This paper empirically examines the incremental relation between trading volume surrounding quarterly earnings announcements and institutional holdings. Consistent with Cready (1988) and Lee (1992), we find a significant positive relation between abnormal trading volume and the fraction of institutional ownership during the period immediately following an earnings announcement, after controlling for the magnitude of the associated price reaction and the dispersion of analysts' EPS forecasts. The results are robust to various measures of abnormal trading volume. Our findings suggest that newly released information does not necessarily have the same value to heterogeneous investor types and support Lev's (1988) emphasis on the importance of focusing on investor classes.


Pregnant women with acute viral hepatitis are at higher risk of morbidity and death than pregnant women with chronic viral hepatitis. The risk of death is highest with acute viral hepatitis E, and the rate of transmission to the baby may be highest with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Managing viral hepatitis in pregnancy requires assessing the risk of transmission to the baby, determining the gestational age at the time of infection and the mother's risk of decompensation, and understanding the side effects of antiviral drugs. Indications for treatment may be different from those in the general population. New treatments are available.


A 15-year-old boy developed recurrent laryngeal nerve compression by a bronchogenic cyst, causing recurrent choking. Bronchogenic cyst compressing the recurrent laryngeal nerve is unusual. The patient had a normal voice and occasional choking with periods of normalcy in between. A left posterolateral thoracotomy was performed and cyst was excised. Histopathology revealed bronchogenic cyst.


In this paper we consider the problem of computing decentralized control policies in a discrete stochastic decision problem. For the problem we consider, computation of optimal decentralized policies is NP-hard. We present a relaxation method for this problem which computes suboptimal decentralized policies as well as bounds on the optimal achievable value. We then show that policies computed from this relaxation are guaranteed to be within a fixed bound of optimal. The relaxation is derived from an equivalent formulation of this decentralized decision problem as a polynomial optimization problem. The method is illustrated by an example of decentralized detection.


Throughout its nearly two-hundred-year existence, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) (https://www.nlm.nih.gov/) has advanced biomedicine and public health by acquiring, organizing, preserving, and disseminating knowledge essential to health and medicine. NLM has devised many innovations to support this, including standard terminologies and messaging formats such as the Journal Article Tag Suite (https://dtd.nlm.nih.gov/) to organize and manage biomedical literature. While scientific communication largely relied on books and journals over the last two hundred years, digital data are quickly forming the substrate of scientific communications. Data come in forms with much less structure than that afforded by publications, and these can vary from observations made during carefully controlled clinical trials to streams of genomic sequences to the counts of footfalls captured by personal devices. Coincidently, an increasingly diverse set of users – from clinicians to laypeople to public health to big pharma to scientists – bring unique perspectives as they draw meaning from new sets of scientific output. How does a modern library meet its mission to acquire, organize, preserve, and disseminate the many outputs of contemporary science? What role do standards play? How does NLM help this diverse set of stakeholders derive meaning from its resources?


When a given weight dropped onto an explosive charge, explosion or not is probabilistic for certain impact energy and the frequency of explosion is always increase with increasing impact energy. Based on experimental results and recently theoretical work, we propose that the hot spot formation is attributed to the activated molecules decomposition and the number of molecules initiation is proportional to the impact energy but not the dropped weight heating as the previous hot spot theory. A theoretical model based on two states model has been put forward for this phenomena. It is shown that the activated molecules to form a hot spot determine the probabilistic nature of initiation by impact. It is shown a good agreement tested with Hexogen (RDX) experimental impact data.


Abstract : A study was made of the reaction of tri-(alkylnaphthyl) thio-phosphate with elementary sulfur; 12 new tri(alkylnaphthyl) thiophosphates which have not been described in the literature were obtained. It has been established that tri-(alkylnaphthyl) thiophosphates when added to MK-8 oil in the amount of 0.5% considerably improve its stability. (Author)


This paper describes further developments in laboratory and simulation tools for use in the Cisco Academy for the Vision Impaired (CAVI) program. Due to the geographic distribution of vision impaired students it is necessary to offer the normally "hands on" aspects of the Cisco Academy Program in a remote, virtual or simulated manner. Two major issues currently faced in delivering this program is that of the inaccessibility of Packet Tracer and scheduling equipment access to the Remote Bundles. Keywords-component; Remote laboratories, network simulaltion, assistive technology, blind, vision impairment


A six-year-old, in good physical shape with medium length curly hair, Libyan white boy has presented with one single lesion which was itchy, painless with some scaly hair loss in the right parietal region on the scalp, since few weeks.


HCV infection is a major risk factor that can lead to chronic liver disease, including fibrosis, cirrhosis, and HCC. Progression of chronic liver disease by HCV infection is caused by a complex intercellular reaction. Especially, exosomes and microRNAs (miRNAs) from HCV‐infected hepatocytes play a role in the pathogenesis of liver disease by facilitating cellular communication between parenchymal and nonparenchymal cells. However, the underlying mechanism of secretions of exosome and miRNAs during HCV infection is still open for study.


Shot noise affects differently the nonlinear electron transport in semiconductor superlattices depending on the strength of the coupling among the superlattice quantum wells. Strongly coupled superlattices can be described by a miniband Boltzmann-Langevin equation from which a stochastic drift-diffusion equation is derived by means of a consistent Chapman-Enskog method. Similarly, shot noise in weakly coupled, highly doped semiconductor superlattices is described by a stochastic discrete drift-diffusion model. The current-voltage characteristics of the corresponding deterministic model consist of a number of stable branches corresponding to electric field profiles displaying two domains separated by a domain wall. If the initial state corresponds to a voltage on the middle of a stable branch and is suddenly switched to a final voltage corresponding to the next branch, the domains relocate after a certain delay time, called relocation time. The possible scalings of this mean relocation time are discussed using bifurcation theory and the classical results for escape of a Brownian particle from a potential well.


It is the weak point for the higher vocational colleges to develop the students'second class skills of the training mode of the reformation for the talented persons. This paper analyzes the establishment of the status of second class skills development project team, explores the building of the second classroom skills to develop the need for long-term mechanism of the project team and building measures, which is realistic and feasible.


Nanostructured β-Ni(OH)2 was synthesized on nickel foam substrate via a mild chemical bath deposition method.XRD and SEM were used to characterize the as-obtained products.Cyclic voltammetry and constant current discharge measurements illustrated the good electrochemical performance of the Ni(OH)2 electrode,and it displayed a maximum specific capacitance as high as 1 679 F/g at a current density of 2.5 A/g.


Providing a wireless communication apparatus, comprising: a beacon signal switching unit for wireless communication with another device to exchange the beacon signals; connection management unit, means for establishing by exchanging the beacon signal of the wireless communication with the other means a connection relationship; pause management unit for establishing a connection relationship of the wireless communication apparatus further exchange of information on a predetermined pause period, and suspend their operations until the predetermined time has elapsed since the predetermined pause period until the ; and a beacon slot beacon slot management unit for setting to be used for transmitting the beacon signal. The beacon slot management unit sets the elapse of the predetermined pause period after a beacon slot, and the beacon signal switching unit has elapsed after the predetermined pause period and set the beacon slot using the beacon slot of the transmission signal within a predetermined time period.


Research, as a tool of industry, has been evolving steadily since the end of World War II. Because of recent events, both sociological and technical, we can expect this evolution to accelerate dramatically. The tightly linked elements of technology, economics, and geography will drive the change. Technology, by virtue of its own success, is becoming more and more complex and thus more expensive. Our expectations for scientific achievement are ever higher and the tools to achieve it more expensive. As computer science becomes a dominant part of all products and services, the management of software is a key factor. For the same reasons, the dramatic explosion of computing power and communications capacity in the 90's will inevitably change not only the way we do research, but the way we do business as well. Independent of business fluctuations, this means it will be the rare company that can do research in all areas touching its business. We must learn to concentrate on fundamentals, use standards, and obtain many of our technical tools through joint developments or by reuse of existing products. In order to achieve this, we must know our core technical areas and make open systems a reality.


Adopting the methods of document collection,expert interviews,logical analysis,researched of the present problems in Anhui Province basketball referees,discussed the possible restraining factors and put forward its development and reform measures,designed to offer reference for the promote the Anhui basketball referee overall business levels,and promote the development of basketball career.


1. Introduction 2. Hypotheses about translation universals (by Chesterman, Andrew) 3. Probabilistic explanations in Translation Studies: Universals - or a challenge to the very concept? (by Toury, Gideon) 4. A thousand and one translations: Revisiting retranslation (by Paloposki, Outi) 5. Creating "presence" in translation (by Stolze, Radegundis) 6. Ready-made language and translation (by Heltai, Pal) 7. Les attributs indirects en francais et en danois: Differences typologiques et problemes de traduction (by Korzen, Hanne) 8. Kontrastive Linguistik und sprachenpaarbezogene Translationswissenschaft (by Schreiber, Michael) 9. Translating non-segmental features of textual communication: The case of metaphor within a binary-branch analysis (by Zabalbeascoa, Patrick) 10. Challenging the myth of native speaker competence in translation theory: The results of a questionnaire (by Pokorn, Nike K.) 11. Expectativas y evaluacion en la traduccion de folletos turisticos (by Nobs, Marie-Louise) 12. Censorship or error: Mary Howitt and a problem in descriptive TS (by Malmkjaer, Kirsten) 13. Of holy goats and the NYPD: A study of language-based screen humour in translation (by Schroter, Thorsten) 14. The .gure of the factory translator: University and professional domains in the translation profession (by Milton, John) 15. Migrating from translation to technical communication and usability (by Risku, Hanna) 16. From raw data to knowledge representation: Methodologies for user-interactive acquisition and processing of multilingual terminology (by Dragsted, Barbara) 17. The translator as a creative genius: Robert Schumann (by Azenha, Jr., Joao) 18. Ubersetzung zwischen Nationalismus und Internationalismus (by van Doorslaer, Luc) 19. Non-verbal phenomena in simultaneous interpreting: Causes and functions (by Ahrens, Barbara) 20. Simultaneous interpreting A-B vs. B-A from the interpreters' standpoint (by Bartlomiejczyk, Magdalena) 21. The interpreters' notes: On the choice of form and language (by Dam, Helle V.) 22. Expressing a well-founded fear: Interpreting in convention refugee hearings (by Fenton, Sabine) 23. Cross-cultural dynamics in community interpreting. Troubleshooting (by Rudvin, Mette) 24. The child in the middle: Agency and diplomacy in language brokering events (by Hall, Nigel) 25. The editorial process through the looking glass (by Gile, Daniel) 26. Name index 27. Concept index


The present invention relates to a coil sheet comprising: a sheet in which a coil in a spiral type is formed; and a core with a thickness of t mm which is located in the center of the coil. The core has a curvature in one or more among the upper side of the core, a corner which meets the upper side and a side, and a part where the core and the sheet meet.


The authors construct a quantitative equilibrium model of the housing sector that accounts for the homeownership rate, the average foreclosure rate, and the distribution of home-equity ratios across homeowners prior to the recent boom and bust in the housing market. They analyze the key mechanisms that account for these facts, including the preferential tax treatment of housing and inflation. The authors then use the model to gain a deeper understanding of the recent housing and mortgage crisis by studying the consequence of an unanticipated increase in the supply of housing (overbuilding shock). They show that the model can account for the observed decline in house prices and much of the increase in the foreclosure rate if two additional forces are taken into account: (i) the lengthening of the time to complete a foreclosure (during which a defaulter can stay rent-free in his house) and (ii) the tightening of credit constraints in the market for new mortgages.


The present study represents a series of surveys concerning the variation in rate and average duration of sickness absence during pregnancy from 1978 to 1997 in two Swedish communities, Linkoping a ...


e mploying different techniques and statistical methodologies to determine the attitude of a speaker or writer with respect to some topic can be very useful for business if applied correctly. By using sentiment analysis, it is possible to evaluate the social media health of a brand, compare it to the business's competitors, and capture trends and sudden positive or negative spikes. Sentiment systems can range from simple social media monitoring to active engagement with influential personalities who are the source of the public spike. reaching out to such users and gaining the understanding of their issues with the product can improve a brand's reputation and help drive further research and strategy. The latter is of vital importance for startups looking to quickly and effectively leverage social media. With automated sentiment analysis a computer can be trained to identify sentiment within content through natural language processing. A good example is the Twitter Sentiment system (see Figure 1). In this tutorial we will focus on identifying opinion polarity using an open source Python natural language Toolkit (nlTK) [1]. prerequisites To successfully run the sample code, Python framework along with nlTK should be downloaded and installed. This process is well documented at http://www.nltk.org/.


In stator core tests, there has been a long-standing expectation that the Quad signal detected by EL CID is correlated to the high flux test, at the rate of 5-10 �C/100mA for faults. Limited experimental and survey work has provided some evidence for this premise, but remained inconclusive. A new opportunity has been take to review 106 reported core fault test results for both turbo and hydro-generators where both tests were conducted on the same fault. A number of normalisation corrections were proposed and applied, which resulted in the population mean trend correlation lying between 8.5-10.7 �C/100mA with a 95% confidence factor. The upper and lower quartiles embrace only a 6-12 �C/100mA range, thus falling close to the expected region. There was some evidence though not conclusive that hydro-generators have a slightly higher 95% confidence correlation than turbo-generators at 9.8-12.9 �C/100mA.


The present invention relates to a coil arrangement, said coil arrangement for a capsule endoscope equipped with a permanent magnet of the non-contact guide, for the diagnosis or treatment of visceral. The coil arrangement comprises a plurality of individual coils arranged in pairs, one can generate a plurality of components of the magnetic field gradient, and a symmetric matrix of burr by the single coil at least four independent gradient field. By the present invention the manner of the single coil arrangement and the control of the power amplifier with the single coil, can generate a desired number of degrees of freedom by means of a magnetic patient examination lesser number of individual coils and a lesser number of power amplifiers .


We develop ascheme forhostidentity delegationSchemessuchasMobileIPv6(MIPv6)(13)andthe basedontheHostIdentity Protocol (HIP). We showhow HostIdentity Protocol(HIP) (16)provide a 'host identity', thisschemecanbe applied toenablethemovementof referred toasaCare-of-Address (CoA)intheformer anda communication sessions between devices e.g. inaPersonal Area Network (PAN), ortosecurely andseamlessly insert anynumber hostidentity tag(HIT)inthelatter, thatisseparate fromits ofservice proxies inbetween session endpoints e.g. toadaptroutable IPorIPv6address. Thisopensupthepossibility to datatosuit different devices inaPAN.Identities aresecurely handle usermobility innewwaysbymovinghostidentities delegated byrelaying HIPsignalling messages tothedevicebetween physical devices. Inthis paperwedescribe ascheme thatownstheprivate key. Thisavoids security issues caused by forthesecure temporary delegation ofhostidentity. Themain dissemination ofprivate keys. Thisalsoensures thatdelegated endpoint identities areinstantly andpermanently revocable by qualitative advantage ofourapproach isthat itallows the theoriginal device whichremains infull control oftheprivate hostidentity ownertoretain full control overtheuseoftheir keyusedtoauthorise useoftheidentity. We showthatthe identity, andasimple mechanism toretract delegated authority delegation process introduces minimal additional signalling, and tousetheir identity. A further advantage oftheimplemented present results ofevaluation ofa prototype whichshowthe prototype detailed inthispaperisthatitisdeployable as schemeresults innodetriment totheperformance ofHIP. a transparent modularextension toexisting software.This provides a foundation fortheintuitive mobility handling I.INTRODUCTION enabled bypersonalised networks, asdescribed above. Personalised networking (PN), inwhichmultiple networked devices aretied toasingle user, hasextended thenotion of Ourproposal enables themovementofcommunication 'mobility' toinclude thecollective movementofgroups of s b sessions between endpoint devices, aswellasthetransparent devices. A PNmaybecomposed ofdevices residing invariousinsertion andremoval ofintermediary routing oradaptation networks suchasPersonal AreaNetworks (PAN), Vehicular services. Suchacapability makespossible, forexample, the AreaNetworks (VAN)andtheInternet. Thegoalofmobility transfer ofcommunication sessions todevices withbetter management insuchanenvironment istoensure that usersmediadisplay capabilities ortheuseofdevices withcheaper ofaPN arepresented withthedatatheyrequest regardless network connectivity asproxies. Otherexample applications ofnotonlytheir ownmovement, butalsomovementof ofno nyhi wnmvmnt uas oemn fmay betoallow adevice topro-actively delegate thedelivery thevarious devices inandoutofthePN.Disregarding the ofadatastream toanother device inanticipation ofleaving obvious butcumbersome solution ofmanually restarting the aPN,andtosecurely insert orremoveintermediary service communication sessions eachtimeamobility eventoccurs,proxies that areabletoadapt theapplication datatosuit the itispossible toaddress PN mobility ina smoother fashionlimitations orimproved capabilities ofanewterminal device. bytaking advantage ofthefact that there maybemorethanLater on we discuss andevaluate theperformance ofour onedevice inaPN that iscapable ofsuccessfully delivering schemebased onseveral ofthese scenarios. Thequantitative application datatotheuser. Onesuchapproach istomove results presented inthispaperalsorepresent a detailed ongoing communication sessions between available devices evaluation oftheperformance ofHIPinlinux. ifthecurrent device becomesunavailable orincapable of receiving orrendering theapplication data. Inorder tomake this possible, intermediary adaptation services maybeneeded Therestofthepaper isstructured asfollows. Section IIpro- toresolve discrepancies between thecapabilities ofthenew videsbackground on theHostIdentity Protocol, inter-device endpoint device andtherequirements oftheongoing commu- mobility, andfurther explains howinsertion ofintermediary nication sessions. Theseareexamples ofuseful functionality service proxies canbeconsidered amobility handling tech- possible inPNthat isnotsupported intoday's systems. nique. InSections IIIandIVwedescribe ourproposal and inSection V weanalyse results obtained fromanalysis ofour


Etoposide (VP‐16) is a topoisomerase II inhibitor that is effective in a broad spectrum of pediatric and adult malignancies. Chronic, low‐dose, oral VP‐16 has also been shown to be active in some recurrent malignancies mostly in adults. The aim of this prospective, single institution study is to assess the efficacy and toxicity of oral VP‐16 in children with progressive or recurrent (P/R) sarcomas.


In this paper investigations are conducted to simplify and refine a vision-model-based video quality metric without compromising its prediction accuracy. Unlike other vision-model-based quality metrics, the proposed metric is parameterized using subjective quality assessment data recently provided by the Video Quality Experts Group. The quality metric is able to generate a perceptual distortion map for each and every video frame. A perceptual blocking distortion metric (PBDM) is introduced which utilizes this simplified quality metric. The PBDM is formulated based on the observation that blocking artifacts are noticeable only in certain regions of a picture. A method to segment blocking dominant regions is devised, and perceptual distortions in these regions are summed up to form an objective measure of blocking artifacts. Subjective and objective tests are conducted and the performance of the PBDM is assessed by a number of measures such as the Spearman rank-order correlation, the Pearson correlation, and the average absolute error The results show a strong correlation between the objective blocking ratings and the mean opinion scores on blocking artifacts.


Vision Transformers are born with the property of data-dependent and long-range dependencies, accomplishing a number of astonishing results against their contemporary competitor CNNs. To alleviate the excessive computational burden, previous methods apply the local operation (e.g., convolution, local attention) in the high-resolution stages. Although these designs are efficient for local relations learning, especially for the high redundancy stages, they inevitably lead to the losses of non-locality and are constrained by the limited receptive field. In this paper, we present an effective hybrid-style vision backbone that is explicitly built with dynamic convolution and self-attention to respectively undertake both local and global interaction, dubbed C2SFormer. We adopt two homogeneous modules whose structure follows the typical Transformers. For local relations learning, we take the parallel multi-scale design and additive aggregation as simple but effective ideas, named MS-SCDC. For the global context modeling, we leverage the efficient factorized self-attention mechanism proposed in CoaT and apply it with the MS-SCDC in a cross-stacking manner over the high-resolution stages. Additionally, we further introduce a general approach for multi-scale learning of transformer-based modules, named MS-MHSA. The experiments conducted on a variety of general-purpose vision tasks demonstrate the superiority of the proposed model.


Data concerning active and passive language skills in using English as a foreign language (EFL) essential for participating successfully in computer-mediated communication were gathered through a survey conducted among university students. Whereas in analyzing active (productive) language skills the emphasis was put on overall verbal skills, as well as the acquisition of speaking and writing skills in particular, in the domain of passive (receptive) language skills the survey focused on listening and reading. First, self-evaluation of foreign language skills acquired through primary and secondary school was conducted. Next, the findings were compared against the ones obtained through self-evaluation of foreign language skills acquired by participating in the English for Information Technology university course. The self-evaluation involved language skills in general English as well as technical English. Both active and passive language skills were again defined as criteria of establishing the level of language skills development through self-evaluation. Finally, findings were analyzed in terms of evaluation of the level of communication apprehension (CA), taking into consideration differences in the social aspect of situations in which direct interaction and computer-mediated communication respectively occur.


BACKGROUND: In minipool nucleic acid test (MP‐NAT) screening protocols, the donations implicated in reactive test pools are released for transfusion when they are nonreactive in a repeat test on the individual samples, but in individual‐donation (ID)‐NAT screening algorithms the release of nonrepeatable reactive (NRR) donations is under discussion.


This diploma work deals with preparation and characterization of binary polymer films based on polylactide/polyethylene glycol developed for immobilization of a bacteriocin nisin with potential applicability in antimicrobial food packaging or medicine. There were prepared polymer films with a polyethylene glycol having molecular weights 4006000 g.mol-1 and the concentration of 0-20 wt. %. The blends were characterized on the structural, mechanical and thermal properties and behavior in an aqueous environment. Antibacterial activity of these films immobilized bacteriocins nisin was evaluated according to ISO 22196 and release kinetics.


Monokaryotic basidiospores derived from five parental Lentinula edodes strains (Q6,Wx-1,K95-41,L205 and L605) were mated according to three pairing groups (Group 1,Q6×L605; Group 2,Wx-1×L205; Group 3,Q6×K95-1) to yield a total of 55 hybrid strains. Only 19 hybrids produced normal fruit bodies,and these were evaluated by grey correlation analysis in terms of eight agronomic traits:cap thickness and diameter,stipe diameter and length,average fruit body weight,number of fruit bodies and yield per growth bag,and the period between substrate inoculation and fruiting. Five hybrids (QK-8,QK-15,W-2,W-13 and Q6-12) derived from the three crossing combinations exhibited superior agronomic characteristics that ranked closest to a projected ideal strain.


Starting with describing his political career, this article discusses Xu xuan's Siliu (四六) and its features. Being able to write most of types of literature into Siliu (四六), Xu's work can be described as delicate while natural. Xu's style follows that of Zhang Yue and Su Ting in Tang Dynasty but shows its own feature, making him an important role in the field of Siliu (四六) of Song Dynasty.


We present a robust depth imaging workflow that incorporates high-resolution Full Waveform Inversion (FWI) and reflection tomography constrained by geological interpretation. This approach has allowed us to both update the long wavelength and the fine details of the velocity model by a simultaneous combination of eight vintage streamer surveys characterized by a wide range of acquisition parameters. We demonstrate the benefits of this integrated scheme by presenting the results from the West of Shetland area, offshore UK.


This issue of the Journal publishes two seminal articles on the evolution and fundamental role of the main tools used by clinical laboratories to evaluate, monitor and improve analytical results: internal quality control (IQC) and external quality assurance (EQA) [1, 2]. These papers should be welcome not only by the readership of the Journal but by the whole community of laboratory professionals as it is time to update our knowledge on IQC and EQA, and even more interesting, to better understand if they are still adopted "by tradition" rather than as effective tools for improving analytical quality and reliability of laboratory results. The authors correctly defined the aim of the IQC as "to monitor the examination process in order to avoid producing erroneous information concerning patient health status" [1], and summarized the roots of the IQC with the following sentence: "the oldest model, developed in the 50s was based on a statistical criterion, from calculating the mean of a number of results from a single measurand in the same control sample. It was supported by the use of a control chart that showed the results of control samples plotted in the X-axis vs. time or day on the x-axis". Thereafter, they moved to describe the significant improvement thanks to the proposal by James Westgard and Coll. of the multi-role algorithm which was implemented in many automatic analyzers [3]. All applications of the IQC, at that time, have been properly defined as statistical process control (SPC), while no consideration was assured to the intended medical use of test results in the design or planning of SPC applications. The development of the concept of "analytical allowable Total Error" and the search for quality requirements which should provide an objective guide tomethod evaluation and utilization in quality control paved the way to a more "clinical-oriented" vision of the IQC. Finally, the proposals from the 1999 Stockholm Consensus Conference [4], and thereafter from theMilan 1st Strategic Conference of the European Federation of Laboratory Medicine (EFLM) [5] established a well-defined hierarchy of models to set analytical performance specifications (APS) to be used not only to control random errors, but to allow clinical laboratories to check the system alignment to higher-order references [6, 7]. The article recognizes the impressive efforts assured by some eminent scientists of laboratory medicine, but also the role of Scientific Societies and Federations, including the Spanish Society of Laboratory Medicine (SEQC), which was strongly involved in international initiatives to improve IQC and EQA. In addition, other important advancements have been achieved regarding the "nature" of control materials, namely their "third-party" source and, even more important, their commutability to assure comparability with results obtained in patient sera. However, the scenario is still under evolution as demonstrated by two surveys concerning IQC protocols conducted in 2017 and 2021, respectively and cited in the article. Unfortunately, the results of the two surveys demonstrate a poor awareness by many clinical laboratories of currently recognized requirements of IQC, including the third-party nature of control materials, the use of obsolete operative control rules and the poor appreciation of the importance of the system alignment to higher-order references according to the metrological traceability criteria. Furthermore, a recently published Editorial in Clin Chem Lab Med [8] commenting two articles from James Westgard [9] and Mauro Panteghini [10] highlights the need for further efforts to allow laboratory professionals to adoptupdatedandmore accurate IQC programs. In addition, the paper by Carmen Ricòs and colleagues correctly emphasizes the current debate on the moving average quality control and, even more interesting, on the patient-based quality controlwhich should complement and integrate traditional IQC programs *Corresponding author: Mario Plebani, Honorary Professor of Clinical Biochemistry and Clinical Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, University of Padova, Padova, Italy, E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0270-1711 Adv Lab Med 2022; 3(3): 215–217


As researchers in mental health and funders of mental health research through the Royal-Mach-Gaensslen Prize, we believe that support for mental health research is crucial in Canada today and needs to be increased. There is much public discussion about the substantial burden that mental illness represents for society and the economy, but support for research that will lead to novel ways to prevent, diagnose and treat mental illness remains inadequate.


Sugar beet is a strategic crop and appropriate for cultivation in new lands because it consumes little quantities of water for irrigation. Recently, the sugar gap increases by about 0.74 million tons in 2018, that led to Egypt became a sugar importer. So, this research aims to identify the most important variables that affect cultivated areas of sugar beet crop in new lands in longrun during (2004/2005-2018/2019) using Autoregressive Distributed Lag model. Results found that cultivated areas and production of sugar beet crop increased in new lands by about 25.3% and 27%, respectively during the study period. So, new lands are suitable for sugar beet crop cultivation in new lands under limited resources. However, the yield was unstable during the study period. By using Autoregressive Distributed Lag, there will be a relationship between cultivated areas of sugar beet crop and production, previous farm price and cost in long-run. Hence, productive decision makers should focus on these variables to contribute in increasing cultivated areas to achieve food security of sugar in Egypt.


[Purpose]The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a 10-week aerobic exercise training on cardiovascular function, atherosclerosis, and vascular endothelial function in elderly women. [Methods] Twenty impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and normoglycemic elderly women volunteered to participate in the study. The participants in aerobic exercise training group (TR: n=9) completed 20-40 minutes of aerobic exercise program at 30-50% HRR for 3 times per week during 10 weeks. The participants in control group (CON: n=11) were asked to maintain their normal life pattern during the same intervention period. [Results] Main results of the study were as follows: 1) There were no significant main effect or interaction in body weight, fat-free mass, fat mass, percent body fat, and body mass index. 2) There were no significant main effect or interaction in heart rate, stroke volume, cardiac output, total peripheral resistance (TPR), systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial blood pressure, pulse pressure, and rate pressure product. However, interaction between group and test in TPR was close to statistically significant level (P =.054), and it tended to be decreased in TR group. 3) There was a significant main effect of test in high sensitivity C-reactive protein(hs-CRP), it tended to be decreased in TR group. There were no significant changes in total cholesterol(TC)/high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio, triglyceride/HDL-C ratio, and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol/HDL-C ratio. 4) There were significant main effect of group, main effect of test, as well as interaction between group and test in % flow mediated dilation(FMD), and it increased significantly (P<.01) in TR group. Nitric oxide tended to be increased in TR group, even though it did not change significantly in both groups. [Conclusions] It was concluded that the 10-week aerobic exercise training would be beneficial for improvement of vascular endothelial function, resulting from the decrement of total peripheral resistance.


Magnetic field results from motion of electric charges,and magnetic force refers to the applied force that motion charges get.However,the definition of magnetic induction strength in traditional magnetism theory may not completely demonstrates micro nature of the origin of magnetic property.This paper is trying to find a new definition,which can not only show the micro nature but also help derivate theoretically all the experiment laws on magnetic field and Coulumb's law of static electricity.


Technical communication textbooks tend to address visual rhetoric as two separate units, usually a chapter on document design and then a chapter on graphics. We advocate teaching a unified system of visual rhetoric that encompasses both text and graphics within a common visual-language system. Using C. S. Peirce's three-part theory of rhetoric and his ten categories of sign, we offer an integrated semiotic system, interpreting in one model the effectiveness of graphics, document design, and formatting, all considered as subtypes in this proposed visual rhetoric, organized around three primary communication goals: to decorate, to indicate, and to inform. Thus, any evaluation of visuals, either textual or graphic, must be made with reference to rhetorical contexts in which audience needs and graphic/textual media choices should align with authorial goals


In this work some of the electromagnetic interactions of even-even Haf nium isotopes in the 150<k:;l90 defoiination region were studied in a detailed manner. l n this region� us ing the experimental 8(E2/lv11) inultipole inixing ratios the deformation parameters �o and the quadrupole moments q0 and q'2 were calculated. The obtained results are in a good agreement ·with the ge neral systematic of the defoiination region under consideration.


Over the last 15 years, the number of graduate students in Taiwan has increased almost five-fold from 45,000 to nearly 220,000 (Ministry of Education, 2014). Forty-six percent of these graduate students study in the fields of science and engineering (Ministry of Education, 2014). A similar trend of an increasing number of graduate students exists worldwide. Wang (2008) has highlighted this significant development in higher education, including the increasing number of graduate students in the USA and the UK. The graduate student numbers in Korea have increased from 97,000 in 1992 to 260,000 in 2002; the number of graduate students in Japan has grown from about 179,000 in 1998 to 250,000 in 2010 (Wang, 2008). In China, the number of graduate students has grown from 30,000 in 1985 to 1,000,000 in 2005 (Wang, 2008). This rapid growth in graduate student numbers offers the potential threat of a shortage of advisors for academic instruction worldwide. Due to this rapid growth, thesis advisors must often mentor more than one or two graduate students. This often increases their advising workload significantly, diminishing the time they can devote to each student. According to the criteria set by the Ministry of Education n Taiwan, a student-teacher ratio among graduate schools should not be higher than 15. In fact, quite a certain amount of graduate schools in Taiwan cannot provide enough faculty to provide instructions to graduate students. Some professors have utilized peer-mentoring as a solution to alleviate their workload and stress from instructing graduate students in the laboratory/team directly. Given most science and engineering students work closely with their laboratory colleagues, some advisors have turned to their doctoral (or post-doctoral) advisees to provide support to their master's students. It is hoped master's students will follow their peer-mentors' advice, fostering their academic development. While peer-mentoring is not a new concept, studies on peer-mentoring in Taiwan have been in paucity. Existing research in Taiwan has mainly focused on traditional mentoring relationships between professors/advisors and students/advisees in graduate institutions (e.g., Tsai & Chen, 2012; Wu, 2007). The dearth of research on peer-mentorship in graduate schools of Taiwan poses two important questions: (1) how well the needs of graduate students, especially master's students, in peer-mentoring relationships are met; and (2) whether the graduate students, particularly in research-oriented universities, are able to cope with tremendous pressure to reach the high academic standards. Therefore, this study intends to make some "headway" in exploring the peer-mentoring experiences of Taiwanese science and engineering master's students, particularly from the mentees' perspective. It is hoped that the findings of this study may serve as the impetus for further inquiry, and provide a foundation for reviewing the current practices in peer-mentoring. Peer-mentoring Peer-mentoring involves an intentional one-on-one relationship at an institution between two members of the same level or similar levels where the more experienced member provides support and teaches new knowledge and skills to the less experienced member (Ensher,. Thomas, & Murphy, 2001). The dyad is typically close in age and hierarchical levels, have a commonality of experience, and have relationships of longer duration (Kram & Isabella, 1985). Peer-mentors can perform some of the same functions as traditional mentors, such as information sharing, job-related feedback, confirmation, emotional support, personal feedback, and friendship (Kram & Isabella, 1985), as well as psychosocial support and career- or job-related support (Young & Perrewe, 2004). The primary difference between peer-mentoring and traditional mentoring is the level of experience and power the mentors exercise (Bryant & Terborg, 2008). …


Background and purpose: Phenol whose carcinogenic property has been evidenced is one the organic compounds found in industrial wastewater. Therefore, this effluent must be treated before it is discharged to the environment. The aim of this study was to investigate whether dried azolla can absorb phenol from aqueous solution. Materials and methods: First, the collected azolla was washed by distilled water 3 times and then it was dried in the oven at 105 ° C for 24 h and finally, it was sieved in 18 to 30 mesh. The pH variation, dose of absorbent, contact time, and phenol concentration were investigated and the residual concentration of phenol was determined by spectrophotometer in wavelength of 500nm. Then, the absorption data were described by absorption isotherms Freundlich and Langmuier. Findings:The results indicated that increasing the contact time and dose of absorbent can increase the absorption rate, though it remains constant after 150 min and 1gr of absorbent. Increasing pH and initial concentration of phenol can reduce the absorption rate and the optimum ph for phenol absorption is 3. The Freundlich isotherm is best fitted (R2= 0.997) in comparison with Langmuir and Temkin isotherms. Conclusion: Overall, the studied absorbent can be used as an effective absorbent to treat the industrial wastes and aqueous solution.


This paper proposes an automated analysis system for Tatami embroidery fabric images that automates color analysis, pattern shape analysis and texture analysis. Firstly, the RGB (red, green and blue) image of embroidery fabric is obtained by a color scanner. In color analysis, the wavelet transforms and median filter are used for RGB image preprocessing, and then the Fuzzy C-Means (FCM) clustering method is used for the binary region splitting method, the color features of statistical values of colors and number of colors can be obtained. In the pattern shape analysis, the individual pattern components are segmented by the separated colors, and the shape features of pattern components are obtained by moment invariants. Finally, in the texture analysis of Tatami embroidery fabrics, the gray image of the weave block is segmented from the pattern component region, after the entropy filter, the parallel division lines are segmented by a threshold value, and then the angle and spacing between Tatami embroidery parallel division lines are obtained by Hough transform to represent texture features. The experimental results show that this method can implement Tatami embroidery fabric color, shape and texture analyses automatically.


Wireless sensor network has emerged as a key technology for monitoring space-time dynamics of complex systems, e.g., environmental sensor network, battlefield surveillance network, and body area sensor network. As a result, distributed sensing gives rise to spatially-temporally big data. Realizing the full potentials of distributed sensing calls upon the development of space-time modeling of measured signals in the dynamically-evolving physical environment. However, space-time interactions bring substantial complexity in the scope of the modeling, due to the need to investigate spatial correlation, temporal correlation, as well as how space and time interact. Most of previous research considers either spatially-varying time series model or temporally-varying spatial model. This paper presents a new approach of sparse particle filtering to model spatiotemporal dynamics of big data in distributed sensor network. Notably, we developed a compact kernel-weighted regression model of spatial patterns. Further, the parameters of spatial model are transformed into a reduced-dimension space, and thereby sequentially updated with the recursive Bayesian estimation when new sensor observations are available. As such, spatial and temporal processes closely interact with each other. Experimental results on real-world data from wearable ECG sensor network showed that the proposed methodology outperforms traditional methods and effectively models space-time dynamics in distributed sensor networks.


Some forty UNISSA lecturers from Department of Arabic language, Syariah and Usuluddin, took part in the workshop, in which they were educated on various topics of teaching methods. Problems and obstacles on the part of the participants: i. Lecturers do not master the terminology and computer instructions in English, ii. Less practical use of computers in teaching and learning, iii. Easy to be theoretical but practical training even more important and requires time distribution.


A low cost and high performance 4-(lambda) WDM DFB laser array employing a new strong gain-coupling laser design and a novel compact package approach is developed for optical network application. The WDM4 laser array is capable of simultaneous operation with 2.5 Gb/s 100 km NDS fiber transmission.


Image quality presents an important aspect of several applications such as biometrics, tracking, object detection and so on. To estimate automatically the quality, several measures have been proposed in the literature. These measures aim to predict the subjective judgment of a given image according to different characteristics. The overarching of this paper is to present a framework for blind stereoscopic image quality metric based on Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Support Vector Regression (SVR). The proposed CNN model is composed of 3 convolutional layers and two Fully Connected (FC) layers and, aims to identify the degradation type in the image. The quality is then estimated using an SVR model whose inputs are some computed features, selected according to the identified degradation type. The obtained results through two common datasets show the relevance of the proposed approach.


This article applies Bourdieu's notion of 'cultural capital' to historical, documentary research which investigates the construction of a scholastic canon within England's A-level music examinations. A digest of the ways in which this canon evolved between 1951 and 1986 is presented in support of the idea that examiners' responses to emerging trends in historical musicology were characterised by a high level of caution. An analysis of the examiners' unreceptive approaches to avant-garde works and to music written by women is employed not only to suggest an underlying conservatism within examiners' practice, but also to contend that this scholastic canon is part of a cycle of reproduction which serves to exclude certain groups of students from higher education. Effects of this cycle on social mobility are discussed both in relation to the historical period under investigation and in light of contemporary debates about the prescription of canonic works within secondary school curricula. The article's conclusions challenge the 'disinterestedness' of prescription within the curriculum and identify important factors which should be among the foremost considerations of those planning national programmes of study, both in music and beyond.


Objective To observe the efficacy of full thick-ness skin graft in the granulation wounds of the face and functional position. Methods The granulation wounds of face and functional position were cleaned up utterly,then transplanted the full thickness skin graft of the belly on the granulation wounds,after 10~12days removed the suturt,and visited after 6~12 months. Results 1 case occurred blood supply compromise of the full thickness skin graft edge near the mouth, others were fine,and the appearance and function were fine with 6~12 months follow-up. Conclusion The full thickness skin graft in the granulation wounds were simple,safe.


The frequency of dust explosions has been rising with the development of modern industry,so it is very important to measure and calculate the ignition sensitivity of dust clouds.Minimum ignition energy(MIE) of dust cloud is an important characteristic parameters of dust explosion,which is the basis of dust explosion protection.MIE is affected by a number of sensitive conditions during the measurement process,and turbulence is one of the most complex factors.The turbulence of dust cloud during experimental process is defined and the underlying reasons for turbulence effect on MIE of dust cloud is analyzed.A mathematical model for turbulence calculation in the numerical simulation of the dust cloud ignition processes is put forward.Comprehensive description of turbulence is gave based on experiment and mathematical model.The results from the analysis of turbulence effect on spark ignition process of dust cloud can effectively guide experiments.


This essay discusses the construction of a post-traumatic subjectivity in Tornatore's La sconosciuta. Following a sex-trafficking survivor's struggle against ghosts of the past as well as present forms of offences and vulnerabilities, the narrative unfolds through flashbacks and dramatizations of the victim's precariousness as an Eastern European, irregular, immigrant woman. The nexus that emerges between traumatization and stigmatization circles around the woman's body and the contrast it personifies between her perceived cultural inferiority and physical desirability. Just as this character exposes the prejudice and discriminatory behaviour that perpetuate exclusion of ethnic minorities as well as systems and structures of injustice and exploitation, the ambivalences she embodies as a diligent and caring but also deceptive and violent nanny questions the victim/criminal paradigm typically present in public discourses concerning irregular immigrants and trafficking victims, especially. The critique of essentialist perceptions and practices merges with a focus on retraumatizing re-experiences that are triggered by sensory impressions and distressful interactions. Critical perspectives on complex trauma will illuminate possible correlations between the acute and protracted abuse represented and the susceptibility the character shows toward revictimization as well as the self-destructive and partly violent tendencies she exhibits. When she eventually starts to articulate past events and acquires a gradual control over her memories, it is largely for the presence of listeners who communicate empathy and detachment. Finally, it is this critical attitude that spectators are encouraged to assume to consider interconnections between essentialist exclusion, acute and protracted exploitation, and structures and systems of global injustice.


Four kinds of RF and PRF wood adhesives were prepared and their curing behavior at ambient temperature was evaluated using the TBA method. The TBA curves obtained under isothermal and non-isothermal conditions revealed the difference in curing behaviour among the resins. It was found that curing measurements conducted at a constant heating rate were convinient for the comparison of the curing rate of the resins differing in resorcinol content. On the other hand, measurements carried out at a constant temperature were suitable for the determination of curing characteristics of the resins. It was observed that CH2O was readily evolved during TBA measurements which affected the curing properties of the resins. Therefore, viscoelastic measurements were carried out for the resin impregnated in glass braid, sealed and cured. The results show clearly that this method is useful for the evaluation of ambient temperature setting properties of the PRF adhesives.


This is an exploratory study examining consumer attitudes toward product expiration dates in three different countries, the United States, Canada, and Turkey. In addition, the study investigates the differences in the importance of product expiration dates for three products, yogurt, over-the-counter medicine, and camera film, in the three cultures. A total of 687 surveys were gathered in the three countries. The results show that there are, indeed, differences among the consumers in three countries. American and Canadian consumers check product expiration dates before purchasing and before using products more often than Turkish consumers. Although most of the differences observed are between the respondents in Turkey versus the respondents in the United States and Canada, some differences between the U.S. and Canadian respondents are also found, indicating that culture plays an important role in consumer uncertainty avoidance. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


In this paper, the authors point out the unreasoable points of the metheds used before for determining the weights and expressing of the evaluation results in water quality fuzzy comrehensive evaluation, and put forward new metheds for determining the weights and expressing the evaluation results to sove these probletns, so as to rnake the fuzzy comrehensive evaluation moe reasoable and practical. Moreovr, the authors test and verify these methods by examples.


Optimization of bound volatile aroma compounds hydrolyzed byβ-D-glucosidase in Glorious Oranges juice of Orange was studied.The bound volatile aroma compounds were absorbed and separated by AmberiiteXAD-2 from Glorious Oranges,and optimum of hydrolysis of bound volatile aroma compounds byβ-D-glucosidase was studied by orthogonal test. The volatile aroma compounds were analyzed by GC and GC-MS.The result shows that optimum conditions are:enzymatic hydrolysis temperature 40℃,the enzymatic hydrolysis time 24h and the enzymatic quantity 200U.


In this study was analyzed zones affected by drought using Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), that is based on Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). This fact, drought, is one of the most wide -spread and least understood natural phenomena. In this paper was used remote sensing (RS) data, kindly provided by The European Space Agency (ESA), namely Sentinel-2 (S-2) Multispectral Instrument (MSI) and wellkonwn images Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI). The RS images was processed in SNAP and ArcMap. Study Area, was considered the eastern of Iasi county. The main purpose of paper was to investigating if Sentinel images can be used for VCI analysis.


The evolution of the global order is based on the traditional system and abide by the new things and new phenomena,the continuous emergence of new forces such continuous development of the two tracks.American scholar Lynn.Miller's book The Global Order: the Value of International Politics and Power was written in the international situation changed dramatically in the beginning of the 1990s,it is one good works to sum up the traditional international relations,international order and the impact on the future international some of the important political factors in the forecast.In this article,I will introduce some points which contain the view of nuclear weapons,for a multi-polar or unipolar world of rational judgment and the "human rights diplomacy" and "environmental diplomacy",and other trends,such as the judgment.


Significance: Although a number of classical methods, such as the Paal–Knorr condensation, are available for the synthesis of pyrroles, regiocontrolled synthesis of polysubstituted pyrroles still represents a challenging task. Tonks and coworkers have previously reported the synthesis of pentasubstituted pyrroles through the titaniumcatalyzed homocoupling of an alkyne with an azobenzene in a [2+2+1] fashion, but poor regioselectivities were obtained with unsymmetrical alkynes (Nat. Chem. 2016, 8, 63). The current report extends this work and exploits the use of TMS-protected alkynes as highly effective partners in selective heterocoupling reactions. Comment: Reaction of trimethyl(phenylethynyl)silane (2.2 equiv to minimize homocoupled and crossover products) with azobenzene and [py2Cl2TiNPh]2 (5 mol%) gave the corresponding pentasubstituted pyrrole in 73% yield. The electronics of the substrate had no effect on the yield or selectivity, although sterically encumbered substrates led to a greater degree of homocoupling. Functional-group tolerance was moderate. The origins of both the regioand chemoselectivity of the reaction were investigated; electronic factors play a key role in the initial alkyne insertion (the methyl group is better able to stabilize the δ+ in TS1), whereas the α-silyl effect (the ability of the α-TMS to stabilize δ– build-up during insertion in TS2) favors insertion of the TMS-substituted alkyne to give the intermediate metallacycle, which places the TMS group on the α-C. Functionalization through manipulation of the TMS-substituent presents an advantage of this methodology, and is demonstrated in a formal synthesis of lamellarin R. The apparently required use of azobenzene limits this approach to the synthesis of N-arylpyrroles. PhN NPh PhN NPh 0.5


Certain observations in recent years on the dynamics of population changes in cultures of brucellae have suggested the timeliness of an examination of the influence of inorganic ions upon the growth of these organisms and on the quality of their pathogenicity. For example, the addition of pyrophosphate ion or of certain blood protein fractions, such as II, III-0, III-1, and III-2 (nomenclature of Cohn et al., 1946), to broth media suppressed the normally occurring establishment of colonial and antigenic nonsmooth variants in the culture, an effect which, in the case of the pyrophosphate ion, could be reversed by the addition of Mg++ or Mn++ (Braun, 1946; Braun and Mead, 1949; Cole and Braun, 1950). With the observation that D(-)alanine exerted a directing effect towards establishment of nonsmooth populations and that this amino acid accumulated in older cultures undergoing such dissociation (Goodlow et al., 1950), it appeared of further interest to study the effect of inorganic ions upon certain enzymatic systems most likely involved in alanine synthesis and accumulation. The results of these studies will be described in a subsequent report. Although the studies of Cole and Braun (1950) and Cole (1952) dealt with apparent Mg++ and Mn++ effects, it seemed to the writers that the effects so described were more probably indirectly due to alterations in the iron content of the media, and accordingly in the work herein described emphasis has been upon this element although parallel studies on Mg++ and \In++ are in progress.


[Objective] To establish the method for determination of the polymers in Cefodizime Sodium in crude Drugs.[Methods] The polymers analyzer was used with Sephadex G-10 column.The self control external standard method was used for quantitative analysis.[Results] The linear ranges of the associations in Cefodizime and the polymers in Cefodizime were 17.83~178.26 g/L and 5.237~50.041 g/L.[Conclusion] The method is simple,accurate and sensitive.


A methodology has been developed to explore the prospects of intense spatial combination of port infrastructure systemically and completely. The first part involves capturing expert knowledge from academics and practitioners, who must inventory all distinct infrastructure types – some 45 in Rotterdam – and score each infrastructure's safety, regulatory and spatial characteristics. The resulting set of indicators for infrastructure spatial compatibility is then used to compute and visualize a 'compatibility index' for each of 2025 infrastructure combinations in a ''fitness'' map. The second part is a typology for spatial configuration of infrastructure combinations that spans infrastructure bundling, convergence, stapling and network extension. The fitness map and the underlying compatibility index allow port infrastructure developers to systemically scan and evaluate all possible infrastructure combinations with respect to safety, regulatory issues and the spatial quality. Te infrastructure configuration typology enables design teams to systematically and completely explore the combination of infrastructure design space. Based on the compatibility indices computed, not a single infrastructure combination has to be excluded from consideration in the early stages of the infrastructure planning process. It is recommended the methodology is formally incorporated in the early stages of the port planning and infrastructure development process.


FALL 2013 87 This article tells a cautionary tale, from two founding faculty members' perspectives, of the first two years of NCC and how its innovative educational design was undermined by CUNY's organizational imperatives. In practice, the absence of shared governance and the hiring of an entirely untenured founding faculty compromised the educational mission of the college and established harmful precedents for faculty and students at the largest urban public university in this country. The NCC instantiates a false dichotomy between desperately needed educational innovation and protection for faculty rights. Our purpose here is to deconstruct this damaging dualism and advise readers to be wary of institutions On a prime site in Manhattan, a block from the lions guarding the New York Public Library, the City University of New York (CUNY) opened its newest community college in the fall of 2012. Designed to achieve greater student success, as measured through increased graduation rates, the New Community College at CUNY (NCC) is seen as a beacon of hope in the otherwise daunting picture of community-college education nationally. Funded by deep-pocketed "reformers" such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Lumina Foundation, and most recently the Stella and Charles Guttman Foundation, and lauded in the New York Times for its work with disadvantaged students, NCC serves as an example of the national movement towards restructuring public higher education. The New Community College at CUNY and the Common Good


This article discusses technology being used to help mitigate hazards connected with distracted driving. Highlighted is California Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)'s effort to enhance grade crossing visibility on the Metro Orange Line Extension in the the San Fernando Valley. MTA designers have incorporated red in-roadway warning light stop bars into the extension to target the tunnel vision of distracted drivers.


Let us dive into history momentarily and be reminded of a simple truth: Persian, Arab, and Hebrew civilizations have reached great heights. They have excelled in mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, and literature. They are host to some of the most impressive architectural monuments of all times. Their lands have provided inspiration for countless men and women who write about the mythical Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the grandeur of Petra, the ancient city of Umm el-Marra, and the holy city of Jerusalem. Today, anyone visiting the region is witness to its grandeur and long history — a history that transcends today's geographical boundaries. Most importantly, a history that unites all ancient peoples in some way. Indeed, Arab men of letters were agents of the dissemination of Greek logic and philosophy, via Spain, into Western Europe. That was then, however. Today, the Middle East is suffering from a series of vicious wars and a forever stumbling peace. It bears broken promises and lost lives, unspeakable tragedy, untold destruction, and unimaginable pain. It is high time that this suffering ends. The peoples of the Middle East have the right to live in peace. They have the right to live in security and stability. Most people in the region have not felt secure in a very long time; others have never felt the feeling of security. We need to work toward reawakening hope, toward fostering a vision of cohabitation, peace, and development for those


M and enhancing "competitiveness" is a policy objective of most if not all governments, whether state or national, with respect to their higher education systems. It is also of concern to institutions themselves. Doubtless, competitiveness means different things in different parts of the world; in some places it will assume mainly local and regional dimensions, for others the competitive arena is clearly global. However, the issue of competitiveness is rising on the political agenda as the impact of globalization is felt more keenly. For higher education there are two key dimensions of competitiveness: the positioning of institutions and higher education systems in an international higher education arena and institutions' contributions (through research, teaching, and engagement with society) to the economic and social positioning of their countries and regions in a global context. Both of these dimensions are the focus of higher education reforms in different parts of the world. The United Kingdom has embarked on a series of reviews of its higher education system over the last six years in order to achieve reforms that some see as necessary and others as contested. The most recent government report was published in February 2003. The competitiveness of the higher education sector and the institutions within it are a major theme within this latest strategy document. The issue of competitiveness is addressed, as one would expect, in chapters on research, teaching, knowledge transfer, access, and participation. However, what is of particular interest for this article is the proposal to establish a "Leadership Foundation for Higher Education" with a specific role to enhance the competitiveness, efficiency, and effectiveness of U.K. higher education. An important task of the foundation, in serving senior institutional leaders, managers, and governors, would be to reach out internationally and across sectors so that individuals, institutions, and professional networks can collaborate, learn, and exchange good practice. Encouraging such permeability across the boundaries of the academy acknowledges the changes that are emerging in an increasingly "borderless world." Some countries have long traditions of training and development for the academic leaders and professional administrators and managers who govern their higher education institutions, whether at departmental or institutional levels. The United States probably leads the way in the quantity and variety of programs on offer with some (such as the Fellows Program of the American Council on Education) having a track record that extends over 30 or more years. In other countries, too, particular institutions have carved a niche in higher education management research and development; and interuniversity bodies (such as the Australian and South African Vice-Chancellors' Committees or the European Association of Universities) have designed and mounted programs to meet management training and development needs. However, the concept and shape of the United Kingdom's Leadership Foundation appears to be somewhat different from the leadership and management development approaches in other parts of the world, so its features may be of interest beyond the United Kingdom. The Leadership Foundation is conceived primarily as an "intelligent commissioner and broker" of developmental opportunities for senior staff, accessing and collaborating with the leading thinkers and practitioners from across the world. The outline plan suggests that this foundation should have four core areas of activity: individual development; institutional capacity building; a "futures lab"; and acting as champion and coordinator for leadership, governance, and management development in the higher education sector. These four core areas are in effect overarching themes, each of which has a number of more focused strands of work.


The third-order dielectric susceptibility χ 3 of a ferroelectric is described within classic Ginzburg-Landau-Devonshire theory. It turns out that a correction term proportional to the square of the polarization, P 2 , becomes relevant in relaxor ferroelectrics close to, but above the Curie temperature. It is due to the quasi-static polarization of polar nanoregions (PNRs), which are stabilized by fluctuations of quenched random electric fields. In contrast to normal ferroelectrics with continuous phase transitions, where χ 3 is negative at T > Tc, the contribution due to PNRs drives χ 3 positive in relaxors like strontium barium niobate (SBN). It becomes negative at enhanced driving field amplitudes when activating the flipping dynamics of the polar nanoregions.


Review of the volume "Gender: between Humanities, Social Sciences, and Legal Studies", edited by Desislav Georgiev and Denitsa Nencheva. The topic is presented through the figure of the in-between, which allows for a dialogue: authors from different research fields and paradigms present their readings of a variety of issues related to the sometimes considered untranslatable gender.


This article investigates how citizens form their opinions on political-finance issues. Two distinct mechanisms are elaborated. First, citizens may be 'faithful followers', adopting positions that reflect their partisan loyalties. Second, citizens may be 'sceptical' and lean against cues from their party leaders. Drawing on a survey of Australian attitudes to political finance, I assess the extent to which predictions from these theories are observed in reality. The evidence suggests that Australians interpret political finance as 'sceptical partisans', broadly sceptical of political elites, while retaining partisan loyalties that are triggered when two conditions are satisfied: the issue has obvious partisan implications, but encouragement of partisan impulses does not threaten the competitiveness of elections. 本文探讨了公民如何形成对政治献金的态度。学者们提供了两个不同的机制。首先,公民可以是"忠实的追随者",选择反映其党派忠诚性的立场。其次,公民可以凭着其党派领导人的暗示,持怀疑的态度。笔者将澳大利亚人对政治献金的态度同以上理论假设做了比对。有证据表明,澳大利亚人视政治献金为"拉帮结伙",大体上对政治精英心存怀疑,不过又保持其党派忠诚。只要满足两个条件,忠诚就会出现:话题有着明显的党派含义,但党派冲动并不威胁选举的竞争性。


In this paper, we developed a neural network model, which is capable of recognizing a limited number of words in Mongolian language. We have chosen four words in Mongolian language. These words were chosen for further designing and creating a special device with an audio interface. In this experiment, we used audio recordings recorded in a computer using a microphone in a normal audience with minimal background noise. The database of audio recordings used to train the neural network consists of speeches of 11 people (7 men and 4 women). One of them is around 20–30 years old, three people are 60–70 and the rest are 30–40. The work uses a regular personal computer with an Intel Core i5 processor - the 3rd generation and with 8GB DDR IV RAM.


trials of these drugs should be controlled. Such trials that have been controlled have demonstrated that long-acting nitrates are of no more value than a placebo. As none of the long-acting preparations can be recommended for the treatment of coronary artery disease, practitioners would do well to devote their therapeutic energy to more rewarding methods of treatment, such as inducing their patients to lose weight, avoid heavy meals, and stop smoking. Propranolol, the beta adrenergic antagonist, is the only drug that has been demonstrated to have a long-term beneficial effect in some patients with angina, and this drug should be given a trial in patients with refractory coronary artery disease.


© 2023 Bonnet. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Initiation of antidepressants in patients infected with SARS-COV-2: Don't forget Caution for "Paradoxical" Anxiety/Jitteriness syndrome—Commentary: Prescription of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in COVID-19 infection needs caution


We show that the existence of stable, ordered 3d-5d intermetallics CuAu and NiPt, as opposed to the unstable 3d-4d isovalent analogs CuAg and NiPd, results from relativity. First, in shrinking the equilibrium volume of the 5d element, relativity reduces the atomic size mismatch with respect to the 3d element, thus lowering the elastic packing strain. Second, in lowering the energy of the bonding 6s,p bands and raising the energy of the 5d band, relativity enhances (diminishes) the occupation of the bonding (antibonding) bands. The raising of the energy of the 5d band also brings it closer to the energy of the 3d hand, improving the 3d-5d bonding.


Near-infrared (IR) photometry for 20 radio-loud z > 3 quasars, 16 of which are radio-selected, are presented. These data sample the rest-frame optical/ultraviolet (UV) continuum, which is commonly interpreted as emission from an accretion disc. In a previous study, we compared the rest-frame optical/UV continuum shapes of 15 optically bright (V 3 quasars with those of 27 low-redshift (z ∼ 0.1) quasars that were matched to the high-redshift sample in evolved luminosity (i.e. having luminosities ranging from 1 to 7 times the characteristic luminosity, L ∗ , where L ∗ ∼ (1 + z) ∼3 ) to look for signs of evolution in the central engines. We found the continuum shapes at z ∼ 0.1 and z > 3 similar, consistent with no significant change in the ratio ˙ m/M, where ˙ m is the accretion rate with respect to the Eddington rate and M is the black-hole mass. This study expands our earlier high-redshift sample to lower luminosity, away from extreme objects and towards a luminosity overlap with lower-redshift samples. The distribution of rest-frame optical/UV continuum shapes for this fainter sample is broader, extending further to the red than that of the brighter z > 3 sample. Three quasars from this fainter sample, two radio-selected and one optically selected, have optical continuum slopes α< − 1( Fν ∼ ν α ). The optically selected one, LBQS 0056+0125, appears to be reddened by dust along the line of sight or in the host galaxy, whereas the radio-selected ones, PKS 2215+02 and TXS 2358+189, could derive their red continua from the contribution of a relatively strong synchrotron component to the rest-frame optical. These objects may represent a bridge to a population of very red high-redshift quasars to which ongoing or future near-IR, optical and deep X-ray surveys will be sensitive.


Student attitudes concerning their science teachers at third, seventh, and eleventh grade are compared. Samples of students were drawn from those enrolled in NSTA's exemplary programs and other students drawn from classrooms of a random selection of teachers who are also NSTA members. Some of the affective items from the Third Assessment of Science, National Assessment of Educational Progress, were used for the study. Results indicate significantly more positive attitudes of students from the exemplary programs in the following ways:

(1)
pleasure with student questions;

(2)
desire for students to explore their own ideas;

(3)
"liking" of science (at the elementary school level);

(4)
ability and "knowledge" of it to make science study exciting.


Presented in this paper are systematic studies of photoinduced exciton bleaching dynamics in the polymers with nondegenerate ground state, such as polydiacetylene, polythiophene and polyaniline. From a three-level model, the photoexcitation and relaxation of the exciton bleaching in the polymers are simulated. The results show that the exciton bleaching decay is composed of two components, the fast component and the slow component. For the fast component, the speed of exciton bleaching decay depends on the way in which the excitons relax. When the relaxation of the exciton to the ground state is dominant, the polymers exhibit an ultrafast initial bleaching relaxation; when the relaxation of the exciton to the self-trapped exciton state is dominant, the polymers exhibit a slower initial bleaching relaxation than that in the former case. For the slow component, the exciton bleaching decay is due to the relaxation of the self-trapped excitons to the ground state. Using femtosecond time-resolved pump-probe technology, we measured the relaxation dynamics of the photoinduced exciton bleaching in the emeraldine base form of polyaniline. Fitting the experimental data to the theoretical model indicates that the fast component arises from the relaxation of excitons to the ground state (similar 100 fs) and the slow component arises from the relaxation of self-trapped excitons to the ground state (similar 30 ps).


The development of multirotor vehicles can often be a dangerous and costly undertaking due to the possibility of crashes resulting from faulty controllers. The matter of safety in such activities has primarily been addressed through the use of testbeds. However, testbeds for testing multirotor vehicles with suspended loads have previously not been reported. In this study, a simple yet novel testing platform was designed and built to aid in testing and evaluating the performances of multirotor flying vehicles, including vehicles with suspended loads. The platform allows the flying vehicle to move with all six degrees of freedom (DOF). Single or three-DOF motions can also be performed. Moreover, the platform was designed to enable the determination of the mass properties (center of mass and moments of inertia) of small multirotor vehicles (which are usually required in the development of new control systems). The applicability of the test platform for the in-flight performance testing of a multirotor vehicle was successfully demonstrated using a Holybro X500 quadcopter with a suspended load. The test platform was also successfully used to determine the mass properties of the vehicle.


Slide-ware presentations typically involve an uninterrupted progression of bulleted slides introduced by a lone figure before a passive audience. This format does not encourage active discussion or facilitate improvisational presentation of material. Two studies were conducted to evaluate how presenters author, rehearse for and deliver presentations. From these studies, feature recommendations for a prototype hyperpresentation system were developed.


As of 1989 more than 70,000 books on the Second World War had already been published, and over the ensuing decade there was no abatement of this flood.' To the contrary, the fiftieth anniversary of the war resulted in an enormous outpouring of new scholarly and popular works on the war, some of which became bestsellers. The process continued after 1995, a fact most clearly illustrated by the popularity of Stephen E. Ambrose's Citizen Soldiers: The U.S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany (1997) and Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation (1998). Many factors account for this continued outpouring and popularity of World War II studies. Full declassification of key archival records did not occur until the 1970s, and the previously unknown material contained in these records, most notably but far from exclusively regarding ULTRA and other cryptographic intelligence, forced a reassessment of numerous wartime events and issues. Furthermore, that reassessment was often undertaken by scholars belonging to a generation that had not lived through the war and that therefore possessed a perspective on it quite different from those who had. But at least as important as these factors was the continuing, enormous impact of this largest of all wars on people's lives and memories, both individual and collective. The aging and passing of the generation that fought the war has only heightened that impact and with it the resulting interest, as children and grandchildren rush to take down the memories of their relatives who lived through and are willing to talk about the war-while they still can. World War II veterans are dying at the startling rate of 1,100 a day.2 Given this fact, much of the recent interest in the war has focused on the presently "hot" issues of culture and memory.3 A War to be Won does not. Instead it offers the reader a much more traditional history-on the military course of the war. It is based upon the most up-to-date military history research and scholarship, however, much of which has dramatically revised the original assessments that came out soon after the war ended. Conse-


Deng Xiaoping's thought of science and technology is rich and complete as follows: ①Science and technology are the primary productive forces and the key to the four modernizations is the modernization of science and technologies;②Respect knowledge and talents,training a great contingent of science and technology;③Science education must be ensured in developing science technology;④Restructure the traditional system of science and technology;⑤Attention must be paid to the introduction of the advanced science and technology from abroad;⑥Strengthen and perfect the Party's leadership in the science and technology undertakings.These thoughts are formed and developed under the condition of the correct understanding of peace and development as the themes of the times.They are based on the summary of the historical experience of the Chinese scientific and technological development,while drawing on the advanced experiences of the developed countries.These thoughts are with both features of science and practice.


This research examines the factors that influence students' choice to major in hospitality management. Furthermore, this research assessed the role of student personality type in the academic major selection process. Data were collected from 152 undergraduate hospitality majors attending a single public university, and personality type was assessed using the Self-Directed Search based. The results may help hospitality management programs tailor recruitment materials to engage naturally entrepreneurial and outgoing potential students. The results will also help potential students discern career paths that may be most rewarding given their natural personality strengths.


Top-Level Design is both a design concept and a design method. Unlike software engineering, information resource planning and technology road maps, Top-level Design as a design method is not clearly defined in terms of its contents and methods. Nevertheless Top-Level Design as a concept is now widely used on both macro-levels, such as the macro planning of informatization in nations, government departments and the armed forces, and on micro-levels, such as the design of a large system. Top-level Design can be divided into two categories: "planning" and "method". In the construction of Top-Level Design Method on Informatization (TDMI), there are eight steps to follow: status description, object description, system construction, system architecture, data system, system development, comprehensive integration and performance testing. TDMI, aiming to solve the problems of system integration, is characterized by universality, consistency, openness and innovation. To further improve and standardize TDMI, we present some thoughts concerning the tools used in system architecture.


In this review, I will present and discuss the approach recently delineated by Fabio Fiore and Giuseppe Morrone regarding the role of thinking exercises in teaching philosophy. In doing so, I will ask what the purpose of thinking exercises might become. After presenting the architecture of the publication and the approach followed by the authors, I will focus on what is considered to be a "competence" of any philosopher -conceptual negotiationand finally try to highlight the authors' proposal. The discussion of this work from Italy is intended to help illuminate one of many controversial questions about the teaching of philosophy and make it accessible to an international discussion involving a process of thinking about how the diversity of research approaches can offer a stimulus and be a source of debate about philosophical didactics.


To simulate the flow direction of freight in crossing hinterland and forecast throughput of some newly built ports,probability model for transportation means is introduced and revised,and negative exponent probability model is established based on it.The analyzing result for freight volume of Xuzhou newly built port by the model reveals that the model is practical and thus may serve as an important reference for port planning and determination of the construction scale.


The alignment of He/sup 4/ atoms in the (n = 2, metastable) /sup 3/Si/ sub 1/ state is described. Metastable atoms are produced by a r-f discharge in a glass tube containing a few nim of pure helium, and the one micron pumping light (2/sup 3/P-2 /sup 3/S) is provided by a helium lamp. A resonance signal is obtained froni radio frequency disorientation by monitoring the transmitted pumping light. The double maxinium line shape of this signal for strong r-f magnetic fields is discussed. Included also is a discussion of the angular dependence of the signal when unpolarized light is used and an explanation of the inversion of the resonsnce signal for certain densities of the metastable helium atoms. The measured relaxation tinie of the oriented metastable atonis in the discharge is about 2.5 x 10/sup -4/ second and the pumping time is about a millisecond. A method is proposed and initial measurements are given for the cross section for destruction of metastable helium atoms by collision with foreign gas atoms. The apolication of optical pumping in helium to the measurement of weak magnetic fields is also discussed. (auth)


The initial passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2002 was seen as a bipartisan victory towards education reform that would close the achievement gap. Since the passage of the NCLB, 38 states have shown opposition to the legislation through a variety of responses including producing legislation in attempts to opt-out of provisions, turning to the judicial system for recourse when funding is withheld, and passing symbolic resolutions. This paper completes a cross-state analysis to determine why so much opposition exists to NCLB and how states' responses have influenced Congress's inability to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in 2007, under which NCLB was created. States showing opposition vary tremendously, including by size, average family income, political ideology, and academic achievement prior to passage. By analyzing policy feedbacks due to implementation concerns of states, this paper adds to current scholars' theories about the implementation process. By recognizing how excluded actors from the adoption of NCLB have influenced previously supportive actors of the law this paper combines elements of both top-down and bottom-up implementation approaches discussed in the literature to provide a richer and more accurate understanding of the implementation process. The starting point for such a study comes from understanding the response of those who have struggled with implementing NCLB.


Aiming to reduce the volume and weight further, a novel coupled inductor is proposed in this paper. The implementation approaches and the operation principles are analyzed in detail along with the comparison analysis with three-leg coupled inductor. Two prototypes of two-phase 1kW interleaved Boost converters are built to verify the theoretical analysis using the proposed or traditional three-leg coupled inductors respectively. In prototype, the volume and weight are reduced to about 40% of the traditional three-leg coupled inductor with the proposed coupled inductor.


AbstractUsing 13 yr of data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite, a regional climatology of monsoonal precipitation is created for portions of the southwest United States. The climatology created using precipitation features defined from the TRMM precipitation radar (PR) shows that the population of features includes a large number of small, weak features that do not produce much rain and are very shallow. A lesser percentage of large, stronger features contributes most of the region's rainfall. Dividing the features into categories based on the median values of volumetric rainfall and maximum height of the 30-dBZ echo is a useful way to visualize the population of features, and the categories selected reflect the life cycle of monsoonal convection. An examination of the top rain-producing features at different elevations reveals that extreme features tend to occur at lower elevations later in the day. A comparison with the region studied in the North American Monsoon Experiment (...


We investigate the finite temperature charge density wave (CDW) transition of lattice Bose gases within optical cavities in the deep Mott-insulator limit. We find a new critical regime emerges at a temperature around one-half of the on-site interaction energy, where the first order CDW transition at low temperatures terminates at a critical point and changes to a second order one. By directly calculating the critical exponents and constructing the effective theory in the corresponding critical regime, we find the emergent criticality belongs to the five-dimensional Ising universality class. Direct experimental observation of the emergent criticality can be readily performed by current experimental set-ups operated in the temperature regime around half the on-site interaction energy.


The aim of this review study is to introduce the topic of girls with ADHD in the school environment. Manifestations of ADHD in girls are more difficult to recognize than in boys with ADHD. Because of that, the educators often do not recognize them and then ADHD in girls if often not diagnosed. This results in further associated difficulties, especially of an emotional and social nature. The article describes the typical manifestations of ADHD in girls and focuses on gender differences and important studies focusing on the school environment. At the beginning of the article, the incidence of ADHD in girls is compared to boys and the definition of ADHD is mentioned. The main part tries to describe the important manifestations of ADHD in girls, which can be useful to both educators and other professionals in recognizing this diagnosis in girls. The second part briefly presents selected studies related to the school environment. This part can also be a valuable benefit for pedagogical workers. At the end of the article, the findings are compared with current research and definitions, which can help better understand and detect the manifestations of ADHD in girls.


This review pays specific attention to the design and synthetic strategies of Fe-N/C materials with porous structures and their merits towards ORR.


Starting from a discussion of language and power in the tradition of sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic research, the results of a large project on the comprehension of radio news are presented. The understanding ofnews was tested with a large sample of persons of all age groups, social classes and the two genders. The paraphrases and recall were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. It could be shown that large speech and comprehension barriers exist. In a second stage, in-depth Interviews were held with a sample of 50 persons to be able to understand better the reasons for misunderstanding and lack of understanding. Motivation, interests, knowledge, Schemas and scripts,· and the interaction of news in everyday life were studied and correlated with the fest results. We could show that both psychological and sociological factors were extremely relevant to the vrocess of discourse comprehension. The third stage in this study consisted of the construction of 'alternative news'. We produced news with the same topic, but presented in a more cohesive and coherent form than the original. When confronied with 'realnews' in this form, more persons understood the news better. However, the language barriers grew larger: working-class people and people with strong prejudices, little motivation, etc., understood even less!


The series system means that both components must work for systems success. From probability concepts (independent events), the reliability (system success) of the above system (RAB) is given as: RAB = RA RB and the system unreliability (system failure), designated as Q is given as: QAB = 1 RAB = 1 RA RB considering that, Q + R = 1 or R = 1 Q, therefore, QAB = 1 (1 QA) (1 QB) = QA + QB QA QB For n-components system, reliability (R) and unreliability (Q) for series systems (i.e R(series) and Q(series)) can be expressed as: R    1  =  Q  and  R   =  R i n


Secure multicast communication in mobile adhoc networks is challenging due to its inherent characteristics of infrastructure-less architecture with lack of central authority, limited resources such as bandwidth, time and power. Hence key management is the fundamental challenge in achieving secure communication using multicast key distribution in mobile adhoc networks. In many multicast interactions, due to its frequent node mobility, new member can join and current members can leave at a time due to node failure which causes delay in multicast transmission. This paper proposes a new efficient cluster based multicast tree (CBMT) algorithm for secure multicast Communication, in which source node uses Multicast version of Destination Sequenced Distance Vector(MDSDV) routing protocol to collects its 1 hop neighbors to form cluster and each node which have child node is elected as the Local controllers of the created clusters. It also tolerates the faults that causes due to failure of nodes. Simulation results shows the demonstration of CBMT using MDSDV have better system performance in terms of end to end delay and fault tolerance rate under varying network conditions.


The United States Supreme Court, rejecting the Clinton administration's unprecedented effort to control how cigarettes are sold and marketed in the United States, has ruled that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lacks the power to regulate tobacco.

In the 5 to 4 ruling, the judges said that the FDA overreached its authority when it reversed a decades old policyin 1996 and sought to crack down on cigarette sales to minors.

"By no means do we question the seriousness of the problem that the FDA has sought to address," Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote for the court. "The agency has amply demonstrated that tobacco use, particularly among children and adolescents, poses perhaps …


This paper presents an extensive analysis of the physical and mechanical properties of normal and high-strength concretes exposed to temperatures up to 700 deg C. Ultrasonic pulse velocity, static and dynamic modulus of elasticity, and strength and deformations under compressive loading were measured. In addition, flexural and splitting tensile strength and the fracture energy were also determined. Other tests for finding the water permeability, water penetration, and absorption were performed on concrete slices in order to analyze the differences in the physical properties of the cover and bulk concrete.


Each issue, we ask 4 different practitioners how they treat a certain condition. This month's topic is wound care and diabetic foot. Our participants are David Armstrong, DPM, PhD, FACFAS, of the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson, Arizona; Edmund Dos Remedios, DPM, FACFAS, of the University Foot Center in Providence, Rhode Island; Charles Andersen, MD, FACS, of the Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington; and Armin Koller, MD, of the Mathias Hospital in Rheine, Northrhine-Westfalia, Germany. The editor for this column is Thomas S. Roukis, DPM, PhD, FACFAS, Chief, Limb Preservation Service, Director, Limb Preservation Complex Lower Extremity Surgery and Research Fellowship, Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington. What does your initial office visit for a patient with an acute ulceration about the plantar forefoot consist of? Include any specialized conservative care measures you have found beneficial.