Adult Hoplopleura erratica sucking lice were labelled using a setal clipping technique. Host exchange for lice marked in this manner was monitored through a small population of dye-marked Eastern chipmunks, Tamias striatus, the normal host of this ectoparasite, in a deciduous woodland in central Tennessee, U.S.A. This was accomplished by frequent host live-trapping, anaesthetization and pelage examinations. Louse transfer was most prevalent during the host summer mating period, presumably because of increased chipmunk contacts. At this time, 66·7% of marked adult lice within the host population transferred. Exchanges between opposite sex hosts were more common and adult males donated most lice; no juvenile chipmunks were recorded as louse donors. A greater proportion of male than female lice transferred. Using the exclusive boundary strip method, all exchanging chipmunks had overlapping ranges or shared at least one boundary line.


The present invention relates to a web page encoding recognition method and apparatus belongs to the field of computer networks. A step of encoding the web pages recognition method includes loading a web page, the data including at least one of a web page resource; And a step in which the web page resource detecting whether declared whether and what HTML encoding of the resource; If you are not a web page resource is declared the HTML resource is the encoding method, the method comprising the steps of recognizing the encoding scheme of the HTML resource; By using a decoding scheme corresponding to the encoding method it will be recognized by decoding the HTML resource. The present invention provides a web page when during encoding went off ppateu the "charset" field, the browser resolves the problem, you can display a broken character, and normally, even if you do not declare an encoding scheme on a web page resource decodes the web page resource to display in the related art It was reached to the effect that you can.


[31] Hofmann SR, Kubasch AS, Ioannidis C et al. Altered expression of IL-10 family cytokines in monocytes from CRMO patients result in enhanced IL-1β expression and release. Clin Immunol 2015; 161 (2): 300–307. doi:10.1016/ j.clim.2015.09.013 [32] Behzadi AH, Raza SI, Carrino JA et al. Applications of PET/CT and PET/MR Imaging in Primary Bone Malignancies. PET Clin 2018; 13 (4): 623–634. doi:10.1016/j.cpet.2018.05.012


The increasing reliance on corporate governance framework in minimizing if not completely eliminating corporate failure is going to put a lot of pressure on the boards of companies. One of the board committees that would be saddled with the immense responsibility in this regard would be the audit committee. This is so in view of the critical role of audit committees in ensuring the accuracy of financial statements and the existence of adequate risk management systems in their organisations. In the light of this, this paper appraises the potential areas of increased responsibility for audit committees and highlights the key challenges they are likely to encounter within the next decade. The factors that would be critical in the success of audit committees under the circumstance are also identified.


Introduced are the principle, method, instruments and the result of experiment of surface wave for obstacle detection. The experiment indicates that the dispersion curve of surface wave obtained from numerical study and theoretical analysis is sensitive to shallow obstacles. Further analysis of the characteristics of the dispersion curve can help identify the position, size, and shape of obstacles. The experiment shows that SASW can be used for non destructive detection.


Dear Sirs, Basic microsurgical training is essential in plastic surgery residency program. Kim, Kang, Kim, Youn, and Park (2015) reported a microsurgical training program using a smartphone. Copying the movements of an experienced surgeon's hands, meanwhile, is one of the most effective methods for surgical training. Our goal in this letter is to describe a new method for effective microsurgery training, by which trainees can copy the movements of an experienced surgeon's hands, using a smartphone. A screen mirroring application named "ApowerMirror" (Apowersoft, Hong Kong) which can display smartphone screen on a computer screen was downloaded. We attached a smartphone to a laptop computer to hold the smartphone in a stable position (Figure 1A). In this training, we used an iPhone 7 plus. During the practice, the operative field, which was displayed on the computer screen using "ApowerMirror" application, was magnified by using the camera mode of each smartphone. At the same time, a video of an experienced surgeon's microsurgical anastomosis was played on the computer screen, next to themagnified surgical field. The trainees performed microsurgical anastomosis closely copying the experienced surgeon's movements (Figure 1B). The emulating method enables trainees to copy handling of a needle, where to hold with forceps and so on precisely. The video can be played in slow motion for beginners. Furthermore, the instructors were able to see the operation field at the same time as the students, and were therefore able to provide real-time feedback during practice. Furthermore, it may be applied to super-microsurgical training. After Koshima, Inagawa, and Urushibara (2000) developed the super-microsurgery technique, it has become common. Recently, smartphones can enlarge the operation up to tenfold, which makes it possible to perform supermicrosurgical anastomosis. This letter highlights the possibility of an emulating method using a smartphone and a laptop computer for effective microsurgery training. Effectiveness, inexpensiveness, and accessibility allow trainees to improve their microsurgical skill.


To reach and control each parameter which concentrate links accurately while the health acid of the clothing is produced,and to improve quality and output of the products,it needs changing the traditional control method(artificial control).This text puts forward a method to design the intellectual regulator with the AT89 series one-chip computer.Using intellectual regulator control can avoid the error brought by artificial operation.Data collection and treatment adopt ADC0809 chip to carry on data exchange,and at the same time explain the problem needing to be payed attention to while gathering the data.The intellectual regulator has many different kinds of inputs,outputs and submits to the police type and has the function of manual set and information-revealing.Easy to operate,support many kinds of warning functions such as upper limit,lower limit,deviation upper limit and deviation lower limit.


This study was conducted with the aim of identifying elements which are essential for the management of day spas in Thailand and in line with sustainable tourism, in order to create an integrated management model. A sample population of 400 customers of Thai day spas was surveyed regarding product management, quality management, human resource management, supply chain management, and sales and marketing. Data resulting from the survey was processed for descriptive statistics including frequencies, percentages, mean, and standard deviations. It was found that the respondents agreed that all studied elements were important, however, marketing (x 4.07), quality management (x 3.93), and supply chain management (x 3.90) were considered most crucial. In the area of quality management, security for both customers and staff was found to be of particular concern, while customers considered environmental conservation to be the most important element of supply chain management.


This paper studied the freeze concentration treatment on coking desulfurization wastewater. The freezing temperature,time and the way of completely frozen and then partially melted have been investigated on the influence of concentration effect. It was found that the desulfurization wastewater freezed in-13 ~-16℃ for 4 hours,the volume of concentrated liquid we got accounted for about 1/3,the amount of salt was about 500g/L,and concentration of about 2 times,which was the ideal effect of freeze concentration. To prolong the freezing time could make the desulfurization wastewater completely frozen. Ice partially melted mode could obtain the concentrated liquid of high concentration and dilution liquid of low concentration,and it could easily control the volum of concentrated and dilution liquid. Above 60% energy has been reduced by steaming the concentrated liquid which obtained by freezing concentration treatment on desulfurization wastewater.


Metaphor is active in verbal semantic system. The article analyses metaphorical mechanism of Russian emotive verbs and physical verbs through conceptual motivation, physiology symptomatic features and actant structure, property-nature.


Background
The fact that biologics consume a growing portion of health care budget has resulted in an increased attention towards therapy optimization. One of the potential ways to optimize treatment is the down-titration of the administered drug dose.
Objective
To assess whether the clinical activity remains stable after dose tapering of TNF inhibitors in patients with low disease activity and to evaluate the potential benefit of this strategy on the treatment costs.
Method
A cohort of 77 patients with low disease activity treated with TNF inhibitors (TNFi) was monitored. The patients were studied over two time periods: in the 1st period with the drug standard dose, and in the 2nd period with a reduced dose. Clinical efficacy was monitored by DAS28 in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and by BASDAI in spondyloarthritis (SpA). Serum drug and anti-drug antibody levels were measured by ELISA. The amount of drug dispensed per patient in both periods was compared.
Results
In the 2nd period, although patients received a lower amount of TNF inhibitor, no differences in clinical activity were observed (DAS28 in RA patients: 2.37 ± 0.50 in the 2nd P vs 2.28 ± 0.47 in the 1st P, p=0.20; BASDAI in SpA patients: 1.90 ± 0.93 in the 2nd P vs 1.88 ± 0.95 in the 1st P, p=0.910) and circulating serum trough drug levels were lower (Infliximab: 3.2 ± 2.5 μg/ml in the 1st P vs 1.8 ± 1.5 μg/ml in the 2nd P, p<0.0001; Adalimumab: 5.5 ± 2.8 μg/ml in the 1st P vs 3.1 ± 2.1 μg/ml in the 2nd P, p<0.0001; Etanercept: 1.8 ± 1.1 μg/ml in the 1st P vs 1.3 ± 0.8 μg/ml in the 2nd P p<0.05). The amount of administered drug per patient was reduced in an average of 20% per year.
Conclusion
Dose tapering can be successfully performed in patients with low disease activity, resulting in remarkable savings in the amount of drug used and in the associated costs.


As researchers within the fi eld of 'crime, media, culture' we often set out to study cultural representations of crime. We inform our readers, supervisors or research councils that we will analyse how different types or aspects of crime are portrayed by the media. But no matter what our objects of study or theories are, we always need a systematic approach to capturing the way in which the crimes under analysis, in fact, are represented. This can of course not be done by simply watching television or reading newspapers and making random notes or refl ections. Rather, we need a methodological framework which brings stringency to the process and systematizes it. My aim in the following is to present a suggestion as to how such a framework could be developed. Building on experiences from a recent research project on media representations of youth robberies in Sweden, a methodological strategy which combines the use of quantitative and qualitative techniques for content analysis and interpretation will be described. This particular approach relies heavily on the use of the NVivo software for qualitative analysis, although similar packages such as atlas.ti or MAXqda could be used just as well (Richards, 1999; Bazeley and Richards, 2000; Gibbs, 2002). Since I had a large amount of data to work with, I felt the need to develop a structured approach which would facilitate the analysis and make it as transparent as possible. How, I asked myself, should I work in order to arrive at a believable account of how the media constructed the problem of these youth robberies?


IntroductionThe Egyptian January 2011 revolution initially created hopes that a genuine process of Egyptian democratization would take off and that through such popular legitimacy Egypt would restore its traditional leadership role in the Arab regional system. However, as forces with contradictory projects competed for post-revolutionary power in Egypt, these expectations appeared to be more a product of wishful thinking than of objective analysis. On the one hand, the old elites remained well entrenched in the structures of economic and political power. The revolutionaries who initiated the mass uprising did not assume the leading positions in dismantling the old authoritarian regime and building a new democratic one. Ironically, elements of the old regime, in alliance with anti-revolutionary forces, assumed these tasks, while the revolutionaries were marginalized and even faced a campaign of character assassination at the hands of the new ruling elites. On the other hand, the United States was alarmed by the overthrow of its client regime in Egypt and viewed this development as a direct threat to its regional interests. This prompted the United States to instigate a series of interventionist strategies that sought to contain the revolution and steer it, with the indispensible help of the new ruling elites, in the direction of serving its strategic interests in Egypt and the region. Under these conditions, the structure of the "uncivil state" in Egypt remained largely intact, raising doubts whether a more democratic Egypt could emerge from the ongoing political transitions.This article purports to analyze the dynamics of counter-revolution in Egypt throughout an examination of the roles of the United States and the new Egyptian ruling elites-the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and the Brotherhood-based regime of Mohamed Morsi-in containing the Egyptian January 2011 revolution and directing its subsequent paths. The article will focus on the period extending from the outbreak of the January 2011 revolution up until the fall of the Morsi regime in July 2013. The main argument here is that the United States, the SCAF, and the Muslim Brotherhood emerged in post-Mubarak Egypt as a triangle of counter-revolution that sought to abort the newly emerging revolutionary aspirations in order to protect their interests, in turn leading to the rise of a new form of authoritarianism characterized by changes in state structure, coalitions, policies, and legitimation. The policies of counter-revolution were carried out at multiple levels, ranging from the control of state power and institutions, the suppression of the revolutionary and liberal movements, and the maintaining of the neoliberal economic doctrine of the Mubarak regime.The Formation of the Counter-revolution triangleWith the outbreak of the Arab Spring's uprisings, the United States was alarmed about the implications that the uprisings would entail for its strategic interests in the region. It worried about losing its Arab client regimes, which became part of a comfortable strategic arrangement securing US interests, and the damage revolutionary regimes could inflict on American regional interests. This was particularly true in the case of Egypt where the Mubarak regime remained one of the most important US regional allies, fully acknowledged the American-Israeli approach to regional politics, and provided the best services to the United States and Israel in all accounts. This took several forms; chiefly among them were Mubarak's support of the US invasion of Iraq and the US policy to isolate Iran, and his close coordination with Israel against the Palestinians, including taking part in the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip, endorsing the Israeli military assault on Gaza in 2006, and selling Egyptian natural gas to Israel at prices much lower than market prices. This explains why the United States openly supported the Mubarak regime and sought to secure its survival until the last minute in the face of a rapidly growing mass discontent. …


Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome is challenging to diagnose and manage. A multisystem approach serves patients best. Appropriate treatment successfully improves patient self-image and sexual satisfaction.


This paper discusses inverse optimal control to achieve trajectory tracking of discrete-time nonlinear systems, and simultaneously the minimization of a cost functional; the proposed inverse optimal controller is based on the knowledge of a control Lyapunov function (CLF). With this approach, we avoid to solve the associated Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation. The proposed control scheme is applied to the Boost converter in order to achieve trajectory tracking for the capacitor voltage in the converter. Due to the fact that the controller is synthesized in the discrete-time framework, it can be directly implemented in real-time using appropriate technology.


A balanced combination of sophisticated computer programs was employed to model the soil strata, foundation and structure of a wharf for a new container terminal in the Port of Topolobampo, Mexico. The analysis was performed after severe pile misalignments and distresses were observed during the construction of about 70% of the structure. The detailed analysis was performed with minimum disruption of construction operations and helped determine certain modifications in the deck slab, piles, and landside filling. These changes saved a young project from a possible instability in the construction process and a possible failure under service loading.


Persistent racial/ethnic and residential disparities in test scores suggest schools fail to serve as society's great equalizers. Yet few studies have explored whether policies that adjust children's time in school are effective in reducing test-score inequality. We use ECLS-K data to compare children who attend year-round schools to those in nine-month schools, exploring (1) whether there were mean differences in the reading and math performance among first graders attending year-round and nine-month schools, (2) if racial and residential differences in children's test scores existed between the schooling types, and (3) if neighborhood effects related to academic performance strengthened or weakened as the children's exposure to schooling increased. Contrary to previous claims that schooling increases test-score inequality, we found no significant test-score differences among race-based groups of children according to neighborhood conditions in year-round schools. In contrast, we found prominent neighborhood effects and social class differences among children attending nine-month schools. We conclude with a discussion of the policy implications.


Introduction: France bewitched by America, Denis Lacorne and Jacques Rupnik. Part 1 The origins of anti-Americanism - history and hysteria: the pathology of anti-Americanism, Theodore Zeldin from Baudelaire to Duhamel - an unlikely antipathy, Pascal Ory anti-Americanism in the years of Collaboration and resistance, Robert O.Paxton the Cold War, Michel Winock. Part 2 The behaviour of the intelligentsia and their influence on public opinion: images of the United States in Public Opinion, Jacques Rupnik and Muriel Humbertjean the French intelligentsia rediscovers America, Diana Pinto anti-Americanism and the elite, Ezra N.Suleiman Sartre, Beauvoir, Aron - an ambigious affair, Marie-Christine Granjon. Part 3 Economy - dream of modernity: managerially yours, Richard Armand modernists and protectionists - the 1970s, Denis Lacorne the limits of the American model, Christian Stoffaes. Part 4 Rhetoric and reality of anti-Americanism in foreign politics: French anti-Americanism under the Fourth Republic and the Gaullist Solution, Michael M.Harrison unruly France, Alfred Grosser. Part 5 The US constitution - model or mimic?: the lawyer's verdict, Marie-France Toinet. Part 6 Why anti-Americanism is not always quite what it seems, nor Americano-philes quite what they say: United States - model or bete noire?, Guy Sorman does anti-Americanism exist?, Marie-France Toinet by way of conclusion, Andre Kaspi.


This paper examines how the product world around domestic cleanliness plays with the dual construction of the home as safe and dangerous. By participating in this construction, cleaning products engage with a salient concern in domestic life—how to achieve and maintain a safe domestic environment. We have investigated the discursive commentary on domestic cleanliness and safety in one domestic advice manual: Good Housekeeping magazine, over the period 1951–2001. This investigation has also provided insights into the discursive character of cleaning products. We have been interested in how product discourse moves the home discursively from exhibiting dangerous tendencies towards the attainment of safety through the utilization of products. However, reading product narratives over the late modern period makes it apparent that competition and the need for product innovation in an otherwise difficult market has created complexities that confront the domestic sphere with more dangers. We draw out the consequences of our findings and reflect on how this informs the assertion made by Ger and Yenicioglu (2004) about the connections between contemporary consumer culture, cleanliness and the domestic safe haven.


A new series disazo reactive dyes were synthesized by coupling different diazonium salts with 1,8-diaminonaphthalene-3,6-disulfonic acid.The dyestuffs were obtained by direct drying without salting out and there were no wastes discharged in all processes of the manufacture.The results of the application performance showed that these disazo reactive dyes possessed high fixation,good building up and excellent fastnesses of all kinds.


Introduction: Nursing activities in the field of Minimal Access Surgery (MAC) is aimed providing a quality care to patient and the family based on the care and satisfaction of physical and psychological needs with an ethical attitude and humanistic taking into consideration the use of technologies. Objective: To highlight the actions performed by nursing staff in the different scenarios of the Minimal Access Surgery. Material and Methods : A bibliographic review was carried out for which printed and electronic information sources were consulted. The databases consulted were the SCielo Regional platform, MEDLINE, Pubmed. Also authors' criteria in their professional practice were used. Development: The professional experience of the nursing staff in the areas of laparoscopic surgery, therapeutic endoscopy and interventional radiology, proves that an adequate theoretical and practical preparation guarantees the processes' mastery comprising them, as well as the infrastructure elements that support them. Proper job organization; agility and effectiveness during interventions; conservation and durability of the equipment; necessary and complementary doctor-nurse-patient relationship are essentials for a harmonious functioning of the Team Work. Conclusions: A nursing action based on the integration of the scientific and technical knowledge of the profession, the basic principles of minimal access surgery and the required technological knowledge guarantees a quality care. Keywords: Nursing professional; Minimal Access Surgery; Nursing actions, practices, functions, laparoscopic surgery, endoscopic therapy


liquid electrolyte for a lithium battery ion comprising at least: - a lithium salt, - at least 50% by mass of an organic solvent non-carbonated, the percentage weight being calculated relative to the total weight of organic solvent present in the electrolyte , the organic solvent non-carbonated being selected from esters, ethers, sulfones and sulfoxides.


Resource Description and Access (RDA) includes new lists of content and carrier types intended to replace the General Material Designations (GMDs) and Specific Material Designations (SMDs) of the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules (AACR), and which represent taxonomies designed to facilitate searching on content and carrier attributes of resources. However, these taxonomies were not constructed through analysis of end-user categorizations, nor have they been tested on end-users. This study investigates how end-users categorize library resources by employing the free-listing technique, commonly used by cognitive scientists and information architects. The results indicate that end-user categorizations of library resources may emphasize other facets, such as purpose, audience, and extent, in addition to content and carrier, and also levels of the content and carrier facets other than those represented by the RDA terms.


INDEED, in the middle of the twentieth century, the American people liked Ike. Eisenhower's 1945 return to the United States resulted in a hero's welcome—one seemingly hindered only by the war-caused shortage of confetti. A Gallup poll taken in August of 1945 asked if there was any person who had not held public office before who should be elected President, and 24 percent chose Eisenhower placing him just two percentage points behind MacArthur. In 1946 Ike was voted the second most admired living person—again just behind MacArthur, but ahead of President Truman. These levels of personal popularity, however, did not create an overwhelming political power. As late as the end of June in 1947, only 4 percent of the Republicans polled wanted Ike to


This study aimed to determine a feed withdrawal duration time of Gryllus bimaculatus (Gb), for removal of intestinal feces. Finally, this species of cricket has been temporarily approved for use as a human food source in Korea. To commercialize Gb as an edible insect, we attempted to prevent the proliferation of micro-organisms and improve taste of Gb by removing intestinal feces of live crickets. Our study showed that weak crickets were damaged in 2 days after feed withdrawal in farm. The microscope findings also revealed that feces of strong crickets' intestine almost disappeared at 1 day after feed withdrawal and instead, some of arms and legs of weak crickets were observed in the former's intestine. The results suggest that 1 day is deemed to be an adequate time for feed withdrawal, when it usually takes 1 day to deliver live crickets from the farm to a destination.


Benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma (BMPM) is a rare peritoneal tumor. Surgery is the only effective treatment for BMPM, and affected tissues occasionally must be sacrificed to achieve adequate debulking. A 25‐year‐old female was diagnosed with BMPM. She was counseled on fertility preservation and had oocyte cryopreservation prior to her debulking. Fertility preservation through embryo or oocyte cryopreservation is a valuable option for patients at risk of losing reproductive tissues during extensive surgery and chemotherapy. J. Surg. Oncol. 2014; 110:372–374. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Objective:To discuss the expressions of S100A4 and E-cadherin(E-cad)in prostate carcinoma,and to explore their roles in prostate carcinoma invasion and metastasis and their biological significance.Methods:We evaluated 68 cases of prostate carcinoma and 50 cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia and examined the presence of S100A4 and E-cad by immunohistochemical S-P method.Results:The expression of S100A4 was founded in 47.1% in prostate carcinoma and E-cad was 45.6%(P0.05).Both S100A4 and E-cad in prostate carcinoma and benign prostatic hyperplasia tissue had significant difference.The expression of S100A4 was positively correlated with clinical stage,tumor grade and lymph node metastasis(P0.05),but not with age and bone metastasis(P0.05).The expression rate of E-cad decreased while the expression rate of S100A4 rose.The expression rate of E-cad rose while the expression rate of S100A4 decreases.Conclusion:The expression of S100A4 and loss of E-cad are significantly associated with tumor progression in prostate carcinoma.Both of them can be the predictors of the biological behavior and trend of the patients with prostate carcinoma.The expressions of S100A4 and E-cad in prostate carcinoma are intimate relation.They perhaps affect the occurrence,development and metastasis of prostate carcinoma together.S100A4 may be an important predictor of the clinicopathologic feature of prostate carcinoma.


The Bronsted acid-promoted dimerization of o-alkynylbenzaldehydes has been discovered and studied in the presence of 45% aq. HBF4 in acetic acid. The developed cascade methodology provides a convenient one-step synthesis of symmetrical 2,3,6,7-dibenzo-9-oxabicyclo[3.3.1]nona-2,6-diene (Kagan's ether) analogues bearing various functionalities.


There is considerable evidence demonstrating that erythrocyte deformability is playing an important role in the filerability of blood and consequently in the pathology of a variety of blood-related diseases. The shape of red blood cell is also a determining factor for its deformability and filerability. The original input red blood cell image we are aiming to deal with is captured by Scanned Electronic Microscope (SEM). We map the intensity level image into a 3-D depth through Shape from Shading (SFS) first to get the height field of each pixel, then each cell on top level is extracted from the whole image by means of region growing algorithm based on boundary contour tracing, which are used for feature extraction and statistics computation. The experimental result shows that this approach is easily to implement and promising. Index Terms—red blood cell, contour tracing, shape reconstruction, surface segmentation I. INTRODUCTION


The great amount of fertilizer is used in preventing plant diseases and insect pests in our country. During recent years, influenced by environment worsen, global weather abnormity and so on, the acreage of agricultural plant diseases and insect pests is greatly enlarged in our country. The quantity of market fertilizer is 800 thousand tons per year, and the area of chemical prevention is more than 2 hundred million hm2 per year. Used these fertilizers reasonably and scientifically to ensure environmental safety, person safety and food safety, fertilizer machinery and fertilizer technology play an important role. So expounded the present status, problems, fertilizer technology and method of middle and small fertilizer machinery for plant protection.


The concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is gaining support in the global business environment. Some companies are adopting a model, the Social License to Operate (SLO), as part of their CSR strategy. This paper provides background on the concepts of Corporate Social Responsibility and Social License to Operate with examples supporting the business case for them. It proposes a process based on stakeholder theory for identifying and classifying stakeholders that divides stakeholders into two groups: vested and non-vested. Vested stakeholder groups have a vote in the awarding of a social license to operate, while non-vested stakeholder groups have only a voice. By using a process based on alignment of the norms and values of the company, and the stakeholder groups, social licenses to operate can be negotiated that can allow a company to succeed in different countries and cultures.


The invention relates to a syringe support (15, 15') for supporting an axial position of a syringe (3) relative to a housing (2) of an autoinjector (1), wherein the syringe support (15, 15') comprises: - a projecting portion (15.3) which projects from the syringe support (15, 15') in a distal direction (D) and - a flexible portion (15.1) which axially adjoins the projecting portion (15.3) and which is adapted to axially bias the syringe (3) in the distal direction (D) within the housing (2). The invention further relates to an autoinjector (1).


The paper presents a payloadbased anomaly detector model describing the normal pakcet payload of network traffic in a fully automatic,unsupervised and very effecient fashion,for intrusion detection.We firstly compute during a training phase a profile byte frequency distribution and their standard deviation of the application payload flowing to a single host and port.then,Mahalanobis distance during the detection phase is used to calculate the similarity of new data against the precomputed profile.The detector compares this measure against a threshold and generates an alert when the distance of the new input exceeds this threshold.The surprising effectiveness of the method is demonstrated for the 1999 DARPA IDS dataset.In one case nearly 100% accuracy is achieved with 0.1% false positive rate for port 80 traffic.


Since BU was declared an emerging disease in 1998, much effort has been invested in research. Some aspects, however, remain unclear and thus require much more investigation, including reservoir(s) and mode(s) of transmission, risk factors, optimal management and preventive tools. Better strategies for early diagnosis and effective therapy compatible with the socioeconomic structures of BU endemic areas, should be developed. A multidisciplinary approach and productive cooperation between scientists and health professionals remain indispensable for the improvement of BU control worldwide.


Analysis of muscle biopsies allowed to characterize the pathophysiological changes of Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies (D/BMD) leading to the clinical phenotype. Muscle tissue is often investigated during interventional dose finding studies to show in situ proof of concept and pharmacodynamics effect of the tested drug. Less invasive readouts are needed to objectively monitor patients' health status, muscle quality, and response to treatment. The identification of serum biomarkers correlating with clinical function and able to anticipate functional scales is particularly needed for personalized patient management and to support drug development programs.


Currently,the aggressive public finance policy has already transformed into a steady public finance policy in our country,which belongs to a neutral policy type.The quality of steady public finance policy is moderate de- velopment policy in fact.So the taxation policy should also adjust for corresponding.The structure of taxation should be paid attention to adjustment especially.Therefore,it is very necessary to study systematically current taxation shoulder,taxation policy and the direction of taxation reform.


The nano-Au catalyst samples were prepared by a facile deposition-precipitation method with SBA-15 as support,and the effects of pretreatment conditions and Au loading on the catalyst activity for CO oxidation were studied.The catalyst samples were characterized by high resolution transmission electron microscopy,N2 adsorption-desorption,X-ray diffraction,ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy.The results showed that the Au particles were highly dispersed in the channels of SBA-15 after reduction and subsequent calcination.The sample pretreated by reduction and calcination exhibited high low-temperature activity and high catalytic activity when the reaction temperature was as high as 500 oC.The catalyst showed good cycle stability and high resistance to sintering.


Comply with the law is to be done by every citizen . As with the enactment of Law no. 22 of 2009, regarding Traffic and Transportation . In Article 107 requires a two-wheeled vehicle riders should always turn on the headlights , and article 112 , every motorist to change lanes or turn and should provide a signal 30 meters before, and turn off the lights and signals after moving lane or turn . However , riders wheeled vehicles often forget to turn on the main lights are always on and off after the turn signal lights . In this study, the authors make the automation to turn on the main light by using light neutral ( at the time porsenling neutral position ) , if the light is neutral on the main lights off and if the neutral light off the main lights on . For turn signal lights / moving point , in accordance with the provisions required distance , by exploiting holes in the brake disc front disc and using opt ho -interup tter sensor , then the distance can be calculated . From the experimental results , obtained sensor headlights are always on when porsneling not neutral , while the proximity sensor to turn the signal lights / moving point with average error is 0.0375 %


Based on the results of a review, synthesis, and comparative analysis of existing international data and research, it seems that the role of privatization—as a means of reforming the public sector—has expanded internationally in scope and at such a rapid pace that, in many cases, the importance of objective and balanced measures of its overall effectiveness and impact on the affected communities need to be reexamined. The results of this research reveal that the negative consequences of privatization are often masked or go undetected because the effectiveness of privatization is based primarily on economic performance. I recommend that those responsible for planning of future privatization activities should refocus the present economic emphasis and strive for a balance of economic and social performance to improve long-term benefits for all sectors of the affected communities.


A review is given of several methods for determining the chemical and physical (not mechanical) properties of advanced composites. This discussion is not all-inclusive; rather, it is restricted to composites with thermoset matrices, usually epoxies, and to methods that have gained some acceptance among researchers in the composites field. Strictly speaking, mechanical testing is a form of physical characterization but because the subject is amply covered in published literature, it will not be discussed here. Specifically, three steps are discussed of physiochemical characterization of composites: screening and quality control of the raw materials, determining the degree of cure, and characterizing the cured composite. In addition to wet chemical analysis, infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and liquid chromatography are recommended for quality control. For cure cycle monitoring, infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, differential scanning calorimetry, dielectrometry, and torsional braid analysis are reviewed. In addition, the versatility of thermal analysis and the applicability of Raman spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy are discussed for characterizing cured composites. Finally, we stress the need for standard procedures for screening and quality control of raw materials as well as the need for innovative testing to relate properties of the cured composite to specific service conditions. We alsomore » point out the pitfalls of the methods reviewed.« less


An analytical model to study the free vibration suppression of laminated curved beam with embedded actuating layers is presented in this study. The magnetostrictive layers are used to control and enhance the vibration suppression. The governing differential equations of the model are derived using the Hamilton principle. Analytical solution of the equations governing laminated curved beam with embedded magnetostrictive layers are obtained for simply-supported boundary conditions. Velocity feedback with constant gain distributed controller, by using Terfenol-D as smart material, is chosen to achieve vibration suppression. The effects of material properties, radius of curvature, lamination scheme, and placement of magnetostrictive layers with respect to laminate midplane on vibration suppression are studied in details.


Abstract A feature of many European countries after World War II was the kind of institutional arrangements that developed between capital and labour. A central question in the literature concerns whether neo-liberal competitive labour markets or organized corporatist labour markets are more efficient. In this paper the economic and social outcomes from these different market arrangements are compared for a number of OECD countries from the 1980s to the end of the 20th century. Although, in the 1990s strongly corporatist countries remain a great deal more egalitarian than liberal market economies, the evidence from this paper indicates that the latter have outperformed countries with corporatist type arrangements regarding employment and economic growth. It appears that the economic dividend arising from strongly institutionalized industrial relations systems is no longer being delivered. Yet, the outcomes of liberal economic policies of deregulation are increasingly unequal societies. The challenge for advanced democratic societies is to deliver on both social equity and economic growth.


In this paper, an improved auto disturbance rejection controller (ADRC) is applied to permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) speed control system. Specifically, the improved ADRC is proposed to solve the defect that the nonlinear function of traditional ADRC is not differentiable at the piecewise point. In addition, considering that there are numerous parameters to be optimized in ADRC, an improved moth‐flame optimization (MFO) is proposed to obtain ADRC parameters, and adaptive inertia weight coefficient and optimization mechanism based on the fusion of refraction operation and chaotic search are proposed to improve the convergence speed and optimization accuracy for MFO. Simulation and experimental results show that the improvement strategies proposed in this paper can increase the optimization performance for MFO algorithm effectively so that obtained more appropriative ADRC parameters. The improved ADRC can effectively improve the tracking control performance of PMSM speed control system. © 2021 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.


This article argues that Security Council resolutions adopted in the context of UN peace operations may be considered a useful instrument by which to assess political acceptance of international human rights law. By analysing all peace resolutions' adopted since 1945, four distinct periods may be discerned which illustrate the development of the Council's approach to human rights (1945–1989; 1990–1995; 1995–1998; and 1998-present). Such analysis reveals, however, that human rights are still accorded a lower status with respect to other bodies of international law, and international humanitarian law in particular. This is reflected in a persistent refusal of the Council to avail itself of explicit legal human rights language and by avoiding references to international human rights treaties. Human rights thus appear to constitute a convenient smorgasbord a la carte behind which States (the P5) may pick and choose according to political interests and shy away from legal responsibilities. Nevertheless, it is suggested that UN 'peace resolutions' may indirectly, through various bodies, enhance the status of international human rights law: the International Court of Justice, the UN human rights treaty body system and human rights components of UN peace operations.


Abstract Globally the HIV epidemic mainly affects young people, particularly young females who are vulnerable to acquisition of HIV as a result of their biological and social susceptibility. Women represent an increasing proportion of newly diagnosed HIV cases in Western and Eastern Europe, reaching 35% and 40%, respectively, in 2004. In the European Collaborative Study (ECS), HIV-infected pregnant women are enrolled and their infants followed-up prospectively. By the end of 2005, 5956 women had enrolled, of whom 1912 (32%) were aged < 25 years at delivery. Enrolments of youth declined in Western European centres from 59% in 1985 to 18% in 2005. In Ukraine, youth enrolments declined from 52% in 2001 to 43% in 2005. Median ages of the young and older sub-cohorts were 22.3 and 29.9 years, respectively. Injecting drug use (IDU) was more common in the older than younger sub-cohorts [42% (n = 1684) vs. 35% (n = 675), p < 0.001]. However, young IDUs were more likely to be currently using injecting drugs than older IDUs (59% vs. 38%, p < 0.001), to report current sharing of injecting equipment (22% vs. 13%, p = 0.001) and to report an IDU sex partner (59% vs. 48%, p < 0.02). Young HIV-infected pregnant women in Europe are a heterogeneous group, possibly less identifiable as being at risk of HIV infection. They will have diverse needs for services during and after pregnancy, including harm reduction services and psychosocial support, in addition to a universal need for prevention of mother-to-child transmission services.


A transmitter, which is provided with an internal apparatus for transmitting broadcast signals, is also provided with a nonvolatile memory, an internal apparatus control unit, and a central processing unit (CPU). The nonvolatile memory has setting information of the internal apparatus stored therein. The internal apparatus control unit reads out the setting information from the nonvolatile memory when a power supply is turned on, and controls the internal apparatus on the basis of the setting information. Furthermore, the CPU starts up an operating system (OS) when the power supply is turned on.


One of the most important tasks of oscillation investigation in engineering is to determine resonant regimes. Several problems related to parametric excitation have been quite thoroughly examined in [1, 2]. The objective of this paper is to examine the influence of non-linear parametric excitation to resonant characteristics of one degree of freedom system in which non-linear function contains derivatives of second order [3, 4].


The increasing of transportation demand in Thailand requires a lot of human resources to support the future railway system. Therefore, we have developed an in-house fixed-block train control simulation system to be used as a tool for helping learners to understand train control procedures. The train control simulation system combines of train model, signaling control hardware, and controlling and signaling simulation software. ROCO train models and switches are controlled by the z21 controller box which are in-turn commanded by controlling and signaling simulation software through Wi-Fi. The train control software gets train position from RFID reader that installed on train model to read RFID tags under the rail. The software can control train model movement respecting to the defined timetable. Leaner able to reserve a route, the software will check for the availability of tracks and switches throughout the route and then reserve and set the status of the corresponding switches to the correct positions in order to ensure the route safety.


Blast furnace dust contains a great deal of iron and carbon,and thus it may be an effective disposal to inject the dust back into the furnace.Considering the possible variations of conditions inside the furnace with dust injection,a material and heat balance model was developed to calculate the variations of coke ratio,slag basicity and raceway adiabatic flame temperature with dust injection.The results show that,with the increase of dust injection,the coke ratio and slag basicity decrease significantly while the raceway adiabatic flame temperature decrease only 0.28 ℃/kg.These variations can be handled by burden adjustment.


I -  , Jewish writers, educators, and ideologues viewed the task of promoting quality reading in Yiddish among children and youth as a supreme goal on their cultural agenda. Among east European Yiddish writers there had been, even at the turn of the twentieth century, a heightened awareness of the genuine need to appeal to young Jews by presenting worthwhile literary materials, an awareness that also accompanied the early attempts to establish secular educational institutions whose primary language of instruction would be Yiddish. These were sporadic initiatives led by private individuals and public organizations, usually identified with the Jewish workers' movement. Clearly, the development of a Hebrew children's literature and educational system was the model that the Yiddishists sought to emulate. The willingness of Hevrat Mefitsei Haskalah Beyisra'el (the Society for the Promotion of Culture among the Jews of Russia) to support Yiddish educational institutions—that is, to recognize the importance of the language—enabled both the existence and the advancement of these institutions.1 Two early initiatives were focused on these


This analysis of invention is the result of a study of patents, patent applications and some other technical and scientific lite rature published in the United States, Japan, Great Britain, Western Germany and France, as well as European (Munich) and PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) patent applications, in the period from about January 1975 to about January 1985. It provides a systematic review of research activities on the structural and operational development of heat pipes in the period covered, and on their applications. The study is in two parts: Part I relating to aspects of indi vidual heat pipes and Part II concerning the application of heat pipes to heat exchangers and mechanical and electrical components, in which the construction and operation of the in dividual heat pipes are of secondary importance. The material studied during the search has been derived from the search files of the European Patent Office, Rijswijk, The Nether lands, classified in accordance with the following international patent classes (IPC): F 28 D 15/02 relating to heat exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls in which the medium condenses and evaporates, e.g. heat pipes. F 24 J 2/32 relating to heat pipes of solar heat collectors. Vlll G 21 D 5/02 relating to arrangements of nuclear reactor and engine, in which reactor produced heat is converted into mechanical energy and in which reactor and engine are structurally combined."


The NERC PRC-026-1 reliability standard has recently taken effect and may have an increasingly important role in the development of generator protection settings. The intent of PRC-026-1 is "To ensure that load-responsive protective relays are expected to not trip for stable power swings during non-fault conditions". This paper is intended to be an introductory overview for completing a NERC PRC-026 study for a synchronous generator facility from the perspective of a system protection engineer. This paper also provides an overview of power system stability and the response of impedance-based relay elements to system swings. Lastly, this paper includes a comparison of applicable traditional impedance based generator protection methods outlined in IEEE Standard C37.102., with the method used to demonstrate compliance with the PRC-026-1 standard.


Despite India achieving the selfsufficiency status in wheat production and enhancing its potential to manage the inter year fluctuations in production, the problem of household food security and nutrition security is still a puzzle. The country's wheat breeding programme is expected to face an impending crisis with respect to future wheat demand. In view of the trans-challenges, increasing the crop productivity is a possible solution to address the issue on food and nutrition security. Incremental yield could be achieved through concerted research and its benefit (access to wheat) should have an out reach via synergy between research, developmental and extension programmes. An integrated mission mode research and development in all the crops will lay a basis for building the nation towards food and nutritional security.


Tuberculosis (TB) is an unusual infection in liver transplant recipients, its incidence ranges from 0.9-2.3% in developed countries1. In these patients, TB is frequently seen as disseminated disease or as pulmonary disease, and liver involvement has been described only in cases of disseminated disease. Here we describe the uncommon case of a liver transplanted patient who developed an isolated liver abscess due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (BK). A 58-year-old man was referred to our unit 8 months after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) for cryptogenic cirrhosis. He complained of episodes of high fever and night sweats for over 1 month. On admission he had intermittent fevers up to 39°C, and no clear focus of infection determined by a physical examination. He did not complain of any other symptoms. The patient was on chronic immunosuppressive treatment with tacrolimus (1.5 mg bid) and steroids (prednisone 10 mg/day) due to the presence of lupus anticoagulant phenomenon. Results of blood analyses were as follows: white blood cell count 6.95 103 cells/l with 84% neutrophils, 9.1% lymphocytes, 4.6% monocytes; platelets 151 109 cells/l; haemoglobin 13.7 g/dl; erythrocyte sedimentation rate 36 mm/h (normal value < 15 mm/h); C-reactive protein 132 mg/l (normal value < 80 mg/l); fibrinogen 6190 mg/l (normal value 2000-4000 mg/l); gamma-glutamyl transferase was 2.1 times the upper normal values, alkaline phosphatase was 1.2 times the upper normal value. Serum transaminase, bilirubine, creatinine, lactate dehydrogenase and serum electrolytes were normal. Serology for parvovirus, cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus was negative. Blood cultures excluded bacterial infection. Radiological examination of the chest was normal. An abdominal ultrasonograpy revealed a 35 mm solid hypoechoic mass with poorly defined walls in the fourth segment (Fig. 1) without dilatation of the biliary tree. The mass was not seen on a previous ultrasound examination done by the same operator 3 months before. A Doppler study did not show arterial or venous blood flow inside the mass, whereas the hepatic artery flow was normal. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the thorax and abdomen was then performed, showing a normal pattern of lungs, and confirming a 50 mm lesion in the fourth hepatic segment, with the pattern of a partly solid and only in small part liquefied abscess. No enlarged lymph nodes were detected. During this procedure, by inserting a 20G needle in the liquid part of the mass, an aspiration biopsy was obtained. The small quantity of collected material presented as a dense, purulent, slightly haematic fluid. The microbiological examination of the specimen showed a large amount of acid-fast bacilli. The patient was treated on an empirical basis with clarithromycin (500 mg bid), ethambutol (400 mg tid) and levofloxacin (500 mg bid), and rapidly improved, with fever resolution on the second day of treatment. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein normalised 8 days later. Blood levels of tacrolimus progressively increased, and its dosage was reduced to 0.5 mg every 3 days. The patient was discharged from the hospital on clarithromycin, ethambutol and levofloxacin. After 1 month, the bacterial strain was identified as Mycobacterium tuberculosis (sensitive to all tested drugs).


An ab initio gradient calculation of the general harmonic force field (GHFF) of methylene chloride at the HF-SCF/6-31 G** level has been undertaken. The results compare favourably with those determined empirically, thus demonstrating a good predictive capability at this level of sophistication for a molecule possessing two third row halogen atoms. The ab initio results reveal small inadequacies in the empirical force constants relating to the CH2 moiety, which may be corrected by a careful re-appraisal of the accumulated spectroscopic data. The resulting empirical and scaled quantum mechanical (SQM) sets of force constants are then in very good accord. Predicted ab initio cubic force constants for methylene chloride are also calculated.


Inorganic components in low-rank coals can be incorporated as discrete mineral particles, ion-exchangeable cations or coordination complexes. The mode of incorporation may influence the way in which the metals behave in utilisation processes. This paper describes the mode in which Al, Ba, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Si, Sr and Ti were found in a North Dakota lignite, a Texas lignite and a Montana sub-bituminous coal. The three coals showed significant differences not only in amounts of the elements present but also in how they occur in the coal.


Objective: To investigate the association between negative self-perception of health and individual characteristics in older adults from community groups in Southeastern Brazil. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out between 2014 and 2017 with a sample of 157 older adults from 2 social groups held by social and/or religious services in the city of Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil. A structured questionnaire containing questions used in population-based surveys was used and anthropometric measurements of weight, height and waist circumference (WC) were taken. Self-rated health (the outcome variable) was assessed using the following question: would you say your health is bad, fair, good, or very good? The answers were categorized into negative self-perception (poor and fair) and positive self-perception (good and very good). Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney test, Fisher's test, Chi-squared test, and multivariate logistic regression were used. Results: The rate of negative self-perception of health was 32.5%. Negative self-perception of health was associated with lower levels of income (OR=5.02; 95%CI: 2.08 - 12.08), physical inactivity (OR=3.51; 95%CI: 1.26 - 9.78), and presence of two or more diseases (OR=4.96, 95%CI: 2.10 - 11.72), regardless of age and sex. Conclusion: Negative self-perception of health was associated with lower levels of income, physical inactivity and presence of two or more associated diseases.


cology is the study of life and its interactions with the physical environment. Because climate change requires rapid adaptation, new data analysis tools are essential to quantify those changes in the midst of high natural variability. Ecology is a science in which studies have been performed primarily by small groups of individuals, with data recorded and stored in notebooks. But large synthesis studies are now being attempted by collaborations involving hundreds of scientists. These larger efforts are essential because of two developments: one in how science is done and the other in the resource management questions being asked. While collaboration synthesis studies are still nascent, their ever-increasing importance is clear. Computational support is integral to these collaborations and key to the scientific process. how GLobaL chanGes are chanGinG ecoLoGicaL science The global climate and the Earth's landscape are changing, and scientists must quantify significant linkages between atmospheric , oceanic, and terrestrial processes to properly study the phenomena. For example, scientists are now asking how climate fluctuations in temperature, precipitation, solar radiation, length of growing season, and extreme weather events such as droughts affect the net carbon exchange between vegetation and the atmo


ABSTRACT In a laboratory study of the effect of rater expectations on the evaluation of a hypothetical subordinate's performance, 159 undergraduates role played the part of a sales manager who had been given high, low, or no expectations about a subordinates's potential along with hypothetical concrete or abstract performance data. Hypotheses regarding the interaction of performance data and expectations on evaluations were not supported. Although evaluations of the subordinate's performance did not vary across conditions, the student raters recommended larger raises for the subordinate for whom they had low expectations than for the subordinate for whom they had high expectations. The key predictor of a recommended raise appeared to be the extent to which the subordinate met or exceeded rater expectations. These results were reconfirmed with an independent cross-validation sample of 168 subjects.


The problem of synthesis of the given shape contoured directivity pattern of a spacecraft hybrid antenna with the purpose of uniform "illumination" of the some territorial zone is considered. The variational formulation of the synthesis problem according to the given magnitude pattern is used. The mean-square deviation of given and synthesized magnitudes is chosen as an optimization criterion. It permits one to improve the approximation quality of the magnitudes, to influence the polarized properties of synthesized directivity patterns, and also to satisfy set additional requirements. Examples of synthesis of the contoured directivity patterns, which cover the given territory uniformly are presented. In these examples, the hybrid antenna consisting of a rectangular cutting from a parabolic reflector and a feed array is used.


Chlorination constitutes a practical and economical chemical control method for the disinfection of recycled nutrient solutions in soilless growing systems. Although the chlorination can prevent the development of pathogenic organisms, the use of inadequate doses of chlorine could produce damages to the culture and environment. It is necessary to select doses for each plant species that do not cause damages nor produce undesirable effects on the productivity and quality. Zinnia sp. in South America has large potential for cultivation as an ornamental potted or vase fl ower. Tests for disinfection of the recycled nutrient solution were performed with different chlorine quantities (control, 11, 22, 44 and 88 mg L-1) to evaluate the potential phytotoxicity and effects on the fl ower production (weight and number) of Zinnia elegans var. Enana. The production and phytotoxicity were analyzed in relations with the contents of macronutrients (N, P, Ca, and K), sodium and chlorides levels in leaves and related chemical changes (pH, EC and chlorides) in the nutrient solution. The results showed improvement of the development of foliage, roots and the production of fl owers with the doses of 11 and 22 ppm, associated to a minor toxicity. The larger doses did not surpass the toxicity levels, although affected the productivity and quality of plants. These results enabled us to select doses under the value of 22 ppm for futures effectiveness test to control pathogens.


The purpose of this study is to explore the attitudes of general education teachers toward educating special needs students in inclusive classrooms in Egyptian private schools. It seeks to investigate the factors that might affect their views and attitudes towards inclusive education. In addition, it suggests some recommendations for having a successful inclusive system in Egypt. The study was conducted in three private schools in Cairo. The participants were ten general education teachers who were chosen based on their involvement in inclusive practices or teaching special needs students in their classrooms. The methodology utilized was the qualitative approach through conducting one to one semi structured interviews with the teachers. The findings of this study showed that most of the teachers demonstrated positive attitudes toward including special needs students in their classrooms. While two teachers out of ten held negative attitudes toward inclusion. Furthermore, teachers were found to hold more positive attitudes when there are a small number of students with special needs in each class and when their cases are not severe. In addition, the results indicated that school administration support, professional development and knowledge, severity of the disabilities, and teacher parent collaboration were common themes developed among the teachers to indicate the factors that affected their attitudes toward inclusion. This study is guided by the theory of "Planned Behavior" which suggests that an individual"s behavior is both predicted and influenced by intentions driven from three basic components; attitudes towards the behavior, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control (Ajzen, 2005). The results of this study could raise awareness among policymakers of the importance of implementing inclusive education that suits all students in Egypt. TEACHERS" ATTITUDES TOWARD INCLUSION 4 Table of


To date, there have been four randomized trials, including the Groupe d'Etudes des Lymphomes de l'Adulte (GELA) LNH 93-4 trial reported by Bonnet et al in this issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, that compare chemotherapy alone to chemotherapy followed by radiation for patients with stage I-II aggressive lymphoma. Although these four trials appeared to address a similar question in a group of patients with localized disease, each of these trials differed in patient characteristics, study design, and number of cycles or type of chemotherapy administered to the treatment arms. These factors, along with the strengths and caveats of each individual trial, need to be taken into consideration in the interpretation of the trials' results. One trial, the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) 8736 trial, was designed to address the question of whether the addition of involved-field radiation therapy allows the use of less chemotherapy. At its initial publication, the answer appeared to be affirmative, in that not only did the addition of radiation therapy allow the use of three cycles instead of eight cycles of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP), but there was also a significant 5-year progression-free and overall survival benefitwithcombined-modalitytherapyusingabbreviatedchemotherapy compared with a prolonged course of chemotherapy alone. In addition, there were more life-threatening events, including left ventricular dysfunction and cardiac deaths, in patients who received eight cycles of chemotherapy compared with patients who received three cycles of chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy. However, updated results of this trial, reported in abstract form, show that there were no longer differences in failure-free survival and overall survival between the two treatment arms. This was largely due to late relapses and lymphoma deaths after 5 years in patients who received abbreviated chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy. These findings suggest that three cycles of CHOP is inadequate systemic therapy, despite the fact that this trial included a relatively favorable group of patients. In this trial, half of the patients were younger than 60 years, two thirds of the patients had stage I disease, and patients with bulky stage II disease were excluded. A second such trial, GELA LNH 93-1, which was conducted in patients with stage I-II mostly low-risk aggressive lymphoma, had a similar design comparing aggressive chemotherapy alone with abbreviated chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy. Patients in this trial were all age 60 years or younger, with normal lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels and performance status, and two thirds of the patients had stage I disease. The comparison arms were dose-intensified doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vindesine, bleomycin, and prednisone (ACVBP) plus sequential consolidation (a regimen originally developed for patients with poor-risk disease, which had been shown to be superior to eight cycles of CHOP), compared with three cycles of CHOP plus involved-field radiation therapy. Not surprisingly, patients randomly assigned to receive ACVBP, which has a theoretical dose-intensity of at least 150% of that delivered by three cycles of CHOP, had significantly higher 5-year event-free and overall survival rates. Although the addition of radiation therapy after three cycles of CHOP reduced relapses at initial sites of disease, it was not enough to overcome the excessive distant relapses after the abbreviated therapy. Although the SWOG 8736 and GELA LNH 93-1 trials have often been quoted to refute the role of radiation therapy in patients with localized aggressive lymphoma, the results of these trials essentially showed that radiation therapy cannot be used to replace inferior and inadequate chemotherapy. There is, however, a subgroup of patients for whom three cycles of chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy may be adequate, namely, patients with a stage-adjusted international prognostic index (IPI) of 0 (patient characteristics: age 60, normal LDH, performance status of 0-1, and stage I disease). In a subsequent analysis of the SWOG 8736 trial, patients without any stage-adjusted IPI risk factors had a 5-year overall survival rate of 94% after three cycles of CHOP and radiation therapy. However, in those patients with one or more risk factors, the 5-year overall survival was only 70% after the same treatment. These findings are consistent with the long-term results of the British Columbia group reported by Shenkier et al. In that study, patients with localized aggressive lymphoma received three cycles of CHOP-like chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy. Among those patients with a stage-adjusted IPI of 0, the 5and 10-year disease-specific survival rates were 98% and 95%, respectively, and the 5and 10-year overall survival rates were 97% and 90%, respectively. The third trial conducted by the Eastern Oncology Group (ECOG) used the same chemotherapy regimen in the two comparison arms, and is therefore positioned to directly address the role of radiation therapy. This study included less favorable patients, in that all stage I patients had bulky or extranodal disease and patients JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY E D I T O R I A L VOLUME 25 NUMBER 7 MARCH 1 2007


Improved earth moving techniques and more efficient processing methods of large low grade orebodies, have resulted in a dramatic escalation in the number of large scale open cut mining operations in Western Australia (WA). In WA there are more than 1800 mine voids scattered over an area of 2.5 million km2. Some of these voids date back to the 1890s and range in size from that of the average borrow pit (100s m in diameter) to the enormous pits being developed in the Goldfields and Pilbara. Mount Whaleback pit in the Pilbara, for example, will eventually be 5.5 km by 2.2km and almost 0.5 km deep. In the past, mine voids received relatively little attention, the greatest interest being during the development phase, with very little focus on what ultimately happens once mining ceases. Mine closure focussed on pit safety issues (structural safety) rather than on environmental impacts. Many of the mine voids extend below the watertable and mining therefore entails dewatering operations. Once dewatering ceases, groundwater levels recover and the mine void becomes a 'window' in the groundwater table. This exposure of the watertable causes the development of an artificial lake, initiating geochemical and hydrological processes that evolve with time. The infilling of the void with water could take centuries, with chemical evolution continuing much longer if evaporative concentration is significant. This raises the question of whether these abandoned mine voids represent hydrogeological time bombs? Are a simple safety bund and fence all that is necessary before walking away from a closed mine void?


One of the ways to publish scientific paper is to present it in a conference. Before being presented in the conference, the registered scientific paper has to be grouped into categories. Because there are so many scientific papers that have been registered, it is an urgent need to establish a system that can automatically identify the topic of scientific papers and classify them according to recognized topics. One method that can be used to organize documents according to their categories is classification. In this study, Support Vector Machine algorithm is used as a method to classify documents into 5 categories of computer science. System test is done by taking 150 documents as data sample and 50 documents as data testing. This study produced a classification system of scientific documents and showed the method used was able to classify documents with 90% accuracy results.


This work draws on research undertaken in projects with funding from a variety of sources which is gratefully acknowledged including: The UK Technology Strategy Board funded project Laser Printed Electronics, the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, and European Union FP6 funded project Custom-fit.


Existing methods are considered for calculating interface drag coefficient in concurrent downflow and upflow of a gas and a liquid film over hydraulically smooth tube surfaces in annular-mist flow regions within a wide range of channel diameters and liquid viscosities. Equations for making calculations are derived.


Objectives:HIV-2-infected individuals usually initiate antiretroviral therapy (ART) at an advanced age compared with HIV-1 patients, with a potential impact on treatment outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the effect of sex and age on mortality and loss to follow-up (LTFU) among HIV-2-infected individuals initiating ART. Methods:Analyses were conducted using the database of the International Epidemiological Databases to Evaluate AIDS's collaboration in West Africa. LTFU was considered if the interval between the last visit and the closing date for this analysis was more than 180 days. Probability of death and LTFU were estimated with Kaplan–Meier methods. A Cox regression model was used to identify factors associated with death and LTFU over the first 24 months on ART. Results:A total of 1825 HIV-2-infected individuals, including 60% women were considered for this analysis. The median age, baseline CD4+ cell count, and follow-up duration were 45 years [interquartile range (IQR; 38–52)], 185 cells/&mgr;l [IQR (95–297)], and 28.8 months [IQR (9.8–58.9)], respectively. Over the first 24 months, the mortality rate was 5.2/100 person-years of observation [95% confidence interval (CI; 4.4–6.1)] and 469 (25.7%) were LTFU. Male sex [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.9; 95% CI (1.4; 2.8)], baseline CD4+ cell count less than 100 cell/&mgr;l [HR = 4.4 95% CI (1.7; 11.1); ref at least 350 cell/&mgr;l], haemoglobin 7.5–10 g/dl [HR = 2.4 95% CI (1.3; 4.4); ref at least 12 g/dl], and BMI less than 18 kg/m2 [HR = 2.1 95% CI (1.3; 3.4); ref = 18–25 kg/m2] were associated with higher mortality over the first 24 months. Similar associations were found for LTFU. Conclusion:Mortality and LTFU are high among ART-receiving HIV-2-infected individuals and higher in men than in women. There is a critical need to further determine the causes of poor retention and implement sex-specific solutions that improve outcomes in HIV-2 ART programmes.


A novel design of single-mode microstructured optical fibre with large-mode-area is proposed. The proposed fibre is composed of a circular-core, which is surrounded by three sectorial low-index segments and three supporting bridges. For sufficiently wide bridges, the high-order modes in the fibre will be induced to the bridges and leaked out, whereas the fundamental mode is confined by the sectorial low-index segments. In addition, the losses of the fundamental mode can be reduced sufficiently by increasing the radius of the sectorial segments. Numerical investigations demonstrate that single-mode operation with ultra-large mode-area and low confinement loss can be achieved in the proposed fibre.


The treatment countermeasures against the filamentous sludge bulking in Tongxiang Wastewater Treatment Plant are introduced.The wastewater quality characteristics and operation conditions during sludge bulking are analyzed.It is believed that the filamentous sludge bulking is mainly caused by low sludge loading rate and low DO.It is effectively controlled by adjusting sludge age,sludge loading and DO level,adding NaClO to kill filamentous bacteria and so on,which provides reference for the designers.


New solutions of the heat equation are exhibited for the case in which both the temperature and heat flow rate are prescribed at a single fixed boundary. The prescribed temperature and heat flow rate may be any arbitrary infinitely differentiable functions of time. The new solutions are applicable for one-dimensional (radial) heat flow in spheres, cylinders, and slabs. Special solutions may be obtained by choosing special forms for the prescribed boundary temperature and boundary heat flow rate. These special solutions include the classical solutions of the heat equation, new sequences of polynomial and quasipolynomial solutions of the heat equation, and new closed-form solutions to constantvelocity phase change problems with spherical and cylindrical symmetry. A. Introduction. We treat the one-dimensional diffusion of heat perpendicular to the surfaces of parallel planes, coaxial cylinders, and concentric spheres. For constant density and constant thermal diffusivity, the indicated heat diffusion process is governed by the relation x~k-(xh-ux)x = u,(x, t). Here u(x, t) is the dimensionless temperature at point x at time t, x is the dimensionless radial position variable, t is the dimensionless time variable, and k = 0, 1, 2 for plane, cylinder, and sphere, respectively. We solve the Cauchy problem, that is, we determine u(x, t) when both the dimensionless temperature f(t) and the dimensionless heat flow rate q(t) are prescribed at some fixed boundary, say at x = xn . (The dimensionless temperature at x0 is just u(x0 , t); the dimensionless heat flow rate at x0 is just limitI_a.0 [ — xk-ux(x, £)])• We consider both x0 = 0 and x0 ^ 0, with k = 0,1, 2. *Received December 10, 1965; revised manuscript received May 16, 1966. This is based in part on a dissertation [4] accepted by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Engineering Science. The author wishes to acknowledge valuable discussions with Professor Bronis R. Onuf (who suggested the thesis topic), Professor Howard W. Butler (who acted as thesis adviser) and Professor Murray R. Spiegel (who served on the Doctoral Committee). The research was supported by an educational grant from Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Division of United Aircraft Corporation. "Now with Drexel Institute of Technology, Philadelphia, Pa. 316 DAVID LANGFORD [Vol. XXIV, No. 4 We assume that /(f) and q(t) are analytic. Existence and uniqueness of an analytic solution are then guaranteed (in the small) (for fixed k and fixed x0) by a Theorem of Cauchy and Kowalewsky [2]. Further, the nonexistence of any nonanalytic solution is guaranteed by a Theorem of Holmgren [2], The analytic solutions given here correspond to physical reality because [2] they depend continuously on the prescribed data. The use of these solutions is demonstrated for several cases of physical interest. We now outline the procedure used to obtain the solutions. For x0 = 0, we may assume that u(x, f) —£ (amn-\-bmn-\ne x)xmt", substitute into m, n the heat diffusion equation, and obtain recursion relations for the constants am" and bmn . The recursion relations may be used to decompose u{x, f) into series of polynomial and quasi-polynomial solutions of the heat equation. These series may be summed to obtain the final solutions to the Cauchy problem. The final solutions are presented with the derivation being omitted; the elements of the series are exhibited as special cases of the final solutions. For x0 9^ 0: the solution u"(x, t) for the planar case is a linear transformation of the solution to the Cauchy problem for x0 = 0; the solution u'(x, f) for the spherical case is readily obtained from uv{x, f) when it is noted that (x-u') must satisfy the planar heat equation; the solution uc(x, t) for the cylindrical case is obtained in the Appendix. We now exhibit the solutions and illustrate their use. B. The fixed boundary at the origin of coordinates. Consider first the case x0 = 0. Let /(f) and q(t) be any infinitely differentiate functions. Define m = (dn/dt")Kl) and q\t) = (aT/dtn)q{t). (1) Then it may be verified by differentiation that the following are formal solutions of the heat equation: ff(0-x2" (2 n)\ (2n+l)!_ plane, u(x, t) = £ ~2n—1 sphere, u(x, t) = g + (2a) [ f{t)-x2n ^ q"(t) -x2 . (a) (2n)\ J ' cylinder, u(x, t) = £ (x/2 r fr!) n\-n\ f(0 l(2c) where the factor in braces is just {In, xj for n = 0. These solutions have the property that limitx_n [-xk-ux(x, f)] = q(t); this makes it possible to prescribe the heat flow rate at x0 as an arbitrary infinitely differentiate function q{t). For the planar case, the solution 2a has the property that u{0, f) = /(f); this makes it possible to prescribe the temperature at x" as an arbitrary infinitely differentiate function /(f). For the spherical and cylindrical cases, if q(t) ^ 0, then it is physically necessary that u{0, t) — oo, as required by Eqs. 2b, c; if q{t) = 0, then u{0, f) = /(f).* The above solutions are general solutions of the heat equation in that they may be specialized to yield other solutions of the heat equation. For example, the classical *The solution 2a was given by Stefan [8] in 1890; he used it to compute the thermal conductivity of ice. The solutions 2b, c have not been previously published, though several of the leading terms of the solution 2c were given by Pekeris and Slichter [6] in 1939. 1967] ANALYTIC SOLUTIONS OF THE ONE-DIMENSIONAL HEAT EQUATION 317 Fourier series and Bessel series solutions of the heat equation may be obtained from Eqs. 2a, b, c by choosing ](t) = Am-exp and q(t) = X Bm-exp {—bit). (3) m = 0 m = 0 New solutions of the heat equation may also be obtained from Eq. 2. For example, if m = E (/,<>!) and q{t) = £ (g,f/»!), (4) n=0 «=0 then direct substitution into Eqs. 2a, b, c yields


To optimize fixture layout design, an analytical tool is needed to integrate kinematic, force and stability analyses of fixture-workpiece systems. In this paper, a two-phase optimization algorithm is introduced. Firstly, a general purpose fixturing verification system is developed to check the validity of individual fixture layouts. Secondly, the virtual work of a fixture workpiece system is used as a quantitative measure of all feasible fixture layouts. This algorithm requires enumerative search efforts for optimal solutions. Genetic algorithms (GAs) are applied to carry out the search because of their efficiency and robustness. The preliminary implementation of GAs is also presented, and two different coding schemes are tested to demonstrate their influence on the performance of GAs.


This paper first proposes nonlinear spline adaptive filter based on the robust Geman-McClure estimator (SAF-RGM). The proposed algorithm is obtained by minimizing the cost function relied on the Geman-McClure estimator. Since the Geman-McClure estimator can remove outliers with large amplitude from dataset, the proposed algorithm can obtain the excellent performance in the impulsive noise. Moreover, the mean and mean square behaviors of the SAF-RGM algorithm are analyzed. Simulations are conducted to confirm that the proposed SAF-RGM algorithm achieves better performance than the existing spline nonlinear adaptive filtering algorithms. Besides, simulation results validate the theoretical conclusions.


Low-delay optical burst transmission scheme using parallel two-way signaling method was discussed. Optimum reservation region in reservation table at transit nodes was shown by simulation, where an equivalent line-path model was employed.


A new method for analyzing the polarimetric properties of material samples,
based on geometric representations of the transformations of the Poincare sphere, is presented.
Two transformed geometric objects are considered on the basis of the intensity (I)
and the degree of polarization (P) of the transformed Stokes vectors. The ?I-Image? of
Poincare sphere describes the diattenuation properties whereas the ?P-Image? describes
the depolarization properties. Birefringence properties are related to rotations arising in
both objects. This model provides useful methods for analyzing experimental and industrial
polarimetric measurements


This MSc thesis describes the implementation of an open-source Signal Processing Unit, required in any laser interferometer, using low-cost and widely accessible hardware, more concretely, on a Raspberry Pi and on a compatible audio card. The primary concern of this project is to interface with the audio card in such a way that there is a predictable latency between modulation and demodulation, as this is a necessity for the signal processing approach. This project forms part of an open-source initiative by Engineering Photonics at Cranfield University to widen the usage of laser interferometry, in this case by drastically reducing the prices of the Signal Processing Unit, to perform optical displacement measurements at nanometre levels or optical fibre sensor interrogation.


Friendship contributes to subjective well-being, and this study analyzed the relationship between these variables. 116 university students from Belo Horizonte and 116 from Porto Alegre, both cities in Brazil, responded to the McGill Friendship Questionnaires, the PANAS scales and the Life Satisfaction Scale. Women showed more satisfaction and positive feelings towards their best friend; students from Belo Horizonte reported more negative feelings; friendship satisfaction correlated positively with life satisfaction and positive affect, but did not predict life satisfaction. There was a close, yet not causal, relation between subjective well-being and friendship. Joint satisfaction with friends, family, and romance is necessary for subjective well-being, as suggested by scientific literature. Research in Brazil could direct efforts to joint analyzes of these relationships.


Context Cupuassu is frequently cultivated in Brazil as well as in the warm lowlands of other tropical American countries. Cupuassu nut contains high levels of theobromine and ether extra ct, which could negatively affect the intake and digestibility of nutrients, when included in livestock diets. Aims The present study was undertaken to evaluate how replacing maize with cupuassu nut affects feed intake, efficiency of microbial synthesis and nitrogen (N) balance in Nellore bulls at pasture. Methods Five Nellore bulls with an initial bodyweight of 336.7 ± 12.8 kg (mean ± s.d.) were kept in individual paddocks of Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu. Concentrate supplements containing equal amounts of N and different concentrations of dried whole cupuassu nut (0%, 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% replacement of maize) were fed to bulls in a 5 × 5 latin square design, with each animal allocated to each diet for a period of 20 days, including a 14-day period of adaptation. Key results Intake of all dietary components and total digestible nutrients, except ether extract, theobromine and neutral detergent fibre corrected for ash and protein, decreased linearly with the addition of cupuassu. Theobromine intake varied from 13.86 (25% cupuassu nut) to 36.67 (100% cupuassu nut) mg/kg bodyweight. The inclusion of cupuassu in the supplement led to a linear decrease in ruminal ammonia-N concentration, N balance, and efficiency of microbial synthesis. Conclusion Replacing maize with dried whole cupuassu nut in concentrate supplements reduces the intake of DM from both supplement and pasture, the efficiency of microbial synthesis, and the N balance in grazing beef cattle. Implications The replacement of maize by dried whole nut of cupuassu in concentrate supplements for grazing cattle is not recommended because it reduces supplement intake and nitrogen retention, and it is likely to decrease liveweight gain.


To reveal the internal correlation between material microstructure and electromagnetic field effect by incident electromagnetic wave quantitatively,with Poynting vector which can characterize the direction and size of energy flow,the numerical calculations are realized by means of program and finite element.The finite element model of numerical simulation for analysis on electromagnetic field effect of material microstructure is established.In the numerical calculations,the absorption,transmission and reflection effect in the direction of wave source are obtained by that the Poynting vector is orthogonal decomposed into three directions.The reflection of any direction is calculated by the component of Poynting vector in the reflection direction.The research method is suitable for any microstructures.


We examine how the presence of network effects influences investment decisions. Building a network requires significant upfront investment but benefits carry tremendous uncertainty. This creates an incentive to defer the commitment of irreversible investments. However, such investments may also create the opportunity to convince the consumers about the network's size, establish a network standard, and preempt future competitors. Our models account for the tradeoff between these countervailing forces to obtain the investment rules for building networks. First, we study the investment decision faced by a monopolist in both the investment opportunity and product market. By investing prior to the resolution of uncertainty, the monopolist convinces the consumers of the network size. We solve for the threshold level of expected demand which must be exceeded in order to commit the investment. This threshold is lowered by an increase in the intensity of the network effect but the effect of uncertainty on the investment threshold is ambiguous. Our second model allows for future competitor entry where the entrant may either adopt the monopolist's standard or build its own network. We find that the optimal licensing fee may be lower than the highest level that the entrant would accept. When future competition is anticipated, the investment threshold is monotonically decreasing in both the intensity of network effects and the level of uncertainty. * We would like to thank John Henderson, George Wyner, Chi-Hyon Lee, Kathleen Curley and other participants at the IS seminar series at Boston University for their insightful comments. Funding was provided by the Boston University Institute for Leading in a Dynamic Economy. All errors and omissions are ours.


ABSTRACT
Atoz Nusantara Mining, Ltd. is a company running its business in the field
of coal mining. The system of mining applied is open mining. Mining method
used is strip mine method. Mining Operational area of Atoz Nusantara Mining
Ltd. is located in Nagari Salido, IV sub-district Jurai, Southern Coast county,
West Sumatera Province. The coal mining area of 186,08 Ha, which is divided
into several mining areas, namely the pit of 1, 2, 3, and 4. Stripping the layer of
covering soil is initialized with peeling the layer of top soil and then overburden (
sandstone). Those mining activities have negative impact on the environment
around the mining area including the pit of 1 forming the basin shaped land,
uneven ground, soil compaction, the occurrence of erosion and sedimentation. To
cope with those negative impacts, planned reclamation should be applied through
the improvement of land.
The reclamation activities applied were those of using vegetation with
Hevea braciliensis. Top soil utilized for reclamation in this pit of 1which was as
wide as ± 16 Ha was hoarded in the A area as much as 97.792,5 LCM. The
results of requirement calculation of top soil in the pit 1 showed that the amount
of top soil requirements was 16.000 LCM if it was utilized using pot
system/planted hole. The available overburden in the waste dump area of 1 was
3.549.666 LCM. The system of overburden reversion applied for the pit of 1 was
land levelling system with the overburden requirement amounting to 3.009.317
LCM. Erosion condition in the site of research was in the category of low.
The plan of land arrangement carried out in the area of former limestone
mining of the pit of 1 forming basin with 20 meters in depth is the determination
of system and calculation of soil material, the implementation of hoarding
system and overburden solidification, the accumulation of top soil for filling
holes, the making and filling of top soil holes. The time estimation of land
arrangement was 183 days. Mechanical devices used were backhoe of komatsu
PC 400 LC-7, rear dumptruck caterpillar 769 C and bulldozer caterpillar D8R.


The large number of real-world applications have shown that the use of computational method for distribution process planning produces substantial savings. Many of these applications lead to problem generally known as Vehicle Routing Problem. The real-world applications are highly computationally demanding for larger instances. This article aims to show the possibilities and benefits of using hyperparameter search for solving the Periodic Vehicle Routing Problem for exhausted oil collection by execution on the supercomputing infrastructure using HyperLoom platform. HyperLoom is an open source platform for defining and executing scientific pipelines in a distributed environment. This experiment was run on the supercomputer Salomon operated by IT4Innovations.


Structural investigations in western Sør Rondane, eastern Dronning Maud Land (DML), provide new insights into the tectonic evolution of East Antarctica. One of the main structural features is the approximately 120 km long and several hundred meters wide WSW‐ENE trending Main Shear Zone (MSZ). It is characterized by dextral high‐strain ductile deformation under peak amphibolite‐facies conditions. Crosscutting relationships with dated magmatic rocks bracket the activity of the MSZ between late Ediacaran to Cambrian times (circa 560 to 530 Ma). The MSZ separates Pan‐African greenschist‐ to granulite‐facies metamorphic rocks with "East African" affinities in the north from a Rayner‐age early Neoproterozoic gabbro‐tonalite‐trondhjemite‐granodiorite complex with "Indo‐Antarctic" affinities in the south. It is interpreted to represent an important lithotectonic strike‐slip boundary at a position close to the eastern margin of the East African‐Antarctic Orogen (EAAO), which is assumed to be located farther south in the ice‐covered region. Together with the possibly coeval left‐lateral South Orvin Shear Zone in central DML, the MSZ may be related to NE directed lateral escape of the EAAO, whereas the Heimefront Shear Zone and South Kirwanveggen Shear Zone of western DML are part of the south directed branch of this bilateral system.


This special volume on Asian American elders is a product of the time and efforts of many concerned people. Rose Dobrof, Editor of the Journal of Gerontological Social Work, called me at the beginning of 2000 and asked me to take charge of this volume. Bill Cohen, publisher of The Haworth Press, enthusiastically supported the idea of the special volume and encouraged me to go ahead with it as soon as possible. Virginia E. Richardson, past president, and Nancy Kropf, current president, of the Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work (AGE-SW) helped by encouraging AGE-SW members to contribute manuscripts. I am also indebted to the Gerontological Society of America and to the Strengthening Aging and Gerontology Education for Social Work (SAGE-SW) group of the Council on Social Work Education for running special ads in their newsletters to solicit manuscripts. I owe a great debt to the illustrious group of reviewers, experts in the subject areas, who generously volunteered their time to anonymously review the submitted manuscripts and offer insightful suggestions for revision. Finally, I thank the contributors who enthusiastically responded to the call for papers and then revised and re-revised their manuscripts in response to the reviewers' comments. This special collection serves as a timely response to the growing demand for a social work knowledge base on Asian American elders, who constitute a rapidly growing population group. The preliminary release of the 2000 census showed that Asian Americans constituted the second fastest-growing racial/ethnic group in the United States. The Asian American growth rate between 1990 and 2000 was 52.4%, which closely followed the Hispanic growth rate of 57.9% for the same period. When Asian race in combination of other race or races was used, the growth rate was 74.3% (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2001). Although


Paleontological studies of relative growth have shown that allometric growth pattern may often remain stable during long evolutionary sequences; but also that clear-cut shifts from one growth pattern to another may occur. As examples may be noted the results of Robb (1935), later developed in more detail by Reeve and Murray (1942); Phleger and Putnam (1942); Kurten (1954 a, b). Most of these studies concerned only one or a few variate pairs. However, it may be useful to extend the method to a greater number of variate pairs. It is then possible to study the relative frequency of identical and differentiated growth patterns in the populations compared; and this may be expressed as an "index of differentiation," giving the percentage of significantly differing allometry trends. This index may be expected to run more or less parallel with actual taxonomic and genetic differentiation, because the growth patterns have a genetic basis, and changes in them arise from genetic change. It is suggested that this index may be used as a taxonomic character, to help us infer whether the populations we are comparing belong to one species or two, to two subspecies or only two slightly differentiated demes not meriting formal recognition. I do not mean that it should be the sole basis for such conclusions, but it may contribute in a valuable way; it should give highly objective characters, which may be useful as a guide in decisions on border-line cases in taxonomy. In order to make the method serviceable, the first step is to compare populations in which the taxonomic relationships are already well known. Indices obtained by such studies will indicate the scale of differentiation which we may expect on the deme, subspecies, and species level, and so on. Being quantitative, the method will also yield a measure of evolutionary rates. If the lapse of time between ancestral and descendant population is known, we have an absolute measure; but it may also be used as a relative measure, when two collaterally evolving phyla are studied at an earlier and a later point in time. In view of these interesting potentialities, some examples are given in the present paper. The main object of study has been the Pleistocene to Recent evolutionary series of the spotted hyena; but I have also drawn on hitherto unpublished data assembled by myself and Dr. Robert Rausch (Anchorage, Alaska) in joint studies of Recent circumpolar species; and on selected published data.