municating. A contrast is drawn between excavating to address a specific problem versus recording archaeological data in detail while avoiding personal biases and theoretical interests. The latter theory-neutral approach characterizes much of CRM archaeology as practiced today in England, according to the authors. In chapter 3, the authors turn to the use of old evidence and show how, with some effort, legacy data can be reinterpreted and supplemented, leading to different interpretations, as well as refinements in the scaffolding that support them. Thus, different questions asked of the same data can lead to different conclusions but also promote productive continuing discourse about the warranting background assumptions that reinforce them. Chapter 4 addresses the potential advantages and possible pitfalls of archaeologists' reliance on techniques generated by other disciplines. Radiocarbon dating is given as one example, lead isotope analysis as another. In both cases, practice of the methods led to contradictions and consternation, which led to refinements in data collection strategies by archaeologists and adjustments by the physicists. Far from indicating failure of archaeological practice, however, the process of iterative correction and improvement on the part of both sets of practitioners is seen as a successful process of shoring up the scaffolding that leads to more satisfying interpretations. A brief concluding chapter reiterates the book's main points. This is a well-informed and well-written book that will interest anyone who practices or teaches archaeology. It is supported by informative archaeological case studies and relevant references to the philosophy of science. I would like to have seen more acknowledgment of the political-economic contexts in which the various ways of archaeological knowing have developed, and more discussion of the value of in-the-field interaction by interdisciplinary teams. But these are small quibbles that do not detract from the overall value of the book. It will serve equally well as a reference work on the nature of archaeological evidence and as a textbook or supplementary reading for courses in archaeological theory.


Fiber reinforced plastics ( i. e. FRP ) rebars are one kind of high-performance composite materials used in concrete structures of civil engineering.Compared with ordinary steel rebars, FRP rebars have the characteristics of high tensile strength, antisepsis, light weight, low elastics modulus and low shear strength, et al. At present time, FRP rebars have been studied and applied in Europe,America and Japan. Since 2000, in the Fund of NSFC, we systematically carried out experimental and theoretical studies on FRP rebars. The progress of our research is briefly introduced in this paper.


In the National Airspace System traffic demand exceeds capacity of airspace resources during a number of conditions such as inclement weather. Currently, the traffic flow management function of maintaining demand below capacity is centralized within the air traffic service provider and users have limited opportunities to make flight changes through requests. To alleviate this limitation, this paper investigates shifting some of the traffic flow management responsibility to users when flights are sufficiently upstream of the congestion. A boundary at a threshold distance from congested sectors is introduced, outside of which users directly implement their preferences by assigning delay and switching their flights to alternate routes. The users make decisions using service provider generated delay feedback and flow plan that specifies alternative routes. Inside the boundary the service provider makes flight decisions without considering user preferences. This new allocation of responsibilities may not be feasible since allowing users to actively participate in traffic flow management with only delay feedback may not eliminate the congestion. Simulation experiments are conducted that vary the location of the boundary where responsibility is switched and the percentage of flights that are assigned delay by users, to analyze under which conditions the excess demand can be eliminated. Results indicate that delay feedback from the service provider is not sufficient to make independent user actions help in eliminating the congestion, and additional mechanisms are needed. Users benefited more when they disregarded the service provider delay feedback and did not assign delays to their flights.


Since object-oriented programming became a popular development practice, researchers and practitioners have defined several techniques aimed at measuring object-oriented software. Among these, several function point-like approaches have been proposed. However, mapping the concepts at the basis of function point analysis onto object-oriented concepts is not straightforward; therefore, there is the need to test the validity of FP-based object-oriented metrics. This paper presents an analysis of a set of programs developed by masteral students of a software engineering course employing object-oriented techniques (UML and Java). Different kinds of FP-based object-oriented metrics were applied, and the results analysed. The work done addresses questions like the following: is there a correlation between object-oriented FPs and LOCs? How do object-oriented FPs compare with the function points defined by Albrecht? How do object-oriented FPs compare with non FP-like OO metrics? How do object-oriented FPs compare with each other?


Increasing traffic and bandwidth requirements bring challenges to the next generation wireless networks (5G). As one of the main technology in 5G networks, Ultra-Dense Network (UDN) can be used to improve network coverage. In this paper, a radio over fiber based model is proposed to solve the load balancing problem in ultra-dense network. Stochastic differential game is introduced for the load balancing algorithm, and optimal load allocated to each access point (RAP) are formulated as Nash Equilibrium. It is proved that the optimal load can be achieved and the stochastic differential game based scheme is applicable and acceptable. Numerical results are given to prove the effectiveness of the optimal algorithm.


INTRODUCTION Health workforces in medical care play a key role in the organization and delivery of health care worldwide. The ability of health systems to function effectively and respond adequately to new challenges depends to a large extent on the availability of a sufficient number of health workers with the necessary skills and working where they are needed, in an environment conducive to their motivation and involvement 1 . With the collapse of the USSR, the economic crisis, low wages and unsatisfactory social conditions, which were observed in almost all countries of the post-Soviet space in the 1990s, significantly increased opportunities for labour migration 2 . Although migration of skilled workers is increasing in a number of sectors 3 , the significant increase in migration of health-care workers in recent years poses a number of specific policy issues to countries, becoming a sphere of special international attention due to its negative consequences. In particular, the negative effects of the migration of health care workers on developing countries' health systems were highlighted in 2006 in the World Health Report 2006 4 .


On the basis of analyzing the reform and development situation of higher education of China and its policy change,this paper advances the development opportunity and the new mission of local colleges and universities of our country at present,and probes into the development strategies for local colleges and universities: being based upon the reality of the locality and running the university openly at all levels;attaching importance to quality and pursuing excellence;tracing new frontiers and developing at high level;rich connotation and cultural innovation.


Abstract : The U.S. was not prepared for the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) threat it faced in Afghanistan and Iraq. IED's were the cause of over fifty percent of the U.S. casualties, and emerged as the "weapon of choice" for the enemy. The warfighters were in need of solutions, which the Services were unable to deliver quickly. This precluded the warfighters from being able to exploit the enemies inherent weaknesses. Therefore, the enemy was able to adapt and change their tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP) faster than the U.S. could respond to defeat the IED threat. As a result, the Department of Defense created an ad hoc organization, Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO), to circumvent the bureaucratic processes of the Services. Recent reports indicate that JIEDDO and some other counter-IED (CIED) Task Forces are having some success. However, JIEDDO lacks the proper command authority to truly change the outcome on the battlefield. Additionally, evidence suggests that the IED threat has the potential to proliferate beyond Iraq and Afghanistan. This paper examines the IED threat and the genesis of JIEDDO and recommends future command relationships that would better posture the U.S. for the "Long War".


Kaja Finkler explores the relationship between patterns of social interaction, cultural expectations, and gender ideologies. In Women in Pain, she examines the nature of sickness and its interaction with issues about gender and gender relations from both a historical and contemporary perspective.


Abstract Vehicular networks that deal with sharing of information among vehicles are gaining popularity among the automobile industry as well as the researchers. These networks are prevalent under the umbrella of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and deal with data that belongs to either the emergency category or the entertaining category. In case of emergency services, it is clear that - earlier the reception of information, lesser the commotion. The objective of this work thus has been the reduction of the end to end delay when video files are exchanged among vehicles during intersessions. The set objective is accomplished through the design and development of the technique "Instantly Decodable RaptorQ Inter-Sessions" (IDRQIS) for Vehicular Adhoc Networks and the results obtained show that this outperforms the existing popular techniques – the Network Coding and RaptorQ when applied independently to the same environment. This technique can also be applied to the upcoming unmanned vehicles.


Art Spiegelman places transgenerational trauma at the center of his autobiographical comics Maus, revealing how he attempts to understand his parents' Holocaust experiences and to comprehend the effects of that legacy that has been passed on to him. He depicts the challenges of extracting a coherent story from his father and shaping it into his book, of attempting to comprehend the haunting absence left by his mother's suicide and the destruction of her journals, and of trying to represent what has been deemed "unrepresentable." This chapter presents a close reading of Maus, emphasizing Spiegelman's cinematic style, use of telling detail, mastery of moving between past and present, use of text as image, strategic choices about when to reproduce photographs and when to draw them, and his multiple conclusions that emphasize the impossibility of closure.


From 01.01 till 31.12.2007 in the town of Novouralsk there was research on the effectiveness of urgent use of azithromycin and clarithromycin of slow freeing (n=79) within the first hour of the initial visit to the doctor in comparison with amoxicillin (n=80) in the later period for home pneumonia (HP) patients in ambulatory terms. In the group of patients of HP (n=79) as compared with patients (n=80) there was more rapid permission of pneumonic infiltration by 6%, less duration of treatment by 10%, less number of days of temporary disability by 7% and less number of the hospitalized patients by 79%. Death rate in the town in the second half of 2007, when the patients of HP were urgently given macrolides became less by 67% than death rate in a first half-year. Thus, urgent starting therapy of HP by the prolonged forms of azithromycin and at the clarithromycin beginning of treatment within the first hour at the initial visit to the doctor is more effective than amoxicillin, given in the later period.


The authors examine the role of climate as a factor influencing migration decisions in the United States between 1960 and 1970. They determine which climate variables significantly affect migration flows, assess the relative sensitivity of migration to climatic versus non-climatic factors, and rank various SMSAs according to the desirability of their climates. The results show that individuals tend to prefer areas that are neither too hot nor too cold and that do not have strong winter winds. SMSAs in the western and southern United States generally rank highest in terms of climatic desirability


In order to select special nut-processed cultivars, we measured and analyzed a number of economic indexes of 43 cultivars and varieties of 5-6 years old Ping'ou hybrid hazelnuts (Corylus heterophylla × C. avellana) planted in the same orchard with identical management at Anqiu county, Shandong province. The processing traits of the nuts and kernels were measured and the traits were graded according to the forestry industry criteria and China Fruit's Monograph. The results showed that nut weight varied from 1.45 g to 3.30 g, nut shape index varied from 0.67 to 1.08, kernel weight varied from 0.76 g to 1.44 g, shell thickness varied from 0.90 mm to 1.76 mm and kernel weight percentage varied from 35.06% to 56.00%. The processing traits, such as nut size, plumpness of the kernel, thickness of the shell and kernel percentage of most candidates reached to relative higher grades of the industry standards, indicating the high potential selectivity in the population. There were significant differences in the economic traits among the candidate cultivars and varieties and the variation coefficients (CV) were 5.30%-70.31%. There were to different degrees relationships between paired traits, which should be considered for the cultivar selection. However, there were small amount of round nut types in the population, which was a limiting factor in the selection of nut-processed cultivars. Based on this study, the main traits and criteria for selecting special nut-processed cultivars included in turn, nut weight ≥ 2.00 g, kernel weight percentage ≥ 40%, kernel plumpness 0.80-0.90, kernel weight ≥ 0.80 g, round nut (nut shape index 0.90-1.00). Four cultivars and varieties i. e. 'Liaozhen No. 2', 'Ping'ou 30','Ping'ou 90' and 'Ping'ou 28' were selected as the special nut-processed cultivars.


CT is very useful for differential diagnosis of unilateral exophthalmos. Lesions extending from the cranial cavity or the paranasal sinus into the orbit can be diagnosed easily by this method. About two thirds of patients with dysthyroid ophthalmopathy have enlargement of the extraocular muscles, and the remaining one third have increase in fatty tissues. Inflammation in the orbit and malignant tumor usually show a diffuse high density which cannot be differentiated from normal intraorbital structures. Benign intraorbital tumor has a localized high density mass and shows definite demarcation. Histological diagnosis frequently cannot be made from absorption density value and contrast enhancement. Therefore, the patient′s age, clinical symptoms, site of lesion and angiographic findings should be considered.


The invention relates to a high purity recycling and energy integration technology for different concentrations of dichloromethane wastewater. The process flow diagram is shown in the figure 1. The technology is as follows: different concentrations of dichloromethane wastewater performs rectification three times, water is removed from the three fractions and dichloromethane of which purity is 99.95% can be obtained finally. In the technological process, the waste heat of the discharged material in the tank bottom can be fully utilized to preheat the material to be distilled, thus the energy can be fully utilized. The technology can be suitable for all the occasions of the high purity recycling of dichloromethane wastewater.


A group of spore tetrads with variable ornamentations have been recorded during the palynological analysis of subsurface Upper Pali sediments (Early to Middle Triassic), Sohagpur Coalfield, Madhya Pradesh, India. These tetrads are assignable to the form genera-Lundbladispora, Densoisporites, Lapposisporites and Verrucosisporites. It has been observed that these spores were regularly released in unseparated tetrads indicative of failure to complete the normal processes of spore development. This may be due to the anomaly in the temperature responsible for the non-dissolution of the callose wall which holds these spores in the form of tetrads. Occurrence of spore tetrads in certain group of plant community is a positive evidence which suggests that chronic environmental mutagenesis has taken place all over the world during the end Permian ecological crisis.


Learning Simple Statistics for Language Comprehension and Production: The CAPPUCCINO Model Stewart M. McCauley (email@example.com) Morten H. Christiansen (email@example.com) Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 USA Abstract Whether the input available to children is sufficient to explain their ability to use language has been the subject of much theoretical debate in cognitive science. Here, we present a simple, developmentally motivated computational model that learns to comprehend and produce language when exposed to child-directed speech. The model uses backward transitional probabilities to create an inventory of 'chunks' consisting of one or more words. Language comprehension is approximated in terms of shallow parsing of adult speech and production as the reconstruction of the child's actual utterances. The model functions in a fully incremental, on- line fashion, has broad cross-linguistic coverage, and is able to fit child data from Saffran's (2002) statistical learning study. Moreover, word-based distributional information is found to be more useful than statistics over word classes. Together, these results suggest that much of children's early linguistic behavior can be accounted for in a usage-based manner using distributional statistics. Keywords:Language Learning; Computational Modeling; Corpora; Chunking; Shallow Parsing; Usage-Based Approach Introduction The ability to produce and understand a seemingly unbounded number of different utterances has long been hailed as a hallmark of human language acquisition. But how is such open-endedness possible, given the much more limited nature of other animal communication systems? And how can a child acquire such productivity, given input that is both noisy and necessarily finite in nature? For nearly half a century, generativists have argued that human linguistic productivity can only be explained by positing a system of abstract grammatical rules working over word classes and scaffolded by considerable innate language-specific knowledge (e.g., Pinker, 1999). Recently, however, an alternative theoretical perspective on linguistic productivity has emerged in the form of usage-based approaches to language (e.g., Tomasello, 2003). This perspective is motivated by analyses of child-directed speech, showing that there is considerably more information available in the input than previously assumed. For example, distributional and phonological information can provide reliable cues for learning about lexical categories and phrase structure (for a review, see Monaghan & Christiansen, 2008). Behavioral studies have shown that children can use such information in an item-based manner (Tomasello, 2003). A key difference between generative and usage-based approaches pertains to the granularity of the linguistic units necessary to account for the productivity of human language. At the heart of usage-based theory lies the idea that grammatical knowledge develops gradually through abstraction over multi-word utterances (e.g., Tomasello, 2003), which are assumed to be stored as multi-word 'chunks.' Testing this latter assumption, Bannard and Matthews (2008) showed not only that non-idiomatic chunk storage takes place, but also that storing such units actively facilitates processing: young children repeated multi-word sequences faster, and with greater accuracy, when they formed a frequent chunk. Moreover, Arnon and Snider (2010) extended these results, demonstrating an adult processing advantage for frequent phrases. The existence of such chunks is problematic for generative approaches that have traditionally clung to a words-and-rules perspective, in which memory-based learning and processing are restricted to the level of individual words (e.g., Pinker 1999). One remaining challenge for usage-based approaches is to provide an explicit computational account of language comprehension and production based on multi-word chunks. Although Bayesian modeling has shown that chunk-based grammars are in principle sufficient for the acquisition of linguistic productivity (Bannard, Lieven, & Tomasello, 2009), no full-scale computational model has been forthcoming (though models of specific aspects of acquisition do exist, such as the optional infinitive stage; Freudenthal, Pine & Gobet, 2009). The scope of the computational challenge facing usage-based approaches becomes even more formidable when considering the success with which the generativist principles of words and rules have been applied in computational linguistics. In this paper, we take an initial step towards answering this challenge by presenting the 'Comprehension And Production Performed Using Chunks Computed Incrementally, Non-categorically, and On-line' (or CAPPUCCINO) model of language acquisition. The aim of the CAPPUCCINO model is to provide a test of the usage-based assumption that children's language use may be explained in terms of stored chunks. To this end, the model gradually builds up an inventory of chunks consisting of one or more words—a 'chunkatory'—used for both language comprehension and production. The model was further designed with several key psychological and computational properties in mind: a) incremental learning: at any given point in time, the model can only rely on the input seen so far (no batch learning); b) on-line processing: input is processed word-by-word as it is encountered; c) simple statistics: learning is based on computing backward transitional probabilities (which 8-month-olds can track; Pelucchi, Hay, & Saffran, 2009); d) comprehension: the


Patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) often ask whether their condition would affect their life span. However, available data are sparse. The aims of this study were to compare the ages of death between patients with and without IBD and to determine the leading causes of death amongst inpatients with IBD in a large nationwide database.

 The Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD) provides a nationally representative sampling of patient-linked hospitalizations throughout the United States. For years 2010 through 2016, we identified individuals with Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) based on International Classification of Diseases-Clinical Modification codes, ninth and tenth revisions (ICD-9, ICD-10). The mean age of death was compared between IBD and non-IBD inpatients. Cluster analyses were used to evaluate the leading causes of death among IBD patients based on the associated codes in the first three diagnosis positions.

 Between 2010 and 2016, there were 934,331 CD and 623,596 UC patients admitted. There were more deaths associated with UC than CD (3.11% vs. 1.72%; P <0.01) (Figure 1). Amongst CD patients, the average age of death was 68.2 years, compared to 70.5 years for non-IBD patients (P <0.01). For UC patients, the average age of death was 71.9 years, compared to 70.5 years for non-IBD patients (P <0.01). The most frequent diagnoses for CD patients who died while hospitalized were sepsis (31.1%), respiratory failure (13.0%), and fluid electrolyte and acid-base disorders (12.5%) (Table 1). Interestingly, motor vehicle accidents were associated with a significant number of deaths among CD patients (7.0%). Pre-defined diagnoses of interest associated with death included myocardial infarction (3.3%), deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolism (2.0%), and malignancy (6.7%). Diagnoses most frequently noted in UC patient who died while inpatient included sepsis (43.4%), fluid electrolyte and acid-base disorders (13.6%), and respiratory failure (10.9%). Similarly to CD, motor vehicle accidents were again associated with a significant number of UC deaths (5.5%). Pre-defined diagnoses associated with death in UC included myocardial infarction (3.5%), deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolism (2.0%), and malignancy (5.8%).

 In a large nationally representative database of hospitalized patients, although those with CD and UC were found to have statistically significant differences in age at death when compared with the general population, the absolute differences were small. Diagnoses most frequently associated with inpatient mortality were sepsis, respiratory failure, and fluid electrolyte and acid-base disorders. There was also a large number of motor vehicle-related deaths among IBD patients.


The IPACS-project (Integrated Performance Analysis of Computer Systems) was founded by the Federal Department of Education, Science, Research and Technology (BMBF) in the program High-Performance-Computing to define a new standard for measuring system performance. One part of this research project is the design of a distributed architecture for execution of benchmarks on High Performance Computers. Its objective is to guide benchmarkers along a mostly automated benchmarking process cycle in compiling and executing benchmarks, and finally gathering and presenting the measured results on a central website. In this paper we present a distributed software architecture which allows immediate analysis of the results, is robust and flexible to support this benchmarking process for the benchmark community.


The purpose of this research is to better understand the ways in which social media is utilized to further political and social causes. The research focuses on the aftermath of the 2018 shootings at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Florida and the rise of the #NeverAgain movement. The study takes a social networks approach to look at a social movement that forms on and through the use of social media. As social and political movements develop, social networks form not as monolithic communities but rather operate in the guise of clusters and niches based on particular interests or the situational relevance of the issue. The research, based on an analysis of 100 thousand tweets that utilized the #NeverAgain hashtag, found four categories of tweets that ranged from spreading information to sharing personal stories. A sentiment analysis was conducted that indicated that language was contextual, meaning that an overtly negative term might be utilized in a more positive vein. Data visualizations demonstrate how social networks while lead by elite, non-elite and core moderators, also represent diffused groups that are comprised of weak ties.


One of the problems faced by fingerprint identification is a dificulty to estimate its degree of uncertainty. A computer program has been developed in order to help solve this problem. By means of this application, it has been possible to create a database of characteristic points that consists of about ten thousand dactylograms. The dactylograms are evenly distributed by sex, finger and fingerprint type. Morphology has been taken into account, as well as the orientation and location of points taken as valid in order to perform a survey of said database, the purpose being to find out any correlations between the distribution and frequency of characteristics points, which might have an impact on the calculation of cumulative frequencies. Additionally, a methodology has been designed that makes it possible to estimate the descrimination rate in edentifications


There has been tremendous progress in the areas of image processing (input: images, output: images) and computer graphics (input: numbers, output: images). Unfortunately, progress in image analysis (input: images, output: numbers) has been much slower. In this paper, we first briefly introduce the ideas of image analysis using class 2 dynamical systems and image analysis using class 3 dynamical systems. Then we compare these two approaches. The similarities of the two schemes are: (1) both methods use the ideas of storing information in stable configurations of dynamical systems and compress a huge image into a tiny vector that catches the characteristics of the image efficiently. Both methods are very general and they can be generalized to any type of images. (2) The mapping from an image to numbers is determined by the mapping from a specification of a dynamical system to the corresponding attractor it contains. (3) All image analysis algorithms (quasi-enumerative search, random enumerative search, local search, simulated annealing, and greedy) are similar. (4) Technically, local minima approaches (deterministic or probabilistic) remain to be the only best approach. All the limits, including converge to wrong minima and hence increase the error of analysis, apply for both approaches. (5) Theoretically, the unsolved problems (information capacity) are similar.


We establish an efficient strategy for construction and operation of data consolidation center for multi-organization in public sector. First, we introduce important concepts on data consolidation center in public sector, and draw some success factors by analyzing several foreign and domestic cases. Second, we construct all the possible logical operational models of the center and investigate the properties and feasibility of the models. Third, we suggest a virtual operational environment for the two representative models selected by feasibility criteria among the possible logical models, and compare the two models in terms of operational cost. We also utilize AHP methodology to evaluate qualitative opinions on the two models from several experts in public information systems. As a result, we find the best alternative is the case in which all infrastructure and facilities for the center are provided by government, and common essential IT operations are integrated, associated data are consolidated and the whole operational work are outsourced to specialized IT operations service providers.Keywords: data consolidation, public information system, operational model


The feature film ≪Le Grand Chef≫, released on the 1st of November 2007 nationwideover 350 cinemas has gone through a survey consisting of approximately 90 participants showing the director`s primary editorial version on the 8th of August 2007, three months prior to its premier. The staffs analyzed the data obtained by series of questionnairesfrom the participants regarding their view of the film before and after the show. This kind of monitoring work is performed before the audiences view the film during the scenario phase or after editing, the results of the survey is then used to estimate the budget for advertisement, and set directions for editing, recording and marketing.The systemized monitoring work will cover the limitations of internal monitoring work which lacks objectivity. Due to the large sum of capital investments involved in film industry, verification and prediction plays a vital role and the scientific data process of mechanism for a box office hit will allow us to prepare for the fickle audience. However, even the most well designed monitoring system will have its limits. Weighing and grading various parts of the movie will incapacitate creativity and may even cause negative effect on artist`s creative will, which is required to create various novel works. The film monitoring operation has its pros and cons. The full value of the monitoring operation will come to effect when it no longer causes harm to the creative thoughts of the originator and when the originator is able to accept new discovery from the unexpected. This is because movies are products as well as arts.


This document specifies a Information System Navigator API extension to the Simple API for Grid Applications (SAGA), a high level, application-oriented API for grid application development. This Information System Navigator API is motivated by a number of Use Cases collected by the OGF SAGA Research Group in GFD.70 [5], and by requirements derived from these Use Cases, as specified in GFD.71 [6]. It allows users to find additional information about services to that available via the SAGA Service Discovery API.


The nation's greatest anti-racist education policy — school desegregation — has proven no match for the adaptations of institutionalized racism. Over the last 40 years, school segregation has evolved and reemerged in housing patterns, school zoning policy, and curricular tracking. This has led to calls for new solutions to the problem of racial segregation in schools. Is it possible, however, that the pursuit of such solutions is a form of avoidance, an unwillingness to face the intractable nature of institutionalized racism? Jerry Rosiek considers the power of pessimism about racial justice as a stance for educators in an era of resegregating schools.


At the first nongovernmental organization (NGO) networking meeting on HIV/AIDS in Gujarat State, India (July 1992), the 80 participants concluded that training for grassroots volunteers was urgently needed. The Gujarat AIDS Prevention Unit (GAP-SIRMCE) assumed responsibility for organizing this capacity-building activity. GAP facilitators formulated a training-of-trainers program and outlined a workshop manual. Feedback was obtained from NGOs and experts from training programs so that a manual could be finalized. 200 NGOs were invited to participate; 65 sent delegations for training during the 1-year project. They included NGOs working on health, rural and agricultural development, family welfare, slum development, cooperative movements, and women's groups. The workshops lasted 1-3 days, generally had 10-12 participants (2 trainees per NGO). Topics included basic information on HIV/AIDS, sexuality, and barriers to condom use. There were discussions on negotiating safer sex and identifying fulfilling alternatives to sex acts. Condom demonstrations were also done. GAP then presented important educational messages. Each workshop ended with an evaluation. One of the lessons learned during the project concerned funding of participants. Some NGOs said their participation depended on money received for travel and daily subsistence. It was decided that GAP should not offer such reimbursements because this encourages NGOs to see workshop participation merely as a means of earning money. The Gujarat NGOs in the Indian Network of NGOs on HIV/AIDS have identified 2 major areas for future collaboration. The first was adolescent sex education; more than 98% of NGOs wanted to offer such programs. The second area concerned training in counseling skills in relation to HIV/AIDS and also in family planning, drug addiction, and family and marriage counseling.


We report first principles studies of the lattice instabilities of as yet unsynthesized perovskites based on alloys in the (Th,Pb,Ba,Bi,Y)ScO3 system. These systems are characterized by strong structural instabilies of the cubic perovskite lattice and A‐site driven ferroelectricity. Tetragonal ferroelectric structures in these systems are found to show rather large values of the c/a ratio, which when present near a morphotropic phase boundary are thought to be associated with large piezoelectric actuation. The relationship between octahedral rotational and ferroelectric instabilities is discussed as are the conditions for obtaining a morphotropic phase boundary.


Significant negative correlation between the recognition correctness of geometric patterns in a 7 ± 2 task and performance on Raven's Progressive Matrices was found in game-like experiments with school-children.


To demonstrate the feasibility of imaging the first passage of a bolus of hyperpolarized 13C urea through the rodent heart using flow‐sensitizing gradients to reduce signal from the blood pool.


After the adoption of grassland contracting system,the environment of Maqu County have backslidden,and caterpillar fungus having been collected devastatingly.We can't explain this fact with The Tragedy of the Commons,which has three fundamental premises assumed as followings: objective,subjective and cultural values.The tragedy of Maqu illustrates the flaw of property rights.The system of collective forest rights are being reformed in our country now,we must watch out the devastating impact on biodiversity,because the property rights of forest tenure not have the three prerequisites,too.Face this kind of situation,we should keep ecological balance in the development of forest by.regulating property rights of forests,with reference to the success and failure of grassland contract.


Requirements instability has always been and continues to be one of the more significant challenges for system development programs. Historical results across industry show that programs struggle and often fail to achieve stable and mature requirements baselines, and the impact of requirements instability on program cost, schedule and technical baselines is significant. This paper looks at some of the factors that affect requirements instability, and it outlines an approach for measuring requirements instability that takes contextual influences into account in order to provide insight as to why the requirements on a given program are unstable.


The cross section asymmetry Sigma has been measured for the photoproduction of pi0-mesons off protons, using polarized photons in the energy range Eg = 0.5 - 1.1 GeV. The CM angular coverage is Theta = 85 - 125 deg with energy and angle steps of 25 MeV and 5 deg, respectively. The obtained Sigma data, which cover the second and third resonance regions, are compared with existing experimental data and recent phenomenological analyses. The influence of these measurements on such analyses is also considered.


of three rotary Ni-Ti retreatment systems in root canal retreatment. Remaining obturating material on canal walls, time required for retreatment process, number of fractured files, amount of debris extrusion was evaluated. The total number of sample was 60 canals in 30 mesial root of lower mandibular first molar type III and was randomly divided into 3 groups of 20 canals according to retreatment system used. In Group (I), Group (II), Group (III) retreatment was done using Protaper universal retreatment files Fanta AF retreatment files and M3 Pro gold retreatment files respectively. Fanta and M3 progold retreatment file systems has higher efficiency in removal of obturating material than Protaper retreatment file system with statistically significant difference. Protaper retreatment file system was faster than Fanta and M3 progold retreatment file with significant difference. 3 protaper, 2 Fanta, 5 M3 progold files were broken. Fanta showed the highest amount of debris extrusion with significant difference. Under the circumstances of this study, it can be concluded that fanta and M3 progold file has higher efficiency in removal of obturating material, protaper faster in retreatment, different root section affects amount of remaining root filling material, M3 progold file system has more broken files, fanta extrude more debris than protaper and M3 progold.


In contrast to case study, where participants learn vicariously through other peoples' cases, the case story approach invites people to learn through writing and telling about their own experiences as practitioners. This study of school leaders using case stories in university classrooms and in-service leadership academies focused on what is said and how it is said; how context influences story form and content; and how the case story serves as context of socially situated activity. Research for the study was carried out at 2 universities and 2 leadership academies over a year, with 75 administrators from elementary, middle, and high school settings, both public and private, and from urban and suburban communities participating. The case story research had five steps: (1) freewrite; (2) writing case stories; (3) telling, listening, and discussing case stories; (4) small group reflection; and (5) whole group reflection and conclusion. Results of the study indicated that the individual and collective quest to make sense of complex realities through case stories was critical to learning. Case stories attest to the strength of participants' personal perspectives, are organic rather than mechanistic, and finally, may serve important purposes integrating personal experience with administrative theory. (Contains 11 references.) (ND) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ********************************************************************************


This report presents the results of a study aimed at developing a basis for applying artificial intelligence to the flight deck environment of commercial transport aircraft. In particular, the study was comprised of four tasks: (1) analysis of flight crew tasks, (2) survey of the state-of-the-art of relevant artificial intelligence areas, (3) identification of human factors issues relevant to intelligent cockpit aids, and (4) identification of artificial intelligence areas requiring further research.


We have investigated the effects of uniform rotation and a specific model for differential rotation on the pulsation frequencies of 10 M☉ stellar models. Uniform rotation decreases the frequencies for all modes. Differential rotation does not appear to have a significant effect on the frequencies, except for the most extreme differentially rotating models. In all cases, the large and small separations show the effects of rotation at lower velocities than do the individual frequencies. Unfortunately, to a certain extent, differential rotation mimics the effects of more rapid rotation, and only the presence of some specific observed frequencies with well identified modes will be able to uniquely constrain the internal rotation of pulsating stars.


Determining replenishment lot size and number of shipments in a traditional production setup has been of great interest among researchers during the last decades. In order to survive modern competition, the manufacturer has to make good decisions about the lot size that is to be shipped to the retailer. Recently, several researchers have developed mathematical models for modelling different real-world situations; however, these models are lacking due to a combination of imperfection in process and shipment lot sizing. Therefore, in the proposed research, shipment policy for an imperfect production setup has been developed with transportation costs taken into consideration. The model analyzed lot sizing for manufacturers and retailers with imperfections in terms of equally sized shipments. Furthermore, an all-unit-discount policy for shipment is considered in the proposed research, and at the end, numerical computation and sensitivity analyses are carried out to gain more insight into the specifications of the model.


The Au-catalyzed tandem process of aminoalkynes was explored, providing simple and efficient access to richly functionalized dipyrroloquinoline frameworks with good to excellent yields. The reaction exhibits great efficiency and high atom economy in multiple-bond formation for constructing bioactive azaspiro polycyclic molecules with densely multiple stereogenic centers including quaternary carbons, and shows a broad substrate scope and synthetically important functional group tolerance, which have been illustrated in the first one-step synthesis of incargranine B aglycone and seneciobipyrrolidine (I).


Objective To investigate the effect of berbering on the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α) and the neuronal apoptosis after focal cerebral ischemia. Methods Male SD rats were randomly divided into six groups: control(sham surgery),middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion(MCAO/R),(MCAO/R) treated with vehicle(DMSO),MCAO/R treated with berbering at concentrations of 10mg/kg,20mg/kg,40mg/kg,respectively.Berbering of different doses was injected intraperitoneally at 24hours,48hours before operation and 6hours after operation.We observed the neurological deficits in different groups.Rats were sacrificed at 7days for TTC staining and at 24hours for Nissl staining,immunohistochemical,double fluorescence labeling,TUNEL studies. Results Berbering improved neurological deficits(P0.05) except at the concentration of 10mg/kg(P0.05),reduced the infarct volume(P0.05)dependent of different concentrations.Berbering inhibited the neuronal deformation shown by Nissl staining and reduced the expression of HIF-1α,activated Caspase-3,BNIP3 and VEGF detected by immunohistochemical staining.HIF-1α positive immunoreactive materials were colocalized with BNIP3,Caspase-3 and TUNEL staining inside neurons in the injured cerebral cortex expressed by double fluorescence labeling.Conclusion Berbering may play a neural protection effect by inhibiting the expression of HIF-1α and its downstream VEGF and BNIP3 and decreasing the effect of Caspase-3 as an apoptotic executor.


Social marketing is a way of thinking and operating that aims to build solutions people value. Through voluntary exchange, social marketing can deliver behaviour change for societal benefit. Social marketing can be applied to food waste and the environment. The effectiveness of social marketing in food waste behaviour change has received limited attention. Moreover, a clear roadmap on how to apply social marketing benchmarks to co-create programs is absent. This thesis brings together the results of ten studies reported in five papers, which aim to address two main research questions across two stages of research. In Stage 1, three formative research studies were conducted to inform the design of a consumer-insight driven social marketing pilot program (Studies 1a-c). Two empirical studies reported an evaluation of the pilot program (Studies 1d-e). Stage 2 of this thesis expanded the social marketing benchmark criteria (SMBC) application to co-create a social marketing behaviour change program. Studies 2a-e aimed to incorporate all eight SMBC in formative research, thus, demonstrates when, where, and how benchmarks can be applied to co-create a food waste prevention program. More specifically, drawing from Stage 1 learnings, Stage 2 studies aimed to extend the number of social marketing benchmarks that were applied, to extend behaviour change rates in program delivery. This thesis provides a new conceptual framework of Marketing Cocreation that incorporates all benchmarks into an existing co-design process.
This thesis makes four major contributions. Firstly, this research verified the efficacy of social marketing in changing food waste behaviour. Secondly, this research identified consumer insights to guide researchers/practitioners in the food waste context. Thirdly, it outlines a first attempt to implement a comprehensive program of formative research that applies all benchmarks to co-create a marketing program aiming to reduce household food waste. Finally, the framework of Marketing Co-creation is proposed for social marketing academics/practitioners to guide the implementation of social marketing principles during program co-creation. This thesis offers a framework that can be applied by researchers and/or practitioners, ensuring that more benchmarks are utilised during cocreation with the aim to enhance the likelihood of behavioural change.


This classroom action research (CAR) was conducted to describe the effectiveness of the use of handicraft design and model in teaching arts. It implemented a cycle model involving planning, action, observation, and reflection. The subjects were fourth graders of the Laboratory Elementary School, Malang. Data were collected by using a participatory observation while the action was going on. The results indicated that handicraft design and model were always needed in teaching arts. The media helped improve the pupils' motivation in creating mosaics, sculptures, and reliefs.


OBJECTIVES
To assess the prescribing patterns for the use of antithrombotics in the management of atrial fibrillation.

DESIGN
A descriptive cross sectional study.

SETTING
Parirenyatwa Hospital, Harare, Zimbabwe.

SUBJECTS
The outpatient records of 200 outpatients attending the cardiac clinic (with a documented history of an irregular pulse) between January and August 1999 at Parirenyatwa Hospital, Harare, Zimbabwe were reviewed.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
In addition to antithrombotic therapy prescribed at the time of review, patient information (rural or urban), relative contra-indications to antithrombotic therapy, and risk factors for stroke were identified.

RESULTS
Patients were similar in terms of age, sex, and risk factors for stroke. At least one stroke risk factor was noted in 79% of urban and 83% of rural patients. Two risk factors were noted in 26% of patients. It was noted that urban patients were more likely to have a relative contra-indication to antithrombotic therapy compared with rural patients (24% vs 10%, p = 0.028) but received antithrombotic therapy more often (38% vs 19%, p = 0.025).

CONCLUSIONS
Patients with atrial fibrillation are being inappropriately managed in terms of their major prognostic risk factor. Rural patients with atrial fibrillation receive antithrombotic therapy less frequently than urban patients despite having a similar high risk profile and fewer relative contra-indications.


A case of herniation of the gallbladder through the epiploic foramen into the lesser sac in a 48 year old Korean male is reported. Internal hernias are often difficult to diagnose prior to surgical exploration because of anatomic variabilities and differences in symptomatology. The epiploic foramen through which the lesser and greater peritoneal cavities communicate is an infrequent site for an internal hernia. In most reported cases, portion of the small or large intestine have herniated through the foramen. The herniation of the gallbladder through this epiploic foramen into the lesser sac is extremely rare. Several anatomic features are necessary for the development of herniation of the gallbladder into the lesser sac. The symptoms and signs which are suggestive of making diagnosis or the gallbladder herniation through the epiploic foramen are described.


The invention relates to a recombinant protein fabricated in a baculovirus system, of which the essential constitutive polypeptide sequence is that of a C-terminal fragment of 42 kilodaltons (p42) of the surface protein 1 (protein MSP-1) of the merozoite form of a parasite of the Plasmodium type, particularly Plasmodium falciparum, which is infectious for humans, said p42 fragment being particularly deleted of its region II and, if necessary, also of its region III. Said recombinant protein is applicable to the production of vaccines against malaria.


Developments in personal information communication technology (ICT) are facilitating opportunities for turning internet-based hobbies into self-employed occupations. Real income can be earned by trading virtual objects and currencies used in massively multiplayer online games – a form of economic activity known as real money trade (RMT). This study focuses on RMT workers as an example of new cyber workers who lack traditional identity sources, such as public workplaces, recognizable company names or association with existing occupations. Through examining their identity work, this study argues that as more people are taking their work and leisure life online, ambiguity has become an important characteristic of these new cyber workers who provide labour service via the internet. Work identities which used to be established collectively and effortlessly now require active identity work to maintain.


About two years ago my class in educational measurement asked me to state exactly how I would use tests in the teaching of a particular subject such as reading. The plan submitted to the class called for, among other things, the monthly use of a standardized reading test which was accurately scaled, standardized by age as well as by grade, and easy to administer. Since there was not in existence a reading test that met the requirements of this plan, and since there was no reading scale with the requisite number of duplicate forms, I undertook, with the help of Professor Thorndike, the construction of a series of ten duplicate reading scales.2


The waste transport transportation system currently running is still using a scheduling system that prioritizes scheduled routes or locations. From the current system, it can be seen that there are still places that have accumulation of garbage. Therefore, a waste warning information system is needed that can provide information on the accumulation of garbage that must be transported immediately. Based on these problems, the purpose of this article is to discuss the creation of a prototype of a waste transport warning system by applying the Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) system using GSM communication media. The client system prototype is built using an ultrasonic sensor that is used as a full garbage detector, Arduino Uno microcontroller, GSM module. Whereas in the information system server system warning waste transport uses the mySQL, PHP and Gammu databases. ) From the test results it is found that the client system has been able to send garbage data in full condition to the information system server. And the server has been able to display the results of sending data in the form of web pages. Next from the waste transport warning information system page, the operator can send the full location data of the garbage to be immediately transported to the transporting officer in the form of an SMS.


The global stability and instability of nonlinear and nonautonomous systems of generalized separating variables are studied via Liapunov's function method, some sufficient criteria for judging the global stability and instability of the sorts systems are obtained and these results popularize the existed results in relevant literatures.


Increasing transmission capability of power grid is an effective approach for improving utilization efficiency of primary energy source,enhancing security and stability margin of power grid and lifting overall operational efficiency of power grid.During the initial period and the transitional period of power grid construction,in view of the impacts of techno-economy,implementation scheduling of the project,difference of seasonal power generation capacities,the circumstance that the outward transmission capability of power source is restricted by transmitting capacity of power grid exists in general.Firstly,based on equal area criterion,the influences of rotational inertia level of generators at sending end on both accelerating energy accumulation of rotors during fault period and the maximum decelerating energy that power grid could provide after cleaning up the fault are analyzed,and the mechanism of enhancing outward power transmission capacity by increasing rotational inertia of generators is revealed.On this basis,the impacts of generation scheduling of Laohuzui main power plant in Tibet's Linzi power network that transmits power outwards on disturbed trajectory of tie line and outward transmission capability are researched,and it is pointed out that under the weak interconnection of Linzi power network with Tibet power grid via single circuit transmission line,the optimization of increasing rotational inertial by optimizing generation scheduling is an effective technical measure to improve outward power transmission capability and


Abstract Corbera, J.A., Morales, M., Doreste, F. and Gutierrez, C. 2007. Experimental struvite urolithiasis in goats. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 32: 191–194. To study the occurrence of the experimental struvite urolithiasis in goats in a semi-arid region of the Canary Islands, where urolithiasis is relatively common, 18 one-year old Canary female goats were divided into three equal groups: Group A received a concentrate ration of 3 parts corn to 1 part cottonseed meal; Group B received the same diet with wheat straw added ad libitum and Group C received a balanced diet for 10 weeks. Crystaluria was observed in all groups, but was more evident in Group A. Goats belonging to this group showed a progressive calcium/phosphorus disbalance. Epithelial cells and bilirubin crystals were also more evident in the Group A. It is concluded that high grain diet resulted in struvite urolithiasis in goats.


Marketing has developed over time and its extension to different areas has led to the emergence of new trends. One of these is social marketing, whose origin dates back to the 1960's and was born as an instrument applicable to the social problem solving. The present research analyzes all those aspects related to social marketing, from the reasons that motivated its appearance, the close relationship with corporate social responsibility and commercial marketing; as well as the variables that constitute it and the various benefits derived from the application of social programs.


Purpose – The purpose of this research is to better understand why college students in the USA eat on-campus. Also, this research aims to compare highly satisfied and low satisfied groups in terms of their on-campus dining experiences and behaviors and to understand what values college students are currently satisfied with and what they expect from their on-campus dining. Design – A survey design was implemented in this study. The sample for this research study is any college students who have eaten at on-campus dining facilities within the last 3 months. Methodology – Cluster analysis, correlation, and t-test were utilized for data analysis. The twostep clusters method was used to cluster groups based on the mean values of DINESERV. Approach – The validity of DINESERV for on-campus dining settings was examined, as well as examining the behavior and perception of Generation Y and Z on on-campus dining. Findings – In both clusters, Assurance was the factor with the highest correlation coefficient value, while Tangible ranked last among the five DINESERV factors. The other dimensions of DINESERV were also very important to the young college students, as indicated by the high correlation coefficients. Originality of the research – This research examines the validity of DINESERV in on-campus dining settings in the United States. The uniqueness of this study lies in the sample: young college students, Generation Y and Z.


Abstract Two formaldehyde passive dosimeters, the DuPont Pro-Tek[rgrave] badge and the 3M Formaldehyde Monitor 3751, were compared to the NIOSH P&CAM 125 method using t-tests and multivariate analyses. Approximately 270 area samples (90 sets of matched samples) were taken in nine formaldehyde-using plants. Above the level of sensitivity (1.60 ppm-hours), the results of the DuPont badge were, on average, not statistically different from those of the NIOSH method using the t-test. The slope of the fitted linear regression line comparing the DuPont badge results to the NIOSH method results was statistically different from zero, and the coefficient of determination (R2) was 0.92. Above the level of sensitivity (0.80 ppm-hours), the results of the 3M badge were, on average, lower (but not statistically) than those of the NIOSH method. The slope of the fitted regression line was different from zero, and the coefficient of determination was 0.44. The presence of dust was found to be a significant variable in det...


The effect of the bulk modification of the EPDM rubber compound on the adhesion performance with polyurethane coating (PU) was studied. Ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) was bulk modified using maleated EPDM, polynorbornene (PNR) or different curatives to improve adhesion to polyurethane coating. The coating–rubber composite adhesion performance was examined by peel, crack and abrasion tests followed by microscopic investigation of fracture surfaces and their chemical nature. The adhesion between the coating and the rubber substrate was improved using maleated EPDM or PNR, as well as different curing systems. The crack stress for the delamination of the polyurethane coating from the flexible bulk-modified rubber surface follows the trend: maleated EPDM > PNR > different curing systems > control.


Structural and stratigraphic discontinuities developed in subsurface, such as channels, faults and fractures, usually contribute to the construction of traps and hydrocarbon reservoirs. Seismic attributes are usually used to characterize the reservoir features. For instance, coherence is an important attribute to measure waveform changes and delineate discontinuities, which allows interpreters to quickly visualize and map complex fault systems. Considering the multi-scale characteristic of seismic data, spectral decomposition is usually used to divide the multi-frequency seismic data to various uni-frequency data, thus to highlight certain scale of geologic structures. Due to attenuation, the dominant frequencies of seismic data usually decrease with depths. Then, extracting spectral components at dominant frequencies may provide more precise perspectives of primary scale of geologic structures. In this abstract, we develop a new strategy to perform discontinuity detection by combining dominant-frequency-optimized spectral decomposition and coherence calculation. Examples demonstrate that this new strategy can detects fault systems accurately, with high resolution and signal to noise ratio. In a word, the application of this new discontinuity detection strategy is an effective way to detect different-scale structural and stratigraphic discontinuity features.


The study aims to compare the clinical outcome of External Fixation (EF) and Plating Fixation (PF) in the treatment of displaced midshaft clavicle fractures in adults. Fifty-nine patients meeting the inclusion criteria were selected; 29 cases of external fixation and 30 cases of open-reduction plate fixation. The average follow-up period was 32 months. Outcomes analysis included: satisfaction with the received treatment, local appearance and shoulder function; residual symptoms; Constant Shoulder Score (CSS); Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand Score (DASH). 25 cases of EF and all patients in PF group were successfully followed up. No statistically significant differences were observed between two groups in overall satisfaction (P=0.12), CSS (P=0.132), DASH (P=0.113), or healing time (P=0.086). In the EF group, there was one case of nonunion (4%) and three cases of angular deformity. PF group had one case of nonunion (3%) and no malunion; hardware irritation and the need for a second surgery were the biggest complications. Compared with PF, EF provided a better treatment overall, with the advantages of simple procedure, no damage to the soft tissue and blood supply, a short healing time, and no second operation.


National-level key scenic spots struck by lightning are commonly happened,high dozens meters of tree cut down,shattered or burnt by lightning. The lightning struck the trees (mountain) at the scene tourists may lead to "step voltage" electric shock accident,which involving serious injuries of tourists. The "step voltage" quantity value,human body can withstand power frequency currents,lightning current and voltage magnitude level were calculated; Lightning protection install of the scenic spots to people-oriented was called on,and how to design lightning rod to weak "step voltage" approach at scenic spots was discussed.


Ordered weighted averaging (OWA) operator is a kind of information fusion method, which has been developed in recent years and used in a wide range of applications. An induced ordered weighted averaging (IOWA) operator is introduced in this paper, and its some properties are discussed. Then the new combined forecasting model based on induced ordered weighted averaging operator is constructed. Finally forecasting of stock price is also given using this model, and it shows that the model is effective.


ABSTRACT A series piezoelectric quartz crystal (SPQC) sensor has been applied to detect L-glutamic acid and L-lysine acid. The effect of formaldehyde solution on the frequency shift was studied. Two methods were discussed. For the calibration curve method, in a neutralized formaldehyde medium, the linear ranges for determining L-glutamic acid and L-lysine acid were from 7.1×10−6M to 6.5×10−4M and from 6.9×10−6 M to 7.4×10−4 M, respectively, with the detection limit being 7.1×10−6 M and 6.9×10−6 M, the recoveries were 99.2% and 100.1%, the R.S.D were 1.63% (n=6) and 1.83%(n=6), respectively. Frequencimetric tiration method was also described and the lowest titratable concentrations were 8.3×10−5M and 5.5×10−5 M, respectively.


Its merger with American Home Products still pending, Monsanto continues to buy and sell, although it's buying more than it's selling. The company has signed a definitive agreement to purchase Cargill's seed operations in Central and Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa for $1.4 billion. It has also agreed to sell its lawn and garden pesticide business to Scotts, Marysville, Ohio, for $300 million. Minneapolis-based Cargill won't disclose the size of the seed business being sold, but says it has about 2,200 employees at seed research, production, and testing facilities in 24 countries and has sales and distribution operations in 51 countries. The sale doesn't include Cargill's seed operations in the U.S. and Canada or Cargill Agricultural Merchants in the U.K. However, a Cargill official says the company is considering options for these businesses as well. According to Cargill, its seed unit has strong distribution channels and good products made by traditional techniques, but it ...


Shao et al. proposed a novel method for computing private set intersection based on searchable encryption. Compared with the traditional protocols, their technique requires much less computation for the client to obtain the intersection. Concretely, the client only computes m (the cardinality of the client's input set) multiplications, m hashes, and one modular exponentiation. However, their protocol only satisfies security against semi-honest behaviors. In this paper, we aim to promote the security of Shao et al.'s protocol. Our solution woks in the CRS model, and is based on the non-interactive zero knowledge proof and the succinct non-interactive argument. The proposed protocol satisfies security against malicious adversaries and needs only one round interaction.


As a high-level task of computer vision, pedestrian recognition and target tracking involves many application scenarios has great research significance and practical value. In this paper, we use the Repulsion Loss to solve the problem of the non-maximum suppression operation in the post-processing phase of target detection is sensitive to the threshold value in the crowded and obstructed pedestrian scenarios, which results in mis-judgement and missed detection of the target. In order to solve the undetected pedestrian problem in the improved YOLOV3, we added a deformable convolution to the Mask R-CNN algorithm, which can better meet and adapt to the scale changes of natural pedestrians. The experimental results show that the mAP of the improved YOLOV3 increases from 68% to 73.4%. The mAP of the improved Mask R-CNN increased from 85% to 87.5%. We also present a pedestrian recognition GCPRN, to overcome the problem of insufficient representation of pedestrian appearance features in deep sort target tracking algorithm, we proposed a target tracking FRTN network. The experimental results indicated that the FRTN network is more effective than Deep Sort algorithm on MOTP and MOTA.


A system for monitoring actively the patient, measuring at least one physiological parameter includes at least one body-worn monitoring device having at least one sensor capable of detecting at least one predetermined event. And at least one intermediary device is connected to the body-worn monitoring device using a first wireless network, at least one responding device connected to said at least one intermediary device in the second wireless network, wherein the response device is at least one It is programmed to automatically perform certain functions when One of the predetermined event has occurred. The monitoring device periodically patient condition data, but transmits to the intervention system, the system periodically operates at rest, provides a very low power consumption.


Term sense disambiguation is very essential for different approaches of NLP, including Internet search engines, information retrieval, Data mining, classification etc. However, the old methods using case frames and semantic primitives are not qualify for solving term ambiguities which needs a lot of information with sentences. This new approach introduces a building structure system of natural language knowledge. In this paper all surface case patterns is classified in advance with the consideration of the meaning of noun. Moreover, this paper introduces an efficient data structure using a trie which define the linkage among leaves and multi-attribute relations. By using this linkage multi-attribute relations, we can get a high frequent access among verbs and noun with an automatic generation of hierarchical relationships. In our experiment a large tagged corpus (Pan Treebank) is used to extract data. In our approach around 11,000 verbs and nouns is used for verifying the new method and made a hierarchy group of its noun. Moreover, the achievement of term disambiguating using our trie structure method and linking trie among leaves is 6% higher than old method.


As our intimate lives become more tangled with the smartphones we carry, privacy has become an increasing concern. A widely available option to mitigate security risks is to set a device so that it locks after a period of inactivity, requiring users to authenticate for subsequent use. Current methods for establishing one's identity are known to be susceptible to even rudimentary observation attacks. The mobile context in which interactions with smartphones are prone to occur further facilitates shoulder-surfing. We submit that smartphone authentication methods can be better adapted to the mobile context. Namely, the ability to interact with the device in an inconspicuous manner could offer users more control and the ability to self-protect against observation. Tapping is a communication modality between a user and a device that can be appropriated for that purpose. This work presents a technique for employing sequences of taps, or tap phrases, as authentication codes. An efficient and accurate tap phrase recognizer, that does not require training, is presented. Three user studies were conducted to compare this approach to the current leading methods. Results indicate that the tapping method remains usable even under inconspicuous authentications scenarios. Furthermore, we found that it is appropriate for blind users, to whom usability barriers and security risks are of special concern.


Until late in 1961, the leaders of the Indonesian Communist Party gave no public indication of the conflict within the international Communist movement. That they were aware of the worsening dispute is evident: for example, from 1958 to 1961, inclusive, they sent an average of five delegations to the Sino-Soviet bloc each year. But they chose to concentrate their energy on strengthening and guiding their own Party. This they had built into the largest Communist Party outside the bloc, with a membership at the end of 1961 of almost two millions, and with a network of mass organisations claiming over ten million members. After the Twenty-second Soviet Party Congress, however, the existence of conflict was public knowledge. D. N. Aidit, the Chairman of the Indonesian Communist Party, who had led his Party's delegation to the congress, felt compelled to explain the Party's position.


Master´s thesis deals with the application of cash pooling assumptions in the enterprise and its advantages for the enterprise. The theoretical part is devoted to the definition of the Bank and its operations, business, financial management, cash management and cash pooling subsequently. The second chapter deals with the analysis of the banks offer cash pooling and analysis of the conditions for its use by the company. The last part shows the benefits of cash pooling for enterprise application with the model examples.


PURPOSE: A GIS(Geographic Information System) data processing device and a method for searching a route are provided to reduce fuel consumption by combining sensor stream data and space-time data. CONSTITUTION: A GIS data processing device and a method for searching a route is composed of a GIS data processing engine part(110) and an echo drive part(140). The GIS data processing engine part provides space-time data of a road. The echo drive part combines sensor stream data and space-time data. And the echo drive part provides route information in which fuel consumption is minimized when a vehicle is moved.


Capillary wave fluctuations blur the inherent structure of liquid surfaces in computer simulations. The intrinsic sampling method subtracts capillary wave fluctuations and yields the intrinsic surface structure, leading to a generic picture of the liquid surface. The most relevant magnitude of the method is the surface layer density ${n}_{\text{s}}$ that may be consistently determined from different properties: the layering structure of the intrinsic density profiles, the turnover rate for surface layer particles, and the hydrodynamic damping rate of capillary waves. The good agreement among these procedures provides evidence for the physical consistency of the surface layering hypothesis, as an inherent physical property of the liquid surfaces. The dependence of the surface compactness, roughness, and exchange rate with temperature is analyzed for several molecular interaction models.


other hand this method was acknowledged to be more comprehensive and a more realistic reflection of work-load. The extraordinary situation which these results reveal is presumably a result in part of individuals trying to improve validity, but at the expense of reliability at a Regional level. It was not just the clinicians; the instructions from the District Infor mation Departments were also often at variance with each other, leading to a clear case of GIGO (garbage in garbage out) when the Regional returns are looked at in tow, and will produce utterly meaningless 'per formance indicators'. The College (Nicol, 1989) has


This paper studies efficient algorithms for dynamic curing policies and the corresponding network design problems to guarantee the fast extinction of epidemic spread in a susceptible-infected-susceptible (SIS) model. We consider a Markov process-based SIS epidemic model. We call a curing policy fair if demographic groups are cured with comparable speeds. We propose a fair curing policy based on the curing policy of Drakopoulos et al. Since these optimization problems are NP-hard, finding optimal policies is intractable for large graphs. We provide approximation guarantees on both curing and fair curing policies. Moreover, when the total infection rate is large, the original curing policy includes a waiting period in which no measures are taken to mitigate the spread until the rate slows down. To avoid the waiting period, we study network design problems to reduce the total infection rate by deleting edges or reducing the weight of edges. Then the curing processes become continuous since the total infection rate is restricted by network design. We provide algorithms with provable guarantees for the considered network design problems. In summary, the proposed fair curing and network design algorithms together provide an effective, fair, and computationally efficient approach that mitigates SIS epidemic spread in networks.


Proposed information technology for remotely sensed data processing is based on anomaly detection methods and algorithms, which are invariant to signal and background scale and structure, is advancement of existing approaches. The information technology combines the following conceptions and approaches: satellite images fractal self-similarity; multiresolution analysis of functional spaces on the base of wavelet transform (WT); using recursive fractal scanning for reduction of multidimensional spaces into one-dimensional segment; using nonparametric statistics for signal detection in noisy background. Proposed technology allows to: decrease the threshold of hidden signal detection by several times; detect the signals with unknown form; solve the problems connected to incomplete knowledge of signal, nonstationary, non-markovian and singular noises; improve the performance of subpixel signal detection and estimation in case of limited spatial and temporal resolutions of sensors. The investigation of Hausdorf dimension and index of Hoerst statistic is performed. Solution of the following problems is planned as extension of this research: conjugation between WT and recursive scannings for obtaining the powerful signal analysis mathematics, development of S/N ratio increase methods on the base of statistical image segmentation using nonparametric statistics; improvement of accuracy of subpixel signal estimation on the base of using the fractal properties of images.


In this research, the radiation shielding, structural, mechanical, and acoustic features of the 20BaO-(80-x) Bi2O2 -x B2O3 (where x = 70, 60, 50, 40, 30, 20 mol%) glasses are investigated and the obtained results are reported in detail. One of the fundamental parameters in the evaluation of the interaction of radiation with shielding material was the mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) that was obtained using the Phy-X/PSD program in the energy range from 0 to 10 MeV and the calculated results are presented in this paper. Increasing the Bi2O3 concentration changes the composition and density of glass samples and affects the mechanical properties. As a result, the values of elastic moduli such as Young's, Bulk, Shear, and Longitudinal moduli experience a slight reduction. In addition, the Poisson's ratio decreases from 0.27 to 0.17 but the quantity of fractal Bond Connectivity (FBC) increases between 2.26 and 3.59 from BaBiB1to BaBiB6 glass samples which hints that present glasses have chain structure (3D). Furthermore, the micro-hardness (H) increases from 6.67 to 9.88 GPa with the increase in Bi2O3 concentration. The reported acoustic impedance (Zi) increases between 15.16 * 103kg.m−2s−1 and 19.00 * 103kg.m−2s−1. The result of this study shows that increasing the amount of Bi2O3 in the preferred glass samples leads to the achievement of high performance radiation shielding materials. Finally, from this research, we can exploit valuable information about the structure of the glass samples.


The present economic structure of Nigeria creates a scenario depicting a direction of private sector driven economy. There is no doubt therefore, that the wish of every serious entrepreneur is to establish a viable business which he hopes to build while striving to maintain a business pattern that will outlive him as the owner–manager. To achieve this fit, it requires the entrepreneur to develop/build a corporate brand culture; not just for his products and services, but for its corporate or organizational image. This paper was aimed at drawing the attention of stakeholders in entrepreneurship development/education which include the business educators, business community, economists and policy makers to the emerging concept of corporate brand culture as an alternative desirable competency necessary for the sustenance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in our fledging economy. The paper placed much emphasis on the concepts of branding, place branding, economic and educational implications of corporate brand building culture to the entrepreneur. The paper concludes that given that various brand building propositions in entrepreneurial competencies exist, the future of business education should be geared towards corporate brand building as an entrepreneurship competencies component. It was recommended amongst others that business educators should be equipped with entrepreneurial/brand building competencies to make them become role-models for entrepreneurship development. Keywords :Entrepreneurship Development, Corporate branding culture, Organizational Image, fledging economy.


Web Services (WS) have been largely used in the development of Web applications. Because of this and die to their importance and inherent characteristics, there is a crescent demand for WS testing techniques and tools. Different testing approaches have been proposed, however most of them do not offer a criterion to be used to evaluate the generated test data. To allow this, the present work explores mutation operators, specific for WSDL documents. The idea is to consider semantic aspects of those documents and to reveal different kind of faults. A supporting tool is also described and evaluation results of a study case are discussed, which allow comparison with other approaches.


. In this work we present the stellar parameters and the Li abundances, obtained by spectral synthesis, for a sample of 13 weak-line T Tauri stars.


The process of senescence is typically accompanied by a gradual (or not so gradual) loss of the capacity to maintain homeostasis that, in turn, is thought to underlie the promotion of the reduced function and disease states that typically accompany old age. Although there are multiple factors that likely contribute to this process, a relatively recent observation has been the association of a decline in maintenance of repressive heterochromatin and aging. Studies in organisms as diverse as yeast, worms, flies, mice, and human cell culture have documented a decline in repressive heterochromatin with senescence, and genetic interventions have indicated that maintaining repressive heterochromatin might be beneficial for increasing healthy life span (1, 2).


Cytogenetic analyses of lymphocytes and bone marrow cells were performed on 10 haematologically healthy dogs. A wide range of mitoses with unbalanced Robertsonian translocations (1–2 per cell) was encountered in both stimulated lymphocytes (frequency 3±1 %) and methotrexatesynchronized bone marrow cells (frequency 5±2 %) but not in bone marrow cells prepared with the direct method.


Superimposed D-branes have matrix-valued functions as their transverse coordinates, since the latter take values in the Lie algebra of the gauge group inside the stack of coincident branes. This leads to considering a classical dynamics where the multiplication law for coordinates and/or momenta, being given by matrix multiplication, is nonabelian. Quantisation further introduces noncommutativity as a deformation in powers of Planck's constant. Given an arbitrary simple Lie algebra and an arbitrary Poisson manifold, both finite-dimensional, we define a corresponding C*-algebra that can be regarded as a nonabelian Poisson manifold. The latter provides a natural framework for a matrix-valued classical dynamics.


What is known and Background:  Social anxiety disorder (SAD) often follows a chronic course and is associated with substantial impairment in functioning. Although results from clinical trials clearly establish evidence for efficacy of cognitive behavioural therapy in treating this disorder, up to 50% of patients with SAD show little or no improvement. Thus, new approaches that have promised in improving the efficacy of treatment for SAD are needed. One such approach is the trial‐based thought record (TBTR), which targets the restructuring of patients' core beliefs.


Based on the cotton data of the plant protection department and meteorological data of the meteorological department from 1980 to 2009 in the southwest of Shandong province,the possible effect of climate factors on cotton were analyzed,and this provides reference for high cotton production in the local area.Using professional data processing system DPS,several most dominant meteorological factors that affect cotton growth,yield and quality are chosen,and its correlation and effects were analyzed.The results showed that the cotton lint percentage had a significant negative correlation to the rainfall in July.Sufficient sunshine in August is better for cotton boll splitting and opening.The cotton bolls weight severely decreases,when the rainfall is high in September.Moreover,it increases when the mean temperature rises in May and August.The weight of cotton bolls has positive correlation with the sunshine duration,i.e.,the longer the sunshine duration,the heavier the cotton bolls weight.Appropriate rainfall is beneficial to the cotton fiber length.On the other hand,the cotton fiber length reduces if the rainfall is too much.The yield of raw cotton and seed cotton weight has a significant positive correlation to the annual mean temperature,which means that the cotton yield increases when the temperature is higher.


The minimum wage law is a snare and a delusion. The present paper attempts to demonstrate that such legislation boosts unemployment rates for unskilled workers. Which element of society notoriously favors this enactment? Organized labor.


This case comment concerns the judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union in Case C‑240/18 P Constantin Film Produktion GmbH v EUIPO of 27 February 2020. The Court of Justice considered the trade mark 'Fack Ju Gohte' as not being contrary to accepted principles of morality under Art 7(1)(f) of the Regulation 2017/1001, setting aside the previous judgment of the General Court and simultaneously annulling the decision of the Fifth Board of Appeal of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).


This article examines the effects of the vertical disintegration of production on airport terminal workers through the theoretical lens of occupational belonging, highlighting themes of sensory and embodied experience, changing dynamics of employment relationships, and new patterns of inclusion and exclusion. The article contributes to efforts to produce nuanced empirical accounts of the dynamics of post-Fordist work, showing how restructuring had the effect of disrupting employment relations and activity rhythms, while nevertheless preserving 'the airport' as a symbolic and relational setting in relation to which occupational belonging could be constructed. The article examines how the work of binding people and jobs, previously undertaken by integrated organisations, was taken up by workers themselves through their personal relationships and will to belong. The article highlights the capacity to undertake this work of belonging as a central dynamic of occupational inclusion and exclusion, a capacity which in this empirical context was experienced as being shaped by age and the ability to make use of personal relationships in navigating precarious employment relations. Based on this empirical analysis, the article argues for belonging as a valuable perspective for studies of materiality, symbolic identification and relationality in post-Fordist work.


Internal P-sets is a part of P-sets,which is a concept of P-sets.Based on internal P-sets,the concepts of F——data and F——data outer-recovery was proposed,and the F——data outer-recovery theorem and redundancy principle of attribute surplus were given.By using these results,applications were given.


Toxicity and biochemical study of crude ethanolic extract of C. rotundus was carried out in mice and rats. The extract was given at the dose of 10, 100 and 1000 mg/kg. None of the group exhibited any sign of toxicity at these doses. However, at the dose of 1000 mg/kg motor activity is slightly decreased. 10% decrease was observed in weight with treated group (1000mg/kg). The extract of C. rotundus was also observed on different biochemical parameters (glucose, lipid profile, cardiac enzymes, liver enzymes and kidney function test). Liver enzymes were found normal and statistically non significant while there is non significant increase in serum bilirubin, gamma-GT and SGPT was observed. Over all hematological studies showed non significant changes. Histopathological examination on different organs of rats also confirmed that the drug is safe and non toxic.


degeneration of all of the thalamie nuclei except the habenula, paraventricular nuclei, pretecal nucleus, ventral lateral geniculate body and suprahypothalamic region of the reticular area


SUMMARY Purpose: Retrospective study to present results of laser in situ queratomileusis (LASIK) after radial keratotomy (RK). Material and methods: 21 eyes of 12 patients underwent LASIK for residual or induced refractive defects after RK. The eyes were divided into 2 groups: 13 myopic eyes and 8 hyperopic eyes. The follow-up was 6 months. Results: After LASIK , there was a significant decrease in the spherical equivalent in both groups. Forty percent of myopic eyes and 50% in the hyperopic group were within ±1.0 D of emetropia. Uncorrected visual acuity was 20/40 or better in 76% myopic group and 62% hyperopic group. Conclusions: LASIK is a safe and effective treatment for residual or induced refractive defects after RK.


OBJECTIVES After participating in the continuing education activity, primary care physicians and pharmacists should be able to: 1. Identify clinical manifestations of the metabolic syndrome 2. Recognize the relationship between the metabolic syndrome and coronary heart disease risk 3. Identify lifestyle interventions likely to improve the metabolic syndrome 4. Select appropriate medical therapies likely to improve clinical outcomes in patients with insulin resistance 5. Be familiar with pharmacologic agents in development that may offer additional means of treating patients with the metabolic syndrome


The introduction of excess PbI2 into CH3NH3PbI3 precursors has been reported to boost the efficiency of CH3NH3PbI3 solar cell. It was assumed that the excess PbI2 helped to reduce the defect density in CH3NH3PbI3 solar cell. In this work, by adding non-equimolar PbI2 into CH3NH3PbI3 precursor solution, PbI2-rich CH3NH3PbI3 solar cells have been fabricated. The efficiency of CH3NH3PbI3 solar cell was significantly improved from 14.14% to 16.80%. Results obtained from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicate that the excess PbI2 does not affect the morphological and crystal properties of CH3NH3PbI3 thin film. Based on time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) measurement, it was found that the carrier lifetime of PbI2-rich perovskite thin film was significantly increased. Lower defect density was observed in PbI2-rich CH3NH3PbI3 solar cell by admittance spectroscopy (AS) characterization, indicating PbI2 can suppress the formation of defects in CH3NH3PbI3 solar cells.The introduction of excess PbI2 into CH3NH3PbI3 precursors has been reported to boost the efficiency of CH3NH3PbI3 solar cell. It was assumed that the excess PbI2 helped to reduce the defect density in CH3NH3PbI3 solar cell. In this work, by adding non-equimolar PbI2 into CH3NH3PbI3 precursor solution, PbI2-rich CH3NH3PbI3 solar cells have been fabricated. The efficiency of CH3NH3PbI3 solar cell was significantly improved from 14.14% to 16.80%. Results obtained from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicate that the excess PbI2 does not affect the morphological and crystal properties of CH3NH3PbI3 thin film. Based on time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) measurement, it was found that the carrier lifetime of PbI2-rich perovskite thin film was significantly increased. Lower defect density was observed in PbI2-rich CH3NH3PbI3 solar cell by admittance spectroscopy (AS) characterization, indicating PbI2 can suppress the formation of defects in CH3NH3PbI3 solar cells.


In the early 1990s, Washington State was in the vanguard of the standards movement. Democratic governor Booth Gardner and leaders of the Washington Roundtable?a coalition of business leaders? agreed to press for a comprehensive statewide education reform package modeled after Kentucky's. David Hornbeck, who drafted the Kentucky con sent decree that started the standards-based reform movement, advised on drafting of the state's reform bill. An omnibus reform package was passed in early 1993. By 1994, the National Business Roundtable rated Washington as one of four states that had enacted the most complete standards-based reform program. Washington political and business leaders intended to transform public education from a bureaucracy controlled by mandates and enforced compli ance into a performance-based system. They envisioned standards-based reform as a rational approach to improving public education. They sought to set standards that define what children need to know and be able to do, develop measurement systems to test performance against those standards, help schools find and use methods of instruction effective enough to allow them to meet the standards, give schools the freedom of action necessary to adjust their methods of instruction to meet student needs, and reward schools that meet standards and punish those that do not. Like proponents of standards-based reform in other states, Washington State policy and business leaders assumed that establishment of a perfor mance-based system would change the behavior of teachers, parents, school administrators, and students.1 Teachers and parents, informed by the stan 199


In this paper, we analyse results of the $15^{\textrm{th}}$ International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition by comparing the properties of its results network to the properties of \emph{generic networks of votings}.


We report here magnetic studies of Cu‐based organometallic monomers and polymers. Magnetic susceptibility measurements at high temperature, on monomers having different side groups, show antiferromagnetic Curie–Weiss behavior consistent with a single spin‐1/2 per Cu atom and an antiferromagnetic Curie–Weiss temperature θ≊1 K. The low‐temperature magnetization remains linear to μBH/kBT ≥ 1, suggestive of 1D antiferromagnetic Heisenberg interactions. A sharp decrease in the effective spin per Cu atom is observed in the polymerized organometallic system, with the number of spins decreasing with the degree of polymerization.


Transanal total mesorectal excision (TaTME) has rapidly emerged as a novel approach for rectal cancer surgery. Safety profiles are still emerging and more comparative data is urgently needed. This study aimed to compare indications and short‐term outcomes of TaTME, open, laparoscopic, and robotic TME internationally.


The blasting demolition of a 100m high reinforced concrete chimney was introduced.Based on the environmental and structural characteristics,the blasting construction adopted the directional blasting demolition of 20 degrees northward along the central axis of the chimney flue.Similar projects could get some experience from this paper.


A new community is developing in central-western Ohio at the administrative and educational facilities of The Way International, a world-wide non-denominational biblical research ministry. Since 1961 this community has grown from only a few families to over 300 persons living either at or near the site. By 1985 this figure is expected to more than double. This paper shows how the design and planning methods used to date have not been totally successful in dealing with this rapid growth. These methods have resulted in space shortages at times, conflicting use relationships, and unsatisfactory building forms and appearances. A more systematic approach to site design is examined as an aid to resolving some of these problems. This systematic approach focuses on the issues of density standards, block sizes, building configurations, open space planning, and architectural design, drawing rules and concepts from the patterns found in the historic and traditional rural context. Thus, a coherent, unifying "rural atmosphere" for this growing community is the guiding concept behind this system. The issue of uncertainty of future growth is handled by first defining likely phases or increments of growth. Next, the derived design system is shown to be able to handle this range of likely growth increments. Finally, a schematic site plan for developing a portion of the property is designed to demonstrate the use of the system, and to advocate a first step towards preserving the rich rural heritage of this place. Thesis Supervisor: N. John Habraken Title: Professor of Architecture


This work has been funded with the aid of the University of Malaga, Campus of Excellence, Andalusia Tech. INTRODUCTION In this work we present the atmospheric pollen results obtained in Malaga, a coastal Mediterranean city situated in southern Spain, throughout years 2013 and 2014. The main objective is to compare the results obtained these years with those registered during the 21 previous years (1992-2012) and detect possible significant trends.


Summary: Salivary aldosterone measurements can be used to study aldosterone secretion and metabolism noninvasively. Salvia and plasma aldosterone concentration were highly correlated during all periods of study; during adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) administration, a relatively greater amount of aldosterone appeared in saliva; during dexamethasone administration, a relatively smaller amount of aldosterone appeared in saliva.As plasma cortisol increased with ACTH administration there was an increased relative amount of aldosterone in saliva. DOC (11-deoxycorticosterone) was found in saliva only during ACTH administration. Corticosterone was identified during baseline periods. Salivary aldosterone concentrations were independent of flow.The data indicate that saliva is an accessible bodily fluid which may be used to monitor the changes in nonprotein bound plasma steroid hormone concentration in children.Speculation: Saliva is an accessible bodily fluid which may be used to monitor the changes in nonprotein bound plasma aldosterone concentration and other steroidal hormones.