Neutrinoless double beta (0νββ)‐decay is the key process to gain understanding of the nature of neutrinos. The GErmanium Detector Array (GERDA) is designed to search for 0νββ‐decay of the isotope 76Ge. Germanium crystals enriched in 76Ge, acting as source and detector simultaneously, will be submerged directly into an ultra pure cooling medium that also serves as a radiation shield. This concept will allow for a reduction of the background by up to two orders of magnitudes with respect to earlier experiments.


PurposeThis study aims to understand whether business and political relations help emerging markets' SMEs to overcome the challenges posed by low institutionalization in their national and international expansion. It focuses on the role that these relations play in determining access to government funding and contracts and to market information and business-related knowledge.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from 828 SMEs in Brazil and China. The data analysis was developed in two stages: the first stage was based on multivariate regression analyses using the ratio of sales outside the companies' region of origin divided by total sales as a dependent variable and the survey's answers as independent variables; outward sales were taken at two different levels – national and international – to consider: (1) the different stages in the national and international expansion process, and (2) the fragmented nature of domestic markets in both Brazil and China. The second stage was based on a stepwise multiple regression as the relative importance of the variables was not known beforehand and the objective was to rank them according to the managers' perceptions.FindingsInformal institutions, in particular business and political relations, can help to reduce uncertainty and overcome some disadvantages associated with weak institutionalization. They do this by providing access to trusted distribution channels, improving the familiarity with different institutional environments and strengthening the management of supply chains and commercial strategies to serve markets outside their region. Also, SMEs in emerging markets getting access to private sources of funding, market knowledge and government contracts through business and political relations are in a better position to expand nationally and internationally.Originality/valueThe research shows that the domestic environment, in particular one with low levels of institutionalization, impacts negatively the national and international expansion of SMEs and, more importantly, how firms can use business and political relations to overcome the obstacles posed by this environment. The findings also have implications for theory, practice and policymaking.


Albany Port is located on the southern coast of Western Australia and is one of seven major ports in the state. The port is located within the natural bay of Princess Royal Harbour, which is connected to King George Sound by a short and narrow channel. Princess Royal Harbour is considered one of the best natural harbours in Australia and indeed the world. Traditionally Albany Port has primarily been a single commodity port exporting mainly grain. Recent commitments from various developers has introduced another major export product, namely woodchips. Due to this additional major export and the growth in other minor commodities within the port, a Master Plan for the port development was commissioned in 2001 to ensure future port expansions are sustainable.


Background: Hyperemesis gravidarum is a complication of pregnancy that affects various aspect of the woman's health, including electrolytes and kidney function, and may have adverse fetal consequences. Recent researches now provide additional guidelines for protection and relief from hyperemesis gravidarum. Alterations to maternal diet and lifestyle can have protective effects. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of nutritional guidelines on pregnant women health statues outcome .Research design: Quasi experimental (pre & post) test in this study Setting: This study was conducted in obstetric and gynecological departments, antenatal units at police Hospital in Asyut city. Sample: convenience sample consisted of (30) pregnant women, Tools: two tools was used (1) a structured interview questionnaire. (2) Guidelines brochure. Results: highly statically significant difference between pregnant women condition in first and second week in their number of meals per day (p V=0.001). Gain weight (p V= 0.001) Number of vomiting per day (p V= 0.120). Conclusion and Recommendations: We conclude that nutritional guidelines during (HG) can be used as an alternative means in addition to standard, antiemetic therapy the study recommends focused on establishing plans for periodical and scheduled training course and educational program for nurses to help improving their knowledge.


The measurements of wind speed and rain rate over a large dynamic range has been demonstrated by using passive microwave remote sensing measurements by a C-band radiometer flying above a hurricane. The measurements were obtained by using a unique variable frequency radiometer, the Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer (SFMR), which is capable of near simultaneous measurements at several widely spaced frequencies in a near octave bandwidth in the C-band microwave frequency region. In addition, an algorithm was developed which computes the surface wind speed and rain rate from the SFMR measured radiometric brightness temperature at two frequencies, and this algorithm was tested using experimental data collected during flights into Hurricane Allen during 1980. Results showed a reasonable agreement between the SFMR measured data and measurements obtained by weather radar.


Geographic location is often a missing component in industry evolution literature whereas the time aspect is rarely considered in agglomeration studies. This paper attempts to fi ll this gap by evaluating the patterns of industry evolution across different regions. A historical data set for the U.S. DDT industry is created and analyzed. First, the change in the number of fi rms over the industry life cycle is considered, as well as the variation in the patterns of entry and exit across different regions. This part of the analysis is based on the U.S. Census division of the United States into 4 distinct regions: Northeast, Midwest, South, and West. Next, a comparison of the patterns of industry evolution in the core of the industry, where the majority of fi rms are located, versus its periphery is made. I fi nd some evidence that the different regions exhibited dissimilar dynamics.


The article describes how Jefferson County, Missouri demontrated base recycling on a two-lane county road. The project involved a 2,500-feet roadway, with approximately 2 inches of oxidized, brittle asphalt over a creek-run gravel base. To provide a predictable base, 5/8-inch limestone chips were spread on top of the driving course prior to pulverizing of the driving course, allowing a more uniform blending of new aggregate at the same time milling took place. This and other details of the project are summarized.


Abstract : The purpose of this monograph is to present a concept for the employment of United States Special Operations Forces (US SOF) in support of United Nations (UN) operations. This concept breaks tradition with the past and is intended to provide US and UN leadership with a new appreciation for the use of US SOF in light of post-Cold War developments around the world. In addition, it will provide SOF planners and operators a new framework with which to approach future UN missions, as well as a broad range of tasks essential to the successful execution of UN operations. The fundamental assumption of this paper is that peace operations will continue for the foreseeable future and that the US, as a world leader, will participate in such missions by providing funding, technical and logistical support, or military force. The current national security strategy, A National Security Strategy of Engagement and Enlargement, clearly states that peace operations are a component of engagement and that it is the United States' specific intent to remain engaged throughout the world. The underlying rationale in this strategy is that in exercising strong leadership in the world 'we can make America safer and more prosperous -- by deterring aggression, by fostering peaceful resolution of dangerous conflicts.' The reality, however, of a declining military force poses resource limitations on the execution of this dynamic strategy. The imperative is thus that the US must explore economy of force options in accomplishing 'engagement' objectives.


Preface Institutional Ownership in S & P Index Financial Corporations Parametric Interest Rate Risk Immunisation Management Buyout Consummation: An Analysis of Agency Costs, Corporate Governance, and Firm Characteristics Abstract Nature of Capital and Money Testing the Dynamic Implications of the Mixture of Distributions Model using Realised Volatility The Evolution of Direct Banking: Entry, Exit and Long-run Equilibrium Earnings Management and Internal Control Mechanisms: Evidence from Chilean Firms On Shareholder Value Analysis: Maximising and Satisfacing Paradigms Predicting Bank Performance: A Distributional Approach Board Composition following Large Bank Mergers Branch Expansion and Service in Retail Banking IPO Pricing in the Post-Bubble Era: Partial Adjustment Revisited Index.


Wireless networks have gained overwhelming popularity over their wired counterpart due to their great flexibility and convenience, but access control of wireless networks has been a serious problem because of the open medium. Passwords remain the most popular way for access control as well as authentication and key exchange. But existing password-based access control protocols are not satisfactory in that they do not provide DoS-resistance or anonymity. In this paper we analyze the weaknesses of an access control protocol using passwords for wireless networks in IEEE LCN 2001, and propose a different access control protocol using passwords for wireless networks. Our new protocol avoids the weaknesses of the previous protocol, and the client can anonymously authenticate himself to the server with a human-memorable password, while the server is free of DoS attacks. We also present detailed security and performance analysis for our protocols, and show that our protocol is both secure and efficient for access control in wireless networks


Two possibly synonymous fish species in the Okavango Delta, Botswana, Serranochromis altus and S. angusticeps, were compared. Ecological data, morphometrics, meristics, allozymes, and genomic fingerprints — generated with six Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) analyses, and DNA barcoding primers — were compared for both species and individuals with intermediate diagnostic characters. Serranochromis altus was the largest species, having the greatest number of anterior teeth rows, whereas S. angusticeps was the smallest with the lowest number of anterior teeth rows. The intermediate group, with overlapping characteristics, had intermediate body size and teeth row numbers. Morphometric comparisons of mass with the combined individuals' growth (standard length) showed a high positive correlation (r 2 = 0.873). Allozyme analysis of individuals revealed no fixed allele differences, minute differentiation (average F ST = 0.018) and high gene flow (NeM = 7.672) between the species. No hybrizymes were found. Allozyme data indicated that these 'species' are part of a single, panmictic population, which was confirmed by ISSR analysis and fish DNA barcoding. Genetic and interspecific divergence in allometry between S. altus and S. angusticeps were non-significant. It was initially thought that these fishes represented different life stages of S. angusticeps. However, we found fish of different sizes, yet with similar ages, representing both species. More accurate age/size and other molecular analyses are required in order to determine if these represent different life stages of S. angustiuceps.


Potentially unstable salt caverns of AkzoNobel need to be stabilised with a suitable backfill material in order to prevent surface subsidence. These caverns are currently filled with Carbonate and Gypsum slurry, a residual product of the brine purification process, but a new backfill material is being developed for stabilisation purposes. At the bottom of the cavern, a layer with sump material could have an influence on the backfilling process. The aim of this study is to compare the geomechanical properties of the backfill material, the Carbonate and Gypsum slurry and the sump material by comparing the geomechanical properties and thereby contributing to AkzoNobel's project Pilot Stabilisation Caverns Twente. It is hypothesised that the geomechanical properties of the new developed backfill material are better suited for stabilisation compared to the Carbonate and Gypsum slurry. However, it is expected that the Carbonate and Gypsum slurry is still suited for stabilising a potential unstable cavern. For the sump material, it is expected that the permeability of the material decreases during consolidation, which is advantageous for its barrier function. In order to evaluate the hypothesis, a numerical model was developed using bearing capacity calculations, to show to what extent the cavern potentially migrates when backfilling is carried out and what the applied load of the debris column would be. Secondly, the geomechanical properties of the Carbonate and Gypsum slurry and sump material were investigated by laboratory experiments, including the particle size distribution, mineral content and compressibility of the material. The third step was to compare the geomechanical properties in terms of total settlement and stiffness development of the Carbonate and Gypsum slurry and sump material with the new developed backfill material. A case study of Cavern 165 evaluates whether the Carbonate and Gypsum slurry is suited for stabilising an unstable cavern, based on the calculated and measured geomechanical properties. For the Carbonate and Gypsum slurry and sump material, the primary and secondary consolidation phases were indistinguishable. Even after two weeks of consolidation for a single load step, continuous settlement seemed to occur for the Carbonate and Gypsum slurry. This could be an indication that compaction creep occurs. This behaviour was also obtained for the backfill material. Compaction creep is a process that continues until the void ratio becomes zero. In terms of total settlement and stiffness development, the backfill material and Carbonate and Gypsum slurry showed comparable behaviour on the short term (i.e. after 10 days). However, when assuming compaction creep up to 1000 years, the backfill material is better suited in terms of total settlement and stiffness development on the long term. When it is assumed that compaction creep for the Carbonate and Gypsum slurry takes place for approximately 1000 years, the slurry is able to stabilise a potential unstable cavern when the cavern is filled for at least 81%. Since the void ratio of the Carbonate and Gypsum slurry was already low after 10 days of loading, the expected compaction creep would probably stop at an earlier stage. The total consolidation of the slurry should be taken into account when determining the fill volumes of the caverns. During backfilling, the Carbonate and Gypsum slurry or new developed backfill material penetrates through the voids of the sump rock at the bottom of the cavern. This results in consolidation of the fine sump fraction and a loss of backfill volume. Since the void ratio of the sump material decreased during consolidation, it is assumed that the permeability also decreased, but the order of magnitude is unknown. Hence, more research is required to investigate the decrease in permeability due to loading, in order to conclude whether the decrease is sufficient to be advantageous for the barrier function of the sump material. Furthermore, it is recommended to evaluate the time dependency of the consolidation of the backfill material, the Carbonate and Gypsum slurry and the sump material. Since consolidation of the materials continues in the worst case until the void ratio e becomes zero, it is likely that the assumed compaction creep already stops at an earlier stage, making 1000 years of compaction creep a very conservative assumption.


Deep learning (DL) applications are becoming one of the most important applications for HPC and cloud systems. The massive datasets and deep neural networks (DNN) used by DL applications introduce many HPC challenges. Therefore, HPC checkpoint/restart tools are an attractive choice. However, most data-parallel DL training jobs use a naive scheme, called root checkpointing, which is subject to blocking semantics and straggling forward progress. In this work, we apply a multi-level checkpointing tool (SCR-Exa) to distributed DL applications. We examine the performance of two DNN models at scale on Lassen (a leading TOP500 system), while ensuring the DNN's accuracy is maintained after restart from simulated system failures. Our test results show that multi-level checkpointing schemes are able to achieve nearly constant overhead at scale. To the best our knowledge, this study presents the first evaluation to demonstrate strong scalability of a checkpointing scheme for distributed DL without making framework-specific changes.


Using the finite element method and CAD SolidWorks Simulation, the relationship between the geometric parameters of workpieces and the error in processing flat surfaces of levers caused by elastic deformations of the workpiece due to the application of holding force is established. In this paper, we developed a method for determining the error of processing flat surfaces that occurs from fixing, compiled a model for determining the error by the finite element method, and calculated the error of processing flat surfaces that occurs from fixing for workpieces with different geometric parameters. As a result of the study, the relationship between the value of the center distance of workpieces and the error in processing flat surfaces of levers caused by elastic deformations of the workpiece due to the application of holding forces was determined.


Abstract We establish a q-Titchmarsh-Weyl theory for singular q-Sturm-Liouville problems. We define q-limit-point and q-limit circle singularities, and we give sufficient conditions which guarantee that the singular point is in a limit-point case. The resolvent is constructed in terms of Green's function of the problem. We derive the eigenfunction expansion in its series form. A detailed worked example involving Jackson q-Bessel functions is given. This example leads to the completeness of a wide class of q-cylindrical functions.


We study the non-forward matrix elements of twist-2 QCD light-ray operators and their representations in terms of skewed and double distributions, considering the pion as well as the nucleon. We point out the importance of explicitly including all twist-2 structures in the double distribution representation, which naturally leads to a ``two-component'' structure of the skewed distribution, with different contributions in the regions |X| > xi/2 and |X| < \xi/2. We compute the skewed and double quark distributions in the pion at a low normalization point in the effective chiral theory based on the instanton vacuum. Also, we derive the crossing relations expressing the skewed quark distribution in the pion through the distribution amplitude for two--pion production. Measurement of the latter in two-pion production in gamma^* gamma and gamma^* N reactions could provide direct information about the skewed as well as the usual quark/antiquark-distribution in the pion.


Peripheral nerve injuries are serious traumas resulting in loss of motor and sensory functions of nerves. The post-traumatic neuropathies are often chronic and mostly resistant to current treatments. Our objective is to develop new strategies to regenerate nerve after trauma by biomimetic approaches and go towards in vitro neurogenesis. For this we use neural crest derived human multipotent dental pulp stem cells (hDPSC) in co-culture with sensory neurons from mice dorsal root ganglia (DRG), and an in vitro neurogenic differentiation of hDPSC [3].
In order to explore nanomechanical and morphological characteristics of human DPSC and mouse DRG neurons atomic force microscopy was employed. We have shown that the mechanical properties of the soma and sub cellular growth cone regions correlate well with the amount, organization and dynamics of the underlying cytoskeletal structure [1,2]. Here we present preliminary data about hDPSC in co-culture, with mDRG neurons and during an in vitro neurogenic differentiation gathered by nanomechanical mapping.

[1] O. Benzina, V. Szabo, O. Lucas, M-b. Saab, T. Cloitre, F. Scamps, C. Gergely and M. Martin (2013) Changes induced by peripheral nerve injury in the morphology and nanomechanics of sensory neurons, J. Biomedical Optics 18(10)
[2] M. Martin, O.Benzina, V. Szabo, A. G. Vegh, O. Lucas, T. Cloitre, F. Scamps and C. Gergely (2013) Morphology and Nanomechanics of Sensory Neurons Growth Cones following Peripheral Nerve Injury, Plos One , 8 (2)
[3] M. Kiraly, B. Porcsalmy, A. Pataki, K. Kadar, M. Jelitai, B. Molnar, P. Hermann, I. Gera, WD. Grimm, B. Ganss, A. Zsembery, G. Varga, (2009) Simultaneous PKC and cAMP activation induces differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells into functionally active neurons, Neurochem. Int. 55 (323-332)


PROBABLY no living Westerner is more qualified to write about modern Mongolia than the author of the book under review here, for, both through his scholarly interests and his unique personal experiences, Professor Lattimore has long ago established his reputation as one of the world's foremost experts on this unduly neglected land and people. Nomads and Commissars: Mongolia Revisited, only proves the point again, if, indeed, further proof be at all needed. A by-product of the author's visit to the Mongolian People's Republic in 1961, the present work does not focus on any particular aspect of the contemporary history of Outer Mongolia, but attempts rather to give an overall view of that region's evolution since the Bolshevik revolution in Russia and its Mongolian counterpart a few years later. The volume is a series of vignettes in which are deftly explored the peculiar characteristics of the Mongolian past and the particular social and economic forces at work throughout this area at the turn of the century which, in combination, influenced and in some respects determined outright the outcome of the subsequent local upheaval or, more precisely, of the protracted cycle of intermittent upheavals, and brought on the present political alignment at this crucial crossroads of the Asian continent.


This libguide contains the links to the online modules for Placement PAL Leaders to complete as part of their Placement PAL Leader Facilitation Course


In the next decades home care will become the setting of choice for health care delivery. Because of this trend, nursing education must begin offering a home care component to nursing degree candidates. One such program strives to better prepare students for the unique care delivery that in-home care demands.


A set of 60 genotypes comprising of 45 hybrids, five male sterile lines, nine pollinators and one standard check hybrid (GHB-744) were studied for genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance of grain Fe, Zn, protein, grain yield and its five other component traits in pearl millet, at Jamnagar (Gujarat) during Kharif 2011-12. The analysis of variance revealed, highly significant differences among the genotypes for all the nine characters studied. The higher estimates of genotypic variance over environmental variance in all the characters under study except length of protogyny and days to maturity revealed that the variation among the genotypes had a genetic basis. The variability analysis revealed that grain Fe, Zn content, plant height and grain yield per plant had high magnitude of phenotypic range, genotypic co-efficient of variation, phenotypic co-efficient of variation, heritability and genetic advance per cent of mean, suggesting the importance of additive gene action. Hence, these characters can be improved through simple selection process.


By analyses of carbon isotopic composition (δ 13 C values) of the benthos collected in the Laoshan Bay in August 1993 and February and May 1994, it is found that the main food sources of the benthos can be divided into four groups in terms of carbon isotope composition: Particulate Organic Matter (POM), benthic diatoms, benthic macroalgae and the organic matter in sediments. The results show that the carbon isotopic composition of the benthic animals has a close relation with that of the food they take in. The carbon isotopic compositions of benthos may be useful in elucidating their food sources. The carbon isotopic data have confirmed that POM is the main food source of the benthic filter feeders such as bivalves; crustaceans have a wide range of δ 13 C values, showing their food source has diversity; benthic diatoms are an important fraction of the food for most of gastropods. A preliminary investigation of the benthic-pelagic coupling in that region using the stable carbon isotopic tracers has confirmed the importance of POM as a food source for benthos in this region, but the organic matter in sediments and benthic diatoms are also relatively important for a lot of benthic animals. The benthic-pelagic coupling in the Laoshan Bay temperate ecosystem is not so tight as that in ecosystems at higher latitudes such as north-eastern water polynya.


The problems that afflict Pakistan's manufacturing sector are widely known. It is also recognized that the current state of affairs must change, but there is little agreement as to what that might entail. The lack of consensus on required actions and policies can be traced back to the end of the era of rapid industrialization in the late 1960s and subsequent withering away of the "developmental state" as Pakistan could then be characterized. The industry's woes tend to be attributed to import substitution and high protection, with the policy implication that the country must further open up and liberalize. The paper questions this proposition and argues for a fresh approach to industrial policy, exploring what this might involve.


Introduction: Ordinary chondrites (OCs) of petrologic types 4 to 6 exhibit a sequence of progressive chemical and textural equilibration. However, the conditions and environment of metamorphism are not well constrained. The role of fluids during metamorphism is poorly understood, although there is evidence that fluids were present [1-3]. The secondary phosphate minerals apatite and merrillite can be used to interpret the conditions of the metamorphic environment, since they can potentially preserve a record of interactions with parent body fluids. We are currently carrying out a study of the mineralogy of phosphate minerals in type 4-6 LL chondrites [3-5]. Electron microprobe analyses of chlorapatite in these chondrites indicate a significant anion deficiency, which could be attributable to the presence of the OH anion, and hence provide evidence for the presence of aqueous fluids. Here we report SIMS measurements of OH abundance in chlorapatite, which shows that the metamorphic environment of the LL chondrites is actually exraordinarily dry. Analytical Methods: We analyzed phosphate minerals in Bo Xian (LL3.9), Tuxtuac (LL5) and St. Séverin (LL6). Phosphate grains were identified in thin sections using BSE imaging and WDS elemental X-ray mapping. Electron microprobe analyses of individual grains were carried out using procedures that took into account and minimized possible volatilization of F and Cl [6,7]. Analytical conditions were typically 15 kV, 20 nA and a 5 μm diameter electron beam. SIMS analyses of OH were carried out on the Cameca 7f Geo instrument at Caltech. Samples were measured with a ~20 μm Cs primary beam of +10 keV and ~3.5nA, rastering over an area of 10x10 μm. Negative secondary ions (C, OH, O, F, P, S-, and Cl) of -10 keV were collected from the center 10 μm at a mass resolving power of ~4500. Sample charging was compensated with an electron gun at -10 keV. Secondary ion images of C, OH, and F were examined before each sample measurements to avoid cracks and contamination. A calibration curve for OH was determined from five terrestrial apatite standards that had H2O contents varying from 300 to 5500 ppm. H2O contents of the standards were determined by manometry using the technique of [8], and were in close agreement with OH contents computed from electron microprobe analyses of the same apatite grains, with OH calculated from anion totals by difference. SIMS analyses of F show an excellent correlation with electron microprobe and bulk analyses of F abundances. A preliminary calibration for S is currently based solely on the published analysis of Durango apatite. Results: Chlorapatite occurs in all three chondrites with typical grain sizes 10-50 μm, and individual grains up to 200 μm across. Chlorapatite is rare in both Bo Xian and St. Séverin, and is more abundant in Tuxtuac. In all three chondrites, chlorapatite shows features that suggest an origin in the presence of fluids, including fracture-filling textures, the presence of abundant pores, and reaction relationships with merrillite and other minerals including olivine [3-5] (Fig. 1). In St. Séverin, large (100-200 μm) grains are observed associated with chromite-plagioclase assemblages [4].


Accurate assessment of aircraft fuel consumption is an important means for airlines to reduce flight costs and control fuel emissions. By analyzing the actual flight data of QAR, the functional relationship between the aerodynamic parameters in the fuel consumption model of the departure climb phase is fitted, and the crosswind is added to the fuel consumption assessment model. Based on the analysis of the departure training of Qingdao Airport, the fuel consumption model of the exit climbing stage was calculated using the improved fuel consumption model. The results showed that the calculation accuracy of the wind tunnel experiment was improved by 3.6%, and the theory of the fuel evaluation experiment considering the crosswind was considered. The accuracy of the model calculation and QAR data is 93.3%.


Upper-class Romans were notoriously conservative in their approach to managing and investing their wealth. Looking for a steady, rather than maximized, income in order to maintain their social standing over time, they were in the habit of keeping most of their economic assets in landowning, both in Italy and, eventually, in the provinces. Through the employment of proxies (tenants or agents, free or slaves), they tended to stay as little involved as possible in the constraints of productive activities. Profits could be reinvested at times in more risky ventures, such as commerce or money-lending, but such strategies should not be advertised. Loans were mostly made out for consumption, not as a form of investment in productive activities. Such assumptions are widely regarded as reflecting the ideological discourse of Latin agricultural writers, the reasoning behind the opinions of classical jurists, and actual practices recorded in the personal writings of individual landowners, such as Cicero or Pliny the Younger. In this paper, I would like to suggest that upper-class Romans of the late Republican period may have been more keen on investing capital in business activities than has been recognized so far, and for that matter had developed strategies that can be reconstructed in their broad outline thanks to the legal sources. Such strategies rest on the creation, development, and use of legal institutions, the history of which can be traced back to the late Republican period. These institutions are closely connected with, but not limited to, the dominant economic sector of the time: agriculture. They were the topics of debate among jurists in both preclassical and classical periods. Some aspects of this debate still lurk in the excerpts collected in Justinian's Digest. Because of the nature of this compilation, which includes material from different periods, mostly classical (first to mid-third century AD), and which aims to provide a coherent presentation of legal institutions in use over a long period of time, it is difficult to reconstruct what


c R a Background. Critical aortic stenosis (AS) in neonates ecessitates urgent intervention for patient survival. The ptimal treatment, however, continues to be controverial and still has high morbidity and mortality in many enters. This study examined our late outcome, risks, and eoperations after the treatment of critical AS in eonates. Methods. Sixty-six neonates (47 boys and 19 girls) nderwent closed transventricular aortic valvotomy for ritical AS between 1978 and 2000. The mean age at the rst intervention was 15.1 19.6 days (range, 1 to 78). heir weight ranged from 1.4 to 6.2 kg (mean, 3.5 0.9 g). Sixteen patients (23%) had isolated critical AS and ormal or dilated left ventricles, and 50 neonates (77%) ad associated cardiovascular anomalies (ie, aortic annuar hypoplasia, hypoplasia of the left ventricle, mitral alve abnormalities, and endocardial fibroelastosis, corctation, or interruption of aorta). Results. The hospital mortality was 29% (19 of 66). aplan-Meier 5and 15-year survival was 61% and 58%, espectively. The operative mortality rates were 6% in eonates with isolated AS and 36% in patients with omplex AS. The five risk factors significant for mortality


Abstract The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is currently in the process of transferring its first shipment of 700,000 books into a temporary storage facility in preparation of a permanent high-density shelving facility in late 2004. This paper discusses the steps all materials must go through before they can be transferred to and accessed through the high-density shelving facility, and offers time and cost analysis for each step whenever possible. It is the authors' intention that this analysis will assist similar research institutions in their financial and staff planning for a similar off-site shelving facility.


The proposal of this paper is to make one see and speak a ethical-aesthetical-political perspective of formation that happens between university and elementary school. A gamble expressed by three axes that articulate themselves, i. e.: art, environment and alterity. These axes emerge of the connection between professors and teachers from university and elementary school, who opt for inventive practices in their work territories and create a collective, proposing analyses and intervention in a public school in the urban periphery of São Gonçalo, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Thereby, this paper is an expression of the collective tessitura implicated to show what a research-intervention can create in collective and unindividualizing dimensions. Therefore, our tessitura happens in the articulation between instituted and instituting practices, in order to enunciate what we have been doing between school and university to form teachers and students under the perspective of invention, by denaturalizing the usual and by the possibility of producing other ways of relating with others and with oneself.


A novel mixed Langmuir-Blodgett(LB) film based on a 1:1 (molar ratio) mixture of a new non-amphiphilic tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) derivative dibenzylthio-dimethylthio-te-trathiafulvalene and arachidic acid (AA) was constructed and characterized by FTIR, UV spectra and X-ray diffraction. Measurement of conductivities of the LB films relating to the number of layers at room temperature showed that the conductivity of the films decreased with the increasing of layer number. After iodine doping the conductivities of the LB films increased by 102~103 magnitude compared with those before iodine doping and reached the maximum 2.5×10-3S/cm due to the formation of a new conducting phase, which was demonstrated by FTIR and UV spectral analyses. The result from X-ray diffraction indicates that the LB film has an ordered lamellar structure with a thickness per layer of 2.32nm.


On December 2, 1977, the Pan American Health Organization, the oldest of the international health agencies, celebrates its seventy-fifth anniversary. Limited at the outset in scope and activities, and correspondingly restricted in growth during the first part of this century, PAHO has had impressive expansion in importance and influence in the past three decades. Indeed, worldwide, as well as in the Western Hemisphere, the international health organizations, of all the specialized agencies under the umbrella of the United Nations or the Organization of American States, have shown the steadiest progress. Many observers, with considerable justification, attribute this as much to innate human desire for general understanding and mutuality of interest as to specific progress in health. It seems self-evident that international collaboration, so often frustrated in the political arena, is peculiarly suited to the universality implicit in a health agency. And one must remember that interaction of health and international trade constituted a key factor in the birth, at the tum of this century, of what was to become the Pan American Health Organization.


Abstract Immersion, interaction, and imagination are three features of virtual reality (VR). Existing VR systems possess fairly realistic visual and auditory feedbacks, and however, are poor with haptic feedback, by means of which human can perceive the physical world via abundant haptic properties. Haptic display is an interface aiming to enable bilateral signal communications between human and computer, and thus to greatly enhance the immersion and interaction of VR systems. This paper surveys the paradigm shift of haptic display occurred in the past 30 years, which is classified into three stages, including desktop haptics, surface haptics, and wearable haptics. The driving forces, key technologies and typical applications in each stage are critically reviewed. Toward the future high-fidelity VR interaction, research challenges are highlighted concerning handheld haptic device, multimodal haptic device, and high fidelity haptic rendering. In the end, the importance of understanding human haptic perception for designing effective haptic devices is addressed.


—Providing network security is one of the most important tasks in todays Internet. Unfortunately, many users are not able to protect themselves and their networks. There- fore, a novel security concept is presented to protect users by providing security measures at the Internet Service Provider level. Already now, Internet Service Providers are using different security measures, e.g., Virtual Local Area Network tags, MAC limitation, or MAC address translation. The presented approach extends these security measures by three hardware- based security subsystems. A firewall engine controls the header of Ethernet frames, Internet packets, and the next following protocols. Furthermore, a Web filter module disables access to violent and child pornography Web content. The third subsystem is a Bloom filter-based deep packet inspection engine to observe the payload after the protocol header. Based on deep packet inspection, it is possible to detect network intruder. A firewall, a Web filter as well as a network intrusion detection system, at the ingress of the network, offer security measures to all connected users, especially to users with limited IT expert knowledge. Each of the mentioned systems has a powerful packet classification engine and a high speed rule set engine used by the firewall to find specific rules for each frame. The rule set engine does not need expensive content addressable memory. All described filter modules as well as the packet classification engine and the rule set engine are developed in reconfigurable hardware. Thus, rule updates and adjustments to the hardware are easy to realize. Adjustments can be made only by the Internet Service Provider administrator. Consequently, the security system itself is secured against attacks from users and from the network side. This novel security approach allows for the protection of up to 32,000 Internet users in wire speed. Furthermore, the prototype system is able to process network traffic at wire speed.


Organizations that have received an accolade or honor often share this information with current or prospective customers, either in a digital (i.e., on their website, social media, etc.) or physical (i.e., on-premise signs, outdoor signs, etc.) format. When publicizing their achievement, marketers must make decisions related to source attribution—that is, how much detail to provide and how prominently (if at all) to mention the thirdparty entity that bestowed the accolade upon them. This is an important question, particularly with respect to physical signs where informational complexity is often detrimental and visual clarity is paramount. In this research, I examine whether source attribution in signage materially affects consumer evaluations and behavioral intentions. Across three studies, I find converging evidence that source attribution in accolade claims does in fact bolster evaluations and behavioral intentions, even in the context of physical signage when consumers are likely to be engaged in heuristic processing. Furthermore, I provide evidence that these more positive judgments arise because attribution increases perceived credibility of the organization receiving the accolade.


A special research programme, to find out the causes of outbreak of virulent gall midge that devastated GMR varieties Phalguna and Surekha during 1986 Kharif and to identify and popularize alternative resistant varieties, was organized on the pest stricken farmers' fields of Srikakulam district in North coastal Andhra Pradesh through 1987–1991. Susceptible reaction of crop grown from breeder's seed of Phalguna and Surekha, which showed resistance upto year 1985, confirmed that the outbreak was due to development of a new virulent biotype different from previously identified biotypes 1, 2 and 3. Of eighteen advanced genetic lines resistant in the field screening during 1987 and 1988 to gall midge populations of Srikakulam, 14 were derived form Velluthacheera resistant donor, 2 each from Orumundakan and Ptb 10. As a result of on-farm verification cum demonstrations from 1988 to 1990 and compact block demonstrations, farming community picked up the resistant varieties - Suraksha, Abhaya and IET10831 for cultivation to encounter new biotype and realized high yields.


Many educators believe that children learn through play. As early as infancy, children immerse themselves in playful activities with the purpose of making sense of the world around them. However, their efforts to achieve this are most frequently halted by parents, care givers and teachers who work around them. There have been questions surrounding the importance of play for children in Tanzania. The major question has been what do children learn when they play? Lack of knowledge on the importance of play for children has led parents, care givers and pre-school teachers to deny children their right to play and focus more on reading and arithmetic than involving them in playful activities. The purpose of this paper is to explore the role and benefits of play for the learning and development of lower primary school pupils. This study is important as it may increase parents', teachers', the community's and other stakeholders' knowledge of the potential contribution of play to learning and development. This paper is based on a review of literature, and presents different play activities and their benefits for lower primary school pupil. It discusses the importance of play for the cognitive, social and psychomotor development of children. It concludes that play is important for children's holistic development. Therefore, parents, the community, primary schools and society as a whole should create a conducive and safe environment for children to play in, which will help to develop their full potential. Key words : Role, benefits, play, development, lower primary school pupils


Nonverbal codes, neglected for quite a long time, now becomes an important field in language teaching and researching. Therefore, based on literature as well as our own English learning and teaching experiences, this paper expounds and analyzes the basic opinions of nonverbal communication, discloses the importance and necessity of body language which exercises influence on language teaching and learning, through analyzing the effects of body language research in language teaching and learning so as to promote acquisition of linguistic competence and help to communicate effectively in social context. Keywords—body language; English teaching and learning; nonverbal communication


A zero sum game is a simultaneous move game between 2 players. Such a game is represented by a matrix A ∈ Rm×n. The strategies of the "row" (resp. "column") player are the rows (resp. columns) of A. If the row player plays strategy i ∈ [m] and the column player plays j ∈ [n] then the outcome is Aij . 1 Interpret this as that the row player pays Aij amount of money to the column player, therefore the row player tries to minimize Aij while the column player tries to maximize it.


Introduction Research on teacher behaviour has always been interested in those variables that reflect effectiveness. Various techniques have been used to collect instructional data. Observational and process-product studies have been completed recently with the comparative research paradigm. Novice and beginning teacher s are compared with experienced and expert teachers in order to find those behaviours that really make a difference. Not only observable behaviours, but also the teachers' internal processes during preactive, interactive and postactive teaching are studied (Berliner, 1986; Graham, Hopple, Manross & Sitzman, 1993). In Physical Education (P.E.) settings this research paradigm seems to be particularly appropriate. Physical education in elementary schools, taught either by a normal classroom teacher, or by a specialist teacher, offers a unique opportunity to compare those groups. Non-specialist elementary school teachers have some difficulties in attaining specific physical education objectives (Faucette, McKenzie & Patterson, 1990). Elementary P.E. specialists are confronted with a lot of


Current guidelines recommend documenting ischemia before elective percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with stable coronary artery disease. To determine the rate of stress testing before elective PCI, investigators retrospectively studied claims data from a random sample of 20% of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries who had elective PCI in 2004.

Overall, 44.5% of 23,887 eligible patients (60.3% male; 92.7% white) underwent stress testing within …


This paper proposes a new parametric source model to precisely estimate brain electrical source distribution from electroencephalogram (EEG) or magnetoencephalogram recordings. In the proposed approach, only four free parameters need to be evaluated for each anatomically constrained area source to express both spatial locations and extensions of brain electrical activities on cortical surface. The feasibility of the proposed model is verified through the applications to realistic EEG simulations and epilepsy patient's data


A method for manufacturing a capacitor electrode having a thickness between 50 nm and 400 nm with underneath arranged barrier structure, in which - on a layer structure (7; 15.1 ', 15.2') over a semiconductor substrate (1) a barrier layer (14 ') is deposited; - from the barrier layer (14 ') by a lithographic masking and etching step, the barrier structure (14.1) is emerged; - covering a barrier structure (14.1) barrier-storage layer (16) is deposited; - the barrier-storage layer (16) is removed by CMP until the barrier structure (14.1) is exposed; and - above the barrier structure (14.1), the exposed on its upper side, patterned capacitor electrode (11) is formed.


This paper attempts to measure the financial performance of the Shariah-compliant companies, specifically on the consumer products and trading & services industry and to investigate the relationship between the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices and financial performance of the Shariah compliant consumer product and services industry. The idea of this comparative study is established from the prior literature pertaining to the embedded-typed and peripheral-typed CSR which attempt to reflect the nature of the business and CSR practices of the companies. Since this study is quantitative in nature, thus it employs analysis of secondary data through the Shariah-compliant company's annual report. The findings of the study seem to suggest that the association between the tested variable(s) is relatively unable to be supported, as there is no significant relationship between the embedded CSR and peripheral CSR and the financial performance of the sample companies. Ways forward and limitation of the study are further deliberated.


This work presents a design case-study of an Internet of Things (IoT) learning toolkit that highlights salient design principles for the FabLearn community. This work showcases the careful decision about what to expose to and what to hide from the learner. We look at Blikstein's idea of "selective exposure" and build upon the fundamental constructionist design principles: low-floor, high-ceiling, and wide walls. The researchers have designed an IoT platform consisting of a physical computing kit called the "White Arrow." Initial field tests were carried out with 17 secondary school students ages 13 to 18. Students were introduced to the toolkit and encouraged to develop project ideas. The researchers collected students' experiences with the toolkit through observation, interviews, and questionnaires. The results were clearly positive considering the learning overhead, feedback from students, and project ideas that were generated. Although still work in progress, we hope to highlight important tool design principles that can help make Fab Labs and maker spaces more learning-focused and more inclusive


Objectives: The extracts of Ferulago species are used as an aphrodisiacs in Turkey so we aimed to demonstrate in vivo and in vitro the relaxant effect of four Ferulago species extracts on corpus cavernosum (CC). Materials and Methods: A total of 30 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control and diabetic group which were induced by single intraperitoneal injection of 40 mg/kg of Streptozotocin. In vivo erectile responses were utilized by the stimulation of cavernosal nerves and repeated after intracavernosal injection of extracts in rats and datas were expressed as intracavernosal pressure (ICP)/ mean arterial pressure (MAP) and total ICP. The relaxant and contractile responses of CC strips were analyzed in the presence or absence of extracts. Results: It was found that extracts were active both control and diabetic rats. The extracts (especially, methanol extract of root from Ferulago bracteata)-induced maximum relaxation responses (98.30 ± 2.6%) were decreased after incubation with L-NAME (44.8 ± 1.8). ODQ, soluble guanylate cyclase inhibitor inhibited 77% of extracts-induced maximum relaxation in CC from control rats. un co rre ted pr oo f


Objective To analyze the impact of the occurrence and severity of acute and chronic graft versus host disease(GVHD)on the long-term outcome of allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation(allo-PBSCT)for leukemia.Methods A total of 231 patients with leukemia,who underwent allo-HSCT in Changhai Hospital from Jan1st,2001 to Dec 31th,2011,were retrospectively analyzed.The overall survival(OS),disease-free survival


Desertification is defined by the United Nations (UN) as a phenomenon caused by land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid, resulting from climatic variations and human activities. In scope, the convention links the occurrence of desertified areas to reduce the chemical and soil fertility, and the excessive removal of vegetation one of the most common ways such degradation arise, since the stabilizing role originated by vegetation slows or even ceases to be exercised. To conduct the study, samples of soils that have suffered and / or has undergone various types of uses over the years. These samples were sent to a laboratory to identify their fertility patterns. The results showed strong changes as the reduction of soil fertility in the areas where there was high suppression of Caatinga vegetation.


In this work the production of butyric acid by oxidation of butanol with Glucono-bacter oxydans CCM 1783 has been studied. Butanol was added into a bioreactor in portions (0.15 mol.l -1 per addition). After 75 hours of biooxidation a concentration of butyrate of 0.56 mol.l -1 . representing 93.3% of theoretical yield, was achieved. The productivity for butyrate was 0.66 g.l -1 .h -1 . In order to decrease the inhibitory effect of product and to achieve higher butyrate productivity, the possibility of butyric acid extraction with Hostarex A327 (w = 20 %) in oleylalcohol, was studied. For higher extraction efficiency, the fermentation broth should be acidified to at least pH 5 before extraction. Sufficient butyrate concentration in the stripping solution could be reached with a higher volume ratio of Hostarex A327 (w = 20 %) in oleylalcohol to stripping phase.


Microglass separators have been used since the inception of the absorbed glass valve regulated technology. This separator, made from 100% microfiberglass, is manufactured on specialty paper machines. Production of this demanding specialty paper requires tight tolerances for physical and performance properties. Proper selection of raw materials (microglass), equipment and tight process variables are keys to producing a world class product. These products were jointly developed by Hollingsworth & Vose and the US Naval Department during the late 1940s. Improvements in product consistency and formulation have been made throughout the history of this technology. These changes evolved as the needs and requirements were realized through continuing industry research. This paper gives a brief explanation of how the product is made, specifies useful tests to determine product consistency and highlights some new ways to package the current product. The four steps in the manufacturing process are discussed: pulping, forming, drying, converting. Separator properties in VRLA batteries are also discussed.


Bifurcation tailoring is a method developed to design control laws modifying the bifurcation diagram of a nonlinear dynamical system to a desired one. In its original formulation, this method does not account for the possible presence of constraints on state and/or manipulated inputs. In this paper, a novel formulation of the bifurcation tailoring method overcoming this limitation is presented. In accordance with the proposed approach, a feedforward control law generating an optimal bifurcation diagram is computed by constrained minimization of an objective functional. Then, a feedback control system enforcing stability of the computed equilibrium branch is designed. In this context, bifurcation analysis is exploited to select feedback controller parameters ensuring desired output behavior and, at the same time, preventing the occurrence of multistability. The method is numerically validated on the problem of tailoring the bifurcation diagram of an exothermic chemical reactor.


Objective To establish the optimal methods of hand perfusion for thin slice CT scan and three-dimensional computerized reconstruction. Methods Three fresh adult cadaver hands with the wrist joint retained were scanned via CT before perfusion. These specimens did not have pathologic damages, and the main anatomical parameters were representative. The ulnar artery and radial artery were flushed with 5 % sodium citrate saline, followed by slow continuous perfusion using liquid denture acrylic, dibutyl phthalate, cinnabar and selfcuring denture acylic. The perfused hands were cryopreserved for 4 to 24 hours before being subject to CT-scan. A stack of 220 layers from each of the specimens were acquired and stored as . dicom files. Results Imaging from CT thin slices showed vasculature with good clarity and smooth sharp edges. Lumen of the ulnar and radial arteries and proper digital arteries was hollow. CT values of the size of the blood vessels had uniform distribution at all levels. The distribution of peripheral blood vessels showed accuracy of up to 0.45 to 0.55 mm.Bones and blood vessels and other important anatomical structures and their adjacent relationships were well displayed. Conclusion Good perfusion materials and scientific methods were essential for CT thin twodimensional image capture. The application of self-curing denture material specimen perfusion is a suitable method that is ideal for three-dimensional computer reconstruction of the perfused samples.

Key words:
Hand;  Angiography;  Imaging, three-dimensional;  Digital medicine;  Perfusion


This paper introduces a control system of CIP in dairy products based on PLC and touch screen.The hardware and software of the system are introduced in detail.


The study was conducted during 2020, at Fedis district of East Hararghe Zone, Oromia National Regional State; Ethiopia. Composting is a process where waste organic materials derived from plants and/or animals are decomposed by microbial action under aeration to produce a friable homogenous product that is added to soil.


Abstract : The state of knowledge of the kinetics and mechanism of reactions of concentrated ozone is reviewed under the following headings: (1) kinetics and mechanism of ozone decomposition in the gas phase; (2) kinetic stability of gaseous ozone; (3) kinetic stability of liquid ozone; (4) catalytic decomposition of gaseous ozone; (5) catalytic decomposition of liquid ozone; (6) chemical reactions of ozone; (7) oxidation reactions in explosions of ozone mixtures with other gases. (Author)


The laboratory experimental work has been conducted to investigate the process of dam-breach erosion. The physical pattern of washout of dams is developed and on this basis a mathematical model and its analytical solution are derived for both simulating the process of dam-breach erosion and estimating important characteristics of the process which are necessary for evaluation of dam-break wave parameters. Carrying out theoretical calculations needs only a minimum set of input data for reservoir, dam geometry and embankment material characteristics, so the mathematical model is convenient in practice for predicting purposes. The mathematical model consists of a reservoir water-mass depletion and a rate of breach-width enlargement equations. The closed form of the mathematical model is achieved by using the experimental data. Breach erosion is described from the formation of an initial breach with its bottom reaching the base of the dam. Breach shape is assumed to be rectangular. Experimental and historical dam failure data are used to evaluate the performance of the model.


The starch content of four edible aroid (Araceae) cultivars was determined using acid and enzyme methods of hydrolysis. Hydrolysates were analysed using ferricyanide reduction, glucose oxidase and high performance liquid chromatography methods. Differences in starch values were obtained between the method of sugar analysis used when acid hydrolysis of samples was employed. The results obtained using enzyme hydrolysis, however, showed no significant differences between the methods of sugar analysis used. The results of these experiments indicate that, to obtain accurate starch values for edible aroids using the least expensive options, it is recommended that acid hydrolysis and the glucose oxidase-peroxidase glucose-specific assay methods or enzyme hydrolysis and ferricyanide sugar analysis be used. Starch degradation of ungelatinised samples by enzymic hydrolysis was very limited and showed considerable cultivar variation.


Following an introduction to application of lipoxygenases (LOX) from peas and potatoes in the agrifood industry, this paper discusses: properties of recombinant LOX prepared from pea seeds and potato tubers; probing the primary determinants of LOX-catalysis; and applications of recombinant LOX. 3 novel recombinant LOX have been expressed in Escherichiacoli, purified and characterized. These have distinct properties and reaction mechanisms for probing primary determinants of LOX-catalysis and for agrifood applications. Studies on pea LOX-3 have provided new insights into cooxidation chemistry. Production of mutant LOX and analysis of LOX sequences in relation to homology models gives a key to understanding primary determinants of LOX-catalysis. This further extends the range of recombinant LOX available and should allow production of customized biocatalysts for industry.


This paper aims to determine the trend and its impact on the economic prosperity of exports from the Colombian agroindustrial sector, after the entry into force of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), signed with the United States of America (USA), through a mixed approach methodology, which analyzes the objective economic reality of the sector, with descriptive, correlational and explanatory scopes. The method used for its development was that of least squares; For this, the multiple regression analysis was used to determine the degree of incidence of the analyzed variables on exports in order to show the impact of the financial performance of the agroindustrial sector in Colombia, due to the poor correspondence between the behavior of the exports with the aspects agreed in the FTA with EE. UU This was achieved by comparing the level of exports of the companies in the sector during the period from 2010 to 2017 and an analysis of the variation of profitability, indebtedness and liquidity indicators of the exporting companies to the US. UU Thus, it was specified that the signing and entry into force of the FTA with the United States brought unfavorable and unsatisfactory behavior to the Colombian economy, which focuses on the agroindustrial sector, which resulted in a fall in productivity.


The concepts of anticipatory discrete-time and continuous-time systems for singular linear systems are introduced. Necessary and sufficient conditions for anticipation of the linear systems are established. It is shown that the anticipation of singular systems is not invariant under state-feedbacks.


We develop a field theory of 2d electrons in a strong magnetic field on a representation in which electrons are described by multi-component local fields defined on lattice sites. The modified Ward-Takahashi identity, and the exact low energy theorem for cr xy are derived. The absence of higher order QED correction to the quantized a xy in the localized state region is shown and a small correction in the presence of extended states at Fermi energy is computed.


1. AmaryllisThis naked lady snares nocturnal mothsAt night when nobody sees.A shepherd girl in Virgils's EcloguesWhite with purple veinsthough I have seen her boldly crimson.When she flared in my back yardI fell hard.2. BassoonSoon rather than later?But why do its notes seem to lagAs if struggling to emerge from the past?3. CinnabarToxic because it can yield quicksilverBut nevertheless used for pigments everywhereAnd lacquerware during the Song Dynasty.Doesn't look like a scarlet lady to me;Looks like a rock. In Spanish it's cinabrioWhich sounds like cheese. But don't eat it.4 DeuteronomyHarsh, these sermons by MosesOn Moab before reaching home.Disobey your parents, you die.Bastards and castrati, condemned.Wife not a virgin? Stone her.But what can you expect after forty yearsOf groping in a desert?5. EleemosynarySounds like a disease-Look Maw,I've come down with eleemosynary-Ora species of eel. Or something medicinal.None of the above! Pertains to charity, alms.One of the most useless, unneeded wordsIn the lexicon ... and, thus, one of the most loveable.6. Fecund (alternate, fetid)Yeats liked the word ("that most fecund ditch"),Frog spawn, ripe swollen Creole tomatoes,Ovaries, semen, Whitman's red jellies,Lawrence's bursten figs, procreation,Blossoming youth ... ah, the Big BangAbout to happen ...(and its alternate means just the opposite!)7. GravyRaymond Carver wrote great fictionBut his poems are pretty good too.Read the one about gravy if you can find it.He was in pretty bad shapeWhen he wrote itAnd he knew that the graveAlways follows the gravy.8. HallelujahFrom Handel to Justin Timberlake!The only way to know this wordIs to let it roar from your lungs.Then you're cooking-Maybe even redeemed!9. IsoscelesThis one sounds likeAn ancient Greek tragedianWho wrote Oedipus Sex.Save for that odd ribIt would be Equilateral,Who wrote nothing.10. JocundSee it, you think Wordsworth!Fun to articulate, even type.But use sparingly, like fuck.11. KatydidI knew her in high schoolAnd she didn't.12. LachrymalIt even sounds wet.13. MadeleineThe sweet cakes that sent ProustSpiraling back to the fecund past.And Mary, beloved of Christ.But pronounce it French(Not the plodding Anglo ma-de-line)So the syllables trip off your tongueAs if escaping the word.Also, my final daughter. …


Agricultural entrepreneurship, viewed as an essential structural factor for the development of economy and market relations in rural areas, is largely affected by the socio-economic context. The article discloses the realities of Russian agricultural entrepreneurship on the example of various forms of agribusinesses in the remote Russian countryside (companies, farms, peasant farms). Article aims to reveal the characteristic image of a rural businessman of the Tyumen oblast south. Empirical data are obtained as a part of a research project which studies the development of regional rural areas. Authors' narrative analysis of problematic issues is based on 59 expert in-depth interviews (21 with agribusinessmen, 38 with the ones of related occupations). In the theoretical aspect, the authors rely on classical and modern scientific literature on rural sociology, sociology of entrepreneurship and theoretical and methodological approaches that dominate in these areas of sociology. Qualitative data analysis allowed us to reveal: 1) main characteristics of a rural businessman, their actual qualities and skills necessary for their work; 2) internal and external factors of the business environment, that influence the efficiency of agribusiness. The problems of agriculture and rural areas, considered as barriers to business-activity development, are contextually identified. Scientific novelty of results is determined by the original empirical data, obtained through expert interviews, as it can be used in further research within this field. The application of MAXQDA Plus 2020 tools for analysis and interpretation of qualitative and mixed data is of practical importance.


W e have long been reminded by scholars of organizations that change is tricky and frustrating business. Efforts to improve organizations are frequently thwarted by powerful conservative forces within them and in their environments that make persistence paramount to change (March & Olsen, 1989). Schools have a notorious reputation for stability and preservation of existing institutional orders and practices. Like previous attempts to improve schooling, current efforts to restructure schools are meeting with mixed success. Some restructuring initiatives appear to be bringing about substantial change (see, e.g., Kerchner & Koppich, 1993). However, too many of these efforts fall by the wayside after adoption. Others fail to attempt, much less achieve, the fundamental "reinvention" of work roles, responsibilities, authority relationships, and technical tasks and activities that some observers believe is necessary for schools to be successful into the next century (Smylie, 1994). These efforts merely improve upon prevailing, often unsatisfactory ways of doing business.


Abstract Many university programs include Microsoft Excel courses given their value as a scientific and technical tool. However, evaluating what is effectively learned by students is a challenging task. Considering multiple-choice written exams are a standard evaluation format, this study aimed to uncover the features influencing students' success in answering these types of questions. The empirical experiments were based on Excel evaluation exams containing questions answered by 526 students between 2012 and 2016, with a total of 3,340 answers characterized by 17 features. Through data mining, a neural network was developed that accurately modeled students' choices. A sensitivity analysis was applied to the model to assess the most relevant features. Findings identified four highly relevant features for students' success: number of words of the question, topic, difficulty degree, and number of similar choices. This study helps to guide the design of future exams by quantifying the individual influence of each feature.


We study the holomorphic embedding problem from a compact strongly pseudoconvex real algebraic hypersurface into a sphere of higher dimension. We construct a family of compact strongly pseudoconvex hypersurfaces $M_{\epsilon}$ in $\mathbb{C}^2,$ and prove that for any integer $N$, there is a number $\epsilon(N)$ with $0<\epsilon(N)<1$ such that for any $\epsilon$ with $0<\epsilon<\epsilon(N)$, $M_\epsilon$ can not be locally holomorphically embedded into the unit sphere $\mathbb{S}^{2N-1}$ in $\mathbb{C}^N.$


The aim of this study is to compare the strains that occur in two dental cements with different formulations after the same photoactivation conditions. The study suggest that the different contraction levels were found and may result clinically significant interference.


The diversity of graphics models and data models in the electric utility software environment leads to much repetitive work and impede information sharing greatly. CIM in IEC 61970 defines most of the main objects in the electric utility enterprise, which can facilitate data exchange among heterogeneous applications. Howerver, with the development of power system, graphics information exchange among heterogeneous applications becomes more and more desirable. By analyzing two graphics exchange approaches proposed by CCAPI, the way to exchange graphics information in a standardized form combining IEC 61968 Location package and SVG is introduced. An asynchronous graphics exchange mechanism based on publish/subscribe architecture is proposed, which can greatly reduce the redundancy information and enhance the exchange efficiency.


Bubbles interact strongly with sound fields. Gas bubbles in the oceangenerate sound as they are produced by breaking waves, rainfall, methane seeps, etc., and such emissions can be used to size and count the bubbles present. However after production, when the pulsations of such bubbles have damped away, they are silent unless re-excited. These, and other bubbles in the ocean that do not generally make significant passive sound emissions (such as those that appear through exsolution, and a range of biological processes including decomposition, photosynthesis, respiration and digestion) can still strongly influence applied sound fields through scattering, and changing the sound speed and absorption from that which would be expected in bubble-free water. This paper discusses how these phenomena might be associated with bubble netting by cetaceans. When driven with appropriate acoustic fields, bubbles can change their surrounding environment, and examples of this are shown through the generation of cleaning in an ultrasonically-activated stream of cold water, without additives.


In this report, we fabricated a porous layer in amorphous SiC thin films by using constant-current anodic etching in an electrolyte of aqueous diluted hydrofluoric acid. The morphology of the porous amorphous SiC layer changed as the anodic current density changed: At low current density, the porous layer had a low pore density and consisted of small pores that branched downward. At moderate current density, the pore size and depth increased, and the pores grew perpendicular to the surface, creating a columnar pore structure. At high current density, the porous structure remained perpendicular, the pore size increased, and the pore depth decreased. We explained the changes in pore size and depth at high current density by the growth of a silicon oxide layer during etching at the tips of the pores.


Chromolaena odorata is one of the weeds that is difficult to control and causes loss both economically and ecologically. This study aims to predict the distribution of C. odorata which affected by climate change and the potential of using fungal pathogens for its eradication efforts in Indonesia. The Biodiversity and Climate Change Virtual Laboratory application was used to create Habitat Suitability Index of C. odorata. Species data were obtained from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and the variable environment parameters were obtained from the Worldclim current condition (1950-2000). Results show that Generalized Linear Model has values of 0.98. C. odorata most likely spreads to eastern parts of Indonesia. The model predicted it to be suitable to inhabit Bali-Lombok Islands (HSI ±0.8) as well as Lesser Sunda Islands, Flores (HSI ±0.76) and Sumba (HSI ±0.82), and also Papua which share similar HSI with Sumba. Four species of putative fungal pathogens were isolated from the diseased leaf tissue of C. odorata. One species of fungus that causes severe infection in the leaves of C. odorata was morphologically identified as Septoria sp. It considered as a biological control agent. Further studies are needed to confirm this association and their potential for biological control.


Simple Summary By analyzing a large German primary care provider database, we demonstrated that obesity represents a decisive risk factor for the development of colon, rectal, and liver cancer, partly in a sex-dependent manner. Thus, along with previous data, our study including >280,000 patients suggests that the clinical management of overweight patients should include a careful and structured risk assessment for the development of cancer in order to improve long-term outcomes in these patients. Abstract Cancer represents the second leading cause of death worldwide, implementing a major health care and socioeconomic burden. Overweight and obesity, both of which are dramatically on the rise in both highly and less developed regions worldwide, have been established as modifiable risk factors for the development of various tumor entities including gastrointestinal (GI) cancers such as colorectal or gastric cancer. However, systematic data on an association between excessive body fat and GI cancer development from Germany are missing. Methods: A total of 287,357 adult outpatients with an available BMI value between 2010 and 2019 were identified from the Disease Analyzer database (IQVIA). The main outcome was the association between pre-obesity (BMI 25–30 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) compared to normal weight (BMI 18.5–25 kg/m2) and the incident of a GI cancer diagnoses (including colon, rectum, stomach, pancreas, and liver cancer). Results: Within the observation period, the proportion of colon cancer patients increased stepwise from 0.5% and 0.64% in normal weight to 0.71% and 0.91% in obese female and male patients, respectively, which was confirmed in multivariable regression models (ORfemale obesity: 1.23; 95% CI: 1.03–1.48; ORmale obesity: 1.43, 95% CI: 1.17–1.74). In contrast, multivariable regression models revealed that obesity was significantly associated with rectal cancer (OR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.01–1.84) as well as liver cancer (OR: 1.79, 95% CI: 1.17–2.73) in men only. Conclusions: Our data suggest that obesity represents a decisive risk factor for the development of colon, rectal, and liver cancer, partly in a sex-dependent manner. Since overweight and obesity are modifiable risk factors, the current results may help to establish appropriate prevention and lifestyle programs to reduce both the incidence as well as the high morbidity and mortality of GI tumors in the future.


In the last 20 years, priority setting in mine actions, i.e. in humanitarian demining, has become an increasingly important topic. Given that mine action projects require management and decision-making based on a multi -criteria approach, multi-criteria decision-making methods like PROMETHEE and AHP have been used worldwide for priority setting. However, from the aspect of mine action, where stakeholders in the decision-making process for priority setting are project managers, local politicians, leaders of different humanitarian organizations, or similar, applying these methods can be difficult. Therefore, a specialized web-based decision support system (Web DSS) for priority setting, developed as part of the FP7 project TIRAMISU, has been extended using a module for developing custom priority setting scenarios in line with an exceptionally easy, user-friendly approach. The idea behind this research is to simplify the multi-criteria analysis based on the PROMETHEE method. Therefore, a simplified PROMETHEE method based on statistical analysis for automated suggestions of parameters such as preference function thresholds, interactive selection of criteria weights, and easy input of criteria evaluations is presented in this paper. The result is web-based DSS that can be applied worldwide for priority setting in mine action. Additionally, the management of mine action projects is supported using modules for providing spatial data based on the geographic information system (GIS). In this paper, the benefits and limitations of a simplified PROMETHEE method are presented using a case study involving mine action projects, and subsequently, certain proposals are given for the further research.


OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to xamine primary factors which may predict patients' failure to show at initial physical therapist evaluation in an orthopedic and sports outpatient setting.

METHODS
A retrospective analysis of patients' demographic data for physical therapist evaluations between January 2013 and April 2015 was performed. A binary logistic regression model was used to evaluate the odds of a no-show at evaluation. Demographic variables of age, employment status, days waited for the appointment, payer source, and distance traveled to clinic were analyzed. Independent variables were considered significant if the 95% Cis of the odds ratios did not include 1.0.

RESULTS
A total of 6971 patients were included in the final analysis with 10% (n = 698) of the scheduled patients having a no-show event for their initial evaluation. The following factors increased the odds of patients having a no-show event: days to appointment (OR = 1.058; 95% CI = 1.042 to 1.074), unemployment status (OR = 1.96; 95% CI = 1.41 to 2.73), unknown employment status (OR = 3.22; 95% CI = 1.12 to 8.69), Medicaid insurance (OR = 4.87; 95% CI = 3.43 to 6.93), Medicare insurance (OR = 2.22; 95% CI = 1.10 to 4.49), unknown payer source (OR = 262.84; 95% CI = 188.72 to 366.08), and distance traveled ≥5 miles (OR = 1.31; 95% CI = 1.01 to 1.70). Female sex [OR = 0.73; 95% CI = 0.57 to 0.95) and age ≥ 40 years (OR = 0.44; 95% CI = 0.33 to 0.60) decreased the odds of a no-show event.

CONCLUSION
Results from this study indicate there may be some demographic factors that are predictive of patients failing to attend their first physical therapist visit.

IMPACT
Understanding the predictive factors and identifying potential opportunities for improvements in scheduling processes might help decrease the number of patients failing to show for their initial physical therapy appointment, with the ultimate goal of positively influencing patient outcomes.


According to the principle of fuzzy mathematics we establish the marking target system, design the expediency distribution set and the assessing scale set, and form the assessment matrix and fuzzy calculation so as to realize the quantitative analysis of the technical movement marking in the teijiquan examination.


Abstract: Microscopy has evolved through centuries of desire to see the unseen world. Modern technologies have pushed the limits of what's possible, inspiring the field of structural biology. Coupled with advances in biochemistry, scientists can now study the fine details of tiny intruders in the body as well as the molecular culprits of disease. Despite these monumental achievements, human health still suffers from persistent dysfunctions in biological molecules. Through cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) imaging technology we can create more translatable models to uncover the atomic details of macromolecules gone awry. For instance, the tumor suppressor p53 is one of the most popular proteins in cancer research, yet there is little structural information about its complete 3D organization. The Center for Structural Oncology (CSO) at Penn State University is working to address these impactful uncertainties. Using a wealth of cryo-EM resources in the CSO, we capture dynamic snapshots of p53 assemblies while preserving their disease-related context for drug discovery and therapeutic development. With these tools in hand, the CSO is working to engineer new molecular paradigms in creating a world without cancer.


e11043 Background: Breast cancer patients younger than 40 years are known to have an aggressive disease than their older counterparts. In this correlational study involving Indian women with breast cancer; we analyzed if age is related to an aggressive histopathologic phenotype and biomarker expression. Methods: Paraffin embedded tissue blocks of hundred chemotherapy naive breast cancer patients with a diagnosis of invasive breast carcinoma were stratified for age group (less than forty and above forty years) equally from the hospital biorepository. Tissue samples were analyzed for pathological stage, histological type, ER, PR and Her2 Neu receptor status, and expression of biomarkers such as Ki67, EGFR and P53 using immunohistochemistry. Data were analyzed using Chisquare test for proportions. Results: Younger age group had significantly higher grade (p=0.03), higher incidence of solid (p=0.04) and micropapillary type DCIS (p=0.004), ER negativity (p=0.04), higher proliferation rate as indicated by over ...


What form would an ethnographic experimentation exercise take in fieldwork? Ethnographies studying new media, science and global organizations in recent decades offer the chance, or, indeed, present the need, to reconsider norms and forms in ethnographic fieldwork. Based on our ethnographic experience, this article discusses what we define as experimental forms of fieldwork. We make our case by narrating an urban teaching project conducted in close partnership with two architectural groups: an urban learning infrastructure, referenced by vernacular languages in the field, and ethnographic conceptualisations, a recursive technique in which ethnographic findings cause us to revisit our own practice. We argue that this project gives us chance to relearn and reimagine our ethnographic experience, not through the traditional aesthetic of the ethnographic encounter, but through an infrastructural installation that conditions fieldwork for what we describe as an experimental exercise. Rather than breaking away from method, our approach to the experimental seeks to renew the descriptive vocabulary and conceptual language of field accounts in our ethnographies.


This essay posits a problem of fit among five streams of reform and prevailing configurations of teachers' professional development. It argues that the dominant training-and-coaching model—focused on expanding an individual repertoire of well-defined classroom practice—is not adequate to the conceptions or requirements of teaching embedded in present reform initiatives. Subject matter collaboratives and other emerging alternatives are found to embody six principles that stand up to the complexity of reforms in subject matter teaching, equity, assessment, school organization, and the professionalization of teaching. The principles form criteria for assessing professional development policies and practices.


Various recent articles have addressed the morality of the use of methotrexate for the treatment of tubal pregnancies. 1 Authors disagree insofar as they emphasize different features and arrive at different conclusions regarding whether methotrexate treatment for tubal pregnancies is appropriate in Catholic hospitals. Despite their differences, most authors display a remarkable agreement about what the fundamental issues are. Typically, an author begins by describing the diagnosis and prognosis of tubal pregnancy and the basic treatment options: expectant management, salpingectomy, salpingostomy, and methotrexate. The morality of each approach is assessed, then, in light of the distinction between direct and indirect abortions. Methotrexate receives extended attention because of its technical advantages over the surgical options and because it is not obvious how to apply to this medical approach moral principles first articulated for surgical procedures. In particular, authors discuss the pharmacology of methotrexate, its relation to the distinction between direct and indirect abortion, the formulation of the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Facilities, the diagnosis of ectopic implantation as itself pathological, and the status of the trophoblastic tissue. The purpose of this article is twofold: (1) to state the fundamental difficulties of the moral dimension of this problem with somewhat greater concision than has appeared in one place so far; (2) to open an avenue to a solution that is different in kind from any that has appeared so far. For the former, it is sufficient to bring attention succinctly to what has been noted in various places. For the latter, it is necessary to approach the question in a manner completely unlike that adopted by most authors. Most authors


A novel fiber-optic sensor for nitric oxide is constructed by holding a small amount of an internal reagent solution at the tip of a fiber-optic bundle with a piece of gas-permeable membrane. Nitric oxide diffuses across the membrane into this internal solution, where a chemiluminescent reaction between nitric oxide, hydrogen peroxide, and luminol takes place. The resulting light intensity is related to the concentration of nitric oxide in the sample. Results are presented from experiments to optimize the magnitude and rate of the sensor response. The resulting sensor possesses a limit of detection of 1.3 μM, a response time of 8-17 s, and a dynamic range from 5 to 40 μM. A mathematical model is derived to explain the sensor response as a function of time. Oxidation of nitric oxide by ambient oxygen and mass transport of nitric oxide through the gas-permeable membrane are considered in this model. The excellent agreement between experimental data and model predictions indicates that the oxidation of nitric oxide by oxygen is a major factor in this measurement, regardless of transducer element The model further indicates a reaction rate constant for the oxygen oxidation of nitric oxide of 9.5(±0.5) x 10 6 M -2 s -1 and a diffusion coefficient for nitric oxide in the silicone membrane of 5.0(±0.2) x 10 -11 m 2 s -1 at 30 °C.


As a new branch of the logistics industry,pharmaceutical cold-chain logistics is the combination of medicine logistics and cold-chain logistics.It is not only to meet the requirement of high quality medical products,but also to meet the special requirements of cold collection temperature.Chinese medicine cold-chain logistics industry has serious problems.For instance,less of standards,old facilities,high cost,scarcity of talent and "chain's broken".Such phenomena seriously affected our country medicine cold-chain logistics system's development.This paper analyses Chinese pharmaceutical cold-chain logistics status.Based on summarize the Pharmaceutical logistics and the cold-chain logistics development pattern,puts forward the corresponding countermeasures.


In the fabrication of interconnect test chips with a half pitch of 35 nm, we used an EUV full-field scanner (EUV1) for three critical layers: Metal 1, Via 1 and Metal 2. In this study, we focused on the Via-1 layer and investigated the printing characteristics of 35-nm via-hole patterns. There are three types of major via-hole patterns; aligned, staggered, and isolated. Simple optical proximity effect correction (OPC) and shadowing effect correction (SEC) were applied to the mask patterns to reduce the iso-dense bias and anisotropy of hole shapes. Mask critical-dimension (CD) correction enabled the fabrication of all three types of patterns with almost the same CD. A simulation analysis revealed the mask error enhancement factor (MEEF) to be about 2.5, the exposure latitude to be about 18%, and the depth of focus (DOF) to be about 100 nm for 35-nm via holes when the resist CD was 35 nm. The experimental results agree fairly well with the simulation results. The intra-field CD uniformity of 35-nm via holes is 3.3 nm (3σ). The intra-field overlay accuracy (Mean+3σ) between the Via-1 and Metal-2 layers is better than 15 nm. We used a multi-stacked resist to fabricate 35-nm via holes in a low-k dielectric layer. Moreover, we fabricated interconnect test chips and measured their electrical properties. The resistance of 32-nm vias is 12.4Ω, which meets the target of International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS). The yield of 40k dense via chains was over 70%. The results demonstrate that EUV lithography is useful for the fabrication of ULSI devices with a half pitch of 35 nm and beyond.


LiFePO4/C cathode material for lithium-ion battery was synthesized with lithium dihydrogen phosphate, iron oxide, and glucose by the high temperature ball milling method. In an attempt to improve the electrochemical performance, the effect of ball: weight ratio was investigated in this paper. The results showed that the best electrochemical performance of LiFePO4/C was obtained from the test that was when ball: weight ratio was 10:1 synthesized ball-milling temperature at 650 °C for 8 h exhibited an excellent initial discharge capacity of 147.7mAh/g at a rate of 0.1C with small size and distributed uniformly. It shows the excellent electrochemical performance of the product prepared in this work.


Objectives: To explore a mean of 3.5-year clinical results of Wallis interspinous dynamic stabilization for lumbar degenerative disc disease. Methods: From July 2008 to July 2010, a retrospective analysis of 79 patients with lumbar degenerative disc disease who underwent one-level placement of the Wallis interspinous dynamic stabilization system was carried out, 75 of whom completed a mean of 3.5-year follow-up,Low back pain VAS, leg pain VAS, JOA and ODI score were measured at pre-operation, 3 months post-operation and final follow-up. The segmental lordosis and the cranial and caudal adjacent segment were evaluated by X-ray to understand their range of motion(ROM) and disc height, Pfirrmann′s classification under MRI was used to evaluate the disc degeneration. The intraoperative and postoperative complications of all patients were noted. Results: 79 cases with one-level Wallis placement were recorded, 75 of whom completed a mean of 42.97±2.74 months follow-up(range, 28-49 months), and 4 lost follow-up. The preoperative symptoms of all patients relieved after operation. No complication such as recurrence or prosthesis displacement was noted. There were statistical differences in low back VAS score, leg VAS score, JOA score and ODI score at3 months post-operation and final follow-up when compared with the preoperative data(P0.001) and the statistical difference existed between 3 months post-operation and final follow-up. At final follow-up, significant difference was noted as for the extension Cobb angle and ROM of the operated segment when compared with the pre-operation(P0.001), while those in the cranial and caudal adjacent segments were bigger than the preoperative ones. There was no statistical difference in the lateral and flexion Cobb angle and ROM of the operated level as well as the cranial and caudal adjacent segment when compared with the pre-operation(P0.05). At final follow-up, disc height of the operated segment was higher than the pre-operation(P0.001),while there was no statistical difference as for the cranial and caudal adjacent segment(P0.05). Pfirrmann′s classification at the pre-operation and final follow-up showed total improvement, no change, and deteriorate rate of 45.3%, 52.1% and 2.6% respectively, while there was no significant difference in the cranial and caudal adjacent segment when compared with those at pre-operation, some cases changed from grade Ⅲ to grade Ⅱ. Conclusions: Wallis interspinous dynamic stabilization system is an effective surgical option for the treatment of lumbar degenerative disc disease at least in a mean of 3.5-year follow-up.


Milling pavement (10) are used to mill damaged or worn paving (11) from the substructure. It happens that some wheels run along on an already milled track (22). The milled on the track (22) running wheels are then located at a lower level. To compensate for this, known paving and milling (10) have a front swing axle. Thereby, the front wheels (14) are inclined, which makes particularly the maneuverability of the known pavement planer (10). DOLLAR A According to the invention, the front wheels (14) to assign a Parallelogrammlenkerachse (23). The Parallelogrammlenkerachse (23) carries the front wheels (14) so that their axles (48), even if the front wheels (14) are offset in height to one another, always remain aligned horizontally, so that the steerability of the road surface planer (10) and then is not affected when a front wheel (14) on a lower-lying, milled track (22) runs.


Abstract This paper explores aspects of the Australian (1934) and New Zealand (1936) universities rugby union tours of Japan. These were conducted at a time when Australasian understandings of Japan were very limited – notwithstanding a number of very positive Japanese sporting excursions to Australia from the late 1920s. Equally this was a period when a rapidly modernizing and expansionist Japan was engendering contrasting reactions from the international community. On one hand it was a friend with whom sport provided opportunities for peace and understanding. On the other it was a threat to stability in Asia and the Pacific. Elements of this duality can be seen in both the on- and off-field conduct of the rugby tours. The unpublished private diary of one of the New Zealand players also reveals significant disjuncture with the public narrative of sportsmanship and internationalism that characterized press accounts of these and other tours.


Background: Esophageal cancer is the eighth most common cancer and the sixth most frequent cancer-related death. Despite improvements in treatment approaches, it has remained one of the most challenging cancers for treatment. Thus, it is necessary to introduce novel and efficient methods for treatment. In this regard, the anti-cancer and antioxidant properties of pomegranate have been more concerned. Objectives: The present study aimed to assess the potential cytotoxicity effects of pomegranate on the esophageal cancer cell line. Methods: We cultured esophageal cancer cell line (KYSE-30) and fibroblast cell line (HF2FF) as normal cell line in RPMI-1640/Ham's F12 and RPMI-1640 medium, respectively, with different concentrations of pomegranate seed oil (2, 1, 0.5, 0.25, 0.125, 0.0625, and 0.03125 mg/mL). Then, we evaluated the cytotoxic effects of pomegranate seed oil via morphologic observation and MTT assay after 24, 48, and 72 hours. The wound-healing assay was used for the evaluation of the mobility and migration potential of the treated cells. Results: The results of the MTT assay showed the cytotoxicity and growth inhibitory effects of pomegranate seed oil on esophageal cancer cells. The viability of tumor cells was significantly reduced compared with the untreated control cells and normal cells (P < 0.05), which were dose and time-dependent. The results of the wound-healing assay indicated that pomegranate seed oil could reduce the migration ability of KYSE-30 cells. Conclusions: According to the results, pomegranate seed oil seems to have cytotoxicity effects on esophageal cancer cells. Thus, it might be considered a new, cheap, and safe treatment option for esophageal cancer.


Robust optimization programs are hard to solve even when the constraints are convex. In previous contributions, it has been shown that approximately robust solutions (i.e. solutions feasible for all constraints but a small fraction of them) to convex programs can be obtained at low computational cost through constraints randomization. In this paper, we establish new feasibility results for randomized algorithms. Specifically, the exact feasibility for the class of the so-called fully-supported problems is obtained. It turns out that all fully-supported problems shares the same feasibility properties, revealing a deep kinship among problems of this class. It is further proven that the feasibility of the randomized solutions for all other convex programs can be bounded based on the feasibility for the prototype class of fully-supported problems. The feasibility result of this paper outperforms previous bounds, and is not improvable because it is exact for fully-supported problems. Dipartimento di Elettronica per l'Automazione Universita di Brescia, via Branze 38, 25123 Brescia, Italia. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com, web-site: http://bsing.ing.unibs.it/∼campi/ Dipartimento di Elettronica e Informatica Politecnico di Milano, P.zza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italia. E-mail: email@example.com, web-site: http://www.elet.polimi.it/upload/sgaratti/