Cause-related marketing has emerged relatively recently in Australia, however, companies are beginning to make sizable investments in this strategy and the level of involvement is expected to increase. As nonprofit organisations face decreased government funding and corporate philanthropy, the growth of this strategy presents new opportunities. Although both academic and practitioner research has indicated strong consumer support for the concept of cause-related marketing, there has been limited research to date regarding the effectiveness of this strategy in terms of actually changing brand attitude and influencing purchase intention. There has also been limited research in Australia. In addition, it is important to understand the factors that contribute to an effective cause-related marketing campaign. This exploratory research examined these issues using an experimental design where subjects were randomly assigned to either the treatment group or the control group, and data were collected using selfadministered surveys. The findings indicate that cause-related marketing can be effective in positively changing attitude to the brand; however, the research did not indicate an influence on purchase intention. Further, personal values were not found to affect change in brand attitude or purchase intention. Finally, perceived fit between the brand and the cause can positively influence consumers' attitude to the cause-related marketing strategy.


Field experiment was conducted at ResearchFarm of the SKUAST-J, R.S. Pura during winter season of 2001-02.The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with 3 replications. The treatments consisted of all possible combinations of three doses of inorganic fertilizers viz. 50, 100 (100 kg N, 50 kg P2O5 and 40 kg K2O/ha) and 150% of recommended fertilizer dose (RDF) and five combination of  three organic sources viz. FYM@5t/ha on oven dry weight basis, Leucaena biomass (Ls), paddy straw (Ps), FYM @ 2.5 t/ha + Ls and FYM @ 2.5 t/ha + Ps and one absolute control.Application of higher and balanced doses of inorganic fertilizer in combination with organic sorces having low C:N ratio viz. (FYM and Ls) significantly increased grain and straw yield, nutrient uptake and nutrient status of soil.


This research was conducted by the authors at PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk Kerumutan Unit and Tri Mulia Jaya Unit. The research took place for 4 ( four ) months. Conducting this research is to determine the effect of Character, Capacity, Capital, Collateral, and Condition of Economy simultaneously on the Provision of Credit at PT. Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk Kerumutan Unit and Tri Mulia Jaya Unit.
This study uses primary data, the authors conducted data processing using multiple linear regression which processed it using SPSS (statistical package for social science) version 21 to get the output to conclude the results of this study.
From the results of the study, it can be concluded that simultaneously there is a significant influence between Character, Capacity, Capital, Collateral, and Condition of Economy on the Provision of Credit. When viewed from the summary model table, then r, which means the correlation coefficient, shows that Character, Capacity, Capital, Collateral, and Condition of Economy have a moderate relationship to the Provision of Credit.


INRA, UR1268 Biopolymeres, Interactions A fax: D33240675043;e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com)Processed cereal solid foods can often be considered as solidfoams, i.e. cellular solids, and their constitutive walls, mostlyablendofstarchandproteins,maybeenvisionedlikeacompos-ite material. The change between cellular intermediate scaleand composite micro-scale may be achieved by mechanicalmodelling using numerical methods. For both scales, imagingmethods (microscopy and tomography) provide relevant de-scription of product structure, which can be meshed and usedin computer softwarefor mechanical simulation. This paper re-views the latest applications of mechanical modelling by finiteelementmethodtothefieldofcerealfoods,outlinestheiractuallimits and prospects for texture prediction.


The paper is devoted to the design of high-speed electric machines with magnetoelectric excitation, taking into account the required electromagnetic and strength parameters provision. The active part sizes of such machines highly depend on electromagnetic loads – magnetic flux density in the air gap, armature line current density. Magnetic flux density, in turn, is a function of the non-magnetic gap magnitude between the rotor and the stator, which is determined by the thickness of the used permanent magnet (PM) sleeve mounted on the rotor surface. The finite element method is used to study the strength characteristics dependence - mechanical stresses and rotor elements deformation on the method of fixing the PM: glue, sleeve, glue and sleeve at the maximum speed of the autonomous mobile object motor-generator. The magnetic flux density in the gap is verified by the finite element method. guidance's are given on the choice of the method of fixing the SPM on the rotor and the thickness of the carbon fiber sleeve.


Documenting (1977) and Bloembergen (1979) have suggested that resonances between unpopulated levels should be observed in non-linear optics. Using the theory of the dressed atom, the author shows that these resonances correspond to the pumping of a coherence of the dressed atom because of the collisions. He shows that these resonances are closely related to the collisional redistribution of radiation. Finally, he shows that these resonances can generally be observed only in the frequency range where the impact approximation can be applied.


Based on PISO algorithm and VOF method,the numerical simulation of three-dimensional unsteady supercavitating flow around wing-vehicle was carried out by adopting the cavitation model to simulate mass transfer between gas and liquid,and the N-S equations were discretized by finite volume method.The supercavity shape was calculated,and the comparison between computing results with empirical formula indicates that the numerical results agree well with those of the empirical formula.The influences of cavitation number and empennage structure on supercavity-shape characteristics of underwater vehicle were analyzed.The results indicate that the wing structure has little effect on the supercavitating shape under small cavitation number.The formation of double cavitation shape on vehicle surface as a result of increasing cavitation number will easily cause vehicle to lose stability.This research offers theoretical reference for studies on motion stability of underwater wing-projectiles and supercavity drag reduction characteristics.


Mosquitoes are carriers ofmalaria and encephalitis. This study performed for eco-friendly control ofmosquitos by using genus Acorus. Several solvents were used for the extraction of genus Acorus; water, ethanol, and methanol. Grinded leaves and rootswere also included. Acorus extracts killedmosquito larvae and the ethanol extract showed the best result. AutoclavedAcorus water needed long time to killmosquito larvae. LT?? of 1%Acorus calamus decoctionwas 13.6 hrs and 1%autoclavedAcoruswater was 53.6 hrs. LT?? of 0.05%Acorus calamus rhizome powderwas 28.5 hrs. LT?? of 0.5%Acorus calamus leaf powderwas 10.8 hrs. LT?? of 0.1%Acorus calamus decoctionwas 63.4 hrs and 0.1%Acorus calamus ethanol extractswas 48.6 hrs and 0.1%Acorus calamus methanol extracts was 53.9 hrs. LT?? of 0.4% Acorus gramineus decoction was 45.5 hrs, 0.4% ethanol extracts was 10.9 hrs, 0.4% methanol extracts was 10.2 hrs. LT?? of ethanol extracts was shorter than other extracts. Acorus calamus rhizome powder could be used for the eco-friendly control of the mosquito larvae.


The author compares 1970 and 1990 versions of the US Army publication PS: The Preventive Maintenance Monthly. it is seen that visual communication becomes dated even more quickly than does textual communication. The later version of PS offers a visual design that has been toned down, tamed, subdued; what had been a visual rhetoric with clear (in hindsight) sexist assumptions has yielded to a rhetoric with more professional, more inter-racial, and more neutral assumptions that reflect the changed demands of contemporary culture. Nevertheless, it is asserted that a rhetoric of visual attractiveness will probably continue to exploit gender, and that attempts to neutralize gender bias are likely to fail (to some extent), for only the distance of time allows sexism to be seen. >


In order to automate the determination of gait parameters, a system capable of acquiring data from inertial units, exploiting their maximum sampling frequency, was developed. The study of gait is one of the fundamental indicators for the evaluation of physical performance. It allows the estimation of the functional deterioration of the elderly in an objective way, so several tests have been designed to evaluate it. The system developed has two fundamental elements: an electronic device and a desktop application. The electronic device has the function of collecting data from the MPU-9255 sensor using an ESP32 to set the sampling rate, transmitting the data via WiFi to the computer and monitoring the system's battery. The desktop application allows the electronic device to be configured and controlled, as well as receiving, displaying and storing the data. As a result, a prototype capable of operating at a sampling frequency of 1 kHz was built. Tests carried out on the system demonstrate its reliability and allow the limits of sampling frequency and working distance to be set.


Attitudes towards many environmental problems often have little to do with rational analyses and are thus not susceptible to scientific evaluation. A person's view towards the environment may be based on subconscious and irrational fears that have been shaped by where and how he lives (city lover vs. ex-urbanite);his training and position (biologist vs. engineer); his economic status (rich vs. poor) and his philosophic cast of mind (optimist vs. pessimist). Nature appears different to different viewers. As with any work of art, the appreciation of the natural environment and its complexity depends to a large extent on the attitudes, the economic status, the education and the cast of the viewer's mind. Consider the city environment, which is probably the most desirable ecological niche for the human species in this last quarter of the 20th century. A recent poll indicated that only 13 per cent of U.S. citizens would live in cities if they had a choice. The National Wild-Life Federation, with one-and-a-half million members, opined in 1974 that: "Most cities remain overcrowded with three fourths of the population living on less than 2 per cent of the land." I submit that American cities are by no means overcrowded, and further, that concentrating people in cities rather than allowing sprawled growth in suburbs would be most beneficial to the overall environment of man. Cities, compared with suburbs, decrease pollution and decrease waste of resources. But note that my view is tempered by the fact that I live quite contentedly in an apartment in Manhattan, the smallest county in the U.S.A. with one-and-a-half million residents. I feel towards cities as did Samuel Johnson about London, "When a man has grown tired of London, he has grown tired of life." In considering the reactions of various groups and persons towards the


Objective:To evaluate the technique and effectiveness of microlaryngoscopic surgery for laryngostenosis.Method: The clinical data of suspension microlaryngoscopic surgery in 7 patients with laryngostenosis were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Four patients with laryngostenosis after vertical partial laryngectomy were extubated; 2 patients with decompensation were cured;1 patient with decompensation caused by laryngeal trauma was cured too. Conclusion:Suspension microlaryngoscopic surgery is an effective and convenient treatment for laryngostenosis.


10,10′,10″-(Benzene-1,3,5-triyl)triphenothiazine
trication has been prepared and its ground and nearby excited states
were identified by use of EPR and EPTN techniques, showing that this
species is in a doublet ground state with the doublet-quartet energy gap
of ca. 3.8 × 102 J
mol-1.


The present invention is a medical connector for connecting medical tools to one another characterized in that one end section of the medical connector is formed as a connector section which can detachably mount a connector section that another medical tool is provided with and the other end section of the medical connector is formed as a connector section connectable with yet another medical tool, wherein the interior of the medical connector is provided with a flow path that flows a liquid to the one end section from the other end section and a hydrophilic filter that separates an upstream side and a downstream side of the flow path is arranged in the flow path, wherein at least one hydrophobic filter that separates the flow path and the exterior of the medical connector is arranged in the upstream side of the hydrophilic filter.


FIR Filter are employed in a wide range of applications. The recent demands of performance hungry applications include reusability and efficiency in terms of power dissipation. Thus the age old FIR architecture becomes less suitable and dynamic partial reconfigurable filters are the order of the day. This paper presents a partial reconfigurable FIR filter design. Our aim is to implement a partial reconfigurable filter that incorporates design flexibility allowing to be tailored to specific needs. It also addresses the issue of quicker reconfiguration and allows dynamic change of the filter order.


This report is a master thesis conducted at Gestamp HardTech in Lulea. Gestamp HardTech has invented and developed the press hardening technique, which enables the manufacture of ultra high strengt ...


ALTHOUGH UNCOMMON, BehGet's disease is a well-recognized condition, excellently discussed in a number of review articles.1,2 The disease is characterized by the triad of recurrent inflammation of the uveal tract, recurrent ulceration of the oral mucous membranes, and recurrent ulceration of the genitalia. The incidence of neurological involvement has been variously estimated to range from 10 to 28%.33* Several attempts have been made to categorize the neurological complication^,^-^ but Alajouanine and associates* have rejected such attempts because of the small number of studied cases. Nervous system complications usually develop later in the course of the disease, but, in the case of Hartemann and associates,? they preceded the diagnostic manifestations. The present case is unique in several aspects: (1 ) The neurological symptomatology cut across all the borders of proposed classifications, (2) the neurological manifestations presented as the initial signs of the disease, and, during the last two years of the illness which extended over nine and one-half years, they were the sole clinical evidence of the disease, and (3) extensive histopathologic studies suggest that malnutrition may contribute to the central nervous system changes.


The combined use of renewable energy and alternative energy systems and better efficiency of energy devices is a promising approach to reduce effects due to global warming in the world. On the basis of first and second law of thermodynamics we could optimize the processes in the energy sector. The presented paper shows the comparison between solar thermal power plant and photovoltaic power plant in terms of energy, exergy and life cycle analysis. Solar thermal power plant produces electricity with basic Rankine cycle, using solar tower and solar mirrors to produce high fluid temperature. Heat from the solar system is transferred by using a heat exchanger to Rankine cycle. Both power plants produce hydrogen via electrolysis. The paper shows the global efficiency of the system, regarding production of the energy system.


The relevant background information,new developed fire prevention notions and measures of the code for the fire prevention design of large-scale commercial buildings of Chongqing are presented.In the end, several theoretic topics about the fire prevention design of commercial buildings are also put forward.


The purpose of this project is to provide the Tyndale St. George's Community Centre with a program it could adopt for its Level 1 adult ESL course by adapting a structural/functional set of materials and syllabus to reflect a different approach. It is by exploring and putting into practice current thinking and research in syllabus design, second language acquisition, methodology, and adult education that the author has designed a new program to address the specific needs of Tyndale adults. The four chapters of the thesis present: (1) the rationale for the project with a description of Tyndale students and their language needs, (2) the rationale for designing the new Level 1 program according to the principles of task-based language teaching, (3) a description of the pilot project which consisted of designing task-based materials and then piloting them with a Level 1 class at Tyndale, (4) the author's conclusions based on the pilot project. The three appendices present: (1) the student materials that could be used in the new Level 1 program, (2) the Teacher's Guide, (3) materials used in the pilot project and referred to in Chapter 3 but not included in the final version of the new program.


"Anti-biofilm evaluation of Capsicum baccatum var. pendulum (Solanaceae)" Many species of Capsicum red peppers are used in traditional medicinal practices. These plants are utilized in a number of preparations to treat a variety of illnesses including infections. Some bacteria produce biofilm as an important virulence factor, due to this its structure mediates the adhesion to surfaces as implanted devices, probes, catheters and also promotes physical protection against the antibiotics or the immune system response. Accordingly, this study investigated the ability of the extract and isolated products from seeds of Capsicum baccatum as anti-biofilm agent. This study demonstrates by the first time that an extract from C. baccatum presented relevant anti-biofilm activity against Staphylococcus epidermidis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The active fraction was obtained by bio-guided assays and analyzed by HPLC-DAD-MS, MALDI-TOF MS and MALDI-MS/MS, identifying it as peptides from 2S sulfur-rich seed storage protein 2-like. It strongly controlled (2mg/ml) the S. epidermidis biofilm formation (>96%) when the compound was in solution and adsorbed on PermanoxTM slides. Interestingly, it did not inhibit the growth of this bacterium, indicating the inhibition of biofilm is independent of bacterial cell death. Moreover, this peptides preserved human erythrocytes and lymphocytes integrity after 24-48 h of exposure, suggesting the fractionation potentiated the anti-biofilm activity of the C. baccatum crude extract while absolutely reduced its cytotoxicity. Our results corroborate to the search of new non-antibiotic strategies to combat microorganisms with a reduced pressure for resistance development.


We realize a variety of silicon photonic crystal structures. Direct laser writing of polymeric templates (square/circular spirals and slanted pore structures) combined with a silicon single-inversion procedure leads to band gaps in the near infrared.


Supervised locally linear embedding (SLLE) has been proposed for classification tasks. SLLE can take full use of the label information and select neighbours only in the same class. However, SLLE uses the least squares (LSs) method for solving a set of linear equations to obtain linear representation coefficients, which relates to the inverse of a matrix. If the matrix is singular, the solution to the set of linear equations does not exist. Additionally, if the size of neighbourhood is not appropriate, some further neighbours along the manifold would be selected. To remedy those, this study deals with SLLE based on orthogonal matching pursuit (SLLE-OMP) by introducing OMP into SLLE. In SLLE-OMP, LS is replaced by OMP and OMP can reselect new neighbours from old ones. Experimental results on some real-world datasets show that SLLE-OMP can achieve better classification performance compared with SLLE.


Summary The Working Party considered the objects of professional training and of technical education and the parts played by both academic studies and by practical experience; these deliberations led them to a consideration of how the Diploma in Technology helped to achieve these objects. The content of both the academic studies and industrial training parts of the Diploma course was studied. Conclusions reached included the following:— (a) Close liaison between lecturing staff and professional engineers is vital.(b) Standards of supervision and staff engaged in industrial training should be similar to those found in academic studies.(c) The Training Boards should initiate bodies in which the industry and the professional institutions co-operate with colleges in the maintenance of standards of industrial training.(d) Attempts to assess and grade students on their industrial training should be approached with caution.(e) Suggestions are made as to the form of projects to be undertaken by Diploma Students.(f) It is neither necessary nor practical to integrate each part of the studies and practical training in detail.(g) The Working Party is whole-heartedly in favour of the sandwich arrangement of courses and makes suggestions for the best lay-out.(h) Recommendations are made concerning the qualification to be given for successful completion of the Diploma in Technology course; it is concluded that this should differ from that given for the normal full time degree course. The Working Party concludes by making recommendations for further action.


In order to minimize the impact of deceptive reviews in the IT products field and improve recognition accuracy of deceptive reviews,taking into account the manufacture and content characteristics of Chinese deceptive reviews in this filed,we propose a deceptive reviews recognition method base on behavior and content. We establish the characteristics degree mode for Internet mercenaries based on the number of reviewers comment,posting frequency,content length; Second,we design the calculation methods for length degree of review,professional level of review,emotional density of review,format specification degree of review,emotional imbalance degree of review; Finally,propose an unsupervised clustering algorithm base on content feature vector and behavior regulating parameter to recognize the deceptive reviews in the IT products field. We take many experiments use the data sets in the IT products field,the results showthat our method has higher accuracy and also has a strong adaptability to the subjects in the IT products field.


In this article, the authors broaden the scope of the communication, public relations, and memory research by both critically analyzing the post-racial society collective memory narrative and postulating the public relations–oriented defensive strategies, which racially stigmatized organizations contesting the same narrative might employ. To make this argument, we choose Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) as cases for analysis. This study contributes to the post-racial society discussions by highlighting the ways in which HBCUs are not antiquated relics of a period gone by in the history of the United States but rather serve as a standing institutional reminder that racial injustices exist and persist in contemporary United States.


Cleveland Fed cybersecurity experts and others explain how the Fed works to promote awareness, preparedness, and vigilance against the hackers who work to threaten the stability of the financial sector.


Great progress has been made in mathematical models of hydrology in the world in recent years, but relatively not so fast in our country. Based on brief review on history of hydrological modeling, the problems in modeling and possible solutions were discussed, and the propect of hydrological modeling was made, too.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to detect the source of stray current interference on underground pipelines in urban areas using a joint time/frequency method of signal analysis.Design/methodology/approach – Investigations are performed on an underground pipeline located in the vicinity of the two direct current tractions: a tramway line and a train line. The results of the analysis are presented in the form of spectrograms, which illustrate changes in the spectral power density of the potential of the rails and of the potential of the pipe in the joint domain time‐frequency.Findings – The comparison of the spectrograms can be used to evaluate if and which stray current source has influence on the investigated metal construction.Originality/value – The combined analysis in the domain of time and frequency can be used as a supplementary one providing new information useful in the evaluation of stray current corrosion hazard. In the presence of several electric field sources in urban areas, this meth...


Coronary artery dissection is common after balloon angioplasty, few of which may be catastrophic. Here, we report a case of a76-year-old male who had diffuse disease of proximal left anterior descending artery (LAD). LAD was wired with runthrough (Terumo, Japan) and sequentially dilated with 1.5 × 10 and 2 × 10 mm Sapphire semicompliant balloon. After balloon dilatation, dissection at the distal edge of lesion was noticed. As stent could not be tracked and pushed along the lesion as guide catheter used to back out, the guide catheter was changed to extra backup (EBU). This time, wire was seen into the false lumen along with a long segment spiral dissection spreading downward and occluding the circumflex proximally as left circumflex artery was not visible. Dissection of LAD was first sealed with 2.75 × 38 mm Xience Prime everolimus eluting stent. LCx was carefully wired using Sion wire and stented with 2.75 × 23 mm Xience Prime stent, thereby sealing the dissection and restoring LCx. Sion wire in LAD was carefully manuvoured and parked distally into true lumen. The dissection flap was still visible starting from the distal edge of the deployed stent which was sealed with another 2.5 × 28 mm Xience Prime stent achieving TIMI III flow in both LAD and LCx.


We describe a new laser head with Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) diode for absolute laser interferometry with Michelson interferometer. The VCSEL lasers at 760 rim with mode-hop free tuning range above 1 nm are affordable now. The VCSEL's are fabricated as circulary-symetric lasers; the circular aperture is of particular value as it implies a circular beam profile. The linewidth and the optical noise of the VCSEL laser diode depend on the stability of the current source controller and on the quality temperature control system. We developed a digital temperature control system with temperature stability below 1 mK and high stability current source controller.


On the basis of summing up the coal mine production in Heze,this paper analyzes the objective factors of coal mine safety risk using the method of mathematical statistics,and finds out the objective factors that affect the safety of coal mine,which provides the basis and decision-making for the management of safety in production in Heze City.


With the rapid development of modern science and technology, the application of infrared (IR) optical thin films is increasingly widespread, including in aerospace, autonomous driving, military development, and the fight against Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), in which thin film devices play an important role. Similarly, with the improvement of user requirements, the precision requirements for the preparation of optical films are also developing and improving. In this paper, the IR optical thickness monitoring system is studied with the noble algorithm introducing the phase-locked amplifier current and single film reflectivity coefficient. An optical control system is developed to monitor the IR thin film accurately, which aids the IR narrow-band filter film research.


Road edge drop-off has well known impacts on the safety of the traveling public and roadway service life. Continuous inspection of roadsides is therefore needed to monitor their condition. Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are increasing in number and have the potential to be used for road and roadside condition data collection. This study explored the use of AVs to assess road edge drop-off. To this end, the ability and accuracy of a research grade autonomous vehicle platform built on a passenger car was used to determine road edge drop-off. Data were collected for the roadside along a state highway in Ohio using the different sensors of the vehicle platform, including a Light Detection and Ranging (lidar) sensor. A 160-m (525-ft) long section of the highway was selected and surveyed using a high accuracy stationary terrestrial laser scanner to obtain the topographic map of the highway and its sides. The lidar data were analyzed using fully automated deep learning methods to determine the edge drop-off severity along the selected section. The analyzed lidar data were compared with those obtained using the high accuracy stationary terrestrial laser scanner. The results of this study showed that the autonomous vehicle platform can be used successfully to assess the road edge drop-off with excellent accuracy, particularly when using end-to-end deep learning methods for analyzing the collected data.


This article describes the psychotherapeutic treatment, in a care unit, of a young patient imprisoned for infanticide of her six-month-old baby. The therapeutic work allowed us to reactivate the patient's pathological identification processes in transference, leading us to question the object to which the murder was addressed and its characteristics, but also the early traumas that were replayed in the relationship between the patient and her child. The effect of intercontainment in prison allows us to support the therapeutic process in follow-up work, and to question the function of the therapeutic context – and a fortiori of the prison context – in this type of treatment.


The aim of this paper is to present a method able to graphically describe the amount of structure in a time series. In the following, 'structure' is defined as the extent to which a time series is either trending or mean-reverting (that is showing pockets of positive as well as negative autocorrelation). What is defined as being trending, respectively mean-reverting, should be seen in relation to the characteristics of a random walk. Testing most of the constituents of the Standard & Poor's 100 index for structure and using a modified variance ratio that focuses on the whole ratio profile rather than an individual ratio, trending is detected as well as mean-reverting structure over a time period of more than 10 years.


The article introduced the importance of learning the medical documents writing for the clinical medical students and the fundamental condition of setting up medical document writing,including the course setup,course target,course content,teaching method,teaching materials,curriculum implementation,assessment methods and so on. And through the questionnaire survey,the comparison of the internship students'writing quality before and after the course setup,and the statistics analysis,the article also suggested that it was necessary and feasible to establish the curriculum of medical documents writing in clinical specialty.


ABSTRACT Studies support the observations by college psychotherapists that students returning from study abroad adventures often have a difficult time readjusting to being back "home." We consider what the internal developmental challenges might be that relate to this transitional step. We weave first-hand comments of students into our article.


: In the present work, tools are proposed to predict the opinion of consumers about decorative elements. The proposed models are based on the relationship between elements color and shape. Color and geometric features of these elements are selected. Feature vectors are selected. The data from these vectors are reduced by principal components and latent variables. An analytical model is proposed, which describes 96% of the change in consumer desire. It has been proven that the use of numerical data on the color and shape of decorative elements for textiles, as well as their joint use has the potential to improve the prediction power of consumer demand. The obtained results would help to better illustrate the presented materials and the consistency in the design of textile fabrics and in general will support the specialized training of specialists in the field of fabric design.


Abstract Nearly 50% of bitumen derived from Athabasca oilsands is pitch. The pentane-insoluble fraction is the major coke producer during thermal cracking. Here, we evaluate the thermal behavior of pentane insolubles from various oil sources by correlating thermogravimetric data with structural parameters. The effect of any entrained mineral solids on the thermal properties results was also investigated. Coke yields depended significantly on aromaticity, H/C atomic ratios, molecular weight, chain length, and equivalent molecular diameter. With the exception of highly aliphatic Daqing conventional oil, coke yields correlated well with the calculated structural parameters. Asphaltene from bitumen was about average in its coke-forming propensity. Mineral solids had practically no effect on thermal behavior.


The purpose of the work is to develop the method for calculating the stress-strain state parameters of the bottom of the casing which is lowered into a horizontal well during its construction. When pushed into a well, a long casing string on the supports experiences cross bendings and bucklings which are caused by its own gravity and frictional forces created by axial forces of string compression. The latter are variables in length and depend on the reactions at the supports. The problem is solved by integrating the differential equation of the long rod buckling caused by its own gravity. In a first approximation, the reactions at the supports are found out disregard-ing the axial forces of friction. The author finds the general solution of the basic differential equation of horizontal pipe column deformations taking into account friction and axial forces acting during its lowering. It forms the basis for calculating bucklings and bendings, angles of rod rotation, its inner bending moments and cross forces at the sections between the supports. Geometric and power parameters of pipe deformations at the sections between the supports can be determined using the system of equations of the compatibleness of the angles of rotation and the  support moments equilibrium. These equations contain axial force parameters, which can also be derived using the suggested system of algebraic equations. The solution of the problem becomes possible due to adding the transverse force equations to this system. These equations are obtained on the basis of the established relation between transverse and axial forces in the column and reactions and friction at the supports. It allows determining the axial compressive forces simultaneously. The method of linearization of the algebraic equations system and its iterative solution with high accuracy is developed. Due to the value of axial forces, calculated in a first approxi-mation, the system becomes linear, and its iterative solution allows finding the desired parameters with high accu-racy. The obtained results take into account the requirements to the construction technology of a horizontal well. The author considers the deviations of the well direction from the horizontal on the change of the stress-strain state of the casing. The paper offers the formulae to calculate the optimal distance between the casing centralizers as well as solves the problem of its reverse motion. The author takes into consideration additional moments of frictional forces affecting the casing centralizers. The obtained results might serve for the analysis of the stress-strain state of the casing column in the technological process of the horizontal well construction which makes it possible to increase its reliability and lifelength.


Objective To learn the smoking prevalence of university students in Beijing and its influencing factors and to provide evidence for developing further tobacco control strategies.Methods A total of 680 students from a university in Beijing were selected to conduct questionnaire survey,and using SPSS 18.0 software for statistical analysis.Results The overall awareness of the harm to tobacco knowledge among college students was 94.02%,on the overall ratio of positive attitude to smoking was 63.35%,the rate of college students smoking-attempting was 24.2%(163/673),the rate of boys smoking-attempting was 37.4%(111/297),the rate of girls smoking-attempting was 14.2%(52/376),statistically significant differences exist(χ2=50.114,P=0.000).The top of three reasons of students' smoking were curious(59.0%),followed by others(10.8%),silly(9.0%).Sources on cigarettes,received from students or friends was the highest proportion(31.9%),the second was received from parents(22.7%).The age of tried smoking was concentrated in 15-17 years old(28.6%,46/161),followed by 12-14 years old(21.7%,35/161).Male,classmates' smoking,not refuse friends' advice against smoking,seeing his family smoking or seeing teacher smoking in school in the preceding month were the risk factors for smoking-attempting behavior of college students.Conclusion Smoking behavior of undergraduate students of Beijing was affected by multiple factors,so effective health education and interventions should be implemented.


A method for studying the curing of 100 μm-thick epoxy-based layers coated on steel substrates is described. A simple waterborne epoxy reactive system based on a diglycidylether of bisphenol-A prepolymer and with a polyether triamine was set up by emulsifying the epoxy resin with the use of an ethoxylated-nonylphenol emulsifier. The parliculur phenomena involved during the isothermal curing of such an epoxy emulsion were decomposed by considering the same formulation without water and without water + emulsifier. The chemical kinetics were determined by DSC and by size exclusion chromatography. As previously proposed for numerous epoxy-amine reactive systems, for the three types of coatings, a second-order autocatalytic law was able to interpret the data. The presence of water delays the gelation characterized by rheological measurements. As a consequence, the epoxy conversion at the gel point increases. This phenomenon can be related to the inhomogeneous polymerization process during which the epoxy groups can be trapped into the initial epoxy particles. In addition, the microdielectrometry technique was used to follow the curing degree of the epoxy reactive system of thin layers during the drying and curing processes under radiant heatings such as infrared curing.


IRISH NURSES have called for a streamlined public health agenda to be introduced across both Northern Ireland and the Republic to combat illness caused by poverty.


e16042 Background: Pts with rGCT can be cured with salvage chemotherapy (CT). We evaluated risk factors and outcomes of pts who developed RF during HDCT for rGCT. Methods: All pts were planned to receive 2 consecutive courses of HDCT per protocol (N Engl J Med 2007;357:340-8). Characteristics and outcomes of pts sustaining grade ≥3 RF were analyzed and compared with those not sustaining grade ≥3 RF. Results: 21 (4%) of 473 pts had grade ≥3 RF: median age 38 (range 25-70), median creatinine 1.2 (0.6-1.8), median creatinine clearance (CrCl) 94 (48-216), median body mass index 27.1 (19.9-34.2). Median # prior standard-dose cisplatin-based CT cycles 5 (4-8) and median total dose of cisplatin 1000mg (600-1976). 10/21 pts had history of renal disease prior to HDCT, 4 had hypertension, 2 had diabetes, 2 had solitary kidney and 5 had stent or nephrostomy tube for obstruction. 20/21 pts developed neutropenic fever. 5 required total parenteral nutrition and 18 required hemodialysis (HD) during HDCT. 6 of 21 died during HDCT. 10 of 15 pts who survived HDCT had renal function recover to baseline, 2 came off HD but renal function was not restored to baseline, and 3 continued to be on HD at most recent f/u. In comparison to pts (n = 452) who did not experience grade ≥3 RF, pts (n = 21) who did experience grade ≥3 RF were more likely treated with HDCT ≥ 3rd line setting (38% vs 15%), had ECOG PS 1/2 (53% vs 18%), less likely to receive both courses of HDCT (33% vs 94%), more likely to experience GI (62% vs 11%), hepatic (43% vs 3%), pulmonary (38% vs 2%), and infectious (95% vs 1%) grade ≥ 3 toxicities; treatment-related death was also higher in this group (29% vs 2%). With a median f/u of 10 months after HDCT, 5 pts had no evidence of disease (NED), 3 were alive with disease, 6 died of disease, 6 died from complications of HDCT, and 1 lost to follow up. Conclusions: Irreversible RF during HDCT for rGCT is uncommon, but is associated with higher rates of infectious, GI, hepatic, pulmonary complications and treatment-related death. These pts are more heavily pre-treated, have lower baseline PS, and are likely to have history of renal disease prior to HDCT. However, most surviving pts recovered their renal function and 5/21 remain alive with NED.


Three models for nonlocal electron thermal transport are here compared against Vlasov-Fokker-Planck (VFP) codes to assess their accuracy in situations relevant to both inertial fusion hohlraums and tokamak scrape-off layers. The models tested are (i) a moment-based approach using an eigenvector integral closure (EIC) originally developed by Ji, Held, and Sovinec [Phys. Plasmas 16, 022312 (2009)]; (ii) the non-Fourier Landau-fluid (NFLF) model of Dimits, Joseph, and Umansky [Phys. Plasmas 21, 055907 (2014)]; and (iii) Schurtz, Nicolai, and Busquet's [Phys. Plasmas 7, 4238 (2000)] multigroup diffusion model (SNB). We find that while the EIC and NFLF models accurately predict the damping rate of a small-amplitude temperature perturbation (within 10% at moderate collisionalities), they overestimate the peak heat flow by as much as 35% and do not predict preheat in the more relevant case where there is a large temperature difference. The SNB model, however, agrees better with VFP results for the latter problem if care is taken with the definition of the mean free path. Additionally, we present for the first time a comparison of the SNB model against a VFP code for a hohlraum-relevant problem with inhomogeneous ionisation and show that the model overestimates the heat flow in the helium gas-fill by a factor of ?2 despite predicting the peak heat flux to within 16%.


a with a laser (11) is emitted generated laser beam of a predetermined frequency from a transmitting device (12) to a space region toward in a method for the detection of wind speeds with a Doppler lidar system (10) and the backscattered from the spatial area light by means of a receive telescope (13) received. For determining a Doppler shift an interferogram produced by an interferometer (16) whose intensity distribution is measured directly with a photodetector (17). The measured intensity distribution is compared with one or more reference patterns which have previously been determined for defined parameters and in a memory means (18a) are stored. the Doppler shift is determined as a measure of the wind speed from the comparison. The Doppler lidar system (10) comprises an evaluation unit (18a, 18b) for performing the method, with a comparison unit (18b) for comparison of reference patterns with the measured interferogram.


Despite the fact that none of its remains is preserved nowadays, in the second half of the sixteenth century works and reforms of the House and Orchard of Los Bodonales were projected in the township of Zalamea de la Serena (Badajoz), which at that time belonged to the Maestral Table of the Order of Alcantara. In this article, we present the transcription of the document which is preserved in the Judicial Archive of Toledo, within the section of Military Orders of the Public Record Office (Madrid), which refers to the aforementioned process. In this way, we find that in the Renaissance period there were already interesting country houses for farm work located in the Low Extremadura.


Author(s): Xu, Yue | Advisor(s): Trauner, Dirk | Abstract: A new and highly enantioselective synthetic route to γ-methoxypyranone addressed the long unsolved racemization problem in literature. A concise total synthesis of (+)-Spectinabilin was achieved with this method in 10 linear steps. Concept of kinetic resolution with temporary stereocenter was used to improve the enantiomeric excess.A new variant of Nazarov reaction, aromatic Nazarov triflation was discovered which allowed rapid access of polycyclic ring skeleton. The triflation product, indene triflate, was further elaborated with modern palladium cross coupling methods in the total syntheses of many taiwaniaquinoid natural products. Also, the triflation method worked well with electron rich and neutral substrates and was not compatible with electron deficient substrates.Effort toward total synthesis of Aspergillin PZ was described. The biomimetic synthetic hypothesis was pursued. Synthesis of all components was achieved. Future work would be focused on mild reaction condition to bring all components together to for the key intermediate for Aspergillin PZ.Finally, based on the similar principle of previous work in our group, a photoswitchable agonist for metabotropic glutamate receptors was designed and synthesized. Preliminary results confirmed the agonist activity and reversible isomerization with radiation of light of different wavelengths. Further studies are under investigation under collaboration.


Anahtar Kelimeler Karaciger; Kist Hidatik; Cerrahi Tedavi Abstract Main principles in the teratment of liver hydatid cysts are to kill and/or to remove the intermediate host form of the parasite which has caused the disease, to prevent the complications which the cyst may cause, evacuation of the cyst and to ensure a trouble-free closure. The ideal treatment should provide not only a full irecovery but also minimal morbidity and mortality.


Objective To detect and analyze the microsatellite instability(MSI) in transgenic(Tg) mice and spontaneously mutated(SM) inbred mice.Methods According to the literature reports,we selected 198 microsatellite loci from 19 autosomes and X chromosomes of mice from GenBank.These loci are rich in polymorphic sites in mice.Then comparative analysis of microsatellite DNA polymorphism in mouse strains 6 Tg and 5 SM and in wild-type control mice was conducted with PCR amplification.The analysis of microsatellite DNA polymorphism was performed using 1.5% agarose gel electrophoresis and STR scanning.Results We found 40 microsatellite loci showing MSI after the genetic modification compared with that in the wild type control mice.In the spontaneously mutated mice,55.6%(10 /18) changed from homozygous to heterozygous(type I),whereas three loci(16.6%) of these mice experienced homozygous mutations(type II).Five loci(27.8%) had both types of mutations.In the Tg animals,however,most of the CMP genotypes(87.5%,28 /32) were changed from homozygous to heterozygous mutations(type I),whereas only two loci(6.2%) of the mice had homozygous mutations(type II).Moreover,two loci harbored both types of mutations.Conclusion Gene-modification or mutation may result in microsatellite instability in mice.Some microsatellite loci are more sensitive to gene modification.


Chapter Chapter 1 showed that demographics account for an important part of the difference in the level of development between Latin America and the Caribbean and the developed world. Does this mean that the region is the way it is just because its population is young? Or that the region has not fully developed its potential due to the high number of children per working age adult? To an important degree, the answers to these questions are yes. The huge demographic transformation already taking place in many countries, which will intensify during the first half of the next century, provides a unique opportunity for development. There will be more people in age categories where productivity and savings peak; fewer children to educate and provide for with expensive health services; and a still relatively small number of older people demanding pensions and social security benefits. But in some senses, the answers are no. Demography is one of the main factors in the development process, but it is not the only one. Even if demographic conditions are right, wrong policies or unexpected negative shocks could counteract any potential benefits. If there are not enough jobs for the growing numbers of young adults entering working age, the demographic change may trigger unemployment , social violence and crime. If society and families do not save enough, they won't have the resources to support the elderly. If the fewer children per taxpayer do not receive a better education, the chances for improving the standard of living of the new generations will be wasted. Over the next half century, the most significant demographic changes in the world will take place in Latin America. This makes it essential for today's policymakers to ground their strategic thinking in knowledge about demographics. Without understanding what demography is telling them, they are piloting their countries blindly, without instruments or even charts. And they will almost certainly end up planning for yesterday's world and not tomorrow's. This chapter discusses why demography will be either a unique opportunity or an increasing threat to Latin America. It argues that there is enormous scope for translating the potential threat into opportunity through policy action. The current demographic conditions of the region and the conditions projected for the near future are to a large extent predetermined by changes in fertility and mortality that took place decades ago. The region can either accept these conditions passively, …


A review of the antiferromagnetic exchange and spin-fluctuation pairing theory in the cuprate superconductors is given. We briefly discuss a phenomenological approach and a theory in the limit of weak Coulomb correlations. A microscopic theory in the strong correlation limit is presented in more detail. In particular, results of our recently developed theory for the effective p–d Hubbard model and the reduced t–J model are given. We have proved that retardation effects for the antiferromagnetic exchange interaction are unimportant that results in pairing of all charge carriers in the conduction band and high Tc proportional to the Fermi energy. The spin-fluctuation interaction caused by kinematic interaction gives an additional contribution to the d-wave pairing. Dependence of Tc on the hole concentration and the lattice constant (or pressure) and an oxygen isotope shift are discussed.


We propose a OFDM-CDMA system that employs polyphase codes to support variable spreading factors. A systematic approach for constructing the polyphase code sequences of variable spreading factors is developed. Polyphase codes exhibit better auto- and cross-correlation properties than Hadamard codes. When employed in OFDM-CDMA systems, polyphase codes result in certain structured multiple-access interference (MAI) caused by multipath. Analytical and numerical results show that OFDM-CDMA systems employing polyphase codes have better PAPR performance than those using Hadamard codes. The BER performance of the OFDM-CDMA system using polyphase codes is evaluated by numerical results and compared to that of the OFDM-CDMA system using Hadamard codes with and without clipping.


In the present "General Code for Design of Highway Bridges and Culverts",the structural base frequency is used to calculate the impacting coefficient of bridge structure while the base frequency is required to be preferably calculated by the finite element method.However,for the ways of how to make the calculation,there are no clear provisions in the Code,the estimation formula for the base frequency of the continuous girder bridge given in the Code do not make a difference between the straight bridge and curved bridge and hence,the values of the impacting coefficient calculated by the formula still need to be discussed.By using a numerical analysis method for the highway vehicle-bridge coupling vibration based on the general finite element analysis software ANSYS,the factors having influence on the coupling vibration of the curved bridge are analyzed and the coupling vibration of both the straight bridge and curved bridge is respectively calculated after the unevenness of the deck is taken into account.The results of the analysis and calculation show that the dynamic coefficients for the straight bridge and curved bridge are different and are all greater than the impacting coefficient calculated by the estimation formula for the continuous girder bridge in the Code when the former are converted into the impacting coefficient.


Abstract Mobile phone applications have been developed to increase nutrient use efficiency. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of a mobile phone application known as "Plant Nitrogen Recommendation" for recommending supplemental fertilizer application for Stachys "Helene Von Stein," Verbena "Homestead Purple," Hibiscus "Aphrodite," and Clethra "Hummingbird" using SPAD and atLEAF sensor readings. "Hummingbird" was less responsive to fertilizer correction groups due to the fact the application gave a fertilizer recommendation too late. "Helene Von Stein" and "Aphrodite" provided quick response to the correction group and produced the same as the top performing fertilizer level. No correction group was applied for "Homestead Purple" as SPAD and atLEAF critical value was never reached for the 0 g treatment. Thus, use of a mobile application can be recommended for N recommendations in "Helene Von Stein" and "Aphrodite" during production.


In this study the attitudes of library users were solicited using SERVQUAL, a marketing research technique. As the management spent all its resources for the development of the library, the impact of this policy on the service quality has been measured. At this stage the evaluation of faculty with regard to those items on the questionnaire dealing with quality of service has been tested statistically and the results evaluated, accordingly.


Abstract With the full liberalization of distribution sector in 1997, both multinational and domestic discount retailers have been competing to gain more market share in Korea. Increased competition among domestic and international retail stores forces marketing academics and practitioners to understand the various factors affecting discount retail store satisfaction and loyalty. This study examines how store image of a retailer influences consumers' attitudes, satisfaction and intention to re visit that store. The data, collected from a sample of 416 customers in Busan, Korea, indicate that store image is exerting positive influences in the formation of attitude, satisfaction. But favorable store image does not have positive impact on the intention to revisit the store. Rather the impact of store image on intention to re visit is mediated by attitudes and satisfaction. And unlike the overall store image, attitudes have positive effect on the formation of consumers' intention to revisit, not mediated by satisfaction. And satisfaction also results in higher possibility of forming intention to revisit that same discount store. Based on these results, we provide theoretical and managerial implications, limitations of this research, and useful directions for future study.


Background: Health professionals' knowledge is key to aid in the design of public policies to address child development issues. Behavioral Insights (BI), also known as "nudges", can greatly contribute to tackle these concerns as they draw upon behavioral sciences to improve the design of public policies. However, little is yet known about health professionals' knowledge of BI methods in childhood policies. In the present study we investigate the opinions of childhood health experts on the use of BI in Latin American and the Caribbean countries (LACs), and test the influence of nudges on the effect of a communication of a simulated public health program.

Methods: We developed a survey and an intervention to test the hypotheses. We used regression models analyzing expertise-related information, individual differences and location. Our participants were professionals working on child development across LACs (n= 2003) who completed the survey in an online platform. We obtained several outcome variables: (a) 'public policy knowledge Index' (PPKI) and (b) BI knowledge, perceived effectiveness, usefulness, and the 'behavioral insights knowledge Index'(BIKI) (c) Perceived clarity, impact and interest in the simulated public program.

Findings: Health professionals showed low BI knowledge (Knowledge of the term BI: (X2 = 210·29 df = 1, p < ·001), BIKI: (X2 = 160·5 df = 1, p < ·001)) and results were modulated by age, academic formation, PPKI and location. The use of BI principles in the program revealed higher impact (df = 3, F value = 12·97, p < ·001) and clarity ratings (df = 3, F value = 8·30, p < ·001) from professionals than control messages.

Interpretation: Our findings provide relevant knowledge about BI in health professionals to inform governmental and NGOs decision making processes related with childhood public policies.

Funding Statement: This work was partially supported by IntraMed, Alzheimer's Association GBHI ALZ UK-20-639295; NIH-NIA R01 AG057234, and the Interamerican Development Bank.

Declaration of Interests: All authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethics Approval Statement: Participants gave informed consent in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki by pressing an "I agree" button after an explanatory letter. The institutional ethics committee approved the study.


(57) Abstract: top sealing device OBJECTIVE vessel so as not to process the cutter clearance groove in the transport container holder, to improve the cleaning properties of the transport container holder. CONSTITUTION: placing a sealing holder 47 above the transport container holder 24 is stopped at the sealing station S2. The container C is moved up and down the lifter 46 between the transport container holder 24 and the seal holder 47. The sealing holder 47 forms a groove 73 which is a relief of the cutter 88 during lid punching.


In this paper,walnuts shell powder was investigated for its Cr(Ⅵ)removal ability from aqueous solution.The effect of experiment parameters,such as pH,sorbent dosage,temperature were examined and the optimal experiment condition were studied.The species of chromium,adsorption thermodynamic and kinetics characterics were also discussed.The results showed that about 95.39% of Cr(Ⅵ)was removed by adding 0.5 g walnuts shell powder into 50 mL solution which contained 50 mg·L-1 Cr(Ⅵ)under the optimal experiment such as pH1.0,301 K and 6 h contact time,and the adsorption of Cr(Ⅵ)was coexist with redox process in the experiment.The adsorption capacity increased with the temperature increasing and the adsorption thermodynamic followed the Langmuir isotherm model while the adsorption kinetics followed the second-order model.The thermodynamic parameters such as ΔG0,ΔHo and ΔSo for the process if Cr(Ⅵ)adsorbed on walnuts shell powder were calculated and the results indicated that the overall adsorption process was endothermic and spontaneous.The adsorption capacity of the biosorbent were 20.54,26.00 and 29.53 g·kg-1 when the temperature were 301,308 and 318 K respectively.Finally,the residues of the walnut shell were studied by using FTIR and SEM imagine.It indicated that the process of Cr(Ⅵ)adsorption on walnuts shell powder was coexist with redox process,and the walnuts shell powder was a potential biosorbent which could be used in chromium contaminated wastewater treatment process.


Learning using e-learning with a blended learning model using the flipped classroom method is one of the learning systems suitable for use during the Covid-19 pandemic. This research has been carried out until the validity stage by producing an e-learning based on Project Based Learning (PjBL) on Thermochemistry material by applying the flipped classroom approach in the learning process. The type of research is R&D (Research and Development), with a 4-D model consisting of: (1) define, (2) design, (3) develop, and (4) disseminate. The products produced from the study were validated by 1 Chemistry lecturer of Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences UNP and 1 chemistry teacher at MAN 2 Pesisir Selatan, and continued at the revision stage based on input from the validator. The analysis of the validity test was carried out using the Cohen kappa formula. Then obtained the kappa value of content validity of 0.884 and construct validity of 0.869 with very high categories for both. Based on this, based e-learning on Project Based Learning (PjBL) for Thermochemistry material is produced by applying a valid flipped classroom approach and can be used in the learning process.


Single cases of supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscle contracture in working sheep-dogs are reported. Both cases showed characteristic abnormal forelimb posture and were successfully treated by complete section of the affected muscle. Three cases of anteromedial shoulder luxation with damage to the biceps brachii tendon are also described. In two of these the tendon was completely severed. The integrity of the biceps tendon is important in maintaining shoulder joint stability and should be inspected when surgical reduction of shoulder dislocations is carried out. Repair of the tendon, if severed, is important. Three cases of lameness associated with tendon displacement are considered i.e. slipping of the biceps brachii, long digital extensor and superficial digital flexor tendons. In two cases the displacement was prevented by the insertion of mattress wire sutures to form a 'lid' over the tendon.


As a contribution to the gait generation and motion
control of quadrupeds a concept has been formulated
that in its modular structure can be easily adapted
and extended. It is generally suitable for quadrupedal
walking machines using statically stable gaits (as shown
for the four-legged robot ALDURO) and only a few
modules need to be adapted to the machine specific
topology.


Abstract. The study highlights internal marketing as a key/central concept in pursuit of achieving organizational loyalty among employees. This paper identifies the relationship between internal marketing and employee loyalty with mediating role of job satisfaction. Data was collected through survey-based questionnaires from 386 employees working in the hospitality industry of Pakistan. Amos 22 was used for CFA and SPSS 22 for correlational and regression analysis. Results revealed that internal marketing boosts employee loyalty, and additionally job satisfaction provides effective underlying mechanism for the relationship between internal marketing and employee loyalty. Thus, effective implementation of internal marketing helps to inspire and motivate employees creating a long run sustainable competitive advantage.


Siddheshwar Shukla (firstname.lastname@example.com) is with the Millennium Post, New Delhi. The Mid-Day Meal Scheme is the world's biggest school lunch programme and is being implemented all over India for primary and upper primary school students. However, nutrition and hygiene are now among the main challenges it faces. Out of 876 test reports of mid-day meal samples in Delhi from 1 January 2012 to 31 March 2013, more than 90% failed to meet the standard of 12 gms of protein and 450 calories. A number of loopholes in the scheme need to be plugged if nutritious food, not just something cooked, is to reach the plates of poor students. Introduction


both shortand long-term efficacy in the field treatment of AK. However, histological confirmation of lesion clearance and its clinical correlate has not been well documented. In this month's issue of the BJD, Ulrich et al. report on the correlation between clinical, histological and reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) clearance of AKs to support a treatment effect deep in the epidermis after the use of topical ingenol mebutate 0 05% gel applied to either the trunk or extremities for two consecutive days. Clearance of a single target lesion at 8 weeks was 85% by clinician and 81% by pathologist, indicating good concordance between the naked eye and the microscope. Yet only 44% of all lesions cleared in the target area, which is comparable with that reported previously for ingenol mebutate and other topical agents used to treat AK on the face and scalp. This implies that not all AKs respond similarly to ingenol mebutate (or to any drug). AKs were graded according to KIN (keratinocyte intraepithelial neoplasia) category: early in situ SCC type AK I (KIN1, mild), AK II (KIN2, moderate) or in situ SCC type AK III (KIN3, severe). It is possible that the responding target lesions were KIN1 while nonresponder lesions were KIN2 or KIN3. There is no way to know without a pretreatment skin biopsy or RCM study. Thus, it would be premature to assume that ingenol mebutate works at the full thickness of the epidermis in all cases of AK. Further, as 20% of subjects were screen failures, one may assume that had biopsies been taken or RCM performed from nontarget lesions during the study period, then a few lesions may have rendered a diagnosis other than AK. In my experience, AK has been confused clinically with a number of entities including seborrhoeic keratosis, verruca, basal cell carcinoma and invasive SCC. The authors have demonstrated that RCM is a good surrogate for tissue diagnosis. In the research setting this is useful but this modality will have to await further technological advancements (reduction in size and cost) before this tool can be utilized in the general clinical setting. However, it is comforting to know that clinical clearance of AKs on the extremities or trunk following ingenol mebutate 0 05% gel correlates well with the histological resolution of lesions, and thus clinicians can be assured that therapy has eliminated the AKs when lesions appear resolved. The opposite also holds true – if an 'AK' does not clear with therapy (any therapy), one should be mindful that some other entity may exist and appropriate steps should then be taken to secure the diagnosis.


There is a proliferation of medical mobile apps: Google Play alone has thousands of apps in the "Medical" category. Many such apps perform critical tasks (e.g., are used with a medical device or in lieu of a device); handle sensitive patient related information; perform diagnosis; or treat diseases. However, there are wide gaps between an app's claims and users' expectations as well as between app implementations and regulatory frameworks' mandates. We perform the first study, based on analyzing more than 4,000 Android apps, that characterizes medical apps. We begin by introducing an automated classification scheme that integrates textual information extracted from multiple sources to establish the purpose and target audience for an app, based on fine-grained traits and high-level categories; we found that the most common functionalities involved connecting to medical devices (e.g., hearing aids, glucometers), offering tele-health services, or patient management. We then dive deeper into app nature and characterize according to the function and domain of the app. We reveal actionable findings found in various facets of medical applications, regulatory frameworks and user privacy and safety.


Two new species of coelomycetes on Dimocarpus longan are reported. They are Marssonina dimocarpi and Phyllosticta dimocarpi from Guangxi Province. Latin and Chinese descriptions and illustrations of the new species are given. Holotypes of the new species are deposited in the Mycological Herbarium of Guangxi University, Nanning, China.


Recent evidence suggests that brain activity following the offset of a stimulus during encoding contributes to long-term memory formation, however the exact mechanisms underlying offset-related encoding are still unclear. Here we used repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to investigate offset-related activity in the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC). rTMS was administered at different points in time around stimulus offset while male and female participants encoded visually-presented words (first rTMS experiment) or pairs of words (second rTMS experiment) and the analyses focused on the effects of the stimulation on subsequent memory performance. The results show that rTMS administered at the offset of the stimuli, but not during online encoding, disrupted subsequent memory performance. In the first experiment we show that rTMS specifically disrupted encoding mechanisms initiated by the offset of the stimuli rather than general, post-stimulus processes. In the second experiment, we show a robust decline in associative memory performance when rTMS was delivered at the offset of the word pairs, suggesting that offset-related encoding may contribute to the binding of information into an episodic memory trace. A meta-analysis conducted on the two studies and on a previously published dataset confirmed that the involvement of the left VLPFC in memory formation is initiated by the offset of the stimulus. The offset of the stimulus may represent an event boundary that promotes the reinstatement of the previously experienced event and episodic binding. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT How well an event is encoded predicts how well it is remembered, and verbal encoding is an important part of everyday memory that, if disrupted, can lead to difficulties and disorders. The timing of encoding processes relative to the presentation of an event is important for successful retrieval, and little is known about the interval immediately after an event's presentation (post-stimulus offset) which is thought to involve critical encoding processes in the VLPFC and hippocampus. The current studies demonstrate that indeed, verbal encoding processes in the VLPFC that are necessary for memory formation are triggered by the offset of the word, and these processes may involve VLPFC-hippocampal interactions that promote binding of event features into a single, coherent memory trace.


The extended-reach ligand 1,4-bis(2-pyridylmethylsulfanylmethyl)benzene (L) was prepared by base coupling of 2-(chloromethyl)pyridinehydrochloride and 1,4-bis(sulfanylmethyl)benzene. This new ligand was treated with metal connectors AgNO3, CuX (X = Cl, Br or I) and CuCl2 to give co-ordination polymers. The crystal structures of [Ag2(L)(NO3)2]∞, [Cu2(L)I2]∞ and [Cu(L)Cl2]∞ were determined. Comparison of the structures showed that the anion influenced the mode of metal binding with chelating or bridging modes being observed. The anion also influenced the nature of the packing, with the silver polymer forming a three-dimensional array containing clathrated water ladders while the copper polymers existed as related one-dimensional polymers. The remarkable feature of these structures is that while the silver polymer showed extensive intermolecular interactions, the copper polymers, despite the prevalence of aromatic rings, each displayed only one type of CH/π interaction.


Pyrodinium bahamense var. compressum (Pbc) is a major public health concern particularly in the Southeast Asian region, and increasing threat brought by heavy metal pollution has greatly disturbed and altered the ecological balance of the region's marine waters. Herein, we report the effect of cadmium, a biotoxic metal, to cell cultures of Pbc. Within 72 h after treatment with high cadmium concentration (50 ppm Cd2+), the cell density dramatically declined. Chlorophylls a and c2 also decreased after 30-day exposure. However, the low Cd2+ (1 ppm)-treated cells had comparable response to the untreated cultures. Thus, the organism's ability to survive under low dose of cadmium implies a built-in stress response mechanism, but higher concentration is lethal to its survival and growth. The result of this study may lead to clearer insight on the role of metal ions in the growth and bloom dynamics of this important dinoflagellate.


Chain graphs (CGs) give a natural unifying point of view on Markov and Bayesian networks and enlarge the potential of graphical models for description of conditional independence structures. In the paper a direct graphical separation criterion for CGs which generalizes the d-separation criterion for Bayesian networks is introduced (recalled). It is equivalent to the classic moralization criterion for CGs and complete in the sense that for every CG there exists a probability distribution satisfying exactly independencies derivable from the CG by the separation criterion. Every class of Markov equivalent CGs can be uniquely described by a natural representative, called the largest CG. A recovery algorithm, which on basis of the (conditional) dependency model given by a CG finds the corresponding largest CG, is presented.


not act in harmony. The plaintiff was the surgeon of the county infirmary, which institution was administered by a committee of the Council. A controversy arose in consequence of the refusal of the surgeon to allow another surgeon to perform an operation on a soldier in the infirmary. In so acting the plaintiff was strictly correct, but by way of getting even with him, resort was had to the statute 6 and 7


We present a mechanical analysis of the problem of slip partitioning between the major thrust systems in a collisional range. We focus on two structures in the Himalayas of central Nepal: the Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT) and the Main Central Thrust (MCT). We use finite element modeling to test the influence of various parameters, such as friction coefficients and surface processes, and we investigate how they affect the distribution of deformation between these two faults. We observe that reproduction of the late Quaternary kinematic pattern across the range with our model requires strict conditions on the friction coefficients, such that the MHT is very weak, whereas the MCT is significantly stronger. The most important parameter that controls slip partitioning appears to be the dip angle of the MCT, with a gentler or steeper MCT promoting or inhibiting slip, respectively. We also show that transient loading and unloading through focused glacial erosion in the higher part of the range can unclamp the MCT and allow a significant increase in slip rates. The results of this mechanical sensitivity investigation have important implications for the dynamics of the Himalayan wedge and point toward along-strike structural variations as a first-order control on slip partitioning.


Introduction: Injury to the right bundle causing Right Bundle Branch Block (RBBB) is a known complication of central line placement. Complete heart block may result in patients with pre-existing Left Bundle Branch Block (LBBB). There are no organized guidelines for preparedness in such condition. Case Report: Seventy-eight-year old woman presented with intraparenchymal hemorrhage. Venous access was obtained in the right subclavian vein and guide wire was passed. As the catheter was passed over the guidewire, the rhythm went in complete heart block. She was paced with an external pacemaker. Review of her EKG revealed pre-existing LBBB. Conclusion: Clinicians should check the EKG before attempting central line placement in an elective/semi-emergent situation. Familiarize with the catheter and guide wire lengths/markings of the available kit.


A new optical metric, termed resist deformation factor (RDF), to represent deformation of three-dimensional (3D) resist profile has been introduced into a source and mask optimization (SMO) flow to mitigate defects caused by a reactive ion etching (RIE) process at the lithography stage. Under the low-k1 lithography conditions with both a highly-coherent source and a complicated mask, the 3D resist profile is subject to top-loss or bottom footing, resulting in hotspots and/or defects after the RIE process. In order to represent the 3D resist profile on a fast lithography simulation, a sliced latent image along resist depth direction is used to define RDF as the ratio of integrated optical intensities within the resist pattern to those around its surrounding area. Then the SMO flow incorporating the RDF into its cost function is implemented to determine both a source and a mask as the 3D resist profile is less likely to deform. The result of new SMO flow with RDF shows 30% improvement of resist top-loss.


the patient admitted to any problems at all while driving (P-0.0098, OR-1.6). Males were more likely to allow OSAS patients to drive. Consultants without an interest in sleep medicine and respondents seeing less than 5 patients per month were more likely to advise against driving. The advice given was not related to the age of the clinician. Conclusions This survey has shown that there is considerable variability in the advice given by clinicians, with in some situations a patient having an even chance of receiving opposite advice, depending on who they see. Restriction of driving has major implications for an individual, both social and financial. Allowing someone to drive who is not safe to do so has potentially disastrous consequences for them and others. The issue of how to improve consistency of advice needs to be addressed.


It is a question attracting more attentions of the society and a new subject among Hui Muslim studies that to save, protect, promote and make use of the cultural relics of Hui people in a time of developing and flourishing of ethnic cultures today. Based on several years of practice of to make arrangements for the exhibition and display of history and culture of the Hui in the museum, the author concludes in the paper many ways to make use of the cultural relics, and thus makes efforts to cite the features of Hui Muslim culture, which will give some enlightenments to us.


[Context] Model-based Systems Engineering (MBSE) advocates the integrated use of models throughout all development phases of a system development life-cycle. It is also often suggested as a solution to cope with the challenges of engineering complex systems. However, MBSE adoption is no trivial task and companies, especially large ones, struggle to achieve it in a timely and effective way. [Goal] We aim to discover what are the best practices and strategies to implement MBSE in companies that develop embedded software systems. [Method] Using an inductive-deductive research approach, we conducted 14 semi-structured interviews with experts from 10 companies. Further, we analyzed the data and drew some conclusions which were validated by an on-line questionnaire in a triangulation fashion. [Results] Our findings are summarized in an empirically validated list of 18 best practices for MBSE adoption and through a prioritized list of the 5 most important best practices. [Conclusions] Raising engineers' awareness regarding MBSE advantages and acquiring experience through small projects are considered the most important practices to increase the success of MBSE adoption.


The semi-classical correspondence relations are derived from Moshinsky's equations for the exact unitary representation of an arbitrary canonical transformation. The correspondence relations are shown to be exact in the case of a linear canonical transformation.


Linear optics two-qubit logic gates are essential tools in photonic quantum information. We describe a recently introduced simple conditional phase gate for photons, which relies on only one second order interference at a polarization dependent beam splitter, thereby making additional stability precautions dispensable. The improved quality of the gate is evaluated by performing full process tomography. The obtained process tomography data is fitted by a model based on experimental parameters of the setup which allows predictions on the performance of the gate in multi-photon experiments. .


The use of switching power amplifiers in the driver stage of a biomedical inductive power system is investigated. The main emphasis is on miniature biomedical implant systems where the receiver coils are very small compared to the transmitter coil and where magnetic coupling is very weak. Because of the weak coupling the driver circuit is almost independent of the load variation in the secondary coil. This makes it possible to design the driver circuit for a fixed primary coil parasitic resistance, which acts as an effective load. The goal is to design a primary coil driver circuit for a specified current level determined by field regulations for biomedical devices, by using parameters determined by the coupled electromagnetic system.


Background: The role of laminectomy alone as an etiology of postoperative cervical instability is well known. Cervical sagittal malalignment of the spine has been linked to unfavorable functional outcome, so the effect of restoration of sagittal spinal alignment on functional outcomes and treatment effectiveness has recently gained attention. Objective: This is a prospective observational study aims to observe the possible relation between cervical sagittal alignment and functional outcomes following sub-axial cervical lateral mass screw fixation in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Patients and Methods: Thirty patients were included in this study all suffering from cervical spondylotic mylopathy (CSM) who underwent cervical laminectomy and screw-rod fixation and followed up over 6 months. Functional outcome accessed using Nurick myelopathy score and neck disability index (NDI)?. We also used the Cobb angle method (C2–C7) as a parameter for radiographic assessment of the cervical sagittal alignment which was measured preoperatively and postoperatively on lateral neutral views of cervical X-ray. Results: All the patients underwent cervical laminectomy and fixation in a range of 3–5 levels. Two intraoperative facet fractures and four facet joint violations were observed. All the patients were followed-up for at least 6 months. There were significant improvements of the motor power (88.5%), Nurick score (90%), and NDI (90%) postoperatively. The mean preoperative Cobb angle for all patients was −8.51° ± 14.07° standard deviation (SD) which changed to −10.29 ± 12.43 SD at the end of follow-up. Conclusion: Combing posterior decompression with lateral mass screw– rod in patients with CSM was effective in improving or at least maintaining cervical alignment with the good functional outcome.


. We prove and discuss some new ( H p , L p ) type inequalities of maximal operators of T means with respect to the Vilenkin systems with monotone coefficients. We also show that these inequalities are the best possible in a special sense. Moreover, we apply these inequalities to prove strong convergence theorems of such T means. We also show that these results are the best possible in a special sense. As applications, both some well-known and new results are pointed out.


In this article I am giving easy and simple methods/ (KHAS method-Kamal Haldar's Addition and Subtraction method) to solve squares and square roots. After knowing these methods learner can solve the problems in a short way without using the number of steps, It is said that methods are better than tricks because it can bring creativity in the mind.


The aims of this thesis work were to shed new lights on the functioning of the microbial food web (MFW) in the Thau coastal lagoon through a "global approach" that permit us to study simultaneously the entire MFW components (21 groups) from viruses to microzooplankton. Growth and mortality of microorganisms were studied experimentally along seasons and during a mesocosm experiment. We particularly focus on mortality due to microzooplankton (<200µm) grazing and viral lysis. Responses of the different components of the MFW under a typical Mediterranean forcing, flash flood, was also studied during an in situ monitoring and a mesocosm experiment in the Thau Lagoon.In conclusion, it appears that heterotrophic bacteria show the highest growth rates (until 2.18 day-1). Growth rates of pico- and nanophytolankton groups were always lower than 1.5 day-1. The major cause of mortality of the different group studied, reaching on average 90%, was due to the predation by the microzooplankton. Mortality due to viral lysis appeared to be a "sporadic processes", less important than microzooplankton grazing indeed. In addition, the observed grazing rates or bacterivory were close to growth rates of microorganisms, suggesting an efficient trophic transfer of the microbial biomass towards higher trophic levels.River flash flood; an important forcing in the Mediterranean coastal zone; triggered on a short time scale, a decrease in growth and grazing rates of microorganisms whereas viral lysis was enhanced. However, the important dynamics of this studied MFW allowed the rapid reestablishment of growth and grazing rates, indicating a strong resilience capability of this system.


The invention relates to a sprayer which is characterised by an intermediate body consisting of a single injection-moulded piece comprising an outer casing and an inner tubular element, such that the outer casing is connected to the upper part of the container and the inner tubular body receives the piston of the pump. Moreover, the upper front part of the intermediate body is equipped with a housing for receiving a slide valve which is connected to the chamber of the spray nozzle and a cylindrical extension for receiving the body used to convey liquid to same. At the end opposite the nozzle,the intermediate body of the sprayer extends into a hand support. The upper part of the spray body is closed with a single injection-moulded lid.


On the Type IIB toroidal T^6 orientifolds with generic flux compactifications, we conjecture that in generic supsersymmetric Minkowski vacua, at least one of the flux contributions to the seven-brane and D3-brane tadpoles is positive if the moduli are stabilized properly, and then the tadpole cancellation conditions can not be relaxed. To study the supsersymmetric Minkowski flux vacua, we simplify the fluxes reasonably and discuss the corresponding superpotential. We show that we can not have simultaneously the positive real parts of all the moduli and the negative/zero flux contributions to all the seven-brane and D3-brane tadpoles. Therefore, we can not construct realistic flux models with the relaxed tadpole cancellation conditions. When studying the supsersymmetric AdS vacua, we obtain flux models with the seven-brane and D3-brane tadpole cancellation conditions relaxed elegantly, and we present a semi-realistic Pati-Salam model as well as its particle spectrum. The lifting from the AdS vacua to the Minkowski/dS vacua remains a great challenge in flux model buildings on toroidal orientifolds.


Previous studies have indicated that system level design (SLD) has a positive association with the outcome of engineering design projects. However, the causal relationship has not been established. This pilot study will explore the feasibility of implementing a laboratory experiment on design process and attempt to demonstrate a causal relationship between SLD and design outcome quality. Using outcome data from the pilot student laboratory exercise, a comparison between design processes that used SLD activities and those that did not are made using simple statistical testing methods. The results of this comparison support previous indications that SLD has an effect on outcome quality. The difficulties of constraining students performing SLD activities gave rise to an alternative method of analyzing SLD activities and lead us to conclude that our protocol is insufficient to test design process but is suitable for testing the application of a specific tool.Copyright © 2005 by ASME


Lee, Myung-bak Administration comprises the plan to foster the Universities as a world's research and development point, and to strengthen the Institute-Academia Collaboration for the knowledge based economy in the new plan of science and technology. In addition, by participating Universities into the medium-and long-term research business of government-supported institute, it is expected to strengthen the basic initiative research, revitalize the joint study conducted by the universities and government-supported institute, and to reshuffle the statutes to promote personnel exchanges between the universities and government-supported institute. Universities role as a principle of innovation in the field of Aerospace is getting its weight so that the necessity of the institute-academia collaboration is increasing. Types of the Institute-Academia Collaboration can be categorized into the Joint-Study, internships for the students in Masters and Ph. D. programs, Professor-Researcher Exchange, Joint Research Lab, and Joint Postgraduate Course, and those are the cases from the U.S., Brazil, Germany, France, Japan, and Korea. High mutual reliance on the research subject, mutual trust on the research capability, and abundant and flexible capabilities in sources are required to make a success in Institute-Academia Collaboration.


The presumption that administrative-territorial units as legal persons under public law are always solvent, proves not to hold true for periods such as the economic crisis that Romanian society goes through, which produces negative repercussions not only in the activity of private entrepreneurs but also on local budgets.

In this context, the study makes an analysis of the regulatory framework established by Law no. 273/2006 on local public finance in the field of financial crisis and insolvency matters of administrative-territorial units, with consequent modifications and additions, and by Government Emergency Ordinance no. 46/2013 on financial crisis and insolvency of administrative-territorial units, respectively.


Specific features of surface relief formation on a polycrystalline bismuth target under the action of a high power proton–carbon ion beam of nanosecond duration have been studied. Local melt extrusion from subsurface layers and its crystallization on the surface is observed, which is explained by a significant (3.35%) thermal expansion of bismuth during the transition from liquid to solid state. DOI: 10.1134/S1063785012010245


We propose a new robust regression estimator using data partition technique and M estimation (DPM). The data partition technique is designed to define a small fixed number of subsets of the partitioned data set and to produce corresponding ordinary least square (OLS) fits in each subset, contrary to the resampling technique of existing robust estimators such as the least trimmed squares estimator. The proposed estimator shares a common strategy with the median ball algorithm estimator that is obtained from the OLS trial fits only on a fixed number of subsets of the data. We examine performance of the DPM estimator in the eleven challenging data sets and simulation studies. We also compare the DPM with the five commonly used robust estimators using empirical convergence rates relative to the OLS for clean data, robustness through mean squared error and bias, masking and swamping probabilities, the ability of detecting the known outliers, and the regression and affine equivariances.


Thermoplastic resin coated metal, ceramic, and glass articles are made by providing a metal, ceramic, or glass article, applying an aqueous solution, suspension, and/or dispersion of a coating material comprising a first thermoplastic resin to a coated or uncoated surface of the article substrate by dip, spray, or flow coating, withdrawing the article from the dip, spray, or flow coating at a rate so as to form a first coherent film, removing any excess material resulting from the dip, spray, or flow coating, and curing and/or drying the coated article until the first film is substantially dried so as to form a first coating, where the first thermoplastic resin comprises a thermoplastic epoxy resin. Additional coatings of similar or different compositions may be applied onto the first coating in successive iterations of the steps of the inventive process.


Juan Ysmael 8f Company v. Government of the Republic of Indonesia [1954] 3 W.L.R. 531; [1954] 8 All E.R. 286—Sovereign immunity—assertion of title without proof by foreign State. The rule as to sovereign immunity involves two propositions as formulated by Lord Atkin in The Cristina —the first, that the courts of one country cannot implead a foreign sovereign; and the second, that they would not by their process, whether the sovereign is a party to the proceedings or not, seize or detain property which is his or of which he is in possession or control. In the present case the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council was concerned with the application of the second branch of this rule. The appellant company, claiming as owners, issued a writ in rem against a steamship addressed to all parties interested in the said steamship. The Indonesian Government appeared under protest and sought to set aside the writ on the ground that the writ impleaded a foreign sovereign State as the Government of Indonesia was the owner, or was in possession, or control or entitled to possession, of the vessel. Affidavits were filed by two agents of the Government in support of the motion, but when the appellant company was given leave to cross-examine the deponents on the contents of their affidavits, the Indonesian Government claimed diplomatic immunity for its agents. This claim was rejected by the court, the deponents failed to attend for cross-examination and their affidavits were accordingly removed from the file. The result was that thereafter there was no evidence in support of the Government's claim to the vessel. The trial judge in Hongkong dismissed the motion to set aside the writ and decreed possession of the vessel to the appellant company. The Hongkong appellate court, however, took the view that the action in rem impleaded a sovereign State and therefore set aside the writ and all subsequent proceedings. The Judicial Committee examined the transactions relating to the vessel and concluded without difficulty that there was no evidence to support the Government's claim that the vessel was its property. The company had chartered the ship to the Government for a fixed period for the purpose of carrying troops. The


In a 3-yr field study on a Bosket silt loam, dicamba (0.3 and 0.6 kg ai ha−1) and 2,4-D amine (0.6, 1.1, and 2.2 kg ae ha−1) were applied at 3, 9, and 16 d before planting cotton. Most treatments applied 3 or 9 d before planting caused cotton injury and yield reduction. Replanting was necessary when 2,4-D at 2.2 kg ha−1 was applied 9 d before planting, and all treatments except dicamba at 0.3 kg ha−1 when applied 3 d before planting.


Contracts are behavioral descriptions of Web services. We devise a theory of contracts that formalizes the compatibility of a client with a service, and the safe replacement of a service with anoth...


Collaborative group tasks require efficient and productive verbal and non-verbal interactions among the participants. Studying such interaction patterns could help groups perform more efficiently, but the detection and measurement of human behavior is challenging since it is inherently multimodal and changes on a millisecond time frame. In this paper, we present a method to study groups performing a collaborative decision-making task using non-verbal behavioral cues. First, we present a novel algorithm to estimate the visual focus of attention (VFOA) of participants using frontal cameras. The algorithm can be used in various group settings, and performs with a state-of-the-art accuracy of 90%. Secondly, we present prosodic features for non-verbal speech analysis. These features are commonly used in speech/music classification tasks, but are rarely used in human group interaction analysis. We validate our algorithms on a multimodal dataset of 14 group meetings with 45 participants, and show that a combination of VFOA-based visual metrics and prosodic-feature-based metrics can predict emergent group leaders with 64% accuracy and dominant contributors with 86% accuracy. We also report our findings on the correlations between the non-verbal behavioral metrics with gender, emotional intelligence, and the Big 5 personality traits.


A monthly line transect and capture survey of the forest bird community in a forest in the Massif Tsukuba for five years from autumn 1988 showed that the introduced Red-billed Leiothrix had increased in number. In the first three years only one individual was captured in October 1989. However, in 1992 and 1933 this species was recorded frequently as a common species in both survey methods. The increase in the number recorded in the study site could suggest the increase in the whole population size in the Massif Tsukuba.


To the Editor: —Concerning my answer to the California physician's query (The Journal, March 11, p. 766) against which Dr. Wolbarst voices a dissenting opinion (The Journal, May 13, p. 1558) I feel that his criticism deserves an answer. On the true facts rests the entire question of the prevention of posterior urethral infection. At the same time I admire Dr. Wolbarst and his work so greatly that I am loath to enter a discussion against his opinion. His dissenting opinion is raised against my statement that, "if the anterior urethra is only partially filled with injected fluid, the tonic contraction of the cut-off muscle will prevent any of it passing into the posterior urethra, no matter how long it is retained." Against the truth of this statement he opposes an experience of over thirty years in urology. However, he has not raised a question that cannot be settled easily