommfera (L.) Dunal (Ashwagandha) in the Amritsar region of Punjab Province. They appeared waxy and cottony-white either in clusters or solitary, and moved very little. Host leaves were sometimes deformed and shed prematurely. The mealybugs were identified as Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Tinsley, 1898), (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae). Ants were associated with the mealybug infestation. This is apparently the first record of P. solenopsis infesting Ashwagandha in India.


In manufacturing industry, machining of holes is an important process almost in all metal products. Deep hole drilling, DHD is classified as non-traditional machining process used to produce holes with a length that exceeds ten times its diameter. This study presents an optimization using Cuckoo Search, CS in order to improve the DHD machining performance measure which is cylindricity, Cy. The real experimentation based on design of experiment (DOE) of full factorial with added center points was conducted to investigate the influence of DHD machining parameters consists of feed rate (f), spindle speed (s), depth of hole (d) and Minimum Quantity Lubricant, MQL (m). Then, the experimental results are used in developing the mathematical model by using the regression analysis. Analysis of variance, ANOVA and Fisher's statistical test, F-test is used to check the significant of the model developed. From the results, it was found that CS gives the minimum value of Cy compared to the experimental result.


(1) Soil Management and Global Change Group, Experimental Station of Aula Dei, EEAD-CSIC. Avda. Montañana 1005, 50059 Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain., (2) National Research Council (CNR), Research Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection (IRPI). Corso Stati Uniti, 4, 35127 Padova (PD), Italy., (3) Department of Animal Biology, Vegetal Biology and Ecology, University of Jaen. Campus Las Lagunillas s/n, 23071 Jaen, Andalusia, Spain., (4) Area of Regional and Geographic Analysis, University of La Rioja. Calle Luis de Ulloa 2, 26004 Logroño, La Rioja, Spain.


This thesis intends to evaluate how does the Chinese contemporary art performas stand-alone investment as well as in a mixed-asset portfolio. Based on Artron artist index, the weighted average method is conducted to estimate the return and risk of Chinese contemporary art investment. Additionally, optimal portfolio consisting of stock, government bond, corporate bond, gold and Chinese contemporary art is constructed using Mean-Variance Model. The results of this thesis suggest that Chinese contemporary art is worth investing. More specifically, during the period of 2003 and 2011Chinese contemporary art outperforms stock, corporate bond and government bond with return and risk taking into consideration. With lowand even negative correlation with the traditional financial investment tool, result of Mean-Variance Model suggests that Chinese contemporary art is eligible to diversify an investment portfolio as long as the expected semi-annualreturn does not exceed 9%.


Aim. To study the compliance of patients to visits in outpatient institutions (OI) with the data from acute coronary syndrome registry (ACS) LIS-3, prior to ACS development, and evaluate the quality of pre-hospital therapy among patients with different compliance. Material and methods. Patients (n=320), hospitalized toLubertsyDistrictHospital№2 with ACS, were selected to 3 groups depending on OI visiting before ACS: group A — compliant (n=139); group B — partially compliant; group C — non-compliant to OI (n=78). A score invented for the assessment of pre-hospital quality of management, made up via comparison of real life therapy with the recommended in Clinical Guidelines (CG) taken anamnesis of cardiovascular pathology. Results. Compliance for OI visiting was associated with female gender, older age, CVD anamnesis (especially 2 and more CVD comorbidity) (p<0,0001), acute brain circulation disorder (ABCD), diabetes (DM). Compliance is lower in working patients and in smokers. Educational level, as marital status and obesity did not influence OI visiting compliance. There was low prescription rate for any medication, even among those with CVD in anamnesis. There is a decrease traced of prescription deficit for some drug groups for primary and secondary prevention of ACS together with the patients compliance decrease. Better compliance is associated with better quality of pre-hospital therapy (p<0,0001). Conclusion. Compliance for OI visiting before ACS onset is higher among women, older and sedentary people, CVD patients, after ABCD and having DM. Management quality before ACS onset is generally poor, even in presence of CVD diagnosed during pre-hospital stages. Patients compliance for OI visiting generally improves quality of therapy, but not completely matches with the guidelines.


Consider A Stationary Line Segment Process In The Plane, Observed Through A Window W. Line Segments Which Cross The Boundary Of The Window Are Only Partially Observed. One Might Say That The Observed Lengths Of The Line Segments Are Then Censored. However, Classical Methods From The Theory Of Censored Survival Data (Kaplan-Meier Estimator) Can Be Seen To Be Inappropriate.


The growing complexity of healthcare demands greater patient involvement and skills to navigate this complex system. It has therefore become increasingly important to identify individuals with inadequate health literacy, by using efficient, short and reliable measures for doing so. Most research on the development and validation of health literacy tests has been conducted in high-income countries, with very little reported from low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). Existing health literacy measures have come under scrutiny for their lack of cultural sensitivity, bias towards certain population groups and failure to acknowledge health literacy as a multidimensional concept. These measures usually have limited application in LMICs due to the significantly different structuring of healthcare systems, they overlook the extreme discrepancies in educational levels, and rely too heavily on the ability to read health information. No health literacy data for South Africa are available, and only a few health literacy-based research papers have been published in this country. The aim of the study was to develop and validate a health literacy measure that is contextually and culturally appropriate to measure health literacy in limited literacy public sector patients in South Africa. An Item Bank of 30 questions was developed with the input of a diverse expert consultant panel, and included skills-based and self-reported questions which ensured cultural, contextual and educational level appropriateness. The Information and Support for Health Actions Questionnaire (ISHA-Q) is a health literacy measure developed to assess health literacy for LMICs which includes 14 core scales. These were useful in ensuring coverage of a range of health literacy constructs within the Item Bank. The 30 questions were then allocated to one of three health literacy domains: Procedural knowledge, Factual knowledge and Access to healthcare, health services and social support. Ethical approval for the study was obtained. The questions were translated into isiXhosa and underwent pilot testing. Following pilot testing, 120 isiXhosa first-language speakers, at least 18 years old, who attended public sector facilities and had a maximum 12 years of education were recruited from a primary healthcare clinic in Grahamstown. An interpreter was trained and he participated in all interviews. A questionnaire was used to collect data on the 30-


Karaoke Entertainment is one of the most popular businesses in Dumai city, it can be proved by the many karaoke business in Dumai city. In running the Karaoke business, the business needs to be supervised by Dumai City Government which is regulated in Mayor Regulation of Dumai Number 21 of 2013 on Procedures and Procedures of Granting Business License of Tourism. Like other entertainment, karaoke business has a negative impact on the norms that exist in society. So in running the business, the business must require supervision. The formulation of the problem in this research are: 1. How the Supervision of Entertainment Tour Business by Dumai City Government About Karaoke Business. 2. What are the factors that influence the Monitoring of Entertainment Tour Enterprises by Dumai City Government About Karaoke Enterprises. This research uses qualitative research methods with descriptive data assessment.The concept of the theory used is according brantas is setting standards that will be used as the basis for monitoring, measuring performance or results that have been achieved, take corrective action. This research uses qualitative research methods with descriptive data assessment.The result of the research shows that the supervision of karaoke entertainment business is done by the Tourism Office, Satpol PP, BPTPM Dumai City not according to the procedure specified in the legislation, after the research, the conclusion in this research are: Implementation of karaoke entertainment supervision conducted by Tourism Office, Satpol PP, BPTPM not yet maximal, supervision conducted by Dumai City Government has not done well. There are factors that become obstacles in the implementation of supervision such as lack of human resources, facilities for supervision is not adequate and lack of coordination with relevant agencies in conducting supervision.


TWELFTH NIGHT : Directed by Geoffery Hyland. Maynardville Open-Air Theatre, 50th Anniversary Production. 10 January-18 February 2006 & HELEN ROBINSON. Shakespeare at Maynardville . Wynberg: Houghton House, 2005. 122pp.. Shakespeare in Southern Africa Vol. 18 2006: pp. 57-61


In the present paper we study voting-based corporate control in a general equilibrium model with incomplete financial markets. Since voting takes place in a multi-dimensional setting, super-majority rules are needed to ensure existence of equilibrium. In a linear-quadratic setup we show that the endogenization of voting weights (given by portfolio holdings) can give rise to - through self-fulfilling expectations - dramatical political instability, i.e. Condorcet cycles of length two even for very high majority rules.


CV Satoeasa is a organization engaged in training and consulting services in the context of empowering and developing business actors. Satoeasa is supported by personnel who have competency standards and experience in the fields of entrepreneurship and local economic development. CV Satoeasa Untuk Indonesia is committed to increasing entrepreneurial capacity and is passionate about realizing a growing and developing business. use of the application "How To Make Money Online" to increase competitiveness with other companies, improve the quality of service to customers because now customers have more options to browse applications, compare and analyze services and ratings before choosing an application to be installed on their phone device . For the development of the application "How To Make Money Online" CV Satoeasa For Indonesia plans to create a web-based application with the aim of making it easier for customers to access it without having to install their personal device first. This research uses the waterfall method. In the waterfall method there are several steps including requirements, design, implementation, verification and maintenance. This "How To Make Money Online" application is still based on Android, therefore the author intends to make a web-based "How To Make Money Online" application development design. The result of this research is an application development design. Application development is easier with the application design that will be developed. The conclusion is the "How To Make Money Online" application development design using HTML (HyperText Markup Language) programming. Before this application was developed, it was based on Android and after it was developed it became web-based. In this application there are several menus including the homepage, articles, contacts, about us and help. Provide solutions to CV Satoeasa Untuk Indonesia regarding the design of the application development "How To Make Money Online" using the waterfall method


113 Background: Although the clinical trial WJOG7112G was failed to prove weekly paclitaxel with trastuzumab in patients with HER2-positive gastric or gastro-esophageal junction (GEJ) cancer refractory to trastuzumab is better than paclitaxel alone, there are limited data concerning efficacy of continuing trastuzumab beyond first-line progression in the real world. Methods: This retrospective study included all consecutive patients with HER2-positive advanced gastric or GEJ adenocarcinoma who received a chemotherapy with trastuzumab in first-line, or second-line, or third-line therapy between 2010 and 2016 in Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated from the initial chemotherapy. Results: A total of 67 patients (median age, 59 years; male, 71.6%) with HER-2 positive advanced gastric or GEJ adenocarcinoma treated with chemotherapy plus trastuzumab initially in first (n = 50), second (n = 13), or third (n = 4) line of therapy were included. The median OS of trastuzumab for initial first-line, second-line, or third-line treatment was 16.7 months, 14.2 months, and 13.2 months, respectively (P = 0.83). In patients initially using trastuzumab in first-line therapy, the continuation (n = 19) versus discontinuation (n = 31) of trastuzumab beyond first-line progression was significantly associated with an improvement of median PFS (3.4 versus 1.9 months; P = 0.02), but not OS (19.0 versus 16.4 months; P = 0.13). In the multivariate analysis including the ECOG PS, number of metastatic sites and chemotherapy regimen, the continuation of trastuzumab beyond progression remained significantly associated with longer PFS (HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.41-0.93; P = 0.04), but not OS (HR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.56-1.22; P = 0.24). Conclusions: This study suggests that HER-2 positive advanced gastric or GEJ adenocarcinoma patients could benefit from trastuzumab no matter when they start receiving trastuzumab. The continuation of trastuzumab beyond progression has clinical benefit in patients with HER2-positive advanced gastric cancer for PFS, but not for OS. Large scale prospective randomized validation is warranted.


COMPTEL has detected strong 3 to 7 MeV γ-ray emission from the Orion complex with no significant evidence for emission outside this range. We show that measurements of the diffuse X-ray emission from Orion can constrain the sources of the γ-ray emission, if the excess is due to γ-ray lines produced by low-energy cosmic ray nuclei. We also discuss an interpretation of the excess as continuum bremsstrahlung emission of relativistic electrons.


Introduction. Ukraine's active progress towards integration with the European social and economic space requires an update of domestic fiscal policy to ensure adequate cooperation with European countries. The need for changes in tax regulation in the context of integration processes actualises the issue of generalizing the features of fiscal policy in the EU with the identification of the most positive experience of reforming it.
Methods. The following methds are used in conducting the research: systematic, institutional methods (to study the tax system and mechanisms for regulating tax relations in individual EU countries), the trend analysis method (to analyze the dynamics of tax rates and tax revenues in EU countries). Eurostat data on major tax aggregates of national accounts of different countries were used as an information source.
Results. The current tax policy of EU countries is characterized by the co-ordination of the interests of each state, the abolition of inefficient elements of tax systems and the renunciation of nominal tax sovereignty. Bid sizes are not uniform and tax rates are quite low. The effectiveness of the EU tax system is manifested primarily in the distribution of taxes, that is, in their share in the overall structure of tax revenues. The highest is the share of indirect taxes, with the average value of the share of VAT fluctuating within 20-30%, the share of personal tax - within 8-30%. Considering the positive experience of the EU member states, the main directions of transformation of tax regulation of Ukraine are the implementation of EU norms in the field of taxation into the legal system and tax practice: improvement of tax policy principles, as well as modification of the national structure of tax types in accordance with European standards; ensuring the systematic and efficient functioning of the internal taxation regime and the tax administration process.
Discussion. Further scientific research should cover the development and use of state-of-the-art analytical tools for tax burden forecasting and fiscal regulation effectiveness.
Keywords: tax system, fiscal policy, tax burden, tax administration, taxpayers, European integration, economic integration.


In this paper, we propose an algorithm based on basic simulated annealing (SA) to optimize unsteady chemical systems. By parametrizing the control inputs, the system described by a set of differential-algebraic equations is first transferred into a nonlinear programming (NLP) problem. By using a linear function, we furthermore convert discretized control inputs and time grids into the control profile with a variable time length to improve numerical quality. Thus, the discretized control inputs and the corresponding execution time lengths will be considered as a set of decision variables. Then, these decision variables are globally determined by our algorithm with the help of a special integrator to optimize the performance index. In order to exhibit the facility of the proposed algorithm, several typical examples are provided.


In order to ensure the safety of construction workers during the construction process, supervision of violations of safety regulations and control of hazardous situations not recognized by the workers are continuously required. However, due to the dynamic nature of the construction site, the hazardous situation is always changing and there is a limit to managing all these risk situations in a manual manner by the supervisor. To address these limitations, various computer vision-based researches are being conducted that can automatically identify and manage risk factors. The aim of this study is to propose a system for detecting potential horizontal and vertical risks of moving or static objects around workers by measuring distance between objects using Stereo Vision. Proposed system consists of motion detection, object detection and distance measurement between objects using depth image from stereo camera. It synthesizes images from multiple cameras into one and uses motion-detection and objectdetection to identify the movement of objects in a vertical or horizontal position. Then, based on the depth information of the stereo camera, the distance is calculated to identify whether a worker is in the hazardous zone. The proposed system was implemented in the lab environment to verify the proposed functionality. The lab test results indicate that the proposed system can detect vertical and horizontal hazards. It is expected to contribute to the prevention of possible accidents by detecting and controlling the dangers around the workers in real time.


Cultural heritage plays a key role in communities' sustainable development. The culture-led development highlights the local cultural resources and specifics while being assisted by contemporary tourist interest in niche offers. At the same time, culture-led development could reinforce a process of urban regeneration. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the urban regeneration potential of culture-led development in the case of a small town from Transylvania (Romania), Rupea, by identifying local characteristics that define this town and its surroundings as a cultural landscape and also by suggesting methods for capitalizing on this cultural landscape in heritage tourism. Data collected from six interviews with cultural stakeholders, bibliographic research on archaeological discoveries, and local tourism potential, as well as through ethnographic methods, support the approach of the Rupea area as a cultural landscape. The main dimensions of this cultural landscape are the interethnic character of the area and the multitude of archaeological discoveries that indicate its habitation in the Paleolithic. Tourist capitalization could support the urban regeneration of Rupea in a culture-led development approach by arranging routes that highlight the specifics of the Romanian, Saxon, Hungarian, and mixed villages in the Rupea area and/or the points of archaeological interest.


This study used the methods of literature review, comparative analysis, experts visit, site visit, and case analysis. Analyzing the current situation of some city marathon races at home and abroad, as well as the integration of marathon and city culture. Based on this present status, the study put forward development routes of fusing Wuhan marathon with city culture. This study deem that the integration of Wuhan marathon and city culture should centre on building competition brand, attaching the importance of city spirit, prefecting the construction of city attractions, developing the inside information of the city and the competition system, relying on cultural industries, and realizing the people-oriented idea. Introduction Urban culture is regarded as the spirit and soul of the urban space culture from and is the social value engine. Sports events, especially the international major sports events, often can form a powerful propaganda on the formation of a city's development and influence. Big sport events have been held in many cities at home and abroad for improving the influence of the city, shaping the image of the city and setting up the city brand. In this environment, the participation of urban marathon become the primary choice of construction and highlight urban culture. In recent years, with the Shanghai International Marathon, Beijing Marathon, Xiamen International Marathon as the representative of the large city marathon bring huge social benefits for the city's cultural construction. Events and tourism factors as the driving force, the city marathon and city cultural integration is developing rapidly. The Origin and Evolution of the Marathon The Origin of the Marathon In 490 BC, the athenians defeated the persians in the war, then a soldier run to Athens from the Marathon P lain without halt to report the victory of the war. But because of the long trip the soldier was dead after he reported the win. This historical event becomes the origin of the marathon. In 1896, when the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens, Greece, the Olympics organizers strived to create a popular sporting events. The historian and philosopher, Mr. Al first proposed the idea of a marathon. His idea of the modern Olympic Games in 1896, had become a reality and obtained the full support of "the father of the modern Olympic Games" Coubertin, also welcomed by the greeks later. Then the committee decided to use 42195 metres as a long distance race, and entitled the marathon race. The Development Status of City Marathon Marathon has a long history of development, and it has the characteristics of competitive, groupment, comprehensive. Its prevalence cannot leave the development of social productivity and the formation of people's health. Around the world, in various countries and cities actively carry out the marathon, make it become a kind of wide public participation and big social influence of the event[1]. Internationally, the famous Boston marathon began in 1897, the event held a long time and large scale, is a model of a marathon race. The influence of New York Marathon is in the second 2nd Annual International Conference on Social Science and Contemporary Humanity Development (SSCHD 2016) © 2016. The authors Published by Atlantis Press 141 place after the Boston Marathon in 1970. Beijing International Marathon, with its unique advantages and resources to become city marathon benchmark events, widely recognized at home and abroad. The success held of Shanghai International Marathon, Xiamen International Marathon gradually become a well-known brand with international influence. Table 1. 2011-2015 national marathon held statistics year Events held number Incresed number 2011 22 2012 33 11 2013 39 6 2014 51 12 2015 134 83 Note: data from China's marathon's official website Table2. The number of some marathoners in China 2015 Event name registration number actual participants Shanghai International Marathon 126789 35000 Beijing International Marathon 61558 30000 Guangzhou Marathon 78083 30000 Note: data from China's marathon's official website The Present Fusion Situation between Marathon and Urban Culture Big sporting events are often able to become emblematic of a city and its urban cultural identity with its high popularity and wide social influence. City marathon started late in China, but its development speed quickly. Today, city marathon has been integrated into our daily life, culture, social civilization and other various aspects. Its influence present a "multi-level, comprehensive and integrated" distribution. City marathon has become the synonymous with a healthy lifestyle, also displayed platform of urban spirit and promoted urban cultural window [2].Marathon held in the city with regional characteristics, such as the Beijing International Marathon using the capital status, historical culture and landmarks to rationally design the circuit. The track passed by Tian'an Men, Chang'an Avenue and thus it formed a beautiful scenery line. Xi 'an Ancient Wall International Marathon put the ancient town on the track for highlightting its characteristic of historical and cultural city. Yangzhou Jianzhen International Half Marathon made monk Jianzhen spirit as the theme and point of the marathon and city culture. Now "Han Ma" Wuhan Marathon is a new event. How to promote the fusion of "Han Ma" and Wuhan city culture is to make "Han Ma" as the international first-class sporting events and the key to enhance the competitiveness of wuhan city culture.


Exhibits Preface The Multidivisional Structure: Theories and Implications Multidivisional Structure and Shareholders' Wealth: The Contingency of Diversification Strategy Multidivisional Structure and Productivity: The Contingency of Diversification Strategy Appendix: Performance During "M-Form" Reorganization and Recovery Time: The Effects of Prior Strategy and Implementation Speed] Multidivisional Structure and Capital Structure Multidivisional Structure and Organizational Slack: The Contingency of Diversification Strategy Multidivisional Structure and Performance Evaluation Appendix: A Matrix Approach to Transfer Pricing] Index


This article strives to broaden existing approaches in music scholarship, which, despite a long history of thinking about the role of music in shaping labour, have resulted in only sporadic attention to music labour itself. Drawing on Michael Hardt's and Antonio Negri's notions of affective labour as work intended to produce or modify peoples' emotional experiences, the article treats professional music-making as embodied labour, exploring its specific conditions—in particular, in relation to gendered practices of work. Based on empirical research into the values and concepts of music labour in socialist Yugoslavia, this article attempts to provide insight not only into the geographically and temporally specific context of socialism but also more generally, pointing to its shared somatic, gendered and affective aspects. Such an approach draws on recent calls for empiricism in the wake of critical deliberations of the ahistorical and decontextualised nature of existing approaches to affective labour. Through a case study of the material working conditions and work subjectivities of female professional singers, its aim is to emphasise music-making as both material practice and sensorial experience, taking into account that both are in constant and heterogeneous flux.


TO THE EDITOR: KRAS mutations have been implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous tumors and detected in approximately 40% to 45% of colorectal adenocarcinomas. The mutational status of KRAS has emerged as a predictive factor for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) undergoing treatment with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) –targeted therapy. In the clinical setting, a consistent correlation between presence of a KRAS mutation in codon 12 or 13 and lack of response to anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody therapy in mCRC patients has been described. 1-3 Based on these findings, anti-EGFR therapies were approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, as well as the European Medicinal Agency, for use exclusively in patients with mCRC harboring KRAS wild-type status and in combination with irinotecan after progression or as first line with standard chemotherapy. Thus, KRAS mutational status actually represents a criterion to select patients who would benefit from anti-EGFR therapy. Point mutations in KRAS codons 12 and 13 represent two hotspots that include more than 95% of mutations in this gene. 4 Different methods forKRAS mutation analysis have been used in experimental settings or as part of clinical trials. Instead, in relation to KRAS mutational status for routine use, comparison of diverse techniques and their diagnostic applicability is being recently analyzed and needs further critical evaluation. Current international recommendations for KRAS mutational status detection advice well-established molecular assays use. 5 All of these tests have to be sensitive, specific, and reliable DNA-based assays. Among them, direct sequencing analysis and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are commonly used 5 whereas pyrosequencing has recently emerged as a new powerful sequencing methodology for single nucleotide polymorphism/mutation analysis. Direct sequencing method is able to detect all the mutations in KRAS gene but it has lower sensitivity compared with other methods. Real-time PCR uses oligonucleotide primers that bind specifically to the most common mutations in codons 12 and 13 and it is sufficiently sensitive to identify KRAS mutants represented at a relatively low frequency. The detection limit of these two methods is around 20% of the mutation rate. 6 The pyrosequencing-based assay detects KRAS mutations in codons 12, 13 and it is more sensitive than traditional sequencing methods or real-time PCR being able to detect mutation rate represented in fewer than 20% of the analyzed sample. Differences in detection limits and quantitation among KRAS testing platforms represent a relevant issue for pathologists to face with, since it is currently unknown what level of test sensitivity is unambiguously required to provide useful and predictive information in clinical practice. In our institution, pyrosequencing platform is routinely used to detectKRAS mutational status in patients with mCRC. We tested 100 consecutive patients and we observed a higher percentage, attested on more than 50% of KRAS mutated (codon 12/13) patients than that usually reported (40% to 45%). To explore this difference of approximately 20%, we retrospectively obtained archival tissue samples from patients previously resulted wild-type for KRAS codon 12/13 by real time-PCR. All these samples were reanalyzed by performing real time-PCR and pyrosequencing methods at the same time, in the same laboratory and in a blinded way. We aimed to identify the diagnostic and clinical implications in using the two methods in KRAS mutational status detection as mandatory criterion to select patients to receive anti-EGFR therapy. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor samples from 29 patients with primary colorectal adenocarcinomas KRAS wild type for codon 12/13 were identified. Other main selection criteria were: tumor tissue availability, clinical response (partial or complete response; taking into account the best clinical response according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors [RECIST]) after cetuximab irinotecan after progression on prior irinotecan-based therapy. Of 29 patients, three (10.3%) were identified as KRAS mutant in codon 12 G for 12D mutation by pyrosequencing whereas all of them were reconfirmedKRAS wild-type by real-time PCR. Consistent with the findings in the literature, mutations in codon 12 were far more common and all of them were G12D. All three patients who were mutant by pyrosequencing have been previously treated with anti-EGFR therapy according to wild-type status reported by real time-PCR. All of these patients with mutations showed partial response according to RECIST as best response during cetuximab-based chemotherapy. Moreover, the percentage of mutation rate at pyrosequencing resulted of 18.6%, 20.%, and 18.2%, respectively, which are under the general detection limit of real time-PCR. Our concerns are the clinical implications of using the most recent technologies in diagnostic routine for KRAS status detection. Until pyrosequencing introduction in diagnostic setting, the detection limit of the other molecular tests was not inferior to 20%. Our experience suggests that in those patients with low KRAS mutational rate by pyrosequencing ( 20%), critical clinical interpretation of the result is needed. The identification of a very low frequency of KRAS mutations in patients could not influence negatively tumor anti-EGFR response, as demonstrated by our three mutated responder patients. These observations would advise oncologists in considering critically pyrosequencing as routine diagnostic test to mandatory discriminate patients eligible to receive anti-EGFR therapy in clinical practice. Prospective studies using pyrosequencing are needed to evaluate the role of different percentages of mutated alleles in terms of response to anti-EGFR treatment in larger number of patients.


Petri nets (PNs) are widely used to model discrete event dynamic systems (computer systems, manufacturing systems, communication systems, etc). Continuous Petri nets (in which the markings are real numbers and the transition firings are continuous processes) were defined more recently; such a PN may model a continuous system (biological systems, fluid systems, etc). or approximate a discrete system (manufacturing systems, transport systems, etc). A paper presents the main ideas origin of the definition of this model. Different timings can be associated with discrete transitions leading to different derived models. When the maximal firing speeds associated with continuous transitions hybrid Petri net is obtained if one of its parts is discrete and the other part is continuous. This are constant, an elegant model is obtained allowing fast simulations.


The medicinal value of the plant is due to the phytochemical constituents they produce, which exhibit certain physiological actions on human body. Phytochemicals are plant derived chemical compoundS, which are non-essential nutrients, some of which show potential health promoting properties. The phytochemical constituents were determined by using known literature method while the antimicrobial activity was analyzed by classical literature methods. In case of phytochemicals, Tannin, Alkaloids, Glycosides, Flavonoids, Steroids, Coumarines, Sterols and Terpenes were found while saponins and anthraquinones were not determined in all the samples. Antibacterial activity was noted high in all the samples of crude extract followed by ethyl acetate and lowest activity was found was found in aqueous extract of Mentha spicata. The Same results were analyzed for antifungal activity.


Physical and mechanical tests were done in green and kiln dry conditions on small clear specimens obtained from 9 logs of cinnamomum camphora received from New forest, Dehra Dun. The relults obtained have been compared with Teak. It is found that valuel are lower than standard teak in general. Estimated values based on strength specific gravity formulae hive also been compared with observed values in green condition. The observed values are higher than estimated. Safe working stresses and suitability indices based on specific gravity have also been reported and compared with the corresponding values of Teak.


The present article extends the applicability of the angle sum and di erence identity rules sin(A±B) and cos(A±B) beyond the particular case of a right-angled triangle into the general case of scalene triangles as sin*(A±B,γ) and cos*(A±B,γ), adding the e ect of independently varying both the reference angle α = A±B and the obtuse angle γ. Accompanied by appropriate theorems and proofs, the mathematical end result are four updated equations that supersede the traditional expressions sin(A±B) = sin(A)cos(b)± cos(A)sin(B) and cos(A±B) = cos(α)cos(B) \mp sin(A) sin(B), where the conventional sin(α) and cos(α) functions are replaced by the [already proven] extended versions sin*(α,γ) and cos*(α,γ) enclosing modifications including two angles α and γ. An open-source program scripted in Octave is provided for the verification of the derived expressions, including plotting the geometric results as a figure for both the cases of angle summation and subtraction.


Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp.) is one of the most important legumes produced in tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world, especially in the developing countries in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. It is the main source of protein, calories, dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins for a large segment of the world population. Cowpea is also a potential functional food with a range of bioactive compounds, including phenolic compounds. This legume is grown mainly in the North and Northeast regions of Brazil, but is also consumed in other regions, and is thus important for the farmers who depend on this crop for income. This study identified and quantified phenolic compounds in the cowpea cultivar BRS Xiquexique. Such quantification reveals the functional characteristics of cowpeas, mainly as a source of antioxidants, which will be essential to add value to this food and to expand its forms of consumption. The extracts were analyzed using an HPLC model LC-20AT, equipped with a manual injector. For the HPLC analysis, standard solutions were prepared with pure phenolic acids such as gallic acid, quercetin, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, catechin, and epicatechin. The major phenolic compounds identified were catechin (2.07± 0.329 mg 100 g), epicatechin (0.48 ± 0.130 mg 100 g), gallic acid (67.19 ± 6.200 mg 100 g), ferulic acid (32.07 ± 0.753 mg 100 g), and chlorogenic acid (3.08 ± 0.489 mg 100 g). We observed that the BRS Xiquexique cultivar contains functional phenolic compounds, especially gallic acid and ferulic acid, demonstrating the antioxidant potential of cowpea.


Hedgehog (Hh) signaling plays an important role in the pathobiology of B-cell malignancies including diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The GLI family members that include GLI1, GLI2 and GLI3 are Hh signaling transcription factors. While most research has focused on smoothened (SMO), Hh transducer receptor subunit, many lines of evidence indicate that other signaling pathways can activate GLI transcription factors. GLI1 is a zinc finger transcription factor and established oncogene. GLI1 expression increases in response to Hh signaling activation and potentiates the transcriptional output of Hh signaling. We previously demonstrated that the canonical Hh ligand-PTCH1-SMO-GLI axis is functional and plays an important role in cell proliferation, survival and chemotolerance in DLBCL (Leukemia 2010 and Oncogene 2011). Moreover, using stable GLI1 knockdown DLBCL cell lines we found that GLI1 contributes to cell survival and proliferation of DLBCL (J Biol Chem 2013). However, our understanding of the mechanisms controlling the transcriptional activity of GLI1 is limited. To identify regulatory components that participate in the transcriptional regulation of GLI1, we explored GLI1 putative interacting proteins by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry following immuno-precipitation (IP) of endogenous GLI1. We found that the NF-κB kinase, IKKβ, is one of the proteins associated with GLI1. This finding was of interest as we found a positive correlation between NF-kB activity and Hh signaling in DLBCL (Blood 2013). To validate the functional interaction between endogenous GLI1 with IKKβ in-vivo , lysates of 293T cells were IP with GLI1 or control antibody and subjected to immunoblot analysis with antibodies recognizing IKKβ subunit and SuFu (known partner of GLI1) respectively. IKKβ and SuFu were co-immunoprecipitated with GLI1. To confirm these findings, 293T cells were transiently co-transfected with plasmids carrying GLI1 and FLAG-tagged IKKα and IKKβ wild-type or kinase dead (K44A) forms. Both forms (IKKα and IKKβ) were detected in the immunoprecipitated GLI1 protein complex, however only transfection of IKKβ resulted in abundance of GLI1 protein suggesting a functional role of IKKβ kinase in the regulation of GLI1 protein levels. The association (and nuclear co-localization) between IKKβ and GLI1 was confirmed in DLBCL cell lines and 293T cells by immunofluorescence studies. To investigate the role of IKKβ in the transcriptional activity of GLI1, we knocked down IKKβ gene in HBL1 (cells with CD79B mutation) cells using two independent IKKβ shRNAs. Silencing IKKβ resulted in a decrease of IKKβ expression associated with decreased levels of GLI1 and GLI1 downstrean targets (PTCH1, CCND1 and BCL2 ). To better understand the functional role of IKKβ kinase activity in the transcriptional regulation of GLI1 target genes, we explore the IKKβ dependent GLI1 phosphorylation sites. We co-transfected full length GLI1 and IKKβ plasmids in 293T cells and IKKβ-GLI1 complex were purified using anti-GLI1 antibody. Peptides resulting from digestion of GLI1 with several different proteases were analyzed by nanospray ion trap mass spectrometry. Seven phosphorylation sites in GLI1 C-terminal residues were identified during analysis of trypsin-digested GLI1 by mass spectrometry. These data suggest that IKKβ phosphorylates GLI1 and plays an important role in the regulation of GLI1 transcriptional activity. Because activation of NF-κB is a frequent event in DLBCL, our study will help to understand the cross talk between NF-κB and Hh signaling pathways and will open potential new avenues for targeted therapy in DLBCL. Disclosures: Vega: NIH: Research Funding; Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: Research Funding.


Many mammals are herbivorous and consume plant material high in cellulose. Consequently, these animals have evolved a close symbiotic relationship with the microorganisms which reside in their gut which aid the digestion of highly fibrous plant material for the host. The ruminant animal has evolved a specially adapted digestive system to enable, for the best part, relatively efficient breakdown of feedstuffs and is split into four different compartments, the reticulum, rumen, omasum and abomasum. The rumen is the main site of microbial digestion and is perhaps best described as a large fermentation vat which contains a complex array of different microorganisms which act synergistically to break down feed for the host animal. After extensive fermentation by the resident microbes, the products of fermentation, mainly organic volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and microbial protein then become available to the host. Up to 80% of an animal's energy requirements may be met by the production of VFAs and, depending on the diet, microbial protein leaving the rumen may account from between 50 and 90% of the protein that enters the small intestine which is available to the host. Conditions in the rumen are strictly anaerobic, although small trace amounts of oxygen may be found, particularly in close proximity to the rumen walland in ruminal gas. Temperature is maintained between 38 to 42°C which enables optimum, growth of the microbes present and if animals are fed a balanced ration of forage and grain the pH lies between 5.8 and 6.4 which is a favourable environment for the growth of a wide variety of different microorganisms. Problems may occur however, if there is a sharp decrease in pH which may cause a marked change in the composition of the microflora. This may have significant consequences for the productivity and health of the host animal and in some instances these effects may not be realized until several weeks after the initial change. The ai~ of this paper is to describe the different microorganisms present in the rumen, their nutrient requirements and metabolism, what roles they play and how a. perturbation or an imbalance in the microbial population may lead to several metabolic disorders which can have a direct impact on productivity and health.


OF THE THESIS Design and Implementation of Distributed Mobile Computing platform using Hadoop by Shraddha Pandhe Thesis Director: Professor Dipankar Raychaudhuri This thesis is aimed at design and evaluation of a distributed cloud computing platform using mobile nodes connected via cellular network. Such a Mobile Cloud capability is motivated by situations in which the cellular access network has limited backhaul bandwidth to the Internet as may be the case in developing regions or disaster recovery scenarios. In view of the growing importance of the OpenStack and Hadoop/MapReduce framework, we first evaluate the performance of Hadoop in the mobile cloud environment and then consider modifications necessary to improve performance. The study was conducted using an experimental methodology based on the GENI open WiMAX base station at WINLAB, which was used to set up a cluster of 4G/cellular mobile clients running Hadoop. The results show that as expected, performance of Hadoop cloud applications is severely degraded due to mobile device channel quality variations in the baseline case, but that significant improvements ( 5x in run-time) can be realized with relatively modest cross-layer (i.e. base-station and signal-to-noise ratio) aware strategies. The results also show that, there are certain types of applications that are not suitable for Distributed Mobile Computing, e.g. applications that generate large outputs, while applications with small sized output benefit greatly from Mobile Cloud.


This research is motivated by coal price weakened slightly in the last 3 months. Based on data from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, the price of coal in March 2017 declined as well as the coordinator of the alleged manipulation of sales reports occurred PT Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC), PT Arutmin Indonesia (Arutmin), and the two companies, PT Bumi Resources Tbk Earth) between 2003-2008, while according to the Futures Trading Supervisory Agency, coal prices continue to tend to decline since November 2011 until now. Coal prices in the first three months, lower than the price in the same period last year while coal production in the period January - March 2012 actually increased high. The research data is panel data obtained from Indonesia Stock Exchange Period 2012 – 2015 which using purposive sampling and analyzed by path analysisand Eviews 9.0 program. The study aims to know that earnings management is an intervening variable that connects the leverage with the quality of profit. The result of analysis shows that earnings management is intervening variable to earnings quality but to leverage is not an intervening at Mining Company registered in BEI period 2012-2015.


Oral cancer (OC) is one of the important cancer types in human being and its early and quick diagnosis will help clinicians to develop suitable therapeutic strategies to improve the prognosis of cancer patients. In this direction, we report a label free impedimetric immunosensor to diagnose OC by detecting CD 59, an early stage and important OC biomarker. The immunosensor probe is fabricated by immobilizing CD 59 antibodies (anti-CD 59) on a self-assembled molecular layer of L-cysteine (Cys) on a gold electrode. The fabrication of sensor probe is characterized using cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The experimental conditions were optimized in terms of antibody concentration, temperature, pH, and incubation time in order to obtain maximum sensitivity. The CD 59 is qualitatively detected using EIS which shows a wide dynamic range between 1 fg mL(-1) and 1000 fg mL(-1) with a detection limit of 0.38 (+/- 0.03) fg mL(-1). The developed immunosensor is successfully applied for direct detection of CD 59 in clinically relevant human saliva samples. Interferences due to non-target cancer antigens, stability, and regeneration of the developed immunosensor was performed.


Presently, Pedestrian's signal time models are not considering the classified characteristics and the speed of pedestrian, but applying fixed pedestrian speed, perception-reaction and congestion time. Especially in case of congestion time, only 4-7seconds are applied without considering crowdedness and confliction. This insufficient pedestrian crossroad crossing term in threatening the safety of pedestrian, and the number of traffic accident during crossing pedestrian crossroad continually increasing. Conclusively, Pedestrian signals time models are suggested which is able to consider classified pedestrian speed types, classified Land-use, classified crosswalks, Standardized congestion time. The application of suggested models in this study to the site, it is expected to contribute the safety and mobility during crossing pedestrian crossroad of pedestrian in the future


Chinese and Korea have much in common concerning the culture.This article details the basal types and translation methods of attrbute and predicate,illustrating them with examples.In addtion,it summarizes the voice tranlation of predicate and some common patterns..At last,it represents the essential steps of tranlation.


Context. Only a handful of debris disks have been imaged up to now. Due to the need for high dynamic range and high angular resolution, very little is known about the inner planetary region, where small amounts of warm dust are expected to be found. Aims. We investigate the close neighbourhood of Vega with the help of infrared stellar interferometry and estimate the integrated K-band flux originating from the central 8 AU of the debris disk. Methods. We performed precise visibility measurements at both short (∼30 m) and long (∼150 m) baselines with the FLUOR beamcombiner installed at the CHARA Array (Mt Wilson, California) in order to separately resolve the emissions from the extended debris disk (short baselines) and from the stellar photosphere (long baselines). Results. After revising Vega's K-band angular diameter (θUD = 3.202 ± 0.005 mas), we show that a significant deficit in squared visibility (∆V 2 = 1.88 ± 0.34%) is detected at short baselines with respect to the best-fit uniform disk stellar model. This deficit can be either attributed to the presence of a low-mass stellar companion around Vega, or as the signature of the thermal and scattered emissions from the debris disk. We show that the presence of a close companion is highly unlikely, as well as other possible perturbations (stellar morphology, calibration), and deduce that we have most probably detected the presence of dust in the close neighbourhood of Vega. The resulting flux ratio between the stellar photosphere and the debris disk amounts to 1.29 ± 0.19% within the FLUOR field-of-view (∼7.8 AU). Finally, we complement our K-band study with archival photometric and interferometric data in order to evaluate the main physical properties of the inner dust disk. The inferred properties suggest that the Vega system could be currently undergoing major dynamical perturbations.


The age of adolescence represents few years of uncertainties and unknown in the development and evolution of a young people. In the search of his own identity, the adolescent needs symbols in order to access the unconscious personal resources. Working with metaphors in the process of counselling and psychotherapy facilitates new signification and sense for the adolescent that experience the most provocative period of his life. This article focuses on the benefits of using metaphorical techniques to improve emotional health in adolescents. We supposed that using a brief experiential metaphoric exercise (My own relaxation and recreation place) would allow the group members to improve their present emotional anxiety experience. The adolescents became more aware of their inner resources (such as tranquillity, calm, trust and hope) and needs. Present finding indicate the effects of expressive-creative methods on anxiety state. Using metaphor in the therapy of adolescents could be an important method to reduce the anxiety and to help them understand the role of their emotions in the process of personal development.


The present study investigates the ability of fuzzy rules/logic in modeling rainfall for South Western Nigeria. The developed Fuzzy Logic model is made up of two functional components; the knowledge base and the fuzzy reasoning or decisionmaking unit. Two operations were performed on the Fuzzy Logic model; the fuzzification operation and defuzzification operation. The model predicted outputs were compared with the actual rainfall data. Simulation results reveal that predicted results are in good agreement with measured data. Prediction Error, Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and the Prediction Accuracy were calculated, and on the basis of the results obtained, it can be suggested that fuzzy methodology is efficiently capable of handling scattered data. The developed fuzzy rule-based model shows flexibility and ability in modeling an ill-defined relationship between input and output variables.


It is important to develop drying technologies for Eucalyptus grandis lumber, which is one of the most planted species of this genus in Brazil and plays an important role as raw material for the wood industry. The general aim of this work was to assess the conventional kiln drying of juvenile wood of three clones of Eucalyptus grandis. The specific aims were to compare the behavior between: i) drying defects indicated by tests with wood specimens and conventional kiln-dried boards; and ii) physical properties and the drying quality. Five 11-year-old trees of each clone were felled, and only flatsawn boards of the first log were used. Basic density and total shrinkage were determined, and the drying test with wood specimens at 100 °C was carried out. Kiln drying of boards was performed, and initial and final moisture content, moisture gradient in thickness, drying stresses and drying defects were assessed. The defect scoring method was used to verify the behavior between the defects detected by specimen testing and the defects detected in kiln-dried boards. As main results, the drying schedule was too severe for the wood, resulting in a high level of boards with defects. The behavior between the defects in the drying test with specimens and the defects of kiln-dried boards was different, there was no correspondence, according to the defect scoring method.


The paper analyzes reasons for application of plasma torches of special design for deposition of heat-resistant layers of thermal barrier coatings that contribute to minimum oxygen content in the zone of spraying. It contains detailed description of design for a plasma torch with a nozzle that allows better protection of a plasma stream against atmospheric exposure.Heated inert gas (Ar) is fed inside the nozzle along its walls through holes in its end part. Air around a plasma jet is displaced, additional compression of the plasma occurs and due to this oxygen content is decreased in a coating and efficiency of material deposition is increased. An additional use of a tungsten insert in an electronic node makes it possible to create a pair of tungsten – tungsten in an electrode assembly and the life of the electrode assembly will be increased due to high erosion resistance, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and sufficient strength in 2–2.5 times while increasing spray performance through toughening regimes. The paper presents testing results of the developed plasma torch and its prototype for duration of continuous operation and intensity at 500 A current, 70 V voltage, nitrogen flow rate of 45 l/min (standard mode for deposition of oxide ceramics). Coatings from nickel–chromium–aluminum–yttrium powder have been obtained while using plasma torches with the same parameters of deposition and a comparative analysis of the technological properties have been made in the paper. The developed plasma torch has more qualitative characteristics of subsurface plasma coatings: increase in adhesive strength – by 1.4 times, material utilization ratio – by 1.3 times, micro-hardness – by 1.3 times, porosity decrease – by 2.3 times.


Abstract Accurate forecasting of municipal solid waste (MSW) generation is important for the planning, operation and optimization of municipal waste management system. However, it's not easy task due to dynamic changes in waste volume, its composition or unpredictable factors. Initially, mainly conventional and descriptive statistical models of waste generation forecasting with demographic and socioeconomic factors were used. Methods based on machine learning or artificial intelligence have been widely used in municipal waste projection for several years. This study investigates the trend of municipal waste accumulation rate and its relation to personal consumption expenditures based on the yearly data achieved from Local Data Bank (LDB) driven by Polish Statistical Office. The effect of personal consumption expenditures on the municipal waste accumulation rate was analysed by using the vector autoregressive model (VAR). The results showed that such method can be successfully used for this purpose with an approximate level of 2.3% Root Mean Square Error (RMSE).


VALVE-CONTROLLED hydraulic servomechanisms are an important class of control systems because of their widespread use in fields requiring high performance and light weight, particularly for military aircraft. Unfortunately, hydraulic servos are not widely understood, as manifested by the scarcity of good technical papers and textbook material on the subject.


ABSTRACT This article describes a follow-up of 25 boys diagnosed as having specific expressive language delay (SELD) in the 24- to 31-month age period. At the time of diagnosis, all subjects had Bayley MDI scores above 85, Reynell Receptive Language Age scores within 4 months of their chronological age, and Reynell Expressive Language Age scores at least 5 months below chronological age; most had vocabularies of fewer than 50 words and few if any word combinations. At follow-up, 16 boys were 3 years old, 7 were 3½, and 2 were 4 years of age. When seen for follow-up, half the 25 boys still had very poor expressive language. These boys were speaking at best in short, telegraphic sentences, and many had moderately severe articulation disorders with quite poor intelligibility. The 12 boys with better outcome had a range of language skills. All spoke in sentences to some extent, and each displayed some mastery of early morphemes (prepositions, plurals, articles, progressive tense, and possessives). However, few if any of the children spoke in completely fluent, syntactically complex, and morphologically correct language. Problems with copula and auxiliary verbs, with past tense inflections, and with pronouns seemed especially common. This research suggests that children with SELD at 24 to 30 months are at considerable risk for continuing language problems.


ABSTRACT

This study aims to: (1) analyze the types of productive economic activities of respondent farmer households in Lenek District East Lombok Regency; (2) analyzing the income from the mendong mat crafts business and its contribution to farmer households income in Lenek District of East Lombok Regency; (3) Knowing the problems and obstacles faced by the craftsmen in managing the mendong mat craft business in Lenek District East Lombok Regency. This research uses descriptive method. Analysis of the data used is the analysis of income and business contributions. The results of the study showed that: (1) There were 7 types of productive economic activities carried out by respondents farmer household in Lenek District including; mendong mat craft business, farming, farm laborers, tobacco processing workers, construction workers, shop employees and migrant workers. (2) The income from the mendong mat craft business is Rp 6,115,239,83/year with a contribution of 30.40% to the total household income in farm in Lenek District. The contribution of the mendong mat craft business gave a significant contribution to increasing the household income of the respondent farmers. (3) The problems and obstacles of craftsmen in managing the mendong mat craft are the low quality of mendong dyes, low product development skills, traditional weaving equipment, low ability to market the product of the type of a Alus mat, the price of the product mat is still low, high prices of raw materials, and its own capital for business development.

Keywords: productive economy, mendong mat crafts, income, contribution


Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a debilitating chronic autoimmune disease (AID) for which there is currently no preventive treatment or therapeutic strategies. Patients with T1D are also at higher risk for other autoimmune disease such as celiac disease. In genetically susceptible individuals, T1D is associated with the generation and activation of autoreactive CD4+ and CD8+ T cells that infiltrate the pancreas and selectively destroy the insulin-producing β-cells in the islets. The impairment of T-cell tolerance in T1D has been reported at many levels including abnormal self-antigen presentation in the thymus and periphery, autoreactive T-cell resistance to apoptosis, unbalanced immunoregulatory T-cell function, and deregulation of Th1/Th2/Th17 axes. Despite the identification of T1D-associated autoantigens and their derived CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell epitopes, numerous antigen-specific immunoregulatory therapies have failed when evaluated for their efficiency in the prevention and treatment of T1D. The development of antigen-specific tolerization approaches to treat or to prevent T1D would bring exceptionally high economic and health benefits. In this special issue, we accepted original research and review articles highlighting the recent advances in T1D-associated immunological tolerance mechanisms and potential immunotherapeutic strategies.


Science is being published increasingly on the web. In this article, we explore how Nordic sociology is represented on Google Scholar (GS), what its output and impact is, and what factors explain it. Our data consist of faculty in 16 Nordic sociology departments in March 2005. The distribution of their publications and citations is skewed. Thirteen per cent of scholars do not appear on GS, whereas only 15 per cent have more than 5 publications. Of scholars with at least 1 publication (n = 240), 75 per cent have at most 10 citations. Both the number of web hits (web visibility) and citations are influenced by the gender of the faculty member, type and age of publication. Web visibility, citations and position are mutually reinforcing. Departmental effect is greater in web visibility than citations. International publications have started to dominate the social sciences, international monographs being particularly frequently cited. The remaining salience of books shows that sociology is still a distinct form of knowledge. The exclusive use of refereed articles and direct comparisons with the natural sciences ignore important aspects of the social sciences. In all, while GS produces findings similar to those in citation databases such as the SSCI, some systematic differences exist. No individual method for measuring scientific output is objective.


When protocols were first described for the derivation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) from adult somatic cells by the introduction of a small number of selected transcription factors [1–3] it was suggested that such cells would be ideal for patient-specific cell therapy. While clinical-grade autologous cells could be produced, this seems unlikely to occur on a large scale because of the costs and time that are involved, at least with present protocols. Rather it has been suggested by several groups [4–6] that a useful partial match should be obtained by establishment of banks of cells from individuals homo-zygous at the major HLA antigens. Other approaches which may contribute to the protocols for cell therapy are reviewed elsewhere in this special issue and include induction of tolerance by a number of different routes. If cells or tissues from one person are transferred into another, they will almost always be destroyed by immune rejection in the absence of immunosuppression. While there is a great deal of experience of preventing rejection of cells of the hematopoietic lin-eage, as well as tissues and solid organs, very little is known about the response to transfer of cells or tissues derived from pluripotent cells. In particular, there are very few studies in nonhuman primates or humans. In a comparison of immune response and survival of iPSC-derived neurons in a cynomolgus monkey model of Parkinson's disease, the immune response was less and cell survival greater when autologous cells were transferred than when there was an MHC mismatch between the cells and the recipient model animal [7]. In this study, no comparison was made with cells that provided a partial match by choosing donor animals homozygous at the major MHC antigens as such animals have not yet been identified. As we have discussed elsewhere [6], it is necessary to consider several potential sources of rejection: • Carbohydrate blood group antigens such as the ABO system. Donor cells will preferably be of group O because groups A, B or AB would be more likely to suffer rejection if transplanted into a patient with an incompatible ABO blood group, although the strength of the immune response to different transplanted tissues is variable [Pechanski M, Pers. Comm.]; • HLA incompatibility between donor cells and the recipient gives rise to rejection. When transplanting solid organs, the greatest benefit comes from matching HLA-A, HLA-B and HLA-DR [8] when matching reduces the incidence …


An experimental study was undertaken to verify the end distance requirements in the CSA Standard O86.1-94 "Engineering design in wood (limit states design)" for split ring and shear plate connector...


The dissolved organic carbon (DOC) reservoir holds a critical role in past and modern Earth's surficial biogeochemical cycles both because of its size ( e.g


This paper will review the development of an Islamic community initiated by the Puspita Bahari organization to Muslim fisherwomen in the village of Morodemak. The background of this empowerment is due to the problem of fisherwomen who work hard to find debt to meet family needs due to the uncertainty of their husband's income. This woman also experienced violence from her husband. The Puspita Bahari organization is here to invite women to be independent, to increase family finances, and to get out of poverty. This empowerment takes the form of first helping to provide welfare guarantees for fisherwomen who go to sea with recognition of status on the KTP from housewives to become fishermen. The second empowerment is to invite fisherwomen to work by making processed fish products in the form of crackers, chips, shredded so they can sell fish at a higher price. Puspita Bahari's empowerment is the empowerment of Islamic community development based on the development of community assets. The method used is library research based on websites, journals, and articles available on the internet. The findings found that there are 6 assets that are used in empowerment, for example the role of environmental assets in the form of the sea and the wealth of fish to become raw materials for processed products. The theory that will be used is the role of community assets in the development of Islamic society.


Agriculture continues to be quite a debate for the last two and a half decades at least at the European level and for Romania Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reforms has a big impact in developing the convergence to the European agricultural model. Agriculture becomes nowadays a multirole economic sector, with major implications on rural community's sustainability and on food security assurance. In this context, the transformations in European agricultural economy, rural communities and food sustainability in context of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reforms represent an important research topic in the context of EU-28 policy diversification from the larger context of Romanian approach.


Determination of interfacial tension (IFT) is of importance for understanding oil recovery mechanisms. Pendant drop measurement for IFT determination is an important practical technique since it permits continuous study of interfacial phenomena without mechanical interference that occurs when other techniques are used. In application of the pendant drop technique, several methods, such as shape factor method and regression method, have been developed by previous investigators for extracting IFT information from the shape of pendant drops. It is generally recognized that some of these methods are accurate but time consuming due to a great deal of numerical computations; while others are simplified and easy to use but unfortunately inaccurate in the low IFT region. It is highly desirable to develop a simple and accurate calculation method to determine low IFT from pendant drop measurements. As IFT gets lower, pendant drops tend to be small and flat. In this case the existing methods are difficult to apply because the upper portion of the pendant drop is strongly affected by the presence of the tip and its wetting behavior. We developed a new method for IFT determination on the basis of force balance on the lower half of the pendant drop. A simple equation relating the IFT, fluid densities, and drop geometry was formulated. With known profile data of the lower half of the pendant drop, IFT can be calculated quickly from the simple equation. Like some existing methods, this new method requires high quality drop-profile data near the apex of the drop to determine the total curvature of the drop surface at the apex. Unfortunately, this high quality data is usually not available due to the nature of image digitizing. We solved this problem by digitizing rotated drop images, fitting a smoothing spline to the drop profile data, and differentiating this smoothed spline in curvature calculations. The result of IFT determined using this new method was compared with that given by other methods for water, normal decane, decyl alcohol, 2,2,4 trimethyl pentane, normal heptane, hexadecane and toluene under ambient conditions. This comparison shows a consistency among the methods in the high IFT region (IFT >10 mN/m). Using our pendant drop generating apparatus and image processing system, we tested the new method under various conditions for water, normal decane, ethane, and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). We found the new method more accurate than the shape factor method in the low IFT region (IFT < 1 mN/m). This is because the new method allows calculation of IFT from very small droplets as long as the droplets have equators developed.


Zhuxian Town Wood Engraving New-year picture is an important part with a very high artistic value.In particular,its color is rough and simple,calm and gorgeous,with the unique artistic charm.This paper,by the analysis of the unique pigment treatment,advocating warm color,"color over shape"approach,the symbolic feature of the traditional color and other aspects,further discusses the color feature of Zhuxian Town Wood Engraving New-year pictures.


Recently layered inorganic materials analogues to graphene such as two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (2D TMDs) have emerged as promising building blocks for the gas sensing industry. Indeed, they show impressive semiconducting properties, tunable band gap, large surface area and excellent gas adsorbing capacities. Herein, we report for the first time, on a single step synthesis of 3D assembly of layered WS2 sensing material, via hydrogen free, atmospheric pressure CVD technique, directly on silicon oxide substrate for NO2 resistive gas sensing application. E-SEM, EDX and Raman spectroscopy were used to investigate the morphology and composition of the grown material. Demonstration of WS2 sensor towards one of the most pollutant gases (NO2) showed promising results with high sensitivity and low detection limit below 20 ppb.


The present invention discloses a method capable of testing the electrical path through the circuit assembly equipment. The apparatus may include a non-contact connector of the test probe to test the circuit assembly connector. Also disclosed is a method of testing the continuity of the electrical path through the circuit assembly. In this method, one or more nodes excitation circuit assembly, the connector pins on connector capacitive circuit assembly coupled to the non-contact test probe connector, and by the non-contact connector coupled to the test probe test to measure the electrical characteristics, to determine the electrical continuity of the circuit assembly through a passage.


For any positive integer n, the famous Smarandache double-factorial function SDF(n) is defined as the smallest positive integer m, such that m!! is divisible by n, where the double factorial m!!=1·3·5…m, if rn is odd;and m!!=2·4·6…m, if rn is even. The main purpose of this paper is using the elementary and analytic methods to study the value distribution properties of SDF(n), and give an interesting mean value formula for it.


The notion of a formal mentoring scheme cuts across the informality of newsrooms, where "coaching" may once have meant little more than a few gruff words hurled at a junior who has just made a mistake. Introducing such a scheme also faces the hurdle presented by upheaval in the industry.

The skill set required of journalists is changing, and in some areas younger staff are likely to have a surer sense of new media than their senior colleagues. The value of experience may be further devalued as young staff see career structures collapsing. Why take advice from someone who got their experience during a time of certainty?

This presentation examines the challenge of introducing a mentoring scheme to a weekly newspaper at a time of such change. It describes a project that drew on the experience of introducing a similar scheme to a provincial daily some four or five years earlier. How did the schemes fare?


The complex interaction between the International Space Station (ISS) and the surrounding plasma environment often generates unpredictable environmental situations that affect operations. Examples of affected systems include extravehicular activity (EVA) safety, solar panel efficiency, and scientific instrument integrity. Models and heuristicallyderived best practices are wellsuited for routine operations, but when it comes to unusual or anomalous events or situations, especially those driven by space weather, there is no substitute for realtime monitoring. Space environment data collected in realtime (or nearreal time) can be used operationally for both realtime alarms and data sources in assimilative models to predict environmental conditions important for operational planning. Fixed space weather instruments mounted to the ISS can be used for monitoring the ambient space environment, but knowing whether or not (or to what extent) the ISS affects the measurements themselves requires adequate space situational awareness (SSA) local to the ISS. This paper presents a mission concept to use a suite of plasma instruments mounted at the end of the ISS robotic arm to systematically explore the interaction between the Space Station structure and its surrounding environment. The Situational Awareness Sensor Suite for the ISS (SASSI) would be deployed and operated on the ISS Express Logistics Carrier (ELC) for longterm "survey mode" observations and the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) for shortterm "campaign mode" observations. Specific areas of investigation include: 1) ISS frame and surface charging during perturbations of the local ISS space environment, 2) calibration of the ISS Floating Point Measurement Unit (FPMU), 3) long baseline measurements of ambient ionospheric electric potential structures, 4) electromotive force-induced currents within large structures moving through a magnetized plasma, and 5) wakeinduced ion waves in both electrostatic (i.e. particles) and electromagnetic modes. SASSI will advance the understanding of plasmaboundary interaction phenomena, demonstrate a suite a sensors acting in concert to provide effective SSA, and validate and/or calibrate existing ISS space environment instruments and models.


Based on oral history interviews and autobiographical texts, this article explores how the prosecution at the district court in Frankfurt am Main investigated crimes which had been committed in the largest Nazi at V ienna U nirsity Lrary on S etem er 1, 2010 gh.oxfjournals.org D ow nladed fom The Truth about Auschwitz: Prosecuting Auschwitz Crimes with the Help of Survivor Testimony 357 concentration and extermination camp. In constructing their case the investigators relied to a large extent on the testimony of survivor witnesses. Previous historians of the first Auschwitz trial have noted that both the provisions of the legal code and the sensationalizing agendas of the media acted to shape the images of Auschwitz which circulated in public as a result of the trial. An examination of personal narratives relating to the trial shows that there were additional factors in operation. They provide insights into the self-images, perspectives and mentalities of the prosecutors working on the case. Ultimately they help us to gain a better understanding of the context, character and constraints of these criminal procedures. As the commitment or indifference of prosecutors could have a huge impact on the progress of criminal investigations, shifting the focus to the prosecutors poses in a new way the question of how the individuals interacted with their historical context and how they reflected on it. The attitudes and behaviour of the prosecutors also influenced the testimony of witnesses and their representations in court. The choice of questions by the prosecutors therefore determined which memories were of interest; their attitudes and behaviour towards the witnesses made an impact on the situation of the interview and influenced how the narratives of the witnesses were shaped.


AbstractAs NWP and climate models continue to evolve toward finer grid spacing, efforts have been undertaken to better represent urban effects. For this study, the single-layer urban canopy model (SLUCM) of the High-Resolution Land Data Assimilation System (HRLDAS) and WRF Model was used to investigate the sensitivity of near-surface air temperatures and energy fluxes to SLUCM parameters in uncoupled (land) and coupled (land–atmosphere) predictions. Output from HRLDAS and WRF was compared with observations from the Oklahoma Mesonet and Joint Urban 2003 experiment. Variations in roof albedo (0.04–0.4) produced 40–135 W m−2 changes in net radiation and sensible heat fluxes. Sensible and ground heat fluxes varied by 40–100 W m−2 with changes in roof thermal conductivity (0.05–1.4). The urban fraction was found to be the only SLUCM parameter to significantly impact latent heat fluxes. Near-surface air temperatures, particularly during the daytime, did not show significant variations with SLUCM parameters (rem...


Children's invented musical notations provide a fascinating window into their musical and metacognitive understandings. Using a Vygotskian social constructivist perspective that emphasizes the social nature of cognition, the purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the processes and products of children's notations as they notated a song and then taught it to a peer, a multi-level task currently unstudied in the literature. Thirteen Canadian children, aged 5–9 years, without prior music instruction, notated a song learned the previous week, sung it back, explained what they did, and then taught the song to a classmate the following week. The children's notations, as well as audio and videotapes of them carrying out the multi-level task, provided the primary data; audiotaped conversations with parents, teachers, and a school principal provided secondary data. Analyses generated descriptive and narrative portraits, which demonstrate the increasingly sophisticated representational strategies used by the children from three different age groups as they notated, refined, and taught a song. Select portraits are presented and discussed. Implications for research and practice highlight the value of the research task in eliciting children's multiple intelligences and collaborative problem-solving skills, and painting more complete portraits of their intuitive and emergent musical and metacognitive understandings.


The present work analyzes the various conditions in which there can be a bouncing universe solution in f(R) gravity. In the article an interesting method, to analyze the bouncing FRW solutions in a spatially flat universe using f(R) gravity models using an effective Einstein frame description of the process, is presented. The analysis shows that a cosmological bounce in the f(R) theory need not be described by an equivalent bounce in the Einstein frame description of the process where actually there may be no bounce at all. Nevertheless the Einstein frame description of the bouncing phenomena turns out to be immensely important as the dynamics of the bounce becomes amenable to logic based on general relativistic intuition. The theory of scalar cosmological perturbations in the bouncing universe models in f(R) theories has also been worked out in the Einstein frame.


This study aims to compare the effects of different types of test-items using the same text and test-takers' text familiarity on the scores of...


A full characterization of the Ar–NH3 expanding thermal plasma source applied in industrial processes for high-rate silicon nitride deposition is presented in terms of absolute densities of reactive species such as ions and radicals. The ion composition of the plasma was identified by mass spectrometry, while absolute ion density information was obtained by Langmuir probe measurements. N radicals were detected by threshold ionization mass spectrometry, whereas NH and NH2 radicals were measured by cavity ringdown spectroscopy. It was found that the ion density decreases from 1013 cm−3 in a pure Ar plasma to 1010–1011 cm−3 when NH3 is injected, with ArH+, , , and being the most abundant ions. The densities of N and NH both saturate at a level of 3 × 1012 cm−3 at NH3 flows above 3 sccs while the density of NH2 increases linearly with the NH3 flow and reaches a level of 4 × 1012 cm−3. When the plasma source current is increased, the densities of N and NH increase linearly, while the NH2 density remains approximately constant. Furthermore, it is revealed that most of the consumed NH3 is converted into N2 and H2 in the plasma.


Survival rates of critically ill patients with liver disease has sharply increased in recent years due to several improvements in the management of decompensated cirrhosis and acute liver failure. This is ascribed to the incorporation of evidence-based strategies from clinical trials aiming to reduce mortality. In order to discuss the cutting-edge evidence regarding critical care of patients with liver disease, a joint single topic conference was recently sponsored by the Brazilian Society of Hepatology in cooperation with the Brazilian Society of Intensive Care Medicine and the Brazilian Association for Organ Transplantation. This paper summarizes the proceedings of the aforementioned meeting and it is intended to guide intensive care physicians, gastroenterologists and hepatologists in the care management of patients with liver disease. HEADINGS – Liver cirrhosis. Acute liver failure. Intensive care medicine. Acute on chronic liver failure. Complications. Declared conflict of interest of all authors: none Disclosure of funding: no funding received 1 Hospital Português, Salvador, BA; 2 Hospital Universitário Professor Edgard Santos, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, BA; 3 Hospital Universitário Pedro Ernesto, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, RJ; 4 Universidade Federal de São Paulo, SP; 5 Departamento de Gastroenterologia da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, SP; 6 Liver Unit, IMDiM, Hospital Clınic, Universidad de Barcelona, IDIBAPS and CIBERehd, 7 Departamento de Gastroenterologia, Hospital Federal do Bonsucesso, Rio de Janeiro, RJ; 8 Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre e Irmandade da Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Porto Alegre, RS. *Vincent Arroyo6, Javier Fernandez6, Gustavo Pereira7, Luiz Marcelo Maubouisson5, Guilherme Marques Andrade5, Fernando Gomes de Barros Costa5, Liana Codes1,2, Antônio Ricardo Andrade1,2, Angelo Alves de Mattos8, André Torres3, Fernanda Couto 7, Ivan Zyngier7. Correspondence: Paulo Lisboa Bittencourt. Rua Prof. Clementino Fraga, 220, 1901 – CEP: 40170-050 – Salvador, BA, Brasil. E-mail: email@example.com ICU has changed due to the emergence of new evidence-based treatments associated with improved survival, tailoring of intensive care measures, availability of artificial and bioartificial liver support systems, as well as the widespread use of liver transplantation (LT) for critically-ill patients, due to the MELD allocation policy, which is based on severity of liver disease(13, 62, 74). In order to discuss recent advances in this emerging field, the Brazilian Society of Hepatology in cooperation with the Brazilian Society of Intensive Care Medicine and the Brazilian Association for Organ Transplantation sponsored a joint single-topic conference on the critical care management of patients with liver disease, which was held in Rio de Janeiro on May 5th 2014. This paper summarizes the proceedings of the aforementioned meeting and it is intended to guide intensive care physicians, gastroenterologists and hepatologists in the care management of patients with liver disease. DOI: 10.1590/S0004-28032015000500004 Bittencourt PL, Terra C, Parise ER, Farias AQ; Members of the Panel in the 1st Single-Topic Conference of Intensive Care Management of Patients with Liver Disease. Intensive care management of patients with liver disease: proceedings of a single-topic conference sponsored by the Brazilian Society of Hepatology 56 Arq Gastroenterol v. 52 suplemento 2015 PART I. MANAGEMENT AND TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH CIRRHOSIS IN THE ICU 1) Hyponatremia Clinically relevant hyponatremia in cirrhosis is defined as a reduction in serum sodium to below 130 mmol/L(4, 8, 44). Recent studies have shown that hyponatremia is an important prognosis marker both before and after liver transplantation (LT)(50, 54, 67). Moreover, hyponatremia has gained attention because of the discovery of the vaptans, which improve solute-free water excretion by counteracting the effects of arginine vasopressin (AVP) in the renal tubules(85). These drugs are currently being assessed for the management of hyponatremia associated with cardiac failure, inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion as well as cirrhosis. In clinical practice, hyponatremia is classified into three types: hypovolemic, euvolemic and hypervolemic, with some patients exhibiting a mixture of conditions. With the exception of a few circumstances of hyponatremia with hypovolemia due to diuretic use or gastrointestinal losses, most of the cases of hyponatremia in cirrhosis result from increased extracellular fluid volume (dilutional hyponatremia)(44). Conditions such as hypotonic fluid administration, heart failure and renal failure frequently seen in the ICUs should be ruled out in the differential diagnosis of dilutional hyponatremia. In cirrhosis, total body water is increased, yet effective arterial volume is decreased ("relative central hypovolemia"). The reduction in effective arterial volume is a consequence of the increased intrahepatic resistance and splanchnic arterial vasodilation, which is caused by the excessive release of nitric oxide and other compounds such as endotoxin, substance P and endocannabinoids. This process leads to sodium avidity in the proximal portion of the nephron, by activation of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone axis and excessive ADH-mediated free water reabsorption in the collecting tubule. Arterial baroreceptors, found in the left ventricle and the carotid sinus, have been shown to be a potent regulator of ADH secretion. Their activation counteracts the suppressive effects of hypoosmolality. In patients with cirrhosis and ascites, the non-osmotic release of ADH from the posterior pituitary becomes the dominant force of water retention, resulting in impaired free water excretion and dilutional hyponatremia(44). The action of ADH on the kidney occurs predominantly in the principle cells of the collecting tubule. The stimulation of the vasopressin receptor, V2, by ADH leads to downstream activation of a cyclic AMP-based pathway and subsequent up-regulation of the aquaporin channel AQP2 in the apical membrane of the principle cell. This allows the free flow of water from the tubular fluid back into circulation(85). Low serum sodium levels (<135 mmol/L) are prevalent in both inpatients and outpatients, and are associated with severe ascites, frequent use of large-volume paracentesis, impaired renal function, higher frequencies of HE, SBP, hepatorenal syndrome (HRS), higher rates of in-hospital mortality and poor short-term prognosis(4). Several lines of evidence show that serum sodium concentration is an independent predictor of survival among liver transplantation candidates(50, 54, 67). In cases of hyponatremia, water moves into the cells to maintain the osmotic balance, causing cell swelling. Increases of cell volume are particularly important in the brain, as the skull restricts brain enlargement. For this reason, brain cells have defensive mechanisms to limit cerebral edema, which is the extrusion of intracellular solutes to decrease intracellular osmolality, until it matches that of plasma. In the early stages of the development of hyponatremia, there is a rapid loss of intracellular electrolytes, particularly potassium, usually within the first 24 hours. Subsequently, there is a loss of low-molecular weight organic compounds, known as organic osmolytes, including myoinositol, glutamine, choline, and taurine. The combined losses of both electrolytes and organic osmolytes from the brain cells enable effective regulation of brain volume during hyponatremia. The effectiveness of this mechanism in preventing lethal edema depends, among other factors, on the severity of hyponatremia and rate of reduction of the serum sodium concentration. Adaptation is more efficient in chronic hyponatremia than in acute hyponatremia. There is evidence that such cerebral adaptation to hyponatremia is also present in cirrhosis. Of similar importance to the central nervous system are the changes that occur after recovery of hyponatremia. When the serum sodium concentration returns to normal, there is restoration of electrolyte and osmolyte levels in brain cells; electrolytes are restored quickly, whereas correction of organic osmolytes is slow, particularly if the duration of hyponatremia has been long. This is a major clinical concern because rapid correction of hyponatremia may lead to severe brain damage, because of a lack of adequate brain adaptation to the normalized osmolality of the extracellular fluid. This is known as osmotic demyelination syndrome(50). Studies specifically assessing neurological symptoms in cirrhosis with hyponatremia are lacking. However, the clinical experience indicates that significant neurological manifestations such as headache, focal motor deficits, seizures, and cerebral herniation are very uncommon. It is likely that the relatively low incidence of neurological manifestations of hypervolemic hyponatremia in patients with cirrhosis is related to the fact that in most patients hyponatremia is chronic rather than acute. This allows sufficient time for the brain to adjust to the hypo-osmolality of the extracellular fluid. Apart from hyponatremia, it is believed that low-grade cerebral edema is one of the factors leading to HE, as discussed in section 5 of this manuscript. In patients with HE and low-grade cerebral edema, hyponatremia may represent a second osmotic hit to astrocytes, causing further depletion of osmotic counteractive systems. In this situation, cells would probably not tolerate additional changes in volume, and HE would develop or persist even in the absence of any stimuli(50). Patients with cirrhosis have a 1% to 10% risk of developing central pontine myelinolysis after LT. Higher frequencies (5%25%) are demonstrated in hyponatremic transplant recipients. Bittencourt PL, Terra C, Parise ER, Farias AQ; Members of the Panel in the 1st Single


Phenomenology questions the basic foundations of Modernity. In particular, it challenges Descartes' attempt to found the scientific method with absolute certainty. Phenomenology is defined by the work of Husserl, Heidegger, and Merleau-Ponty. Even though each of them developed their own way within Phenomenology, their theories are determined by a critique of the Cartesian method. For them, Descartes' text at issue is ―Meditations on First Philosophy‖. The objective of this paper is to show an alternative interpretation of Descartes to the one that has shaped Modernity. In order to do this, it is necessary to show Phenomenology's main critique of Descartes and also show how it arises from Descartes' ―Meditations‖, one, two, three, four, and six.


Residential segregation has been shown to increase violent crime via relative deprivation and social isolation. Relative deprivation resulting from inequality engendered by descriptive characteristics like race lead to aggression and criminal violence as there is little room for collective action to give vent to frustrations. Black-white residential segregation is linked to black poverty with high employment welfare dependency unwed motherhood and infant mortality. These high poverty neighborhoods are also devoid of black middle class role models and community-based institutions. In 1979-81 in the US FBI homicide data with rates per 100000 population of central cities of Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas of at least 100000 inhabitants and sat least 5000 blacks were evaluated also using 1980 census data for socioeconomic status and demographic characteristics. The mean black homicide rate was 27.1 compared with the white rate of 6.3. Black-white segregation had a strong and significant effect on black homicide but it was the weakest predictor of white homicide. Poverty divorce and region positively impacted only white homicides. White homicide was higher in areas where the percentage of blacks was higher attributable to white victimization by blacks. In contrast a larger black population produced lower black homicides rates. In cities with large numbers of professionals both black and white killings were fewer while white-black income inequality resulted in higher homicide rates. This suggests that social isolation not relative deprivation is the cause of segregation-induced homicide. Only 25% of black homicides were explained by these factors while 51% of white homicides were explained by black-white income inequality poverty percent black divorce and southern region. Residential segregation of blacks and whites accounted for a major factor in black homicides.


The alkali(NaOH solution) absorption technique was used in this paper to measure the soil respiration of the red soil land under different land-use types in GanNan area.After the experiments,work out the law of the release.The selected land-use types are farmland and dry land.The study shows that the CO2 emissions of different land-use types are positive,but there is a difference between them.Moreover,to the same land use types,the soil respiration has obvious daily and seasonal change characters.Experimental results also show that,CO2 emission are closely related to the temperature,and through calculation,we can find there is a difference in temperature sensitivity of soil respiration(often expressed as Q10) between farmland and dry land,Q10 value 5cm below the ground are 3.66 and 5.56 respectively,besides,the Q10 value of the dryland is larger than that of the farmland.


Interior noise problems become more important due to the tendency to construct lighter vehicles. An important source for interior noise in a vehicle is the engine. The structural vibrations induced by the engine will transmit through the vehicle and will finally result in interior noise elsewhere in the vehicle, so-called structure-borne sound. To reduce the interior noise a solution is sought in a combination of passive and active isolation (hybrid isolation) of the engine. A project has been started to investigate this type of isolation and to develop experimentally validated numerical simulations for the design of hybrid isolation system.
This paper focuses on the numerical modelling approach for this type of problems. The model consists of a structural and a bounded acoustic part that are representative for a vehicle. The responses of both parts are determined efficiently with modal superposition. The controller design, necessary for the active part of the isolation, is performed with the optimal control theory that is based on minimization of a cost function. Different cost functions will be compared with each other with emphasis on the performance of the structural related cost functions (e.g. minimization of structural velocities) in comparison with the acoustical cost functions (e.g. minimization of sound pressures).