In the present paper, a numerical simulation based on Kω-SST turbulence model has been carried out to determine the tandem propeller hydrodynamic characteristics in noncavitating viscous flow by using the commercial code Fluent. As the first step, the numerical approach has been applied to the case of single propeller and the comparison with experiment results was in a good agreement. Next, the effects of axial and angular displacement as well as the diameter ratio between the tandem propellers have been investigated. This part of the study reveals that the tandem with idem propeller diameters is strongly recommended to assure more advantages. Furthermore, the tandem geometry corresponding to the axial displacement equal to 0.6D seems to be the best configuration and the open water performances remain almost unchanged with the variation of angular displacement. On the other hand, details of the mutual interaction between tandem propellers were also given by showing pressure contours, streamlines and thrust coefficient. Globally, this study illustrates the advantages of replacing single propellers by tandem solution.


Investigation of initial cerebrovascular diseases spreading and clinical structure was performed on 1128 coal-mining workers in age of 19-55. Initial forms of cerebrovascular pathology was revealed in 19,24 %. Arterial hypertension was the main cause of cerebrovascular pathology in 86,6 % of patients. The obligate sign for those patients was high level of anxiety, which was related with workplace saving uncertainty.


Although back in 1980s Porter (1985), Kraljic (1983), Speckman (1981), and others already identified the strategic aspects of procurement, most companies have unnoted the potential of the procurement business function and e-procurement specifically until the late 1990s. The primary IT-interests of the management board were the internal processes (enterprise resource planning) as well as sales and marketing (customer relationship management). Lately however, Business-to-Business (B2B) processes and the e-collaboration between organizations have received increasing attention. (e.g., Braun & Winter, 2005; Cavalla, 2003; Versendaal & Brinkkemper, 2003; Kauffman, 2004). Procurement is a specific area of B2B-collaboration that covers both a company's internal as well as its B2Bprocesses. Procurement is broader than "purchasing." Purchasing is about selecting a supplier, negotiating a price, and following up the order, while procurement also encompasses strategic sourcing, inventory control, storekeeping, disposal, and even collaborative engineering (Weele & Rietveld, 2000; Moe, 2004; Batenburg & Rutten, 2003). Improvements in the procurement business function can lead to benefits in terms of cost savings, product quality increases and faster delivery of goods in many different ways (Chen, Paulraj, & Lado, 2004; Prahinski & Benton, 2004; Versendaal & Brinkkemper, 2003; O'Toole & Donaldson, 2002). Suppliers gain insight into the inventory levels of their buyers directly influence the production process of their suppliers (Womack, Jones, & Roos, 1991) and contract manufacturers insource production processes of their clients (e.g., Hagel, 2002). E-procurement allows companies to use the Internet for procuring goods, as well as handling value added services like transportation, warehousing, payment, quality validation, and documentation (Johnson & Wang, 2002). With e-collaboration and e-procurement tools that support the planning, decision-making and coordination of procurement (Johnson & Wang, 2002), boundaries between buyers and suppliers can disappear. Although there are many possible benefits anecdotal evidence shows that many initiatives and IT-implementations in the procurement domain do not deliver the suspected benefits, see for example Adamson (2001) and Pan, Pan, and Flynn (2004). This paper searches an answer, based on empirical evidence, to the question: "Does the implementation of e-procurement (IT for procurement) positively affect the performance of buyer-supplier interaction?"


In order to derive the evidence of the asymmetric price transmission, we employed the threshold estimation for the price relationship between the imported wheat and the wheat fl our prices. We estimated the exact level of threshold points of the imported wheat price that have diff erent impacts on the Korean wheat fl our price. Our empirical estimations proved the main hypothesis of this study, namely, that the impact of input price on output price is stronger at higher levels of the input price. In the sub-sample, which includes data from January 1993 to January 2008, the price transmission eff ect from the imported wheat to the domestic wheat fl our in the Regime 3, in which wheat prices are the highest among our three regimes, is larger than that in the Regime 2. In the whole sample, which includes data from January 1993 to March 2014, the price transmission eff ect in the Regime 3 is larger than that in the Regime 2, and that of the Regime 2 is larger than that of the Regime 1.


Link prediction in complex networks aims to discover hidden or forthcoming links between network nodes, and it is widely used in areas such as knowledge graphs. Existing Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) often only consider whether nodes are connected or calculate the weight of the links through node features when they apply network structure and features to learn node representation in the manner of neighborhood aggregation, while neglecting the intrinsic value of links. This paper analyzes the value of links based on network structure and proposes corresponding evaluation metrics. It integrates the value of links into the construction and training of the link prediction graph attention network, not only improving the performance of the link prediction, but also providing theoretical support for the interpretability of the prediction results. Extensive link prediction experiments were carried out on representative open graph benchmark data, and the results show that the link prediction framework proposed in this paper has good performance and generalization capabilities.


Build games with techniques and insights from a pro. Author and game developer Tom Meigs shows you the finer points of world building and behavior scripting. Learn about level stubbing, lighting, prop and item placement, camera tricks, particle and effects systems, communication loops, Massively Multiplayer Online Games, and much more.
Table of contents

1: Previsualization
2: Level Planning and Building
3: Lighting, Texturing, Particles, Effects, and Audio
4: Actors, Props, Items, and Camera Details
5: Design by Genre
6: Scripting Action Events
7: Quality Assurance and Play-Test Feedback
8: Design Considerations for Massively Multiplayer Online Games
9: Cell Phones and Wireless Gaming
10: Getting Started in Game Development
11: Game Development Career Choices
A: Reference Information
B: Tools Discussed
C: Career Guideline Worksheet
D: Quick Topic Summary for Designers
E: Ultimate Baseball Online Gallery


This article investigates the degree of persistence of different inflation rates for the Spanish economy using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the aggregate as well as for the regions, provinces and eight groups of goods and services, in addition to the Producer Price Index (PPI) for the aggregate and 24 industrial sectors. For that purpose, we employ: (1) the unit-root tests with good size and power of Ng and Perron (2001) with the small-sample bias correction developed by Perron and Qu (2007); (2) the nonlinear Exponential Smooth Transition Autoregressive (ESTAR) unit-root test proposed by Kapetanios et al. (2003); (3) median-unbiased estimations of the persistence parameter and the respective confidence intervals through the grid-bootstrap method proposed by Hansen (1999) and (4) median-unbiased estimations of the half-life of a shock in addition to the associated confidence intervals through the method based on impulse-response functions proposed by Gospodinov (2004). The results from the application of these techniques indicate that most of the CPI-based inflation rate series clearly contain a unit root. As regards the results for the PPI-based inflation rate series, we have provided evidence that the aggregate series appears to contain a unit root, while at the industry level the inflation rate series are found to be nonlinear stationary in 13 sectors. On the basis of this robust evidence of high persistence in inflation, policymakers should pay more attention to any shock hitting inflation, since the effects are expected to be long-lasting, particularly for consumer prices. Along these lines, it is essential to implement correcting reforms with the aim of raising price adjustment flexibility if one wants to avoid having to intervene actively in the markets to reach the inflation target.


We discuss the existence of solutions, under the Pettis integrability assumption, for a class of boundary value problems for fractional differential inclusions involving nonlinear nonseparated boundary conditions. Our analysis relies on the Monch fixed point theorem combined with the technique of measures of weak noncompactness.


Although it is certainly a childhood dis ease, many a pediatrician completes his resi dency having seen none or only a few cases of typical rubella. Despite this lack of ex perience he is likely to be invited by an internist or obstetrician to see a patient (often pregnant) with possible rubella or who has been exposed to the disease. On the advice of the consulting pediatrician, the pregnancy may be terminated or may be allowed to go to completion. In the latter case, he may eventually be called upon to evaluate the infant for evidence of con genital rubella. To handle such a situation intelligently, it is necessary to have a thorough under standing of the clinical features and epi demiology of postnatal rubella, the special circumstances involved with infection of mother and fetus, and the current status of methods for diagnosis, treatment, and pre vetition of infection.


Emotions and feelings: historical and multidisciplinary coordinates in a field of study crucial for education sciences. Kira Mahamud, UNED (Spanish National Distance Learning University) The author establishes as objectives three converging ideas: calling into question the "novelty" of the topic by recalling and highlighting the range and relevance of the contributions of important personalities in previous centuries; emphasizing the historical conception of "continuity" and "process" in the building up of knowledge around emotions and feelings; and, staking a claim for the need of an interdisciplinary approach to research by taking into account the progress made in biology, neurology, psychology, linguistics  and sociology.


Multi-class cardiac arrhythmia detection (MCAD) from electrocardiogram (ECG) using various machine learning (ML) techniques has been active research area for some time. In the context of real-time wearable applications towards MCAD, the real challenge is lightweight architecture development with high accuracy. This research proposes an optimal raw sample selection from cardiac cycles, optimal features selection and corresponding real-time low-resource hardware implementation for CAD. It describes a two-stage sample reduction and selection, through beat skeletonization and segmentation into pre-QRS, QRS and post-QRS region from a cardiac cycle. A joint feature set consisting of optimally selected 14 morphological features and 10 deep autoencoder (DAE) extracted features from selected samples fed to a random forest classifier provides 95.34% detection accuracy while evaluated with most common 8 classes from MIT BIH arrhythmia database. The proposed CAD was implemented in an ARM v6 single core controller with a detection latency of 182 ms and 200 kbytes of execution memory, with an improved performance over few published works on real-time MCAD. The results are encouraging for real-time wearable MCAD detection development research.


Pharmaceutically important chiral fluorolactam derivatives bearing a fluorine atom at a stereogenic centre were synthesized by a route involving copper catalyzed selective direct fluorination using fluorine gas for the construction of the key C–F bond and a biochemical amidase process for the crucial asymmetric cyclisation stage. A comparison of process green metrics with reported palladium catalyzed enantioselective fluorination methodology shows the fluorination-amidase route to be very efficient and more suitable for scale-up.


The invention discloses an ardealite producing method. The method comprises the following steps of (1) mixing concentrated sulfuric acid and process water used in wet phosphoric acid production into a dihydrate crystallization tank to react with phosphate concentrate; (2) feeding reactive slurry into a curing tank for crystallization, then performing separation inside a filtering device A, feeding separated liquid into a diluted acid storage tank, and feeding filtered ardealite into a semihydrate crystallization tank for recrystalization; (3) at the same time when the filtered ardealite is fed into the semihydrate crystallization tank, inletting steam into the semihydrate crystallization tank, meanwhile, adding in concentrated sulfuric acid, and controlling the solid content to be within 20-40% and the temperature to be within 90-110 DEG C; (4) after the slurry completes reaction inside the semihydrate crystallization tank, filtering the reactant inside a filtering device B, performing washing through washing water and then performing drying to obtain semihydrated ardealite. The ardealite producing method is easy to operate and makes full use of washing water used during filtering and washing, thereby having high practical value.


Many scholars pay more attention to the latent competitive theory,which is the basic theory about controlling the con- glomerate mergers.In the legislative practice and the law ordains of countries,there are two theory styles basing on the Antimonopoly Law about USA and European Union,the American type and European Union type legislative styles. Today,many scholars in our country used to tell the latent competitive theory about American type.But they often confuse two theories when they use them.It is necessary for us to introduce and analyze the latent competitive theory about American type in detail,so that we can lest the confusion.What's more,it is available for us to design our rule system about control the conglomerate mergers.


SPRING 2001 governing aristocratic class) and the rising class—the class he was trying to educate—whom he flatteringly called Barbarians" (258). How wrong can one get! The Arnold section ends with a witty send-up of Arnold's notion of God followed by a clever but, to my mind, tineared gloss of "Dover Beach" (1867). Worse, however, is his treatment of George Henry Lewes, whose Biographical History of Philosophy (1845–46) is described as "chatty," while Lewes is "a rogue of course. The various stories he helped put about, suggesting that his legal wife was mad or in an asylum, were all untrue" (149). Wilson cites Gordon Haight, but what Haight wrote was, "Rumor had it that the first Mrs. Lewes was insane, or a hopeless drunkard, or that her death had made it possible to legalize George Eliot's marriage" (George Eliot: A Biography [1968] 490). There is not a shred of evidence in Haight or in Rosemary Ashton's 1991 life of Lewes to support this charge or that Lewes was anything but kind to Agnes Lewes and their children. Such passages mar what is an intelligent and often lively account of the "death of God." Wilson, I take it, is a modernist believer; hence he is able to portray those who challenged the creeds with sympathy and understanding. He also understands what was at stake, that the crisis of faith involved a transformation of the credibility structure: what could not stand the test of science could not be believed; the Scriptures turned out to be voices of men and women, not the voice of God. He sees that the crisis also emerged from an inability of many, like John Stuart Mill, to accept the God of the creeds or the Bible as a moral being. His book is also valuable for its cogent exposition of Herbert Spencer, which will save many the task of reading Spencer themselves, for the chapters on science and on William James, and for insights scattered here and there, as in his contrast between Edward Pusey and Colenso or in his pages on John Ruskin. By and large, he keeps the distinction between religious belief and belief in Christianity clear; I wish, however, that he had kept the distinction clear throughout, between the rejection of the God or Gods of the creeds, and absolute atheism. We need to be clear about just what God was being mourned in Hardy's poem. John W. Bicknell Little Deer Isle, Maine


The performance characteristics of the Shuttle Imaging Radar (SIR-A), carried aloft on the STS-2 flight, are described and the results of its initial use are evaluated. The SIR-A is an SAR system operated at 1278 MHz (L-band), i.e., a wavelength of 23 cm. A seven panel antenna 9.4 m long was used, and scans were performed at a 50 deg angle of incidence to the center of a 50 km swath. Resolution is 40 m, and imagery is generated on a scale of 1:500,000. Sample images of a Brasilian island and the California coast are provided. Comparisons of the SIR-A imagery with Seasat SAR composite imagery demonstrate that the SIR-A is more sensitive to local roughness and only slightly dependent on terrain slope.


Polymer-based yolk/shell particles with functional components, including porous shells, removable shells, hollow cavities, or functional cores, are of potential utility in many contexts. We report ...


Experimental and theoretical cross sections are presented for the /sup 6/Li(/sup 3/He,/sup 3/He/sup 3/He)/sup 3/H and /sup 6/Li(/sup 3/He,t/sup 3/He)/sup 3/He reactions for the symmetric angle pairs 20/sup 0/-20/sup 0/, 28.3/sup 0/-28.3/sup 0/, and 35/sup 0/-35/sup 0/. The theoretical cross sections are calculated in a three-body model where the trions (i.e., mass-3 nuclei) are treated as elementary particles with /sup 6/Li being a /sup 3/He-/sup 3/H bound state. The trion-trion interaction is represented by S wave separable potentials with the breakup cross sections calculated with the tree-body Haftel-Ebenhoeh code. the Coulomb interaction is taken into account by fitting the separable potential parameters to the trion-trion scattering data and is included approximately in the breakup code. The experimental cross sections are compared with both the plane-wave impulse approximation and the three-body model predictions. The plane-wave impulse approximation predicts both the shapes and magnitudes poorly (10 to 20 times experiment). Without Coulomb corrections the three-body model gives good agreement with experiment for the shapes of the spectra with the magnitudes generally being about 40% of experiment for /sup 6/Li(/sup 3/He,/sup 3/He/sup 3/He)/sup 3/H and about 80% for /sup 6/Li(/sup 3/He,t /sup 3/He)/sup 3/He. The Coulomb corrections improve the magnitudes predicted by themore » three-body model but not the shapes. It is observed that for these reactions S wave separable potentials describe the breakup data much better than they do the two-body trion-trion scattering data. This result should encourage further three-body treatment of these and similar reactions.« less


INTRODUCTION Magnetic resonance imaging has been used widely for the detection of cartilage lesions (1, 2). In addition to quantifying changes in cartilage morphology, such as thickness and volume, extensive studies have been performed on T1 and T2 quantification which reflect changes in biochemical composition of cartilage with early osteoarthritis (OA) (3-5). Short TE projection reconstruction MR imaging (TE = 150 μsec) has been shown to provide superior delineation of cartilage lesions when compared with conventional spoiled gradient-recalled acquisition (SPGR) and magnetization transfer contrast (MTC) (6). Recently ultrashort TE sequences (UTE, TE < 100 μsec) have been investigated (7-9). Here we present multislice multiecho UTE imaging of the cartilage with an initial echo time of 8 μsec, followed by 11 echoes with an echo space of 5 msec. T2* maps were generated from the multiecho images using exponential fitting.


In the developing and changing environment, organizations should able to keep their internal and external environment under control and adapt to environmental conditions in order to gain competitive advantage. In order to fulfill these requirements, organizations must innovate in the context of entrepreneurship orientation. In order to realize the entrepreneurship orientation in organizations, it is necessary to create a positive atmosphere within the organization, to harmonize the goals of the individual with the goals of the organization and to have a suitable organizational climate to regulate the behavior of the organization


To address water quality concerns and numeric effluent limits, the designers of (bio)(in)filtration systems will need to integrate water and soil chemistry into the selection of filtration media mixtures. For the "dissolved" metals, designers will need to consider the ratio of valence states of the metals as they consider the proportion of ion exchange resins versus organic-based media in the final media mixture. As the correlations between pollutant capacity and soil/media chemistry showed, metals' capacity is directly related to organic matter content and the effective cation exchange capacity of the soil. Available stormwater treatment organic media provides a wide range of treatment sites, but possibly smaller numbers of each site type, compared to ion exchange resins such as zeolites. An activated organic media, such as granular activated carbon (GAC), will have an increased number of surface active sites potentially available for treatment, but this media may not sustain plant growth and may not be desired as a component of (bio)retention media. Other trade-offs also have to be considered in a complete analysis of (bio)(in)filtration media, such as the trade-off between organic content for plant growth versus nutrient leaching. Finally, there is a lower limit to treatment, after which no further pollutant removal occurs, especially given the contact time requirements based on draindown times required for many bioretention devices. Slightly improved removals for many metals may be achieved with much longer contact times, but the substantial increase in surface area devoted to (bio)(in)filtration may not be cost-effective (given the draindown time requirements). This paper uses "dissolved" copper as an example of how to use both soil and water chemistry to design an optimal bioretention media from a subset of potential mixture components.


This Thesis concerns the unilateral conduct rules of the Competition Act 2007 of Mauritius. The Thesis compares the 2007 Act against two other models of competition – South Africa and the European Union. The analysis demonstrates that the Mauritian unilateral conduct rules represent a sophisticated qualified effects-based approach to assessing abuse of dominance, however there are a number of issues regarding its implementation. In assessing these issues, this Thesis contributes to knowledge in this area in the following ways. First, it identifies the key role of competition culture in achieving long-term social welfare and the concomitant goals of the Mauritian unilateral conduct rules. Second, it demonstrates how a flexible approach to those rules, taking into account both 'object' and 'effect', will not only improve the legitimacy and transparency of legislation but also ensure that the Competition Act 2007 contributes to both the ongoing economic development of Mauritius and positive social change.


Nowadays the demand of multimedia services in a wireless scenario is increasing astonishingly and accordingly the requirements of bandwidth and quality of services towards the users. The study of the different scenarios where the providers will be offering such services is required in order to be able to ensure the quality. One of the most promising and less studied scenario is railways environments, in particular in tunnels. A tunnel is expected to be a multipath environment and so a natural solution for high rate communications is a MIMO system. In this paper the performance of a MIMO system is presented by means of a set of EM simulations of the channel matrix of the propagation inside tunnels.


Neurotrophic factors are growth factors that can nourish neurons and promote neuron survival and regeneration. Dental origin mesenchymal stem cells express various neurotrophic factors during tooth development and the expression level changes during cell differentiation. Dental origin stem cells are reported to mediate neuronal tissue repair by increasing the secretion of neurotrophic factors. On the other hand, neurotrophic factors promote survival, proliferation, angiogenesis, migration and neuron like differentiation in dental origin stem cells, which can be applied to the dental clinic. The prospective emphasizes the connection of the dental pulp stem cells and nervous system through neurotrophic factors.


This article sets out to determine the historical grounds for the rupture of Eucharistic communion between the Moscow and Constantinople Patriarchates. The method of historical genesis was used as a key research method, since it allows historical sources for the modern conflict between the Moscow and Constantinople Patriarchates, as well as the pattern of its manifestation to be identified. The article considers the entire history of relations between the Russian Church and the Patriarchate of Constantinople from the perspective of the ideologi© CC BY Багдасарян В. Э., 2019.


This study is to investigate the impact of supplier's network embeddedness for automotive parts on supplier's performance. Research model was based on the network theory with network variables, such as relational embeddedness, structural embeddedness and structural hole. An empirical analysis was ca...


The mechanisms underlying the crosstalk between the microbiota and the immune system remains largely unknown. We previously established that skin colonization with Staphylococcus epidermidisresults in the induction of T cell responses that control tissue function in a way that both enhances cutaneous immunity and promotes tissue repair. To uncover the molecular determinants of S. epidermidisthat stimulate T cells, we engineered a library of S. epidermidismutants with defined cell envelope alterations. Under physiological cutaneous colonization, we found that S. epidermidiscell envelope mutants elicit marked changes in the composition and function of the T cell populations in the skin. The removal of cell envelope lipoproteins and D-alanylation of teichoic acids almost completely abolished CD8 +T cell induction without significant effect on CD4 +T cell stimulation. Deletion of Tlr2gene also strongly reduced the CD8 +T cell response after S. epidermidiscolonization, while the CD4 +T cell response remained unchanged, a phenotype similar to the elimination of cell envelope lipoproteins and D-alanylation of teichoic acid in S. epidermidis. Furthermore, suprabasal keratinocytes express the highest level of TLR2 among keratinocyte subsets. Together, these results support the notion that the ability of S. epidermidisto induce CD8 +T cells is partially dependent on the host sensing of S. epidermidiswall teichoic acids and lipoprotein through TLR2. Using complementary strategies including novel mice models and imaging, current studies are focusing on deciphering on which cell population(s) TLR2 sensing of S. epidermidismolecular determinants is required for the induction of CD8 +T cell responses.


The present study relates the environmental risks in the Coast trough a comparative boarding between towns of the Figueira da Foz (Center of Portugal) and Areia Branca (Northeastern Brazil). The aim was the identification and assessment of environmental risks in an appliance context of territorial planning and management. The methods of study were based on empirical observations in land, contacts with the populations of study areas about the environmental risks and interpretation of satellite images. Most of the identified risks are present in both territories; however their magnitudes and expressions are different. According to the study, it is evident that Areia Branca city shows a better scenario in relation to the environmental risks, probably due to a low occupation throughout the Coast. Nevertheless, as the local tourism is growing, the local coast environment needs must be considered by the occupation planning because it points out some instability. Thus, it is still possible to minimize the future problems reducing the vulnerabilities due to the existing risks. The coast dynamics of Figueira da Foz acts as an important environmental risk specially the South of Mondego's estuary, because its consolidated occupation has been threatened by the coastal retreat, demanding urgent solutions to mitigate local risks and vulnerabilities; the mobility of the population, for example, may be seen as a solution which obliges to a different territorial organization.


Objective To study the efficacy of reteplase thrombolytic therapy in the treatment of acute myocardial in-farction. Methods A total of 120 cases of patients with acute myocardial infarction who admitted to our department from March 2005 to December 2012 were randomly divided into control group and experimental group, the patients of control group were treated with urokinase, while the experimental group were treated with reteplase thrombolytic thera-py, the therapeutic effect of the two groups were compared. Results After the treatment, the total effective rate of control group was significantly lower than that of experimental group, recanalization rate was lower than that of the experimental group, and the time of recanalization was longer than that of the experimental group. Conclusion Reteplase thrombolytic therapy have the advantages of lower degree of bleeding, higher recanalization rate, and shorter time of recanalization in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction, so it's worthy of clinical promotion.


The study carried out within the framework of this survey aims at two objectives first, it tries to bring to light the potentialities of the regions which are specially localized, and, at the same time, to set off their strengh against their weakpoints. The analisis in terms of space, which has a real impact only if it leads to proposals of development, particularly when it concerns the economy of a country which still knows an unsufficient development, the continuation of the study turns on some solutions, but which are not exclusive, allowing to lay the foundations of deveopment and territorial integration.


PURPOSE: An entrance guide roller apparatus of a wire rod finishing mill is provided to prevent facility accidents and product defects by accurately guiding a material to be processed which is transferred through an insert and an entrance guide box for finishing mill to finishing rolling rolls. CONSTITUTION: In an entrance guide roller apparatus of a wire rod finishing mill which is installed at guide holders(4) so that the guide rollers(5) are rotated around roller shafts(4), the entrance guide roller apparatus is characterized in that bearings(7-1), cup springs(8-1) and covers(12) are sequentially inserted into bearing grooves(5-1) of the guide rollers(5) so that they are closely adhered in an axial direction by bushes(10), and the cup springs(8-1) having an elastic gradient are inserted into the covers(12) in the state that the cup springs(8-1) are completely closely adhered to the covers(12).


Aim: To evaluate the effects of low level laser therapy (LLLT) biostimulation following open flap debridement (OFD) and correlate with GCF levels of sclerostin in intrabony defect management. Materials and methods: 30 patients with 2 and 3 wall intrabony defects were treated using LLLT biostimulation along with OFD (n=15) and OFD alone (n=15). Patients were recalled at 3 and 6 months to assess the changes in sclerostin levels, Plaque index, Gingival index, Probing pocket depth, Clinical attachment level, Defect depth and gain in defect height. Results: Both test and control groups showed a statistically significant improvement in all clinical parameters, sclerostin biomarker levels and defect depth from baseline to 3 and 6 months. However, the test group had a statistically significant reduction in defect depth at 3 to 6 months and the sclerostin biomarker levels also showed a statistically significant correlation to defect depth at all-time intervals. Conclusion: Within limitations of the present study it can be concluded that LLLT has a greater benefit over OFD alone in intra bony defect regeneration as observed by progressive bone fill from 3 to 6 months.


This study provides a descriptive exploration of the reason(s) why individuals who experienced a gambling relapse terminated the relapse episode and how they did so. Thirty-eight males and 22 females were administered the Relapse Experience Interview ( Marlatt & Gordon, 1989 ). Participants (N = 60) cited a mean of 1.5 reasons for terminating relapse, with monetary factors, affective factors, reappraisal and external constraints emerging as central factors in relapse termination. Participants reported using a mean of 1.7 strategies for stopping a gambling episode. The strategies used were identified as either cognitive or behavioural and were classified according to the processes of change model ( Prochaska, DiClemente & Norcross, 1992 ). Stimulus control, self-liberation, counterconditioning and helping relationships were the main strategies used to terminate gambling relapse. Participants showed a preference for using either cognitive or behavioural strategies rather than both.


During the initial months of a eucalyptus forest is necessary irrigation to ensure survival of the plant. In large areas with thousands of plots, the daily check in place the availability of water in each plot planted in recent months is a very difficult task. The work would be simplified if there was a prior estimate, reducing the number of plots to be checked and better planning in the displacement of personnel and equipment for irrigation. The objective of this work was to develop a warning system for the availability of soil water for irrigation management during the initial months planting in eucalyptus forests. The calculation of water availability in soil was based on the model of Rietche. The system allows you to set ranges of soil water for alerts. Indicating whether to irrigate, needs attention or is ok. Was incorporated into the database all company plots allowing the system run from the dates of initial planting and the last irrigation.


The paper analzes characteristic water levels measured in the Vrana Lake on the Cres Island in the period from 1929 to 2013. The objective of the analyses carried out in this period was an attempt, by application of primarily hydrological methods, to determine the key factors which caused the concerning trend of decrease of water levels in the lake since 1982. The Vrana Lake is a very complex hydrological and hydrogeological system, which is also under strong anthropogenic influences due to water pumping from the lake for water supply of the islands Cres and Lošinj. Additonally, its functioning is impacted by climate changes/variations. This is mostly related to the impact of increase in air temperatures in the past two decades, since no trend of changed annual precipitation quantities was recorded. Due to the large surface of the water mirror, a slight increase in air temperature can cause significant increase of evapotranspiration from the water surface of the lake. Through analyses conducted in this paper, it was determined that increase in the mean annual air temperature of 1 oC causes annual increase in evapotranspiration from the free water surface of about 5.8×106 m3 of water, and increase of evapotranspiration from the land surface of the basin of about 1×106 m3 water.


Introduction. At present, the questions about what requirements society and the environment will impose on a person in the future are particularly acute. In a rapidly changing context, it is essential to prepare students for their future professional activity. Implementation of the latest scientific achievements in the educational process fosters the fulfillment of these requirements. Methods and literature review. The paper discusses the possibilities of adopting artificial intelligence in education. The barriers to introducing artificial intelligence in education are identified. These are the lack of a formulated social requirement for the level of education of the future specialist; the problems of organizing the interaction between a teacher and artificial intelligence; the lack of a methodology developed to adopt artificial intelligence in education, the lack of appropriate scientific research, and the problem of knowledge representation for information systems. Conclusions. The findings suggest that the identified barriers are not myths. These obstacles hinder the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies in education. Neglect of these is- sues slows down innovation processes in education. The study of the objectivity of these barriers helps outline the ways to overcome them. The developed automated information systems are considered to be prerequisites for the adoption of artificial intelligence in the education system of the Irkutsk region.


Abstract Law No. 22/1999 on local governance gives more power to Local Assemblies (DPRD) as "the local legislative body". The Law No. 22/1999 lays down their rights and responsibilities in some detail. These include overseeing budgets, drawing up local regulations to select governor, mayor or district head (bupati), including the power to call the governor, mayor or district head (bupati) to account. The Law No. 22/1999 was revised by Law No. 32/2004. Under Law No. 32/2004 DPRD have loss many powers, including the power to select the governor, mayor or bupati. Today's main issue is strengthening the position of DPRD. This article shows up that the main issue not to improve a greater role of DPRD but by develops their capacity. Keywords: kewenangan, badan legislatif daerah, unsur pemerintahan daerah


Objective: Ingesting a mix of glucose and fructose during exercise increases exogenous carbohydrate oxidation while minimizing gastrointestinal (GI) distress. Several studies have suggested that a glucose-to-fructose ratio of 1.2:1 to 1:1 is optimal. No studies have quantified saccharides consumed during a nonsimulated endurance event. The aim of this investigation was to quantify saccharide sources used during an ultra-endurance triathlon and provide a resource for athletes desiring to manipulate the saccharide content of carbohydrate consumed during training and competition. Methods: Participant self-report and direct measurement were used to assess foods and beverages consumed during an ultra-endurance (70.3-mile) triathlon. Manufacturer-supplied information, high-performance liquid chromatography, and the US Department of Agriculture Food Database were used to quantify saccharide profiles of foods and beverages. Participants reported GI distress during the run on a 0–10 scale. A subanalysis examined associations between saccharides and GI distress among participants consuming ≥ 50 g·h−1 of carbohydrate during the swim and cycle. Results: Fifty-four participants (43 men) used 80 foods and beverages with a unique saccharide profile. Of total carbohydrate, median proportions as glucose, fructose, and sucrose were 64%, 5%, and 10%, and only 7 foods (8.8%) had a glucose-to-fructose ratio of 1.2:1 to 1:1. The median glucose-to-fructose ratio of carbohydrate ingested was 2.9:1 (2.2:1–5.3:1). Twenty participants consumed ≥ 50 g·h−1 of carbohydrate during the swim and cycle, and significant correlations with incident GI distress at mile 1 of the run were found for glucose (r = 0.480, p = 0.032) and fructose (r = −0.454, p = 0.044). Conclusions: The majority of foods and beverages consumed during an ultra-endurance triathlon did not contain an optimal saccharide profile. Furthermore, glucose intake was associated with greater GI distress among participants consuming a high rate of carbohydrate.


Objective:To observe the clinical therapeutic effect of the vacuum sealing drainage(VSD) technology on complicated traumatic skin and soft tissues defect.Method:A total of 14cases with complicated traumatic skin and soft tissues defect were enrolled in this study.VSD dressing was used in all patients to cover wounds after surgical debridement.Then the dressing was removed and secondary dermepenthesis was performed.Result:12 of 14patients survived after the secondary dermepenthesis,and other 2patients accepted two VSD treatments.Conclusion:VSD treatment can significantly accelerate healing of traumatic skin and soft tissues defects by draining the wound surface completely and stimulate the proliferation of granulation tissue.It can shorten the course of disease and reduce the pain for dressing change.


This study aimed to investigate the influence of surface modification of ZnAl1.9Eu0.05O4 nanoparticles for obtaining hybrid ZnAl1.9Eu0.05O4/SiO2 for application as a biosensor. Initially ZnAl1.9Eu0.05O4 nanoparticles were synthesized by combustion reaction and, subsequently, their surfaces were modified with silane agent. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and excitation and emission spectroscopy. The results showed formation of ZnAl2O4 as the major phase. By SEM, hard agglomerates, irregularly shaped in the form of plaques, with the presence of few irregular and variables pores were observed. The surface modification was confirmed by FTIR through the silanol and siloxane groups. The excitation and emission spectra revealed the presence of a broadband of ZnAl2O4 matrix, and fine and intense transitions from europium ion arising from doping of non-stoichiometric ZnAl2O4 with the europium. From the results of emission and excitation, it was observed that the luminescence of ZnAl1.9Eu0.05O4/SiO2 hybrid presented a small decrease in relation to the ZnAl1.9Eu0.05O4 nanoparticles. This decrease was almost insignificant in relation to the benefits of silanization caused by the introduction of functional groups that promote combination of hybrid ZnAl1.9Eu0.05O4/SiO2 with biomolecules, being this promising for application as a biosensor used in the biomedical field for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.


Multimedia has been investigated regarding its utility as an enhancement mechanism, primarily for distance education students in the first year university course Wine Science 1 at Charles Sturt University. The resource consisted of a series of QuickTime movies outlining oenological chemical analysis experiments to be conducted during the block teaching, on campus portion of the course. They were created using Apple Computer's iMovie software and were delivered via CD as a new component of the print based materials package commonly used in distance education supported courses. 80% of the students were able to make use of the multimedia files to prepare for the practical component of the course before on campus attendance. When surveyed regarding the value of this learning resource enhancement, the vast majority of these students agreed that effective learning, understanding and, notably, relaxation were all significantly enhanced.


Dear Editor, Stammering is a common disorder affecting 1 % of the population. It is characterised by frequent repetition or prolongation of sounds or syllables or words or by frequent hesitations or pauses that disrupt the rhythmic flow of speech. Stammering usually begins in childhood between the ages of three and five, and while as many as one in 20 children stammer at some point, approximately two out of three recover spontaneously. There is 74% overall recovery rate and those who recover usually do so by their early teens. Stammering is more common in men and occurs independent of race, culture, education or socio-economic status. The cause of stammering is unknown however a positive family history is found in 65% of cases. In monozygotic twins, concordance rates for stammering ranges from 75% to 89%. Some studies have reported structural brain differences in children who stammer, with the cerebellum and basal ganglia being implicated.' However, studies do not support a physiological cause of stammering and the more common view is that conditions such as shyness and social anxiety result from stammering. One repeated finding is that when people sing they do not stammer which suggests that stammering may occur more when there is ambiguity in what to say and when to say it. During singing there is no such ambiguity as the words are learnt and rehearsed. Case report A 30 year old mother of two presented to the Accident & Emergency department 10 days post partum. She described a four day history of elated mood, sleep disturbance, racing thoughts and over activity. She had auditory hallucinations of her dead mother's voice and believed that someone was putting thoughts into her mind. She denied anxious or avoidant personality traits and her general physical health was normal. Routine investigations revealed no biological or haematological abnormalities. She had developed a persistent developmental stammer in childhood and had no past history of mania. However, her treating psychiatrist noted that she had pressured speech on admission and that she was no longer stammering. She was commenced on antipsychotic medication and her manic symptoms resolved during a 10 day admission. At follow-up in the outpatient department, it was noted that her mood was euthymic and that she did not show evidence of stammer in her speech. She was seen at out-patient appointments over the following two years and her stammer had not returned at any point. Discussion Even though most of the evidence suggests that social anxiety is secondary to stammering, this case highlights the importance of mental state among people who stammer or have any form of speech difficulties. At the time of presentation DO'R was grandiose and disinhibited, with increased self-esteem and self-confidence. She was also over talkative with flight of ideas and pressure of speech and was less anxious and reticent in conversation. As stammering is associated with a reduction in self-confidence and self-esteem and assertiveness training forms part of the treatment, it seems plausible that situations in which self-confidence is increased could lead to a reduction in stammering. One such situation occurs during manic episodes. In this case DO'R's stammer did not return at two-year follow up and we can only hypothesise that her manic episode resulted in the resolution of her stammer. One aspect of note was the complete resolution of this lady's stammer even after two years follow-up. Her return to speech fluency was not due to antipsychotic medication as her stammer had resolved prior to the commencement of treatment. Further, most studies suggest that antipsychotic medication can induce stammering rather than treat it and although some studies have reported a limited benefit this is usually short lived and not long lasting. In the absence of a clear biological cure to her stammering it is more likely that psychological factors have resulted in sustained improvement. The resultant improvement in her self-esteem and confidence after the birth of her baby could have reduced the chances of her stammer returning. The relationship between self-esteem, mood state and stammering will be better established over time. At the time of follow-up DO'R was euthymic and was off treatment. If she later develops a depressive episode and her stammer returns then this would point more conclusively to a relationship between her mental state and stammering.


SM-1 is a new synthetic small molecule compound with antitumor activity. The metabolism of SM-1 is a key parameter that needs to be evaluated to provide further insight into drug safety and efficacy in the early phases of drug development.

 In this study, the biotransformation process of SM-1 including the metabolic pathways and major metabolites was investigated based on a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method. Upon incubation of SM-1 with human liver microsomes, five metabolites were identified, namely dihydrodiol formation (R1), hydroxylation (R2, R3 and R5), and debenzylation (R4) of SM-1, with R1 and R4 being the major metabolites. The enzyme kinetic parameters of SM-1 were determined by a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method. The enzyme kinetics of SM-1 obeyed the Michaelis-Menten equation. The Vmax, Km, and CLint of SM-1 in HLMs were 14.5 nmol/mg protein/h, 6.32 μM, and 2.29 mL/mg protein/h, respectively. The chemical inhibition studies showed that CYP450 isoenzymes were responsible for SM-1 metabolism in HLMs and CYP3A4 was the major CYP450 isoenzyme involved in the metabolism of SM-1; these findings were confirmed by using the human recombinant CYP3A4.

 Through identification of the biotransformation pathways and enzyme kinetics of SM-1, the metabolic enzymes for SM-1 in HLMs are characterized.


Our previous studies have suggested that the Pattern of Autofluorescence (AF) of the skin and fingernails is a novel biomarker for non-invasive diagnosis of several major diseases. In order to improve this new technology, it is critical to further investigate the factors that can influence the AF in natural populations, populations at-risk of developing major diseases and patient populations. Our current study found that both the green AF intensity and the AF asymmetry of the fingernails and the skin of Dorsal Index Fingers of the smokers were significantly higher than those of the non-smokers in natural populations and the population at-risk of developing stroke. In the population of acute ischemic stroke patients, the green AF intensity of the fingernails and the skin of Dorsal Index Fingers, Ventroforefingers and Centremetacarpus of the smokers was significantly higher than that of the non-smokers. In both fingernails and Dorsal Index Fingers, the AF intensity of the male persons was also significantly higher than that of the female persons, while the AF intensity of the male non-smokers was similar with that of female non-smokers. Collectively, our study has indicated that smoking is an important factor associated with significantly increased AF intensity and AF asymmetry of the fingernails and certain positions of the skin in these populations, which is critical for understanding the mechanisms underlying the changes of the AF in these populations. Our study has also indicated smoking as a key factor for gender differences in the AF intensity at fingernails and Dorsal Index Fingers.


In a complex supply chain, in which several traders compete in a component procurement market as well as in a sales market where assembled products are sold through reverse auctions, product pricing is a vital, yet non-trivial task. In this thesis, a product pricing approach using adaptive real-time regime-based probability of acceptance estimations is proposed. Based on economic regime estimations, price distributions are approximated, which are adapted using relevant available information on prices and characteristics of customer requests for quotes. Artificial neural networks are trained to act as adapter and estimate parameters for the double-bounded log-logistic function assumed to be underlying the prices. This adaptation differs per market condition and is corrected using an error factor, which is updated on-line. Given the parametric approximation of the price distribution, the probability of acceptance is estimated using a closed-form mathematical expression. This expression can then be used to determine the price yielding a desired quota. The approach is implemented in the MinneTAC trading agent and tested against a price-following product pricing approach in the TAC SCM game. The new product pricing approach yields a significant performance improvement; more orders are obtained against higher prices. Profits are more than doubled.


A method involving cloud point-salting out extraction (CPSOE) coupled with UHPLC-MS/MS was developed for the determination of eleven sulfonamides in milk. In this study, the type and concentration of the surfactant, de-emulsification condition, pH value, volume of n -butanol, equilibration temperature and time were optimized. For this developed method, the linear range of SAs was from 0.05 to 50 µg L^–1, and the correlation coefficients were higher than 0.997. The average recoveries for SAs were from 61.32 to 91.67%, and the LOQs were less than 0.06 µg kg^–1.


The application of capillary screen liquid acquisition devices to space-based cryogenic propulsion systems is expected to necessitate thermodynamic conditioning in order to stabilize surface tension retention characteristics. The present results have been obtained in the framework of the research of low gravity condensation-flow processes for conditioning cryogenic liquid acquisition devices. The following system is studied: On the top of a subcooled horizontal disk, a liquid film condenses from the ambient saturated vapor. The liquid is forcedly removed at the disk edge, and there is an outward radial flow of the film. Stationary regimes of the flow are uncovered such that (i) the gravity is negligible, being eclipsed by the capillary forces; (ii) the film thickness is everywhere much smaller than the disk radius; and (iii) the slow-flow lubrication approximation is valid. A nonlinear differential equation for the film thickness as a function of the radial coordinate is obtained. The (two-dimensional) fields of velocities, temperature and pressure in the film are explicitly determined by the radial profile of its thickness. The equilibrium is controlled by two parameters: (i) the vapor-disk difference of temperatures and (ii) the liquid exhaust rate. For the flow regimes with a nearly uniform film thickness, the governing equation linearizes, and the film interface is analytically predicted to have a concave-up quartic parabola profile. Thus, perhaps counter-intuitively, the liquid film is thicker at the edge and thinner at the center of the disk.


General Introduction Solar Energy Photovoltaic and Photovoltaic Thermal Systems Biofuels Biopower Hydropower Wind Energy Geothermal Energy Ocean Thermal, Tidal, Wave and Animal Energy Sustainable Environment Energy and Exergy Analysis Economics of Renewable Energy Appendix Glossary Subject Index


A pot experiment was conducted to study the effects of mulching with straw of different cadmium hyperaccumulators (Crassocephalum crepidioides, Galinsoga parviflora, Youngia japonica and Gnaphalium affine) on antioxidant enzyme systems of grape seedlings under cadmium stress. The results showed that all the straw-mulch treatments increased the peroxidase (POD) activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and soluble protein content of grape seedlings, but decreased the catalase (CAT) activity and malonic dialdehyde (MDA) content of grape seedlings. Mulching with straw of Y. japonica, the POD activity and SOD activity reached the highest level, which was 35.81% and 19.63% higher than monoculture respectively. Mulching with straw of Galinsoga parviflora, the soluble protein content reached the highest level, which was 29.23% higher than monoculture. However, all the straw-mulch treatments decreased CAT activity and MDA content compared with monoculture, and mulching with Y. japonica straw was the lowest, which was 85.49% and 68.49% lower than monoculture. In conclusion, covering different cadmium hyperaccumulator straws under cadmium stress can promote the growth of grape seedlings.


Introduction. During the 20th century the functions and essence of museums have undergone changes. One of the most relevant functions of modern museums is museumification. The purpose of the paper is to reveal the features of digital museumification as a promising direction and an actual form of museumification of material and non-material objects included in the socio-cultural environment. Discussion. The undertaken historiographical review allowed us to conclude that there is a sufficient methodological and factual basis for a comprehensive study of the essence of museumification. At the same time, many problems of the theory and practice of museumification have not even received a problematic definition. Analysis. Museumification is of particular importance in the activities of saving, preserving, and introducing cultural heritage objects into the modern socio-cultural environment. In modern domestic and foreign practice museumification develops in two main directions: removal from the natural area and museumification of cultural heritage monuments through actualization or introduction into the socio-cultural environment. The monument, which is a harmonious part of the socio-cultural environment, does not require artificial conservation of the habitat or the area of the monument. It is determined that for such objects of museumification it is reasonable to use the concept of "dynamic museumification". The most adequate form of "dynamic museumification" should be considered digital museumification. Results. Digital museumification should be understood as an activity for the transformation of cultural heritage objects into living objects that develop together with their cultural space and socio-cultural environment. Digital museumification is presented as a combination of actions and means pointed at ensuring the implementation of preservation and popularizations tasks within the framework of the "smart city" system being formed. Digital museumification objectively makes it necessary to create open information bases for all interested persons. The detected connection between the space of a monument and the channels of forming the historical memory determines the need for organizing digital museumification in a digital creative urban space.


Current neural machine translation (NMT) approaches achieve state-of-the-art accuracy in high-resource contexts. However, NMT requires a great deal of parallel data to deliver acceptable results; thus, it is currently unsuited for translating in lowresource contexts (especially when compared to phrase-based approaches). We propose a method that better leverages the limited data available in such low-resource settings by adapting the model for each sentence at inference time. A general NMT model is trained on the limited training data; then, for each test sentence, its parameters are fine-tuned over a subset of similar sentences extracted from the training set. We experiment with various similarity metrics to extract these similar sentences. It is observed that the sentenceadapted models achieve slightly increased BLEU scores compared to standard neural approaches on a Xhosa-English dataset.


In the past, consultancy was limited to human experts and once the expert dies or disappears all the expertise they have vanishes as well. With today's high technology, IT has been involved in all life's aspects, which made life easy and fast. This paper discusses how IT can increase the effectiveness of giving an expert advice within a particular field. It shows how IT expert systems become as alternative of human experts providing high quality and accurate information to achieve maximum potentials.


Abstract Poly(vinyl alcohol)-poly[2-(4-acetylphenoxy)-2-oxoethyl-2-methylacrylate]/poly(vinyl alcohol)-cellulose composite membranes were generated, characterized and used to isolate Fe (III) and Cu (II) ions from aqueous media. The effects of pH and ion concentration on percent retention and flux were observed in the ultrafiltration of the heavy metals with a stirred ultrafiltration cell at a stirring speed of 300 rpm and a pressure of 60 psi. The maximum overall % retention of the Fe (III) ions by the membranes from the solution was observed to be 89.05% as a result of the tests. In these experiments the pH and Fe (III) concentrations were selected as 6 and 0.1 × 10−4 M respectively. The maximum overall % retention of the Cu (II) ions from the solution was observed to be 71.35% at a pH of 5 and concentration of 0.1 × 10−4 M for Cu (II) solutions.


James Gordon, PT, EdD, FAPTA (Fig. 1), is professor as well as associate dean and chair of the Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy at the University of Southern California. He received his bachelor of science in physical therapy degree from the State University of New York–Downstate Medical Center. He then worked for 6 years as a physical therapist in acute care, rehabilitation, and home care settings before entering graduate school with the goal of becoming a researcher in the science underlying neurologic rehabilitation. In 1985, he was awarded a doctor of education in movement science degree at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Figure 1.
James Gordon at NEXT in Charlotte, NC.

After graduation, Dr Gordon worked as a researcher with a focus on the neural control of movement, especially the roles of proprioceptive information in control of reaching movements. He has held full-time faculty positions in the physical therapy departments at Columbia University, New York Medical College, and University of Southern California. As a researcher and educator, he is recognized for his lectures and writings on applying research in motor control and motor learning to neurological rehabilitation. He also has taught courses in professional practice and co-authored a text on documentation in physical therapy.

Long active in APTA, Dr Gordon is a member of the Education Section, Neurology Section, and Section on Research. Among many other accomplishments, he co-directed PTClinResNet, a groundbreaking, Foundation of Physical Therapy–funded clinical research network. He has been an advocate for excellence in academic physical therapy, and, most recently, he played a leading role in the formation of the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy. Dr Gordon became a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of APTA in 2005 and was chosen to deliver the Education Section's Pauline Cerasoli Lecture in 2011.

Thank you, Paul [Rockar], for your generous introduction.

Good …


ABSTRACT Criminological research about blacks' criminality proliferated during the 1960s. Since then, a great body of knowledge about them has been produced that has attributed their criminality to various causes. However, prior to that date, such knowledge was scarce. What were the explanations of blacks' criminality before that (roughly between 1630s-1950s)? I argue that during this period five successive explanations of their criminality emerged: popular, religious, speculative, pseudoscientific, and scientific. This mainly had to do with the gradual transformation of America from an agricultural-rural-communal-religious society to an industrial-urban-individualistic-scientific one.


54 This article focuses on a commodity flow model for an exclave region (CFMER). The CFMER development is aimed at identifying aggregate proportions of the exclave's economy in the transitional period of the special economic zone (SEZ) functioning. The key method of analysis is the comparison of data on the generation of gross regional product and regional foreign economic activities (including export and import of goods and moving goods from/into the Kaliningrad region to other Russian regions). It results in a conceptual CFMER, which is assessed as of 2011. The availability of additional — as compared to a regular region — data on commodity flows in the framework of the SEZ transitional period makes it possible to identify structural disproportions in the economy. It is shown that the introduction of the SEZ transitional period did not result in a change in the conceptual model of the regional economy's functioning merely increasing the opportunities for rent extraction. The authors predict structural imbalances in the exclave economy at the microlevel, in particular, the article analyses the conceptual model of rent extraction in the SEZ transitional period. The CFMER can be used for forecasting the development of exclave's economy under different scenarios of the evolution of SEZ in the Kaliningrad region.


Recently, the technology related to microsatellites has been developed continuously, and more and more microsatellites are put into space mission accomplishment. The remote surveillance radar frequency band is often in the radar resonance region of tiny targets in space, so using the pole characteristics for space target identification has good development prospects. In this paper, the pole characteristics of complex targets are studied using principal component analysis combined with matrix beam method, and the main poles of complex targets are corresponded to their physical structures by analysing the polar variations of targets with small structural differences and targets with similar structures of different sizes. In addition, this paper makes the necessary experimental investigation for the application of pole characteristics to air and space scenarios by identifying minute-difference targets based on pole characteristics.


A fundamental limit for GSL-based metasurfaces is their power efficiency, especially at large deflection angles. Here we designed and fabricated the bi-anisotropic cells for wavefront transformation acoustic metasurface that overcomes this limit, allowing us to steer the power flow without parasitic scattering. Our discretized design is verified numerically and experimentally.


The alternating direction method of multipliers has become in recent years the most widely used proximal method for signal processing. In this paper, we lay the groundwork for a new notion of proximity and use it to illustrate that the method (ADMM) is actually somewhat of a maladroit rearrangement of a new, more practical procedure that generalizes the Douglas-Rachford algorithm. Compared to ADMM, the algorithm that we propose enjoys not only a more sensible form, but also a more general convergence result.


Extensive research has been carried out for developing nanocarriers to overcome the major barriers preventing success in oral insulin therapy, which includes (a) identification of in vivo barriers, (b) incorporation of prerequisite characteristics into single nanocarrier, and (c) exclusion of the use of additional potentially toxic chemicals as enzyme inhibitors or permeation enhancers. The present review identifies the prerequisite characteristics of single nanocarrier that could avoid major hindrance being faced in oral insulin delivery. An effort is made to discuss the involvement of prerequisite characters to overcome the major hurdles, which prevent the success in oral insulin delivery. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT


The idea of Regional integration can be traceable to the evolvement of the international trade relations in the post-war period, linked regionalism, while regionalism itself can be understood through two different historical perspectives. The first occurred in 1951 and1957 with European Coal and Steel Community (1951) and the second with European Economic Community. This two served as forerunners of the European Union. Thus, in the developing world, especially in Latin America and Africa, there was adoption of import-substituting regional integration as the means to effect inward-looking growth. Most of the developing country schemes initiated at this time eventually became moribund or even collapsed, while the growing momentum of multilateral liberalization in the 1970s and 1980s contributed to the decline in the importance attached to regionalism, while the second is traceable to the second half of the 1980s. Thus, under the impetus of the European cooperation, the 1960s wave of regionalism reached Africa with the founding of the Central African Customs Union in 1964, Latin America via the Central American Common Market in 1960 and the Andean Pact in 1969. In Asia, ASEAN was launched in 1967. However, the idea of regional integration in West Africa (even though accompanied with some form of politics) is aimed at bringing economic unity in trade, commerce and development. It is also aimed at limiting or even eliminating all trade barriers in the region and promoting socio-economic development of member states. ECOWAS as a sub-regional organisation was launched through the Treaty of Lagos in 1975, with the primary goals of promoting regional trade, economic cooperation and self-reliance in the sub-region. To accelerate integration, a revised ECOWAS Treaty was signed in 1993. Its aspirations are basically channelled towards a common market and a single currency among member states. This essay tend look at ECOWAS regional integration and single currency agenda and assess its successes, and supervision, challenges and applicable theories for continued achievement.


We document the regional characteristics in China's global value chains. In contrast to the previous related literature, we focus on the right definition of domestic value added (DVA) in bilateral–sector exports and study the heterogeneity of the share of DVA finally absorbed abroad in exports (DVA ratio) across bilateral trade partners. We find that China's DVA ratio within the "Asian factory" region is smaller and declines more over time than outside, showing typical regional characteristics of China's value chains. Instead of final exports, intermediate exports play a dominant role in explaining the regional characteristics. This is a new finding. Using a structural gravity model, we find that DVA ratio in intermediates has fallen more across proximate trade partners for China.


Hashing based dictionaries are one of the most fundamental data structures in computer science, in both theory and practice. They have been intensively studied for decades, and numerous results have been obtained in many memory models. In this survey, we try to cover some basic approaches and techniques for designing hashing based dictionaries. We focus on three most popular memory models: the RAM model, the I/O model [1] and the cache-oblivious model [18]. Some lower bound results are discussed as well. This survey is in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. qualifying examination in computer science, HKUST The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology Ph.D Qualifying Exam Computer Science and Engineering


With the proliferation of mobile devices and location-based services, rich geo-tagged data is becoming prevalent and this offer great opportunities to understand different geographical regions (e.g., shopping areas). However, the huge number of regions with complicated spatial information are expensive for people to explore and understand. To solve this issue, we study the problem of searching similar regions given a user specified query region. The problem is challenging in both similarity definition and search efficiency. To tackle the two challenges, we propose a novel solution equipped by (1) a deep learning approach to learning the similarity that considers both object attributes and the relative locations between objects; and (2) an efficient branch and bound search algorithm for finding top-N similar regions. Moreover, we propose an approximation method to further improve the efficiency by slightly sacrificing the accuracy. Our experiments on three real world datasets demonstrate that our solution improves both the accuracy and search efficiency by a significant margin compared with the state-of-the-art methods.


In the system without DC circuit breaker, the equivalent capacitor voltage and the fault current of hybrid converter before and after blocking based on full bridge sub-module and double active bridge under the bipolar short circuit fault are deduced, and the analytical formulas are obtained. The transient characteristics of the system before and after locking are analyzed, and the system restart process after fault clearance is analyzed. In order to accelerate the restart process after fault clearing, a fast restart strategy for hybrid converter is proposed. The strategy points out that during the blocking period of the hybrid converter, while energy storage provides power support for essential loads such as data center, the capacitor voltages of sub-modules during the blocking period are adjusted to shorten the restart time and ensure that the system can restart safely and reliably. A simulation model is built on the PSCAD/EMTDC simulation platform to verify the correctness of the strategy.


Charles Yates Fell photograph album. Many of the photographs taken by C Y Fell. Album created as a memory for relative, Alice Blake (nee Richmond), including portraits and group portraits of family and friends; scenes of holidays around the Totaranui, Abel Tasman National Park area; and the homes of the Richmond family (Fairfield) and the Fell family (St John's) in Nelson. One image shows all the members of the New Zealand House of Representatives 3rd Parliament in 1851 (Most are named). Many of the images are of festive occasions with large family gatherings, including Xmas parties and costumes for a fancy-dress ball at Totaranui (January 1890).
Source of title - Title supplied by Library
Other Titles - Fell album 2
Inscriptions: Album page - "Alice Blake, from Charles Y. & Edith E. Fell, January 1892. In loving remembrance of old times, St. John's, Nelson, N.Z."
Quantity: 1 album(s) Album(s).
Physical Description: Album with brown paper covers entitled "N.Z." in dark-brown water-coloured letters, 28.0 x 37.5 cm
Provenance: Donated by Belinda Hector, Eastbourne, 1987


This is a public dataset for the Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The public database consists of four tables. One of the tables is a spatial table: INTERMODAL_FACILITY. The three other tables consist of attribute data for the database: INTERMODAL_CARGO, INTERMODAL_COMMODITY and INTERMODAL_DIRECTIONALITY. This database was based on the requirements from the Commodity Flow Survey and with the different modes of DOT, supervised by BTS. The database will extend its design to support all of the modes within the DOT and in reference to modes involved with Intermodal transfer.


A gas concentration detection apparatus comprising: a sensor element comprising a solid electrolyte layer responsive to an applied DC voltage for performing a concentration indicating current varying in level according to a concentration of a specific gas component in a test object gas, an AC power source and a DC power source for respectively applying an AC voltage; the DC voltage to the sensor element; a current sense resistor connected in series with the sensor element in an AC path through which an AC component flows in response to the applied AC voltage, and a detection signal output circuit for obtaining a gas concentration detection signal indicative of the concentration of the gas component based on the concentration indicative current; and obtaining an impedance detection signal indicative of an impedance value of the sensor element based on the AC component; the detection signal output circuit comprises: a first detection signal output circuit for obtaining the gas concentration detection signal coupled to the current measuring resistor for extracting a first voltage signal, wherein the first voltage signal varies in level according to the concentration indicating current level, and a second detection signal output circuit for obtaining the impedance detection signal; which is coupled to a connection point between the current sense resistor and the sensor element for extracting a second voltage signal, the second voltage signal being an AC signal whose amplitude varies with respect to a circuit ground potential according to an amplitude of the AC component.


This paper analyzes the challenges for 5G OTA performance test and contrasts the advantages and limitations of the methods being considered in 3GPP for mmWave UE demodulation test. It first introduces the concepts and setups of MPAC and RTS test methods, which are widely studied for 4G UE MIMO OTA test, then analyzes potential issues when extending these methods to 5G demodulation tests and proposes possible solutions to the open issues. Currently, different test methods, including IF testing, SS-MPAC method with direct spatial channel emulation and applying RTS method with baseband emulation of Multi-AoA, are all under discussion in 3GPP for mmWave UE demodulation testing. This paper contrasts the limitations and advantages of different methods.


JETIR2002403 Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (JETIR) www.jetir.org 11 EFFECTIVENESS OF CELEBRITY ENTREPRENEUR ENDORSEMENT IN ADVERTISEMENTS Deepika.G , Arjun kumar k. Student, Professor Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, SRM Institute of science and Technology. ABSTRACT This research study aims to the effect of entrepreneur endorsement in the advertisements to influence its own target audience. Source elegance, the credibility of the commercial, creating the trust on brand, client self-satisfaction, and it concentrates the impact on target audience . Survey format will be done with materials that contains influence of the Celebrity Entrepreneurs endorsing a product. The sampling method used in this survey have the purposive sampling and the respondents are those who recognize 'Kiran Kumar' the owner of' Lalitha jewellers' ,'Padma Singh Isaac' the owner of 'Aachi masala' and' Saravana Arul' the owner of 'the legend new Saravana stores' . The findings indicated that deliver elegance, source credibility, customer expression of entrepreneur endorsed advertisements, purchaser's own decision are the elements for clients to follow the Celebrity Entrepreneurship behaviour and buying purpose. However, this survey brings out the purchasing power of the target audience .The target audience of the survey is 30 to 50 aged women in Chennai as the advertisement's target audience are women.


In recent years, the relationship between diabetes mellitus and digestive system carcinoma is paid more attention . At present, through some epidemiological surveys about the incidence rate of digestive system carcinoma including colorectal carcinoma, pancreatic carcinoma and primary liver carcinoma among the diabetes patients are obviously increasing. The possible mechanisms that type 2 diabetes mellitus causes the digestive system carcinoma include: (1) the role of IGF-1; (2) the role of hyperinsulinism and insulin resistant; (3) the immunity function disorder of the host; (4) the role of long-term hyperglycermia; (5) the long-term role of genetic factor and carcinogenic factor and the disequilibrium of microelememt, etc.


This research aims to identify the prospects for recognizing the international legal personality of artificial intelligence, taking into account the practice of international organizations. The article describes a new idea based on the research of the existing practice of international organizations and the application of the author's concept of international legal personality of legal entities, enabling the identification of the main directions of recognizing the international legal personality of artificial intelligence. Using the problematic-theoretical, formal-legal, logical, systemic-structural methods and methods of synthesis, analysis, and comparison, the author revealed two solutions to the problem of recognizing the international legal personality of artificial intelligence. The first way to resolve the problem is that states may grant the legal entity rights to artificial intelligence, gradually developing an international custom. The second way is that states may conclude that artificial intelligence will be granted a legal entity's rights or sui generis by participating in discussions organized by various international organizations. The results of the study can be used for international unification.


The coherent light is scanned on a screen, high-speed modulation and the gradation of the coherent light source is required in a display device for projecting an image. A pulse current is added to the coherent light source, to change the oscillation wavelength of the semiconductor laser for outputting a fundamental wave at a high speed by generating a plasma effect. The wavelength change, the output of the harmonics generated from the light wavelength conversion element is changed, the gradation using this.


AbstractThe purpose of this study was to compare the effect of working in groups, goal-setting, and a control condition on the self-regulated performance of subjects at high, middle, and low levels of self-efficacy. A self-regulated performance task called Voluntary Homework System or VHS offered subjects the opportunity to write different types of test items for extra credit bonuses in an educational psychology course as a function of the magnitude of their performance relative to their classmates. Although no performance differences were found among the three conditions overall, there was a strong interaction between performance condition and individual level of self-efficacy. The group or cooperative condition showed the greatest enhancement of the performance of middle self-efficacy level subjects relative to the other conditions, whereas the goal-setting condition had its greatest effect on the performance of low self-efficacy subjects relative to the other conditions. For high self-efficacy subjects...


A large body size and mass are advantages in rugby. The desire to gain weight can bring players to become overweight or obese. This can worsen their thermoregulation and health risks. The aim was to evaluate anthropometric characteristics and to determine the effect of additional body fat percentage on sweat loss during play-match in male rugby players. Nineteen qualified male rugby players were tested during play-match. The age, height, body mass, body mass index (BMI) and body fat percent of participants were: 29 ± 6 years, 183 ± 7 cm, 96.86 ± 12.88 kg, 29.07 ± 3.90 kg/m2, 20.52 ± 5.64%, respectively. The skin fold thickness measurement was used to assess body fat percent. Body mass loss was detected by weighting. The mean BMI was 26.18 ± 2.37 (kg/m2) and the body fat 15.87 ± 3.97% in backs. Forwards were significantly heavier and had BMI 31.18 ± 3.44 (kg/m2)(p = 0.002) and the body fat 23.91 ± 4.02% (p < 0.001). The mean body mass decrease in the play-match was 1.83 ± 0.84%. The mean sweating intensity was 2.24 ± 1.07 l/h, but individual varied among players in very wide range (1.12–6.16 l/h). Relationships between the body fat percentage and sweating intensity was not determined (p > 0.05). Recommendation is to increase the volume of regular strength training, to correct the diet and liquid consumption.


In 1947, in the German city of Nuremberg, Bohdan Kravtsiv`s book of translations from Rainer Maria Rilke`s "Things and Images" was published, which became a significant contribution to Ukrainian Rilkeanism. B. Kravtsiv`s translations were highly appreciated by critics and literary experts. The purpose of the article is the study of Rilke images and narratives in Bohdan Kravtsiv's translations, the analysis of the main concepts related to the ideological and thematic layers of the lyrics that B. Kravtsiv chose for translation, and the highlighting of the existential discourse as a translation phenomenon that enabled him to introduce Rainer Maria Rilke's poems in the Ukrainian artistic context. To achieve this goal, a number of methods were used: biographical (aimed at tracing Rilke`s spiritual and cultural ties with Ukraine during his journey through its territory), cultural-historical, philological, and intertextual. The phenomenological and hermeneutic analysis enables the study of existential discourse in Rilke`s lyrics and immanent interpretation in Kravtsiv`s translations of Rilke`s idiostyle and artistic-philosophical concepts. The elements of conceptual analysis make it possible to consider Rilke`s poetry in translations by Bohdan Kravtsiv, highlighting the main concepts that determine its cultural-artistic and existential-philosophical content. B. Kravtsiv paid particular attention to Rilke`s poems related to biblical and evangelical subjects: "Departure of the Prodigal Son", "David Sings to Saul", "Pieta", "Resurrected", "The Supper". B. Kravtsiv translated a number of poems from ancient themes ("Sibyl", "Orpheus. Eurydice. Hermes", "Leda", "Esther", "Cretan Artemis", "Alcestis", "Islands of the Sirens") since ancient mythology had an important place in Rilke`s artistic outlook. It's a part of his artistic and metaphysical world, the heart of his existence. The metaphysical concept of the finitude of life evolved through all the lyrical-philosophical cycles of the Austrian poet, in which the lexical-semantic field of the concept of "death" is creatively implemented through ideas and motifs. Bohdan Kravtsiv translated several of Rilke`s poems "Experience with Death", "Death of a Beloved", and "The End", in which the philosophical idea that the Italian existentialist philosopher Nicola Abbagiano defined as coexistence can be clearly traced. During the analysis of the artistic concept sphere and leitmotifs in Bohdan Kravtsiv`s translations, it is worth highlighting the nostalgia of the poetry "This is where the extreme huts are already", the suggestiveness of "The Archaic Torso of Apollo", the phantasmagoric nature of "The Sorcerer", the existential elegiacism of "Evening", the mysticism of "Alien", the belief in the immortality of "Autumn", the artistic plasticity of "Panthers", the carnival enchantment of "Carousel", the exquisite, subtle eroticism of "Ladies", the magical fatalism of "Courtesy", the metaphysics of life and death in "Experience with Death", autobiography and delving into the subconscious in the poems "At the piano", "From childhood", the secret of art in "The Poet", the young chivalrous romance of "The Boy", the wild grace of "Cretan Artemis". Conclusion. In the selected translations, Bohdan Kravtsiv managed to artistically recreate Rilke images, especially from ancient (Alquesta, Orpheus) and biblical (Jesus Christ, Mary Magdalene) themes, which appeared in the Austrian poet`s lyrics as archetypal images-symbols and images-ideas, defining the spiritual, philosophical and axiological basis of his creativity. Among the multifaceted conceptual sphere, Rilke chose Kravtsiv for the translation of poetry in which he substantiates the concept of "death" from an existential-philosophical point of view as a phenomenon of coexistence that changes one dimension of existence to another, which can also be traced in the narrative of the Austrian poet: death as "invisible and unenlightened we are the side of life", – immanent in life itself. In the poems selected for translation, Kravtsiv managed to trace the path of the Austrian artist through catharsis to spiritual insight, self-awareness, and the search for authentic values of being. To introduce Rilke`s existential discourse into the Ukrainian artistic context, to give a number of translated poems a special national sound and philosophical content allowed the writer to work with the Ukrainian word, search and restore authentic books, archaic and dialect lexemes, occasionalism, which received a new sound in the translator`s artistic style, supplementing Rilke texts poetics. The translation activity of B. Kravtsiv became a significant contribution to the development of Ukrainian literature and culture in general, enriching it with ideas, concepts, artistic motifs, and the artistic word of one of the most brilliant modern poets – Rainer Maria Rilke. The analysis of Ukrainian writer's poetic translations in the book "Things and Images" has the perspective of both literary and linguistic research and involves the creation of a thorough scientific work. While working on translations of Rilke`s poems, B. Kravtsiv, in his characteristic artistic and poetic style, uses a significant amount of book, archaic and dialect vocabulary, and occasionalism, which appear to him not only as artistic and aesthetic means of poetic expression, but are also filled with deep-rooted national meaning, contain the genetic code of an authentic Ukrainian word. Bohdan Kravtsiv managed to do Rilke translations so Ukrainian, because he felt the spiritual kinship of the Austrian poet with Ukraine and its people, that as an artist, philosophermetaphysician, and pantheist, having visited Ukrainian lands, he felt, understood, and realized the true spiritual and genetic roots of the European community.


Introduction: The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic affects all medical fields. In obstetrics, the focus is on
the effects on pregnancy and fetuses. Here we present two cases of parturient women that demonstrate the
high risk of postpartum SARS-CoV-2 co-infections.
Materials and Methods: Patients` data were obtained from their medical records after confirmation of
written informed consent. Literature review was conducted across PubMed.
Case Report: i) A 33-year-old Caucasian Gravida II, Para I was transferred to our tertiary hospital at 23+1
weeks of pregnancy with previous preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) at 17+5 weeks of
gestation. During antenatal corticosteroid therapy for fetal lung maturation with 24+0 weeks, intrauterine
fetal death was diagnosed in the course of amniotic infection. Due to progressive hemodynamic instability
and confirmed SARS-CoV-2 co-infection, our patient had to be treated with catecholamines for 24 hours
and stayed at the intensive care unit (ICU) for 72 hours. An acute myocardial injury occurred during septic
shock. Immediate intensive care prevented permanent damage. ii) A 27-year-old Caucasian Gravida III,
Para III was admitted to our tertiary hospital, 11 days after her third caesarean section. After circulatory
collapse at home, the patient arrived with signs of hemorrhagic shock. Emergency curettage was performed,
and because of cardiopulmonary worsening pulmonary embolism was suspected. Computed tomography
revealed typical signs of COVID-19 pneumonia. Our patient was treated by nasal oxygen in the ICU for 24
hours. Similar to the first patient, acute myocardial injury occurred without any lasting harm.
Conclusion: Our two cases show rapid and worse clinical courses in parturient women with SARS-CoV-2
co-infection. Rapid diagnosis and availability of intensive care were crucial for the prevention of long-term
harm. In peri- and postpartum situations of acute clinical worsening, exclusion of SARS-CoV-2 co-infection
is an important diagnostic step.


The invention relates to a novel application of a high polymer material in the field of fermented foods and particularly relates to a novel application of a PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) film to brewing of a sweet red yeast rice wine. The sweet red yeast rice wine is contained in a fixed-shaped open vessel; an opening part of the vessel is sealed by using a sealing element which is at least ventilated at a local part and can isolate microorganisms in the environment; the sealing element is composed of a bonding part bonded with the wall of the vessel and a functional part with ventilation and isolation functions; and the PTFE film is used for processing the functional part of the sealing element. According to the novel application, the PTFE film is used as a packaging film to be applied to the brewing of the sweet red yeast rice wine, so that the guarantee period of the sweet red yeast rice wine can be greatly prolonged and can be up to 8 months to the maximum extent, the PTFE film plays a role in controlling the fermentation speed of the sweet red yeast rice wine, the sweet red yeast rice wine has no flatulence and rancidity phenomena, and the physical and chemical performance indexes of the sweet red yeast rice wine are good.


16TH SINKHOLE CONFERENCE NCKRI SYMPOSIUM 8 frastructure. On average, sinkholes result in more than $300 million in damage each year in the United States, and this estimate is likely to increase as the U.S. population and related developments continue to grow (Kuniansky et al., 2016; Weary, 2015). In Florida, sinkhole claims surged from 2,360 to 6,694 between 2006 and 2010, totaling 24,671 claims at an approximate cost of $1.4 billion according to the report by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, 2010).


The available literature on congenital cardiac anomalies in the horse has been reviewed. Five additional cases have been described: two of right atrio-ventricular (tricuspid) atresia with subaortic septal defect and patent foramen ovale, one of congenital absence of the aortic origin of the left coronary artery, one of persistent truncus arteriosus, and one of persistent ductus arteriosus. Four of these cases (exception: persistent truncus arteriosus) have not been previously described in the horse, and represent the only four cardiac anomalies observed in an autopsy series of approximately 2,500 horses, foals and equine fetuses.


Purpose Purpose. To test a possibilty to treat the early corneal inflammation occuring after alkali injury by nanofiber scaffolds seeded with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) or loaded with cyclosporine A (CsA).


Vinyl ketene (1,3-butadiene-1-one) has been synthesized by vacuum pyrolysis of 3-butenoic 2-butenoic anhydride. The microwave and infrared spectra of vinyl ketene in the gas phase at room temperature have been studied. The trans-rotamer has been identified, and the spectroscopic constants were found to be Ã= 39571(48) MHz, B̃ = 2392.9252(28) MHz, C̃ = 2256.0089(28) MHz, ⊿j = 0.414(31) kHz, and ⊿JK = - 34.694(92) kHz. The electrical dipole moment was found to be 0.987(23) D with μa = 0.865(14) D and μb = 0.475(41) D. A tentative assignment has been made for 17 of the 21 normal modes of vibration


In supersymmetric extensions of the Standard Model, the observed particles come in fermion–boson pairs necessary for the realization of supersymmetry (SUSY). In spite of the expected abundance of super-partners for all the known particles, not a single supersymmetric pair has been reported to date. Although a hypothetical SUSY breaking mechanism, operating at high energy inaccessible to current experiments cannot be ruled out, this reduces SUSY's predictive power and it is unclear whether SUSY, in its standard form, can help reducing the remaining puzzles of the standard model (SM). Here we argue that SUSY can be realized in a different way, connecting spacetime and internal bosonic symmetries, combining bosonic gauge fields and fermionic matter particles in a single gauge field, a Lie superalgebra-valued connection. In this unconventional representation, states do not come in SUSY pairs, avoiding the doubling of particles and fields and SUSY is not a fully off-shell invariance of the action. The resulting systems are remarkably simple, closely resembling a standard quantum field theory and SUSY still emerges as a contingent symmetry that depends on the features of the vacuum/ground state. We illustrate the general construction with two examples: (i) A 2 + 1 dimensional system based on the osp(2,2|2) superalgebra, including Lorentz and u(1) generators that describe graphene; (ii) a supersymmetric extension of 3 + 1 conformal gravity with an SU(2,2|2) connection that describes a gauge theory with an emergent chiral symmetry breaking, coupled to gravity. The extensions to higher odd and even dimensions, as well as the extensions to accommodate more general internal symmetries are also outlined.


Native sows contribute to a large extent to food security and poverty alleviation in Benin. However, their reproductive performances particularly under extensive systems are poorly understood. The objective of this study was to fill this knowledge gap by selecting 284 multiparous sows based on hair colour and some reproductive parameters. The results showed that native sows of Southern Benin can be clustered into three groups with group 3 showing the best reproductive performances - highest average litter size (10.31 piglets), live-born piglets (10.31 piglets), number of functional teats (10.94) and shorter average farrowing interval (6 months). The analysis of sows' performances based on their origin revealed that sows from agro-ecological Zone 8 have the highest number of live-born piglets and the lowest age at first mating and first farrowing. The analysis of sows' performances via to hair colour showed that those with black hair have the biggest litter size and the highest number of live-born piglets. This study showed that Benin's native sows have good reproductive ability with enough variation to allow for their selection and conservation for sustainable use for protein food security and wealth creation.


Sulfinic esters react with methylsulfinylcarbanion to give the corresponding α-methylsulfinylmethyl sulfoxides(I) in good yields. The per cent ratio of meso form to dl form of the product obtained is about 60 : 40. When (−)-menthyl (−)-(S)-p-toluenesulfinate is treated with methylsulfinylcarbanion, dextrorotatory α-methylsulfinylmethyl p-tolyl sulfoxide(IIa) is obtained. Recrystallization of (IIa) yields the diastereomerically pure (+)-(S)-α-methylsulfinyl-(R)-methyl p-tolyl sulfoxide(IIb). Based on these observations, the stereochemistry of the reaction is discussed.