Oil is used as an essential source of energy because it is one of the significant inputs of production especially in manufacturing sectors. This study employs symmetric and asymmetric Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model to explore oil price effect on manufacturing output over 1985-2017 in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and United Arab Emirates. The results of the linear model show that oil price effect manufacturing output negatively in short-run and long-run. The detection of asymmetric behavior of oil price in linear ARDL model show insufficient ability, and this study further estimated the model through the non-linear model and decompose oil price into positive and negative changes. In the non-linear model, the results show that negative oil price changes encourage manufacturing output, while the positive oil price hurts manufacturing output. The study also apply the Granger causality test, and results show one-way causality from oil price to manufacturing output in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Based on the findings, the government officials of these countries should take steps in shifting these economies from huge extraction of oil and concentrate on manufacturing, and policymakers should understand the linkage of oil price with manufacturing sector for diversification of their economy and escape from Dutch Disease.


There is an increasing interest in forest biomass for energy throughout Europe, which is seen as a way of promoting forest mobilization and economic development locally, in particular in regions where forest biomass is available but its use is limited by lack of demand. This study was conducted to define, evaluate and select viable forest industry scenarios to increasing forest mobilisation in the North of Portugal using AppTitude®, a Forest Management Decision Support Systems (FMDSS) considering spatially explicitly supply (biomass growth and yield), demand (industry), and supply–demand interactions (markets). The protocol followed combined a set of indicators of sustainable forest management to guide the selection of the best industry solutions in terms of location, dimension, forest biomass and other variables defined as objectives. The simulations allowed the selection of a small set of industry scenarios compatible with an existing plant outside the study area, increasing wood mobilization, preventing overexploitation and competition among industries but increasing value and price of forest biomass. The results of the application of this FMDSS showed that introducing new biomass plants in the region will increase sustainable forest mobilization and related local development. AppTitude® revealed to be a powerful and reliable tool to assist forest planning.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to design intelligent robots operating in such dynamic environments like the RoboCup Middle-Size League (MSL). In the RoboCup MSL, two teams of five autonomous robots play on an 18- × 12-m field. Equipped with sensors and on-board computers, each robot should be able to perceive the environment, make decision and control itself to play the soccer game autonomously. Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents the design of our soccer robots, participating in RoboCup MSL. The mechanical platform, electrical architecture and software framework are discussed separately. The mechanical platform is designed modularly, so easy maintainability is achieved; the electronic architecture is built on industrial standards using PC-based control technique, which results in high robustness and reliability during the intensive and fierce MSL games; the software is developed upon the open-source Robot Operating System (ROS); thus, the advantages of ROS such as modularity, portab...


A conceptual framework of the modes of problem-solving action has been developed on the basis of a simple relationship cone to assist individuals in diversified professions in inquiry and implementation of theory and practice in their professional development. The conceptual framework is referred to as the Cone-Deciphered Modes of Problem Solving Action (MPSA cone). The conceptual framework of the MPSA was formulated by examining and integrating pragmatism, critical science theory, three modes of inquiry, and practical reasoning. The relationship cone-deciphered MPSA reflects three modes of problem-solving action that interpret these three types of thinking: disposition, research, and knowledge acquisition methodology. The technical model of problem-solving action is illustrated on the top of the MPSA cone, the interpretive mode of problem-solving action is in the middle, and the emancipating mode of action (seeking reasonable, morally defensible, and consensus value ends and taking social action to ensure them) is at the widened base. The knowledge of three modes of problemsolving action may be useful for professionals in fields, including education and information technology, when their fields are engaged in activities such as inquiring about and interpreting humans' cognitive structure while studying the inclination or preference of people retrieving the information presented by technology experts, knowledge acquisition, or staff training. Appended is "Cone-Deciphered Modes of Problem Solving Action (MPSA Cone)" diagram (FEMsys Consulting, Inc., 2002). (Contains 24 references.) (MN) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the on :inal document. 1 Cone-Deciphered Modes of Problem Solving Action (MPSA Cone): Alternative Perspectives on Diversified Professions PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY


Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms (MOEAs) have been successfully applied to solve hard real software engineering problems. However, to choose and design a MOEA is considered a difficult task, since there are several parameters and components to be configured. These aspects directly impact the generated solutions and the performance of MOEAs. In this sense, this paper proposes an approach for the automatic generation of MOEAs applied to the Integration and Test Order (ITO) problem. Such a problem refers to the generation of optimal sequences of units for integration testing. The approach includes a set of parameters and components of different MOEAs, and is implemented with two design algorithms: Grammatical Evolution (GE) and Iterated Racing (irace). Evaluation results are presented, comparing the MOEAs generated by both design algorithms. Furthermore, the generated MOEAs are compared to two well-known MOEAs used in the literature to solve the ITO problem. Results show that the MOEAs generated with GE and irace perform similarly, and both outperform traditional MOEAs. The approach can reduce efforts spent to design and configure MOEAs, and serves as basis for implementing solutions to other software engineering problems.


Application of aroma extract dilution analysis on two different model mixtures of proline and glucose, reacted under aqueous or dry-heating conditions, revealed 2-propionyl-1-pyrroline (PP) and 2-propionyltetrahydropyridine (PTHP; occurring in two tautomers), besides 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline and 2-acetyltetrahydropyridine, as important roast-smelling odorants in both mixtures. A comparison of the isotope distribution in PP and PTHP formed from either 13C6-labeled or unlabeled glucose suggested a formation pathway for both odorants from the same intermediate, 1-pyrroline, when reacted with either 2-oxobutanal (yielding PP) or 1-hydroxy-2-butanone (yielding PTHP). 2-Oxobutanal, a possible precursor of 1-hydroxy-2-butanone, was shown to be formed in high yields (29 mol %) by reacting acetaldehyde and glycolaldehyde, two well-known degradation products of carbohydrates. Keywords: Maillard reaction; labeling experiments; 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline; 2-acetyltetrahydropyridine; 2-propionyl-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyridine; 2-pr...


R. L. Carter and H. G. Penman (ed.): Infectious Mononucleosis. Blackwell, Oxford/ Edinburgh 1969. 258 p., illustr.; 70s net. This is a timely, useful and unusually interesting book. Viral infections, their impact on the organism and the immunological processes which they induce are much debated. Infectious mononucleosis is a 'model disease' and the contributors to this volume succeed in clearly showing its place among the lymphoproliferative diseases. The nature of the causative virus is not yet definitely established. Its relation to or identity with the Epstein-Barr virus which in certain environments and possibly genetically predisposed individuals causes Burkitt's lymphoma, is adequately and expertly discussed. The history, clinical, pathological and histological picture (Carter and Penman, Finch), epidemiology (Pollock), sequelae (VVorlledge and Dacie, Sharp), serology (Davidsohn and Lee, Carter and Penman) and cytology (Carter, Cooper) are exhaustively described. Franks and Coombs try, in a masterful chapter on 'General aspects of heterophil antibody systems', once again to give clear definitions and explanations, in an attempt to put an end to the prevailing erroneous speculations and assumptions regarding the nature of the so-called 'non specific serological reactions' which play such a prominent role in this field. It is to be hoped that they will succeed. The whole book is full of useful, well presented and carefully interpreted facts and ideas and should be studied by every immunologist. P. Kallós, Helsingborg J. L. Turk: Immunology in Clinical Medicine. Heinemann, London 1969. 226 p., illustr.; 40s. The steady growth of the Archives is but one proof of the development and increasing importance of allergy in research and clinical medicine. It is increasingly difficult for students and practitioners to follow this development and the widely scattered literature. Allergic phenomena are now recognized either as the basic pafho-mechanism or as an important contributory factor in many experimental and clinical conditions. There has certainly been a need for a short and elementary introduction to this recent development. It is almost unbelievable that Turk succeded in giving in 220 pages a very readable account of the present standing of research in this complicated field and also of the application of the results to clinical medicine. The quoted literature is well selected and makes it possible and easy for the reader to deepen his knowledge in the whole field or concerning some special subject. The origin of this branch of science is the concept of allergy, the acquired specifically altered reactivity of the organism against an allergen, laid down by Clemens von Pirç¿uet as early as 1903. It is still valid. Immunity is a subdivision of allergy and denotes the state in which an organism acquired specific resistance against the harmful effect of a toxin or microorganism. I regret that the author follows the nomenclature which is much in use, but nevertheless unclear and sometimes misleading. One of the consequences is that the allergic diseases sensu strictiori, such as bronchial asthma and hay fever, are only shortly discussed. The great frequency and social importance of this group of diseases is not stressed. There is much more space devoted to the so called autoimmune (or auto-allergic) diseases, which are discussed very lucidly. This part


Chromium-doped nickel nanoferrite powder was prepared by combustion reaction, using microwave energy as the external heating source, and the influence of the Cr3+concentration on the NiCrxFe2-xO4 system was investigated. The powder, which was prepared according to the concept of propellant chemistry, was heated in a microwave oven under a power of 980 W. The resulting material was characterized by XRD, BET, SEM, helium picnometry and magnetic measurements. The results indicate that it was possible to obtain chromium-doped nickel ferrite nanopowders and that raising the chromium concentration caused an increase in particle size (from 15 nm to 55 nm), and a reduction in the magnetic parameters.


The utility model relates to a plate-pressing hydraulic press which comprises a work bench and a workshop, wherein the workshop is arranged on the work bench; a cross beam is arranged at the top part of the workshop; a stand column is arranged at the center position of the lower surface of the cross beam; a pressing head is connected at the bottom of the stand column; the front part and the rear part of the lower surface of the cross beam are respectively provided with a lateral track; and the lateral tracks are provided with electric hoists. The plate-pressing hydraulic press has the advantages of having simple structure and convenient operation, and saving labor.


Even today, technetium-99m is a radionuclide choice for diagnostic in nuclear medicine. The unique chemical and physical properties of technetium-99m make it suitable as an available radionuclide in many centers. In this study, we examined the potential of CQD as a reducing agent in the MDP kit. Citric acid-derived CQD was synthesized and confirmed by FT-IR, TEM, UV-Vis, XPS, and surface analysis. No cytotoxicity was observed by the MTT assay. They were reducing properties of the CQD confirmed by fluorescence microscopy. The MDP kit is prepared by evaluating different parameters that affect the radiolabeling yield, including ligand, time, and CQD. The optimum amount of each parameter is obtained by Box–Behnken software. Finally, fluorescent spectroscopy, SPECT imaging, and biodistribution study showed that CQD reduces technetium-99m. Accumulation of radiotracer in the femur showed that CQD could be used in a radiopharmaceutical kit.


In the present study specially designed Experimental set up is fabricated to study flow visualization experiments with bluff body placed inside 50mm diameter circular pipe. Trapezoidal shape bluff body is used with blockage ratio of 0.27. Dye injection technique is used to visualize the complex vortex formation mechanism behind bluff body. The dye used is concentrated KMNO4. The study improves the understanding of complex vortex formation mechanism in the design of vortex flow meter. Various wake parameters like Strouhal number, vortex formation length and wake width are calculated. The objective of the paper is to devise an experimental setup to visualize the flow patterns obtained when a fluid flows over a trapezoidal shape vortex shedder.


The combination of electrical and elastic measurements can be useful in lowering subsurface characterisation uncertainty. The majority of rock physics relations which relate a rock’s electrical and elastic properties, however, rely on the estimation of porosity as an intermediate step. By combining differential effective medium schemes which relate a rock’s electrical and elastic properties to porosity and pore shape, we obtain cross-property expressions which are independent of porosity, depending only on pore aspect ratio. Analysing published joint electrical-elastic measurements shows the cross-property model works well for clean sandstones, and models Vp/Vs ratios as a function of resistivity without porosity. Although clay-bearing sandstones are more complex, our model can still identify the correct trends. On theoretical grounds, it seems our approach has the potential to produce additional cross-property relations; a topic upon which we speculate.


Title of thesis: "THE IMPACT OF RACIAL IDENTITY ON THE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES OF MULTIRACIAL, COLLEGE UNDERGRADUATES" Corenne Harris, Master of Arts, 2015 Thesis directed by: Professor Tara Brown Teaching & Learning, Policy & Leadership While the impact of racial identity on students' educational experiences has been studied for years, there has been little such research focused on multiracial individuals. The purpose of this study is to explore how racial identity has shaped the educational experiences of multiracial undergraduates, particularly in their transition to college. Transitioning into college, which often requires entering a very different social and educational environment, can be life changing for students, and racial identity can play a role in how students interact and identify with other students as well as teachers. An interview based qualitative methodology was used to explore the educational experiences of four multiracial undergraduate students. Individual face-to-face interviews were used to learn about the four participants' experiences. Focusing on multiracial students, who are often left out of the discussion when talking about the impact racial identity has on various educational experiences, will contribute to research on the relationship between racial identity and education. Study findings showed that the participants experienced few, if any, negative effects on their educational experiences, due to their racial identity or how others perceived them, racially. Overall, participants felt that being multiracial was an advantage in terms of connecting with a diverse group of peers in school settings. "THE IMPACT OF RACIAL IDENTITY ON THE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES OF MULTIRACIAL, COLLEGE UNDERGRADUATES"


A 7‐year‐old healthy girl presented with an 11‐month history of an asymptomatic red, dome‐shaped papule on her right medial elbow and 6‐month history of linearly distributed, few millimeter, flesh‐colored papules extending from and including the red papule. Histopathology demonstrated features of both a Spitz nevus and lichen striatus. The Spitz nevus was removed with a punch biopsy and the lichen striatus subsequently resolved. To our knowledge, co‐localization of a Spitz nevus with lichen striatus has not been previously reported and highlights the potential association between the immunogenicity of Spitz nevi and the development of lichen striatus.


The main goal of root canal therapy is to eliminate the pathogenic effects of bacteria from the root canal system and that through chemomechanical debridement followed by inert root filling to prevent microorganisms from infecting or reinfecting root canals and the periradicular tissues [1]. Defining clinical healing of apical periodontitis after endodontic treatment is very difficult especially finding a relevant radiologic examination method for accurate observation. Therefore, various radiologic techniques were used among which we site the periapical x-rays, the orthopantomogram, the cone beam computed tomography, and that depending on the size and the localization of the pathological entity. The aim of the present paper was to show the treatment outcome and the healing of large periapical radiolucency controlled with CBCT.


Soy sauce is a kind of fermented food that needs to be clarified as turbidity arisen during the production process.As there is only sensory requirement to evaluate clarity degree,quantification method is lacked.A 15 degree prepositive scattered light turbid meter was used with halogen light as illuminant in this article.The turbidimeter contained special optical system inside and computing program of scattered transmisson ratio formulate.As a result,it could show the data directly and close linear relationship without the interference of color of sauce.The diameter of particles in liquid samples had little influence on the determination of turbidity of soy sauce.Therefore,the turbidimeter is suitable for the determination of soy sauce clarity.


This article presents a model of the southern Kalahari landscape that in the past gave clues for orientation and usability to Taa-speaking hunter-gatherers. Lexical and conceptual changes are detected with respect to what was formerly the most important landform for survival: pans as water sources and sites suitable for camping and foraging. A part-to-whole-change in lexical semantics is paralleled by a conceptual change from a predominance of notions of utility to a predominance of perceptual salience. These changes reflect changes in land-use patterns and were discovered by comparing statements from people of different ages.


Nowadays,the disconnection between pre-clinical medicine and clinical medicine exists in the medical postgraduate education.Application of the concept of translational medicine to the postgraduate education will play an important role in the training of medical personnel.This article gives a discussion on the means of training postgraduates by building a platform for translational medicine,reforming the curriculum,improving the research evaluation system and building cooperation among universities,hospitals and enterprises.

Key words:
Translational medicine;  Postgraduate;  Medical education


For example, collective or community hope is more than the sense of individual hope of the members of a particular community. The destruction of property, theft and violence that occurred in South Africa, particularly in KZN and Gauteng in the week of 12 July 2021 had a significant impact on the national psyche. [Extracted from the article] Copyright of South African Journal of Psychology is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)


The drive to increase lung cancer resection rates continues and with it, the need to reduce the perioperative risks and improve post-operative quality of life for an increasingly high-risk cohort of patients. Post-operative pulmonary complications are common and are associated with poorer long-term outcomes (1). The recent ERAS guidelines highlight the importance of preoperative rehabilitation, or prehabilitation, in reducing hospital length of stay and postoperative pulmonary complications (2). However, they note the paucity of high-quality evidence in how best to employ it. We have previously interrogated the evidence for prehabilitation in an attempt to answer the key questions on how to run the ideal programme (3). We read with interest two recently published randomised controlled trials on the topic to see if they can provide evidence to clarify the answers to some of these. Laurent et al. performed an open label randomised control trial in 26 patients to evaluate the effect of preoperative respiratory muscle endurance training with change in minute volume achievable and endurance time, a kind of "bleep test" for breathing, as the primary outcome (4). Their patients all underwent anatomical resection for lung cancer at the end of the 3 weeks. Liu et a l . report on a s ingle bl ind randomised controlled trial of 73 patients undergoing a multimodality rehabilitation program for 2 weeks prior to lung cancer resection (5).


Magnetisation dynamics in exchange spring magnets have been studied using simulations of the FePt/Fe bilayer system. The FePt hard layer exhibits strong perpendicular magnetocrystalline anisotropy, while the soft (Fe) layer has negligible magnetocrystalline anisotropy. The variation of the local spin orientation in the Fe layer is determined by the competition of the exchange coupling interaction with the hard layer and the magnetostatic energy which favours in-plane magnetisation. Dynamics were studied by monitoring the response of the Fe layer magnetisation after the abrupt application of a magnetic field which causes the systems to realign via precessional motion. This precessional motion allows us to obtain the frequency spectrum and hence examine the dynamical magnetisation motion. Since the rotation of the spins in the soft layer does not have a well defined magnetic anisotropy, the system does not present the usual frequency field characteristics for a thin film. Additionally we obtain multi-peaked resonance spectra for the application of magnetic fields perpendicular to the film plane, though we discount the existence of spin wave modes and propose that this arises due to variations in the local effective field across the Fe layer. The dynamic response is only considered in the Fe layer, with the FePt layer held fixed in the perpendicular orientation.


Objective To investigate the association between occupational stress and concentrations of salivary cortisol,sIgA and lysozyme.Methods5 saliva samples over a work day were collected from 50 male refrigerator assembly line workers,who completed a self-reported questionnaire to assess the occupational stress.Concentrations of salivary cortisol,sIgA,and lysozyme were measured by radioimmunoassay,immunoradiometricassay and lyso-plate method respectively.ResultsThe results revealed that baseline and/or mean concentrations of salivary cortisol,sIgA and lysozyme showed significantly negative correlation with some occupational stressors,self-reported health and personality scores.Some psychological variables showed significant predictive effects on salivary indicators.The salivary sIgA and lysozyme were not correlated with the salivary cortisol.The working demand induced a marked increase in the concentrations of salivary IgA and lysozyme,as well as salivary cortisol.ConclusionsSalivary IgA and lysozyme concentrations are sensitive to psychological stress and could be utilized as potential biomarkers in field investigation of the effects of stress on immunity.


. Konigsberger ratios of DSDP basalts were rather low (mean value around 7) but were usually high enough to justify interpreting oceanic anomalies with a remanent magnetization model. Natural remanent magnetizations were considerably lower than in dredged basalts but were strong enough to account for amplitudes of oceanic magnetic anomalies. Both stable and unstable remanent types were encountered. The observed stable inclinations showed a large scatter when compared to expected inclinations, largely due to non-cancellation of secular variation. All the basalts were categorized in deuteric oxidation Class I by opaque petrology observations. Extensive maghemitization, inferred from thermomagnetic analyses, may explain the low NRM intensities. Unstable speci mens easily acquired large viscous remanent magnetizations, in soroe cases as large as the NRM. The basalt magnetic properties were in general accord with the expectations of the Vine and Matthews hypothesis.


In the present paper, Papilio machaon Linnaeus (1758), P. annae Gistel (1857) and P. verilyi Fruhstorfer (1907) are recognized to be three sibling species of the genus Papilio. Unfortunately, in all previous authoritative pieces of P. verityi and P. annae were erroneously referred to as two subspecies of P. machaon. After careful studies, the characteristics of wing-pattern and the structures of male and female genitalia of these three sibling species are mentioned in the Chinese text of this paper, P. annae and P. verityi are considered as two valid names and they are independent from the species P. machaon. A map of the geographical distribution and the photographic illustrations of the above mentioned species are also given.


There is currently a well-developed tax treaty network with over 3000 concluded treaties. Accordingly, there are countless opportunities for international tax planning. The concept of treaty shopping is a fairly new phenomenon and it has never been as controversial as today.

Treaty shopping implies that taxpayers arrange their affairs in order to be covered by a particular tax treaty. To be covered by a tax treaty, residence in one of the contracting states is required and therefore, the concept of residence is a major factor in treaty shopping. The process results in a benefit that otherwise would not have been available to the taxpayer. The benefit consists of an income that becomes subject to lower taxation than it otherwise would have been in the absence of the treaty shopping process.

Treaty shopping caught the attention of the OECD member states through the OECD Conduit Companies Report in 1986. However, an indirect discussion of treaty shopping has been going on since the issuance of the Commentary to the 1977 Model Convention. The position of OECD has been to leave it to the member states to solve the problem of treaty shopping in their respective national legislations. The idea was that domestic anti- avoidance rules would be incorporated or be given priority in the tax treaties. However, a provision was introduced in the commentary to the 2003 Model Convention providing that one purpose of tax treaties is to prevent tax avoidance.

The general purpose of the thesis is to explain the meaning of treaty shopping. How can the phenomenon be countered and what anti-avoidance rules are available for the states in order to do so? And how can treaty shopping be highlighted, based on Swedish tax law? Those are the three main research questions of the thesis, but other questions certainly emerge during the thesis work.

Treaty shopping is based on two conflicting interests. On the one hand, states' interests of defending the national tax base, on the other hand, corporate interests of maximizing profits. Thus, there are arguments both for and against treaty shopping. Treaty shopping is essentially an international phenomenon and has not been noticed in any significant way in Sweden. However, many states consider treaty shopping to constitute an impermissible form of tax planning. As a reaction to this, interdisciplinary collaborations and systems have been established to prevent tax abuse through the creation of various treaty shopping structures. Whether treaty shopping constitutes a substantive problem depends on the interests represented and which perspective that is taken, the states or the taxpayers. OECD and its member states have in recent years intensified their work and in 2013, the BEPS report was presented in which future legal strategies were outlined. What the cooperation eventually will result in remains to be seen.


\Ve develop sorne elements of the statistical mechanics foc mobile dis!ocations, which allow us to give a dynamical description of the center oC mass oC the mobile dislocation system with Newton's second law. The two fundamental equations oC plastic deCormation (i.e. the Orowan equation and the Fuchs and llschner equation) are given a new interpretation within the statistical mecha.nics Cramework. Also it is snown that the acceleration of mobile dislocations is responsible Cor the stability oC the steady states under fluctuations.


Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) systems have their numerous applications in robotics and autonomous driving. Computational offloading enables the computationally demanding Visual SLAM systems to run on hardware-constrained mobile devices, such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs). The offloading of SLAM modules to a central server also enables cooperative collaboration between multiple mobile devices. In this paper, we investigate the process of map synchronization between the edge and mobile devices in edge assisted SLAM systems. Due to the condition of uninterrupted execution, it is necessary that the map synchronization can be executed in the running process without losing the localization on the mobile device. Using a state-of-the-art edge assisted SLAM system, we investigate the influences of the movement speed as well as the network latency on the map synchronization and the resulting success ratio of the tracking continuation. By introducing a frame buffer on the mobile device, we have managed to compensate for the negative effect of the synchronization delay and thus increase reliability by up to 37%.


Because biodiversity is multidimensional and scale-dependent, it is challenging to estimate its change. However, it is unclear (1) how much scale-dependence matters for empirical studies, and (2) if it does matter, how exactly we should quantify biodiversity change. To address the first question, we analyzed studies with comparisons among multiple assemblages, and found that rarefaction curves frequently crossed, implying reversals in the ranking of species richness across spatial scales. Moreover, the most frequently measured aspect of diversity—species richness—was poorly correlated with other measures of diversity. Second, we collated studies that included spatial scale in their estimates of biodiversity change in response to ecological drivers and found frequent and strong scale-dependence, including nearly 10% of studies which showed that biodiversity changes switched directions across scales. Having established the complexity of empirical biodiversity comparisons, we describe a synthesis of methods based on rarefaction curves that allow more explicit analyses of spatial and sampling effects on biodiversity comparisons. We use a case study of nutrient additions in experimental ponds to illustrate how this multi-dimensional and multi-scale perspective informs the responses of biodiversity to ecological drivers. Statement of Authorship JC and BM conceived the study and the overall approach, and all authors participated in multiple working group meetings to develop and refine the approach. BM collected the data for the meta-analysis that led to Fig. 2,3; JC collected the data for the metaanalysis that led to Figure 4 and S1; SB and FM did the analyses for Figures 2-4; DM, FM and XX wrote the code for the analysis used for the recipe and case study in Figure 6. JC, BM and NG wrote first drafts of most sections, and all authors contributed substantially to revisions. Figure 1. A. Individual-based rarefaction curves of three hypothetical communities (labelled A,B, C) where ranked differences between communities are consistent across scales. B. Individual-based rarefaction curves of three hypothetical communities (labelled A,B, C) where rankings between communities switch because of differences in the total numbers of species, and their relative abundances. Dotted vertical lines illustrate sampling scales where rankings switch. These curves were generated using the sim_sad function from the mobsim R package (May et al. 2018). Figure 2. Bivariate relationships between N, SPIE and S for 346 communities across the 37 datasets taken from McGill (2011b)(see Appendix 1). (A) S as a function of N; (B) S as a function of SPIE. (N vs SPIE not shown). Black lines depict the relationships across studies (and correspond to R2 fixed); colored points and lines show the relationships within studies. All axes are log-scale. Insets are histograms of the study-level slopes, with the solid line representing the slope across all studies. Gray bars indicate the study-level slope did not differ from zero, blue indicates a significant positive slope, and red indicates a significant negative slope. Figure 3. Representative rarefaction curves, the proportion of curves that crossed, and counts of how often curves crossed. (A) Rarefaction curves for different local communities within two datasets: marine invertebrates (nematodes) along a gradient from a waste plant outlet (Lambshead 1986), and trees in a Ugandan rainforest (Eggeling 1947); axes are log-transformed. (B) Counts of how many times pairs of rarefaction curves (from the same community) crossed; y-axis is on a log-scale. Data accessibility statement All data for meta-analyses and case study will be deposited in a publically available repository with DOI upon acceptance (available in link for submission).


In this study we investigate the temporal relationship between changes in tumor volume and ADC following therapy using a compartmental model of tumor growth, therapeutic action, cell lysis and water clearance. The model was applied to fit tumor volume and ADC change measured on 9L glioma rats treated with BCNU, as well as treated brain tumor patients. Fitting these data yields estimates for the relative amplitude and duration of effective therapeutic action, necrosis production and clearance. In single-dose treatment of animals, the degree of therapeutic response increased with single dose amount. In protracted multi-dose schemes, however, the duration of effective therapeutic action did not scale with duration of therapy delivery suggesting development of therapy resistance. These observations are consistent with clinical results where the treatment schedule is protracted and increase in ADC following therapy is modest.


Kawasaki, T., Itoh, K., Uezono, K. & Sasaki, H. (1993) A simple method for estimating 24 h urinary sodium and potassium excretion from second morning voiding urine specimen in adults.


POI abbreviation matching is one difficult aspect of POI name matching, since Chinese POI abbreviations have Eastern Language specialty and are mostly formed without strict rules. Examinations of existed website that contains POI name matching are made and approaches proposed are analyzed. To catch the special regularities of POI abbreviation, a statistical model consists mainly of Markov Chain is built to simulate the process of POI abbreviation forming. Detailed algorithm, corpus-building instructions and test results was presented in this paper. A future improving direction was also presented as a result of error analyses.


The invention discloses an industrial microwave reduction roasting device which comprises a furnace body. A sealed feeding device is arranged at the top of the furnace body. A sealed cooling and discharging device is arranged at the bottom of the furnace body. The furnace body is sequentially divided into a leakage prevention wave preheating region, a microwave matrix oxidation roasting region and a leakage prevention wave reduction region from top to bottom. The upper portion of the leakage prevention wave preheating region is connected with an induced air pipeline. A pressurizing device is arranged on the induced air pipeline. An industrial microwave heating device and an air inlet are arranged in the microwave matrix oxidation roasting region. A reduction gas inflow pipeline is connected to the leakage prevention wave reduction region. According to the industrial microwave reduction roasting device and process, the manner that materials are heated through the industrial microwave heating device is adopted, compared with gas base or coal base fuel and the like, the industrial microwave reduction roasting device and process have the beneficial effects that the efficient, energy-saving and environmental-friendly effects are achieved, materials are reduced and roasted by adopting hydrogen, carbon monoxide, alkane base gas and other reduction gas in a matched manner, and therefore the finished product materials can well meet the machining requirements.


Jiangxi is one of the provinces for severe soil and water loss.The paper deems that soil and water loss and impoverished economy are influenced each other and interact as both cause and effect through analysis.Soil and water loss has deteriorated ecological environment,worsen the impoverished economy and;poverty resulted in over extorting from the nature and worsen the soil and water loss again.For the soil and water loss region,well conducting soil and water conservation is the most important for the local people to shake off poverty and build up a fortune and also a breach to solve the poverty issue fundamentally.


Fault location in the presence of compensating devices is difficult in Power systems. In this paper, an ANFIS-based fault location method that utilizes the sequence impedance is presented for a STATCOM compensated system. Here the magnitudes and angles of positive and negative sequence impedance are used to train an ANFIs-based system. By altering the fault distance, several fault scenarios are created. The voltage and current from the single end are measured and the corresponding impedance values are fed to the ANFIS network. The results obtained are reasonably accurate for the application of long lines compensated using FACTS devices.


Thispaperintroduces a graphical modeling no- often prevent users especially intheconsumer areafromusing tation basedoncoloured petri netsfortheperformance and mobile applications. Flat rates formobile data transmission are costevaluation ofmobile applications. Whendeveloping suchan available since ashort time, butoften solve thecostproblem application somerestrictions duetothelowbandwith ofmobile networks needtobeconsidered. Thenotation canbeusedto modeltheworkflow ofamobile application withjust asmallduetheoffering ofhigh usernumbers andlong-term contracts. effort. Theresulting modelcanbe(automatically) transformed However, this usually restricts themobile employee totheuse intoa coloured petri netforsimulating thecommunication ofonenetwork provider. Forassuring apreferably permanent behaviour depending ontypical userinteractions. Thesimulation network accessatthePOSthemobile worker should beable results areanimportant basis forimproving theapplications to accessatte Sh mobile worke roulde ab performance andtheoccuring costsforusing mobile networks.toss asemany mobileworktypeandpov as possible. However, themobileworkerwilllikely nothave several flat rate accounts withdifferent network providers.


Sickle cell disease is a common inherited blood disorder that affects red blood cells. It is a hemoglobinopathy characterized by hemoglobin polymerization, erythrocyte stiffening, and subsequent vaso-occlusions. These changes can lead to microcirculation obstructions, tissue ischemia, infarction and acute stroke. In addition, chronic cerebral ischemia and cerebral vascular anomalies are considered among the most disabling problems in sickle cell disease. Neurological complications of sickle cell disease include, Ischaemic Stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, transient ischemic attack, silent cerebral infarction, headache, Moyamoya disease, neuropathic pain, and neurocognitive impairment. Early diagnosis and proper management of sickle cell disease neurological complications require specialised hematological and neurological experties. The newly used medications under ongoing research foster the hope to overcome this devastating disease and its complications.


Titanium alloyed steel has been widely used as automobile sheet steels, thick plate steels, and also stainless steels to improve the mechanical and chemical properties of many grade steels. Since Ti has strong affinity with oxygen, Ti is normally alloyed after Al deoxidation to keep the high yield of Ti. Therefore, Al-Ti deoxidation is one of the common and important secondary refining processes. Although the chemical stability diagram for this system has been reported by many researchers, these diagrams are inconsistent significantly each other. In the present study, the stability region of Al2TiO5 oxide was measured by equilibrating Fe-Al-Ti alloy and Al2TiO5 pellet in Al2O3 crucible at 1873 K. However, inclusions in metal after equilibration were Ti-containing Al2O3 or Al-containing TiOx. The precise phase diagrams and related thermodynamic data for the Al2O3-TiOx-FeO system should be determined.


Spectral changes associated with solvation of electrons in glassy (77$sup 0$K) methanol, ethanol, and 1- and 2-propanol have been studied from 10$sup -6$ to 10$sup 2$ s after a short pulse of ionizing radiation. Continuous changes are observed over this wide range, except for the case of methanol, in which electron solvation appears to be nearly complete before 10$sup -7$ s. The data indicate a very wide range of relaxation times for electron solvation in frozen alcohols. Techniques for data collection over a wide time range are described in the supplementary material. (auth)


Abstract This paper attempts to examine several aspects of the analysis of public policy as it pertains to the community development professional. Specifically, it looks at some of the definitions of public policy; at who are the policy makers, why we should study public policy, what are the "policy styles" of local government, at what are the models used to understand public policies and at how we may assess the impact of public policy. The analysis of public policy has gone through some immense changes in the last two decades. Knowledge of some of these changes may have a beneficial impact on those of us working in the area of community development.


Objective To report the successful use of terlipressin in an 8-day-old infant for treatment of intractable hypotension caused by septic shock. Design Descriptive case report. Setting An 18-bed pediatric intensive care unit at a tertiary care children's hospital. Patient An 8-day-old child with intractable hypotension due to septic shock after heart surgery. Interventions General supportive intensive care including mechanical ventilatory support, volume replacement, and inotropic support with dopamine 20 &mgr;g·kg−1·min−1, milrinone 0.75 &mgr;g·kg−1·min−1, and epinephrine 0.8 &mgr;g·kg−1·min−1. Measurements and Main Results Terlipressin (7 &mgr;g/kg per dose twice daily) was added as rescue therapy because of profound intractable hypotension. Shortly after the beginning of treatment, blood pressure and perfusion dramatically improved. Conclusions There is circumstantial evidence that the administration of terlipressin caused the increase in blood pressure. We suggest that terlipressin should be considered as rescue therapy when high-dose catecholamine therapy does not result in sufficient perfusion pressure. Further investigation is needed to prove terlipressin's effectiveness and safety in infants and children.


be useful in making management decisions regardA hedonic framework is used to analyze selected ing biological improvements or provision of attributes of Louisiana deer hunting leases that are amenities on public hunting areas. In the area of hypothesized to be significant contributors to lease wildlife resources, almost all decision processes are value. The flexible Box-Cox functional form is use ed by the integration of biological and in contrast to the often utilized linear regression economic information. specification. Additionally, the hypothesis of In order to add to existing economic information regional differences in slope coefficients of lease on the value of wildlife resources, this study uses a attributes is addressed. Results indicate that hunters hedonic framework to analyze selected attributes of in the two analyzed regions value lease attributes Louisiana white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virand services differently. ginianus) hunting leases that are hypothesized to contribute significantly to lease values. In the em


• Technology of HTS Coated Conductors is available in Europe; • First European HTS cable, SUPER3C, Nexans, is based on these tapes; Up-scaling of manufacturing line is in progress • First product utilizing Bruker HTS 2G tapes seems to be superconducting fault current limiter


According to our analysis, contemporary Global Education Politics (GEP) in Medicine is still dominated by a technocratic cognitive framework and content. For this reason we view it crucial to develop a novel educational framework for graduation in medicine with the Person-Centered Care concept implemented within it, as formulated by Juan E Mezzich and informed by the comprehensive assessment and values-based medical practice, developed by Bill (KWM) Fulford. Some of the outstanding training programs in medicine, dentistry and public health are already designed according to this novel approach. Key elements in the curriculum include: Society's Health and Ethics (Ethics and Public Health, pointers of values-based practice, values, evidence and ethics); Health research with a major focus on epistemology and methodology; Personal Life Psychology (life cycles, relationships, cultural diversity, lifestyle planning, stress management); Adverse life events (breaking of bad news, disability, grief and bereavement, euthanasia, suicide); The doctor-patient relationship (patient-centered consultation, problem solving and critical thinking, dealing with uncertainty and professional mistakes). Global medical education may be characterized by progress from facts-based (evidence) to integrative values-and-factsbased clinical education and management. If this is considered with respect to the Bulgarian medical model, which was designed according to German and Russian philosophies in the previous century, then there is a challenging, but nevertheless advantageous opportunity, for a reassessment of the model. In the context of the international movement for person-centered medicine, Bulgarian public health institutions are facing the demand for a proactive adjustment of the medical curriculum with the requirements of the global strategy for an introduction of this model in medical education and postgraduate training.


Hurricane Ike was the third most destructive hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. Cameron Parish in Louisiana and the Southeast Texas coast of the Bolivar Peninsula, still recovering from earlier hurricanes, sustained catastrophic damage. The capstone focused on three specific long-term resiliency planning projects for client consideration: (1) long-term recovery and resiliency economic development goals; (2) policy options to meet these goals within the context of federal, state, and county/parish policies; and (3) the strengths and weaknesses of each, including implementation challenges. The Cameron Parish work involved analysis of a housing survey of 600 Parish individuals and families, a research project on Geographic Information Systems, and research on business economic factors. The Bolivar Peninsula work involved deliverables to county officials and community members, including an initial research report on economic development opportunities and a second report providing additional details on selected economic development projects identified by Bolivar officials and community members.


Some experimental and theoretical considerations have been performed on the packing properties of powderlike materials observed during dry pressing procedure.Many works have hitherto been reported on the packing characteristics when pressing forces are induced to the powder bed, and then, the relationship between the strain and the compressive stress is represented in a simple hyperbolic curve as illustrated in Figure 3 when fine sorts of powder are used.However when comparatively stiff kinds of powder possessing low"powder diffusibility1)"are used as raw material, such simple relationship is not obtained, but their relationship between the strain and the compressive stress is observed as many simple hyperbolic curves in a super-positional form as shown in Figure 12.The mechanism of this phenomenon is thought by the authers as follows; when the compressive force is induced to the packed bed, the bed initially contracts as an elastic body, that is, all the particles of the powder in the bed are contracted elastically mainly in the contact points. This elastically contracted structure is maintained to the point where slippage takes place at the weakest point. Once this slippage takes place, the equilibrium of the whole system is broken, and the slippage flow takes place successively. This slippage flow is observed as plastic deformation of the whole system.The equilibium is restored for the whole system after the successive processes of plastic deformation have been accomplished. This re-newed equilibrium state means the seoond elastic configuration. Further compressive force deforms the second elastic body, elastically in the first instance, and plastically after slippage is caused. This elastic and plastic deformation observed one after another constitutes successive hyperbolic curvels as illustrated in Figure 12.When comparativey brittle and crushable kinds of powder are used as raw material, similar successive hyperbolic curves are observed though with linear type in some places as illustruted in Figure 11 and Figure 8. The former figure is the case when fractures take place in the contact points of the powder, and the latter bigure is the case when fractures are pronounced in the whole volume of the powder. The mechanical configuration is changed discontinously or suddenly in both cases, after fractures have taken place.In the process of plastic deformation, the relationship expressed in equation (1) is established noticeably by many invesigators between the stoain e and the deformation degrel dl/l3)4)7)11), e=∫l'olodl/l=lnl'o/lo (1)and the relation of equation (6) is also established experimentally between the stress σ and the strain e4)7)11).σ=ken (6)In the authers theoretical view this equation will be expressed in equation (12), σ={ec·e}1+a (12)where, c is the integral constaut in the mathematical treatment, and a is the factor showing the degree of change of the mechanical structures. This factor is, in the authers' view an important variable in the pressing procedure of powder beds. Some considerations on ec and a are performed based on the experimental observations.


In Reply. —I agree with Dr Poser that immunizations have a potential danger. We are, however, in substantial disagreement as to the methodology for documenting this danger. Dr Poser believes that case reports by individual practitioners provide suitable documentation; I do not. I insist on epidemiologic studies designed to show that neurologic manifestations attributed to immunization have a higher incidence in a vaccinated population than in a nonvaccinated one. One would not think that this position needs to be defended.


The acquisition and development of syntax in oral language for 47 congenitally hearing-impaired children between the ages of five years and 13 years, three months, was compared with that of normal ...


Enraged accusations such as 'man hating feminist' have been hurled at Gail Dines for her emphatic stance on the tough stuff of pornography.


ABSTRACT The essay analyzes the movie Son of Saul, a Hungarian film that immerses its viewers in the life of a member of the Sonderkommando at Auschwitz-Birkenau. It is not an easy film to watch as it presents the view from inside the world of the men who were forced to shepherd the Jews into the gas chambers and to dispose of their corpses, after first gleaning what was valuable from them. The essay explores questions about the limits of representation of the Holocaust, and it engages the ethical quandary that is at the heart of the film: the intense confrontation with the horrors of the Sonderkommando comes about by embracing a quest that involves betraying those who would (and did) communicate these horrors to the world. The essay also addresses Georges Didi-Huberman's argument that Son of Saul presents a heroic revolt against the death factory at Birkenau, and it suggests instead that the film leads its audience to feel that it has faced evil and had the courage to confront the horrors it reveals, while actually turning away from the central challenges of grappling with the Holocaust.


Aim: To study the impact of industrial water pollution on Agriculture and rural households in Bhavani River basin of Tamil Nadu.
Study Design: Multistage random sampling.
Place and Duration of the Study: The study was conducted in the Sathyamangalam block of Erode district of Tamil Nadu during September 2021 to December 2021.
Methodology: Erode district of Tamil Nadu has been purposively selected due to high intensity of industrial units. In the second stage, Sathyamangalam block of Erode district, was selected based on the extent of external effects on land and water. In total, 360 respondents are selected as a sample, constituting ten persons in each affected and unaffected village. Both primary and secondary data were collected for the present study.
Results and Conclusion: The industrial water pollution in Bhavani River basin of Tamil Nadu leads to changes in agricultural pattern, reduction in farm income, decline in agricultural activities and most of the rural households were shifted to non-farming activities in this study area. In order to overcome these issues, it is suggested to develop alternative sources of water for irrigation.


Based on the complex mining conditions of the 5343 face in No.3 seam of Wulan coal mine,the characteristics of strata behaviors were researched by using the methods of ground pressure observation and numerical simulation.The results show that the first weighting inter-val of roof is 24.2m,and the periodic weighting interval is 9.41m.During the roof weighting,the maximum average support load is 2 775.5kN per frame,with a high sidewise extrusion pressure between supports and a serious rib spalling and roof fall of working face,making the roof control very difficult.Compared with the fully mechanized caving face in ordinary soft coal seam,the strata behaviors of this working face are comparatively severe with a great roof weighting strength and an obvious periodic weighting because of good stability of roof and steep angle of coal seam.


This paper analyzes the ways in which academic librarians in university settings can educate the staff, students, and public involved in the library community of both the risks and benefits of involvement in online social network sites such as Facebook. The concerns addressed range from maintaining users' basic privacy and protecting themselves from physical and mental harm, to making users aware of how the information being shared on these sites may be used in newly emerging marketing practices. The paper recommends that academic librarians utilize social networking sites themselves in order to provide current, relevant information to the relevant parties in the university library community. About the Author: Greg Hutton is a first year MLIS student at Dalhousie University who grew up in rural southern Alberta. The research and writing process of this paper, which was originally written for the Master's level course INFO 5500 "Information In Society," allowed Greg to pursue his interest in how online social networking sites can be used beyond keeping in contact with friends and instead used as a professional tool. Greg's career ambitions to work as an Academic Librarian coincide with the decision to write the paper from the perspective of someone similarly employed.


Two prediction models were developed to predict occurrence tendency of alate aphids migration.The peak period of alate aphids migration was divided to 4 levels in Shandong tobacco growing region.Based on data in the past 10 years,stepwise regression and BP neural network were employed to establish prediction models of alate aphids migration peak period,respectively.The prediction accuracy of the two methods reached 95.00% and 97.67%,and back prediction accuracy reached 96.65% and 98.74%,respectively.The alate aphids migration peak period can be predicted one month in advance through the established prediction model,which can serve as a middle-term prediction model applied in the control of tobacco aphid and aphid-borned tobacco virus diseases.


Numerical studies were conducted to improve the understanding of the behavior of column-supported embankments in highway widening project. Due to the complexity of the problem, so far, consolidation process and three-dimensional patterns of columns have not been well simulated in most published numerical studies. As a result, the time-dependant behavior and the serviceability of this system have not been well evaluated. In this study, a threedimensional coupled mechanical and hydraulic modeling was conducted using ABAQUS to consider consolidation and three-dimensional arrangement of columns. The numerical predictions are analyzed in terms of settlements and increments in vertical effective stresses. Firstly, the effectiveness of the use of columns and caps is studied. Afterwards, a parametric analysis is performed to study the influence on the soil-columns and caps system of the deformability and the effective friction angle of the embankment. At last some conclusions are obtained from the result of the numerical calculation.


An FeRh thin film of 33 nm thickness grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) has been investigated with respect to its temperature dependent magnetic properties by means of ferromagnetic resonance (FMR). Within the ferromagnetic regime, that is at temperatures above the antiferromagnetic‐to‐ferromagnetic phase transition, the resonance field decreases with decreasing temperature reflecting an increasing magnetization. Within the temperature regime of the phase transition, the resonance field behaves non‐monotonically, that is it suddenly increases with decreasing temperature. The observed asymmetric shape of the FMR absorption line is discussed with respect to a possible small magnetic inhomogeneity of the film coupled to the main ferromagnetic volume of B2 ordered, equiatomic FeRh.


Electrical drives are usually modeled using circuit theory with currents or linking fluxes chosen as state variables for the electrical part, and rotor speed or position for the mechanical part of the system. Often, the internal structure of the drive system contains nonlinear relations difficult to mode as for example dead-time, hysteresis, and saturation effects. On the contrary, if the available model is accurate enough, its parameter values are difficult to obtain and/or be estimated in real-time. In high performance applications and for control purposes, we need to extract automatically the system model characterising the relations between state variables regardless of their analytical dependency. This paper investigates the use of fuzzy logic as a useful mean for automatic modeling electrical drive systems. An experimental system composed by a DC motor supplied from a DC-DC converter is used. We underline the unsupervised learning characteristics of the fuzzy-based algorithm, its memory, and generalisation capabilities in extract the model using a training set of experimental data. Some learning situations with critical effects in model performance are presented and discussed, pointing out some results and conclusions concerning the modelling process in practice. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Vol 28, Part C, No. 2, May 1998 P.J. Costa Branco, J.A. Dente 2


Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a condition that touches us all, being a leading cause of vision loss affecting almost 13% of people older than 80 years. Aside from the development of antiYvascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents that can arrest and even restore vision to some extent, in those with latestage, neovascular AMD, there has been considerable effort made over the past decade to understand the genetic and environmental factors that lead to the development of advanced disease. In addition, our knowledge of the pathogenesis of the disease has expanded considerably, especially with the advent of animal models of disease and new ocular imaging modalities. This information has provided a foundation for developing novel testing paradigms that are specifically aimed at detecting those patients most at risk of progressing to late-stage disease. This special issue of Optometry and Vision Science (OVS) includes a range of articles that outline recent knowledge in the pathogenesis and management of AMD. It is well accepted that the early stages of typical AMD include the presence of drusen of varying size with or without accompanying pigmentary changes. Using recently available imaging techniques, it is now possible to follow changes at the cellular level. Indeed, Nivison-Smith et al., in this issue, link histopathology with imaging from optical coherence tomography to describe the cellular changes that occur during different stages of AMD. In addition, Hogg highlights an unusual form of retinal deposit called reticular pseudodrusen that, unlike conventional drusen, appear to be located at a subretinal level and that may also be a risk factor for progression to late-stage disease. Presentation of AMD in different racial groups is an important consideration for clinicians. Sasaki et al. note that about 50% of Japanese people will develop polypoidal vasculopathy (PCV), rather than typical AMD. They show that the presence of large drusen is a key early feature leading to typical late-stage AMD, as previously reported, whereas pigmentary changes in the absence of drusen are associated with the development of PCV. These studies highlight the variation in disease presentation and progression. The challenge remains, however, with regard to how to predict those who will develop more advanced forms of AMD.


: Time series deals with data that has been recorded or observed over time. These data may need to be analyzed to come up with conclusions and meet the objectives intended by the researcher. A time series may be expressed as an additive model of its components which includes the seasonal, the cyclic, the trend and irregular components. When time series data is analyzed it becomes very key in forecasting or prediction of future time series values, in control of machines among others. In this study it has been noted that though most researchers may be in a position to collect time series data, it is a challenge in analyzing it since some of the steps they are aware of may be complex and not straight forward. This then implies that analysis of time series data needs a great understanding and knowledge of the procedure and the models that can be useful in meeting the researcher's objectives. This writing discusses the application of ARIMA model in analyzing time series data in a sophisticated and interactive package known as R. The procedure is vividly stated and explained with aid of some R commands and illustrations. It is expected that the researchers or students who take statistical projects in this area will greatly benefit from this work.


Many surgical procedures could benefit from guiding a bevel-tip needle through a sequence of treatment points in a patient. For example, brachytherapy procedures implant radioactive seeds to treat cancer, and biopsy procedures extract tissue samples to test for cancer. A bevel-tip needle has an asymmetric tip that cuts through tissue along a circular arc. By rotating the needle during its insertion into soft tissue, the needle can be steered along a sequence of circular arcs so that it reaches a treatment point while avoiding bones and vital organs. Although current procedures typically create a new puncture for each treatment point, our work permits multiple treatment points to be visited with a single puncture. Since each reorientation of the needle inherently complicates the path for the physician, we minimize the number of circular arcs that are required for the needle to visit a sequence of treatment points. Needle paths have similarities to touring problems [5], curvature-constrained shortest path problems [3], and link distance problems [2], [4]. Alterovitz et al. [1] use a Markov model to heuristically steer a needle through a plane with polygonal obstacles to a single treatment point. Our main result is an exact algorithm to steer a needle through a sequence of treatment points in a plane without obstacles. A needle arc is a directed circular arc that lies on a needle circle with radius r. A needle vector is a vector that is tangent to the needle's current position on a needle arc. Figure 1a illustrates that a needle path πN (s, t) is a connected sequence of needle arcs that connects two points s and t while satisfying the following properties. First, consecutive needle arcs of πN (s, t) lie on tangent needle circles. Second, consecutive needle arcs always have opposite orientations (e.g., if the current arc travels clockwise, then the next arc must travel counterclockwise). Third, the length dN (s, t) of a needle path


Bohr and the Development of Quantum Theory: A Brief Review.- An Overview of Bohr's Complementarity.- Prior Interpretations of Complementarity .- A Philosophical-Historical Analysis of Complementarity.- Intersections with Hermeneutic Philosophy.- Intersections with Derridean Deconstruction.- Concluding Remarks .- References.


The Maricopa County Community College District is an EEO/AA institution. This training manual may be duplicated or put on the Internet for instructional use. Please give credit to the Maricopa Community Colleges and to the author(s). This training manual is not to be sold for profit. Vision Technology Training Services is dedicated to improving employee job performance at all levels by exceeding expectations in the areas of technology training, instructional design, and customer support. Mission Technology Training Services provides leadership and support to the Maricopa Community College District as the District implements new technologies that address challenging administrative needs and educational standards. We design, develop, and deliver the highest quality in-service technology training, materials, and support to all of the employees of the Maricopa Community Colleges. To fulfill this mission, we:  Provide responsive and accessible technology training on a variety of administrative systems and desktop applications.  Design and develop comprehensive training and reference materials.  Provide technology training support in a variety of ways including telephone helplines, one-on-one assistance, online help, troubleshooting, consultation, and referral services.  Support the colleges' technology training efforts by delivering on-site technology training, delivering Train-the-Trainer sessions, and providing training materials.  Provide leadership and support to the teams implementing new technologies and administrative systems within the organization.  Cultivate positive partnerships with our colleges to meet and exceed their training needs and expectations.  Collaborate with organizational teams to develop strategies to meet future technology training needs.  Chair and host the Regional Training Committee (RTC) to collaboratively develop training strategies, maintain technology training consistency, and overcome the challenging technology training needs throughout the District.  Expand and update our knowledge and skills in the areas of technology, training, and instructional design. Class Description This eight-hour training session provides employees with tools and resources for effective training delivery. The focus is on instructional strategies that foster a deep approach to learning. The goal of the training is to have you deliver more effective training by applying instructional design principles throughout your own training. A desired outcome is to have you feel more confident delivering effective training. Learning Objectives 1. Define learning objectives and explain their importance. 2. Construct two well-written learning objectives for your training session. 3. Provide relevant practice activities for your learning objectives. 4. Define sequence and explain how it impacts your training. 5. Explain the " WIFM? " concept and …


This paper presents a module interface specification language which helps alleviate the difficulties encountered in designing, managing and maintaining interfaces in large software system.


This work aimed to study the effect of some operational conditions on the characteristics of beads produced by a Brazilian-made basic tubular wire (ASME SFA-5.20: E71T-5/E71T-5M), 1.2 mm in diameter, intended for welding common structural carbon steels with low and medium levels of carbon. Welding tests were carried out, in a flat position, on thick plates (12 mm thick) of common low-carbon steel using a source operating in constant voltage mode and with continuous monitoring of the arc current, arc voltage, and feed speed (fusion) values for the wire. The composition of the shielding gas (75%Ar–25%CO2 and 100%CO2), the electrode polarity (positive and negative), and the wire feed speed (7 and 9 m/min) were varied. The other welding parameters were kept fixed, including the energized lengths of the electrode (16 mm) and the arc (3.5 mm). The effects of the operational conditions on the main characteristics of the bead were evaluated including its geometry (penetration, reinforcement, width, welded area, deposited area and dilution), presence of discontinuities, microstructure, and hardness. For the basic wire, the operational conditions with the highest productivity (the highest deposit rate) associated with a bead with suitable characteristics for welding thick plates of structural steels were assessed.


The paper describes development of a low inductance thin film resistor series with a stability of ±0.15% change in
resistance, over a 25 year life, in a submerged repeater environment. (40% RH maximum and 0 to 30℃ ambient
temperature).


A high-bandgap GaInP epitaxial material grown on InP to increase the Schottky barrier height of the InP MESFET is discussed. The Schottky gate materials used in this study were Au and Pt/sub 2/Si. The pseudomorphic GaInP/InP MESFET with an Au gate has a Schottky barrier height of 0.54 eV, and the reverse leakage current of the device is 10/sup -2/ times lower than that of the conventional InP MESFET. The extrinsic and intrinsic transconductance of the pseudomorphic MESFET are 66.7 and 104.2 mS/mm respectively for the 5- mu m-gate-length GaInP/InP MESFET. >


An alternative and rather straightforward proof of the well-known stability condition for the retarded differential systems is given via the lifting representation. The underlying motivation is to analyze the effect of delayed feedback control for linear systems with state jump.


Three-dimensional ankle joint moments were calculated in two separate coordinate systems, from 18 healthy men during the stance phase of walking, and were then compared. The objective was to determine the extent of differences in the calculated moments between these two commonly used systems and their impact on interpretation. Video motion data were obtained using skin surface markers, and ground reaction force data were recorded from a force platform. Moments acting on the foot were calculated about three orthogonal axes, in a global coordinate system (GCS) and also in a segmental coordinate system (SCS). No differences were found for the sagittal moments. However, compared to the SCS, the GCS significantly (p < .001) overestimated the predominant invertor moment at midstance and until after heel rise. It also significantly (p < .05) underestimated the late stance evertor moment. This frontal plane discrepancy was attributed to sensitivity of the GCS to the degree of abduction of the foot. For the transv...


Strong mingling and complementary exists in Fujian and Taiwan culture as a result of georaphy, history, blood-tie, language and religion. South Fujian culture as ancient central plains culture elite has not only affected widely in Taiwan society,but also become ideology in Taiwan local literature, it reveals the roots of Chinese culture. Collecting and developing Taiwan local literature containing South Fujian culture displays the close tie between Taiwan local literature and South Fujian Culture as well as promotes the culture exchange to identify and unify Chinese culture. It has its reality significance.


Road traffic noise is one of the major environmental concerns of densely populated areas all over the world. Road vehicles are by virtue of their number, their travelling speeds and their power output a potent sound source. In the past noise reduction efforts have very successfully focused on the engine, the power train and exhaust system. Nowadays the major part of noise emitted by vehicles on roads in the midto highspeed range is due to tyre/road noise, which may vary more than 15 dB depending on the tyre/road combination at a given speed. Both tyres and road surface must be considered in order to achieve noise reductions. This article aims at presenting the possibilities for noise abatement offered by technologically advanced pavements, tyres and vehicles. With the introduction of noise-reducing pavements like porous asphalt low-noise options have become available to road authorities. However, properties other than noise emission like skid resistance or long-term durability often supersede it in the decision making process. The well established guidelines for road construction usually do not take modern low-noise pavement variants into account. Tyres are subject to a long list of requirements, and low noise emission usually ranks rather low on the private buyer's priority list. Currently initiatives are under way to improve the measurement methods for tyre noise emission, the reference surface used for testing and the noise limit values. From a technical and scientific viewpoint, the advantages of reducing noise at the source are obvious. Noise that is not generated does not propagate, need not be deflected or absorbed and reduces the noise immission levels in large areas.


The invention relates to a packaging design of an extraction opening of multi-layer vacuum glass, which is technically characterized in that a through hole or a taper hole is formed on the multi-layer intermediate glass and is coaxial with a taper hole which is formed on the upper glass; low-melting-point glass powder is packaged in the taper hole which is formed on the upper glass and the through hole which is formed on the multi-layer intermediate glass; or a sphere is respectively installed at the bottom end of the taper hole which is formed on the upper glass and the bottom end of the taper hole which is formed on the multi-layer intermediate glass, and each sphere is sealed by the low-melting-point glass powder. The invention has the advantages of simple integral structure, reliable packaging of the extraction opening, good gas tightness, less hidden trouble of gas leakage and attractive appearance, can realize the automatic sealing of the extraction opening, simplifies the manufacturing process, prolongs the service life of the vacuum glass, reduces the breakage rate of the vacuum glass, greatly promotes the development of the vacuum glass industry, and is particularly suitable for industrialized production, scale production and standardized production of multi-layer vacuum glass.


A convenient precursor method for the preparation of rare-earth metal nitrides has been developed. Ammonolysis of molten [(Me[sub 3]Si)[sub 2]N][sub 3]Ln and subsequent annealing yields colored LnN[sub 1[minus]x], in contrast to black powders obtained via conventional processes. Trace impurities such as LiCl or LiN(SiMe[sub 3])[sub 2] (i.e., LiNH[sub 2] under ammonolysis conditions) lower the temperatures required to obtain crystalline LnN[sub 1[minus]x] (Fm3m, t [approximately] 200-275 [angstrom]) from [approximately] 850 to [approximately] 500C.


Magnetic nanoparticles with a few nanometers to micrometer diameter are largely used in biomedical application such as diagnosis, drug delivery, and treatment of numerous pathogens because of its biocompatibility and inertness. In the present investigation we are interested in synthesis of core shell magnetic nanoparticle in order to attach various biomolecules and bioconjugation. Here the silver coated magnetic nanoparticle is of our choice of nanoparticles in which they can be further derivative with biomolecules and drugs so that they can be further used in imaging and preconcentration of pathogenic microorganism in dilute concentration. Synthesis of these nanoparticles can be achieved by co-precipitation method or by thermolysis of iron oleate with different experimental condition followed by reaction with respective metal salt in order to synthesis of core shell system. The reactivity of core shell magnetic nanoparticles with fluoroquinolone antibiotics has been tested and their combined system can be utilized to study the Antimicrobial actions of drugs protected nanoparticles. The drugs protected core shell nanoparticles shows enhanced antimicrobial action against various microorganisms than the pure drug. This method can be further extended for the preconcentration of microorganism from drinking water samples. The proposed method is found to be easier way detection of microorganism at low level concentration.


Human mechanoreceptors are the biological tactile transducers, providing tactile information to the somatosensory system. A biologically inspired tactile sensor replicates structural and design of the human fingertip to produce similar response to the human mechanoreceptors. The study of different shapes and heights of an artificial epidermal ridge is proposed in order to obtain the optimum design of a bio-inspired tactile sensor. The Finite Element Analysis model was conducted using COMSOL software. The artificial skin was modelled as a nearly compressible, linear hyperelastic material. There were five different shapes of the epidermal ridge which are the centered circle, centered square, centered rectangle, semi-circular and rectangular ridge each with six different heights. The heights of epidermal ridges tested are 100, 110, 150, 170, 210, 250 μm. A boundary load of 1 N/m2 was applied on the top surface of the protrusion in z and x direction for normal and shear stress. The base of the model was constraint to maintain the same boundary conditions throughout all simulation. Simulations were done to determine the suitable depth for sensor placement in the skin area under the epidermal ridge. The simulated result for all different shape and height were compared. Simulation results with areas that experienced the highest stress were given to validate the proposed epidermal ridge model. The best epidermal ridge identified is the semi-circular model with 210 μm height with the value of 0.8246 N/m2 simulated Von Mises stress distribution. The optimum sensor placement with cut line 3D is at 400 μm below the model top surface. The proposed artificial epidermal ridge finger skin with optimum shape and height of the epidermal ridge are readily applicable to be fabricated as a bio-inspired tactile sensor.


VR is an effective tool that can be used to augment skill-based learning by fully immersing the user in the virtual environment with a hands-on experience. However, there are certain aspects to consider when using VR for training.


Recent studies suggest that the cervical microbiome can strongly influence inflammation and pre-cancerous lesion progression. However, research focused on understanding the role of microbial communities in the progression of pre-cancerous lesions to cancer in Latino women is scarce. We aimed to investigate the relationship between the cervicovaginal microbiome and inflammation while considering cervical neoplasia and HPV infection in Puerto Rican women. We collected cervical swabs and lavages from 142 participants coming to colposcopy clinics in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Genomic DNA was extracted from swabs, and 16S rDNA V4 region genes were amplified and sequenced by Illumina MiSeq. Inflammatory (IL-1β, TNFa, IFNg, IL-6), anti-inflammatory (IL-4, IL-10, TGFβ1), and trafficking (IL-8, MIP1a, MCP1, IP10) cytokines were measured from cervical lavages, using Luminex MAGPIX technology. Cytokines were related to microbes via an inflammation scoring index based on the quartile and tercile distribution of the cytokine's concentration. IL-10 (p value= 0.0455) was significantly different when evaluating HPV risk, while IL1-β (p value= 0.0005) and INF-γ (p value= 0.0258) were significant when evaluating cervical disease. We found significant differences in diversity and composition of the microbiota among HPV risk, cervical disease, pro-inflammatory, anti-inflammatory, and trafficking cytokine abundances. The increasing concentration of IL1-β, IL-10, and INF-γ, associated with a decrease in Lactobacillus communities. While contrarily, bacteria associated with dysbiosis such as Gardnerella, Prevotella, Atopobium increased. This study also revealed that the most dominant community state types (CST) among Puerto Rican women regardless of lesion or HPV status, are CST3 and 4 featuring high diversity and anaerobic bacteria typical of vaginosis in Caucasians. These CSTs are especially abundant with ~ 90% dominance in participants with high grade disease (HGSIL) and high-risk HPV. Our study evidence that the cervical microbiota of Puerto Ricans is characteristically diverse and that the joint host-microbe interaction analyses via cytokine signaling and microbiota in pre-cancerous lesions has great translational potential.
 Citation Format: Eduardo Lemuel Tosado Rodríguez, Anelisse Dominicci-Maura, Loyda Mendez, Stephanie Dorta, Josefina Romaguera, Filipa Godoy-Vitorino. Cytokine and TGF-β levels are associated with changes in cervicovaginal microbiota in a cohort of Caribbean women [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 712.


The experiment was conducted to study the influence of potting mixture on acclimatization and growth of in vitro developed plantlets of Zygopetalum intermedium, in vitro developed plants were transferred to ten different potting mixtures viz., White Moss + Brick, White Moss + Charcoal, White Moss + Tree Fern, White Moss + Coconut Husk, Brick + Charcoall Brick + Tree Fern, Brick + Coconut Husk, Charcoal + Tree Fern, Charcoal + Coconut Husk, Tree Fern + Coco Peat in hardening house for studying the growth in ex vitro conditions for acclimatization. Even though the plantlets transferred to pots with well developed roots got established within one month, the growth differed well with potting mixture used. The plantlets grown in potting mixture comprising White Moss + Charcoal (WM+CH) recorded maximum increase in root number and root length. Increase in leaf length and root diameter was recorded highest in White Moss + Tree Fern media (WM+TF), while maximum increase in shoot length, leaf width and leaf number was recorded in potting media comprising White Moss + Bricks (WM+BR). The present experiment emphasizes combination of White Moss with Charcoal, Bricks and Tree Fern replacing the other conventionally used hardening and growing medium like cocopeat, perlite and vermiculite for Zygopetalum intermedium.


T he notion of cause is an indivisible part of human cognition and language. The majority of actions and happenings are interconnected and interdependent. One event can usually be a cause for another one. This phenomenon is called causation, i.e. a relation between situations (events). The notion of causation finds its expression at the linguistic level, incorporating special structures and meanings. Situations that include the notion of causation are comprised of actions rather than states. Some actions not only execute the meaning they denote, but initiate a single or series of further actions as well. To put it differently, causation is "some relation of determination between two events, with a prior event resulting in or giving rise to a subsequent event" (Frawley 1992:158). Accordingly, causation and its means of expression in language constitute a significant area in linguistics. The objective of this article is to reclassify lexical causatives (also known as covert or underived causatives), namely verbs of killing or kill-verbs, formerly classified by Levin (1993) and Lemmens (1998). The method of suggested classification is to categorize kill-verbs according to the instrument (if the instrument of killing is mentioned or embedded in the definition), the motivation (if special reasons for killing are mentioned or embedded in the definition), and the manner (if the special way of killing is mentioned or embedded in the definition). The new classification elaborates on the expression of the nuclear meaning "to cause to die" and the features of kill-verbs on periphery, and it also introduces more decisive criteria for categorizing the subgroup of lexical causatives, i.e. kill-verbs. Furthermore, verbs with the most frequent occurrences in speech are studied on the basis of linguistic data from the British National Corpus (the BNC), which may entail discern patterns of usage and semantic differences. Moreover, as words may acquire a broader meaning and usage in fiction, especially when used in metaphors, cases of metaphoric use of kill-verbs have not been considered. The notions of cause and effect in Modern English may either be expressed morphologically, syntactically or lexically (Khachatryan 2009). First two types of causatives are formed with the help of affixes and auxiliary verbs respectively, while lexical causatives do not embed any affixes or auxiliary words. They incorporate the meanings of both cause and effect in the root morpheme. Thus, lexical causatives are underived and embed the meaning of causation in their semantics. The majority of lexical causatives form causative alternations with their counterparts, called anticausatives (Dowty 1979:40). The causatives express the cause and the effect at the same time, while the anti-causatives refer only to the effect, i.e. the result of the action, and are devoid of any causative meaning. Some of the non-causatives embrace dissimArmenian Folia Anglistika Linguistics


Cervical cancer remains a health concern. Effective screening programs are critical to reduce the incidence and mortality. High‐risk HPV (hr‐HPV) testing as primary screening tool discloses high sensitivity but suboptimal specificity. Adequate triage tests to reduce unnecessary colposcopy referrals and overdiagnosis/overtreatment are crucial. Hence, we aimed to validate a panel of DNA methylation‐based markers as triage test for women hr‐HPV+ in the population‐based Regional Cervical Cancer Screening Program of Northern Portugal. Firstly, CADM1, MAL, FAM19A4 and hsa‐miR124‐2 promoter methylation levels were assessed by multiplex QMSP in a testing set of 402 FFPE tissue samples (159 normal samples and 243 cervical lesions, including 39 low‐grade intraepithelial squamous lesions [LSIL], 59 high‐grade intraepithelial squamous lesions [HSIL] and 145 cancerous lesions). Then, preliminary validation was performed in 125 hr‐HPV+ cervical scrapes (including 59 normal samples, 30 LSIL, 34 HSIL and 2 cancerous lesions). Higher MALme, FAM19A4me and hsa‐miR124‐2me methylation levels were disclosed in histological HSIL or worse (HSIL+) in testing set. Individually, markers depicted over 86% specificity for HSIL+ detection. In validation set, all these genes significantly differed between histological HSIL+ and low‐grade squamous intraepithelial lesions or less. In combination, these markers reached 74% specificity and 61% sensitivity for identification of histological HSIL+. We concluded that host gene methylation might constitute a useful referral triage tool of hr‐HPV+ women enrolled in the Cervical Cancer Screening Program of Northern Portugal.


Garlic (Allium sativum L. fam. Alliaceae), one of the best‑researched herbal remedies, is frequently used as a food and a spice. Garlic contains enzymes (e.g., allinase), sulphur‑containing compounds, including alliin, and compounds produced enzymatically from alliin (for example, allicin). Conventionally, it has been used to treat infections, wounds, diarrhoea, rheumatism, heart disease, diabetes and many other disorders. Experimental studies have demonstrated that garlic exhibits antibacterial, antihypertensive, cardioprotective, antilipidaemic, anticarcinogenic, immunostimulant and hypoglycaemic properties. Clinically, garlic has been investigated for a variety of indications, namely, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, diabetes and for the prevention of arteriosclerosis and cancer. Systematic reviews are available for the possible antilipidaemic, antihypertensive, antithrombotic and chemopreventive effects. Garlic appears to be generally safe although allergic reactions may occur. Key words: Allium sativum, anticarcinogenic, antimicrobial, antioxidant, cardioprotective, garlic


Software Development Methodology (SDM) maps the different activities performed on a software product from its inception to retirement. There are different methodologies used to develop the software product s.t. waterfall, prototype, spiral, iterative, RAD, XP etc. Since there are many methodologies, one of the challenges faced by software developer is to decide which methodology to apply in a software project. Selecting a methodology depends on project features or characteristics and no one methodology is ideal or always the best. In this paper we present a comparative approach among different software development methodology to select an appropriate methodology for a specific project.


EDUCATION IS IMPORTANT in Taiwan. More than a quarter of the population are students, and an even greater number are parents of students, teachers or educational administrators. Enrollments at every educational level have expanded rapidly over the past generation. From 1954 to 1974, the percentage of the total population enrolled in secondary schools increased nearly five times, and the percentage in institutions of higher education almost twelve times. Three times as many students were working toward advanced and graduate degrees in 1974 as had received such degrees over the entire preceding decade.' This spectacular growth in education has of course been paralleled by almost comparable rates of economic growth. Real per capita income has increased about 150% over the past twenty years. Even just in the past decade, electrification has become nearly universal, and the percentage of homes with television sets and refrigerators has multiplied tenfold to more than 80% and 60%, respectively. Over 90% of Taiwan's households now have electric fans, half have motorcycles, and almost a third have washing machines. The island's industrialization, economic advancement, and its role as an exporter of electronic and other finished goods, would certainly not have been possible without the rising levels of literacy and technical competence produced by its educational development. The social and political impact of these rising educational levels is more difficult to assess than their economic impact. During the


Abstract In this paper we present a tabular algorithm for testing the Hurwitz property of a segment of complex polynomials. The algorithm consists in constructing a parametric Routh-like array with polynomial entries and generating Sturm sequences for checking the absence of zeros of two real polynomials in the interval (0, 1). The presented algorithm is easy to implement. Moreover, it accomplishes the test in a finite number of arithmetic operations because it does not invoke any numerical root-finding procedure.


Three varieties of beans, mulatinho and macassar ( Phaseolus vulgaris) and azuki (Vigna angularis), were analysed for their proximate composition, energetic value, and aminoacids content. The beans had an average protein and carbohydrates content of 22 and 57%, respectively. The lipids were presented with the smallest concentration in macassar (1.11%) and the highest in azuki (1.83%). The azuki bean presented the highest concentration (40.06%) of crude fiber, whereas mulatinho presented the lowest (2.63%). The three varieties presented 3.38% ash content on as average. The caloric value of these three varieties was 330 Kcal/100 g on an average. Amino acids profiles of the two varieties of Phaseolus vulgaris were similar except for their smaller methionine content and were comparable to the FAO reference protein, whereas Vigna angularis was deficient in valine and leucine. On the basis of these results, it was observed that the flours of macassar and mulatinho beans contributed with the highest nutritional value and therefore, we suggest that these varieties are adequate for use as a protein supplement in the diet. © 2000 Altaga. All rights reserved.


The experience of the first introduction of seven individuals of St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) of different geographical origin into a subzone of the middle taiga of the Republic of Komi was discussed. A biochemical estimation of a medicinal herb – St. John's word – as to the content of flavonoids and naphthodianthronic pigments (hypericine and pseudo hypericine) was given.


PURPOSE
High dose rate brachytherapy is a highly localized radiation therapy that has a very high dose gradient. Thus one of the most important parts of the treatment is the immobilization. The smallest movement of the patient or applicator can result in dose variation to the surrounding tissues as well as to the tumor to be treated. We will revise the ML Cylinder treatments and their localization challenges.

METHODS
A retrospective study of 25 patients with 5 treatments each looking into the applicator's placement in regard to the organs at risk. Motion possibilities for each applicator intra and inter fractionation with their dosimetric implications were covered and measured in regard with their dose variance. The localization immobilization devices used were assessed for the capability to prevent motion before and during the treatment delivery.

RESULTS
We focused on the 100% isodose on central axis and a 15 degree displacement due to possible rotation analyzing the dose variations to the bladder and rectum walls. The average dose variation for bladder was 15% of the accepted tolerance, with a minimum variance of 11.1% and a maximum one of 23.14% on the central axis. For the off axis measurements we found an average variation of 16.84% of the accepted tolerance, with a minimum variance of 11.47% and a maximum one of 27.69%. For the rectum we focused on the rectum wall closest to the 120% isodose line. The average dose variation was 19.4%, minimum 11.3% and a maximum of 34.02% from the accepted tolerance values CONCLUSION: Improved immobilization devices are recommended. For inter-fractionation, localization devices are recommended in place with consistent planning in regards with the initial fraction. Many of the present immobilization devices produced for external radiotherapy can be used to improve the localization of HDR applicators during transportation of the patient and during treatment.


The temperature dependences of the frequency and linewidth of the nuclear quadrupole resonance absorption in hexamethylenetetramine have been measured in the range between 297–380°K using a Zeeman modulated spectrometer. The results are reported and interpreted both in terms of the molecular reorientation that is known to take place at these temperatures and the modulation broadening expected from this type of instrument.


Dragons help ventilate the air in Hong Kong. Many of the city's high-rise apartment complexes and skyscrapers have gaping holes in their middle sections. In accordance with local lore and the feng shui (literally "wind and water") principle of not cutting off good energy flows, these holes let mythical dragons fly through the buildings (figure 1). It turns out that these stunning architectural features also have the pragmatic effects of increasing air ventilation and creating breezeways. Letting high-rise buildings breathe through these dragon holes is one way to facilitate the external movement of the tropical air and create an optimal "wind environment" in Hong Kong's densely built urban space, a place where cosmology and engineering come together (Lo 2018; Keegan 2018; Chinese University of Hong Kong, Department of Architecture 2005).