The invention discloses a remote control method and a remote control system of a set top box, wherein the remote control method of the set top box comprises the following steps: generating corresponding relationship data according to an infrared code output by a remote controller of the set top box and a channel turned by the set top box after receiving the infrared code, and storing the corresponding relational data in a first relationship corresponding table; displaying a channel list to users, wherein the channel list contains channels included by various corresponding relationship data in the first relationship corresponding table; selecting a channel to be watched from the channel list through the remote controller; inquiring an infrared channel change code corresponding to the channel to be watched from the first relationship corresponding table; and sending the infrared channel change code to the set top box so as to control the set top box to change into the channel to watch the channel to be watched. By means of the technological method disclosed by the invention, the fact that channel change of the set top box can be controlled by utilizing remote controllers, instead of the remote controller of the set top box, can be realized; the problem that the set top box can be controlled only by utilizing the remote controller of the set top box in the prior art can be solved; and convenience is provided for users.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of intratympanic gentamicin therapy for the treatment of Meniere's disease.

STUDY DESIGN
We compared retrospective case series with historical controls.

SETTING
A tertiary referral center--the ambulatory clinic at The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

PATIENTS
The study consisted of 28 patients with Meniere's disease who failed conventional medical therapy and were offered gentamicin treatment or surgical intervention. Patients had to be followed for at least 2 years to be eligible for review.

INTERVENTION
Intratympanic gentamicin solution injections were given by serial titration to the involved ear on a weekly or biweekly schedule.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Adhering to the American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery 1985 criteria for reporting treatment results in Meniere's disease, the hearing status, control of vertigo, and disability scores using intratympanic gentamicin therapy were reported and compared with historical controls.

RESULTS
Complete or substantial control of vertigo was achieved in 91% of patients. Hearing loss occurred in approximately one third of patients. Historically, similar hearing loss occurs in patients who were treated successfully, either medically or surgically. Ototoxicity (high frequency hearing loss) was more likely to be seen in patients with pre-treatment 8,000 Hz hearing thresholds better than 65dB.

CONCLUSIONS
Intratympanic gentamicin therapy given by serial titration injections provides significant control of vertigo without the significant cost and potential morbidity of a more invasive surgical procedure.


Objective: In the current study, we explored the neural substrate for acute effects of guanfacine extended release (GXR) on inhibitory control in school-aged children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Methods: Following a GXR washout period, 12 AD HD children (6–10 years old) performed a go/no-go task before and 3 h after GXR or placebo administration, in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design study. In the primary analysis, fNIRS was used to monitor the right prefrontal cortical hemodynamics of the participants, where our former studies showed consistent dysfunction and osmotic release oral system-methylphenidate (OROS-MPH) and atomoxetine hydrochloride (ATX) elicited recovery. We examined the inter-medication contrast, comparing the effect of GXR against the placebo. In the exploratory analysis, we explored neural responses in regions other than the right prefrontal cortex (PFC). Results: In the primary analysis, we observed no significant main effects or interactions of medication type and age in month (two-way mixed ANCOVA, Fs < 0.20, all ps > .05). However, in the post-hoc analysis, we observed significant change in the oxy-Hb signal in the right angular gyrus (AG) for inter-medication (one sample t-test, p < 0.05, uncorrected, Cohen's d = 0.71). Conclusions: These results are different from the neuropharmacological effects of OROS-MPH and ATX, which, in an upregulated manner, reduced right PFC function in ADHD children during inhibitory tasks. This analysis, while limited by its secondary nature, suggested that the improved cognitive performance was associated with activation in the right AG, which might serve as a biological marker to monitor the effect of GXR in the ADHD children.


Purpose – The aim of the present paper is to explore whether the phenomenon of crowd funding can be considered a service ecosystem, where the constituent actors generate resources and co-create value for and within the system. Design/Methodology/approach – A qualitative, multiple case-study approach is used to analyze the two most representative crowdfunding platforms in Spain, Verkami and Lánzanos, in terms of amounts of funds provided Findings –The findings reveal how six categories of value propositions frame eight types of value co-creation processes when different actors interact and integrate resources at three levels: micro–meso–macro within crowdfunding service ecosystems Research limitations/implications – Certain limitations to the study arise from the research context. We chose to analyse specific cases of crowd-funding in the arts and cultural sector through the most representative platforms in Spain. The sampling design could be improved by broadening the type of cultural projects considered and by including experiences of crowd-funding projects in other countries in the analysis. Practical implications – From the present study, we can conclude that crowdfunding in the cultural sector in Spain acts as a service ecosystem. The unique approach that links the micro-meso and macro levels with specific types of value propositions assists service managers and practitioners, co-create value propositions and value with different actors within the service ecosystem. Originality/value – The present paper suggests that crowd-funding in the arts and cultural sector occurs within a complex service ecosystem, where six categories of value propositions frame eight value co-creation processes, namely through ideation, evaluation, design, testing, launch, financing and authorship. Managerial contributions include the development of a crowd-funding service ecosystem model for arts managers, which offers not only a method of financing or economic value, but which also offers opportunities for strengthening bonds with customers and other stakeholders. Our paper is innovative in that we integrate value propositions categories with the micro – meso and macro contexts and analyse the different kind of co-creation are framed in the crowdfunding context.


In this paper, RL-diode circuit driven by a sinusoidal voltage is employed to obtain nonlinear experimental data. The BDS test statistic is used to analyse these data. According to the results of the analysis for the first differenced order data, chaotic structure has been found for each e values.


The article analyzes the cognitive prerequisites for implementation of verbal communication, the essence of which makes the exchange of information, its storage and evaluation. The success of verbal communication is ensured by the maximum use of students' analytical and imitative abilities, mobilizing of their internal resources; stimulation of speech activity and filling of the absence of a natural environment at all stages of education. Mastering a foreign language requires active participation in interactive communication. It is cognitive activity that is considered relevant for students to understand and use the language, despite their knowledge space and cognitive algorithms conditioned by the properties of the human psyche and the specific situation. Knowledge of cognitive prerequisites and application of cognitive approach to learning a foreign language contributes to the students' linguistic concept, knowledge which is understood as a type of mental representation of the perceived and treated verbal and nonverbal information.


In our search for novel small cytotoxic molecules potentially activating procaspase‐3, we have designed and synthesized a series of novel N′‐[(E)‐arylidene]‐2‐(2,3‐dihydro‐3‐oxo‐4H‐1,4‐benzoxazin‐4‐yl)acetohydrazides (5, 6). Biological evaluation revealed that seven compounds, including 5h, 5j, 5k, 5l, 5n, 6a, and 6b, exhibited moderate to strong cytotoxicity against three human cancer cell lines (SW620, colon cancer; PC‐3, prostate cancer; NCI‐H23, lung cancer). Among these compounds, two most cytotoxic compounds (5h and 5j) displayed from 3‐ up to 10‐fold higher potency than PAC‐1 and 5‐FU in three cancer cell lines tested. Three compounds 5j, 5k, and 5n were also found to display better caspases activation activity in comparison to PAC‐1. Especially, compound 5k activated the level of caspases activity by 200% higher than that of PAC‐1. From this study, three compounds 5j, 5k, and 5n could be considered as potential leads for further design and development of caspase activators and anticancer agents.


A touch detection device for detecting touches on a given surface. The inventive device includes a surface where a touch generates acoustic waves, transducers that detect these waves, a controller that calculate the location of the touch and a host device where the touch position is used to communicate with the application program. The screen is formed from any material that is capable of propagating acoustic waves. Plurality transducers are placed on the screen. These transducers detect acoustic waves generated on the screen. The screen is calibrated by touching it once and a map of arrival time ratios are generated and saved in the storage unit. During the real time operation, a touch on the screen generates acoustic waves that are detected by transducers. The output of each transducer is sent to a controller unit where the time differences and their ratios are calculated and compared to time ratios in the storage unit to detect the touch location.


This is an overview of the Romanian past and present education system between 1980 and 2011. Romania has gone through a period of changes over the last three decades, and consequently the education system suffered modifications. Traditional methods were replaced gradually by modern approaches, although the general structures are similar. The expected result was an increase in the TIMSS scores. In reality, once the reforms have been initiated, a downtrend in scores was noticed. While there were no available studies showing why the downtrend occurred or what factors may be responsible, one may suggest that an education reform of such proportions may have unintended consequences especially on short term, and, eventually, the intended achievement can differ from the real achievement. Certain factors, such as student accountability, the new media, the impact of the market economy, or political turmoil can also influence students, parents, and teachers and alter the educational process.


Objective To creation parameter upper limit of long-term blood pressure variability(L-BPV) in normal range value(95% confidence interval),and suspecting the mechanism of the L-BPV of the physiology in normal persons.Methods L-BPV was evaluated in 62 normal persons,matched in sex and age.The L-BPV was assessed by standard deviation(SD).Results ①The SD of 24 hour systolic and diastolic blood pressure variability(24hSBPsd,24hDBPsd) were respectively less than 12.90,5.01;during daytime,the SD of systolic and diastolic blood pressure variability(dSBPsd,dDBPsd) were respectively less than 11.31,4.23;during nighttime,the SD of systolic and diastolic pressure variability(nSBPsd,nDBPsd) were respectively less than 9.90,2.67.②The L-BPV with the normal persons was assessed by turns:24hSBPsddSBPsdnSBPsd,24hDBPsddDBPsdnDBPsd.③Both 24hSBPsd and 24hDBPsd of male and female with the normal persons were no statistic difference(P0.05),comparison the 24hSBPsd in aniso-age composition,the 24hSBPsd with the normal persons were also no statistic difference(P0.05)Conclusion The dynamic equilibrium with the functional sympathetic and vagus nerve was important mechanisms which maintenance L-BPV within physio-eategory.The reinforcement L-BPV relates to physical strength and mental labour,and sleeping was an utility method that decrease the L-BPV.


Existing watershed algorithm is sensitive to noise and has over-segmentation problem.Based on previous studies and combining with the current progress,this paper introduces watershed algorithm simulating flood and watershed algorithm simulating rain.It sums up four types of improved methods for watershed algorithm according to defects of the traditional algorithms.Problems and further research aspects of improved methods for watershed algorithm are discussed.


Monte Carlo simulations have been carried out to study the adsorption structure of methyl halide molecules (CH3I and CH3Br) on a LiF(001) surface. The ionic substrate is treated as a three‐dimensional stationary mesh of point charges and the adsorbed molecules are taken as rigid bodies. The adsorption at different coverages in the monolayer and submonolayer regimes is investigated. The interaction potential between the surface and adsorbate includes electrostatic contributions due to ion–dipole (both permanent and induced) interactions and Lennard‐Jones terms that are introduced to account for the remaining interactions. The adsorbate–adsorbate interaction is assumed to be the sum of the permanent dipole–dipole and Lennard‐Jones potentials. All the interaction potentials are assumed to be pairwise. The adsorbate–adsorbate interaction is dominated by the Lennard‐Jones component, largely due to the halogen–halogen interaction, while Coulomb forces account for a few percent of the total adsorption energy. As...


A pollution-free greenhouse strawberry cultivation method relates to the technical field of greenhouse cultivation. The pollution-free greenhouse strawberry cultivation method is characterized in that the pollution-free greenhouse strawberry cultivation method includes the following steps: (1) variety choice; (2) seedling growing; (3) field planting; (4) field management: film mulching, temperature regulation, moisture control and top dressing; (5) disease and insect pest control; (6) harvest. The pollution-free greenhouse strawberry cultivation method has a good effect in resisting diseases and insect pests, the strawberry growing environment of greenhouses is reasonable, the quality of strawberries is good, and yield is high.


Abstract— The diaphototropic responses of the solar‐tracking leaves of Lavatera cretica were studied under constant levels of vectorial photo‐excitation (negligible variations in angle of incidence and fluence rates). The results showed the following:


Enchiridion so radically different from Augustine's approach to issues of sin and grace in other texts that much of what it asserts is asserted as only "possibly true"? Can the Enchiridion be read in isolation from Augustine's anti-Manichaean and anti-Pelagian works? Are all amalgamations (admittedly a tricky business) otiose at best and destructive at worst? Can diverse communicative actions be so easily separated out? Is speech act theory the sole counteraction to the silencing of an author? And hermeneutically, should concern with an author's action be as monopolizing as it seems to be in speech act theory? T.'s thoughtful and skillfully crafted work significantly advances the conversation. Anyone seriously addressing the banality of evil and the anomaly of goodness will find here rich fare.


Using the GM(1,1) model on China′s agricultural,forestry,animal husbandry and fishery output value forecast.Firstly,pretreated the data to meet the Grey forecasting model′s conditions and used the MATLAB software to solve the programming.Secondly,made the Residual testing and rolling test and found the Residual was less than ten percent.Finally,carried on the Grey Relational.come to a conclusion: Affects what to the total output value is biggest is the fishing industry,next is the animal husbandry, the forestry and the agriculture.


In this paper, a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control system for thermoelectric generation is proposed. The MPPT algorithm is based on the open-circuit voltage method. Model equations of the thermoelectric generation circuit including a thermoelectric generation module (TEM), a DC-DC converter and an electric load are explained. The MPPT control system based on operator theory is designed for the model equations. In order to verify the proposed system, demonstration results by simulation and experiment are shown.


Currently the Covid-19 pandemic forces almost every country to take drastic measures in order to stop the spread of the virus. These include the avoidance of close contact to other humans, staying at home whenever possible and the closure of gyms or sport clubs. Now that people are more or less bound to their home, it is even more important to stay physically active. The occasional walks between sofa and fridge are not enough to keep your body in shape. But why is exercise so important and is there anything one can take to get the most out of every single training session?.


Los Alamos National Laboratory has conducted technical support studies to assess siting requirements mandated by Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 10 CFR Part 61. Field-scale transport studies were conducted under unsaturated moisture conditions and under steady and unsteady flow conditions in large caissons located and operated in a natural (field) environment. Moisture content, temperature, flow rate, base-line chemical, tracer influent, and tracer breakthrough data collected during tracer migration studies in the caisson are compiled in tables and graphs. Data suggest that the imposition of a period of drainage (influent solution flow was stopped) may cause an increase in tracer concentration in the soil solution at various sampling points in the caisson. Evaporation during drainage and diffusion of the tracers from immobile to mobile water are two phenomena that could explain the increase. Data also suggest that heterogeneity of sorption sites may increase the variability in transport of sorbing tracers compared with nonsorbing tracers.


The paper presents the results of research and development of a continuous technology for the pre-contact hydrogenation of cottonseed oil on stationary and powdered nickel-copper catalysts. It was found that the recommended technology allows to significantly increase the productivity of hydrogenation plants and reduces the content of trans-isomerized fatty acids in solid fat. This ensures an increase in the physiological and nutritional value of margarine products based on food solid fat.


The contribution of non‐anatomical factors, such as ventilatory control instability (i.e. LG), to the pathogenesis of obstructive SDB in children is unclear. Therefore, we aimed to identify the relationship between LG and severity of SDB, demographic, anthropometric and anatomical characteristics in a clinically representative cohort of children.


Despite having a good record as a predictor of job performance, biodata is seldom used for the selection of managers. Its infrequent use can be explained in part by noting that traditional biodata prediction models of job performance, developed in one context, do not readily transport into different ones. Organizations wishing to use biodata must first develop and validate such an instrument. As this is only feasible for large organizations, an alternative approach is to develop biodata instruments to predict specific attributes of a person. Such instruments will be more generalizable than those developed to predict a person's job performance.

This approach was tested by developing biodata models to predict vocational interest (as measured bv Holland's Self Directed Search—SDS) of a group of likely applicants for managerial jobs. Following factor analysis of the biodata, regression models were developed to predict individuals' scores on the six SDS scales. The models developed predict the criteria well. The findings indicate that biodata is a good predictor of vocational interest of individuals irrespective of their job or organization.


The chart (Figure 1) says it all NOT! It starts with the practice culture. When a new staff member is recruited, their orientation should start with the Vision, Mission, and Core Values. This provides a framework, a compass if you will, that with a clear Standards of Care (SOC) gets new staff members onto the right path the practice's "way" and keeps them there. "We serve our neighbors as respectful, expert, caring partners in their pet's health. We do this by creating innovative, effective, affordable systems of care that our clients will value."


With the operation of DC transmission projects increases,the DC magnetic biasing phenomena occurs sometimes in surrounding substations,which will harm the safe operation of power grid.This paper used PSCAD software for power system to build the model of DC power grid.Taking 500 kV Hanshan substation as an example,the DC power flow was calculated,when the neutral point of main transformer used low resistance or blocking capacitor.Finally,the suppression measures were adopted to improve the ability of stable operation for transformer substations.


AlxGa1-xN samples, with different AlN molar fractions, x = 0, 0.15, 0.77, and 1, grown by halide vapor phase epitaxy were implanted with Tm ions. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements revealed that after thermal annealing all the samples exhibit intraionic Tm3+ luminescence. In samples with x > 0, the low temperature emission is dominated by the lines that appear in the near infrared (NIR) spectral region, corresponding to the overlapped 1G4 → 3H5 and 3H4 → 3H6 multiplet transitions. A detailed spectroscopic analysis of NIR emission of the thulium implanted and annealed AlxGa1-xN layers is presented by using temperature dependent steady-state PL, room temperature PL excitation, and time resolved PL. The results indicate that the excitonic features sensitive to the alloy disorder are involved in the excitation population processes of the Tm3+ luminescence and the highest thermal stability for the NIR emission occurs for the AlN:Tm sample.


This paper introduced researching results in bio-accumulation and reduction of U(Ⅵ) in water. Microbes, pH, temperature and coexisting metal ions as well as electron donors are the key factors to affect accumulating and reducing results of uranium. Some microbes have very high accumulating capacities for uranium. Effects of pretreament of biomass on uranium accumulation are highly dependent on microbial species, pretreating methods and uranium accumulating time as well as initial uranium levels. Uranium reduction by biomass was driven by cytochrome C3.


Article Info History Received: 07 July 2021 Accepted: 17 Dec 2021 Available: 31 Dec 2021 Abstract Background: Expression of VEGF-C and CA 15-3 may be useful to differentiate between malignant and benign breast tumour because VEGF-C plays a role in promoting angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis in malignant processes and CA 15-3 is the soluble form of transmembrane protein MUC1, a tumour marker which shows higher expression in breast cancer. Objective: To determine the diagnostic value of VEGF-C and CA 15-3 as blood-based tumour markers in patients with breast cancer should the more invasive pathology examination is unavailable or undesirable. Methods: This diagnostic cohort study recruited 76 patients that underwent surgical biopsy procedures at Dr. Kariadi and Pantiwilasa Citarum Hospitals Semarang. The VEGF-C and CA 15-3 levels in blood specimens taken before surgical biopsy procedure was determined using ELISA method. An ROC curve and AUC were used to establish the cut-off points and diagnostic value. Pathology examination results from the biopsy specimens were used as the gold standard. Results: The cut-off value for VEGF-C and CA 15-3 were 989.50 pg/mL and 74.00 U/mL. Sensitivity for VEGF-C, CA 15-3 and VEGF-C+CA 15-3 were 76.6%, 64.1% and 89.1%. Specificity for VEGF-C, CA 15-3 and VEGF-C+CA 15-3 were 75.0%, 75.0% and 50.0%. The AUC for VEGF-C, CA 15-3 and VEGF-C+CA 15-3 was 0.831 (95% CI = 0.727-0.934), 0.742 (95% CI = 0.628-0.856) and 0.840 (95% CI = 0.7420.938). Conclusion: VEGF-C in combination with CA 15-3 performed better as diagnostic parameter and has better accuracy as a tumour marker for breast cancer in comparison with each marker alone.


The implementation of scalar water pricing system for urban domestic water is not only the developing trend of the reform on the structure of urban water pricing system in China,but also the most effective measure for water saving.The scalar water price is predominant with the advantages of cost compensation,reasonable benefit,fair burden etc.However,it is difficult to determine the segment metering for the water consumption and the price concerned.The scheme and implementing measures for the scalar water pricing system for Beijing are put forward herein based on the investigation of the urban domestic water consumption of Beijing.


The aim of the present study was to examine whether children with autism understand intentions. Subjects included children and adolescents with autism, children and adolescents with mental retardation and tow groups of normally developing children with a mean age of 4- and 6-years respectively. The clinical groups and the 6-year old children were identified on menial age. The experimental tasks of the study tested for: subjects' ability to: (1) distinguish between intended and accidental acts and (2) understand unsatisfied intentions. Results supported that in normal development children begin to comprehend these aspects of intention at the age of 6 years. It was also found that the majority of autistic subjects fail to represent the intentions in the mind of others. Mentally retarded subjects' good performance demonstrates that success on the tasks was not dependent on mental age.


It is shown that zeolites are one of the potential candidates for dielectric container to make low- dimensional materials, and that the characterization of the defects in zeolites, which affect the physical and chemical properties seriously, is an important subject in zeolite science.The high capability of high resolution electron microscopy for tackling these problems is confirmed by showing two examples, i, e., direct observations of Se atoms incorporated in the channels of mordenite, and sodalite and offretite intergrowths in erionite.


Britain and Ireland. Checking Anaesthetic Equipment 2012. Anaesthesia 2012; 67: 660–8. 31. Mellin-Olsen J, Staender S, Whitaker DK, Smith AF. The Helsinki declaration for patient safety in anaesthesiology. European Journal of Anaesthesiology 2010; 27: 592–7. 32. Wilson IH, Walker IA. Theatre checklists and patient safety. Anaesthesia 2008; 63: 921–3. 33. De Hert S, Imberger G, Carlisle J, et al. Preoperative evaluation of the adult patient undergoing non-cardiac surgery: guidelines from the European Society of Anaesthesiology. European Journal of Anaesthesiology 2011; 28: 684–722.


Thank you again for submitting your work to Molecular Systems Biology. We have now studied your transferred manuscript and the accompanying reviews. While reviewer #2 is clearly positive, reviewer #1 is much less supportive. While the opinions about the interpretation of the data are split, we feel that the results presented are thought-provoking and might be of interest to a broad community of life scientists, including systems biologists and synthetic biologists. Given that the data are not challenged by the reviewers and that most of the criticisms refer to the broader interpretation of the data, we feel that we can consider a revision of the present work, provided the manuscript is revised to address the reviewers' comment and in particular the following major points:


his thoughts were often random and his life chaotic. It means that seeking to discover a consistent philosophy or to monitor changes in his perspective over the decades may be doomed to failure. Third, in focusing on theodicy in Cohen's works, Marcia Pally is delving into a subject that has been extensively examined by poets and scholars alike. Still, as his own song, 'Hallelujah', has been recorded in over 300 versions and is one of the most 'oft-performed songs in American musical history', this may be a fitting match. Cohen himself wrote about many issues, but one of the themes that dominated – perhaps it would be better to say tortured – him was why God had created such an imperfect world, full of hurts and confusions. It was more than a general question, but a personal lament. He felt burdened by the weight of human fallibility, especially his own. Much of his life was dedicated to challenging God for putting him in such a position, whereby he often failed himself and let down others. What is particularly notable for a poet who indulged in the hedonistic and drugfuelled lifestyle of the 1960s is his constant use of religious references. It reflected not just his own comfort with such language, but a conscious decision as to how best to communicate with his public: cultures may change, but biblical imagery will still resonate. Another distinctive aspect of Cohen's technique is that he weaves together so many different religious traditions in his search for answers. Pally traces his deep Jewish roots, his admiration for Jesus, his attraction to Buddhism and his immersion in Sufi poetry. However, a religious health warning is also necessary: he is not constrained by the origins of his religious texts. His version of the Binding of Isaac does not end well, while his use of the 'word being made into flesh' envisages a very different dynamic to that meant by John. Like Job, he eventually comes to acceptance: God is always there, we are bound to God, we may be broken but the link endures. Hence the title of the book – From This Broken Hill I Sing to You – which could have been one of so many other quotes from his playlist, but encapsules his life: ever-defective but ever-seeking. A sound knowledge, both of the Bible and of Cohen's works, is essential before starting this book, but for the cognoscenti it will prove highly rewarding. As Pally shows, Leonard Cohen can be considered the last of the psalmists.


There was a bureaucratic problem in implementing public traditional market relocation program in Sekayu, Musi Banyuasin Regency. This problem could be explained through Bureaucratic Specialization concept perspective. Hence, this research examined bureaucratic practice, including the cause and challenge of Bureaucratic Specialization using this market relocation case as the background based on bureaucratic performance analysis. Qualitative approach with descriptive method was used in this research. Data was collected through observation and depth interview method. The result was although Bureaucratic Specialization had not achieved its optimum point, it had already caused bureaucracy performance breakdown. It was indicated by negative symptoms such as slow inefficient convoluted bureaucracy and unclear task division. The research suggested that Musi Banyuasin Regency Government should make a clear distinction among its office's tasks and responsibilities and support its implementation.


With this article, our attention now turns to the nurse—to the one caring for the patient during the critical hours immediately following his attack. Unquestionably, this is a medical and nursing emergency, but not necessarily one calling for frenzied and tension-generating activity. On the contrary, excited action on the nurse's part may only communicate a sense of urgency to the patient, possibly resulting in an extension of the infarcted area. What is important is that the nurse understand what is happening to her patient, both physiologically and emotionally, and that she determine her nursing activities and their sequence accordingly.


Mohammed,the Islam prophet,is an extraordinary figures historically,harmony is his tirelessly pursue target.Mohammed harmony ideal owns unique connotation and rich content.Which involves three aspects,firstly,the harmony between the creator and the human,emphasising human beings self-knowledge,Highlighting transcendental spirit and ultimate concern;secondly,the harmony between interpersonal,stressing human beings share the same root,should love others as self,demonstrating the spirit of universal charity and love;thirdly,the harmony between man and nature,stressing man and nature had each other and peaceful coexistence,also including symbiosis and prosperity.


Dielectric elastomer(DE) has been widely used as actuators in bionic robots. But the frequency of actuation is still limited by how fast the power supply charges and discharges the electrodes. Bidirectional flyback converter with high enough efficiency and simply structure is particularly suitable in this application. In this paper, the impact of several important circuit parameters on charging and discharging speed are discussed. Then a novel bidirectional flyback converter (12V input and 2500V output) based on traditional flyback circuit with an auxiliary unit is proposed in this paper. The auxiliary unit collects discharge energy and generates higher voltage (up to 80V) on transformer primary side, which can dramatically reduce charge and discharge time in simulation. A prototype (12V input and 700V output) is designed. Experimental results verify the prototype of proposed circuit can reduce the charging and discharging cycle time in the meanwhile.


patency of the airway is maintained by positioning of the patient's head or by the insertion of a soft rubber oral airway (Guedel type); or a short nasopharyngeal tube is passed through the nose. We have found it beneficial to employ supplementary nitrous-oxideoxygen anaesthesia (see below). The patient is now transferred to any desired position on the operating table, and one arm is firmly bound to a splint, the unpadded end of which is inserted beneath his shoulder. The tourniquet is applied and the needle inserted into a suitable vein. With the drip turned off, the venous congestion produced by the tourniquet causes blood to diffuse back into the indicator-proof of the intravenous position of the needle. The drip is now started (40 to 50 drops a minute), and the needle is fixed in position by adhesive tape. We have found that the needle is held more securely and lateral movement prevented if a small piece (1 in. by 14 in.) of tape is placed beneath the needle with the adhesive side uppermost. Two longer pieces are then applied over both needle and tape, securing them to the surrounding skin (Fig. 4).


Protection equipment in intelligent substation includes Merging Unit, protection equipment and Intelligent Terminal. At present, the status of the intelligent electronic device in intelligent substation protection system is still lack of effective monitoring means. According to the characteristics that substation area protection can obtain current information of all circuits in substation through GOOSE network, a protection system conditioning monitoring relay named PSCMR is designed in this paper. Based on the principle of current differential, PSCMR can accurately identify the abnormal condition or malfunction of Merging Unit or Electronic Current Transformer and realize condition monitoring of intelligent electronic device in protection system.


In this paper a direct version of adaptive generalized predictive control is considered. A direct adaptive generalized predictive control algorithm is suggested and stability of the closed-loop system is proved under some assumptions. A simulation example demonstrates the effectiveness of the algorithm.


The spin-induced quadrupole moment of a rapidly rotating star changes the orbital dynamics in a binary system, giving rise to advance (or regression) of periastron and precession of the orbital plane. We show that these effects are important in the recently discovered radio pulsar/main sequence star binary system PSR J0045$-$7319, and can reliably account for the observed peculiar timing residuals. Precise measurements of the apsidal motion and orbital plane precession can yield valuable information on the internal structure and rotation of the star. The detection of orbital precession implies that the spin of the companion star is not aligned with the orbital angular momentum, and suggests that the supernova gave the pulsar a kick out of the original orbital plane. Tidal excitation of g-mode oscillations in the PSR J0045$-$7319 system induces an orbital period change of order $|\Delta P_{\rm orb}/P_{\rm orb}|\sim 10^{-6}$ at each periastron passage, but the secular trend depends on the radiative damping time of the g-modes. We also discuss the spin-orbit coupling effects for the accreting X-ray pulsars and the other known radio pulsar/main sequence binary, PSR B1259$-$63.


By introducing variation factor n0, upper-bound limit analysis of inhomogeneous slope was proposed while cohesion changes linearly as depth increases. Research shows that internal dissipation rate in deformation area caused by linearly variation of cohesion is half of which occurs on the logarithm spiral. Limit bearing capacity increases as n0 increases if cohesion of slope toe remains constant. The bearing capacity and safety factor are lager when cohesion of slope toe is greater than cohesion of shoulder.


Spontaneous emission of quantum emitters can be modified by engineering their optical environment. This allows a resonant nanoantenna to significantly modify the radiative properties of a quantum emitter. In this article, we go beyond the common electric dipole approximation for the molecular electronic transition and take light-matter coupling through higher order multipoles into account. We investigate, by means of theory and numerical simulations, a strong enhancement of the magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole emission channels of a molecule adjacent to a plasmonic patch nanoantenna. While this on its own had been considered, the assumption in prior work usually has been that each molecular transition is dominated only by one of those multipolar emission channels. This leads naturally to the notion of discussing the modified emission in terms of a modified local density of states defined for each specific multipolar transition. In reality, this restricts the applicability of the approach, since specific molecular transitions occur via multiple multipolar pathways that have to be considered all at once. Here, we introduce a framework to study interference effects between higher order transitions in molecules by (a) a rigorous quantum-chemical calculation of their multipolar moments and (b) by a consecutive investigation of the transition rate upon coupling to an arbitrarily shaped nanoantenna. Based on that formalism we predict interference effects between these transition channels. This allows for a strong suppression of radiation by exploiting destructive interference. Our work suggests that placing a suitably chosen molecule at a well defined position and at a well defined orientation relative to a nanoantenna can fully suppress the transition probability.


Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only. Where the thesis is converted to, or otherwise made available in digital form, the University of Alberta will advise potential users of the thesis of these terms. c The author reserves all other publication and other rights in association with the copyright in the thesis, and except as herein before provided, neither the thesis nor any substantial portion thereof may be printed or otherwise reproduced in any material form whatsoever without the author's prior written permission. To my family and friends, you will always be the best part of my life. Thank you for tolerating my idiosyncrasies over the years. Abstract Agent modelling is a challenging problem in many modern artificial intelligence applications. The agent modelling task is especially difficult when handling stochastic choices, deliberately hidden information, dynamic agents, and the need for fast learning. State estimation techniques, such as Kalman filtering and particle filtering, have addressed many of these challenges, but have received little attention in the agent modelling literature. This thesis explores the use of particle filtering for modelling dynamic opponents in Kuhn poker, a simplified version of Texas Hold'em poker. We demonstrate effective modelling both against static opponents as well as dynamic opponents, when the dynamics are known. We then examine an application of Rao-Blackwellized particle filtering for doing dual estimation, inferring both the opponent's state and a model of its dynamics. Finally, we examine the robustness of the approach to incorrect beliefs about the opponent and compare it to previous work on opponent modelling in Kuhn poker. Acknowledgements Throughout my years at the University of Alberta I have had the pleasure of working and having fun with many exceptional people. All of these people deserve thanks for making life at school a wonderful experience that I will always cherish. First, I would like to thank my supervisor, Michael Bowling. When I started my master's degree I thought a supervisor would simply be a person that helped guide my research. Michael filled that role admirably and, moreover, he has become a friend. He has provided me with both the freedom and opportunity to grow as a scientist. His knowledge, insight, guidance, wit, and support have made the academic side of my degree very satisfying. Finally, …


Zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) is one of the composite ceramics that are widely use in load bearing and wear resistant applications. The composite is known for their good hardness and toughness, due to the presence of both Al2O3 and yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ). The enhance toughness for ZTA are mostly originated from the presence of YSZ in the composite. The phase transformation from tetragonal to monoclinic that happen inside of YSZ during the presence of stress and increase its toughness. Thus, the amount of tetragonal and monoclinic phase inside of YSZ are critital to its toughness. In this research, the amount of dolomite was varied from 0 to 1.0 wt % while ratio of Al2O3 to YSZ were fixed to 4:1. The sample were prepared through the solid-state sintering method. XRD was done onto the sample to analyze the phases. XRD analysis shows that no presence of new compound in ZTA system. With addition 0.3 wt% of dolomite, Vickers hardness reached maximum of 1842.75HV.Zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) is one of the composite ceramics that are widely use in load bearing and wear resistant applications. The composite is known for their good hardness and toughness, due to the presence of both Al2O3 and yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ). The enhance toughness for ZTA are mostly originated from the presence of YSZ in the composite. The phase transformation from tetragonal to monoclinic that happen inside of YSZ during the presence of stress and increase its toughness. Thus, the amount of tetragonal and monoclinic phase inside of YSZ are critital to its toughness. In this research, the amount of dolomite was varied from 0 to 1.0 wt % while ratio of Al2O3 to YSZ were fixed to 4:1. The sample were prepared through the solid-state sintering method. XRD was done onto the sample to analyze the phases. XRD analysis shows that no presence of new compound in ZTA system. With addition 0.3 wt% of dolomite, Vickers hardness reached maximum of 1842.75HV.


This paper reports on research into what drama teachers consider they really need to know as drama specialists. In the first instance the very concept of knowledge is discussed as it pertains to education in the arts as is the current situation in England regarding the extent to which new drama teachers' subject specialist knowledge has been formally accredited and what the implications of this may be to an evolving curriculum. The research itself initially involved using a questionnaire to investigate the way in which drama teachers prioritised different aspects of professional knowledge. Results of this survey were deemed surprising enough to warrant further investigation through the use of interviews and a multiple-sorting exercise which revealed why the participants prioritised in the way they did. Informed by the work of Bourdieu, Foucault and Kelly, a model is proposed which may help explain the tensions experienced by drama teachers as they try to balance and prioritise different aspects of professional knowledge.


i tion~ ha~ hccn in vcs ti !:(ated with particul ar attention to the change in the corrosion rate. Di fferent factors have been studied such as i-! l;tt.C composition. irradiation dose. co ncentration of the leach in g solu tion. immersion time and temperatu re of leaching solution. It was found thm zircon improved th e chemi ca l du rabi lity. Corrosion rate increased with increasing conce ntration of immersion so lution up to 2N HNO, the n dec reased. also it increased with increas ing immersion time and ra ising the temperature of leach ing so lution. The amount of th e si li ca released in so luti on showed a maxi mum weigh t loss percent up to 21\J H 0 ,. ;111dthcn decreased dramatically with increasing the co nce ntration of the tested so lution. T he corrosion result s have been explain ed in relati on to the hyd rati on. di ffusion and se lecti ve disso luti on. The den sity increase s with successive increase of zirconium oxide content reac hi ng the highest va lue of 2.59 g/cm-' . The induced defects obtai ned on irrad iating a glaze. ei ther in the sur face or in the bu lk. have been assumed to result from neutro n irradiation which dec reases both the chemi ca l durability and the density.


ekphrasis is related, respectively, to "music on works of literature" and "music on works of art." Anyone conversant with the analytical discourse generated by program music would have difficulty sorting out the specific premises of each category. In one of the pioneering studies on ekphrasis, the literary critic Murray Krieger remarked that he found it to be "both a maddeningly elusive and an endlessly tempting subject" (Murray Krieger, Ekphrasis: The Illusion of the Natural Sign [Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992], 1). If this was true in relation to literature, it will be even more so as the concept migrates into the semantically elusive field of music. The book under review goes a long way toward placing the topic on the map, but its analytical premises can be fully assessed only when scholars from different persuasions and viewpoints embrace it as a distinct critical category.


Directors of nursing and midwifery need to take a 'significant leadership role' in encouraging staff to raise any concerns at work, according to the new chief executive of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).


The parabolic Anderson model is the heat equation on the lattice with a random potential. A characteristic feature of the large time asymptotics of the solution is the occurrence of small islands where almost all mass is concentrated. This effect is called intermittency. There are basically two ways of looking at the long time behaviour of the solution. On the one hand one can consider the almost sure asymptotics after one realisation of the potential is fixed (the quenched setting). On the other hand one can consider he asymptotics after taking expectation with respect to the potential (the annealed setting). One possible characterisation of intermittency is to compare the asymptotics of different moments of the solution. We derive asymptotic formulas for time correlations of regularly varying functions of the solution in the case of a homogeneous initial condition and an appropriate time-independent potential. These formulas can be used, for instance, to calculate moments of the solution of all orders up to asymptotic equivalence. Furthermore, we show what the geometry of the intermittency peaks that determine the annealed behaviour looks like. More precisely, we show what the height, the size and the frequency of the relevant peaks are. We also investigate ageing properties of the model under different definitions. In particular, we examine for how long intermittency peaks remain relevant. Another characterisation of intermittency is to compare the quenched asymptotics of the solution with the annealed asymptotics. If one considers the averaged solution to the parabolic Anderson model with homogeneous initial condition in a growing box that is time-dependent, then one observes different regimes. If the growth rate of the box is small, then one observes quenched behaviour, whereas if the box grows fast one observes annealed behaviour. We derive stable limit theorems for the averaged solution depending on the growth rate of the box and the potential tails for suitable potentials to describe the transition from quenched to annealed behaviour. Furthermore, we give sufficient conditions on the growth of the box for a strong law of large numbers to hold. Finally, we derive asymptotic formulas for time and spatial correlations in the parabolic Anderson model with a (time-dependent) white-noise potential. Acknowledgement I would like to express my gratitude to Jurgen Gartner for introducing me to the topic and his invaluable support over the last years. Furthermore, I would like to thank Wolfgang Konig for his kind supervision and many helpful discussions and hints on how to present mathematical results. In addition, I would like to thank the professors in the committee for undertaking this task. Moreover, I am indepted to the probability group at TU Berlin and the IRTG SMCP for a friendly working atmosphere. I am grateful for finanical support of the DFG and the BMS. Finally, I thank my parents.


Ghassabian A, Steenweg-de Graaff J, Peeters RP, et al. Maternal urinary iodine concentration in pregnancy and children's cognition: results from a population-based birth cohort in an iodine-sufficient area. BMJ Open 2014;4:e005520. doi:10.1136/ bmjopen-2014005520 The column headers in Table 1 are the wrong way round; '<150 μg/g' should be '>150 μg/g' and vice versa. Please see the corrected Table 1 below:


Graphene was grown on both r-plane and c-plane sapphires by low-pressure chemical vapor deposition without using a metal catalyst. The growth pressure was systematically changed to investigate how the growth pressure effects the graphene growth. Consequently, it was found that the coverage of the graphene increased with increasing growth pressure on the r-plane sapphire while it decreased with increasing growth pressure on the c-plane sapphire. Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy indicates that the growth layer is single-layer graphene on the r-plane sapphire while it is a bi-layer on the c-plane sapphire. Graphene is thought to grow on the r-plane sapphire simply in a two-dimensional nucleation mode. On the other hand, graphene tends to grow in the pits formed on the surface of the c-plane sapphire. The pits are thought to be produced by the oxygen desorption and have some catalytic effects.


Reducing length scale on precipitation strengthened aluminum alloys leads to improved strength but reduced ductility and nonuniform elongation. Underlying mechanisms are attributed to the interaction between grain boundaries, dislocations, and precipitates. Recent studies revealed that a high volume fraction of grain boundaries provided sinks for structural defects, i.e., vacancies and dislocations, in ultra-fi ne grained (UFG) Al 7075, and thus the density of defects is relatively low in grain interiors. As a consequence, the precipitate nucleation mechanism is altered. In an effort to investigate how coupling of dislocations and precipitates affects the mechanical behavior of Al 7xxx alloys at a submicron length scale, it is important to develop and sustain a high density of dislocations in the grain interior via deformation. In this study, nanostructured Al 709x alloy powder was fabricated by cryomilling and was subsequently consolidated to form UFG bulk materials through two different processing routes: one with elevated temperature slow strain rate deformation and the other with room temperature high strain rate (HSR) deformation. The latter provides the opportunity to sustain a high density of dislocations in the grain interiors of UFGs. For comparison purposes, coarse grained (CG) counterparts were fabricated via the same consolidation and deformation processes but using gas-atomized CG powder. Results reveal that the coupling effects between dislocations and precipitates in the HSR deformed UFG lead to extreme high strength (UTS 878 MPa) with uniform elongation. Interestingly, T6 temper decreases the strength of the UFG–HSR sample while it improves the ductility. Detailed microstructural characterization is performed to provide insight into the interaction between structural defect evolution and precipitation phenomenon.


Let Q be a convex subset of a vector space, $\mathcal{U} \subset Q$, $\mathcal{S}$ a topological vector space, C a convex subset of $\mathcal{Z}$ with a nonempty interior, $\phi = (\phi _1 ,\phi _2 ):Q \to \mathbb{R}^m \times \mathcal{Z}$, $\bar q \in Q$ and $\phi _2 (\bar q) \in C$. We assume that $\phi $ has a pth order Taylor approximation at $\bar q$ when it is restricted to an arbitrary finite-dimensional simplex in Q with a vertex at $\bar q$. In the case when $\mathcal{U}$ is a proper subset of Q we also assume that Qis a uniform space, $\phi $ continuous and $\mathcal{U}$ "abundant." We establish a number of higher order sufficient conditions, not involving any Lagrange multipliers, for the existence of neighborhoods $G_1 $ and $G_2 $ of the origins such that $\phi _1 (\bar q) + G_1 \subset \{ {\phi _1 (u)} |u \in \mathcal{U},\phi _2 (u) + G_2 \subset C\} $. These sufficient conditions, involving nonconvex sets of Variations, are shown by an example to be stronger than those in the literature. We ...


The last withdraws itself from all reckoning.... how then will we be able to measure up to the unusual beckoning of the last god?1


A privacy of a person appearing in the imaging region suitably protected, to generate an accurate flow line analysis image obtained by superimposing the retention information or pass information of the person on the updated background image at a predetermined timing. A flow line analysis system, a camera device and a server device are connected to each other. The camera apparatus, a flow line for extracting an imaging unit that captures a predetermined imaging area, and the background image generation section that generates a background image of the captured image of the predetermined imaging area, the flow line information of the moving object included in the captured image an information analysis unit, for each predetermined transmission period, a transmission unit that transmits the background image generated by the background image generation section, and a flow line information of the moving object extracted by the flow line information analyzing unit to the server apparatus, the provided, the server device, the background image of the captured image, an image generator for generating a flow line analysis image obtained by superimposing the flow line information of the movable body, the display unit flow-line analysis image generated by the image generating unit and a display control unit for displaying. .The


As excellent performance is difficult to achieve in traditional laser beam scanner, which adopt cumbersome transmission mechanisms, this paper will propose a novel type, which employs permanent magnetic suspension structure. Static stability of such a scanning system will be analyzed fully based on magnetic theory and 3D-FEM tools. Finally, typical experiments verify that high static stability can be realized by this novel permanent magnetic suspension scanner. Other techniques involved in this type of laser beam scanner, including the scanning theory, precision control and dynamic stability, will be referred in later papers.


Objective:To study the relationship between Bmi-1,Caspase-8 protein expression and carcinogenesis、progression and recurrence of ovarian cancer.Methods:A specific and sensitive immunohistochemical SABC assay was used to detect the expression of Bmi-1,Caspase-8 in paraffin-embedded sections of 60 cases of primary epithelia ovarian cancer,16 cases of epithelial benign ovarian tumors,and 10 cases of normal ovarian tissues individual.Results:The positive expressions of Bmi-1 in epithelial ovarian cancers(68.3%) were significantly higher than those in normal tissues(37.5%) and benign ovarian tumors(10.0%) The positive expressions of Caspase-8 in epithelial ovarian cancers(31.7%) were significantly lower than those in normal tissues(68.8%) and benign ovarian tumors(90.0%).It showed the tendency that the expression of Bmi-1 increased and Caspase-8 decrease of the histological differentiation(P0.05) and progress of clinical stages(P0.05 ).Conclusion:As a new tumor marker,the expression of Bmi-1 and Caspase-8 is obviously related to the carcinogenesis,progression,and recurrence of ovarian ca ncer.


For the purpose of assessing the potential influence of tropical rain forest conversion to rubber plantation on catchment hydrology, a stable oxygen isotope was used as a tracer to identify the event water and prestorm water components of storm runoff during low‐ and high‐flow conditions in a native tropical rain forest catchment (TRFC) and an artificial rubber plantation catchment (ARPC) in SW China. Isotopic hydrograph separations for the storm of April and September 2004 reveal that the event water made up only a small proportion of discharge (29 and 31%, respectively) at peak flow in the TRFC, while it made up the dominant component at peak flow (62 and 69%, respectively) in the ARPC. The analyses suggest that in the ARPC, the universal presence of compacted terraced tracks associated with land management would encourage infiltration‐excess overland flow. This isotopic investigation demonstrates that tropical rain forest conversion to rubber plantation would markedly change the runoff generation processes in this area.


"Of Avians and Indigenes" combines colonial discourse theory and ecocriticism to demonstrate how the New World bird and the New World "Indian" have been similarly othered in the discourse of Western imperialism. As a result, the Passenger Pigeon and many Native American tribes have suffered a similar fate: extinction. But via the ironic co-evolutionary history of the native House Finch and the introduced English Sparrow – and spanning American literature from John James Audubon to Joy Harjo – the author offers a Native reading of this colonization, through which both avians and indigenes "speak back" against the onslaught of Euro-American ideology, as a veritable "return of the Native." My bird is a genuine little savage, doubtless, but I value him as a neighbor. . . . [Nature] is an Indian maiden, dark, subtle, dreaming, with glances now and then that thrill the wild blood in one's veins. – John Burroughs 1 [R]econsider Indian history. Whites were advancing not only on the Indians but on the chickadees listening, the bird unconcerned, the deer scratching. – William Bevis 2 In one of the first books by a Lakota, Land of the Spotted Eagle (1933), Luther Standing Bear's titular homeland is appropriately dubbed that of the "Spotted Eagle," not that of his human Oglala tribe – to reflect, no doubt, "the Lakota belief that man did not occupy a special place in the eyes of Wakan Tanka, the Grandfather of us all," that both humans and birds were oyate , or "people." Standing Bear later finds another parallel between Native Americans and other species in terms of the European settlers' attitude towards both: "Only to the white man was nature a 'wilderness' and only to him was the land 'infested' with 'wild' animals and 'savage' people." And such infestations needed to be removed: I know of no species of plant, bird, or animal that were [sic] exterminated until the coming of the white man. . . . The white man considered natural animal life upon this continent, as "pests." Plants which the Indian found beneficial 2 Orientalization of the New World Native and Natured Others © Blackwell Publishing 2004 Literature Compass 1 (2004) AM 054, 1–17 were also "pests." There is no word in the Lakota vocabulary with the English meaning of this word. 3 It is no surprise, then, that bird species such as the Passenger Pigeon and many human Native tribes have met the same fate at the hands of European expansionism – extinction – and that the remaining Native tribes, like the buffalo, have just barely avoided a similar end. Standing Bear's Lakota contemporary, Black Elk, notes another avian-Native similarity, with similar tragic ramifications: "Our tepees were round like the nests of birds," which were set "in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours. . . . But the Washicus [whites] have put us in these square boxes," and so "the power is not in us any more." 4 Certainly, most Native American worldviews themselves entail an ideology of familial alliance with birds, a consideration crucial to any discussion of the subject. For instance, the traditional Lakota faith in the close relation of the human tribe to such birds as the Golden Eagle and the Western Meadowlark, and the many claims of actual interspecies conversation, especially during vision quests, may be seen, on first sight, as the same conflation of the animal and the Indian performed by colonial ideology. However, the originating worldviews and, just as importantly, the resulting cultural lifestyles are vastly different. The Euro-American attitude is one of belittlement, distance, and difference; the Native attitude, one of kinship and positive regard. And while I might not be able to make any claims for the literal truth of talking birds that would make sense in this academic context, I can appeal to sheer pragmatism and ask, with Lawrence Buell, which approach to "nature" and the animal is more conducive to biodiversity and at last to the ecological viability of our planet: If like Thoreau one imagines animals as neighbors; if like Muir or traditional Native Americans one imagines life-forms as plant people, sun youths, or grandmother spiders, then the killing of flies becomes as objectionable as the killing of humans. 5 But it is the fact that both feathered beings and feather-wearers have long been othered as comparable objects in Western colonial-imperialist discourse that I want to address in some detail. Historically, the English language itself offers further lamentable correlatives. Both Others, for example, have been deemed close kin (for far different reasons), as "tribes" fit for "reservations": by both poets and ornithologists of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, birds were often referred to as the "(feathered) tribes"; 6 and in the early twentieth century, bird reserves were also called "Reservations." 7 According to Deep Ecologist Paul Shepard, "Enclaves [such as zoos] 'protect' the defeated [animals], as they did American Indians, by assigning them to reservations and then eliminating them outside the sanctuary." 8 At last, in Western discourse, the animal is framed through the bars of the "zoo," as it were; the Indian, through the borders of the "reservation." and thus the ostensible peculiarity of my article's title, which would appropriate both


The evolution of ground-water law in eight states in the Midwest (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin) is examined, and a review of transitions in ground-water doctrines is presented. Two underlying themes in changing ground-water management are communicated. First, ground-water law is evolving from private property rules of capture based on the absolute ownership doctrines to rules requiring conservation and sharing of ground water as a public resource. Second, in both courts and state legislatures, a proactive role of ground-water management is emerging, again, with an emphasis on sharing. Both of these trends are apparent in the Midwest. In the last decade midwestern states have (1) seen significant shifts in court decisions on ground-water use with greater recognition of the reciprocal or mutually dependent nature of ground-water rights, and (2) seen increased legislative development of comprehensive ground-water management statutes that emphasize the reciprocal liabilities of ground-water use. These trends are examined and ground-water management programs discussed for eight states in the Midwest.


Objective: To investigate the nursing staff's mental condition in medical institutions affiliated to Urumqi. Methods: All of the nursing staff in medical institutions affiliated to Urumqi was investigated by the questionnaire of Self-reporting Inventory (SCL-90). Results: All of the factors in Self-reporting Inventory (SCL-90) were higher than the norm, which had the significant difference (P 0.001). In addition to bigotry factor, which had no significant difference with the domestic norm, and the interpersonal sensitiv- ity factor was lower than the domestic norm. The percentage of the nurses who had moderate or severe mental problems was 3.8%, the common symptom were compulsion, depression, hostility, anxiety and so on. Conclusion: The mental condition of nursing staff was not so well as the general population in medical institutions affiliated to Urumqi, and the administrative departments of health should arouse the attention to enhance social support for them.


This paper describes key process module technologies for post quarter-micron generation CMOS logic LSIs. High-performance logic LSIs are now facing the problems caused by increased power consumption and the interconnect barrier of LSI wiring. To achieve a lower power operation,we have developed a retrograde well structure,a dual-gate Co-salicide process with reduced threshold voltage,and a shallow trench isolation technology. Also, low-resistance wiring and materials with a lower dielectric constant are suitable for reducing the interconnect barrier. However,to tackle these two problems more effectively,a new design methodology should be developed. Especially,the interconnect barrier problem requires a paradigm shift in our approach to system and circuit design. Process Module Technologies for Next Generation CMOS Logic LSIs


We generalize ǫ-pseudospectra and the associated computational algorithms to the generalized eigenvalue problem. Rank one perturbations are used to determine the ǫ-pseudospectra.


Alif Stone Park is a geosite tourism or rock garden that originated from pre-historic times. It has giant granite stones arranged beautifully along the shores of Sepempang Village, East Bunguran District, Natuna Regency, Riau Islands. Geosite tourism or rock garden is one of the tours that is in great demand by local visitors or visitors from outside who visit Natuna Regency because it has its own historical value and is a target for a photo spot for visitors. But Alif Stone Park has a drawback, namely it does not have a permanent Tour Guide and information that can explain about Alif Stone Park itself. To facilitate the service of providing information on Alif Stone Park, we need a website that is easy to access by visitors. So that when visitors want to know what information is in the Alif Stone Park tourist attractions, visitors have no trouble accessing the website later. The QR code will lead to a website containing Alif Stone Park tourist attractions from their history, origins, location of tourist attractions, information on tourist attractions in Alif Stone Park and others. Therefore, a website was created that uses a qr code scan system. It is hoped that the website or system that has been created can run and help well visitors who will come to visit Alif Stone Park. In making the Alif Stone Park website there are 6 stages that are carried out namely Requirement Gathering, Requirement Analysis, Requirement Specification, Prototyping, Implementation, and Testing. The 6 stages are carried out in stages. In the testing phase, there are 3 tests, namely Developer Testing, Owner Testing, and Visitor Testing. Based on the results obtained from the implementation phase and the testing phase, it can be concluded that the Alif Stone Park website has been successfully created, including the features on the website. The scan system on the website was also successfully created and running well. This website can be accessed using a Qr Code where visitors only need to scan from their respective smartphones.


Federal efforts to protect the nation's critical infrastructure from cyber threats has been on the Government Accountability Office's (GAO's) list of high-risk areas since 2003. Critical infrastructure is assets and systems, whether physical or cyber, so vital to the United States that their destruction would have a debilitating impact on, among other things, national security and the economy. Recent cyber attacks highlight such threats. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as the lead federal agency, developed a partnership approach with key industries to help protect critical infrastructure. This testimony identifies key factors important to DHS implementation of the partnership approach to protect critical infrastructure including : (1) recognizing and addressing barriers to sharing information, (2) sharing results of DHS assessments with industry and other stakeholders, and (3) measuring and evaluating the performance of DHS partnerships. GAO has made recommendations to DHS in prior reports to strengthen its partnership efforts. DHS generally agreed with these recommendations and reports actions or plans to address many of them. GAO will continue to monitor DHS efforts to address these recommendations.


We explain how a small set of molecular building blocks will allow the implementation of "universally programmable intelligent matter," that is, matter whose structure, properties, and behavior can be programmed, quite literally, at the molecular level.


Health care professionals need to feel trusted by the leaders of their organization. Micromanagement and unnecessary adherence to process without justification are the antithesis of trust and respect. Without trust and the supportive, respectful environment it creates, health care professionals will be less likely to do their best or be invested in the organizational mission. Organizations build trust and respect by making every attempt to treat all staff fairly. All team members must work together to make sure an inclusive and respectful work environment is created and maintained.


FOR KAREN JENNINGS, newly appointed head of Unison's nursing sector, the current move towards widening the entry gates to the profession could hardly strike a more personal chord.


To fully exploit the limited flight-time of the flying robot, and ensure the successful visibility of target, viewpoint optimization is proposed in this paper for the inspection of electricity transmission tower equipment with an optimization function to determine the best viewpoints in a local viewpoint region. The local viewpoint regions are generated from the local objective regions which are determined by the geometrical structure of a priori3 D model for the electricity transmission tower equipment.The optimization function is structured based on three factors including visibility, viewing quality and observation distance. In addition, the fitness function of genetic algorithm is used to find the optimal viewpoint. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed viewpoint selection algorithm.


Background:
 Over-activation of renal sympathetic nervous system and low-grade systemic inflammation are thought to be common features of hypertension. Renal Denervation (RDN) reduces sympathetic activity in patients with resistant hypertension. However, its effect on systemic inflammation has not been investigated.
 Aim:
 To determine the effect of RDN-induced sympathetic inhibition on monocyte activation and systemic inflammation in hypertensive patients.
 Methods:
 Peripheral blood was obtained from 42 patients who underwent RDN for uncontrolled blood pressure (BP) at baseline, at 3 months and 6 months post-procedure. Ambulatory BP, overall activation status of monocyte as well as monocyte subsets and inflammatory markers were assessed at each time point.
 Results:
 RDN significantly lowered 24-hour ambulatory BP at 3 months (150.5/81.0 mmHg to 144.7/77.9 mmHg), which was sustained at 6 months (144.7/78.6 mmHg). The overall monocyte activation was significantly decreased (3 months, 4079.4 MFI to 3182.0 MFI; 6 months, 3457.62 MFI) post-RDN, specifically in the subset of classical monocytes (6 months, 4696.8 MFI to 3958.8 MFI). In line with this, reduction of several inflammatory markers were observed, including monocyte-platelet aggregates at 3 months (34% [680 of 2000 monocyte events] to 11.85% [237 of 2000 monocyte events]) and plasma levels of MCP-1 (3 months, 144.9 pg/ml to 100.1 pg/ml; 6 months, 122.2 pg/ml), IL-1β (3 months, 18.3 pg/ml to 10.8 pg/ml; 6 months, 12.2 pg/ml), TNF-α (3 months, 167.5 pg/ml to 78.4 pg/ml; 6 months, 111.1 pg/ml), IL-12 (3 months, 59.8 pg/ml to 9.9 pg/ml; 6 months, 21.4 pg/ml) and IL-6 (3 months, 2.4 pg/ml to 1.5pg/ml; 6 months, 1.9 pg/ml). A positive correlation was observed between baseline muscle sympathetic nerve activity and monocyte activation (R=0.62) and changes observed at both time points (3 months, R=0.63; 6 months, R=0.88) post-procedure.
 Conclusions:
 Inhibition of sympathetic activity via RDN is associated with a reduction of monocyte activation and other circulating inflammatory markers in hypertensive patients. These findings point to a direct interaction between the inflammatory and sympathetic nervous system, which is of central relevance for the understanding of beneficial cardiovascular effects of RDN.


We present WFPC2 VI photometry of a field in the halo of IC 1613, finding 13 RR Lyrae stars and 11 Cepheids. Our photometry of the red giant branch tip and red clump is used to derive distances to IC 1613, which are consistent with each other and with distances based on the variable stars. We compare these values with similarly measured distances for the Magellanic Clouds, and are able to measure metallicity dependencies of the RR Lyrae and Cepheid distances by requiring consistent relative distance measurements from the four techniques. For metallicities of [Fe/H] = -1.3 (RR Lyrae stars) and -1.0 (Cepheids), we find a relatively steep slope of 0.34 ± 0.20 mag per dex for the RR Lyrae stars and a shallow slope of -0.07 ± 0.16 mag per dex for the Cepheids, both values within the range of theoretical and empirical results in the literature. We find that a dependence of the red clump absolute magnitude on age, in addition to metallicity, is required to produce self-consistent relative distances between IC 1613 and the Magellanic Clouds. Adopting such a red clump calibration and self-consistent calibrations for the other three distance indicators, we find that the distances to all three objects are in excellent agreement. Our best distance modulus to IC 1613 is μ0 = 24.31 ± 0.06, corresponding to a distance of 730 ± 20 kpc. This distance produces an RR Lyrae absolute magnitude of 0.61 ± 0.08.


While Porter and Kramer's Creating Shared Value (CSV) works well as a management framework to address "win-win" business and society issues, it leaves managers ill-equipped to legitimately manage issues where they face the prospect of "win-lose" or "lose-win" social engagements. For legitimacy, managers need to bolster CSV with ethical frameworks—specifically, norm-taking and norm-making frameworks. Managers can be better positioned to create shared value through CSV+, a multi-part framework built around CSV and augmented by ethical frameworks.


The aim of this study was to determine the effect of administering a fungicide with the active ingredient propined and the time of application on the growth of Fusarium oxysporum in vitro. The design used in this study was a factorial Completely Randomized Design (CRD) using two factors, the first factor was the dose of fungicide which consisted of 3 levels (F), namely: 700 ppm, 1700 g/l water, and 2.7 g/l water. and the second factor was the time of inoculation which consisted of three levels so that there were 9 treatment combinations with 3 replications, so there were 27 experimental units. Each experimental unit consisted of 2 Petri dish plates which were inoculated and sampled so that there were 54 Petri dish plates. Parameters observed were the effective day of colony formation, colony diameter, conidia length of Fusarium oxysporum, inhibition of growth of Fusarium oxysporum, and macroscopic and microscopic identification of Fusarium oxysporum. If the calculated F is greater than the F table, then the BNJ test is continued at the 5% level. Based on the results of the study, the following can be concluded: treatment interaction with propined concentration and application time affects all observation parameters, where the best treatment is propined concentration of 2700 ppm and concurrent application of propined (F3S2). The main effect of real propined concentration on all observation parameters, the best treatment was propined concentration of 2700 ppm (F3). The main effect of actual application time on all observational parameters, the best treatment was with a propined application (S2).


It has been found that a number of commercial waxes exhibit singularities in the temperature variation of the D.C. conductivity at temperatures below the freezing point. In particular Acrawax C show a discontinuity between 58°C and 65°C and an anomolous change of slop at 73°C Fig. 1 shows the logarithm of the D.C. conductivity plotted against 1/T.


today. To the casual observer, the book is relevant in light of the growing size of the Federal budget; however, this only reflects the presence of big government. Even more threatening to individual freedom is the presence of Big Government. According to Higgs, what distinguishes (upper-case letters) Big Govern ment "is the wide scope of its effective authority over economic decision making, that is, the great extent to which governmental officials rather than private citizens effectively decide how resources will be allocated, employed, and enjoyed." Several theories have been forwarded by scholars to explain the growth of government: the complexi ties of modernization; the provision of public goods; the promotion of the welfare state; and political redistribution. Each of these theories is valid; however, Higgs argues that none explains the timing of the growth of government. Higgs' primary thesis is this: In the face of a social crisis, government is called upon to correct the problem. Once the crisis has passed, the size of government might diminish, but it will be larger than before the crisis. This resistance to diminish fully is termed the "ratchet effect." The impact of a crisis on the size of government is not an aberration, but a lasting effect. This results not only because bureau crats become entrenched and institutions refuse to


A class of test functions ``minimal with respect to causality'' is introduced. The corresponding fields are called local. Tempered and strictly localizable fields are local, but there is a large class of fields that are local but not strictly localizable. For local fields, the analytic properties of vacuum expectation values are studied. The local fields that are not strictly localizable are characterized by an arbitrary fast increase of Wightman functions near the light cone. With an adequate definition of local commutativity, other properties of tempered and strictly localizable fields seem to remain valid.


This is a spotlight on research story. Researchers supported by the NIAMS have explored possible adverse effects associated with the long-term use of antibiotics for acne and found one: a two-fold increase in upper respiratory tract infection (URTI).


Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a zoonotic illness which has spread rapidly and widely since December, 2019, and is identified as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. The pandemic to date has been characterized by ongoing cluster community transmission. Quarantine intervention to prevent and control the transmission are expected to have a substantial impact on delaying the growth and mitigating the size of the epidemic. To our best knowledge, our study is among the initial efforts to analyze the interplay between transmission dynamics and quarantine intervention of the COVID-19 outbreak in a cluster community. In the paper, we propose a novel Transmission-Quarantine epidemiological model by nonlinear ordinary differential equations system. With the use of detailed epidemiologic data from the Cruise ship "Diamond Princess", we design a Transmission-Quarantine work-flow to determine the optimal case-specific parameters, and validate the proposed model by comparing the simulated curve with the real data. First, we apply a general SEIR-type epidemic model to study the transmission dynamics of COVID-19 without quarantine intervention, and present the analytic and simulation results for the epidemiological parameters such as the basic reproduction number, the maximal scale of infectious cases, the instant number of recovered cases, the popularity level and the final scope of the epidemic of COVID-19. Second, we adopt the proposed Transmission-Quarantine interplay model to predict the varying trend of COVID-19 with quarantine intervention, and compare the transmission dynamics with and without quarantine to illustrate the effectiveness of the quarantine measure, which indicates that with quarantine intervention, the number of infectious cases in 7 days decrease by about 60%, compared with the scenario of no intervention. Finally, we conduct sensitivity analysis to simulate the impacts of different parameters and different quarantine measures, and identify the optimal quarantine strategy that will be used by the decision makers to achieve the maximal protection of population with the minimal interruption of economic and social development.


This study develops and proposes an extended technology adoption model based on the vast literature. The proposed revised technology adoption model is a five-layer evaluation model that can be used to determine the variables that influence individuals' and organizations' embrace of new technologies. The existing technology acceptance model (TAM) and its modifications (TAM2 and TAM3) have been applied for decades in varied disciplines, including marketing and information systems, to better predict generic human perceptions, behaviors, and attitudes toward new and existing technologies. The revised TAM is less generic and includes variables pertaining to culture-tech (indigenization) that predict user behaviors and intentions to adopt new technology. This proposed TAM offers the potential to engineer destruction in the development of culture-tech or indigenous technology by allowing local customization of technological contents and features to meet the needs of individuals and organizations, especially those in developing and emerging countries. The revised TAM, if supported empirically, will guide researchers and developers to capitalize on technology innovation rooted in users' indigenous and personal attributes and characteristics.


Leaves of Ocimum gratissimum and Newbouldia laevis were subjected to cold maceration in ethanol, ethyl acetate, and water for 24 hours. The extracts which on phytochemical screening showed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, glycosides, and phenols, were tested for antimicrobial activities. Various concentrations of the plant extracts (200, 100, and 50 mg/ml) were assayed for antibacterial activity using the agar well diffusion method. Two Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes) and four Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella aerogenes, Salmonella typhi, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacteria were used for the study. The ethanol extract of O. gratissimum showed the highest zone of inhibition against E. coli with 18mm at 200mg/ml concentration, followed by ethyl acetate and aqueous extracts with 15 mm and 8 mm, respectively. Ethanol extract of N. laevis displayed the best activities against E.coli and S. aureus with both displaying inhibition zones of 10 mm, followed by 8.5mm against S. typhi. The aqueous extract had the best activity against K. aerogenes (9.5 mm), followed by S. aureus (5 mm). The zones of inhibition against the test organisms decreased with decreasing concentration of the plant extracts. Overall, the ethanol extracts displayed the best activity, while the aqueous extracts had the least activity. The results obtained showed that leaf extracts of the two plants have broad-spectrum activities, and could serve as potential sources for the development of useful natural antibacterial agents.


An analysis of long-term fading properties of 4times4 CW MIMO channels is presented in this paper. The main focus has been on the long-term variability of MIMO channels in urban cellular environments, with emphasis on the decorrelation distance over mid range distances along the mobile trajectory for different base station antenna heights. A model that characterizes the decorrelation distance at different probability levels of distribution of the decorrelation distance is proposed. The model predicts that at some probability level all measured decorrelation distances will be within 1/2Deltax0 and 2Deltax0, where Deltax0 is the decorrelation distance at the e-1 level of the autocorrelation function


In this paper we have studied a low-temperature process of fabricating zinc oxide (ZnO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) on polyethylene terephthlate (PET) substrate. PET film has a lower glass transition temperature (Tg = 120°C) than costly Polyethersulphone (PES) film (Tg = 230°C). Therefore we applied a low-temperature cross-linked poly-vinylphenol (c-PVP) process to annealing at 110°C instead of the conventional c-PVP process (annealing at 165°C). The resulting TFTs based on oxide fabricated by the low-temperature process were similar in electrical characteristics to conventional TFTs. In addition, the ZnO TFTs fabricated by the low-temperature process exhibited a field-effect mobility of 0.075 cm2/Vs, a threshold voltage of 15 V and an on/off ratio of 1.7 × 105 respectively.


The object of this research is the parties of relations of bank guarantee within the contractual system. The subject of this research is the legal position of the parties of the relations pertaining to provision bank guarantee in the sphere of procurement. In the process of examining the status of the parties of relations in bank guarantee within the contractual system, the author examines the normative legal acts that establish requirements and boundaries for parties of the relations pertaining to guarantee commitment in the sphere of procurement. Throughout the process of studying the status of subjects of guarantee commitments in the sphere of procurement, special attention is given to the requirements imposed on the guarantor, beneficiary, and principal in the contractual system. The main conclusions consist in the requirements established by the Law on Contractual System and other normative legal acts restricting the list of persons authorized to act as a guarantor, beneficiary, and principal of bank guarantee in the sphere of procurement. It is determined that such requirements are characteristic to the guarantee commitment in the sphere of procurement.


In these circumstances, ideally three performance measures should be determined from the model: spill volumes, spill frequency and degree of dilution of the spill. The use of long time series rainfall (based on historical or synthetic data) is common practice these days for defining spill volumes and spill frequency. However, methods for determining the degree of dilution tend to be based on a large number of assumptions and, therefore, this performance measure is often neglected. It is widely accepted that overflow spill volume and spill frequency, used with care, can be considered as receiving water quality impact indicators (Lau et al., 2002). However, two different CSOs with the same spill frequency and spill volume could have very different pollution loads. An estimation of the degree of dilution helps to quantify this and allows a comparison between the performance of different CSOs for a same catchment area. A new and simple methodology to determine the degree of dilution is presented in this paper. This methodology is based on using the Water Quality model available in InfoWorksCS as a 'tracer' for foul flows. This methodology is illustrated with a real-life example: the Fano sewer Master Plan (Italy), where HR Wallingford assessed CSO performance for the local drainage company. The strengths and limitations of this methodology are discussed in the conclusions of this paper.


Streptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococcus, GAS) secretes streptokinase, a potent plasminogen activating protein. Among GAS isolates, streptokinase gene sequences (ska) are polymorphic and can be grouped into two distinct sequence clusters (termed cluster type‐1 and cluster type‐2) with cluster type‐2 being further divided into sub‐clusters type‐2a and type‐2b. In this study, far‐UV circular dichroism spectroscopy indicated that purified streptokinase variants of each type displayed similar secondary structure. Type‐2b streptokinase variants could not generate an active site in Glu‐plasminogen through non‐proteolytic mechanisms while all other variants had this capability. Furthermore, when compared with other streptokinase variants, type‐2b variants displayed a 29‐ to 35‐fold reduction in affinity for Glu‐plasminogen. All SK variants could activate Glu‐plasminogen when an activator complex was preformed with plasmin; however, type‐2b and type‐1 complexes were inhibited by α2‐antiplasmin. Exchanging skatype‐2a in the M1T1 GAS strain 5448 with skatype‐2b caused a reduction in virulence while exchanging skatype‐2a with skatype‐1 into 5448 produced an increase in virulence when using a mouse model of invasive disease. These findings suggest that streptokinase variants produced by GAS isolates utilize distinct plasminogen activation pathways, which directly affects the pathogenesis of this organism.


The swelling behavior of thermoplastic elastomeric blends of nylon-6 and acrylate rubber (ACM) has been studied in various solvents and oil at different temperatures. The blends, both with and without dynamic vulcanization, show excellent solvents and oil resistance at elevated temperature. The interfacial reaction between nylon-6 and ACM phases as well as the dynamic crosslinking of the ACM phase during melt blending tremendously improve the solvent resistance of the blends. A simple thermodynamic model, based on the Flory–Huggins equation, is applied to find out the constraining effect of the continuous nylon-6 matrix (which is the least swellable phase) on the extent of equilibrium swelling of the dispersed ACM phase in toluene at 25°C. The diffusion coefficients of various solvents and the activation energy of diffusion of toluene in 40 : 60 (w/w) dynamically vulcanized blend have been reported. The occurrence of interfacial reaction and the existence of nylon-6–ACM graft copolymers are also supported by the dynamic mechanical thermal analysis of the blends. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 69: 2331–2340, 1998


The effect of ageing at 4° on the viscoelastic properties of 1·5 and 2·0% acid and alkaline processed gelatin gels has been investigated. Viscoelastic properties were not markedly affected by ageing time although evidence of a decrease in gel structure with increasing ageing time was apparent. This has been tentatively attributed to hydrolysis of amide links. 1·5% alkaline gels were shown to be more rigid than the corresponding acid gels and this has been discussed in terms of differences in molecular weight, polydispersity, charge and charge distribution.


Schwannoma is a benign encapsulated tumor that originates from the Schwann cells of the peripheral motor, sensory, and cranial nerves, but not from the optic and olfactory nerves that lack Schwann cell sheaths or from part of the central nervous system. Sporadic reports of laryngeal involvement have appeared in the literature. We describe a case of laryngeal schwannoma presenting with difficult swallowing. Imaging findings and management are discussed.


Within the Concerted Action for Research On Demand Management in Europe (Cardme) of the European Commission, a number of case studies are being conducted for investigating the potential benefits of interoperability of electronic fee collection (EFC) systems for border crossing traffic in Europe. In summer 1995, Austria, Italy and Switzerland agreed to carry out a common case study. At present, in Austria several motorway links are tolled manually and a large scale EFC field test is being conducted on the Tauern Pass. In addition, Austria today has a manual system for accounting Ecopoints that are required for trucks from EU countries crossing the Austrian Alps. The Austrian Government is planning to automate the Ecopoint accounting system as well as to introduce a heavy goods vehicle fee that will be collected by means of EFC on the entire motorway network. Italy has a long standing tradition in motorway toll collection including integration of the toll operators. Since 1982 the Italian integrated Payment System has been implemented allowing users to pay electronically with the same payment means on the entire motorway network. Switzerland is planning to install an EFC system for the distance-related heavy vehicles tax levied from domestic and foreign trucks and buses for the use of the entire road network of the country. The contractual, procedural and technical interoperability issues of the existing and planned EFC systems in the three countries are discussed in the paper. In particular, the problems of interoperability between network oriented systems applying DSRC technology (Italy and Austria) and area oriented systems applying GPS technology for boundary recognition (one of the solutions being considered in Switzerland) are examined. The requirements for roadside and onboard equipment in various alternative scenarios are presented with particular consideration of the needs of heavy goods vehicles traffic crossing the Alps.


This thesis describes several state-of-the-art challenge methods to study the cholinergic system in humans by measuring the effects of compounds that selectively act upon muscarinic or nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. The thesis reveals part of the complexity of the cholinergic system, its changes related to aging, its relationship with cognitive function and performance, and its role in inflammation. Additionally, the methodology described in the thesis provides controlled circumstances using repeated measurement of drug concentrations and effects during a pharmacologic cholinergic challenge that can be used in drug development of new compounds with cholinergic activity.


IN COMPLIANCE with the Food and Drug Administration's recommendation, all blood banks in the United States on June 1 began testing donated blood for the human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2), a rare strain of the virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. This latest requirement has lengthened the gauntlet of tests donated blood must be run through before it can be used in transfusions. According to the American Association of Blood Banks, eight screening tests are now used, including tests for the syphilis spirochete ( Treponema pallidum ), HIV-1, HIV-2, human T-cell lymphotrophic virus type 1, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, and two surrogate tests for non-A, non-B hepatitis viruses. Prior to 1985, blood was screened only for T pallidum and hepatitis B virus (Dane particle). Not Without Hazards Indisputably, blood transfusions save the lives of many thousands of patients each year. Nevertheless, there is a growing recognition of the health


This exploratory study evaluated biophysical, cultural and socio-economic factors affecting crop production and land utilisation in the NkonkobeMunicipality, South Africa. The study soughtto establish what farmers in the area perceive as serious threats to crop production,drivers for land abandonment,and how best current agricultural productioncould be intensified. The farmers' perspectives were assessed through interviews using semi-structured and open-ended questionnaires. The results of the study revealed declining crop productivity and increase in land abandonment in the Municipality. Thebiophysicaldriversoflandabandonmentwerelowanderraticrainfallandlanddegradationwhile the socio-economic drivers were labour shortages due to old age and youth movement to cities, lack of farming equipment and security concerns. The most abandoned crops were maize, sorghum and wheat. This trend was attributed to the labour intensiveness of cereal production and a shift in dietary preference to purchased rice. These findings should be factored in any programmes that seek to increase land utilisation and crop productivity in the Municipality.