The 700 investigation sample data were used to analyze the age distribution and employment situation of urban low-income population.Based on the theory of disaggregate model,the influence factors of travel mode for urban low-income population was analyzed.The individual attribute of driver,family attribute,vehicle attribute and travel attribute were taken as utility variables,the three traffic modes such as walking,bicycle and bus were taken as the alternative parts of travel modes for low-income population,the selection model of travel mode for urban low-income population was set up,and the corresponding variables and obtaining value method were determined.According to the other 175 investigation sample datum,the accuracy of proposed model was verified.Calculation results show that by using the proposed model,the calculation result proportions of those three traffic modes such as walking,bicycle and bus are 23.4%,25.7% and 50.9% respectively.While in the investigation sample datum,the results of those three travel modes are 21.7%,24.6% and 53.7% respectively.The absolute errors between calculation values and statistical values are smaller,and the maximum error value is only 2.8%.


Business sustainability has gained much importance for businesses in the current era. Keeping it growing importance in mind, the present study investigated how business sustainability can be predicted. The study tested the role and impact of service innovation and marketing innovation in predicting business sustainability. Through using structural equation modeling, Smart PLS 3.2 software was used to analyze the data collected from SMEs resulted a significant impact of service innovation and business sustainability. Equally, the findings also indicated significant relationship between marketing innovation and business sustainability. The results have concluded that service and marketing innovation are key elements for businesses aspiring to boost business sustainability. The findings forward important implications for theory and practice followed by scope for further studies.


Considering on the amount of money expenses, the Procurement of government IT Infrastucture is significantly increased. But, the increased of IT infrastructure expenses has not been supported by a good procurement process. Whereas, procurement process of IT infrastructure is one of IT governance parts, that is a system realization process according to Panduan Umum Tata Kelola Teknologi Informasi dan Komunikasi Nasional that published by Communication and Information Ministry. Article discusses problem analysis on the procurement of government IT infrastructure. The problem analysis refer to framework ideal process of procurement of IT infrastructure that published by Cluster Consultant. From the framework, some problems are found on the whole level process of procurement of government IT infrastructure that needs to be fixed. Keywords: procurement, infrastructure, information technology, governance


The no-flow underfill process and materials were investigated for flip-chip interconnects in active components for the automotive market. The desired mechanical reliability of these components requires an underfill process in order to reinforce the flip-chip interconnects. The conventional underfill process uses epoxy resins that are dispensed after solder bump reflow. Capillary effects force the resin to flow underneath the chip and to fill the gap between chip and chip carrier. The resin is then cured in a heating operation. No-flow underfill materials do not require subsequent reflow, dispense and cure processes. They are applied prior to chip attachment, act as fluxing agent for the solder reflow and form a solid during reflow cycle that reinforces the interconnects. This process provides significant cost savings as it reduces the number of process steps and increases the throughput. However, it requires a well-optimised set of process parameters. The curing procedure of the resin is very different from that of the conventional capillary flow applications. A good understanding of the reaction kinetics of the resin is required in order to get a high assembly yield and reliable interconnects. Motorola recently completed an extensive study of the no-flow underfill process and materials. Results of this study are presented, such as differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) tests, thermal simulations of the cure process under different conditions, assembly experiments and accelerated fatigue tests of flip-chip interconnects.


Focus of public health research has traditionally been on descriptive and analytical studies and there is relative lack of implementation research (IR) particularly in developing countries [1-3]. As opposed to basic research conducted under controlled or ideal conditions with strictly defined inclusion criteria, IR projects are implemented in the resource constrained health systems facing multiple barriers; political, economic and social etc. [2,4]. It is these factors combined with the complex nature of health systems that makes IR challenging. Thus it takes beyond study deigns and study methodologies to answer research questions. Role of external factors greatly influence the outcome of interventions. These range from inadequate financial resources within the national programs and insufficient or less functional human resources to rigid political milieus leading to low acceptability of interventions [5,6].


Abstract This study investigates the forms and networks of civic activism on the Russian-language segment of the internet through the data of anti-military web pages and weblogs in 2007. The results of the web page analysis are complemented by interviews with Russian activists and discussed in the context of the role of the internet in Russian democratisation. Although the state of anti-military activism on the Russian internet currently seems fragmented, the role of the internet and one particular weblog platform, LiveJournal, are considered to contain important potential for future forms of Russian activism.


PID controller is one of the most widely used strategies in the field of control engineering, but it is difficult to achieve the effect that people expect by the conventional PID controllers. For a long time, researchers are working on the parameter tuning of PID technology, and propose a lot of algorithms. In this paper, we have studied an intelligent algorithm inspired by nature — the Bacterial Foraging Algorithm. Four benchmark functions are used to test this algorithm, and an analysis of the global search capability of this algorithm is made. Then,we apply this algorithm to a high-speed and high-precision servo system of fourth order model of PID parameter tuning. The tuning results compared with that of the standard genetic algorithm show that Bacterial Foraging Algorithm is effective in the problem of PID optimization and can be more precision.


Significance The selective estrogen receptor β (ERβ) agonist, LY3201, acts on enteric neuronal stem/progenitor cells, enhancing their capacity to generate enteric glial cells and neurons in vitro. Using two murine models of enteric nervous system damage, we showed that in vivo an ERβ agonist elicited accelerated reconstitution of the enteric neuron pool in the myenteric plexus. Our study suggests that selective ERβ agonists might be useful to promote neurogenesis in the damaged enteric nervous system. Injury to the enteric nervous system (ENS) can cause several gastrointestinal (GI) disorders including achalasia, irritable bowel syndrome, and gastroparesis. Recently, a subpopulation of enteric glial cells with neuronal stem/progenitor properties (ENSCs) has been identified in the adult ENS. ENSCs have the ability of reconstituting the enteric neuronal pool after damage of the myenteric plexus. Since the estrogen receptor β (ERβ) is expressed in enteric glial cells and neurons, we investigated whether a selective ERβ agonist, LY3201, can influence neuronal and glial cell differentiation. Myenteric ganglia from the murine muscularis externa were isolated and cultured in either glial cell medium or neuronal medium. In glial cell medium, the number of glial progenitor cells (Sox10+) was increased by fourfold in the presence of LY3201. In the neuronal medium supplemented with an antimitotic agent to block glial cell proliferation, LY3201 elicited a 2.7-fold increase in the number of neurons (neurofilament+ or HuC/D+). In addition, the effect of LY3201 was evaluated in vivo in two murine models of enteric neuronal damage and loss, namely, high-fat diet and topical application of the cationic detergent benzalkonium chloride (BAC) on the intestinal serosa, respectively. In both models, treatment with LY3201 significantly increased the recovery of neurons after damage. Thus, LY3201 was able to stimulate glial-to-neuron cell differentiation in vitro and promoted neurogenesis in the damaged myenteric plexus in vivo. Overall, our study suggests that selective ERβ agonists may represent a therapeutic tool to treat patients suffering from GI disorders, caused by excessive neuronal/glial cell damage.


 Citation: Baaghideh M, Shakeri F, Mayvaneh F. Comparative Study of Thermal Stress on North and South Coasts of Iran. Journal of Health Research in Community. Autumn 2017;3(3): 1-11. ABSTRACT Introduction and purpose: Thermal comfort conditions are a set of thermal conditions that can be appropriate for at least 80% of people. The absence of thermal comfort conditions is considered as a bipolar phenomenon of cold to warm or hot discomfort, which creates different levels of thermal stress. In this comparative study, we analyzed the temporal and spatial distributions of thermal stresses on the north and south coasts of Iran with a focus on health and tourism. Methods: In the present study, we used the daily data of temperature, wind speed, relative humidity, and cloud cover from 2000 to 2014. First, the mean radiant temperature (TMRT) parameter was calculated in the RayMan software program, and then the universal thermal climate index (UTCI) values were extracted from 16 selected stations on the north and south coasts using the Bioclima software. Results: During the warm period, the most severe thermal stresses occurred on the south coast, especially on islands, but on the north coast, only cold stresses were recorded that were not of high severity. The most severe hot and cold stresses were calculated for Abu Musa Island and Siah Bishe, respectively. Conclusion: There are several levels of thermal stress on the north and south coasts of Iran. This issue is more intense for the southern coast due to severe thermal stresses over a long period of time. The importance of thermal stresses in the concepts of health and tourism requires researchers to pay attention to the related climatic parameters and tensions.


Instilling social awareness is an important thing to be instilled in students to foster feelings and behavior of caring for others. Instilling social awareness through scout extracurricular activities at MTsN 2 Bondowoso has an important role in developing positive attitudes, leadership characters and caring for others. This research is a qualitative research and the type of research is descriptive. Data collection techniques using non-participant observation techniques, interviews and documentation. Analysis of the data using the interactive model of Miles and Huberman. The validity of using triangulation of sources and techniques. The results of this study are: 1). inculcating student social awareness; (a) through habituation such as greeting each other, say hello, pay infaq, do charity work and pray for a sick friend; (b) training activities such as, work together and help each other in pioneering, setting up a tent and simulating First Aid In Accident; (c) work programs such as: social services, sowing flowers, raising funds for victims of natural disasters and distributing 1000 zakat; 2) supporting factors for inculcating student social awareness, that is: (a) the existence of scout coaches who can guide and teach about manners to students with mutual respect and help each other; (b) the presence of a teacher, who provides direction and motivation to students; (c) the role of parents who give permission to their children in participating in scouting activities and participating in material matters


Abstract This paper presents a numerical study on the performance of a vapor compression cycle equipped with an ejectoras an expansion device to improve the COP by reducing the expansion loss and compressor work. The simulation is carriedout using a model based on the conservation of mass, energy and momentum in the ejector. From the results of the simulation,the vapor compression cycle equipped with an ejector showed a maximum COP improvement of 14.0% when using R134a refrigerant and 16.8% when using R1234yf. In addition, the performance of the system with an ejector represents the increasedperformance as the temperature difference between condensing and evaporating increased. Key words Ejector(이젝터), Entrainment ratio(유입비), Area ratio(면적비), R1234yf(R1234yf), GWP(지구온난화지수), COP(성능계수)†Corresponding author, E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com 기호설명 A : 단면적 [m 2 ] COP : 성적계수 h : 엔탈피 [kJ/kg]  : 질량유량 [kg/s] P : 압력 [kPa] Q : 냉방용량 [kW] S : 엔트로피 [kJ/kg ℃ ] V : 속도 [m/s] W : 압축기 소요동력 [kW] x : 건도그리스 문자  :


In order to solve the problem of the speed response and system buffeting for a bearingless induction motor (BIM), which is subjected to various interferences and uncertainties, as well as the worse convergence performance of linear sliding mode and the singularity of terminal sliding mode, a nonsingular fast terminal sliding mode control strategy is proposed. Taking the power function of system state variables into consideration, the sliding mode hyperplane is designed as a combination of linear and nonsingular terminal sliding modes, which make the approaching speed correlate with the state variables of the system. Meanwhile, the differential sliding surface is constructed, and it is based on the rotational speed and radial displacement error of the BIM. Therefore, current signal and radial force are derived by the synthesis of the equations of electromagnetic torque, motion, and levitation force motion. Compared with the conventional strategies, the convergence speed of system state variables can be accelerated during the whole process, which contributes to operate without chattering and achieve high servo precisions. The theoretical simulation and experimental results indicate that the presented strategy can not only quickly track the given value of speed and radial displacement simultaneously, but also enhance the operation quality and robustness of the system. In addition, the rotor is capable of quickly reaching the steady position and achieving stable suspension.


2400 bit/s digital vocoder plays a very important role in narrow-band speech communication. This paper presents a channel vocoder designed by using multiple 8085 microprocessors and some special hardware.
In order to improve the quality of synthesis speech of the vocoder, special attentions were paid to the improvement of excitation signals by using an all-pass filter, the composite response and group delay of the synthesis filter bank adjusted by change bandwidth of filters and with anti-polarity for adjacent filters, and the efficient method of encoding and decoding for Chinese speech parameters. The effect of all these methods has been verified in the results of intelligibility tests.
This paper describes the results of intelligibility tests also.


Polyamide-6 (PA-6)/clay (modified montmorillonite) hybrid was synthesized by melt blending at high shear stress. 27Al-NMR of solid state shows that the clay is not modified after melt blending. Using wide-line 1H-NMR and TEM, it is demonstrated that the nanocomposite exhibits mainly an exfoliated structure. It is shown that the modified montmorillonite induces the crystallization of PA-6 predominantly in γ-form. The presence of clay in PA-6 increases the polymer crystallization temperature, and decreases its melting point. These phenomena show that a certain number of interactions develop near the reinforcing material, and that the latter plays a particular role of nucleating agent. However, the crystallization is not spherulitic and the assumption of macromolecular orientation in the vicinity of the clay is demonstrated by the observations carried out in DSC and AFM. These particular properties of orientation will have a particular importance on the mechanical behavior of the nanocomposite material. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 2416–2423, 2002


The inhibitory effects of 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG) and 6-deoxy-6-fluoro-D-glucose (6FG) on the metabolism of glucose by yeast were compared and some properties of the glucose transport system were examined. 2DG and 6FG had similar effects on the consumption of oxygen and the production of carbon dioxide by several strains of yeast, hence they appear to inhibit metabolism of glucose by the same mechanism. Kinetic studies with mixed inhibitors indicated that both compounds compete at the same catalytic site. The rate of entry of 6FG into the yeast cell and its equilibrium concentration were similar to those of galactose. The fermentation of D-galactose was strongly inhibited by 2DG and 6FG, and weakly inhibited by 2-deoxy-D-galactose and 6-deoxy-6-fluoro-D-galactose. The latter two compounds did not inhibit the fermentation of D-glucose.


The article reveals the importance of publishing verbatim records of the trial over the leaders of the party of socialists-revolutionists in Moscow in 1922. Special attention is paid to the importance of verbatim reports of sittings of the court as the historical source of information concerning post-revolutionary Russia.


As one of the most important video compression technologies, inter prediction coding is highly efficient in reducing the temporal redundancy of video sequence. However, complicated inter prediction for the latest High Efficiency Video Coding standard (HEVC) brings high computational complexity and seriously restricts the encoding speed. In this paper, a fast inter prediction algorithm based on Rate-Distortion (RD) cost is proposed to improve inter prediction of HEVC. First, the splitting of Largest Coding Unit (LCU) is determined according to the RD costs with best Coding Unit (CU) size being 64x64 in the reference picture. Then, for other CUs in lower depths, the comparable RD costs are selected from encoded CUs in the same depth at the same Coding Tree Unit (CTU) based on the local homogeneity in spatial domain. By comparing the RD cost of current CU with its corresponding RD threshold, the splitting is terminated in advance. In this way, the proposed fast inter prediction algorithm can avoid the traversal of all CUs in the coding tree structure and improve the encoding speed. Experimental results show that the algorithm can save about 30% encoding time on the basis of ensuring visual quality and compression ratio of videos. Therefore, the computational complexity can be reduced greatly.


Introduction: Toxoplasma is a leading cause of posterior uveitis in immunocompetent patients manifesting as a focal posterior retinochoroiditis. It also causes systemic disease with potentially lethal complications. This obligate intracellular parasite has worldwide distribution with an estimated 1 billion people affected. 1 The typical Toxoplasma lesion consists of fluffy gray or white-yellow retinal infiltrates adjacent to an old pigmented scar with overlying exudation of the vitreous.2,3 Several unusual presentations in ocular toxoplasmosis have been reported, including: papillitis, neuroretinitis, retrobulbar neuritis, outer retinal toxoplasmosis,4 central serous retinopathy, retinal detachment, macular edema,5 scleritis,6 and multifocal diffuse necrotizing retinitis in the elderly.7 Complications of ocular toxoplasmosis include secondary glaucoma, CME,8 vascular occlusion,9,10,12 retinal neovascularization,10 choroidal neovascularization,11 subretinal neovascularization.12 We report a case of presumed ocular toxoplasmosis presenting initially as papillitis with minimal vitritis and severely diminished vision that evolved into neuroretinitis while under treatment. We also review several case reports of primary optic nerve involvement in toxoplasmosis.


As a bank staff nurse working for an on-call care at night service in the community, I am often called out to patients whose catheters have become blocked. I recently underwent training in recatheterising male patients and patients with suprapubic catheters, so reading this article ( Simpson 2001 ) has consolidated my learning in these areas.


SUMMARY The review addresses how infection with Trypanosoma brucei affects the development, survival and functions of B lymphocytes in mice. It discusses (1) the contributions of antibodies to trypanosome clearance from the bloodstream, (2) how B lymphocytes, the precursors of antibody producing plasma cells, interact with membrane form variable surface glycoprotein (VSG), i.e. with monovalent antigen that is free to diffuse within the lipid bilayer of the trypanosome plasma membrane and consequently can cross-link B cell antigen specific receptors by indirect processes only and (3) the extent and underlying causes of dysregulation of humoral immune responses in infected mice, focusing on the impact of wild type and GPI-PLC−/− trypanosomes on bone marrow and extramedullary B lymphopoiesis, B cell maturation and survival.


This paper addresses the omnipresent problem of counting bits - an operation discussed since the very early stages of the establishing of computer science. The need for a quick bit-counting method acquires a special significance with the proliferation of search engines on the Internet. It arises in several other computer applications. This is especially true in information retrieval in which an array of binary vectors is used to represent a characteristic function (CF) of a set of qualified documents. The number of "I"s in the CF equals the cardinality of the set. The process of repeated evaluations of this cardinality is a pivotal point in choosing a rational strategy for deciding whether to constrain or broaden the search criteria to ensure selection of the desired items. Another need for bit-counting occurs when trying to determine the differences between given files, (images or text), in terms of the Hamming distance. An Exclusive OR operation applied to a pair of files results in a binary vector array of mismatches that must be counted.


Drawing on extant literature, this methodological study provides a content analysis of research procedures employed in knowledge management (KM) research between 2009 and 2013. A total of 303 articles published in the Journal of Knowledge Management were critically reviewed and subjected to a descriptive content analysis research approach. Non-empirical studies were on the decline. Positivist epistemologies and quantitative research approaches predominated research in knowledge management (KM). Surveys, case studies and content analysis were the most favoured research approaches. Other major research approaches such as field experiments, ethnography, grounded theory and phenomenology were conspicuous by their absence. Questionnaires and interviews were commonly used for data collection, but the use of more than one research method was not prevalent. Based on the findings, many implications emerge that improve our understanding of research procedures used in KM research. One research method was used in this study. The use of more than one research paradigm and research method may extend our understanding of research in KM. The findings revealed good practices and gaps in using research methods. The results from this article can be used to relook or reanalyse the research methodologies that are used in the KM field. Consequently, it will assist KM researchers in making informed decisions about method selection and deployment in their studies. The study used a broader and systematic multi-stage conceptual framework to comprehensively analyse the research procedures used in the KM field.


This chapter says that Axel Honneth's critique of poststructuralist social philosophy offers a productive perspective for further developing the ethics of recognition, but also that the latter could benefit from a critical appropriation of certain aspects of poststructuralist thought. It begins with an examination of Honneth's critique of Foucault's analysis of power, in particular the tension between action-theoretic and system-theoretic perspectives that Honneth identifies as the crucial impasse in Foucault's theory of society. The chapter then turns to Honneth's critical confrontation with poststructuralist critiques of the modern subject, in particular his criticism of the Nietzschean-aestheticist concept of freedom. Finally, it considers Honneth's critical engagement with post-structuralist approaches to ethics, in particular his claim that Derrida's Levinasian ethics of care for the singular other presents a moral perspective that challenges Habermasian discourse ethics. Keywords: Axel Honneth; care; poststructuralist social philosophy; power; recognition


This research has aim to determine the effect of entrepreneur orientation on performance of existing businesses in SMEs Batik Pacitan District and the government role as mediating variable. Questionnaire was used to collect data and this research called explanatory quantitative research. The sample is the amount of 40 respondents in the Pacitan that is work in the Batik SMEs. To analyse the data used Warp PLS. This research gives correlation evidence between entrepreneur orientation  and business performance. The R square score in the amount of 0.64, that means regression model able to explain 64% the effect of government role to the entrepreneur orientation toward business performance and the 36% for the rest will be explained by other varible that exclude this research. Based on that result, the goverment should pay attention to the entrepreneur and give contribution to them for expand SMEs because it will give feedback to the government for example increase per capita income, opening job vacancy, and reduce unemployment.


Dissimilar Friction Stir Welded T-joints gives auxiliary strength to engineering structures, keeping insignificant body weight. Due to the stronger material being away from the heat source, the T-joint between AA8011 and AA5754 is very vulnerable to formation of defects which results in lower tensile strength along the skin and stringer. In this paper, two aluminium alloys, namely AA5754 and AA8011 were friction stir welded in the Tjoint configuration, and the roles of welding parameters such as the tool transverse speed, tool rotational speed, and tool shoulder diameter on the tensile strength along skin and stringer was analyzed and discussed. The relative importance of the three process parameters was also analyzed. The tool shoulder diameter is found to be the most dominant factor for the strength along the skin, whereas, tool transverse speed is found to be the most important for the strength along stringer.


As the Australian ageing population expands, there is an increasing need for quality gerontological research to inform psychological practice. The analyses undertaken for this paper indicate that the volume of geropsychological research has increased substantially, both in Australia and overseas. Membership of the Australian Psychological Society (APS) Interest Group on Ageing is small, but since 1997 has not fallen as much as the membership of some other well-established groups. Further participation by trained psychologists in gerontology research is required, and psychologists' training should include stronger emphasis on ageing.


Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have emerged as a promising alternative for energy storage. In this work, it has been synthesized a nanocomposite material of Sb_xSb_yS_z/Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) using low-cost synthesizing methods. First, CNFs have been obtained by electrospinning method with subsequent carbonation at 700°C. Afterward, a Sb_xSb_yS_z thin coating is deposited on the CNFs by chemical bath deposition technique to obtain the Sb_xSb_yS_z/CNFs. In order to obtain the SnSb_2S_4 crystalline phase, the composite is heated at 300°C in nitrogen atmosphere. The evaluation of this nanocomposite as the anode for SIBs has a reversible discharge capacity of 180 mAh g^-1 and a columbic efficiency of 61.4% after 9 cycles. On the other hand, the resistance associated to the charge transfer to the CNFs decreases from 115.03 Ω to 77.86 Ω due to the incorporation of Sn_xSb_yS_z. Finally, an easy and inexpensive route has been proposed for the synthesis of Sb_xSb_yS_z/CNFs composite with great potential to be used as anode material for SIBs.


Recognition of service quality as a competitive weapon is relatively a recent phenomenon in the Indian Banking sector. Prior to the liberalization era the banking sector in India was operating in a protected environment and was dominated by nationalized banks. Banks at that time did not feel the need to pay attention to service quality issues and they assigned very low priority to identification and satisfaction of customer needs..


The article is an attempt to discover the «Spanish trace» in the seventeenth-century theological thought of the Metropolitanate of Kyiv by using the instruction on the administration of the church sacraments (Russ. «Nauka o sedmi tainah cerkovnyh») published in Vilnius in 1617/18 as a part of an «Agenda» («Trebnik») und the first printed Orthodox manual on moral theology «Piece to man with God» (Russ. «Myr s Bogom cheloviku», Kyiv 1669). «Nauka» was a compilation from «Summa casuum conscientiae» composed by the Spanish Jesuit Francisco de Toledo (1534–1596). Vilna's compilers resorted to both a literal translation of significant portions of the Toledo's text and to a repetition of separate fragments close to the Latin original; but also supplemented the fragments borrowed from «Summa» with descriptions of church rituals, quotations from the Church Fathers, canons of the Ecumenical and Local Councils, from civil legal sources. Despite the fact that «Nauka» was created in Uniate circles, it was also widely spread among the adherents of the Orthodox Church. It was through this Vilna's compilation that certain fragments of «Summa» came into «Myr s Bogom». But it is quite obvious that the compiler of «Myr s Bogo» also directly appealed to the work of de Toledo, especially in the interpretation of the seven deadly sins and in the arguments about alms. Both «Nauka» and «Myr s Bogom» served as a source for a hand-written compilation by Evfimi Chudovski on the church sacraments, which also contributed to the dissemination of de Toledo's work in the Moscovite tradition.


Acoustic Emission (AE) monitoring, which is a real time non-destructive testing method, is extensively used for the structural integrity assessment of pressure vessels during pressure testing. It's a powerful tool for remote global detection of active defects and its propagation in the components during pressure tests. As liquid propellant tanks are proof pressure tested pneumatically to avoid contamination, the noise due to the pressurization jet is a major hindrance to the proper interpretation of Acoustic Emission data unlike in the case of hydraulic pressurization where normal Acoustic Emission test procedures could be used. In such cases, the characteristics of the emissions from the components during pressure hold phases and repeat test if any are to be relied upon for analysis to interpret the behaviour of the structure. This paper discusses the methodology used for the Structural Integrity assessment of Aluminium alloy tankages tested with pneumatic medium. The parameters connected with the AE like Amplitude, Duration and Energy are used for assessment. AE criteria evolved from specimen tests as well as subscale tank burst test is used for real time assessment. Location mode analysis is used for post test evaluation. Practical applications have been demonstrated through a few case studies.


Occlusions present a challenge in surveillance and traffic monitoring applications where person and/or vehicle tracking are required. Video-based object tracking is a process where the location of a given object of interest in a video sequence is determined across a range of frames. A key step in typical tracking operations is forming a feature representation of an object being tracked and solving a correspondence problem to find the location of the best-matching set of those features between video frames. The best-matching feature set is usually found via optimization algorithms across regions in subsequent frames near and around the location of the object in a current frame. The features used to solve the correspondence problem are usually appearance-based, and may include color, texture and shape descriptors. Consequently, the track can be lost when a view of the tracked object is occluded by objects in the scene because the appearance of the occluded object may not sufficiently resemble the appearance of the unoccluded object. In this paper, we present a method for determining the location of static occlusions in a scene at the pixel level, and utilize the knowledge of the location of the occlusions to boost the performance of well-known video-based object tracking algorithms. We demonstrate via experimental testing that the proposed method is effective in improving the performance of tracking algorithms, particularly when the motion in the scene is highly regularized, as is the case in cameras performing transportation monitoring tasks.


Focusing on the problem of the space variation for the envelope migration in bistatic SAR,a bistatic chirp-scaling(CS) algorithm is proposed based on an exact analytical bistatic point target spectrum,which is obtained by a geometry-based formula(GBF) method in tandem mode.Unlike the imaging algorithms applied in the wavenumber domain,no interpolation operation is used during the whole imaging,the focusing process is implemented in the frequency domain with celerity.The proposed algorithm can handle the bistatic tandem case with large baseline to ratio due to the high precision of the spectrum.Simulation experiments validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.


This study investigated parental involvement in the sponsorship schools of the Christian Relief and Development Organization in Burkina Faso. It was examined how parental involvement in Burkina Faso could be related to western standards of parental involvement set by Epstein (1984). Research showed that parental involvement leads to higher educational success for children. Factors that were expected to relate to parental involvement were school policies , responsible actors in the education of the chid and the functions parents allocated to education. Central to the study was the relation between class related cultural factors and parental involvement. Focus group interviews were held in nine schools with parents (n =152) with a child in sponsorship by the Christian Relief and Development Organization – abbreviated as C.RE.D.O - , teachers and headmasters (n = 55). Results of qualitative analysis revealed that parents put a high value on education. Both collectivistic and individualistic functions of school appeared. Although individualistic functions were mentioned, in the end they turned out to be collectivistic goals. It could be suggested, that because of the transition period, parental involvement on western standards cannot be expected. Collective thoughts appeared within the responsible actors in education as well. Parents are responsible home and teachers at school. The child gets responsibility itself as well, because of illiteracy of parents, but is not an active agent. Since Burkina Faso is in a period of transition 2001) both Western and non-western features appeared. The current study aimed to provide inside on parental involvement in underdeveloped countries. It was examined how parental involvement in Burkina Faso could be related to western standards of parental involvement set by Epstein (1984). These levels of involvement focused on assisting children at home, communication between home and school, volunteer opportunities, decision making positions and collaboration with the community. Research was conducted to find out whether or not cultural determined factors have an influence on parental involvement. Several sub questions on functions of school, responsible actors in education and efforts of schools to involve parents, were used to retrieve if parental involvement on western standards could be found.


Objective: The study aimed to measure the status of cold chain management among primary health care professionals at primary healthcare centers (PHCC) in Qatar. Methods: A cross-sectional design with pre-post-intervention study was conducted, and 570 primary health professionals were selected from 21 PHCCs using random sampling. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data regarding the status of cold chain system of healthcare workers before and after educational intervention. Results: Of the 570 subjects, 492 (86.3%) participated in the post-intervention evaluation. cold chain management, before the intervention six elements were present in all of the PHCCs (100%), eight were present in >80%, another eight were present in 60–80%, while 13 were present in < 60%. These figures improved to 8, 13, 4, and 10, respectively, after the intervention. Conclusion: In Qatar, The current status of cold chain status among primary healthcare workers had significantly improved after interventio...


Purpose – To determine the most popular entries on library ready reference web sites and the role of visibility in the selection of resources.Design/methodology/approach – Ready reference web sites of 100 American libraries were examined, for a census of the most frequently selected online resources. The dates of news, library and online media coverage were considered for specific tools, to explain their prominence.Findings – Early publicity for web tools was found to be an important element in their relative popularity as choices for library web sites.Research limitations/implications – The date on which a given web resource became well known among librarians can only be estimated from media reports, not proved. Additional study could establish the frequency with which libraries modify their ready reference web sites and investigate why other resources of comparable quality have not become as popular.Originality/value – The paper shows that early visibility plays a role in librarians' selection of web re...


Objective To investigate the pathological changes of ultrastructure of mucosa in various bronchial segments from type 2 diabetic patients. Methods Sixteen cases of type 2 diabetic patients were selected,2-3 pieces of bronchial mucosa and submucosal tissue of the lesion were taken from various bronchi during bronchoscopy and these samples were observed under a transmission electron microscope. Results The basal lamina of bronchial capillary were diffusely thickened and mostly showed onion-skin like change,protein deposited around and mixed with basal menbrance;irregular highly electron dense materials were found to deposite around capillary,capillary lumen became narrow or even collapsed,neutrophilic leucocyte marginated in lumen and adhered with endothelium;protein deposited in the interstitial;endothelial cells and pericytes had dark cell changes.The cistern of rough endoplasmic reticulum dilated and vesicle formed.Conclusion Bronchial mucosa and its surrounding tissues show characteristic pathological changes of diabetes,bronchial is also the target organ of chronic diabetic damage.


Objective To investigate the effect of compound glycyrrhizin and vitiligo pill on vitiligo.Methods The treatment group was treated with glycyrrhizin and vitiligo pills.The control group was treated with vitiligo pills.The effect was observed three months after treatment.Results The total effective rate of the treatment group and control group were 81.25% and 56.67%(P0.05).Conclusion Compound glycyrrhizin and vitiligo pill are certainly worth of clinical application.


Summary form only given. The plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) of silicon dioxide films has been examined in a low temperature, atmospheric pressure discharge. A mixture of 2.0 vol% oxygen in helium was utilized in a capacitive discharge operating at 100 W RF power and a neutral gas temperature of /spl sim/100/spl deg/C. Several silicon precursors were studied, including tetramethyldisiloxane (TMDSO), tetramethylcy-clotetrasiloxane (TMCTS), tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), and hexa-methyldisilazane (HMDSN). After growth, the thickness, refractive index and composition of the silicon dioxide films were determined by ellipsometry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and Rutherford backscattering. Abrasion tests were performed on films deposited on plastic substrates. Glass films could be deposited at rates up to 1.0 micron/minute using TMDSO. However, these films contained 5.0 to 10.0 atom% carbon and hydrogen, and abraided easily during scratch tests. Feeding HMDSN to the oxygen plasma resulted in the deposition of silicon dioxide films that were free of nitrogen and carbon (<0.5 atom%), contained /spl sim/2.0 atom% hydrogen, and displayed excellent scratch resistance. The maximum deposition rate obtained using HMDSN was 0.3 microns/minute. It was found that the deposition rate increased with RF power, oxygen partial pressure up to 10 Torr, and decreasing distance between the plasma source and substrate (2.0 to 10.0 mm). At the meeting, we will discuss the relationship between the plasma chemistry and the properties of the silicon dioxide coatings.


Recently) the Kuwaiti Government took steps to rectify what many in its Parliament consider to be trarlsgressions on public funds. More specifically, Parliament focused its attention on the problem of commissions and payments paid as part and parcel of contracts with the Govemment and its entities. As a result, on 11 August 1996, Kuwait Law No. 25 of 1996 regarding the disclosure of commissions in conneciion with government contracts (the "Law") was passed. On 18 August 1996, the Law, upon ratification and offcial publication, became effective. The passage of this Law, upon raiification and official publication, became effective. For years now, US companies have been irl a league of their own iIl that they have had lo abide by The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Under the FCPA, US companies are forbidden from making payments meant to influence an act or decision of a foreign official or meant to induce the official to affect a decision which would help the company in obtaining business. Conversely, companies in other countries were not faced with such limitations. It would appear, however, that with the passage of this Law, the tides are shifiing towards a more even playing field. The text of the Law contains many ambiguities, which are not greatly clarified by the available legislative history. It is tlOt clear at present what steps, if any, will be taken to clarify the Law either in the Kuwaiti National Assembly or at the level of the various ministries charged with implementing it. It is unlikely that any steps will be formally taken to clarify the scope of the Law in the short-terst. As such, the goal of this article is to help clarify the scope of the Law by examining itS legislative history and text.


Among the symbols used for representing power in the Middle Ages were the relics of saints and martyrs. When it came to political power, relics were one of the most cherished symbolic instruments to achieve legitimation of political power. However, no texts from the Middle Ages can be found that reflect the practice of associating relics with power. Rather, we have to assume or derive that reflection indirectly through narratives and stories around the relics present in the culture and religion of the time. This article reflects on the symbolic use of relics from a theological–political perspective: What kind of power acts through relics? What meaning of power is embodied in their political use of them? The thesis that the article will defend is that reflection on the politics of relics leads to a resignification of the idea of power in the Middle Ages, which is closely connected to the idea of charisma originating in the writings of the Apostle Paul.


Abstract Polar ocean circulation is influenced by fluxes of salt and freshwater at the surface as ice freeze in one location, is transported by the winds and currents, and melts again elsewhere. The motion of sea ice, moreover, is strongly affected by internal stresses that arise from the mechanical strength of the ice cover. A simple sea-ice dynamics model, allowing these effects to be included in large-scale climate studies, is presented. In this model a cavitating fluid behaviour is assumed whereby the ice pack does not resist divergence or shear, but does resist convergence. While less realistic than other rheologies that include shear strength, this assumption has certain advantages for long-term climate studies. First, it allows a simple and efficient numerical scheme, in both rectangular and spherical coordinates, which as developed here along with a generation to include shear strength via the Mohr-Coulomb failure criteria. Second, realistic ice transport is maintained, even when the model is driv...


The co-ordination polyhedron in the eight-co-ordinate complex cation La(C5H5NO)83+ closely approximates D4 symmetry and exhibits large deviations from the geometry of the square antiprism, towards that of the cube.


Correspondence to: Ioana Muntean, e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com ABSTRACT. Hyperprolactinemia has different etiologic forms, among them, the prolactin-secreting pituitary tumors represent an important entity. In our study, were analyzed the clinical aspects, diagnostic procedures and therapeutical approach of 31 cases of prolactinomas (F/M ratio = 27/4) hospitalized in the Clinic of Endocrinology, County Hospital No. 1 Timisoara during the period 2000 2004. The study group was divided in two subgroups (by clinical, functional and imaging criteria): macroprolactinoma (13 cases; F/M = 9/4; age years = 36.69 ± 14.21); microprolactinoma (18 cases; F/M =18/0; age years = 31.55 ± 9.46). Prolactinomas represented 17.30% of cases from hypothalamic-pituitary pathology hospitalized in our clinic during the mentioned period. Anamnesis and clinical exam completed by hormonal assessment and imagistic investigations (CT/MRI) are essential for an accurate diagnosis. All the cases caused by the effects of hyperprolactinemia on hypotalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and 5 patients with macroprolactinoma (F/M ratio = 2/3) presented tumor mass effect. The plasma prolactin levels were significantly higher (p < 0.00001) in patients with macroprolactinoma comparing with microprolactinoma cases. All the patients were treated with dopamine agonist drugs with very good response regarding the decrease of prolactin levels and tumor shrinkage (only one case didn't show a normal prolactin level despite long term medical therapy associated with tumor disappearance, and despite the chang of dopamine agonist form). Four women with macroprolactinoma became pregnant after one year of treatment with bromocriptine and all of them reached the parturition without any event (continuing during the pregnancy the therapy with bromocriptine).


The purpose of this study was to analyze the SBI interest rate and the inflation rate on the Composite Stock Price Index (CSPI) partially and simultaneously on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX). The results showed that there was a simultaneous effect of the two dependent variables on the independent variable, namely the Composite Stock Price Index (CSPI). Partially, the SBI interest rate has no significant effect on the Composite Stock Price Index (CSPI) and the inflation rate has no significant effect on the Composite Stock Price Index (CSPI).


Lamellar tearing is a wor ld wide problem in the fabrication of structural and pressure vessel steelwork. Significant steps have been taken in the past few years to provide information wh ich wi l l enable designers to avoid the occurrence of the problem, and a number of precautionary and remedial techniques are available for the welding engineer (Refs. 1-3). In addition it has been shown that good correlations exist between sus ceptibility to cracking in practice and the results of small scale mechanical tests. The use of the short transverse (ST) tensile test is now an integral part of the specification of steels for some critical appl icat ions, par ticularly offshore structures (Ref. 4).


This volume contains the proceedings of FOCLASA 2015, the 14th International Workshop on the Foundations of Coordination Languages and Self-Adaptive Systems. FOCLASA 2015 was held in Madrid, Spain, on September 5, 2015 as a satellite event of CONCUR 2015, the 26th International Conference on Concurrency Theory.
Modern software systems are distributed, concurrent, mobile, and often involve composition of heterogeneous components and stand-alone services. Service coordination and self-adaptation constitute the core characteristics of distributed and service-oriented systems. Coordination languages and formal approaches to modelling and reasoning about self-adaptive behaviour help to simplify the development of complex distributed service-based systems, enable functional correctness proofs, automated synthesis of correct-by-construction systems, and improve reusability and maintainability of such systems. The goal of the FOCLASA workshop is to put together researchers and practitioners of the aforementioned fields, to share and identify common problems, and to devise general solutions in the context of coordination languages and self-adaptive systems.


The relevance is determined by the need for professional development of a student, which takes place in the new educational environment of higher educational institutions. The purpose is to analyze the problem of student's adaptation in HEIs, suggest an approximate list of activities at the level of the curator's activity, and determine the curator's role (if there is a feedback). The materials can be useful for teachers of HEIs, curators of student groups in the implementation of curator's activities.


Ultrasound Imaging is one of the most widely used technique to provide information about renal diseases in kidney such as cyst, tumor and calculi. This paper aims to extract features from the different renal abnormalities to discriminate between the normal and abnormal conditions. Two filters, median and wiener filter are used to remove the speckle noise in US (ultrasound) images. A picture quality performance technique is implemented to identify the quality of the images. Peak to signal noise ratio (PSNR) and Mean squared error (MSR) is used to verify the enhanced images. The preprocessed images are then segmented using FCM (fuzzy c-means clustering technique) which yields better results to find Region of interest (ROI). The statistical features along with scale invariant feature transform (SIFT) features and Texture features are extracted and analyzed. It is found that features like Energy, Variance and kurtosis are seen to be higher in the normal kidney images than the renal abnormalities. The features can be used to discriminate between normal and abnormal renal conditions. The developed system is expected to provide support for the medical practitioners for decision making to provide an enhanced health care.


The direction and mechanism of energy transfer between phenanthrene and tris(dipicolinato)lanthanide(III)[Ln(pdc)3–3, Ln = Dy, Eu, Tb] anions in aqueous cetyltrimethylammonium micellar solution is shown to depend on the relative energies of the aromatic triplet states and the lanthanide excited states. For the terbium complex, the transfer occurs from the 5D4 excited state to the coexcited phenanthrene lowest triplet (T1) thereby exciting the phenanthrene to a higher triplet T2, whereas for Eu(pdc)3–3 and Dy(pdc)3–3 the energy transfer is from the aromatic triplet T1 to the ground state of the lanthanide complex. In each case the involvement of the triplet state has been demonstrated by triplet–triplet adsorption spectroscopy, and the behaviour of the lanthanide excited states observed from their luminescence kinetics. Oxygen quenching studies confirm the proposed mechanisms.


To visitors in the City of Mexico, the guides, both official and unofficial, have been wont to declare that the modern city occupies the site of Tenochtitlan of the Aztecs, and that the Cathedral stands where, in former times, stood the heathen teocalli. Nor are these guides to be blamed for the inaccuracy of their statements, nor the tourists for their ready credulity in accepting them, when the generally accepted literature of the subject abounds in asseverations that Tenochtitlan covered an area nine miles in circumference; that the site of the present city is completely swallowed up in that of the former Indian pueblo; that the present city occupies "so exactly the same site as its predecessor that the plaza mayor, or great square, is the same spot which had been covered by the huge teocalli and the palace of Montezuma; while the principal streets take their departure, as before, from this central point, and passing through the whole length of the city, terminate at the principal causeways" (Prescott) ; that the great causeways touch the modern capital at the same points; and much more to the effect that the present city is inferior in extent to its predecessor, though it marks with monumental precision all the prominent sites of Tenochtitlan.


A study was made of the operating characteristics of a rotating bowl for the production of uniform microspheres. The system was investigated using first water, and later a modeling fluid which approximated the properties of a nitrate-stabilized urania sol. Previously reported data on similar bowl systems indicated very good uniformity of droplet diameters within a plume projected from the bowl, but the results of this study did not confirm such performance, at least in the case of water. It was found that droplet diameter varied about 50% of the mean in the total spray and about 20% of the mean in the plume for the water tests. The modeling fluid was found to give better uniformity of droplet size across the plume, the average diameter variation from the plume mean being around 11% or less. Droplet size was found to depend directly on the flow rate, inversely on the angular velocity and bowl diameter. The droplet size data were successfully correlated by dimensional analysis. It was found that from 70 to 90% of the collected spray was within a band of fairly uniform drop size. However, an overall mass balance accounted for 70% or less of the feed. These resultsmore » indicate that if the device is used for the production of microspheres, that some recycling of fluid will be necessary.« less


Since 1983, the Canterbury NEAR/SQUARE study has tracked the on-going merger of NEAR and SQUARE in New Zealand English. This paper reports on four repetitions of the study. The results indicate that the two diphthongs are falling together on a close realization which is labelled as NEAR. Factors affecting the process of the merger, such as sex and social class of the speakers, and degree of stress on the test words are discussed, as are the difficulties of carrying out a long-term study of a sound change in progress.


Abstract : The overall objective of this study is to continue work begun to investigate the improvement of an integrated ballistic message from multiple stations and the effects of mountainous terrain on space and time variability of meteorological measurements. One of the initial steps carried out during this reporting interval was the preparation of a detailed work plan for the contract year. The plan divides the technical work into five tasks: (1) CRAM modifications and tests; (2) ballistic winds evaluation; (3) withheld data experiments; (4) stability experiments; and (5) prediction techniques. The plan is contained in this report. During the first year of study an objective analysis program, the Conditional Relaxation Analysis Method (CRAM), was developed and applied as a tool for investigation. Under the first task, modifications and improvements to CRAM are presently being carried out. As a part of the second task (ballistic wind evaluation) residual errors (deflection) based on station observations along with those from Ft. Huachuca have been derived and are contained herein. In general, one does not find residual errors increasing as distance increases. The minimum residual error occurred only 2 times in 24 test firings at the station closest to the firing--Ft. Huachuca. On the other hand, the minimum residual error occurred 8 times 50 km to the west southwest, at Nogales.


. An inversion of the odd-even effect was observed experimentally in cold fission: the odd-odd fragmentation yields are favored over the even-even ones for excitations energies of the fragments smaller than 4 MeV. This effect is linked to the important problem of quasiparticle excitations during the dynamical evolution of the nuclear system from its ground-state configuration up to scission. An explanation based on the Landau-Zener promotion mechanism generalized for superfluid systems is offered for the inversion of the odd-even effect. In principle, the even-even fission products cannot be produced at very low excitation energies due dynamical quasiparticle excitations produced in the avoided- level-crossing regions. These excitations are produced with a large probability when the nuclear system deforms slowly.


Consultation humanizes standards. It arouses motivation not only for compliance with minimum requirements, but also for continuous improvement of patient care through education and the use of professional and citizen talents.


Solar energy is considered to be the most preferred renewable energy source because it is abundant in nature and is least harmful to the environment when compared to other energy sources. Recently, entrepreneurship projects like the Project Sunroof have been pioneering engineering research and regulations to encourage the use of solar energy and to regulate solar panels to receive maximum energy. It is envisaged that the use of the results of such initiatives will be very useful in terms of urban planning activities to assess the potential of a city to benefit from solar energy through solar mapping. If such energy strategies can be combined with sustainable development objectives, they will form a valuable analytical tool that allows cities to measure regional capacity for energy generation. Modeling the environment in which the building is located, identifying the intensity of the sun's rays around it, and calculating how efficiently the number of solar panel and the area is to lay solar panels on each roof, are the steps necessary to identify buildings worthy of solar paneling, System primarily works in different modules. A detailed presentation to educate the people about the benefit of solar panel. Only requirement of the System will be the energy requirement of the workplace. Search for your workplace from Google Earth. The System calculator calculates how much solar panel required fulfilling the requirement and customized savings estimate. Taking a picture and placing the solar panels using the drag and drop feature to provide a 2D visual image representation after solar panel fitting. By using data from Coogle Maps to calculate shadows from nearby structures and taking into account historical weather and temperature patterns. In addition, the System also Provide vendors with store information and store locations for easy installation of the solar panel.


Lack of local and national transgender-led organisations necessitates an informatory response of researchers striving to develop standards of medical and dental care for transgender communities of developing countries. Here in the Universiti Sains Malaysia in Kelantan, Malaysia, we have made efforts to conduct research and develop a better understanding of health care needs for local Bangladeshi transgender community. Currently, we are outreaching transgender community leaders for data collection with prior permissions to facilitate at least palliative treatment provision. We aim to assess the differences in dental and craniofacial morphometry of transgenders. We also focus on identifying the associations of Body Mass Index (BMI) and ABO Blood grouping with the craniofacial morphometrics. So for our knowledge goes, there is no existing database for the dental and craniofacial morphometric norms of transgenders. Our study outcomes will primarily serve orthodontists, maxillofacial surgeons and on a larger scale will facilitate forensic specialists, radiologists and other health care personnel to better understand the inherent differences and plan the desired treatments according to their specific norms. This will also encourage and empower transgenders to seek health advices and enjoy a healthy social life. The fears of violence and discrimination that transgenders face in our society have suppressed their basic health care needs for long. We need to work in globalised collaboration to address the complex array of challenges that the transgender community faces. Gender equity and indiscrimination is their birth right and we hold this responsibility to defend and fight for their rights to ensure their prosperous future. International Journal of Human and Health Sciences Vol. 04 No. 03 July'20 Page : 155


By use of pepsin a plastein was synthesized from a peptic hydrolysate of soybean protein and characterized as a protein-like substance, based on its behavior against trichloroacetic acid and its affinity to dyes. The contribution of the S–S bridge to plastein formation was little if any. The fractionation of the protein-like substance by solubility showed that the whole plastein-reaction product was constituted of 81.5 parts of the 50% ethanol-insoluble fraction; 63.8% of this fraction was also insoluble in 0.035 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.6). The phosphate buffer-insoluble fraction was mostly solubilized in 0.3 M sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Although it was a minor component, there was a 50% ethanol-soluble and water-insoluble (prolamine-like) fraction which showed a reversible aggregation-dispersion change by a repeated heating-cooling treatment. A characteristic point of the SDS-soluble and prolamine-like fractions was found in their amino acid compositions. As compared with the substrate (peptic hydrol...


Chitin synthesis inhibitors (CSI) viz., lufenuron, diflubenzuron, novaulron, flufenozuron were evaluated along with endosulfan for their relative efficacy against Helicoverpa armigera infesting chick pea under field conditions. The treatment with lufenuron 0.006% found to be most effective which recorded least % pod damage (11.9) with highest % efficacy (97.4) and grain yield of 2064.35 kg/ha. This was followed by other treatments of CSI and endosulfan 0.07%.


Crystals with a hexagonal lath-like morphology were found in glass products for cathode ray tubes. These crystals are preserved at the interfaces between glass and ZrO2 ceramics in a glass melting tank. An electron microprobe analysis gives SiO2: 45.6, ZrO2: 31.5, K2O: 19.0, Na2O: 1.92, BaO: 1.46, SrO: 0.33, in wt%. These values and X-ray analyses indicated the crystals to be precipitated with the same structure as mineral wadeite, K2ZrSi3O9, whose K atom sites are partially substituted by Ba, Sr or Na atoms. The structure is hexagonal with the space group P63/m, and the unit cell dimensions of a=6.918(2) and c=10.151(3)A. The structure was refined using X-ray diffraction intensities from a single crystal. The bond distances and angles for Si3O9 rings are well comparable with those of benitoite, BaTiSi3O9, which is another example mineral including Si3O9 rings, with slight but significant difference in non-bridging Si-O bond distances. The mean square displacements of atoms in Si3O9 rings show that the tetrahedron is rigid for Si-O bond but strongly distorted for the O-O edges of non-bridging O atoms during thermal vibrations, coordinating to Zr and K. The thermal vibrational behaviors for the non-bridging oxygen are significantly different from those in benitoite.


ABSTRACT— The outrages by means of conventional bombs in Paris, Istanbul, and Brussels indicate that the terrorists are determined to continue their horrible war against the mankind. It is more likely, that the next step from them is to use chemical and biological agents. The paper is a general analysis of the contemporary status of the Chemical and Biological Weapons, and why it is possible they to be used by


Touch is perceived most pleasant when delivered at velocities known to optimally activate the C-Tactile afferent system. At the group level, pleasantness ratings of touch delivered at velocities in the range between 0.3 and 30 cm/s follows an inverted-U shape curve, with maximum pleasantness between 1 and 10 cm/s. However, the prevalence, reliability, and stability of this function at the individual level and across skin types based on hair density remains unknown. Here, we tested a range of seven velocities (0.3, 1, 3, 6, 9, 18, 27 cm/s) delivered with a soft brush, on both hairy (forearm and dorsal hand) and non-hairy skin (palm) in 123 participants. Our results suggest that the relationship between pleasantness and velocity of touch is significantly best described by a negative quadratic model at the individual level in the majority of participants both on hairy (67.1%) and non-hairy (62.6%) skin, a larger extent than previously reported. Higher interoceptive accuracy and self-reported depression were related to a better fit of the quadratic model and to the steepness of the curve, respectively. The prevalence of the quadratic model at the individual level was stable across body sites (62.6%, Experiment 1), across two experimental sessions (73-78%, Experiment 2), and regardless of the number of repetitions of each velocity (Experiment 3). Thus, the individual perception of tactile pleasantness follows a characteristic velocity-dependent function across skin types and shows trait characteristics. Future studies can investigate further the possibility to use affective touch as a behavioural biomarker for mental health disorders.


This study uses an integrated modeling framework that couples the dynamics of hydrology, soil thermal regime, and ecosystem carbon and nitrogen to quantify the long‐term peat carbon accumulation in Alaska during the Holocene. Modeled hydrology, soil thermal regime, carbon pools and fluxes, and methane emissions are evaluated using observation data at several peatland sites in Minnesota, Alaska, and Canada. The model is then applied for a 10,000 year (15 ka to 5 ka; 1 ka = 1000 cal years before present) simulation at four peatland sites. We find that model simulations match the observed carbon accumulation rates at fen sites during the Holocene (R2 = 0.88, 0.87, 0.38, and −0.05 using comparisons in 500 year bins). The simulated (2.04 m) and observed peat depths (on average 1.98 m) were also compared well (R2 = 0.91). The early Holocene carbon accumulation rates, especially during the Holocene thermal maximum (HTM) (35.9 g C m− 2 yr− 1), are estimated up to 6 times higher than the rest of the Holocene (6.5 g C m− 2 yr− 1). Our analysis suggests that high summer temperature and the lengthened growing season resulted from the elevated insolation seasonality, along with wetter‐than‐before conditions might be major factors causing the rapid carbon accumulation in Alaska during the HTM. Our sensitivity tests indicate that, apart from climate, initial water table depth and vegetation canopy are major drivers to the estimated peat carbon accumulation. When the modeling framework is evaluated for various peatland types in the Arctic, it can quantify peatland carbon accumulation at regional scales.


Kinaesthesia and Methods for its Assessment: Literature Review In this review measurement techniques used for kinaesthetic sense assessment are presented. Kinaesthesia is an important part of human movement control and provides us with better understanding of specific movement system adaptations to fatigue, training and injury. Additionally, decreased kinaesthesia can be an injury predisposing factor, which stresses the necessity for its assessment in sports injury prevention programs. First, terminology and functional concept of kinaesthesia is presented in relation to other related concepts like proprioception and sensory-motor function. For better understanding, basic underlying neurological backgrounds are discussed in chapter two, encompassing peripheral sensory fields as well as the basics of the central processing. Additionally, factors affecting kinaesthesia and its adaptations to training are presented. Functional aspects are discussed, supporting the role of assessment of kinaesthesia in sports and rehabilitation. In the third chapter, a proposal for measuring methods classification is given. In the final chapter, different measuring protocols and their modifications are presented. Due to their usefulness in sports and injury prevention, methods for measuring sense of joint position, movement onset and active tracking are discussed in more detail. Possibilities and examples of their application to sports and sports injury rehabilitation settings are presented. Some basic guidelines are given of how to use these methods in training or for screening kinaesthesia.


This paper researches on the working principles of variable gain amplifier AD603,and the range of variable gain under the typical one stage or two stages circuits condition,and its performance parameters of two-stage low noise AGC amplifier.The main work focuses on the research methods to the practical circuits with Multisim,expounds the principles,methods and applications of AD603 by simulation,and consequently realizes to measure the parameters of AD603.The results match the design values and could be achieve the good performance to variable gain.


Abstract The literary and genealogical accounts produced at the Kachvāhā court of Jaipur, addressing the relationship between Aurangzeb and the Kachvāhās, post-date Aurangzeb. Three of these are introduced, one of them in Sanskrit, two vernacular. While all these writings are informed by archival records, they serve the end of glorifying Kachvāhā kingship as it had started visibly defying Mughal authority from the late 1660s. The last of these accounts was written in the middle of the nineteenth century, when Jaipur was a British protectorate, and reflects an attempt to represent the sum total of Kachvāhā Rajput ethos and history at the critical point when the Jaipur state was overhauled by administrative reforms.


At least four fungal pathogens are involved in the root rot-Fusarium wilt complex of peas which is a serious problem following intensive cropping of peas in South Australia. The pathogens are Fusarium oxysporum f. pisi race 2 Snyder & Hansen, F. solani f. pisi Snyder & Hansen, Pythium ultimum Trow, and Ascochyta pinodella L. K. Jones. In susceptible pea cultivars there is a marked interaction between F. oxysporum and P. ultimum. P. ultimum alone causes initial stunting from which plants gradually recover; F. OX1Jsporum alone probably CRuses little damage; both fungi together CRuse initial stunting followed by severe wilt symptom about 6 weeks after sowing and death 2 weeks later. The importance ofF. solani and A. pinodella has not been fully determined, but they probably cause only minor damage.


In the present work lead-free compositions with a stoichiometric formula (1-x)(K0.5Na0.5)Nb1-ySbyO3-xBaTiO3 (x=0.01, 0.02, 0.04; y=0.04, 0.07) were produced by solid state sintering method. Manganese oxide MnO2 was used as a dopant in order to lower the sintering temperatures. The influence of BaTiO3 on the microstructure, density, mechanical and electrical properties of Sb-substituted KNN ceramics was investigated. X-ray diffraction analysis revieled pure perovskite structure. Microstructural investigation of the ceramics samples showed homogeneous structure with a slightly rounded cubical grain shape. Phase transition temperature Tc is shifted to lower temperatures in comparison to Sb-substituted KNN ceramics. Phase transition peak at Tc becomes broader indicating the diffuse phase transition.


Use the proportion of urban population for a simple description about the present situation of urbanization in Zhejiang,and on the basis of establishing the system of urbanization,using principal component analysis method,let 11 cities in Zhejiang as the research unit,analyze the regional difference of urbanization level in Zhejiang province in 2013. The research shows that the urbanization level is higher in Zhejiang,but the gap of urbanization level between the northeast and southwest is obvious.


Force sensor for determining a component (1) in a direction of force (12) acting force, having the following features: a capacitor arrangement (3a, 3b) with at least a first and a second capacitor surface, which mechanically rigidly separate fastening elements (2a, 2b) with the component (1) are connected, wherein a distance from fastening points at which the fastening elements (2a, 2b are) to the component (1), (in the direction of force 12) a distance (13), which varies depending on the force, and thus (a change in a capacitance of the capacitor arrangement 3a, 3b causes); and an evaluation device (9) for determining the capacitance of the capacitor arrangement (3a, 3b) acting about from the determined capacity in the direction of force (12) on the component (1) and power to determine wherein between the first (3a) and the second (3b) capacitor, a third surface (5a) to the first capacitor surface (3a) a first part forming capacity capacitor surface, and a fourth (5b) with the second capacitor surface ...


Abstmcc Ph= * were applied to the envelo~ of an unrmlved complex tone. W mmplex consisted of the tionics of a 25@Hz FOfilteredbetween 5500 and 7500 Hz. A phase advanu of 0.75 FOPriods (3ti radians) betwm two 2&ms bursts prodti a downwardpitch shifi of ahnost 10 Hz when the bursts wa contiguous, but no dowward SM whm the bursts were separated by a gap of 5 ms or more. The resutta = consistent with a longterm pikh mechanism sensitive to envekpe phase that is reset in respo~ to diseontinuities h the stimutus.


Abstract The ornamental plant sector is growing due to the development of new species and technologies. The focus of research is to extend the shelf life of cut flowers to maintain quality and customer satisfaction. Techniques such as storage at low temperatures, use of preservative solutions, and new technologies such as nanotechnology can help maintain the quality of the floral stem. The present review aims to analyze various techniques used to extend the post-harvest shelf life of floral stems. For this purpose, a systematic search was conducted on major indexing platforms for studies published in 2023, which were subjected to a meta-analysis. The global effect size and moderator effects were calculated to assist in decision-making for future studies in floriculture. The results indicated that the addition of preservatives to solutions, variations in storage temperature, and the use of electromagnetic fields were the most effective techniques in extending the shelf life of cut flowers. However, techniques such as dry conditioning and the use of coating films did not show significant results in maintaining commercial quality. It was found that conservative solution research is still the main focus of research at major cut flower technology centers. The meta-analysis highlights the importance of further deepening and/or improving research on techniques that have shown less effective results, and developing new technologies to prolong the vase life of floral stems in order to improve post-harvest quality.


A tunable and optically modulated fiber laser utilizing a multi-walled carbon nanotube based saturable absorber is demonstrated for operation in the O-band region. A praseodymium-doped fluoride fiber is used as the gain medium and the system is capable of generating modulated outputs at 1300 nm. Pulsed output is observed at pump powers of 511 mW and above, with repetition rates and pulse widths that can be tuned from 41 kHz and 3.4 μs to 48 kHz and 2.4 μs, respectively, at the maximum pump power available. A maximum average output power of 100 μW with a corresponding single pulse energy of 2.1 nJ is measured, while the tunability of the proposed laser is from 1290 nm to 1308 nm. The output is stable, with peak power fluctuations of ∼4 dB from the average value.


Predicting terrorist attacks with prediction markets has been accused of being immoral. While some of these concerns are about the likely effectiveness of prediction markets on terrorism PMsoT, this paper discusses the three main reasons why even effective prediction markets on terrorism might be considered immoral. The authors argue that these three reasons establish only that PMsoT cause offense and/or fleeting mild harm, and that, even taken together, they do not constitute serious harm. The moral issues considered are that PMsoT: 1 create character-affecting perverse incentives, 2 desensitise society to tragic events, and 3 disrespect important ideals. In addition to arguing against the force of these three potential moral problems, it is also argued that societies and governments already endorse intelligence-gathering methods that are clearly more immoral than PMsoT in the relevant respects. The authors also argue that some circumstances require governments to cause non-serious harm to some people in order to protect and promote the rights and welfare of its citizens. The authors conclude that a government's obligation to protect and promote the rights and welfare of its citizens outweighs the non-serious harm that could be caused by effective PMsoT. As a result, we recommend that the likelihood of PMsoT being effective is investigated more closely.


Key Points  There are few "true" breed sensitivities to anesthetics  Breed idiosyncrasies to various anesthetic, sedative, and analgesic drugs should be considered when formulating an anesthetic plan  Many myths in small animal anesthesia derive from mis-interpretation of data or singular experiences that evolve into "scientific fact"  This lecture will attempt to dispel some common myths and misconceptions in small animal anesthesia as well as discuss breed considerations in anesthesia


Opiates have provided relief from psychic and physical pain for millennia, but their abuse and control has created an international scourge of addiction, misery, crime, and disease. Furthermore, because opiates are frequently administered intravenously, abusers may suffer from and transmit infections, including HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. Methadone maintenance remains the most successful pharmacologic treatment available for addiction, and its development has revolutionized the conceptualization of addictive disease. This article provides a review of the history of methadone treatment, the pharmacology of methadone, and the neurobiology of its therapeutic use. We will discuss current clinical practice, factors that limit methadone's use, and potential future developments.


Twenty-seven subjects in 1978-79 received monovalent (M) A/USSR/77 (H1N1) (3.5 ug HA) vaccine followed 1 month later by trivalent (T) A/USSR/77, A/Tex/77 and B/HK/72 (10.5 ug HA) vaccine. In 1979-80 50 subjects received similar immunization but the H1N1 component was A/Brazil/78. Forty-one subjects received WV and 36 SV vaccine. Reactions (expressed as reaction index) following M vaccine were WV 0.54, SV 0.38 and after T vaccines were WV 0.90, SV 0.33. No child had temperature >103°F. The percentages of HAI antibody titers ≥1:20 by antigen were as follows: H1N1 - 1 dose WV 35%, SV 30%; H1N1 2 doses WV 97%, SV 72%; A/Tex - WV 92%, SV 97%; B/HK - WV 62%, SV 53%. An IgM antibody response (as demonstrated by a ≥4-fold reduction in titer with 2-ME treatment) was noted more frequently following WV vaccine (38%) than following SV vaccine (13%). As employed in this study the monovalent WV vaccine was of equal reactogenicity to the SV vaccine and though the WV trivalent vaccine had a higher reaction index, it was still within acceptable limits. Since the immunologic response following WV vaccine more closely resembled a natural response (IgM antibody) and was more inmunogenic against the recently isolated H1N1 viruses, it may be a better vaccine for the initial immunization of unprimed children. As in previous studies with A/NJ/76 vaccine, two doses of either vaccine were necessary to produce an adequate response to the H1N1 virus.


The apparatus comprises: a route information generating unit; a route information saving unit; an IP ring-network topology information saving unit; a route decision unit used for, when needing to relay the message, getting the route information corresponding to the message forwarding from said information saving unit and determining the directly-connected next hop IP ring-network device accordingto the route information and said IP ring-network topology information saved in said information saving unit; a message relaying unit used for relaying the message to the directly-connected next hop IP ring-network device. The invention also provides a method thereof.


ABSTRACT

Sales promotion is one of the elements of the promotional mix that effect in helping the development of a company's sales volume. For that in writing this final task I took the title 'Free Pulse as Media Sales Promotion in Improving Sales Volume of Matrix Auto Card in PT. INDOSAT Solo Branch '.
The goal of this research is to know the implementation of sales promotion in an effort to improve the company's sales volume. Techniques used in this research is descriptive, namely to provide a picture or description systematically examined the objects, then processing data for a number to get the conclusions about business activities that run by the company. The data used are secondary data, which is the supporting data obtained from company archives.
Results of research shows that using free pulse as the media of sales promotion, PT. INDOSAT Solo branch increasing number of Matrix Auto card applications that pass welcome the call about 127.37%, while applications for the Matrix Auto card which have active status increased by 29.41%. However, if viewed from the revenue, thus decrease of 69.98%.
Conclusion of this research is free pulse as a media of sales promotion that is applied by PT. INDOSAT Solo branch is still less efficient and effective in the effort to improve the company's sales volume. This is because the cost of a sales promotion is big enough so it reduces the amount of company's revenue. Suggestions can be given, the company should re-examine the existing promotion program in an effort to improve the company's sales volume and to be more selective in choosing the media of promotion to get the optimum result.

*Keyword : Sales Promotion


This work attempts to investigate the effects of aluminum dosage on the immobilization of heavy metals in alkali-activated municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash-based pastes, to manage ...


Chronic otitis media (COM) is characterized by middle ear fluid predominantly containing cytokines, Nontypeable haemophilus influenzae (NTHi), the mucin MUC5B, and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). NETs consist of extracellular DNA coated with antibacterial proteins such as myeloperoxidase (MPO) and citrullinated histone 3 (CitH3). NETs can damage tissues and sustain inflammation. Our study aimed to develop an in vitro model of NETosis, testing COM inductors.


This manuscript presented an approach to studying sea ice ridges from mediumand highresolution SAR imagery from TerraSAR-X validated against Helicopter-born EM (HEM) datasets acquired over the Baltic sea. This study proposed a method to delineate linear ridge features from SAR images regarding the local density of bright SAR pixels over a certain percentage. This study found a linear relationship between SAR bright pixel percentage (BPP) and HEM ridge coverage. Although acknowledged, this study does not contribute towards quantifying sea ice roughness/ridges corresponding to SAR backscatter, which is a major gap in the sea ice literature. However, this study argues that the proposed method can aid safe navigation through ice-infested water.


This study improves the performance of primal--dual interior-point method in inverse conductivity problems via replacing the conventional, complicatedly calculated scalar regularization parameter with a diagonal matrix termed ``multi-regularization parameter matrix'' here. The solution of the PD--IPM depends considerably on the choice of the regularization parameter. Calculation of the optimal regularization parameter, which yields the most accurate solution, is not simple due to the long iterative nature of the algorithm. The objective optimization, which is implemented by minimizing error in the solutions over an extensive range of the regularization parameters, yields the most accurate solution that can be achieved, although this method is not applicable in reality due to lack of knowledge about the actual conductivity field. However, the modified algorithm not only solves the problem independently using the regularization parameter, but also increases the accuracy of the solution, as well as its sharpness in comparison to the objective optimization.


The utility model discloses an assembled lightweight steel construction building framework connected by bolts completely. The assembled lightweight steel construction building framework comprises a framework structural member consisting of vertical columns, front roof beams, rear roof beams, wall surface purlines and roof purlines, a framework accessory consisting of plinth connection pieces, beam column connection pieces, beam ridge connection pieces, purline connection pieces, pull line connection pieces and pull rod connection pieces and a framework stabilization piece consisting of vertical column pull lines, beam pull lines and beam pull rods, and is characterized in that the vertical columns, the front roof beams, the rear roof beams, the wall surface purlines and the roof purlines of the framework structural member are made of C-shaped steel; the section of the C-shaped steel comprises a long edge part and a wide edge part which form a right angle; the wide edge part is provided with a hooked elbow; bolt holes are formed on the long edges or the wide edges of the sections of the C-shaped steel; bolts pass through the bolt holes and connect the vertical columns and the front roof beams or the rear roof beams, the front roof beams and the rear roof beams, the vertical columns and the foundation, the vertical columns and the wall surface purlines as well as the front roof beams or the rear roof beams and the roof purlines through the framework accessories serving as connection pieces; and bolt holes are formed in the plinth connection pieces, the beam column connection pieces, the beam ridge connection pieces, the purline connection pieces, the pull line connection pieces and the pull rod connection pieces of the framework accessory. The framework has the advantages of short manufacturing period, relatively light structural weight, firm structure, high weather resistance, high field mounting speed, long service life, relatively low cost and the like.


BACKGROUND
This study aimed to explore the decision-making experience of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and their caregivers.

METHODS
This was a qualitative descriptive study of the decision-making experiences of individuals with stage 3-end-stage CKD and their family caregivers. One-on-one, semistructured interviews were conducted using a guide developed and approved by a community advisory group. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS
Three themes were identified: (1) decisions triggered by declining health and broad in scope, (2) challenges to decision-making and (3) factors influencing decision-making. Participants' experiences with health-related decision-making demonstrated that decisions were triggered when health declined. Yet, decisions that impact disease progression were being made in stage 3. Decision-making was made difficult due to lack of information, complex co-morbidities, and poor resource utilization. However, the structure and nature of the medical appointment, supportive caregivers, and resources served to remove challenges.

CONCLUSION
Decision-support interventions must train patients and caregivers to be empowered participants in answer-seeking behaviours upstream of advanced illness.

PUBLIC CONTRIBUTIONS
This work was conducted in full collaboration with a community advisory board consisting of patients with CKD, caregivers and clinicians. These members are noted in the acknowledgement section, and those who worked with the team to develop the interview guide, study protocols, and manuscript preparation are included as authors. As part of their role, advisory members met monthly, providing input on recruitment, study progress, inclusion of diverse voices and added relevance to study findings.


A quantitative description of surface micromorphology is a topic worthy of attention to establish the relationship between the surface texture and electrochemical behavior of the electrode interfac...


Investors and regulators have expressed concern about the increasingly complex financial reports that are difficult for novice investors to understand. In the same context, the present study examines the easiness of reading the segment reports of Indian listed companies. It employed Flesch reading ease and Flesch Kincaid grade level for measuring the readability statistics of such reports. It is found that the reading score is not in desirable range and have extreme difficulty in reading and understandability i.e. these reports can only be used and interpreted by professionals. As a result, it is urged that Indian companies need to improve the sentences, language, and vocabulary of the segment reports. More passive sentences are also proven to make reports less meaningful, making it more challenging to read and comprehend what the report is trying to say. Thus, to enhance the readability score of segment reports, qualitative characteristics need to be increased with less use of passive sentences.


A 45-year-old Chinese male presented with lymphadenopathy, irregular fever, and lethargy. The patient had traveled to the Gabonese Republic in West Africa as a member of a labor export service and had stayed there for 6 months every year for the past 4 years. On examination, multiple papules were


1. Assistant Professor and Chief Medical Physicist. Department of Radiation Oncology, Khwaja Yunus Ali Medical College and Hospital, Enayetpur, Sirajganj, Bangladesh 2. Senior Consultant, Department of Radiation Oncology, Khwaja Yunus Ali Medical College and Hospital, Enayetpur, Sirajganj, Bangladesh. 3. Associate Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, Khwaja Yunus Ali Medical College and Hospital, Enayetpur, Sirajganj, Bangladesh. 4. Senior Medical Physicist, Department of Radiation Oncology, Khwaja Yunus Ali Medical College and Hospital, Enayetpur, Sirajganj, Bangladesh. 5. Chief Scientific Officer, Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory and Director Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguards Division, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, Dhaka, Bangladesh.


Jenny Vaughan looks at the escalating trend of criminal investigation into healthcare-related deaths in England and Wales and asks: did we see this coming?


Background Deposition of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals in the joints or other tissues is a hallmark in the pathogenesis of gout. The urate crystal-induced inflammation is known to be mediated mainly by neutrophils besides monocytes and macrophages. Although MSU crystal-mediated signal transduction is in the focus of recent investigations, the molecular mechanism is only partially characterised. Objectives In this study, we investigated the role of Src family kinases in MSU crystal-induced in vitro activation of primary murine and human neutrophils and their in vivo significance in experimental model of gout. Methods Bone marrow isolated neutrophils from wild type and triple Src family kinases-deficient (Hck–/–Fgr–/–Lyn–/–) mice or vehicle and Src-inhibitor treated human neutrophils were stimulated with different concentration of MSU crystals. The superoxide production of the cells was measured by a luminometric assay, while the supernatants of MSU crystal activated cells were analysed by using various enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. The phagocytosis of the urate crystals by neutrophils was followed by videomicroscopy and flow cytometry. Gouty arthritis was induced by injection of MSU crystals into the hind paws of the experimental mice and was assessed by ankle thickness measurements and detection of the synovial cytokine levels by ELISA. Results The MSU crystal-induced superoxide release, cytokine production and the crystal-phagocytosis were abrogated in Src family kinases-deficient murine or in Src-inhibitor treated human neutrophils. In contrast to wild type animals, Src family kinases-deficient mice showed significantly decreased paw swelling and neutrophil accumulation at the site of inflammation. In line with this, the synovial levels of interleukin-1β and CXCL2 were also strongly reduced in Src family kinases-deficient mice compared to wild type animals. Conclusions Src family kinases play an indispensable role in MSU crystal-induced superoxide and cytokine production as well as crystal-phagocytosis of neutrophils. The fact, that Src family kinases-deficient mice are partially protected from crystal-induced inflammatory reactions indicate the important role of these kinases in in vivo gouty arthritis These kinases are also play important role in the development of in vivo gouty arthritis as the. Identification of these key players in urate crystal-induced intracellular signalling pathways in neutrophils leads to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of gout and may help to develop novel therapeutic strategies in MSU crystal-associated inflammatory diseases. Acknowledgements MTA-SE "Lendulet" Inflammation Physiology Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary and F.K. was a recipient of János Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Disclosure of Interest None declared


This study aimed at determining how the performance of elementary school teachers can be improved through academic supervision conducted by the principal of the elementary school. This research was conducted in 16 Public Elementary School Gelumbang. The research method used is a qualitative method with a descriptive approach. Data collection tools using interviews, observation, documentation and literature review. The results of the study stated that the process of academic supervision was carried out by the principal through several stages, namely 1) planning of academic supervision activities; 2) conducting academic supervision; 3) feedback the results of academic supervision; and 4) follow up on the results of academic supervision. The tools for evaluating are in the form of supervision instruments, namely 1) instruments for evaluating the administration of learning devices; 2) instruments for RPP assessment; 3) instruments for evaluating learning implementation; 4) instruments for evaluating learning evaluations; instrument for follow-up; instrument for evaluating teacher performance. The academic supervision can improve the performance of teachers in 16 Public Elementary School Gelumbang.


In this paper the results of investigation of traditional raw sausages (Kulen, Sremska kobasica, and Petrovska klobasa) originating from small producers of Northern Serbia are presented. Typical micro flora is growing during the natural ripening of raw sausages; Salmonella species and Listeria monocytogenes were not detected. Decrease of pH value of traditional raw sausages is a consequence of presence of sugar in red paprika, which is utilized by lactic acid bacteria during sausage ripening. Water activity of raw sausages is in such a range (a w < 0.90) which avoids the multiplication of pathogens and spoilage bacteria. Meat protein content of Kulen is more than 25% and of Sremska kobasica and Petrovska klobasa more than 20%; the percentage of connective tissue proteins in total meat proteins is less than 10%. The ratio between content of fat and meat proteins in Kulen is about 1.0, but this ratio in Petrovska klobasa and Sremska kobasica is 1.6 or 1.8, respectively. In traditional raw sausages, which are produced without curing salt, the residues of nitrate and nitrite are detected; the sources of nitrate are red paprika and garlic. Acid number and TBARS number are typical for the long ripening raw sausages. The colour of raw sausages originates from carotenoide pigments and nitrate from red paprika; this colour is red or dark-red and stable. The consistency of traditional raw sausages is middle-firm (Petrovska klobasa) or firm (Kulen), whereas smell and taste is ripe and piquant.