This research explores a property strategic alliance of amplifiers and speakers manufacturers in Taiwan. By depth interviews with top managers and base on Porter's Five Forces Analysis (1979) [11], Value-Chain(1985) [13], and Alliance theory, a specialist questionnaire is utilized to establish a complete evaluation framework for amplifiers and speakers manufacturers. Moreover, according to a Typology of Alliance(Yoshino and Rangan, 1995) [17], and alliance seeking firm most takes into account two managerial dimensions: cooperation and competition or, more generally, cooperation and conflict. In this research, we referred to these forces and typology as micro environment view. Firms are able to apply their core competences with these forces and typology as main tools in technological development, globalization of the economy and competitive pressure to lower costs. Furthermore, companies have responded by introducing lean production and flexible organizations with a high innovation capability. Strategic alliance in the reorganization of the relations to the other actors, notably customers, and suppliers is important; therefore, interdependent relationships in this industry are emphasized. Finally, the evaluation framework and results can be used as a guide for amplifiers and speakers manufacturers to review, improve, and enhance the strategic alliance in the future.


As the subtitle reveals, this is a book devoted to one of the most distinguished philosophers of our time, Robert Brandom, a thinker whose importance for the debate on topics such as meaning, truth, rationality, objectivity, agreement, holism, compositionality – to name just a few of them – is hardly deniable. Thousands among articles and books have been dedicated in the last two decades to the evaluation of Brandom's thought, but still considerably few are the works in the Italian panorama d...


This research systematically reviews the scientific contributions published so far in the field of knowledge management in construction and to establish the influence of knowledge management in the companies of this sector. To this end, this paper describes the results obtained from a bibliometric study that involved a quantitative and a qualitative analysis of the current state of knowledge management of companies in the construction industry. The research method was divided into the following stages: preliminary literature approach, establishment of search strategies, selection and classification of papers, quantitative analysis, and discussion of relevant papers. Three main factors were identified: generation of knowledge, knowledge transfer, and use and exploitation of knowledge; five complementary facets were also identified: culture, innovation, quality, information technology, and human factors. Results show that, overall, companies in this sector have no coordinated knowledge management strategy, and that they must still make a greater effort to improve business competitiveness, especially in the use and exploitation of knowledge generated at the worksite.


The pastoral indigenous communities living in southern Africa at the start of the colonial period were the fi rst to be dispossessed of their rights in land. They had exercised these rights in terms of their customary law systems for centuries before the arrival of non-indigenous settlers in 1652. During the nineteenth century, the fi nal acts of dispossession of land took place in terms of racially discriminatory legislation and administrative actions, just like the dispossession of land that took place after 19 June 1913. However, the descendants of these communities are unable to claim restoration of their rights in land in terms of the constitutional land reform programme. This contribution identifi es the customary law rights in land of these communities and compares such rights with the rights that non-indigenous settlers had in the land used as grazing on loan places. This comparison shows that the rights in land used * BA (Stell) LLB LLM (RAU) LLD (Pretoria); advocate of the High Court, state law adviser in the Offi ce of the Chief State Law Adviser. This contribution is based on parts of my doctoral thesis entitled The History of the Occupation of Land in the Cape Colony and the Eff ect Thereof on Land Law and Constitutionally Mandated Land Reform (University of Pretoria, 2019).


All costs incurred in a produce life cycle consist of quality loss and manufacturing costs.In this paper we present a new approach for robust tolerance design to make total cost minimum.The method adapts Response Surface Methodology to carry through robust tolerance design.


Spacing is one of the orthography to read and write a text effectively. In east oriental countries, there is not the spacing orthography. People wrote...


The aim of Mr. MCADAM ECCLES'S book on Hernia" is, in the words of the author, chiefly to consider " the aspect of actual treatment." There is, however, a general description of the etiology, pathology, and symptoms of the various forms of hernia, given at moderate length This latter portion of the book is not wholly satisfactory. There is a hesitancy in the description of symptoms, a lack of emphasis, and of vivid portrayal. The author is evidently desirous to set down carefully all the symptoms, all the alternative diagnoses, all the arguments on both sides of almost every question, to give in tabular form all the circumstances worthy, or even unworthy, of mention. It would have been better to have given clear and effective descriptions, the outcome of intimate personal experience. There is, in fact, in this part of the book a lack of relative emphasis, an absence of perspective. The best feature of the volume is that which deals with the treatment of hernia, and more particularly that having reference to the application of trusses. Owing to his appointment to the City of London Truss Society, Mr. Eccles has had a very wide experience in the treatment of all forms of hernia by mechanical appliances, and this experience he has embodied in a series of chapters, which, beautifully illustrated, should result in a better and wider knowledge of this very important subject. The surgeon too often considers that his duty to the patient ends with the ordering of the truss, the result being that the instrument-maker supplies, with little skill and no compunction, that implement which seems to him most suitable. The surgeon would do well, however, to see to the fitting of the truss himself, and as a help to him no better guide could be desired than this work of Mr. Eccles. The illustrations, many of them original, are exceedingly well done, and are remarkable both for clearness and accuracy.


The SmA–SmC phase transition in number of different Liquid Crystals has been investigated by electrooptic and dielectric techniques. The critical exponent β was determined from the fitting of the temperature dependence of tilt angle and spontaneous polarization in SmC phase. The value of β is found to be dependent on the fitting temperature range. The critical exponent γ was determined from the temperature dependence of the electroclinic coefficient and dielectric intensity of the soft mode. For all studied substances the value of γ is 1.32 ± 0.03 supporting de Gennes' model for SmA–SmC transition.


Design considerations for the construction of a very low momentum (approx. 400 MeV/c) K/sup -/ beam at a high-flux proton accelerator are discussed. Possible uses of such a beam are described.


Rsxico possesses, in different gsologic environ ments, a large geothermal potential. The installed caz pacity for generating electricity from high enthalpy hydrothermal systems amounts to 645 AW. It is expected to increase this capacity at short term by bringing -into production geothermal systems located in the TPVB (Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt). The TRVR hosts most of the developed or promising geothermal areas (Alonso et al., 1985), which can be related to the historic and present day volcanism featuring this province. To the W of the TMWB, next to Guadalajara City, is located -the geothermal field of la Primavera. This field is -associated to a Pleistocenic rhyolitic caldera. The feasibility for generating electricity from this field has been well established through different geological geochemical, and geophysical studies, and by the explo ratory wells. Current studies are aimed to assist its development, i.e. to characterize the geothermal sys-tern and to define its extension, In this context, a -gravity study was conducted to obtain information on the structure of this silicic caldera. Oata of a gra-vity survey were processed (regional-residual separa-tion, upward and downward continuations, vertical derivatives, and filtering). Gravity modelling (Z-D in-version, 2-D and 3-D forward modelling) was also done. The caldera is featured by a complex structure. A se-ries of structural highs and lows were observed inside the caldera. The major structural trends affecting --these structures belong to the regional structural fabric. A correlation with geochemical and hydrological data enabled to establish a geologic framework for the prevailing conceptual hydrogeological model.


With the continuous development of tourism, the integration of the Internet of Things (IoT) into tourism projects is considered a very promising technology. Smart tourism aims to use the IoT to maximize information communication; that is, the IoT technology will become an important element to meet the needs of a new generation of tourists. Therefore, in this study, we propose a human-guided machine learning classification method based on tourist selection behavior. This classification method can effectively help tourists make a decision in choosing a certain tourist destination. The results obtained from the cross-validation experiments and performance evaluation prove the effectiveness of this method.


The goal of this work was to develop an LC‐MRM assay for the quantitative analysis of a set of established and diagnostically important cytokeratin (CK) markers used in cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy monitoring. Second, the potential of this assay in lung cancer diagnosis through pleural effusion (PE) analysis was examined.


The possibility of combining load history with ultrasound signal information offers, potentially, an extremely powerful method for determining the structural health of a structure. Here we describe how suitably configured fibre Bragg grating arrays can be used to both monitor strain fields and to detect the magnitude and direction of ultrasound waves. The directional responses of fibre Bragg gratings to both static and ultrasonic strain fields have been investigated and the results used to enable the FBGs to be configured into rosettes. These can be interrogated to give both the magnitude and direction of either the principle static strain or an incident ultrasound Lamb wave. Measurement of the static strains enables us to perform strain mapping and hence determine load history, whilst ultrasound detection allows us to monitor a structure for defects such as cracks. If Lamb waves are generated by, for instance, PZTs bonded to the structure, comparing signals from the rosette with data previously obtained for the healthy structure allows possible defects to be identified and located. Location is carried out by calculating the intersection point of ultrasound direction from 2 or more rosettes. The geometry of the rosette configuration is described, together with the parameters affecting efficient strain transfer and the optimisation of FBG interrogation techniques.


In this paper,the size of the exceptional set in Nevanlinna's second fundamental theorem for certain classes of meromorphic functions is studied and some results about relations between the size of the exceptional set and the growth of the characteristic function of meromorphic function are obtained which generalizes the former theorems.


Thomas R. Johnson and Lynne S. Steinbach, editors. Rosemont, Illinois: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; 2004. 927 pages. $115.00 ($95.00 AAOS member, $85.00 resident).

Having hit upon a recipe for success with the initial book in its Essentials series (Essentials of Musculoskeletal Care), the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons has enlisted a superb team of editors from the fields of orthopaedics and radiology to oversee the publication of Essentials of Musculoskeletal Imaging, a comprehensive yet concise reference text.

Form follows function in this easy-to-use reference …


Numerous modifications to the Van der Waals model have been presented over the years with the aim of representing with increasing accuracy the thermodynamics of complex systems. As a matter of facts, the most of those do not incorporate a substantial difference in the functional combination of attractive and repulsive forces, with respect to the original formulation introduced by Van der Waals. Although the analytical expressions of the repulsive and attractive terms proposed in literature do not correctly quantify the actual repulsive and attractive contribution to pressure, their sum results in a quantitative representation of fluid properties being sufficiently accurate to make their combination the "cornerstone of the generalized van der Waals theory". From the Van der Waals proposal, even the most successful two-parameter cubic equations of state (EoS) still express their attractive and repulsive term by introducing a parameter a, which is a measure of the attractive forces ("energy parameter") between molecules, and the parameter b, which is a measure of the size ("intrinsic volume" or "co-volume") of the molecules. The pure-component a energy parameter is directly proportional to the temperature-dependent alpha function α(T) which is a measure of how the a parameter deviates from its critical value. A wide variety of α-functions has been proposed over the past years. Those contain parameters which are adjusted according to different criteria: either over a whole set of components or for each specie ("generalized" versus "component-specific" α-function); either considering the whole temperature domain or specifically in the subcritical or supercritical regions ("overall" versus "domain-specific" α-function). Furthermore, among the mostly applied formulations, two different functional forms are identifiable: polynomial and exponential forms.


Preface. Introduction. Overview of the Possible Causes and Recommendations. Light and Lighting. Medical Aspects. Psychological Issues. Maintenance. Human Resource Management. Legal Issues. Design for Manageability. Expert Systems. Assessment and Rectification. Useful Addresses. Index.


This article presents some thoughts, such as reasonably considering the quality of the source of freshmen, paying much attention to the adjustment of structure and overall arrangement of high education, changing the traditional ideas of teaching quality, practically establishing the thought of positioning universities according to their levels, which are very essential to the sound development of higher education in China.


Alluvial gullies are often formed in dispersible sodic soils along steep banks of incised river channels. Field data collected by Shellberg et al. (Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 38: 1765–1778, 2013) from a gully outlet in northern Australia showed little hysteresis between water discharge and fine (<63 µm) and coarse (>63 µm) suspended sediment, indicating transport‐limited rather than source‐limited conditions. The major source of the fine (silt/clay) component was the sodic soils of upstream gully scarps, and the coarser (sand) component was sourced locally from channel bed material. In this companion paper at the same study site, a new method was developed for combining the settling velocity characteristics of these two sediment source components to estimate the average settling velocity of the total suspended sediment. This was compared to the analysis of limited sediment samples collected during flood conditions. These settling velocity data were used in the steady‐state transport limit theory of Hairsine and Rose (Water Resources Research 28: 237–243, 245–250, 1992) that successfully predicted field data of concentrations and loads at a cross‐section, regardless of the complexity of transport‐limited upstream sources (sheet erosion, scalds, rills, gullies, mass failure, bank and bed erosion, other disturbed areas). The analysis required calibration of a key model parameter, the fraction of total stream power (F ≈ 0.025) that is effective in re‐entraining sediment. Practical recommendations are provided for the prediction of sediment loads from other alluvial gullies in the region with similar hydrogeomorphic conditions, using average stream power efficiency factors for suspended silt/clay (Fw ≈ 0.016) and sand (Fs ≈ 0.038) respectively, but with no requirement for field data on sediment concentrations. Only basic field data on settling velocity characteristics from soil samples, channel geometry measurements, estimates of water velocity and discharge, and associated error margins are needed for transport limit theory predictions of concentration and load. This theory is simpler than that required in source‐limited situations. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The purpose of this paper is to examine the history of international monies and the theory related to their adoption and use. We summarize the history of international monies, beginning with a discussion of the gold solidus introduced in the fourth century by the Emperor Constantine, continuing with the currencies of the Italian city states and ending with the currencies that have functioned as international monies from the early modern period to the present. We identify four key characteristics of these currencies: high unitary value; relatively low inflation rates for long periods; issuance by major economic and trading powers; and spontaneous, as opposed to planned, adoption internationally. We conclude with a theoretical discussion of these common characteristics that explains much of this history.


Floire & Blancheflor and the European Romance. By Patricia E. Grieve. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1997. xiii + 240 pages. Professor Grieves Floire and Blancheflor (FB) is a construct rather than a "thing." To be sure, a paradigmatic plot unites all surviving versions: a Muslim boy and a Christian girl grow up together, they eventually fall in love, but religious and class differences render their union impossible, and they are forcibly separated from one another. Unbearably distressed, Floire goes in search of his beloved. After many adventures, the lovers are reunited and all ends well. Grieves forematter and initial chapter review scholarship devoted to the FB tale over the past century and a half. However, rather than propose alternative ways of looking at her material, as, e.g., Joseph Be dier did with respect to Gaston Paris' approach to the Old French fabliaux, she employs an essentially genetic, and "positivist," stance in order to situate a Spanish version of the story inserted in a fourteenth-c. reworking of the Alfonsine Estonia de Espana (Biblioteca Nacional Ms 7583, discovered by Jose Gomez Perez in the early 1960s), a text she labels the Cronica de Flores y Blancaflor. Grieve contends, then, that the existence of this Spanish work requires our reexamining issues of chronology and priority of the many texts reflecting her "European" Romance of Floire and Blancheflor. G6mez' discovery, she avers, hints at the anteriority of a lost Arabic, or (eventually Christianized) Hispano-Arabic, Ur-Roman predating the earliest surviving European versions-the two OFr verse traditions dating from the twelfth century. Certain traits of the Middle Dutch and Old Norse versions of FB are replicated in BN Ms 7583, and that fact suggests that all three eventually derive from a lost common source, probably Iberian. Many conjectures are embedded in this study; space limitations permit discussion of only one. As Grieve notes, while the lovers are together in bed (40-1), "Claris dissembles when the emir questions her about Blancheflor's lateness one morning: `Gloris respont: >' (Vv. 2534-36, ed. Leclanche MS A). `Chris, essaying to explain/Said, >' (Vv. 2332-5, Hubert [tr.]). Grieve further remarks that the kind of book read by our heroine is not mentioned, yet it is identified as a "religious book" in the Dutch, the Norse, the MHG, as well as in the "southern version" offered by MS BN 7583. This leads her to claim that "the southern version and the other northern versions derive from another strain." But nothing in Leclanche's OFr text contradicts one's imputing a religious nature to Blancheflor's book. On the contrary, OFr a joie, improperly Englished (for the rhyme's sake?) as `delight,' frequently carries the implication of spiritual wholeness and serenity in OFr, as in the pope's admonition to the Romans saddened by St. Alexis' death ("Cui que seit duels, a nostre ues est il joie") in OFr Life of Saint Alexis (ca. 10801100). Also, is it not quite proper that a young Christian maiden spend time browsing in her Psalter? Claris surely is attempting to convince a skeptical emir with regard to her friend's virtue by describing her as seeking his spiritual well-being. Furthermore, whereas in OFr a joie's spiritual connotations of joy would have been self-evident, thereby rendering the specification of the book's nature superfluous, Grieve does not make clear that the same prevails, or does not prevail, in the other languages she adduces. I know of no Castilian counterpart to OFr joi or joie apart from goce and its congeners; by the fourteenth century that term's other, erotically charged meanings may have rendered its use in this context hazardous. Meanwhile, the Provencalism gioia certainly thrived in thirteenth- and fourteenth-c. …


Severe ischemic diseases are often caused by atherosclerotic occlusion of arteries supplying blood to the myocardium or limbs. In such cases, transluminal angioplasty or bypass surgery is the most effective strategy for restoring blood supply in the affected arteries. However, in patients with severe ischemic heart disease or peripheral artery disease who cannot undergo bypass surgery or angioplasty, therapeutic angiogenesis is an effective means of preserving the integrity of tissues.1 Therapeutic angiogenesis is mediated by either injection of angiogenic cytokines, such as vascular endothelial growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor, and hepatocyte growth factor; or implantation of angiogenic cells, including bone marrow mononuclear cells, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and endothelial progenitor cells.1

See accompanying article on page 1300

Several studies have demonstrated successful therapeutic angiogenesis using autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells in patients with critical limb ischemia, such as the Therapeutic Angiogenesis with Cell Transplantation (TACT) trial.2 Although the safety and efficiency …


Data to be viewed in a secure environment 114 is stored in a container 112 with programming for providing access to the data 116. The data is also is associated with at least one system resource access permission 118 for enforcing data transfer restrictions. Access to the data is provided following a request from a recipient system 102. The data access program is executed to establish a secure browser environment 122 on the recipient system, the secure browser providing access to the data. Requests made in the secure browser for transfer of the data outside the secure environment are evaluated against the system resource access permissions to see if the request is permitted. The data and the data access program may be stored remotely, and the execution of the environment carried out by the remote system. Evaluated requests may include transfer to/from a clipboard, transmission over a network, and sending data to a printer.


We use the Jacobi-Trudi formula to execute"explicit"evaluation of determinants of Stirling numbers of both kinds. We also offer a Maple package accompanying the paper on the personal websites at the end of the second page.


Journal of South Asian Development, 7, 1 (2012): 65–79 between interdependence and economic self-sufficiency, between identity and convergence' (p. 164). Development Disparities in Northeast India is quick and effortlessly easy to read; however, despite this being a rather small volume there are a number of repetitions and slightly too much signposting and extensive quotations throughout the book. Additionally, a conclusion to the volume is by some means omitted— the conclusion of the last chapter is limited to the themes of chapter six. Bhattacharya uses a lot of tables, graphs and figures, which complement her argument and make the readings more stimulating and comprehensible. Furthermore, the author uses government records, case studies, and oral interviews as primary sources to supplement secondary sources, which make this a well-researched contribution to the economic studies of north-eastern India. This book is recommendable to students, researchers, and politicians and legislators in the fields of economics, development, security, conflict and insurgency.


Two previously unreported PbTiO3-Bi(B′B″)O3 type solid solution systems possessing a high dielectric transition Curie temperature (TC) at their morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) were investigated. Both Bi(B′B″)O3 type compounds, Bi(Mg1∕2Ti1∕2)O3 and Bi(Mg1∕2Zr1∕2)O3, possess a low tolerance factor and display extensive solid solubility with PbTiO3. Dielectric and structural properties of the MPB systems were measured. Using a relationship presented in this paper, which relates the tolerance factor and the position of the MPB in PbTiO3 based systems, the approximate compositional position of the MPB in these systems was accurately predicted prior to synthesis. It is proposed that this relationship can be used as a guide in the search for PbTiO3 based MPB systems.


XplA is a cytochrome P450 of unique structural organization, consisting of a heme- domain that is C-terminally fused to its native flavodoxin redox partner. XplA, along with flavodoxin reductase XplB, has been shown to catalyze the breakdown of the nitramine explosive and pollutant hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (royal demolition explosive) by reductive denitration. The structure of the heme domain of XplA (XplA-heme) has been solved in two crystal forms: as a dimer in space group P21 to a resolution of 1.9 Å and as a monomer in space group P21212 to a resolution of 1.5 Å, with the ligand imidazole bound at the heme iron. Although it shares the overall fold of cytochromes P450 of known structure, XplA-heme is unusual in that the kinked I-helix that traverses the distal face of the heme is broken by Met-394 and Ala-395 in place of the well conserved Asp/Glu plus Thr/Ser, important in oxidative P450s for the scission of the dioxygen bond prior to substrate oxygenation. The heme environment of XplA-heme is hydrophobic, featuring a cluster of three methionines above the heme, including Met-394. Imidazole was observed bound to the heme iron and is in close proximity to the side chain of Gln-438, which is situated over the distal face of the heme. Imidazole is also hydrogen-bonded to a water molecule that sits in place of the threonine side-chain hydroxyl exemplified by Thr-252 in Cyt-P450cam. Both Gln-438 → Ala and Ala-395 → Thr mutants of XplA-heme displayed markedly reduced activity compared with the wild type for royal demolition explosive degradation when combined with surrogate electron donors.


The operating limits for radionuclides in sanitary and industrial wastes were determined for a proposed landfill at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP), Kentucky. These limits, which may be very small but nonzero, are not mandated by law or regulation but are needed for rational operation. The approach was based on analyses of the potential contamination of groundwater at the plant boundary and the potential exposure to radioactivity of an intruder at the landfill after closure. The groundwater analysis includes (1) a source model describing the disposal of waste and the release of radionuclides from waste to the groundwater, (2) site-specific groundwater flow and contaminant transport calculations, and (3) calculations of operating limits from the dose limit and conversion factors. The intruder analysis includes pathways through ingestion of contaminated vegetables and soil, external exposure to contaminated soil, and inhalation of suspended activity from contaminated soil particles. In both analyses, a limit on annual effective dose equivalent of 4 mrem (0.04 mSv) was adopted. The intended application of the results is to refine the radiological monitoring standards employed by the PGDP Health Physics personnel to determine what constitutes radioactive wastes, with concurrence of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.


Pedagogical factors of developing the reflexive culture in future mid-level professionals are grounded in the article; the set of methods, techniques and means of their creation in the course of training in secondary vocational schools is given.


Jalapa de Diaz Mazatec is unusual in contrasting three phonation types (breathy, modal, and laryngealized) and three tone heights: low, mid, and high, including tone contours. Using the acoustic measures H1‐H2, H1‐A2, and cepstral peak prominence (CPP), previous research has shown that the three phonation types on mid tones are best distinguished at the beginning of the vowel, with each phonation gradually tending toward breathiness [Blankenship (2002)]. The present study extends previous findings by investigating tone and phonation interactions in over 650 Mazatec words and for a large range of acoustic measures. The speech samples, from the UCLA Phonetics Archive, were produced by six female and eight male speakers and vary across the three phonation types and two tonal groups (non‐low and low). Using the voice analysis program VOICESAUCE [Shue et al. (2009)], acoustic measures such as harmonic amplitudes, F0, energy, CPP, formants, and bandwidths were extracted. The results generally support previous f...


According to the Big Five theory, personality can be classified into five traits (i.e., extraversion, neuroticism, conscientious-ness, agreeableness, and openness), and past research showed that situations impact personality. In the present study, (1) we measured which of these five personality traits changed according to different situations and (2) tested whether the across-situation variability (ASV; i.e., a continuous variable showing how much people change their personality traits ac-cording to situations) was significantly connected with specific personality domains, revealing a potential marker of person-ality disturbance.We recruited 80 participants (40 women) to complete the five situation-version (family, work, friends, romantic partner, and hobbies/leisure) of the Big Five Inventory to measure whether personality traits significantly changed across these situa-tions. In addition, we ran a network analysis to reveal how the ASV is related to personality traits.The findings showed that all traits significantly changed across the situations, except openness, which remained stable. The network analysis revealed that the ASV variable was especially connected with conscientiousness (in romantic partner and family situations).Most personality traits were flexible, showing how important it is to consider the role of situations in the study of personal-ity. Openness appeared to be particularly stable and understanding its nature represents a challenge for future studies. Final-ly, the network analysis demonstrated that the ASV shows specific connections with conscientiousness and might be a potential psychopathology marker.


Ethnically differentiated societies are often regarded as dysfunctional, with poor economic performance and a high risk of violent civil conflict. The author distinguishes between dominance, in which one group constitutes a majority, and fractionalization, in which there are many small groups. In terms of overall economic performance, the research shows that both theoretically and empirically, fractionalization is normally unproblematic in democracies, although it can be damaging in dictatorships. In terms of the risk of civil war, the author shows that both theoretically and empirically fractionalization actually makes societies safer, while dominance increases the risk of conflict. A policy implication is that fractionalized societies are viable and secession should be discouraged.


The potential of surface enhanced spectroscopy consists in the detection of very small but specific structures of biomaterials. Surface enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) yields fingerprint information on the biomaterials. Electronic interactions between individual groups in the molecule are detected by means of surface enhanced fluorescence (SEF). During the investigation of biomembranes with SEIRA a tenfold intensity enhancement could be obtained. Enhancement factors greater than 100 can be achieved with SEF. Enhancement is considerably influenced by the properties of the metal cluster structure. Biomembranes formed from vesicles containing the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor were spectroscopically characterized. The adsorption of the vesicles on Ge- and Ag surfaces was investigated. The metal cluster structure was optimized in order to obtain high intensity enhancement factors.


Polylactide/organic montmorillonite (PLA/OMMT) nanocomposites were prepared by melt-compounding technique. Dynamic and steady rheological properties, as well as dynamic mechanical and thermal stability of the nanocomposites were evaluated using various characterization tools. It was found that the rheological behaviors of nanocomposites were related with both temperatures and OMMT loadings. At low OMMT loadings, the steady-shear viscosities and the complex viscosities showed a Newtonian plateau in low frequency region or low shear rate region. At high OMMT loadings, strong shear-thinning behaviors were observed in the full range of frequencies or shear rates. The complex viscosities and the storage modulus gradually decreased in the full frequency region with increasing temperature. The results demonstrated that rheology of PLA/OMMT nanocomposites was mainly sensitive to OMMT loadings. The relaxation time spectrum indicated that the relaxation of the PLA macromolecular chains was strongly confined by the layers of OMMT. The mechanical properties measured by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and tensile test, and thermal stability of PLA/OMMT nanocomposites were improved at low OMMT loadings. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012


This chapter discusses disaster resilience. Recent major disasters and serious disruptions have put increased emphasis on how quickly an area can recover following a large-scale shock and have meant that disaster risk reduction or disaster resilience has grown in prominence. When we look at how to interpret the great transition from risk towards resilience in the early twenty-first century, then we can look to disasters for many explanations. Whether in terms of the relatively simple characterisation that sees risk viewed differently as the modern passes into the postmodern era, or how we get to grips with reframing disaster as a complex human-induced process rather than something that is 'natural' or divine, disasters illuminate many reasons why we need to invest in resilience as an urgent futureproofing strategy. Responses to disasters can also teach us lessons about a darker and more unethical side of resilience that needs to be surfaced.


We examine the low-energy spectrum and polarisation of the dipole moments of two static polar molecules under the influence of an external dc electric field and their anisotropic dipole-dipole interaction. We model the molecules as quantum rigid rotors to take their rotational degrees of freedom into account, and consider a selection of linear, symmetric and asymmetric top molecules. We provide a comprehensive examination of the energy spectra and polarisation of the dipoles for varying inter-molecular separation and direction of the electric field, and find that the properties of the molecules depend strongly on the field's direction at short separations, showing the importance of accounting for molecular rotation. Our results provide important insight into applications of cold molecules for quantum computation and molecular dipolar gases.


In the article there is the evaluation of the indexes of the external respiration (lung vital capacity, maximal breath volume, breath volume, breathing rate, minute pulmonary ventilation), which show the efficiency of exercises by the system of J. Pilates.


The East Asian summer monsoon and winter monsoon (EASM and EAWM) are two important components of the East Asian monsoon system. However, the relationship between the two components during the Holocene remains debated in the observation. Here, we use a set of simulations in CCSM3 to investigate the EASM‐EAWM relation across different timescales during the Holocene. It is shown that the intensities of EASM and EAWM are positively correlated at orbital timescale but negatively correlated from millennial down to multidecadal timescales. The positive correlation at orbital timescales is forced by the seasonal insolation forcing, while the negative correlation at millennial and shorter timescales is caused mainly by the internal variability of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and the subsequent teleconnection to East Asia via land‐sea thermal contrast.


AbstractThe coumarin content was investigated in different plant parts of Coronilla vaginalis from North East Italy. Two hydroxycoumarins, scopoletin and daphnoretin, and the furocoumarin, psoralen, were found. The hydroxycoumarins are not present in all the different plant parts considered: the flowers have neither, and scopoletin in its free form is found only in the stems; in the other parts scopoletin is present mainly in the bound form. On the other hand, daphnoretin, mainly in the free form, was found in all the parts except stems and flowers. The furocoumarin, psoralen, is present in C. vaginalis ubiquitously in free and bound forms, although the psoralen concentration varies greatly in different plant parts; the greatest quantity occurring in the flowers. In ripe fruits, seeds appear to be an accumulation site for bound psoralen. It is postulated that the accumulation of scopoletin in the roots may play an allelopathic role. Bound psoralen accumulates mainly in seeds, where it may play an allelopa...


Simon, the library director at a medium-sized college in a small town, admitted to being envious every time he saw an article about a similar college library, headed by Milly Jones. Milly had a library commons, Simon had a basement room with computers. Milly had treasure hunts in the library that attracted half of the student body, whereas Simon could barely get students to attend the mandatory orientation session. Milly had student groups falling over themselves to use the library for community service projects; Simon had never met with any of the student or community organizations. And to top it off, Milly had instituted a book festival that grew from a small affair on campus into a weekend-long tourist attraction for the area. Simon liked to think he had an attention-getting 'book of the month' display. For some reason, Simon's library just never hit the mark when compared to similar libraries. . Well, he was going to change that. Simon gathered the stack of articles about Jones' library and marched down to the conference room for the staff meeting. Together they would review what Jones had been able to do at her library and repeat it in theirs. What could go wrong? It is appealing to think that we can stand outside of a successful organization, repeat what we see, and create a successful organization of our own. However, it almost never works because we only think we know what is going on. The reality is that unless we are inside it, we cannot know an organization's truth.' In Groupthink: Group Dynamics and the Decision-Making Process, I introduced normative isomorphism – the idea that people with similar educational and professional backgrounds, and with behavior framed by the standardizing practices of professional associations – tend to think the same way about problems, decision-making, and problemsolving. In this article, I want to cover isomorphism more broadly and how knowing about it can frame the way we view organizational change – or the lack of it.


The existing range of the centrosymmetric, triclinic RE(OAc)3 · 2AcOH structure type has been extended for RE = Eu and Gd while the structure data of the Nd- and Sm-compounds have been revised and corrected, respectively, using low temperature (T = 100 K), well resolved (2θmax = 56°), highly redundant SCXRD data in order to evaluate the structural evolution within this class of acetic acid solvates by statistical methods. Within the nine-fold mono-capped square-antiprismatic coordination spheres of the RE3+ ions, RE-O distances decrease as a result of lanthanide contraction; some with different rates depending on the coordination modes (2.11/2.21) of the acetate ions. The experimental data show that the internal structural parameters of the acetate ions also correlate with their coordination modes. Both acetic acid molecules act as hydrogen bond donors but only one as monodentate ligand. The geometries of the hydrogen bonds reveal that they are strongly influenced by the size of the rare earth atom. The non-linear, one-dimensional coordination polymer propagates with unequal RE···RE distances along the a-axis. Rods of the coordination polymer are arranged in layers congruently stacked above each other with the hydrogen bonded acetic acid molecules as filler in between. In most cases, data fitting is best described in terms of a quadratic rather than a linear regression analysis.


This paper presented a Smart Nursery application for busy parents so that they can ensure the safety and proper care for their babies. This system can show the baby's motion, position and sound through live web-cam camera which is provided by the proposed smart application so that the parents or another responsible person can monitor the baby while away from him or her. This proposed smart application can provide a convenient and easy way for busy parents to take care of their babies. The proposed system was analyzed, design and developed using the Unified Modeling Language (UML), ASP.NET and HTML.


An important issue when applying object oriented integration testing is concerned with the decision about the classes' integration order. The classes need to be integrated one by one or, in some cases, in small clusters [7], since big-bang integration approach can not be directly applied. Concepts such as encapsulation, inheritance and polymorphism can increase integration testing complexity, mainly for those situations when developers need to identify a set of criteria (heuristics) to break down the dependences among classes. This paper describes a set of heuristics applied to UML class diagrams that allows classes' integration priority order identification. The number of stubs needed for testing is used as an effort measure. Such heuristics, when compared with the other existent approaches, can be applied in higher abstraction level (design) making possible decisions anticipation regarding the integration testing planning. A case study demonstrates its use and shows the results comparison with other related studies found in technical literature. Key-Words: Integration Test, Integration Order, Object-Oriented Software Engineering, Experimentation.


In this paper,the technique of developing gyroscope testing-system based on VB6.0 is introduced.The feature and driver function of PCL-816 data acquisition card are explained in detail.The data acquisition,data processing,output of graphics,database and datareport are introduced on experimentation of moment.


Checkpoint inhibitors as anti-Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte-Associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) and anti-Programmed Cell Death Protein 1 (PD-1) agents are proven effective in metastatic melanoma, non-small-cell lung cancer and renal cell carcinoma.1 However their efficacy and safety in solid organ transplant recipients are not defined.

We report an ex-smoker 64-years-old white male who developed a end-stage chronic kidney disease due to acute renal ischemia in 2006. He underwent deceased-donor kidney transplantation (KT) in 2009 (HLA-mismatches : A1, B1, DR2, DQ2). Initial immmunosuppresive therapies included tacrolimus (FK), mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and prednisone. He had no history of rejection episode.

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An emerging body of work has critiqued the concept of climate adaptation, highlighting the structural constraints impeding marginalised communities across the Global South from being able to adapt. This article builds on such work through analysis of debt-bonded brick workers in Cambodia, formerly small farmers. It argues that the detrimental impacts of climate change experienced by farmers-turned-workers across the rural – urban divide is due to their precarity. In doing so, this article draws on a conceptualisation of precarity which recognises it as emerging from the specific political economy of Cambodia, and as something that is neither new, nor confined to conditions of labour alone. As such, in looking to precarity as a means of conceptualising the relations of power which shape impacts of climate change, we advance a 'climate precarity' lens as a means of understanding how adaptation to climate change is an issue of power, rooted in a specific geographical context, and mobile over the rural–urban divide.


Paraxnnchium laelificans (Andrassy, 1956) is redescribed based on specimens from several localities in Western Europe and Iraq, as well as specimens of P. magnidens Thorne, 1974 which is synonymized with P. laetificans. Measurements of specimens from various populations are tabulated, and important characters illustrated by means of line drawings and photomicrographs. The holotype of P. monohystera (Brzeski, 1964), which was found to be didelphic, is also redescribed. Doubt is expressed concerning the placement of the latter species in Paraxonchium.


In this correspondence, we characterize the probability of secrecy-outage and the asymptotic high-signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) ε-outage secrecy-capacity for a single-input-single-output-multi-eavesdropper (SISOME) wireless system with eavesdroppers performing maximum ratio combining (MRC) or selection diversity combining (SDC) reception. We also consider the SISO2E case with eavesdropper antenna-correlation and finally, analyze the scenario where the eavesdropper has Rician fading links with the transmitter.


This study aims to determine how big the influence of return on assets, return on equity, leverage, earnings per share on firm value in LQ45 index companies in 2017-2020. This study uses quantitative methods and uses secondary data as a data sources. The sampling technique used purposive sampling technique and obtained data as many as 104 samples of companies. The data analysis technique used is multiple regression analysis. The results showed that return on assets variable had a significant effect on firm value. Return on equity and leverage as proxied by debt to equity ratio (DER), both have an insignificant effect on firm value. Earnings per share variable has a significant effect on firm value.


Twenty-seven glasses were designed to assess the impacts of both sludge variation ({+-}5 or {+-}10% for the major sludge components) and waste loading (WL) (50 or 52%) on the Product Consistency Test (PCT) response after two thermal histories (quenching and a modified ccc schedule) within the Frit 202-A11-Sludge Batch 3 (SB3) system. The PCT results of the quenched glasses (regardless of compositional view) indicate that all Frit 202-A11-Sludge SB3 (referred to as HTLG) variability study glasses are very acceptable relative to the Environmental Assessment (EA) glass benchmark. More specifically, the normalized boron releases (NL [B] in g/L) range from 0.8 g/L (for HTLG-60VS based on the measured composition) to 1.384 g/L (HTLG-79VS based on the measured bias-corrected (bc) composition). These results can be compared to the NL [B] for the EA benchmark of 16.695 g/L. The PCT results of the quenched glasses are consistent with previous data in the Frit 202-A11-SB3 system. The PCT results for the ccc glasses are not as straight forward. The NL [B]s for the slow cooled glasses range from 0.607 g/L (for HTLG-57ccc based on the measured composition) to 9.42 g/L (for HTLG-67ccc based on the measured bc compositional view). Although these glasses would be classified as acceptable relative to the EA glass benchmark, the relatively high release of the slow cooled glasses would be of concern if this system were to be implemented into the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF). The PCT responses for those glasses in which either nepheline or both nepheline and aegirine formed upon slow cooling lead to a significant reduction in PCT response. Although the formation of aegirine has (in general) a slightly negative impact on the PCT response, the formation of nepheline and aegirine is a combination that has a high probability of leading to a significant reduction in durability upon slow cooling. With respect to the Cold Crucible Induction Melter (CCIM) demonstration, a clear cut delineation of sludge compositions and/or targeted WLs is desirable to avoid the formation of either of these phases. However, based on a statistical assessment of the PCT and X-ray diffraction (XRD) data, this direct relationship does not appear to exist for this sludge/frit system and identifying the nepheline and/or aegirine primary phase field is not readily apparent based on the limited data. In addition, the possibility to target higher WLs (> 50%) to avoid any negative impacts on durability as a result of crystallization, as previously done with the nominal SB3 composition, was dependent upon the sludge component combinations. Moreover, when composition variation is applied to the sludge, multiple sludge and frit combinations fall within the nepheline and/or aegirine phase fields even at 52% WL, which ultimately lead to a negative impact on durability. Nonetheless, the PCT results do suggest that the probability of observing the negative impact is lower at the higher WLs. Only 2 of the inner layer, 52% WL based glasses have NL [B] > 2 g/L after slow cooling as compared to 4 of the 9 inner layer EVs targeted 50% WL.


Foliar blight of potato caused by Aspergillus terreus is reported for the first time. The blight is characterized by a brown leaf apex amounting to 35‒65% of the total leaf surface. The pathogen was identified on the basis of morphological characters and ribosomal DNA sequence data. The fungus produced effuse white colonies, branched hyphae, broom-like conidiophores, and globose accessory conidia measuring 1.5‒2.3 μm in diameter. Koch's postulates were confirmed by performing pathogenicity test on healthy potato plants.


Blackleg disease, caused by Leptosphaeria maculans, is a serious threat to canola production in western Canada. While specific major resistance (R) genes can be effective, they can also be eroded rapidly by a shift in pathogen race composition. Quantitative resistance (QR) has the potential to provide more durable, if less complete, protection. However, the effectiveness of QR may vary widely in the field. It has long been suspected that elevated temperatures may limit the expression of QR. To test this hypothesis, the infection development of blackleg was assessed on three common Canadian canola cultivars (74-44 BL, PV 530 G and 45H29) showing QR, with and without a heat treatment of 7 h daily exposure to 32 °C for 1 week during rosette to early flowering under controlled environment conditions. The impact of elevated temperature on the susceptibility to blackleg was compared with that of a moderate temperature with a 22 °C daytime high. A susceptible cultivar, Westar, was used as a control. When data from both temperatures were pooled, all three QR cultivars showed lower blackleg severity relative to Westar. Elevated temperatures increased blackleg severity in Westar only (in terms of the stem-lesion length from the inoculation of the first true-leaf petiole in trials involving Westar and 74-44 BL) and in pooled data for disease severity index in trials involving Westar, PV 530 G and 45H29. These findings suggest that the QR traits in 74-44 BL, PV 530 G and 45H29 are useful for blackleg management in western Canada, especially under warmer growing conditions when plants are at the rosette to early flowering stages.


Diamond-Like Carbon films were deposited on Si substrate from the mixture of C2H2 and Ar by r.f.-d.c. plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The influence of deposition process on the density and distribution of void in Diamond-Like Carbon films was systematically studied by low energy positron beam. The results indicate that the density of void in Si substrate is the highest.A constant distribution of void was observed through the films, the density of void is lower, but the density of void in the surface layer is higher. The density of void starts to increase neal the interface and finally reaches the value of Si substrate. With the increasing of bias, the density of void in the films and the depth of interface decrease at first, then increase, and then decrease. The density of void in the films increases monotonous with the increasing of C2H2 percentage in the feed gas.


The atmosphere contains water vapors which humidifies it and later condenses in order to form cloud and subsequently rainfall. The falling of rain is an inevitably necessary thing for plants and animals, which in turn release water back to the atmosphere through evapotranspiration. Larger portion of water is obtained in the atmosphere through plant transpiration. Transpiration rate is relatively regulated by the opening and closing processes of stomata located on the leaf surfaces. Leaves of Borassus aethiopum, Oreodoxa regia and Cocos nucifera are hypoamphistomatic, epiamphistomatic and hypostomatic respectively. Tetracytic stomata were present in B. aethiopum and O. regia and paracytic stomata in C. nucifera. Stomatal size and density show differences from one species to another as feature, which influences rate of transpiration. O. regia has more stomata on its adaxial surface than abaxial (hypoamphistomatic), tetracytic stomata, large stomata and high stomatal density transpired at faster rate (7.63x10 -5 mol/m 2 /s) and humidifies the atmosphere faster than C. nucifera with paracytic stomata which were restricted to adaxial surface.


We give a didactic introduction to the use of the column generation technique in linear and in particular in integer programming. We touch on both, the relevant basic theory and more advanced ideas which help in solving large scale practical problems. Our discussion includes embedding Dantzig-Wolfe decomposition and Lagrangian relaxation within a branch-and-bound framework, deriving natural branching and cutting rules by means of a so-called compact formulation, and understanding and influencing the behavior of the dual variables during column generation. Most concepts are illustrated via a small example. We close with a discussion of the classical cutting stock problem and some suggestions for further reading. 1. Hands-On Experience Let us start right away by solving a constrained shortest path problem. Consider the network depicted in Figure 1.1. Besides a cost cij there is a resource consumption tij attributed to each arc (i, j) ∈ A, say a traversal time. Our goal is to find a shortest path from node 1 to node 6 such that the total traversal time of the path does not exceed 14 time units. To appear in Column Generation, G. Desaulniers, J. Desrosiers, and M.M. Solomon (Eds.), Springer, 2005.


this paper we present results of our initial res earch on genre tagging. We approach the task from information retr ieval perspec- tive using a relatively small number of labeled vid eos in the de- velopment set to mine query expansion terms characteristic of each genre. We also investigate which sources of in formation associated with the videos or extracted from their audio channel, e.g. title, description, tags and automatic speech recognition tran- scripts yield the highest improvement within our qu ery expansion framework. The experiments performed on MediaEval 2011 Genre Tagging dataset demonstrate the effectiveness of our ap- proach.


The Extreme Light Infrastructure Nuclear Physics facility (ELI-NP), under implementation in Bucharest-Magurele, Romania, will deliver very intense brilliant beams. Several very important nuclear reactions related to Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and other stages of stellar burning have been selected for the first measurement campaigns using dedicated instruments. We have recently measured the Li(γ,H)He reaction between 4 and 10 MeV at the HIγS facility on Duke University campus in USA. Tritons and alpha particles were detected in coincidence using the SIDAR array from ORNL. The beam intensity was monitored using multiple techniques: activation, Compton scattering, and the d(γ,n)p reaction. Details of the Li(γ,H)He experiment at HIγS, including the challenges of beam normalization and charged-particle measurements with gamma-ray beams, will be presented together with perspectives for future measurements at ELI-NP. An overview of the gamma beam monitoring instruments at ELI-NP will also be discussed.


The article is devoted to the analysis of the problem of the use of composite materials to strengthen building structures. Notes that Russia is currently intensively use of composite materials (fiber reinforced plastics) to strengthen reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete structures. It is shown that in the experimental and theoretical work devoted to the problem strengthen of concrete structures. There are a number of guidelines, recommendations, standards organizations and national regulations on the use of composites to strengthen of concrete structures. The article presents data as Russian and foreign regulations and guidelines on the use of composite materials to strengthen building structures. Indicates that almost all of them focused on the issue of use fiber reinforced plastics to strengthen reinforced concrete and reinforced concrete structures. Overwhelmingly they rely on foreign regulations and foreign experimental and theoretical studies. To calculate them are encouraged to use a technique of limiting states, but any reasonable justification for the applicability of this technique is not given. The proposed regulations are not always indicated on their recommendation, the documents are not supplied with applications that are justified, those sentences formula, provisions that are laid in these documents. In Russia, there are practically no experimental and theoretical studies of the problem of strengthening metal building constructions with composite materials. Listed in the bibliography of foreign publications can serve as a basis for the development of a preliminary version of a regulation on the use of composites for strengthening steel structures.


An integrated electrooptic Mach-Zehnder modulator with ridge structure has been designed and fabricated by using X-cut LiNbO 3 substrate. The key techniques of LiNbO 3 wet etching and large thick electrode fabricating are contributed to form the ridge structure for the modulator. Experimental results show that the ridge-type optical modulator has much more obvious advantages in increasing the modulation bandwidth compared with a conventional modulator with planar structure.


In order to evaluate the contribution of a hydroxyl group to the degree of sweetness of aspartyl dipeptides, we have synthesized a number of α-L-aspartyl dipeptides, such as the esters of α-L-aspartyl-L-hydroxynorleucine (16 and 17), -O-acyl-L-serine (18–21), -D-serine (22–28), -D-threonine (30–36), and -D-allothreonine (37–43); their sweetness potencies were compared with those of the corresponding dipeptides without a hydroxyl group. It has been found that a hydroxyl group makes a major contribution to the sweetness of the α-L-aspartyl dipeptide esters. Trie introduction of a hydroxyl group into the L-L peptides gave compounds with reduced potency. However, no such regularity was observed in the L–D peptides; the esters of α-L-aspartyl-D-serine (22–28) and -D-threonine (30–36) were sweeter than the corresponding esters of α-L-aspartyl-D-alanine and -D-α-amino-n-butyric acid respectively, while the esters of α-L-aspartyl-D-allothreonine (37–43) were less sweet than the corresponding esters of α-L-asparty...


Because traditional brake performance analysis did not involve in road factors,non-symmetrical degree of road input should be as an influence factor of brake performance and simulink united with carsim are used to simulate and analyse brake efficiency under non-symmetrical road input are proposed. The representative road input is to be as reference and vehicle brake model which road input can be controlled is established in simulink. Speed and axle distance are adopted to determine time delay so that the front and rear tires can go through the same road surface at the same probability. The equivalent steering wheel angle calculated by the model is used to define nonstable brake deflection. Then,brake acceleration and brake distance under different road inputs are simulated and analysed and the relationship among relevant coefficient,brake deflection speed and brake decay time is simulated and analysed. The results show that non-symmetrical degree of road input is positive relevance with brake acceleration fluctuation and is negative relevance with brake distance. Moreover,if the left and right road surfaces are not symmetrical,vehicle can more easily achieve non-stable brake deflection critical speed. Brake decay time and deflection speed are more sensitive to road input which relevant coefficient varies from 0 and 0. 2.


Comparative analysis the structural organisation of the human and rats thyroid gland in prenatal and postnatal periods onthogenesis on the grounds of literary facts and personal experimental investigation.


In this paper, we consider the problem of portfolio optimization. The risk will be measured by conditional variance or semivariance. It is known that the historical returns used to estimate expected ones provide poor guides to future returns. Consequently, the optimal portfolio asset weights are extremely sensitive to the return assumptions used. Getting informations about the future evolution of different asset returns, could help the investors to obtain more efficient portfolio. The solution will be reached under conditional mean estimation and prediction. This strategy allows us to take advantage from returns prediction which will be obtained by nonparametric univariate methods. Prediction step uses kernel estimation of conditional mean. Application on Chinese and American markets are presented and discussed.


Objective To investigate the association among tryptophan hydroxylase(TPH) gene A218C polymorphism, unipolar depression(UPD) and symptom phenotypes in Han nationality of Chinese. Methods The case-control association study was adopted to analyze association of TPH gene A218C polymorphism between 132 depression patients and 142 normal controls using the polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphisms (PCR-RFLP) technique, and evaluate the symptom phenotypes of cases applying the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD). Results (1) The distributions of observed and expected value in cases and controls all followed Hardy-Weinberg law (x~2=3.65124、3.34227,P = 0.056027、0.067521). (2) There were no significant differences of genotypic distribution between cases and controls (x~2=1.0673,df=2,P0.05) . No differences of allelic distribution, too. (x~2=1.2211,df=1,P0.05) . (3) There were no significant differences of three genotypes distribution among symptom phenotypes of cases. Conclusions No associated was found among TPH gene A218C polymorphism、UPD and symptom phenotypes in this Chinese sample.


Oxytocin, the most powerful uterotonic agent known, is released from the pituitary gland in large amounts during parturition in all placental mammals studied so far, including humans. Although parturition can proceed in its absence, oxytocin is thought to play an important role (see Russell & Leng, 1998). In the rat, pregnancy normally lasts for 21 days. About 24 h before the pups are born, increased production of prostaglandins by the uterus induces luteolysis, and ovarian progesterone production falls dramatically. This fall is an essential prelude to parturition; if prevented, then the rat pups will remain unborn. The fall leads to a further increase in prostaglandin production, and, directly or indirectly, to a host of changes that prepare the uterus and birth canal for parturition. In the last few hours of pregnancy, oxytocin receptors appear in high concentrations in the uterus, and establish a positive-feedback loop between the uterus and the hypothalamic oxytocin system. Uterine contractions, triggered by prostaglandins, excite the oxytocin cells, and oxytocin release triggers further prostaglandin production and further uterine contraction. Thus progesterone plays a critical role in the timing of parturition through its peripheral actions (see Leng & Brown, 1997).

A paper in this issue of The Journal of Physiology (Brussaard et al. 1999) suggests that actions of progesterone at the oxytocin cells in the hypothalamus may also be important for parturition. Classically, progesterone acts through specific intracellular receptors to regulate gene expression. However, metabolites of progesterone can also have membrane actions, and in particular, allopregnanolone can act at GABAA receptors to potentiate the actions of GABA, depending upon the particular subunit composition of the receptor. GABA is an important neurotransmitter for oxytocin cells - about 45 % of all synapses onto them contain GABA, and the total number of GABA synapses in the supraoptic nucleus is substantially higher in lactating animals than in virgins (El Majdoubi et al. 1997). The GABA innervation appears to play a role in patterning the pulsatile discharge of oxytocin cells that is observed both during parturition and during suckling-induced reflex milk ejection (Moos, 1995; Voisin et al. 1995).

Brussaard et al. (1999) recorded GABAA receptor-mediated spontaneous monoquantal inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs) from rat supraoptic neurones in hypothalamic slices in vitro. They found a higher incidence of sIPSCs in pregnant rats than in virgin rats, consistent with the observations of an increase in the density of GABA-containing synaptic boutons. Importantly, the sIPSCs were markedly prolonged in the presence of allopregnanolone. Taking into account the frequency and amplitude of sIPSCs, the action of allopregnanolone and the hypertrophy of oxytocin neurones in lactation (reflected in increased capacitance), Brussaard et al. (1999) inferred that the effective GABAA receptor-mediated synaptic current density was much greater in pregnant rats than in virgin or lactating rats.

Thus the collapse of progesterone production at term may abruptly reduce the effectiveness of GABA inhibition, and thereby enhance the excitability of oxytocin cells. Clearly this may be important during parturition, but the effect may not persist for long. Indeed, within a day the duration of sIPSCs is significantly longer in the absence of allopregnanolone, which now has no significant effect. This seems to be due to a rapid switch in the types of α subunits inserted into the GABAA receptors. By mid-lactation, a massive change in expression of GABAA receptor subunit mRNAs is apparent. With competitive polymerase chain reaction Brussaard and colleagues found that, while the expression of both α1 and α2 subunit mRNAs was increased, the ratio of α1 : α2 subunit mRNA expression was changed 8-fold in favour of α2 subunit mRNA. This change evidently underlies the enhancement of GABAA receptor-mediated inhibition similar to that achieved by allopregnanolone in pregnancy, and together with a sustained increase in sIPSC frequency, provides a basis for increased GABA action in lactation.

The story, though intriguing, is far from complete. The supraoptic nucleus contains vasopressin cells as well as oxytocin cells, and it is not clear that the changes in GABA efficacy are specific to oxytocin cells. In addition, GABA receptors are expressed not only on the cell bodies and dendrites of supraoptic neurones, but also on the nerve terminals, where they may modulate stimulus-secretion coupling (Jackson & Zhang, 1995); the physiological significance of this site of action of GABA is still unclear. The mechanisms that are responsible for the switch from α1 to α2 GABAA receptor subunit expression at the end of pregnancy, and for the reversal of the altered pattern at the end of lactation, also remain unknown. Finally, what physiological stimuli regulate the activity of the afferent GABA neurones?


Carrier sense multiple access with enhanced collision avoidance (CSMA/ECA) is a simple MAC protocol for wireless local area networks that significantly outperforms CSMA/CA. This paper addresses traffic prioritization in CSMA/ECA using different minimum contention windows for different traffic classes. The conditions under which the collision-free operation is possible are presented and expressions for the steady-state channel efficiency are provided. Simulation results show that CSMA/ECA improves the channel utilization achieved by all traffic classes whenever the conditions for collision-free operation are satisfied.


Coal and gas outburst is the sudden release of in-situ stress, and the release intensity is beyond people's control. The measures to prevent and control coal and gas outburst are to build a safety barrier for the mining and excavation face by means of prevention and control engineering, construction of gas drainage borehole, artificial release of ground stress or reduction of the sudden high-intensity release of underground potential damage energy. The design of coal mine gas drainage boreholes under two-dimensional and three-dimensional conditions will be quite different. Through comparison, it can be seen that the borehole design based on three-dimensional modeling can play a better role in prevention and control of coal and gas outburst.


Multiple studies have suggested that the Spanish vowel system is stable, with little to no variation (Delattre, 1996; Quillis and Esgueva, 1983), while others have also noted variation in monolingual Spanish (Boyd-Bowman, 1952; Canellada and Vicente, 1960; Delforge, 2008; Lipski, 1990; Lope-Blanch, 1964; Marin Galves, 1995; Matluck, 1952; Quilis, 1999; Quilis and Esgueva, 1983) and bilingual Spanish in the United States (Fought, 1999; Godinez and Maddieson, 1985; Konopka and Pierrehumbert, 2008; Konopka, 2011; Ronquest, 2013; Willis, 2005). This study analyzes the vowel quality and duration of Spanish and English vowels by Mexican and Mexican-American speakers across different sociolinguistic generations in the United States (Silva-Corvalan, 1994), which has been absent from previous literature. An examination of the different generations is needed to account for the differing levels of Spanish and English use in the United States, as well as to examine how production of speech may change across generations. Results indicate all generations exhibit significant unstressed vowel reduction, though there is variation across the different groups. The amount of centralization and reduction also increases for each subsequent generation. In addition, Spanish influence is evident in the production of both G1 and G3 groups, though there is also evidence for acquired English speech. Multiple studies have suggested that the Spanish vowel system is stable, with little to no variation (Delattre, 1996; Quillis and Esgueva, 1983), while others have also noted variation in monolingual Spanish (Boyd-Bowman, 1952; Canellada and Vicente, 1960; Delforge, 2008; Lipski, 1990; Lope-Blanch, 1964; Marin Galves, 1995; Matluck, 1952; Quilis, 1999; Quilis and Esgueva, 1983) and bilingual Spanish in the United States (Fought, 1999; Godinez and Maddieson, 1985; Konopka and Pierrehumbert, 2008; Konopka, 2011; Ronquest, 2013; Willis, 2005). This study analyzes the vowel quality and duration of Spanish and English vowels by Mexican and Mexican-American speakers across different sociolinguistic generations in the United States (Silva-Corvalan, 1994), which has been absent from previous literature. An examination of the different generations is needed to account for the differing levels of Spanish and English use in the United States, as well as to examine how production of speech may change across generatio...


A new π-conjugated system of nitrogen-containing polycyclic compounds was constructed by cationic AuI-catalyzed cycloisomerization. Intramolecular reaction of 9-(2-alkynylphenyl)-9H-carbazole derivatives gave a variety of penta- and hexacyclic compounds possessing a dibenzazepine skeleton. The rigid carbazole structure was responsible for efficient 7-endo-dig cycloisomerization.


We discuss that a special kind of self-interaction forms a gauge potential, and the constraint of this gauge potential gives the canonical quantization condition.


As a consequence of the increasing aridity experienced in Hungary in the past decades, any future decision in spatial planning should consider the threat of an arid environment. For identifying sensitive and endangered areas, suitable methods should be found and developed. These could help then responsible and preventive decision making in providing quick and suitable actions in planning. Through the investigation of vegetation, regional scale variations in the landscape along with the responses of forests to climatic changes can be easily detected. Our primary aim was the evaluation of the natural water supply on the Danube Tisza Interfluve by studying the forests, meadows and pastures of the area in the summers of 2000 and 2010. We investigated with the help of remote sensing the short term response of vegetation to the altered geographical conditions. According to the spatial and temporal analyses of vegetation indices (NDVI, EVI) based on AVHRR and MODIS images, a considerable decrease in the activity of vegetation can be observed throughout the entire vegetation period.


International large-scale assessments (ILSAs) are educational tests and auxiliary questionnaires that measure educational achievement and its context in select content domains for prespecified samples of students enrolled in educational systems around the world. In addition to ILSAs, international educational surveys are administered that collect information on contexts, experiences, attitudes, and beliefs but do not measure achievement. The results of both types of studies are used to compare educational systems and to inform policy, practice, and educational research both nationally and internationally.


Abstract The articles in this cluster explore the past and present trajectories of educational change in Russia from the 18th century to the present day. The authors focus on the multiple social actors, visions, forces, and changes that in combination brought about Russia's modern educational realities. The emphasis in these contributions is put upon the often-decisive role of local, grassroots-level actors vis-à-vis the state and its central apparatuses in modernizing the schools.1 We discuss the heterogeneity of modernizing projects, multi-directedness of their trajectories, and contradictory nature of their outcomes. This is why the title of our assemblage of articles refers to the involuted paths (plural) taken toward and within educational modernity. Intrinsic to our approach are comparative–historical and/or cross-national–perspectives that highlight both the distinctive nature of the Russia's case and its similarities with developments elsewhere in the world.


Health S exual abuse of children is a global problem with high prevalence rates of 18% in girls and 7.6% in boys (1). The use of dissimilar inclusion criteria und survey methods has resulted in higher or lower reported lifetime prevalence rates (2). The effects of sexual abuse offenses can be significant and comprise direct and indirect as well as short-term and long-term consequences. The younger the age at which the sexual abuse occurred, the higher the likelihood of a poor state of health (3). Numerous studies have shown an increased prevalence or a greater severity of posttraumatic stress disorder in victims of sexual child abuse (4). Other potential consequences of abuse offenses experienced as a child include anxiety disorders, depression, suicidal behavior, sleep disorders, and eating disorders (5). In addition, studies reported an association between sexual abuse and later substance abuse as well as self-injurious behavior as elements of maladaptive coping strategies (6). Sexual abuse most frequently in research Catholic insights Catholic can be held how sexual other on


Unification is a future that will surely come someday. In a situation where no one knows what the subject and form of unification will be, discussions on the state form, government organization, and administrative system will proceed first. Therefore, it is essential to study in advance how to set up the state form, government organization, and administrative system in preparation for a unified Korea. The state form, government organization and administrative system cannot be reformed while ignoring the balanced national development and local autonomy system. After unification, young North Koreans will also try to move to Seoul and other places to find jobs, just as we currently move to Seoul and other metropolitan areas in search of jobs. Therefore, it is necessary to consider in detail how to reorganize the state form and administrative system after unification from the perspective of balanced national development and local autonomy. After reunification, the administrative systems of the two Koreas must be reorganized to achieve balanced regional development and local autonomy. In other words, it should be reformed into a system that can reduce the development gap between the two Koreas and increase the balanced development of each region and local autonomy. The answer is the form of a federal state to make each region a well-off country by distributing authority evenly to each region. In the federal state of Korea, the administrative system should be reorganized into a federal-province-regional office-local government. It will be important to ensure that their authorities and responsibilities are aligned through a clear distribution of powers between the federal government, provinces, regional offices, and local governments, and that the administration can be operated organically between each level and at each location.


Data mining is one of the main business intelligence technique. The volume of Big Data expands in such a way that the classical Business Intelligence methods need to be redefined. First, the organization of large data sets requires new distributed database architectures. Second, it is necessary to develop distributed data processing models that provide a high degree of scalability.In this paper we introduce fully scalable BI platform that is suitable for the most common data processing issues. The platform is based on our scalable distributed two-layer data store, which is competitive to existing NoSQL distributed data base systems. We show examples and experimental results showing advantages of our approach.


Innovation in the public sector is an area that is being looked at by governments across the world to provide solutions to enable the delivery of services to customers. This is against a background of rising expectations, financial constraint as well as changing social, environmental and economic conditions. The pressures that governments across the world face to continue to find new ways of delivering public services has heightened the quest for innovation to be identified, applied and embedded in service delivery


In this work, we studied the effect of pre-heating temperature on the structural and optical properties of ZnO nanorods grown by free template sol-gel dip-coating technique. The prepared films were pre-heated at different temperatures: 240, 260, 280 and 300 °C, then annealed at 500 °C for one hour. The structural properties of the prepared samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the surface morphologies were studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The optical properties were studied by means of UV-Visible spectrophotometer. The XRD diffraction spectra show that all the prepared samples have a ZnO wurtzite structure with a preferential orientation along (002) axis. SEM micrographs revealed the formation of well-aligned ZnO nanorods for the sample preheated at 280 °C. The prepared ZnO nanorod structured thin films are highly transparent in the visible region with an average transmittance above 85 % in the 400–800 nm wavelength range.


[Objective]To compare the curative effect between surgery combined with Chinese herbal medicine and simple operation therapy in the treatment of plasma cell mastitis.[Methods]According to the treatment methods,the patients were divided into the surgery combined with Chinese herbal medicine group(the combined treatment group) and the simple operation group,60 cases in each group.All cases were followed up after operation for one year.The recovery and recurrence was observed within one year after operation,while the curative effect and prognosis between two methods were compared.[Results]Patients in the combined treatment group showed a better effect than patients in simple operation group in aspects of breast pain relief(Z=-1.985,P0.05),and changes of shape(Z=-2.900,P0.01).The recurrence rate of the combined treatment group(25.0%) was lower than that of the simple operation group(χ2=9.025,P0.01),and the average duration of recurrence in the combined treatment group(251.3 days) was longer than that in the simple operation group(223.7 days)(χ2=10.547,P0.01).[Conclusion]The method of surgery combined with Chinese herbal medicine can significantly relieve symptoms,reduce the recurrence rate and postpone the recurrence as compared with the simple operation in patients with plasma cell mastitis.


s of Research on Mealy Bug Wilt of Pineapple Diane Sether, Plant & Environmental Protection Science, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822; E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Mealybug wilt of pineapple (MWP) is a devastating disease worldwide, the etiology of which is unknown. Two closteroviruses, Pineapple mealybug wilt associated virus-l (PMWaV-l) and PMWaV-2, were identified in pineapple from Hawaii and around the world. Both viruses are transmitted by pink pineapple mealybugs, Dysmicoccus brevipes, and grey pineapple mealybugs, D. neobrevipes. PMWaV-2 was shown to be an integral factor in MWP etiology. Typical MWP symptoms developed in pineapple plants infected with PMWaV-2 that were exposed to mealybugs. MWP did not develop in PMWaV-I-free or PMWaV-1-infected plants that were exposed to mealybugs or in plants infected with PMWaV-l, PMWaV2, or both viruses if kept mealybug-free. MWP resulted in a 35% reduction in yield when compared to yields of PMWaV-free plants. Newsletter of the Pineapple Working Group, International Society for Horticultural Science 14 Yield reductions were dependent onl time of MWP symptom development; the earlier the expression of symptoms the greater the impact on plant crop fruit yield. Both PMWaV-1 and PMWaV-2 suppressed yield in the ratoon crop. Spatial analysis of PMWaV-2 spread and MWP symptom expression in mealybug-inoculated pineapple plots showed patterns of aggregation within rows and within beds but not between beds. Initial occurrence of MWP symptomatic plants showed upderdispersed which was consistent with the random occurrence ofPMWaV-2plants. After six months of mealybug exposure, patterns of both PMWaV-2 incidence and MWP were overdispersed. PMWaV-1 and PMWaV-2 were detected in MWP symptomatic and healthy looking pineapple samples from around the world but PMWaV-2 infection was correlated with 100% of the MWP symptomatic samples that were PMWaV-1-free. PMWaV-2 infection occurs at a lower frequency than PMWaV-1 infection in the Hawaiian grown pineapple selections and several hybrids. Infections of at least one PMWaV were found in 73% of the pineapple accessions maintained at the USDA-ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository in Hilo, HI. No plants commonly found growing near or in pineapple fields were identified as hosts for PMWaV-1 and no pineapple gerrnplasm was immune to PMWaV-1. PMWaV-1 was eliminated through bud propagation Ifrom infected crowns. Transmission of Pineapple Mealybug Wilt-associated Virus-1 by Two Species of Mealybug (Dysmicoccus Spp.) Abstract Closterovirus-like particles associated with mealybug wilt of pineapple were acquired and transmitted by the pink pineapple mealybug, Dysmicoccus brevipes (Cockerell), and the gray pineapple mealybug, D. neobrevipes Beardsley. Mealybugs acquired Pineapple mealybug wilt associated virus-1 (PMWaV-1) from infected pineapple plants or detached leaves from infected pineapple. The virus was detected in plants by tissue blot immunoassay and confirmed by immunosorbent electron microscopy. Plants exposed to mealybugs reared on PMWaV-1-free pineapple tissue remained uninfected. An increased rate of virus spread by D. brevipes was associated with the presence of ants. All stages of D. neobrevipes acquired PMWaV-1, although vector efficiency decreased significantly in older adult females. The probability of a single third instar immature transmitting virus was 0.04. Both species of mealybugs acquired and transmitted PMWaV-1 from infected pineapple material that had been clonaly propagated for decades and both species acquired PMWaV-1 from sources previously infected with the virus by the other mealybug species. Differentiation, Distribution, and Elimination of Two Different Pineapple Mealybug Wils Associated Closteroviruses Found in Pineapple Abstract Surveys for Pineapple mealyubug wilt associated viruses-1 (PMWaV-1) and PMWaV-2 were conducted on pineapple samples from Hawaii and around the world. Tissue blot immunoassays (TBIAs) with two different monoclonal antibodies (Mab) specific to either PMWav-1 or PMWaV-2 indicated that both closterviruses are widely distributed throughout the pineapple growing areas of the world. In the worldwide survey, PMWaV-1 was found in 80% of the mealybug wilt of pineapple (MWP) symptomatic and 78% of the asymptomatic pineapple plants tested. A subset of plants was tested for PMWaV-2; 100% of the symptomatic plants and 12% of the asymptomatic plants were positive for this virus. A reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay was developed to differentiate between PMWaV-1 and PMWaV-2. Oligonucleotide primers were designed using distinct regions of the HSP 70 homolog genes of the two viruses. PMWaV-1-and PMWaV-2-specific RT-PCR assays and TBIAs were used to screen pineapple accessions maintained at the USDA-ARS NCGR in Hilo, HI, for PMWaV infection; 73% of the accessions were found infected with at least one PMWaV. Pineapple accessions found PMWaV-free were challenged with viruliferous mealybugs to test for immunity to PMWaV-1. No immune germplasm was identified. Potential alternative virus hosts were screened for infection with virus-specific RT-PCR assays and TBIAs and were also challenged with viruliferous mealybugs. No alternate hosts of PMWaV-1 or PMWaV-2 were identified. PMWaV-1 infection was eliminated through axillary and apical bud propagation from infected crowns. Strategies to manage MWP are discussed. Closterovirus Infection and Mealybug Exposure are both Necessary Factors for the Development of Mealybug Wilt of Pineapple Disease Abstract The roles of Pineapple mealybug wilt associated viruses (PMWaVs) and mealybug (Dysmicoccus spp.) feeding in the etiology of mealybug wilt of pineapple (MWP) were evaluated. Containergrown pineapple (Ananas comosus) plants from five commericallygrown Hawaiian proprietary selections and a field study utilizing a randomized complete block design were used to test four treatments for induction of MWP: 1) PMWaV-1-free and 2) PMWaV-1-infected plants maintained mealybug-free, and 3) PMWaV-1-free and 4) PMWaV-1 infected plants that received monthly applications of nonviruliferous mealybugs. A second closterovirus, PMWaV-2, was identified in some of the test plants during the course of these studies and shown to be an integral factor in MWP etiology. Typical MWP symptoms developd in plants infected with PMWaV-2 that were exposed to mealybugs. MWP did not develop in PMWaV-1-free or PMWaV-1 infected plants that were exposed to mealybugs or in plants infected with PMWaV-1, PMWaV-2, or both viruses if kept mealybug-free. Plants from all five Hawaiian proprietary selections of pineapple tested developed MWP when PMWaV-2 infected plants were exposed to mealybug feeding. A PMWaV-2 specific monoclonal antibody was produced that decorates the virus particles in immunosorbent electron microscopy and detects the virus in tissue blot immunoassays. PMWaV-2 was acquired and transmitted by pink and grey pneapple mealybugs (Dysmicoccus spp.) to pineapple plants which subsequently developed MWP symptoms while sustaining mealybug populations. Yield Impact an dSpread of pIneapple Mealyug Wilt Associated Virus-2 and Mealybug Wilt of Pineapple in Hawaii Abstract The impacts of mealybug feeding and Pineapple mealybug wilt associated virus-1 (PMWaV-1) and PMWaV-2 infection on pineapple fruit yield and the spread of PMWaV-1 and mealybug wilt of pineapple (MWP) were evaluated under field conditions with a randomized complete block design. Plots of PMWaV-1-free or infected plants were maintained mealybug-free or inoculated with mealybugs (Dysmicoccus spp) at monthly intervals. Plants infected with PMWaV-2, an integral part of MWP etiology, were nested within plots that were maintained free of mealybugs and in the plots of PMWaV-1 infected plants exposed to mealybugs. MWP, which only developed in PMWaV-2 infected plants exposed to mealybugs, resulted in a 35% reduction in yield when compared to PMWaV-free plants. Yield reductions were dependent on time of MWP symptom development; the earlier the expression of symptoms the greater the impact on fruit yield. An interaction effect between PMWaVinfection, inclusive of both PMWaV-1 and PMWaV-2 infected plants, and mealybug exposure was detected in the plant crop (P<0.02) but not in the ratoon crop (P>0.59). This could be explained by the presence of MWP symptom expression during the plant crop and subsequent plant recovery in the ratoon crop. Virus infection, inclusive of PMWaV-1 and PMWaV-2, suppressed yield (P<0.01) in the ratoon crop. The commercially desirable fruit sizes were most frequently obtained from PMWaV-free plants. Spatial analysis of PMWaV-2 spread and MWP symptom expression in mealybug inoculated plots showed patterns of aggregation within rows and within beds but not between beds over the course of the study. Initial occurrence of MWP symnptom expression in mealybug inoculated plots was underdispersed indicating random occurrence of PMWaV-2 plants. After six months of mealybug exposure, patterns of both PMWaV-2 incidence and MWP were over dispersed. Nematode Control Research in Hawaii Brent Sipes, Dept, of Plant and Evnironmental Protection Science, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, 96822 Hawaii faces the continued loss of nematicides from the market. This past summer Bayer Chemical Co. announced that it will discontinue production of the organophosphate Nemacur®. To meet Newsletter of the Pineapple Working Group, International Society for Horticultural Science 15 this challenge, we have been evaluating several promising alternatives. DiTera® and Actigard® lead the pack. DiTera, from Valent BioSciences, is the fermentation product of the fungus Myrothecium. The behavior of this biologically-based product is somewhat different from that of the organophosphates. Application of 25 kg ha is effective while amounts in excess of 45 kg ha are ineffective. We are now investigating the efficacy of multiple applicatio


Introduction Section 1: How to use the materials Section 2: Living with ASD: Same World Different Perspectives Section 3: The Impact of the Triad of Impairment Section 4: Sensory Issues Section 5: Educational Implications of ASDs Section 6: Creating an ASD Friendly Environment Section 7 Behaviour Management Section 8: Pupil Participation and Peer Group Awareness Section 9: Working with Parents Section 10: Planning for Transition Section 11: Tried and Tested Strategies Section 12: Carrying Out a School Audit Section 13: Useful Contacts References Annex Glossary


The stochastic algorithm for multi-time image alignment based on Tsallis mutual information is proposed. The algorithm assumes determining a set of fragments on the reference image, estimating the deformation parameters of these fragments using a local alignment model, filtering unreliable parameter estimates, finding the parameters of the global alignment model by deformations of fragments.


The cyber-security of organisations is a subject of perennial concern as they are subject to mounting threats in an increasingly digitalised world. While commercial and charitable organizations have been the objects of cyber security research, Social Enterprises have remained unexplored. As Social Enterprises have become increasingly important features of social and economic development, so their prominence as potential targets of cybercrime also increases. In order to address this knowledge gap, this study examines the factors that influence the cyber-preparedness of Social Enterprises in the UK. Through the use of semi-structured interviews with Social Enterprise, these factors are found to comprise the characteristics of the enterprise, the characteristics of the enterprise management, resource constraints, experience of cyber attacks, usage of IT, and awareness of cybersecurity schemes and resources. These insights provide valuable guidance for SE owner-managers, SE support agencies and policy-makers when considering the cyber security of SEs. These findings are of immediate concern to social enterprises but also to other organizations that are engaged in partnerships with them as social enterprises may afford 'gateway' opportunities to those with malicious intent. visibility among the business landscape, makes their management of cyber security a pressing issue. This study has identified a general lack of awareness of cyber security reporting requirements, preventive measures and support schemes among social enterprises in the United Kingdom. Organizations that represent social enterprises, and local and national governing bodies, need to review the efficacy of their current methods of communicating with and educating this increasingly important sector. However, social enterprise owner-managers must also take responsibility for raising their own awareness of the current regulations and for effecting appropriate cyber security management within their organizations. This may be aided by the collaborative activity of groups of social enterprises, for instance, among those that operate within defined Social Enterprise Places, or among other collective arrangements.


Riverside Forest Products (Kelowna, British Columbia) has embraced a sustainable forest management approach for the management of one its forest tenures—Tree Farm License 49. This document discusses the rationale behind many of the concepts within this approach in the context of current ecological theory. We focus specifically on the following concepts: (1) forest retention, (2) ecosystem representation, (3) ecological contributions from unharvested forests, (4) zoning and the TRIAD approach, (5) stand-level habitat elements and landscape-level features, and (6) ecological indicators. This document provides an example of the application of current ecological theory within a commercial forestry operation in Canada and is thus broadly applicable to foresters, forest managers, and researchers in most jurisdictions. Key words: British Columbia, criteria and indicators, ecological representation, forest retention, sustainable forest management, Riverside Forest Products, TRIAD


of the chemical and genetic potentialities offered by the Plant Kingdom. No botanist can with certainty tell how many species of plants there are in the world. Most estimates in textbooks cite about 280,000, but those of us who work in tropical floras-especially in poorly explored regions-believe that the figure may surpass 500,000. We are currently faced with the incredible task of studying the many thousands of species, most of them still untested and unexamined, many of them not even as yet botanically identified.


A sealing unit for sealing and forming a packaging container is disclosed. The sealing unit operates on a principle that the motion of a pair of opposing sealing jaws is controlled by means of a cam-cam follower interaction combined with the action of a servomotor driving a cam wheel. The invention also concerns a method for calibrating a sealing unit.


We present a maximum likelihood(ML) algorithm for tomosynthesis that reconstructs a 3D radiation attenuation coefficient map from a set of radiograms taken from various view angles. The ML algorithm is developed based on the Poisson model of two dimensional radiography. The ML reconstruction yields better image quality with fewer artifacts than the wildly used filtered backprojection (FBP) reconstruction. Finally, we show representative results on simulated data.