The process of mechanical activation of hydrated lime in the vibratory activator of the bunker type is investigated in the work. Economic and environmental effect in the production of reinforced concrete structures is achieved through the use of highly active hydrated lime as a modifying reinforcing additive to concrete based on Portland cement. Theoretical and experimental studies of the influence of vibration displacement parameters of the mixture on the rate and degree of dispersion of hydrated lime and the efficiency of vibroactivation are determined.


Because of rapid urban growth in the developing world, many rural areas have converted into peri-urban space where traditional food production and non-farm economic activities exist side by side. Existence of such rural-urban dynamics has enabled livelihood diversification in rural households for instance through temporal labor migration. In this paper, rural-to-urban migration decision is studied as a strategic step to diversify household income sources and eventually increase overall family income. The main aim is to understand why individual family members of rural and peri-urban households decide to out-migrate and how they choose their migration destination. The study is based on semi-structured interviews conducted with left-behind families at rural and peri-urban case study sites outside the city of Cochabamba in Bolivia.


In this study, the effect of strategic plans on school effectiveness was investigated according to the perceptions of teachers and school principals. Teachers' and school principals' views on strategic planning and school effectiveness were examined. For this purpose, "School effectiveness scale" and "Strategic planning perception scale" were applied to 585 teachers, principals and assistant principals working in primary and secondary schools of Altinekin, Selcuklu, Karatay and Meram districts of Konya in 2017-2018 academic year. Quantitative research method and relational survey model were used in the research. The data obtained from the study were analyzed with SPSS 23.0 program. According to the results of the research, it was found that teachers and principals had high perception of strategic planning of schools. It is concluded that the teachers who participated in the study found their school effective. It is seen that there is a positive, moderate and meaningful relationship between the strategic planning practices of the school and the effectiveness of the school. It is concluded that the strategic planning practices of the school have a positive effect on the school effectiveness.


Background: Although the prevalence of hypertension is high in India, the relationship between micro-albuminuria and target organ damage in hypertension is not well studied. Hence this study aims to study the prevalence of micro-albuminuria in patients of hypertension and its correlation with other cardiovascular risk factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study was done in 112 essential hypertension non-diabetic patients presented at a tertiary care hospital of Madhya Pradesh, India who fulfilled inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria during a calendar year. The diagnosis of essential hypertension was made by the study physician after complete medical history, physical examination and routine biochemical analysis of blood and urine. The data was analysed using SPSS version 20 and Mann Whitney U and Chi-square test was used for quantitative and qualitative data respectively. Results: The total number of patients having micro-albuminuria was 26 and the prevalence came out to be 23.21%. The mean age of micro-albuminuric patients was less compared to non-microalbuminuric patients (p<0.05). The systolic, diastolic blood pressure and cholesterol levels were found to be higher but was statistically insignificant whereas body mass index (BMI) and duration of disease was statistically  higher (p<0.05) amongst the cases having micro-albumin in their urine. Conclusions: The prevalence of micro-albuminuria increases with the increase in duration, stages /severity of hypertension. Micro-albuminuria may be considered as a marker of adverse cardiovascular risk profile such as LVH and hyperlipidemia. High BMI, smoking and advanced stages of retinopathy are also the risk factors of micro-albuminuria.


Research findings of mathematics homework are presented. The advantages of mathematics homework, its value, assessment, feedback and relationship with attitudes are discussed.


Capsanthin esters were separated from paprika (Capsicum annuum) oleoresin, and their structures were determined without saponification. The major mono-esterified capsanthin was identified as 3'-O-myristoylcapsanthin. 3-O-Esterified capsanthins were not detected, although 3,3'-O-diesterified capsanthins with saturated fatty acids were isolated. The results suggest that the rate in esterification of fatty acid to the hydroxyl group on the cyclopentane ring of capsanthin is different from that on the cyclohexene ring


The invention discloses water-based acrylic emulsion-styrene-acrylic emulsion composite heat-insulating coating. The water-based acrylic emulsion-styrene-acrylic emulsion composite heat-insulating coating is characterized by comprising the following components in parts by weight: 100 parts of acrylic emulsion, 35 parts of styrene-acrylic emulsion, 12 parts of polyamide resin, 40 parts of perlite, 30 parts of composite ceramic microbeads, 8 parts of pigment, 5 parts of diatomite, 3 parts of dispersing agent and 25 parts of water. The water-based acrylic emulsion-styrene-acrylic emulsion composite heat-insulating coating comprises the composite ceramic microbeads, so that the friction-resistant and scrubbing-resistant functions of the coating can be improved; and the heat-insulating coating has a good heat-insulating effect, is non-toxic, environment-friendly, friction-resistant, acid and base-resistant, water-resistant and weather-resistant, and has long service life.


SUMMARY A large scale survey was undertaken, in 1985 and 1986, of plant-parasitic nematodes in the major plantain producing regions of the Ivory Coast. This survey revealed nineteen nernatode species belonging to fifteen genera. Thirteen species were associated with plantain for the first tirne in the Ivory Coast. Cephalenchus emarginatus, Pratylenchus zeae, Telotylenchus sp. and Xiphinenza ifacolunl were reported on plantain for the first time in the world. Helicotylenchus nzulticinctus, Meloidogyne spp. and Radopholus similis were the most frequent and the most abundant plant-parasitic nematodes. R. similis was more prevalent in the traditional plantain producing regions of the South-East than in the more recent plantain areas of the Mid-West. This difference may be due to the presence, in the former orchards, of commercial banana cv. Poyo which is an important source of inoculum of R. similis.


Students in Taiwan have to consider carefully their career planning in order to comply with the demands of the hospitality industry's competitive environment. Although hospitality educators have begun to focus on bridging the gap between the skills of hospitality graduates and the expectations of the industry, few studies have dealt with attributes for the overall employability of graduates from the perspectives of senior students and managers. This study investigates the perceptions of senior hospitality students and industry managers of employability in the industry. Questionnaires were administered to managers of hospitality businesses (n = 105) and to senior students (n = 193) in order to measure the importance of each attribute and student readiness in each competency. The results showed that from the perspectives of senior students and managers, both students and graduates lack confidence in their employability, particularly in areas of professional management skills. Finally, suggestions are provided for facilitating the employability of hospitality graduates in Taiwan.


Abstract:Feminist scholars have argued that contesting the unity of the discourse of "home" is the foundation for building non-identity-based community. For many migrants, home is often a space one cannot return to, making it a generative site to study alliance-building practices that are not attached to similarity, such as a common nation or identity. Migrants and the multiple metaphorical and material homes they occupy allow for disruptions in imagining home as a space of stability and comfort. This paper focuses on an ethnographic case study of a diasporic organization to illustrate how the conscious and collective practice of questioning "home" allows for nontraditional alliances.


The Fiji Media Council is set up to promote high journalistic standards, to safeguard the media freedom and to uphold freedom of speech and expression. It is established by legislation thus making it controlled by government which is not taken well by its members as many of them are privately owned.


Research discusses one of the constitutional amendments of 2020. In accordance with the new version of paragraph "m" of Part 1 of Article 71 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the exclusive powers of the Russian Federation include issues of ensuring the security of the individual, society and the state when applying information technologies, and digital data turnover. The consolidation of the problem of information security at the constitutional level determines the need for a partial modernization of its theoretical model. Modification and revision of some of its components will lead to higher effectiveness of constitutional regulation and improve the quality of application of industry legislation in the field of information technology and information protection. The purpose of the research is to investigate the main directions of enhancing the theoretical model of information security in terms of constitutional changes. The employed research methods are formal-legal, logical, system, statistical, structural-functional, modeling, and forecasting. The outcome of the study can be outlined as follows. The research clarifies the concept of information security, proposes to generalize the range of basic subjects of public relations related to information security, expand their rights and obligations, highlight the constitutional and sectoral legal regimes of information protection, and strengthen responsibility for offenses in the information sphere. In conclusion the study argues that updating the theoretical model of information security of the Russian Federation should be carried out in the following key areas: firstly, developing information security targets expressed in strategic and program documents of the state; secondly, clarifying classification of information security threats; thirdly, expanding legal regulation density; fourth, strengthening the law-enforcement mechanisms of information security; fifth, establising and maintening optimal balance between legal, technical and ethical regulation of information technologies, primarily digital technologies; and finally, definiing acceptable and unacceptable boundaries of application of information technology and digital data in people's lives.


The most of the growing apple cultivars show deficiency and desuniformity of the terminal and lateral brids, because of the bad distribuition or/and low chill hours below 7,2 o C, leading to a low orchard productivity. Even using the low chill hours cultivars as like Eva, has verified the need of doing the breaking dormancy to make the blooming compatible earlier and better production in regions whith low winter or years of low chill accumulate. Was estimated the effect of hydrogenated cyanamide in three different concentrations (0,5, 1,0 and 1,5 %) associated with mineral oil (3%) on the lateral and terminal brids of Eva cultivar and Eva and Anabela's fenology. This aspect allows concluding that the hydrogen cyanamide has a significative influence on the lateral and terminal blooming brids at 1,5% plus mineral oil at 3% was the most effective on dormancy breaking.


Objective: To investigate the expression levels of EphA2and VEGF in non-small cell lung cancer( NSCLC)and their relationship with the clinicopathological features. And to evaluate the correlation in expression between EphA2and VEGF. To screen the possible index to predict the prognosis of NSCLC patients. Methods: The expression levels of EphA2and VEGF were analyzed by envision immunohistochemical method in 62 cases with NSCLC. Results: The expression rate of EphA2was 50 %. The expression of EphA2was correlated with lymph node metastasis,clinical stage and 5 year survival rate,and was not related to smoke,histological type or differentiation. The expression rate of VEGF was 48. 4 %. Its expression level was significantly associated with ymph node metastasis and clinical stage,and was not related to smoke,histological type,differentiation and 5 year survival rate. There was a significant correlation in expression between EphA2and VEGF in NSCLC( r = 0. 648,P 0. 01). Conclusion: Patients with high expression of EphA2and VEGF are prone to have lymph node metastasis in NSCLC. EphA2and VEGF may have a synergistic effect on the invasion and metastasis process in NSCLC.


An elementary notion of gauge equivalence is introduced that does not require any Lagrangian or Hamiltonian apparatus. It is shown that in the special case of theories, such as general relativity, whose symmetries can be identified with spacetime diffeomorphisms this elementary notion has many of the same features as the usual notion. In particular, it performs well in the presence of asymptotic boundary conditions.


In the production method of the epoxy resin to the core-shell rubber particles (rubber-like polymer particles) epoxy resin composition obtained by dispersing, the dispersion state of the rubber-like polymer particles in the epoxy resin is good, and the reduction of contaminants the epoxy resin composition provides a means of producing easily and efficiently. The aqueous latex of rubber-like polymer particles (B), after contacting the organic medium (C) showing partial solubility in water and also partial water solubility organic medium (C) below of the organic medium ( substantially separating water by contacting the D), after the rubber-like polymer particles were taken out as a dispersion dispersed in an organic medium (F), it was mixed with the epoxy resin (a), the volatile components by distilling off, the rubber-like polymer particles in an epoxy resin to obtain a low epoxy resin composition having well dispersed and contaminants.


This chapter analyses Mexico's deteriorating economic relationship with China, tracing its reform trajectory from the adoption of NAFTA in the 1990s, to China's WTO entrance, and to the ways China's rise is exacerbating tensions between Mexico and the US today. The author argues that Mexico failed to implement public policies and institutional reforms to bolster companies and position them to perform successfully under NAFTA. Instead, elite policymakers chose to rely on a neoliberal hands-off industrial development strategy, effectively kicking away the ladder of state guidance for industrial promotion, reducing such tools as public credit, tax breaks, trade tariffs, and so on. This led to Mexico's incorporation into China's internationalized development strategy as an importer of Chinese goods, which has left it with a massive trade deficit with China over the past twenty-five years.


As a conservation biologist with extensive experience in Andean and Amazonian countries, I strongly disagree with John Terborgh's views on the fifth World Parks Congress (Terborgh 2004). I went to Durban to represent the protected-areas program of the South American office of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), to challenge some established views on protected-area management, and to focus attention on the evolution of ideas and practices since the previous 1992 Parks Congress (Andrade 2003). There was plenty of room at the Durban meeting for presenting case studies, especially the ones Terborgh dislikes for having presumably distorted the focus on biodiversity conservation. There was also important room for conservation science as the foundation for conservation practice. Terborgh's view is a good example of the asymmetry that privileges "northern views" of conservation science, which disdains the social sciences. This asymmetry results in local actors perceiving scientific paradigms of conservation biology as constructs imposed from developed countries, which affects our conservation work. If local practitioners were to accept Terborgh's idea that social discourses are merely rhetoric, there would be devastating consequences for conservation processes. What is irrelevant to conservation is the kind of science that does not address the social issues that are key to species and ecosystem conservation. Although the Durban Congress was a privileged scenario for sharing the diversity of views about global conservation, it was not so for conservation science. A major effort in democratizing scientific institutions and advisory bodies is obviously needed. Terborgh claims that the congress drowned biodiversity conservation with political agendas. Park congresses are conservation fora, not scientific meetings. The proliferation of social agendas does not mean that conservation science is being discounted, but that the conservation community is recognizing the complexity of conservation endeavors. Nowhere in the world, including the United States, is management of protected areas based solely, or even mainly, on biophysical science. The Spotted Owl controversy in the United States illustrates the complex interplay of scientific views and other social expressions. Conversely, as a Colombian, I found the social agendas discussed in Durban compelling but incomplete. Although there were sessions addressing armed conflict and protected areas, only marginal comments were made on the relationships between international illegal markets (e.g., weapons, cocaine) and protected areas. The only comments I heard on the issue of the questionable roles of some northern-based international conservation organizations were being made in the hallways ( Romero & Andrade 2004), not in the formal sessions. I also question the assumption that national parks are always the best option for biodiversity conservation in South America. The importance to conservation of the numerous and sometimes enormous community conservation areas should not be downplayed simply because they are not national parks. Certainly the millions of hectares of Indian wild lands in Colombia (formally equivalent to IUCN categories V or VI) could have larger conservation impacts on global biodiversity than the few and smaller parks, especially in the current atmosphere of disputed governance and limited governmental legitimacy (Andrade 2003). There is still room for building larger landscapes in which people are integrated with wild lands. The establishment and operation of large protected areas in South America does not always necessitate fencing out people and disregarding what Terborgh referred to as tangential issues. Smaller parks in fragmented landscapes also need public support. Neither parks nor protected Indian landscapes, however, are secured. Consequently, we came to Durban to talk about social issues. The protected-area crisis in South America has less to do with science being relegated to a footnote at a conservation forum than it does with a legitimacy crisis affecting all our conservation endeavors ( Wilshusen et al. 2001). Terborgh's views about conservation and society (especially Terborgh 1999) threaten to intensify that crisis. Arguing, as Terborgh (2004) does, that poverty alleviation, social injustice, and community management of protected areas are at best tangential to biodiversity conservation will not help conservation practitioners gain legitimacy and will make conservation impractical, at least in the part of the world where I work. Even Terborgh admits that "Much of that work must necessarily be in the political realm, for that is where the important decisions are made." But, to what kind of decision-making scenarios does Terborgh refer? Equity is the core of the entire issue. I hope that at the 2014 World Parks Congress there will still be room to talk about biodiversity, that the social agendas will not be overwhelmed with issues such as poverty


The invention relates to a light corundum-mullite refractory brick and a preparation method thereof. The preparation method comprises the steps of evenly dispersing 0.5-1wt% of silicon oxide micro powder and 2-4wt% of active alpha alumina micro powder in 5-8wt% of silica sol to obtain modified silica sol, placing 40-70wt% of porous corundum-mullite ceramic particles in a vacuum mixer, carrying out vacuum pumping until the vacuum is below 2.5 kPa, keeping the constant pressure for three minutes, then pouring the modified silica sol into the vacuum mixer, mixing for ten minutes and closing the vacuum pumping system, pouring 10-25wt% of porous corundum-mullite ceramic fine powder, 10-20wt% of corundum fine powder, 1.5-4wt% of silicon oxide micro powder and 1-3wt% of active alpha alumina micro powder into the vacuum mixer for mixing and mechanical pressing, drying and finally preserving heat at 1400-1600 DEG C for 2-10 hours. The prepared product has the characteristics of controllability in apparent porosity and pore size, low thermal conductivity, good thermal shock stability and strong medium erosion resistance.


The main objective of this diploma thesis is to compare three monolingual dictionaries of use disponibles for the students of the Faculty of Arts. In the theoretical part is firstly mentioned the lexicography in general outline and the basic concepts related to the microstructure and macrostructure of dictionaries. The practical part contains the confrontation of microstructure of elected dictionaries and not only the election of the dictionary which offers the information in the best way, but also some recommendation about the two remaining dictionaries.


In order to find the most appropriate time for application of compact and dense protective coatings, a detailed rheological characterization of sol-gel process was performed. The effect of the addition of POSS on time of gelation was evaluated and the rheological results were combined with IR, electrochemical and surface characterization. INTRODUCTION In recent years organosilanes have been a subject of various research studies due to high variability of possible precursor structures, which are composed of inorganic and organic moieties. Appropriate tailoring of precursors can lead to multifunctional materials with desired electrical, optical, mechanical or protective properties1. Bissilanes are promising organic–inorganic hybrids as an interesting key to either functionalization of metal surfaces or formation of protective coatings. Namely, bis-silanes possess reactive alkoxysilyl groups on both sides of the precursor molecule, which enables an establishment of an extensive cross-linking, bonding to the metal substrate, as well as to the eventual upper-coat. For this reason a simple and short-chain bis-silane 1,2-bis(trimethoxysilyl)ethane (BTMSE)2,3 was used for the preparation of anticorrosion coatings for metals. Three silanol groups of trisilanolheptaisooctyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) enabled its covalent bonding into the sol-gel network. Various concentrations of POSS were added to the BTMSE in order to evaluate the influence of POSS to rheological, electrochemical and surface properties of protective coatings. The protective coatings on the base of BTMSE were prepared through sol-gel process. This is the process of transition from colloidal sol to solid gel, which represents a change in molecular mobility of the polymer matrix4. The initial sol (as prepared) usually exhibits Newtonian character with low viscosity. As the sol-gel process continues the Newtonian character of the sol changes to gel, which exhibits altered mechanical and rheological properties. When the sol-gel process is followed continuously (in situ) with rheological measurements, a precise insight of the gelation process, especially the transition from sol to gel structure could be obtained. As a result the exact time of the transition, i.e. gelation time, structural changes and rheological properties of formed gel can be determined. Moreover, the viscoelastic properties of formed gels, i.e. the proper balance between elastic and viscous contribution is particularly important in order to achieve the best barrier efficiency tested by electrochemical techniques. Accordingly, the application of the coating on the substrate has to be performed at precise time of gelation Rheological characterization of anticorrosion coatings based on 1,2bis(trimethoxysilyl)ethane and trisilanol-heptaisooctyl POSS molecules Lidija Slemenik Perše, Mirjana Rodošek, and Angelja Kjara Surca National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia Simultaneous In-situ Analysis of Instabilities and First Normal Stress Difference during P lymer Melt Extrusion Flows Roland Kádár, Ingo F. C. Naue and Manfred Wilhelm 1 Chalmers U versity of Technology, 41258 Gothenburg, weden 2 Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT, 76128 Karlsruhe, Germany ANNUAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE NORDIC RHEOLOGY SOCIETY, VOL. 24, 2016


Broadband network performance is multi-faceted: it varies by ISP, by content source, by household connection, and by time-of-day. Daily or monthly averages, as published by content providers such as Netflix and Google, do not convey the full picture. In this paper we leverage M-Lab, the world's largest open measurement platform, to characterize broadband performance across Australian households. Our study delves into millions of data samples collected from 96,882 households over four months, and looks beyond averages to make several interesting observations: 1) There is considerable variation amongst households, in terms of their broadband speeds and variability of network performance within a day and across days, and this information is lost when data is averaged across houses; 2) The fluctuations (even for a specific house) are significant, and can exhibit unexpected patterns, such as wide variations from one day to the next, and some clusters of outliers at certain times of the day. 3) By our experimental results, we conclude that neither aggregating by household nor aggregating by day or by hour is a sound measurement strategy. Moreover, our study sheds new perspectives on broadband evaluation by using M-Lab data, and can inspire future study into the underlying reasons of performance variation.


Isolated maize root cortical tissue is used to eliminate stelar complications in measuring fluxes. Comparison of isolated cortex and whole root segments shows that the cortex is not damaged by separation from the stele, that the initial influx estimate of the plasmalemma influx in cortical cells of whole roots


Draw lessons from the theories, mode and example of domestic and international developments in ecosystem industrial park, the function of Wei river eco-environment in developments in the "Xi-Xian" city area is analyzed, to bring forward the positively integrate Xianyang with Xi'an, the practice the environment governing with the flood control engineering, to reform with the industry and reorganize with enterprise closing to Wei river. It's the core Wei river Generate electricity limited company, and conjecture developments building materials company that is regarding powder ash from stove as the raw material's. To link the big and medium-sized business enterprise on chemical industrial estate of east suburb in Xianyangy and modem agriculture on economic technique development area of north suburb in Xi'an; to set up some eco-industry chains ,to realize the clean production mode of the "resources - product-reborn resources product". For the " Xi-xian"city area developing electric power industry and solving the construction pollute the problem of the professions, to quest out the new road.


This article tried to discuss the concept of loneliness and such differences and links. The structure of Loneliness is multidimensionality. There are overlaps in some degree between loneliness and alone, depression or alienation, which represent different psychological state and trait, and each one of them,having independent structure.


Summary The treatment of concentrated-latex effluent process applied in the field presently, has not obtain optimum additional benefits. Besides that, the technology using ponding system  needs  wide area and causes air pollution that  such a way caused conflicts with society. The application  concept of clean industry: reuse, reduction, recovery and recycling, makes the possibilities to convert the effluent to be usefull products . One of the alternative effluent process is by utilizing it as the source of renewable energy, that is in the form of biogas as an  alternative energy. The preliminary research showed that the use of spontaneous latex skim coagulation, the  addition of 1% manure as source of seed, and leaf biomass as the source of carbon could increase the biogas production. This research was carried out to optimize biogas production by adding metal ion and to observe the parameters which influenced every stage of biogas production. At the beginning of the process, pH showed increasing due to the hydrolysis process that generally occured in acid condition, but it remained stable (6.6-7.7) in the next steps, whereas, the VFA value as well as BOD value tended to increase. COD value had fluctuative inclination caused by the conversion of organic compounds to produce biogas and the hydrolysis process of leaf biomass to organic compounds that decom-posed to further biogas. The best result of biogas production was showed by addition of Fe 3+ with optimum concentration 0.50 mg/L effluent.


Simple Summary Gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) is a rare tumor group that arises from the malignant transformation of placental tissue. Based on the evaluation of International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) anatomic staging and FIGO prognostic score, GTN is divided into low-, high-, and ultra-high-risk groups if the score obtained is less than or equal to 6, greater than 6 or greater than 12, respectively. The standard treatment is chemotherapy, using a single agent in low-risk disease and multiagent chemotherapy in high- and ultra-high-risk GTN. In chemoresistant forms of GTN, the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1/2, could represent a new therapeutic strategy. In this study, we evaluate the available evidence on immune checkpoint inhibitors for GTN treatment. Abstract Background: Gestational trophoblastic disease includes a rare group of benign and malignant tumors derived from abnormal trophoblastic proliferation. Malignant forms are called gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) and include invasive mole, choriocarcinoma, placental site trophoblastic tumor and epithelioid trophoblastic tumor. Standard treatment of GTN is chemotherapy. The regimen of choice mainly depends on the FIGO prognostic score. Low-risk and high-risk GTN is treated with single-agent or multiagent chemotherapy, respectively. In the case of chemoresistance, immunotherapy may represent a new therapeutic strategy. Methods: Literature obtained from searches on PubMed concerning GTN and immunotherapy was reviewed. Results: Programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) and its ligands (PD-L1/2) are expressed in GTN. Published data on PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors alone in GTN were available for 51 patients. Pembrolizumab is an anti-PD-1 inhibitor used in chemoresistant forms of GTN. In the TROPHIMMUN trial, Avelumab, a monoclonal antibody inhibiting PD-L1, showed promising results only in patients with GTN resistant to monochemotherapy. Conversely, in patients with resistance to multiagent chemotherapy, treatment with Avelumab was discontinued due to severe toxicity and disease progression. The association of Camrelizumab and Apatinib could represent a different treatment for forms of GTN refractory to polychemotherapy or for relapses. Conclusions: Anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 might represent an important new treatment strategy for the management of chemoresistant/refractory GTN.


Development of the cursorial spider, Cheiracanthium inclusum (Hentz) (Araneae: Miturgidae), from emergence to maturity on a diet of eggs of the lepidopteran pest Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) was characterized. Cheiracanthium inclusum developed to adulthood with no mortality while feeding on a diet solely of H. zea eggs and water. The number of instars to adulthood varied from 4–5 for males and from 4–6 for females, although most males (84.6%) and females (66.7%) required 5 instars. Males and females took a similar time to become adults (54.2 ± 4.0 and 53.9 ± 2.0 days, respectively). Egg consumption was similar between males and females for the first 4 instars, but differed for the 5th instar and for the total number of eggs consumed to reach adulthood (651.0 ± 40.3 and 866.5 ± 51.4 eggs for males and females, respectively). Individual consumption rates suggest the potential for high impact of C. inclusum individuals on pest populations. Development was faster and survival greater than...


Crowdsourcing is characterized by the externalization of tasks to a crowd of workers. In some platforms the tasks are easy, open access and remunerated by micropayment. The crowd is very diversified due to the simplicity of the tasks, but the payment can attract malicious workers. It is essential to identify these malicious workers in order not to consider their answers. In addition, not all workers have the same qualification for a task, so it might be interesting to give more weight to those with more qualifications. In this paper we propose a new method for characterizing the profile of contributors and aggregating answers using the theory of belief functions to estimate uncertain and imprecise answers. In order to evaluate the contributor profile we consider both his qualification for the task and his behaviour during its achievement thanks to his reflection.


The invention discloses a new traditional Chinese medicine composition for treating insomnia and a preparation method thereof. The traditional Chinese medicine composition mainly comprises the following raw Chinese medicinal herbal materials: cinnabar, nacre mother of pearl, cortex albiziae, semen boitae, tuber fleeceflower stem, polygala root, amber, fossil fragments, spina date seed, glossy ganoderma, shell of abalone, oyster, gastrodia elata, root of straight ladybell, ophiopogon japonicus, lucid asparagus, fruit of Chinese wolfberry, fushen, motherwort, Chinese angelica, radix paeoniae alba, cortex lycii radicis, agilawood, root of three-nerved spicebush, rhizoma cyperi and the like. The traditional Chinese medicine composition can be prepared into any one common oral preparation according to a conventional traditional Chinese medicine preparation method. The invention can remarkably improve symptoms of insomnia, difficulty falling asleep, easy awakening, difficulty falling asleep after awakening, alternation of falling asleep and awakening, difficulty falling asleep all through the night, doldrums, slow response, fatigue, even vexation and the like, and has the advantages of accurate clinical treatment effect, remarkable treatment effect, low cost, basically no toxic or side effects, and the like.


The analysis of historical air traffic is used to determine trends in traffic that will assist in the forecast process: a process that begins with externally supplied forecasts that use econometrics as a base to produce passengers and movements as an output, and is then refined through the results of traffic analysis. The paper begins by defining the service charge structure for the Company, then delves deeper into the analysis of overflight traffic. These flights traverse Canadian Domestic Airspace but neither land, nor take-off from a Canadian airport. Using the defined markets: Atlantic, Asia and the Far East, and Alaska monthly growth rates are examined for potential trends. While frequency may be a primary driver underlying much of the growth, the service charge structure includes the components of aircraft size (weight) and distance, factors that are not included in external forecasts. The paper presents the growth rates of all three components (frequency, aircraft size and distance) within these markets to identify potential areas for further analysis, and then examines each individual market in more detail, in order to determine the causes of traffic change and their impact on a forecast on a month-by-month basis.


Data are presented that extend the sample of quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) behind the southern satellite galaxies of the Milky Way. These objects were sought for use as unresolved, inertial reference objects in proper motion studies of Milky Way satellite galaxies.


According to the research and technological empirical data,we can preset the inlet pressure,velocity,and pressure drop along the pipe. Using the equation of state, polytropic equation and pressure drop formulas,and using the method of iteration or asymptotic approximating algorithm, we can calculate the flow parameters at the inlet and outlet of pipe.


it was certainly Palestine or Syria, and probably Antioch. The text and translation of the work with a very full commentary follow the Introduction, and the whole forms a most important contribution to the study of the Didache. The author does not claim that it is definitive, but it may be said with confidence that it is not likely to be quickly superseded, and no future student of the problems can wisely neglect this work.


Web Usage Mining (WUM) is the application of data mining techniques over web server logs in order to extract navigation usage patterns. Semantic Web Usage Mining aims at combining the Semantic Web and WUM. The main goal of the Semantic WUM is to improve the process and the results of WUM by exploiting the new semantic structure in the Web. Pattern analysis is a critical phase in WUM, for two main reasons: a) mining algorithms yield a huge number of patterns; b) there is a significant semantic gap between URLs and events performed by users. This paper discusses the use of ontologies available at Semantic Web to support the interpretation of web usage sequential patterns. Functionality is targeted at supporting the comprehension of patterns, as well as on the identification of potentially interesting ones through interactive pattern rummaging.


Subject librarian system service as a new model has become an important means for a university library to upgrade their service capacity,improve its service,and remold its self-image.It is the inevitable trend of development for the university library.This paper discusses the need to set up the subject librarian system and the ways to set it up.


Based on the 47 U.S. BITs,and according to the six investment restriction domains in the U.S. negative lists,the items in the negative lists of the U.S. BIT counter-parties could be sorted into four categories:items are exactly the same as the U.S. items;items are different from but have the same implications with the U.S. items;items have different implication but within the domain of the U.S. negative lists;items exceed the domain of the U.S. negative lists. This paper gives a comprehensive study on the sector and country distribution characteristics of the four types of items in the negative lists of the U.S. BIT counter-parties,and then analyzes the negotiation difficulty in listing different industries in negative lists by China in China-U.S. BIT negotiations. It has reference significance for China to select proper strategy in the China-U.S. BIT negotiations.


Background: Albeit essential to clinical reasoning (CR), strategies for generating student nursing clinical hypotheses at the time of transition to professional practice are underdeveloped. While script concordance testing (SCT) has been shown to be a valid and reliable assessment tool for CR in nursing education, the thought processes including the hypothesis processes involved in choosing an answer is not examined. Methods: A multiple case study was used to understand the complex phenomenon of students' hypothesis activation and confrontation with the combined use of SCT questions and the think-aloud method. Structured individual interviews were conducted. Results: A total of 18 students, nine first-year and nine third-year students participated in the study. The results show that the students demonstrate certain CR cognitive processes, including early representation of a clinical situation, semantic transformation of data, and hypothesis comparison. Conclusions: Results suggest promoting knowledge articulation aloud and the frequent use of micro-judgments to compare and differentiate hypotheses involving the uncertainty of clinical practice, which underpin learning in successive layers.


Inverse gas chromatographic experiments (IGC) with a styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) as the stationary phase have been conducted at temperatures on either side of the polymer T g and at carrier gas low rates up to 60 mL/min. Above the T g retention volumes decrease with rising carrier low rate, attaining equilibrium values at high low rates. The equilibrium values are interpreted as being due solely to surface interactions, calculations having shown that under these carrier gas low rates dwell times of probe molecules at the polymer surface are too short to permit diffusion into the bulk


Wurtman et al. demonstrated in rats that low doses of glucocorticoid depress the endogenous steroid secretion in the adrenal sinusoid, consequently inhibit the activity of phenylethanolamine -Nmethyltransferase and decrease the content of adrenaline in the adrenal medulla. They also suggested that patients who havebeen maintained chronically on low doses of glucocorticoid may show an abnormality in their ability to synthesize adrenaline. In this paper, the author attempted to observe the urinary excretion of catecholamines and their metabolites in patients on steroid therapy and to determine whether Wurtman's suggestion may be applied clinically. Forty patients who were receiving 1.0 to 4.0 mg betamethasone daily and twenty who had been absolutely free from steroid for at least one year, were studied. Urine specimens were assayed for free catecholamines as described by Sugano (1965) with minor modifications, total metanephrine & total normetanephrine by the method of Hdggendal


In this note we set out criteria for a topological space to be homeomorphic to a linearly ordered space (lo-space, for short) or a subspace of a linearly ordered space (so-space, for short) in terms of the properties of bases and subbases. Similar criteria in terms of properties of subbases are given in [1]. A linearly ordered set is called a chain, for short. A subset of a chain is said to be convex if for any two points of it all points of the chain lying between them also lie in the set. A subset of a chain is called a ray if for each point in the set, all points to the left or to the right of it are in the set. We say that two sets A and Β are comparable if one of them is contained in the other.


The mechanical behavior of steel fiber reinforced high strength concrete column was studied and compared with common concrete column The simplified calculating model for bearing capacity of normal section was presented, and the parameter of the formula was derived The results calculated by this paper′s formula are in agreement with the testing results


In order to investigate the wheel-rail interaction performance of a heavy haul freight car passing through the rail welding joint,a vertical coupled model between 30t-axle-load freight car and track has been established on the basis of vehicle-track coupled dynamics theory. In this model,the harmonic wave was adopted to simulate rail welding joint irregularity. The wheel-rail dynamic indices are analyzed at the speed of 120 km / h. The effects of wave length and depth on the wheel-rail dynamic performance are discussed specifically. Results show that according to the existing railway standard of welded rail,the change of wheel-rail interaction force is not remarkable. The wheel-rail vertical force exceeds the limited value of 250 kN under the case that the length and depth of long wave are 1 m and 0. 3 mm,and the length and depth of short wave are 0. 1 m and 0. 4 mm. The wheel will jump off the rail if the short wave depth is more than 0. 7 mm. Furthermore,under the case that the length and depth of short wave is 0. 2 m and 0. 6 mm,the wheel-rail vertical force is bigger than 250 kN. If the depth of short wave is more than 1. 6 mm,the phenomenon of wheel jumping off the rail will appears.


Odd Rydberg states of lithium in a uniform magnetic field have been excited from the ground state by sigma polarised light. In the recorded energy range, as the field strength increases, several adjacent diamagnetic n manifolds overlap and narrow anticrossings are observed. In spite of the small value of the quantum defect involved ( delta p=0.053), the core effects are responsible for the major part of the recorded anticrossing widths.


A new intense-beam free-electron laser experiment, operating as a short-pulse amplifier at 35 GHz, has demonstrated linear growth rates of 1.2 dB/cm, total gain of 50 dB, and coherent emission of 17 MW, corresponding to an experimental efficiency of greater than 3%.


The concept of metric dimension has applications in a variety of fields, such as chemistry, robotic navigation, and combinatorial optimization. We show bounds for graphs with $n$ vertices and metric dimension $\beta$. For Hamiltonian outerplanar graphs, we have $\beta \leq \left\lceil\frac{n}2\right\rceil$; for outerplanar graphs in general, we have $\beta \leq \left\lfloor\frac{2n}{3}\right\rfloor$; for maximal planar graphs, we have $\beta \leq \left\lfloor\frac{3n}{4}\right\rfloor$. We also show that bipyramids have a metric dimension of $\left\lfloor\frac{2n}{5}\right\rfloor + 1$. It is conjectured that the metric dimension of maximal planar graphs in general is on the order of $\left\lfloor\frac{2n}{5}\right\rfloor$.


Abstract Introduction Increasing demand has placed colorectal cancer (CRC) two-week wait (TWW) pathways under pressure. The primary aims of this paper are to review TWW referral numbers and CRC diagnoses within our centre over the past 3 years (before, during and in recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic) and compare outcomes to our previously published data (2009–18). This incorporates the introduction of FIT into our clinical practice. Methods TWW CRC referral data from 1st July 2018–31st July 2021 was analysed. Parameters assessed; monthly TWW referrals, CRC detection, % of TWW referrals seen <14 days and investigations utilised. Data from January 2009 to 31 June 2018 was combined. Unpaired t-test was used to compare group means. Results TWW referrals have increased 360% from 2009 to 2020. The proportion of TWW referrals with CRC has decreased from 8.87% to 3.24% over this period, whilst the incidence of CRC remained static (mean 58.7 per annum). From 2009–18, TWW referrals=8921, CRC diagnoses=533, mean monthly CRC detection rate=4.7, ratio of referrals to CRC=16.7:1. From 2018–21, TWW referrals= 6523, CRC diagnoses=232, mean monthly CRC detection rate=6.3, ratio of referrals to CRC=28.4:1. There was a statistically significant difference in mean monthly referrals (p-value<0.00001) between the two periods. Conclusion Despite ever-increasing TWW referral numbers, no significant change in CRC diagnoses has occurred. We find our service under ever-increasing strain. Additional strategies and guidance are required to help address this. Further studies evaluating FIT and repeat FIT in the symptomatic TWW cohort may have a role in generating such a consensus. Take-home message Two week wait colorectal cancer referrals have increased 360% in 12 years. Colorectal cancer detection rate remains static over this timeframe.


There is a disease plaguing the global financial system that can be characterised as a willingness of governments to give up the responsibility to set the rules of money, and hand it over to private traders and the banks that facilitate the trading. In effect the umpire, government, has handed over the rules of the game to the players.


One important means on the Management of human resources in a organization is the creation of job satisfaction of employees. Job satisfaction is an individual attitude, the greater aspects of the work in accordance with the wishes and goals, the higher the perceived level. Based on the above, the authors are interested in making the study titled "The Effect of Motivation and Working Conditions on Job Satisfaction In PT. Insurance Mega Pratama Jambi Branch. To obtain empirical evidence of the level of job satisfaction is influenced by two independent variables, work motivation and working conditions to the population of employees of PT. Insurance Mega Pratama Jambi Branch, it can be formulated hypotheses as follows: (1) allegedly motivated, good working conditions and job satisfaction of employees are satisfied at PT. Insurance Mega Pratama Jambi Branch; (2) allegedly contained significant influence motivation and working conditions on job satisfaction at. Insurance Mega Pratama Jambi Branch. to determine the relationship anatara independent variables with the dependent variable which is formulated as follows: Y = a + b1X1 + b2X2 + e. PT. Mega Pratama Insurance has been operating under the name PT. These Insurance Pledge Lloyd since 1959. In mid-2003, PT. Prima Executive acquire all shares of Bakrie Finance Corporation (BFC) in PT. These Insurance Lloyd Pledge. On March 8, 2004, PT. Insurance Mega Pratama officially operates with the new name. F test result showed that motivation and working conditions affect the job satisfaction. This is indicated by the value Fhitung 22.791. When compared with F table of 2.61, then the F count> F table (22.791> 2.61). T test results showed that motivation does not affect the job satisfaction while working conditions affect the job satisfaction. Based on the authors research will provide useful suggestions for the company: (1) the Head of Branch PT. Insurance Mega Pratama Jambi Branch to provide motivation and improvement of working conditions / work environment in order to improve employee job satisfaction, because based on research results and the motivation given the company a good working environment can improve employee job satisfaction, so as to improve employee performance; (2) for further research, is expected in future studies variables should develop research in order to gain a better understanding of the job satisfaction.


This provides an overview of the major historical developments warranting coverage within each subtheme for the Age of Revolution Waterloo200 Legacy project, though some areas will be more fertile (and therefore receive more coverage) than others, as discussed at the October 2017 meeting of the Education Committee. The intention is to provide a precis and some concise context for key features, and to demonstrate linkages within and across themes. The overviews are concluded by a set of bullet points indicating "Key Messages" to push in each sub-theme, usually in response to our over-arching questions: what transformations were occurring, where were they most visible, and who did they impact upon?


The research is aimed at developing a predictive model of the risks in railroad transport when using diagnostics of the axle boxes of freight wagons, which will allow assessing traffic safety during the operation of freight wagons. To develop a predictive model of the risks in railroad transport, the approaches of the probability theory were used. The constructed predictive model of the risks makes it possible to assess traffic safety during freight transportations; to determine further measures to reduce them; to evaluate the diagnostic method. The authors developed a predictive model of the risks in railroad transport when using the diagnostic methods of freight wagons' axle boxes during maintenance and repair of axle box. This model includes the probability of failure-free operation of the axle boxes of freight wagons, the probability of identifying of the technical condition of the axle boxes of freight wagons, the significance of the diagnostic parameter and its relative assessment after appropriate maintenance, repair or technical control.


The study was carried out in two divisions of Meru District in Arusha region in Tanzania to investigate the profitability and coordination of fresh fruit and vegetable export marketing channels by small-scale farmers in Tanzania. Purposive sampling was done in order to select two divisions where most of the horticultural crops are grown and then simple random sampling technique was employed in selecting 60 small-scale farmers of fresh fruit and vegetable, 5 large-scale producers, 14 middlemen and one Export Company. Descriptive and quantitative analytical techniques i.e. cluster analysis; GrossMargin and Logistic regression were employed. The findings suggest that four export marketing channels for fresh fruit and vegetable exist, and these are vertically integrated. The enterprises profitability between farmers selling fresh fruit and vegetable to export and domestic markets was statistically different (P<0.05), meaning that export trade is shown significantly being more profitable than domestic trade, with a mean GM difference of Tsh. 543,642 per acre. This study also found that knowledge about Global Good agricultural practices, record keeping, possession of storage facilities and contracts were the major challenges facing FFV export market enterprises. This supports the formation of FFV farmers and traders association and the provision of soft credit which may increase FFV export marketing efficiency. Key words : Fruit and Vegetable, Export Market channels, Small-Scale Farmers


Statisticians often use statistical analyses involving an experimental design approach with a whole set of assumptions to be satisfied even when the aim of the study and the data would suggest alternative approaches. This note provides an example where knowledge of the distribution of the data and of some of the properties of this distribution allows a simple and adequate analysis and a concise and meaningful presentation of the results.


PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore new ways and lay a solid foundation to solve the problem of reliability growth analysis of major aerospace equipment with various uncertainty data through propose new concepts of general uncertainty data (GUD) and general uncertainty variable (GUV) and build the operation system of GUVs.Design/methodology/approachThe characteristics of reliability growth data of major aerospace equipment and the limitations of current reliability growth models have been analyzed at first. The most commonly used uncertainty system analysis methods of probability statistics, fuzzy mathematics, grey system theory and rough set theory have been introduced. The concepts of GUD and GUV for reliability growth data analysis of major aerospace equipment are proposed. The simplified form of GUV based on the "kernel" and the degree of uncertainty of GUV is defined. Then an operation system of GUVs is built.Findings(1) The concept of GUD; (2) the concept of GUV; (3) The novel operation rules of GUVs with simplified form.Practical implicationsThe method exposed in this paper can be used to integrate complex reliability growth data of major aerospace equipment. The reliability growth models based on GUV can be built for reliability growth evaluation and forecasting of major aerospace equipment in practice. The reliability evaluation example of a solid rocket motor shows that the concept and idea proposed in this paper are feasible. The research of this paper opens up a new way for the analysis of complex uncertainty data of reliability growth of major aerospace equipment. Moreover, the operation of GUVs could be extended to the case of algebraic equation, differential equation and matrix which including GUVs.Originality/valueThe new concepts of GUD and GUV are given for the first time. The novel operation rules of GUVs with simplified form were constructed.


Objective
To fully analyze irrational medical instructions in pharmacy intravenous admixture services(PIVAS) from various scope or aspect for promoting rational use of clinical drugs.

Methods
The data of medical instructions in the PIVAS of our hospital were collected and straightened out from January, 2017 to December, 2018. And the cases of irrational medical instructions were studied further by using the frequency and percentage composition by descriptive analysis methods.

Results
Six hundred and ninety-four irrational instructions, which were composed of 736 errors and involved a total of 132 kinds of drugs, were found. The irrational instructions were classified as amount of solvent, solvent, frequency of medication, dosage, operational error, unreasonable compatibility, and others. And their values of frequency, the percentage composition, and the type of drug involved were 213, 28.94%, and 53; 186, 25.27%, and 37; 94, 12.77%, and 16; 74, 10.05%, and 32; 133, 18.07%, and 66; 30, 4.08%, and 16; and 6, 0.82%, and 5, respectively, according to previous order. The frequencies and percentage compositions of irrational medical instructions in the top 10 drugs involved were as follow: 44 groups (6.34%) of fat-soluble vitamin(Ⅱ)/water-soluble vitamin, 39 groups (5.62%) of adenosine monophosphate (0.5g), 36 groups (5.19%) of Melon smut injection [4 ml], 34 groups (4.90%) of cefoperazone tazobactam [2.5 g], 32 groups (4.61%) of piperacillin sulbactam [0.75 g], 32 groups (4.60%) of Shuganning [2 ml], 24 groups (3.46%) of doxofylline injection [0.2 g: 20 ml] ,24 groups (3.46%) of cefoperazone tazobactam [2.0 g], 21 groups (3.03%) of Mannan peptide (water) [5 mg: 2 ml], and 19 groups (2.74%) of compound glycyrrhizin [20 mg]. These irrational medical instructions accounted for 42.95% (340/694) of all. The types of irrational medical instructions and drugs involved were obvious different in various kinds of clinical departments.

Conclusion
It is essential to improve clinical rational medication that medical review ability of pharmacist must be strengthened and appropriate intervention measures implemented according to the characteristics of each clinical department.

Key words:
Pharmacy intravenous admixture services(PIVAS); Irrational medical instructions; Descriptive analysis


This study aims to improve students' argumentative capability and enable them to produce better argumentative essays. The "digital argument-map writing system" was designed for this study to help students build a complete structure of argumentation step by step so they can produce better argumentative essays with the structure as a thinking frame. We conducted an experiment to the students in an elementary school in New Taipei City for one semester. The experimental result showed that the system provided by this study could improve the students' argumentative capability. From the result of regression analysis, we found that the students using the digital argument-map writing system had a more thorough thinking on the forming of argumentation. Their evidence accords with their reasons and their reasons accord with their claims. The argumentation in their argumentative essays is thus highly connective and more integrated.


Abstract The problem of damage detection for wind turbine blades under varying environmental conditions and different damage scenarios is considered. A lab–scale blade subject to two levels of damage and conditions is considered under conditions including sprayed water (simulating rain) and temperatures in the range [−20,20]◦C. A vibration–based statistical time series type methodology employing Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is postulated. Two different versions are employed: the first is an output–only scheme based on the vibration response Power Spectral Density (PSD), and the second is an input–output scheme based on the input–output Frequency Response Function (FRF). Detection is based on principal components selected to be independent of environmental conditions, but still sensitive to damage. A single vibration acceleration response is used in the study. The damage detection results are slightly better for the FRF based version, compared to the PSD based one, with detection rates over 96.5% and false alarm rates below 1.5%.


This research develops an evolutionary game theory-motivated framework that helps academic researchers and industry practitioners to understand the "strategic morphing" of DotComs. Our framework applies an analogy from the theory of bio-diversity and genetic survivability in population ecology to different species in a highly competitive organic biome. In the e-commerce context, however, we emphasize survivability in terms of a set of characteristic categories and constructs that provide explanatory power for firm "strategic fitness" in competition with other firms and in the marketplace in general. We illustrate our framework using mini-case studies on DotCom success and failure.


In the modern society, There are various attempts which has been made to correspond with complexation, compoundation, hybridization. Since the 90s in order to overcome the restriction of Industrial society ,the appearance of Gilles Deleuze's theory has been an influence on modern architecture. In this study, busan cultural Facilities were analysed follow the points of view in 'Le pli' method. The characteristic of 'Le pli' is considered at various architectural form and suggest the phenomenological to search the aspects of the modern city is the target of this study.


The implemented technology for Copper production has a significant influence on the resource requirement. By using newest technology, the environmental burden of products can be reduced. One way to evaluate the impact is using means of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Some initiatives working on LCA have been started in the metal industry in the last years. One of those initiatives is the collaborative research centre (CRC) 525 at University of Technology Aachen and the Forschungszentrum Juelich, Germany, which is dealing with the identification of options for resource-sensitive supply and use of metallic raw materials considering technical developments and economic, social and ecological aims. In this paper, based on the worldwide primary Copper production, the simulation of life cycles from concentrate to cathode production will be presented for different regions (Europe, North America, South America). In order to derive course of actions, which are influencing metallic raw materials, a scenario was developed where different technologies were exchanged (e. g. replacing reverberatory furnace by Outokumpu furnace; replacing Peirce-Smith converter by flash converter) until the year 2015. Possible consequences for the regions of this technology change will be shown for selected parameters (e. g. primary energy, SO2-emissions, etc.).


Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imaging methods is an interesting field in remote sensing. Nowadays, the Orthogonal Matching Pursuit Compressive Sensing (OMP) algorithm is applied on the reconstruction of data that are produced by SAR. The OMP is iterative algorithm that needs high time consumption and processing delay. This issue is considered one of the main problems that face the designers of the SAR systems that how to speed up the performance of the system to be more applicable. This paper provides an applicable pipelined processing technique for the OMP compressive sensing algorithm to speed up the compression and reconstruction of SAR Image Data. Based on the goal of this paper, it is possible to reduce the time processing of the OMP as every clock a new process will be started and it is not required to wait the certain process to be finished. The good-resolution images of the SAR are used for mapping, identification and other applications. This article defines the compressive sensing algorithms and it also discusses the design, analysis of the proposed pipelined processing method for one of the CS algorithms to reduce the consumed time using FPGA implementation. Moreover, the paper includes the implementation of the both normal processing and the proposed pipelined processing for the used algorithm. Finally, a comparison between the two algorithms is presented to evaluate the performance.


In a paper published by one of us last year we called attention to the fact that it was quite likely that not all the toxic substances produced in cultures by bacteria can be peremptorily classified as either exotoxins or endotoxins. The writers working with a number of different organisms, biologically unrelated, have found poisonous substances of moderate potency developed both on fluid and on solid media which they believe should not be regarded at the present time either as specific or antigenic exotoxins, or as endotoxins. Indeed, it seems quite impossible at the present time to definitely classify these substances, for which reason they are referred to in our laboratory, for the present, as the "X" substances.


This qualitative study concerns how a specific vehicle for social intervention programs impacts upon the civic behavior of targeted individuals. The crux of the problem is whether individuals can learn citizenship, and, if provided the skills and opportunities, will citizens utilize their knowledge to participate politically. Background and Purpose Over the last thirty years, social scientists have documented an increasing decline in the active participation of citizens of the United States in politics, government, and the affairs of their communities. They generalize democracy and citizenship have shifted further away from the notion of citizens sharing responsibility in governance and more toward the concept of citizens as rights bearing and the recipients of services (Sandel, 1996; Schachter, 1997). However, citizens have reported they would like to participate politically if they just knew how to penetrate the political process (Harwood, 1991; Stout, 1996). Present trends of social policy require from cit izens an active form of political participation. Comprehensive community-level programs have been developed for combating social problems (Kaftarian & Hansen, 1994; Lavrakas, 1995). Program facilitators have established neighborhood leadership institute training programs to promote the development of civic skills among individuals who come from different ethnic, lower-and middle-class income groups, and have had little community leadership experience (Boyte, 1989). The Gwinnett Neighborhood Leadership Institute (GNLI) in the Atlanta metropolitan area provided participants with knowledge about community and county governments, opportunities to meet local officials, and the introduction to a range of services. The purpose of this research was to study the impact of GNLI training on the polit ical participation of individuals, their perception of citizenship, and the nature of learning during training. Relevant Literature Principal theoretical frameworks and perspectives include participatory democracy and political behavior theories, civil society, collaborative leadership and adult civic learning. Barber (1984) insists that a healthy democracy cannot be sustained without the participation of citizens. Pateman (1970) claims through active participation, citizens come to realize the difference between personal desires and the common good. Furthermore, participation is both educative and reiterative. Mansbridge (1995) acknowledges citizens who actively participate in democratic governance often feel the experience has changed them, and those who observe them often believe the experience has long-run effects on the citizens' character. Brady, Verba, and Schlozman (1995), assert that civic skills and psychological engagement combat negative effects of differences in socio-economic status. Rosenstone and Hanson (1993) define terms of political efficacy as both internal, the confidence to participate, and external, participants feeling their activities had some meaningful effect. The concept of civil society (Putnam, 1995) maintains specific community environments must be in place for citizenship to flourish. Portney and Berry (1997) identify critical elements as the beliefs and types of political behavior that contribute to positive attitudes by residents about their neighborhood and encourage a willingness to work cooperatively on its behalf. Collaborative leadership principles (Chrislip & Larson, 1994; Gastil, 1994, Stout, 1996) include broad-based involvement, commitment, action, peer problem-solving, acceptance of individual contributions, and the sustenance of hope. Civic learning is interactive. Citizens are influenced by each other and in turn influence the environment (Sigel, 1989). Boggs (1991), Brookfield (1987b), Daloz, Keen, Keen, and Parks (1996), Freire (1970), and Jarvis (1992) contradict the rationale of the weakened and limited citizen and address those structures and processes that promote the importance of civic learning for the development of competent and active citizens that comprise the public realm. Methodology More often, a composite picture showing how groups of individuals meet or fail the normative perspective of the political participation of citizens is developed through quantitative data. Unfortunately, it is often collected from knee-jerk reactions to telephone surveys that use predetermined and closed interview questions. Qualitative evaluation and research methodology was utilized in this study to provide an in-depth investigation into the perceptions, behaviors, and attitudes of individuals in a specific context (Patton, 1985). Fifteen participants from the GNLI training cycles, 1995-1996, 1996-1997, and 1997-1998, were purposefully selected for face-to-face interviews using a semi-structured interview guide. Selection criteria of ethnicity, age, gender, and experience reflected the program's efforts of recruiting participants. Data was analyzed using constant comparative analysis (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). Research questions included: (1) How has NLI training influenced participants' perceptions of themselves as citizens? (2) How has NLI training affected behaviors of participants regarding polit ical participation? (3) How has NLI training affected attitudes of participants regarding political partic ipation? (4) How has NLI training affected the nature of learning of participants regarding citizenship and political participation? Findings and Conclusions One overarching conclusion gained from this study was to confirm that citizenship is an art that develops from adult learning and practice. The impact of GNLI training influenced the following areas: (1) a broadened perception of citizenship; (2) optimism for local government; (3) tolerance for the political process; (4) the development of significant behaviors regarding political participation; and (5) the nature of learning regarding political participation. Broadened and Active Perception of Citizenship Citizenship before GNLI training meant a passive relationship with government, concern for individual rights, and dependence on electing public leaders to represent their interests. The impact of training resulted in a more broadened and collectivist view of citizenship. One participant explained, "...being in GNLI, you focus on... community activities. At one time I never paid that much attention to community activities and being involved...everyone within a community as a whole. And, you know, you would actually see your neighbors!" Participants also, placed citizenship beyond their own neighborhoods: "Generally, you didn't stray outside your subdivision...then during and after the program...I found out I have an impact of a wider range beyond the subdivision and at the county level." Participant Attitudes toward Political Partic ipation Essential to participants' belief they could make a difference in their community was what one participant pinned as "the courage and willingness" to participate. A participant related, "There are things that I can do, contacts that I made, that let me know, yeah, there is some valid reason to this madness...why I vote and still have some impact on more than just voting. You don't have to just sit back and say maybe next time we'll get somebody in that's better." Another citizen was amazed with his efforts in a neighborhood clean-up campaign: "It was surprising to me. You would explain to 'em where you're from, who you're with, and they would actually help sponsor it. You figured they'd turn you absolutely down!" The belief that one could make a difference gave participants the courage to become a practicing citizen. Participants reported that the training helped them find voice. A participant confided previously that she did not have the courage to get up and speak in church: "I don't like to get up in front of people and speak, and I know I should be able to." Another participant used her newly found voice to aid her abused nephew. She claimed it helped her "go before the courts and talk to different people and help him [nephew] out." A naturalized citizen learned to overcome his fear of approaching the administration of various community services: "In the past, I would be really scared to approach somebody and say, Hey, I need help. Now I know if there is a need I feel I can go to county or go to other resources" Optimism toward Local Government Participants tended to be cynical about government or politics as usual and were more optimistic in how they could collectively effect change at the local level. Participants reported they would be more likely to contact and work with officials as opposed to contacting a Congressman on the state or national level. One participant spoke to the power of grassroots efforts: "problems won't get changed by the political, it's going to get changed by individual morality, cultural issues, not by something that's by the government [federal].


To be reported in this paper are new results obtained for mixers in the frequency range up to 95 GHz. Both frequency diplexer types of mixers and those which utilize a standard directional coupler for LO injection will be discussed. The mixers use a replaceable wafer type diode holder. The replaceable wafer contains a unique Westinghouse developed double diode structure which results in very low RF losses. The diode is a GaAs Schottky barrier with zero bias frequency cut-off of over 800 GHz. Theoretically predicted values of conversion loss under 5.0 dB are attained over the frequency range.


This paper investigates the relation between food, the body and morality in fashion modelling. More than has been recognized so far, eating is a continuous form of body work that is decidedly essential to aesthetic labour. Against the backdrop of slender aesthetics, models are purposefully socialized into remaining or becoming slender, through food beliefs inducing them to eat in specific ways. Food is classified into good and bad categories, and believed to affect male and female bodies differently. But other than to aesthetics or gender, considering 'what (not) to eat' links to morality, enabling models to draw symbolic boundaries between themselves and others. These show two main moral imperatives: models should eat controlled and effortlessly. Solving this moral paradox, models normalize and conceal controlled eating. Ultimately, the fashion modelling food system preoccupies models with self-surveillance and reinforces power inequalities between models and other professionals.


Considering the importance of phonetic research over the last centuries and its role in familiarization with the language of Koran, this article has been selected and developed as the phonetic study of Surah Ar-Rahman. In this Surah, all the sounds are positioned in accordance with their needed place to such an extent the sounds cannot be moved elsewhere. Hence, when the description of heaven is given in Koran, soft and sweet sounds as in the phrase (Motakan Ala Rafraf Khezr) are used with phonemes such as "R" and "F" in that these sounds have this particular attribute. Likewise, when the Day of Judgment is described in Koran, it is possible to use glottal and strong sounds like the phrase "Eza Alsamaa Ensheghat" ( اذإ ءامسلا تقشنإ ) and the letter "gh" has been used as the letter "qaf" invokes harshness and instability. Since the Qur'an is referred to as the book of human guidance, the study of the concepts and aesthetic qualities of this book is given increasing attention.


A kind of improved bio-ecological combination process with high efficiency and low energy consumption for municipal wastewater treatment was put forward in this article. Based on the comparison and analysis of treatment efficiency and energy consumption with other treatment methods, conclusions had summed up that the effluent quality indexes of improved process reached the first level A criteria specified in the Discharge Standard for Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant (GB18918-2002), when comparison to other methods which with the same treatment effect, the energy consumption of the improved process decreased by 20%-40%. Meanwhile the operation management of the improved process is much more convenient, so it has been proved to be a good kind of process with high efficiency and low energy consumption for municipal wastewater treatment.


In order to isolate an active constituent from the central inhibitory Ganoderma extract, an activity‐guided fractionation was performed to yield adenosine. Adenosine reduced spontaneous motor activity, elevated pain threshold, prolonged the death time induced by caffeine and relaxed skeletal muscle in mice.


A scheme is being developed for student modeling that can be helpful in pursuing links between neural network and symbolic approaches to training system development. The approach has two problems. First, it is not possible to have a certainty about whether a particular piece of knowledge is present in a student. A second problem is that microlevel detail may not be the only useful level for student modeling. The authors' approach to dealing with both of these problems is to layer a lattice of what they call student modeling variables on top of direct overlay information.<<ETX>>


Books and Articles in the Field of the Prevention and Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes (Spring 2005) Compiled by Ingrid Kost, Conservator Peace Palace Library


In contemporary science, the topic of social solidarity is certainly relevant and evolving. A special factor in the development of this theme is the active formation of social communities is not only real, but also the virtual world. In the XXI century social media are a tool for the formation of macro and micro social solidarity in modern society. The aim of the article is to examine the methodological features of the study of the communicative solidarity in social media. From the synthesis of definitions of «solidarity» and communicative characteristics of solidarity we can say that in the most general form of communicative solidarity that arises in the course of transmission and reception of information, based on harmony and trust, as well as serving the foundation of unity of social actors to achieve a certain goal. The study of the communicative solidarity in social media needs to be based on the methodology of network analysis (SNA). At the empirical level, the use of network analysis methodology in the study of the phenomenon of  communicative solidarity defines the basic structural components of typical communicative practices in social media, to carry out their typology and classification in the context of specific situations. In the second part of the article the author presents data of sociological research on youth protest destructive communities.


Health region regulation is a legal instrument be given to region government to organize health care for people. In the formation of health region regulation, sociological judgment is needed so health region regulation can agree with health region condition. This research is aimed to know data and useful information on health region regulation in Belu Regency. Descriptive research type with a qualitative approach. The sites of research are Region Secretariat of Belu Regency, Health Official of Belu Regency and Assembly at Belu Regency. Samples are gotten according to purposive sampling. The result of the research shows that stakeholder comprehension and data availability have good, stakeholder support to data and information of health region regulation not good because the health regulation has formed with its substance only related with health service retribution and health institution. Stakeholder perception to data and information of health region regulation have good, be seen from stakeholder comprehension to data and information.   Be expected to sites having interest information of health region regulation in order to maximize of data and information useful in formation health region regulation so it's produced can have a role to increase the standard of public health in Belu Regency.


H avin g received , at short notice, the invitation to attend the second interna tional conference on cold fusion as a sceptical observer, I began to study som e of the papers w hich have appeared since the fall of 1989 after w hich I had stopped fo llow ing the publications in this area. Being sceptical from the begin ning, the m any negative reports from renow ned laboratories seem ed to con firm that the disputed claims of cold fusion occurring in a solid were, unfortu nately, based on the erroneous interpretation of ill-defined experim ents. I now realize that in the m eantim e m any new positive results have been published w hich can not be pushed aside quite so easily. Two review s, currently in the course o f publication, w ere very helpful and yielded much inform ation on the present situation. These are the review s of M. Srinivasan [1] and E. Storms [2]*. Together w ith m y reading and the lectures given on the first days of the con ference, I eventually felt able to present m y im pressions in a lecture on the last day o f the conference, as the organizers had requested. I am aware that all the argum ents pro and contra the reality o f cold fusion have been pointed out by others before. The first part o f m y contribution to the report o f this conference is therefore m ainly a reminder of the problems. In the second part I raise som e questions seen w ith the eyes of a physical chem ist being specially experienced in electrochem istry.


Measurement of 3D surface roughness usually involves removing the part from themachine tool between two operations potentially introducing systematic errors. Furthermore, surfaceroughness measuring instruments are not suited for measuring heavy and large parts such as stampingdies. This paper presents a method to measure the surface topography of a part in situ, i.e. directly on themachinetool without removing the part. After introducing the sensor technology and the data acquisitionchain, the effects of geometric imperfections of the machine tool on the measurement results are discussed. An application of the method is then presented to assess afinishingprocess on a five-axis machine tool.


Abstract 4794 The stimulation of red blood cell (RBC) production is one of the systemic adaptions to hypoxia. Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) promotes erythropoiesis through coordinated cell type-specific hypoxia responses. Hematopoietic transcription factor GATA1 is essential to normal erythropoiesis and plays a crucial role in erythroid differentiation. In this study, we show that hypoxia-induced GATA1 expression is mediated by HIF1 in erythroid cells. Under hypoxic conditions, significantly increased GATA1 mRNA and protein levels were detected in K562 cells and erythroid induction cultures of CD34 + hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HPCs) derived from human cord blood. Enforced HIF1A expression increased GATA1 expression, while HIF1A knock-down by RNA interference decreased GATA1 expression in K562 cells. We searched the human GATA1 gene sequence on NCBI and identified a putative HRE in the 39-flanking sequence of the gene. The results from reporter gene and mutation analysis suggested that this element is necessary for hypoxic response. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-PCR showed that the putative HRE was recognized and bound by HIF1 in vivo . These results demonstrate that the up-regulation of GATA1 during hypoxia is directly mediated by HIF1.The mRNA expression of some erythroid differentiation markers was increased under hypoxic conditions, but decreased with RNA interference of HIF1A or GATA1. Flow cytometry analysis also indicated that hypoxia or desferrioxamine or CoCl 2 induced expression of erythroid surface marker CD71 and CD235a, while expression repression of HIF1A or GATA1 by RNA interference led to a decreased expression of CD235a. These results suggested that HIF1-mediated GATA1 upregulation promotes erythropoiesis in order to satisfy the needs of an organism under hypoxic conditions. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


This paper mainly deals with the problem of joint DOD and DOA estimation for bistatic co-prime array by forming two augmented correlation matrices. Firstly, according to the difference co-array of co-prime transmitting array, an augmented transmitting correlation matrix is constructed to serve for DOD estimation by one-dimension MUSIC. Afterward, a two-step augmentation method based on transmitting and receiving difference co-arrays is proposed to generate an augmented transmitting/receiving (T/R) correlation matrix which is utilized to calculate the paired DOAs by one-dimension MUSIC with the estimated DODs. Numerical simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.


the article emphasized the role of the Internet to transmit information in the modern world; the principles of formation and development of information relations in the sphere of civil service; stressed the need for approval of the new Concept of e-democracy in Ukraine; are some facts about the development and implementation of instruments of e-governance and e-democracy in Ukraine.


Container for receiving a product, said device having such a tank, use and method for applying a nail product contained in such a tank having an annular side wall (12) extending along a central axis (Z) between a bottom (14) and an opening (16), the sidewall (12) having a first constriction (34) outside shaped to receive two adjacent fingers other than the thumb of a first hand of a user. The sidewall (12) further comprises a second restrictor (36) outside shaped to receive two adjacent fingers other than the thumb of a second hand of the same user, the second throttle (36) being spaced along the central axis of the first throttle (34).


The goal of link prediction is to estimate the possibility of future links among nodes using known network information and the attributes of the nodes. According to the time-varying characteristics and the node's mobility of opportunistic networks, this paper proposes a novel link prediction method based on the Bayesian recurrent neural network (BRNN-LP) framework. The time series data of a dynamic opportunistic networks is sliced into snapshots in which there exist the correlation information and spatial location information. A vector of a snapshot is constructed based on such information, which represents the link information. Then, the vectors of multiple network snapshots constitute a spatiotemporal vector sequence. Benefiting from the BRNN's ability of extracting the features of time series data, the correlation between spatiotemporal vector sequence and node connection states is learned, and the law of the link evolution is captured to predict future links. The results on the MIT Reality dataset show that compared with methods such as the similarity-based indices, the support vector classifier, linear discriminant analysis and recurrent neural network, the proposed prediction method is more accurate and stable.


The thickness of the dielectric plate is comparable with the wavelength, therefore, can not be neglected in high-frequency band. The reflections from the dielectric plate surfaces are canceled out of phase only when the thickness is identical to one half of the wavelength. However, they are not canceled in general and reflection loss is generated. Frequency Selective Surface (FSS) is equipped on one side of the dielectric plate. Reflection loss can be reduced by controlling the reflection phase of the FSS to be opposite phase to the reflection phase of the other dielectric surface. The control range of the reflection phase of the FSS is investigated in this work. The basic operation to reduce the reflection loss is demonstrated in this paper.


Fisheries and petroleum resource development are concomitant in some of the world's most productive continental shelf seas. Much of our understanding of the impacts of oil spills to fisheries and the general health of ecosystems has been acquired from a few major events. It remains a significant challenge to link data on effects of oil on individual organisms, mainly gathered through laboratory experiments, to impacts on the population as a whole. The advanced software tool, SYMBIOSES, was developed in Norway by an international consortium of scientists to improve assessments of environmental impacts linked to oil spill scenarios. The development was supported financially by Norwegian Research Council and a number of industry partners. The tool allows for impacts on cod larval survival to be traced through the population to observe the effect of oil spills on the overall fish stock. We will present simulation results for oil spill scenarios for a single location on the northern Norwegian continental shelf. These examples demonstrate the utility of predictive ecological models to explore and inform on a key impact factor of oil spills which, in turn, lends valuable support to science informed decision-making and stakeholder communication. Key learning outcomes 1. For all SYMBIOSES oil spill scenarios, the biomass of cod never fell below a sustainable limit. The diverse age distribution of the cod population provides a buffer against losses from major oil spills 2. Moderate action by fisheries managers can mitigate both the ecological effects on the cod population and the economic effects on the fisheries Core SYMBIOSES Development Team: J. Carroll, Akvaplan-niva; F. Vikebø, Institute of Marine Research; D. Howell, Institute of Marine Research; O. J. Broch, SINTEF; R. Nepstad, SINTEF; S. Augustine, Akvaplan-niva; G. M. Skeie, Akvaplan-niva; R. Bast, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway


The experiments described in this thesis investigated the effects of intra-amniotic insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF1) treatment of fetal growth restriction (FGR) in the ovine fetus on perinatal morbidity and mortality, on growth from birth through 18 months of age, and on metabolic and endocrine function at 18 months of age. Ewes carrying singleton lambs (n=196) were randomised to un-operated Controls (n=41) or to FGR (n=144), induced by uteroplacental embolisation. FGR fetuses were further randomised to receive either 360 μg recombinant human IGF1 (FGR-IGF1, n=61) or saline (FGR-Saline, n=66) intra-amniotically once weekly for 5 weeks. IGF1 treatment of FGR did not affect fetal or perinatal morbidity or mortality. FGR-Saline lambs (n=31) were 15-20% lighter at birth than Controls (n=37). Growth velocity for weight in the first week after birth was 18% greater (p<0.05) in FGR-Saline lambs compared with Controls, but in the second week was 15% greater (p<0.01) in FGR-IGF1 lambs (n=32) compared with Controls. FGR-IGF1 females had ~10% increase in relative lean mass and ~10% decrease in relative visceral adipose (both, p<0.05) compared with Controls at 18 months of age. One week after birth, FGR-IGF1 females had greater GHR and IGF1 mRNA expression than FGR-Saline (p<0.01), and FGR-IGF1 males had greater IGF1 mRNA expression (p<0.01), in skeletal muscle. Up-regulated skeletal muscle IGF1 mRNA expression persisted in FGR-IGF1 males and females at 18 months of age following growth hormone stimulation compared with Control and FGR-Saline offspring (p<0.01). In FGR-Saline adult females, insulin sensitivity (Si) and glucose disposition (DIG) tended to be decreased by ~50% and ~24% respectively compared with Controls. These changes were reversed in FGR-IGF1 females. Plasma insulin secretion in the first 15 minutes of a glucose tolerance test and DIG were ~80% greater in FGR-IGF1 females compared to FGR-Saline. In FGR-IGF1 males the maximal change ii in ˪-Arginine-stimulated insulin secretion was increased by 40% and Si tended to be greater (by ~67%) than FGR-Saline. FGR-IGF1 adult males had a 34% greater increase in plasma ACTH concentration (p<0.05) in response to corticotrophic stimulation compared to FGR-Saline males. In contrast, in response to Metyrapone FGR-IGF1 females' peak ACTH response and 11-deoxycortisol area under the curve tended to be decreased (20% and ~40%, respectively), compared with Controls. These data demonstrate that, although intra-amniotic IGF1 treatment of the FGR fetus did not alter fetal or perinatal mortality, it prolonged the accelerated growth velocity for weight in the perinatal period and was associated with decreased relative visceral adipose and increased relative lean mass in adult females. Sex-specific effects on HPA axis function could have implications for wellbeing as age progresses. There were few other significant effects on adult endocrine or metabolic function indicating that IGF1 treatment of FGR is not associated with significant adverse effects through young adulthood, but does not provide dramatic benefits, suggesting that this is unlikely to be utilised as a clinical intervention.


Bacteria circulate in the atmosphere, through clouds and precipitation to surface ecosystems. Here we conducted a coordinated study of bacteria assemblages in clouds and precipitation at two sites distant of ∼800 m in elevation in a rural vegetated area around puy de Dôme Mountain, France, and analyzed them in regard to meteorological, chemical and air masses' history data. In both clouds and precipitation, bacteria generally associated with vegetation or soil dominated. Elevated ATP-to-cell ratio in clouds compared with precipitation suggested a higher proportion of viable cells and/or specific biological processes. The increase of bacterial cell concentration from clouds to precipitation indicated strong below-cloud scavenging. Using ions as tracers, we derive that 0.2 to 25.5% of the 1.1×107 to 6.6×108 bacteria cell m-2 h-1 deposited with precipitation originated from the source clouds. Yet, the relative species richness decreased with the proportion of inputs from clouds, pointing them as sources of distant microbial diversity. Biodiversity profiles thus differed between clouds and precipitation in relation with distant/local influencing sources, and potentially with bacterial phenotypic traits. Notably Undibacterium, Bacillus and Staphylococcus were more represented in clouds, while epiphytic bacteria such as Massilia, Sphingomonas, Rhodococcus and Pseudomonas were enriched in precipitation.


Abstract : Trained miniature pigs were whole-body irradiated in a nuclear reactor-produced neutron field (incident neutron to gamma ratio of 10). Their postirradiation performance was compared to that of pigs similarly irradiated in a gamma ray field from the same reactor (incident neutron to gamma ratio of 0.06). The dose rate at the midline of the brain was approximately 2000 rads/min for all irradiations; midbrain doses ranged from 1500 to 36,500 rads. Response of the pigs to supralethal doses from the neutron field notably differed from their response to similar doses from the gamma ray field. Early performance decrement, early transient incapacitation, and immediate permanent incapacitation occurred following much lower doses from the gamma ray field than from the neutron field. At doses greater than 11,000 rads, survival times of the neutron-irradiated pigs were on the average much longer than those of the gamma-irradiated pigs. Thus, the gamma rays were markedly more effective than the fission neutrons for producing the severe central nervous system damage manifested by pronounced early performance decrement and death within 48 hours. The relative effectiveness of the neutron field was 0.23 using the reactor-produced gamma ray field as the reference radiation and the 50 percentile midbrain dose (9ED50) for early performance decrement as the biological end point. (Author)


The study was conducted during the growing seasons of 2017 2018 on twelve date palm male cultivars in Samawah city, Muthanna Governorate, Iraq with the aim of identifying vegetative and floral characteristics, as well as the vitality of the pollen grains and their germination percentage for twelve males (Khadairy, Shalhoum, Ardawi, Bandar, Ereojan, Habiti, Fahl Zuhdi, Abu Kafisha, Atishi, Sweihi, Abu Tair, Nabhar). The study included 21 vegetative appearance characteristics and 19 floral appearance characteristics. The results showed differences among the male cultivars in the vegetative characteristics of the plant, in which, Bender cultivar recorded the highest length of leaf which was 500 cm. According to the analysis of the main components, the vegetative characteristics were divided into three main components. The male cv. Sweihi gave the highest percentage of pollen vitality which was 91.71% while Ereojan recorded the lowest percentage which was 85.94%. Bandar recorded the highest percentage of pollen germination which reached to 82.34%. In floral phenotypes, statistical obtained results indicated that floral characteristics divided into three main components. Habiti cv. gave the highest length of spadix which was 135 cm, while Sweihi cv. recorded the lowest value, which recorded 75 cm, The results of the study of the vegetative characteristics showed the degree of similarity among the male cultivars using cluster analysis. The male cultivar Khadairy was isolated from the other male cultivars and recorded the largest distance of the difference. The results of the cluster analysis clearly indicated that the male cultivars were grouped in two groups, the first included four male cultivars (Shalhoum, Ereojan, Fahl Zuhdi, and Atishi), and the highest similarities within this group were between Shalhoum and Ereojan.