Relationship Between Potassium Ion Channels and Airways Defence Reflexes Influenced by Experimentally Induced Allergic Inflammation in Guinea Pigs Previously, we declared important role of ATP-sensitive (KATP) and calcium-sensitive (BKCa) potassium ion channels in cough and other defence reflexes of the airways coupled with reactivity of airways smooth muscle (ASM) and suggested their potential use as antitussives and antiasthmatic drugs. The aim of presented studies was prove whether openers of potassium ion channels, KATP - pinacidil and BKCa - NS 1619, inhibit the cough reflex and modulate the ASM reactivity in conditions of experimental allergic inflammation of the airways in guinea pigs and if their influence on airways defence reflexes is changed by developing airways inflammation. Presented studies were realized in 4 partial experimental procedures with unsensitized guinea pigs and animal on 7th, 14th and 21th day of sensitization. Allergic inflammation of airways was induced by repetitive exposure of guinea pigs to ovalbumine and the degree of allergic inflammation was determined by histological analysis of tracheal and pulmonary samples. The cough reflex was induced by 0, 3 M citric acid aerosol for 3 min interval in which total number of coughs was counted. ASM reactivity in vivo was expressed as values of specific airway resistance (R. V) calculated by Pennock. The cough response on the citric acid was significantly increased on 7th and 14th days of sensitization. The experiments showed persistent cough suppressive effect of pinacidil almost similar to codeine. The antitussive activity of NS 1619 remained only on 7th day of sensitization similar to its effect in group of unsensitized animals. Sensitization by ovalbumine gradually increased the values of R. V on bronchoprovoking agent citric acid. Pinacidil suppressed R. V values of both, unsensitized and sensitized animals, more significantly than salbutamol. In unsensitized guinea pigs, NS 1619 significantly reduced R. V values, but allergic inflammation attenuated its bronchodilatory activity on 7th and 14th days. Histological analysis of specimens showed increasing signs of allergic inflammation during sensitization procedure as well as significant proinflammatory effect of pinacidil and NS 1619. Introduction of non-selective KATP agonists in clinical practice is strongly limited due to proinflammatory effect, but KATP of ASM represents a rational therapeutic target for novel drugs - tissue selective agonists of KATP.


M anaged care is not a new concept. Chronicles of the Sisters of Providence describe prepaid healthcare provided by Mother Joseph to early settlers in the Oregon Territory. Kaiser Permanente in the Northwest and Providence Good Health Plan have decades of experience in prepaid managed care, as do many other healthcare organizations in the United States. However, managed care is much more prevalent than before. To understand the role of managed care in our system, we first must understand why managed care has evolved.


The aim of this research was to synthesize, characterize as well as to investigate the anti-inflammatory properties of Zn (II) and Cu (II) as the central atoms using acetaminophen as the complexing agent. Cu (II) and Zn (II) Complexes were synthesized and characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, UV- Visible Spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction Analysis, Melting Point and Conductivity Measurements. On the basis of this study, it is proven that Acetaminophen acts as a bidentate ligand coordinated to the metal ions through phenol and carbonyl oxygen atom. The acute toxic effect was carried out by the method and the rats were found to be moderately toxic and slightly toxic. The test complexes in general showed maximum inhibition percentage at about 3 hours, after 4 hours it goes on reducing and reaches a minimum at about 5 hours.


The response of F.moniliforme towards, different varieties of sorghum and maize for infestation and fumonisins production was investigated. In local variety of sorghum phenol content increased to 0.62mg/g in the infested seeds followed by 0.38mg/g to 0.81mg/g in CSH6. Increased reducing sugars in infested seeds was observed in local yellow variety (272mg/ g). Free amino acids content decreased however the degree of decrease varied with variety. High amounts of fumonisins was recorded in local yellowsorghumvariety (0.73ig/ml). Increase in total phenols wasmore in white maize variety (0.38 to 0.90mg/g), free fatty acids was maximum in white variety (0.31 to 0.83). Kargil variety supported with lowamounts on fumonisins (0.38ig/ml).Acareful consideration has to be made in selecting a seed variety for cultivation.


without any significant increase in medication, but attributed to improved lifestyle and improved medication adherence. An extension study was conducted to determine the sustainability of glucose control. Patients were randomized with a ratio of 2:1 favouring intervention; there were no differences in the baseline characteristics of the patients with respect to age, gender, BMI, duration of diabetes, HbA1c or deprivation score. Patients still in the study after 1 year were invited to continue receiving care for a further 2 years, with the original randomization preserved and telecare support continued for the intervention group (in addition to usual care for bothgroups). The primary biomedical outcome variable remained the absolute change in HbA1c, as in the original trial. Changes in HbA1c from baseline to the end of each study year were calculated for each individual and differences between groups were tested using multivariate linear regression, adjusting for age, gender and size of primary care practice. Ethical approval was obtained for this extension study from the NHS Research Ethics Committee (Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh—reference no. 08 ⁄ H1014 ⁄ 25) and from the University of Manchester Research Ethics Committee. The PACCTS trial recruited 591 patients, of whom 501 (85%) entered the extension phase after 1 year. After 3 years, a further 76 patients had withdrawn (13%); there were similar proportions in each group: 47 ⁄ 318 (15%) vs. 29 ⁄ 182 (16%); P = 0.7. Patients with valid measurements for all 3 years (295 vs. 170) were included in the analysis. Table 1 shows mean levels of HbA1c in each group and changes from baseline to each year of follow-up. At the end of the study, there was a statistically significant reduction of HbA1c by 0.24% (confidence interval )0.47 to )0.01, P = 0.041) attributable to intervention. Regression estimates were uninfluenced by age, gender or size of primary care practice. At 3 years, 29.8% of telecare-supported patients reached the target HbA1c of 53 mmol ⁄ mol (7%) compared with 20.3% of usual care patients (P = 0.021). Patient use of medication was classed in a hierarchy from lowest to highest: lifestyle alone; lifestyle + one oral hypoglycaemic drug; lifestyle + two hypoglycaemic drugs; any of the former + insulin. Patients were categorized as having 'less' medication if they moved down the treatment hierarchy and 'more' if they moved up. There were no treatment group differences at baseline or any year of the study. Comparing baseline and year 3, proportions with less ⁄ same ⁄ more medication were for telecare: 5.8, 66.0 and 28.2% (n = 294); and usual care: 4.5, 70.1 and 25.5% (n = 157), (P = 0.646 v-test for ordered categories). We therefore report that proactive telecare support in addition to usual care demonstrates a continued beneficial effect on glucose control at 3 years. We believe this is clinically relevant, and is likely to be through improved medication compliance and lifestyle measures in the intervention arm, rather than differences in pharmacological interventions between the groups. Although fundamental to managing Type 2 diabetes, lifestyle changes are often difficult to achieve and sustain. The PACCTS intervention achieved improved glycaemic control without additional pharmacological means beyond usual care, and with a trial cohort drawn from a socio-economically deprived urban community. Our work adds more evidence to the application of telemedicine in the management of diabetes and other chronic illnesses [2,3].


The concept of vector summation of a target response to two orthogonal polarized signals for enhancing its delectability, even under concealed conditions, have been demonstrated. A dual polarized 94 GHz radiometer mounted on a dual axis scanning systems has been utilized to collect the field data for the study of the concept. Emissivity gradient due to the presence of target embedded in a given background has been plotted in both orientation i.e. along x and y axis of the target using both horizontal and vertical polarization. Enhanced contrast due to vector summation of orthogonal polarization has been traced in both polarizations for concept validation.


The world of the late seventeenth century was a very different one from that of a hundred years earlier. Religious tensions seemed to have fallen into the background. A new London was rising out of the fire of 1666 around the slowly growing walls of Wren's Cathedral, the foundation stone of which was laid in 1675; this was the age of Dryden, Pepys, and Isaac Newton. For the most part Catholics and Protestants got on together as neighbours, not asking too many questions. The penal laws, though still on the Statute Book, were disregarded. Yet for all its seeming modernity, there was a darker side to late seventeenth century English society. The world of the restored Stuart monarchy reflected a society lacking confidence, subject to scares and alarms. Popular fears of a restoration of Catholicism, a mood of discontent in the country, and political intrigue in Court and Parliament all contributed to what Lingard describes as 'one of the most extraordinary occurrences in our domestic history':1 the hysteria generated by a plot purported to have been uncovered by Titus Oates, information of which was given to Charles II by his laboratory assistant during his usual early morning walk one summer day in 1678.


Research purposes:When the mean pilot construction of Dayaoshan Tunnel 1 of Wuchang-Guangzhou Railway Passenger Dedicated Line was conducted into Fault 6,the water-surging happened on the working face.The boring in advance showed in front of the working face there was a high-pressure rich water karst crush belt with total length of 11.5m,which cut the mean pilot laterally and could not be kept away,so it is necessary to do the researched for solving this tough problem. Research results:The overall construction principle of"Verifying water first,grouting in advance,laying pipe shed later,supplemental grouting through pipe shed,excavation later on,supplemental grouting radially and quick lining"was followed and the method of"Integration of drainage with block"was applied in the construction, which brought the mean pilot safe and fast passing through this fault crush belt.


A sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) and phosphorylated graphene oxide (PGO) composite of a cation-exchange membrane with low frictional coefficient and high limiting current density has been reported for water desalination by rapid electrodialysis. The incorporation of PGO in the membrane matrix showed a significant impact on the macroscopic properties, counterion frictional coefficient, and performance of the membrane. A well-optimized SPEEK/PGO-8 (8% PGO content, w/w) membrane showed improved conductivity (4.15 × 10–2 S cm–1) and permselectivity (87%), and excellent stabilities (thermal, mechanical, and chemical) because of cherished polymer–PGO (filler) interaction via H-bonding. The efficiency of the SPEEK/PGO-8 membrane was also evaluated for the desalination of brackish water near limiting current density (Ilim). Ion concentration polarization (ICP) was assessed by i–V curves, and below Ilim, water splitting or change in product water pH was ruled out. While above Ilim (10.5 mA cm–2), ICP was significant and could be finally tuned with applied current density for producing desalinated water with a desired pH. Furthermore, improved Ilim, high current efficiency (82.9%), and low energy consumption (7.9 kWh kg–1 of the salt removed) of the SPEEK/PGO-8 membrane during electrodialysis provide a broad current window for efficient and rapid water desalination/purification.


This report discusses the current crisis involving the Islamic State, which is a transnational Sunni Islamist insurgent and terrorist group that has expanded its control over areas of parts of Iraq and Syria since 2013.


The performance of external coating directly affects the service life of pipeline.And because of constructional quality,natural ageing etc,the damage of external coating has frequently appeared.Therefore,it is necessary to detect and rehabilitate external coating in time.Based on analyzing the domestic status of coating technology,this paper describes several detection and rehabilitation methods commonly used.Finally,according to the project practice on Jinan-Zibo line,recommendations are made to guide the detection and rehabilitation of external coating.


In the Philippines, mental illness remains a stigmatized, under-researched topic. Few studies on mental health are available, and at present, there is scant literature concerning the experiences of people living with and giving care to mentally ill peoples. This qualitative study aims to help families, mental health professionals, and the general community, gain an understanding of the experiences of caregivers and the challenges they face in sustaining their roles. Phenomenological method was employed for this research to explore the experiences of caregivers of the mentally ill patients in a Mental Health Facility in Leyte, Philippines. The primary data were collected through in-depth interviews with carers/caregivers/relatives of five (5) mentally ill persons. Library and internet desk research in its related literature were also employed. General findings of the study showed that caring for a mentally ill is burdensome. Data analysis revealed four superordinate themes under the experiences of caregivers, these consists of 1) caregiving difficulties, 2) various emotional reactions, 3) attitude towards the situation, and 4) positive caregiving experiences. Several support programs and services such as provision of mental health education and counseling regarding facts about the illness, its treatment and management, and leniency on watcher requirements during hospital admission are recommended to facilitate better caregiving experience of carers of the mentally ill.


In this paper the possibility to extract information about drops vibration and deformation using the polarization characteristics of electromagnetic wave and receiving antennas are considered. The mathematical expression that demonstrates the impact of drop shape deformation and vibration onto the field reflected from liquid hydrometeor assemble and received by the antenna with arbitrary polarization (k) has been obtained. Results of computer simulation proved the fact vibration component contribution into the received signal can registered by selection of polarization angle of the receiving antenna. Taking into account the physics of atmospheric process the possibility to segregate polarization variation caused by turbulence from other origins is proposed.


Based on a sample of data from ministries, local authorities and other official open sources of information regarding the consequences of the destruction of the Kakhovska HPP dam and their analysis, it was found that they are inaccurate. Taking into account the above, the scientists of the Institute of Land Use of the National Academy of Sciences developed a methodology for determining the areas of flooded land affected by the destruction of the Kakhovska HPP dam, the territory under the Kakhovska Reservoir, which includes satellite images, geoinformation technologies, and artificial intelligence technologies. To identify and estimate the area of flooded land, satellite images were analysed before the terrorist attack and as of June 9, 2023, according to the results of which it was established that the total area of flooding according to the ESA WorldCover land cover classes was about 65 thousand hectares.

Investigating the suitability for use of agricultural land for its intended purpose in the regions affected by the destruction, a land database with information on coordinates, intended purpose, form of ownership and other cadastre information was created from open sources of information.

It was found that the number of land plots registered in the State Land Cadastre and located in the flooding zone is 30,325 plots. Other areas that are in the flooding zone are not registered. The total area of these areas affected by the flood is about 25 thousand hectares, including 9.8 thousand hectares (38%) - agricultural land. Only 20% of them are privately owned (three-quarters of them are agricultural land and one-quarter is land for residential and public development).

It was established that the share of the area of land plots in the flooding zone in the total area by forms of ownership is: 56.5% - state property; 22.1% are communal, 20.3% are private, and 1.2% remain unspecified.


The invention belongs to analysis technical field, and in particular to a kind of method of N methyl diethanolamine contents in LC-MS analysis water.Water sample of the present invention is directly analyzed after 0.22 μm of filtering with microporous membrane, liquid chromatogram separation, and mobile phase is used as using methanol aqueous formic acid system, isocratic elution, quadrupole rod _ flight time mass spectrum detector, using external standard method, is quantitatively detected with the peak area of Objective extraction ion.Precision of the present invention is good, the rate of recovery is high, detection limit is low, it is particularly suitable for micro, even trace N methyl diethanolamines detection in industrial wastewater, industrial cycle water, drinking water, the discharge of Fast Evaluation industrial wastewater is whether there is water resource is polluted, industrial cycle with the excellent quality of water water quality and the processing for such industrial wastewater and cycling use of water, using and quote sanitary of water sources safeguard procedures and play effective directive function.The present invention can realize the direct detection to sample, without carrying out any pre-treatment to sample, greatly reduce analysis time, and method is simple and easy to apply, convenient and reliable.


Three years ago, at the end of the present Editor's first year of service, a corresponding report was made. At that time, the journal had finished its sixth year and seemed to be growing slowly but steadily. The Editor wondered a little about the future continuation of this growth, but felt justified in expressing cautious optimism and in continuing the policies inherited from his predecessor. One of these policies was the encouragement of single definitive publications as compared with multiple progress reports. During 1959, several opportunities arose for implementing this policy and, encouraged by his associates 011 the Editorial Board, the Editor took advantage of these. He recognized the hazard of reversing the hard-won trend toward brevity, but counted on the collective wisdom of the Editorial Board and the good sense of the


Technical issues of Ti-N system arc ion coating technology were discussed,relations between processing parameters were analyzed,process design thinking taking the coating temperature as a main parameter was presented,structure and composition of the wear and corrosion resistance film were studied,and gas ion etching technology for increasing sharpness of the arc coated cutting tools was introduced.


Religion is an increasingly dominant force in global affairs and in different social activities around the world. Sociologist Peter Berger (1999: 9) states that 'The world today is massively religious, is anything but the secularised world that had been predicted (whether joyfully or despondently) by so many analysts of modernity'. Yet, as noted in other studies (Subedi et al. 2006: 218), religion and religious perspectives are not often discussed in relation to multi/intercultural education. Within the field of multi/intercultural education, issues like nation, culture, ethnicity, race/racism, class, gender, sexism, linguicism and heterosexism are often listed in the literature. In the recent Handbook of Research on Multicultural Education (Banks and McGee Banks 2004), there is no chapter on religion specifically and in many other books on multi/intercultural education and identity, religion is scarcely ever mentioned. One could perhaps argue that since the breakthrough of rationality and scientism in the West1, the interest, understanding and ability to interpret issues through a religious prism have been reduced. On the other hand, in work dealing with religion and new religious perspectives, not much is mentioned concerning public education, religious influences and plurality in schools.


*Corresponding Author E-mail: email@example.com Tel.:+2348032858581 The study investigated the prevalence of Haemo and gastrointestinal parasites in slaughtered Dogs in (Kugiya) Jos South L.G.A. of Plateau State. One hundred and fifty faecal and blood samples were collected from both local and exotic breed, age and sex of the dogs were also considered. Samples were taken to the Parasitology division of the NVRI, Vom for analysis. The parasites were determined using floatation concentration methods while the blood smears were analyzed using Giemsa-stained thin blood smears, was examined for haemoparasites. An overall prevalence of 46(100%) for gastrointestinal parasites and 21(14%) for haemoparasites was recorded. The prevalence was higher in the young 28(37.33) and 14(18.67) than in the adult 8(10.67%) and 12(16.00%) in the case of gastro and heamoparasites respectively. The prevalence in relation to sex shows that the male had a higher prevalence 33(44.00%) and 21(28%) than the female 3(100%) in terms of both the enteric and the haemo parasites respectively, no heamoparasite was observed in the case of the female. The prevalence was seen to be higher in the local breed than the exotic breeds. This study provides evidence that parasitic infections are prevalent in dogs in the study areas.


Objective: To quantify the cost‐effectiveness of, and evaluate patient satisfaction with, day care for management of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.


The urgent tasks of building mobile flying communication networks based on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are considered and systematized. An essential part of the study is the task of "securing" reliable communications between terrestrial users. Coverage is built, taking into account the terrain map with the inclusion of impassable and hazardous areas. The urgent tasks are providing mobile networks, depending on the number of available aerial vehicles (AV). The task of the optimal trajectory movement of AV should be solved on terrain maps using accurate and heuristic algorithms. Under conditions of random wind loads, problems arise in maintaining the stability of the network configuration. The solution involves tracking safe distances, stabilizing, and correcting AV locations. Modelling is a necessary stage of research. Simulation modelling can be performed, taking into account mathematical models and using queuing theory. The practical significance of the work lies in the possibility of building intelligent technology and software to increase the autonomy of UAVs as part of groupings to ensure reliable communication in hard-to-reach areas under external threats and instability of the surrounding air environment.


Knowledge-oriented education and Intelligence oriented education are essentially different educational ways,which share dissimilarities as well as commonalities.Traditionally,ideological and political education,influenced by instrumental rationality and scientific and technological rationality of the industrial society,employs the knowledge-oriented teaching method,which neglects the authentic meaning of education.Education is social practice actiuities of human beings,the attribute of which provides the possibility and necessity of intelligence oriented education.Therefore ,it is necessary to alter the traditional comepts in modern fines so that ideological and political education could return to human nature and life realistically.


Objective
To evaluate the expanded HIV detection strategy in Taizhou of Zhejiang province by using the cost-effectiveness analysis, so as to provide evidence of AIDS prevention strategy formulation.

Methods
Based on field investigation, the implementation of HIV detection strategy in Taizhou during 2009-2013 was investigated by questionnaire survey to collect related cost and effectiveness information. The amount of HIV positive-detected patients and information of follow-up visit were collected through national AIDS comprehensive control data and information system. The Bernoulli-process model was used to calculate the number of infections through sexual transmission avoided by expanded HIV testing strategy. The ratio of cost and effectiveness was regarded as the index to analyze cost effectiveness.

Results
From 2009 to 2013, the total cost of HIV testing strategy in Taizhou was 43.355 million yuan. A total of 2 798 535 persons were tested, and 1 421 were found HIV infected (5.1/10 000) , among whom 1 164 (81.9%) were included in the follow-up management. The average cost of HIV detection for finding each new case of HIV infection was 30 510.2 yuan, and the average cost of HIV detection for bringing each new case of HIV infection into the follow-up management was 37 246.6 yuan. Based on the Bernoulli-process model, the total number of HIV infections through sexual transmission avoided by expanded HIV testing strategy was about 3 105 (range: 2 525-3 787) persons. The cost effectiveness analysis showed that the average cost of HIV detection for avoiding each new case of HIV infection through sexual transmission was 13 963.0 (range: 11 448.4-17 170.3) yuan.

Conclusions
The expanded HIV testing strategy has great economic and public health benefits in Taizhou. It is better to further expand the HIV testing strategy in high-risk groups. At the same time, the follow-up management of positive patients needs to be taken into consideration.

Key words:
HIV; Testing strategy; Cost-effectiveness


In this letter, we propose a novel robust impulse radio-ultra-wide band (IR-UWB) receiver design that utilizes the received UWB signal cluster sparsity characteristics to mitigate impulse noise (IN). The IN samples are easily detected and removed in the proposed receiver. Furthermore, multiple UWB signal clusters (due to multipath channel), in the proposed receiver design, reduce UWB signal blanking loss as compared with the single cluster (single path channel). The proposed receiver's bit error rate (BER) performance is theoretically analyzed and compared with six popular existing non-linear receivers in the presence of IN over standardized IEEE 802.15.4a channel models. Unlike the existing receivers, the proposed receiver does not require a priori knowledge of the amplitude, the probability of occurrence of IN, or channel estimation.


A five-year-old Yorkshire Terrier with a history of polyuria, polydipsia and glycosuria was referred for investigation and treatment of suspected diabetes mellitus. Despite persistent glycosuria, blood glucose levels remained within the normal range. The dog's condition deteriorated rapidly and euthanasia was carried out. A diagnosis of the Fanconi syndrome was made.


Six species of genus Anguilla,including Anguilla rostrata,A.anguilla,A.bicolor pacifica,A.marmorata,A.australis and A.japonica are cultured in China.Misidentification on the fry will impact farmers'income because of different Anguilla species with different prices in China.In this study,we tried to use two molecular markers(1179bp-length mitochondrial CO Ⅰ gene and 633bp-length CO Ⅱ gene) to discriminate the six species based on 54 fry individuals.The percentage of variable sites in COⅠ and COⅡ was 17.98% and 16.45% respectively.And the percentage of parsimony-informative sites was 12.16% and 10.11% in COⅠ and COⅡ.The negative bias for G was observed in both COⅠ and COⅡ genes in checked samples,and their G frequences were 18.45% and 16.67% respectively.The pairwise distances based on either COⅠor COⅡ among six eel species were almost more than 2% except for only one between A.rostrata and A.anguilla based on COⅡ,and the former was a little higher than the latter.But the genetic distances within each species were all less than 1% based on two genes.Although there existed a small difference between two cluster results of six eel species,which was based on COⅠ gene or COⅡ gene,all individuals of each species formed a strong monophyletic group on NJ and Mrbayes trees.Taken together,both COⅠand COⅡgenes are good molecular markers to be used in species identification in genus Anguilla,and our results may be helpful for eel aquaculture industry in China.


trine in the Southern Pacific' (19). In the 1940s, with the old European colonial empires collapsing, Labor External Affairs Minister Evatt insisted, 'the control or supervision of control over neighbouring territories will be vital to the future security of Australia... ' (42). What gives this book particular significance is the use of 'highly classified Cabinet Notebooks'. Intended not to be made public for fifty years, these record frank deliberation among ministers – and until now, according to Hunt, have never been 'drawn on extensively'. I find the new material interesting in three areas. First, it shows how anxious the Australian leadership was about the security situation in the region following the end of European colonial rule. Some assessments have viewed the Menzies Government as building on Monroe Doctrine thinking, and as seeking a colonial role for Australia in the Southwest Pacific. The Notebooks, however, portray 'a tentative, uncertain Cabinet assessing issues from a defensive point of view' (72), and turning away from an earlier Labor tendency to 'intrud[e] into other people's business' (73). Even after the 1951 ANZUS Treaty, it should be added, a number of senior Australian ministers were sceptical about the United States 'defending the Pacific' (95), or even being willing to alienate Indonesia. John McEwen felt the US would 'ditch us... to maintain persona grata with Indonesia... ' (83). Second, Hunt offers evidence for an observation from the mid-1950s – quoted long ago in Werner Levi's Australia's Outlook on Asia (1958) – that runs counter to much written about the Menzies period. The observation was that never before had an Australian government 'shown such acute consciousness of its geographical and strategic relations with Asia' (172). Menzies, to be sure, continued to regret the end of European colonial rule; just as future Labor leader Calwell declared, 'we can no more let the Indonesians into Dutch New Guinea than we can let them into Darwin' (54). Nevertheless, senior ministers concentrated on Southeast Asian issues – attempting to build relations there and aware that provoking Indonesian hostility would risk 'alienating Asian opinion' (109). They even faced criticism from Labor for being too sympathetic toward Indonesian claims to West New Guinea. Third, the central figure in the Menzies Government's foreign relations planning – so the Notebooks demonstrate – was not Menzies or the External Affairs Ministers but Trade Minister John McEwen. Although his courageous role in the Australia-Japan Commerce Agreement of 1957 – and long command of Australian trade policy – is widely acknowledged, McEwen's long-term influence on Australia's foreign relations has received little scholarly attention. Dealing with West New Guinea, the various Malaya/Malaysia crises or the Vietnam challenge, the Cabinet Notebooks reveal McEwen's dominance. It was he who stressed Australia's Indonesia priority, insisting that 'geography will endure and Indonesia will always be where it is' (127). Menzies in several instances seems to take a lead from McEwen, and Menzies spent so long overseas that McEwen actually headed the government for 550 days between 1958 and 1971. Bruce Hunt has written convincingly of PNG's role in Australia's security thinking; equally important, his study provokes the question: should we begin to speak of the Menzies– McEwen rather than the Menzies era?


We present a synthetic division approach to compute partial fraction decompositions of rational functions. This method can determine the unknown partial fraction coefficients successively, without the need to use differentiation or to solve a system of linear equations. Examples of its applications in indefinite integration, Laurent series, inverse Laplace transform, linear ordinary differential equations, and linear recursive relations are provided.


China's animation industry shows a scene of prosperity everywhere due to the vigorous promotion by governments at all levels.However,we cannot be optimistic about the development of animation industry,since the pattern of industrial chain used by the industry still follows the common pattern of foreign industrial chain,which has radically hampered China's further development in animation industry.Therefore,it is particularly urgent to explore the industrial chain suitable for China's national conditions and foster the industrial chain of Chinese-style.Moreover,In the course of shifting from "Made in China" to "Created in China",the research on the mode of industrial chain for Chinese-style animation is undoubtedly of worldwide significance,and it is highly possible to mark the rise of a fourth industrial pattern apart from the United States,Japan and South Korea.


Objectives  Ghrelin has been proposed to be a regulator of energy balance, and its dysregulation may be important in obesity. The aims of this study were (i) to compare short‐ and long‐term changes in circulating ghrelin concentration after increasing energy expenditure vs. its changes after decreasing energy intake, (ii) to determine factors associated with changes in ghrelin level, and (iii) to assess relationships of ghrelin concentration with metabolic syndrome (MetS) in prepubescent obese children.


Probabilistic uncertain linguistic sets (PULTSs) have widely been used in MADM or MAGDM. The CODAS method, which is a novel MADM or MAGDM tool, aims to acquire the optimal choice which have the largest Euclidean & Hamming distances from the NIS. This paper designs the probabilistic uncertain linguistic CODAS (PUL-CODAS) method with sine entropy weight. Finally, a numerical example for green supplier selection is given and the obtained results are compared with some existing models.


According to Kulman (1999), in her article, "What'd you say?" for nearly one third of the 28 million Americans with hearing loss, "Toxic noise is the main culprit" (p. 2). But perhaps more alarming was her identification of the sources as tools and toys of recreation. Americans are pounding their ears with gas-powered leaf blowers and high-amplified stereos, with NASCAR races and 1,875watt hair dryers, even, remarkably, with children's playthings. (p. 2)


The present invention relates to the field of medicine, particularly to febuxostat tablet and preparation method thereof. The starting material febuxostat his tablets, the tablet core comprising: in parts by weight, 5-30 parts febuxostat, 30-90 parts filler, 2-20 parts of disintegrant, 0.5 to 15 parts adhesive , 0.5-5 parts of a lubricant, a suitable amount of wetting agent. The preparation method comprises: weighing; febuxostat, fillers, disintegrants, binders blended, pulverized; filtered twice; granulation; sulfate; filtered dry granules; adding a disintegrating agent, a lubricant were mixed; tabletting, coating. The present invention facilitates dissolution of febuxostat, improve bioavailability, less prescription form, no additional surfactant is added for solubilization, simple and readily available materials, the process is simple and operable.


A new approach to evaluating hillslope soil erosion was developed when conventional erosion assessment strategies were found to be inappropriate to a 1,300 km2 intensively cultivated drainage basin in highland Ecuador. Methods used in this project enabled relatively rapid and inexpensive estimates of soil erosion on agricultural lands to be made throughout the study area. One phase of the work involved replicated experiments using a portable rainfall simulator. Erosion rates of zero to 836 tonnes/ha/yr were estimated in the catchment and areas of greatest soil loss under present land-use conditions were identified. The research methodology which evolved from this project is particularly useful in defining which lands are relatively more fragile than others and in targeting certain areas for highest priority conservation efforts.


Some philosophical approaches are so deeply attached to legal systems that any legal development based on another normative justification would be misread or just neglect it. This seems to be the particular case of the Mexican Supreme Court regarding the North American Free Trade Agreement Article 1705(3). This paper analyzes both common law and continental (or civil law) normative approaches to copyrights. It also explains the continental conceptions about authors' rights that played a significant role in two recent decisions of the Mexican Supreme Court on the issue of alienability restrictions in the Mexican Copyright Act.


Although there are still too few geriatric specialists, the fields of nursing, medicine, and social work are pushing in the right direction to make sure their practitioners have basic training in geriatrics. Healthcare for older adults requires a knowledgeable, professional workforce at both the generalist and specialist levels. As America's 77 million baby boomers age, the impact on the healthcare system will be immense. Yet less than 1 percent of nurses, physicians, dentists, social workers, and other medical professionals have geriatric certification (Mezey et al., 2008). Clearly, we lack an adequate workforce prepared to meet the needs of older adults in years to come (Institute of Medicine, 2008). The time has never been more urgent to expand this geriatric workforce. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides a framework and an impetus for expanding current geriatric workforce initiatives. While continuing to train geriatric specialists, educators have begun to direct their efforts to assure that entry-level and graduate students in the health professions have minimum competencies in geriatrics. Nurses, doctors, social workers, and others practicing today had virtually no exposure to geriatrics in their educational programs, so attention is being paid to assure that professionals now practicing have access to continuing education in the care of older adults. This article describes ongoing initiatives that address geriatric workforce competency and how these efforts support and can be supported by the goals of the ACA. We will initially address the impact of the ACA on geriatric education, then describe geriatric competencies in nursing, medicine, and social work as they relate to undergraduate and graduate education and practicing professionals, and the renewed importance of competency in interdisciplinary education and practice in the care of older adults. We close with observations and recommendations that expand on the relationship between geriatric workforce education and healthcare reform. How Does Healthcare Reform Affect Geriatric Workforce Education? On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law. Among the ACA's key provisions was an increase in the healthcare workforce. While not specific to older adults, the ACA includes workforce provisions regarding the number, educational preparation, and recruitment of practitioners; establishment of community-based teaching health centers and oral health training centers; and development of interdisciplinary mental and behavioral health training programs. The ACA would increase the number of graduate medical education training positions through redistribution of unused slots, and address the shortage and retention of professional nurses by increasing funding for education to build workforce capacity, help to repay loans, and support career-ladder programs (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2010). Geriatric Competencies in Nursing, Medicine, and Social Work Education and Practice Nursing Geriatrics is a longstanding specialty within nursing. Geriatric nurse practitioners and clinical specialists receive master's level certification. Given the small number of these practitioners, however, over the past ten years, nursing has heavily invested in assuring the geriatric competency of all entry-level, baccalaureateprepared nurses. In 2005, a third of bachelor's of science in nursing (BSN) programs had a stand-alone, required geriatric course, and all programs integrated geriatrics into their curricula (Berman et al., 2005). Since 1996, funding from the John A. Hartford Foundation, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), and the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at New York University College of Nursing, has helped develop geriatric competencies applicable to all BSN programs (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2010a). …


The conductance drop under AFM-tip deformation can be explained by stretching of the tube length. NT sensors can be built utilizing uniform stretching. Single sp3 bond cross section cannot block electrons, because another conducting path may exist. AFM tip which forms sp3 bonds with the tube will decrease conductance. In the "table experiment" a conductance drop of 2 orders of magnitude happened only after some bonds were broken.


Byron's allusions to the Greek Church and its clergy in his verse are few and insignificant. However, in his letters, journals, and notes, as well as in accounts by others, Byron referred to personages and matters of Greek Orthodoxy in a manner that showed his mastery of the relevant lore. These cultural echoes include views by his Albanian servant Basil, Byron's two encounters with "bishop" Gregorius (1809, 1823), comments on Ayia Sophia, the fit Byron had in the Monastery above Sami in Cephalonia, his theft of a precious volume by Archbishop Meletius, his desire to publish his English translation of a treatise by Eusebius—which the poet had done from an Armenian version of the lost Greek text—his hostility to St Athanasius's strict concept of Orthodoxy (which Byron understood and discussed in secular terms), and his answer to Dr Kennedy concerning N. Vamvas's possible cor rection of the Greek vernacular translation of the Testaments. Under political contacts I discuss Metropolitan Ignatius's letters to, and about, Byron, after his departure for embattled Greece; Byron's friendship with Bishop Joseph, acting Metropolitan at Missolonghi in 1824; Joseph's and Metropolitan Porphyrius's possible functions during the poet's funeral; and Joseph's fittingly "Byronic" death in the aftermath of the heroic Exodus from Missolonghi (1826). Although the cultural echoes were not particularly significant, Byron's political contacts with these Prelates were important to the cause of Greek Independence.


Postoperative angiograms show immediate haemodynamic changes in large vessels, with a decrease in the diameter of the internal carotid artery and filling of vascular territories not previously injected. In 90% of the feeding vessels there is a disproportion between vessel lumen and flow after removal of the angioma. Mechanisms for adaptation exist, but they are inadequate in the immediate postoperative period. There is an increased risk of postoperative bleeding and brain swelling in patients with long feeding vessels, which are visible for longer than ten seconds in the angiogram.


We prove a global existence and uniqueness result for the solution of a mixed stochastic functional differential equation driven by a Wiener process and fractional Brownian motion with Hurst index H > 1/2. We also study the dependence of the solution on the initial condition.


Let f : Zn → Rn be a mapping satisfying the direction preserving property that fi(x)> 0 implies fi(y) ≥ 0 for any integer points x and y with ∥x− y∥∞ ≤ 1. We assume that there is an integer point x0 with c ≤ x0 ≤ d satisfying that max 1≤i≤n (xi − x0 i ) fi(x)> 0 for any integer point x with f (x) ∕= 0 on the boundary of H = {x ∈ Rn ∣ c− e ≤ x ≤ d + e}, where c and d are two finite integer points with c ≤ d and e = (1,1, ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ,1)⊤ ∈ Rn. This assumption is implied by one of two different conditions for the existence of an integer zero point of the mapping in van der Laan et al. (2004). Under the assumption, there is an integer point x∗ ∈ H such that f (x∗) = 0. A constructive proof of the existence is derived from an application of the well-known (n+1)-ray algorithm for computing a fixed point. The existence result has applications in general equilibrium models with indivisible commodities.


Import dependence on livestock products in 2017 amounted to more than 23%, while the share of domestic livestock products in the market did not exceed 81%. A systematic study of various aspects of improving the competitiveness of dairy cattle breeding in Russia has allowed us to develop a theoretical and methodological basis for studying this problem. Based on the economic essence of the concept of "competitiveness," we believe that only with the profitable management of the industry as a whole, one can raise the question of the competitive advantages and competitiveness of each type of livestock production. Through a detailed costing, the degree of influence of internal and external factors that ensure the competitive management of the industry is determined, and the main factors constraining the realization of the natural competitive advantages of domestic livestock farming under current conditions are considered. Conceptual solutions to improve the competitiveness of the production of milk, beef, and breeding products are proposed, ensuring the industry's withdrawal from the state of stagnation. A set of new government regulatory mechanisms has been developed that have an effective impact on improving the competitiveness of domestic producers of animal products. The consistent state policy pursued by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Breeding of the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia in the field of dairy cattle breeding led the industry to competitive positions in all product areas. However, to increase profitability and develop domestic dairy cattle breeding through expanded reproduction, it is necessary to further improve the legislative framework for solving urgent problems, including the proposals developed in the L. K. Ernst Federal Science Center for Animal Husbandry.


The historical changes of the waterways of the Grand Canal (Hangzhou section) are studied, its value and area are defined, functions of the Grand Canal (Hangzhou section) and its role in the development of Hangzhou City are discussed. The main views are as follows. (1) Functions of the Grand Canal (Hangzhou section) consist of shipping, water conservancy, accepting pollutants, sight\|seeing, ecology and culture; (2) Shipping was the most prominent role before modern times and had the utmost important effect on the development of Hangzhou City, which esp. in the early ancient period determined the springing up and flourishing of Hangzhou City and controlled its basic spatial pattern; (3) Nowadays, the functions of sight\|seeing, ecology and culture become more essential so that the Grand Canal (Hangzhou section) should play an important role on pushing forward the City's development and making the image of Hangzhou City perfect.


Running with sliding pressure is a more economical way when steam turbine in peaking state,so to determine the initial pressure of steam optimization is significant.Using the calculated results of variable steam turbine operating conditions,the pump characteristics,circulating pump characteristic curve fitting,with the aim of the minimum difference between actual supply power with the planning and scheduling loads to establishment the most excellent initial pressure mathematical model of peaking operation sliding pressure operation.with 300MW power plant unit as an example to calculate,get optimal initial pressure curve in sliding pressure operation,help guiding the economic performance of operating,also can be used as the base value of power plant energy analysis.A simple analysis of issues based on the theory,integrated multi-known conditions of plant operation parameters optimization of this approach is worth exploring the researchers.


Homeless youth are an understudied and stigmatized group. In their daily lives, these youth confront negative social perceptions and harrowing circumstances related to survival, which may present challenges to the construction of a meaningful, coherent identity. Using the theoretical notion of narrative engagement (Hammack & Cohler, 2009), this study explores how youth experiencing homelessness make meaning of their lived experiences and engage with dominant discourses about homelessness that stigmatize and devalue them. A narrative analysis of 4 case studies, drawn from in-depth life story interviews with 11 unhoused youth in the United States, suggests that despite experience of struggle and loss, participants demonstrated the ability to (a) resist contamination through the construction of redemptive narratives, grounded in agency and resilience; and (b) resist dominant narratives about homelessness by attributing their circumstances to external causes and by critiquing institutions and figures perceived as holding power. In doing so, participants refused to adopt a "criminal" or "client" master narrative of homeless identity, instead affirming the value and worth of their knowledge, experiences, and identities. This study reveals the active agency of homeless youth to construct counternarratives in which they may restory their identities to find resilience in the margins.


Since the thermal environment of large space buildings such as stadiums can vary depending on the location of the stands, it is important to divide them into different zones and evaluate their thermal environment separately. The thermal environment can be evaluated using physical values measured with the sensors, but the occupant density of the stadium stands is high, which limits the locations available to install the sensors. As a method to resolve the limitations of installing the sensors, we propose a method to predict the thermal environment of each zone in a large space. We set six key thermal factors affecting the thermal environment in a large space to be predicted factors (indoor air temperature, mean radiant temperature, and clothing) and the fixed factors (air velocity, metabolic rate, and relative humidity). Using artificial neural network (ANN) models and the outdoor air temperature and the surface temperature of the interior walls around the stands as input data, we developed a method to predict the three thermal factors. Learning and verification datasets were established using STAR CCM+ (2016.10, Siemens PLM software, Plano, TX, USA). An analysis of each model's prediction results showed that the prediction accuracy increased with the number of learning data points. The thermal environment evaluation process developed in this study can be used to control heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) facilities in each zone in a large space building with sufficient learning by ANN models at the building testing or the evaluation stage.


This paper bases on the reality of higher vocational colleges, focuses on he future of higher vocational education to explain the definition of refined management of office work from understanding the connotation of the fine management.Then, it analyzes the objective demand of refined management of office work in higher vocational colleges, try putting forward basic strategies with which the offices carry out the refined management in higher vocational colleges to enhance the overall performance of office work.


A new method for generating artificial fingerprints is presented. Due to their uniqueness and durability, fingerprints are invaluable tools for identification for law enforcement and other purposes. Large databases of varied, realistic artificial fingerprints are needed to aid in the development and evaluation of automated systems for criminal or biometric identification. Further, an effective method for simulating fingerprints may provide insight into the biological processes underlying print formation. However, previous attempts at simulating prints have been unsatisfactory. We approach the problem of creating artificial prints through a pattern formation model. We demonstrate how it is possible to generate distinctive patterns that strongly resemble real fingerprints via a system of partial differential equations with a suitable domain and initial conditions.


The purpose of the present invention is to provide: a method for evaluating the quality of a human mesenchymal stem cell; a method for separating, selecting and culturing a human mesenchymal stem cell; a human mesenchymal stem cell population which can proliferate rapidly; and a monoclonal antibody which can specifically recognize a human mesenchymal stem cell that proliferates rapidly. Human mesenchymal stem cells that proliferate rapidly are separated and selected from a cell population containing human mesenchymal stem cells, and are then cultured. The abundance ratio of cells each having Ror2 or Fzd5 expressed therein in the cell population that has been separated, selected and cultured is quantified to determine whether or not the cell population passes or fails.


Abstract
This study offers an observation on contemporary Chinese Mahayana Buddhist community in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, Malaysia. The author focuses on the contemporary Chinese Mahayana Buddhist community in Malaysia as represented by the three selected Chinese Mahayana Buddhist temples in Jalan Kelang Lama of Kuala Lumpur, and Shah Alam and Ampang of Selangor. The methodology that is employed in this research is qualitative methodology that includes interviews and non-participant observation on the members of Malaysian Chinese Mahayana Buddhist temples and organizations in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. Although generalization cannot be made to other Buddhist associations outside Shah Alam and Kuala Lumpur, findings indicate that the Malaysian Chinese Mahayana Buddhist is an organized association and there are many programs and activities offered to its members.
Keywords: Ethics, Mahayana Buddhism, Chinese, Philosophy, Malaysia


KOŽA, Dusan, Bc.: Quantitative easing of FED's monetary policy and its impact on global finance assets. [Master´s theses]. Bankovni institut vysoka skola Praha, zahranicna vysoka skola Banska Bystrica. Katedra financii uctovnictva a poisťovnictva. Consultant: Ing. Valer Demjan PhD. Year: 2013. Pages: 78. Master´s theses is dealing with quantitative easing of Federal reserve system monetary policy and its impact on global financial assets. In first chapter is about central banking in general. It describes the history of origin of central banking, ways of founding and main targets of central banking. It describes functions and activities of central banks as emitting activity, regulation and inspection, currency activity and is more closely focusing on monetary policy of central banks. Second chapter is analyzing the actual financial crisis. It describes the cause of financial crisis, mortgage market of USA and the crisis in USA and Eurozone. It is focusing on FED´s monetary policy and on quantitative easing of monetary policy. Third chapter is analyzing the effect of quantitative easing on chosen financial assets. Analyze is comparing the assets during the period of QE I – IV and in time when this program was not running. Results will be summarized on the end of the work.


Introduction Self-determination construct is a motivation theory used in professional and educational context to foster special needs teachers' development of metacognition, and psychological wellbeing. The Learning Climate Questionnaire (LCQ) is a validate questionnaire used to underly teachers' professional and personal competence, and improving social, emotional and career outcomes. The present paper aims to evaluate the degree of reliability (R1) and the adherence of construct validity to the construct of self-determination (R2) of the Italian adaptation of the LCQ. Methods A confirmatory factorial analysis was conducted to evaluate the factorial structure of the LCQ in a sample of Italian special needs teachers (N = 953). Teachers was asked to complete an online version of the LCQ. Construct validity was conducted by relating the learning climate with the basic psychological needs satisfaction, measured with PBNSF, and with academic motivation scale, measured with AMS. Results The analysis showed a good reliability (R1) and construct validity of the Italian adaptation of the questionnaire, with a high internal consistency compared to those obtained in other studies (R2). Discussion Teachers' autonomy support and teacher-student relation can positively impact the students' psychological factors and enhance students' learning motivation and academic achievement. Findings reveal that higher levels of learning climate could also be a key factor in reducing teachers' negative stress and mental health consequences. Conclusion This study may facilitate further research about the autonomy-supportive learning climate in educational settings in Italy.


For several decades, the European Union has been steadily increasing its presence in Central Asian countries. The EU's interests in the region are due to a number of reasons, including the desire to expand its influence in the Central Asian countries, the high importance of the region as a transit corridor between Europe and China, the prospects for economic cooperation, and the importance of the region's energy potential. In May 2019 The European Union has presented a new Strategy for Central Asia, designed to intensify cooperation in a number of areas of interaction. The new strategy is aimed at both implementing these interests and expanding cooperation in a number of other areas.


Abstract—Contribution: As expected, a partition-room environment negatively affects students' learning. An unexpected result of this study is that female students occasionally choose not to use the technology available in partition-rooms, to avoid undesirable facial exposure. Background: The main purpose of partition-rooms is to prevent male instructors from seeing female students' faces. In learning environments where instructors and students are physically separated, technology is expected to play an integral role in bridging the gap. In one side of partition-rooms, female students use their own mobile devices, such as laptops, tablets and mobile phones, for course activities and communication; in the other side, the instructor has various digital teaching equipment provided by the institution. Research Question: What effect does a partition-room's physical environment have on female students' academic performance, satisfaction, technology efficacy, and perceived learning? What effect does a partition-room's social environment have on female students' academic performance, satisfaction, technology efficacy, and perceived learning? Methodology: Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were followed. Quantitative results were obtained from a student questionnaire. Qualitative data was gathered in a focus group session. Findings: The communication benefits offered by technology are impaired by both the physical context and the cultural-social context. The latter emerged during focus group discussions where students said that their faces might by revealed in the light emitted by their devices. Thus, local culture and social context limit the benefits of using digital technology in the classroom.


Ubiquitous Computing is moving the interaction away from the human-computer paradigm and towards the creation of smart environments that users and things, from the IoT perspective, interact with. User modeling and adaptation is consistently present having the human user as a constant but pervasive interaction introduces the need for context incorporation towards context-aware smart environments. The current article discusses both aspects of the user modeling and adaptation as well as context awareness and incorporation into the smart home domain. Users are modeled as fuzzy personas and these models are semantically related. Context information is collected via sensors and corresponds to various aspects of the pervasive interaction such as temperature and humidity, but also smart city sensors and services. This context information enhances the smart home environment via the incorporation of user defined home rules. Semantic Web technologies support the knowledge representation of this ecosystem while the overall architecture has been experimentally verified using input from the SmartSantander smart city and applying it to the SandS smart home within FIRE and FIWARE frameworks.


Spectacular epidemics of hospital cross-infection have been investigated for 250 years,' 2 and were mainly due, in sequence, to the rickettsiae of typhus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, and various Gram-negative bacilli, notably Pseudomonas aeruginosa. During the past decade or so, however, epidemics have been largely replaced by less dramatic but insidiously pervasive endemic infections with a wide variety of opportunistic bacteria, fungi, viruses, and even some protozoa. The importance of the current problem is shown by the recent launch of the journal of Hospital Infection, whose bright green cover emulates one of our leading hospital pathogens. Its second volume ended with a supplement giving the results of a survey of hospital infections in England and Wales.3 Previous national investigations of infections in over 3000 surgical4 and almost 7000 medical5 patients had been carried out 25 and 20 years ago respectively. These had charted the incidence of hospital-acquired sepsis in a dozen hospitals over several months. Infections present when patients were admitted were excluded. In contrast, the new survey saved time and expense by recording on a single occasion the prevalence of infections-both those acquired in the community and those contracted in hospital-in over 18 000 patients admitted to 43 hospitals (representing about one-seventh of the national daily inpatient population). Prevalence rates tend to be higher than incidence rates because infected patients generally stay in hospital longer than others. Nevertheless, interesting comparisons can be made over an interval of a quarter of a century-and yet, surprisingly, the authors of the latest report have not attempted to do so. At first glance the depressing view is that infection is more rife in our hospitals today than it was 20 or more years ago. Over 19% of all patients were found to be infected in the recent survey compared with a combined total of only 700 in the two earlier studies. Apart from the higher weighting of prevalence data, however, infections have now been included when they were either present or incubating on admission, and these together accounted for just over half of all the cases. In other words, 900' of all the patients acquired infection in hospital. The highest rates were in special-care baby units (16 80), genitourinary surgery (16.1%), and, unexpectedly, orthopaedic surgery (13-1%), with, at the other end of the scale, obstetrics (4-40), paediatrics (41%)), and ophthalmology (210) The 1960 report on surgical wound infection had underestimated the problem by excluding any operations on the


By the year 2000, American students will leave grades four, eight, and twelve having demonstrated compe tency over challenging subject mat ter including English, mathematics, science, history, and geography, and every school in America will en sure that all students learn to use their minds well, so they may be prepared for responsible citizen ship, further learning, and produc tive employment in our modern economy (1).


Presented are data on examination of physical, chemical and biological characteristics of lyophilized preparation of geterologous anti-rabies immunoglobulin. Dry and original liquid forms of immunoglobulin were comparatively analyzed. The lyophilized form was shown to preserve main properties during long-term storage.


United States v. Hill by a vote of seven to two sustained the so-called Reed Amendment by which Congress prohibited the introduction of liquor into any state which forbade the sale or manufacture of liquor within its borders. West Virginia, though interdicting manufacture and sale, allowed any person to bring into the state for personal use a quart of liquor each month. Since Mr. Hill did only what West Virginia sanctioned, Mr Justice McReynolds for himself and Mr. Justice Clarke insisted that "the Reed Amendment in no proper sense regulates interstate commerce, but is a direct intermeddling with the state's internal affairs." He inquired rhetorically: "If Congress may deny liquor to those who live in a state simply because its manufacture is not permitted there, why may not this be done for any suggested reason, e.g. because the roads are bad or men are hanged for murder or coals are dug. Where is the limit?" For the majority Mr. Justice Day answered that the control of Congress over interstate commerce is not limited by state laws and that "the policy of Congress acting independently of the states may induce legislation without reference to the particular policy or law of any given state."


Excerpt Sorbitol was introduced into therapeutics in Europe under the name of "Sionin" by Thannhauser and Meyer1in 1929. Since that time various workers have investigated its value as a substitute ...


The classification of varieties of self-pollinated crops as to whether they will transmit high yield in crosses has hardly begun and needs more thorough study. The present study has revealed considerable heterosis, ranging from 108 to 252 per cent. for seed yield, in three intraspecific crosses of mungbean. It has also indicated the possibility of differences in combining ability of mungbean varieties. However, unlike tomato or egg-plant, the labour and cost of producing recurring F1 hybrid seed by hand pollination in mungbean will limit its wide-scale acceptance.


A modeling and simulation method for trampoline movement based on sport biomechanics was developed. Taking tuck jump as example, the entire movement phase was divided into four parts: taking off from bending the knees, airborne, posturing and landing. Then the formulas were generated for modelling. Finally, simulation experiment was done with these formulas. The simulation results showed that this method is effective in trampoline movement research.


The authors believe that not only the enterprises economy,the industrial economy,but also the national economy as a whole and the world economy as a whole will depend on material,energy,information and labor.Among them, material and energy is the material basis for the whole modern industrial system.At present,conflict between human and nature is becoming more and more serious.So,there is the circular economy emerging.In nowadays,the world circular economy is developing at such three levels as inner enterprises,inter-enterprises and the whole society.Reverse logistics can fully apply the"3R"principles of circular economy,pay more attention to environment protection,promote practice of circular economy and provide the platform for the public to take part in circular economy.So,it is urgent for us to develop reverse logistics,guarantee and promote the development of circular economy.


Successful treatment of excessive sweating depends on the degree of the disorder, responsiveness to available measures, and presence or absence of recurrent dermatoses. Topical measures may suppress moderate hyperhidrosis. Systemic treatment is generally reserved for patients in whom the disorder causes a significant social or occupational handicap.


In many optical systems, including metal films, dielectric reflectors, and photonic crystals, electromagnetic waves can experience evanescent decay. The spatial length scale of such decay defines the penetration depth. The ability to reduce the penetration depth is important for a number of applications in free-space and integrated photonics. In this paper, we consider a ultrathin metafilm structures consisting of alternating regions of metal and dielectric. We show that the penetration depth of such metafilm can be significantly smaller as compared to that of a corresponding metal thin film. The reduction of the penetration depth arises due to the enhanced effective mass in the photonic band structure. This effect can be used to enhance the reflectivity of ultrathin reflectors, and to increase the packing density of subwavelength plasmonic waveguides.


The avant-garde artistic movement of Russian Futurism can be said to span a period of roughly twenty years (1908-28), which, I would argue, can be divided into three distinct sub-periods: (1) from the emergence of a Russian avant-garde in 1908 until 1914/15, an era that had its roots in Russian Impressionism, the Arts-and-Crafts movement (colonies such as Talashkino and Abramtsevo in particular), and other contemporary art groups such as Mir iskusstva; (2) the pre-Revolutionary war years, 1914-19171; and (3) the postRevolutionary period until 1928, which also coincides with the termination of the leftist publication Novyi lef. This temporal division clearly corresponds to the transitory socio-economic, political, ideological, and diplomatic climate in Russia during the first quarter of the twentieth century. In this paper, I concentrate on the initial stage of Russian Futurism. The majority of research on this period to date has emphasized empirical data in the fields of art, sculpture, music, poetry, linguistics, drama, and theater design. In many respects, the depth of research, which has focused on individual aspects of Russian Futurism, has contributed to the current perception of this avant-garde artistic movement as multi-disciplinary, rather than intrinsically interdisciplinary. However, it is specifically its inter-disciplinary and dynamic character that defines the movement. It is also in the interdisciplinary and dynamic nature of Russian Futurism that one finds many parallels with Bakhtinian literary theories of the socioideological function of the novel. Although Bakhtinian theory generally focuses on literature, its socio-ideologically grounded theories of communication, broad interpretation of the word "text," and intermittent references to art and other forms of artistic culture suggest an application in the fields of art and the act of performance, two major elements of early Russian Futurism. Taking the different forms of Russian Futurist theater as my point of departure, I wish to illustrate how a reassessment of this inter-disciplinary artistic movement, with the support of the theoretical framework of Bakhtinian theories of communication and dialogic 42 STUDIES IN SLAVIC CULTURES


Drug addiction, in its most form is serve and usually long lasting, causing maximum disability. The burden of care on the family members of patients with drug addiction becomes much more compared to other mental disorders. 60 drug addict patients diagnosed as per ICD-10 criteria with at least two years duration of illness were identified in Psychiatry Department, BPS Govt. Medical College Khanpur Kalan, Sonepat. The close care takers of family members of these patients were studied by administering the scale of family burden (Family Burden Schedule). The result of study have revealed that longer the duration of illness greater the overall burden. The study has shed significant light on family and social consequences of drug addiction.


The erupting of the Chinese People's Comprehensive Anti-Japanese War indicated the unprecedented disenchantment of the Chinese people and promoted greatly the solidarity and unity of the Chinese people.The hard and brave struggle of the Chines people under the banner of the national anti-Japanese front was the primary factor in winning the Anti-Japanese War.The victory of the Chinese People's Anti-Japanese War established the bedrock for the final triumph of the Chinese national and democratic revolution,was the tremendous milestone of the Chinese people' progress from infirmness to mightiness and marked the Chinese people' entering into the world nations in the modern times.


SFgo, San Francisco's integrated transportation management system, will help make San Francisco safer and more pedestrian friendly, benefit and encourage the use of mass transit, calm traffic and help reconnect the City's neighborhoods. Creating support for the program, the work it does and the benefits derived, as well as making information available how and when people want it will be the most important role of the Public Awareness Plan. Public awareness tools will inform communities about SFgo projects as well as define the benefits, costs and funding needs associated with upgrading outdated transportation infrastructure. The Public Awareness Plan will take into consideration the varying levels of knowledge and interest in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) as well as the different priorities and issues of the community. Balancing the needs of residents, property owners, businesses, commuters, and visitors to the City can be challenging. Extensive community input was obtained in developing the Public Awareness Plan in order to gain a good understanding of how SFgo might enhance the quality of life within this unique, vibrant, ethnically-rich city.


imaginati,~ely they ma3be reproduced. Summarily speaking the condition most important to keep in mind, is densitygreat extent of occupied area in relation to absolute smallness of population. For, while preventive medicine is one of the arts of civilisation, naturally, it is a late art ; its occasion, and the best opportunity of exercising it, have been accurately indicated by Dr. Vivian Poore, in his epigrammatic sub-head &dquo; The Art of Living in Towns.&dquo; Whence, during the present age, popular interest in sanitary science must remain merely critical, until Iligh rates of density accumulated under unscientifically regulated conditions of civic life shall have given rise to persistently high death rates, or at best can become


The goal of this study was to review the state of Advanced Public Transportation Systems (APTS) and determine how far transit should go in implementing new technologies in rural and small urban areas. This final report presents an approach to determine APTS applicability; identifies technology system implementations in rural transit systems; identifies integrated highway and public transit efforts in jointly supporting technology infrastructures; summarizes findings from a telephone survey of APTS sites; presents the findings from visits to six case study sites; presents a taxonomy or process to evaluate transit technology; presents measures of effectiveness to evaluate how well advanced technology solutions meet rural transit needs; and provides information on financing technology capital costs.


The study of surface activity on young solar-type stars provides an opportunity to improve understanding of stellar dynamos and indirectly gain insight into early solar evolution. Doppler Imaging (DI) can be used to map stellar surface activity, and utilises rotation-induced Doppler-broadening of spectral lines to calculate the surface distribution of a fundamental parameter such as temperature.
DI requires high-resolution spectroscopic observations distributed over one or more stellar rotation periods. To date only a limited number of single young solar analogues have been observed using this technique. Observations of many stars at various evolutionary states and with varying physical parameters are necessary to comprehensively constrain stellar dynamo models. These observations require long-term access to a telescope with a high-resolution echelle spectrograph to undertake multiple epoch studies of stellar activity.

This project has used the ANU 2.3 metre telescope to test Doppler imaging with two active young stars, AB Doradus (AB Dor) and HIP43720, with the HIP43720 observations contemporaneous with the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) observations.

Analysis of the AB Dor mapping and comparison of the 2.3 metre and AAT results for HIP43720 indicates that the ANU 2.3 metre telescope with its high resolution echelle spectrograph is capable of undertaking scientifically useful Doppler Imaging for stellar dynamo surveys.


The method of mixing program of C and Assembler language based on TMS320C6X DSP is introduced. The rules and interfaces of mixing program of C and Assembler code are described. The visiting process of variable,constant,array,pointer and function is discussed in detail.


This paper presents a multi-robot long-term planning approach under uncertainty on the duration of tasks. The proposed methodology takes advantage of generalized stochastic Petri nets to model multi-robot teams. It allows for unified modeling of action selection and uncertainty on duration of action execution. Goals are specified through the use of transition rewards and rewards per time unit. Our approach exploits the semantics provided by Markov reward automata in order to synthesize policies that optimize the long-run average reward. We provide an empirical evaluation on a simulated multi-robot monitoring problem, showing that the synthesized policy outperforms a carefully hand-crafted policy.


A medium-sized public library has applied microcomputer technology to the problem of overdues. A file of patrons with overdue materials is maintained, and the computer produces hills and Rolodex cards (for a delinquent patrons file). Savings are estimated at $1200 annually.


The authors thank Prof. Kennedy for his discussion on their note (pp 139-140, February 1967 JOURNAL). In discussing the comparison of the results of the author's method with his, he gives the following points for the discrepancy between them, particularly for the case p = 1: (1) The authors' method using characteristic beam functions appears to yield some deflection results in the acute corner region, which are greater than those at the corresponding points in the obtuse corner region—a result which is contrary to experimental evidence. (2) Morley's work'-' has shown that the influence of the corners on the flexural behaviour of the panel becomes maximum when the aspect ratio p=l. The authors do not agree with these two points as explained below. Regarding the first point, using the authors' method, deflections were calculated for a rhombus (p—1) with 0=30° . Table V gives numerical values obtained for deflections in the corner regions. From this it can be seen that the deflections at points in the acute corner region are less than those at corresponding points in the obtuse corner region—thus showing that the results do not contradict the experimental observations. Regarding the second point, it is to be noted that Morley's procedure is basically different from the one adopted by the authors. Whereas Morley has used eigenfunctions which satisfy the differential equation exactly and the boundary conditions approximately, the authors' functions satisfy the boundary conditions exactly and the differential equation approximately. Hence the conclusion drawn by Morley will not apply to the authors' method.


The use of several independent biochemical, physiological, morphological, and behavioral assays has resulted in the reassessment of the taxonomy of the gymnodinioid symbionts of marine invertebrates which belong to the genus Symbiodinuim Freudenthal (Dinophyceae). The formal description of the type species S. microadriaticum Freudenthal is augmented, and three new species are introduced; S. goreauii, symbiotic with the Caribbean sea anemone Ragactis lucida; S. kawagutii, harbored by the Hawaiian stony coral Montipora verrucosa; and S. pilosum, inhabiting the Caribbean zoanthid Zoanthus sociatus.


The vast majority of construction contracts are procured using the lowbid system. In the low bid system price is the sole basis for determining the successful bidder. This traditional approach has ...


You may have never heard of this guy, but he is quickly becoming one of the most
important voices trying to defend our hallowed and beloved 1st Amendment rights from the
increasingly determined corporate lobbyists bent on maximizing their master's profits in
this digital age - free speech be damned. Lawrence Lessig is a Law Professor at Stanford
University and is the author of several well written and well received books on the
subject, including his latest <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0375505784/qid=1008981035/sr=8-
1/ref=sr_8_67_1/102-4468740-3694536">The Future of Ideas .


In this study, we extend the research on the dynamic poverty indexes, namely the dynamic Headcount ratio, the dynamic income-gap ratio, the dynamic Gini and the dynamic Sen, proposed in D'Amico and Regnault (2018). The contribution is twofold. First, we extend the computation of the dynamic Gini index, thus the Sen index accordingly, with the inclusion of the inequality within each class of poverty where people are classified according to their income. Second, for each poverty index, we establish a central limit theorem that gives us the possibility to determine the confidence sets. An application to the Italian income data from 1998 to 2012 confirms the effectiveness of the considered approach and the possibility to determine the evolution of poverty and inequality in real economies.


This study investigated if left ventricular (LV) mechanical contractile parameters in addition to LV ejection fraction (LVEF) indicated cardiac remodeling and fibrosis in patients exposed to cardiotoxic chemotherapy agents (CCA). Cardiac deformation data were obtained using single-scan acquisitions with the Displacement Encoding with Stimulated Echoes (DENSE) MRI sequence. Contractile analysis consisted of automated myocardial boundary detection and unwrapping 3D DENSE phase images for intra-myocardial displacements, and followed by analyzing torsion and 3D strains with the meshfree Radial Point Interpolation Method (RPIM). Data were acquired on 13 CCA-exposed patients who were undergoing chemotherapy and/or care for cardiac complications. DENSE LVEF measurements in patients were validated against steady-state free precession (SSFP) MRI data, all contractility computations were compared to healthy subjects and Bland-Altman agreements established between strains computed by independent observers. A significant difference was not found between DENSE and SSFP LVEF computations (52 ± 11% vs 48 ± 15%, p=0.33). Significant differences were seen with enlarged LV diameters in patients versus healthy subjects (6.0 ± 1.1 cm vs 4.9 ± 0.7 cm, p<0.001) and similarly for torsion and longitudinal strain but not in LVEF results (p > 0.05). Bland-Altman agreements were 0.01 ± 0.06 for longitudinal strain and 0.1 ± 1.9
 °
 for torsion. Statistical analysis confirm changed LV size and function in patients and indicate remodeling that is otherwise not demonstrated by LVEF measurements, which may precede clinically apparent heart failure development and worsened morbidity.


A 53 year old man with no history of epilepsy was admitted to the emergency department with complaints of vertigo, nausea and a single episode of vomiting. On neurologic examination eye movements were intact, there was no nystagmus or pyramidal signs, and instability of gait was noted. On computed tomography without contrast media a hypodense lesion was observed on the right cerebellum [Figure A]. Two days after admission the patient became confused. Several minutes later s troke-associated seizures are usually due to ischemic involvement of the cerebral cortex or intracerebral hemorrhage [1]. Cases of subcortical lesions inducing stroke are less common but have been described [2]. Non-epileptic involuntary movements of the arms and legs due to ischemic lesions in the brainstem have also been reported [3]. On the other hand there are a few reports of seizures associated with ischemic lesions of the brainstem. The pathophysiology and mechanism of the staff noticed vocalization followed by loss of consciousness and tonic-clonic movements with small amplitude in all four limbs. The presentation was seen by a neurologist who interpreted it as generalized tonic-clonic seizure, and since the condition continued for several minutes, status epilepticus was suspected. Intravenous phenytoin was administered with good seizure control at the end of the loading dose. Bedside monitor electroencephalogram performed half an hour after the movements stopped showed no epileptic activity. Urgent CT showed no hemorrhage or signs of new stroke. Two hours from seizure onset, while the patient was regaining consciousness, right hemiplegia, right gaze limitation and Babinsky sign on the right were observed. vertebrobasilar disease, stroke, status epilepticus, seizure


Based on the continuum model for analysis of saturated porous media,a fluid-particle coupled model was established to simulate the meso-scale pore water flow and micro-scale solid deformation of saturated soils.The particles were simulated by discrete element method,while the fluid flow was simulated by solving the average Navier-Stokes equations.The validity of this model was verified by a two-dimension flow case study and the model was applied to analyze the liquefaction phenomena of saturated sand.The numerical results indicate that the adopted model can be used to simulate the flow in a wide range of Reynolds number.The simulation results of liquefaction analysis show that the liquefaction begins from the surface and propagates downward,while the dissipation of pore water pressure begins from the bottom and propagates upward until vanished.The spatial and temporal changes of soil porosity and the variation of permeability coefficient in the process of liquefaction accord with this phenomenon.


This paper documents how archives were used to write a history of the twentieth century urban allotment movement in England. Beginning with a case study of allotments in Ilford (now London Borough ...


objective economic process are fundamental to an understanding of the social system. The inadequacies of idealistic models of status lie in their ability to comprehend the economic forces that bring them out of line and produce 'declassification.' But objective economic processes do not explain status ideologies. To Lockwood, what this suggests is not that 'synthesis' is possible between the competing vocabularies of power and values, but that no reductivist perspective in which one or another of these vocabularies is 'fun-


There are four stages leading up to the creation of a limited liability company (GmbH). The founders agree upon the memorandum and articles (1), appoint a manager (2) and pay in the capital contribution (3). They must then notify the relevant District Court (Registergericht) in order to register the company in the Commercial Register (Handelsregister) (4). This notification must include a confirmation from the manager that the requisite minimum proportion of the proprietor's capital contributions has been paid in and is freely available for his or her use.


This article evaluates different factors under the Bangladesh Labor Act 2006 for promoting work satisfaction in the fish farming workers in Bangladesh. How far does this industry comply with standard labor laws adheres to international labor policy, and promotion of labor rights is another focus of this study. This study shows that yearly increment, overtime payment, weekly holiday, amount of compensation, appointment by appointment letter, and job security significantly influence the fish farming workers' minds in Bangladesh. The Qualitative part of the study finds that the State must protect the workers' rights by enacting a standard labor policy that adheres to international instruments, which it is unwilling to do so. This study helps in evaluating the opinion of the fishers' work satisfaction as well as policy planning for the development of the fish farming industry. It will add value by creating awareness of labor rights in the Asian developing setting.


The aim of this study is to present the problem solving skill levels of sportsmen who play football professionally, and to determine whether problem solving skill levels differ according to sportsmen's, sports club, age, marital status, parents' educational status, father's occupation, occupation in the game,  year of playing football professionally and age of starting sport. Totally, 80 sportsmen played at Bank Asya League. Twenty (20) who played at Akhisar Municipality Youth and Sports Club, 23 who played at Goztepe A.Ş., 21 who played at Caykur Rizespor A.Ş. and 16 played at Konya Sports Club participated in the research. In order to get the aim of the research, Problem Solving Inventory which was adapted in Turkish by Şahin and his friends and developed by Heppner and Peterson (1982) was used. The inventory was 6 Likert type which consisted of 35 items. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) programme was used for evaluating frequency; t-test and one way variance analysis (ANOVA) were used for individual groups and Scheffe-F test was used for finding the group which was the reason for differences. Finding revealed that, professional footballers were beyond the mid-high level of problem solving skills (in the inventory, the least value is 32 and the highest value was 192 and the score found at the end of the search was  = 88, 91). While there were no meaningful differences in sportsmen's marital status, education status, parents' education status, father's occupation, sportsmen's problem solving level variables, occupation in the game, the year of playing football professionally and the age of starting sport, there were meaningful differences in their sports club and age variables.

 Key words: Professional footballer, Bank Asya League, problem solving skill


In order to deal with the problem that electronic device can be affected by electromagnetic interference from external environment, this paper studied the influence of the proposed rectangular metallic enclosures to achieve effective electromagnetic shielding based on finite-integration technique. A three-dimensional simulation model of a rectangular shielding enclosure was directly established with the plane wave of timebased Gaussian pulse excitation, which was utilized to establish electromagnetic radiation intensity. The electromagnetic shielding effectiveness was simulated both in frequency domains and in time domains, with different apertures numbers on front of rectangular enclosure. The thickness parameter was further investigated, which is essential to increase the operating stability of electronic system. It needed to have high capability in anti-electromagnetic interference to ensure the efficient transmission of weak signals.


Fluorite mineralization occurs along fractures and cracks of Middle Eocene and Pliocene limestones and marls in the north and northeast of the Pöhrenk region (Çiçekdagi, Kirsehir). Tb/Ca – Tb/La and Y/Ho ratios were obtained from REE contents of fluorites which have revealed that mineralization is of hydrothermal type. Negative Ce anomalies and positive Eu anomalies reflect that hydrothermal solutions once had high oxygen fugacity. Fluid inclusion studies indicate that homogenization temperatures of mineralization varied between 90°C and 200°C, and hydrothermal solutions are composed of NaCl + KCl + MgCl2 + H2O. In addition, salinity measurements show that hydrothermal solutions were mixed with meteoric or rock formation water. Geologic setting, REE geochemistry and fluid inclusion studies suggest that mineralization was deposited from a solution generated by mixing of magmatic and meteoric water under epithermal conditions.


Organodiselenides are an important class of compounds characterized by the
presence of two adjacent covalently bonded selenium nuclei. Among them,
diaryldiselenides and their parent compound diphenyl diselenide attract continuing interest
in chemistry as well as in close disciplines like medicinal chemistry, pharmacology and
biochemistry. A search in SCOPUS database has revealed that in the last three years 105
papers have been published on the archetypal diphenyl diselenide and its use in organic
catalysis and drug tests. The reactivity of the Se-Se bond and the redox properties of selenium
make diselenides efficient catalysts for numerous organic reactions, such as Bayer-
Villiger oxidations of aldehydes/ketones, epoxidations of alkenes, oxidations of alcohols
and nitrogen containing compounds. In addition, organodiselenides might find application
as mimics of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), a family of enzymes, which, besides performing other functions,
regulate the peroxide tone in the cells and control the oxidative stress level. In this review, the essential synthetic
and reactivity aspects of organoselenides are collected and rationalized using the results of accurate
computational studies, which have been carried out mainly in the last two decades. The results obtained in
silico provide a clear explanation of the anti-oxidant activity of organodiselenides and more in general of their
ability to reduce hydroperoxides. At the same time, they are useful to gain insight into some aspects of the enzymatic
activity of the GPx, inspiring novel elements for rational catalyst and drug design.


Application development for Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) is challenging, because the wireless network and the devices introduce latencies that vary continuously along with the load, status, or environmental conditions of the infrastructure. Reactive programming is well suited for the development of event-driven applications, yet current reactive programming frameworks require developers to predict event arrival time-boundaries at compile time, which is impractical, if not impossible, for CPS. Thus, there is a tradeoff between timeliness and completeness of complex event computations, e.g., operational efficiency in a manufacturing plant: Waiting too long until all individual events arrive can fail to produce a useful result, while not waiting long enough may lead to faults due to incomplete status information. In this article, we propose (a) a set of extensions to state-of-the-art reactive programming frameworks, which remove the burden of specifying timeouts at compile time by utilizing (b) Khronos, a middleware that automatically determines timeouts by taking into account variations in event arrival times due to the underlying infrastructure. Evaluation on a physical testbed shows that the extensions significantly decrease developer effort and that Khronos considerably improves timeliness under varying network configurations and conditions, while still satisfying the application's tolerance to missed events.


In this work, I analyze the high-resolution spectra of 20 stars, chosen for their low metallicity rFe/HI < -2.5 and proximity to the sun. Using these spectra I model the atmospheres of these stars by determing stellar parameters {Teff, log(g), p, [Fe/H]} and obtain also their chemical abundances for 17 elements including Fe, C, Sr, and Ba. Three of these stars are found to possess an overabundance of Carbon relative to Iron. Combining these chemical abundances with those from previously analyzed spectra from the same bright metal-poor star sample, I perform orbit determination and integration on a total of 59 metal-poor stars and extract their kinematic parameters. I also explore how these results depend on the assumed mass of the Milky Way. These chemical and kinematic results are then combined and compared with comparatively metal-rich (-2.5 < [Fe/H] < 0) samples; a conal distribution of velocity components with respect to metallicity is observed, as well as two distinct populations in eccentricity. The 59 bright metal-poor stars were identified as residing in the inner halo of the Milky Way. Thesis Supervisor: Anna Frebel Title: Assistant Professor of Physics


Porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome (PRRS) is an economically important disease of pigs worldwide. Currently used PRRSV vaccines provide incomplete protection. Recently, we identified Mycobacterium tuberculosis whole cell lysate (Mtb WCL) as a potent mucosal adjuvant to modified live PRRSV vaccine (PRRS-MLV). In this study, pigs were unvaccinated or vaccinated with PRRS-MLV plus Mtb WCL, intranasally, and challenged with either homologous (strain VR2332) or virulent heterologous (strain MN184) PRRSV; subsequently, euthanized at three time points post-challenge to evaluate lung immune responses. Microscopic examination of lung sections revealed reduced disruption of the lung architecture and less of interstitial pneumonia in vaccinated, compared to unvaccinated MN184 challenged pigs. The restimulated lung and peripheral blood mononuclear cells revealed increased proliferation of CD8(+) lymphocytes, and in the lung homogenate increased secretion of nitric oxide was detected in vaccinated MN184 challenged pigs. In summary, the adjuvant effects of Mtb WCL to PRRS-MLV resulted in favorable anti-PRRSV immune microenvironment in the lungs to help better viral clearance.


Communication is not necessarily made secure by the use of encryption alone. The mere existence of communication is often enough to raise suspicion and trigger investigative actions. Covert channels aim to side-step this problem by hiding additional information within the 'normal' behaviour of preexisting communication streams. The huge amount of data and vast number of different protocols in the Internet make it ideal as a high-bandwidth vehicle for covert channels. Several researchers have proposed modulation techniques to encode covert information into the IP Time To Live field. In this paper we compare the different encoding techniques and also propose two new improved encoding schemes. We present a software framework developed for evaluating covert channels in network protocols. We use this software to empirically evaluate the transmission rates of the different TTL modulation techniques for real Internet traffic.