POLITICAL INSIGHT • SEPTEMBER 2017 A mongst all the statistics that any election brings, there is one above all that would seem most striking so far as the 2017 election is concerned. No less than 82.4 per cent of the votes cast across the UK as a whole were won by either a Conservative or a Labour candidate. This figure was higher than it had been at any election since 1970. It would seem that Britain has reverted to the two-party dominance that characterised its politics in the immediate post-war period. That it should have done so in the wake of a EU referendum that had severely disrupted the regular rhythms of British politics, and which had seemed to present a heaven-sent opportunity for smaller parties to increase their support, was even more remarkable. One key feature of the two-party politics of the immediate post-war era was the link between party support and social class. Middle class voters were more likely to vote Conservative, while those from a workingclass background were more inclined to vote Labour which, after all, had originally been founded to promote working class representation. True, to win an election a party had to be able to appeal beyond its core supporters and capture the ideological 'centre ground'. But even so, Labour was close to the (predominantly working class) trade union movement and was inclined to back policies that would see government intervene rather more in the economy, in order to achieve somewhat greater equality. The Conservatives, in contrast, had relatively General Election 2017: A New Two-Party Politics?


Magnetoresistance (MR) provides rich information about Fermi surface, carrier scatterings, and exotic phases for a given electronic system. Here, we report a study of the magnetoresistance for the metallic states in twisted double bilayer graphene (TDBG). We observe quadratic magnetoresistance in both Moiré valence band (VB) and Moiré conduction band (CB). The scaling analysis shows validity of Kohler's rule in the Moiré valence band. On the other hand, the quadratic magnetoresistance appears near the halo structure in the Moiré conduction band, and it violates Kohler's rule, demonstrating the MR scaling related to band structure in TDBG. We also propose an alternative scaling near the halo structure. Further analysis implies that the observed quadratic magnetoresistance and alternative scaling in conduction band are related to the halo boundary. Our results may inspire investigation on MR in twisted 2D materials and provide new knowledge for MR study in condensed matter physics.


In routine chest radiographs, the mediastinum is often underexposed and vascular structures are obscured by the diaphragm. We have developed a region-based processing algorithm to enhance contrast and brightness of selected anatomical regions, such as the mediastinum, without altering the other regions. We employ wavelet processing technique to segment a chest radiograph into different gray level regions and then apply different degrees of contrast enhancement procedure to them. The image enhancement is controlled by a proposed sigmoid function. The enhanced images showed improved visualization in the mediastinum area over the original unprocessed chest radiographs. Furthermore, the visibility of vascular structures which are obscured by the diaphragm and mediastinum is improved.


ABSTRACT This study developed and tested a new Lovemarks scale that can measure market positions representing love and respect for a sport team or club. Based on exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and nomological network analysis, the research establishes the validity and reliability of the scale for football and basketball teams. This Lovemarks scale for sport teams represents the marketing brand equity for sponsors, advertising, merchandising etc. and provides a new way to classify sport spectators; the "Lovemarks Fans"; "Performance & Quality Fans"; "Fads Spectators"; and "Spectators".


The entry of WTO is an important event with profound influences in the social and economic development,and it is meaningful to make a research on ideological and political work in colleges and universities.This piece,by analyzing the opportunities and challenges we may face after entry into WTO,suggests,that a positive attitude and relevant strategies be adopted to improve the effects of ideological and political work in colleges and universities of present age.


In requirement engineering, non-functional requirement is a requirement that specifies characteristics of system behavior and sys-tem quality attributes. Furthermore, a non-functional requirement template facilitates system stakeholders in better system documentation, system elicitation and system traceability. However, some non-functional requirements may come from many type of requirements document and no stringent standard has been applied that lead to various pattern of non-functional requirements tem-plate. Specifically, in usability requirement, the quality attribute is being ignored and less expressive in majority requirements document. Therefore, this study was motivated to propose the most feasible non-functional requirement template for usability aspect. NIMSAD evaluation is used to obtain the most feasible non-functional requirement template by comparing existing non-functional requirement templates based on the following criteria which are i) general concepts, ii) modeling concepts and iii) analysis concepts. From the NIMSAD evaluation results, it is found that Boilerplates template is the most feasible non-functional requirement tem-plate for usability aspect.


An objective method for testing local anaesthetic drugs in human test subjects with the Ninhydrin print technique is described. The method is reliable in ulnar, median and finger nerve blocks. It is of more limited value in other blocks or for skin wheals, where it must be used together with the subjective neurological tests.


Determining the spatio-temporal manners of urban sprawl is considered one of the most influential challenges in evaluating the present and future directions of the urban expansion issue. Random growth is considered as a kind of meeting the needs of the human being and expressing the achievement of its basic requirements when the state is unable to solve. This paper aimed to assess the sprawl and growth dynamics between 2010 and 2020 in Shahat City, Libya using remote sensing and GIS techniques. Three Landsat TM, ETM+, OLI images dated 2010, 2015, and 2020 were used to generate urban maps of the research area. Chi-square test and Urban expansion intensity index (UEI) were used to assess urban growth patterns in study zone. The results of the study confirmed that urban growth in the city has increase from 4.2 km2 in 2010 to 22.4 km2 in 2020. The results displayed that Shahat city has unbalance urban growth and its urban development had high freedom degree during period from 2010 to 2020.


This paper investigates and evaluates the effectiveness and the Technical Efficiency of secondary education units in the region of Western Macedonia in Greece. Using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) at a first stage analysis school efficiency is measured in schools where multiple inputs produce multiple outputs. In this study the inputs chosen are: the teacher student ratio, the staff student ratio and the computer student ratio of each educational unit. The output (student performance) refers to the student's achievement in the national exams during the school year of 2015 – 16. In the second stage analysis, efficiency scores from the first stage analysis, were explained in a regression with the environmental variables as independent variables. The independent variables chosen were divided in two categories: the variables from the direct school environment (school size, teacher's experience, teacher's qualifications and per student expenses) and variables from the wider school environment in (GDP per capita, unemployment rate and educational level of each school's area). DEA showed that 4 out of the 29 educational units were characterized as technical efficient becoming benchmarks for all the others with lower efficiency. In the second stage, regression analysis shows that teachers' experience significantly affects school efficiency while teacher's qualifications, school size and per student expenses do not affect school efficiency. Concerning the variables from the wider social environment, GDP per capita, unemployment rate and educational level in each school's area didn't show a statistically significant effect on the technical efficiency of the educational units.


This work extends the methodology for estimating spectral response of photon-counting detectors (PCDs) from transmission measurements through an object of known composition and geometry. The extension incorporates a non-linear model that relates the photon counts incident on the PCD with the photon counts registered by the PCD. The model calibration is performed on an actual step-wedge phantom and it used to predict Xray transmission through a different material than what comprises the phantom. In addition, stability of the determination of the model parameters is investigated, and this analysis is used to determine regularization strength and basis materials for the test object.


The invention relates to a process for producing a catalyst carrier which comprises mixing zirconium dioxide powder with a binder, optionally a pore former, optionally an acid, water and optionally other additives to form a kneadable mass, the composition is homogenized, formed into shaped bodies, drying and calcining, wherein the binder is a monomeric, oligomeric or polymeric organosilicon compound. DOLLAR A Suitable binders are monomeric, oligomeric or polymeric silanes, alkoxysilanes, aryloxysilanes, acryloxysilanes, oximino silanes, halosilanes, aminoxysilanes, aminosilanes, amidosilanes, silazanes or silicones. DOLLAR A subject matter of the invention is also the catalyst thus prepared support itself, a catalyst containing this carrier and its use as a dehydrogenation catalyst.


Theproblem ofdetermining thelocation offaults in distribution systems canbefacedwithseveral techniques. Inthis paper, anapproach based ontheuseofadistributed measurement system isimproved, thenitsperformance isevaluated under different realistic operating conditions ofthenetwork bymeansof simulations. Theresults showthevalidity andtherobustness of proposed method. . ~~~~~~11_.- instant I


In the past, areas situated around the geographical boundary of ports and their cities have generally been subject to dereliction, which has often been followed by 'waterfront redevelopment' efforts. In the major seaport-cities of today, the development of the port is still leading redevelopment opportunities. However, in contrast to what has gone before, the areas now in focus have very different characteristics, and give rise to a new redevelopment typology. Based on port-city development literature and empirical observations in Rotterdam and Hamburg, this paper will introduce this new typology, and argue the need for a new interpretation of the contemporary port-city interface to support its sustainable development. This interpretation demands an interdisciplinary approach to the contemporary port-city interface, involving not only its spatial, but also its economic, socio-cultural and environmental features. The approach focuses on the interests of the actors involved in the development of the port-city interface, and (the need for) relationships and coalitions between them in order to reach sustainable development results.


From the ‡Department of Biochemistry, Kyungpook National University, Taegu 702-701, Korea, the §Department of Genetic Engineering, Division of Life Sciences, Hallym University, Chunchon 200-702, Korea, the ¶Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chunchon 200-702, Korea, and the Graduate School of Biotechnology & Plant Metabolism Research Center, Kyunghee University, Suwon 449-701, Korea


A city space beyond its structural execution by the planners and administrators is consistently acted out by those who perform daily practices in those spaces. A walker as a regular practitioner appropriates the space, invents and inscribes stories there causing transgression in the imposition by the dominant structures and cultures. Humayun Ahmed, a well-known writer in Bangladeshi literature, has created the popular juvenile fictional character Himu, as a walker in the streets of Dhaka with no confinement encountering others and rewriting stories and histories unacknowledged in dominant discourses. This paper studies Himu, the quintessential walker, as a space-producing agency that problematizes many of the taken-for-granted practices in the streets. He routes through the streets of Dhaka and orchestrates before us multiple stories. With insights from de Certeau's "Walking in the City" from The Practice of Everyday Life, this paper focuses on walker Himu and shows his space-creating activities as digressive as well as transgressive in creative ways to dismantle the dominant culture which are commonly acted out by the common practitioner in the streets.
Green University Review of Social Sciences Dec 2021; 7(1-2): 201-207


Ordered mesoporous materials have attracted much attention owing to their superior structural properties. In this work, we develop a green and facile method to convert coal fly ash, a cheap, abundant, and silicon-rich industrial waste, into highly ordered mesoporous nanosilica. An energy-efficient technique, the alkali-dissolution process, was systematically studied for the extraction of silica from waste materials, instead of the conventional alkaline fusion method. The extraction efficiency of silica could reach up to 46.62% within 0.5 h at 110 °C in 25 wt % sodium hydroxide solution, and the liquid–solid ratio was reduced to 1.5:1. Subsequently, simulated flue gas was introduced to precipitate the nanosilica with the assistance of a surfactant through a twice-carbonation process. A series of characterization techniques confirmed that the synthetic nanosilica (SiO2-0.16) has a high purity (99.35%), high surface area (1,157 m2 g–1), large pore volume (0.95 cm3 g–1), and a highly ordered hexagonal mesostr...


The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development has been mandated by the government of the day to render accessible, fair, speedy and cost effective administration of justice in the interest of a safer and more secure South Africa. The department then set service standards to be able to achieve its goals. Like other departments in the country, the department of Justice has officials who perform duties to ensure that service is delivered to people. These officials have to conduct themselves in an acceptable manner prescribed by the employer. Since the code of conduct has been developed to promote and maintain high standard of professional ethics throughout the public service, the code of conduct is mandatory if effective service delivery is to reach all South Africans. Public servants must ensure that their conduct conforms to the basic values and principles governing public administration. The research focused on how discipline is managed in Malamulele cluster magistrate's courts, in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Qualitative research methodology was used. Results indicated that some structures and individuals know their roles and responsibilities in management of discipline, however the understanding is only to a certain extent. Managers have been made to believe that it is proper to attend only less serious misconducts and refer the serious ones to the labour relations section at the regional level. Recommendations were advanced on activities that need to be performed in order for discipline to be well managed.


A study of the behavior of R- and S-enantiomers of ibuprofen (R-IBU and S-IBU) in aqueous solution by nanofiltration (NF) membranes revealed that up to 23% of the pharmaceutical was adsorbed onto the stainless steel equipment of a flat-sheet experimental unit. Mass balances disclosed that IBU's S-enantiomer was primarily responsible for the adsorption onto the equipment. Additional IBU adsorption was also experienced on the NF membrane coupons, verified by increased contact angle measurements on the surfaces. The IBU-equipment adsorptive relationship with and without the membrane coupon were best described by Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms, respectively. At a feed water pH of 4.0 units and racemic µg/L IBU concentrations, NF removal ranged from 34.5% to 49.5%. The rejection of S-IBU was consistently greater than the R-enantiomer. Adsorption onto the surfaces influenced NF rejection by 18.9% to 27.3%. The removal of IBU displayed a direct relationship with an increase in feed water pH. Conversely, the adsorption of IBU exhibited an indirect relationship with an increase in feed water pH.


The wireless body area networks WBANs consists of a network of implanted or a wearable sensor node to monitor the bio signals of human beings. The design of the implantable sensor node is critical as these nodes should consume very low power. In this work, an efficient low power CMOS receiver is designed for implantable medical devices in the MICS band. The receiver RF front-end consists of a low noise amplifier and down-conversion mixer. As the low noise figure is a major concern in the LNA, with the use of the complementary current reuse technique a noise figure of 1.06dB is obtained and there is a reduction of 1.7dB noise figure compared with the existing work. In order to improve the linearity, the source degeneration technique is incorporated into the down conversion mixer. The proposed mixer incorporates the resistive source degeneration topology into the folded approach architecture to obtain low power consumption. The proposed mixer achieves −12.6dB improvement in linearity and 34% reduction in power consumption compared to the existing folded mixture. The results were obtained using cadence RF spectre tools with 180 nm technology and the receiver front-end found to consume 485 µW for the MICS band.


short arc UHP lamp has random arc instability under normal burning condition. this results in brightness flicker phenomenon in projection system. Special pulse current technology solves this issue well. In this article mechanism of UHP lamp arc instability is analyzed primarily and discussed of system solutions for anti-flicker.


THE COMMA SPLICE is much maligned. Most composition handbooks forbid or discourage its use. Some acknowledge its use by good writers present and past but caution against its inappropriate use. A few even include some statements on how to use it appropriately, but even these generally treat it not as a legitimate use of the comma but as something doubtful at best. Even its names are tainted: comma splice, comma fault, comma blunder, comma mistake. This paper proposes that the gap between the handbook tradition and current usage of the comma splice is wide enough to demand closure, that the comma splice is a legitimate use of the comma and should be so presented, that criteria can be established to determine when a comma splice is appropriate, that these criteria can be learned and should be taught, and finally that the mistreatment of the comma splice in the handbooks is a reflex of the outdated assumption that what will not go in Formal written English will not go at all and is an example of the failure of the handbook tradition to assimilate completely the now wellestablished distinctions of functional varieties of style. Most composition teachers are aware of the fact that the comma splice or comma fault is not always a mortal sin in standard written English and is, in fact, sometimes appropriate and effective rhetorically, but rather than teach its use when appropriate, since that would demand explicit rules for its appropriateness, most teachers prefer to discourage its use and to insist that students rewrite or repunctuate any sentence containing a comma splice. This practice is largely attributable to the composition handbooks, which generally project this same attitude: that comma splices are often used by good writers but students should avoid them. The handbooks usually do this by setting down an explicit rule against using the comma splice and then listing successful "exceptions" to the rule. This practice can only lead one logically to the conclusion that the prohibition is overformulated and the rules that account for the "exceptions" are underformulated. In fact, not only can these rules be formulated but they must be formulated if the gap between handbook prescription and actual usage is to be closed and allowance made for differences in punctuation to reflect differences in the functional varieties of style and in various rhetorical effects. The traditional rule against the use of the comma alone to separate independent clauses is relatively


April 25-27, 1993 • Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health, 17th Annual Conference • Ann Arbor, Michigan • Contact: University of Michigan, Conferences and Seminars, 541 Thompson St., Room 112, Ann Arbor, MI 48104-1360; 313/764-5305; FAX 313/764-2990 April 26-30, 1993 • International Reading Association, Annual Conference • San Antonio, Texas • Contact: IRA, 800 Barksdale Road, Newark, DE 19711-3269; 302/731-1600 April 28-May 1, 1993 • Ninth National Conference of The Learning Disabilities Association of Canada • Contact: Mary-Gayle Goebel, Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario, 124 Merton St., 3rd Floor, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4S 2Z2; 416/487-4106 April 29-May 1, 1993 • International Congress on the Dually Diagnosed • Boston, Massachusetts • Contact: NADD, 110 Prince St., Kingston, NY 12401; 914/331-4336; FAX 800/331-5362 May 2-6, 1993 • Sixteenth Annual Institute in Administration and Supervision of Special Education • Virginia Beach, Virginia • Contact: Phillip R. Jones, 206 East Eggleston Hall, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0302; 703/231-5925 May 11-13, 1993 • Second Jordanian International Symposium on Communication Disorders • Amman, Jordan • Contact: Yousef El-Halees; 9626 843555/666 Ext. 3347 May 21-22, 1993 • Ninth Annual Conference of the Threshold Program at Lesley College • Cambridge, Massachusetts • Contact: Beth Gurney, Lesley College, Threshold Program, 29 Everett St., Cambridge, MA 02138-2790; 617/491-3739 June 1-5, 1993 • American Association on Mental Retardation, Annual Conference • Washington, DC • Contact: AAMR, Paula Hirt; 800/424-3688 June 10-12, 1993 • Fifth Annual Conference of the Irish Association of Teachers in Special Education • Dublin, Ireland • Contact: Mary Steen, IATSE, The Teachers' Centre, Drumcondra, Dublin 9. June 10-13, 1993 • The Biennial Children and Youth with Developmental Motor Disabilities Conference • Vancouver, BC, Canada • Contact: Kim Cue, Venue West Conference Services, 645-The Landing, 375 Water St., Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6B 5C6; 604/681-5226 June 20-24, 1993 • Second International Conference on Youth and Disability, Second European Forum on Adolescent Health, and Symposium on "Quality of Life, Youth and Disability" • Jerusalem, Israel • Contact: ORTRA LTD, 2 Kaufman St., PO Box 50432, Tel Aviv, 61500, Israel; 972-3-664825 June 21-25, 1993 • Fourth Annual Aspen Summer Institute: Responsible Inclusion of Students with Special Needs in the General Classroom • Aspen, Colorado • Sponsored by the Association for Educational and Psychological Consultants and the Institute for Learning and Development (ILD). Contact: ILD, PO Box 202020, Austin, TX 78720-2020; 512/338-4757


Claisen–Schmidt condensations, yielding only water as a by-product, performed on building blocks serving as shape-selective male or female terminals and unions, enable the preparation of diverse molecular structures including novel linear rods and semi-elliptical, rectangular or trapezoidal macrocycles. Isoaromatization affords a corresponding range of phenol-formaldehyde derivatives, in atom economical reactions.


Carcinoma antigen 125 (CA 125) has been recognized as a clinical glycoprotein/biomarker for the early-stage detection of ovarian cancer. Therefore, the precise determination of CA 125 is essential for cancer diagnosis and control. In this study, a novel biosensor was designed for the detection of the CA 125 biomarker in human plasma samples. For this purpose, the anti-CA 125 antibody was immobilized on the surface of the matrix containing Ag–DPA–GQD (silver nanoparticles deposited on the D-penicillamine-functionalized graphene quantum dots) conductive nano-ink modified CysA–Au NPs. The surface morphology of the electrode was investigated via field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The mechanism of nano-ink formation was evaluated via transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Also, the formation of an antigen–antibody complex was monitored using the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) technique. The engineered immunosensor exhibited good performance with high specificity and sensitivity for the detection of the CA 125 biomarker. Under optimal conditions, the linear range of 0.001–400 U mL−1 and low limit of quantification (LLOQ) 0.001 U mL−1 were obtained. Based on the results, it can be concluded that this immunosensor promisingly has the potential to be employed in the early detection of ovarian cancer in clinical studies.


Telomeres are protective chromosomal structures that are important in maintaining genomic stability. Telomere shortening results in genomic instability and contributes to aging and carcinogenesis. Despite the health risks posed by this condition, few studies have examined the relationship of telomere length (TL) to autonomic functions. In this study, we examined the association between TL and autonomic functions in Korean adolescents. A cross‐sectional study was performed with high school adolescents in a Korean city. Self‐report questionnaires were used to assess psychological measures (stress and anxiety levels), and blood samples were analyzed for physiological parameters (plasma catecholamine levels) of the participants. TL measurements were made using a qPCR‐based technique, and relative TL was calculated as the telomere/single copy (T/S) ratio. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis and Pearson's correlation coefficient with SPSS/WIN 22.0. We found that T/S ratio was positively correlated with plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine levels (r=.225, p=.001 and r=.187, p=.005). However, psychological stress and anxiety levels were not significantly associated with adolescents' T/S ratio. Our physiological results indicate that alteration of autonomic functions may induce TL shortening in adolescents. We believe that our findings increase the understanding of the health effects of autonomic functions. Moreover, they highlight the need for intervention strategies to prevent TL shortening due to autonomic imbalance.


Weld peaking is usually undesirable in any welded structure. In heavy structures, the forces involved in the welding process become very large and difficult to handle. With the shuttle's solid rocket booster, the weld peaking resulted in two major problems: (1) reduced mechanical properties across the weld joint, and (2) fit-up difficulties in subsequent assembly operation. Peaking from the weld shrinkage forces can be fairly well predicted in simple structures; however, in welding complicated assemblies, the amount of peaking is unpredictable because of unknown stresses from machining and forming, stresses induced by the fixturing, and stresses from welds in other parts of the assembly. When excessive peaking is encountered, it can be corrected using the shrinkage forces resulting from the welding process. Application of these forces is discussed in this report.


Electronic detection of cross‐tie/Bloch line pairs is essential for the use of these pairs as data bits in a serial access memory. The physical size of the cross‐ties and Bloch lines is small and their associated magnetic flux is weak. Results obtained to data indicate that the detection of cross‐tie/Bloch line pairs based on magnetoresistive principles is the most feasible and practical for memory array applications. Three detector designs, fabrication techniques and experimental results are presented. The detectors consist of two gold electrodes 1500 A thick, separated by a small gap. Under the detector is an isotropic or anisotropic NiFe film serration 350 A thick. The gap in the detector is placed on a cross‐tie or Bloch line position and is shaped so as to maximize the resistance change in the magnetoresistive film for a ''zero'' and ''one'' state. The relationships between sensing current and magnetization distributions are described with the aid of Lorentz electron micrographs. Normal signal levels...


The weight of a device is an ergonomic criterion as well. Devices that are carried and operated by people may not exceed a weight of 5 kg (11 lbs.). Previously, this was achieved by using lowdensity materials, such as aluminum or polyamide. An additional weight reduction, however, can be obtained through the use of ABS plastics and the FDM process. The density differences of ABS and polyamide do not appear to be great, but the difference in weight of the fi nished device becomes noticeable if the ABS material is applied inside the component in the form of a grid. This way the weight can be reduced substantially. The tradeoff of this grid structure in the device is its reduced stability and toughness. This disadvantage is partially offset, however, since many devices only use aluminum and polyamide for reasons of weight. Their superior material properties, such as tensile strength and hardness, are often unnecessary for the function in question.


In June 2013, during the Fifth Meeting of the U.S. China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, China indicated that it would continue taking steps to liberalize its investment and trade regime, including intensifying negotiations over a US-China Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT). The US-China BIT negotiations have been ongoing since the June 2008 Strategic Economic Dialogue. The Bush Administration and Hu Jintao's government started talks, unofficially, 17 months before the Strategic Economic Dialogue. They soon announced that they were entering into negotiations with high hopes and ambitions for a new BIT. A US-China BIT would be unique, it does not fit the typical dynamics between states signing BITs. The most important feature is the sheer quantity of capital that flows between the US and China. Though China has BITs with other major capital exporters and importers, the US is only second to Australia in terms of total investment from China. Keywords: Australia; investment regime; Strategic Economic Dialogue; US-China Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT)


This paper introduces an application of electrical engineering principles and object-oriented approach in the design of a Java-based circuit design and analysis system. The system is called JavaCirc, which is an analog circuit simulator that analyzes the steady-state values of electrical circuits. Wire, resistors, capacitors, inductors, independent as well as dependent sources, and grounds make up basic building blocks in using JavaCirc to design circuits. Nodal analysis, Ohm's law, Kirchoff's laws and Cramer's Rule underlie the design of circuit analysis features of the new system. In addition, JavaCirc includes a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that allows the user to draw analog circuits on a computerized "drawing board". This GUI makes it possible to graph the steady-state solutions and witness the transient progression towards these values. The entire JavaCirc system is written in Java. For this paper, the circuit equivalent for the Tacoma Narrows Bridge is created and used to explore JavaCirc's capabilities.


The results of longstanding investigation of developing and natural testing of devices for the spherical clouds creation from vaporized alkaline and alkaline earth metals azides in the upper earth atmosphere are given in the following article.


An annual survey on cardiac interventions in Europe is performed by the working group on Coronary Circulation of the European Society of Cardiology with the help of the national societies of cardiology. A questionnaire about cardiac interventions in 1993 was mailed to a representative of the national societies of 35 members of the European Society of Cardiology. The data collection of coronary interventions was delayed by slow backreporting and from 10 of the 35 national members data were missing or grossly incomplete. They were excluded from the analysis.


The artificial grounds which were constructed over the railway land could be praised for maximizing land use efficiency and good way to increase development possibility of old rail way estate. Not only the development of train depots with artificial ground could be an agenda to resolve many problems coming from the congestion of cities by offering space of residence, office and retail but also it has good accessibility to train station. It will help reduce of commuting time and traffics. In this study, we have tried to find problems and offer the improving agendas in terms the necessary environment of under the artificial ground through the survey of railway workers. Through survey for Shinjung Depot, we found several problems issues which were related working environment like temperature, humidity, dust and noise and some psychological problems for rail way workers who are working under artificial ground. As a conclusion, it is recommended to consider the architectural planning in the each facility that workers are inquiring.


Point-of-use
water treatment is growing in popularity in the developing world, especially in rural areas
where the costs of providing centralised treatment systems are higher than their low cost counterparts.
One such technology, the biosand filter, has been shown to effectively remove turbidity and pathogens in
laboratory and field research but the long-term
performance of the filter and its sustainability are not
well documented. An evaluation was therefore conducted to examine filters in rural Ethiopia installed
more than 5 years previously. Filters were examined to assess filter performance, maintenance practices
and the supporting environment. The working filters showed an average E.coli reduction rate of 87.9%
with 75.7 % of filtrate samples achieving rates of <10cfu/100ml and 81.2% achieving turbidity values of
<5NTU. The varied levels of usage in the three study villages, from 44% to 100%, also highlighted
several risks and opportunities for continued active long term adoption.


Sentiment analysis as deriving opinions or emotional content from written documents is an important tool in finance. It is used for prediction of stock markets, prediction of financial risk or distress, and detection of abnormal investor behavior by analyzing companies' reports, social media posts or news articles. To conduct the analysis, either word lists or machine learning algorithms are used. Taking context of sentence structures into account improves both research methods. This thesis applies these findings by analyzing German Corporate Social Responsibility reports and parts of annual reports to investigate an association with environmental, social and governance rating scores. The aim is to assess sentiment as a risk indicator for these issues. The results indicate that proportional sentiment scores proxy as metric for reporting quality rather than risk.


The present invention provides a moving target photodetector system and its data processing method and an image processing method, the system includes a video camera connected in sequence, frame grabbers, and IPC host computer, wherein the host computer and the IPC are opened control and data signals and the video signal interface port, IPC and the host computer are connected by a switch between two ports. The present invention enables real-time acquisition of images to the photodetector, the method can use real-time image processing to detect moving target image, the calculation amount is small, the target can transmit the detection result from the IPC to the host computer through a local area network, and the resulting image is displayed in real time, to achieve a moving target detection under moving background conditions, and supports multi moving target detection.


Support vector machine (SVM), which is a novel technology for solving classification and regression issues, has been successfully used in many fields. In this study, according to an experimental dataset on the average grain size of Fe<inf>3</inf>O<inf>4</inf> nanoparticles, a predicting and optimizing model using support vector regression (SVR) was developed. In this model, the estimated result of SVR agreed with the experimental data well. In addition, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is employed for optimizing the parameters of SVR models and obtaining the optimal process parameters for preparing Fe<inf>3</inf>O<inf>4</inf> nanoparticles. The minimum grain size of Fe<inf>3</inf>O<inf>4</inf> nanoparticles is forecasted to be 10nm while the Fe<inf>3</inf>O<inf>4</inf> nanoparticles are synthesized by using the optimal process parameters. Meanwhile, multifactor analysis is conducted for investigating the influence of process parameters on the average grain size of Fe<inf>3</inf>O<inf>4</inf> nanoparticles. The results suggest that SVR is capable of providing important theoretical and practical guide in research and development of Fe<inf>3</inf>O<inf>4</inf> nanoparticles possessing ideal grain size.


The study consists of a taxonomic treatment of the Araceae of Ceara, a state lying within Brazil's semi-arid region. The aroid flora shows greater similarity to those of central Brazil and Amazonia than to the Atlantic forest. Most species occur in humid forest fragments - the "florestas serranas". Geophytes are also found in caatinga and dry forest (Taccarum ulei) and lithophytes on rock outcrops in dry forest (Philodendron acutatum). Floating aquatics occur in ponds and lakes throughout the state (Pistia stratiotes, Lemna aequinoctialis, Lemna minuta, Spirodela intermedia, Wolffia columbiana, Wolffiella welwitschii), and freshwater helophytes (Montrichardia linifera) along river margins. 28 taxa (species and varieties) in 19 genera are described and most are illustrated:Anthurium (three spp.), Caladium (one sp.), Dieffenbachia (one sp.), Dracontium (one sp.), Lemna (two spp.), Monstera (two spp., one with two varieties), Montrichardia (one sp.), Philodendron (four spp.), Pistia (one sp.), Scaphispatha (one sp.), Spathicarpa (one sp.), Spathiphyllum (one sp.), Spirodela (one sp.), Syngonium (one sp.), Taccarum (one sp.), Wolffia (one sp.), Wolffiella (one sp.), Xanthosoma (two spp.), Zomicarpa (one sp.). New records for Ceara are Dieffenbachia aglaonematifolia, Dracontium nivosum, Monstera adansonii var. laniata, Philodendron sp. aff. ruthianum and the naturalized exotic Typhonium roxburghii. An identification key and data on geographic distribution and conservation status are provided.


The invention provides a method for preparing levofloxacin hydrochloride sodium chloride injection. By researching a liquid medicine preparation method, medicinal charcoal pretreatment and a terminal sterilization process, product quality is ensured by the aid of technologies of a concentrated solution and diluted solution method, charcoal slurry preparation from medicinal charcoal, water bath sterilization and the like, production is facilitated, obtained finished products have higher stability, so that the storage life of the finished products can be prolonged, and clinical use effects are better.


Due to the rapidly increasing need of human-robot interaction (HRI), more intelligent robots are in demand. However, the vast majority of robots can only follow strict instructions, which seriously restricts their flexibility and versatility. A critical fact that strongly negates the experience of HRI is that robots cannot understand human intentions. This study aims at improving the robotic intelligence by training it to understand human intentions. Different from previous studies that recognizing human intentions from distinctive actions, this paper introduces a method to predict human intentions before a single action is completed. The experiment of throwing a ball towards designated targets are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the method. The proposed deep learning based method proves the feasibility of applying convolutional neural networks (CNN) under a novel circumstance. Experiment results show that the proposed CNN-vote method out competes three traditional machine learning techniques. In current context, the CNN-vote predictor achieves the highest testing accuracy with relatively less data needed.


Heating of the VS43- ion H2O results in the reduction of V(V) by the S2- ligand and fast S-O exchange.


We introduce a simple and low-cost method for examining interface morphologies of nanoscale organic layers to demonstrate failure modes in organic light-emitting diodes. Cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy of nonencapsulated organic light-emitting diodes, fabricated on silicon wafers using poly[1-methoxy-4-(2-ethylhexyloxy-2,5-phenylvinylene)] as an emitting layer, were examined after failure. Two primary modes of failure are easily identified in the micrographs. The first process involves the formation of "black spots" caused by the pyrolitic carbonization of the emitting layer's polymer, and the second is the delamination and concurrent swelling of the cathode.


Objective To study the variance of effects of acetylcholine (Ach),isoprenaline (Iso), aminophylline (Ami) on isolated aortic rings in rats of different age and gender. Methods The aortas were isolated from male or female rats aged 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. The effects of the vasoactive substances on resting tone and the pre-contraction induced by KCl 20 mmol/L were observed. Results The relaxation effects of Iso were higher in rats aged 1 month, and the maximal relaxations of Iso were (44.02±7.89)% and(63.83±9.50)% in male and female rats, respectively. The relaxation weakened with aging and even contracted. The relaxation effect of Ach and Ami also weakened with aging. The maximal relaxations of Ach were (68.17±7.02)% and (81.24±4.64)% in male and female rats aged 1 month, respectively; and for Ami, the maximal relaxations were (83.25±4.34)% and (82.83±7.71)% in male and female rats, respectively. Conclusion The relaxation effects of Iso, Ach and Ami are higher in female rats than in male,and decrease with aging in both female and male rats.


On the influence of 4 populations of Aegilops cylindrica species and 2 Vicia species of Azerbaijan flora was studied the frequency of spontaneous and induced by ageing chromosomesaberrations. It is noted that artificial ageing as the imitation model of storing and relative accretion of mutability, as the index of risk level of genetic consequences for seeds' storage allow to prognose their longevity potential. It is determined that the reproductional material at the populations within the species and the species within a genus distinguishes on the level of probability of loss of the genetic entity by it in the conservation process.


Abstract Long-term caregiving can negatively impact caregivers' physical and psychological well-being and are associated with increased morbidity and mortality among caregivers. A more positive caregiving experience is associated with increased coping skills and resilience. Caregiver-targeted interventions designed to promote caregivers' resilience may lead to improved caregivers' well-being, the quality of caregiving, and care recipients' outcome. However, a comprehensive evaluation of effective interventions that enhance resilience among caregivers is lacking. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to critically evaluate existing training programs to inform clinical practice and future program design. A literature review was conducted to search available articles published before June 2018 in databases including PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus. Search strategies used index and keyword methods. The inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed, research studies published in English that evaluated an intervention primarily aimed to improve family caregivers of adult patients' resilience or had a primary outcome of resilience. Seven studies fit the criteria identified. Six studies used psychosocial therapy and one used pharmacological therapy to promote caregivers' resilience. Several effective resources were identified, such as counseling, self-help manuals, psychoeducation, cognitive behavioral therapies, and the use of an antidepressant. All studies reported positive improvements in caregivers' outcomes and six studies reported caregivers had improved resilience after receiving interventions. However, most interventions require health professionals to train patients and caregivers for multiple sessions. Future studies should develop feasible, effective, and less labor-intensive interventions, such as self-help manuals, telehealth interventions, or interventions delivered during routine visits.


Objective To enhance hospital's financial management,establish risk concept,invest rationally to increase business income,lower operational costs and improve management standard.Methods Focus on the economical benefit and operational efficiency of hospital,arrange the financial management on the center part of hospital managements,approach concepts,contents,principles,methods and orgnization of contemporary hospitals,take management measures,etc.Results The management operation has been improved.The investment has worked.Technology has been improved.The development of contemporary hospital has been promoted.Conclusion Developing the efforts of the finance in making calculations,divisions,projects,controls,examines,hospital gets social benefits and is prerequisite for fulfilling the maximum of financial benefits.


Topicality. It is time to solve the problem of evaluation and response and, first, to identify and rank the factors of their large number that directly or indirectly affect the innovative development of enterprises. An important step in the process of such an assessment is to establish the most typical features that characterize the threats and opportunities of an innovative enterprise, identified because of an expert survey. Therefore, this study serves to develop comprehensive issues of micro and macro environment, which affect the innovative development of any enterprise, and can be the basis of a standard questionnaire for managers and business owners, as well as innovation managers and employees. Moreover, today the problems of innovative development of enterprises are exacerbated by the emergence of barriers to communication due to the pandemic, disorientation in the goals and objectives of the enterprise as a purposeful system, huge distrust and uncertainty and outflow of specialists. Aim and tasks. The purpose of this study is to systematize the factors of innovative development and development, on this basis, proposals for creating a profile of innovative development of enterprises. The specified goal was concretized in following research tasks: to make a sample of experts in this field; determine the list of non-financial indicators - stimulants, disincentives and focus factors; to create a profile of innovative development of the enterprise, which differs in the interaction of the planned activities of enterprises to avoid adverse consequences and take into account the possibilities of innovative development. Research results. Empirical information obtained during the questionnaire revealed the level of innovative development of enterprises and values regarding the susceptibility of enterprises to innovation. On the basis of the survey (including online surveys) to assess the disincentives to the internal environment, macro-environment and micro-environment of enterprises that have the greatest impact on the innovative development of the enterprise, as well as factors that create favorable conditions for innovative entrepreneurship an approach based on the use of expert survey methods and economic-mathematical modeling. Conclusion. Using methods of observation and abstraction, comparison, analysis and synthesis, summarization, grouping and modeling, factor analysis and expert survey, a methodological approach to developing a profile of innovative development of enterprises was developed, which is recommended to develop and visualize at each enterprise for managers and employees of innovative enterprises, based on the principles of objectivity, confidentiality, self-sufficiency and priority indicators.


A relationship between the reliability index and the partial safety factors has been analysed, and a correctness of traditional values of partial safety factors adopted in the Eurocode [3] has been assessed.


In this paper we propose a vision based fall detection algorithm. Our scheme exploits a deep learning paradigm in order to isolate human's object from the background and then to perform tracking. Deep learning better emulates our brain by propagating the raw sensory inputs into "deep" levels of hierarchies. Network adaptation dynamically re-configures the network to fit current environment visual properties. This way, object classification accuracy and tracking is enriched. In the following step, geometrically properties from the detected human object takes place. This is performed by extracting real 3D measurements from the captured 2D image planes. Camera self-calibration methods through the extraction of vanishing points are considered in this context. The derived features are filtered using autoregressive models and filtered feature sequence are exploited as feature in a time delay neural network for performing the final fall detection. Semi-supervised learning strategies are exploited to enhance classification efficiency. Experimental results indicate the efficiency of our proposed algorithm.


ABSTRACT Experiences are not limited to the apparent. Something absent can invade one's perception of the world and become heavier and more forceful than what is present. Absent material can feel imposing, even commanding and restricting the consumer's interaction with the world. In this study, we investigated the cosplayers – consumers at geek conventions who voluntarily dress as a fictional character, to have a theatrical experience – and their experience consuming the same themed marketplace stage without its core material. To these consumers, the experience is mainly one of absence, with the absent cosplay making itself present to remind them that they cannot use the convention as a stage, a conflicting experience of free and disengaged anonymity.


ABSTRAC This paper tests four models of the effect of the size of a subgroup of an organization on the proportion of attraction choices made by members of the subgroup that are given to other members of the subgroup. The data base consists of friendship and respect choices made by members of the Maryland State Police force. The four models are: simple linear, linearlogarithmicuthresholdi and logarithmic threshold. In addition, the effects of the bureaucratic functions of the subgroup on in-group choosing:are tested. Though all of these models-yield significantly good fits to the-data used, the:logarithmic threshold model provides thebest fit. This model describes the process of in-group choosing (friendship and respect) as a positive linear function of the logarithm of thesize of the group, provided the gronp is below a critical size, somewhere around 50 to 70 members. Above the critical size, there are no consistent changes in in-group Choosing. With increasing size. (Author) 4


A new numerical model of three dimensional hydro-metorological process has been developed for investigating the initiation and development of convective clouds considering the effect of air-soil interactions. This model consists of three parts, that is, atmosphere, constant flux layer and soil. For the subgrid turbulence process, ' Large Eddy simulation (LES)' model is adopted with a timedependent turbulence energy equation. Soil temperature distribution is determined time-dependently and locally to satisfy both energy and moisture balances.Microphysical processes of cloud and rain generation are described by the Kessler parameterization.The results show that the initiation of convection is effected strongly by the soil moisture distribution and the air-soil interaction intensify the development of convective clouds.


Investigations are presented on particle separation in impactors, sampling cyclones and other precollectors. These devices are increasingly used for the characterization of particulate matter. Size selective samplers must be characterized by their grade efficiency curves. A new measuring procedure is presented, which permits the determination of the grade efficiency curves of various sampling devices. An optical particle counter and a vibrating orifice generator are used in these measurements. This calibration technique is fast and has a high resolution. Investigations were carried out on the influence of various parameters on the classification efficiency of impactors and sampling cyclones. Using the extensive data measured a better understanding and quantification of impactor and cyclone behaviour is developed which may improve their applications in particle sampling.


The preparation of a series of 3-substituted 2-benzoxazolinones is described. These compounds were screened for their antibacterial properties; most compounds have shown significant antibacterial activity.


The optimal infinite-horizon output (or measurement) feedback H∞ control problem is one of the central tasks in robust control, see, e.g., [12, 13, 22, 28, 30]. For standard state space systems, where the dynamics of the system are modelled by a linear constant coefficient ordinary differential equation, the analysis of this problem is well studied and numerical methods have been developed and integrated in control software packages such as [2, 8, 14]. These methods work well for a wide range of problems in computing close to optimal (suboptimal) controllers, but the exact computation of the optimal value γ in H∞ control is considered a challenge [9]. In order to avoid some of the numerical difficulties that arise when approaching the optimum, in [6,7] several improvements of the previously known methods were presented. These are based on the solution of structured eigenvalue problems with structured methods. In this paper we study the more general case that the dynamics is constrained, i.e. described by a differential-algebraic equation (DAE) or descriptor system. Descriptor systems arise in the control of constrained mechanical systems, see e.g. [10, 26], in electrical circuit simulation, see e.g. [15], and in particular in heterogeneous systems, where different models are coupled [21]. Robust control for descriptor systems has been studied in [23–25] using linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) and employing methods of semidefinite programming to find γmo. This is attractive, because easy-to-use methods for semidefinite programming are available, see, e.g., [20]. In such an approach, LMIs in O(n2) variables need to be solved which in general results in a complexity of O(n6). Despite recent progress in reducing this complexity based on exploiting duality in the related semidefinite programs [1, 29], the best complexity achievable is still larger than O(n4) as compared to the O(n3) cost of the procedure discussed here. Robust control for descriptor systems has also been studied in [27] via generalized Riccati equations and J-spectral factorization. Unfortunately, there are several numerical difficulties associated with Riccati methods. Primary among these is the fact that often as γ approaches γmo, one of the ARE solutions XH or XJ either diverges to ∞ or becomes highly ill-conditioned, i.e., tiny errors in the Hamiltonian matrices H(γ) or J(γ) may lead to large errors in XH or XJ . In contrast to these approaches, we extend the analysis and the robust numerical methods that were derived via deflating subspaces in [6,7]. We


In this study the solvolysis of novel fluocinolone acetonide 21-(2′-phenoxypropionate) in comparison with fluocinonide was analyzed in order to evaluate this process as an in vitro model for prodrug activation. The solvolysis was performed in ethanol:water (90:10 v/v) mixture using the excess of NaHCO3. The solvolytic mixtures of those esters with different lipophilicity were assayed by proposed RP-HPLC method using isocratic elution with methanol:water (75:25 v/v); flow rate 1 mL min−1, and detection at 238 nm. Solvolytic rate constants (at 25°C) for novel prodrug fluocinolone acetonide 21-(2′-phenoxypropionate) (0.0434 h−1) and fluocinonide (0.0593 h−1) have been compared. This in vitro model of solvolysis and corresponding rate constants are in good correlation with our preliminary data of anti-inflammatory potencies of those prodrugs. Limits of detection, important for the initial stage of solvolysis, were experimentally determined with values of 4.10 μM and 0.24 μM for fluocinolone acetonide 21-(2′-phenoxypropionate) and fluocinonide, respectively.


Research has shown that prenatal nicotine exposure in the form of tobacco use during pregnancy can result in increased mortality and morbidity during fetal and neonatal life. The current study used a rodent model to assess behavioral and neurochemical consequences of prenatal nicotine exposure in offspring. In this rodent model throughout gestation pregnant dams were infused with nicotine (6 mg/kg/day) subcutaneously via osmotic mini pumps. Results of this study show that prenatal nicotine exposure results in decreased birth weight and weight gain. Prenatal nicotine exposed rats also showed decreased performance in negative geotaxis test, forced swimming and open field exploration tasks. In addition a modest decline in surface righting reflex task was also observed on PND 2. Results of neurochemical studies showed high quantity of reactive oxygen species and increased lipid peroxidation in hippocampal tissue without any aberrant protein oxidation. Hippocampal based spatial memory, when assessed with Y maze task, was deficient in prenatal nicotine rats. These results suggest that maternal smoking could result in reduced weight, weight gain and motor function and aberrant neurochemical reactions and memory processing in young offspring.


Abstract In this article, we study a semiparametric multiplicative volatility model, which splits up into a nonparametric part and a parametric GARCH component. The nonparametric part is modeled as a product of a deterministic time trend component and of further components that depend on stochastic regressors. We propose a two-step procedure to estimate the model. To estimate the nonparametric components, we transform the model and apply a backfitting procedure. The GARCH parameters are estimated in a second step via quasi maximum likelihood. We show consistency and asymptotic normality of our estimators. Our results are obtained using mixing properties and local stationarity. We illustrate our method using financial data. Finally, a small simulation study illustrates a substantial bias in the GARCH parameter estimates when omitting the stochastic regressors.


Although the coaching industry appears to place great value on developing coaching effectiveness, absent from the discourse is coach decision-making. This study explored the construct of adaptive expertise judgement under uncertainty, in order to better understand 'good coaching'. A case study approach, within an interpretative epistemology, entailed the separate videoing and debriefing of two coaching sessions. Findings suggest a need for coaches to create a framework for critiquing their own reasoning, with implications for coach education and research. One question that arises from this study is how we understand nonconscious drivers of coach decisions.


In coal production industry,China's labor productivity has been lower than other countries.This one very important reason is that China's coal production logistics in low efficiency not science.Based on this consideration,based on logistics information,ideas,presented logistics system concept,hope that through construct scientific and reasonable logistic system,to improve the efficiency of production in coal mine provide certain reference.


In order to study the effect of negative refractive effect of mediums with negative refractive index,two kinds of H-type element structures were constructed.An analysis was conducted on the structures of these two elements based on equivalent homogeneous medium theory,obtaining the electromagnetic characteristic parameters of these two structures in the case of negative refractive index,including relative wave impedance,refractive index,relative permittivity and relative permeability.Comparing the various parameters of these two elements,we found that the transmissivity and the size of frequency interval are two facets to be simultaneously considered in constructing a negative refractive index medium.


Background: Treatment adherence in diabetics is an important challenge in controlling diabetes. Health literacy is a great determinant of health. Future studies need to address determinants of adherence, as this may be crucial. Aim: Determining the association between health literacy and treatment adherence to the treatment regimen in women with gestational diabetes. Method: The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 260 women with gestational diabetes receive nutrition therapy from September to January 2019. The subjects were selected by multistage sampling methods from ten health centers and Imam Reza, Ghaem, and Ommolbanin Hospitals of Mashhad. Data were collected by the brief Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA), and a researcher-made questionnaire of adherence to the treatment regimen (diet, exercise, and blood sugar monitoring) with verified validity and reliability. Data were analyzed using SPSS 16. Results: Spearman's rank correlation coefficient indicated significant direct relationships between health literacy and the score of dietary adherence (p <0.001, r=0.314), blood sugar monitoring (p <0.001, r=0.241), exercise adherence (P=0.009, r=0.162) with total adherence to the treatment regimen (p <0.001, r=0.356). Implications for Practice: Promoting health literacy through educational interventions in mothers with gestational diabetes is essential according to its relation to raise dietary adherence (diet, exercise, blood sugar monitoring).


The new operating theatre suite the four-storey block at Liverpool Royal Infirmary has builtin electronic aids. including a private television network. A small Pye TV camera has been concealed in the large scialvtic light suspended above the operating table in two of the four theatres. A further roving camera can be used in any theatre. A fourth camera is linked to an X-ray image intensifier so that' live' pictures may be seen during X-ray examinations. Pictures from these cameras can be relayed through this private TV system to screens in viewing galleries. the lecture theatre. students' common room and a side room on one of the wards. A complete sound system has also been instal1ed so that surgeons can describe their work. The instal1ation has been provided by Pye TVT Ltd. Other equipment in this new building includes pressure ventilation. a central sterile supply and bed-lifts. There is a 'shadowless' lighting system which illuminates one of the operating tables by reflecting light from a polished aluminium dome.


'Power laws' suggest that events of a large magnitude will be rare, whilst small events will be much more common, and that a simple mathematical law relates 'severity' with frequency. We find that a wide variety of phenomena in political science are power law distributed. These empirical regularities are both unexpected and unexplained. More work on a general explanatory theory for these patterns is desirable. ∗University of Rochester, firstname.lastname@example.com I am very grateful to Aaron Clauset, Kevin Quinn and Curtis Signorino for helpful comments and advice. The usual caveat applies. 1 Samuel Alito was recently confirmed to fill the vacant US Supreme Court position left by Sandra Day O'Connor, but should we be surprised that it took the President two attempts to get the Senate's assent to his choice? What kind of predictions can we give on the next democidal bloodletting by a despotic government? When, and to what extent, will governments respond to crises by launching undemocratic purges of their opposition? When alliances form in international relations—such as the "Coalition of the Willing" for Iraq—how large should we expect them to be? At least two themes unite these seemingly disparate research topics. First, they refer to extremely complicated political science phenomena which are generally difficult to accurately predict. Second, they show remarkable 'scale invariance', a property that relates the size of an event to its frequency. In this paper, it is shown that many familiar political science systems of actor interaction are well described and characterized by a simple mathematical relationship, known as the power law. More formally, we can write that


Dry type air core reactors are devices which are used at both distribution and transmission voltages for a variety of applications such as fault current limiting, power flow control, reactive compensation (shunt reactors), and as the inductive part of tuned harmonic filters. They may be relatively small devices weighing tens or hundreds of pounds with power ratings less than 100 kvar, up to very large coils weighing as much as 100,000 lbs. or more, and having power ratings in the range of 600 Mvar (60 Hz equivalent.) Although they are well established and proven devices which have been widely used for many years by electric utilities around the world, much confusion and misunderstanding still exists in terms of how to properly make reliable electrical connections to air core reactors, how to properly ground their supports and how to deal with the effects of their stray magnetic fields. These issues arise as a consequence of the fact that air core reactors do not have a magnetic core to constrain the magnetic field and as a result the magnetic field is "broadcast" in and around the reactor. This broadcasted field or so called "stray field" induces eddy currents in any metallic objects on which it impinges, hysteresis losses in ferromagnetic material, and potentially large currents in closed loops such as can be formed by concrete reinforcements, fencing, or improperly arranged support grounding connections. These eddy currents and closed loop currents can give rise to severe heating problems on terminal connections, concrete reinforcements and fencing under steady state conditions, and also to damaging forces during short circuit. This practical paper illustrates the basic nature of the magnetic field of air core reactors and the theory behind the formation of eddy currents, closed loop currents and hysteresis losses. Guidance is given on how to arrange the electrical connection, and the characteristics of connectors to use, to minimize terminal heating and avoid damaging forces during short circuit. The concepts of magnetic clearances are explained and alternative methods of handling concrete reinforcement and fencing are illustrated along with the "Do's and Don'ts" of reactor support grounding.


One of the first challenges in a natural disaster or humanitarian emergency is to obtain accurate estimates of affected populations (1). In the aftermath of rapid-onset disasters such as the recent tsunami disaster in south Asia, there is frequently an absence of adequate baseline data against which to measure the impact of the disaster. Available population data vary widely in quality, and the movement of persons can result in inaccurate estimates. The population may be widely dispersed, highly mobile, or in refugee camps. Uncertainty over population figures and demographic information constitutes one of the main barriers to accurate needs assessment.A basic problem faced by all humanitarian relief agencies in an emer-gency is that of counting the numbers of displaced persons and assessing their general well-being. The various methods of estimating population size in disasters have their advantages and disadvantages, and demographic techniques are con-tinually being updated and improved.Social scientists, epidemiologists and statisticians alike are familiar with the principles of sampling: selecting a subset of the population of interest in order to gain information about the entire population. A global positioning system (GPS — a system of satellites that provide precise location informa-tion that can be accessed using hand-held electronic units) is increasingly used to identify a sampling frame in the conflict setting. Alternatively, satellite imagery can be used to estimate popula-tion density and select a geographical area for sampling. Different tech-niques and types of samples need to be considered in crisis situations, so it is important to understand the limitations and potential weaknesses of the various methodologies.Cluster sampling consists of assign-ing each member of the population to a group (cluster); clusters are randomly selected and all members of selected clusters are included in the sample (2). Spatial sampling — which is a variant of cluster sampling and is also known


There are tremendous practical applications of apparel classification especially in the field of e-commerce. This paper describes our approach for the classification of apparels based on labels such as colour, pattern, gender, and region using Convolutional Neural Networks. The later part of the paper describes various models we experimented with as well as the results we obtained along with the examples. Lastly, we perform an analysis of our work and discuss future work. Keywords—Deep Learning, Convolutional Neural Networks, Transfer Learning


Batch adsorption of methylene blue onto gulmohar plant leaf powder (GUL) was investigated. The effects of pH, initial dye concentration, particle size, dosage, agitation speed, and temperature were studied. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were used to test the equilibrium data. The linear regression coefficient R 2 and nonlinear regression coefficient χ2 were used to elucidate the best fitting isotherm model. The Langmuir isotherm was found to be the best fitting isotherm model. The monolayer adsorption capacities of GUL were found to be 120, 178, and 253 mg/g at temperatures of 293, 303, and 313 K, respectively. The pseudo-second order model best fits the adsorption kinetics. The multi-linearity obtained in the intra-particle diffusion plot showed that both external diffusion and internal diffusion resistances are important in controlling the overall adsorption rate. Gibb's free energy values obtained confirmed that the process was feasible and spontaneous (∆G = -24.44, 23.90, and -22.75 kJ/mol). The value of ∆H (-49.12 kJ/mol) indicated that an exothermic chemisorption had taken place. The value of ∆S (-0.084 kJ/mol) suggested that the randomness decreased after adsorption. High values of qm indicate that GUL can be a potential substitute for activated carbon.


Abstract A new method to measure the ratio between orientational viscosity and the bend elastic constant of nematic liquid crystals is presented. The method is based on the observation of the molecular rotation induced in the sample by the angular momentum transfer from a circularly polarized laser beam. Backflow is also considered. PACS numbers: 61.30.Gd, 42.65.-k, 64.70.Md


Mucilage extracted from Anacardium occidentale were subjected to toxicity studies for its safety and preformulation studies for its suitability as a gelling agent. The present study was undertaken with an objective to find out the gelling potentials of a natural gum obtained from plant Anacardium occidentale. The gum was extracted by using water as solvent and precipitated using acetone as non-solvent. Physico-chemical characteristics such as solubility, ash values, Precompression parameters, swelling index, loss on drying and pH were studied. In the present study eight batches of Aceclofenac gels were prepared with different concentration of mucilage (viz; 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 and 5.5). The gels were evaluated for drug content, viscosity determination, in vitro permeation (across dialysis membrane), skin irritation and stability tests. The gels prepared with 5.0% of mucilage were found to be ideal and comparable with a commercial preparation. The prepared gels did not produce any dermatological reactions and were well tolerated by the guinea pig. The gels were found to be stable with respect to viscosity, drug content and physical appearance at all temperature conditions for 3 months. Studies indicate that the extracted mucilage may be a good source as a pharmaceutical adjuvant specifically as a gelling agent.


A novel wavelength division optical switch has been investigated. We successfully fabricated the straight arrayed waveguides with staircase-like refractive index distribution and demonstrated the wavelength demultiplexing.


I HOPE that you will not be disappointed with me this evening, in that I am not reading you a paper upon some academie medical subject, nor giving you my experiences in any matters of diagnosis and treatment. There are some larger aspects of our work, and of our relations to the community, upon which it is sometimes useful to reflect. Medical men are citizens as well as doctors, and the medical profession has greate-r privileges and deeper obligationm than are represented by the daily round of visits to sick persons and the discussion in the consulting room. I propose to deal with one of these larger aspects of our professional life and conduct to-day. Not in a spirit of dogmatismi, as one qualified to dictate to others,, but' in a spirit of inquiry. I am hopeful none the less that such a spirit may lead to some concerted view of what


This grammar, which took Martin more than a decade to complete, is by far the most comprehensive reference grammar of Japanese in the English language (and perhaps in any language). With a very thorough 105-page index, it allows the reader to look up a description and find ample example sentences of almost any aspect of Japanese grammar. Except for some of the unique terms that Martin introduces and the fact that example sentences and cited forms are not italicized, his presentation is easy to follow, as on many occasions he seems to have chosen the format which he believes 'is easier on the reader, if harder on the linguist' (392). Besides the very useful index and the informative descriptions illustrated with ample examples, the reader will find very informative and useful discussions on phonological structures and dialect forms as well as historical perspectives that Martin goes into throughout the book. Martin's primary concern is 'to describe the wide variety of sentence types used by Japanese speakers. . .' (28), and he regards his work as essentially 'a descriptive taxonomy of modern Japanese sentences' (28). Of course, good linguistic descriptions and taxonomy involve careful analysis of the data, and this book, in fact, contains a great deal of insightful analysis of a wide variety of sentence types, contrary to what Martin somewhat modestly implies in the passage cited. In this regard it will provide a good starting point for work in the field of Japanese linguistics for many years to come. Since providing a critical thorough review of the entire book is impossible in the allowed space, I have limited my discussion to Martin's theoretical orientation and his attitude towards the data, and to his new approach to one of the long-standing problems in Japanese grammar. Martin, being a student of Bernard Bloch, is a product of American structuralism. However, as far as this book is concerned, he adopts an admirably open-minded attitude regarding the theoretical framework the attitude being that of accepting and incorporating useful notions and descriptive devices from more than one school of linguistics. In particular, he adopts some of the basic concepts of transformational grammar. Thus the reader encounters terms such as 'underlying structure', 'deeper structure', 'derivation', and 'sentence conversions' the last corresponding to 'what some grammarians have called "grammatical transformations" ' (29). Martin furthermore explicitly states that 'those readers who find it easier to think of "converted" sentences as "transformed" sentences are invited to do so' (29). Despite this, some aspects of his sentence derivation differ radically from the now familiar transformational derivation. In particular, he appears to be much influenced by a superficial fact about Japanese, namely that many


Possibilities to use the technology of augmented reality as one of the components of the methodical training for the future teacher of chemistry is analyzed. This technology allows the teacher to combine real and virtual objects in real time and provides additional information. The classification of the supplemented reality tools that are applied to the solution of the problem of its use in chemistry teaching is presented. Two groups of supplemented reality tools are distinguished: 1) ideal (cognitive-textual, virtual-illustrative, virtual-demonstration and virtual-research); 2) real (text-specifying, real-illustrative, real-demonstration and real-research). The last group includes real experiments when the computer captures the data obtained and processes it with the help of special programs.


Laparoscopic radical nephrectomy has been shown to be less morbid than traditional open radical nephrectomy.1 Despite this advantage, information has been published regarding chronic pain syndromes after retroperitoneoscopic radical nephrectomy.2 We report a chronic pain syndrome in 3 patients who elected retroperitoneoscopic radical nephrectomy. CASE REPORTS Case 1. A 59-year-old male was diagnosed with upper tract transitional cell carcinoma. The patient underwent right retroperitoneoscopic nephroureterectomy. Final pathological evaluation identified pT1NxMo grade 2 margin negative, superficially invasive transitional cell carcinoma. Postoperatively, the patient noticed new constant burning pain in the ipsilateral flank. The pain was partly ameliorated by narcotic analgesics. Bone scan and computerized tomography (CT) of the abdomen demonstrated no evidence of metastatic or local disease. Gabapentin at 300 mg 3 times daily significantly improved the pain. Despite negative metastatic evaluations, the pain persists. Case 2. A 47-year-old male was diagnosed with a left renal mass. Bone scan showed no evidence of disease. However, CT of the chest revealed probable early metastatic disease. The patient elected retroperitoneoscopic radical nephrectomy. The standard port configuration described previously was used with the exception of an additional caudad costovertebral angle 5 mm port to facilitate hilar dissection. 3 Final pathological evaluation demonstrate da3c mpT1NxM1 renal cell carcinoma. Postoperatively, the patient complained of new constant burning flank pain, which was partly ameliorated with narcotic analgesics. The pain persisted and 300 mg gabapentin 3 times daily was initiated. The pain abated by 4 months postoperatively such that daily gabapentin was no longer required. However, the patient had persistent minor discomfort at 12 months postoperatively. CT and bone scan demonstrated no evidence of extrapulmonary disease progression. Case 3. A 65-year-old female was diagnosed with a large left renal mass. Metastatic evaluation showed no evidence of disease. The patient elected retroperitoneoscopic radical nephrectomy. Final pathological evaluation revealed a 13 cm pT3NoMo renal cell carcinoma with focal extension into hilar adipose tissue and renal vein with negative margins. Postoperatively, the patient complained of new constant burning left flank pain. Gabapentin 300 mg 3 times daily and 25 g fentanyl patch every 3 days were prescribed. The pain resolved by 3 months postoperatively, and the patient no longer requires medication. CT and bone scan have not identified evidence of local or metastatic progression.


In this paper, we produced a study in Estimation for parameters of the Kumaraswamy distribution based on general progressive type II censoring. These estimates are derived using the maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches. In the Bayesian approach, the two parameters are assumed to be random variables and estimators for the parameters are obtained using the well known squared error loss (SEL) function. The findings are illustrated with actual and computer generated data.


[874979-34-7] C6H11ClO4S (MW 214.67)

InChI = 1S/C6H11ClO4S/c7-12(8,9)5-2-6-10-3-1-4-11-6/h6H,1-5H2

InChIKey = ZNWDPDXGFDWVFA-UHFFFAOYSA-N

(reagent used as a versatile sulfonating agent for amines; reagent used as protecting and/or activating group of amines)

Alternate Name: 1,3-dioxane-2-ethanesulfonyl chloride; dios-chloride; dios-Cl.

Solubility: sol hexane, ether, CH2Cl2, and most organic solvents.

Form Supplied in: not commercially available; colorless liquid.

Preparative Methods: A mixture of 2-(2-chloroethyl)-1,3-dioxane1 (6.4 mL, 50.6 mmol) and sodium sulfite (7.6 g, 60.1 mmol) was refluxed in DME (100 mL) and water (100 mL) for 3 days. The resulting mixture was concentrated in vacuo, and then the residue was dried over P2O5 under reduced pressure (100 °C, 5 mm) for 48 h. This crude product, sodium 2-(1,3-dioxan-2-yl)ethylsulfonate, was suspended in CH2Cl2 (150 mL), and then a mixture (0 °C, after 30 min) of triphenylphosphine (26.0 g, 99.2 mmol) and sulfuryl chloride (9.0 mL, 112.0 mmol) in CH2Cl2 (150 mL) was added dropwise to the suspension at 0 °C under an argon atmosphere. The resulting mixture was stirred at 0 °C for 2 h, then carefully poured into water (500 mL) and hexane (500 mL) at 0 °C. The organic layer was washed with water (3 × 500 mL), dried (MgSO4), filtered, and concentrated in vacuo. The residue was dissolved in hexane (250 mL), and the insoluble materials were filtered off. The filtrate was concentrated in vacuo, and the crude product was purified by elution through a short silica gel column chromatography (eluent: ether/petroleum ether, 1/1, v/v) to yield Dios-chloride as a colorless oil (9.02 g, 42.0 mmol, 83%).

Analysis of Reagent Purity: 1H NMR, 13C NMR.

Handling, Storage, and Precautions: corrosive and cytotoxic; handle with care. Stable in a dry atmosphere, but decomposes in protic solvents such as methanol and water with the generation of HCl. Store in a sealed container under nitrogen or argon atmosphere and refrigerate (at −15 °C) for long periods.


The Essay is illustrated by forty-eight plates, three of which comprise representations of pedestals, with explanations of the various parts in detail: these are followed by sixteen plates of columns and cornices. Twenty-nine plates are occupied by elevations and ground-plans of temples, varying from one to fifteen stories in height. The forty-seventh is a bird's-eye view of the great temple at Tiruvalor, in Tanjore; and the last is a ground-plan of the same remarkable edifice.


Introduction: There has been considerable controversy and several changes in guidelines for the basic life support (BLS) management of choking since the introduction of the Heimlich procedure in 19...


In this paper, we look at the processes of globalisation and internationalisation, especially as they impact higher education in developing nations. The two concepts are quite different in their approach as are the consequences for these nations. We attempt to show that, whereas globalisation is an extension of historical imbalances linked to Western colonialisation and dominance, internationalisation has the potential to create more equitable relations. However, it is important to realise that internationalisation is perceived differently in the West and in developing societies. We take a closer look at the situation in China to support our analysis.


We report the design of a Fourier transform spectrometer with no moving parts. Its ease of alignment and inherent immunity to vibration make it an ideal instrument for use within the university teaching laboratory. A birefringent component is used to introduce a path difference which varies across the input aperture, and hence the interferogram is obtained in the spatial rather than the temporal domain. By way of example we present some spectra obtained from the instrument and suggest a number of experiments that give the student a heuristic appreciation of the Fourier transform function.


This report presents the final results of the signal timing element of the FHWA research project "Urban Intersection Improvements for Pedestrian Safety." The report discusses the research which was conducted, and recommends improvements in the timing of pedestrian traffic signals both to maximize safety and to minimize delay. Specifically, the elements covered in this volume include the following: Chapter II--Timing for a Combined Pedestrian--Vehicular Interval. This includes discussions of minimum WALK time, minimum clearance interval, and allocation of excess pedestrian time. Chapter III--Alternative Phasing Schemes. This includes an analysis of early and late release of pedestrians with respect to vehicles, scramble pedestrian timing, and signal phasing for the partial crossing of wide, channelized streets. Chapter IV--Other Areas of Pedestrian Signal Research, including time-of-day adjustments of pedestrain signal timing, application of correction factors to the Highway Capacity Manual based on vehicle and pedestrian activity levels, and general observations on pedestrian flow characteristics. /FHWA/


Paola Cavalieri asks whether the animal rights/liberation (AR/L) movement should be 'selfsufficient and self-reliant',2 and develop 'an autonomous presence both in the political arena and in the electoral process'3 rather than focusing on alliance building with the broader Left. Cavalieri's hesitation about alliance-building is motivated by worries about diffusion and loss of focus, but also by the thought that 'humanism leads the worse-off to cling to their humanity to the detriment of animals'. Thus, acting 'as a full member of the family of social justice struggles' will lead either to wasting energy on alliances that never materialize, or to watering down animal liberation's radical aims in order to forge those alliances. This journal article is available in Animal Studies Journal: https://ro.uow.edu.au/asj/vol8/iss2/5 HOW SHALL WE LIVE TOGETHER? 42 How Shall We Live Together? A Response to Paola Cavalieri Sue Donaldson Queen's University, Canada firstname.lastname@example.com Paola Cavalieri asks whether the animal rights/liberation (AR/L) movement should be 'selfsufficient and self-reliant', and develop 'an autonomous presence both in the political arena and in the electoral process' rather than focusing on alliance building with the broader Left. Cavalieri's hesitation about alliance-building is motivated by worries about diffusion and loss of focus, but also by the thought that 'humanism leads the worse-off to cling to their humanity to the detriment of animals'. Thus, acting 'as a full member of the family of social justice struggles' will lead either to wasting energy on alliances that never materialize, or to watering down animal liberation's radical aims in order to forge those alliances. The failure of the Left to embrace AR/L is deeply frustrating, but I think it's too early to abandon the strategy of a broad Left alliance. I agree with Cavalieri that diffusion of energy and focus is a serious worry, and that it is crucial for the AR/L movement not to abandon its radical aims. But I also believe that careful alliance building can avoid these pitfalls, and is indeed essential for the growth and success of AR/L. This all depends on what one means by 'alliancebuilding'. For starters, we shouldn't view the choice between being an autonomous movement and alliance-building in dichotomous terms – just as it is unhelpful to view individual selfdevelopment as an either/or choice between autonomy and connection with others. Traditional conceptions of individual autonomy are based on problematic ideas of self-sufficiency and a controlling 'sovereign will' that fail to acknowledge the ways we are inevitably part of interdependent relations with others who help create, support and extend our autonomy. So, HOW SHALL WE LIVE TOGETHER? 43 too, at the communal level: insisting on self-sufficiency and self-reliance of the AR/L movement doesn't make us strong; it stunts our development. We can be true to our principles and goals, and indeed enrich them, through alliance with other justice groups even if those groups don't share our foundational commitments. One form of alliance that needn't compromise foundational principles is a contingent alliance around specific shared goals in specific contexts. In recent years many environmentalists have finally opened their eyes to the multiple ecological catastrophes of animal agriculture and the fishing industry. There is no guarantee that organized campaigns to reduce these negative environmental impacts will be good for animals (rather than, say, promoting technological fixes to reduce methane emissions, or campaigns to replace cows and sheep with more chickens). However, there is a real opportunity here. Major structural changes to capitalist societies and economies are inevitable as we transition to a carbon-neutral future, including systematic shifts towards plant-based diets, and the rewilding of former agricultural lands and devastated oceans. Such developments offer meaningful opportunities to liberate countless animals. Similarly, certain specific goals of anti-capitalist and anti-colonial movements (for example, protecting indigenous lands from extractive capitalism) can be shared by the animal movement. I agree with Cavalieri that achieving these goals won't in itself dismantle human supremacism, even as it forestalls additional violence and harm to animals. But I believe they can, in fact, 'already create, if possible, a little of that future freedom'. Working toward such shared goals can be transformative for animals if we are creative in shaping how these campaigns are narrated and interpreted – ensuring that they contribute to the project of destabilizing human-nonhuman hierarchy. For example, we can work with the environmental movement towards certain shared goals (for example, dismantling subsidies for animal agriculture and fishing industries), while advancing our own claims about the meaning and trajectory of these changes (for example claims regarding animal sovereignty, animals' rights to place/territory, development for all instead of the few, and so on). In other words, we can share goals without sharing foundations, and while advancing different ideological narratives. Indeed, it seems crucial to be part of such broader HOW SHALL WE LIVE TOGETHER? 44 movements if we want to reshape ideologies and habits of mind. I should note that this kind of alliance strategy (discrete coalitions around specific goals) is consistent with the AR/L movement establishing an autonomous presence in the political arena and electoral process. Indeed, such a presence may be a precondition for establishing the AR/L movement as a viable coalition partner. A second way we can – and must – be full members in the struggle for social justice is by refusing to advance our agenda in ways that contribute to the oppression of other subjugated groups (substituting 'one hierarchy for another'). For example, AR/L should advance its theoretical claims for animals in ways that don't disparage or instrumentalize persons with disabilities, should adopt political tactics that don't reinforce sexism and racism, and should choose strategic targets that don't fuel xenophobia by focusing on 'cruel' foreign or minority practices. Again, this way of being a good ally is consistent with the AR/L movement establishing an autonomous presence in the political arena and electoral processes. Being a good ally doesn't mean devoting one's energies to the agenda of other social justice movements, or sparing them from criticism concerning their position on animals, but it does mean refraining from giving comfort to their enemies, or causing harm to them by reinforcing oppression or prejudice. We can form an autonomous movement yet still feel an obligation to engage with other movements to make sure that we don't, even unintentionally, deploy tropes that further marginalize the dispossessed. Moreover, respectful dialogue with other social justice struggles can strengthen our understanding of AR/L. In my own work I have found that engagement with disability and children's rights theory/advocacy has not only deepened my appreciation of these struggles, and of opportunities for shared analysis and alliance. It has also radically altered how I think about AR/L and the significance to animals of challenging adult-centric and ableist norms by emphasizing relational agency over individual self-sufficiency, and appreciating embodied forms of participation and communication. Far from being a distraction or deviation from the course of AR/L, it has, I believe, enriched my understanding of what that course should be (Donaldson and Kymlicka). HOW SHALL WE LIVE TOGETHER? 45 So, my first point is to stress the ways that alliance-building needn't compromise the goals of AR/L or diffuse its focus and energies. I would add that another positive dimension of alliance-building is that it forces us to be attuned not just to radical ends and utopian goals, or to ritualized debates about the relationship between reform and radicalism, but also to the political opportunities of the very particular epoch we are living in. Autonomist radical movements have a history of becoming inward-looking, monitoring and debating their ideological purity while losing touch with the shifting constellations of political forces beyond. Moreover, while it may be true that many theorists and strategists on 'the Left' have made an intellectual commitment to humanism (Kymlicka), the evidence suggests that the disadvantaged themselves often have greater empathy for animals (Deemer and Labao; Deemer), and there may be ways to tap this directly. We shouldn't let the Left's intellectual humanism blind us to the more embodied solidarities that are experienced on a daily basis, and that could be politically mobilized. The current era of political destabilization across Western democracies is unprecedented in the 50-year history of the modern AL/R movement. Many of these political dynamics are deeply alarming, but they also represent opportunity. What are the trends, openings, and dangers? Is the AL/R movement creative and nimble enough to steer a course amidst the challenges of resurgent populism, nationalism and the environmental crisis towards a better future for animals (including the human variety)? For example, we might ask whether resurgent nationalism represents an opportunity for broad-appeal animal advocacy. And at first glance, the answer might be a resounding 'no'. There are many disturbing examples in which (alleged) concern for animals is instrumentalized by chauvinistic and xenophobic groups – for example, attacks on Halal slaughter by opponents of Muslim migrants in Europe (Lelieveldt), the BJP's instrumentalization of concern for sacred cows to attack Muslims in India (Narayanan), or the outcry in Australia about the cruelties done to 'our' sheep by Middle Eastern countries (Dalziell and Wadiwel; Probyn-Rapsey). When animal activists participate in these


Reproductive factors alter the risk of ovarian cancer; pregnancy reduces the risk while infertility increases it. However it is still nor clear whether it is infertility itself or its treatment that is responsible for the increased risk. Alternatively, it could be postulated that infertility and epithelial ovarian cancer are consequences of a common underlying genetic abnormality. There is mounting evidence that in some cases endometriosis could be a precursor lesion to ovarian cancer. Endometriosis has been found within or adjacent to endometrioid and clear cell ovarian cancer in up to 25% of cases. Accumulation of genetic mutations underlies the development of neoplasm. Precursor lesions have been identified in many malignancies with alterations in cell cycle genes. Since ovarian malignancy has a unifocal origin, it could be assumed that there is a precursor lesion in ovarian cancer, but owing to its intra-abdominal nature it has yet to be identified. In this review, we describe cytological and architectural abnormalities in the surface of the ovary in high-risk groups. These high-risk groups also show changes in some cell cycle proteins, which could indicate that these lesions are a precursor to ovarian cancer.