- Patients with advanced Squamous cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck (SCCHN) have poor prognosis despite the available treatment options. QOL is an important end-point in evaluating treatment results in patients with advanced metastatic disease. This study looked into the impact of metronomic chemotherapy combining gefitinib and methotrexate on the quality of life in patients with advanced SCCHN. This was a single-center, prospective observational study conducted in our hospital over a period of 2 years (January 2021-December 2022). 131 patients with advanced or metastatic or recurrent head and neck squamous cell cancers who are not eligible for Platinum or 5 Fluorouracil-based IV chemotherapy due to poor performance status (or) already received palliative IV chemotherapy. It progressed in the same, and those who were unsuitable for loco-regional treatment were included in our study. They received Gefitinib 250mg daily plus methotrexate 15mg once a week orally on D1, D8, D15 and D22 of a 28-day cycle. Quality Of Life assessment before starting treatment and at 3 months and 6 months post-therapy was done with EORTC QLQC30 version 3.0 and EORTC QLQ-H&N35 questionnaires. Gefitinib, along with methotrexate, was well tolerated and was found to have a positive impact on the quality of life of patients with advanced SCCHN. The median improvement in quality of life was 42 points on a scale of 100. Head and neck cancer has severe effects on the quality of life. Assessing health-related quality of life should be an integral part of treatment planning and should be considered as important as treatment burden, toxicity, and survival benefit. Metronomic chemotherapy with gefitinib and methotrexate is associated with improvement in QOL and helps decrease the duration of time spent in the toxicity state.


REDm-MED is a seven-month JISC-funded project to scope, specify, design and implement a research data management approach suited especially to the needs of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Bath. It is a successor to the ERIM project, though it also builds on other recent work in the Research Data Management Community, and complements the Research360 Project at Bath.


Background: To assess headache type, frequency and findings in patients with multiple sclerosis. Materials and Methods: Fifty-two cases of multiple sclerosis of both genders were subjected to MRI scan of brain taken with Toshiba machine. Clinical symptoms, type of headache, expanded disability status scale (EDSS) and location of the lesion was recorded. Result: Out of 52 cases, males comprised 32 (61.5%) and females 20 (38.4%). Location of lesion was pericallosal in 14 patients, juxtacortical in 12, cerebellar in 16 and infratentorial in 10 cases. The difference was non-significant (P> 0.05). Multiple sclerosis cases were seen without headache in 24 cases, tension type headache in 11 and migraine in 17 cases. The difference was significant (P< 0.05). Most patients had polysymptomatic (18) with EDSS score 2.3, motor symptoms (12) with EDSS score 2.0, optic symptoms (10) with EDSS score 1.5, cerebellar symptoms (5) with EDSS 2.6, cranial (4) with EDSS 1.8 and sensory (3) with EDSS score 1.3. The difference was significant (P< 0.05). Conclusion: There was a strong connection between multiple sclerosis and primary headache. Most of the patients had migraine type of headche as compred to tension type of headache.


. It has been conjectured by P´olya and Szeg¨o seventy years ago that the planar set which minimizes the first eigenvalue of the Dirichlet-Laplace operator among polygons with n sides and fixed area is the regular polygon. Despite its apparent simplicity, this result has only been proved for triangles and quadrilaterals. In this paper we prove that for each n ≥ 5 the proof of the conjecture can be reduced to a finite number of certified numerical computations. Moreover, the local minimality of the regular polygon can be reduced to a single numerical computation. For n = 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 we perform this computation and certify the numerical approximation by finite elements, up to machine errors.


Aim: To investigate links between the TNF? gene, and the haplotype associations of TNF?, HLA class I and II, and the IIMs

Methods: DNA samples were obtained from 286 Caucasian IIM patients, consisting 111 polymyositis (PM) (median age of onset 50.5 [�14.5] years), 98 dermatomyositis (DM) (49 [�13.3] years), and 77 polymyositis/overlap disease (PM/OL) (46 [�12.1] years), recruited via the Adult Onset Myositis Immunogenetic Collaboration (AOMIC). All had definite myositis, as per the Tanimoto et al criteria. Four polymorphic TNF positions (-1031, -863, -308, +489) were typed using a fluorescence-based primer method (SNaPshotTM). The cohort had previously been typed for HLA-B and ?DRB1. Data was compared to that of 185 ethnically matched controls. Genotype frequencies for each TNF? SNP were tested for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the controls. A haplotype trend regression analysis was also performed. This uses the Expectation/Maximization (EM) algorithm to estimate haplotype frequencies, and then relates haplotype probability distribution to observed outcome, using a regression-based approach.

Results: TNF?-308A was a significant risk factor in all IIM patients combined (30.4% of patients vs 15.7% controls, odds ratio [OR] 2.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.6-3.3). The association was still significant when stratified by IIM subgroup, the strongest being in the PM/OL group (OR 2.85, 95% CI 1.8-4.5), but no subgroup differences were apparent. In most cases, a single copy of the TNF?-308A allele was sufficient to increase the frequency, suggesting a dominant mode of inheritance. Furthermore, TNF?-1031T was a weak but significant risk factor in DM (85.7% patients vs 75.7% controls, OR 1.93 (95% CI 1.2-3.1), the association being lost after correction for multiple comparisons. The combination of B*08/TNF?-308A/ DRB1*03 was present at a higher frequency in the IIMs, compared to controls (controls=15.7%, PM=29.4%, DM=20.3%, PM/OL=20.7%). Haplotype trend regression analyses revealed significant associations with the 4 SNP haplotypes of TNF for all IIM subgroups (p<0.0001 for all). This haplotype association could be attributed to the effect of the -308A SNP polymorphism, as only the haplotype containing this risk allele was increased vs controls.

Conclusions: TNF?-308A is a significant risk factor in all IIM subgroups, but associations are not different between subgroups. The TNF?-308A allele occurs on the common ancestral haplotype B*08/TNF-308A/DRB1*03, therefore TNF? is unlikely to act independently of HLA-DRB1*03.


Free-radical formation in various modifications of celluloses, namely, wood cellulose I, II, III, and IV, rayon cellulose, amorphous cellulose, cotton linters, and absorbent cotton, irradiated with ultraviolet light, has been studied by means of ESR spectroscopy at 77°K. Various types of free radicals were generated from these samples. The line shapes and the signal intensities of the ESR spectra depended greatly upon the degree of crystallinity, the lattice type, and the arrangement of molecules in cellulose. The effect of degree of crystallinity and the amount of sensitizer (Fe3+) absorbed revealed that photochemical reactions in cellulose occurred exclusively in the amorphous regions of the polymer. Free radicals formed in these samples behaved distinctively upon a warm-up process. Phenomena of radical migration and formation of new radicals were observed from the sensitized samples of rayon cellulose and amorphous cellulose.


Self-assembly (association) of individual molecules into supramolecular structures is a spontaneous process that takes place as a result of weak, non-covalent intermolecular interactions. The association of amphiphilic organic dyes has attracted considerable attention both in biological and functional materials sciences thanks to their unique photophysical properties. Such compounds are widely used in industrial processes (solar cell production, waste water purification), pharmaceuticals (development of formulations) and biomedical research (drug delivery, imaging). Acquiring information and knowledge about the self-assembly process provides unique opportunities in designing new materials for advanced application in nanotechnology.
 In this work, amphiphilic derivatives of two organic dyes, rhodamine B and orange-II are synthesized by simple substitution reactions. For the first time colloid behaviour of synthesized compounds in aqueous media was examined in a strictly defined concentration range at varied pH and ionic strength values of dispersion. The change of photophysical properties was investigated in a spectrophotometric experiment, while the association of the tested compounds by means of light scattering techniques and pendant drop analysis.
 The change of the absorption spectra indicated loss of free ionizable groups for the amphiphilic dye derivatives and independence of their self-assembly on pH in mildly acidic and basic conditions. By measuring the hydrodynamic diameter and the electrophoretic mobility, the derivatives were found to form vesicles whose size varies with concentration and ionic strength. The results of the surface tension measurement indicate a pronounced surface activity as well as clearly defined critical concentration of self-assembly. By repeating the experiment over a time period, it was shown that the studied compounds differ in stability, in particular the rhodamine derivative takes longer to adapt a stable structure with a well defined size and shape.


The situation in the district of Puente de Vallecas (Madrid, Spani) can be taken as an example of the progressive development of private schools held by public funds at the expense of the public schools network. This situation is the result of different mechanisms: first, the lost perception of education as a common good; second, the neglect of the right to free compulsory education in all schools supported by public funds; and third, the unfair distribution of students from economic and cultural disadvantaged backgrounds.


A homologous series of various compounds with polar terminal groups conjugated with carbon-carbon double bonds: the cyanoethylene, cyanobutadiene, and fluorocyanoethylene groups were prepared. These derivatives have very wide mesomorphic temperature ranges. Moreover, by measuring physical properties, the mixtures containing this series were found to have large dielectric anisotropies and appropriate birefringence values. The x-ray diffraction measurement of the cyanoethylene derivatives supports an anti parallel dimer conformation in their smectic phases. A fluorine atom at the (alpha) position of the cyano group prevents the formation of such electrostatic dimers. It is concluded that the wide mesomorphic temperature range of these derivatives was caused by the stronger molecular interaction. Moreover, the derivatives which can form dimer structures showed the wider mesomorphic temperature ranges.


This paper presents an empirical study of exception handling strategies in Java libraries. The study conducts an integrated analysis of exception flows and handler actions from Java libraries with the aim to understand the impact of adopted exception handling strategies from the perspective of libraries' users. We extended an existing static analysis tool to identify exception flows in software libraries and collected data from the eight most downloaded Java libraries in Maven repository. After that, manual analysis was performed to categorize the tailored handler actions for each exception handler. Our results show that a high number of uncaught runtime exceptions and subsumption handlers were applied in some libraries. We also investigated the community anti-patterns implemented by handler actions in exception flows. Our results reveal the need to have automated support to allow the integrated analysis of exception flows and their handler actions explicitly.


A kind of TSC dynamic reactive power compensation device applicable for middle and low-pressure distribution network is introduced,it meets rapid and real-time requirement of low-pressure distribution network fundamental wave reactive power compensation.The characteristic of TSC main circuit four kinds of mode of connection is analyzed,and the solving method of key problems about thyristor trigger circuit,reactive power rapid detection and automatic classing of multi-group capacitors is particular represented.


A field emitter array (FEA) is expected for operation under a server environment. We focused on hafnium nitride (HfN) for the cold cathode metal, because it possesses relative lower work function [1] and high resistance against oxidation at high temperature [2]. We have already reported fabrication of HfN-FEA and emission properties of HfN-FEA at high temperature [3], but we have not examined HfN-FEA as an active device. In this study, we evaluated HfN-FEA with the three constants of an electronic device, i.e. transconsductance (gm), collector resistance (rC), voltage amplification factor (μ).


A method is presented for designing a planar first-order swept-field ion mobility spectrometer for use in volatile anesthetic agent monitoring. The method is described in theoretical detail and illustrated with computer simulations. The results suggest this method is an attractive alternative for ion mobility gas analysis applications.


Provenance Management in the field of Big Data Analytics makes use of extensional answers. This makes it difficult for a user to understand answers consisting of large amounts of data. This thesis proposes a method, that generates intensional answers from provenance queries. The established field of provenance management is expanded with the concept of intensional answers to allow the user to retrace his results. We propose a three layered algorithm to retrace a provenance answer and show it in its intensional form. The user will be capable of exploring the dataset, rather than just asking the questions. The modular structure of the proposed method allows to expand it with different provenance algorithms and data minig techniques.


The Internet of things (IoT) combines the idea of controlling Real-world objects through remote-controlled signals using WiFi. In today's world automation systems are being preferred over manual systems. IoT systems that use computers or mobile devices to control basic home functions and features automatically through the internet from anywhere around the world. Easy homes or home automation plays a vital role in the current lifestyle or modern era. This IoT project focus on building a smart home in which user can control any device in home and security using face unlock which is linked with solenoid lock using ESP32 face cam. In case of any trespass, the system will send an alert to the user using the internet and raise alarm optionally. If in case any user who is not registered before thenowner can let you in through the virtual button provided in-app.


Human activity recognition (HAR) is a reasonably recent field of study for the computer science community. It aims at automatically analysing ongoing events and extract their context from the captured data. The detection of human activities, such as walking, running, falling, or even cycling, allows for several heterogeneous applications, from surveillance systems to patient monitoring systems. Despite being a particularly active field of study in the past years, HAR still leaves many strategies left to explore and key aspects left to address. There are two main approaches in terms of data extraction: Video and sensors. The sensor approach is, however, the most promising, due to its extreme portability and unobtrusiveness. Most sensor-based HAR systems are trained in a static dataset with Supervised Learning techniques, generating a classification model with a relatively low error rate. However, these systems commonly ignore one of HAR's challenges, the difference of input signals produced by different people when doing the same activities. Consequently, as a user's movements drift from the generic, the system error increases. The activity classification method should therefore be able to generate adapted results for each different user. This article exhibits and discloses an under explored approach to this problem: By means of Online Semi-supervised Learning, An incremental technique capable of adapting the classification model to the user of the application by continuously updating it as the data from the user's own specific input signals arrives. This is possible due to the nature of Semi-supervised learning, which trains on both labeled and unlabeled data, making it possible to keep learning even after reaching its final user, without the need of any manual input.


A complex of works is conducted to study the possibility of reprocessing surplus weapon-grade plutonium to a critical-mass-free composition with neutron poison. Nuclear safe ceramic compositions of PuO2 with four most efficient neutron poisons, Hf, Gd, Li, and B, are fabricated in the laboratory. Various methods for fabrication of the compositions with PuO2 depending on neutron poison element are used and studied: a — by sintering initial component powders; b — by impregnation of a porous skeleton made of neutron poison oxide with plutonium sol-gel; c — by sintering microspheres made of plutonium oxide with neutron poison (B4C), with the microspheres having a coating completely absorbing alpha particles.


A micro-computer controlled welding seam tracking system without rail used for multi-layer welding process is introduced in this paper. The working principle, software program design and the experimental results are described in detail.


This paper presents a perspective on some issues related to safety in the context of autonomous surgical robots. To meet the challenge of safety certification and bring about acceptance of the technology by the public, we propose principles for a design paradigm that goes in the direction of safety by construction: design with certification in mind, clearly distinguish the notion of safety from that of responsibility, view the human component as scaffolding in the progressive transfer of decision-making to the machine, preserve interpretability by renouncing black-box approaches, leverage interpretability to assign responsibility, and take corrective action only when the semantic of the human-machine interface is violated.


This guide provides links to the most useful TCC Library databases and resources for the Health credit module in ABE 69 HS 21+ portfolio course.


. Profound environmental changes, such as drastic sea-ice decline, leave large-scale ecological footprints on the distribution and composition of marine biotas in the Arctic. Currently, the impact of such stressors is not sufficiently understood due to the lack of pan-Arctic data that allow for estimating ecological baselines, as well as modelling current and forecast potential changes in benthic biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Here, we introduce a PAN-Arctic data collection of benthic BIOtas (PANABIO), and discuss its timeliness, potential, and details of its further development. The data collection 15 contains records of benthic fauna at genus-level or species-level identified in field samples obtained by means of grabs, towed gear, or seabed imaging. Currently, it includes records of 2,968 species or genera, ranging from presence to counts, densities or biomass, grouped per sample. The data represent the pan-Arctic realm, covering all major marine areas, i.e., the central Arctic Ocean, Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea, Laptev Sea, Kara Sea, Barents Sea (incl. White Sea), Svalbard waters, Greenland Sea, Norwegian Sea, Canadian Archipelago, Beaufort Sea, and Bering Sea. All data are point-referenced sampling 20 locations. Currently, 124,040 records from 10,645 samples taken at 10,631 stations between 1800 and 2014 are included, but these numbers will increase


The continued presence of abundant maternal vascularization of the retained placenta (depicted by angiography and color Doppler imaging) despite decreasing serum βhCG levels, as in the present case, has been reported previously7. The continued vascularization, previously associated with failure of conservative treatment of placenta previa percreta, led us to perform multiple bilateral uterine artery embolization procedures during the postoperative course in the current case. A systematic English language literature search (PubMed and Medline) between 1966 and 2007 using the search terms 'placenta previa', 'placenta percreta', 'previa percreta', 'uterine artery embolization', 'conservative management' and 'methotrexate' has confirmed that this is the first report of multiple bilateral uterine artery embolizations in the conservative management of a patient with placenta previa percreta. This case suggests that multiple postoperative bilateral uterine artery embolizations may increase the success of conservative management of patients with this life-threatening condition.


The aim of this article is to describe the internal arc phenomenon, - an extremely fast, almost explosive and unattended process of transformation from an initial electric power to the generation of a pressure and heat wave inside the medium it's produced- its consequences for safety, current methods of limiting them and current regulations in general for equipment used in medium-voltage electrical distribution networks. Taking into account that this type of equipment is found throughout the distribution network in both public buildings and unrestricted access areas, safety (of operators and the general public) must be taken into account in the design of equipment and installations to minimize the risk of internal arcs occurring. This is the gist of, for example, ITC16 of the Spanish Regulation on Power Plants and transformer substations. In addition to the construction aspects specific to each device in which the manufacturer has to take steps to minimize the risks of an internal arc occurring, it is understood to be vitally important that users, installers and designers of Medium Voltage installations are familiar with the installation conditions stated by the manufacturer and thus avoid risks.


Part 1 Foundations of American law: the nature of law the resolution of private disputes business and the constitution business ethics, corporate social responsibility and the control and governance of corporations. Part 2 Crimes and torts: crimes international torts negligence and strict liability unfair competition. Part 3 Contracts: introduction to contracts the agreement - offer the agreement - acceptance consideration reality of consent capacity to contract illegality writing rights of third parties performance and remedies. Part 4 Sales: formation and terms of sales contracts product liability performance of sales contracts remedies for breach of sales contracts. Part 5 Property: personal property and bailments: real property landlord and tenant estates and trusts. Part 6 Credit: introduction to credit and secured transactions security interests in personal property bankruptcy. Part 7 Commercial paper: negotiable instruments negotiation and holder in due course liability of parties checks and documents of titles. Part 8 Agency: the agency relationship third-party relations of the principal and the agent. Part 9 Partnership law: introduction to forms of business and formation of partnerships operation of partnership and related forms dissolution, winding up, and termination of partnerships limited partnerships. Part 10 Corporations: history and nature of corporations organization, financial structure, and dissolution of corporations management of corporations shareholders rights and liabilities securities regulation legal responsibilities of accountants. Part 11 Regulation of business: administrative agencies the Federal Trade Commission Act and consumer protection laws antitrust - the Sherman Act the Clayton Act, the Robinson-Patman Act, and antitrust exemptions and immunities employment law environmental regulations. Part 12 Special topics: the legal environment for international business insurance law.


Modern democracy is defined by the principle of political representation. Decisions are justified by pointing to the representative character of the actors and institutions involved in the policy-making process. Over a period of three centuries, beginning in the 18 century various models of modern representative systems developed differing in the locus of sovereignty, the authorisation of representatives, the power of representatives, the style of representation, the scope of representation, and the modes of accountability. While it is true that the emergence of representative forms of government can be traced back to the Roman period and the early Middle Ages (Hofmann 1974, Podlech 1984, Ullmann 1975, Pollak 2007a) its intimate relation with democracy only developed in the 20 century. It would be a grave mistake to assume an intrinsic relation between political representation and democracy since there are many kinds of representation with scarce respect for democratic core principles like equality and autonomy (Manin 1997: 236). Liberal representative democracy emphasizing individual freedom, equality and a constitutional framework only emerged in the first half of the short 20 century, truncated versions being in place in some parts of the world beforehand.


this volume. Of the 24 inscribed images (mostly donatory and some hitherto unpublished), twenty-two belong to the 'Pāla–Sena' period. While a lone Buddha image from the Moghalmari region in south-western West Bengal is inscribed in c. sixth century Brāhmī characters (p. 253), an interesting eighteenth–nineteenth century Krsnalīlā panel is inscribed in Sanskrit written in the Bengali script (p. 260). Sanyal makes judicious use of palaeographic evidence—an analytical tool in epigraphy that may, in some ways, be considered analogous to stylistic analysis in art history. Some of the epigraphs are unfortunately too damaged to be reconstructed meaningfully. Among the most detailed and significantly inscribed sculptures, one should mention the inscriptions on the Mahisantosh Sūrya (p. 265; c. ninth and eleventh centuries), the Sarasvatī from Wari (p. 272; c. twelfth century); and the Krsnalīlā panel from Jagadanandapur mentioned earlier (p. 260; c. eighteenth–nineteenth century). The second appendix, jointly authored by Sambhu Chakraborty, Maitry Roy Maulik and Tarun Koley of the Geological Survey of India, discusses the characteristics and spatial distribution of rocks from which the sculptures have been carved. This scientific intervention in the study of sculptures is a most welcome one and can yield important clues about the network of relationships between stone types, stone quarries, artists' workshops and related art historical concerns. Vibrant Rock is an intelligently conceived and meticulously produced catalogue of a relatively less known but rich museum collection. It brings together the collective inter-disciplinary research of a committed group of scholars and also holds new possibilities for more meaningful research in the history, art history and archaeology of pre-modern eastern India and the contiguous region of present-day Bangladesh.


Purpose In the Simple Intensive Care Studies-I (SICS-I), we aim to unravel the value of clinical and haemodynamic variables obtained by physical examination and critical care ultrasound (CCUS) that currently guide daily practice in critically ill patients. We intend to (1) measure all available clinical and haemodynamic variables, (2) train novices in obtaining values for advanced variables based on CCUS in the intensive care unit (ICU) and (3) create an infrastructure for a registry with the flexibility of temporarily incorporating specific (haemodynamic) research questions and variables. The overall purpose is to investigate the diagnostic and prognostic value of clinical and haemodynamic variables. Participants The SICS-I includes all patients acutely admitted to the ICU of a tertiary teaching hospital in the Netherlands with an ICU stay expected to last beyond 24 hours. Inclusion started on 27 March 2015. Findings to date On 31 December 2016, 791 eligible patients fulfilled our inclusion criteria of whom 704 were included. So far 11 substudies with additional variables have been designed, of which six were feasible to implement in the basic study, and two are planned and awaiting initiation. All researchers received focused training for obtaining specific CCUS images. An independent Core laboratory judged that 632 patients had CCUS images of sufficient quality. Future plans We intend to optimise the set of variables for assessment of the haemodynamic status of the critically ill patient used for guiding diagnostics, prognosis and interventions. Repeated evaluations of these sets of variables are needed for continuous improvement of the diagnostic and prognostic models. Future plans include: (1) more advanced imaging; (2) repeated clinical and haemodynamic measurements; (3) expansion of the registry to other departments or centres; and (4) exploring possibilities of integration of a randomised clinical trial superimposed on the registry. Study registration number NCT02912624; Pre-results.


Climate change is a complex, multisystem phenomenon that disrupts human development both directly and indirectly through the interactions of interconnected systems. This article outlines the physical, social, and psychological impacts of exposure to climate disasters, which are already increasing in frequency and ferocity across the globe. Climate change poses particular challenges for billions of people with vulnerabilities related to geography, age, injustice, poverty, and many other social or economic disadvantages. In this article, we apply resilience and positive development frameworks to describe the resources and processes at the level of the individual, the family, and the community that can prepare and support people as they contend with the impacts of climate change. To illustrate these frameworks in action, we give examples of promising interventions that focus on mobilizing powerful human adaptive systems to build hope, agency, social cohesion, and a shared sense of belonging. We conclude by calling on developmental scientists to engage in research, interventions, and collaborative advocacy to address the unprecedented and existential threat posed by climate change.


Steering Head Pipe was one of the most important parts of a series of the wheel vehicle of two that functioned as the control of the direction from the vehicle, so as the Steering Head Pipe strength must be counted on thoroughly in the pro- cess of the production of the vehicle. In this case was taken by the Steering Head Pipe example the Yamaha Jupiter motor and Steering Head Pipe Honda Supra, afterwards were done by the analysis of the comparison between ked- uan him by means of giving the static burden to the two Steering Head Pipe this, and the concept of the analysis was carried out by using Software CATIA V5. His aim to know deform heeded, the critical area, as well as the tran- sitional vector that happened in respectively the Steering Head Pipe kind. After the process of the analysis was car- ried out then was gotten by the Von Misses tension the maximum from respectively the Steering Head Pipe type, for Steering Head Pipe Yamaha Jupiter was gotten 1. 90e+ 006 N/m2, for Steering Head Pipe Honda Supra was gotten 1. 07e+ 006 N/m2. And was gotten by the transitional vector for Steering Head Pipe Yamaha Jupiter was gotten 2. 32e-004 N/m2, for Steering Head Pipe Honda Supra was gotten 1.33e-004 N/m2. From results of the analysis could be concluded that to Steering Head Pipe Hoda Supra safer compared with Steering Head Pipe Yamaha Jupiter if be- ing seen from the tension of the Steering Head Pipe Honda maximum was smaller compared with Steering Head Pipe Yamaha.


This chapter explores Chinatown as an ephemeral site of visual indeterminacy
 in the 1870s by looking at a number of Californian Chinatown accounts
 in Helen Hunt Jackson's "The Chinese Empire" (1878) and Mark Twain's
 Roughing It (1872). Late-nineteenth-century Chinatown as an exhibitory
 locus of authentic Chinese-ness for Western tourists is paradoxically characterized
 by its mutability rather than realism. By examining the accounts
 of Jackson and Twain about the Chinese in the 1870s, the decade before the
 passing of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, the paper rethinks the "virtual"
 existence of Chinatown, its contested nature as a "phantasmatic site" for
 Western projections and visual consumption, which manifests the potential
 realization of national transformation in the mythic Orient of the new West.


The abandonment of traditional agricultural land is a global phenomenon, especially in mountainous areas. Although there are many mountainous villages where traditional agriculture, based on wild-plant mulching systems, is still practiced in Japan, the extent of land use change in these areas has not been quantitatively assessed. Economic theory predicts the systematic allocation of land to its maximum net value in response to distance from residential centres or demand. We tested this theory to determine whether: (1) grassland and cropland abandonment occurs far from residential centres and (2) new grassland becomes established near residential centres because its products (i.e., wild plants) are essential to traditional agriculture. We interviewed farmers from the traditional mountain village of Kosuge, Japan, to examine land use change at a parcel scale over the period 1940–2019. Our predictions were confirmed in that cropland and grassland were abandoned, while regrowth forests and plantations became established thereafter in the more inaccessible areas, in terms of distance from the village centre and slope aspect. Furthermore, new grassland developed near the centre of the village, leading to the 'advance' of grassland into the residential centre. Our results indicate that spatiotemporal patterns of land use change in traditional agricultural landscapes can be predicted and used to inform policies designed to sustainably maintain these landscapes and their ecosystem function.


The differential potentiometric stripping analysis (DPSA) with Nafion coated carbon fibre electrode has been studied, and a method to determine lead and cadmium in urine directly has been attempted. The effect of various experimental parameters on the DPSA response is discussed. The experimental conditions include 0.2M sodium perchlorate, deposition potential of −1.0 or −1.1 V and using 20 ppm mercuric ion as oxidizing agent. The response of the signal is in linear relation with the concentrations of lead and cadmium respectively up to 0.5 ppm. The electrode coated with Nafion film alleviates the interference from organics in urine samples.


During this session, clients learn the concepts involved in mindfulness. One concept include the awareness of two types of emotion, primary and secondary. Primary is the initial reaction to the event, whereas secondary is a reaction to that emotion. Another concept is that mindful awareness is present-focused, not focused on the past or future. A third concept is that mindful awareness is involves being accepting of emotion rather than judgmental. It takes practice to develop awareness of the different parts of emotion, to develop a focus on the present moment, and to develop non-judgment of emotion. Clients participate in a guided mindfulness exercise as well as a nonjudgmental emotion awareness exercise.


Today, KP cooking process is the main pulp production process in the world. In 1998, KP was produced 99.7% of all of Japanese chemical pulp production. KP process was invented in 1879 before only 120 years ago. On the other hand, SP cooking method was more early developed than KP cooking. SP cooking has been on the decrease and KP cooking has been increasing on the chemical pulp production process by the difficulty of cooking chemicals reproduction. But SP has good properties such as bleachbility, beatability than KP, we must study about new cooking chemicals or new additives to cooking with the reference of SP and KP cooking reaction mechanism. In this paper, I describe about the history of cooking chemicals and the tendency of new pulping chemicals and additives for the development of environmental friendly pulping technologies.


This report summarizes and documents the efforts of Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) in developing a secure tag communication user interface program comprising a tag monitor and a communication tool. This program can perform the same functions as the software that was developed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), but it is enhanced with a user-friendly screen. It represents the first step in updating the TRANSCOM Tracking System (TRANSCOM) by incorporating a tag communication screen menu into the main menu of the TRANSCOM user program. A working version of TRANSCOM, enhanced with ANL secure-tag graphics, will strongly support the Department of Energy Warhead Dismantlement/Special Nuclear Materials Control initiatives. It will allow commercial satellite tracking of the movements and operational activities of treaty-limited items and transportation vehicles throughout Europe and the former USSR, as well as the continental US.


Abstract Thermally induced rearrangements of 4-hydroxycyclobutenones are known to provide clean and reliable access to an array of useful carbocyclic and fused heterocyclic ring systems. Rarely, such reactions have been diverted to an alternative pathway leading to furanone formation. Herein, we show that these switches in the course of the rearrangement occur when a substrate bears a bulky substituent and are due to adverse steric buttressing as the transition state for electrocyclisation is approached. We also show how the reaction provides new opportunities for furanone synthesis and how bulky proton and halogen surrogates can be used to divert classical rearrangement pathways toward furanone formation. Additionally, we show that classical rearrangement pathways can be promoted by the simple expedient of alcohol protection.


Abstract: A 4‐year‐old boy had a rare fixed drug eruption due to amoxicillin and confined to the tongue. Avoidance of the drug resuJted in complete clearance within three months.


A first measurement of the longitudinal asymmetry of deepinelastic scattering of Polarized electrons from a Polarized {sup 3}He target at energies ranging from 19 to 26 GeV ha, been performed at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). The spin-Structure function of the neutron g{sub 1}{sup n} has been extracted from the measured asymmetries. The Quark Parton Model (QPM) interpretation of the nucleon spin-structure function is examined in light of the new results. A test of the Ellis-Jaffe sum rule (E-J) on the neutron is performed at high momentum transfer and found to be satisfied. Furthermore, combining the proton results of European Muon Collaboration (EMC) and the neutron results of E-142 the Bjoerken sum rule test is carried at high Q{sup 2} where higher order Perturbative Quantum Chromodynamics (PQCD) corrections and higher-twist corrections are smaller. The sum rule saturated to within one standard deviation.


A remote access method between an STB(Set-Top Box) and a remote server system using an H.264 codec and an apparatus therefor are provided to reduce a load of a CPU and exchange effectively contents between a user STB and a remote server system regardless of a local platform. A network manager(210) receives a request for particular contents from a user STB(100). A contents server(220) receives a user request from the network manager(210), executes user-requested contents, captures a displayed image of contents and encodes the captured image to generate video data. A network streaming agent(230) streams data from the contents server(220). A contents DB unit(221) stores contents. A contents execution unit(222) executes the particular contents requested by the user in its platform. A capturing unit(223) captures a displayed image of the contents. An MPEG video encoder(224) encodes the captured image based on an MPEG compression standard. An MPEG audio encoder(224) encodes audio of the contents. A text information extractor(226) extracts text data from window control information of the contents. An interactive interface unit(227) inputs and outputs data.


Optimizing pump operation in water networks can effectively reduce the cost of energy. To this end, the literature provides many methodologies, generally based on an optimization problem, that provide the optimal operation of the pumps. However, a persistent shortcoming in the literature is the lack of further analysis to assess if the obtained solutions are feasible from the technical point of view. This paper first showed that some of these available methodologies identify solutions that are technically unfeasible because they induce tank overflow or continuous pump switching, and consequently, proposed a novel approach to avoiding such unfeasible solutions. This consisted in comparing the number of time-steps performed by the hydraulic simulator with the predicted value, calculated as the ratio between the simulation duration and the hydraulic time-step. Finally, we developed a new model which couples Epanet 2.0 with Pikaia Genetic Algorithm using the energy cost as an objective function. The proposed method, being easily exportable into existing methodologies to overcome the limitations thereof, thus represents a substantial contribution to the field of pump scheduling for optimal operation of water distribution networks. The new method, tested on two case studies in the literature, proved its reliability in both cases, returning technically feasible solutions.


We propose a novel stochastic extension of timed automata, i.e. Markovian Timed Automata (MTA). We study the problem of optimizing the reachability probabilities in this model. Two variants are considered, namely, the timebounded and unbounded reachability. In each case, we propose Bellman equations to characterize the probability. For the former, we provide two approaches to solve the Bellman equations, namely, the discretization and a reduction to HamiltonJacobi-Bellman equations. For the latter, we show that in the single-clock case, the problem can be reduced to solving a system of linear equations, whose coefficients are the time-bounded reachability probabilities in CTMDPs.


JMUI (Journal on Multimodal User Interfaces), Special issue "Best of affective computing and intelligent Guidelines for multimodal user interface design. support, human multi-modal information processing. characteristics to the design of a user-oriented and guidelines of multimodal interface design. Artifact lifecycle management, Consumer and user, Interfaces in Automated.Aug 2 Aug 7Los Angeles, CA, USAThursday, 6 August 2015 / HCI International 20152015.hci.international/thursdayCachedDefining and Optimizing User Interfaces Information Complexity for AI Design and Development of Multimodal Applications: A Vision on Key Issues and Traditional Heuristics and Industry Guidelines to Evaluate Multimodal Digital Artifacts


In this article, Cunningham offers a non-programmer's approach to building a means of examining the differences between the ten-book first edition of Paradise Lost and the subsequent twelve-book second edition. The Comparator referenced in the article title will form part of what, in effect, will be a new kind of online scholarly edition, one that facilitates student annotations of texts while also asking salient questions about how the commonplace tool of a web browser might help transform how we interact with texts. Cunningham's workflow in building the Comparator suggests that this kind of successful and useful digital humanities work can be achieved with modest means and only a modest level of DH knowledge.


The littoral States of the Mediterranean belong to very different geographic and geological units, giving rise to a wide variety of landscapes and petroleum potentials. The provinces of the European margin, deeply marked by the Alpine orogeny, exhibit a wide variety of Secondary and Tertiary basins, often richer in gas than in oil, especially in Italy. Those of the African margin, which advanced to varying degrees into this continent, display stages from the Primary to the Tertiary, with rich basins in the Sahara, Algerian Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. On the eastern margin, Syria has several petroleum zones at the periphery of the large Mid-East Basin. These basins, and particularly those of the northern margin, have been the subject of intensive prospecting. This has allowed the discovery of some 11.4 Gt of oil and 8400 G.m3 of gas, with the share of the countries of the African margin accounting for 86% and 82% of the total respectively. The future discoveries that can be reasonably anticipated can be expected mainly in the African margin, and the Syrian basins. On the whole, oil and condensate reserves of about 3 Gt and gas reserves of some 4000 G.m3 appear probable. The deep offshore Mediterranean does not appear likely to contribute a significant share of these future discoveries at least in the medium term, given the extreme water depths. These prospects of future discoveries, slightly less than present proved reserves, would help to raise the number of years of production at the present rate from 26 to about 40 for oil and condensate, and to double the years of production of gas, which would be increased to slightly over a century. Although these figures appear fairly significant, they are still far below those of the Middle East.


Social networks have become very popular in today's age. As a result, Friend Recommendation Systems (FRSs) have gained immense importance. Teenagers today are often depressed and feel lonely. Social Networks, if used wisely can help a user connect to the right set of friends which can help to solve the above-mentioned challenges. Most popular social media platforms rely on homophily-based FRSs for their friend recommendations. That is, they use the user's social graph to match him/her with other users. Users now are concerned about how their personal data is being used and its privacy. Therefore, most users do not reveal their personal information on social networks. Also, there is no evidence to the accuracy of user information. Therefore, the existing recommendation systems in social media prove to be inaccurate in a lot of cases. Furthermore, the main purpose of these traditional recommendation systems is to connect pre-existing friends online rather than suggesting users that could be potential friends. To connect users to a new set of people, there is a need to design a friend recommendation system that matches users based on something other than existing connections. In this paper, we propose a system which uses personality analysis along with hybrid filtering to make personalized friend recommendations along with other filtering options for age range, location, gender, etc. This system would solve the cold start problem which occurs because in the present scenario people don't like spending time to specify their preferences for friend recommendations. The filtering options are of further interest to the user as there is a possibility of connecting to a new bunch of friends in person too.


The advantage of the AC-BM algorithm is that it can conduct the matching search of multiple pattern strings simultaneously and the shift of the text string is optimized. However, it can only conduct the search in one text string at a time. In order to realize the search in multiple text strings simultaneously at a time, the multi-objective AC-BM algorithm is designed in the paper. With the automaton union operation technology, the multi-objective multi-pattern tree automaton is constructed; and with the bad character shift technology of the BM algorithm, the shift of text string set is calculated. In the Snort system, the 2-objective AC-BM algorithm and the 3-objective AC-BM algorithm is realized respectively. Experiment results show that the improved algorithms are obviously superior to the AC-BM algorithm regarding time property on the condition that if a pattern string is found in multiple text strings, the algorithm will stop (indicating that an attack is detected) .


Johnson Matthey Emission Control Technologies, Orchard Road, Royston, Hertfordshire SG8 5HE, UK Email: email@example.com "Palladium-Catalyzed Coupling Reactions", published by Wiley in 2013, is a comprehensive handbook and guide to modern aspects of this reaction type. The book focuses on state of the art techniques. The use of different reaction media, catalyst recycling, supported catalysts, microwave assisted synthesis and continuous fl ow reaction systems are all examined, making this book an excellent resource. The book avoids delving into the specifi cs of each type of coupling reaction and instead presents a variety of topics, discussing recent progress and potential future work in each given area. It was edited by Arpad Molnar, a Professor of Chemistry in the University of Szeged, Hungary, who has no less than 200 publications to his name. Numerous research papers in the fi eld of catalyst development, coupled with review papers on many of the subjects covered in this book, qualify Professor Molnar for his position of editor. The content of this book covers fi ve general topics: an introduction and background to Pd-catalysed coupling reactions, Pd catalysts on various support materials, coupling reactions in different reaction media, reaction conditions for coupling reactions and industrial applications of Pd catalysed coupling reactions.


Within the quantitative tradition, selection bias is recognized as a challenging problem of inference. James Heckman's (1976, 1979) widely known research on this topic, and his Nobel Prize in economics for this work, underscore the serve as a template for qualitative analysis? The present chapter addresses this question by evaluating forceful warnings about selection bias that have been offered, from a quantitative perspective, to qualitative researchers. Specifically, we discuss warnings about bias in studies that deliberately focus on cases with extreme values on the dependent variable. Assessing these warnings provides an opportunity to examine the leverage gained, as well as the pitfalls encountered, in applying insights about quantitative methods to qualitative investigation.


In our projekt, we addressed the issue of education of fencing coaches in the Czech Republic. Fencing is one of the so-called "Small sports" in Czech Republic. It follows a series of problems related mainly to personnel and financial problems around the Czech Fencing Federation (CFF). With these issues closely related to the education of coaches. Czech's fencing federation, over time, almost completely resigned to the education of coaches and leaves this activity only on the coaches themselves. This decreases the level of not only coaches, but in relation to the results of competitors. Clearly not the competence of the responsible persons, lack of an overall concept and promotion. Based on the pilot questionnaire survey in the Czech Republic we have identified fundamental weaknesses in terms of trainers themselves. Using the comparison and deduction, conversations with the coaches in the Czech Republic and abroad, we put together a plan for educating coaches applicable in czech conditions, which we intend to present leading officials of CFF to be implemented into existing structure of coaches education.


Abstract Myasthenic exacerbation and crisis are most critical incidences in myasthenia gravis. Even nowadays myasthenic crisis is a life-threatening condition, with a lethality of 2–3%. We review means of avoiding myasthenic exacerbation and crisis, elaborate on red flags and how to establish highly-active therapy in a timely manner. This includes the reasonable use of cholinesterase inhibitors, immunoadsorption or plasma exchange, as well as immunoglobulins and steroids. Immunosuppressive agents and monoclonal antibody therapy add to the therapeutic options. Intensive care of myasthenic patients includes the management of dysphagia and delirium. Importantly, the perioperative management of patients undergoing thymectomy and weaning are specific challenges in the treatment of myasthenic patients in the ICU. Establishing timely consequent immunosuppression and treatment of myasthenic patients in specialized outpatient centres help to avoid repetitive exacerbations and crises.


The paper describes the algebra ß(¿0) of transfer functions of distributed systems; ß(¿0) generalizes the algebra of proper rational functions [see, e.g. 7,8]. The first theorem generalizes for the distributed case a result of Youla et al. [10]: any plant ¿ can be stabilized by pre-or post-compensation and the closed-loop natural frequencies can be preassigned in C¿ 0+, the domain of definition of ¿. The second theorem generalizes for the distributed case the known results of the lumped case [for a detailed review, see 10]: stabilization and asymptotically zero tracking-error can be achieved by a precompensator with elements in ß (¿0). Furthermore, the stabilization and tracking is robust.


Failed Back Surgery Syndrome (FBSS) refers to having persistent back and/or leg pain after one or more surgical procedures aimed at correcting lumbosacral disease. Different modalities including Epidural injections, Spinal cord stimulation, Anterior/Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALIF, PLIF) have been described in the literature with varying outcome. Our aim was to review the functional outcome of patients treated with Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion for FBSS since June 2000 to December 2006. This is a retrospective study of prospectively collected data of 25 patients diagnosed with FBSS and treated with PLIF at University Hospital of North Tees. All patients were requested to fill in the Oswestry Disability Index(ODI), Numerical Rating Scale for Back Pain (NRSBP), Numerical Rating Scale for Leg Pain (NRSLP), SF36 pre and post operatively. The scores were analysed using SPSS software for statistical significance. There were 12 men and 13 women. Mean age was 47.8 years (range 31–76 years). Mean follow up was 24.8 months (range 4 – 63 months). Four of the 25 patients had Post discectomy syndrome while the rest had post laminectomy syndrome. Most common level of surgery was L5/S1 either as a single level or in combination with other levels above. ODI decreased from a pre-op mean of 55.6(range 20–74.1) to 20.6(range 2–54) while VASBP decreased from 6.9 (range 1–9) to 2.2(range 0–6) (p Our results show that PLIF can be offered as a safe and effective for treatment of FBSS.


Many studies consider the dynamic effects of commodity promotion on demand, but few derive the theoretical basis for these effects in a model of optimal consumer behavior. This study develops a dynamic household production model of U.S. fresh fruit consumption, which it uses to evaluate the effectiveness of advertising and promotion expenditures by the Washington Apple Commission. Estimates from a dynamic-dual Generalized Leontief system show direct advertising to be marginally more effective than retail promotion in increasing apple sales, but advertising has positive spillover effects to sales of other fruits, whereas promotion reduces sales of competing products. Copyright 1999, Oxford University Press.


Measuring chemical events in neurotransmission is challenging because fast measurements of small amounts of neurotransmitters and neuromodulators are needed to track the dynamics of chemical changes accurately. In this article, we outline the basics of three popular methods for measuring neurochemical changes: electrophysiology, microdialysis, and electrochemistry. Electrophysiological techniques measure changes in membrane potentials associated with neurotransmission. These methods are often used to measure receptor-gated ion channel currents and are popular for neuropharmacology studies. Microdialysis is a sampling technique that can be used to monitor basal levels of neurotransmitters directly. When coupled to a separation technique, microdialysis is advantageous because it can be used to detect virtually any compound in the brain. Electrochemical techniques are popular because microelectrodes allow rapid, direct detection of neurotransmitters with minimal tissue disturbance. Although the analytes must be electroactive, electrochemistry has been used successfully to monitor neurochemical changes in various preparations, from single cells to behaving animals. Future research in monitoring neurochemical events will include improving the temporal resolution, spatial resolution, and selectivity of measurements.


Tension fatigue lifetime of high modulus polyethylene, HMPE, fiber is governed by plastic deformation (creep) failure. Testing confirms that high creep resistant HMPE fiber types have longer tension fatigue life. The applicability of a damage summation rule was investigated for variable static load conditions on fibers and a variable dynamic load condition on a rope. The contribution of each of the varying load periods can be described by summation of permanent elongation. The result from these periods determines the final lifetime.


(r = 0.38, p = 0.02, Fig. 1B). The reason why vitrectomy is effective in reducing periostin has not been determined. Because the level of periostin protein was reduced in a time-dependent manner (Fig. 1B), one possible explanation is that there is an increase in the diffusion of periostin away from the retina by the replacement of the vitreous gel with less viscous saline. Another reason for the quieting effects of vitrectomymay be the removal of FVMs because we have shown that the smooth muscle cells and M2 macrophages in FVMs actively produce periostin as well as a variety of adhesionmolecules (Yoshida et al. 2011). Anti-VEGF therapy is being used to treat neovascular diseases of the eye, and its use has led to significant advances in the management of PDR. However, this treatment turns on an 'angiofibrotic switch' to favour a fibrotic phase, and tractional retinal detachment have been reported in PDR patients following the administration of anti-VEGF agents in spite of the neovascular inhibition (Sohn et al. 2012). This indicates that anti-VEGF therapy is not effective in inhibiting fibrotic proliferation. Our findings that successful vitrectomy can reduce both periostin and VEGF for a long time (Yoshida et al. 2012; Fig. 1B) suggest that a successful vitrectomy may inhibit both angiogenesis and subsequent fibrosis by reducing the level of these molecules.


This study, the impact of budgeting and budgetary control on the performance of manufacturing Industry India was conducted using Borosil Glass works Ltd as c ase study. Since wants are plenty while resources are limited, every organization tends to find means by which it can get what it wants with the limited resources at its disposal. Therefore, firms seek to adopt the concept of budgeting and budgetary contr ol to satisfy their needs at the least possible cost and at the same time fulfill their stewardship obligations to the numerous stakeholders. We adopted a descriptive research design with data gathered through questionnaire administered to respondents. No nparametric tool of chi square was employed to analyze the data. Hypotheses were tested and analyzed on a 5% level of significance and it was revealed that budgeting is a useful tool that guides firms to evaluate whether their goals and objectives are actualized. Considering the changing environment in which firms now operate, it can be concluded that budget, which is a continuous management activity, should adapt to changes in the dynamic business environment.


An accelerated lifetest on PLC-type optical splitters is performed in damp heat environments with different temperatures and humidities. The Weibull distribution is used to analyse the times-to-failure of the splitters statistically. The activation energy of the failure is derived as 1.39 eV. The hazard rate of the splitters is estimated to be <0.6 fit over a period of 30 years at 25/spl deg/C 90% RH.


The establish of socialistic legal system is perfecting and improving constantly in new period. It puts the new meaning on the age civilization and legalization of action standardization of the prison's policemen. Therefore, the prison's policemen should manage the prisoner and the jail scientifically, educate them civilizedly according to standard action of executing the law. That embody in not only executing the law, but also education, reconstruct and managment of the prisoner. action standardization of the prisoner's policeman has important effection on correcting and curing the prisoners' action and advancing standardization of the prisoners' action.


AI Jazeera has gradually been seen as "one perspective" in international communication, which gives big support to the rapid growth of AI Jazeera English(AJE). In the situation, the communication from Arab World for domestic audience and for international opinion has increasingly been interpreted in a comparative-analysis fashion. However, the relative studies in China do not usually make claims on such a basis. Therefore, some points invariably are controversial and cause misunderstanding. Also, it is a common problem confronting regional studies in China. Given that, the goal of this paper will be to shed a useful light on the importance of comparing with the international communication in speaking of one area's attitude to a specific issue through the case study of AJE's reports on Shinzo Abe since the 3rd Plenary Session of 18 th CPC.


-T-O BEGIN with, the literary unity of the "prayer" or hymn ascribed to Jesus in Matt. I1:25-30 has often been questioned, largely because verses 28-30 are missing from the parallel passage in Luke io: 21-22; for it is evident that unless Luke (or his exemplar) has omitted these significant verses from the common documentary source of the two evangelists, then Matthew has composed his version by combining two unrelated passages. However, to generalize from Luke's treatment of Mark, one of his major sources, too much significance must not be attached to the absence of these verses from his gospel, for he made frequent omissions as he edited and transcribed his material. Actually, at least one hundred and fifty-five entire Markan verses are missing from Luke, or if the seventy-four verses of the great omission are disregarded as being in a special category, there remain eighty-one verses, equivalent to two Markan chapters, which do not appear. Some of these omissions are probably due to the evangelist's appreciation of literary style; some are in line with his theological tendencies; while still others may have been occasioned by the pragmatic necessity of editing the source materials o as to compress his gospel within the limits of a standard papyrus roll, which rarely exceeded thirty-five feet in length-a length which has been computed for Luke, as well as for Acts, if written in an average hand. But whatever the cause, Luke frequently omitted from Mark, and since there is no reason to suspect that he has been any more faithful to his other sources, the absence of the three verses in question may well be a more or less deliberate


Presented at the 16th ASEAN ORL-HNS Congress, November 11, 2015, The Empress Convention Center, Chiang Mai, Thailand, through an educational grant of ADP Pharma Corporation, and as a poster presentation at the 18th Anniversary of the National Institutes of Health, 14th UP Manila Science and Technology Week, and at the 7th Anniversary of the Metro Manila Research and Development Consortium, February 17-18, 2016, SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia.


Sir, A 50-year-old male with a history of hypertension underwent cystoscopy for gross haematuria. A bladder tumour was resected cystoscopically, and subsequently proved to be benign. He presented one week later with fever, delirium and right-sided flank pain. He was admitted with a diagnosis of urosepsis, and treated with ampicillin and gentamicin intravenously. His clinical condition rapidly improved, and was discharged 4 days later on oral ciprofloxacin. Ten days after discharge, he developed a skin rash on his legs. The rash was an initially red, palpable purpura that progressed to purplish lesions that ultimately ulcerated. He had no other symptoms suggestive of systemic vasculitis. The patient was started on a tapering dose of oral prednisone for what was felt to represent a cutaneous vasculitis, and his ciprofloxacin was discontinued after 10 days of therapy. His rash improved significantly, with the ulcerative lesions healing over the course of the next 1 month, and the steroids were discontinued. Approximately 2 months after the course of ciprofloxacin, and as he was tapering off his steroids, he was noted to have worsening of his hypertension (180/110), which was previously well-controlled. A urinalysis showed >3 g/l protein and >50RBC/hpf. There was 24.1 g of protein in his 24 h collection. Bloodwork included normal electrolytes, urea 14.8mmol/l, creatinine 205 mmol/l, albumin 33 g/l, haemoglobin 140 g/l and erythrocyte sedimentation rate 66mm/h. A CT-guided renal biopsy was performed, and he was subsequently referred to nephrology. He was assessed in nephrology out-patient clinic 6 months after his course of ciprofloxacin and 4 months after the proteinuria was diagnosed. His only complaint was fatigue. In addition to quinapril 20mg OD which he had been on for 5 years, his medications now included methyldopa 250mg BID, furosemide 40mg OD, metolazone 2mg OD, and diltiazem 300mg OD. His blood pressure was 138/78, pulse 96 and weight 133.2 kg. His rash had completely resolved, with numerous depressed scars on his shins from healed ulcerations. He had oedema up to his knees bilaterally, but the rest of his exam was within normal limits. Further laboratory investigations at this time included normal electrolytes, creatinine 175 mmol/l, haemoglobin 136, negative hepatitis B and C serology, and negative antinuclear antibody, anti-neutrophil cytplasmic antibodies (ANCAs) and anti-glomerular basement antibodies. Complement levels had previously been normal. A repeat 24 h urine collection contained 9.25 g/day protein. His renal biopsy demonstrated glomeruli with diffuse, global proliferation (Figure 1). While necrosis was not seen, there were occasional crescents present (Figure 2). A moderate cellular infiltrate was seen within the interstitium, and red blood cell casts were seen within tubules. Immunofluorescence showed a trace of finely granular positivity for IgM, kappa and lambda, which was interpreted as being non-specific. There were no electron-dense deposits on electron microscopy. A diagnosis of ciprofloxacin-induced vasculitis was made based on the time course of his skin rash and renal biopsy findings. As he had already received 2 months of steroid therapy (albeit prior to the renal biopsy for his cutaneous vasculitis), it was decided to observe him closely and not to pursue further immunosuppression. Over the course of the next 6 months, his creatinine gradually improved to 105mmol/l, and his proteinuria decreased to 340mg/day. His blood pressure also improved, and his methyl-dopa and diltiazem were discontinued. Fig. 1. Renal biopsy showing diffuse cellular proliferation. Haematoxalin and eosin stain, magnification 400 .


Through interpretation of the charm of Chinese folk color pattern,which include a sense of strength and embodiment of profound meaning and emotional expression.All these characteristics make the Chinese folk color pattern the most visual elements of Chinese national culture.Therefore,the right interpretation of Chinese folk color pattern provides designers new ideas in packaging design.


An application of the method of using a porous media approach to evaluate the cooling performance of electronic equipment is presented. In particular the evaluation of the heat flux assuming a passive (natural convection) weak turbulent flow regime is shown to produce results efficiently. While experimental results to confirm these findings are not yet available, the latter will play an important role in the future if this method is to gain acceptability.


The invention relates to a method for preparing 4,4-pyran diethyl dicarboxylate and a derivative thereof. According to the invention, diethyl malonate and substituted dichloroethyl ether are adopted as raw materials; cuprous iodide is used for catalyzing; one or a mixture of compounds selected from potassium tert-butoxide, sodium tert-butoxide and sodium tert-pentoxide is adopted as an alkali, and a reaction is carried out; when the reaction is finished, a solvent is removed by reduced-pressure distillation; and reduced-pressure distillation is continued, such that 4,4-pyran diethyl dicarboxylate or the derivative thereof are obtained. The method provided by the invention has never been reported before. The raw materials are easy to obtain, the reaction method is simple and feasible, and the reaction time is short. The method has high application and market values.


Abstract This article is the third and last of a series that tries to understand and reconcile 'theories of last word' and 'theories of dialogue' with respect to the proper place of constitutional courts within democratic regimes. It claims that there is a complementarity between both approaches: the design of the separation of powers needs to decide, contextually, whether elected parliaments or constitutional courts should bear the burden of the 'provisional' last word upon constitutional meaning; it should not neglect, however, the fact that institutions inevitably interact and can challenge each other's decisions over time, a datum that needs to be factored into the discussion about the legitimacy of judicial review. The article further claims that, if some sort of interaction between branches is inevitable over time, constitutional theory should elaborate on which sort is more desirable and legitimate than others. An interaction inspired by a normative ideal of dialogue and of deliberative performance, I contend, increases the epistemic capacity of the separation of powers.


At this time, three years post-op, Roberta is satisfied with the outcome of her surgery and hopes you have found her story helpful in your search for answers.


Excoriation disorder, which is characterized by recurrent and impairing skin picking, has been included as a distinct diagnosis in the most recent version of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). The move to include excoriation disorder as a separate diagnosis in the DSM-5 was largely due to increasing awareness of its prevalence and the potential for significant impairment and distress. This chapter discusses the nature, clinical presentation, and potential etiological determinants of excoriation disorder. In addition to the nature of symptoms, contemporary approaches to assessment and treatment, including behavioral and pharmacological, are highlighted. The chapter concludes with a discussion of future directions for research.


Studies concerning the influence of helical conformation on the enantioselective hydrogenations catalyzed by palladium-on-poly-S-amino acids are described. Poly-S-valine which does not normally form a helical conformation and poly-S-leucine which forms a right-handed helix were chosen as carriers for this study. Hydrogenations of α-methylcinnamic acid and α-acetamidocinnamic acid using palladium-on-poly-S-valine produced predominantly S(+)-dihydro-α-methylcinnamic acid and R( +)-phenyl-alanine (after hydrolysis), respectively. The hydrogenations catalyzed by palladium-on-poly-S-leucine produced predominantly R(−)-dihydro-α-methylcinnamic acid and S(−)-phenylalanine (after hydrolysis), respectively. These results indicate that the helical conformation of the polyamino acid carriers does influence the asymmetric induction observed. The asymmetric induction arising from the chirality of the screw sense of the polyamino acid appears to have a stronger influence on the configuration of the products than does the asymmetric induction arising from the configurations of the amino acid residues. The asymmetric induction arising from the helical conformation appears to mask any influence arising from the asymmetric carbon atoms of the amino acid residues.


Beacham A. and Osborn W. T. (1970) The movement of manufacturing industry, Reg. Studies 4, 41–47. This article seeks to review and interpret the findings of the "Howard" Report on the movement of manufacturing industry in the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1965. The evidence given concerns the number of "moves" and their employment effect, with classification according to regions of origin and destination, as well as for parts of the period or the whole. In spite of the difficulties of definition, both of "moves" and regions, the evidence does cast some doubt on a number of possible hypotheses to explain the observed pattern of movement. It is reasonable, therefore, to infer that Government policies (of incentives in development areas, and restrictions in congested urban areas) have had some influence—alongside many other factors that cannot easily be related to the data.


The concrete structure strength and its fracture parameters have the dimensional effect. The paper proposes the calculating method for calculating the rate of fatigue growth based on J-integral on basis of elasticfracture theory. A formula for calculating the life of fatigue is deduced under the D-M model. This formulainvolves the influence of size to the life, ad obtains the dimensional effect affecting the life of the facture ofconcrete structure.


I am surprised to hear of the French minister of health's decision to stop funding dementia drugs.1 The reasoning is incomplete for several reasons.

Firstly, pharmacological treatments for dementia are not curative and cannot substitute non-pharmacological interventions. Caregivers know this. In Sweden, healthcare personnel already work hard to develop and integrate non-pharmacological interventions regularly; withdrawing reimbursement would not promote …


The widely held belief that noninvasive ventilation is beneficial in patients with acute pulmonary edema is based on studies that were either not


Three kinds of 1,3-dioxane-4,6-dione were synthesized from malonic acid and ketone using La(OTf)3 as catalyst and acetic anhydride as condensing regent. The effects of the molar ratio of malonic acid and ketone, reaction temperature, reaction time, catalyst dosage and its stability on the yield were inves- tigated. The optimum conditions were as follows: 0.1 mol malonic acid, n(malonic acid)∶n(ketone)=1.0∶ 1.1, the amount of catalyst 0.3 mol%, reaction temperature 30 ℃, reaction time 3.0 h. Under above reaction conditions, the product yields achieved up to 62.3%~77.5%. Keywords 1,3-dioxane-4,6-dion; La(OTf)3; malonic acid; ketone


This paper examines the effects of aging on the flexural stiffness and bending loading
capacity of a perforated glass fiber-reinforced epoxy composite subjected to combined
moisture and elevated temperature. Specimens, in the configuration of one-quarter of a
perforated GFRP tube, were aged in 60% humidity and temperatures of 40, 60, and 80°C,
respectively. Moisture absorptions of the specimens were measured during the aging
process, and bending tests were conducted on the specimens after aging. The SEM
images were also captured to further examine the effects of the moisture absorption on
the aged specimens. The results indicated that the increase in the aging temperature reduced the diffusion
coefficient, thus inducing more moisture absorption by the composite and in turn causing more reduction in composite's flexural stiffness and bending capacity. Moreover, the ability of Fick's equation for predicting the moisture absorption rate in such perforated thin-walled composite configuration at various moisture contents and temperatures was also assessed. A semiempirical equation was developed and proposed by which the reduction of the stiffness in the perforated aged GFRP structures
could be predicted.


Although the Indonesian government did not require elementary students to learn English, many schools, both state and private, still provided English in their curriculum.  The absence of government's roles had led freedom for the schools to designthe English curriculum. This study aims to evaluate the syllabus and the learning process at an elementary level using SWOT analysis and to develop the syllabus based on the results of the investigation. Research and development methods simplified into five steps, which are evaluation, syllabus development,validation, field testing, and production were employed. The results show positive feedback from the school in improving the quality of learning English.


We investigate laser-induced damage thresholds of magnetron sputtered coatings in sub-ps regime. Particularly we study intrinsic LIDT of the films at 1µm, and Laser-induced contamination at high repetition rate.


Pakistan is one of those developing countries in which law and order and security issues are the major problems. Economic conditions are not ideal due to which many firms are doing merger and acquisition to improve their financial performance. Our research study has tried to measure the affect of these merger and acquisitions on the financial performance of the banks in Pakistan. The main objective is to check whether merger and acquisition in banks of Pakistan has increased their performance or not. Merger and acquisition is the independent variable whereas financial performance is the dependent variable. Financial performance is determined through liquidity ratios (DTA, CTA), profitability ratios (ROA, ROE) and solvency ratios (D/E, DR). Data is collected from annual reports of the banks. Only those banks are included which are listed in the Karachi stock exchange in Pakistan. Our results showed that performance of mostly banks increased after merger and acquisition but it is not true for all the banks which reveals that banks should consider more information and detailed analysis should be done before doing merger and acquisition in Pakistan. Results of this research would also help to different stakeholders like researchers, investors, creditors, employees, bankers etc. in understanding the importance of merger and acquisitions.


.............................................................................................................................................. 3 IMPACT STATEMENT .............................................................................................................................. 4 LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................................... 12 LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................................................... 13 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................................................... 14 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................................ 16 Chapter 1 : Background .............................................................................................................. 19 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 19


The Appellation System of Yichun Dialect enjoys a variety of titles and many characteristics of its own.To get a better knowledge of it,this research is carried out based on the linguistic survey in Bushang Village,Yichun.Generally speaking,the appellation system of Yichun dialect mainly consists of four types of titles,namely,the suffix type,the gender-marked type,the husband-wife type and the nickname type.Influenced by geographical and social factors,they also reflect a lot of cultural connotations.


Abstract : Multivariable design techniques developed by Professor Brian Porter of the University of Salford, England, are used to develop digital control laws for the Flight Propulsion Control Coupling (FPCC) Aircraft. Control laws are developed for each of three flight conditions. A design tool, the computer program MULTI, is modified to calculate and display the figures of merit for each simulation. The controllers developed utilize output feedback with proportional plus integral (PI) control. Due to the nature of the system model, certain derivatives of the states are measured and added to the feedback. A robust controller is tested by performing specific maneuvers for multiple flight conditions, and these results are compared to those obtained with the controllers designed for each flight condition. The individual controllers and the robust controller are tested with the addition of a delay that represents the processing delay within the proportional plus integral implementation. The results with delay are compared to those without delay. All of the designs accomplished included first order models for the control surface actuators and assumed perfect knowledge of all aircraft states. The designs used reduced order state models with decoupled lateral and longitudinal models. (Author)


The purpose of this study was to assess the results of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo‐SCT) after reduced‐intensity conditioning (RIC) from matched related donors (MRD) and unrelated donors (URD) in 40 patients with high‐risk multiple myeloma (MM) in a single centre. Seventeen (43%) (Group 1) and 23 patients (57%) (Group 2) had URD and MRD, respectively. Thirty‐nine patients (98%) received one or more autologous transplantation. The median follow‐up was 22 months (1–49). None of our patient experienced a graft rejection. The cumulative incidence of grade II–IV acute GVHD was higher (47%) for the URD vs. (17%) for the MRD (P = 0.092). The cumulative incidence of chronic GVHD was no different between the two groups (24% vs. 30%, respectively). At 2 yr, the TRM probabilities were lower in the unrelated group 12% vs. 22% in the related group (P = 0.4). Also at 2 yrs, for patients receiving unrelated transplantation overall and progression‐free survivals, 59% and 42%, respectively compared to patients with related donor transplantation, 66% and 44% (P = 0.241). In conclusion, these results suggest that URD in MM is feasible. The small number of patients with URD emphasizes the need to delineate indications and perform prospective protocols.


An induction coupler with 100mm wide air gap is being developed for contactless charging of electric vehicles with power levels up to 3kW. This will enable convenient opportunity charging at stops and maximise battery life and mileage. A core was found to be necessary, and using an iterative method, the core design was optimised for optimum coupling was found for the 100mm air gap. High frequency operation is necessary to reduce the size of compensating capacitors and the thickness and weight of the core, but is limited by the eddy current and the switching losses. An experiment was carried out to compare measurement and software modelling results. A charging characteristic was found by simulation and a frequency control strategy is proposed.


Based on the uniaxial compressive test,the variation laws of longitudinal wave velocity,failure modes,compressive strength and damage property of marble specimens while experiencing different temperatures among 25~1 000 ℃ were studied in this paper.The test results show that there are multiple splitting surfaces along the axial direction of marble after high temperatures,and the split failure mode is the main destructive manner of marble.Meanwhile,the compressive strength of marble increases visibly at 100 ℃and 400 ℃,and then presents deterioration with the increase of temperature after 800 ℃.When the temperature reaches to 1 000 ℃,the marble nearly losses bearing capacity.Moreover,the longitudinal wave velocity declines linearly and the damage increases linearly with the increase of temperature,which reflects the changes to internal nature of marble after the high temperature effects.Rock mass is aggregated with mineral components together,thus,the changes of mineral components under high temperatures,to some extent,can affect the physical and mechanical characteristics of rock mass.


This prospective study examined the predictive validity of the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) and the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL: YV) in 99 male adolescents who were assessed in custody and followed up 12 months post release. Outcome data on recidivism were based on official Home Office records. The base rates for violent and general recidivism, respectively, were 38.4% and 70.7%. The predictive validity of the SAVRY Risk Total and the SAVRY Risk Rating was moderate for both violent and general recidivism, but both showed incremental validity in predicting outcomes compared with the PCL: YV. Data are discussed in relation to the limited published international literature.


This paper's objective is to develop a cartographic base of Uniao dos Palmares – AL City using Remote Sensing technologies to obtain data and a Geographic Information System – GIS, which allows collect, store, process and analyze large amounts of spatially referenced data from different sources in the same database. The GIS allows data to be linked, correlated and interpreted in the same virtual environment, thus obtaining products with quality and precision. This way were elaborated thematic maps of the hipsometria, slope, hydrology, vegetation, geology, pedology, geomorphology, irrigated culture capability based on the most updated data available. The objective was to evaluate public policies of urban planning, implementation of civil works and delimitation of hazardous areas by slip / floods providing most updated cartographic bases.


Electronic skin can be integrated into a prosthetic device to endow the prosthesis with artificial cutaneous sensing, thereby partially restoring the sensory information lost due to an amputation. Non-invasive cutaneous electrostimulation transmits the tactile information sensed by the electronic skin on the prosthetic hand to the human brain, through the amputee's afferent nervous system. In this paper, our current benchtop prototype of a distributed sensing-stimulation system is presented, together with the envisaged high-fidelity solution which will be integrated into a real prosthetic hand.


The article is to reexamine two problems in Th e Art of War :one is"Thus,the momentum of one skilled in war is overwhelming,a nd his attack precisely timed.",and the other the military and diplomatic lines ,and in the course of discussion the author will bring forward some different vi ews in the attempt to get to their deeper implications.


It was with great interest that we read the article by Rahimi et al.1 Surprisingly, the authors speculate that, despite findings of electrocardiographic anterolateral ST-segment elevation, increased cardiac biomarker levels, and transient left ventricular apical ballooning in a patient with a decreased level of consciousness, acute intracranial hemorrhage, not tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy (TC), was responsible for the cardiac abnormalities.1 Furthermore, their conclusive statement regarding the etiology of the described acute and convalescent ST changes, be it intracranial hemorrhage or TC, is questionable as precordial leads demonstrating resolution of anterolateral ST-segment elevation are not included in the convalescent 6-lead electrocardiogram. Classical electrocardiographic changes accompanying intracranial hemorrhage consist primarily of T-wave abnormalities, including deeply inverted precordial T-waves, QTc interval prolongation and, less frequently, ST-segment depression or elevation.2,3 Moreover, the authors' identification of ST-segment elevation and left ventricular dysfunction without significant epicardial coronary stenoses, termed ''neurogenic stunned myocardium,'' has previously been described.4 The combination of anterolateral ST-segment elevation, raised cardiac biomarker levels, and transient apical and mid-left ventricle wall akinesis identified in this case is the hallmark of TC.5 The question we pose is whether differentiating between the ''classic'' presentation of TC and the cardiac abnormalities accompanying intracranial hemorrhage is, in fact, possible. Intracranial hemorrhage has previously been associated with TC,6 as have multiple additional conditions associated with overwhelming sympathetic tone,4,5,7 suggesting that the relationship between intracranial hemorrhage, electrocardiographic and left ventricular abnormalities, and TC may be due to a common intermediary. A mounting body of evidence is implicating surges of sympathetic nervous system output as the pathophysiologic factor responsible for the electrocardiographic, enzymatic, and wall motion abnormalities in TC.5,6 As Rahimi et al., identify, a similar hypothesis has been advanced to explain the electrocardiographic and left ventricular abnormalities accompanying intracranial hemorrhage.5 Indeed, it is becoming increasingly plausible that apical and midleft ventricular stunning accompanied by anterolateral electrocardiographic ST-elevations and elevations in cardiac biomarkers may represent a final common pathway for the effects of overwhelming sympathetic discharge, whatever its cause.


The Navier–Stokes equation and the energy equation, with the Bousinessq approximation, are solved for the initial value problem of heat transfer from a circular cylinder in an arbitrary translation. The asymptotic solution is valid for small amplitude cylinder fluctuation as well as for short initial time of an arbitrary cylinder translation. From this solution, an integro-differential equation relating the heat transfer from a circular cylinder to its velocity in ambient fluid is derived. This equation is solved by use of the Galerkin method for the cylinder velocity with the heat transfer as given inputs.


Renal dysfunction is common during episodes of acute decompensated heart failure, and historical data indicate that the mean creatinine level at admission has risen in recent decades. Different mechanisms underlying this change over time have been proposed, such as demographic changes, hemodynamic and neurohumoral derangements and medical interventions. In this setting, various strategies have been proposed for the prevention of renal dysfunction with heterogeneous results. In the present article, we review and discuss the main aspects of renal dysfunction prevention according to the different stages of heart failure.


During the last decades, significant efforts have been made to directly convert CO2 as a potential feedstock into hydrocarbons as fuels and/or basic chemicals for industrial applications. The electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) is a promising alternative for a large-scale production of hydrocarbons. However, there are still some challenges including poor product selectivity and highly complex multiple-step reaction mechanisms.[1] In order to convert CO2 on a Cu electrode, high overpotentials up to 1.0 V are required, which make the energy efficiency still rather poor and lead to competition with the H2 evolution.[2] Additionally, the morphology of the Cu materials i.e. structure and 'chemical state' (metallic vs oxidized, high vs low coordinated) strongly influence the performance of the CO2RR. Recently, we have shown the critical potential of oxide-metal transition processes for Cu oxide foam annealed at 300°C probed by operando XAS, XRD and Raman spectroscopy.[3,4] All three operando techniques showed an entire reduction of Cu oxide to metallic before the production of hydrocarbons starts. [3,4]
 In this work, we have investigated the kinetics of both electrochemical oxide-metal reduction and CO2RR on nanoporous Cu foams as catalyst precursor annealed at four different temperatures (100°C, 200°C, 300°C, 450°C) in air using operando Quick X-ray Adsorption Spectroscopy (Quick-XAS). The Quick-XAS measurements were carried out in a custom-made spectro-electrochemical flow cell using 0.5 M KHCO3 as the electrolyte, while the XAS-Spectra were measured in transmission mode. The Quick-XANES data was analyzed by linear combination fit (LCF) and principle component analysis (PCA) to monitor the potential dependent changes of the chemical state and coordination number of the Cu species. Based on the Cu K-edge XANES and EXAFS data, we show that the annealing temperature strongly influences the chemical state of the Cu species. More precisely, the population of the Cu(II) species within the as prepared foams increases with increasing annealing temperature. Starting from the different ratios of Cu(0):Cu(I): Cu(II), the oxide-metal transition processes are shifted in the cathodic direction by applying potential steps of 100 mV. With an increase in annealing temperature, this oxide-metal transition is more rapid and occurs at lower cathodic overpotentials, but still before the production of hydrocarbons begins. In contrast, the potential jump experiments of several hundreds of mV lead to different kinetics of the oxide-metal reduction of Cu species. These transition processes and the resulting structure of porous Cu foams have a huge impact on the product distribution for CO2RR. Altogether, our results provide deeper insights into the oxide-metal transition processes to form the catalytically active Cu species for hydrocarbon formation during CO2RR.
 Reference:
 [1] S. Nitopi et al., Chemical Reviews, 2019, 119, 7610. [2] C. W. Li et al., Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2012, 134, 7231. [3] A. Dutta et al., Chimia, 2021, 75, 733. [4] A. Dutta et al., Journal of Catalysis, 2020, 389, 592.


Consumption patterns influence our quality of life in deep ways, having a substantial effect on both the individual and the society as a whole. Most consumption decisions we make on a daily basis may have an ethical content. Normally our ethical concerns result from personal beliefs and societal influences, not from the Law. The question then becomes whether public entities have legitimacy to impose certain dimensions of ethical behaviour and whether Consumer Law is the appropriate mechanism to achieve such purposes. Government's role in moulding our consumption habits is doubtful as there is no consensus about the role that Law should play in the promotion of ethical conducts. Traditionally Consumer Law was aimed at protecting the consumer himself. Should legal intervention be expanded to guide consumer behaviour even when the protection of consumers as such is not the goal? In some cases public intervention may be justified with the impact of individual decisions on the community as a whole. In fact, the State is interested in controlling the social costs of individuals' behaviours that are borne by society at large. However, going beyond the frontier of public interest may be troublesome. This new field of regulatory intervention touches upon some of the values that define us as a society: personal freedom, choice and liberty. Any intervention in this regard should consider the balance between individual freedom and public interest. Citizens should not be treated as creatures deprived of any moral or ethical character.


Carbon+carbon fusion-evaporation reactions have been studied in two series of measurements: (i) The system /sup 13/C+/sup 13/C has been studied for laboratory bombarding energies betwen 30 and 60 MeV in 5-MeV steps. Angular distributions for all residual nuclei have been measured and the corresponding yields versus bombarding energy are compared to a fusion-evaporation calculation. It is also shown that, at least at one bombarding energy, the fusion evaporation residue yields for the /sup 12/C+/sup 14/C and /sup 13/C+/sup 13/C systems are almost the same, confirming the independence of the way in which the compound nucleus /sup 26/Mg is formed. (ii) The systems /sup 12/C+/sup 12/C, /sup 13/C+/sup 12/C, /sup 13/C+/sup 13/C, and /sup 13/C+/sup 14/C have been studied at E/sub lab/=40 MeV. This energy corresponds approximately to the maxima of the fusion evaporation cross sections for all these systems. The yields to final residual nuclei show that the additional neutrons strongly affect mainly the ..cap alpha..xn and 2..cap alpha..xn channels and this is well reproduced by the Hauser-Feshbach statistical model. The results are compared to those obtained for neighboring fusion-evaporation systems.


Information Systems Outsourcing has become a strategy often sought by organizations in recent years. Numerous studies found in literature mainly deal with aspects of this phenomenon in the private sector. In face of the scarcity of studies directed to the public sector, this paper aimed to identify the motivations, risks and benefits of information systems outsourcing within the scope of a public-private partnership, confronting the views of providers and contractors. The research method was quantitative and used the survey method to collect data applying two questionnaires, one for the providers and another for the contractors. Then, a statistical data analysis was performed to describe a comparison between both views. In this way, it was possible to identify and verify the differences between motivation, risk and benefit indicators of a public-private partnership in the views of IT services suppliers and contractors. Twenty-nine public organizations in the state of Alagoas and fifteen IT service providers participated in the survey. Results indicate that, when comparing both views, some divergences can be highlighted, such as the cost-reduction motivational factor. However, both sides agree that the scarcity of human and technological internal resources is a key factor to make a public organization turn to an external supplier. For public organizations, excessive reliance on suppliers proved to be the most worrisome risk factor. For outsourcers, the most important threat was political pressure.


Five-coordinate {(TPP)Ga III (Cœ3CR)} complexes (TPP is the dianion of tetraphenylporphyrin; A is n-Pr or Ph) and {(TTP)Fe III (Cœ3CR)} (TPP is the dianion of tetrakis(p-tolyl)porphyrin); A=n-Pr or Ph) have been obtained by the reaction of {(P)M III Cl} (M=Ga or Fe, P=porphyrin dianion) with the appropriate lithium acetylide. Red blocks of {(TPP)Ga III (Cœ3CPr n )) (C 49 H 35 GaN 4 ) crystallize in the orthorbombic space group Pna2 1 .