Biological activity takes place in the context of multi-molecular complexes. An understanding of cellular function requires not only identification of the various molecular species but an understanding of their physical relationships. The use of high resolution labeling to provide molecular or sub-molecular spatial resolution is one approach to identification and localization of molecular species or even individual epitopes on a single molecule. Small colloidal metal particles in the 1 to 10 nm size range coupled to active fragments of antibodies or active fragments of ligands provide specific probes within the size range required. However it is often necessary to be able to label two or more antigens simultaneously. This is necessary to accurately determine spatial relationships and co-localization patterns of individual molecular species in multi-molecular complexes internally or on cell surfaces. Also, it is necessary for the understanding of the relationship of structure-associated molecules and their interaction with cytoskeletal elements. At the level of resolution attainable in the light microscope, fluorescent dyes having different excitation and emission frequencies can be used for simultaneous multiple labeling. For molecular and submolecular levels of resolution, various types of electron microscopy are commonly employed; however, the ability to obtain spatial relationships at high resolution via simultaneous labeling has been difficult. The classical system for multiple labeling immuno-EM uses electron dense markers of different sizes, commonly made of Au, which need to differ considerably in size to prevent overlapping of signals and to allow unambiguous allocation of labels to antigens. Comparison of results obtained with different sized markers is problematic, because larger markers, when bound to an antigen, may block more neighboring binding sites than smaller particles, or they can mask smaller labels thereby making them undetectable. Also, larger particles may bind to more than one epitope per bead, thus making it difficult to compare or quantify signal densities. Additionally, spatial resolution is substantially reduced with larger marker sizes. We have utilized colloidal nanoparticles of the same size, to 3nm diameter, but having differing elemental compositions or differing shapes as promising Au, Ag,


Cold flow forming was investigated with both forming experiment and numerical analysis. Flow forming is a kind of incremental forming processes which uses a roller to form a cylindrical part with repeated turning of both roller and sheet. This process has several advantages over conventional forming methods to fabricate cylindrical parts. One of the advantages is that flow forming enables a quite high degree of near net shaping of a cylindrical part. Also, it usually increases mechanical properties such as fatigue strength due to strain hardening which occurs during the process. In the present study, optimum process parameters were tried to be sought by both using a series of experiments and numerical analysis.


In this study, we examined the dynamics of the rainfall-runoff relationship in Mae Sa watershed, a montane catchment with mixed forest, agriculture, and peri-urban land covers in northern Thailand near the city of Chiang Mai. The Asian monsoon and tropical storms produce highly distinct wet-dry rainfall seasonality in this region. Wet season rainfall exhibits a bimodal distribution with peaks in early May and August-September, separated by a relatively dry period (June-July). Wet season streamflow of Mae Sa roughly follows the bimodal rainfall pattern, but the discharge tends to be much higher in the second than in the first rainfall peak, and in many cases, a storm of similar magnitude generates a much larger discharge event after approximately the midpoint of the wet season. We analyzed daily hydrographs and used runoff coefficients (RCs) as an indicator of the watershed hydrological response to rainfall to examine the seasonal trend and interannual variations and explored the use of simple indices of catchment antecedent conditions to explain such rainfall-runoff dynamics. We obtained the daily time series of discharge measured at the catchment outlet and rainfall observations from the 11-gauge network in the 74.2-km watershed from mid-2004 to 2012. Hourly rainfall records from each of the 11 rain gauges were first adjusted for lag time with respect to the stream discharge, based on the time difference between the peak discharge and the peak rainfall of isolated events at the specific station. The aligned 11 rain gauge hourly records were then spatially interpolated using Thiessen polygon method and integrated into a daily watershed rainfall time series. We separated the quickflow and baseflow components and identified individual quickflow events from the resulting daily rainfall and discharge time series. RCs were then calculated based on both the quickflow component (quickflow-RC = quickflow/rainfall) and the total discharge (total discharge-RC = discharge/rainfall) at the event scale as well as on a daily time step. Analyses of the hydrograph and RC time series revealed a seasonal pattern where abrupt upward shifts or steep increases in the RCs were observed. The result suggests a "switch-point" in the rainfall-runoff relationship annual cycle, after which similar rainfall events generate higher discharge than earlier. While this switch-point generally occurs in the second half of the wet season, the occurrence and timing varied from year to year during the 8.5 years studied. This inter-annual variability in the occurrence and timing of the switch-point appears to be the related to the difference in annual rainfall amounts and the temporal patterns. For example, the shift in RC in 2007 and 2010, which have average or lower annual RF, are more obvious compared to 2006 and 2011, which have higher total RF and higher RC in the early stage of the wet season. Indices of the watershed antecedent conditions (e.g. cumulative rainfall, baseflow level at time of event) and event characteristics (e.g. rainfall intensity, event duration) were compared with RCs to further explore potential "threshold" conditions that might trigger the change in the watershed hydrological response.


Both the 316L stainless steel and Hastelloy{reg_sign} C-22 gave satisfactory corrosion performance in the simulated test environments. They were subjected to 100 day weight loss corrosion tests and electrochemical potentiodynamic evaluation. This activity supports confirmation of the design basis for the materials of construction of process vessels and equipment used to handle the feed to the LAW-melter evaporator. BNFL process and mechanical engineering will use the information derived from this task to select material of construction for process vessels and equipment.


A method is described for illuminating a horticultural growing environment without interfering with plant development, comprising illuminating the environment with light having a peak wavelength in the range 510-535 nm. Also described is an associated apparatus, comprising at least one cluster of LED's having a spectral peak centred in the range 510-535 NM. Preferably, the radiation intensity is not more than 15mWm -2 at the plant. There is also a monitoring system comprising an LED light source with a peak wavelength in the range of 510-535 NM, at least one CCTV camera which is sensitive to the above wavelength range, and a way of activating the light source in response to movement, time, date or demand from an operator. A method is also described for promoting the flowering of a plant, by illuminating the plant with light having a peak wavelength in the range of 605-645 NM as a supplement to the light the plant is normally exposed to. There is also a method of promoting root growth of plant cuttings, by illuminating the cuttings with red light at a first illumination intensity and blue light at a second illumination intensity, as a supplement to the light the cutting is normally exposed to.


This on-line monitoring and controlling system on moisture content of cereal designed can reflect the variation of moisture content of cereal by expression of variation of electric capacity.The on-line real time monitoring and controlling for the moisture content of cereal is completed through precise signal collection,conversion,and procession.The sensor of this system can provide digital amendments and compensation for the nonlinearity of signals and temperature shifting,aided by micro processor.Level control,temperature adjustment and automatic alerting can be accomplished.


An Internet-based teleoperation system is an interactive application where a human user transmits movement data of a robotic device while simultaneously receiving reflected force data from a remote teleoperator. Performance of such real-time applications is highly sensitive to the Internet delay and data loss. In this paper, we describe the efficient transport protocol (ETP) designed for Internet-based teleoperation systems and demonstrate that it reduces the round trip time (RTT) between a human user and a remote teleoperator. We use OPNET Modeler to simulate the ETP protocol and compare its performance with the transport control protocol (TCP) and the user datagram protocol (UDP) by measuring end-to-end delays in various simulation scenarios. We observe that with UDP as a transport protocol, ETP reduces the end-to-end delay by introducing an inter-packet gap (IPG).


Research purposes: Scientific selection of grouting equipments is one of the key points for getting the perfect grouting effect and improving the grouting efficiency.Based on the engineering section size of single line tunnel and the requirements of curtain grouting,the research is done on how to select the grouting equipment that can meet the requirements of grouting materials,grouting technique,environment control and construction schedule,and the analyses of the issues for caution in equipment selection are made for seeking a set of curtain grouting equipments to provide the reference to the similar works.Research conclusions:The functions and efficiency of the selected equipments have been verified through the application of the selected equipments in curtain grouting for construction of one single line tunnel.The result shows the grouting requirements can be well met by adopting the imported multiple-function drilling machine along with China-made grouting machines.


Abstract Background  Mothers of children with cancer are reported to experience stress more often. For children with cancer, parents are the primary source of social and emotional support, and they are also in charge of how successfully patients manage their illness. The degree of difficulty parents suffer after learning that their child has cancer significantly influences the child's psychological adjustment. Aim  The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of psychosocial intervention on quality of life (QoL) among mothers of children with cancer. Materials and Methods  Quasi-intervention study design was undertaken, and a purposive sampling technique was used to select the 60 mothers of children with cancer who were assigned randomly to the intervention and control groups. A pretested and validated self-administered questionnaire was used; the sociodemographic, WHOQOL-BREF scale with 26 items was studied. Statistical Analysis  Prevalence, demographic pro forma of mother and child was analyzed in terms of frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. Two-factor repeated measures analysis of variance was used to establish the effectiveness of the psychosocial intervention on QoL. Association was done by using the chi-square test. SPSS package was used for analysis. Results  Psychosocial intervention was found to be effective in improving QoL scores in psychological health domain ( p  = 0.02*, p  < 0.05), social relationship domain ( p  = 0.04*, p  < 0.05), and environmental health domain ( p  = 0.001**, p  < 0.05). A significant association was found between the physical health domain and information on cancer ( p  = 0.01*), psychological health domain and financial status ( p  = 0.03*), social relationship domain and cost of treatment ( p  = 0.04*), Q1 and Q2 with the place of residence ( p  = 0.004**, p  = 0.02*), and Q2 and financial status ( p  = 0.03*). Conclusion  Mothers of children with cancer undergo a lot of stress and emotional turmoil and are at risk of deteriorating their QoL. Hence, they need to be provided support to address their issues. Thus, health professionals must develop and implement interventions to promote the QoL.


NFF(No Fault Found) is a big puzzle in aviation group in these years no matter the electronic equipment of new planes or circuitry system of aged planes.NFF has become a newly excessive occurrence gradually.NFF lowers the reliability so as to influence missions of aircraft and increase the costs of maintenance.This paper analyses the cause of NFF starting with its definition.Through comparing diagnosis and prevention technique both home and abroad,it uses the method of NFF diagnosis and elimination based on essence parameters measurement to reduce the failure rate and brings out the flow of NFF diagnoses and prevention.This method is validated by taking the failure "rotate speed fall" of a plane as example.Finally it gives some countermeasures and advices according to the actuality of NFF.


Objective: To investigate the clinical effect of long-acting nifedipine on blood pressure control, full-term birth rate, eutocia rate and neonatal health status in patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH). Methods: A total of 300 PIH patients were selected and divided into long-acting group and short-acting group according to different treatments, with 150 patients in each group. The short-acting group was treated with short-acting nifedipine, and the long-acting group with the long-acting nifedipine. The blood pressure control level of patients, the full-term birth rate, the eutocia rate and the neonatal health status were observed. Results: There were no significant differences in mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) and mean diastolic blood pressure (DBP) before taking medicine (P>0.05). After treatment, the mean SBP and the mean DBP of the two groups of patients decreased. The long-acting group had a more stable decrease in blood pressure than the short-acting group, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.05). The long-acting group had a higher full-term birth rate than the short-acting group, with a significant difference (P<0.05). The long-acting group had a higher eutocia rate than the short-acting group, with a significant difference (P<0.05). The long-acting group had a significantly better intrauterine distress situation and lower fetal mortality than the short-acting group, with statistically significant differences (all P<0.05). Conclusion: The long-acting nifedipine in PIH patients has a more significant antihypertensive effect and longer duration compared to the short-acting nifedipine, which is more beneficial to fetal eutocia. It protects the neonatal health and is worthy of clinical promotion.


The region of Turkey whose Classical sites and monuments are discussed in this article lies wholly within the Western Taurus mountains, and consists of the eastern section of "the West Taurus Lake District"—as modern geographers now call it. The foothills of Taurus which extend around the south-western edge of the Konya Plain define both its northern and eastern limits; its western are established by the massive ranges which separate Lake Beyşehir from Lake Eğridir. Between these two mountainous regions, which join the main heights of Taurus further south, lies the rift valley occupied by Lake Beyşehir and the now partly-drained Lake Suğla. Here is to be found the borderland of Pisidia and Lycaonia, as indicated by Strabo. To the north-west and north lies Phrygia Paroreius; to the south, the borderland of Pamphylia and Cilicia Tracheia; and to the south-east, Isauria.


Questions, questions! descriptive statistics and probability theory source of data making sense of numbers projection techniques - inadequacy of history, analysis of historical data, the method of least squares methods of causal prediction - multiple regression how can we manage a large project? problems of inventory and cash management elements of social choice - benefit-cost analysis choosing the best alternative - the benefit-cost analysis choosing the optimal mix - linear programming the elements of strategic thinking - decision tree and game theory queuing theory and simulation decisions by the numbers problems and few solutions.


Background: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a major global issue with rising the number of infected individuals and mortality in recent months. Among all therapeutic approaches, arguments have raised about hydroxychloroquine efficacy in treatment of COVID-19. We aimed to overcome the controversies regarding effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine in treatment of COVID-19, using a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: A systematic search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Google Scholar and medRxiv pre-print database using all available MeSH terms for COVID-19 and hydroxychloroquine. Two authors selected and assessed the quality of studies independently using related checklists. Data have been extracted from included studies and analyzed using CMA v. 2.2.064. heterogeneity was also assessed using I-squared test. Results: Seven studies including four clinical trials and three observational studies have entered into the study. The results of meta-analysis of clinical trials showed that there were no significant differences between patients who received the standard treatment with HCQ regimen and the patients that received the standard treatment without HCQ (RR: 1.44, 95% CI, 0.80-2.59). CT-Scan findings improved in 59% (95% CI 0.15-0.92) and nasopharyngeal culture following RT-PCR resulted negative in 76% (95% CI 0.56-0.89) of patients received hydroxychloroquine. Meta-analysis of observational studies showed 75% (95% CI, 0.54-0.88) of patients were discharged from the hospital, 34% (95% CI, 0.07-0.14) admitted to intensive care unit and 1.5% (95% CI, 0.03-0.83) have expired. Conclusion: This study indicated no clinical benefits regarding HCQ for treatment of COVID-19 patients. However, further large clinical trials should be taken into account in order to achieve more reliable findings.


Purpose:This study was Conducfed to investigate the relationship between the health beliefs of those with life-style related diseases and the performance of healthy behaviors in a pre-hospitalized state. Methods:This study was conducted using structured questionnaires. The subjects included 211 offi...


Subject The article examines the market environment at the mesoeconomic level and constrains, such as administrative barriers generating positive and negative effects. Objectives The research reveals contradictions of theories of administrative barriers, unveils their economic and institutional nature. I analyze the regulatory barrier mechanism in terms of the Nature – Consequence – Result model and specify the classification of administrative barriers. The article also focuses on the effect administrative barriers have on the market environment, illustrating the mesoeconomic level of the Mari El Republic. Methods The research is based on the comparative analysis of scientific arguments, analysis of statistical data, data aggregation, and general research methods, such as analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, structural and logic modeling. Results I classified administrative barriers, ascertained the possibility to regulate them and monitored financial results of unprofitable entities in the mesoeconomic markets of the Mari El Republic by urban districts and municipalities, from perspectives of salaries payable at the mesoeconomic level within the period from 2004 to 2016. The article also analyzes trends in the average pay in various economic sectors of the Mari El Republic. Conclusions The positive effect of regulatory barriers is generated from a growth in profit, new enterprises, better conditions for business cooperation, higher budgetary revenue and better living standards. The negative effect of regulatory barriers worsen the business environment, lower profit and corporate bankruptcy. Under such circumstances, the economy sees lower budgetary revenue, higher salaries payable, poorer living standards. Regulatory barriers in the market environment should pursue positive effects and lowering of negative consequences.


Abstract Relationships between radiant surface temperature (T R) and vegetation indices for scenes with equal areas of forest and agricultural land use were studied using a Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) scene during spring and a NOAA-Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) scene during summer. The relationships between TR and the Normalized Difference (ND) index of vegetation for agricultural land use were different from those for forests. At the same T R, the forests had lower near infrared reflectance. This caused the ND of forests to fall below the T R/ND relationships formed by agricultural land use. This difference between forest and agricultural land use did not exist when visible reflectance (VIS) was used as the index of vegetation. When the two land use systems were combined VIS accounted for about 86 per cent of the variance in T R. The slope of the relationships between VIS and T R differed for TM and AVHRR scenes. This was explained by differences in the T R and VIS reflectance of surf...


Chicago—Refractive surgeons should be confident about treating patients of all ages with hyperopia and hyperopic astigmatism because there are many treatment options that can produce satisfying results, according to Carmen J. Barraquer, MD, who received the Barraquer Award at the American Academy of Ophthalmo-logy annual meeting.


Using line integrals LIs used to calculate the gravity anomaly caused by a 2D mass of complicated geometry and spatially variable density contrast is a computationally efficientalgorithm,thatreducesthecalculationfromtwodimensions to one dimension. This work has developed a mechanism for defining LIs systematically for different types of density functions. Two-dimensional vector gravity potential is defined as a vector, the net circulation of which, along the closedcontourboundinga2Dmass,equalsthegravityanomaly caused by the 2D mass. Two representative types of LIs aredefined:anLIwithanarctangentkernelforanydepth-dependent density-contrast function, which has been studied historically; and an LI with a simple algebraic kernel for any integrabledensity-contrastfunction.Thepresentworkoffers 1avectorial-basedderivationofformulasthatdonotsuffer from the arbitrary sign conventions found in some historical approaches;and2asimplealgebraickernelinlineintegrals as an alternative to the historical arctangent kernel, with the possibilityofextensiontomoregeneralcases.Theconceptof 2Dvectorgravitypotentialprovidesausefultoolfordefining LIs systematically for any mass density function, helping us understand how dimensions can be reduced in a calculating gravity anomaly, especially when the density contrast varies with space. LIs have been tested in case studies. The maximumdifferencesincalculatedgravityanomaliesbydifferent LIs for the case studies were between 5.9310


Sensory marketing is a set of marketing techniques that aim to use the senses to influence consumer behaviour and the way they make purchasing decisions. This paper discusses companies' sensory marketing practices, the role of the reasons in consumer perception, and how companies create their approach through reaction analysis. This type of marketing is based on the assumption that consumer behaviour is more influenced by affective impulses concerning the cognitive component and is part of a broader trend of personalization of brands with which it is possible to establish an empathic connection. It communicates with consumers through the senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch (or a combination of several of them) through characteristic colours, smells, tastes, music, sound effects, and the like. Increasingly intensive work is being done to create an immersive experiential experience, to establish more reliable connections with clients. The paper, on numerous examples, analyses how this marketing method works, its advantages and disadvantages, as well as the ethical issues that surround this issue. Sensory marketing significantly improves customer loyalty to a product or service, contributes to brand shaping, and a better understanding of the target consumer group.


The exodus of individuals for various reasons or circumstances has increased significantly over the last few years in the Brazilian and world scenario. One of the reasons identified for this migratory flow is the academic training of these individuals, who seek to train in higher quality educational institutions. In this context, this work aims to analyze how the scientific exodus occurs in Brazil, in which individuals from different parts of the country migrate in search of better academic training. Therefore, in this study, it was analyzed how the Brazilian scientific exodus occurs. For this, it was necessary to extract academic training data from the curricula of individuals registered on the Lattes Platform. Therefore, all individuals with a completed doctorate were selected, aggregating 308,317 curricula. Initially, the data was filtered, selecting the attributes relevant to the research, and finally, the data processing was carried out in order to find the geographic location of the institutions in which the individuals were trained. As initial results, it was possible to characterize the data collected on the Lattes Platform, measuring the distances covered by individuals throughout their academic training. Link networks were made demonstrating the main locations occupied by doctors during their academic training, as well as the connections between these locations. Thus, it was possible to present an unprecedented portrait of how the Brazilian scientific exodus occurs.


To determine whether Calopogon luberosus var. lalifolius is worthy of recogni tion, and if so what rank is appropriate, data from herbarium material and uniform cultivation were analyzed. Plants corresponding to the original concept of Calo pogon luberosus var. latifolius from Sable Island were found to represent the tail end of a continuum of variation, making their formal taxonomic recognition inappro priate. In cultivation the Sable Island plants generally retained their short stature and wide leaves. Although there is a genetic component to the pattern of variation, the limits are arbitrary and some plants from Sable Island initially referable to one variety became referable to the other variety in subsequent years of cultivation. The concept of varietas is considered useful only in the sense of morphological discontinuity involving one or a few differences that have a geographic basis. The unique and genetically-based pattern of variation in Calopogon luberosus on Sable Island is nevertheless of interest and is part of a general pattern involving both plants and animals.


The numerical methods developed in this paper are motivated by our current research project on direct numerical simulation of laminar-turbulent transition of reacting hypersonic boundary layers. In such simulations, the full Navier-Stokes equations with reactive source terms are simulated by resolving all flow time and length scales using high-order spatial and temporal discretization methods. Such reactive flow equations are stiff because the source terms modeling finite-rate thermochemical processes contain a wide range of time scales. Implicit methods are needed to treat the stiff terms while more efficient explicit methods can still be used for the nonstiff terms in the equations. In addition, highorder accuracy is required for the overall methods in direct numerical simulation. This paper presents two families of low-storage semi-implicit Runge-Kutta methods and extends previous derivations (JCP 96) of general semi-implicit Runge-Kutta methods for split differential equations in the form of u = f ( t , u} +g(t, u), where / is treated explicitly and g is simultaneously treated implicitly. Two versions of such schemes, namely autonomous and non-autonomous methods have been derived and tested such that they are both high-order accurate and strongly stable for efficient computations.


The only exception for exclusion of unimmunized or partially immunized children who do not have documentation of a medical or religious exemption is in the case of homeless children and children in foster care, whereby they cannot be denied entry to school if they do not have their immunization records. The federal Every Student Succeeds Act states that if a homeless or foster care child or youth arrives lacking immunizations or medical records, refer the parent/guardian to the district's Homeless Education Liaison/foster care point of contact, who has the responsibility to obtain relevant academic records, immunizations or medical records and to ensure that homeless/foster care students are attending school while the records are obtained. The student must be enrolled and permitted to attend public school in the interim.


Whereas nearly all compounds AnBm obey Dalton's rule of integer stoichiometry (n:m, both integer), there is a class of systems, exemplified by the rocksalt structure Sc12x xS, that exhibits large deviations from stoichiometry via vacancies, even at low temperatures. By combining first-principles total energy calculations with lattice statistical mechanics, we scan an astronomical number of possible structures, identifying the stable ground states. Surprisingly, all have the same motifs: (111) planes with (112) vacancy rows arranged in (110) columns. Electronic structure calculations of the ground states (identified out of 3 3 106 structures) reveal the remarkable origins of nonstoichiometry.


Abstract We show how two atoms may become entangled through their interaction with a cavity field and through this entanglement violate at certain interaction times the relevant Bell's inequality derived from a locally realistic model of the atomic correlations.


During the current Covid-19 pandemic, in meeting economic needs or carrying out daily activities, people are forced to be able to adapt by implementing healthy living habits so as not to be affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. This research is qualitative research that aims to obtain information about the role of parents in the implementation of character education. The object of research is students who are at SDN 16 West Banglas with purposive sampling technique in determining respondents. Data collection techniques based in-depth interview techniques was applied in this study. The data analysis technique used a qualitative descriptive approach. Based on the results of Key's research, the role of parents in children's character education is not optimal. In general, the process of implementing character education during courageous learning is considered good enough but not optimally applied, especially to all respondents. This is based on the explanation of observations and research results which show that not all parents are actively involved in the implementation of character education as long as children learn from home. There are even some parents who do not understand the application of character education itself as long as children learn from home.


Data fitting by splines in noise presence, has been widely used in data analysis and engineering applications. In this regard, an important problem associated with data fitting by splines is the adequate selection of the number and location of the knots, as well as the calculation of the splines coefficients. Typically, these parameters are separately estimated in the aim of solving this non-linear problem. In this paper, we use a hierarchical genetic algorithm to tackle the data fitting problem by B-splines. The proposed approach is based on a novel hierarchical gene structure for the chromosomal representation, thus, allowing us to determine the number and location of the knots, and the B-spline coefficients automatically and simultaneously. The method is fully based on genetic algorithms and does not require subjective parameters like smooth factor or knot locations to perform the solution. In order to validate the efficacy of the proposed approach, numerical results from tests on smooth functions have been included.


This article reports on the AHIMA Coding Policy and Strategy Committee's development and dissemination of a manual describing the importance of consistent and reliable data gathering and reporting practices. The committee's major concern lies with inconsistency of data caused by submission of codes that meet payment requirements rather than accurately reflecting diagnoses and treatment of patients. They believe that the limitations of the data should be acknowledged, but policies and procedures should be developed to improve the quality of submitted data, and to make it more consistent and comparable.


The occurrence of food contamination of higher severity associated with the more competitive business environment resulted in a higher attention regarding the quality and food safety as well as the adoption of public and private mechanisms to reduce information asymmetry and uncertainty on quality of food products. The predominance of attributes of experience and belief in food raise problems of asymmetric information between agents in a transaction and allow the selling of products with different qualities at similar prices, for example, thus hampering the market's perception about real differences of product quality. Through literature review and secondary data, this paper presents the main mechanisms that have been adopted to minimize the mentioned problems, such as state intervention, trade mark, traceability, and certification. The adoption of these practices has caused changes in the forms of coordination of transactions between the agents of agri-food systems.


This work studies the controllability problem of multi-agent system over directed signed topology. The model we adopted is leader-follower system and some agents are chosen as leaders to control the rest of all the agents. The definition of sign-weighted-balanced partition is proposed which can deal with controllability problem over signed graph and the upper bound of controllable subspace has been presented.


A plurality of memory cell array, bit lines and comprising memory cells each consisting of the variable capacitors, and operate at different timing synchronized with each other. Each bit line of a memory cell array of the memory cell array is connected to the other through the connection leads. Thus the actual capacitance of the bit line itself is the capacitance of the memory cell array bit line capacitance plus other memory cell array bit line, coupled with the capacitance of the connecting leads. Thus, when data is read from the storage unit, may amplify the bit line voltage change caused by the capacitive division. Results read margin can be prevented from deteriorating, and to prevent decrease in manufacturing yield of the semiconductor memory. Further, since the amplified bit line voltage variations, the data read time can be shortened.


Dogs were anesthetized with an intravenous injection of sodium barbital, 250 mgm. per kgm. body weight. A tracheotomy was performed and a tracheal cannula inserted. A cephalic vein, carotid artery, and a small branch of the right and left femoral arteries were exposed and cannulated. Arterial blood pressure was recorded by means of a Hg manometer that was connected to the carotid cannula. The cardiac output, right auricular pressure, and hematocrit were determined and, at the same time, 10 to 40 mgm. of the dye, T-1824, were injected intravenously to determine the plasma volume. One hour later, 50 cc. per kgm. body weight of warmed gelatin solution, physiological saline solution, or serum were injected into the cephalic vein at the rate of 5 cc. per kgm. per minute. Twenty minutes after the completion of the fluid injection, the cardiac output was determined, an "indirect" determination of plasma volume was made, and the hematocrit was determined. At 40 minutes after the completion of the injection, an "indirect" determination of plasma volume was made and the hematocrit was determined. At 60 minutes after the completion of the injection, the right auricular pressure, hematocrit, -and cardiac output were determined, and an "indirect" determination of plasma volume was made. At the same time, 10 to 20 mgm. of dye were injected for a second "direct" determination of plasma volume. Two hundred and forty minutes after the completion of the injection, the hematocrit, right auricular pressure, and cardiac output were determined. At the same time, 10 mgm. of dye were injected intravenously for a third "direct" plasma volume determination.


Cultivars of burley and flue-cured tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) were allowed to attain steady-state exponential growth at two nitrate levels and in 400 or 1,000 μl/liter CO2 in the ambient atmosphere. The unit leaf area rates of net CO2 exchange were measured at the same CO2 concentrations at which the plants were grown. The NCERs were greater at 400 than at 1,000 μl/liter CO2 in both cultivars and at both nitrate levels. The NCERs were also greater in the flue-cured than in the burley cultivar and at the high nitrate level.


Polysaccharides play multiple roles and have extensive bioactivities in life process.This review describes their major biological activities involved in immunity,anti-bacteria,anti-virus,anti-oxidation,etc.Moreover,the application in poultry production,livestock production,aquiculture and the problems in the application were discussed,and all this is ordered to provide theoretic references on the exploitation of polysaccharide additive.


The arrival of savvy female investors and domestic goddesses in mainstream media poses considerable challenges for a feminist housing research agenda that was once aimed squarely at accommodating gender equality within the housing market and the urban landscape. In this paper, I outline some of the ways that feminist scholarship is being reformulated in response to theoretical critiques from within the social sciences, namely the destabilization of a unified female identity and the unpacking of master concepts such as patriarchy. Here I chart the rise of feminist standpoint theory, which provides some intermediary solutions to these critiques, as well as the limits of this position. I then suggest some strategies for reinvigorating feminist housing scholarship which has lost some momentum since the publication of Sophie Watson's groundbreaking work on gender and housing in the 1980s. This reformulation I contend is important in analysing and interpreting recent shifts in women's housing careers and domestic lives, as well as broadening the gender‐agenda to include consideration of the negotiation of masculinity and femininity within contemporary housing markets and homes.


The varieties of herbaceous flowers cultivated in Urumqi were investigated and classified Sixty nine species, belonging to 61 genera and 33 families, were described in terms of their ecological adaptability, biological characteristics and garden value, which is helpful for research work, variety introduction, exchange and development of flower industry 


Dr. Barclay direct, perpceptive, and informed commentary, this complex book emerges from its apparent obsurity and becomes a clear, stirring, and plain-speaking message peculiarly significant for men and women of today.


Road Traffic congestion is a critical problem in many cities which causes major distress to road users. This is due to increase use of vehicles which waits endlessly and causes traffic deadlock. Many traffic control systems have been developed to mitigate this problem. Now-a-days traffic demands are high and increasing due to increase in number of vehicles. We proposed a technique called Cognitive Road Traffic Controller (CRTC) which efficiently reduces the waiting time in traffic signal. This paper gives a brief discussion of the procedures we adopted to develop an intelligent fuzzy control system for dealing with the road traffic congestion problem. Specialized node known as Local Cognitive Node (LCN) implements the learning components and decision making. The system was developed using fuzzy logic technology and Cognitive sensor node where these nodes use learning mechanism to take decisions at LCN. Simulation results shows that problem of traffic congestion is efficiently reduced in the traffic network by using the proposed mechanism. Keywords— Wireless Sensor Networks, Traffic Congestion, fuzzy logic, fuzzy rules, Cognitive node.


Film-furrow irrigation is designed for summer maize irrigation and tested for its growth,yield and water use efficiency.The results show that film-furrow irrigation,on some degree,could reduce the soil evaporation and promote the early growth of summer maize.The time of leaves covering the ground under film-furrow irrigation is early than that under common furrow irrigation.The leaf area climax moves forward and has a long stationary phase.Film-furrow irrigation can reduce water consumption;meanwhile,the water use efficiency can be increased about 18% with no significant difference of yield.Comprehensively considering the factors of yield,water use efficiency,plant height,ear length and 100 grains weight,it can be concluded that film-furrow irrigation is superior than common furrow irrigation.


Preterm birth and fetal growth restriction present major risk factors for an inadequate oxygen supply of the developing brain and other organs. Doppler ultrasound and near-infrared spectroscopy help assess organ oxygen delivery in the fetus and newborn. Using these techniques, this thesis investigated how placental insufficiency and drug exposure before birth affect oxygenation of the brain, kidneys, and intestines in preterm and growth restricted infants. Additionally, this thesis assessed how fetal 'brain-sparing' (redistribution of blood flow to the brain at the expense of other organs as a compensatory response to chronically low oxygen levels in placental insufficiency) and oxygenation of the brain after birth relate to neurodevelopmental outcome. Our data suggest that fetal brain-sparing and higher cerebral oxygen saturations after birth are related to less behavioral problems and better executive functions. On the other hand, fetal brain-sparing may cause cerebral oxygen levels being too high for preterm babies, which we associated with an increased risk of retinopathy of prematurity, a potentially blinding eye condition, and poorer long-term Performance IQ. Epigenetic changes seem to be involved. Moreover, fetal brain-sparing seems to impair autoregulatory mechanisms, with which the brain protects itself from harmful fluctuations in blood flow and oxygenation after birth. Fetal exposure to drugs with vasodilative properties, appeared to also affect organ oxygen delivery in the newborn. This needs to be taken into account when using these drugs in pregnant women or when investigating new treatments for placental insufficiency.


Thus, a marketing device like Oprah's Book Club may be endorsed, even though tradition-minded critics will squirm, whereas a more conventionally scholarly enterprise, like Ralph Ellison's posthumous novel Juneteenth, may be viewed as a disappointing consequence of the literary market. Young is particularly critical of editorial efforts that produce the illusion of coherence, of a state of being self-contained, such as the process undertaken by Ellison's literary executor, John Callahan, to transform the fragmentary thousands of pages of manuscript Ellison left behind into a freestanding novel. The resulting publication, Juneteenth, must be seen, Young cautions in Chapter Five, as "one version among an almost countless number" implied as possibilities by Ellison's manuscript, and even by visible traces of alternative arrangements that can be found in what Callahan did publish (173). To privilege coherence as Callahan's version does, Young suggests, distorts African-American authors' texts by remaking them as marketable objects in which racial knowledge may be consumed like any other product; to render these books coherent is to perpetuate the harmful myth that race, itself, is coherent—that it is a rational means of classifying people and understanding their behavior. In his conclusion, Young powerfully calls for a new kind of editorial practice which "look[s] always to the past and the future simultaneously in order to operate within the present, in order to keep textual and racial pasts alive within present editions, so that those particular histories will remain legible to future readers" (193). His ambitious argument comes across as especially persuasive due to his fluid writing and impressive range, as he moves adeptly from close reading to pedagogical considerations to theoretical crosstalk with figures including Michel Foucault, Jerome McGann, and Slavoj Žižek. Young also offers lucid ways of thinking about potentially ticklish elements of his theoretical approach, such as the matter of authorial intent. If Black Writers, White Publishers incompletely fulfills its potential to offer dramatically new ways of reading the particular works it examines, this shortcoming is mitigated by Young's clear sense that his way of thinking about twentieth-century African-American literature is a beginning rather than an entirely fulfilled accomplishment. This book is meant to break new ground in our perceptions of twentieth-century African-American literature, and its influence will be great if it receives anything like the attention it should. —Ryan Simmons


The purpose of the research is to find out Cultural civilisation and scientific and technological progress are things that cannot be denied. The Indonesian nation certainly wants the advancement of development in all fields. But there are things that should not be forgotten that education as a place, place and school becomes an institution where fostering harmony between the development of science and technology with cultural, social, religious and other civilisations. One of them is the subject of Pancasila and civic education as a subject that is the main in the formation of skills, good moral, ethical, behavioural, and social skills. This research was conducted at MTS Sirajul Falah, Parung, Bogor Regency, West Java, with this research expected to build students' social skills. Civics subjects have a major role in shaping social skills for students. Social skills as skills, attitudes/behaviours of a person in communicating, interacting, socialising with the surrounding environment and life throughout time.   Learners are expected to have the skills to cooperate with others, control themselves, share thoughts and experiences with others, a sense of empathy, appreciate and respect others, not bullying. However, in building social skills, there must be supporting factors for the development of students' social skills, namely teachers, students, and the environment. The inhibiting factors are family, community environment, and the impact of technological advances, the flow of incoming western culture.


Innate Immunity
Increasingly, we recognize that the gut is a specialized organ for maintaining microbial symbioses alongside nutritional functions. The gut produces large quantities of immunoglobulin A (IgA), which adheres to the surface of gut microbes. Bunker et al. discovered that antibodies


It is well known that a single tensile overload applied during constant amplitude cycling at a positive stress ratio causes the crack growth retardation. In a case of a negative stress ratio R, however, the fatigue crack growth rate actually accelerated after a tensile overload. This crack propagation behavior is related to the local bulging of specimen thickness, the blunting behavior of crack tips and the residual stress distributions. When the crack tips were blunted during tensile overload and the succeeding compression stress with a high value was applied after the overload, the crack propagation rate got higher level than that before the overload application. In this case, a tensile residual stress was created in front of the crack. To investigate the effect of the negative stress ratio on the fatigue crack propagation, the fatigue tests under R=0, -1 and -1.5 applying the single tensile overload were performed using annealed 0.15% carbon steels. In the present study, a residual life after an overloading was specially investigated, and it was found that the transition phenomenon of the residual life was appeared in the case of the negative stress ratio.


The GIS technique is applied as a data processing plateform to develop a distributed model for simulating the hydrological cycle system in the Heihe River basin,namely WEP-HeiHe.The physical mechanism of hydrological cycle and the artificial system of water utilization in the basin are considered.The structure of the model is introduced.The simulation consists of two aspects: hydrological cycle and energy cycle.The hydrological process components include evapotranspiration,infiltration,runoff,movement of ground water,interaction between groundwater and river water,overland flow,river flow and artificial cycle process of water utilization.The parameters of the model are calibrated by 5 years runoff data obtained from the Yingluoxia Hydrological station.The validity of the model is verified by the simulation calculation of runoff variation process in 1981 to 2002.It shows that the proposed model can be applied to forecast the evolution of river basin water resources under the conditions of changing environment.


The United States has a well-deserved reputation, both in perception and reality, as the environmental litigation capital of the world. Foreign investors are well accustomed to assessing U.S. environmental litigation risk on a different scale than, for example, comparable risk in Canada or Europe, let alone Latin America, Asia, or Africa. At the same time, environmental litigation is slowly taking root outside the U.S., whether it be through opposition to oil sands projects in Canada, opposition to forestry projects in Chile, litigation in Ecuador concerning legacy liability from decades-old oil and gas exploration, or environmental litigation in Europe. If past is prologue, it seems likely that at least some of the climate change litigation strategies currently being utilized in the U.S. will be deployed by environmental groups and other stakeholders in courts around the world. Indeed, the international nature of climate change issues requires global solutions. In the absence of a comprehensive international framework involving the U.S. (and, hopefully, China and India) to address climate change, litigation may well be viewed as a necessary means to encourage and, if necessary, compel governments and companies to avert dire environmental consequences under a business-as-usual scenario. Whether litigation is the most efficient avenue for achieving meaningful change is open to debate, but as long as the courts remain open, it is likely that such claims will be brought and form part of the dynamic in climate change reform. A preview of the types of claims that may develop abroad can be derived from an examination of U.S. cases in this area.


The paper proposes a concept for a knowledge representation approach that consists of the knowledge structure in the form of ontology, knowledge base in the form of rules and environment model in the form of objects in the environment. The approach is developed for domains where the main problem is to choose the most appropriate capability for a particular action. Both the agents' knowledge and also knowledge structures can be edited by the user after launching the system. An Ontology Learning Tool is implemented for this purpose. Additionally the knowledge base can be complemented by the agents themselves as a result of the learning process that is based on the user's feedback. The proposed approach is explained in this paper on an example of vacuum cleaning multi-robot system. The implementation is done in the form that is suitable for development of JADE based multi-agent systems. The first validation of the concept is intended in a virtual multi-agent environment where JADE agents simulate cleaning robots.


In theprophet secretary problem, n values are drawn independently from known distributions, and presented in a uniformly random order. A decision-maker must accept or reject each value when it is presented, and may accept at most k values in total. The objective is to maximize the expected sum of accepted values. We analyze the performance of static threshold policies, which accept the first k values exceeding a fixed threshold (or all such values, if fewer than k exist). We show that using an appropriately-defined threshold guarantees a γk = 1 - e-k kk/k! fraction of the offline optimal solution, which equals 1-1/e when k=1 and grows asymptotically as 1-Θ(1/√k). This represents thebest-known guarantee for the prophet secretary problem for all k>1, and we also show that it istight for all k if one is restricted to the class of static threshold policies. We also two provide distinct methods for setting the threshold, which make them implementable under different restrictions on what is known about the distributions. Our first method requires computing a threshold such that the expected number of values exceeding the threshold is equal to k, and offers the guarantee of γk if k ≥ 5 (but interestingly, not if k<5). Our second method requires computing a threshold such that k · γk values are accepted in expectation, and offers the guarantee of γk for all k. To establish these guarantees, we prove a new result in Bernoulli optimization about sums of independent Bernoulli random variables, which extends a classical result of Hoeffding (1956) and could be of general interest.


ABSTRACT We develop the relational economic geographical potential of the incubator and hinge functions of megalopolis incorporating ideas from the literature on regional innovation systems and New Argonaut connections respectively. Empirically, we investigate how China's Yangtze River Delta (YRD) has incubated but also articulated knowledge interactions at different geographical scales. Drawing upon co-patent data from the World Intellectual Property Organization database, we show that the YRD's knowledge hinge role has strengthened over time, notably as a result of the role played by economic entities in Shanghai – the YRD's gateway city. To unpack the YRD's knowledge hinge role, we use information attached to co-patents to distinguish different channels – multinational enterprises, Chinese domestic enterprises, universities and research institutes, and "New Argonaut" linkages – by which YRD cities have accessed exogenous knowledge at different geographical scales. In conclusion we highlight the value of megalopolis as a meso-scale unit of analysis for relational economic geography.


This paper proposes and investigates overlap catenation as a formal model of a special case of cross-pairing PCR, an experimental procedure used to recombine two DNA strands by using the DNA Polymerase enzyme. This study is part of ongoing efforts to provide a formal framework and rigorous treatment of DNA-based information and DNA-based computation. Other studies along these lines include theoretical explorations of splicing systems, insertion/deletion systems, substitution, hairpin extension, hairpin reduction, contextual intraand intermolecular recombinations, and template-guided recombination in cellular computation, as well as directed extension by PCR. In this context, we formally define and investigate overlap catenation and its properties: closure properties of basic language families under this operation, decision problems, as well as the possible use of iterated overlap catenation to generate DNA libraries.


According to the standard principal-agent model, the optimal composition of pay should balance the provision of incentives with the individual demand for insurance. Do income taxes alter this balance? We show that the relative share of Performance-related pay (PRP), on total pay is reduced by higher average and marginal income taxes. Empirical evidence based on the British Household Panel Survey is consistent with the theoretical predictions of the tax–augmented principal-agent model. Our estimates suggest that a 10% reduction in the marginal income tax rate, holding the average tax rate constant, increases the share of PRP in total pay by 2.25–3.02%, depending on the empirical specification. Similarly, a 10% reduction in the average income tax rate, holding the marginal tax rate constant, increases the share of PRP in total pay by 5.10–5.27%.


Analytical functions of allocation of probability values time intervals between events of multiplexing flows with the exponencial distributions of time intervals between events are resulted.


ize our thinking to heighten our impact on social change. That we, like those in other liberal professions, have been noticeably lax in this duty need not faze us any longer. All of us fell victim to the right-wing revolution of 1980. Needing to survive, we naturally accommodated by jettisoning, toning down, or hopelessly compromising our rhetoric and practice. Unfortunately, as a result of chronic accommodation, we have lost sight of liberalism's original purposes and promise. Thus, I call for an


Photonic crystals have been investigated by many researchers for negative refraction. These materials are typically composed of insulators and therefore, can exhibit very low losses, even at optical frequencies. Meta-materials can be strictly distinguished from other structured photonic materials. In the photonic crystals, the band-gaps arise as a result of multiple Bragg scattering in a periodic array of dielectric scatterers. The periodicity of the structure here is of the order of the wavelength and hence homogenization in this sense cannot be carried out. In meta-materials the periodicity is by comparison far less important and all the properties mainly depend on the single scatterer resonances. In this paper, the propagation of electromagnetic waves through 1-D periodic structures consisting of alternate layers of negative index material (NIM) and positive index material (PIM) is investigated. The possibility of omnidirectional reflectance and the dependence of zero-nav gap on the angle of incidence and thickness scale are also studied.


Studying the interaction of ultra-short pulse lasers with biological tissues and the corresponding mathematical modeling of possible thermal damage is of fundamental importance to the understanding of laser-tissue interaction for advancing surgical application of lasers. The objective of this paper is to review the existing techniques for thermal analysis of laser-tissue interaction. Different laser-tissue interaction mechanisms are discussed and the existing techniques for characterization of extent of damage are presented. A novel approach of using a focused laser beam from an ultra-short pulse laser source to ablate the subcutaneous tumors with minimal thermal effects is introduced. The extent of laser-induced damage is studied by determining the spatiotemporal expression patterns of Heat Shock Proteins. Keywords: Thermal ablation, Heat Shock Proteins, tumor removal, short-pulse laser, laser-tissue interaction, plasma mediated ablation, HSP70, HSP47, ablation modeling.


Objective:To evaluate the clinical effects of ultra-early minimally invasive operations on hyperten-sive intracerebral hemorrhage(HICH).Methods:Among all88cases of HICH,32cases were selected randomly for ultra-early(≤7h)minimally invasive operations,30cases for ultra-early clearance of hematoma by craniotomies with big bone flap,26cases for delay(7h)minimally invasive operations.Outcomes of treatment were analysed and compared.Results:The rate of obvious recovery of consciousness a week after being ill was higher in ultra-early minimally invasive operations group than in delay minimally invasive operations group.The average time in hospital and the complications were fewer,but the percent of excellent and fine near-term outcomes was higher in ultra-early minimally invasive operations group than in either ultra-early craniotomies group or delay minimally in-vasive operations group.The death rate in hospital was lower in ultra-early minimally invasive operations group than in delay minimally invasive operations group.Conclusions:On patients with HICH,ultra-early minimally invasive operations are beneficial to make the recovery of nervous function quick and the complications few and the time in hospital short and the outcome fine,that are optimal in time and way.


Ionization electron diffusion in Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers (LArTPCs) has typically been considered at the detector design stage, but little attention has been given to its effects on calibration and particle identification. We use a GEANT4-based simulation to study how diffusion impacts these techniques, and give consideration to how this effect is simulated. We find that diffusion can cause a drift-dependent bias to both the median and Most Probable Value (MPV) of dQ/dx distributions. The bias is estimated to be ∼ 2.5% (median) and ∼ 5.0% (MPV) for typical maximum drift times in currently running LArTPCs before adding detector specific considerations such as electric field non-uniformities. This indicates that these metrics should not be used for calibration without care, contrary to the conventional wisdom. The impact of diffusion on the ability of LArTPCs to separate muons and protons is small, and not expected to pose any problems in future detectors. Diffusion may however be a significant source of systematic uncertainty when separating particles of more similar masses (muons and pions, kaons and protons). Separation of such populations may be improved by implementation of a drift-time dependent particle identification.


Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.-Henry FordConsul General Treco brings more than 30 years of expertise in the business management industry to his leadership role at Consulate General Miami. Prior to being appointed to his current position, CG Treco worked in the capacity of President & Chief Executive Officer, Managing Director & Chief Operating Officer, Regional Vice-President of Operations, Operating Chief, and Vice-President of Sales and Marketing for several successful businesses in The Bahamas. His proven leadership in business is based on a foundation that started many years ago. His accolades include outstanding recognition from the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce, Nassau, Bahamas, and from the Whirlpool Corporation.He began his career as an operations manager and business developer where he learned many of the core management values that guide him today in the management and operation of The Bahamas Consulate General office in Miami. Throughout the year, he is able to attend events that speak volumes about the government's initiatives in areas such as culture, education, economic advancement, trade and investment opportunities for investors, and tourism development.The Consul General has committed himself to strengthening the Bahamian Diaspora in this jurisdiction through national and cultural projects. His diplomatic platform has afforded him the opportunity to visit other Consul Generals, attend United Nations forums, and have fruitful dialogues with ecclesiastical leaders throughout South Florida.As an advocate for academic development, CG Treco has forged partnerships with Bethune Cookman University, Florida Memorial University, Barry University, Florida International University, St. Thomas University, and Miami-Dade College through an Educational Partnership Initiative to foster strong academic success and support for Bahamian students throughout its jurisdiction.Consul General Treco's passion for Economic Development has encouraged him to engage in discussions with other entities to devise a strategy of how to develop and advance economic projects and figure out how significant the project basis is in order to improve economic growth for Bahamians through business development, education, entrepreneurship, technology, and job creation.InterviewQ1. Life is about stories. Do you have a favorite story you use as an icebreaker?My father owned a construction company, and I was hired to work with his company at the age of nine. At the end of the week, I received a paycheck for working and proceeded to the store on Bay Street to purchase a few toy matchbox cars. The following week, I return to work with my toy matchbox cars, and I became distracted and wasn't able to perform on the job like I should.The Foreman for the construction project told me to put the toys away and do my work. I didn't listen to him. When my father arrived to the site, the foreman told him of my inability to perform due to me playing with my matchbox cars.My father fired me, and gave me a stern lecture about work ethics and the importance of respecting those who are in charge. He told me that not because I am his son, I can do as I like. Father stated these words that are guiding principles in my life to this very day: "When you come to work for me, you aren't only my son, but in this environment, you are my employee: Remember you not only are 'Privileged' but also must be 'Responsible.'" After this experience, I was assigned to assist my mother at home with household duties and to shine the shoes of everyone in our household; I believe I had to shine at least 50 pairs of shoes per week. What a Lesson!Q2. What are the top three characteristics that contributed to your success?a. Ambition.b. Integrity.c. Humility.Q3. What life-changing events or decisions have guided your career? …


Abstract As a part of developing a certified testing method for residual pesticides analysis in cotton materials using gas chromatography (GC), the target pesticides listed in Oko-tex standards should be isolated from a homogenized cotton matrix. The sample homogeneity and extraction procedures are the most effective steps in this analysis. Any error in this procedure must lead to incorrect results. Two extraction methods with different solvents, e.g., methanol, hexane, hexane/acetone (1:1 v/v), and dichloromethane were used throughout this work. Extraction methods were soxhlet (SOX) and accelerated solvent extraction (ASE). The resulted extracts were concentrated then injected into a GC equipped with an Electron Capture Detector (ECD). The qualitative results, when compared with those of the NIST standard reference material (SRM-2261) certified by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, USA, proved that the ASE and SOX techniques with dichloromethane as extracting solvent are more selective f...


Purpose

This study aims to examine the economic role of politics on corporate governance reforms in one of emerging market, namely, Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based upon a literature review analysis.

Findings

The Malaysian economic, political and social settings have resulted in undue state and detrimental political influence on business, and yet the corporate governance reforms undertaken seemed not be able to resolve the matter. It is suggesting that it would be beneficial for Malaysia to have more independent regulatory bodies representing a wide variety of stakeholders to improve the transparency and accountability to ensure that the reforms are effectively enforced without conflicting with the political agenda. Legal institutional reforms also may be needed to improve the structure, capacity and performance of judicial system, as it is capable to capture reliance of economic role of politics and promoting accountability in Malaysia.

Research limitations/implications

The economic role of politics on corporate governance reforms is merely to broaden the political strategy in the corporate sector as the change in politics can improve the effectiveness of corporate governance reforms. Moreover, the economic role of politics raises the tone of the corporate governance reforms, and it implies that policymakers need to have effective corporate governance strategy in dealing with the reforms initiatives in areas that have strong political interventions.

Originality/value

Regulatory and judicial implications are offered as a means to improve corporate governance in Malaysia.


The Gram-negative bacterium Yersinia pseudotuberculosis employs a type 3 secretion system (T3SS) to establish infections. The T3SS translocates a diverse set of effector proteins directly into the ...


The Mesozoic-Cenozoic histories of reversals in the earth's magnetic field and of periods of widespread anoxia in the ocean basins show a remarkable correlation (Figure 1); periods of black-shale deposition ("anoxic events") occur during lengthy periods without magnetic reversals ("quiet" periods). My assembly of published work indicates a remote connection between quiet periods and anoxic events and suggests its form: Magnetic quiet periods coincide with fast seafloor spreading. During these periods, buoyant spreading ridges displace seawater onto broad shelves, thus decreasing earth's albedo and causing global warming. Temperature gradients, and thus density gradients, from pole to equator decrease in surface waters, and the deep ocean currents of oxygenated polar waters wane. Oxygen minimum zones intensify and widen; anoxic conditions throughout entire basins are indicated by black shales deposited in the deep sea. These relations thus suggest that the earth's interior processes and its climate are related and their status recorded by both magnetic polarity and anoxic event chronologies of the earth. A test of the model for the Palezoic is proposed and some implications for mineral resources noted.


A paradox from Walter Benjamin's 1937 essay "Eduard Fuchs: Der Sammler und der Historiker" provides the coordinates for this study of the Romantic collector in nineteenth-century literature. Following Benjamin, the paradox turns on the notion that the figure of the Romantic collector is a product not, as might be expected, of Romantic literature but rather of literary realism. Precisely because collecting and museum making were integral to Romantic endeavours and ideas, Benjamin's assertion begs to be explored on the terrain of Romantic literature and the ways Romantic concerns are imagined and transformed in post-Romantic writing. Before I analyze pertinent Romantic and post-Romantic literary texts in these terms, I will first discuss Benjamin's claims against the backdrop of his thinking about collecting and Romanticism. After reading Benjamin's writing to sharpen the Romantic stakes of his thinking about the collector, I will turn to the trope of the Galeriegesprach in two of its earliest instantiations, Wilhelm Heinrich Wackenroder and Ludwig Tieck's Herzensergiesungen eines kunstliebenden Klosterbruders and August Wilhelm and Caroline Schlegel's Die Gemalde. Ein Gesprach. In these key articulations of early Romantic aesthetics, I want to pay particular attention to the Galeriegesprach for the way it figures collecting not as a literal practice of acquisition, preservation, and display of physical artifacts but rather as a notional and literary process. With this approach, I attend to the relationship of collecting to imagination, memory, and dialogic literary form, elements that prove essential to Romantic attempts to grapple with the problems of individual and collective identity, social cohesion, and medial specificity (visual arts, literature, music) in emergent modernity. Beyond suggesting new ways of thinking about early Romantic aesthetics, this analysis also helps to map the transformations in Romantic thinking that take place with the realist invention of the Romantic, i.e. passionate, collector. For as I will show using analyses of Honore de Balzac's Cousin Pons and Theodor Fontane's Vor dem Sturm, the figure of the post-Romantic collector works to locate passionate collecting as a key feature of Romantic cultural undertakings, even as that act of representation fundamentally diminishes the collector's very nature, in no small part by labelling and making him visible as such. It is easy to overlook that Benjamin's Fuchs essay offers insight into the life and afterlife of European literary Romanticism. Its stated focus on an understudied


The cell substrate has a pivotal role in live virus vaccines production. It is necessary to evaluate the effects of the cell substrate on the properties of the propagated viruses, especially in the case of viruses which are unstable genetically such as polioviruses, by monitoring the molecular and phenotypical characteristics of harvested viruses. To investigate the presence/absence of mutation(s), the near full‐length genomic sequence of different harvests of the type 3 Sabin strain of poliovirus propagated in MRC‐5 cells were determined. The sequences were compared with genomic sequences of different virus seeds, vaccines, and OPV‐like isolates. Nearly complete genomic sequencing results, however, revealed no detectable mutations throughout the genome RNA‐plaque purified (RSO)‐derived monopool of type 3 OPVs manufactured in MRC‐5. Thirty‐six years of experience in OPV production, trend analysis, and vaccine surveillance also suggest that: (i) different monopools of serotype 3 OPV produced in MRC‐5 retained their phenotypic characteristics (temperature sensitivity and neuroattenuation), (ii) MRC‐5 cells support the production of acceptable virus yields, (iii) OPV replicated in the MRC‐5 cell substrate is a highly efficient and safe vaccine. These results confirm previous reports that MRC‐5 is a desirable cell substrate for the production of OPV. J. Med. Virol. 83:897–903, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Mineral density of bone tissue in front segment of upper jaw in various conditions of postextractional regeneration was investigated (common regeneration and regeneration with immediate prosthesis).The data obtained were used to define indications for dental implantation in the segment of dental row defect. In periodontal pathology with destructive changes of maxillary bone tissue the mineral density level of alveolar bone is reduced to 80%. Regeneration of postextractional wound under common conditions contributes to mineral density reduction to 60%. Immediate prosthetics restores mineral density of bone tissue to «normal level» during 1 year. Immediate prosthetics is favorable for dental implantation planning.


Parallel data processing belongs in the present time to the basic approaches. Its realization is possible by using of multi-core processors or we can use new trend with graphic accelerators on the new type of graphic cards. However this process is not straightforward and it requires an adequate model structure and application program parallelization. Adequate model structure includes not only parallelization of computing operations but also creates convenient application surroundings. Application of exploited approaches of developed mathematical model for granular materials thermal treatment includes model generation for the setting of all parameters and parallelization mode according to the selected thermal apparatus. According to the model complexity, adequate parallelization platform has to be selected. Presented application is on the rotary furnace. Original mathematical model was modified by using the graphical accelerators. Calculation parts of the model were divided into the particular computing kernels of the accelerator. At executed experiments computing time was reduced from almost three hours to less than five minutes. This approach enables us to use the simulation models in the real time.


By boundary layer wind tunnel measurements the wind loads on heliostats were investigated for conditions with no or only insufficient values available in literature:
• Aspect ratio: For aspect ratios of the mirror plane (width / height) between 0.5 and 3.0 the wind load coefficients were determined. For the critical load cases (combinations of elevation angle and wind direction of highest wind loads) formulas for the calculation of the impact of the aspect ratio were gained.
• Wide gap: By measurements of a heliostat with one wide central gap between the mirror facets it turned out that wide gaps are of impact especially on the hinge moment.
• Wind fence: The impact of a wind fence at different heliostat field densities was investigated. For low field densities only small load reductions were measured.
Future work should investigate the significance of the similarity of the energy spectrum at the critical scales.


Objective To investigate the correlation and the clinical significance between the micro-ribonucleic acids( miRNAs) levels and collateral pathway in the patients with acute cerebral infraction. Methods Patients with acute cerebral infraction during the period from January 2014 to November 2015 in our hospital were enrolled in the study. Seventy patients were divided into two groups according to their collateral status,that is,Good Collaterals and Poor Collaterals,and31 healthy cases were chosen as Controls. Multivariate models were generated to determine the contribution of demographic,clinical and serum proand anti-angiogenesis miRNAs variables in the early stage of infarction between the groups. Results There were significant differences in some of the serum pro-and anti-angiogenesis miRNAs levels between the Good Collaterals,Poor Collaterals and the Controls( P < 0. 05 or P < 0. 01). And the Logistic regression showed that the specific proand anti-angiogenesis miRNAs,especially the pro-angiogenesis miRNAs such as MIR-126,MIR-132 and MIR-210 were significantly associated with the collateral status in the patients with acute cerebral infraction. Conclusion Some specific serum miRNAs levels in the early stage of acute cerebral infraction can be used as predictors in a fast,convenient,and reliable fashion for the cerebral collateral status following ischemic stroke.


In this paper, a fractional-order (and an integer-order) chaotic system, obtained from Chua's circuit by substituting Chua's diode with two active coupled memristors (MRs) characterized by quadratic nonlinearity, is introduced to probe the memristive coupling effect. Two MRs connected in parallel are coupled by the flux. For the integer-order memristive system, the dynamical characteristics depending on the coupling strength coefficient between MRs without changing the circuit parameters are illustrated theoretically and numerically by using phase portraits, time domain diagram, bifurcation diagram and the Lyapunov diagram. Then based on the Adams–Bashforth–Moulton algorithm, the study of dynamic behavior of the fractional-order memristive system containing the time-delay reveals that appropriately setting the coupling strength between MRs generates more interesting attractors that differ from its integer-order counterpart. Besides, the effects of the order and the time-delay on dynamics are discussed briefly. Finally, the simulation results verify the validity of the theoretical analysis.


Non-linear impedance is very important parameter for self-sustained oscillation system. When analyzing the coefficient that multiplied by first derivative of the laser modulation system it is possible to get information about the non-linear laser diode impedance. But information about non-liner laser diode parameters could be in the regenerative force also. It means it is very important to analyze the non-liner effects for this oscillation system.


It would appear that South African amphibians are the least talked about and least written about animals. The last amphibian field guide was 'South African Frogs' written by Neville Passmore and Vincent Carruthers (1995). This book was first published twenty years ago and is currently out of print and no longer on shelves of most bookshops. 'Frogs and Frogging in Southern Africa' by Vincent Carruthers displays a fresh new approach and attempts to introduce the splendour and glory of frogs.


The influence of particle size distribution, specific surface area, mixing ratio of fine and coarse powder, and compacting pressure on the rate of sintering of tungsten metal powder was studied.It was found that the rate of sintering δi-δo/δt-δo (δo: green density, δi: sintered density, δt: true density) is proportional to the specific surface area and is effected by particle size distribution of powder having the same average particle size, but not effected by packing density. The effect of compacting pressure upon the rate of sintering was not found and the densification rate decreased with increasing compacting-pressure.


The strategic benefits related to the newly selected capital city location are also dreaded by added challenges. On one hand, IKN is comparatively safer from natural disasters like being away from fault lines, earthquakes, storms, and floods; at the same time shifting the leadership of the country will also shift the centre of gravity to the new city exposing it to enhanced Mil and non-Mil threats. Therefore, this shifting of capital is also associated with the country's Defence Forces' development of new infrastructure and laying down renewed policies ensuring the defence of the newly built IKN and the government therein. While referring to the IKN as a new COG its security becomes an s national interest, which can be exploited by both Mil and non-Mil, actual and potential threats.


To capture visual content of images for retrieval, feature extraction is one of the method. In this paper feature extraction is done using GLCM (Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix). In this work 6 varieties of crop images are considered namely paddy, maize, cotton, groundnut, sugarcane and sunflower. There are many second order statistical texture features extracted using GLCM namely autocorrelation, entropy, cluster prominence etc. The four features namely autocorrelation, sum of squares of variance, sum of variance and sum of average are found to be predominant features for the present study. Considering texture as a feature, the average accuracy of 63.75% is obtained. The results show that these texture features are efficient and can be used for real time pattern recognition. Keywords: Field images, GLCM, Features, Pattern recognition


Reasoning in ontology is currently limited to logical reasoning. It is because ontology does not have a standard for probabilistic reasoning. Various approaches have been made by researchers to add the ability for ontological reasoner to do probabilistic reasoning. The approach is done by combining ontology with Bayesian network that does have probabilistic reasoning abilities. This study mapped out various approaches performed in combining ontologies with Bayesian networks to realize logical and probabilistic reasoning simultaneously. We use a systematic literature review method to identify the primary studies on combining ontology with Bayesian network following a predefined review protocol. We searched from four indexing services (SCOPUS, IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, and SpringerLink) and got the result of 74 papers accepted for the review. We extracted properties from these studies and found 8 motivations of the studies, 5 contexts, 4 factors involved, and 5 techniques used in combining ontology with Bayesian network. The aim and the context are clearly stated in most of the studies, while most of the authors did not completely discuss the threats in their papers. As for the method and findings, most of the studies describe and discuss it moderately.


AIM: To explore regulation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced elevation of Ca 2+ intracellular level in alveolar macrophages(AMs) from patients with chronic bronchitis by Angelica Sinensis and nifedipine.METHODS:AMs was obtained from 7 patients with chronic bronchitis and 6 normal controls by bronchoalveolar lavage and intracellular Ca 2+ level was detected after adding Angelica Sinensis, nifedipine or LPS to the supernatant of AMs loaded by Fura-2. RESULTS: In contrast with normal control group (99.65±32.21 nmol/L), intracellular Ca 2+ level in AMs from chronic bronchitis group (189.47±23.69 nmol/L) was increased significantly in the absence of extracellular Ca 2+ but not 1 mmol/L. Intracellular Ca 2+ level in AMs from chronic bronchitis group were significantly increased by adding 10 μg/mL LPS to the supernatant of AMs. LPS-induced elevation of intracellular Ca 2+ level in AMs from chronic bronchitis group was completely inhibited by Angelica Sinensis or nifedipine.CONCLUSION: Both Anelica Sinensis and nifedipine may inhibit activation of AMs from patients with chronic bronchitis by reducing LPS-induced elevation of intracellular Ca 2+ level in AMs, suggested that these two medicines may inhibit non-specific inflammation of airways in chronic bronchitis.


The coffee industry is currently growing rapidly, in the last 5 (five) years a lot of new players have been born in this industry. It also creates a new trend towards target consumers in this industry. Almost all generations spend their activities in coffee shops, from meeting friends, doing work, to just refreshing. One of the cafe brands that is the object of the author's research here is Manupi cafe. This is because the object of this research has decreased sales by 38% in the last 3 months. In this study, what was observed was social marketing through Instagram. The social media was chosen because Manupi's target consumers are young people with an age range of 17-30 years who like to spend their time in coffee shops. Instagram is the right choice for social media marketing in this industry, considering that the dominant active users of Instagram are the generation who are in the age range of 15-35 years. This study aims to determine the effect of Instagram's social media marketing activities on purchase intention at the Manupi cafe. The data analysis method uses structural equation modeling (SEM-PLS) analysis techniques which are processed using SmartPLS 4.0 with a total of 385 respondents. The type of this research sample is purposive sampling by using questionnaires to 385 respondents distributed using google form, the data that has been collected is processed using SmartPLS to determine the relationship between each variable. From the data that has been processed, it is found that SMMA, Brand Equity, and E-Wom have a positive effect on purchase intention and on the increase in sales of the Manupi cafe.


The hydroethanolic leaves extract of Bauhinia holophylla, from Fabaceae family, a Brazilian medicinal plant, have been studied as an alternative therapy for the diabetes treatment. In line with the effort to discover novel therapeutic applications, the present study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial activity of B. holophylla against microorganisms of clinical relevance. Also, we have sought to determine the cyto-genotoxicity potential to evaluate if the extract exhibit beneficial or harmful effect. The antimicrobial activity of B. holophylla was measured by the determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC; microdilution technique), and the cytotoxicity index (IC50) against the GM 07492, HeLa and HepG2 cell lines was used to calculate the selectivity index (SI). The mutagenicity was determined by the Ames test on Salmonella Typhimurium strains TA98, TA97a, TA100 and TA102. B. holophylla displayed weak activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli (MIC = 500 and 2000 μg mL, respectively). On the other hand, this extract was active against fungi of the Candida species. B. holophylla showed MIC values 15.6 μg mL against C. glabrata, 62.5 μg mL against C. krusei and C. tropicalis, and 125 μg mL against C. parapsilosis and C. albicans. At these concentrations, the extract showed an absence of cytotoxicity in the human cells. However, the extract induces, at a much higher rate, frame shift mutations (TA98) in the Ames test. These results contribute to valuable data on the antimicrobial potential of B. hoplophylla but suggest caution in their use.


Electron paramagnetic resonance measurements on the EL2 defect in semi‐insulating GaAs show that after optically induced quenching into the metastable configuration the original stable configuration can be optically regenerated at temperatures below 140 K. We determined the spectral dependence of this regeneration in the 70–140 K temperature range. It is characterized at 90 K by an absorption band centered at (0.8±0.1) eV. However, the spectral dependence is temperature dependent and the thermal activation energy varies with the photon energy.


The past two decades witnessed a prolific revival of practice theories. Sociologists and social philosophers such as Davide Nicolini (2012), Andreas Reckwitz (2002), Theodore Schatzki (1996, 2002, 2010; Schatzki, Knorr Cetina and Von Savigny, 2001), Robert Schmidt (2012) and Elizabeth Shove and collaborators (2003, 2012) have elaborated, deepened and refined practice theories that were developed in sociology in the 1970s and 1980s by Pierre Bourdieu and Anthony Giddens in particular. To put it succinctly, practice theories are grounded in the idea that social life consists of socio-material interactions through which people transform their world and themselves. In the words of Schatzki (this volume) these socio-material interactions comprise 'bundles of practices' and 'material arrangements'. The former should be regarded as 'open spatial-temporal manifolds of activity', while the latter consist of 'interconnected human bodies, organisms, artifacts, and things'. Since the older generation of practice theories had neglected the material dimension of practices, current formulations aim, in critical engagement with material semiotics or actor network approaches, to make practice theory more receptive to the role of material elements and objects, of both human and non-human origin, in social practices. In addition, current practice theories emphasize their potential relevance for the governance of social change while at the same time distinguishing themselves explicitly from some of the prevailing theories of social transformation. At a time when a number of authors seek to reconcile practice theory with transition theory (Grin et al., 2010; Spaargaren et al., 2012; Shove et al., 2012; Hargreaves et al., 2013), Theodore Schatzki (this volume) is keen on pointing out the differences that exist between both kind of theories. The crucial difference in the way they study long term, structural changes is the fact that practice theories reject the claim of transition theories that there are different dynamics at play on different levels of the social. Notions such as large-scale structures, overarching culture, macro-meso-micro distinctions or niche-regime-landscape hierarchies are judged ontologically inappropriate. Instead, practices theories claim that processes of becoming and change unfold at just one level: the level of practices. Hence, the ontology of practice theories is said to be flat (Schatzki, this volume), and allows for understanding processes of change as open ended and at least partly contingent. By emphasizing complexity and contingency, practice theories provide a realistic understanding of the limited possibilities that single (policy or governance-) actors and organizations have when they seek to manage processes of social change in a linear, direct and instrumental way (Evans et al., 2012). The message for those involved in the management of social change is to improve the quality of interventions by connecting policy strategies to the dynamics of practices as sets of interrelated doings and sayings.Although early formulations of practice theory by Bourdieu and Giddens in particular emphasized the need to go beyond structuralism and instead offer an agency-inclusive formulation of social interaction and reproduction, the relationship between agency and social change remains underexposed in many contemporary practice theories. The ways in which human agents intervene in the ongoing flow of events in the world and their involvement in bringing about changes in their socio-material environments and in themselves, remain insufficiently explored and conceptualized. As a result, the more recently developed practice theories do not provide convincing answers to issues of agency, emotions and power which might help to explain what brings about social change in a flat world consisting of practices. Why do practices appear and disappear, what makes them more or less widespread, stable and mature, and why are some practices more meaningful, attractive and intense for human actors than others? These questions all revolve around the issue that practices (are made to) matter for people. People engage with innovation, reproduction and social change in the sense that they develop a meaningful relation with the practices they help to reproduce and change, they themselves becoming different persons in the process. If we accept the idea that social life is a vast and continuous 'open-ended spatial-temporal manifolds of actions and material arrangements', which individuals experience as sets of more or less relevant, meaningful, coherent, and interrelated doings and saying (Schatzki, 2002: 59-122; Schatzki, 2010), then we must develop notions of agency, power and social change which help us to understand what it is that makes people move through/engage with/find their ways in social life in the first place. Issues of agency and power are about how people navigate a world of practices.Agency is conceptualized differently in different streams of social theory. In Weberian conflict theories for instance, agency is rooted in the competitive urge for privileged positions. In rational actor theories agency is about optimizing profits, and in symbolic interactionism it revolves around the capacity to give meaning to self and others in social situations. In this chapter we aim to develop a conceptualization of agency that not only remains within the contours of practice theories – practices rather than individuals are the central unit of analysis – but which is also distinct from the ways in which agency is approached in other social theories. To put it in a short and radical formulation, we argue that agency resides in emotions. Emotions are (re)produced in social practices and people experience the world and engage in it emotionally. The focus on emotions helps to explain why practices make individual human agents engage with and actually care about the doings and sayings around them. Emotions are connected to practices in a number of ways, and they provide (positive and negative) valences to both practices and their practitioners. In this way, emotions-in-practices help explain what matters to individuals and how they are set into motion by emotions. On the individual side of the equation, we argue that the human capacity to act (back) upon the world resides in the 'emotional modes of being' (Freund, 1999) of individuals. On the practice side of the equation, we will show how practices produce emotional energy (Collins, 2004).The concept of power is even more debated and coated with controversies than the concept of agency. When reviewing the concept of power in sociology, Manuel Castells (2009) has suggested that in contemporary network societies the classical concepts of power as for example derived from the works of Weber and Parsons on the one hand and Marx on the other, are in need of revision. The concepts, which organized debates in sociology and political sciences since their inception, need to be complemented with new notions of power that are particularly suited to analyse social change in contemporary, 'horizontally organized' societies, which are composed of networks. One of the dimensions of power that need to be articulated and re-invented has to do with 'the relationships between emotion, cognition and politics' (Castells, 2009: 7). Although the work of Castells does not seem to go along very well with the flat ontology of practice theories,1 we argue that his discussion of agency and power can be used to highlight dynamics of change in a world of practices.


A small superconducting solenoid to provide the steady homogeneous field for NMR at ultralow temperatures is described. The solenoid is shielded by a superconducting tube and there is a simple method of computing the field distribution. Three different shield materials, Pb, Nb–Ti, and pure Nb, were investigated. The final version of the solenoid and shield gives a field of ∼0.5  T with a homogeneity of ∼5×10−4 over 1 cm with, heating of less than 0.1 μ W.


According to the theory of spleen is the origin of the acquired constitution and kidney is the origin of congenital constitution,discussed the basis for establishing the therapeutic principle,relation,difference and apolaction of the Invigorating the Kidney Inferior to Invigorating the Spleen and Invigorating the Spleen Inferior to Invigorating the Kidney,inquired further into the interal relations of spleen and kidney.


As a force multiplier, Service Police can readily provide competent mentors and advisers to assist host nation police in securing their own populace and providing base-level community policing. One of the obvious outcomes is that it could provide the opportunity for Australian forces to withdraw from operations earlier than expected.


In this paper, we address the problem of impulsive noise reduction in color images through an evolutionary approach. We designed a new hybrid genetic algorithm, called GARIN, which takes as input a noisy image and generates as output a reduced noise version of the same image. As part of its evolutionary process, GARIN integrates the execution of robust and adaptive filters from literature with the aim to combine and improve their results. Unlike most genetic algorithms designed for color image denoising, our algorithm evolves a set of images instead of the set of parameters of the filters. Experimental results show that, compared with other filters of literature, the algorithm GARIN efficiently removes impulsive noise in color images while, at the same time, it preserves their main features.