By adopting the isoconversional method, subtle changes in the curing activation energy (Eα) among epoxy resin/graphite composites by the inclusion of expanded graphite (EG), ionic liquid of 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([BMIm]PF6) or their combination are shown in the whole conversion range. At lower concentrations (1 phr) of EG, compared with the Eα of the neat epoxy resin, the composite with EG has a lower Eα before the gelation, and a higher Eα after the gelation. At higher concentrations of EG, however, in the whole conversion range, the composite with EG shows a higher Eα compared with the neat epoxy resin. As the curing proceeded, a peculiar increase in Eα is found in systems containing [BMIm]PF6. Due to the formation of hydrogen bonding between [BMIm]PF6 and the hardener (Jeffamine), the reactivity of Jeffamine is considerably decreased, leading to a much higher Eα in [BMIm]PF6-containing systems, especially at higher conversion. In systems containing a combination of [BMIm]PF6 and EG, due to the interactions between EG and [BMIm]PF6, the shielding effect provided by the well-dispersed EG sheets constrains the formation of the hydrogen bonding between [BMIm]PF6 and Jeffamine, leading to lowered Eα compared with that for the system containing [BMIm]PF6 only.


Objective:To investigate the effect on proliferation and apoptosis of vascular endothelial cells exposed to high glucose. Methods:The cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were treated with high glucose at concentrations of 10,20,30,40,50mmol/L for 2,4,6,8,10,12 and 14 days,cpm value was studied by using tritium-labelled thymidine deoxyribose ( 3H-TdR) incorporation assay.Flow cytometry was used to detect proliferation index,apoptosis index and cell cycle.Results:Treated with high glucose,the cpm value was significantly reduced (P0001),The proliferation index induced by high glucose was much lower than that of the control groups(P005)which were dependent on the dose and the time course.The apoptosis index of HUVEC in most groups was higher in dose dependent manner compared with that of the control groups(P005).The percent of the cultured cells in G1 phase in all high glucose groups were increased and that of the S phase was greatly decreased(P005)in a dose-time dependent manner.Conclusion:Exposed to high glucose,the apoptosis of HUVEC was accelerated and the suppressive effect of high glucose on the proliferation of HUVEC was observed.From the fact that the cells in G1 phase were increased but in S phase were decreased,the endothelial cells were possibly arrested in G1/S checkpoint was suggested.


Insider trading is not defined in the federal securities laws but is interpreted by the courts as a common law crime. This article argues that a statutory definition is needed, particularly in light of a recent Second Circuit case that narrows the breadth of cases recently prosecuted by the Securities and Exchange Commission and Department of Justice.


Many colonialists had believed that the Nazi regime established in 1933 would ease cooperation between colonialists and the Nazi Party, but conflicts between colonialists and Nazi officials continued over the next decade. This chapter examines these continuing tensions through two categories: organizational rivalry and ideological competition. Organizations such as the NS-Frauenschaft, the Hitler Youth, the Auslands-Organisation, and the Volksbund für das Deutschtum im Ausland competed with colonialists for access to sectors of German society and for control over discussions about Auslandsdeutschen (Germans beyond Germany's borders). Colonialists also had to assert the relationship between their focus on Africa and the Nazis' focus on Eastern Europe as a territorial goal. These competitions at times hindered colonialists' publicity work, yet also brought discussions of the former overseas colonies into broader sectors of society through these other organizations.


The Lennard-Jones interaction has been introduced into the Collins mix lattice of 2D liquids. By means of rigorous calculation of the total potential and the free area, the Gibbs functions for 2D liquid and solid have been derived. The melting line obtained from the phase transition equation agrees quite well with the result of recent computer simulation experiments. The obtained reduced temperature of the triple point agrees with the data measured in experiments of some inert gas monolayers adsorbed on graphite as well as in computer simulation experiments.


[Objective] The aim was to discuss the structures of soil fungi communities in tropical rain forest and expound the interaction between microbes and plants,to provide theoretical basis for exploiting and utilizing abundant microbial resources in the specific tropical rain forest ecological environment.[Methods] Amplified 18S ribosomal RNA restriction analysis and 18S rRNA gene cloning library were used to study the structural characteristics of soil fungal species abundance,dominant species and phylogenetic analysis in tropical rain forest for the first time.Total tropical rain forest soil DNA was directly extracted and purified by skiving-thawing-lysozyme-proteinase K-SDS heating treatment and treatment of CTAB.Then 18S rRNA gene cloning library was constructed.After amplified 18S ribosomal DNA restriction analysis,representative clones were sequenced.Fungal sequences were defined into operational taxonomic units(OTUs) according to 97% similarity threshold for OTU assignment was performed using the software program DOTUR.[Result] Ascomycotina and Basidiomycota were the two dominant subgroups(64.7% and 15.5% of the data set,respectively) with total 21 OTUs.Pezizomycotina were the dominant sub-groups in the Ascomycotina clones with 47.4% of the data set.Agaricales were the dominant sub-groups in the Basidiomycota clones with 10.4% of the data set.Sequences of Zygomycete,Chytridiomycota were in the library.Boletaceae were discovered in these soil samples for the first time.It might be related to appropriate temperature,high humidity and high content of organic matter.Moreover,fungal diversity is extremely rich,covering the main groups of the vast majority of fungi.[Conclusion] The study provided reference basis for excavating the fungal genetic resources and revealing the rich diversity of fungal genetic resources.


Patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease who received the highest intensity statin treatment showed the greatest reductions in mortality, data from more than half a million patients have shown.1

The retrospective cohort analysis published in JAMA Cardiology showed that high intensity statins were associated with a small but significant survival advantage compared with moderate intensity statins, including among patients over 75 years.

The researchers examined one year cardiovascular mortality by intensity of statin therapy among 509 766 adults with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease treated in the Veterans Affairs healthcare system. The average age of the patients was …


Background: The treatment of symptoms of prostatic hyperplasia is among the traditional uses of Achyrocline bogotensis (Kunth) [N.V. "Vira Vira", Compositae] in Colombia. Pharmacological therapy for
this disorder depends mainly on alpha-1 antiadrenergic agents, and the mechanism has not been studied previously using A. bogotensis. Objectives: To assess the alpha-1 antiadrenergic effect of the extract obtained from the aerial parts of A. bogotensis in isolated aortic rings from Wistar rats. Methods: The study compared the effects of the ethanol extract of A. bogotensis, prazosin (reference) and DMSO (control) in rings stimulated with phenylephrine (PE) or KCl. The capacity to reduce the PE pressor effect by the ethanol extract (pD2' value) was determined. To quantify the A. bogotensis relaxant potency, increasing concentrations of the ethanol extract (0.1 µg/mL-0.1 mg/mL), were added cumulatively to isolated aortic rings pre-contracted with PE (0.1 µM) or KCl (80 mM). To explore the possible participation of nitric oxide (NO), L-NAME (100 µM) was administered to aortic rings exposed to cumulatively increasing concentrations of PE in isolated aortic rings in the presence of the extract (10 µg/mL). Aqueous, butanol and dichloromethane fractions (10 µg/mL) obtained from the ethanol extract were assayed. Phytochemical screening was also performed. Results: Prazosin and A. bogotensis extract notably reduced the contraction induced by PE whereas their inhibitory effect in rings contracted with KCl were lower. A. bogotensis ethanol extract showed a high capacity for reducing the PE pressor response (pD´2
: 5.51) as well as total efficacy for relaxing rings previously precontracted with PE. The relaxant efficacy and potency of A. bogotensis extract against rings previously contracted with KCl were notably lower. L-NAME partly reverted the inhibitory effect of A. bogotensis. Aqueous, butanol and dichloromethane fractions gave inhibitory responses lower than that obtained with the ethanol extract. Phytochemical screening of A. bogotensis extract revealed the significant presence of flavonoid and triterpene metabolites. Conclusions: These results suggest that A. bogotensis elicits a smooth muscle relaxant effect related to the alpha-1 antiadrenergic mechanism. This response is partially NO dependent and seems to be due to interactions among active metabolites likely to be of flavonoid and/or terpenoid nature.


Texts and bibliographical materials included in this section, present the figure and scientific achievements of prof. dr hab. Jacek Brzozowski, an outstanding literary scholar and editor of the polish language studies in Lodz, who died on June 18, 2017.


Sustainable urban transport has a vital role to play in contributing to sustainable development of cities and in ensuring the well-being of their citizens. It has to satisfy the numerous and diverse requirements for the metropolitan mobility, including minimizing the travelling time between various locations, while at the same time it needs to internalize the externalities caused by transport.


Interest rate liberalization is a major reform for China's financial market, which now has entered the final stage-deposit interest rate liberalization, the success of this step will mark the end of interest rate liberalization reform in our country. In this paper, we first introduce the process of interest rate liberalization and the present situation in our country, then analysis the impact of interest rate liberalization which bring to China's commercial Banks, promote the reform of commercial banks, accelerate financial innovation, optimize the customer structure, standardize the external environment, conducive to the fair competition among commercial banks. But there are also some adverse effects, increase the interest rate risk and management risk, increase the pressure of competition between the industry, reduce banks' earnings, the impact on traditional business, put forward new requirements for banks' pricing ability, financial corruption, turmoil in the financial system. Finally draw lessons from the international experience of interest rate liberalization, introduces the concrete measures which should be taken in response to China's interest rate liberalization, strengthen the development of intermediate business, improve the pricing ability of commercial banks, enhance financial innovation, guard against interest rate risk, deepen reform of the system, form a good credit risk management mechanism, and pay attention to personnel training.


AIDS is caused by the human T cell leukemia virus (HTLV) or lymphadenopathy associated virus (LAV) or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The latter name has been widely accepted. According to the WHO in 1988 there were 5 million infected persons. In Argentina, there were 300 AIDS patients and 30,000 infected people in 1989 and 60,000 in 1990. Obstacles to prevention of the spread of AIDS are: fear which causes some to conceal its existence; prolonged latency; complacency about future negative outcome; the lack of value of life among drug addicts; adolescent behavior of defiance and confrontation; militant denial by many of the possibility of contracting AIDS; and a criminally low level of measures to combat AIDS in the Third World. Primary prevention includes avoidance of contact with body fluids of an infected person submitting to a serological test if infection is suspected massive educational campaigns, study of subcultures such as drug addicts and adolescents, use of disposable needles and sterilization of all medical instruments use of condoms, and analysis of the blood of donated organs and blood for transfusion. Secondary prevention means making sure that seropositive patients undergo periodic medical checkups and receive medical attention when suspicious symptoms are detected and follow various steps to strengthen their immune systems. Tertiary prevention comprises psychological and psychopharmacological treatment of emotional distress to facilitate a less painful progress of the disease and to avert possible complications and relapses.


Waste form glasses that contain substantial quantities of iron, manganese, and aluminum oxides, such as the Savannah River SRL TDS-131 glass, form a thick, hydrated surface layer when placed in contact with water. The dissolution of such a glass has been modeled with the Savannah River Model. The authors showed previously that the equations of the Savannah River Model could be fitted to published experimental data if a time-dependent diffusion coefficient was assumed for species of diffusing through the surface layer. The Savannah River Model assumes that all of the material dissolved from the glass enters solution, whereas it was observed that substantial quantities of material were retained in the surface layer. An alternative model, presented contains a mass balance equation that allows material either to enter solution or to be retained in the surface layer. It is shown that the equations derived using this model can be fitted to the published experimental data assuming a constant diffusion coefficient for species diffusing through the surface layer.


Springs are easily found in the southern slope of Merapi volcano, Sleman Regency, Yogyakarta Special Province, Indonesia. Springs origins on this location are commonly related to the existing of Merapi Aquifer System, but importance question of all these springs are hydraulic connectivity among them. In response to the issue, the objective of this research is to determine hydraulic connectivity of springs based on their chemical composition. To answer the objectives, measurement of spring discharge and physicochemical properties of spring's water and sampling of selected spring's water were conducted on this research in the study area. Water chemistry composition was classify by Kurlov formula and displayed by Fingerprint diagram and Composition diagram. Results show that the chemical compositions of most all spring samples are almost similar and does not significantly different for most properties from upstream to downstream, which are Na–Ca–HCO3 water, only one spring of Umbul Jatiningsih spring had different chemical composition of Ca–Na–Mg– HCO3 water. Based on the Fingerprint diagram and Composition diagram evaluation, the spring's water can be differentiated into three groups. Group 1 consists of ten springs which have similar chemical composition of Na–Ca–HCO3 and with electrical conductivity ranges between 150 to 200 mS/cm. Group 2 consists only one spring "Umbul Pajangan" which contain similar chemical composition to Group 1 but has significantly higher ions concentration (EC value about 400 mS/cm) and Group 3 consists also only one spring "Umbul Jatiningsih" which has significantly different ionic composition with Group 1 and 2. Regarding on this condition, it can be concluded that Group 1 spring is hydraulically connected and relate to the shallow aquifer system of Merapi Aquifer System. In other side, water of spring "Umbul Pajangan"possibly comes from deeper aquifer system of Merapi Aquifer System and this argument is supported by the spring discharge evaluation. Finally, spring "Umbul Jatiningsih" is originate mainly from different aquifer system of porous limestone aquifer. Keywords: Merapi aquifer system, spring, chemical composition, geological condition


Abstract-This study explores the impact process of customer participation on customer attribution, as well as the intermediary functions of expectation and perceived control in the impact process through experimental method. It offers an explanation from the perspective of attribution for studies on the intermediate factors in the transmission mechanism between customer participation and satisfaction, thus filling up the research gap in the impact of situational factors on customer attribution. The path of impact of customer participation on customer attribution is clarified and an attribution process model in the context of customer participation is also established in the study.


To explore the failure modes of high-Ni batteries under different axial loads, quasi-static compression and dynamic impact tests were carried out. The characteristics of voltage, load, and temperature of a battery cell with different states of charge (SOCs) were investigated in quasi-static tests. The mechanical response and safety performance of lithium-ion batteries subjected to axial shock wave impact load were also investigated by using a split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) system. Different failure modes of the battery were identified. Under quasi-static axial compression, the intensity of thermal runaway becomes more severe with the increase in SOC and loading speed, and the time for lithium-ion batteries to reach complete failure decreases with the increase in SOC. In comparison, under dynamic SHPB experiments, an internal short circuit occurred after impact, but no violent thermal runaway was observed.


Deutsches Zentrum fur Luftund Raumfahrt e.V. in der Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Institut fur Hochfrequenztechnik und Radarsysteme http://www.dlr.de/HR • Best performance for homogeneous closed canopy forests: Single species, homogenous in structure and density; • Height allometry shows a reduced bias for most temperate forest species; • Performance decreases in structured forests: Internal structure affects the biomass stock; • Height to Biomass relation looses accuracy; • An additional input parameter is needed (density, structure). • Forest inventory data from Traunstein tests site is analyzed: • Traunstein is a highly structured forest stand. Above Ground forest Biomass (AGB) stock, spatial distribution and dynamics are critical ecosystem parameters unknown today for large regions of the world. High spatial resolution mapping and monitoring of these parameters on a global scale require advanced Remote Sensing (RS) techniques. Polarimetric SAR Interferometry (Pol-InSAR) allows the estimation of vertical structure profiles which are related to forest biomass. The analysis of vertical biomass distribution can be used in the development of a generalized RS based AGB estimation by means of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). Forest Vertical Structure Characterization for the Estimation of AboveGround Forest Biomass towards its Application in Radar Remote Sensing


It is common practice to complete long carbonate intervals with multistage stimulation treatments, especially in horizontal wells. Each zone is, typically, mechanically isolated using cement or openhole packers and then acid stimulated. It is important to pump the planned acid volume to the target zone without any significant loss into adjacent zones. Zonal–isolation effectiveness is rarely evaluated because of a lack of zone–specific pressure and/or temperature data. Instead, it is judged on the basis of job pressure response or post–job production logging. In this study, zone–specific pressure and temperature gauges allowed for a more effective review of zonal isolation during stimulation treatments.
 In this paper, we review zonal–isolation results from a series of high–rate acid jobs conducted in wells equipped with zone–specific pressure and temperature gauges. Twenty–one acid–stimulation jobs from thirteen different wells were reviewed to investigate the effectiveness of zonal isolation during and after treatment. The examples presented in this paper cover several different completion types: cemented and uncemented, intelligent well systems (IWSs), plug–and–perforate completions, and ball–activated sliding–sleeve completions. The analysis revealed several different pressures and/or flow communication patterns. Field examples and analysis results presented in this work will help engineers design and optimize the zonal–isolation distance in cemented and uncemented wells requiring multistage stimulation in carbonate fields without losing a significant pay length.


Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) has been demonstrated to be involved in not only lipid metabolism but also glucose homeostasis. Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) is a 'gold standard' for monitoring long‐term glycaemic control. However, the correlation of plasma PCSK9 levels with HbA1c remains undetermined.


Gene–environment interactions are believed to cause an increased prevalence of asthma and allergic diseases in Western Countries, in comparison to Eastern Countries. To date, research has been inconclusive about which specific genetic and environmental risk factors are important, how the epigenetics/genetics interact with the environment, and which pathogenic mechanisms underlie the development of asthma and allergy. Inconsistencies in research outcomes are mainly attributed to substantial variations in genetic backgrounds and environmental conditions between different populations. Furthermore, a poor understanding of epigenetics might partially account for the observed disparities. This study shows that CD14 DNA methylation is differentially regulated by environmental factors http://ow.ly/zlla30gxNWW


There were 5 control valves and 2 manual valves for the liquid nitrogen distribution system that needed to be sized and procured for the upgrade. This engineering note documents the calculations done to properly size these valves. A table summarizes the valve choices. The raw calculations are attached as an appendix. The calculations jump around a bit. No effort was made to re-organize or rewrite them for the reader. The sizing calcs. on Pages 1 through 4 were first pass calcs. based on pure liquid to the valves with no attention to flashing/choking. The calcs on pages 5 through 8 then refine the calculations by considering the LN2 to the valve inlets to be two phase with quality of 0.032. This is a real situation if the LN2 subcooler is out of service for use as a He cooldown heat exchanger. Also, flashing would occur for this situation and is taken into account. The end result of this refinement pushed the Cv values up by about a factor of 3 over the initial calcs. of pages 1 through 4. The results of the refined (correct) calculations pages 5 through 8 appear in the table above. The required operating Cv's aremore » smaller than commercially available LN2 control valves. Therefore it has been decided to use Fermilab Saver type control valve assemblies with the valve bullet Cv1s listed above. The bullets are 100: 1 equal percentage types and provide better control at the lower percentage of valve Cv values. See flow characteristic data and curve for these valves in appendix B. The manual valves will be commercially purchased, probably a Cryolab model CV3-84-5WPG2 or CV8-84-5WPG2 or CVI model V-1060-050-VJ. Pages 8-10 calculate a minimum required cooldown flowrate as referenced in Cryogenic Systems by Barron. This was done to be sure the valves and piping system did not choke the warm flow so much that cooldown could not be achieved. The minimum mass flow rate needed for a simultaneous, serial cooldown of the refrigerator, solenoid and VLPC system was 6.4 g/s. This warm flow would get choked by an opening less than 0.175-inch in diameter. A valve with only 10 psi differential across it with this flowrate would need to be Cv=0.85. These numbers show that cooldown will be achievable. Firstly, the flow through these components is not serial. The flows get split and sent to vent separately. Secondly, the valves are located upstream of the heat load. And lastly, the Cv of the valves are larger than 0.85 except for the solenoid which has a very low heat load/small flow split and the VLPC's. The VLPC flow split brings the minimal required Cv for a valve situated at the warm outlet of the LN2 circuit to be 0.26. I foresee no, problems cooling down the LN2 components.« less


The purpose of the present investigation was to study the effects of Ca 2+ on water relation of two wheat cultivars (Akbar and Kanchan) under salt stress. The two wheat cultivars were grown in pots with 0 and 150 mM NaCl salinity. Calcium was applied in the form of gypsum in 0.12, 0.24 and 0.36g pot -1 (that is 20, 40 and 60 kg ha -1 ) respectively. Salinity decreased RWC, WRC, exudation rate and ψ leaf , while increased WSD and WUC. Application of increased levels of Ca improved the plant water status in both cultivars. The results obtained in the present study suggest that elevated Ca 2+ increases salt tolerance by improving the plant water status. International Journal of Environment, Volume-2, Issue-1, Sep-Nov 2013, Pages 1-8 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ije.v2i1.9202


A B S T R A C T Recreation is an important part of human life. The purpose of study was to examine the participation's constraint factors concerning outdoor recreational sports in Teheran. As the method of this study was descriptive and correlation. 1200 number of people above 18 year has been selected random cluster. Questionnaires that used are leisure participation and leisure constraint scale. To assess the validity of the questionnaire confirmatory factor analysis using LISREL software was used. Reliability of questionnaire using Cranach's alpha was greater than 0.75. We used inferential statistics, i.e. Pearson, and MNOVA to determine the Correlation and difference between the variables at 95% level of significance. The first set of factors that hinder participation in outdoor recreational sports was structural constraint. There was significant difference between types of outdoor recreational sports, according to three dimensions constraints. There was a significant negative relationship between the interpersonal constraints to participation in sport and outdoor recreation participation. There was a significant negative relationship between the structural constraints to participation in sport and outdoor recreation participation, weekly and yearly. There was a significant negative correlation between the interpersonal constraints to participation in sport and outdoor recreation participation, yearly. Result of this study concluded that the Factors inhibiting Tehranians women from participating in sports recreational were structural, intrapersonal and interpersonal constraints.


Chemical oxo-preceipitation (COP) process that combined the oxidant treatment and precipitation using metal salts was developed for boron containing water disposal under relatively milder conditions (room temperature, pH 10) than a precipitation process. Among the selected boron compounds in 1000 mg-B L, including boric acid (H3BO3), metaborate (NaBO2), borax (Na2B4O7) and perborate (NaBO3), the precipitation process using calcium chloride reduced 80% boron in perborate solution, and was unable to treat the rest of boron compounds immediately. COP then adopted the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to pretreat the boric acid and substantially increased the boron removal of chemical precipitation from less than 5% to 80%. In addition, of alkaline earth metals, barium ion was the most efficient precipitant increased the 80% of boron removal to 98.5% as the mole ratios of H2O2/B and Ba/B were adjusted to 1.5 and 1, respectively. The residue boron in end water of COP was 15 ppm-B, a value never reached by the conventional coagulation processes.


The Islamic accounting concepts circulate within the social contexts and social welfare bounded by the Islamic Shariah Law. The realisation of social contexts is based on the relationship to Allah SWT and relationship to mankind, which revolves within the social accountability relations between interested parties. The Islamic green accounting conception derives from the Islamic values of business transactions particularly in understanding the waqf management and zakat accounting in undertaking its social welfare. Therefore, the paper discusses on the fundamental features of Islamic green accounting conception to the public spheres in attaining sustainable growth and financial stability. Consequently, this paper aims to investigate the Islamic green accounting concepts within the Islamic philosophical perspectives and examine the requirements within the Islamic accounting spectrum for documenting Islamic transactions particularly waqf and zakat transactions. The interpretive qualitative research is employed by conducting five interviews for contemplating its procedures and routines in addressing the research objectives. The documentary review was conducted related to interpretive inquiry of the texts mainly from the al-Quran, Hadiths and other specific literatures. Content analysis has been undertaken to investigate the Islamic green accounting concepts and scrutinise on the possible ways to securing sustainable growth and financial stability in the public spheres. The findings reflect the appropriate management of Islamic accounting in delineating the contribution of waqf and allocation of zakat are essential in ensuring the distribution of wealth to people in need. The Islamic green accounting consists on the operationalization, management and implementation of waqf and zakat strategies to accommodate social needs and social welfare. In summary, the paper suggests a thorough future research to be conducted in extending the accounting for waqf and zakat transactions. The development will accommodate social welfare through appropriate distribution of wealth that indirectly reduced the poverty level within the social community and retaining for sustainable growth.


Eulerian multiphase model and porous media model were applied in the condition of different flow control device and the characteristics of flow in the tundish with gas blowing at the bottom was mathematically simulated. The rerults indicate that when dams are substiuted by gas curtain ,the production cost and nonmetal inclusions decreased and the molten flow has the longest average residence time,the largest plug volume and the smallest dead volume .So it has good effect on inclusion removal for the average residence time is prolonged as well as the dead volume decreases.


Quantitative analysis of extracts from two Ehrlich ascites tumour cell lines (Lettre cells) by 19F NMR in vitro demonstrated that one Lettre cell line (designated LLM) metabolized 30‐50% less 5‐fluorouracil to 5‐fluoronucleotides when compared to the other cell line (designated LHM). HPLC analysis of these cellular extracts showed a significant decrease in the concentration of the cytotoxic nucleotide 5‐fluorouridine triphos‐phate in LLM cells compared to LHM cells. No major differences could be observed in the 31P and 1H NMR spectra of the two cell lines. Growth inhibition studies in vitro demonstrated that LLM cells were less sensitive to 5‐fluorouracil than LHM cells. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that 19F NMR visible levels of 5‐fluoronucleotides can predict the cytotoxicity of the anti‐cancer drug 5‐fluorouracil.


With the existence of new learning in the field of environmental accounting and the importance of the environment for the community. Researchers made this study with the aim of examining the influence of Customers/Society, ISO 14001, Environmental and Moral Conservation Costs and Corporate Responsibility on Environmental Management Accounting Performance. Researchers used primary data collection techniques, where the respondents of this study were active employees in the manufacturing industry. The results of this study are Corporate Morale and Responsibility have a positive effect on Environmental Management Accounting Performance. Whereas Customers/Society, ISO 14001, and Environmental Conservation Costs have no effect on the Performance of Environmental Management Accounting. The researcher recommends for further research to further develop the research by adding samples and variables to further refine the research.


High speed data links are widely adopted for system chips integration. Limited by the power budget and heat dissipation constraints, energy-efficient SERDES with small foot print are demanding to enable multi-lanes interconnects. Dual-loop clock and data recovery circuits (DL-CDR), which consist of a cascaded PLL with phase rotators (PR) to decouple the loop bandwidth of PLL and CDR, are prevalent in the past decade [1]. As the data rate of high-speed I/O keeps increasing, a high-resolution phase rotator is required to meet the stringent clock jitter requirements. Consequently, the clocking scheme becomes the dominant factor of power consumption in a high-speed transceiver. In order to generate low noise and evenly distributed multi-phase clocks, PRs consisted of cascaded phase interpolators (PIs) with injection locked oscillators (ILO) have attracted lots of research efforts recently [2]. Instead, a nested loop CDR (NL-CDR) incorporates only a single PR inside the PLL [3]. They minimize the number of employed PI, and remedy the difficulties of high-speed multi-phase clock distribution. Thus, the power dissipation for clocking can be drastically reduced and benefit from low-pass filtering of PLL system. Meanwhile, no additional frequency calibration loop is required in contrast to ILO based PRs. However, the loop delay of the PLL impedes high frequency jitter tolerance of NL-CDR. To overcome this drawback, this paper proposes a dual feedback nested Loop CDR (DF-CDR). By this means it demonstrates a jitter tolerance of 0.45 UI up to 200 MHz at 26 Gbps operation.


† The book gives an Introduction to Elementary Logic, from the novice level up to Gödel's incompleteness theorems. The first chapter has a direct hands-on approach so that the novice can directly learn about the connectives of propositional logic and grasp the power of inference. This, and the sense of achievement, should stimulate the student to continue, while it also provides a basis to reflect on what already has been learned. The later chapters then delve into theory, with a closing chapter with notes on formalization. † Discussed are (1) the basic elements: propositional operators, predicates and sets; (2) the basic inference notions: inference, syllogism, axiomatics, proof theory; (3) the basic extra's: historical notions, relation to the scientific method, the paradoxes. The new elements in the book are: (4) a logic of exceptions, solutions for paradoxes, analysis of common mistakes, routines in Mathematica. † Confronted with the Liar paradox ("This sentence is false"), modern logic recognizes three main approaches: (1) the theory of types, with levels in language, (2) the abandonment of truth and adoption of a theory of proof with undecidability instead of inconsistency, and (3) three-valued logic. The first two approaches sacrifice useful forms of selfreference. Also, the Gödel incompleteness theorems are based upon a cousin of the Liar ("This sentence is unprovable"), which makes the result rather unconvincing, while the philosophical implications on undecidability seem too large in relation to the dubious nature of such a paradoxical statement. Hence three-valued logic is a more fruitful approach. The logic community has hesitations about three-valued logic. The programs implemented in Mathematica show that it works quite nicely. † Gödel's incompleteness theorems are rather useless for understanding logic and the foundations of mathematics. Moreover, Gödel's verbal and "meta-mathematical" explanations and interpretations of the theorems appear not to match its mathematics. His deduction is based on allowing statements to refer to themselves selfreferentially but disallowing this for the whole system itself. The proper approach is to allow for the latter and to adopt the axiom (S ¢ p) fl (S ¢ (S ¢ p)) or that when S proves something then it considers it also proven that it proves something. In this case the Gödeliar collapses to the Liar, bringing us back to the situation 500 years B.C. † The key development of this course is the logic of exceptions. An intelligent handler of information always keeps in mind that there may be exceptions to the rules applied. This approach does not only allow for freedom of expression but also makes for sound reasoning. And it gives the right results. † The Mathematica programs support the development in the book. The programs become available within Mathematica and within The Economics Pack Cool (1999, 2001) available at http://www.dataweb.nl/~cool and then evaluating: Needs["Economics`Pack`"] 5


An atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM), named AFES, was extensively optimized for the Earth Simulator (ES), and achieved sustained performance of 26.58TFLOPS or 65 % of the peak performance with the full configuration of the ES under more or less ideal conditions. The sensitivity of AFES's parallel performance on problem size is measured under more practical conditions in this study. Even though the amount of computational operation of Legendre transform increases as O(M 3 ), where M is the truncated wavenumber, while that of physical parameterization does as O(M 2 ), the M dependence of the computational cost does not behave as expected from the amount of computational operation due to the vector efficiency. Some aspects of the cost of communication are also discussed. The results suggest the following. 1) AFES has been developed mainly for super-high resolution, and its coding is very effective only at high resolution. It may be difficult to make AFES very efficient at any, especially low, resolution. 2) In order to maintain high parallel efficiency on the ES, it is essential to employ MPI coding that keeps message size sufficiently large for efficient utilization of the ES's communication ability, and to keep vector length sufficiently large for efficient vector processing.


The March, 2012 issue of Aerospace America stated that the near-to-medium prospects for applying advanced propulsion to create a new era of space exploration are not very good. In the current world, we operate to the Moon by climbing aboard a Carnival Cruise Lines vessel (Saturn 5), sail from the harbor (liftoff) shedding whole decks of the ship (staging) along the way and, having reached the return leg of the journey, sink the ship (burnout) and return home in a lifeboat (Apollo capsule). Clearly this is an illogical way to travel, but forced on Explorers by today's propulsion technology. However, the article neglected to consider the one propulsion technology, using today's physical principles that offer continuous, substantial thrust at a theoretical specific impulse of 1,000,000 sec. This engine unequivocally can create a new era of space exploration that changes the way spacecraft operate. Today's space Explorers could travel in Cruise Liner fashion using the technology not considered by Aerospace America, the novel Dusty Plasma Fission Fragment Rocket Engine (FFRE). This NIAC study addresses the FFRE as well as its impact on Exploration Spacecraft design and operation. It uses common physics of the relativistic speed of fission fragments to produce thrust. It radiatively cools the fissioning dusty core and magnetically controls the fragments direction to practically implement previously patented, but unworkable designs. The spacecraft hosting this engine is no more complex nor more massive than the International Space Station (ISS) and would employ the successful ISS technology for assembly and check-out. The elements can be lifted in "chunks" by a Heavy Lift Launcher. This Exploration Spacecraft would require the resupply of small amounts of nuclear fuel for each journey and would be an in-space asset for decades just as any Cruise Liner on Earth. This study has synthesized versions of the FFRE, integrated one concept onto a host spacecraft designed for manned travel to Jupiter's moon, Callisto, and assessed that round trip journey. This engine, although unoptimized, produced 10 pounds force of thrust at a delivered specific impulse of 527,000 seconds for the entire 15-year mission while providing enormous amounts of electrical power to the spacecraft. A payload of 60 metric tons, included in the 300 metric ton vehicle, was carried to Callisto and back; the propellant tanks holding the 4 metric tons of fuel were not jettisoned in the process. The study concluded that the engine and spacecraft are within today's technology, could be built, tested, launched on several SLS (Space Launch System) (or similar) launchers, integrated, checked out, moved to an in-space base such as at a Lagrange point and operated for decades.


Abstract Ecosystem services (ES) are fundamental to sustaining life on earth, although they are under pressure due to anthropogenic activities. The aim of this study is to investigate the trend of ES valuation (ESV) associated with land use/land cover (LULC) change. LULC datasets from 1988 to 2018 and the global ESV coefficient were used to conduct the estimation of ESVs and their changes through ArcGIS. The agricultural provisioning ESVs were also collected from the field to compare with the global ESV data. The total ESV decreased from US$481.85 million in 1988 to US$445.5 million in 2018, with a decreasing rate of US$1.21 million per year. Within this period, the largest ESV increment was observed in cultivated land with an increasing of US$33.47 million, and the largest decreasing was observed in grazing land with a decreasing of US$47.35 million. Based on local and global data, the agriculture land ESV were US$8,610.34 and US$1.34 million ha−1 year−1, respectively. This indicates a significance difference between local study and global ESV data. Overall, the decreasing of ESVs indicated that the environment is degrading due to the land conversion and this suggest sustainable development projects as intervention are required.


Correction for 'Distance measurements between manganese(II) and nitroxide spin-labels by DEER determine a binding site of Mn2+ in the HP92 loop of ribosomal RNA' by Ilia Kaminker et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2015, 17, 15098–15102.


This article presents in first place a reading of the socio-economic indicators of the city, which allow to argue the hypothesis of the importance of new forms of associative organization as an alternative to reach an inclusive economic development. Subsequently we refer to some elements of the first associative experience in the city and which marked a milestone in terms of organizational processes in the metal-mechanic of the small and medium enterprises, and from there we reflect about the importance of articulation of formative processes of associativity to the formulation, promotion and consolidation of an inclusive productive policy, which really impacts in the economic dynamic and the local context.


Functional disorders of the gastrointestinal tract (FD GIT), manifested by abdominal pain, in infants and preschool children are not sufficiently researched. In practical terms, there are problems in the diagnostics and treatment of these conditions. The study shows that the trigger of FD GIT formation in these age groups are mainly biological factors: heredity burdened by gastrointestinal diseases, perinatal pathology of the CNS, old intestinal infections and helminthic infestations, frequent use of antibiotics and NSAIDs, defects in the diet.


With their unique optical and electronic properties, carbon dots (CDs) are showing great momentum in many fields such as biosensing, imaging, drug delivery, and photocatalysis. Due to their efficient light harvesting, extraordinary upconversion photoluminescence, and excellent photoinduced electron transfer capabilities, the combination of CDs with photocatalytic materials will promote light absorption resulting in increased generation of electron‐hole pairs and faster photogenerated electron transfer, effectively suppressing the rate of electron‐hole pair complexation and thus improving photocatalytic activity. In this paper, the mechanism of CDs photocatalysis and various photocatalytic materials such as TiO2, Bi‐based, CdS, and g‐C3N4 complexed with CDs are reviewed. It is hoped that research into CDs in the field of photocatalysis will be advanced and that CDs will be used more widely in environmental and energy applications.


Environmental impacts influence solar cell performance significantly. A harsh environment may cause temperature, wind speed, or humidity uncertainties. In the case of photovoltaic systems in desert or semidesert areas, dust accumulation critically impacted solar cell degradation. Herein, we developed a novel machine-learning-based optical model that estimates solar cell efficiency's degradation because of dust accumulation. Glass substrates were directed to dust for 16 weeks with a weekly characterization procedure. Samples were morphologically and optically characterized to be seeded into the scattering model. Morphological characterization measurements were conducted using SEM and EDX-mapping to explore the internal composition of dust particles. Optically, the dusty glass substrate sample's transmission spectra were measured using a UV-Vis spectrometer. Refractive index, thickness, and scattering particle radius have been extracted as effective parameters with fitting accuracy of 95%. The extracted dataset is then inputted into a machine-learning model to predict the transparency degradation in the glass substrate. Finally, predicted data is validated against the actual degraded monocrystalline cell, showing 89.4% of matching.


Longkeng gold-silver mineralization district is located in Wuyi County, Zhejiang Province. In order to confirm the genesis of Longkeng gold-silver mineralization and its mineralization perspective of the depth in the ore district. The study method is the method of prospecting mineralogy in this paper. The results: The paper studied the composition and its ratios (S/Fe,Fe/(S+As) ,Co/Ni,S/Se,Se/Te, Au/Ag), lead isotope, sulfur isotope characteristics of the pyrile in Longkeng gold-silver mineralization district, analyzed the genesis and prospecting typomophism of the pyrite composition in Longkeng, worked out a large amount of information on the genesis and prospecting potential, meanwhile, prognosticated mineralization perspective of the depth in the ore district by using the trigonal illustrate of the pyrite composition characteristic, which not only provided reliable mineralogical basis for the genesis of Longkeng gold-silver mineralization, but also gave efficient evadence for gold and silver prospecting in depth in the mineralization district. The conclusions: The authors consider that Longkeng gold-silver mineralization is of epithermal vocanogenic origin. It would be profitable in the ore prospecting in depth in Longkeng gold-silver mineralization district.


The efferent innervation of the heart is derived from the vagus and sympathetic nerves. The vagus cardiac nerves include afferent fibers. Afferent spinal axones also reach the heart in association with the sympathetic cardiac nerves. Some of the


Objective To investigate the changes of renal function and endogenous digitalis-like factor(EDLF) and Na +,K+-ATPase activity of renal cortex in early diabetic rats. Methods A diabetic rat model was prepared by administering streptozotocin(STZ). Contents of EDLF in serum and urine and urine albumin were measured by radioimmunoassay(RIA). Na +,K +-ATPase activity of renal cortex were determined by colormeter. Results Results showed that diabetic rats the blood glucose and urine amount and urine albumin and creatinine clearance(Ccr) and renal weight/body weight and EDLF contentration in serum and urine were significantly higher than that in control group,while Na +,K +-ATPase activity of renal cortex was decreased compared with the control group. Na +,K +-ATPase activiy of renal cortex was recovered after insulin therapy. Conlusions The Na +,K +-ATPase activity of renal cortex descent may relate to the EDLF release increment in early diabetic rats. Insulin therapy can improve Na +,K +-ATPase activity of renal cortex may be result from inhibit the EDLF release.


A barrier layer is formed on a substrate layer by Implantierungsatome are implanted into the substrate material of the substrate layer. To the substrate material, a metal layer is deposited and the substrate material, the Implantierungsatome and the metal layer are at least partially brought into reaction, such that the barrier layer is formed.


W A rHAT improvements in agricultural production can be anticipated V Vwith the transformation of socialist agriculture to a market-based agricultural system? As communism has crumpled in many countries and new forms of economic organization are being developed, this issue has important policy implications.1 Previously, the benefits of change in socialist agricultural organization were estimated by contrasting the welldocumented inefficiencies of socialist agriculture2 with the presumed efficiencies of market-based agriculture. This paper uses an alternative methodology: it analyzes Chinese provincial agricultural data to estimate directly the initial changes in crop productivity when collective agriculture was substantially converted to private, market-based agriculture (1980-84) and the longer-term changes (1985-89)3 This paper reaches two important conclusions. First, the short-term impact of transformation to household agriculture during the 1980-84 period was very positive. The total value of China's crop production increased 46 percent, from 134 to 196 billion yuan, calculated in fixed-value currency, to remove the impact of inflation. Some of this increase was due to increased inputs, but the average crop productivity of China's provinces increased at about 3.7 percent annually, or about 15 percent during this four-year period. The same inputs utilized in 1980 would have produced substantially


The subject of research is a mix of theoretical and practical aspects in terms of the use of marketing tools for effective marketing strategy development and implementation. The purpose of the research is to figure out and enhance the key theoretical approaches during marketing tools usage, suggest step-by-step marketing tools instructions for each particular stage of marketing strategy. Methodology. The article was written with the use of the methods of critical analysis of scientific literature and Internet sources, abstraction, generalization, the ascent from abstract to the concrete, comparison, analysis and synthesis. Previously mentioned methods gave an opportunity to generalize the scientific approaches to the definition of 'marketing strategy' category, consider in detail and compare modern marketing tools for effective marketing strategy development and implementation. The results of the work. Marketing strategy development consists of three main stages: determinating of market opportunities, building the strategy itself with the help of STP-analysis (segmentation, targeting, positioning) and shaping the marketing program (4P marketing mix). For each stage of the strategy is determined a range of tools, that company should implement in order to reach an effective marketing strategy. For instance, for the first stage were proposed such strategic planning tools as SWOT-analysis, Porter's five forces model and 5C-analysis. All tools mentioned above help the company to identify its strengths and weaknesses comprehensively, to understand its consumers, inner business-processes and influence of external environmental factors, which company is not capable of changing. During the second stage (STP-analysis) were offered company positioning tools like the Value Proposition Canvas (by A. Osterwalder) and Bowman's Strategic Clock. Consequently, using the results of previous stages a company will have enough information for establishing the 4P marketing mix. Conclusions. The use of mentioned above instruments will allow companies to develop marketing strategies more effectively, by focusing on company business issues and, at the same time, carefully considering the main negative and positive points of the product following ongoing consumer needs for the purpose of profit maximization and the company`s performance improvement. Key words: marketing strategy, marketing environment analysis, marketing tools, segmentation, positioning, targeting.


This admittedly somewhat polemical essay addresses the surprisingly complex issue of how our Constitution does/should treat non-citizens (both legal and illegal) with respect to their involvement in/impact upon our political systems, both federal and state. The recent U.S. Supreme Court case of Department of Commerce v. New York, dealing with whether a citizenship question could lawfully be included in the 2020 Census, provides the jumping-off point for our discussion. The facets of our political system that are or could be affected by non-citizens include at least (1) eligibility to vote, (2) eligibility to serve as an elected public official, (3) eligibility to be included in the population base that determines the number of Congresspersons and/or members of the Electoral College to which each state is entitled, and (4) eligibility to be included in the population base that determines how many electoral districts into which a federal, state or local political entity is divided and/or how many elected representatives to which each district is entitled . We discuss what the Constitution (as written and as interpreted by the Supreme Court) has to say about each of these potential ways for non-citizens to participate in our political systems. In particular, we detail how non-citizens and their supposed rights/privileges/interests with respect to our political processes are the incidental beneficiaries of provisions in the Constitution which were part of the Framers' multiple compromises with slavery. Finally, we express our opinion that citizenship should be the sine qua non for formal participation in our democratic institutions and processes – and we suggest some ways by which that can be made to happen.


Kampus Mengajar program as one of Merdeka Belajar-Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) programs initiated by the Minister of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia in 2020 is one of the programs that increase the professionalism of students as prospective teachers in Indonesia. Therefore, this study aims to determine the Perception of EFL Pre-service Teachers in Managing the Learning Process during Kampus Mengajar Program. By using a qualitative descriptive design, six pre-service teachers of the English education study program at the Muhammadiyah University of Kendari were interviewed as alumni of Kampus Mengajar program batch I. The results of this study indicate that participants have a positive perception of Kampus Mengajar program to improve their competence as pre-service EFL teachers. However, in the results of the study, there were also many obstacles faced by participants such as difficulties in designing learning caused by differences between basic education taken during lectures and subjects taught during teaching, difficulties in classroom management, and also difficulties in communication caused by differences culture. Despite that, Kampus Mengajar program is highly recommended to be implemented in teacher education by students and should be encouraged by universities.


Abstract A spectral analysis of sea-level data from Hilo, Hawaii (19° 44′ N, 155° 04′ W) shows a peak near 0.4 cycle per day (cpd) which is absent from all other Hawaiian tide stations that have been examined. A cross-spectrum study of the Hilo sea-level record with local weather variables shows some coherence, but not enough to ascribe the entire sea-level activity of the peak to local weather. An attempt was made to correlate the sea-level record with more distant weather. To do this, surface atmospheric pressure values were obtained on a 10° grid of 16 points in the Pacific Ocean, encompassing the Hawaiian Islands, and were correlated by cross-spectrum analysis with Hilo sea level. The results indicate that weather at some distance away is related to Hilo sea-level variations, with a suggestion that the entire activity of the 0.4-cpd peak may be ascribed to weather over a broad region around the Hawaiian Islands. The sea-level record at Honolulu has a smaller peak near 0.5 cpd. The same analysis showed...


Objective To study the treatment strategies of posterior hip dislocation combined with femoral fractures.Methods Between May 2006 and January 2010, 18 cases of posterior hip dislocation combined with femoral fractures were treated.Classification was based on Pipkin's criteria. Of the 18 cases, 4 cases were typeⅠ, 6 cases were typeⅡ, 3 cases were typeⅢ, 5 cases were typeⅣ. Various procedures were taken according to classifications and pathology. Results Follow-up study was 1 to 4 years. Of the 18 cases, excellent result was achieved in 8 cases, good in 6 cases, fair in 2 cases, poor in 2 cases. Rate of excellent and good result was 83.3%. Conclusions The key to achieve better result in posterior hip dislocation combined with femoral fractures was early proper diagnosis and proper treatment based on fracture pattern.

Key words:
Posterior hip dislocation; Femoral fractures; Treatment strategies


Inflammatory fibroid polyps are non-frequent benign lesions, described by Vanek in 1949, originated in the sub mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract. They have an uncertain origin and they are formed of fibroblastic and mesenchymal proliferations with an important eosinophilic proportion. Depending on where are they localized, could present different type of symptoms. The inflammatory fibroid polyps are one of the rare benign conditions causing intestinal intussusception in adults. We present the case of a 82 years old woman, who presented an intestinal intussusception due to an inflammatory fibroid polyp localized in the small bowel.


The electronic transport properties in B24N24 nanocage are studied with a combination of the density functional theory and non-equilibrium Green's function scheme. Various configurations of the molecular conductor sandwiched between two gold electrodes have been considered. The results show that when the boron nitride nanocage is oriented with its main symmetry axis being parallel to the transport direction in device, the conductance is larger than in the case with the perpendicular axis orientation. However, a small conductance was observed for both the considered orientations. The obtained results are rationalised by analysing the transmission coefficients at different bias voltages as well as at the projection of the density of states for the molecular orbitals.


It is critical to get an early and precise diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) to provide patients with the best care and treatment options. Furthermore, early diagnosis of PD is crucial and can positively impact medical practice since levodopa/carbidopa treatments work better in the early stages of the disease. In this paper, the technique, and findings from the design of an autonomous Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based system for a PD diagnosis utilising voice recording, obtained from the University of Strathclyde's Speech Therapy Department are discussed. Support vector machines (SVM) algorithm with linear and radial basis functions and a convolutional neural network (CNN) with a transfer learning strategy were two of the machine learning and deep learning techniques examined. Analysis and pre-processing were done on the data for both Parkinson's sufferers and healthy control volunteers. The accuracy of the test set on the testing stage after training the AI-based Models was 78.84 percent and 82.75 percent for the SVM approach utilising the linear and radial basis functions, respectively, and 83.34 percent for the CNN using the transfer learning method. The peak accuracy exceed the average clinical diagnosis accuracy of non-experts (73.8 Percent), the average accuracy of movement disorder specialists (79.6 Percent without follow-up) as evidenced by pathological post-mortem investigation (Wroge, Timothy J., et al, 2019), and the pooled diagnostic accuracy from the UK Parkinson's Disease Society Brain Bank Research Centre criteria, with an accuracy of 82.7 Percent (Jellinger, 2019).


Over decades, sandwich composite panels (SCPs) have been widely used to fabricate lightweight but strong structural components. However, composite sandwich structures are susceptible to impact damage, which may severely reduce the structural stiffness, stability, and load-carrying capacity. In order to enhance the anti-impact capacity of SCPs, a series of novel core structures and filling materials have been proposed and tested. One of them is the shear thickening fluids (STFs), which mechanical behavior changed from liquid to solid when subjected to high strain rate shear loading. However, the STF-filled cores may suffer from the leakage or evaporation of solvent liquid, limiting their practical applications. Most recently, shear-stiffening gels (STG), a class of viscoelastic polymer, were developed. Similar to the STFs, STG is soft in unstressed state but becomes much stiffer when subjected to external impacts. In consideration of the fascinating shear thickening characteristic and stable nature, STG could be a promising core material for fabricating high performance SCPs. Currently, only a few work about STG-based composite panels were reported. In this work, the anti-impact performances of the sandwich panels consisting of two CFRP facings and a STG-filled honeycomb core were studied. The rheological property of the STG were examined to quantify its shear thickening characteristic. The STG was filled into the honeycomb cores and the low-velocity impact response of STG-filled SCPs were systematically investigated. The impact resisting mechanism of the STG-filled SCPs were revealed through numerical simulation.


have a hard road ahead of them if they are to combat Canadian resistance. But Dr. Fischer, whose Toronto institute is the only establishment currently offering art therapy training in Canada, wants to see art therapy used in far more settings than just long-term psychiatric hospitals and in wider application than just its therapeutic and rehabilitative uses. "Primary prevention, achieved through early recognition of signals make an important contribution to of stress in children's artwork, could the mental and emotional health of


This paper examines the spillover effect of Eurozone sovereign rating changes announced by Standard and Poor's, Moody's, and Fitch on domestic bank share prices in the period 2002–2012. This spillover effect appears negative in the case of downgrades, but insignificant for upgrades. Surprisingly, announcement of sovereign negative credit watches results in increased bank stock returns. Bank share price losses following sovereign downgrades increase as bank leverage, efficiency, and equity performance increase, and they decrease as bank systematic risk and payout ratio increase. On the contrary, bank share prices rise following sovereign negative credit watches, as leverage and bank size decrease and as bank systematic risk increases.


In this article, we present the first steps of our research work to design a Virtual Assistant for Performers and Stage Directors. Our aim is to be able to give an automatic feedback in stage performances. We collect video and sound data from numerous performances of the same show from which it should be possible to visualize the emotions and intents or more precisely "intent graphs". To perform this, the collected data defining low-level descriptors are aggregated and converted into high-level characterizations. Then, depending on the retrieved data and on their distribution on the axis, we partition the universes into classes. The last step is the building of the fuzzy rules that are obtained from the classes and that permit the detecting of emotion states.


Suburbanisation is the most typical characteristic of the spatial distribution of the population in many countries of central and eastern Europe. Furthermore, a characterisation of residents is of key importance in explaining the process of suburbanisation. The study contributes to an understanding of post-socialist suburbanisation by clarifying the motivations and groups behind the population shift to the suburbs. The analysis is based on an extensive survey of the Rīga metropolitan area, Latvia. The results show that suburbanisation is a socially polarised process and that those with high and low social status are more likely to move to the suburbs than those with middle social status. Similarly, the motivations behind suburban in-migration present a distinctive and complex portrait of the on-going suburbanisation processes. Housing choice was found to be a key motivation for suburban migrants.


Simulations of double-walled carbon nanotubes under bending deformation using the tight-binding molecular dynamics method were carried out. Five- and seven-membered ring pair defects were formed after emission of several atoms from the tube structure. These defect pair couples have different structures corresponding to the number of emitted atoms and stabilize the resulting nanotubes. Our results imply that the defect pair couples represent one of the potential origins of the experimentally observed plastic deformations that have been shown to occur in double-walled carbon nanotubes. The various defects obtained by the simulations are discussed in relation to other defect types.


This paper proposes a unified power flow algorithm based on the Newton-Raphson (NR) method to obtain a feasible solution for hybrid AC/DC grids incorporating voltage source converters (VSCs). The power flow model of hybrid AC/DC grids is composed of an AC grid model, a VSC station model, and a DC grid model. Detailed converter losses are involved in VSC station modeling. In the DC grid model, a unified dc control expression is applied to adapt to different control methods. To obtain sparse Jacobian matrix, the mismatch equations and unknown variables are classified into three categories corresponding to AC, VSC, and DC models. Then the proposed algorithm achieved quadratic convergence with the NR method. Once the solution is infeasible (variable out-of-limit) or diverging, the constrained load flow (CLF) method is applied automatically to achieve a feasible solution by revising the references of ac/dc grids. Simulations were carried out for the hybrid AC/DC test system composed of two AC grids and two DC grids. The results under different DC voltage control modes show that the proposed algorithm is able to obtain a feasible solution with high accuracy and convergence speed.


Double taxation is a phenomenon that arises when two or more states have the jurisdiction to tax the common income of the same person, whether a company or an individual. The author considers the causes and effects of double taxation and then examines bilateral double taxation treaties as an important method of reducing this problem. Double taxation is of growing concern due to the ever-increasing international aspects of doing business, which affect both companies and individuals. Ultimately, double taxation impedes the movement of capital, technology, persons and services between states, thus hindering lasting economic co operation.
 The history of double taxation treaties, some model treaties and finally the 1980 Canada-U.S. Convention are discussed. The writer closely examines the Permanent Establishment provision in the Convention. The concept of a Permanent Establishment is central to the Canada-U.S. Convention, as it is the mechanism by which a resident of one state can be taxed by the other state. The business profits of a resident can only be taxed by the other state if that resident carried on business through a Permanent Establishment in the other state.
 Drawing on Canadian, U.S. and international taxation treaty interpretations, the author outlines the comprehensive test for determining the existence of a Permanent Establishment. Building on this analysis, she discusses the practical tax planning problem of whether to conduct business in foreign States through Permanent Establishments or through some other entities. Finally, the writer discusses both the advantages and disadvantages of the current Permanent Establishment provision and its effect on trade between Canada and the U.S.


We investigate two determinants of the price sensitivity of health plan demand: the size of the choice set and the salience of premium differences. Using variation in both features in the German Social Health Insurance (SHI) and information on health plan switches of retirees in the German Socio Economic Panel, augmented with information on individuals' choice sets we find that retirees react less to potential savings from switching when they have more plans to choose from and when differences between premiums are less salient. Simplifying choices could save consumers money and improve the functioning of the health insurance market.


Data mining is a new field at t he frontiers of statistics and information technologies (database management, artificial intelligence, machine learning, etc.) which aims at discovering structures and patterns in large data sets. We examine here its definitions, tools, and how data mining could be used in official statistics.


It is important to identify prognostic factors in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) before hepatectomy. No previous studies have addressed the predictive efficacy of the preoperative doubling times of alpha‐fetoprotein (AFP) and protein induced by vitamin K absence (PIVKA‐II).


In this study, CFD computer simulations by FDS are carried out in order to confirm the performance of the combined operation of both sprinkler system and smoke curtain of 0.54 m depth installed for cooling and blocking the smoke which propagates beneath the sloped ceiling of a stairway corridor of which dimensions are 17.92 m long, 4.00 m wide, and 6.12 m high. It is shown that the response time of sprinklers decreases with fire size and it increases more about 1.1 second in case without smoke curtain than in case with smoke curtain, that the time of smoke transport from the fire source to the stairway outlet decreases considerably with fire size, and that the delay effect of smoke transport is not related to the sprinkler system, whether it is operated or not. This study shows that the combined operation of both sprinkler system and smoke curtain is very effective in smoke cooling, but it is a little for effect on smoke blockage. Although the hazard of skin burn due to radiative heat flux from hot smoke layer is decreased by spray cooling effect, the hazard of smoke suffocation and the weakening of visibility is increased by smoke downdrag and the turbulence of smoke-air mixing due to water spray. These conditions may result in preventing occupants from going out of the stairway during evacuation.


The temperature history in a mass concrete mock-up,4.5×4.5×4.5m in dimension,was investigated in order to examine the rationality of concrete proportion and effectiveness of construction measures related to the foundation of main tower in the project of the International Trade Center,Phase Three.Several sensors which monitored the temperature development instantly were disposed in different positions.The results show that the temperature rise inside the concrete was about 40℃,which was achieved between 5 and 7 days.The difference of temperatures between any points was less than 21℃.The requirements proposed in the design about the temperature field and developing regime in the foundation slab can be satisfied based on the mix design of concrete and the construction measures utilized in this experiment.


Otitis media is the most frequent type of ear infection. It is a major health problem for both children and adults but the proportion is different in different countries. The current study was designed to determine the frequency of bacterial isolates causing otitis media and their antimicrobial resistance profile to assess the incidence of multidrug-resistant (MDR), extensively drug-resistant (XDR), and pan drug resistance (PDR) among the isolated pathogens. Also, to determine the various risk factors (age, gender, type, and site of infection) associated with ear infection. A total of 200 ear discharge samples were collected from patients aged 1-77 years attending the Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) unit in Azadi Teaching Hospital in Duhok city from November 2018 to September 2019. The clinical samples were cultured and bacterial isolates were identified by standard microbiological methods then confirmed by VITEK ® 2 Compact automated system. All gram-negative bacterial isolates were studied phenotypically for Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamase production. Out of 200 ear swabs, 95% confirmed positive culture; 85.8% were bacterial isolates. From the total bacterial isolates, 57% were gram-positive bacteria, while gram-negative bacteria were 43%; with predominant of Pseudomonas aeruginosa , (22%) followed by Staphylococcus aureus (19%) and Coagulase negative Staphylococci (18%). The prevalence of otitis media was not significantly affected by gender. The majority of patients belonged to the age group (1-10) years old. 64.1% of the isolates were characterized as MDR, 31.7% were XDR, with one (0.7%) as PDR. Among these, 60.7% isolates were ESBL producers, Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most frequent ESBL- producing isolates (45.9%), followed by Proteus spp (18.9%). The in-vitro sensitivity results indicated that Gentamycin and Ciprofloxacin were effective antibiotics in the treatment of otitis media. Additionally, Meropenem, Imipenem, Cefepime, and Azetronam were also the most effective drug against Pseudomonas aeruginosa . We concluded that the drug resistant isolates were common, worryingly high, leaving only limited drugs as a treatment choice.


Principals of schools serving Native American students have a unique role as technology leaders. They must be cognizant of technological demands, government mandates, as well as unique societal and cultural needs. In this study, the researchers conducted interviews with nine principals in federally-funded, Bureau of Indian Education schools that serve Native American students to explore various topics related to technology leadership as described by the National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators (NETS-A). We find that these principals are meeting various components of the NETS-A in unique ways but are missing many components of the standards entirely. We find that a lack of professional development on technology training, a dearth of technology coordinators, poverty, and isolation were major challenges to their technology leadership. We conclude that the field of educational leadership must respond to the needs of the marginalized communities to meet their unique demands by focusing on relevant technology leadership training through preparatory and in-service training. Administrators of K-12 schools are increasingly called upon to be leaders of technological change. Many studies support the assertion that the administrator plays a pivotal role as the district or school technology leader (Anderson & Dexter, 2005; Dikkers, Hughes, & McLeod, 2005; Fletcher, 2009; Gerard, Bowyer, & Linn, 2008; International Society for Technology in Education, 2007; McLeod, 2008; Slenning, 2000). As Anderson and Dexter (2005) assert, "a school's technology efforts are seriously threatened unless key administrators become active technology leaders in a school" (p. 74). Principals who serve special populations however, such as Native American1 students, face a unique combination of challenges including but not limited to isolation, poverty, cultural preservation, cultural disintegration, and language maintenance. This article explores technology leadership as defined by the National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators (NETS-A) (International Society for Technology in Education, 2009) within the context of K-12 schools serving Native American students. Two research questions guide this study: (1) What does technology leadership look like in Native American schools? and; (2) What challenges do school leaders of Native American schools face when trying to become effective school technology leaders? Theoretical Framework To help guide school leaders as they focus on technology leadership, the International Society for Teachers in Education (ISTE) (ISTE, 2002, 2009) created the National Educational Technology Standards for Administrators (NETS-A). "These standards represent a national consensus of the things PK-12 school administrators need to know and do to support technology integration effectively in schools" (Brooks-Young, 2009, p. 2).The five standards are intended to help school leaders better understand and refine their role as school technology leaders. The first standard is called visionary leadership. Included in this standard is that a technology leader has the ability to inspire a shared vision among stakeholders and foster changes that maximize the use of digital resources to support instruction, learning, and student performance. Engaging in ongoing strategic technology planning is also detailed in this standard. Finally, the standard of visionary leadership details how effective school technology leaders advocate for policies, programs, and funding to support the vision and planning efforts related to technology. The second standard is titled digital-age learning culture. This standard describes how school administrators must ensure that instruction improves digital-age learning and that the school and classrooms are sufficiently equipped with digital technologies that support individual student needs. Additionally, school technology leaders should "model and promote the frequent and effective use of technology for learning" (ISTE, 2009, p. …


In this paper we investigate general linear stochastic volatility models with correlated Brownian noises. In such models the asset price satisfies a linear SDE with coefficient of linearity being the volatility process. This class contains among others Black-Scholes model, a log-normal stochastic volatility model and Heston stochastic volatility model. For a linear stochastic volatility model we derive representations for the probability density function of the arbitrage price of a financial asset and the prices of European call and put options. A closed-form formulae for the density function and the prices of European call and put options are given for log-normal stochastic volatility model. We also obtain present some new results for Heston and extended Heston stochastic volatility models.


The present invention is based on a micromechanical acceleration sensor (10) having a seismic mass (30) and a substrate (20) having a reference electrode (70), wherein the seismic mass (30) in a direction (60) perpendicular to the reference electrode (70) is deflectable and wherein the seismic mass (30) in the deflection direction a flexible stop (10). The core of the invention is that the flexible stop (10) of the seismic mass (30) has an elastic layer (33).


The coordination chemistry of titanium and zirconium complexes supported by the monoanionic multidentate ligand [N2P2] (where [N2P2] = tBuN−SiMe2N(CH2CH2PiPr2)2) is presented. The zirconium(IV) halide complex [N2P2]ZrCl3 (1) serves as a precursor to the alkyl species [N2P2]Zr(CH2SiMe3)3 (2) and [N2P2]ZrMe3 (3). The coordination behavior of the [N2P2] ligand in compound 3 is determined using NMR and X-ray diffraction data, and protonation of 3 results in the formation of the cationic species {[N2P2]ZrMe2}{B(C6H5)4} (4). The reduction of 1 in the presence of various traps leads to the isolation of ([N2P2]ZrCl)2(μ-η2:η2-N2) (5), ([N2P2]ZrCl)2(μ-Cl)2 (6), and [N2P2]ZrAr* (9). The titanium(III) halide complex [N2P2]TiCl2 (10) also serves as a precursor to alkyl and reduced species [N2P2]TiMe2 (11) and ([N2P2]TiCl)2(μ-N2) (12). Alkylation of 12 results in the formation of ([N2P2]TiCH2SiMe3)2(μ-N2) (13), and the degree of reduction of the N2 moiety in 12 and 13 is examined using X-ray crystallography and Raman s...


This study examines links between the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation (NPGO) and the occurrence of tropical cyclones (TCs) in the western North Pacific (WNP) at both interannual and decadal scales. The major findings are summarized as follows: (1) NPGO makes significant impacts on the WNP TC frequency at both interannual and decadal time scales. The impacts of NPGO on the TC activity are more profound than those exerted by the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and the El Niño Southern Oscillation. (2) Niño 3 plays a more important role than Niño 3.4 and Niño 4 in modulating the decadal WNP TC activity. (3) Positive low‐level relative vorticity and weak zonal vertical wind shear are responsible for the increase in the WNP TC activity in negative NPGO phases. This study indicates that the NPGO and Niño 3 indices should be key factors for building a scheme for decadal prediction of occurrences of WNP TCs.


Acquired idiopathic generalized anhidrosis (AIGA) causes heat intolerance which can be life-threatening but is often overlooked1 . Here we report a patient who developed AIGA possibly caused by immune-related adverse event (irAE) of pembrolizumab. Our case was a 73-year-old Japanese woman whose medical history included surgery for colorectal adenocarcinoma three years ago, and pulmonary adenocarcinoma which had been treated with pembrolizumab 10 months ago.


For the post-combustion CO2 capture (PCC) system, the time variability of the economic performance is key to the production process of such an actual industrial process. However, the performance index used by the conventional model predictive control (MPC) does not reflect the economy of the production process, so the economic cost function is used instead of the traditional performance index to measure the economy of the production process. In this paper, a complete dynamic model of the PCC system is constructed in Aspen Plus Dynamics. The effectiveness of the model is verified by dynamic testing; subspace identification is carried out using experimental data, a state-space equation between flue gas flow and lean solvent flow; the CO2 capture rate is obtained; and dynamic models and control algorithm models of accused objects are established in Matlab/Simulink. Under the background of the environmental protection policy, an economic model predictive control (EMPC) strategy is proposed to manipulate the PCC system through seeking the optimal function of the economic performance, and the system is guaranteed to operate under the economic optimal and excellent quality of the MPC control strategy. The simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.


On a group of young normal subjects for whom threshold of hearing by bone conduction was measured, threshold measurements by air conduction were made. Correlation of these results gives a limiting relationship for the difference between hearing by air and by bone conduction. Because of the lack of ear canal impedance data, absolute power threshold correlations could not be found, but empirical relationships to sound pressure threshold can be given.


Background: Contemporary social policy fosters social inclusion of persons with developmental disabilities. Methods: This paper advocates for the "intentional community" approach based on an evaluation of Botton Village, a UK intentional community, in addressing challenges being encountered in Ontario in implementing social inclusion. Results: Challenges such as long wait lists, lack of meaningful engagement and access to adult services and unmet health care needs continue to persist in current integrated communities. Conclusions: This paper suggests intentional communities have the potential for creation of lives with meaning for adult individuals with developmental disabilities and for their caregivers.


Objective: To explore the potential for using a basic text search of routine emergency department data to identify product‐related injury in infants and to compare the patterns from routine ED data and specialised injury surveillance data.


is the pseudonym for a rare monozygotic female quadruplet set, famous for their schizophrenia concordance. Derived from the Greek language, Genain means " dreadful birth " or " dire gene " (Rosenthal, 1963). Most investigators now agree that schizophrenia represents a complex interaction among genetic, pre-natal, psychosocial and random events, although they disagree over the relative contributions of each one (Moran, 2000). The Genain quadruplets were born in an undisclosed midwestern town on April 14, 1930. They were intensively studied for a three and a half-year period (1955–1958) by an interdiscipli-nary team at the National Institute of Health, lead by the late Dr. David Rosenthal. In order to disguise their identity, the quads were cleverly called Nora, Iris, Myra and Hester, names whose first letters correspond to NIMH and whose sequence follows the quads' order of birth. This decision is known by people familiar with their story. A less well-known fact is that it continued a practice begun by their parents — the quads' real names follow letters in the name of the hospital in which they were born (A.F. Mirsky, personal communication , 2 January, 2001) Research efforts culminated in a seminal book, The Genain Quadruplets , published in 1963 and edited by Rosenthal (1963). The dedication is heartfelt, acknowledging a psychiatrist, a historian, an arts patron, a war hero and a father whose untimely deaths left plans and hopes unrealized — " And the mentally afflicted everywhere, nameless , the lost living, their talents bud-nipped, their dreams imprisoned, their songs unsung, who, in a more grievous sense, died too young " (p. v). Beyond its subject matter, the volume is memorable for Rosenthal's skilled assembly of 37 separate chapters reflecting his and his colleagues' professional specializations. Follow-up visits resulted The final paper especially caught my attention as it underlined the continued research potential of the sisters, now in their seventies. It also recalled another time and place. I assisted David Rosenthal at the NIMH during the summer of 1974 by organizing information in letters he received from Nora, Iris, Myra and Hester. (Yes, I know their real names!) This was an exciting task for a first-year graduate student for several reasons. Twin research was flourishing and refining genetic explanations of schizophrenia. The Genain quadruplets' scientific Chief of the Section on Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, NIMH, and first author of the 2000 paper. Mirsky …


Automatic gender classification is an important and challenging problem. The challenges are magnified by low resolution of input images and partial occlusion of the face in existing datasets. In recent years, using facial components to conduct gender classification and using deeper convolutional neural networks has both achieved high accuracy and recognition. This analysis paper examines the effect of using deeper convolutional neural networks trained on separate facial components and the results are compared with the state-of-the-art gender classification techniques. We also investigate the effects of network settings and parameters surrounding convolutional neural networks, how they affect the overall classification and provide insights into age-related gender classification. The results show that the proposed technique is promising and performs better with larger crop sizes. Our experiments suggest that the proposed technique can classify gender well from mouth, nose and face (less eyes) only.


Secondary-level technology education in Taiwan is shifting its emphasis from industrial arts to living technology in an effort to overcome the following problems: industrial arts is seen as a subordinate subject; the public's perceptions are not aligned with the field; and industrial technology teachers have had to struggle with huge class sizes and limited teaching resources. To emphasize the study of technology as a way of equipping youth with the living skills needed in a technologically advanced society, the subject industrial arts will henceforth be called living technology. To reflect the value of gender equity in education, students of both sexes will be required to take living technology. In an effort to bring more order to the complicated content of industrial arts, the content of living technology will be systematized into the following four domains at both the junior and senior high school levels: technology and life; information and communication; construction and manufacturing; and energy and transportation. Students will receive approximately 108 hours of living technology instruction during their 3 years in junior high school and approximately 72 hours during their 2 years in grades 10 and 11. (MN) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made is from the original document. *********************************************************************** Tect1.16.:ivi Education 1 Running head: TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION IN TAIWAN Technology Education in Taiwan: A Transition from Industrial Arts to Living Technology U S DERAFITUENT OA EDUCATION ar Face.. Oro., sc ...wow... TIONAL RESOURCES tNFOCRAATiON The CloConwor has bean 011:00000101 al flOrovo0 trifn (307.01 OrOana11000 CENTER IEMC) Oncpnaang n. 0 lAgno, Mangos tune loom mall* 10 .W00. 011100000100 puntrty Foso, Ofrw Or opmpr. ntn1.0n ON IltamAnonl 0


The furniture and decorative items that the Loyalist elite carried with them into exile acquired special significance in the new communities of British North America. This paper looks at a selection of artifacts owned by the Loyalist leaders of New Brunswick in order to define their cultural role more precisely. Five points arise from this examination. First, although these elite leaders came from diverse points along the Atlantic seaboard, their most cherished material possessions exhibit common stylistic characteristics, particularly the preference for highly polished surfaces and rococo design. Second, this expression of taste reflects Loyalist participation in the profound cultural transformation of mid-eighteenth-century America, whereby seaboard society began emulating English metropolitan fashions in every aspect of their lives from religious worship to furniture design. Third, this "Anglicization" of the seaboard elite both inspired the brilliant Georgian period in American art and architecture and led to increased social stratification in American colonial society. Fourth, the luxurious life-style of the seaboard elite became a searing political issue in the American Revolution, with the result that many members of the original colonial elite adhered to the Loyalist cause and eventually had to go into exile. The fifth and final point concludes that the hallowed place given to these artifacts by the Loyalist leaders of New Brunswick and their heirs must be interpreted as symbolic evidence of their determination to reproduce a colonial aristocracy in their new homes. Resume Les meubles et les articles decoratifs que les membres de l'elite loyaliste amenerent en exil ont acquis une importance particuliere dans les nouvelles collectivites de l'Amerique du Nord britannique. Le present document vise a mieux definir le role culturel de certains articles qui appartenaient aux dirigeants loyalistes du Nouveau-Brunswick. De cet examen ressortent cinq points a retenir. Premierement, meme si ces dirigeants venaient de differents endroits du littoral atlantique, leurs biens les plus precieux presentent des caracteristiques communes, notamment une preference marquee pour les surfaces polies et le style rococo. Deuxiemement, ces gouts bien arretes montrent que les loyalistes ont participe a la profonde transformation culturelle survenue aux Etats-Unis au milieu du XVIIIe siecle, quand la societe du littoral a commence d'imiter la mode britannique dans tous les aspects de sa vie, depuis le culte religieux jusqu'aux meubles. Troisiemement, l'anglicisation de l'elite du littoral est a l'origine du style georgien dans l'architecture et l'art americains et a contribue a une stratification accrue de la societe coloniale americaine. Quatriemement, le style de vie luxueux de cette elite est devenu un probleme politique brulant pendant la guerre de l'Independance, ce qui a amene de nombreux representants de la premiere elite coloniale a epouser la cause loyaliste et finalement a devoir s'exiler. Cinquiemement, la place privilegiee que les dirigeants loyalistes du Nouveau-Brunswick et leurs heritiers accordaient aux objets etudies ici doit etre interpretee comme la preuve symbolique de leur determination a transplanter l'aristocratie coloniale dans leur nouveau milieu.


Knowledge of what data are carried by network links is crucia l to be able to prevent attacks and to improve quality of services. Therefore it is i mportant to develop network monitoring tools which can operate on speeds of new gigabit n etworks. This thesis discusses general principles of designing a highly flexible fra mework which is divided into several levels. These spread across various hardware and so ftware environments. This allows us to keep up with a gigabit speed. Details are shown on an ex mple which extends a previous implementation of the framework to run on top of an I XP based PCI board. This work also presents performance evaluation, discussion of b ottle-necks, general problems and compares with other related projects.


Abstract Background Emotional support from family members may have an important effect on adolescent health outcomes, and has been identified as a target for policy to protect against the impacts of poverty and adversity. However, few studies have assessed the extent to which poverty and adversity themselves influence the nature of emotional support that parents can provide to adolescents. We therefore aimed to investigate the impact of trajectories of poverty and family adversities on young people's relationships with their families and perceived emotional support received. Methods We analysed longitudinal data on 10976 children from the nationally representative UK Millennium Cohort Study. Exposure trajectories of poverty and family adversities were characterised using group-based multi-trajectory models. The outcomes were perceived emotional support and quality of family relationships, measured by the three-item Short Social Provisions Scale (SPS-3) and levels of parent-adolescent closeness and conflict, measured at age 14. ORs and 95% CIs were estimated using multivariable logistic regression models. Results At age 14 the overall prevalence of low perceived emotional support was 13%. Children of mothers with lower socioeconomic status (SES) were more likely to report low emotional support, with a clear social gradient. Compared with children exposed to low levels of poverty and adversity, children in the persistent adversity trajectory groups experienced higher odds of low emotional support and low-quality parent-adolescent relationship; those exposed to both persistent poverty and poor parental mental health were particularly at increased risk of experiencing poor family relationships and low perceived emotional support (aOR 2·2; 95% CI 1·7- 2·9). Conclusions Policies to improve levels of family support for UK adolescents should focus on improving modifiable determinants such as child poverty and family mental health. Key messages • Children of parents with lower socioeconomic status are more likely to experience low perceived emotional support in adolescence. • Children who experience persistent poverty and poor parental mental health are at increased risk of poor family relationships and low perceived emotional support in adolescence.


Cytosine deaminase catalyzes the deamination of cytosine to uracil as part of the pyrimidine salvage pathway in Escherichia coli (7). The gene encoding cytosine deaminase, codA, is part of the codBA operon (3, 6). Previous mapping studies have shown that the cod operon is closely linked to the lac operon at approximately 8 min on the E. coli chromosome (4). The Kohara lambda phage clones carrying inserts span-


With the controversial overseas deployment of Japanese Self-Defense Force to Iraq, Japan seems to be seizing the real opportunity to amend the famous war-renunciation provision - Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution. The ambiguity inherent in Article 9 might have rendered itself unhelpful for testing the Government's decisions. It also might have helped illegitimate military actions being undertaken in Iraq. However, an international law perspective will throw light on the rationale of Article 9 to ascertain the envisaged scope of restriction. It may well redeem the ambiguity in Article 9 and reassert its significance in the modern context.


Feature matching plays a key component in many computer vision and pattern recognition tasks. Observing that the spatial neighborhood relationship (representing the topological structures of an image scene) is generally well preserved between two feature points of an image pair, some mismatch removing methods based on maintaining the local neighborhood structures of the potential true matches have been proposed. How to define the local neighborhood structure is an issue of vital importance. In this paper, we propose a robust and efficient method, called Top $K$ Rank Preservation (Top-KRP), for mismatch removal from given putative point set matching correspondences. Instead of preserving the intersection of neighbors, TopKRP aims at preserving the top $K$ rank of two feature points. The developed approach is validated on numerous challenging real image pairs for general feature matching, and the experimental results demonstrate that it outperforms several state-of-the-art feature matching methods, especially in case of a large number of mismatches.