Lenlh and Knight l We have completed the first year of a two-year study on the erfects of domestic dogs 011 wildlife communities along recreational trails in the foothills of Boulder County. We lIsed (our di frercnt methods to measure levels of activity of dogs and native mammals both on and orf-trail in protected areas that 1) allow dogs on-leash only, 2) allow dogs off-leash, under "voice and sight contra]", or 3) do not allow dogs. We perfonncd 513 traps nights using scented track stations, searched and cleared 104 00;;2 ennanent scat plots, took over 500 pictures llsing remote-triggered cameras, and perfomlcd over 300km of seal transects on trails, continuing year-round. The preliminary data indicate that dogs are found only where Ihey are allowed, validating the policies as a means of controlling dog presence, Scat plot data indicates that Mule deer generally avoid trails, and their sensitivity to recreational traffic may increase in the presence of dogs, particularly al morc than 150m orr the trail. Scat transects on trails indicate thai coyote activity is higher where dogs are prohibited than where dogs are allowed. These transects also indicate that off-leash sites have higher levels of activity for not only dogs, but also for mid·sized native camivores including foxes and mustellids. Track stations detected low numbers of camivores, and those detected were more orten on the trails than off-trail. Track stations also indicate that small mammals may also be sensitive to the presence of dogs on trails. The camera data included pictures of 10 different species, but was insufficient to compare detection frequencies or to corroborate track station data. Results from the first season indicate a strong need to continue the project for another field season with intensified sampling and implementation of some minor modifications in the study design. 1 I The Effecls of Dogs on Wildlife Communities Report ofPrclimm~ry Fmdmgs-2004 Lcnlh and Knight Introduction Domestic dogs arc frequent visitors to recreational trails in Boulder County, and public debate exists over the impacts of dogs in ecologically sensitive areas. Dog ecology is a very broad topic that includes their roles as consumers, their direct interactions with wildlife, and their roles as vectors for disease and weeds. In this study we arc focusing on the indirect effects of the presence of dogs restricted largely to recreational trails. The questions posed by this study afC: I) Is there any difference in the activity ofmaJ11l11alian predators and ungulates in areas of high dog density. comparing areas that allow dogs onleash, off~leash, and areas that do not allow dogs? And 2) how do pattcms of activity vary on thc trail compared to the trail corridor (areas within 200 meters of trails), across these sites with three levels of dog activity? Study sites The locations for this study consisted ofprotccted lands managed by Boulder County Parks and Open Space (BepOS) and Cily of Boulder Opcn Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP). Specific sites wcre chosen by dog policy, ecological attributes, and recreational visitation rales based on the opinions of BCPOS and OSMP slafr. Sites that disallow dogs are Hall Ranch and Heil Valley Ranch (both BCPOS), sites that allow dogs on-leash only are Rabbit Mountain and Walker Ranch (both BCPOS), and sites that allow dogs off-leash under voice and site control are the Mesa Trail corridor from Skunk Canyon south 10 Eldorado canyon, plus the Shanahan Mesa. Homestead, and Doudy Draw trails (OSMP). All study sites are in the foothills with mixed ponderosa forest and grassland meadows. All sites have multiple use trails with relatively high visitation rates. Following the opinions of BepOS and OSMP staff, trails were selected with presumcd roughly equivalent levels of human and canine visitation. However, recently we have found evidence that levels of dog visitation are highly disparate between the on-leash and offleash sites. Rabbit Mountain and Walker Ranch receive an estimated 2% of visitors with one or more dogs (Michael Bauer, BCPOS), while Ihe Mesa trail area receives as Illany as 31.4% of visitors with dogs (Mati Jones, OSMP). This disparity draws into question


Abstract: We examined the impact of drug abuse on prenatal resources (social support and coping strategies) and mental health problems (depressiveness, pregnancy distress and hostility), and analyzed whether they would differently predict postpartum mental health between drug abusing and non-abusing women. Drug abusing (n=44) and comparison (n=50) women participated in the second or third trimester (T1), and reported depressive and anxiety symptoms at four (T2) and 12 (T3) months postpartum. Results showed that drug abusing women had higher levels of prenatal depression, distress and hostility, and lower levels of social support, and coped more by using denial and avoidance and less with cognitive reconstruction than the comparison group. Prediction of prenatal resources and problems was somewhat group-specific: the prenatal depression predicted depressive symptoms, and cognitive constructive coping predicted low anxiety, especially in the drug abusing group. The findings emphasize the need for effective support for adequate coping strategies and early treatment of depression in drug abusing mothers in their transition to motherhood. Key Words: Drug abuse, transition to parenthood, coping strategies, social support, depression, anxiety, hostility Pregnancy is an important transition in a woman's life, leading generally toward more maturity, but also signifying a severe crisis for many. Participants in our study are women whose pregnancies were shadowed by drug dependency and related risks. Distressed mothers easily project their emotional problems into the interaction with their infant (Stern & Bruschweiler-Stern, 1998), and it is therefore important to recognize risk factors already in pregnancy in order to prevent their transmission into motherhood. Our prospective study focused on prenatal mental health problems among drug abusing women and analyzed their impacts on depressive and anxiety symptoms postpartum. It is crucial to realize that pregnancy can also provide an opportunity for positive change, and accordingly we analyzed the role of social support and coping strategies in preventing symptoms among drug abusing mothers. The psychological process of becoming a mother is often stressful and conflicting in conditions of substance abuse. Substance dependent women worry about the possible risks of the drug exposure on their infants (Mayes & Truman, 2002) and face an accumulation of social and psychological problems (Brady, & Sinha, 2005; Nair, Schuler, Black, Kettinger, & Harrington, 2003). A qualitative study by Brudenell (1997) revealed that women struggled and attempted to seek a balance between the identities of being a mother versus that of being an addict. During pregnancy they found new ways to recover from drugs and care for the fetuses' health. However, their focus reverted from maternal identity into addict identity in the postpartum when the child was 4-11 months. The high risk of relapse among substance abusing mothers may have a connection with their fragile and conflicting, either negative or idealized, experiences and expectations of motherhood (Suchman, Slade, & Luthar, 2005), Substance dependent mothers give a high value to their new role and some of them expect the motherhood to repair their entire lives. At the same time they express deep fears of failing in motherhood and subsequently, of losing their baby (Belt & Punamaki, 2007). There is evidence that substance abusing mothers are highly vulnerable to postpartum depression (Hans, 1999) and suffer from depressive symptoms already in pregnancy (Howell, Heiser, & Harrington, 1999; Pajulo, Savonlahti, Sourander, Helenius, & Piha, 2001). In a Finnish study 40% of pregnant substance abusing women in residential care screened positively for depression (Pajulo et al., 2001). Epidemiologie data confirms the high prevalence of mental health problems among substance dependent mothers (Ashley, Marsden & Brady, 2003; Johnson, Brems, & Burke, 2002). …


On the 24 of June, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a landmark ruling that established the constitutional right to abortion almost five decades ago (Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization 2022). As a result of the decision, the authority to regulate abortion is now returned to "the people and their elected representatives," leaving the decision of abortion bans in the hands of state legislatures. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 26 states have laws indicating that they intend to ban abortions, including 13 states with trigger bans that go into effect automatically after this decision (Guttmacher Institute 2022). The U.S. maternal mortality rate has already been the worst among high-income countries and even higher among vulnerable groups (Declercq and Zephyrin 2020). One study has already estimated that the maternal health consequences of a hypothetical nation-wide abortion ban have seen catastrophic impacts (Stevenson 2021). Other studies found that women denied abortion care face not only health but also economic and social adversaries than women with access to abortion care (Miller, Wherry, and Foster 2020a, 2020b). Pregnant women who want to avoid denied abortion in states with an abortion ban can still go with an underground abortion or seek to escape restrictive abortion laws by traveling to another state or country. Although there is no state-level evidence within the United States, cross-country studies have found that countries with liberal abortion laws are much more likely to provide safe abortion care than countries where abortion is restricted (Ganatra et al. 2017). This implies that women residing in states with an abortion ban will likely face unsafe abortions where they live. For this reason, abortion tourism was addressed as a feasible solution to receive safe abortion care for women who reside in states with an abortion ban in court opinions by both Justice Kavanaugh and the three opposing Justices (Kagan, Breyer, and Sotomayor). Both sides agreed that the constitution sufficiently protects the right to travel to other states to seek abortion care, at least for now. However, they disagreed on the extent that Kavanaugh was optimistic about such constitutional protection, while the three opposing Justices were concerned that travel bans could be the next frontier of the constitutional challenge. Although abortion tourism was much more common in the pre-Roe era, it is already seen as a solution to the unmet needs of abortion care in some states over the last ten years. For example, in western Texas clinics were forced to stop providing abortion care because they faced numerous burdensome and costly regulations in the mid-2010s (Sethna and Davis 2019). As a result, residents in this region needed to travel to other states to receive abortion care. The same also happened in other states (Venator and Fletcher 2021). A recent study identified that states with more restrictive abortion laws averaged 12 per cent of patients leaving to other states to receive abortion care, while states with middle ground or supportive laws averaged 10 per cent and 3 per cent leaving, respectively (Smith et al. 2022). However, vulnerable populations who cannot afford to travel to other states are likely to be left behind. In 2020, a court in Poland decided that abortions in the case of abnormalities or serious illnesses of the fetus, which makes up about 98 per cent of all legal abortions, were BIODEMOGRAPHY AND SOCIAL BIOLOGY 2022, VOL. 67, NO. 2, 99–101 https://doi.org/10.1080/19485565.2022.2100051


A continuation of work reported in this journal, 1925, 8, 363-380, to determine "the effects of fatigue induced through loss of sleep on the learning process." 5 subjects worked, 3 as an experimental and 2 as a control group, tossing balls into a basket 12 feet distant, transcription on paper of a text into the Morse code, and mental multiplication of two two-place numbers. There was an 18-day pre-insomnia series, followed by 3 days of reduced sleep, and then 6 days post-insomnia. No sleep was taken on the 3 days by the experimental group (66 hours). The main differences noted were: inability to maintain attention for a period; decreased speed with little or no effect on accuracy; effect of sleep loss is immediate; time needed for recovery varies with individual--generally a single night; "fatigue does not lessen ability, but affects… motivation, interests, initiative, attention and concentration, which are necessary to the learning process." No mention is made of Laslett's more extensive investigation reported previously in this journal. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)


The dallaspinballproject.com is your search engine for PDF files. Project is a high quality resource for free Books books.Give books away. Get books you want. No registration or fee is required enjoy it and don't forget to bookmark and share the love!Platform for free books dallaspinballproject.com is a great go-to if you want preview or quick download.You may reading books from dallaspinballproject.com. It is known to be world's largest free ebook site. Here you can find all types of books like-minded Fiction, Adventure, Competitive books and so many books. No registration or fee is required, and books are available in ePub, Kindle, HTML and simple text formats.


Compared with traditional paradigm in teacher development-top-down development model,school-based teacher development stresses that teacher is the center of a reform,and that teacher development should be based on the circumstance and context which teachers work,and should be classroom-based and school-based.Teacher professional learning community focuses on contextualizing of teacher development.It stresses that sharing teachers' learning and practice through constructing professional learning community in a school shall improve teachers' competence and transform the school into a learning organization.On the platform of school's context,school-based teacher development will be consistent with teacher professional learning community.In the context of professional learning community of a school,through sharing leadership,collective learning and sharing practice,school-based system for teacher development will be constructed.


'The term 'food poisoning' as generally used refers to outbreaks of acute illness (sickness, vomiting, diarrhoea) occurring shortly after a meal and affecting as a rule a number of individuals such as a family, a small community, or a group of persons who have been gathered together and have partaken of the same meal. The symptoms occur within a few hours, may be mild or severe and are occasionally followed by a fatal issue. To the bacteriologist these food poisonings are in most cases infections of the alimentary tract associated with acute inflammation of the lining of the stomach and upper intestine, a condition of acute gastro-enteritis. Bacteriological examination of the food or vomited material usually reveals the presence of bacteria of the salmonella group, or certain strains of staphylococci which are distinguished by their power to produce 'enterotoxin'. In a few outbreaks dysentery organisms occur and the symptoms are referable to the large intestine, with severe diarrhoea. In exceptional cases, rarely in this country, the cause of the illness is the presence in the food of powerful toxins resulting from the growth of the anaerobic organism Clostridium botulinum. Food poisoning may occur from the presence of metallic poisons, e.g. zinc, bismuth, lead, copper, or arsenic derived from the food containers during storage, cooking or distribution, or by the ingestion of poisonous plants, especially the berries of the deadly nightshade, foxglove, or henbane, or the poisonous toadstools. By far the most common causes are bacterial infections caused by the salmonella group and by the presence in food of the enterotoxin-producing strains of staphylococci. It should be noted that many other human diseases may be caused by the ingestion of infected foodstuffs, especially milk and its products. These diseases are not listed as food poisonings owing to the time which separates the taking of the food and the development of the first signs and symptoms. Into this category fall the enteric fevers typhoid and paratyphoid, Malta and abortus fevers, tuberculosis, streptococcal sore throat, and diphtheria. 'The contamination of the food occurs, in many cases, from human sources during the preparation or distribution; in others the pathogenic organism is present in an infected animal and the flesh or milk contains many organisms. With the salmonella infections either of these sources may be found, whereas in staphylococcal infections the organism is almost invariably derived from contact of the food material with the human subject. Staphylococci are common in the nose and throat of many persons, and the hands of workers are readily contaminated, especially from nasal infections. Localized staphylococcal lesions of the fingers are not infrequent and may be the ready means of adding organisms to food material. It is a fortunate circumstance that only relatively few strains of staphylococci have the property of producing enterotoxin, otherwise food poisoning by these bacteria would be much more frequent. 'The term 'food poisoning' was originally applied to these illnesses in the belief that substances called 'ptomaines' produced in the course of putrefaction of food were responsible. The explosive nature of many of the outbreaks naturally suggests a true poisoning, but, with the exception of botulism, they are true infections or the result of


Young people age 15 to 29 make up about a quarter of the world's population, yet they constitute nearly half of the world's unemployed. The World Bank is helping to increase viable employment opportunities for youth. In many countries, restrictive gender norms make it harder for girls to access training and employment opportunities. To ensure that girls and young women are included in this agenda, the Bank launched the Adolescent Girls Initiative (AGI) in 2008. The program is being piloted in eight low-income countries—including some of the toughest environments for girls. Each intervention is tailored to the country context, and includes an impact evaluation to build the evidence base to help adolescent girls and young women succeed in the labor market. The first AGI pilot—the Economic Empowerment of Adolescent Girls and Young Women (EPAG) project—was launched in Liberia in late 2009. Preliminary results from the midline survey show that EPAG has been very successful in achieving its primary objectives—increasing employment and earnings among young women. The magnitude of the results is impressive when compared to findings from other youth training programs in developing countries. It is expected that successful economic empowerment programs like EPAG can also indirectly bring about positive behavioral changes and provide spillover benefits for the families and communities of trainees.


Juvenille against the law (ABH) in the Child Criminal Justice System (SPPA) must receive a special approach, special attention, special consideration, care, special services and special protection because ABH has limitations compared to adults. Based on the purpose of SPPA is the best interst for children. According to Law Number 11 Year 2012 the settlement of child cases must be based on Penal Mediation. Penal mediation focuses justice on the victim according to personal interests, but is still able to hold the offender responsible for the crime he committed. The justice offered is a remedy for all parties involved. Law enforcement officials, juvenilles , families, victims and the community can agree to divert the case so that it is not brought to the criminal justice system. The study aims to describe the implementation of penal mediation at every level of the juvenile justice system in the Bengkulu District Court. research using socio-legal research research methods. By collecting data and information and the facts of the symptoms in the field, both through observation, interviews and documentation. Data collected in the form of primary data and secondary data, selected purposively according to the characteristics of the data. Data analysis was performed descriptively with inductive and deductive approaches. The results of the study found that the implementation of penal mediation in every level of the criminal justice system has been carried out in accordance with the SPPA Law but there are no standard implementation standards of the mediation process of penalties against children in conflict with the law, the implementation has not been effective. The most common penal mediation is at the level of the police investigator because it is the main gate of the juvenile justice system


This paper focuses on the behavior of skewed concrete bridge decks on steel superstructure subjected to truck wheel loads. It was initiated to meet the need for investigating the role of truck loads in observed skewed deck cracking, which may interest bridge owners and engineers. Finite-element analysis was performed for typical skewed concrete decks, verified using in situ deck strain measurement during load testing of a bridge skewed at 49.1°. The analysis results show that service truck loads induce low strains/stresses in the decks, unlikely to initiate concrete cracking alone. Nevertheless, repeated truck wheel load application may cause cracks to become wider, longer, and more visible. The local effect of wheel load significantly contributes to the total strain/stress response, and the global effect may be negligible or significant, depending on the location. The current design approach estimates the local effect but ignores the global effect. It therefore does not model the situation satisfactorily...


This is the most common resume format for college students. A chronological (or reverse chronological) resume organizes information by jobs/experiences in reverse chronological order—with the most recent experiences listed first. This format works well when: • You are seeking an entry-level position • You have a steady history of employment related to the position you are seeking Combination This type of resume organizes information with an emphasis on skills in reverse chronological order. Experiences and skills can be tailored to fulfill the specific requirements of a position. This format works well when: • You want to highlight skills related to specific jobs • You want to emphasize relevant skills and information that connect your experiences Functional A functional (or skills-based) resume organizes information into functional groupings of skills or accomplishments. This format works well when: • You want to demonstrate a clear relationship between your skills and the position you are seeking • Your experiences are not easily related to the position you are seeking Creative Typically utilized for applying to design positions, this type of resume does not follow a specific format. A creative resume showcases a student's design capabilities while delivering key accomplishments in a unique aesthetic. • One page—be brief but provide sufficient information • Font size should be between 10-12 pts ., margins between .5-1 inch. • Consistency and clarity are key in formatting a resume • Utilize strong action verbs to begin your bullet points, but vary your word choice (See page 30) • Tailor your resume to each position • Think of results and accomplishments – quantify when possible • Emphasize your unique skills Top 10 Skills Employers Seek in a Candidate for 2014 (from NACE) 1. Ability to work in a team structure 2. Ability to make decisions and solve problems 3. Ability to plan, organize, and prioritize work 4. Ability to verbally communicate with persons inside and outside the organization 5. Ability to obtain and process information 6. Ability to analyze quantitative data 7. Technical knowledge related to the job 8. Proficiency with computer software programs 9. Ability to create and/or edit written reports 10. Ability to sell or influence others • Make your resume stand out—use a personalized heading, bold and italics, lines, etc. • Print your resume on resume paper • Keep your resume up-to-date with experiences, accomplishments , GPA, etc. • Have your resume reviewed by a Career Coach …


Resources National Agency on the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) www.naptip.gov.ng Head Office Abuja 07030000203 Uyo Zonal Command 07080601804 Benin Zonal Command 07080601802 Sokoto Zonal Command 07080601805 Maiduguri Zonal Command 07080601806 Kano Zonal Command 07080601800 Lagos Zonal Command 07080601801 Enugu Zonal Command 07080601803 Makurdi Zonal Command 07088698165 United Nations Definition


ACSM's Health/Fitness Facility Standards and Guidelines Neil Sol and Carl Foster; eds. 235 pages. Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics Books; 1992. $36.00. Most of this guide is given to standards for proper design and operation of community and school recreational facilities, but some content is relevant to health maintenance and medical services, such as summaries of environmental noise and temperature effects. Appendix B offers sample questionnaires on readiness for physical activity and on health and medical history and forms for physician's clearance and approval, liability release, informed consent, emergency medical authorization, and cardiovascular assessment. Should be useful to physicians providing medical services in school systems and community facilities for sports. For each day of the year, a short note on an important episode or date (birth, death) in the life of an historic figure, on a major change in concept or practice, on an historic episode in general history with medical implications. A good gift for medical students, who run the risk of spending 4 years without learning that medicine has a long and rich history; a fact a day will probably be easily swallowed and, who knows, may even be digested.


Human resource management is a process of bringing people and organizations together so that the goals of each other are met. Nowadays it is not possible to show a good financial operating report unless the personnel relations are in order. This calls for skill mapping through proper HRM initiatives. Competency mapping is a method through which individual assesses and determines one's potency as an individual employee and in some cases, as element of an organization. The large organizations often employ some kind of competency mapping to understand how to most competently employ the competencies of workers. They may also make use of competency mapping to examine the combination of strength of different workers to generate the most successful things and the maximum quality work. Competency mapping has been used for job-evaluation, recruitment, training and development, performance management, succession planning etc. The present study narrates the aim of competency mapping of an organization and how it influences the performance of the organization. ANOVA test also confirmed that competency mapping had an influence on the performance of the organization.


Data from the Fabry-Perot interferometer on board the Dynamics Explorer-2 (DE-2) satellite are used to show that the contaminant glow observed by Yee and Abreu at 7320 A on the Atmosphere Explorer (AE) satellites is produced by emission lines of one or more species. A comparison is made of the contaminant spectrum near 7320 A with the nightglow OH spectrum measured below 155 km. Evidence is presented to the effect that OH might be one of the metastable species producing the glow.


This invention relates to a method of preparing starch granules, characterized in that one carries out the granulation of a mixture obtained by spraying from 1 to 20%, and preferably 2 to 6% by weight , a starch paste obtained from native starch, under mild conditions and 99 to 80% by weight of native starch granules and the product obtained is dried, crushed and sieved so as to obtain aggregates (grains) having a mean particle size between about 100 and about 500 mu.


A method for measuring 3-D objects with surfaces composed of various reflective regions is developed in which the 3-D coordinates of the object sections are obtained by triangulation with the light-section method by using a slit-light source and a TV camera. A slit-light source in which the lighting intensity is controllable and a TV camera with an expanded dynamic range are employed to reduce the influence of uneven reflective surfaces. The TV camera expands its dynamic range by combining multiple images captured at different shutter speeds. A trial 3-D shape measurement system is produced using this method, and its effectiveness is confirmed by experiments.


Abstract The aim of the study was to determine the frequency of Campylobacter spp. bacteria occurrence in female Hutsul horses, and the presence of selected virulence genes and resistance to antibiotics among the isolates obtained in the experiment. One hundred (n = 100) healthy mares were tested. Campylobacter spp. bacteria were found in 9 (n = 9) animals, 89% (n = 8) of which were described as C. jejuni. There were no C. coli or C. lari found. Analyses of C. jejuni isolates revealed the presence of selected virulence genes in the following order: cadF (n = 5), cdtA (n = 1) and cdtB (n = 3). The following antibiotics were used to test the antibiotic resistance of the bacteria: ampicillin (AMP), ciprofloxacin (CIP), erythromycin (E), gentamicin (GE), meropenem (MEM) and tetracycline (TE). C. jejuni were completely sensitive to ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, meropenem, and tetracycline.


AAP members involved in relief efforts in Haiti after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck eight months ago learned many valuable lessons that can help in future disaster situations.

Current estimates are that 220,000 Haitians were killed, more than 300,000 injured and 1 million were left homeless


【Objective】Brochopleural fistula after lung resction is a fatal complication. The aim of this study was to analyse factors and managements for bronchoplueral fistula (BPF) after lung resection. 【Methods】65 patients who underwent lung resection at the Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital and Beijing Shijitan Hospital from June 1996 to July 2007 sufferred bronchoplueral fistula. They were 54 males and 11 females. Ages ranged from 30 to 75 years (median 53.76 years). Indication for resection was primary malignancy in 59 patients, pulmonary tuberculosis in 4 patients, destructive lung in 2 patients. 【Results】Of the 65 patients with bronchopleural fistula, 26 healed well who underwent the reoperation including closure of fistula by omental flap, muscle flap or limited thoracoplasty. 19 patients who were discharged from hospital with chest tube, of whom 7 had the second stage performed and the chest was left open, of whom 12 failed to follow-up. 6 of 65 patients with this complication died due to respiratory failure (mortality rate, 9.2%). 【Conclusions】A BPF is a life-threatening complication after lung resection. The key to treatment for a BPF is prevention. Prevention depends on meticulous intraoperative technique and the recognition of the risk factors.


The effect of external electromagnetic field in enhancing the proton conductivity via water electrolysis is investigated. Diode-pumped solid state laser (DPSS) operating at second harmonic generation is employed as a source of light that carried external electric field and magnetic field. The electrolysis chamber is irradiated by green laser (532 nm) and blue laser (450 nm) for comparison. The present study reports the proton conductivity (PC) which is hydrogen production is induced by the water splitting initiated by the electric field from power supply and sustained by the external electric field which carried by electromagnetic wave (laser) attributed to breaking the intermolecular force of the water molecules and hydrogen bonding. A comparison in measuring rate of hydrogen production by electrolysis with aided between blue laser and green laser irradiation is reported. Hydrogen production rate can be enhanced by overcoming the residual electric field of the electrolysis system. Thus, green laser contributes extra electric field to overcome the weak residual electric field caused by the polarizability property of water which the rate of hydrogen production (HP) higher compared to HP by aiding the blue laser irradiation which are 0.4573 mL/min-1 and 0.2718 mL/min-1 respectively.


We have studied theoretically and experimentally the x-ray production above 1 keV from femtosecond laser plasmas generated on periodically modulated surface targets. Laser energy coupling to plasma surface waves has been modeled using a numerical differential method. Almost total absorption of incident laser radiation is predicted for optimized interaction conditions. Silicon gratings have been irradiated by a 120 fs Ti: sapphire laser at irradiances in excess of 1016W/cm2. X-ray intensities above 1.5 keV (K-shell lines) have been measured as a function of the incidence angle. Results show a distinct x-ray emission maximum for the first order diffraction angle and are in good qualitative agreement with our theoretical predictions.


Advanced polymer-based composite materials have revolutionized the structural material arena since their appearance some 60 years ago. Yet, despite their relatively short existence, they seem to be taken for granted as if they have always been there. One of the reasons for this state of affairs is that composite materials of various types have accompanied human history for thousands years, and their emergence in the modern era could be considered a natural evolutionary process. Nevertheless, the continuous line that leads from early days of composites in human history to current structural materials has exhibited a number of notable steps, each generating an abrupt advance toward the contemporary new science of composite materials. In this paper, I review and discuss the history of composites with emphasis on the main steps of their development.


This work synthesises information about plant diversity of 37 sites of coastal and inland swamp forests of southeast and southern Brazil and investigates floristic similarities and differences among them. Swamp forests often show low species richness, diversity and evenness, which are associated with the selective character of oxygen deprivation caused by soil waterlogging. However, our results pointed out some degree of site-level variation ( S obs = 5 to 110; S jack1 = 6 to 151; H ′ = 0.82 to 3.98; J ′ = 0.51 to 0.87) related to local ecological conditions. Two major phytogeographical patterns emerged from our work: the strong influence of the neighbouring non-flooded vegetation on the flora of swamp forests and its high spatial heterogeneity. At least 85.9% of the 518 species sampled are found in neighbouring non-flooded vegetation. A correspondence analysis consistently separated swamp forests of the coastal plain from those of the plateau. A Mantel test indicated a significant correlation between floristic and geographical distances among sites ( r = 0.45; p = 0.001), and highlighted the main effect of regional-scale changes in the flora of swamp forests. We conclude that swamp forests of southeast and southern Brazil cannot be considered a distinguishable floristic unit.


Abstract The risk of norovirus food poisoning from oyster consumption can be minimized by consumers, as thorough cooking can destroy norovirus. This paper uses data from 23 prefectures in Japan during 1970–2010 to examine how the demand for oysters responds to this manageable risk. We find that the incidence rate of norovirus has no effect on the price of oysters in prefectures that specialize in oysters for cooking, whereas it has significant negative impacts in prefectures that produce oysters to be eaten raw. These results indicate that consumers respond differently to manageable and non-manageable risks.


As an incidental part of other research (Lester, 1981), undergraduate students in courses were given various personality inventories and asked for their heights and weights. From these data, ectomorphy ratios were calculated (the height divided by the cube root of the eight)^ and correlated with the personality inventory scores. This permits tests of Sheldon's (1942) theory of personality to be made. For male students, ectomorphy scores were not correlated with extraversion ( Pearson s = -0.02, n = 43) or manifest anxiety (s = -0.03, n = 48). The more ectomorphic males tended to be more cerebrotonic (r = 0.36, n = 52, one-tailed p < 0.05) and less viscerotonic (s = -0.28, n = 52, p < 0.05) than less ectomorphic males, as Sheldon predicted. There was no association berween ectomorphy and somatoronia (r = -0.10, n = 52). For females, ectomorphy scores were not related to manifest anxiety (s = -0.15, n = 45), viscerotonia (T = -0.20, n = 77) or somatotonia (r = -0.05, n = 77). The more ectomorphic females were less extraverted (r = -0.24, n = 51, p < 0.05) and more cerebrotonic (r = 0.27, n = 77, p < 0.05) than less ectomorphic females, as Sheldon predicted. Incidentally, for neither sex were ectomorphy scores related to measures of neuroticism, psychoticism, androgyny, self-esteem, or Type A behavior (found in those prone to heart attacks). These data support a modest relationship between ectomorphy and personality in the direction that Sheldon predicted.


A combination of deep seismic imaging and drilling has demonstrated that the ocean-continent transition (OCT) of present-day, magma-poor, rifted continental margins is a zone of hyperextension characterized by extreme thinning of the continental crust that exhumed the lowermost crust and/or serpentinized continental mantle onto the seafloor. The OCT on present-day margins is difficult to sample, and so much of our knowledge on the detailed nature of OCT sequences comes from obducted, magma-poor OCT ophiolites such as those preserved in the upper portions of the Alpine fold-and-thrust belt. Allochthonous, lens-shaped bodies of ultramafic rock are common in many other ancient orogenic belts, such as the Caledonian – Appalachian orogen, yet their origin and tectonic significance remains uncertain. We summarize the occurrences of potential ancient OCTs within this orogen, commencing with Laurentian margin sequences where an OCT has previously been inferred (the Dalradian Supergroup of Scotland and Ireland and the Birchy Complex of Newfoundland). We then speculate on the origin of isolated occurrences of Alpine-type peridotite within Laurentian margin sequences in Quebec – Vermont and Virginia – North Carolina, focusing on rift-related units of Late Neoproterozoic age (so as to eliminate a Taconic ophiolite origin). A combination of poor exposure and pervasive Taconic deformation means that origin and emplacement of many ultramafic bodies in the Appalachians will remain uncertain. Nevertheless, the common occurrence of OCT-like rocks along the whole length of the Appalachian – Caledonian margin of Laurentia suggests that the opening of the Iapetus Ocean may have been accompanied by hyperextension and the formation of magma-poor margins along many segments. SOMMAIRE Des travaux d'imagerie sismique et des forages profonds ont montre que la transition ocean-continent (OCT) de marges continentales de divergence pauvre en magma exposee de nos jours, correspond a une zone d'hyper-etirement tectonique caracterisee par un amincissement extreme de la croute continentale, qui a exhume sur le fond marin, jusqu'a la tranche la plus profonde de la croute continentale, voire du manteau continental serpentinise.  Parce qu'on peut difficilement echantillonner l'OCT sur les marges actuelles, une grande partie de notre comprehension des details de la nature de l'OCT provient d'ophiolites pauvres en magma d'une OCT obduite, comme celles preservees dans les portions superieures de la bande plissee alpine.  Des masses lenticulaires de roches ultramafiques allochtones sont communes dans de nombreuses autres bandes orogeniques anciennes, comme l'orogene Caledonienne-Appalaches, mais leur origine et signification tectonique reste incertaine.  Nous presentons un sommaire des occurrences d'OCT potentielles anciennes de cet orogene, en commencant par des sequences de la marge laurentienne, ou la presence d'OCT a deja ete deduites (le Supergroupe Dalradien d'Ecosse et d'Irlande, et le complexe de Birchy de Terre-Neuve).  Nous speculons ensuite sur l'origine de cas isoles de peridotite de type alpin dans des sequences de marge des Laurentides du Quebec-Vermont et de la Virginie-Caroline du Nord, en nous concentrant sur les unites de rift d'âge neoproterozoique tardif (pour eviter les ophiolites du Taconique).  La conjonction d'affleurements de pietre qualite et de la deformation taconique omnipresente, signifie que l'origine et la mise en place de nombreuses masses ultramafiques dans les Appalaches demeureront incertaines.  Neanmoins, la presence frequente de roches de type OCT tout le long de la marge Caledonnienne-Appalaches de Laurentia suggere que l'ouverture de l'ocean Iapetus peut avoir ete accompagnee d'hyper-etirement et de la formation de marges pauvres en magma le long de nombreux segments.


Non-invasive brain-computer interfaces help the subjects to control external devices by brain intentions. The multi-class classification of upper limb movements can provide external devices with more control commands. The onsets of the upper limb movements are located by the external limb trajectory to eliminate the delay and bias among the trials. However, the trajectories are not recorded due to the limitation of experiments. The delay cannot be avoided in the analysis of signals. The delay negatively influences the classification performance, which limits the further application of upper limb movements in the brain-computer interface. This work focuses on multi-channel brain signals analysis in the temporal-frequency approach. It proposes the two-stage-training temporal-spectral neural network (TTSNet) to decode patterns from brain signals. The TTSNet first divides the signals into various filter banks. In each filter bank, task-related component analysis is used to reduce the dimension and reject the noise of the brain. A convolutional neural network (CNN) is then used to optimize the temporal characteristic of signals and extract class-related features. Finally, these class-related features from all filter banks are fused by concatenation and classified by the fully connected layer of the CNN. The proposed method is evaluated in two public datasets. The results show that TTSNet has an improved accuracy of 0.7456$\pm$0.1205 compared to the EEGNet of 0.6506$\pm$0.1275 ($p<0.05$) and FBTRCA of 0.6787$\pm$0.1260 ($p<0.1$) in the movement detection task, which classifies the movement state and the resting state. The proposed method is expected to help detect limb movements and assist in the rehabilitation of stroke patients.


ObjectiveWe investigated inflammation markers in young post-myocardial infarction patients exhibiting various expressions of classical risk factors. MethodsForty-one male patients with high (n=20) and low (n=21) expression of classical risk factors (risk of coronary events calculated by the prospective cardiovascular Munster study program high or low, respectively), on average 44 years old, who were in the stable phase after myocardial infarction (on average 20.5 months after myocardial infarction) were included in the study. The control group consisted of 25 healthy, age-matched men. The following inflammation markers were measured: leukocyte count, high-sensitive C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-&agr;, intracellular adhesion molecule-1, vascular cellular adhesion molecule-1, selectin-P and selectin-E. ResultsNo differences in the levels of leukocytes, high-sensitive C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-&agr;, intracellular adhesion molecule-1, vascular cellular adhesion molecule-1, selectin-P and selectin-E were found between the group of patients and the controls. In contrast, interleukin-6 was significantly (P<0.01) elevated in the group of patients with high [2.5 (1.9–5.3) ng/ml] and low [3.2 (1.5–8.4) ng/ml] expression of risk factors compared with the controls [1.4 (0.9–2.3) ng/ml]. Significantly, there was no difference in interleukin-6 between the two groups of patients. ConclusionsWe did not find differences in inflammation markers between young post-myocardial infarction patients with or without classical risk factors. Thus, it seems that the presence of (treated) risk factors or their absence does not affect the levels of inflammation markers in the stable period after myocardial infarction. Importantly, we found similarly elevated interleukin-6 in both groups of patients, most probably indicating slight local vascular inflammation. Interleukin-6 appears to be the most suitable marker of vascular inflammation in post-myocardial infarction patients who are aggressively treated pharmacologically.


Some recent experiences with Global Educational Collaborations have given me occasion to reflect on how sustainable such initiatives are, and whether they will over time become embedded in the fabric of modern University education, especially for courses such as Global Software Engineering. Swigger and colleagues argue to the contrary at least for now, observing that "technical barriers such as unreliable software and institutional regulations discourage most teachers from exploring distributed learning" [1]. But does this pessimistic view truly recognize the realities of the age? For Giddens "one of the dominant characteristics of modernity is the separation of time from space made possible by the standardization of time across the world", with "human efforts to standardize temporal frameworks inscribed in official time zones" [2]. Is a Global Collaboration then, inherently a product of the trend towards universal time, wherein time is the scarce resource of 'clock' time (based on what might be termed a temponomic world view [3, P.61].


This paper presents a new technique to measure the data retention voltage (DRV) of large SRAM arrays in the presence of process variations. The main aim of the proposed technique is to ensure that the SRAM array operates at the minimum energy point. In the proposed procedure, the DRV is measured by implementing a small test circuit on-chip consisting of a modified form of the memory Built-In Self Test (BIST) unit, a DC-DC converter and a Test Control Unit (TCU). The circuit was developed in 90nm technology and simulated using HSPICE. Previously proposed statistical techniques determine the DRV at around 150mV, whereas the proposed technique showed that the SRAM array under test could retain its data at voltages as low as 80mV which would result in significant power savings.


The purpose of this paper is to formally describe new optimization models for distributed telecommunication networks.Modern distributed networks put more focus on the processing of information and less on the actual transportation of datathan we are traditionally used to in telecommunications. This paper introduces new approaches for modelling decisionsupport at operational, tactical and strategic levels. This is done by first defining the technological framework we areworking within. One of the main advantages of this framework is its inherent flexibility, which enables us to do dynamicplanning and consider uncertainty when decisions are made. When we present the models, emphasis is placed on the modelling discussions around the shift of focus towards processing, the new technological aspects, and how to utilize flexibility to cope with uncertainty. See also the publication in 'Discrete Applied Mathematics' , 2003, 129(1), 63-81.


Computer Science students are not only interested in playing games but also highly motivated to learn how games are developed. This paper proposes a novel agent augmented game development framework in a 3D virtualized environment that allows students to become the players, the situated learners and the designers, who create games/stories in an immersive 3D environment, simultaneously. Unlike most of existing games in which agents are designed to play some roles or to execute specific tasks, we augment the whole game world as an interactive multi-agent system. The agent intractability and autonomy enhance the user interactions and enable the dynamic story creation in a situated learning/playing environment. The proposed approach significantly increases the interests of students in learning to design the game from playing. An interactive game for science learning in secondary schools is presented to illustrate our approach. The proposed game framework as well as the 3D virtualized game environment has been successfully used in a number of capstone projects in recent two years. Students enjoyed learning and designing games through playing.


Polystyrene foils with surface ripples of 60 or 100 p, m wavelength were irradiated by 0.53 p, m laser light at an intensity of 4 X 10" W/cm . Phase inversion of the rippled shock front was observed at a shock-propagation distance equal to the ripple wavelength. It has been found that the growth of the areal-density perturbation prior to shock breakout is due predominantly to the rippled-shock propagation.


Significance Monitoring hard tissues calcification using vertebrates is challenging, owing to the internal location and slow biomineralization process of these tissues. Crustaceans are ideal model organisms to overcome this challenge because they regularly molt their exoskeletons. Using the ultratough mantis shrimp dactyl club as a model biomineral, we detect all stages during the development of a calcified tissue, from secretion of the organic template that regulates mineral deposition to maturation of the functional club. We unveil a peculiar growth mechanism: a flexible membrane initially folded in the club cavity expands after ecdysis to form the new club outer envelope from which biomineralization proceeds. A main phosphorylated protein within that membrane is sequenced and demonstrated to regulate mineral crystal growth. Biomineralization, the process by which mineralized tissues grow and harden via biogenic mineral deposition, is a relatively lengthy process in many mineral-producing organisms, resulting in challenges to study the growth and biomineralization of complex hard mineralized tissues. Arthropods are ideal model organisms to study biomineralization because they regularly molt their exoskeletons and grow new ones in a relatively fast timescale, providing opportunities to track mineralization of entire tissues. Here, we monitored the biomineralization of the mantis shrimp dactyl club—a model bioapatite-based mineralized structure with exceptional mechanical properties—immediately after ecdysis until the formation of the fully functional club and unveil an unusual development mechanism. A flexible membrane initially folded within the club cavity expands to form the new club's envelope. Mineralization proceeds inwards by mineral deposition from this membrane, which contains proteins regulating mineralization. Building a transcriptome of the club tissue and probing it with proteomic data, we identified and sequenced Club Mineralization Protein 1 (CMP-1), an abundant mildly phosphorylated protein from the flexible membrane suggested to be involved in calcium phosphate mineralization of the club, as indicated by in vitro studies using recombinant CMP-1. This work provides a comprehensive picture of the development of a complex hard tissue, from the secretion of its organic macromolecular template to the formation of the fully functional club.


We report the results of 1H and 31P NMR titrations of a series of calix[4]pyrrole cavitands with hexyl creatinine in dichloromethane solution. We show that all studied calix[4]pyrrole cavitands form...


New parametric mixer designs are now capable of multiband (100nm+) frequency comb generation with tone quality comparable to the state-of-the-art narrow-linewidth lasers. This paper reviews the physics of and applications enabled by parametric frequency combs.


Objective To study the expressions of CD24 and SLeX in lung cancer tissues,and evaluate the relation ship with development and progression of lung cancer.Methods Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expressions of CD24 and SLeX in 70 specimens of lung cancer.Results The positive expression rates of CD24,SLeX in non-small cell lung cancer tissues were 41.3% and 63.5% respectively,There were no expression and weak expression respectively in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) tissues. The positive rates of CD24,SLeX in adenocarcinoma were 55.9% and 76.5%,respectively,which were higher than those in squamous cell carcinoma (24.1%,48.3%)(P0.05).In lung adenocarcinoma,aquamous cell carcinoma,there was no correlation between CD24-positive patients with age,gender,smoking index,tumor stage and grade(P0.05).In lung adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma,the positive expression rate of SLeX in stage Ⅲ (83.3%) was higher than that in stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ (55.6%),the positive rate in poor differentiated lung cancer(80.8%) was higher than those in moderate and well differentiate cancer(51.4%),the positive rate in female patients (76.7%) was higher than that in male patients (51.5%)(all P0.05).The average survival time of the patients with positive expressions of SLeX and CD24 was significantly lower than that of the patients with negative expressions (P0.05).Conclusion CD24 and SLeX can play advance roles in the occurrence and development of lung cancer ,and they can be used as indicators to judge prognosis in lung cancer.


PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure a speedy measure to cope with changing sending out of noise and also to restrain only actually hindering noise of noise source by selecting one of vibration models depending on the detected drive condition, and sending out the vibration corresponding to the vibration model to the inside of an automobile. SOLUTION: A drive condition detection unit 18 detects the drive condition of an automobile 14 at an arbitral point by use of sensors to transmit a drive condition signal BZ to a selector 36. The selector 36 is connected to a memory 38 storing a vibration model SM for the noise critical operating condition BZ. The vibration model SM relating to the condition BZ is charged from the memory 38 through the selector 36. The application is made to the inside of automobile 12 to restrain the primary vibration P generated from an engine thereof 16 to the operation condition BZ. The selector 36 leads the vibration model SM to a release unit 39 to have the secondary vibration S having the opposite phase to that of the primary vibration P, and it is sent out to the cabin thereof. COPYRIGHT: (C)1997,JPO


In this work electronic and optoelectronic properties of InGaN/GaN nanocolumn quantum disk LEDs have been studied with the multiscale simulation tool tiberCAD. Calculations have been performed with an atomistic tight-binding model. Results shows that emission energies have a minor dependence on the nanocolumn dimension while In concentration in the active region is a critical parameter.


An 11-year-old boy was admitted to St. John's Sanatorium on April 9, 1956, with the provisional diagnosis of right-sided, moderately advanced pulmonary tuberculosis. He had been radiologically examined first in June 1955 at an outport Cottage Hospital, because of recurrent hrmoptysis, and the film had been sent to the Tuberculosis Dispensary, St. John's, Nfld., where a provisional diagnosis of minimal, active tuberculosis, right upper lobe, was suggested. The patient was not seen in St. John's, but by letter to his family doctor was advised to rest at home for two months, until a bed became available in St. John's Sanatorium. Specimens of sputum were requested for examination, but were not provided. The patient did not return for review until March 1956, when a further film was forwarded to the Tuberculosis Dispensary and was interpreted as showing progression of the disease in the right upper lobe. Sanatorium treatment was advised. On admission, the history was obtained from the boy (his father had returned to the outport), and it was found that he was a rather unreliable witness and could not fit events into their proper chronological order. He stated that during the previous year he had had a tonsillectomy performed at the Cottage Hospital, and that he had also been treated there for pneumonia. He also stated that he had had bouts of haemoptysis during the same year. Altogether the history was very vague. The patient was a well-nourished boy of average weight for his age, but rather dull intellectually. There was no evidence of cyanosis or clubbing, and the remainder of the physical examination was negative apart from amphoric breathing in the right upper zone, anteriorly and posteriorly. Laboratory investigations showed: sedimentation rate 26 mm. in one hour; hemoglobin 76%; red blood cells 4,020,000 per c.mm.; white blood cells 9200 per c.mm.; neutrophils 71%; lymphocytes 19%; and monocytes 8%. Urinalysis was negative. Sputum was repeatedly negative for acid-fast bacilli on smear, concentration and culture, and was negative for other pathogens apart from one culture giving a moderate growth of Staphyloccocus pyogenes. Radiographs of the chest on admission showed a fibrotic appearance involving the right upper zone and extending into the mid zone. There was a solid oval opacity about 1" (2.54 cm.) in diameter lying in the first interspace anteriorly, which appeared to


International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T) has laid down broad principles for the convergence of packet and optical platforms through a series of Optical Transport Network (OTN) protocols. Convergence of multiple services in order to use a common transport layer has emerged as an attractive solution to bring down the capital expenditure and operational costs. In this paper an Integer Linear Programming (ILP) model based on OTN protocol is presented to provide end to end converged optical transport network while dealing with Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH) network, 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GE), 40 Gigabit Ethernet (40GE) and 100 Gigabit Ethernet (100GE) traffic at the same time. Objective function is defined in terms of the cost of the links on which the traffic was routed, and further these links support mixed line rates. The algorithm has also been studied for evaluating the effect of data grooming and inverse multiplexing at a node. The port size of packet optical transport platform used at each node is approximated in terms of the optimal amount of each type of traffic moving through a node. To reduce the running times, the ILP model has also been evaluated for a greedy routine, what we call Highest Rate First (HRF) ordering, through which the ILP took considerably less time to converge.


The relationship between plasma human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RNA levels and peripheral CD4+ T cell counts was examined in 380 HIV-infected adults receiving long-term protease inhibitor therapy. Patients experiencing virologic failure (persistent HIV RNA >500 copies RNA/mL) generally had CD4+ T cell counts that remained greater than pretherapy baseline levels, at least through 96 weeks of follow-up. The CD4+ T cell response was directly and independently related to degree of viral suppression below the pretreatment baseline. For any given HIV RNA level measured 12 weeks after virologic failure, subsequent CD4+ T cell decline was slower in patients receiving a protease inhibitor-based regimen than in a historical control group of untreated patients. These observations suggest that transient or partial declines in plasma HIV RNA levels can have sustained effects on CD4+ T cell levels.


An EHD micro gas pump using a needle-ring electrode system was constructed for an application of ionic wind to fluid flow operations without mechanical parts. The experimental EHD pump was consisted of a needle electrode and ring electrode which are on the same axis. The needle electrode was used as a conventional discharge electrode and the ring electrode connected to ground. Under AC corona discharge conditions, the ionic wind generation between electrodes was operated as a small-sized gas jet source. In this work, the ionic wind was evaluated for room atmosphere condition. The fluid flow visualization was conducted by a laser sheet monitoring method and the quantitative flow velocity measurement was a particle image velocimetry (PIV) with a high-speed digital camera. The characteristics of ionic wind velocity were analyzed as a function of the corona discharge current and the discharge power. This paper presents an experimental approach to investigate the dependency of ionic wind velocity towards the frequency of applied AC voltage. Beside that's, several electrical conditions of corona discharges during generation of the ionic wind are observed.


OBJECTIVE To analyze the risk factors to induce the neonate nosocomial infection and the related prevention tactics.METHODS The data of neonate nosocomial infection of the recent 2 years in our hospital was retrospectively collected and the following result was analyzed to make the corresponding prevention messured.RESULTS Thirty neonate cases of nosocomial infection(2.28%) occured in the two years.The infection rate of the premature(low weight)was as high as 60.00% which was much higher than that of the normal neonates.CONCLUSIONS Premature(low weight) is one of the risk factors in neonate nosocomial infection.Meanwhile the iatrogenic factor and the hospital environment are two other points.Measures should be taken to avoid the occurrence of premature and reduce the nosocomial infection rate.Furthermore,such guidelines of the sterilization of the ward are needed.


Feeding time of stray dogs on the first, second, third, fifth and seventh day
 of captivity in a municipal shelter was studied. The average value of the
 feeding time of dogs decreased from the first day (429.07±107.08 seconds) to
 the third day in captivity when it reached the lowest average value
 (229.53±95.18 seconds). The feeding time of dogs on the third day in
 captivity differs significantly from the same parameter on the first
 (429.07±107.08 seconds) and second day (372.73±100.58 seconds) in captivity
 (p<0.01). The highest average value of feeding time of stray dogs in the
 shelter was recorded on the first day. On the fifth and seventh day the
 feeding time of dogs increased compared to the third day. However, there were
 no significant differences of the average value of feeding time on the third
 day comparing with the fifth day (260.8±111.06 seconds) or the seventh day
 (301.33±119.89 seconds). Dogs ate their food more slowly on the fifth and the
 seventh day than on the third day, but more quickly than on the first and the
 second day (372.73±100.58 seconds). Significant differences were estimated
 comparing the feeding time of dogs on the first day with the third (p<0.01),
 fifth (p<0.01), and seventh day (p<0.05) of housing in the municipal shelter.
 Also, the feeding time of dogs on the second day differed significantly from
 the third (p<0.01) and the fifth day (p<0.05).


While the value of environmental education in a natural environment is acknowledged, a case is made for urban environmental education. Principles underlying a programme derived largely from the British Urban Studies movement, in particular, the Art and the Built Environment project (Adams and Ward 1982), are presented as a contribution to urban environmental education in South Africa.


It has been demonstrated that two types of small-sized impedance transformers, constant VSWR-type transmission-line impedance transformers (CVTs) and constant conductance-type transmission-line impedance transformers (CCTs) may be utilized not only as impedance transformers but also as phase shifters. The CVTs and CCTs have arbitrary phase shifts less than 90°, which is quite different from that a conventional impedance transformer has odd multiple of 90° phase shift. Using the CCTs with 45° phase shift, asymmetric three-port 45° power dividers terminated by arbitrary impedances have been constructed and their design equations have been derived. Finally, a uniplanar asymmetric three-port 45° power divider terminated by 30¿, 60 ¿ and 50 ¿ has been fabricated on Al2O3 substrate (¿l = 9.9 and h = 635 um) in CPW's (coplanar wave guides) and tested.


<jats:sec><jats:p>Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a complex disease, caused by a combination of genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors common to other related autoimmune diseases including Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) [1]. Using state of the art Bioinformatics tools we are able to formulate an ensemble of associated components (genomic grammar) for each disease and distinguish important differences and common aspects in a specific group of disease such as ensembles of autoimmune diseases [2].</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:p>To create, collect and evaluate the most credible and unique gene variants, epigenetic variants and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) causing the basis of an immune disease (the genomic grammar of the disease), which could potentially assist in the process of the RA disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment [3].</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:p>RA related publications from the PubMed have been analyzed using data mining and semantic techniques towards extracting the candidate causative SNPs. The extracted knowledge has been filtered, evaluated, annotated, and classified in a structured database which also includes GWAS information regarding SNPs. Additional clinical, genomic, structural, functional and biological information was also extracted from biological databases including dbSNP, LitVar, ClinVar and OMIM and cross-correlated with other available autoimmune disease related SNP databases, including the Demetra application, Epione application and Panacea application databases [3, 4].</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:p>A holistic genetic map of the studied autoimmune diseases with more than 2000 related SNPs has been estimated and specific sub-clusters with crucial nodes have been identified across the RA, SLE and MS diseases. Based on these results, the three studied autoimmune diseases share a 10% common SNPs genetic background (Figure 1 and Table 1) [5]. The optimal genomic grammar of the RA contains 1682 SNPs, with 73% responding to non-coding regions and 27% responding to coding regions of more than 1.300 genes, pseudogenes, primers and promoters. RA also shares 464 common SNPs with SLE and 113 with MS.</jats:p><jats:table-wrap id="T1" position="float" orientation="portrait"><jats:label>Table 1.</jats:label><jats:caption><jats:p>Common Related Genes based on the analyzed SNP targets in the studied disease.</jats:p></jats:caption><jats:table><jats:thead><jats:tr><jats:th align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">A/A</jats:th><jats:th align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">Gene / Region</jats:th><jats:th align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">A/A</jats:th><jats:th align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">Gene / Region</jats:th></jats:tr></jats:thead><jats:tbody><jats:tr><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">1.</jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>ADAM33</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>2.</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>LOC285626</jats:italic></jats:td></jats:tr><jats:tr><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">3.</jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>ADIPOQ</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>4.</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>MIR3142HG</jats:italic></jats:td></jats:tr><jats:tr><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">5.</jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>CD40</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>6.</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>MIR499A</jats:italic></jats:td></jats:tr><jats:tr><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">7.</jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>CIITA</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>8.</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>MTHFR</jats:italic></jats:td></jats:tr><jats:tr><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">9.</jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>CTLA4</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>10.</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>MT-ND5</jats:italic></jats:td></jats:tr><jats:tr><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">11.</jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>FCRL3</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>12.</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>NCF1</jats:italic></jats:td></jats:tr><jats:tr><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">13.</jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>HLA-DPB1</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>14.</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>NLRP1</jats:italic></jats:td></jats:tr><jats:tr><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">15.</jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>HLA-DRA</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>16.</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>NOS3</jats:italic></jats:td></jats:tr><jats:tr><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">17.</jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>HLA-G</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>18.</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>NR3C1</jats:italic></jats:td></jats:tr><jats:tr><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">19.</jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>IL17A</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>20.</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>PADI4</jats:italic></jats:td></jats:tr><jats:tr><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">21.</jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>IL1RN</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>22.</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>PDCD1</jats:italic></jats:td></jats:tr><jats:tr><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">23.</jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>IL2</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>24.</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>PON1</jats:italic></jats:td></jats:tr><jats:tr><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">25.</jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>IL23R</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>26.</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>STAT4</jats:italic></jats:td></jats:tr><jats:tr><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">27.</jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>IL6</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>28.</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>TGFB1</jats:italic></jats:td></jats:tr><jats:tr><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">29.</jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>IL7R</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>30.</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>TLR9</jats:italic></jats:td></jats:tr><jats:tr><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">31.</jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>IRAK1</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>32.</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>TNF</jats:italic></jats:td></jats:tr><jats:tr><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">33.</jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>VDR</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>34.</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>TNFRSF1A</jats:italic></jats:td></jats:tr><jats:tr><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">35.</jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>IRF5</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>36.</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>TYK2</jats:italic></jats:td></jats:tr><jats:tr><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">37.</jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>KIF5A</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>38.</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>UCP2</jats:italic></jats:td></jats:tr><jats:tr><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1">39.</jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1"><jats:italic>LEP</jats:italic></jats:td><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1" /><jats:td align="left" rowspan="1" colspan="1" /></jats:tr></jats:tbody></jats:table></jats:table-wrap><jats:fig id="F1" position="float" orientation="portrait"><jats:label>Figure 1.</jats:label><jats:caption><jats:p>Three class Venn diagram of the genomic grammar between RA, MS and SLE.</jats:p></jats:caption><jats:graphic xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xlink:href="EUROAB-2022-OP-4-OP0108_F0001" position="float" orientation="portrait" /></jats:fig></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:p>The identification of the optimal genomic grammar in RA will help toward


The lecture is devoted to physicians' possibilities in providing smoking cessation help (PSCH). Because of insufficient SCH in the former USSR countries, a large proportion of smokers stop being smokers due to deaths and not quitting smoking. Physicians are more likely to ask about smoking those patients who are older and have chronic diseases while younger smokers would more likely benefit. Stop smoking advice from health worker is an evidence-based intervention. Physicians should keep up-to-date records of patients' smoking status, advise smokers to stop, and offer them assistance with doing so. Recent evidence-based data regarding smoking cessation is reviewed. Physician's activities, content of brief interventions, diagnostics of nicotine dependence and readiness to quit, and pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation are described.


Emotional disturbances in stroke patients may unfavorably affect the process of rehabilitation and longterm outcome of the disease. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of emotional disturbances and their characteristics in our stroke patients, according to hemispheric lateralization of the cerebral lesion (as recorded by computed tomography), patient sex, and grade of neurologic deficit (as assessed by Rankin scale). The study included 50 patients (29 men and 21 women, mean age 62, 52+-7, 07 and 64, 62+-11, 83 years, respectively) who had suffered ischemic stroke 3 weeks to 6 months before the study. The Corwn-Crisp experience index including six scales: scales of anxiety, phobia, obsession, somatization, depression and hysteria, was used for detection of emotional disturbances. Results showed a high prevalence of emotional disturbances in the study group. Depression was most common (72% of study patients), followed by generalized anxiety (58%)and phobic disturbances (66%). According to hemispheric lateralization of the cerebral lesion, a more intense emotional response was found in case of right hemisphere lesions, however, the difference was statistically significant on the scales of anxiety (p<0, 05), depression (p<0, 05) and phobia (p<0, 01).According to the neurologic deficit severity, an increasing tendency in the prevalence of emotional disturbances was observed with the increasing severity of neurologic deficit. Study results showed a high prevalence of emotional disturbances after stroke, suggesting a hypothesis on their combined etiology.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the work of Bismarck in relation to social legislation. Design/methodology/approach – Bismarck's points of views are sketched mainly through quotations from his speeches in Parliament. His position regarding social protection is discussed and a brief evaluation of his policy is presented. Findings – Germany, through the work of Bismarck, was the first country where the state organised a modern social-security system. Compulsory sickness, accident and old-age insurances were passed in 1883, 1884 and 1889, respectively. However, the Chancellor's social policy was not the result of a comprehensive, global, "definitive" programme. It was an opportunist policy influenced more by political than by social motives. Originality/value – The paper offers insights into Bismarck's social policy in the context of the social question.


The soulful curriculum makes the educational environment dynamic and robust. This study's primary purpose was to identify the essential components of the soulful curriculum from Miller's viewpoint. An inductive approach and content analysis were applied to achieve this purpose. The essentials, principles, and techniques of the soulful curriculum were extracted from Miller's perspective, and finally, the critical components of the soulful curriculum were inferred and explained by integrating the essentials, principles and techniques of Miller's Curriculum. Accordingly, we reviewed Millers' two seminal works called Holistic Education and Education and the Soul: Toward a Spiritual Curriculum. The cause for selecting these two works was comprehensiveness and consistency in expressing John Miller's ideas fundamental to orientation. By integrating the results, the essential components of the soulful curriculum were categorized into six dimensions: holism, introspection, naturalism, connectivism, balancing, and energization. Keywords: soulful curriculum, holism, naturalism, connection, John Miller


The environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis assumes the nonlinear relationship between production and its environmental effects, suggesting that the negative effect of production on the natural environment is reversed at higher levels of development. In contrast to the majority of the studies, this paper considers the possibility of non‐linear effects of per capita output on agricultural land use (cropland), as one of the natural resource stocks, and additionally examines the influence of demographic and productivity variables on the agricultural land use. The study draws on panel data from 143 economies over the 1990–2019 period and employs a series of panel econometrics techniques (including panel unit root and cointegration tests, panel ordinary least squares, generalized method of moments, and panel quantile models). The results unequivocally indicate the inverted U‐shaped relationship between the GDP per capita and cropland use, as per EKC hypothesis. The results are robust with respect to employing different techniques, the identified turning points correspond to low and low‐middle‐income levels, and the effects of agricultural productivity and population density on land use are respectively negative and positive.


We propose the polysilicon/Au contact resistance and polysilicon resistivity test structures, which are designed to analyze the thermoelectric performance of thermoelectric micro-generators, and on the other hand can be used to guide the further optimization and preparation of the device. The contact resistance between Au and poly-silicon of integrated generator is tested using a Kelvin structure, and multiple tests adopted to reduce random errors. A pair of contiguous test electrodes are connected to the cross-over structure using a semiconductor girder, and another pair of test electrodes are connected to the cross-arm using a metal girder. Through the design test method, the resistivity of the test structure is 12.01 mΩ·cm under the processing technology of the integrated generator, and the contact resistance of the test structure is 100.765Ω.


Vitamin D deficiency, which is highly prevalent in the general population, exerts similar deleterious effects on skeletal muscles to those induced by cigarette smoking. We examined whether cigarette smoke (CS) exposure and/or vitamin D deficiency impairs the skeletal muscle hypertrophic response to overload. Male C57Bl/6JolaH mice on a normal or vitamin D-deficient diet were exposed to CS or room air for 18 weeks. Six weeks after initiation of CS or air exposure, sham surgery or denervation of the agonists of the left plantaris muscle was performed. The right leg served as internal control. Twelve weeks later, the hypertrophic response was assessed. CS exposure instigated loss of body and muscle mass, and increased lung inflammatory cell infiltration (p<0.05), independently of diet. Maximal exercise capacity, whole body strength, in situ plantaris muscle force and key markers of hypertrophic signaling (Akt, 4EBP1, FoxO1) were not significantly affected by smoking or diet. The increase in plantaris muscle fiber cross-sectional area in response to overload was attenuated in vitamin D-deficient CS-exposed mice (smoking x diet interaction for hypertrophy, p=0.03). In situ fatigue resistance was elevated in hypertrophied plantaris, irrespective of vitamin D deficiency and/or CS exposure. In conclusion, our data show that CS exposure or vitamin D deficiency alone did not attenuate the hypertrophic response of overloaded plantaris muscles, but this hypertrophic response was weakened when both conditions were combined. These data suggest that current smokers who also present with vitamin D deficiency may be less likely to respond to a training program.


The present invention relates to a process for producing a neutron converter from boron carbide or boron film on neutron permeable metal substrate. Neutron permeable metal substrate is polished by fine grinding in the first step, it is coated with boron carbide or boron film using a sputtering in a further step. Adhesion promoting layer is applied between the metal substrate and the boron layer or boron carbide layer as needed. The resulting coating layer thickness, chemical composition, and have a high homogeneity in the isotope ratio, the smaller the amount of impurities such as oxygen or nitrogen added.


The BMA's call for a national helpline to support people with prescription drug addiction is welcome in raising concerns about the misuse of prescription drugs.1 Despite a lack of research on the misuse of prescription drugs in the UK we can get a glimpse of which drugs might …


Testimony and confession provided out of court is the general name for the testimony of witness and the confession of the accused provided out of court,which plays an important role in finding out the truth.The competence of testimony and confession provided out of court is the capacity of which a court will admit or will allow to be used.In Anglo-American law system,the competence of testimony and confession provided out of court mainly relies on a series of rules of criminal evidence,such as relevancy rule,exclusionary rule of illegally obtained evidence,hearsay rule,and so on.Evidence rules about testimony and confession provided out of court stipulate some standard and method for judging proof reliability,and we can learn from these reasonable regulations to improve the rules of competence in China.


In the great acceleration era of the Anthropocene, the emergence of zoonotic pathogens including those with high pandemic potential is occurring at a faster rate than in any precedent historical phase. The scientific evidence demonstrates that emergence is preceded by a combination of driving factors and events which span from global environmental changes ( i.e. climate change, biodiversity loss, land use) to changes at the local scale in socio‐economical conditions, food habits and cultural trends. Seven major anthropogenic drivers of zoonotic disease emergence have been identified by UNEP: the increasing demand for animal protein, unsustainable agricultural intensification, increased use and exploitation of wildlife, unsustainable utilization of natural resources accelerated by urbanization, land‐use change and extractive industries, travel and transportation, changes in food supply chains and climate change. ABSTRACTS Our understanding of outbreak dynamics reveals that even without a large R0, many emerging infections have short generation times and spread at a rate that would escape much of our pandemic prevention schemes. Indeed, we now know there are social limitations when rolling out protective responses including vaccines and anti-virals. As such I argue that pre-emergent intelligence is essential to preventing future pandemics and we need both rigorous science that bridges multiple disciplines. I will discuss some successes and failures and provide insights, ideas about ecological countermeasures that emerge from studies of pathogen spillover between free-living wildlife systems and wildlife and humans. Background . Modelling human and animal diseases, whether using spatial or mathematical techniques, require not only some form of disease data, but also information on the factors that are likely to affect the occurrence of the disease i.e. the drivers or covariates. These drivers may include climatic, environmental, demographic, or socioeconomic data, as well as the distributions of vectors and/or hosts distributions without which the diseases cannot occur. The most frequently used are climatic datasets, perhaps because they are the ones most frequently evaluated and reported in the published literature. The variety and volume of such data accessible to modelers becomes ever more daunting, and few non specialists are aware of the huge range of possibilities available. This is especially true of climate data. This presentation provides an overview of what climate data can be found, which may be more suited disease modelling than others, and sets out some of the ways that the data can optimized for use in disease models. Methods and findings : The superstars the climate covariates are probably temperature and rainfall and a result there are many data weather station data. Each type has their pros and cons in terms of timeliness, accuracy, and thematic diversity and accessibility. Most of these data are available as time series covering decades, which itself presents the problem of which precise variable to choose – mean, maximum, a specific date, and so on. Some techniques to provide time series summaries and bioclimatic indicators relevant to disease modelling are discussed. In these days of climate change awareness, it is obvious that climate covariates are readily projected and widely available. These data are both complex and very diverse, and there are some pitfalls and problems to be negotiated when choosing the projection data to use in models – which are briefly outlined. One of the key challenges in the provision of climate covariates is the requirement to standardize the data so that it is compatible with other covariate datasets thar comprise the required driver suite for disease modelling. A brief overview is provided of the standards that should be applied to spatial climate data when added to the covariate suite provided to disease modelers. Despite the huge volumes of data that are available, some are notably and perhaps surprisingly missing. Such gaps are illustrated and discussed, and some suggestions provided of what the priorities might be in filling the current gaps in covariate data provision. Discussion . Climate datasets are essential as inputs to disease models, and given the proliferation of datasets and sources, choosing and acquiring the ones that are most appropriate to a particular analysis is not necessarily straight-forward. A number of suggestions are provided to assist the selection process and to choose processing needed to optimize climate inputs for disease modelling. example, historical climate data such as temperature and precipitation results from ground observations (weather stations) or remote sensing surveys (satellite images). Researchers can also access forecasting climate data that are the product of advanced climatological models, predicting the climatic characteristics of future years on a global scale. However, even though access to climatic data has become easier, they cannot be used 'out of the shelf', but after some post-processing methods. This presentation aims to describe analytical methods to process climate data to add them as variables in different modeling frameworks. The presentation will also provide suggestions on how to include climatic factors in models to investigate their relationship with disease transmission dynamics. Methods and findings. To include climate data as model covariates, researchers need to reshape the raw data to make them suitable for their modeling needs. Climatic data must be vetted, corrected, and aggregated before being used as model covariates. The post-processing methods can differ depending on the type of data and their spatio-temporal characteristics. Researchers can apply various analytical methods to obtain model covariates for their studies. At the same time, researchers should also explore different modeling approaches to investigate the relationship between climatic factors and disease outcomes. Besides the classical linear relationship, researchers should apply non-linear modeling frameworks. These modeling methods can capture the temporal lag of the covariate effect that characterizes the impact of climate on diseases. Discussion . Although availability and access to climatic data have widely increased, knowing analytical approaches to building strong models including climatic covariates is crucial for investigating the relationship between climate and disease transmission dynamics. Background. Understanding the circulation and shedding of pathogens within wildlife populations is central to the prediction of zoonotic spillover risk. For bat-borne zoonotic viruses, the drivers of spillover have been the subject of two decades of speculation, but evidence remains scarce. One theory which is gaining increasing empirical recognition, particularly for paramyxoviruses, is that bats harbour persistent infections which reactivate seasonally in response to processes that affect host immunity. Direct evidence for recrudescence of latent infections is difficult to obtain for wild bats, and data limitations have restricted our ability to validate dynamical models with different structures and ascertain infection risk. Methods and findings . In this study we fit mechanistic models to data on Hendra virus serology and shedding in Australian flying foxes, collected longitudinally in one colony over a year. We provide new evidence for the recrudescence hypothesis in bat henipavirus infections, by showing that immune and virus shedding dynamics of Hendra virus are best described by compartmental models that include seasonal reactivation of latent infections. Models that had a faster transition from the latent (L) to infectious (I) state in winter – aligning with the hypothesis that Hendra virus shedding is driven by nutritional stress from reduced food resources in winter – more closely replicated empirical patterns of virus shedding . study within-host processes, other than birth driving of seasonal Background . Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease which occurs in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. Leptospirosis is endemic in Fiji, with cases occurring year round and frequent sporadic outbreaks. These outbreaks often coincide with periods of heavy rainfall and flooding, however, the relationship has not yet been well characterised in this region. In this study, we aimed to quantify the effects of different hydrometeorological and climatic indicators, and particularly precipitation indicators, on leptospirosis risk in Fiji between 2006 and 2017. Methods and findings . We used a Bayesian hierarchical mixed-model framework to explore the impact of different precipitation indicators, temperature, and measures of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on leptospirosis cases in Fiji over a 12-year period. We found that total precipitation over a six week period was the best precipitation indicator, with increased total precipitation leading to increased leptospirosis risk. La Niña periods (as measured by Sea Surface Temperature in region 3.4) were associated with increased leptospirosis risk. Finally, minimum temperature when included with the other variables, was found to be slightly associated with leptospirosis risk, with warmer temperatures resulting in increased risk. Discussion : The results from this study improve our understanding of how hydrometeorological and climatic factors contribute to outbreaks of leptospirosis in Fiji. Combined with the knowledge of demographic and spatial risk factors of leptospirosis, this can allow for a precision public health framework which can allow for more effective public health preparedness and response, targeting interventions to the right person, place and time. a "diluting" effect of habitat diversity. To check whether our findings hold at a finer spatial scale, we performed a literature search and retrieved data of TBEv detections in ticks and hosts in Italy and Finlan


According to the problem of high cost of standard apparatuses and complex operating for the traditional AC current measurement, this paper introduces a method to measure the AC current with high performance which is based on using digitizing system and the AC-DC difference calculable resistance. Compared verification tests indicate a maximum deviation of 2.3 × 10−5 between the digital sampling measurement system and the traditional method in the typical frequency range of 40Hz to 10kHz, which achieves the equivalent technical specification. Meanwhile, it can provide a more reliable and simpler way for AC current calibration.


14.3 Colombia, Venezuela and Andean countries (Peru)

14.3.1 Characteristics of I-O Matrix and secondary sources
14.3.2 Mapping between the original I-O matrices and GTAP


Abstract This paper looks, from the perspective of a practising family law barrister, at how the views of children are taken into account in family law legislation, case law, and the practice of the family courts. Recent Commonwealth Government reviews of the 2006 amendments to the Family Law Act 1975 released in 2010 are considered in this context. The role of international covenants in interpreting and applying the law relating to children's views is considered and the question is posed: Is sufficient weight given to the views of children in family law?


The inclusion of parental perspectives in research on physical and emotional sibling violence has been minimal, with parents of various ethnic backgrounds being particularly absent from the literature. Drawing on witnessed interactions with her own children and her personal experiences with a sibling in childhood, this article presents a view of physical and emotional sibling violence from the perspective of an African American parent identified by social services to be at risk for child abuse and neglect. Themes emerging from the interview center around the intersection of sibling violence and parental/family stress, parental normalization of violence between siblings, witnessing community violence, sibling versus peer fighting, and ways to address/prevent sibling violence. The need for more ethnically and socioeconomically inclusive research related to physical and emotional sibling violence is highlighted along with a discussion of practice implications as mechanisms for intervention.


Water pollution is a detrimental issue that can affect health, economy, society, flora, and fauna. Monitoring water quality is important to mitigate water pollution issues. The purpose of this research is to investigate several water quality monitoring methods based on electronics and optical sensing. Electronics and optical sensing are among common and popular methods used to monitor water quality. The smart platform is used to work together with electronics and optical sensors to assist users in controlling the system. Both methods have their own benefit such as electronics sensing being portable and easy to handle whereas optical sensing does not affect the water sample, leading to higher accuracy results. Thus, the selection of the suitable method depends on the consumer's requirement, cost, budget, and time.


The buds sprouted from the cutting shoots cultured in water in a greenhouse were applied to study the effects on tissue culture plant of Royal Gala apple of different sterilizing methods and times,different preventing browning methods and different combinations of hormones.The results showed that the optimal sterilizing method of buds was treating with 0.1% HgCl2 for 7 min;the conditions of 4 g/L PVP,upper dark treatment for 10 days were beneficial to lightening browning;the most suitable medium for buds induction was MS supplemented with BA 2.0 mg/L and NAA 0.1 mg/L,for multiplication was MS supplemented with BA 0.5 mg/L and NAA 0.1 mg/L;the suited subculture time was 28~30 days.


This paper presents the meshless local integral equation method (LIEM) for nonlocal analyses of two-dimensional dynamic problems based on the Eringen's model. A unit test function is used in the local weak-form of the governing equation and by applying the divergence theorem to the weak-form, local boundary-domain integral equations are derived. Radial Basis Function (RBF) approximations are utilized for implementation of displacements. The Newmark method is employed to carry out the time marching approximation. Two numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the application of time domain technique to deal with nonlocal elastodynamic mechanical problems.