This paper investigates the implications of transitional politics to the processes and outcomes of the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) programme targeted to the Maoist ex-combatants in Nepal. It shows that the DDR programme in Nepal was unconventional because of (a) following its own context-specific model developed outside of an established DDR framework, (b) being a process led by national actors in the absence of external intervention, and (c) offering no space for non-state actors such as civil society and business to engage in designing and implementing management of the Maoist arms and armies. Highly politicized by conflicting needs and interests of key political actors, the DDR programme was stalled for nearly six years before a resolution about the future of the ex-combatants was forged. Failure of the political actors to forge a common shared outcome of the DDR programme, lack of clarity in the peace negotiation document in terms of processes of rehabilitation and integration of the ex-combatants, and minimal political will of the Maoist to participate in the DDR programme have been identified as key political constrains that have significantly implicated and altered the modality, function and outcome of the DDR programme in Nepal.


Micromagnetic simulations have been used to create reversible logic gates that utilize magnetic skyrmions as input and output signals. The geometrical design of the logic devices consists of a two-dimensional assembly of ferromagnetic nanotracks, resembling rectangular grooves. Drawing an analogy to the billiard-ball model, this study takes into account elastic collisions between magnetic skyrmions and introduces the concept of control skyrmion. The application of spin-polarized currents to the system induces the motion of magnetic skyrmions along the nanotracks. The synchronized movement of magnetic skyrmions across the operational logic gates, required for their interaction, is achieved by incorporating multiple triangular magnetic notches along the nanotracks. Short polarized current pulses are then applied through the logic gates to facilitate this process. We have successfully implemented the XOR/AND and Full Adder logic gates as well as the reversible Toffoli and Peres logic gates using skyrmion-based architectures for computing. Our results offer valuable guidelines for leveraging magnetic skyrmions as digital signals in skyrmion-based computing systems.


This paper analyzes the influences of hotel accounting information load on the decision makers predictive precision and hotel management. Two hypotheses are examined: positive relationships between hotel information load and hotel management and predictive precision: differences on hotel management and predictive precision between administrative and business operation departments. The statistical results show that positive influences of hotel information load on hotel management and predictive precision and positive influences of hotel information load on hotel management and predictive precision in administrative departments while no influences in business operative departments. This results may provide useful information on hotel accounting management and decision making process in hotel business.


This article outlines some existential concepts and socio-affective self, of others and nature on the altered perspective of Hannah Arendt (2010a, 2010b, 1997) and Leonardo Boff (1991, 1999, 2000) in their usual representations in everyday life. From the point of view of the analysis of the Cartesian world view, the self that is considering in the foreground in the face of the other and the world, representations and set up all show that there is always from the perspective of the self, the ego cogitans , egocentrism. This article urges readers to invite everyone to rethink this rather artificial logic governing human relations from Western, especially the Middle Ages, and it has shown injustices from that imbalance of meanings and judgments in the face of otherness, which bring in ourselves.


This study explored Australian rules footballers' psychological responses to injury. This exploratory study was the first in a series of studies planned to examine the injury-related experiences of professional Australian football players. Forty-three professional AFL players from the one team participated in semi-structured interviews. Results provided a detailed account recalled by AFL footballers of their past injury experiences. Specifically, AFL players discussed their initial emotional reactions to injury, which were dependant on the severity of the injury, the extent of isolation during injury, the repetitive nature of the rehabilitation process, and the influence of social support on their reactions.


Linear chromosomes shorten in every round of replication. In Drosophila, telomere‐specialized long interspersed retrotransposable elements (LINEs) belonging to the jockey clade offset this shortening by forming head‐to‐tail arrays at Drosophila telomere ends. As such, these telomeric LINEs have been considered adaptive symbionts of the genome, protecting it from premature decay, particularly as Drosophila lacks a conventional telomerase holoenzyme. However, as reviewed here, recent work reveals a high degree of variation and turnover in the telomere‐specialized LINE lineages across Drosophila. There appears to be no absolute requirement for LINE activity to maintain telomeres in flies, hence the suggestion that the telomere‐specialized LINEs may instead be neutral or in conflict with the host, rather than adaptive.


The invention discloses a fault arc detection method which comprises the following steps of: sampling a current signal to acquire a sampling signal, then separating a high-frequency part from the sampling signal, identifying electric arcs by detecting the energy mutation of the high-frequency part and recording the appearance frequency of the electric arcs, and finally identifying a fault arc by detecting the frequency of the electric arcs. By utilizing the characteristic that the fault arc waveform contains high-frequency disturbance as a judgment condition for identify the electric arcs, the method effectively detects the alterative-current resistant load and the direct-current fault arc. The invention also discloses a protection device adopting the method, which can effectively recognize various fault arcs and takes corresponding protection measures.


Point system staples views with spring retention for mobile positioning natural stone ventilated facades. The nail consists of two rods bent at right angles extending parallel and outside extending in opposite directions. On the opposite end they are embedded in a cylinder with welded joint. This cylinder is in turn threaded onto a threaded cylinder. In the hollow cylinder it is supported crossbow shaped concave arc outwards with their ends on a straight stretch. These sections and nails the stone is placed.


The European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) developed consensus-based generic competencies in antimicrobial prescribing and stewardship. These may be useful in structuring and evaluating antimicrobial prescribing education to veterinary students, but their applicability has not been evaluated. We aimed to evaluate whether the ESCMID competencies are currently taught and how relevant they are to veterinary prescribing in veterinary schools globally. A multi-center, cross-sectional survey was performed by administering an online questionnaire to academics teaching antimicrobial prescribing to veterinary students. Targeted recruitment was undertaken to ensure the representation of diverse geographical locations. Responses (48) were received from veterinary schools in Europe (26), North America (7), Asia (6), Australia (3), Central and South America (3), and Africa (3). Of the 37 ESCMID prescribing competencies, only 6 were considered only "slightly" or "not at all" relevant by more than 10% of respondents. Of the 37 competencies, 25 of the competencies were taught in more than 90% of schools and another 6 were taught in 80%–89% of schools. Time spent teaching was "too little" or "far too little" for five competencies according to more than 50% of the respondents. Additional competencies to address extra-label drug use; the use of compounded antimicrobials; the use of antimicrobials for metaphylaxis, prophylaxis, and growth promotion; and the importance rating of antimicrobials were suggested. The ESCMID antimicrobial prescribing competencies had broad relevance and were widely covered in the veterinary curriculum globally.


Two cases of hereditary sclerosing poikiloderma of Weary in siblings are reported. Poikiloderma was the most prominent feature in both the cases. One of the cases showed findings hitherto not reported such as absence of nipples, ainhum, and radiological changes in the bones


Round goby, Neogobius melanostomus (Pallas, 1814), responded signifi cantly to conspecifi c skin extract by decreasing the frequency of opercular movements during the fi rst minute of post-stimulus period, suggesting cryptic behaviour as antipredator reaction of this species. Examination of skin samples of the goby revealed the presence of club cells in the epidermis, the putative source of chemical cues that induce antipredator reactions in other fi sh species and may be the source of round goby injury-released alarm signals. Observed change in opercular movements is the fi rst evidence of a round goby response to the chemical cues of injured conspecifi cs.


Oral and dental health problems in Bali are still relatively high at 57.6%. As the only specialized dental hospital in Bali, RSGM needs to always maintain and improve the quality of health services, so as to increase people's desire for dental and oral care. This research was conducted to determine the quality of health services at the RSGM Mahasaraswati University Denpasar from the perspective of external and internal customers based on the five dimensions of Dabholkar, to find out the differences perceptions of external and internal customers based on the five dimensins of Dabholkar and their individual characteristics. This research is a cross sectional analytic. The sample was measured using a questionnaire with sample size of 112 external customers and 129 internal customers. The perception of external and internal customers on the quality of health services at the RSGM Mahasaraswati University Denpasar was mostly good: external customers (50.9%) and internal customers (52.0%). The results of statistical test analysis using chi-square (α=5%; p-value ≤0.05) found that there were differences in perception between external and internal customers in physical aspects (0.04) and policy (0.00); there were differences in perception of the age characteristics (0,00) and the level of education (0,03). External customer perceptions on the physical aspects, reliability, personal interaction, and problem solving were good, but in the policy dimension they had poor perceptions. Internal customers had good perceptions on the aspects of reliability, personal interaction, problem solving and policies, but on the physical aspects they had poor perceptions. Based on the age characteristics, there was a difference in perception; aged <28 years had a good perception, while those aged ≥28 years had less perception. RSGM Mahasaraswati Denpasar University needs to improve the quality of health services, especially in the physical and policy aspects so that can meet customer expectations.
Key words: External and internal customer perception, quality of health services


Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste comprises Elettra synchrotron and FERMI free-electron laser. Combined, the two facilities serve 34 beamlines. The Scientific Computing Team supports the full data lifecycle. Proposal submission and evaluation are handled in the Virtual Unified Office. Data acquisition and experimental control are built on top of the TANGO control system on all but the oldest synchrotron beamlines. Data reduction, onand off-line analysis workflows and visualisation are supported by a common framework. Data is stored and catalogued with access through the web portal. Elettra implements the PaNdata-like data policy since 2014.


The EndoPerfect system is indicated for minimally invasive surgery and for the removal of blood vessels via video-assisted endoscopic technique. In particular, it is indicated for the removal of the Saphenous Vein (SV) and subsequently used for aortacoronary bypass, for the removal of the radial artery or for bypass operations of peripheral blood vessels. This type of Endoscopic Saphenous Vein Harvester (EVH) has been utilized for more than 20 years in varying different models, gaining a great deal of experience worldwide [1-4]. As we start removing the Saphenous Vein with the "no touch" fundamental, using the Endoscopic technique, we are seeing a great potential of this device for performance and much more advantageous than the competing devices in today's market. The EndoPerfect has a different tunneling approach into the leg, offering better control and mobility inside the working channel without the need of using CO2 [5-6]. Device Description


What does a query ellipse do (outside, intersects or tangent) with respect to the Apollonius circle of the three black ellipses?


This article uses conceptions of liminality as found in the works of French social theorist and philosopher Georges Bataille and anthropologist Victor Turner to resolve limitations in Pierre Bourdieu's functionalism. The concept of 'liminal' religious fields (e.g., charismatic effervescence) helps to account for the affective, irrational, heterogeneous, and/or sacred aspects of social life, while maintaining the explanatory power of Bourdieu's theoretical framework. In particular, this critical revision to Bourdieu allows a better understanding of religious events that obscure the lines between religious practice and madness, such as the Toronto Blessing.


The Horn of Africa drylands (HAD) are among the most vulnerable regions to hydroclimatic extremes. The two rainfall seasons—long and short rains—exhibit high intraseasonal and interannual variability. Accurately simulating the long and short rains has proven to be a significant challenge for the current generation of weather and climate models, revealing key gaps in our understanding of the drivers of rainfall in the region. In contrast to existing climate modeling and observation‐based studies, here we analyze the HAD rainfall from an observationally‐constrained Lagrangian perspective. We quantify and map the region's major oceanic and terrestrial sources of moisture. Specifically, our results show that the Arabian Sea (through its influence on the northeast monsoon circulation) and the southern Indian Ocean (via the Somali low‐level jet) contribute ∼80% of the HAD rainfall. We see that moisture contributions from land sources are very low at the beginning of each season, but supply up to ∼20% from the second month onwards, that is, when the oceanic‐origin rainfall has already increased water availability over land. Further, our findings suggest that the interannual variability in the long and short rains is driven by changes in circulation patterns and regional thermodynamic processes rather than changes in ocean evaporation. Our results can be used to better evaluate, and potentially improve, numerical weather prediction and climate models, and have important implications for (sub‐)seasonal forecasts and long‐term projections of the HAD rainfall.


Abstract In this piece I characterise global expressivism, as I understand it, by contrasting it with five other views: the so-called Canberra Plan; Moorean non-naturalism and platonism; 'relaxed realism' and quietism; local expressivism; and response-dependent realism. Some other familiar positions, including fictionalism, error theories, and idealism, are also mentioned, but as sub-cases to one of these five.


30 years of reform and opening up,China's rapid development of port logistics. Qingdao Port has made some achievements in terms of logistics capabilities,but there are still some drawbacks. On the basis of previous studies on the application of entropy TOPSIS evaluation method Qingdao port logistics capabilities for system evaluation to identify its logistics capacity in the short board proposes to enhance the Qingdao port logistics capabilities countermeasures and suggestions.


Thank you very much for reading sex and salvation imagining the future in madagascar. Maybe you have knowledge that, people have search numerous times for their favorite books like this sex and salvation imagining the future in madagascar, but end up in infectious downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, instead they cope with some infectious bugs inside their desktop computer.


The classic game is explored by Penny Tassoni in the first of a new series on interacting with the very young


To overcome the issues of surface roughness, morphology and damage in the wafer thinning process, dry etching has been introduced to improve the surface quality of the ultra-thin wafers after mechanical grinding. At present, only non-Bosch process is reported for wafer thinning to our best knowledge. In this work, we demonstrate a time-multiplexed alternating thinning (TMAT) process for 12-inch silicon wafer thinning with higher uniformity and lower roughness compared with that of non-Bosch process. This method is operating convenient and might help obtain ultra-thin wafers with better quality in the semiconductor industry.


A nonconforming mixed finite element method for nonlinear hyperbolic equations is discussed. Existence and uniqueness of the solution to the discrete problem are proved. Priori estimates of optimal order are derived for both the displacement and the stress.


Objective To investigate the relationships among the paced QRS (pQRS) duration and left cardiac structures,left ventricular (LV) systolic function as well as interventricular dyssynchrony in of patients with chronic right ventricular apical pacing.Methods Seventy patients with chronic right ventricular apical pacing were enrolled in the study.Their paced QRS duration was measured by ECG,and the echocardiographic variables,including aortic root dimension(AO),left atrial dimension(LAD),left ventricular end-systolic dimension(LVDs),left ventricular end-diastolic dimension(LVDd),interventricular septum thickness (IVST),left ventricular posterior wall thickness (LVPWT),and left ventricular eject fraction (LVEF) were measured by echocardiography.The relationships between pQRS duration and the indicated echocardiographic variables were examined.Results The pQRS duration was positively correlated to LVDd (r=0.334,P0.01),LVDs(r=0.385,P0.01),LAD(r=0.595,P0.01),IVST(r=0.289,P0.05).Besides,there was negative correlation between pQRS duration and LVEF(r=-0.312,P0.05).If detecting left atrial dilation on the basis of pQRS duration≥180 ms,the sensitivity and specificity were 86.49% and 67.74%,respectively.Conclusion For patients with chronic right ventricular apical pacing,the pQRS duration is correlated with left cardiac structures and LV systolic function.Prolonged pQRS duration (≥180 ms) indicates left atrial dilation.


Interval constraint satisfaction problems (CSPs) are typically hard to solve and, therefore, desirable candidates for acceleration. Although there were successful attempts in this area, several paths remain unexplored. Let's describe, discuss, and generalize our findings among partial algorithms and approaches used for interval CSP solving. We have divided the interval CSP solving process into several levels of abstraction. We analyzed them individually to find common traits and patterns among them. These can indicate possible areas for future acceleration attempts, especially on edge systems where effectiveness plays an important role.


In this paper,the properties of internal excited state of the strong-coupling surface polaron in a polyatomic polar crystals are studied.The energy of the first internal excited state of the strong-coupling surface polaron in a polyatomic polar crystals were calculated by using linear combination operator and unitary transformation methods.


Here, I describe a new design of pliers which makes colour ringing with plastic rings more practical. I evaluate the effectiveness of these pliers under field conditions and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the design.


The overall objectives of this research were to evaluate the role of C-O-S-Cl degassing processes in explaining vesiculation, oxidation state and fire-fountaining of lunar magmas by analysis of individual lunar glass spherules, and by experimental determination of equilibrium abundances and diffusion rates of C, S and Cl melt species in lunar glass compositions; and to determine possible primitive SNC magma compositions and the mineralogy of the mantle from which they were derived, and to evaluate P, T, XH2O etc. conditions at which they crystallize to form the SNC meteorites. After funding for one year, a project on the A15 volcanic green glass has been completed to the point of writing a first manuscript. Carbon-oxygen species C-O and CO2 are below detection limits (20 ppm) in these glasses, but there is up to 500 ppm S with concentrations both increasing and decreasing toward the spherule margins. Calculations and modeling indicate that C species could have been present in the volcanic gases, however. In a second project, experiments with low PH2O have resulted in refined estimates of the early intercumulus melt composition in the Chassigny meteorite which is generally accepted as a sample from Mars.


The Divine Life Society (DLS) is a spiritual organization founded by Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, India. Sivananda's DLS, including associated centers across India and abroad, has figured prominently in expanding the role of yoga as a tool for the development of modern India. In this paper, Sivananda's own poetry and the many pamphlets and books produced by this noted swami, his contemporaries, and his successors through the 20th century in India serve to highlight ways that the promotion and practice of yoga has contributed to the ongoing Indian nationalist project. In addition, yoga is viewed from the perspective of the transnational and global forces that have become dominant in the latter half of the 20th century.


different variants of English. Research and study of the differences between the British and American versions of the English language effectively contribute to the formation the worldview of the culture of the individual, deepens knowledge about the multifaceted relationship between different versions of the English language. The most significant differences between the English language in the UK and the USA are observed in phonetics and partially in spelling. However, these differences do not give any reason for insisting on the existence of a special, different from the English "American" language. Today, the study of the British version of the language is widespread in education. That is why it arises the problem of comparing these language options, which determines the relevance of the chosen topic.


This special issue of Sites is devoted to the twin themes of 'cultural translation' and the politics of interpretation. The term 'translation' generally sums up the problem of how something said or written in one language can be faithfully reproduced or expressed in another. The assumption here is that the seeming incommensurability of different languages and modes of thought can somehow be bridged by finding the right idiom through which the concepts, meanings and sentiments of one culture can be accurately transposed across linguistic and cultural barriers. What the contributors to this volume illustrate, both individually and collectively, is that translation is a process fraught with difficulties. Those difficulties are linguistic and practical as well as epistemological and political. Perhaps nowhere are the dilemmas of translation more apparent than in debates over the meaning of treaties, constitutions and other legal documents. Let me begin, therefore, with a brief illustration of a legal dispute that I observed while living in the United States, which set me thinking about anthropology and the politics of interpreting constitutional texts.


This paper reviews the literature concerning the effects of pore water chemistry on residual shear strength (τ;.). It presents the results of index limit and residual shear strength testing undertaken on kaolinite and sodium montmorillonite, using concentrations of calcium chloride similar to the calcium levels measured in groundwaters obtained from landslipped calcareous mudrock of the Fuller's Earth Formation. The residual shear strength of the sodium montmorillonite increased markedly for the sample treated and tested with 80 mg/1 Cat+ compared with that tested with deionized water. Greater concentra-tions of Ca2+ resulted in only a marginal further increase in the residual shear strength. These changes were also reflected in the interpreted parameters, Or' and c;. The liquid limit of the montmorillonite decreased dramatically when the samples were treated with 80 mg/1 Ca2+, and this effect persisted and/or was slightly enhanced when the concentration of Ca2+ was increased. The residual shear strength ...


This paper explores the significant characteristics of paranoid emotion in Philip K. Dick`s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? The paranoid emotion is the rational and composed mood when the subject forces himself or herself to explain something ambiguous and inexpressive according to his or her own system of interpretation. In addition, it plays a role in covering anxiety that comes from the gap between void reality and the perfect system that he or she constructs. Therefore, the subject has acquired such qualities as rationality, tenacity, self-satisfaction, and self-protection. In the end, it reveals a powerless state of itself. I analyze the experiences of the main character, Rick Deckard, the bounty hunter who kills androids that escape from Mars. He is obsessive about the concrete boundary that indicates the differences between a human being and an android, a living entity and a dead thing, and sensibility and insensibility. In the end, he feels hopelessness and gives up disguising his feelings. The feeling of helplessness is the physical and mental response not to do anything else whether someone makes him do it or he does it on his own in the void reality. Maintaining the feeling of helplessness, he is still in the paranoid state and realizes that he is not different from an android that definitely replaces another one without any hesitation. Thus, he stops doing anything for society and fries to stay in hopelessness: he remains steadfast in the paranoid emotion.


The present disclosure provides an anatase-type niobium oxynitride having an anatase-type crystal structure and represented by the chemical formula NbON. The present disclosure also provides a semiconductor structure (100) comprising: a substrate (110) in which at least one principal surface is formed of a perovskite-type compound having a perovskite-type crystal structure; and a niobium oxynitride (for example, an anatase-type niobium oxynitride film (120)) grown on said one principal surface of the substrate (110), the niobium oxynitride having an anatase-type crystal structure and represented by the chemical formula NbON.


Abstract Complexes of the type ML2, where M = Ni(II), Pd(II) or Cd(II) and HL = 2-methylthio- or isopropylthio- or butylthio-5-mercapto-1,3,4-thiadiazole, have been synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, i.r. and 13 C NMR spectral and magnetic susceptibility data. The ligands exist predominantly in the thione form in the solid state and in DMSO solution. Both thione-thiol forms are, however, present in concentrated chloroform solutions. The i.r. spectral data show involvement of both N and S− in bonding with metal ions.


The aim of this study was to assess the effects of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition on cardiac systolic and diastolic parameters and left ventricular muscle mass in hypertensive patients. For this purpose thirty patients (22 female and 8 male) with mild to moderate essential hypertension, aged 4 7±2 years, were treated with enalapril maleate (MK 421, an ACE inhibitor) for six weeks. They underwent M-mode and Doppler echocardiography and radionuclide ventriculogra phy at the beginning and after six weeks of enalapril treatment. A significant reduction in left ventricular systolic and diastolic diameters, left ventricular mass, total peripheral resistance, end-systolic stress was shown after treatment. Ejection fraction increased in both examinations after six weeks of therapy with enalapril treatment. We conclude that enalapril improves diastolic and systolic parameters in left ventricle function but causes slight decreases in cardiac output and stroke volume in addition to lowering blood pressure. [Turk J Med Res, 1995; 13(1): 16-20]


In this talk I will give an overview of general convex optimization, which can be thought of as an extension of linear programming, and some recently developed subfamilies such as second-order cone, semidefinite, and geometric programming. Like linear programming, we have a fairly complete duality theory, and very effective numerical methods for these problem classes; in addition, recently developed software tools considerably reduce the effort of specifying and solving convex optimization problems. There is a steadily expanding list of new applications of convex optimization, in areas such as circuit design, signal processing, statistics, machine learning, communications, control, finance, and other fields. Convex optimization is also emerging as an important tool for hard, non-convex problems, where it can be used to generate lower bounds on the optimal value, and as a heuristic method for generating suboptimal points.


The invention discloses a plant variety recommendation method and a plant variety recommendation device used for prolonging the growth lives of plants. The method comprises the following steps: the environment parameters of the environment of a pot are determined; and plant varieties matching the environment parameters are recommended for the pot. With the technical scheme provided by the invention, a plant matching the environment parameters can be planted in the pot, and the plant can grow according to its growth habits. Therefore, a user is prevented from frequently purchasing plants for a same pot, and the economic cost of plants is reduced.


This 78-year-old Chinese woman presented with a history of gradually progressive foot pain over many years. The extensive deformities are best seen in the lateral projection (upper image, lateral projection; lower image . posteroanterior projection). The foot is foreshortened. The calcaneus has a markedly abnormal vertical orientation, and a pronounced increase in the plantar concavity ofthe foot is apparent. The abnormal biomechanics on the hindfoot have resulted in formation of an osseous spur at the posterior dorsal aspect ofthe calcaneus. Binding of the feet of Chinese girls was commonly practiced in Imperial China and was subsequently outlawed following the revolution of 19i 1. In spite of this, this practice continued in many rural areas for many years thereafter. Girls' feet were usually bound when they were 7-8 years old. Binding continued for up to 2 years. Ideally, a woman's foot should be no longer than her husband's palm. This deformity was desirable because it produced a delicate gait and indicated that the individual was sufficiently affluent to not have to do manual labor.


Following a list of the economically most important fungal wheat diseases, recent trends in chemical seed treatment are discussed. Different fungicide mixtures are now available for the replacement of mercurial dressings, but are generally more expensive. The control of fungal diseases by spraying has become more and more common over the past ten years in certain countries. Advantage has been taken of the curative action of the modern systemic chemicals. The major diseases are powdery mildew, rusts, eyespot, glume-and leaf-blotch. The general application of a fungicide programme is restricted by regional wheat prices, and should also be limited to reduce environmental contamination. Knowledge about economic thresholds and correct timing of control are indispensable, and in special cases the development of warning systems is advisable. The role of Cycocel (chlormequat) is also discussed. A danger of fungicide resistance in populations of plant pathogenic fungi has arisen with the introduction of the systemic fungicides (one-site-inhibitors). As yet, however, no economically important case of fungicide resistance within cereal pathogens is known. Factors favouring the stepwise selection of resistant strains under field conditions are discussed in detail, and experimental data are presented on this subject. Other positive or negative side-effects of the modern fungicides are described.


This thesis explores how the Rapture fiction and popular prophecy of modern American premillennial dispensationalism shapes the eschatological beliefs of its readership. This will be accomplished through a text-based critical analysis of the anxiety narratives of the Bible study and exegetical guides of the Tim LaHaye Prophecy Library, and its counterpart, the Left Behind fiction series. This thesis represents the first scholarly analysis of the Tim LaHaye Prophecy Library, and the first situation of Left Behind fiction within its theological context. It will be proposed that these two sets of texts shape the eschatological beliefs of their readers through a discursive 'streamlining' that is performed in several ways. Firstly, the historical development of the movement will be examined, exploring the evolution of a specific premillennial dispensationalist hermeneutic and its 'channelling' through particular cultural institutions. Secondly, an analysis of the Tim LaHaye Prophecy Library and Left Behind fiction will demonstrate that this premillennial dispensationalist hermeneutic is almost exclusively communicated through anxiety narratives which focus on expressions of horror, isolation, powerlessness and paranoia. It will be argued that these narratives serve to explore 'abjective' elements of premillennial dispensationalist belief, re-integrating them into the fabric of the faith. Particular attention will be paid to these abjective elements, which include the role of the eschatological body, the nature of individual salvation, and the perpetual deferment of the Rapture. As such, the popular media of premillennial dispensationalism serves as a further channel for the discursive streamlining of the movement's prophetic scheme. Finally, this thesis proposes that the 'deprivation' theory of millennial appeal does not adequately explain the appeal and success of premillennial dispensationalism. As such, the following analysis will suggest that an alternate critical analysis of the movement, concentrating on its tropes of anxiety, serves to better explain the continued appeal of this ideology.


Sausage is a meat product processed that is popular food especially in Pandeglang, Banten Province. The importance of halal certificates or the existence of the MUI (Indonesian Ulama Council) halal logo for processed meat products makes Muslim people confident to consume them. The aim this research was to identify pig DNA contamination in sausage products in six  districts in Pandeglang without the MUI halal labels using RT-PCR (Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction). RT PCR that can calculate to pig to fill these sample free from pig contamination. This research was divided into two stage, the first stage is extracted or carried out DNA and the second stage is RT PCR analysis. The results of the DNA purity test on sausage samples had DNA purity values of 1.84-1.9 (A260 / A280) and resulted in sample concentrations ranging from 37.8 to 102.5 ng / µl.  The only amplification on the FAM curve was in the positive control pig.  the Cq value ranges from 30 - 31.29. The results of RT PCR on sausage samples in the district area in Pandeglang Banten did not detect the presence of pig DNA.


The criteria for the stability of suspension concentrates, coal-oil mixture, are briefly described. The control of the stability of the suspension concentrates can be operated by the combination of three types of forces: (1) Electrostatic repulsion. (2) Steric repulsion. The origin of repulsion is from the adsorbed layers overlapping. (3) The van der Waals attraction between two spherical particles covered with a shell of a different material of thickness δ is given. A simple formula is obtained for stability ratio, which is not only applied to concentrated coal-oil mixture but also is applicable to dilute dispersions. The stability of the concentrated coal-oil mixtures depends on the maximum of the energy barriers, the volume fraction of particles, and the surface potential of the coal particle. Using the calculated results of stability ratio, the boundary lines between stable and unstable area of concentrated coal-oil mixtures at dissimilar volume fractions are obtained.


Abstract A specific color reaction is described for the colorimetric estimation of cephalosporin derivatives having the following intact side chain in the 7‐position: RCH(NH 2 )CO—, R being a hetero‐cyclic or aromatic ring. The method is applicable for the detection of cephaloglycin (or desacetyl cephaloglycin) or cephalexin in urine. Penicillin analogs respond to the test, but the sensitivity is much less.


To determine if performance on the Sway Medical Mobile Application Balance Test differs by age and gender.

 Pre-season baseline data from 33,784 individuals (51.3% girls/women) between ages 12 and 22 (mean=16.8 years, SD=2.5), tested in the summer of 2022, without a self-reported concussion in the past 6 months, and without self-reported ADHD were examined. Three Spearman correlations were used to assess the association between balance scores and age for the total sample, and for the boys/men and girls/women groups separately. Twelve Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare genders on balance scores within each age group (12, 13, 14, through 22-years-old) and for the total sample. A Bonferroni correction was used to adjust for multiple comparisons, and the level of significance was set at p=0.004.

 There was a positive correlation between higher (i.e., better) balance scores and older age for the total sample (r=.25, p<.001), and within the boys/men (r=.30, p<.001) and girls/women groups separately (r=.21, p<.001). For every age, there was a significant difference between boys/men and girls/women on balance test scores, with girls/women obtaining higher (i.e., better) balance scores than boys/men. Effect sizes for these differences ranged from small to medium (Hedge's g=.29-.65).

 There are age and gender-related differences on baseline Sway Medical Mobile Balance Test scores. Girls/women performed better on the balance testing compared to boys/men at all ages. Additionally, the balance scores improved throughout adolescence and generally plateaued in early adulthood (18-22-years-old).


Anthrozoös, 15 (2) . 2002 In the Literature operative relationship between humans and macaques has led to better conservation of these non-human primates than others in the area. Thus, the authors argue that a co-operative relationship between human and non-human primates can be an effective means of survival for the monkeys. The papers in this volume should appeal to both academics and nonacademics who have an interest in the areas of conservation biology, indigenous peoples and primates. I found the book interesting, informative and enjoyable to read. The papers vary in length, style and subject matter, and therefore the book does not have such a "text book" feel to it. The interaction that exists today between human and non-human primates needs to be focussed on more fully in conservation efforts, and this book shows that primatology and cultural anthropology should not be considered as two distinct fields with nothing in common, but can and must be combined in trying to tackle conservation issues in the tropics. Sonya P. Warne Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine University of Cambridge UK e-mail: email@example.com


Research of vibration-isolation system with gyrosc opi stabilizer is based on the research of vibration-isolation of lying human body uring transportation. During the previous research there was designed the three-degree of fr edom vibration-isolation system one vertical translation and two rotations around trans versal and longitudinal axes. Vertical translation is conducted by paralelogram mechanism or scissors mechanism; rotations are conducted by gimbals (Cardan suspension). We have suggested extending this system by twoaxis gyroscopic stabilizer with power gyroscopes. T he power gyroscopes with sufficient magnitude of angular momentum move the natural frequen cies (without gyroscopic stabilizer approximately 1-5Hz) of gimbals frames into the highe r values (nutation frequency) and precession motion of gyroscopes is slow or aperiodi c. Thus it means that the natural frequencies of gimbals, which previously have been located into the band of excitation signals spectra, have been moved outside this band. The paper d escribes suggested solution of the lying human body vibration-isolation and its mathematical models. There is also described the optimization of the systems of radial corrections. Th ere is introduced the new solution of the compensation drive – based on the control of pneuma tic springs. And also there are discussed some aspects of hard nonlinearities effects on the behaviour of described mechanical (or mechatronic) system. Jan Škoda, Jan Šklíba


What characteristics of new drugs might help predict safety issues years later? Find answers and tips on what classes to watch.


The functional compartmentation of lignifying enzymes Phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), Cinnamyl alcoholNADPHdehydrogenase (CAD) and Peroxidase (POD) during the development of mesocarp, fibre ring and endocarp in tenera variety was established by biochemical analysis. Maximum lignin content was noticed at 8, 12 and 16 weeks after pollination (WAP) in endocarp, mesocarp and fibre ring respectively, suggesting the three different maturation phases of the tissues. The soluble phenols of mesocarp, endocarp and fibre ring at their developmental stages was analysed using reverse phase highperformance liquid chromatography (RPHPLC).Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) observation demonstrated fhe>differentiation of mesocarp, endocarp and fibre ring tissues and their lignified nature in tenerafruit.The waxing and waning of cinnamic acid content with respect to the lignin synthesis corroborates the biochemical data.


A paper discussing portrayals of violence in screen culture as part of the panel: "Battering of Women in Historical and Contemporary Christian Narratives, A Theological Perspective."

The event was organised by The Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University USA.


16 13 3 I 43 26-59 I A NUMBER of accounts have been given of the effects of a single dose of X-rays on the peripheral blood count of a variety of animals but little attention has been paid to those produced by a single dose of X-rays on the blood count of human beings (Prosser, 1947; Brecher et al. 1948; Jacobson et aE. 1954; Eldred and Eldred, 1953; Loutit, 1953; Gershon-Cohen and Hermel, 1954). In particular the changes that occur in association with the development of radiation sickness have not been the subject of a detailed analysis. The increasing use of radioactive materials both in research and industry, together with the possible effects of the explosion of nuclear weapons, make it desirable that the changes following a single X-ray exposure to the whole body be investigated. In practice, within the limits of therapeutic irradiation, this information is not easy to obtain, but it is llkely that the study of the effects of the irradiation of large volumes of tissue, particularly in the trunk, will give a useful indication of the changes that whole-body exposure may induce. The data to be presented have been obtained from patients suffering from ankylosing spondylitis to whom a single X-ray exposure has been given to the sacro-iliac joints and the whole length of the spine (Table I).


Adaptive behavior refers to conceptual, social and practical skills, which allow adaptating to the environment. This study aims to do a scientific literature review from the SciELO and to conduct further structural analysis with the ABAS-II, one of the main instruments to evaluate the construct. The results showed that Brazilian studies are recent, but they have been increasing in previous years, mainly concentrated in the multidisciplinary area. We identified 13 instruments in 46 articles, but there is a lack of studies investigating their psychometric qualities, pointing its evaluation as an important problem in the area. Alternative structural analysis to the ones presented in the original manual were performed considering the correlation matrices. The results showed a better adequacy of the data to a bi-factor model, consisting of a general factor and specific factors when compared to single-factor and three-factor models. The theme relevance contrasts with the incipiency of studies and the lack of instruments in the Brazilian context. Keywords: functionality; adaptive behavior; psychometrics; psychological assessment; review.


It is shown that the substitutive ligand on the photochemical substitution reactions of complexes is predicted by considering the total stabilization energy of the hypothetical primary intermediates resulting from the loss of one ligand. The total stabilization energy and one electron energy level of d-orbital are calculated within the framework of angular overlap model. According to the calculated results, the intermediates with larger total stabilization energy are, as expected, more easily produced. Consequently, the relative values of the total stabilization energy are used to decide which of the ligands in complexes is preferentially labilized on the lowest energy d-d irradiation. The prediction for the leaving ligand on the photoaquation of complexes is consistent.


Earlier diagnosis is one of the key aims in achieving improved outcomes for patients with cancer. In general, the earlier a tumour is diagnosed, the easier it will be to treat and the greater the chance of cure. We have investigated how tumour size at diagnosis and duration of symptoms, both of which may act as a proxy for delay in diagnosis have varied over a 25 year period and whether there is evidence of improvement. Data were available for 2568 patients with primary bone sarcomas and 2366 with soft tissue sarcomas. The mean size at diagnosis was 10.7 cm for bone tumours and 9.9cm for soft tissue sarcomas. The size of bone sarcomas had not changed with the passage of time but there had been a slight decrease in the size of soft tissue sarcomas (10.3 cm before 2000 vs 9.6cm after 2000, p=0.03). The duration of symptoms reported by patients varied widely with a median of 16 weeks for bone sarcomas and 26 weeks for soft tissue sarcomas. The median duration of symptoms for bone sarcomas had actually increased since 2000 (16 weeks before to 20 weeks after 2000, p⋋0.01), whilst it remained unchanged for soft tissue sarcomas. Further analysis showed that females tended to present with smaller tumours than males and that slower growing tumours (eg. liposarcoma and chondrosarcoma) tended to be larger and have a longer duration of symptoms than other tumours. 15% of patients with a soft tissue sarcoma had undergone a previous inadvertent excision – and this % has not changed over 20 years. Younger patients had smaller soft tissue soft tissue sarcomas than older patients but there was little difference for bone sarcomas. Conclusion This data shows there is huge room for improvement


Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are proteolytic enzymes important to wound healing. In non-healing wounds, it has been suggested that MMP levels become dysfunctional, hence it is of great interest to develop sensors to detect MMP biomarkers. This study presents the development of a label-free optical MMP biosensor based on a functionalised porous silicon (pSi) thin film. The biosensor is fabricated by immobilising a peptidomimetic MMP inhibitor in the porous layer using hydrosilylation followed by amide coupling. The binding of MMP to the immobilised inhibitor translates into a change of effective optical thickness (EOT) over the time. We investigate the effect of surface functionalisation on the stability of pSi surface and evaluate the sensing performance. We successfully demonstrate MMP detection in buffer solution and human wound fluid at physiologically relevant concentrations. This biosensor may find application as a point-of-care device that is prognostic of the healing trajectory of chronic wounds.


Advanced computer systems for 3D design and modelling are widely used in many areas of design and manufacturing. However, although they offer undoubted benefits, there is growing awareness of their inadequacy to meet the range of capabilities required by designers. Limited types of design representations can be created in the virtual environment. The precise, detailed geometric modelling techniques are unsuited to the earlier stages of design, and emphasise the creation and visualisation of three-dimensional form, rather than the more dynamic and functional aspects of working with materials. There is a discrepancy between the highly sophisticated three-dimensional models, and current 'two-dimensional' ways of interacting with them via mouse and screen. In most systems, a complex user interface requires extensive experience before it can be used transparently. Ways of interacting intuitively and expressively in three dimensions are now highly desirable. Rapid advances in digital technologies, such as haptic and gesture interfaces, 3D imaging, and more intuitive modelling techniques, offer us a means of moving away from the 'desk-top box' scenario to more fluid and flexible human-centred 'digital design environments'. The potential of such technologies to allow a less constrained, more naturalistic interaction with virtual models has increased the drive towards computer support for the whole design process, in particular for conceptual design. To take full advantage of these developments, we must understand how the types of interaction they enable are, or could be, used in the design process. Existing systems have developed around the 'design-by-drawing' paradigm, but this does not adequately reflect the complexity, diversity and individuality of designers' processes. To truly move forward, a radical re-evaluation is required.


This article explores Borges's views on Argentine history and his conflictive relationship with issues such as politics, popular culture, and race.


In this paper, we designed a dot type GaAs Schottky diode for improvement of RF characteristics. The dot type GaAs Schottky diode shows that total resistance is 18.3 Omega, ideality factor is 1.41 at the room temperature and cut-off frequency is 435 GHz. The simulation result of designed single balanced mixer structure shows a good conversion loss of 6.28 dB.


The reaction mechanism of Pt atomic layer deposition (ALD) on various commercial textiles such as cotton, silk, nylon, wool, Kevlar, and Nomex was fundamentally investigated. Pt morphologies on textiles were observed, and it was determined that Pt layers were uniformly deposited on most textile surfaces except nylon, where no notable Pt growth was observed. Morphological analysis, chemical composition measurements as a function of Pt ALD cycles, and the results of quantum chemical calculations enabled the elucidation of the role of the textiles and Pt growth mechanism. The calculated reaction pathways and energy states of Pt precursor molecules that adsorbed on each textile moiety showed different reaction paths, resulting in various Pt ALD growth behaviors. On the basis of the Pt ALD process, a textile resistive heater was fabricated, showing good performance with high stability such as wear rate, high bending stability, and long life.


Polarization switching of polymorphs has been observed in the nonphotochemical laser-induced nucleation of aqueous l-histidine in the supersaturation range 1.40–1.60. Exposure of solutions to 0.24 GW/cm2, 7 ns pulses of 532 nm light induced the nucleation of different polymorphs of l-histidine depending on polarization state of the light. Circularly polarized laser pulses tended to nucleate the orthorhombic A polymorph, whereas linearly polarized pulses tended to nucleate a mixture of the orthorhombic A and monoclinic B polymorphs. Higher supersaturation also favors the formation of mixed polymorphs. These observations support the hypothesis that the laser is organizing hydrogen-bonded groups of histidine molecules through an optical Kerr alignment.


In these brief notes we document work using published microarray data (1, 2) to pioneer integrative transcriptome analysis comparing vulvar carcinoma to its tissue of origin, the vulva. We report the differential expression of doublecortin-like kinase 1, encoded by DCLK1, in cancer of the vulva. DCLK1 may be of pertinence to understanding transformation and disease progression in vulvar cancer (3).


In this work was studied the extraction of ginger essential oil (EO) by microwave hydrodiffusion and gravity (MHG) method. The influence of specific absorption rate (SAR) and the addition of saturated steam into the system on the extraction efficiency were followed. A comparative extraction by microwave hydrodistillation (MHD) was performed. The best results were achieved for a moderate SAR value and by addition of saturated steam into the system. The extraction time and the specific microwave energy for MHG were approximately 5 times, respectively 3 times lower than MHD.


Abstract The first Mesozoic and currently oldest fossil of the wasp family Pompilidae (Aculeata: Euaculeata: Vespoidea) is described and figured from a female preserved in mid-Cretaceous (Albian) amber from Myanmar (Burma). Bryopompilus interfector, new genus and species, is distinguished from other fossil and living spider wasps and placed in the new tribe Bryopompilini. The sparse geological record of spider wasps is briefly reviewed and the current classification of the family outlined, with the spelling of three family-group names corrected—Cordyloscelidini, Eidopompilini, and Deuterageniini.


Transportation authority always tries to improve the road safety. As the role of the road signs used by them is; to prove key information through warning, guiding and regulating the road riders, the highway sign poles are vital element of road transportation system. It consists of a sign board supported by hat sectioned beam. Their main function is; to assist the driver to drive the vehicles appropriately and safely. So they are designed for all season situations. A problem in traffic sign readability may leads to unsafe driving behaviors. Also any flaws in it lead to an accident possibility of the road vehicles. This paper deals with an effect of stormy winds that causes undue vibration and has a detrimental effect on drivers' vision. A methodical approach is applied that includes vibration analysis of hat sectioned sign pole to ensure its frequency within safe limit specified by the concerned regulatory bodies. Numerical method is used to verify the obtained result.


A multitude of sins can be hidden behind the phrase "living document." You can submit documents that are incomplete or inconsistent as long as you promise to fix it later. In this month's issue of Strategic Software Engineering, I want to talk about the strategic importance of being realistic about the state of knowledge, plans and documents in a project..


Acknowledgement: The experiment was made with support and cooperation between CTU in Prague, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering with Aerospace Research and Test Establishment, Department of Aerodynamics. Support by the the Project No. CZ.2.16/3.1.00/21569 Centre 3D Volumetric Anemometry is gratefully acknowledged. The wind tunnel testing in VZLU Czech Aerospace Research Centre was supported by Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports via LM2011016 Aerodynamic tunnels Subsidy to restoration and securing of operation project


Crop water production function models (WPFMs) are a required method to study the relationships between yield and water consumption under regulated deficit irrigation (RDI). In this study, a pot experiment was established to study the effect of water deficit during both individual growth stages and across two consecutive growth stages of rice on yield, water consumption, and water use efficiency (WUE) in 2017 and 2018. Light, medium, and severe water deficits were set as 80~90%, 70~80%, and 60~70% of fully saturated soil moisture content, respectively. The accuracies of five WPFMs were tested based on the experimental results. The results showed that yields and WUE of a light water deficit were higher than those of medium and severe water deficits at each growth stage. The yields and WUE of light drought stress treatments in the flowering and milky stages were higher than the fully saturated soil moisture control by 4~7.4% and 5.3~20.6%, respectively. Water consumption decreased with increasing water deficit across two consecutive growth stages. The Minhas model had the highest simulation accuracy of the five WPFMs, with relatively lower AE, RMSE, Cv, CRM, and higher R2, which were 0.0002, 0.0634, 6.9965, 0.0002, and 0.9951 in 2017 and 0.0110, 0.0760, 8.9882, 0.0131, and 0.9923 in 2018, respectively. The sensitivity indices for the Minhas model more accurately reflected the sensitivity of rice yield to water deficit at different growth stages in 2017 and 2018, compared with the Jensen model, Stewart model, Blank model, and Singh model. Rice yield was most sensitive to water deficit at the jointing and booting stage. The results indicate that the Minhas model is the most suitable WPFM for guiding rice irrigation practices in cold black soil regions of China.


A method is given for deriving the design of an axially symmetric electrostatic accelerator by numerical integrations alone. The approach is from a specification of the largest possible number of ion optical constants. The results of a sample calculation are given. (D.L.C.)


Aim To study Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and 7-oxo-dehydroepiandrosterone (7-oxo-DHEA) protected hippocampal neurons against neurotoxicity induced by glutamate(Glu). Methods Cell survival rate was analyzed using MTT colorimetry, the change of Ca 2+ levels and the levels of free radical in cultured hippocampal neurons were analyzed by the laser scanning confocal microscope, and cellular GSH level was also analyzed. Results Exposure of cultured rat hippocampal neurons to Glu resulted in accumulation of celluar Ca 2+ and cellular free radical were prevented by DHEA (0.1 μmol·L -1 )and 7-oxo-DHEA(0.1 μmol·L -1),and cellular GSH was increased. Conclusion DHEA and 7-oxo-DHEA protected hippocampal neurons against neurotoxicity induced by Glu.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore and understand the reasons for which middle-age women report highest percentages of intimate partner violence (IPV) than other age groups. Design/methodology/approach – This is a qualitative study in which grounded theory method was adopted, through the use of interviews. Findings – The findings revealed that the main reason for which women of the specific age group report intimate partner incidents more that other age groups is because they can recognize violence actions and behaviors. The findings suggest that frequent awareness campaigns should be organized, in order to keep women informed regarding IPV. Originality/value – The value of the current study is the fact that it offers a greater insight in the findings of the first national study conducted in the Republic of Cyprus by the Advisory Committee for the Prevention and Combating Family Violence.


A fight involving several people occurred at around 3.15am on Friday 27 September 2013, outside Rehab Bar in the area of Parliament Street and The ...


This article provides information on the development of innovative pedagogy at present time, the implementation of the process of higher pedagogical education on a new basis and the training of personnel who have mastered new technologies.


Joining of the dissimilar metal pair NiTi to stainless steel is of great interest for implantable biomedical applications. Formation of brittle intermetallic phases requires that the joining processes limit the amount of over-melting and mixing along the interface. Thus, laser joining is a preferred method due to its ability to precisely control heat input. This study explores a method of using a cup and cone interfacial geometry, with no filler material, to increase the tensile strength of the joint. Not only does the cup and cone geometry increase the surface area of the interface, but it also introduces a shear component, which is shown to be beneficial to tensile strength of the wire as well. The fracture strength for various cone apex angles and laser powers is determined. Compositional profiles of the interfaces are analyzed. A numerical model is used for explanation of the processing.


The fundamental vibrational modes of a series of six halophthalonitriles have been studied using Raman and inlrared spectroscopy. The vibrational assignment of experimental wave numbers obtained from solid samples was aided using quantum chemical computations. Semi-empirical methods and the local SVWN functional were used to obtain vibrational wave numbers and atomic displacement representations of the fundamental molecular vibrations. The study of a series of molecules with similar struclure permits the identification of characteristic wave numbers and the effect ofthe halosubstitution in the molecular structure. O 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Keyttttrds: Ramanl lnfrared; Vibrations: Substituted phthalonitriles: Assignments; SVWN DFT


Background: Respiratory distress (RD) is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in newborns. Over the last three decades, significant improvements have been introduced to decrease the incidence, severity, and mortality of neonatal RD. This study aims to analyze the clinical and demographic profile of term newborns with RD and to explore associated risk factors and co-morbidities. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study included 250 term newborns (gestational age: 37 to 42 weeks) diagnosed with RD. The study was conducted at the Department of Pediatrics, Santosh Medical College, over a one-year period from June 2018 to June 2019. Results: The male-to-female ratio was 1.7:1. Among the admissions, 65% were term pregnancies and 35% were late-term pregnancies. Severe RD was observed in 10% of newborns, while 35% had moderate RD. There was a significant correlation between gestational period and RD severity (P = 0.024), and hospital stay also exhibited a significant association with RD severity (P = 0.001). Meconium-stained amniotic fluid was the most common maternal risk factor (25%), while sepsis was the most prevalent co-morbidity (23%). Transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTNB) was the leading cause of RD, accounting for 47% of cases. Conclusions: A comprehensive clinical assessment and appropriate investigations are vital for accurate diagnosis and effective treatment of infants with RD. Swift identification of severe underlying conditions is essential for improving outcomes.


PREMISE OF THE STUDY
Carbon (C) allocation to storage in woody tissues at the expense of growth is thought to promote shade tolerance, yet few studies on the subject examined C storage during maximum growth and considered stand influences. I asked how C storage in different plant tissues relates to shade tolerance in temperate forests with contrasting climates and physiognomies, and whether relationships vary during the growing season.

METHODS
In the late spring and late summer, I harvested seedlings of eight species with contrasting light requirements from the understory of a cold rainforest and a Mediterranean forest in Chile. Nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) concentrations and pools (i.e., biomass x NSC concentration) were determined in leaves, aboveground wood, and roots. The effects of shade tolerance and sampling date on the NSCs were analyzed for each forest and tissue with linear mixed-effects models.

KEY RESULTS
In both forests, concentrations of NSC and soluble sugars in woody tissues, as well as fractions of NSC in these tissues, were lower in shade tolerant than in shade intolerant species. For root NSC concentrations, these trends depended on the sampling date: in the late spring the concentrations were similar in shade tolerant and intolerant species, while in the late summer they were lower in shade tolerant species.

CONCLUSIONS
Shade tolerance is not linked to C storage in the two studied forests, suggesting that allocation to growth or defenses could be more advantageous for low light persistence. Alternatively, high levels of C storage could be also selected in shade intolerant species to face herbivory or drought.


Cloud computing has emerged as prominent paradigm in distributed computing which provides on-demand services to users. It involves challenging areas like workflow scheduling to decide the sequence in which the applications are to be scheduled on several computing resources. Due to NP-complete nature of workflow scheduling, finding an optimal solution is very challenging task. Thus, a meta-heuristic approach such as Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) can be a promising technique to obtain a near-optimal solution of this problem. Several workflow scheduling algorithms have been developed in recent years but quite a few of them focuses on two or more parameters of scheduling at a time like usage cost, makespan, utilization of resource, load balancing etc. In this paper, we present a PSO based workflow scheduling which consider two such conflicting parameters i.e., makespan and resource utilization. With meticulous experiments on standard workflows we find that our proposed approach outperforms genetic algorithm based workflow scheduling in all cases achieving 100% results.


This column features an over view of RoboGames, officially recognized as the world's larg est robotics competition by The Guinness Book of Records. It is an extremely wide-ranging set of compet itive robot events, open to everyone. It is annually held in the United States and attracts competitors from all over the world.


No justification of homicide exists in any civilized society, but some murders are downright meaningless and done just for the sake of murder. It is said that no one goes along with the dead, a man dies alone. This saying is true for the physical sense, more than the metaphysical & spiritual aspects, though loved ones or companions die together. More importantly, the crime scene holds vital but oft hidden clues pointing towards the trio of murder, victim and murderer.


The genus Helicops currently comprises 15 species, of which eleven occur in the Amazon Forest. H. hagmanni feeds on fishes and has nocturnal habits, but detailed data about its diet and behavioral ecology are scarce. Here, we report a H. hagmanni adult female specimen (snout-vent length: 516 mm; weight: 162 g) preying on an adult fish, Rhamdia muelleri (Actinopterygii: Heptapteridae, 215 mm in total length; weight: 70 g), in the creek Caquajó, a tributary of the Anapu River, municipality of Portel, Pará State, Brazil. We found the snake submersed at 20 cm, convoluted around the fish, and shortly after that, started ingesting the fish headfirst. The snake attacked the cat-fish biting the region between the anal and post-anal fins. This information increases the knowledge about the feeding behavior in snakes, especially of the genus Helicops.


PURPOSE: Chicken stock containing a fermented herb extract, and a producing method thereof are provided to improve the original taste of food using the chicken stock. CONSTITUTION: A producing method of chicken stock containing a fermented herb extract comprises the following steps: steaming pre-processed chicken at 90-120 deg C for 2-3 hours; separating bones from the steamed chicken; crushing the chicken meat using a 100 mesh colloid mill; mixing 100 parts of crushed chicken meat by weight, 300 parts of water by weight, 20-50 parts of fermented herb extract by, and 5-10 parts of salt by weight; and stirring and aging the mixture at 40-50 deg C for 5-10 hours. The fermented herb extract is obtained by the following steps: blanching herbs at 90-100 deg C for 2-3 minutes; crushing the blanched herbs using a 200 mesh colloid mill; mixing the crushed herbs with water, and aging the mixture for 3-6 hours; injecting lactobacillus into the aged herb extract, and fermenting the mixture at 35-40 deg C for 1-3 days; and heating the fermented herb extract at 80-100 deg C for 10-20 minutes.


Since its introduction 30-plus years ago, continued development has kept the MIDREX Direct Reduction Process on the leading edge of alternative ironmaking.


This paper describes spatial operators in robot dynamics, emphasizing their physical interpretation, while avoiding lengthy mathematical derivations. The spatial operators are rooted in the function space approach to the estimation theory developed in the decades that followed the introduction of the Kalman filter. In the mid 1980's, the authors recognized the analogy between Kalman filtering and robot dynamics, and began to use this approach on a wide range of multi-body systems of increasing complexity. This paper reviews the spatial operator approach to robot dynamics, and outlines current applications to the modeling, simulation and control of space robot dynamics and large molecular structures.


Novel polyurea was synthesized from lysinyl residue, L-lysine-4-nitroanilide Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Novel polyurea was synthesized from lysinyl residue, L-lysine-4-nitroanilide (L-Lys-4-NA) and 1,4-phenylene diisocyanate (1,4-PDI). The polyurea thus prepared gave durable self-standing membranes. The polyurea was converted into molecular recognition materials by using Z-D-Glu or Z-L-Glu as a print molecule. The Z-D-Glu molecularly imprinted membrane adsorbed the D-isomer of Glu in preference to the corresponding L-isomer and vice versa . Even though the polyurea consisted of L-lysinyl residue, both Z-D-Glu and Z-L-Glu worked as print molecules to construct molecular (chiral) recognition sites in the membrane. Those two types of molecularly imprinted membrane show chiral separation abilities, adopting a concentration gradient or an applied potential difference as a driving force for membrane transport.


A lthough hot flashes are one of the most common and distressing symptoms associated with menopause, postmenopausal women also experience multiple other bothersome symptoms, including sleep disturbances. Epidemiological studies have shown that difficulties with sleep are more common in perimenopausal and postmenopausal womenVwith a prevalence of around 40%Vthan in premenopausal women. The exact etiology of sleep difficulties in postmenopausal women remains unclear. It is hypothesized that these difficulties may be related to the menopausal transition, changes in hormonal levels, psychological distress or mood disorders, or other primary sleep disorders. A pervasive question concerns the relationship between hot flashes and sleep disturbances in postmenopausal women. Women who experience hot flashes commonly report increased difficulty sleeping and increased nighttime awakenings, yet previous studies have questioned this relationship. Freedman and Roehrs performed a study in which symptomatic and asymptomatic postmenopausal and premenopausal women were monitored during sleep and assessed for the relationship between hot flashes and disordered sleep. In this study, most awakenings precededVrather than followedVhot flashes, suggesting that hot flashes did not produce sleep disturbances. However, in a second study, Freedman and Roehrs reported an association between hot flashes and sleep disturbances, with this association being more prevalent during the first half of the night. In addition, another study, which measured hot flashes with a skin conductance device, failed to show a relationship between device-detected hot flashes and sleep disturbances, despite there being an association between self-reported hot flashes and shortterm sleep problems. Nonetheless, more recently multiple, prospective, survey studies supported a relationship between hot flashes and sleep disturbances in postmenopausal women. Currently, hormone therapy is the most effective treatment for hot flashes, with reductions of 80% to 90% with estrogen therapy. However, because of safety concerns, hormone therapy is often avoided in women and, when used, the lowest dose for the shortest duration is recommended. This has led to substantial research investigating nonYhormone therapies for the treatment of hot flashes. Gabapentin and pregabalin have been shown to produce benefits, with reductions in hot flash scores of about 60%, compared with placebo-associated reductions of about 25%. Multiple selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), including paroxetine, venlafaxine, desvenlafaxine, citalopram, fluoxetine, and sertraline, have been investigated for the treatment of hot flashes, with hot flash score reductions of about 60%. Escitalopram, an SSRI, has also recently been studied as a treatment for hot flashes in a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving healthy postmenopausal women. The recently published primary results of this trial report that women treated with escitalopram had a decrease in hot flash frequency and severity compared with placebo. The sole trial that prospectively compared an antidepressant agent (venlafaxine) to gabapentin in a randomized crossover manner reported that women preferred venlafaxine to gabapentin by a 2:1 margin. Despite convincing evidence demonstrating the efficacy of SSRIs and SNRIs for the treatment of hot flashes and the increasing clinical use of these drugs for hot flashes, there remain concerns regarding the potential adverse effects of SSRI and SNRI treatment, including gastrointestinal adverse effects, sexual dysfunction, and somnolence. In addition, a commonly feared adverse effect of SSRIs and SNRIs is insomnia, with this symptom being listed as a frequently reported adverse event associated with the use of these drugs. Previous studies have reported that these antidepressant agents have a negative impact on sleep, including suppression of rapid eye movement sleep and increased nocturnal arousals. However, despite polysomnographic abnormalities being found with SSRI administration in healthy volunteers, subjective assessments often have revealed unchanged, or even improved, sleep. In addition, although many studies have shown objective and subjective sleep disturbances with SSRIs and SNRIs in women with mood disorders, others have failed to show these effects and even demonstrated improvements in sleep problems. As postmenopausal women already have increased sleep difficulties, exploring the effects of SNRIs and SSRIs on sleep in women being treated for hot flashes is important. Ensrud et al, in the current issue of Menopause, report on secondary outcomes from their previously published study of escitalopram for the treatment of hot flashes in healthy postmenopausal women. In their study, insomnia symptoms were measured by the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and subjective sleep quality was measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). These measures were assessed in weeks 4 and 8 in women being treated with escitalopram versus placebo. The authors report that women treated with escitalopram had an improvement in insomnia symptoms and subjective sleep quality, with statistically significant improvements in ISI and PSQI scores in week 8. At baseline, many of the women in this trial had evidence of sleep disturbances, with a mean ISI score of 11.4, consistent with mild insomnia. In addition, 40% of women had a PSQI score higher than 8, representing poor


JAMES, B. L. (1965) The effects of parasitism by larval Digenea on the digestive gland of the intertidal prosobranch Littorina saxatilis (Olivi) subsp. tenebrosa (Montagu). Parasitology, 55, 93-115. JAMES, B. L. (1968a) The distribution and keys of species in the family Littorinidae and of their digenean parasites, in the region of Dale, Pembrokeshire. Field Studies, 2, 615-650. JAMES, B. L. (1968b) The occurrence of larval Digenea in ten species of intertidal prosobranch molluscs in Cardigan Bay. Journal of Natural History, 2, 329-343. JAMES, B. L. (1969) The Digenea of the intertidal prosobranch, Littorina saxatilis (Olivi). Zeitschrift fur Zoologische Systematik, 7, 273-316. KENDALL, S. B. (1964) Some factors influencing the development and behaviour of trematodes in their molluscan hosts. In: Host-parasite relationships in invertebrate hosts; (editor A. E. R. Taylor), Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, 51-73. KENDALL, S. B. & OLLERENSHAW, C. B. (1963) The effect of nutrition on the growth of Fasciola hepatica in its snail host. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 22, 41-46. LEBOUR, M. V. (1911) A review of the British marine cercariae. Parasitology, 4, 416-456. LEWIS, J. R. (1964) The ecology of rocky shores. English Universities Press Limited, London. MARSHALL, T. (1974) Biochemical studies on host-parasite relationships of Marine Digenea. Unpubl. Ph.D. thesis, University College, Swansea, Wales. MATTHEWS, P. M. (1986) Ecological and taxonomic studies on larval Digenea infecting Littorina spp. on the Co. Down Coast. Unpubl. Ph.D. thesis, Queen's University of Belfast. MATTHEWS, P. M., MONTGOMERY, W. I. & HANNA, R. E. B. (1985) Infestation of littorinids by larval Digenea around a small fishing port. Parasitology, 90, 277-287. REES, F. G. (1934) Cercaria patellae Lebour, 1911, and its effect on the digestive gland and gonads of Patella vulgata. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1, 45-53. RHOADS, D. C. & PANNELLA, G. (1970) The use of molluscan shell growth patterns in ecology and paleoecology. Lethaia, 3, 143-161. SINDERMANN, C. J. & FARRIN, A. E. (1962) Ecological studies of Cryptocotyle lingua (Trematoda: Heterophyidae) whose larvae cause 'Pigment Spots' of marine fish. Ecology, 43, 69-75. SOKAL, R. R. & ROHLF, F. J. (1981) Biometry, 2nd Edition. Freeman, San Francisco. WESOLOWSKY, G. O. (1976) Multiple regression and analysis of variance: introduction for computer users in management and economics; Wiley, New York. WILLEY, C. H. & GROSS, P. R. (1957) Pigmentation in the foot of Littorina littorea as a means of recognition of infection with trematode larvae. Journal of Parasitology, 43, 324-327.


The main purpose of this study is to investigate how demand risk and exchange rate risk are transmitted in a supply chain consisting of a supplier,a manufacturer and a retailer.In the supply chain the manufacturer buys materials from the supplier and sells them to the retailer via wholesale price contracts.The demand risk roots in the uncertainty of final market demand while the exchange rate risk stems from the assumption that the manufacturer and the retailer operate in different countries.Under the assumption the manufacturer's revenue per product sold is susceptible to exchange rate fluctuation. To examine risk transmission in the supply chain,weconstruct a two-stage game model to assess the strategic interactions among those three supply chain members.In the model,the manufacturer offers wholesale prices to retailer and supplier in stage 1.The supplier and the retailer simultaneously respond to the manufacturer' offers in stage 2 via an order quality and a supply quantity,respectively.In our proposed model,the demand risk is defined as a process where based the observed final market demand.The retailer strategically orders from the manufacturer and then forces(via the equilibrium of the game model) the manufacturer and the supplier to adjust their profit according to the final market demand.The exchange rate risk refers to when faced with volatile fluctuation of exchange rate the manufacturer strategically offers wholesale prices to the retailer and the supplier respectively and then forces(via the equilibrium of the game model) the retailer and the supplier to vary their profits according to the exchange rate. With the model equilibrium,we measure the risk that the retailer,the manufacturer and the supplier bearwith the variance of their equilibrium profit.We further conduct a statistical analysis of the variance of the final market demand and the exchange rate.The results show that(1) the expected profit of the retailer,the manufacturer and the supplier increases along with the variance of the final demand and exchange rate;(2) the profit variance of the retailer,the manufacturer and the supplier increases along with the variance of the final demand and exchange rate;(3) the relative risks between the retailer and the manufacturer(measured by the ratio of the retailer's profit variance to the manufacturer's profit variance) increases in the slope of the market demand function(a higher slope indicates a lower degree of the flexibility of the retailer's response to price changes in the final market) while the relative risk between the supplier and the manufacturer(measured by the ratio of the supplier's profit variance to the manufacturer's profit variance) increases in the slope of the supplier's margin cost function(a higher slope indicates a lower degree of the flexibility of the supplier's response to the manufacturer's price changes). To summarize,the demand risk and the exchange rate risk can be transmitted in a supply chain viasupply chain partners' strategic interactions.Moreover,the risk transmission in a supply chain depends on both the bullwhip effect and supply chain partners' profit margins.


A central motif of Hegel's philosophy is his effort to trace out a teleological development of human thought and culture, from its initially embryonic, undeveloped stages to ever more evolved and mature forms. And he conceives of this process of development as the Bildung of rationality in history: "history is the process of mind [Geist] itself, the [progressive] revelation of itself from its first .. . enshrouded consciousness ... in order that the absolute command of mind, 'know thyself,' may be fulfilled"1 (HPh, III, 7). In this article I will address the question of what this "fulfillment" means for Hegel. I will argue that there is a strongly entrenched ambiguity and ambivalence in Hegel's philosophy between two opposed ways of describing the End, or "completion" of history: what I will refer to as the "absolutist" and the "epochal" readings.2 And I will suggest that contrary to the usual way of reading Hegel, we should adopt the non-absolutist, epochal version of Hegel's eschatology if we are to preserve the spirit of his metaphysics. I wish to make it clear from the start that my argument is not that this epochal reading is clearly what Hegel himself intended, so that the great majority of commentators who insist on the absolutist alternative simply misread Hegel. Indeed, the import of my argument will be to suggest that neither the absolutist nor the epochal readings can be interpreted away: I am convinced that a faithful reading of Hegel must result in a confirmation of his deep-seated ambivalence in this matter. I will argue, on the other hand, that we should choose for Hegel, where he was unwilling to, the reading which emphasizes the nonabsolutist pole of the ambivalence as against the absolutist pole.


Some recent work in area of learning structural descriptions from examples is reviewed in light of the need in many diverse disciplines for programs which can perform conceptual data analysis. Such programs describe complex data interms or logical, functional, and causal relationships which cannot bediscovered using traditional data analysis techniques. Various important aspects of the problem of learning structural are examined and criteria for evaluating current work is presented. Methods published by Buchanan, et. al. [1-3, 20], Hayes-Roth [6-91, and Vere [22-25], are analyzed according tothese criteria and compared to a method developed by the authors. Finally some goals are suggested for future research.


To the Editor: Failure of mouth pressure variations (APm) to reflect alveolar pressure variations (APA) during thoracic gas volume (TGV) measurements by Boyle's law has been reported in asthmatic patients by Shore and Martin (1) and quite recently by Stanescu et al. (2). In both studies the conclusions were reached by comparing TGV's obtained by relating plethysmographic volume changes (AVbox) to APm (TGVm = AVbox/APm) and by relating them to pressure variations in the esophagus (TGVes = AVbox/APes), taken to represent pleural pressure variations (APpl). How close APpl is to APA is the question. It has been discussed by Stanescu et al. (2) on the basis of a monoalveolar model featuring lung and airways properties, including the compliance of intrathoracic airway walls and the shunt impedance of the upper airways. This model study showed that for normal compliances of lung tissue (CL), alveolar gas (Cg), intrathoracic airway wall (CB), and extrathoracic airway wall (CE), APpl was only 3% larger than APA at a frequency of 2 Hz. Moreover APP~/APA, in contrast with APm/APA, was not substantially modified by increasing peripheral and central airway resistance and by decreasing the impedance of extrathoracic airway walls. Having made similar computer simulation both with the same and with a two-compartment model, I would like to add a few points. Monoalveolar model. In static conditions, i.e., at infinitely low panting frequency, APpl and APA are in phase and AP~~/APA = 1 + (Cg + CE)/(CL + CB). It may be seen that APpl may be substantially larger than APA when Cg is large and CL is small (when specific lung compliance is low, e.g., at high lung volume in normal subjects). AP~~/APA is also directly related to upper airway wall compliance (CE). Although the relationship between APpl and APA is given by a high-order differential equation, their amplitude ratio and phase angle (+) may be predicted to vary little with the panting frequency. In all the situations examined by Stanescu et al. (2) and up to 4 Hz, APpl/ APA does not differ by more than 1% from its static value, as given above, and I+] is less than 1". Bialveolar model. I assumed that the lung was made of two compartments arranged in parallel, each with its tissue compliance (Cl, C,), gas compliance (Cgl, Cgz), and airway resistance (RI, Rz). Tissue resistances and airway walls compliances were neglected. In such a model APA will not be the same in the two compartments (APA~ # APA~) except in static conditions or when their specific compliances are equal (CJCg, = CJCgz). The accuracy of TGVes will depend on the ability of APpl to reflect the weighted average of local APA [APA = (APA~. Cg, + APA~. Cg2)/(Cg, + Cgz)]. The relationship between APpl and APA is given by the differential equation


Corresponding author: Augusto A. Litonjua, MD, MPH, Address: Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 181 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, United States of America, Phone: (617) 525-0997, Fax: (617) 525-0958, firstname.lastname@example.com. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. Trial registration: VDAART was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov by ID# NCT00920621 HHS Public Access Author manuscript J Allergy Clin Immunol. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2018 November 01.


The Linked Data Web is growing and it becomes increasingly necessary to analyze the relationship between datasets to exploit its full value. LOD datasets can range from datasets with low cohesion – containing data from different Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDN) and namespaces – to highly cohesive datasets. This paper evaluates the quantity and quality of links between distributions, datasets and ontologies categorizing and defining different types of links. We streamed and indexed 2.5 billion triples and extracted 0.5 billion links using probabilistic data structures. Our results show the analysis of datasets w.r.t. valid links, dead links, and number of namespaces described by distributions and datasets. Our results indicate that 7.9% of the links we indexed and verified are actually dead.


Introduction The European Employment Strategy (EES) was installed in 1997 as a new governance method in the field of labour market policy in the EU allowing the EU institutions to play a certain part in the EU multi-level governance system through defining legally non-binding guidelines and issuing Member State specific recommendations as well as joint employment reports. When at the 2000 Lisbon council the so-called Open Method of Co-ordination (OMC) was launched as general heading for governance mechanisms based on soft law, benchmarking, best practice exchange and EU-organised monitoring, the EES was regarded as part of the OMC employed in labour market policies. The EES is conceptualised by the EU as well as in the academic literature as a method potentially leading to policy learning in and among Member States and, due to this policy learning, to a convergence of policy concepts and policy outcomes (European Council 1997; European Council 2000). Regarding policy concepts, the EES promotes a supply side-oriented "third way" labour market policy approach, focussing on enhancing employability and adaptability of the workforce while at the same time supporting "social partnership" and a balance of flexibility and security. The interesting question to be asked in this context is whether a convergence of labour market policy concepts throughout Europe is brought about by Member States moving towards a balanced third way model of the EES – should that be the case every Member State would have


Dr. Benedek has written an extremely readable and understandable book on the effects of war upon the total community, and specifically upon the members of the family constellation. It is of value not only for the specific groups to whom it is directed but to anyone who is interested in this general problem. Together with the book, Men Under Stress, by Grinker and Spiegel. Dr. Benedek's book rounds out one's understanding of the complex emotional adjustments and maladjustments occurring during and after military service. in both the soldier-veteran and all members of his family. Dr. Benedek is to be congratulated for having done such a thorough job, and having simultaneously written such a wonderfully readable book. All those who are interested in the problems of the veterans and their families should read this book and become thoroughly familiar with its contents. It is essential reading for those who are doing any type of work with veterans, in order that they may obtain the total viewpoint and understanding presented. LEWIS L. ROBBINS, M.D. The Menninger Clinic Topeka, Kansas


The critical role of long term planning in the development of an organization, and the development strategies to survive in the competitive world is addressed by using the example of Wesfarmers. The paper examines the history of Wesfarmers from its beginnings prior to World War II as a co-operative for wheat farmers, to becoming a public company in the mid-1980s.


There isn't a general software platform for the monitoring system of the durability for reinforced concrete(RC) structure at present.A platform for the on-line monitoring the durability of RC structure is designed with Client/Server and Browser/Server architecture based on Access database.Modules of monitoring system,such as design and management of monitoring schemes,real time data monitoring and data query,are integrated into the platform.The cost can be reduced dramatically if the on-line monitoring system of the durability for RC structure is established based on the platform.


What happens when a major modern enterprise is abruptly superimposed on a country where business patterns have been fixed for centuries? One of the most interesting reactions is that by entrepreneurs in the national population. Adaptation, imitation, and eagerness are characteristic responses, and these go remarkably far in solving the problems of carrying on a twentieth-century business in a fifteenth-century economy.


Based on the serological monitoring results the humoral immunity level in birds was assessed after the use of three variants of inactivated vaccines against avian influenza, which causative agent is capable of genetic rearrangements and generation of extremely dangerous highly virulent forms. The refore there arise the need for accurate quantitative assessments of antibody titres, their benchmarking against threshold values and statistical analysis of the received results. The serological examinations allow obtaining the selections of antibody titres values, determining the arithmetic or geometric mean values, as well as statistical indicators such as standard deviations, coefficients of variation or standard error of the mean. to the parametric ones, since they are based on the given normal distribution of the elements of a selection. However, this condition is not always met, which leads to the incorrect conclusions, especially when conducting a comparative analysis. Alongside, it should be noted that banchmarking made in a group consisting of more than two selections cannot be made on independent pairs. In this case the special multi-comparative methods are required. The aim of this work was to conduct a comparative analysis of three antibody titres selections. The nonparametric multiple comparison Miller's method was applied, which is designed to detect the essentiality of mean trends differences in selections, regardless of the type of changing variables distribution. According to the method's algorithm, the entire array of experimental data was integrated into a common rank-ordered (ranked) row, where each variable was assigned a serial number (rank). Respective with the original selections, the variables' mean ranks were calculated. The mean ranks subtraction results and the necessary statistical operators were determined, which were benchmarked against the table values (the table is attached). Thus, the statistical significance of the discovered results of subtraction was drawn. The method did not require any special mathematical background of the researchers.


This paper re-examines (1) the relation between firm value and board structure and (2) the factors associated with cross-sectional variation in board structure. Conventional wisdom and existing empirical research suggest that firm value decreases as the size of the firm's board increases, and as the fraction of insiders on the board increases. In this paper, we argue that, contrary to conventional wisdom, some firms may benefit from having larger boards and greater fraction of insiders on the board. Outside directors serve both to monitor top management and to advise the CEO on business strategy. The monitoring role of the board has been studied extensively and the general consensus is that smaller boards are more effective at monitoring. The argument is that smaller groups are more cohesive, more productive, and can monitor the firm more effectively whereas large groups are fraught with problems such as social loafing and higher co-ordination costs. The advisory role of the board, however, has received far less attention. Since one function of board members is to provide advice and counsel to the CEO, we hypothesize that firms that require more advice (more complex firms) will need larger boards. In particular, we hypothesize that larger firms, diversified firms, and firms that rely more on debt financing, will derive greater firm value from having larger boards. Similarly, certain kinds of firms might benefit from higher insider representation on the board. Inside directors possess more firm-specific knowledge. Thus we conjecture that firms for which the firm-specific knowledge of insiders is relatively important, such as R&D-intensive firms, may derive greater value from having higher fraction of insiders on the board. Our findings are consistent with our hypotheses. For firms that have greater advising requirements, such as those that are large, diversified across industries, and rely more on debt financing, we find that Tobin's Q increases in board size. Furthermore, in firms for which the firm-specific knowledge of insiders is relatively important, such as R&D-intensive firms, Tobin's Q increases with the fraction of insiders on the board. Firms with high advising requirements have larger boards. Also, firms with high R&D have larger fraction of insiders on the board. These results challenge the notion that exchange listing requirements, mandates from institutional investors, and restrictions in the law, specifically those that limit board size and management representation on the board, necessarily enhance firm value.