The reported incidence of positive scans in the presence of cerebral infarction varies between 25 and 81 per cent (1–8). In a previous report (9) of 129 cases, the present authors found 41 per cent positive, with the greatest number of positive scans in the third week postinfarction. The purposes of the present study are several: (a) to better elucidate the type of cerebrovascular lesion which will produce an abnormal brain scan, (b) to more clearly define the post-infarct periods when the scans are negative and positive, (c) to correlate infarct size as judged clinically with the brain scan results, (d) to demonstrate infarcts by scan in the anterior, middle, and posterior cerebral and the basilar-vertebral artery distributions, and (e) to evaluate the brain scan for its value in diagnosis and prognosis. Materials and Method This study analyses 179 brain scans in 152 patients with the diagnosis of cerebral infarction. Scans were performed three to five hours after intravenous injection of Hg203- or Hg197...


Post-larval LFS (mean fork length= 33 mm) produced from wild brood fish were spawned and reared at the UC Davis Fish Conservation and Culture Laboratory (FCCL). A 125mg/L bath mixture of calcein and source water was prepared and the post-larval LFS were exposed to the bath for 1 hour. Mark retention was monitored and scored immediately following calcein exposure and at intervals up to 90 days postmarking. Due to the sensitive nature of the test organism, only deceased subjects were evaluated for mark retention. Immediate and 24 hour mortality in marked groups were compared with control groups to determine if excess mortality occurred as a result of calcein exposure. Marks were graded or scored according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Investigational New Animal Drug (INAD) program protocols. Easily visible marks were observed and the mark method shows promise for use in LFS. However, larval LFS rearing and mortality were highly variable, ranging from 0% 45%. Therefore, before calcein can be used for mass marking with this species, the rearing methods need further research and improvement.


Many mining and metallurgical companies are major players not only in the domestic but also in the international market. In this area, expensive equipment is used, specialists with unique knowledge and competencies are often involved in the production, processing and sale process, and prices for raw materials and finished products in the world market are constantly fluctuating, and resources for production, including quarries for the development of minerals, have its limits of implementation. Ineffective planning and budgeting management can lead to a decrease in the financial performance of the organization and even negatively affect the economy of the entire country. The relevance of this article is related to the need to solve the problems of improving these processes, which can be successfully solved by introducing information technologies. The purpose of this study is to identify the key requirements for an information system to support planning and budgeting processes in mining and metallurgical companies, as well as to determine which solutions are advisable to use depending on the criticality of certain requirements for a particular enterprise. Using the Karl Wiegers method, the key requirements for an information technology solution for planning and budgeting in a mining and metallurgical holding were formulated and classified. A comparative analysis of two types of solutions, most often used to automate the investigated activities, is carried out, the results of which allow determining the most optimal approach to improving the planning and budgeting processes in mining and metallurgical companies.


Market driven alternative routes to teaching have evolved into a quality program option and not just an answer to the teacher shortage. Alternative certification is a viable means of recruiting, training, and certifying those who have a bachelor's degree and a strong desire to enter the field of teaching. California has been a leader in the development of quality teachers. This cross-sectional study surveyed 124 California State University Alternative Route (Intern) program participants. Ten critical features located in three seminal studies framed the research conducted and provided quality features to enhance retention of teachers. It was determined that the integration of these critical attributes into the university alternative certification programs enhanced the retention rates of program graduates and served as a means to improve quality. The participants in this study have been teaching 10 years or longer, and the 96 percent retention rate is one of the highest in the country.


Results of this study suggest that laparoscopic adrenalectomy should be the treatment of choice for benign adrenal tumors. However, experience in advanced laparoscopic and open abdominal surgery is necessary in the management of large adrenal tumors.


The aim of this study is to enhance the classification accuracy of rice varieties that are quite similar in external observation. In this study, 17 rice grain varieties popularly planted in Vietnam are classified with an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) models. The two CNN models (modified VGG16 and modified ResNet50) are based on pre-trained VGG16 and Resnet50 models. Two datasets are used in the experiments: a feature dataset extracted using an extended improved local ternary pattern (extended ILTP) method, and an image dataset generated with a data augmentation technique. The feature dataset was fed into the ANN, while the image dataset was fed into the CNN models. The highest classification accuracies of ANN, modified VGG16, and modified ResNet50 models are 92.82%, 96.41%, and 97.88%, respectively. The results show that the modified VGG16 and ResNet50 models significantly improved classification accuracy of the 17 varieties of rice. In addition, the experiments show that the dimensions of the image dataset can affect the performance of the CNN models. This research can be developed for applications of rice varieties classification and identification.


The simulation of air temperature and airflow speed by horizontal ventilation and vertical ventilation in boar piggery was studied with computational fluid dynamics(CFD),and simulation result by horizontal ventilation was compared with the one by vertical ventilation with respect to discuss the cooling effect by two different ventilation in boar piggery.The simulation results showed that air temperature in most area of swineries was less than 28℃,especially the one in some area remained about 25℃;the air temperature in some swineries kept about 25℃,suitable to boars,but the air temperature in some swineries near to outlets was 30℃,even the partial area was 31℃.The results indicated that horizontal ventilation was effective to uniform airflow and lowered the air temperature in boar swineries.


References Bird, G., and D Schmid. 2021. "Humanitarianism and the 'Migration Fix': On the Implication of NGOs in Racial Capitalism and the Management of Relative Surplus Populations." Geopolitics. DOI: 10.1080/14650045.2021.2008361 Isakjee, A., T. Davies, and J. Obradović-Wochnik, and K. Augustova 2020. "Liberal Violence and the Racial Borders of the European Union." Antipode 52(6): 1751–73. Mayblin, L., and L. Turner. 2021. Migration Studies and Colonialism. Cambridge: Polity Press. Picozza, F. 2021. The Coloniality of Asylum: Mobility, Autonomy and Solidarity in the Wake of Europe's Refugee Crisis. London: Rowman and Littlefield. Rajaram, P. K. 2018. "Refugees as Surplus Population: Race, Migration and Capitalist Value Regimes." New Political Economy 23(5): 627–39. Saraçoğlu, C., and D. Bélanger. 2019. "The Syrian Refugees and Temporary Protection Regime in Turkey: A Spatial fix for Turkish Capital." In Integration Through Exploitation: Syrians in Turkey, edited by G. Yilmaz, I. D. Karatepe, and T. Tören. 96– 109. Germany: Reiner Hampp Verlag. Walia, H. 2021. Border and Rule: Global Migration, Capitalism, and the Rise of Racist Nationalism. Chicago: Haymarket Books.


Long-term records of user actions captured and recorded in an intelligent environment allow for realizing new kinds of user support, which exploit a user's past experiences for supporting his or her future actions. In this article, a mobile shopping assistant equipped with such augmented memories serves as background for a discussion of a user interface especially tailored to support typical functions of augmented memories including context-based reminding, generation of recommendations, and reflection on past experiences. Starting from interactions observed in a user study of the system, we report about how exchangeable and interconnected views on augmented memories can be applied in order to achieve a user interface, which presents the memory in a way appropriate for the user's current context. These views establish a display context, which together with the user's context, imposes constraints on the actual display of memory contents. In order to address this issue, we continue with an approach, which exploits the memory content ontology for deciding about a visualization style appropriate within a given display context.


Named Data Networking (NDN) has many forwarding behaviors, strategies, and protocols to enable the benefits of Information-Centric Networking. This additional functionality introduces complexity, motivating the need for a tool to help reason about and verify that basic properties of an NDN data plane are guaranteed. This paper proposes Name Space Analysis (NSA), a network verification framework to model and analyze NDN data planes. NSA can take as input one or more snapshots, each representing a state of the data plane. It then provides the verification result against specified properties. NSA builds on the theory of Header Space Analysis, and extends it in a number of ways, e.g., supporting variable-sized headers with flexible formats, introduction of name space functions, allowing for name-based properties such as content reachability and name leakage-freedom, and multi-snapshot verification such as equivalence checks. These important additions reflect the behavior and requirements of NDN, requiring modeling and verification foundations fundamentally different from those of traditional host-centric networks. As a case study, we show how NSA can detect name space conflicts in NDN, which can be often hard to catch. Leveraging the learning from this study, we outline a conflict detection and resolution protocol and a name space registry to avoid such conflicts. We have implemented NSA and identified a number of optimizations to enhance the efficiency of verification. Results from our evaluations, using snapshots from various synthetic test cases and the real-world NDN testbed, show how NSA is effective, in finding errors, has good performance, and is scalable.


This paper analysed the sources of rural living garbage,revealed the problems in the disposal of rural domestic garbage and proposed related suggestions.


Energy theft is one of the crucial concerns related to the Smart Grid implementation. Utility companies estimate a worldwide loss of nearby 25 billion dollars just due to energy theft. Smart grid revolution has further attracted malicious attacks and energy thefts. Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), a crucial component of the Smart Grid is increasingly vulnerable compared to traditional mechanical meters. In this paper, by adopting data fusion, an AMI intrusion Detection System (AMIDS) algorithm is carried out that merges the sensors and data from a smart meter to disclose any attack or energy theft precisely. To have information and system control from Smart Grid, smart meters are deployed at user's premises. When the attacker tries to steal energy from the grid, AMI (smart meter) detects the energy (packet) drop and thus we also implemented the cryptographic algorithm called Elliptical Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA), to secure our system. Our experimental results show improvement in throughput, having low latency, less energy consumption and higher efficiency of the systems.


Cheng weishi lun, the Chinese Yogacara text, proposes that the "the thoroughly established nature alone really exists, because it is not established in reliance on other conditions," suggesting a view of emptiness that is similar to the Jonang school's shentong view of the Great Middle Way. This paper examines the works of Dolpopa Sherap Gyeltsen and Taranatha, as well as Cheng weishi lun and its related literature, to compare the similarities and differences between the two doctrinal systems, primarily in terms of their definitions of consciousness and pristine wisdom. It finds that the eighth consciousness — the mind entity itself and its components — is the central concept of both systems, and that the tathagatagarbha of the Jonang school and the true suchness in the Cheng weishi lun are both empty of other phenomena but not empty of itself. The findings suggest that the Cheng weishi lun and the shentong view of the Great Middle Way share the highly similar doctrinal framework, which could be two versions of the same teachings delivered to sentient beings living in different time and space.


Some of the contributors were resistant to the analyst's probing attempts to reveal the deep (and not always flattering) sources of their identification with their subjects. Others were much more receptive, themselves offering reasons for their choice of a certain subject and their points of emotional and other contact with him. Unfortunately, all the participants and their subjects were male. In all cases, the collaboration revealed new insights to the biographers, such as Baron's realization that he and Plekhanov "shared a good many intellectual and personality traits," including a "somewhat overintellectualized apprehension of life and history, and a tendency to underestimate the extent and power of irrational forces." And yet, even Baron admitted (a little defensively, perhaps) that he did not believe his completed study of Plekhanov would have been significantly different if initially written with the benefit of this new knowledge. A third large section contains five "Introspections on the Biographical Process," in which various biographers muse independently on the evolution of their projects and their personal feelings about the subjects they chose (or which were offered to them). Of greatest interest to Slavicists is Robert C. Tucker's remarkable and elegant "A Stalin Biographer's Memoir." Confessing (even a little too vehemently, as Moraitis points out in an illuminating Afterword) that Stalin is "someone I have learned to loathe," Tucker reveals the personal and historical factors that led him to devote so many years to understanding and reconstructing the Great Leader's life. But the most troublesome issue facing every serious biographer—subjectivity—remains unresolved in these provocative pieces. How close can a biographer get to his subject before he sacrifices the distance essential to providing a balanced account of a life? Moraitis' claim that "there can be no more ideal reader for the author of Nietzsche's biography than Nietzsche himself" will certainly send most historians into shock, and none of the contributors, including the psychoanalysts, seem sure just how much psychology and introspection is too much for a biography to absorb safely. Even if the volume ultimately raises more questions than it answers, the articles take an important first step towards a more systematic investigation, and will be of burning interest to any practicing biographer. They certainly were to this one.


Network-centric operations demand an increasingly sophisticated level of interoperation and information fusion for an escalating number and throughput of sensors and human processes. The resulting complexity of the systems being developed to face this environment render lower level fusion techniques alone simply insufficient to ensure interoperability, as they fail to consider subtle, but critical, aspects inherent in knowledge interchange. A fundamental mathematical theory of high-level information fusion is needed to address (1) the representation of semantics and pragmatics, (2) the mathematical framework supporting its algorithmic and computing processes, and (3) scalability of products such as common and user-defined operational pictures. We argue that there is no silver bullet for addressing these elements, and therefore any successful approach to the problem of high-level fusion must be systemic. In this paper, we propose the development of mathematical foundations that systemically address this problem from a decision theoretic perspective, and might seed the development of such fundamental theory. As a case study illustrating these techniques we present our current development of PROGNOS, a HLF system focused on the maritime domain.


In this work investigate the theoretical relationship between anti-globalization and international terrorism. The main task is to consider the views of leading theorists of the anti-globalization movement on the issue of terrorism in the modern world, on the basis of their overall analysis concludes that anti-globalization un derstanding of the nature of this phenomenon and the nature of the true relationship between anti-globalization and international ter-Keywords: zation, Fourth World War.


Objectives: To explore if joint mobility, as a measure of connective tissue quality, could be a predictor for pregnancy-related low back pain after pregnancy and to evaluate local corticosteroid in ...


Via a nonlinear power transformation, the robust stability problem of dynamic interval systems has been transformed into a nonsingularity problem of a family of parametric matrices. Based on the nonsingularity of robustly diagonal dominant matrices, sufficient conditions for the robust stability of dynamic interval systems are derived. These conditions do not impose any requirements on the elements of the system matrices.


Three-dimensional fractal models on grids of ~2003 pixels are generated from the inverse Fourier transform of noise with a power-law cutoff and exponentiated to give a lognormal distribution of density. The fractals are clipped at various intensity levels, and the mass and size distribution functions of the clipped peaks and their subpeaks are determined. These distribution functions are analogous to the cloud mass functions determined from maps of the fractal interstellar medium using various thresholds for the definition of a cloud. The model mass functions are found to be power laws with powers ranging from -1.6 to -2.4 in linear mass intervals as the clipping level increases from ~0.03 to ~0.3 of the peak intensity. The low clipping value gives a cloud-filling factor of ~10% and should be a good model for molecular cloud surveys. The agreement between the mass spectrum of this model and the observed cloud and clump mass spectra suggests that a pervasively fractal interstellar medium can be interpreted as a cloud/intercloud medium if the peaks of the fractal intensity distribution are taken to be clouds. Their mass function is a power law even though the density distribution function in the gas is a lognormal. This is because the size distribution function of the clipped clouds is a power law, and with clipping, each cloud has about the same average density. A similar result would apply to projected clouds that are clipped fractals, giving nearly constant column densities for power-law mass functions. The steepening of the mass function for higher clip values suggests a partial explanation for the steeper slope of the mass functions for star clusters and OB associations, which sample denser regions of interstellar gas. The mass function of the highest peaks is similar to the Salpeter initial mass function, suggesting again that stellar masses may be determined in part by the geometry of turbulent gas.


With the collaboration of high-speed correlation engine and web crawling technology, we developed FReCs, the copyright contents management system on the Internet. This is a software system that searches through a number of user-generated contents websites (UGC sits) and detects video contents that infringe copyright law. Using FReCs, we have investigated the UGC sites and monitored the selected copyright materials for over 2 years, and proved the effectiveness of the system.


An Ethnoveterinary survey was carried out on the indigenous knowledge of tribes and folk medicine
practitioners of Mallenahalli village, Chikmagalur Taluk, Karnataka. The study was conducted during
2011 and 2012 using open ended questionnaires, frequent field visits and interviews with tribal
practitioners Ethnomedicinal information. A total of 52 medicinal plant species belonging to 32 families
that have been recorded from the tribal practitioners to treat against anthrax, foot and mouth diseases,
bloat conjunctivitis, dysentery, fractures, snake bite, rot tail, Kasanoor forest disease etc. The present
study may provide the traditional knowledge of tribes and local healers to cure cattle diseases. Further
studies are needed for the Phytochemical and Pharmaceutical analysis of drugs and to conserve medicinal
plants for future use.


Aimed to optimize a low heat loss micro-combustor whose chamber wall is made of porous material, the combustion characteristics of methane/air premixed flames on porous wall surface was investigated experimentally. The results show that flat flames form at a limited range of mixture flow velocity (υ ) and equivalence ratio(φ ). At φ 1, The limited velocity increases when φ increases; When υ is over upper the limited velocity, the flame-front becomes instable and irregular, and the reaction zone enlarge. To flat flames, When υ and φ increase, the radial temperature of flames increase, but the height of flames decrease, so the flames move to wall At the same time, the temperature of wall surface far away flames decrease. These characteristic of plat flames on porous wall surface is helpful to obtain stable combustion in the smaller combustion space.


The best method of anticoagulation for patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) is still a topic of interest for physicians. We conducted a meta-analysis to compare the effects of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) with those of vitamin-K-antagonist (VKA) anticoagulants in patients with peripheral artery disease. Five databases (Medline (via PubMed), EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, and CENTRAL) were searched systematically for studies comparing the effects of the two types of anticoagulants in patients with PAD, with an emphasis on lower-limb outcomes, cardiovascular events, and mortality. In PAD patients with concomitant non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF), the use of DOACs significantly reduced the risk of major adverse limb events (HR = 0.58, 95% CI, 0.39–0.86, p < 0.01), stroke/systemic embolism (HR 0.76; 95% CI 0.61–0.95; p < 0.01), and all-cause mortality (HR 0.78; 95% CI 0.66–0.92; p < 0.01) compared with warfarin, but showed similar risks of MI (HR = 0.81, 95% CI, 0.59–1.11, p = 0.2) and cardiovascular mortality (HR = 0.77, 95% CI, 0.58–1.02, p = 0.07). Rivaroxaban at higher doses significantly increased the risk of major bleeding (HR = 1.16, 95% CI, 1.07–1.25, p < 0.01). We found no significant difference in terms of revascularization (OR = 1.49, 95% CI, 0.79–2.79, p = 0.14) in PAD patients in whom a poor distal runoff was the reason for the anticoagulation. DOACs have lower rates of major limb events, stroke, and mortality than VKAs in PAD patients with atrial fibrillation. Rivaroxaban at higher doses increased the risk of major bleeding compared with other DOAC drugs. More high-quality studies are needed to determine the most appropriate anticoagulation regimen for patients with lower-limb atherosclerosis.


Poly(tetramethylglycolide), a chemical recyclable polymer, is currently attracting a lot of interest as a substitute for poly(L-lactic acid). We report here a simple and convenient route for the sy...


The use of self-consolidating concrete (SCC) has become more prevalent due to its economic and technological advantages over other types of concrete. Nevertheless, issues relating to casting and placement hinder its widespread use. One of the primary concerns of using SCC is related to its high formwork pressure, which affects any type of structural element, whether it is precast or cast on site. This study aimed to make correlations between different parameters obtained through slump flow and shear rheological tests in order to determine what the implication would be on the evolution of formwork pressure for five typical precast SCC mixes. The parameters were slump flow diameter, spreading rate, yield stress, plastic viscosity, and rate of structural rebuilding (stress relaxation). In addition, the advantages, from the point of view of cost and safety, of incorporating nanoclays and viscosity-modifying admixtures in SCC to reduce initial pressure and increase rate of pressure drop to optimize the formwork design were demonstrated.


The Salinas Valley is located on California's Central Coast. The ground water basin supports 850,000,000 M 2 of irrigated crops which have a market value of $1.4 billion per year. Agriculture is the mainstay of the local economy but high nitrate levels are causing problems in many of the municipal wells in the valley. Most of the valley's small towns and cities have populations less than 10,000. Salinas, the exception, has a population of 110,000 and all are dependent on wells for water supply. Several public supply wells have been closed because of high nitrate levels while other wells could be contaminated by leaks and spills from underground storage tanks. A pilot project, cosponsored by the Monterey County Water Resources Agency (MCWRA) and the US Environmental Protection Agency focused on King City where two municipal wells had already been closed due to high nitrate levels. The area is susceptible to both urban point-source contaminants and agricultural non-point source pollution from fertilizers and pesticides. The project was designed to demonstrate cost-effective microcomputer technology for groundwater data management, data analysis and the delineation of wellhead protection zones. The data was designed to be transported to a UNIX platform (IBM RS 6000) and integrated with the County's G.I.S. system, Arc/Info.


Self-actualization is a high level of human requirement and as an existing need, which is the tendency of an individual to grow and realize available potentials. In the present crossover study, we aimed to identify the factors affecting self-actualization of students at spaces of universities.The method which used in this research was a qualitative research method, including documentary and Delphi method in two rounds. The results showed four factors affecting students' self-actualization at university spaces: 1. 1- Understanding one's own nature: Understanding one's own nature and finding concealed and potential talents. 2- Individual evolution. 3-Understanding facts and truths: Understanding the facts and truths, learning science and virtue, seeking rightness, seeking justice, freedom. 4- Seeking beauty: Pay attention to the beauty which is liked by the human. Also conceptual strategies to reach these factors were extracted. In summary, we obtained the model. The model has showed the four factors affecting students' self-actualization at university spaces. Four factors affecting students' self-actualization at university spaces, it consists of four factors: Understanding one's own nature, finding concealed and potential talents; Individual evolution; Understanding facts and truths: Understanding the facts and truths, learning science and virtue, seeking rightness, seeking justice, freedom; Seeking beauty: Pay attention to the beauty which is liked by the human. Also conceptual strategies consist of: Freedom of choice, Access to facilities and opportunities for growth, Control, Creating a context for going from outward to inward, Persuading to think and creating the context of thinking away from chaos, Comfort and psychological safety and create a context to connect with nature.


A first-in-human, Phase I study is exploring D-0502 in women with advanced or metastatic HR-positive and HER2-negative breast cancer. This orally bioavailable selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) is well-tolerated with no dose-limiting toxicities observed, according to data presented at the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (Abstract PS11-26). "Currently, fulvestrant is the only SERD approved for the treatment of advanced HR-positive breast cancer. It requires IM injection and has low bioavailability," noted study author Cynthia Osborne, MD, with Texas Oncology-Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center. "This Phase I study is evaluating the drug D-0502, an oral bioavailable SERD. In preclinical models, it has demonstrated significant activity in a number of HR+ breast cancer models, including those with ESR1 mutations." The aim of this Phase I study is to characterize the safety and tolerability of D-0502 alone and in combination with palbociclib, as well as to identify a maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and/or recommended Phase II dose. Secondary objectives included the evaluation of PK properties and preliminary anti-tumor activities. D-0502 was administered orally once daily in 28-day cycles. In the Phase Ia portion of the study, a standard 3+3 dose-escalation was used to identify the MTD of D-0502 as a single agent. The Phase Ib study, which is ongoing, includes two stages. "In stage I, D-0502 was evaluated with palbociclib at a dose below the MTD first before escalating to the MTD. Stage I also included patients in China treated at a dose below and at the MTD as a single agent, as well as in combination with palbociclib," the study authors


In 1945, Okinawa was the site of a devastating battle during the closing months of World War II, yet by the end of the twentieth century it had been transformed into a major tourist destination oft...


Abstract This article draws on empirical research conducted with European Commission officials in three Directorates-General and its other services on their perception of how the legislative and policy-making process facilitates the interaction of science and environmental law. This article deploys Sheila Jasanoff's theoretical framework of co-production as an important lens to examine how the European Commission creates this interaction of science and law in environmental policy making and identifies how the Commission incorporates different voices and stakeholders in this policy area. The Commission can be seen as a vehicle of co-production of science and law in EU environmental policy by building strong expert identities, putting in place institutional processes and instruments, and creating discourse between scientists and lawyers leading to outputs of co-production. It is argued that in actively facilitating co-production, the Commission underpins the legislative and policy-making process with its institutional values.


Both in the United States and in Europe, corporations are free to choose the applicable corporate law by incorporating in the jurisdiction of their choice. However, smaller firms face a number of obstacles in exercising that choice. One such obstacle concerns the law on adjudicative jurisdiction: In the United States as well as in the European Community, corporations are exposed to third-party suits in their state of incorporation even if they have no other ties to that state. In this Article, I argue that while the relevant rule may not matter much in the United States, it probably imposes a considerable burden on corporations in Europe. Moreover, I show that there is no convincing justification for the relevant Community law rule. It does not promise to increase the combined gains reaped by contracting parties, nor can it be expected to achieve either a substantive increase in positive externalities or a significant reduction in negative externalities. Finally, it cannot even be justified persuasively on fairness grounds.


Raising the water pollution control countermeasures on the basis of rational pollution load estimation is significant for improving water quality. Zhangze Reservoir, the largest water body in Changzhi city, China, was selected for this study. Considering the information constraints of the reservoir basin, the pollution load estimation method system covering point sources, non-point sources, and internal sources is systematically constructed using an export coefficient model, an sediment pore water diffusion model, and other methods, with the aim of estimating the discharge of pollutants into the Zhangze Reservoir from domestic sources, industrial sources, agricultural sources, sediment release, and urban runoff. The findings indicate the following: 1) the pollution loads of COD, NH3-N, TN, and TP are 3,157.82t, 177.62t, 760.72t, and 42.29t, respectively; 2) in terms of the distribution of pollution sources, urban domestic sources top the rest, accounting for 65.47% of COD, 82.83% of NH3-N, 79.00% of TN, and 60.65% of TP, followed by the agricultural source; 3) the total discharge of the main water pollutants exceeds the water environmental capacity, characterized as the dominating existence of domestic point source, the coexistence of point sources and non-point sources, and the coexistence of exogenous sources and endogenous sources. Finally, control countermeasures are raised to minimize the total discharge of pollutants for improving the water quality.


Along the years, the word care has been a common one for those involved with nursing theory and practive; nevertheless, on our search for a beter understanding of that word, quite a number of questionings came up. On developing our work, we have selected three authors who have been dedicatingtheir efforts to the study of care/caring, and tried to present what those authors understand about such dyad, its goals, importance and components. Closing our study, a few questions are proposed, seeking to promote reflection among the nursing personnel.


In the Human-Machine Interaction (HMI) domain, many researchers are trying to model complexity. Complexity can be defined in air traffic control domain as the quantity, variety and interconnections inside a particular system [1]. Javaux and De Keyser defined cognitive complexity as the quantity of cognitive resources that a human operator must involve to make sure that tasks are executed with an acceptable level of performance [2]. The research problem is focused in the distinction between objective complexity and perceived complexity. A system can be internally complex or not and it could be perceived as complex anyway by its operator [3]. How can we simplify its use? This problem is important in safety-critical systems, where the human error is the main causal factor for almost 70% of accidents [4].


The two-dimensional flow through a rotating impeller with radial vanes is considered. It is regarded to consist of four component flows, namely; (a) po・ tential flow issuing from (or, converging into) the center of impeller, (b) circuュ lation-flow around each vane, (c) flow caused by displacement action of rotating blades, (d) flow caused by isolated vortices, which exist at points lying in-between each adjacent pair of blades. ln the previous paper of the same title, the author has given expressions for the complex velocity potential, and deduced formula giving the amount of circulation J around each v3ne, together with value rd of strength of isolated vortices, under a suitable assumption. ln the present paper, which is the continuation of the previous study, the author discusses the value of torque which is required to maintain the rotation of vanes, under the previously assumed state of two dimensional flow of an incompressible ideal fl uid. Some numerical example to illustrate the aquired result is also given. I. Main results obtained previously The four complex planes z, Zb Z2 and Z3 are connected by the following relations; 1 I ~ . 1 ¥ Zl= τ( Z + : ) Z2 = ρ + qZh L..、~ l' (0) Z3 =(Z2y/n=(ρ + qZl)l/π. The unit circle z= �) in the z-plane is transformed into a number n of radial vanes in the z3-plane, which are arranged symmetrically about the origin, of Z3plane. Thus, we obtain an impeller with radial vanes. A point A=α+ib, in the z-plane is taken. It corresponds to the point A3 which lies in between each adjacent pair of blades. The flow of an ideal incompressible fluid, through th﨎 set of radial vanes in the z3-plane, is considered, which is regarded to consist of the following four component flows, expressed by four complex velocity potential Wa , Wb , Wc and Wd , respectively. 帯鬼頭史城 Professor at Keio University.


INTRODUCTION: Emerging data indicate myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) adversely impact outcomes of patients with a variety of malignancies. However, it is less clear how MDSCs affect acute myeloid leukemia (AML) disease biology or the response of AML patients to treatment. Here, we studied a cohort of people with AML undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in first complete remission (CR1) to examine the relationship between the monocytic subtype of MDSCs (M-MDSCs), pre-transplant measurable residual disease (MRD) status, and outcome after HCT.
 PATIENTS AND METHODS: Adults ≥18 years of age were included if they underwent first allogeneic HCT with myeloablative or nonmyeloablative conditioning for AML in CR1 from April 2006 until October 2014. Prospective MRD testing in bone marrow aspirates was performed routinely via 10-color multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC) as part of the pre-transplant work-up. Pre-transplant MFC data were used retrospectively to quantify M-MDSCs as the proportion of monocytes (identified by side scatter properties and CD14 positivity) with low or negative expression of HLA-DR. M-MDSC frequency was then expressed as a percentage of the total number of viable cells in the sample. Available combinations of antigens measured by MFC did not allow for the identification of other MDSC subsets (e.g. granulocytic MDSCs).
 RESULTS: We identified 349 adults undergoing allogeneic HCT for AML in CR1 for whom pre-transplant MRD testing was performed and for whom follow-up data were available. Of these, 8 had to be excluded because of insufficient MFC events available for identification of M-MDSCs. In the remaining 341 patients, M-MDSC frequency ranged from <0.001% to 6.53%, with a median of 0.18% (25th percentile: 0.06%; 75th percentile: 0.40%). Patients with lower (i.e. <median) frequency of M-MDSCs were less likely male (p=0.01) and more likely had recovered neutrophil and platelet counts (p=0.001) than patients with higher (i.e. ≥median) frequency of M-MDSCs. There was no difference with regard to all other examined characteristics (age, WBC and cytogenetic risk at diagnosis, type of AML, median CR duration before HCT, donor type, and conditioning intensity). The proportion of MRD positive ("MRDpos") patients was similar between those with lower vs. higher M-MDSC frequency (18.8 vs. 24.6%, p=0.20). Moreover, while MRD negative ("MRDneg") patients (n=267) differed statistically significantly from MRDpos patients (n=74) with regard to several characteristics such as more favorable disease risk and lower proportion of secondary AML, there was only a statistically non-significant trend toward lower M-MDSC frequency in MRDneg patients (0.16% [range <0.001-5.61%] vs. 0.22% [range <0.001-6.53%], p=0.09).
 The median follow-up time after HCT among all survivors was 5.8 (range, 2.0-11.4) years. The time was slightly longer for survivors with lower compared to those with higher M-MDSC frequency (6.1 [range 2.6-11.4] vs. 5.1 [range 2.0-11.3] years; p=0.0076). Stratified by the median M-MDSC frequency, the 3-year estimates of overall survival were similar for patients with lower and higher pre-HCT M-MDSCs (58.2% [95% confidence interval 50.4-65.2%] vs. 57.6% [49.8-64.7%]), as were 3-year estimates for relapse free survival (53.5% [45.7-60.7%] vs. 48.3% [40.6-55.6%]), 3-year estimates of the cumulative incidence of relapse (31.8% [24.9-38.8%] vs. 34.6% [27.6-41.8%]), and 3-year estimates of non-relapse mortality (14.7% [9.9-20.5%] vs. 17.0% [11.8-23.0%]). Analyses restricted to the subset of patients undergoing myeloablative (MA) conditioning or those undergoing MA conditioning in MRDneg remission showed qualitatively similar results.
 CONCLUSIONS: In the largest study to date examining the role of M-MDSCs in AML, we found no convincing evidence for a prognostic role of these cells for adults undergoing allografting in CR1.

 Walter: Actinium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Other: Clinical trial support, Research Funding; Amgen Inc.: Other: Clinical trial support, Research Funding; Amphivena Therapeutics: Consultancy, Equity Ownership, Other: Clinical trial support, Research Funding; Aptevo Therapeutic: Consultancy, Other: Clinical trial support, Research Funding; Covagen AG: Consultancy, Other: Clinical trial support, Research Funding; Seattle Genetics, Inc.: Consultancy, Other: Clinical trial support, Research Funding; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy.


Managing one's dysphagia at the end-of-life is challenging for the patient and the medical care team. Decisions surrounding oral feeding safety and the use of artificially administered hydration and nutrition require the medical care team to provide its best advice, taking into consideration the patient's health-related goals and the impact the final decision will have on quality of life. For the patient who wishes to continue oral feeding despite known risks, the use of a modified barium swallow study that systematically varies bolus volume, viscosity, and rehabilitative postures or techniques may be helpful. End-of-life decisions concerning the provision of nutrition and hydration often raise ethical questions. The decisions are not automatic and should not be predicated on making the "right" choice but on doing what seems the most prudent in the given situation.


Different scenarios can be found in land classification and segmentation of satellite images. First, when prior knowledge is available, the training data is generally selected by randomly picking samples within classes. When no prior knowledge is available the system can pick samples at random among all unlabeled data, which is highly unreliable, and ask the expert to label them or it can rely on the expert collaboration to improve progressively the training data applying an active learning function. We suggest a scheme to tackle the lack of prior knowledge without actively involving the expert, whose collaboration may be expensive. The proposed scheme uses a clustering technique to analyze the feature space and find the most representative samples for being labeled. In this case the expert is just involved in labeling once a reliable training data set for being representative of the features space. Once the training set is labeled by the expert, different classifiers may be built to process the rest of samples. Three different approaches are presented in this paper: the result of the clustering process, a distance based classifier, and support vector machines (SVM).


India has a growing share in global energy use and carbon dioxide emissions. The challenge for the future lies in meeting these growingenergy needs in a sustainable way. A first step to meet this challenge is to understand current energy needs and patterns of energy use in the country. The study examines this problemby adopting a household perspective to energy consumption.The overallobjectiveis to analyse factors contributing to growingenergy use in the countryby quantitativelyestimating total direct and indirect energy requirementsof households,both at an aggregate and disaggregate level. The study aims to apply and adapt the input-outputenergy analysis model to Indian data. To this end, a combination of monetaryinput-outputdata for the economy, along with physical energy flow data, including data on non-commercial energy, are used to calculate total primary energy intensities for productive sectors. The analysis is undertaken at the 100-sectordisaggregatedlevel for the years 1983-84, 1989-90,and 199394. This is the first time such analysis has been carried out at such a disaggregatedlevel, to include non-commercial energy use, in a developingcountry. In a next step, the total household energy requirements, both direct and indirect, at the aggregateand disaggregate level are calculatedfor India. At a national level, data on total and average private final consumption expenditures of households are used in conjunction with the calculated energy intensities, to calculate total primary energy requirementsof households.At the disaggregate level, household budgetdata are usedto determine direct and indirectenergy use for differentcategories of households as well as for differentcategories of household expenditure. In addition, an analysis of the Variation in total household energy requirements, both over time and across households is undertaken.In order to analyse the changes that have occurredover the decade 1983-84 to 1993-94, a decomposition analysis is carried out. This analysis examines the contribution of factors such as growthin population, changes in the structure of consumption, changes in technologyas reflectedin the total sectoral primary energy intensities, and changes in the levels of consumption or activity. To study the differences in total household energy requirementsacross households, differencesin the levels and patterns of total, direct, and indirect energy requirements across households are analysed. An empirical regression model is estimated to study factors effecting Variation in total per capita household energy requirements acrOss households for the year 1993-94. The particular significanceof the study is that it tests methodsof energy analysis in the Indian case. The study demonstrates that methods of energy analysis, developed and appliedso far in industrialisedcountries only, can be successfully adapted to be applied to Indian data. The methodscan, in fact, be effectively adapted to includenon-commercial energy use, which still comprises a large part of total energy use in India. The results of adopting a household perspective to Indian data also provide a good snapshot of the energy system in India. Some key characteristics of energy consumption within the country that are highlighted by the results of this study include a general trend towards a downturn in energy intensities for most of the productive sectors in India, over the decade studied. The


This paper reports the reaction of cotton cellulose with sulphamic acid using pad bake process. FT-IR and FT-Raman were used to analyse the intermediate products formed during this study. The self-crosslinking of the modified cotton fibre has special characteristics including good dye ability in case of ammonia or ethanolamine initiated crosslinking. Peroxide should react with the modified fibre to give peroxy cellulose. The self bleaching and anti-bacterial qualities of this reacted cellulose are worthy of investigation.


Specimens of Dendraster excentricus, the common Pacific Coast sand dollar, were collected from 24 localities between Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and Santa Rosalia Bay, Baja California. These tests were analyzed for magnesium and strontium by X-ray techniques and the percentage of calcium calculated. The $$MgCO_{3}$$ content of Dendraster tests appears to be directly related to both water temperature and salinity. The percentage of $$MgCO_{3}$$ tests from normal salinity waters increases about 0.5 per cent corresponding to an increase in mean summer water temperature of 11° C. A limited number of analyses of tests of other echinoid species indicates that the temperature-magnesium trend of Dendraster is not continuous in a linear manner with warmer water echinoid species of the same environmental type. Also, different echinoid species living under similar temperature conditions may deposit substantially different amounts of $$MgCO_{3}$$. With further work on recent forms it may be possible to determine paleotemperatures and salinities using the magnesium and strontium content of unaltered fossils.


The principles of the wound rotor line-start PMSM were elaborated,and the starting process of the motor was simulated and analyzed by Ansoft software.The starting performance was analyzed and compared with the squirrel cage rotor line-start PMSM of same capacity and pole numbers.Simulation results showed that the rotor external starting resistance was adjusted with the change of the rotating speed in the motor start process.The starting-torque was improved,the electric current was reduced,and the starting-function was ameliorated.


Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Antarctic United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be Conservation Act c i t ed as the "Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978". 16 USC 2401 S E C FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. note. (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that— 16 USC 2401. (1) the Antarctic Treaty and the Agreed Measures for the Con12 UST 794. serration of Antarctic Fauna and Flora, adopted at the Third 17 UST 991. Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, have established a firm foundation for the continuation of international cooperation and the freedom of scientific investigation in Antarctica; and (2) the study of Antarctic fauna and flora, their adaptation to their rigorous environment, and their interrelationships with that environment has special scientific importance for all mankind, (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to provide for the conservation and protection of the fauna and flora of Antarctica, and of the ecosystem upon which such fauna and flora depend, consistent with the Antarctic Treaty, the Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora, and Recommendation VII -3 of the Eighth Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting.


Rank estimation is an important tool for a side-channel evaluations laboratories. It allows estimating the remaining security after an attack has been performed, quantified as the time complexity and the memory consumption required to brute force the key given the leakages as probability distributions over d subkeys (usually key bytes). These estimations are particularly useful where the key is not reachable with exhaustive search. We propose a new method called PRank for rank estimation, that is conceptually simple, and more time and memory efficient than previous proposals. Our main idea is to bound each subkey distribution by a Pareto-like function: since these are analytical functions, we can then estimate the rank by a closed formula. We evaluated the performance of PRank through extensive simulations based on two real SCA data corpora, and compared it to the currently-best histogrambased algorithm. We show that PRank gives a good rank estimation with much improved time and memory efficiency, especially for large ranks: For ranks between 2 − 2 PRank estimation is at most 10 bits above the histogram rank and for ranks beyond 2 the PRank estimation is only 4 bits above the histogram rank—yet it runs faster, and uses negligible memory. PRank gives a new and interesting method to solve the rank estimation problem based on reduction to analytical functions and calculating one closed formula hence using negligible time and space.


Depression and schizophrenia are cornerstones of modern psychiatry, and like fortresses in a landscape guard and control a territory which now belongs entirely to a biological interpretation of illness and therapy. These disorders are now regarded as expressions of genetic vulnerabilities and disequilibria of brain functions, especially neurotransmitter mechanisms whose treatment consists of psychopharmaca, ECT or other somatic cures. From this view some prevention concepts can be deduced, for instance early diagnosis and radical treatment, continuous care, eventually some rehabilitation but no real mental health promotion aspect exists. Schizophrenia is slowly undergoing some change in this exclusively biological approach, while genetic and neuroendocrinological theories of etiology still prevail, some specific vulnerabilities are formulated (family influences, EE – expressed emotion, cognitive deficiencies, lack or deterioration of some basic social skills, etc.); psychoeducation now has a stable place in the treatment, and some psychotherapy methods are increasingly used in comprehensive systems of care. Although depression is also less monolithic in psychiatric nosology as it has been until recently, its origin in heredity, in impaired neurotransmission and in neurohormonal disbalance seems to be established, and its treatment without medicaments (given over several years) is inconceivable; in some countries it is a faulty practice prone to successful malpractice litigation (unless ECT is used instead of drugs). While schizophrenia affects only a small percentage of the population concerning lifetime prevalence, depression is one of the most prominent public health enemies; its prevalence is at least 15%, but some surveys calculate with 50–70% in a lifetime perspective. Besides its frequency, it is connected with a high mortality rate, partly due to the elevated risk of suicide, partly to somatic comorbidities (e.g. myocardial infarction). Depression is unique as it is differentiated by various degrees of severity. Major depression (formerly called endogenous depression) is seen as a 'true' disorder; less severe forms (previously named neurotic or reactive) have to be taken seriously because


347 monatomic gases by the presence of impurities. When account is taken of the statistical distribution of electron velocities in the main gas, the increase in conductivity may be shown to be made possible by electronic collisions with atoms of the added impurity. An important argument in favour of this view is that, on the metastable atom theory, two collisions with the same atom are required to produce ionization and radiation, so that both rate of ionization and intensity of radiation would be expected at low current density to vary as the square of the current, whereas experimentally the radiation intensity is found to be directly proportional to the current and therefore compatible only with the production of ionization by single collisions. Rgerences


The effect of fetal calf serum (FCS) on the early development in vitro of pig zygotes produced by in vitro maturation and in vitro fertilization techniques was investigated. The results showed that supplementation of FCS on Day 1 after in vitro fertilization enhanced the in vitro development of pig zygotes produced in vitro, as the time of supplementation of FCS prolonged, this enhancing effect of FCS decreased.


In this paper, the performance structures of clonal herb Iris japonica population in different changing light habitats in both bamboo forest and mixed needle broad leaved forest in Mt. Jinyun of Shichuan Province have been studied. The data being statistically analyzed show significant differences in various habitats. From gap to edge to undergrowth, the ramet height, diameter and aboveground biomass decreases with the weakening of light intensity, but underground biomass is the highest in the undergrowth habitat, and there is not much variation of leaves number in various habitats. In addition, the results have been analyzed and discussed, regression equations of both ramet height and aboveground biomass to diameter have been established, and the correlation is obvious (r>90, t>t_(0.01)).


On Days 7-9 of pregnancy 8 Fischer strain pregnant rats were treated with 30 mg/kg/day of cyanoketone (2alpha-cyano-4417alpha-trimethylandrost-5-en-17beta-ol-3-one generou sly supplied by Dr. Gordon O. Potts of the Sterling-Winthrop Research In stitute) a potent inhibitor of delta-5-3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and delta-5-4 3 ketosteroid isomerase while 8 control animals received an equal volume of vehicle. On Day 10 animals were sacrificed and implantation sites were observed. Corpora lutea were processed for electronmicroscopy. Absorption was observed on all implantation sites of the rats treated with cyanoketone. Ultrastructurally lutein cells from the rats treated with cyanoketone showed 1) massive accumulation of lipid droplets of low electron density; 2) small and rather uniform mitochondria; 3) reduced smooth endoplasmic reticulum as well as increased free ribosomes and rough endo plasmic reticulum; and 4) appearance of secondary lysosomes which indic ate the inactivity in steroid production. The luteolytic effect of cyan oketone was observed. Its mode of action in luteolysis is discussed in referring to the luteotrophic effect of prolactin and compared with luteolysis induced by prostaglandin F2-alpha.(FULL TEXT)


The peculiar microstructure of plasma-sprayed coatings affects their physical properties. Many of these properties are, to a great extent, dominated by the influence of the spraying process on in-flight particle parameters. In order to improve the quality of plasma-sprayed coatings and to enhance the efficiency of plasma spray deposition, a wide range of anode nozzles have been developed for air plasma torches. The objective of this work is to investigate the influence of two convergent-divergent nozzle designs on plasma-sprayed YSZ particles at impact and the permeability, porosity, and microstructure of the resulting coatings.


This study investigated gender differences in North American preschoolers' biological reasoning about the concept of 'life'. Four-year-olds (M = 4.6, SD = 3.3 months) and five-year-olds (M = 5.6, SD = 3.8 months) were asked about the function of 13 body parts, organs, and bodily processes. Results indicated that the likelihood of mentioning the importance of body parts, organs, and bodily processes for maintaining life or preventing death was predicted by age. A concept of life was more likely to occur in boys rather than girls. Although boys had a greater understanding of life they did not outperform girls in their responses to organ/ body part function. The results demonstrate that gender differences in biological reasoning emerge during the preschool years. Implications for early science education are discussed.


Image texture distinguish is an important part in image analysis.In order to improve the ratio of image texture distinguish,wavelet transformation is used to select many different kinds of wavelet bases,then the image texture distinguish results are compared.It is indicated that a big influence for image texture depends on differences of positive intersection,symmetry,disappearing of the wavelet bases being selected.The rule for superior wavelet base is given.


Acetaldehyde, the major cytotoxin formed by the metabolism of alcohol, is responsible for liver injury, extracellular matrix alterations, inflammation, and hangover in heavy drinkers. This study aimed to demonstrate the efficacy of a standardized polyphenolic extract of clove buds (Clovinol) in ameliorating the oxidative stress and inflammation caused by the accumulation of acetaldehyde after binge drinking. We used a randomized, double-blinded crossover study with 16 male social drinkers. The subjects were randomized into two groups of eight subjects and received either placebo or Clovinol in a single hard shell gelatin capsule (250 mg × 1) per day. The dosage of alcohol was 1 g/kg body weight/day. After 2 weeks of washout period, the treatment regime was reversed. Blood samples were drawn at 0, 0.5, 2, 4, and 12 h after treatment with either placebo or Clovinol, and biochemical parameters were analyzed. Hangover severity score was determined by using a validated questionnaire as reported earlier. Results showed faster elimination of blood acetaldehyde with significant decreases in oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and significant enhancement in glutathione and superoxide dismutase as compared with placebo along with an overall reduction of 55.34% in hangover severity in Clovinol-treated subjects. This study demonstrated the efficacy of clove bud polyphenols for alleviating alcohol-related side effects among social drinkers at the studied dose.


The Kaimai Tunnel, the longest rail tunnel in New Zealand at 8.9 km was holed through in June 1976 following nearly seven years of tunnelling. Conditions met while driving the tunnel produced a number of challenges, all of which were required to be overcome. The challenges came in the form of squeezing ground in unstable brecciated volcanic lava and weak volcaniclastic sediments, high groundwater inflows and a high geothermal gradient producing ground temperature up to 38 C. These ground conditions were the result of the tunnel passing through a comparatively young strataform volcanic pile of lavas and tuffs overlain on the eastern side by a series of ignimbrite flows. This paper discusses investigations carried out for the tunnel and the tunnelling conditions experienced.


Purpose
The purpose of this study is to describe the effect of religiosity on luxury and counterfeit purchase intentions and to determine the role of consumer ethics in the context of counterfeit purchase intention. The conceptual framework is based on Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). In the context of counterfeit consumption, religiosity is proposed to be an added component to the theory, while ethical consumption is proposed to mediate the relationship between religiosity and counterfeit purchase intention. In the context of luxury consumption, religiosity is proposed to precede TPB components which then affect luxury purchase intention.

Design/methodology/approach
This is a descriptive study; this study uses a mixed-methods approach, where eight semi-structured in-depth interviews and 500 surveys were conducted and distributed to Egyptian luxury consumers.

Findings
The major results suggest that religiosity and ethical consumption negatively affect counterfeit purchase intention as proposed. The results also reveal that religiosity did not necessitate a negative attitude toward luxury consumption. Religiosity was found to have a positive effect on attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. Only subjective norms had significant effect on luxury purchase intention in the research context.

Originality/value
This paper contributes to the TPB by adding religiosity to the theory components as well as integrating the theory of planned behavior with Consumer's Ethics theory in the context of counterfeit consumption. The study is an attempt to compare between luxury and counterfeit purchase intention while considering the role of individual's religiosity in these purchases.


During the 1970s, praxematics, a new school of linguistics, was created in Montpellier by Robert Lafont and his associates. It developed as a criticism of the structuralist approach to linguistic praxes and as an in-depth study of the problems created by language contact. The aim of praxematics is to understand language practice both as a dynamic production process and as a social process. These are the subject of study of the Praxiling group at the University of Montpellier, which, with its related research team at the CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), has looked in particular at discourse, textuality, and production of meaning. The Praxiling group produces the bi-annual review Cahiers de Praxematique.


Background Evidence suggests that premenopausal obesity decreases and postmenopausal obesity increases breast cancer risk. While it has been hypothesized that carcinogenesis may be accelerated by a disrupted metabolic homeostasis in obese women, it is unclear why this dual relationship is observed. We here study whether body mass index (BMI) affects (a) age at breast cancer diagnosis and (b) the probability of being diagnosed with a specific breast cancer phenotype, taking menopausal status into account. Patients and methods All patients with non-metastatic operable breast cancer from UZ Leuven diagnosed between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2013 were included (n=7020). Luminal A like (= grade 1 or 2, ER and/or PR positive, HER2 negative), Luminal B like (= grade 3 ER and/or PR positive, HER2 negative), Luminal HER2 like (ER and/or PR positive, HER2 positive), HER2 like (ER and PR negative, HER2 positive) and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC = ER and PR and HER2 negative). For statistical analysis, linear models and logistic regression were used to study respectively the association between BMI and age at diagnosis and BMI and breast cancer phenotype by menopausal status. Results There was a quadratic relationship between BMI and age at breast cancer diagnosis studying the overall population (p We observed a linear relationship between BMI and the probability of being diagnosed with Luminal B like, Luminal HER2 like and HER2 like breast cancer (table 1). This linear relationship interacts with menopausal status for Luminal B like and HER2 like breast cancers (table 1). Conclusion We could not confirm the hypothesis that increasing BMI decreases (increases) age at diagnosis in postmenopausal (premenopausal) women. Obesity does affect the probability of being diagnosed with certain breast cancer phenotypes, but for certain breast cancer phenotypes an interaction with menopause was observed. We presume a potential biological link through BMI between Luminal B and HER2 like breast cancer that needs further exploration. Citation Format: Brouckaert O, Poppe A, Laenen A, Floris G, Leunen K, Berteloot P, Amant F, Vergote I, Smeets A, Weltens C, Peeters S, Van Limbergen E, Wildiers H, Christiaens M-R, Neven P. The impact of body mass index on age at breast cancer diagnosis and breast cancer phenotype. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-10-06.


tion. I have no faith, for instance, in Sidonius' knowledge of astronomy or astrplogy—the Bishop gabbles of climacterics and diastemata with as much solemn humbug as a journalist discussing geodesy. I differ, too, from his explanation of Epistles I. xi and VII. xii. There are also smaller points of difference such as the translation of Ep. II . 2-3, nisi quid tufascinum verere, and the meaning of the concluding words of Ep. IV. 4. 3. Here one could wish that Mr. Stevens had had access to Professor Anderson's forthcoming translation in the Loeb series, or that he had known the small volume of notes on Sidonius published in 1930 by the Cambridge Philological Society.


Book reviewed in this article:

From Tzintzuntan to the "Image of Limited Good": Essays in Honor of George M. Foster. M. Clark, R. Kemper, and C. Nelson.

Essays in Humanistic Anthropology: A Festschrift in Honor of David Bidney. Bruce T. Grindal and Dennis M. Warren.

Cross-Examinations. P. H. Gulliver.

Currents in Anthropology: Essays in Honor of Sol Tax. Robert Hinshaw.


Sustaining green communications in digital data transmission is gaining prime importance, as the 24/7 access networks contribute large electrical power consumption. Presently, the increased number of digital transactions in most of the enterprise network (EN) tremendously increases the volume of data transmitted through out the EN at all the time that would increase the electrical power consumption. We have proposed few operations to redesign the clusters of an enterprise network and we have modeled the cluster redesign problem as an optimization problem and utilized Simulated Annealing (SA) to search for the best re-clustering to reduce traffic at the backbone. The two redesign operations move node and swap nodes as the neighborhood functions in Simulated Annealing are utilized to reduce the traffic at the backbone of the enterprise network and we have extended our algorithm to prove that the decrease in volume of traffic at the backbone decreases the power consumption. We have selected Manchester coding to encode the generated and transmitted data, and it is our basic model to estimate the utilized power. Our simulation results demonstrate that an overall reduction in the backbone traffic after the redesign operations decreases the power consumption by 13% and 3.7% in move node and swap nodes operation, thus offsetting the carbon emissions per year by 45% and 13% respectively.


The study aims at identifing the degree of harmonization between problem solving method used by academic administrators at public universities in Jordan and the steps of design thinking from their point of view. The study population consists of the deans of colleges and their deputies and department heads in Jordanian public universities for the academic year 2016/2017. To reach the study goal، a questionnaire consisting of (44) items divided into seven fields was constructed; reliability and validity were verified as well. Then، it was distributed to the sample of the study with a total of (316) deans of colleges and their deputies and department heads in Jordanian public universities in three regions (north، central and south). The results of the study showed that the degree of harmonization of the method of solving problems used in public universities by administrators with the steps of design thinking from their point of view has significant differences when comparing the reality with the upper limit of the averages (5). The study recommended conducting training courses for the study community in the mechanisms of using design thinking to solve problems.


Abstract The porous metals are known as relatively excellent characteristic such as large surface area, light, lowerheat capacity, high toughness and permeability. The Fe-Cr-Al alloys have high corrosion resistance, heat resistance andchemical stability for high temperature applications. And then many researches are developed the Fe-Cr-Al porous met-als for exhaust gas filter, hydrogen reformer catalyst support and chemical filter. In this study, the Fe-Cr-Al porous met-als are developed with Fe-22Cr-6Al(wt) powder using powder compaction method. The mean size of Fe-22Cr-6Al(wt)powders is about 42.69 µm. In order to control pore size and porosity, Fe-Cr-Al powders are sintered at 1200~1450 o Cand different sintering maintenance as 1~4 hours. The powders are pressed on disk shapes of 3 mm thickness usinguniaxial press machine and sintered in high vacuum condition. The pore properties are evaluated using capillary flowporometer. As sintering temperature increased, relative density is increased from 73% to 96% and porosity, pore size aredecreased from 27 to 3.3%, from 3.1 to 1.8 µm respectively. When the sintering time is increased, the relative densityis also increased from 76.5% to 84.7% and porosity, pore size are decreased from 23.5% to 15.3%, from 2.7 to 2.08 µmrespectively. Keywords: Porous metal, Fe-Cr-Al alloy, Sintering Temperature, Porosity, Pore size


Objective To observe the effect of scalp acupuncture on Lateral Line 1 of Forehead on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion induced arrhythmia in rabbits,and its mechanism.Methods 18 rabbits were randomly divided into 3 groups,namely sham operation group(S group),ischemia-reperfusion group(IR group),scalp acupuncture group(SA group).Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion preparation model was induced by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery.All the indexes(myocardial structure by light microscopy,reperfusion arrhythmia,serum superoxide dismutase(SOD) and malondialdehyde(MDA) content,myocardial Na+-K+-ATPaseand Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPaseactivity) were observed.Results Compared with IR group,the incidence of reperfusion arrhythmia of SA group was progressively decreased(P0.05).The myocardial structure of rabbits were improved after treated with scalp acupuncture.SA rabbits serum MDA was significantly lower(P0.05),SOD,Na+-K+-ATPase,Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPaseactivity was significantly increased(P0.05).Conclusion Scalp acupuncture prevention of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion arrhythmia,which may be related to clearing oxygen free radical and reducing the Ca2+ overload.


The transient nature of jobs is by far the most significant consequence of the economic, industrial, technological and organisational transformation. Permanent jobs are few and many jobs may not continue for long even in the Government sector. The employment scenario and HR environment suggest that only two classifications of jobs remain permanently temporary jobs and temporarily temporary jobs. This implies that job turnover and retention problem will continue to remain bothersome and may become more acute in the coming years.


In examining the problems of a Third World nation in transition, Bye Bye Brasil follows the road of allegory and symbolism rather than the expected route of documentary realism. Traditionally, allegories are created by artists who either wish to avoid censorship of unpermitted views or by those who feel deep ambivalence about the subject they treat: the vehicle of symbolism and allegory helps them to present their mixed feelings, providing them with a richer palette of colors than the blackand-white/good-and-evil spectrum of social documentary. Such artists were Nathanial Hawthorne and F. Scott Fitzgerald, men both amazed and wary of developments in their times; such a man is filmmaker Carlos Diegues, a Brazilian who is at once saddened and optimistic about the social and cultural changes which have accompanied development in his country. Because Bye Bye Brasil is a picaresque allegory, who the principal characters are and what they do is of great importance. At the opening, a traveling road show called "The Caravana Rol i dei" visits a rural town where inhabitants are still untouched by "progress." Leading the troupe is a Magician who proclaims himself to be the "King of Dreams." He is supported by a slatternly rhumba dancer named Salome and by a mute strongman named Swallow. A local boy, Ci co, is restless to leave his village and joins the troupe, bringing with him his pregnant wife, Dasdo. The remainder of Bye Bye Brasil follows the Caravana Rol i dei as it travels through contemporary Brazil. While conscious of the rapidity of social change and aware of the injuries done by such change, Bye Bye Brasil is ambivalent toward the dislocations it investigates. Diegues seems more than ready to grant that rapid industrialization, massive population shifts, and the influx of advanced communications have negative side effects; on the other hand, he does not believe that the traditional society offers a desirable


Abstract Using a novel evaluation toolkit that simulates a human reviewer in the loop, we compare the effectiveness of three machine-learning protocols for technology-assisted review as used in document review for discovery in legal proceedings. Our comparison addresses a central question in the deployment of technology-assisted review: Should training documents be selected at random, or should they be selected using one or more non-random methods, such as keyword search or active learning? On eight review tasks -- four derived from the TREC 2009 Legal Track and four derived from actual legal matters -- recall was measured as a function of human review effort. The results show that entirely non-random training methods, in which the initial training documents are selected using a simple keyword search, and subsequent training documents are selected by active learning, require substantially and significantly less human review effort (P<0.01) to achieve any given level of recall, than passive learning, in which the machine-learning algorithm plays no role in the selection of training documents. Among passive-learning methods, significantly less human review effort (P<0.01) is required when keywords are used instead of random sampling to select the initial training documents. Among active-learning methods, continuous active learning with relevance feedback yields generally superior results to simple active learning with uncertainty sampling, while avoiding the vexing issue of "stabilization" -- determining when training is adequate, and therefore may stop.


Case-based reasoning in color matching.- Estimating software development effort with case-based reasoning.- Applying case-based reasoning to automated deduction.- A Case-based approach for elaboration of design requirements.- Case-Based reasoning in an ultrasonic rail-inspection system.- CBR in a changing environment.- Case-based reasoning for information system design.- Applying memory-based learning to indexing of reference ships for case-based conceptual ship design.- CBR for document retrieval: The FAllQ project.- Combining medical records with case-based reasoning in a mixed paradigm design - TROPIX architecture & implementation.- Ocram-CBR: A Shell for Case-Based Educational Systems.- From troubleshooting to process design: Closing the manufacturing loop.- ForMAT and Parka: A technology integration experiment and beyond.- Encouraging self-explanation through case-based tutoring: A case study.- Lessons learned from deployed CBR systems and design decisions made in building a commercial CBR tool.- Using case-based reasoning for reusing software knowledge.- New technology bliss and pain in a large customer service center.- An engineering approach for troubleshooting case bases.- A large case-based reasoner for legal cases.- A scalable approach for question based indexing of encyclopedic texts.- An explicit representation of reasoning failures.- On the admissibility of concrete domains for CBR based on description logics.- Similarity metrics: A formal unification of cardinal and non-cardinal similarity measures.- The case for graph-structured representations.- The evaluation of a hierarchical case representation using context guided retrieval.- Refining conversational case libraries.- Perspectives: A declarative bias mechanism for case retrieval.- Using introspective learning to improve retrieval in CBR: A case study in air traffic control.- Using machine learning for assigning indices to textual cases.- How case-based reasoning and cooperative query answering techniques support RICAD.- What you saw is what you want: Using cases to seed information retrieval.- On the relation between the context of a feature and the domain theory in case-based planning.- Theoretical analysis of case retrieval method based on neighborhood of a new problem.- The adaptation knowledge bottleneck: How to ease it by learning from cases.- A case study of case-based CBR.- Solution-relevant abstractions constrain retrieval and adaptation.- Selecting most adaptable diagnostic solutions through Pivoting-Based Retrieval.- Towards improving case adaptability with a genetic algorithm.- Merge strategies for multiple case plan replay.- Loose coupling of failure explanation and repair: Using learning goals to sequence learning methods.- Using a case base of surfaces to speed-up reinforcement learning.- PAC analyses of a 'similarity learning' IBL algorithm.- Examining locally varying weights for nearest neighbor algorithms.- Case-based planning to learn.- A utility-based approach to learning in a mixed case-based and model-based reasoning architecture.- Qualitative knowledge to support reasoning about cases.- Integrating rule induction and case-based reasoning to enhance problem solving.- Using software process modeling for building a case-based reasoning methodology: Basic approach and case study.- Stratified case-based reasoning in non-refinable abstraction hierarchies.- Supporting combined human and machine planning: An interface for planning by analogical reasoning.- Using case-based reasoning for argumentation with multiple viewpoints.- Maintaining unstructured case bases.- An analogical theory of creativity in design.- Experimental study of a similarity metric for retrieving pieces from structured plan cases: Its role in the originality of plan case solutions.- Creative design: Reasoning and understanding.- Fuzzy modelling of case-based reasoning and decision.- Probabilistic indexing for case-based prediction.- A probabilistic model for case-based reasoning.- Case based reasoning, fuzzy systems modeling and solution composition.


Extension growth of the chlorophyll-containing roots of Hydrocharis morsusranae was inhibited by 0.5 p.p.m. of 3-(4-chlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (monuron) whereas concentrations close to the water saturation point of 230 p.p.m. were required to inhibit extension growth of the non-chlorophyll-containing attached roots of Zea mays and Phleum pratense and the detached roots of Pisum sativum.A total of 15–20 μg of monuron per gram fresh leaf applied through the cut petiole of detached primary leaves of Phaseolus vulgaris inhibited the increase of dry matter by 90% and suppressed transpiration 40–50%. Internal concentrations of 1–2 μg/g of monuron produced simultaneous enhancement of dry matter increase and of transpiration but concentrations of 5–10 μg/g produced a suppression of dry matter increase concurrently with an enhancement of transpiration. Age of leaf and the time of year in which the plants were grown altered the critical internal concentration levels required to affect dry matter increase and tr...


NEW COMPOUNDS peptidomimetics, UTIL having activity as inhibitors of platelet aggregation are provided. These compounds have the chemical structure (Fig. A), where x = 6-10; Y = 0-4; Z = H, COOH, CONH2 or C1-C6; AR = phenyl, biphenyl or naphthyl, each substituted with 1 to 3 methoxy groups; Or a group phenyl, biphenyl, naphthyl, pyridyl or thienyl alkyl; And ASP = aspartic acid residue.


In the medical field, the determination of the composition of blood and identifying the amount of each component are done only in the laboratory, and the size of the device to do this diagnostic process is huge in the past. Nowadays, researchers have found many compact devices to non-invasively track each parameter in the blood. The strategy proposed in this report is to non-invasively monitor selective blood components using a single wearable device. The uniqueness of the proposed methodology is that it can monitor at least five parameters simultaneously, while only a single or a few parameters are monitored by other devices present on the market today. The parameters are calculated from the fingertips of the patients using different sensors. Diagnostic technology is improving in various development stages where the next generation's race requires machines that are bloodless, painless, precise, and readily understandable. To calculate certain physiological parameters, various biomedical sensors have been successfully introduced. The design presented in this report is a compact one with a long-lasting power supply and data transmission unit capable of supporting the diagnosis of many diseases based on blood parameters. With the assistance of several lightweight sensors, the blood components that can be recorded by these gloves include WBC, hemoglobin, pressure, temperature, pulse rate, and level of oxygen saturation. Non-invasive, painless, rechargeable batteries, weightless, and easy to handle are the main benefits of this device. Without the help of doctors, the principles are comprehensible by the common mob. Also, this device would be more useful for all individuals who need to use a single device often to know about their body conditions.


Traditionally, the U.S. Air Force has written service contracts with detailed specifications about how the work should be performed. That practice is changing. The Air Force is implementing performance-based practices within its service contracts with the expectation that they will improve service quality and reduce costs. A buyer-provider relationship based on performancebased practices differs greatly from the Air Force's traditional, arms-length directive relationships with many service providers who were chosen because they were the lowest bidder. Performance-based contracts describe a desired outcome rather than how to perform the work, evaluate performance based on measurable standards, specify procedures for reducing fees or prices when services do not meet contract requirements, and may include positive incentives for good performance. The Air Force goal is that at least half of all service acquisitions should be performance-based by 2005.


Floating population crimes has been concerned by society. Floating population crimes are increasing according to the analysis of criminal cases and criminals seizure in recent years. To reduce the incidence of the cases,the preventive system has to be strengthened. Moreover,under the direction of the Party and government,special coordinating mechanism should be in place to work with other departments.


The influence of various concentrations of the selected phosphorus-containing stabilizers on the properties of stabilized and unstabilized polyetheretherketone has been investigated by the methods of spectroscopic, thermal and physical-mechanical analysis. The most effective stabilizer was determined, the positive effect of certain concentrations of phosphorus-containing stabilizers on the thermal stability of polyetheretherketone was revealed.


Aim: to investigate the effects of aging on brain glucose consumption on a population of healthy subjects. Materials and methods: 102 chemotherapy-naïve subjects (56 men, 46 women; mean age 57±16 years old; age range 20-89 years) undergoing a whole body 18 F FDG PET/CT and found to be completely negative for various diseases in both PET/CT and contrast enhanced CT (performed contextually to PET/CT scan) were enrolled in the study. Agerelated changes in brain 18 F-FDG uptake were analysed by statistical parametric mapping (SPM8). Results: aging is related to a reduction of brain glucose consumption in right medial frontal gyrus (BA9) and anterior cingulate cortex (BA32) and to an increased 18 F-FDG uptake in right sub-cortical structures (lentiform nucleus, claustrum) and in cerebellum bilaterally. Conclusions: The results of our study suggest that a reduced functioning of ACC and medial PFC occur in the elderly. An increased activation of the cerebellum, lentiform nucleus and claustrummay represent a compensatory mechanism, possibly involved in cognitive decline.


We previously demonstrated in a rabbit liver laceration model that prophylactic administration of PRT064445 (PRT), a recombinant, modified fXa molecule that reverses the anticoagulative effect of fXa inhibitors, decreased blood loss (BL), anti-fXa activity and unbound plasma fraction of rivaroxaban (riva) back to baseline levels [Nature Medicine – in press]. In contrast, administration of rfVIIa or PCC had no effect on blood loss but partially reversed increases in prothrombin times (PT) and activated thromboplastin times (aPTT). In this study, PRT was administered after liver laceration to test whether PRT could mitigate the increase in BL due to riva anticoagulation in a setting of active bleeding. Anesthetized rabbits were administered riva (0.5 mg/kg, IV bolus) and after 30 minutes, the liver was lacerated and allowed to bleed for 10 minutes into pre-weighed gauze to measure BL. A new set of gauze was placed and vehicle or PRT (75, 35, 15 or 5 mg/rabbit) was administered as a 5 minute IV infusion and BL measured for an additional 30 minutes. Serial blood samples were obtained for measurement of total and unbound plasma fraction of riva, anti-fXa activity, plasma concentrations of PRT, PT and aPTT.

Over the first 10 minutes, mean BL for the five riva treated groups was similar, ranging from 6.4 to 9.1 grams, approximately 2-fold above mean non-riva treated groups. At the end of the 10 minutes, mean riva plasma concentration was 0.63 μM with a 76% and 58% increase in PT and aPTT, respectively. Over the next 35 minutes, riva caused a significant (p≤0.001) increase in BL from 5.0±1.9 grams in vehicle controls to 14.0±6.4 grams. The 75 and 35 mg/rabbit PRT doses demonstrated significant (p≤0.05) decreases (62% and 75%, respectively) in BL and reversal of anti-fXa activity, free fraction of riva, PT and aPTT back to baseline, normal levels. The 15 and 5 mg PRT doses showed no significant reductions in BL. When comparing plasma concentrations of PRT to total riva for the 35 mg/rabbit dose, a significant reduction in BL was achieved at an approximate 1:1 molar ratio. These data demonstrate that PRT064445 can reduce BL in a setting of active visceral bleeding due to riva induced anticoagulation using a single bolus administration and this effect correlates with anti-fXa activity and unbound plasma fraction of the anticoagulant. This study exemplifies the capacity of PRT to reverse anticoagulation of direct fXa inhibitors and the potential to reduce bleeding in situations of acute BL in anticoagulated patients.


Objective Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), one of the most difficult epilepsy syndromes to treat, is characterized by a triad of intractable seizures of various types, a slow (< 2.5-hertz) spike-wave pattern in EEG and mental retardation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of lamotrigine as add-on therapy in intractable epilepsy of children with LGS. Materials & Methods


South Africa has a high rate of unemployment. Using the narrow and broad definitions for unemployment,1 the Department of National Planning in the office of the Presidency claims that according to the narrow - official - definition, unemployment stands at 25.3 per cent, while according to the broad - unofficial - definition, it stands at 35.9 per cent (Presidency, 2010, p. 21). Drawing from an analysis of Statistics South Africa Income and Expenditure Survey (IES), the Department of National Planning says that South Africa has a Gini coefficient2 of 0.679 making it one of the most unequal countries in the world (idem, p. 25).In 2011, the Alternate Information and Development Centre (AIDC) facilitated the launch of the Campaign for One Million Climate Jobs in South Africa. This campaign is a collective effort to address the issue of poverty, unemployment and inequality in the context of climate change, and the country's commitment to reduce its carbon emissions. It is supported by the largest South African trade union federation, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), and endorsed by some 40 organizations representing a broad range of civil society formations. On 17 November 2011, representatives of the South African Government, organized labour and the business community signed a Green Accord as part of their commitment to grow the green economy and create 300,000 jobs by 2020 (Economic Development Department, 2011, p. 8). The Campaign for One Million Climate Jobs forms the basis of this paper.Drawing on the literature, this article examines some of the constraints and opportunities that exist for manufacturing in the context of a growing debate on the use of renewable energy (RE). Policy direction of the South African Government in support of its Copenhagen commitments has some bearing on whether the country can shift to a low carbon economy and offset some of the job losses "in the coal mining and electricity generation sectors" (ERC, 2007, p. 15). A short case study on the solar water heater (SWH) industry in the City of Cape Town is included in the discussion to shed some light on working conditions in what many perceive to be a growing segment of the RE sector.While the Green Economy Accord represents a significant step forward and embodies the principle of social dialogue, it is up to the social partners to engage one another to make the Accord a reality. Over the last few months, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) has persistently engaged government and business as part of a broader strategy to consolidate its position on energy policy and empower its shop stewards to deal with matters of energy efficiency and renewable energy. NUMSA convened its first International Energy Conference in February 2012, a Solar Water Heaters Summit in March 2012, and established two Research and Development Groups (RDGs) to coordinate its work in energy efficiency and renewal energy.The paper outlines the role that trade unions can play in the transition to a low-carbon economy, the need to strengthen the engagements with community-based organizations and the importance of promoting international cooperation and solidarity amongst trade unions and global union federations, progressive non-governmental organizations and social movements, in order to accelerate social and economic transformation and to build a clean, safe environment for everyone.Employment potential of the use of renewable energyThe South African Government agrees that the country will have to play its part in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and has committed itself to keeping the temperature increase below 2° C and reducing its emissions by 34 per cent by 2020 and by 42 per cent by 2025 (Department of Environmental Affairs, 2011).Overall, South Africa ranks 13th in the world as a carbon emitter and produced some "446 million tons of C02-equivalent (Mt C02-eq) in 2003" (ERC, 2007, p. …


In this paper we examine empirically how interest rate is related to size of credit limit made available by commercial banks of India and how the underlying relationship varies over well-defined geographical areas of the country. The methodology that we employ for this purpose is known as Fractile Graphical Analysis, which is one of the earliest non-parametric regression technique developed especially to compare two regression functions for two bivariate populations (X, Y ) where the co-variate (X) for the two populations are not necessarily on comparable scales. Our empirical study leads to the conclusion that credit market imperfection exists in the Indian economy.


Professor Tsuyoshi Minami of the University of Tokyo, Japan, is the first person to be awarded the IUPAC Emerging Innovator Award in Analytical Chemistry—an award that recognizes outstanding work undertaken by researchers who are at an early stage of their independent career.


Large-scale spatial population projections are of growing importance to the global change community. Spatial settlement patterns are a key determinant of vulnerability to climate-related hazards as well as to land-use and its consequences for habitat, energy use, and emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants. Few projections exist of spatial distribution at national or larger scales, and while recent efforts improve on earlier approaches that simply scaled or extrapolated existing spatial patterns, important methodological shortcomings remain and models have not been calibrated to nor validated against historical trends. Here we present spatially explicit 100-year projections for the continental United States consistent with two different scenarios of possible socio-economic development. The projections are based on a new model that is calibrated to observed changes in regional population distribution since 1950, corrects for distorting effects at borders, and employs a spatial mask for designating protected or uninhabitable land. Using new metrics for comparing spatial outcomes, we find that our projections anticipate more moderate trends in urban expansion and coastal settlement than widely used existing projections. We also find that differences in outcomes across models are much larger than differences across alternative socio-economic scenarios for a given model, emphasizing the importance of better understanding of methods of spatial population projection for improved integrated assessments of social and environmental change.


In the base isolation system, when the response is controlled, it is said that the semi-active control by the variable damper is effective, because it can decrease the response displacement without raising the absolute acceleration. Authors use Magneto-rheological fluid damper (MR damper) for the semi-active control, and conducted the real time hybrid test that considers the uncertainty of modeling of the MR damper. The results of the real time hybrid test are compared with those of shaking table test and analytical simulation. Thus, the effectiveness of the evaluation of the semi-active control in the base isolation system by the real time hybrid test is verified. In this study, the optimum control theory is used for control techniques.


. Let { X ( k ) ,k ∈ Z + } be a random walk in Z . Assume that its transition probabilities coincide with those of a symmetric random walk with unit steps throughout except for a fixed neighborhood of zero. The weak convergence of the sequence of normalized walks { X n ( k ) = n − 1 / 2 X ( nk ) ,k (cid:2) 0 } n (cid:2) 1 is proved. The main result generalizes a Harrison and Shepp theorem on the weak convergence to a skew Brownian motion in the case where the symmetricity of the random walk fails at a single point. All possible limits for the corresponding random walks are described.


The demographic effects of sex preselection technology are studied by means of mathematical models for completed family size and the sex ratio at birth. It is shown that in the case of an indefinite amount of time available to achieve desired family composition, sex preselection has a substantial effect on completed fertility. When a finite reproductive period is introduced (for example, due to distributions of age at marriage and secondary female sterility) the impact of sex preselection on fertility is greatly reduced. The effect of sex preselection on the sex ratio at birth is pronounced, as illustrated by several hypothetical examples.


A demodulation method comprising: determining samples of a modulated analogue audio signal; according to the signal quality of the modulated analog audio signal to determine at least one distorted sample in the sample; and replacing the distorted sample.