This paper proposes a fuzzy inference based neural network for the forecasting of short term loads. The forecasting model is the integration of fuzzy inference engine and the neural network, known as Fuzzy Inference Neural Network (FINN). A FINN initially creates a rule base from existing historical load data. The parameters of the rule base are then tuned through a training process, so that the output of the FINN adequately matches the available historical load data. Results show that the FINN can forecast future loads with an accuracy comparable to that of neural networks, while its training is much faster than that of neural networks. Simulation results indicate that hybrid fuzzy neural network is one of the best candidates for the analysis and forecasting of electricity demand. Radial Basis Function Neural Network (RBFNN) integrated with Fuzzy Inference Engine has been used to create a Short Term Load Forecasting model.


The frequencies of quasi-periodic oscillations around neutron stars are believed to be related to characteristic frequencies in the gravitational fields of the compact objects. In different variability models, these include the Keplerian, epicyclic, and Lense-Thirring frequencies, which depend mostly on the properties of the stellar spacetimes. We argue that quasi-periodic oscillations in the X-ray flux of neutron stars can be used to map the external spacetimes of the compact objects and, therefore, lead to direct tests of general relativity in the strong-field regime. In particular, we show that particular extensions of General Relativity, in which the gravitational force felt by matter is mediated by both a rank-two tensor and a scalar field, can be constrained by current observations.


Mass customisation has become a prospective business strategy for many industries. Despite the great efforts that have been put into producing such systems (e.g., NikeID), a survey indicated that nearly half of consumers still prefer to buy mass produced products [8]. Another study also concluded the increase in mass customisation has led to a decline in customer satisfaction of the sales process [9]. Given these considerations, this paper aims to, from the consumer's perspective, investigate the factors influencing consumer purchase intention of online mass customisation. Overall, 15 participants were invited to customise a product using one of the selected websites and one-to-one interviews were conducted afterwards. We have found that consumer purchase intention is influenced by multiple factors and price is the primary concern. Based on the interview results, strategies have been given for both new start-up companies and companies that are already strongly established to employ mass customisation. These findings help us learn about the consumer experience of mass customisation and contribute to the implementation of best practices for mass customisation.


This paper proposes an RFID signal capturing and controlling system for Bus Rapid Transit(BRT) priority. It sets active RFID tag on the BRT vehicle and RFID reader close to the road junctions, and the reader identifies the coming BRT vehicle quickly and accurately. The system performs the BRT signal priority project and controls the signal lamp phase. It analyzes the design of the system and its realization of hardware and software.


Background and purpose: Ultrasonography is a reliable and valid method to assess the strength of neck extensors and measuring the neck muscles dimensions. Cervical muscles strength and dimensions may change in different positions. The aim of this study was to compare the strength of cervical extensor muscles and dimensions of semi-spinalis capitis muscle (SECM) in three different neck positions in healthy female individuals. Materials and methods: The research population included 30 female students, 18-24 years of age. Right SECM at the level of third cervical vertebrae was measured by ultrasonography in order to assess the isometric strength of neck extensor muscles in neutral, flexion and extension positions. The size of muscle was calculated by multiplying the anterior-posterior and lateral dimension of the muscle. Afterwards, the muscle strength was measured by a measuring device. One way-ANOVA was used to analyze the data. Results: The SECM size was significantly bigger in extension than that of the neutral and flexion positions (P<0.001). The strength of extensor muscles in neutral position was more than that of the flexion and extension positions. However, there was not a significant correlation between size and strength of the muscle in all three positions. Conclusion: The result of this study indicated that the size of SECM increased in extension position while the strength of neck extensor muscles decreased. The maximum performance of cervical extensor muscles appeared in neutral position of cervical spine, when the muscles were not maximally lengthened or shortened.


Setting the synchronous bottom gravel seal coat on the semi-rigid base can effectively reduce the reflection of cracks of asphalt surface layer.This article uses ANSYS finite element software to analyze the mechanical reaction of semi-rigid base asphalt pavement construction with the synchronization gravel seal coat.The influence of the change of parameter of synchronous bottom gravel seal coat on the mechanical properties of semi-rigid asphalt pavement is also calculated.


BACKGROUND
Mango (Mangifera indica) has been recognized as a rich source of bioactive compounds with potential pharmaceutical and nutraceutical applications, attracted increasing interest from research.

RESULTS
Phytochemistry studies have demonstrated that phenolic compounds are one of the most important biologically active components of Mangifera indica extracts. Ultrasounds and microwave-assisted extractions, and supercritical fluids have been employed for the obtention of bioactive molecules, such as phenolic acids, terpenoids, carotenoids, and fatty acids. These phytochemicals exhibit antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activity, depending on sources (bark, leaves, seeds, flowers, or peels) and extracting methods results in the differences in structure and bioactivity.

CONCLUSIONS
This review exposes bioactive compounds, extraction techniques, and biological function of different parts of Mangifera indica of great importance as nutraceuticals and functional compounds with potential application as therapeutic agents and functional foods. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


Purpose: Oligodontia signi fi cantly affects oral function and esthetics. Recognition of skeletal and dental patterns may aid in proper diagnosis and development of appropriate interventions. The aim of this study was to analyze skeletal and dental patterns for pre-adolescent patients with a diagnosis of oligodontia. Patients and methods: This study included 19 oligodontia patients (age: 9.5±1.3, Hellman ' s developmental stage IIIA~IIIB) along with a control group that comprised of 19 participants (age: 9.9±1.6) without any skeletal disharmony or congenitally missing teeth, with an Angle class I relationship and general crowding. Average cephalometric measurements among the oligodontia group were compared to the control group. The correlation between number of congenitally missing teeth (CMT) and each measurement was investi-gated. Skeletal measurements for both male and female patients in the oligodontia group and the control group were also compared. Results: No signi fi cant difference between the experimental and the control group was observed with respect to skeletal angular and linear measurements, except the gonial angle. Differences in dental pattern measurements were observed. The oligodontia group had signi fi cantly smaller Mo-Ms and Is-Mo than the control group (p<0.01). No correlation was detected between severity of oligodontia (number of CMT) and skeletal measurement except for SNB (R= − 0.4). For females with oligodontia, Mo-Ms (eruption of maxillary fi rst molar) and Is-Mo (mesial location of maxillary fi rst molar) signi fi cantly differed from females in the control group (p<0.01). In contrast, no differences in Mo-Ms or Is-Mo were detected for male patients when oligodontia and control group were compared. Conclusion: Among pre-adolescent Japanese patients with oligodontia in Hellman ' s developmental age IIIA~IIIB, no signi fi cant differences in skeletal characteristics were established when compared to the control group. However, tooth position of maxillary fi rst molars indicated smaller vertical descent and mesial shift, which may suggest weak maxillary vertical development. speci empha- cosmetic developments materials, techniques and devices that improve outcomes and patient satisfaction and preference management system and a quick and fair peer-review system, which is all easy to use. Visit http://www.dovepress.com/testimonials.php to read real quotes from published authors.


Abstract An enterprise which is managed in a modern way should be based on the concept of knowledge management. It is particularly important in the case of processes related to facility maintenance, where the efficiency and effectiveness of work is directly connected with the employees' knowledge. Improvement of processes involved in facility maintenance has a real influence on the productivity of a manufacturing enterprise. High accessibility of technical equipment and its correct functioning influence not only production efficiency but also the quality of products and the safety of operators. The article is a description of an attempt to implement one of quality engineering methods for improving the facility maintenance process. The author decided to use the 8D method to shorten the duration of downtimes caused by breakdowns. Owing to the conducted analysis and the implementation of the improvement and preventive actions, we were able to shorten the duration of a downtime of a machine having a crucial importance for the company. Investigations and implementation were conducted in one of Silesian production plants..


In order to obtain the high-fidelity model of self-actuation failure threshold power of the capacitive RF MEMS switch, it is necessary to clear the fringing field effect of the electric field distribution on switch membrane. The area of the switch membrane subjected to RF signal power (ARF) cant be replaced with the switch area over the center conductor (A) in the calculation of expression of self-actuation failure threshold power (Pact) of the switch, because of the influence of the fringing field effect. Otherwise, the deviation of calculation will occur in the RF signal power equivalent voltage (Veq). Therefore, ARF is characterized by using the ratio between the calculated Veq and the Root-Mean-Square voltage (VRMS) of the switch membrane. And ARF/A, a figure of merit (FoM), is constructed to characterize the intensity of the fringing field effect of the electric field distribution on the membrane. The 3D electromagnetic model of self-actuation failure of the switch is constructed using the HFSS (High Frequency Structure Simulator) code. Through the simulation, the distribution of fringing electric field on the membrane in variety of RF signal power (Pin) and air gap of the switch (g0) for the case of a common configuration of the switch is obtained. By comparing the calculation value of FoM and simulation results, the feasibility of using ARF/A, the FoM, to characterize the intensity of the fringing field effect of the electric field distribution on the membrane is preliminarily validated.


Objectives:  To investigate influence for the testicular development and to assess the usefulness as an animal model, cryptorchid rats were induced by exposure to flutamide during the fetal period and their testes examined histologically.


We suggest a general method of representing chain stiffness, segment fusion, ring rigidity, and specific forces using only nonadditive size interactions. The initial results of molecular dynamics simulations indicate ordering of stiff chains and micelle formation for chains with specific site–site interactions.


The tyrosine protein tyrosine phosphatase PTP4A3 has been extensively reported to play a causative role in numerous cancers, including several types of acute leukemia. We found PTP4A3 to be highly expressed in T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia samples, and show that PTP4A3 accelerates T-ALL onset and increases the invasive ability of T-ALL cells in a zebrafish model, and is required for T-ALL engraftment and progression in mouse xenograft. Our in vitro studies showed that PTP43A3 enhances T-ALL migration, in part via modulation of SRC signaling. However, whether SRC is a direct substrate of PTP4A3, and whether the phosphatase activity of PTP4A3 actually plays a role in T-ALL or other types of leukemia progression is unknown and remains a major question in the field.
 We used a BioID-based proximity labeling approach combined with PTP4A3 substrate trapping mutant pull down assay to capture the PTP4A3 substrates candidates. BioID, a biotin ligase, was fused to PTP4A3 to generate a Biotin-PTP4A3 (BP) fusion protein. The overexpression of BP in T-ALL cell lines led to biotin modification of 288 PTP4A3 proximal proteins, including the potential direct PTP4A3 substrates. PANTHER pathway analysis showed that PTP4A3 interacting proteins are largely clustered in the T-cell activation, PDGF signaling, and angiogenesis. We are in process of validating potential substrates using immunoprecipitation and phosphoenrichement assays.
 Finally, we are using a novel zebrafish Myc+PTP4A3 induced T-ALL model to assess the function of PTP4A3 in leukemia progression. We have created several PTP4A3 protein mutants, including a phosphatase-dead mutant, a mutant unable to bind magnesium transporter, and a prenylation deficient mutant, and are in process of assessing the effects of these mutants in T-ALL onset and progression in our in vivo model. In total, these studies will allow us to better understand function of PTP4A3 in T-ALL progression, and may provide a strong rationale for the development of PTP4A3 inhibitors for use in leukemia.

 No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Specific matrix metalloproteinases (MMP‐2, MMP‐9) and inflammatory biomarkers (hsCRP, IL‐6) were found to be consistently up‐regulated in severe mitral valve regurgitation (MR) and are associated with mortality in heart failure patients. The aim of the present study was to examine the prognostic value of biomarkers of cardiac inflammation and remodeling processes in predicting mortality in patients with MR undergoing percutaneous mitral valve repair (PMVR).


Reversible jump MCMC (RJ-MCMC) sampling techniques, which allow to jointly tackle model selection and parameter estimation problems in a coherent Bayesian framework, have become increasingly popular in the signal processing literature since the seminal paper of Andrieu and Doucet ["Joint Bayesian model selection and estimation of noisy sinusoids via reversible jump MCMC," IEEE Trans. Signal Process, vol. 47, no. 10, pp. 2667-2676, 1999]. Crucial to the implementation of any RJ-MCMC sampler is the computation of the so-called Metropolis-Hastings-Green (MHG) ratio, which determines the acceptance probability for the proposed moves. It turns out that the expression of the MHG ratio that was given in the paper of Andrieu and Doucet for "Birth-or-Death" moves is erroneous and has been reproduced in many subsequent papers dealing with RJ-MCMC sampling in the signal processing literature. This note fixes the erroneous expression and briefly discusses its cause and consequences.


Steady-state and transient temperature fields in bodies containing concave, self-irradiating cavities are considered. Radiation and conduction equations are discretized using the boundary-element method. The technique covers nonlinear material and nonlinear boundary conditions. The presence of shadow zones in the radiating cavities is taken into account. The developed visibility algorithm is integrated into the self-adaptive integration technique of evaluating the entries of the radiation matrices. Excellent overall accuracy of this integration is achieved. Discussed problems are in two dimensions, but the technique may be extended to three dimensions. Numerical examples are included.


Several years ago Jürgen Habermas wrote a short answer to the question: "Does Hegel's Critique of Kant apply to Discourse Ethics?" The gist of his short answer is, "no". Insofar as Hegel's criticisms of the formalism and abstract universalism of the moral law never even applied to Kant's moral theory in the first place, they also fail to apply to discourse ethics. Insofar as Hegel's criticisms of the rigorism of the moral law and of Kant's conception of autonomy do hit the mark, discourse ethics successfully draws their sting by reconceiving Kant's moral standpoint along the following lines. 1. Kant wrongly undertakes to establish the moral law as a "fact of reason": discourse ethics derives the moral standpoint from two premises — one formal, a rationally reconstructed logic of argumentation, and one material, namely our intuitions about how to justify utterances. 2. Kant wrongly contends that we must be able to think of ourselves as both intelligible characters, inhabiting a noumenal world, and as empirical characters inhabiting the world of appearances: discourse ethics allows that in everyday contexts of action and in the context of moral discourse we have one character that has real needs and interests. 3. Kant is also mistaken in arguing that moral autonomy requires human beings to abstract away from their needs and interests and to will universalizable maxims for the sake of their universal form: discourse ethics understands moral autonomy to consist in the free adoption of a standpoint from which conflicts of interest can be impartially regulated, by giving special weight to the satisfaction of universalizable interests. 4. Kant misconceives the categorical imperative as an objective test of universalizability that is applied by individual wills in isolation: discourse ethics reconceives the moral universalism as an ideal of intersubjective agreement of participants in discourse. On the differences between the principles of discourse ethics and Kant's categorical imperative Habermas is wont to cite McCarthy's summary of his — Habermas' — position: "Rather than ascribing as valid to all others any maxim that I can will to be a universal law, I must submit my maxim to all others for the purposes of discursively testing its claim to universality. The emphasis shifts from what each can will without contradiction to be a general law, to what all can will in agreement to be a universal norm" (MCCA 67).


In the spring of 2020, due to the outbreak of COVID-19, college students in China had to take online classes at home. The present paper aims to explore whether college students suffer more anxiety in online classes and what factors may affect students' anxiety. The study finds that in addition to demographic variables like age and gender, factors such as grade, English test scores, self-concept, and network stability can lead to students' anxiety. Constructive suggestions are given to alleviate students' anxiety and improve learning effect.


This study aims to present a plan that hair salons can use to establish SNS marketing strategies in the rapidly changing beauty industry every day. For this study, 312 questionnaires were distributed to subjects living in the Korean metropolitan area for about a month and a half from October 30, 2022 to December 14, 2022. Excluding inappropriate ones, 300 copies of data were analyzed by factor analysis, reliability analysis, and frequency analysis using the SPSS 22.0 program. As a result, first, it means that the higher the brand name, reliability, reputation, price, service/professionalism, and facility, the higher the emotional bond, in the "effect of brand image on emotional bond on SNS marketing." Second, in the "Effect of Emotional Bonding on Purchase Intention," the sub-factors of purchase intention, professional-oriented purchase, procedure-oriented purchase, and efficacy-oriented purchase, all showed that the higher the emotional bond, the higher the purchase intention. Based on these results, the brand image of hair salons produced on SNS affects emotional ties with customers, and emotional ties have a significant impact on purchase intentions. Recognizing the need for brand marketing that can give customers expertise and reliability in procedures, we hope that efficient SNS marketing management will be carried out in hair salons in the future to increase the level of the beauty industry.


Objective The technology of guided bone regeneration is an effective treatment for the injure in aesthetic zones.The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of guided bone regeneration(GBR) on prei-implant soft tissues in aesthetic zones.Methods We chose 60 implants done in our department up to 1 year after functional loading,with 30 of GBR and the other 30 of regular implant.Pocket probing depth and papilla index were assessed during a 1-year follow up,which was done at 3 points: a month after the exposure of implant(T1),after the placement of fixed crown(T2) and 1 year after functional loading(T3).The data were collected to analyze the effect of GBR on peri-implant soft tissues.Results The pocket probing depths of GBR group were: T1(2.11±0.68) mm,T2(2.13±0.70) mm,T3(2.31±0.84) mm and those of regular group were: T1(2.08±0.71) mm,T2(2.15±0.70) mm,T3(2.27±0.84) mm,respectively.There was no significant statistic difference between the two groups(P0.05).The frequency distributions of the scores of papilla index for both groups were also similar to each other.Conclusion We did not found GBR surgery with any effect on peri-implant soft tissues in aesthetic dental implantation.


The objective: to evaluate and improve the existing methods of anesthetic support during hysteroscopy.Materials and methods. In 2021-2022 years, 40 patients who had operative treatment – hysteroscopy, were examined in the municipal non-commercial enterprise "Kyiv City Center of Reproductive and Perinatal Medicine". The exclusion criterion was the presence of concomitant diseases (hypertension, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, bronchial asthma, etc.).All patients were randomly divided into two groups depending on the chosen method of anesthesia. In the 1st group, standard total intravenous anesthesia was performed and premedication with nefopam and paracetamol was used for the improvement the anesthetic support and compare the results in the 2nd group.The hemodynamic indicators of heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were measured to objectify the level of the pain syndrome, oxygen saturation in the blood was measured also. Pain was assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS) questionnaire.Results. It was established that the anesthetic support of the 1st group of patients was accompanied by a significant (p<0.05) increase of hemodynamic indicators at the stage of the beginning of the operation versus the indicators of the 2nd group: SBP – by 13.77%; DBP – by 11.92%, MAP – by 13.08%. After the end of anesthesia (awakening), an increased blood pressure was registered in the 1st group, which had a significant difference with similar indicators of the 2nd group, namely: SBP by 22.33%, DBP – by 19.05%, MAP – by 20.51%.Heart rate in the 1st group after the installation of a laryngeal mask (induction of anesthesia) was higher by 12.85% (p<0.05) than in the 2nd group. Heart rate was also higher upon awakening in the 1st group – by 16.03% (р<0.05) than in patients of the 2nd group. In the 2nd group, the maximum VAS score in 30 minutes after waking up was 0.9±0.11 points, which did not require additional analgesia, while in the 1st group this score was 3.86±0.20 points.20% of patients who were not premedicated with nefopam and paracetamol, in 30 minutes after surgery had vomiting, which was not present in the group where premedication was performed.Conclusions. Premedication with nefopam and paracetamol as the additional analgesics can prevent the development of pain sensations in the postoperative period and reduce the incidence of vomiting. The use of a laryngeal mask during artificial lung ventilation ensured adequate tightness of the connection of the respiratory tract with the circuit of the anesthesia machine.


OF THE THESIS A Visualization Tool for fMRI Data Mining by NICU DANIEL CORNEA Thesis Director: Professor Deborah Silver fMRI is an imaging technique that is used to understand brain functionality. Scans are taken at intervals as a patient performs some mental tasks, resulting in hundreds of datasets. It is an increasingly popular technique in fields ranging from medicine, psychology or even marketing and economics. However, these images tend to be noisy and new packages are constantly being developed to analyze and filter these large datasets. Because of the large data size and many analysis parameters, comparisons between results or between experiments are difficult. We present a visualization tool that allows interactive comparison of different analyzed datasets. Such analyzed datasets can be results of different analytic methods used in fMRI analysis, on data from one or more


SUMMARY

A capacity-type approximate leaching model (Addiscott et al., 1986) with a simple treatment of soil matrix permeability was tested, using field tracer experiments with CaBr2, on hydrologically isolated plots. The model predictions are sensitive to the value of the soil matrix permeability factor, a, and four methods of estimating this parameter were evaluated: (1) using a calibration based on soil texture; (2) least-squares fitting of the model to successive neutron probe measurements of the water content profile; (3) least-squares fitting to daily drainage outflow; (4) least-squares fitting to cumulative drainage outflow. The best independent method (method 3) led to slight (20–30%) under-prediction of leaching losses for two of the four experiments, but in one experiment leaching was much less than predicted. As a management model the approach seems promising but more attention needs to be paid to estimation of the value and variability of the permeability parameter, a.

The convective-dispersion equation, using steady-state assumptions and a fitted dispersion length, gave as good a prediction of cumulative leaching losses as the approximate model studied here.


This was a prospective, randomized trial of the efficacy of vonoprazan‐based and proton‐pump inhibitor‐based 7‐day triple regimens with amoxicillin and sitafloxacin as a third‐line therapy for eradicating Helicobacter pylori after failure of clarithromycin‐based and metronidazole‐based first‐line and second‐line therapy.


An XML publish/subscribe system is based on filtering XML message streams for a large number of subscriptions expressed in XPath. A major issue on an XML-based publish/subscribe system is its performance. As the number of XML documents and XPath-based subscriptions increases in the system, to provide XML filtering efficiently becomes a challenging problem. Hence, there is an urgent need for optimization techniques to meet this challenge. There are many existing approaches on designing efficient XML filtering engine. Most existing research efforts focus on efficient filtering algorithms for achieving a high system performance or supporting more complex XPath syntax. Each proposed scheme has its advantages and limitations. Not much research, however, has considered using caching in the context of XML filtering. In this paper, we propose two caching schemes to be used in conjunction with an XML filtering engine. First, we present a complete message caching algorithm that is a strict caching policy to reduce the computation cost that accrues from multiple filtering of the same messages, by reusing results of previously processed messages. Second, we investigate a structure-based caching method that is an approximate caching policy for messages sharing the same structure. Performance evaluation for synthetic data and real data both show that complete message caching and structure-based caching schemes are able to achieve significantly better filtering performance (up to 80% for both caching schemes for the message streams experimented with).


Objectives: This paper was for studying the constitutional differences between questionnaire and clinical diagnosis, and to be helpful to make a diagnosis Sasang constitution. Using the result of this study, it will be helpful to diagnose a Sasang constitution. Methods: There were 331 patients(135 men and 196 women) who answered questionnaire and were diagnosed by the Sasang constitution specialist at constitutional clinic of Dongguk Bundang Oriental Hospital. Using the response of questionnaire and several statistical techniques, we tried to find the characteristics of questionnaire response among each constitution and consistency between questionnaire and clinical diagnosis. Results: As a result of the analysis of the consistency between clinical diagnosis and questionnaire, the consistency was low degree(kappa value = 0.320) and Taeumin and Soeumin had more consistency than Soyangin.


While pragmatic disorders in children have received increasing recogni tion in recent years, therapists still lack tools for the assessment of children displaying such disorders. This paper describes an approach to assessment which is based on the analysis of samples of conversational data. A number of categories of pragmatic 'error' are identified. The system is illustrated by a brief case study. Because of inevitable problems with inter-tester reliability, it is suggested that this approach is best used for identifying areas for remediation, and for reassessment in order to evaluate therapy.


The aim of this paper is to investigate the connection between the political concepts of power and violence, and the concept of love in the literary and philosophical reflections, which Gunther Anders carried on in Lieben, Gestern (1986). In particular, the paper intends to focus on the motif of the destruction of the love feeling in the society of the exiles, as the absence of love novel in 20. Century attests. The theses of Anders appear nowadays extremely topical, moreover if they are read in the scenario opened by the new studies about sentiments.


Intermediate filament protein vimentin connects to the membrane at desmosomes and to dense bodies in the cytoplasm. However, the role of vimentin in smooth muscle function is not well understood. We depleted canine tracheal smooth muscle strips of vimentin by antisense oligodeoxynucleotides. Downregulation of vimentin attenuated tension development without affecting myosin light chain phosphorylation. In addition, the distribution of desmosomal protein plakoglobin on the membrane was decreased in cells freshly dissociated from vimentin‐deficient tissues. We also found that acetylcholine (ACh) stimulation induced vimentin phosphorylation on Ser‐56 and increased the ratio of soluble/insoluble vimentin in tracheal smooth muscle strips. Downregulation of p21‐activated kinase (PAK) by antisense inhibited vimentin phosphorylation and the increase in soluble/insoluble vimentin. Treatment of muscle strips with the Rho kinase inhibitor Y27632, or PKC inhibitors calphostin C and BIS, or the actin polymerization inhibitor cytochalasin D did not depress vimentin phosphorylation in response to ACh activation. In conclusion, our results suggest that vimentin is necessary for force development and desmosomal formation, but not contractile protein activation. PAK, but not Rho kinase, PKC and the actin cytoskeleton, regulates vimentin phosphorylation at Ser‐56 and vimentin remodeling in smooth muscle.


Estuary classification is necessary if we are to gauge the impacts of development, population growth and pollution in the coastal zone worldwide (Saenger 1995). Assessing the ecological health of environments require comparisons of biota between unimpacted and impacted environments. To be valid, comparisons must be made between physically comparable environments in the same region. Various schemes have been developed to aid the recognition of different estuary types, simplify their description and make possible the transfer of knowledge between estuaries with similar characteristics. For example, Pritchard (1967) used estuary morphology to classify estuaries. Heath (1976) and Hakanson et al. (1986) used residence times, while Alexander & Monaco (1994) used tidal range and fresh water inflow. The aims of the following case studies were to develop objective classification schemes of physical characteristics that are biologically important.


Abstract The paper proposes, based on the analysis of the Code of Civil Procedure and of labor legislation, particularly those of the Labor Code and the Law on social dialogue, to nominate, to develop analytically and synthetically the institution of the quality of party in a individual labour conflict. Along with the cited legal provisions, the examples of judicial practice in Bihor County point out the specific of labor jurisdiction in the Romanian legal system, jurisdiction governed by the Code of Civil Procedure, as common law, which is adapted to the special legislation of the spirit of this institution.


In order to analyze road-friendliness for missile launching vehicle with twin-accumulator hydro-pneumatic suspension,a co-simulation model by using AEMSim/Matlab Simulink was established base-d on 2-DOF single-wheel model. "Dynamic load coefficient", "dynamic load stress factor " and " the 95th percentage fourth power force" used as the criterions for road-friendliness and co-simulation was achieved. The results show that natural frequency of vehicle body is more important for PSD of tire dynamic load, and that of wheel is less important. In the same road,the higher the speed,the bigger the accumulator key parameters change. Road-friendliness in the high grade road is better than that in the low grade road.


Safecast has been initiated in 2011 in Japan as response to the perceived inadequacy of official information policy about radioactive contamination. It is based on measurements of ambient dose rate (ADR) by numerous volunteers using a standardized monitor, called SAFECAST bGeigie Nano. In essence, it consists of a Geiger counter and a GPS module, data (ADR, GPS coordinates, date/time) are recorded on an SD card if operated in its survey mode.

The project quickly expanded world-wide and by end 2020, over 150 million measurements were recorded, however by far not uniformly distributed over the world (https://map.safecast.org/ ). Evidently, such amount of data cannot be reasonably acquired by institutional surveying. On the other hand, professionals can be expected to follow metrological quality assurance (QA) standards, which is usually not the case for members of the public who are mostly laypeople in metrology.

Thus, impressive as the Safecast map is, it raises questions related to QA. This is relevant for interpretation of the ADR values shown on the map, and their uncertainty and resulting reliability. We propose to distinguish between two aspects of metrological QA regarding monitoring in the context of citizen science.

(1) Metrology proper, which pertains to characterization of the measurement procedure, from sampling protocols to physical behaviour of the instrument and resulting uncertainty; this is of course equally true also for professional measuring.

(2) Real-world handling: not being familiar with metrological QA concepts, in general, it can be expected that citizen scientists deviate from QA standards more frequently and more severely than professionals. This adds to the uncertainty budget of reported values. Uncertainty impairs interpretability.

In this contribution, we report current metrological knowledge of the bGeigie Nano in the sense of aspect (1). Further, we discuss how QA in the sense of aspect (2) can be approached. We report experiments of repeated realistic handling, i.e. without caring for particularly controlled laboratory or well-defined field conditions (as in (1)) and of intentional mishandling.

It appears that QA type (2) is the more serious issue, both by contribution to the uncertainty budget and by difficulty in handling it. While the Safecast map provides – in some regions - an astonishing dense database, one must be cautious about interpreting local data, if the measurement circumstances are not known, which is the usual case. One element of addressing the problem consists in instruction of participants about correct usage.

In response to certain technical issues of the bGeigie Nano which derogate its performance, SÚRO developed an alternative but conceptually similar device called CzechRad (details in https://github.com/juhele/CzechRad) whose metrological characterization is ongoing.


SOME time ago a friend took me to visit a large sheep station away at the head of one of our beautiful lakes. What a great day we had, and what interesting things we saw ! I think I liked best of all two old sheep that seemed to be special favourites about the place. One was called Winston, and the other Softy. Winston liked tobacco (so you can guess where he got his name), and Softy liked buns, and whenever the children


Salt stress is the major abiotic stress limiting crop yield and agricultural production worldwide. It is significant to study the effects of salt stress on plants and the mechanism of plant salt tolerance for breeding new varieties with high salt resistance and reasonable and effective use of limited arable land. The mechanisms of plant salt tolerance were reviewed from three interconnected aspects including alleviate damage, re-establish osmotic equilibrium and homeostasis of sodium ions, and resume plant growth at a reduced rate. It will provide reference for breeding salt resistant crop varieties and developing salt land.


Commentary on: Schmidt SG, Dichter MN, Palm R, et al . Distress experienced by nurses in response to the challenging behaviour of residents—evidence from German nursing homes. J Clin Nurs 2012;21:3134–42.[OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2][PubMed][3]

An increasing proportion of people with dementia has and will continue to be admitted to nursing homes or similar accommodations such as special care units. One of the reasons for being admitted to such institutions is challenging, …

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Observations of solar wind interpenetrating ion streams are reviewed. They occur preferentially during periods of low but increasing plasma number density and most likely result from spatial and/or temporal inhomogeneities in the solar wind bulk velocity. The exact nature of these inhomogeneities is not known, but three conceptual models that account for the observations are summarized. Double ion streams are shown to occur during extended time periods during which the proton anisotropy and dimensionless heat flux undergo large coherent variations. This fact provides strong evidence that a major source for solar wind internal ion energy is its bulk convection energy. The observed continuum of proton velocity configurations further suggests that the ion internal energy state at 1 AU is often perturbed by bulk flow spatial and/or temporal inhomogeneities. Self-consistent interactions with the interplanetary wave mix that results from these inhomogeneities as well as other aspects of the solar wind expansion establish preferred proton velocity configurations. These configurations can be summarized by simple statistical relations that couple the two independent third velocity moments to the second moments.


An experimental study on the heat transfer characteristics of the steam bubbles generated by steam injection was performed. The bubble Nusselt number and Reynolds number were calculated based on th...


We propose a formulation of boundary condition for non linear hyperbolic systems of conservation laws. It is based on the notion of Riemann problem and leads to a «well posed» problem. The equivalence with classical formulations is established for both linear and non convex scalar cases. The study of isentropic Euler equations gives a non trivial example which is graphically detailed On propose une formulation de la condition a la limite pour un systeme hyperbolique non lineaire de lois de conservation. Celle-ci s'appuie sur la notion de probleme de Riemann et conduit a un probleme «bien pose». On etablit l'equivalence avec des formulations classiques dans le cas lineaire et scalaire non convexe. L'etude des equations d'Euler isentropiques fournit un exemple non trivial detaille graphiquement


Increased agricultural food production and the subsequent preservation of yielded food are matters of grave importance to all humanity. In this work, we studied methods for increasing the production yield of plants that produce essential oils. Essential oil plant extracts have demonstrated antibacterial effects and contain antioxidants that are important for food product preservation and quality. Cold plasma processing is a novel technique for increasing the yield of botanicals that are known to be key producers of essential oils. Cold plasma–treated plants were compared to control nontreated plants and to commercially available essential oils. On the basis of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl antioxidant assay results, some commercial essential oils and those from homegrown (greenhouse) plants were found to be effective antioxidants. This preliminary research points to the potential natural replacement of synthetic commercial preservatives, such as butylated hydroxytoluene and butylated hydroxyanisole, that have been demonstrated to be potentially harmful to human health. Furthermore, other studies investigating plasma treatment on seeds suggest that plasma treatment enhances growth and may increase phenolic antioxidant effects.


1. INTRODlJCTION The ever-increasing density of traffic in our City Streets, and the astronomical costs of major revisions of street layouts, have stimulated research into methods of traffic control to cope with congestion efficiently and economically. One solution to this problem would appear to be the application of computer control. Two experimental control centres have been established in Great Britain by the Ministry of Transport, namely in West London and in Glasgow. In Liverpool, the Corporation have gone one step further, and in June 1968, established a working control system.


The reflectance spectra from six GaAs/AlAs multiple‐quantum‐well structures have been analyzed with a multilayer classical dielectric function model which describes in detail the propagation of light through these microstructures. The model predicts accurately the observed line shapes. It can be used for the analysis of the reflectance or transmission spectra of any semiconductor multilayer structure.


Submitted for the MAR10 Meeting of The American Physical Society Tribological and Rheological Properties of a Synovial Fluid Model REBECCA KLOSSNER, JING LIANG, WENDY KRAUSE, North Carolina State University — Hyaluronic acid (HA) and the plasma proteins, albumin and globulins, are the most abundant macromolecules in synovial fluid, the fluid that lubricates freely moving joints. In previous studies, bovine synovial fluid, a synovial fluid model (SFM) and albumin in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) were observed to be rheopectic—viscosity increases over time under constant shear. Additionally, steady shear experiments have a strong shear history dependence in protein-containing solutions, whereas samples of HA in PBS behaved as a "typical" polyelectrolyte. The observed rheopexy and shear history dependence are indicative of structure building in solution, which is most likely caused by protein aggregation. The tribology of the SFM was also investigated using nanoindenter-based scratch tests. The coefficient of frictions (μ) between the diamond nanoindenter tip and a polyethylene surface was measured in the presence of the SFM and solutions with varied protein and HA concentrations. The lowest μ is observed in the SFM, which most closely mimics a healthy joint. Finally, an anti-inflammatory drug, hydroxychloroquine, was shown to inhibit protein interactions in the SFM in rheological studies, and thus the tribological response was examined. We hypothesize that the rheopectic behavior is important in lubrication regimes and therefore, the rheological and tribological properties of these solutions will be correlated. Rebecca Klossner North Carolina State University Date submitted: 20 Nov 2009 Electronic form version 1.4


Feminists are actively engaged in many academic disciplines in attempts to create new knowledge relevant to feminist issues. Attempts have been made to work within the mainstream of some disciplines, whose self-defined scope seemed to include these issues naturally. For example, women have been a legitimate topic of study in sociology, anthropology and psychology. The problem being recognized by feminists in these disciplines is that the disciplines are dominated by a male concept of society, coined in the term "malestream thought." This results in a male "norm" and a female "other," and it affects methodology.' Thus, even though women have been studied, feminist research research from the point of view of women has not been possible. Most of the current emphasis of feminists in these disciplines is on restudying familiar issues from a methodologically distinct feminist perspective. In other disciplines, the study of women, or the study of a world in which women figure as prominently as men, is at a more primitive stage. History, for example, has only recently begun to recognize women. Women's history has become a fringe field within the discipline, while most fields of history remain essentially histories about men. Economics is at an even more primitive stage. Though economics claims as its domain the whole of production, distribution and consumption in society the whole use of resources (both


This article introduced the competence structures model to the regional economic cooperation of less developed and developed regions in order to analyze the possibility and the stability of the distribution of benefits.Based on the analysis of regional economic cooperation situation of Xi'an and Ankang,This article calculated comprehensive competence structure index,competence structure coupling and the relations of the distribution of benefits with quantified analysis method based on the competence structure model.The results showed that there was a certain of co-development feasibility and necessity between Ankang and Xi'an,but its stability and long-term cooperation should be strengthened.Then through the barriers analysis of regional economic cooperation of the two cities,combined with current cooperation status,this article put forward corresponding countermeasures for the long-term cooperation of Ankang and Xi'an.Studies suggest that Ankang needs to improve its comprehensive competence structure constantly from the education and training of the industrial workers,industry concentration,industry capacity,investment and financing channels,governments' cooperation and team building of entrepreneurs to enhance its matching ability and stability of regional economic cooperation.


Resource Operations Models have often been used as an abstraction of systems to perform behavioural pattern detection. Traditionally, for the actual pattern
detection and constraint specification, these systems use regular expressions. However, regular expressions suffer from poor evolvability, because the alphabet must be known. Therefore in this thesis, two alternatives are considered: Graph Transformation Systems and the Vibes specification
language. Because constraint verification methods are almost exclusively used in combination with statically typed languages, we investigated the issues in
performing constraint verification on dynamically typed languages. Traditional verification systems use the type information available in the Abstract Syntax Tree (AST), but this type information is mostly not available in the AST of dynamically typed languages, unless complex type inference algorithms are used. Although type inference helps in some cases, most of the time only a set of
types can be inferred for variables, rather than an exact type. It has appeared that this makes it necessary to perform constraint verification at runtime. The
solutions that are proposed in this thesis have been implemented and tested in the dynamically typed language Smalltalk.


The main objective of the research study is to assess the role of strategic ergonomics on employee performance in public and private health care facilities in Nakuru County. The researcher has used descriptive research design with an objective of gathering data on workplace ergonomics. The completed questionnaires were coded and entries made into the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 21). The study used descriptive analysis techniques to analyze the data. Descriptive statistics were computed using frequencies and standard deviation. Chi-squares were used to analyze relationship between ergonomics in private and public hospitals in enhancing staff performance. The study concluded that physical, behavioral, management support and management awareness on ergonomics as critical components of performance. Behavioral and management support on implementation of ergonomics in the workplace having strongest influence.


The purpose of writing is to analyze the level of effectiveness and efficiency of village fund management in Werinama Village, Werinama District, Eastern Part of Bula Seram Regency. the ratio of effectiveness and efficiency based on Minister of Home Affairs Decree No. 690,900-327 in 1996. The results of this research show the average level of village fund management efficiency in Werinama Village, Werinama District, Bula District, East Seram District. of 96.43% which meets the effectiveness criteria, and the average efficiency level of 46.93% is meant in the very efficient category.
Keywords: Werinama Village Fund, Werinama District.


The present invention is error checking and correcting method and device for refreshing clock pulse of DRAM. The present invention features that the error correcting action for DRAM is hidden in refreshing clock pulse to avoid influence on data accessing rate. In addition, the present invention can also avoid the accumulation of error in memory to maintain the correctness of the data in the memory.


This book is about our ways of seeing, experiencing, and moving through the world and how they shape the kinds of people we become. Drawing from concepts developed by two phenomenological philosophers, Martin Heidegger and Jan Patočka, and putting them in conversation with ethnographic analysis of the lives of contemporary Czechs, the book examines how embodiment is crucial for understanding our being-in-the-world. In particular, the book scrutinizes three kinds of movements we make as embodied actors in the world: how we move through time and space, be it by walking along city streets, gliding across the dance floor, or clicking our way through digital landscapes; how we move toward and away from one another, as erotic partners, family members, or fearful, ethnic "others"; and how we move toward ourselves and the earth we live on. Above all, the book focuses on tracing the ways in which the body and motion are fundamental to our lived experience of the world, so we can develop a better understanding of the empirical details of Czech society and what they can reveal to us about the human condition.


Metaphor is not only an important figure of speech, but also a cognitive means of human mind. The people with different means of thinking have different cultures. The metaphorical language used by people must be fully saturated with culture peculiar to it. So because of the influence of cultural factor, the translation of metaphorical becomes the most important particular problem. Therefore, based on homogeneity and heterogeneity, the paper tries to explore the reasons for translation obstacles and strategy in order that his/her versions of metaphorical language could really become a medium in disseminating culture.


According to recent data, the great reform of EU employment policies between 1998 and 2000 is that the latter focuses on the rising of information industry and high-tech, high-education society. At the same time, EU social protection policies focus on promoting positive employment to improve living quality and the 'social included', especially through more education and re-learn. So education is the key variable in the interactive triangle of E-P-E (employment-protection-education). In a knowledge based economy and society, it could create a pulling force to decrease the pressures from employment and protection, and realize human rights


DNA hypermethylation leads to silencing of gene expression. An association between methylation of the p15 ink4b gene promotor and risk for AML transformation in MDS has been suggested. The DNA hypomethylating pyrimidine analogue 5-azacitidine may reduce hypermethylation and induce re-expression of key tumor suppressor genes in addition to its cytotoxic activity. Azacitidine induces responses in 60% of patients (pts) with MDS. Little is known about the clinical activity of azacitidine in AML patients refractory to or not eligible for chemotherapy. The safety and efficacy of azacitidine in AML pts is assessed at the University of Leipzig. Patients and methods: Since August, 2005, 17 pts with AML (9 m/8 f), median age 68 (range 58–80) years received 75 mg/m 2 azacitidine sc for 5 days every 28 days mostly in an outpatient setting. Secondary AML was present in 13 (76%) pts. Abnormal cytogenetics were found in 7 (41%) pts [complex aberrations, n=5, trisomy 8, n=1, deletion of the long arm of chromosome 5, n=1]. Azacitidine was given as first-line therapy in 8 (47%) pts not eligible for chemotherapy or because of relapse or refractory disease after standard chemotherapy, n=9 (53%). Prior to treatment, median WBC was 3.9 (range 0.6–26.4)x10 9 /L. Transfusion-dependent anemia and thrombocytopenia were present in 16 (94%), and 11 (65%) pts respectively. Hematologic Response was assessed according to the International Working Group Criteria for AML. For non-hematologic toxicity, the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria and for hematologic toxicity the NCI CTC hematology criteria for leukemia studies or bone marrow infiltrative/myelophthisic processes were used. Results: A total of 71 treatment cycles were applied. Azacitidine was well tolerated with few non-hematologic side effects (skin irritation at site of injection grade I, n=7, constipation grade I, n=6, transient elevation of SGPT/SGOT grade I, n=5, parasthesia grade I, n=2, creatinin elevation grade I, n=2). One reversible grade IV liver toxicity was observed. Treatment related thrombocytopenia grade 3 and leukopenia grade 3 occurred in 6 (35%) and 3 (18%) pts respectively. ANC and platelet nadirs occurred at days 21 (range 5–23 days) and 14 (range 10–27) days respectively. 6 (35%) pts were refractory to treatment and died within a median of 14 (range 4–29) weeks. After a median follow-up of 33 (range 6–48 weeks), response was observed in 11 (65%) pts after a median of 3 (range 1–8) treatment cycles/patient [CR, n=6 (55%), PR, n=2 (18%), hematologic improvement, n=2 (18%), stable disease, n=1 (9%)]. Two (29%) complete cytogenetic remissions were observed. Responses occurred after a median of 38 (range 17–114) days. Median response duration is 18 weeks (range 15 weeks-not reached).Up till now, 4 (36%) pts lost their responses. Patients refractory to conventional chemotherapy tended to do worse than pts who received azacitidine as first line treatment. Conclusions: Azacitidine in pts with AML is well tolerated. Five days treatment cycles every 28 days in an outpatient setting are feasible and could induce complete and partial remissions. Longer follow-up is needed to assess the duration of responses in AML pts. Azacitidine may be a promising new treatment option for pts with AML. Larger studies are currently planned to confirm these data, define the number of treatment cycles required and clarify whether a leukaemia-free survival correlates with an improved overall survival.


This memo describes how to implement an IP echo host. IP echo hosts send back IP datagrams after exchanging the source and destination IP addresses. The effect is that datagrams sent to the echo host are sent back to the source, as if they originated at the echo host.


This page covers the topics and Ask us everything you want: our job is to make the QRdocs experience as enjoyable as possible!


Objective
To explore the expression of interleukin-17A(IL-17A),interleukin-10(IL-10),interleukin-6(IL-6)in the maternal plasma,umbilical plasma,neonatal plasma from the pregnant women who accepted the Telbivudine for the prevention of perinatal transmission of hepatitis B virus infection.

Methods
85 pregnant women who were delivered in the hospital were chosen[Telbivudine group 25 cases,HBVDNA high viral level group,HBVDNA negative group,non-infection group(health pregnant),each group included 20 cases].The level of the serum of IL-17A,IL-10,IL-6 in the maternal plasma,umbilical plasma,neonatal plasma from the different group was prospectively analyzed by the CBA method.

Results
The levels of IL-17A in the maternal plasma,umbilical plasma,neonatal plasma of the Telbivudine group[(15.29±4.80)pg/ m L,(19.45±4.80)pg/m L,(17.32±4.18)pg/m L]were lower than the HBVDNA high viral level group[(26.03±4.88)pg/m L,(34.07±5.59)pg/m L,(24.12±4.76)pg/m L],there were significant differences(P= 0.000, 0.001,0.019);The level of IL-10 in the maternal plasma,umbilical plasma,neonatal plasma of the Telbivudine group[(6.08±1.32)pg/m L,(2.33±0.68)pg/m L,(3.74±0.61)pg/m L]were higher than the HBVDNA high viral level group[(3.95±1.21)pg/m L,(1.71±0.53)pg/m L,(2.22±0.55)pg/m L],there were significant differences(P= 0.023,0.015,0.012);The level of IL-6 in the maternal plasma,umbilical plasma,neonatal plasma of the Telbivudine group were lower than the HBVDNA high viral level group,there were significant differences(all P<0.05).

Conclusion
Telbivudine can cause the inhibition of the replication of HBV virus,partially reverse the immunologic dissonance of the pregnant women with HBV virus,which is conducive to maintaining pregnancy.

Key words:
Hepatitis Brirus; Interleukins; Telbivudine


Event-oriented serial simulation is a major method for discrete event systems while real-time parallel simulation is used mainly in agent-based models. Combining the advantages of these two methods, an agent-oriented parallel simulation approach using process interaction worldview is proposed on the basis of an agent-based model. Activations and delays are conveyed in the form of messages between simulator and agents. The simulation clock advances in a sequence of activation points. All concurrent activations are sent to agents at a time and associated agents respond in parallel. A brief framework is developed by means of multi-threading and synchronization technology and applied to analyze a queuing system where the results show the validity of the proposed method.


patients and primary care physicians with numerous questions. Evidence-based medicine (EBM) enables the physicians to make explicit and judicious use of the best available evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients (1, 2). In adhering to EBM, a physician needs to follow 4 fundamental steps: 1) formulate a well balanced clinical question; 2) track down evidence with maximum efficiency; 3) critically appraise the information to determine validity; and 4) integrate the information in the care of individual patients. Without the ability to critically appraise clinical evidence, the practitioner is able to answer perhaps only 30% of these questions (1). When faced with the question: "In a hemodialysis patient does intramuscular administration of hepatitis B vaccine confer a longer lasting seroprotectivity as compared to hepatit is B vaccine administered by intradermal route?", the recent article by Vlassopoulous et al (3) demonstrates effectively the ability of EBM to demystify the clinical relevance of the article. A term gaining importance in assessing therapy is the number needed to treat (NNT). It is defined as the number of patients needed to treat to achieve one favorable outcome (2, 4). NNT is calculated as 1/ absolute risk reduction. NNT is a better measure of clinical significance than relative risk reduction (RRR) and statistical significance (4). NNT helps the nephrologist avoid unnecessary therapy and refine one's clinical decision making. Extrapolation of data presented in Figure 2 of the paper by Vlassopoulous et al (3) indicates that the seroprotection rates conferred by intramuscular administration of hepatitis B at 13 months, 24 months, 36 months and 48 months is 100%, 90%, 84%, and 90% respectively as compared with the intradermal hepatitis B vaccination seroprotective rates of 77%, 55%, 58% and 35% respectively (Tabl. I). I come up with the following numbers for the NNT presented in Table I. This data can be interpreted as; in a chronic hemodialysis patient administration of hepatit is B vaccination by intramuscular route as compared to intradermal route results in an absolute risk reduction of 55% at 4 years resulting in a NNT of 2. Stated in another manner every other patient who received intramuscular hepatit is B vaccination had clinically signif icant seroprotectivity as compared to patients treated with intradermal vaccination when compared at the end of 4 years! This is of clear cl inical importance to the nephrologist in being able to objectively quantify the importance of the study and explain the results of a new therapy to other physicians. Routine presentation of statistical as well as clinical significance of clinical data could greatly enhance the applicability of a study.


Abstract HOMG1 (hypomagnesemia 1, intestinal) or hypomagnesemia with secondary hypocalcemia is a rare autosomal recessive disorder of magnesium metabolism, characterized by impaired magnesium absorption. This disorder may mimic other conditions presenting with neonatal seizures. Here, we report an infant diagnosed to have hypomagnesemia with secondary hypocalcemia due to novel variants in TRPM6 gene.


Al–Mg–Si alloys are used in aircraft, train, and car manufacturing industries due to their advantages, which include non-corrosivity, low density, relatively low cost, high thermal and electrical conductivity, formability, and weldability. This study investigates the bulk mechanical properties of Al–Mg–Si alloys and the influence of the Si/Mg ratio on these properties. The Al cell was used as the starting structure, and then nine structures were modeled with varying percentages of aluminium, magnesium, and silicon. Elastic constant calculations were conducted using the stress–strain method as implemented in the quantum espresso code. This study found that the optimum properties obtained were a density of 2.762 g/cm3, a bulk modulus of 83.3 GPa, a shear modulus of 34.4 GPa, a Vickers hardness of 2.79 GPa, a Poisson's ratio of 0.413, a Pugh's ratio of 5.42, and a yield strength of 8.38 GPa. The optimum Si/Mg ratio was found to be 4.5 for most of the mechanical properties. The study successfully established that the Si/Mg ratio is a critical factor when dealing with the mechanical properties of the Al–Mg–Si alloys. The alloys with the optimum Si/Mg ratio can be used for industrial applications such as plane skins and mining equipment where these properties are required.


The Urgency of Islamic Religious Guidance Against the Formation of Faith This convert is an Islamic religious guide to the formation of converts' faith applied to converts who are problematic or not, because basically with the Islamic guidance Muslim converts will always remember Allah and be a straight way to reach a calmer and directed life. . Islamic religious guidance is done by lectures, religious discussions, and outpouring of the heart. In addition, there are daily programs such as congregational prayers, qiyamul lail material, there are also certain times such as the commemoration of Islamic holidays, Islamic studies with direct methods or indirect methods. The urgency of Islamic religious guidance is: First, it produces a change, improvement, and mental and mental hygiene which was initially still insecure so that the soul of the converts becomes calm and peaceful, behaves broadly, and to reach enlightenment the guidance of the Lord feels lighter. Second, to produce a change in courtesy that can benefit both yourself, the family environment, work environment and the social environment and the natural environment. Third, to produce social sensitivity in individuals so that tolerance and solidarity arise and develop, help and love. Social piety will make motivation to improve the antibody system from akhlaq al-madmumah so that ahkhlaq al-karimah is always maintained. Fourth, to produce spiritual intelligence in the individual so that a sense of desire arises to obey his Lord, sincerity in obeying all His commands and endurance to accept His test. The whole urgency and principle above is a means to improve the quality of the faith that grows and grows stronger, which originally will increase the taqlid faith into the faith of science so that it reaches the highest point, namely faith haq and essence.


Accurate, efficient auto-segmentation methods are essential for the clinical efficacy of adaptive radiotherapy delivered with highly conformal techniques. Current atlas based auto-segmentation techniques are adequate in this respect, however fail to account for inter-observer variation. An atlas-based segmentation method that incorporates inter-observer variation is proposed. This method is validated for a whole breast radiotherapy cohort containing 28 CT datasets with CTVs delineated by eight observers. To optimise atlas accuracy, the cohort was divided into categories by mean body mass index and laterality, with atlas' generated for each in a leave-one-out approach. Observer CTVs were merged and thresholded to generate an auto-segmentation model representing both inter-observer and inter-patient differences. For each category, the atlas was registered to the left-out dataset to enable propagation of the auto-segmentation from atlas space. Auto-segmentation time was recorded. The segmentation was compared to the gold-standard contour using the dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and mean absolute surface distance (MASD). Comparison with the smallest and largest CTV was also made. This atlas-based auto-segmentation method incorporating inter-observer variation was shown to be efficient (<4min) and accurate for whole breast radiotherapy, with good agreement (DSC>0.7, MASD <9.3mm) between the auto-segmented contours and CTV volumes.


The invention discloses a beef-containing chilli sauce and a preparation method thereof. The beef-containing chilli sauce is prepared through using raw materials comprising, by weight, 10-15 parts of beef, 45-50 parts of Hot Pepper, 1-3 parts of Chinese waxgourd seed, 8-12 parts of soybean paste, 2-5 parts of seville orange flower, 10-15 parts of Moringa tree leaf, 1-2 parts of Radix Ophiopogonis, 1-1.5 parts of dried orange peel, 1-3 parts of Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae, 1-3 parts of Atractylodes lancea, 1-2 parts of cassia twig, 1-2 parts of Poria cocos powder, 2-5 parts of ginger, 3-5 parts of garlic, 0.5-1 part of yellow rice wine, 2-3.5 parts of monosodium glutamate, 5-10 parts of salt, 0.1-0.2 parts of hawthorn seed powder, 01-0.3 parts of Myristica fragrans powder, and a proper amount of plant oil. The Moringa tree leaf is pulped, an obtained pulp is mixed with powder to prepare a paste, and the paste is mixed with beef granules to form a starchy sauce, so the chilli sauce has the fragrance of beef and has increased fresh and hot mouthfeel; and beef is immersed in traditional Chinese medicinal components having the spleen invigorating, qi tonifying, stomach nourishing and stomach strengthening functions, and then is mixed with the preserved Hot Pepper to prepare the sauce, so the sauce has the characteristics of strong and lasting fragrance, abundant nutrition, delicious taste, and seasoning and healthcare functions, is a scientific, healthy, delicious and safe edible seasoning sauce, and can be eaten by all populations.


ceptualized based on comparisons with metropolitan models, in which the "positive aspects* are constituted by those models and the "local" is constructed as the negative aspects, or vice versa. By eliminating the bad, dangerous elements, only a pure and good national essence would remain. Literary critic Roberto Schwarz describes Brazilian thought on national identity as employing a similar process of elimination.1 As citizens of a former colony and "underdeveloped" country, each intellectual generation was traditionally more interested in the recent theoretical production of the metropoles than in that of the generations that preceded it in its own country. As they became conscious of the "inadequacy" of imported models, many intellectuals went to the opposite extreme of believing that it was sufficient to not reproduce the metropolitan tendency in order to attain a substantive intellectual life. They saw the recovery of "genuine" national culture as a reconquest, an expulsion of the invaders, and an elimination of what was not indigenous. The residue in this operation of subtracting would


Hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus are two major public health problems in the country. The purpose of this study was to compare the prevalence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C in different areas of District Malakand. A total of 280 individuals were bled. Primary screenings were performed by using ICT SD Strip for anti HCV and anti-HBsAg. The final diagnosis of hepatitis was done using Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Anti HCV was found positive in 30 (10.71%), HBs Ag was positive in 27 (9.64%) and no record was found in individuals having both conditions. This study showed a similar prevalence of HCV and HBV infection in blood donors. The prevalence of hepatitis B and C virus can be minimized by the screening of all donors for anti-HCV and HBs Ag and discouraging the use of unsterilized syringes.


This paper focuses on the development of a model-based feedback controller to realize high versatility of fully actuated planar bipedal robotic walking. To conveniently define both symmetric and asymmetric walking patterns, we propose to use the left and the right legs for gait characterization. In addition to walking pattern tracking error, a biped's position tracking error in Cartesian space is included in the output function in order to enable high-level task planning and control such as multi-agent coordination. A feedback controller based on input–output linearization and proportional–derivative control is then synthesized to realize exponential tracking of the desired walking pattern as well as the desired global position trajectory. Sufficient stability conditions of the hybrid timevarying closed-loop system are developed based on the construction of multiple Lyapunov functions. In motion planning, a new method of walking pattern design is introduced, which decouples the planning of global motion and walking pattern. Finally, simulation results on a fully actuated planar biped show the effectiveness of the proposed walking strategy. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4038268]


The Manhattan Project laboratory constructed at Los Alamos, New Mexico, beginning in 1943, was intended from the start to be temporary and to go up with amazing speed. Because most of those WWII-era facilities were built with minimal materials and so quickly, much of the original infrastructure was torn down in the late '40s and early '50s and replaced by more permanent facilities. However, a few key facilities remained, and are being preserved and maintained for historic significance. Four such sites are visited briefly in this video, taking viewers to V-Site, the buildings where the first nuclear explosive device was pre-assembled in preparation for the Trinity Test in Southern New Mexico. Included is another WWII area, Gun Site. So named because it was the area where scientists and engineers tested the so-called "gun method" of assembling nuclear materials -- the fundamental design of the Little Boy weapon that was eventually dropped on Hiroshima. The video also goes to Pajarito Site, home of the "Slotin Building" and "Pond Cabin." The Slotin Building is the place where scientist Louis Slotin conducted a criticality experiment that went awry in early 1946, leading to his unfortunate death, and the Pond Cabin served the teammore » of eminent scientist Emilio Segre who did early chemistry work on plutonium that ultimately led to the Fat Man weapon.« less


This research proposes the development of a method of localization and prediction of AASHTO soil classification that can contribute to the decision-making process in projects for low-traffic-volume roads in the metropolitan area of Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. Geoprocessing and artificial neural networks were used as modeling techniques, and biophysical and spatial variables were used to explain the modeled phenomenon. The characteristics investigated (pedology, geology, geomorphology, vegetation, altimetry, and position) were correlated with the AASHTO classification. The soil AASHTO classification data were taken from projects and preexisting studies and totaled 876 points. In the development of this geotechnical estimates generation model, artificial neural network topologies were calibrated, validated, and tested so as to find a model that could best fit the set of tests. The model had an accuracy rate of 92.6% for the generation of estimates of AASHTO soil classification in the Fortaleza region, on the basis of the biophysical variables studied. The tested model was used to construct neural geotechnical maps that can be used to predict the AASHTO classification of soils not yet characterized in the lab and to predict the type of subgrade of a region not yet explored. Results show that the artificial neural networks technique is promising for geotechnical studies of low-traffic-volume roads.


The present invention relates to a sealed bearing manually rotatable knob system, according as the operation of the entire More specifically, the internal sealing mechanism once manually, since the axis passing through from the outside to the inside and to fully maintain the sealing characteristic of the mechanism, using a non-contact rotary knob there is no problem of torque loss due to friction, to a sealed bearing manually rotatable knob device using a magnet. According to the present invention for achieving the above objects, by operating the rotary knob located on the housing outside of the closed structure, in the sealing structural manually rotatable knob device for rotating the rotating body accommodated in the housing, wherein the rotatable knob and, the lower the first rotation plate arm connected to the shaft of the knob, the lid portion including the first first magnetic material contained in the first rotation plate arm; And a contained in the first to the rotation plate arm position corresponding to and disposed apart from each other and the lid portion, and the second rotation plate arm connected to said inner rotation body and the shaft, the second rotation plate arm on the lower the cover portion 2 is a structural closed manually rotatable knob device using a magnet comprising a rotary part including a magnetic material. And characterized in that the shaft is attached to the entire internal time, the rotation drive member is automatically rotated to be coupled. According to one aspect of the present invention as described above, the first magnetic body and second magnetic body is a single magnet, respectively, installed so as to face each other opposite magnetic poles, moving the first magnetic material by manipulating the rotary knob, according to, characterized in that said second magnetic material is the whole of the inside once rotated while moved by the force. According to another aspect of the invention, by installing the first magnetic body and second magnetic body are each a single magnet, the upper side magnetic pole of the lower-side magnetic poles of the first magnetic body and second magnetic body to be the same, the turnable according to Sikkim by operating the knob to move the first magnetic material, while the second magnetic material is millimeter by repulsion in the same direction as the moving direction of the first magnetic material is characterized in that the whole of the internal rotations. In addition, the second rotation plate arm, the resilient return element is installed, if not the acting force to the rotatable knob, the second rotation plate arm is moved by the user and opposite in direction to operating the rotary knob, and further characterized in that the first magnetic material while the millimeter by repulsive force with the second magnetic body, the automatic return to the rotatable knob is in the first position. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the first magnetic body is provided with a spaced apart a predetermined distance to the side, the same two magnetic orientation of the magnetic pole arrangement form, the second magnetic material of the one magnet of the two magnets located in the vicinity of the central axis, it characterized in that the same magnetic pole and the lower-side magnetic poles of the first magnetic body is installed so as to be positioned at the upper side.


1. Four groups of four calves were given rations containing adequate and inadequate amounts of magnesium, both with or without an excess of potassium, added as potassium chloride. 2. The excess of potassium resulted in the death of three of the eight calves, the clinical signs observed before death being cardiac insufficiency, oedema, severe muscular weakness and muscular atony. The excitability of motor nerves, measured by the method of Kugelberg (1944), was reduced by excess dietary potassium and the serum concentration of potassium was increased. The potassium content of the erythrocytes declined with age, irrespective of dietary treatment. 3. Although this evidence of potassium intoxication was obtained, no concomitant abnormalities were induced in magnesium metabolism by the excess of potassium whether or not the calves received rations containing adequate or inadequate amounts of magnesium. 4. Excess potassium had no effect on the concentration of potassium or magnesium in the muscle or on the Ca : Mg ratio in bone. 5. Magnesium deficiency resulting in tetany was shown to have no statistically significant effect on the intracellular concentration of magnesium i n the muscle. A very small drop in erythrocyte magnesium was noted. No effect on the excitability of motor nerves was observed. 6. The results suggest that the effect of excessive manuring of pastures with potassic fertiliser in increasing the incidence of hypomagnesaemic tetany is not due to a direct effect of potassium on the magnesium metabolism of the animal.


List of Contributors Preface 1. Editorial Introduction: the History of the Philosophy of Language Manuel Garcia-Carpintero 2. On the Nature of Language: A Basic Exposition James Higginbotham 3. Formal Semantics Josh Dever 4. Theories of Meaning and Truth Conditions Kathrin Gluer 5. Reference Genoveva Marti 6. Intensional Contexts Michael Nelson 7. Context Dependence Kent Bach 8. Pragmatics Francois Recanati 9. Semantic Normativity and Naturalism Jose L. Zalabardo 10. Analyticity, Apriority, Modality Albert Casullo 11. New Directions in the Philosophy of Language Max Kolbel A-Z of Key Terms Selected Bibliography Index


A review by Virginia Novarra This book is based on an important and very unusual piece of research: a survey of 435 single (i.e. never married), and childless women in Melbourne between the ages of 30 and 65 and not living as a couple. Despite its Australian provenance, it can be taken as representing the position in the rest of the industrialised world. 'The stereotype of single women portrays them as lonely, unfulfilled, anxious, neurotic, physically disadvantaged and sexually abnormal people. We have failed to find one woman with these features, although some of them were present in some women." (p. 154).


The article identifies the role of geography of mentality for the studies on cultural regionalism. Orenburg region is used as a model region with a population which does not have pronounced regional identity. However, the region has cultural and geographic realities. Retrospective analysis of mental factors of cultural regionalism allowed us to differentiate between five spatial images of Orenburg region: a bridgehead to Central Asia, a citadel of civilizers, an experimental ground for reforms, an exploitable object with vast resources and a deaf province. Currently, Orenburg region is a region of «spreading identity». The mental factors of cultural regionalism are historical memory of the population, perception of the region by local (territorial) communities; land use traditions, traditional architecture. Expansion of geographic researches due to theoretical and methodological studies on geography of mentality is actualized in cultural regionalism. This helps identify the potential for long-term sustainability of multicultural communities and management technologies which can be used for effective and adequate responses to rapidly changing political, economic, and socio-cultural conditions. Based on the historical and spatial analysis of regional identity, it is possible to define the role of mental factors for cultural regionalism. The article uses instrumental and methodical techniques developed by the author to identify mental factors of cultural regionalism. © 2019 Published by Future Academy www.FutureAcademy.org.UK


ABSTRACT Research has proven that having high level of emotional intelligence (EI) can reduce the chance of getting mental illness. EI, and its component, can be improved with training, but currently the process is less flexible and very time-consuming. Machine learning (ML), on the other hand, can analyse huge amount of data to discover useful trends and patterns in shortest time possible. Despite the benefits, ML usage in EI training is scarce. In this paper, we studied 92 journal articles to discover the trend of the ML utilisation in the study of EI and its components. This survey aims to pave way for future studies that could lead to implementation of ML in EI training, and to rope in researchers in psychology and computer science to find possibilities of having a generic ML algorithm for every EI's components. Our findings show an increasing trend to apply ML on EI components, and Support Vector Machine and Neural Network are the two most popular ML algorithms used in those researches. We also found that social skill and empathy are the least exposed EI components to ML. Finally, we provide recommendations for future research direction of ML in EI domain, and EI in ML.


Exposure is an important parameter to evaluate image quality.Due to the impact of light sensitivity,automatic gain and other effects,a nonlinear auto-exposure algorithm based on iris control is designed by extracting the brightness of image block and measuring the nonlinear relationship between the size of the aperture diameter and brightness.Experiments show that the nonlinear auto-exposure algorithm using iris control can achieve accurate and fast exposure and has good stability.


One-third of the chloride, given as sodium chloride to kale and barley in successive years, was recovered in the harvested crops, or in ryegrass grown the following year. Crops on ground not given salt removed amounts of chloride comparable with those in the annual rainfall, so drainage losses under these crops were small.

Improved analytical methods for chloride in soils and plants are described, using colorimetry and potentiometer titration's.


Although effective, immune checkpoint blockade induces response in only a subset of cancer patients. There is an urgent need to discover new immune checkpoint targets. Recently, it was found that a class of sialic acid–binding immunoglobulin‐like lectins (Siglecs) expressed on the surface of T cells in cancer patients inhibit T cell activation through their intracellular immunosuppressive motifs by recognizing sialic acid–carrying glycans, sialoglycans. However, ligands of Siglecs remain elusive. Here, we report sialylated IgG (SIA‐IgG), a ligand to Siglec‐7, that is highly expressed in epithelial cancer cells. SIA‐IgG binds Siglec‐7 directly and inhibits TCR signals. Blocking of either SIA‐IgG or Siglec‐7 elicited potent antitumor immunity in T cells. Our study suggests that blocking of Siglec‐7/SIA‐IgG offers an opportunity to enhance immune function while simultaneously sensitizing cancer cells to immune attack.


The invention discloses a synthesis method of candesartan cilexetil. The candesartan cilexetil is synthesized by esterification reaction, reduction reaction, carbalkoxylation reaction, nitration reaction, N-alkylation reaction, catalytic hydrogenation reaction, cyclization reaction, hydrolysis reaction, condensation reaction and de-protection reaction. According to the invention, the start raw material is 2-nitro-benzoic acid, and the synthesis using sodium azide and tetrazole rings is avoided; an activator tetrabutylammonium bromide is used in the condensation reaction, and palladium on carbon is used in the catalytic hydrogenation reaction; the conditions of the whole reaction system are mild, and a proper crystallization solvent is selected; and thus, the production of impurities is reduced, the cost is lowered, the environmental pollution is reduced, the yield and product quality are improved, and the method is suitable for large-scale production.


Joint ventures represent one of the main forms of internationalization, but they are unstable and risky. The objective of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of the life-span of these organizations. We examine fifteen empirical studies published in international business journals in order to explain the main measures used to analyze the instability, survival and longevity of international joint ventures. Our findings provide a panorama of existing research on this topic.


Good morning! VHA Iowa is an alliance of 14 hospitals, ranging in size from 15 average patient census to 300 average patient census. It operates 11 -mobile medical diagnostic units ranging, in terms of technology, from echocardiography to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to lithotripsy, serving 65 client hospitals in 4 states. We also operate Iowa Medical Waste Reduction Center, which is a regional infectious waste treatment program, and, we are in the beginning stages of forming VHi Rehabilitation services, L.C., to provide various types of rehabilitation therapy services to smaller hospitals, nursing homes, and businesses.


The Referee Anti-Cheat Scheme (RACS) increases the scalability of Client/Server (C/S) games by allowing clients to exchange updates directly. Further, RACS maintains the security of C/S as the trusted referee (running on the server) is the game authority, simulating all client updates to validate the simulation. In RACS time is divided into rounds, and every player generates one update per round. The round length d is bounded by dmax which is specified by the game developer. The referee may reduce d to increase game responsiveness for players. Existing approaches to adjust d require purely distributed algorithms as they do not have a trusted central authority. These algorithms are slow and use considerable bandwidth. In this paper we propose a delay model for RACS, and two centralised algorithms to calculate d for maximum responsiveness an optimal brute force approach and an efficient voting algorithm. We use simulation to show that the voting algorithm produces nearly optimal results, and analytical analysis to show that its processing requirements are far lower than the brute force approach.


China and Austria used a satellite link to exchange quantum encrypted data for images and a video stream, a first step toward a secure "quantum internet."


In this paper, we shall consider the approximation to the mean and variance of moments method estimators due to gamma distribution by using Taylor series expansion approach. This approach showed that the estimators are asymptotically unbiased with mean square error approach zero as the sample size approach infinity. The theoretical approach assessed practically by using monte-carlo simulation. Keyword: Gamma distribution, moments, moments method estimation, Taylor method, Ratio approximation, monte-carlo simulation.


Today a truck driver normally performs three main tasks: driving the truck, loading/unloading and order administration. Transports take place during both day and night and it is important that all ...


These substantial works might appear to cover similar fields, but the content reveals immediately their different approaches and aims. The first, a treatise on the chemical and physical treatments in psychiatry has had a distinguished career, already spanning thirty-six years. It has expanded from the early work of Kalinowsky and Hoch, in which the rivalry of ECT and insulin was debated, to the present form, a highly polished, fully documented and comprehensive description of the present status of all approaches likely to be encoun tered. A useful historical introduction sets the scene. As might be expected, a substantial part is con cerned with chemical treatment, but it is written with a clinical purpose, and the reader is also introduced to the clinical trial, pharmacology and the fate of drugs and the relevance of plasma levels. The descriptions of psychotropic drugs and their application are exhaus tive, while the broad view of compulsive therapies contains a wealth of detail, particularly relevant as a transatlantic view of a much criticised and well defended treatment. There is a thorough review of psychosurgery, and the concluding section embraces the treatment of alcoholic and drug dependence. There is brief mention of less commonly used agents. Among the many approaches included are haemodialysis, megavitamin treatment, electrical self stimulation of the brain, refrigeration, endocrine treatment and sleep deprivation. The title of Drugs and Behaviour could with truth be inverted. The approach in this book differs from that of most works on psychopharmacology, for the primary point of reference is to varieties of behaviour, from which the substances influencing it are discussed. This parallels the order of clinical thinking in chemical terms, and brings to prominence the underlying mechanisms and relevant growing points in research. About half the book is concerned with principles of effects of drugs on behaviour, and drug dependence and its treatment. The remainder, inter alia, deals with perception, learning, sexual frustration, aggression, sleep and creativity in considerable depth. In every section down-to-earth analogies are used, and there is a periodic injection of special interest often related to little known applications relevant to clinical psych iatry. The result is stimulating and it must be difficult to read this book without finding a new field worthy of personal pursuit. In presentation and documentation both works represent the best in medical publishing tradition. Both can be regarded as classics likely to remain usefully in the forefront of attention of psychiatrists, psychologists and pharmacologists for a considerable time.


The formation of peptide bond by means of activation of carboxyl group was reviewed, with emphasis on the work done by the authors recently. Various nitrogen con- taining heterocycles used as leaving groups were studied. Some new phosphorous containing reagents were used for peptide synthesis with satisfactory results.


A new species of Metahomaloptera, M. longicauda, is described from the lower Jinsha River, China. The new species is distinguished from other species of Metahomaloptera by the following combination of characters: pectoral fin with 11– 15 branched rays, tip of pectoral fin extending beyond origin of dorsal fin, pelvic fin with 10–12 branched rays, pelvicfin tip reaching or extending beyond anus, dorsal fin inserting before middle of body, tip of dorsal fin far from vertical line of caudal-fin base, head width 19.4–22.6% SL, pre-pectoral length 8.4–9.9% SL, pre-anal length 69.0–74.3% SL, caudal peduncle length 17.1–20.7% SL, eye diameter 14.6–16.6% HL, caudal peduncle depth 33.7–43.1% caudal peduncle length, mouth width 63.2–75.5% body width at pectoral-fin origin.


The general objectives of this article were to investigate what are the perceptions of Brazilian children enrolled in primary education over gender-assigned roles and the place of women in society and to analyze what could be the impacts of their answers on the foreseeable future of women's rights and equality in contemporary Brazil. This research was drawn from a qualitative approach and our research method was composed of data collection and data analysis through the use of surveys. Our main conclusions were that gender dynamics within the family core influences a lot the perception of children over gender hierarchies, which can result in repeating patterns of gender inequality and in reinforcing pre-assigned roles for women in society. Thus, the role of gender education is paramount in the task of helping these children challenge and question this unequal and often unjust power balance that takes place in their households.  When asked about what they considered to be the role of women in society, the majority of the children surveyed answered that women should work and be responsible for activities such as taking care of the family or doing housework. This vision imposes a burden upon women to follow certain social roles as well as limits the future visions they have for themselves.


The breakdown behaviour of multicrystalline silicon solar cells under -5 to -15 V reverse bias is an important reliability issue for solar modules. Different physical processes may be acting in different breakdown sites. Lock-in thermography (LIT) allows to image local breakdown current densities quantitatively. By performing LIT investigations under different conditions and appropriately combining the results, the temperature coefficient of breakdown sites (in % current change per K) and their slope (in % current change per V) can be imaged quantitatively. By performing special LIT measurements under pulsed illumination, also the local avalanche carrier multiplication factor can be imaged quantitatively.


This paper outlines a library staff exchange that took place between the librarians of Bord Bia and Institute of Technology, Carlow in December 2016. The authors reflect upon the perceived benefits of participating in the staff exchange, resulting new initiatives, and offer tips for getting the most from a library exchange programme.


There are four seasons in a year. My favorite season is spring because it is neither hot nor cold. Everything in spring becomes fresh and wakening. It's time for people to go in the open air to enjoy themselves. In spring, there are


The objectives of the study are to examine consumers' perceptions of speciality food mail‐order products on the basis of a mail survey of "active" and "inactive" mail‐order shoppers. The paper identifies a profile of mail‐order shoppers, examines the influence of perceived risk and the effectiveness of risk relievers, derives the dimensions of perceived benefits and establishes consumer segments based upon benefits sought. The results reveal a distinct profile of active in‐home shoppers with resped to demographic and lifestyle variables. Shoppers perceive higher levels of risk with mail‐order shopping compared to in‐store shopping. Appropriate risk relievers are identified for both active and inactive groups. Consumers' perceptions of the benefits of mail‐order emphasis quality, uniqueness and convenience. However, underlying these attributes are four main dimensions of customer relations and service, convenience, nostalgia and uniqueness. Furthermore, it is possible to identify two segments of active mai...


We report the design, fabrication, and prototype demonstration of a 200-GHz polarization-resolved quasi-optical detector employing monolithically integrated zero-bias heterostructure backward diodes (HBDs). In this design, polarization resolution is achieved by orthogonally integrating the detectors with a planar dual-polarization annular-slot antenna. The detector chip was fabricated and mounted on an extended hemispherical Si lens to enhance antenna efficiency in the millimeter-wave to terahertz region. The responsivity and radiation patterns of the detector were characterized experimentally; good agreement with theoretical calculations was obtained. By measuring the outputs of two orthogonal HBDs as a function of the polarization angle of the incident wave, the planar detector detects intensity and resolves polarization. On the basis of the polarimetric measurement, we further demonstrate the polarization imaging capability of the proposed detector by using it as an imaging system. The detector is promising for developing terahertz polarimetric sensors and imaging arrays in chemical sensing, biomedical imaging, and radio astronomy applications.