Introduction:
 Differentiating primary CNS vasculitis (PCNSV) from secondary CNS vasculitis (SCNSV) can be challenging based on brain imaging and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) profile alone. Little is known about the diagnostic nuances of differentiating these 2 entities with CSF and vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging (VWMRI) as overlapping features may exist. We aimed to look at clinical features, serum & CSF biomarkers, and VWMRI differences between PCNSV & SCNSV.

 Methods:
 Patients presenting to our tertiary care center with a diagnosis of PCNSV or SCNSV between January 2015 and January 2021 were extracted from electronic medical record data. We included patients older than 18 years of age with active disease who had CSF studies and VWMRI data available. Demographic, clinical and diagnostic characteristics were reviewed and descriptive statistics were reported for comparison.

 Results:
 A total of 42 patients (24 with PCNSV and 18 with SCNSV) met study inclusion criteria. The SCNSV group was older (median age 43 years vs 41.5 years), had a higher proportion of male gender (78% vs 54%) and black race (22% vs 4%) compared to PCNSV. Patients with PCNSV more commonly had headache (63% vs 50%) and seizures (21% vs 11%) but less commonly had encephalopathy (42% vs 50%), focal neurological deficits (79% vs 83%) and constitutional symptoms (17% vs 33%). Patients with PCNSV more likely had positive antinuclear antigen levels (25% vs 11%) and elevated sedimentation rate (33% vs 25%) but less likely had elevated C-reactive protein (25% vs 33%) in blood. Comparison of CSF studies showed that the PSCNV group had a lower median CSF white blood cell count (10 cells/mm3 vs 43.5 cells/mm3 , both lymphocytic), lower median CSF protein count (62 mg/dl vs 82 mg/dl) and lower IgG index (33% vs 56%) in comparison to the SCNSV group. On VWMRI, PCNSV group had less diffuse (40 vs 54%) involvement and more anterior multifocal lesions (40 vs 15%) compared to SCNSV group with more large or medium-vessel involvement (70 vs 54%).

 Conclusion:
 Clinical and diagnostic differences with regards to CSF and VWMRI exist between PCNSV and SCNSV that can aid in differentiating these two entities. This can prove useful especially in undiagnosed systemic vasculitides presenting with CNS vasculitis.


Indonesia has a high Endemic level of hepatitis B infection. Since the last decade, Lombok Island has become a developed region with the rapid growth of social economic, demographic and dynamic inhabitants. This condition can contribute the varieties of HBV genotype and subtype. The purpose of this research was to analyze the HBV genotype, and subtype on pre and Indonesian workers (TKJ) who came to Hepatiko Laboratory and Mataram Diagnostic Centre clinic in Mataram West Nusa Tenggara. All serum samples were detected for HBsAg by using immunochromatography method and then confirmed by en...rymelinked Immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Serum ofHBsAg Positive samples were used to identity the HBV genotype and subtype. We carried out DNA extraction from serum of HBsAg Positive samples. HBV subtypes were determined by using the analysis ofamino acid substitutions at positions 122, 127, 134, 159,160, and 177 of S gene. This study used 211 serum samples obtained from pre and Indonesian workers. HBsAg Positive was found in 30 of 211 serum samples (14,7%). HBV genotype B was found predominant, 25 of 26 isolates (96,2%) belonged to genotype Band 1 sample (3,8%) belonged to genotype C.Subtype adw2 was found on 25 of 26 isolates (96,2%), followed by subtype adrq+ was found only on one sample (3,8%).N


Background—Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a metabolic hormone with pleiotropic effects on glucose and lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity. It acts as a key downstream target of both peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α and γ, the agonists of which have been used for lipid lowering and insulin sensitization, respectively. However, the role of FGF21 in the cardiovascular system remains elusive. Methods and Results—The roles of FGF21 in atherosclerosis were investigated by evaluating the impact of FGF21 deficiency and replenishment with recombinant FGF21 in apolipoprotein E−/− mice. FGF21 deficiency causes a marked exacerbation of atherosclerotic plaque formation and premature death in apolipoprotein E−/− mice, which is accompanied by hypoadiponectinemia and severe hypercholesterolemia. Replenishment of FGF21 protects against atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E−/−mice via 2 independent mechanisms, inducing the adipocyte production of adiponectin, which in turn acts on the blood vessels t...


Brennan Vogel, a Saint Mary's alumnus, poses for a Maroon & white magazine article. Vogel was a graduate from the Master's in International Development Studies program, and worked for the Ecology Action Centre. This photo is part of the External Affairs CD collection. Additional photos available.


Submit Manuscript | http://medcraveonline.com rash which is on the rise. Clinical symptoms of VL disease in the initial infective stages overlap with symptoms of other diseases that make it difficult to diagnose. The VL disease is still a major health challenge in parts of the developing world having people in the most impoverished conditions where the disease is endemic. VL is caused by parasite Leishmania donovani and is spread by female Phlebotomine Sand fly (Phlebotomus argentipes) which is the vector transmitting the disease to humans. In VL the parasite infects the mononuclear phagocytic system affecting spleen, liver and bone marrow. Chemotherapy and vector control are the main stay of management and control respectively for VL in the current existing programs. No effective vaccine for VL is available as yet. The efforts for Kala Azar management have increased and the major strategies included the following.


SAMBAS, E. N., KUSMANA, C., PRASETYO, L. B. & PARTOMIHARDJO, T. 2018. Vegetation analysis and population structure of plants at Mount Endut forested area, Gunung Halimun Salak National Park, Banten, Java,Indonesia. Reinwardtia 17 (1): 39–53. — Study of vegetation structure and species composition at Mount Endut was carried out by using transect and plot methods. Data of trees, saplings and seedlings were enumerated from four transects measuring 10 m × 2,000 m in four directions of slopes i.e. North, South, East and West. In total there were 180 species of trees and saplings belonging to 105 genera and 51 families. Tree density and basal area indicate the variation and the differences in each of the sampling locations. Density of saplings and abundance of seedlings tend to be low in locations with high density and basal areas at tree level. Tree species having higher Importance Value were Castanopsis acuminatissima, Schima wallichii, C. argentea, Quercus gemelliflora, and Altingia excelsa. Castanopsis acuminatissima, Garcinia rostrata, S. wallichii, Symplocos cochinchinensis, and Prunus arborea were saplings which had highest density, while Ophiorrhiza marginata, Cyathea contaminans, Pinanga coronata,C. acuminatissima, and G. rostrata were the most abundant listed seedlings at the study site. At least 27 tree species (21.91%) were recorded as relatively rare (presence represented by only 1–2 individuals), thus requiring special attention in the management of the area.


In October of 1986, Dr. Thomas Starzl of the Presbyterian-University Hospital in Pittsburgh successfully transplanted a liver into a 76-year-old woman. The typical cost of such an operation is over $200,000. He thereby accelerated the extension to the elderly of the most expensive and most demanding form of high-technology medicine. Not long after that, Congress brought organ transplantation under Medicare coverage, thus guaranteeing an even greater extension of this form of life-saving care to older age groups. This is, on the face of it, the kind of medical progress we have long grown to hail, a triumph of medical technology and a new-found benefit to be provided by an established entitlement program. But now an oddity. At the same time those events were taking place, a parallel government campaign for cost containment was under way, with a special targeting of health care to the aged under the Medicare program. It was not hard to understand why. In 1980, the 11% of the population over age 65 consumed some 29% of the total American health care expenditures of $219.4 billion. By 1986, the percentage of consumption by the elderly had increased to 31% and total expenditures to $450 billion. Medicare costs are projected to rise from $75 billion in 1986 to $114 billion in the year 2000, and in real not inflated dollars. There is every incentive for politicians, for those who care for the aged, and for those of us on the way to becoming old to avert our eyes from figures of that kind. We have tried as a society to see if we can simply muddle our way through. That, however, is no longer sufficient. The time has come, I am convinced, for a full and open reconsideration of our future direction. We can not for much longer continue on our present course. Even if we could find a way to radically increase the proportion of our health care dollar going to the elderly, it is not clear that that would be a good social investment. Is it sensible, in the face of a rapidly increasing burden of health care costs for the elderly, to press forward with new and expensive ways of extending their lives? Is it possible to even hope to control costs while, simultaneously, supporting the innovative research that generates ever-new ways to spend money? These are now unavoidable questions. Medicare costs rise at an extraordinary pace, fueled by an everincreasing number and proportion of the elderly. The fastest-growing age group in the United States are those over the age of 85, increasing at a rate of about 10% every two years. By the year 2040, it has been projected that the elderly will represent 21% of the population and consume 45% of all health care expenditures. Could costs of that magnitude be borne? Yet even as this intimidating trend reveals itself, anyone who works closely with the elderly recognizes that the present Medicare and Medicaid programs are grossly inadequate in meeting the real and full needs of the elderly. They fail, most notably, in providing decent long-term care and medical care that does not constitute a heavy out-of-pocket drain. Members of minority groups, and single or widowed women, are particularly disadvantaged. How will it be possible, then, to keep pace with the growing


These are abstract of the free communications of 12th Emirates Diabetes and Endocrine Congress held virtually on February 24-26, 2022, Dubai, UAE. The abstracts spanned a very wide range of basic, epidemiological and clinical subjects within the specialties' of diabetes, endocrinology and metabolism and several other associated discipline. The abstracts are presented as were submitted with basic language check and style adjustments to meet the requirements of the journal. We hope by publishing them in this journal, we give them an early opportunity for dissemination and encourage communication and collaboration between research workers of similar interests.


This system is composed of the remote monitoring client and the frontal network camera. Firstly, it introduces the whole system structure design and the definition of functions. This embedded web monitoring system takes the powerful ARM9 chip as MPU. The monitoring system captures the video through the embedded multitask operating system. The digital video has been compressed by the MJPEG algorithm. By the internet explorer the users can view the monitor's video directly. By the Common Gateway Interface, the users who are authorized can also control the camera, the motion of cloud-station and lens or configure the parameters of the embedded web surveillance system straightly.


As other areas of wastewater treatment go high tech, man-made wetlands are treating wastewater from small towns and coal mines. Plants are grown in about 1 ft of water. Suspended solids settle to the bottom, creating anaerobic conditions, while aerobic conditions are present around the roots and stalks. This environment allows a unique combination of bacterial life forms to treat the wastewater. The low costs of the systems—$300,000, compared to $3-4 million for traditional mechanical systems—is a big advantage. But as engineers and operators from small towns look into wetland treatment, they are finding a design process in its infancy. There are about 25 man-made wetland treatment systems in the U.S. Most of these wetlands are only 2-3 years old, and while data is promising, it is not definitive.


An MCSCF method using single excitations is described. The wave-function is obtained by direct minimization. An illustrative calculation on LiH indicates that the method is appropriate for the calculation of one-electron properties, especially in bond-breaking geometries.


The fiber-reinforced polymer composites are of great scientific and technical interest and a very impressive development. This justifies both the development of the research in this area, and the extension of the production of such materials.This paper presents research regarding three different composite materials, plates of carbon fibre, glass fiber and Kevlar in epoxy matrix. The mechanical characteristics of plates made of composite materials (CM) reinforced are presented. Based on the results, a comparative study between the reinforced materials used to manufacture the plates of CM is carried out.


Schweickart believes that the best outlet of Chinese economic reform is market socialism of economic democracy.Although there are many similarities between his economic democracy pattern and the socialist market economy,such as the understanding of realization of relationship between market and socialism,the surmounting object,the enterprise democracy,the macroeconomic regulation and control,the system of ownership,and the international trade,etc.,but essential differences also exist,such as the background of proposing the theory,the origin,the practical path,and the concrete institution.China explores out a road of socialist market economy with Chinese characteristic and has obtained great achievements in practice,while Schweickart's economic democracy pattern is still stalemating in the fantasy stage.Therefore,China will not follow economic democracy pattern,but can profit from its reasonable elements.


By means of their own genre-specific techniques, the movie Inception and the video game Alan Wake incarnate the same concept—that of trauma. While the origin of a trauma is generally agreed upon among trauma theorists, the issue of representation is widely debated. It is the aim of this paper to investigate the representation of traumas across media, to compare the results and thus shed some light on the question of whether trauma can only be psychologically categorized or if it even has become a significant societal trope.


This paper is organized into several sections. First, a model of L2 lexical development is outlined. It starts with a review on the internal structure of the lexical entries in the mental lexicon. Then a comparison is made between the different conditions under which L2 and L1 are learned. The consequences of suchdifferences for L2 lexical development and representation are thus highlighted. Finally, the three stages of L2 vocabulary acquisition on the basis of what is represented in the lexical entry are applied.


The p order balance and interpolatory property is introduced to M band multiwavelets. Balance conditions for M band multiwavelets are investigated in time domain and frequency domain respectively. The balanced order is equal to its approximation order for M band interpolatory multiwavelet.


This study was carried out to investigate the effect of a new microbiological preparation Vetom 21.77 containing spore-mycelial biomass of Duddingtonia flagrans on hematological and biochemical parameters of broilers. The drug was administered for 3 months. A total number of 105 five-day-old broilers (Hubbard F15) were allocated to four test groups, where birds received the preparation in doses of 2, 5, 50 and 300 µl/kg bodyweight, and a control group with no treatment. Blood samples were collected 1.5 and 3 months after the beginning of the experiment for biochemical and hematological analysis. According to the results obtained, administration of the microbiological drug was followed by positive changes in the immunity of treated broilers. The preparation seems to have stimulating effect on their metabolic processes. There was no negative effect of the drug on the physiological state of the birds. In the course of the experiment, neither disease indications, nor mortality were detected in the birds, excluding deaths caused by the required slaughter. There were no treatment-related allergic reactions, even at the highest daily dose, as exemplified by almost borderline low eosinophil levels observed in treated broilers over the study period. No clinically relevant results were detected in serum biochemical profile.


The color perception of a surface as invariant under changing illumination, called color constancy, is very important in applications such as outdoor navigation. Most color constancy approaches are targeted for single images obtained from cameras whose sensors are assumed to be narrow-band. Algorithms that take advantage of the related information in consecutive frames are rare and require the presence of known colors in each frame or unrealistic assumptions. Therefore, in this work, we propose an iterative method for color constancy, in which the reference colors estimated from images previously corrected are used for correcting the colors of the new images through a color mapping matrix. This matrix achieves better results compared to a diagonal matrix when sensors are not narrow-band. The iterative method results are very similar to frame by frame correction using Color Checker standard colors values.


Negotiating international regimes means coordination and bargaining between or among different actors in collective actions.The development of climate change regime building depends on frangibility,uncertainty,fairness and efficiency.Competition and collaboration among or between powers are critical for climate change regime.China shows great vulnerabilities in the face of global warming,and it also the largest energy and resource consumer in the World.China plays an proactive role in global regime building.It provides he strongest support for "Common but Differential Responsibilities",protect the developing world,and make great contribution to global climate change regime building.


The utility model discloses a feeding device of a blending hopper, which comprises a tapered storage bin [2] and a spiral conveyer [4] arranged under the storage bin [2], wherein the storage bin [2] is an opening container, the storage bin [2] is arranged under a grinding machine discharging port [1], the lower portion of the storage bin [2] is provided with an outlet, the outlet is provided witha gate valve [3], and the outlet of the storage bin [2] is opposite to a charging port [7] of the spiral conveyer, thereby materials flow out from the outlet of the storage bin [2] and directly enterinto the spiral conveyer [4]. The feeding device improves the manufacturing efficiency, and reduces the cost.


The 2000 Census has identified new urbanized areas (UZAs), which in turn requires formation of new Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs). The FTA and the FHWA funded case studies of 10 MPOs formed after the 1990 Census to serve as guides to the formation of the new ones required after 2000. The studies summarize administrative, policy and technical development of metropolitan planning on the local level. All UZAs with a population of at least 50,000 must have an MPO to qualify for federal transportation money. New UZAs do not to need to form their own MPOs; they can join existing MPOs. Frequently asked questions about MPO formation and timelines can be found at the FHWA Web site at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/census/faqa2cdt.htm.


This paper gives overall information about a real-time speaker identification system (SI). We create a real-time database taking all different real-time conditions. We use baseline cepstral features, i.e., Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC) alone with proposed approach, i.e., Speech signal-based Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (SFCC). Here the proposed system provides better performance than that of MFCC for real time speaker identification system. The overall identification accuracy of proposed approach is 27% relative improvement over baseline method.


Chronologic sequences of dental organogenesis rnorphohistochernical characteristica are described prior to appos:tional stage. They were the following: 1) Basal rnernbrane Fuchsin Aldehyde positive ( future arnelo-dentinal junc-tion). 2) Increase of cellu1ar layers-in intermediate stratum with metachromasia and alciar:ophilia in stellate reticulum. 3) Metachromasia and alcianophilia in papilla with differentiation of basophile odontoblasts on its periphery. 4) Alcianophile dentine deposit and PAS + with basophile ameloblasts polarity change and posterior secretion of adamantine matrix sligtly PAS +. Technical oxidai:ion variation with periodic acid during 10', Shiff reactive mbstance 15' and the posterior and inmmediate application of methenamine silver 1 hoUTat 609C allows to identify clearly ~reactive subst::mces to per;odic acid likeglucogene and basal memhrane reactive components


The scientific article is devoted to the consideration of some aspects of the corpus delicti provided for in Article 163 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation through acts of law enforcement and the peculiarities of distinguishing extortion as a crime from a related corpus delicti


Several languages, including Amharic (Semitic; Leslau 1995), Engenni (Kwa; Thomas 1978) and possibly Aghem (Bantu; Hyman 1979) display a curious pattern in which an indexical pronoun such as 'I' or 'you' can refer to the speaker or hearer of a reported speech act rather than of the actual discourse (see also Hale & Platero 1996 and Speas 1999 for related facts in Navajo). The following is an example from Amharic:


This manuscript introduces a new and very compact planer reconfigurable bandpass to band-pass/low-pass filter covering the 0 to 1 GHz and 3.4 to 3.8 GHz bandwidth for the fifth-generation (5G) systems. The patch filter uses three trisection resonators with $50 \Omega$ transmission lines for input and output feedings. To realize high selectivity, finite transmission zeros have been successfully realized on the upper and lower sides of the in-band transmission. By employing another resonator between the input and output transmission line feedings, lowpass performance and reconfigurability characteristics are obtained. The cross-coupling factors between the adjacent and non-adjacent resonator lines are optimized to achieve the required performance. The presented filter is analyzed and optimized with the aid of the computer simulation technology (CST) simulator, and is implemented and printed on a Rogers RO3010 dielectric material with a relative permittivity of 10.2 and loss tangent of 0.002. Also, the filter has a very compact size of $10 \times 8 \times 1.27$ mm3. Good agreement is obtained between the simulation and measurement characteristics.


Web-enhanced educational programs such as Blackboard (2003; http://www.blackboard.com/) provide opportunities for instructors to make supplemental course materials available to students. However, little research has investigated the effects of unlimited access to course lectures on achievement and attendance in traditional postsecondary classroom settings. Thus, we investigated the effect of lecture presentation availability on class attendance and academic performance in 2 sections of introductory psychology courses. Students with unlimited access to lecture presentations earned significantly higher grades than students who did not have similar access. Although we did not find significant differences in attendance between classes, attendance moderated the relation between class format and course grade. We discuss further implications and future research.


The Communist Party members must keep advance.It is an important characteristic of this advanced party,and the feature which distinguishes communists from the mass people.The basic demands of keeping the advace of communists is to play the leading role for the mass people.


The entire history of the St. Petersburg Imperial Russian Academy (1783—1841), being relatively short, can be divided into two periods: the first, which took place on the Fontanka embankment, and the second — on Vasilievsky Island. The article deals with the first period of this institution's activity associated with the names of Catherine II, E. R. Dashkova, Paul I. However, the research does not focus on publishing the first dictionary of the Russian language or other scholarly works of academicians who already have a rich bibliography, but on the events of economic nature. The article traces the Academy's initial search for temporary premises, followed by acquiring its own real estate; it analyzes the financial side of its existence — budget and off-budget income — ways to increase capital, construction activities and dealing with renters. The author also examines the events which resulted in the loss of the entire economic complex created by the Russian Academy on the Fontanka embankment. The main sources of the research were archival documents: minutes of the Russian Academy's meetings, account books, business correspondence.


Taking the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as representative, I argue that animal ethics has been neglected in the assessment of climate policy. While effects on ecosystem services, biodiversity, and human welfare are all catalogued quite carefully, there is no consideration at all of the effects of climate change on the welfare of animals. This omission, I argue, should bother us, for animal welfare is not adequately captured by assessments of ecosystem services, biodiversity, or human welfare. After describing the paper's assumptions and discussing the role of the IPCC's Assessment Reports in climate policy, I consider the presentation of climate impacts in the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report, noting the aspects of animal welfare that are (and are not) considered there, and comparing the report's treatment of animal welfare to its treatment of human welfare. Next, I argue that the concepts of ecosystem services, biodiversity, and human welfare do not adequately capture the welfare of animals. Finally, I discuss concerns about human responsibility for animal welfare and the practicality of including considerations of animal welfare among the climate impacts studied by the IPCC.


The paper reviews the purchasing management of chain retail enterprises from the aspects of purchasing mode,organizational structure,inventory management and supplier evaluation and selection,etc.,and establishes the optimized mode for supply chain purchasing management.


Cryptorchidism is a disease that is manifested by the retardation of the testicles with the associated anatomical structures inside the abdomen or inguinal canal. In dogs, the appearance of cryptorchidism is of unclear etiology, but it is believed to have a genetic basis. The "gold standard" in the diagnosis of this disease is ultrasound diagnostics with a sensitivity of 95-100%. The study was conducted on 10 dogs. The clinical examination of dogs suspected to suffer from cryptorchidism was initially carried out using adspection and palpation methods, after which an ultrasound examination was performed to identify and localize residual testicles. All dogs underwent surgical removal of both residual and physiologically descended testicles. A pathohistological analysis was performed on the removed residual testicles. Bilateral cryptorchidism was found in 2 out of 10 dogs (20%), while unilateral cryptorchidism was found in 8 out of 10 dogs (80%). Right unilateral cryptorchidism was found in 5 out of 8 dogs (62.5%), while left unilateral cryptorchidism was found in 3 out of 8 dogs (37.5%). The predictive value of the comparison of ultrasound identification and localization of residual testicles with their surgical identification and localization in this study was 100%. The results of the pathohistological analysis showed the presence of tumorous changes in the type of seminoma on one testicle in one dog (unilateral inguinal cryptorchidism), while the diagnosis of testicular atrophy was made in the remaining 9 dogs with morphologically changed testicles.


The polyarylate films were characterized in terms of its electrical properties depending on doping effect for the films having three different dopant concentration of 0.25 mol, 0.50 mol and 1.00 mol per mol of polymer andwith the constant sample thickness of 6μm. The glass transition temperatures of undoped and doped Ardel®D-100 were determined from conductivity measurements. It was aimed to observe the doping effect on glass transition temperature. In addition, dielectric constant, dipol moment and solubility parameter of undoped polymer were determined by means of group contribution method as well. The solubility parameter of polymer, 6 calculated from group contribution method was compared with data found by inverse gas chromatography.


The development of the personnel potential of local self-government bo- dies, which will meet all the scales of the ongoing changes in society, is one of the significant units of the general mechanism for the implementation of the socio-economic development of the Russian Federation. All citizens are involved in municipal governance, since it is in the society that personnel for the municipal service are prepared, and the personnel of local self-government bodies are formed directly from the community. The article studies the definition of «human resources», the components of the structure and assessment of human resources. Also, the article defines the specifics of human resources in the municipal service, since municipal employees are a key link in the management system for the efficiency and effectiveness of local governments in the short and long term. Competent management decisions made on issues of local importance depend mainly on the level of development of human resources. The main goal of developing human resources is to train managers who are able to effectively make decisions in the new socio-economic conditions of a market economy. The article identifies the main problems in the development of human resources, including the level of professional development of municipal employees, their age changes, insufficient competence of applicants participating in competitions for filling municipal service positions and inclusion in the personnel reserve, especially for highly specialized positions, the need to develop recruitment mechanisms and adaptation of personnel, etc. Based on the identified problems, the article proposes directions for the development of human resources in the municipal service, including the determination of the forecast of the need for staffing, as well as the need for technical support personnel for the activities of the management apparatus in local government bodies; the application of a promotion system for local government employees; transformation of the mechanism for assessing the performance of employees through certification, as well as the development of a personnel reserve and its effective use.


Remotely sensed imagery has been used extensively in the western US to evaluate patterns of burn severity and vegetation recovery following wildland fires. Its application in southern US ecosystems, however, has been limited. Challenges in southern areas include very high rates of vegetation recovery following fire, frequent cloud cover, and the presence of standing water. Use of remote sensing in southern forests should therefore be coupled with concurrent ground-based assessments, at least until the methods are tested for different ecosystems. Here, we assessed burn severity using remote sensing in a sand pine scrub ecosystem, which occurs on the central ridge of the Florida peninsula and is characterized by infrequent (>40 years on average) high severity fire. Two overlapping fires that burned in 2006 and 2009 provided a unique opportunity to explore compounded fire severity patterns. Landsat-based imagery analysis matched ground-based severity measures roughly half of the time. In general, higher severity fire led to lower severity or unburned conditions, while low severity fire had a less pronounced impact on either preventing or reducing fire severity in the subsequent fire. The unusually frequent fires both occurred during drought conditions. As the region's climate is predicted to be drier and hotter in the future, this work has implications for potential climate change effects on sand pine scrub fire regimes and, hence, ecosystem perpetuity.


This chapter analyzes the energy security of China, and then commences discussion of a model of joint exploitation and conflict regarding oil exploitation in the South China Sea (SCS). The energy security situation of China now demonstrates that China not only needs to change its current energy security policy and lean toward multiple sources of energy importation, but also needs to speed up offshore oil exploitation. The chapter concludes with a discussion of cross-Strait co-operation in the SCS, with regard to the interests of Chinese people. The co-operation on oil and gas exploitation relies on political understanding and co-operation among all the parties concerned, as well as a favourable environment of diplomacy and security, with economic development as the core. China has made its own contribution to security maintenance of the SCS. Keywords: cross-Strait co-operation; energy security; gas exploitation; oil exploitation; South China sea (SCS)


The problem of event detection is far from being new. This is a classical problem in many contexts. Many studies target event detection in the dynamics of various systems [7]. Two main approaches are followed, named anomaly-based and signature-based. The underlying principle of anomaly-based approaches [4, 3] is that one knows the normal behavior of the system. Then, any observation that differs from this normal behavior is considered as an event. This approach is very appealing as it is able to detect any kind of event, including kinds that were never observed. It however relies on a precise knowledge of the dynamics of the considered object, and evolution of the normal behavior makes the method ineffective. In the case of the internet topology, these two limitations make this approach unapplicable. Signature-based approaches rely on the knowledge of characteristic features of events to detect, which may be inferred from a set of known events (typically with machine learning techniques) [18, 7]. If the observed dynamics matches these features at some point, then one considers that this is an event. This approach is very effective in cases where the events may be described, like some computer viruses for instance. In our case, though, very limited knowledge of events in the internet, and no description on their impact on observed topology, are available. Much attention has been paid to event detection in internet traffic, see for The methods used are mainly based on the quantity of traffic; some works study the whole traffic, and some subdivise the multi-dimensional space induced by the origin and destination of the traffic; some works also correlate informations from different sites [8]. These works have produced valuable results, but the strategies based on the volume have reached their limits, mainly due to the scale-free nature of the IP traffic that makes outlier detection difficult if not impossible.


There is no obvious causality between China's FDI and economic growth,which indicates FDI cannot promote domestic economic development.The author undertakes ordinary least square with LNGDP and LNFDI,and takes a stationary test toward residual error which showed a stationary residual sequence under coordinating relationship.Therefore,China's FDI and economic growth displays a trend of collective growth,maintaining a stable and long-term balanced relation.


Abstract The method of binomial corner-association analysis proposed in this paper is applicable to data from grids of contiguous cells, all or most of which are sampled. After sampling, the frequency distribution of cells at successive densities is grouped into a series of successive density categories. A separate binomial analysis is then conducted for each density category, in which the unit of observation is the number, from 0 to 4, of cells of the same density category which occur around each point of intersection on the grid. Applied to a distribution of the redear sunfish (Lepomis microlophus (Gunther)) in a small lake in Oklahoma, the method revealed that unoccupied cells, and cells occupied at medium and at high densities, were contagiously distributed; low density cells, however, were acceptably random. The rationale of this analytical method is compared with that of inherently single-dimensioned analyses such as the Poisson and negative binomial. Corner-association analysis is shown to be inher...


Proliferative fasciitis (PF) of the hand is a rare condition, which typically occurs in adulthood. To date, only two dozen cases of PF have been reported in children. This benign condition can mimic malignant soft tissue tumors such as soft tissue sarcoma. We present a case of histopathologically confirmed PF of the fifth right finger in a nine-year-old girl, along with the imaging workup. We also provide a review of the previous literature on PF in children.


In this paper, the behavior of shock wave discharged from the pipe end is studied. The shock wave is generated using the shock tube (MO-tube). The flow field while the shock moves downstream is visualized using shadow photography and schlieren photography. The propagation of shock wave and the phenomenon of the occurrence of second vortex ring are examined and discussed.


This paper presents a well-structured, mixed-criticality, system that exhibits rich spatio-temporal behaviors that arise from the interactions of mobile conveying units. The system-level objective is for the collection of decentralized, autonomous, mobile units to transport entities from some input port to an output port when each entity has its own destination, deadline and Quality of Service constraints. Entities move by riding on the mobile units and transfer from one unit to another when two units rendezvous. We propose a systematic approach to transform the spatio-temporal patterns of interactions to a graph from which we can obtain the shortest paths that can help to address the system objective. In the future, such systems can be used to investigate a variety of intelligent, embedded, mechatronic systems issues. This system can also be integrated with other models for processes and systems to investigate some of the challenges envisaged in Industry 4.0.


The effect of exposure to different concentrations of sea water on the initial
mortality of Spratelloides delicatulus, the common tuna-live-bait fish of Lakshadweep,
was experimented. The shock mortality of the fish due to stress of capture
was found to be greatly! reduced by introducing them at once in 50% sea water.
However, the aggregate mortality from the time of capture to the end of the
second day was least among the fish exposed to 75% sea water, being about
three-fourth of the mortality in 100% sea water.


University of Minnesota Ph.D. December 2014. Major: Education, Curriculum and Instruction. Advisor: Dr. Kendall A. King. 1 computer file (PDF); vi, 229 pages, appendices A-B.


The invention discloses a flocculation treatment method for copper-containing wastewater, which comprises the following steps of: regulating the pH of the copper-containing wastewater as 8, then adding 30 mg/L of aluminium polychlorid (PAC) and 0.1-0.3 mg/L of polyacrylamide (PAM), wherein the coagulation time is 1 minute. In the invention, according to the synergistic interaction theory, the aluminium polychlorid (PAC) and the polyacrylamide (PAM) are compounded; by reasonable proportioning, the removal rate of copper in the copper-containing wastewater is as high as 96% or higher and is far higher than the existing level and expected level, and quite good treatment effect is achieved.


The VACS service was two years old in May 2010 so we set out to review the service and ensure that it is doing exactly what is was set up to do-provide a timely, cost effective service to police forces who want to know 'Is it Human?' when a bone is found.


Abstract In this study, we fabricated a textile-based touch sensor for use in smart clothing. Conductive yarns were fabricated in a sheath-core structure using PET and Cu filaments. E-textile touch sensors were woven using cotton yarns and Cu/PET filament composite conductive yarns, which were woven by varying the composition ratios (8:4, 12:7, and 16:9) of the conductive yarn used as warp and weft. The sensitivity of the e-textile touch sensors was evaluated by measuring their impedance under a load. We observed the highest sensitivity at an 8:4 ratio, owing to the largest change in impedance. Additionally, the sensitivity to touch speed, touch hold time, and touch intensity was measured considering the user's touch motion. It was confirmed that the user's touch motion affects the sensitivity of the e-textile touch sensor. This new e-textile touch sensor is expected to be useful in the field of wearable devices because it can be applied to various fabrics. HIGHLIGHTS Fiber only touch sensors were successfully manufactured. Touch performance was analyzed using a self-programmed program. Correlation of sensitivity with electrode composition and touch motion was analyzed.


ABSTRACT Research shows that dating violence is characterized by bigger ratios than those found among married couples of mutual and less severe forms of violence. The aim of this study is to increase knowledge about the violence experienced by female students at the Complutense University of Madrid and Yonsei University of Seoul. A quantitative study with 435 interviews (308 with Spanish students and 127 with South Koreans) was carried out during the 2015–2016 academic year. Findings dating violence has decreased in both universities. Currently, women are experiencing new forms of control through communication technologies and it is still necessary to increase awareness about equality of roles and rights between women and men. Important differences found between data from Madrid and Seoul, in terms of the role played by women and the severity of violence, raise questions about different kinds of dating violence and missing variables which may explain its etiology.


In this paper, we present a novel method for imaging the cellular morphology of the skin surface in vivo, using scanning confocal fluorescence microscopy in combination with topical application of a fluorescent probe.


We examine how up-or-out rules operate as a screening device in the market for lawyers. Using data on large New York law firms, we show that firm growth is a slow and uncertain process because performance as an associate is not an especially informative signal about whether a lawyer will make a good partner and because the costs of mistaken promotion are relatively high. A newly hired associate is unlikely to be a suitable partner and the screening process is relatively imprecise. Firm growth therefore contributes between 5%-7% of the present value of profits of a law firm.


Popular impression has long ascribed to the Oriental, especially the Japanese, an extraordinary capacity for large amounts of work with small diets. While many dietary studies of Orientals have been made, an exact measurement of the heat production, particularly under conditions suitable for comparison with the measured heat production of other peoples, has only recently been avrailable. Fragmentary evidence from Chinese and Japanese clinics and laboratories suggests that the basal metabolism of these people in their home environment is perceptibly lower than that ,of the American and European peoples: The situation -is, however, considerably complicated by the fact that the climate, the diet, and particularly the nervous and muscular tension incidental to life in general is of an altogether different order among the Orientals than among those living in the rush of Western civilization. The influence of the diet and general life of Orientals and particularly the influence of the tropics upon metabolism have been the objects of considerable study and a great deal of discussion, with the decision by no means clear. It seemed desirable, therefore, to study the metabolism under basal conditions of a group of Orientals transplanted to an American environment, so that the only variable factor would be that of race, Consequently we studied the basal metabolism of a group of 9 Oriental young women, ranging from 21 to 29 years of age, 7 Chinese and 2 Japanese, living in the environment of an American college for women, participating in all the college activities, consuming the same diet, and in every way integral factors in the college life. Due regard was given to all the standard prerequisites for basal metabolism measurements, such as complete muscular repose, an interval of 12 hours after the last meal (not too rich in protein), the absence of a febrile temperature, and the greatest possible degree of psychic repose. Observations were made on two or more days and only the averages of closely agreeing periods were used. The technique, which was in all cases that of the closed-circuit apparatus employing mouthpiece and spirometer, had been thoroughly tested, either by alcohol check-tests at the Nutrition Laboratory or by direct physiological tests, i.e., a comparison of the metabolism as measured on the same person with two entirely different types of apparatus. The study comprised the usual anthropometric records, including in three cases direct measurements of the surface area by the Du Bois linear


Objective To observe and compare the clinical efficacy of "Kunning Prescription" in granule and in decoction against perimenopausal syndrome.Methods One hundred and eight subjects were randomized into two groups: observation group in which 68 cases were treated with "Kunning Prescription" in granule,and control group in which 40 cases were treated with "Kunning Prescription" in decoction,with a course of 30 days.The clinical efficacy and Kupperman index were evaluated.Results The overall effective rate was 91.18% in the observation group and 92.5% in the control group,with no difference between them(P0.05);after treatment,the Kupperman indexes were significantly decreased in both groups(P0.01),but with no difference between them(P0.05).Conclusion "Kunning Prescription" in granule and in decoction acts insignificantly on perimenopausal syndrome.


This research is about difficulties faced by the students in writing thesis at eight semester of English Education Study Program of Muhammadiyah University of Sumatera Barat. The purpose of the research is to describe the students' difficulties in writing the thesis. The participants of this research were eight semester students of English Education Study Program of Muhammadiyah University of Sumatera Barat that consist of 15 students. This research is a descriptive research. It is aimed at describing things as the way and also analyzing the interrelationship of the data. The instrument used in this research was questioner and interview. The questioner is used to find out the students' difficulties in writing thesis while the interview is used to support the data gotten from questioner. The result of this research shows that there are 13 difficulties faced by students in writing thesis. And the most frequent difficulties is "pouring ideas into scientific writing". All of the students (15) faced this difficulty.


model merges already existing technology acceptance models with specially developed hypotheses concerning the adoption of mobile health apps by the elderly. It gives an overview of the main influencing factors. Results of the own survey will be available in 9/2013. Conclusions It already exists a huge number of diabetes apps. But the poor user-friendliness, needs-orientation and adaptability hamper the acceptance and adoption by the elderly. Therefore a greater involvement of patients and physicians should take place. The project InnoMedTec is funded by the ESF. Key messages Currently available mobile applications for diabetes diagnoses and treatment consider the special needs and capabilities of the elderly insufficiently. A greater involvement of affected elderly patients and attending physicians has to occur during diabetes app development. More needs-orientation and usability testing is necessary.


General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by ...


In order to support the collaboration policy, the mutually beneficial relationships have been replacing the traditionally adversarial relationships between wholesaler and retailers. The joint decisions characterized by the ordering price, order quantity and replenishment schedule is collaborated through inventory and pricing policy. This study intends to derive the greatest benefits for both of the wholesalers and the retailers within cooperative environment. The right quantity discounts and the best ordering policy can be achieved by maximizing the joint profit of the deteriorating items under different profit-sharing ratios. We develop a wholesaler-retailers inventory model with an exponentially deteriorating inventory and price dependent demand. A numerical example is used to illustrate theory of the model. The results demonstrate the extra profit accrued mainly to the down-stream site. Thus, profit sharing to derive the greatest benefits for the whole system should be in-cooperated.


ABSTRACT When the Reynolds number exceeds approximately 10, drag from porous media becomes nonlinear and cannot be handled by Darcy's theory. The Darcy–Forchheimer law, which considers drag through porous media as a quadratic function, covers this region up to the Reynolds number of the order . In this research, we study the optimal shape of a porous unit cell based on this law and topology optimisation. Darcy's permeability and Forchheimer's quadratic drag term are calculated based on the averaging theorem and finite element method. The topology optimisation method is based on classical flow channel optimisation. The pressure drop is considered as the objective function of topology optimisation. By changing the input flow velocity in cell model analysis, the optimal shape becomes accustomed to the specified flow speed. We derive 2D and 3D optimal cell shapes for both low and high velocity regions.


Written declarations have been identified as one of the most useful tools in determining a nation's potential for a biological warfare capability. Declarations are defined as mandatory reports (provided on a periodic basis) that describe various aspects of a state's biological infrastructure, including both academic and governmental programs. Specifically included are descriptions of facilities, summaries of research projects, and other information considered relevant to making an evaluation of that country's capabilities. Notifications of specific events of interest are also considered as part of the required declaration. As part of the confidence-building measures (CBMs) of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC), between 25 and 30 of the State Parties have been providing written declarations for a number of years. With specific regard to the Iraqi experience, the government of Iraq was required (under the auspices of United Nations Security Council Resolution 687) to provide specific declarations about any and all facilities potentially associated with their biological warfare program. UNSCOM inspectors have the responsibility of verifying the accuracy of the information provided by Iraq in declarations.


This article takes up Bennett and Iyengar's (2008) call for debate about the future of political communication effects research. We outline 4 key criticisms. First, Bennett and Iyengar are too quick to dismiss the importance of attitude reinforcement, long recognized as an important type of political media influence. Second, the authors take too narrow a view of the sources of political information, remaining fixated on news. Third, they offer an incomplete portrayal of selective exposure, exaggerating the extent to which individuals avoid attitude-discrepant information. Finally, they lean toward determinism when describing the role technologies play in shaping our political environment. In addition, we challenge Bennett and Iyengar's assertion that only brand new theory can serve to help researchers understand today's political communication landscape. We argue that existing tools, notably the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), retain much utility for examining political media effects. Contrary to Bennett and Iyengar's claims, the ELM suggests that the contemporary political information environment does not necessarily lead to minimal effects.


The present embodiment relates to a MCF and the like wherein the strength of mode coupling or power coupling between adjacent cores included in a single coupled core group is set to an appropriate level for reducing DGD. The MCF includes at least one coupled core group. The core interval Λ between adjacent cores included in the coupled core group is set so that at a wavelength of 1550 nm, the mode coupling coefficient between adjacent cores satisfies 2.6×10 0 [m -1 ] to 1.6×10 2 [m -1 ], or the power coupling coefficient between adjacent cores satisfies 1.3×10 -3 [m -1 ] to 8.1×10 0 [m -1 ].


The Paris Herbarium (P) contains many important but neglected specimens, collected from Abyssinia (now Eritrea and Ethiopia) by Quartin-Dillon and Petit, as well as by Schimper, and first described as new species by Achille Richard. A brief account is presented here of the circumstances of the collection, description and publication of these. Definitive typification and nomenclatural details are provided for twelve names of AbyssinianSolanumspecies described by A. Richard in 1850 in Paris, and of five other African species described by Dunal (1852) and of two others. These areS. adoenseHochst. ex A. Rich.,S. bifurcatumHochst. ex A. Rich. (=S. bifurcumHochst. ex Dunal),S. campylacanthumHochst. ex A. Rich.,S. grossidentatumA. Rich.,S. hirtulumSteud. ex A. Rich.,S. macilentumA. Rich.,S. macracanthumA. Rich.,S. piperiferumA. Rich.,S. plebeiumA. Rich.,S. polyanthemumHochst. ex A. Rich.,S. schimperianumHochst. ex A. Rich. andS. unguiculatumA. Rich., and alsoS. albicauleKotschy ex Dunal,S. delagoenseDunal,S. heudelotiiDunal,S. panduriformeE. Mey. ex Dunal andS. senegambicumDunal, and alsoS. kotschyiiSteud. (ined.) andS. senegalensePerr. (ined.). Some of these are synonyms ofS. anguiviLam.,S forskaliiDunal,S. incanumL.,S. terminaleForssk. andS. villosumMill. Hitherto, places of publication of several of these names, and the authorship of many of them have been cited incorrectly.


5 x 5 crucial points and suggestion for scientific copyright is the focus of the Conference "Condividi la Conoscenza: nodi e proposte per una politica della conoscenza. L'Italia e l'agenda di Lisbona", Milan, IULM, 22 June 2007. (Share the knowledge: crucial points and suggestion for a policy of knowledge. Italy and Lisbon's agenda").
The present legislation on copyright is a legal limit to scientific dissemination and, consequently, it is an obstacle for a fair economic growth. The five main crucial points of the copyright – within the circle of scholarly communication – can be summarized in the following topics:
1. legal limit to scholar dissemination;
2. the economic displacement from public to private funds provokes damages to public investments;
3. a serious economic restriction, due to a distorted and not competitive market, that stifles small publishers: in fact, 11 publishers dominate the 70% of publishing market, and two publishers possess approximately 2000 journals each;
4. the instrument for knowledge control is property of few people: worldwide research mapping is a very powerful and dangerous instrument of meta information;
5. the present model for research evaluation is no longer applicable in a digital context.
The five proposals suggested constitues a unique proposition, that schedules a conscious and intelligent management of scientific copyright, that involves:
a. Managers of research institutions, with the role of managers of an intangible public good;
b. Scholars producing research into universities and institution, with the role of authors;
c. Governments, who must understand that they have to safeguard and protect public good first, and then the interests of private organizations;
d. EU measures for a Lisbon's agenda really effective in procedures and innovation politics;
e. Media, since they should offer reliable information to sensitize citizens on the meaning of scientific communication, and on the real potential of a competitive scientific publication market.
Scholarly communication consists in the dissemination of the results of the research coming from universities or other institutions, and scientific publication system is part of this circle. One of the aims of Lisbon's Agenda process in 2000 was to lead economy in service of knowledge through the constitution of an European Research Space (SER). Open Access is part of these strategies for the renewal of this scientific communication system.
European Commission published a study in which scientific European publishing system is examined. The data emerged from this European study are remarkable: 23000 journals worldwide, 1400 articles per year, only 3000 Open Access scientific journals. The distribution of journals within the scientific publishing market is extremely distorted, since Elsevier and Springer possess approximately 2000 journals each. Moreover, European Commision opened the door to a wide consultation and a debate, to discuss some of the tendecies on the basis of the Green Book.
New perspectives for the European Research Space: define more precisely the aims and provide incentives for the formulation of new ideas.


Most of the studies and research analyzing the private equity ("PE") sector in the Middle East North Africa ("MENA") region tend to focus more on the Middle East and less on North Africa. The case of Tunisia is probably the most appealing within the North African region regarding the transformational phase the industry is going through there. Accordingly, the main objective of this thesis will be to provide some keys to understand the dynamics of private equity in Tunisia. The recent uprising has shown how ardently people are seeking a radical change in the current political and socio-economic model. Studying the private equity sector in Tunisia whilst balancing the underlying hurdles and opportunities, is certainly a first step towards understanding a complex but fundamental issue: how and to what extent can the promotion and the revitalization of investments in the country's private sector constitute a key lever for the government to meet the social claim for a sustainable development? First of all, I believe it is essential to apprehend the backdrop of Tunisian private equity by analyzing global trends of the private equity industry, the rise of interest in emerging markets as well as the current macro environment in Tunisia. I will then examine the drivers and fundamentals of PE investment in Tunisia by analyzing the current framework in place and the specificities of the private equity lifecycle from fundraising to exit. Finally, I will endeavor to investigate the hurdles various stakeholders might face as well as the opportunities they might enjoy, and I will ultimately highlight some of the options available to overcome obstacles and take advantage of favorable circumstances. Thesis Supervisor: S.P. Kothari Title: Gordon Y Billard Professor of Management, Deputy Dean at MIT Sloan School of Management


The invention discloses a preparation method and the application of a fixed bed framework metal catalyst. The method includes: adopting a halogen substituted organic polymer as a coupling agent of active metal aluminum alloy powder, preparing aluminum alloy powder containing transition metal in VIII class, IB class or VB class into particles in certain shapes, adopting forming methods like direct kneading method for band extrusion or tabletting or coating method for attaching the alloy powder on the surface of a carrier with certain strength, subjecting the formed particles to heat treatment under certain atmosphere for improving strength, and activating with an inorganic alkaline solution to obtain the fixed bed framework metal catalyst. The catalyst prepared by the method can be used for fixed bed hydrogenation reaction of unsaturated organic compounds like aldehyde, ketone, ester, nitrile, olefine, aromatic and nitro compounds. The aluminum alloy particles are low in heat treatment temperature, the strength of the carrier can be fully utilized by the coating method, and the aluminum alloy particles after being activated have excellent hydrogenation activity and stability.


Parental sex-role performance has been used as a criterion for differentiating normal and pathogenic families. Sex roles assumed to be normative are normative only for a specific society at a specific time. Sex roles assumed to be normative in the modern, urban, middle-class family were determined by economic and social changes that took place in the early nineteenth century. These changes effected a new division of function between the sexes that had serious psychological consequences. A behavior code was formulated as a social response to the need to facilitate adaptation. The behavior prescribed in this code is behavior now defined by sociologists as normative. The problems the code attempted to alleviate have not diminished, and there is evidence suggesting that the prescribed behavior is itself a source of psychological strains. Social role performance, therefore, is an unsatisfactory criterion for identifying pathogenic families.


This presentation describes the verification and validation processes of an Extremely Large Telescope Project and outlines the key role System Engineering plays in these processes throughout all project phases. If these processes are implemented correctly into the project execution and are started at the proper time, namely at the very beginning of the project, and if all capabilities of experienced system engineers are used, the project costs and the life-cycle costs of the telescope system can be reduced between 25 and 50%. The intention of this article is, by explaining the importance of Systems Engineering in the AIV and validation processes, to motivate and encourage project managers of astronomical telescopes and scientific instruments to involve the entire spectrum of Systems Engineering capabilities performed by trained and experienced SYSTEM engineers for the benefit of the project.


We present measurements of pump noise influence on the amplitude and envelope phase noise of a femtosecond modelocked Ti:sapphire laser. The noise transfer functions are evaluated for pump fluctuation frequencies from 10 Hz to 10 MHz.


Fluorine-substituted ethyl groups on Cu(111) were generated by thermal scission of the C−I bond in the adsorbed C2F5I. Temperature-programmed reaction spectrometry observed a novel pathway resulting in the evolution of C4F6 above 400 K. Among the various isomers, this product was identified as hexafluro-2-butyne. Although abstraction of two fluorine atoms from the starting Cu−CF2CF3 was required, Cu−C⋮CF3 (trifluoroethylidyne) was favored over Cu−CFCF2 (trifluorovinyl) as the intermediate because this ethyl−ethylidyne−butyne pathway was suppressed on a Cu(100) surface devoid of the key threefold hollow binding sites for ethylidyne. Once formed, perfluoroethylidyne readily coupled to afford a tightly surface-bound hexafluoro-2-butyne up to 400 K. Therefore, the C−F bonds adjacent to the metal were found to be more susceptible to the bond activation, leading the chemisorbed perfluoroethyl to eliminate two F atoms successively from the α-carbon. This preference for α-elimination rather than β-elimination (th...


Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease originating partly from amyloid β protein‐induced synaptic failure. As damaging of noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC) occurs at the prodromal stage of AD, activation of adrenergic receptors could serve as the first line of defense against the onset of the disease. Activation of β2‐ARs strengthens long‐term potentiation (LTP) and synaptic activity, thus improving learning and memory. Physical stimulation of animals exposed to an enriched environment (EE) leads to the activation of β2‐ARs and prevents synaptic dysfunction. EE also suppresses neuroinflammation, suggesting that β2‐AR agonists may play a neuroprotective role. The β2‐AR agonists used for respiratory diseases have been shown to have an anti‐inflammatory effect. Epidemiological studies further support the beneficial effects of β2‐AR agonists on several neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, I propose that β2‐AR agonists may provide therapeutic value in combination with novel treatments for AD.


This study assesses the mechanism of miR-146a derived from Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) in acute lung injury. The model of ALI rats was established through endotracheal perfusion of LPS followed by analysis histological changes by HE staining. The source of BMSC was detected
 through flow cytometry and change of miRNA was detected through Array method. The miR-146a level in lung tissue was detected with RT-PCR and expression of Bcl-2, Bax and Capase-9 was detected with IF and Western Blot. A high expression of CD90 and CD105 was found in BMSC with negative CD11bc
 and CD34 level. 39 downregulated miRNAs and 20 upregulated miRNAs were found in ALI with miR-146a being the most significant. The apoptotic level induced with LPS could be restrained by miR-146a. In addition, miR-146a could upregulate Bcl-2 and downregulate Bax and Caspase-9. In conclusion,
 ALI could be restrained by the low expression of miR-146a.


Three-dimensional aeroelastic phenomena are numerically simulated for the development of a balloon-based operation vehicle (BOV) proposed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The structures of the all-moving tail wing composed of several materials are modeled in detail using a finite element method. The vibration modes obtained from the eigenvalue analysis of the three-dimensional solid model are mapped to two-dimensional iso-parametric shell elements for efficient fluid-structure coupled analysis using unstructured computational fluid dynamics. The methods are validated by the fluttering of the National Aerospace Laboratory wing, which has a similar planform to the BOV tail and is referred to as a standard problem. The shape of the flutter boundary is explained by the characteristic shift of the aerodynamic center. The simulation results show the BOV tail has a sufficient safety margin for flutter along the freefall flight path.


We introduce the monoidal closed category qCPO of quantum cpos, whose objects are"quantized"analogs of omega-complete partial orders (cpos). The category qCPO is enriched over the category CPO of cpos, and contains both CPO, and the opposite of the category FdAlg of finite-dimensional von Neumann algebras as monoidal subcategories. We use qCPO to construct a sound model for the quantum programming language Proto-Quipper-M (PQM) extended with term recursion, as well as a sound and computationally adequate model for the Linear/Non-Linear Fixpoint Calculus (LNL-FPC), which is both an extension of the Fixpoint Calculus (FPC) with linear types, and an extension of a circuit-free fragment of PQM that includes recursive types.


Female genital mutilation, cutting or circumcision (FGM/C) involves removing or altering the female genitalia. The UN's Zero Tolerance Policy toward FGM disregards the cultural application of these practices and implements educational programs, while criminally prosecuting those participating in the performance of FGM/C. The UN and associated organizations reference female genital mutilation (FGM), although to maintain objectivity across genital practices, FGM/C will be used in this paper. This paper proposes that the double standard between Western-classified cultures and cultures traditionally practicing FGM/C exists as the international regime of human rights, created by the cultural hegemony, imposes a juxtaposition of acceptable and illegal practices of FGM/C. This is exhibited through Western FGM/C practices, other acceptable body alterations, male genital circumcision, and the intentionally abrasive language used to discredit the legitimacy of important and chosen cultural practices. DECONSTRUCTING THE DOUBLE STANDARD IN POLICIES OF FGM/C Ball 2 Since the signing of the United Nations (UN) Charter in 1945, internationalism, the idea of unifying under a single set of rules for which every state in the anarchic system lives under, has thrived. The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) provided a framework for states to follow, instituting a regime of international humanitarianism that allowed states to critique another state's affairs. Since 1952 when female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) was first addressed, advocacy groups have increasingly fought to end FGM/C. The UN's 2012 "Zero Tolerance" policy internationally condemned and pressured widespread illegalization of FGM/C. Efforts of the UN, associated organizations, and advocacy groups have criminalized and victimized people of ethnicity participating in the practice of FGM/C, striving only for its' eradication. Despite the harmful effects of FGM/C in its worst form, FGM/C has strong cultural value and is practiced around the world in nearly identical ways, although not identified as such. The double standard between Western-classified cultures and cultures traditionally practicing FGM/C exists as the international regime of human rights, created by the cultural hegemony, imposes a juxtaposition of acceptable and illegal practices of FGM/C. THE UN'S FGM/C DEFINITION FGM or female genital mutilation is defined by the UN as "all procedures that involve altering or injuring the female genitalia for non-medical reasons and is recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women" (FGM). The UN and associated World Health Organization (WHO) report over 200 million females live with the consequences of FGM/C, many of which are from the Mediterranean, South Asia, and Africa. According to Sipsma et al's FGM/C prevalence survey, Sierra Leone has the largest population of cut women; 94% of women had been circumcised, 88% believed the practice is a beneficial component of their DECONSTRUCTING THE DOUBLE STANDARD IN POLICIES OF FGM/C Ball 3 identity and should be continued. In traditional rural African communities, village practitioners often with no formal medical background perform these procedures. They often do not sanitize themselves or their tools (razor blades or multipurpose knives). Nor do they offer anesthesia and proper wound treatment. Much of these procedures cause the majority of complications associated with FGM/C. The WHO discourages trained medical practitioners from participating in FGM/C procedures despite their knowledge on physiology and sanitation being much more advanced than traditional practitioners. In the case of FGM/C, the UN and WHO only formally recognize Western medicine as legitimate healthcare. This becomes problematic for the communities that do not believe in Western medicine and rely on culturally constructed health knowledge and practices deemed unconventional by Western states. The WHO identifies four major FGM/C procedures, all of which are illegal and condemned by the UN/associated organizations and governments (Eliminating female genital mutilation, 2008). Type I is the partial removal of the clitoris, either removing the clitorial hood (prepuce) or part of the bundle of nerves. Although the latter may decrease sexual pleasure, removing the prepuce increases pleasure during sex by revealing the nerves for stimulation. In Western societies, removing the prepuce is a cosmetic surgery procedure called a Hoodectomy. Type II is trimming to the labia minora or majora, including the partial removal of the clitoris. Anatomically the labia minora is to be surrounded by the labia majora, both of which cover the vaginal orifice. Removing or trimming the one or both of the labias may reduce friction during daily activities or sex and alter the appearance so the labias form a clean slit, desirable amongst many societies. The WHO reports 90% of FGM/C cases are type I or II. Type III, often called infibulation is removing the all or part of the clitoris, trimming the labias, and narrowing the DECONSTRUCTING THE DOUBLE STANDARD IN POLICIES OF FGM/C Ball 4 vagina orifice by sewing it partially shut. Many women with infibulation report extreme pain during sex and can have life-threatening health complications during child birth. According to the WHO, only 10% of FGM/C cases are Type III. "Infibulation, which is the most severe form of FGM, is mostly practiced in the north-eastern region of Africa: Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan" (Female genital mutilation). Type IV includes burning, piercing, and/or nicking the exposed genitalia although typically, no flesh is removed. The WHO has not gathered statistics about the prevalence of type IV of FGM/C. Often times, FGM/C is considered a rite of passage, something girls must go through to become women, but may occur much before menstruation. JUSTIFICATION FOR INTERVENTION According to UNICEF, because most cases of FGM/C are operated on people between the ages of 0-15, legal consent is unattainable and regulators believe the intensity of informal procedures is too extreme for children to endure. Due to the health concerns, FGM/C is considered a violation of human rights and has been internationally prohibited. The UN strives to protect the universal rights of every person, pressuring states to illegalize FGM/C through conventional treaties. In response, the WHO proposed guidelines for managing FGM/C cases and decreasing their prevalence by increasing civilian health education and condemning modern healthcare participation in FGM/C procedures (Doucet, 2017). For example, EU laws prevent cut people from travelling in the Eurozone, and often criminalize them under law (Brown, 2013). These laws violate universal human rights to mobility, self determination and practice of culture. States have also criminally prosecuted those who have undergone a procedure, sought to have a procedure , and/or those assisting in the process, and led educational efforts to deter such people DECONSTRUCTING THE DOUBLE STANDARD IN POLICIES OF FGM/C Ball 5 (Berg, 2013). Education efforts include female empowerment through knowledge and opportunity, encouraging community discussions and FGM/C abandonment, and providing cultural alternatives/substitute rites of passage. Efforts to change the behavior of FGM/C susceptible communities have been largely unsuccessful. UN believes this lack of success is due to states not committing to the cause and organizational efforts have not yet engaged the entirety of communities, addressing the empowerment of women and sexual/reproductive health needs (Fgm). According to UN, approximately 86 million girls will be cut by 2030. MEDICALIZED APPROACH & INDIFFERENCE The "medicalization" of FGM/C, procedures performed by a medical practitioner has increased in recent years. Medical professionals are desired to decrease potential health risks and provide the healthcare sought after by the community under which one serves (Doucet, 2017). Medical professionals can prevent and treat most health complications such as hemorrhages, pain, vaginal and urinary tract infections, and sexual health issues (Wheeler, 2003). Thus, women and girls are even more likely to undergo type I or II when assisted by a trained medical professional (already composing 90% of FGM/C cases). Even with these good intentions, Doctor Snaedal from the World Medical Association wrote that health professionals have no place assisting in the practice of FGM "because of its serious detrimental impact on the physical and mental health of women and girls...it is in contradiction with our code of ethics, as these practices violate the human rights of women and girls" (Thread: Physicians Call For Zero Tolerance..., 2017). WHO officials also believe that allowing medicalized FGM/C, does not eliminate all risk and does not justify the benefits of FGM/C. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said, "There is no developmental, religious, or health reason to cut or mutilate any girl or woman." In response, DECONSTRUCTING THE DOUBLE STANDARD IN POLICIES OF FGM/C Ball 6 Many women living with the negative consequences of FGM/C have also begun to speak out against FGM/C in hopes of protecting later generations from the same suffering. ANTI-FGM/C CAMPAIGNS Sarian Karim Kamara from Sierra Leone was cut when she was 11 years old. She now leads a nonprofit called "Keep the Drums. Lose the Knives" to encourage FGM/C vulnerable communities to celebrate the rite of passage, but not the harmful cutting practices (Goldberg, 2016). In a study conducted by the Norwegian Knowledge Centre for Health Services, Dr. Rigmor C. Berg and researcher Eva Denison found that "When asked why FGM/C is performed, in almost all studies, the participants consider it a meaningful cultural tradition, which functioned both as a form of social control and identity for women, as well as a feature of the ideal girl." Kam


The direct two-dimensional Fourier transform ( TFT) method enables a fast image reconstruction. The key problem of this method is in the interpolation from polar to Cartesian samples. In this paper we present an accurate and efficient interpolation technique for TFT method. The result of this TFT method is compared with that of the conventional filtered backprojection method and the high-speed and the high-quality of this technique are proved.


Description Claude Monet was not only the creator of what we now view as French Impressionist painting, he was also its last major practitioner. By the time he passed away in 1926, he had outlived all the other painters--Renoir, Morisot, Pissarro, Sisley, and the others whom we now group together under that heading. Yet when André Suarès, one of the four directors--along with Gide, Valéry, and Claudel--of the influential Nouvelle Revue Francaise, summed up the movement that year, he did not give Monet pride of place. Rather, he wrote, "Far more than Sisley, Claude Monet, or the Goncourt brothers, Loti was the great Impressionist."


Objective: To determine the effect of HE4 on expression of immune-related genes in CD8+ T cells and explore the role of HE4 in immunosuppression and angiogenesis in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Methods: Tissue HE4 levels and T cell counts were determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Recombinant HE4 (rHE4)-mediated gene expression in CD8+ T cells was measured by qPCR array. Cytokine levels were determined using a human cytokine array. Cell viability of ovarian cancer cells co-cultured with pooled peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in the presence or absence of rHE4 was determined using MTS cell viability reagent. P-values were determined by unpaired 2-tailed student t test. Activation of STAT3 was evaluated by Western blot, and the interaction of STAT3 and HE4 was queried by immunoprecipitation of STAT3. Finally, HE4 and IL8 levels were measured by IHC in a microarray of human EOC and normal adjacent tissue (NAT), and levels were correlated using Spearman Rank test. Results: Tissue HE4 levels correlated with CD8+ T cell counts in EOC. rHE4 treatment of CD8+ T cells upregulated expression of a panel of immunosuppressive and proangiogenic genes, including VEGF, HIF1A, STAT3, IDO1, FOXP3, and IL8. IL8 was most robustly upregulated (99-fold vs control). HE4 also resulted in alterations in cytokine levels in ovarian cancer cells co-cultured with PBMCs. OVCAR8 and SKOV3 ovarian cancer cell lines were treated with rHE4, and levels of phospho-STAT3—a known regulator of IL8—were measured. HE4 was found to activate STAT3 in a time-dependent manner, which occurred in the absence of a physical interaction between HE4 and STAT3. rHE4 treatment of OVCAR8 and SKOV3 cells co-cultured with PBMCs suppressed PBMC-mediated cytotoxicity. Finally, IL8 and HE4 mean levels were elevated in EOC tissue compared to NAT and significantly correlated (R=0.49332; p=0.00142). Conclusions: HE4 upregulates expression of genes involved in promoting a proangiogenic and immunosuppressive microenvironment in EOC, which may play a role in reduced cytotoxic ability of immune cells. Upregulation of IL8 may occur via HE4 regulation of STAT3 signaling. Future directions include testing the effect of HE4 on endothelial cell angiogenesis and determining if STAT3 and VEGF inhibitors modulate HE4 suppression of immune cell cytotoxicity. Citation Format: Nicole James, Jenna Emerson, Ashley Borgstadt, Lindsey Beffa, Anze Urh, Kyukwang Kim, Rakesh Singh, Richard Moore, Paul DiSilvestro, Jennifer Ribeiro. Genomic analysis of immunosuppressive and proangiogenic genes in recombinant HE4 treated immune cells and implications for T-cell cytotoxicity in ovarian cancer cell co-culture [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy; 2018 Nov 27-30; Miami Beach, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2020;8(4 Suppl):Abstract nr B33.


We attempted to maximize the transmittance of 2D NiTe2 thin film using the liquid-phase exfoliation (LPE) process to confirm the applicability of NiTe2 as a transparent electrode. The LPE process, using a co-solvent of organic solvent and water, is a stable and efficient method of increasing transmittance at low cost. In this report, the effect of 12 different co-solvents, mixtures of acetone, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, and water, on exfoliation rate was studied. NiTe2 thin film with a thickness of 6.3 nm prepared by sputtering, and exhibited a highest transmittance of 68% and a lowest resistivity of 291 μΩ·cm after 12 hrs sonication in ethanol/water co-solvent (ethanol : water = 60 : 40 vol. %). Three physical properties, polarization and dispersion ratio (p/d ratio), boiling point, and water contents, were compared to determine which property was the main control factor for the LPE process. Unlike previous LPE processes for powders of 2D materials, it was revealed that the improvement in the transmittance of the NiTe2 thin film was more strongly dependent on both of vol.% of water and boiling point of the solvents. This was because the transmittance improved after removing the NiTe2 thin film from the substrate, rather than layer by layer exfoliation. We believe that NiTe2 thin film prepared by sputtering followed by exfoliation process can be one of the potential candidates for transparent electrode.


This study attempts to empirically investigate the marketing practices of the small- and medium-sized hotels in the United Arab Emirates, which has not been extensively researched in the context of the accommodation sector in Arab region. Findings from the survey and semi-structured interviews with owners–operators of small- and medium-sized hotels revealed that, to remain competitive in the hotel businesses, small- and medium-sized hotels owners–operators undertaken various marketing practices in terms of positioning, product, price setting, and promotional strategies. The research reported in this paper seeks to make a contribution to the understanding of marketing strategies in small- and medium-sized hotels specifically and, more generally, to the area of small- and medium-sized enterprises or entrepreneurial marketing.


This work was partly supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada through a grant to the SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department under Project No. 3-P-81-0171 (Phase III).


The Treaty of Nice has undoubtedly brought about a far-reaching reform of the Community judiciary 1. One of its innovations is the newly created possibility for the * Judge at the Court of First Instance of the European Communities. All views expressed are personal. 1 See in this respect, e.g.: Azizi, "Die Reform der Gerichtsbarkeit der Europäischen Gemein-schaften im Lichte der aktuellen Entwicklung" in Ginther/Benedek/Isak/Kicker (eds), Völker-und Europarecht.


Introduction: Speech-language pathologists' (SLPs) research needs and interests have been increasing over the years. Objectives: (i) characterize the SLPs' current research autonomy level in Portugal; (ii) characterize the SLPs' desired research autonomy level in Portugal; (iii) characterize the SLP's training needs as well as identify barriers and facilitators of the research practice in Portugal. Methods: 86 SLPs completed a questionnaire validated by a panel of experts. The data collection focused on: (i) current and desired research practice autonomy level; (ii) barriers and facilitators inherent to the research practice. Results: The current research autonomy levels were significantly lower than the desired * Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal, Portugal. ** Club Clínica das Conchas, Lisbon. *** PROComSom ® Specialized Services in Speech-Language Pathology, Seixal, Portugal. **** Hospital Egas Moniz Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Ocidental, Lisbon, Portugal. ***** Center for Innovative Care and Health (CiTechCare) – IPL, Leiria, Portugal. ****** Center for Language and Cognition Groningen, University of Groningen, Netherland. Authors'contributions: APM: Study design, methodology, critical review and guidance. MM, DG, DN, ITR: Methodology, draft of the article and critical review. VA: Study design, methodology, data collection, draft of the article and article review. Correspondence email address: David Nascimento firstname.lastname@example.com Received: 12/08/2020 Accepted: 18/02/2021 Distúrb Comun, São Paulo, 33(3): 375-387, setembro, 2021 Ana P. Mendes, Miriam Moreira, David Guerreiro, David Nascimento, Inês Tello Rodrigues, Vania de Aguiar https://doi.org/10.23925/2176-2724.2021v33i3p375-387


The KLOE-2 experiment is steadily taking data since November 2014 at DAFNE, the Φ-factory in the Frascati National Laboratories. 3.5 fb −1 of integrated luminosity have been collected up to now, with an average rate of 10 pb −1 /day. Performance of the detector, data taking conditions and data quality monitoring are briefly summarized.


Direct compression is the preferred method of manufacturing tablets. However, native starch, commonly used as disintegrant, binder and/or filler, tends to possess poor intrinsic compressibility. This makes it less suitable as a direct compression ingredient. With physical and chemical modifications, key physical properties of native starch may be altered, enabling the extension of its utility. Breadfruit provides a cheap source of high quality native starch. Controlled heating at 65 ?C was applied to an aqueous suspension of native breadfruit starch (NBS) to produce pregelatinized breadfruit starch (PBS). The fundamental and derived properties as well as compactibility of PBS were evaluated with metronidazole, a drug of poor inherent compressibility, as a model drug active ingredient. The crushing strength, friability, disintegration time and dissolution profiles of metronidazole tablets were used to assess the effect of PBS as a direct compression binder at 20% concentration. Significant (p<0.05) differences between the fundamental and derived properties of NBS and PBS were observed. Further, the compression characteristics of NBS, PBS, native corn starch (NCS) and commercial pregelatinized starch (CPS) were compared by assessing the crushing strength of their compacts compressed from 9.8 to 39.2 kN. Compact hardness increased in the order NCS<NBS<PBS<CPS. Assessment of the strength of the compacts made after varying compression and lubricant mixing times revealed that NBS and PBS showed plastic deformation, while NCS and CPS exhibited more elastic deformation. Metronidazole tablets containing PBS binder had a mean crushing strength and friability of 75.8 N and 1.62%, respectively, while those containing CPS binder had a mean crushing strength and friability of 55.2 N and 3.71%, respectively. Disintegration times were 108 and 58 seconds with PBS and CPS as binders, respectively. Peak dissolution (96%) occurred within 30 minutes with CPS binder while peak dissolution (91%) occurred within 10 minutes with PBS binder. Both binders met Pharmacopoeia requirements for immediate release tablets, suggesting that PBS may be substituted for CPS.


This study aims to examine counselors' views about the supervision they received during their training. It was designed according to the phenomenological approach, which is a qualitative research design. To select the study group, the researchers made simultaneous use of the criteria sampling, maximum diversity sampling


In the past two decades, China has been transformed from a poor, xenophobic, totalitarian society with no social mobility to one that is relatively free with reduced poverty, a market-oriented economy, and millions of people on the move to seek greater wealth and prosperity. This breathtaking and somewhat mystifying change was, in fact, initiated in 1978 in a bleak and dreary village in Anhui Province by some twenty peasants silently revolting against the stifling collective production and ownership system. Without this unprecedented reform in the countryside, other fundamental changes in the Chinese society, economy, and government would have seemed totally impossible.


Honorable President Palis, Distinguished Fellows and Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, The 14th General Meeting of TWAS was held in Beijing nine years ago.Today,we are celebrating the 23rd General Meeting of TWAS here in Tianjin,which is indeed a grand gathering of the international scientific community.First


Purpose: In the knowledge economy, creativity determines the competitiveness of a country, and advanced countries have actively invested in enhancing students' creativity. Creative teaching plays a critical role in the cultivation of creative talent. To maintain the development of competitiveness, creative teaching is regarded as a pivotal factor for a country. Although numerous researchers have emphasized personal and environmental factors in the occurrence of creativity, little research has been conducted regarding factors at various levels. This study involved using personality traits, the resilience of teachers, and school support as independent variables and investigating the effects of these two factors on the creative teaching of teachers. Additional analysis was conducted regarding the contextual moderating effects of school support as well as the mediating effects and the multilevel moderated mediating effects of resilience. Method: A total of 551 teachers at 70 schools were investigated through teacher self-assessment; the employed questionnaires covered resilience, school support, and creative teaching and contained four personality trait subscales; HLM was used to analyze the relationships among variables. Results/ Findings: 1. The four major personality traits, except integrity, appeared to exert effects on the dimensions of creative teaching. 2. Extraversion, affinity, and openness exerted indirect effects on creative teaching through the dimensions of resilience. 3. School support exerted positive effects on the dimensions of creative teaching. 4. The problem solving and cognitive maturity and empathy dimensions of resilience served as multilevel mediators. 5. The problem solving and cognitive maturity dimension was a multilevel moderated mediator. In summary, problem solving and cognitive maturity as well as empathy are mediators, whereas problem solving and cognitive maturity is a mediator and moderated variable. Conclusions/Implications: On the basis of the research results, this paper provides a discussion and suggestions for teachers and schools. 1. Schools should pay more attention to identifying the personality traits of teachers. 2. Schools should promote the development of teacher resilience. 3. Schools should provide specific methods for use in creative teaching and offer teachers relevant support.


William Burroughs (1914 – 1997) was a core member of the Beat Generation, a postwar literary movement that developed in the United States. A prolific and inventive writer, Burroughs made a significant contribution to American letters. Scholars and critics have commonly described his work as a reaction to Cold War fears and mid-century economic and moral homogeneity. Such a connection between his work and social tensions is not surprising. Indeed, much of his early published pieces did chronicle doom in the form of bureaucrats, police machinery, drug addiction, or organized religion. However, viewing his work as a reflection of the Cold War has limited recent reception of his work, and unjustly places it in the past. Can a green rereading of Burroughs' "The Cat Inside" show that the onetime urban addict was really ecologically conscious? This paper will examine how human and animal suffering is represented in the work. The interactions between humans and animals will also be investigated in the text. What can a green rereading of Burroughs tell us about his continued relevance in a time of environmental crisis?


The built multi-layer SARDANA prototype proves the feasibility of extended hybrid DWDM/TDM-XGPON FTTH networks with resilient optically-integrated ring-trees architecture, supporting broadband multimedia services.


HfZrOx-based p- and n-FeFETs with high-k AlON interfacial layer (IL) were employed as the platform to evaluate how <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\gamma $ </tex-math></inline-formula>-rays radiation affects the memory performance and reliability characteristics. Even with radiation dose of 1 Mrad, the memory window (MW) and retention in terms of current ratio are hardly changed for both types of FeFETs due to the improved interfacial quality by the AlON IL. Although showing a smaller MW than n-FeFETs, p-FeFETs are considered with higher competitive advantages in terms of more robust endurance against radiation up to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$10^{{5}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> cycles by long-pulse (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$10^{\text {-4}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> s) cycling due to mitigated hot-electrons induced hole generation. Furthermore, the much-improved read latency for p-FeFETs also maintains after being subjected to 1 Mrad radiation doses. These promising results suggest that p-FeFETs possess a great potential for high-speed, high-reliability applications in the radiation environment.


We present a gesture recognition approach for depth video data based on a novel Feature Weighting approach within the Dynamic Time Warping framework. Depth features from human joints are compared through video sequences using Dynamic Time Warping, and weights are assigned to features based on inter-intra class gesture variability. Feature Weighting in Dynamic Time Warping is then applied for recognizing begin-end of gestures in data sequences. The obtained results recognizing several gestures in depth data show high performance compared with classical Dynamic Time Warping approach.


Africa's rising fashion movement could not come at a better time. The dominance of local influence in textile conception and production, and the Afrofuturism aesthetic both signal sustainability of distinctly African contributions to the apparel industry in a political climate of racial antagonism and downright discrimination. To enter this creative space calls for Africans to reconstruct, define, and decolonize their identity through a tactile, transcendence, and wearable form of art.


In the study of probabilistic orders iterated integrals of survival functions have been used by many authors. Recently, dispersion-typestochastic orders have been defined by Belzunce, Hu and Khaledi (2003) [Probability in the Engineering and Informational Sciences, Vol. 17, pp. 305–334]. The purpose of this paper is to generalize the dispersion-type stochastic orders using generalized iterated survival functions. The relationships between generalized stochastic orders and the stochastic orders of dispersion-type have been studied. It is shown that under certain condition, generalized down stochastic orders imply generalized stochastic orders of dispersion-type which, in turn, imply generalized stochastic orders. Generalized stochastic orders of dispersion-type of residual random variables are discussed. Some characterizations of generalized stochastic orders of dispersion-type have also been studied. Some results regarding generalized orders are also discussed when the residual time is random. AMS (2000) Subject Classification : 60E15, 60K10.


This paper points out that the reason for conflict in decision-making is the distribution of profits.In order to analyze conflicts in group decision based on profit distribution,we first propose a conflict equilibrium model of group decision-making by using improved Hirshleifer conflict function,then extract the solution of its internal equilibrium.The result shows that bargaining force can be altered by inputting resources and obtain equilibrium when invested resources equal,and that the decision-maker would withdraw from the group if his profit is lower than his opportunity cost,thus leading to the failure of group decision.