In the title compound, [Ag(C7H4NO4)(C7H5NO4)]·2H2O, the AgI atom has a distorted tetrahedral coordination geometry, defined by two pyridyl N and two carboxyl O atoms from bidentate ligands in a trans arrangement. The planar ligands in the complex are almost perpendicular to each other. The complexes are connected via symmetric O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds and linked through the water molecules, forming a three-dimensional network.


Establishment of independent regulatory commissions is the central element of the power sector reform in India. Incomplete information is a major difficulty that Indian regulators face while making decisions. This paper identifies information inadequacy under three broad categories: transaction related, accounting related, and performance related. Problems in each of these categories are analysed both for transmission licencees and distribution licencees. It also discusses the approaches taken by the Indian electricity regulators for decision-making in a world of incomplete information and the steps taken to improve the situation. We argue that the regulatory decision-making under information constraints has greatly affected the finances of the regulated utilities and the privatization process. Finally, we suggest some steps such as a standardized accounting policy and regulatory information system for improving information availability.


In the present work, the surface of natural and artificial polymers was modified by plasma treatment using reactive gases mixture, ion-beam-induced deposition of α-C:H films and organic C60 derivatives deposition. The study of prepared biomaterials with nanostructured surface was carried out by means of atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, contact angle measurement and surface energy calculation. The investigation of antimicrobial activity of the materials was carried out by application method in relation to Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli ATCC 54383 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853) microorganisms and fungi (Candida albicans).


Land carrying capacity generally signals the population carrying capacity of land. It refers to the population that can be raised sustainably by a country or an area with its own land in accordance with the expected economic, technical, and social development levels, as well as the corresponding living standard (Chen, 1991; Ding, 1991). It is a significant metric to indicate the future area for land use. Ascertaining the regional land carrying capacity will ensure an efficient understanding of the relation between land resources and population development, as well as provide references for policy decisions, planning, and in the long-run, promote sustainable land use within the region.China has the world's largest population, which is 1,367,485,388 people as of July 2015. The Chinese government has been making great efforts over the past decades to provide adequate food for the population. China has a huge land area, which is 9,326,410 square kilometers, 54.7% of which is agricultural land and 22.3% is forest. In China, 55.6% of the population is urban, and the rate of urbanization rose 3.05% from 2010 to 2015. China's GDP in 2014 was $17.62 trillion dollars at purchasingpower parity. The real growth rate of China's GDP was 7.8% in 2013 and 7.4% in 2014. China is the world leader in gross value of agricultural output and industrial output. In terms of the distribution of labor in China, in 2012, 33.6% of the workforce is in agriculture, 30.3% work in industries, and the other 36.1% for services. Therefore, adequate food production has been a major concern for the Chinese government. In order to prevent a reduction in growing areas that threaten the national food supply, the government sets strict policies agricultural developmentcompensation balance and insists on maintaining the red line of 1.8 billion acres under agricultural production.Most research on land carrying capacity focuses on estimating the population supported by grain output. However, the demand for developable land increases with economic development. The amount of developable land restricts urban economic growth, employment, and household income. In this circumstance, the research on land carrying capacity that only considers the natural attributes of land and grain output are limited and one-sided to some extent. Instead, both the natural and economic attributes of land should be considered when measuring the comprehensive carrying capacity of land, including not only food supply capacity, but also the impact of developable land on economic growth and increases in household income.Islands and their resources and environment are important to our national development. Islands are not only strategic for their oceanic rights and as ecological barriers, but also serve as an important base to perform harmonious development between land and sea. Due to the special geographic position of islands, natural resources of island areas are different from those of inland areas, so islands can provide China with an important complement of natural resources. They are also a major platform to help maintain the balance of marine ecosystems and manage the marine environment.Compared with inland areas, island areas lack land resources. Agricultural land quality is generally lower and the weakness in agricultural production is obvious. Nevertheless, island areas have abundant marine resources. Output from their marine products account for large proportions of all agricultural productions and are important sources of food. Simultaneously, a certain amount of developable land should be available for economic expansion, which makes the disparity between land supply and demand more prominent. The characteristics mentioned above indicate that the land carrying capacity of island areas has its own particularities. The existing methods, which measure land carrying capacity from a single perspective, not only ignore the economic attributes of land and the necessity of economic development for island areas, but also disregard the position of marine products as sources of food. …


Fatty acid composition of plasma lipids, erythrocytes, and the lens has been determined in patients with senile cataracts. The results indicate that coronary disease is a risk factor fraught with disorders in lenticular lipid metabolism.


This undergraduate thesis has been developed from the author's experience gained during internship and it aims to analyze the importance of gender debate in the qualification of Social Service professionals. This is necessary to deeply understand the multiple and articulated expressions of social questions which permeate education institutions. The object of study of this the sisis the Gender, Diversity and Sexuality Center of Fluminense Federal Institute at Campos dos Goytacazes, Center campus. In order to comprehend this issue, the following methodological procedures were performed: literaturere view, documentary research, questionnaires appliance and semi-structured interviews with coordinators and former coordinators of NUGEDIS.


At the end of a bird-caused fault sequence, the protection scheme for a 13kV dry-type shunt reactor left the reactor energized and carrying load current on two phases, which resulted in a more severe fault when the field operator attempted to clear the shunt reactor using manually operated disconnect switches. The operator was not injured but given his proximity to the fault and arc, the result could have resulted in serious injury or much worse. In order to avoid such situations, this paper evaluates the protection scheme for 13kV dry-type shunt reactors, highlighting deficiencies, compares company practices against one industry guide, and describes planned improvements.


It is generally assumed that fire is the dominant natural disturbance of boreal forests. This assumption might promote the current extensive use of the clearcut system. However, there are portions of the boreal forest receiving abundant precipitations. The interval between successive fires may then be longer than the lifespan of individual trees. Tree mortality creates openings in the canopy, and stands become characterized by an uneven and more diversified structure. Eastern Canada provides an example of balsam fir and black spruce forests having an irregular structure. The biodiversity characterizing the irregular boreal forest appears to stand out from the rest of the boreal forest, but information remains limited. If forest management is to be adapted to stand structure in a way that emulates natural disturbance patterns, alternatives to the clearcut system must be developed.


Automatic control system for adjusting level in tank firepower control tester-platform is composed of MSC-51 single-chip microcontroller,dual-axis slope sensor,four sets of pressure sensor,two sets of position sensor and a set of hydraulic servo mechanism.The selection of the control mode of the tester-platform,the design of hardware framework and the study of level-adjusting algorithm are introduced.This system proves the rapidity,high accuracy and high automatic degree for level-adjusting of tank firepower control system.


To introduce the hierarchical porous structure into SAPO-34 zeolites, adjust acid properties and crystalline size of SAPO-34 zeolites, a series of Zr-modified SAPO-34 zeolites (Zrx-SAPO-34 (x = 0.25, 0.50 and...


Reactive perforating collagenosis (RPC) is a rare disorder characterized by hyperkeratotic papules and histopathologically structurally altered collagen fibers showing transepidermal elimination. RPC is often associated with diabetes mellitus and renal insufficiency. It is classified into two types, the hereditary type seen in children and the acquired type seen in adults. It is thought that superficial skin trauma plays a trigger role in both types 1. Case Report


While the vast majority of New Jersey photographers in the 1800s were law-abiding, there were exceptions, including six photographers accused of crimes: Gideon C. Angle, Edward W. Blake, Frederick Fearn, Edward R. Stoutenburgh, John C. Tibbels, and Peter Walker. This study examines the lives of these photographers just before and during the Gilded Age. See also additional illustrations at http://saretzky.com/shadyside.


Large-scale airborne geophysical data are an important part of regional-scale mineral exploration and in that context NGU conducted an airborne magnetic and radiometric survey over the Kviteseid, Notodden and Ulefoss regions, in Telemark county in summer 2013 as a part of the MINS project (Mineral resources in South Norway). Results from a previous high resolution helicopter-borne gamma-ray spectrometry survey that was carried out in 2006 over the Fen Complex, Ulefoss region, were reevaluated in the light of the new data from the regional survey of the MINS project. We compare the thorium (eTh) ground concentrations of the two surveys, and although they have similar pattern, are showing significant scaling difference. The differences in the level of ground concentrations between two spectrometry surveys flown over the same region were investigated. Reprocessing of the old data revealed that the discrepancies arose from inappropriate selection of sensitivity coefficients during the calculation of elemental ground concentrations from height corrected gamma-ray counts. Therefore, correct calibration of the spectrometers are essential for the quality of the processed data.


The invention discloses a support for a take-up plate of a wire extension machine. The support is installed on a base and is characterized by being composed of a plurality of branch supports arranged in an overlapped in the vertical direction, a transition head located on the branch support at the uppermost part and a support connector located on the transition head; the end of a roller of the wire extension machine penetrates through the support connector, the base is provided with a vertical rod with the central axis vertically arranged, the vertical rod penetrates through a first installation hole formed in the branch supports and a second installation hole formed in the transition head, and a spherical groove is formed in the surface, making contact with the support connector, of the transition head. According to the structure, the height of the support can be adjusted by selecting the number of the branch supports arranged in the overlapped mode, and the part, making contact with the end of the roller, of the support is designed to be in spherical contact with the transition head so that angle adjustment can be realized in the preassembly period.


Abstract A technique for detecting large hydrometeors at high altitudes is described here and applied to the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite/Microwave Limb Sounder (UARS/MLS) 203-GHz radiance measurements at tangent pressures between 200 and 46 hPa. At these tangent pressures the radiances remain optically thin and cloudy-sky radiances are brighter than normal clear-sky cases. Unlike infrared/visible cloud observations, the 203-GHz radiances can penetrate most ice clouds and are sensitive to ice crystals of convective origin. Rough ice water content (IWC) retrievals are made near the tropopause using estimated size distributions from in situ convective studies. The seasonal mean IWC observed at 100 hPa reaches vapor-equivalent 20 ppmv or more over convective centers, dominating the total water content. Convectively lofted ice, therefore, appears to be hydrologically significant at the tropical cold point. IWC is well correlated spatially with relative humidity with respect to ice (RHi) at 100 hPa duri...


This cohort study investigates the association of montelukast treatment with adverse neuropsychiatric outcomes among patients with asthma or allergic rhinitis.


WiFi-based device-free passive localization is an emerging technique and holds great potentials to ubiquitous location-based service and security-critical applications. Recently, channel state information (CSI) can be expediently extracted from commercial WiFi NICs, which offers a chance for fine-grained and high-accuracy device-free passive localization. Current device-free passive localization systems either rely on deploying specialized systems with dense transmitter-receiver links with high economic cost or elaborating intensive training process with high labor cost. In this study, we explore the possibility of a ubiquitous WiFi-based device-free passive subarea localization(WiSal) via physical-layer channel response features without intensive site-survey based on a single link at the expense of some localization accuracy. The location of human can be estimated by leveraging K-Nearest Neighbor(KNN) algorithm based on signal change features of different subareas that are achieved by a hierarchical clustering algorithm. WiSal can greatly reduce the cost of site survey on manpower and time, and meet requirements of numerous applications. Extensive experiments illustrate that our scheme can achieve great performance in terms of localization accuracy under a single link.


This chapter discusses the acquisition of a trade mark. EU law distinguishes between the product or service to which the trade mark is applied on the one hand, and the trade mark on the other hand. One needs first of all to be in the presence of a sign, something that can be applied to the product or service and that can convey information. The cornerstone of the matter is that the sign should be distinctive as to origin. The main objective of trade mark law is to enable rights holders and consumers to distinguish the source of identical goods or services with a different origin. The remainder of the chapter covers unregistrable marks, absolute grounds for refusal of registration, relative grounds for refusal of registration, applying for a Community trade mark, and uses of trade marks.


Panonica, et Adriatica Acta Neurochirurgica Acta Neurologica Scandinavica Acta Tropica African Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences African Journal of Reproductive Health African Zoology AIDS AIDS Behavior AIDS Education and Prevention AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research American Journal of Clinical Nutrition American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology American Journal of Infection Control American Journal of Kidney Diseases American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology American Journal of Physical Anthropology American Journal of Public Health American Journal of Primatology American Journal of Roentgenology American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene American Surgeon, The Anaesthesia Anatolian Journal of Cardiology, The Annales de Chimie Annals of Human Biology Annals of the Association of American Geographers Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences Annals of Tropical Paediatrics Anthropology and Medicine Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy Archaeology in Oceania Archives of Dermatology Archives of Disease in Childhood Archives of Neurology Arctic Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research Asian Journal of Andrology Berliner und Munchener Tierarztliche Wochenschrift Best Practice and Research. Clinical Rheumatology Biochemistry Bioethics Biological Research for Nursing Biology of Reproduction Biometrie Humaine et Anthropologie BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology BJU International Blood BMC Cancer BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine BMC Evolutionary Biology BMC Genetics BMC Infectious Diseases BMC Medical Ethics BMC Medical Genetics BMC Medical Research Methodology BMC Ophthalmology BMC Public Health PERIODICALS ABSTRACTED IN THIS ISSUE


This short review is the result of a minicourse at the Sapienza University of Rome the author gave about the proof of the $g$-theorem. We review the hard Lefschetz theorem for simplicial spheres, as well as the theory at its core: perturbations of maps, biased Poincare pairings and a cobordism argument that relates the Lefschetz property of a manifold to the Lefschetz property on its boundary. We also sketch an alternative argument based on edge-contractions.


The parallel hierarchical matching (PHM) algorithm is a distributed maximal size matching scheduler for virtual output-queued switches. In a previous letter, we formulated an upper bound on the maximum number of iterations PHM requires to achieve a maximal size matching in any traffic scenario. In this letter, we follow an analytical approach to find the average number of iterations for PHM to achieve a maximal size matching under diverse traffic models. The estimated number of iterations is O(log2N), as in the case of iSLIP-like algorithms


Homogeneity of dispersion parameters and zero-inflation parameters is a standard assumption in zero-inflated generalized Poisson regression (ZIGPR) models. However, this assumption may be not appropriate in some situations. This work develops a score test for varying dispersion and/or zero-inflation parameter in the ZIGPR models, and corresponding test statistics are obtained. Two numerical examples are given to illustrate our methodology, and the properties of score test statistics are investigated through Monte Carlo simulations.


A series of one-dimensional compression tests was conducted to examine and compare the hydro-mechanical behaviour of light backfill (LBF) material, composed of 50% bentonite and 50% sand, in the presence of distilled water and 100 g/l CaCI2 and 200 g/l CaCI2 solutions. In addition, the hydro-mechanical parameters of LBF required for compliance modelling of the deep geologic repository (DGR) emplacement room sealing system were determined. The tests were conducted on 50-mm-diameter by 10-mm-thick LBF samples, using standard lever arm consolidation equipment. Several different loading and wetting paths were examined, including allowing the LBF to swell up to 20% vertical strain on distilled water or solution uptake and constraining the LBF from swelling on distilled water or solution uptake. The samples were loaded in increments following initial distilled water or solution uptake, and then unloaded in increments. The results of individual test loading and unloading increments were used to compute void ratio (e), hydraulic conductivity (k), effective montmorillonite dry density (EMDD), bulk modulus (K) and water activity (aw). The hydraulic conductivity versus EMDD and vertical applied pressure versus EMDD results were compared to results compiled by Dixon et al. (2002a). The bulk modulus versus vertical strain results were used to simulate the interaction between highly Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. compacted bentonite (HCB) (inner material) and LBF (outer material) in a hypothetical emplacement room sealing system, using a two-material axisymmetric linear elastic analytical model. The test results show that the compression, swelling and hydraulic behaviour of LBF with 100 g/l or 200 g/l CaCb cell reservoir solution is distinctly different than the behaviour of LBF with distilled water in the cell reservoir. All of the test results show significant hysteresis between the loading/compression and unloading/swelling paths. The results of the simulations show that the water activity values in HCB and LBF in the hypothetical emplacement room sealing system are greater than the 0.96 threshold value. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ii


Aspartic and glutamic acids were selectively extended at each of the alternative C‐terminals under mild conditions to afford diverse natural and unnatural N‐protected dipeptides and tripeptides in yields of 73–96%. The reactions between N‐protected (α‐aminoacyl)benzotriazoles and free amino acids or dipeptides proceeded with complete retention of chirality as supported by parallel experiments involving d‐Ala, l‐Ala, and dl‐Ala in the preparation of dipeptides and tripeptides, monitored by NMR and HPLC analyses.


The OS unbundling activities required by the Telecommuinications Reform Act of 1996 (TA96) pose significant challenges for industry standards bodies, for the Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers (ILECs), and for Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLECs). This presentation examines the current state of implementation and looks at the challenges faced, from the point of view of both ILECs and CLECs.


The great progress in computer hardware and software technique and technology changed the way of new product designing. It concern not only new designing tools like CAD/CAM programs but also a new approach to creation process. Additional stage of work appeared the computer modelling. It helps us to find out mistakes at the very beginning. The computer modelling helps to understand real physical process in machinery and verify the construction. The complexity of computer models depends on destination and programs possibility. It is possible to base model on physical equation and law, which are written in classical form of differential equation. Nevertheless, it is not easy to find model of hydraulic motor which presents the conversion of oil pressure to torque. In paper authors present their experience in modelling of servo-drive system with hydraulic piston motor with MATLAB/SIMULING software use. The result of simulation and real tests are compared and discussed.


Sayler, Lauree Aim, Masters, May 1996 Arts Education Interdisciplinary Studies in Arts Education Creative Project Assessment of Anna. Chair: Randy Bolton s . Anna is a children's story written from an exploration of self and family history. The fictional character of Anna connects the actual histories of the maternal women in the author's life. Family photographs are used to illustrate the story as Anna remembers a day in her childhood. The day was spent with her sister and her grandmother. The three attend a dance recital and then Anna's first piano lesson. Anna remembers growing up and also away from her family as she pursues a musical career. Anna realizes the importance of family as she returns to hers. Anna was created and researched by author Lauree Sayler. Each word, phrase and sentence in Anna can be and is analyzed in terms of the part of the family history that it represents. Anna was written with the assistance of six third graders, who wrote, critiqued, and analyzed the story.


The deepwater geryonid crab, Chaceon granulatus (Sakai, 1978) is reported from Taiwan for the first time. This is also the first record of the family Geryonidae from Taiwan. Sexual dimorphism between the sexes is reported. Additional notes on the differences between this species and the closely allied C. manningi Ng, Lee & Yu, 1994, from the South China Sea are also provided.


The utility model discloses a valve base structure for a hard sealing ball valve, comprising a body and a valve ball. The joint place of the body and the valve ball is a sealing surface. The utility model is characterized in that a groove arranged along the circumferential direction on at least one lateral face of two neighboring lateral faces of the sealing surface. When the valve is closed, the average diameter of the sealing surface is corresponding to the average diameter when the valve is opened, the change rate is 0.001% to 0.2%. The utility model has the advantages that the groove enables the valve base deform elastically as the deformation of the valve ball and enables the sealing surface of the valve base and the valve ball always stick together, overcoming the defect that sphere deformation can easily cause the leakage of the valve.


Abstract This article mainly considers the uniform asymptotics for the finite-time ruin probabilities of a two-dimensional renewal risk model with heavy-tailed claims. In this model, the two claim-number processes are arbitrarily dependent and each of them is generated by widely orthant dependent claim inter-arrival times. Two types of ruin are studied and for each type of ruin, an asymptotic formula for the finite-time ruin probability is established. These formulae possess a certain uniformity feature in the time horizon.


The invention relates to a detachable beam-expanding fiber optic connector and belongs to the non-contact beam expanding optical fiber connector field. The detachable beam-expanding fiber optic connector includes an outer casing for mounting a lens; when the lens is bonded and fixed, the front end surface of the lens is retreated by a certain distance relative to the front end of the outer casing, so that the lens can be prevented from being damaged in a butt-joint process; and the rear portion of the lens in the outer casing is provided with an inner casing for fixing an optical fiber; the outer casing is mounted in a tail seat. When two outer casings are in butt-joint with each other in a sleeve, springs behind the tail seats can provide a butt-joint holding force, and tail sleeves behind pressing rings provide protection for an optical cable. According to the detachable beam-expanding fiber optic connector of the invention, the precise casings and sleeve are adopted to perform optical alignment, and low-loss transmission of light beams can be realized, and the processing and assembling difficulty of the connector can be reduced; and the components of the connector are convenient to disassemble and clean. The detachable beam-expanding fiber optic connector has the advantage of excellent environment resistance performance of a traditional non-contact optical fiber connector.


Objective To provide the scientific guidance for the prevention of lead poisoning in the children,the lead concentrations in the blood of children in Guangzhou are investigated.Methods 10 012 cases of outpatients with the age of 0 ~ 10 years old in a three level of first-class maternity and child care hospital were surveyed randomly.The lead concentrations in the blood of these children were determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer.Results The mean blood lead concentration was 49.47 μg/L,and the ratio of lead poisoning of all the surveyed children was 3.96%.Both the above indices increased gradually with the increase of age in the range of 0 ~ 5 years old,and the mean blood lead concentration reached its peak in preschool age,the mean blood lead did not increased in school-age children after the age of 0 ~ 5 years old,and the lead poisoning rate showed the downward trend.Detection rate of lead poisoning was higher in the boys than girls.Conclusions The lead poisoning rate of children in Guangzhou is close to the average level of other cities,however,the blood lead level tends to increase with the increase of age.The effect of lead pollution on physical health of children shall be paid more attention to nowadays.


Discoveringclassificationrulesfromlargedataisanimportanttaskofdataminingandisgaining considerableattention.Thisarticlepresentsanovelantminerforclassificationrulemining.Ourant minerisinspiredbyresearchonthebehaviorofrealantcolonies,simulatedannealing,andsome dataminingconceptsaswellasprinciples.HerewepresentaMichiganstyleapproachforsingle objectiveclassificationrulemining.Thealgorithmistestedonafewbenchmarkdatasetsdrawnfrom UCIrepository.Ourexperimentaloutcomesconfirmthatantminer-HMC(HybridMichiganStyle Classification)issignificantlybetterthanant-miner-MC(MichiganStyleClassification). KEywoRdS Ant Colony Optimization, Ant Miner, Ant Miner –HMC, Ant Miner-MC, Classification Rule Mining, Data Mining, Pheromone, Simulated Annealing


Objective To investigate the changes of brain serotonin and tryptophan in rats treated with chronic unpredicted stresses.Methods Twenty rats were divided into two groups, with 10 exposed to 21 consecutive days of unpredicted chronic stresses as depression models, and 10 as normal controls. The concentrations of serotonin and tryptophan in hippocampus, frontal cortex, hypothalamus and striatum were detected with high performance liquid chromatography coupled with fluorescence detection.Results (1)There was significantly differences in total activity between the two groups (P0.001). (2) The concentrations of serotonin in hippocampus and frontal cortex in depression model group (0.34±0.08) ng/mg and (0.55±0.06) ng/mg were significantly lower than that in normal group (0.46±0.06) ng/mg and (0.66±0.09) ng/mg;P0.01, while the concentrations of tryptophan in hippocampus and frontal cortex in depression model group (3.76±0.34) ng/mg and (4.08±0.51) ng/mg were higher than that in normal controls (3.23±0.38) ng/mg and (3.49±0.44) ng/mg ;P0.05. There were no significant difference between the two groups in the concentrations of tryptophan and serotonin in hypothalamus and striatum (P0.05).Conclusion The low synthesis of serotonin in brain may be one of the pathogenesis of depression.


The article offers the opportunity to reflect on the training of teachers working in a school which provides full-time education for the first five years of primary level and on whether such training is sufficient to provide teachers with a more complete training with their attendance at courses, lectures and training meetings, continuing training in service offered, thus, we will bring some notes on how these professionals perceive changes in their pedagogical practice. As the main issue, we highlight: how does the continuing education offered by the municipal education system change (or not) the teacher's practice? Nineteen teachers from a municipal school, located in the city of Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, have participated in the qualitative study. With regard to the research tools for gathering information, we used questionnaires with closed and open questions and semi-structured interviews, as well as observation of spaces (school and Municipal Education Foundation) to try to link policy and the teachers training practice, proposing a theoretical reflection and prioritizing a qualitative analysis. In almost its entirety, the participants reported that their initial training was insufficient to perform their function. Here we notice the need for exchanges and formative spaces that strengthen teachers to value their knowledge developed through their daily practices.


WHY DO GIRLS tend to read better than boys in many cultures? One persisting explanation is that elementary schools are femi nized. In view of the results from previous research, which for the most part show no relation between sex of teacher and sex of student with regard to reading achievement, one might wonder why the comparison of student achievement under male and female teachers merits further inves


The study defines the basic constructs which are used in the university distance learning theories and practice. Distance learning is currently linked with eLearning and is becoming to be titled "online distance learning". The research on a representative sample of the University of Ostrava students, which was carried out within the scope of the 7th FP IRNet project, was aimed at how the individual components of the electronic learning environment, which enhance university distance learning elements, can be used.


According to Procedural Regulations Regarding the Environment Quality Monitoring of Soil(NY/T 395-2000),farmland soil environmental quality for dry-delay-slope(DDS) in subtropical dry-hot river valley,dry-steep-slope(DSS) in subtropical mid-altitude section and vegetable-planted(VP) in subtropical plateau basin were monitored anchor-point in 2003-2004 year,for 4 times.The monitoring data were statistically analyzed.The results showed,the difference of soil environment qualities among monitor sample points was in the order of DSS DDS VP;and that between years was in the order of DDS VP DSS.The differences between years and among monitor points were all larger for pH,CEC(cation exchange capacity),Pb,Cr,Ni,As,F,DDT and BHC,and all smaller for Methamidophos and Omethoate;the difference among monitor points was smaller and that between years was larger for Cd,Cu,Zn and Hg;the difference among monitor points was larger and that between years was smaller for OM(organic matter).These provide the basis for basic farmland soil environment monitoring,synthesized assessment,current forewarn,management and conservation.


Abstract Extension and rapid flow of curd during cheddaring produced greater distortion of curd particles and a higher moisture content in the resulting cheese. Differences in curd deformation caused by cheddaring modifications diminished during milling, salting, and pressing, and had little effect on characteristics of the final cheese.


Objective: To present an 18th century prescription used in the Viceroyalty of New Granada, which describes the treatment of ocular complications of smallpox, specifying the use of linseed (Linum usitatissimum), saffron (Crocus sativus) and mallow of Castilla (Malva sylvestris) in its preparation. Materials and Methods: Search in the historical archive of the Octavio Arizmendi Posada Library at the University of La Sabana (Chía, Colombia), where a collection of around a hundred prescriptions of the 18th century is preserved; transcribing one of them entitled "Cocimiento para los ojos", with a subsequent review of relevant scientific literature. Conclusions: This colonial prescription shows its usefulness to relieve ocular symptoms of smallpox, as an emollient effective for external use, as a clear example of the therapy required. In addition, this prescription should also be recognized as a documentary example of the historical evolution of medicine and the work of herbal medicine, from the colonial times of the then overseas territories of the Spanish Crown.


Objective To investigate expression and significance of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in serum and placental tissue of preeclampsia maternal.Methods 74 cases of preeclampsia pregnant women as research subjects,which 39 cases of severe preeclampsia,35 cases of mild preeclampsia,selected 30 cases of normal late maternal as the control group.Three groups of maternal serum levels of MMP-9 and of NGAL were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.RT-PCR was used to test placenta MMP-9 mRNA,and NGAL mRNA level.Results Preeclampsia maternal serum levels of MMP-9 and NGAL level were significantly higher than those of severe preeclampsia pregnant women serum level of MMP-9 and NGAL were significantly higher than mild preeclampsia (t =3.127,2.846,3.508,3.284,all P < 0.05).Preeclampsia placentas of MMP-9 mRNA and NGAL mRNA levels were significantly lower than the control group (t =-2.842,-2.728,-3.532,-3.276,(a)ll P < 0.05),severe preeclampsia placentas of MMP-9 and NGAL were significantly higher than mild preeclampsia(t =2.732,2.741,all P < 0.05),severe preeclampsia placentas of MMP-9 mRNA and NGAL mRNA levels were significantly lower than in patients with mild preeclampsia (t =-2.681,-2.587,all P < 0.05).Preeclampsia maternal serum levels of MMP-9 and NGAL was positively correlated with placental tissue mRNA levels of MMP-9 and NGAL mRNA level was positively correlated (P < 0.05).Conclusion Preeclampsia maternal serum MMP-9 and NGAL were significantly elevated,placental MMP-9 mRNA and NGAL mRNA levels were significantly decreased,suggested that they may be involved in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.

Key words:
Pre-eclampsia; Matrix metalloproteinases; Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin


The new urbanization is an inevitable way of modernization, and the main engine to promote the sustainable development of economy. It is necessary to solve the financial difficulties and problems in the construction of new urbanization. Taking Yibin city which is located in the southwest of China as an example, this paper introduces the basic status quo of Yibin city, and then deeply analyses the financial difficulties this city is facing forward in the process of new urbanization, such as the ineffective match between supply and demand of funds, the relatively low rural financial service level, the lack of innovation the current financial models, as well as the poor financial ecological environment. At last, this paper puts forward some suggestions on improving the environment of system, perfecting the financial system, and expanding financial channels. Keywords—The New Urbanization; Financial Difficulties; Financial Ecological Environment; Financial Models I. RESEARCH BACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE A. The Proposal of New Urbanization Urbanization refers to the process of population to urban agglomeration, urban expansion and a series of economic and social change caused by that. Its essence is the change of economic, social and spatial structure. The level of urbanization is an important symbol to measure the modernization level of a country and a region. It is said that if the urban population increases by 1%, the GDP will increase by 1.5%; if the urbanization rate increases by 1% every year, the economy will grow by 1.2%. That is why lots of countries attach importance to promoting the process of urbanization. Nowadays, the level of urbanization in China has changed from 10.6% in 1950s to 57.35% in 2016. However, although the urbanization rate in China is increasing year by year, the index mainly reflects the urbanization of the population, i.e., the proportion of the urban population in the resident population. This key variable, which is based on the population' quality rather than quantity, can simply be improved by infrastructure investment, but it cannot fully and truly reflect the state of economic development of a country [1]. The financial crisis in 2008 pushes China into the dilemma of insufficient power of economic growth, the surplus of production capacity as well as the lagging transformation of economic structure, and the traditional development way relied on investment and traditional urbanization must be reformed. Under the circumstances, the eighteen major reports of the Communist Party of China clearly put forward to adhere to the new road of industrialization, informatization, urbanization and agricultural modernization with Chinese characteristics. The new urbanization is the only way to modernization, and the main engine to promote economic sustainable development. Different from the traditional urbanization, the new urbanization has the basic characteristics of the balancing development in the urban and rural areas, the integration of the urban and rural areas, the interaction of industry and city development, as well as intensive and harmonious environment. Besides the pursuit of enhancing original population, the new urbanization puts forward new requirements for life level qualitative aspects, such as the economic income, equal public service, mutual promotion and integration of urban and rural. The construction of new urbanization has a long way to go, and in the process of construction, the contradiction between supply and demand of funds will undoubtedly be most prominent. Therefore, how to solve the funds problem is quite urgent and meaningful. B. Current Situation and Problems of New Urbanization Construction in Yibin City 1) Urbanization Lagging Behind Economic Development In recent years, Yibin's economy has developed rapidly. In 2016, the GDP reached 165 billion yuan, and the total amount continued to maintain the fourth place in Sichuan province and the first place in southern Sichuan. However, compared with the rapid growth of economy, the development of urbanization in Yibin is lagging behind the economy, which has become the gathering point of various contradictions in economic and social development. The urbanization rate of Yibin city in 2016 was 46.63%, 10.72% lower than the national urbanization rate which was 57.35%, and 2.47% lower than the average rate of urbanization in Sichuan province which was 49.10% in 2016. From the year of 2012 to 2016, the This paper is funded and supported by Yibin Municipal Bureau of Science and Technology in 2015. International Conference on Education Innovation and Social Science (ICEISS 2017) Copyright © 2017, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 157


Objective To study the characteristics of articles and authors in Medical Journal of the Chinese People' s Armed Police Forces.Methods The date about articles and authors of Medical Journal of the Chinese People' s Armed Police Forces from 2000 to 2010 were collected and analyzed in terms of bibliomertic parameters.Results There were 5316 papers published in 11 years and The average number of articles per issue was 40.3;the average number of article per page was 0.56;The work units of authors are primarily located in the Chinese People' s Armed Police Forces,and 91.4%of whom shared with co- author,the cooperation rate was 3.7.Conclusions Medical Journal of the Chinese People' s Armed Police Forces is a high quality medical periodical and extensive social influence is being improved.


The paper presents numerical results of optimized airfoils at ultra-low Reynolds numbers. These investigations are carried out to understand the aerodynamic issues related to the low speed and micro scale air vehicle design and performance. The optimization method used is based on simultaneous pseudo-time stepping in which stationary states are obtained by solving the preconditioned pseudo-stationary system of equations representing the state, costate and design equations. Design examples of airfoils of different thicknesses at Mach numbers between 0.25 to 0.3 and at Reynolds numbers below 15000 are presented.


This article considers the responses of women, many of whom describe themselves as housewives, in the 1949 Mass Observation Television Directive, in order to interrogate some of the broader assumptions around television's relationship with 'the housewife' as key to its success. Against the backcloth of social histories revising ideas about gender, modernity and suburbia in the post-war period, this article considers some of the ways in which initial reluctance towards television was recorded and negotiated. It presents three themes around tensions between home and leisure, the domestication of entertainment and 'going out', and the appreciation of particular genre, which suggest that the adoption of television as mass entertainment by women might not have been as smooth a process as we have come to understand.


Background: Epistaxis is the bleeding from nose. It is a common complaint and it is the commonest emergency otolaryngologists' encounter. Epistaxis can be lifethreatening due to aspiration, hypotension, and anemia as well as associated co-morbidities. Endoscopic control of sphenopalatine artery (SPA) has been advocated as an effective alternative for the control of sever epistaxis. Aim of the work: To evaluate effectiveness of endoscopic SPA cauterizations for control of sever epistaxis. Patient and methods: The current study included 20 patients with severe posterior epistaxis. Patients with no response to anterior and posterior packing had undergone endoscopic SPA cauterization. Results: Fifteen percentage of patients (n=3) had moderate postoperative bleeding, while the other 85% (n=17) had no postoperative bleeding. By endoscopic examination of the three cases with postoperative bleeding readmitted for control of epistaxis under general anesthesia, the anterior ethmoidal artery (AEA) was found to be the source of bleeding and it was controlled by AEA cauterization. Conclusion: Endoscopic SPA cauterization technique seems to be safe, simple, fast, and effective for management of severe epistaxis with low morbidity and complications. Endoscopic SPA cauterization should be considered as an immediate second-line management for sever epistaxis when conservative treatment as first-line management fails.


In this brief explication, two challenges for using differential item functioning (DIF) measures when there are large group differences in true proficiency are illustrated. Each of these difficulties may lead to inflated Type I error rates, for very different reasons. One problem is that groups matched on observed score are not necessarily well matched on true proficiency, which may result in the false detection of DIF due to inaccurate matching. The other problem is that a model that does not allow for a nonzero asymptote can produce what seems to be DIF. These issues have been discussed separately in the literature earlier. This article brings them together in a nontechnical form.


The structural technological property and layout design of stationary claw were analyzed,the structural design of punch and die,and design of conducting device and discharging device were presented in detail,and the die manufacturing and assembly technology of the key parts were introduced.It is proved that the die structure is reasonable,it works reliably,and the production parts can meet the quality request,it has high production efficiency and has reached its desired effect.The design has reference value to the design and manufacture of the progressive dies for similar parts.


Scientific writing contains multimedia applications on PCs in the form of assembling learning interactive CD menggunkan Macromedia Director MX. This application contains the beginning of computer history, the introduction of tools and hardware used, and the stages in assembling a PC. In computer history here will be explained about the generations of computers from the first generation to generation 5. for the introduction of tools, hardware, tools and hardware will be explaining what will be used to assemble a PC. And for the stages in assembling PCs where there is a menu that will feature video recordings in assembling a PC. In this application has the advantage that there is video stages to assemble a PC with a sound to guide the user of this interactive CD


Experimental results obtained last years corroborate a prediction made by I.O. Kulik forty years ago that the energy dissipation does not result in disappearance of equilibrium circular current observable in the normal state of superconductor rings and normal metal rings. Contrary interpretations of the persistent current as a Brownian motion or a dissipationless current are compared in the point of view of the observations of this phenomenon at presence of an electric potential difference. Distinctions between the quantum phenomena at atomic and mesoscopic levels are accentuated. In connection of the quantum oscillations in magnetic field of potential difference observed on asymmetric rings with the persistent current, it is pointed out that an experimental check of such phenomenon at thermodynamic equilibrium is possible.


The article substantiates the expediency of modifying the methodology for assessing business competitiveness in the context of accelerated global ESG integration. The authors propose a system of criteria for assessing the competitiveness of enterprises, taking into account the requirements of the EU Taxonomy, Regulation (EU) 2020/852, the CSRD, and stakeholder requests for information support for assessing ESG risks and ESG competitiveness of enterprises. This system of criteria is based on a cognitive approach. Thanks to the use of modeling and information tools, it is based on a lateral understanding of the clarity of the distinction between the criteria and sub-criteria for assessing the ESG competitiveness indicator and its components. The introduction of a system of criteria for assessing the competitiveness of enterprises will ensure obtaining realistic results and making informed decisions to strengthen the competitive advantages of enterprises for a new generation of "conscious investors". The author's own methodology for integral assessment of ESG competitiveness of metallurgical enterprises is proposed. This methodology is based on the synthesis of integral and reference approaches to assessing the homeostasis of competitiveness. It is adapted to the information support of the Management Report prepared in accordance with the GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) and SASB (Sustainability Accounting Standards Board) standards. Its peculiarity is the assessment based on the extended homeostatic plateau of the dynamic system for determining the thresholds of the optimality of the ESG competitiveness indicator of enterprises. This should become the basis for ESG rating and the fundamental basis for determining strategic imperatives for managing the competitiveness of enterprises in the context of global ESG integration.


Objective To summrize the experience of risk management of public health emergencies in Shenzhen 26 th Summer Universiade(hereinafter referred to as the Shenzhen Universiade), for providing scientific references of the disease control and security in large-scale activities in future. Methods The Delphi study was conducted for risk identification of public health emergencies, and the matrix method of risk analysis of AS/NZS4360:1999 was used to risk assessing of the identified risk events. Results The risk assessment of public health emergency events in Shenzhen Universiade could be divided into 3 categories and 20 kinds, of which 11 were infectious diseases, 4 were food borne diseases, and 5 were group events of public environmental health. According to the classification of the level of risk, there were 13 for high-risk events and 7 for middle-risk events. Conclusion The system of disease control and security in Shenzhen Universiade was well done, which can reduce the occurrence of public health emergency by using the risk management strategy effectively,and it should be popularized and applied for the large-scale activities like the work of disease control and security.


The survival and effect of free and calcium-induced alginate-starch encapsulated probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus casei NCDC 298 and Lactobacillus acidophilus NCDC 15), on sensory attributes of quarg cheese were studied over 30 days of storage. The results showed that there were significant difference (p<0.05) in free and encapsulated probiotic cells for both the probiotic bacteria after 30 days of storage. There was increased survival of 1.5 and 1 log cell Number chargess of both Lactobacillus casei NCDC 298 and Lactobacillus acidophilus NCDC 15, respectively due to protection of cells by microencapsulation. The high survivability of encapsulated probiotic cells 8.88 log in case of NCDC 298 compared to 8.14 log cells for NCDC 15 during 30 days of storage of quarg cheese, indicates that Lactobacillus casei NCDC 298 can be effectively used as therapeutic dose in encapsulated form for the manufacture of probiotic quarg cheese. The addition of probiotics either in free or encapsulated states did not significantly (p<0.05) affected various sensory attributes like flavor and taste, body and texture and color and appearance of the quarg cheese over the storage period. This study has shown that incorporation of free (M3) and encapsulated (M4) probiotic bacteria do not substantially alter the overall sensory characteristics of quarg cheese and microencapsulation helps to enhance the survival of probiotic bacteria in quarg cheese during storage.


In this thesis massive higher derivative gravity theories are analyzed in some detail. One-particle scattering amplitude between two covariantly conserved sources mediated by a graviton exchange is found at tree-level in $D$ dimensional (Anti)-de Sitter and flat spacetimes for the most general quadratic curvature theory augmented with the Pauli-Fierz mass term. From the amplitude expression, the Newtonian potential energies are calculated for various cases. Also, from this amplitude and the propagator structure, a three dimensional unitary theory is identified. In the second part of the thesis, the found three dimensional unitary theory is studied in more detail from a canonical point of view. The general higher order action is written in terms of gauge-invariant functions both in flat and de Sitter backgrounds. The analysis is extended by adding static sources, spinning masses and the gravitational Chern-Simons term separately to the theory in the case of flat spacetime. For all cases the microscopic spectrum and the masses are found. In the discussion of curved spacetime, the masses are found in the relativistic and non-relativistic limits. In the Appendix, some useful calculations that are frequently used in the bulk of the thesis are given.


Affinity chromatography which is known as a liquid chromatographic technique for separation and analysis of biomolecules based on their biological functions or individual structures has become increasingly important and useful separation method in pharmaceut‐ ical science, biochemistry, biotechnology and environmental science in recent years [1]. This technique is especially known as the most specific and effective technique for protein purification [2]. Separation of the biomolecules is based on highly specific biological interactions between two molecules, such as enzyme and substrate. These interactions, which are typically reversible, are used for purification by placing one of the interacting molecules, referred to as affinity ligand, onto a solid matrix to create a stationary phase while the target molecule is in the mobile phase [3]. Any component can be used as a ligand to purify its respective binding partner. Some typical biological interactions, frequently used in affinity chromatography, can be given as;


Abstract This model reveals some effective and not-so-effective ways to manipulate customers' behavior to minimize their waiting times in service queues.


Absolute laser‐damage thresholds can be rapidly measured by comparison with an absolute laser‐damage standard. Multiple‐layer TiO2/SiO2 antireflection films on BK‐7 glass were found to be the best available damage standards for use at 1064 nm.


The article deals with the results of diagnostics of the level of formation of professional competencies of geography teachers. In the course of the study professional deficits in the subject, methodological, psychological, pedagogical and communicative training of teachers were revealed, which should be paid special attention to when building individual educational trajectories and professional development system.


The present invention provides an SDN controller 100 and a method for its creation. The SDN controller 100 is configured to fully replace a Neutron server in an Openstack networking service. The SDN controller 100 is provided with a unified data model 300 for all network devices in the network. In the unified data model 300, all network devices are abstracted, including, for instance, FEs, FWs and/or LBs. To this end, the unified data model 300 includes at least a root meta-class 301 defining a plurality of elementary attributes and/or operations 305, which are shared by all of the network devices. The unified data model 300 further includes a plurality of device classes 302, 303, 304, each device class representing one class of the network devices. The root meta-class 301 is inherited by each of the device classes 302, 303, 304.


When subjected to heavy external loads, buried flexible pipes are sometimes encased in concrete. The encasement holds the flexible pipe in its circular shape and supports most of the external load. The pipe is an impermeable liner in a concrete conduit. The flexible pipe is designed for internal pressure by classical methods. But design for internal pressure does not assure that the flexible pipe is designed for external pressure or internal vacuum. If a groundwater table is above the conduit, over a period of time, water pressure reaches the pipe through the permeable concrete encasement. The build-up of water pressure on the pipe is hastened if there are cracks in the encasement. And there usually are. Basic design requires that ring compression stress in the pipe must be less than yield strength. But if a flat spot occurs in the pipe (increased radius of curvature), ring compression stress increases. If yield strength is exceeded, the pipe inverts. Therefore, placement of encasement requires control of the shape of the pipe. If the pipe is plastic, under external pressure, the circumference shortens over time (creep) and a gap opens on one side of the pipe. Radius of curvature at the gap is greater than the circular radius of the pipe. Ring compression stress increases. Performance and performance limits for concrete encased pipes are identified, and design procedures are described.


Critical social science is an underused paradigm in sport management. It can, however, help reveal the bad and ugly sides of sport, so we can uncover new ways to promote the good sides of it. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the relevance of this paradigm for sport management teaching, practice, and research. A key assumption of the critical paradigm is that organizations are best viewed as operating in a wider cultural, economic, and political context characterized by asymmetrical power relations that are historically entrenched. Research is not neutral because the goal is to promote social change by challenging dominant ways of thinking and acting that benefit those in power. Conducting critical sport management research requires a specific skill set and adequate training is essential. Drawing on the work of Alvesson and Deetz (2000), the three tasks required to conduct critical social science are insight, critique, and transformative redefinition. These tasks are described and a number of sport-related examples are provided. The increased size of organizations, rapid implementation of communication and information technologies, globalization, the changing nature of work, reduction of the working class, professionalization of the workforce, stagnant economies, widespread ecological problems and turbulent markets are all part of the contemporary context demanding a research response . Alvesson & Deetz (2000, p. 10) Critical social science can play an emancipatory role for managers in much the same way that it can any group of human beings, by increasing their awareness of capital accumulation pathologies, reifications, and latent sources of social control . Nord & Jermier (1992, p. 217)


Adolescents have been only understood from an individual framework. Thus, social Scientifics and therapists have emphasized the problems they cause on families and societies. In this paper, a new approach is suggested, so an integral treatment can be followed. Failure and success in adolescents depend on family reorganization. New hierarchial rearrengements and communication models must be developed. The goal of treatment is to promote individuality while young people still keep in touch with their families of origin. Although ugh problems may be expressed through behavior, thought disorders, communication distortion and social confrontation, they also represent one of the most difficult stages in the family life cycle: parents - children separation. This paper contrasts the relationship between society and adolescents which has seen negatively. Young people also play a constructive role because they challenge and promote changes for communities.


This article examines the role of 'continuations' (procedural revisions of patent applications) in software patents and overall patenting in the United States during 1987–1999. The research represents the first effort of which we are aware to analyze data on continuations in software or any other patent class, providing information on the effects of 1995 changes in the US patent law intended to curb 'submarine patenting'. The analysis of all US patents shows that the use of continuations grew steadily during 1987–1995, with particularly rapid growth in software patenting. Sharp reversals in these growth rates after 1995 suggest that changes in the US patent law were effective. Prior to the 1995 changes in the patent law, continuation applications were used more intensively by large packaged-software firms than by other patentees, and both software and non-software patents subject to continuation tend to experience longer examination delays and to be more valuable.


ABSTRACT Bentonites from Oraşul Nou (Satu Mare County), Petreşti (Cluj County), Valea Chioarului (Maramureş County), and Gurasada (Hunedoara County), Transylvania, Romania, were characterized and tested as adsorbents for the removal of toluidine blue, malachite green, and Congo red from aqueous solution. The clay materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, specific surface area using the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method, and infrared spectroscopy. Physicochemical and mineralogical analyses of the samples indicated that all included montmorillonite as their main constituent and that important modifications of their properties occurred upon treatment. Each bentonite was subjected to size-fractionation, ionic exchange with tetra-n-butylammonium bromide (organoclay), and Al-pillaring. Adsorption was conducted using batch conditions for 4 h using 0.1 g adsorbent and 40 mL of 100 mg/L dye solution at 20 ± 2°C and 25 rpm with a three-dimensional shaker. The most efficient bentonite deposits were from Oraşul Nou. The most suitable modified samples were treated by size-fractionation.


The statement of the question that is addressed in the title of the present article has been dictated by today's catastrophic conditions in the whole system of education, caused by the actions of the organs of state authority, a complete lack of clarity about the prospective development of society, and the need for official science and the scientific community to exert an active influence on the shaping of state policy. The difficulties that Russia is experiencing cannot and must not blind us to the global problems that confront all of humanity. Quite the contrary: at this pivotal moment the formulation of state national policy must proceed on the basis of a true understanding of our problems and abilities rather than on the basis of recommendations of particular "well-wishers" who have a vested interest, and it is essential to take account of approaches that have been developed by the whole world community.


This paper presents a process for extraction of AIML chatbot knowledge bases from text corpora using the AGATA (Automatic Generation of AIML from Text Acquisition) system, developed to facilitate and reduce the time needed in that task. In order to illustrate how the process works, a Pilot Study was carried out, which consisted of converting the content of two textbooks into the AIML language and sending the files to a chatbot knowledge base, being finally assessed by experts in the domain of the content. The results show the potential of helping teachers to easily create their own chatbots according to their course topics.


Substituted 4,5-dihydro-3-methylene-2(3H)-furanones 1 react as dipolarophiles with diphenylnitrilimine to give the corresponding spiro[furan-pyrazolin]ones 2. From the compound 1a, 1,3-diphenyl-7-oxa-1,2-diazaspiro[4,4]non-2-en-6-one (2a) is formed. In the other cases, a primarily formed cycloadduct undergoes rearrangement during the reaction to the bicyclic compound 5. Thus, addition of diphenylnitrilimine to (E)-1b, (Z)-1b and (E)-1c leads to compound 5b, whereas reactions of (E)- or (Z)-1f and (E)-1g give the corresponding compound 5f and 5g, respectively. The structure of 5b was determined by X-ray analysis. Labeled methyl formate (H13CO2CH3) was used for labeling the methylene carbon atom in 4,5-dihydro-3-(p-tosyloxymethylene)-2(3H)-furanone [(E)-1b] in order to ascertain the structure of the intermediate cycloadduct as well as the pathway of the consecutive rearrangement.


Inadequate credit supply to agriculture has been identified as the main drawback to sustainable agricultural development in Nigeria. In response to this, most States in Nigeria have put in place, public credit schemes in an attempt to reverse the declining fortunes of agriculture. This study was undertaken to analyze the influence of farmers' socio-economic attributes on public credit utilization in agricultural investments. The case study relied on data from Ekiti State (south-west, Nigeria) Multipurpose Credit Agency (ESMA) scheme. Data on socio-economic characteristics, credit received, credit used and allocation were collected from a total of 135 randomly selected small holder beneficiaries of public agricultural credit. Tobit regression model was used to analyze the influence of farmers' socio-economic attributes on credit utilization. The results revealed that 81.5% of beneficiaries were males with mean age of 48 years and an average of 25 years farming experience. Also, the mean farm size cultivated and credit received were 1.5ha and N113,037.04 respectively. The Tobit regression model showed that male (p<0.05) and married farmers (p<0.01) have greater likelihood to divert agricultural loans for non-agricultural use. However, larger farm sizes (above 1.5ha) (p<0.01) as well as farm (p<0.01) and non-farm income (p<0.05) were significant determinants of borrowers' likelihood to expend borrowed capital on farm expenses. A key recommendation is that to encourage effective utilization of loans and reduce defaults, public loans' agencies, working with small holder farmers, should adopt cooperative disbursement and target economic farmers; those living above subsistence.


Democratisation in revolutionary times matters to academia and to our social world. Reflecting on the urgent scholarly need among students of Arab and Middle Eastern politics to address the crisis of democratisation is imperative. A line-up of social scientists comes together to do just that: a focused and in-depth engagement with the problematic of the crisis of democratisation. To this end, the contributors in this Special Issue offer a 'soft' theorisation of the crisis of democratisation in the context of the 'Arab Spring' and its aftermath. Such an undertaking seeks at once context-focused analysis and sensitivity to the 'specific'. That is, a set of articles that embraces multivocality of specialism, interpretation, methodology and positionality. We address the problematic by focusing on what qualifies as 'democratic backsliding,' alternatively called 'setbacks,' 'regressions,' etc. This is one means for outlining the anatomy of the Arab region's own 'democratisation crisis' over twelve years after the 'Arab Spring' uprisings that heralded cascading socio-political changes in the region, Maghreb included. What possible comparative representations can be gleaned from our attempt to deconstruct the Arab democratisation crisis? How are they manifested and experienced empirically and discursively? The articles in this Special Issue attempt to contextualise and analyse this phenomenon through diverse case studies, accounting for the social and political matrices in which democratic backsliding is incubated. In so doing, the contributors collectively bring to the fore both commonalities and particularities of Arab polities that can no longer escape the conundrum of 'reform or perish'. Against the backdrop of haunting ghosts from authoritarian pasts (presents?), the Special Issue is an attempt to study the crisis of democratisation, a confirmation that despite backsliding the imaginaries and horizons of democratic futures have not dimmed.


Cuticular resistance to water loss was estimated for drought resistant and susceptible cowpea [vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] genotypes in a series of field and greenhouse experiments. The procedure consisted of harvesting the youngest, fully-expanded middle trifoliate leaf of a well-watered plant. The detached leaf was weighed immediately and then allowed to dry in an air-conditioned laboratory (about 25°C). Leaves again were weighed 24 and 48 hr after detachment and then oven dried at 70° for 24 hr. Oven dry weight was used to determine leaf water content (LWC) at each sampling time. Specific drought resistant and susceptible genotypes consistently expressed increased or reduced LWC, respectively, 48 hr after detachment. Interestingly, named cultivars generally had even higher LWC values after drying than did the selected resistant genotypes. Intraspecific variability for the trait appears to exist and may be related to drought adaptation in cowpea.


L-Arginine (Arg) and related amino acids are involved in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease. Endothelium-derived relaxing factor, nitric oxide (NO), is generated by :vascular endothelial cells from Arg. In this study, high purity NƒÖ-hydroxy-L-arginine (OHArg), an intermediate in the pathway generating NO, was synthesized, and the effects of Arg and OHArg on endothelium-dependent vascular relaxation were examined. OHArg caused a significant relaxation of endothelium-intact rat aortic rings that had been contracted by norepinephrine. OHArg was more potent than Arg at aortic relaxation (OHArgED80 ••10-7.4M versus ArgED80 10-5.5M). Neither OHArg nor Arg relaxed the endothelium-denuded or NO synthase-inhibited aortic rings. These results suggest that OHArg is more potent than Arg at inducing vascular relaxation that is endothelium-dependent and NO synthase-dependent. OHArg may be useful in the treatment of hypertension and in the prevention of atherosclerosis.


We investigate the three-dimensional (3D) atom localization in an atomic system coupled by three coherent fields via spontaneous emission from two different decay channels. It is found that the spatial distribution and the precision of 3D atom localization are very different in two different decay channels. Interestingly, by properly varying the phase shifts of the standing-wave fields, the almost 100% probability of finding an atom in 3D space can be reached in two different decay channels. As a result, we can achieve efficient and high-precision 3D atom localization.


The large-scale and complex structure of real networks brings enormous challenges to traditional community detection methods. In order to detect community structure in large-scale networks more accurately and efficiently, we propose a community detection algorithm based on the network embedding representation method. Firstly, in order to solve the scarce problem of network data, this paper uses the DeepWalk model to embed a high-dimensional network into low-dimensional space with topology information. Then, low-dimensional data are processed, with each node treated as a sample and each dimension of the node as a feature. Finally, samples are fed into a Gaussian mixture model (GMM), and in order to automatically learn the number of communities, variational inference is introduced into GMM. Experimental results on the DBLP dataset show that the model method of this paper can more effectively discover the communities in large-scale networks. By further analyzing the excavated community structure, the organizational characteristics within the community are better revealed.


According to the characteristics of MSR,workshop layout,technical performance,economy analysis,operation,maintenance experience,and project schedule etc.,the choice of vertical moisture separator reheater (MSR) for the EPR Project in three-generation nuclear power plant is expounded in this paper.


Summary

Infectivity of second-stage juvenile (J2) populations of Heterodera schachtii was assayed with radish.The numbers of J2 in three-day-old seedlings were proportional to the numbers of J2 in two differently textured soils.In a microplot trial with a known H.schachtii-supprcssivc soil, half of the plots contained untreated suppressive soil, the other half contained the same soil, but methyl iodide-fumigated and therefore conducive.Both soils were infested with cysts introducing the equivalents of 0, 30, 60 or 120 H.schachtii eggs g-1 soil, kept moist for 2 months, and then planted to Swiss chard.The numbers of J2 in radish roots were proportional to the numbers of H.schachtii eggs introduced into the microplots, at a low level of detection in suppressive soil and at a high level in conducive soil.Growth of Swiss chard was not different at increasing infestation levels in suppressive soil, but growth was reduced in conducive soil proportionally to increasing nematode infestation level.


A common complaint in offices is meetings within enclosed rooms disrupting nearby open workstations or poor speech privacy to circulation corridors. In this scenario, occupant satisfaction depends on multiple factors, including sound isolation of the wall, door, glazing, and the background
 noise levels. Using experience from several projects with collected measurement data, this presentation will review various door-wall design scenarios with post-construction testing results and conditions where day-two improvements were implemented to meet client standards. The limiting factor
 in sound isolation performance is often the door gaskets. Aluminum frames are commonly manufactured with integrated gaskets, which can be a cost-effective contractor replacement. However, these gaskets tend to be smaller than the typical recommended perimeter types and have been observed to
 form inconsistent seals once doors are installed. Floor transition strips for dropping bottom seals are another frequent coordination issue. Outside the enclosed room, coordination of the mechanical design and architectural ceiling choice should be used to define the appropriate corridor partition
 design to achieve acceptable outcomes. Where client standards and performance rating systems such as LEED and WELL define sound isolation criteria for corridor walls, a well-coordinated acoustical design is critical for achieving the credit objectives.


Lateral flow (LF) tests have employed nitrocellulose membrane since their introduction. Refinement of nitrocellulose and LF production techniques have led to substantial improvements in reproducibility, sensitivity, clarity, and speed of results. The recent surge in demand for LF tests during the COVID-19 pandemic has drawn increased attention to the consequences of using non-biodegradable or non-recyclable materials in test production, requiring disposal via landfill. The nitrocellulose substrate is a critical component for substitution with an equivalent or superior material to address environmental concerns. Additionally, nitrocellulose and the specific molecular recognition reagents, typically antibodies, contribute significantly to the test cost, and whilst LF tests are less expensive than most other formats, challenges remain with respect to providing affordable tests with adequate performance globally in low resource environments. Despite attempts to substitute cellulose for nitrocellulose, principally for reducing cost and more latterly, environmental impact, cellulose is not widely used due to inferior performance, especially in relation to the clarity and quality of the signal line and reagent requirements. Here, we present preliminary data supporting the use of cellulose membrane (paper) as an alternative substrate to nitrocellulose for LF assays. We demonstrate that cellulose-binding module (CBM)-streptavidin fusion proteins for the immobilisation of capture antibodies on cellulose addresses the performance limitations, yielding sensitivity, clarity and speed of result matching current clinical and industry requirements for a qualitative SARS-CoV-2 antigen LF test.

 We expressed and purified CBM-streptavidin fusion proteins from E.coli to a purity of >90%. Binding to biotinylated proteins and cellulose material was confirmed. An inhouse SARS-CoV-2 antigen assay was adapted for use with the CBM-streptavidin fusion protein on cellulose material. Using methods compatible with current LF test production, we conjugated and dried down 40nm gold (BBI) with anti-nucleocapsid antibodies (Hytest). The biotinylated anti-nucleocapsid capture antibody was dried down on a separate pad. CBM-streptavidin fusion protein was plotted on Whatman 43 paper at the test line. We evaluated assay performance using SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein and UV-inactivated SARS-CoV-2 virus (NIBSC) in artificial mucus. We further evaluated accelerated stability of the CBM-paper system at 45°C.

 Plotting of the CBM-fusion protein on the test line (0.3 mg/mL, 1 uL/cm) resulted in a tightly focused line, while the control line antibody, without CBM-fusion protein (1 mg/mL, 1 uL/cm), diffused from its deposition line. Additionally, we were able to substantially reduce the amount of capture antibody needed using the CBM-fusion protein system. The cellulose-based assay exhibited a runtime of 30 minutes and an analytical sensitivity of 10^3 pfu/mL. No significant changes in performance were observed after 9 weeks of incubation at 45°C, representing an approximate accelerated shelf-life of 12 months.

 Our results indicate that paper-based tests match sensitivity, clarity, and speed of current qualitative antigen tests on nitrocellulose, with a shelf-life of at least one year. This preliminary investigation demonstrates the viability of using paper as a replacement for nitrocellulose when coupled with CBM-fusion proteins for antibody immobilisation, offering significantly reduced material cost and environmental impact.


Future costs to lifestyle related diseases are expected to multiply worldwide. The scientific evidence for the positive health effects of regular physical activity (PA) is well established. Also the evidence for the efficacy of different methods to increase the level of PA in patients, is increasing. Physical activity on prescription (PAP) has been shown to increase the level of PA in patients, as well as positively influence classical risk factors of disease and improve quality-of-life. However, PA is still underutilized as a treatment tool in health care, while the preventive use of PA is more recognized. The hospital setting could be the key to implementation of PA as a treatment option in health care system. Several barriers, including educational as well as logistical and administrational, have to be addressed. The motivation not only of the patient, but also of the health care professional, to give suitable advice on lifestyle change, is important. Guidelines and reimbursement models for the use of PA in the hospital setting, are also be needed. National and international collaboration in networks, which should include relevant organizations devoted in different ways to increase the use of PA in the health care setting, may play a decisive future role.


This paper examines the impact of participation in transnational advocacy networks on local efforts to promote democratic unionization in the garment export sector in Puebla, Mexico. As such, the work explores the difficulties of recreating the successful cases of transnational advocacy once leadership and strategy development roles at the centre of the network are taken on by actors at the local level. The research compares transnational support for workers' efforts to register an independent union in three assembly plants to emphasize that access to network resources conditioned the ability of local actors to meet movement goals, once the network was led by local labor rights groups. In the first factory, Kukdong, the inclusion of key groups in the network allowed them to apply economic leverage on the factory through the threat of a boycott that ultimately led the factory owners to ask state officials to recognize the incipient worker's organization as an independent union. However, once local advocates attempted to recreate this success in two additional factories --first at Matamoros Garment, and finally at Tarrant Ajalpan-the absence of key network participants meant that the relative lack of material leverage and organizing expertise, disadvantaged the local labor rights groups, ultimately leading to the collapse of these two unionization campaigns. As such, the chapter uses the lessons from the Puebla cases to emphasize how network dynamics, and specifically, how access to organizational resources once networks move to the local level, can condition whether transnational advocacy succeeds or not in changing state behavior.


Our two-point observations by the INTERBALL satellite pair unveiled a presence of the vortexlike structure filled by slow heated plasma in the outer cusp during periods of the positive BZ interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) component. We have found the rotation of the magnetic field and the decrease of its magnitude connected with the presence of a hot plasma population inside the vortex. The diameter of the observed vortex derived from measurements of two spacecraft is estimated and the velocity of the vortex motion is determined. The observed phenomenon is probably a regular feature of the high-altitude cusp, however, this relatively small structure cannot be observed too often.


In this paper, the authors examine safety and management of computerized railway signaling systems in Japan. Hardware and software are first discussed, followed by an outline of safety guidelines for train control and protection systems. Risk analysis safety integrity levels, and evaluating safety measures are then studied. The paper concludes with a discussion of current safety management and related standards in Japan.


The vortex breakdown bubble in confined flow generated by a rotating lid in a closed container with different cross-section geometry has been analyzed experimentally for the case with the height/radius aspect ratio h = 2 and numerically for different aspect ratios. The stagnation point locations of the breakdown bubble emergence and corresponding Reynolds number were determined experimentally and numerically by STAR-CCM+ CFD software for square, pentagonal, hexagonal and octagonal cross-section configurations. The flow pattern and velocity were observed and measured combining the seeding particle visualization and Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA). The vortex breakdown size and position on the container axis were identified for Reynolds numbers ranging from 1450 to 2400. The obtained results were compared with flow structure in closed cylindrical container. Numerical results shown good agreement with experiment and have allowed to reveal regularities of formation of a vortex breakdown bubble depending on Re ...


A large number of collective instability mechanisms act on high-intensity beams. It is necessary to determine under what conditions the beam will remain stable. Space charge is the most fundamental mechanism and it represents the main intensity limitation in low-energy machines, while at high energy the inductive chamber impedance is often dominant. Landau damping provides a natural stabilizing mechanism against collective effects, if particles in the beam have a small spread S in their natural frequencies. The purpose of this report is to study the loss of Landau damping for the longitudinal plane via the "Sacherer formalism". Stability limits are calculated for several longitudinal beam distributions, including two types of flat bunches, which could be of interest to the LHC upgrade. Landau stability diagrams are computed and presented for different azimuthal modes. A general recipe is given for calculating the threshold intensity in the case of a capacitive impedance below transition or, equivalently, for a purely inductive impedance above transition. Results are finally applied to the case of the PS Booster, as an example of space-charge impedance below transition, and to the SPS, as an example of inductive impedance above transition. We acknowledge the support of the European Community-Research Infrastructure Activity under the FP6 "Structuring the European Research Area" programme (CARE, contract number RII3-CT-2003-506395). Geneva, Switzerland January 5, 2008


Statway is an accelerated developmental mathematics intervention program for college students who are not yet prepared to succeed in a college-level math course. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching created the initiative to increase student success rates in developmental mathematics and subsequent credit-bearing, college-level mathematics. Statway differs from traditional developmental mathematics sequences in that it allows students to complete both their developmental and college-level mathematics requirements in a single pathway over the course of one academic year. A previous study (Yamada & Bryk, 2016) found that students—across all sex and race/ethnic groups—who enrolled in Statway, had higher rates of completion for both developmental and college-level math compared to carefully matched students in traditional developmental math programs. Statway provides a multifaceted approach to addressing challenges that impede student success through psychosocial and academic supports, as well as lessons based on examples relevant to students' lives. The course is structured so the same cohort of students is enrolled in a consecutive twoterm sequence with the same faculty instructor, students work collaboratively, and instructors learn and apply new and more interactive teaching methods. Faculty also receive professional development and support through a networked improvement community (NIC) that connects them with other practitioners, administrators, and researchers from diverse institutions across the nation. We assessed the effectiveness of the program in its third and fourth years by utilizing a multilevel modeling approach with propensity score matching to compare Statway student outcomes with their counterparts in traditional developmental mathematics programs. We found that in comparison to traditional developmental mathematics students, Statway students had a significantly higher likelihood of successfully attaining college-level mathematics credit— even when comparison group students were allowed twice the amount of time to achieve the same outcome. These results are consistent across all sex and race/ethnic subgroups, as well as in almost all participating classrooms and institutions. Additionally, in replicating earlier findings from the first two years of the program, the results suggest that Statway continues to advance equitable outcomes even as it scales to greater numbers of students in an increasing number of institutions. This report also suggests potential areas for future investigation and research. CARNEGIE STATWAY SUCCESS 3 This report provides an important sequel to the Carnegie Foundation's previous assessment of the effectiveness of the first two years of Statway, a mathematics program designed to expedite the process by which students may fulfill their developmental requirements and earn college mathematics credit. Employing a multilevel modeling technique with propensity score matching, the previous peer-reviewed study found that Statway considerably improved college mathematics success rates among students from the 2011 and 2012 cohorts (Yamada & Bryk, 2016). Since then, Statway has continued to scale within current institutions and spread to new ones, nearly doubling its enrollment and expanding its geographic reach to three new states, and expanding in total four-fold since it began five years ago (Huang, Hoang, Yesilyurt, & Thorn, 2016). Scaling innovations in education is notoriously difficult (Cannata & Nguyen, 2015). Thus, the current study, which focuses on the third and fourth years of Statway's implementation, seeks to further substantiate Statway as an evidence-based initiative by replicating results from the previous analysis. To better inform our efforts to address challenges in scaling Statway, the study also examines variation in performance across instructors and institutions. The Developmental Mathematics Problem Level of attainment in higher education predicts income and is a primary means of attaining upward social mobility (Deming & Dynarski, 2009). As of 2014, 12.3 million individuals were enrolled in community colleges in order to develop relevant knowledge and skills to participate meaningfully in the workforce (American Association of Community Colleges, 2016). For some, successfully completing community college serves as the final step toward earning an associate degree or professional certification. For others, community college represents a stepping stone for transitioning to a four-year institution and working toward a higher degree. Unfortunately, without first achieving college-level mathematics credit, many of these students can never realize their dreams. Approximately 60% of community college students are assigned to take one or more developmental mathematics courses. However, three years after enrollment, 80% of these students do not successfully complete the course, thereby precluding them from going on to earn college-level mathematics credit (Bailey, Jeong, & Cho, 2010). Minority students are disproportionately required to take more developmental mathematics courses, but are also less likely to achieve college-level mathematics credit than white students are (Bailey et al., 2010). Developmental mathematics sequences thus act as gatekeepers in granting or denying students, particularly those from traditionally disadvantaged groups, the means of continuing to progress toward their academic and professional goals. Consequently, developmental mathematics reform is one of the most salient education and equity issues of our time. Prior research suggests that a number of factors in how developmental mathematics courses are traditionally designed and implemented may adversely affect student outcomes. At present, developmental mathematics programs are generally offered as a sequence of foundational courses that increase in difficulty, starting with basic arithmetic and culminating in intermediate algebra (Stigler, Givvin, & Thompson, 2010). Prior to even attempting a collegelevel mathematics course, students must first successfully make it through this sometimes lengthy sequence (Hodara, 2013). Depending on their placement test scores, students may be CARNEGIE STATWAY SUCCESS 4 required to take three or more of these prerequisite courses; most students, however, are placed at least two levels below college math, meaning a minimum of a year in non-creditbearing math (Cullinane & Treisman, 2010). Among those who do attempt a developmental mathematics course, even those who successfully complete one or multiple courses, may find themselves struggling to persevere through the entirety of the sequence (Bailey et al., 2010). Structural barriers to student success and enrollment in developmental mathematics courses may be further exacerbated by a myriad of other factors. For instance, researchers have found little use of evidence-based classroom activities and practices that may encourage student success by facilitating deeper learning (Mesa, 2011; National Research Council, 2002). In addition, much of the material presented in conventional developmental mathematics courses lacks accessibility and relevance by failing to demonstrate real world applications of mathematics or incorporate student interests (Carnevale & Desrochers, 2003; Edwards, Sandoval, & McNamara, 2015). Lamentably, students may believe that successfully learning mathematics is a skill some people are born with, while others are inherently incapable of becoming successful mathematics students. Such beliefs may derive from previous negative experiences with mathematics, which may also induce excessive anxiety among students when they are confronted with challenging concepts (Blackwell, Trzesniewski, & Dweck, 2007; Haynes, Perry, Stupinsky, & Daniels, 2009). Students who identify with traditionally marginalized groups may be especially vulnerable; in particular, African-Americans and females may internalize stereotypes of themselves as poor mathematics students (Cohen, Garcia, Purdie-Vaughns, Apfel, & Brzustoski, 2009). Additionally, students with limited language and literacy skills, such as students from immigrant backgrounds, may find it difficult to effectively communicate mathematical reasoning or understand mathematics problems (Gomez, Rodela, Lozano, & Mancevice, 2013). Statway's Theory of Improvement Statway was initiated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as an innovative means to improve upon the generally dismal success rate of students in developmental mathematics. Statway offers students an accelerated pathway by which they can meet their developmental mathematics requirements and achieve college-level mathematics credit in statistics within a single academic year. The theory behind the program's design is underpinned by six key drivers (see Figure 2): 1) an accelerated pathway through college-level mathematics, 2) curriculum and instruction principles that emphasize productive struggle, explicit connections, and deliberate practice, 3) explicit integration of socioemotional supports in the form of productive persistence, 4) language and literacy supports, 5) professional development for faculty, and 6) support of a networked improvement community comprised of researchers, practitioners, college administrators, and designers (Bryk, Gomez, Grunow, & LeMahieu, 2015). Designing an accelerated pathway through college-level mathematics. Statway offers an accelerated and simplified means by which students can meet their developmental and collegelevel mathematics requirements. As shown in Figure 1, under traditional developmental mathematics programs, students placed into elementary algebra within the sequence would CARNEGIE STATWAY SUCCESS 5 require one and a half years, at minimum, to achieve college-level mathematics credit. Others, who may repeatedly fail developmental mathematics courses and/or face scheduling conflicts or do not have full course l


Laser cleaning is a surface treatment process that removes residues, coatings and contaminants using only the power of focused light. This advanced technology harnesses the unique properties of laser energy with precision control to safely prepare high value surfaces in many applications. Laser light replaces harmful cleaning solvents, chemicals, as well as abrasive media that pose hazards to people and the planet.


Background: Child marriage is widespread public health issue with varying prevalence across countries, cultures, religions and ethnicities in both proportions and numbers. The objective of this paper is to examine the effect of maternal age at marriage on experiencing child death among Nepalese mother. Methods: This paper employs secondary data from the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), 2016, a nationally representative sample survey. The analysis of this paper is limited to married women (n=9,180) having at least one live birth aged 15-49 years. Univariate, bivariate and multivariate analysis were performed. Binary logistic regression was used to assess risk factors on experiencing child death due to lower age at marriage of mother. Results: More than one in four women got married before 15 years (26%). Sixteen percent of women had experienced at least one child death. Logistic regression analysis shows that women who got married at 16-19 and 15 or below were 1.6 times and 2.2 times respectively more likely to experience child loss than those who got married after 20 and above. Women who had primary and secondary or above education were 42% and 61% less likely (aOR=0.58 for primary and 0.39 for secondary or above) to experience child death than women who had no education. Rural women were more likely to experience child death (aOR=1.32, p<0.001) than urban women. Women from middle and rich households were less likely to experience child death (aOR=0.81 for middle and aOR=0.63 for rich) than poor women. Women who were exposed to TV were less likely to experience child death (aOR=0.79, p<0.001) than women who were not exposed to TV. Conclusion: Experience of child death among married women in Nepal is not uncommon. Policy makers should pay special attention towards improving socioeconomic status of the mothers including implementing the legal age at marriage as an effort to curb child marriage and hence child mortality in the country. Women who are poor, deprived of education, and living in the disadvantaged regions with poor access to quality health care services should be regarded as a top priority so that child mortality will decrease and the overall well-being of the family can be enhanced.


Real hypersurfaces M 2 n (cid:1) 1 of type (B) in C H n ð c Þ , n f 2 are known as interesting examples of Hopf hypersurfaces with constant principal curvatures. They are homogeneous in this ambient space. Moreover, the numbers of distinct principal curvatures of all real hypersurfaces of type (B) with radius r 0 ð 1 = ffiffiffiffiffi j c j p Þ log e ð 2 þ ffiffiffi 3 p Þ are 3. When r ¼ ð 1 = ffiffiffiffiffi j c j p Þ log e ð 2 þ ffiffiffi 3 p Þ , the real hypersurface of type (B) has two distinct principal curvatures. The purpose of this paper is to characterize this Hopf hypersurface having two distinct constant principal curvatures.