Wang Guowei was an important Ci researcher in the Ci-study field from the late Qing Dynasty to the early Minguo era who had developed the distinctive Ci-priority ideology. The Ci-priority ideology derived from 1) Wang Guowei's Ci-liking which had come from his individual character based on his melancholy and suffering experiences, 2) Wang Guowei's pure literature ideology which had surpassed fames and wealth, 3) Wang Guowei's sticking to and rejuvenating the traditional culture because of his thought and feelings that adherents of a former dynasty should behave with honor and dignity. Wang Guowei's Ci-priority ideology had introduce the West aesthetic theory of literature and art, and constructed the multi-angles and all-round system of Ci-study theory based on the core of prospect theory.


This is a final summary report of the findings of a two year project commissioned by Ashton, Wigan and Leigh Community Healthcare Trust. The aim of the project was to explore the quality of service delivery as it was experienced by service-users The objectives were to
 Collect narratives about specific events from people who have received care from the Trust.
 Analyse the narratives with a particular focus on the ways that people make sense of what has happened to them.
 Develop a structured representation of how individuals experience community health care and what the key factors are that impact on their experience.
 Provide feedback to the Trust which will help it to assess how its aims for service delivery relate to how the service is experienced.

Three rounds of data were collected at three points in the time period. The qualitative data was collected by interviewing people who had been on the receiving end of care from the Trust, their narratives were analysed using a Labovian approach. The findings, in general, showed a high degree of satisfaction with community services, although there were some indicators of areas where improvements could be made.


Abstract : The long-terms goals of the research are to measure the atmospheric mean and turbulence structures and statistics that are related to the propagation of laser and radar signals over the ocean. It has been hypothesized that ocean surface waves have a large effect on propagation in certain wind speed ranges. Previous experiments from R/P FLIP have shown the resonant effects of waves on the momentum flux and turbulence at wind-wave and swell scales. The problem now is to investigate the effects for the scalars that affect propagation -- temperature and water vapor.


Vibrating Machinery Noise, - airborne, structureborne or waterborne - has a signature characteristic of the combination of machinery, its mounting, load coupling, and the structure. FFT and RTA are standard techniques for obtaining power spectral density(PSD) of the noise from the source. In this paper a technique of extraction of features from the PSD, and classification of the sources is presented. An expert system is reported which classifies if the same source has appeared second time. It also gives the degree of confidence to which the classification is made to the operator.


A quantitative comparative study of ants visiting flowers in the canopies of savanna and forest in the upper Orinoco (Venezuela) showed that flowers in the savanna are more likely to display features for avoiding ant visits than do flowers in the forest canopy. In both, savanna and forest canopy, some flowers have special features to attract ants, probably to reduce herbivore pressure, whereas others posses features that hinder the access of ants to the flowers. The number of plant specimens, and of species, having flowers of the former type, is more abundant in forest canopy; whereas the later type is predominate in the savanna.


sumer in the Year 2000," and Eugene J. Kelley, "Retail Concentration and Expansion: Scope, Problems and Opportunities." Aside from the titles, which any experienced peruser of published papers knows enough to take lightly, Messrs. Foote and Kelley are pleasingly provocative and likably literate. In contrast, a few of the papers are so badly written that whatever conclusions, or even random observations, they seek to make are virtually lost in a jungle of ungrammatical construction. Foote suggests that those involved in the distribution process look back 30 to 40 years, compare the image of the consumer of that time with today's model, and then, looking ahead a like period, attempt to state some assumptions about human wants and individual buying behavior. If it is unreasonable today to attempt "... to stuff more goods and services into alreadysatiated stomachs and closets and houses . . ." (I assume he has in mind unimaginative, "me-too" items), is it safe to assume that consumption in the year 2000 will represent an unchanged share of income? His answer is a flat "no." Indeed, Foote suggests that we amend Engel's law to include all other classes of consumption in addition to food. He concludes that in the satisfaction of some human wants 40 years hence, the individual "... will experience as his first constraint not income but time; as his second constraint, learning." Journal of Marketing, July, 1964


In this paper developed new layout of the bottom hole assembly, consisting of PDC bits, downhole oscillator, screw downhole motor. Proposed bottom-hole of the assembly creates additional dynamic load on the bit, creates low-frequency longitudinal oscillations, reducing the coefficient of friction of the drill string and the borehole wall brings the load to the bit, which is undoubtedly important when drilling horizontal section of the well, applied in the development of viscous oil deposits.


The electrical profiles of the renewable polymer graphite (PG) composites upon ultra violet (UV) curing were investigated. Renewable PG films were prepared by mixing with varying weight percent of graphite (with an increment of 5 wt. % of prepared graphite) up to 30 wt.% and crosslinker. Then, the composites solution was slip casted and cured upon stimulated UV irradiation (UV accelerated weathering tester) at different time exposure (up to 1000 hours) was applied. Small changes on the functional groups of the composites were observed due to UV exposure time by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Suggesting that chemical crosslink and chain scissions occurred within renewable polymer graphite composites. Further electrical profile through two point probe and four point probe method recorded visibly fluctuating values for both resistivity and conductivity within its composites range. Proposed here that the removal of organic contaminants and weak materials form both renewable polymer and graphite particles through the UV curing may have an effect on the formation of conductive network stability.


This paper introduced the closed loop temperature control system for medium frequency induction heating. Temperature instrumentation, PLC, computer, and so on, composed the system with infrared thermometer as the core. This paper introduced the composition principle of the system, and summarize the features of the system.


Insects are the most diverse groups of animals on the planet, representing more than one‐half of all known living organisms, and are found in nearly every environment. Recently, the importance of insects as food sources or as pets has increased in many countries, including Korea. In addition, several insects have been shown to exert a strong influence on people's emotions. Our insect‐mediated mental healthcare program is designed to help meet the physical, behavioral and developmental needs of people with mental disorders. Children with mental disorders, the experimental group, were provided with an insect‐mediated mental healthcare program for a total of eight sessions, one session per week, at 1–2 h per session, accompanied by a pre‐test and post‐test. The overall, gender, education level, and mental disease profiles of the participants in this study were balanced. Our results indicated that children who participated in the insect‐mediated healthcare program group once showed significant improvement in their emotional health and insect awareness. Additionally, paired education level's t‐tests showed that the outcomes of the participants in treatment group were significantly improved (α < 0.05). However, participants' satisfaction with their school life (middle school) was not influenced. These results suggest that insects positively influence children's emotional health through an insect‐mediated healthcare program. Further research on the basis of this study is expected to help children with emotional therapy in other areas.


A bicycle shift device is provided with a switching device housing, a takeup element and a display unit. The winding member is movably connected to the switching device housing. The display unit includes a display element and an adjustment. The display element operatively connected and adjusted with the winding element. The adjustment represents a position of the display element relative to the winding one.


The panel code NALSOF0509 (available in the SOFFTS library13; at NAL) can compute the chordwise and spanwise load distributions, centre of pressure locations on the wing, shift of the aerodynamic centre due to the fuselage and overall aerodynamic coefficients. This code is presently used to generate data on the aircraft configurations like NALLA and LTA, and for the delta wing-body tested in the 1ft.x1ft. tunnel of the Experimental Aerodynamics Division. The code is also validated against the tunnel results available for AGARD-B model. This report describes in brief some of these experience.


Purpose – Claude Blanchet was the first Director General of the Societe de developpement des cooperatives du Quebec (Cooperative Development Corporation), founding President of the FTQ's Fonds de solidarite (Quebec Federation of Labour Solidarity Fund) and Chief Executive Officer of the SGF (Societe generale de financement du Quebec, or General Investment Corporation of Quebec). His lifelong passion has been to support the development of Quebec, and he describes himself as being primarily a "builder of collective firms." The purpose of this paper is to describe the life of a man who was exposed to an entrepreneurial culture from early childhood.Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes the form of a case study – interview with the intrapreneur.Findings – The paper shows that Claude Blanchet's values changed significantly as a result of his involvement in social movements. His goal became to build a modern Quebec state. One of the elements characterizing his entire career is undoubtedly his courage in ...


Aiming at high-pressure boiler steel produced by EAF-LF/VD-CC route in Tianjin Pipe Corporation Ltd.,the quantity and changes of total oxygen,microinclusions and macroinclusions in the liquid steel in different processes were studied by the way of sampling systematically tracers and comprehensive analysis.The causes to form inclusions were analyzed and the improving measures were put forward.


Musical training and auditory global-local precedence Anne T. Gilman (email@example.com) Juniata College Psychology Department, Good Hall, 1700 Moore Street Huntingdon, PA 16652 USA Elizabeth Ebbets (email@example.com) Juniata College Psychology Department, Good Hall, 1700 Moore Street Huntingdon, PA 16652 USA Abstract People demonstrate a consistent tendency to favor holistic or global processing over processing of local details in many per- ceptual domains; this tendency is called global-local prece- dence. Formal musical training is associated with qualitative changes in auditory processing, but the number of years re- quired remains unclear, particularly for any perceptual differ- ences between untrained and minimally trained participants. In this study, participants with zero to over ten years' music train- ing identified the direction of pitch changes in three-sound se- quences. Only participants with three or more years' training demonstrated a significant global-local precedence. Individ- uals without musical training consistently identified the local direction of pitch-change sequence elements better than global pitch changes across each sequence. Although musical train- ing was associated both with greater task accuracy and with global-local precedence, improved accuracy did not explain the musically trained participants' preferential processing of global auditory characteristics. Keywords: Global-local precedence; musical training; tempo- ral processing; auditory perception. Perceptual learning and cognition People's experiences can alter their perceptual processing, even as adults. Perceptual learning thus takes part in core cognitive mechanisms underlying storage of past experiences and their subsequent application to similar but non-identical situations later on. Distinctions between global (or holistic) processing and local (or detail) processing have only recently been examined while taking perceptual learning into account. This connection offers particular interest in the auditory do- main, given long-established differences in how trained mu- sicians and musically na¨ive listeners perceive sounds (Bever & Chiarello, 1974). Global-local precedence People who become so engrossed in the details of a complex scene or situation that they fail to notice compelling over- all patterns are said to be "missing the forest for the trees". This colloquial expression has a parallel in human percep- tion: decades of vision research has documented a bias or precedence towards overall or global characteristics of an im- age rather than its local details (Navon, 1977). For example, given an image made up of a dozen K's arranged in the shape of an H, viewers are more likely to describe what they see as an H than as a group of K's. When asked to identify either the big letter or the little component letter in a series of many such composite stimuli, viewers are likely to make fewer er- rors overall when identifying the big rather than the little let- ters, thus global-local precedence can be identified by greater overall accuracy for global trials. Viewers in such studies also show a pattern in their errors for incongruent stimuli such as an H made of K's—one could also create a congruent stimu- lus by arranging K's in the shape of a larger K. Viewers more often mistakenly offer the big letter as an answer on local (little-letter trials) than they err by naming the little letter on global trials, showing an uneven influence—greater for global patterns—of these different processing levels on perception. This uneven influence can also be described as interference by global processing in the local decision. A growing body of evidence supports the overall global-local processing dis- tinction in auditory and other non-visual modalities (Justus & List, 2005; List & Justus, 2007, 2010; List, Justus, Robert- son, & Bentin, 2007; Ouimet, Foster, & Hyde, 2012; Sanders & Poeppel, 2007). Cognitive scientists have found ongoing and robust prefer- ential processing of global over local patterns (Love, Rouder, & Wisniewski, 1999; Ripoll & Marty, 2005) even while some boundary conditions have been delineated (Navon, 2003). This precedence is considered an outcome of normal matu- ration rather than one of learning. A large body of evidence, summarized by Poirel and colleagues (2011), suggests that young children shift from a local to a global visual focus around the age of 6; Poirel et al. found that lowered grey- matter volume corresponded to this shift, again characterizing global precedence as the healthy adult norm. Visual and audi- tory findings of differences in holistic versus detailed process- ing bear on issues ranging from autism (Rondan & Deruelle, 2007) to the acquisition of reading skills (Foxton et al., 2003). For instance, exceptions to global-local precedence for audi- tory stimuli correspond to autism diagnoses, even though the detail-specific advantages shown by autistic participants were not explained by deficits in global processing as previously thought (Mottron, Peretz, & M´enard, 2000). In all of the above investigations, global-local precedence is taken as an indicator of healthy and fully-developed perception, and only very recently has this tendency been evaluated with respect to prior musical training in a parallel auditory study (Ouimet et al., 2012). Expertise: Musical training Auditory perception varies qualitatively—not just in accuracy—depending on learning or expertise. Comparing perception of tones presented to the right or left ear has revealed that hemispheric dominance for this task switches


The authors report a case of epidermoid carcinoma of the anal margin with repeated metachronous metastases in the inguinal lymph nodes. The treatment of synchronous ad metachronous metastases is briefly discussed through a literature review.


1. Purpose of the Workshop Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) can impair a variety of cognitive functions, including memory, way finding, and performing multi-step tasks. Today's assistive technology for people with cognitive impairments has limited functionality (for example, simple timer-based reminder systems) and/or requires extensive manual customization (for example, wander-alert systems that sound an alarm if a user moves out of a pre-designated neighborhood). Recently, researchers in computer science, rehabilitation engineering, and rehabilitation medicine have begun to come together to create a new generation of more powerful and flexible technologies for assisting cognition. The envisioned systems will use a variety of wearable and/or environmental sensors to infer a user's context and cognitive state, so that prompts, reminders, and other forms of automatic intervention are more appropriate and less distracting. Machine learning machines will be used to create customized user profiles with less manual input, and to update those profiles as users' conditions change. Tasks being addressed include navigation, remediation of memory impairments, behavioral self-regulation, and monitoring and guidance in the performance of activities of daily living. In general, the research seeks to leverage advances in artificial intelligence, hardware and sensors, and human-computer interaction, in order to create systems that are more robust, easier to deploy, and less obtrusive to the end user. Research in assisted cognition technology, also called "cognitive orthotics", requires interdisciplinary work, with the involvement of computer scientists, of engineers, and of medical researchers and professionals such as psychologists, neuropsychologists, neurologists, and rehabilitation specialists.


Amputation of diabetic foot ulcer and infection is a critical modality for saving a patient's life from life threatening infections or ischemic limbs. However, it can cause serious handicaps or complications, such as lifetime shortening and re-amputation of the other limb. The minimal amputation is the main goal of amputation in diabetic patients. However, insufficient amputation can have a harmful effect on patients. The decision of amputation is very difficult and should be made using multidisciplinary approaches. All aspects of the patient's situation, including vascular status, degree of infection, and medical conditions should be considered. The foot surgeon should keep in mind the notion that proper amputation can lead to a new life for diabetic foot patients.


The geographic distribution of the red deer Cervus elaphus in Luxem- bourg was analysed using numbers of killed red deer from 1990 to 2004. The species is not distributed in a uniform manner, but has distribution hotspots in the centre and in the north of the country.


In this article, we developed the dense media radiative transfer (DMRT) model for random media with densely packed particle clusters. The dense media are computer-generated by applying the bicontinuous random media characterization. The microstructure of the media is controlled by two parameters: mean grain size <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\langle \zeta \rangle $ </tex-math></inline-formula> and aggregation parameter <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${b}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. Phase matrices and extinction coefficients are computed with full-wave simulations. These are then substituted into radiative transfer (RT) equations to obtain backscattering coefficients of the dense media layer with particle clusters. The backscattering has a weaker frequency dependence (e.g., <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sim $ </tex-math></inline-formula>2.6 power for <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${b}=\mathbf {0}.\mathbf {4}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) than the Rayleigh scattering of fourth power. Backscattering results exhibit strong co-, cross-polarization (pol), and ratio of cross- to co-polarization. For applications to remote sensing of terrestrial snow at C-band, the results of DMRT simulations show that cross-polarization of snow volume scattering can be larger than that of soil surface scattering. Recently, this property of strong cross-polarization has become a useful satellite remote sensing technique for global retrieval of snow depth. Comparisons of DMRT results are made with ESA Satellite Sentinel 1 C-band data and ground-based radar observations. The calculated backscatter is in good agreement with radar measurements for both the co- and cross-polarization.


This paper attempts to review the historical background, petroleum geological significance, major contributions and basic methodology of "seismic geomorphology", which has recently been developed as an integration of 3D seismic technology/3D visualization technique and sedimentology/sequence stratigraphy. Seismic geomorphology may be defined as the study of sediment body morphology and properties using 3D seismic data, and is expected to be indispensable for future sedimentology and hydrocarbon exploration/development, since seismic geomorphology provides detailed information on the sediment morphology, distributions and depositional processes. From the sedimentological aspect, seismic geomorphology clarifies detailed internal structures of depositional elements, and improves general depositional models of various depositional systems. From the petroleum geological aspect, seismic geomorphology plays an important role to bridge over sedimentology, geophysics and reservoir engineering in an integrated reservoir characterization workflow.In a seismic geomorphological analysis procedure, basic sequence stratigraphic framework should be constructed, first, and reconnaissance survey over 3D seismic data should be conducted, next. Subsequently, targeted reservoir rock bodies are displayed in detail by slicing, horizon surface displaying, volume attribute analysis and trace shape (seismic facies) analysis on the 3D seismic data. Finally, sedimentological interpretation is conducted for the displayed sediment body to determine depositional elements, processes and facies distributions. It is regarded that proper pattern recognition and blend of spatial seismic geomorphology and temporal seismic stratigraphy are the keys to obtain effective solutions in the seismic geomorphological analysis.


The purpose of this research is to determine if role playing is a pedagogical strategy that can assist sport management educators in achieving educational objectives. This article provides a brief literature review to establish the rationale for implementing role playing in classroom, describes a role play activity created for a course in intercollegiate athletics policy, and assesses student learning using background knowledge probes, focused listing, concept mapping and written responses to open-ended questions. Results indicated that role playing meets the needs of sport management educators who are attempting to offer students an active learning environment that balances theory and practice while equipping students with the skills necessary to make decisions.


To determine the concentrations of elements of atomic number higher than about 60, the KX-ray fluorescence technique employing a 3.7 GBq 137Cs gamma-ray source with a pure germanium semiconductor detector is examined. Due to the fairly high energy of the KX-rays this technique is capable of determining the element concentration in a considerably large sample volume with little effects of matrix elements and vessel wall. A narrow gammaray beam and large scattering angle geometry is chosen to discriminate between the KX-rays and the scattered radiations in the measurement. A 300 second measurement allows a relative precision of less than 3% for samples of aqueous solution, mixing powder and alloy containing more than 1-3 wt% high atomic number elements such as W, Pb or U.


Since the reform and opening up, English language teaching in China has made great achievements, but there has appeared not only a general weakening of Chinese language ability, but also the phenomenon of Chinese Culture Aphasia. To test the Chinese cultural consciousness of Chinese college students, 30 sophomores and 30 freshmen of English major in Sichuan Agricultural University are randomly selected. According to the data analyses, there is a widespread lack of Chinese cultural consciousness among English majors in Sichuan Agricultural University for various reasons. Therefore, we put forward some suggestions on how to cultivate Chinese cultural consciousness of English majors from the perspective of both the program of talents cultivation and English majors. Keywords—investigation; cultivation; English teaching; Chinese cultural consciousness


Introduction: Toxicity resulting from pesticides is an important global public health hazard concern, particularly in developing countries. The objectives of this retrospective study were to determine the presenting clinical features, complications and length of stay of patients poisoned with organophosphates (OP). Materials and Methods : The medical records of all OP poisoning patients admitted to King Fahd Hospital of the University in the period between 2000 and 2010 were reviewed. Results: There was a total of 50 patients: Thirty-four males (68%) and 16 females (32%), 39(78%) of whom were >18 years of age. The most common route of exposure was ingestion, which was observed in 20 patients; vomiting was the most common clinical presentation. Thirteen patients were intubated at the Emergency Department on account of respiratory failure. Thirty-two patients required admission to the Intensive Care Unit and the mean length of stay in the hospital was 5 days. Two patients had cardiac arrest. Conclusion: This relatively high prevalence of OP poisoning makes it necessary to have tighter governmental controls and awaken public awareness to this problem.


Bis(trifluoromethyl)sulfene, (CF3)2C = SO2: Its Synthesis and Isolation as Amine Adduct

Bis(trifluoromethyl)sulfene was obtained and stabilized as quinuclidine adduct 16 by three different methods: (1) by direct symmetrical splitting of the tetrakis(trifluoromethyl)-1,3-dithietane S-oxides 11 and 18 as well as via the TAS salt 15. The structure of 16 exhibits a C–S double bond. The quinuclidinium sulfonate 17 is formed under hydrolysis of 16. In comparison, the corresponding pyridinium sulfonate 13 gives evidence also for the intermediate existence of the adduct 12. The sulfonic acid 7 was prepared, but instead of the sulfonyl chloride 5 the sulfonyl chloride 6 was obtained from 7 and PCl5.


To-day all altitudes up to, and including, the stratosphere are within the scope of aviation. The engines must therefore be provided with highly developed superchargers so as to obtain high performance even at these altitudes. The single or multi-stage superchargers necessary to accomplish this become an integral part of the engine and exercise a distinct influence on its general construction. In many types of engine the supercharger is built on to the accessory drive end, that is the rear of the engine, so that the supercharger shaft lies co-axially or parallel with the crankshaft. As regards transmission, this has the great advantage of permitting the use of simple spur gearing, but suffers from the disadvantage that in passing through both intake and delivery sections the working fluid is subjected to several right angle changes in direction. In the case of the Rolls-Royce Merlin (Fig. 3), for example, with air intakes on either


The problem of this study was to compare native North Texas State University students with selected two-year college transfers to determine which group was more successful at the university.


The transverse linearly polarized beam can maintain its polarization when reflected, which is important for a detection system. Most of the existing planar Bessel beam generators are implemented in a central feeding radial topology and hard to generate the Bessel beam with the transverse linear polarization. In this communication, a substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) slot array antenna is proposed to generate the transverse linearly polarized Bessel beam. The desired phase and amplitude distribution of the Bessel beam can be easily realized by such an array. With the inherent 0°/180° output phase of the comb-like divider considered, the desired 0°/180° phase distribution is implemented by placing adjacent slots on the opposite (0°) or the same side (180°) within a linear array and by employing adjacent linear arrays with the inverse (180°) or the same (0°) slot offset direction accordingly. The offset of the slot, as well as the tuning metalized vias within the comb-like divider, is modulated to generate the desired amplitude distribution. After reducing the influence of the rectangularly truncated aperture by adding a Gauss-tapered amplitude distribution, a transverse linearly polarized Bessel beam SIW slot array antenna is designed with more than 100 mm depth-of-field (DoF) and less than −25 dB cross polarization. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first design to generate the transverse linearly polarized Bessel beam by a planar array antenna.


This study was meant to find out the Efficacy of Peer Tutoring Technique in Improving Students' Speaking Ability. Pursuant to the researcher's pretest and teaching experience, it was found that students speaking ability was low. It was considered necessary for the researcher to conduct action research since this school is the researcher's institution. This study was conducted in action research (PTK). The setting of the study was SMA Ulil Albab East Lombok involving 25 students as the participants of the research. The instruments of the research were test and observation sheets. The criterion of success was KKM in which KKM for East Lombok is 70. The data were analyzed by assessing the criterion of success and also the statistical computation in which the researcher calculated the result of descriptive and inferential statistics. The descriptive statistical analysis shows that the mean scores of the posttest is higher than the pretest, resulting in 83.4 < 70.6. Therefore, the peer-tutoring technique can improve the students' speaking ability in SMA Ulil Albab, East Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara Province. The sig. (2-tailed) is 0.000 which is lower than the significant level (0.05). Therefore, the peer tutoring technique can improve the students' speaking ability in SMA Ulil Albab, East Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara Province. The result of the t-test is higher than the t-table, 7.67 < 1.70. This concludes that there is significant different in the teaching of speaking by using peer tutoring technique in improving the students' speaking ability. The total number of students who were considered as active in involving themselves in the teaching and learning activities has met the criterion of success. It was proven by the percentages of the very active students (56%), supported by the percentage of the active students (32%) achieved 88% which was more 18% than the percentage of criteria of success which was 70%. The result of the posttest shows almost all students got score higher than 70. It means that more than 70% of the students got score 70 or higher. This surely proves that the criterion of success has been met. The teaching of speaking by using peer tutoring technique can help the student's achievement in improving speaking ability[v1] .  [v1]Abstract must in English and Indonesian Version


An observation tower was erected on Xiaomo Mountain,Hunan Province.Besides the collection of turbulence information,routine meteorological data were collected during 2006.Diurnal variances of wind and temperature profiles in winter and summer were analyzed as well as seasonal variances of wind speed and wind direction.Furthermore,sensible heat fluxes calculated using classical flux-profile relationship (H_c) are compared with the directly measured values (H_m).It is found that the complex terrain around the tower has a distinct impact on the values of roughness length z_0 and calculated sensible heat flux (H_c);therefore it is necessary to divide the data into 2-3 groups according to the wind directions.The following analysis show that z_0 in the south part of the tower is much higher because of the hilly terrain,and the mountain slope affects the sensible heat flux remarkably.When upslope wind blows,the value of H_c is higher than H_m,and vice versa.Since the trend of the mountain is southwest-northeast,the value of H_c is similar to H_m when the wind is from southwest.Finally,H_c is corrected and the agreement between H_c and H_m is largely improved.


This paper demonstrates that genetic programming can be used to automatically create the design for both the topology and parameter values (tuning) for a common parameterized controller for all the plants in two families of plants that are representative of typical industrial processes. The genetically evolved controller is "general" in the sense that it contains free variables representing the characteristics of the particular plant. The genetically evolved controller outperforms the controller designed with conventional techniques. In addition, the genetically evolved controller infringes on an early patented invention in the field of control.


It was isolated pharmacological activ components from polysaccharides complex Acorus calamus L. and their chemical structure was defined. In experiment the influence of these substances on efficiency of cyclophosphamide therapy on mice with lung Lewis carcinoma was established. As a result of research the most active substances on tumoral growth and metastasis process were defined. Therapeutic action of the fraction surpasses the activity of polysaccharides complex. The obtained experimental data can become a basis for further profound of the fraction studying.


Cloning and sequencing of the Paracoccus denitrificans ccmG gene indicates that it codes for a periplasmic protein–disulphide oxidoreductase; the presence of the sequence Cys‐Pro‐Pro‐Cys at the CcmG active site suggests that it may act in vivo to reduce disulphide bonds rather than to form them. A CcmG–PhoA fusion confirmed the periplasmic location. Disruption of the ccmG gene resulted in not only the expected phenotype of pleiotropic deficiency in c‐type cytochromes, but also loss of spectroscopically detectable cytochrome aa3, cytochrome c oxidase and ascorbate/TMPD oxidase activities; there was also an enhanced sensitivity to growth inhibition by some component of rich media and by oxidized thiol compounds. Dithiothreitol promoted the growth of the ccmG mutant on rich media and substantially restored spectroscopically detectable cytochrome aa3 and cytochrome c oxidase activity, although it did not restore c‐type cytochrome biogenesis. Assembly of the disulphide‐bridged proteins methanol dehydrogenase and Escherichia coli alkaline phosphatase was unaffected in the ccmG mutant. It is proposed that P. denitrificans CcmG acts in vivo to reduce protein–disulphide bonds in certain protein substrates including c‐type cytochrome polypeptides and/or polypeptides involved in c‐type cytochrome biogenesis.


We investigate asymmetric spin wave scattering behaviors caused by vortex chirality in a cross-shaped ferromagnetic system by using the micromagnetic simulations. In the system, four scattering behaviors are found: (i) asymmetric skew scattering, depending on the polarity of vortex core, (ii) back scattering (reflection), depending on the vortex core stiffness, (iii) side deflection scattering, depending on structural symmetry of the vortex circulation, and (iv) geometrical scattering, depending on waveguide structure. The first and second scattering behaviors are attributed to nonlinear topological magnon spin Hall effect related to magnon spin-transfer torque effect, which has value for magnonic exploration and application.


UN, no date a. Earth summit: UN conference on environment and development, http://www.un.org/geninfo/bp/enviro.html, accessed 8 February 2006. UN, no date b. The global compact, http://www.unglobalcompact. org/Portal/, accessed 25 August 2003. UNCTAD, 2006. World Investment Report 2006, United Nations, New York and Geneva. UNEP, 2002. Industry as a partner for sustainable development: 10 years after Rio: the UNEP assessment, http://www.uneptie. org/Outreach/wssd/contributions/publications/pub_global.htm, accessed 13 June 2003. UNEP & ACEA, 2002. Industry as a partner for sustainable development: automotive,http://www.uneptie.org/outreach/wssd/docs/sectors/ final/automotive.pdf, accessed 14 May 2003. UNFCCC, no date a. Kyoto Protocol, http://unfccc.int/essential_ background/kyoto_protocol/items/2613.php, accessed 12 February 2005. UNFCCC, no date b. Status of ratification, http://unfccc.int/ essential_background/kyoto_protocol/status_of_ratification/items /2613.php, accessed 12 February 2006. UNFCCC, no date c. Kyoto Protocol: status of ratification, http://unfccc.int/files/essential_background/kyoto_protocol/appl ication/pdf/kpstats.pdf, accessed 12 February 2006. Vitols S, 2001. 'Varieties of corporate governance: comparing Germany and the UK', in Hall P A & Soskice D (eds.), Varieties of capitalism: the institutional foundations of comparative advantage, Oxford University Press, Oxford. WBCSD, 1998. Corporate social responsibility: meeting changing expectations, http://www.wbcsd.org, accessed 17 August 2003. WBCSD, 2000. Corporate social responsibility: making good business sense, http://www.wbcsd.org, accessed 17 August 2003. WBCSD (2004), Mobility 2030: Meeting the Challenges of Sustainability, Geneva: WBCSD.


This paper puts forward the argument that science can not only "save the world" but also "change the world." While much has been written about the evident power of science to bring politicians to change their policies in order to "save the world," e.g. the environment, less attention has been drawn on the hidden power of science to "change the world," i.e. to frame and shape political orders and constituencies so that they get more democratic in the deliberative sense of the term, both at international and domestic scales. The paper sheds light on how science can induce democratizing effects in domestic constituencies. It can do that by the intermediary of three distinct enumerative mechanisms: "teaching," "empowering," and "taming." These mechanisms, it is argued, are especially likely to become effective in those transnational institutional settings linking scientists and technical experts on the one side, with political and societal actors, on the other side, or in what Haas calls "epistemic communities."


The article provides a correlation analysis of benchmarks for the development of information and communication capacities of the Russian Innovacionnoj system and its main results.


Some peculiarities of stating the social problem of health are considered within the framework of a party discourse. Based on the comparative analysis of the programs of Russian and American political parties, the author makes some conclusions about the degree of actualization and concrete details of the public health topic in program documents.


One hundred children, prematurely born, with birth or minimum weights of 1,000 gm or less, of 183 discharged alive from the Premature Nursery of The New York Hospital from 1940 through 1957, were examined between 1950 and 1962. Historical and social data and findings on physical and psychometric examinations were evaluated.
 With rare exceptions, physical health was good; only 3 patients had cerebral palsy; one of these and 4 others had convulsions, but in 2 of these the convulsive disorder appeared unrelated to prematurity.
 The children exhibited a tendency to catch up in height to normal standards for chronologic age, but often not until after 4 years of age.
 The incidence of eye defects was 59%; the most frequent were retrolental fibroplasia, strabismus, and myopia.
 Intelligence quotients determined in 99 of the prematurely born children showed a wide range (59 to 142); the average I.Q., 94.8, was significantly below the I.Q. of 106.9 found in 49 full-term sibling controls. These values were not appreciably altered by retesting, by adding more younger siblings, or by comparing premature with sibling on tests done at similar ages. Thirteen of the 99 prematurely born children had I.Q.'s below 80; among the 83 of similar birth weight but not available for examination, 32 were known to be mentally retarded and 6 of these were in institutions.
 The most important variable appeared to be the socioeconomic status; a significantly higher proportion of the premature children with I.Q.'s above 100 was found among families who had private medical care. An apparent advantage of white over nonwhite children was interpreted as secondary to socioeconomic level.


Background. Schizophrenia is a socially signifi cant disease that takes a variety of forms. The form of the course determines prescribing antipsychotic drugs with a different range of clinical effects. The study of the pharmacological activity of neuroleptics involves an experimental model using animals which makes it possible to reproduce some aspects of schizophrenia.Objectives. The study is aimed at evaluating the antipsychotic activity of 5-HT2A— RU-31 antagonist and atypical neuroleptic clozapine in behavioral tests and electroencephalography (EEG).Methods. The research methodology involved a dysontogenetic model of schizophrenia, implemented via aspiration destruction of the ventral hippocampus of rats on day 7 of postnatal development. The study was carried out on white outbred male rats selected from the offspring of females, represented by a simple random sample, provided by Rappolovo animal breeding facility of the National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute". Injection of the studied substances was initiated on day 35 of postnatal development. Motor activity was assessed on day 54 of postnatal development in the Open Field unit and included assessing vertical motor activity, measured as the number of acts of verticalization in 5 minutes, and horizontal motor activity of rats, recorded as the number of crossed squares in 5 minutes. EEG signals were recorded on day 55 of postnatal development; thereafter the spectral density was calculated in the delta- (д) (0.4–4 Hz), theta- (и) (4.8–8 Hz), alpha- (б) (8–12 Hz) and beta- (в) (12–30 Hz) frequency ranges and the effect of the "operation" and "substance" factors on spectral density was evaluated in comparison with control groups. Statistical data processing was performed using GraphPad Prism 9 (Insight Partners, USA).Results. The antipsychotic activity of 1-(2-diethylaminoethyl)-2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-imidazo[1,2-a] benzimidazole — RU-31 compound with 5-HT2A-antagonistic mechanism of action was evaluated. RU-31 compound (10 mg/kg, intraperitoneally (i.p.)) statistically signifi cantly reduced vertical and horizontal spontaneous locomotor activity in rats with psychotic disorder by 18.8% and 20.9%, while the atypical neuroleptic clozapine (2 mg/kg, i.p.) signifi cantly reduced these values by 41.15% and 27.67%, respectively. The 5-HT2A-receptor antagonist RU-31 increased EEG signal power in the delta range by 123.33% and decreased it in the alpha range by 41.86% in surgically operated animals (p < 0.05). Clozapine increased the EEG signal power in all studied frequency ranges: in delta — by 107.99%, theta — by 97.16%, alpha — by 41.86% and in beta — by 49.16% in animals with neonatal destruction of the ventral hippocampus (p < 0.05).Conclusion. The studied substances contributed to the correction of behavioural disturbances associated with hypermobility as well as electrophysiological changes induced by a surgical operation, while similar activity was not observed (or was observed to a lesser extent) in healthy animals.


AFTER the report of Wilder 1 (1952) of the finding of organisms resembling Toxoplasma by microscopic examination of chorioretinal lesions in over 50 cases of inflammatory eye disease, a collaborative study on toxoplasmosis has been conducted by the Ocular Research Unit of Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the Laboratory of Tropical Diseases, National Microbiological Institute. The purpose was to identify by other means the organism seen by Wilder and to ascertain the importance of the parasite as an etiological agent of uveitis. It became apparent in this and other studies that it was not possible merely by serological means to establish unequivocally the identity of the parasite. The high prevalence of serological evidence of past Toxoplasma infection in the general population of the areas studied prevented a positive diagnosis in the individual case. It was recognized that a combination of clinical, parasitological, and pathological evidence would be necessary to


Abstract A comparative assessment of air temperature models, using hourly and daily air temperature measurements in 34 different stations in the north Mediterranean belt, is presented. Four air temperature models were used to estimate hourly and daily mean air temperature from daily maximum, daily minimum, and monthly mean air temperature. Root-mean-square error (rmse), scatter graphs, and cumulative frequency curves were used to determine the performance of each model. The best overall performance for estimating hourly air temperature from monthly mean values was presented by Erbs's model; the "standard" model gave the best performance for estimating daily mean air temperature from daily minimum and maximum air temperature values. The results show that the Erbs and standard models are the best for all stations used. A new Climatic Synthetic Time Series for the Mediterranean Belt Temperature Model (CLIMEDTEM) for estimating daily air temperature was developed by the authors with the help of available data...


The pandemic has affected research operations and disproportionately affected underrepresented minority researchers, requiring concrete strategies to reverse these losses. The COVID-19 pandemic halted research operations at academic medical centers. This shutdown has adversely affected research infrastructure, the current research workforce, and the research pipeline. We discuss the impact of the pandemic on overall research operations, examine its disproportionate effect on underrepresented minority researchers, and provide concrete strategies to reverse these losses.


Abstract Aerosol routes were used to produce fullerene particles in the nanometer size range. Particle formation mechanisms at processing temperatures of 400-700°C were studied by measuring particle number and mass size distributions in the gas phase by a differential mobility analyzer and a low-pressure impactor respectively. Subsequently, the foils of the impactor onto which fullerene particles were collected were examined by HPLC.


Objective: To investigate the influence of cisplatin (DDP) combined with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) on the growth and apoptosis of human non-small cell lung cancer A549 cell line and on the expression of Survivin mRNA and COX-2 mRNA in this cell line in vitro. Methods: Different concentrations of DDP (0.5mg/L, 5mg/L, and 50mg/L), different concentrations of ATRA (0.1μmol/L, 1μmol/L, and 10μmol/L) and DDP combined with ATRA (DDP 5mg/L and ATRA 1μmol/ L) were used in cultures for the pulmonary carcinoma A549 cell line in different groups. The influence on A549 growth induced by different concentrations of DDP, different concentrations of ATRA, and DDP combined with ATRA were analyzed by MTT assay. Expression of Survivin mRNA and COX-2 mRNA levels in the A549 cells were detected by R-T PCR before and after treatment. Flow cytometry (Annexin V-FITC/PI Staining Methods) was used to determine the apoptosis index of the A549 cells before and after treatment. Results: DDP alone or ATRA alone was found to inhibit the proliferation of the A549 cells (P0.05), and the apoptotic effect was increased in a concentration-dependent manner (P0.05). Compared with DDP alone, DDP combined with ATRA significantly inhibited the proliferation of the A549 cells (P0.05), increased the apotosis rate of the cells and suppressed Survivin mRNA and COX-2 mRNA expression in the cells (P0.05). Flow cytometry results showed that the early apoptosis rate, middle and late apoptosis rate and secondary necrosis rate in the DDP combined with ATRA group were (7.37±3.83)%, (34.37±2.08)%, and (7.44±0.46)%, respectively, higher than those of the DDP group [(3.55±0.75)%, (6.62±0.33)%, and (3.03±0.05)%, P0.05]. Conclusion: ATRA can significantly increase the chemosensitivity of human non-small cell lung cancer cells to DDP. The mechanism may be related to inhibition of Survivin mRNA and COX-2 mRNA expression.


Application is presented of the Synthetic Function eXpansion (SFX) method to the accurate analysis of devices that incorporate microstrip‐technology electromagnetic band‐gap structures of large but finite size. The strong reduction of the dimension of the system matrix achieved employing the SFX technique reduces the solution time and the memory occupation, making it possible to analyze large structures on standard computational hardware. Experimental verification confirms the validity of the approach. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 2763–2769, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24729


A serious problem in Dutch elm disease control is posed by flights of bark beetles arising from the infection of lingering populations of wild elms surrounding urban 'control' areas. It is seldom economic to attempt beetle or disease control in these peripheral stands and in most cases proper sanitation procedures are out of the question. Consequently, where esthetics and safety are not important considerations, the idea of killing the trees cheaply and in a way that renders them unsuitable for beetle breeding becomes attractive.


This work applies Constructal design to study numerically the geometry of cavities bathed by a fluid with constant heat transfer coefficient that are intruded into a cylindrical solid body. The objective is to minimize the maximum excess of temperature between the solid body and the ambient by morphing the cavity geometry. Internal heat generating is distributed uniformly into the solid body, which has adiabatic conditions on the outer surfaces. The total volume and the volume of the cavities are fixed. The cavities are rectangular with variable aspect ratio. The optimized geometry and performance are reported as functions of the ratio between the volume of the cavities and the total volume, the number of cavities and the dimensionless parameter that accounts for the convective heat transfer, λ . The main results indicate that for fixed number of cavities, f c , and dimensionless parameter λ , there are an optimal number of cavities that minimizes the maximum excess of temperature and this optimal number of cavities in general increases as f c and λ increases.


This study presents an autonomous street lighting system powered by batteries and PV generators. The feasibility study examines the advantages of off-grid operation, utilizing solar energy for sustainability. The experimental setup features a Victron BlueSolar 100/15 charge controller, JA Solar 420Wp PV module, and LED fixtures. PVSyst software models the system, determining optimal battery storage capacity based on predefined load profiles. Results highlight the system's efficiency and adaptability, providing insights for real-world implementation.


A model, called the SuperPositioning Model, for successful management of engineering design firms is discussed which allows firms to be categorized within a matrix bounded by two primary drivers—their engineering design technology (how they do their work) and their values (the primary reward thrusts or motivations of the owners). Technologies are separated into strong idea, strong service, and strong delivery. Values are divided between practice centered business and business centered practice. The firm's design technology affects the optimal way it should handle project design, project decision making, middle and lower level staffing, markets, what it sells, what it can charge, and best management style. Its choice of values impacts the organization structure, organization decision-making, staffing at the top, how it markets, best clients, marketing organization, profit strategy, rewards and management style. Firms that optimize their strategies for these elements to match their choice of drivers are observed to perform better for their clients and in terms of their own satisfaction.


Bilingual education will help to improve the ability of students to communicate with the outside world,which is hot spot in the reform of university teaching.In this paper,based on the practice of bilingual education in the teaching of infectious disease,they shared their experiences such as the pattern design of bilingual education,the curriculum edition and teacher training.Finally,the author proposed the initial teaching framework and provided the evidence for further bilingual education in infectious diseases.


The PDA (100) in, ROM (11) the character codes for each character in the specified text and the character shape data corresponding to a character code associated with the previously stored. On the other hand, RAM (12) based on the login process from a user, for designating the image code registered image corresponding to the image code associated with the registered image data is stored. CPU (10) based on a series of character codes and text attribute data and the image code mixed electronic document data together with the registered image displayed by the text attribute data is transformed, then the LCD (13) corresponding to the text, and together with the registered image output mix.


The natural resources of a country are the sovereign property of its people and must be used for their benefit, but often external factors combined with internal ones have created situations where such resources have been manipulated to suit the selfish interests of a small group of elites and their cronies at the expense of the general good of the populace. Resource-led development then becomes elusive and violent conflicts highly explosive at the least provocation. Resultantly, the wealth of the nation becomes a curse to the people. Using Botswana and Sierra Leone as case studies, this research confirms that the development of a state capacity to create and manage stable coalitions interested in responsible management of resources is a necessity for a successful resource-led development. Thus states with such capabilities can prevent the negative influences of external and internal actors on the use of resources for development. It also argues that natural resources have an influential position in the development of the African state. The way a country utilises and manages its resources will play a major role in determining the country's developmental status and progress.


Abstract 3447

Several studies have focused on the identification of biological markers that influence the clinical heterogeneity of Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Until now IGVH and ZAP-70 are the most relevant prognostic markers in CLL suggesting the separation of two patient subgroups: with good MTZAP-70− (mutated and ZAP-70 negative) and poor UMZAP-70+ (unmutated and ZAP-70 positive) prognosis.

Gene expression profiling in CLL has been demonstrated to be useful for the development of new biomarkers as prognostic factors able to predict the clinical course, the response and resistance to therapy.

The aim of this study has focused on the identification of different molecular signatures capable of revealing new potential molecular predictors for prognostic assessment or genetic risk and intriguing biological pathways.

We have determined gene expression profiling of B cells in 112 CLL patients divided into three classes: the first with MT and ZAP-70−, the second with UM and ZAP-70+, and the third included both UM ZAP-70− and MT ZAP-70+ using Affymetrix HG- U133 Plus 2.0.

Among the set of 65 genes identified by microarray analysis we have found: AGPAT2, APP, ARSD, CHPT1, CRY1, DCLK2, LPL, MBOAT1, P2RX1, RIMKLB, ZAP-70, ZNF66 whose expressions were higher in second class (UMZAP-70+) while ADAM29, EGR3, FGL2, FUT8, NRIP1, TGFBR3, YPEL1 showed higher expression levels in first class (MTZAP-70−). Both analysis of differential expression and cluster analysis revealed that CLL patients were better partitioned in two rather than in three classes, based on their expression profiles.

We have also noted that the expression signature differentiating between MTZAP-70− and UMZAP-70+ B cells from CLL patients showed that gene coding for enzymes which regulate lipid metabolism ( sphingolipid/glycerolipid/glycerophospholipid) ARSD, LPL, MBOAT1, CHPT1, AGPAT4, AGPAT2, PLD1 were overexpressed in UMZAP-70+ compared to MTZAP-70−.

In particular we focused on ARSD as a new gene in CLL whose expression was consistently higher in UMZAP-70+ compared to MTZAP-70− CLL B cells.

Western blotting experiments showed that the expression level of ARSD protein was 1.8 times higher in UMZAP-70+ compared to MTZAP-70− B cells (p-value=0.0002), whereas ARSD protein levels in B cells from healthy donors (CTRL) were 2.03 (p-value=0.0006) and 3.73 (p-value=0.001) times lower compared to MTZAP-70− and UMZAP-70+, respectively. The marked increase in ARSD expression in UMZAP-70+ compared to MTZAP-70− and CTRLs was statistically significant as shown in [Figure 1][1].

![Figure][2]

At present our attention has been focused on ARSD role in predicting the entry in therapy. By means of a ROC analysis carried out with the Youden's method to determine the cut-off value we have found it at 99, so that we have pragmatically set it at 100. Even if the patient number is limited the difference in treatment-free survivorship between the two groups (above and below 100) was statistically significant (p = 0.0205) and the cut-off value used as prognostic index showed 66.7% sensitivity and positive predictive value and 75.0% specificity and negative predictive value. Differences in treatment-free survival are showed in [figure 2][3].

![Figure 2][2]

Figure 2
Treatment-free survival

In conclusion 65 genes were differentially expressed in MTZAP-70− vs UMZAP-70+ CLL patients; among the 65 genes 7 were involved in lipid metabolism, in particular ARSD being identified in sphingolipid pathway. Western blotting experiments detected significantly higher ARSD levels in UMZAP-70+ compared to MTZAP-70− and CTRLs B cells.

Future studies will assess the role of ARSD as a prognostic factor in clinical trials combined with IGVH and ZAP-70 as well as the sphingolipid metabolism as a putative new biological mechanism in CLL.

Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

 [1]: #F1
 [2]: pending:yes
 [3]: #F2


Catholic schools seek to provide an educational vision where the religious dimension is given prominence not just in formal religious education classes but throughout the curriculum and in the wider life of schools. One way of expressing this idea is to argue that Catholic identity should permeate all that is done in the school. This paper, the first in a two part series, argues that while permeation may be a worthwhile goal for Catholic schools to strive for this must be undertaken within the context of a number of significant challenges. These include, most notably, the changing demographics of schools where many parents, students and teachers no longer exhibit high levels of religious commitment. This results in a loss of the critical mass needed for effective collaborative action.


This article is about the just baptized "Plaza de las Artes". It is one of the projects of the process than several years ago. The Major of the city of San Jose started the urban renovation of the city and those good yields has offered. The lamentable thing is not the good intention but the inadequate of space which has been remodelled since there are several architectonical structures declared national patrimony existing is this site: Nuestra Senora de La Soledad and Casa San Pancracio, ICOMOS office in Costa Rica. In this new city is common that the urban space is baptized and red baptized, modelled and remodelled to the ill of those who shows the power. What concerns the archaeological track the collective memory of the citizen, the existential space of the district, what interests is "to make history", to patent spaces to immortalized nomenclature.


The hydrolyzation on corn germ protein with papain was studied.The effects of temperature,pH, and time on degree of hydrolysis were analyzed.The optimum hydrolysis conditions were determined: 60℃,pH 7.0, 4 000 U/g,90 min.In these conditions the degree of hydrolysis is 14.60%,and the hydrolysis product is not bitter.


To improve the accuracy of fuel injection in high-pressure common rail systems of diesel engine, a mathematical model based on differential equations was established in view of the process of fuel entering and ejecting the common rail pipe, and the pressure variation law under working condition in the common rail tube was simulated in this study. Aiming at reducing the fuel pressure fluctuations in the system, the optimal angular velocity of the cam in high-pressure pump is solved by binary search algorithm, and the optimal control strategies for maintaining the dynamic and stability of pressure are given as well. Numerical simulation results show that with the presented strategies precise control of the pressure can be achieved in the common rail system, helping to improve the efficiency of the diesel engines.


Dr. James Mackintosh is one of the bestknown and most esteemed men in preventive and administrative medicine to-day, and in this series of essays he has once again rendered a valuable service to public health in its widest concept. Although written originally for publication in the United States, this book in the main presents the British approach to the promotion of community health. The author's power of lucid writing and his extensive knowledge of events, and of the work of others, result in a stimulating account of most of the developments for healthier living in the past century. But this is not all. He also describes how many of the advances have been achieved, and gives his personal experiences and advice on how such problems should be tackled. The chapter on housing is a superb example of the necessity of having a clear understanding of all the aspects of a public health problem and ensuring that every factor is given adequate consideration. The book also shows the investigations which have influenced the author during his career. In the opening chapter dealing with "The Roots of Progress" he discusses at length the report of the Interdepartmental Committee on Physical Deterioration, published in 1904, which, he states, was the starting point of modern personal hygiene. Among other matters dealt with this Committee made a number of remarkable recommendations which have not even yet been put into effect, though their value in terms of improvement of health is not in doubt. Discussing hospital care, the author summarizes the present function of the hospital in the service of the community, and the services it should provide. This chapter deserves close study not only by medical men but by members of regional hospital boards engaged in the planning of our hospital services. In another chapter he deals with the difference between social pathology and social diagnosis. The former, while valuable, has the disadvantage that it begins with manifest disease, while social diagnosis is much more concerned with prevention. If the social imbalance can be detected early enough, much disease requiring medical care is preventable -this is, or should be, one of the main objectives of every local health authority. It also indicates the administrative folly of attempting to separate in different departments social care and medical care. There are many other fascinating chapters -on care of the aged, the handicapped child, and accidents as a world problem, to name only a few-which can be read and re-read with profit and pleasure by anyone interested in providing for the better health of his fellows. There is an outstanding chapter on " Medical Care To-morrow" which merits special mention and cannot be summarized in a review. This book contains something for everyone and will be widely read in the public health service, where James Mackintosh is so well known. But it is to be hoped that it will be equally well studied by others in medicine, especially those involved in committees connected with future development of every aspect of the health services. It is crammed with wise advice which, if sensibly applied, could steer us through many of our present difficulties.


Partially due to the relaxation of branch banking restraints, US banks are increasing their branch networks. The wider geographical dispersion of bank branches can complicate the check-processing function resulting in the need to determine (1) How many operations centers should be used and where should they be located? (2) Which branches should be served by each center? and (3) What resources should be taken into consideration in evaluating the alternatives? BancOhio National Bank has recently analyzed these issues through the application of CHECKSIM, a check-processing simulation model, and reduced annual direct operating costs by over $1.6 million by relocating their processing facilities.


Flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS) and power-flow controlling devices are of international interest today. In spite of the rising applications of FACTS devices, there are some factors that have been limiting the widespread application of this technology, prominent being the following: a) lack of a clear understanding of the options of devices and their configurations, and their suitability for the solution of different network problems, b) lack of information on systematic approaches towards economic assessment of FACTS projects for utilities and transmission entities, and c) lack of information on analysis and comparisons of short as well as long-term system wide alternatives for utilities faced with transmission reinforcements. There has been a significant body of literature on technical analysis of FACTS devices but little attention has been devoted to assessing the economics of FACTS options. This paper presents the results of an application study conducted for a major utility in the U.S. in assessing the technical as well as economic/business feasibility of FACTS for transmission enhancement. Considering the example of the study performed, a framework is presented for collective as well as objective evaluation of FACTS along with other options in the short and in the long-term time frame


The study was a quasi-experimental research conducted to investigate the effect of 4S(Sense Making, Showing of Representation, Solution and Explanation, and Summarization) Learning Cycle Model on students' mathematics comprehension. The participants of the study were the two intact classes of freshmen education students in College and Advanced Algebra course enrolled during the 1st semester SY 2019-2020 at the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines. One section was assigned as control group who was exposed to Polya Method of Problem Solving while the other one was experimental group who was exposed to 4S Learning Cycle Model. The performance of the students were measured using their test scores. To determine if the 4S Learning Cycle Model significantly affects the students' mathematics comprehension, the Analysis of Covariance Model (ANCOVA) was utilized at 0.05 level of significance. Results revealed that the 4S Learning Cycle Model helped in the development of students' mathematics comprehension.


ABSTRACT Rice is one of the essential foods of the human diet and advances in agronomic crop management, such as nitrogen (N) rate management, can improve productivity and profitability and reduce adverse environmental impacts. Nitrogen fertilization rates in Chile are generally based on crop yield without considering the soil's capacity to supply it. Five rice soils of the Inceptisol, Alfisol, and Vertisol orders in central Chile were incubated at 20°C for 21 d in the 2011–2012 season, and their N mineralization capacity was determined before sowing the rice crop. These soils were cropped in field conditions with rice fertilized with 0, 80, and 160 kg N ha−1; grain yield, harvest index, and grain sterility were determined. Mineralized N was associated with some chemical properties of each soil, and with the response to N rates in grain yield and grain sterility. Results indicated that the N rates to be used in rice must consider soil N mineralization capacity and crop yield potential. Finally, the best response to the N rates used in this study and the effect on both harvest index and grain sterility was achieved with 80 kg N ha−1.


ABSTRACT Apparent bearing and plunge of sand sized particles can be determined in oriented thin sections prepared from epoxy impregnated till samples. Impregnation is achieved, with no noticeable reorientation, with the aid of a vacuum. Two mutually perpendicular thin sections are prepared. One section is horizontal and is used to determine the modal long axis bearing of the sample. The second section, used to determine plunge, is vertical and cut parallel to the modal lineation of the horizontal section. Excellent agreement has been found between the bearing and plunge values obtained using this technique and values obtained using conventional macrofabric techniques.


Calciphylaxis is a rare life-threatening syndrome. Although sodium thiosulfate (STS) showed clinical improvement, some patients presented with serious adverse events and withdrew from treatment. The optimized STS approach included four features: repeated treatment courses, small initial dose, once daily, and escalating low-to-moderate dose. The optimized STS approach, named 'Zhong Da STS Therapy' (Zhong Da: the name of a hospital, affiliated with Southeast University, School of Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China), was generalized with four features: repeated treatment courses, small initial dose, daily medicine, and daily escalating low-to-moderate dose of STS. STS from the initial dose (5 g) was administered intravenously once daily escalating to the highest daily dose as a maintenance dose (no more than 10 g). This study retrospectively evaluated the efficacy and safety of optimized STS therapy for calciphylaxis in China.

 The medical records of maintenance hemodialysis or CKD patients who were first diagnosed with calciphylaxis and received STS treatment at Zhong Da Hospital affiliated to Southeast University between October 2017 and October 2019 were retrospectively evaluated. The exclusion criteria of this retrospective study were death at the time of diagnosis (retrospectively confirmed cases) and did not receive the optimized STS approach treatment. The data to evaluate the efficacy included the changes in skin lesions, pain relief, survival rate and laboratory data. Adverse events were summarized as safety parameters.

 The mean age was 51.10 ± 14.85 years old and 71% of patients were male. By October 2019, 87.1% of patients survived, 74.2% markedly improved and 41.9% of patients were followed up for more than 1 year with 100% survival. About 27 (87.10%) patients had typical skin lesions with 66.70% ulceration and skin lesions showed a predominantly peripheral distribution. After the first course, skin lesions improved by 77.8%, and 38.1% of pain sufferers were free from analgesics. The reduction of the Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) (P < 0.001) is related significantly to the treatment course. Furthermore, during the entire treatment session, more than half of the patients (54.84%) never experienced adverse events, only one withdrew treatment and no one died from complications. And most adverse events appeared in the course of increasing the STS dose and would be relieved when we stopped adding it or decreased to the day-before dose.

 Optimized STS therapy is a promising approach for calciphylaxis patients because it is relatively safe and associated with good outcomes.


China's socialist agriculture has continued to develop under the guidance of Chairman Mao's revolutionary line. Particularly through the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and the movement to criticize revisionism and rectify the work style, the broad cadres and the masses have raised their consciousness of the struggle between the two lines, and the mass movement to learn from Tachai in agriculture has developed with still greater vigor. The entire agricultural front is showing signs of growing prosperity.


ABSTRACT This paper examines the important roles played by rural women in the development of China's local economy and provides an overview of the impact of the ongoing economic reform on their lives. The paper examines the active participation of women in the growing market economy, pinpoints the challenges that they confront, and discusses the function of non-formal education in rural women's development. Finally, the paper discusses problems that need to be addressed to fundamentally improve rural women's lives and social status and to protect their rights under the economic reform.


Sixty patients undergoing hepatobiliary surgery were subjected to a bacteriological exploration in terms of postoperative infection and the significance of prophylactic administration of flomoxef (FMOX) was studied. Intravenous administration of FMOX 4g/day was started during surgery and lasted for 7 days. Bacteria in the bile, washing solution used during surgery, and fluid drained from the patients were cultured. Nine of the 60 patients developed infection (infection group). Five patients had intraabdominal infection and the other 4 patients had wound infection. The mean age of the group with infection was higher than that of the group without infection. The proportion of patients who underwent surgery likely to result in contamination by bile or gastrointestinal juice was greater in the infection group. The detection rate of bacteria in the bile from the infection group was higher than that in the other group. Enterococcus, pseudomonas spp., and Staphylococcus epidermidis were cultured from the bile, washing solution, and purulent dischage from patients with infection. In patients with fever (37°C or more) for one week after the operation, the same bacteria were cultured from the drained fluid. Most postoperative infections occurred because of intraoperative or postoperative contamination, and the causative bactaria were not sensitive to Flomoxef.


We present the fabrication and characterization of transparent carbon nanotube film (CNF) piezoresistors. CNFs were fabricated by vacuum filtration methods with 65?92% transmittance and patterned on Au-deposited silicon wafer by photolithography and dry etching. The patterned CNFs were transferred onto poly-dimethysiloxane (PDMS) using the weak adhesion property between the silicon wafer and the Au layer. The transferred CNFs were confirmed to be piezoresistors using the equation of concentrated-force-derived resistance change. The gauge factor of the CNFs was measured to range from 10 to 20 as the resistance of the CNFs increased with applied pressure. In polymer microelectromechanical systems, CNF piezoresistors are the promising materials because of their high sensitivity and low-temperature process.


The century of archaeological excavations carried out at Corinth, Greece have resulted
in the accumulation of a collection of Byzantine glazed pottery unparalleled in the
Aegean. The site is set apart from others as being one of only a few sites in the
Byzantine world where glazed pottery manufacture has been confirmed. The glazed
pottery assemblage demonstrates a changing industry there. During the eleventh
century local production consisted of brown glazed, unslipped vessels in a conservative
range of forms that were in use alongside the imported, fine Constantinopolitan slip
painted and polychrome White Wares. By the end of the eleventh century the local
industry had established itself and these imports had ceased as a competitor. At this time
local pottery production went through a major revolution in terms of decorative
techniques and vessel morphology. Instead of the earlier plain glazed products slips and
green and brown glazes were used in combination to produce a range of decorative
styles each lasting only a generation or so.
In this thesis, the development of production technologies of Byzantine glazed pottery
manufactured at Corinth between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries are examined
using a number of archaeometric techniques: pottery fabrics are examined using
ceramic petrography and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy and
their corresponding glazes are investigated using electron probe microanalysis. The
data collected were used to establish patterns of pottery production and trade, and in
particular explore developments in methods of glazing. A period of transition in
glazing technologies is identified, while certain technological practices are shown to be
more sophisticated than has previously been acknowledged for the period in question.


The Petri nets modeling method is a powerful tool for the performance analysis of industrial systems. The main factor which makes it more effective among the various popular simulation methods is the ability to deal with the real working conditions. The data obtained from such a manufacturing system is generally full of uncertainties and the Petri nets modeling method deals with this data to reflect the real behavioral pattern of different sub-systems installed in the plant. The Petri nets-based simulation method provides the availability of the sub-systems for a long time period by running the plant in virtual manners. The results obtained through the analysis can be utilized to identify those sub-systems which highly affect the system availability and separate maintenance planning for each sub-system can reduce the production loss due to unavailability of any sub-system for performing its intended task. The proposed methodology has been demonstrated in this paper using a complex repairable manufacturing system.


Antenna is an inseparable part of communication systems. The (MLA) printed antennas is discussed with the goal of identifying which is suitable for use in a miniaturized wireless transceiver design and which is able to provide the better performance using minimal Printed Circuit Board (PCB) space. In a word, the main objective is to characterize tradeoffs and identify which antenna provides the best compromise among volume, bandwidth and efficiency. Meander line antenna is the most usage of antenna that use in design of the applications such as RFID and WLAN. The Objective of Paper is to design a meander line antenna for WLAN application that is 2.4 GHz has been achieved using Artificial Magnetic conductor for good efficiency and bandwidth.


....................................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2: SOCIAL MEDIA AND SOCIAL NETWORKING ......................................................... 4 Getting Started on Social Media .................................................................................... 5 Community, Communication, and Marketing Through Social Media ...................................... 7 Social Media Platforms Being Used ............................................................................... 11 Defining the Top Four Social Media Platforms, and a Comparative Study on Use..................... 12 Conclusion for Social Media ......................................................................................... 28 CHAPTER 3: WEBSITE .......................................................................................................... 31 The Purpose of a Website for Musicians ....................................................................................... 33 Website Content ....................................................................................................... 37 Organizing the Navigation Bar ....................................................................................... 46 Website Homepage .................................................................................................... 55 Conclusion for Website ............................................................................................... 57 CHAPTER 4: ENSEMBLE BIOGRAPHY ................................................................................... 60 Collecting and Organizing Ensemble Experiences ............................................................ 62 Creating the Narrative ................................................................................................ 68 Conclusions for Biographies ......................................................................................... 74 CHAPTER 5: ENSEMBLE PHOTOS ........................................................................................ 76 Preparing for the First Ensemble Photo ........................................................................... 77 Attributes of Ensemble Photos ..................................................................................... 79 Low Cost Options for Ensemble Photos .......................................................................... 85 Working with a Photographer ...................................................................................... 86 Conclusions for Photos ............................................................................................... 90 CHAPTER 6: AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDING ......................................................................... 93 Audio Recording ........................................................................................................................... 94 Choosing Repertoire for a Demo or Full-length Album ......................................................... 98 Recording Expenses ................................................................................................. 99 The Recording Session ............................................................................................. 103 Designing the Album Packaging .................................................................................. 107 Distribution: Where and How to Sell the CD .................................................................. 113 Record Labels and Recording Contracts ....................................................................... 115 Copyright: Original Recordings, Arrangements, and Compositions ...................................... 119 Performing or Recording Copyrighted Music .................................................................. 122 Conclusion for Audio Recording .................................................................................. 123 Video: Online Video Representation ............................................................................ 125 CHAPTER 7: CONCLUSION ................................................................................................ 135 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................ 137


European Competition Young People in European Forests as a tool in nature and forest education. Young People in European Forests (YPEF) is organized since 2011 for a large group of young people in the countries participating in subsequent editions. The number of participants in Poland exceeds 3000 per year. The motto is "Integration via education". The competition is conducted in English on the basis of updated educational materials prepared specifi cally for its needs. Delegates from each country are selected in national stages and during the European fi nals are created international teams, who have to prepare a common task. The article presents the formula of the YPEF activities, the role of the Forest Friends Association, State Forests and Faculty of Forestry on Warsaw University of Life Sciences SGGW. It also presents the experience of the previous fi ve editions of the organization and plans for future development.


Objective To investigate the expression and significance of transforming growth factor-β1(TGFβ1) and connective tissue growth factor(CTGF) in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy of degenerated spondylotic discs.Methods The expressions of TGF-β1 and CTGF were detected by immunohistochemistry method and ELISA in 30 cases with cervical intervertebral disc herniation and 10 cases with normal cervical intervertebral disc tissues.Results The expressions of TGF-β1 and CTGF were higher in the degenerated intervertebral disc than those in the normal intervertebral disc [(18.456±2.321 vs.1.901±0.018) and(16.695±1.267 vs.1.013±0.012)](P0.05).Conclusion The higher expressions of TGF-β1 and CTGF may have an important role in promoting the degeneration of cervical intervertebral disc.


This paper examines the impacts of public transportation infrastructure investment on private investment and whether public infrastructure investment tends to "crowd in" or "crowd out" private investment. "Crowding in" refers to situations where public investment encourages private sector investment, whereas "crowding out" refers to situations where public investment discourages private sector investment. This analysis applies the vector autoregression (VAR) methodology for an empirical study. Using national-level annual data from 1947 to 2017 in the United States, estimation results suggest that public investment in highways tends to crowd in private investment after an initial and temporary crowding-out effect. Most of the positive impacts on private investment accrue within 3 years after the initial public investment. The incremental impact diminishes almost completely after roughly 10 years. Alternative model specifications and sensitivity analyses further confirm the robustness of the model specification by yielding consistent and positive crowd-in effects within the first 3 to 5 years after the public investment.


In order to verify the application of the energy balance snow melt model for the Gongnaisi River basin,an experiment of the model was performed in Tianshan Station of Snow Cover and Avalanche Research.There were three snow water collect sites in the experiment.By comparison between estimated snow water equivalent(SWE) and observed SWE of NO.1,NO2,NO.3 snow water collect sites,the results showed that two goodness of fit statistics for simulations,Nash-sutcliff coefficient(R2) and volume difference(Dv) were that R2=0.86,Dv=-5.9%(NO.1 snow water collect site);R2=0.92,Dv =-3.2% NO.2),R2=0.91,Dv=-10.7%(NO.3),respectively.The predictions had been overestimated somewhat.The high R2 and low Dv suggested that the model had good simulation effect and it can be applied in Gongnaisi River.


The partial eigenvalue (or natural frequency) assignment or placement, only by the stiffness matrix perturbation, of an undamped vibrating system is addressed in this paper. A novel and explicit formula of determining the perturbating stiffness matrix is deduced from the eigenvalues perturbation theorem for a low-rank perturbed matrix. This formula is then utilized to solve the partial eigenvalue (or natural frequency) assignment via the static output feedback. The control matrix, output matrix and feedback gain matrix can be explicitly expressed and easily constructed.


The paper deals with the study of colour as one of the constants of culture, which represents the ways of formation, assimilation, and fixing of universal and nationally marked ethnically significant concepts in the cultural memory. Certain universal prototypes are considered to serve as the foundation of basic colour names in various languages, which at the same time act as mythological archetypal symbols: fire, vegetation, blood, sky, light, and darkness. Therefore, the study of human thinking and ethnic concepts is largely determined by the features of the prototypes reflected in the language of certain ethnical and cultural groups. Colour is considered as one of the features of objects along with physical characteristics such as weight, height, shape, etc., the ideas of which are formed in the human mind based on many years of visual and auditory experience and verbalized in language units. The article also examines the structure of the lexical and semantic field of coloгr nominations with the allocation of the core as the primary layer of the lexicon and the periphery formed by secondary coloгr nominations. The evolution of colour names from primary to secondary ones is considered taking into account two main aspects of the theory of their prototypic determination: the central tendency model and the frequency of features model. The prototypical nature of all basic colours and their shades is defined as a universal attribute of colour schemes in different languages. However, the idea of conventional predetermination as a common feature of colour prototypes is refuted. Considering the idea of colour as a set of shades, the main ways of verbal representation of shades based on the modification of basic colour names are also characterized. Thus, the possibility of distinguishing universal and nationally specific concepts of colour in the cultural and semantic spheres of different languages is proved, which makes it possible to realize the thoughts and feelings of the language speakers.


The accelerating pace of building automation requires industry professionals to be increasingly skilled. Complex automation systems appear on the application software market, which entails an expansion of the possibilities of their application in the practice of construction production. The development of such programs and software systems is carried out chaotically, based on the empirical experience of domestic specialists, foreign colleagues, or already existing foreign solutions.
In this regard, there is a need to develop such solutions that would be adapted to the domestic consumer in terms of legal documentation, as well as compliance with the chosen path for the development of information technologies in construction.
Application software in the field of information modeling technologies already now allows solving a wide range of tasks due to domestic solutions. Nevertheless, a significant part of the processes still remains untouched.
The main purpose of the study presented in this article is to analyze the existing business process for analyzing digital information models to form its map and modeling the process based on it using SOD, as well as the subsequent implementation of some of its subprocesses in the domestic EXON BIM software package.
The implementation of the tasks set was investigated using the BPMN and BPM notation of the Draw.io software system.


In children, bone marrow biopsy is a small but expanding clinical practice and involves a different range of diseases, and technical and humanitarian problems, from those in adults. Although most marrow biopsies are carried out in specialist centres, many children will present to general paediatricians with diseases whose investigation will require examination of the bone marrow. The paediatrician/haematologist/pathologist should be clear what information is required and expected. An aspirate allows subtle cytological features of haemopoietic or infiltrating cells to be detected and provides suspensions of cells for immunophenotypic, cytogenetic or DNA studies. A marrow biopsy allows assessment of architecture and cellularity, and detection of fibrous tissue, abnormal stroma or patchy infiltrates. In order to illustrate the scope of this clinical practice, I have looked at the marrow biopsy workload in children over a two-year period within a single referral centre. I then asked myself four questions: when, how and by whom should a child's marrow be biopsied and who should report the biopsy? What follows is a personal, perhaps argumentative, haematologist's view.


The anomalies of the neutral axial-vector current, of its divergence, and of its commutators in the presence of electromagnetic interactions are exhibited. It is shown that it is impossible in perturbation theory to maintain minimality of electromagnetic interactions, gauge invariance, and partial conservation of axial-vector current (PCAC). The departures from gauge invariance or PCAC which are necessitated by minimality are established. The relevance of the present considerations to ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}2\ensuremath{\gamma}$ decay is discussed.


In this paper, the relationship between cathode parameters and emission current,under the circumstance that the surface emission of the cathode is not in the uniform condition,is discussed. As a result,a method for measuring cathode parameters is introduced.


Ellen W. Armbruster, NCC, is an Assistant Professor at Central Michigan University. David C. Witherington is an Associate Professor at the University of New Mexico. The authors also wish to acknowledge the contributions of David Olguin, Jay Parkes, Gene Coffield, and Jeffrey Katzman. Correspondence can be addressed to Ellen Armbruster, Education and Human Services Bldg. #353, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859, firstname.lastname@example.com. Ellen W. Ambruster, David C. Witherington Adult Attachment and Parental Bonding: Correlations Between Perceived Relationship Qualities and Self-Reported Anxiety


Taking belt tension pulley clutch of thresh transmission in the German CLAAS combine as the inverse Seeking object,the author analyze its design intention and working principle,surveys the spring's technical parameter.Then the author makes dynamic analysis.Inverse analysis show that the spring can control automatically position of Tension pulley so that it can adapt itself to small scope change in transmission V belt,and the power transmission is reliable and effective.So it should promote to use in agricultural machinery.


R ŽIČKA, Martin. Analysis of shopping possibilities and customer behavior in Tlučná. Plzeň, 2017. 78 s. Bachelor Thesis. University of West Bohemia. Faculty of Economics.


A bacterial strain was isolated from the oil-contaminated soil by selective enrichment on n-hexadecane as the sole carbon source.Based on the morphological observation and automatic identification,the strain was preliminarily identified to be genus Pseudomonas aeruginosa.The ability for the isolated strain to biodegrade n-hexadecane was evaluated by determining n-hexadecane concentration of the inoculated culture medium on a gas chromatography.Results showed that the isolated strain was markedly effective in biodegrading n-hexadecane.Furthermore,the ability for the isolated strain to biodegrade n-hexadecane was the best at the pH value of 7.0.


In this chapter we discuss the role of the coast in health tourism and for health promotion. In the rst section an overview is given of the recent literature regarding the coast as a therapeutic landscape and health eects of the coast; in the second section a short genealogy is given on the developments of coastal health tourism; in the third section coastal health tourism is framed in the broader debate on medicalisation, lifestyle and consumerism and the growing body culture. In the next section a case study is presented of the construction of the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands into a 'healthy region', in which health tourism is an essential part. We conclude with some recommendations, both for further research and for the tourist industry.


To many geoscientists, especially those new to Canada, or new to academic positions within Canada, the NSERC 'system' may appear somewhat reminiscent of the impenetrable black obelisk in the classic film "2001, A Space Odyssey". The general function of the obelisk, and the language resounding from out of it, can, at times, seem obscure. Applicants are, for example, sometimes baffled (as has been the experience of this author) – when they receive unanimously positive comments from external reviewers with a notice that funding was reduced or not even granted at all. How can this be? As a member of the Solid Earth Grant Selection Committee (GSC08) over the past three years, and chair of the committee in the last year, I will make an effort here to expose several growing issues for geoscientists across Canada, who access NSERC for their research funds. This commentary highlights problems evident to me as a reader of NSERC proposals, and attempts to disseminate information to the greater community, to remove some of the mystery behind decisions that come out of NSERC competitions. Furthermore, I wish to make the point that the NSERC system is not sustainable in light of changing demographics in the scientific community, ongoing budgetary constraints and new funding for Canadian science, such as the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and Canada Research Chair (CRC) programs. The centerpiece of the commentary is the Discovery Grants program (previously known as Research or Operating Grants), which I view as the "meat and potatoes" and most cherished money of many researchers. NSERC DG grants seem the most difficult to increment, but they are the backbone of our curiosity driven research efforts. Other perhaps less publicized aspects of this and other programs are also mentioned.