Objective: The present study has been designed to unravel the anticancer potential of thymoquinone against Benzo(a)pyrene induced lung cancer in male swiss albino mice. Thymoquinone (C 10 H 12 O 2 0 )is a bioactive compound derived from the medicinal plant Nigella sativa. Thymoquinone (TQ) has been shown to exert anticancer effect on various cancer cell lines and there is no study on the efficacy of TQ on Benzo(a)pyrene [B(a)P] induced lung carcinogenesis in male swiss albino mice. Methods: The changes in heme indices ( RBC, Hb, WBC, monocytes, lymphocytes and neutrophils), membrane bound ATPases (Na + /K + ATPase, Mg 2+ ATPase and Ca 2+ ATPase) in control and experimental animals were analysed in serum and lung tissue homogenate. Results: Lung cancer induced animals showed a considerably altered levels of heme indices with concomitant decreased levels of membrane bound ATPases in the lung tissue and erythrocyte membrane. Oral administration of TQ at a dose of 20mg/kg b.w brought back the levels of the biochemical parameters to near normal. Conclusion: TQ supplementation restored the detrimental effects induced by B (a) P, indicating its anticancer potential in the treatment of experimental lung carcinogenesis. Keywords: Benzo(a)pyrene,Lung cancer, Thymoquinone, Heme indices, Membrane bound ATPases.


People with type 1 diabetes have an increased risk for autoimmune thyroid disease, which is more common in women than in men according to at least one (1) but not all (2) studies. Exposures unique to women, such as pregnancy, exogenous estrogen, and menopause, have been linked to other autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus (3). However, studies examining such exposures in women with type 1 diabetes are unavailable.

Because the incidence of type 1 diabetes is increasing worldwide, it is important to determine the factors associated with comorbid conditions (4). We analyzed participants ( n = 1,324) in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT), a randomized trial of intensive insulin therapy, and its follow-up, Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC). With the use of Cox regression models, we estimated hypothyroid risk associated with sex, age, DCCT treatment group, diabetes duration, microvascular complications, and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). Among women, we further examined parity, menopause, and estrogen use. We also report the cumulative …


A course of prednisone, 80 mg per day, was started, and the platelet count increased to 152 x 109 per liter over the following week. Four weeks later, as the corticosteroid dosage was being reduced, thrombocytopenia recurred. The patient, therefore, underwent splenectomy. After the operation, the platelet count increased to normal, allowing discontinuation ofthe prednisone therapy. The spleen weighed 264 grams and contained typic'al noncaseating granulomata with hyalinization, consistent with a diagnosis of sarcoidosis (Figure 1). The red pulp contained foamy macrophages indicating platelet destruction. Mycobacterial and fungal stains and cultures were negative.


In 1960, to mark thirty years since D. H. Lawrence's death, Penguin Books planned to publish a new edition of his controversial novel, Lady Chatterley's Lover. The publication was deemed illegal and the publishing company was put on trial in one of the most famous obscenity trials of the twentieth century. What followed, however, was a discourse about culture, gender, sex and, most importantly, class. Who should have access to books and how much should they cost? Are publishers truly cultural gatekeepers or should that role ultimately be with the courts? This article examines the zeitgeist of 1960 and the trial that eventually acquitted Penguin Books of causing harm to society.


Glenohumeral (GH) dislocations of the shoulder are prevalent in young male subjects and appear to be increasing in incidence. The classic diagnostic evaluation of labral injuries such as this involves the use of clinical testing as well as imaging modalities such as computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and radiography, none of which provides a dynamic evaluation. This study was done to replicate sonographic evaluation of the glenoid labrum in a preclinical model and use the axillary scanning approach to specifically assess the integrity of the anterior inferior labrum. Using sonographic guidance, minimal amounts of differently colored dyes were injected into regions of the glenoid labrum. This replication was able to image only the posterior superior, posterior inferior, and anterior inferior aspects of the GH labrum. Bankart lesions were identified in two shoulders, confirmed on dissection. The presence of dyes in the target areas within and around the labrum was visually confirmed. These findings suggest that the concept of using an axillary scanning approach for detecting labral tears and Bankart lesions in patients with acute and chronic shoulder dislocation may be worthwhile to incorporate into a shoulder-scanning protocol.


Applying Game Theory and Transaction Cost Theory, this thesis analyses the externality of housing which called relatively lower priced. It is the increase of transaction costs and the enhancement of Non-cooperative games that cause the externality. To reduce the costs and change this situation, we should increase the supply of housing service, develop broking and financial market.


We show that the interplay of strong Hubbard interaction $U$ and spin-orbit coupling $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ in systems with ${d}^{4}$ electronic configuration leads to several unusual magnetic phases. Most notably, we find that competition between superexchange and spin-orbit coupling leads to a phase transition from a nonmagnetic state predicted by atomic physics to a novel magnetic state in the large-$U$ limit. We show that the local moment changes dramatically across this phase transition, challenging the conventional wisdom that local moments are robust against small perturbations in a Mott insulator. The Hund's coupling plays an important role in determining the nature of the magnetism. We identify candidate materials and present predictions for resonant x-ray scattering signatures of the unusual magnetism in ${d}^{4}$ Mott insulators.


Abstract The manufacturing precision of involute worms constitutes a major requirement. On the one hand, the worm constitutes the input element of the worm drive; secondly, the involute helical surface is the basic surface of an involute worm-hob. This paper presents an analytic comparison between the involute surfaces obtained using theoretical equations, kinematic simulation of the cutting and the surface charged with errors. The surface error is considered the distance along the normal direction to the theoretical surface, measured between this and the surface charged with simulated manufacturing errors. The main sources of errors are considered the center-error of the edge plane, the edge profile error and deviation of the axial feed direction from the axis of the worm. The theoretical results allow us to conclude that the influence of the edge profile error is the largest. It is followed by the parallelism error between the feed direction and the axis of the worm, and finally, the center error of the tool edge.


FIELD: chemistry. SUBSTANCE: monolayer composite thermoplastic coating contains at least one homo- or copolymer of ethylene and/or ethylene-propylene rubber (component A) with density of 0.940-0.980 g/cm 3 ; at least one homo- or copolymer of propylene (component B), such as a block-copolymer of polypropylene, polypropylene, a mixture of polypropylene and ethylene-propylene monodiene (EPDM) or ethylene-propylene rubber with density of 0.860-0.920 g/cm 3 ; a homo- or copolymer of graft ethylene, which is grafted with a functional monomer, such as carboxylic acid or a derivative thereof, such that there is 98 wt % ethylene per 2 wt % carboxylic acid or derivative thereof, a dye - 40-50% carbon black concentrate, a stabiliser complex, such as pentaerythrol tetrakis-3-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)propionate; 2,6-di-tert-butyl-para-cresol; tris(2,4-di-tert-butylphenyl)phosphite; disteril thiodipropionate. Component C is grafted with a functional monomer, such as carboxylic acid or a derivative thereof, such as maleic acid. EFFECT: use of the monolayer coating instead of a three-layer system enables to coat pipes with only one material without using an adhesive owing to that Metalen PE-21 is a universal material having high technological effectiveness, characterised by adhesive properties and a top protective coating at the same time; replacing the three-layer pipe coating system with a monolayer system reduces material consumption and improves application efficiency. 5 cl, 5 ex


Background Prescription drug abuse has become a major public health problem. Relationships and social context are important contributing factors. Social media provides online channels for people to build relationships that may influence attitudes and behaviors. Objective To determine whether people who show signs of prescription drug abuse connect online with others who reinforce this behavior, and to observe the conversation and engagement of these networks with regard to prescription drug abuse. Methods Twitter statuses mentioning prescription drugs were collected from November 2011 to November 2012. From this set, 25 Twitter users were selected who discussed topics indicative of prescription drug abuse. Social circles of 100 people were discovered around each of these Twitter users; the tweets of the Twitter users in these networks were collected and analyzed according to prescription drug abuse discussion and interaction with other users about the topic. Results From November 2011 to November 2012, 3,389,771 mentions of prescription drug terms were observed. For the 25 social circles (n=100 for each circle), on average 53.96% (SD 24.3) of the Twitter users used prescription drug terms at least once in their posts, and 37.76% (SD 20.8) mentioned another Twitter user by name in a post with a prescription drug term. Strong correlation was found between the kinds of drugs mentioned by the index user and his or her network (mean r=0.73), and between the amount of interaction about prescription drugs and a level of abusiveness shown by the network (r=0.85, P<.001). Conclusions Twitter users who discuss prescription drug abuse online are surrounded by others who also discuss it—potentially reinforcing a negative behavior and social norm.


Introduction Regulatory and accrediting bodies, including Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Vascular Laboratories, require a policy for timely notification of caregivers with potentially life-threatening or "critical" findings on vascular laboratory (VL) testing. However, the timeliness of notification with reference to VL tests is often not specified. Objective To audit all "critical" results as defined by our written policy requiring notification within 120 minutes of completion of a test. Methods The VL database, when queried for results between August 1, 2008, and December 31, 2009, showed that "critical" results constituted 6.1% (988/16,168) of all VL tests performed during that period. Reporting time was the time between test completion and contact with an appropriate caregiver. The type of test, indication, in or out-patient status, and after-hour or regular work hours testing was recorded during a separate focused audit. Results A focused audit performed during December 2009 showed 3.49% (31/888) of all tests reported as critical. The majority of critical results were abnormal venous studies (93.5%), performed in inpatients (61%), and during regular working hours (93.5%). The time to notification was a mean of 11.92 minutes (SD 9.51; range, 1–40 minutes). Conclusions Promptness of notification of "critical" VL results to caregivers must be part of an audit quality assurance program. A well-established protocol for communication and documentation of critical results must be instituted in all VLs.


Through analyzing the quality,the yield and the black point rate of spring wheat in different site of arid area,we found that the black point rate of spring wheat in arid area is greatly affected by the environmental factors.The black point incidence is dissimilar in different regions for the same cultivar.The yield and quality of wheat are also affected by the environmental factors. The effects of environment factors on the black point rate,yield and quality of spring wheat have certain correlations.The low temperature and damp are in favor of the black point incidence of spring wheat and improve the yield,but this bad environment is not favor of development of good quality.The result indicates that because of different cultivars and environments,the wheat seed with high black point rate has high 1000-kern weight and test weight,low falling number,high probably of sprouting,low protein content,low dough intensity,and bad quality of wheat seed.


It is showed that the introduction of concept of Game with Communication can both greatly simplify the game model and make the analysis of equilibrium solution easier from two aspects of strategic form game with communication and Bayesian game with communication. The important value of the appliance of concept of Game with Communication in the design of incentive compatible mediation mechanism for the economic activities is put forward.


The application of general PID digital controller in PLC controlsytem is studied.The results show that the algorithm would lead to an excessive overshoot because the PID operation produces a certain integral accumulation easily,thus decreases the system stability.In view of that problem,the incremental PID control algorithm and a design method for an incremental PID controller based on the FX2N along with its flow chart and some procedures are elaborated.The experiment shows that the control algorithm is helpful to the improvement of the dynamic characteristic,and more effective for removing the static errors than common PID control.


The unique characteristics of the gifted hearing-impaired student are discussed. These bright and creative minds present a need to create a new design for media. Flexibility of response and use are among the keys to this design. The students can profit from the opportunity to interact and create their own media. The future is bright for a multitude of media uses with this exciting student population.


In previous studies, a variety of unsupervised anomaly detection techniques for anomaly detection were applied to SSME (space shuttle main engine) data. The observed results indicated that the identification of certain anomalies were specific to the algorithmic method under consideration. This is the reason why one of the follow-on goals of these previous investigations was to build an architecture to support the best capabilities of all algorithms. We appeal to that goal here by investigating a cascade, serial architecture for the best performing and most suitable candidates from previous studies. As a precursor to a formal ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curve analysis for validation of resulting anomaly detection algorithms, our primary focus here is to investigate the model fidelity as measured by variants of the AIC (akaike information criterion) for state-space based models. We show that placing constraints on a state-space model during or after the training of the model introduces a modest level of suboptimality. Furthermore, we compare the fidelity of all candidate models including those embodying the cascade, serial architecture. We make recommendations on the most suitable candidates for application to subsequent anomaly detection studies as measured by AIC-based criteria.


A complete set of measured dispersion branches for the direction T( xi xi 0), Sigma ( eta 00) and Delta (00 xi ) at 300K is presented. Using a simple model which takes advantage of the two-dimensional nature of the crystallographic structure, a reasonable fit to the data was obtained consistent with using only elastic forces between nearest-neighbour rigid atoms. Derived quantities such as the density of states and specific heat are calculated from the model that gives the best fit.


Traditional clustering methods use hard calculations to divide data objects,but in reality,the objects of different classes often do not have clear boundaries between different kinds of clusters.Rough set theory provides a method of dealing with uncertain boundary objects.Therefore,the rough theory and k-means method are combined.Meanwhile,the traditional k-means clustering method must be given in advance the number of clusters k,but in the actual cases,k is difficult to establish;In addition,traditional k-means algorithm has powerful local search capability,but easily falls into local optimum.Genetic algorithm can get the global optimal solution,but the convergence is fast.In view of this,this paper presents an improved rough clustering method based on genetic algorithm.The algorithm can dynamically generate the number of k-means clustering,using max-min principle to generate the initial cluster centers.Rough set theory's upper and lower approximation set is combined to deal with the boundary object.Finally,the UCI's Iris set is used to test the algorithm.The experimental results show that the algorithm has higher accuracy rate and more stable performance.


Failings by a company contracted by the government to transfer important medical records onwards has led to around 1700 cases where patients could have been harmed as a result, the public spending watchdog has concluded.

The National Audit Office published its report on 27 June after it looked into how NHS Shared Business Services handled unprocessed clinical correspondence.1 The agency, a joint venture between the Department of Health for England and the French IT company Sopra Steria, was contracted by the government to run some back-office operations in the NHS in England.1

Large amounts of important data on patients, including test results and diagnoses, were delayed in error between 2011 and 2016 by Shared Business Services before they were delivered …


Global car ownership has maintained rapid growth in recent years, leading to challenges related to parking. This has become a relevant and urgent livelihood problem plaguing urban management. Because information communication pertaining to parking lots are presently absent, unified coordination and configuration of the same can be carried out, which impacts normal operations and standardized management of urban parking. This effort consequently increases traffic pressure as well as energy consumption. To reduce the incidence of unorganized parking behavior and improve parking efficiency, the employment of an intelligent parking lot is proposed. The system is designed to accomplish the following: realize unattended parking, pay for exit, and collect parking data based on Internet of Things; predict parking demand and service time based on queuing theory; set time limits for parking spaces and reserved parking spaces; establish dynamic parking fees to optimize resource utilization. The overall transformation of urban parking resources will promote reasonable sharing and efficient use of parking resources, thereby achieving a dynamic balance between parking supply and demand.


Let G be a parabolic subgroup of general linear group over the field Fq of q elements.In this paper, by using Dickson invariants we determine a complete set of distinct irreducible modules for the algebra Fq [G].


Health workers are incessantly in dilemma as to why people healthy or otherwise avoid health professionals. This study aimed at establishing an association between the dental ladder and numerous psychosocial factors associated with dental avoidance in an adolescent population using a Contemplation Ladder. This study is an analytical cross-sectional study which evaluates attitudes of subjects towards their oral health and future intentions to go to a dentist in the coastal city of Mangalore. The Dental Contemplation Ladder is based on the ladder developed by Biener and Abrams. The questionnaires used in the study included the Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS, the Dental Neglect Scale (DNS) and the Revised Dental Beliefs Survey (R-DBS). The Pearson chi square association between the ladder scores and gender showed high statistical significance (p <0.001) with females having higher ladder scores than males. A one-way ANOVA demonstrated a significant difference between the variables with (p<0.05) for all three psychosocial variables. The regression models showed a statistically significant relation between the ladder scores and psycho social variables. The study provides an important link between dental absenteeism and different psychological and social parameters and the interrelation and association of these to the differing stages of change in adolescent population.


the complication rate was greater. Subsequent experience in this institution and elsewhere has shown that renal biopsies can be safely undertaken in children, providing several precautions are taken prior to biopsy. One major precaution is to rule out a bleeding tendency or a clotting defect. Our routine screening tests include bleeding, clotting and prothrombin times, a platelet count, and more recently a partial thromboplastin time. We also insist on an intravenous pyelogram prior to biopsy to ensure that the subject has two functioning kidneys and to indicate the position of the kidneys at maximum inspiration. We check the child's hemoglobin level. We do not perform a biopsy on any child who is hypertensive, preferring to wait


Objective To explore the epidemic characteristics of viral hepatitis B,so as to provide scientific basis for prevention and control of this disease.Methods Descriptive epidemiological analysis was used to analyze the data of patients with viral hepatitis B who visited People′s Hospital of Kaiyuan City during 2004 and 2007.Results A total of 460 cases with viral hepatitis B were reported in the hospital during 2004 and 2007,with an annual average incidence rate of 52.31/100 000.The incidence rate of hepatitis B showed an increasing trend.This disease occurred in every month of the year,and no seasonal trend in prevalence was observed.The disease mainly occurred in young adults,and the incidence rate was higher in males than in females.The majority of the patients were farmers,followed by workers.Conclusion Surveillance for hepatitis B virus infection should be strengthened.Immunization program targeted to farmers,workers,especially young and middle-aged adults should be formulated.The hepatitis B immunization coverage rate should be increased to decrease the incidence of this disease.


Objective:To understand the knowledge and action on hand-washing among medical staffs in the clinical work,and to investigate its impact factors.Methods:The questionnaire method was used to investigate the midical staffs in recognizing the related impact factors of initiative hand-washing,and coordinated with observing their concrete operation in secret.Results:The average hand-washing compliance in medical staff was 37.1%,much higher than that(3.1%) in medical staff with alcohol-based hand rub(ABHR).It was demonstrated that the consciousness on han-washing,the presence of the ABHR and perfecting hand-washing equipment made great sense statistically in the hand hygiene compliance before contacting patients.The medical staffs of higher hand-washing rate had strogner consciousness and used ABHR more(P0.05).The water trough of hand-washing,the distance to the ward,the paper towel for hand-washing and hot water made great sense statistically in the hand-washing compliance before contacting patients and in contacting patients(P0.05).The hand-washing rate had no statistical correlation from those above mentioned after contacting patients(P0.05).The ABHR had no statistical correlation from hand hygiene compliance among medical staff.Conclusion:It can be concluded that it is essential to strengthen the consciousness on hand-washing among medical staff,enlarge the continuous investment for specific hard-ware improvement and improve the acceptance degree of medical staff on ABHR.Thus it can improve the dependence of medical staffs really and effectively.


This research was carried out in the context of fashion shopping at shopping centers in Vietnam, in which determining shopping orientations remains discrete, inconsistent and yet unable to meet the current rapidly changing consumer demands. Furthermore, topics including which motivations forming orientations and the impact of such shopping orientations on purchase intention are still under debate within the scientific community. Therefore, this paper aims to establish a theoretical framework to depict the relationship between motivations, shopping orientations and purchase intention as well as to evaluate moderating role of consumption knowledge. Deduction method was applied with research process divided into two stages: qualitative and quantitative research. Research results revealed that three shopping motivations did not directly impact on purchase intention but indirectly through the mediators (ie. shopping orientations), and the interaction effect of consumption knowledge with convenience shopping orientations on purchase intention was statistically significant. Several practical implications for fashion retailers are also recommended in this study.


Cross Border E-Commerce has gained a huge momentum as far as globalization is concern. Countries like China have been benefited a lot out of it but Tanzania has been lagging behind to towards development of this initiative. This study was done through analyzing major issues that constraint Tanzania in Cross Border E-Commerce and found ways to emancipate those key challenges through checking efforts made by The Government of China. In such case finding ways to recommend those techniques to Tanzania since she has developed a dream called VISION 2025. VISION 2025 established with the aim of making Tanzania to become the middle income country by the end of the year of 2025. The study was done through analyzing studies done by different scholars in relation with what Tanzania is going through. Issues of strengthening Diplomatic ties with China, Infrastructure development, Government support, introduction of One Stop Services/Centers and promotion of local SMEs were suggested.


by Stephen Kowal, MPA, LNHA, CPQA Introduction One important component of medical record documentation is the attending physician's progress notes. They are specific statements that begin upon admission; continue throughout a hospital stay; relate to the course of treatment of disease; and are written, signed and dated by the physician. Progress notes not only promote continuity of patient care, but also serve as evidence of p h y s i c i a n p a r t i c i p a t i o n a n d accountability. (1) Hippocrates, the "Father of Medicine," lived about 2500 years ago during a period of intellectual awakening and greatly developed the art of medicine and medical record-keeping. He carefully noted observations of the signs, symptoms and history of diseases as well as the course of treatments rendered. His approach to recording observations, including the patient's ongoing health status, is similar to that which is used by modern health professionals.(2-5) The Hippocratic Collection contains a work regarding professional conduct, Peri euschemosynes, which discusses in Chapter 13 the importance of frequent physician involvement. The physician is advised to make frequent visits to the patient and to monitor carefully all aspects in the course of the disease and its treatment because changes in medical condition can occur quickly. This periodic close checking of the patient was also said to have the advantage of putting the attending physician at ease by imparting fuller confidence and familiarity with the course of treatment .(6) With the Hippocratic Collection in mind, the applicability of this advice regarding the benefits of attending physician involvement in patient care should be examined.


Background: Post-stroke, gait and balance are often affected increasing the risk of fall, social isolation and sedentary lifestyle. Proprioceptive training has always been a part of post-stroke rehabilitation which has seen to improve muscle strength, balance and gait. Progressive adaptive physical activity has also shown to improve balance, cardiovascular fitness and gait after stroke. This study aims to compare the effect of proprioceptive training and progressive adaptive physical activity on balance in sub-acute stroke subjects.
Method: 30 subacute stroke subjects were randomly assigned to one of the two groups. Group A received proprioceptive training while Group B received progressive adaptive physical activity for 30 minutes, 3 times a week for eight weeks. Subjects in both the groups were assessed for balance using Berg Balance Scale and Functional Reach Test prior to the intervention and post-intervention.
Result: Both the groups showed significant improvement in the pre to post FRT and BBS scores (p<0.001). Post-intervention, when compared between groups, Group A showed better improvement than Group B on the FRT scores (p<0.001) but no difference was seen in the BBS scores (p value>0.05).
Conclusion: Proprioceptive training is found to be more effective than the progressive adaptive physical activity in improving balance among sub-acute stroke subjects.

Key words: Stroke, Balance, proprioceptive training, progressive adaptive physical activity.


The first part of the talk will focus on the architecture of WWTPs, including the Distributed Control Systems/ Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (DCS-SCADA) that are usually implemented to control these complex processes. Practical examples of WWTPs will be analysed. In the second part of the talk, several aspects related to the modelling of biological processes from WWTPs will be presented. Thus, the modelling paradigms will be investigated, and some specific models will be presented. For example, the so-called ASMs (Activated Sludge Models) developed by Henze et al. since 2000s are very complex models, which necessitate further reduction and interpretation to be used in control design. The last part of the talk will be dedicated to WWTPs control. As we can observe in many reports and from the field situation in several WWTPs, the implementation of advanced control is very poor. In many cases, the SCADA systems are working by using empirical rules and classical controllers (such as PID, on/off). Thus, the performance of WWTPs is not as expected. The use of advanced control would lead to a significant improvement in both efficiency and performance. The trends in the design of bioprocess control algorithms are related to adaptive, intelligent, predictive and/or optimal control. Several approaches will be presented, starting with the adaptive control initially developed by Bastin and Dochain in 1990s and continuing with model predictive control and intelligent approaches (Neural Networks, bio-inspired algorithms, etc.). Some practical examples of control implementation from a WWTP will be provided.


The spectral response is a valuable tool for understanding the photovoltaic response and the device operation of a solar cell. In this paper, the antibatic and symbatic spectral response behaviour of a single layer poly(3-hexylthiophene-2, 5-diyl) (P3HT) solar cell to its absorption spectrum is investigated. The reasons for shift in the nature of the spectral response for change in active layer thickness or bias across device has been examined using an electro-optical model based on the transfer matrix method. The relative value of the charge transport efficiencies for different bias conditions have been evaluated and their variation with the applied bias have been explained with the help of the theory discussed in this paper. The spectral response analysis discussed gives an insight about the role of transport of photo generated charge carriers in shaping the spectral response of single layer organic solar cells.


This paper studies the robustness of a dynamic average consensus algorithm to communication delay over strongly connected and weight-balanced (SCWB) digraphs. Under delay-free communication, the algorithm of interest achieves a practical asymptotic tracking of the dynamic average of the time-varying agents' reference signals. For this algorithm, in both its continuous-time and discrete-time implementations, we characterize the admissible communication delay range and study the effect of the delay on the rate of convergence and the tracking error bound. Our study also includes establishing a relationship between the admissible delay bound and the maximum degree of SCWB digraphs. We also show that for delays in the admissible bound, for static signals, the algorithms achieve perfect tracking. Moreover, when the interaction topology is a connected undirected graph, we show that the discrete-time implementation is guaranteed to tolerate at least one step delay. Simulations demonstrate our results.


The paper is devoted to the investigation of behaviour of material under impact loading. Two structure levels of deformation was took into account. At microlevel the conditions of existence of stable dislocation groups formation and their distribution were obtained. These groups were considered as an inclutions with finite mass at the next structure level of deformation. The influence of the mass and position of the inclusion on the stress field in material was studied. For some particular forms of loading it was shown how deformation depends on the characteristics on the inclusion.


Abstract : FIBLOC denotes a fiber optic intrusion location sensor system, it is based on a U.S. patent held by ANRO Engineering, Inc., and the FIBLOC trademark has been allowed. The physical basis of the sensor rests on the (phase) sensitive interference phenomena which govern propagation of an off-axis optical/infrared beam through a graded index fiber. A demonstration FIBLOC system, 100 meters in length and capable of localizing points of intrusion within 10 meters was constructed. The processor yields negligible false alarm rates and applies signal discriminants to identify the likely intruder as runner, walker or crawler. The system is ready for Phase III application and commercial development. Intrusion detection, Fiber optic intrusion sensor, Perimeter protection, Intruder location and classification


Objective To discuss the individualized surgical treatment of elderly patiens with gastric carcinoma.Methods Results of surgical treatment of 65 cases with gastric carcinoma over 10 years from 1999-2008 were retrospectively analyzed.Results 34 cases were treated with radical resection(71.4%),with the one-,three-and five-year survival rates of 73.5%,41.2% and 23.5% respectively.31 cases received non-radical resection,with the one-,three-and five-year survival rates of 77.4%,45.2% and 23.7% respectively.38 cases experienced the postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy,with the one-,three-and five-year survival rates of 71.1%,42.1% and 23.7% respectively.27 cases without adjuvant chemotherapy,with the one-,three-and five-year survival rates of 81.5%,48.1% and 22.2% respectively.Conclusion Individualized surgical treatment of elderly patiens with gastric carcinoma should be performed according to the type of gastric carcinoma,the age of patients and the perfect operation;the postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy or extending the extent of dissection is not recommended.


Connections between soliton or self-localized states of nonlinear wave equations and special objects (homo- and heteroclinic trajectories) of dynamical systems are considered.


PURPOSE: A method of transferring signal messages of an MTP(Message Transfer Part) at high speed is provided to simplify signal message processing steps while signal messages of an MTP user part are routed to a signaling network from the MTP, to increase the number of transferring times of the signal messages as processing the signal messages at high speed, so as to enhance a No. 7 signal message processing capacity. CONSTITUTION: An MTP user part transmits an MTP access transfer request primitive to an MTP after registering an access key, and the MTP receives the primitive(S501). The MTP collects access key information from the primitive(S502). The MTP decides whether the access key is correct by retrieving an access key table(S503). If a routing is unavailable because the access key is not correct, the MTP abandons a signal message(S505). If the routing is available, the MTP routs the signal message to a signaling network(S504). The MTP returns to the step "S501" of waiting for a new MTP access transfer request primitive.


Abstract The authors investigated gender differences among the learning styles of 1,637 adolescents from 5 countries—Bermuda, Brunei, Hungary, Sweden, and New Zealand. Statistical analyses included a multivariate analysis of variance with 22 dependent variables (learning-style elements) and 2 between-subjects variables (gender and country) and a discriminant analysis. The alpha level was established at the p < .05 level. There were significant main effects for gender with medium effect sizes and statistically significant and large effect sizes for country main effects. There also were statistically significant and medium effect sizes for the interactions of country by gender. On the basis of these findings, the authors maintain that gender-based patterns of differences in learning styles are observable, and they encourage educators to consider all learners' learning-style strengths to maximize instructional outcomes.


In recent years, central banks around the world hav e increasingly made decisions in committees and have also become increasingly transp arent. Many banks now publish transcripts or summaries of meeting discussions and provide recorded votes or policy preferences associated with individual members of p olicymaking committees. The availability of these data promises to further our understanding of how monetary policy decisions are made, but this paper offers a caution ary ote. We present an econometric model of committee decisions for Sweden's Riksbank that uses data pooled over members and meetings. We demonstrate that key param eters of our model are affected by large biases associated with the incidental paramet ers problem. This problem could affect other studies that use panel data to investigate th e be avior of monetary policy committees. Drawing appropriate inferences about mo del parameters may require modelspecific and data-specific Monte Carlo analyses to quantify the magnitude of biases. JEL Categories: C23 Panel Data Models E52 Monetary Policy E58 Central Banks and Their Policies


We present the Mummy Project of the Hellenic Institute of (HIE), in close collaboration with the National Archaeological Museum of Athens (NAM) and the Athens Medical Centre (AMC), as a characteristic case of interdisciplinary study and interaction, not only between Smart Informatics (SI) – and to a lesser extent Artificial Intelligence (AI) and (Ar -chaeo-)Medicine, but also with Egyptology and (Archaeo-)Forensics. We discuss some intriguing results of the CT-Scanning for five out of the nine mummies of the Project and emphasize the Informatics used for Computed Tomography (CT) that opens new ways in the study of the conditions, causes of death and other interesting information connected with humans who died in ancient Egypt at least 2,100 years ago, during the Ptolemaic Era. We show clearly that this consists of a characteristic paradigm of interdisciplinary SI application in Medicine and the health of ancient individuals (based on Smart Computing), providing new insights into the egyptological and archaeological consideration of their theocratic society.


This paper investigates the fixed-time-synchronized consensus tracking problem for multi-agent systems with undirected topology. A nonlinear distributed control law for first-order multi-agent systems is proposed based on norm-normalized sign function, with which all the elements of all the agents' states track the leader's state at the same time and in fixed time. Then, the corresponding results are extended to second-order multi-agent systems by adopting the terminal sliding mode control method. Finally, numerical simulations are performed to verify the theoretical results in this paper.


Financial accumulation and technological dominance by transnational biopharmaceutical companies ― and its global consequences ― have been an important research topic at innovation economics, institutional economics, and international political economy literature. The United States is a privileged field for investigation, as it is home both for the companies that control the core of this industry and for the highest State-led investments on biomedical research and development (R & D). New analytical approaches that focus on State-Company interactions identify dysfunctional relations on risks and rewards. However, a neglected angle on this debate is the geopolitical dynamics surrounding market concentration, knowledge control, and technological asymmetry in the biopharmaceutical sector. This paper combines a qualitative analysis of State-Company institutional complementarities in the biopharmaceutical sector, comprised by analysis of selected official documents, review of empirical data and a case study, with a theoretical investigation inspired on the institutional thought of Torstein Veblen, the structuralism of Susan Strange and the realistic approach to international political economy of José Luis Fiori. We propose a new analytical framework in which State-Company interactions in the US are seen as symbiotic, taken under the systemic functioning of a "medical-technological-financial-complex", what suggests "biopharmaceutical geopolitics" as an important field for future studies. The big circles represent the investments made by the selected government agencies (U$39.4 billion), by the eight largest US-based pharmaceutical companies (U$44.4 billion) and by small and medium US-based companies (U$45 billion). The small circles represents government funding through direct contracts, SBIR/STTR funds, NIH "extramural" grants, etc. The line represents joint development efforts, collaboration and technology transfer agreements, through CRADAs, NIH licenses, etc. The small triangles represents mergers & acquisitions (M & A).


Abstract: The number of cases have been decided and executed by the Customary Court, but are still being processed and tried according to national law. It creates legal uncertainty and tends to conflict with the values of justice and human rights. This tendency is due to law enforcers who prioritize the principle of nullum delictum noella poena sine pravea lege poenali. The criminal law also acknowledges the principle of ne bis in idem for every decided and executed cases, including the Decision of the Adat Court. The result describes that the application of the principle of ne bis in idem to the Decision of the Customary Court has a place in Indonesian law. This can be recognized from the existence of a Supreme Court jurisprudence which states that if a case has been decided by the Adat Court and brought back to court, the Public Prosecutor's indictment must be declared "unacceptable" Niet On vankelijke Verklaark. The implementation of the principle of legality is not only interpreted as nullum delictum sine lege, seen as formal legality, but also as nullum delictum sine ius, material legality by recognizing customary law as a source of law.Keywoords: Ne bis in idem, Verdict, Customary Court.


The goal of this research was testing the short-term blood glucose (BG) prediction algorithm for its applicability in automated insulin-therapy device. The testing was performed using DirecNet database. The patient data was distorted for estimating algorithm stability by adding noise signal. Noise level was set to 10%, 15%, 20% and 25%. The scientific novelty of this research was that the prediction algorithm testing was performed in several aspects: prediction results sensitivity to BG measure error value, BG value prediction quality in case of different patients physiological parameters and algorithm prediction results reproducibility. The obtained results showed the average prediction error detected at levels 2.0%, 3.0%, 6.6%, 7.4% and 13.7% respectively.


The nature of the transmission of substituent effects from one cyclopentadienyl ring of ferrocene to a
reaction center on the other ring was investigated by means of solvolysis studies on heteroannularly substituted
methylferrocenylcarbinyl acetates. The evidence indicates that inductive or field effects predominate, and that
resonance interactions play at most a minor role. A linear relationship exists between substituent effects in the
solvolysis reaction and the reversible quarter-wave potentials of the appropriately substituted ferrocenes.


This present paper contains the results concerning the growth of entire functions of several complex variables. It also contains a geometric characterization of the hypersurfaces of associated orders. The results here are in a general setting giving results of Maergoiz. Ronkin and Goldberg as particular cases.


This paper studies the construction of maintenance specialty of Chemical equipment of national model of vocational colleges,centers on the mode of training higher vocational high-skilled talents and course system.It gives a comprehensive comment on profession construction idea,content,path,process and effect.Moreover,it investigates higher vocational education meeting the society requirement and studies the society function of teaching unit at the specialty level.


Objective:To investigate the management of orb italimplant exposure associated wi th the hydroxyapatite(HA)orbital im-plants.Methods:Fifteen cases with Haorbital implan t exposure were studied,different m ethods were applied to manage HA orbi tal implant exposure.Results:the orbital implants exposure occur red six days to thirty days after impl antation,the diameters of exposure were 2mmto13mm,eight cases with orbital implant exp osure were managed conservatively a nd the conjunctival dehiscence healed spontaneously,and seven cases were managed by operatio n.Conclusion:The main complications of HA orbital implant were orbitalimplant exposu re.When a portion of the anterior pole of the HA sphere had been material was not observed.Different methods may be appl ied to manage HA orbital implant exposure according to size of exposure,medium exposure(≥6mm)should be active management as early as possible.[


Background Current knowledge of racial disparities in healthcare utilization and disease outcomes for ulcerative colitis (UC) is limited. We sought to investigate these differences among Caucasian, African American, Asian, and Hispanic patients with ulcerative colitis in Kaiser Permanente, a large integrated health-care system in Northern California. Methods This retrospective cohort study used computerized clinical data from 5,196 Caucasians, 387 African– Americans, 550 Asians, and 801 Hispanics with prevalent UC identified between 1996 and 2007. Healthcare utilization and outcomes were compared at one and five-year follow-up by use of multivariate logistic regression


The significance of Aerodynamic Research on automobile is not only to improve the high-speed driving stability and crosswind stability, but also to reduce vehicle fuel consumption. As an additional device, the rear spoiler has shown a good effect in the external components of the automobile, so the reasonable design and assembly of the rear spoiler is particularly important. The rear spoiler with proper height can effectively reduce the air drag coefficient and lift coefficient. This paper mainly uses the software ICEM, Fluent and Post in ANSYS to analyze the influence of different angles of the specific spoiler on the aerodynamic performance of the vehicle. In the software experiment, I adjusted the spoiler angle and car speed and I found that in a certain range, the downforce generated by the spoiler is proportional to the angle between the spoiler and the ground.


Examination is a core activity of any educational institution. As the university examinations arrives, there exists a lot of work like consolidating the time table of each departments of the college and the seating arrangement to all the students in the college is a critical task. At present in existing system faculty allotment for exam duty as supervisor is done manually and also it does not keeps the track record about the supervisors who have been allocated for previous exam. Allocation of faculty will be done in the excel sheet. And also allocation of thousands of student to particular block is a hectic work and that will be done manually thus it may take lot of time and require man power. Thus, an automated system would solve the above stated problem in just few click work. An automated system can be used through cloud computing technology that facilitates the every college to provide their student and staff information and get the results of allotment. And by this way even University can track the details of allotment with each institute. Cloud computing is defined as a type of computing that relies on sharing computing resources rather than having local servers or personal devices to handle applications. In cloud computing, the word cloud (also phrased as "the cloud") is used as a metaphor for "the Internet" so the phrase cloud computing means "a type of Internet-based computing" where different services — such as servers, storage and applications — are delivered to an organization's computers and devices through the Internet. Cloud computing is comparable to grid computing, a type of computing where unused processing cycles of all computers in a network are harnesses to solve problems too intensive for any standalone machine.


In this paper, a boundary layer expansion of the solution of a singularly perturbed Cauchy problem is investigated. Method of spectral expansion and similarity method are used.


AIM: To discuss the role of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and relationship between ROS and expression of mdr1/P-gp during apoptosis induced by arsenic trioxide (As_2O_3) in multidrug-resistant human leukemia K562/ADM cells. METHODS: The cell proliferating activity was assessed with MTT assay. The cell apoptosis was determined by annexinⅤ/PI staining. ROS was labelled by DCFH-DA and examined by flow cytometry. Expression of mdr1 mRNA and P-gp were detected by RT-PCR and flow cytometry, respectively. The contents of adriamycin (ADM) were detected by flow cytometry. RESULTS: As_2O_3 inhibited K562/ADM cells growth effectively, and the apoptosis rate of the cells by AnnexinⅤ/PI staining was obviously increased. During apoptosis induced by 2 to 5 μmol·L~ -1 As_2O_3, the level of ROS was markedly decreased; the expression of mdr1 mRNA and P-gp were significantly down-regulated, and the function of P-gp was restrained so that the content of ADM increased in the cells. CONCLUSION: As_2O_3 inhibits the proliferation activity and reverses phenomena of P-gp-mediated multidrug-resistance and apoptosis resistance in drug-resistant K562/ADM cells. The possible mechanism is down-regulation of mdr1/P-gp expression via declines of ROS activity.


The extant literature on celebrity endorsement effects largely focuses on the endorsement effects on consumer evaluations of the endorsed brand. The current study extends the literature by assessing the impact of endorser credibility on two consumer–brand relationship-oriented outcomes – brand relationship quality and consumer self-brand connections. Additionally, the self-brand connection is positioned as a partial mediator of the effect of endorser credibility on relationship quality. A conceptual model is developed and estimated on a sample of 535 Generation Y (youth) consumers from India. The hypotheses are supported and the model demonstrates acceptable fit to the data. Overall, the present study introduces a relationship-building perspective to the celebrity endorsement literature. The results suggest that celebrity endorsers possess the ability to provide meaningful self-definitional benefits to consumers as well as cultivate enhanced relationship quality with the endorsed brands, thus contributing novel insights into celebrity endorsement dynamics.


The positive outcome of the vast majority of loading tests on reinforced concrete structures indicates that this form of construction has a real strength and robustness which is in excess of that predicted by existing design methods. Some of these reserves of strength can be explained by material properties or by the sometimes conservative nature of the relevant codes of practice. However another major factor, compressive membrane action (CMA), which enhances the strength of specific forms of structures, is identified and discussed in this paper. An indication is also given of the magnitude of these beneficial effects.(A) For the covering abstract of the conference see IRRD 828268.


In this work, an optimization framework is discussed that combines device focused TCAD simulation with a circuit simulation platform. First a method to instantiate a TCAD device model into a circuit simulator is devised and proofed. Second, a closed loop optimization architecture is developed to simulate candidate device designs in TCAD software, instantiate them into a circuit simulator to test an application, and refine the design of the device based on its relative performance. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first demonstration of such a system for power electronics applications. This system was demonstrated using Sentaurus TCAD and the circuit simulation platform SaberRD. To show the efficacy of this method, the gate-drain length and AlGaN barrier doping concentration of a theoretical pGaN-gated GaN HEMT was optimized to reduce the energy loss of a boost converter. This method showed a 42.7% decrease in energy loss between the best initial and the final device design.


Dabrowski's (1972) theory of positive disintegration argues that anxiety appears to be the dynamic of self actualization. A study to assess this hypothesis (Wilkins, Hjelle, & Thompson, 1977) reported that self actualization was incompatible with chronic, debilitating or neurotic anxiety. The current study further examined the empirical and conceptual relation between anxiety and self-actualization. A measure of self actualization (the POI) and 2 measures of anxiety were taken from subjects (N=126). Thirty-three items for the POI were found to be measures of anxiety and were scored negatively for self actualization. Removal of anxiety items and rescoring of the POI yielded self actualization measures that were positively related to anxiety test scores. The results indicate that the POI is theoretically biased against anxiety, the conclusion of Wilkins et al. (1977) is not necessary and Dabrowski's (1970) theory remains viable.


The title complex, [Fe(C7H5O2)2], is a mononuclear iron(II) complex with a distorted square planar coordination geometry and has the central Fe2+ ion located on an inversion centre, with four O atoms from two 2-formylphenolate ligands.


Disclosed is a process for integrating a butene dimerization process with a metathesis process to remove isobutene from the feed stream to the metathesis reactor. The isobutene is preferentially dimerized in the dimerization process to leave n-butenes for metathesis with ethylene. An upstream selective hydrogenation process also isomerizes 1-butenes to 2-butenes which is the preferred butene reagent in the metathesis process. A common fractionator column for the dimerization and hydrogenation processes is also described.


A clamping and release mechanism has a clamping and release assembly, and a control that is configured to actuate the assembly. The arrangement comprises a clamping bush, a biasing member, a rod element and a rod element fastened to the retainer so that movement of the rod member causes a variation in the force exerted by the biasing member biasing force with respect to the clamping sleeve. When the control is moved in a first direction causes the control that the rod member is moved in a first direction relative to the clamping sleeve and moves the first portion away from the second part. When the control member is moved in an opposite direction causes the biasing element such that the rod member is moved in an opposite direction and moves the first part towards the second part. The mechanism is made of a few simple components, requires little maintenance and is self-contained.


A broad chemotherapy program has been in progress at the National Cancer Institute for more than 10 years, and notable contributions have been made in making available chemotherapeutic agents that are active against clinical neop1asia.I.' Also, in the chemotherapy program, a number of potentially useful chemotherapeutic agents are in various stages of development.' The program encompasses a progressive series of steps, initiating with the procurement and synthesis of new candidate agents and the screening of these agents in appropriate test systems. Compounds that emerge from the primary screen as positive are subjected to further evaluation and development designed to identify the most promising compounds. The activity of new compounds is compared with that of available congeners. Toxicologic and pharmacologic studies of candidate agents are conducted, and the most desirable compounds are formulated and subjected to clinical inve~t iga t ion .~ ,~ In the testing program, compounds fall by the wayside when they cannot meet the progressively increasing demands for chemotherapeutic effectiveness. A "decision-point network" has been established in which the data are examined at designated levels of development in order to determine the future course of study of compounds of potential interest.' They may be shelved, recycled through specific tests, or moved into the next phase of testing. Based on the comprehensive analysis of Gellhorn and Hirschberg: in the initial stages of the program, screening was conducted primarily with the lymphoid leukemia L12 10, adenocarcinoma 755 (Ca 7 5 9 , and sarcoma 180.6 Subsequently, in order to obtain additional perspective, a broad spectrum of tumor systems was introduced into the program, using the mouse, the rat, and the hamster as hosts. Also included were several cell-culture systems7 A large volume of comparative data was obtained in this fashion, which permitted a retrospective analysis of the screening systems in terms of their predictability value for the clinic.2 It was indicated that although a number of test systems were capable of identifying compounds of clinical interest, the combination of the leukemia L1210 system plus the Walker carcinosarcoma 256 system would have detected most of the clinically active drugs. Since the greatest emphasis in the chemotherapy program is currently being placed on activity against leukemia L1210, most of the data for the alkylating agents presented in this paper were obtained in the "early" (localized) or "advanced" (systemic) leukemia L I2 10 system. Early leukemia L1210 is employed in the initial screening, and the procedures have been described in detail.3,7s In this system, the leukemic cells are inoculated intraperitoneally (i.p.) and intraperitoneal treatment with the test agent is initiated one day following leukemic inoculation. The survival times of untreated control animals and treated animals are determined and compared. An increase of 25% in the median survival time of test animals relative to untreated controls suggests that the test agent is of sufficient interest to warrant additional study. Active


The present invention relates to a process for preparing the same time from Cistanche phenylethanoid glycosides, mannitol, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides slurry, comprising the steps of: extracting Cistanche monosaccharide, oligosaccharide glycosides and benzene with an aqueous solution of ethanol, and then the macroporous adsorption column separation phenylethanoid glycosides and saccharides, glycosides eluted in benzene solution was concentrated and dried into products, sugars and concentrated under reduced pressure, crystallization at room temperature, separating oligosaccharides and mannitol, and recrystallized mannitol high purity mannitol, oligosaccharide slurry was centrifuged supernatant. The residue was extracted polysaccharide pure water, alcohol precipitation to collect polysaccharide. The present invention Cistanche improve the comprehensive utilization of resources, simplifies the production process, developed once four products phenylethanoid glycosides, mannitol, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides, such as pulp, Cistanche increase the economic value added products, with good industrial production and market development prospects.


3 Abstract—This paper presents the selection of suitable area for automobile manufacturing hub by considering several criteria's such as location, land, labour, raw materials, manufacturing resources, transport, social and environmental conditions (2). Analytical Hierarchy Process is employed for the selection procedure in finding a best area to establish an automobile manufacturing hub by taking four potential locations in Andhra Pradesh state namely Kurnool, Vijayawada, Nellore and Visakhapatnam. It is found that Nellore is the suitable location for establishing an automobile hub. The ranking evaluation will provide good guidance for the location selection of automobile manufacturing hub to the any industrialist.


It is the duty and goal which seeks for universities and colleges to bring up undergraduate innovation ability.Being a participator of undergraduate electronic design competition in recent years,the innovation suggestions about the course system,experiment system and assess method of innovative persons with ability in electric information specialty are put forward in this paper.It is aimed at solving those problems that exist in undergraduate electric design competition.


We demonstrate a 4-bit optical true time-delay module for synthetic aperture radars based on the integration of polymer channel waveguide and electro-optic Bragg gratings. The demonstrated device is a truly integrated module that eliminates the most difficult packaging problem associated with the delicate interfaces between optical fibers and optical switches. The total insertion loss of the 4-bit optical true-time-delay line is less than 3 dB with switching time <50 □s and driving voltage of 25 V.


Increasing urbanization and industrialization is continuously putting a pressure on the ground and fresh water resource in form of quality and quantity. Therefore water recycling through wastewater treatment is the need of the present hour. Therefore in the present study the efficiency of the 3.2MLD sewage treatment plant (STP) based on membrane bioreactor technology (MBR) located in Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) township Aonla, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India was studied. The plant was recently commissioned on 10th of June 2022. The plant shows highest efficiency for turbidity (98.6%) followed by total suspended solids (TSS) (95.7%), chemical oxygen demand (COD) (89.0%), iron (86.7%), and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) (85.0%). The efficiency for the rest of the parameters is below 50%. The MBR based STP is working efficiently as the values of parameters in treated water is within the discharge standards of central pollution control board (CPCB) listed in The Environment (Protection) Rule, 1986. One of the major problems of MBR based STP reported in literature is membrane fouling which is also rectified in the current treatment plant by using sodium hypochlorite for membrane cleaning.


Modern animal husbandry, including poultry farming, is characterized by the presence of numerous stress factors. The studies carried out have established that under their influence there is a decrease in the content of erythrocytes, as well as in them hemoglobin, a decrease in the content of total protein and calcium. Analyzing the data obtained, it can be concluded that under the influence of new macrolido compounds in the blood of chickens, the content of total protein increased in the structure of protein fractions of albumin and alpha globulins. With regard to other biochemical indicators - a decrease in the content of uric acid and creatinine. In the study of the catalytic activity of enzymes, a decrease in that of AcAt, AlAt and a tendency to an increase in alkaline phosphatase and amylase were found. When conducting a high-quality coagulation test by Veltman, a decrease in the disturbance of the structure of the protein fractions of blood serum was determined.


The social patterns of South African cheetah are compared to those of East African cheetah. The data analyzed suggest that in the absence of large interspecific competitors grouping of cheetah occurs, prey size expands and litter size increases. No evidence of alloparenting was found although both females and males exhibited social tendencies.


The European Association of Urology recommends organ-sparing surgery (OSS) for localised penile cancer. We aimed to assess the impact of OSS including glans reconstruction on erectile, sexual and urinary function. Local ethics approval was obtained. Patients coded for glans resurfacing, glansectomy and partial penectomy from 2015 to 2018 were identified across two trusts. Background characteristics, histology, staging and follow-up were recorded. Two questionnaires were used to assess function: a custom questionnaire on patient reported outcomes and the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) Questionnaire. Anonymised questionnaires were sent to each patient with prepaid return envelopes included. A total of 28/64 (44%) questionnaires were returned complete. The mean age of participants was 71(35–93) and body mass index (BMI) 28(20–38). There was 1 glans resurfacing, 1 circumcision and wide local excision, 8 glansectomy and 18 partial-penectomy patients (of which 4 and 13 declined reconstruction, respectively). Sexual satisfaction (SS) and erectile function (EF) declined postoperatively while sexual desire was preserved. Subjective glans sensitivity reduced independent of technique. Glans reconstruction reduced the impact on IIEF in glansectomy (13.5 versus 25.3, p < 0.05) but not partial-penectomy (13.4 versus 13.8). SS was worse in partial-penectomy patients undergoing glans reconstruction on patient-reported outcome measures (PROM) (SS change: −4.0/10 with reconstruction versus −0.9/10 without, p < 0.05). Urinary symptoms appear limited to spraying and change of flow of urine, with some patients reporting the need to pass urine sitting down. Sexual and erectile function is impaired post-OSS in penile cancer while sexual desire is preserved. Simultaneous glans reconstruction appears to minimise this impact in glansectomy patients when assessed by IIEF. A validated PROM questionnaire could improve preoperative counselling, and guide postoperative sexual recovery.


Gynoecial placentation of Solanum tuberosum L. is axile with each parenchymatous placenta covered with numerous ovules. Three days after pollination, mitotic activity in the placental surface and subjacent layers initiates tissue proliferations, which develop between the ovules. Continued cell division and subsequent cell enlargement result in expanded placental projections, which separate the developing seeds from one another and form an interface with the inner pericarp within 10 – 12 days after pollination. Eventually, the placenta fills the remaining ovarian locular space and embeds the seeds.


Over the past decades, robotic technologies have advanced remarkably and have been proven to be successful, especially in the field of manufacturing. In manufacturing, conventional position-controlled robots perform simple repeated tasks in static environments. In recent years, there are increasing needs for robot systems in many areas that involve physical contacts with human-populated environments. Conventional robotic systems, however, have been ineffective in contact tasks. Contrary to robots, humans cope with the problems with dynamic environments by the aid of excellent adaptation and learning ability. In this sense, robot force control strategy inspired by human motor control would be a promising approach. There have been several studies on biologically-inspired motor learning. Cohen et al. suggested impedance learning strategy in a contact task by using associative search network (Cohen et al., 1991). They applied this approach to wall-following task. Another study on motor learning investigated a motor learning method for a musculoskeletal arm model in free space motion using reinforcement learning (Izawa et al., 2002). These studies, however, are limited to rather simple problems. In other studies, artificial neural network models were used for impedance learning in contact tasks (Jung et al., 2001; Tsuji et al., 2004). One of the noticeable works by Tsuji et al. suggested on-line virtual impedance learning method by exploiting visual information. Despite of its usefulness, however, neural network-based learning involves heavy computational load and may lead to local optimum solutions easily. The purpose of this study is to present a novel framework of force control for robotic contact tasks. To develop appropriate motor skills for various contact tasks, this study employs the following methodologies. First, our robot control strategy employs impedance control based on a human motor control theory the equilibrium point control model. The equilibrium point control model suggests that the central nervous system utilizes the springlike property of the neuromuscular system in coordinating multi-DOF human limb movements (Flash, 1987). Under the equilibrium point control scheme, force can be controlled separately by a series of equilibrium points and modulated stiffness (or more generally impedance) at the joints, so the control scheme can become simplified considerably. Second, as the learning framework, reinforcement learning (RL) is employed to optimize the performance of contact task. RL can handle an optimization problem in an


Using an orderly algorithm we established that there are exactly 23 nonisomorphic perfect one-factorizations of K14. Seah and Stinson [13] had previously found 21 perfect one-factorizations of K14 with nontrivial automorphism group.


This paper presents the design of the resistive insert magnet for the 45 T hybrid magnet under construction at the High Field Magnet Laboratory (HFML) in Nijmegen. We describe the design process and tools used to obtain the coil and disk design, and we describe the mechanical design aspects of the housing for the magnet. We address the end turn issue and introduce an innovative new element to provide sufficient clamping of the coil at all times. Finally, we address possible fault scenarios and the magnetic misalignment forces associated with such faults and their impact on the housing.


This article introduces a method of sampling and measuring DC current using the resistance of the wire itself, which can simply replace the current sampling resistance usually used in DC current measurement, making the wire itself a simple and reliable non-destructive sampling of large DC current Measuring sensor. Since there is no change to the original circuit state, the heating loss and connection points of the access sampling resistor are avoided, thereby greatly improving the reliability of the circuit


Most of us would say that we would notice if the ice-cream seller gave us strawberry ice-cream, when we actually asked for chocolate. However, several studies indicate that people do not always notice changes in the outcome of their decisions. This phenomenon is called choice blindness and occurs in a wide variety of domains. Apparently, it is even possible that eyewitnesses do not notice that the person they identified from a lineup earlier is not identical with a person presented to them later. If this already occurs in own-race cases, what should we expect if an eyewitness has to identify a person from another race? Due to the own-race bias, people have more difficulty in recognizing faces from another race than from their own race. Do people also have more difficulty in noticing a switch in the outcome of their identification decision when they have to identify other-race faces compared to own-race faces? The present article, we examine the role of choice blindness and the own-race bias in the performance of eyewitnesses.


Indirect force control (IFC) architectures are a common approach for dealing with unknown environments. What all IFC schemes have in common is that the relation between the set point and the actual configuration of the robot is determined by a mechanical relationship (e.g., a mass–spring–damper system). In this paper, we propose a set-point generation method for IFC schemes, enabling intuitive specification of mixed force and positioning tasks on joint and Cartesian levels. In addition, the formulation of equality and inequality tasks is supported and a passivity-based stability proof is formulated using the concept of virtual energy storage. The resulting task programming interface is demonstrated on a 7-degree-of-freedom robot, running a joint space impedance controller. One sample task demonstrates the application of the developed approach and highlights the basic features.


The aim of this paper is to assess the influence of strategic innovation management on the competitiveness of TVET institutions in Kenya. Strategic innovation management has been highly regarded to be essential in leading businesses to success through commitment, effective decision making as well as mobilizing resource required for business operations. TVET institutions on the other hand have been recognized as key economic drivers in both developing and developed countries across the globe. The institutions have highly contributed to growth of industries especially the manufacturing sector through provision of the required skills. In Kenya, TVET institutions are yet to gain the required attention based on the fact that they are regarded as the last running point for academic failures. This perception has made the competitiveness of these institutions a nightmare especially with the growing number of universities and other higher learning institutions with more financial muscle and competencies than the TVET institutions. Descriptive research design was used in the study and the target population were the 68 TVET institutions in Kenya. A census was employed whereby all the 68 institutions were included in the study. Principals/their representatives/ HoD ICT, R&D and Finance were the units of observation. The study employed structured questionnaires to obtain the data which was analysed by mixed method analysis. The findings revealed that strategic innovation significantly influenced the competitiveness of TVET institutions in Kenya. The study concluded that while most of the TVET institutions recognised the need for strategic innovation, it was not upheld in the operations of the institutions. The study therefore recommended that the management of the TVET Institutions in Kenya ought to uphold innovativeness as way of creating a more dynamic and results-oriented working environment.


A 75-year-old previously healthy man was admitted to the hospital with community-acquired pneumonia. He had no history of abdominal pain. Physical examination revealed that besides having abnormal pulmonary sounds, he had a slightly yellow-coloured sclera. Laboratory tests showed an increased serum bilirubin level (32 mmol/L), with an increased alkaline phosphatase (175 U/L) and g-glutamyltransferase (98 U/L) level, suggesting cholestasis. Ultrasonography of the abdomen showed a slightly widened common bile duct (CBD) without a clear point of obstruction. There was no evidence for cholecystolithiasis or choledocholithiasis. Laboratory tests indicative for pancreatitis, viral and autoimmune hepatitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, primary biliary cirrhosis or cancer were all negative. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) revealed a widened proximal CBD (Fig. 1, arrow) with compression of the distal CBD owing to impression of an aberrant but structurally normal gastroduodenal artery (Fig. 1, arrow) that had been causing the biliary obstruction. Although an anatomical variation of the biliary tract and its surrounding vasculature is relatively common, arterial impression of the CBD is a rare cause of biliary obstruction. There have been few case reports describing this sort of benign biliary obstruction diagnosed by ERCP, followed by laparotomy (1, 2). Biliary obstruction owing to a hepatic artery aneurysm has also been described (3). In these cases MRCP was not used for establishing the diagnosis. The patient recovered from pneumonia and visited the outpatient clinic in a good clinical condition 6 months later where liver enzymes remained elevated with values around those recorded during hospital admission.


From an intergroup perspective on family relationships, the current study investigates family-of-origin grandparents and stepgrandparents to determine similarities and differences in communication and relational dimensions. Participants (N = 88) completed questionnaires on family-of-origin grandparents and stepgrandparent relationships. From the perspective of young adult grandchildren, the research explores the role of supportive communication, reciprocal self-disclosure, nonaccommodative communication, and parental encouragement in predicting a sense of shared family identity with each grandparent type. Results are discussed in terms of implications for intergroup research, grandparent-grandchild communication, and stepfamily relationships.


Link prediction aims to infer missing links or predicting the future ones based on currently observed partial networks, it is a fundamental problem in network science with tremendous real-world applications. However, conventional link prediction approaches neither have high prediction accuracy nor being capable of revealing the hidden information behind links. To address this problem, we generalize the latest techniques in deep learning on graphs and present a new link prediction model - DeepLinker. Instead of learning node representation with the node label information, DeepLinker uses the links as supervised information. Experiments on five graphs show that DeepLinker can not only achieve the state-of-the-art link prediction accuracy, but also acquire the efficient node representations and node centrality ranking as the byproducts. Although the representations are obtained without any supervised node label information, they still perform well on node ranking and node classification tasks.


The RCN Learning Zone is a FREE online service to help RCN members with their continuing professional development and professional portfolio management. The RCN Learning Zone is available at www.rcn.org.uk/members/learningzone.php This practice profile is based on NS615 Ruxton C (2011) The role of red meat in a balanced diet. Nursing Standard. 26, 7, 41-48. I have considered giving up meat many times, especially as some of my friends are vegetarian or vegan. I have even tried cooking without meat for a few days, but I always end up eating it again. Some friends have talked about the health benefits of not consuming meat and the importance of animal welfare. However, after reading the learning zone article, I have decided that the health benefits of eating red meat as part of a balanced diet are more important than trying to impress my friends. Although I enjoy eating a variety of vegetables, a portion of meat can improve and increase the flavour and look of a meal, thereby boosting appetite. The article has improved my knowledge of the importance of lean red meat and its role in the health and wellbeing of patients. When patients ask whether I have ever considered becoming a vegetarian, I list some of the benefits of red meat, including it being a rich source of fat-soluable vitamins, including vitamin D, which as well as being high in protein, is essential for energy and to repair the body.


Our article presents the results of studies on the mechanical properties of Reed Sweet Grass Glyceria maxima. The samples were collected from Urszulewskie Lake near Sierpc, Poland. The experiment was conducted using an Instron 5966 universal tensile strength testing machine. Tensile force and tensile strength were determined and compared for individual parts of reed sweet grass, i.e., below-ground stems (rhizomes), the bases of stems, and above-ground stems. Dependencies between the selected mechanical and morphological parameters were described. Statistical analysis was conducted using the Statistica program. The obtained tensile strength results were compared to data obtained by other authors on select tree, shrub and plants species. Lastly, the benefits of using plants characteristic of bulrush over artificial concrete reinforcements were presented.


We consider non‐parametric estimation of disease onset distribution functions in multiple populations by using censored data with unknown population identifiers. The problem is motivated from studies aiming at estimating the age‐specific disease risk distribution in deleterious mutation carriers for genetic counselling and design of therapeutic intervention trials to modify disease progression (i.e. to slow down the development of symptoms and to delay the onset of disease). In some of these studies, the distribution of disease risk in participants assumes a mixture form. Although the population identifiers are missing, study design and scientific knowledge allow calculation of the probability of a subject belonging to each population. We propose a general family of weighted least squares estimators and show that existing consistent non‐parametric methods belong to this family. We identify a computationally effortless estimator in the family, study its asymptotic properties and show its significant gain in efficiency compared with the existing estimators in the literature. The application to a large genetic epidemiological study of Huntington's disease reveals information on the age‐at‐onset distribution of Huntington's disease which sheds light on some clinical hypotheses.


A method of feature line extraction from triangular mesh model is presented.Initial feature point is manually specified based on feature points extraction from triangular mesh model.From the beginning of initial feature point,method of principle component analysis(PCA) is used to analyze primary direction of feature points in a special region and to search the feature point which is farthest from the center of mass in the primary direction and will be chosen as subsequent feature point.Iteratively,the sequence of the feature points is recorded in order until the sought subsequent feature points are among the initial feature region.Finally,third-order non-uniform rational B-spline curve is used and that obtained set of feature points is fit into a smooth feature line.


This is a general research guide for those doing research in Philosophy, Religion and Applied Ethics. You'll find suggestions for locating books, articles and other content.


. It was recently announced thatessentially the entire human DNAsequence has nearly been completedalthough some sections of it have not beenresolved sufficiently accurately(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genome/seq/HsHome.shtml). Moreover, it hasbeen published that 'a multinationalconsortium reports the complete sequenceof chromosome 21, the smallest humanchromosome'(Ref. 2). Although thecorresponding paper actually deals withsequencing only the long arm of thisautosome, while its short arm (almost aquarter of chromosome 21!) remainsvirtually untouched, such a statement isquite justified given the title of that paper


Objective: To clinically validate the diagnosis of Labile Emotional Control (00251) after mild and moderate Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). Methods: This descriptive study was conducted with 40 patients (two groups of mild and moderate TBI) to evaluate 13 defining characteristics based on the Fehring model. Results: Four and five major characteristics were identified for mild and moderate TBI, respectively. The total diagnosis score was 0.74 on NANDA-I Taxonomy. Conclusion: This validation of the major defining characteristics demonstrates the impact of TBI on the affective/emotional aspects of patients, which emphasizes the need to provide assistance for these individuals. Implications for nursing practice: This study contributes to the improvement of nurses' practice and quality of assistance provided to TBI patients.


ABSTRACT The Behrendt report (2012) highlighted the significant lack of representation of Aboriginal people in higher education. It called for a collaborative approach by governments, universities, and professional bodies to drive systemic changes. In the last decade, this has resulted in an increase of Aboriginal students, staff, and researchers. This article presents a qualitative research study in which Aboriginal social work academic participants described their experiences of curriculum changes, workload, and research in the academy. Implications for universities, and social work programs, in particular, show where more is needed in the form of antiracist action plans and follow-through with these to address failure to thrive due to having to fight to survive in the academy. IMPLICATIONS Aboriginal social work academics are continuing to find academia to be socially and politically unsafe and unfairly competitive. Universities are experienced by Aboriginal social work academics as being often unsupportive and untrustworthy workplaces. Non-Aboriginal social work academics need to increase their commitment to, and actions regarding, antiracist practice with their Aboriginal colleagues.


SUMMARY: The presence of a caecal microflora has been demonstrated in newly hatched chicks that had not received food or water. The flora was composed mainly of clostridia, sometimes with Escherichia coli.


Solar flares are a fundamental component of solar eruptive events (SEEs; along with solar energetic particles, SEPs, and coronal mass ejections, CMEs). Flares are the first component of the SEE to impact our atmosphere, which can set the stage for the arrival of the associated SEPs and CME. Magnetic reconnection drives SEEs by restructuring the solar coronal magnetic field, liberating a tremendous amount of energy which is partitioned into various physical manifestations: particle acceleration, mass and magnetic-field eruption, atmospheric heating, and the subsequent emission of radiation as solar flares. To explain and ultimately predict these geoeffective events, the heliophysics community requires a comprehensive understanding of the processes that transform and distribute stored magnetic energy into other forms, including the broadband radiative enhancement that characterises flares. This white paper, submitted to the Heliophysics 2050 Workshop, discusses the flare gradual phase part of SEEs, setting out the questions that need addressing via a combination of theoretical, modelling, and observational research. In short, the flare gradual phase persists much longer than predicted so, by 2050, we must identify the characteristics of the significant energy deposition sustaining the gradual phase, and address the fundamental processes of turbulence and non-local heat flux.


Aim: The present study attempted to demonstrate the clinical, demographic, and ophthalmological findings of patients with Behçet's disease (BD) at first admission and relevant treatment modalities.
Methods: We considered 161 eyes of 103 patients applying to the Uvea Unit of Ulucanlar Eye Training and Research Hospital between 2000-2012 and already suffering from BD or diagnosed with BD at their follow-ups. Then, we retrospectively investigated their clinical, demographic, and ophthalmological findings at first admission and the treatment modalities with the help of their medical records.
Results: There were 70 (68%) male and 33 (32%) female patients, and 17 patients (16.5%) initially presented with ocular symptoms. While the patients' mean diagnosis age was 26.79±9.24 years (4-61 years), it was 29.52±9.49 years (6-62 years) at the first eye attack. Eye involvement was bilateral in 58 patients (56.3%) and unilateral in 45 (43.7%). About half of the eyes (55.9%) were presented as panuveitis, 22.4% as posterior uveitis, 15.5% as anterior uveitis, and 6.2% as intermediate uveitis. While there were anterior chamber reaction + vitritis + retinitis and/or vasculitis (panuveitis) in 90 (55.9%) eyes, the others were characterized by isolated retinitis (12.4%) and isolated iridocyclitis (8.7%). Only two eyes (0.1%) had hypopyon at admission. We discovered at least one complication in 111 eyes (68.9%) at first admission. In particular, the most prevalent complication was found to be isolated macular edema in 45 eyes (28%) and isolated cataracts in 17 eyes (10.6%). On the other hand, topical steroid + systemic steroid + immunosuppressive (23.6%), topical + systemic steroid (16.8%), and systemic steroid + immunosuppressive (11.8%) became the most prevalently adopted medical treatments (with additions/alterations) at first admission, respectively.
Conclusion: In a nutshell, BD is considered a multisystemic condition with frequent ocular manifestations. BD-associated uveitis often presents as panuveitis. Thus, early and efficient treatment of ocular complications seems to be critical for better visual prognosis.


Objective To investigate the furazolidone quadruple therapy combined with oral cavity clean governance in treatment of patients with gastrointestinal ulcer disease and Helicobacter pylori(Hp) eradication failure. Methods 90 cases of patients with gastrointestinal ulcer disease and Hp eradication failure were randomly divided into control group and treatment group, 45 cases in each group. Patients in the control group were given furazolidone quadruple therapy; patients in the treatment group were given furazolidone quadruple therapy combined with oral cavity clean governance. Results The total efficiency rate of treatment group(91.1%) was better than control group(71.1%),symptoms disappear time [(3.16±0.47) d], Hp clearance time[(5.37±1.08) d], clinical drug treatment time(8.05 ±1.72)d was significantly shorter than the control group(5.84 ±0.61) d,(8.12 ±1.65) d,(11.37 ±2.01) d; number of adverse reactions during treatment(1 case) was significantly less than control group(8 cases); patients ′satisfaction with clinical treatment(97.8%) was significantly higher than control group(82.2%); disease relapse rate after treatment(4.4%) was significantly lower than control group(24.4%). Conclusion Clinical effect of furazolidone quadruple therapy combined with oral cavity clean governance for patients with gastrointestinal ulcer disease and Hp eradication failure is very obvious, worthy of application.


Objective To investigate alterations of balance function in patients with mild-moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) and with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI),and the possibility of using posturography to differentiate aMCI,mild-moderate AD and normal subjects. Methods The balance function of 20 patients with mild-moderate AD and 20 patients with aMCI were evaluated by posturography,and 20 healthy subjects of the same age range were recruited as controls.Results All posturography measures were significantly altered in mild-moderate AD patients compared with normal controls,with limits of stability( ( 15 398 ± 926 ) mm2 vs ( 31 654 ± 2132 ) mm2 ),open-eyed Mean X ( ( 10. 2 ± 4. 1 ) mm vs (5.8 ± 1. 4)mm) ,Mean Y(( -29.8 ± 10.2)mm vs ( -14.9 ±4.4) mm),Max X((30.5 ±9.5)mm vs (18.3 ±4. 1)mm ),Max Y((42.7 ± 11.4)mm vs (23.3 ±6.8)mm),LSKG((528.4 ± 105.4)mm vs (390. 3 ± 68.4 ) mm ),SSKG ( ( 252. 5 ± 89. 7 ) mm2 vs ( 178.8 ± 40. 9 ) mm2 ),close-eyed Mean X ((13. 1 ±4. 5) mm vs (7.9 ± 1.5)mm) ,Mean Y (( -58.2 ± 16. 9) mm vs ( -25.6 ±5.4) mm) ,Max X ((37.7±10.5)mm vs (24.7 ±7.3) mm ),Max Y ((78.5±18.7)mm vs (39.9 ±9.9) mm),LSKG ((816.6±171.3) mm vs (533.5 ±97.4) mm),SSKG((649.0 ± 129.7) mm2 vs (290.5 ±73.3) mm2),respectively ( t = 8.57; open-eyed F = 17.41,38. 10,60. 46,102. 10,29. 31,27. 85; close-eyed F = 37.20,541.79,34. 51,185.56,122. 83,384. 27 ;all P <0. 05) ;limits of stability ( (23 921 ± 1637 )mm2 vs (31 654 ±2132 ) mm2 ) and mean Y ( Antero-posterior sway,( - 39. 8 ± 8. 6 ) mm vs ( - 25.6±5.4 ) mm) were the only parameters which discriminated between aMCI and normal controls,respectively ( t = 6. 50,P = 0. 038; t =- 15.34,P = 0. 012). Conclusions Impairment in balance is a feature not only of mild-moderate AD,but also of aMCI,and posturography may be used as a possible test in differentiating between normal subjects,patients with aMCI and patients with mild-moderate AD whose motor performance and balance features are otherwise clinically normal,limits of stability and mean Y are the most sensitive parameters.

Key words:
Alzheimer disease; Cognition disorders; Proprioception


1. Introduction. Crime, Inequality and Social Policy. Criminalising Social Policy?. Inequality, Poverty and Social Exclusion 2. Crime and Inequality. Introduction. Inequalities in Contemporary Society. Young People: Particularly Disadvantaged. Crime and Inequality. Conclusion 3. Young Men. Introduction. The Problem for Young Men. The Problem with Young Men. Men, Crime and Unemployment in Policy. Not in Education, Employment and Training (NEET). Tackling the Unemployment of Young Men. Conclusion 4. Parenting and Anti-social Behaviour. Introduction. Families, Anti-social Behaviour and the 'Parenting Deficit'. Parenting and Anti-social Behaviour. Parenting, Anti-social Behaviour and Criminal Justice Policy. Parenting, Anti-social Behaviour and Social Policy. Parenting, Material Context and Gender. Parenting, Anti-social Behaviour and State Welfare. Conclusion 5. Women, Crime and Inequality. Introduction. Women and Inequality. Women, Crime and Poverty. Breeding delinquents? Lone Mothers and Role Models. Getting Lone Mothers into Paid Work. Lone Mothers and Paid Work: Rationalities and Consistencies. Lone Mothers and Policy: Reproducing the Material Context of Offending. Conclusion. 6. Crime, Inequality and Ethnicity. Introduction. Inequality and Ethnicity. Connecting Inequality, Crime and Ethnicity. Uprising, Culture and Material Conditions. Conclusion. 7. Street Homelessness and Crime. Introduction. Street Homelessness and Crime. Rough Sleepers as Victims of the Crimes of the 'Respectable'. Vindictiveness, Relative Deprivation and the Undeserving Poor. Tackling Rough Sleeping. Conclusion. 8. Financial Penalties: Punishing Poor People. Introduction. Sentencing and Economic Inequalities. Financial Penalties and Inequality. Relating Fines to Income. Fines and Social Security Benefits. Community Punishments and Social Security Benefits. Conclusion. 9. Conclusion. The Boundaries of Academic Disciplines. Inconsistencies and Tensions. The Importance of Paid Work. Crime, Social Policy and 'Free' Market Capitalism. Social Divisions, Crime and Inequality. Crime, Inequality and Social Policy into the Future


Ramie (Boehmeria nivea) is an economically important natural fiber-producing crop that has been cultivated for thousands of years in China; however, the evolution of this crop remains largely unknown. Here, we report a ramie domestication analysis based on genome assembly and re-sequencing of cultivated and wild accessions. Two chromosome-level genomes representing wild and cultivated ramie were assembled de novo. Numerous structural variations between two assemblies, together with the genetic variations from population re-sequencing, constituted a comprehensive genomic variation map for ramie. Domestication analysis identified 71 high-confidence selective sweeps comprising 320 predicted genes, and 29 genes from sweeps were associated with fiber growth in the expression. Additionally, we identified seven genetic loci associated with the fiber yield trait in the segregated population derived from the crossing of two assembled accessions, and two of which showed an overlap with the selective sweeps. These findings indicated that bast fiber traits were focused on during the domestication history of ramie. Taken together, this study shed light on the domestication of ramie and provide a valuable resource for biological and breeding studies of this important crop.


As Multinational Corporations (MNCs) increase in number and influence, the role of expatriates in those MNCs grows in significance. But the expatriate managers are continuously facing difficulties while they are coming back to their home countries and re-connecting with their home organizations. This study is an attempt to find out the problems that the expatriate managers are facing while they are coming back to their home countries and home organizations after completing their foreign assignments. This study also reveals how expatriate managers and multinational corporations deal with the issues in foreign and home situations. Finally, the author has suggested some measures for expatriate managers and multinational corporations to overcome the existing problems that are being faced by them.


Low-temperature properties of the styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) modified asphalt are investigated using conventional methods and bending beam rheometer (BBR). Effects of the characteristics of base asphalt and SBS type on these properties are evaluated. The results indicate that SBS didn't substantially improve low-temperature properties of base asphalt. Low temperature properties of SBS modified asphalts are more associated with low temperature properties of base asphalts, and slightly with SBS modifier type. Different low-temperature parameters are also discussed showing that conventional low temperature indicators are not appropriate for characterizing low temperature properties of SBS modified asphalt.