Item-based collaborative filtering is one of most widely used and successful neighborhood-based collaborative recommendation approaches. The main idea of item-based algorithms is to compute predictions using the similarity between items. In such approaches, two items are similar if several users of the system have rated these items in a similar fashion. Traditional item-based collaborative filtering algorithms suffer from the lack of available ratings. When the rating data is sparse, as it happens in practice, many items without any rating in common are present. Thus similarity weights may be computed using only a small number of ratings and consequently the item-based approach will make predictions using incomplete data, resulting in biased recommendations. In this paper we present a two phase method to find the similarity between items. In the first phase a similarity matrix is found by using a traditional method. In the second phase we improve the similarity matrix by using a bicreterion path approach. This approach introduces additional similarity links by combining two or more existing links. The two criteria take into account on the one hand the distance between items on a suitable graph (min sum criterion), on the other hand the estimate of the information reliability (max min criterion). Experimental results on the Netflix and Movielens datasets showed that our approach is able to burst the accuracy of existing item-based algorithms and to outperform other algorithms.


The Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) proposed expanded regionwide residential weatherization program. One aspect of the DEIS was to estimate regionwide health effects resulting from increased levels of radon, formaldehyde, and Benzo-a-pyrene (BaP) that may occur in various residence types. To do this, a simple modeling technique was used in conjunction with data from a survey of regional housing stock. Our results indicated that for the BPA residential service region (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and western Montana) between 8 and 9 additional lung cancers per year above the current level (113 to 114 lung cancers per year) are estimated to occur. The above value is based on assumption that 85% of those homeowners not currently eligible to receive tightening measures would actually participate in the program. If the participation rate is 50 to 55%, then between 4 and 5 additional lung cancers per year are estimated to occur. Described in this paper are the modeling techniques, assumptions, and data used to obtain the above noted values. Also provided is information for the present weatherization program being implemented by BPA and relative uncertainty associated with each estimated health effectmore » value.« less


Acid-base changes during hemodialysis cannot be calculated solely from the balance of acetate and bicarbonate. Organic acid losses strongly influence acid-base balance during hemodialysis. Changes in organic acid concentrations might alter acid-base balance in hemodialysis patients.


In the 90s of the 20th century, Brazil has undergone significant changes in its development model, with the withdrawal of the state from economic activities. We consider how the discourse on privatization constitutes a relevant place for observation of recent Brazilian history. In this period, the privatization of state companies, among them telecommunications ones are performed. This article analyzes, based on the theoretical and methodological principles of discourse analysis in the tradition opened by Michel Pecheux, as the press feeds the imagination of future in the discourse on privatization of telecommunications companies. To do so, in order to understand the discursive relationships established in dominant commercial media, we devote our analysis to a corpus of reports and articles extracted from newspapers Folha de S. Paulo and O Estado de S . Paulo, which, in general, have taken a position in favor of privatization and changes in the Brazilian development model. The analysis shows that the future benefits are designed for the whole society. Thus, the past is represented negatively, because it would have produced bad effects on society and must therefore be rejected and denied in its historical continuity. In this discursive practice, privatization is introduced as a symbolic milestone period related to modernity and the construction of citizenship prosperity that will fall in the future to be built from this event. Positive meanings are focused in the future, which is directly related to privatization. Thus, the privatist position of the analyzed newspapers try to crystallize the sense of 'privado' as something beneficial and desirable, stabilizing a memory for the discursive event of privatization. This management of historical time, therefore, produces a line of continuity between present and future and a rupture between past and present, whose links are deleted to produce positive meaning for the privatization of the telecommunications.


Based on the present analytical method of Econometrics, this article conducts an empirical research on the co-movement of stock price of gold mine enterprises and the international gold price. By analyzing the daily datum from January 2th 2004 to October 20th 2009, the article concludes that there is a relative high correlation between the stock price of gold mine enterprises and the international gold price. At the same time, both of the two have the same trends of fluctuation, but there is no Cointegration relationship between the two and the international gold price is the Grange cause of the fluctuation of gold mine stock, otherwise it is untenable. The findings can be applied to the gold stock price forecasting and avoiding risk during the period of international gold price fluctuating.


OBJECTIVE: To analyze the leukemia mortality trend in children and adults living in Colombia and Bogotá, from 1985 to 2012. METHODS: This observational ecological study analyzed the mortality trend due to lymphoid, myeloid, and all types of leukemia, categorized by age, sex, and residence. Information on deaths and population data was obtained from the National Department of Statistics website. Mortality rates were used to estimate the Average Annual Percent Change (AAPC). RESULTS: Between 0-14 years old group, the mortality rates for leukemia fell during the studied period in Colombia (AAPC = -0.9; 95% CI -1.2, -0.6) and in Bogotá (AAPC = -2.0; 95% CI -2.6, -1.4). However, a statistically significant increase in leukemia mortality rates was observed between 60-69 years old in Colombia (AAPC = 1.1; 95% CI 0.3, 2.0) and ? 70 years old in Colombia (AAPC = 2.0; 95% CI 1.7, 2.4) and in Bogotá (AAPC = 0.9; 95% CI 0.0, 1.7). The ? 70 years old group presented the highest leukemia mortality rates in both places. CONCLUSION: There is a declining trend in mortality for all types of leukemia between the ages 0-14 years in Colombia, most pronounced in the capital. However, there is an increasing trend in the elderly.


The objectives of this study were to investigate the feasibility of encapsulating yeast cells using gellan gum by an emulsification method and to evaluate the fermentation efficiency and the reusability of the micro-bioreactors produced. It was found that yeast cells could be successfully encapsulated to form relatively spherical micro-bioreactors with high specific surface area for mass transfer. Cell viability was found to be reduced by one log reduction after the emulsification process. The ethanol yield of the micro-bioreactors was comparable to that of free yeast in the first fermentation cycle. The micro-bioreactors remained intact and could be re-used up to 10 cycles of fermentation. Despite cell breakthrough, relatively high ethanol yields were obtained, indicating that the micro-bioreactors also functioned as regenerative reservoirs of yeast.


A mononuclear palladium(II) complex (PdCl2(2Et-Azo)2), with sterically bulky ortho-diethylated azobenzenes (2Et-Azo) in the long-lived cis form, was designed to achieve reversible photoswitching originating from a reversible change in its molecular structure. An X-ray crystallographic study indicated that the metal center in the complex has a trans square-planar structure, with two 2Et-Azo ligands coordinated to a palladium ion in a monodentate manner. Alternating UV and visible light irradiation of PdCl2(2Et-Azo)2 gave rise to reversible changes in the molecular structure between the trans and cis forms, confirmed by UV-vis absorption and NMR spectroscopic measurements. Neither significant decomposition nor fast dissociation of PdCl2(2Et-Azo)2 was observed by UV and visible light irradiation. Furthermore, slow thermal back-isomerization occurred over the course of 2 days at ambient temperature, which may be closely related to the stability of the cis form of the ortho-alkylated azobenzene ligand.


Until recently only one species from the genus Orientocreadium was recorded from the southern part of the Primorye Region, far eastern Russia: O. pseudobagri Yamaguti. A new species, Orientocreadium elegans n. sp., was found recently in the yellow catfish, Pelteobagrus fulvidraco in rivers running into Khanka Lake and in the Arsenjevka River (part of the Ussuri River basin). It is distinguished from other species of Orientocreadium by possessing a body that is longer and narrower than Orientocreadium pseudobagri and shorter and narrower than Orientocreadium siluri and Orientocreadium chaenogobii. The suckers of O. elegans n. sp. are smaller than those of all other species of Orientocreadium and the pharynx is smaller than those of O. siluri and O. chaenogobii. Orientocreadium elegans n. sp. has spines on the cirrus and inside the metraterm and has the ovary in the posterior half of the body, differentiating it from O. siluri. Orientocreadiium elegans n. sp. has a cirrus sac that lies on the median line of the body dorsal to the ventral sucker, whereas the cirrus sac of O. pseudobagri passes laterally around the ventral sucker. Both trematode species use Lymnaea spp. snails as their first intermediate host, and tadpoles, freshwater fish and snails as the second intermediate host. The following fish have been recorded as definitive hosts in this region: the Amur sleeper, Perccottus glehni and P. fulvidraco for O. pseudobagri, and P. fulvidraco for O. elegans n. sp.


One of the most, important area.s of investigation in quantum chromodynamics are few-hod3, exclusive reactions initiated by electromagnetic initial states. such as e'e-i HH t+tt-> + ?H. and the two-photon processes 77-+ Hfi shown in Fig. 1. The simplicity. of the photon's couplings to the quark currents and the a.bsence of initial state hadronic interactions allows one to st,ud>. the process of. m. quark ha.dronization at its most basic le\:el-the conjzersion of quarks int.o just one or two hadrons. In the low energ!. threshold regime the quarks interact strong]!. at low rela.tive \velocity to form ordina.ry or exotic resonances: qq. qyy. qq@. yyy. et.c.-At high energies, where the quarks must interact at high momentum transfer. a perturba,tive expansion in powers of the QCD running coupling constant becomes applicable,' leading to simple and elegant PQCD predictions. In this domain one tests not only the scaling and form of element.arl. qua.rk-gluon processes. but also the st,ructure of the hadronic wa\.efunctions themsel\.es, specificall).. the **distribu-tion a.mplitudes " $~(r,, Q?), which describe the binding of quarks and gluons into ha.drons. Physically, $~(n.,, Q) is the proba.bilitJ. amplitude for finding the lralence quarks which carry. fractional momenta a, at impact sepa.ra.tion b, b l/Q. The \.a-lence Fock state of a ha,dron is defined a.t a fixed light-cone time and in light-cone gauge. The 5, = (I;' + Ic ")/(P' + P ") are the boost-invariant momentum fractions which satisfy Ci 2, = 1. Such wavefunction information is critical not onI). for understanding QCD from first principles. but also for a fundament.al understanding of jet hadronization at the amplitude rather than probabilistic level.


Notched and unnotched specimens made of S45C carbon steel were tested under the composite stress which consists of fundamental rotating bending stress of relatively low frequency and superimposed stress of high frequency. The ratio of the frequency of the fundamental cyclic stress to that of the superimposed stress was selected to about 12 for all types of specimens. From the test results, discussion was made on the dependency of the fatigue strength under the composite stress on the type of specimen. It was concluded that when the super-imposed stress was small, the superimposed stress did not affect the fatigue life and such a range of the superimposed stress was decreased with the increase of the stress concentration factor of the notch, and the when the stress concentration factor of the notch was small, the endurance limit under the composite stress was reduced by the effect of the superimposed stress.


In allusion to the characteristics of the information uncertainty during the sensor management process in fusion target recognition system,we proposed a sensor management method for target recognition based on discrimination.From the viewpoint of discrimination and using D-S evidence theory,this method realized the management of sensor resource under the optimization rules to maximize the forecasted recognition discrimination under the restrictions.Experiments show the validity and rationality of this method.


Abstract
In this chapter, we examine the interrelationship between politics of neo-liberalism and practices of equality and diversity at work. In so doing, we illustrate how macro-national politics, in particular the contemporary neo-liberal expansion, impact the definitions, activities, beneficiaries and overall impact of diversity management at the organisational level. The chapter focuses on three fundamental assumptions of neo-liberalism, beliefs in the utility of deregulation (voluntarism), individualism and competition in order to organise economic and social life. The chapter goes on to examine the reflection of these neo-liberal beliefs on construction of diversity management in contexts where neo-liberal politics dominate. The chapter concludes by a critical assessment of how diversity can be freed from the clutches of neo-liberalism, which merely serves to limit the repertoire and imagination of interventions for diversity management.


War, an unsettled and ultimately violent period in Greece, yet one which produced the richest expression in contemporary Greek lit erature. It was during this period that the literary world of Athens demonstrated a collective vitality unequalled before or since, largely under the impetus of one periodical, Ta Nea Grammata, which cele brated good poetry, whether new or established, for almost a decade despite the unpropitious times. But more important, it was during this period that a major poet, George Seferis, revealed his mature voice?the voice that has dominated Greek poetry for the past twenty five years?and the three younger poets mentioned above published verse that remains the most significant new work to have appeared in their country. The poetry that Seferis offered in the early issues of Ta Nea Grammata reflected the prevailing sense of alienation and despair (the "waste land" mood, as the poet himself once called it) which was represented in so much verse written after the First World War; yet in Seferis the mood was colored by a highly distinctive nostalgia. The nostalgia was complex: on one level, it was the longing of a Greek expatriate for his homeland, his landscape beneath a Mediter ranean sky (Seferis has actually lived much of his life abroad in the diplomatic service of his country); on another, more general level, it was the longing of a contemporary sensibility?tormented by the knowledge of what little his times offered to satisfy the spirit?for a lost paradise of heroic values. The poet created a persona uniquely capable of expressing this complex emotion, a figure who speaks with a contemporary voice yet who constantly echoes Homer, specifically Odysseus, the classical hero who is both the prototype of all wander ing exiles and at the same time thoroughly Greek. Seferis's persona is full of the tribulation of Odysseus: his fatigue with the long jour ney, his frustration at the hands of weak companions, his yearning for the return home; yet he does not have quite the same courage and resourcefulness and good luck that finally saved his prototype. In the 77


This study was carried out to test the use of raw zeolite material in drying freshly harvested pepper seeds. Seeds of three pepper cultivars (Carliston, Kandil Dolma, and Yalova Yağlık) were harvested at maturity (65-70 days after anthesis) in two runs (run 1 and 2) in 2019 and dried at 45°C (machine-drying), in the sun (sun-dried) and with zeolite (1:1, seed, zeolite, rate) until seed moisture was reduced to lower than 10%. The time to safe drying was about 20, 40 and 60-100 hours for machine, sun and zeolite drying, respectively. Germination percentages were not significantly different between the drying methods (P<0.05) for all three cultivars. Mean germination time was not affected by drying methods in Yalova Yağlık, but was in both runs for Kandil Dolma and in the second run for Carliston. Drying methods showed insignificant differences (P>0.05) in seedling emergence for Carliston and Yalova Yağlık, but were significant (P<0.05) for Kandil Dolma in both runs. Mean seedling emergence time (d) also changed among the cultivars. Results indicated that raw zeolite has the potential to be used for safe drying of freshly harvested pepper seeds.


This paper reports a new application for amineboranes in the bleaching of wool, a typical example of keratin fibre. It has been found in this investigation that amineboranes are unique reductive bleaching agents that do not attack cystine disulphide bonds in wool keratin and do not impart permanent set to the fibre during bleaching. Selected amineborane compounds can be used in conjunction with oxidative agents such as hydrogen peroxide in aqueous media to further enhance the whitening effect and prevent disulphide bond disruption in keratins. The results of this study have suggested that the researched technology outperforms existing bleaching methods on a number of levels and may be an important step towards a new commercial bleaching technology.


Needs analysis (NA) plays a significant role in developing tasks that create opportunities for natural language use in classrooms. Preemptive NA, however, does not necessarily predict the contingently emerging interpersonal and social variables which influence learners and teachers' behaviours. These unpredictable variables often lead to a gap between what has been planned for a task to achieve and what learners actually get from a task in classrooms. To narrow this gap, this study proposes an analysis of needs at the task implementation stage adopting activity systems analysis (Engestrom, 2001). The study investigates needs in group writing conferences for PhD students, where a task, giving and receiving oral feedback on one another's writing, is implemented. The participants were seven PhD students in two groups of writing conferences led by different facilitators in a thesis writing support program at an Australian university. Data were collected through observation and audiorecordings of writing conference sessions, interviews with the students and the facilitators, and students' written drafts. The collected data were analysed for the relationships between students' motives, participation patterns, and rules/division of labour in the groups. The identified aspects of this activity that require pedagogical innovation concern discursive practice during the sessions, students' motives and interests in engaging the task, the rules of writing manifested through discussion, and ascribed and self-ascribed roles of the students. The study highlights the potential of activity systems analysis for NA in classroom task implementation and proposes a new path to investigating tasks in classroom realities.


Mrs Vernon to Lady De Courcy.

 I really grow quite uneasy my dearest Mother about Reginald, from witnessing the very rapid increase of Lady Susan's influence. They are now on terms of the most particular friendship, frequently engaged in long conversations together, & she has...


"'By experience,' says Roger Ascham, 'we find out a short way by a long wandering.' Not seldom that long wandering unfits us for further travel, and of what use is our experience to us then?"1 At least it may enable us to cry to those who came after, "This way is good. Use it, I implore you!"


1. Decadence, music and the map of European modernism 2. Pessimism and nihilism 3. Degeneration and regeneration 4. Deformation and dissolution 5. Mannerism and avant-garde 6. Convalescence and primitivism.


A structural toy which comprises a plurality of flat rods equipped with grooves along the longitudinal edges having widths corresponding with the thickness of the flat rods and depths corresponding with a quarter of their width. The flat rods have first perforations disposed along their longitudinal axis, adapted for receiving the ends of crosswise connectable further flat rods. The first perforations comprise three at least partly circular sections passing into each other and having diameters and center spacings corresponding with one half of the width of the flat rods. The flat rods have circular second perforations at a distance from their ends corresponding with one half of the width of the flat rods which have a diameter corresponding with one half of the width of the flat rods for the reception of coupling members, and the coupling members have at least one projection adjusted to the diameter of the first and second perforations in the flat rods.


At the dawn of the Fourth Republic in Nigeria there was the quest by legislators to provide visible evidence of "dividends of democracy" to their constituencies. The quest has resulted in the implementation of constituency projects in one form or the other in Nigeria. The operation or implementation of these projects has caused controversy, sometimes resulting in delays in the passage of Appropriation Bills into law. This paper examines the concept of constituency projects in Nigeria, from the point of view of the constitutionality, legality and practicability thereof. The author comes to the conclusion that as laudable as the avowed goal of the concept is, the path to robust constitutionalism in a developing democracy, like Nigeria, is to discontinue constituency projects. Keywords : constituency projects, "dividends of democracy", constitutionality, constitutionalism.


In order to increase the data security and reduce inconveniences in meter reading,a non-contact reader is designed for ultimate embedding into the nonmagnetic water meter system.The system power consumption is lowered as result of combining MSP430 singlechip and MF RC522 chip in the design.By taking advantage of multi-sector and multi-password featured in Mifare 1 S50 card,the dynamic mode of one-encrypting-at-a-time is adopted,which consequently enhances the security of data transfer.In addition,some measures are also taken to prevent users from holding more than one card when interfacing with the system.


The training of convolutional neural networks with large inputs on GPUs is limited by the available GPU memory capacity. In this work, we describe spatially parallel convolutions, which sidestep the memory capacity limit of a single GPU by partitioning tensors along their spatial axes across multiple GPUs. On modern multi-GPU systems, we demonstrate that spatially parallel convolutions attain excellent scaling when applied to input tensors with large spatial dimensions.


Objective To screen peptide ligands of β1-adrenergic receptor (β1-AR) from phage-displayed peptide library. Methods The synthetic peptide of the second extralleular loop of human β1-AR was used to screen the library with affinity selective method. Positive clones was identified with the methods of enzyme linked immuno-sorbent assay and competitive inhibition test. Results After three round washes, two positive phage clones were selected among 30 clones, in which one clone can interrupt purified polyclonal antibody serum against β1-AR binding to β1-AR. Conclusion The peptide ligand can bind to the target specifically.


t The pink bollworm, Pectinophoragossypiellais a key pest of cotton world-wide. In Israel mating disruption sex pheromone is used in all cotton fields and recent repeated outbreaks of the pest populations has suggested a change in the population sex pheromone characteristics. The research goals were to (1) determine the change in pheromone characteristic of PBW females after long experience to Mating Disruption (MD), (2) to test the male's antennae response (EAG) to pheromone characteristics of laboratory, naive females, and of field collected, MD experienced females, (3) to analyse the biosynthetic pathway for possible enzyme variations, (4) to determine the male behavioural response to the pheromone blend involved in the resistance to MD. The experiments revealed that (1) MD experienced females produced pheromone blend with higher ZZ ratio than lab reared (MD naive females) that typically produced ZZ:EE ratio of 1:1. (2) Male's origin did not affect its response to pheromone characteristics of lab or field females. (3) A transcriptome study demonstrated many gene-encode enzymes in the biosynthetic pathway, but some of the transcripts were produced in differing levels in the MD resistant populations. (4) Male origin (field or lab) influenced males' choice of mate with strong preference to females sharing the same origin. However, when MD was applied, males of both populations were more attracted to females originated form failed MD treated fields. We conclude that in MD failed fields a change in the population mean of the ratio of the pheromone components had occurred. Males in these fields had changed their search "image" accordingly while keeping the wide range of response to all pheromone characteristics. The change in the pheromone blend is due to different level of pheromone related enzyme production.


SCOPE AND CONTENTS: An. examination of Le P~~·and Les·~~ leads one to the discovery of Nathalie Sarraute's tmportance in contemporary literature. Through what she calls"sous-conversatiotl." a more realistic view of human condition is attained.


Tremendous progress has been made in determining the structures of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR) and their complexes in recent years. However, understanding activation and signaling in GPCRs is still challenging due to the role of protein dynamics in these processes. Here, we show how dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP)-enhanced magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance in combination with a unique pair labeling approach can be used to study the conformational ensemble at specific sites of the cannabinoid receptor 2. To improve the signal-to-noise, we carefully optimized the DNP sample conditions and utilized the recently introduced AsymPol-POK as a polarizing agent. We could show qualitatively that the conformational space available to the protein backbone is different in different parts of the receptor and that a site in TM7 is sensitive to the nature of the ligand, whereas a site in ICL3 always showed large conformational freedom.


OBJECTIVES
Fetal growth restriction (FGR) remains a challenging condition in diagnosis and monitoring-management strategies. The underlying placental dysfunction may result in severe adverse perinatal outcomes (SAPO) related to fetal hypoxia. The traditional diagnostic criteria for FGR are based on fetal size: small-for-gestational-age (SGA), with a cut-off below the 10th percentile (<p10). This approach is inherently flawed because it often results in over- and underdiagnosis. Some fetuses may not be small, yet challenged with FGR while others may be constitutionally small. The anomaly ultrasound scan at 20 weeks' gestation may be the time to set the benchmark for the individual fetus' growth potential, and we hypothesized that the following fetal growth trajectory from then onwards may be informative of third trimester placental dysfunction. In the current study we aimed to investigate the predictive value of a slow fetal growth trajectory between 18+0-23+6 weeks' and 32-36 weeks' gestation in a large, low-risk population.

METHODS
This was a post hoc data-analysis of the IRIS study, a Dutch nationwide cluster randomized trial assessing the (cost-)effectiveness of routine sonography in reducing SAPO. For the current analysis, we used ultrasound data from the routine anomaly scan at 18+0 to 23+6 weeks' gestation. The second ultrasound was made between 32+0 and 36+6 weeks' gestation. Using multilevel logistic regression, we analyzed whether SAPO were predicted by a slow fetal growth trajectory. A slow fetal growth trajectory was defined as a decline of more than 20 and/or 50 percentiles of the abdominal circumference (AC) and/or the estimated fetal weight (EFW) and as the abdominal circumference growth velocity (ACGV) below the 10th percentile (<p10) in our population. In addition, we combined these indicators of slow fetal growth with SGA: the AC/EFW <p10 and severe SGA: AC/EFW <p3 at 32+0 to 36+6 weeks' gestation.

RESULTS
The current sample comprised the data of 6,296 women, out of whom 82 (1.3%) newborns experienced at least one SAPO. Stand-alone declines of >20 or >50 percentiles of the AC and/or the EFW and ACGV <p10 were not associated with increased odds of SAPO. EFW <p10 between 32+0 and 36+6 weeks' gestation and a decline of the EFW of more than 20 percentiles was associated with an increased rate of SAPO. The combination of AC or EFW <p10 between 32+0 and 36+6 weeks' gestation with ACGV <p10 were also associated with increased odds of SAPO. The odds ratios of these associations were higher if the neonate was SGA at birth.

CONCLUSIONS
In a low-risk population, slow fetal growth trajectory as a stand-alone criterium does not adequately distinguish between growth-restricted fetuses and constitutionally small fetuses. This absence of associations may be the result of diagnostic inaccuracies and/or from post-diagnostic (e.g., intervention and selection) biases. We conclude that new approaches to detect placental insufficiency should integrate the risks of the various informative diagnostic tools. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


We need to change the philosophy of teaching beginning studio art courses on the college level. By we, I mean the large majority of artist teachers in colleges who have by now developed what could be called the Great American Art Curriculum. A look through many catalogs reveals a rich inventiveness in the diversity of titling, numbering and describing of courses, but underlying the semantic diversity is a singular commonality of concept and purpose. There is nothing wrong with that purpose, necessarily, and perhaps there is nothing intrinsically wrong with curricular conformity—except that when and if change becomes necessary, we must be willing to challenge the consensus, no matter how impressive it is numerically.


From the start, civilizations have flourished, declined and revitalized settlements on rivers, lakes, canals and on the more than 850,000 kilometres of coastline that mark the edges of the world's continents and islands. In early days, the prosperous cradle of a sophisticated civilization, Mesopotamia, located in modern day Iraq and Syria, was situated between the lifegiving rivers of Tigris and Euphrates. Also, the ancient societies of Egypt, the Indus Valley and China lived in harmony with life-sustaining and spiritual qualities of water. Small local rivers in Tianjin, China, formerly used for irrigation and farm flooding, now serve as the new waterfront edge for the Zangjiawo residential area. The restored ecological integrity of the river-canal makes it a community asset and a focal point for leisure and socializing for all generations. Throughout the world, cultural history has always been associated with hydrology. The science of aquaculture was also elemental to early societies in South America and in the Mexico Valley where the floating market gardens, chinampas, at the remains of the ancient Lake Xochimilco, are still in use. The man-made islands consisting of large planted rafts between the networks of canals allow for harvesting throughout the year. Historically, there is a long tradition of using water as a sculptural element and object of reverence, an inspiration for creativity, defense, art, agriculture and tourism; at the same time, water power has been harnessed for many centuries for entrepreneurial activities. In the process of settlement, cities such as Venice, Amsterdam, Suzhou and Birmingham thrived on the technology of artificial waterways used for trade, transportation and industry. The mercantile cities of London, Paris, New York, Buenos Aires and Shanghai continue to be lively destinations celebrated for vibrant industrial and civic waterfront identities. Since the late 1980s, the river Thames provided the impetitus for developing the Paddington Basin, The Docklands and the Thames Barrier Park, regenerating some of the most deprived parts of the city and attracting high profile capital investors. Anchored by the bustling water's edge, Tokyo, Chicago and Hong Kong also owe their successful legacies to water routes and the resultant expansion of waterfront commerce, recreation and cultural activities. Renowned for its Victoria Harbour skyline, Hong Kong attracts people to the waterfront, by maritime approach as much as by land, while the Lake Michigan, Chicago and Calumet Rivers provide a dynamic network of water infrastructure contributing to Chicago's evolving identity. In a similar fashion, HonshuIsland, Tokyo Bay and the Pacific Ocean distinguish Tokyo's waterfront as the premier intersection of natural and built environment.


Cashew (Anacardium occidentale), belonging to the family Anacardiaceae, is a major commercial horticultural crop of India. It is
primarily cultivated for its nut, and widely grown in tropical areas.
However, may be due to the high value of the nut, another important
produce from cashew i.e. cashew apple, has been neglected all along
without any utilization. Cashew apple is very tasty and is highly
nutritious. It is comparable with many other tropical fruits in its
nutritive value and contains more vitamin C and riboflavin. It is
not commercially used in India, except in Goa where it is profitably
used for the production of feni. The cashew apple, weighing about
8-10 times that of the nut, is an equally valuable produce from the
crop, if it is economically exploited. Cashew apple is a pseudo fruit
formed by the swollen receptacle and is highly nutritious and is a
valuable source of sugar, minerals and vitamins. Ripe apple is very
juicy and spongy having a unique flavour and smell. The astringent
and acid principles in cashew apple produce a rough unpleasant and
biting sensation on the tongue and throat, major drawback of the
fruit which prevents the consumption of fresh fruits and the tannin
content varies from 0.06 to 0.76g per 100 g. This in fact limits the
utilization of cashew apple as fresh fruit as well as raw material in
the fruit processing industry [1,2]. Hence the removal of astringency
is the primary step in cashew apple processing. Large number of
technologies has been developed by various research stations in
India, more specifically Cashew Research Station, Madakkathara,
Kerala Agricultural University, Vellanikkara, Thrissur, Keralka India,
for the economic utilization of cashew apple by processing it into
various value added products.


Artificial satellites perform downlink communication or transmission with earth stations. These transmissions are made from an array of antennas chosen to increase directivity and gain in the transmission of the electromagnetic signal. It occurs that the signal from the array of antennas can infer a disturbance by electromagnetic acceleration, which results in disturbances in the orbital components of the satellite. Taking the StarOne C1 satellite, with EIRP = 44 W, mass = 1918 kg and with a planar antenna array, we developed an acceleration model for this type of antennas. A satellite orbiter propagator was developed by the Runge-Kuta method, and from the technical characteristics of this satellite and the state vector values (position and velocity), we were able to calculate an electromagnetic acceleration of the order of 10^{-9} m/s^{2}.


One-parameter criterion for 2-equipped posets with respect to cerepresentations is stated and proved. The list of sincere one-parameter 2-equipped posets is given as well as a complex matrix classification of all their indecomposables corepresentations. Relations between dimensions of indecoposable corepresentations and roots of the Tits quadratic form are also established.


Metallurgical processing factors like kinetic and thermodynamic parameters which are essential for modeling of γ′ phase precipitation have been studied. These parameters include γ′ solvus temperature, Gibbs free energy of dissociation of the γ matrix to form γ′, nucleation rate, effective diffusivity and interfacial energy. Nucleation methods and effect of cooling rate on the final phase structure have been analyzed. Co based superalloys have been studied as a potential  and promising material for aerospace applications. Effect of microporosity on the mechanical properties of Superalloys has also been analyzed.


In this note we exhibit an interpolant for a certain valid implication ╞ φ → ψ, where φ and ψ come from the infinitary language Lω1ω1 . The existence of this interpolant follows from Takeuti's heterogeneous interpolation theorem [5], but unfortunately the proof in [5] is not explicit enough to allow one to find the interpolant explicitly. Takeuti's theorem asserts the existence of an interpolant in the class Lω1ω1 of heterogeneous formulas, which admits the rules of formation of Lω1ω1 plus the following additional rule:


This study was conducted to determine the effect of professionalism, organizational commitment, leadership style and organizational culture on auditor performance. This research was conducted at the Public Accounting Firm in Pekanbaru. This data collection was carried out by giving a questionnaire of 30 copies, which were distributed to respondents who were senior auditor staff and junior auditor staff. The data obtained were then analyzed using SPSS version 22.0. the results of this test indicate that professionalism, organizational commitment, leadership style and organizational culture have a positive and significant effect on auditor performance. The contribution of the influence of the independent variable to the dependent variable was 89.8% while the remaining 10.2% was influenced by other variables. Keywords: Professionalism, Organizational Commitment, Leadership Style, Organizational Culture, Auditor Performance


SUMMARY The paraoxonase 1 (PON1) is recently considered as a new antioxidant enzyme, involving in inhibition of LDL oxidation and in inflammatory response in some species but not in rabbits. The aim of the study was to investigate the variations of the PON1 activity and of antioxidant systems globally assessed throughout the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and the concentrations of low molecular thiol compounds (glutathione) in plasma from male White New Zealand rabbits (n = 7) experimentally subcutaneously infected with Staphylococcus aureus (highly virulent field strain, 8х10 8 c.f.u./mL, 100 mL) for a 21 days long period after inoculation. Whereas the antioxidant markers remained stable in untreated control rabbits (n = 6), significant decreases in PON1 activity, FRAP values and thiol concentrations compared to the initial and control values were recorded on day 1, 2 and 3, respectively in infected rabbits and have persisted until the 7th day for the enzyme activity, the 14 th day for the FRAP value and the 21st day for the thiol concentrations. These results show that PON1 may be considered as a negative acute-phase protein in rabbits and that the acute bacterial S. aureus infection in rabbits is coupled to impairment in systemic antioxidant systems.


The fish species of Ikpa River were collected at Ntak Inyang, Ikpa River in Itu, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria for six months (May to October, 2009) using cast nets and gill nets. Nineteen freshwater fish species belonging to twelve families and five orders in a total of four hundred and fifty-six (456) fish specimens were encountered.


This paper deals with initial results by using Augmented Reality and Transversal System of Teaching-Learning (TSTL) to teach anatomy in an undergraduate course of Physical Education. The ongoing project aims to use existing and low-cost resources in lessons to promote accessibility and school inclusion. The resources needed for this research are smartphones in the perspective of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) and VR cardboards as an optional feature to increase immersion. This research is qualitative, and its methodology is grounded in action-research. Analysis of data collected were based in the theory of Structural Cognitive Modifiability (SCM) of Reuven Feuerstein.


This paper presents an enhanced method for data compression using a wavelet transform, to be applied in power systems signals for quality evaluation. The proposed approach is based on a previous estimation of the sinusoidal components of the signal under analysis, so that it could be subtracted from the original data in order to generate a transient type signal, which is subsequently applied to the compression techniques. The approach employs the Kalman filter and the adaptive notch filter techniques to provide the estimation of the sinusoidal components. Taking into account the wavelet property of sparse representation makes an improvement in the compression rate and in the signal degradation is attained. Finally, a proposed frame format to store the coded signal is presented.


The catalyst deactivation in the repeated hydrotreatments of asphaltene in petroleum residues, coal liquids and their mixture was comparatively studied in the single- and two-stage reactions, using the same commercial Ni-Mo/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} catalysts in the batch autoclave. The less catalyst deactivation as well as higher performances in the denitrogenation (>80%) and upgrading of coal liquid were obtained in the two-stage hydrotreatment of 390{degree}C-2h and 430{degree}C-2h. The increase of the catalyst weight which causes the decrease of the activity was considerably less in the two-stage reaction. The two-stage hydrotreatment, which allows a combination of best catalysts in the respective stages under most appropriate conditions for their best performances, can be further effective in the upgrading of heavy residual hydrocarbons.


This study aims: to find out the use of media images in learning Indonesian in class VIII.H students at SMP Negeri 12 Mataram Odd Semester in the Academic Year 2021/2022. And to find out the increase in Indonesian learning outcomes through the use of media pictures of class VIII.H students of SMP Negeri 12 Mataram Odd Semester 2021/2022 Academic Year. This research was designed using Classroom Action Research. The subjects in this study were class VIII.H students of SMP Negeri 12 Mataram, totaling 31 people, consisting of 15 female students and 16 male students. While the research procedure goes through the stages of Planning, Action Implementation, Observation, and reflection. The results showed that the results of learning Indonesian for class VIII.H students of SMP Negeri 12 Mataram in the 2021/2022 academic year, using media images could be improved with the final result of the study being the class average before the action of 69.06 or classical completeness of 61.29 %, to 73.68 or 74.19% classical completeness in cycle I, increased to an average of 74.84 or 77.55% in cycle II and increased to an average test of 80.45 or 100% in cycle III. From the results of student observations it was shown that there was an increase in student activity in cycle I obtained a score of 17 or 60.70% to 20 or 71.43% in cycle II and 24 or 85.17 in cycle III. The increase in student activity in learning Indonesian was supported by the increase in teacher activity in maintaining and improving the learning atmosphere using media images, this can be seen from the observations of teacher activities where in cycle I a score of 22 or 61.10% was obtained, becoming 26 or 72, 23% in cycle II and increased to 33 or 86.12% in cycle III.


A critical aspect of formal help-giving tasks in the enterprise is finding the right expert. We built and evaluated a tool, Find an Expert, to examine what the most important expert selection criteria are for help-seekers and how to represent them in expert selection interfaces for formal help-giving tasks. We observed users' expert selection decisions and found that the diversity of topic expertise and the amount of related experience were significantly important in helping users decide which expert to contact. Through self-reported data from users, we found that in addition to expertise and experience, expert accessibility indicators, like online availability and language proficiency, were considered important criteria for selecting experts. Finally, publicly-displayed crowdsourced ratings of experts, while deemed useful indicators of expert quality by help-seekers, raised concerns for experts. We conclude with suggestions regarding the design of expert selection interfaces for formal help-giving tasks.


In this paper, I discuss exploitative transactions in bioethics. The most problematic case is what Allan Wertheimer calls "mutually advantageous exploitation": the weak party's (W's) consent for the transaction is an effective and rational consent. Moreover, W does not suffer any harm by the transaction; on the contrary, the transaction benefits W. My aim in this paper is twofold. From the perspective of individual ethics, I offer a model to conceive the nature of the wrongfulness of strong party's action. From the perspective of legal ethics, I suggest some reasons to believe that the prohibition of beneficial, exploitative, contracts is problematic and can only be justified in very exceptional cases.


Sexual assault of women is a common worldwide problem, with such violence being perpetrated by women's intimate partners as well as other types of persons (acquaintances, friends, family members other


The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the genotypes and body condition on the carcass dressing of lambs finished in feedlot. Twenty-four Santa Ines and 24 ½ Dorper × ½ Santa Ines crossbred lambs averaging 19.8 kg of weight and 103 days old were used in the trial. The adaptation period to the facilities and diet was of 14 days. The animals received complete ration with 30% of manicoba hay (Manihot pseudoglaziovii) and 70% of concentrate. The experimental design consisted of a completely randomized 2 × 3 factorial design (two genotypes and three corporal conditions) with different number of replicates. No differences between genotypes for the quantitative carcass traits studied were observed, except for the percentage of internal fat, fat thickness in the fat condition and dressing of the leg and rib in the intermediate corporal condition. The effect of the body condition within the genotype increases the internal fat percentage, fat thickness, compactness index of the carcass and weights of the saleable cuts, except for the weight of the neck in Dorper × Santa Ines crossbred lambs.


Abstract Background The relationship between schizophrenia and depression is complex. Longitudinal studies on the course of depression in first episode schizophrenia populations are scarce and there are conflicting results on the predictive value of some baseline measures. Methods We conducted an open label longitudinal cohort study which included 126 patients with first-episode schizophrenia spectrum disorders treated with long-acting antipsychotic medication over 24 months. Depression was assessed at three monthly intervals using the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia. Changes in depression over time were assessed using the linear mixed-effect models for continuous repeated measures. The relationship between depression and other clinical parameters was assessed with regression models. Results Depressive symptoms were most prominent at baseline and showed highly significant reductions in the first three months (p<0.0001). Majority of the patients with depression improved with antipsychotic medication alone and we found associations between depressive symptoms with insight and poorer quality of life, however only illness awareness (p=0.0035) was the only significant predictor on depression in our regression analysis. There were a few differences between patients who experienced depression during the acute phase of treatment and those in the post-acute phase. Discussion Our findings suggest that depression in schizophrenia is common and generally responds well to treatment. The relationship between depression and insight has implications for further treatment considerations


This paper proposes dot sensitivity analysis of a current region for topology optimization. A continuum shape sensitivity formula is employed to derive a dot sensitivity formula in a simple closed form. The derived dot sensitivity formula provides the information on where the current dots should be created for topology optimization. This is necessary to generate the current dots in a vacant region of the design domain. Because this dot sensitivity analysis can obtain various topologies of material distribution, the possibility of local optimum convergence is reduced. Furthermore, because this dot sensitivity analysis does not require a specific initial design, its numerical implementation is simple. This dot sensitivity method is combined with the level set method to perform topology optimization. To demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed method, it is applied to two optimization problems of magnetic resonance imaging.


We investigated the effect of amending soil with olive mill by-products by examining soil characteristics and nitrifying and heterotrophic bacteria content, in comparison with non-amended soils. The effect of the amendment on organic carbon content was also evidenced. No differences were revealed in terms of heterotrophic bacteria, whereas the addition of olive mill by-products increased nitrifying bacteria content in soils with the addition of organic mixtures containing olive mill wastes. Two nitrifying bacterial strains were isolated from amended soils and given the names ISAFOM-B3 and ISAFOM-C2; 16S rDNA gene sequencing assigned them to the genus Arthrobacter and to the α-Proteobacteria subclass, respectively. A higher nitrate content was revealed in enrichment cultures prepared with amended soils when compared to non-amended ones. Nitrifying bacteria were imaged by fluorescent in situ hybridisation. A high total organic carbon content was detected in the amended soils, with an improvement of the humification indexes. This study suggests a positive effect of the addition of olive mill by-products on soils.


Book review of Paul Robert Magocsi. This Blessed Land: Crimea and the Crimean Tatars. Chair of Ukrainian Studies, University of Toronto, 2014. Distributed by U of Toronto P. vi, 154 pp. Illustrations. Maps. Notes. Select English-language bibliography. Illustration Sources and Credits. $27.95, cloth.


This presentation was given as part of the Islamic Law and International Law Conference 2011 by Dr Hossein Esmaeili of the Flinders University Law School. The conference was hosted by the Brunel Law School on the 9th September 2011.


On Sunday morning, 23 February 1997, the world awoke to a technological advance that shook the foundations of biology and philosophy. On that day, we were introduced to Dolly, a 6-month-old lamb that had been cloned directly from a single cell taken from the breast tissue of an adult donor. Perhaps more astonished by this accomplishment than any of their neighbors were the scientists who actually worked in the field of mammalian genetics and embryology. Outside the lab where the cloning had actually taken place, most of us thought it could never happen. Oh, we would say that perhaps at some point in the distant future, cloning might become feasible through the use of sophisticated biotechnologies far beyond those available to us now. But what many of us really believed, deep in our hearts, was that this was one biological feat we could never master. New life—in the special sense of a conscious being—must have its origins in an embryo formed through the merger of gametes from a mother and father. It was impossible, we thought, for a cell from an adult mammal to become reprogrammed, to start all over again, to generate another entire animal or person in the image of the one born earlier.


The activity in the default mode network (DMN) rapidly fluctuates in different conscious states during wakefulness and sleep, indicating the high complexity of the DMN in consciousness. Tracking the dynamics of these fluctuations is critical for deeply understanding the physiological mechanism of consciousness. Herein, we address this issue by elucidating the dynamics of local field potentials (LFPs) of the rat DMN in different conscious stages during wakefulness and sleep. We novelly propose a coactive micropattern (CAMP) algorithm to evaluate the configurations of rat DMN dynamics, and further reveal the relationship between DMN dynamics with consciousness. From DMN gamma activity (40-80 Hz) across wakefulness and sleep, three spatially stable CAMPs were detected, a common low-activity level micropattern (cDMN), an anterior high-activity level micropattern (aDMN) and a posterior high-activity level micropattern (pDMN). A dynamic balance across CAMPs emerged during wakefulness and was disrupted in sleep stages. In the slow wave sleep (SWS) stage, the cDMN became the primary activity pattern, while the aDMN and pDMN were the major activity patterns of DMN activity in the rapid eye movement sleep (REM) stage. Additionally, further investigation revealed a certain level of phasic relationships between CAMPs and the up-down states of the slow DMN activity in the SWS stage. Our study reveals that the dynamic configurations of CAMPs were highly associated with consciousness levels, and provides a potential three-state model in DMN dynamics for consciousness during wakefulness and sleep. Impact Statement In the current study, a novel coactive micropattern method (CAMP) was developed to elucidate fast DMN dynamics during wakefulness and sleep. Our findings show that the dynamic configurations of DMN activity are specific to different conscious stages and provide a three-state DMN CAMP model to depict consciousness levels, thus revealing a potentially new neurophysiological representation of consciousness levels. This work could deepen our knowledge of the DMN dynamics underlying different conscious stages and have important implications for the theoretical understanding of the neural mechanism of consciousness during wakefulness and sleep.


Global Group is a actively engaged in imparting financial assistance for low intrest Car loans and Property loans in Bhopal.Global group is into the sale of used car loan in Bhopal.


Development of three-dimensional (3D) cultures that mimic in vivo tissue organization has a pivotal role in the investigation of the involvement of cell adhesion and polarity genes in the pathogenesis of epithelial cancers. Here we describe a novel 3D culture model with primary mouse endometrial epithelial cells. In this model, isolated endometrial epithelial cells develop single-lumened, polarized glandular structures resembling those observed in endometrial tissue. Our in vitro 3D culture model of endometrial glands requires the use of serum-free defined medium with only epidermal growth factor and insulin as growth supplements and 3% Matrigel as reconstituted extracellular matrix. Under these culture conditions, glands of epithelial cells displaying typical apicobasal polarity and proper positioning of tight and adherent junctions are formed by hollowing as early as 7 to 8 days in culture. Addition of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor LY294002 completely inhibits bromodeoxyuridine incorporation and cyclinD1 expression, confirming that in vitro growth of endometrial glands depends on phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt signaling. To prove that our culture method is a good model to study endometrial carcinogenesis, we knocked down E-cadherin or phosphatase and tensin homolog expression by lentivirus-delivered short hairpin RNAs. Down-regulation of E-cadherin resulted in complete loss of epithelial cell polarity and glandular formation, whereas


Souvenirs with soul - 800 years of pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, Michael Houlihan tourism and material culture in Turkey, Jennifer Scarce reproducing India - international exhibitions and Victorian tourism, Nicky Levell from earliest contacts - an examination of Inuit and Aleut art in Scottish collections, Briony Crozier exotic souvenirs of the travelling surrealists, Louise Tythacott women's suffrage souvenirs, Katherine Bradley "souvenir gifts" as tokens of filial esteem - the meanings of Blackpool souvenirs, Gerald Mars and Valerie Mars transformations of the tourist and souvenir - the travels and collections of Philla Davis, Andrew West contemporary crafts as souvenirs, artefacts and functional goods and their role in local economic diversification and cultural development, Graeme Evans tourism and Ainu identity, Hokkaido, Northern Japan, Jane Wilkinson Awaji Ningyo - its changing role within a local, national and international community, Jennifer Verlini stealing souls for souvenirs -or why tourists want "the real thing", Stephanie Bunn tourist markets and Himalayan craftsmen, Ken Teague ceramic arts of Peru and Ecuador - echoes of the Prehispanic past and influences of the tourist present, George Bankes souvenirs from Kambot (Papua New Guinea) -the sacred search for authenticity, Roberta Colombo Dougoud souvenirs, ethics and aesthetics - some contemporary dilemmas in the South Pacific, Nick Stanley Kente connections - the role of the Internet in developing an economic base for Ghana, Margaret Grieco Dalecarlian masks - one souvenir's many voices, Monica Hanefors and Tom Selwyn the "Whimsey" - a part of American and Canadian Victoriana, Ian West.


Purpose – This study aims to examine how technology readiness (TR) influences customers' perception and adoption of self‐service technologies (SSTs) through development of an empirical model to explore the relationships among TR, perceived service quality, satisfaction and behavioral intentions toward SSTs.Design/methodology/approach – A theoretical framework is proposed to suggest the links between the four constructs. Extant research and concepts from various fields, including marketing, psychology and information system (IS), are reviewed, deriving six hypotheses. Data from SST users is examined through structural equation modeling (SEM).Findings – Results indicate TR influences perceived SST service quality and behavioral intentions, while perceived SST service quality has a positive impact on customer satisfaction and behavioral intentions toward SSTs.Research limitations/implications – This study represents an early attempt at explaining the role of TR in customer SST usage. Future research directio...


Optical absorption measurements of the 2.0‐eV band and photoluminescence measurements of the 1.9‐eV emission, excited by various excitation bands, were carried out on high‐purity silica glasses subjected to γ‐ray irradiation. Two, and possibly three, different forms of nonbridging oxygen hole centers were deconvoluted from the results of the isochronal annealing experiments. The difference in the peak wavelength of the 2.0‐eV absorption and 1.9‐eV luminescence bands among various forms of nonbridging oxygen hole centers is reported.


Many reservoirs in the Central Graben of the North Sea have pore pressures which are close to the lithostatic pressure. Simple 1-dimensional basin modelling of overpressure generation due to disequilibrium compaction does not generate sufficient pressure to match the observed pressure in these reservoirs. Several other mechanisms have been presented in the literature to explain these near-lithostatic pore pressures. One of the most often cited is the generation of overpressure due to gas, either directly, by generation in the source rock or the cracking of oil to gas in a reservoir. In this paper we examine the conditions necessary for gas generation to produce the present day overpressure.


The problem of infertile marriage in recent decades has become one of the most acute in both medical and social aspects. In the conditions of the economic crisis, the decline in the birth rate and the high level of overall mortality, the problem of protecting the reproductive health of the population acquires special social significance. Infertility is important not only for specific families, but also affects society as a whole, reducing the social and professional activity of the reproductive group of the population.
The objective: to analyze sexual dysfunctions in men with infertility in marriage, caused by tuboperitoneal pathology in women, and to determine the effectiveness of treatment using the combined use of dietary supplements.
Materials and methods. Were examined 105 men with infertility in marriage, the cause of which was recognized as tuboperitoneal pathology in women. The age of patients in group 1 ranged from 23 to 56 years; group 2 – from 24 to 54 years old (average age – 34.1 ± 0.7 years and 33.6 ± 1.1 years, respectively; p>0.05). The sexual dysfunctions of the patients were studied by means of a survey. The questions and options for assessing the answers to them were based on the International Index of Erectile Function. To improve the psychoemotional state and restore sexual functions, all patients underwent rational psychotherapy. Dietary supplements produced by Harmony Ukraine Ltd. were prescribed for use in 63 patients, 42 men did not receive additional treatment.
Results. In the course of the study, it was found that in men from couples, the cause of infertile marriage in whom tuboperitoneal pathology in women was previously recognized, manifestations of sexual dysfunctions are rare intimate relationships, decreased sex drive, impaired erectile function.
The use of dietary supplements against the background of rational psychotherapy leads to an improvement and normalization of male sexuality, namely: an increase in the frequency of intimate relationships, an increase in sexual desire, the presence of a persistent, prolonged, controlled erection during intercourse, and the emergence of more vivid orgasmic sensations.
The positive effect of therapy with the inclusion of dietary supplements was noted by 92.1% of men, 69.9% of patients were very satisfied with the treatment. Men who received only rational psychotherapy indicated its effectiveness in 23.8% of cases (p<0.001), very high efficiency – in 19.0% of cases (p<0.001).
Conclusion. It is advisable to include dietary supplements in the complex of therapy for men with infertility in marriage due to tuboperitoneal pathology in women with sexual dysfunctions.


The key aspects and features of the two main forms of market-based mechanism to address climate change are what are commonly referred to as a carbon tax and an emissions trading scheme (ETS) (sometimes known as a cap-and-trade system) are discussed. Measures aimed at environmental ends may qualify for exemption under Article XX of the GATT.


The Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) is a revolutionary feed-forward neural network learning technique that functions on a single hidden layer. It is based on the idea that the more information a neural network has, the better it can learn (SLFNs). It uses a random process to set the weights of the hidden neurons and uses the Moore-Penrose (MP) generalised inverse to analytically compute the weights of the output neurons. Both of these computations are done in parallel. ELM does not require iteration for the calculation of the SLFN parameters, in contrast to the sluggish gradient descent- based learning techniques that are typically used for SLFN. This is because the parameters for the hidden layer are initialised in a random manner and are maintained throughout the knowledge procedure. In addition, the output burdens are determined systematically. In most cases, this modification makes the input statistics more identifiable in the ELM topographies space, which makes it easier to solve the underlying or connected problems. In addition to its lightning-fast learning, the ELM algorithm also delivers outstanding results in terms of generalisation. This comes as a bonus to its lightning-fast learning. When classifying and clustering the data for this research article, we make use of ELM in conjunction with random projection (RP). It is conceivable that the choices could be cut in half. The first one is intended for use with enormous datasets, whereas the second one works much better with more limited ones. Building a small network with a strong generalization performance, while utilizing a limited neurons count in the secreted level is the goal of this research paper.


THIS PAPER EXAMINES THE ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES OF THE IMAGE UNDERSTAND- ING ARCHITECTURE THAT SUPPORT RECONFIGURATION IN ITS LOW- AND INTERMEDIATE- LEVEL PROCESSORS. AT THE LOW LEVEL A VARIATION OF THE RECONFIGURABLE MESH, CALLED THE COTERIE NETWORK IS EMPLOYED TO ACHIEVE A MODE OF PARALLELISM THAT WE TERM `MULTIASSOCIATE.'' PROCESSORS AT THE INTERMEDIATE-LEVEL ARE CONNECTED VIA A FULLY RECONFIGURABLE NETWORK THAT IS CENTRALLY CONTROLLED. IN ADDITION TO THE DESCRIPTION OF THESE TWO NETWORKS, SEVERAL EXAMPLES ARE PRESENTED THAT ILLUSTRATE THEIR USE.


of increased intracranial pressure (ICP) without a recognizable cause, typically associated with headache and papilledema. The historic term "benign intracranial hypertension" has been abandoned in modern clinical practice. IIH is used to indicate the clinical features of increased ICP secondary to nonobstructive causes, as elevated ICP is associated with a significant risk of vision loss. IIH is most prevalent in women of gestational age, although it can, rarely, affect men and children, and in those groups often has atypical features. Although the specifi c cause of IIH is unknown, it has been closely associated with obesity and has increased in prevalence parallel to rising obesity rates. In this review, we discuss emerging aspects in the clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment of IIH to update a review published in this series in 2013. Epidemiology and Pathophysiology Past reviews have demonstrated the incidence of IIH in the general population to be 0.5 to 2.0 per 100,000 people, increasing to 19.3 per 100,000 in overweight women of gestational age. The incidence of IIH has doubled over the past 2 decades in parallel to the obesity epidemic in the United States and elsewhere. The frequent co-occurrence of IIH and obesity suggests that truncal obesity may cause high intra-abdominal pressure that is transmitted to the superior vena cava and inhibits venous drainage from the brain. However, incidence rates and symptoms differ between obese men and women, suggesting that factors other than obesity are at play, and the infl uence of hormonal factors has been speculated. More than 90% of patients with IIH are female. Therefore, any male patient with presumed IIH should be evaluated closely for secondary causes of raised ICP such as venous sinus thrombosis. Men with IIH also have a higher risk of vision loss than women. Although obesity and sex are the largest risk factors in adults, there is no association with obesity in children.


Objective — The objective of this study was to investigate the possible relationship between the TGF-b1 gene C-509T and T869C polymorphisms and rheumatic heart disease (RHD), as well as their clinical significance. Methods — Seventy-three patients with RHD diagnosed by echocardiography (mean age 31.7 ± 14.7 y, male: female ratio 20:53) and, fifty-five age and sex-matched unrelated healthy volunteers (normal control) were included. Patients were classified according to age into children (n = 24, mean age 14.4 ± 3.1 y, and adults (n = 49, mean age 40.2 ± 9.9 y). TGF-b genomic DNA was extracted and amplified using primers specific for C-509T and, T869C polymorphisms. Genotyping was performed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis (RFLP). Results — T869C TT genotype was found significantly more frequently in RHD (total population) (OR: 3.27; [95% CI: 1.13-9.46]; P = 0.02), in children (OR: 6.0; [95% CI: 1.74-20.65]; P = 0.002) and in patients with combined valvular disease (CVD) (OR: 4.06; [95% CI: 1.32-12.48]; P = 0.01) compared to control subjects. 869T allele frequency was significantly higher in adults (OR: 1.89; [95% CI: 1.07-3.33]; P = 0.02), children (OR: 2.32; [95% CI: 1.16-4.66]; P = 0.01) and the total population (OR: 2.02; [95% CI: 1.21-3.39]; P = 0.006). C-509T genotypes distributions were not different between RHD patients and control subjects. However, -509T allele seems to confer susceptibility to RHD (OR: 1.78; [95% CI: 1.02-3.11]; P = 0.04). Both adults and children showed no significant difference in the genotypes distribution and allelic frequencies of TGF-b1 C-509T polymorphism. In addition, genotype distribution and allelic frequencies of C-509T or T869C did not have any relation with the severity of the valvular affection. Conclusion — TGF-b1 T869C TT genotype, 869T allele and 509T allele are possible risk factor for RHD in Egypt. Future studies on larger populations are warranted.


An otherwise healthy 42-year-old woman presented to our service with a seven-year history of symmetrical telangiectatic lesions that initially appeared on her feet and then progressively spread to the lower extremities, abdomen, and arms. She was asymptomatic, without photosensitivity or bleeding lesions. Her family medical history was unremarkable for vascular diseases, and she denied the use of any medications. The physical examination revealed numerous punctuate, non-raised, reticulated, and reddish lesions that blanched with pressure, mostly located on her legs but also on her arms, abdomen, and lower neck (Fig. 1). The nails and mucosa were spared of lesions. Darier's sign was negative. Complete blood count, complete metabolic panel, and coagulation tests were all normal. Antinuclear antibodies, anti-DNA, anti-Ro, and anti-La antibodies were negative. Chest x-ray, CAT scan, and venous Doppler were all normal. A skin biopsy taken from one of the leg lesions showed superficial ectatic blood vessels with thick walls within the papillary dermis and a perivascular eosinophilic amorphous material without inflammatory infiltrate or red blood cell extravasation. Epidermis and adnexal structures were normal (Fig. 2a,b). Immunohistochemical stain with CD34 antibody showed the endothelial basement located between normal endothelial cells and perivascular material. This material was emphasized by collagen type IV antibody stain, and it showed a concentric laminated distribution around the ectatic vessels (Fig. 2c,d). A diagnosis of cutaneous collagenous vasculopathy (CCV) was made. Laser therapy with 585 nm pulsed dye laser (PDL) at 8 J/cm of fluence, 2 ms, and 7 mm spot size was started first on the legs, and when some blanching was obtained with this treatment modality, it was then applied to the rest of the body (Fig. 3) once a month.


Gaucher disease (GD) is a lysosomal storage disorder that occurs due to an inherited inborn error of metabolism. GD manifested due to the deficient activity of the glucocerebrosidase enzyme that results in the accumulation of the harmful glucocerebrosides glycolipids in different body cells. There are three main types of GD that differ from each other in their clinical presentations. Type I characterized by the absence of any neurological involvement, unlike Type II and Type III. Patients with Gaucher can be presented with visceral manifestations (including splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, or abdominal pain), hematological manifestation (anemia or thrombocytopenia or bleeding diathesis), bone manifestations (painful limbs or pathological fractures), or neurological manifestations (including neck rigidity, swallowing disorder, or oculomotor paralysis). In the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia, a higher prevalence of genetic diseases was observed compared to reported rates in Europe and the United States. However, published data on the characteristics and treatment patterns of Gaucher patients in Saudi Arabia are still lacking in the literature. Therefore, the present manuscript aimed to present an overview of the GD situation in Saudi Arabia by bringing together a panel of Saudi hematology experts to share their views on current trends and practices in Saudi Arabia regarding GD. The experts agreed that there is no available data regarding the prevalence and incidence of GD in Saudi Arabia, therefore the experts recommend establishing a national registry for Gaucher cases. The diagnosis of GD is challenging as the disease is rare and obscure, even to hematologists. The experts also recommend shifting from the dried blood spots test to genetic testing in the future to confirm the diagnosis of GD. The experts agreed on the need to organize awareness campaigns to familiarize the primary care physicians and junior hematologists about the common presentations and management of GD.


The paper presents a neuroevolutionary method called Assembler Encoding. The method was tested in the predator-prey problem. To compare Assembler Encoding with another neuroevolutionary method, in the experiments, a co-evolutionary version of simple connectivity matrix was also applied.


In his article "A Historical Account of Difference: A Comparative History of the Literary Cultures of Latin America," Mario J. Valdés addresses the well-recognized limitations of literary history as historical research. Valdés outlines the theoretical thinking that has guided the editors of The Oxford Comparative History of Latin American Literary Cultures to plan, organize, and complete the first history of literary culture of Latin America. The project is comparative, recognizing the radical diversity of the continent while at the same time it is an open-ended history that informs but does not attempt to provide a totalizing account of more than five hundred years of cultural development among the heterogeneous entities that make up Latin America. Valdés begins by considering the paradox of literary history, he then suggests ways that literary history can be shaped by the work of Michel Foucault, and he proposes a framework for a hermeneutics of literary history. Valdés also considers the challenges that face the literary historian whose work now includes cultural history. All of these considerations are then placed within the context of an effort to create a literary and cultural history of Latin America. Mario J. Valdés, "A Historical Account of Difference: A Comparative History of the Literary Cultures of Latin America" page 2 of 14 CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 4.2 (2002):


As one of the most popular types of animation, the success of Japanese campus girl animation is closely related to the character setting that meets the aesthetic needs of the audience. The closed character of the core character is the general feature of Japanese campus girl animation works in character design. The specific expression of the closed character changes with the development of the times. This kind of works can be roughly divided into salvation of each other's relationship between classmates, friendship between teachers and students, and family relations to be remedied. It reflects the ideal psychological needs of girls in seeking pure friendship, yearning for good love, pursuing women's rights, longing for equality between teachers and students, and hoping for family love. There are also some shortcomings in Japanese campus girl animation works, such as paying too much attention to the hero's emotional development, ignoring the pressure of their entrance to school or employment, and so on. It is necessary to further analyze and summarize the rules, so as to learn from and innovate in the creation of Chinese girl animation works.


The method of determination HPAM simulation parameters under the mild conditions ( T ≤75℃, TDS ≤20g/L) is practically used, but carried no such research under harsh conditions (high T and high TDS ). In order to provide some basic recognition of probability of large scale application of AMPS co polymer in Zhongyuan Oil Field, some methods and instruments, including Starch Potassium Iodide Method and Rheometer and Core Flow Instrument are studied and presented for determing some key simulation parameters. Five AMPS co polymer concentration are designed for carrying on an experince of 20 points absorption and residual resistance factor under 86℃, by using core flow test and zero shear viscosity of 5 kinds TDS . The analysis result suggests that these parameters are commonly higher than HPAM's and the rheological characteristics of AMPS co polymer is different with that of HPAM due to it's existed dispersed micro gel in this solution.


The importance of inflow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in economic development of India is widely known, analyzed and well accepted in the post-liberalization era. But such inflows have created regional disparities within India owing to their concentration in select geographical locations (states) only. This should be brought into socio-economic discourses and policy formulation and as such, this chapter is an attempt to understand the linkage between FDI and regional economic growth of India. The chapter is divided into three parts. Part-1 presents phases of evolution of FDI policies that made an impact on the business condition in India post independence, Part-2 presents economic condition of various states and also discusses the FDI inflows to these states since 1991. In Part-3, some policy measures has been suggested to remove this anomaly in our development process so as to make economic development with FDI more stable and inclusive.


In order to achieve an integrated pragmatic model of the use of natural language, an account is needed of the interplay between grammar and context in the formulation and interpretation of utterances. The purpose of this chapter is to outline how such an accountmay be developed forModern English. It is proposed that information which is part of the interpretation of an utterance, but which is not represented grammatically, needs to be represented at a properly articulated contextual level. If this is done, then it is possible not only to retain a parsimonious type of grammatical representation, but also to accommodate explicitly the contextually supplied contributions to the interpretations of utterances.


Abstract. Modern office furniture is constructed in such a way that nobody is able to use it correctly. Each day people sit for many hours hunched over their tables in positions harmful to the back. The main reason for this seems to be the low, backward sloping seats, which represent an effective hindrance to all types of work over the table. This naturally leads to pronounced flexion and strain of the back and neck. A higher, forward sloping seat will tend to reduce the flexion and strain of the back and bring the person into a more upright balanced position with a greater open angle between the body and the thighs. This resembles the position taken when sitting on horseback. In an experiment with data-entry personnel suffering from chronic back-pain furniture was adjusted to a height which the subjects found most comfortable. On an average they preferred to sit at a table 6-6 cm higher than recommended by European Standardization (CEN). This higher position can only be used when sitting on a forward slo...


The fact that the military as the real user of nuclear weapons has long been excluded from India's nuclear decision-making is the most distinct characteristics of India's nuclear policy-making.Such historical paradox can be brought out according to its evolutional logic and dynamic.It is not because the military remains indifferent to nuclear weapons,both drastic changing international situation and respective military service interest prompting the senior officers of a service of the armed forces to ardently support the nuclearization from the middle to later 1980s,but because three integrated forces commonly act on including the historical tradition which political leaders don't confide in the military,the nuclear weapon identity based on the symbolic deterrence rather than substantial application,the strong attempt to monopoly nuclear affairs which defense scientists has had,All of these make India's nuclear development have long remained at a symbolic level of deterrence,which not only restricted the strength and intensity of Indian nuclear development,but also produced that the military couldn't be deeply involved in the major nuclear decision-making.


We propose a novel approach to the study of Internet topology in which we use an optimization framework to model the mechanisms driving incremental growth. While previous methods of topology generation have focused on explicit replication of statistical properties, such as node hierarchies and node degree distributions, our approach addresses the economic tradeoffs, such as cost and performance, and the technical constraints faced by a single ISP in its network design. By investigating plausible objectives and constraints in the design of actual networks, observed network properties such as certain hierarchical structures and node degree distributions can be expected to be the natural by-product of an approximately optimal solution chosen by network designers and operators. In short, we advocate here essentially an approach to network topology design, modeling, and generation that is based on the concept of Highly Optimized Tolerance (HOT). In contrast with purely descriptive topology modeling, this opens up new areas of research that focus on the causal forces at work in network design and aim at identifying the economic and technical drivers responsible for the observed large-scale network behavior. As a result, the proposed approach should have significantly more predictive power than currently pursued efforts and should provide a scientific foundation for the investigation of other important problems, such as pricing, peering, or the dynamics of routing protocols.


Introduction Due to higher survival rates among patients with bone tumors, there is a growing interest in determining these individuals' limb functionality and psychosocial prognosis.
 Objectives This study aimed to analyze the differences in functionality and quality of life (QoL) related to health in patients diagnosed with a malignant bone tumor during childhood, according to the type of surgery performed.
 Materials and Methods A cross-sectional study was performed for patients older than 14 years who treated for osteosarcoma or Ewing's sarcoma of the lower limb by who receiving surgery. To assess lower limb functionality and QoL among patients surviving malignant bone tumors, 19 patients surviving osteosarcoma or Ewing's sarcoma of the lower extremity were studied. An evaluation of functionality and QoL was done using the "Enneking and Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36 scales." We compared the functional results according to the surgical technique used. Categorical variables were compared according to the Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis tests, with an established 95% level of significance.
 Results QoL among patients who had conservative surgery was not significantly better than amputee patients in the physical or mental aspects, nor in any of their components. Limb functionality, according to Enneking's staging, was significantly higher in non-amputee patients (p = 0.035).
 Conclusion According to the data analysis done in this study, the QoL was found to be not significantly different, based on the type of surgery performed; however, there were differences in limb functionality.


Basic Bacteriology: Structure Basic Bacteriology: Physiology Basic Bacteriology: Genetics Classification of Bacteria Staphylococci Streptococci and Enterococci Clostridia Other Gram-Positive Bacteria Gram-Negative Cocci Enterobacteriaceae Parvobacteria Campylobacter, Helicobacter and Vibrios Pseudomonas and other Aerobic Gram-Negative Bacilli Gram-Negative Anaerobic Bacteria Treponema, Borrelia and Leptospira Mycobacteria Chlamydiae, Rickettsiaceae, Mycoplasma and L-forms Basic Virology Major Virus Groups Basic Mycology and Classification of Fungi Parasitology: Protozoa Parasitology: Metazoa (Helminths) Host-Parasite Relationships Immunology of Infection Diagnostic Laboratory Methods Antibacterial Agents Antifungal Agents Antiviral Agents Skin and Soft Tissue Infections Bone and Joint Infections Oral and Dental Infections Upper Respiratory Tract Infections Lower Respiratory Tract Infections Gastrointestinal Infections Liver and Biliary Tract Infections Urinary Tract Infections Genital Infections (Including Sexually Transmitted Diseases) Infections of the Central Nervous System Septicaemia and Bactraemia Infections of the Heart Perinatal and Congenital Infections Miscellaneous Viral Infections Infections in the Compromised Host Zoonoses Pyrexia of Unknown Origin Epidemiology and Prevention of Infection Immunization Sterilization and Disinfection Subject Index Organism Index


Gill ATPases of the osteoglossid Osteoglossum bicirrhosum (aruana) were isolated from the microsomal fraction (Nal pellet) and assayed in the presence of various cations and anions. The presence of Ca2+, Mg2+ (Mn2+), Na+ + K+ (with Mg2+) activated ATP hydrolyses; activation by Ca2+ and Mg2+ was similar and both were inhibited by thiocyanate, but the monovalent ions showed much lower activities. Activities in the presence of these ions were in the range reported for temperate teleosts such as the eel, goldfish, or trout. No HCO3− or NH4+ activation was detected. Apparent Km values for divalent cation activation were well above their respective environmental concentrations, but within the range reported for analogous enzymes of temperate teleosts. There is a specific interaction between Ca2+ and Mg2+ binding to the enzyme, but the results cannot distinguish between the existence of one enzyme with multiple binding sites, or a numberof ion-specific ATPases. These results suggest that the enzyme s assayed in ...


Software Defined Networking (SDN) enables flexible management of networks through policies that are stored as a set of rules in ternary content-addressable memory (TCAM) in the switches. With increasing Cloud and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) demands, the number of network policies required will also increase accordingly. As the TCAM memory capacity available in the switches is limited, any rule placement algorithm must be highly scalable to accommodate a large number of policies in the network. In this paper, we propose Raptor, a scalable rule placement scheme that supports multi-path routing as well as immediate failure-recovery to a backup path without policy violation. The requirement is that any path which a flow may take should see the same set of policy rules and the challenge is to do this efficiently. We model our problem as an Integer Linear Program to maximize the sharing of rules, followed by heuristic based graph partition for the final placement of rules so as to preserve the rules' priority orderings. Our evaluation shows that Raptor can achieve savings of up to 98% in TCAM usage or support 250% more policies compared to existing works.


The optical absorption spectrum of the quasi-two-dimensional (2D) antiferromagnet Rb2MnCl4 is investigated in the region of the 6A1g 4T2g(4D) transition (D group bands). It is found that short-range magnetic order strongly influences the absorption spectrum at temperatures T > TN. The spin-flop phase transition is observed in a magnetic field of 56 kOe. Investigation of the Zeeman effect allows to conclude the spectrum in this region to consist of magnon and magnon–phonon sidebands of three different purely excitonic lines.

[Russian Text Ignored]


The method comprises the following steps of (1) cultivated land selection including selecting a medicinal material slope between young tea-oil trees on a four-period red-earth hillock area for an interval deep scarification intertillage target, (2) ditch digging, fertilizer application and land preparation including digging ditches along contour lines, applying base fertilizer in the ditches and covering soil and form equal-high trenches, (3) medicinal material seedling transplantation and fixed plantation or root stock fixed plantation, (4) deep scarification intertillage including conducting deep scarification intertillage before ridge-close in the summer, and (5) grass belt or grass fence construction, including building equal-high grass belts or grass fences with an interval of 9 to 11m on a slope from slope top to the slope root of the young tea-oil tree forest slope. Soil moisture content can be improved; soil ventilation and nutrient effectiveness can be promoted after rain and soil organic matter humification can be promoted; compared with the present common intertillage, the method can improve stratum moisture content, reduce soil volume weight, increase stratum nutrient content increase and promote young tea-oil tree growth as well as increasing medicinal material output.


ABSTRACT An outbreak of babesiosis by Babesia bovis isreported in cattle in the municipality of Santa Vitoria do Palmar,considered a Rhipicephalus ( Boophilus ) microplus free area,in southern Brazil on a farm located at Latitude S 33°05'23"and Longitude WO 53°09'29". In mid November four bulls,four cows and two heifers originated from the municipality ofMinas do Leao, RS, a tick endemic area, located at Latitude S30°12'07" and Longitude WO 52°03'25" were introduced inthe herd. Fourty out of 393 adult cattle died. The first bovinedied on January 19 and the last on March 2. The diagnosis ofbabesiosis was performed by the observation of gross lesionsand numerous B. bovis organisms in smears of the cerebralcortex. It is suggested that the mean temperatures between23.2oC and 23.6oC and the relative humidity between 75.3%and 77.5o observed in the period allowed the occurrence of atick generation, which caused infection by B. bovis in cattlewithout immunity. Key words : babesiosis, Babesia bovis


Spring at Otomeyama Park in Shinjuku Ward is one of the 57 Great Springs of Tokyo, Japan. Recently, decreasing of the spring water quantity at Otomeyama Park has been at issue. In order to figure out long-term variations of the spring water quantity, the flow rate and the groundwater level have been continuously observed by Kaijo Earth Science Club since 2011. In this paper, we report the results of the examination concerning the groundwater level variation and the model, which can express the groundwater level and the flow rate simultaneously. Otomeyama Park is located at Ochiai escarpment on the eastern part of Musashino plateau. The stratum near Otomeyama park are Kanto loam layer, Shimosueyoshi loam layer (tuffaceous clay layer), Musashino gravel layer, Tokyo layer (sand layer or clay layer) and Tokyo gravel layer from the top. Sato et al. (2013) estimated that the aquifer of the spring water is Musashino gravel layer and the catchment area is about 10-100 ha. The spring water finally joins Kanda River through the water way in the park. Based on the flow rate observation at Otomeyama Park for more than one year, the arithmetic mean flow rate was about 20 L/min. The flow rate intensely responded to precipitation. The flow rate increased from 4 L/min to 50 L/min in 35 hours at the rainfall event in April 2-3, 2012, whose total amount of rainfall was 118 mm. The water level of wells were observed at three stations: well No.1 (at Otomeyama park), well No.2 (at Otomeyama park) and Mejiro well (at Shinjuku Ward, 0.5 km to the north from Otomeyama park). The water level of the wells was calculated by subtracting atmospheric pressure from the water pressure in aquifer. The aquifer of well No.1 is Musashino gravel layer and is confined, while the aquifer of well No.2 is Tokyo gravel layer and is confined. The aquifer of Mejiro well is Kanto loam layer and is unconfined. Semidiurnal fluctuation of water level was observed at well No.1 and No.2. The daily composites of water level of well No.1 in dry periods showed that the atmospheric pressure was at its top at about 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. (JST) in Tokyo by atmospheric tide, while the water level of well fluctuated anti-phase to atmospheric pressure. This barometric response caused by balancing the water level variation of well with atmospheric loading when pore pressure of aquifer is not affected by atmospheric loading (Rojstaczer, 1988). This is attributed to three reasons for the barometric response of water level of well No.1. The mouse of the well is open, so that barometric fluctuation is directly transferred to the water surface in the well. Since the well diameter is 51mm, small water exchange between the well and the aquifer can change the water level in the well. Simosueyoshi loam layer above the aquifer is difficult to infiltrate atmospheric pressure. In contrast, the water level of Mejiro well was not responded to atmospheric load, since there is no air-barrier layer above Kanto loam layer. Better performance model is needed to figure out long-term variations of the spring water quantity. Sato et al. (2013) predicted flow rate from precipitation using two-tank model, but the model did not utilize groundwater level. We developed a model, which express both flow rate and groundwater level. Our model was based on three-tank model. The first tank of the model represents intermediate flow. The second tank infiltrates water into the third tank but does not have side outlet. The third tank corresponds to the groundwater level. The model parameters were estimated for the flow rate and the water level of Mejiro well by means of SCE-UA method (Duan et al., 1993). In the simulation, the model accurately reproduced the observed value.


In order to obtain the whole coding genic sequence of bovine CD18- integrins subunit to study the Bovine Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency (BLAD), some tests were operated. After the coding sequence and sites of restriction enzyme digestion about published bovine CD18 mRNA were analyzed by DNAstar software, a pair of amplified primers was designed. By optimized PCR amplification, the 2 350 bp PCR product including the whole coding genic sequence of CD18 was successfully obtained.


BACKGROUND: On October 1, 2005, Canada became the first country to implement a nationwide cigarette fire-safety standard for Reduced Ignition Propensity (RIP) cigarettes. The aim of the paper is to estimate the impact of the RIP cigarette regulations on the number of smoking-related fires (SRF), fire injuries (SRFI), and fatalities (SRFF) in Canada. METHODS: As there are no national fire statistics data, the data from Canadian provinces were studied. The data with smoking mentioned as the source of ignition were found for four provinces and grouped into two time periods: pre-implementation (2000–2004) and post-implementation (2005–2009). Average annual indicators for each period were compared. RESULTS: In Alberta, the number of home SRF and SRFF did not change much, while small (14%) reduction was observed in SRFI. In British Columbia, the percentage of SRF in all fires decreased by 15% and the number of SRFI and SRFF declined by 41% and 49% respectively. In Ontario, the average number of SRF and SRFI per year slightly decreased; however, the number of SRFF increased. In Saskatchewan, fires caused by smokers' materials decreased almost by half while number of fatalities and injuries decreased even to a larger extent. Most prominent was the reduction of fatalities and injuries in fires with cigarettes as the source of ignition: they decreased more than three-fold in Saskatchewan. CONCLUSION: Canadian fire statistics do not allow estimating fire loss reduction as a result of the implemented RIP cigarette regulations for the whole country. Two Canadian provinces (British Columbia and Saskatchewan) experienced substantial reduction in fires ignited by manufactured cigarettes, and a corresponding reduction in the associated fire fatalities and injuries. In Alberta, only the number of smoking fire injuries has shown some decrease. No substantial changes were observed in Ontario, probably due to high level of cigarette smuggling.


This paper deals with the concept of "smart grids". Starting from drivers behind the evolution of the power system, an overview of elements and technologies is given: smart grids have to intelligently integrate the actions of all users connected to it — generators, consumers and those that do both — in order to efficiently deliver sustainable, economic and secure electricity supplies. Examples of solutions from demonstration projects represent the base for discussing methodologies to estimate benefits deriving from smart grid solutions, showing how conflicting goals cannot always be fulfilled simultaneously. Finally, future perspectives are discussed: the main thinking regards the awaited pivot role for customers, in the future scenario with an increased utilization of electricity combined with a high penetration of non-programmable resources.