Sin ead M. O'Neill , Miriam Bell, Avilene Casey, Brendan Leen , Barbara Clyne , Barrie Tyner , Susan M. Smith , Peter J. Watkinson , Michelle O'Neill , and M air ın Ryan The Health Technology Assessment Directorate, The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), Mahon, Cork, Ireland; The Deteriorating Patient Recognition and Response Improvement Programme (DPIP), Clinical Design and Innovation, Health Service Executive, Dr. Steeven's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland; National Health Library and Knowledge Service, Health Service Executive South, Kilkenny, Ireland; HRB CICER and Department of General Practice, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland; Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, Oxford, UK


In this paper, we first review LDPC codes in general and a belief propagation algorithm that works in logarithm domain. LDPC codes, which is chosen 802.11n for wireless local access network(WLAN) standard, require a large number of computation due to large size of coded block and iteration. Therefore, we presented three kinds of low computational algorithms for LDPC codes. First, sequential decoding with partial group is proposed. It has the same H/W complexity, and fewer number of iterations are required with the same performance in comparison with conventional decoder algorithm. Secondly, we have apply early stop algorithm. This method reduces number of unnecessary iterations. Third, early detection method for reducing the computational complexity is proposed. Using a confidence criterion, some bit nodes and check node edges are detected early on during decoding. Through the simulation, we knew that the iteration number are reduced by half using subset algorithm and early stop algorithm is reduced more than one iteration and computational complexity of early detected method is about 30% offs in case of check node update, 94% offs in case of check node update compared to conventional scheme. The LDPC decoder have been implemented in Xilinx System Generator and targeted to a Xilinx Virtx5-xc5vlx155t FPGA. When three algorithms are used, amount of device is about 45% off and the decoding speed is about two times faster than convectional scheme.


Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) based on electrocorticographic (ECoG) activity has become relatively popular due to sensitivity of ECoG to specific details of actual and imagined actions. It has been shown that significant differences in the brain activity while performing hand movements in different directions can be found in relation to cosine tuning theory. This research seeks to investigate brain activity properties during performance hand motor tasks and distinguish its special patterns for the future ECoG BCIs.


This paper presents a discussion about the role of the tradition and authenticity in Italian cooking and restaurants in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The data was collected during my previous research (2006-2009) when the focus was on the idea of cuisine like a system and process where the practical operation exposes social relationships and, in fact of this, work on identities. The ethnography opens many ways to think about the role of cooking and food around the cultural adaptation and in particular of the Italian immigrants in a new context: urban, strange and huge. For this, the way adopted was enter in the process of the cuisine by the memories of the owners of these restaurants, which are selected by a special criteria, have more than fifty years of existence and divide this trajectory in three main parts: the first period of immigration around the first decade of 20 th century, the 1950 and 1960's for enter at the new urban rhythms and the globalization years, specially at 1990's when the city was called "Mundial Capital of Gastronomy". Adopting this, we could discuss the arrangements between authenticity, tradition and nationality. The final considerations show that these ideas become part of the urban imaginary followed by the ideas of progress and work that marked the Italian trajectory at Sao Paulo.


We investigate impulsive fractional Langevin equation involving two fractional Caputo derivatives with boundary value conditions. By Banach contraction mapping principle and Krasnoselskii's fixed point theorem, some results on the existence and uniqueness of solution are obtained.


FIELD: chemistry. SUBSTANCE: claimed invention relates to polyurethane composition for production of holographic media. Composition contains: (A) polyisocyanate component, which contains at least one polyurethane prepolymer with terminal NCO-groups exclusively on base of oligomeric or polymeric dysfunctional compounds, reaction-able with respect to isocyanates, with average molecular weights from 200 to 10000 g/mole, in which NCO-groups are bound with primary residues, (B) polymers, reaction-able with respect to isocyanates, (C) compounds, which contain groups, which when exposed to actinic irradiation react with ethylene-unsaturated compounds with polymerisation (radiation - solidified groups), and themselves do not contain NCO-groups, (D) stabilisers of radicals and (E) photoinitiators, with compounds, applied in component C), having refractive index n D 20 >1.55. Also described are: method of producing medium of recording of visual holograms, application of such medium and method of hologram recording. EFFECT: obtaining novel polyurethane composition, in which good compatibility of polymeric matrix with recording monomer and other components, contained in composition is ensured, which leads to improvement of hologram brightness. 12 cl, 2 dwg, 7 ex


Nuculaspisabietis meets of Adjara. This pest feeds on conifer needles and twigs causing needle drop and branch desiccation. The article with the results of the study of Nuculaspisabiectis and its natural enemies of Adjara.


learn that some conditions seem to be far more culture-dependent than others. For example, tourette's Syndrome seems to be extremely widespread in the world's cultures and also appears to have a biological basis that responds fairly uniformly to medication (pp. 198–99). On the other hand, it is strongly debated whether schizophrenia or, especially, Dissociated Identity Disorder existed before the modern period (pp. 207–8, 210–11). the latter part of the chapter speculates about the possible prevalence of PtSD from recurrent violence and warfare, exile, child abuse, and rape—large topics dealt with briefly but thoughtfully. the final Conclusion restates the hypothesis that possession was not a prevalent part of Anglo-Saxon life beyond the postconversion period in the seventh and eighth centuries, though stressing the dangers of basing conclusions on negative evidence. this is a richly learned and highly readable book. It is seeded throughout with a wealth of comparative material from Carolingian, Merovingian, Late Antique, and contemporary sources. Sometimes its very range of reference makes it a little hard to follow, as the Anglo-Saxon evidence at the core is not extensive and the path sometimes turns rather far from it. If the conclusions are cautious in proportion to the effort expended, however, there is much to be learned along the way. Peter Dendle is to be congratulated on an admirably detailed study that complements the more literary and conceptual bent of his earlier book, Satan Unbound: The Devil in Old English Narrative Literature (2001). Alice Jorgensen Trinity College, Dublin


(21%) higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure, blood glucose levels, hemoglobin A1c, total cholesterol, and triglycerides levels compared normal-weight adolescent females ( p < 0.05). There was a statistically signi fi cant association between the BMI status of mothers and infants ' birth with underweight/normal-weight mothers having more low birth weight (LBW) babies and overweight/obese mothers having more large babies. preterm in compared to adolescent (OR to in the uses available measures from routine clinical care as a " rapid assay to explore potential associations, be more useful to detect the and direction of associations than the magnitude of effects. This partnership has community clinicians, laboratory and clinical investigators, and funders in study design and analysis, as demonstrated by the collaborative development and testing of hypotheses relevant to service delivery. OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: (1) Provide an innovative tool used to accelerate and evaluate T3-T4 research; (2) describe the collective capacity building tool (CCBT) methodology — both programmatic and evaluative applications; and (3) share insights about the process and outcomes of community-engaged research. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Academic and community- based partners complete the assessment together at the beginning and conclusion of their Community Engagement pilot projects. Further, they are encouraged to use the tool and the associated insights/priorities that emerge as the basis for data-driven coaching with Community Research Liaisons throughout the 12-month grant cycle. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Pre/post results with 4 cohorts of pilot grantees consistently demonstrated the most positive to chronic disease management over time. Few models account for the role of the child in the decision-making process, despite their ongoing development. Therefore, we propose a model of shared decision-making in the context of managing chronic illness in children that recognizes all actors and can support both the design of clinical care and research. This model — The SDM Learning Loop Model — highlights the dynamic iterative nature of exchanges between and among the clinical team and the parent-child dyad and recognizes the child as the center of each decision-making cycle. The model accounts for key practice, family, experiential, and emotional contexts in fl uencing the decision-making encounter. In this model, change in child health status and developmental capacity resulting from a given cycle ' s care plan will directly in fl uence the relationship between clinician and parent-child dyad (eg, mutual trust, attunement) and impact each party ' s engagement in the next round of decision-making. The relationship between experience and outcome stimulates learning. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Our pro-posed SDM Learning Loop Model suggests that increasing the shared nature of decision making is not only likely to optimize care planning, but creates " buy-in " that can both reinforce the impact of positive outcomes, and moderate the negative impact on relationships when the outcome is other than desired. We hypothesize that this model can guide care planning and shape research to the bene fi t of both clinical outcomes and clinician-family relationships. Future work should focus on the development and validation of measures to account for the experiential and emotional contexts in which such decisions are made, and the outcomes of care in this population. among racial and of socio-economic rst postpartumyear the United States. Female patients who were diagnosed with early stage breast adenocarcinoma (T0, T1, T1A, T1B, 2, 2A, or T2N1) from 2004 to 2014 were eligible for this study. RESULTS/ANTICI- PATED RESULTS: A total of 807,314 patients were included in this study. Evidence-based guidelines examined with associated compliance rates include surgery completion (79.3% overall compliance), breast conserving surgery Versus mastectomy (88.05% vs. 11.95%, respectively), radiation after breast conserving surgery (77.5% overall compliance), HER2 testing (88.6% overall compliance), estrogen/progesterone receptor (ER/PR) testing (96.3% overall compliance), hormone treatment for positive ER/PR breast cancer (80.2% overall compliance), and sentinel lymph node biopsy completion (67.5% overall compliance). Univariate association between these guidelines and covariates such as facility type, facility location, age, race, insurance status, median income quartiles, achievement of high school degree, urban Versus rural, Charlson-Deyo score, year of diagnosis, and overall survival were assessed. Logistic regression analysis will be used to determine multivariate relationships between these characteristics and the probability that a patient will be compliant to guideline regimen. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: The results of this study will help identify socio-economic, clinical, and facility factors that in fl uence guideline-concordant care and subsequent critical outcomes for patients with early stage breast cancer. Lack of guideline concordant care for speci fi c stages of cancer or treatment modalities will point to a need for tailored interventions to enhance compliance. A prediction model will help identify the most important predictors of noncompliance in breast cancer treatment so noncompliance can be prevented in at-risk populations. We hypothesize that many long-term adverse consequences of TBI are driven by abnormal in fl ammatory processes in the brain that occur secondary to the original neural injury. This in fl ammation can spread well beyond the damaged tissue and cause profound fatigue, widespread pain, cognitive impairment, and depressed mood. METHODS/STUDY POPULA- TION: Using a technique based on magnetic resonance spectroscopy, we can obtain precise and accurate temperature measurements throughout the human brain, which may serve as a proxy for neuroin fl ammation. In this study, we examine 20 men who have sustained a moderate-to-severe TBI and 10 age-72


Young performers resident in East Lothian who can sing, dance and act are invited to audition to join our professional cast of Aladdin.


Several options for estimation and prediction in regressions using nonnegative skewed dependent variables are compared. Often, Poisson regression outperforms competitors, even when its assumptions are violated and the correct model is one that justifies a competitor.


Purpose – The cost of housing is very high in Yemen compared with Middle East countries, which has caused a shortage of housing supply, especially for the low‐income group. The purpose of this paper is to identify factors that are significantly influencing housing cost in Yemen.Design/methodology/approach – The study surveyed 60 professionals in housing in Yemen, to identify factors influencing housing cost that are related to land, materials used, construction methods used, finishing works, and other factors/related issues. The questionnaire survey instrument consisted of 32 factors, which were grouped into these five categories. The level of importance was measured and the relative importance of weightage was ranked for all five categories.Findings – This study found that cost of project land, cost of cement and steel for reinforced concrete are the most significant factors influencing housing cost in Yemen.Originality/value – Based on the analysis of the ranking and intensity of housing cost factors, t...


Previous research in technical communication indicates service-learning pedagogies can help prepare students for the workplace. The field, however, has only recently and tentatively extended these pedagogies into online environments and has not yet demonstrated how and whether such service-eLearning could as effectively bridge the gap between the classroom and workplace. In this article, the author discusses one such extension and offers a framework and model.


For the planned tidal turbine site in Puget Sound, WA, the main concern is to protect Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW) due to their Endangered Species Act status. A passive acoustic monitoring system is proposed because the whales emit vocalizations that can be detected by a passive system. The algorithm for detection is implemented in two stages. The first stage is an energy detector designed to detect candidate signals. The second stage is a spectral classifier that is designed to reduce false alarms. The evaluation presented here of the detection algorithm incoprporates behavioral models of the species of interest, environmental models of noise levels and potential false alarm sources to provide a realistic characterization of expected operational performance.


We read with great interest the recent study of Kumar et al (2008) published in this journal, concerning the role of glibenclamide or gliclazide and repaglinide in decreasing sperm quality. The authors, in this well designed and performed study, highlighted the role of intrasperm calcium concentration in regulating motility and viability of ejaculated spermatozoa. In recent years, other reports concerning the impact of some drugs, such as miconazole, clotrimazole or loperamide, on viability of human spermatozoa have been reported (Gulati et al 2006). However, the impact of drugs on sperm quality and male fertility may be underestimated. We focused our attention on the co-administration of statins (or HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors) and calcium-channel antagonists. The co-administration of atorvastatin and amlodipine has been reported as well-tolerated treatment for coexisting hypertension and dyslipidaemia (Messerli et al 2006) and without demonstrating significant adverse pharmacodynamic interactions or effects (Preston et al 2007). No studies regarding the effect of the co-administration of atorvastatin and amlodipine on male fertility have been reported. On the other hand, the absence of influence of statins on testicular reproductive function has already been demonstrated by several authors (Bernini et al 1998; Dostal et al 2001). We have recently reviewed our outpatients urological database to evaluate the impact of the co-administration of atorvastatin and amlodipine on male fertility. From a total study population of 689 patients with coexisting hypertension and dyslipidaemia attending our department for all urological diseases (with the exception of infertility), we selected all those patients who had been treated with either atorvastatin or amlodipine or atorvastatin and amlodipine co-administration, with an age lower than 55 years. We finally enrolled 287 patients; 12 patients were excluded for lack of clinical information. Thus, data from 275 were analysed. Ninety-one out of 275 had been treated with atorvastatin, 87 with amlodipine and 97 co-administered atorvastatin and amlodipine. All patients (mean age 48.5 years) had been undergoing pharmacological treatments for at least 12 months. From each patient we obtained at least two consecutive semen parameter analyses (with a mean interval time of 13.3 months). Fisher's exact test or Chi-square test ( ) were used to assess statistical significance with P < 0.05 accepted as significant. The two groups of patients did not show any significant difference in terms of smoking or other drug use. The two groups of patients who had undergone atorvastatin or amlodipine treatment did not have significant changes in two consecutive semen characteristics analyses. On the other hand, the group of patients who had undergone co-administration with atorvastatin and amlodipine demonstrated significant differences in semen parameters in the two consecutive semen analyses. In particular, the semen volume was significantly different (3.4 mL vs 1.1 mL) between the two determinations (P < 0.001). The number of spermatozoa was also different (87 million vs 65 million) (P < 0.001). However, sperm morphology and motility, as well as other semen parameters, were not modified. This report highlights that co-administered atorvastatin and amlodipine treatment could have an important impact on sperm quality, even if it does not seem to significantly decrease male fertility.


It is widely assumed that a fundamental contradiction exists between multiculturalism and ethnocracy. As a result, there has been a distinct lack of research investigating the strategic relationship which can and does exist between both theories in practice. This article sets out to overcome this gap through an examination of state policy towards the Palestinian Arab minority in Israel. It identifies certain limits to the conceptual frameworks typically used to investigate multiculturalism and suggests that the range of policy options open to ethnocratic regimes is, in fact, far more malleable, selective and flexible than has hitherto been described.


study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. Concept and design: Black, Iwanicki, Dart. Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data: Black, Bau, Iwanicki. Drafting of the manuscript: Black, Bau. Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Black, Iwanicki, Dart. Statistical analysis: Black, Bau. Obtained funding: Dart. Administrative, technical, or material support: Black, Iwanicki, Dart. Supervision: Iwanicki, Dart.


The number and spatial distribution of work locations is a crucial piece of information for any transport demand model. To generate the initial transport demand of MATSim, an activity-based multi-agent simulation framework, it is necessary to determine the number of work locations with high spatial resolution, either on a parcel or even a building level. Commonly applied methods to derive work locations are based on census of entreprises information, unemployment insurance database or combine information of buildings gross floor area and individual work space requirements. As an alternative, we present a methodology which combines public transport smart card transaction data, travel diary survey and building information data sources.Work activities are detected from public transport smart card transactions based on observed activity duration and start time and hence related to public transport stops. To link the observed work activities to individual buildings, a linear programming optimisation technique is applied that minimises the walking time between public transport stops and potential work locations. Information on maximum allowed building gross floor area derived from land use regulation is combined with estimates on individual work space requirements to set boundary conditions and ensure that buildings are only assigned with work activities according to its maximal capacity. To account for private transport based work activities, mode shares as observed in a travel diary are taken into account. Due to the limited number of observations of such surveys, this inflation process is performed on the level of specifically generated mode share zones. To demonstrate the applicability, the proposed approach is implemented for the case of Singapore and the results of this case study critically reviewed.


The authors seek to determine experimentally what changes of the magnetic bubble properties and of the iron garnet film characteristics resulting from implantation of Ne/sup +/ ions can be used as criteria for assessing the effectiveness of this process in the production of bubble devices. For the experiments, the authors used (YBi)/sub 3/(FeGa)/sub 5/O/sub 12/; (TmBi)/sub 3/(FeGa)/sub 5/O/sub 12/; and (YSmLuCa)/sub 3/(FeGe)/sub 5/O/sub 12/. The orientation of the Gd/sub 3/Ga/sub 5/O/sub 12/ substrate is (111) in all cases. The current density of the H/sup +/ proton beam did not exceed 0.5 micro-A/cm/sup 2/.


Recent advances in pigmentation technology have allowed formulators to achieve a greater infrared reflectivity versus traditional pigmentation technologies in functional coatings, while maintaining the appropriate light absorption in the visible spectrum to impart color. The ability of functional infrared reflective coating systems to lower heat build-up results in reduced thermal warpage, reduced thermal cycling degradation, lower energy costs related to cooling, and improved comfort and functionality of dark color exterior objects such as park benches, hand railings, and even polymer concrete. This paper will impart knowledge of infrared pigmentation technology to the reader, and explore potential new applications of infrared reflective pigmentation technology in composites.


In quantale theory, the subquantale is an important structure of quantale, understanding subquantales is helpful for deeply learning interior structures of quantale. By means of mapping, the concept of trivial quantale is proposed and characterizations for a quantale to be trivial are obtained. Secondly, the number of subquantales included in a finite quantale is discussed. Finally, it is proved that the number of non-trivial subquantales of an infinite quantale is infinite and the cardinality of quantale with one non-trivial subquantale is three.


The described method for the measurement of soft beta radiation in a substance is based on a comparison of the count rate in a tldckness of the substance with an identical thickness of a standard. (C.J.G.)


Band-limited ray tracing captures the wave kinematics that are comparable to finite-difference wave propagation with higher fidelity than conventional ray tracing while staying within the ray tracing framework, without requiring processing or alteration to the original model. We present examples of Kirchhoff migration obtained using conventional ray tracing and band-limited ray tracing methods. Band-limited ray tracing aims to overcome some of the limitations of standard high-frequency ray tracing in complex velocity models that contain complex interfaces.


Triglycerides of deuterium-labeled trans-11-, trans11-cis-11and cis-9-octadecenoic acid (l1t-18:1-2H, 11c-18:1-2H) were simultaneously fed to two young adult male subjects. Plasma lipids from blood samples collected periodically for 48 hr were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. The results indicate (i) the 1.H1-18:1-2H acids and 9c-18:12H were equally well absorbed; (ii) relative turnover rates were higher for the ~11-18-1-2H acids in plasma triglycerides; (iii) incorporation of the Ml18:1-2H acids into plasma phosphatidylcholine was similar to 9c-18:1-2H, but distribution at the 1and 2-acyl positions was substantially different; (iv) esterification of cholesterol with 11t-18:1 was extremely low; (v) chain shortening of the MI-18:1-2H acids was 2-3 times greater than for 9c-18:1-2H; (vi) no evidence for desaturation or elongation of the 18:1·2H acids was detected; and (vii) a 40% isotopic dilution of the 18:1-2H acids in the chylomicron triglyceride fraction indicated the presence of a substantial intestinal triglyceride pool. Based on our present knowledge, these metabolic results for ~11 18:1 acids present in hydrogenated oils and animal fats indicate that the ~11 isomers are no more likely than 9c-18:1 to contribute to dietary fat-related health problems. Lipids 21, 589-595 (1986).


(L-a-GP) dehydrogenase ofEscherichia coli was purified approximately 40-fold. Theactivity ofthedehydrogenase, although notaffected bytheaddition ofpyridine nucleotides, was stimulated three- tofourfold byflavine adenine dinucleotide (Kmabout10-7M)andup to 10-fold byflavine mononucleotide (Kmabout10-4M).Maximalactivity ofthe enzyme was foundonlyinthecombined presenceofsaturating concentrations ofbothflavines (stimulation bya factor of10to15). Thedependence ofthe rateofthereaction on theconcentration ofL-a-GP was complex inthepresence ofbothflavines, butinthepresenceofflavine adenine dinucleotide alone thekinetics were oftheMichaelis-Menten typewiththeKm forL-a-GP being about10-4 M. Theproduct ofthereaction was identified as dihydroxyacetone phosphate, andthemolecular weight ofthedehydrogenase was estimated tobe 80,000 + 10,000. Phenazine methosulfate, menadione andferricyanide served as artificial acceptors forthedehydrogenase. Theenzyme was sensitive toiodoacetate, p-chloromercuribenzoate, andN-ethymaleimide.


Summary A rapid, accurate colorimetric method for the quantitative determination of pregnanediol based on the methods of Venning, Talbot and Guterman is described. Serial determinations in normal pregnancy and pregnancy complications have been carried out in over 100 patients. Pregnanediol excretion in the last 28 weeks of the gestation can be used as a quantitative measure of uteroplacental circulation. During this period the placenta is the chief source of this urinary metabolite for corpus luteum activity wanes rapidly after the first trimester. Serial determinations in normal pregnancy and the complications of pregnancy may throw light on the adequacy of the placenta as the essential organ for the survival of the fetus.


Objective Patients suffered esophageal carcinoma invading aorta have poor prognosis and treatment outcome.The surgical treatments of thirteen patients with local advanced esophageal carcinoma involving aorta were reviewed respectively.Methods All patients underwent resection of esophageal carcinoma and cervical esophago-gastrostomy.Two of them received the resection of limited aortic adventitia and excision of aorta and aorto-plasty with artificial vessel patch in two patients.The resected segments were replaced with artificial vessels in nine patients.Results Complete recovery was achieved within two weeks in thirteen patients,three and five year survival rate were 47.2% and 25.2%,respectively.The median survival time was thirty-five months(95%CI=25.6-44.4 months).Conclusion Extended operation for T4 esophageal cancer invading aorta will be considered as curative operation for very selected patients and improve the survival of the patients.


Defines the interval consistency index of interval multiplicative preference relations and calculates the values of the random interval consistency index with order n,defines a new acceptably consistent interval multiplicative preference relation and proposes a method of testing the acceptable consistency of interval multiplicative preference relations provides illustrative examples to demonstrate the effectiveness of the new testing method.


Administered the Pleasure-Aversion Scale and all 11 subtests of the WAIS to 34 women and 28 men. On the PAS, Ss list pleasures and aversions, which fall into five categories: Reality Pleasure (RP), Fantasy Pleasure (FP), Reality Aversive (RA), Fantasy Aversive (FA), and Total Score. Each S response is rated by two trained raters, who use special rating scales. These scales provide ratings of cognitive "primitiveness" and "advancedness" for each listed pleasure or aversion. The five PAS measures essentially were uncorrelated with the WAIS indices for women, but a meaningful pattern of correlations emerged for men. Of most significance were tendencies for Reality Pleasure to correlate with WAIS Verbal indices (VIQ, FSIQ, I, V, and D) and Fantasy Pleasure to correlate negatively with WAIS Performance indices (DS, BD, PC, and OA). The strong correlation between RP and Digit Span was discussed from the standpoint of Bailey's primitive-advanced continuum (Bailey, 1982) and Gittinger's Externalizer-Internalizer dimension (Winne & Gittinger, 1973). Problems in generalizing from present findings also were discussed.


The majority of students in the state of Montana attend schools that are by definition rural. The implementation of effective programs to develop resiliency in children are at the forefront in the state. The need for effective programs to meet the needs of at-risk children is of importance to rural elementary schools. Recognizing the identification factors of at-risk children can assist schools in meeting the needs of this population. This study identified, described and compared what rural elementary schools in the state of Montana do to meet the needs of at-risk students and indicated processes used to identify those students. The population for the study consisted of 114 rural elementary school principals employed during the 2002-2003 school year. This survey research used a researcherdeveloped instrument to investigate the characteristics of effective programs offered arid the services provided in the elementary schools. It also examined the factors used to identify these children. Based upon the data, the following conclusions were drawn: positive school climate was important to the overall services and programs offered to all students; well defined curriculum and instructional programs were important considerations; the link between learning difficulties and a student's low self-esteem coupled with a lack of hope for the future was made by the principals; principals recognized the impact of the family on a student's level of being at-risk; a student's behavior and frustration with school was identified as a very important factor related to school success; ability grouping was not considered to be as important when identifying those students who could be at-risk; early intervention programs designed to increase student academic and social skills were not evident in the majority of the rural elementary schools surveyed, and rural Montana elementary schools viewed the creation of an atmosphere where promoting personal, social and emotional growth of at-risk students was important and evident.


Aiming at the technical difficulties such as high circulating pump pressure, high friction torque, low ROP, difficulty in hole cleaning and running in completion casing string running in the ultra-long horizontal section of tight gas reservoir in Sulige Gas Field, this paper analyzes the drilling technical difficulties in the ultra-long horizontal section from the aspects of safe extension of the long horizontal section, hole cleaning, friction and drag reduction and safe running of the completion string, such as optimized allocation of high-efficiency drilling equipment, optimized design of well trajectory, optimized application of drilling acceleration tools, RSS technology, high-efficiency, strong inhibition lubrication water-based drilling fluid and rotary guide shoe + casing floating running technology. The key technologies of drilling and completing ultra long horizontal well for tight gas reservoir in Sulige Gas Field have been formed, which have been applied in 2 wells, with an average well depth of 7 027 m, an average horizontal section length of 3 719.5 m, and drilling cycle of 50.93 d. Between them, Jing50-26H1 Well, TD depth is 7 388 m with horizontal section length of 4 118 m, created two records of the deepest well in Changqing Oilfield and the longest horizontal section of onland oil and gas wells in China. The research and application show that the key technologies provide technical support for efficient exploration and development of tight gas reservoir in Sulige Gas Field, and also provide reference for safe and efficient drilling of ultra long horizontal section well in domestic tight gas field.


According to the requirement of silence attack mode based on intra-flight data link,we studied fighter leading error based on data link.The sources of leading error were analyzed,the error generating process was described,and the vector equation of the leading error was built up.In order to decrease the error and enhance the precision of target tracking under silence attacking mode,an algorithm of adaptive Kalman filter was put forward on the basis of "current" acceleration model.By using the algorithm,the information received by the fighter from data link was filtered,and the current information was estimated.Simulation showed that the random error of information from data link could be filtered out effectively,and the locating geometric accuracy could reach 245 m.The result validated the feasibility of silence attacking.


Formulae to calculate the statistically caused instantaneous copolymer composition distribution as well as the chemical distribution of accumulated macromolecules, which is due to polymerization statistics and shifts in mean polymer composition during the reaction process, are derived on the basis of a universal model for free-radical solution polymerization with any number of monomers proceeding in a batch, semi-batch or continuous, ideally mixed vessel. The influence of the reactor type on chemical composition distributions is investigated for a copolymerization of different reactive components (methyl methacrylate/styrene/maleic anhydride), a system with nearly equal reactive monomers (methyl methacrylate/styrene), and the ternary polymerization of methyl methacrylate/styrene/maleic anhydride. Though products of constant mean composition are obtainable in a semi-batch or steady-state continuous reactors, considerable statistical dispersion cannot be removed in any case.


The invention discloses an LED light drive circuit and an LED lighting. The LED light drive circuit comprises a comparator U1A, the in-phase input end and the inverting input end of the U1A are connected with a resistor R1 and a resistor R2, one end of the R1 is connected with a circuit input end, and the other end of the R2 is grounded; a resistor R3 is connected between the positive electrode of a power supply and the inverting input end of the U1A; the output end of the U1A is connected with a resistor R4, the other end of the R4 is connected with an audion Q1 and an audion Q2, the emitters of the Q1 and the Q2 are connected with each other, the collector of the Q1 is connected with a resistor R6, the collector of the Q2 is connected with a resistor R8, the other end of the R6 is connected an audion Q4, the other end of the R8 is connected with an audion Q3, the emitter of the Q4 is connected with a resistor R7, the collector of the Q4 is connected with the positive electrode of a high voltage, and a resistor R5 is connected between the collector of the Q4 and the R6; the emitter of the Q3 is connected with a resistor R10, the collector of the Q3 is connected with the negative electrode of the high voltage, a resistor R9 is connected between the emitter and the base of the Q3; and a first LED light string is connected behind the R10, and a second LED light string is connected behind the R7. The LED light drive circuit has the advantage of being capable of driving two LED circuits through one drive circuit.


In the last 15 years, six therapies for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) have received regulatory approval. Although these agents are effective and generally safe, some patients have continued disease activity or intolerable side effects. There is a strong rationale for using agents in combination to improve therapeutic outcome in RRMS, and statins are seemingly attractive candidates to combine with standard agents. Statins are administered orally, and extensive clinical experience with long-term treatment of hyperlipidemia indicates excellent tolerability and safety. In addition to lipid-lowering actions, statins have many immunomodulating effects that might be beneficial in MS, such as decreased production of Th1 cytokines (interleukin-2 [IL-2], IL-12, interferon-gamma [IFNγ], tumor necrosis factor-alpha), increased production of Th2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, transforming growth factor-beta), generation of Th2 cells, decreased MHC class II expression by antigen-presenting cells, decreased co-stimulatory molecule expression, decreased antigen-specific T-cell activation, and decreased adhesion molecule and chemokine receptor …


During the first decades of Cinema History, before the electronic character generators were invented, title sequences were drawn in paper, filmed and manually edited in the movies. One of the many anonymous members of the technical team, usually skilled in the craft of design, was put in charge of drawing the signs, the textual and graphic symbols with whom the film story begun. The vast majority of those papers has been lost, but there are still examples that allow us to study how credit titles were made before the electronic and digital systems irrupted in the cinematographic industry. This article analyzes the physical, functional and symbolic role of these documents based on the study of a collection of signs and credit titles that are preserved in the Spanish Film Library and that have been catalogued by the author of this contribution. These papers include title sequences designed by Ramon de Banos and Manuel Hernandez Sanjuan, two important filmmakers in the History of Spanish Cinema.


Objective: To summarize the operative treatment of fractures in zygomaticofacial region. Methods: Data of 43 patients with zygomaticofacial fracture was retrospectively analyzed. According to the patient's requests, psychological and economic conditions, various kinds of incisions were applied to 43 patients. Results: Postoperative follow up for 4~6 months showed 40 patients obtained satisfactory results, three showed slight asymmetric, two of them is temporal depression. Conclusion: Operation treatment is the first choice for zygomaticofacial fractures.


A fifth of NHS hospital and ambulance trusts in England are inadequately prepared to cope with major terrorist incidents, warned a report published by the National Audit Office last week.

The report found that the NHS was well prepared to cope with previously encountered major incidents, such as rail and plane crashes, but that many hospital and ambulance trusts did not have adequate plans to deal with a major biological, chemical, or nuclear attack. Information was collected from surveys of all …


Aimed at poor ventilation in 1180 working,heavy pollution of waste gas from digging machine,large consumption of spare parts,disconnect filling in slice drift and other problems,aprogram for optimized adjustment of mining area structure is presented.


Abstract The teen birthrate in the United States is twice that of other industrialized nations. Adolescents in the U.S. are among high-risk groups for HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. As a result, the Department of Health and Human Services changed its policy on the promotion of abstinence to teenagers from a focus on a risk reduction strategy to a focus on a risk avoidance strategy. In order to create more effective risk avoidance as well as risk reduction campaigns, this study proposes a framework to illustrate the distinction that teens make between spontaneous sexual activity and planned sexual activity, as well as those teens that make a commitment to abstinence versus abstinence by default. Furthermore, this study classifies teens into three behavior segments (abstemious, promiscuous and monogamous) and then assesses specific differences that exist within these groups relative to their attitudes and perceptions concerning abstinence, sexual activity, contraception, fear and norms. This change in focus from a risk reduction to a risk avoidance strategy has important implications for social marketing, public policy and marketing theory.


Disease was first time described as "Symmetrical central choroido-retinal disease occurring in senile persons" in 1874 by Hutchinson. About 25 years ago, the term "age-related macul‐ opathy" was accepted and end stage of disease was acknowledged as age-related macular degeneration [1]. AMD is leading cause of blindness worldwide in older patient population. The highest risk of developing of AMD is in the population older than 65 years. With ageing of population in many countries, more than 20 % might have the disease [2]. Advanced forms of AMD are associated with visual progressive impairment. Visual acuity of this sub‐ jects decreases to practical blindness. This has big socioeconomic impact.


Kisaran City is one of the cities in North Sumatra Province, and Simalungun tourism object is a tourist destination located in Simalungun Regency, North Sumatra Province. The purpose of this paper is to determine the shortest path or alternative route from the town of Kisaran (the starting point) to one of the tourist objects in Simalungun which took 18 samples of tourist destinations. The method used in this proposed paper is the Djikstra method which is often used by researchers and academics to determine the shortest route or the fastest route on a journey (expedition). The research data used is only from the google map to calculate each route between cities to tourist objects in Simalungun district. The application used is a PHP web program to simulate the final display of the process of finding the shortest path. The results of this research are in the form of information so that the residents of Kisaran city will know better about the shortest and fastest route to get to tourist objects in Simalungun Regency.


(57) Abstract: The invention relates to a rotation direction changing freely the at least one motor, said coupled to the motor (2), two reversing positions (U Controller, by determining a switching signal from the operation signal, to determine the inversion position of the wiper. The present invention, the humidity of the windshield glass surface, characterized by being made available to transport the control mechanism as an operation signal.


The present invention discloses a multilayer system for detecting X-ray computed tomography system is provided. Detection system comprises a plurality of X-ray detector module for detecting X-ray photons; wherein each of the detector module is divided into elements in a matrix form of rows and columns of elements organized individual detector element, for detecting X-rays photon, the Z axis direction is the row direction, the column direction is the X-axis direction; the individual detector elements are separated by a trench region not detect radiation, but also by the groove and the groove lines and grooves groove array constituting a matrix form; and an anti-scatter collimator comprising a plurality of detector modules disposed on the anti-scatter plate and out of focus of the X-ray source; wherein part or all of the anti-scatter plates are provided in the probe above the element, is disposed above the detection element plate blocking anti-scatter X-ray photons scattered and part of the primary X-ray photons from the X-ray source, it can not reach the detection element.


1. Pupae retaining larval integumentary structures were formed after topical applications of Cecropia juvenile hormone or a mixture of juvenile hormone analogues to fifth instar Cecropia larvae prior to the initiation of spinning. Even daily applications of high doses did not result in a supernumerary larval molt.2. The integument was most sensitive to juvenile hormone (JH) two to four days prior to spinning.3. During the period of cocoon spinning, both the larval integument and viscera were insensitive to exogenous JH.4. During the prepupal period, the integument remained insensitive but the larval-pupal transformation of the viscera was retarded by topical application of JH.5. Juvenile hormone applied during the prepupal period prevented the normal "shutting-off" of the prothoracicotropic activity of the brain prior to pupal ecdysis. Consequently, the pupae did not diapause but initiated adult development within 5 days. The subsequent adults were normal externally but retained pupal or pupal-adult visce...


Abstract There have been recent extensive studies and rapid advancement on the pathogenesis underlying idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and intricate pathogenesis of IPF has been suggested. The purpose of this study was to clarify the logical relationship between these mechanisms. An extensive search was undertaken of the PubMed using the following keywords: "etiology," "pathogenesis," "alveolar epithelial cell (AEC)," "fibroblast," "lymphocyte," "macrophage," "epigenomics," "histone," acetylation," "methylation," "endoplasmic reticulum stress," "mitochondrial dysfunction," "telomerase," "proteases," "plasminogen," "epithelial-mesenchymal transition," "oxidative stress," "inflammation," "apoptosis," and "idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis." This search covered relevant research articles published up to April 30, 2020. Original articles, reviews, and other articles were searched and reviewed for content; 240 highly relevant studies were obtained after screening. IPF is likely the result of complex interactions between environmental, genetic, and epigenetic factors: environmental exposures affect epigenetic marks; epigenetic processes translate environmental exposures into the regulation of chromatin; epigenetic processes shape gene expression profiles; in turn, an individual's genetic background determines epigenetic marks; finally, these genetic and epigenetic factors act in concert to dysregulate gene expression in IPF lung tissue. The pathogenesis of IPF involves various imbalances including endoplasmic reticulum, telomere length homeostasis, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidant/antioxidant imbalance, Th1/Th2 imbalance, M1–M2 polarization of macrophages, protease/antiprotease imbalance, and plasminogen activation/inhibition imbalance. These affect each other, promote each other, and ultimately promote AEC/fibroblast apoptosis imbalance directly or indirectly. Excessive AEC apoptosis and impaired apoptosis of fibroblasts contribute to fibrosis. IPF is likely the result of complex interactions between environmental, genetic, and epigenetic factors. The pathogenesis of IPF involves various imbalances centered on AEC/fibroblast apoptosis imbalance.


Surgical-site infections (SSIs) due to intra-operative contamination are chiefly ascribable to airborne particles carrying microorganisms, mainly Staphylococcus aureus, which settle on the surgeon's hands and instruments. SSI prevention therefore rests on minimisation of airborne contaminated particle counts, although these have not been demonstrated to correlate significantly with SSI rates. Maintaining clear air in the operating room classically involves the use of ultra clean ventilation systems combining laminar airflow and high-efficiency particulate air filters to create a physical barrier around the surgical table; in addition to a stringent patient preparation protocol, appropriate equipment, and strict operating room discipline on the part of the surgeon and other staff members. SSI rates in clean surgery, although influenced by the type of procedure and by patient-related factors, are consistently very low, of about 1% to 2%. These low rates, together with the effectiveness of prophylactic antibiotic therapy and the multiplicity of parameters influencing the SSI risk, are major obstacles to the demonstration that a specific measure is effective in decreasing SSIs. As a result, controversy surrounds the usefulness of many measures, including laminar airflow, body exhaust suits, patient preparation techniques, and specific surgical instruments. Impeccable surgical technique and operating room behaviour, in contrast, are clearly essential. © 2015 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. The prevention of surgical-site infections (SSIs) is an integral omponent of nosocomial infection control and a major priority n orthopaedic surgery. Surgical wound contamination must be revented to avoid patient colonisation by microorganisms durng surgery. In addition to prophylactic antibiotic therapy, SSI revention involves maintaining an aseptic operating room (OR) nvironment and impeccable OR discipline on the part of all staff embers. The effectiveness of preventive measures is influenced y the quality of the patient's immune defences and type of surgical rocedure. . Epidemiology of surgical-site infections (SSIs) The incidence of SSIs in orthopaedic and trauma surgery varies ith the level of risk associated with each type of procedure, as ssessed using the Altemeier classification (Table 1); general health Please cite this article in press as: Chauveaux D. Preventing surgical-si Surg Res (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.otsr.2014.07.028 f the patient (ASA class) (Table 2); and National Nosocomial Infecions Surveillance (NNIS) risk index based on the contamination lass, ASA class, and operative time (Table 3). SSIs occur in less han 1% of low-risk patients, who account for most scheduled joint E-mail address: email@example.com http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.otsr.2014.07.028 877-0568/© 2015 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. er Masson SAS.All rights reserved. Document downloaded on 24/01/2019 It is forbidden and illegal t replacement procedures. In contrast, SSIs may develop in up to 15% of high-risk patients undergoing contaminated procedures, a situation encountered chiefly in emergency trauma surgery [1–3].


The reaction between bromate and iodide ions in aqueous solution at pH 2–3 is catalysed by MoVI and follows the kinetic law v=–d[BrO3–]/dt=k0[H+]2[l–][BrO3–]+k′[H+][l–][BrO3–][MoVI]. At 25° and ionic strength 1·00 mol l–1, k0= 50 l3 mol–3 s–1 and k′= 3·4 × 104 l3 mol–3 s–1. The catalysis is attributed to the formation of a complex between BrV and MoVI.


We report the case of a pregnant patient who developed the typical pattern of tako-tsubo syndrome after delivery (i.e., electrocardiographic changes, elevated cardiac enzymes, and no evidence of coronary stenosis). SPECT imaging showed myocardial perfusion defects and altered motility, which reversed 6 months later.


The Muslim population's growth rate in Southern Africa has been pretty slow, even though they have been in this part of the African continent for more than a century. With the passage of time, they adapted to the changingsocio-political and economic circumstances and saw themselves as an integral part of the populations in this region. As the Muslims were gradually becoming economically mobile, they set up various structures such as mosques and welfare organizations that would serve the interest of their communities and thus achieve their communal goals. Some of them realized the role of the media as one of the most effective instruments to assist in their cause and these groups then established newspapers and radio stations in different parts of the region. In the latter part of the 20 t h century a fair number of the media have emerged and contributed towards the debates that have taken and are still taking place within in Southern Africa's civil societies.


The Australian CliMate app is developed for website, iOS and Android platforms incorporating historical (rainfall, temperature, solar radiation) data and forecasting indicators into a suite of decision support tools. This evaluation incorporated online survey, interviews and analytics to determine the extent and impacts of use, usability of the app, and users' needs in adopting the app in Australian agriculture.


Pyrrolobenzodiazepine dimers (PBD's) are a class of engineered, highly potent, covalently binding DNA crosslinking agents derived from the natural product anthramycin. These compounds are able to induce cell death at concentrations in the low picomolar range, as such, they are generally considered too toxic to use by themselves as oncology treatments. But they are an attractive option for use as "warheads" for antibody drug conjugates (ADC's) being developed to treat specific forms of cancer that selectively express an identified target membrane protein.


The article contains analysis of spoken document retrieval techniques which apply word similarity based on phonemic transcriptions building or approximate string matching. Results are obtained on the collection of spoken documents with speech on Russian language. Grapheme-to-phoneme conversion methods based on a hidden Markov model and 1,2-order finite Markov chain is discussed on the article.


The determination of element concentrations (Na to Pb) in mineral oils goes back for more than 50 years, at that time beginning with the assessment of engine oils for trains. Nowadays the analyses of metal concentrations and additive contents in used lubrications oils has become an essential part even in the scope of power plant analyses. Since the beginning, many methods for the determination of wear metals and the effectiveness of additives have been applied. X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) established quickly in this part of examinations, not least because of the easy handling of the sample preparation, the high accuracy of the results and the very good detection limits across a large part of the periodic table. Especially for tasks in wear elements in oils the XRF analyses is more than suitable. But the challenges are bigger than expected. The unknown mineral oil matrix, influences by additive elements and the complex geometry of the excitation in the sample has to be taken into account. A new approach for solving these tasks will be introduced and applied. A significant improvement in accuracy is obtained.


Let Gi be the subgraph of G whose edges are in the i-th color in an r-coloring of the edges of a graph G.If there exists an r-coloring of the edges of a graph G such that H■Gi for all 1≤i≤r,then G is said to be r-colorable to H.The multicolor Ramsey number Rr(H) is the smallest integer n such that Kn is not r-colorable to H.Let Cm be a cycle of length m,Dzido et. al proved that R3(C2k)≥4k.The case that k=4 is studied in this paper.With the help of a computer,the value of R3(C8) is determined to be 16.


Leadership is the role and status of one or more individuals in the structure and functioning of group organizations which enable
& to meet a need or purpose, through co-operation of the group members. The ICAR is an apex body with a multitude of research
institutes under its realm. The organization is manned by scientific staff of different cadres, prescribed by hierarchical set-up.
The leadership qualities of the immediate supervisors have a direct bearing on the productivity of the scientists in succession,
which in turn determine the efficiency of technology flow and its transfer to the client system in the field. The present study was
undertaken to assess the leadership qualities of supervisory level officers in the hierarchy. More than half of respondents
(53.63 %) opined that the immediate supervisors possessed professional knowledge and expertise only to some extent, while
65.22 % said that the level of planning was largely top down, implying a bureaucratic approach. About 42.02 % said that
considerable scope was given by superiors to act independently and 56.52 % reported of motivating the staff substantially to
achieve higher level of performance. Ademocratic leadership, involving a bottom-up approach must be fostered within the limits
of official hierarchy to enable the individuals in the organization to show case their skills and ability for enhancing the
productivity of the organization.


Efficient photocatalytic nanocrystals with high-ratio exposure of active facets have aroused a great number of research interests in recent years. However, most preparations of such materials need the addition of special capping agents (like surfactants) or harsh reaction conditions (such as hydrothermal reactions). In this work, a controllable synthesis of BiOBr nanosheets with a thickness from 9 nm to 32 nm was easily achieved in a hydrolysis system through adjusting temperature and solvent, without adding any surfactant or capping agents. As the thickness of the nanosheets decreases from 32 nm to 9 nm, the ratio of exposed {001} facets, the active photocatalysis facets in BiOBr crystals, increases from 83% to 94%, along with an increased photocatalytic efficiency over rhodamine B (RhB) under visible-light. Various methods such as SEM, TEM, AFM, DRS and Raman spectroscopy were used to fully characterize the as-obtained BiOBr nanosheets. More importantly, the obtained BiOBr nanosheets exhibit a selective visible-light photocatalytic behavior as the activity over RhB is much higher than that over Methyl Orange (MO) or Methylene Blue (MB). This phenomenon was studied with in situ electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements and the potential mechanism was explored.


Aim:To detect polymorphism of six single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) including 5 sites at -238,-308,-850,-857,-863 on TNF-α gene and 1 site at +252 on TNF-β gene in Henan Han population.Methods:The genomic DNA of blood samples of 217 unrelated individuals from Henan Han population was extracted by phenol-chloroform method,and to be investigated the allele and genotype of the six SNPs by using PCR-RFLP.Results:In Henan Han population,the distribution of allele of 6 SNPs was in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.The minor allele frequencies of the six SNPs varied from 0.058 to 0.399.Out of them,the minor frequency of TNF-α-857 and TNF-β+252 reached 0.399,0.313 respectively.57 genotypes combined with the six SNPs were observed and the heterozygosity was 0.807.25 haplotypes were deduced by SHEsis Soft.The polymorphic information content was 0.857 and the haplotype diversity reached 0.894.The genotyping of 6 SNPs on TNF gene was used in three families,the children's genotypes consistented with Mendelian inheritance.Conclusion: The six SNPs loci on TNF gene have highly polymorphism and will prove to be useful for forensic identifications.


This datasheet on Calamus caesius covers Identity, Overview, Distribution, Biology & Ecology, Environmental Requirements, Uses, Management, Genetics and Breeding, Further Information.


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Prowling through the icy Himalaya mountains, snow leopards seem unfazed by the rarefied atmosphere. Yet, according to an international team of researchers lead by Jay Storz from the University of Nebraska, USA, Jan Janecka from Duquesne University, USA, and Angela Fago from


Non- fi nancial services, such as consultations in research and development, fi nance, economics, accounting, law, and others (Eurostat, 2020) are offered to companies. Providing non- fi nancial along with fi nancial services at micro fi nance institutions has been a very controversial topic over the last decade. In fact, many scholars have highlighted the ad-vantages of non- fi nancial services not only for customers but also for micro fi nance institutions, whilst others have pinpointed the massive operational expenses that come with those services and identi fi ed the negative impact of those services on micro- fi nance institutions ' fi nancial performance. Therefore, this paper aims at studying the effect that non- fi nancial services really have on Lebanese micro fi nance institutions ' fi nancial performance through analyzing the following independent variables: fi nancial sustainability, donors ' contributions, loans ' quality, and operational expenses. A quantitative method was conducted via the distribution of a questionnaire to several Lebanese micro fi nance institutions, and statistical results were established and assessed. The fi ndings helped us draw a conclusion regarding the provision of non- fi nancial services at Lebanese micro fi nance institutions, and recommendations were presented accordingly. Finally, this study is signi fi cant because it sheds light on the Lebanese micro fi nance institutions and offers a deeper understanding of the factors that enhance the effect that non- fi nancial services have on micro fi nance institutions ' fi nancial performance.


Tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) is involved in epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) and expression of CD44, a cancer stem cell marker, in several cancers. This study was performed to clarify the significance of TNF‐α and CD44 in clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs). Expression of TNF‐α and CD44 was examined by immunohistochemistry in 120 ccRCCs. Involvement of TNF‐α in EMT and induction of CD44 was analyzed by monitoring expression of EMT‐related genes and CD44, and invasion in cultured ccRCC cell lines. TNF‐α and CD44 were immunolocalized mainly to carcinoma cells of high‐grade ccRCCs with positive correlations with primary tumor stage. A positive correlation was also obtained between TNF‐α and CD44 expression, and co‐upregulation of TNF‐α and CD44 was associated with primary tumor stage, distant metastasis, and poor prognosis. TNF‐α enhanced migration and invasion of ccRCC cells together with down‐regulation of E‐cadherin expression and up‐regulation of matrix metalloproteinase 9 and CD44 expression. TNF‐α also up‐regulated the expression of TNF‐α itself in ccRCC cells. Among the 25 ccRCC patients treated with sunitinib for metastatic disease, high CD44 expression was associated with poor treatment outcome. Importantly, residual carcinoma cells in the sunitinib‐treated metastatic ccRCCs were strongly positive for CD44, and the CD44 expression was significantly higher in the tumors from the sunitinib‐treated patients than in those from untreated ones. Our data show that TNF‐α plays an important role in progression of ccRCCs by inducing EMT and CD44 expression, and suggest that CD44 induced by TNF‐α may be involved in the resistance to the sunitinib treatment.


OBJECTIVE: To assess a multi-modal biosensor system built around a wireless single lead EEG headset and an activated battery to detect diagnostic features of cognitive impairment and mild Traumatic Brain Injury. BACKGROUND: Non-invasive biomarkers are emerging as essential tools for the development of effective drugs and as aids to primary care physicians and neurologists. Static imaging (MRI/PET/SPECT) and fluid based (blood and CSF) biomarkers have the inherent limitation that they don't typically capture inherent brain physiology and dynamic processes. The present study evaluates an activated multi-modal biosensor system for the physiological assessment of mTBI. DESIGN/METHODS: Advances in wireless electroencephalography hardware have enabled Cerora to develop a novel activated EEG system (MindReaderTM) to physiologically focus the assessment of brain health while activating various sensory circuits and cognitive tasks. Using this system in clinical practice, we9ve been studying the biomarker profiles / signatures of traumatic brain injury patients as well as MCI/Alzheimer's patients. RESULTS: In a modest sample of less than 20 subjects (at time of submission), we observe excellent compliance and reliability of the system. Interesting, the results provide a fascinating and simplified perspective on complex neurobiology and behaviors. Candidate biomarker signatures will be discussed as we increase our sensitivity and specificity to identify diagnostic groups as well as aid in the return-to-play decision making of sports concussion. CONCLUSIONS: A physiologically focused battery of activated tasks in combination with a multi-modal biosensor based system provide the means to probe elements of brain circuitry not presently assessed with standard quantitative EEG. The simplicity of the MindReader approach offers a novel alternative to rapidly, portably and non-invasively assess brain health and function. Multi-variate predictive models offer an opportunity to enhance classifier performance, although further work extending these preliminary results is required to develop the necessary activated biomarker signatures to map the brain for its physiological defects. Study Supported by: Cerora, Inc Disclosure: Dr. Martino has nothing to disclose. Dr. Simon has received personal compensation for activities with Cerora Inc. as an employee. Dr. Simon holds stock and/or stock options in Cerora, Inc. which sponsored research in which Dr. Simon was involved as an investigator. Dr. Simon has received research support from Cerora, Inc. Dr. Devilbiss has received personal compensation for activities with NexStepBiomarkers LLC, and Cerora Inc. as owner. Dr. Devilbiss has received royalty, or license fee, or contractual rights payments from NexStepBiomarkers LLC and Cerora, Inc. Dr. Devilbiss holds stock and/or stock options in NextStepBiomarkers LLC and Cerora, Inc., which sponsored research in which Dr. Devilbiss was involved as an investigator. Dr. Devilbiss has received research support from clients to NexStepBiomarkers LLC and clients of Cerora, Inc.


Plan of Logistics facility and Management of Freight trucks need for Efficient Improvement of Urban Goods Movement. For this, it need to clear flow pattern of Freight volumes and Freight trucks on urban space. Therefor, The purpose of this study is to clear space flow pattern of Freight volumes and Freight trucks as base data for Plan of Urban Goods Movement on Incheon city. Incheon city is selected because it is at sea & air ports and carries out various Activity of Urban Goods Movement. As the result of this study, it understands and analyzes Characteristic on flow pattern of Freight volumes and Freight trucks. Through this study, we'll expect that this results could be contributed in the understand of actual conditions of Freight volume and freight trucks and the basic data for Improvement of urban goods movement and the management policy of freight trucks in urban goods movement.


Men often prefer male doctors, but their feelings about masculinity can keep them from being more upfront with them about their health problems, a study in the March issue of Preventive Medicine finds.


The highly siderophile elements (HSE; Re, Au and the Platinum Group Elements - Pd Pt, Rh, Ru, Ir, Os) are commonly utilized to constrain accretion processes in terrestrial differentiated bodies due to their affinity for FeNi metal [1]. These eight elements exhibit highly siderophile behavior, but nonetheless have highly diverse metal-silicate partition coefficients [2]. Therefore the near chondritic relative concentrations of HSEs in the terrestrial and lunar mantles, as well as some other bodies, are attributed to late accretion rather than core formation [1]. Evaluation of competing theories, such as high pressure metal-silicate partitioning or magma ocean hypotheses has been hindered by a lack of relevant partitioning data for this group of eight elements. In particular, systematic studies isolating the effect of one variable (e.g. temperature or melt compositions) are lacking. Here we undertake new experiments on all eight elements, using Fe metal and FeO-bearing silicate melts at fixed pressure, but variable temperatures. These experiments, as well as some additional planned experiments should allow partition coefficients to be more accurately calculated or estimated at the PT conditions and compositions at which core formation is thought to have occurred.


To study the effect of physical and chemical properties on the glass-forming ability,key parameters of Mg-based alloys,such asσ,Δx,τandφ,are calculated using the weighted averages principle with the correlation coefficients between parameters and the glass-forming ability(GFA).The results show that largerσ,Δx,τandφincrease the GFA of the alloy.The relationships between the atomic packing density,the bonding strength between atoms and these parameters are evaluated using the reference standard for the alloy composition designed from eutectic formulae and theoretical parameters for the stability and GFA.The effects of atomic size,electronegativity difference and the percentage of elements in the crystallization process are related toτandφ.Comparisons with other parameters show thatτandφgive higher computational stability and simpler calculations.


AbstractIn the course of a program to develop adhesives for the consolidation of paintings it was found necessary to: (1) define the aims of the research, (2) design tests which would provide information on the mechanical performance (effectiveness) of the adhesives, (3) design tests which would help eliminate adhesives with qualities hazardous to paintings. This paper describes only the tests on the mechanical performance of various adhesives: (1) adhesion to paint films, (2) adhesion to conventional and newly developed lining supports, (3) cold flow of lining adhesives, and (4) rigidity of lining laminates. Formulations of the newly developed adhesives are given.


Abstract This study was designed to determine the best practices for online embedded librarians utilizing the learning management system and other technology tools with graduate business students. Communication logs of support interactions with an embedded librarian and discussion board posts within the learning management system were analyzed. The number of and primary reason for communication by email, individual instruction meetings, and discussion board views, replies, and questions from January 2021 to August 2021 with a total of 318 students in graduate level business courses with an embedded librarian were analyzed. The primary reason for interaction and support was equally divided between research and citation support. Graduate students preferred to interact with the embedded librarian by email followed by individual instruction meetings. The communication tools within the learning management system were essential to providing support to graduate business students.


Recent developments allow the collection of audio data from lightweight wearable devices, potentially enabling us to study language use from everyday life samples. However, extracting useful information from these data is currently impossible with automatized routines, and overly expensive with trained human annotators. We explore a strategy fit to the 21st century, relying on the collaboration of citizen scientists. A large dataset of infant speech was uploaded on a citizen science platform. The same data were annotated in the laboratory by highly trained annotators. We investigate whether crowd-sourced annotations are qualitatively and quantitatively com-parable to those produced by expert annotators in a dataset of children at high- and low-risk for language disorders. Our results reveal that classification of individual vocalizations on Zooniverse was overall moderately accurate compared to the laboratory gold standard. The analysis of descriptors defined at the level of individual children found strong correlations between descriptors derived from Zooniverse versus laboratory annotations.


&NA; In 32 patients from the United States and Israel with multiple sclerosis the role of psychological processes was examined in relationship to the transitional period between health and the onset of disease. In 28 of these patients the emergence of symptoms ultimately diagnosed as those of the demyelinating disorder occurred in conjunction with a psychologically stressful situation. The corresponding intra‐psychic state was characterized by difficulty in coping and feelings of helplessness. In spite of cultural differences among the patients there was an impressive similarity in these psychological processes. Illustrative case material is presented.


Malignant bowel obstruction (MBO) is common in patients with bowel or gynaecological canc-er. Although surgery is the primary treatment for most patients with MBO, it should not be undertaken rou-finely in patients with poor prognosis. Nasogastric drainage is only a temporary measure. Serf-expanding me-tallic stents are optimistic in malignant obstruction of the gastric outlet and proximal small bowel.

Key words:
malignant bowel obstruction;  surgery treatment;  stent


Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has a high tendency for regional lymphatic spreading. Nevertheless, isolated regional lymph node recurrences are rare, and only limited data regarding its management are available. The aim of this study was to describe treatment modalities and outcomes, and to identify prognostic factors.


Recovery is the last resort when other components exhibit bugs. It is therefore of paramount importance that the correctness of the recovery protocols be formally verified. Recovery not only needs to cope with database failures but should handle and ideally mask message and process failures in clients and servers. Otherwise, when a reply message is lost the application must be able to determine "manually" whether the interaction is to be repeated. This paper develops a statechart specification of a recovery framework that generically guarantees exactly-once execution and applies model checking to prove its correctness.


For $f$ and $g$ polynomials in $p$ variables, we relate the special value at a non-positive integer $s=-N$, obtained by analytic continuation of the Dirichlet series $$ \zeta(s;f,g)=\sum_{k_1=0}^\infty ... \sum_{k_p=0}^\infty g(k_1,...,k_p)f(k_1,...,k_p)^{-s}\ \,(\re(s)\gg0), $$ to special values of zeta integrals $$ Z(s;f,g)=\int_{x\in[0,\infty)^p} g(x)f(x)^{-s}\,dx \, \ (\re(s)\gg0).$$ We prove a simple relation between $\zeta(-N;f,g)$ and $Z(-N;f_a,g_a)$, where for $a\in\C ^p,\ f_a(x)$ is the shifted polynomial $f_a(x)=f(a+x)$.
By direct calculation we prove the product rule for zeta integrals at $s=0$, $ \mathrm{degree}(fh)\cdot Z(0;fh,g)=\mathrm{degree}(f)\cdot Z(0;f,g)+\mathrm{degree}(h)\cdot Z(0;h,g), $ and deduce the corresponding rule for Dirichlet series at $s=0$, $ \mathrm{degree}(fh)\cdot\zeta(0;fh,g)=\mathrm{degree}(f) \cdot\zeta(0;f,g)+\mathrm{degree}(h)\cdot\zeta(0;h,g). $
This last formula generalizes work of Shintani and Chen-Eie.


The faculty and administration of Louisiana State University recognized that word processing and text processors could facilitate and enhance our teaching, research, service, and administrative operations; however, we were concerned about the rapid proliferation of limited-function systems being purchased to meet critical present needs without a systematic plan for continued expansion. The unit cost for stand-alone word processors was usually rather high and the interactive or expansion capabilities were very limited; therefore, we sought to define a system or systems upon which we could base our developments in the areas of text processing utilizing current technology and which could expand with future developments.


The objective of the present work was to identify through the remote sensing and techniques of geoprocessing the space distribution of the reforested areas of Pinus or Eucaliptos in the city of Indianopolis e to verify the fulfilment of the referring forest code to the areas of permanent preservation (30 meters). Indianopolis if inserts in the geographic messorregiao of the Triangle Mineirio and Alto Paranaiba, between the geographic coordinates 18o'30'00 "and 20o30'00" of South Latitude and 47o30'24 '' and 49o00'00 "of Longitude West. It was used images of satellite CCD/CBERS and softwares cartalinx and arcview for elaboration of the maps. As result we got the map of use of the land and App of the city, in which to observe that the city of Indianopolis is subdivides between antropicas the pasture and agriculture, reforestation, natural vegetation and urban area. In it analyzes can be noticed that the preservation of the brooks is not in accordance with the Brazilian Code Forest. The use of technologies of geoprocessamento and remote sensing has demonstrated efficiency in the diagnosis and mapping of these areas in almost real time Palavras-chave: sensoriamento remoto, sistema de informacao geografica, uso da terra, remote sensing, Gis, use the earth. 1. Introducao A exploracao dos recursos de origem florestal aumentou significamente nas ultimas decadas, a busca constante de novos territorios e mercados industriais fizeram com que o crescimento da materia-prima celulose alcancasse novos rumos, desde a industria moveleira ate producao


A security paper (15) having a partly embedded safeguarding band (7, 19), wherein - the safeguarding band (7, 19) has a width greater than 2 mm, - the security paper (15) from at least a first and a second paper layer (6, 9) is assembled, the rear side (14) is covered of the first paper layer (6) with the second paper layer (9) and connected to this fixed and the front side (13) of the first paper layer (6) is freely accessible, - is the safeguarding band (7, 19) in the first paper layer (6) is embedded, wherein the safeguarding band (7, 19) is freely accessible on the front side of the first paper layer (6) in number and location targeted scheduled windows, the back ( 14) of the first paper layer (6) in the area of the safeguarding band (7, 19) has flaws in the form of holes and the second paper layer (9) has a thickness of 10 to 50% of the total thickness of the security paper (15).


In many applications, efficiency of induction motors represents an important factor. So improving efficiency of three-phase squirrel cage induction motor can be achieved by selecting some optimum motor design parameters. The objective of this paper is to increase the efficiency of motor by minimizing the annual cost of the motor using MPSO. The objective function is a summation of the annual active material cost, annual power loss cost, annual energy loss cost. In the proposed MPSO algorithm, the parameters such as inertia weight and acceleration factors are introduced into the original PSO and made adaptive on the basis of objective function. By adapting the PSO parameters, it not only avoids premature convergence but also explores and exploits the promising regions in the search space successfully. The proposed method is applied to optimize the design of an industrial motor and the obtained results are compared with those of the conventional method to show their annual cost is minimized.


Online College Admission Process System is software developed to work on complete admission process of the various branch of an organization like Student section and many more sections. This information could be the general details like student name, address, functioning, attendant etc or specific information related to the organization like the collection of data. In this process is not used paper and pen and it is difficult to maintain the paperwork and file record. In this project, we used to MySQL database system to store the student record in very large time. All students to provide unique personal registration number would provide unique identification would be using this system to access this information. For Example, the student course is complete then it needs to check the details like Enrollment number, exam attendance, registration number, year of study and more details. In this project, we used to reduce the paperwork and saving the time. The main aim of this project at the same time many more information is stored at the same time.


Dielectric frequency spectra of ZnO-Bi 2 O 3 based varistor ceramics were measured in the frequency range of 10 -2 Hz—10 6 Hz from -100℃ to 20℃ by Novocontrol broadband dielectric spectrometer. The intrinsic defect structure of ZnO was calculated according to the theory which assumes that characteristics dielectric loss peaks of ZnO varistor ceramics origin from electronic relaxation process of intrinsic defects in depletion layer. At the same time the micro-electric parameters of grainboundary and the single grainboundary breakdown voltage V b were obtained. The accordance of theory with experiment in V b value indicates that the method to calculate grainboundary electronic structure by dielectric spectroscopy proposed in this paper is resonable.


Introduction: The unicompartmental Oxford prosthesis has been used as a goodalternative for medial unicompartmental
osteoarthritis because it is associated with earlyrehabilitation and a low rate of intraoperative complications. This
case describes a rarecomplication during the procedure.
Case Presentation: We present an intraoperative fracture of the medial condyle in a 70-year-old woman that was
treated with 6.5 mm cannulated screws with a compressiontechnique. The patient remained in a non-weight bearing
protocol for 6 weeks andreached a full range of mobility at 3 months. Complete radiological consolidation and
agood functional outcome were observed.
Conclusion: Intraoperative fractures benefit from a stable osteosynthesis that allows freerange of mobility and does
not delay postoperative rehabilitation.


The paper discussed how girl-child education can be a spring board for sustainable development in Nigeria. The concept of education, development and sustainable development were discussed. The paper also identified the girl-child and highlighted the government's effort toward the education of the girl-child. The convention on the rights of a child was brought into perspective as well as the benefits of girl-child education. The paper recommended that concerted efforts must be made by government at all levels towards the domestication of the Child Right Act.


The objective of the research was to study the application of strangulation, packlobutrazol and ethephon to stimulate flowering of mangos teen trees. The experiment was conducted from June 2002 to September 2003, located at ~ Farmer's Mangosteen Orchards, Leuwiliang, Bogor. A randomized block design with two factors was used in this ~ expe~im~nt. The first factor was treatments to stimulate flowering consisted of three levels i.e strangulation (8), ~ application of paclobubtrazol (P) and control (K). The second factor was treatments for dormancy breaking consisted \. of two levels i.e without ethephon (Eo) and with ethephon (EJ. Each treatment was replicated four times. The result ~" ~;~ showed that strangulation and application of paclobutrazol were effective in stimulating flowering of mangos teen trees. r~ Those treatments decreased gibberellic acid content and increased total sugar and C: N ratio. Interaction effect was ~ found between treatments to stimulate flowering and ethephon on ltumber of flowers, number of fruits and weight of fruits per tree. The highest fruits weight (2.,50 kg/tree) was obtained on the combination of paclobutrazol with ethephon while the lowest was in control without ethephon (6.05 kg/tree).


Abstract : A summary is given of the available limit of flammability, autoignition, and burning-rate data for more than 200 combustible gases and vapors in air and other oxidants, as well as of empirical rules and graphs that can be used to predict similar data for thousands of other combustibles under a variety of environmental conditions. Specific data are presented on the paraffinic, unsatuarted, aromatic, and alicyclic hydrocarbons, alcohols, ethers, aldehydes, ketones, and sulfur compounds, and an assortment of fuels, fuel blends, hydraulic fluids, engine oils, and miscellaneous combustible gases and vapors.


A finite element formulation is presented for the nonlinear analysis of cable structures. In the total Lagrangian mode of description, a 3-node curved element is directly degenerated from the three dimensional field equations considering only the axial deformation effect. The cable equations of motion are discretized by the Galerkin weighted residual method to result in a system of nonlinear algebraic equation which are solved by the Newton-Raphson iteration technique. Results from several numerical examples show a good and consistent performance of the 3-node element for a simple cable system under the influence of its own dead weight. A quasi-elastic method is used for the solution of viscoelastic analysis of the spatial net cable structures. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the present strategies, numerical example of cable net system is given and compared with solution using other method.


In 2012 the Australian Farm Institute published an occasional paper entitled "Professional agriculture – a case of supply and demand" (3). The paper outlined the decline in the numbers of agricultural graduates each year and the mismatch with the buoyant employment market. It was a depressing picture overall. This article provides an update on that publication and, while graduate numbers have continued to fall, the job market remains positive. So much activity is occurring in this space and there is now much cause for optimism. The supply chain In the past we have tended to consider the components of higher education individually. In the 21 century the emphasis generally tends to be on supply chains and agricultural education is no exception. Figure 1 puts the components of agricultural higher education into a simple supply chain to draw out the interactions that take place or should take place.


Solar photovoltaics are simple devices that provide an elegant method of harnessing the sun's energy. PV devices can directly convert the incident solar radiation into electricity. This work is formulated to present the impact of solar PV in a competitive power market by considering the objective function of profit maximization. Deregulation is about removing control over the prices with the introduction of market players in the sector. The deregulated power market is because the changes essential for the betterment of the power sector depend on the prevailing conditions in the power sector of respective countries. The work has depicted the impact generated by solar PVs in the deregulated energy market to find out the optimal minimum generation cost, minimum losses in transmission of power in power systems using MATPOWER software. Modified IEEE 14-bus system has been considered to check the effectiveness of the presented method.


Wind speed forecasting is essential for effective planning of wind energy exploitation projects. The ability to predict short-term wind speed is a prerequisite for all the operators of the wind energy sector. Consequently it is essential to identify an efficient method for forecasts. In this paper, the wind speed in the province of Trapani (Sicily) is modeled by artificial neural network. Several model of neural network were generated and compared through error measures. Simulation results show that the estimated values of wind speed are in good agreement with the values measured by anemometers..


These are the proceedings of a conference held in Prague Czechoslovakia from July 4-7 1989 on demographic aging in developed countries. The first volume presents solicited papers overviews of discussions and conclusions from session organizers. Volume 2 contains papers from the session on fertility and population aging. Volume 3 has papers from sessions on mortality and international migration and aging. Volume 4 presents papers from sessions on household structure and aging and on the living conditions of the elderly. Volume 5 contains papers from sessions on living conditions of the elderly the labor force pension systems and social and medical care of the elderly. Most papers are in English; some are in Russian.


The paper presents a wideband, low-power chirp synthesizer for Ku-band FMCW radars. The DDS-driven ADPLL chirp synthesizer generates chirps up to 2GHz bandwidth. A low-power DDS is employed to generate a stepped reference frequency for ADPLL to ensure the long term chirp linearity, while the ADPLL fulfill the ramp-interpolating linearization by generating a narrow band chirp within the step frequency. The entire chirp benefits from the phase domain modulation and mitigates ADPLL loop bandwidth variation to achieve high linearity and low power. A novel adaptive ramping control scheme is adopted to ensure the chirp rate is constant after combining the narrow band chirp segments. By this two-stage chirp generation, a 2-GHz chirp is achieved with low relative frequency RMS error. Fabricated in a 65nm CMOS, the synthesizer generates a wideband chirp from 13.9GHz to 15.9GHz with configurable rate from 0.25 to 4GHz/ms, and consumes 53.8mW.


This article explores the methodological and ethical issues that arise from ethnographic research in sexual practices in the study of non-normative sexualities. It explores the researcher as a subject in the research as well as doing the research. Taking a queer approach, it identifies key themes and issues that the reflexive researcher faces when in the field.


This study aimed to predict the binding affinity, orientation, and physical interaction between limonene and fat mass and obesity-associated protein. The mechanism of limonene and protein association was explored by molecular docking, a bioinformatic tool. The results of association were compared with the reported results of the anti-obesity drug such as orlistat and with the flavonoids. AutoDock Vina tools were used for the molecular docking of limonene with fat mass and obesity-associated protein. PyMol and Discovery Studio Visualizer were used to visualize the results of this docking. The binding affinity of limonene was higher (Least negative G) than the orlistat and flavonoids such as Daidzein, Exemestane, Kaempherol, Letrozole, And Rutin. It is conducted in this study that the Limonene can alleviate obesity by making an interaction with the fat mass and obesity-associated protein. This inhibitory interaction was greater as compared to other reported phytochemicals and drugs.


The flourishing interdisciplinary field of law and literature typically takes as its focus the capacity of literary works to offer new perspectives on legal context, to supplement the law, and to speak truth to power. 2 For William MacNeil, whether we are talking about the nineteenth century novel or Game of Thrones, cultural representations stage jurisprudential arguments and illuminate sociolegal trends. Law and legal theory are critical lenses through which to understand literary and cultural texts.3 For Melanie Williams, novels and poetry provide a locus of insight into both the human condition and legal predicament, bringing home the stakes of legal argument and exposing its claims to a more sophisticated understanding. For Wai-Chee Dimock, literature is the genre that unsettles judgment and resists the kind of neat closure which law seeks. The nature of judgment, then, is not just literature's object, but its subject. As a supplement, then, literature does not complete the project of law but challenges and pluralises it. So too in some of my own recent work, it is not the ideas or narratives of literary works, so much as their form and style, that draw us both deeply and problematically into the lives of others.4 The monologue of the law is set against the novel's polyphony and pluralism.


Rodent assemblages have ecological importance in ecosystem functioning and protected area management. Our study examines the patterns of assemblages of rodents across four habitat types (i.e., Miombo woodland, Acacia woodland, grasslands and farmlands) in the savanna environment. Capture-mark-recapture (CMR) methods were applied for data collection across the Chembe Bird Sanctuary (CBS) landscape. The Non-metric Multi-Dimensional Scaling (NMDS) was used for exploratory data analysis, followed by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Tukey–Kramer's Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) post-hoc tests. The rodent assemblages in CBS significantly differed between the non-farmlands (i.e., Miombo woodland, Acacia woodland and grasslands) and farmlands. There were: (1) zero rodent diversity in farmlands, dominated completely by a pest species, M. natalensis; and (2) different rodent assemblages in three non-farmland habitat types. We suggest that rodent assemblages should be mediated by conservation planning and multi-stakeholder collaboration beyond the protected area boundaries to contribute to a working CBS landscape positively.


The author reviews the current state of knowledge about the biography of Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, known as "The Cid".


The Physical Internet and hyperconnected logistics concepts promise an open, more efficient, and environmentally friendly supply chain for goods. Blockchain and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies are increasingly regarded as main enablers of improvements in this domain. We describe how blockchain and smart contracts present the potential of being applied to hyperconnected logistics by showing a concrete example of its implementation.


The degree of sensitivity to varying dilutions of a poison ivy antigen was established by patch tests in seven individuals. Administration of the live, attenuated measles virus vaccine (Schwarz) to this small group of subjects resulted in a temporary reduction of sensitivity, most marked (33% of control values) between the third and sixth weeks postimmunization. At nine weeks, the sensitivity was returning to preimmunization levels. Five control subjects showed no change in their degree of sensitivity.


Swellable packers have been widely employed in various oil-field applications. Examples include zonal-isolation, water shut-off, and multi-stage fracturing. Key factors required for these applications are how fast the packer can seal the borehole as well as how fast a certain amount of contact pressure can build up. These factors, which are generally measured from full-scale packer tests, can be estimated through numerical simulations together with lab-scale experiments. In this work, we have developed a three-dimensional continuum level model and simulation capability to study the behavior of swellable packers affected by various downhole conditions. Such conditions include the borehole type, i.e., permeable or non-permeable borehole, and downhole uncertainties, i.e., variations of borehole size and borehole temperature, which are studied systematically through numerical simulations.