In the article there is analyzed Russian conservatism of the end XIX — beginning XX-th centuries, faced to historical necessity of revolutionary changes of sociopolitical system which it protected. It is shown that the basic aversion of radicalism has transformed Russian conservatism into the opponent of modernisation of Russia and has rejected conservative thought far back.


Using wavelet analysis for non-stationary signal de-noising of electro-mechanical system is considered to be the best approach, and wavelet threshold de-noising method is the most simple method that needs the minimum amount of calculation. But this method in selecting threshold functions needs to be improved. Based on different domestic and foreign methods of improving threshold function, propose an improved bivariate threshold function. According to the simulation of non-stationary signal de-noising, the results show that the optimal de-noising results of different signals exist by taking different parameters. Compared with all the de-noising effects, application of the bivariate threshold function considering signal-to-noise ratio and mean square error is superior to the traditional soft and hard threshold functions. At the same time, it can significantly improve the filtering precision, and reserve the main signal details while effectively removing the noise well.


Mechanical integrity of low-k dielectric films remains a quality and reliability challenge for devices using advanced silicon nodes. In wafer fabs, while great efforts are made in controlling and monitoring individual processing steps, the overall mechanical quality of a particular device is not often effectively monitored. Defects such as interfacial delamination may only manifest themselves during system assembly processes or in-field operation, bringing significant disruption and impact onto production and product quality. As silicon sizes and package sizes continue to grow, chip-packaging interaction becomes more significant, and the risk of low-k related failures increases as a result. Particularly for 3D and 2.5D devices, the complexity of chip stacking makes it important to have a quantitative assessment of dielectric quality for both yield and ongoing reliability management purposes. The adoption of micro-Cu pillars on 2.5D and 3D devices provides an opportunity for direct measurement of integration quality. If shear testing can be performed on individual micro-Cu pillars, responses from such testing can be analyzed and quantified as a direct measurement of integration quality. Furthermore, such testing can be performed on a specific device of interest and on specific locations on a die, which makes it possible to use this technique as a product quality control method. In this paper we will report results from shear testing on sub-30 micron micro-Cu pillars. Data from multiple wafers, dies, and bump locations will be reported. Responses such as load-distance curves and maximum fracture load are analyzed. In addition, multi-level finite element models are developed to simulate the shear test. Locations of stress concentration will be identified and compared with fracture interfaces from the shear test. Responses to changes in properties of the dielectric layers will also be investigated, which provides insight into the variations in shear strength observed in real-life shar testing.


Melilite-type gallium oxides are potential intermediate temperature electrolytes for solid oxide fuel cells. Single crystals of [CaNd]2[Ga]2[Ga2O7]2 grown using an optical floating zone furnace have been investigated using transmission electron microscopy, powder and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The anion array topologically conforms to a [(184.108.40.206) 2 , 184.108.40.206] network that contains distorted pentagonal tunnels. The distortion is necessary to achieve space filling and accommodate structural misfit between the layers. Satisfactory


Widening participation programmes aim to increase the progression of students from low socio-economic status (SES) groups to higher education. This research proposes that the human capabilities approach is a good justice-based framework within which to consider the social and cultural capital processes that impact upon the educational capabilities of young people from low SES groups. It presents a case study which examines the developing capability set of Irish students from a representative sample of schools participating in a university-based widening participation outreach programme aimed at increasing social and cultural capital constructs. Qualitative analysis is presented from four schools; four student focus groups with 22 student participants, and 15 individual student interviews. Findings focus on the developing capabilities of autonomy, hope, voice and identity, as well as on the relationship between specific widening participation activities and the developing capability set. The findings highlight the development of college-focused knowledge and how this impacts upon students' aspiration to participate in higher education. The idea of 'widening capability' is discussed in relation to the potential of the capability approach to contribute an additional dimension to a mainly neoliberal policy rhetoric, which emphasises the market value of higher-education participation. In doing so, it explores how widening participation activities can influence the widening capability set of low SES students, and its relationship with what the students deem to be 'a life of value'.


Abstract Thailand is a developing country that depends heavily on the tourism industry; therefore for the development of Thailand in the long run, it is crucial for Thailand to understand the sport tourism market as sport tourism.  Sport tourism is a growing market. This study aims to analyze and determine the role of sport towards the development of tourism though understanding awareness, opinion, preference and selected stakeholders contribution by sport tourists and non-sport tourists in Bangkok and Pattaya city. This study has a total of 400 respondents; 200 sport tourists and 200 non-sport tourists. The data were collected from five major sport events and sport facilities in Bangkok and Pattaya city using non-probability sampling (quota, judgmental and convenience). Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to demonstrate the relationship between the variables. Independent sample t -test and SPSS statistics analysis were applied as research method and measurement for this study. The result showed difference between sport tourists and non-sport tourists' demands and expectations towards sport tourism vary; out of six hypotheses, two hypotheses found items with significant differences which were related to the dependent variable "preferences" towards sport tourism in Thailand, and "the contribution of the General Public in Thailand Sport Tourism development". It can be concluded that sport tourists and non-sport tourists are different, but both are important components for sport tourism development Keywords: awareness, general public, Ministry of Tourism and Sport, non-sport tourists, opinion, private tourism sector, preference, sport tourists


In the past decade, CMOS technology has played a major role in the rapid ad vancement and the increased integration of VLSI systems. CMOS devices feature high input impedance, extremely low offset switches, high packing density, low switching power consumption, and most importantly, they are easily scaled. With the reduction of the device minimum feature size, in order to prevent the transistor from breakdown because of the higher electrical field across the gate oxide and to ensure its reliability, the power supply voltage is necessary to be reduced. W ith the reduction of the device minimum feature size, more and more transistors can be fabricated into a single chip. Nevertheless, the large amount of circuits inte grated in a chip result in huge power consumption. Decrease of the supply voltage can not only ensure the device reliability, but also reduce power consumption in a sig nificant amount. Furthermore, portable/mobile electronic equipments have become the trends of the present and future market demands. Low power supplies are the requirements of the portable/mobile electronic products. In this dissertation, we focus on the low-voltage, low-power CMOS circuit de sign. Each circuit either features a rail-to-rail common-mode input voltage and/or consumes very low power. These circuits target applications in mobile telecommuni cations (rail-to-rail strong-inversion circuits) and in (portable) medical applications


Perfluorinated polyesters (PFPE) are used as components of high-performance lubricants and oils operating in high and low temperature conditions, including in special-purpose products used in space and in Arctic conditions.
To date, the methods for producing PFPE are complex processes that are quite demanding to the conditions of synthesis, which makes it almost impossible to produce these compounds commercially on a large scale. One of the promising approaches to obtaining perfluorinated esters is liquid-phase direct fluorination. Toxic, ozone-depleting solvents have been used in these processes. When they are replaced with harmless, perfluorinated liquids, for example, perfluorodecalin (PFD), another problem is found – the original polyesters are insoluble in PFD, which is confirmed by laser microinterferometry. In this regard, ultrasonic dispersion of the initial polypropylene glycols (PPGs) of various molecular weights in PFD was proposed in order to obtain emulsions for subsequent direct fluorination. The resulting emulsions were studied using gel-penetrating chromatography, dynamic light scattering and gravimetry. According to the results of the study, the values of particle sizes and emulsion concentrations were obtained over time after ultrasound, and it was also concluded that the stability of the molecular weight of PPG in the emulsion after sonification. The applicability of ultrasonic dispersion for a high specific surface area of the phase boundary in the PPG – PFD system is discussed, and the feasibility of sonification in a continuous or batch mode when implementing liquid-phase fluorination of PPG in PFD
is also discussed.


A compact coplanar waveguide fed UWB (ultra-wideband) antenna with triple band-notched characteristics is presented. The rectangle radiation patch is used in the new design, and the bandwidth of the UWB antenna is extended by using circle corner for the rectangle cut from the ground. A parasitic element is added, whereas an inverted U-shaped slot is cut on the top of the CPW ground plane and a U-shaped slot is cut on the rectangle radiation patch. As a result, a triple band-notched characteristic is obtained, by which the potential interference between UWB and WLAN (Wireless Local Area Networks), C-band and X-band systems can be effectively reduced.


Taking composite Landsat 5 TM (Thematic Mapper) images of band 4,3 and 2 taken in 1988 and 2000 respectively as data sources,this investigation carried out studies on land use / land cover changes(LUCC)in Heihe River Basin according to land resources classification system of 1∶100?000 in Resources and Environmental Database of Chinese Academy of Science.The results show that great changes have taken place in land use/land cover in Heihe River Basin during the period of 1988-2000:(1) Changes of land use structure show that cropland and urban and constructed land increased; but water body and grassland decreased.These changes reflect the deterioration of the eco-environment and the acceleration of urbanization,and also present the problems existing in the arrangement of water and land resources between upper and lower reaches of Heihe River.(2) Regional differences of land use/land cover are evident.In the upper reaches,water area decreased,and grassland and unused land increased to a great extent;however,the changes of forestland and urban land were not evident.In the middle reaches,cultivated land and urban land increased greatly.On the contrary,grassland decreased rapidly.In the lower reaches,water area shrank obviously,grassland degraded seriously,unused land increased largely,and the eco-environment was badly destroyed.The causes of LUCC and the approaches realizing sustainable land use were probed.


A pore-filling model is proposed to describe deactivation of hydroprocessing catalysts of a wide-pore structure in well-mixed and plug-flow reactors where the catalyst pellets are deactivated due to slow and uniform deposition of reaction products (mostly metal compounds) in their macropores. The model based on no mass-transfer restriction in the main channels of the pores incorporates additional active sites created by metal compounds in the deposited layers and has been shown to have two parameters of the similar type of the Thiele modulus. The model along with lumped reaction kinetics is applied for hydroprocessing reactions in trickle-bed reactors and provides reasonable deactivation curves for desulfurization and demetallation reaction when less than 50% of the original pore volume is filled with metal compounds.


Zinc in seminal fluid originates primarily from the prostate gland. It is pivotal for male sexual function because it affects the quantity, quality and mobility of sperm. Materials and methods: The semen samples were obtained from 300 male partners of infertile couples who attended the Department of Biomedicine and Genetics at the Hanoi Medical University between the ages of 18 and 50 years; they were then analysed for routine seminal parameters. They were collected and analysed according to WHO 2010 guidelines. Seminal fluid was centrifuged at 1500 rpm for 10 minutes, and floating fluid collected for zinc quantification using spectroscopy with 5-Br-PAPS was used as a color indicator. In a pH 8.6-buffer solution, in a buffered media, zinc reacts with specific complexing 5-Br-PAPS form a stable color compound. The optical density is directly proportional to the concentration of zinc in the semen. The results yielded a linear regression model of y=0.0666x+1.2026 with a correlation coefficient of r=0.9956. The calibration function was y=0.9977x with R2=0.9995. The repeatability was SD=0.004, and the coefficient of variation was CV%=0.27% <5%. In terms of intermediate precision, the standard deviation was (SD)=0.01, and the coefficient of variation was CV%=0.64% <5%. Trueness was tex=2.076 <tt =2.262. Specificity and sensitively were 100% at 64x dilution. Specificity and sensitivity were 100% and 99.05% respectively. A significant correlation was discovered between the two methods, with r=0.975 and p<0.001; the average difference between the two methods was 0.0002. Conclusion: Successfully completed the kit for determining zinc concentration in semen by the colorimetric method.


Objective: To investigate the characteristics and high risk factors of epidemiology of hypokalemia in towns of Dongguan. Method: The clinical data of 592 patients with hypokalemia in the hospital were analyzed retrospectively from Jan 2000 to Dec 2007. Result: Among 592 cases, the male were 540, and the female 52, the ratio was 10.4∶1. The average age was (29.4±11.3) years, and aged from 21 to 40 constituted 79.2%. Non-permanent residents of Guangdong province occupied 66.1%. Classified by occupation, the workers constituted 63.4%, and exposure to some poisons accounted for 24.8%. The number of hypokalemia increased in general from 2000 to 2007, rising about 109% per year. The hpokalemia was found here in summer and autumn mainly, accounted for 74.7%r. Recrudescence rate of hypokalemia here was 36%. The patients seek medical advice relatively late, 37.3% after 24 hours, and serious hypokalemia (potassium in serum 2.5 mmol/L) was 53.7%. The average time of the patients in hospital was 2.3 days, and the cured rate was 93.1%, the mortality was 0.7%. Conclusion: The occurrence of hypokalemia in towns of Dongguan shows obviously characteristics in causes, occupational, seasons, age, sex, etc. It should to be more concerned and might be an important path to reduce hypokalemia by pertinently dissemination and instruction.


The fluorescence detection of ultra high energy cosmic rays requires a detailed knowledge of the fluorescence light emission from nitrogen molecules over a wide range of atmospheric parameters, corresponding to altitudes typical of the cosmic ray shower development in the atmosphere. We have made a precise measurement of the fluorescence light spectrum excited by MeV electrons in air. The relative intensities of the fluorescence bands and their pressure, temperature and humidity dependence are reported.


The tourism sector is currently one of the sectors that are relied upon to improve the economy of a region. Various types of tourism destinations emerge, one of which is a tourist destination that comes from settlements in the form of villages or tourist villages. This gives a variety of impacts including in terms of the social, cultural, economic, and spatial structure of the settlement. The writing of this article aims to get a theoretical foundation that can later support in solving the problem being studied and the writer can better understand the problem being studied. The method used in this paper is to review literature by gathering several journals that are relevant to the topic. The results of writing this article found that spatial changes that occur in settlements that add a new function as a place of tourism are a form of adaptation of people, people, and tourists (tour operators), with their environment in fulfilling these new functions in order to run well. The factors that influence changes in the layout of a settlement with the existence of tourism activities include type, location of tourism, and social-cultural community and tourists who visit.


The theoretical thought of wealth in the ancient West was formed on the political basis of legality and theocracy, ideological basis of democratic idea and religious culture, and the basis of research of rational thinking. The theoretical connotation of the wealth thought is manifested in three aspects. Firstly, the relation between wealth and economic life is its theoretical foundation. Secondly, wealth attribute is its logical clue. Thirdly, wealth growth is its central content. The theoretical thought of wealth in the ancient west could develop and form theoretical systems, but the thought of wealth in the ancient West and ancient China was to transform our thinking mode, perfect our economic policy, grasp the social tension of wealth, and highlight justice and the collective ownership.


The blueberry maggot fly, Rhagoletis mendax Curran, (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a widely distributed pest of lowand highbush blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton and Vaccinium corymbosum L., respectively) (Vacciniaceae) within the northeastern and midwestern United States, as well as Canada. Given its economic importance, the fly has been the target of considerable research with respect to the development of monitoring and control strategies within the context of integrated pest management (Prokopy and Coli, 1978; Liburd et al., 1998a, b, 2000). Several attempts have been made to develop and refine blueberry maggot fly monitoring programs in order to forecast the presence of infestations in commercial blueberry plantings (Liburd et al., 1998a, 2000). The current monitoring practices employed by commercial growers of lowand highbush blueberries involve the deployment of ammonium-baited Pherocon AM yellow sticky panels or green and red sticky spheres (Prokopy and Coli, 1978; Liburd et al., 1998a). Such practices allow growers to detect fly emergence for more accurate timing of sprays. The blueberry maggot is also a member of the R. pomonella (Walsh) sibling species complex and has been used as part of a long-running study system by evolutionary biologists for investigating the mechanisms of speciation in sympatry (Feder and Bush, 1989). The blueberry maggot fly completes larval development inside blueberry fruit and undergoes an obligate annual diapause, making laboratory-rearing difficult. To our knowledge, a continuously-reared laboratory colony of blueberry maggot does not exist. The blueberry maggot has been the subject of many laboratory studies investigating toxicity of potential insecticides (Ayyappath et al, 2000; Stelinski et al, 2001; Liburd et al, 2003). Other laboratory investigations have focused on the antennal sensitivity and oviposition preference of blueberry maggot flies with reference to host-plant related chemical cues (Frey and Bush, 1996). In these laboratory studies, the investigators have relied on the use of adult flies reared from larvae collected the previous year from infested fruit. We describe here a simple and effective method for capturing viable male and female blueberry maggot fly adults in both abandoned and commercial highbush blueberry Vaccinium spp. plantations. Such field-captured, live blueberry maggot flies could be used in the laboratory for toxicological studies, electrophysiological investigations, behavioral assays or in genetic analyses of specific populations. Potentially, this technique could also be adopted for other tephritid species of broad interest.


In patients with surgically unresectable early and intermediate stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), only liver transplant (LT) offers a cure. Locoregional therapies, such as transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), are widely used to bridge patients waiting for an LT or downstage tumors beyond Milan Criteria (MC). However, there are no formal guidelines on the number of TACE procedures patients should receive. Our study explores the extent to which repeated TACE might offer diminishing gains toward LT.


Functional MRI (fMRI) indirectly measures changes in neuronal activity because the blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal is sensitive to changing concentrations of oxyhemoglobin (vs. deoxyhemoglobin) to support functional energy demand (1). Changes in the BOLD signal are usually interpreted from an unspecified baseline state (2). However, there is no true baseline because the brain is never actually at rest (3), measured either in terms of neuronal activity (4) or the energy that activities demand (5). Recently, however, investigators have begun to study the resting state using fMRI, but interpretation remains controversial because of questions about the relationship between the BOLD signal and neuronal activity. In PNAS, Scholvinck et al. (6) tackle this controversy by correlating slow modulations of neuronal activity in the resting state with spontaneous fluctuations in the BOLD signal.


This paper is based upon an approach for automatic detection of personal events in on-line personal photo collections and proposes a powerful exploitation of these events: We compose social events out of personal events and then automatically reveal interpersonal ties. Trying to tame the stream of big data in social networks we solely rely on image meta-data of time and space. We validate our assumptions in the wild using 1.8 million public images of more than 4100 users. The proposed approach has three main steps: (i) personal event detection using individual, unsorted photo collections, in which we make use of the spatio-temporal context embedded in digital photos to detect event boundaries within the collection; (ii) social event detection for which we use a tailored similarity measurement between personal events of different users; and (iii) an analysis of event co-participation to propagate social connections. Experiments validate that the fully automated approach is able to accurately detect 78.76% of social events and reconstruct the interpersonal ties of a user with a verified true positive rate of 45%. This rate is probably much higher: Since most interpersonal ties are undefined in the universe of social networks, our experimental ground-truth of course remains fragmentary.


We discuss a procedure to simplify the Landau potential, based on Michel's reduction to orbit space and Poincare normalization procedure, and illustrate it by concrete examples. The method makes use, as in Poincare theory, of a chain of near-identity coordinate transformations with homogeneous generating functions; using Michel's insight, one can work in orbit space. It is shown that it is possible to control the choice of generating functions so to obtain a (in many cases, substantial) simplification of the Landau polynomial, including a reduction of the parameters it depends on. Several examples are considered in detail.


The present invention, for detecting the load torque through the shaft (18), providing a device. The device axis (18) and the shaft bearing which is attached to (18) (40) is provided with. The bearing (40) is an inner race (44), the outer race (42) and a number of rotating elements (46) is provided with. Magnetoelastic ring (24) is press-fit into the inner race (44). Eddy current sensor or magnetic field sensor (30) is arranged in the vicinity of the magnetoelastic ring (24). If the eddy current sensor (30), the magnetoelastic ring (24) is not magnetized. For the magnetic field sensor (30), the magnetoelastic ring (24) is magnetically polarized in a ring. In either case, the selected sensor (30), a change in the characteristics of the resulting magnetic elastic ring (24), detects an electrical circuit associated with it, provides a measure of the load torque.


The new arch spring of composite truss arch bridge is used to support the middle truss arch of the bridge and the structural formation and force conditions of the joint of the spring are complicated.By way of example of a composite truss arch bridge,the three-dimensional finite element model for the locality of the joint of the new arch spring is established by the universal finite element program ANSYS.In accordance with the diagrams of the sectional axial stress of all members at the joint varying along different paths,the characteristics of the stress distribution therein are analyzed.The results of the analysis show that under the most unfavorable load combination,the tensile stress in the upper edge of the cross section of the arch spring,in the connection of the members with the spring and the arc section of the connections among the members is fairly great and these parts are all prone to transverse cracks.The results of the theoretic analysis are consistent with those of the inspection of the actual deterioration of the bridge and the idea and way of improvement for the locality design of the joint of the arch spring are hence proposed.


We report the kinematic viscosities and densities (at 298.1 K) of solutions of K2SO4, Na2SO4, KCl, NaCl, KNO3, or NaNO3 in (0.5 + 0.5) mol·dm-3 (K2CO3 + KHCO3) and (0.5 + 0.5) mol·dm-3 (Na2CO3 + NaHCO3) buffer at temperatures ranging from 293.1 to 323.1 K at 5 K intervals. Total ionic strength ranged from 2.0 to 5.0 mol·dm-3. The experimental viscosity data were satisfactorily correlated with the temperature and/or solute concentration by means of empirical equations.


All those dealing with radioactive materials are much more aware of the potential hazards at the present time than in past decades. It is probable that most contamination by radium usually went unnoticed in the past.


Abstract One of the first international NGOs to enter China after the country's Reform and Opening, Heifer International uses the donation of livestock and technical training as its entry point for poverty alleviation and community development. After entering China, like a number of other international NGOs, Heifer encountered a number of limitations on its existence and development, however, through clear analysis and definition of environmental differences and institutional constraints, as well as proactive adjustment of its strategies and methods of work, Heifer was able to respond to differences and break through limitations, fight for survival and a space in which to develop, establish positive interactions with local communities and governments, and expand the scope and influence of its operations.


Ion-surface interactions have application within a number of areas of contemporary physics research. In particular, it is essential that an understanding of the interaction between an ion and a solid surface in a fusion reactor environment be achieved. A detailed understanding of the interaction is also essential for quantitative application of several of the modern methods of surface analysis currently available. It is unfortunate that the necessary level of understanding of the interac


Personalized medicine has been the major interest for the Western and traditional medicine for a long time since Hippocrates and Yellow Emperor. The purpose of this study was to utilize data reduction and artificial network algorithm for the classification of Sasang types with clinical data. The results showed acceptable type-specific sensitivity and specificity considering its limitation with data. Multidisciplinary approach for the personalized medicine is needed for upcoming integrative medicine.


PURPOSE
To compare the clinical outcomes of two-port laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (TPLDN) vs hand-assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy (HALDN).

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Between November 2010 and March 2012, 100 kidney donors scheduled for left nephrectomy were alternatively assigned to HALDN or TPLDN in a 1:1 fashion. All procedures were performed by the same laparoscopic surgeon. Demographic data and intraoperative and early postoperative data were collected prospectively and analyzed.

RESULTS
There was no difference in the operating time (133±12 vs 142±17 min, P=0.07), blood loss (55±46 vs 58±52 mL, P=0.84), complication rate (10% vs 12%, P=0.74), and length of hospital stay (3.8±0.8 vs 4.1±2.8 days, P=0.5) between the HALDN and TPLDN groups. The warm ischemia time was longer in the TPLDN group (2.2±0.7 vs 3.5±0.9 min, P<0.001). No statistically significant differences were found in the analgesic requirement and the visual analog pain scores. There was a trend toward quicker return to 100% recovery in the TPLDN group (60±46 vs 39±15 days, P=0.05). The TPLDN group had a significantly smaller surgical incision (8.2±0.6 vs 5.5±0.4 cm, P<0.001) and higher scar satisfaction score (7.8±1.5 vs 8.6±1.3, P=0.02) than the HALDN group. No differences were found in the recipient serum creatinine values or in the incidence of delayed graft function.

CONCLUSIONS
In comparing TPLDN and HALDN, there was no significant difference in a majority of the operative and postoperative parameters. TPLDN might be associated with smaller surgical incision, improved cosmetic satisfaction, and equivalent recipient graft function.


The preservice licensure and preparation of career and technical education (CTE) teachers was examined to determine whether changes in CTE teacher licensure requirements are necessary. Two overarching missions of CTE were identified. The first was traditional/tech prep (leading to employment). The second was a more general combination of education through occupations, work/family/community/technology, and tech prep (leading to employment or further education) . The analysis focused on the following issues: (1) the external policy context (general teacher education reform trends and issues; teacher shortages); (2) the internal policy context (state testing requirements; increased training credentials of technicians; transition to work and postsecondary education; work-based learning; integration of academic and vocational education; special needs students; CTE teacher shortages; declining numbers and consolidation of teacher education Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the ori inal document. programs); (3) policy constraints (multiple programs; lack of consensus regarding mission; state teacher licensure regulations; CTE teacher shortages); (4) policy variables (acquiring and certifying occupational/technical/subject-matter knowledge, academic credentials; instructional design/pedagogy; general knowledge; and assessment). The analysis resulted in five variations of the mission of CTE programs in public schools, as well as policy recommendations for CTE state licensure regulations, recommendations for CTE teacher preparation reform, and additional recommendations regarding modifying state CTE licensure requirements and linking CTE licensure/preparation reform to federal funding. (Contains 47 references.) (MN) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. tr) ("e') U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDVCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as fr) received from the person or organization originating it. 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. 1 PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY


The goal of this paper is to conduct a meta-regression analysis (MRA hereafter) regarding the effects of the Kaldor-Verdoorn effect – the relation between output/demand and productivity. The Kaldor-Verdoorn effect has been subject to many econometric studies and while the overwhelming majority of them finds a positive overall effect, there is no consensus on its size - the results vary quite a bit, especially according to the chosen econometric specification. This MRA estimates a 'true value' of the Kaldor-Verdoorn effect without interference from potential publication selection bias via the use of multivariate MRA. A series of moderator variables is used to check for their effect of excess variation, including amongst others the year of publication, the sectors and the countries studied. This MRA study uses available data from 22 published studies with 303 estimations of the Kaldor-Verdoorn effect. When examining the primary literature as a whole, there seems to be publication bias. While there seems to exist a genuine Kaldor-Verdoorn effect, its size varies considerably depending on the specification chosen.


Thomas Thomas Hardy's novels,especially Wessex's novel,to a large extent,showed the rural economic disaggregation of the old system and the change of people's social values in the process of industrialization.The Heath where Homecoming happened,together with the residents having been keeping to the traditional customs,is the human environment in miniature as a whole.The hero Clym intended to return to the native and rebuilt it,however,the heroine Eustacia was tired of the wilderness to break away from it.Both of them all reflected the sharp conflict between the "modern" youth and the environment in Hardy's times.


The rate of sweating was continuously recorded on the palm and the chest over a skin area of 20cm2. It was found that the sweating pattern on both regions is quite similar in so far as the periodic variation in the rate is concerned. A hypothesis is proposed that the secretion of the sweat gland is related mainly to thermal factors and the contraction of the myoepithelial capsule of the gland to emotional factors. It appears that increased sweating at the very beginning of exercise is due to the emotional influences.


In this study, we performed the microbond test by utilizing the microbond specimen with an epoxy micro-droplet adhered onto a carbon fiber. The interfacial shear stress distributions along the fiber/matrix interface were calculated by finite element analysis with three kinds of finite element models such as droplet model, circular model and pull-out model. Conclusions were obtained as follows. (1) Interfacial shear stress distribution showed that larger stresses were concentrated in the fiber/matrix interface for microbond test than for pull-out test. Thus, debonding at the fiber/matrix interface during microbond test was liable to occur at low load level. (2) Microbond test showed higher interfacial strength which was caused by various effects of micro-droplet geometry and size as well as stress concentration in the region contacting with the micro-vise tip.


Abstract The purpose of this study was to use self-organising maps (SOMs) to visualise the multivariate relationship between physical metrics (PM's) as measured by GPS and how they relate to a performance outcome in elite-level 7s rugby. The players heart rate was elevated in the high intensity zone for an average of 73% per game and covered an average distance of 1574 m. Over this distance, 22% of the time was spent high-speed running and a relative distance of 112 m/min was travelled. SOMs showed no reliable relationship between PMs and points difference while two groups of PMs demonstrated similar patterns. This included variables such as high-speed running and metabolic power in the first group and all of the body composition variables in the second group. The final group of variables, including RPE had no relationship with any of the other PM variables. High-speed running and metabolic power are related closely and provide information that can be used for the preparation of 7s specific training schedules. RPE was shown to be unreliable as it did not relate well to any of the PMs.


There's an emerging and enticing idea in the United States that we're entering an age of purpose - that millennials, more than any other generation, are searching for purpose and purposeful work (Sheahan, 2005) and that we're entering an era or economy of purpose (Hurst, 2014). Yet, measuring purpose is a relatively new endeavor - longitudinal studies of purpose do not exist, and millennials are also referred to as GenMe. What quantitative research we have suggests they (we) are increasingly materialistic, individualistic, and possessing narcissistic personality traits (Greenfield, 2013). Are we entering an era of purpose? This is an inspiring idea and we want it to be true, but is it? Using culturomics to explore trends in digitized literature reveals clear evidence substantiating a cultural trend - an unprecedented interest in purpose-in-life co-emerging with the millennial generation.


The synthesis of the phenyl anchored podand H4L1 fitted with four 3-carboxylate pyrazole arms and programmed for intermolecular interactions is reported, and its protonation constants are determined. Interaction with Ln3+ ions (Ln = La, Eu, Lu) in dilute aqueous solutions leads to complexes with 1:1 and 1:2 metal−ligand stoichiometry. The stability constants are in the range log β110 = 12.7−13.5 and log β120 = 22.5−23.8 (pLn values in the range 9−10). The podates display a fair sensitization of the metal-centered luminescence with an absolute quantum yield of 5% in case of TbIII. The average numbers of water molecules coordinated to the LnIII ion amount to 3.8 and 4.9 for the 1:1 Eu and Tb podates, respectively, as determined by lifetime measurements. The addition of β- and γ-cyclodextrins to the 1:1 podates results in a strong association with the host, mainly through the phenyl anchor (Ln = Tb, log K11 = 5−6 depending on the cyclodextrin) and, for the Tb complex, to a large increase in luminescence inte...


In face of the safety risk and ageing workforce in traditional mining industry, smart mining is becoming the new trend, especially the autonomous mining, which could completely address the safety issue while boosting efficiency. However, the lack of specific standards for the smart mining has led to the various types of equipment and high development costs. Therefore, we present the effort by Chinese mining research organizations and industrial enterprises in creating standards for automation and autonomy. Besides, we introduce a few key intelligent technologies for the autonomous mining transportation, and several current applications of autonomous trucks in mines around the world. These key intelligent technologies are likely to be further improved with following standards and become more affordable for mines.


The article examined the use of composite flour in the production of flour confectionery. With the addition of flour of composite mixtures to sugar cookies, protein content increases on average by 4.5%, fat by 17.2%, calcium by 13%, magnesium by 40.4%, and the amount of carbohydrates decreases by 4.33% and energy 24 kcal value compared to control. Due to the essential amino acids, vitamins, microelements and other useful substances contained in chickpea and oats, the sugar cookies obtained from composite mixtures can be recommended for therapeutic and preventive nutrition, which will expand the range of functional confectionery products.


The paper introduces the structure of the joint with multi-DOF at first,then analyzes and discusses the particularity of the path planning.Based on this,a new method named β-γ coordinate path planning which makes the point in space mapped into the β-γ coordinate is presented.In this method,β-γ coordinate path planning can be done on upper-computer and control down-computer to drive joint which controlled by Ultrasonic Motor(USM),then make the joint point to the target point along the path and avoid enter into the dead-zone.Simulation and model-building prove that the method can reduce the difficult of path planning and make it easy.


BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS
Although the thalamus has a central role in schizophrenia pathophysiology, contributing to sensory, cognitive, and sleep alterations, the nature and dynamics of the alterations occurring within this structure remain largely elusive. Using a multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) approach, we examined whether anomalies: (1) differ across thalamic subregions/nuclei, (2) are already present in the early phase of psychosis (EP), and (3) worsen in chronic schizophrenia (SCHZ).

STUDY DESIGN
T1-weighted and diffusion-weighted images were analyzed to estimate gray matter concentration (GMC) and microstructural parameters obtained from the spherical mean technique (intra-neurite volume fraction [VFINTRA)], intra-neurite diffusivity [DIFFINTRA], extra-neurite mean diffusivity [MDEXTRA], extra-neurite transversal diffusivity [TDEXTRA]) within 7 thalamic subregions.

RESULTS
Compared to age-matched controls, the thalamus of EP patients displays previously unreported widespread microstructural alterations (VFINTRA decrease, TDEXTRA increase) that are associated with similar alterations in the whole brain white matter, suggesting altered integrity of white matter fiber tracts in the thalamus. In both patient groups, we also observed more localized and heterogenous changes (either GMC decrease, MDEXTRA increase, or DIFFINTRA decrease) in mediodorsal, posterior, and ventral anterior parts of the thalamus in both patient groups, suggesting that the nature of the alterations varies across subregions. GMC and DIFFINTRA in the whole thalamus correlate with global functioning, while DIFFINTRA in the subregion encompassing the medial pulvinar is significantly associated with negative symptoms in SCHZ.

CONCLUSION
Our data reveals both widespread and more localized thalamic anomalies that are already present in the early phase of psychosis.


Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is a chronic disorder affecting elderly over 60 years and was first described by Hakim and Adams [1965]. iNPH is characterized by gait impairment (94% to 100%), cognitive disturbance (78% to 98%), and urinary incontinence (76% to 83%) with ventricular dilatation and normal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure. These symptoms can be improved by appropriate CSF shunt surgery. Previous reports using urodynamic tests showed that patients with iNPH exhibited both storage and voiding symptoms with high prevalence (71 95%) of detrusor overactivity (DO)1), 2). However, precise determination of lower urinary tract dysfunctions (LUTD) during the voiding phase evaluated by pressure flow studies (PFS) has not been well documented. In the present study, we examinedLUTD in patients with iNPH by urodynamic tests including PFS.


Academic leagues consist of extracurricular activities, centered on a specific theme, where the technical-scientific and humanistic training of members, the contribution to the care and promotion of health to the community, and the strengthening of students are developed actions. In this perspective, this study aimed to report the creation and implementation of an extension project entitled the Academic League of Trauma and Emergency, and its contributions to university education. This is an experience report on the implementation of the Academic League of Trauma and Emergency aimed at undergraduate Nursing students at a higher education institution in the interior of Sao Paulo. The activities include administrative meetings and educational activities, which include theoretical and practical training courses, aimed at league members or the community. For all academic league activities, members are encouraged and encouraged to participate actively, assuming a leadership, organization and execution role. The insertion of the Academic League of Trauma and Emergency in Nursing undergraduate courses proved to be an important technology for teaching contribution, in a way that enables the formation of critical, reflective and sensitized professionals with the theme.


The authors modified the method for the assessment of circulating immunocomplexes by assessing changes in the concentration of IgG and C4 components of complement in the precipitate after adding polyethylene glycol. The method was tested on a series of samples, the scatter of values for the healthy population was assessed and the results were compared with the PEG method elaborated in the Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine.


It is well known that children generally exhibit a "Ushaped" pattern of development in the process of acquiring the past tense. Plunkett & Marchman (1991) showed that a connectionist network, trained on the past tense, would exhibit U-shaped learning effects. This network did not completely master the past tense mapping, however. Plunkett & Marchman (1993) showed that a network trained with an incrementally expanded training set was able to achieve acceptable levels of mastery, as well as show the desired U-shaped pattern. In this paper, we point out some problems with using an incrementally expanded training set. We propose a model of selective attention that enables our network to completely master the past tense mapping and exhibit U-shaped learning effects without requiring external manipulation of its training set.


We prove the finite‐time vorticity blowup, in the pointwise sense, for solutions of the 3D incompressible Euler equations assuming some conditions on the initial data and its corresponding solutions near initial time. These conditions are represented by the relation between the deformation tensor and the Hessian of pressure, both coupled with the vorticity directions associated with the initial data and solutions near initial time. We also study the possibility of the enstrophy blowup for the 3D Euler and the 3D Navier‐Stokes equations, and prove the finite‐time enstrophy blowup for initial data satisfying suitable conditions. Finally, we obtain a new blowup criterion that controls the blowup by a quantity containing the Hessian of the pressure. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


This book presents selected results of the Shandong Field Research Project (1988— 93), an arrangement between the Shandong Academy of Social Sciences and the Committee on Scholarly Communication with China which made it possible for American researchers to do fieldwork in Zouping, a county of around 670,000 people situated northeast of Ji'nan. Several fine studies have already come out of this project, and the eight excellent articles selected for this volume give further proof of its value. Two crucial issues are addressed here: part 1 looks at the role of local governments in rural economic reforms, while part 2 analyzes the relationship between market reform and inequality. Following Andrew Walder's useful introduction to Zouping, part 1 opens with Jean Oi's paper on the evolution of local state corporatism. She shows how industrial growth in Zouping during the initial phase of the reform period was dominated by collectively owned enterprises, and how local government guided these enterprises through practically every step of their development. In the 1990s, this model adapted to changes in the economic environment. Instead of withdrawing from the scene, or concentrating only on the collective sector, local cadres now support private enterprises which they recognize as an important source of revenue. Andrew Walder's own paper documents how the Zouping county government is now very actively engaged in the management of a few key enterprises, while it is more than happy to rid itself of smaller and less profitable companies and leave them to private entrepreneurs through contracting arrangements. Huang Shu-min and Stewart Odend'hal then zoom in on a single village where they also find a cadre in the center of events. Under the firm control of its long-time Party secretary, the village of Fengjia has gone through the economic reforms with many features from the collective period basically intact: agricultural production is still to a large extent managed by village cadres, all larger enterprises are controlled by the village government, and the new political organs, such as the elected village committee, are all in the pocket of the Party secretary who skillfully operates a clientelist network. Finally, Terry Sicular completes the picture of local government involvement in economic life by showing how the grain and cotton trade in Zouping today prompts a reevaluation of terms such as "state," "plan," and "market."


Langerhans cells (LCs) capture irritant substances in the skin, and then LCs migrate to the lymph nodes for presenting anti- gens. For investigating this, we used mites antigen labeled with PKH26 dye in atopic model NC mice for patch testing. The readings of skin reactions were done at 0.5, 1, 3, 6, 9, 24, 48, 72 and 168 hours after the patch testing. At 24-, 48-, 72- and 168-hour, some LCs expressed PKH26 dye were observed in the sinus, T-cell area and marginal area of the regional lymph nodes. The B-cell areas of these lymph nodes were shown as dark and round-shaped at the same time points. By electron microscopy, we found rod-shaped BGs (atypical granules) in the Golgi area of these lymph nodes. We recognized again and showed that LCs with antigen migrate to the lymph nodes.


Abstract Metamizole is an effective non-opioid analgesic drug used in the treatment of acute and chronic pain. Due to induced potentially life-threatening blood disorders, metamizole was withdrawn from market in many parts of the world, however, it is one of the most popular analgesics in Poland that is available as an over the counter drug. Patients tend to prefer capsules over tablets, as they are easier to swallow and taste better. The powder-filled capsules also have greater bioavailability and require less excipients, as compared to tablets. Polymic excipients are mainly used in capsule filling, and have influence upon the physico-chemical properties of the hard gelatin capsules and the powder formulation. The aim of the study was to determine whether various combinations of polymers impact the disintegration time and pharmaceutical availability of hard gelatin capsules with metamizole sodium. The results of our work demonstrated that the 80% of all active substance was released in all tested formulations within 15 minutes. Herein, the capsule containing lactose monohydrate had the longest release (4% after 2 min.), while capsules containing mannitol had the fastest release (81.2% after 2 min.). Moreover, the addition of HPMC to capsules with lactose brought about a slight increase in the metamizole release rate, while the addition of PVP 30 to capsules with microcrystalline cellulose slightly accelerated release. This data suggests that the use of different polymers in capsules formulation brings about changes in the physical properties of powders and modifies the release profile of metamizole. In our study, the most preferred formulation was one containing microcrystalline cellulose (good powder properties and fairly fast release).


With rapid development of IT techniques and office automation,diversified information was produced in hospital.Traditional archive management featured in manual handling couldn't meet the requirements of modern management.Therefore,informationized system for archive management should be structured combined with the practice from many dimensions,which should use modern equipment and information technique fully to make archives service better for different jobs of hospital.


Operational expenses of servers and the data center to support them account for a significant part of the total cost of ownership of a data center and potentially the total business. Manipulating the inlet temperature to the servers can provide a possible method of lowering the operating cost of a data center. Conventional wisdom regarding management of the cold aisle temperature in the data center has traditionally been that colder temperatures kept the failure rate of the equipment down and higher temperatures reduced energy costs. While it is true that in most cooling strategies, increasing the cold aisle set point temperature reduces the power consumed by the facilities, the overall cost savings may not be realized due to increases in server power and decreased reliability. An investigation using the total operational expense of the data center would be required to find the optimum operating point of the environmental controls. The simulation described in this paper demonstrates that when accounting for total operational cost including component reliability and servicing in addition to energy and water resource costs, there is an optimal data center cold aisle set point. This point will vary with resource rates and climate variations. The run cost effectiveness metric, RCE, allows data center designers and managers to monitor and optimize their data center for the given static costs of the region. It's a measurable value for many data centers that can break out these costs either in real time, or more likely tabulated form collected from monitoring data over time.


Hybrid solar gas-turbine (HSGT) is an attractive technology to foster market penetration of CSP. HSGT offers some major advantages like for example high solar-to-electric conversion efficiency, reduced water requirement and low capital cost. A very high temperature solar receiver is needed when elevated solar share is claimed. A few research works, as reported by Karni et al. [8] and by Buck et al. [1], have been dedicated to solar receiver technologies able to deliver pressurized air at temperature above 750°C. The present work focuses on research aiming at developing an efficient and reliable solar absorber able to provide pressurized air at temperature up to 1000°C and more. A surface absorber technology is selected and a modular design of receiver is proposed in which each absorber module is made of BOOSTEC® SiC ceramic (silicon carbide) as bulk material with straight air channels inside. Early stage experimental works done at CNRS/PROMES on lab-scale absorbers showed that the thermo-mechanical behavi...


Abstract : The handbook examines grief from two perspectives. First, the grief process is explained along with some of the more common reactions during intense grief. The second perspective gives friends and coworkers of a bereaved individual some hints on how to help that person cope with his crisis. The handbook is designed for long-term grief recovery and emphasizes the importance of active support during the grief process.


The paper describes the controls implemented by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) at the Radiological and Environmental Sciences Laboratory (RESL) to secure data quality. A description of the analytical instrumentation and methodology employed by RESL is provided. The results of the intercomparison program with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are provided to demonstrate traceability to a primary source. A description of the methods and techniques used to ensure quality control on a daily basis is given. The techniques used to evaluate the sources of uncertainty are reviewed and specific examples cited. The intercomparison programs operated by RESL are discussed.


The factual data on motorcycles and motorcyclists in Australia are not sufficiently broadly based for most forms of assessment, and insufficiently detailed to design and appraise countermeasures with any degree of confidence. This article is concerned with the rate at which design changes introduced for safety or other reasons will spread through the population of vehicles used on the road. A broad statistical context is given which strongly suggests that if design modifications to new motorcycles are to be promulgated for safety reasons, significant penetration of the motorcycle population would follow from their early introduction. The acute lack of reliable detailed Australian statistics on motorcycles and bicycles proved to be an important restriction on the work of parliamentary road safety committees (eg, house of representatives standing committee on road safety (1978)) and this brief analysis has been carried out to assess the value of a section of the available Australia wide data relevant to motorcycle safety measures. Socioeconomic and demographic issues are not considered in any detail, but should subsequently be given specific attention. (A)


Abstract Interpersonal violence is a public health crisis in need of multipronged interventions. Victims of violence experience both acute injuries and chronic illness and may seek acute self-care and/or have the need for chronic medication therapy. Thus, the community-based, ambulatory pharmacy setting can serve as a portal for identification of, and intervention for, victims of violence. This article provides background on four types of interpersonal violence, including intimate partner, child and elder abuse, in addition to sexual assault. This article briefly reviews the statutory reporting requirements for pharmacists in the United States, identifies educational needs for pharmacists with existing resources and suggests a method for the ambulatory pharmacist's intervention.


Studies on on-road exposure to Ultra-fine Particles (UFP) are under-reported compared to UFP concentration studies in literature. This study investigates both individual and population exposure to ultra-fine particle in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, Minnesota, by combining an on-road UFP concentration model with people's travel patterns derived from different traffic monitoring data sources. Spatial and temporal patterns of exposure to UFP among freeway users are revealed through analysis of loop-detector traffic data, while individual exposure is estimated based on GPS travel trajectories. A few hot spots near major freeway interchanges represents a majority of total exposure to UFP, and the exposure during workday morning and afternoon peak periods is the highest. Significant disparity in individual exposure to UFP among population is observed. In general, individual exposure to UFP follows a log-normal distribution. Findings from this paper could significantly inform future epidemiological studies in on-road exposure to UFP.


This paper presents a Bayesian model to reconstruct sparse images when the observations are obtained from linear transformations and corrupted by an additive white Gaussian noise. We propose an appropriate prior distribution for the image to be estimated that takes into account the sparsity and the positivity of the measurements. This prior is based on a weighted mixture of a positive exponential distribution and a mass at zero. The hyperparameters that are inherent of the model are tuned automatically in an unsupervised way. They are estimated in the fully Bayesian scheme, yielding a hierarchical Bayesian model. To overcome the complexity of the resulting posterior distribution, a Gibbs sampling strategy is derived to generate samples asymptotically distributed according to the posterior distribution of interest. These samples can then be used to estimate the image to be recovered. As the posteriors of the parameters are available, this algorithm provides more information than other previously proposed sparse reconstruction methods that only give a point estimate. The performance of the proposed sparse reconstruction method is illustrated on synthetic and real data provided by a new nanoscale magnetic resonance imaging technique called MRFM.


For over 50 years, efforts have been made to develop beneficial glycometabolic support strategies for patients with myocardial ischaemia and infarction. The concept of providing maximal metabolic support to injured myocardial cells is elegant, and has led to relatively simple and low-cost interventions. Glucose–insulin–potassium (GIK) therapy focuses on infusion of high doses of glucose to halt free fatty acid production, and various schemes have been studied over the past decades. Clinical results of GIK infusion have been mixed, with results varying from impressive survival benefits to excess mortality. The CREATE-ECLA study, in which 20 201 patients were randomized to GIK infusion or standard treatment after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, showed no benefit of GIK infusion (hazard ratio for 30-day mortality, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.95–1.13). GIK also showed a neutral effect on secondary endpoints. This result, together with a number of other recent studies, supports the current opinion that GIK does not give a clinically significant benefit in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The traditional GIK scheme often induces hyperglycaemia, as the insulin component is not titrated to maintain normoglycaemia. In the article, Goyal et al. report on elevated glucose levels in patients with AMI and the prognostic value of these levels for adverse outcome (30and 180-day mortality). Goyal et al. have analysed the glucose values collected in the CARDINAL (Complement and ReDuction of INfarct size after Angioplasty or Lytics) studies. In a cohort of 1469 patients, glucose levels were determined at baseline and 24 h thereafter. More than half of the patients had a baseline glucose level higher than 7.8 mmol/L. Of these patients, one-third showed no or only moderate decrease in glucose during the first 24 h. Moreover, a considerable number of patients who presented with a baseline glucose lower than 7.8 mmol/L had a rising glucose level during the first 24 h. Although a large number of reports have described the association between hyperglycaemia at admission and adverse outcome, data on glucose levels at later moments after infarction are scarce. The association between hyperglycaemia at admission and adverse outcome was confirmed by Goyal et al., but more importantly, the change in glucose in the first 24 h was shown to be an independent predictor of adverse outcome. There are three straightforward explanations for this association. First, the change in glucose may be a marker of clinical condition. As the multivariate prognostic model only included baseline characteristics, the change in glucose was the only parameter that contained information about the clinical course of a patient during the first 24 h. Adverse developments during this important initial period, for example unsuccessful reperfusion therapy, may prevent a drop in glucose level. Second, the failure of glucose to drop may be a result of pre-existing glycometabolic dysregulation, either subclinical or frank previously undiagnosed diabetes, which is known to negatively affect prognosis. The third possibility is most interesting from an intervention-oriented point of view: hyperglycaemia might be causally related to adverse outcome, and treatment may therefore improve outcome. Unfortunately, this retrospective study cannot discern the respective contributions of these explanations. Indeed, retrospective studies cannot answer the question whether insulin therapy to treat persistent hyperglycaemia will be beneficial in AMI patients. In critically ill patients admitted to a predominantly cardiosurgical intensive care unit, a large randomized clinical trial has evaluated intensive insulin therapy aiming for normoglycaemia. In a cohort of 1548 patients, insulin therapy markedly reduced mortality during the stay on the intensive care unit (8.0 vs. 5.8%, P, 0.04). A number of complications related to critical illness occurred significantly less frequently with intensive insulin therapy. Although the exact mechanisms that have led to these impressive results of intensive insulin therapy still need more study, a number of mechanisms that may play a role have been identified. Some of these mechanisms may also apply to patients with AMI. For instance, hyperglycaemia is associated with a pro-inflammatory and pro-thrombotic state, and interferes with normal endothelial function. Insulin not only antagonizes these negative aspects of hyperglycaemia, but may also boast intrinsic beneficial effects, such as improved glucose utilization and increased myocardial perfusion. In contrast, evident differences between patients


So far, evaluative morphology has received less attention in the verbal domain than in the nominal and adjectival ones. This paper shows that – besides frequentative morphemes like -gAt and preverbs like tele- 'full', le- 'down', fel 'up', etc. – in Hungarian events can be evaluated by means of the verbalizer suffix -kVdik. This formation is unusual in evaluative morphology since it is a category-changing operation. The suffix -kVdik can be attached to adjectives and to nouns expressing a profession or an occupation. Depending on the speaker's intention, the morphologically complex verb suffixed with -kVdik can attribute to the activity an evaluative, mostly pejorative meaning. The paper suggests that this phenomenon goes beyond evaluative morphology and can be better analyzed in terms of morphopragmatics.


We asked members of our editorial board what they hope to see in the world of urology in the coming year.


Synthesis of monodispersed nanophase α-Fe2O3 (hematite) powder to be used as a red pigment in porcelains was investigated using microwave-hydrothermal and conventional-hydrothermal reactions using 0.018M FeCl3·6H2O and 0.01M HCl solutions at 100°–160°C. Acicular and yellow β-FeOOH (akaganite) particles 300 nm in length and 40 nm in thickness were dominantly formed at 100°C after 2–3 h, while spherical α-Fe2O3 particles 100–180 nm in diameter were preferentially formed after 13 h using a conventional-hydrothermal reaction. However, a microwave-hydrothermal reaction at 100°C led to monodispersed and red α-Fe2O3 particles 30–66 nm in diameter after 2 h without the formation of β-FeOOH particles. In this paper, the effect of microwave radiation during hydrothermal treatment at 100°–160°C on the formation yield, kinetics, morphology, phase type, and color of α-Fe2O3 was investigated.


Revascularization is being used increasingly for the treatment of intermittent claudication and yet few studies have reported the long‐term outcomes of this strategy. The aim of this study was to compare the long‐term outcome of patients with intermittent claudication who underwent revascularization compared with a group initially treated without revascularization.


When welded joints have to meet particular requirements related to fatigue life they are usually designed using the so called S-N design curves. This implies the construction of a curve for each particular design. From the point of view of the user, it is often difficult to establish accurately which is the curve that better fits the design that is being considered. The so called " local approach " is based on the concept that the fatigue strenght of welded joints is essentially determined by the local stress and strain in the " hot spots ". These spots are located in the geometric discontinuities of the joint. Through this approach is possible to consider the possibility of constructing and using only one curve of design or " key curve ", for a given material. In this case the design parameter is the local stress or strain instead of the nominal stress. In the present work the lateral defect is modeled with fillet welds using the local approach combined with the finite elements method. A data base of Kt for different dimensionless geometric relations is generated, and from these results an analytical function for the value of the concentrator is interpolated. Finally the contour plots that were generated help reducing the number laboratory tests needed for the determination of Kt.


Decimation is a simple process for solving constraint satisfaction problems, by repeatedly fixing variable values and simplifying without reconsidering earlier decisions. We investigate different decimation strategies, contrasting those based on local, syntactic information from those based on message passing, such as statistical physics based Survey Propagation (SP) and the related and more well-known Belief Propagation (BP). Our results reveal that once we resolve convergence issues, BP itself can solve fairly hard random k-SAT formulas through decimation; the gap between BP and SP narrows down quickly as k increases. We also investigate observable differences between BP/SP and other common CSP heuristics as decimation proceeds, exploring the hardness of the decimated formulas and identifying a somewhat unexpected feature of message passing heuristics, namely, unlike other heuristics for satisfiability, they avoid unit propagation as variables are fixed.


Age related hearing loss is the 3rd most common chronic condition reported by the elderly population (Oyler, 2012). Individuals suffering from untreated hearing loss may experience mental, emotional, social, and physical declines and may lead to withdrawal from different aspects of their lives (Lin et al., 2011). These difficulties can occur with even a mild degree of hearing loss (Krueger & Ferguson, 2002). Hearing aids are known to improve quality of life and patient communication, however, only a very small percentage of adults with hearing loss are wearing hearing aids. The consequences of untreated age-related hearing loss include changes in the brain, cognitive decline, dementia, depression, and social isolation (Mamo et al., 2016). With recent passing of the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Act of 2017, certain types of hearing technologies are now available to purchase over-the-counter and are particularly suited for those with a mild to moderate hearing loss (Kelley, 2017). Previous research has shown that there is no significant difference in an individual's speech intelligibility performance while using traditional hearing aids or Personal Sound Amplification Products (PSAPs). Here, we present data from12 older individuals with mild sensorineural hearing loss on a spatial release from masking (SRM) task using the coordinate response measure (CRM) sentences and a localization task using two different Gaussian white noise bursts: low pass (1/3 octave wide centered at 500 Hz) and high pass (1/3 octave wide centered at 3150 Hz). Thirteen loudspeakers (Orb Mod 1), separated by 15 degrees in the frontal plane were used to present the stimuli. Initial analyses of the data indicated that, as expected, speech identification thresholds were significantly better for both colocated and spatially separated conditions while using either the traditional hearing aid or a PSAP compared to the unaided condition. However, the amount of release from masking obtained was similar in the hearing aid and unaided conditions and was significantly larger than the PSAP condition. Localization results revealed that as expected, the localization accuracy (measured in percent correct) was higher in the unaided condition comparted to the aided conditions. In addition, the listeners localized the low pass noise significantly better than the high pass noise. This was true for all three listening conditions: unaided, hearing aid and PSAP. Moreover, the listeners had significantly lower root mean square error while using the hearing aids compared to PSAPs. Finally, the relationship between SRM and localization acuity will also be discussed.


Purpose
Manufacturing firms face increasing pressure to be more "greener" or environmentally friendly. Drawing upon the sustainable development (SD) theory and resource-based view, this study aims to examine the role of total quality management (TQM) and its effect on corporate SD (CSD). Also, this study focused on the mediating role of green innovation (GI).

Design/methodology/approach
This study used data from a time-lagged design with two waves that strengthened the hypothesized framework and used structural equation modeling to test the hypotheses.

Findings
The results showed a significant influence of TQM on CSD and GI. Also, GI positively affects CSD and fully mediates TQM and CSD relationships.

Practical implications
Important practical implications are integrating the quality indicators with sustainability and environmental dimensions. This study shall help the managers and policymakers in achieving their sustainability goals.

Originality/value
This study advances the prior literature and provides a noble approach of SD for TQM in manufacturing small and medium enterprises in an emerging country context.


An optical imaging and spectroscopy system has been developed for the study of in vivo fluorescence of nasopharyngeal tissue through an endoscope. The system records the fluorescence signal in the imaging plane of the endoscopic system. This allows analyze the characteristics of the light induced fluorescence (LIF) spectra recorded by each pixel of the 2D detector which may be used for fluorescence endoscopic imaging. If the endoscope for fluorescence endoscopy is the same as one employed for the in vivo fluorescence study, the algorithms developed to distinguish the diseased tissue from normal tissue based on the in vivo fluorescence study should be highly reliable for fluorescence imaging of lesions. In this work, fluorescence spectra were collected from 27 full term patients. Different algorithms were tested for separation of cancerous lesions from normal tissue. High sensitivity and specificity were achieved.


Taking sexuality and affect as its focus, this article leads us into the uncharted terrain of 'outlawed affects', those unspeakable sensations that do not fall easily into established categories and yet meddle with social relations. They are in this sense 'open secrets'. The article explores some of the challenges for feminist methodology in representing the space where affective and other needs meet in the context of the cultures of labour organizing in the factory communities on Mexico's northern border


We fit a sample of 49 R=6000 NIR (0.9 - 2.5 micron) T dwarf spectra obtained with Magellan's FIRE spectrograph with two different atmospheric model sets to compare the derived physical parameters such as Teff, log g, cloud opacity, and rotational velocity between the models, as well as their reliability. Many of our T dwarfs have distance measurements, which allows us to calculate their radii during the fitting, which can be compared to evolutionary models to determine age, mass and potentially the presence of unseen companions. We present our spectral sample and model fits, and comment on the measured fundamental properties of these T dwarfs. Our analysis allows us to identify global deviations between models and observed spectra, and hence provides important feedback for the next generation of substellar atmospheric models.


In this article, the shape optimization of a linear elastic body subject to frictional (Tresca) contact is investigated. Due to the projection operators involved in the formulation of the contact p...


The comprehensive rejuvenation experiment of degeneration native grassland which was a typical degeneration alpine-cold grassland was conducted by means of orthogonal experimental design and using comprehensive technology including applying fertilizer,re-sowing and weeding.The results showed that applying fertilizer was the most mainly rejuvement measures for degeneration natural grassland.when 105kg/hm~2 urea,60kg/hm~2,(NH_4)_2HPO_4,22.5kg/hm~2KCL were applyed,the economic benefit was optimum.In all experiment groups,A_3B_3C_2 combination was optimum technology combinacion,that was,100% weeding,applying 150kg/hm~2 urea,105kg/hm~ ,(NH_4)_2HPO_4,30kg/hm~2KCL,re-sowing 15kg/hm~2 Elymus dahuricus turce.


In order to develop a high speed train, various conditions have been considered. Fatigue strength assessment by the fluctuation of pressure is an important one. When high speed train passing though tunnels, the pressure wave is generated in tunnels and pressure variation by the wave is acting on carbody structure with dynamic load repeatedly. In this study, formulation for reliability based fatigue assessment method has been performed when the high speed train passes through tunnels. The formulation was based on structural reliability index method and followed the proposed ISO method. The result by this study would be a good guidance to calculate the fatigue life and reliability index of body structure.


This paper aims to address the method for reliability analysis under the generator voltage-class-reduction scheme, focusing on the cascading blackout analysis. The voltage-class-reduction operation is an economic approach to balance the maximum local demand and decrease the investment for building a new substation or enlarging the transformer capacity. The redistribution of power flow brought by such scheme might improve the probability of blackouts. We proposed a cascading model to assess the probability of blackout, which included two parts: the one was the slow process which was the scenario to simulate the load increasing and voltage-class-reduction, and the other part was to simulate the cascading failures under each defined scenario. The simulation results indicated that there was a best threshold for identifying whether some generators needed to step-down to the low voltage terminal of transformer branch.


This paper discusses and assesses Dutch and English trade practices in the Persian Gulf while comparing these to their operations in the Levant trade. The author offers many interesting observations about differences and similarities. One important (and understudied) difference is the need for the Europeans to work through intermediaries, Indians, Jews and Armenians. What emerges most clearly is that the Safavid government was far more interventionist than the Ottomans. While the latter did n...


The unification of Higgs and electromagnetic fields in the context of higher dimensional gravity is studied. We show that these fields arise from an extra large dimension together with a compact small dimension. The question of the localization of the gauge fields and their relation to junction conditions is also addressed.


Background: In the industrial revolution 4.0, there was a disruption of technology and innovation that led to major changes across the industrial sector and the service sector. The use of increasingly massive technology in various aspects gave rise to a new form of customer service that is systemized and integrated centrally or also referred to as a contact center (CC).
Aim: The objective of this study is to test and analyze the role of employee engagement mediation in the influence of self efficacy and quality of work life (QWL) on burnout in contact centers (CC).
Method: This study is a quantitative study with the research subject being a CC employee at one of the life insurance companies in Indonesia with as many as 137 respondents. Data analysis techniques use Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with the help of AMOS applications.
Findings: The results showed that the role of employee engagement in mediating the effect of self-efficacy on burnout was significant.


Controlling single pulse energy of pulse power, is one of the key factors to improve the processing ability of micro electrical machining, because of high frequency and small energy of single pulse, high- frequency periodic square wave power is the ideal power for micro electrical machining. High-frequency periodic square wave is composed of multiple frequency signals, vulnerable to be jammed by equipment noise and environmental noise, making the waveform deformation seriously, weakening the micro machining capability. In this paper, the detailed spectral analysis of the high frequency cycle square wave was made by the discrete Fourier transform, with the help of MATLAB, to extract the effective frequency components, determining the corresponding amplitude and the frequency equation. It provides a theoretical basis to suppress the interference signal, so as to achieve the ideal square wave signal, to provide protection for the precision machining and micro machining. Copyright © 2014 IFSA Publishing, S. L.


New collectors were applied in reverse flotation of phosphate rock mined from Hubei province.The results showed that MgO content was reduced from 10.83% to below 1.30%,and good flotation indexes with P 2O 537%,MgO1.3% and P 2O 5 recovery 82% were obtained.


An integrated semiconductor device includes a substrate layer, a buffer layer formed on the substrate layer, a gallium nitride layer formed on the buffer layer, and a barrier layer formed on the gallium nitride layer. Furthermore, ohmic contacts for a plurality of transistor devices are formed on the barrier layer. Specifically, a plurality of first ohmic contacts for the first transistor device are formed on a first portion of the surface of the barrier layer, and a plurality of second ohmic contacts for the second transistor device are formed on a second portion of the surface of the barrier layer.


In this paper one new species of Demicryptochironomus Lenz is described andD. vulneratus (ZetterstCdt) is recored for the first time from China. The type speci-mens are deposited in the Biology Department of Nankai University.


The oral history of the birth of dolalak dance differs from other traditional dance legends in Java, such as ronggeng, lengger or tayub. The birth of the traditional dances is related to female figures. The dolalak dance was invented by native soldiers (male) during the Dutch colonial period. This paper aims to examine  dolalak as an arena of power and the contribution of women to dolalak in the context of historical reflection. This research is a qualitative study that uses data collection techniques by interviewing, observing, and is supported by documentation studies as well as related previous research. The results of this study show that dolalak becomes the arena of power in its invention. There is a major power in interpreting the invention of dolalak, namely by soldiers (men). As for its development, the dolalak becomes an arena for power struggles that surrounds it. The dolalak is performing art. The dolalak also a medium for spreading Islam, and then the power by the state over it. The power struggles of dance operate and be practiced, from one meaning to another, until the power of state enters. It strengthens the theorization of power. It will continue as a practice of power. In this context, the contribution of women as figures preserving the dance is vulnerable to the invisible. Dolalak dance is mostly performed by female dancers and this has become an icon for people in Purworejo Regency, Central Java. Therefore, it is time for women as traditional dance preservers to be narrated and fill in public knowledge.


OBJECTIVE
To observe the preventive effect of tetrandrine (TET) on pancreatic islet beta cells damaged by alloxan in rats with HE, Gomori aldehyde fuchsine staining and immunocytochemistry.

METHODS
Animal diabetic models were prepared with alloxan (50 mg/kg i.v.). Pancreatic islet beta cells density (BD) in the section of HRP-SPA immunocytochemistry staining was determined with weibel square system.

RESULTS
The BD in experimental groups pretreated with TET (100 mg/kg) at 1.5 hours, 5 hours prior to alloxan injection increased from the control value of 13 +/- 4 to 62 +/- 9 and 65 +/- 7 (P < 0.001), which had no evident difference compared with the BV in normal control group; while the BV (22.5 +/- 7.7) in the pretreated group at 7 hours prior to alloxan injection also increased compared with the control group. But it was much lower than that in the normal control group. When the doses of TET decreased from 100 mg/kg to 50 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg, the BD declined from 62 +/- 9 to 45 +/- 5 and 38 +/- 4 (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION
Tetrandrine can protect islet beta cells a from injury induced by alloxan.


This research is focusing on developing of binary integer linear programming models and solution methods based on metaheuristic with mathematical programming techniques for designing hub network and services of supply chain by taking into account environmental aspects, delays and delivery time. Instances presented here were developed to test the mathematical models of this project. Each instance is composed by 2 items : a distance matrix or cost matrix and a demand matrix, respectively. (...)


Daily use characteristics of apparent power supplied to distribution transformer can be separated into two different time zone of waking hours and sleeping hours. In sleeping hours, using amount of power is decreasing. The actual curve of power seemed to be quite similar to this kind of separation. Inserting a condenser into a circuit in each different time zone led to maximize power factor of the transformer. The compensating condenser"s on/off time is controlled by hysteresis circuit utilizing op amp and power factor of the transformer was improved from 0.945 to 0.999. As a result, the average of current reduction was 2.53A per hour of transformer.


The invention discloses dried orange peel vinegar. The dried orange peel vinegar is prepared from following raw materials by weight: 1-6 parts of table vinegar or primary vinegar, 3-10 parts of white granulated sugar, 3-8 parts of honey, 1-3 parts of dried orange peel normal juice, and 0-0.15 part of a food additive. The dried orange peel vinegar is prepared by steps of mixing the raw materials, dipping for 1-2 days, decocting for 3-6 h, filtering to obtain a filtrate, adding the honey into the filtrate, stirring and filling. An obtained product meets the taste and requirements of modern people and is deeply loved by people.


Emine Sevgi Özdamar's play Perikizi (2010) is a particularly significant migration story because of its shrewd exploration of European integration, specifically in Germany. The protagonist is a girl who undertakes an adventurous journey from Turkey to Europe in order to realize her dream of becoming an actress. The play thus delves into the problem of integration in Europe from both the internal and external perspective of a young woman from a country whose culture and history are deeply intertwined with Europe's, but are exotic enough to represent the cultural 'other' in the eyes of every European. I focus on an issue that is a golden thread throughout the play: the connection between genocide, nationalism and xenophobia, a thematic complex told from the perspective of a character who discovers the chance for change on her journey from East to West. I demonstrate that Perikizi's journey highlights some structural parallels between East and West with respect to these issues. The play opens up a space in which national responsibility and the relationship with cultural otherness are problematized through different aesthetic strategies. At the end, it depicts a vision of Europe that is an alternative to a past, and a present, of nationalist and racist crimes.


ABSTRACT This study aims to investigate patient's behaviour towards the adoption of telemedicine health services with the integration of three well-Known theories, namely, unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), the protection motivation theory (PMT) and DeLone & McLean information success model. The results of structural equation modeling indicate that altogether UTAUT, PMT and DeLone & McLean information success model explained 80.4% variance in patient attitude towards adoption of telemedicine health services. Findings suggest that health-care professional can boost patient attitude towards adoption of telemedicine health services by improving factors such as service quality, computer self-efficacy and performance expectancy.


The article is devoted to setting objectives and developing ways to solve problems of knowledge semantic search, classification, structuring and integration in relation to knowledge management issue. Information management is viewed as a set of processes systematic acquisition, synthesis and sharing of knowledge. Knowledge management automation problem as continuous knowledge verification process to identify patterns in order to create and meet demand for new knowledge, directly related to the solution of information's semantic search, classification, structuring and integration problems. One of the major scientific challenges in the field of information technology today is the development of information analysis and processing mechanisms in heterogeneous sources with the aim of empowering information systems logical analysis of information capabilities and generate conclusions that will form the basis of knowledge accumulation and processing execution procedures. Since, according to scientists, the decision of information overflow actual problem will shift from data storage and processing to the knowledge accumulation and processing. Despite the pronounced specificity of subject areas, ontology should be built as a chain of interrelated processes that will provide integrated nature of intellectual knowledge management system. As a source of knowledge operational information systems' database is most easily connected through a mechanism for creating data warehouses. Integrating knowledge from different sources may be based on the ontology requirements for the development of which will be a pre-formed sheets.


Those with primary cyst reported common colds just before orbital symptoms, followed by orbital pain or headache. These three also had visual disturbance. These cases were found in computed tomography to have a bony defect of the optic canal. Ophthalmological examination showed that the optic disk had not atrophied. All three returned to expected postoperative visual activity levels. Such cases must thus be diagnosed and treated surgically as soon as possible.


The U.S. Presidential campaign in 2004 revealed a phenomenon of high "polarization" in American society, and it also exposed the sharp competition between the two political forces--liberal and conservative. Finally more of the constituency voted for Bush, hence Mr. Bush won re-election. This has not only changed the Bush family's fate of "winning a war but losing election," but also helped Bush clean up his psychological shadow of his "presidency" decided by the Supreme Court in the last general election. As a "wartime president, undoubtedly Bush will become greater political confidence for his second term.


The exploitation of oil resources in the XXth century led to a depletion of fossil carbon. To overcome this deficiency announced raw materials, the use of agricultural resources should be considered. Among biomass, vegetable oils are recoverable compounds and their uses for non-food present a significant interest in terms of economic, strategic and ecological. This work is focused on the epoxidation of fatty esters by green process chemistry (solid catalyst and free solvent) and using a slightly hazardous oxidant (H2O2). As the oxidant and fatty ester are not miscible the work is to design an amphiphilic catalyst by controlling the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance of the solid surface. After an optimisation of the epoxidation of fatty esters in the presence of a homogeneous catalyst (total yield in epoxide), an the study of the catalytic mechanism; its heterogeneisation was performed. Firstly, the catalyst was supported on amphiphilic resins and included in mesoporous solids. This incorporation was done in two ways: incorporation in the pores of a SBA-15 material, or a transformation of catalytist into a surfactant and using as such in the synthesis of M41S type material. In the latter case, the catalytic site is part of the structure of the solid. In this case, the best epoxide yield (65%) was obtained by adjusting the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance of the material by sylilation


In a process for dealkylating a hydrocarbon material containing at least one alkyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbon having bonded to the aromatic ring at least one alkyl group with at least 2 carbon atoms in the gaseous phase in the presence of hydrogen using a hydro-dealkylation catalyst, the improvement wherein (a) said hydro-dealkylation catalyst is composed of a crystalline aluminosilicate having a silica/alumina mole ratio of from 20 to 200 and containing a noble metal selected from platinum, palladium, rhodium and iridium, and (b) said dealkylation is carried out at a temperature of 250 DEG C. to 420 DEG C. and a pressure of not more than 100 psig, thereby selectively removing said alkyl group containing at least 2 carbon atoms from said alkyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbon.


The spin transport through and near interfaces have been studied in magnet/normal metal based multilayer magnetic nanostructures in magneto-static and magneto-dynamic cases. Its features and accompanying effects, such as the magnetoresistance or the magnetic precession induced spin pumping and spin accumulation in adjacent normal metal are determined by the spin-dependent scattering on the interface. These effects are governed by the entire spin-coherent region that is limited in size by spin-flip relaxation processes and can be controlled by the spin-polarized current of different origin including the spin Hall effect. Conditions of realization of the mentioned spin currents in the multilayer magnetic nanostructures are studied.


Specific data acquisition strategies have been developed to address the challenges of deep wells in tight reservoirs in remote and harsh environments. Advanced Mud Logging technologies have helped SRAK to gain trust in mud logging data sets to such an extent that this technology is now the prime source of information for certain datasets. Comparison of mass spectrometer derived mud gas data with downhole sampled gas has shown a very good compositional match. The targeted use of Logging While Drilling has been a successful strategy. In tight gas reservoirs that are typically drilled with high overbalance, it is difficult to obtain high quality data before invasion occurs. The high overbalance often results in deep invasion that may lead to underestimation of gas and other hydrocarbons. The use of LWD could also be used for fluid typing and as a permeability indicator when used in several time-steps across the same interval. This talk will also show how SRAK's decision to core both reservoir and non-reservoir facies rocks has helped to integrate all available data, from gas samples to core plugs, to come up with relevant conclusions on charge history and migration paths.


Finnish language is peculiar in that it often uses participial phrase constructions instead of when and while initial subordinate clauses. Such clauses could be translated also using corresponding Finnish structures. However, such translation is often less fluent, and there is motivation to convert English subordinate clauses into Finnish participial phrase constructions. This report discusses problems and solutions related to this process.


As I understand it, Flynn and Lowe's thesis is that Labour's rural conservation policies reflect that party's preference for centralised intervention; that this contrasts with the Conservatives' more laissez faire approach; and that lobbying by environmental interest groups persuaded Labour to adopt as official party policy in 1982 the extension of planning controls to agricultural operations and afforestation proposals. It is a thesis that probably embraces conventional wisdom. But it fails to fit the facts. Indeed, the generalised notions of centralised intervention and laissez faire are all but meaningless in the context of the questions addressed in my paper (Brotherton, 1986b). How, for example, are we to view the extension of planning controls? Is Labour's "preference for centralised intervention" evidenced by its rejection of planning controls during the 1970s and by its current desire to extend them? And why when the Conservatives spurn planning controls, as they now do, is it laissez-faire; and why when Labour spurned them, as they did in the 1970s, was it centralised intervention? The Flynn and Lowe argument seems to be that policies pursued by Labour reflect ipso facto centralised intervention, whereas policies pursued by the Conservatives reflect ipso facto (and with apologies for the mixed languages) laissez faire. The particular policy with all its political ramifications seems not to matter. All that matters is who proposes it. This clearly gets us nowhere in seeking to explain why particular parties have adopted certain policies including on occasions the same policies. This difficulty apart, the notion of laissez faire in relation to government involvement in the countryside takes some swallowing. There is, and has been under both parties and for many a long year, as Flynn and Lowe well know, massive intervention. Of course, there are differences of approach and of emphasis. Of course, the present Conservative Government has sought to shift the balance from public-sector to private-sector forestry; and it has reduced grant-support levels in agriculture. But in both cases, it has sought to safeguard countryside conservation concerns; and has done so, in part, by extending intervention. This is particularly evident in the agricultural field. Under the Agricultural Improvement Regulations 1985 and the Agricultural Improvement Scheme, 1985, grants for operations generally regarded as damaging to conservation interests have been withdrawn; new grants for 'environmentally positive investments' have been introduced; grant rates for environmentally beneficial operations have been increased; and those for productive purposes reduced. Nor have Conservative administrations since 1979 emasculated those paragons of centralised intervention, the Countryside Commission and Nature Conservancy Council. These agencies survived the 'quango' hunt of the early 1980s and have subsequently blossomed.