The Deep Sea Drillin g Program (DSDP) has demonstrate d the technical feasibility of drilling in the deep ocean. However, except for petroleum shows in the Sigsbe Knolls in the Gulf of Mexico, there is no firm evidence of petroleum reser voirs in the deep ocean beyond the limits of the continental slope. Emery (1973) and Beck and Lehner (1974) suggeste d that vast petroleum resources may lie in deep water adjacent to the continents in areas of hemipelagi c sedimentation . One such area adjacent to the United States is the continental rise off California between Point Conception and Cape Mendocino. Based on availabl e seismi c reflection profiles, concentrate d on the Monterey fan, this paper evaluates the possibilities for economi c petroleum deposit s for the region off the central California coast (Fig. 1).


We have developed an optimization procedure based on a genetic algorithm (GA) to estimate the extrinsic camera parameters of a multi-camera setup with a 3-dimensional (3D) target. Computed tomography (CT) is an imaging technique that uses projections (images) of a 3D field, to infer volumetric information about the measured entity. The CT inversion process relies on an accurately calibrated measurement arrangement in relation to a common reference coordinate system. Here, simultaneous projections of a 3D calibration target are obtained from a setup containing 30 CCD cameras. The calibration procedure was tested in a numerical study, and a CT experiment was conducted for assessing the quality of the calibration. Reconstructions of a turbulent flame were achieved using the calibration procedure and the computed tomography of chemiluminescence (CTC) technique.


Two bis-benzotriazole Mannich alkali compounds,1,2-di(1H-benzo[d][1,2,3]triazol-1-yl)-N~1,N~2- diphenylethane-1,2-diamine(BBTAP)and l,2-di(1H-benzo[d][1,2,3]triazol-1-yl)-N~1,N~2-dimethylethane-1,2- diamine(BBTAM),were synthesized using benzotriazole(BTA)as matrix.The inhibition actions and adsorption behaviors of BBTAP,BBTAM and BTA on copper in aqueous NaHCO_3(mass fraction 5%)solution were investigated by means of mass loss and electrochemical techniques including polarization curve and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS).The results showed that BBTAP,BBTAM and BTA exhibited good inhibition effect for copper in 5%NaHCO_3 solution at higher temperature and BBTAP,BBTAM had better corrosion inhibition efficiency than that of BTA.The results of experiment revealed that the adsorption processes were exothermic reaction and belonged to physical and chemical mix absorption,the adsorption behaviors followed Langmuir isotherm.


The present invention provides a simple and adaptable to the conductive contact holder, by a configuration in which the assembly is readily available at the same time as the corresponding high-frequency signals high integration and miniaturization of the inspection object. It is formed by an insulating material, and circuit formed for the structure by a signal conductive contact for performing input and output of signals to the insulating holder member and the conductive material having a first insertion hole for directly inserted over substantially full length, conductivity for the Earth and a conductive block member having a second insertion hole for inserting allows a portion of the contact touch.


This project funds two Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) fish habitat biologists to develop, secure funding for, and implement on-the-ground fish habitat improvement projects in the lower Clearwater River drainage and the upper Salmon River drainage. This report summarizes project activity during the first year of funding. The Clearwater Region fish habitat biologist began work on January 28, 2008 and the Salmon Region habitat biologist began on February 11, 2008.


We describe an optical coating design suitable for broad bandwidth high reflection (BBHR) at 45° angle of incidence (AOI), P polarization (Ppol) of femtosecond (fs) laser pulses whose wavelengths range from 800 to 1000 nm. Our design process is guided by quarter-wave HR coating properties. The design must afford low group delay dispersion (GDD) for reflected light over the broad, 200 nm bandwidth in order to minimize temporal broadening of the fs pulses due to dispersive alteration of relative phases between their frequency components. The design should also be favorable to high laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT). We base the coating on TiO2/SiO2 layer pairs produced by means of e-beam evaporation with ion-assisted deposition, and use OptiLayer Thin Film Software to explore designs starting with TiO2/SiO2 layers having thicknesses in a reverse chirped arrangement. This approach led to a design with R > 99% from 800 to 1000 nm and GDD < 20 fs2 from 843 to 949 nm (45° AOI, Ppol). The design's GDD behaves in a smooth way, suitable for GDD compensation techniques, and its electric field intensities show promise for high LIDTs. Reflectivity and GDD measurements for the initial test coating indicate good performance of the BBHR design. Subsequent coating runs with improved process calibration produced two coatings whose HR bands satisfactorily meet the design goals. For the sake of completeness, we summarize our previously reported transmission spectra and LIDT test results with 800 ps, 8 ps and 675 fs pulses for these two coatings, and present a table of the LIDT results we have for all of our TiO2/SiO2 BBHR coatings, showing the trends with test laser pulse duration from the ns to sub-ps regimes.


SUMMARY A number of widely used programming languages use lexically included files as a way to share and encapsulate declarations, definitions, code, and data. As the code evolves files included in a compilation unit are often no longer required, yet locating and removing them is a haphazard operation, which is therefore neglected. The difficulty of reasoning about included files stems primarily from the fact that the definition and use of macros complicates the notions of scope and of identifier boundaries. By defining four successively refined identifier equivalence classes we can accurately derive dependencies between identifiers. A mapping of those dependencies on a relationship graph between included files can then be used to determine included files that are not required in a given compilation unit and can be safely removed. We validate our approach through a number of experiments on numerous large production-systems.


International Society for Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (ISUOG) publication (3). Of note, 46.9% of the respondents chose the insonation site for technical reasons ("feasibility" and "less mobility") while only 24.3% choose the site for its relevance. Interestingly, only a small minority of sonographers claims to follow official recommendations (4.3%), reinforcing the need for clear and well-diseminated recommendations.


Both general business risk and specific risk of the service sector hinder the growth of small and medium enterprises in The Russian Federation. The author employs the complex approach in the research on the service industry risks. The research addresses business, tax, currency, insurance risks and the risk of economic security of enterprises operating in the service sector.


Abstract Capsaicin, the active ingredient in hot peppers, produces a long-lasting reduction of nociceptive reactions in rodents through a selective toxic action on afferent C-fibres. Immediate effects on C-fibre conduction are also found in other mammalian species and a reduction in nociceptive responses from human skin occurs following topical application. Direct application to nerve trunks may be expected to produce a useful degree of regional analgesia in man. Since this effect would occur without any anaesthesia or paralysis, it appears worth investigating as a treatment for pain of peripheral origin in man.


The mechanism on alkaline pulp black liquor was degraded by acid-producing white rot fungus was studied. During five days treatment of black liquor, COD removal was up to 73% and pH down from 8, 9 to 1, solid mass and soluble lignin increased with time. Results showed that alkaline environment can inhibit growth of the strain, and strain can adapt and change alkaline environment by producing acidy products and remove COD by acid-separated and adsorption lignin. The biodegradation of black liquor by strain was subordinate in the process, which demonstrated that it has a large potential and obvious environment effect to degrade black liquor by acid-producing white rot fungus.


key words: motor, catalog, macromedia flash mx ABSTRACT : Transportation is one of the most important life support. Transportation used to facilitate a particular activity that covered the distance it needs to be supported by appropriate transport activities will be conducted. Society increasingly selective in choosing what mode of transportation that will be used in everyday activities with her. Drivers of motor is usually the middle class and above who have a lot of busyness. This causes them to prefer to be made an effective information than a brochure to get information about the vehicles they want to buy. Promoting a product is a big motor in a CD can be more attractive to consumers huge motorcycle enthusiasts because of its media more attractive. This application displays the kind of CD motor vehicles on offer from some of the famous motorcycle brand and there are also motor specifications that can be a reference for consumers to choose the moto.


The aim of the research has been to present students' preferences for values, their empathy and sense of security. The following methods have been used: the Rokeach Value Survey to identify the preference for values; Uchnast's Sense of Security Questionnaire (SSQ) to determine the level of the sense of security, and Mehrabian and Epstein's Empathy Questionnaire (MEEQ) to determine the level of empathy. The research was carried out in a group of students, aged 21–25, in Krakow in 2009. Further analysis was based on 200 sets of questionnaires filled in by the young people, with the average values (M), standard deviations (SD) and the ANOVA variance analysis taken into account and with the Multiple Stepwise Regression Analysis used to specify the independent variables. The research has shown that students with a high level of empathy prefer final values other than those chosen by students whose level of empathy is low. Students with both levels of empathy appreciate the personal final values of wisdom and pleasure more than social ones. The strongest final values helping to explain the variance of the sense of security in the group of students with a high level of empathy are personal values such as pleasure, comfortable life or exciting life, while in the group of students with a low level of empathy it is also a personal value, the beauty of the world.


This research analyzes the influence of asset securitization over the financial indicators and the beta of corporations which use this kind of structured operation. This influence is studied through the application of theoretical models and empirical tests which relate corporate finance concepts to portfolio theory elements. The results indicate a relationship between corporate leverage and the credit rating criteria and the possibility to estimate the significance of such relationship. The research sample is composed of corporations which executed operations of receivable securitization and also had their stocks traded at the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange from years 2000 to 2005. Such sample period contains the largest number of corporate receivable securitization operations. To analyze the relationship between receivable securitization and financial indicators and between receivable securitization and market beta, the following variables were selected: financial leverage, operational leverage, total leverage, equity beta and asset beta. The fuzzy statistical relation and the linear relationship hypothesis between the dependent and independent variables, and between the independent variables themselves was tested through the application of mathematical tools, of statistical tests of association and of simple and multiple regression models. This research also found strong evidences that asset securitization leads to an improvement in credit rating, for the companies which adopt such structured operations. viii


What is the effect of backchanneling on human-computer dialog, and how should such effects be measured? We present experiments designed to evaluate the immediate effects of backchanneling on computer-assisted oral reading tutoring. These experiments are implemented in a reading tutor that listens to children read aloud, and helps them learn to read. As a byproduct of designing, conducting, and evaluating these experiments, we are able to describe some unique methodological challenges in evaluating the effects of low-level turn taking dialog behavior.


Gender equality has a strong anxiety to the world and their interest was to address differences between man and women in terms of needs and responsibilities. In their effort to achieve this in Nigeria, government established Women in Agricultural extension (WIA) programme by the federal ministry of agriculture and World Bank and put it under agricultural development programme (ADP) so that they will help women in accessing the agricultural information, resources and reduce gender discrepancy level [1]. This approach also called women in Agriculture (WIA). With this, Agricultural development programme is facing a serious challenges of gender inequality and their main problem is poor understanding of what gender means. Gender is a principal organiser and controller of activities between people in Agricultural production, reproduction, distribution and consumption [2]. It also means roles and responsibilities and it depends on the cultural belief of the society giving to man and woman. Inability to understand gender may result to gender blindness and increases gender differences. Good Understanding of Gender will help programme planners and policy makers in agricultural development to achieve their objectives. Gender did not mean men or women rather how they associate. Gender is a social practice, idea and attributes giving to male or female [3]. Gender analysis


Representing a new disciplinary orientation, the archaeology of construction is defined as the study of all material traces furnishing information about the design, the construction, and the organization of a building. It thus offers a way of broadening our approach to Roman architecture, until now considered mainly from the perspective of monumental and decorative typologies. This article aims to set out its various specificities and potential contributions. While the archaeology of construction has clear methodological links with the archaeology of standing structures, notably through the vertical stratigraphy of elevations, it is distinguished by its scale of study, which covers the entirety of the worksite and seeks to restitute its context of production and its dynamics. Seven elements are considered, illustrated by recent archaeological research: the initial project, the preparation of the site, the setting up of infrastructure, the production of materials, their transformation, their implementation in the construction, and finally the finishing and decorative operations. The data collected make it possible to combine an archaeology of technology with socioeconomic history, considering the building process in all its interactions with Roman society as a system of production and trade.


Studies of Pb0.98Nb0.02[(Zr1−xSnx)0.97Ti3]1−zO3 (PZST x/3/2) were performed for 0<x<0.20 by electrically induced polarization and strain methods. Maximum electrically induced strains (e) and polarizations (P) were found in the compositional range around x=0.15, where ferroelectric and antiferroelectric regions coexisted. In addition, these studies demonstrated evidence for two electrically induced phase transitions: (i) an antiferroelectric–ferroelectric near 40 kV/cm, and (ii) a secondary ferroelectric–ferroelectric near 60–80 kV/cm. The dominate contribution to e was associated with the secondary transition, whereas the dominate contribution to P was associated with the first.


Letter to the Editor: We thank Kovacs et al. for their valuable comments on our manuscript entitled "APTT therapeutic range for monitoring unfractionated heparin therapy. Significant impact of the antiXa reagent used for correlation"1 and for sharing their experience on that topic.2 By testing plasma samples from patients on unfractionated heparin (UFH) and low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), they reported, in the late 1990s, that different chromogenic methods for antiXa activity did not give equivalent test results and that the analyzer could play a role in the reported discrepancy.2 As it is not usually recommended to monitor treatments with LMWH,3 unlike Kovacs et al.2 and others,4 we focused our study on the use of this assay in monitoring treatments with UFH.1,5 For this purpose, we measured antiXa activities using four among the most widely used commercially available assays in the plasmas from patients on UFH, and clearly demonstrated that this assay was far from being standardized, as it was commonly believed to be.3 The median antiXa activity was found to be in the range from 0.37 international units (IU)/ml when evaluated using one reagent (Stago) to 0.57 IU/ml using another (HYPHEN BioMed), with inbetween results (0.44 IU/ml) obtained using the two other reagents from Siemens and Werfen/Instrumentation Laboratory. But, unlike Kovacs et al.,2 we were unable to demonstrate any impact of the analyzer by performing one antiXa assay (HYPHEN BioMed) on three different analyzers, that is, ACL TOP 700 CTS (Werfen), CA5100 (Siemens), and STAR Evolution (Stago) using CEmarked adaptations, with test results being not significantly different.1 However, one could hypothesize that the analyzer could have any impact on the test results when other brands of reagents are used. Actually, the calibration material, which was specific for each assay, was found to play a highly critical role in the reported discrepancy. Even though the specific sets of calibrators obtained from the reagents' manufacturers were said to be traceable to the World Health Organization (WHO)/ National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) 6th International Standard for UFH, their exact composition was far from being homogeneous. According to the package inserts, the calibration materials from Stago and Werfen were a mix of UFH and LMWH (hybrid curves), whereas those from HYPHEN BioMed and Siemens contained only UFH and LMWH, respectively.6 By evaluating plasmas spiked with the 6th International Standard for UFH (NIBSC) and crossevaluating calibration and control materials from the different manufacturers, we clearly demonstrated an overestimation of the UFH levels in the Stago materials and an underestimation in the HYPHEN BioMed materials, whereas Siemens and Werfen materials were closer to the expected potencies.5 These results suggested that the composition of the calibration materials was not in itself the key factor, as the bestperforming reagents, that is, those giving results closest to the potencies, contained only LMWH for Siemens and a mix of UFH and LMWH for Werfen.5 This was not in line with the UK Guidelines, which recommended against the use of universal calibrators (hybrid curves) for determining concentrations of indirect factor Xa inhibitors such as UFH and LMWH.7 These findings have major clinical consequences, as the current guidelines recommend using either the antiXa activity, with a therapeutic range between 0.30 and 0.70 IU/ml whatever the reagent used, or the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), with a locally defined therapeutic range to correlate with antiXa activity between 0.30 and 0.70 IU/ml,3,7,8 even though the 1.5 to 2.5 therapeutic range for APTT ratio9 is still used whatever the reagent. The rationale behind this calculation for the APTT therapeutic range relied on the difference in the sensitivity of the different APTT reagents to UFH.3,10 Actually, the reported lack of standardization of antiXa assays had significant impact not only when this assay is used for monitoring UFH treatments but also in the determination of the APTT therapeutic range calculated to correlate with antiXa between 0.30 and 0.70 IU/ml, as an APTT result obtained using one APTT reagent could be within or outside the therapeutic range depending on the antiXa assay used for calculation and so induce changes in anticoagulation regimen in up to 23% of the cases.5 However, it is difficult to agree when Kovacs et al. stated in their last sentence that antiXa assays are of limited value for monitoring UFH treatments, because this point was evaluated neither in their article2 nor in our studies.1,5 Indeed, the key question raised by the reported lack of standardization of antiXa assays is how to accurately monitor UFH treatments, which is mandatory due to the high betweenindividual variability of the UFH anticoagulant activity and to its narrow therapeutic range,3 as even the APTT therapeutic range calculated to correlate with antiXa activities between 0.30 Manuscript Handled by: David Lillicrap


The 15th ICTM Colloquium was convened in Limerick, September 2nd-6th (2004). Attracting 26 international specialists, the Colloquium concerned the place of
ethnomusicology in global peace initiatives. Emerging from a recent academic interest in the subject, the Colloquium attempted to formulate theoretical and practical solutions to the problem of conflict resolution in divided territories. Responding to the ongoing Northern Ireland Peace Process, Ireland has promoted projects that
nurture tolerance both within and outside the Island. Following this precedent, the Colloquium was structured to honour the academic and the applied dimensions of the topic, where the titles 'Identifying Conflict within Music' and 'Resolving Conflict through Music' corresponded to the reflective and the proactive categories respectively.


This chapter describes the origin and significance of gasdynamic forces and torques experienced by objects in low orbits about massive bodies with sensible atmospheres. Emphasizing low earth orbit (LEO), we review gasdynamic interactions with solid bodies in orbital trajectories. We review the detriments and potential benefits of gasdynamic forces and torques experienced by objects in orbit. We provide guidance and references to the state of the art for estimating gasdynamic forces and using information for predicting orbit lifetime and satellite attitude. We discuss the dichotomies between determining atmospheric drag and inferring the characteristics of the atmosphere from drag measurements. There are great gaps in understanding gasdynamic forces and torques. We highlight the major uncertainties and suggest directions for future research.

Keywords:

atmospheric composition;
spacecraft flight regimes;
space debris;
atmospheric modeling;
spacecraft control;
spacecraft technologies;
gasdynamics;
nonconservative force modeling;
aerochemistry;
aerodynamic drag


Indian Business is going through one of its golden times when many Indian companies are going global. Some of them have managed to be listed in top Stock Markets of the world and the year 2009 has record industrial growth after 20 years though many countries are struggling to come out of a big economic crisis. Globalization and boundary-less market had forced Indian Corporations to change their survival strategy. We have analysed one of such strategy which worked wonders for many Indian Business Sectors. This is nothing but the steps taken towards corporate environmental sustainability and disclosing the environmental performance to the customers and other stakeholders. Many of the past literatures on corporate sustainability never speak aloud of or, remain silent on Corporate Environmental sustainability. Some of them even argue that the natural stock/capital remains stable all the time. But, the ongoing changes and disasters like Tsunami, water and food shortage, climate change, inequalities and so on cannot be ignored. In fact, the figure shows the corporations realising the environmental issues in business and interested to contribute to save the nature so as to get the global competitiveness. India being the heavily industrialized country with an increasing rate of consumption is always blamed and warned about the disasters in many international forums. This paper provides an insight of Indian Business Sustainability in the era of globalization through an analysis of economic performance of 3 Indian corporations while they are investing towards environmental sustainability.


17 A Re-reading of Christian Metz's "Grande Syntagmatique" Through the Concept of "Exception" Recent film studies, with the use of concepts like Average Shot Length (ASL) and "Classical Editing", have fostered thinking on the "general" rather than on the "particular", giving priority to the identification of common features reproducible in different contexts rather than to the "specific" and its irreproducibility. If these approaches have permitted a better comprehension of how film styles evolve and dynamically affect the perception of the viewer, they nonetheless tend to dismiss and ignore any "exception" which does not fit the general pattern. We argue that the "Grande Syntagmatique" as originally theorized by Christian Metz in 1966, though at first sight an attempt to isolate the basic "grammatical" units composing a filmic text, constitutes in fact the beginning of a reflection on the "specific" and the "particular" at the level of the syntagmatic chain. Through the introduction of notions like "Exception" and "Second Text" (advanced respectively by Slavoj Žižek and Louis Althusser), the present paper aims at reinterpreting some key aspects of the "Grande Syntagmatique" in terms of the "particular", giving to this ambitious theoretical construct a new impulse in an age where, despite profound and irreversible changes, cinema is still not sufficiently problematized in its relation to History as a whole.


Objective To study the relationship between mutation mtDAN and tumor pathogenesis.Methods After transfection of the recombinaut expressing vector into NIH3T3 cells line,the changes in the growth and apoptosis in different groups were examined by MTT and flow cytometry.Results The apoptosis and growth rate were significantly different in different groups.Conclusion The mutated mtDNA may affect the biological behaviors,leading to a tendeny of malignant tranformation.However,the mechanism and process of tumorogenesis need further mvestigation.


Areca belongs to the species Areca catechu L. under Arecaceae family believed to have its better formability, abundant, renewable, cost-effective and eco-friendly features. Areca catechu L. has natural fiber that intensely studied in the last years due to their specific properties and their positive environmental impact. This paper exhibits an outline on natural fibers of Areca catechu spathe and husk fiber which is an agricultural waste as a part of different commercial and engineering applications. The researchers have reported that Areca catechu spathe and husk fiber consists of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. It provide a potential use of natural fibers for make art paper. Therefore the determination of the chemical composition and stages of treatment for make pulp of the Areca catechu spathe and husk fiber is essential.


In [16], a theory of universal extensions in abelian categories is developed; in particular, the notion of Ext-universal object is presented. In the present paper, we show that an Ab3 abelian category which is Ext-small satisfies the Ab4 condition if, and only if, each one of its objects is Ext-universal. We also give a characterization of the co-Ext-universal objects of the category of torsion abelian groups. In particular, we show that such groups are the ones admitting a decomposition $Q\oplus R$, in which $Q$ is injective and $R$ is a reduced group on which each $p$-component is bounded.


BBATTN (Triest).—Case of a Tumour of the Naso-pharynx. InUmat. Klin Rundschau, No. 27, 1887. Two tumours of the middle concha? of the nares were operated upon with galvano-caustie wire. Before the operation the patients had infiltration of both lungs, anaemia and vomiting. A short time afterwards all symptoms had disappeared. The author believes that they were reflex phenomena resulting from the naso-pharyngeal tumour.


The objective of this study was to determine the bioequivalence of two Cefuroxime oral 250 mg tablet formulation. One was the innovators brand (Zinnat®), was taken as reference brand (REF) and the other was a newly developed, optimized and cost effective formulation (TEST). A single dose, open, random sequence, cross over, two treatment study with a one week washout period in between was carried out in 12 healthy male Pakistani young volunteers. Reference and Test tablets were administered to these volunteers with 150 mL of water after an overnight fast. Blood samples were drawn 15 min prior to the administration of dose and at 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 hours post dose. The cefuroxime concentrations in the plasma were determined by a modified, simple HPLC method in which the mobile phase was 10 mM solution of ammonium acetate and acetonitrile, pH was adjusted to 5 ± 0.2 with glacial acetic acid. The wavelength of detection was 254 nm having a flow rate of 1ml/min and the retention time of 5.8 min. The method was validated as per the ICH requirements. Both compartmental and non-compartmental methods were used to determine the various PK parameters such as Cmax. Tmax, AUC0-t, AUC0-∞ , AUMC, MRT, t1/2, Kel, Vd and Cl using Kinetica® ver 4.4.1 The bioequivalence between the REF and TEST cefuroxime axetil 250mg formulations was established as the Latin square design of ANOVA does not show any significant difference with a p≥0.05 for period and the 90% confidence interval lies within the acceptable range (80-125%) for the log transformed data of Cmax, Tmax, AUC0-t, AUC0-∞, t1/2, AUMC, MRT, Vd and Cl, showing a comparable plasma profiles generated by both the formulations. It is, thus concluded that both the formulations were bioequivalent.


he control of elites by the general populace is an overlooked aspect of Niccol6 Machiavelli's ([1531] 1997) greatest work, The Discourses.' Even scholars who understand Machiavelli as an advocate of popular government-as a "republican"largely confine popular control in his theory to the selection of magistrates from among elite candidates. This essay shows that Machiavelli theorized more extensive, constant, and, especially, animated modes by which the people might control elites. To this extent, his theory combines the strengths of two opposite poles of contemporary democratic theory: As do formal or minimalist approaches (e.g., Dahl 1971; Przeworski 1991; Schumpeter 1942), he specifies and justifies electoral mechanisms for elite control; and similar to recent civic culture and participatory approaches (e.g., Gutmann and Thompson 1996; Putnam 2000; Sandel 1996), he encourages more direct and robust modes of popular engagement with politics. What is more important, by combining the strengths of each approach Machiavelli overcomes their respective weaknesses. In minimalist theories of popular government periodic elections are the primary and often exclusive methods for assessing the performance of elites and rewarding or punishing them accordingly. But because Machiavelli argues that elites are motivated by a will to dominate, a position that I suggest contemporary democratic theory should adopt as fact or heuristic device, elections are not enough. Machiavelli adds procedures for the popular indictment of officials, popular judgment on many kinds of legal cases, and, generally, interprets the social and political institutions of republican Rome in more direct rather than representative ways. But this does not situate Machiavelli neatly in the camp of substantive or participatory democracy today. Contemporary democrats who focus on civic culture render the minimalist model more substantive by promoting political participation characterized by civility, trustworthiness, deliberation, and reciprocity. Yet I show that Machiavelli's preferred sociopolitical milieu is one of intense socioeconomic animosity and political contestation between elites and the people. According to Machiavelli, elites cannot be made responsive to or held accountable by the people through elections alone; auxiliary governmental institutions that facilitate direct political action and an antagonistic political culture are required as well.


Abstract Objective: This study was to examine the clinical usefulness of expectant management of early-onset severe preeclampsia. Methods: We reviewed the obstetric records of all Japanese singleton deliveries at ≥22 weeks' gestation managed at Japanese Red Cross Katsushika Maternity Hospital between 2007 and 2012. We compared the obstetric characteristics and perinatal outcomes between the cases of deliveries before (n = 19) and after completion of corticosteroids (n = 30) (immediate delivery versus expectant management). Results: Although the gestational age at delivery in the patients expectantly managed was higher than that in the patients required immediate deliveries (31.0 versus 29.3 weeks), the difference in the incidence of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome between the two groups did not reach the statistical significance (74 versus 47%, p = 0.06). The incidence of pulmonary edema in the patients expectantly managed was significantly higher than that in the patients required immediate deliveries within the first 48 h (20 versus 0%, p = 0.04). Conclusion: The current results could not support the clinical usefulness of expectant management of early-onset severe preeclampsia.


The present study aimed to analyze a macro economic effect - proxied by BI rate, exchange rate, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)- and financial performance - proxied by current ratio (CR), net profit margin (NPM), and debt to equity ratio (DER)- on stock price, using Earning per Share (EPS) as the intervening variable. The object of the study was retail company listed on Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2011-2018. The study used data from financial statement, BI rate fluctuation, rupiah exchange rate, FDI volume, and stock price in 2011-2018.   In this study, path analysis and linear regression analysis were done using SPSS 21. The result of the study showed that, partially, BI rate and EPS positively and significantly affected stock price. While exchange rate, FDI, NPM, and DER positively, yet not significantly. Whereas Current ratio negatively and not significantly affect the stock prices. The path analysis result showed that it was only CR and DER that affected stock prices through EPS.


An experiment was carried out in a laboratory of the Field Crops Department/College of Agriculture/Tikrit University to study the effect of treating the seeds of five barley varieties (Samir, Amil, Aksad, Alkhayr, Shueae) with four concentrations (0, 50, 100, and 150 mg L-1) of gibberellic acid on percentage of seed germination, germination vigor, germination speed, shoot length, root length, and total dry weight. The experiment was carried out using a completely randomized design (C.R.D.) with four replicates (Petri dish) for each treatment. The results showed that there were significant differences among the concentrations of gibberellic acid and among the varieties in affecting all the studied traits. Seeds treated with a concentration of (100 mg L-1) of gibberellic acid was superior in all studied traits. Aksad variety was superior to all cultivars in most of the studied traits, which are germination percentage (98.17%), germination vigor (61.83%), germination speed (50.20), and total dry weight (0.04078 g plant-1), while Samir and Shueae were superior in shoot length (19.42 and 19.38 cm), respectively and Samir was superior in the root length (12.79 cm). There was also a significant interaction between cultivars and gibberellic acid concentrations for all studied traits. The interaction of (Samir x 100) was superior to all combinations for all studied traits except dry weight trait, which the interaction (Aksad x 100) was superior.


In this work, Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) decorated CoS nanoflowers (CoS NFs) were firstly used as bis-coreaction accelerator for signal amplification to establish an highly sensitive electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensor for cardiac troponin T (cTnT) detection. Due to the synergistic catalysis between CoS NFs and Ag NPs, the decomposition rate of the co-reaction reagent H 2 O 2 was largely improved, generating more ROS for signal amplification. Using the N-(4-aminobutyl)-N-ethylisoluminol (ABEI) as ECL luminophore, a new signal tag was acheived according to the assembly of ABEI functionalized Ag NPs (ABEI-Ag) on the CoS NFs via Ag-S bond, which integrated with the ECL luminophore and bis-co-reaction accelerator. In addition, to fabricate sensing interface, primary antibodies (Ab1) was immobilized on the glassy carbon electrode which decorated with Au nanoparticles (Au NPs), almost providing a zero background signal. As a result, this developed immunosensor for cTnT possessed a linear range from 0.1 fg mL − 1 to 100 pg mL − 1 and the limit of detection down to 0.03 fg mL − 1 for ultrasensitive detection of cTnT, which was expected to be applicable to cTnT detection in clinic acute myocardial infarction.


Unorganised Work Force Constitutes A Large Portion In India. This Sector Work Force Includes Casual Labourers, Day To Day Vendors, Domestic Vendors, Maids Etc. They Form A Significant Part In Developing An Economy And Women Being A Strong Pillar In Nation Building Demands For Financial Literacy On Their Part Too. In Simplest Language Financial Literacy Is The Financial Is The Financial Knowledge Of Various Financial Instruments And Savings, The Ability To Take Sound Financial/ Investment Decision With The Available Financial Resource. Through This Paper An Attempt Has Been Done To Examine The Scenario Of Financial Literacy Of The Working Women In The Unorganised Sector And To Know If Demographic Profile And Socio Economic Variable Has Any Effect On Financial Literacy. 100 Respondents From Guwahati City Have Been Selected And With The Help Of Schedule Data Has Been Collected.


The study was performed in 96 patients with toxic goiter. 57 of them were found to have Graives disease, the rest had thyroid function autonomy due to multinodulartoxic goiter. The use of the relatively standard activities 131I (400 MBk) showed a high risk (40,3 %) of thyrotoxicosis relapse in Graives diseases. The main predictors of remote results in treatment of thyreotoxicosis are volume of glandula thyroidea and level of antibodies to receptor TSH on thyrotoxicosis caused by Graives disease.


Many surface flux experiments have been conducted at local scales over irrigated and nonirrigated agricultural fields, and over forests. These experiments have collected a vast amount of information on the microclimate, hydrological cycle, and energy balance for these areas. The information is used to make groundwater recharge estimates from which irrigation schedules and general water management practices are developed. The focus of the research is to study the local and regional values of sensible and latent heat flux in a closed desert basin typical of the Great Basin. The local scale fluxes were found by several eddy correlation stations located throughout the study site. Net radiation and soil heat flux were also measured at one site. Temporal and spatial variability in the local scale sensible and latent heat fluxes were examined. The surface fluxes were averaged to give regional flux estimates. The regional surface flux estimate was then used as the ground truth for the regional scale estimates made by the Atmospheric Boundary Layer (ABL) approaches.


Given a mathematical description of the motion of the grinding material in the area of counter-intersect-ing threads in the grinding chamber of the centrifugal-flow mill. The calculated scheme to describe the process of grinding material in the area of counter-intersecting threads. As a result of theoretical research analytical expression that allows to determine the degree of particle size reduction of the material in the zone of tangen-tial collisions depending on the constructive and technological parameters of a centrifugal countercurrent mills.


Objective: To establish an HPLC method for the determination of nucifefine in rat plasma and to investigate the pharmacokinetics of nucifefine in rats after oral administration of alkaloidal extract of Nelumbo nucifera.Method: The analysis was performed on an Agilent Zorbax-SB C18 column(4.6 mm × 150 mm,5 μm) at 25 ℃ with the mobile phase of acetonitrile-water-triethylamine-glacial acetic acid(27∶ 70.6∶ 1.6∶ 0.78) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL·min-1.The detecting wavelength was set at 270 nm.The plasma samples were collected after oral administration of the alkaloidal extract of Nelumbo nucifera in Wistar rat.The concentrations of nuciferine in plasma were measured by using HPLC method and the pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by WinNonlin 5.0.1.Result: The calibration curve of nuciferine was linear in the range of 20 ~ 1 000 μg.L-1 with the correlation coefficient of 0.998 3.The intra-day and inter-day precision of this method were 2.24%-3.20%,5.54%-6.95% respectively,and accuracy was 4.25%-7.00%.The extraction recoveries were 87.2%-103.7%.The main pharmacokinetic parameters of nuciferine after adiministration of the alkaloidal etract of N.nuifera to rats were:t1/2(4.18 ± 2.50),(4.32 ± 1.01),(6.05 ± 3.72) h,tmax(1.50 ± 0.41),(2.25 ± 1.19),(1.88 ± 0.25) h,Cmax(278.75 ± 38.98),(621.75 ± 137.81),(1 146.50 ± 249.44) μg.L-1,AUC0→t(1 796.10 ± 680.87),(4 463.49 ± 1 892.42),(7 452.08 ± 3 594.24) h.μg-1.L-1.The form of nuciferine in Wistar rat can be described as first-order kinetic model.Conclusion: The method is proved to be sensitive,selective and simple and have been successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of nucifefine.


BL A CK C A RB O N B lack carbon is a component of soot, released during combustion, particularly incomplete combustion of fossil fuels or biomass. It is released when carbon is only partially combusted. The main sources of black carbon emissions are burning of biomass in inefficient cooking stoves, diesel emissions from the transport sector and from generators (especially those without pollution filters), and burning of other fossil fuels and biomass in industry and power production. Black carbon is released as a particle and hence falls in the category of particulate matter, not greenhouse gas. All particle emissions from a combustion source are broadly referred to as particulate matter (PM) and usually delineated by sizes less than 10 micrometres (PM10) or less than 2.5 micrometres (PM2.5). Black carbon are ultrafine particles or PM0.1, and pose a strong health risk (see box: More a health threat). They also strongly absorb light and convert that energy to heat. The effect that worries scientists is when black carbon is deposited on snow or ice. In snow-covered areas, the deposition of black carbon darkens snow and ice, increasing their absorption of sunlight and making them melt more rapidly. Black carbon stays in the air for a couple of days or even weeks but as it settles down, it can cover snow and ice that is otherwise the most reflective surface for sunlight on Earth. This increases heat absorption and may melt the


Many applications of kriging demand the introduction of a trend or external drift. We can use universal kriging, when we know the variogram of the process. But there are no straight forward methods known to estimate the variogram unbiasedly or consistently in the presence of a trend with unknown parameters. Thus the class of trend surfaces used is often restricted to polynomial trends leading to the application of intrinsic random functions and generalised covariograms. From the theory of intrinsic random functions IRFk we know that it is impossible to estimate the variogram unbiasedly in presence of a polynomial trend. It is shown that this problem comes up only with polynomial and harmonic trend surfaces. Thus polynomial trends are not the best but the worst case to consider. A method based on the statistical technique of identifiable contrasts for fitting the non–stationary variogram models is proposed and applications are presented in example situations. It works unbiasedly and consistently in the presence of internal and external drift and thus overcomes the crucial problem that the variogram could not be estimated unbiasedly in universal Kriging situations. It is shown that the theory of ∗Mathematics and Computer Sciences in Geology, Freiberg University of Mining and Technology, FRG †Friedrich–Alexander–Universitat, Institut fur Geographie, Kochstr. 4/4, 91054 Erlangen, Germany, e-mail: email@example.com


This article is an attempt to think about participation not as an event but rather as part of an effort to build systems and institutions in science, technology and innovation in developing countries. It uses two notions of participation, one as a mechanism to facilitate democracy and broader control and another as a means to achieve development goals. The article looks at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and in particular considers the way in which more grassroots participation is linked to communications strategy in the IAVI's case. It argues that examining the extent to which participation efforts are embedded in broader communication strategies may be important in distinguishing between ways in which participation is deployed an used, and it distinguishes between 'communication for participation' and 'participation for communication The article also explores Hirschman's ideas around 'exit', 'voice' and 'loyalty' and innovation systems as frameworks, which help to situate participation in the broader context of institutional development.


study : in this paper, we analyze the effects of institutional dynamics on innovation efforts of small businesses in Latin America . Methodology/approach


This paper outlines the risks involved in a private infrastructure project and the management of these risks. Risk is identified in several aspects and is dependent on the degree of control available to the sponsor. Identification is linked to stages of the project development: pre-construction; during construction; in operation, including foreign exchange and interest rate risks; political risks which might include restriction of funding during a project; environmental risks; and force majeure risks. Three features of project finance that affect risk management are multiple parties to a project; ownership concentration in the form of limited partnerships; and project finance itself as a risk management tool. Incentives for risk management include increased efficiency of controls, reduction in financial distress costs and risk incentive costs, and tax benefits. Contractual arrangements include successful analysis, allocation and mitigation of risks. For the covering abstract see ITRD E116046.


: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of different concen trations of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) on in vitro shoot organogenesis from hypocotyl explant derived from in vitro grown seedling as well as root forma tion of Antirrhinum majus L. (Snapdragon). In the first experiment, different concentrations of 2,4dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4D) (0, 2.26, 4.52, and 6.79 μM) were used for callus formation. The highest callus fresh weight (1.86 g) as well as callogenesis frequency (93.34%) were observed in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 4.52 μM 2,4D. In the later experiments, various concentrations (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 μM) of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) were applied for shoot regeneration from callus that derived from hypocotyl segments. Based on our results, MS medium supplemented with 4.44 μM 6 benzylaminopurine (BAP) plus 0.49 μM 3indolebutyric acid (IBA) along with 30 μM SNP had the highest shoot organogenesis frequency (93.34%) and shoot number (6.33) from callus. In root induction experiment, different concentra tions (0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 μM) of SNP were applied and MS medium con taining 60 μM SNP was the best treatment for root induction. The survival rate of plantlets was more than 95% in acclimatization stage. The present study describes an efficient regeneration system for Snapdragon.


The study was conducted to identify the potential used of organic acid modified activated carbon (AC-RCOONa) to remove ammonia from an aqueous solution using a batch and fixed-bed column adsorption. The optimum conditions for adsorption in the batch study occurred at pH range of 8 to 9 and contact time of 30 min. The Langmuir isotherms corresponded slightly better than Freundlich isotherm for both organic acid modified activated carbon (AC-RCOONa) and pristine activated carbon (AC). The Langmuir adsorption capacities for ammonia on AC-RCOONa and pristine AC were 19.34 mg/g and 4.50 mg/g respectively. The overall rate of the ammonia adsorption processes onto AC-RCOONa appears to be dominated by chemisorptions process. Fixed bed column adsorption indicated the higher performance of AC-RCOONa for ammonia removal compare to pristine AC in terms of chemical adsorption (for the first 40 minutes) and biological treatment (after 100 minutes). Ammonia removal performance of regenerated AC-RCOONa was comparable with fresh AC-COONa and better than pristine AC for the first 40 minutes of breakthrough time.


The author uses urban migrants from Nashan as an example to discuss the social changes that such migration has brought out, and points out that the emergence of these people is both result and a cause of the social change.


All-optical switching of the magnetization in magnetic nanostructures by femtosecond circularly polarized laser pulses has been demonstrated in several systems. We present a Landau-Lifshitz-Lambda (LLL) model which describes the magnetization dynamics using three density states: two ferromagnetic grounds states and an excited optical state. One of the ferromagnetic ground states is optically excited by circularly polarized light to a spin reversed state, which is then "Coulomb collapsed" to the magnetization reversed ground state. The time evolution of the optically excited states is described by a Lindblad master equation, in which the optical excitation is introduced via the Hamiltonian. Dissipation terms are introduced via Lindblad operators. The LLL model combines the precessional motion of the magnetization described by the Landau-Lifshitz theory, with the response of the three level Lambda system. The optical excitation lasts for the duration of the laser pulse and the system relaxes at a fast rate due to the electron-electron interaction. We study the solution of the eigenvalues problem of the optical equation of motion for the magnetization and identify a coherent and incoherent regimes and derive an LLL model that can be integrated with existing micromagnetic codes to describe optical excitation of magnetic materials.


In order to improve the problems of real-coding based genetic algorithm(RGA),such as premature convergence,rough result and low speed of calculation,the model structure of multi-population genetic algorithm(RMGA) is analyzed,and the parallel characteristics of this algorithm is applied to the roundness error evaluation.Experiments show that this algorithm can improve the accuracy and convergence in assessment of roundness error effectively.


The invention discloses a display system and a safe signal switching method thereof. The system comprises a signal source, an LED display screen controller, an LED display screen and a computer. The signal source, the LED display screen controller and the LED display screen are connected sequentially, and fingerprint control software is operated in the computer. The LED display screen controller comprises a fingerprint module and a WIFI (wireless fidelity) module which are connected with a control card of the controller. The computer is connected with the WIFI module through a local area network. The safe signal switching method includes monitoring signal interruption and matching fingerprints. The fingerprints are collected to be matched after the signal interruption is monitored, and switched signals are displayed only after successful matching. According to the technical scheme, the LED display system can monitor the signal interruption, allow the LED display screen to display the last frame of image before interruption or a black screen at the first time after signal interruption, then judge whether signal switching is legal or not according to the fingerprints and finally display the interrupted signals only after successful fingerprint matching, so that illegal signal switching can be avoided, and safety and legality of pictures displayed by the LED display screen can be guaranteed.


The steady state plasma parameters distribution in real plasma devices are determined by the plasma boundary transition. If the plasma is bounded by a wall, the stationary transitional sheath exists only if ion velocity V satisfies the Bohm condition at the sheath boundary: V>C{sub s}=((kT{sub e}+{gamma}{sub i}kT{sub i})/M){sup 0.5} where k is Boltzmann constant, T{sub e} is the electron temperature, {gamma}{sub i} is the adiabatic constant, T{sub i} is the ion temperature, M is the ion mass. The ions are accelerated up to an energy equal to the energy of the electrons in some quasineutral presheath. The presheath may be dominated by collisions, ionization, and geometric current concentration effects. The magnetic field may exert an additional influence on the presheath Chodura studied collisionless sheath in a magnetic field which intersects a wall at an arbitrary angle. Both kinetic and fluid models were used to describe plasma behavior in the presheath, assuming quasineutrality. The potential distribution and oscillations in the presheath were obtained. The presheath thickness scales with the ion gyroradius at the sound speed and with the angle between the magnetic field and wall surface. The collisional presheath in the magnetic field was analyzed by Riemann. A fluid model withmore » assumptions close to Chodura and a collision term with constant collision frequency was used. The potential distribution in the presheath for different magnetic fields, collision frequencies and angles of the magnetic field was determined.« less


While the central question of diversity has often been how to live in peace with difference, we approach the question — what happens when diversity also involves conflicting approaches to peace? This paper contains the authors' reflections on the colloquium with the same title held in the On Diversity Conference 2012 in Vancouver, where the authors and participants explored peace itself as an expression of diversity. We argue that an attempt to answer this question requires a change in focus; if there is no longer a unifying peace, how can we engage with diversity in a plurality of conflicting peaces? Mainstream peace and conflict studies literature understands conflict as opposite to peace. Supported in contemporary critical research, we argue that the concept of peace rather than being perfect, absolute and pure is in fact impure, diverse, and conflictive. Hence, an understanding of peace that attempts to embrace diversity will necessarily be relational, include conflict and engage with it, in contrast to silencing it or suppressing it. We argue that instead of being its opposite, conflict is in fact an essential component of peace. To elaborate on the argument, we deal with two of the possible interpretations of peace in history and culture: peace linked to security, understood as the eradication of threats from others and therefore recurring to ideals of perfection and homogeneity; and peace as an experience of harmony, highlighting mystical or musical harmony, which, far from being pure, emerges also out of conflicting tones. We conclude that both in traditions of mysticism and in security politics, diversities in friction lie at the core of experiencing and conceptualizing peace.


The invention discloses a condensed heat recycle device of central air conditioner, which can solve the defects of present technique as lower efficiency, high energy consumption and worse flexibility. Wherein, the invention is connected to the refrigerating system; a heat recycler is arranged on the tube between the compressor and the condenser of refrigerating system; the input of heat recycler via condensed heat recycle pump is connected to the external water resource; the output of heat recycler is connected to the hot water supplier; the output of heat recycler is connected to a temperature sensor; said temperature sensor and the condensed heat recycle pump are both connected to the intelligent control box. The invention can improve the refrigerating efficiency, reduce the operation cost, save energy and reduce the environment pollution.


In the light emitting organic electroluminescent display device, as the luminance of each pixel is made uniform and the means include a technique, a plurality of thin film transistors arranged to characteristic compensation thin film transistor to control the current deviation. However, the organic electroluminescence type display apparatus to be controlled weak current, the correction is not sufficient only by the current uniform. The present invention is a thin film transistor characteristic emission type organic electroluminescent display device that has a plurality of common channel region (7a) a source region (7b) and the drain region (7c), and ends with its graphics processing a polysilicon film (7) into a tapered shape, and further has the feature, the channel region of each channel (7a) of the width (W) of 30μm or less than 5μm.


Hooker Chemical's ''dynamic skin'' office building is described. Two mutually exclusive goals--high energy efficiency, and high transparency to capitalize on the scenic location--were realized in the dynamic skin. After the building footprint was established, three schemes were tested. Scheme A was based on reflecting glass; Scheme B on traditional materials related to the orientation of each side, and Scheme C which called for a dynamic skin of two layers of glass, the outer insulator, the inner clear, with louvers regulating the interval. Scheme C was determined to be the most economical, was mocked up, and successfully tested. The constructed system is explained. The louvers track the sun during the day, then close up to insulate the building at night. The interval between the skins is a buffer zone against the elements. As a result, the design affords an extraordinary energy performance.


The objective of the Oromia Forested Landscape Program Project for Ethiopia is to outline the procedures and process for the NR in general and for OFLP on the ground of investment activities that may lead to restriction of access to natural resources, in order to avoid, minimize, and/or mitigate potentially adverse effects of such restrictions as per the OP/BP 4.12 requirements. Negative measures include: loss of land acquisition, loss of income, loss of trees and crops, loss of land acquisition, loss of structures, loss of asset, and loss of livelihood. Mitigation measures include: payment of compensation for property situated on landholding expropriated for public purposes was enacted by regulation no. 135/2007. The proclamation states that there shall be a committee pursuant to the promulgation of this same proclamation that oversees the issues of compensation and PAPs due to the land expropriated for the public use. The aim of the proclamation is to prevent the impoverishment and family disintegration due to relocation and avoid adverse impacts of development programs and projects; and compensation is stipulated to be effected for buildings, seasonal and perennial crops, trees, protected grass, and permanent improvement of land, relocated property, mining licensee and burial ground using different formulae. This regulation is relevant as it involves both settling of displaced persons and payment of compensation when the land occupied is need by the government for any reason.


We report the results and interpretation of precision measurements of the thermal conductivity, electrical resistivity, and thermopower of potassium made from just below the melting temperature, 335.5 K, to 700 K. It is found that the Lorenz function is approximately 10% below the Sommerfeld value in the solid state, confirming previously reported data, that it increases approximately 4% upon melting, and that it then decreases slightly upon further heating to 700 K. All these features may be explained very well by the combined effect of electron–electron scattering and of scattering of electrons by ionic density fluctuations.


Nowhere has the notion of personalized medicine been more realized than in oncology therapeutics. Within MDS, the use of lenalidomide for lower-risk patients with the del (5q) cytogenetic abnormality is emblematic of this approach. But is the drug personalized enough to be used in any patient whose cancer expresses del (5q)?


In terms of Lv Shu in Tang Dynasty, currently, two book names of "Tang Lv Shu Yi(comments)" and "Tang Lv Shu Yi (connotation)" and their respective content expressions have both strengths and weaknesses. The integrated method is to play to their strengths and to avoid their weaknesses. With respect to the former name "Tang Lv Shu Yi (comments)" , in which "Yi (comments)" should be modified by Yi (connotation), while as to the specific content, Yi (comments) should be kept referring to the annotation style following "Shu (exegeses)" affiliated to specific provisions. while, with respect to the latter book name "Tang Lv Shu Yi (connotation)" , since it has adhered to the original legislative purpose and semantic rules, the name should be kept. But as to the specific content, "Yi (comments)" other than "Yi (connotation)" should be adopted to conform to the legislator's original style. The author has implemented this method in his new book.


Summary form only given, as follows. Physics and engineering principles of a tokamak with vertically inclined toroidal field (TF) coils are considered. This device can be viewed as a hybrid between the tokamak and stellarator configurations. The stellarator-like properties include the existence of vacuum flux surfaces with finite rotational transform. The present report extends the previous more general studies towards recommendations for a specific device of this type with parameters close to that of the Phaedrus-T tokamak. Our analysis includes both the physics and engineering aspects. In the physics part, we analyze various types of TF coils for their effectiveness to generate the stellarator-like properties. The optimization of the configuration with respect to the angle of inclination and number of TF coils, and various poloidal field coil systems is given. The physics part is based on the UBFIELD and other codes. The engineering part includes the analysis of the magnetic forces on various parts of the coils and the possible engineering implementation of the above device. The numerical code EFFI is used for the engineering analysis. The physics and engineering optimization of the configuration is studied to ensure its feasibility for construction.


LPS or H/R decreases electrical coupling between mouse microvascular endothelial cells (hindlimb muscle origin) by targeting Cx40, PKA‐dependently. Since LPS can compromise microvascular blood flow, resulting in micro‐regional hypoxia and reoxygenation episodes, we examined the effect of combined LPS+H/R on coupling between these cells. To assess coupling, we measured the spread of electrical current injected into the cell monolayer and computed the monolayer intercellular resistance (inverse measure of coupling). In wild type cells, but not in Cx40 null cells, LPS (10μg/ml, 1h)+ H(1h)/R(10–30 min) increased resistance by ~200%, well above the level observed for LPS or H/R alone (~100%). PKA activation and serine phosphorylation of Cx40 are required for baseline Cx40 gap junctional coupling. By immunoprecipitating Cx40, we found that LPS or H/R reduced Cx40 serine phosphorylation by ~40%, while LPS+H/R reduced it by ~70%. Based on preliminary data, this reduction was prevented by PKA activation, and mimicked in control cells by PKA inhibition. We propose that LPS+H/R reduces inter‐endothelial electrical coupling by PKA‐sensitive serine dephosphorylation of Cx40.


In October of 1969 a U.S. District Court denied a motion by the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division for a preliminary injunction barring the acquisition of the Hartford Fire Insurance Company by the International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation. One of the major issues in the case was the extent to which the proposed merger would promote reciprocity, i.e., the mutual exchange of benefits, favors, or privileges in business transactions. With the court decision as a framework, this article explores the reciprocal possibilities created by the ITT-Hartford merger and, more generally, by any conglomerate-insurance company combination. Both a priori economic reasoning and the results of surveys of CPCU agents and corporate risk managers are used to demonstrate that conglomerate acquisitions of insurance companies do indeed create strong potentialities for reciprocity and are thus clearly anticompetitive. The authors conclude that the ITT-Hartford ruling has set a precedent with serious economic consequences for the insurance industry. Reciprocity has been defined as "the use of one's purchasing power to obtain sales and the practice of preferring one's customers in purchasing." Less formally, it is the philosophy of "you buy from me and I'll buy from you." In a word, it is a form of back-scratching." 1 Although usually defined in terms of the reciprocal exchange between sellers and purchasers, it is not limited to this Herbert S. Denenberg, Ph.D., J.D., is Commissioner of Insurance of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and is on leave of absence from his position of Lomnan Professor of Property and Liability Insurance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Denenberg is Past President of the American Risk and Insurance Association and was formerly Book Review Editor of this Journal. J. David Cummins, B.A., is a Fellow in the S. S. Huebner Foundation for Insurance Education and is Lecturer on Insurance at the University of Pennsylvania. A member of Phi Beta Kappa and an Honorary Woodrow Wilson Fellow, Mr. Cummins is author of The Development of Life Insurance Surrender Values in the United States, to be published in the Huebner Foundation Occasional Papers Series. This paper was submitted in December, 1970. 1 For a more extended discussion of the definitional aspects of reciprocity, see Bernard E. application. Reciprocity is a generic term describing a mutual exchange of benefits, favors or privileges-the transaction of business with another firm in order to obtain favors from it. It can include, therefore, not only the mutual exchange of purchases, but other mutual exchangesfor example, an insurer granting a loan to a business, to get its order for insurance. In its simplest form, the corner merchant practices reciprocity when he buys his insurance from the agent who trades with him. Reciprocity, however, can be practiced on any scale in any degree of complexity and formality. Among the giants that have practiced reciprocity are E. I. DuPont de Nemours and Company, General Motors, Armour and Company, Swift and Company, United States Steel, and Bethlehem Steel.2 Among the more Harvith, "Reciprocity and the Federal AntiTrust Laws, Washington Law Review, Vol. 40, pp. 133-139. 2 See, for example, George W. Stocking and Willard F. Mueller, "Reciprocity and the Size of Firms," Journal of Business of the University of Chicago, Vol. 30, (1957), p. 73.


The colonisation of the world by European powers led to the production of a wealth of images of the colonised cultures and peoples. Images of North American Indians play an important role in our visual culture. This publication illuminates how they are represented, as well as their political and historico-cultural background, based on the so-called 'Indian Museum' of the Dresden sculptor Ferdinand Pettrich (1798-1872). In the 1830s, Pettrich travelled to Washington and portrayed representatives of Indian tribes in 33 reliefs, statues, busts and bozzetti made of terracotta-coloured plaster. These tribes were negotiating treaties with the US government about the future usage of the land. Pettrich's oeuvre is an early example of the recurring motif of North American Indians in European and Euro-American art. The classically-influenced forms of these representations, the influence of the simultaneously emerging 'Indian painting', as well as the lasting fascination of the subject of 'Indians' are presented here, along with the political context of the era the works were created in.


Abnormal AKR1C2 expression has been observed in many malignant human tumors, but its relationship with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) is not well understood so far. In order to evaluate hepatocarcinogenic effect of AKR1C2 gene and the significance of its abnormal expression in hepatocellular carcinoma, AKR1C2 gene is analysed by preparing rabbit anti-human AKR1C2 polyclonal antibody, constructing of AKR1C2 frameshift mutant and exploring RT-PCR, in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, Western blot, Northern blot, cDNA expression microarray, co-immunoprecipitation and the tumorigenicity assay in vivo and in vitro etc. AKR1C2 gene expression and its effects was analyzed, including 68 pairs of HCC specimens and its adjacent para-cancerous tissues, 8 cases of normal liver tissues and QGY7703 cell line. Results showed AKR1C2 expression was up-regulated among these patients, when compared with those of para-cancerous and normal liver tissues. Over- expression of AKR1C2 is also found to be correlated with high metastasis potentialit y of HCC. AKR1C2 overexpression stimulates DNA synthesis, apoptosis, growth in soft agar and promote tumor formation and lead to expression differences of tumor genes. AKR1C2 mediated the NF-κB-dependent resistance of QGY7703 cells to anti-fas killing. Intracellar binding of AKR1C2 and Cdk4 was found. Abnormal expression of AKR1C2 gene may contribute to the occurrence, advancement and invasiveness of HCC from Qidong, China, a liver cancer high risk area.


Oracle SOA Suite is a comprehensive, hot-pluggable software suite to build, deploy and manage Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA). The components of the suite benefit from common capabilities including consistent tooling, a single deployment and management model, end-to-end security and unified metadata management. This paper deals with a data grid infrastructure, built with clustered caching, can help you avoid "weak link" vulnerabilities that can sabotage SOA strategies. Discover why the data grid offers improved data access that can create a competitive edge, improve financial performance, and sustain customer loyalty. Service-oriented architecture (SOA) provides a means of integrating disparate applications within an enterprise, improving reuse of application logic while eliminating duplication of production environments.


This paper investigates the design and analysis of a linear induction motor (LIM) drive for a prototype transportation system, which is levitated by the interaction force between high temperature superconducting (HTS) bulks placed on the ground and permanent magnets (PMs) mounted on the bottom of the vehicle, while the driving force is provided by a linear induction motor system on the side of the prototype vehicle. An equivalent electrical circuit is applied to predict the motor characteristics and the computation results show that the proposed LIM drive system is appropriate for driving the HTS maglev transportation prototype.


Intronic transcriptional control sequences influence the cell- and tissue-specific expression of the CD21 gene. The interactions of such intronic control sequences, which are physically separated from the gene's promoters, suggest that factors that alter chromatin structure might be influential in this process. Accordingly, we analyzed the effect of histone acetylation on the expression of CD21 in nonexpressing T and B lymphocytes, respectively. The acetylase inhibitors sodium butyrate and trichostatin A were used to create hyperacetylated histones. The CD21 gene was specifically activated in the previously transcriptionally quiescent cells in a time- and dose-dependent fashion: the expression of a number of other genes was not influenced. These data suggest a model of cell-type-specific deacetylase activity that serves to repress gene transcription when present and active. The Journal of Immunology, 1999, 163: 2697–2703.


Background: Infertility is inability to conceive after one year of unprotected intercourse, the incidence is reported in 10-15 %of the population earlier evaluation Aim of the study: To Evaluate the influence of the ratio of estradiol (E2) to either the number of follicles >14 mm on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin administration (E2/follicle) and the number of oocytes retrieved (E2/oocytes) when we use agonist and antagonist protocols on the outcome of IVF cycle. Patients and method: A prospective COHORT study, carried at Kamal Al-Samaraee infertility center/Baghdad, and at Al-Najaf infertility center in Al-Sader Teaching Hospital / AlNajaf / Iraq. one hundred infertile women within the age <35 years old admitted for IVF, fifty of them to be stimulated by agonist protocol and other fifty by antagonist protocol. Results: A significantly lower number of oocytes retrieved in agonist than antagonist group; 10.2 vs. 14.4, respectively, (P< 0.05). Fertilization rate was 61.2% in agonist and 59.8% in antagonist group with no significant difference, (P>0.05). Total number of embryos was significantly lower (6.2 embryos) in agonist compared to 8.6 embryos in antagonist group, (P< 0.05). Conversely, the number of embryos transferred was significantly higher in agonist (2.8 embryos) than antagonist group (2.4 embryos), (P<0.05). Conclusions: Higher clinical pregnancy rates associated with Estradiol-Follicle ratio EstradiolOocyte ratio in range between 100-200pg/ml in patients treated for infertility with GnRH-agonists protocol.


We study SU(3)L×SU(3)R chiral quark model of mesons up to next leading order of 1/Nc expansion. Composite vector and axial-vector mesons resonances are introduced via non-linear realization of chiral SU(3) and vector meson dominant. Effects of one-loop graphs of pseudoscalar, vector and axial-vector mesons is calculated systematically and the significant results are obtained. Correction of effective gluon interaction is studied too. The light quark masses are introduced via new mechanism which agree with phenomenology and the requirement of chiral symmetry. Up to powers four of derivatives, chiral effective lagrangian of mesons is derived and evaluated to next leading order of 1/Nc. Low energy limit of the model is examined. Ten low energy coupling constants Li(i = 1, 2, ..., 10) in ChPT are obtained and agree with ChPT well.


The maximum current that could be carried in a vacuum tube is given by the so-called Child Langmuir law. A scheme where this limit could be overcome via the pondermotive potential is proposed. The estimation shows that the limit could be overcome by a couple of hundred percents.


The sufficient and necessary conditions of existing generalized Miura transformation between KdV and generalized MKdV equations and transformation formulas between Heisenberg equations and new Heisenberg equations are obtained by using homomorphisms of Lie symmetry groups.


Key words Structure was assessed in uneven-aged stands of loblolly (Pinus taeda) and shortleaf pine (P. echinata) that were subjected to prescribed winter burns on cycles of 0, 3, 6, and 9 years. Vegetation assessments were made in late summer of 1990, 10 years after a single hardwood control treatment (basal injection of nonpine woody plants >2.5 cm in ground-line diameter with TordorP 101 R); 1 year after the fourth 3-year burn cycle; 4 years after the second 6-year burn cycle; and 1 year after the second g-year burn cycle. Compared to unburned controls, prescribed burning tended to increase (P < 0.008) percent ground cover from graminoids and composites. For understory woody plants that were >l m tall but ~2.5 cm diameter breast height (dbh), American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) had the greatest percent ground cover on burned and unburned plots. Horizontal cover between 0-and 3-m height tended to average less (P I 0.002) with more frequent prescribed burning and with shorter time since burning. There were no burn treatment differences in density (P = 0.199, p = 0.853) or basal area (P = 0.477, fi = 0.898) for sapling-size stems (2.5-8.9 cm dbh), but species diversity of saplings was lower (P = 0.002) on plots prescribe burned at 3-year intervals as compared to other treatments. In forest management, timing, intensity, and frequency of prescribed burns are not only critical to successful stand establishment and development, but they also indirectly impact wildlife by changing food and cover (Davis 1959, Wade and Lunsford 1989). Fire can be used to enhance the establishment of herbaceous vegetation and stimulate resprouting in forest stands by top-killing woody species. However, little is known about the effects of fire on structure in uneven-aged stands of loblolly (Pinus tuedu) and shot-deaf pine (P. e&in&u). In response to public concerns about the ecological consequences of even-aged management, some national forests in the southeastern United States have dramatically increased planned acreages under uneven-aged management by using single-tree and group-selection cutting (U.S. Dep. Agric. For. Serv. 1990). In the selection system, some trees are harvested regularly as individuals or in groups, with total volume cut at any 1 time being roughly equal to the growth that has occurred since the last harvest (Reynolds et al. 1984, Baker et al. 1996). Uneven-aged management has also been recommended for private nonindustrial forest landowners (Baker and Murphy 1982). In the southeastern United States, nearly …


Pedestrian detection attracts lots of attentions in the field of computer vision in recent years. It is difficult to handle data imbalance between positive and negative examples and easy-to-confused negative samples for pedestrian detection when training a single deep convolutional neural network (CNN) model. In this paper, we present a deep learning approach that combines two parallel deep CNN models for pedestrian detection. We propose using two deep CNNs, and each of which is capable of solving a particular mission-oriented task to form parallel classification models. Then, the models are integrated to build a more robust pedestrian detector. Experimental results on the Caltech dataset demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach for pedestrian detection compared to other state-of-the-art deep CNN methods.


In the area of the whole world economy, it can be found that the war industry contributes a lot. As one of the most developed countries in the world, America's government put the war industry on the most important location by large investment and also some kinds of policy support. In this paper, in order to research the total situation of the development and reformation on America's war industry, some information of America's war industry is put forward first. After that, the ownership structure, the forms of enterprise organization and also the operation mechanism in the military enterprise are analyzed. Then, the reform measures which are used by America's war industry are described in the following part. After the detailed description, some characteristics can be concluded through the analysis above. Besides, two inspirations for China's war industry can be gained from the research.


In January 1999, the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission implemented a survey questionnaire program, which was derived from the agency's Strategic Plan and its preceding Baldrige Self-Assessment. The survey questionnaire was developed to help improve customer service. It is the hypothesis of this project that the information from the completed and returned questionnaires can be used and acted on to improve the Commission's investigative process.


The main purpose of an Energy Audit is to identify a suitable set of actions that should lead to significant energy savings, within the specified operational and financial constraints. In the Preliminary Audit phase, a set of candidate Energy Conservation Opportunities (ECOs) is identified. The ECOs are selected from a list in which they are grouped into the following categories: Envelope and Loads, Plant, Operation and Maintenance (OM for this purpose, a review of the main cost-benefit evaluation methods is presented in this report. The "O&M" ECOs include all actions that may in general be implemented in a building, HVAC system, or facility management scheme. The costs involved by such ECOs are generally limited if not negligible: application is therefore normally recommended, provided their technical feasibility is assessed. Several of the ECOs of each of the above categories may be effectively implemented with the aid of a Building Energy Management System (BEMS)


With the continuous development of society, people's attention to the body is also increasing. This article explains and analyzes the clinicopathological characteristics of a more serious disease, lymphoma, and the effect of treatment. In the previous studies of this type of disease, the collected data was very limited, and the theory for data analysis was also lacking. The direct result was that the analysis of such disease types was not complete, and it was difficult to obtain statistical significance, which made the clinical guidance weak. In order to improve this problem, this paper applies the sampling theory in statistics to the clinicopathological characteristics of lymphoma and the effect of treatment. Through the scientific analysis of such samples, it is hoped to provide some ideas for clinical treatment. In the sampling theory, this paper selects two methods, Bayesian algorithm and adaptive sampling theory, and introduces the corresponding methods for the correlation analysis of the clinicopathological characteristics and curative effect of lymphoma according to the above two methods. These related processing methods start from a large number of samples and provide sufficient computational support for the final experiments. Experiments show that the score of clinical symptoms of lymphoma is not less than 96%, which means that the patient is in a state of recovery. When the evaluation score is between 63% and 96%, the corresponding treatment has a significant effect. These results show that, in the analysis of the clinicopathological characteristics of lymphoma and related treatment effects, by using the Bayesian algorithm in the sampling theory and the adaptive sampling theory, the data results can well correspond to the clinical effects.


The number of distributed energy sources (DER), the huge increase of loads with switching supplies and the massive use of compact saving lamps brings the need to measure and evaluate voltage and current up to 9kHz. Annex B of the latest update of the IEC 61000-4-7:2002/A1:2008 unifies the length of the basic time window for the evaluation of signal components up to 2kHz and for the evaluation of signal components in the range of 2kHz–9kHz. This fact, together with latest measurement technologies, allows the simultaneous evaluation of signal components in the entire range of 50Hz–9kHz, even for very small amplitudes of frequency components. This paper analyzes and describes the technical problems to be solved in order to meet the requirements of IEC 61000-4-7:2002/A1:2008. The paper presents the results of measurements performed on different loads with expected significant signal components in the frequency range of 2kHz–9kHz, such as PC power supply. Compatible levels for frequency components in the range of 2–9kHz are discussed.


The Cospas Sarsat Search and Rescue (SAR) system is based on a constellation of satellite that collect a distress beacon (406MHz) activated during an emergency situation. The collected emergency beacon is then forwarded to a central emergency station that will activate and coordinate a rescue team.


In the past, science textbooks have been the target of criticism by educators and feminists in studies of sex bias in education. The purpose of this study was to develop a useful-tool that could be used in formative or summative evaluation of the level of sexism in science textbooks and as a research tool to study the effect of sexist instructional materials on the course choices made by secondary school students. Seven popular Trade 10 biology textbooks were examined for their representation of women iu illustrations of scientific activity. Three variables were examined in each of the biology textbooks; gender represented by the image; the presence/absence of dominance between persons in an illustration; and the traditional/nontraditional nature of the activity of the individuals in the illustration. It was expected that these factors would help to explain the variation in the impression left with a person by these texts. Using multiple linear regression methods, it was found that these three factors accounted for a significant portion of the variance among the textbooks. Another factor, intensity, the number of illustrations which carry these socializing messages in a given text, has emerged from the study of this data. (Lists of 39 references and the 7 textbooks are provided.) (Author) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. The Use of Ordinary Least-Squares Regression in the Development of an Instrument to Measure Sexism in Biology Textbooks U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office Of Educatanal Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) Slhts document has been reproduced as ecetwed from the person cr organization ongenatang at. O Minor changes have been made to =prove regroduchon qualtty Pomts of view or opomonS statad hn 11115c/ow. ment do not necessarily represent othoal OERI posthon or Policy "PERMI SION TO REPRODUCE THIS MAT I HAS SEEN GRA TED BY


We report a case of hypotension and bradycardia associated with intravenous fomepizole infusion. Case report. A 59-year-old man presented to hospital 10 hours after ethylene glycol ingestion with ataxia, slurred speech, metabolic acidosis, heart rate 70 /min, blood pressure 160/100 mmHg. Treatment with hemodialysis and fomepizole began 7.5 hours after admission. Severe bradycardia (29 /min) and hypotension (69 mmHg systolic) occurred immediately following a 30 minute intravenous infusion of the first (19 mg/kg) fomepizole dose, but rapidly corrected with 1 mg atropine. Transient bradycardia (48/min) and hypotension (89/57 mmHg) recurred immediately after the second (10 mg/kg) fomepizole dose, also given during dialysis. Discussion. Hemodialysis may cause a drop in blood pressure and heart rate; however, the close temporal relationship with fomepizole infusions, dose-related symptom intensity and recurrence with rechallenge suggest a causal relationship with fomepizole. Hemodialysis, acidosis and high initial fomepizole dose may have enhanced patient susceptibility, as a post-dialysis fomepizole dose was well tolerated. Conclusion. Fomepizole may precipitate bradycardia and/or hypotension during hemodialysis. Monitor vital signs closely during and immediately after infusion.


This paper proposes an improved finite control set model predictive control (FCS-MPC) algorithm based on virtual space vector to reduce computational burden, and achieve a constant switching frequency for two-level three-phase inverters. The voltage vector reference is calculated in a 60° coordinate system according to the principle of deadbeat (DB) technique. A large number of virtual voltage vectors synthesized by discrete space vector modulation (DSVM) is utilized to approach the voltage vector reference. To avoid enumerating all the virtual voltage vectors from a look-up table, an algebraic way using the voltage vector reference is adopted to calculate the three candidate vectors. Then, a cost function is defined to select the optimal voltage vector among them. This new method greatly improves the computation efficiency since plenty of multiply operation is eliminated in the 60° coordinate system. Moreover, a fixed switching frequency is achieved since the durations of each switch states has been calculated. Experimental results under a two-level three-phase inverter verify the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.


Abstract This paper presents the impact evaluation of a pilot program that treated 57 small organizations of agricultural producers with high risk of getting involved in illegal drug production in Colombia. The program supported producers mainly by facilitating the commercialization of their new licit alternative sources of income. We combine propensity score matching, regression discontinuity, and Bayesian decision theory, with unique and rich panel data to assess the economic impact of the program. Our results suggest that the program was successful on increasing total sales and improving the product's quality for the treated producers. The intervention was more successful when combined with other programs that gave producers incentives to abandon illegal drug production definitely.


The replacement of steel stirrups with FRP stirrups in concrete structures can significantly improve the durability under severe environmental conditions, increase the service life of the structure. In some cases where the application of traditional concrete structures is restricted, such as structures that require the environment without magnetic and electric interferences, the best way is to use nonmetallic materials. Considering the unique properties compared with traditional reinforcements, FRP reinforcements is very suitable in such cases. This paper discussed the behavior of FRP stirrups used as shear reinforcement for concrete structures, continuous FRP rectangular spirals, a type of FRP stirrups, was used in the experimental investigation. Inspired by the test method suggested by ACI Committee 440, L shape specimen and U shape specimen are designed to test the tensile strength of continuous FRP rectangular spirals. Through the analysis of test results, it is indicated that the strength of the bent portion of FRP spirals is significantly lower than that of the straight portion, and the strength of FRP spirals would increase as the concrete strength or the embedment length of the bent portion increased. The loading mechanism of continuous FRP rectangular spirals embedded in concrete beams can be better represented by U shape specimen compared with L shape specimens, it is suggested by the author that the U shape specimen can be use when the dimension of FRP stirrups or spirals does not meet the requirements of ACI Committee 440 test method.


The invention relates to a Chinese medicinal preparation for treating a prostate disease, which is a medicament prepared from 70 raw material medicaments such as ginseng, deerhorn glue, medicinal indianmulberry root, common curculigo rhizome and the like. The medicament can be prepared into oral liquid, granules, powder, capsules, electuary, tablets or pills. A preparation method of the medicament comprises the following steps of: (1) preparing water extracting solution by the raw material medicaments; (2) preparing oral liquid by the water extracting solution; (3) drying, crushing and sieving the water extracting solution, and taking screening as medicinal extracting powder; and (4) preparing tablets, granules, pills or capsules from the medicinal extracting powder. The preparation method also can comprise the following steps of: (1) crushing and sieving the raw material medicaments, and taking the screening as medicinal powder; (2) disinfecting and sterilizing the medicinal powder to obtain raw powder; and (3) preparing tablets, granules, pills, electuary or capsules from raw powder. The adopted raw material medicaments are common Chinese medicaments, so the Chinese medicinal preparation has the advantages of low manufacturing cost, and nearly no toxic or side effects. The medicament has good curative effects on prostatitis, prostatic hypertrophy and prostatomegaly, and has obvious effect on prostate cancers.


Facilities Management (FM) is becoming an increasing important factor in the built environment. To address the problem of adequate housing provision for the growing population in Rivers State necessitated the involvement of both public and private sectors in the development of housing estates. However, regardless of the nature and ownership status of these estates, they need to be properly managed; hence the integration of facilities management into their management. This study analyses Facilities Management practice in selected housing estates inRivers State, Nigeria. The objective of the study is to determine the extent which FM practice affects service delivery in the housing estates. The studyadopts a field survey using primary sources of data namely; structured questionnaires, personal interviews and observations. The sample size was determined using the Taro Yamane's formula. The sample size for this study is 278. The stratified sampling technique was used to select the sample from the two selected areas in Rivers State and questionnaires were employed to extract the necessary information. The data collected was subjected to descriptive statistical analysis method. Analysis was done using the statistical package of social sciences version 23. The study revealed that majority of residents in the housing estates were dissatisfied with the FM services. It was recommended that Facilities management team should constantly relate with the residents in order to understand the facilities that need prompt attention in terms of repairs or replacement.


Summary form only given. The authors describe a sampling head IC which consists of a resonant-tunneling-diode (RTD) for strobe pulse generation and a Schottky barrier diode for a sampling bridge. The RTD is made using an InGaAs-AlAs-InGaAs-AlAs-InGaAs strained layer superlattice system. The Schottky barrier diode is made from an (InGaAs)/sub 0.5/(InAlAs)/sub 0.5/ mixing crystal on the RTD's superlattice system. Successful results were obtained in the trial fabrication of the fully integrated monolithic sampling head IC.<<ETX>>


Parkinson's disease (PD) was medically reported as a neurological syndrome by James Parkinson, who first explained it in "An Essay on the Shaking Palsy" in 1817.1 He illustrated this disease as started with slow, progressive involuntary tremors, followed by a complication in walking, speech, and swallowing.2 Other than motor symptoms, Parkinson's disease patients gradually experience remarkable non‒ motor symptoms as well as cognition decline, sensory abnormalities, behavioral changes, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and other autonomic dysfunctions.3‒5 After Alzheimer's disease (AD), PD is the most common age‒ related neurodegenerative disease. Although the central pathological feature of Parkinson's disease (PD) was found to be the degradation of neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc), (Figure 1) the loss of SNpc neurons accelerate striatal dopamine (DA) deficiency.6 Which is accountable for the key motor and nonmotor symptoms of PD.4,5 PD tremor decreases the voluntary movement, so naturally, impair the daily life activities. Rigidity refers to the increased resistance (stiffness) to passive movement of a patient's limbs. Bradykinesia (very slow body movements) could considerably worsen the standared of life as a result of it takes for much longer to perform daily tasks like consumption of food or dressing, hypokinesia (reduction in movement amplitude), and akinesia (absence of normal oblivious movements, like arm swing in walking) evident as a range of symptoms, such as decreased voice volume (hypophonia), paucity of pronormal facial expression (hypomimia), drooling (inability to swallow without pondering it), diminished stride length during walking and slow writing. In addition, PD patients continuously enhance stooped attitude and will lose ordinary postural impulses, resulting in falls and, sometimes, confinement to a wheelchair. Abnormalities and cognition also occur frequently; delayed responses to queries, and slow cognitive process (bradyphrenia).6,7 Many shreds of evidence suggest that phosphatidylinositol‒3 kinase (PI3K)/Akt (protein kinase‒B)/mammalian target of the rapamycin (mTOR) pathway (PI3K/Akt/mTOR) pathway signaling related to dopaminergic neuron degeneration in PD.46‒48 The neuron degeneration concurrently influences the wider region of the brain responsible for dementia. In PD, dementia is not a presenting feature; it develops at least four years after PD motor symptoms start. Among PD patients, who do not primarily experience dementia the yearly occurrence varies from 2.6% to 9.6%, the additive risk of dementia by the age of 85 years was over 65%.8 Dopamine deficiency in the brain is the known causing factor of PD, yet why this initially occurs is less clear. However, the better understanding of the pathology of Parkinson's disease is helping to identify potential drug targets for disease management.