Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) exert a negative effect on fertilization in animals.Recent use of in vitro fertilization techniques and various manipulatory techniques have allowed scientists to examine specific effects of PCBs on spermatogenesis,capacitation,oocyte development,fertilization and development of early preimplantation embryos.This paper summarizes such studies,conducted over a six year period.Using several toxic PCBs,but particularly Aroclor 1254,several conclusions can be drawn.①PCBs,at physiological doses,exert their effect on developing oocytes,but have no effect of sperm motility and sperm fertilizing ability.②The antifertility effect on oocytes appears to be mediated through the granulosa cells adhering to the oocytes.③Not only is fertilization effected ,but the rate of embryo degeneration also is increased.④Similar effects are noted with polybromobiphenyl(PBBs)and terphenyls.⑤Development of two and eight cell embryos are also curtailed by administration of low concentrations of PCBs ,and ⑥ IVF procedures are useful for evaluating the effects of these toxic compounds.


In order to recognize environmental effects on the evolution of dwarf galaxies in clusters of galaxies, it is first necessary to quantify the properties of objects that have evolved in relative isolation. With oxygen abundance as the gauge of metallicity, two key diagnostics of the evolution of dwarf irregular galaxies in the field are reexamined: the metallicity-luminosity relationship and the metallicity–gas fraction relationship. Gas fractions are evaluated from the masses of luminous components only, i.e., constituents of the nucleogenetic pool. Results from new optical spectroscopy obtained for H II regions in five dwarf irregular galaxies in the local volume are incorporated into a new analysis of field dwarfs with [O III] λ4363 detections and good distances. The updated fit to the metallicity-luminosity relationship is consistent with results reported in the literature. The fit to the metallicity–gas fraction relation shows an excellent correlation consistent with expectations of the simple "closed box" model of chemical evolution. The simplest explanation consistent with the data is that flow rates are zero, although the observations allow for the possibility of modest flows. The derived oxygen yield is one-quarter of the value for the solar neighborhood.


Introduction: Measuring customer satisfaction is one of the most important aspects of every successful enterprise trying to improve its service quality, so accumulating reviews is highly encouraged. However, as the number of reviews expands it is crucial to develop effective sentiment analysis systems capable of classifying the comments to accomplish further analysis. This is one of the rare studies analyzing health service contentment, especially in Turkish. Methods: 2018 positive and 1394 negative comments collected from patients. Binary List, Frequency List, Binary Words and Words Frequencies feature selection methods were used to train and test a classification system by using machine learning methods such as Naive Bayes, Support Vector Machine (SMO) and J48 tree algorithms Results: The results obtained are very quick and have high average prediction rates, varying between 90.4% to 95.8%. Discussion: Word Frequencies feature selection methods outperform the others with the best average accuracy for SMO as 95,8%, while the poorest results are obtained from the Binary List feature selection method and NB classifier with an average result of 82,6%. Conclusion: Generally speaking, Words are superior to Lists feature selection methods, providing more detailed information for each comment. Frequency methods slightly outperform Binary methods, but the shortness of the texts makes this change not very significant. SMO also forms better classification models than NB, which on the other hand is a very efficient algorithm in terms of time. J48, however, is better at Frequency Lists compared to the other ML algorithms.


The folk image of the world captured in the names of plants motivated by the place of occurrence (on the example of the Podhalan lexis) Summary The main purpose of this article is a description of the vision of the world of the rural community on the example of folk names of plants, which are associated with the place of occurrence of botanical species. The analysis has been developed on the names collected in the several villages located in Podhale region. Contemporary villagers discover the motivation of individual names according to beliefs, prejudices or general knowledge, specific to their community. Therefore the research tools of ethnolinguistics were used to analyse the statements of the oldest inhabitants. The recorded names of plants reflect the way in which language users are conceptualized. Moreover, they testify to the instrumental type of rationality and the bipolar way of evaluating the surrounding reality by language users.


Within the European 'Vehicle Model Based Diagnosis' (VMBD) project, demonstrator vehicles with builtdin faults provided a serious challenge to modeldbased diagnosis techniques and a realdlife testdbed for their evaluation. One of the guiding applications within VMBD was modeldbased ondboard diagnosis of faults in a turbo diesel engine system with a focus on potential origins of increased carbon emissions. This paper focuses on the application aspects. We discuss the requirements imposed, the way they were addressed by the chosen solutions, and the results obtained by the ondboard diagnosis prototype running on the demonstrator vehicle. The most important challenges of the demonstrator were to apply modeldbased diagnosis systems to dynamic systems with feedback, to handle systems without a rigorous mathematical model (such as a combustion engine), and to try to provide the response times required for realdtime applications.


For Merleau-Ponty, consciousness in skillful coping is a matter of prereflective 'I can' and not explicit 'I think that.' The body unifies many domain-specific capacities. There exists a direct link between the perceived possibilities for action in the situation ('affordances') and the organism's capacities. From Merleau-Ponty's descriptions it is clear that in a flow of skillful actions, the leading 'I can' may change from moment to moment without explicit deliberation. How these transitions occur, however, is less clear. Given that Merleau-Ponty suggested that a better understanding of the self-organization of brain and behavior is important, I will re-read his descriptions of skillful coping in the light of recent ideas on neurodynamics. Affective processes play a crucial role in evaluating the motivational significance of objects and contribute to the individual's prereflective responsiveness to relevant affordances.


The existing mass transport system, with its limited capacity and the saturated road networks, has given cause for a new means of transport to be developed, and strong demands for such new means of transport are observed more than ever. However, the traffic authority is seeking a new transport system that focuses more on LRT(Light Rail Transit), a downsized version of the existing urban railroad, rather than one that is appropriate to solve the traffic problems. Moreover, local governments are experiencing difficulties in planning their own mass transportation(bus or urban railroad) as they have no specified criteria for selecting a mass transport system. Accordingly, there has been an increasingly loud voice that calls for criteria to determine which mass transport system befits each transportation corridor. This paper develops a mass-transport demand forecasting model based on the GIS Buffering analysis of each transportation corridor in the city, sets Lip the capacity for each mass transport system and presents the criteria for selecting an optimal mass transport system for each transportation corridor. It also presents a methodology that identifies necessary and sufficient conditions for selection and evaluation, since it is most important to select the optimal mass-transport system that can meet the demand by each mass-transportation corridor.


Adopting the method of corpus linguistics,the purport,plot development and character portrayal of Wuthering Heights are analyzed by applying Wordsmith Tools,which is concordance software.The text is analyzed by the quantitative results of graphic,list and statistics.The overall characteristics of the fiction are grasped clearly,and the rational annotation to the text is obtained.


[reaction: see text] 3-Substituted bicyclo[3.1.0]hex-3-en-2-ones 3, easily obtained by Pauson-Khand reaction between terminal alkynes and cyclopropene, have been quantitatively converted into ortho-substituted phenols 4 by irradiation with UV light (350 nm). The kinetics and mechanism of this photochemical process have been studied by means of FT-IR and semiempirical (AM1 3x3 CI) calculations.


2-[Bis(trimethylsilyl)amido]-1,3.2-diazaphospholidine, [N,N′-(CH2NMe)2]P[N(SiMe3)2]1, has been synthesised from [N,N′-(CH2NMe)2]PCl and Li[N(SiMe3)2]. The activity of 1 as a phosphonylating agent is demonstrated by its ability to undergo the Abramov reaction with aldehydes.


Over the last few decades, scholars have recognized the importance of discipline-based education research (DBER). As outlined by the National Research Council of the National Academies, DBER aims to 1) understand how students learn discipline concepts, practices, and ways of thinking; 2) understand how students develop expertise; 3) identify and measure learning objectives and forms of instruction that advance students towards those objectives; 4) contribute knowledge that can transform instruction; and 5) identify approaches to make education broad and inclusive. Physicists, chemists, engineers, biologists, astronomers, and geoscientists have been among the first to adopt DBER. Given research that demonstrates the effectiveness of instructional strategies developed through DBER, I call for archaeologists to adopt this approach to archaeological education, while developing infrastructure that supports and advances such research and derived instruction practices. Recently, academics, funding agencies, and industry leaders have recognized the need to improve education for the United States to have and maintain a citizenry that is scientifically literate, prepared to address the complexity of challenges facing our nation (Brewer and Smith 2011; Olson and Riordan 2012). A strong education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has emerged as a means to prepare the future citizenry to tackle twenty-first century global challenges. Many, however, also acknowledge that finding solutions to emerging global issues will, by necessity, involve the knowledge and expertise of people from diverse backgrounds and expertise, including scientists, engineers, and those who have an understanding of issues at the intersection of humanity and science, such as archaeologists and other social scientists (Bybee 2010, 2013; Rose and Barton 2012; Sadler 2004; Sadler et al. 2007). STEM education is an approach to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education that is integrative and goes beyond content knowledge to include the application of that content to solve new situations and problems (Bybee 2013). For many disciplines, particularly those in the physical and biological sciences, scholars and educators have embraced the concepts and framework of STEM education, emphasizing this approach since the 1990s when the National Science Foundation developed the acronym and defined it (Bybee 2013). An interesting aspect accompanying the emphasis on STEM education is the scientific study of how people best learn and engage with knowledge of specific and integrated STEM disciplines. This is known as discipline-based education research (National Research Council 2012). Unfortunately, many in the social and behavioral sciences have been slow to adopt and have even rejected the current emphasis on STEM education (Breiner et al. 2012; Colaninno 2016), and in doing so have unknowingly overlooked the study of how we can research and best approach social and behavioral education, including archaeological education. I argue for archaeology to fully embrace an educational approach that has emerged from advances in STEM education and discipline-based 1 Colaninno: Discipline-Based Education Research in Archaeology Published by DigitalCommons@UMaine, 2019 education research, particularly as it has developed in higher education and has been applied at the undergraduate and graduate levels (Balliet et al. 2015; Brewe et al. 2018; Brewer and Smith 2011; National Research Council 2012). Archaeological educators should take steps to support discipline-based educational research throughout the PreK-12, undergraduate, and graduate levels. In this paper, I review the current longterm goals of discipline-based education research, provide case studies that demonstrate how these goals are actualized in other STEM fields, and provide recommendations for how archaeological practitioners can adopt a more scientific, scholarly approach to archaeology-based educational research. Discipline-based Education Research: What is it? Discipline-based education research is the systematic investigation of teaching and learning within a specific discipline to provide robust evidence that informs best practices (National Research Council 2012). Evidence-informed teaching and learning practices have been in place for some time in fields like physics (Clement 1982; Docktor and Mestre 2014; Flores-García et al. 2009), chemistry (Carlisle et al. 2015; Dhindsa and Treagust 2014; Gabel 1999; Gilman et al. 2015), engineering (Brophy et al. 2008; Dym et al. 2005; Litzinger et al. 2011), biology (Andrews et al. 2011; Cary and Branchaw 2017; Sabel et al. 2017; Tanner and Allen 2005), astronomy (Palma et al. 2017; Slater and Tatge 2017), geosciences (Miller et al. 2010), geography (Healey 2005), and environmental science (Jose et al. 2017; Merenlender et al. 2016). The results of this research has helped to support teaching practices that promote conceptual change, problem solving, spatial thinking, and the use of models in engineering and the sciences (National Research Council 2012). Based on the experiences and expertise of discipline-based educational research, practitioners note that this research relies on the knowledge of the studied discipline as well as knowledge from outside the field, such as human learning and cognition (National Research Council 2000, 2012). Specifically, Disciple-Based Education Research researchers must have a foundation in the nature of human thinking and learning as related to the discipline; factors that affect motivation and interest to initially engage in and persist in the learning necessary to understand the discipline and apply discipline specific data to make interpretations; and research methods appropriate for investigating human thinking, motivation, interest, and learning. In 2012, the National Research Council identified five long-term goals that they suggest should guide discipline-based educational research. As these goals structure educational research in other fields, reviewing and applying them to archaeological education can lead our discipline to a more scientific and research-based educational approach. Goal 1. Understand how people learn concepts, practices, and ways of thinking particular to the discipline. Goal 2. Understand the nature and development of expertise in the discipline. 2 Journal of Archaeology and Education, Vol. 3, Iss. 7 [2019], Art. 1 https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/jae/vol3/iss7/1 Goal 3. Identify and measure appropriate learning objectives and instructional approaches that advance students towards those objectives. Goal 4. Contribute to the understanding of the ways to translate discipline-based educational research findings into actual instructional practices. Goal 5. Identify approaches to make education of the discipline broad, safe, and inclusive. Goal 1. Understand How People Learn Concepts, Practices, and Ways of Thinking Particular to the Discipline The first goal of DBER has been an area of investigation for those in STEM education research for decades and continues to be a primary focus of study (National Research Council 2012). Archaeologists engaged in teaching at any educational level frequently ask some variant of this question. For example, how do grade school students first learn about what archaeologists study? Are these students taught about archaeology from their parents and what then do their parents know about the topic? Are undergraduate students enrolled in introduction to archaeology courses coming into the course with any prior knowledge or misconceptions (e.g., the pseudoscience of Ancient Aliens) of the discipline? How should we teach students the fundamental concepts of our discipline, many time without having the ability to have those learners interact with an archaeological site, artifact, or data? Are there different learning outcomes for those students who can interact with artifacts when being introduced to archaeology and those who cannot? Are there teaching approaches that help students make interpretations about past people and communities beyond simple observations from artifacts? Many of us who teach at any age level have given consideration to best practices that support students as they learn these concepts. Few of us, however, have given attention to the means by which we can systematically investigate these questions (but see Ducady et al. 2016; Henderson and Levstik 2016; Moe 2016). A case study from physics provides a simple example of how we can conduct research to investigate how people learn concepts, practices, and ways of thinking particular to archaeology. This case study deals with an overarching topic that many of us are familiar with and has been recognized in other fields: many students in undergraduate introductory courses encounter learning difficulties based on a fundamental lack of understanding core concepts of the discipline (Colley 2007; Docktor and Mestre 2014; Metcalf 2002; Nichols 2006). The case study example from physics investigated how a lack of understanding of foundational physics concepts impacted undergraduate performance in their courses (Flores-García et al. 2009). When students enroll in introductory physics, they often come to these courses lacking an understanding of the concept of force in relation to tension in a massless string and these misconceptions can lead students to make errors when solving multiple-step problems. Working with undergraduate physics majors at 3 Colaninno: Discipline-Based Education Research in Archaeology Published by DigitalCommons@UMaine, 2019 Figure 1. Diagram used to study students' understanding of the relation between the magnitude of tension at two points. Figure is a modification of Flores-García et al. (2009:Figure 10). New Mexico State University, Arizona State University, and University of Juarez in Mexico, Flores-García and colleagues (2009) collected student re


With a example of a garden residential district, through design of the questionnaire, this paper analyzes the risk factors in the process of project bidding. Furthermore, based on a risk-matrix method, it establishes a risk assessment system about project bidding including the risk probability(RP) and the level of risk(RR), and applies it. Ultimately, it sorts bidding risk of the garden residential project based on Borda.


Let S be a constrained system, described in terms of a labelled graph M of finite type. Furthermore, let C be an irreducible constrained system consisting of the collection of possible code sequences of some sliding-block decodable modulation code for S. It is known that this code could then be obtained by state-splitting, using a suitable approximate eigenvector. In this paper we show that the collection of all approximate eigenvectors that could be used in such a construction of C contains a unique minimal element. Moreover, we show how to construct its linear span from knowledge of M and C only, thus providing a lower bound on the components of such vectors. For illustration we discuss an example showing that sometimes arbitrarily large approximate eigenvectors are required to obtain the best code (in terms of decoding-window size) although a small vector is also available.


There is growing recognition of the urgent need to shift the health and social care system from reactivity to proactivity, from being focused on repair to driving prevention and pre-emptive action. To achieve this we recognise that public services will need to be more effectively integrated around the individual 'customer' rather than being organised around the provider and delivered in a siloed, fragmented way that does not meet the customer's quality and experience needs.


In this study, the studies related systematic situation and distribution of the genus Cordulegaster in Turkey have been discussed and variations in C.picta have been revealed by examining specimens of these species in different localities. This genus is represented by three species (C. insignis, C.myzmtae and C.picta) in Turkey. C. picta especially spots on abdominal segments show differences from original definition and it may lead to different definitions. Therefore, determination of these variations is very important in terms of the taxonomic.


the german philosopher Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945) once famously commented that "the test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children." yet, in many cases, modern care of sick children seems to fail Bonhoeffer's test. too often, drugs are inadequately tested for safety and efficacy specifically in children, and the relatively few paediatric studies that are performed often lack basic safeguards. there is even a deficiency of basic research to address questions as fundamental as how children react to and metabolize drugs. in response, legislators and regulatory authorities have implemented new legislation aimed at better protecting children and stimulating research into paediatric treatments.


Users are not making the most of library services. Going to a new paradigm means rethinking the policy of public libraries in Argentina. The new modality of some beaches of the world, generated and generate a new contribution to the communication of the professionals of the in-formation, the "Biblioplayas".


In this paper,we characterize the potentially K1,t +e-graphic sequences,where t ≥3 and K1,t +e be a simple graph obtained by adding an edge to complete bipartite graph K1,t.


ABSTRACT Developing effective measures to improve soil structure and increase soil infiltration in the Loess Plateau located in arid and semiarid areas is important for soil and water conservation. Simulated rainfall experiments were conducted to determine the effects of two new natural polymer derivatives, namely neutral polysaccharide (Jag S) and cationic hydroxypropyl polysaccharide (Jag C162), on rainfall infiltration and their underlying mechanisms. The proportions of different sizes of water-stable soil aggregates were analyzed after spraying four different concentrations (0, 1, 3, and 5 g m−2) of Jag S and Jag C162 under rainfall intensities of 1, 1.5, and 2 mm min−1 and a slope gradient of 15°. Treatments with Jag S and Jag C162 significantly improved the rainfall infiltration rates (IRs) compared with the control. Moreover, applying 1 and 3 g m−2 Jag S effectively increased the IRs by 22.81% and 13.69%, respectively. Treatment with Jag C162 also increased the rainfall IRs by 39.47%, 46.59%, and 46.50%. Furthermore, the content of >0.25 mm water-stable soil aggregates increased from 27.19% to 90.42% before rainfall and from 9% to 50% after rainfall. Compared with Jag C 162, treatment with Jag S was less effective on improving rainfall infiltration and aggregate content. In particularly, application of 5 g m−2 Jag S improved the soil aggregate content but weakened rainfall infiltration because of the higher viscidity and consistency of the Jag S solution. Overall, spraying appropriate amounts of Jag C162 and Jag S on the loess slope surface can increase the water-stable soil aggregate content, resulting in improved rainfall infiltration and reduced soil erosion. Thus, application of two new natural polymer derivatives is a possible alternative conservation practice in the Loess Plateau.


The objective of this study was to investigate in vitro antimicrobial activity of ten 4-hydroxycoumarin derivatives bearing azo group at C-3 position. Some new derivatives of coumarin dyes 3(a-j) were prepared by the coupling of 4-hydroxycoumarin with derivatives diazonium salts, which were obtained by diazotization of aniline derivatives in presence of sodium nitrite and concentrated HCl. All the synthesized derivative compounds were characterized by elementary analysis, IR, 1 H NMR and further screened individually to their preliminary in-vitro antimicrobial activity against four human pathogenic bacteria viz., E.coli, S.aureas, S. typhi and Pseudomonas species. Antibacterial activity of each compound was compared with standard Ciprofloxacin. In-vitro antibacterial activity results revealed that all the synthesized compounds inhibited the growth of E.coli and S. aureus as compared to other bacterial pathogens except 3f; but all the products were ineffective against P. aeruginosa. The compounds like 3b, 3c and 3h have excellent activity against all bacterial species.


Acrylonitrile-co-butadiene rubbers (NBR) reinforced with phenolic and benzoxazine resins (NBR–Ph and NBR–Bz respectively) are prepared by a novel method using co-curing. The relative effect of these resin reinforcements with NBR in comparison to the non-reinforced NBR rubber compound NBR–S under the same conditions has been investigated. It was found that these resins exist in the form of a localized, interpenetrating network structure in the NBR matrix. For both NBR–Ph and NBR–Bz composites, the tensile strength, tear strength and elongation at break increases compared to NBR–S. The tensile strength in particular was increased by about 91% for NBR–Ph and by about 109% for NBR–Bz. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) provides evidence for the superior thermal stability for NBR composites over NBR–S. A decrease in the swelling values are observed in the NBR composites and the retained tensile strength, elongation at break and modulus from thermal aging studies are found to be superior than NBR–S. These results have shown that both the phenolic and benzoxazine resins are effective reinforcements for NBR materials.


Foreword by Karin Barber 1. Introduction: Popular Culture in Africa: the Episteme of the Everyday Stephanie Newell and Onookome Okome I. Theoretical overviews 2. On Creativity in African Urban Life: African Cities as Sites of Creativity and Emancipation Till Forster 3. Our Tradition is a Very Modern Tradition: From Cultural Tradition to Popular Culture in South Western Nigeria Will Rea II. Gender & Sexuality in African Popular Cultures 4. Sex and Relationship Education of the Streets: Advice on Love, Sex, and Relationships in Popular Swahili Newspaper Columns and Pamphlets in Tanzania Uta Reuster-Jahn 5. The Other Woman's Man is so Delicious: Performing Sudanese "Girls' Songs" Eiman Abbas H. El-Nour 6. Bingo: Francophone African Women and the Rise of the Glossy Magazine" Tsitsi Jaji 7. 'Better Ghana [Agenda]'?: Akosua's Political Cartoons and Critical Public Debates in Contemporary Ghana Joseph Oduro-Frimpong 8. Desired State: Black Economic Empowerment and the South African Popular Romance Christopher Warnes III: The Place of Humor 9. Standup Comedy and the Ethics of Popular Performance in Nigeria Moradewun Adejunmobi 10. Literary Insurgence in the Kenyan Urban Space: Mchongoano and the Popular Art Scene in Nairobi Miriam Musonye IV: Popular Discourses of the Streets 11. Music for Troubled Times: Caiphus Semenya's Nomalanga and Zuluboy's Nomalanga Mntakwethu Innocentia Jabulisile Mhlambi 12. Archives of the Present in Parselelo Kantai's Writing Grace A. Musila 13. Heshimu Ukuta: Local Language Radio and the Performance of Fan Culture in Kenya Peter Simatei 14. Football as Social Unconscious or the Cultural Logic of Late Imperialism in Postcolonial Nigeria James Tar Tsaaior V. Coda 15. Lazymen's Clinic: A Musing on Everyday Life and Research" Ranka Primorac


Objective
To investigate the data of gene expression microarray by protein interaction network analysis, establish an interaction network of differentially expressed genes between Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) and osteoarthritis (OA) and choose the central nodes of the network.

Methods
The articular cartilage samples of degrees Ⅱ° and Ⅲ° KBD and OA patients were selected according to the national diagnosis criteria for KBD and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) for OA. Chondrocytes of 8 patients with KBD and 7 with OA were selected. About 1 000 different genes detected by gene expression microarray were inputted into STRING 9.1 database online for analysis and establishment of the interaction network. The interaction data were imported into Cytoscape 3.2.1 software for screening the central nodes of the network. KEGG database was exploited for pathway analysis and functional study of the central node genes, Real-time PCR (RT-PCR) was used for verification.

Results
The protein products of 334 differentially expressed genes between KBD and OA had interrelation, forming a complicated interaction network. About 150 central nodes were selected by Cytoscape 3.2.1 that involved in more than ten signal pathways involved in mitochondria, bone metabolism and inflammatory cytokine.

Conclusion
The interaction network of the differentially expressed genes between KBD and OA, especially the central nodes of this network, can provide clues to the mechanism and early diagnosis and molecular targeted therapy of KBD and OA.

Key words:
Kashin-Beck disease; Osteoarthritis; Interaction network; Central nodes


Summary Plasmacytomas are frequent extradural manifestations in patients with history of multiple myeloma (MM). We present a case of a patient with past history of MM, who consulted due to neurologic symptoms. The magnetic resonance showed an extradural mass with typical features of a spinal meningioma: a narrow canal and compressive myelopathy. Hystopathological analysis confirmed a plasmacytoma.


The purpose of this research study is to investigate the emission of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) from sugarcane cultivations of farmers in Buriram Province based on the principle of life cycle assessment of four processes of sugarcane production, including land preparation, planting, nurturing, and harvesting and transportation. There are two forms of cane growing, namely plant cane and ratoon cane. With regard to harvesting, there are three forms: burned cane, fresh cane and burned leaves, and fresh cane. The results of this study revealed that ratoon cane (fresh cane and burned leaves) emitted the maximum carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) equivalent of 532.19 kgCO 2 eq/ton, followed by ratoon cane (burned cane), plant cane (fresh cane and burned leaves), plant cane (burned cane), and plant cane (fresh cane) at 524.91, 436.58, 429.29 and 60.82 kgCO 2 eq/ton, respectively. Regarding ratoon cane (fresh cane), it emitted the minimum CO 2 equivalent of 14.90 kgCO 2 eq/ton. When considering the process of land preparation in combination with planting, it was found that growing plant cane emitted more CO 2 equivalent than that of ratoon cane by 43.22 kgCO 2 eq/ton. With respect to harvesting methods, harvesting burned cane and fresh cane and burned leaves emitted more CO 2 equivalent than that of fresh cane around 38 times for plant cane and 52 times for ratoon cane. Therefore, in producing and selling sugarcane to sugar mills, sugarcane farmers should choose to grow ratoon canes and harvest the fresh canes, which would effectively minimize environmental impact. Keywords: life cycle assessment, CO 2 emission


Adaptation to the professional activities of employees of the Internal Affairs bodies during the period of professional education is an important condition for the success of further professional activities, which determines the effectiveness and reliability of the subject in performing operational and service tasks. A direction of current importance in the study of various aspects of adaptation to professional activity is the correlation of the system of personal values and motives with the norms and values of the professional environment, their dynamics in the process of adaptation to professional activity, which is confirmed in theoretical and empirical studies. The article presents the results of the empirical study of the dynamics of the value-motivational sphere of the personality of Internal Affairs body's employees in the process of vocational education, both of the general sample and the division according to the level of personal adaptation potential. Statistical analysis made it possible to establish reliably significant differences in the motivational orientation of the individual, characteristic both for the general sample and for individual groups. It was found that by the end of vocational education, employees with a high level of adaptive potential are characterized by changes in the value-semantic and motivational spheres, which contributes to more active interpersonal interaction,successful entry into the professional environment and the desire to increase the level of education and acquire new professional competencies. Employees with low adaptive potential are characterized by the desire to complete training as soon as possible and to reduce the importance of professional activity and the prestige of the service. Indicators of the dynamics of the value-motivational sphere of the personality of employees in the process of vocational training underline the importance of this stage in adaptation to professional activity and the need for psychological and pedagogical support of employees newly recruited into the service of the Internal Affairs bodies.


The utility model discloses an automobile remote data exchange and intelligence control device that pertains to the communication and human intelligence technology field, and consists of an on-board unit of auto control network, wherein, the on-board unit is wirelessly connected with the monitor service system (including communication gateway) of the automobile maintenance center through GSM. The on-board unit is installed on the controlled vehicle and communicated with the monitor service system through the GSM network; the communication gate way is responsible for the wireless communication between the on-board unit and the monitor service system; the monitor service system is the core of the system and can carry out human-computer interaction, intelligence malfunction diagnosis and remote control. The utility model has the advantages of malfunction alarm, maintenance reminding, remote control and malfunction diagnosis.


Understanding Agency and Resistance Strategies is a four nation European Commission funded project, focused on the experience of young people living with domestic abuse. The project explores how we might facilitate young people's capacity for agency, resistance and resilience in situations of domestic violence. In this invited workshop, we presented the preliminary findings of the UK and Italian project partners (University of Northampton, Women's Aid, and Il Meridiano). 74 individual interviews with children and young people were analysed thematically, with key themes including: Escapism; Gestures of Defiance; Care-taking and Relationships; and Paradoxical Resilience. The implications of the findings in relation to European and Italian policy development around domestic abuse were discussed.


Abstract Interaction of intense laser light with chiral nematic structure was examined by use of a reflected-probe-beam experimental technique. The technique is sensitive to structural changes in periodic media and appears to be as valuable for chiral nematics investigation as rentgenografic diffraction for crystal lattices. The paper presents partial results of experiment which is just now continued. They suggest optical nonlinearity in chiral nematics of the collective nature rather than of thermal or photochemical origin. The experimental data obtained up to now are discussed in details, although at present some essential questions remain not clear and therefore no theoretical analysis is given.


Annual medical examinations are conducted by Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) for a population of Marshallese who were accidentally exposed to radioactive fallout in 1954, for a comparison population, and for all inhabitants of the atolls of Rongelap and Utirik. Disease surveillance includes analysis of serum samples. Elevated serum uric acid (SUA) levels are common along Pacific populations, and modifying environmental factors have been investigated as a cause for this finding. The authors have studied SUA levels of people living in the Marshall Islands, and have found elevated values similar to those reported for other Micronesian populations. The nearly Gaussian distribution of individual serum uric acid values for men, and for women less than or equal to45 years of age, indicates that the elevation is due to a regularized increase in serum uric acid rather than to a subpopulation that has pathologic hyperuricemia. The higher serum uric acid levels appear, therefore, to be normal for the Marshallese, a conclusion supported by the infrequency of clinical gout in the population tested.


Parameters controlling the extraction of uranyl sulfate from a suifate medium by means of tri-n-octylamine (TOA) were determined. The effect of TOA- concentration with respect to organtc solvent medium, benzene, chloroform, and carbon tetrachloride on extraction performance was determined. The concentration of H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ in the aqueous phase was kept constant. As a result, extraction isotherms were S-shaped. The extraction coeificient increased with increased H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/, to reach a maximum at 0.05 M. Higher concentrations reduced the extraction. It is postulated that the uranyl sulfate- TOA-complex is displaced from the organic phase by increased H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ concentrations. The extraction coefficient decreased with increased suifate ion concentration. Correlation between the dielectric constant of the solvent and the extraction coefficient was established. Solvents with high dielectric constant reduced the extraction coefficient. However, the chemical nature of the solvent proved to be important. Chloroform, for instance, produced adducts with TOA, probably by hydrogen bonding with the mobiie H of CHCl/sub 3/ and, consequently, extraction of uranyl sulfate was far below 100%. It is suggested that solvents that are compietely inert to amines, but have a low dielectric constant, such as benzene or carbon tetrachloride, be used. (P.C.H.)


While pandemic waves are often studied on the national scale, they typically are not distributed evenly within countries. This paper employs a novel approach to analyze the tempo-spatial dynamics of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. First, we base the analysis on a composite indicator of pandemic severity to gain a more robust understanding of the temporal dynamics of the pandemic. Second, we subdivide the pandemic during the years 2020 and 2021 into fifteen phases, each with a coherent trend of pandemic severity. Third, we analyze the patterns of spatial association during each phase. Fourth, similar types of trajectories of pandemic severity among all German counties were identified through hierarchical clustering. The results imply that the hotspots and cold spots of the first four waves of the pandemic were relatively stationary in space so that the pandemic moved in time but less in space.


he solid mineral sector is very strategic to industrialization and development of the T Nigerian economy. In addition to its macroeconomic importance, the sector has major roles to play in reducing poverty, improving productivity and enhancing the general quality of lives. The sector is greatly linked to other sectors of the economy, contributes to a stable growth of economy and the realization of social and political objectives. Nigeria is blessed with rich and vast variety of conventional and mineral sources. Despite these potentials Nigeria's mineral sector has been dominated by fossil fuels and is been faced by various challenges, which have undermined its industrialization process and development over the years. The fundamental issue addressed in this paper is the extent to which Nigeria has restructured her industrial and energy systems for effective industrialization within the on-going trade globalization process. Generally, enough incentives for efficient resource allocation in order to promote processed raw materials within the on-going process of globalization, coupled with economic liberalization mid deregulation paradigms have not been created. It was proposed that a mixture of the invisible hand of the market with the visible hand of the State should guide the process of industrialization, economic diversification, trade and development similar to the case of East Asian Tigers. Nigeria needs to diversify its mining and mineral sectors and the utilization of these will reduce the country's dependence on fossil fuels and provide an economically stable source of income and employment in the sectors. Therefore, Nigeria needs to develop a technologically driven mineral sector that will harness the nation's resources to complement its fossil fuel consumption and guarantee solid mineral resources security.


Background and Objectives: Headache in the absence of infection or inflammation and other causes may be related with some anatomical abnormalities of nose called contact point headache. Our objective was to study endoscopic and radiological nasal findings of contact point headache and their outcomes after surgery in patients attending department of otorhinolaryngology, tertiary care teaching hospital/center in Northeast India. Study Design: A prospective study. Materials and Methods: A total of fifty patients attending ear, nose, and throat outpatient department and diagnosed as contact point headache were selected after a detailed history of symptoms through questionnaires, diagnostic nasal endoscopy, computed tomography scan, and a positive xylocaine-adrenaline test. All the patients underwent surgery. Pre- and post-operative pain score (visual analog score [VAS]), mean frequency of pain, and mean duration of each attack were noted for comparison. Data collected were analyzed using appropriate tools. Results: A total of thirty males and twenty females were included in the study. At the end of 12-month follow-up, pain score (VAS) reduced from 7.47 with standard deviation (SD) of ± 1.6–0.2 with SD of ± 0.59 postsurgery and the mean frequency of pain reduced from 9.10 with SD of ± 2.86–0.22 with SD of ± 0.67. Both were statistically significant. Conclusion: Contact point headache is a common cause of headache in Northeast India and surgery is effective in a carefully selected cases.


The purpose was to evaluate the effects of gender and of different genotypes of chickens on the physicochemical parameters and centesimal composition, related to the quality of meat. The design was completely randomized arranged in 5x2 factorial scheme, five genotypes (Índio Gigante IG; New Hampshire NHS; Gigante Negra de Jersey GNJ; poultry from the crossing between the IG and NHS breeds IG x NHS; and between the IG and GNJ breeds IG x GNJ) and two genders, with five repetitions and each one represented by three poultry, totaling 150 animals, slaughtered at 105 days. The parameters evaluated on the breast and thigh were: centesimal composition (moisture, ether extract EE, protein and ash), ultimate pH, color (L*luminosity, a*redness, b* -yellowness, C* chroma index and h* hue angle), weight loss by cooking (WLC) and shear force (SF). The IG genotype had the highest average of ultimate pH of the breast (6.03). The NHS and IG x NHS genotypes showed, respectively, higher average of L * (58.93) and a* (1.92) of the breast. The IG, IG x NHS and IG x GNJ showed the highest values of b* of the breast (12.53, 13.37 and 12.69, respectively). The IG poultry showed high average of SF of the breast and thigh (4.79 and 5.01kgf, respectively). The IG x NHS and IG x GNJ genotypes showed the lowest ultimate pH values of the thigh (6.13 and 6.02, respectively). The IG x GNJ genotype showed a high average of b* of the thigh (14.94) and the NHS had a high average of WCL (24.65%). The females showed higher averages of EE on the breast and ash on the thigh (1.03 and 1.11%, respectively). The IG x NHS and IG x GNJ poultry showed higher averages of EE of the breast (1.21 and 1.38 %, respectively). The poultry of IG breed and those from the crossing with NHS and GNJ presented meat quality characteristics more desirable by the consumer in relation to physicochemical parameters and centesimal composition, while genders showed no influence on these aspects.


Objective To investigate the immunological markers in peritoneal malignant mesothelioma(PMM) and metastatic ovarian serous adenocarcinoma(OSA) in the differential diagnosis role.Methods Using cell embedding technique and immunocytochemical assay PMM 20 examples and OSA 35 patients,ascites AE1/AE3,Vimentin,CK5/6,Calretinin, WT-1,HBME-1,CK7,CK20,CEA expression.And its positive expression rate and diagnostic value were analyzed and compared.Results Calretinin,CK5/6,WT-1,HBME-1,CK7 and CEA in PMM with OSA expression difference was statistically significant(P0.05),AE1/AE3,Vimentin and CK20 expression was no statistical difference significance(P 0.05). PMM most sensitive diagnostic antibodies AE1/AE3(100.0%) and Calretinin(95.0%),followed by CK5/6(90.0%) and WT-1(90.0%),specificity of antibodies Calretinin(94.3%) and CK5/6(94.3%);highest sensitivity for OSA antibodies AE1/AE3(100.0%) and CK7(100.0%).followed by the CEA(88.6%),specificity of antibodies is CEA(95.0%) and CK20(95.0%).Conclusion Calretinin,CK5/6 and CEA are good at specificity and sensitivity,as PMM and differential diagnosis of OSA preferred antibodies;AE1/AE3 and Vimentin positive cells,combined with the morphological characteristics of cells can initially distinguish PMM and OSA.


In this paper, for the first time we demonstrate the material benefits of SiGe for MEMS applications based on the results of fabricated devices. To achieve SiGe inertial MEMS, we develop the deposition process for thick, low-temperature poly-SiGe film with which film stress is controlled precisely, and fabricate SiGe accelerometers having 20µm thickness. We clarify that the SiGe accelerometer shows higher sensor sensitivity and lower power consumption compared to Si one and is thus suitable for future ultra-low-power sensors.


Spatiotemporal heterogeneity in SWC within 0-20 cm (upper layer) and 20-40 cm (lower layer) in a Pinus koraiensis-dominated broadleaved mixed forest gap in Xiao Xing'an Mountains of NE China was analyzed by using classical statistics and geographical statistics. The results indicated that the variation regularity in SWC within 0-20 cm was different from that within 20-40 cm during the growing season, the difference in SWC between the two layers reached significant level at P<0.01; the variability degree in SWC within every layer fell into medium variation. Spatiotemporal heterogeneity in SWC occurred with different degree during the study period. Autocorrelative spatial heterogeneity in SWC constituted the main part of total SWC heterogeneity. For SWC spatial distribution within different layer, the patches at medium and lower ranks dominated in forest gap, the patches at higher rank only distributed within 0-20 cm.


The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) plays a vital role in the process of any language teaching programme. Bangladesh has started using ICT in English Language Teaching (ELT) at the secondary level to meet the need of the learners for making the country "Digital Bangladesh". The purpose of this study is to analyse the learners' needs in ICT-based ELT at secondary level schools in Bangladesh and highlight the positive effects in order to keep up with the modernized communities in the current digital world.


[Joachimski and Buggisch (2002)][1] claim climatic cooling as a trigger of the Late Devonian Frasnian-Famennian (F-F) transitional mass extinction based on conodont apatite δ18O signatures from two Germanic sections, where the measured conodont apatite δ18O values showed two positive excursions


The objective of this paper is to assess the impact of tourism on the local music culture in Goa from the perspective of musicians. We consider musicians to be one of the principal, yet often understated agents of cultural change. Musicians are both economic and cultural actors. In the economic space, they participate in the labor market of the tourism industry by performing at local restaurants, hotels, cruises, and other tourist venues, and they make changes to their music in the cultural space by responding to tastes and preferences of tourists. This research is an interdisciplinary study of the nexus point among these overlapping spaces in order to understand how musicians have been affected by and have responded to tourism, which may in turn change the collective identity of the community. It is an exploration of relationships among cultural change, power, and identity. Our findings suggest that tourism in Goa has undoubtedly raised incomes of musicians but not necessarily their well-being. Tourism has also significantly changed music culture in Goa.


On first glance I found this book to be a fascinating read with interesting examples, such as the psychological profile of Jack the Ripper and an analysis of how Hitler was predicted to die. Did I find this book fascinating because I am a behavioural scientist? Probably yes. However, what I want to stress is that this book is well researched with a good balance between empirical research and police case studies. Moreover, the contributors all have expertise in their specific area, such as a 30-year career in the FBI, or expertise in linking serial crime scenes or victim and offender profiling. The book has 13 chapters each covering a different issue. Chapters 1, 2 and 13 are introductory and concluding chapters. Chapters 3 to 6 cover serial rape, paedophilia, adult sex offenders and serial stalkers. Issues covered include linkage blindness in serial rapes, the importance of DNA in rape cases, the characteristics of both adult and child victims and their offenders, and investigation and types of search warrants required for cyber paedophilia. In Chapter 4, several case studies of child victims are presented. I found the case studies informative in that, for me, it changed the context from academic text to real life. Chapter 7 covers serial arson, which given Australia's climate and history of serial arson/bushfires may be of interest to forensic scientists and law enforcement personnel. This chapter presents an overview of the types of serial arsonists and also discusses pyromania. There is also a discussion of common motivators for fire lighting (extremism, vandalism, revenge, excitement, etc) and the problems of juvenile firelighters. Although just an overview it does give the reader a good overall picture of what is currently known. Any reader who wants to learn more can use the reference list as a good resource for further research. Chapter 8 covers the unique issue in Africa of 'muti murder', which is serial murder carried out to gain body parts that can be sold to the makers of, or used by practitioners in, ritualistic medicine (a.k.a., traditional healers/witch doctors). The chapter looks at the difficulties the police face in distinguishing 'muti' as either sacrificial offering or other types of murder. There are several cases that document how lucrative body parts for medicine are. Although this chapter may not reflect the usual types of homicides in Australia, it is interesting to reflect upon the crosscultural differences that underpin why people commit murder. Chapter 9 covers profiling and starts with some overviews of famous people, such as the Lindberg kidnapper and how closely the actual offender matched his offender profile, created in 1932. Later in the chapter there is a discussion of contemporary types of profiling, from offence profiles at crime scenes, geographical profiling, investigative psychology and offender profiling. An example is also given of how Australian Journal of Forensic Sciences Vol. 44, No. 4, December 2012, 403–406


Rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), having a mortality rate of 50–75%, ranks as the 13th leading cause of death in the US. The ability to reliably predict the risk of rupture of AAA on a patient-specific basis could vastly improve the clinical management of these patients. Computed tomography scans of patients that arrived at Stony Brook University Hospital emergency room, with contained ruptures of the abdominal aorta, were obtained prior to surgery. Three-dimensional AAA geometries were reconstructed to model the AAA at the threshold of rupture.


Membrane‐based olefin/paraffin separations can be an attractive alternative to the current energy‐intensive cryogenic distillation for their high energy efficiency. This paper reports an amine modulator‐induced defect engineering of zeolitic imidazolate framework‐8 (AZIF8) nanoparticles (60 nm) for enhanced molecular sieving ability and good compatibility with various polymer matrices. It is revealed that an initial suppression of nuclei formation during synthesis enables amine modulators to deprotonate the neutral organic ligand as well as coordinate with Zn2+ ions. The resulting AZIF8s exhibit more rigid characteristics compared to the conventional ZIF‐8 counterparts as demonstrated by its delayed gate opening pressure. Molecular dynamics simulations also suggest that AZIF8s exhibit a narrower pore size distribution with a smaller opening compared to the conventional ZIF‐8 analogues, which makes them more suitable for size‐discrimination between C3H6 and C3H8. Furthermore, the coordination of alkyl amines into frameworks allows excellent compatibility with various commercial polymer matrices. The highly concentrated 6FDA‐DAM/AZIF8 (50/50 w/w) mixed matrix membrane (MMM) exhibits superior C3H6/C3H8 separation performance (C3H6 permeability of 79.38 Barrer and C3H6/C3H8 selectivity of 39.8 at single gas condition) to most existing MMMs. The structural engineering proposed herein can be applied to other metal–organic frameworks for optimizing their performance in molecular separations.


The high temperature requirement A (HtrA) serine protease family presents an attractive target class for antibacterial therapeutics development. These proteins possess dual protease and chaperone functions and contain numerous binding sites and regulatory loops, displaying diverse oligomerization patterns dependent on substrate type and occupancy. HtrA proteins that are natively purified coelute with contaminating peptides and activating species, shifting oligomerization and protein structure to differently activated populations. Here, a redesigned HtrA production results in cleaner preparations with high yields by overexpressing and purifying target protein from inclusion bodies under denaturing conditions, followed by a high-throughput screen for optimal refolding buffer composition using function-agnostic biophysical techniques that do not rely on target-specific measurements. We use the Borrelia burgdorferi HtrA to demonstrate the effectiveness of our function-agnostic approach, while characterization with both new and established biophysical methods shows the retention of proteolytic and chaperone activity of the refolded protein. This systematic workflow and toolset will translate to the production of HtrA-family proteins in higher quantities of pure and monodisperse composition than the current literature standard, with applicability to a broad array of protein purification strategies. Statement The production of a therapeutically-relevant protein family sensitive to coeluting contaminants is greatly improved by optimized expression and refolding workflow. A miniaturized, high-throughput system supported by a function-agnostic biophysics assay and modified data analysis scripts results in a refolded protein that is highly pure, monodisperse, and retains proteolytic and chaperone activity. This approach has broad applicability towards hard-to-express proteins and proteins sensitive to coeluting species. Additionally, novel methods are presented to characterize protein chaperone activity.


The design of photonic crystal (PC) based optical elements has often relied on numerical simulations using methods such as finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) [6, 7]. While FDTD provides a wealth of detailed information about the system under consideration, it has the drawback of being rather computationally intensive and time consuming. In this chapter, I detail two approximate analytic methods that are of great use in studying planar PC cavities (fig. 1.1). The first is a grouptheory-based analysis [24] that provides information about the symmetries and dominant Fourier components of defect modes within hexagonal and square lattice PC cavities. The second method [25] is a Wannier-like equation analysis that describes how the photonic lattice provides localization for the cavity modes. Taken together, these two techniques can provide approximate modal field patterns that reproduce many of the detailed features of the cavity modes generated by FDTD simulations. They thus serve as a starting point from which a more detailed analysis or optimization of the cavity design can proceed.


We report the discovery of a massive (Mp = 9.04 ± 0.50 MJ) planet transiting the bright (V = 8.7) F8 star HD 147506, with an orbital period of 5.63341 ± 0.00013 days and an eccentricity of e = 0.520 ± 0.010. From the transit light curve we determine that the radius of the planet is Rp = 0.982 RJ. HD 147506b (also coined HAT-P-2b) has a mass about 9 times the average mass of previously known transiting exoplanets and a density of ρp ≈ 12 g cm-3, greater than that of rocky planets like the Earth. Its mass and radius are marginally consistent with theories of structure of massive giant planets composed of pure H and He, and accounting for them may require a large (≳100 M⊕) core. The high eccentricity causes a ninefold variation of insolation of the planet between peri- and apastron. Using follow-up photometry, we find that the center of transit is Tmid = 2,454,212.8559 ± 0.0007 (HJD) and the transit duration is 0.177 ± 0.002 days.


The present study is directed towards evolving on the combined performance of MS and GGBS on the strength properties of High performance concrete over an Ordinary concrete. Micro Silica (MS) and Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) are the by-products. This work mainly deals with the Compressive strength characteristics hardened concrete. The concrete mixes were designed to a compressive strength of M30, M40 and M50 grades with water cement ratio of 0.5, 0.37 and 0.33 respectively Total 18 Different concrete mixtures were cast and tested with different cement replacement levels 7% of Micro Silica with GGBS as addition 50% and 60% at the ages of 7, and 28 days. Strength properties of M30, M40 and M50 grade concretes were studied for combination of optimum replacement levels of MS7%.The investigational results shows that, the strength properties of High performance concrete increase with increase in cement replacement levels of Micro Silica 7% and GGBS 50% and 60% of M40 and M60 grades.


Abstract This report surveys recent developments in the law governing the free movement of goods in the EC. This covers both the application of Articles 28–30 EC to control national measures that obstruct inter-State trade and Article 95 EC as the source of the EC's programme of legislative harmonisation. It shows how and why private law in general and contract law in particular have come to be affected by the law of the EC's internal market. The report demonstrates that the judgments of the European Court in Keck and in Tobacco Advertising are significant for their recognition that the mere fact of diversity between national laws is not of itself an adequate reason for EC law to intervene in local regulatory autonomy. This may, in short, assist arguments designed to shelter national contract law from the effect of EC law, but it is explained that, despite a degree of unavoidable ambiguity in the state of the law, there are nonethless circumstances in which national private law and EC trade law must seek a modus vivendi. More generally it is argued that the growth of a 'European contract law' provides an excellent case study for examination of constitutionally and culturally fundamental questions about the desirable degree of centralisation in Europe.


Project-based sustainability courses require and facilitate diverse interactions among students, instructors, stakeholders, and mentors. Most project-based courses take an instrumental approach to these interactions, so that they support the overall project deliverables. However, as courses primarily intend to build students' key competencies in sustainability, including the competence to collaborate in teams and with stakeholders, there are opportunities to utilize these interactions more directly to build students' interpersonal competence. This study offers insights from project-based sustainability courses at universities in Germany, the U.S., Switzerland, and Spain to empirically explore such opportunities. We investigate how students develop interpersonal competence by learning from (rather than through) their interactions with peers, instructors, stakeholders, and mentors. The findings can be used by course instructors, curriculum designers, and program administrators to more deliberately use the interactions with peers, instructors, stakeholders, and mentors in project-based sustainability courses for developing students' competence to successfully collaborate in teams and with stakeholders.


In this paper we present a method for the estimation of the monthly electric energy consumption, in a house, using a feed forward neural network. The network is trained with the backpropagation algorithm and the patterns used for training are the previous months' consumption. The network was trained using real consumptions from a house, from the previous three years. We used for the network three input neurons, and on these three inputs will be placed the consumptions for the previous three months, and the network will estimate on its output the consumption for the current month.


Objective:To investigate the medical imaging features of thyroid carcinoma to promote diagnostic accuracy.Methods:A retrospective review was performed on 50 cases of thyroid carcinoma confirmed by surgery and pathology.The medical imaging charcters were summed up.Results:Women are affected on pathology,papilloma is most of common.The conformations of the tumors were irregular,with unsmooth margin.The density of the tumors was not equal.The ultrasonographic manifestation,containing microcalcification and abundant color signals.After contrast administration,solid part enhanced while cystic part did not enhance,but the fringe is blurred.Conclusion:Thyroid carcinoma has some collective medical imaging characters.It is significant in differential diagnosis before operation.


In this paper we study the Einstein relation for the diffusivity mobility ratio (DMR) under magnetic quantization in III-V, II-VI, IV-VI and HgTe/CdTe SLs with graded interfaces by formulating the appropriate electron statistics. We have also investigated the DMR in III-V, II-VI, IV-VI
 and HgTe/CdTe effective mass SLs in the presence of quantizing magnetic field respectively. The DMRs in quantum wire GaAs/Ga1-xAlxAs, CdS/CdTe, PbTe/PbSnTe and HgTe/CdTe SLs and the corresponding effective mass SLs have further been studied. It appears that the DMR oscillates
 both with inverse quantizing magnetic field and electron concentration for GaAs/Ga1-xAlxAs, CdS/CdTe, PbTe/PbSnTe and HgTe/CdTe superlattices with graded interfaces. The DMR decreases with increasing film thickness and decreasing electron concentration for the said superlattices
 under 2D quantization of wave vector space.


Waste minimization at a large integrated chemical manufacturing site integrated pollution control at Allied Colloids - a case study solvent management - avoid/reduce capital investment in VOC abatement to bund or not to bund? - a study of alternatives to secondary containment clean design of batch processes monitoring requirements under integrated pollution control an electronic measurement of odours and aromas design of distributed effluent treatment systems NOx - process improvement and pollution prevention with hydrogen peroxide super-stable nanofiltration membranes open the way to new applications colvent recovery Cemfuel - a fuel for cement kilns incineration of solvent and other hazardous wastes controlling VOC emissions using low-temperature (cryogenic) condensation VOC destruction in a microwave-energized plasma reduction of chlorinated organic compound emissions by flameless thermal oxidation odour reduction using activated carbon.


Objective: To investigate the life quality and mental health of patients with gastric cancer after the operation, and to discuss the effects of different interventions in order to make a reference. Methods: 70 patients with gastric cancer who were accepted the surgery in our hospital from July 2009 to January 2012, with the treatment of tumor movement, the proximal gastric resection, the distal stomach or the total resection according to their actual circumstances, were selected and divided into the intervention group and the control group. Then the incidences of the anxiety and the depression of patients in the two groups were scored and the postoperative life quality was evaluated. Results: The incidence of anxiety and depression was 55% and 50% in the intervention group which was lower than 76.6% and 83.3% in the control group, respectively(P0.05). After the intervention, the scores of the physiology, the pain, the emotion,the sociality and the cognition of patients in the two groups were improved than before, especially for the patients in the intervention group(P0.05). Conclusions: It is indicated that the nursing intervention should be promoted to release the anxiety and depression of patients and improve the postoperative life quality.


Introduction There is growing interest in the behavior of optical systems of high numerical aperture, partly as a result of developments in microscopy and optical information storage, but also stemming from the necessity to understand the fundamental limitations to optical focusing and imaging. Several papers recently have been concerned with the effects of aberrations in high-aperture systems [1-4]. These have described a number of interesting properties, which show great differences from the behaviour of paraxial systems. In these papers, the standard paraxial forms for the Seidel aberrations were substituted into various forms of the vectorial diffraction formula. This is equivalent to considering the imaging of an object in the low aperture space into the high aperture ob


Introduction The aim of our study was precise U-Pb dating by SHRIMP of zircons megacrysts from 7 pipes within five kimberlite fields of different ages and located from the center to outward of NE part of the Siberian platform, Russia. The genesis of 'kimberlitic' zircon is controversial. The favoured hypothesis is that the zircons are the products of metasomatic processes in the upper mante. U-Pb ages of 'kimberlitic' zircons have been interpreted as representing the timing of kimberlite emplacement, based on the assumption that the U-Pb system is continuously reset under upper mantle conditions prior to transport to the surface (Davis et al., 1980). We have analyzed zircons from following kimberlite pipes: 325 let Yakutii and Zapolyarnaya (Verkhnemunskoye field), Druzhba (Chomurdakhskoye field), Malokuonamskay and Anomaliya 20/85 (Kuranakhskoye field), Hrizolitovaya (Molodinskoye field), Ruslovaya (Kuoykskoye field).


Anxiety, hopelessness and debilitating fear, these are some of the emotions that my students have voiced to me when they have explained how their experience and world-view has changed after studying International Relations for some time. They had not expected to find that the majority of scholarship in IR depicted a very sinister view of world politics. Neither did they expect that reading these materials would affect them emotionally and they felt there was something wrong with them as they were reacting in this way. They had come to study IR in order to change the world for the better for the actual people living in this world, instead they were offered sophisticated theorizing about world politics, genocide, global inequalities with very little hope in sight. This left many students confused and disillusioned with the scholarship of IR and also hopeless about the future of the human race. And they came to me for help.


Introduction: Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) is used to measure and quantify radiopharmaceutical distribution within the body. The accuracy of quantification depends on acquisition parameters and reconstruction algorithms. Until recently, most SPECT images were constructed using Filtered Back Projection techniques with no attenuation or scatter corrections. The introduction of 3-D Iterative Reconstruction algorithms with the availability of both computed tomography (CT)-based attenuation correction and scatter correction may provide for more accurate measurement of radiotracer bio-distribution. The effect of attenuation and scatter corrections on accuracy of SPECT measurements is well researched. It has been suggested that the combination of CT-based attenuation correction and scatter correction can allow for more accurate quantification of radiopharmaceutical distribution in SPECT studies (Bushberg et al., 2012). However, The effect of respiratory induced cardiac motion on SPECT images acquired using higher resolution algorithms such 3-D iterative reconstruction with attenuation and scatter corrections has not been investigated. Aims: To investigate the quantitative accuracy of 3D iterative reconstruction algorithms in comparison to filtered back projection (FBP) methods implemented on cardiac SPECT/CT imaging with and without CT-attenuation and scatter corrections. Also to investigate the effects of respiratory induced cardiac motion on myocardium perfusion quantification. Lastly, to present a comparison of spatial resolution for FBP and ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM) Flash 3D together with and without respiratory induced motion, and with and without attenuation and scatter correction. Methods: This study was performed on a Siemens Symbia T16 SPECT/CT system using clinical acquisition protocols. Respiratory induced cardiac motion was simulated by imaging a cardiac phantom insert whilst moving it using a respiratory motion motor inducing cyclical elliptical motion of the apex of the cardiac insert. Results: Our analyses revealed that the use of the Flash 3-D reconstruction algorithm without scatter or attenuation correction has improved Spatial Resolution by 30% relative to FBP. Reduction in Spatial Resolution due to respiratory induced motion was 12% and 38% for FBP and Flash 3-D respectively. The implementation of scatter correction has resulted in a reduction in resolution by up to 6%. The application of CT-based attenuation correction has resulted in 13% and 26% reduction in spatial resolution for SPECT images reconstructed using FBP and Flash 3-D algorithms respectively. Conclusion: We conclude that iterative reconstruction (Flash-3D) provides significant improvement in image spatial resolution, however as a result the effects of respiratory induced motion have become more evident and correction of this is required before the full potential of these algorithms can be realised for myocardial perfusion imaging. Attenuation and scatter correction can improve image contrast, but may have significant detrimental effect on spatial resolution.


Page 6965. In the list of authors, the first name of the fifth author was inadvertently deleted. The correct presentation should be Krishnam Raju Atcha, as shown above.


Tool wear monitoring is one of the critical issues in the automated industry. Though use of artificial neural networks for tool wear monitoring is widely reported in the literature, the models are built only for dry machining. In the present work, a neural network model for cutting fluid assisted machining is proposed. Experimentation has been carried out using different cutting fluids and the results were used to build up and test the model. Further, an improvement in the network is proposed using simulated annealing, which can automatically and effectively optimize the network architecture, as opposed to the conventional trial and error method.


Objective To prevent data transfer or loss in application development when dealing with data exchange between Oracle database with different server's character set.Methods Environment variable is set to update Oracle client's character set so as to solve data transfer or loss caused by character set transformation.Results It was the environment variable not the register list that was reset,so Oracle databases with different server's character set were not connected at the same time.Conclusion An adaptive method for different server's character set is given to solve this problem.


Since October 2018, over 400 individuals in the Ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) community in Brooklyn, New York have contracted measles, a disease once eradicated in the United States.This disease, preventable through a two-dose measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, is one of the most contagious infections and has serious long term health consequences. Both public and private officials—namely, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene(DOHMH) and individuals within the Haredi community—have taken a number of steps to address the measles outbreak, implementing policies to increase vaccination rates. This paper details those interventions and points out how many of such policies do not properly account for the idiosyncrasies of the Haredi community, such as its hierarchical structure and its insularnature. The paper concludes with specific recommendations on how policies could be improved to address the particular biases related to vaccination uptake among Haredim. Disciplines Social and Behavioral Sciences Comments The final capstone research project for the Master of Behavioral and Decision Sciences is an independent study experience. The paper is expected to: • Present a position that is unique, original and directly applies to the student's experience; • Use primary sources or apply to a primary organization/agency; • Conform to the style and format of excellent academic writing; • Analyze empirical research data that is collected by the student or that has already been collected; and • Allow the student to demonstrate the competencies gained in the master's program. This capstone is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/mbds/5 ONE MEASLY CHANGE: AN UNORTHODOX APPROACH TO ADDRESSING THE ULTRA-ORTHODOX MEASLES OUTBREAK Elisheva Blas firstname.lastname@example.com Reader: Enrique Fatas, PhD Capstone Project University of Pennsylvania Master of Behavioral & Decision Sciences Summer 2019


Aims: the present study seeks to analyze the prevalence of lumbago and its influence on the quality of life of the pregnant woman. Methods: this was a cross-sectional and exploratory-descriptive research with a quantitative approach, performed with 70 pregnant women assisted in the Family Health Strategy network in the city of Paraibano – PB. The instrument used comprised multiple-choice questions related to sociodemographic aspects, the characterization of lumbago, and quality of life. The study was approved by the Ethics in Research Committee under CAAE: 16742713.7.0000.5182., protocol number 475.324. Results: lumbago was prevalent in 87.1% of the sample, present in pregnant women on a daily basis for a period longer than sixty minutes, and ranging from moderate to severe pain. To alleviate pain, women used strategies like the use of drugs, prolonged resting and walking. Conclusions: lumbago is a common symptom among pregnant women, and, therefore, should be more valued by health professionals.


The work in this thesis sought to examine the effects of enhancing cardiac gap junction coupling using the pharmacological agent Rotigaptide in clinically applicable models of acute myocardial infarction (MI). Specifically, the studies in this thesis investigated the effect of Rotigaptide on ventricular arrhythmogenesis and structural remodelling of the reperfused substrate, with particular emphasis on the development, application and histological validation of diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imagine (DTI) as a novel imaging modality to describe and quantify structural remodelling post-infarction. An ex vivo rat model of acute regional ischaemia-reperfusion was characterised and used to study the effect of Rotigaptide on ventricular arrhythmogenesis during acute ischaemia and reperfusion. Arrhythmias occurred during ischaemia in a monomodal distribution with a peak incidence between 12-15 minutes after ischaemia. The incidence of reperfusion arrhythmias was dependent on the preceding duration of ischaemia with a progressive reduction as ischaemic time extended from 15 to 60 minutes. Rotigaptide pre-treatment afforded a significant reduction in ischaemia-induced arrhythmias compared to administration at the onset of ischaemia or at the time of reperfusion. An in vivo rat model of infarction-reperfusion, mimicking clinical reperfusion in the setting of acute MI was characterised and Rotigaptide administered prior to reperfusion and for a week post-MI. At four-weeks post-MI animals were studied with 6-lead ECG, ambulatory telemetry, programmed electrical simulation (PES), optical mapping, DTI and histology. Rotigaptide reduced the susceptibility to arrhythmias induced by PES and partially restored DTI-derived indices of tissue disruption in infarcted myocardium.


We analyze the non-frontal collisions of two Schwarzschild black holes in the realm of general Robinson-Trautman spacetimes using a numerical code based on spectral methods. In this process, two black holes collide and form a single black hole while a certain amount of the initial mass is carried away by gravitational waves. We determined the forms of the gravitational waves and the efficiency of this process for frontal and non-frontal collisions. We found numerical evidence that the distribution of mass qloss can be described by a function typically used in nonextensive statistics.


A Dream of Red Mansons is one of the masterpieces of China literature.The translation of poem in it is not only the crucial but also the most difficult part of the translation.Image,as the soul of essence of Chinese classical poetry,should be preserved to the maximum in translation.Based on the comparison of the reproduction of imagery in the different English versions of the five poems composed by Lin Daiyu,some enlightenment on the reproduction of imagery could be drawn on.


Organizations will not reap benefits from diversity management till there is a supportive environment which is inclusive in orientation towards the minority workforce. The present study was carried out in three organizations in India. The independent variable was a supportive work environment. The dependent variable was performance management score of diverse categories of employees. The term minority workforce refers to women employees, employees belonging to religions other than Hinduism and those preferring not to disclose their sexual orientation. A comparison between those having care taking responsibilities at home and those having no such responsibilities back home was undertaken. The results showed that supportive work environment led to high performance scores. Introduction Globalization is fast changing the demographic mix of workforce in organizations across countries. Therefore the concept of diversity and its management become imperative. Diversity management (DM) is planning and implementing organizational systems and practices to manage people so that the potential advantages of diversity are maximized while its potential disadvantages are minimized (Cox, 1993). The term originated in North America in the late 1980's and since then it has seeped into countries across the world (Hays-Thomas, 2004; Kaiser & Prange, 2004; Nyambegera, 2002; Ozbilgin & Tatli, 2008; Palmer, 2003; Pattnaik & Tripathy, 2014) DM started as an initiative to provide equal employment opportunities and today it has translated into an industry wide policy on diversity. It refers to a mixture of people with different group identities within the same social system (Fluery, 1999). Diversity includes factors such as race, gender, age, color, physical disability, and ethnicity (Kundu & Turan, 1999). Paradigms of Diversity Organizations look at diversity from different paradigms, which in turn shape their philosophy on diversity. The moral paradigm believes that discrimination is wrong, illegal and immoral (for example discrimination on grounds of race, caste and religion). The social need paradigm believes that our solutions to diversity for a country or region must be different and unique from the rest (for example the needs of 'differently-abled' in an organization or how to bring the economically and educationally backward population into the national main stream). The competitive advantage paradigm believes that there is a competitive rationale behind the belief in diversity and adopting inclusion as a policy (1). For example, Mckinsey (2014) reported that companies in the top quartile for gender or racial and ethnic diversity are more likely to have financial returns above their national industry medians. Companies in the bottom quartile in these dimensions are statistically less likely to achieve above-average returns. Diversity thus is a competitive differentiator. (2) Types of Organization & Diversity Policies Cox (1994; 2001) divides organizations in to three types: the monolithic organization, the plural organization, and the multicultural organization and presents a diversity management paradigm for each type. They are as follows: The monolithic organization is demographically and culturally homogeneous. For example, most Chinese companies are monolithic from a cultural and ethnic perspective. (Powell & Graves, 2003). A monolithic organization in North America or Europe will have a majority of white men and relatively few women and members of ethnic and racial minorities (Cox, 1994; 2001).Similarly in India almost all organizations will have primarily Indians as employees. Such organizations will have a culture that will perpetuate the homogeneity of its workforce through its hiring and promotion practices. The plural organization: has a heterogeneous workforce, relative to the monolithic organization, and typically makes efforts to conform to laws and public policies that demand and expect workplace equality. …


Recognition and assessment of pain is important in animal welfare as untreated pain can cause harm through catabolism, delayed healing, impaired respiration and increased morbidity (Cambridge et al., 2000). Assessment of pain in cats is complicated and can be difficult to recognise because behavioural manifestations are frequently subtle or non-existent (Wright, 2002). The difficulty in assessing pain in cats reflects the need to recognize and summate complex and subtle behaviours that provide an objective measurement of pain (Burrow et al., 2006). It is also important in emergency care to have a sensitive and reliable pain-scoring system that is quick and simple to use (Robertson, 2005).


One of the cornerstones of modem technology that was ushered in by laparoscopic surgery is the use of the video image. The importance of this "virtual representation" of the patient goes well beyond the application to laparoscopic surgery, and lies at the very heart of the revolution of surgery into the Information Age. Real objects, organs and patients can be represented as 2 and 3-dimensional computer generated images and viewed upon displays beyond the simple video monitor which permit a level of clinical practice not possible on the actual patients. These fundamental concepts that form the foundation of the revolution in surgery are placed in a framework for the future of surgery, and illustrate how their implementation can dramatically improve patient care. This is a US government work. There are no restrictions on its use.


We have characterized 2.5-μm-wavelength InGaAsSb/AlGaAsSb/GaSb two-quantum-well diode lasers that emit 1 W continuous waves from a 100-μm-wide aperture at a temperature of 12 °C. The threshold current density is 250 A/cm2, and the external quantum efficiency near threshold is 0.36. The wall–plug efficiency reaches a maximum of 12% at a current of 2 A. Operating in the pulsed-current mode, the devices output nearly 5 W at 20 °C. These lasers exhibit internal losses of about 4 cm−1 and differential series resistances of about 0.1 Ω. A broad-waveguide design lowers internal losses, and highly doped transition regions between the cladding layers and the GaSb reduces series resistance.


It has been shown recently that relativistic distortions generate a dipolar modulation in the two-point correlation function of galaxies. To measure this relativistic dipole it is necessary to cross-correlate different populations of galaxies with for example different luminosities or colours. In this paper, we construct an optimal estimator to measure the dipole with multiple populations. We show that this estimator increases the signal-to-noise of the dipole by up to 35 percent. Using 6 populations of galaxies, in a survey with halos and number densities similar to those of the millennium simulation, we forecast a cumulative signal-to-noise of 4.4. For the main galaxy sample of SDSS at low redshift z ⩽ 0.2 our optimal estimator predicts a cumulative signal-to-noise of 2.4. Finally we forecast a cumulative signal-to-noise of 7.4 in the upcoming DESI survey. These forecasts indicate that with the appropriate choice of estimator the relativistic dipole should be detectable in current and future surveys.


The problem of evaluating sedative activity in animals lies in finding the experimental equivalent of clinical "daytime sedation," which is a therapeutic measure employed to reduce such hyperpathic states as anxiety, apprehension, and agitation to a eupathia of composure and normal behavior. Although it may be possible to induce an approximation of this neurotic state in animals by conditioning or by the administration of psychotomimetic drugs, and to use such animals for testing, the procedures are too time-consuming and the conditions evoked are not sufficiently understood to serve the purpose of general screening. Because of these circumstances, normal animals are used. It is assumed that if a drug can reduce in the normal animal the eupathia of normal wakefulness, alertness, and responsiveness to the hypopathia of somnolence and presleep (FIGURE 1) at dose levels that are low enough to avoid further depression of nervous function, the drug may also be effective clinically as a daytime sedative. It is evident that the experimental counterpart of sedation must be a state in which consciousness and reflex activity are little, if a t all, impaired, and that somnolence meets this specification. Notwithstanding the tendency to lapse into light sleep with concomitant dimming of consciousness and homeostatic reactions, these activities are not so reduced in somnolence that an arousal stimulus fails to awaken the animal to normal alertness and responsiveness (see definition of states of sleep by Loomis, Newton Harvey, and Hobart, 1929; and by Doust and Schneider, 1952). If, according to Kleitman (1939), deep sleep is accompanied by unconsciousness and loss of righting, these conditions are rapidly reversible, for arousability is the criterion which distinguishes the "sleep" of somnolence or sedation from that of (experimental) hypnosis. When impairment of arousability and righting becomes temporarily irreversible the depression has passed beyond the stage of sedation. (Inability to right the hindquarters signals the subhypnotic stage. Inability to right both forelegs and hindquarters signals the hypnotic stage. Loss of vocalization and the motor response to toe or tail pinch, and the loss of corneal and pinna reflexes, complete the sensori-motor paralysis of the final stage of general anesthesia or coma.) * The methods usually employed for the assay of sedative drugs are not specifically directed toward the evaluation of sedative activity, although all methods utilize one or another of the characteristics of "sleep" as the criterion of effect. In the absence of a pharmacological definition of sleep, evaluation of sedative action has been conducted a t different levels of this state, ranging from sleep itself to hypnosis, and even to general anesthesia. I t is apparent that the criteria or endpoints employed in such evaluations have either overshot the


Fighting malnutrition in all its forms among adults and children faces a great challenge in the 21st century. Utilization of fruits in jam production has been on the rise. Exploring the use of honey for food value addition has also gained popularity. Tamarillo as a fruit has a high antioxidant activity, contents of carotenoids, ascorbic acid, Vitamin B6, minerals and provitamin A. Globally, tamarillo is an underutilized, sustainable fruit crop with great potential for value-added product preparations such as salads, sauces, soups, jams, ice creams, juices and liqueurs. In Kenya, tamarillo has gained traction in the recent past due to the increasing awareness of its nutritional value and economic potential. This study sought to develop tamarillo honey jam and determine its acceptability among preschoolers (4-5) years and adults (parents included) (25-60) years. Fresh ripe tamarillo fruits were collected along with honey from Kitale and Marigat farms. The acceptability tests done with preschoolers used the 9-point hedonic scale and Focus Group Interview guide for adults. The sensory evaluation parameters used were: smell, appearance/colour, mouth feel, taste, fluidity and general acceptance. Coded and transcribed videos were analyzed with NVIVO 20 for qualitative data and SPSS version 25 for the descriptive statistics. Developed tamarillo honey jam consisted of 64.93% (4.3 kg) fruit pulp, 32.45% (2.15 kg) honey, 2.59% (0.172 kg) pectin and 0.03% (0.002 kg) preservatives. The results showed that the smell, appearance/colour, taste, mouthfeel and fluidity of tamarillo honey jam were important factors in accepting the jam. More than 75% of both adults and preschoolers liked the jam with less than 25% having negative test preferences. The findings revealed that tamarillo jam was acceptable among the adults and preschoolers. Findings indicate that honey can be incorporated in jams for consumption of variety value added nutritious products and help address macronutrients and micronutrient public health concerns alongside diets. Key words: Tamarillo, Honey, Sugar, Jam, Analysis, Adults, Preschoolers, Acceptable


The author introduces advantages of gear-reduction starter and the points for attention in its installation,operation and emergent starting,lists its common faults and resolutions and the essentials while replacing the traditional universal starter.The main technical parameters of the gear-reduction starters made by different factories are also provided as well as their applicable models or types of matched engines.


In this work we present a nonlinear multiscale finite element method combined with local preconditioning for solving compressible Euler equations in conservative variables. The formulations are based on the strategy of separating scales, in which it is the core of the variational multiscale (finite element) methodology. The subgrid scale space is defined using bubble functions that vanish on the boundary of the elements, allowing to use a local Schur complement to define the resolved scale problem. The resulting numerical procedure allows the fine scales to depend on time. The formulation proposed added artificial viscosity isotropically in all scales of the discretization. Due to the fact that, density-based schemes suffer with undesirable effects of low speed flow including low convergence rate and loss of accuracy, local preconditioning is applied to the set of equations in the continuous case. We evaluate the multiscale formulation with local preconditioning in the low Mach number comparing with the non-preconditioned case. The experiments show that density-based schemes combined with local preconditioning yields good results.


Knowledge is the currency of the current economy and a vital resource for the sustainability of performance quality in today's knowledge intensive business environment. To avoid the detrimental consequences of knowledge loss, managers are urged to identify where knowledge stocks exist and how knowledge flows within their organisations by keying out wellsprings of knowledge among their employees. Although some studies have attempted to measure knowledge on an organisational level using different methods, very few studies have addressed the individual knowledge carrier. Moving from a critical literature review of the existing approaches to knowledge measurement, this paper proposes a novel framework that enables organisations to measure individual knowledge in a business context using a set of metrics. The metrics are subsequently validated through a series of in-depth interviews with senior managers.A summary of the managers' views on individual knowledge measurement is presented. Reflections regarding the industry application and recommendations for the proposed framework are also discussed.


Successful engineers are competent in 21 st century skills (problem-solving, critical thinking, technology literacy, creativity, independent learning, excellent communication, and collaboration skills), as well as technical and mathematical principles in order to develop societal solutions. Typically, undergraduate engineering programs utilize capstone design projects and problem sets to promote understanding and integration of engineering concepts. However, in crossdisciplinary fields such as bioengineering, knowledge and use of life sciences is as important as applying engineering principles. Thus, we need to identify ways to introduce more life science strategies into our bioengineering curriculum. One way to accomplish this is by exposing students to specialized research skills (i.e., use and application of the scientific method in bioengineering) early in their education. In the Fall 2012 semester, the Fischell Department of Bioengineering at the University of Maryland at College Park modified a lower-level laboratory course to include project-based and design-based learning to introduce to bioengineering students with scientific strategies needed to tackle bioengineering research. The course is divided into one workshop and one laboratory session per week. During the first week of class, students are introduced to two selected target areas in bioengineering: biofuel and biopharmaceutical production. Student teams are assigned to one of these projects based on student entries in an online polling system. As part of the modifications to the course, students participated in custom-designed workshops based on Understanding by Design and Universal Design Learning frameworks to help students navigate through application of the scientific method in bioengineering research. Workshop topics included designing a hypothesis statement, establishing experimental controls and protocols, analyzing and interpreting data, and effective communication of scientific findings in progress reports and oral presentations, all in the context of bioengineering. To help track individual progress, students were asked to provide videos, pictures, diagrams, and written documents of their experimental progress and observations into an online electronic portfolio system (www.innovationportal.org). The electronic portfolio system contained step-by-step elements that guided students in the design process: from the development of an idea to execution of a plan. Summative findings from the curricular material indicated that both freshmen and sophomores demonstrated enhanced confidence and performance in key areas (i.e., hypothesis design) and competencies (cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal). Interestingly, while freshmen demonstrated improved confidence in the use of bioengineering analytical tools, sophomores showed increased self-efficacy in fundamental scientific topics. In the intrapersonal and interpersonal domains (ethical awareness and teamwork, respectively), little improvement in confidence was found among sophomores compared to freshmen. Additional factors such as increased course load and stress among sophomore students could have contributed to the latter finding. More tests are needed to corroborate the effects of external factors in developing these skills. This paper describes and highlights the instructional approaches taken to expose entry-


This study discusses pronunciations used in marriage contracts in Indonesia with various types of pronunciation. The jurisprudence experts agree to use the words "Nikah and Kawin" in a marriage contract because it is based on Q.S Al-Azhab verse 37 which uses the word "Nikah". This study tries to compare the use of these words in the book of Fiqh al-Islam wa Adillatuh by Wahbah Zuhaili and Fiqh al-Sunnah by Sayyid Sabiq. The results showed that the marriage pronunciations used were based on meaning, not pronunciation, provided that there was an intention or indication for marriage and was understood by the witnesses. Therefore, according to Wahbah Zuhaili, using a word other than what has been stipulated in the text of the Al-Qur'an is still valid. Meanwhile, Sayyid Sabiq stated that the pronunciation of the contract must be in words that can be understood by each party and must not use vague words.