Subject area

Organizational diagnosis. The case addresses the issue of an outsider at a senior position in a family-run business.

Study level/applicability

MBA.

Case overview

NCR-Delhi is a multi-specialty hospital in Delhi and is essentially a family-run business. Though it had done well in the early years since its inception, it had been plagued by many problems and had undergone many changes in management and processes. An outsider joined it as the Facility Director (FD) two years ago. In these two years, he introduced multi-directional changes. However, he has not been able to achieve a complete turnaround of the hospital. The major issues facing him are financial, operational and personnel-related issues. The hospital is currently in a major financial crisis, which has been causing delays in disbursement of salaries and creating resource crunches in daily operations. Most of the patients are government empanelled patients, and collection of payments from such patients usually takes at least three months. Employee attrition and customer satisfaction are also continuing challenges. Other issues include lack of proper support and interference from top management. The FD has been showing considerable prowess and capability in leading the organization, but has not been able to achieve the desired results owing to the above factors.

Expected learning outcomes

To understand the frameworks and process of organizational diagnosis; to understand the influence of change initiatives on organizational culture; and to understand the complexity of family business and what happens when an outsider leader joins family business.

Supplementary materials

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email email@example.com to request teaching notes.

Subject code

CSS 6: Human Resource Management.


An analysis is made of the effect of a transverse gravity field on a two-dimensional fully cavitating flow past a flat-plate hydrofoil. Under the assumption that the flow is both irrotational and incompressible, a non-linear method is developed by using conformal mapping and the solution to a mixed-boundary-value problem in an auxiliary half plane. A new cavity model, proposed by Tulin (1964a), is employed. The solution to the gravity-affected case was found by iteration; the non-gravity solution was used as the initial trial of a rapidly convergent process. The theory indicates that the lift and cavity size are reduced by the gravity field. Typical results are presented and compared to Parkin's (1957) linear theory.


Since the new millennium, the television industry in China has witnessed a flourishing of television series addressing the aspirations, struggles and gender expectations of the urban middle class. Nevertheless, with few exceptions, little scholarly attention has been devoted to the televisual construction of masculine ideals in the contemporary era. Taking as a case study Best Time (最美的时光), one of the most popular idol dramas of 2013, this article fills a lacuna in current scholarship and addresses the televisual construction of cosmopolitan masculinities by focusing on the tension between two prominent social groups: overseas returnees and indigenous talents. Through analysis of the construction of competing masculinities in Best Time, this article argues that this drama is as much about an undertone of national rejuvenation, and the desire for China's rise and global dominance, as it is about unrequited love. In pursuing this argument, a critical reading of a youth idol drama opens new avenues for understanding cosmopolitanism through the lenses of gender dynamics and nationalism.


In Navier-Stokes fluids, the presence of upstream turbulence increases the viscous drag of an obstacle in a flow: this is known as the "turbulence effect." The effect is explained by an eddy viscosity that enhances the viscous coupling, with the eddy viscosity controlled by the amplitude of the upstream turbulence. From solar-wind/magnetosphere data analysis it is known that activity in the Earth's magnetosphere is driven by the solar wind (chiefly as a consequence of reconnection, but also as a consequence of unexplained "viscous effects"); the measured level of geomagnetic activity can be used as a measure of the strength of solar-wind/magnetosphere coupling. The solar wind is a turbulent flow with an MHD-turbulence amplitude that varies with time. We have statistically confirmed that there is a turbulence effect in solar-wind/magnetosphere coupling, where geomagnetic activity is observed to be greater when the solar-wind turbulence is louder. An expression for the MHD eddy viscosity of the turbulent solar wind that can be evaluated in terms of spacecraft-measured quantities is derived. Using this expression and a few decades of solar-wind measurements, cross correlations between geomagnetic activity and the eddy viscosity of the solar wind are performed. These cross correlations can yield (a) an experimental confirmation of the concept of MHD eddy viscosity and (b) a test of the validity, accuracy, and usefulness of the MHD-eddy-viscosity explanation of the turbulence effect in solar-wind/magnetosphere coupling.


This comment critically analyses the justification and operation of the 'advocating terrorism' offence quietly introduced into s 80.2C of the Criminal Code (Cth) by the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (Foreign Fighters) Act 2014 (Cth). It argues that the offence is a misguided intrusion on established conceptions of permissible speech, measured by reference to the standards and logic of criminalisation embedded in existing law. Via a close reading of the content, drafting and placement of the new provision, this comment further argues that the offence has been inaccurately characterised as an offence of subversion and disloyalty. It is an improper conflation of distinct criminal behaviours to which are attached distinct forms of opprobrium. That line of criticism has not featured in academic or popular commentary about the new provision, although the conflation between disloyalty and disobedience has become a troubling fixture in Australian national security legislation. A preferable approach to the criminalisation of advocacy is one grounded in concepts of material or imminent harm, and one divorced from implications of subversive or disloyal conduct.


It is well known from control theory that 2nd-order boundary control is able to achieve a faster transient response over the conventional hysteretic control. However, no available monolithic 2nd-order boundary controller for buck converter has not been found. The main challenges of designing this controller are the implementation of the non-invasion output capacitor current sensor and the hardware calculation of both positive and negative squared terms in the 2nd-boundary control law. This paper overcomes those challenges and successfully designed and fabricated the controller with a standard 0.35µm CMOS process. Measurement results show that, during a 400mA load current step change, the controller is able to regulate a 4MHz buck converter output voltage to return to its nominal value within one ON/OFF switching action (1µs) with less than 50mV overshoot/undershoot. The measured highest power efficiency is about 94%.


As the additional injection type hybrid active power filter (IHAPF) may exist fundamental circulation between the active part and fundamental harmonic branch, a new topology of injection type hybrid active power filter is proposed to enhance the safety of IHAPF in the paper, this paper discusses the principle of fundamental circulation and the advantage of the novel structure on harmonic voltage of series resonant subcircuit.


Aggression is a common behavior among many species and can be signaled through both vocalization and visual signals. The behavior may be based on dominance, competition for a partner or because the individual defends a resource or a territory. Around 15 000 years ago the wolf Canis lupus was domesticated, which resulted in the subspecies dog Canis familiaris and through an extensive breeding program there are currently over 400 recognized breeds. In Sweden there are about 300 active guide dogs in service and every year around 40 new dogs are trained, that will come to work for a guide dog owner. The aim of this study was to see to which frequency and in what way guide dogs for the visually impaired are disturbed when they are on duty out in public places. In order to collect data a survey was conducted, where 18 guide dog owners described one to two typical situations of disturbance from other dogs, which occurs when the guide dog are on duty. Nearly 90 percent of the guide dog owners reported that one or more disturbance had occurred, where lunges was the most common type of disturbance followed by active play and attack. The majority of the affected guide dogs in this study were males of the breed Labrador retriever. Several of the guide dogs got mental and/or physical injuries due to the disturbance and had to be taken out of duty temporarily. The attacks may have been based on a lack of communication between the dogs. The results are based on a limited sample, therefore they may not be representative of the situation for the entire Swedish guide dog population but it is possible to sense a problem. This study is the first of its kind to be carried out in Sweden and leaves room for further research.


The exponential growth of mobile traffic requires mobile operators to update their network infrastructure to provide greater capacity and better connections for end-users. A promising alternative is to deploy heterogeneous networks (HetNets) that combine macrocells and small cells; however, this alternative increases the complexity and cost of transport (connections between the small cells and the operator's control center). Most planning strategies outlined in the literature are aimed at reducing the number of small cells without considering important aspects involving transport (access backbone). With the advent of centralized architectures, this point becomes essential, since it is necessary to consider the potential impact of the transport segment on the deployment cost of the network (with the advent of the fronthaul). In this sense, this work proposes an optimal multiobjective model of radio and transport allocation based on linear programming to minimize the total cost of the network and two efficient heuristics to obtain a near-optimal solution. Considering a real case study of the literature, we show the cost (financial and computational) of the optimal placement of radio and transport infrastructure and the limitations of the solution. We also compare the proposed function placement heuristic with the optimal solution in terms of cost efficiency and execution time and demonstrate that it can provide a good estimation of the deployment cost in a much shorter time, with an approximation of up to 10% in relation to the optimal model.


We present a Hamiltonian particle method (HPM) with a staggered particle technique for simulating seismic wave propagation. In the conventional HPM, variables (e.g. displacement, stress) are defined at the same positions. On the other hand, most seismic simulations using finite difference methods (FDM) have used staggered grid techniques for improving the numerical accuracy. In the present study, we applied the staggered technique to HPM same as FDM. We applied our method to the conventional Lamb problem and compared numerical results of HPM with those from an analytical approach in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the staggered particle technique. Our results showed better agreements with the analytical solutions than those from HPM without the staggered particles. This indicates that the staggered particle technique can be applicable to seismic wave simulations and improve the calculation accuracy.


Interest in the history of book collections is not a recent phenomenon. However, rapid development of computers and the Internet over the past twenty years has provided researchers with new tools for network analysis, such as UCI6 и NetDraw 2.160. Continuing to identify the provenance of the documents kept in the Western European Section of the Scientific Historical Archive of the St. Petersburg Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the author had to face the fact that abundance of information and complexity of the links between various sources make it difficult to make out the complete picture. The Western European section of the Scientific Historical Archive of the St. Petersburg Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences is mostly based on the collection of the academician N P. Likhachev (1862—1936). N.P. Likhachev contacted hundreds of antiquarian firms around the world, and thus his collection fits into the complex and interwoven system of the European antiquarian market of the late 19th–early 20th century. To overcome the problem of branching data, the author decided to call on the experience of sociologists and to use computer programs for network analysis that enable to reflect and comprehend the links between objects. The article is to present the process and results of this work, as well as to underscore problems and specificity of the programs in relation to the archival material. The main source is data from the personal provenance archive of the academician N. P. Likhachev, collection of documents on the history of the Western European Section, and artifacts from the Likhachev collection. The second layer of sources is antiquarian catalogs. The program can visualize these two layers of information in different ways by using different colors and lines. Overlaying of the schemes allows completing of missing elements in the chain of provenance. It should be noted that due to the richness of the sources, the network, originally compiled for the collection of N.P. Likhachev, grows into a pan-European system of "collector-antiquarian" relationships. It opens wide perspectives for research.


The invention of information technology shapes people's lives in the city, including the recent invention of online motorcycle taxi service. Known as 'ojek', it offers a reliable means of tactical commuting in dealing with traffic congestion in Greater Jakarta. Moreover, recent development in the online system improves the punctuality and reliability of ojek services. The emergence disrupts the transport landscape, resulting in commuters' dependency to this transport mode. However, academic sources are insufficient to answer the policy debate among planners and policy maker regarding this issue. This paper probes the role of online ojek in Jakarta Metropolitan Area Rail users' trip from their perspective, especially for the first mile and the last mile of their trip. The intensive commuter survey is currently being done at selected stations to gain information of their first mile and last mile trip diary. Discriminant analysis will be exercised to explain that to some extent online ojek is able to work to fill the gap produced due to minimum proper pedestrian facilities and a lack of public transport connection.


A periodic sampling process can be modelled through multiple parallel uniform sampling processes with distinct timing delays. In this paper, these timing delays are considered as random variables with known discrete probability density functions. An optimal reconstruction method, which minimizes the expected time-averaged mean squared error, is developed using a multirate filter bank structure. A design example is presented with simulation results demonstrating the superior performance of this method over standard reconstruction techniques based on deterministic timing delay models.


Introduction: Studies regarding acute symptomatic seizures in patients with acute bacterial meningitis are few. We analyzed the incidence and details of new-onset acute symptomatic seizures in patients with 'etiology proven acute bacterial meningitis'. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study involved 47 patients with community-acquired confi rmed acute bacterial meningitis who manifested with new-onset acute symptomatic seizures among 191 patients with acute bacterial meningitis evaluated from 1999 to 2008 at NIMHANS, Bangalore. The clinical, CT scan and laboratory data patient groups with and without seizures were compared using appropriate statistical tool. Results: Forty-seven patients (24.4%; M:F=36:10) with mean age of 20.32±19.48 years had new-onset acute symptomatic seizures. Status epilepticus was noted in 8 while cluster attacks were present in 7 patients. The causative agents included pneumococcal - 28 (59.6%), meningococcal - 3 (6.4%), H. infl uenzae b -10 (21.3%) and others - 5 (12.8%). CT scan (brain) was abnormal in 72.3% and included diffuse edema (23.4%), and focal hypodensities (14.9%). Patients with seizures were signifi cantly younger (<0.05), more often had abnormal brain imaging (p<0.005), and pneumococcal meningitis and H. infl uenzae type b meningitis (P<0.001) as compared to those without seizures. There was no other signifi cant difference in clinical and laboratory parameters between the two groups. Treatment with adjunctive steroid was not associated with any reduction in acute symptomatic seizures. Majority received parenteral phenytoin (n=40) followed by sodium valproate (n=4) and phenobarbitone (n=3). Conclusions: New-onset acute symptomatic seizures were noted in 24.4% of patients with etiologically proven community acquired acute bacterial meningitis. The occurrence of remote symptomatic seizures in these patients with acute bacterial meningitis needs to be studied.


A high-sensitivity and a high-power photo-receiver is preferred in coherent lidar system. In this work, we demonstrate top-illuminated APDs, which can simultaneously exhibit low excess noise (k<0.1) and wide 3-dB bandwidth (14GHz) with high responsivity (6.7A/W) under the operation at saturation output (3 mA).


Many researchers in medical anthropological are both anthropologists and physicians. This article addresses the following question: What are the methodological consequences if the physician-anthropologist combines ethnographic research with active therapeutic engagement? What does it mean for the outcome of a study if the researcher converts "participant observation" into "caring and observation". At the example of my own work on indigenous perception of illness and medical pluralism among the Amazonian peoples in Ecuador, I discuss specific methodological problems of the "caring and observation". This relates to the subjectivity debate in cultural anthropology. Subjectivity is understood as a genuine quality of any kind of scientific knowledge, and serves as the theoretical background for the discussion especially in regard to the following points: The methodological difficulties on expects to encounter in the field, those encounter during field work, unfolding difficulties, and special insights gained as a result of such subjective approach. I demonstrate that the active involvement in complex therapeutic situations proved to be methodologically usefull in this particular case. The paper concludes with a discussion of the conditions deemed necessary to deal with the double role of a physician-anthropologist in a creative way. I hold that these considerations can be relevant for other research situations, especially since the particular research situation of a physician-anthropologist is only one specific case of subjective research among many.


In 1986, Don Knuth published a very simple algorithm for constructing sets of bipolar codewords with equal numbers of dasia1psilas and dasia-1psilas, called balanced codes. Knuthpsilas algorithm is, since look-up tables are absent, well suited for use with large codewords. The redundancy of Knuthpsilas balanced codes is a factor of two larger than that of a code comprising the full set of balanced codewords. In our paper we will present results of our attempts to improve the performance of Knuthpsilas balanced codes.


The process of ion formation in static secondary ion mass spectrometry from functionalized polymer surfaces has been investigated using a polymerizable Langmuir–Blodgett film as a model system. In this study the variation in signal intensity of charge stabilized positive ions from the polymerizable quaternary amine amide diacetylene compound (B1P51) are used to monitor the process of polymerization, substrate chemistry (Au, Ag, and Ge film substrate), and variation due to film deposition method (i.e., Langmuir–Blodgett, solution cast). Each affects the type of film surface formed. Coverage, film thickness, homogeneity, and molecular structure and composition are obtained from x‐ray photoelectron [XPS or electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA)] and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy measurements. Comparisons between ESCA and FTIR analyses have been used to determine the polymerization mechanism of the diacetylene. Correlations between changes in the ESCA N 1s core electron region and...


ABSTRACT Pleurotus giganteus (Berk.) Karunarathna & Hyde is one of the largest edible mushrooms which can be found either in groups or solitary and in soil and buried woods, but seldom in grassland. It has been recorded in Southeast Asia, Australasia, and China by either its common names or local names. Previously known as Lentinus/Panus giganteus, its unique physical characteristics and the utilization of molecular tools have since anchored its taxonomical position in the Pleurotus genus. A sawdust-based substrate coupled with soil casing method is described as a standard cultivation procedure for P. giganteus. The basidiocarp of P. giganteus is found to be rich in carbohydrates, proteins, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and polysaccharides. Both ethanol and aqueous extracts of P. giganteus have been studied in vitro for its antioxidative, antifungal, anticancer, hepatoprotective, and neurite outgrowth capabilities. The review covers the optimum cultivation methods of P. giganteus, as well as its various biological activities and medicinal properties that have been studied by different approaches. Available data in regards to the chemical compounds present in P. giganteus are also compiled for future references. Overall, both in vitro and in vivo studies have shown significant bioactivity comparable to other recognized Pleurotoid mushrooms.


Most decision support systems based on rough set theory are related to the minimal reduct calculation problem, which is NP-hard. This paper investigates the problem of searching for the set of useful attributes that occur in at least one reduct. By compliment, this problem is equivalent to searching for the set of redundant attributes, i.e. the attributes that do not occur in any reducts of the given decision table. We show that the considered problem is equivalent to a Sperner system for relational data base system and prove that it can be solved in polynomial time. On the base of these theoretical results, we also propose some algorithms for elimination of redundant attributes in decision tables.


For many years the European trade union movement has demanded a "social Europe" from European governments and the European Union (EU). If the integration of Europe were to be successful, it had to be accompanied by a strong social dimension—a people's Europe. This was also the expressed aim of European social democracy—to regain control of capital forces and create a "social Europe" through the European Union. Now, for the first time since the establishment of the European Economic Community (EEC), social democratic, or social democratic dominated governments have been in power throughout the EU for some years. However, a "social Europe" has yet to be realized.This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.


Background: Although appendiceal orifice inflammation (AOI) is frequently observed as a skip lesion of ulcerative colitis (UC), its clinical significance is not clearly understood. We aimed to evaluate whether AOI is associated with the clinical course of UC. Methods: Ninety‐four patients with newly diagnosed distal UC were prospectively enrolled at the Asan Medical Center between March 1996 and October 2002. Clinical features and colonoscopic findings during the follow‐up period were analyzed in relation to initial AOI status. Results: Forty‐eight patients were found to be initially AOI‐positive and 46 to be initially AOI‐negative. We found no difference in the baseline demographics and clinical characteristics between these two groups. The median follow‐up periods for AOI‐positive and AOI‐negative groups were 45 and 41 months, respectively. Clinical remission was achieved in all patients of each group. The cumulative risk of relapse at 1, 3, and 5 years after remission was 31.2%, 59.8%, and 69.2%, respectively, in the AOI‐positive group and 17.4%, 46.5%, and 67.2%, respectively, in the AOI‐negative group (P = 0.124). The cumulative risk of proximal disease extension at 1, 3, and 5 years after diagnosis was 17.9%, 24.9%, and 44.5%, respectively, in the AOI‐positive group and 9.8%, 21.5%, and 43.9%, respectively, in the AOI‐negative group (P = 0.522). Proctocolectomy was performed in no patients in the AOI‐positive group and in 1 patient in the AOI‐negative group. No mortalities were observed in either group. Conclusions: In patients with distal UC, AOI may have no prognostic implications in terms of remission, relapse, or proximal disease extension.


The dominant groups could enlist the irresistible momentum of history on their side and treat their subordinates as if they belonged to the past and had no future. (Paul Gilroy 2000, 57) This editi...


The invention relates to an electropneumatic actuating drive (10) for actuating units (94) of an internal combustion engine (90) and to a method for adjusting said actuating drive. The pneumatic actuating drive (10) comprises a housing (12) in which an actuator (16, 76) is movably housed, said actuator being hollow and having an aeration channel (24) and a deaeration channel (26). The actuator (16, 76) is associated with a slide valve (48) which is actuated by a magnetic coil (60) and which aerates, deaerates or closes a pressure chamber (68) of the housing (12), which is defined by a membrane (44), depending on the relative position of the actuator (16, 76).


On the basis of theoretical study of helium geology and geochemistry is proved the use of water-helium method in hydrogeochemical and geothermal investigations to determine the regularities of formation of mineral water. Considered geochemical features of Krasnousolsk, Assy and Muldakkul deposits and several manifestations of mineral waters in the Southern Urals. It is proved their origin as a result of injection due to raising through the varying depth tectonic faults mainly depth-seated gas-liquid fluids and their mixing with mineralized waters of supergene zone.


A lactic acid bacterium (LAB) wherein an YjaE protein is essentially inactive and the LAB thereby get improved resistance to bacteriophages, a starter culture composition comprising the lactic acid bacterium and use of this starter culture manufacturing a food or feed product.


A semiempirical method for the evaluation of the barycenter of energy of 4fN-15d configurations is presented. The environmental factors affecting the barycenter are given to be the bond volume polarization, fractional covalence of the chemical bond between the central ion and the nearest anion, and presented charge of the nearest anion in the chemical bonds. The barycenter energies of 4fN-15d configurations of Eu2+ and Ce3+ are calculated in various crystals, and the results are in good agreement with the experimental values. A relationship is found between the barycenter of energy of the 4fN-15d configuration on Eu2+ and Ce3+ ions and environmental factors. Our method offers the advantage of applicability to a broad class of luminescence materials and initiates a link between macroscopic properties and microscopic structure.


Cluster and Factor analysis were performed on 55 well representative groundwater samples gathered from the open files of the Water Authority and samples during 2011.The collected samples were analyzed for a total of 12 water quality descriptors (variables) including pH, EC,TC,TDS, Ca, Mg, Na, K, CI, HCO3, SO4 and NO3. The study finds that a two-factor model is suggested, it explains over 79.8% of the total groundwater quality variation. Factor 1 includes concentrations of EC, TDS, Na, K, Ca, Mg, Cl ,HCO3, SO4 and NO3. Factor 2 includes TC and PH. Qmode cluster analysis demonstrated that there are two main hydrochemical groups , the first group shows the similarity between NO3, K, Mg, and Na as one group ,which probably represent the effects of weathering of the rich feldspare and mica , in addition to agriculture fertilizers. The second cluster is Cl and HCO3 dominated but also contains low concentration of SO4.


ROGER SWIZZLE, a roystering, red-faced, round-about apothecary, who had somewhat impaired his constitution by his jolly performances while walking the hospitals in London, had settled at Appledove, a small market town in the vale, where he enjoyed a considerable want of practice in common with two or three other fortunate brethren. Hearing of a mineral spring at Handley Cross which, according to usual country tradition, was capable of 'curing everything,' he tried it on himself, and either the water or the exercise in walking to and fro had a very beneficial effect on his somewhat deranged digestive powers. He analyzed its contents, and finding the ingredients he expected he set himself to work to turn it to his own advantage. ... Roger possessed every requisite for a great experimental (q.v, quack) practitioner-assurance, a wife and large family, and scarcely anything to keep them on. Half the complaints of the upper classes he knew arose from over-eating and indolence, so he thought if he could originate a doctrine that with the use of Handley Cross waters people might eat and drink what they pleased, his fortune would be as good as made.... His rosy face glowed with health and good living, and his little black eyes twinkled with delight as he prescribed for each patient, sending them away as happy as princes. 'Ah, I see how it is,' he would say, as a gouty alderman slowly disclosed the symptoms of his case. 'Shut up your potato trap! I see how it is. Soon set you on your legs again. Was far worse myself. All stomach, sir-all stomach-three-fourths of our complaints arise from stomach;' stroking his corpulent protuberancy with one hand, and twisting 'his patient's button with the other. 'Clean you well out and then strengthen the system. Dine with me at five and we will talk it over.' Eminently successful with languid hypochondriacs: 'Drink the waters, live on a regimen, and you'll be well in no time.' 'You see, Sir Harry,' he would say, 'it's all done by eating!' In height he was exactly five feet eight, and forty years of age. He had a long, fat, red face, with little twinkling black eyes set high in his forehead, surmounted by fullish eyebrows and short bristly iron-


The solving process is a generative process of ability and intelligence.From the view of educational psychology,the paper analyzes the typical mode of solving process,constructs a cognitive mode of solving physical problems which can embody individual thinking characteristics according to the theory of the modern cognitive psychology and the principles of synergetics.The cognitive mode has the nonlinear feature,pays much more attention to dynamic contact of various stages,actually describes the dynamic process of human solving problems,and reveals the cognitive difference existed in the process of different individuals solving the same problems,and annotates a famous scientific case by the cognitive mode.


The sorption of uranium and thorium from their aqueous solutions by using 8-hydroxyquinoline modified Na-bentonite (HQ-bentonite) was investigated by the batch technique. Na-bentonite and HQ-bentonite were characterized by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Factors that influence the sorption of uranium and thorium onto HQ-bentonite such as solution pH, contact time, initial metal ions concentration, HQ-bentonite mass, and temperature were tested. Sorption experiments were expressed by Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms and the sorption results demonstrated that the sorption of uranium and thorium onto HQ-bentonite correlated better with the Langmuir isotherm than the Freundlich isotherm. Kinetics studies showed that the sorption followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Thermodynamic parameters such as ΔH°, ΔS°, and ΔG° indicated that the sorption of uranium and thorium onto HQ-bentonite was endothermic, feasible, spontaneous, and physical in nature. The maximum adsorption capacities of HQ-bentonite were calculated from the Langmuir isotherm at 303 K and were found to be 63.90 and 65.44 for U(VI) and Th(IV) metal ions, respectively.


A novel modular multiplier is implemented on FPGA for elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) over GF(p). First, using the embedded 18×18-bit multipliers in the FPGA device, we design a 256-bit Montgomery modular multiplier which spends 3 clock cycles to compute a modular multiplication. Second, the algorithm for Karatusba-Ofman multiplication is used to reduce the number of embedded multipliers needed. Third, to get a higher throughput rate on FPGA devices, we propose a 5-stage pipeline structure to realize the modular multiplier. At last, implemented on Altera Cyclone3 EP3C40F324C6, this modular multiplier runs at the clock rate of 30.38MHz, and performs a 256-bit Montgomery modular multiplication in 0.1µs, which is much faster than previous implementations on FPGA device.


Microscope slide collections represent extremely valuable depositories of research material in a natural history, forensic, veterinary, and medical context. Unfortunately, most mounting media of these slides deteriorate over time, with the reason for this not yet understood at all. In this study, Raman spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, and different types of light microscopy were used to investigate the ageing behaviour of naturally aged slides from museum collections and the experimentally aged media of Canada balsam and Permount™, representing a natural and a synthetic resin, respectively, with both being based on mixtures of various terpenes. Whereas Canada balsam clearly revealed chemical ageing processes, visible as increasing colouration, Permount™ showed physical deterioration recognisable by the increasing number of cracks, which even often impacted a mounted specimen. Noticeable changes to the chemical and physical properties of these mounting media take decades in the case of Canada balsam but just a few years in the case of Permount™. Our results question whether or not Canada balsam should really be regarded as a mounting medium that lasts for centuries, if its increasing degree of polymerisation can lead to a mount which is no longer restorable.


Why the name Bedwyr? In the legend of King Arthur and the round table, several knights shared in the search for the holy grail. The name of one of them, Parsifal, is used for an INRIA team associated with the "Slimmer" effort. Bedwyr was another one of those knights. Wikipedia (using the spelling "Bedivere") mentions that Bedwyr appears in Monty Python and the Holy Grail where he is "portrayed as a master of the extremely odd logic in the ancient times, whom occasionally blunders." Bedwyr is a re-implementation and rethinking


In Cloud Computing age, distributed interaction simulation would encounter many difficulties, especially the WAN-based interaction. A scheme of remodeling the traditional RTI software to be with "Platform as a Service (PaaS)" architecture was proposed. This paper puts forward two different software architectures to adapt to different network environments. Kernel idea is encapsulating the APIs of traditional RTI to be Web Services, deploying and scheduling these Web Services on servers, so, a distributed interaction platform is provided to simulation users on WAN. Users could utilize the services from the platform to execute simulation interaction. Finally, an experiment was carried out to test the time-latency performance of the remodeled software.


AbstractBuilt between 1973 and 1977 and first opened in 1981, the Rande Bridge was at the time of its completion one of the largest cable-stayed bridges in the world. By 2006, the bridge had reache...


This paper presents a 3D-printed phononic-fluidic cavity sensor to measure volumetric physical properties of a liquid. This device features a new type of acoustic fluid sensor with very high, linear sensitivity in a very broad concentration range, solid-air 3D phononic crystal layers confining a fluidic cavity resonator to generate a strong, well separated cavity resonance within the phononic band gap, and ultra-sensitive determination of sodium chloride and glucose concentrations in aqueous solutions. For NaCl solutions in a device with a cavity resonance around 200 kHz we measure a sensitivity of 1.4 kHz / % resulting in a high resolution of 350 ppm over a concentration range of 0% – 23%.


Based on the current technology and market informations in the telecommunication industry, this article analyzes the trends for next generation telecommunication networks. It foresees the integration of telecommunication networks, computer networks, and cable TV networks as well as the merging of the technologies, market and the business. It also comments on the development of telecommunication industry in China.


Decline in vulture populations have seriously reported in Nigeria as in other habits around the world. Human pressure from poisoning, hunting and trading for traditional medicine are key factors leading to decline of vulture population in northern Nigeria. This study examines vulture trading for traditional medicine as risk factor for the raptors population decline in Katsina with a view to providing baseline information for reviewing conservation policies in the State and Nigeria at large. The study is a survey research involving questionnaire administration and interview of seventy two stakeholders who were sampled using snowball sampling technique as follows: vulture stall owners (n=58) and abattoir employees (n=10) and traditional healers (n= 4). A total of five locations were surveyed based on the understanding that they possess the most specialized fetish markets and important centres of vulture trading in Katsina State. Percentage and mean were used for data analysis. The study found that trading of vulture is proliferating in the area as more than 50% of the stalls were opened between 2016 and 2019. It also revealed that 80% of the fetish stalls are located outside Katsina town for fear of authorities fighting illicit trade of vulture. Also revealed was that prices of vulture vary in space and depend on relationships with customers: a whole vulture costs N21000 (ca. $55.55) which soars as high as N27000 (ca. $75) outside Katsina town and N30000 (ca. $83) in times of scarcity. This study recommended that there is the need to carry out nationwide comprehensive  assessment of trade in avifauna for improving conservation policies and practices in Nigeria.
Keywords: carcasses, fetish stalls, traditional medicine, conservation


Visual saliency detection becomes more popular research topic in the recent years because the prediction of attention finds application in object detection, object recognition and human computer interface etc. This paper presents the bottom up visual saliency detection with the help of contrast enhancement. Initially the SLIC segmentation is performed as preprocessing step. The global contrast enhancement scheme is adopted in this proposed method. The color distribution and contrast enhancement map is multiplied together to get the final saliency map. The performance metrics of Precision, Recall, f-measure, ROC, AUC are obtained to validate the results. The benchmark dataset of MSRA and ECSSD are used to evaluate the performance metric of the proposed method and state-of-methods. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is computationally efficient.


Over a halfdozen simple independent evidences demonstrate that the history-of-ancientastronomy subfield rulership's decades-long insistence on the integrity of its ultimate icon Claudius Ptolemy has never been defensible by reason. Thus it resorted to other means. A sampling of subsequent chauvinist tactics provides an educational case study in how a subfield can be hijacked for the better part of a century by a determinedly-careerist cult, at the expense of the attitude, skills, and tolerance characteristic of science, eventually more resembling a church than a research enterprise. A INCURABLE DENIAL OF THE UNDENIABLE Claudius Ptolemy's Almajest is the central document (§J1 below) of our valued heritage from classical antiquity's mathematical astronomy. Though Princetitute's Neugebauer 1957 (p.191) has called it "one of the greatest masterpieces of scientific analysis ever written" the present paper will prove that in truth Ptolemy was not a scientist, but a mathematician who faked science. In an astrology-saturated era, he worked for the occultist Serapic state religion at Canopus (near Alexandria) where stood its major temple, which specialized in curing illness through astrology&dreams. Ptolemy also authored astrology's bible, the Tetrabiblos. His employers no doubt appreciated his consistent demonstrations that reality was in perfect accord (§M2) with divine celestial theories. However, for centuries, historically savvy astronomers have known that this famous 2 century AD astrologer-geocentristmathematician accomplished said illusion by indoor-faking or plagiarizing all his allegedlyoutdoor "observations" of celestial phenomena, to force precise accord with indoor mathematical models (some of which had already existed for centuries) and tables computed therefrom. Ptolemy's depredations even included stealing and mis-precessing Hipparchos' immortal 128 BC 1025-star catalog (R.Newton 1977 pp.239-242), a deed which for over a millennium polluted astronomers' attempts to gauge precession, until Tycho in 1598 detected (Rawlins 1993D fn 141) and threw out Ptolemy's fakes & was thus able for the 1 time in history to predict star-positions — to ordmag 1′ accuracy! — 100 in advance (ibid Table 23: 100 select stars for 1701.03). But a few invincibly innocent & deeply committed (§B2; fn 11) archonal historians-of-astronomy keep intermittently trying to breathe life back into their longstanding tradition — e.g., Neugebauer 1975 p.284 & Pedersen DIO-J.HA 22 ‡2 The Greatest Faker of Antiquity 2018 D.Rawlins 11 1974 p.258 — of imagining (& see Neugebauer 1975 pp.69, 119, 205; J.Evans, 1987-to1 E.g., the completely-nonbiased-impersonally-neutral-unprejudiced-tripleblind-randomly-chosen anonymous Journal of Astronomical History & Heritage referee for this very paper, even after "carefully" reading its array of independent, elementary analyses, is darned if he can see the slightest evidence of fraud, and continues to believe that Ptolemy is "The Greatest Astronomer of Antiquity," impenetrably hoping the paper does nothing more than "contributes to the discussion" — which he is praying will go on forever. After all, eternal indecision on this controversy would allow JHA Number-Two Owen Gingerich to keep evading being established as having spent decades secretly (fn 5) attacking the reputations of those who have now been proven right, in a classic truth-seekers-vstruth-possessors confrontation (DIO 1.1 ‡1 fn 1), while he has promoted — as The Greatest ancient astronomer — a figure he somehow never noticed was just a faker of truly monumental, indeed (for an academic icon) epochal ineptitude [§§C&G3], leaving Gingerich at the last looking like an emperor with no evidential clothes, but doesn't know it because his court jesters keep complimenting his garb. (Is this how he wants to be remembered, just because faith and political ambition overruled reason? And self-control.) The referee generously adds that the paper's author is "clearly quite knowledgeable in the astronomical history involved" and "could contribute to solid progress in the field" — while unprogressively attempting even now to inaccurately stigmatize doubt of Ptolemy's honesty as an extreme view. His fantasy and demand: after believers' 1/2 century of falsely slandering (fn 35) skeptics — even in anonymous referee reports — and, wherever possible, preventing their getting a hearing (fnn 3&5), these same cult-priests should now be spared a reckoning of appropriately clear, uncensored criticism of their record of evidence-immune pseudo-scientific defenses of Ptolemy; so it would be better if the paper were sterilized of all that might embarrass him and his band of unheavyweight apologists by analysing their half-century of industriously, suppressively, and viciously dig-dig-digging their own ultimate reputational graves. (Question: Why make publication of "solid" research, by a scientist who is "clearly quite knowledgeable," contingent upon his not showing the light side of years of dark scheming against open discourse?) Again: nobody's supposed to laugh? — at a cornudopia of pratfall-attempts at science, IF they are proffered in defense of archons' orthodoxy, with the intended result that a lopsided ex-controversy can be cosmetized to fake it as the eternal sober-scholar-vs-soberscholar stalemate which Gingerich has by now been reduced to being ready to settle for, as his best hope for continuing postponement of [A] recognition that the disagreement has always been scientists versus . . . (well, let's just say: projectors that call other people kooks); and [B] his own inevitable public condemnation for his and his cult's half-century of inexcusable (to all but [his cult]) bad libel and bad science. (And — as R.Newton often commented — bad history, as unwell: e.g., end of fn 11 on ancients' yearlengths!) But, in an internet age: does Gingerich seriously imagine that attempts — by himself and those he influences — at protecting a crumbling dike (Rawlins 1996C p.4) from crashing evidential waves (that aren't going to go away), by trying to mute or kill this paper, can keep it from the eyes of technically competent historians and scientists? FOREVER? It might seem incredible, but: most journals, upon receiving a Rawlins paper on Ptolemy, have chosen his most slanderous enemy Gingerich as referee, occasionally with veto-power over content, even while keeping him in anonymous clothing. [Anonymous refereeing is disgustingly common in academe (though NEVER used at DIO) — allegedly in order to protect referees from archons' vengeance. (Which implies a revealing reality.) But Gingerich and virtually all referees called upon by history of astronomy journals are archons — and of the undislodgeable ilk — so there are no consequences for them to fear, no matter what their customarily-superficial (fn 3) reports claim. (The ubiquity of these journals' near-exclusive use of power-people instead of scholarly experts as referees is an ongoing anti-progressive scandal that's even worse than the individual ones exposed throughout this paper.)] Given Ptolemists' numeracy: are they somehow estimating that, if they can put off a reckoning (on Ptolemy Scandal #1, antiquity, and Ptolemy Scandal #2, the JHAD) for another half-century, the verdict of history will rate 100y-suppression as less awful than 50y? Mercy-to-the-merciless is pleaded by our referee, despite his glaring omission to contravene — anywhere in the paper — a single fact, calculation, source-citation, or believer-blunder-blitzout. He professes to support its publication, even while familiarly unable to resist psychoanalysing the "pompous" author's incontrovertible (refereeunchallenged) mathematical skewering of an unrelieved succession of transparently flawed apologia, as exhibiting (emph. added) a "NEED to disparage those with different views" — thereby confusing the author's (actually quite liberal: fn 6) attitude toward dissent with his non-admiration of an intolerant herd's scientific fecklessness, cultishness, and a priori mentality. The referee's objection to the paper's alleged "pomposity" towards Ptolemists (read: tragicomedic astonishment — at eagerly-volunteering miss-men, who imagine they're much smarter at science than the unfortunate reality) may tell us that 12 DIO-J.HA 22 ‡2 The Greatest Faker of Antiquity 2018 D.Rawlins date; A.Jones 2010A p.xiii) that Ptolemy was actually an honest outdoor astronomer (even [below, at §N3] rating Ptolemy a better observer than Hipparchos!); or at least (Schaefer 2013 p.47) that there is still a serious question about whether he observed outdoors: classic the-controversy-continues resort (latest example: fn 1), ever dear to those fearing faces-loss in a prominent controversy. Even after a 50 avalanche of discoveries consistently (fn 12) contradicting his position, Earth's most loyal Ptolemist responded to Thurston 2002S p.69's prominent challenge by unqualifiedly verbatim-reaffirming (Gingerich 2002 p.70) his original 40-ago verbatim echo (Gingerich 1976) of the once-unopposably-dominant mantra (§M2) that Ptolemy was "the greatest astronomer of antiquity" (Neugebauer 1975 p.931). B CRIME AND SHUNNISHMENT AND HISTORY-OF-science: SMEAR-REVIEW AS JOURNAL NORMALCY B1 In the history-of-astronomy community, for nearly half a century, the issue of Ptolemy's honesty, originality, and competence has been a trigger for blackballing (Rawlins 1991W §B), shunning (Gingerich 1990; Schaefer 2002 p.40), censorship (Rawlins 1996C p.4, DIO 8 p.2), and intimidation (idem fn 1). E.g., the field-central and highly esteamed Journal for the History of Astronomy (JHA) may be just a minim short of perfection in its some don't empathize with the laughter a genuine scientist can hardly stifle, upon carefully examining the goal-directed imitation-science that is (not merely charged here but is) repeatedly proven in detail, throughout the paper, to be what has been consistently and exclusively used for


The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether and how the generation Y changes shopping channels in their consumption decision path. Linking the online and offline channels in consumer journey has been evaluated. The first part of the work presents literature review – shopping behaviour patterns among generation Y, online and offline channels in the purchasing process, multichannel and omnichannel perspectives. The second part of the work presents the results of authors' original empirical pilot research on the the young consumers' selected multichannel purchase activities and motivations to combine and exchang shopping channels. In this study, the selective quota sampling procedure was used. The study covers 235 students of the Faculty of Management at the University of Gdansk in 2017. The results suggest that multichannel purchase activities undertaken by the Y generation concerned a product contact, seeing it as well as buying and collecting it. What's more both saving time and money are the prerequisites for online shopping. Online and offline retails have to adapt to new forms of shopping that have become more popular among younger consumers. It is reasonable to conclude that multichannel and omnichannel are a challenge for enterprises targeting their offer to consumers belonging to the Y generation.


To visualize the generative center of each foliar helix and its oriented progression, cell proliferation was studied in the ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) shoot apex. The distribution of mitosis was analysed first with the hypothesis of the multiple foliar helices phyllotactic theory and then without any preliminary hypothesis. The cell cycles were asynchronic and mitotic duration was constant. Therefore, the parameters of both the Poisson distribution of mitosis in each apical zone and of mitotic density, evaluated by the nearest-neighbour method or by the rotation of a unit area, were indicative of the cell proliferation level. The axial zone differed from the initiating ring by virtue of its lower mitotic activity. The initiating ring was heterogeneous and involved two parts which were opposite each other and symmetrical with regard to the axis of the apex. In each half, the cell proliferation increased gradually to a generative center with a maximal mitotic activity, then decreased twice as fast. This he...


The invention provides a preparation method of cefoperazone intermediate 7-TMCA. The preparation method comprises the following steps of: adding a boron trifluoride dimethyl carbonate complex and dimethyl carbonate into a first 1L reaction bottle A; starting to stir; throwing methyl mercaptotetrazole into the bottle when the temperature is reduced to 10-15 DEG C; stirring for 10-30 minutes to fully dissolve the methyl mercaptotetrazole; transferring reaction solution from the first 1L reaction bottle A into a second 1L reaction bottle B in which de-ionized water is held; and drying under a vacuum condition at 80 DEG C for 3-4 hours and taking out. According to the preparation method, the dimethyl carbonate is used as a solvent in place of acetonitrile, the boron trifluoride dimethyl carbonate complex is used as a catalyst in place of a boron trifluoride acetonitrile complex, and the dimethyl carbonate is non-toxic, has similar physical property to that of water, is safe and convenient to use, has less pollution and is easy to transport. An obtained product has a better crystal form and is not required to be crushed in a drying step; and the drying time of the product can be shortened.


Vehicle delay is one of the important performance parameters for signalized intersections. Because the vehicles are observed individually so the measurement of the delay takes a long time and this situation causes both the waste of time and needs more labor. The aim of this study is to get reliable analysis approach related to the measurement of the vehicle delay in less time. Different time durations are taken into considered in the analysis. To investigate effect of observation time periods on the results of delay, statistical tests are applied. Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test are used for the evaluation of the approaches. As a result of the statistical analyses, though thirty-minute delay observation results are the most closed to hourly (peak hour) delay observation results, fifteenminute delay observation results are not closed to hourly (peak hour) delay observation results. It is concluded that use of thirty-minute delay observation instead of hourly delay observation may save time and labor cost. Keywords—signalized intersection, traffic, vehicle delay, observation period, kolmogorovsmirnov test, wilcoxon signed rank test


Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a heterogenous inherited disorder characterized by impaired ciliary function. Clinical manifestations include respiratory distress in newborn, bronchiectasis, repeated lower respiratory tract infections, rhinosinusitis, otitis media, left- right laterality defects and infertility. Estimated frequency of PCD is 1 in 12,000-20,000 live births, prevalence in children with repeated respiratory infections is 5%. The diagnosis is often delayed even if characteristic findings are present as the tests available for diagnosis is limited. 14-year-old adolescent female, second born child to a consanguineously married couple with history of repeated respiratory tract infections, diagnosed outside as uncontrolled bronchial asthma, with history of nasal polyps, presented with delayed puberty and short stature. On examination child was noted to have proportionate short stature with SMR of Tanner stage 1, with normal systemic examination. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) done was suggestive of mild bronchiectasis. Child was evaluated for short stature. In order to rule out diseases associated with ciliary dysfunction; clinical exome sequencing was sent which showed Primary ciliary dyskinesia secondary to homozygous mutation of CCNO gene which was autosomal recessive. Primary ciliary dyskinesia with CCNO is a rare presentation which can have situs solitus. It was first reported in 2014. In children presenting with bronchiectasis and delayed puberty one should think of suspect ciliary dysfunction. In the absence of situs inversus, one can still suspect PCD secondary to various other mutations.


Dairy farming plays an important role in agriculture for thousands of years not only in Sri Lanka but also in so many other countries. When it comes to dairy farming cattle is an indispensable animal. According to the literature surveys almost 3.9 million cattle and calves die in a year due to different types of diseases. The causes of diseases are mainly bacteria, parasites, fungi, chemical poisons and etc. Infectious diseases can be a greatest threat to livestock health. The mortality rate of cattle causes a huge impact on social, economic and environmental damage. In order to decrease this negative impact, the proposal implements a cross-platform mobile application to easily analyze and identify the diseases which cattle suffer from and give them a solution and also to identify the cattle breeds. The mobile application is designed to identify the breeds by analyzing the images of the cattle and identify diseases after analyzing the videos and the images of affected areas. Then make a model to identify the weight and the age of a particular cow and suggest the best dose of the medicine to the identified disease. This will be a huge advantage to farmers as well as to dairy industry. The name of the proposed mobile application is "The Taurus" and this paper address the selected machine learning and image processing models and the approaches taken to identify the diseases, breeds and suggest the prevention methods and medicine to the identified disease.


The representation and utilization of temporal information is a basic human ability that permeates many aspects of daily life, such as estimating the duration of an event or predicting the duration of a behavioral response. The ability to discriminate temporal durations develops in infancy; however, the precision (i.e., consistency) of timing abilities improves from early childhood to adolescence. In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in the neurobiological basis of temporal processing, and the frontal-striatal systems have been implicated in second-range timing functions. Frontal-striatal abnormalities are well documented in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and the genetic syndrome resulting from a deletion at 22q11.2 (22q11DS); therefore, temporal processing is a candidate endophenotype that may serve as a clinical indicator of aberrant frontal-striatal function. The purpose of this study was to: (1) characterize time reproduction accuracy and variability in three different neurodevelopmental disorders, (2) model age-related changes in time reproduction accuracy and consistency, and (3) assess the relative contributions of symptom dimensions (inattention, hyperactivity, and autistic traits) to time reproduction performance. Data were collected over a three year period as an adjunct to ongoing research studies in ADHD, ASD, and 22q11DS. The time reproduction task was a previously validated measure of interval timing with target durations of 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 seconds repeated four times each in random order. Time reproduction accuracy and consistency were analyzed separately in each of the three samples using repeated measures mixed effects regression. Across all samples, younger age was the most consistent predictor of time reproduction variability. High levels of inattention in the ADHD group were also associated with increased variability. Both the ASD and 22q11DS groups showed evidence of increased response variability relative to typically developing comparison groups; however, in the ASD group the effect of diagnosis was moderated by working memory. The results have implications for empirical investigations of temporal processing across multiple dimensions of psychopathology and highlight the importance of considering both response variability and developmental factors (e.g., maturation of frontal-striatal circuits) in the formation of new theories linking neurobiological substrates to the emergence of symptom constellations.


Problems that were examined in this study is whether there is influence the readiness of teachers to implement the curriculum in 2013 and the creativity of the teacher towards the formation of character (character building)? The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of teacher readiness to implement the curriculum in 2013 and the creativity of the teacher towards the formation of character (character building). This research was conducted in private junior Kuala Langkat Hope Nation with a population which is also a sample of 35 people. Validity and reliability test were tested using Product Moment Correlation technique and Cronbachs Alpha. Then the data was analyzed with multiple linear regression formula. After testing the validity for the variables X1, X2 and Y performed with each outcome variable 25 instruments there are 23 valid instrument for X1dan X2, as many as 25 instruments valid for Y. then either asks for reliability test results of the questionnaire obtained results rhitung> rtabel 0931> 0.396 for the readiness of teachers to implement the curriculum in 2013 and rhitung> rtable 0.945> 0.396 for teacher creativity and rhitung> rtable 0.899> 0.396 for the formation of student character. And the results of multiple linear regression analysis obtained Y = 31.466 + 0.231 X1 + 0.440 X2. And for the t test t = 3,303dan obtained significant at 0.001 <0.05 for variables X1 and t = 3.606 and significant at 0.002 <0.05 for variable X2. To test f of F obtained by denagn significant level. It can be concluded that there is a positive and significant influence between teacher readiness and teacher creativity with the formation of character (character building) VII1 classes in social studies in junior Integrated SMP Swasta Harapan Bangsa Kuala Langkat Teachings year 2013/2014.


Methods of plunge freezing and freeze‐substitution (FS) for insect antennae and similar body appendages are described. In these more or less cylindrical specimens, usually a layer below the cuticular surface of 10–15 μm thickness is well preserved without freezing damage, further inwards ice‐crystal ghosts of increasing size are encountered, but in the very centre of antennal branches (diameter ∼80 μm) of the silkmoth, Bombyx mori, freezing damage is usually reduced again. The frost‐hardy species, Poecilocampa populi and Boreus hiemalis, exhibit regions free from freezing damage up to 40 μm below the cuticular surface. Secondary freezing damage in silkmoth sensory hairs is observed only after deliberately warming the specimens to –43°C for >>10 min before FS. Secondary artefacts due to the substitution process are investigated by comparison with freeze‐etching and by comparing different FS media and protocols. Methanol is not recommended as a substitution medium for insect specimens. Structures particularly liable to substitution damage are the stimulus‐conducting pore tubules of olfactory sensilla and the receptor cell membrane. Extraction of soluble components is more likely with pure organic solvents without added chemical fixing agents and with prolonged substitution at elevated temperatures. Such extraction may also be a possible artefact with soluble antigens in immunocytochemical studies. A review is given of the major achievements attained with these techniques in insect functional morphology and immunocytochemistry. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Multi-modality organ-sparing treatment has over the last decade become the standard of care for many comfunctioning bladder [1–8]. The rationale for combining concurrent chemotherapy and radiation therapy is twomon malignancies. Radical mastectomy for breast cancer and limb amputation for soft tissue sarcomas are fold. First certain cytotoxic agents, in particular cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), are capable of sensitizing now primarily used for salvage after failure of firstline management with combined radiation therapy and tumor tissues to radiation thus increasing cell kill in a synergistic fashion. Secondly patients with muscle-invadchemotherapy. Other tumor sites with organ sparing as a standard treatment option include laryngeal cancer, ing transitional carcinoma harbor occult metastases in approximately 50% of the cases. Thus the treatment of the anal cancer and prostate cancer. When used alone for muscle-invading bladder cancer transurethral resection primary tumor with radical resection alone or radiation alone provides no treatment for occult systemic disease. of the bladder tumor, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy are all associated with limited local control; comMany Phase II trials have combined chemotherapy and radiation in different sequences in patients with invasive binations of these modalities are considerably more successful. We review here the updated results of combined bladder cancer. Although they use a variety of different drugs in radiation doses, it is apparent that the highest modality therapy with cystectomy reserved for failure of induction therapy in patients with muscle-invading clinical complete response (CR) rates (or a T0 bladder response) were achieved in patients who received concurbladder cancer. rent chemotherapy and radiation rather than sequential regimens [9]. One of the clearest indications of the potential of concurrent radiation therapy and chemotherapy Results for bladder preservation is reported in the study from the University of Paris [2, 7]. In this study transurethral In appropriately selected patients, bladder-preserving treatment with transurethral resection, radiation therapy resection of the bladder tumor was followed by concurrent cisplatin, 5-FU and accelerated radiation which was and chemotherapy concurrently offers the probability of


The coordination modes, the equilibrium geometrical structures, and the gas-phase metal ion affinity for the Mn2+ metal cation interacting with uracil, thymine, cytosine, adenine, and guanine were determined considering different low energy tautomers for the free nucleic acid bases and by using the density functional theory. For uracil and thymine, the mono-coordinated complexes coming from the metalation of the oxo tautomers are not minima, whereas the manganese ion forms stable compounds with high energy tautomers for which the bi-coordination is possible. Also for cytosine, adenine, and guanine the bi-coordination is the favored binding mode. Despite the cytosine and guanine free bases have different tautomers lying in a very narrow range of energy, the stabilities of the corresponding metalated complexes differ significantly. A reverse situation occurs for uracil and thymine for which we obtain manganese complexes of comparable stability, while the tautomeric forms of the isolated free bases are well separated in energy. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2002


Tang tri-colored enamel pottery is a kind of arts and crafts.The process of its making,spread,appreciation and application is closely related to its cultural environment,including the mutual penetration and harmony of its history,society,knowledge accumulation and technology inheritance,which fosters and promotes its development,its prosperity and even its declination.What has been mentioned previously empowers the pottery with a strong sense of current era and rich humanity connotation,aesthetic value,practical value,and knowledge value.It is the production of material and spirit as well.


The interaction of endotoxin - lipopolysaccharide (LPS) with the natural polycation - chitosan (CH) was investigated using the computer simulation. To simulate the LPS-CH interaction was used the well known quantum-chemical AM1 method. Several binding configurations were studied and their energetic characteristics were compared. The experimental and theoretical study give the similar values of binding energy.


This paper draws on the notion of multilingualism as social practice (Heller 2007) to critique postcolonial language planning and policies in Africa. Drawing on illustrations from Ethnologue 's (2009) languages of Africa, studies on language planning and policy in Africa, and recent developments in harmonisation of cross-border language research (Prah 1998; Banda 2008), the paper argues that there are distortions in the conceptualisation of multilingualism and what it entails in Africa's socio-cultural contexts. In turn, the paper faults monolingual biases in the notions and models used to describe and promote multilingualism in Africa, which mirror descriptions of the language situation in Western socio-cultural contexts. The paper argues for cross-linguistic and cross-border status and corpus planning to take advantage of multilingualism as a linguistic resource for socioeconomic development in Africa. The paper concludes by highlighting the prospects for linguistic repertoire-based multilingual models for language planning and policy in Africa.


A new analysis is made of the data of a previous multiparameter experiment, which permits a complete kinematic picture of the emission of prompt neutrons in spontaneous fission of /sup 252/Cf to be obtained in the framework of the isotropic evaporation model. The neutron characteristics calculated by transformation and summation of the spectra of prompt neutrons from fixed fragments are compared with the results of direct measurements. It is shown that the isotropic evaporation model permits description of the experimental results on the angular and energy distributions of fission neutrons with accuracy about 10%. The experimental data obtained indicate the possible existence of anisotropy of the form 1+0.1 cos/sup 2/ theta/sub cms/ in the neutron angular distribution in the coordinate system fixed to a moving fragment.


A model of effective decision-making in a situation of distributed knowledge is developed, drawing on three perspectives: the sociocognitive perspective, which focuses on framing issues; the economic perspective, which focuses on the role played by incentives in the integration of knowledge and decision-making authority; and the process perspective, which stresses the role of integrating mechanisms and of processes that either hinder or foster risk awareness and flexibility. The model is tested on a sample of managers from different functional areas of Fortune 500 firms, using strategic responses to exchange-rate volatility as the context. The results show that all three perspectives - framing, incentives and process - are significant in explaining the effectiveness of strategic responses to volatile exchange rates. The findings suggest that simultaneously addressing managerial mindsets, incentives and process may be crucial to generating effective strategic responses across functions.


Background Computed Tomography has become the major source of population exposure in diagnostic x-rays. This concerned issue will be resolved by stetting Local Diagnostic Reference Levels. Objectives The main objective of this study is to assess dose indicators for the establishment of Local Diagnostic Reference Levels. Materials and methods A prospective cross-sectional study design was conducted on 8 public and private hospitals performing CT examinations. A total of 725 adult patients who underwent abdominopelvic, chest, and head CT examinations were evaluated from October 2021 to March 2022. Patients' demography, exposure parameters, and dose descriptors were collected. The minimum, maximum, mean, median, and third quartile values were analyzed using SPSS software version 26. Finally, the third quartile values of collected data were compared with national and international values. Results The third quartile values obtained from median of volumetric computed tomography dose index (mGy) and dose length product (mGy.cm) which are considered as local DRLs for head, chest, and abdominopelvic CT examination, respectively, were 53 mGy, 14 mGy and 13 mGy; 1307 mGy.cm, 575 mGy.cm, and 932 mGy.cm. Conclusion The results of this study showed that practices of CT imaging in both public and private hospitals in Addis Ababa were comparable to other national and international values.


Neonatal caffeine treatment (NCT), used to treat apnea of prematurity, increases persistently the hypercapnic ventilatory response of adult rats. However, the influence of NCT on the ventilatory response to hypoxia is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the consequences of NCT on 1) the ventilatory response to hypoxia (12% of O2) of adult male and female rats and 2) the tyrosine hydroxylase, the adenosine, and the dopamine receptor mRNA expression in the carotid bodies. To this aim, plethysmographic measurements were performed on male and female adult rats previously subjected to either water (control) or caffeine 15 mg/kg (NCT) administration during the neonatal period (postnatal days 3 to 12). Tyrosine hydroxylase, adenosine, and dopamine receptor mRNA quantification in the carotid bodies was estimated by RT‐PCR also. NCT enhanced the immediate frequency response on the onset of hypoxia in a sex‐specific manner (male only). Results of RT‐PCR analysis showed that NCT augments tyrosine hydroxylase, adenosine A2A and dopamine D2 receptor mRNA expression in the carotid bodies of males, but not of females. Thus, the sex‐specific increase of the hypoxic ventilatory response induced by NCT could be due to an increase of adenosine A2A and/or dopamine D2 receptor expression observed only in the carotid bodies of males.


Housing issues affect almost the entire population of Britain, as 98% of people live in households. Censuses are the principal source of information on the quantity and distribution of the nation's housing and on how the population is housed. There is, however, little good geographical information available on the quality, costs and availability of housing. In England, the quality of housing is monitored officially by a periodic survey (DoE 1993) which is too small to be relied upon even to produce accurate national statistics. The local costs of owner-occupied housing can be estimated from information provided by building societies and these data are used in this chapter. Housing availability is inferred from census estimates of the number of vacant dwellings and the number of households who appear to be unsatisfactorily housed. Several new objects of analysis are used in this chapter, and are defined here. A group of people constitute a household when they live at the same address and share at least one meal a day or use a common living room. Many households thus consist of only one person. It is thus also possible for more than one household to live in the same dwelling. A dwelling is accommodation designed for one household. For each dwelling a count of the number of rooms it contained was made in the census. The count of rooms did not include bathrooms, toilets and kitchens less than two metres wide. The physical stock of housing changes slowly as property is built to last and entails a long pay-back period due to its cost, so a twenty year perspective is used in many of the maps of change shown here. This is also done because dramatic changes in the provision of housing occurred in the 1970s. Although it takes a long time to change the supply of housing, the way in which housing is used can alter relatively quickly. For instance, the proportion of dwellings which are vacant and the proportion of households which are poorly housed can fluctuate year by year. This balance is influenced by changes in how property is held (tenure) and by changes in the market price of private housing and by rents. The propensity of different kinds of households to form in different places over time, the availability of the kind of housing they need, and their ability to afford it, also require consideration in understanding how people …


Introduction:
 Platelet storage pool deficiency (PSPD) is a disorder of platelet dysfunction with a varying degree of bleeding severity that can range from no symptoms to severe bleeding with hemostatic challenges. The true incidence of the disorder is unknown; however, some believe that it could be as common as von Willebrand disease (vWD). The current standard for diagnosis of PSPD is platelet electron microscopy (EM). However, there is a lack of standardization of techniques and reference ranges. In addition, some experts debate the clinical significance of the diagnosis based on the abnormal platelet EM finding alone. Available literature on adult patients with PSPD is scarce. Therefore, we conducted this study with the aim to describe the clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients diagnosed with PSPD based on specified laboratory criteria. We also intended to evaluate if platelet EM testing can be used to discern patients under evaluation for bleeding symptoms.
 Methods:
 We performed a retrospective cohort study of all adult patients referred for hemostatic workup who had platelet EM testing performed at The Ohio State Medical Center from 1/1/2004 to 10/26/2016. Patients with confirmed hemophilia or vWD were excluded. We collected data including patient demographics, symptoms, laboratory data, management plans, and outcomes. The reference range in our laboratory is 3.68-6.24 delta granules per platelet. Patients with less than 3.68 granules per platelet were diagnosed with PSPD (cases), while patients with at least 3.68 granules per platelet were designated as the comparison group. Characteristics in the two groups were compared by Fisher's exact test for categorical variables and the non-parametric Wilcoxon rank sum test for continuous variables since some of the continuous variables had highly skewed distributions.
 Results:
 A total of 291 patients were included in the study, 207 patients with PSPD based on EM results (cases) and 84 in the comparison group. Of the 207 cases, median age was 39 (range 12-84) years old and 81.2% were female. Among the cases, 38.7% had <2 delta granules per platelet, 42.0% had 2-2.99, and 19.3% had 3-3.68. The most common presenting symptom was cutaneous bruising (42.5% of cases and 38.1 % in the comparison group). Other common presenting symptoms included menorrhagia (29.9% of cases and 26.2 % of comparison), post-op bleeding (23.7% of cases and 38.1% of comparison), and epistaxis (14.0% of cases and 10.7% of comparison). At presentation, 4.8% of cases were asymptomatic. With the exception of higher incidence of post-op bleeding as a presenting symptom in the comparison group (p=0.015), there was no significant difference in the incidence of other presenting symptoms between the case and the comparison groups.
 There were no significant differences in the standard hemostatic workup between the two groups, including platelet count, PT, PTT, platelet function assay (PFA-100), platelet aggregation, and von Willebrand panel (Table 1). In both case and comparison groups, 20% of patients had abnormal PFA-100 and 50% had abnormal platelet aggregation with at least one agonist. The only significant difference in the laboratory findings was platelet EM results used to categorize cases (Figure 1 and Table 1).
 Conclusions:
 This study showed that in adult patients referred for hemostatic workup, abnormal platelet EM does not correlate with bleeding symptoms or the results of other laboratory tests such as PFA-100 or platelet aggregation. This calls into question the relevance of abnormal platelet EM alone and the appropriate "reference range" in the adult population. Patients with delta granules below the reference range were commonly diagnosed with PSPD, and interventions such as desmopressin and/or antifibrinolytic agents were subsequently recommended. Over-diagnosis of PSPD is a concern, but under-diagnosis in patients with normal EM but persistent bleeding symptoms is also problematic. Future research is needed to characterize correlation of platelet EM values with severity of clinical presentation and to establish appropriate reference range. Furthermore, better diagnostic tools are needed to evaluate patients with bleeding symptoms.

 Wang: Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy, Other: Travel.


s Hydrogen peroxide is an important mediator in cell signalling and cell death. Apart from the mitochondrion the per- oxisome is the most important cellular site for the generation and scavenging of hydrogen peroxide. Peroxisomes contain various oxidases, e.g. for the metabolism of long-chain fatty acids, polyamines, and for the oxidation of urate, which form hydrogen peroxide. Widely-used chemical probes for the detection of hydrogen peroxide like dichlorofl uorescein diacetate (DCFDA) often lack in specifi city and the possibility of compartment-specifi c measurement. To overcome these disadvan- tages, Belousov et al. developed the novel hydrogen peroxide sensitive fl uorescent protein HyPer. In the present study the HyPer protein was fused with the PTS1 tag for a specifi c hydrogen peroxide detection in peroxisomes. The localization of the HyPer protein in the peroxisomes was confi rmed by immunofl uorescence and the functionality by flmicros- copy and fl ow cytometry analyses. The presented HyPer-Peroxi fl uorescent protein is a valuable tool for studying hydrogen peroxide generation within the peroxisomes.


The preliminary results of a regional study focusing on fluid inclusions from late-stage cements within the deep Alberta Basin (i.e., > 4 km) and adjacent Rocky Mountain outcrops is presented. Areas sampled include basin locations (Obed, Simonette, and Ram River), and Devonian outcrops in Jasper National Park (i.e., Cold Sulphur Springs, Disaster Point, Parker's Ridge and the Big Hills Section, as well as Cirrus Mountain), and at Toma Creek, Cline River and Canmore. Homogenization temperature (Th) and freezing temperature ( T J data are presented. T" data from 10 Obed late-calcite samples, reveals a bimodal distribution of primary inclusions. Over 50% of the inclusions sampled for this locality had Tns between 132 and 149.5 °C (i.e., Ti, = 132-149.5 °C). Slightly less than 40% of the T"s fell between 161 and 173 °C (i.e., Ti, = 161-173 °C). Maximum burial for these samples is est imated to be around 6 km, corresponding to maximum burial temperatures of 135 to 195 °C, using geothermal gradients of 20 and 30 °C, respectively. Plots of T" data versus geographic location show no horizontal trend; however, T" increases with depth. Therefore, T" appears to be related to burial depth. Tm data from both of these apparent populations (n=18) reveal salinities of between 19.8 and 20.9 wt. % NaCI, and thus there is little or no difference between the salinities of the two primary inclusion groups. These data will be Integrated with those from Devonian outcrop samples. The Aptian Unconformity and reorganization of the Jeanne d'Arc Basin: implications for reservoir potential of the Avalon and Ben Nevis Formations


Summary
Radioactive tracer technics were used to study erythropoietic activity in dogs infected with Ancylostoma caninum. Uninfected animals served as controls. The erythropoietic response of these dogs was evaluated by means of the rate of removal of 59Fe from the plasma and its incorporation into the red blood cells. Results revealed that in infected animals erythropoiesis was either stimulated or remained within the upper limits of normal with the exception of one animal. Under the conditions of these experiments, there was no depression of bone marrow activity. Erythropoietic activity was stimulated to a degree that compensated for the blood loss due to the hookworms. Red cells were being lost from the infected animals by a process other than aging, but none of the animals became grossly anemic. The validity of this method of studying the causes of the anemia associated with hookworm infections is discussed.


This study explores what aspects of workplace characteristics have more effects on turnover intention among female employees. Unlike extant turnover studies that focused on the effects of a few selected contextual factors, this study takes a comprehensive review of workplace contextual factors and analyzes the effect of each contextual factor on female employees' turnover intention. According to the findings, female employees' turnover intention was differently affected by most workplace contextual factors, compared to male employees' turnover intention. OLS regression analyses showed that female employees' turnover intention was most affected by the 'opportunities for growth and development' factor and least affected by the 'feeling valued and trusted' factor and the 'coworker support and the spirit of camaraderie' factor. The results can help to develop proper human resource management policies and practices for female employees and avoid unwanted voluntary turnover.


Parallel trade is a practice whereby licensed importers purchase pharmaceuticals in a European Union (EU) member country, for example, Spain, with comparatively low prices, and import them into a country with relatively high prices, such as the UK.


Assistive Teleoperation as Policy Blending In assistive teleoperation, the robot attempts to predict the user's intent and augments his or her input based on this prediction, in order to simplify the task. Our recent work on policy blending (Dragan and Srinivasa 2012) formalizes assistance as an arbitration of the user's input and the robot's prediction. At any instant, the robot combines the input, U , and the prediction, P , using a state-dependent arbitration function α ∈ [0, 1] (Fig.1(bottom)). Policy blending can have a strong corrective effect on the actual input provided by the user, but burdens the robot to predict accurately and arbitrate appropriately.


This paper aims to investigate the state of anxiety felt by elementary school pupils while they are in foreign language activities classes. �Foreign language anxietyis considered to have negative eff ects to the learnerslearning and thus should be taken away. However the foreign language anxiety has been believed to relate basically to the adult learners and few studies have been conducted which deals young learnersanxiety on foreign language learning. In this paper about 1500 elementary school pupilsself assessed state of anxiety was examined. The results revealed the existence of pupils who feel anxiety during the lessons and the factors such as sex grade and the experience of learning the foreign language outside of schools have a relation with the degree of anxiety they feel. Also if the degree of anxiety relates with the pupilsfriendly feelings and willingness toward learning the foreign language was investigated and the results showed that pupils have a fair willingness to the learning regardless of the degree of anxiety they feel.


Objectives . A method for diagnosing electronic components with minimally complicated control and measuring instrumentation and the ability to obtain information from internal control points of operating units is developed. Methods . The developed method for control of groups of electronic components presupposes the passage of a controllable influence through a few control points, connected via several electronic components. In addition, each electronic component contributes its share to the transformation of the parameter output, so the discrepancy of its allowable values for the identification of defective electronic component are required to assess the implication of the expected value of the probable defect of each electronic component in the schema with the aim of isolating it. The faulty component in the electronic circuit is identified by the minimum estimated variance, by which the magnitude of the defect will match the expected value of the electronic component parameter. Results. As a result of the control no more than ten groups of electrical components on functional cell matrices can be assessed as having a defective element by comparing the calculated variance values for each electrical component and the corresponding electrical component parameter itself. Conclusion . Diagnosing groups of electric components on transient characteristics for the detection of defects in the functional cell matrices enables efficiency control operations improvement and troubleshooting in the search for modern electronic equipment reliability.


Urban ecosystem health evaluation can assist in sustainable ecological management at a regional level. This study examined urban agglomeration ecosystem health in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River with entropy weight and extension theories. The model overcomes information omissions and subjectivity problems in the evaluation process of urban ecosystem health. Results showed that human capital and education, economic development level as well as urban infrastructure have a significant effect on the health states of urban agglomerations. The health status of the urban agglomeration's ecosystem was not optimistic in 2013. The majority of the cities were unhealthy or verging on unhealthy, accounting for 64.52% of the total number of cities in the urban agglomeration. The regional differences of the 31 cities' ecosystem health are significant. The cause originated from an imbalance in economic development and the policy guidance of city development. It is necessary to speed up the integration process to promote coordinated regional development. The present study will aid us in understanding and advancing the health situation of the urban ecosystem in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and will provide an efficient urban ecosystem health evaluation method that can be used in other areas.


This article examines incentives for adopting antitakeover charter amendments (ATAs) that are associated with compensational contracts. The evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that antitakeover measures such as ATAs help managers protect above-market levels of compensation. Chief executive officers (CEOs) of firms that adopt ATAs receive higher salaries and more valuable option grants than CEOs at similar firms that do not adopt them. Furthermore, the magnitude of this difference increases following ATA adoption. The evidence is inconsistent with the hypothesis that ATAs facilitate the writing of efficient compensation contracts. Copyright 1997 by American Finance Association.


This work presents conservation treatment and analysis of two screenprints on clear plastic, Sandwich and Soda (1964) by Roy Lichtenstein, which is part of the portfolio X + X (Ten Works by Ten Painters). After acquisition, two different pressure-sensitive tapes directly adhered to the printing inks were discovered. At the time of this study, prior attempts to remove tape had resulted in visible damage to the ink. Analysis revealed that the plastic support is polystyrene; the blue printing ink is phthalocyanine blue, the red ink is chrome red, lithol Bordeaux, and barium sulphate; the red and blue ink binder is polystyrene; and the carrier and adhesive components of the tapes are cellulosic material and polyvinyl acetate. Examination and testing combined with extensive scientific analysis enabled thorough understanding of the materials and condition of the prints, as well as successful removal of the tapes and reduction of the adhesive residues.


As FPGA is increasingly used by satellitic navigation receivers and many other space-based electronic devices, the influence on SRAM-based FPGA which caused by the robust ability of single event upsets (SEU) has become one of the most important topics for exploiting space-based equipments. Traditional online reconfigure system of SRAM-based FPGA needs both of original bit stream file and mask file, and therefore the memory space is doubled. Focus on this problem, this paper proposed a self-hosting configure management system for SRAM-based FPGA, which is based on compression algorithm. A compress and relevant decompress strategy is used to make full use of PROMs' resources. The double-channel-reload method is used to improve the reliability of the SRAM-based FPGA in space radiation environment. Results of simulation show that, this design can effectively cure the influence from SEU and costs less hardware room.


Data science is an emerging subject that integrates traditional scientific research with data mining, machine learning, and massive datasets. The healthcare sector produces copious amounts of valuable data on patient demographics, treatment plans, diagnostic outcomes, financial coverage, and more. The healthcare business generates a great deal of data, much of it unstructured and in need of processing, management, analysis, and integration. Results can only be trusted if the data has been managed and analysed effectively. This article explores into healthcare-specific applications of data cleansing, data mining, data preparation, and data analysis. This article offers a glance into the present and future prospects of big data analytics in healthcare by outlining the advantages, describing the frameworks and technique used, analysing the current obstacles encountered, and proposing potential solutions. The primary goal of this work is to evaluate and map data science approaches used to improve women's health, as well as to investigate the nature and efficacy of the issues that have been addressed. Data science techniques, such as text analytics, science mapping, and descriptive assessment, are frequently employed in investigations into women's health. The application of data science techniques to women's health issues is an exciting new field of study since it has the potential to be both effective and cost-efficient. Women bear a disproportionate share of the health


Abstract Live golden bell frogs Litoria raniformis are reported from the dark zone of caves in Hawke's Bay. Circumstances possibly leading to this distribution are discussed. The suggestion is made that such events are not rare and that individuals could survive to reach the surface again, in a different habitat or watershed.


As many growers move toward specialty or value added crops, some are interested in segregating grain production by seed varieties or hi-breds within grain genetics, rather than by grain types (e. g. corn, soybeans, oats). Consumer demand is driving the emergence of these value-added markets. Initial efforts have focused on developing a framework to segregate genetically modified (GMO) grain from non-GMO grain for export sale. Both traditional plant breeding and biotechnology are creating an ever-increasing array of products that require specialized management to segregate, maintain, preserve and market the trait's value. Corn and soybeans carrying genes for antibiotics and industrial chemicals are being introduced and will rapidly increase over the next 3-5 years. One estimate is that there will be more than 400 pharmaceuticals produced through plants within the decade. Such products, unlike the commodity grain produced today, require segregation to take advantage of the special genetically imparted traits.


With the improvement of people's living standards and cultural quality, the concept of lifelong physical education has become the focus of attention. The main purpose of this paper is how to better combine lifelong physical education ideas with practical activities and improve the enthusiasm of college students. In this paper, questionnaire survey and data mining technology are used to investigate the students of a university in Jiangxi Province, and 924 valid questionnaires are collected. The results show that 41.02% of the students exercise two or three times a week; 41.77% of the students think that sports activities are average; 51.62% of the students' motivation to participate in sports activities is to lose weight. This shows that the college students' participation in sports activities is not high, their attitude is general, and their motivation is not strong enough. 343 and 317 students think that the main factors affecting their participation in sports activities are activity type, location and facilities. Therefore, colleges and universities should improve students' enthusiasm, carry out various forms of sports activities, and create a good sports atmosphere.


Coherent excitation of quantum emitters in hexagonal boron nitride is inhibited by electron decay into intermediate dark states or spectral diffusion. We present an optical co-excitation scheme to reduce these transitions and amplify the photoluminescence.


Iowa farmers who typically use a two-crop (corn/soybean) rotation could benefit from adding a third crop to reduce weed and pathogen problems, while improving soil quality. Oat is one of the most common alternative crops in Iowa, but has been hindered by unreliable yields. The potential performance increase in oat variety blends over pure-live varieties was investigated.


Using the three-chain diagram based on the dual partonic scheme, combining with the FF quark fragmentation mechanism, the charged particle multiplicity, the productions of π and K mesons, the single-particle inclusive distribution and the central plateau particle density of soft high energy annihilation are calculated and compared with experiments on CERN SPS.


The current United States legal regime of data protection can be characterized by a sort of dual and sectoral system The...


The molar dentitions of two microtine rodents, Clethrionomys gapperi and Microtus penmylvanicus , were compared histologically. Analysis of cellular and tissue differences between the highly specialized, ever-growing molars of M. pennsylvanicus and the more primitive molars of C. gapped enabled development of a preliminary model of evolution of molars in Microtus . For this model a single mutation eliminating determination of the coronal cervex, thus allowing for continuous production of enamel and dentin, could account for ever-growing molars. At least three preadaptive factors (cementoid buttresses, cementoid covering of mature enamel, and passive closure of the pulp cavity with reparative dentin) have influenced selection of ever-growing molars.