The paper deals with modeling, processing, evaluating and refining processes with humans involved like (not only, but also e-) learning. A formerly developed concept called storyboarding has been applied at a university to model the various ways to study at this university. Along with this storyboard, we developed a data mining technology to estimate success chances of curricula. Here, we introduce a validation method for this technology and its results. Further, we discuss chances to improve these results by implementing a formerly introduced learner profiling concept that represents the students' individual properties, talents and preferences for personalized data mining.


Existing photometry of the O9.5 III eclipsing binary LY Aur is discussed and combined into a visual mean light curve. It is found that the observed light curve is incompatible with previous solutions based on the Russell model, but a respectable fit to the observed light curve can be achieved by assuming von Zeipel gravity darkening provided the system is allowed to be in marginal contact, which involves an unrealistically large change in the mass ratio to obtain the appropriate eclipse depths and light ratio. The alternative possibilities are considered that the primary is tidally distorted more than expected for its relative radius and the observed mass ratio or that von Zeipel gravity darkening is not appropriate for O-type stars and photometric effects exist which magnify the effects of the primary's physical distortions in the light curve. A solution is favored in which the ratio of radii is near 0.75 and the primary is very highly gravity darkened relative to von Zeipel's law.


In order to fully improve the sense quality of hemoglobin and extend its application range, this experiment adopted porcine blood as raw materials and porcine hemoglobin as subject investigated, and adopted 6 food grade commercial proteases Alcalase 2.4L, trypsin, flavourzyme, neutrase AS1398, papain and pepsin to hydrolyze porcine hemoglobin for 480 minutes separately in optimum reaction condition with the color of hydrolysate as evaluation index and the papain has been screened out as the greatest protease. The color of the hydrolysate prepared with papain showed near colorless, transparent and limpidity. The sense quality was enhanced greatly. The conditions of hydrolysis with papain were: substrate concentration 5%, enzyme/substrate ratio 100U/g, temperature 37℃, pH 6.5. The ranking of enzymes derived hydrolysates with the color from shallow to dark was listed as follows: papain, flavourzyme, neutrase AS1398, trypsin, pepsin and Alcalase 2.4L.


This chapter presents an overview of over 529 articles on designs, models, laboratory setups, and applications of electrochemical processes from 1973 to 2017 with particular attention paid to the removal of emerging environmental pollutants. The chapter demonstrates that electrochemical and advanced oxidation processes are efficient despite the economic implications of the technologies. The electrodes in use arranged from monopolar to bipolar mode, which varies from the electroplating baths, recalcitrant organic contaminants, and eluates of an ion-exchange unit and the number of electrodes in a stack to a variant of rotating cathode cell. Application of the process can be in the form of a static anode and a rotating disk cathode. The narrow spacing between the electrodes in the pump cells allow the entrance of the effluent and effective wastewater treatment. It was concluded that electrochemical treatment techniques have a variety of laboratory setups and a wider range of applications.


8) Although the Komondor and Great Pyrenees are similar in many aspects of temperament, behavioral characteristics and working ability, at least two traits appear different between the breeds. More owners of Komondorok than owners of Great Pyrenees (78% vs 22%) rated their dogs as being aggressive to strange people. More owners of Great Pyrenees than owners of Komondorok (65°Io vs 15%) described their dogs as being able to quickly adapt to new environments orsituations. Further research is needed to substantiate these apparent differences. The following quotation from Connie Coppersmith of Pasco, Washington, an owner of several working Great Pyrenees dogs, is representative of the responses received to the


Objective Toseek the method of reducing the morbidity of ischemic stroke by means of analyzing the causes of incidence increase.Methods To analyze retrospectively etiology of ischemic sroke in 58 hospitalized patients With young and middle adults.Results The morbidity of ischemic stroke in male Patients is higher than female ones.The morbidity of ischemic stroke is the highest in patients with 40~45 years.The hypertensive arteriosclerosis is main cause.Conclusion The hypertensive arteriosclerosis is main cause in patients with young and middle adults.This is likely related with excessive smoking and drinking the unhealthy mode of life,etc.


The next generation of electron-hadron facilities has the potential for significantly improving our understanding of exotic hadrons. The XYZ states have not been seen in photon-induced reactions so far. Their observation in such processes would provide an independent confirmation of their existence and offer new insights into their internal structure. Based on the known experimental data and the well-established quarkonium and Regge phenomenology, we give estimates for the exclusive cross sections of several XYZ states. For energies near threshold we expect cross sections of few nanobarns for the Zc(3900)+ and upwards of tens of nanobarn for the X(3872), which are well within reach of new facilities.


DESPITE widespread acknowledgment of the need for individuals to draft living wills, durable powers of attorney, or other advance directives, few Americans have done so. To encourage patients to complete advance directives, Congress enacted the Patient Self-Determination Act (hereafter "the Act") last October. The Act takes effect on December 1,1991, and requires hospitals, nursing homes, and hospices to advise patients on admission of their right to accept or refuse medical care and to execute an advance directive. Managed care organizations and home health care agencies must provide the same information to each of their members on members' enrollment. Provider organizations will also be required to (1) document whether patients have advance directives, (2) implement advance directive policies, and (3) educate their staffs and communities about advance directives. Compliance with the Act is a condition for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement and is tied to institutional


Description The once slow spreading virus may have found a new niche in tightly connected sexual networks The once slow spreading virus may have found a new niche in tightly connected sexual networks


While reuse is an effective life cycle option in terms of environmental loads and value of reutilization, reuse has inherent difficulties. Our naive questions include why component reuse of electric home appliances seems impossible while that of photocopiers succeeded. This paper clarifies that it is essential for successful reuse to balance supply and demand of reusable components and proposes an index named 'marginal reuse rate,' which indicates upper limit of reusability from the viewpoint of the balance. By using the marginal reuse rate, this paper analyses reusability of single use camera, photocopier, and automatic teller machine (ATM) and clarifies that the relation between sales period and lifetime in a product type determines the marginal reuse rate and effective measures for increasing reusability differ according to the relations; namely, prolongation of the sales period for shorter life products, part commonization design among generations for middle life products, and controlling sales and disposal distributions for longer life products. The marginal reuse rate indicates that design of life cycle, in addition to product design for reusability, is indispensable for successful reuse. In this sense, the analysis with the marginal reuse rate is an indispensable tool for appropriate life cycle design.


The establishment of the course of the Three Gates, incorporating meditation, doctrinal learning, and recitation of the name of Amitābha, as well as the organization of a monastic educational system characterized by the dual cultivation of meditation and doctrinal learning, demonstrates the synthetic character of Buddhism in the late Chosŏn period. The approach of reciting Amitābha's name included in the system of the Three Gates encompassed both a meditative practice symbolized by the "Pure Land of the Mind-only" and the "Amitābha of the Self-nature" and as faith in the efficacy of chanting Amitābha's name concentrated on the Pure Land of Extreme Bliss in the West. After the establishment of the approach of reciting the name of Amitābha, chanting Amitābha's name gradually became prevalent and the gates to the Pure Land expanded. The publication of a number of Pure Land texts created diverse demands within the ritual, literary, and religious spheres. In addition, in relation to the spread of the approach of chanting Amitābha's name, debates arose over the very existence of a Pure Land of Extreme Bliss or concerning the construct conceptually.


Theoretical calculations of one- and two-hole spectral functions for the O16 nucleus are still failing to describe some of the important features observed experimentally. Of critical importance for the solution of these issues is to obtain an appropriate description of the interplay between hole-hole and particle-hole excitations. A formalism is reviewed here that allows the consistent treatment of such phonons at a Random Phase approximation level. Although the application of this formalism to O16 is still in the implementation stage, some preliminary results are discussed here.


root-finding routine (Melsa, 1970; N-Nagy and AlTickriti, 1972; Richard et al, 1979; Thomas, 1976; and Vernon, 1967). However, if a microcomputer is used, attempts to generate root-locus plots with a root-finding routine usually prove unsuccessful. The reason is due primarily to the architecture of the microcomputer, which makes its mode of operation relatively slow. Typically, a root-locus problem which may take a few seconds to solve


Objective To investigate the expression of phosphorylated p38 mitogen activated protein kinase(p-p38 MAPK) and protein expression levels at different ischemic time point in focal cerebral ischemic core and penumbra of rats.Methods Focal ischemic models of middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO) in rats were made by inserting nylon thread.Brain samples were harvested from ischemic core and penumbra.Western blot combined with Gel Doc imagine systems were applied to examine the changes in p-p38 MAPK and protein expression levels in the brain of rats.Results Western blot results showed that phosphorylation levels of p38MAPK in the ischemic core and penumbra increased significantly at every ischemic time point when compared with sham group(P 0.05,n=6 for each group).p-p38 MAPK peaked at 6 hours in core ischemia and at 3 hours in penumbra.However,there were no significant changes in p38 MAPK protein expression levels.Conclusion The activiated p38 MAPK may be involved in the signal transduction pathway of cerebral ischemia.The increase of p-p38 MAPK in the central area of ischemia and penumbra may play a role in neuronal necrosis and apoptosis.


A simple experiment is described where the tip of a metal ruler is used to strike a 50 g mass. Since the ruler is very flexible, the impact duration is much longer than usual, giving the impression that the ruler simply pushes the mass forward at low speed over a long distance. The tip of the ruler remains in contact with the mass throughout the impact. However, the impact is best described as a long duration collision with a coefficient of restitution (COR) greater than zero, despite the fact that the relative speed during and at the end of the collision is zero. If the mass rests on a table and if the ruler strikes the table before striking the mass, then the ruler bends and stores elastic energy. The result is a superelastic collision where the COR is greater than unity.


In order to optimize the investment costs in electrical infrastructures, it is increasingly important to exploit power system components as close as possible to their thermal limits. The temperature of overhead transmission lines is one of the major aspects to take into account to ensure safe and reliable grid operation: its estimation allows Transmission System Operators to efficiently manage the grid and to maintain a constant power supply service, eventually implementing proper corrective actions. In the present paper, two physical approaches for overhead lines temperature estimation, namely IEEE and CIGRE models, are tested and compared on four datasets coming from different Italian overhead lines. In detail, they are involved in the five-minutes-ahead conductor temperature estimation. A successful application of the proposed models requires a proper assessment of the line angle, a crucial input parameter to get reliable results. However, it is often unavailable and difficult to be correctly estimated. A specific procedure, aimed at computing the optimal line angle that maximize the accuracy of line temperature estimation, is proposed in this work.


E G Brown: Commercial significance of plants: History and pointers to the future C W Lewis: The energy content of crops M N Sivak and D A Walker: Can in vivo photosynthesis be modified? M W Kerr and D P Whitaker: Energy losses by photorespiration J M Whipps and J M Lynch: Energy losses by the plant in rhizodeposition T H Thomas: Chemical manipulation of standing crops J Burley and L A Lockhart: Chemical extractives and exudates from trees T Galliard: Bulk chemicals from plants: Starch and starch-derived products C J Smith: Polysaccharide synthesis: Implications for industry B Lockwood: Gelling agents M Calvin: Fuel oils from higher plants D O Hall, D A Affolter, M Brouers, D-J Shi, L-W Yang and K K Rao: Photobiological production of fuels and chemicals by immobilized algae P Cuendet and M Gratzel: Artificial photosynthesis R S Crespi: Patenting plants: A problem area J E Beringer and C M Lazarus: The genetic manipulation of crop plants M G K Jones: New plants through tissue culture K W Fuller and D J Bartlett: The chemosynthetic potential of plants and its realization by immobilized systems P J Harvey, H E Schoemaker and J M Palmer: Enzymic degradation of lignin and its potential to supply chemicals S L Neidleman and J Geigert: Halometabolites: biosynthesis and biological activity D A Wood: Useful biodegradation of lignocellulose.


Simple Summary Connexin43 is one of the 21 members of a large protein family that forms intercellular gap junction complexes. It plays a critical role in development by allowing two adjacent cells to exchange cellular content. Mouse deletion studies have demonstrated its critical roles in many organs, including cardiac muscle, blood vessels, bone, adipose tissue and more. However, as the most expressed and most studied connexin in the family, Connexin43 surprisingly shows many gap-junction-independent roles, spanning from the forming of hemichannels, to regulating membrane trafficking, to regulating mitochondrial function. Connexin43 is also unique in the family by forming many smaller polypeptides through alternative utilization of its mRNA molecule or cleavage of the translated full-length protein. This review summarizes recent advances on Connexin43's gap-junction-dependent and -independent functions in physiology. The knowledge will expand our understanding of how a gene grows its function by multiplexing its mRNA and protein. In the end, this may also guide us to develop Connexin43-based therapy for metabolic conditions, cancer, and other related diseases. Abstract For the first time in animal evolution, the emergence of gap junctions allowed direct exchanges of cellular substances for communication between two cells. Innexin proteins constituted primordial gap junctions until the connexin protein emerged in deuterostomes and took over the gap junction function. After hundreds of millions of years of gene duplication, the connexin gene family now comprises 21 members in the human genome. Notably, GJA1, which encodes the Connexin43 protein, is one of the most widely expressed and commonly studied connexin genes. The loss of Gja1 in mice leads to swelling and a blockage of the right ventricular outflow tract and death of the embryos at birth, suggesting a vital role of Connexin43 gap junction in heart development. Since then, the importance of Connexin43-mediated gap junction function has been constantly expanded to other types of cells. Other than forming gap junctions, Connexin43 can also form hemichannels to release or uptake small molecules from the environment or even mediate many physiological processes in a gap junction-independent manner on plasma membranes. Surprisingly, Connexin43 also localizes to mitochondria in the cell, playing important roles in mitochondrial potassium import and respiration. At the molecular level, Connexin43 mRNA and protein are processed with very distinct mechanisms to yield carboxyl-terminal fragments with different sizes, which have their unique subcellular localization and distinct biological activities. Due to many exciting advancements in Connexin43 research, this review aims to start with a brief introduction of Connexin43 and then focuses on updating our knowledge of its gap junction-independent functions.


1 Challenges and Chances of Distributed Generation Global needs to reduce emissions and use fossil fuels more efficiently will lead to a higher number of generators: renewable energy resources are mostly decentralised, and efficient on-site co-generation is decentralised as well. More and more generators using renewable energy sources and combined heat and power systems will therefore feed into the distribution grid. Which impact does this evolution have on the market players?


This paper employs matching difference-in-difference method to solve the endogenous problem and empirically analyzes the effects of subsidies on corporate export and export scale based on new-new trade theory and the micro-data of industrial enterprises in China from 1999 to 2007.It draws conclusions as follows: firstly,subsidies significantly increase the probability of corporate export and export scale;secondly,the growth rates of export probability and scale in subsidized firms are 30%~110% and 30%~50% higher than the ones in unsubsidized firms respectively;thirdly,the effects of subsidies in foreign-funded firms are larger than the ones in local firms,and the effects of subsidies in private firms are larger than the ones in state-owned firms;fourthly,the effect of subsidies on export scale emerges after China's entry into WTO,especially in recent years.It confirms the probable threshold effect of subsides on export.From the angle of policies,it suggests that governments can help firms to go abroad through policy measures like subsidies,but the sustainable development of firms in international market still depends on their own core competitiveness.


Firms are turning their attention to global sourcing as a means to improve performance and enhance competitiveness. Some partnerships created with this strategy improve product development through collaborative design. With the advent of e-commerce, a new set of collaborative applications integrated to the firm's IT infrastructure allow a direct interaction between the firm and its suppliers, having an impact on negotiation. The issue is particularly relevant for industries with highly engineered products and extensive supply networks. We provide insights on the impact of the adoption of collaborative design technologies by an aerospace manufacturing firm and how these relate to electronic negotiations. We provide a set of consequences of the adoption of this technology to add to the body of knowledge of the impacts of e-commerce in supply chains.


In this paper we study the asymptotic behaviour of the first $(s,p)$-eigenvalue and corresponding first $(s,p)$-eigenfunctions during the approximation $k\rightarrow s$. We show that there exhibits a different phenomenon in the two directions of $k\rightarrow s^-$ and $k\rightarrow s^+$. As a byproduct, we also give some equivalent forms of the nonlocal sapce $\widetilde{W}^{s,p}_0(\Omega)$ for arbitrary open bounded set $\Omega\subset\mathbb{R}^N$. In order to investigate the behaviour of the $(s,p)$-eigenvalues with varying $s$ in the nonlocal setting, we introduce the relative-nonlocal Sobolev spaces $\widetilde{W}^{s,p}_{0,tR}(\Omega)$ ($t>1,R=diam(\Omega)$), which is essentially equivalent with the nonlocal Sobolev spaces $\widetilde{W}^{s,p}_{0}(\Omega)$. As a partial result, we also prove that the operator $(-\Delta_p)^s$ is a homeomorphism of $\widetilde{W}^{s,p}_{0,tR}(\Omega)$ onto its dual space $\widetilde{W}^{-s,q}_{tR}(\Omega)$.


Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are one of the leading health problems in dentistry. The work aimed to evaluate, using FEM, the influence of the material elastic properties of the flexible obstacle of the tongue trainer on the range of deflection and strength.In prototyping the trainer tongue, the starting point was real models with different extents of the tongue obstacle. moulded from dental wax on a dental stone model. Then versions were tested intraorally for the perception of the space occupied by the tongue. The models were scanned on a 3D scanner, and then a parametric CAD model (NX Siemens) was made on their basis. Finally, in order to take into account, the anatomical aspects, the two extreme ranges of the tongue obstacle, named "Long " and " Short ", were developed. Simulation deflection and material strength tests were made using FEM in the linear range (NX Siemens). Calculations were made for materials with Young's modulus equal to 8 MPa, 80 MPa and 800 MPa. The interaction of the tongue with the force of 5N was assumed. The support was provided by the retention surface on the teeth, with the support of the posterior edge of the obstacle on the palate (palatal variant) or lack of support, i.e., the obstacle freely bending in this area (free variant), was additionally tested. In order to assess the drop or retention of the trainer on the teeth, the second type of simulation was performed with the assumption of horizontal (anteriorly directed) tongue pressure with the force of 10N for the condition of rigid support in the area of the teeth and the periodontal zone from the lingual side. In this variant, a simulation was adopted for a material with a modulus of elasticity E=80 MPa.The stress values of the flexible obstacle of the trainer were obtained, allowing for the selection of potentially valuable materials for the trainer's construction. The results obtained in the simulations indicate the possibility of using ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) and its blends. The accumulation of saliva inside the sealed obstacle was found, which indicated the need to look for an area to perforate without losing the load capacity of the obstacle. The structural feasibility of solving the problem of saliva accumulation without a significant change in the load capacity and stiffness of the obstacle was confirmed by simulation.Simplifying the model to a linear range does not allow buckling analysis. In addition, the assumption of a linear material further limits the possibility of analysing materials with softening and plateau characteristics, where the compliance of the structure leads to elastic buckling.The range of deflections and stresses for different stiffness of the elastic element of the trainer was determined in order to select the appropriate material for the medical device (MD). Polyurethanes or silicones provide the range of deflection and strength, but in the case of manufacturing prefabricated trainers thermoformed in the patient's mouth (maximum temperature 75C), the material that can be used is ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA).Simulation tests made it possible to determine the range of deflections and stress for different stiffness of the flexible obstacle of the trainer in order to select the appropriate material for the medical device.


The purpose of this study was to use Henna as a biosorbent to remove lead ions (Pb2+) from an aqueous environment as an effective method for wastewater treatment. Dried leaves of Henna were ground and then passed through the standard screens to be used for the treatment process. The effects of main operating conditions, that is, time (20–200 min), biosorbent amount (0.1–1.2 g/L), and pH (2–9) on the percentage of removal of Pb2+ ions from aqueous solution using Henna were investigated. Maximum Pb2+ biosorption reached 90% at pH 5.5, 55 ppm initial concentration of Pb2+ ions, 1 g/L biosorbent amount, and 110 min time. Properties of biosorbent (before and after biosorption process) were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models were used to represent biosorption mechanisms so that the results of the Langmuir model with R2 = 0.9473, are in better agreement with experimental data. Thermodynamic study indicates the biosorption process is exothermic in nature and thermodynamic parameters, ΔH = –25.16 (kJ/mol) and ΔS = +55.146 (J/mol K) were obtained. Kinetic studies were undertaken to determine the biosorption mechanism. The R2 value of the pseudo-second-order kinetic model was found close to unity (R2 = 0.994) indicating that the outcomes can adapt to this model better than a first-order kinetic model with R2 = 0.923. The most important impact of using Henna is the high performance for the removal of the Pb2+ ions (90% removal efficiency) as the possible reason is due to its irregular surface structures and its availability and low price.


Simple Summary Multi-gene expression assays have been advocated for treatment decision in breast cancer management. The most commonly used assays such as Oncotype DX, MammaPrint, which were developed from the Western population, were especially designed for the prognostication of early stage luminal-type breast cancer. The tabulation of multi-gene expression assay and clinical risk has become the research interest recently. The 23-gene signature was purposed for the Asian population and was validated for the discriminative ability regarding 5-year relapse-free survival and the objective of this study was to evaluate the performance across distinct clinical risk groups. Abstract Background: A 23-gene classifier has been developed based on gene expression profiles of Taiwanese luminal-like breast cancer. We aim to stratify risk of relapse and identify patients who may benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy based on genetic model among distinct clinical risk groups. Methods: There were 248 luminal (hormone receptor-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor II-negative) breast cancer patients with 23-gene classifier results. Using the modified Adjuvant! Online definition, clinical high/low-risk groups were tabulated with the genetic model. The primary endpoint was a recurrence-free interval (RFI) at 5 years. Results: There was a significant difference between the high/low-risk groups defined by the 23-gene classifier for the 5-year prognosis of recurrence (16 recurrences in high-risk and 3 recurrences in low-risk; log-rank test: p < 0.0001). Among the clinically high-risk group, the 5-year RFI of high risk defined by the 23-gene classifier was significantly higher than that of the low-risk group (15 recurrences in high-risk and 2 recurrences in low-risk; log-rank test: p < 0.0001). Conclusion: This study showed that 23-gene classifier can be used to stratify clinically high-risk patients into distinct survival patterns based on genomic risks and displays the potentiality to guide adjuvant chemotherapy. The 23-gene classifier can provide a better estimation of breast cancer prognosis which can help physicians make a better treatment decision.


Analysis of Hg(II) complexed by a soil humic acid (HA) using synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) revealed the importance of reduces sulfur functional groups (thiol (R-SH) and disulfide (R-SS-R)/disulfane (R-SSH)) in humic substances in the complexation of Hg(II). A two-coordinate binding environment with one oxygen atom and one sulfur atom at distances of 2.02 and 2.38 {angstrom}, respectively, was found in the first coordination shell of Hg(II) complexed by humic acid. Model calculations show that a second coordination sphere could contain one carbon atom and a second sulfur atom at 2.78 and 2.93 {angstrom}, respectively. This suggests that in addition to thiol S, disulfide/disulfane S may be involved with the complexation of Hg(II) in soil organic matter. The appearance of carbon atom in the second coordination shell suggests that one O-containing ligand such as carboxyl and phenol ligands rather than H{sub 2}O molecule is bound to the Hg(II). The involvement of oxygen ligand in addition to the reduced S ligands in the complexation of Hg(II) is due to the low density of reduced S ligands in humic substances. The XAS results from this experiment provided direct molecular level evidence for the preference of reduced S functional groups over oxygen ligandsmore » by Hg(II) in the complexation with humic substances.« less


ABSTRACT This article focuses on how Fulani outsider status, often maintained through several generations, constitutes the basis for unequal labour, land and associated relations. It discusses how static forms of 'fixed' citizenship and socioeconomic immobility both maintain and intensify labour precarity, rendering the Fulani more vulnerable to the whims, caprices and avarice of their native 'overlords', as evidenced by the practice of nahu-kparilim in Ghana. The article's main interest is thus land and labour injustice rather than pastoral production and related livelihood activities. Integrating the theories of unfreedom, social reproduction and subalternity, the article contributes to unfree labour studies by demonstrating that despite being constrained in complex ways, unfree labourers have the agency to renegotiate power relations. This advances the idea of unfree labourers' agency which, in comparison to their immiseration, receives less attention in scholarship on unfreedom.


Chapter 7 describes how class intersected with the Nineteenth Amendment, in the context of the United State Supreme Court's decision in Adkins v. Children's Hospital and the divisions over a proposed Equal Rights Amendment. It explores the NWP's negotiations with social feminists and legal progressives, in the three years after ratification. That negotiation was focused on modifying the language of the proposed Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), to ensure that courts would not use it to strike down protective labor legislation for women. These efforts came to naught, and the "neutrality feminists" within the NWP arranged for the ERA to be introduced into Congress in 1923. Chapter 7 argues that Adkins was the high watermark for a potentially robust or "thick" interpretation of the Nineteenth Amendment. Social feminists and legal progressives feared that the ERA would be used in the same way Justice Sutherland invoked the Nineteenth Amendment in Adkins, to justify invalidating minimum wage legislation for women. One consequence of this battle over the ERA is that it has still not been ratified, one hundred years later. But, another consequence was to create a vacuum around the Nineteenth Amendment, contributing to the thin constitutional conception that emerged following ratification.


Based on a newly discovered Sanskrit manuscript from Tibet, the book contains new editions of Candragomins's Jambhalastotra and Deśanāstava, Harṣa's Suprabhātastava, Varāhasvāmin's Devātiśayastotra, Rādhasvāmin's Viśeṣastava, and also a fragment of Mātṛceṭa's Prasādapratibhodbhava. The book also contains an introduction to the manuscript and its palaeography. In this volume the Sanskrit texts of Jambhalastotra, Deśanāstava and Viśeṣastava are presented for the first time.


p(respond "animal") (mongrels) Central Peripheral Go/no-go task: images were flashed for 20 ms at fixation or 11o eccentricity; subjects responded if the image contained a target object (animals in Exp. 1, vehicles in Exp. 2). Mongrel task: "mongrel" images were synthesized at fixation or 11o eccentricity; subjects classified mongrels as target or non-target (free viewing, no time limit). People are good at scene perception tasks (eg, "is there an animal?"), even when scenes are shown peripherally and attention is limited [1] Why are scene tasks easy, when similar tasks with "simple" stimuli are hard?


The recent mortality data for England and Wales shows death from aortic aneurysms to be increasing. In 1995 over 6000 people per year die of aortic aneurysm. AAA screening therefore has the potential to save 3000 lives per year if these two pieces of information are correct. The results of screening are now available from many centres, and are remarkably uniform if allowance is made for the age band and sex screened and the definition used for an aneurysm. Screening for AAA using ultrasound is not expensive, it is the treatment costs of the AAAs that are detected that constitutes the major part of the cost of a screening programme. The choice of criteria for considering surgical intervention combined with the estimated cost difference of emergency and planned surgery are therefore the main determinants of the total cost. Neither have precise agreed figures available to date, because of a lack of information on the natural history of the disease, and availability of good cost-benefit analysis. I recently presented results for 8-year mean follow-up of screen-detected AAA (Kinmonth Lecture: Vascular Society, 1997) showing low rupture rates for AAA with a diameter up to 6 cm (1.3%) using our criteria for considering surgery. (6 cm, 1 cm expanse/year or symptoms.) Our results suggest that observation of screen-detected AAA using these criteria is preferable to surgical intervention for smaller aneurysms. It was possible to calculate the effect on workload of reducing the diameter to 5 cm as an indicator for surgical intervention. This small change increased the number being considered for surgery by 100%. Small changes in the criteria for intervention can clearly make large differences in the cost and are one of the causes for the wide variation in calculated cost-benefit figures in the literature. The UK Small Aneurysm Trial will, it is hoped, clarify indications for surgery. We know little about the effect of screening on quality of life, and any comments have to be surmise only. Knowledge of prevalence data of AAA is limited and incidence data minimal. The prevalence data do not give the true picture of the number of aneurysms requiring treatment. If 6 cm is taken as the indicator, 0.6% are found with this diameter at initial screening, but following the smaller aneurysms results in 2% of the AAAs reaching 6 cm over 8 years. The argument that screening is not indicated with a prevalence of only 6/1000 is somewhat undermined when we find that with time this changes to 1 in 50. Screening for AAA is well attended, with most studies of the age group 65-74 years showing 75-80% attendance. Although those who refuse are selected by their age and other illness, our controlled trial suggested that screening can show a 50% reduction in rupture in the group invited for screening (which includes those who refused the invitation) when compared with the control population. (But it is worth noting that the numbers were small) (1). More information is required. A controlled trial is under way with large numbers (66 000) including costbenefit analysis and quality of life studies, that should provide better data on natural history as well. The study is funded by the MRC and will report in the year 2002. Hopefully, by then we will have the necessary information to allow us to decide whether or not screening for AAA is a feasible and cost-effective technique to apply countrywide. R A P SCOTT FRCS Consultant Surgeon St Richard's Hospital Chichester


Abstract The one-in-a-thousand sample from the 1960 Census of Population and Housing was used to investigate the determinants of the movement of youth into and out of the labor force. Individuals in the sample between the ages of 14 and 24 were stratified on the basis of whether they worked in the preceding year, sex, age, and whether living at home. Separate regressions were run on each stratum. The dependent variable was the labor force status of the individual at the time of the enumeration. The independent variables included educational enrollment and attainment, family income, non-earned income of the youth, geographical region, and degree of urbanization. It was found that the first of these variables was the most influential in effecting the probabilities that a youth would enter and leave the labor force. In general, the results were consistent with the earlier findings of Eleanor H. Bernert which were based on the 1950 Census of Population.


In planer-type optical devices such as OLED, the loss-propagating surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) at the interface on a metallic cathode has been regarded as holding the key to the efficiency improvement. It complicates the characteristics of SPPs, however, that the existence of the classical or phenomenological surface electromagnetic (EM) propagation modes at the interface. With the aid of tracing the predecessors' prior achievements, we clarify theoretically the characteristic of surface EM modes over a comprehensive variety of a permittivity of the interfacing medium. As a result, we prove that there is a requisite in order that the surface EM excitations might be quasi independently observed in a vertical dipole radiation nearby the interface, which is non-positive real part of a permittivity of the medium interfacing to the air, such as a real metal, involving the condition for existence of SPPs.


The feasibility of using photovoltaic modules to power a continuous 14 L electrochemical reactor applied to remove an azo dye with an efficiency of 70% is reported. The photovoltaic modules were directly connected, and the system efficiency was observed properly maintained when currents were applied in the range of 2.5 to 7.9 A. This value depends on solar radiation. Likewise, it was found that the efficiency depends mainly on the current density and the flow rate prevailing in the reactor.


We have performed ultrasonic measurements on the filled skutterudite compound Pr1−xLaxFe4P12 (x = 0.05 and 0.15) to investigate the elastic properties and the 4f electric state of Pr ions. La-substitution causes a drastic change of the elastic constants compared with those of PrFe4P12, suggesting that the interplay between Pr ions plays a crucial role in the low temperature properties. Characteristic behavior was observed in the temperature dependence of elastic constants C11, (C11−C12)/2 and C44 at low temperatures. The elastic constants exhibit a steep decrease around a ferromagnetic transition. Furthermore, a characteristic dip was observed around 10 K, possibly due to the low-lying 4f levels of the Pr ion formed by a crystalline electric field effect (CEF). The results obtained could be explained reasonably by a pseudo-quartet ground state: Γ1–Γ4(1). We discuss the CEF ground state of Pr1−xLaxFe4P12 and the origin of the ferromagnetic transition induced by the La-substitution.


AIM:To investigate the effects of Qingluotongbi granule(QLT)on T lymphocyte subsets and TNF-αtogether IL-1 in synoviocytes of collagen induced arthritis(CIA)in rats.METHODS:The CIA model was created with collagenⅡand Freund complete adjuvant and normal control group was established simultane- ously.Drugs were given on d 7 persisting for 21 d.On d 28,subsets of T lymphocytes in peripheral blood and TNF-α,IL-1,expressions of TNF-αmRNA and IL-1 mRNA in synoviocytes were detected by flow cytometry, ELSIA,and RT-PCR techniques.RESULTS:QLT 14.4 g·kg~(-1) could increase the amount of CD4~+ T lymphocyte and decreased CD8~+ T lymphocyte in peripheral blood of rats with on increase ratio of CD4~+/CD8~+(P<0.05,P<0.01);QLT 7.2,14.4g·kg~(-1) could reduce the levels of IL-1 and TNF-αand inhibit the expressions of TNF-αmRNA and IL-1 mRNA in synoviocytes.CONCLUSION:QLT could modulate the ratio of CD4~+/CD8~+ and re- duce the level of inflammatory cytokines,probably being one of the main mechanisms of QLT.


In this article, a quantitative evaluation of drought characteristics and their variability in Senegalese coast (and/or western) zone in different domains (south and north Sudanian and Sahelian) was carried out. Monthly precipitation data for ten selected stations. SPI analysis for 1, 3, 6 and 12 months was performed. Results of SPI analysis revealed an alternation of negative values indicating an occurrence of drought and positive values for wet conditions. SPI analysis showed several years of drought during the study period with decades 1971-1980, 1981-1990, 1991-2000 which witnessed a persistent drought on Senegalese coast. This drought is classified as light, moderate, severe and extreme. An in-depth examination shows the predominance of mild droughts with the greatest number of occurrences during study period on Senegalese coast. In the context of reducing the drought impacts, this study provides useful information for proactive intervention and effective planning of rain-fed agriculture on Senegalese coast.


2+ was used. Lipase production was measured in terms of enzyme activity. Maximum lipase production was achieved at a temperature of 37°C, pH 8.0 after 120 hrs of incubation in presence of CaCl 2 using 1% olive oil as the substrate.


This research proposes the Top-k Items Recommendation System which uses clustering techniques based on memory-based collaborative filtering technique. Currently, data sparsity and quantity of system are problems in memory-based collaborative filtering technique. We offer recommend or show some items set for user's preference.  In this research, we propose methods for recommended items set to user preference on data sparsity, movie lens datasets (1M) consisting of 671 users and 163,949 product items were used by determining the preference level between 1 and 5 and user satisfaction levels of all 98,903 items being build and test the models. Methods was divided into three parts included 1) Simple Agent Module 2) Neighbor Filtering and 3) Prediction and Recommend. Simple clustering was used to create a system to provide suggestions for sparsity data. Datasets obtained from clustering represented the sample agent of dataset to being create the recommendation system. Datasets were divided into two categories, 1) Traditional Data (TD) and 2) Statistic Data (SD), and each dataset clustered by k-means clustering. The experimental results demonstrated that the number of item types in the system were recommended in the TD and Euclidean (DIS). DIS was used to find the nearest value in TD for the item list recommendation to active users in the system with the a lot of number choice of recommendation system.


Mining decorative and facade stones is considered as a high-risk industry because of high volume of investment, and dealing with various technical and economic variables. Moreover, evaluating and rating of risks when productive risk factors are high is considered as one of the most important and meanwhile most complex risk management processes. Rating project risks is the key section of evaluation phase in risk management process. Therefore, identifying and prioritizing risks can have a significant role in success of a project. The main goal of this study is to present a model for identifying and rating risks due to its importance in decorative and facade stone mines. For this reason firstly, the risks are identified by the technique ofrisk breakdown structure. In next step, ten indexes are determined in order to assess the risks. The experts' ideas and comments have been collected by preparing Double Comparison Questionnaire of the indexes and a questionnaire for decision-making whichare based on risk breakdown structure. Finally, with utilizing composite Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process and Fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solutionas a composite approach with presenting a more realistic and robust results compared to other methods of decision making, risks have been rated. Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Processin determining weights of factors and final rating of risks utilizing these weights is done through prioritizing technique with FuzzyTechnique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution. The results show that executive risks and natural disasters have got allocated the highest and lowest risks accordingly.


As part of a project about Swedish youths' expectations and experiences concerning behavior while intoxicated, eight focus-group interviews were conducted (mean age: 19 years; total number of participants: 47). The article focuses on young people's attitudes and beliefs about alcohol and violence, with a special focus on their experiences and beliefs regarding alcohol as an explanation and an excuse for violent behavior. The respondents said they believed that alcohol has a crucial role in the origin of violence. On the one hand, there was strong agreement that alcohol was not a good excuse for participating in violence, but, on the other hand, they said alcohol often was used as an excuse for acts of violence, and that it worked. The excuse value of alcohol was also indicated in several ways: Alcohol involvement sometimes reduced the severity of an act, and alcohol sometimes also helped to normalize a person engaged in violence.


In recent years there has been an increased demand for light-weight alloys from the aerospace and automotive industries. One particular challenge is producing cost-effective alloys for automotive applications. In response to this demand, Magnesium Elektron North America Inc. have produced three novel alloys based on the Mg-Zn-Nd-Y system. Although these alloys cost less to produce than their aerospace counterparts, it is necessary for them to provide good levels of formability for wrought applications, while retaining a high strength to weight ratio. The three alloys have been tested with hot axisymmetric compression. A matrix of tests was carried out between 425 and 450 oC with strain rates ranging from 0.5 to 5/s. The narrow range of the test conditions was due to the narrow process window exhibited by the alloys. Tests outside of this range failed due to incipient melting at higher temperatures or brittle fracture at lower temperatures. The limited ductility of the alloys was due to a significant volume fraction of a eutectic phase that existed at grain boundaries. The phase was identified with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and transmission electron microscopy to be the W-phase. The W-phase is deleterious to the tensile properties of Mg-Zn-RE alloys. The Zn/RE ratio was identified as being a controlling factor in the formation of the brittle eutectic compound. Changes in the alloy composition have been recommended in order to expand the process window. The deformed microstructures exhibited extensive dynamic recrystallisation (DRX) when examined with electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD). The dominant active mechanism of DRX was believed to be a function of the Zener-Hollomon parameter. Continuous dynamic rotation recrystallisation (CDRRX) was the only mechanism of DRX to significantly weaken the otherwise strong basal texture that developed after deformation. A complementary study showed that the alloys age harden with the beta(1) and beta(1) prime precipitates being identified as possible strengthening phases.


A near infrared calibration model with higher precision and better stability was constructed in the present study, using 280 cottonseed samples. The reference phytic acid contents were determined by high-performance ion chromatography. A combination of Savitzky–Golay smoothing, standard normal variate, and the first derivative was chosen as the spectral pre-treatment method. Monte Carlo uninformative variable elimination was proposed for spectral variable selection. The regression methods of partial least squares, least squares support vector machines, and weighted least squares support vector machines were developed for the calibration model. The optimal near infrared calibration model for phytic acid contents in the cottonseed meals was least squares support vector machines, with r2 = 0.97, RPD = 5.53, RMSECV = 0.06%, and RMSEP = 0.05%. This robust method can replace the traditional method of phytic acid determination in cottonseed meals.


Abstract

It was in 1816 that Benjamin Bailey arrived in Kerala as part of the 'Mission of Help' to the ancient Syrian Christian Church of that state. These Christians trace their heritage back to the labours of the Apostle Thomas and are therefore also known as Thomas Christians. The Mission of Help had as its main goal the reformation and revival of this ancient Christian Church. The CMS did not wish, they claimed, to establish the Anglican Church in Kerala. The thesis appraises this Mission of Help and why the Syrian Christians ultimately brought it to an end in 1836. Firstly, theological differences between the Anglican Evangelicals of the CMS and the Oriental Orthodox Syrian Christians are assessed. It is argued that these differences were seriously underestimated by Bailey and his colleagues. Secondly, the Mission of Help was politicised through the influence of the East India Company Resident of Travancore Col. John Munro who desired to see the Syrians brought into the Anglican Church. Munro believed such an ecclesiastical union would also foster deeper political ties in an era of nascent colonialism. The thesis will also look at the legacies of the Mission of Help subsequent to 1836 in the development of Anglicanism in Kerala and reform movements within the Syrian Church. It will be argued that indigenous movements also help to explain some of the developments which took place and Bailey cannot therefore be wholly praised or blamed for these occurrences. In conclusion, some lessons will be drawn from this episode for contemporary debates about mission and empire, mission and ecclesiology and the nature and scope of mission.


Gender differences in student achievement have been widely studied. Considering the long‐term effects of externalising behaviour problems on children's later academic performance, it can be conjectured that gender disparities in student achievement may be rooted in developmental characteristics in early childhood. As an effort towards contributing insights to the growing body of knowledge on child development, this study investigated whether variability in externalising behaviour problems among preschool children could be attributed to gender differences. Participants were 110 parents who completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, and rated their child's behaviour on the Achenbach Child Behaviour Checklist. The children (mean age in months = 45.62 (SD = 10.12)) consisted of 52 boys and 58 girls. This study revealed that boys were reported to exhibit higher rates of externalising problems than girls, and that higher rates of internalising problems also predicted higher rates of externalising problems among these preschool children.


I read with interest the recent article by Wilson et al ( [2003][1]). On the basis of a randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled trial, they conclude that sertraline is not effective in preventing recurrent episodes of depression. However, I would like to make certain observations.

First,


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
A national survey of cleft teams was undertaken as part of the Clinical Standards Advisory Group investigation of the current status of cleft care in the United Kingdom (UK).

METHODS
Fifty-seven cleft teams were identified, of which 90% responded to the survey.

MAIN FINDINGS
Nine cleft teams had been established since 1992. Only one region, Northern Ireland, had a centralised cleft service and, despite 82% of teams having databases, only four were able to produce corroborated evidence of receiving at least 30 annual new referrals during 1995. There was a wide variation in the facilities provided by individual cleft teams--only six teams were able to provide all of the key facilities recommended by the Royal College of Surgeons Steering Group on cleft lip and palate. Facilities such as antenatal and neonatal counselling, protocols for record keeping and long-term treatment were similar for high and low volume teams. High volume teams were more likely to have established links with a full range of specialities including psychology, clinical genetics and paediatrics than low volume teams.

CONCLUSION
A national survey of cleft services has demonstrated a need for reorganisation. This is now in process and once established will require continual monitoring and assessment.


Abstract While the Errors-In-Variables (EIV) Model has been treated as a special case of the nonlinear Gauss- Helmert Model (GHM) for more than a century, it was only in 1980 that Golub and Van Loan showed how the Total Least-Squares (TLS) solution can be obtained from a certain minimum eigenvalue problem, assuming a particular relationship between the diagonal dispersion matrices for the observations involved in both the data vector and the data matrix. More general, but always nonsingular, dispersion matrices to generate the "properly weighted" TLS solution were only recently introduced by Schaffrin and Wieser, Fang, and Mahboub, among others. Here, the case of singular dispersion matrices is investigated, and algorithms are presented under a rank condition that indicates the existence of a unique TLS solution, thereby adding a new method to the existing literature on TLS adjustment. In contrast to more general "measurement error models," the restriction to the EIV-Model still allows the derivation of (nonlinear) closed formulas for the weighted TLS solution. The practicality will be evidenced by an example from geodetic science, namely the over-determined similarity transformation between different coordinate estimates for a set of identical points.


A University Medical School began offering anatomy classes in 2002, in a space not originally designed as a wet laboratory. When Anatomy classes began using wet specimens, fixed in a solution that contains 4-5% formalin, vapours of formaldehyde were released. Formaldehyde can cause irritant effects at very low levels and the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified formaldehyde as carcinogenic to humans (group 1). The current Australian classification is Category 2 – probable human carcinogen for which there is sufficient evidence to provide a strong presumption that human exposure might result in the development of cancer. The current Australian exposure standard is 1 ppm with a STEL of 2 ppm. Proposed exposure standards are lower to control irritant effects. Over the past 11 years in conjunction with monitoring and recommendations by the University's Occupational Health and Safety Branch there has been a gradual improvement in conditions in the teaching laboratory. Most recently, through consultation with users of the area, Facilities and Services Division and consultants, a local exhaust ventilation system was designed and installed. Formaldehyde vapours are now removed as they are generated, with minimal restrictions on student access to the specimens. This paper presents the results of various monitoring sessions over the years 20042013, along with discussion of the types of controls considered, design of the ventilation system and follow-up monitoring results. The objective of minimising student exposure and protecting their health has been achieved.


This chapter traces the life and work of those two Canadian sisters: Zelma Argue and Beulah Argue Smith, who traveled widely in evangelistic crusades on both sides of the Canada-US border and served in local churches in both countries. Based on the work of the Argue sisters as portrayed in the pages of The Pentecostal Testimony , between 1920 and 1990, the chapter considers the gendered aspects of the Argue sisters' ministries, exploring how their lives reflected themes in the larger story of North American Pentecostal women during the first half of the twentieth century. The literature on Canadian women in the church has grown significantly in recent years. As the daughters of A.H. Argue, Zelma and Beulah were well connected to people with power and authority in Canadian Pentecostal circles. Keywords: Beulah argue; Canadian Pentecostal movement; Zelma


Jiang Zeming's theory on the youth work embodies the development requirement of the advanced productive forces of the "Three Represents" thought. The youth should be the successors, disseminators and developers of the advanced culture and should guarantee the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the Chinese people.


practice will continue to be the individual practitioner in the community and in the segment of the com¬ munity where he is immediately available to the family. With regard to preventive medical service, if early diagnosis and early treatment will be stimulated by these methods we are con¬ tributing to preventive medicine. Dr. Adams : The discussion this morning has been limited to industrial and state plans, but there are several other types of plans which may have more universal application than any of these. First probably would come the plans organized and sponsored by physicians themselves, some of which are operat¬ ing successfully throughout the country, and then other state¬ wide medical association plans such as in the state of New Jersey. Third are the commercial insurance plans, of which there are many, one of which is operating satisfactorily in our company. Their rates are considerably higher than in our employee organizations, but they are an answer in some states


In the manufacture of thin-film transistor liquid-crystal displays (TFT-LCDs), a major goal is to scale up the production of liquid-crystal panels and lower their production costs. For that reason, we have developed a large-area high-density (3.58 × 1011 cm−3) surface-wave plasma source based on a slot antenna. This source is designed to reduce the number of separate production steps in semiconductor processing, thereby increasing the throughput of large-area TFT-LCD substrates. We are convinced that the use of this plasma source will not only increase the etching rate, but also reduce the need for industry-standard photoresist liftoff processes by enabling an uninterrupted transition after etching to photoresist liftoff (ashing). We found that the etching rate for a 400 × 500 mm2 polysilicon layer on a glass substrate was 58 nm/min with a uniformity of ±6.8% when our source was used. Furthermore, when ashing was carried out in the same chamber immediately after etching, the ashing rate was 1430 nm/min with a uniformity of ±9.3%. We also found that the selectivity ratio for resist versus polysilicon and the SiO2 in an underlayer was higher than 140. This implies that our process outperforms the standard resist liftoff process; indeed, we have realized a high-uniformity etching process with twice the etching rate of standard methods. In addition, we have made progress toward realizing an ashing process, which is almost ready for practical use. These two processes can be combined into a single integrated etching–ashing process that will reduce the need for a separate liftoff procedure and simplify processing. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 2, 87(6): 28–38, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecjb.10086


Impaired parasympathetic control of heart rate is associated with increased incidence of cardiac dysrhythmias and ischemia.Anticholinergic drugs, commonly administered during reversal of neuromuscular blockade, suppress parasympathetic control in the early postoperative period. This could potentially be detrimental in patients at risk of cardiovascular complications. The duration of parasympathetic impairment by two anticholinergic drugs were compared in this double-blind randomized cross-over study. Fourteen healthy volunteers received a single intravenous injection of atropine 20 micro g/kg or glycopyrrolate 8 micro g/kg during two different study sessions. The methods of spontaneous baroreflex analysis and spectral analysis of heart rate variability generated indices of beat-by-beat parasympathetic modulation of heart rate. Both drugs resulted in a marked decrease in baroreflex sensitivity and high-frequency heart rate variability. The times to return to baseline values were approximately doubled after atropine compared to glycopyrrolate (177 +/- 22 vs 82 +/- 8 min for baroreflex sensitivity, 212 +/- 16 vs 111 +/- 14 min for high-frequency power, and 171 +/- 18 vs 95 +/- 18 min for high-frequency power normalized to total power; P < 0.01 for all variables). Atropine leads to more prolonged impairment of parasympathetic control than equipotent doses of glycopyrrolate, and its use may thus be less desirable in high-risk patients in the early postoperative period. (Anesth Analg 1997;84:155-9)


The prime Greater One-horned Rhino's (Rhinoceros unicornis) habitats include a mosaic of grasses, oxbow lakes, Shorea robusta forests, and alluvial floodplains and the major habitat of this species is riverine grasslands dominated by Imperata cylindrical and riverine forests dominated by Trewia nudiflora. This study was mainly focused on the analysis of habitat suitability of Rhinoceros unicornis in Nawalparasi, Chitwan, and Parsa districts of Nepal. The secondary data such as bioclimatic and topographical variables were collected from relevant sources. Spatial data were processed using various tools of ArcGIS while the presence data were converted using Excel, and analysis was done with Maxent. The results showed that approximately 75.17% (53.32 sq. km) of suitable area is occupied by Chitwan National Park. Similarly, Barandabhar Corridor Forest occupies 7.38% (18.89 sq. km) of the suitable area of the landscape. While, there is no area suitable for Greater One-horned Rhinoceros in Parsa National Park. Among Land Use Land Cover (LULC), the riverbed was found to be the most important variable. Invasion of invasive plants was found to be the most frequent disturbance factor followed by human disturbances and forest fires. Though grassland management is an important part of habitat management, it is highly recommended that the management of waterholes should be done. Protected Area manager should conduct localised habitat suitability assessment once the area is found suitable at the landscape level and further field verification should be done. Invasive plant control measures and alternatives to meet the forest product demand should be promoted.


Objective To investigate the relationship between GRACE risk scoring, peripheral blood red cell distribution width(RDW) and the severity of coronary artery disease. Methods 218 patients with suspected coronary heart disease or myocardial infarction to receive coronary artery angiography from June 2011 to December 2013 in the Second Hospital of Qinhuangdao City, all patients were given the GRACE risk scoring and RDW determination, all the patients were divided into low risk group(GRACE90 scores), intermediate risk group(90-133 scores) and high risk group( 133 scores) according to the RACE risk score. Results 132 patients had different degree of coronary artery lesion, 86 cases without coronary artery disease. RDW of patients with coronary artery lesion was(14.11±1.27)%, and the RDW of patients without coronary artery lesion was(12.82±1.56)%, the difference was highly statistically significant(P 0.01). The higher the GRACE risk scores, the more pathological blood vessels, the incidence of 3 vessel in the high risk group(32.6%) was higher than that of the middle risk group(24.2%) and the low risk group(9.4%), the differences were statistically significant(all P 0.05). At the same time, the higher the GRACE risk scores, the more serious of the stenosis degree, the high-risk group of vascular stenosis rate(32.6%) was significantly higher than that of the middle risk group(24.2%) and the low risk group(5.7%), the differences were statistically significant(all P 0.05). RDW value of the low risk group, medium risk group, high risk group were(13.38±1.79)%,(13.88±1.61)%,(14.21±1.98)% respectively, the differences were statistically significant(all P 0.05). Conclusion The GRACE risk score and RDW is closely related to the severity of coronary artery disease, which can provide the basis for the risk assessment of coronary artery disease and individualized treatment.


The project report entitled "To Study about the Credit facilities with reference to the G: 2156 Sozhanganallur urban cooperative credit society. Credit is contractual agreement in which a borrower receives something of value now and agrees to repay the lender at some later date with consideration, generally with interest.


Forty-three patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck, who had received no previous treatment, were given combination chemotherapy composed of Cis-platinum (CDDP), Peplomycin (PEP), Adriamycin (ADM) intraarterially or intravenously. Complete remissions were obtained in fifteen (34.9%) and partial remissions in eighteen (41.8%). The intraarterial route was more effective than the intravenous route. The main side-effects were nausea and vomiting (83.7%), anemia (48.5%), leukopenia (69.8%), thrombocytopenia (20.9%), renal toxicity (18.6%), alopecia (65.1%), and hearing loss (30.2%). All side effects were, however, mild and transient. Combination chemotherapy composed of CDDP, PEP, and ADM appeared to be effective for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Further study should be performed on infusing and effective regional doses of drugs based on the cell kinetics, reciprocal actions of drugs, etc.


This is' a macro-level national study on human rights perspective and tasks, and rights record/performance drawing wholly upon the Annual Reports of National Human Rights Commission. Presented in two parts, Part I discourses at length the rights perspective and related tasks; and Part II is empirical in nature and reports on our analysis of the data contained in NHRC Annual Reports. It reports the trends/patterns of the phenomenon of custodial deaths/ rapes, considering them as a proximate measure of the nation's rights performance/record. Attention is drawn to the inherent limitations of the data used. More disaggregated micro-level data and analysis will be needed to decipher trends and patterns that form the basis of policy, intervention and rights culture creation/promotion. Further disaggregation of data analysis to the extent possible is underway.


In order to tune the frequency characteristics of a filter or oscillator as an exponential function of the position of a note on a musical scale, a pulse stream with an exponentially scaled duty cycle is used to gate an on-off switch which controls an electronic tuning signal for the first or second stage of the filter or oscillator. The pulse stream source can be a pulse code generator responsive to a priority note generator, or it can be an oscillator-driven one-shot with an exponentially scaled power supply governing the charging rate of a reactive component which determines the one-shot cycle time. There are also pitch offset and pitch modulation features in the circuit, the latter being usable in a constant deviation or a constant interval mode.


Abstract:The Cambridge Companion to The Waste Land gathers thirteen essays on diverse topics ranging from T.S. Eliot's reflection on popular culture to the traumatic effects of the Great War on his personal life, the collaborative effort when composing the poem, the poet's ecological awareness, his religious vision and the adoption of pastiche. Written in an accessible style, these essays will serve as an invaluable reference book for students and general readers, as well as scholars.


Housemanship' is one of the most challenging phases for a person who wants to become a doctor and wants to choose medicine as his or her career. This paper aims to discuss the psychological well-being issues that are often faced by 'houseman' medical officers throughout their undergoing housemanship. Literatures search was conducted based on previous studies related on well-being and psychological well-being issues faced by 'houseman' medical officers. This initial literature reviews' study confirmed that many 'houseman' doctors experienced considerable stress, anxiety, depression and burnout. The source of stress was multi-faceted, but workload wass the most significant stressor. Having good coping strategies help them to overcome their problem and might relief stress and could foster good psychological well-being during their training duration.


Being a teacher can indeed be a demanding and challenging job. To be a successful teacher, one needs to know how to deal with various setbacks and occupational hazards like stress, brimming schedule, and the fact that we do relatively low paid, excruciating job which does not finish at the office or at our working place. The teacher's job comes with him after the working hours, to his home. Therefore, to be a successful teacher you need to love this occupation and be ready for the constant change, innovation and improvement. Otherwise, teaching does not make any sense, and classroom becomes difficult place for the teacher and the students. In the article, "Lesson Planning in the Second Language Teaching"; written by Kitty B. Purgason, we can find some important pointers regarding how to do lesson planning. These pointers may improve lesson content on the one hand and on the other hand may be helpful for a teacher in dealing with full schedule and short time preparation for the lesson.


A miniature glow discharge (GD) is evaluated as an atom reservoir for laser-excited atomic fluorescence spectrometric measurements of Eu, Y, and Tm. Nanoliter-sized aqueous samples are deposited and dried on the Ni cathode and atomized upon ignition of the GD. The atom population is probed by a copper vapor laser pumped dye laser, and direct-line fluorescence is detected. The optimum chamber pressures and operating currents are 1 Torr and 10 mA for Eu, 2 Torr and 10 mA for Y, and 3 Torr and 40 mA for Tm. The fluorescence temporal profiles are found to consist of short (∼20-ms duration) transient spikes, followed by long tails which last more than 60 s as a result of sample redeposition on the cathode surface. The limits of detection (3a) are 2 fg, 1.2 pg, and 0.08 fg for Eu, Y, and Tm, respectively, with the use of signal area integration over a 6-s duration. Theoretically simulated signals for a particular sample mass, considering the geometry of the GD atomizer, were found to fall within one order of magnitude of those obtained by experiment.


Because of the importance of the voyage in the navy and economy,more and more countries pay attention to the research of ship motion.A three-dimensional visual simulation system of ship motion in virtual ocean environment is presented in this paper.The paper gives the equation of ship motion in regular wave ,uses the software of Creator to make the model of the ship,and controlls the movement of the ship in real time with Vega.The scene of sea is made in marine module of Vega.The system simulates truly the movement of ship.The system not only saves the cost of study but also has a good visual effect.It makes a good preparation for further research.


The concept of Ride-Sharing (RS) is very important valuables of environment because it saving energy and destroy the traffic pressure or traffic congestion. Riding sharing helps to improve resource utilization by sharing the resource for multiple users. Generally maximizing route ride sharing is more difficult and crucial process, because ride sharing includes shared route's distance, total travel distance, route percentage, and waiting time and peak-time traffic. The previous studies have used several features to maximizing route ride sharing, which has been collected from shared route percentage (SRP). The main drawbacks of the previous studies are that need accurate and more number of SRP. Data mining is an effective way to solve such problems in the road network. This paper surveys about the recent data mining various techniques and methods used to ride-sharing (RS) problem.


In the present investigation we compare the expression, basal activation and the ability of muscle stretch to activate the p70 pathway in the fast-twitch extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and slow-twitch soleus of adult (6 mo. old), aged (30 mo. old) and very aged (36 mo. old) Fischer 344 x Brown Norway rats. Immunoblotting demonstrated that the tissue content of mTOR, p70, 4E-BP1 and GSK-3β decreased in the EDL and soleus in aged rats, while SHP-2 increased in the EDL and decreased in the soleus when compared to adult rats. Basal phosphorylation of 4E-BP1 increased in both the muscles; however, basal phosphorylation of mTOR increased in EDL while it was decreased in the very aged soleus. Conversely, the basal phosphorylation of GSK-3β and SHP-2 decreased in both the muscles in aged rats. Twenty percent stretch of the EDL muscle increased phosphorylation of 4E-BP1, mTOR and GSK-3ß in younger rats and decreased the phosphorylation of these molecules in the older rats. The "mTOR"mediated phosphorylation of p70 (THR 389) decreased in all the three age groups in the EDL, while "ERK1/2"mediated phosphorylation of p70 (THR421/SER424) increased in all the three age groups in the EDL, but increased only in the aged in soleus. Conversely, SHP-2 phosphorylation decreased in the aged soleus. Taken together, these data imply that aging affects the expression, basal phosphorylation and mechanical regulation of different signaling molecules in the rat EDL and soleus.


The main purpose of this paper is to study and investigate some results concerning derivation d on semiprime near-ring N , we obtain d is commuting (resp.centralizing on N) on N.


The invention creatively relates to a filtering apparatus and especially relates to a filtering apparatus of an air exhaust channel of a ground washing vehicle. The filtering apparatus includes an air inlet, an air sucking port and a piece of filter cotton. An opened inner chamber is formed in the filter cotton. Air flows into the inner chamber through the air inlet and then flows towards the external side surfaces of the filter cotton from walls of the inner chamber in different directions, and finally is converged to the air sucking port. When the inner walls of the filter cotton are subjected to pressure of the air flow, on one hand, the filter cotton is expanded outwardly, so that fine air pores are correspondingly enlarged and air ventilation efficiency is increased, thus, filter effect is not influenced even some fine air pores in the inner walls of the filter cotton are blocked; and on the other hand, the tensile strain strength of the filter cotton is higher than the compressive strain stress, so that the filter cotton, under the pressure of air flow, is lower in deformation and has better elasticity performance than conventional filter cotton, thereby increasing durability of the filter cotton.


FIELD: devices for inspection of branching pipe lines. SUBSTANCE: pipe line to be inspected has hose which may be screwed out and may be used for moving the TV camera through pipe line. EFFECT: enhanced reliability. 6 cl, 4 dwg


Looking at the law and economics of the family through the eyes of the Austrian school helps us to see two key points of analysis that other approaches might overlook. First, Austrians understand the role played by the law as a node of social coordination in a world of uncertainty. Second, the Austrian understanding of capital, including human capital, sheds light on what makes for a sustainable marital partnership and provides a way of describing in more detail the nature of the coordination problem marriage involves. To the degree that the law facilitates rather than complicates the creation of complementary human capital structures between marital partners, it will contribute to better marriages and fewer divorces.


To place new constraints on the short‐term, broad‐scale lithospheric evolution of plate interiors, we utilize broadband seismic data from the Great Basin region of the Western United States to produce high‐resolution images of the crust and upper mantle. Our results suggest that parts of the Great Basin lithosphere has been removed, likely via inflow of hot asthenosphere as subduction of the Farallon spreading center occurred and the region extended. In our proposed model, fragments of thermal lithosphere removed by this process were gravitationally unstable and subsequently sank into the underlying mantle, leaving behind less dense, stronger, chemically depleted lithosphere. This destabilization process promotes volcanism, deformation, and the reworking of continental lithosphere inboard from plate margins. Our results provide evidence for a new mechanism of lithospheric evolution that is likely common and significant in postsubduction tectonic settings.


This book is composed of articles written by A grade students at the University of Derby. These students have been taught the technologies and practices that are at the cutting edge of enterprise systems. The information in this book is suitable for small to medium enterprises that wish to know more about implementing technology into their business practices. The topics within cover cloud computing, change management, dyslexia support, web vs mobile applications, project failure and success, collaborative decision making, resource planning systems, data sharing, and error reduction. This book is composed of research from a variety of sources that have been compiled into easily digestible articles. Each article is aimed at one aspect of implementing technology in business. You can read the book from start to finish, or read each article as and when it applies to you, as they are written to be independent of each other.


A coating excellent, good brazing the dimensional accuracy of products, less prone to corrosion, good appearance brazing portion (fillet) after brazing the aluminum brazing paste composition, it is coated with its aluminum-containing member and the aluminum member used brazing method. Pasty composition for aluminum brazing contains an aluminum-containing powder, wherein in the cumulative particle size curve of the aluminum-containing powder to D (Q) μm represents the time corresponding to the Q volume% particle diameter Dμm, D (50) μm less than 20μm 150μm or less, and D (90) μm / D (10) μm is 5 or less; the mass ratio of the particles through the mesh screen of the aluminum-containing powder is 50% or less 45μm; aluminum-containing powder flowability 80 seconds / 50g or less.


The aim of the study was to determine the contents of amino acids in rhubarb seeds with pre-column derivatization by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography( RP-HPLC). Amino acids extracted by the method of hydrolysis in 6 mol /L HCl were derivatized by 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene( DNFB) and analyzed by RP-HPLC with gradient elution. The chromatographic separation was performed on a Gemimi-NX C18( 4.6 mm × 250 mm,5 μm) column with 0. 1 M aqueous sodium acetate solution( A) and acetonitrile-water( 1∶ 1)( B) as mobile phases. The column temperature was maintained at 37 ° C,and the detection wavelength was set at 360 nm. The results showed that the three genuine rhubarb seed contained 17 kinds of amino acids,11. 30% to 19. 26% of the total content. The experimental results proved that the developed RP-HPLC method was sensitive,accurate and repeatable.


Minkoff and Marshall's (2016) exploration of the concept of risk, revisiting a Lancet (2010) editorial statement that women "do not have the right to put their baby at risk," is important, although incorrectly attributed to Kingma. The original article advised that hospital births "should be the preferred method of delivery for high risk pregnancies" because of the higher risks associated with home births. Minkoff and Marshall point out that the risk being referred to relates to the fetus rather than to a child. Kingma (2011), in fact, had assertively criticized the editorial, pointing out that the woman's voice is missing. Here we also focus on the fetus and discuss how novel genomic tests that uncover a multitude of different risks further complicate the issue of risk interpretation. We agree that the pernicious criminalization of pregnant women may be fueled by such statements. By examining both relative risk (the expression of risk in relation to a baseline) and relatives' risks (risks to the interests of the collective family) in their article, Minkoff and Marshall expose some of the complexities of decision making during pregnancy. This complexity increases with advances in available technologies not only with regard to the actual delivery of the fetus, but also in the choices that women, and their partners, are able to make during pregnancy, or even before embarking on a pregnancy. One area that deserves attention is how advances in genomics can predict risks to the future child in a way that then further impacts on the Minkoff and Marshall debate. Advanced genomic tests use broad yet highly sensitive techniques to examine the fetal genome and are increasingly offered as risk predictors in pregnancy. Whilst prenatal genetic testing in the past could also offer broad testing in the form of chromosome examination, the sensitivity of this testing was only a tiny fraction of what current techniques can offer. In the past, any detailed approach to genome analysis was targeted to specific sections of the genomic code by signs, symptoms, family history, or, for example, maternal age. New genomic technologies in effect "trawl" the whole


This thesis investigates the effect of linking sector regulation with competition law in the electronic communications sector in the European Union. It examines two questions. The first is whether, on balance, aligning sector regulation with competition law helps or hinders the achievement of specified regulatory objectives such as improved market structures and economic efficiency. The second question is whether linking sector regulation and competition law is a good way of achieving regulatory coordination and consistency across EU member states. The main finding is that it was unwise to link sector regulation and competition law in such a tight methodological and institutional fashion.


We consider a model where individuals can voluntarily contribute to improve the quality of the environment. They di er with regard to their confidence in the announcement made by the regulator about the risk of pollution, modelized in a RDEU model, and to their environmental sensitivity. We compare the efficiency of a tax in increasing individual contributions with the advantages of a nudge based on the announcement of the social optimum to each individual. Under some conditions, a nudge performs better than a tax, in particular, because the individual reaction depends directly on sensitivity, while only indirectly with a tax. Moreover, a nudge does not require information about private contributions, contrary to a tax based on the contributions that are not provided compared to the social optimum. Lastly, its implementation is much cheaper. Yet, some drawbacks are discussed and simulations illustrate our results.


Recent cases in China, England and a range of other jurisdictions demonstrate the potential for Chinese and foreign courts to take jurisdiction over the same or overlapping disputes. While jurisdictional issues are certainly not new in the international arena or, indeed, in relation to China, these issues are assuming increased importance as international commercial – and hence legal – contacts between Chinese and foreign companies expand. The implications are potentially significant. This article focuses on the acceptance by Chinese courts of jurisdiction over cases where it is claimed that the parties have signed a jurisdiction clause nominating a foreign court and the related legal issues arising from the overlap of Chinese and foreign rules.


The article considers approaches to the assessment of human capital taking into account the concept of value-oriented corporate management, which has become the methodological basis of the study. The tools of synthetic and analytical accounting in accordance with RAS and the tax legislation of the Russian Federation were used to disclose the content and comprehension of the studied financial notions. The methods of relative values of economic analysis, quantitative methods of evaluation, cost-based (property), revenue and market (comparative) approaches are used in relation to determining the value of human capital. A more specific definition of the human capital utilization coefficient and quantitative estimates of individual human capital, goodwill of human capital are proposed. A universal methodology has been developed for assessing human capital in proportion to the business qualities and labor contribution of employees to the capitalization of the enterprise and the increase in its value. The proposed methodology integrates revenue, cost-based (property) and market approaches. The quantitative relationship between the goodwill of individual human capital and the goodwill of the entire enterprise is revealed. For practitioners in the field of business valuation, researchers in the development of value-oriented corporate management, teachers and students of economics in the study of financial methods of corporate valuation.


Abstract By means of the measurement of creep curves and microstructure observation, an investigation has been made into the microstructure evolution of γ′ phase in [001] orientation single crystal nickel-base superalloy during tensile creep. Results show that, after full heat treatment, the microstructure of the single crystal nickel-base superalloy consists of the cubical γ′ phase embedded coherently in the γ matrix, and arranged regularly along the 〈100〉 orientations. During tensile creep, the cubical γ′ phase in the alloy is transformed into the rafted structure along the direction vertical to the applied stress axis. During steady state creep, the strain rate of the single crystal nickel-base superalloy is controlled by the climbing of dislocations in the ranges of the applied temperatures and stresses. After crept up to fracture, various morphologies of the rafted γ′ phase are displayed in different regions of the specimen, and the coarsening and twist extent of the rafted γ′ phase increase as the distance from the fracture decreases, which is attributed to the increment of the effective stress and strain extent in the necked region.


A 60-year-old woman presented to our hospital with a 1-month history of dysphagia. She smoked and consumed alcohol but had no notable past medical history. Physical examination revealed epigastric tenderness, and abdominal computed tomography revealed diffuse thickening of the esophageal wall and stenosis of the esophageal lumen. She underwent a barium-swallowing examination. A tumor that measured approximately 4 cm in length was detected with ulceration and stenosis in the distal esophagus and gastroesophageal junction. Tumor biopsy showed squamous cell carcinoma. Esophagectomy was performed. The pathological diagnosis was squamous cell carcinoma with a neuroendocrine carcinoma component; the latter component made up less than 30% of the lesion. Regional lymph node metastasis, consisting of squamous cell carcinoma and neuroendocrine carcinoma components, was also observed. The patient was diagnosed with multiple liver metastases 2 months postesophagectomy. She died 11 months after the surgery. Here, we present the above case and a review of relevant literature.


We investigate the 3-D matter distribution at $z\sim 2$ with high resolution ($R\sim 40,000$) spectra of QSO pairs and groups obtained with the UVES spectrograph at ESO VLT. Our sample is unique for the number density of objects and the variety of separations, between $\sim 0.5$ and 7 proper Mpc. We compute the real space cross-correlation function of the Lyman-$\alpha$ forest transmitted fluxes. There is a significant clustering signal up to $\sim 2$ proper Mpc, which is still present when absorption lines with high column density ($\log N \ge 13.8$) are excluded.


This study was conducted in Meru District, Arusha region. Specifically, the study assessed production performance of VCs; identified market chains and market opportunities; analyzed gross market margins and profit margins at different stages in the market chains. Data were collected from 90 farmers, 78 traders and 33 consumers, who were purposively sampled. Production performance of VCs was computed through descriptive statistics and cross tabulations. Results that indicated the mean eggs laid per hen during dry and wet seasons were 17.0 ± 0.5 and 12.9 ± 0.4 respectively. This difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). Survival rates of chicks 8 – 10 weeks of age were 70.9% during dry season and 67.5% during wet season. Adult's survival rates were 87.4% and 86.1% during wet and dry season respectively. Chick mortalities were due to diseases and predators. Most farmers vaccinated their flocks against Newcastle disease. Market opportunities were identified. Marketing and profit margins were found to vary among different actors along the market chain. The results obtained indicated farmers were adequately rewarded in cocks, hens and eggs but not for growers. Hotels, restaurants/bars obtained higher marketing margins. Consumers were constrained by high price during high price seasons. The study revealed that performance of VCs was good in terms of: average age at first lay (5.7 ± 1.8 months old), hatchability percent, and adult survival rates. However, performances of VCs were poor in terms of: the number of egg laid per hen per clutch, number of clutches per hen per year, and poor performance in chick survival rates. To sustain and improve productivity it is thus recommended that special support should be provided to enable poor rural VCs producers to expand their production. ii


Diagnosis of gonorrhea is recommended to be based not on culture, but on nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs). Concerns about antimicrobial resistance and asymptomatic infection have led to a call for a test of cure (TOC) to monitor treatment outcome. Because data using NAATs to ascertain TOC are limited, Dutch investigators conducted a prospective cohort study to assess the …


A LIGHT SIGNALING FOR MOTOR VEHICLE INCLUDES: EXTENDS ALONG said plate; LUMINOUS ELEMENTAL (100) comprising each at least a light emitting diode mounted on a frame and covered by a cover element; Means for attaching said juxtaposed MODULES TO EACH OTHER IN DEFAULT ON SUCH POSITIONS Platina, and SOS TO A POWER power supply. APPLICATION FOR THE REALIZATION OF LIGHTS ILLUMINATING shallowness margined smooth.


In subsequent chapters, Beaken describes the parishes of Colchester, the experiences of the town during the war and then the response of the clergy to wartime demands. A chapter on the work of Anglican laity provides a corrective to the tendency of ecclesiastical historians to write clergy-dominated narratives. (86–122). In his examination of the practice of offering prayers for the dead and the controversies which arose from it, Beaken very helpfully sets the wartime debates within the wider historical context, relating how the issue had already become divisive before the war (147–153). In discussing the National Mission, the author is perhaps as inevitably tentative in his conclusions about the long-term effects of the mission in Colchester as others have been about its influence nationally (181–191). In his conclusions, he notes one of the popular myths of the First World War that things in the Church of England were never the same again and is clear that the evidence from Colchester does not support that view. While there were changes, they were limited, and it is difficult to pin down the part which the First World War played in the path towards the secularisation of English society after the Second World War. Beaken sets his final analysis alongside the earlier work of Wilkinson and others, concluding that, 'at a parochial level, the Church of England fared significantly better during the First World War than has been understood or acknowledged for much of the past century' (248). In Cochet's words, rather than being 'scandalised' by what he found in his exhaustive examination of primary sources, Robert Beaken has done the 'basic job of any historian', setting in context the wartime experience of the Church of England in Colchester and not anachronistically judging it from a twentieth or twenty-first century perspective. The result is an eminently readable work which makes a significant contribution to the on-going reappraisal of the ecclesiastical history of the war while remaining accessible to the interested non-specialist reader.


The current saline state the Black Sea is only the latest of a series of freshening‐salinization episodes that have affected that body of water during past glacial‐interglacial cycles. Here, we model the salinity history of the basin and its sedimentary porewaters since the end of the penultimate saline period, variously thought to have occurred in the period between 128 and 65 Kyrs BP (Before Present). Our results argue that the down‐core salinity profiles of Black Sea Holocene sediments have been affected by upward diffusion of salt from the penultimate saline episode and possibly from residual salinity of the basin waters captured in the accumulating porewaters. Our retrodictions require that the Black Sea bottom waters be either fresh or weakly brackish (S ≤ 4), between 80 and 10 Kyrs BP. In addition, we find that the timing of the first deposition of the Holocene sapropel corresponds to the time when salty bottom waters first reached the surface waters, and we speculate that increased organic matter production was caused by the release of nutrients stored in the saline bottom water. Finally, using current salinity proxy data, we find that the porewater salinity profiles generated from these proxies do not match the observed interstitial profiles.


Despite immense progress made in the area of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the Ghanaian healthcare system, the Traditional Medicine Practice Council still seeks to regulate CAM practitioners as Traditional Medicine Practitioners under Act 575, despite the clear differences between both professions. This situation has led to numerous conflicts and agitations between practitioners of both forms of medical practice. This paper presents a commentary on the evolution of CAM legislation and regulation in Ghana.


Abstract While large, permanent dams and reservoirs are known to impede smolt movements, investigations of small, temporary impoundments are scarce. Inflatable rubber bladder dams are used to create temporary impoundments worldwide, yet downstream fish passage at these structures has not been evaluated. To examine smolt emigration in a seasonal water supply reservoir and passage at a rubber dam, we tracked 110 radio-tagged steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss smolts through a 4.5-km free-flowing reach and an adjacent 5.1-km-long impoundment on the Russian River, California, during 2001, 2002, and 2004. Unlike the results of studies in other impoundments, median travel rates in the free-flowing (0.6–0.8 km/h) and reservoir (1.0–1.4 km/h) reaches did not differ significantly within or among years. Smolts slowed significantly, however, in the dam forebay. Forebay travel rates (0.02–0.1 km/h) were more than an order of magnitude lower than rates in free-flowing and reservoir reaches. Although delayed, more than 75% ...


Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a malignant tumor with poor prognosis and high mortality and incidence in Kazakh population. The decreased expression of RAS association domain family 1A (RASSF1A) by methylation in various cancers has been reported. This study aims to investigate the correlation of the RASSF1A promoter methylation and the esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in Kazakhs. To determine whether aberrant RASSF1A methylation occurs in esophageal cancer, the DNA methylation of 19 CpG units in the RASSF1A promoter was quantitatively analyzed by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry in 100 ESCC tissues and 100 normal tissues from the Kazakh population. The results indicating that the overall methylation status of RASSF1A in Kazakh ESCC patients is higher than that in controls (χ2=5.615, P=0.020). And the methylation levels of CpG_11.12, CpG_16.17 and CpG_24.25 were respectively 25.4%, 18.8%, 16.3%, which were significantly higher than the mean methylation rate (5%) in normal group (5%, CpG_11.12, P=0.00; CpG_16.17, P=0.002; CpG_24.25, P=0.001). However,no correlation was found between the RASSF1A overall methylation and clinicopathological characteristics (For age: t=1.716 P=0.089; gender: χ2=1.487 P=0.475; differentiation: χ2=0.770 P=0.680; HPV16 infection: χ2=2.519, P=0.104. Similar conditions are to be found with CpG_11.12, CpG_16.17 and CpG_24.25 units (for age: t=1.706 P=0.079; gender: χ2=1.847 P=0.415; differentiation: χ2=0.670 P=0.7; metastasis: χ2=3.765 P=0.463; HPV16 infection: χ2=2.519, P=0.104). Our findings in this study suggest that the hypermethylation of RASSF1A play an important role in Kazakh esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Moreover, targeting RASSF1A methylation by demethylating agents may offer an approach for anticancer therapy of ESCC.