Going concern is an accounting term used to describe a business that is expected to operate for the foreseeable future or at least the next 12 months. The concept of going concern is particularly relevant in times of economic difficulties and in some situations auditor may determine that a profitable company may not be a going concern, for example because of significant cash flow difficulties. This research aims to study the influence of audit quality, financial condition and earnings management on the auditor's opinion on going concern with corporate mechanism as a moderating variable. This study analyzes data from the financial statements of 49 manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange in 2018-2020. The results of this study provide empirical evidence that giving a going concern audit opinion by the auditor is not based on the quality of the auditor because he acts in accordance with auditing standards. Financial condition and earnings management have a significant effect on the going concern audit opinion. When a company experiences a bad financial condition, it is very likely that it will receive a going concern audit opinion because there are signs of difficulties in maintaining the viability of its business. The corporate mechanism is able to moderate only the influence of financial condition on the going concern audit opinion. Thus, the auditor's opinion on going concern based on analysis of financial reporting data is important for investors and other interested parties who want to be sure of their decisions.


Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an essential component of human civilization because of its extensive use in food industry. At the point of industrial usage it is very important to get large amount of biomass but many factors causes yeast's viability loss and death. The aim of this work was to study the peculiarities of growth parameters – specific growth rate (SGR, μ, growth yield) of S. cerevisiae wine and beer strains under different external conditions, as well as pH and oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) changes during growth. It was shown that under aerobic cultivation, the conditions 30℃ and pH 6.5 are more favorable for the growth of 2 strains (ATCC 9804, μ = 0.398; ATCC 13007, μ = 0.407), where they can enhance the biomass, and under microaerobic conditions the pH 5.0 and 37℃ are more favorable (ATCC 9804, μ = 0.35; ATCC 13007, μ = 0.436). During aerobic conditions, lower ORP values are established which did not depend on growth temperature and external pH. Under microaerobic conditions until the establish¬ment of the stationary phase (24 h) pH dependent changes of ORP were established. Obtained results will help to clarify the biochemical, biophysical and bioenergetic phenomena of yeast survival that can enhance the biomass growth and yield and thus applied industrial scale.


A primary way to signal gender differences starting in infancy is via a clothing color cue (pink is for girls, not boys). We examined whether a violation of this seemingly innocuous gendered prescription would lead to differential decision making regarding infants' health and well being. In Experiment 1, participants were given an adaptation of the Asian Disease Problem (Tversky & Kahneman, 1981) describing a flu outbreak expected to affect male infants, who were dressed in pink or blue. Participants tended to choose the risk-averse treatment for boys in blue, consistent with Tversky and Kahneman's theorizing and findings. In contrast, participants tended to opt for the risk-taking treatment for boys in pink, consistent with research highlighting people's tendency to place lower subjective value on the lives of individuals who belong to socially devalued groups. Experiment 2 ruled out a possible expectancy effect with a different natural category. We discuss the reification of clothing color for demarcating masculinity as a societal attempt at policing gender and situate the findings in a cognitive consistency framework.


This paper investigates a type of STGM (system testability growth model) based on the nonhomogeneous Poisson process which incorporates TGEF (testability growth effort function). First, we analyze the process of TGT (testability growth test) for equipment, which shows that the TGT can be divided into two committed steps: make the unit under test be in broken condition to identify TDL (testability design limitation) and remove the TDL. We consider that the amount of TGF (testability growth effort) spent on identifying TDL is a crucial issue which decides the shape of testability growth curve and that the TGF increases firstly and then decreases at different rates in the whole life cycle. Furthermore, we incorporate five TGEFs: an Exponential curve, a Rayleigh curve, a logistic curve, a delayed S-shape curve or an inflected S-shaped curve which are collectively referred to as Bell-shaped TGEFs into STGM. Results from applications to a real data set of a stable tracking platform are analyzed and evaluated in testability prediction capability and show that the Bell-shaped function can be expressed as a TGF curve and that the logistic TGEF dependent STGM gives better predictions based on the real data set.


SUMMARY This paper presents the e xperimental results measured on the Italsat satellite when d ata is transmitted by using the FODA/IBEA satellite access scheme. The measures presented refer to the packet arrival tim e jitter, which affects the real-time data, and to the e nd-to-end d elay o f the non real-time data. The experimental results, obtained with four Italian active stations on Italsat confirm the a nalytical results. The paper also shows the a dvantage of working in pre-assignment mode, a feature of the capacity assignment algorithm which improves the end-to-end delay of non real-time data during the transient provoked by a traffic step when the system is scarcely loaded.


DC power distribution system is an important development direction of future urban power distribution system, while the charging and discharging requirements of electric vehicles have a great impact on the stability of the DC power distribution system. Firstly, a stability model of DC power distribution system integration of electric vehicles under different charging and discharging modes is established, and the stability of DC power distribution system is compared according to Nyquist stability criterion, when electric vehicles are charged and discharged in different ways. Finally, a DC power distribution system time domain example with electric vehicle is made in DIgSILENT simulation software, and simulation results verify the correctness of theoretical analysis.


[1] We investigate the influence of the external temperature forcing given by seasonal, interannual, and climatic temperature changes on the surface heat flow of Mars and determine how meaningful measurements of the internal planetary heat flow can be obtained. The influence of seasonal temperature changes is found to be efficiently removed if measurements are extended over the period of at least a full Martian year. Interannual variability due to, e.g., eolian-driven surface albedo changes typically alters the heat flow by less than 15%, although errors may be larger if the soil's thermal conductivity and the albedo variations are both large. Heat flow perturbations caused by long-term climatic changes are found to stay below 15%. In order to also determine the soil's thermal conductivity with an accuracy of 20% or better, a direct conductivity measurement is required. We conclude that a measurement of the Martian planetary heat flow is possible with an accuracy of 30% or better if measurements are extended over the period of at least a full Martian year and thermal conductivity is directly measured. Temperature sensors should have a precision of 0.1 K, and measurements should be conducted up to a depth of 3–5 m.


The growth in the renewable energy sector changes the power flow, grid codes and modes of operation towards a "Everything as a Grid" concept. To ensure system reliably in this environment, live data on power flow direction, distortion and other parameters is essential. This paper will highlight the advantages of using sensors using a case of introducing/upgrading a renewable energy grid. This will also include specific applications such as cable pooling of multiple sources on a single grid connection and power factor improvement providing the possibility to actively request reactive power from renewables.


On the eastern side of Barnavave, at the immediate junction of the igneous mass with the surrounding limestone and about a quarter of a mile south of the fault which crosses the mountain, there is an isolated outcrop of a fine-grained, speckled rock which clearly invades the limestone at this point. The rock includes xenoliths broken from the limestone and also others of igneous origin.-and smaller dimensions. Microscopical examination proves the rock to be a syenite of unusual character which carries a small amount of quartz. It is possibly the rock referred to by Harker.


E very day, our brain recognizes and discriminates the many thousands of sensory signals that it encounters. Today's best artificial intelligence models—many of which are inspired by neural circuits in the brain—have similar abilities. For example, the so-called deep convolutional neural networks used for object recognition and classification are inspired by the layered structure of the visual cortex. However, scientists have yet to develop a full mathematical understanding of how biological or artificial intelligence systems achieve this recognition ability. Now SueYeon Chung of the Flatiron Institute in New York and her colleagues have developed amore detailed description of the connection of the geometric representation of objects in biological and artificial


We report the first experimental observation to our knowledge of single-mode instabilities and chaos in a gain-modulated cw ${\mathrm{CO}}_{2}$ laser. With the use of detuning as a control parameter, chaos in this system has been found to occur through an intermittent route. We have identified certain regions of detuning over which the normal emission of the laser breaks down giving rise to periodic, quasiperiodic, or chaotic behavior.


Experimental and numerical investigations on a cooling liquid‐film flow in a hot‐fire environment within a model combustion chamber were carried out to characterize the flow and heat transfer phenomena and to provide insight into flowfield and guide the evolution of the cooling design. A model combustion chamber with optical windows was set up for shadowgraph imaging of the liquid film. Numerical simulations using a separate‐phase VOF method of the liquid‐film flow and the combustion of the gaseous oxygen and methane were conducted to characterize the cooling‐film flow and heat transfer between the hot combustion products and the liquid film.


The system MiND (Multipurpose integrated Neural Device) is a development system for ar-tiicial neural networks. It includes a neuroboard based on the new neuroprocessor SAND (Simple Applicable Neural Device), which can be used to accelerate networks like Backpropa-gation, Radial-Basis-Function or Kohonen networks (up to 800 MCPS). The user interface of MiND is menu and graphic oriented. The system is supplied with many "predeened" simula-tors. However, based on the speciication language CONNECT and on abstract C++ graphic and menu classes a user can easily adapt predeened simulators or develop own ones. The language CONNECT is based on a generic connectionist model. It allows to specify connectionist systems in an abstract and, at the same time, complete way. I.e., all relevant aspects (e.g. learning algorithms) are given explicitely, but in a compact and readable way. A CONNECT speciication is translated into a C++ network class and then can easily be glued together with the graphic and menu classes to constitute a simulator. All "predeened" simulators of the MiND system are based on this mechanism. However, this mechanism can also be exploited by a user to deene his own simulators and to develop custom applications. The MiND system will be available on diierent platforms. The current version is running on PCs under Windows 95 and Windows NT, and includes a PCI board with the neuroprocessor.


To understand the function of myoglobin (Mb) and cytoglobin (Cygb) in channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus in response to heat stress, mb and cygb genes were identified and characterized in this study. These genes were widely expressed in all the tested tissues, but strong tissue preferences were observed, with the mb gene being expressed most highly in the heart, cygb1 most highly expressed in the intestine and cygb2 most highly expressed in the brain. After heat-stress challenge, mb and cygb genes were up-regulated in almost all tested tissues. In general, such up-regulation was more dramatic in the tolerant group than in the intolerant group, suggesting that higher expression of mb and cygb genes contributed to greater tolerance of I. punctatus to heat stress.


According to available statistics, the wine production process has risks of limited importance and sporadic case in terms of the safety of employees. However, some stages of processing (possible development of abnormal fermentations with methanol, the presence of pesticides, excess of sulfur dioxide, etc..) may represent a potential danger for both the consumer and the workers. Similarly, but with greater frequency and dangerousness, building materials, structures and above all the machines and equipment used in the cellar, are important critical points in terms of safety of workers employed. This paper analyzes the potential risks for health of workers in wineries and possible impairments of product's safety and proposes targeted interventions that, preserving the efficiency of the production cycle, worth to eliminate or reduce the potential dangers associated with building structures and machines.


Nitrate and acetate precursors to YBa[sub 2]Cu[sub 3]O[sub 7-x] (123) are prepared using a molten salt technique. The viscosity and shear stress of the paste are controlled by evaporation of water from the paste. The pastes contain [approximately] 20--80 vol % solids. Rheometry over strain rates of 0--200 sec[sup [minus]1] shows both systems are shear-thinning. Both systems are thixotropic. The nitrate system may be described by a two-stage Bingham Plastic model, the acetate by a Hershel-Bulkley model. The existence of more than one region of flow behavior suggests that there are at least two mechanisms which contribute to flow. In the low strain rate region, flow resistance is due to the existence of flocs in the colloidal assembly. At higher strain rates, flow is probably controlled by interlaminar drag interactions. Precursors produced by both methods have been used to form fibers of YBa[sub 2]Cu[sub 3]o[sub 7-x], by ram extrusion.


Copyright © 2017 International Anesthesia Research Society. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. February 2017 • Volume 124 • Number 2 www.anesthesia-analgesia.org 691 DOI: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000001752 We were excited to open this little package that arrived by air freight. The book is pocket-sized, smaller than many mobile phones, and weighs <9 ounces. The introduction states that this fifth edition has been revised completely and updated, with obsolete drugs removed, although oddly halothane, trichloroethylene, and ether earned print space once more. As in previous editions, this is not a book about care principles but rather a summary of the regular pharmacologic therapies used in anesthesia and intensive care. The 184 drugs included in the book are presented in alphabetical order, and each drug is summarized over 1 to 2 pages. The introductory section explains how to use this book and that each drug is presented in a standard format that includes uses, chemical presentation, main action, routes of administration, and effects. Some, but not all, drugs have special points presented, such as drug interactions. This edition continues the style adopted in the 4th edition to minimize chapter space by combining drug groups together, for example, thrombolytics, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and angiotensin II receptor antagonists. The book uses two indexes, one listing all medications by drug derivation and the other listing medical uses. The medication index does not include all drugs presented in the book. For example, dexmedetomidine is on page 94, and losartan is described in the angiotensin II receptor antagonist chapter, yet neither one appears in the medication index. In the medical indications index, "thrombolytic therapy" refers the reader to the heparin page rather than to thrombolytics. This book is geared to the UK consumer, presenting adrenaline rather than epinephrine and listing scopolamine as hyoscine. There are notable omissions of drugs that may be administered frequently, such as hydromorphone, calcium salts, and vancomycin. Concerningly, a review of the fourth edition of this book1 noted that the recommended neuraxial dose of diamorphine was high and had not been amended since the third edition, and this high dose remains present in this fifth edition. In the current edition, the recommended dose of dexmedetomidine is written as 1 mg/kg, too high by a factor of 1000. We used this book during operating room and intensive care unit shifts and in the preoperative clinic. Drugs we encountered in the operating room and the intensive care unit were presented clearly; however, we required an alternative information source for considerations in renal and hepatic impairment; the special points section could be used to present this information. In addition, a drip table such as appears in some other handbooks would be a nice addition as an appendix. It is not an easy task to update a concise book and to include all the relevant drugs that may be encountered by the anesthesiologist or critical care physician, particularly during the preoperative assessment. We were curious to see which daily medications the patient may be taking were included in this updated edition. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors have potential interactions with anesthesia, as noted in the special points section, but not all drugs had perioperative recommendations. Metformin, for example, is presented, but without presurgery recommendations. We specifically noticed that monoamine oxidase inhibitors and chemotherapeutics such as doxorubicin were not presented in the book despite their potential for significant consequences on the perioperative course. Furthermore, it may be useful to refer the reader to updated guidelines regarding neuraxial anesthesia for patients using anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapies. In summary, this is a succinct and portable book that presents many anesthesia and intensive care drugs in addition to some commonly administered daily medications listed in alphabetical order and presented in a clear and logical format. Do you need this book and do you need to upgrade if you already have it? This book summarizes the essential clinical pharmacology of drugs of interest used by the anesthesia provider and critical care physician. Given that it is increasingly easy to search for relevant drug information using the ubiquitous mobile device, however, every drug that appears in this handy alternative requires accurate and ample information. The many Webbased and mobile app-based databases include all of the drugs in the pharmacopeia and address more advanced problems encountered during perioperative and critical care, such as interactions and dose adjustments for organ impairment, that were not consistently included in this book.


The following games are intended to help children use their imagination while moving and creating shapes with their bodies. Make sure that children are warmed up properly before doing the later games. Give them a few short movement games to allow their bodies to warm and their minds to focus on the tasks.


The room-temperature phosphorescent DBBZL crystals could exhibit reversible bending and irreversible bending based on one crystal. These flexible crystals exhibit good waveguiding property in straight state, elastic bending state and plastic bending state, demonstrating the application of flexibility.


The Stepwise Approach towards Rabies Elimination (SARE) has been developed as a template that countries may use to develop activities and measure progress towards a national programme and strategy for sustainable rabies prevention, control and eventually elimination. This tool focuses on the prevention of dog-transmitted human rabies, which is hereafter is simply referred to as "rabies". For easy reference, activities are linked to the operational sections of the Canine Rabies Blueprint, (...)


Video game music is responsible for a lot of activity with various purposes by users in multiple online spaces. It is possible to observe the creation of playlists organized by environments, character, etc., such as "epic," "instrumental," or "atmospheric", intersecting several game soundtracks. In this article, it's examined how music is systematized and inserted into categories related to the different environments proposed in the game The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion when exploring specific musical resources that are used according to the nomenclature applied to each track, especially the rhythm, pitch, tempo and orchestration. Observing the imageries present in the game, their construction and their reinforcement through the soundtrack that accompanies the narrative and the personal experience of the player during the gameplay, the soundtrack can be considered a deposit of meanings associated to the actions, ambients and contexts proposed to the user


Using the setting of earnings conference calls, this paper investigates the temporal focus of management presentation during those calls, i.e., the extent to which managers allocate their discussions to future firm prospects relative to past firm performance. I find a negative association between firms' past performance and the future focus of management presentation. Moreover, the association is less negative for firms with more long-term investors and is more negative for firms with high litigation risk. Additionally, I find that the temporal focus of management presentation is positively associated with that of analyst questions. I also find that managers' future focus is positively associated with the number of analysts following the firm but negatively associated with forecast quality of analyst reports (lower accuracy and higher dispersion). Finally, I find the future discussions in management presentation is positively associated with the time that analysts took to release the next quarter's forecasts.


The management and conservation of tuna and other transboundary marine species have to date been limited by an incomplete understanding of the oceanographic, ecological and socioeconomic factors mediating fishery overlap and interactions, and how these factors vary across expansive, open ocean habitats. Despite advances in fisheries monitoring and biologging technology, few attempts have been made to conduct integrated ecological analyses at basin scales relevant to pelagic fisheries and the highly migratory species they target. Here, we use vessel tracking data, archival tags, observer records, and machine learning to examine inter‐ and intra‐annual variability in fisheries overlap (2013–2020) of five pelagic longline fishing fleets with North Pacific albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga, Scombridae). Although progressive declines in catch and biomass have been observed over the past several decades, the North Pacific albacore is one of the only Pacific tuna stocks primarily targeted by pelagic longlines not currently listed as overfished or experiencing overfishing. We find that fishery overlap varies significantly across time and space as mediated by (1) differences in habitat preferences between juvenile and adult albacore; (2) variation of oceanographic features known to aggregate pelagic biomass; and (3) the different spatial niches targeted by shallow‐set and deep‐set longline fishing gear. These findings may have significant implications for stock assessment in this and other transboundary fishery systems, particularly the reliance on fishery‐dependent data to index abundance. Indeed, we argue that additional consideration of how overlap, catchability, and size selectivity parameters vary over time and space may be required to ensure the development of robust, equitable, and climate‐resilient harvest control rules.


In China,the research and practice of high-tech statistics,as of late 1980s,is still in developing phase now,which is accompanied by some problems such as being multi-leading as well as short of unique direction and incompatibility of statistical outcomes from different provinces.Nevertheless,these problems can be solved by standardizing high-tech statistical range,unique guidence,and approaches.


The experiment assessed the variability of in seven clones of willow plants of high biomass production (Salix smithiana S-218, Salix smithiana S-150, Salix viminalis S-519, Salix alba S-464, Salix 'Pyramidalis' S-141, Salix dasyclados S-406, Salix rubens S-391). They were planted in a pots for three vegetation periods in three soils differing in the total content of risk elements. Comparing the calculated relative decrease of total metal contents in soils, the phytoextraction potential of willows was obtained for cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn), moderately contaminated Cambisol and uncontaminated Chernozem, where aboveground biomass removed about 30% Cd and 5% Zn of the total element content, respectively. The clones showed variability in removing Cd and Zn, depending on soil type and contamination level: S. smithiana (S-150) and S. rubens (S-391) demonstrated the highest phytoextraction effect for Cd and Zn. For lead (Pb) and arsenic (As), the ability to accumulate the aboveground biomass of willows was found to be negligible in both soils. The results confirmed that willow plants show promising results for several elements, mainly for mobile ones like cadmium and zinc in moderate levels of contamination. The differences in accumulation among the clones seemed to be affected more by the properties of clones, not by the soil element concentrations or soil properties. However, confirmation and verification of the results in field conditions as well as more detailed investigation of the mechanisms of cadmium uptake in rhizosphere of willow plants will be determined by further research.


The different methods lead to different cut scores. Еven for the very same judges the cut scores were different for the different methods. For some of the methods the cut scores diverged to a large extent. The methods for setting cut scores are The Basket procedure; The Compound Cumulative method; The Cumulative Cluster method; The ROC-curve method; The Item Mastery method; The Level Characteristic Curve method. The object of the present study is the psychometric characteristics of the methods, in terms of their validity (internal and external). Оne of the hypotheses is that the method with the smallest standard error of the cut score is the Compound Cumulative method.


We examine the likely accuracies to which the tropospheric propagation delay at the zenith can be modelled in airborne navigation and the limiting effects this will ultimately have on an aircraft's position determination. Even though the hydrostatic component of the tropospheric zenith delay can be modelled to millimetre accuracy, this requires an accurate atmospheric pressure measurement. In aircraft navigation this may not be directly available and the pressure value used to drive the model must be derived from another source. Whatever average value is used, it is unlikely to represent the real pressure exactly and will therefore introduce a bias into the delay determination. To observe the effects of the neutral atmosphere on GPS signals, dual frequency (L1 and L2) GPS data was collected with Ashtech Z-12 receivers at a surveyed base station and simulataneously on board an aircraft. Kinematic position solutions for the aircraft have been computed from the data sets. The effects of the troposphere have been examined by looking at differences in position solutions using different tropospheric delay models. Our results indicate that the water vapour component of the tropospheric delay provides the limiting factor close to the earth's surface. If the value used for water vapour pressure is incorrect compared to the "true" value by the order of 10 mbar, then in the absence of other errors, the resulting zenith delay will be in error by the order of 10 cm Towards the tropopause however, incorrect scaling of the total surface pressure provides the limiting factor.


Background The immune microenvironment is of great significance in cervical cancer. However, there is still a lack of systematic research on the immune infiltration environment of cervical cancer. Methods We obtained cervical cancer transcriptome data and clinical information from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases, evaluated the immune microenvironment of cervical cancer, determined immune subsets, constructed an immune cell infiltration scoring system, screened key immune-related genes, and performed single-cell data analysis and cell function analysis of key genes. Results We combined the TCGA and GEO data sets and obtained three different immune cell populations. We obtained two gene clusters, extracted 119 differential genes, and established an immune cell infiltration (ICI) scoring system. Finally, three key genes, IL1B, CST7, and ITGA5, were identified, and single-cell sequencing data were mined to distribute these key genes in different cell types. By up-regulating CST7 and down-regulating IL1B and ITGA5, cervical cancer cells' proliferation ability and invasion ability were successfully reduced. Conclusion We conducted a comprehensive assessment of the state of the tumor immune microenvironment in cervical cancer, constructed the ICI scoring system, and identified the ICI scoring system as a potential indicator of susceptibility to immunotherapy for cervical cancer, identifying key genes suggesting that IL1B, CST7, and ITGA5 play an essential role in cervical cancer.


Electrical and Computer Engineering the university. His research interest spans across developing and validating concept inventories in fostering conceptual understanding, design-based principles in multime-dia and virtual environments. His research work with the faculty includes the role of learning strategies and student engagement in fostering conceptual understanding, academic resiliency as a psychological tool for improving student learning and engagement. He is also interested in systematic reviews, meta-analysis and measurement inventories development. is He is affiliated Engineering Education Transformational Institute and the school of electrical and computer engineering at the university. His interest is at the nexus of the research of epistemologies, learning mechanics and assessment of learning in engineering education. His research focuses on learning for conceptual understanding, and the roles of learning strategies, epistemic cognition and student engagements in fostering conceptual understanding. His research also focuses on understanding how students interact with learning tasks and their learning environment. His expertise also includes systematic reviews and meta-analysis, quantitative research designs, measurement inventories development and validation. interests include teaching and seeks to develop professional skills in the classroom to better prepare students for Abstract This work in progress study examines the structural validation of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Resilience, an ability to respond positively to challenging situations, is an essential psychological attribute in responding to stressors. Students often encounter stressful situations that could influence their motivation to remain and succeed in an engineering degree. Developing and strengthening resiliency among engineering students is essential for their academic success in engineering. Participants included 150 undergraduate students enrolled in a foundational engineering course who completed an online survey of the resilience measure. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed to examine the structural validity evidence of the CD-RISC. Model fitness statistics based on CFI, TLI, RMSEA indicated that a five-factor model of the CD-RISC is acceptable. Convergent validity and discriminant evidence were examined using the AVE and MSV estimates. The analysis indicated some concerns with the validity evidence of the instrument. Implications of findings and future directions are discussed. This study examined a measure of resilience - the Connor Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) using a sample of engineering students. Although Connor & Davidson suggested that the resilience measure is valid and reliable, structural validity efforts to support the five-factor structure across different populations have failed [ 16 ] . This paper applied confirmatory factor analytic methods to the resilience measure to evaluate its validity. The five-factor model yielded a marginal model fit. Also, the internal reliability coefficients for all factors were acceptable. The composite reliability coefficient was lower for the factor, named s piritual i nfluences , perhaps explained by the fact that only two items load on the factor. The results of convergent validity and discriminant validity, indicated by the values of AVE and MSV, suggest the instrument had issues with construct validity. Further, we found that the correlation between personal competence and tenacity (factor 1) and positive acceptance of change (factor 3) of the CD-RISC ( r = 0.95) suggests inter-related constructs between both factors. This inter-relationship indicates that both factors lack discriminant validity.


ABSTRACT. The ERG response of the compound eye to single, brief, light pulses, to sustained stimulation for 2 s, and the dark adapted flicker‐fusion frequency (FFF) under stroboscopic light was measured in six species: Locusta migratoria (FFF range: 40–90 Hz), Periplaneta americana (25–60 Hz), Saturnia pavonia (65–85 Hz), Antheraea pernyi (25–70 Hz), Glossina morsitans (85–205 Hz) and Drosophila hydei (60–100 Hz). The first four species have typical 'slow‐eyed', monophasic ERG responses; the two flies typical 'fast‐eyed', biphasic responses. The FFF proved to be dependent on the state of light adaptation, being 40–70% higher than the above figures after only 2 min exposure to as little as 300 lx. Adult male Glossina, but not Locusta nymphs, showed a clear 100 Hz ERG ripple in response to single‐phase, mains fluorescent lighting. To three‐phase fluorescent lighting no 300 Hz ERG ripple was detected, but the 100 Hz component was still evident.


The terrestrial nightglow emission in near infrared region were obtained using a Fourier Transform Spectrometer(FTS) at Esrange, Sweden (N, E) and the OH(4- 2) bands were used to derive temperature and airglow emission rate of the upper mesosphere. For this study, we analyzed data taken during winter of 2001/2002 and performed spectral analysis to retrieve wave information. From the Lomb-Scargle spectral analysis to the measured temperatures, dominant oscillations at various periods near tidal frequency are found. Most commonly observed waves are 4, 6, and 8 hour oscillations. Because of periods and persistence, the observed oscillations are most likely of tidal origin, i.e. zonally symmetric tides which are known to have their maximum amplitudes at the pole.


Unmanned aerial vehicles, and multi-rotors in particular, can now perform dexterous tasks in impervious environments, from infrastructure monitoring to emergency deliveries. Autonomous drone racing has emerged as an ideal benchmark to develop and evaluate these capabilities. Its challenges include accurate and robust visual-inertial odometry during aggressive maneuvers, complex aerodynamics, and constrained computational resources. As researchers increasingly channel their efforts into it, they also need the tools to timely and equitably compare their results and advances. With this dataset, we want to (i) support the development of new methods and (ii) establish quantitative comparisons for approaches coming from the broader robotics, controls, and artificial intelligence communities. We want to provide a one-stop resource that is comprehensive of (i) aggressive autonomous and piloted flight, (ii) high-resolution, high-frequency visual, inertial, and motion capture data, (iii) commands and control inputs, (iv) multiple light settings, and (v) corner-level labeling of drone racing gates. We also release the complete specifications to recreate our flight platform, using commercial off-the-shelf components and the open-source flight controller Betaflight. Our dataset, open-source scripts, and drone design are available at: https://github.com/tii-racing/drone-racing-dataset.


A new method using guanidine HCl and NaCl was made for isolating genomic DNA of Megaselia scalaris(Loew).Arbitrary regions of the genomic DNA were amplified by polymerase chain reaction(PCR).The results indicated that this method could rapidly extracted genomic DNA from larva,pupa and adult of fresh sample and alcohol steep sample.The RAPD results showed that the DNA extracted by this method could meet the need of molecular study of phorid flies.


To characterize the ultrastructure of detrusor smooth muscle from the bladders of symptomatic men with bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) caused by benign prostatic enlargement (BPE) and compare this with a matched control group; to determine how detrusor morphology relates to urodynamic findings and to develop a better understanding of the natural development of bladder dysfunction related to BOO.


We introduce a new class of Petri nets, simple logic Petri nets (SLPN). We show how this type of nets can be efficiently mapped into logic programs with negation: the corresponding answer sets describe interleaved executions of the underlying Petri nets. We also show how to model and specify AgentSpeak agents with SLPN's. This allows us to solve the task of model checking AgentSpeak agents by computing answer sets of the obtained logic program with any ASP system.


The problem of robust decomposition of temporal horizons in production planning was first introduced by Torres [1]. Later, in [2], Torres suggests to start with an integer solution found by dynamic programming, and then to use a simulated annealing algorithm to improve it. According to [2], more needs to be known about the impact of the control parameters in the simulated annealing algorithm, and their sensitivity with respect to the quality of the solutions. In this work we develop this idea and analyze in depth the ability of the simulated annealing algorithm to improve the initial solution. As a result of the computational experiments conducted, we determined that the cooling scheme and the cooling rate have significant effect on the quality of the final solution. It was also established that the solution found depends strongly on the characteristics of the operations plan, finding better solutions for plans with shorter temporal horizons. MSC: 62-XX, 62Kxx, 68Uxx, 65Kxx


The article presents a numerical analysis of the intake system of a turbine jet engine in terms of parameter stability along its duct, following the occurrence of an intake vortex. This type of intake system is characterized by high susceptibility to intake vortex. In extreme cases, this type of phenomenon leads to the engine surge and even to the operation disruption (engine stalling). The article presents a developed model of the front part of the aircraft with an intake duct. The discretization process involved in the issue under consideration has been described. The airflow parameters corresponding to the conditions in such cases have been adopted and numerical calculations have been performed. The result is an intake vortex. Subsequently, significant cross sections in the intake system have been separated, on which the impact pressure distributions have been determined. The main part of the article is devoted to the analysis of pressure distributions. They have been subjected to quantitative analysis using the proposed pressure coefficient. The coefficient has provided quantitative information about the difference in pressure distributions for selected sections. The results obtained have provided information about mounting airflow instability in the flow duct caused by the intake vortex.


Although the ternary chalcopyrite compound Cu2Ga4Te7 has relatively high thermal conductivity and electrical resistivity, it has a high carrier concentration, thus making it a good thermoelectric candidate. In this work we substitute Sb for Cu in this compound, aiming at engineering both the electrical and thermal properties. Rietveld refinement revealed that the nominal compounds Cu2−xSbxGa4Te7 (x = 0–0.1) crystallize with the crystal structure of CuGaTe2 with the real compositions deviating from those of their nominal ones. Besides, Sb resides in Cu sites, which increases both the effective mass and the Hall carrier concentration. Therefore, the Seebeck coefficient increases at high temperatures, and the lattice thermal conductivity reduces due to increased phonon scattering from point defects and electron–phonon interactions. As a consequence, the thermoelectric (TE) performance improves with the highest TE figure of merit (ZT) of 0.58 at 803 K. This value is about 0.21 higher than that of the pristine Cu2Ga4Te7.


An attempt was made in the present investigation is Aim: Emotional Intelligence among intermediate
students. Objectives: To study the inuence of gender, type of management and locality among
intermediate students. Sample: The sample of the present investigation was selected 1200 intermediate students in Guttur,
Prakasam and Nellore districts of Andhra Pradesh State of India. The subjects were in the age group from 15 to 18 years and
using systematic random sampling technique. Tool: Emotional Intelligence Scale developed by Nutankumar Thingujam, and
Usha Ram (1999) was used. Research Design: As there are three independent variables i.e., gender (male & female), type of
management (government & private) and locality (rural & urban), each is divided in to two categories, a 2×2×2 factorial
design was employed in the present study. Statistical Analysis: Means, SDs and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used.
Results: Results revealed signicant impact of gender, type of management and locality with regard to Emotional Intelligence.
Conclusions: Females have high Emotional Intelligence than males; private college students have high Emotional Intelligence
than government colleges and students of urban areas have high Emotional Intelligence than students of rural areas.


Objective To analyze the causes of inpatient fall using the SHEL model in order to prevent the fall injury.Methods Sixty one inpatient falls were retrospectively analyzed based on the records of the blam-free nursing incident reporting system in a general hospital from 2010 to 2012 .Results Thirty five patient's fall occurred from 00:00 am to 07:00 am, accounting for 57.4%.25 cases of patients' fall occurred in the internal medicine, accounting for 41.0%.23 cases of patients' fall occurred in the bathroom, accounting for 37.7%.The mean age of the patients was (60.46 ±2.77), ranging from 2 month old to 92 years old.The main reason of fall was the self or others factors .Conclusions Patient fall risk assessment procedure should be improved , and the fall risk related knowledge should be promoted .The unsafe environment should be avoided to improve patient's safety.

Key words:
Patient fall Patient Safety SHEL model Inpatient


There has been and continues to be some degree of failure to recognize the effects of the introduction of the ego-id-superego model on the drive construct. In particular, some of the criticisms of drive theory fail to take cognizance of the structural position of drives. Drives, as an aspect of id, are more clearly separated from behavior conceptually than many discussions imply. Drive energy is a different concept from drive. Especially in the area of the governance of drives by the regulatory principles of mental functioning some improvement in clarity and utility seems possible through the use of different, more sophisticated models. Difficulties in the concept of objects appear to underlie considerable controversy in psychoanalysis today. I have here attempted to clarify the concept of drive objects, as a step in resolving the broader issues.


Twelve compounds were isolated from the ethanol extract of Hypoxis aurea,and their structures were elucidated by physicochemical properties and spectroscopic analysis as quercetin-3-O-β-D-glucoside(1), kaemferol-3-O-β-D-glucoside(2),apigenin-5-O-β-D-glucopyranoside(3),α-spinasterol(4),2,6-dimethoxy-benzoic acid (5),1H-indole-3-carboxylic acid(6),(2S,3R,4E,8E)-1-(β-D-glucopyranosyloxy)-3-hydroxy-2[((R)-2′-hydroxyeicosanoly) amino]-9-methy-4,8-octadecadiene(7),n-dotriacontanol(8),14,15-eicosenicacid(9),lignoceric acid(10),β-sitoster-ol (11),daucosterol(12).All these compounds were found in this plant for the first time.


OBJECTIVE
To characterize the antinuclear antibody (ANA) titer distributions and patterns in normal subjects, segregated by age and sex.

METHODS
Sera were obtained from 183 blood donors (130 females, 53 males) aged 20-63 years, from 200 schoolchildren (100 females, 100 males) aged 10-19 years, and from 237 children (102 females, 135 males) aged 3 months to 9 years whose sera were received for unrelated clinical testing. ANA was assayed by indirect immunofluorescence using HEp-2 cells as substrate.

RESULTS
In adults, ANA titers were slightly higher in females than in males (p=0.053); there was no sex effect in subjects aged <20 years. ANA titer increased significantly with age only among females (p<0.01). Homogeneous staining was associated with lower titers than speckled or nucleolar staining (p=0.058), at least in part because of antigen density in the test substrate itself. The frequency of cytoskeletal staining decreased (p<0.01) with age, while that of nucleolar staining increased (p<0.01).

CONCLUSION
Reference ranges for ANA vary by age, sex, and immunofluorescence pattern. Therefore, all these variables must be considered in the interpretation of ANA results.


We consider Dynkin algebras, these are the hereditary artin algebras of finite representation type. The indecomposable modules for a Dynkin algebra correspond bijectively to the positive roots of a Dynkin diagram. Given a Dynkin algebra with n simple modules, a complete exceptional sequence is a sequence M_1,..., M_n of indecomposable modules such that Hom(M_i,M_j) = 0 = Ext(M_i,M_j) for i > j. The aim of this paper is to determine the number of complete exceptional sequences for any Dynkin algebra.
There are direct connections between the representation theory of a Dynkin algebra A and the lattice L of non-crossing partitions of the same Dynkin type: As Ingalls and Thomas have shown, the lattice of the thick subcategories of mod A can be identified with L. Hubery and Krause have pointed out that this identification provides a bijection between the complete exceptional sequences for A and the maximal chains in L. Thus, our calculations may also be considered as a categorification of results concerning non-crossing partitions.


Amidst numerous curricular reforms across the USA that censor reading materials and promote standardized literacy policies, the authors ask in this article: What rights do early childhood teachers and students have in curriculum-making, and to the very materiality of their own classrooms? More broadly, they wonder: How do material regulations in US schools impact the curricular work of restorative justice in early literacy classrooms? The authors examine one curriculum material used in classrooms across the USA, using theories of materiality to explain its orientation, disorientation, and reorientation within discourses around anti-critical race theory and pro-"science of reading" legislation. Moreover, they aim to explore the potentialities of curricula as agents of restorative justice and, consequently, the threats to justice from the disorientations expressed around specific curriculum materials.


Blending with highly enriched uranium may permanently be practiced in place of reenrichment at the diffusion plant because the difference in cost may be small and the flexibility greater. The economics of boih methods are compared relative to first-core loading and fuel-cycle costs. (auth)


In this paper we evaluate the social programs that deals with worker protection. First we try to show which kind of incentives are induced by these programs. Then we check if the targeting correspond to the poor workers. The programs considered are: abono salarial, seguro-desemprego (unemployment insurance) and Fundo de Garantia do Tempo de Servico (FGTS). We also discuss issues related to multa pela demissao sem justa causa (charge for firing), aviso previo (notification for separation in advance) and periodo de experiencia (trainee period).


Indonesia has one of the largest Coal Bed Methane (CBM) reserves in the world with  a potential 453 trillion cubic feet ("Tcf"), more than double the country's natural gas reserves. The government, therefore, is planning to exploite its huge potential reserves  and targetting to produce 1 billion standard cubic fee per day, or about 0.18 million barrel of oil equivalent, by 2025. Several new regulations have been passed, but non is related to protection to the environment as an impact of the development of CBM. If it is not  well regulated and managed properly, the environmental impact will be enormous. This paper presents assessment results on the environmental and social impacts which likely will be faced by Indonesia from improper development of CBM in Indonesia. Certainly,  there will be very serious and unaviodable negative impacts to the environment without careful plan and proper environmental regulation put in place prior to the development of CBM. The government will have to develop a specific regulation regarding CBM development in the near future before everything is too late.


The non-major's two-semester organic chemistry course at UPR-RP aims at developing a more integrated and meaningful understanding of the fundamentals of Organic Chemistry. To achieve this goal, we ...


Abstract Technology-oriented micro and small enterprises (TMSEs) play an important role in technology innovation, employment increase, and economic growth. Due to their high risk and resource consuming nature, the Chinese government has set up special funding, and encouraged banks to provide credit support for TMSEs. However, traditional enterprises' credit evaluation methods are not suitable for TMSEs due to their characteristics. How to assess the credit risk of TMSEs is a relatively new and challenging topic. This study is to identify novel indicators that can capture the creditrelated characteristics of TMSEs. Specifically, we proposed that innovation capability and business models can be used to identify some special aspects of TMSEs' credit risk. To validate the new indicators, we compared the performance of traditional financial indicators and the new indicators. The results showed that innovation and business model indicators can effectively improve the performance of classifiers in the credit risk assessment of TMSEs.


The Bio3D package (version 2.1 and above) contains functionality for the creation and analysis of protein structure networks. This vignette will introduce this functionality by building and analyzing networks obtained from atomic correlation data derived from normal mode analysis (NMA) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation (Figure 1)2. Note that Bio3D contains extensive functionality for both NMA and MD analysis. An introduction to each of these areas is detailed in separate NMA and MD vignettes.


Entirely absent from debates about the desirability and potential impacts of police body-worn cameras (BWCs) are the views of a significant group on the other side of the lens—individuals who have recently experienced arrest by a police officer. In a bid to redress this significant gap, this article reports findings from the first study to examine arrestee views and experiences of police BWCs. Data from interviews with 907 police detainees reveal that they are largely in favour of officers wearing cameras, believing that they can provide greater accountability and improve the behaviour of both law enforcement officers and members of the public. Importantly, however, this support is contingent on a number of operational and procedural policies regulating the use of BWCs.


It is usually acknowledged that the language expression is usually given by means of verbal linguistic forms transferring the ideological content in the speaker's brain to the recipient's brain,but actually that is not the case because the language does not have the ability to do so.Human language's real functioning processes in expression are as follows: the speaker first expresses what are in their mind through the mouth,then the recipient receives the message and activates the brain and arouses corresponding awareness to realize the languague expression.


Since the implementation of Labor dispatch system,there are a lot of problems,such as labor dispatch flood and is not standardized,the legitimate rights and interests of workers can not be effectively guaranteed,rights of participating in democratic management of enterprises and trade union can not be implemented,equal pay for unequal work is more prominent and so on.All of these have a serious impact on the harmony and stability of labor relations.Therefore,we should further regulation on labor dispatch.According to " People's Republic of China Labor Contract Law Amendment(Draft) "(Hereinafter is referred to as the labor contract law draft),which is ready to make some modification.the author puts forward some theoretical suggestions.


Abstract : Knowing a foreign language provides an advantage for understanding, working in, and building relationships with a particular language community. However, military personnel can expect to encounter multiple languages in their operational experiences over a career. Thus, it is important to understand what impact learning a foreign language has beyond its applications with a specific population. This report reviews research on the extent to which foreign language proficiency facilitates further language and cultural learning. Empirical research shows relationships among language learning and intercultural and language-related outcomes, but evidence for a direct causal contribution is lacking. In children, knowing a second language develops metalinguistic awareness, which can contribute to further language learning. However, other factors limit the degree of proficiency that can be expected. Evidence of benefits for cross-cultural attitudes and behavior is similarly scarce. The likely impact of language education and training on adults is therefore unknown, particularly for personnel who lack intrinsic motivation or language aptitude, or who hold negative attitudes about the language community. General characteristics such as intercultural sensitivity and interpersonal skills have been shown to contribute more to outcomes than do language skills. Evidence is currently insufficient to view language as the cornerstone of cultural capability.


We investigated the UIS capability for superjunction MOSFETs with respect to the external gate resistance (R<inf>g</inf>) and the charge imbalance (CIB) by experiments as well as device simulations. Measured UIS capability depends not only on the CIB but also on the R<inf>g</inf>. Higher UIS capability was exhibited for small R<inf>g</inf> than for large R<inf>g</inf> as deviating the CIB to <tex>$\mathbf{Q}_{\mathbf{n}} < \mathbf{Q}_{\mathbf{p}}$</tex> while the difference by R<inf>g</inf> was small for <tex>$\mathbf{Q}_{\mathbf{n}}=\mathbf{Q}_{\mathbf{p}}$</tex>. The device simulations indicated that the device destruction by UIS is assumed to be related to the re-conduction of channel current (I<inf>ch</inf>). When the R<inf>g</inf> is small, Ich turns off once while V<inf>ds</inf> has not increased enough to generate impact ionization. This transient behavior is different from the one for large R<inf>g</inf>. After that, Ich re-conduction occurs due to the high electric field beneath the MOS gate for <tex>$\mathbf{Q}_{\mathbf{n}}=\mathbf{Q}_{\mathbf{p}}$</tex> but suppressed for <tex>$\mathbf{Q}_{\mathbf{n}} < \mathbf{Q}_{\mathbf{p}}$</tex>. The graded doping for N-column which reduces phosphorus concentration near the surface helps to suppress the re-conduction and improves the UIS capability for small R<inf>g</inf> condition.


Stroke and its complications are major health problems in developing countries including Nigeria. It could be a major cause of death or disability especially when only clinical assessment is relied upon for diagnosis. Computed Tomography (CT) is a valuable tool for the diagnosis of stroke. CT pattern of stroke in the North Eastern Nigeria has not been fully described. This was a prospective descriptive study conducted at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe, Nigeria from June 2016 to December 2016. One hundred and eleven patients who presented with clinical features of stroke and were referred to Radiology department for cranial CT were consecutively selected. Data were analysed using SPSS version 16.0 package. A p-value of ≤ 0.05 and confidence interval of 95% were adapted for statistical analysis. The variables were expressed as range, percentage and mean plus standard deviation. All comparison of variables was done applying kappa statistic and point-biserial correlation coefficient for the correlation analysis. There were 69 (62.2%) males and 42 (37.8%) females aged 18-90 years (mean ± SD of 57.49±13.47 years). Ninety-four (94) patients (84.7%) had ischaemic stroke, while the remaining 17 (15.3%) had haemorrhagic stroke. Lobar location was identified as the most common site of ischaemic stroke while thalamo-ganglionic area was the commonest location for haemorrhagic stroke. Age and hypertension were found to be the commonest risk factors associated with stroke. It is evident from this study that ischaemic stroke is the most prevalent stroke subtype. The middle cerebral artery territory was the commonest vascular territory involved in stroke while hypertension and age are common risk factors for both ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke.


A trash rack is a wooden or metal structure, frequently supported by masonry, that prevents water-borne debris (such as logs, boats, animals, masses of cut waterweed, etc.) from entering the intake of a water mill, pumping station or water conveyance. This protects water wheels, penstocks, and sluice gates from destruction during floods


Visualization is a technique of creating images, graphs or animations to share knowledge. Different kinds of visualization methods and tools are available to envision the data in an efficient way. The visualization tools and techniques enable the user to understand the knowledge in an easy manner. Nowadays most of the information is presented semantically which provides knowledge based retrieval of the information. Knowledge based visualization tools are required to visualize semantic concepts. This article analyses the existing semantic based visualization tools and plug-ins. The features and characteristics of these tools and plug-ins are analyzed and tabulated.


We compare in this paper direct measurements obtained at Tower 1 on Mount San Salvatore (Switzerland) and the Gaisberg Tower (Austria). They are situated in similar topographical environment but in different lightning activity zones. Direct measurements of lightning currents on these two towers have revealed a major difference in terms of the number of downward flashes. While Berger and co-workers obtained a significant number of downward flashes, more recent observations on Gaisberg and Peissenberg Towers were essentially composed of upward flashes. We use in this paper a new method to estimate the proportion of upward/downward flashes to a given tower, based on data from lightning location systems. The analysis using the proposed method explains the discrepancy in terms of the measured number of downward flashes in Gaisberg and in Monte San Salvatore.


We investigate the polymeric adsorption of formic acid (HCOOH) on the Cu(111) surface by means of density functional theory. We present structural models for the polymeric form of HCOOH on Cu(111) and characterize their stability, electronic, and vibrational properties. Based on the energetics and dynamics, as well as simulated scanning tunneling microscopy and atomic force microscopy images, we propose that the $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ polymorph is likely to be formed on the Cu(111) surface and can explain the experimental findings. We also study the initial step of the catalytic dehydrogenation of HCOOH and find that the O-H bond dissociation at the edge of the polymer is facilitated, rather than that forming hydrogen bonding, agreeing well with the experiments.


This paper will present a multi-country analysis of trends in the spousal age difference, encompassing the period from the 1970s to the present. Our focus is the non-Western societies of Latin America, Africa, and Asia (henceforth "developing countries"). For these regions, this will be the most comprehensive rigorous analysis of assortative mating on age that has been carried out in recent years. This research will also take into account assortative mating on educational attainment. Indeed, while spousal age is our principal interest, a key theme of this research will be the interplay of age and educational attainment as characteristics of prospective spouses.


According to an organic glass reduced scale model experiment of cablestayed bridge,this paper studies the internal force and effective work width of double box girder.Comparing the measured effective work width with the thresholds of some countries' standards,we found that the effective work width of the bridge deck slab of the side boxes is close to the standard thresholds of U.K and Germany,while the effective work width of the bridge deck slab between two side boxes is close to the standard threshold of U.S.A.This conclusion can be helpful for simplifying the design of this kind of bridge deck.


How we define soil quality is influenced by many factors including our relationship to the land, what we want use it for and how much of it is available. Thus, assessing soil quality is context sensitive, a fact appreciated early by soil scientists like Hilgard (1914), who remarked "The observers field of vision should be broad enough to embrace concurrently the several points of view…that must be conjointly considered in forming one's judgment of land." Recently, soil quality has been defined as the "capability of soil to produce safe and nutritious foods and crops in a sustainable manner over the long term, and to enhance human and animal health without adversely impairing the natural resource base or adversely affecting the environment." (Parr et al. 1992). This broad view of the important functional characteristics of soil has helped heighten the current wave of interest in soil quality until it has emerged as a major scientific and political topic.

An important issue is how to evaluate soil quality. A soil quality index must be more than just an academic exercise because it will be used to classify land capability, assess of the impact of …


Phlegmonous inflammation of the alimentary tract is characterized by diffuse inflammatory infiltrates of the submucosa of a portion of the intestine. The inflammatory reaction could reach the serosal surface with subsequent development of peritonitis or septicemia (1). SARS-CoV-2 is a novel virus responsible for COVID-19 that is causing a global pandemic causing mortality already in over half a million people around the world. In May 2020, the Center for Disease Control released a case definition for the newly described multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) believed to be precipitated by COVID-19 that includes an individual aged <21 years presenting with fever ≥38.0°C for at least 24 hours, laboratory evidence of inflammation, evidence of clinically severe illness requiring hospitalization, and multisystem (≥2) organ involvement (cardiac, renal, respiratory, hematologic, gastrointestinal, dermatologic, or neurological); AND no plausible alternative diagnoses; AND positive for current or recent SARS-CoV-2 infection by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), serology, or antigen test, or exposure to a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case within the 4 weeks before the onset of symptoms. MIS-Cs pathophysiology remains unclear. However, it appears to be a postinfectious hyperimmune response that may occur during or following asymptomatic or symptomatic infection (2).


to systemic clinical involvement. She was submitted to surgical debridement and systemic treatment, with progressive worsening of the lesions. In view of the failure of the proposed treatments, the diagnostic hypothesis of gangrenous pyoderma was raised. Conclusion: PG, although rare, should be considered as a differential diagnosis in cases of postoperative complications with skin loss and necrosis that do not respond to initial treatment measures, in addition to apparently infectious conditions that do not respond to adopted antibiotic therapies. ■ ABSTRACT


In Japan, low availability of equine oocytes makes it very difficult to improve the in vitro fertilization (IVF) system of horses. In this situation, an assay for sperm penetrability into zona-free hamster oocytes could be useful as a simulator of the IVF system. The aim of this study was to clarify the optimum conditions of the pretreatment of frozen-thawed stallion spermatozoa with caffeine and ionophore A23187 (IA) in the penetration assay. Frozen-thawed stallion spermatozoa were washed and then pretreated with IA in modified BO solution (mBO) supplemented with caffeine. After the pretreatment, the spermatozoa were used for the penetration assay with zona-free hamster oocytes. At first, effect of increasing concentrations of caffeine (0-10 mM) were examined on the penetration of spermatozoa pretreated with 1 μM IA for 60 sec. The highest penetration rate after 10 h co-culture with oocytes was obtained for spermatozoa penetrated in the presence of 1 mM caffeine (49.0%). Next, when spermatozoa were pretreated with 0-1.0 μM IA for 0-180 sec in the presence of 1 mM caffeine, significantly higher penetration rates after 10 h co-culture with oocytes were obtained under the condition of 0.1 μM IA for 120 sec (52.2%) and 1.0 μM IA for 60 sec (40.9%). When oocytes were fixed 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 h after IVF using spermatozoa treated with 0.1 μM IA for 120 sec in mBO containing 1 mM caffeine, the penetration rates increased significantly from 2 h (10.4%) to 4 h (21.7%) and from 6 h (27.5%) to 8 h (49.0%). These results indicate that pretreatment with 0.1 μM IA for 120 sec in the presence of 1 mM caffeine effectively promotes the penetration of frozen-thawed stallion spermatozoa into zona-free hamster oocytes, and that under this condition, spermatozoa might complete the acrosome reaction during 6 to 8 h of incubation after IA treatment.


Tire includes a pair of bead portions having bead and bead filler. The pair of reinforcing filler, an upper portion in contact with the outer surface of each bead filler, inner surface with an intermediate portion in contact with the outer surface of each turn-up portions of the body ply, and a lower portion in contact with the outer surface of the wire reinforcement, the having. Electronic device is disposed axially outwardly of one radial lower and a bead filler apex of the bead filler of the bead portion. As electronic devices are not in contact with the bead filler, the electronic device is separated from the bead filler in the axial direction. .FIELD 1


A new direct overwrite method, which uses oscillating laser pulses and magnetic field pulses modulated by code data, is demonstrated and the characteristics of bit shifts are discussed. A bit shift correction method is also demonstrated. In this method, preamble pits are written in the open space of the header area when data pits are recorded. In reconstruction, the phase of PLL clocks is adjusted automatically using the signal from the preamble pits.


The passive containment cooling system is the ultimate heat trap and the key to ensure the safe operation of the AP1000 nuclear power plant. It is very important to keep the reliability of the passive containment cooling system (PCS) in the normal conditions and also in the abnormal conditions, especially in earthquakes. Analysis on the fluid-structure interacted characteristics of the passive containment cooling water storage tanks and shield building structure in earthquake is crucial to the assessment of the effectiveness of the PCS. According to the passive containment cooling water storage tanks and shield building structure prototype size, an experiment model was established to analyze the fluid-structure interacted characteristics of the passive containment cooling water tanks and shield building by the numerical method.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


Domestic fuel consumption has long been elevated with the numbers that could not stand straight (nonsustainable). The growth rate of fuel consumption in Indonesia reaches about 7% a year. With this continuous growth rate, its consumption has increased twice every ten years. But, the amount of oil production decreases from year to year and even will deplete in 15 – 20 years more (Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Republik Indonesia, 2010). In 2003, Indonesia faced the oil deficit for the first time where the consumption was higher than its production amount and in 2009 the national reserves couldn't meet the national needs that have to import oil about 176 kbpd. This condition continues to deteriorate. In 2010, Indonesia's oil production was recorded only 986 kbpd when the consumption level jumped to 1,304 kbpd or deficit about 318 kbpd (BP Statistical Review, 2011). On the other hand, Indonesia natural gas production in 2008 reached 7,883 MMSCFD which produced from 43 work areas of cooperation contract (KKS). Cumulatively, gas production in 2008 increased by 2.56% compared to 2007 which was only 7,686 MMSCFD (Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Republik Indonesia, 2009). The utilization of natural gas potential has been conducted such as for electricity generator, raw material for petrochemical industry, fuel for industry, household needs, etc. Unfortunately, direct utilization of natural gas for transportation has not developed well because most of the vehicles still use liquid fuel from oil. One technology that can be implemented to convert natural gas into liquid fuel (synthesis fuel) is by Gas to Liquid (GTL) technology by Fischer-Tropsch reaction. However, the high investment cost resists the establishment of GTL plant in Indonesia. One, which is addressed in this paper, is the preliminary study of establishment of GTL plant in Indonesia. The study is started by synthesizing and analyzing the process design of the plant by using Aspen Hysis V7.1. and followed by the economical consideration of the plant. The results of this study will show whether the GTL plant development in Indonesia can be implemented or not, which then become a potential consideration for Indonesia to build the GTL plant.


Deterioration of reinforced concrete structures is mainly due to corrosion of reinforcing bars causing spalling and delamination of the concrete cover. The author illustrates the use of the repair processes of realkalisation and desalination giving examples of their use on a number of projects undertaken during the period 1991 to 1993. Recent research has concentrated on the development of a power supply to provide, monitor and report on the electrical conditions, modifications to the electrolyte carrier and anode material and extensive testing and analysis of samples taken before, during and after treatment. The original method of using a cellulose fibre sprayed over the anode mesh modified to employ polycarbonate tanks constructed around the structure and a liquid electrolyte. The new system provided a much more uniform standardisation of current density, a cleaner working environment, reduced attendance on the system during treatment time and easier monitoring of performance. Tests must be carried out to determine the petrochemical properties, chloride content, depth of carbonation and sodium and platinum contents. The system now has a quality assured method of controlling power requirements and a documented method of before and after testing to ensure the quality of the repair.


1. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of hypoxia on energy metabolism and contraction of rat urinary bladder smooth muscle, thereby gaining insight into the capacity of this smooth muscle to maintain contractile function when rendered hypoxic.


The purpose of this study was to examine the Effect of Strategic Planning and Budgeting and Resources Based View on Organizational Performance Mediated by Organizational Commitments on Army Unit Title in Land Border Areas. The methodology used in this study is hypothetical testing causality using cross sectional, hypothesis testing is a method of decision making that is based on data analysis of controlled and uncontrolled experiments on the Army Unit Title in the Border Area. The population numbered 465 people with a sample of 160 respondents. Data collection using questionnaires and data analysis techniques using Path Analysis and PLS. The model proposed in this study shows the direct and indirect effects of Strategic Planning and Budgeting and Resources Based View on Organizational Performance Mediated by Organizational Commitment. Future research must study other variables that influence the influence of Organizational Performance such as job satisfaction, leadership style and organizational culture. This research shows that Strategic Planning and Budgeting and Resources Based View and Organizational Commitment affect Organizational Performance both directly and indirectly. This research is a useful tool to improve Organizational Performance through enhancing Strategic Planning and Budgeting and Resources Based View and Organizational Commitments. This research model refines the overall understanding that there are direct and indirect effects of Strategic Planning and Budgeting and Resources Based View on Organizational Performance mediated by Organizational Commitment.


The GNSS signals are an important active source for Earth's remote sensing in L band. Experiments performed over sea and land surfaces demonstrated the capability of GNSS-Reflected signals (GNSS-R) for remote sensing purposes. Presently, many research groups are focusing their efforts in developing GNSS-R sensors for soil moisture, sea, sea-ice, and snow cover monitoring. Applications like drought monitoring, farm production, irrigation planning, flood protection, fire prevention, and meteorological forecasts can take advantage from retrieved soil moisture content. Detected sea-surface winds could help to identify adverse meteorological conditions far from coastal zones. Sea altimetry measurements could be used to monitor tides and to identify natural hazards (i.e. tsunamis). Sea-ice topographic changes in the Arctic and Antarctic regions and dry ice stratification could be monitored in order to improve polar climatology knowledge. Recently the Remote Sensing Group of Politecnico of Turin and NavSAS laboratory of ISMB (Istituto Superiore Mario Boella) starts the design and implementation of a fully reconfigurable GNSS-R instrument for research activities, following a Software Defined Radio approach. Using this solution, the hardware is reduced to the RF stages only (i.e. antennas, demodulation, sampling) and the processing starts from the IF (Intermediate Frequency) samples of the raw signal. This is a low-cost portable observing system, designed to be easily placed for example also on board small aircrafts (also unmanned). In this sense, the system components were carefully chosen to minimize size and weight of the complete observing system. Together with the system definition, a user interface is started to be developed. Actually the interface allows a quasi real time control of the received signal. The correct estimation of the whole correlation function profile (in range and frequency space) is achieved by keeping the noise level as low as possible and increasing the SNR. Therefore, it is important to optimally process signals even when long - non coherent integration time is necessary. The interface we developed is able to process such signals using FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) based acquisition algorithms. In addition, an optimized procedure is implemented to compensate for a residual code delay, enhancing the detection of weak signals. The interface allows also experimental activities planning, since it shows specular reflection points and isorange lines (inside receiver antenna's footprint), computed knowing estimated or predicted satellite positions. All the information are georeferenced using UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator) coordinate system and projected on Google© static maps. Thus, this user friendly interface is a helpful tool able to generate all the necessary output for the geophysical applications performed exploiting GNSS-R signals. In order to test instrument and interface, some experimental activities were recently done by placing the instrument on a high cliff to collect some looks from the sea surface and on board an aircraft to collects measurements from soil reflections (rice fields water flooding, soil moisture, altimetry). Another important activity is to adapt our GNSS-R system for space-based measurements in the framework of an educational project which is being carried out by students belonging to the Aerospace and ICT Engineering faculties of Politecnico of Turin. This student project is going to be developed in the framework of an initiative offered by the Education Office of the European Space Agency. We are trying to design and develop on a system level a space-based test bed for an Earth's Remote Sensing payload to be placed on-board a small Cubesat. This is the P-GRESSION payload (Payload for GNSS REmote Sensing and Signal detectION). It will try to demonstrate the feasibility of existing applications based on observations normally carri


Abstract This paper describes a bioventing study design and initial activities applied to a JP-4 jet fuel spill at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. The primary objectives of the project were to investigate the feasibility of using bioventing technology to remediate JP-4 jet fuel contamination in a sub-arctic environment and to determine to what degree the biodegradation rate of JP-4 soil contaminants could be enhanced by increasing soil temperature, both actively by circulating heated groundwater and passively by utilizing solar energy. Biodegradation rates at the bioventing site remained relatively high during the winter months in the active-warming test plot and were consistently higher than those observed in the passive-warming and control test plots. These studies suggest that an active-warming system operated in conjunction with bioventing is a useful method for remediating fuel-contaminated areas in cold climates.


Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the causative agent of Hepatitis E infections across the world. Intrinsically disordered protein regions (IDPRs) or Intrinsically Disordered Protein (IDPs) are regions or proteins that are characterized by a lack of definite structure. These regions or proteins play significant roles in a wide range of biological processes, such as cell cycle regulation, control of signaling pathways, etc. IDPRs or IDPs in proteins are associated with the virus's pathogenicity and infectivity. The occurrence of intrinsic disorder in the proteome of rat HEV remains to be elucidated, which prompted us to explore its dark proteome. In this study, the unstructured/disordered regions of ORF proteins of rat HEV have been examined. We have analyzed the prevalence of intrinsic disorder by using a set of computational predictors. The intrinsic disorder propensity analysis showed that the ORF proteins consisted of a varying fraction of intrinsic disorder. The ORF3 protein was identified with a maximum propensity for intrinsic disorder while the protein ORF6 showed the least propensity for the intrinsic disorder. Further, the analysis revealed ORF6 as highly structured protein (ORDP); ORF1 and ORF4 as moderately disordered proteins (IDPRs); and ORF3 and ORF5 as highly disordered proteins, categorizing them as ordered protein (ORDP), a protein having Intrinsically Disordered Region (IDPR) and Intrinsically Disordered Proteins (IDP) respectively. Such disordered regions may play several important roles in the pathogenesis and replication of viruses. Collectively, this comprehensive study data from our investigation suggested ORF protein's role in the regulation and pathogenesis of rat herpesvirus.


Springback is one of the drawbacks in sheet metal forming process,and is the most difficult one to be accurately predicted in numerical simulations.The accuracy of sheet springback prediction is influenced by many factors,such as constitutive models,element type and size,contact models and numerical algorithms.Adopting ABAQUS finite element analysis software,the draw bending springback was studied.The influences of number of integration points and element size of shell element on the accuracy of springback prediction and the time cost were especially investigated.The results show that,the accuracy of springback prediction tend to increase with the increasing of number of integration points and the decreasing of element size,but the time cost increase also.However,the accuracy of springback prediction obtained for the contact angles being 16° is similar to that for 5°.In addition,the accuracy of springback prediction simulated by 7 integration points lies between those of 25 and 51 integration points.These are different with the traditional recognitions,that the number of integration points should between 25 and 51,and the contact angle less than 10°.Based on the results,a higher accuracy of springback prediction and a lower time cost could be expected in the numerical simulation of sheet metal forming process.


This article presents an examination of pro-environmental purchasing behaviour (PPB) and how it is influenced by demographics, environmental knowledge (a factor rather neglected so far) and attitudes (environmental unconcern). PPB was found to be adopted at a rather low level; less than 20% of Greeks may be characterized as relatively frequent pro-environmental purchasers. The higher scores were obtained with reference to energy and water conservation, reduction of overall consumption and avoidance of products containing genetically modified organisms. The consumers also declared they very often choose the eco-friendly alternative of a product when there is no significant price difference. The results indicated that professionals, 35–55 years old, holding a graduate and/or a postgraduate degree and with an annual income of 25–30 thousand Euros are those who are more engaged in PPB in Greece. PPB was found to be correlated positively and moderately with environmental knowledge and negatively and moderately with environmental unconcern. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.


Abstract : ONR funds were used to support a symposium titled 'Biogeochemical Consequences of the Dynamic Interactions between Benthic lnfauna, Microbes, and Aquatic Sediments' held during American Chemical Society National Meeting, San Diego, California, April 1 - 5, 2001.


Recurrent respiratory infections constitute a major challenge for general practitioners and pediatricians. Predisposing diseases, such as immunological or other disorders, are rare. The average healthy infant or toddler experiences 5 to 10 respiratory infections every year•; the frequency being greatest from 9 months to 1. 5 years of age. This is mainly due to physiologically delayed immunological maturation. Over 100 viruses can cause airway infections; it may take years to develop immunity which effectively protects the child from respiratory infections.


The success of Dan Walker's bid for the Illinois Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1972 has generally been attributed to the large number of Republican voters who refrained from voting in the Republican primary and, instead, voted for Walker in the Democratic primary.1 These crossovers were made possible by the decision of a three judge district court declaring unconstitutional an Illinois law that prohibited a voter from participating in a primary election if he had voted in a primary of another political party within the preceding twenty-three months. 2


from measurements of permeability and porosity Jill L. Gribbin – Department of Geology, University of Maryland Mixing between seawater and vent fluid controls environmental conditions, such as pore fluid temperature, pH, and chemical composition, present at deep-sea hydrothermal vents. However, pore evolution processes, such as mineral precipitation, dissolution, and thermal cracking, modify fluid Introduction 1 Permeability – Porosity Relationships 6


A new flaw detection method for concrete plate-like structure is realized using the dispersion profile of the group velocity of surface waves obtained by a sensor with proper distance from the transient impacting load. The waveform obtained by the sensor is analyzed using STFT and reassigned method to obtain a group velocity spectrogram. The delaminating crack or honeycomb which locates underneath the test line between the impactor and the receiver as well as the low-density layer on top of sound concrete are proved to be detectable in both numerical and experimental studies. The velocity turning point in the wavelength-velocity profile is about 1.6 to 2.2 times of the depths of the flaws or the low-density layer wavelength. As the proposed method is easy to operate, inexpensive and effective on solving many problems of concrete deterioration, one essential question to be concerned is the effect of dense reinforcing rebar to the stress wave propagation. In this preliminary study, the theoretical modal dispersion curves for a plain concrete plate and a concrete plate containing a thin steel layer are compared. A 2D numerical model with concrete and steel layers was constructed. The images of slowness spectrograms obtained by placing impactor and receiver at variant distances are compared with theoretical modal dispersion curve. Experiments are performed on a heavy lattice arranged bridge pier. The results show that the response of the rebar layers is near 0.3 ms/m in slowness spectrogram instead of around 0.5 ms/m plain concrete. The steel rebar layer affects the results more severely when the test line is parallel to the direction of shallower rebars. For more clearly observing the condition of concrete, one can filter the response in the waveform with the time less than 0.4 ms/m multiplying the impactor-receiver distance.


: In order to study how the pressure drop of gas-liquid flow in vertical pipes varies with flow pa-rameters as well as its calculation method, we conducted experiments in key laboratory of oil and gas exploitation in the Yangtze university. The experimental conditions were as follows: the working pressure from 0 to 3.5 MPa, the superficial liquid velocity from 0.06 to 0.23 m/s, the pipe diameter of DN60, and the pressure drop measuring distance of 8.0m. Experimental results show that liquid velocity and gas liquid ratio affect the value of pressure drop. The classical Beggs-Brill correlation was chosen to predict the value of exit pressure with an average error of 26.20% and an uncertainty of 14.49%. With the further research on the Beggs-Brill correlation, it's found that the coefficient of drag coefficient of the path is the major factor which influences pressure drop. Finally, the Beggs-Brill correlation is modified by using the method of numerical fitting in the coefficient of drag coefficient of the path, and an average error and uncertainty of the modified Beggs-Brill correlation to predict the value of exit pressure are 12.92% and 8.86% respectively, so we can use the modified Beggs-Brill correlation to calculate the pressure drop of gas-liquid flow in vertical pipes more accurately.


A new formulae for the estimation of the exposure duration in the inter-tidal zone are developed. The exposure duration is one of the most important factors influencing the habitat distribution of the benthic organisms. The formulae can estimate the exposure duration only using the four major tidal harmonic constants available in almost coastal areas. It is easier than the existing method using the frequency analysis of the hourly tidal elevation data. The estimation results by using the formulae suggested in this study are compared with the value by using the observed tidal elevation data analysis in the west coast, Korea. The mean RMS (root-mean squared) errors ranged form 0.8 to 1.4%. It can be used to simply estimate the accurate exposure duration in the region not having the longterm hourly tidal elevation data.


This paper has presented a new method for analyzing the harmonics in systems with AC/DC converters. The method is based on the harmonically coupled admittance matrix model of the converter. Since the model is not dependent on operating point, it can decouple the system fundamental frequency power flow calculation from the harmonic frequency power flow calculation. Moreover, the proposed harmonic analysis method is in a non-iterative way by solving the system nodal equations under all harmonic frequencies with the converter harmonic matrix equations together. Power system component models for harmonic analysis in the frequency-domain are also illustrated in the paper.


e Pleq atPhed thh th k f the Bble and I __ , _l l _ : 7 was told that it had once been mounted on the spine of 1 1 _ the manuscript, along with another plaque now lost. Even with the very limited experience I then possessed, this __ seemed a wildly improbable idea. However, the object _ itself was certainly worthy of attention. It was a panel of _} ; copper gilt, with champleve enamel, measuring 1 lx10.7 -


Abstract Studies of age at menarche in Poland have a long history and consistently show an urban-rural gradient. The objectives of the study were to to estimate the age at menarche among school girls resident in ten rural communities of the Greater Poland province in 2016 and to compare ages at menarche by weight status and by population growth. The sample included 1146 girls, 7–16 years of age, resident in ten rural communities. Menarcheal status was obtained via interview. Heights and weights were measured; the BMI was calculated. Based on the latter, the girls were classified as thin, normal weight and overweight (including the obese) relative to IOTF criteria. Population growth between 1986 and 2016 in each community was estimated from local records. Ages at menarche were estimated with the probit regression protocol (SPSS) using the logistic model with log 10 transformation for the total sample and for the subsamples by weight status and population growth. The median age at menarche for the total sample of rural girls was 13.25±0.20 years. Menarche was earlier among Overweight (13.06±0.32 years) compared to Normal Weight (13.25±0.37 years) and Thin (13.81±0.41 years), and among girls resident in communities with Major population growth (12.58±0.44 years) compared to Little/No growth (13.65±0.14 years). Results of the present survey were generally consistent with recent surveys of age at menarche among rural girls in Poland and among girls classified by weight status. Corresponding comparative data relating menarche to population growth are lacking.


In the present work, self-organized TiO2 nanotubes were synthesized using an anodization technique. Titanium foil was used as the substrate for growth of oxide nanotube arrays. The anodic growth experiment was performed in a two-electrode electrochemical cell using Pt as counter electrode and titanium foil as the working electrode. Effects of electrolyte concentration, anodization voltage, and anodization time on morphology of oxide layer were investigated. Aqueous NH4F in propylene glycol was used as the electrolyte at concentrations of 0.1 and 0.3 M. Anodization voltages of 20 V and 40 V were used. Anodization time was varied from 2 to 5 hours. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) was employed for the morphological and structural characterization of formed layers. FE-SEM micrographs of Ti foil samples in different electrolyte concentrations at 20 V for 5 hours had larger diameter tubes at lower electrolyte concentrations. Similar observations were made at a higher anodization voltage. TiO2 nanotubes made in 0.1 M NH4F had larger diameters, 60 – 80 nm. In 0.3 M NH4F, tube diameters were less than 50 nm. Nanotubes formed at a different anodization voltage (20 V vs. 40 V) had similar surface morphology but different in diameter size. However, the higher anodization voltage produced slightly shorter of nanotubes. The length of nanotubes increased with increasing anodization time. Anodization time affected thickness of oxide layers and the surface morphology of samples. Furthermore, a clear separation most nanotubes with inter-tube spacing were observed in samples prepared with longer anodization time. Morphological changes resulted in lower surface density of the tubes, which corresponding to the number of tubes per unit area. Moreover, TiO2 nanotubes samples prepared with different anodization time were evaluated the photocatalytic performance using a spin trap electron spin resonance (ESR). ESR spectra of 5,5'-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO) solutions on TiO2 nanotubes samples after UV irradiation was observed. The intensity of the signals varied with anodization time. The highest signal to marker (S/M) ratio was obtained for TiO2 nanotubes prepared for 2 hours, indicating that this sample generated DMPO-OH• radicals more actively than the other samples. TiO2 nanotubes prepared for 2 hours showed the highest photocatalytic performance.


This work introduces a new control method to dynamically mitigate the effects of the parasitic charge injected in dielectric layers of electrostatic MEMS switches. This method can be used to increase lifetime and reliability of electrostatically actuated MEMS devices. The method is based on the opposite behaviors exhibited by the dielectric charging phenomena when voltage stresses of different polarity are applied to a given device. To this effect, a sigmadelta sensing and actuation scheme has been implemented: device capacitance is periodically sampled and, according to the value obtained, positive or negative actuation voltages are applied. Preliminary experimental results with two different MEMS devices that demonstrate the feasibility of this method are introduced and discussed.


Significance
 Thaci resigned ahead of extradition to The Hague, following indictment for war crimes, including murder and torture, and participation in a joint criminal enterprise. The charges arise from Thaci's role as a commander in the Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK). Three other high-profile political figures were also indicted and transferred to The Hague.

 Impacts
 The prospect of a crisis in Kosovo will force the incoming Biden administration to maintain its predecessor's focus on the Balkans.
 The crisis will handicap a government battling a coronavirus second wave, which has already forced the country into partial lockdown.
 Mounting obstacles to a negotiated solution to Kosovo's status increase the risk of a chaotic outcome, involving other parts of the Balkans.


GonaCon ™ is a gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) contraceptive vaccine developed at the USDA National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) that contains keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) coupled to GnRH. The vaccine is administered intramuscularly in an emulsion with the NWRC adjuvant, AdjuVac ™ . This first-generation vaccine, developed in 1998, has been very effective in contracepting every species tested. However, because of the high cost of KLH, NWRC has developed a second generation GnRH vaccine, replacing KLH with a less expensive mollusk protein. This second generation GnRH vaccine, called GonaCon-Blue ™ , is currently being tested in several species and has proven to be as, or more effective than the original GonaCon ™ . Scientists with the Reproductive Control Methods Project at the NWRC are also testing a recombinant GnRH antigen developed by Dr. Talwar of the Talwar Research Institute, India. The recombinant antigen was produced from plasmid gene expression grown in and extracted from E. coli . The antigen is combined with the NWRC AdjuVac ™ to form an emulsion similar to the GonaCon ™ preparation. The recombinant vaccine has been shown to be effective as a single or duel injection for contraception of adult female pigs in a short-term study at the Swine Research Facility at Penn State University. Although the long term effectiveness of the recombinant vaccine remains to be established, this small molecule of approximately 14,000 MW is of considerable interest because it may be effective in oral or transcutaneous applications. It could also be scaled-up for large field applications.