A series of idealised experiments using a cloud-resolving storm simulator (CReSS) was performed to investigate the effects of the isolated elliptically shaped terrain of Jeju Island (oriented east–west), southern Korea, on the enhancement of pre-existing rainfall systems under the influence of prevailing southwesterly moist flows. Control parameters were the low-altitude wind speed (Froude numbers: 0.2, 0.4, 0.55) and the initial location of the elongated (oriented north–east) rainfall system (off the northwestern or western shores of the island). Simulations were conducted for all combinations of initial location and wind regime. Overall, results indicate that weak southwesterlies flowing around the steep mountain on the island (height, 2 km) generate two local convergences, on the northern lateral side and on the lee side of the island, both in regions of moist environments, thus producing conditions favourable for enhanced rainfall. As an eastward-moving rainfall system approaches the northwestern shore of the island, the southwesterlies at low altitudes accelerate between the system and the terrain, generating a local updraft region that causes rainfall enhancement onshore in advance of the system's arrival over the terrain. Thus, the prevailing southwesterlies at low altitudes that are parallel to the terrain are a crucial element for the enhancement. Relatively weak southwesterlies at low altitudes allow system enhancement on the lee side by generating a convergence of relatively weak go-around northwesterlies from the northern island and relatively strong moist southwesterlies from the southern island, thus producing a relatively long-lived rainfall system. As the southwesterlies strengthen, a dry descending air mass intensifies on the northeastern downwind side of the terrain, rapidly dissipating rainfall and resulting in a relatively short-lived rainfall system. A coexisting terrain-generated local convergence, combined with the absence of dry descending air on the downwind side of the terrain, prolongs the lifetime of the rainfall system.


► The carbon content and stable isotope composition of different organic carbon pools were studied in Gazi Bay (Kenya 4.4°S 39.5°E), in July 2003. Gazi Bay is a shallow tropical coastal ecosystem, with extensive mangrove forests intersected by 2 main tidal creeks (Kidogoweni and Kinondo, see Map), and a shallow bay largely covered by dense Thalassodendron ciliatum seagrass beds. ► Samples for suspended matter POC, PN, and δCPOC were filtered on pre-combusted 25 mm Whatman GF/F filters, dried, and measured with standard techniques (EA and EA-IRMS). δ13C-DIC and δ18O of dissolved oxygen were measured by headspace injection in an EA-IRMS setup. Borges et al. (2003) CO2 atmospheric flux from mangrove surrounding waters. Geophysical Research Letters 30 (11): 1558. Boschker et al. (1999) The contribution of macrophyte-derived organic matter to microbial biomass in salt-marsh sediments : stable carbon isotope analysis of microbial biomarkers. Limnology & Oceanography 44: 309-319 Bouillon et al. (2003) Inorganic and organic carbon biogeochemistry in the Gautami Godavari estuary (Andhra Pradesh, India) during pre-monsoon : the local impact of extensive mangrove forests. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 17 (4): 1114. Bouillon et al. (2004) Carbon sources sustaining benthic mineralization in mangrove and adjacent seagrass sediments (Gazi bay, Kenya). Biogeosciences 1: 71-78 Cai et al. (1999) Oxygen and carbon dioxide mass balance for the estuarine-intertidal marsh complex of five rivers in the southeastern U.S. Limnology and Oceanography 44: 639-649 Cai et al. (2003) The role of marsh-dominated heterotrophic continental margins in transport of CO2 between the atmosphere, the land-sea interface and the ocean. Geophysical Research Letters 30(16): 1849-doi:10.1029/2003GL017633 Ludwig et al. (1996) Predicting the oceanic input of organic carbon by continental erosion. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 10: 23-41. References


In this paper, we prove the existence of a continuous spectrum that lies in a neighborhood at the right of the origin for some nonlinear difference operators. Our proofs rely essentially on the Banach fixed point theorem and a minimization technique. 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification. 39A10; 47A75; 35P30; 34L05.


The purpose of this work is to investigate the influence and impact on its sales that have Micro and small companies (Mypes) in the Cholula and Xicotepec de Juárez region of the State of Puebla, Mexico, regarding their patterns of adoption of technologies of information and communications (ICTs), taking into account the dimensions and benefits of them, in this sense, the research examines the nature and extent of the adoption of these technologies by micro and small businesses, as well as digital divisions that have emerged, analyzing the barriers to the adoption of electronic commerce technologies and techniques, together with factors that promote successful adoption and the main role that human capital plays, for this purpose data on these aspects of ICTs were collected. s of 630 Mypes through a survey instrument carrying out research with a quantitative approach, through a tran design sversal-descriptive


We describe progress on the development of a table top soft x‐ray laser pumped by a Nd/Glass laser of less than 10 J pulse energy. We present recent results on the spatial distribution of soft x‐ray radiation from the gain region and near the cooling blades. We also present data on gain measurements for the transition to the ground level in LiIII at 13.5 nm using a powerful subpicosecond laser system.


It is generally recognized that the Dutch played a major part in financing British government deficits from the 1720s to the late 1770s. This article argues that even though the Dutch continued to hold large amounts of British debt after 1780, they stopped supplying new capital to the British and started a modest repatriation of some of their previous investments. A comparative econometric study of 3 percent consol yields during the two deficit-inducing wars Britain fought between 1750 and 1795 shows that as a result British interest rates became much more sensitive to increases in government borrowing.


Negative film can only be exposed to a certain point, beyond which the photochemical process is reversed and the negative's darkest areas become light again. For Hans-Christian Schink's series 1h, a 1955 picture by Minor White, titled "Black Sun," was a source of inspiration. 1h employs an effect called "real solarization." For 1h, Schink deliberately chose to combine this process with a very long exposure, acheiving effects of abstraction and blur.


It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for indicating a possible working range of a hydraulic excavator, which can display a suitable operability range even in an inclined orientation of the vehicle body. In the apparatus for indicating a possible working range of the hydraulic excavator a computing unit sets a limit (84) between the possible working area and the sub-floor area to the vertical direction in a global coordinate system, when the vehicle body is oriented horizontally. With an inclination of the vehicle body forward, the computing unit sets the limit (84) such that it maintains the vertical direction in the global coordinate system. With an inclination of the vehicle body backward, the computing unit, the boundary (84) between the possible work area and the underfloor region corrected angle at least 90 so that the by the boundary (84) and the ground surface (GL) on which the vehicle body is positioned, formed °.


Irregular and dynamic applications, such as graph problems and agent-based simulations, often require fine-grained parallelism to achieve good performance. However, current multicore processors only provide architectural support for coarse-grained parallelism, making it necessary to use software-based multithreading environments to effectively implement fine-grained parallelism. Although these software-based environments have demonstrated superior performance over heavyweight, OS-level threads, they are still limited by the significant overhead involved in thread management and synchronization. In order to address this, we propose a Lightweight Chip Multi-Threaded (LCMT) architecture that further exploits thread-level parallelism (TLP) by incorporating direct architectural support for an "unlimited" number of dynamically created lightweight threads with very low thread management and synchronization overhead. The LCMT architecture can be implemented atop a mainstream architecture with minimum extra hardware to leverage existing legacy software environments. We compare the LCMT architecture with a Niagara-like baseline architecture. Our results show up to 1.8X better scalability, 1.91X better performance, and more importantly, 1.74X better performance per watt, using the LCMT architecture for irregular and dynamic benchmarks, when compared to the baseline architecture. The LCMT architecture delivers similar performance to the baseline architecture for regular benchmarks.


Individuals with psychotic disorders might choose to forgo antipsychotic medication because of side effects.1 Over 40 randomised controlled trials (RCT) have demonstrated that cognitive behavioural therapy for psychosis (CBTp) is generally efficacious in improving symptoms, with small to medium effect sizes in individuals with psychotic disorders.2 It was unknown, until now, if individuals with psychotic disorders who were antipsychotic-free could tolerate CBTp and benefit from it.


This paper formally describes some cranial and postcranial remains of young and adult fossil suids retrieved from Monte Tuttavista karst fissures (Orosei, western Sardinia). The material is herein attributed to the Sardinian species Sus sondaari Van der Made, 1999. Features of skulls, mandibles, some milk teeth, definitive canines, and thus far unknown post-cranial elements of Monte Tuttavista suids significantly integrate our knowledge of the endemic species Sus sondaari . An emended diagnosis is here proposed, including some new diagnostic features such as lower canine with scrofic section, and oval shape of scapular glenoid fossa. Finally, the challenging evolutionary relationships of Sus sondaari are briefly discussed.


Objective In order to investigate the importance of bioavailable testosterone (Bio-T) in the occurrence of coronary heart disease, the correlation between Bio-T and clustering of cardiovascular disease risk factor (CCDRF) was studied. Methods In a cross-sectional study, 1 546 male volunteers, including the resigned and retired cadres of Chinese PLA and some of their dependents participated. Bio-T was measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Body mass index, lipids, blood pressure and blood sugar were measured. Results The data showed that the levels of BMI,SBP,DBP,TC, LDL-C and SG increased obviously with the decrease in the serum concentration of Bio-T according to stratification of the quartile of Bio-T(3.54,5.06,8.03 nmol/L), but the level of HDL-C was reverse. After adjusting age, sex, smoking and drinking, there was dose-response relationship between Bio -T and the clustering of cardiovascular disease risk factor in men. Conclusion Bio-T may be one of the reasons that lead to the clustering of cardiovascular disease risk factors in men. There is a close correlation between the change in Bio-T and the occurrence of CHD.


1547 Background: Prior studies demonstrated the effectiveness of both BCNU wafer (Gliadel) and TMZ (Temodar) as adjunctive therapies to resection and radiation therapy (RT) in pts with initial high grade MG. (Westphal et al. Neuro-Onco 2003; Stupp et al. JCO 2002) This study assessed the safety and efficacy of BCNU wafer and TMZ in combination. Methods: This is a phase II, multicenter, trial. Eligible pts were 18–72 years (yrs) of age with surgically operable, initial high grade MG. Enrollment began in July 2003 and continues. After resection and BCNU wafer insertion, pts received concomitant treatment with daily RT 2 Gy (≤total 60 Gy) + TMZ 75 mg/m2 (≤45 days) followed by monthly TMZ (200 mg/m2 daily x 5 every 28 days, ≤18 cycles). Endpoints include survival and progression-free survival (PFS), which were estimated with the Kaplan-Meier Method: Results: As of November 2004, 16 pts have been enrolled at 2 centers. Glioblastoma multiforme was diagnosed in 15 pts. Median (range) age is 59 (29–71) yrs and me...


Objective To explore the expression of periostin protein in cancer tissue and serum, and their relationship with clinicopathologic factors in colon cancer patients. Methods The surgical specimens and serums from 64 patients with colon cancer were selected and compared with the corresponding control specimens from healthy people. Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the expression of periostin protein in colon cancer tissues, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to detect serum periostin protein expression in colon cancer patients and healthy controls. All cancer patients were classified according to clinicopathologic factors, including gender, TNM stage of colon cancer, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, histological grade, metastasis and recurrence, and surgery. Results The average concentration of serum periostin in patients with colon cancer was significantly higher than that in healthy population (P 0.05). The expression of periostin protein in cancer tissue was also significantly higher than the adjacent tissues. Serum and tumor tissue periostin expression were both related with TNM stage, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, tumor recurrence and metastasis. The periostin expression levels were related with lymph node metastasis and tumor invasion depth. No significant correlation was found in periostin protein expression with tumor grade or gender. Surgery significantly reduced serum levels of periostin protein. Conclusions The expressions of periostin protein in serum and cancer tissue in patients with colon cancer were significantly higher than those in healthy people, and were positively related with invasion and metastasis of colon cancer. Serum periostin protein is a potential prediction marker for invasion, metastasis, extent of eradication by surgery and recurrence in colon cancer.


IEEE 802.15.4 standard is widely used in Internet-of-Things applications. With more features and functions added to the applications, the IEEE 802.15.4 network may become large and crowded. This paper presents an experimental method to evaluate the link quality of the high-density network when unavoidable communication collisions happen. The results of the experiments give several quantitative disciplines of receiver behavior under packet collisions. The results can be used as a guideline for IEEE 802.15.4 network deployment and high-level network simulations.


Finite element models of single span and two-storey shear walls with concrete coupling beams and steel truss coupling beams are established for comparing mechanical behaviors of the two types of coupling beams under cyclic loads and studying influences of axial compression ratio and section sizes of steel truss coupling beam on bearing capacities and deformation properties of shear walls.The studies show that shear walls with steel truss coupling beams reduce bearing capacities slightly but cut down stress and damages and ductility and substantially enhance energy dissipation behavior compared with shear walls with concrete coupling beams.In addition,bearing capacities of shear walls improve with the increase of axial compression ratio disproportionately and section size of ventral poles has a great effect on bearing capacities of shear walls but that of the chords reverses.The research results have a certain value on seismic design of shear walls.


A SAFETY BAG INFLATION UNIT CALLED SAFE T FLATE IS DESCRIBED. STORED CLEAN DRY AIR AT MODERATE PRESSURE IS AUGMENTED WITH THE CHEMICAL ENERGY OF A SMALL AMOUNT OF PROPELLANT TO PROVIDE THE VOLUME AND PRESSURE REQUIRED TO INFLATE THE SAFETY BAG. THIS SYSTEM IS SMALLER IN VOLUME, LIGHTER IN WEIGHT, AND OPERATES AT LOWER PRESSURES THAN THE KNOWN STORED GAS INFLATORS. THE PRINCIPLES AND HARDWARE CAN BE ADAPTED TO MEET OCCUPANT RESTRAINT REQUIREMENTS. /HSL/


The aim of this work is to develop the automated system of organic waste processing. The existing devices have been analyzed and their disadvantages have been revealed with the aim to create more perfect system. The construction of robot system of organic waste processing has been developed. A mathematical model of physical processes inside a bioreactor has been developed. Optimal parameters for effective, fast and high-quality conduct of the process have been revealed during the modeling. The experimental plant has been created for carrying out the study. All that allows to create modern, functional and autonomous system, which will meet all requirements of environmental security.


The authors would like to thank all the delegates and experts for their comments on the draft and suggestions at the various stages of the project, in particular during the expert meeting of 8 April 2016, and the OECD Health Committee meeting of 28-29 June 2016. We also thank Hanne Bak Pedersen from World Health Organization Europe, for detailed comments on earlier versions, as well as Torfinn Aanes from the Norwegian Drug Cooperation (LIS), Øyvind Melien from the Norwegian Directorate of Health and Eric de Roodenbeke, CEO of the International Hospital Federation for their contributions and fruitful discussions. At the OECD, we would like to thank Annalisa Belloni, Allison Colbert, Francesca Colombo, Valérie Paris and Mark Pearson. This chapter focuses on opportunities to spend less on pharmaceuticals and other medical supplies. It starts with a discussion of perhaps the most intuitive case of waste, which occurs when prescribed pharmaceuticals (and other medical goods) are discarded unused. Next, the chapter proceeds to the foregone opportunities associated with not substituting originator drugs with cheaper therapeutic alternatives, such as generics or biosimilars. The final issue explored is whether lower prices for pharmaceuticals and other medical supplies could be obtained with more efficient procurement processes.


IT is a pleasure to welcome this book which must, surely, rank as the best Canadian treatise on the general part of the criminal law of Canada. It is characterised both by depth of scholarship and by lucidity of thought. The authors draw not only upon the case law of Canadian courts, but also upon that of other common law jurisdictions. They are sensitive to the best theoretical writing in both common law and civil law jurisdictions, and to the proposals of the Law Reform Commission of Canada as well. Yet they do not forget that it is a partially codified system which they are expounding, and they have a keen sense of what is relevant to a discussion of it. The organisation of this book follows a civil law rather than a common law model. The authors begin with a discussion of the characteristics of criminal law. They consider the origins of Canadian criminal law, constitutional powers in that respect, important general doctrines such as the principle of legality, especially in connection with conspiracy, and briefly the possible implications of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. There then follows a discussion of sentencing based on an abundance of Canadian case law, which seeks to reduce that subject to order. This is followed by a discussion of the burden of proof. In Part II one comes to a discussion of the constituent elements of crime. The discussion ranges through mental states, act, omission, inchoate offences, and general defences. It treats specific crimes only incidentally.


The reactions of 5,5-dimethyl-3-thiazoline (L) with PdCl42-, PdC62-, CuCl2 and CoCl2 give the complexes ML2C12 (M = Pd, Cu, Co) and L(Cl)PdCl2Pd(Cl)L. The crystal structure of trans-PdCl2L2 has been determined by X-ray diffraction.


Recent advances in sensing technologies, wireless communications, and computing paradigms drive the evolution of vehicles in becoming an intelligent and electronic consumer products. This paper investigates enabling digital twins in vehicular edge computing (DT-VEC) via cooperative sensing and uploading, and makes the first attempt to achieve the quality-cost tradeoff in DT-VEC. First, a DT-VEC architecture is presented, where the heterogeneous information can be sensed by vehicles and uploaded to the edge node via vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications. The digital twins are modeled based on the sensed information, which are utilized to from the logical view to reflect the real-time status of the physical vehicular environment. Second, we derive the cooperative sensing model and the V2I uploading model by considering the timeliness and consistency of digital twins, and the redundancy, sensing cost, and transmission cost. On this basis, a bi-objective problem is formulated to maximize the system quality and minimize the system cost. Third, we propose a solution based on multi-agent multi-objective (MAMO) deep reinforcement learning, where a dueling critic network is proposed to evaluate the agent action based on the value of state and the advantage of action. Finally, we give a comprehensive performance evaluation, demonstrating the superiority of MAMO.


This paper discusses the issue of estimating external force exerted on the end-effector of manipulators by using the information from joint torque which can be obtained by measuring the motor current. The manipulator dynamics model without obviously involving acceleration is firstly established by low pass filting. A method of estimating external force being as state variables is then proposed with H∞ filting. The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated through a simulation of a two degree-of-freedom manipulator in MATLAB/SIMULINK.


The research development of three-component(3C)fiber-optic acceleration sensor probe is reviewed,the design idea of 3C fiber-optic acceleration sensor is presented,sensor probe design scheme of a variety of principles and structures are focused and the key specifications are evaluated,the development are summarized and prospected.


We calculate the density of states $N$ and the the thermal conductivity $\kappa $ in layered superconductors for rotating in-plane magnetic field by using approximate analytical expressions for Abrikosov's vortex lattice state. For a gap with d$_{xy} $- orbital symmetry we find that the differences $\Delta N$ and $\Delta\kappa$ between field directions parallel to the antinodes and parallel to the nodes of the gap are positive for lower fields and change sign for higher fields near $H_{c2} $. For increasing impurity scattering, $\Delta N$ and $\Delta\kappa$ decrease due to a broadening of certain peaks in the angle-resolved density of states. The frequency dependencies of the amplitudes $\Delta N$ and $\Delta\kappa$ exhibit similar crossover behavior at low frequencies which give rise to a sign change of $\Delta\kappa$ at low $T/T_c $. We conclude that variations of the specific heat and thermal conductivity can be observed only in the clean and low temperature limits.


The construction of investment environment in China 's western regions is the antecedent work for the developmentof west China, and needs huge funds. The project of investment environment has public good's property which is decided gov-ernment's master status of invest and make government can't carry it desirably. To solve the problem, writers combine somenew ideas and methods which provide with some reference. Moreover, writers divide the project of investment environment intofour categories, and each category has different financing strategy accordingly.


Today, solar sail is watched for interplanetary cruising due to its propellantless thrust system. For the solar sail technology, attitude control is one of the most important issues. The authors have proposed C.P. (centre of pressure) – C.M. (centre of mass) offset torque generation method for attitude maneuver of tether-controlled spinning solar sail. The authors conducted numerical simulations to study dynamic behaviour of the sailcraft. From the numerical simulations, tether controllability during the C.P.-C.M. offset generation is figured out. Also, the authors have estimated that the C.P.-C.M. offset method can generate enough torque compared to other methods for space exploration missions.


Britain should consider appointing nurse anaesthetists to meet the rising demand for anaesthetic services, the Audit Commission recommends.

This approach, which is common in much of Europe and the United States, would allow non-medically qualified staff to maintain anaesthesia under the indirect supervision of doctors who move between two or more operating …


Silica aerogel samples with double fractal structure were synthesized. The samples were sintered at 1000 °C in different time intervals. In low frequency Raman spectra of the sintered samples, we observed two fractons caused by localization of vibration on clusters of two fractal substructures. During sintering the two fractal substructures become dense and, after 16 h of sintering, merge one into another.


For people with suboptimally controlled type 2 diabetes (T2D) on basal insulin (BI), guidelines recommend several treatment advancement options. This study compared the clinical effectiveness of once‐daily iGlarLixi versus a multiple‐injection BI + rapid acting insulin (RAI) regimen in adults with T2D advancing from BI therapy in real‐world clinical practice.


The invention relates to a coal seam top/bottom plate penetrating-hole short-radius deflecting rotary drilling process which comprises a short-radius force deflecting combined drilling unit and is suitable for a coal seam 1.8m in thickness. The combined drilling unit sequentially comprises a deflecting drill bit 1, a stabilizer 2, a flexible connecting drill stem 3 and a conventional drill stem 4. Coal seam base plate straight-guided drilling is used to reach the coal seam, and deflecting rotary drilling is performed by the short-radius force deflecting combined drilling unit after drill lifting. By the process, short-radius deflecting rotary drilling during coal seam drilling can be achieved, the drilling trajectory extends in the coal seam in curved manner, and accordingly penetrating hole length on a coal hole section is increased.


In this paper, bivariate compound exponentiated survival function of the Lomax distribution is constructed based on the technique considered by AL-Hussaini (2011). Some properties of the distribution are derived. Maximum likelihood estimation and prediction of the future observations are considered. Also, Bayesian estimation and prediction are studied under squared error loss function. The performance of the proposed bivariate distribution is examined using a simulation study. Finally, a real data set is analyzed under the proposed distribution to illustrate its flexibility for real-life application.


Cause Related Marketing Cause Related Marketing Defined The Pre-conditions for Cause Related Marketing The Commodity Threat and the Importance of Loyalty Communications Clutter and Expert Consumers Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and the Loss of Trust The Diana Effect and the Opportunity for Brands The Third Wave in Branding Brands and Anthropomorphy in Branding The Three Waves in Branding The Power of Belief Systems The Essentials of Cause Related Marketing Differentiating CRM From 'Charity Promotions' The Nature of Giving Making a Commercial Case for CRM Charity or Cause? Creating a CRM Campaign Preliminary Stages in Developing a CRM Campaign Establishing the Territory Developing a CRM Concept Creating a CRM campaign Crystallizing a CRM Campaign Media Neutrality and Corporate Body Language CRM and the Digital Revolution M easurement Getting Down To It Implementing CRM in a Grand Scale Implementing CRM on a Smaller Scale CRM's Past and Future Charity Culture Victorian Paternalism to 20th Century Philanthropy The Company Town 'Nanny State' to 'Stakeholder Society' The Millenium Effect .


Recently, both the WHO/IARC (World Health Organisation/International Agency for Research on Cancer) and the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) have classified the oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) on the basis of HPV status. For this purpose, the WHO/IARC recommended direct molecular HPV testing. In practice, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) biopsy specimens are frequently the only available samples. We herein compared in parallel two commercially available molecular assays that were firstly designed for cervical HPV detection and genotyping: Inno-Lipa® HPV genotyping extra II assay (Fujirebio, Gent, Belgium) (IL) and AnyplexTM II HPV 28 (Seegene, Seoul, South Korea) (AP28). Both assays were carried out on the same DNA extracts obtained from prospectively collected FFPE biopsies from OPSCC origin and results were compared. A total of 55 samples were tested. By IL assay, chosen as reference assay, 27 (49.1%) biopsies were positive for HPV16, 10 (18.2%) were positive for HPV but negative for HPV16, and 18 (32.7%) were negative for HPV. A valid result with AP28 was obtained for 51 biopsy samples (92.7%). Among 37 HPV-positive samples by IL, 33 (89.2%) were positive by AP28. The agreement between both assays was good (Cohen's κ = 0.78). Among the six discrepancies between assays, always associated with low HPV16 viral load, four biopsies positive for HPV16 by IL could not be detected by AP28. Taken together, these observations demonstrate that both assays could be used in routine for HPV detection and genotyping on FFPE-biopsy samples of head and neck tumour.


Saving is one of the most important economic topics that have taken a large space in economic studies because of its great impact on all activities of the economy, in addition to that it is the main pillar from which investment in all fields stems. 2003-2009) by measuring the impact of these factors, which were represented in the gross domestic product, inflation rate, consumption in addition to the interest rate. The research found a relationship and a significant impact of these variables on the volume of local savings in Iraq. The research also recommended the need to follow all the ways that would encourage individuals to rationalize consumption as well as raise awareness and cultivate confidence in the banking system and various financial institutions in a way that contributes to increasing the volume of these savings.


A synthetic triterpenoid compound with potential antineoplastic and anti-inflammatory activities. Bardoxolone blocks the synthesis of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and inducible cyclooxygenase (COX-2), two enzymes involved in inflammation and carcinogenesis. T his agent also inhibits the interleukin-1 (IL-1)-induced expression of the pro-inflammatory proteins matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) and the expression of Bcl-3; Bcl-3 is an IL-1-responsive gene that preferentially contributes to MMP-1 gene expression. Qeios · Definition, February 7, 2020


Aim. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the herbal medicines used for cardiovascular diseases and patient education about these drugs. Method. This study was a systematic review of herbal medicines used for cardiovascular diseases. Herbal medicines were extracted from databases PubMed, Science Direct, and Highwire (Website of Stanford University) using search keywords Herbal, Hyperlipidemia, Heart failure, Cardiovascular and Hypertension. To describe the effective herbal ingredients, side effects, interactions, and patient education, a nursing book on herbs (Kostka et al, 2005) and the Comprehensive Atlas of Medicinal Plants (Stephen et al, 2004) were used. Findings. Herbal drugs used for cardiovascular diseases in Iran consist of Antum, Alicom, Diuretic, Olea-crat, Crataegus Microphylla and Cratagus. Conclusion. Some of cardiovascular diseases can be controlled by herbal drugs. Patient teaching about precaution, interaction and avoidance of arbitrary use of drugs are important.


AIM: To compare the effect of s. miltiorrhize bunge injection (SMBI) and s. przewalsii maxim injection (SPMI) on acute focal cerebral ischemia in rats, and to study the mechanism of the actions of two agents. METHODS: Acute focal cerebral ischemia model was made by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in rats, and cerebral infarction volume was determined quantitatively by computer microscopical image analysis instruments. MDA content in serum was determined by TBA colorimetric analysis. SOD content in serum was studied by radioimmunity method. The scavenging effect of hydroxyl radical (·OH) was measured by electron spin resonance technique (ESR). RESULTS: SMBI and SPMI could markedly reduce infarction volume after occlusion of middle cerebral artery and MDA content in serum in rats. SMBI could elevate SOD content in serum. Two injections could markedly inhibit the formation of hydroxyl radical (·OH),and the effect of SPMI was better than that of SMBI. CONCLUSION: The effects of both SMBI and SPMI are similar, and it is possible that SPMI as a satisfactory substitute for SMBI.


Abstract This paper reports the findings from a survey of 387 seniors in South Korea. Participation in 20 different leisure activities, pre- and post-retirement, and levels of life satisfaction, again pre- and post-retirement, were measured. The analysis distinguishes leisure activities that were tending to boost, from those that were trending to diminish life satisfaction. Following retirement there had been an overall rise in leisure activity and an overall decline in life satisfaction, largely because, it is argued, the seniors were doing too much of unsatisfying leisure activities, and too little of the satisfiers. The implications for leisure theory and social policy vis-à-vis Korea's seniors are then discussed.


cancer. Specifically, he traces the shift from TB to cancer over the past 200 years to the crisis of depersonalized nursing. As well, he seeks to show that those attempts to attribute cancer solely to a foreign invader-whether virus, microbe or carcinogenic agent, as in cigarette smokingfail to take account of the unity of patient and environment and of the underlying needs of the human being, which the disease reflects. In contrast to this combative stance which focuses on the tumor, Booth urges a holistic approach based on reassessing the person's purpose and life context. Although there is an inevitable element of speculation in such a study, I found Booth's work very thorough, welldocumented and convincing, given the tenets of depth psychology. He makes definite demands of the reader: the breadth of his holistic vision challenges our familiar mechanistic mind set. This, coupled with Booth's condensed style and wide-ranging references, gives one the feeling that the author may be trying to do too much in one book. Perhaps that is more an indication of the far-reaching implications of Booth's work, which are tantalizingly understated, than it is a criticism of the text itself. At times his experimental design seems hard to follow, but the numerous tables and charts in the appendix help to clarify this. Inclusion of an index would have made this volume even more useful. However, the rich rewards of this provocative and seminal work far outweigh these quibbles. The full bibliography lists Booth's numerous articles, itself a valuable addition to the literature, and the list of "works cited" offers a fine resource for further study in the field. This book has important implications for both theologian and pastor. It represents a significant attempt to integrate the various healing disciplines around a common problem. To this end the divergent views of Freud, Jung, von Weizsacker, Boisen, Dubos, LeShan, Smithers and others are interwoven with impressive skill. The viewpoint it presents is particularly pertinent to process theology, for Booth is in the forefront of those who seek to understand human wholeness beyond the Cartesian body/mind split. Booth's work offers a method of operationalizing psychological and religious factors in somatic disease. The material also has practical relevance for the pastor, pastoral counselor or chaplain who may often be the only professional who is still able to see the person as a whole. Booth, whose Christian outlook is infused throughout his work, has special words for clergy in a chapter on cancer therapy. In his view, the human problem of the cancer patient is often ignored by medical specialists and he believes that a pastor can have a healing influence by giving supportive attention to the person in the context of his or her life history and by offering the opportunity for reflection on the patient's life pattern. By contributing this relational understanding of the person and disease, Booth's book points to the re-emerging relevance of the religious professional in healing. GEORGE R. SLATER • Contemporary Growth Therapies: Resources for Actualizing Human Wholeness. Howard Clinebell, Jr. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1981), 298 pp., $10.95.


Swaging is one method of autofrettage, a means of prestressing high-pressure vessels to increase their fatigue lives and load bearing capacity. Swaging achieves the required deformation through physical interference between an oversized mandrel and the bore diameter of the tube, as it is pushed along and through the bore of the tube. A finite element (FE) model of the swaging process, developed previously by the author in ANSYS , was configured for comparison with an earlier model; this allowed the accuracy of further properties of the ANSYS model to be investigated. Driving force was the main property of interest, specifically how it varied with mandrel slopes and parallel midsection, to allow direct comparison with the earlier model. The variation of driving force with respect to coefficient of friction was investigated; driving force increased in near proportion, but a subtle trend indicated a further study of stress component be made. This was followed by a two-pass swage process. Close agreement was found with empirical data and the discrepancies observed between the two models are explained by the relatively coarse mesh used by the earlier model. This further verifies the sensitivity of the model described here.


We demonstrate an inverse-scattering algorithm to reconstruct the loss/gain profile of fiber Bragg gratings. The algorithm can be used to interrogate gratings written in amplifiers and to develop novel distributed fiber sensors that measure the refractive index and absorption of the medium surrounding the grating.


: Contemporary college students as the successors of the socialist cause and future builders, how to establish scientific values is related to the development of college students good future society. Through the empirical investigation, it is found that the contemporary college students' values literacy is partly lacking. Mozi thought of "universal love", "your righteousness", "attaching importance," the attack ", "section" essence content fully with organic combination of the values education of college students, so as to cultivate college students" love everyone "and" peace ", "the pursuit of justice" feelings, cultivate their "resource conservation" and "scientific consumption behavior, finally to improve their overall values of literacy.


With the downscaling of semiconductor devices and increased fabrication complexity, the feature size and threshold voltage (Vth) of transistors are also decreased significantly. This further makes the static power of standard cell library a crucial design challenge. In this brief, transistor-level gate length biasing (TLLB) method is utilized to optimize the static power consumption of a Scan D Flip-Flop (DFF) based on the Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) 14 nm FinFET standard cell library. An improvement in both static power consumption and speed have been achieved by utilizing the TLLB optimization which can be further implemented in a variety of complex circuit designs. Furthermore, we have synthesized ARM A72 design using the standard cell library including TLLB DFF which can save 26% static power consumption compared to that with short channel DFF. The frequency is faster with shorter delay than the one using long channel DFF.


A novel quasi-Yagi antenna in 2.4GHz was enhanced in this paper. The cross polarization component caused by the transition from microstrip to coplanar strip line was reduced, because the improved G shaped CPS (coplanar strip line). Two director elements were designed to improve the gain. And the gain of the antenna was increased from 3.1695dBi to 7.1147dBi. The antenna was simulated by Ansoft HFSS simulation software and measured by physical antenna., which was proved that the structure of quasi-Yagi antenna is reasonable, it can effectively improve the gain and the performance of the antenna.


Intensive tillage degrades soil structure, decreases soil organic matter, and can cause soil compaction and erosion over time. Organic vegetable farmers are often dependent on tillage to incorporate crop residue, control weeds, and prepare seedbeds. Black, impermeable, polyethylene tarps applied on the soil surface and removed at planting can help suppress weeds before planting and reduce farmers' reliance on tillage. However, little is known about how black tarps affect planting conditions and how they can be used to advance reduced tillage production systems. This study investigated the effects of tarp use and tarp duration on the soil environment, surface cover crop residue, and weed suppression to assess the efficacy of using tarps to improve reduced- and no-till practices for organic vegetable production. Experiments were conducted at three sites in the northeastern United States (Freeville, NY; Riverhead, NY; and Monmouth, ME) for 2 years. Following the termination of an oat cover crop, tarps were applied over untilled soils and left in place for four time periods: untarped (control), 3 to 5 weeks (short), 6 to 8 weeks (mid), and 10 or more weeks (long) before two removal dates. Soil moisture and temperature, cover crop residue, soil inorganic nitrogen, weed seed survival, and weed percent cover were measured after tarp removal. Soil moisture and temperature were generally higher under tarps at the time of removal compared with untarped areas at 10% to 55% and 1 to 3 °C, respectively, but the effects were inconsistent. Tarps significantly increased soil nitrate concentrations by 2-times to 21-times with longer tarp durations, resulting in higher concentrations compared with untarped controls. Tarps did not affect the amount of soil covered by cover crop residue and had no consistent effects on weed seed survival of Amaranthus powellii S. Wats. or Chenopodium album L., two common annual weed species in the Northeast. Tarping for at least 3 weeks reduced the weed percent cover by 95% to 100% at the time of removal. Increasing tarp duration beyond 3 weeks did not affect any measures except soil nitrate concentrations. These results indicate that tarps can facilitate the use of reduced-till and no-till practices for organic vegetables by creating a nutrient-rich and moist soil environment free of emerged weeds before planting without soil disturbance.


The quantum efficiency (QE) of an electron multiplier tube with oxidized Cu–Be dynodes was measured for incident protons over the energy region of 0.5–2 MeV at beam currents of 0.1–0.5 nA. The QE is relatively constant with energy up to 1.4 MeV. At higher energy the QE is inverse proportionally to incident energy, dropping to about half the peak value at 2.0 MeV. The proton beam was obtained from a Van de Graaff accelerator at UCLA.


The ACFs were characterized by SEM,specific surface area analyzer and FTIR,and the adsorption properties of ACFs were studied.In addition,the adsorption kinetics,pH,adsorption temperature and initial concentration of methyl orange on adsorption ability were discussed in detail.The experiment results show that 150 min was chosen as the adsorption equilibrium time,under solution neutral condition,the removal ratio for methyl orange is the highest;and the removal ratio reaches to maximum as 93.45% when pH is 6.When temperature is 25 ℃,adsorption effect of ACFs is the best,the removal ratio increases with the initial concentration increasing.The sorption isotherm coincides with Freundlich model,and the sorption processes coincides with Langergren pseudo first-order kinetics equation.


We reportab initio configuration interaction calculations on the optical transitions of the E 0 center, a hole trapped at an oxygen vacancy, s—Od3Si≤ SisO—d3, in silica. We found two competing excitation mechanisms: (1) promotion of one electron from an O s2pd valence band orbital to the singly occupied Si dangling bond; (2) charge transfer (CT) transition from s—Od3Si≤ to SisO—d3. The two excitations occur at similar energies, ø5.8 6 eV (5.85 eV in the experiment), but only the CT has a strong intensity. The excitation is followed by a complex nonradiative decay process which m explain the absence of luminescence for this center. [S0031-9007(98)06572-7]


The industrial transfer theories based on cost difference analysis explain the driving forces and direction of industrial transfer at the macro level,but failed to explain in the geographical location of enterprises in the transfers.In fact,location selection of enterprises in the transfers do not only depend on economic factors such as labor cost,tariff cost,and transportation cost,but also the different social networks of the places where it migrates out and resettles in.From the perspective of the"embeddeness"social network of the enterprises,this article analyzes the role of social network in the transfer of garment industry from Shanghai to Ningbo.It finds out that the"Hong Bang Masters"working in Shanghai garment industry has been a key factor for the transfer of garment industry in Shanghai.In the early development of garment industry in Ningbo,"Hong Bang Masters"was the bridge between Shanghai and Ningbo garment enterprises.They had not only introduced processing business to the Ningbo garment enterprises,but also established networks between Shanghai and Ningbo garment enterprises,thus,helping the Ningbo garment enterprises obtain a large amount of processing businesses.Besides,these"Hong Bang Masters"had provided technical guidance to the Ningbo garment enterprises in person or by introducing other garment technicians.


Pulmonary tuberculosis (Pulmonary TB) eradication throughout the year between the urban areas and remote areas areexperience the problems. In remote areas it is diffi cult to overcome this problem because some patients are non-complianceto treatment due to less or there is no motivation to come regularly to check their condition, whereas in urban areas aremore faced to the problem of higher dropout rate. This study was conducted to determine the relationship of characteristics,knowledge and motivation of patients with pulmonary TB toward treatment compliance in Merauke. The research basedon the time it was cross-sectional research that using a quantitative approach. The population in this research are 213patients, the research samples was taken with cluster random sampling method that are 128 patients with smear positivepulmonary TB. Depth interviews were conducted to obtain more in-depth information. The variables that were observedare characteristics, knowledge, motivation and treatment compliance. The results of the research showed that there wasa signifi cant relationship between education and knowledge toward treatment compliance (p < α 0.05), it is shows thateducation p = 0.012 < α 0.05, there is a relationship between education toward treatment compliance with the level ofinfl uence is exp (B) = 0.144, as well as on knowledge variables p(1) = 0.001 < α 0.05 or p(2) = 0.000 < α 0.05 thatthere is a relationship between knowledge toward treatment compliance with the level of infl uence is exp (B) = 2.647 orexp (B) = 9.667. Meanwhile, on the other variables it has no signifi cant relationship. Distribution of pulmonary TB patientswho are non-compliance to treatment spread in both urban and rural areas, because a lot of people with pulmonary TBare with low education and poor knowledge. It is recommended to all of FPK in Merauke more often provide education,make home visits and to Health Offi ce District of Merauke it is recommended to improve the training of pulmonary TBand reduce health workers mutations that have been trained in pulmonary TB.


In recent years, growing attention is being focused on wavelength division multiplexing optical communication system as a promising means of mass-scale communication. To realize these systems, wideband and temperature-stabilized optical isolators are essential, which in turn require Faraday rotators capable of ensuring a Faraday rotation stable against wavelength and temperature variation. A new wideband and temperature-stabilized optical isolator for 1.55 micrometers wavelength has been developed using Bi- substituted holmium-ytterbium iron garnet (HoYbBiIG) single crystal as a Faraday rotator. The optical isolator features 0.34 micrometers bandwidth, less 0.6 dB insertion loss and over 37 dB backward loss at a wavelength of 1.55 micrometers throughout the temperature range from -10 to 60 degrees C. The Faraday rotation and optical absorption loss of HoYbBiIG have been investigated in the near-IR wavelength region. The specific Faraday rotation of Ho0.85Yb1.02Bi1.13Fe5O12 is about -767 deg/cm at (lambda) equals 1.55 micrometers . The Faraday rotation wavelength and temperature characteristics of HoYbBiIg crystals are also discussed. These result indicate that the Bi-substituted holmium- ytterbium iron garnet single crystals realize a high Faraday rotation stability against temperature and wavelength in the near IR region.


Often a dichotomy between daylight and artificial light is observed, often artificial lighting replaces daylight. In Denmark daylight  is  characterized partly by being  "borrowed" half of  the  year, partly by having  long transitions periods between the  light and the dark (nautical and civil twilight). For these reasons artificial lighting does not  complement daylight but provides,  coupled with  the daylight,  the  total  lighting  in  the indoor environment. Electric  lighting  is  therefore  ‐    in a  complex  interaction with  the daylight  ‐ of great importance for both our lighting and our wellbeing. Studying artificial  lighting without  studying daylight  seem  to be a  common procedure of  the practice of today  in Denmark and other parts of  the  industrialized world. As a consequence of  this artificial  lighting suffers  from  a  quantifying  tyranny,  a  tyranny where  the  quality  of  light  is measured  in  quantities.  This procedure  does  not  provide  a  good  and  sustainable  support  in  the  future  for  the  human  vision  and wellbeing.


In this "out of the box" session, two librarians from Arkansas State University (A-State) and Credo's chief content officer discussed their innovative collaboration in which A-State and Credo are working together to bring information literacy resources and instruction to local high schools in support of college readiness. The session covered several issues, including how the library engaged and garnered administrative support, the challenges in establishing meaningful partnerships with local high schools, and developing and tracking the right metrics to validate progress. Topics of discussion included ways in which the library is working to do more to enhance its strategic importance relative to administration goals; an overview of the established project goals and how success will be tracked in areas, including college preparedness, retention, graduation rates, grade point average (GPA), and recruiting; and why this matters to the A-State Library. Participants were encouraged to share their experiences and provide feedback.


Objectives: Histone deacetylase inhibition exerts anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic, anti-hypertrophic and anti-hypertensive actions in SHR. We hypothesized that histone deacetylase inhibition (HDACi) ameliorates deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt-induced hypertension by decreasing genomic effect of MR. Design and methods: Sprague-Dawley rats underwent uninephrectomy and received subcutaneous DOCA-salt (40 mg/Kg/Week) as well as 1% NaCl with or without 0.71% valproic acid (VPA) for 4 weeks. Blood pressures were measured by tail cuff method. The expressions of MR target genes and co-repressors were measured by real-time PCR. Recruitment of MR and RNA polymerase II into promoters of target genes was analyzed by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay. Wild type and mutant MR activities were measured by luciferase assay. Results: VPA administration ameliorated DOCA-induced hypertension without changing body weight. DOCA infusion significantly increased the expressions of MR target genes, which were attenuated by VPA administration. VPA administration decreased the MR binding induced by DOCA infusion on the promoter of target genes. VPA administration increased MR acetylation which decreases MR transactivation. Conclusions: HDAC inhibition ameliorated DOCA-salt-induced hypertension by increasing acetylation at the hinge region of MR, which decreased genomic effect of MR.


Visual evaluation and recognition of dairy traits of cows are preliminary indicators of milk yield, longevity, and reproductive ability of the individual animal, which is very important from the aspect of the economics of milk production. The deficiencies in the fundament traits lead to poor production, poor health and premature culling of cows from the herd. The paper examines the frequency of preferred scores of a certain trait in the first calving heifers according to the housing method (animals reared by individual agricultural producers and farm animals) and their origin (domestic and imported animals), as well as the impact of these two factors on the observed properties. Four fundament traits were analysed: the position of the hind legs, the development of the hocks/joints, the pastern joints and the height of the feet on a total of 954 first-calving Simmental heifers. Observed by the housing method, the higher frequency of the preferred scores for all of the fundament traits, was achieved by the farm cows, while according to the origin of the cows, the higher frequency of the preferred scores for all of the fundament traits was realized by imported animals in relation to domestic cows. The influence of the factors of the housing method and origin of animals examined by χ2 test on all the tested linear scores (frequency of scores) of the fundament traits was statistically very significant (p≤0.001), while the analysis of the variance (F test) determined high significance (p≤0.001) of the interaction between the origin and housing method on the height of the feet, as well as significant effect (p≤0.05) on the position of the hind legs, while on other linear scores of the fundament traits it did not exhibit statistical significance (p>0.05).


Background: Depression is a worldwide public health priority. Several countries have placed depression prevention on their public agenda and developed nationwide programs to reduce the social and economic burdens of depression. Although there is a growing attention to depression prevention in Taiwan, little is known about how depression prevention in older adults is delivered. Government educational documents offer a way of looking at how depression is presented to the public and the underlying political perspectives on depression and its prevention is conveyed.Purpose: This study examined how government educational documents frame depression and its prevention in older adults.Methods: Four government educational leaflets on elderly depression were reviewed. Texts were analyzed using thematic analysis.Results: Five main themes were identified: depression as having high prevalence but low awareness, depression as illness, reasons for depression, symptoms of depression, and depression as a treatable condition.Conclusions: Government educational texts apparently promoted the biomedical perspective of depression in older adults. Although depression in older adults was recognized as a public health problem, depression was basically framed within the individual context. Older adults were positioned as physical and psychosocial vulnerability and in need of professional medical help for appropriate treatments. This study highlights the importance of understanding the limitations inherent in the biomedical explanation with regard to guiding the development of depression care and prevention interventions. Successful depression prevention interventions may need alternative understandings of depression that take account of the dynamic relation to the social, cultural, environmental, economic and political contexts.


Disney films occupy a special place in the viewing habits of children, but their relationships with adult audiences are underappreciated and under-researched. At the same time, many assumptions are made about the concept of a Disney film, which is distinctive enough to warrant being described as a film genre but has not yet been described as such.
Using an innovative mixed methods approach, this research investigates the ways in which adult audiences negotiate and renegotiate their relationships with Disney films. To do so, the research first sets about identifying what a Disney film is, and therefore defining a Tangible Disney Genre based on an analysis of Disney's film output. An output survey analysing data based on 390 Disney films released between 1937 and 2015 allows a more comprehensive understanding of the Disney film than has previously been offered.
Following analysis of the tangible film output, attention turns to the audiences of Disney films, from fans to antagonists. Building on previous work by the Global Disney Audiences Project (Wasko et al., 2001), the research employs a sample survey and focus groups to define a Disney genre that is grounded in shared audience perceptions. This Fantasy Disney Genre is based on data drawn from over 3,500 participants.
Having established the Tangible and Fantasy Disney Genres, the two concepts are compared alongside evidence drawn from interviews and the autoethnographic experiences of the author to determine the effects of any differences and similarities between the genres. Within the comparisons between the two Disney genres is found the space for adult audiences to (re)negotiate their relationships with Disney films.
The outcomes of the research include methodological innovations, an updated and comprehensive examination of Disney audiences, and establishment of Disney genres based on both the Hollywood studio's tangible film output and the perceptions of adult audiences.


Multiple myeloma (MM) accounts for 1% of all types of cancer and for 2% of all cancer deaths. These numbers are approximately 13% for all hematologic malignancies and 20% for hematologic malignancy-related deaths.[1][1],[2][2] MM is a disease of the elderly reflected by a median age at diagnosis of


The surface and bottom water were sampling in ten stations of the coastal area of Chagwi-Do, Jeju Island, which was repeated 6 times in several different months(September, November, 2004 and March, May, August, and November 2005) in order to examine the physico-chemical characteristics of water. The temperature varied by approximately , ranging somewhere between 1 and . Specifically, the temperature of bottom water was , implying the emergence of low temperature water. The salinity ranged from 30.2 to 34.9%o, and the lowest salinity in August may be attributable to the effect of land-based water. N/P ratio, the growth factor of phytoplankton, ranged from 5 to 76, which varied depending on the season and station. The ratio, however, was over 22 on the average, suggesting that phosphate phosphorus is an factor that restricts the growth of phytoplankton. TOC in the concentration of organic carbon ranged between and , and the mean was . DOC ranged from to , and the mean was . The ratio of DOC/POC was 60% with abundant dissolved organic carbon.


Direct price controls under OPS really began when the General Ceiling Price Regulation (GCPR) was issued on January 26, I95I.1 Although described as an interim regulation, the GCPR remained in effect for many sellers and commodities throughout the entire period of price control from January I95I to March I953. In this respect, it paralleled the history of its predecessor under the Office of Price Administration during World War II, the General Maximum Price Regulation (GMPR or General Max), after which it was largely patterned. Each of these two general price freeze regulations was issued after an initial period in which reliance was placed mainly on voluntary or selective techniques of price control, and only after the stabilization agencies became convinced that such voluntary or selective methods would not work.2 Based on past experience, it seems reasonable to expect that, in a future general emergency calling for the imposition of direct price controls, a general price freeze will be utilized again. The purposes of this study are to describe the origin and development of some of the major provisions of the GCPR and to analyze and discuss some of the problems not apparent from a mere reading of the regulatory provisions themselves, and in doing so to set down some comments and suggestions which might be of value in connection with the use of a general freeze in the future. The factors that led to the use of other methods of price control for many things originally covered by the general freeze, are beyond the scope of this study. Under both OPA and OPS, a general freeze was viewed primarily as a comprehensive stopgap measure, and secondarily as a continuing mechanism for miscellaneous items. Some of these were not sufficiently important or troublesome to require specific regulations; for others, the freeze was as good a technique of control as any other.


Pomegranate is extensively cultured by creeping pattern in Xinjiang.The yield and quality of creep pomegranate were significantly improved after the pomegranate was reshaped and pruned by the double-layer twin fans shaping technique.The illuminance,temperature,CO2 concetration(Ci)in pomegranate tree crown,WUE,PAR and Pn between pruned and unpruned pomegranate were determined,taking Qianzihong pomegranate as on experimental materials.The aim of above experiment evaluated this shaping technique from photosynthesis characters of pomegranate,and provided scientific basis for the reshaping and pruning technique of pomegranate in Xinjiang.The result showed that in the south of Xinjiang,the illumination compensating point and saturating point of pomegranate individually are 57 and 1 500 μmol/m2·s.Pn of pomegranate reaches the max value at about 35℃.Compensation point and saturation point of CO2 separately are about 72 μL/L and 1 000 μL/L.Creeping pomegranate has distinct improvements on air-venting and light-directing in tree crown after it adopted the double-layer twin fans shaping technique,so WUE,Ci,PAR and Pn of the one adopting reshaping and pruning are evidently higher than the one without the same adoption.


In this paper, a metasurface (MS) is designed based on the hybrid array pattern synthesis and particle swarm optimization method for wideband monostatic and multistatic radar stealth. The non-absorptive MS is composed of two kinds of electronic band gap structures with the reflection phase difference of 180° (±37°) over a wide frequency range. Far field scattering pattern of the MS can be quickly and accurately synthetized by the method of moments and array pattern synthesis. A new strategy is proposed for realizing the diffusion reflection of electromagnetic waves by redirecting electromagnetic energies to more directions through optimizing the reflected phase arrangement for the MS by hybrid array pattern synthesis and particle swarm optimization algorithm. Due to the non-uniform distributions of phase gradient between neighboring lattices, numerous scattering lobes are produced in the upper half-space, leading to a great reduction of bistatic radar cross section (RCS). The −10 dB RCS reduction bandwidth of 80.2% is achieved for both monostatic and bistatic at normal incidence. The specular reflection and bistatic scattering for oblique incidence with TE and TM polarizations are also considered in detail. The measured results are in good agreement with the corresponding simulations.


ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship between KAI1/CD82 protein expression in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and invasion and metastasis.MethodsSpecimens from primary hepatocellular carcinoma (155 cases), tumorous emboli (22 cases), intrahepatic satellite metastases (4 cases), extrahepatic metastases (16 cases), and normal livers (5 cases) for which a tissue microarray was constructed and used for immunohistochemical detection of KAI1/CD82 protein expression. ResultsImmunohistochemical analysis of tissue microarrays demonstrated KAI1/CD82 protein expression in 61%(95/155)of the primary HCCs and only in 32%(7/22) of the tumorous emboli ( P 0 05). The expression rate was higher in HCCs with no metastases,nor tumorous emboli than in those with extrahepatic metastases, or with intrahepatic metastases, or with tumorous emboli respectively ( P =0 038, P 0 01, P 0 01,respectively). There were also statistically significant differences on KAI1/CD82 protein expression rate between well encapsulated and non-encapsulated HCCs ( P 0 05), large (≥5?cm) and small (5?cm) HCCs ( P 0 01), as well as HCCs with different serum level of AFP (≥400?μg/L vs 400?μg/L, P =0 036). ConclusionsLoss of KAI1/CD82 protein expression may be associated with invasion and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma.


Seismic shear magnification in the columns of multi-storey precast structures entering far into inelastic domain is addressed in the paper. Such structures consist of an assemblage of cantilever columns connected with ties. Considering analogy with cantilever walls, it has been expected that during inelastic response the actual shear forces in multi-storey cantilever columns could be considerably higher than the forces foreseen by traditional equivalent elastic analytical procedures (equivalent lateral force or modal spectrum).
A parametric study of a set of realistic three-storey structures/columns was performed. These structures were designed according to Eurocodes and shear forces were determined by the equivalent elastic (modal spectrum) analysis. Average values of the shear forces obtained by the inelastic response analysis were compared to those of the traditional (modal spectrum) procedure. They were also compared to magnified shear forces predicted using the shear magnification factor e suggested in Eurocode 8 for RC ductile walls. In parallel, modelling issues related to the inelastic response analysis of multi-storey cantilever columns were also discussed. Very large seismic force magnifications (up to 3 times and more) were observed. Therefore it is essential to account for this phenomenon in the seismic (capacity) design of cantilever columns in multi-storey precast buildings. It was demonstrated that for this purpose the expression given in Eurocode 8 to account for seismic shear magnification in ductile cantilever walls could be used with some minor modifications.


The Hispanic population is growing rapidly and is composed of individuals from many countries with varying levels of acculturation, education, income, and citizenship status. The Genesis Health and Empowerment Program was developed locally in 1993 to improve the health status of Hispanics living in Des Plaines, Illinois, USA. Understanding the quality of life and its cultural patterning for the community is an essential aspect of planning and implementing a health care delivery program. Using Leininger's Theory of Culture Care: Diversity and Universality as a framework, adapted the Concerns Report Method was essential for data collection. This paper describes the method used for learning about the Hispanic community. Steps included conducting three focus groups, constructing a structured interview guide, collecting data, analyzing data, and reporting the findings to the community. Some very preliminary findings are presented and implications for transcultural health care are described.


Objective: To evaluate effects of the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) on sexual hormones in rats with periodontal disease(PD) and to probe the mechanisms. Methods: Eighty 10-months-old SD rats were randomized into 3 groups,of which 16 served as control,40 rats were in PD comparison group,24 in intervention group.The rats were killed in five geriods:after PD model finished;before TCM treatment,on the day after TCM treatment;on the sixth week and the eighteenth week after TCM treatment.The level of estradiol and testosterone in the peripheral blood was measured using radioimmunoassay.We also observed living status of rats in every phase over the study period. Results: The levels of sexual hormones in rats with periodontal disease were significantly lower compared with normal rats and were significantly higher in PD rats treated with TCM as compared with those receiving placebo. Conclusion: Traditional Chinese medicine can increase levels of sexual hormones in rats with periodontal disease.


Decline in physical function is associated with older age. Healthcare utilization and expenditures related to physical functioning declines will likely increase as the proportion of the population of older adults rises. This study evaluated resource utilization associated with differences in physical functioning in a nationally representative sample of older adults.


During the recent Variable Energy Cyclotron experiment involving the elastic scattering of protons on 12C, the complete energy spectrum of the scattered protons was obtained by means of a 100-channel analyser (McKenna, Baxter, and Shute 1961, henceforth referred to as I). Two prominent peaks were obtained: the higher energy one corresponding to elastic scattering and the lower energy one to inelastic scattering with the residual carbon nucleus being left in its first excited state, 4· 43 MeV. In I the elastic scattering results were reported briefly. The purpose of this short communication is to discuss the main features of the inelastic scattering.


The Unified Modeling Language (UML) [7] has become the standard for specifying object-oriented software systems. Some of the tools are primarily designed to work on a direct mapping between the design diagrams and the software and vice versa. Since understanding the software is usually using more abstract concepts than those defined in programming languages, restriction of the UML used in these tools is not permissible. On the other side, visualization of changes to the software implementation and design documents require sophisticated layout algorithms. In [2] we have shown that most of the tools are not sufficient in that field.


Objective To evaluate the change of cardiac vascular disease(CVD) risk factors of CHD patients from 2000 to 2006(6years) from the first affiliated hospital of Zhejiang University.Methods To compare the data of patients in two separate different years.Seven risk factors were selected.Results Compared with 2000,in 2006(1)The hypertension increased 7.8%(P0.05) in male and 4.5%(P0.05) in female.The BP level decreased 4.3mmHg(systolic BP)(P0.05) and 2.8mmHg(diastolic BP)(P0.01) in male.(2) The blood-fat abnormal increased 10.3%(P0.01) in male and 7.1%(P0.01) in female.TC level decreased 0.7mmol/L(P0.01) in male and 0.4 mmol/L(P0.05) in female;The TG level increased 0.2mmol/L both in male and female (P0.05);The HDL-C level decreased 0.1mmol/L(P0.05) in male;(3) The diabetes mellitus increased 10.3%(P0.01) in male and 17.7%(P0.05) in female.The level of fasting blood glucose decreased 0.2mmol/L(P0.05) in male.(4) The family history of heart disease increased 11.5%(P0.01) in male and 12.7%(P0.05) in female.Conclusions During the 6-year period,the risk factors of CVD are still on rise both in male and female.Some of the risk factors were under control to some extent in male,more are still out of attention,especially in female CHD patients.


I assess the time-variation in predictive ability arising from the inclusion of macroeconomic and financial data in a GARCH-MIDAS model for stock market volatility. I consider whether the usefulness of augmenting a volatility model with economic data is affected by the state of the business cycle or the market environment. Results suggest the predictive ability of economic variables varies significantly over time, especially over long horizons. A central result is that models including economic data are useful for forecasting in low volatility periods. On the other hand, financial data performs overall surprisingly poorly. No single forecasting model or combination scheme is superior on all horizons and in all time periods, and while the term spread improves forecasting performance over long horizons, forecast combinations perform well over the medium term. JEL codes: G17, E44, C52


The present invention discloses a ball screw return system, constituted by a screw, a nut, and the ball number at reflux for assembly; wherein the nut fixing grooves provided along the axial cross-section provided with the corresponding insertion assembly reflux, which it is provided with a continuous cross-section tapered bore and connected to the through-hole, and the cross section of the spiral track, and do not interfere; and the reflux openings in the connecting through-hole assembly provided with a corresponding tapered bore of the convex structure of the steering, and the steering structure gradually nesting the respective shrinkage; whereby the design components may solve reflux return path smaller radius of curvature and the problems with fixed helical track grooves fitted alveolar destruction, return path so that the radius of curvature can be increased, thereby enhancing circulating balls therebetween the smoothness.


A limited investigation of a 1/24-scale dynamically similar model of the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics DR-77 design was conducted in Langley tank no. 2 to determine the calm-water take-off and the rough-water landing characteristics of the design with particular regard to the take-off resistance and the landing accelerations. During the take-off tests, resistance, trim, and rise were measured and photographs were taken to study spray. During the landing tests, motion-picture records and normal-acceleration records were obtained. A ratio of gross load to maximum resistance of 3.2 was obtained with a 30 deg. dead-rise hydro-ski installation. The maximum normal accelerations obtained with a 30 deg. dead-rise hydro-ski installation were of the order of 8g to log in waves 8 feet high (full scale). A yawing instability that occurred just prior to hydro-ski emergence was improved by adding an afterbody extension, but adding the extension reduced the ratio of gross load to maximum resistance to 2.9.


The objective of organization is the effective management leading to the effective utilization of time, to minimizing errors and to increasing the performance of organizations. By effective delegation process of tasks and competence, which is based on selection of appropriate employee with utilization of his competencies it can improve the performance not only of those employees in the process of delegation but all organization ultimately. In order to achieve the effective satisfaction of the delegated task, it is necessary to find a suitable and a competent employee. The objective of this paper is to analyse of the importance identification of competencies in the process of delegation. The paper is prepared on a theoretical basis. One of the conclusions is that by focusing the management of organization on competencies of employees, which includes the knowledge and they ensure their continuity the organization can achieve improvement of the management process ultimately.


Acid rain was a little‐known issue ten to fifteen years ago. Only a relatively small group of scientists seeking an explanation for the changes they observed in the environment were concerned with the problem. Today acid rain is recognized as an environmental problem of global proportions. Governments at all levels are moving to develop policies addressing the issue. As the topic has expanded from the scientific to the political arena, the public has become increasingly involved, and information sources have proliferated.


The proper connection between mortar and steel is one of the crucial issues in civil engineering. This paper has investigated the effect of polypropylene fibbers on the bond between cement mortar and steel, using "Twist-off" and "pull-off" tests. Moreover, in order to assess the in-situ mechanical properties of fibre-reinforced mortars, the correlation of records obtained from semi-destructive methods of "Twist-off" and "pull-off" with those of laboratory tests was determined, and calibration curves were provided, using the regression analyses. The mentioned tests were modelled with the ABAQUS software to evaluate the distribution of stresses and cracks developed during the semi-destructive tests. The results show that the addition of polypropylene fibbers reduces the shrinkage of mortars by about 13% and this has a direct effect on the bond between the mortar and steel. So that the shear and tensile bond of fibre-reinforced mortars at 90 days is 75% and 94% higher than conventional mortars, respectively. The reason for this is the effect of fibbers on the process of hydration of mortars and also to prevent excessive opening of cracks, which is shown by SEM. According to the results, instead of using an expensive and imported pull-off device, a cheap and internal twist-off device can be used to measure adhesion. Also, to evaluate the compressive strength of mortars, twist-off and pull-off tests can be used by placing the readings obtained in the equations y = 0.156x + 0.329 and y = 0.055x-0.001 instead of x, respectively, to evaluate the compressive strength of mortars.


Drive system technology is a key area for improving rotorcraft performance, noise/vibration reduction, and reducing operational and manufacturing costs. An overview of current research areas that support the NASA Rotorcraft Program will be provided. Work in drive system technology is mainly focused within three research areas: advanced components, thermal behavior/emergency lubrication system operation, and diagnostics/prognostics (also known as Health and Usage Monitoring Systems (HUMS)). Current research activities in each of these activities will be presented. Also, an overview of the conceptual drive system requirements and possible arrangements for the Heavy Lift Rotorcraft program will be reviewed.


P with their medical background and high caliber play key roles in a wide variety of areas in biopharmaceutical industry. In fact when we look though the array of people in most global pharmaceutical companies, it is easy to find physicians working in various areas, playing various roles, at different levels such as medical affairs, R&D, clinical operations, marketing, regulatory, pharmacovigilance, etc. Conventional doctor-patient relationship is essential to deliver medical care to individual patients. However, for any treatment to be delivered to patients, there are many physicians working in the industry to make that possible by developing new drugs, making sure they are safe and effective, setting values to new treatments, figuring out ways to lower cost and increase accessibilities, assessing adverse effects to minimize risks, making policies, and so on. In Korea, however, although the situation is getting better nowadays, physicians have themselves limited their scope of involvement in biopharmaceutical industry. The lack of necessary medical expertise is widespread throughout all aspects. Regulatory agencies, pharmaceutical and medical policy making bodies, pharmaceutical companies, bio-venture companies, clinical and preclinical contract research organizations, health information technology industry, medical devices companies, all are in need of physician participation. Global biopharmaceutical industry is one of the most competitive areas that only the toughest can survive. Korea is aiming to become one of the world leaders in this field as we have achieved in IT, electronic, and automobile industries. Physicians' commitment can make the difference.


In virtue of the strong oxygenation,ozone becomes a new good sterilizing agent.And the ozone sterilization as a new technology has been paid much attention increasingly.This article briefly introduced the development and principles of the ozone sterilization.And it also discussed the effect factors of sterilization,the application in food industry and its safety.


OBJECTIVE
To describe Ontario Telehealth usage for respiratory complaints during normal (i.e., interpandemic) circumstances.

METHODS
Descriptive analyses were conducted on symptom calls of a respiratory nature made to Ontario (Canada) Telehealth during a 25-month period.

RESULTS
Approximately 300,000 calls were made during the period under study, peaking annually in January/February. Calls were above average during the weekend and Mondays (p<0.0001). All-ages consultation rate was 0.21/1,000 (range, 0.11-0.43). Standardized call rates suggested an inverse relationship between age and call rate (except for >65 years of age). During peak activity, weekly telehealth call rates were up to more than twice the weekly mean and up to four times as high as the lowest weekly rate. Highest call rate was for under 5 years old (158.4/1,000). Male rates exceed female call rates in younger age groups; the pattern reversed in older age groups. The relationship between income and call pattern showed that income and call patterns were (1) directly related for under 5 years old, (2) inversely related for callers aged 45 years and above, and (3) bimodal (higher call rates in both the highest and lowest income groups) for callers 5-44 years old.

DISCUSSION
The advent of annual respiratory illness seasons under study here resulted in surge capacity. Data such as these can and should be used for exercises such as seasonal and pandemic forecasting. Also, recent pandemic experience has showed us monitoring both overall exceedances in usage and deviances from established demographic patterns could enhance existing routine surveillance.


The biologically active protein known as human granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G‐CSF) can be efficiently secreted from the transformed GS115 Pichia pastoris (GS115/pPIC9/G‐CSF), which contains an α‐mating‐factor prepro signal sequence and an alcohol oxidase I promoter, both introduced using the pPIC9 plasmid. To study the P. pastoris G‐CSF protein‐secretion process, changes to the plasma membrane's lateral domain structure were monitored using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The GS115 and its transformed analogue show that the plasma membrane can be described by fluid‐disordered and fluid‐ordered lateral domains. The relative proportion of these domains is a sensitive parameter that is able to describe the membrane's involvement in the protein‐excretion process. Here, P. pastoris GS115 served as a control for us to compare with the GS115/pPIC9/G‐CSF heterologous protein‐secreting cells. Electron paramagnetic resonance studies using the spin‐probe 5‐doxyl methyl ester of palmitic acid [MeFASL (10,3)] showed that during cultivation in a glycerol medium all types of cells had a relatively high proportion of cell‐membrane fluid‐disordered domains, while during the production phase the G‐CSF protein‐secreting cells showed a decrease in the proportion of fluid‐disordered domains. We ascribe this effect to the vesicular lipid exchange caused by the fusion of secretary vesicles with the plasma membrane during exocytosis. Using electron microscopy and immunocytochemistry intracellular vesicles containing the G‐CSF protein were detected. Our studies support the exocytotic mechanism of the heterologous protein secretion. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 81: 768–774, 2003.


ABSTRACT Since the density is an important thermodynamic property of the fluid in the wide field of experimental and theoretical studies, in this work, the density of CO2 and CH4, as prominent supercritical fluids in industrial processes was investigated. To that end, five equation of state (EOS) models were used to estimate density of aforementioned. Deviation of each EOS models is validated and then they were modified to achieve lower errors in density prediction. Accordingly, their adjusted correlations reduced the average absolute errors to lower than 5.6%.


Compacted the flat type maize hybrid,the compacted-type have physiology characters including compacted plant type.Large leaf area cofficiente,high photosythesis potential large storage capacity,high economic cofficience and net photothesis yield.These characters the physiologic base on high yield.During the cultivation of compacted-type maize,the density-tolerance characters were considered.We can enhance the plant density and field management to increase the validly of functional leaf and the supply of source.


Management of cystic adnexal lesions diagnosed during pregnancy is a challenging issue for obstetricians. The range of treatment options changes from immediate surgery to close follow-up. This pictorial essay illustrates the magnetic resonance imaging findings of various cystic adnexal lesions in pregnant patients. Magnetic resonance imaging may help in better characterization of some of the cystic adnexal lesions diagnosed during pregnancy without exposing the fetus to ionizing radiation. Cystic adnexal lesions are commonly diagnosed during pregnancy with the routine use of ultrasonography (US) in prenatal care. Most of them are corpus luteum or other functional cysts and tend to resolve spontaneously. 1 The management of persistent ovarian cystic lesions during pregnancy remains controversial. Traditionally, asymptomatic adnexal masses are surgically resected between 16 and 20 weeks of gestation. 2 Recently, close observation in selected cases was suggested as an alternative to antepartum surgery, and imaging methods can play an important role in this selection. 2 A prospective study showed that a leveltwo obstetric US may allow better characterization of ovarian cysts and should be sought before embarking into invasive procedures. 1 However, during pregnancy, difficulties are encountered in the visualization of normal ovaries or adnexal lesions by US due to enlargement of the uterus and displacement of the ovaries. Safety The Safety Committee of the Society for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging stated that "MR may be used in pregnant women if other nonionizing forms of diagnostic imaging are inadequate or if the examination provides important information that would otherwise require exposure to ionizing radiation." 3 However, as the effects of MR exposure in the prenatal period have not been fully determined, MR should be used cautiously, especially during the first trimester. Gadolinium-based contrast agents are considered pregnancy category C drugs by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 4 In animal studies, they have been shown to increase skeletal malformations. It is suggested to use gadolinium only later in pregnancy when the benefits outweigh the risks and to avoid using it during the first trimester. There is a clear need for further research about the effects of gadolinium in pregnancy. MR imaging was found to contribute additional information and be a valuable complement to US for evaluation of pelvic masses during pregnancy. 5,6 Especially after the evolution of fast sequences, MR imaging has been increasingly used in the evaluation of maternal diseases including characterization of adnexal lesions. 7 In this pictorial essay, we present the MR imaging findings of various ovarian cystic lesions diagnosed during pregnancy.


This research study examines the role of practical work in school science from the perspectives of students, science teachers and science supervisors. Specifically, the study examines the kind of emphasis given by students, teachers and supervisors in the United Arab Emirates to practical work. The study explored the views about the role of practical work held by 411 students drawn from the third year intermediate and second year secondary schools, in addition to 131 science teachers and 45 science supervisors. The participants responded to a specifically developed questionnaire consisting of two parts. The first part presented 20 statements dealing with objectives of the practical work in relation to knowledge acquisition, process skill and attitude development. The second part asked participants to respond to open-ended questions about laboratory practices. The findings revealed that there was a general agreement about the role of practical work in knowledge acquisition but generally participants disagreed about its role in developing learners' skills and attitudes with an apparent tendency among teachers and supervisors to favor that practical work should be directed towards developing process skills and scientific attitudes of the learners. Impediments to effective laboratory practices as well as implications of the findings have also been discussed.


The total RNA was extracted from the fetal liver and the endostatin gene was amplifieated by RT-PCR. After identified by DNA sequencing, it was cloned into the expression vector pGEX-KG and then transformed into the host cells E. coli DH5alpha and BL21. Subsequently the recombinant GST-fusion protein was expressed and purified.


In era of digital technology 4.0, it is developing like a storm, so the use of technology in this digital era needs to be utilized properly. The main problem of daily life is not being able to manage data well from various fields such as citizen data. Key issues in managing citizen data from the lowest level. Factors that create economic, social, cultural and security barriers can actually contribute if embedded data management is properly implemented. The most important thing is data processing, population data collection, one of which is influenced by population movement and population income processes, and Bigdata is needed to accommodate these data. The results of the research conducted that the response from the community is positive so that further development is needed in its application so that it can provide good services. Suggestions for further research to integrate other services so that the current community needs can be accommodated properly so that the future is even better.


Human is both himself a value being and the source of existing values, and he has maintained this status since first appearing on the earth. Whatever values, ethical, aesthetical, epistemological or cultural one, are produced in this process, on the one side of this aquation there is resistant matter, on the other side, there is struggling power of human based on dominating will. Thus, this process, consisted of value stystem based on the relationship between human and environment, continues to grow being added new things. On the other hand, there is a parallelism between the horizantal and vertical depth of the existing values and the quality of those who lives on it. In this sense, the most important factor which makes existency and permanency possible is the power, diversity and functionality of the existing spiritual accumulation. In this respect, there is an existential unity of fate between the capacity of axiological power of nations and possibility of constructing future.


The heavy rail surface defect detection is one of the most important steps in the production and test of heavy rail, which directly affect the overall quality of heavy rail production. According to the characteristics of heavy rail surface defects, uneven brightness and noise, the heavy rail surface defects are detected based on the mathematical morphology of multi-scale and dual-structure elements in this paper. Compared with the traditional edge detection operators, the results show that this method owns strong anti-noise performance, can detect the small defect edge accurately under noise, and the peak signal to noise ratio(PSNR) is 24.5dB in the condition of without reducing the detection speed. The results of detection are obvious superior to traditional operators.


We consider rotations on the torus $\mathbb{T}^2$, and we classify them with respect to the complexity functions. In dimension one, a minimal rotation can be coded by a sturmian word. A sturmian word has complexity $n+1$ by the Morse-Hedlund theorem. Here we make a generalization in dimension two.


Many scholars argue that learning occurs through activities, where business relationships are one such important source of knowledge. This paper develops and tests a model on a firm's capabilities and marketspecific knowledge and their impact on the firm's knowledge increase in a current international assignment. A questionnaire is developed using a real international business scenario to capture how a firm uses its capabilities in diverse settings. Responses to this questionnaire were collected from 144 small to medium-sized firms in Denmark, New Zealand and Sweden. The results show that business knowledge is important for the accumulation of institutional knowledge. Unlike the assumptions of the internationalization process model, however, the results show that firms do not acquire business knowledge and institutional knowledge concurrently. The results also show that the more the firm lacks capabilities for the current assignment the more likely it is to perceive that it lacks business and institutional knowledge. One implication for managers is that they need to be aware that the capability to conduct business in international markets is important for the development of market-specific knowledge.


his books contain African characters represented in a positive light and in detail. He was especially impressed with the people of Zanzibar and considered one Zanzibari to be ''superior in proportion to his wages to 10 Europeans, be they English, Belgian, or American'' (p. 170). His novel My Kalulu contains no European characters, only Arabs and Africans. Harry Johnston, who had numerous contacts with Africans, wrote in Stanley's obituary, that he had ''never known any African explorer more universally praised by black men than Stanley'' (p. 341, italics in original). Stanley traveled through Africa during a period of crucial change. The first four journeys described in Imperial Footprints were undertaken at a time when there were still uncharted lands—blank spots on the map of Africa. His later journeys were undertaken during the ''scramble for Africa'' triggered by colonial rule. Society circles viewed Stanley as a mere reporter, rather than a ''real'' explorer motivated by science and the desire to bring change (p. 74). The Royal Geographical Society was similarly slow to recognize Stanley's accomplishments. Stanley's perception of human-environment relations was quintessentially colonial. Newman makes reference to Stanley's views that Africa was untouched (p. 127), an empty land, lacking villages and farmsteads (p. 339), a productive garden (p. 194), and like Eden (p. 141). These aesthetically pleasing (pp. 120, 127, 194), underused lands could be improved by Europeans bringing rail (p. 119), straight roads (p. 169), and, in the long term, profits for Europeans (p. 80), and indeed for all, should free trade be implemented (p. 183). To succeed in Africa required facing adversity and possible danger from malaria, smallpox, diarrhea, hostile villagers, storms, difficult portages and rapids, food shortages, crocodiles, poisonous snakes, biting red ants, burrs, and of course grasses that wounded like knives. Stanley nonetheless believed that Africa was suitable for European settlement (p. 80) if Europeans could only learn to approach villagers with respect, never fire the first shot, and take reasonable precautions against exposing themselves to chills and disease. Stanley lobbied for an end to the slave trade (pp. 129–30), but his words were not heeded for some time. Stanley also followed the European tradition of naming places encountered after himself, colleagues, or others in his party. Most of those names have since been changed (Stanley Falls is now Boyoma Falls, Stanley Pool is Malebo) or were never accepted at the time, as Stanley sought to rename the Congo the Livingstone River. Kalulu Falls, which Stanley named after his most trusted companion, is an exception and it has not been renamed. Newman finds no credible evidence to support common allegations that Stanley had a sexual interest in boys, had a slave mistress, or that he kicked a man to death. Stanley was knighted and commanded considerable loyalty from those who undertook expeditions with him. His nickname, Bula Matari or ''breaker of rocks'' (p. 167), suggests that he could be a brutal disciplinarian; but viewed in historical context Stanley was hardly a monster. Another flaw may have been his loyalty, even to King Leopold, who was so willing to sacrifice large numbers of Central Africans for personal gain. Comprehensive and well-researched, Imperial Footprints is also enjoyable reading. The book is filled with interesting insights, such as Stanley's fighting for Union and Confederate forces, and perspectives, including that Livingstone's most important legacy may have been Stanley. This is a welcome addition to the relatively few Africa-focused biographies. Newman presents a nuanced portrait of Stanley that does not gloss over or make excuses for his disagreeable thoughts or acts. General audiences will appreciate Imperial Footprints along with Africanists, historians, and geographers.