The article is devoted to those aspects of the system of national accounts, which together perform the role of information base of tax statistics. In our time, the tax system is one of the main subjects of the discussions about the methods and directions of its reform. Taxes are one of the main factors of regulation of the economy and act as an incentive for its development. Analysis of tax revenues to the budgets of different levels will enable to collect taxes and perform tax burden for various industries. From the amount of tax revenue it is possible to judge scales of reproductive processes in the country. It should be noted that taxes in the SNA are special. As mentioned earlier, in the SNA, taxes on products are treated in the form of income. At the same time, most economists prefer, their consideration in the form of consumption taxes, and taxes on various financial transactions (for example: taxes on the purchase/sale of securities) are treated as taxes on production, including in cases when there are no services. It would be rational to revise and amend the SNA associated with the interpretation of all taxes and subsidies, to ensure better understanding and compliance with user needs. Taxes are an integral part of any state and an indispensable element of economic relations of any society. In turn, taxes and the budget are inextricably linked, as these relations have a clearly expressed, objective bilateral character. Taxes are the main groups of budget revenues, which makes it possible to finance all the government agencies and expenditure items, as well as the implementation of institutional subsidy units that make up the SNA sector "non-financial corporations". The second side story is that taxes – a part of the money that is taken from producers and households. The total mass of taxes depends on the composition of taxes, tax rates, tax base and scope of benefits. The bulk of tax revenues also depends on possible changes in classification of tax revenues and giving them a certainty of non-tax revenues. In modern reality, the taxes serve as basis on which the economic and financial security rests, as taxes provide financial resources to all levels of the economic system of our country. At all stages of the humankind existence, none of the states has managed without a system of taxes, to one degree or another. History tax goes back to the distant past. Taxes were always presented in the form of contributions of citizens in different types. The procedure for the collection of taxes was necessary for functioning of the political machinery. The article formalizes and substantiates a serious accounting problem related to the terminologically ambiguous interpretation of the categories, applicable in different accounting systems: accounting, tax and statistical accounting. The boundaries of the same cash flows associated with execution by the taxpayer of obligations to the state, are different for these information systems. Other categories are not perceived in the different types of accounting in general, such as, for example, resource taxes. Moreover, most, not the individual, namely most of the terms, categories, definitions and approaches from the experts in the field of law generally cause confusion. The need for integration of procedures, conversion to a common methodological denominator of the borders of cash flows and of the object of study is obvious.


Purpose – To compare and contrast national collection management principles for hard copy deposit collections and for digital deposit collections.Design/methodology/approach – A selective overview and summary of work to date on digital legal deposit and digital preservation.Findings – That the comprehensive nature of traditional print deposit collection often absolves national libraries from the more intractable problems of stock selection; whereas the difficulty of collecting the entire national digital web space means that intelligent selection is vital for the building of meaningful digital deposit collections.Research limitations/implications – These are indicative and partial insights based on small scale interrogation of trial digital deposit collections: the issue of collection development and selection biases in digital collection building needs greater in‐depth research before hard and fast recommendations about collection management criteria can be arrived at.Practical implications – The princip...


The present work deals with development and adaptation of advanced geostatistical models and machine learning algorithms (statistical learning theory – Support Vector Machines) for comprehensive analysis and decision-oriented modelling of environmental spatial data. The real case study is based on indoor radon data. The inherent high variability at different spatial scales of noisy indoor radon measurements coupled with the heavy clustering effect of houses locations make this dataset an excellent candidate to assess the feasibility of traditional and advanced models, trend and risk mapping at local and regional scales.


Objective To observe maternal and fetal effects of intravenous injection of ephedrine or phenylephrine in the preventing of hypotension during combined spinal-epidural anesthesia(CSEA) for cesarean section with FloTrac/Vigileo system.Methods Sixty parturients scheduled for elective cesarean section under CSEA were randomly divided into three groups with 20 cases each.Group E was infused ephedrine 8 mg,group P was infused phenylephrine 100 μg and group C was for the control group.MAP,HR and CO were monitored at 5 min after admission to surgery(T1),2,3,5 and 10 min after spinal anesthesia administration(T2-5),at skin and uterine incision(T6,T7),newborn delivery(T8),oxytocin administration(T9)and end of surgery(T10).Recorded the incidence of hypotension and nausea.Fetal statuses were assessed by fetal Apgar score.Results The incidence of hypotension was higher in group C than that in group E and group P(P0.05).After anesthesia,MAP of group C dramatically declined at T3-T5,compared with that before anesthesia(P0.05).MAP at every time point after anesthesia of groups E and P were stable compared to T1.CO detected after anesthesia of group E was stable compared with that before anesthesia(T1)(P0.05).CO in group C and group P were significantly lower at T2-T5 compared to T1(P0.05).There was no significant difference in Apgar score among three groups.Conclusions Intravenous injection of ephedrine or phenylephrine is effective in the prevention of hypotension during CSEA of cesarean section.We demonstrated that the FloTrac/Vigileo system is minimally invasive and continuously effective for monitoring hemodynamic responses to CSEA in cesarean section.


Background: Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is one of the leading causes of vision loss in adult between 20-74 years of age . From 1990-2010, DR was ranked 5th most common cause of preventable blindness and moderate to severe visual impairment. Assessing the visual and anatomical outcome of treatment in Indian setting during a short period of 90 days and additionally, to assess the outcomes in different types of DME (OCT based classification) and different areas of macula. Materials and Methods: Patients with Diabetic macular edema planned for intravitreal injections who presented to our tertiary care centre were recruited for our study. All patients in the study group were assessed and treated by a single retina specialist. Result: 31 eyes of 31 patients with DME were included in the analysis, the mean age was 61.87 ± 7.88 in the study population. Among our study population, 19 (61.29%) participants were male and remaining 12 (38.7%) were female. Our study population comprises of 17 (54.84%) right eye and remaining 14 (45.16%) were left eye. 21 (67.74%) of our study population were associated with Hypertension and remaining 10 (32.26%) had only Diabetes Mellitus. Conclusion: That intravitreal ranibizumab is an effective and safe therapeutic modality for diabetic macular edema which results in rapid improvement in visual acuity and reduction in macular edema.


This thesis is about the measurement of K∗0 and K̄∗0 production in proton-nucleus collisions at √ s = 41.6 GeV with the HERA-B detector located at DESY, Hamburg (Germany). About 900.000 centrally produced K∗0 and K̄∗0 have been reconstructed from 130 · 106 inelastic collisions of protons with fixed carbon, titanium, and tungsten targets. The single differential production cross sections as functions of rapidity and transverse momentum squared, dσ/dy and dσ/dp2 T , and the total production cross sections have been measured. Using the Glauber model to parameterize the dependence of the cross sections on the atomic mass number of the target material the K∗0/K̄∗0 production cross sections in proton-nucleon collisions have been extrapolated: σ pN K∗0 ,tot = 3.79 ± 0.71 mb, σ K̄∗0 ,tot = 3.61 ± 0.70 mb. The numbers fit well with the results of experiments measuring K∗0 production in protons-protons collisions. In analyzing the atomic number dependence of the cross sections as a function of p2 T the Cronin effect is observed for the first time in K∗0/K̄∗0 production.


Abstract Attempts to prepare alkali metal enolates from aliphatic acylphosphonates result in fragmentation and subsequent formation of dialkyl 1-(dialkylphosphoryloxy)alkylphosphonates 2.


Everything is possible in this new era with the Internet connection, which has made the entire world a tiny global village. Using the Internet and web services, people can access the information they need and connect with others through verbal conversation, instant messaging, email, etc. We propose an approach that can be implemented in various universities, schools, colleges, and organizations. With the support of Proposed Research, workers can be automatically tracked without any traditional approaches and at a fair price relative to systems already in place. The proposed research is focused on smart devices that are inclined to school representatives, organizations, where each smart device has a different MAC (physical) address. Students can be linked to the application via MAC address and results can finally be stored, and we can generate the report regularly or weekly or monthly. Our proposed system is divided into two parts; the first is a website that can be accessed via the program management main screen such as student data registration, adding the admin to the program, etc. The second component is a system work environment that is the Micro-controller (Raspberry Pi3) which runs the device 's main script. Finally, results can be automatically obtained based on the MAC address of the students. For some exceptional cases, we developed an Android application for the admin to update all information manually. The system can currently be operated on its own, and can also be part of other integrated systems.


Like adenine‐based purines, extracellular nonadenine‐based purines have a multitude of trophic effects on the growth, differentiation, and survival of target cells. The nonadenine‐based purines, which include guanosine, inosine, and GTP, apparently exert their trophic effects by interacting with both intercellular targets as well as those on the cell surface. Specifically, guanosine and inosine target the protein kinase N‐kinase, in promoting remarkable nerve process extension, even in long tracts of the central nervous system after injury. In contrast, GTP may exert its effects via a cell surface receptor coupled to the release of calcium from internal stores. In other cases trophic effects may be mediated by the enhancement of release of adenine‐based purines by guanosine. Additionally, evidence is presented for the existence of a high‐affinity binding site for guanosine with receptor‐like characteristics on the plasma membranes of astrocytes and brain tissue. This site may be G‐protein‐coupled and exert its effects through activation of the MAP kinase cascade. One effect apparently mediated through this mechanism is the production and release by astrocytes of trophic protein growth factors such as NGF and TGFβ. These have substantial neuroprotective effects. Additionally, this pathway is apparently involved in modulating the expression of P2Y1 and P2Y2 receptors in response to extracellular guanosine. Extracellular nonadenine‐based purines can interact with other growth factors, but these interactions are not always synergistic. For example, combinations of guanosine and FGF are antagonistic and reduce the growth of microvascular cells in vitro. Some of the properties of the nonadenine‐based purines likely derive from their unique intracellular metabolism in which conversion of guanine to xanthine is the final catabolic step. This step is catalyzed by guanase, the activity of which varies markedly in different brain regions, raising the possibility that guanine or guanosine are involved in neurotransmission. Together these data suggest several potentially useful pharmacological approaches involving nonadenine‐based purines to modulate trophic effects in the central nervous system. Drug Dev. Res. 52:303–315, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Theoretical and experimental results on single-stage and multistage electrohydrodynamic pumps are discussed. Investigations of their head-delivery characteristics, efficiency, and service life depending on the geometric parameters of the pump, field, and working liquid parameters are examined.<<ETX>>


PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a photosensitive resin composition for forming a spacer which easily forms a spacer with a small diameter, even when the spacer is formed by using a proximity exposure apparatus, and to provide a spacer formed from the photosensitive resin composition, a display device provided with the spacer, and a method for forming a spacer using the photosensitive resin composition.SOLUTION: The photosensitive resin composition for forming a spacer contains an alkali-soluble resin (A), a photopolymerizable monomer (B), a photopolymerization initiator (C), and a compound represented by expression (1). In the expression, Rand Reach independently represent a hydrogen atom or an organic group, and at least one of Rand Rrepresents an organic group; Rand Rmay be bonded to each other to form a cyclic structure, and may include a bond of hetero atoms; Rrepresents a single bond or an organic group; Rto Reach independently represent a hydrogen atom, an organic group and the like, and Rand Rare not a hydroxyl group; and Rrepresents a hydrogen atom or an organic group.


A configuration of n points in general position in the plane is described which has less than 1.684n 2 empty triangles, less than 2.132n 2 empty convex quadrilaterals, less than 1.229n 2 empty convex pentagons and less than 0.298n 2 empty convex hexagons. This improves the constants from a previous construction given by Valtr.


Deficiencies of phosphorous (P) and soil moisture are the main limiting factors under semiarid climates throughout the world. Proper tillage management could increase P and water availability and therefore crop productivity under semiaraid climates. The objective of this study was to investigate proper P and tillage management practices for improving growth, yield and yield components of maize ( Zea mays L. cv Azam). The experiment was conducted under, irrigated (no moisture stress) and dryland (moisture stress) conditions at the Agronomy Research Farm of The University of Agriculture, Peshawar Pakistan during summer 2012. Experiment was laid out in randomized complete block design with split-plot arrangement having three replications under both irrigated and dryland conditions. Tillage depths (15, 30 and 45 cm) were assigned to main-plots while P levels (0, 30, 60 and 90 kg ha -1 ) allotted to sub-plots. Better growth and higher yield components and grain yield (3535 kg ha -1 ) was obtained when P was applied at the highest rate of 90 kg P ha -1 (90 > 60 > 30 > 0 kg P ha -1 ). Increase in tillage depths showed positive relationship with grain yield and yield components. The deep tillage depth (45 cm) produced the highest grain yield (3323 kg ha -1 ) while the shallow depth (15 cm) resulted in the lowest grain yield (2894 kg ha -1 ). Maize planted under irrigated condition had better growth, higher yield components and therefore resulted in the higher grain yield (3621 kg ha -1 ) as compared with maize under dryland (water stress) condition. We concluded from this study that increase in P level and tillage depth had positive effect on growth, yield components and grain yield of maize under both irrigated and dryland conditions.


Augmented reality (AR) offers many opportunities to make our lives easier. One example is to help us navigate handsfree and eyes-out in novel or unprepared environments. Cell phone-based Global Positioning System (GPS) applications have relieved us of some of the more burdensome tasks of map reading and route learning, but over-reliance on this technology has been shown to provide an impoverished understanding of the environment. What happens then when GPS is not available or the signals are compromised, as when one is indoors, in deep urban canyons, or in heavy forest, or when GPS is purposely jammed? This review will examine the psychological mechanisms of human wayfinding and navigation, towards an understanding of how we achieve Survey knowledge of an environment. We also look at examples of animals who navigate long distances using the earth's magnetic field, celestial cues and polarized light from the sun, moon and stars, as well as odometry, optical flow and landmark recognition. From this bio-inspired perspective, we discuss requirements for a hybrid, multimodal navigation and tracking system for a targeted set of users who operate in high stress environments. What we find is that a combination of both Allocentric (external) and Egocentric (internal) navigation cues are required; and because Allocentric cues may be intermittent or unreliable, good path integration is required.


Optically active l-menthol is a valuable intermediate product in pharmacy,food,cosmetic and asymmetric synthesis industries.The yields and qualities of nature menthol are often affected by weather and environment.Synthesis menthol can avoid the above disadvantages.The advances research of menthol synthesis and its enantiomeric separation are reviewed in this article,especially the biological separating methods of dl-menthol.At last,the study of menthol separation in our lab is also presented.


The invention relates to a heat dissipating device. The heat dissipating device comprises a radiator and a heat pipe, wherein the radiator radiates the heat of electronic elements on a circuit board; the heat pipe is connected with the radiator; a through hole and an injection hole which communicates outside with the through hole are formed on the radiator; the heat pipe is pivoted with and passes through the through hole of the radiator; and thermal grease is injected from the injection hole to the through hole of the radiator and is filled between the heat pipe and the radiator. The heat dissipating device greatly improves the heat-conducting properties of the heat pipe and the radiator by injecting the thermal grease between the heat pipe and the radiator after the heat pipe is pivoted with the through hole of the radiator.


This paper reviews three gaming experiments with a game on cost allocation in water resources, carried out with young scientists from eight countries at IIASA. The game is aimed at testing some different methods of cost allocation.

In earlier experiments the game had mainly been used to test the predictive ability of these methods. In the three experiments reported on here the emphasis was on testing the normative relevance of these methods. All the players were initially given an overview of the methods. Furthermore, in two of the games each of the players obtained a "consultants report" on a method for which he should argue.

The results did not appear to be affected by the introduction of this normative influence, except in one respect: while in the earlier games the solution had not been in the core, a core solution was now obtained in all three games.


The purpose of this review is to accumulate the rec nt study on floating drug delivery system with special emphasis on microballoons as drug deli very. Microballoons are emerging as the most promising drug delivery as it overcome many li mitations of conventional drug delivery system. As microballoons delivery system provides l onger retention in gastric pH, hence longer is the residence time and therefore enhance the solubility of drugs that are less soluble in high pH environment. The formation of cavity ins ide the microsphere depends upon the preparation temperature and the surface smoothness determines the floatability and the drug release rate of the microballoons. The review inclu des the classification, advantages, disadvantages, method of preparation and future asp ct of microballoons. Basic anatomy and physiology of stomach is also studied.


Studies of light diffracted by a serrated, circular aperture or disk are presented. Expressions for the scalar field distribution in the Fourier-transform plane of a canonical optical system and for the second-order central moment of the field are derived. Correlation features of the optical transform are related to aperture features using this second-order moment. Serrated apertures with controlled spatial correlation are designed using computer methods. Coherent optical experiments serve to demonstrate the relationships among three aperture serration features, roughness, correlation angle, and correlation function, with corresponding features in the optical transform. Excellent agreement with theory is obtained.


Obtained results show uniform distribution of granulometric composition of sediments, carbonate content and organic matter content along the sediment samples. Similar distribution was found for all investigated trace metals, except lead.


The modal attenuation constants in a cylindrical waveguide coated with a lossy dielectric material are studied as functions of frequency, dielectric constant, and thickness of the dielectric layer. A dielectric material best suited for a large attenuation is suggested. Using Kirchhoff's approximation, the field attenuation in a coated waveguide which is illuminated by a normally incident plane wave is also studied. For a circular guide which has a diameter of two wavelengths and is coated with a thin lossy dielectric layer (omega sub r = 9.1 - j2.3, thickness = 3% of the radius), a 3 dB attenuation is achieved within 16 diameters.


Abstract : The Quality Air Force program began years ago. However, my experiences as both Director of Financial Management and Comptroller and Director of Quality Programs at the Ballistic Missile Organization led me to firmly believe we have only begun to make "quality" a way of life. Four areas for improvement stand out to me: (1) Documenting critical processes; (2) Using metrics better; (3) Sharing lessons learned; and (4) Empowering our people. While this is not a complete list of improvement areas for the FM community, these items offer large potential benefits relative to the investment required to address them. As we continue to adjust to a smaller force structure, we must work much smarter to keep up with mission demands. It's time to stop "crawling" along on our quality journey and get up and walk! (KAR) p. 3


The textbook music appreciation,with its rich content,rational arrangement and qualified matching CD,has contributed to the improvement of music teaching in high school,though it is also reported to be employed with low efficiency in music class. According to the statement in the Standard,a textbook is the main bearer of course object,course content and guideline for activities of teacher and student in class. For the full and efficient employment of the textbook Music Appreciation,the author reported an empirical study on how to Employ the textbook Music Appreciation in high school music class from four categories: matching music,script,stave and picture.


The author of the Historical Dictionary of Boxing John Grasso, an accountant by training, came to embrace sports history in mid-life and, over the last thirty years, has been a significant contributor to the sports of boxing, basketball, football, and tennis. For the Scarecrow Press (a subsidiary of Rowman and Littlefield) he has written historical dictionaries of basketball, tennis, and football. He has attended eight Olympic games and was a founder of the International Boxing Research organization (1982) and has been a treasurer of the International Society of Olympic Historians since 2004. He has penned essays for the American National Biography, Ring magazine, and Boxing Illustrated. In the preface to the Historical Dictionary of Boxing Grasso confesses that he fell in love with boxing when he was allowed to stay up past his bedtime and found himself enthralled by the 1950 fight between heavyweights Joe Louis and Ezzard Charles. For many years I have used the International Boxing Hall of Fame Record Book as my major boxing reference source. On receiving the Historical Dictionary of Boxing I was cheered by the depth and detail of Grasso's work and, while I will continue to tap into the International Boxing Hall of Fame Record Book, the Historical Dictionary of Boxing is an extraordinary achievement. For example, the standard short version biography on Jake LaMotta, the celebrated middle weight, concludes with his 1961 defeat by the legendary Sugar Ray Robinson. Grasso, a most able story teller, takes us on that always fascinating, sometimes fatal, road map of a post-fight career. Readers can follow LaMotta as he appears as nightclub owner, comedian, hero, and, arguably, the villain in Martin Sorsese's Raging Bull (1980), and finally, at the age of ninety-one, as a performer in an off-Broadway show about his career. The major portion of Grasso's narrative, his A to Z biography, is sportswriting of a high order. His profile of Muhammad Ali, considering the need to trim down and edit characters and scenarios to keep the dictionary to a sensible length, is a wonderful treatment of an iconic figure. In 1996, one of the highlights of the Olympic games in Atlanta was when Ali was chosen to be the last torch bearer for the opening ceremonies and ran up the stairs to light the cauldron. The unannounced surprise of seeing him run with the torch, although physically shaking from the effects of Parkinson's disease, brought chills to many of the spectators (p. 38). The introduction of the book is a collection of boxing vignettes—Ancient Greek Boxing; Roman Gladiatorial Contests; Bareknuckle Boxing; Boxing Booths; Boxing


Women and children are the most vulnerable groups affected by wars , diseases, famines , migration and disasters. The number of Social service institutions for children increased especially in the last period of the Ottoman Empire. The main reason for such an increase is reforms implemented by government and destructive consequences caused by wars. The study is to analyze the basic factors, which have caused growing number of social care organizations for orphans in the late period of the Ottoman Empire. To give general information about these institutions and their functions are another objectives of this article. The factors leading the formations of social service institutions can be regarded as the land loss of the Ottoman Empire in the last period, great migrations resulting from lost wars, the reflection of reform efforts and modernization movements, increased in an era of Tanzimat, on military, economic and educational institutions and the need for the protection of children of martries. For these purposes, religious foundations as a core social service institution established and other institutions like islahhane, darulaceze, darussafaka, darulhayr-i ali, daruleytam, community of himaye-i etfal emerged for the care and training of ophaned children.


Static distributions of temperature and wind velocity at the transition region are calculated within the framework of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) of completely ionized hydrogen plasma. The numerical solution of the derived equations gives the width of the transition layer between the chromosphere and the corona as a self-induced opacity of high-frequency Alfvwaves (AW). The domain wall is direct consequence of the self-consistent MHD treatment of AW propagation. The low-frequency MHD waves coming from the Sun are strongly reflected by the narrow transition layer, while the high-frequency waves are absorbed - that is why we predict considerable spectral density of the AWs in the photosphere. The idea that Alfv´ en waves might heat the solar corona belongs to Alfvwe simply solved the corresponding MHD equations. The comparison of the solution to the experiment is crucial for revealing the heating mechanism.


This document is one of four products completed as a part of a research contract on the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) mandatory retirement for pilots at age 60. The study examines the feasibility of developing an individually based pilot performance assessment, and designs an experimental methodology to empirically examine the relationship between pilot aging and performance. Pilot performance was measured with both domain dependent as well as domain-independent assessments to test a decrement with compensation model of expertise and aging. Computerized cognitive test batteries, COGSREEN and WOMBAT, were selected as the domain independent measures. Flitescript and whole task performance in the B727 simulator were domain dependent measures. Forty pilots, males between the ages of 41 and 71 with a minimum of 5000 hours, were recruited from air carriers and the FAA. Three simulator scenarios were designed to assess pilot performance on routine and emergency/abnormal maneuvers. Simulator performance measures were based on a deviation score and an evaluator rating. The relationships between the following measures were assessed by examination of the correlations between: 1) flying experience and simulator performance, 2) predictor test scores and simulator performance, 3) interrelationships between the predictor tests, and 4) age, flying experience, predictor test scores and simulator performance. Finally, pilot perceptions of each measure were assessed. COGSCREEN total composite scores were significantly correlated with evaluator ratings on emergency/abnormal maneuvers. Neither WOMBAT nor Flitescript were found to correlate with simulator performance. Pilot age was significantly correlated with performance on the predictor tests. A pattern of inter-correlations among pilot age, COGSCREEN and simulator performance is discussed.


In this work we have studied the dispersion of the disorder-induced (D) and the second-order (G') Raman bands in single wall carbon nanotubes using several laser excitation energies (E laser) in the range 1.5-3.0 eV. An anomalous step-like behavior was observed in the E laser dependence of the G'-band frequency. This result is interpreted as a manifestation of the one-dimensional (1D) behavior of the phonon spectrum in carbon nanotubes.


Today, there is a broad international consensus on the need to ensure carbon neutrality and, more broadly, to address global environmental issues. By promoting increasingly stringent ecological standards and climate regulations in the energy sector and consistently forcing others to emulate its example, the European Union seeks to present itself as a normative power in this area. At the same time, the EU leaders face the need to mobilize public support for the idea of the sustainable climate-oriented transition in order to mitigate its negative economic and social effects. This, in turn, requires the construction and promotion of the compelling and unambiguous energy transition narrative designed to legitimize the EU's environmental and energy policy. This paper identifies and examines the key elements of such a narrative propagated within the European Union, as well as assesses its perception by various groups of the European countries' population. The author also outlines a few alternative 'greentransition' narratives, which have arisen as a reaction to both the deficiencies of the EU's energy policy and the challenges posed by the Ukrainian crisis. The author concludes that the EU leaders and the non-governmental and non-profit actors backing them have managed to build a broad and solid public consensus around the official narrative of the energy transition. Under these conditions, one of the central objectives facing the EU leaders is to maintain and strengthen the attained level of public support for its policies, given new transition-related challenges to the territorial integrity and political cohesion of the union. The latter include high inflation rates and the general rise in the cost of living, negative tendencies in the labor market due to its structural transformation, as well as the growing economic heterogeneity of the member states.


Last week, the United Nations Environment Programme reported that oil pollution in Nigeria9s oil-rich and politically volatile Ogoniland coastal region has "penetrated further and deeper than many have supposed" and called on industry and government to take "emergency measures" to protect residents from dangerously contaminated water supplies. It will take at least $1 billion and 30 years to restore mangrove forests smothered by slicks and soils soaked in sludge, the researchers estimate, potentially making Ogoniland one of the world9s biggest cleanup projects. And they conclude that responsibility for the continuing spills is shared by oil companies, which have failed to maintain facilities, and local oil thieves who puncture pipelines and hijack wells. The sobering findings, however, don9t appear to have dampened a long-running conflict over who is most to blame—and who should pay for the cleanup.


In single photon emission computed tomography images, the differences between brains of different subjects require the normalisation of the images with respect to a reference template. The general affine model with 12 parameters is usually chosen as a first normalisation procedure. Usually, the Levenberg-Marquardt or mostly the Gauss-Newton method are used in order to optimise a cost function, which presents an extreme value when the image matches with the template. In this reported work, these optimisation algorithms are compared with two alternative versions of the Gauss-Newton method. Both proposed alternatives include an additional parameter, which allows the adaptive change of the step length along the descent direction. Experimental and simulated results show that the inclusion of this parameter improves the convergence rate considerably.


Earthquakes Reinforced concrete framed buildings are capable for resisting both the vertical and horizontal load acting on them. However, when buildings are tall, it is difficult to workout sizes of beams and columns. There is lot of clogging at these joint and it is difficult to place and vibrate concrete at these places which does not contribute the safety of building. These practical difficulties call for introduction of shear wall. Shear wall has system is one of the most commonly used internal load resisting system in high rise buildings. Shear wall has very high in plane strength and stiffness which can be used to simultaneously resist large horizontal loads and supports gravity loads. Therefore incorporation of shear wall has become assured in multi-storey buildings built in region likely to experienced earthquake of high intensity or high winds. There are lots of literatures available to design and analyze the shear wall. However, the decision about an arrangement of shear wall in multi-storey building is not much discussed in any literatures, in this study; therefore main objective is to determine the position of shear walls in multi-storey building. An earthquake load is applied to a building of twenty sixth storied located in zone III. The analysis is performed using ETABS software. Axial forces, shear force, bending moment, storey displacement and time period are computed and location of shear walls is established.


Urban tourism has in the last 5 years grown expansively, especially in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean . Lisbon is no exception. In the last four years, there has been a major development in urban tourism, a trend that will certainly continue increasing thanks to being named the best 'city break' destination in 2017. Residents play a very crucial role in the development of cultural tourism. The literature indicates that when residents perceive tourism as beneficial there is a greater level of interaction between residents and visitors, and consequently loyalty to the destination. This article aims to analyze the level of interaction between tourists and residents and the extent to which this interaction will influence the residents' perceptions regarding tourism's social representation and community impacts. We chose Alfama for this case study because it is one of the most typical and historical neighborhoods of Lisbon and one of the most visited by tourists. We decided to use the following qualitative methods: direct observation, 24 residents' interviews and one interview with a local association president. The results show a high level of interaction between visitors and residents, an ambiguous and contradictory social representation, and a positive perception of tourism impacts both economically, socioculturally and environmentally. Based on the results, we proposed some strategies directed to public powers, government and Lisbon City Council to adjust the city to these tourist demands in such a way that the destination remains different and authentic.


A tunable microwave-frequency light modulator is described which consists of a rectangular-cross-section coaxial cavity containing two electro-optic crystals. The crystals are ammonium dihydrogen phosphate, the orientation being arranged so that the retardation due to each is added. Modulation has been observed over the frequency range 1.2–4.8 GHz. The modulation depth was 10% with 3.5 W and a Q-factor of 420, both measured at 4 GHz. An optical communication link has been set up using the modulator and a microwave travelling-wave phototube.


MSME Soy Milk Mother Eti is a business engaged in the provision of soft drinks is soy milk. The purpose of this research is to get the right composition of soy milk and increase the income of MSMEs by increasing the market demand. Based on September sales data decreased 9.87% compared to August. The problems in this research is the difficulty of determining the composition in accordance with the wishes of consumers and improve the quality of soy milk products. The method used in this study is the Quality Control Circle(QCC) method, then in this study will determine the appropriate composition by distributing questionnaires and classifying factors that lead to decreased quality of soy milk products. Implementing the eight step problem solving of the QCC method will be useful in determining the factors causing the decline in quality of soy milk products. The things that are done to improve the quality of soy milk products include by feeding soybeans in sufficient quantities and the appropriate amount of water, replacing the wok with a thicker skillet, adding enough cold water during the extortion process, selecting the whole soybean and disposing of the material not soybeans and spreading consumer questionnaires. The exact composition in accordance with the wishes of both the sweet taste, the level of consistency and aroma of soy milk is 200 grams of soybeans, 850 ml of water, and 50 grams of sugar. Sales of soy milk increased from 1610 packs / month to 1893 packs / month or by 17.57%.


SummarySummaryTwenty-nine infertile women with mild or moderate endometriosis were treated by laparoscopic cauterisation and followed up for 8 months. All patients were treated with danazol for 6 months starting immediately after laparoscopy. None of them suffered any complication. Twelve women of the 29 (41 per cent) achieved a pregnancy within 8 months. This IS similar to the pregnancies achieved after open surgery or hormone treatment. Pregnancy occurs sooner after operation. Laparoscopic electrocoagulation is a safe, quick and effective alternative method for the treatment of mild or moderate endometriosis in infertile women compared to treatment with laparotomy and excision of the endometriotic foci.


A substrate processing device for processing a substrate under software control. The substrate processing device comprises a license information receiving means for regularly receiving license information on the software from a license information provision device connected via a network, a license information analyzing means for extracting the address information of the license information provision device on the network from the license information and a license judging means for comparing the address information extracted from the license information with the address information of the license information provision device pre-stored in the substrate processing device. If the values of the two address information do not match, the execution of at least part of the function of the software is limited. Thus, unauthorized use of the software running on the substrate processing device is properly prevented.


The main objective of this case study is to analyze the effect that the technology innovation in the quinoa processing had on the productivity of companies devoted to this activity, and the impact of such an innovation on the growth and organization of the quinoa cluster in Bolivia and its possible effects on the future. The study will explain how the boost engendered by the technological innovation in the quinoa processing triggered a series of events that allowed the establishment of an ambitious development program. The main companies and producer associations of the sector are part of this program, which is called "Quinoa Alliance". The program has become a unique opportunity of agro-industrial development for the Bolivian Altiplano, so far characterized by subsistence agriculture.


Nanostructured titanate materials with different morphologies, including layered materials, nanosheets, and nanotubes, were examined as solid acid catalysts to elucidate the relationship between the structure and the catalytic properties. The titanate nanotube consists of a scroll-like layered structure derived from lamellar titanate nanosheets that exhibits excellent catalytic performance for the Friedel–Crafts alkylation of toluene with benzyl chloride near room temperature, exceeding the activities of layered titanates (H2Ti3O7, H0.7Ti1.825□0.175O4·H2O) and nanosheets that have similar crystal structures to that of the titanate nanotubes. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and 31P magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (31P MAS NMR) spectroscopy using basic probe molecules have revealed that these titanate materials possess both Bronsted and Lewis acid sites, and the Bronsted acid strength of the titanate nanotubes is higher than that of the titanate nanosheets. The strong Bronste...


Activated carbon (AC) is a porous carbon material with a developed pore structure and large specific surface area, which has been widely used in adsorption, catalysis, energy storage, etc. In this paper, the AC samples were prepared from Huolinhe lignite by the KOH activation method. The effects of the alkali-to-carbon ratio and activation temperature on the yield and surface properties were investigated. The textural and chemical properties of the AC samples were investigated using N2 adsorption-desorption and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Their desulfurization performances were also studied. With the increase of the alkali to carbon ratio, the yield of AC gradually decreased, the specific surface area first increased and then decreased, and the pore volume gradually increased. With the increase of the activation temperature, the yield of AC decreased, while the specific surface area and pore volume increased. Since the desulfurization of AC was mainly related to the specific surface area and micropores, an alkali-to-carbon ratio of 3 and activation temperature of 800 °C were selected as the optimum conditions of AC preparation. The AC with a specific surface area of 3231 m2 g−1 and micropore volume of 0.948 cm3 g−1 was used for desulfurization. In the flue gas flow rate range of 400–1000 ml min−1, the desulfurization efficiency and desulfurization time of AC decreased with the increase of the flue gas flow rate. With the increase of the SO2 concentration from 1000 to 3000 ppm, the desulfurization time and desulfurization efficiency decreased. When the oxygen content was in the range of 0 to 5%, the increase of the oxygen content was not conducive to the desulfurization process.


Aim :To guide the laboratory bench-work, the full-length cDNA sequence, open reading frame(ORF) , e-lectronic expression pattern and position on chromosome of two expression sequence tags( EST) which were differentially expressed in HCC ( one was highly expressed, andthe other one, AV647952, lowly expressed in HCC) by bioinformatics methods, and their functionwas predicted. Methods: Softwares such as Blastn, SequencherTM , ORF Finder and DNASIS were used for these purposes. Results: Two novel full-length cDNA sequence were obtained, which were consistent with the results gained by RACE and sequencing. They mapped to 2pl3 - 15, 3pl4, and mainly expressed in carcinoma, normal tissues respectively. The protein coded by highly expressed gene may take part in regulation in signal transduction, pre-mRNA processing and cytoskeleton assembly, and the other one involved in CD8 + -T-Cell-Mediated immune response. Conclusion: Bioinformatics strategy is very useful in efficient, rapid cloning and identification novel gene.


Shishuo Xinyu covers groups of borrowed words which and 6 groups of archaic words,which are commonly known to readers.With a thorough investigation into these words,we have come to understand the complexity and changefulness of the medieval Chinese language,and the importance of ShiShuo Xinyu in helping the development of Chinese archaic language.


An ensemble of nanoparticles in which the interparticle magnetic interactions are sufficiently weak shows superparamagnetic (SPM) behavior as described by the Neel-Brown model. On the contrary, when inter-particle interactions are non-negligible, the system eventually shows collective behavior, which overcomes the individual anisotropy properties of the particles. At sufficiently strong interactions a magnetic nanoparticle ensemble can show superspin glass (SSG) properties similar to those of atomic spin glass systems in bulk. With further increase in concentration, but still below physical percolation, sufficiently strong interactions can be experienced to form a superferromagnetic (SFM) state. SFM domains in a non-percolated nanoparticle assembly are expected to be similar to conventional FM domains in a continuous film, with the decisive difference that the atomic spins are replaced by the superspins of the single-domain nanoparticles. In this article, we show that by varying the nominal thickness tn o...


Aimed at developing the rutting criteria of asphalt mixtures associated with the temperature,traffic volume,structural layer and vehicle speed,and the research was carried out based on the accelerated pavement test with accelerated load facility(ALF),laboratory rutting test and theory analysis.A rutting predictive model was developed mainly based on the ALF rutting test on three types of pavements under three different testing conditions,which was utilized for solving the criteria of rutting depth(R0) and dynamic stability(DS).A proposed method for rutting estimation by layer was developed and determination for the criteria of R0 and DS was also developed.The criteria of R0 and DS of different layers of a typical asphalt pavement structure in five different regions under different vehicle speeds in Gansu Province were recommended.The results show that higher rutting evaluation criteria will develop under lower vehicle speed,higher pavement temperature and larger number of loading repetition.And the criteria in upper and middle layers are much higher than that in lower layer.


We introduce a variant of Spector's bar recursion in finite types (which we call "modified bar recursion") to give a realizability interpretation of the classical axiom of dependent choice allowing for the extraction of witnesses from proofs of ∀∃-formulas in classical analysis. As another application, we show that the fan functional can be defined by modified bar recursion together with a version of bar recursion due to Kohlenbach. We also show that the type structure M of strongly majorizable functionals is a model for modified bar recursion. §


Seventy-nine pregnant women aged between 16 and 19 years were given in-depth interviews on a wide range of topics in late pregnancy. The data reported here describe influences on their contraceptive use prior to pregnancy. Four orientations to pregnancy which influenced women's contraceptive use at conception are identified. Various other factors which influenced contraceptive non-use are described. Some of these factors are age-specific, while others would apply equally to older women. Knowledge of contraception was virtually universal in the sample. Women had not become pregnant through ignorance. It is argued that reasons for pregnancy in women who are under 20 years of age can only be understood if contextual factors (such as employment careers and relationships with male partners) are taken into account.


This article suggests a re-imagining of what the supervision relationship might look like. It explores the possibilities of subverting the traditional hierarchical model of student social work supervision replacing the expert teacher / student learner relationship with a more collaborative sharing of learning within the supervision container. It suggests a number of creative tools that might be used to encourage and support students in their efforts to develop as reflective social work practitioners.


Glioma is one of the malignant tumors that threaten human survival. Despite standard treatment including surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, the prognosis is still poor. In children patients, the disease mostly occurs before and after school age, and there was gender difference, male: female≈1.3:1. The forkhead-box transcription factor (FOX) family plays an important role in brain development, among which, the subfamilies of FOXA, FOXC, FOXD, FOXK, FOXM, FOXO, FOXP, FOXQ, and FOXR are closely related to the occurrence and development of gliomas.

Key words:
Gliomas; FOX genes; Oncogenes; Anti-oncogene


Objective To analyse the phenotype of a Chinese family with late-onset autosomal dominant hereditary nonsyndromic hearing loss and to screen the known causative genes related to autosomal dominant hereditary hearing loss.Methods The pedigree investigation,medical history taking,general medicine examination,and otolaryngological and vestibular examination of the family were performed.The otolaryngological examination comprised pure tone audiometry,acoustic impedance and otoacoustic emission.The proband was carried out computed tomography (CT) scan of the temporal bone to exclude other possible aural disorders.The venous blood sample of the family members was collected to extract DNA.After the investigation of the clinical features,the inheritance mode of the family was evaluated.Linkage analysis of one or two genetic markers near each of the 22 known causative genes of the autosomal dominant hereditary hearing loss with the phenotype of the family was performed.Results The family had eighty-one members in 6 generations,in which seventy-one members in 4 generations were alive and 14 expressed hearing loss.The inheritance mode of the family was consistent with the autosomal dominant according to the pedigree.The phenotypic features were as follow:bilateral,postlingual,progressive,moderate to severe sensorineural hearing impairment involving mainly higher frequencies principally.By linkage analysis,the phenotype of the family did not show linkage with the markers selected.Conclusion The known causative genes related to the autosomal dominant hereditary hearing loss is not the underlying gene of the family.This indicates that the causative gene of the family may be a novel deafness gene.The linkage analysis based on the whole genome should be performed in the future to map the disease locus and clone the causative gene.


Multi-Robot Systems (MRS) is a field of Robotic that develops robots to act as a team, with coordination, performing task collaboratively. These systems are used to deal with complex tasks, in which time and space are restricted. To achieve the correct operation of the MRS the communication skills is a fundamental point to be investigated. This paper presents Architecture of communication based on cloud computing technology for a MRS composed by CellBots. The proposed architecture aims to optimize the use of the robots resources in order to provide an efficient collaborative environment. Some preliminary metrics have been analysed to show the feasibility of the proposed framework.


More general and stronger estimations of bounds for the fundamental functions of Hermite interpolation of higher order on an arbitrary system of nodes are given. Based on this result conditions for convergence of Hermite interpolation and Hermite- Fejer-type interpolation on an arbitrary system of nodes as well as Grunwald type theorems are essentially simplified and improved.


The purpose of this proceedings volume is to look for interdisciplinary bridges in mathematics, physics, information and life sciences, in particular, research for new paradigms for information and life sciences on the basis of quantum theory. The main areas in this volume are all related to one of the following subjects: (1) quantum information, (2) bio-informatics and (3) the interrelation between (1) and (2).


Achnatherum inebrians,an intoxicating grass growing at native grassland in Northwestern China,companioning with Stipa capillata and Poa sphondylodes were selected is to study the allelopathy effect of A.inebrians on two recipient plants by bioassay.The results indicated that the water extraction of the endophyte infected(E+) A.inebrians displayed the significant inhibiting effects on the seed germination and seedling growth of two recipient plants(P0.05),and the inhibiting effects became greater with the increasing of the concentration.The water extraction of the endophyte free(E-) A.inebrians had no significant effects on the seed germination(P0.05),the concentration of 0.20 g/mL showed the inhibiting effects on the seedling growth(P0.05).In summary,the water extraction of endophyte infected(E+) A.inebrians had significant antagonism on S.capillata and P.sphondylodes,and in contrast,the endophyte free(E-) A.inebrians had no significant effects on the other two grasses.


(57) Abstract: The drug in biodegradable polymeric substrates, systems and methods for parenteral delivery as an aqueous liquid to a warm-blooded animal which forms a Hidorogerudepo agents for the controlled release of the drug as a result . The system includes an injectable biodegradable block copolymer drug delivery liquid having thermal gelation properties. Copolymer, it is a solution at a temperature higher than the body temperature of the animal to be administered, when cooled to body temperature is administered with a gel / sol transition temperature so as to form a hydrogel. Copolymers are composed of hydrophilic B polymer block comprising (i) poly hydrophobic A polymer block and (alpha-hydroxy acid) (ii) poly (ethylene oxide). Drug is released in a non-toxic products at a controlled rate from a biodegradable copolymer. Gel / sol transition temperature and degradation rate can be adjusted by appropriate selection of the molecular weight and concentration of poly (alpha-hydroxy acids) and poly (ethylene oxide) polymer block component.


Topics of the 35 papers included in this volume from the June 1990 conference cover a wide range of areas germane to archaeology. Some are exlusively technical, some review the most recent state of the art for a disciplinary area, and others, of most interest to the readers of this Bulletin, provide historical insights into the development of the field.


An approach to the formation of a stable heterogeneous system of the spacecraft is developed . Requirement to provide quasi-synchronous orbits multiplicity is formed . Decomposition of problem of formation of orbits with a given cycle of track circuit is carried out . Method of forming multiple quasi-synchronous orbits of various geometric characteristics of a single cycle of track circuit in the given operating conditions is developed .


The enthalphy imbalance data for Mark IA and Mark IV fuels are analyzed on a statistical basis to determine the imbalance values, standard deviations, and confidence limits at 13% /sup 240/Pu exposure. The aim of the analysis is to evaluate the adequacy of the currently applied enthalpy imbalance factor. The data are analyzed on a basis of 95% probability with 95% confidence and compared with the N Reactor Safety Setpoint Analyses which uses a high-side application of the data range. The calculated standard deviation is applied to 13% exposure, which is equal to 2690 MWD/T for MKIA and 2730 MWD/T for MKIV fuels. This report examines the application of the MKIA ..delta..H/sub Imb/ correlation to the MKIV fuel, presents a new correlation for the MKIV fuel, and compares the new MKIV correlation with the current bases.


System of two magnetic layers with nonuniform distribution of anisotropy parameter and exchange coupled by nonmagnetic spacer is studied by means of the Green function approach. Our attention is focussed on the elementary excitations and low temperature magnetisation behavior. The spin wave parameter B in the Bloch law T 3/2 is found as an oscillatory function of a spacer thickness. The e ects of damping leading to non-zero line-width of ferromagnetic resonance peaks are also taken into account. As a result the dependence of resonance line-width on parameters characterizing system under consideration is obtained for the case of uniform anisotropy parameter and for quadratic distribution of this parameter in magnetic layers, respectively.


Cancer burden all over the world is on the rise. Carcinogenesis is not a single process, but involves multitude of mechanisms. Three main three steps are initiation, promotion and progression, which act in concert to contribute to the malignant transformation. Oxidative stress plays a pivotal role in the initiation of the events. Enhanced generation of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) can originate from exogenous sources like environmental agents, pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals etc. However endogenous sources like mitochondria, peroxisomes, and inflammatory cell activation can have equal contribution in this regard (Klaunig et al., 2010). They can affect the intrinsic antioxidant defence mechanism of the cell which is insufficient to overcome the ROS burden. ROS production disrupting the ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 4 Number 3 (2015) pp. 578-587 http://www.ijcmas.com


Barley is a very important crop worldwide and has good impact in preserving food security. The impacts of 10 mM proline and 0.5 mM salicylic acid were evaluated on water stressed barley plants (Hordeum vulgare L. Giza126). Salicylic acid and proline treatments led to increased stem length, plant dry weights, chlorophyll concentration, relative water content, activity of antioxidant enzymes, and grain yield under drought stress. Nevertheless, lipid peroxidation, electrolyte leakage (EL), superoxide (O2·−), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) significantly decreased in treated barley plants with proline and salicylic acid in both growing seasons as compared with drought treatment only, which caused significant decrease in stem length, plant dry weights, chlorophyll concentration, activity of antioxidant enzymes, as well as biological and grain yield. These results demonstrated the importance of salicylic acid and proline as tolerance inducers of drought stress in barley plants.


At its full breadth a capacity for empathy is a capacity to notice, to understand, to internalise, to experience and to adequately respond to another's feelings. Whether empathy is unique to humans is not clear (for example, Bartal, Decety, & Mason, 2011; Langford et al., 2006), but it is definitely a prominent human proficiency. Empathy plays an important part in human life from infancy. For example, in its most essential form empathy constitutes an integral part of parent–infant relations (Elicker, Englund, & Sroufe, 1992; Winnicott, 1960). Parents are constantly striving to unravel their child's needs, wishes and moods and to provide support and consolation as well as direction. At the same time, infants are highly aware of their parents' state of mind and feelings and continuously attempt to adjust to them. As the child develops and grows, he or she exhibits a progressively comprehensive capacity for empathy towards other children and adults (Borke, 1971; Knafo et al., 2008; Rieffe, Ketelaar, & Wiefferink, 2010). Ultimately, full-blown human communities and societies rely on empathy to bring people together, to instill a sense of mutual support among individuals, to enable cooperation and collaboration, and to promote overall social progress. Empathy is thus an innate human capacity, important for proper social interaction, and may have been essential also for establishing the earliest of human societies. Interestingly, the term empathy was coined only in the beginning of the twentieth century, after the german Einfühlung, literally 'feeling into' (Wispé, 1986), originally denoting not interpersonal empathy but rather aesthetic empathy (for a more comprehensive discussion of empathy, see Laurence, this volume). The notion of aesthetic empathy was developed to describe the cognitive and emotional processes characterising aesthetic experience, which consists of a person's projection into nature or a work of art and their perception of the emotions embedded in them. Although interpersonal and aesthetic empathy seem to be distinct, historically they were almost interchangeable. Feeling into another person was likened, if not equated, to an aesthetic experience (greiner, 2012). But even from a contemporary perspective, it is easy to find similarities between empathy towards another person and empathy or emotional perception of a work of art. A particularly good example for unravelling these links is music, one of the most interactive and emotionally abounding forms of art. 2 Synchronisation – a musical substrate for positive social interaction and empathy


Bacterial resistance to a wide spectrum of antimicrobial medicines has evolved as a major public health concern. Antibiotics are medications that are used to kill microorganisms that could cause serious illness or death. Nanotechnology has exploded as a significant and appealing field of research, with innovative features and functionalities in a variety of fields. Silver is a versatile antibacterial and anticancer medicinal agent in the form of nanoparticles. Silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been implicated in a wide variety of medicinal benefits. This review article addresses antibacterial applications of biosynthesized AgNPsthat have been researched over the last decade. AgNPs' antimicrobial potential against a variety of bacterial agents is discussed.


When humans fail to understand the capabilities of an autonomous system or its environmental limitations, they can jeopardize their objectives and the system by asking for unrealistic goals. The objective of this thesis is to enable consensus between human and autonomous system, by giving autonomous systems the ability to communicate to the user the reasons for goal failure and the relaxations to goals that archive feasibility. We represent our problem in the context of temporal plans, a set of timed activities that can represent the goals and constraints proposed by users. Over-constrained temporal plans are commonly encountered while operating autonomous and decision support systems, when user objectives are in conflict with the environment. Over constrained plans are addressed by relaxing goals and or constraints, such as delaying the arrival time of a trip, with some candidate relaxations being preferable to others. In this thesis we present Uhura, a temporal plan diagnosis and relaxation algorithm that is designed to take over-constrained input plans with temporal flexibility and contingencies, and generate temporal relaxations that make the input plan executable. We introduce two innovative approaches within Uhura: collaborative plan diagnosis and continuous relaxation. Uhura focuses on novel ways of satisfying three goals to make the plan relaxation process more convenient for the users: small perturbation, quick response and simple interaction. First, to achieve small perturbation, Uhura resolves over-constrained temporal plans through partial relaxation of goals, more specifically, through the relaxation of schedules. Prior work on temporal relaxations takes an all-or-nothing approach in which timing constraints on goals, such as arrival times to destinations, are completely relaxed in the relaxations. The Continuous Temporal Relaxation method used by Uhura adjusts the temporal bounds of temporal constraints to minimizes the perturbation caused by the relaxations to the goals in the original plan. Second, to achieve quick responses, Uhura introduces Best-first Conflict-directed Relaxation, a new method that efficiently enumerates alternative options in best-first order. The search space of alternative options to temporal planning problems is very large and finding the best one is a NP-hard problem. Uhura empirically demonstrates fast enumeration by unifying methods from minimal relaxation and conflict-directed


The association between seasonality and diagnosis and/or recrudescence of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) remains unclear, with some studies demonstrating a higher diagnostic rate in those months with a higher aeroallergen load while others rule out this association.


REPLICATION Vladimir P. Bermudez, Andrea Farina, Vineetha Raghavan*, Inger Tappin and Jerard Hurwitz§ From the Program of Molecular Biology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Ave., New York, New York 10021 USA. *Present Address: National Centre for Biological sciences, GKVK Campus, Bellary Road, Bangalore560064, INDIA §To whom correspondence should be addressed: 1275 York Ave, New York, NY 10021, USA. Tel: 212639-5895. E-mail: email@example.com


Statistical segmentation techniques based on hidden Markov field modelling have generated considerable interest in past years. They take contextual information into account in a particularly elegant and rigorous way. Although these models have been thoroughly tested, they can fail in some cases such as the non-stationary one. In this article, we propose use of the recently developed triplet Markov field, which models non-stationary images, and that of Fisher distribution, which is adapted to a wide range of surfaces for modelling synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image noise. Examples illustrate the difference between the approach proposed and classical ones. Various experiments indicate that the new model and its associated unsupervised algorithm perform better than classical ones.


Neurones containing oestrogen receptors (ERs) in the ventrolateral division of the hypothalamic ventromedial nucleus (VMNvl) are believed to play an important role in mediating oestrogen's regulatory influence on reproductive behaviour. As somatostatin (SOM)‐immunoreactive neurones are found exclusively within the ventrolateral division of VMM, this study has used double‐labelling immunocytochemistry techniques to evaluate whether ER‐immunoreactive cells in the VMNvl synthesize SOM in both the male and female rat. Rats gonadecto‐mized 1 week earlier were perfused and brain sections through the mediobasal hypothalamus processed for ER and SOM immunoreactivity using the H222 monoclonal rat ER antibody and a polyclonal rabbit SOM antiserum. Within the VMN, cells immunoreactive for SOM were found predominantly in the rostral portion of the VMNvl while ER‐immunoreactive cells were distributed throughout the VMNvl. Sequential double‐labelling studies revealed that many ER‐containing cells in the rostral VMNvl were also immunoreactive for SOM. A semi‐quantitative analysis of double‐labelled cells in the rostral VMNvl of male and female rats, respectively, estimated that 52 ± 2% and 55 ±8% of SOM‐IR cells possess ERs while 35 ± 1% and 28 ±3% of ER‐IR cells synthesise SOM in the rostral VMNvl. No sex differences were detected at this level. These results show that approximately half of the SOM‐synthesizing neurones in the rostral VMN possess ERs and indicate that SOM should now be considered alongside enkephalin and Substance P as a putative mediator of oestrogen's regulatory influence on reproduction through the VMN of the rat.


Vector boson fusion (VBF) processes at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) provide a unique opportunity to search for new physics with electroweak couplings. Two studies are presented: (i) A search of supersymmetric dark matter in the final state of two VBF jets and large missing transverse energy is presented at 14 TeV. Prospects for determining the dark matter relic density are studied for the cases of Wino and Bino-Higgsino dark matter. The LHC could probe Wino dark matter with mass up to approximately 600 GeV with a luminosity of 1000 fb$^{-1}$. (ii) A search for the chargino/neutralino system in the final state of two VBF jets, missing transverse energy and two $\tau$'s (light stau case) and light lepton $e$ and $\mu$ (light slepton case). The $5 \sigma$ mass reach at 300 fb$^{-1}$ (1000 fb$^{-1}$) of LHC14 for inclusive and opposite-sign $\tau$ pairs are 250 GeV (300 GeV) and 200 GeV (250 GeV), respectively, for $\Delta M \, = \, m_{\tilde{\tau}_1} - m_{\neu{1}} \, = \, 30$ GeV. For $\Delta M \, = \, 15$ GeV, the $3 \sigma$ mass reach at 300 fb$^{-1}$ (1000 fb$^{-1}$) of LHC14 for inclusive $\tau$ pairs is 180 GeV. The $5 \sigma$ mass reach at 300 fb$^{-1}$ (1000 fb$^{-1}$) of LHC14 for inclusive and opposite-sign $\mu$ pairs are approximately 350 GeV (400 GeV) and 300 GeV (350 GeV), respectively. The mass reaches in the same-sign final state cases are similar to those in the opposite-sign cases.


The invention relates to a preparation method for a zinc-iron-selenium-rich biological fertilizer and a usage, which belongs to the technical field of crop production. Water is added into pig manure, silkworm excrement, human excrement and colza cakes for a fermentation to get mother liquor of the biological fertilizer; zinc sulfate, green copperas, sodium selenite are added into the mother liquor for reactions to get zinc-iron-selenium-rich biological foliar fertilizer for the rice. The fertilizer is separately sprayed in the booting stage and the full heading stage of the rice, with an amount of 1000ml per mu. The function rice, with zinc content 19.4 to 28.7mg/kg, iron content 7.0 to 20.2mg/kg, and selenium content 0.08 to 0.15 mg/kg, measures up to the limit standards of zinc, iron, and selenium in the national food standards. Organic selenium accounts for more than 99% of the total selenium in the zinc-iron-selenium-rich function nutritive rice. The preparation method for the zinc-iron-selenium-rich biological fertilizer proves effective, economical, safe and non-polluted through twice foliage sprays with zinc-iron-selenium fertilizer for the rice as an experiment.


One general program of α-recursion theory is to determine as much as possible of the lattice structure of (α), the lattice of α-r.e. sets under inclusion. It is hoped that structure results will shed some light on whether or not the theory of (α) is decidable with respect to a suitable language for lattice theory. Fix such a language ℒ. Many of the basic results about the lattice structure involve various sorts of simple α-r.e. sets (we use definitions which are definable in ℒ over (α)). It is easy to see that simple sets exist for all admissible α. Chong and Lerman [1] have found some necessary and some sufficient conditions for the existence of hhsimple α-r.e. sets, although a complete determination of these conditions has not yet been made. Lerman and Simpson [9] have obtained some partial results concerning r-maximal α-r.e. sets. Lerman [6] has shown that maximal α-r.e. sets exist iff a is a certain sort of constructibly countable ordinal. Lerman [5] has also investigated the congruence relations, filters, and ideals of (α). Here various sorts of simple sets have also proved to be vital tools. The importance of simple α-r.e. sets to the study of the lattice structure of (α) is hence obvious. Lerman [6, Q22] has posed the following problem: Find an admissible α for which all simple α-r.e. sets have the same 1-type with respect to the language ℒ. The structure of (α) for such an α would be much less complicated than that of (ω). Lerman [7] showed that such an α could not be a regular cardinal of L. We show that there is no such admissible α.


The present invention provides a method for treatment of biodegradable implants and medical conditions of the eye implant size for the eyes area. Forming the implant from the hydrophilic end and hydrophobic end PLGA of the mixture, and deliver the active agent into the area without the high explosive not released. Preferably, the implant is produced by double extrusion process. Preferably, at least 75% of the particles of the active agent have a diameter of not more than 10 or 20 microns.


Standardised prediction models for airborne and impact sound insulation in buildings are described in EN 12354 part 1 and 2. These models have been evaluated by comparing the predicted and measured sound insulation for common building constructions used in Nordic dwelling houses. In total, more than 200 comparisons were carried out. The standard includes informative annexes on calculation of input data for the prediction models (the sound reduction index of monolithic elements, the normalised impact sound pressure level of homogeneous floor constructions, the vibration reduction index for junctions, etc.). The annexes as well as alternative calculation principles have been evaluated. Calculations based on a few modifications of the informative annexes are recommended for application of the standard in the Nordic countries. For some types of construction like lightweight double leaf walls, floating floors, etc., results of measurements in Nordic laboratories are in most cases used as input data. The obtained accuracy of the predictions is satisfactory for airborne sound insulation and for impact sound insulation of heavy floors vertically.


Summary form only given. We use pulses generated from a passively Q-switched 1.06-/spl mu/m YAG:Nd microchip laser for time-of-flight range-finding measurements. Passive Q-switching is obtained with a thin-film YAG:Cr/sup 4+/ saturable absorber grown by liquid phase epitaxy on a YAG:Nd substrate. The microchip is pumped by a cw diode laser emitting at 808 nm. In our configuration, the pulse energy is 1 /spl mu/J, the pulse width 750 ps, and the repetition rate 10 kHz. The laser beam is diffraction limited single-mode TEM/sub 00/.


The present invention discloses a rotor for a power generator comprising a rotor body, the rotor body having a cylindrical portion and an annular portion of the annular portion coaxially. A substantially cylindrical recess defined by the first side portion and the annular portion of the cylindrical portion to receive the stator. At least one first wall at least partially annular portion of the first side spaced apart so as to define at least one chamber therebetween. Said chamber having an inlet. Located in at least a first wall defining at least one outlet aperture of the chamber. At least one second side wall extending outwardly from the first annular portion. At least one second wall having at least adjacent the inlet end of a chamber. Also disclosed is a method for cooling an internal combustion engine and a generator having a generator.


China is a populous country that is facing serious aging problems due to the single†child birth policy. Debate is ongoing whether the liberalization of the single†child policy to a two†child policy can mitigate China's aging problems without unacceptably increasing the population. The purpose of this paper is to apply machine learning theory to the demographic field and project China's population structure under different fertility policies. The population data employed derive from the fifth and sixth national census records obtained in 2000 and 2010 in addition to the annals published by the China National Bureau of Statistics. Firstly, the sex ratio at birth is estimated according to the total fertility rate based on least squares regression of time series data. Secondly, the age†specific fertility rates and age†specific male/female mortality rates are projected by a least squares support vector machine (LS†SVM) model, which then serve as the input to a Leslie matrix model. Finally, the male/female age†specific population data projected by the Leslie matrix in a given year serve as the input parameters of the Leslie matrix for the following year, and the process is iterated in this manner until reaching the target year. The experimental results reveal that the proposed LS†SVM†Leslie model improves the projection accuracy relative to the conventional Leslie matrix model in terms of the percentage error and mean algebraic percentage error. The results indicate that the total fertility ratio should be controlled to around 2.0 to balance concerns associated with a large population with concerns associated with an aging population. Therefore, the two†child birth policy should be fully instituted in China. However, the fertility desire of women tends to be low due to the high cost of living and the pressure associated with employment, particularly in the metropolitan areas. Thus additional policies should be implemented to encourage fertility.


This article elucidates the competencies of managers in the development of the path of continuous professionalization from the perspective of various development strategies. The concept of competence and its specific types of managerial activity at the level of educational institution, the characteristics and forms of organization of the managerial staff professionalization based on competencies were analyzed.


The utility model discloses a rear-axle housing flattening and rounding machine, which comprises a machine body, a flattening device, a rounding device, a control device and a power device, wherein the flattening device and the rounding device are both arranged on the machine body, the rounding device is arranged by taking the centre of the flattening device as the symmetric center, the flattening device and the rounding device are controlled by the control device, and the power device provides power for the flattening device and the rounding device. When the machine is in use, firstly, the rear axle housing to be treated is put on the flattening device, and the two sides of the rear axle housing to be treated align to the rounding device; then, the rear axle housing is tightly pressed by the flattening device to be flattened; after the rear axle housing is tightly pressed by the flattening device, the two sides of the rear axle housing are subjected to rounding and straightening by the rounding device; finally, after sequentially loosening the rounding device and the flattening device, the rear axle housing is taken out. The rear axle housing flattening and rounding machine is used for replacing an existing manual handling way, so that manpower is saved, and the purposes of saving time and improving the production efficiency is realized.


Protein-based fluorescent glutamate sensors have the potential for real-time monitoring of synaptic and cellular glutamate concentration changes, however even the fastest currently available sensors' response times of 2-3 ms are too slow for accurate reporting of the post-synaptic AMPA receptor function in physiological conditions. We have developed probes based on the bacterial periplasmic glutamate/aspartate binding protein with either an endogenously fluorescent protein or a synthetic fluorophore as the indicator of glutamate binding: affinity variants of iGluSnFR termed iGluh, iGlum and iGlul covering a range of Kd−s (5.8 μM, 2.1 mM and 50 mM, respectively) and a novel fluorescently labelled indicator, Fl-GluBP with a Kd of 9.7 μM are presented. The fluorescence response kinetics of all the probes are consistent with two-step mechanisms involving ligand binding and rate limiting isomerisation, however the contribution in each step to the total fluorescence enhancement and kinetic paths to the final state are diverse. In contrast to the previously characterised ultrafast indicators iGluu and iGluf, for which fluorescence enhancement occurred only in the rate limiting isomerisation step, the sensors described here all have biphasic binding kinetics with a significant fraction of the fluorescence increase evoked by glutamate binding which, in the case of iGluh and Fl-GluBP, occurs with a diffusion limited rate constant. The above genetically encoded and chemically labelled fluorescent glutamate sensor variants demonstrate how single amino acid changes around the binding site introduce structural heterogeneity affecting the kinetic mechanism of interactions with glutamate. Through their broad affinity range and mechanistic variety, the probes contribute to a novel toolkit for monitoring processes of glutamate neurotransmission and cellular homeostasis. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Glutamate is a major excitatory neurotransmitter, important in synaptic plasticity e.g. memory formation. Although predicted to clear rapidly from the synaptic cleft following presynaptic release, optical monitoring of glutamate neurotransmission has only become possible with the advent of fluorescent, protein-based indicators. Understanding their biophysical properties is important for quantification of the observed processes. Here we report the biophysical characterisation of a number of glutamate indicator variants based on the bacterial periplasmic glutamate/aspartate binding protein, revealing the subtle differences in their kinetic pathway caused by structural alteration of the glutamate binding protein by point mutations. Diffusion limited glutamate binding indicated by a novel chemically labelled probe hints at the mechanism that underlies the rapid response of the AMPA receptor.


* A new combination antibiotic has been approved to treat complicated intraabdominal and urinary tract infections. The drug, sold under the trade name Avycaz, pairs ceftazidime, a cephalosporin, with a new beta-lactamase inhibitor, avibactam.


Background: Disrespectful maternity care is a sexual and reproductive right abuse that can discourage women from seeking maternal care in formal healthcare facilities. Objective: To determine the experience of, and perceptions on disrespectful treatment from health workers, by pregnant antenatal clinic attendees in Anambra, Nigeria. Methodology: Questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study of 250 pregnant women from six health facilities in Anambra, Nigeria. Data analysis performed using SPSS version 22.0. Statistical comparison of variables employed chi-square test, Significant at p-value <0.05 at 95% confidence interval. Results: Thirty-one participants (12.4%) had experienced disrespect and abuse (D&A), most commonly during labour and delivery 74.2%. Physical Abuse most commonly occurred 13(41.9%). Respondent's experience of disrespectful care was highest from TBAs (50%) and lowest for Obstetrician (1.8%). Similarly, respondent perceptions on respectful care was best for obstetricians (RCI=0.99), and least for the TBAs (RCI=0.67). Respondents also perceived that promotion of respectful maternity care is best achieved through healthcare provider education, 68 (27.2%) followed by provision of free maternal healthcare, 65 (26.0%). Conclusion: Inspite of the low level of D&A in this study, no pregnant woman should be subjected to undue mistreatment during maternity care. Improving the quality of training of birth attendants, to incorporate respectful maternity care is necessary, together with ensuring the wide-scale access of pregnant women to skilled obstetricians.


Objective To investigate the effects of ACE inhibitor on the contractility and calcium handling proteins in ventrictdar myocytes from rats with heart failure.Methods Rat heart failure models were induced by constricting abdominal aorta and randomly divided into heart failure group treated with perindopril(CHF-T,n=16),placebo(CHF-C,n=16)and pseudo-operated groups(PS,n=10).After follow-up for 12 weeks,the contractility of cardiac muscle was evaluated and the expression levels of calci- um handling proteins ineludeing NCX1,SERCA2 and PLB were measured by immumofluorescence assay. Results The value of LVEDP in group CHF-C was significantly increased as compared with that in group PS(P0.05),and that of ~ dp/dt in group CHF-C was decreased obviously as compared with that in group PS(P0.05 respectively).In group CHF-T treated with ACEI,the deterioration above-mentioned were lessened(P0.05).Under the stimulation of frequencies of 1.0 Hz,the shortening fractions(FS) in group CHF-T was higher than that in group CHF-C(10.89±1.18 vs 7.51±1.15,P0.01).There was significant difference in the expression of NCX1 and SERCA2 among CHF-T,CHF-C and PS groups (NCX1:2988.79±149.37,3289.03±153.63,2780.61±136.57,P0.01;SERCA2:4380.82±237.15,4092.05±185.76,4703.81±250.35,P0.01).The expression of NCX1 was higher while SERCA2 was lower in CHF-C group than in PS group(P0.01).After treatment with ACEI,the expres- sion of NCX1 in CHF-T group was reduced significantly and the expression of SERCA2 improved obviously as compared with those in CHF-C group(P0.01,0.05 respectively),but neither the expression of NCX1 or SERCA2 in CHF-T group could revert to a level just like that in PS group(P0.05 respective- ly).There was no significant difference in PLB mRNA between CHF-T and CHF-C groups.Conclusion Long-term treating CHF with ACEI can prevent the deterious changes of calcium handling proteins in CHF,which are responsible for preserving the contractility of myocytes.


In an interpretation of the geography ot the intensive subsistence farming areas in monsoon lands, such as Japan and Korea, it appears de.irable to give consideration to some llSpects of medical geography. lIay· defined medical geography as a study that relates geographical factors, which he called "geugeos", to pathologlcnl factofs, which he called "l>atholens", to the development ot disease In mao.


Chile's seizure of Peru and Bolivia's nitrate regions during the War of the Pacific (1879–83) opened a new and unprecedented era of prosperity for the Chilean economy. During the next forty years the export duty on nitrates fuelled a rapid increase in government revenues, and the entire domestic economy benefited from the development of the industry. Yet the incorporation of the nitrate industry into the national economy also appeared to signal a decline in the dynamism of the Chilean economic elite. Despite the dominant role which Chilean entrepreneurs had played in the development of the national economy prior to the war, 69 per cent of the nitrate industry was in British hands by 1890.


Major constraints to cropping systems intensification in coastal Bangladesh include the lack of fresh water for irrigation, soil salinity, excess moisture in the soils at planting time for dry season (DS) crops and the dominance of long duration wet season (WS) rice cultivars including low yield potential of local cultivars (LCs). This study aimed to find out suitable high yielding, short duration potential wet season rice cultivars to fit into the cropping system to enhance system productivity through timely planting DS non-rice and rice crops in the coastal zone. Thus, varietal trials on seven WS rice cultivars released by BRRI that have high yield potential were conducted at Dacope, Khulna and Amtali, Barguna over three years (2016-2018) to compare the performance of those cultivars with local cultivars. From these trials, BRRI dhan76 was the most preferred variety of farmers in Dacope while BRRI dhan77 was rated second in Amtali because of better performance (0.5-1 t ha-1 yield advantage) and environmental suitability at planting and harvesting time. However, BRRI dhan54 was the most preferred variety of farmers in Amtali due to higher yield potential and shorter lifecycle (about 25-30 days) than that of LCs. The key drivers of farmer preference are (i) the cultivar performance in its own right, as well as (ii) how well they facilitate the timely planting of DS crops (Boro rice, sunflower, maize and vegetables). DS crops performed better with early sowing by escaping salinity and moisture stress. Thus, large scale dissemination of the WS transplanted aman (T. aman) cultivars may create an opportunity for enhancing total system productivity, largely through cropping system intensification. As a result, rice grain self-sufficiency and farm income will be increased notably without adverse impacts on the environment. Thus, there is potential for this approach to be replicated in other areas for cropping intensification in the coastal zone of Bangladesh.


A method is proposed for eliminating baseline distortions due to spurious ringings in Fourier transform NMR spectra involving broad resonances. It is based on the pulse sequence (π/2)–(Acquistion/Add)–π–τ–(π/2) (Acquisition/Subtract). τ is of the order of, or shorter than, the spectrometer recovery time. The sensitivity of the method is discussed.


Efficacy study of 50% Hexaconazole WDG(water dispersible granules)against rice sheath blight were carried on.The results indicated relativity good control of rice sheath blight.The control efficiency in Hectares with the pharmaceutical 90 g/hm2,120 g/hm2,150 g/hm2 on rice sheath blight was 70.67 %,72.62% and 74.49%,respectively.While,it had good safety.It suggested that the dosage should be 120~150 g/hm2.Spraying 50% Hexaconazole WDG(water dispersible granules) twice at seven-day interval was appropriate.


The strong relationship between family background and school performance among secondary pupils is a well-established finding in the cross-national comparative literature (Van de Werfhorst and Mijs 2010) and for Scotland (Sosu and Ellis 2014). "Closing the attainment gap" between children from lower and higher socioeconomic backgrounds is the main priority of the Scottish government's education policy (Scottish Government 2016). A potential mechanism that may help to account for the association between family background and school performance is school absenteeism. Being absent from school may result from legitimate (e.g. sickness) or illegitimate reasons (e.g. truancy), as well as exclusion from school. In the school year 2014/2015, the total rate of absence for secondary schools in Scotland was 8.1% with significant differences between low (12%) and high-income (5.5%) neighbourhoods (Scottish Government, 2015). Several studies have found that school absenteeism is linked to lower educational achievement (Aucejo and Romano 2016; Buscha and Conte 2014; Gottfried 2011; London, Sanchez and Castrechini 2016; Steward et al. 2008). This is because absent students miss out on teacher-led lessons, peer interactions or activities that may stimulate their learning and ultimately their performance in exams. In addition, they might feel less integrated into their class and struggle to participate in classroom activities and interactions with peers and teachers which, in turn, is detrimental to their learning. Importantly, school absenteeism may be particularly harmful for children from lower socio-economic backgrounds as their parents have neither the time nor resources to compensate for school absence by supporting their children in engaging with the content of the missed school lessons. The relationship between family background and school absenteeism may operate through health-related behaviour (e.g. Moonie et al. 2006), environmental hazards (e.g. Currie et al. 2009), residential and school mobility (Nolan et al. 2013), family structure and environment (Evans 2004), and parental employment characteristics (Han 2005). Although a few studies show that students from the lower socio-economic background are more often absent from school (Attwood and Croll 2006; Nolan et al. 2013; Theriot, Craun and Dupper 2010), they do not address if and and to what extent parental resources are associated with absenteeism. Additionally, it is not clear if students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds or specific family structures are more likely to experience particular forms of absenteeism- such as exclusion- possibly due to the tendency for teacher bias towards students from low-income households (Campbell, 2015). Finally, it is not clear if boys and girls from different socioeconomic backgrounds experience absenteeism in the same way. This study attempts to fill the existing knowledge gaps in trying to answer the following questions: 1. To what extent do different socioeconomic factors (parental education, parental class or neighbourhood deprivation) and family structures (Eg. single parent, number of siblings) determine school absenteeism? 2. Do students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds or specific family structures differ in their experience of particular forms of school absenteeism (legitimate absence, truancy and exclusion)? 3. Drawing on the theory of intersectionality, does the relationship between socioeconomic backgrounds and school absenteeism differ between boys and girls?


SUMMARY Right andleft ventricular function was assessed in25children (meanage atstudy12-2 yearsandatoperation 2.6years) after aMustard repair fortransposition ofthegreatarteries. Gated first passandgated equilibrium radionuclide ventriculography was performed on allpatients atrest andduring supine bicycle exercise. Themean right ventricular ejection fraction didnotincrease withexercise byeither technique. Individual results forright ventricular ejection fraction showed that withthegated equilibrium technique 71%hadanabnormal exercise response(normal response being an increase inejection fraction >5%)andwiththegatedfirst pass technique 61%had abnormal results. Although themean left ventricular ejection fraction increased significantly with exercise, 35%ofpatients hadan abnormal exercise responsewiththeequilibrium technique and 41%withthefirst passtechnique. There was noevidence ofapredictive relation between ventricular function andany clinical orhaemodynamic variable examined. Covert right andleft ventricular dysfunction can frequently bedetected byexercise radionucide ventriculography inlongterm survivors ofrepair fortransposition ofthegreatarteries. Theprognostic consequencesofthese findings areunclear atpresent. Asthere hasbeenanotable reduction intheincidence ofthemajor technical surgical problems ofthebaffle operation fortransposition ofthegreat arteries, attention isnowbeing focused onthelongtermsurvivors, particularly withregard toright ventricular dysfunction. Thishasbeendetected atrestbycontrast angiography' 2andbyechocardiography.3 Radionuclide ventriculography isaless invasive methodof determining ventricular function thancontrast angiography andhastheadvantage ofbeing ableto assess functional ventricular reserve withthestress of exercise.4 Thisstudywastherefore carried outto determine right andleft ventricular function inlong termsurvivors oftheMustard operation byradionuclide ventriculography atrest andduring supine bicycleexercise. Clinical andhaemodynamic variables Requests forreprints toDrAlexVenables, Department ofCardiology, RoyalChildren's Hospital, Flemington Road,Melbourne 3052, Australia.


.............................................................................................................................. vii Chapter 1: Overview and Rationale of the Study .................................................................. 1 1.1 Context and Rationale of the Study ............................................................................. 1 1.2 Theoretical Grounding of the Study ............................................................................ 2 1.3 Overview of the Research Methodology ..................................................................... 3 1.4 Outline of Chapters ...................................................................................................... 5 1.5 Chapter Summary ........................................................................................................ 5 Chapter 2: Emerging Adulthood and Gender Identity .......................................................... 6 2.1 Emerging Adulthood ................................................................................................... 6 2.1.1 Definition of emerging adulthood. ........................................................................ 6 2.1.2 Aspects of emerging adulthood. ........................................................................... 7 2.2 Identity Development during Emerging Adulthood .................................................. 10 2.2.1 Erikson's psychosocial stages of development. .................................................. 11 2.2.2 Marcia's identity status theory. ........................................................................... 12 2.2.3 Narrative approaches to identity. ........................................................................ 14 2.2.4 Social identity theory. ......................................................................................... 15 2.3 Gender Identity and Related Concepts ...................................................................... 16 2.3.1 Definitions and conceptualisations of gender identity and related terms. .......... 16 2.3.2 Perspectives on gender identity. ......................................................................... 17 126.96.36.199 The nature versus nurture debate. ................................................................ 18 22.214.171.124 The gender continuum theory. ..................................................................... 18