Recently it was necessary to remove 18 Virginia white-tailed deer and one fallow deer from a 12-acre enclosure near Orion, Alabama. The enclosure, which was nearly square, was about equally divided into three pastures that opened into one another through large gates located at the junctures of the pasture-fences with the enclosure-fence. The two side pastures were ordinary upland broom-sedge fields whereas the center plot included a low, poorly drained area of bottomland hardwoods. Reported as having been introduced from Michigan, the deer had been living under semi-domestic conditions for at least seven or eight years. Originally collected to indulge a whim, they apparently represented a liability since the death of their former owner. Mortality in the band must have been great, for their numbers were little higher than the original. The animals appeared so tame that suggestions for catching them ranged from "roping" them with a lariat to "bull-dogging" them.


Summary In this study, the immunogenicity of three types of antigens (hydatid fluid, protoscolices and whole body of E. granulosus) was investigated in lambs by ELISA. Sixteen 4-6-month-old lambs of mixed sexes were divided into 4 groups of 4 lambs (three immunized and one control group). Twelve lambs as immunized groups received 2 mg of hydatid fluid, protoscolices and whole body of E. granulosus antigens dissolved in 1 ml of PBS per immunization for each lamb, respectively. As an adjuvant, Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA) was mixed with antigens to form a water-in-oil emulsion which was inoculated subcutaneously on day 1 of the trial. Each control lamb was inoculated with a total of 2 ml of PBS emulsified in equal volumes of FCA. Lambs were boosted on day 28 with the same preparation as described above except that FCA was replaced by Freund's incomplete adjuvant (FIA). Three weeks after the second immunization, each lamb received a challenge infection with 2000 protoscolices intraperitoneally and also 10 gravid proglotid of E. granulosus orally. Sera were collected before and after immunization and serum antibodies were tested by ELISA. The results showed that the production of antibody had a significant difference between the test groups and the control (P 0.05), whereas, the level of antibody production between the lambs immunized with hydatid fluid and whole body of E. granulosus was different significantly (P<0.05). The results of this study showed that the antigens of whole body of E. granulosus might be a good candidate for immunization and diagnosis of hydatid cyst in the intermediate hosts of E. granulosus.


Introduction: Central to the discipline and our department's educational mission is the sociological imagination—the linking of individual experience and biography to broader historical and social processes and institutions. Developing a sociological imagination involves a range of educational objectives that create very different assessment challenges. For example, assessing students' understanding of certain types of statistical analysis is relatively straightforward and can often be accomplished in a single course. By contrast, assessing their ability to interpret sociological data or to formulate a sociological question is a considerably more complicated and subjective endeavor—a multi-stage process that unfolds as students make their way through the major. By the completion of the major, however, all graduating sociology majors should be competent in the skills listed below.


An optical reservoir computer (ORC) is used to predict the motion of lung tumors during radiation therapy procedures. The ORC shows comparable accuracy to traditional neural networks with vastly increased computation speed and training time.


The new species Begonia dicressine (sp. nov.) belonging to Begonia section Platycentrum is described. The new species is similar to B. rockii but differs in having petioles with long soft white hairs, plain dark green leaves with irregularly crenate margins, lower surface only with appressed hairs along midrib, and glabrous inflorescences. B. dicressine is distributed in Kachin Province in northern Myanmar in the understory of evergreen and semi-deciduous forests. New records of B. difformis from the same area are also reported, and its distribution and habitat are discussed.


We analyze the complementarity between legal incentives (the threat of being held liable for damages) and normative incentives (the fear of social disapproval or stigma) in situations where instances of misbehavior are not perfectly observable. There may be multiple equilibria within a given legal regime, as well as multiple socio-legal equilibria. In particular, there are high stigma-high evidentiary standard regimes versus low stigma-low standard ones. We argue that this may explain some of the differences between common law and civil law regarding the notions of fault or negligence. Our analysis also provides an explanation for trends currently observed in civil-law systems, in particular the weakening of evidentiary requirements in tort cases.


Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of acupuncture plus plum-blossom-needle tapping in treating neurodermatitis.Method Fifty-six patients with neurodermatitis were randomized into a treatment group and a control group,28 in each.The control group was managed by conventional medication,and the treatment group was intervened by acupuncture plus plum-blossom-needle tapping in addition to the treatment given to the control group.The clinical efficacies of the two groups were observed and compared.Result The total effective rate was 92.9% in the treatment group versus 78.6% in the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P0.05).Conclusion Acupuncture plus plum-blossom-needle tapping is an effective method in treating neurodermatitis.


This paper investigates how speech and gestures convey stress, and how they can be used for automatic stress recognition. As a first step, we look into how humans use speech and gestures to convey stress. In particular, for both speech and gestures, we distinguish between stress conveyed by the intended semantic message (e.g. spoken words for speech, symbolic meaning for gestures), and stress conveyed by the modulation of either speech and gestures (e.g. intonation for speech, speed and rhythm for gestures). As a second step, we use this decomposition of stress as an approach for automatic stress prediction. The considered components provide an intermediate representation with intrinsic meaning, which helps bridging the semantic gap between the low level sensor representation and the high level context sensitive interpretation of behavior. Our experiments are run on an audiovisual dataset with service-desk interactions. The final goal is having a surveillance system that would notify when the stress level is high and extra assistance is needed. We find that speech modulation is the best performing intermediate level variable for automatic stress prediction. Using gestures increases the performance and is mostly beneficial when speech is lacking. The two-stage approach with intermediate variables performs better than baseline feature level or decision level fusion.


This chapter contribution joins an information system (IS) construction work aimed at promotion and innovation in nanosciences and particularly in material sciences in a large French laboratory.
It involves an interdisciplinary approach to natural language processing (NLP) and knowledge organization (KO) and its management (KM) with an aim to
develop an approach of technological cooperation between two highly technological areas: research laboratories and the industrial world.


Brain Based Learning To Improve Students' Mathematical Reflective Capabilities andDispositions. Mathematics Education Study Program, Postgraduate Program at Sultan AgengTirtayasa University. 2019. The purpose of this study was to determine the interaction of BBLlearning on Reflective Abilities and Dispositions Viewed from KAM. The low level of criticalthinking skills will also affect the low ability of reflective thinking in students. Reflectivedisposition is formed from habituation to the learning process carried out by emphasizinglearning reflective abilities. The method used in this study is a quasi-experimental method. Theresults revealed that the ability and disposition of reflective thinking in the class using BBLlearning was better than expository learning; there is no interaction between learning and KAMto increase Mathematical Reflective Capability; there is an interaction between learning andKAM towards increasing Reflective Mathematical disposition.Keywords: Problem-Based Learning, Mathematical Initial Capability, Reflective Capability,Reflective Disposition


This study aims to evaluate the result of closed-hand fracture treatment with plate fixation at the Lam Dong General Hospital. Subject and method: cases series analysis. Results showed that 31 closed-hand fractures treated with plate fixation have a first-stage healing time of 96.77%. Larson - Bostman score: excellent 93.55%, good 6.45%. Belsky score: excellent 80.65%, good 19.35%. In conclusion, closed-hand fracture treatment with plates has good outcomes: good anatomical correction, high healing ability, early rehabilitation and low complications.


Fault tree analysis (FTA) has been proven to be a very important tool and has been successfully applied to safety/reliability studies in nuclear, chemical, military, space industries/systems. Hitherto, several useful and popular FTA software/program packages have been developed, like CAFTA+, FAUNET, RiskSpectrum, SAPHIRE, RiskA etc. Minimum Cut Set (MCS) method is the most commonly used traditional FTA method. However, it suffers from low efficiency when solving remarkably large fault trees (FTs). To overcome the shortcomings of the traditional method, several new techniques are proposed such as Binary Decision Diagram (BDD), Zero-suppressed Binary Decision Diagram, (ZBDD) Petri Net (PN), Bayesian Network (BN) and Dynamic Uncertain Causality Graph (DUCG). DUCG is a newly presented Probabilistic Graphic Model to deal with systems with dynamics, uncertainties and logic cycles. DUCG is a good choice to analyze large FTs, in our previous papers, we have proved that any FT can be mapped into a DUCG graph and additional modeling and analytical power can be achieved. DeRisk is a DUCG embedded risk analysis program package written in C# for FTA and is designed as a powerful tool to assist reliability engineers. In this paper, the design schema and the main algorithms of DeRisk are introduced. DeRisk contains five parts: (1) A Graphical User Interface (GUI) Module which interacts with users; (2) A Preprocessing Module which preprocesses FTs (3) An Input Module which allows user to input necessary data by file or by command line; (4) A Calculation Module which offers qualitative/quantitative analysis; (5) An Output Module which outputs the results required by users. Some illustrative examples are used to verify the correctness and effectiveness of DeRisk.


Objective To examine the factors affecting the bone mass in adolescent students so as to provide the scientific basis for the prevention of osteoporosis. Methods Questionnaire type survey was performed to examine the eating habit and the physical activity of 164 male and 189 female subjects (aged 12-17) in Liuzhou District. Students were asked to complete the questionnaire using the 24 h recall method. Whole body bone mass and body fat were determined using Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Secondary sexual characteristics were accessed using the 5-stage Tanner method. The nutritional condition was evaluated based on the body weight and the height of the body. Results In the male subjects,BMD is mostly associated with the body weight,followed by the physical activity,Tanner period,dietary calcium intake,age and carbohydrates. BMC is mostly associated with the body weight,followed by the height,Tanner stage and physical activity. For the female subjects,BMD is mostly associated with the body weight,followed by the breast development,age,menarche,physical activity,dietary calcium intake,height and the fat intake. BMC is correlated mostly with the body weight,followed by the height,breast development,nutritional status,menarche,protein intake,dietary intake of calcium and phosphorus intake. Conclusion Body weight,puberty status,height and physical activity are the major factors affecting the bone mass in adolescent students. Intensive physical activity and dietary calcium intake had a greater impact on the male than the female students.


Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are extensively used in various industries and environments to monitor an environment and manage risks in situations such as real-time traffic monitoring and health care. The Internet of Thing (IOT) is a wireless sensor networks. Because a WSN is an open wireless communication network, it is vulnerable to security threats and attacks. It must authenticate its partner's identity and protect collection data to avoid eavesdropping or data destruction. This paper proposes a secure data collection scheme for WSNs. In this scheme, a collector, such as the pilotless plane, authenticates the identity of a smart card owner without a gateway node. Sensor nodes verify the collector, which is activated by an authorized smart card owner, and transmit data to the collector through a secure channel. The collector also authenticates whether the collected data are derived from valid sensor nodes. This design reduces communication cost and provides a secure channel to achieve data integrity and confidentiality; mutual authentication; and increased resistance to malicious insider attacks, password guessing attacks, and replay attacks.) The proposed scheme also can apply to the scenario of Internet of Thing to robust its security.


This research aims to analyze the procedures and attributes of information system security from the implementation of credit service applications at Bank XYZ using a combination of COBIT Framework 5.0 and ISO 27001:13. The assessment focused on the security element of the information system consisting of its Policy & procedure, its standard Compliance, IT Security Policy & procedure, IT security Operation, and IT Project Management Office. The use of survey methods that get the domain and process used determines the security level of the information system, consisting of Ensure risk optimisation (EDM03), Manage risk (APO12), Manage security (APO13), Manage changes (BAI06), and Manage security service (DSS05). The result of data processing using the PAM method is known that the new information security process to the level of product management and information dissemination, has not reached the level of measurement and information control and there is no bank management effort To enhance the procedures and attributes of the better level of information security.


such, the book largely avoids the partisan approach of both its supporters and detractors—even if occasionally the language it employs of "rational" medical sci-ence and "cultist" and "metaphysical" homeopathy could be seen as loaded.More critically, greater attention might have been given to homeopathy in other national contexts; even though the book is self-consciously focused on the United States, more comparative analysis would have shed greater light on the dis-tinctive case of American homeopathy. Having said this, comparisons are made to Europe—not least in relation to its early development and the more spiritual view of healing taken by contemporary American homeopathy in repudiating orthodox medical reductionism and randomized controlled trials. However, although at times reference is made to its constituent countries, greater awareness is needed of the dangers of treating Europe as a homogeneous whole.Another potential criticism of the book is that it effectively starts its journey at the beginning of the twentieth century, thereby skating over the rich Ameri-can history of homeopathy from the mid- to late nineteenth century. However, the key features of this period are outlined, and, placing the book in its wider context, this account is a sequel to John Haller's other seminal text published in 2005 titled


By studying the Eurocleft Project 1996 – 2000 report, after analyzing the reports received from 201 European centers which treat cleft lip and palate (CLP), we notice the existence of many approaches for treating this particular malformation, utilizing very different surgical techniques, hardly finding similar methods (1).


The iodine value of randomly selected edible salts sold in local markets in Ogun State, Nigeria has been investigated using the classical amplification titrimetric method in which potassium iodide is used to amplify the concentration of iodine for effective quantitation and the results show clearly the disparity between the branded and unbranded samples. Five samples of each grade; branded and unbranded were analyzed by amplification method and results show that the iodine content of the branded edible salts range from 11.420 mg/100g to 13.96 mg/100g showing a deviation from RDA of 1.04 mg/100g to 3.58 mg/100g on the other hand, the unbranded edible salts showed iodine content in the range of 3.81 mg/100g to 7.62 mg/100g showing a deviation from RDA of 7.38 mg/100g to 11.19 mg/100g. This result clearly show the inadequacy of the locally processed edible salts and the need to fortify them with iodine to reduce the health risk associated with iodine deficiency in individuals residing in the rural areas where the access to iodized table salts may be low. The attendant health risk in consuming higher amounts of these edible salts in rural areas where access to iodized salts are often low so as to narrow the deviation from RDA may be fatal in individuals with high blood electrolyte and chronic hypertension.


An investigation of the effectiveness of some local baits for the
 management of hornets in apiaries of Kathmandu valley was carried out at Bhatkyapati-12
 (Apiary A) and Tyangla-3 (Apiary B), Kirtipur Municipality under apiary conditions. Hornets
 were observed as most serious natural enemies of both house and field honeybees. Among four
 species of hornets viz: Vespa velutina Smith, Vespa tropica L., Vespa mandarina Smith, Vespa
 basalis Smith, V. velutina and V. mandarina were found to be the most abundant and serious
 enemies of honeybees in apiary conditions. A series of experiments were carried out to find
 out the efficacy of different baits for the management of hornets. Among them, the baits of
 rotten fish and pear attracted the highest number of hornets followed by rotten chicken
 bait. At apiary 'A' the highest numbers of hornets attracted were 8.600 and 8.667 per five
 minutes during September at rotten fish and pear baits respectively. Similarly, at apiary
 'B' the highest number of hornets attracted by rotten fish and pear were 8.533 in September
 and 6.952 in August respectively. On the other hand, the experiment on efficacy of these
 baits to trap foraging honeybees showed that rotten fish and pear attracted the lowest
 number of honeybees as compared to the rest of the baits. The maximum number of honeybees
 trapped on rotten fish and pear baits were 0.500 in August and 0.700 in July respectively at
 apiary 'A' and 0.867 and 1.13 on rotten fish and pear baits respectively during September at
 apiary 'B'. It can be concluded that rotten fish and pear baits are the best attractants for
 the management of predatory hornets in apiary conditions.


After the zinc ion in distilled water reacting with ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate(APDC) to form a complex and then was extracted into CCl4, the organic phase was discarded and the aqueous phase was used for the preparation of standards and sample solutions. The zinc was determined by W-coil electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry, thus solving the problem of high blank absorption in the determination of zinc in real samples. Various conditions influencing extraction and determination were optimized. The quantification limit of the proposed method was found to be 5 μg/L based on a sampling volume of 10 μL. The established technique was validated via analyzing three certified reference materials with satisfactory results.


The Chinese authorities have great hopes for the fledgling shale gas industry in China. However, while China is widely acknowledged to have abundant shale gas reserves, it would likely be difficult for China to realize these lofty ambitions, at least in the near future. China has issued encouraging policy statements to support the shale gas industry, as well as announced a number of discrete financial incentives. However, its shale gas industry faces technical challenges as well as a critical lack of detailed regulations regarding the exploration for and the production of shale gas in China. There is also a lack of guidance over the manner in which foreign investments can be made in the Chinese shale gas industry; significantly, the tussle between the 'production sharing contract' model and the 'joint venture model' still remains to be resolved. There are steps that China can take to address the hitherto lost opportunities to realize its exciting shale gas potential, the most important of which is to put in place appropriate clear and detailed regulations which are administered by a clear regulatory structure. The exponential growth in US shale gas and liquids production, and its impact on US energy sufficiency and strategy, has impacted the energy planning of the Chinese government with a tsunami-like force. At first glance, China would seem to be an ideal country for a shale revolution. The country has major deposits of shale gas, particularly in the less developed west and southwest of the country, although productivity is generally untested. The country's huge demand for energy to fuel development continues largely unabated, even with a gradual softening of the economy (economic growth slowed to 7.5 per cent in 2013). There continues to be a huge demand for natural gas as a 'clean fuel', not least because of the growing concern over air quality issues in China's major cities including the capital, Beijing. And significantly, the government has the * Paul Deemer is a Partner in the London office of Vinson & Elkins RLLP, and was until recently based in the Beijing office of Vinson & Elkins, where he served as Chief Representative and Co-Administrative Partner. His principal areas of practice are crossborder mergers and acquisitions in the energy industry, projects and project finance, general business transactions, and oil and gas. He is a member of the firm's Energy Transactions & Projects Practice Group and the China Practice Group. Email: email@example.com. ** Nicholas Song is a Partner in the Beijing office of Vinson & Elkins LLP. His principal areas of practice are cross-border energy transactions and international arbitration. He is a member of the firm's Energy Transactions & Projects Practice Group and the China Practice Group. He is also a member of the firm's International Dispute Resolution Group. Email: firstname.lastname@example.com. The authors would like to express their appreciation to Mr Xiao Yong, Partner and Head of China Practice of Vinson & Elkins, for the helpful guidance he provided in connection with this article.


Abstract : Influence of small additions of carbon, oxygen, titanium and zirconium in tungsten +0.6% columbium alloy were studied. Arc melting, extrusion, forging, and swaging behavior are described. Elevated temperature tensile strength was correlated with annealing response of various wrought forms. Titanium and oxygen additions coarsened the cast structure and lowered the 3000 F tensile strength of the base composition. Zirconium increased 3000 F ultimate tensile strength approximately 10,000 psi in the swaged condition and 4000 psi in the fully annealed condition. (Author)


The Introduction defines the character and scope of the book. It surveys the ways in which 'general history' and 'literary history' were related in the nineteenth century and how both were bound up with Whiggish interpretations of the national past. It identifies the significant change that was brought about by the more strenuous forms of 'criticism' that developed in the wake of the early work of T. S. Eliot and was carried on by such leading critics as William Empson and F. R. Leavis. It argues that a whole variety of forms of historical interpretation and historical assumption was present in the work of these critics, often carrying a strongly declinist message, and that such work filled a vacuum in wider public debate left by the withdrawal of History as an academic discipline into austere, archive-based research that eschewed larger interpretations about the direction of historical change.


The invention discloses a double- roller sheet band continuous casting method. It induces mixture gas of argon gas and hydrogen into molten steel, reasonably controls the ratio of mixture gas to decrease oxygen partial pressure. Thus, the condensate depression of molten steel is decreased, and molten steel curing condition is altered, molten steel and crystal roller contacting time are increased. It improves producing efficiency. It also decreases the surface roughness of casting band and improves equal-axial crystal ratio, refines crystal grain.


In this paper, it is shown that, one-port passive distributed thermal networks admit four canonical representations which generalize the four canonical forms of one-port passive lumped RC networks: Foster I and II canonical forms, Cauer I and Cauer II canonical forms. Insights on the physical significance of these four generalized canonical representations are given.


The study investigated entrepreneurship capital and organizational performance in the service industry. The study gathered data from the National Pension Commission from 2004 to 2019 to estimate entrepreneurial capital and organizational performance in the service industry (NPC). The study hypothesis was: that there is no significant difference between entrepreneurship capital and organizational performance in the service industry. A P-Value of 0.05 was used to determine the level of significance.  However, the public sector pension contributions amount was the dependent variable. The study adopted linear regression the model with Minitab and also used SPSS for ANOVA analysis this is to further confirm if there will be variations in the result of the two analyses. It was revealed in the study that there is a significant difference between entrepreneurial capital and organisational performance in the service industry which is a clear indication that the alternate hypothesis is accepted as the sig =0.00 which is less than 0.05 level of significance. As a result, the study made the following recommendation: Since gathering resources is another step in the entrepreneurial process, entrepreneurial should be objective in resources. For business undertakings, daily operations including capital land, human resources, and so forth are necessary.


Building simulation programs normally do not take into account moisture effects in soils temperature determination. However, the presence of humidity can strongly affect the temperature distribution in soils due especially to the evaporation/condensation mechanisms and the strong variation of their thermophysical properties. In order to calculate the temperature profiles in a more accurate way, we have developed a computational code, which was conceived to model the coupled heat and moisture transfer in soils. The presented methodology is based on the theory of Philip and De Vries, using the thermophysical properties for backfill soil chemical composition. The governing equations were discretized using the finite volume method and a 3-D model was used for describing physical phenomena of heat and mass transfer in porous soils. The robust MultiTridiagonal-Matrix Algorithm (MTDMA) was used to solve the strongly-coupled problem. To conclude, we have shown the temperature and moisture content profiles and water mass flow at the upper surface of a backfill soil when submitted to the Test Reference Year (TRY) weather data of Florianópolis-Brazil.


Aim . Тo determine the serum level of EMAP-II in type 1 diabetic patients with microangyopathy and arterial hypertention. Materials and methods We examined 23 type 1 diabetic patient with microangyopathy and arterial hypertention, 10 type 1 diabetic patient with microangyopathy without hypertention and 28 control subjects. Serum levels of EMAP-II were determined by immunoenzyme assay. The data were presented as means±SD. Results. We found an increased serum level of EMAP-II in type 1 diabetic patients with microangyopathy and arterial hypertention compared to control group (5,23±1,66 ng/ml and 1,25±0,76 ng/ml respectively, р<0,01), and in type 1 diabetic patients with microangyopathy and arterial hypertension compared to group without hypertension (5,23±1,66 ng/ml and 3,63±1,9 ng/ml respectively, р<0,01). Also, the level of EMAP-II correlated with key markers of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, inverse correlated with endothelium-dependent dilatation (p<0,05). Conclusion . The revealed change of EMAP-II could reflect an endothelial dysfunction in patients with type 1 diabetes with microangyopathy and arterial hypertension. Arterial hypertension, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia appears to be significant factor to contributing elevation of EMAP-II. Keywords : Endothelial monocyte activating polypeptide II, endothelial dysfunction, type 1 diabetes, arterial hypertension.


A case was 53‐year‐old female with dilated‐phase hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. She was classified as New York Heart Association functional class III heart failure despite receiving optimal medical therapy. The electrocardiogram taken showed intraventricular conduction delay with a QRS width of 194 msec. The left ventricular (LV) end‐diastolic and systolic volumes, and ejection fraction (EF) were 101 mL, 68 mL, and 32%, respectively. The patient showed no significant mechanical LV dyssynchrony as evidenced by two‐dimensional (2D) speckle tracking radial strain, which is defined as the time difference between anterior‐septum and posterior wall, of 105 msec (<130 msec). Three‐dimensional (3D) speckle tracking radial strain was performed for more detailed LV mechanical dyssynchrony analysis. An especially important finding for 3D speckle tracking radial strain analysis was that the average time‐to‐peak strain of 5 septum segments at 3 different LV levels (basal‐anterior‐septum, basal‐septum, mid‐anterior‐septum, mid‐septum, apical‐septum) was significantly shorter than that of 5 posterolateral segments at 3 different LV levels (basal‐posterior, basal‐lateral, mid‐posterior, mid‐lateral, apical‐lateral). This time difference between septum and posterolateral wall was 216 msec (204 msec vs. 420 msec), which was considered to indicate significant LV mechanical dyssynchrony (≥130 msec). 12 months after cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), EF had improved to 47%, while end‐systolic and diastolic volumes had decreased to 88 mL and 47 mL, respectively, so that the patient was classified as a responder. In conclusions, a newly developed 3D speckle tracking strain can provide a comprehensive evaluation of "true" LV mechanical dyssynchrony from pyramidal 3D data sets acquired in the same beat, thus yielding more accurate information than previously possible with the 2D speckle tracking system.


Birds were first monitored by means of radio telemetry more than 15 years ago, an early example being the use of back-mounted transmitting equipment to measure the respiratory rate of a flying Mallard Anas platyrhynchos (Lord et al. 1962). Although transmitters have been mounted on the backs of diurnal birds of prey (Southern 1964, Platt 1973, Fuller et al. 1974) and owls (Nicholls and Warner 1972, Forbes and Warner 1974), the body harnesses used for mounting can entangle the feet of hawks (Nicholls and Warner 1968). Moreover, back-mounted transmitters reduced activity and food-consumption of captive Red Grouse Lagopus lagopus scoticus (Boag 1972). Another problem with this transmitter mounting technique can be the premature breakage of weak links in the harness which have been incorporated to ensure its eventual detachment. To avoid the use of body harnesses, transmitters may be attached to the proximal end of tail feathers (Bray and Corner 1972). Equipment weighing less than two percent of a bird of prey's weight has been mounted on a single rectrice without causing the feather to fall out (Dunstan 1973, Fuller and Tester 1973). There is then no speed to make special provision for removal of a transmitter, because it will be shed at the next moult. This paper describes a technique used for tail-mounting transmitters in studies of Goshawk Accipiter gentilis behaviour and winter predation in Britain (Kenward 1976) and Sweden, and of Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus movements during the breeding season. Radio-tagged hawks are compared with those marked only by leg rings, in terms of weight changes before retrapping, tendency to disperse, and hunting performance. There is no evidence that the tail-mounted transmitters affected the hawks' behaviour.


The present study was conducted Saurashtra region of Gujarat Stateusing ex-post facto research design. In order to know the relationship between selected independent variables with knowledge level of the groundnut growers about recommended groundnut crop production technology, a sample of 160 groundnut growers, representing 16 villages of 12 talukas of Junagadh, Jamnagar, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Gir-somnath and Rajkot of Saurashtra region of Gujarat state were drawn by multistage random sampling techniques.The beneficiaries of front line demonstration given by Krishi Vigyan Kendra under NMOOP project were selected for the study. The data was collected by personal interview through structured schedule. The simple statistical tools were used to analyze the data. The results revealed that in case of fourteen independent variables, three variables viz., education, social participation and extension participation showed positive and significant relationship at one per cent level ofprobability. Whereas, nine variables viz., size of land holding, annual income, mass media exposure, extension contact, innovativeness, scientific orientation, risk orientation, economic motivation and yield index showed positive and significant relation atfive per cent level of probability with knowledge level. The remaining two variables namely, age showed negative and significant relation atfive per cent level of probability and only one variable size of family did not showed any significant relationship with knowledge level.


Recent experiments observed that plasma edge stability can be improved by external magnetic perturbations. The general problem of plasma response to external magnetic perturbations is investigated. Different (vacuum, ideal, and resistive) plasma response models are considered and compared. Plasma response in the edge stability experiments is obtained through computation using the MARS-F code, with a plasma model that includes both plasma resistivity and rotation. The resultant magnetic field line stochsticity is much reduced from that obtained formerly using the vacuum plasma model. This reduced stochasticity is more consistent with the observations during edge stabilization experiments. Examples are given for response of an ITER plasma to perturbations generated by the correction coils; and response of a plasma to external coils (antenna) up to the Alfvén frequency.


Recent advances in computer technology and medical equipment have enabled scientists to study neurological processes more effectively on living subjects. Such advancement has enabled scientists to gather data that was once only available after the subject was deceased. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission topography (PET), and electroencephalograph (EEG) are methods of monitoring neurological activity that have created vast opportunities to learn how the human brain functions. More importantly, however, is that experiments or interventions can now be conducted more reliably on living subjects and the neurological, cognitive, and/or behavioral results can be monitored upon completion of the intervention.


Prototype-based classifiers such as learning vector quantization (LVQ) often display intuitive and flexible classification and learning rules. However, classical techniques are restricted to vectorial data only, and hence not suited for more complex data structures. Therefore, a few extensions of diverse LVQ variants to more general data which are characterized based on pairwise similarities or dissimilarities only have been proposed recently in the literature.
In this contribution, we propose a novel extension of LVQ to similarity data which is based on the kernelization of an underlying probabilistic model: kernel robust soft LVQ (KRSLVQ). Relying on the notion of a pseudo-Euclidean embedding of proximity data, we put this specific approach as well as existing alternatives into a general framework which characterizes different fundamental possibilities how to extend LVQ towards proximity data: the main characteristics are given by the choice of the cost function, the interface to the data in terms of similarities or dissimilarities, and the way in which optimization takes place. In particular the latter strategy highlights the difference of popular kernel approaches versus so-called relational approaches.
 While KRSLVQ and alternatives lead to state of the art results, these extensions have two drawbacks as compared to their vectorial counterparts: (i) a quadratic training complexity is encountered due to the dependency of the methods on the full proximity matrix; (ii) prototypes are no longer given by vectors but they are represented in terms of an implicit linear combination of data, i.e. interpretability of the prototypes is lost. We investigate different techniques to deal with these challenges: We consider a speed-up of training by means of low rank approximations of the Gram matrix by its Nystrom approximation. In benchmarks, this strategy is successful if the considered data are intrinsically low-dimensional. We propose a quick check to efficiently test this property prior to training. We extend KRSLVQ by sparse approximations of the prototypes: instead of the full coefficient vectors, few exemplars which represent the prototypes can be directly inspected by practitioners in the same way as data. We compare different paradigms based on which to infer a sparse approximation: sparsity priors while training, geometric approaches including orthogonal matching pursuit and core techniques, and heuristic approximations based on the coefficients or proximities.
 We demonstrate the performance of these LVQ techniques for benchmark data, reaching state of the art results. We discuss the behavior of the methods to enhance performance and interpretability as concerns quality, sparsity, and representativity, and we propose different measures how to quantitatively evaluate the performance of the approaches. We would like to point out that we had the possibility to present our findings in international publication organs including three journal articles [6, 9, 2], four conference papers…


In this paper, studied Measuring Equipment for Brake Test provided to test a braking distance and stability on various conditions while at stop/drive. It ensures an objectivity, repeatability and reproducibility for a brake test, which may be applied to various types of braking distance and stability tests anywhere in the world. With Measuring S/W for Brake Test mounted on the vehicle while at stop/drive, braking distance and stability were examined under conditions specified of NCAP and vehicle manufactures A and B's own test, which was available under all conditions and even harder ones to confirm this measuring S/W for brake test be applicable for any changed conditions for the future.


In this study, we evaluated whether SARS‐CoV‐2 mRNA vaccines induce anti‐human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies and anti‐ ABO blood type antibodies (ABOAb) in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs).


The present invention discloses a multi-phase switching power supply control method and its controller, multi-phase switching power supply circuit having N switches; set signal generator in accordance with an output signal of the switching power supply for generating a set signal; providing a system clock signal from the clock signal generator ; controller receives the set signal and the system clock signal and generate a phase-shifted clock signals of the N system clock signal, the phase shifted clock signals of the N-phase clock consisting of a loop, the controller is further in accordance with the set signal and the N-phase clock shifting generating N signal switch control signal.


This case study on the work and influence of four Jewish artists in Glasgow during the early years of the Second World War reviews cultural transfer within the wider context of Jewish history in Scotland. This review suggests that this incidence of cultural transfer was mainly achieved through personal contacts and networks and emphasises the importance of the presence of an established Jewish population. It also shows that parts of Scottish society were prepared to absorb refugee influences, while the Jewish artists under review adopted novel forms of cultural production, incorporating their individual and group experiences as well as the influence of the wider society.


AN IMPORTANT theme in modern history has been the imposition by Europeans upon much of the non-Western world of formal or informal imperial domination structured according to the demands of capitalism.' The intrusion of market forces into societies hitherto organized according to precapitalist principles often changed, sometimes dramatically, the reproductive components of the demographic regime.2 For example, a masterful study of the southern Sudan by Sharon Hutchinson assesses the impact of the arrival of the money economy on the marriage institutions of the Nuer community, while Victoria Bernal, addressing a northern Sudanese village setting, has eloquently traced the transformation of gender relations attendant upon that community's "growing integration into the world economy. "3 One possible, and not uncommon,


This paper endorses Dick Selleck and Geoffrey Sherington's view that public policy-making is characterised by both fluidity and contestability. In April 1988, the report of a Taskforce headed by Brian Picot recommended major reforms in New Zealand's public education system. Even today, however, there is controversy regarding the major influences on the Taskforce. Utilising untapped primary source material to revisit the deliberations of the Taskforce, this paper epitomises the strongly evidence-based approaches that have long characterised the scholarship of Dick and of Geoff.


Excess body fat, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome are associated with the development of certain cancers. Weight gain during the middle‐adult years is linked with the development of metabolic dysfunction although not all individuals who gain weight develop these complications. The objective of this study was to examine prospectively the independent and combined effects of weight change and metabolic dysfunction on obesity‐related cancer risk. We used data for 3,850 45–69 year‐old individuals who were followed every four years in the Framingham Offspring Study. For each subject, weight (pounds) was regressed on age (years) starting at the baseline visit and ending (~12–20 years later) at the first exam at which they had complete data for fasting glucose and lipid levels (generally exam 3). The slope of weight change (per year) was used to classify each subject as gaining ≥ 1lb/year over 12–20 years, losing ≥ 1lb/year, or remaining weight stable (neither gaining nor losing ≥ 1lb/year per year). Since the risk of obesity‐related cancer may be linked with the duration and intensity of chronic inflammation, long‐term weight gain during the middle‐adult years may better capture the risk of adiposity on obesity‐related cancers. Thus, in a second analysis, we classified subjects into one of three groups based on weight status over the 12–20 year exposure period: those who were of normal weight throughout (including those who lost weight), those who were overweight/obese at baseline and remained so, and those who were of normal weight at baseline and became overweight/obese. Subjects with metabolic dysfunction (MetDys) were those identified with impaired fasting glucose/diabetes, dyslipidemia (elevated serum triglycerides or low HDL‐cholesterol), or hypertension. MetDys for each subject was classified as having 2 or more (vs. 0 or 1) metabolic abnormalities prior to the start of follow up for incident cancer. Primary obesity‐related cancers included postmenopausal breast, endometrial, and colorectal cancers. Cox proportional hazards were used to evaluate the effect of weight change with and without MetDys, adjusting for potential confounding by sex, age, height, education, smoking, alcohol intake, and physical activity. Subjects gaining ≥ 1lb/year had statistically significant increases in obesity‐related cancer risk: HR=1.8 (95%CI: 1.2–2.6) and HR=1.3 (95%CI: 1.0–1.7) for those with and without concurrent MetDys, respectively. Those with stable weights (or who lost weight), regardless of prevalent MetDys, had no increased cancer risk. Compared with the referent group (normal weight with one or fewer metabolic abnormalities), subjects who became obese during the middle‐adult years and whose weight gain was accompanied by greater MetDys had a two‐fold increased risk of developing obesity‐related cancer (HR=2.1; 95%CI: 1.2–3.6); weight gain not accompanied by MetDys still led to a 70% increase risk of cancer (HR=1.7; 95%CI: 1.3–2.4). Normal‐weight subjects with MetDys also a 60% increased risk (HR=1.6; 95%CI: 1.1–2.4) of developing an obesity‐related cancer. This study demonstrates that individuals who gain weight during the middle‐adult years, especially when their weight gain is accompanied by metabolic dysfunction, are at much higher risk for developing an obesity‐related cancer.


This month the Bosleys return to Scratch 2.0 with a programming tutorial that will enable children to create their own Christmas tree, with simulated flashing lights.


Utilitarianism is a many-sided conception, in which we can discern various aspects: hedonistic, consequentialistic, aggregation or maximization-oriented, and so forth.1 While we see its impact in several academic fields, such as ethics, economics, and political philosophy, it is often dragged out as a problematic or negative idea. Aside from its essential and imperative nature, one reason might be in the fact that utilitarianism has been only vaguely understood, and has been given different roles, "on the one hand as a theory of personal morality, and on the other as a theory of public choice, or of the criteria applicable to public policy" (Sen and Williams 1982, 1-2). In this context, if we turn our eyes on economics, we can find intimate but subtle connections with utilitarian ideas. In 1938, Samuelson described the formulation of utility analysis in economic theory since Jevons, Menger, and Walras, and the controversies following upon it, as follows:


There have been many attempts to improve the resolution of electron microscopes. Transmission electron microscopes are normally limited in resolution by a balance between the diffraction limit (which could be overcome by the use of a large objective aperture) and the spherical aberration of the lenses used (which could be overcome by the use of a small objective aperture). In recent years successful attempts have been made to achieve resolutions beyond this limit by holography and also by the development of aberration correctors.


The work presented in this thesis focuses on the optimization of a hybrid wind/solar system with energy storage for equipment lifespan extension. In general, electrical equipment is exposed to operational disturbances that result in temporary or permanent damage to the equipment. This study analyzes each component of the system, identifies several potential operational disturbances, and subsequently proposes a method to minimize the conditions that create or cause such effects. These conditions are minimized by solving an optimization problem that calculates the sources' supply set points at which the system's operational disturbances are minimized. Scenarios with different operating conditions to verify the performance of the proposed formulation along with illustrative examples in terms of case studies are also presented. This abstract accurately represents the content of the candidate's thesis. We recommend its publication. Signed Fernando Mancilla-David Signed Alexander Engau


To protect the health of the personnel who carry work on overhead power lines subjected to unclued voltage, the maximum vakues of this voltage must be monitored. To comply with this recuirement, algoritms for calculating the current and voltage distributions along yhe disconnected and grounded singlewire (singlephase) line gave been developed. The current and voltage in the disconnected line are induced by the electrical field of the operating singlewire (singlephase) line converging with the disconnected line at a certain angle.


The airway inflammation and remodeling is the pathophysiological basis of many common chronic lung diseases.It is difficult that the single indicator fully reflects the level and prognosis airway inflammation and remodeling.Because it involves the interaction of a variety of inflammatory cells, cellular components and inflammatory mediators, which can result in the certain heterogeneity of pathophysiology and clinical manifestations.This review focuse don asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary hypertension and discusses biomarkers that has been researched for their usefulness to phenotype chronic inflammatory lung diseases which cause remodeling of the lung′s architecture.The goal is to evaluate the airway inflammation and remodeling during the chronic lung disease and to provide more treatment options for reference.

Key words:
Biological markers; Airway remodeling; Airway inflammation; Lung diseases


The carrier phase tracking performance in the presence of multipath component is researched in the paper for the DS/BPSK navigation receiver. The pseudonoise (PN) code tracking loop of the receiver adopts the noncoherent delay lock loop (DLL), and the influence of multipath on the carrier phase tracking error is analyzed. The hardware implementation of the signal carrier tracking scheme is provided, and the mathematics mode of the carrier phase tracking loop is presented. The relation of multipath code delay and multipath carrier phase delay is analyzed. Based on the analyses of carrier phase tracking model in multipath propagating environments, the paper gives some simulations of the carrier tracking loop performance, and builds up the carrier tracking loop though the Simulink of Matlab.


Three theoretical perspectives have been used by researchers to examine the various aspects of communication effects: The directive perspective, which explores the manipulation and control of commu...


'Cyberpunk' science fiction is a self-proclaimed movement within the genre which began in the 1980s. As the name suggests, it is an extrapolative form of science fiction which combines an almost obsessional interest in machines (particularly information machines) with an anarchic, amoral, streetwise sensibility This paper sketches the development of the movement and seeks to make qualified claims for the radical. potential of its fiction. Of crucial importance are the ways in which human subjectivity (viewed in psychoanalytic terms) interacts with 'technological subjectivity' in cyberpunk, particularly with regard to implications of these interactions for oedipalization.


Using Java to develop the system,and Web development kit it provides,the author establishes the system application prototype,then carries on the demand iteration to the initialprototype system,and unceasingly revises until the system is feasible.


A comply/constrain game or a game with a Muller twist is a game where the next player is allowed to place constraints on opponent's next move. We develop a closed form formula for the Grundy value of the single-pile subtraction game where the next player may determine whether the previous player has to select a move from the set of some first k natural numbers or its complement. We also investigate the periodicity of Grundy values when the set of legal moves is from a set of finite arithmetic sequences.


Co-design increases the number of voices in a design project, which enhances the experience for all co-creators and produces a better product. A case study is presented of a ten-month co-design project-based learning experience between two engineering design students and two community partners during a first-year engineering design course, which resulted in the implementation of the device across campus. This paper evaluates the elements of co-design in the design process that was employed, documents the design product that was produced, and examines the experience of the community partners through a qualitative study. Through a retrospective examination of artifacts and files, the design process demonstrated an increase in the amount of collaboration between co-creators as the project progressed and identified 15 iterations of the design. Comparing the experience of community partners throughout the design process, five themes emerged from the semi-structured interviews: (1) emotional effects, (2) physical and mental effects, (3) productivity, (4) safety, and (5) job satisfaction. Documenting the experience of community partners throughout the design project can encourage educators to adopt co-design practices in project-based learning.


With research being undertaken to develop supporting infrastructure for the 6G communication standard, the reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) have garnered substantive interest due to their ability to dynamically alter the propagation characteristics of the transmitted and received signals. One of the key applications of RIS is to provide dynamic beam steering, which ensures that the signal is only received by the intended receiver. This helps in providing transmission paths for the signal even in the presence of obstacles as well as in differentiating the legitimate users from an eavesdropper. The key concerns in designing such a surface are its polarization sensitivity and angular stability behavior with respect to the incident signal. Further, the tunable phase range is limited in most of the existing RIS geometries. In this work, we present a polarization-insensitive passive surface design, which achieves wide tunability of the reflection angle (in the range -160° to +160° by using varactor diodes and exhibits angular stability upto 60° for TE polarized signal. The full wave simulation results of the proposed design are presented, with the operating frequency centered around 3.1 GHz. The proposed work will be helpful in the realization of goals envisioned by the 6G standard and beyond.


This study was conducted to clarify of relationship with major physiological characters and RAPD patterns of garlic(Allium sativum L.) germplasm collected from the worldwide using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA(RAPD) analysis. Eighty-four garlic accessions were classified into ten varietal groups by physiological characters with the single linkage clustering based on Q correlations. The majority was early maturing varieties collected from East-Asia, late maturing varieties were Europe. RAPD marker, WE61 1,630 was amplified with late maturing varieties and high correlation have shown, though three accessions weren' t amplified. Clove undifferentiation and secondary growth had mainly occur accessions collected from Europe, but hadn't shown perfect linkage to RAPD. RAPD marker, WF70 1,400 appeared in bolting garlic and WF64 1,400 appeared only in fertile garlic. Unknown garlic amplified in WF64 1,400 might be fertile garlic, because of their collection site were from Central-Asia.


State Estimator (SE) relies on measurements for good solution. Whenever measurements are not available due to loss of telemetry there is a need to substitute those measurements with some pseudo measurements. Further, in situations where it is not possible to have a measurement there is a need for pseudo measurements to improve the observability in SE. This paper explains the experiences of using the pseudo measurements at ERCOT.


Austempering is a high performance heat treat process that, when applied to ferrous materials, produces components that have properties superior to those processed by conventional means. Austempered materials include: Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI), Austempered Steels, Carbo-Austempered™ Steels, Carbidic Austempered Ductile Iron (CADI). Off-Highway applications of each of these materials will be discussed.


High-order Ambisonics (HOA) is a sound field reproduction technique that defines a scalable and system-independent encoding of spatial sound information. Decoding of HOA signals for reproduction using loudspeaker arrays can be a difficult task if the angular spacing between adjacent loudspeakers, as observed from the listening position, is not uniform. In this research, one of such systems is considered: a 157-channel irregular loudspeaker array. The array is used to reproduce simple HOA-encoded sound fields. Three HOA decoding methods are evaluated: two conventional ones and a recently proposed decoder designed for irregular loudspeaker arrays. Reproduction accuracy is compared by directly measuring the sound pressure around the listening position, the so-called sweet spot. Coarse-resolution sound field measurements give an approximate size for the listening region generated by the different methods. In addition, dummy head recordings are used to evaluate interaural level and phase differences. The resul...


1. Keys to a sustainable environment: education, community development and local democracy, Susan Buckingham-Hatfield and Susan Percy 2. Local government, local people and local agenda, Jane Parker and Paul Selman 3. Getting people involved, Walter Leal Filho 4. Beyond volunteering and rhetoric: implications of Local Agenda 21 initiatives in Wales, Michael Clarke and Alan Netherwood 5. Hopes and Fears for Local Agenda 21, Ken Webster 6. Children's participation in environmental decision making, Claire Freeman 7. Youth and Agenda 21, Jane Knightsbridge-Randall 8. Including women: addressing gender, Susan Buckingham-Hatfield and Judith Matthews 9. The North-South dimension of Local Agenda 21, Marek Lubelski and Raff Carmen 10. Equal opportunities and local initiatives in Sri Lanka, Anoja Wickramasinghe 11. Ground-truthing ecologically sustainable development, Valerie A. Brown 12. Emerging contradictions: sustainable development and the new local government, Alan Patterson and Kate S. Theobald 13. The opportunities and challenges for local environmental policy and action in the UK, Bob Evans and Susan Percy 14. Constructing future local environmental agendas, Susan Buckingham-Hatfield and Susan Percy


Thirty five accessions of Chamaecrista rotundifolia, 3 of C.serpens, 3 of C.nictitans and one of C.pilosa were evaluated for potential for soil stabilisation and forage in the Red Soils Region of southern China. The C.rotundifolia accessions covered the geographic range of the species. There were large differences in dry matter yield, flowering date and canopy height within C.rotundifolia. Only one accessions of C.rotundifolia which origins from Argentina survived over winter, whereas accessions from lower latitudes, including cv. Wynn, failed to persist. For use as cut?and?carry forage, two accessions of C.nictitans(ATF2217, ATF2219) were indentified as having considerable promise. In the trials(which were not harvested during the growing season) they had good ability to re?establish from seed, high yield, and, in some cases, rapid nodulation. Variation in the accessions of C.rotundifolia showed strong relationships between latitude of provenance and flowering date, growth over the growing season, and canopy height. Accessions from equatorial regions were late flowering and tall?growing whereas those from high latitudes were early flowering and less robust. Early?flowering accessions were higher yielding early in the season but comparatively lower yielding late in the season, as compared with late?flowering accessions. Early?flowering accessions had higher seedling densities after winter than late flowering accessions. There was statistically significant variation in a range of attributes potentially associated with early and rapid establishment and accessions were identified which were, in some trials, superior to cv. Wynn. Attributes included germination/emergence, stem and root length of seedlings and seedling dry weight, and nodulation. It is necessary to select different accessions according to different aims of utilization.


PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical parameters associated with long-term success and failure of single-tooth titanium plasma-sprayed (TPS) cylindric implants.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Thirty-nine implants in 39 subjects were followed for 5 years. The following data were collected: subject age and gender, implant length, implant location, bone density, and implant position in relation to crestal bone. Assessments made at recall intervals included: Gingival Index (GI), probing depth, relative attachment level, and standardized radiographs. Failure was defined as a mean annual attachment loss rate (ALR) of > or = 0.25 mm after the first year of implant function. Between-group differences were assessed nonparametrically using the Mann-Whitney and chi-square tests.

RESULTS
Nineteen implants were considered successes and 20 were considered failures with respective mean ALRs of 0.12 +/- 0.07 mm and 0.42 +/- 0.19 mm. The following factors were associated with success: longer implants (P < .001), lower GI (P < .001), higher bone density (P < .0001), and implant position at the crest or supracrestally (P <.0001). Age, gender, probing depth, and implant location were not related to outcome.

CONCLUSIONS
A model using attachment loss as a parameter for success and failure has not been previously utilized. Longer implants, lower GI, higher bone density, and implant position at the crest or supracrestally were clinical factors associated with long-term success of single-tooth TPS cylindric implants in this patient population.


Highly qualified teachers with strong STEM backgrounds are needed to teach children, particularly in high-need school districts. One university's teacher preparation program used a constructivist approach to build candidates' technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge to enhance their preparation to teach in classrooms where they are expected to utilize instructional technology effectively. Teacher preparation programs prepare candidates to a certain degree, however, beginning teachers continue to need support. This chapter reports on how prepared these new STEM teachers were to teach and the challenges they faced in high-need school districts. This chapter also discusses the instructional technology provided to these teachers from a federal grant to address some of these challenges. The chapter concludes that beginning STEM teachers benefit from induction supports that 1) provide university-based mentoring, 2) allow them to continue to use strategies and technologies they had access to during their teacher preparation program, and 3) continue to develop themselves as professionals.


Diabetes continues to grow as a major public health challenge that currently affects over 200 million people worldwide with a forecast estimating more than 366 million being affected by the year 2030 [1]. This growing epidemic leads to increased morbidity and mortality, primarily due to cardiovascular disease (CVD) even in the prediabetic states [2]. Control of cardiovascular risk factors among diabetic patients is far from optimal [3,4]. Even in the settings of randomized controlled trials, diabetes control appears to worsen over time, regardless of the treatment strategy [5]. For example, in the UK Diabetes Prospective Study (UKPDS) [5], diabetic patients who were treated intensively with sulfonylurea, insulin or metformin, experienced an initial decline in median HbA1c compared with those in the conventional treatment arm. However, by year 7 of follow-up, the median HbA1c among all treatment groups was above the study baseline and even worse; by year 10, the median HbA1c in both conventional and intensive treatment groups was above 8% [5]. This highlights the progressive nature of the disease and the difficulties both physicians and patients encounter in controlling its progression. Given the public health impact of diabetes, the seriousness of its complications, the progressive nature of the disease, the presence of a welldefined prediabetic state, impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), together with the presence of a safe and reliable method for detection of the prediabetic stage, diabetes meets all the criteria for disease prevention from a public health point of view (Box 1). Not surprisingly, several studies have been conducted testing various interventions for diabetes prevention (Table 1) [6]. Notable among these is the recently published Diabetes REduction Assessment with ramipril and or rosiglitazone Medication (DREAM) trial [7,8]. This study is the largest diabetes-prevention trial conducted to date, where almost 25,000 patients were screened with oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) and 5269 participants with IGT and/or IFG were randomized in a 2 x 2 factorial design to receive an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitor (ramipril) and/or a thiazolidinedione (TZD) (rosiglitazone) versus placebo (Figure 1). The development of Type 2 diabetes was the primary outcome of the study and conversion to normoglycemia, prevention of cardiorenal events and preservation of pancreatic function were predesignated secondary outcomes.


The pace of biomedical research towards reducing the onset of disease is greatly accelerated when out-of-thebox approaches are used to develop a novel technology and tool. The National Cancer Institute's program for Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies (IMAT) continues to focus on supporting and stimulating investigator-initiated innovation to develop technologies that have the potential for revolutionizing cancer research and care. Also described in this extended abstract are other funding opportunities from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that may be of interest to those seeking support for technology development.


An Introduction to the Logic of the Sciences. By R. Harré — This is a very welcome book. It should be said at the outset that the author's intention to write largely for undergraduates in science may prove a little on the modest side, since many students working for higher degrees would probably produce substantially better theses if they could find time to read what Dr. Harré has to relate … The grand point is that — from the aspect of discovery — disciplined insight came first, and the application of mathematical analysis afterwards. Essential as the latter is, momentous advances usually begin with remarkably simple premises. Incidentally, Max Planck is known to have fought long and hard in his mind against the consequences of his own quantum concept. The statistical and indiscriminate nature of much of modern physics was not to his liking. But that is the penalty of greatness. Questions like these are ably handled by Dr. Harré, and the moral is driven home. Beet Sugar Making and its Chemical Control. By Y. Nikaido — In principle, the production of sugar from beetroots is a simple matter. The sugar and other soluble bodies are extracted from the sliced roots by diffusion in water; the juice thus obtained is purified from acids and other objectionable matter by " defecation " with lime, and after the excess of lime has been removed by treatment with carbonic acid, the liquor is concentrated by evaporation until the sugar crystallises out. Whilst, however, there is nothing complicated about the principle, successful and profitable production depends upon close attention to a number of points in respect of which the chemist's help is needed. T he processing of visual information begins in the retina, where specialized neurons called photoreceptors absorb light and stimulate multiple neural circuits. Each circuit generates specific patterns of electrical activity and converges on one of about 20 types of retinal ganglion cell. These cells' axons — the optic nerve fibres — then convey signals to various brain targets. For colour vision, specific retinal circuits compare the activity levels of different types of cone photoreceptor cells that have different spectral sensitivities 1. On page 673 of this issue, Field et al. 2 describe simultaneous recordings from hundreds of ganglion cells, and a new method to map the inputs that these cells receive from individual cones. The results provide insight into the initial …


This article provides a short overview of research we have carried out in collaboration with fisheries research institutes in Europe and North America to elucidate long-term changes in the maturation reaction norms of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua).


gay. According to Salamon, her most intense relationships were with gay men (playwrights Christopher Durang and Terrence McNally, director Gerald Gutierrez, producer André Bishop). Wasserstein was often frustrated and angry that these relationships could not be complete. Salamon does not try to psychoanalyze why Wasserstein was driven to impossible relationships, nor does she emphasize the irony that her gay friends were often more successful than she at establishing lifelong unions.


The Q-state Potts model in two dimensions in the presence of external magnetic fields is studied. For general special choices of these magnetic fields produce effective models with smaller symmetry . The phase diagram of these models and their critical behaviour are explored by conventional finite-size scaling and conformal invariance. The possibility of multicritical behaviour, for finite values of the symmetry-breaking fields, in the cases where Q > 4 is also analysed. Our results indicate that for effective models with symmetry the multicritical point occurs at zero field. This last result is also corroborated by Monte Carlo simulations.


Purpose Late onset retinal degeneration is a hereditary condition characterized by progressive difficulty in dark adaptation and risk of choroidal neovascularisation. This in turn leads to a marked decline in visual acuity. We describe our experience treating a patient with a positive family history of late onset retinal degeneration who developed subfoveal choroidal neovascularisation.


Although cellular networks such as GPRS (2.5G) or UMTS (3G) have achieved both circuit switching and packet switching services with wide area coverage, they still fall short of meeting the high data rate demands of mobile users. Integrating cellular network with other high-speed and low-cost wireless technologies is a key challenge for migrating to 4G. The IEEE 802.11 technology that has been well-developed and widely used in local area networks seems to be a proper choice for fulfilling users' expectations in hotspots. Its ad hoc mode of operation allows mobiles users to achieve connectivity with low infrastructure support. This paper proposes a design to achieve the internetworking between 802.11 mobile ad hoc network (MANET) and UMTS. The key approach in our design is to model inter-system handover as inter-SGSN handover, and connect gateway in the ad hoc network with the GGSN


This thesis focuses on the consequences of European monetary integration and the associated coordination of fiscal policies. Initially, the euro appeared a resounding success. The global financial crisis of 2008/09 however hit the euro area hard and exposed severe macroeconomic imbalances within, and between, member states. To help understand the emergence of these imbalances, chapter 2 rewinds the clock to 1996, when, in anticipation of the introduction of the euro, interest rates started to sharply decline in many prospective Southern European member states. We show how falling rates sparked capital inflows, a domestic demand boom, and growth of the nontradable sector. Capital inflows did however not benefit the tradable sector, leading to a divergence between external debt and capacity to repay. Chapters 3 and 4 focus on fiscal policy coordination in EMU. In chapter 3, we highlight that the design of Europe's fiscal rules encourages strategic behavior. More specifically, the official forecasts used to judge compliance with the rules tend to be overly optimistic when the 3%-threshold threatens to bind. Chapter 4 shows that, despite such side effects, Eurozone governments do actively tighten their fiscal policy in response to fiscal recommendations. Finally, chapter 5 zooms in on the euro crisis and its aftermath. We show that, during 2009-2012, shocks to Spanish and Italian sovereign spreads induced sizable spillovers to almost all other euro area countries. Since the announcement of the ECB's Outright Monetary Transactions, such spillovers have largely disappeared, greatly enhancing the stability of the Eurozone as a whole.


The optimal control problem for a class of singularly perturbed time‐delay composite systems affected by external disturbances is investigated. The system is decomposed into a fast linear subsystem and a slow time‐delay subsystem with disturbances. For the slow subsystem, the feedforward compensation technique is proposed to reject the disturbances, and the successive approximation approach (SAA) is applied to decompose it into decoupled subsystems and solve the two‐point boundary value (TPBV) problem. By combining with the optimal control law of the fast subsystem, the feedforward and feedback composite control (FFCC) law of the original composite system is obtained. The FFCC law consists of analytic state feedback and feedforward terms and a compensation term which is the limit of the adjoint vector sequence. The compensation term can be obtained from an iteration formula of adjoint vectors. Simulation results are employed to test the validity of the proposed design algorithm. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society


Neoathyreus androsensis n.sp., is described from Andros Is. in the Bahamas and from Cayo Coco, Cuba. The new species and four other previously described species, now known to occur in the West Indies, are briefly described, keyed and figured. One species, Neoathyreus lanei (Martinez) occurs in the Lesser Antilles and also in northern South America. The four other species occurring on either Cuba, the Bahamas, or Hispaniola are closely related to each other and somewhat less so to the Neoathyreus hamifer complex, known from Mexico and Central America. A minimum of two or three over-water dispersals by ancestral forms seem to be necessary to explain the current distributions of at least some of these West Indian species.


With the development of science and technology, high-powered equipments are increasing demanded in various industrial fields. It is no doubt that higher requirements for power inverter control technology is required. In this paper, on the base of traditional PID control strategy, duo to its paraments can't self-turning, this disadvantage makes it difficult to achieve the best control effect, proposed a fuzzy self-adaptiving PID control technology. By means of MATLAB/Simulink module to realize the inverter achieves good dynamic and static performance.


Thirty-seven-year-old female, previously diagnosed with mitral valve stenosis due to rheumatic fever, who had successfully undergone percutaneous mitral valvotomy in 1996, 2000 and 2005. Forty-one months after the third procedure, in addition to episodes of paroxystic atrial fibrillation, the patient had dyspnea after ordinary exertion. Echocardiographic evaluation revealed a mean transvalvular gradient of 8 mmHg, pulmonary artery systolic pressure of 55 mmHg, a mitral valve area of 1 cm2, and a Wilkins score of 10 points. With the evidence of clinical and echo-cardiographic mitral restenosis, a new percutaneous procedure was performed, with no periprocedural complications, however, achieving suboptimal outcome.


The aim of the design is to make simple, flexible and compatible devices to solve the problem of different communication technologies in building and Industrial automation. The protocol communicating with different technologies may make it simple and secure form the other existing technologies. In this paper we present a flexible and compatible device which is purely based on the internet technology. The aim of Central intelligent system (CIS) is to monitor and control the multiple and multifunctional devices from the central control point. Primary motivation of this paper is from the different network technologies


Preliminary and rough draft. Between the era of the great Colbert and the the French revolution, French public finance was far less static than commonly thought. I focus on the period of the last wars of Louis XIV and the early reign of Louis XV, and I follow the Paris brothers, famous but poorly known financiers of the era, to show the wealth of innovation and experimentation that took place in public finance, including multiple attempts at establishing a source of credit for the government, innovations in book-keeping and monitoring of the flow of public funds in real-time, debates over the merits of tax-farming versus direct collection, etc. In the end, the relatively poor performance of the French government in comparison with its Dutch and British rivals is not a matter of tools or instruments.


As a basis for determining the time of completion of filling of a trap, the following is assumed: from the moment when the trap is filled with gas, as a result of its subsidence and covering by younger sediments, the formation pressure within it increases; further, this pressure increase is proportional to the thickness of the sediments covering the pool. As a consequence of an increase in formation pressure, the volume of a gas pool is reduced according to the Boyle-Mariotte Law:


This study attempts to describe archetypes of governance in archipelagic parts of a region, as geographical conditions are a major challenge for the local government. The problem of governance in archipelagic parts of a region is characterized as a systemic problem, so the standard pattern of system behavior must be known. Systems archetype basics are the right tool to describe complex systemic situations such as those faced by local governments in the archipelago. Systems archetype has contributed effectively to understanding the dynamics of the system until the leverage variables are found to engineer the limiting factor. The resulted storyline has been able to identify several subsystems, which are then integrated into the governance system in archipelagic region. Geographical and weather conditions as limiting factors that affect the accessibility of the region and the availability of infrastructure. Therefore, infrastructure improvement as the leverage. So, the provision of infrastructure encourages regional accessibility and acceleration of development in archipelagic parts. Keywords—systems archetype; modeling; archipelagic; geographical; local government, limit to growth


This article explores the development of the conceptual foundations of the social concept of global constitutionalism. It is proved that the evolution of ontological principles in global constitutionalism is due to a system of processes: 1) the convergence of neoliberalism and neoconservatism, due to the gradual washing out of the philosophical core in them, its replacement by political technologies that justify the practice of satisfying the interest of political classes and population groups; 2) the formation on a planetary scale of a single global governing class headed by a single system of elites; 3) the formation of a single financial and economic basis for further globalization of socio-political and state-legal development in national states; 4) the formation of a single general goal of the global governing class, which has a purely practical (rational) nature, subject to the logic of preserving power and property in the hands of global governing elites — the preservation and development of the world capitalist system. Thus, global constitutionalism acts as a social concept that justifies the globalization of the socio-political, state-legal, financial and economic structure of national states and societies, filling it with content. It substantiates the position that the social concept of global constitutionalism in the ontological, epistemological, methodological and axiological terms has incorporated the most rational concepts and constructs not only from neoliberal and neoconservative, but also from national socialist (Nazi) and fascist social concepts. Examines the impact on the evolution of the ontological principles of social concept of global constitutionalism content of the ontological principles and other social concepts. It substantiates the position that the ontological perception of the world picture in the framework of the social concept of global constitutionalism as a whole is built on the basis of neoliberalism and neoconservatism that prevailed in the Western world, being the most rational systemic updating of their principles. The goal of research: to investigate the genesis of the ontological principles in global constitutionalism. Subject of research: theoretical content and stages of development of ontological principles in global constitutionalism in relation to its social essence.


Throughout this paper, E denotes a base (ground) set and R stands for the real line. Let f : E → R be a function and let M be a class of σ-finite measures defined on some σ-algebras of subsets of E. According to the terminology adopted in [1], we shall say that: (a) f is absolutely measurable with respect to M if, for any measure μ ∈ M, this f turns out to be μ-measurable; (b) f is relatively measurable with respect to M if there exists at least one measure μ ∈ M such that this f is μ-measurable; (c) f is absolutely nonmeasurable with respect to M if there exists no measure from M for which this f becomes measurable. Naturally, for a set X ⊂ E, we have some direct analogues of the introduced notions (a), (b), and (c). Namely, we shall say that X is absolutely measurable (relatively measurable, absolutely nonmeasurable) with respect to the classM if the characteristic function of X is absolutely measurable (relatively measurable, absolutely nonmeasurable) with respect to M. More detailed information about the above concepts can be found in Chapter 5 of [1]. Actually, (a), (b), and (c) may be regarded as generalized measurability properties of functions acting from E into R. In the present paper we intend to discuss certain pathological subsets of R from the point of view of their generalized measurability and potential definability. As widely known, all projective sets inR (in the classical sense of Luzin and Sierpiński)


Summary form only given, as follows. A Langmuir probe and a heterodyne microwave interferometer have been used to characterize a planar inductively coupled ion source operated in one of two configurations. In the normal configuration, moly extraction grids are used to form a beam of ions with energy over the range 50-500 eV. Alternately, the source is operated without grids resulting in a diffuse plasma which can be probed just outside the source. We have investigated probe tip orientations parallel and perpendicular to the plasma flow under both configurations. In the experiments, spatially resolved electron densities measured by Langmuir probe are fitted to a polynomial, spatially integrated, and compared with the line-integrated plasma density measured with the microwave interferometer. Results indicate that the two density measurements, extended over a broad range of input RF power, differ in the range of a few percent to approximately 30%. In addition to presenting measured data under various plasma conditions, the effects of probe tip orientation and other factors contributing to the total measurement errors are discussed.


PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate budgetary solvency (BS) as a part of the financial condition of local governments (LGs), considering that the growing demand for public services is primarily affecting this variable.Design/methodology/approachThe study investigates a sample of 132 Italian LGs with more than 50,000 inhabitants for the period 2005–2014. The authors obtain a set of indicators as proxies of BS, which serve as the dependent variable of a regression model aimed at testing several independent variables which the authors are interested in, namely, financial autonomy, current equilibrium, level of indebtedness and investments.FindingsBS, as well as its three indicators—sustainability, flexibility and vulnerability—are positively related to financial autonomy and current equilibrium and negatively related to the level of indebtedness and investments.Practical implicationsTo cover citizens' demands for public services guaranteeing sound financial management, policymakers are advised to control both the balance between current revenue and expenses and the level of indebtedness while preserving financial autonomy from external sources.Originality/valueThis study adds fresh insight to the literature on financial health, emphasising the relevance of public financial management.


Here, the ability of Pediococcus pentosaceus and Pediococcus acidilactici to utilise potato tuber juice for cell synthesis without an external nutrient supplement was investigated, and the influence of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) grown in this substrate on the growth performance of new-born calves, as well as blood biochemical and faecal microbiological parameters was evaluated. Calves were selected based on the analogy principle, treatment group (n = 21), control group (n = 27). Calves in the treatment group were administered 50 ml of fermented potato tubers juice containing 9.6 log CFU/ml of LAB mixture for 14 days. Also, determination of antimicrobial activities of tested LAB against a variety of pathogenic and opportunistic bacterial strains previously isolated from diseased cattle was performed. It was found that LAB supernatants effectively inhibited the growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Corynebacter spp., Klebsiella pneomoniae, Enterococcus faecalis, and Bacillus cereus (the diameters of the inhibition zones varied between 11.0 ± 0.3 mm and 17.0 ± 0.6 mm). Thus, potato juice can be used as an alternative substrate for LAB cultivation (LAB cell concentration 9.6 ± 0.07 log CFU/ml). After lyophilisation (–48 °C) and spray-drying (+150 °C) viable cell concentrations in the fermented potato juice powder were 9.18 ± 0.09 log CFU/g and 9.04 ± 0.07 log CFU/g, respectively. The 50 ml of fermented potato tuber juice containing 9.6 log CFU/ml of LAB, administered every day for 14 days, reduced the risk of developing acidosis (stabilised blood pH; P < 0.05), reduced lactates and PCO2 concentration (P < 0.05) and the risk of liver lesions (reduced serum alanine aminotransferase concentration; P < 0.005) in blood and E. coli in the faeces of new-born calves.


EC50 Microtox (5 min, 25 degrees C) assay values for 2-isopropylphenol, 3-isopropylphenol, 4-isopropylphenol, 2,4-diisopropylphenol, 2,5-diisopropylphenol 2,6-diisopropylphenol, 3,5-diisopropylphenol, carvacrol, thymol, thiophenol, and thiocresol ranged from 2 x 10(-2) mM for thymol (least toxic) to 2 x 10(-4) mM for 2,4-diisopropylphenol and 4-isopropylphenol (most toxic).


In general, this study aims to find out how the implementation of BPJS Health policies and what factors influence the implementation of BPJS Health policies in Bekasi District Hospitals. This study used descriptive qualitative method. The data used is interviews with key informants of approximately one month. The results of the study indicate that in general the implementation of the BPJS Health policy at the Bekasi District Hospital is quite satisfactory, although there are still obstacles that must be overcome and repaired. According to the results of the study, based on the approach to the smooth implementation of routine functions and the approach to realizing the desired impact proposed by Randall B. Repley and Grace A. Franklin, several obstacles were found. Among them are the claims of BPJS Health participants at the Bekasi District Hospital that have not been paid by the BPJS Health and the revenue deficit experienced by the Obligation section.


The multi-pulse operation of the Yb3+-doped fiber mode-locked laser with a polarization sensitive isolator and two polarization controllers is reported. Dual- and triple-pulse of the Yb3+-doped fiber mode-locked laser in the normal dispersion are achieved as the pumping power is increased. The fiber laser can achieve different multi-pulse outputs by adjusting the polarization controllers or increasing the pump power. The results show that over-driving of the fast artificial saturable absorber induced the generation of the multi-pulse.


This paper deals with the electromagnetic law which explains break down and the behavior of insulation while break down. An electrostatic field produced due to a potential on an electrode, stresses the electrical insulation in contact with electric stresses. The performance of a dielectric depends mainly upon the magnitude of electric field intensity it is stressed with .For an optimum design of insulation requirement in different equipment's the knowledge of electric field intensity in of great importance in high voltage engineering .The dielectric strength of insulating materials and the electric field stresses developed in them when subjected to high voltage systems .In high voltage apparatus the important materials used are conductors and insulators. While the conductors carry the current and insulators prevent the flow of current in undesired path.


Robust Synchronization in Networks of Compartmental Systems Milad Alekajbaf Master of Applied Science Graduate Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering University of Toronto 2014 This thesis studies robust synchronization in networks of compartmental systems motivated by cellular networks. These networks consist of compartments each of which is composed by interconnected subunits. We investigate conditions on the dynamics of the subunits and on the interconnection topology that guarantee robust synchronization in the presence of external disturbances and possibly nonlinear perturbations on the network. The results are illustrated with several examples, including a network of genetic oscillators.


Copolymerization of ethene and 1-octene is catalyzed by the Hf-pyridyl amido complex used in chain-shuttling polymerization. Active site counts and the molar mass distribution of catalyst-bound polymeryls are determined by chromophore quench-labeling. Catalytic data for copolymerization (1-octene consumption, active site counts, molar mass distributions of polymers, and I2-labeling of Zn-polymeryls) are compared with similar data for the homopolymerization of 1-octene. Such comparisons reveal that small amounts of ethene have a significant impact on catalysis. The rate of 1-octene consumption increases in a copolymerization ∼3-fold compared to a homopolymerization; this likely results from in situ ligand modification. The first insertion of alkene occurs into the Hf–naphthyl bond of the Hf-pyridyl amido catalyst; in copolymerization, competition between ethene and 1-octene for this insertion creates multiple active species. We propose that ethene insertion into the Hf–naphthyl bond leads to a faster polym...


Bubble columns are increasingly applied in largeand small-scale fermentations. In our research concerning bakers' yeast fermentations in bubble columns we were confronted with the problem of the estimation of power dissipation and heat production. Power dissipation is a useful variable in the evaluation of the mass transfer performance of bubble columns as compared to stirred tank reactors. The net heat production due to aeration in bubble columns has to be known in order to estimate the biological heat production from total heat production data for growing cultures. In our studies we used thermodynamic principles to calculate power dissipation and net heat production due to aeration. This paper shows the theoretical arguments as well as a preliminary verification of the conclusions that were reached.


In a letter to his friend Joan Serra, Lorenzo Valla (1407–1457) shows his contempt for medieval grammars, describing Alexander de Villa-Dei, Evrard de Bethune, Giovanni Balbi, and others as faex hominum. Many traces of Valla's polemics against medieval authors are woven into his linguistic works, in primis in his Elegantie lingue latine. The Elegantie represent a monumental attempt to restore Latin to its original splendour after the so-called barbarities of the Middle Ages. Starting from its structure, this work adopts a completely different form compared with the systematic grammatical syntheses of the previous period. It functions as a series of thematic chapters united in the goal of denouncing earlier grammatical, lexical, syntactic, and interpretive usage and decisions. The chapters are built entirely on an expertly assembled collection of quotations. For Valla, only through consulting the best authors can a scholar reach the latine loqui. In practical terms, however, is Valla truly able to reach this goal and break from the medieval tradition? Beginning with this question, this paper focuses on Valla's linguistic works, showing both their innovative and traditional facets. The most significant changes Valla proposes in his linguistic analysis – often presented by the author as a strong attack on medieval grammarians – are illustrated. Also, the paper clarifies the humanist's inevitable debt to the tradition he scorns, particularly evident when considering his use of grammatical terminology.


s:The article introduces high speed spindle vector controller, rapid response servo system and RISC system for ultra high speed CNC machine tool and other accessory functions for high speed cutting.


Grazing-Incidence XAFS was used to study the local atomic structure of Cu-containing species that form at the oxide-water interface of oriented single crystals of tx-A1203 and cx-SiO2. Cu(II) forms edge-sharing bidentate complexes on both (x-A1203 (1-102) and (0001) surfaces. However, polarization-dependent XAFS measurements suggest that the binding sites of the surface complexes are different on the two surfaces. The distance to Si backscatterers is consistent with both monodentate and bridging bidentate Cu surface complexes on the ot-SiO2 (0001) surface, but the absence of structural information in the EXAFS spectra beyond -3t 1, suggests that Cu complexes do not bond to a single well-ordered surface site. The structural information is used to explain the relative extent of Cu uptake on the three oxide surfaces studied.


Globally, more and more people are using computers today because the English language is dominating language in this field. The dominance of the English language is quite overwhelming in Nigeria, and the use of computers has so far been greatly restricted only to those people who have some knowledge of the English language. This has resulted in fast way of killing the major indigenous language in the country especially the Yoruba language. Yoruba language is less used among its people because their roles have been taken over by the English language. This prompted the need to develop a text editor that will give Yoruba language a public profile in the information technology (IT) world so as to provide a platform for people to appreciate the beauty of their indigenous language.


Employing First-principles calculations, we have studied the electronic structure and polarization properties of the fluoroperovskite NaMgF3/NaCaF3 superlattices. The in-plane lattice constants of the superlattices are found to lie between those of the bulks. The Berry phase calculations show that the polarization of the NaCaF3 bulk is much larger than that of the NaMgF3, and the polarization of the NaMgF3/NaCaF3 superlattices can be tuned by altering the stacking periodicity. The band structure dependence of the stacking period is also investigated.


It is reported by Baranowski [1] that the enthalpy of Pd hydride was positive when H/Pd>0.85. This means that hydrogen desorption process of highly concentrated Pd hydride corresponds to the exothermal reaction. In our recent deuterium loading to metallic Pd powder, we have found that the sample generates a lot of heat when D/Pd=0.5 at the deuterium desorption process. In this region, it should be the endothermic reaction. Therefore, we consider that it cannot be explained by usual chemical reactions. References 1. B.Baranowski, Hydrogen in Metals II (Springer-Verlag, Topics in Applied Physics 29) p157


Lack of customer acceptance remains a big challenge for the successful adoption of new technology. Online shopping is a new medium of shopping where customers purchase products and services directly from the sellers using internet as a medium. The purpose of the current study is two folds: First is to check the moderating effect of innovativeness and perceived risk on the relationship of attitude and intention towards online shopping. The second purpose of the study is to investigate the acceptance of online shopping in Pakistan while accommodating the above purpose.Results of the current study reveals that the effect of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use is significant on online shopping attitude where attitude significantly impact on shopping intentions. An important contribution of the current study is incorporating perceived risk and innovativeness as moderators, which was not studied (as a moderator) in the previous literature. As per our expectation, the perceived risk hypothesis was validated by a significant negative effect of the interaction between perceived risk and attitude on intention. While, current study did not find innovativeness as a moderator between attitude and intention.