In his 1995 study Dark Voices: W.E.B. Du Bois and American Thought, 1888–1903, Shamoon Zamir has provided us with one of the most detailed accounts to date of what he calls the "drama of alterity" (115) that Du Bois stages in The Souls of Black Folk. Zamir offers us in particular a fascinating analysis of the role that Du Bois' complex encounter with Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit played in his scripting of a drama that has become one of the most important models for thinking about cultural difference today. In 1897, Du Bois first published "Strivings of the Negro People," which, in revised form and under the title "Of Our Spiritual Strivings," became the first chapter of The Souls of Black Folk in 1903.1 As is well known, Du Bois in this opening chapter describes a differential duality of "two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings" (364), a duality which the title associates with "black folk" in general, and which has been related in particular to the black elite that Du Bois describes elsewhere as the "Talented Tenth" (Zamir 116, 147–). What I am interested in here is a certain ambivalence in the staging of the very terms of duality, "twoness," "doubleness" and "double consciousness."2 I will trace a shifting of semantic bonds and valencies of these terms themselves, read through the context of Du Bois' appropriation of Hegel as it has been outlined by Zamir. Eventually, I will extend this analysis to the language of visibility and ambivalent identification that Du Bois expresses through the metaphor of the veil. The Biblical conceit of the lifting of the veil or drawing aside of the curtain is used as a metaphor for the progression from appearance toward self-consciousness in Hegel's Phenomenology (Hegel 102–3)3; by contrast, as Zamir points out, in Souls the veil descends (Zamir 135–36), for the first time in a scene from Du Bois' childhood in which another child refuses "with a glance" an exchange of gifts (363–64).4 This is a scene of initially negative and then ambivalent identification that marks here the beginning of self-consciousness:


A new-type intelligent performer with personal computer is presented, in which single chip miroprocesor is the key of controller. It is characteristic of high response speed, few components, simple adjustment and stable performance. The configuration and working principle of electric performer are described.


Dimethyl carbonate (DMC) has attracted much attention in terms of a substitute for highly toxic phosgene and dimethyl sulfate in the organic synthesis. Additionally, DMC is considered to be an option for meeting the oxygenate specification of liguid fuel. In this paper, the solid base catalysts are used for DMC synthesis via the ester exchange reaction between propylene carbonate and methanol. Na 2CO 3/ZrO 2 catalysts were prepared by impregnating ZrO 2 support with sodium carbonate aqueous solution followed by drying and calcinating in air. The catalysts characterization by TPD, BET and XRD indicated that the total amount of basic active sites on the catalysts were important for ester exchange reaction of methanol and propylene carbonate. The surface area and pore volume of the supports effected slightly on the catalytic performance. Na 2CO 3/ZrO 2 catalyst showed highest activity (PC conversion 45.43%, DMC yield 40.30%) comparing to Na 2CO 3/MgO due to its stronger basicity as well as more basic sites. The optimum calcined temperature and Na 2CO 3 content are 873?K and 25?w /% respectively.


comets: general – comets: individual (C/1857 D1)Comet C/ 1857 D1 (d'Arrest) is one of a large number of comets with parabolic orbits. Given that there are sufficientobservations of the comet, 299 in right ascension and 279 in declination, it proves possible to calculate a better orbit. Thecalculations are based on a 12th order predictor-corrector method. The comet's orbit is highly elliptical, e =0.99982 and,from calculated mean errors, statistically different from a parabola. The comet will not return for at least 44000 years andthus represents no immediate NEO threat.


— The newly proposed phase-prediction counter-based ADPLL has achieved a wireless standard-compliant performance at ultra-low power consumption. The digital-to-time converter (DTC) is the key enabler but is nonlinearity can easily create fractional spurs. This paper analyzes the effect of the DTC nonlinearity on in-band fractional spurs and proposes a method to characterize it in a built-in fashion by means of a fine-resolution ∆Σ TDC that forms an outer loop with the DTC. The TDC is realized in 40nm CMOS and exhibits only 1.8ps rms of random jitter.


This paper, as a continuation of A Genetic Algorithm Approach for Modelling and Optimisation of MAJSP-Part1: Representation, will focus on Multi-Attribute Job-Shop Scheduling Problem (MAJSP). MAJSP is an extension of classical JSP. It represents more realistic scheduling problems since more attributes for jobs are included. The objective is to investigate how the changes in GA operators may affect the optimal fitness value (profit) for algorithms 7011 presented in the previous part. The GA operators presented here include selection and crossover. Since every machine is capable of performing a predefined set of jobs, it is critical to keep in mind that the operators should be designed in a way that feasibility of schedules never becomes violated. The rest of the algorithms are designed according to these assumptions and the results are compared.


Epidemiology: The popularity of snowboarding has grown tremendously since the sport was introduced commercially 20 years ago. This winter, 20% to 30% of all visitors to North American ski resorts will be snowboarders.[1][1] In the 1980s, the typical snowboarder was a 19-year-old male attracted to


To clone and express the truncated epf gene of SS2 strain.epf gene fragment was amplified by PCR from and cloned into prokaryotic expression plasmid pGEX4T-2 to form pGEX4T-2-epf.The expression of recombinant protein with GST was induced in E.coli TG1 and the fusion protein(rEF-GST) was purified by affinity chromatography,and then GST was cut with thrombin protease.The expressed and purified proteins were analyzed by Western blot.The purified EF could be recognized by ployclonal anti-SS2 antibody.


By consulting GB 3836.1-2010,the relevant national and industry standards of mine non-metallic products,comparing the test methods of the conductive performance,it finally selected and determined the conductive performance test methods which applied to mine hole packer.


Bees are in crisis globally, facing devastating population declines due to land development, agricultural practices, climate change, habitat fragmentation, and competition from non-native species. In response, members of the scientific and agricultural communities have sought drastic policy changes and legislation to protect pollinators. I compared pollinator protection recommendations offered by the scientific community and the contents of conservation policy, focusing on how and why policy-makers have disproportionately emphasized conservation of managed honeybee populations rather than native bees. I analyzed narratives from six sectors with a stake in the pollinator policy debate: business interests (agriculture, beekeeping, and food industry), politicians, scientists, the popular press, resource managers, and conservation-based NGOs. I used a policy narrative analytical approach designed to track the role of specific stakeholder arguments and ideas in influencing action taken by policy makers.


Immune dysfunction is often seen in patients undergoing emergency laparotomy. Efforts to correct T-cell dysfunction & apoptosis by use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in prospective trials are underway, where lymphopaenia is an indication for therapy. We investigated the association of lymphopaenia in patients undergoing emergency laparotomy as a measure of immune dysfunction and predictor of 30-day mortality.

 Retrospective analysis was performed on emergency laparotomies at the Royal Alexandra Hospital using the prospectively maintained Emergency Laparotomy and Laparoscopic Scotland Audit (ELLSA) database. White cell count (WCC), Neutrophil count, Lymphocyte count and C-reactive protein (CRP) were compared between those who died within 30 days and those who survived using Mann-Whitney-U test (p < 0.05).

 Between 2017-2018, 196 cases were analysed for assessed, after 4 patients excluded due to insufficient data. Mean age was 63 years, 86 were male and 108 were female. Eighteen (9.2%) deaths were recorded within 30 days of emergency laparotomy. Non-survivors demonstrated a decreased lymphocyte count on day 3 and 7 following emergency laparotomy when compared to the survivor group (p < 0.05). No significance was found when comparing the WCC, Neutrophil count or CRP of both groups.

 Patients who did not survive emergency laparotomy were found to have decreased lymphocyte counts when compared with survivors.  This may be a surrogate measure of sepsis or trauma-associated immune dysfunction. Further study into immune related mechanisms may lay the foundation for prospective studies using immune checkpoint inhibitors in the emergency laparotomy population.


While international borders are important in understanding the "shape" of the international system and are part of those structural characteristics which affect the interaction opportunities of nations, little attention has been paid to their conceptualization, operationalization, and measurement. This paper undertakes four tasks to help fill this gap. The first is to indicate the potentially theoretical role that borders may play in international relations, discussing the relationships between distance/contiguity and interaction opportunities. The second task entails the conceptualization and measurement of international borders. The third task involves using the data derived from this framework to describe the international system in terms of borders for the period 1946‐1965. The fourth task is to indicate the utility of a border data set by addressing questions which have been posed in the international relations literature. Research results are presented for several questions concerning the relationships between borders and war, borders and alliances, and the diffusion of war.


Objective: Psychotherapy instructors have used video technology to train residents for over 40 years. Though it has met with some controversy, many will argue that videotape review is essential for self-directed learning and accurate psychotherapy supervision. Methods: The author describes a technique of small-group videotape training as provided in a psychiatry residency training program. Results: He reviews the merits and limitations of this format and suggests simple and inexpensive technical approaches to augment this training. Conclusion: The author concludes that small-group videotape training is an efficient psychotherapy training format that encourages self-monitoring and the exchange of supportive peer feedback.


Microwave irradiation is utilized for the rapid synthesis of gold–silver core–shell bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) in a two‐step process. A strategy of establishing a bilayer organic barrier around the core using citrate and ascorbic acid as capping agents, providing a means to achieve a well‐defined boundary layer between the core and the shell material, is reported. These boundary layers are essential for synthesizing different core–shell morphologies and the approach results in tunable bimetallic NPs with defined core–shell structures, both for spherical as well as for triangular seed cores. In addition, theoretical calculations of the plasmonic characteristics based on the boundary element method of different classes of NPs are conducted. These investigations enable conclusions to be drawn on the influence of the core morphology on the tunability of their localized surface plasmon resonances.


What are the main issues facing housing assistance in the lead-up to renegotiation of the Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement? With the active support of the Commonwealth and State governments, AHURI has undertaken a series of consultations throughout Australia to stimulate discussion of this question. Our consultations have addressed the drivers of change and the role of government in the housing system as well as the key challenges for delivery of housing assistance in the first decade of the 21st Century.


The first small-bowel transplant occurred in the late 1980s, and since then intestinal transplantation has become an established treatment for patients with permanent intestinal failure. Between 1985 and 2007, 1720 intestinal transplants were performed worldwide. Intestinal transplantation has the potential to restore digestive and absorptive function and liberate patients from long-term parenteral nutrition (PN), thereby considerably improving subjective quality of life. Modern day approaches to immunosuppression, surgical, and anaesthetic management of these patients has led to improved shortand long-term survival rates, with patient and graft survival at 1 yr of 81 and 73.4%, respectively. If the patient and graft survive beyond 1–3 yr, intestinal transplantation becomes cost-efficient when compared with PN and its associated complications. More than 60 intestinal transplantation centres now exist worldwide. Adult UK centres include Oxford, Cambridge, and Leeds, with paediatric services in London and Birmingham (Fig. 1).


To detect the smallest leaks in the sealed container filled with a gas to at least a portion, the container (1) for a predetermined time, pressurized by test gas (g (s)). Test gas (g (s)) includes a gas species (s). The amount of gas species mentioned penetrating into the container 1 (s) is sensed as leak indication (7).


The wave output circuit of a pipeline structure of a synchronous memory device is disclosed. In the output circuit of the wave pipeline structure is the line that transmits the data during the low frequency mode of the path and the synchronous memory device to transfer data when the high-frequency mode of the synchronous memory device are separated. And reduces the number of registers included in the data output route at the time of the high-frequency mode, and also reduces the number of control signals according to the data input of the register. The result can be reduced the load of the data output route at the time of the high-frequency mode, and this improves the high-frequency operation in accordance with and has also the advantage that the chip area can be reduced in the output circuit.


[Problem] To provide lipid membrane structures that can be easily produced, are small and have a uniform particle diameter, lipid membrane structures wherein the number of the encapsulated substance (target substance) and the number of lipid membranes are controlled, a production method therefor as well as a method for encapsulating one of the target substance with a single lipid membrane. [Solution] A lipid membrane structure having a lipid membrane modified with a cationic surfactant as a single membrane or as the outermost membrane of multiple membranes. Using lipid membrane structures of the invention or the production method therefor makes it possible to obtain small and uniform lipid membrane structures and lipid membrane structures wherein the number of the encapsulated substance (target substance) and the number of lipid membranes are controlled.


textabstractThe building blocks come together, finally! Already three decades ago we were dreaming of the complete Cardiology Information System. However, at that time the computer programmers explained that it was too early. In the subsequent year information tech- nology (IT) specialists, replacing the programmers, gave similar messages. Business interests of medical equipment industries seemed not to support data exchange; however this has changed in recent years. Now, finally the pieces come together. The bricks have been laid, the blocks have been made, and the system can be built.


Objective: to study the gender features of sexuality as one of the structural central ego functions in patients with epilepsy.Patients and methods. The investigation was conducted on a sample of 102 people, by using the Ego Structure Test described by G. Ammon (Ich-Struktur-Test nach Ammon (ISTA), 1997).Results and discussion. This study showed that female patients with epilepsy had a more severity of destructive and deficient components of ego functions, such as aggression, fear, outer and  inner ego demarcation, narcissism; sexual deficit as compared to  normative data. The same was often noted at a statistically  significant level in comparison with other study groups.Conclusion. The impairment of all core functions in female patients with epilepsy leads to the impossible realization of mature sexuality.


Multicultural scholarship continues to reflect unexamined assumptions regarding the exclusive use of natural science methodologies, reliance on dominant Western scientific paradigms, and entrenchment in institutionalized research priorities that privilege efficiency and investigators' career promotion rather than the needs of diverse communities. Current practices in psychological research with ethnic minority groups also may contribute to the potential for epistemological violence, which occurs when scientific investigations are used as a pretext to justify interpretations of data in research with "ethnic minorities" in ways that perpetuate oppression or are lacking in their focus on social action. (PsycINFO Database Record


Translation does not simply mean the transmission from one language to another in form.In most case,they are not equivalent to each other because of cultural factors,which make people view and describe things or events differently.These cultural factors tend to be packed in languages,which can be released in one way or another,and once they are released,translators will find different information load in SL and TL.It is of great significance to explore the internal relationships between point of view and information load,which includes the following relationships: the same information load in the same point of view;the same or different information load in different point of view in the mutual translation between English and Chinese.


exas Instruments is a global player in thesemiconductor business. One of its divisions isMaterials and Controls (M&C), with European head-quarters in Almelo, the Netherlands. All the com-pany's products are customer-specific. Productfunctionality and durability are qualifiers in the marketplace. Competition is mostly based on product price.Furthermore, delivery reliability is essential. Relativeto competition, the company is performing well on allthese indicators.Recently, product life cycles started to shorten. Thisrequired the company to look deeply into its time-to-market and, as its products are engineered to order,particularly new product development (NPD) leadtime. The company soon realised that its traditionalfunctional hierarchy would not allow a radical reduc-tion of time-to-market. In 1995 it was thereforedecided to change from the functional structure to aBalanced Matrix structure and to adopt a new projectmanagement procedure called the New Product Devel-opment Process – NPDP, in order to speed up NPDprojects by a factor two.The objective of the present paper is to describe andevaluate the design and implementation of, and thecompany's experiences with, the new NPD organisa-tion and procedure and the contribution of the newsituation to the company's performance in the marketplace. Based on that, lessons will be drawn for thetheory and practice of NPD management.


Late Valmeyeran and Chesterian sediments that repeatedly filled the subsiding Illinois basin are a quarter autochthonous carbonate, a quarter sand, and half mud brought from remote northeastern sources by a major river system, the Michigan River. These are arranged in cycles implying shoreline fluctuation landward (northeastward) and seaward through a range of a few hundred miles. About 70 minor reversals in shoreline movement are superimposed on about 15 major cycles. Increases in competence, perhaps in phase with modest lowering of sea-level, repeatedly changed the Michigan River into a prograding stream, pushing its delta scores of miles across a marine basin only a few tens of feet deep. Advancing distributaries carved grooves well below sea-level through frontal and ateral mud banks--grooves later filled by elongate sand bodies analogous with modern barfingers and pass fillings. In late stages the delta supported land vegetation. The carbonate phase End_Page 371------------------------------ of the cycle was initiated by decrease in stream competence and continued basin subsidence. Changes in sea-level and stream competence depended on climatic variation. End_of_Article - Last_Page 372------------


Pseudomonas aeruginosa PSA01 and Pseudomonas fluorescences PSF02 were isolated from rhizospheric of agriculture soil Salem district in Tamil Nadu, India, and confirmed species using biochemical test and molecular phylogeny. Both isolates proved to produce siderophore and solubilized phosphate. Pot experiment resulted to promote the growth of Arachis hypogaea. Inoculated PSA01 and PSF02 significantly increased in the root length, shoot length, fresh weight and dry weight, iron and oil content as compared to untreated control. Total chlorophyll and carotenoids content increased in treated plants. Dual culture technique showed a good biocontrol efficiency of PSF02 activity against Fusarium oxysporum. PGPR culture expressed plant growth potential and inhibited phytopathogen could be exploited as effective bioinoculant for sustainable farming of peanut.


AIMS: In this study, the diversity of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera and Coleoptera communities was surveyed in the Toropi River basin, a watershed localized in a slope region, in southernmost Brazil. The influence of some local abiotic factors on the most common genera was also analyzed. METHODS: Samplings were conducted at 40 sites in 1st-4th order streams, along a short elevation gradient (70-500 m), with a Surber sampler. Water physico-chemical factors, as well as substrate type, were obtained at each site. RESULTS: At all, 5,320 specimens were collected, belonging to 18 families and 52 genera. The caddisflies Austrotinodes and Celaenotrichia, and an undescribed Elmidae, Genus M, are new records for the region. The caddisfly Smicridea was the most frequent genus in the study area. The mayflies Camelobaetidius, Paracloeodes and Americabaetis were influenced by stream order. Smicridea was related to air temperature, while the mayfly Thraulodes was influenced by high levels of electrical conductivity. CONCLUSIONS: The high diversity found in the study area, compared to other Brazilian regions, reflects the environmental heterogeneity in the region. These data show that hydrographic basins in slope areas from extreme Southern Brazil sustain high levels of diversity of aquatic insect communities.


One of the first goals of the research effort on meteoric communications was to establish the advantage, if any, of diversity reception. Three types of diversity were investigated: frequency, space, and polarization. Nearly perfect correlation of the signals was found for frequency diversity reception with a frequency separation of 4 kc and for space diversity reception for antenna spacings of up to 1200 feet, Only polarization diversity appears to provide any advantage. Two identical eight-element yagi receiving antennas were erected. one horizontally polarized and the other vertically polarized. The transmitting antenna was horizontally polarized. Analysis of the data shows that about 34 per cent of the signals on the vertical antenna equal or exceed in amplitude the signals on the horizontal antenna, but the shapes of the bursts on the two antennas are identical in most cases. It is concluded that there is not enough increase in system performance to justify the use of any of the three types of diversity.


This study attempts to integrate human capital theory (predominantly an economic theory) with the traditional organizational job characteristics found in the behavioral job satisfaction literature. Four human capital variables-formal education, marital status, length of service, and alternative job information-are posited to have direct influence on seven organizational job characteristics-pay, co-worker integration, promo-tional opportunities, job communications, equitable treatment, routiniza-tion, and centralization. These seven variables are then posited to have direct influences on job satisfaction. Human capital theory is found to be a powerful addition to the understanding of job satisfaction among female employees. The multiple relationships posited between human capital resources and job characteristics are quite evident in the path analytic test of the model. Furthermore, increased co-worker integration and reduced routinization were found to directly increase job satisfaction. Implications for changing certain organizational processes, structures, policies, and programs are discussed.


Advance care planning (ACP) provides patients with the ability to make their decisions known about how they would like to be treated if they lose capacity. Medical practitioners have a key role to play in providing information on ACP to their patients. This research explores their knowledge and attitudes to advance care planning and how this affects their practice.


A comparative study of the electrochemical intercalation of Ca2+ and Mg2+ in layered TiS2 using alkylcarbonate-based electrolytes is reported, and for the first time, reversible electrochemical Ca2+ insertion is proved in this compound using both X-ray diffraction and differential absorption X-ray tomography at the Ca L2 edge. Different new phases are formed upon M2+ insertion that are structurally characterized, their amount and composition being dependent on M2+ and the experimental conditions. The first phase formed upon reduction is found to be the result of an ion-solvated intercalation mechanism, with solvent molecule(s) being cointercalated with the M2+ cation. Upon further reduction, new non-cointercalated calcium-containing phases seem to form at the expense of unreacted TiS2. The calculated activation energy barriers for Ca2+ migration in TiS2 (0.75 eV) are lower than those previously reported for Mg (1.14 eV) at the dilute limit and within the CdI2 structural type. DFT results indicate that the...


This study focuses on the evaluation of the seismic behavior of transverse lateral load resisting system when the longitudinal load resisting system is subjected to large torsional forces. Two prototype three-dimensional steel structures with three diaphragm types and two different horizontal layouts of the lateral load resisting system were investigated. The structures have symmetric or asymmetric braced frames in the longitudinal direction and moment frames in the transverse direction. Three models of floor diaphragm interactions were considered: a bare steel frame with rigid constraints (BF+R); a composite frame with rigid constraints (CF+R); and a composite frame (CF) without rigid constraints. The structures were subjected to nonlinear static and dynamic analyses under two cases of torsional eccentricity. Case Mta_1 represents the conventional accidental eccentricity. Case Mta_2 represents the consideration of the bi-axial effects from the two principal directions. The results indicated that (1) the transverse frames show higher strength demands for the asymmetric configuration; (2) the columns in the 1 story in the transverse frames show inelastic behavior for the asymmetric configuration; and (3) The asymmetric structures without rigid diaphragm constraints (CF) show the largest increment of both base shear and interstory drift when such structures include the effect of Mta_2.


The kinetics of reaction between acetic, acrylic, or methacrylic acid and epichlorohydrin in diglyme solution are studied with chromium(III) ethanoate as catalyst. The reaction has been found to be of first-order with respect to both epichlorohydrin and catalyst and zeroth order with respect to acid. Relative reactivities of the acids in reaction with epichlorohydrin and regioselectivity of the addition in diglyme are compared with those for the systems without solvent.


In Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) attacks, attackers who can intrude into an organization network tend to stay inside the network or repeat intrusion multiple times until they are able to accomplish their goals. When Active Directory(AD), a centralization management system for Windows computers, is in place, attackers try to disguise themselves as users of legitimate Domain Administrator accounts, which is the highest privileged account of the AD environment. Activities on the Windows system are recorded in the built-in Windows activity logging system called the Event logs and is commonly used for investigation of attacks. However, if attackers leverage legitimate accounts or built-in Windows tools in order to avoid detection, it is quite difficult to detect attacks from Event logs since attackers' activities are recorded as activities of legitimate administrator accounts. Although there are various antivirus software, detecting such a sophisticated attack is often very difficult. In this research, we focus on processing attack activity data recorded in the Event logs, and propose a new method based on outlier detection and machine learning for detecting attacks that utilize legitimate accounts. We achieved a high precision rate even if legitimate Domain Administrator accounts are leveraged in attacks.


Part 1 Introduction: the context of in-service education and training, R.G. Burgess styles and strategies of evaluating INSET, M. Newton. Part 2 Staff roles and in-service education and training: a staff development group at work, J. Connor being an INSET co-ordinator, S. Galloway the teacher as trainer, M. Morrison. Part 3 Processes of in-service education and training: identifying INSET needs, S. Galloway in-service training and disruption on secondary schools, J. Connor professional development days, M. Morrison continuity and progression - the case of cross0phase INSET, S. Galloway epilogue - does in-service education have an effect on classroom practice?, R.G. Burgess and S. Galloway.


This paper presents the working draft MOFTM (Meta-Object Facility) metamodels for the Resource Description Framework (RDF Schema) and the Web Ontology Language (OWL), two of the six metamodels currently envisioned for the Ontology Definition Metamodel (ODM) standards effort in the Object Management Group (OMG®), which enable model-driven development of RDF vocabularies and OWL ontologies, respectively. We provide insight into some of the design principles used in developing these metamodels, major challenges addressed to date, and the resolution of some of these issues that has influenced the resultant products. We also briefly review ongoing and future work needed to complete the subset of the ODM specific to these representation formalisms and fully support model driven development of RDF vocabularies and OWL ontologies. INTRODUCTION Over the course of the last five years, and more specifically, since the emergence of Semantic Web Activity from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) [1], the development of ontologies—explicit formal specifications of the concepts in a domain and relations among them [2]—has been moving from the research community to early adoption by industry. Increasing evidence of collaborative development of large, standardized controlled vocabularies and ontologies for specific applications and domains, such as in bioinformatics and pharmacogenomics research, is appearing in the literature. Broadly applicable general-purpose ontologies, for example those supporting the Semantic Web Services Initiative [3], are emerging as well. Ontologies are primarily captured in knowledge representation languages developed by the artificial intelligence community. Most of the more commonly-used authoring languages, such as the description logics family of languages [4] or first-order and predicate logic languages, such as Simple Common Logic (SCL) [5] or its predecessor, the Knowledge Interchange Format (KIF) [6], were designed to support machine reasoning. Their text and logic based structure, however, has led to a language syntax that is unfamiliar and awkward for subject matter experts to learn and use effectively, which has been a major hindrance to the development of ontologies. Notably, the recently adopted W3C specifications for the Resource Description Framework (RDF), RDF Schema [7] and the Web Ontology Language (OWL) [8,9] in particular, are somewhat less intimidating to those familiar with XML syntax or constructs used in object-oriented programming, such as classes, properties, and individuals. OWL is an extension of RDF Schema, which is the vocabulary description language for RDF. Both RDF Schema and OWL are key components of the W3C Semantic Web initiative and are likely to gain increasing support in the industry. Having domain expert friendly languages, however, is necessary but not sufficient to promote widespread adoption of these technologies. Current approaches to ontology development are at best, more art than science, and in general, ad hoc. First, the process of ontology development is extremely time consuming and not at all visually intuitive. Any non-trivial ontology represented in OWL, as is, is challenging for domain experts to understand and maintain. Secondly, developing ontologies in isolation of business requirements is of little practical value. Ontology development must become an integral part of the systems analysis and engineering activities of the CIO function. That is, the ontologies that an enterprise develops must form an integral part of that enterprise's information and application infrastructure This paper promotes the use of Model Driven Architecture (MDA®) and related methodologies for ontology development. This is prompted by current trends towards MDA in software engineering and best practices, as a result of the related standards efforts in the OMG, and the availablity of EMF (Eclipse Modeling Framework) as an open source model-driven software development platform. Key standards in the MDA family include the Meta-Object FacilityTM (MOF®) [10] and the Unified Modeling LanguageTM (UML®) [11]. UML is an industry-standard, graphical language that is used by software engineers for conceptual modeling. The similarity of UML constructs to constructs used in defining ontologies suggests that UML could be leveraged by the large community of existing practitioners to promote broader use and increasing development of ontologies. UML is well established in many commercial and government software engineering organizations with extensive tool support from both commercial and open source vendors. We believe, therefore, that UML is an excellent candidate notation for the graphical development and maintenance of ontologies. To facilitate the development of tools and methods for MDA-based ontology development, as UML is defined using MOF, what is needed is a MOF based metamodel for OWL. Such a metamodel will enable: ! Forward engineering: development of OWL ontologies using MOF based (in particular, UML) modeling tools. ! Reverse engineering: leveraging existing OWL ontologies for ontology modeling and UML modeling. ! Integrated ontology/software development: making OWL ontology development an integral part of software development. This paper presents the draft set of MOF metamodels for RDF Schema and OWL that are currently proposed as a part of the Ontology Definition Metamodel (ODM) activity in the OMG, enabling model-driven development of RDF vocabularies and OWL ontologies, respectively. Because of space limitations, we provide only a brief overview of the metamodels here. We present insight into some of the design principles used in developing these metamodels, major challenges addressed to date, and the resolution of some of these issues that has influenced the resultant products. We also briefly review ongoing and future work needed to complete the subset of the ODM specific to these representation formalisms and fully support model driven development of RDF vocabularies and OWL ontologies. DESIGN PRINCIPLES AND MAJOR CHALLENGES Both RDF Schema and OWL are defined using RDF Schema. That is, RDF Schema serves as the meta language that defines itself and OWL. However, to leverage MDA, EMF, and UML technologies, MOF serves as the meta language, or meta-metamodel used to define the metamodels for RDF Schema and OWL. In developing these metamodels, we encountered a number of distinctions between MOF and RDF Schema that have either challenged our ability to leverage MOF for this purpose or have resulted in metamodels that are less than ideal, as discussed below. RDF Schema uses URI references for naming. Definitions specified in RDF documents (class, property, individual) have globally unique names qualified by namespaces, such as rdfs:Class, rdf:Property, rdfs:subClassOf, owl:Class, and owl:equivalentClass. MOF, on the other hand, uses package-scoped naming for classes and locally scoped naming for associations. In the current set of metamodels, to clearly indicate what a particular notion, such as a class or an association, describes (i.e., its source), we have elected to use prefixes to denote namespaces. Thus, the entities itemized above are called, respectively: RDFSClass, RDFProperty, RDFSsubClassOf, OWLClass, and OWLequivalentClass. RDF Schema and OWL (and actually most knowledge representation formalisms and methodologies) do not make distinctions between meta-levels. For example, rdfs:Class is used to define owl:Class (i.e., owl:Class is an instance of rdfs:Class), but owl:Class is also defined as a subclass of rdfs:Class. From an MDA perspective, however, these distinctions are extremely important: MOF class, at the M3 level, is used to define M2 level classes, such as RDFSClass and OWLClass. UML does not support representation of classes and objects on the same diagram, which is a frequent requirement in knowledge representation. As a result, we have attempted to respect separation of meta-levels whenever possible in the ODM metamodels, for example, OWLClass is defined as a subclass of RDFSClass, but it is not an instance of RDFSClass. RDF Schema and OWL are based on concepts from formal logic, as mentioned above. They provide unary predicates, i.e., classes and individuals, for representing concepts in a domain and binary predicates, in the form of properties, for representing relations between concepts. Both RDF classes and RDF properties are first-class entities and have globally unique identifiers. MOF, on the other hand, is class based. It provides classes for representing concepts in a domain, attributes for representing characteristics that are common to all instances of a given concept, and associations for representing relations between concepts. MOF classes are first-class entities that may have globally unique identifiers (package scoped). Attributes and associations, however, are not first-class citizens. They have only class-scoped, local names, as mentioned previously. This raised a fundamental question as to how best to represent RDF properties in the metamodels: reified as MOF classes so that they have globally unique identifiers or as MOF associations so that they appear more natural to MOF/UML users. In the current metamodels, we have described predefined RDF properties, e.g., rdfs:subClassOf and owl:equivalentClass, as MOF associations in order to make the metamodels easier to understand, simplify the serialized XMI rendering of the metamodels, and for ease of use in MOF and UML tools. Three prefixes (RDF, RDFS and OWL) have been used to denote namespaces, for example RDFSsubClassOf and OWLequivalentClass, to "simulate" globally unique names, however. Again, the primary goal of this work is to enable model driven development of RDF vocabularies and OWL ontologies. As such, we want the metamodels to be as directly representive of RDF Schema and OWL, respectively, as possible. Therefore, we have kept to a minimum any construct that is not explicitl


The enthalpy change accompanying the double helix–coil transition of polyriboadenylic acid (poly A) in aqueous solution has been measured optically and calorimetrically in the pH range 5.7–4.5. The course of this cooperative transition was followed optically by measuring changes in ultraviolet absorption as a function of temperature at different pH values, and calorimetrically by determining the heat capacity of the solution through the transition region. From the latter measurements, the enthalpy of transition was calculated. It is shown, that ΔH is dependent on pH as it is expected from the influence of protonation of the double helix of poly A.


Should one lack autopsy material, some of the aged who have been subjected to active therapy may supply it promptly. The aged often die from drastic diagnostic procedures, massivetherapy, or exaggerated care. No doubt too much of everything a t times harms patients-visitors, conversation, baths, food, reading, drinking and smoking. This plea for restraint does not, of course, apply to severe infections or emergencies, when active measures and heavy doses of medication are necessary.


TEACHING ABOUT THE ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE AND REPARATIONS Manu Herbstein. Ama, A Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade. New York: E-Reads, 2001. Distributed by E-Reads, 171 East 74th St., New York, N.Y. 10021. Online at http://www.ereads.com. Supported by a Web site, http://www.ama.africatoday.com/. $15.37 at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1585869325/ama-20/1041818852-6958338. Paper. Winner of the Commonwealth Writer's Prize for the best first book, 2002. "Who are you, homo sapiens?" is a question that resonates through a history colored by cruelty. When historians try to formulate the meaning of the human past, what is their conclusion about the Atlantic slave trade? We know that millions died in Africa and at sea during thirty-five thousand slave voyages; three hundred to six hundred shackled humans were crammed into the stinking bowels of slave ships. The numbers alone are numbing. But can historians think about human lives in terms of numbers, let alone describe the pathos of individual lives? How can historians describe the mysterious loss of a daughter, son, father, or mother? How can historians persuade students that they should not only feel this overwhelming sadness, but also carry these feelings beyond the conclusion of a college course? Historical fiction may help. This review essay describes the result of a project on the Atlantic slave trade and the question of reparations that I carried on in a semester-long history of Africa class for advanced undergraduates, in this case thirteen male and seventeen female students from ethnically diverse backgrounds.The course focused on Ama, A Story of the Atlantic Slave Trade, which is available both in hard copy and online. As a supplement to Ama, I used primary and secondary sources: David Dennard's "Historiography of Reparations" (SERSAS fall 2001 conference, Oct. 13, 2001); The Middle Passage (an HBO, Kreol, and Raphia film); Ali A. Mazrui's "Global Africa: From Abolitionists to Reparationists" (African Studies Revieiu 37:3, Dec. 1994); selected speeches from the "Millions for Reparations" rally (N'COBRA, Washington, B.C., Aug. 17, 2002); and Congressman John Conyers's proposed legislation to investigate federal government involvement in slavery (101st Congress, 1st Session, H.R. 3745 [often referred to as H.R. 40 to recall "Forty Acres and a Mule"]). To assist students, I also provided a glossary, character list, and several maps, the latter created using Rand McNally's splendid New Millennium World Atlas Deluxe software. These are all available on the Web at http://www.ama.africatoday.com. Ama, who is the eponymous heroine acting among historical characters and events, introduced the difficult issues raised in the project. All students agreed that Ama gave them entry into the mind and heart of a courageous female slave. Ama became their sister, their universal family member-we are all Africans; she touched them. Ama chronicles the tribulations of a young girl who was born in the late eighteenth-century in what is now northern Ghana. Originally named Nandzi, she is enslaved by Africans, renamed Ama (Saturday) by her Asante masters, and sold to Europeans. …


This paper is concerned with an optimal coordination control problem for nonlinear multi-agent systems (MASs) with constraints of the control inputs. The idea of daptive dynamic programming (ADP) algorithm is to use the policy iteration to solve the coupled Hamilton-Jacobi equations. First, a suitable non-quadratic functional is introduced into the cost function to transform the question into an optimization problem. Second, a distributed control law is designed for each agent, which aims that the cost function of the MASs converge to Nash equilibrium. Next, the analysis of the convergence is indicated that the iterative cost functions of nonlinear multi-agent systems is convergent. Neural network (NNs) are used to approximate the cost functions for the calculation of the control laws. Finally, simulation results show the effectiveness of the coordination control algorithm.


We consider the framework of penalized estimation where the penalty term is given by a real-valued polyhedral gauge, which encompasses methods such as LASSO (and many variants thereof such as the generalized LASSO), SLOPE, OSCAR, PACS and others. Each of these estimators can uncover a different structure or ``pattern'' of the unknown parameter vector. We define a general notion of patterns based on subdifferentials and formalize an approach to measure their complexity. For pattern recovery, we provide a minimal condition for a particular pattern to be detected by the procedure with positive probability, the so-called accessibility condition. Using our approach, we also introduce the stronger noiseless recovery condition. For the LASSO, it is well known that the irrepresentability condition is necessary for pattern recovery with probability larger than $1/2$ and we show that the noiseless recovery plays exactly the same role, thereby extending and unifying the irrepresentability condition of the LASSO to a broad class of penalized estimators. We show that the noiseless recovery condition can be relaxed when turning to thresholded penalized estimators, extending the idea of the thresholded LASSO: we prove that the accessibility condition is already sufficient (and necessary) for sure pattern recovery by thresholded penalized estimation provided that the signal of the pattern is large enough. Throughout the article, we demonstrate how our findings can be interpreted through a geometrical lens.


This article describes the videoconferencing training of a group of family therapists in the McMaster Approach to evaluating and treating families. A discussion of the key tenets of the McMaster Approach lays the groundwork for how these tenets were applied to training in a residential treatment agency for adolescents. The article serves as an example of how videoconference technology can facilitate extended training, even from a distance.


Colombia is a country that has ample resources and potential to achieve high levels of growth in the primary sector. Despite this, it is still considered a developing country with difficulties to move forward one of the fundamental sectors for its economy: the agricultural sector. The conditions of the sector show the need of a change in their policies and administration that allows them to solve their problems and improve the social conditions of those who belong to this sector. Although there are the same types of problems in other sectors, giving a priority solution to those of agriculture will guarantee economic growth and stability in the country.
According to the National Report on Forced Displacement in Colombia (2015), conducted by the National Center for Historical Memory, for more than four decades the agricultural sector in Colombia has been the main victim of the internal armed conflict, becoming a scene of violence, poverty and several unsuccessful agrarian reform attempts that affect approximately 32% of the total population. Due to this situation, conflicts prevail over the use and tenure of lands that demand a successful agrarian reform that will put an end to injustice and inequality in the sector.
Additionally, another consequence of the situation in the Colombian countryside is the concentration of land and inequality. These have been increasing over the years making the Rural Gini Index go from 0.74 to 0.88 for 2012 (Institute of Political Science, 2012).
Likewise, unemployment and poverty have increased while access to basic services and the average income of peasants have remained very low. By 2012, 77% of the land was owned by 13% of the population and only 3.6% of that population had 30% of the land. Labor informality exceeded 40% and the percentage of formalization of property titles in the rural sector occurred in only 18% of cases. In addition to this, maldistribution led to low levels of production, since the lands were not used for the purposes they had. Of the 21.5 million hectares of land suitable for agriculture, only 4.9 million were used for that purpose, the rest were lost due to misuse, for example with activities such as livestock (Institute of Political Science, 2012).
These data are only a small introduction to the great problem that exists in the agricultural sector in Colombia, but for this specific research are relevant data that help to contextualize. So then, based on this information, this research intends to analyze the opportunities that exist to improve the agricultural sector.


Simon Shen is an associate professor of international relations in the Chinese University of Hong Kong, serving as director of its Global Studies Program and Masters of Global Political Economy Program, and co-director of International Affairs Research Center. His research interests include Chinese nationalism, the regional security of Asia-Pacific, Hong Kong external relations, and terrorism in Asia. Dr. Shen is the author and editor of a number of books, including Redefining Nationalism in Modern China: Sino–American Relations and the Emergence of Chinese Public Opinions in the 21 Century. His Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong from Comparative Perspectives: Strategies and Legacies is forthcoming.


Neuronal heterotopias are malformations of neuronal migration, clinically associated with mental retardation, epilepsy and dyslexia. Nodular heterotopias are usually identified in childhood as part of syndromes associating multiple cerebral and systemic malformations. Milder forms may go unrecognized until adulthood when their initial symptoms are usually seizures. We present the case of a 54 years old woman, who is a medical nurse, with temporal lobe epilepsy, with late recognition of her disease. The clinical presentation suggested temporal lobe epilepsy with complex partial seizures, impaired consciousness and motor automatism. Video-EEG has simultaneously recorded the clinical seizure and the ictal paroxysmal discharges. The cause of the temporal epilepsy was proved to be periventricular nodular heterotopia (PVNH).


Objective: To summarize the examination and effect of branchofiberoscope in the patients of serious hemoptysis and acute atelectasis,and to study the clinical effect of pulmonectomy in the patients of serious hemoptysis and acute atelectasis under the guidance of the branchofiberoscope.Methods: The clinical data of 23 cases receiving pulmonectomy under the guidance of the branchofiberoscope from February 2000 to February 2010 were reviewed,and the experience of pulmonectomy under the guidance of the branchofiberoscope in the patients of serious hemoptysis and acute atelectasis was summarized.Results: The bleeding positions of the 23 cases were confirmed through the examination of branchofiberoscope and all of the cases had a successful treatment with pulmonectomy.Conclusion: The urgent examination of branchofiberoscope for the patients of serious hemoptysis and acute atelectasis is very safe and can detect the bleeding position accurately and has important value for operation.


The H algorithms of the mixed weight sensitivity is used for the robust design of the reactor power control system. The mixed weight sensitivity method requires the selection of the proper weighting functions for the loop shaping in frequency domain. The complexity of the system equation and the non-convexity of the problem make it very difficult to determine the weighting functions. The genetic algorithm which is improved and hybridized with the simulated annealing is applied to determine the weighting functions. This approach permits an automatic calculation and the resultant system shows good robustness and performance.


Abstract Aims We aimed to investigate the heterogeneity of seasonal suicide patterns among multiple geographically, demographically and socioeconomically diverse populations. Methods Weekly time-series data of suicide counts for 354 communities in 12 countries during 1986–2016 were analysed. Two-stage analysis was performed. In the first stage, a generalised linear model, including cyclic splines, was used to estimate seasonal patterns of suicide for each community. In the second stage, the community-specific seasonal patterns were combined for each country using meta-regression. In addition, the community-specific seasonal patterns were regressed onto community-level socioeconomic, demographic and environmental indicators using meta-regression. Results We observed seasonal patterns in suicide, with the counts peaking in spring and declining to a trough in winter in most of the countries. However, the shape of seasonal patterns varied among countries from bimodal to unimodal seasonality. The amplitude of seasonal patterns (i.e. the peak/trough relative risk) also varied from 1.47 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.33–1.62) to 1.05 (95% CI: 1.01–1.1) among 12 countries. The subgroup difference in the seasonal pattern also varied over countries. In some countries, larger amplitude was shown for females and for the elderly population (≥65 years of age) than for males and for younger people, respectively. The subperiod difference also varied; some countries showed increasing seasonality while others showed a decrease or little change. Finally, the amplitude was larger for communities with colder climates, higher proportions of elderly people and lower unemployment rates (p-values < 0.05). Conclusions Despite the common features of a spring peak and a winter trough, seasonal suicide patterns were largely heterogeneous in shape, amplitude, subgroup differences and temporal changes among different populations, as influenced by climate, demographic and socioeconomic conditions. Our findings may help elucidate the underlying mechanisms of seasonal suicide patterns and aid in improving the design of population-specific suicide prevention programmes based on these patterns.


Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease is one of the most common human monogenic diseases in which extensive epithelial‐lined cysts develop in kidney and other organs. Affected kidneys are not only characterized by the formation of cysts, but also by changes associated with the extracellular matrix and interstitial inflammation, which can progress to fibrosis and loss of renal function. Mxi1 protein, which is a c‐myc antagonist, may be essential in controlling cellular growth and differentiation. Previously, multiple tubular cysts were observed in kidney of Mxi1‐deficient mice aged 6 months and more. Presently, 2‐DE and MALDI‐TOF MS was employed to identify the differentially expressed proteins in the kidney. Several proteins were identified, among them, apolipoproteinA1 which is a major component of the high‐density lipoprotein complex and has anti‐inflammation effects, was significantly decreased in the Mxi1‐deficient mouse. We confirm the development of inflammation and renal fibrosis and the expression of extracellular matrix molecules including transforming growth factor were also increased in cystic kidney. These results indicate that expression of proteins related with inflammation and renal fibrosis changes by Mxi1 inactivation in polycystic kidney.


Introduction 1. The Words: Mr Gray of Belgravia 2. The Pictures: Dr Carter of Scarborough 3. The Enterprise: J.W.Parker & Son of West Strand 4. The Process of Creation: Person or Persons Unknown 5. The Raw Material: The Friendless Poor of London 6. The Process of Creation 7. The Process of Production 8. 1858: The Book Appears 9. Calamity 10. Futurity Acknowledgements References Bibliography Index


A review of Beate Kutschke and Barley Norton (eds), Music and Protest in 1968 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013). ISBN 978-1-107-00732-1


T he humoral response to 2 doses of severe acute respir-atory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine among transplant recipients is inferior to immunocompe-tent individuals. 1 Data on the "real-world" impact of vaccination in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) are lacking. We performed a cohort study investigating the impact of vaccination on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection and outcomes in our kidney transplant program. COVID-19 vaccination and infection status between March 11, 2020, and July 19, 2021, were recorded for all KTRs in our program, along with demographics and clini-cal covariates associated with COVID-19 severity. 2 This initiative was reviewed by institutional authorities at Unity Health Toronto and deemed to require neither approval from the Research Ethics Board nor written informed con-sent from participants. Weekly community infection rates for each public health unit of Ontario were used to define a patient-specific community infection risk. The primary outcome was COVID-19 infection in our study population. Severe COVID-19 infection (complicated by hospitalization and death) was analyzed as a secondary outcome. A time-varying Cox proportional-hazards model examined the association between vaccine status and the risk of COVID-19 infection, adjusting for age, sex, time posttransplant, kidney function, COVID-19–predisposing comorbidities, and the weekly infection rate in each patient's community. Detailed methods are described in Supplementary Appendix S1 ( SDC We evaluated 1793 KTRs. One


The Nigerian film industry, popularly called Nollywood has been a source of pride since it officially took off in 1992 with the production of the first direct-to-video film, Living in Bondage. Religion, on the other hand, has become a topic of growing interest among scholars worldwide. However, in Nigeria, while Nollywood is peddling exaggerated stereotypes and one-sided accounts of its traditional religion and culture, thereby promoting the get rich quick life, many religious leaders intensify that same way of life by making the members believe that one can go to bed a pauper and wake up wealthy just by praying and sowing seeds. This article sought to interrogate the effects and consequences of Nollywood and Religion on Nigerian development. This article examined the neo-colonial mindset that makes Nollywood writers, producers and religious leaders magnify the ills in our society while glorifying the western life. Indeed, religion and Nollywood with the many followers, listeners and viewers can influence Nigeria and the diaspora positively in more ways than one. Through the multidisciplinary approach to historical interpretation, this article identified ways to regulate and promote development in Nigeria through religion and Nollywood.


The bark of Hernandiapeltata Meissner (Hernandiaceae) has yielded four new dimeric alkaloids, namely (+)-6-northalicarpine 6, (+)-thalicarpine 2′-N-oxide 10, (+)-hebridamine 11, and (+)-vilaportine 12. Hebridamine is the first example of a benzylisoquinoline-phenanthrene dimer and (+)-vilaportine is a dimer with an oxoaporphinium zwitterionic moiety. The 6a,7-dehydrothalmelatine 9, previously known as a synthetic compound, has been isolated from a natural source for the first time. The possibility of a biogenetic relationship between (+)-vanuatine and (+)-thalicarpine 7 is considered.


Monitoring wide borders of the nation for 24/7 has become the vital role in field of national defense and security system against Terrorism. Knowingly or unknowingly Trespassers crosses borders illegally for smuggling, illegal weapons and goods transport, undocumented migration etc. In the present situation, the border monitoring process is being taking place manually by nations border security forces (BSF) these people are responsible for constantly monitoring nations borders. It requires more number of Human Resources and specific assets as the borders are spread across thousands of miles and have vast geographical area also has different climate conditions. With help of advanced technology, Practice of patrolling on the borders can be automated by using PIR sensors to detect the Trespasser, Raspberry pi camera to continuously surveillance, Android based controlling system for Robotic Vehicle movement and wireless networking technology for sending information to the control room for further action. In this technical paper we are proposing An Android based Smart Robotic Vehicle for Border Security Surveillance system.


The data transmission method according to the invention of claim 1 comprising: establishing a TCP connection between the terminal and the mobile communication network, and; If the terminal can be connected with the WLAN, the method comprising a command and a connection to the WLAN; Setting a claim 2 TCP connection between the terminal and the WLAN, and; In parallel to the data provided by the host via the TCP connection of claim 1 and 2 funeral TCP connection may comprise a data transmission step of transmitting to the mobile station.


With the gradual depletion of fossil fuels and the increasingly severe form of environmental protection, data analysis shows that the new energy vehicle industry has become the future industry competing for development all over the world. China has also established the development strategy and goal of the new energy vehicle in the future. This paper analyzes the technical route and application data of new energy vehicle and puts forward the development strategy of new energy vehicle industry in view of the current situation and existing problems of the development of new energy vehicle in China. It is necessary to strengthen the formulation of national standards for energy vehicle industry, pay attention to core technology breakthroughs and parts research, improve infrastructure construction, constantly improve the business promotion mode, so as to promote the rapid development of new energy vehicle industry in China.


This chapter shows the views of Blaise Pascal and Thomas Hobbes as two alternatives since neither formulated their ideas along the lines of ancient philosophical schools. According to Erasmus the way to virtue depends on knowing oneself and acting according to the dictates of reason and not passion. The phrase Philosophia Christi links up with the idea that the aims of philosophy and religion are same. Two main alternatives to the accepted philosophicoreligious stance were based on related, though not identical, considerations - either the attainability of moral happiness with the help of reason was called into doubt, or the concept of a moral happiness was flatly rejected. Pascal's criticism of the supposed similarity between philosophy and religion leads to a direct confrontation between reason and religious inspiration. Educated early moderns were well versed in the idea that there was a psychological dividend on their abstention from lower pleasures. Keywords:Blaise Pascal; Erasmus; nobility; Philosophia Christi ; Thomas Hobbes; virtue


Morphea profunda refers to inflammatory and sclerotic lesions that start primarily from the deep dermis, subcutaneous fat and fascia. Its pediatric case published work is limited. Here, we report the case of an 8‐year‐old girl with a 5‐year history of multiple subcutaneous nodules on her extremities and a right wrist joint contracture who had been previously diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and treated with salazosulfapyridine, low‐dose prednisolone (PSL) and methotrexate. We performed biopsies of two subcutaneous nodules, which revealed the typical morphology of morphea profunda. She was administrated a tapered course of oral PSL then cyclosporin A (CyA) for 20 weeks which completely resolved her joint contracture and subcutaneous nodules. We reviewed 11 previously reported cases of morphea profunda and found that some include circumscribed/linear morphea that develop into subcutaneous tissues, indicating that "classical" morphea profunda arising within the deep tissues has rarely been reported. Our report is the first to demonstrate the efficacy of CyA for treatment of morphea profunda, and the possibility of CyA as a treatment option to reduce oral steroid doses in juvenile cases.


In the first of this series of three articles in Health & Social Care Chaplaincy, the author employed Ricoeur's typology – orientation, disorientation, reorientation – to explore Scottish healthcare chaplains' responses to the refocusing of spiritual care from a series of crisis-based hospital interventions to the promotion of wellbeing and resilience in local communities. In this second article the author treats this paradigm shift with a hermeneutic of suspicion and explores inherent issues of need, ability, value and power.


Damages such as cracks often occur in engineering structures, and such damages often have the characteristics of time-domain variable stiffness. To effectively identify this kind of damage, a damage detection method based on time domain data and Bayesian fusion is presented in this paper. First, a hybrid model of the AR/ARCH model is used to identify structural nonlinear damage, and a damage indicator is also used: the second-order-variance indicator (SOVI). Although most of the nonlinear damage information is extracted by the indicator SOVI and ARCH model, some nonlinear information is still filtered out by the AR model part. Therefore, a linear cepstral metric indicator (CMI) based on the AR model is introduced to extract the remained nonlinear damage information, and further, the Bayesian fusion theory is applied to combine the results of SOVI and CMI to obtain complete nonlinear damage information and achieve better identification results. Finally, a three-story frame experimental model is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Bayesian fusion. Experimental results show that the Bayesian fusion method is superior to SOVI and CMI.


Due to its noninvasive nature, good spatial resolution and other advantages functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has become a tool of choice for investigating the brain mechanisms underlying psychological phenomena. Functional MRI studies have elicted substantial media coverage and this has led to increased public interest in neuroimaging. Having in mind enormous potential of this method as well as potential risks it is of crucial importance to be aware of ethical and practical challenges when conducting fMRI research, especially with children and adolescents. In this essay we selectively review issues regarding informed consent and child's capacity to withdraw from the study, importance of incidental findings and the problem of motion during image acquisition. Strategies how to deal with those problems are also addressed.


In the phase 1 MajesTEC-1 trial, teclistamab (Tec), a B-cell maturation antigen × CD3 T cell redirecting bispecific antibody, showed an overall response rate of 65% at 6.1-month follow-up. Daratumumab (Dara) is a monoclonal antibody that targets CD38 and is approved for the treatment of MM. In MM cell lines, the lytic activity of Tec was enhanced by pretreatment and combination treatment with Dara; thus, the combination of both agents may improve efficacy in RRMM by targeting discrete yet complementary antigens. We present data on patients (pts) with RRMM who received Tec + Dara in the phase 1b TRIMM-2 study (NCT04108195).


Mitochondrial Transcription Termination Factor 4 (MTERF4) is a transcription factor involved in mitochondrial ribosomal biogenesis and was identified as a gene of interest via whole exome sequencing in a pediatric patient with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. The two key variants of interest (VOI) identified in MTERF4 were a premature stop in one allele and a nonsynonymous point mutation on the second allele. The patient's specific variants in MTERF4 have not been previously reported in the literature or associated to HCM. An existing MTERF4 mouse model by Cámara et al. (Cámara et al, 2011. PMID: 21531335) has shown that a global knock out (KO) of MTERF4 resulted in embryonic lethality at developmental stage E8.5 and that a heart‐specific conditional KO of MTERF4 resulted in mitochondrial cardiomyopathy. Here, we combined precision genome editing via CRISPR/Cas9 system with human iPSC‐derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC‐derived CMs) to model the HCM patient‐specific MTERF4 variants to determine if they contribute to the patient's HCM phenotype. We hypothesize that MTERF4 variants are contributing to cardiomyocyte impairment, leading to the development of the hypertrophic phenotype. To overcome the low frequency homology‐directed repair (HDR) events in hiPSCs, we are using co‐targeting with selection (Mitzelfelt et al., 2017.PMID: 28238794), a method that improves our efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing in these cells. Three MTERF4 mutant clones have been identified by Sanger sequencing, were assessed for pluripotency using immunostaining for SSEA‐4 and Oct4, and qRT‐PCR was done using Oct4, GATA4, and SOX2 primers. Three hiPSCs clones that have undergone our co‐targeting protocol, but were unmodified by CRISPR/Cas9, serve as controls for the MTERF4 mutant clones. MTERF4 clones and controls were subjected to our modified Palecek matrix‐overlay method for CM differentiation and assessed at 3–4 weeks. The hiPSC‐derived CMs cell size analysis by average pixel area of the MTERF4 mutant indicated that they are significantly (p=0.0012) larger compared to MTERF4 control. The assessment of mitochondrial function demonstrated that the maximal mitochondrial respiration may be reduced in MTERF4 mutant hiPSC‐derived CMs compared to control (p=0.056). In the cardiovascular disease qRT‐PCR array data, gene expression associated with HCM (NPPA, NPPB, GATA4, TNNT, MYL7, MYH7) were elevated. Preliminary data support our hypothesis through changes in CMs size, mitochondrial function, and transcriptional expression for one MTERF4 mutant clone and control. This approach has generated an in vitro tool to evaluate aspects of diseases, such as cardiomyopathy that can be used for diagnostic screening and therapy. Repeating our initial studies, and adding mechanistic studies, with all three MTERF4 mutant and control clones will further validate our hypothesis.


the theme of the eighth international Conference of the Australasian Children's Literature Association for Research (ACLAR), held at Victoria University of Wellington on 27-29 June 2008, was 'other Worlds in Children's Literature: Fantasy, reality and imagination'. the topics of the 76 papers presented ranged from fantasy, folklore, morality, and power of language to sexuality, timeslip, humour and cyberculture. this issue of Papers comprises selected papers from this conference.


The doctrine of the twisting of the pedicle of the tumors of the uterine appendages (ovaries, steamer, wide ligaments, tubes) seems far from complete. By the way, a very interesting question about the cause of the twisting remains open to this day [1]. This question, as is known, was solved very differently


Abstract Morphobiometric analyses of pollens and seeds of 29 accessions and 2 cultivars belonging to 8 annual taxa of the genus Cicer L. revealed 6 pollen and 7 seed types. Keys of identification were established on the basis of the characters which distinguished the morphotypes. Taxa were classified into 4 groups which confirmed their cytogenetic relationships.


A rescue station is necessary for an extralong railway tunnel, whose length is generally greater than 20 km. In the rescue station, passenger evacuation, fire fighting, and protection of passengers are organized. It is important to discover the temperature distribution in a rescue station where a train is on fire. This paper performs a similarity simulation model test at 1 : 10 geometric scale to investigate the temperature field in a rescue station. A gasoline pool fire was used as the fire source. The influences of the fire source position and ventilation condition on the temperature field were studied. The results show that (a) the temperature distribution along the tunnel is stable without ventilation, the temperature is lowest when the fire occurs 50 m from the entrance; (b) the fresh air stirred up by fans promotes burning and increases the temperature; (c) the chimney effect causes the temperature field to skew in an uphill direction; (d) the opening of both fans in the adit makes the high-temperature zone to connect through; and (e) the temperature increase at the rescue station can be divided into four stages, and the response of different fire source positions to the opening of fans is not consistent. These findings provide a basis for personnel escape design and a foundation for further study of temperature distribution in a tunnel with a rescue station.


The paper presents the findings of a transnational project shedding some light on the role of national VET cultures in 5 EU-member-states performing joint labour market policies. In focus group interviews with the main social actors in VET, trainees, industria lists and trainers, both intracultural between the groups and inter-cultural differences between the countries will be investigated. Introduction Interestingly enough, the globalisation of all economic and as a consequence all social relations, the equalisation of competition, in Europe reinforced by the process of political and economical integration, has revealed and also reinforced the importance of the hidden concepts of the social actors within social structures in the field of employment, work and work-related teaching learning. Differences in coping with equalised global challenges are both based on institutional and on cultural factors. The ways in which strategies and actions in the field of employment, work and training are carried out by the social actors (employees, entrepreneurs, trade-unionists, politicians and policy makers, etc . . .) in the Member States of the European Union are strictly dependent on the social representations concerning issues such as "vocational training", "occupation/ profession," "work organisation" in the different countries. However, major differences emerge for what concerns the cultures of VET– the way in which VET is regarded by the employers and the other actors in the work system, and the way in which it is experienced by the trainees. Therefore, the success of the policies responding to globalised challenges in an integrating Europe seem to be based not only on institutional arrangements but also on the recognition and mutual understanding of the meanings and representations concerning these issues within the European Countries. The paper presents a LEONARDO da VINCI project, which tries to shed light on the identities and differences in socially shared meanings, and social representations in the different participating countries, UK, France, Portugal, Italy and Germany. The Project Concept The project is based on a set of conceptual assumptions, deriving from research and literature concerning two main thematic areas: cultural differences and social representations. Cultural Differences In recent years, diversity in national and group cultures has been studied by scholars who showed how cultural differences constitute powerful predictors of how people behave in organisations and institutions. For example Hofstede et. al. (1990) recognised different national value systems in the areas of social inequality and relation to authority; relations between the group and the individual; social implications of gender (being a male, a female, or other gender); ways of dealing with uncertainty, controlling aggression, expressing emotions, and orientation toward time (e.g., short vs. long term). Hampden, Turner and Trompenaars (1993) also pursued broad in depth comparison between European cultures using the dimension of attitude toward security and norms, interpretation of the relation between mankind and nature, attitude toward individual and national identity, attitude with respect to family values, religion, conception of time and work organisation, and hierarchical distance. Similar findings were presented by Hofstede (1991). These national and regional differences are of course embodied in, and sustained by, the institutional arrangements, regulating bodies, and practices carried out in the different member states. A crucial dimension relates to differences in power structure: in every country the structure of power is affected by several variables such as relation of private and public power; range, aims, and forms of state interventions; form and distribution of power and local authorities (democracy, federal, centralised state). Economic differences are relevant. For example structure, performance, technology, and labour market structure conditions differentiate the economies of each country. Differences in the institutional arrangement and learning styles are another dimension of national differentiation. Educational and training systems usually vary in relation to specific configurations of the above elements. Differences involve structure, administration, curricula and regulations, pedagogical attitudes and teaching methods. Such differences combine at the various levels, for example with the value attributed to the diffusion of technology and awareness of its benefits and constraints. Together, they come together to determine the prevalence of specific learning strategies and learning styles at the individual level.Cultural differences permeate all the aspects of VET and create national and sub-national specificies of VET systems. Recent works analysing the assumptions and values regulating VET in different countries have begun to identify the cultural premises which allow national VET systems to work effectively. Although such works are based mainly on impressionistic data and do not carry out extensive cross national comparisons, they shed light on the importance of cultural aspects for understanding the specific actions and actors in different VET systems at the national level. Social Representations Different theories and constructs provide explanations of the link between the way people make sense of themselves and the world and the way they act. Among them is the theory of social representation introduced three decades ago to account for the links between broader cultural beliefs, attitudes and behaviour. In short, social representations can be defined as the elaboration of an object by a community which enables its members to behave in a comprehensible manner and to communicate. These representations are cultural systems with a logic and a language enabling the members of a community to organise the conditions and contexts of their interactions. On the one hand, social representations allow individuals and groups to construct a coherent vision of reality which they use to orient their behaviour. On the other, they are the outcome of mental activity modulated by the features of the social situation in which they are produced (Gherardi, 1998). In this sense, social representations provide a link between attitudes and behaviours and give reason of the co-ordinated behaviour of people toward the same phenomenon, or different behaviours under different cultural circumstances. Representations of VET are likely to determine a number of differences in the ways the system is perceived by the different actors involved determining, or concurring to determine. Methodological Considerations The research design is based on the progressive enrichment and refinement of an explanatory framework based mainly on a set of focus groups interviews and a series of working conferences. The Initial Working Hyphothesis Representations of VET are likely to determine a number of differences in the ways the system is perceived by the different actors involved determining, or concurring to determine. Such differences are likely to include: • the level of consideration granted to VET; • the relation between VET system and the economic world; • the social perception and labelling of trainees within and outside the workplace; • the status accorded to trainees and apprentices within the workplace and in the wider social context, including the form of contractual arrangement between trainee and employer; • the level of involvement in the work activ ities; • the attribution of responsibility for training; • the relations between learners and teachers, and between trainers and teachers; • the perception of VET employers and trainers; • the relations between VET activities and other forms of instruction and education. Eliciting Representations of VET using the "Focus


Abstract Sequence variation of control region mitochondrial DNA, phylogenetic reconstruction, and analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) were used to determine the degree of genetic structure of Yellow Warblers (Dendroica petechia) in the Galápagos Archipelago. When the Galápagos population was partitioned into subpopulations (by island), AMOVA indicated a nonsignificant level of genetic structure. The presence of the same haplotype on more than one island also indicated low genetic divergence among subpopulations. Using these sequences and those available in Genbank, we also determined the degree of divergence between the Galápagos Yellow Warbler population and other New World populations. Mean sequence divergence between the Galápagos population and Latin American populations was 3.7%, and between the Galápagos population and North American populations was 6.7%.


The main purpose of digital watermarking is copyright protection of digital work. In this paper, we present a blind watermarking algorithm which can detect watermarking without using the original image.It use a binary image as the watermarking, and a serial experimental results show that it meets imperceptible and has some robustness to some digital image processing, such as noise, filter.


Fangwei Pan State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China School of Stomatology, Sichuan University Zhentao Yang State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China School of Stomatology, Sichuan University Jian Wang Sichuan University West China College of Stomatology Ruilie Cai University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health Jialing Liu Sichuan University West China College of Stomatology Chenghao Zhang Sichuan University West China Hospital of Stomatology Wen Liao (  email@example.com ) Department of Orthodontics, West China Hospital of Stomatology, State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases&National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases,Sichuan university, Chengdu, China https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5737-9731


President Clinton recently held a conference at the White House with representatives of some 250 of the nation's recognized Indian tribes. The purpose of the meeting was to acknowledge the sovereign status of American Indian governments. Sovereign status of Indian tribes is not a creation of the current administration, but the President's official recognition of this status is an important step toward fulfilling rights and privileges that such status entails.


Object of the present invention is to provide a method for inserting into the coronary arteries, due to metal stents to treat coronary artery disease patients with angina or myocardial infarction occurred. The holder (1) is constituted by a plurality of primary holder unit, each unit of the zigzag shape, rounded at the bent portion, and may extend in the circumferential direction. Primary holder unit (1) are assembled into a cylindrical support structure, so that each of the two primary holder unit (1) via a respective curved connecting the two cells of each primary holder of one of the convex curved portion (1) and the other a first post section (2 ') or (2') integrated into a two bracket unit. two hooks for each two outwardly bent portion of the bracket unit by a plurality of units of the two two brackets connected to each other shaped second struts (3) into the desired stent.


The particulate collection at high temperature and high pressure (HTHP) is important on the advanced coal power generation system not only to improve the thermal efficiency of the system, but also to prevent the gas turbine from erosion and to meet the emission limits of the effluent gas. The specifications for particulate collection in those systems such as Integrated Coal Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) and Pressurized Fluidized Bed Combustion (PFBC) require the absolutely high collection efficiency and reliability. Advanced cyclone, granular bed filter, electrostatic precipitator, and ceramic filter have been developed for particulate collection on the advanced coal power generation system. However, rigid ceramic filters and granular bed filter among them show the best potential. The current technology of these collectors was evaluated in this paper. The experienced problems of these systems on performance, materials, and mechanical design were investigated. Ceramic candle filters has the best potential for IGCC at this moment because it has nearly the highest efficiency comparing with other filtering systems and has accumulated many reliable design data resulted from many field experiences.


Objective: To evaluate the importance of common bile duct stone size on success rate of extraction. Design: A retrospective analysis of medical records of patients with common bile duct stones. were admitted from our clinics or Setting: Gastroenterology unit at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh. Patients were admitted from our clinics or referred from the medical and surgical wards or from other hospitals. Subjects: All medical records of patients with choledocholithiasis diagnosed by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography between 1985 and 1992 were reviewed. Patients' age, sex, nationality, number and size of bile duct stones and success rate of extraction were recorded. Results: A total of 211 patients, 86 males and 125 females. Mean age 53.2+17.4 years were included in the study. Endoscopic sphincterotomy was successful in 97.6%. Endoscopic common bile duct clearance was achieved in 75.4% (group 1), while 24.6% of stones could not be retrieved (group 11). There was no significant difference between stone number in both groups. However, stone size was significantly larger in group II (p 15 mm in size. Conclusion: Stone size has significant impact on success rate of extraction.


In a cross section picture of the zirconia sintered body, on the basis of the cross-sectional area of each of the zirconia particles, as calculated in terms of particle size in the case of assuming that the cross sectional shape of each of the zirconia particles round, and based on the particle diameter basis, less than 0.4 ㎛ each zirconia particle, in less than 0.4 ㎛ 0.76 ㎛ and more than 0.76 ㎛ the class classification, each class, when calculating the cross-sectional area ratio of each class to the total cross-sectional area of the total zirconia particles by calculating the cross-sectional area, the converted grain size 0.4 ㎛ less than zirconia particles and the cross-sectional area ratio less than 35% to 4%, in terms of particle diameter of more than 0.4 ㎛ 0.76 ㎛ less than a cross-sectional area ratio of the zirconia particles are less than 57% more than 24%, in terms of particle diameter of 0.76 ㎛ than the cross-sectional area ratio of the zirconia particles is at least 16% It is 62% or less.


In the outskirts of the intracluster medium (ICM) in galaxy clusters, the temperature decreases with radius. Due to the weakly collisional nature of the plasma, these regions are susceptible to the magneto-thermal instability (MTI), which can sustain turbulence and provide turbulent pressure support in the ICM. This instability arises due to heat conduction directed along the magnetic field, with a heat conductivity which is normally assumed to be given by the Spitzer value. Recent numerical studies of the ion mirror and the electron whistler instability using particle-in-cell codes have shown that microscale instabilities can lead to a reduced value for the heat conductivity in the ICM. This could in turn influence the efficiency with which the MTI drives turbulence. In this paper, we investigate the influence of reduced heat transport on the non-linear evolution of the MTI. We study plane-parallel, initially static atmospheres and employ a subgrid model that mimics the influence of the mirror instability on the heat conductivity. We use this subgrid model to assess the effect of microscales on the large-scale dynamics of the ICM. We find that the non-linear saturation of the MTI is surprisingly robust in our simulations. Over a factor of ∼103 in the thermal-to-magnetic pressure ratio and collisionality, we find at most modest changes to the saturation of the MTI with respect to reference simulations where heat transport is unsuppressed.


The fact that occupant behaviour has a large effect on buildings' energy consumption is well accepted. Occupants affect energy consumption by their behaviours: using lighting, appliances, thermostats etc. and interacting with envelope components such as windows and blinds. During last decades, specific ICT solutions have been developed for addressing behavioural changes toward energy saving and consequently leading to energy conscious occupant behaviours. This paper presents a mean of interaction between sensors and users for tackling behavioural changes toward energy saving in homes. This is based on premade rules and instructions (referred to as recipes), meant for tackling energy hungry everyday life actions. Moreover, it investigates the use of nonintrusive appliance load monitoring (NIALM) system. Among all the available off the shelfs sensors, NIALM seems to be very promising, especially if combined with self-learning algorithms, for detecting energy consumption of electrical appliances. This combination can potentially solve existing constrains: detecting and identifying appliances with very small or continuous electricity consumption or that turn on or turn off slowly. Literature information have been cross checked with home energy consumption monitored data in order to create pre-formulated energy recipes for empowering occupants addressing specific energy hungry behaviours. Besides establishing virtuous occupant behaviours, devoted to a rational and judicious use of energy, the adoption of energy recipes aims to generate critical knowledge about the intrinsic meaning of technical variables.


SUMMARY This paper first reviews the origins and development of tourism higher education in China, then elaborates on its present hierarchy of programs, regional distribution and mechanisms for operating schools. Based on an investigation, the paper also discusses the educational objectives, program setup, curriculum design, textbooks and reference materials. It summarizes the problems and challenges China's higher education studies in tourism are facing, and in conclusion, it explores development trends and offers suggestions for its future.


This is a story of one of the casualties of the red purges and rising racial tensions of post-World War Two
America, set in the city of Pittsburgh, one rarely talked about in these contexts.


With the introduction of advanced lightweight materials with complex
 microstructures and behaviors, more focus is put on the accurate determination
 of their forming limits, and that can only be possible through experiments as
 the conventional theoretical models for the forming limit curve (FLC) prediction
 fail to perform. Despite that, CAE engineers, designers, and toolmakers still
 rely heavily on theoretical models due to the steep costs associated with
 formability testing, including mechanical setup, a large number of tests, and
 the cost of a stereo digital image correlation (DIC) system. The international
 standard ISO 12004-2:2021 recommends using a stereo DIC system for formability
 testing since two-dimensional (2D) DIC systems are considered incapable of
 producing reliable strains due to errors associated with out-of-plane motion and
 deformation. This work challenges that notion and proposes a simple strain
 compensation method for the determination of FLCs using a low-cost single-camera
 (2D) DIC system. In this study, formability tests are performed on an
 automotive-grade 6xxx series aluminum alloy using the Marciniak in-plane FLC
 testing method. The tests are performed on a custom setup that enables
 simultaneous optical strain measurements using a stereo DIC as well as a 2D DIC
 system. The results show how 2D DIC FLC points match those obtained by stereo
 DIC using two popular FLC approaches: ISO 12004-2 section-based spatial method
 and a time-dependent linear best fit (LBF) method.


The permeability along a fracture is not constant, but varies with geometrical complexities such as pre-existing cracks. The spatial permeability changes affecting fluid pressure distributions can generate a sophisticated source mechanism potential to interpret measured seismicity complexity in the field. In this study, the relation between injection-induced seismicity and changes in fracture permeability during hydraulic fracturing stimulation of naturally fractured reservoirs is investigated numerically. In the model, the infinite homogeneous rock is assumed to be impermeable and elastic and a plane-strain fracture is embedded in it with distributed cracks. The fluid flow in the fracture is realized through over pressure generated by constant-rate injection. When the over-pressurized fluid enters these cracks, the pressure varying trend is changed and the injection pressure tends to increase, rather than decrease monotonically. Also, the slipping is temporarily stopped along the whole fracture. When the barrier to fluid flow is overcome, a most prominent pulse-type slip at a limited slip speed occurs along the pressurized region. The slip pulse can induce an injection pressure drop reflecting the decrease of the stress level near the rupture tip. In the meantime, the slip pulse acts as the source mechanisms for these microseismic events during the fracturing stimulation operations. It is found that the stress drop and slip rate decrease with rupture growth. In addition, the stopping phase and the accelerating duration of the slip patterns are two interesting features to estimate the source sizes of the rupture complexities generated by the forced fluid flow along a fracture.


This document presents a mobile robot family, called Epi.q. The main characteristic of this robot family is a wheel-legged locomotion, accomplished using just one motor per driving unit. These multi-purpose robots can be successfully exploited for security and surveillance tasks. The document contains information regarding the Epi.q state of the art, the robot driving unit, a modular approach for the mechanical architecture and the design of a new prototype


Histamine-producing bacteria may be associated with much irritable bowel disease. The present study included fresh samples of Carp fish muscles for histamine producing bacteria (HPB) detection. Preliminary detection was depended on Niven ́s medium, out of 25 bacteria samples, only 17 species were positive for histamine production. Molecular technique by PCR, the responsible Histidine – Decarboxylase (HDC) 709 pb was detected by specific primer. The results were compactable and parallel as those in Niven ́s medium detected for histamine production. The bacterial species were identified by 16SrDNA sequence technique. The specimens (36) were diagnosed by amplifying universal primer of 16SrDNA. Sequence data were analyzed by (ncbi) program. Sequence results showed dominance of Morganella morganii.


Canine lymphoma is a commonly reported neoplasia and, in most dogs, arises from lymph nodes before spreading to other organs. Renal lymphoma rarely occurs, and kidneys usually are a secondary site of origin. Primary renal lymphoma is infrequently described in the veterinary literature. In this study, we present a rare case of primary renal lymphoma in a dog and a review of similar cases. A 3-year-old male dog was admitted due to anorexia, weakness and vomiting. Clinical examination revealed bilaterally enlarged kidneys. Imaging demonstrated the presence of multiple renal masses. Cytology of abdominal fluid and kidneys led to the diagnosis of large cell lymphoma. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry on tissue samples taken from the kidneys confirmed the cytological diagnosis of lymphoma and categorized it as primary bilateral renal large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL).