In the era of digitalization, companies review how to build competitive advantage drawing on their capabilities. In this context, the paper revisits the concept of IT capabilities. We summarize the "canonical" body of literature to characterize how leading scholars conceptualized and differentiated IT capabilities and then we show how new types of IT capabilities (for example, rising from SMACIT technologies) relate to this. We find that the resource-based view is still leading in how to conceptualize IT capabilities. However, an alternative perspective on IT assets is emerging, looking at it from the angle of digital technologies as stacks. Digital technologies form the foundation for a new technology-driven perspective on IT capabilities. This new view complements the established differentiation of IT capabilities considering IT infrastructure flexibility, IT management, and IT personnel capability. Both perspectives describe the explorative and exploitative nature of IT capabilities. This paper helps scholars and practitioners to clearly distinguish different perspectives of IT capabilities on how to build a competitive advantage from IT today.


An adaptive optical neuro network using inexpensive pocket size liquid crystal televisions (LCTVs) was recently developed by graduate students in the Electro-Optics Laboratory at The Pennsylvania State University. Although this neuro-computing has only 8 X 8 equals 64 neurons, it can be easily extended to 16 X 20 equals 320 neurons. The major advantages of this LCTV architecture as compared wither other ONCs, are low cost and flexibility to operate. To test the performance, several neural net models are used. These models are interpattern association, hetero-association, and unsupervised learning algorithms. The system design considerations and experimental demonstrations are also included.


We study the maximum likelihood estimator for stochastic differential equations with additive sub-fractional Brownian motion. The study applies Girsanov transform to the sub-fractional Brownian motion and employs the theory of regularity and supremum estimation for Gaussian process.


This guide is an introduction to information resources in Computer Science. Links to various web sites to help with research.


An 81-y-old woman was hospitalized because of persistent cough, fever, fatigue and weight loss. Disseminated tuberculosis (pulmonary, bronchial, lymph node and urinary involvement) associated with human immunodeficiency virus disease, CDC stage C3 was diagnosed. Antiretroviral therapy initiated 2 months after the introduction of tuberculostatic treatment was well tolerated, with a 12 month follow-up.


This text provides a practical approach to the dietary management of a range of paediatric disorders. The therapies outlined in Parts 2 and 3 describe the dietetic interventions and nutritional requirements of the infant, child and young person in a clinical setting, illustrating how normal dietary constituents are used alongside special dietetic products to allow for the continued growth of the child whilst controlling the progression and symptoms of disease. Nutrition for the healthy child and nutritional care in the community is addressed in Part 4. The following principles are relevant to the treatment of all infants, children and young people and provide the basis for many of the therapies described later in the text.


The question of the basis property of a system of eigenfunctions of one
 spectral problem for a discontinuous second-order differential operator with
 a spectral parameter under discontinuity conditions is considered in the
 weighted grand-Lebesgue spaces Lp),?(0, 1), 1 < p < +?, with a general
 weight ?(?). These spaces are non-separable and therefore it is necessary to
 define its subspace associated with differential equation. In this paper,
 using the shift operator, a subspace Gp),?(0, 1) is considered, in which the
 basis property of exponentials and trigonometric systems of sines and
 cosines is established when the weight function ?(?) satisfies the
 Muckenhoupt condition. It is proved that the system of eigenfunctions and
 associated functions of the discontinuous differential operator
 corresponding to the given problem forms a basis in the weighted space
 Gp),?(0, 1) ? C,1 < p < +? with the weight ?(?) satisfying the Muckenhoupt
 condition. The question of the defect basis property of the system of
 eigenfunctions and associated functions of the given problem in the weighted
 spaces Gp),?(0, 1),1 < p < +?, is considered.


The utility model relates to a loach operating table, which belongs to the aquaculture equipment. The loach can produce diseases during growth, and needs drug injection or surgery. In the prior art, the loach is held in the hands or arranged on a flat plate to be operated, and can not be fixed due to the smooth skin and the sliding of the loach, thereby making the operation inconvenient. In the technical scheme, a mesh (2) is arranged in a table frame (1) and is connected with the table frame (1) through a nylon rope. The mesh (2) is arranged on the upper part of the table frame (1). The utility model has the advantages of easy manufacture and low cost, and not only limits the movement of the loach and facilitates the operation, but also causes no damage to the loach.


Using a description of defects in solids in terms of three-dimensional gravity, we study the propagation of electrons in the background of disclinations and screw dislocations. We study the situations where there are bound states that are effectively localized on the defect and hence can be described in terms of an effective (1+1)-dimensional field theory for the low energy excitations. In the case of screw dislocations, we find that these excitations are chiral and can be described by an effective field theory of chiral fermions. Fermions of both chirality occur even for a given direction of the magnetic field. The "net" chirality of the system however is not always the same for a given direction of the magnetic field, but changes from one sign of the chirality through zero to the other sign as the Fermi momentum or the magnitude of the magnetic flux is varied. On coupling to an external electromagnetic field, the latter becomes anomalous and predicts novels conduction properties for these material.


In its middle section, the Buech river drains waste water from the city of Laragne. The spatial development of the waste water's chemical nature was studied at 6 points on the sewer drainage system and the Veragne river (river receiving waste water outflow from the city and its slaughterhouse). Temporal evolution was noted for each hour of the day. The impact of waste on the Buech river was analyzed through samples taken at 5 points upstream and downstream from the confluence of the Buech and Veragne rivers. Though high in its tributary, pollution is rather low in the river itself. The study makes clear the over-whelming impor tance of dilution and sedimentation on biodegradation, the latter being barely detectable during the summer dry season.


The last few decades have seen a decline in the household saving rate in Austria and other industrial countries. Using an error correction model, this paper shows that in Austria personal saving decisions are influenced by income growth, real interest rates, inflation, social security expenditure and the general government budget balance. These findings are becoming increasingly important for economic policy, given the aging of society and the concomitant need for pension system reform. In future, households will be required to make greater provision for themselves and step up their saving efforts. As the results show, this can be achieved by productivity-boosting measures that generate income growth and promote personal saving.


Stem cells are defined by their abilities to self-renew and differentiate into various cell lineages with the physiological "SMART" feature, which makes them attractive cell sources for the treatment of a broad range of diseases requiring tissue regeneration, such as hematopoietic/immune diseases, cancers, and many other degenerative disorders. In addition to hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation, which has been the classic stem cell therapy used mainly for hematopoietic diseases, other tissue stem cells and embryonic stem cells (ESC) or induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cell products also offer unique or alternative regenerative sources for stem cell therapies. However, despite enormous progress in basic stem cell research during the past two decades since the establishment of human ESC lines, and especially the later Nobel-winning iPSC technology, translation of many basic discoveries on stem cells into clinical practice has been disappointingly limited and, problematically, some unproven stem cell therapies still exist. One of the bottleneck factors limiting the pace of translational stem cell medicine is the significant lack of stem cell standardization and guidelines for many stem cell therapies. Back in 2000, the Cellular, Tissue, and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee meeting in Gaithersburg, Maryland, held by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), recommended that the regulations for other cellular therapy products could also be applied to stem cell products. In 2009, the FDA revised and established a set of regulations and guidelines to improve the safety of regenerative therapy. Recently, the International Society for Stem Cell Research issued new guidelines for the clinical application of stem cell products. In light of this regulatory guidance, aiming to best serve our patients, specific standard measures for each type of stem cell product are an essential requirement. This issue is even more important and urgent for China, where stem cell science has rapidly risen to the front line and a higher expectation has been set for stem cell products to serve the most populated nation in the world. Therefore, it is necessary and would be valuable to share the views and practical guidelines on this important topic to better meet the need in the field. This Special Edition of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, inspired by the proceedings of the seventh International Forum on Stem Cells (IFSC) held in Tianjin in November 2020, illustrates the prevailing view that advances in stem cell biology are bringing regenerative medicine a step closer. In particular, this issue contains a number of review articles summarizing the current advances in stem cell translation and the development of reliable standardization for preclinical assessment of stem cell products. In the first of two Perspectives, Haidan Chen describes how the complexities of translating scientific discovery into clinically efficacious stem cell therapy are managed in the Tianjin model of stem cells translational medicine. The author shows how scientific, technological, social, economic, and political variables are coordinated in the efforts to make cell therapy available in China. Dr Chen goes on to compare the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the Tianjin model with translational programs in Europe and the United States. In the second Perspective, Shi-Jiang Lu and Qiang Feng assess the impact of new methods for producing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell "off-the-shelf" therapeutics. Natural killer (NK) cells are specialized immune effector cells that recognize and kill target cells without human leukocyte antigen restriction or prior sensitization, Received: 21 July 2021 Accepted: 28 July 2021


The 'Food Culture' is an increasingly popular notion in our world today. With the
Internet, information on various cuisines is easily made available. This phenomenon
gives rise to a relatively new digital genre: online food reviews. Hence, this study aims
to provide a comprehensive description on online food review focusing on rhetorical
strategies. Swales's Three-Level Genre model is employed to identify the
communicative purpose, rhetorical structures and rhetorical strategies of online food
review from a popular Malaysian food website, FriedChilies. The analysis of rhetorical
structures is based on a conceptualised framework incorporating both Bhatia's (2004)
move structures for advertising discourse and Askehave & Nielsen's (2005) move
structures for online genre. On the other hand, the rhetorical startegies is focused on
visuals as move and relevant discourses found in the reviews. Unlike traditional genre
analysis, the present research concentrates on exploring the roles of visuals and
accompanying discourses in achieving private intentions of the review. Results of the
study shows that the move structure confirms that reviews are of a mixed genre. The
findings also demonstrated that while reviews are supposed to be more informative,
strong promotional elements are subtly incorporated via usage of visuals and different
discourses. This indicates that visuals and discourses may influence and manipulate a
genre's communicative purpose which in turn affects the genre type and its generic
description.


The elastic properties of a filled skutterudite ${\mathrm{PrOs}}_{4}{\mathrm{Sb}}_{12}$ with a heavy fermion superconductivity at ${T}_{\mathrm{C}}=1.85\mathrm{K}$ have been investigated. The elastic softening of ${(C}_{11}\ensuremath{-}{C}_{12})/2$ and ${C}_{44}$ with lowering temperature down to ${T}_{\mathrm{C}}$ indicates that the quadrupolar fluctuation due to the CEF state plays a role for the Cooper paring in superconducting phase of ${\mathrm{PrOs}}_{4}{\mathrm{Sb}}_{12}.$ A Debye-type dispersion in the elastic constants around 30 K revealed a thermally activated ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{23}$ rattling due to the off-center Pr-atom motion obeying $\ensuremath{\tau}={\ensuremath{\tau}}_{0}\mathrm{exp}{(E/k}_{\mathrm{B}}T)$ with an attempt time ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{0}=8.8\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}11}\mathrm{s}$ and an activation energy $E=168\mathrm{K}.$ It is remarkable that the charge fluctuation of the off-center motion with ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{23}$ symmetry may mix with the quadrupolar fluctuation and enhance the elastic softening of ${(C}_{11}\ensuremath{-}{C}_{12})/2$ just above ${T}_{\mathrm{C}}.$


The flow units of a coring well are determined by gray correlation method with fault block Cha39 in Huabei oilfield as an example. This method has high recognition accuracy and is simple. It can also be used to establish the prediction model of flow units of non-coring wells.


Objective To study the clinicopathological features and immunophenotyping of pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma(PXA).Methods The data of 26 cases with PXA,including clinical manifestation,imaging features and pathology finding were analyzed retrospectively.The characteristcs of histopathology and immunophenotypes were studied by haematoxylin and eosin(HE) stain and immunohistochemical stain.The follow-up data were analyzed.Results The most frequent presentations included headache and seizures.Radiology revealed PXA located in superficial cerebral hemisphere and cystic change.Cyst wall enhancement and pretumoral edema were also found.Typical histologic features included marked cellular pleomorphism with xanthomatous cell.Eosinophilic granular bodies,intranuclear cytoplasmic inclusion,lymphocytic infiltrates and rich reticulin were seen in almost all cases.Necrosis and endothelial proliferation were absent.No or rare mitoses.One case featuring epithelioid pattern in focal area and one case featuring mitotic activity and focal necrosis were diagnosed as anaplastic PXA.Positive immunoreactivity was in glial fibrillary acidic protein(GFAP),vimentin,S-100,neuron-specific enolase(NSE) and nestin.Some cases were positive for p53 and EGFR,CD68 immunostaining usually detected only a few giant cells.The positive cells for Ki67 about 1%,immunostaining to EMA,CD34,synaptophysin(Syn),NeuN,neurofilaments(NF) was negative.No cases had recurrence after total resction.Conclusion PXA is a rare tumor of central nervous system in young adults with specific clinicopathologic features and favorable prognosis.Histologically,PXA should be differentiated from giant cell glioblastoma,lipidized glioblastoma,xanthomatous meningioma,gliosarcoma and subependymal giant cell astrocytoma.


A novel tunable subcarrier comb generator has been realised by dual-in-line phase modulators with optimum phase modulation indices. An optical heterodyne and microwave homodyne phaselocked loop is used to lock all optical carriers simultaneously. The hold-in range and linewidth are approximately 20 MHz and 20 Hz, respectively.


The Caroccio of Cortenuova Northern and Southern Italy between Papacy and Empire in the Cronaca of Salimbene de Adam Starting from a quote in recent literature on the Italian unification, this article attempts to explain the role played by the Italian Middle Ages in the construction of national memory and in the archeology of a prejudice. It admonishes that only a full recognition of the deep alterity of the Middle Ages can prevent misuses of medieval references. Next, it proceeds to discuss the quote in question, namely a reference to Salimbene de Adam's well-known chronicle, and it examines what drove this Franciscan chronicler to change the final episode of the Battle of Cortenuova (1237). In his Cronaca Salimbene relates that, after Frederick II had beaten the Lombard League's army and seized possession of the Carroccio, the symbol of communal autonomy and liberty, he offered it to the city of Rome, which, in turn, burned it. However, a still existing inscription testifies that the Carroccio was not an unwelcome gift for Rome at all. Despite this historical reality, the Franciscan chronicler preferred, as Ludovico Gatto has suggested, to present posterity with the image of a defiant Rome towards Frederick II, who was identified after all, in the Joachimite literature, as the Antichrist, the enemy of Christianity.


Defending the Border: Identity, Religion, and Modernity in the Republic of Georgia Mathijs Pelkmans Cornell University Press: Cornell University (2006) Transboundary Policy Changes in North America's Pacific Border Regions by James Loucky, Donald K. Alper and J.C. Day, eds. (2008), (Calgary: University of Calgary Press) Colonias in Arizona and New Mexico: Border Poverty and Community Development Solutions by Adrian X. Esparza and Angela J. Donelson University of Arizona Press, Tucson, Arizona: 2008, 202pp


THE authors studied the behaviour of ;i new water-soluble sodium-bismuththio-glycollate compound. They found that it was rapidly distributed after intra-uiuscular injection, and after six hours had reached every organ in the body. The concentration in the various organs was the same at the end of twenty-five days as after only six hours. Bone apparently stores bismuth in liiglier concentration tlian most other tissues. Although the distribution in the body was the same in all the animals studied (dogs), the rate of elimination varied widely in individuals, and was characteristic for each individual and independent of dosage. The peak value of elimination was reached in seventy-two hours with the soluble pjfeparation, and in seven or eight days with insoluble preparations like bismuth salic^date. The authors think the soluble preparation preferable. A. C. R.


Flame retardants are widely used in many materials and products, and there is a pressing need to enhance the performance of flame retardants while lowering their toxicity. In this paper, using polychlorinated biphenyl flame retardants as an example, a three-dimensional quantitative
 structure-double-activity relationship (3D-QSA2R) model, with the double activities of flame retardancy and toxicity, was constructed by introducing a vector normalized method to achieve the goal of environmental risk management and control the sources of chemicals. The results
 showed that the 3D-QSA2R model has good robustness and strong predictive ability. PCB-209 was used as a target molecule for the contour map analysis and molecular modification. The comprehensive values (C) of six novel PCB-209 molecules were increased by up to 53.61%. The
 physical and chemical parameters (frequency and Gibbs free energy), functional properties (stability and insulation) and the other three POP properties of the novel PCB-209 molecules showed that the Cl atom substitution reaction of PCB209 molecules could occur and exist stably in the environment.
 With improvement in stability, the insulation of six novel PCB-209 molecules was not influenced after modification, and the environmental persistence, bioconcentration and long-distance migration of six novel PCB-209 molecules were increased up to 99.47%, 15.29% and 100.9%, respectively. The
 flame retardancy and toxicity of the new molecules were verified by Gaussian software and the EPI database, respectively. The single activity verification values of flame retardancy and toxicity followed the trend of C values predicted by the double-activity 3D-QSA2R model
 established in this paper. The ratio between the two single activities of the new PCB-209 molecule generally conformed to the weight setting, which satisfies the purpose of setting the weight as the main way to improve the efficacy of flame retardants.


The long lasting debate initiated by Gilovich, Vallone and Tversky in is revisited: does a "hot hand" phenomenon exist in sports? Hereby we come back to one of the cases analyzed by the original study, but with a much larger data set: all free throws taken during five regular seasons () of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Evidence supporting the existence of the "hot hand" phenomenon is provided. However, while statistical traces of this phenomenon are observed in the data, an open question still remains: are these non random patterns a result of "success breeds success" and "failure breeds failure" mechanisms or simply "better" and "worse" periods? Although free throws data is not adequate to answer this question in a definite way, we speculate based on it, that the latter is the dominant cause behind the appearance of the "hot hand" phenomenon in the data.


We had performed the fundamental experiments to investigate the characteristic of the plasma expansion due to ion species configuring the plasma by using a linear device. Our results confirmed that the plasma expands due to magnetic field divergence and the peak value of the ion flux contributing to the plasma heat load decreases with magnetic field divergence even if the ion configuring the plasma changes to different species or mixes.


English is one of the most widely-spoken languages in the world, with native-speaking communities at the furthest ends of the earth. However, just three thousand years ago, the language-which-became-English was not spoken anywhere in Britain. Trudgill, one of the foremost authorities on the English language, takes us on a remarkable journey through the history of English to show how it grew to become the global phenomenon that we know today. Over ten short, easily digestible chapters, he traces its development and global spread, starting with the earliest genesis of English five thousand years ago, exploring its expansion in the British Isles, and finishing with an overview of how the language looks today, including its use in an increasingly digital world. Particular attention is paid to the native-speaker varieties of English from all around the world, and the relationship between colonial varieties of English and indigenous languages.


ABSTRACT We report on the collection of adults and larvae of Aedes albopictus from Carlsbad, New Mexico. In 1989, in Albuquerque, individual adults of this species were intercepted and destroyed. This recent investigation in Carlsbad disclosed the presence of adults from four sites and larvae from one site, on August 19 and on September 12, 14, and 15, 2005.


We evaluated whether low‐grade albuminuria or black race modulates ambulatory blood pressure (BP) or nocturnal BP response to the DASH diet. Among 202 adults enrolled in the DASH multicenter trial who were fed the DASH or control diet for 8 weeks, reductions in 24‐hour daytime and nighttime SBP and DBP were significantly larger for DASH compared to control. Median changes in nocturnal BP dipping were not significant. Compared to urine albumin excretion of <7 mg/d, ≥7 mg/d was associated with larger significant median reductions in 24‐hour SBP (−7.3 vs −3.1 mm Hg), all measures of DBP (24‐hour: −5.9 vs −1.8 mm Hg; daytime: −9.9 vs −4.0 mm Hg; nighttime −9.0 vs −2.0 mm Hg), and with increased nocturnal SBP dipping (2.3% vs −0.5%). Black race was associated with larger median reduction in 24‐hour SBP only (−5.5 vs −2.4 mm Hg). This analysis suggests greater effect of DASH on ambulatory BP in the presence of low‐grade albuminuria.


Abstract Study aim: To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health, lifestyle, training loads and competition starts of swimmers in Poland in 2020. Material and methods: The study was conducted in the form of a questionnaire on group of 123 Polish swimmers in 2020. The survey asked about differences in training, lifestyle and well-being following the introduction of pandemic restrictions. The mean age of the athletes was 23 years ± 7.6 and training experience 10 years ± 5.3. Results: The majority of swimmers (81%) were satisfied with their health status. Respondents did not experience changes in sleep quality and length during the COVID-19 pandemic. A large proportion of respondents (83%) did not follow a special diet, while they were willing to use supplementation (58.5%). Respondents stated that the pandemic did not affect their physical activity outside of training. The athletes evaluated negatively the changes in training and competition conditions caused by the pandemic (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: The study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic did not have a major impact on the health, sleep and physical activity of swimmers in Poland in 2020, while it had a negative impact in terms of training conditions and sport competition.


Asymmetric schemes belong to second generation of watermarking. Whereas their need and advantage are well understood, many doubts have been raised about their robustness and security. Four di erent asymmetric schemes have been proposed up to now. Whereas they were seemingly relying on completely di erent concepts, they share the same performances. Exploring in detail these concepts, the authors propose a common formulation of the four di erent detector processes. This allows to stress common features about security of asymmetric schemes.


Summary The objective of this study was to evaluate the economic and organisational consequences of the substitution of pamidronate with zoledronic acid in the adjunct treatment of bone metastasis in patients with breast cancer and multiple myeloma in a European context. A cost minimisation analysis was carried out. Clinical data were extracted from clinical trials of pamidronate versus zoledronic acid. Resource consumption and cost data were collected at different Spanish oncology infusion sites. While the acquisition cost of zoledronic acid is higher compared with pamidronate, zoledronic acid is superior to pamidronate for the treatment of hypercalcaemia of malignancy and in avoiding palliative radiotherapy. Moreover, it is at least as effective as 90 mg pamidronate in reducing skeletal complications in patients with bone lesions from myeloma or breast cancer. It therefore reduced nurse monitoring, occupation of infusion chairs and radiotherapy sessions, implying savings in health care resources. The net of these expenses in switching from pamidronate to zoledronic acid would produce an additional cost of €134.92 per patient per year, which is equivalent to 5.1% of the current drug cost of a treatment with pamidronate. Savings due to the shorter infusion time and the better outcomes of zoledronic acid in avoiding palliative radiotherapy can almost completely compensate its higher acquisition cost compared with pamidronate.


A ballistic gas simulator that permits the generation of relatively clean, two-phase, reacting flows with realistic gas pressures and temperatures has been developed. This device is driven by the combustion of light gas mixtures such as hydrogen mixed with oxygen and helium. The experiments performed were aimed at the generation of well-defined, well-controlled flows beginning with reacting single-phase gas flows. The main gas parameters to be measured are pressure, temperature, and gas velocity. A novel intrusive temperature gage technique and other spectroscopic techniques were tested in two-phase flows to obtain information on the gas phase temperature. In addition, a Michelson-type laser Doppler velocimeter, devised by Smeets at the Franco-German Research Institute (ISL), was adapted so that gas velocity data could be recorded continuously with a time resolution of about 10


The effective bandwidth of a bus and external communication ports can be increased by using a variant of data compression techniques that compacts words instead of data streams. The compaction is performed by caching the high order bits into a table and sending the index into the table along with the low order bits. A coherent table at the receiving end expands the word into it original form. Compaction/expansion units can be placed between processor and memory, between processor and local bus, and between devices that access the system bus. Simulations have shown that over 90% of all informative transferred can be sent in a single cycle when using a 32 bit processor connected by a 16 bit wide bus to a 32 bit memory module. This is for all forms of data, address, data, and instructions, and when a cache-based processor is used.<<ETX>>


The s o l u t i o n s t o a l a r g e c l a s s of problems i n applied mathematics can, by means of in tegra l t ransforms,  be  represented by d e f i n i t e i n t e g r a l s . Whenever such integrals cannot be evaluated in a d i r e c t manner, one has to r e so r t t o some method of approximation. The book under review i s concerned with the theory and techniques of asymptotic expansion of in tegra ls . Although the book i s pr imari ly or iented as a t e x t f o r s tudents of applied mathematics, it is a lso h ighly valuable as a reference for e.g. research workers in electromagnetic  theory.


A key premise of science fiction is the existence of worlds beyond our own. In the first E&Tfeature to mark the International Year of Astronomy, Mark Williamson investigates the science of exoplanets and the technology of their detection.


The long-term experiment was carried out during 2005-2018, with samples collected on the experimental farm of the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine in the city of Iasi (47º07` N latitude, 27º30` E longitude). The soil under investigation is classified as Cambic Chernozem (WRB) with a clay-loamy texture. Initial physical characteristics of the soil on 0-20 cm depth were: bulk density 1.33 g.cm-3 , pH (1:2.5) 6.23, clay 364.2 g.kg-1 , silt 263.2 g.kg-1 , loam 372.6 g.kg-1 , humus 2.95%. In the last 5 years a continuous maize cropping system was used. The tillage treatments included: (1) No-till: direct drilling in untilled soil with a disc drill without previous removal of residues, using a FABIMAG FG01 seeder (NT); (2) a reduced system using a chisel at 22-25 cm depth, after harvest without overturning the furrow (RT); (3) moldboard ploughing after harvest to a soil depth of 28-30 cm (CT). The crumbled and loosened soil was turned over and thereby residues were fully incorporated into the soil. After the harvest of pre-crop, stubble breaking (disking to the depth 10 cm) was used. Seedbed preparation was applied using a compactor after chisel and conventional tillage. In spring the weeds were suppressed by total herbicides before seeding. Crop-specific fertilization was performed according to good agricultural practice. Combine harvest was performed in October (between 5th and 28th) using a Wintersteiger Delta Plot Combine. Tillage systems affected soil penetration resistance (PR) under maize crop only for certain soil depths. At 0-5 cm depth, the highest value (0.78 MPa) was recorded on no-till system, whilst in the case of the other two variants the values ranged from 0.56 to 0.61 MPa. In CT variant at 30-40 cm, we noticed a compacted layer (2.54 MPa) indicating the existence of hardpan.


As part of the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project (NPP), the Direct Readout Laboratory (DRL) of NASA/GSFC Code 935, is developing the prototype NPP In-Situ Ground System (NISGS). The NISGS supports earth remote sensing, and its functions bridge from all EOS satellites to planning for future NASA and interagency launches. The NISGS solution enables the end user to acquire and process NPP and predecessor instrument data, and provide a means to make these technologies and data products available to the Direct Broadcast Community. This document describes the NISGS model, methodology, and system architecture.


The decision in American Cyanamid Co. v. Ethicon Ltd. was hailed. rather unenthusiastically, as a revolutionary development in the law governing interlocutory injunctions; it was seen as an abandonment of the earlier approach exemplified by, although not discussed in, Stratford and Sons Ltd. v. Lindley. There was some indignation at the apparent loss of a quick, relatively cheap means of settling cases by decision on an application for an interlocutory injunction, and considerable doubt as to the suitability of the principles set out by Lord Diplock in Cyanamid for use in all types of interlocutory action.


This chapter conceptualizes a process for cryptocurrency to diversify traditional methods of higher education funding in the United States. Cryptocurrency funding augments traditional revenue streams and shifts the discussion of education costs from expenses to a more robust conversation about innovative avenues to wealth generation as a potential solution to fund the mission of American higher education. This chapter acknowledges the central concerns of higher education funding as it explores these arguments as legacy discourses rooted in career preparation, accessibility and affordability, and arguments about the need for a broad-based education vs. more technical skills training. Further, an alternative model to current higher education funding models is presented, and if deployed, this asset class could help to serve education needs by funding research, students, and the academy through an illustrated conceptual framework for funding.


Genome stability is essential for cells to survive. Consequently, cells have evolved intricate responses that include transcriptional changes, cell-cycle arrest, activation of DNA repair, and apoptosis. Such responses prevent permanent fixation of DNA damage induced by genotoxic agents into the genome, thus contributing to genome stability. A collection of proteins implicated in DNA damage responses are called Inhibition of Growth (ING) family, which are a group of small molecular weight proteins that regulate a variety of biological functions ranging from senescence, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis and DNA repair. ING proteins interact with Histone Acetyl-transferases (HAT) and Histone Deacetylases (HDAC) to alter the state of chromatin compaction and acetylation status of many proteins during DNA damage. A specific member of the ING family, ING2 has been implicated in modulating the tumor suppressor, p53 function through p300 HAT-mediated acetylation. Irradiation fails to upregulate ING2, but increases its association with transcription co-activator p300. That p300 HAT activation in the cells with ING2 knock down is hampered post-irradiation suggests that the interaction between ING2 and p300 is indispensable for the upregulation of the p300 HAT activity. Cells deficient in protein kinase Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM) displays impaired p300 HAT activation and less association between p300 and ING2 following ionizing radiation, indicating that ATM function is also required. Alkylating agent, N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) upregulates ING2 level in both time- and dose-dependent manner. We further observed that ING2 regulates the cell death response induced by this alkylator through a mechanism involving acetylation and stabilization of p73. Induction/acetylation of p53, in response to MNNG, however, proceeds in an ING2-independent manner. Inhibition of c-Abl by STI571 treatment blocked ING2 upregulation and p73 acetylation induced by MNNG. Similarly, MLH1- suppressed or mutated cells displayed defective ING2 upregulation and p73 acetylation in response to MNNG, which suggests that Mlh1- and c-Abl-dependent upregulation of ING2 activates the cell death response to MNNG through p73 acetylation.Taken together, these findings demonstrate that ING2 plays an important role in the cellular responses to different DNA damage by regulating the acetylation of tumor suppressors.


This paper proposes a new model for competitive service quality improvement (CSQI) which is applied to a case study in the fast-food industry. Current and competitive service quality levels are considered for improving competitive service quality using current service quality levels measured by the SERVQUAL instrument with a ratio-score scale. Competitive service quality is analysed by customer assessment relative to each service attribute. Subsequently, the entropy method is used to quantify competitiveness. The value of each attribute's entropy indicates the relative importance of the attribute for CSQI. Finally, the attribute priorities are determined by the combination of current service quality level and entropy value. Empirical testing of the model on a fast-food case study indicates the importance of using the current service quality level and competitive performance indices simultaneously within a CSQI model.


Autoencoders (AEs) have been widely used for anomaly detection because models trained to reconstruct a normal data are expected to have a higher reconstruction error for anomalous data than that for normal data, and the higher error is adopted as a criterion for identifying anomalies. However, the high capacity of AEs is sometimes able to reconstruct anomalous data even when trained only on normal data, which leads to overlooked anomalies. To remedy this problem, we propose a kernel ridge reconstruction (KRR) approach for general, high-performance, and low computational anomaly detection. KRR replaces the non-linear decoder network of the AE with a linear regressor, which uses the weighted sum of training normal data for reconstruction, and thus prevents the reconstruction of anomalous data. We also reveal the desired property of the encoder for KRR to achieve high anomaly detection performance and propose an effective training algorithm to realize such property by instance discrimination and feature decorrelation. In addition, KRR reduces the computational cost because it replaces the non-linear decoder network with a linear regressor. Our experiments on MNIST, CIFAR10, and KDDCup99 datasets prove its applicability, high performance, and low computational cost. In particular, KRR achieved an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.670 with 12 millions multiply-accumulate operations (MACs) on the CIFAR10 dataset, outperforming a recent reconstruction-based anomaly detection method (MemAE) with a 1.1-fold higher AUC and 0.291 as many MACs.


Much ink has been spilt over this case. The facts are probably well known, at least in general terms. In 2015, two incidental referrals of constitutional questions were lodged with the Italian Constitutional Court (ICC). The referring courts, ie the Milan Court of Appeal and the Court of Cassation had some doubt as to the compatibility of the ECJ's interpretation of Article 325 Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) as set forth in the Taricco judgment, with a number of core principles of Italian constitutional law, namely the principles of legality in matters of criminal law, with specific regard to the legislation on limitation periods of criminal offences. Article 325 TFEU – it is worth highlighting – relates to anti-fraud measures seeking to protect the financial interests of the EU. In the run-up to the decision by the ICC, a heated debate took place among scholars and pundits. Some urged the Italian Constitutional Court to apply the counter-limits doctrine (controlimiti). Others argued in favour of requesting a preliminary ruling by the ECJ. Eventually, the Italian Constitutional Court chose the approach of open dialogue and reached out to its 'counterpart' in Luxembourg, with a view to obtaining some clarification as to the meaning and scope of the ECJ's judgment in Taricco. To this effect, the ICC adopted referral order no 24/2017.


Facial change with age is always a problem in facial features matching for photos of ID cards. In order to solve this problem, a novel facial features matching method based on SIFT algorithm is proposed. Inspired by attention mechanism of the visual system, the facial features focuses on the four sub regions (left eye, right eye, nose and mouth), ignoring other unimportant regions, and different weights are used to each region according to the contribution of each region to matching accuracy. The experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively reduce the influence that age change lead to a sharp decline in matching accuracy, and this algorithm can significantly reduce the time of features matching.


Seven-species air model was used and electrical conductivity was calculated by species formula to investigate the effects of the intensity of uniform magnetic field on three dimensional chemical nonequilibrium hypersonic flows around a blunt body by solving the viscous MHD(magneto-hydro-dynamics) equations.The results show that the shock standoff distance is increased and total drag coefficient and wall temperature are reduced with increasing external magnetic field.At By=0.03 T,the shock standoff distance is increased by about 7%,total drag coefficient and local wall temperature in nonequilibrium flow are decreased by about 5% and 74%,respectively.However,in frozen flow under the same conditions,the shock standoff distance is increased by about 43%,total drag coefficient and local wall temperature are decreased by about 6.9% and 18%,respectively,as compared with that without magnetic field.


In order to promote the discussion and development of media sociology,and enable it to have more theoretical and practical significance,this paper defines a general subject area for media sociology.Synthesizing the theoretical origins and ten theoretical achievements of media sociology,this paper argues that media sociology should develop from the mere concept as a branch subject of communication to the potential paradigm of understanding phenomena in communication and promoting social theory.Conclusively,this paper suggests that the focus of media sociology is the living condition of the human beings and social structure in the modern society full of media,which will lead the future trends of media sociology.


Prescribed burning is the major viable option that land managers have for reducing hazardous fuels and ensuring the regeneration of fire-dependent species in a cost-effective manner in Pine Barren ecosystems. Fuels management activities are directly linked to carbon (C) storage and rates of C sequestration by forests. To evaluate the effects of prescribed burning on forest C dynamics, we quantified consumption and accumulation of the forest floor and understory vegetation and measured net CO2 exchange in upland forest stands in the New Jersey Pinelands burned with prescribed fires. Prescribed fires released an average of 470 ± 137 g C m−2 from the litter layer and understory, equivalent to approximately 2–3 yr of sequestered C in undisturbed upland forests. Canopy and understory foliage averaged 85% of preburn periods, and CO2 uptake at near-full sunlight conditions averaged 79% of preburn levels during the following growing season. On an annual basis, stands lost C during the year of the burn, but released C was recovered within 2–3 yr. Field measurements and model simulations suggest that continued prescribed burning in upland fire-dependent pine-dominated stands would have little appreciable effect on long-term forest C dynamics at the landscape scale.


We present here the use the DMD as a diffraction-based optical switch, where Fourier diffraction patterns are used to steer the incoming beams to any output configuration. We have implemented a single-mode fiber coupled N X N switch and demonstrated its ability to operate over the entire telecommunication C-band centered at 1550 nm. The all-optical switch was built primarily with off-the-shelf components and a Texas Instruments DLP7000™with an array of 1024 X 768 micromirrors. This DMD is capable of switching 100 times faster than currently available technology (3D MOEMS). The switch is robust to typical failure modes, protocol and bit-rate agnostic, and permits full reconfigurable optical add drop multiplexing (ROADM). The switch demonstrator was inserted into a networking testbed for the majority of the measurements. The testbed assembled under the Center for Integrated Access Networks (ClAN), a National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Research Center (ERC), provided an environment in which to simulate and test the data routing functionality of the switch. A Fujitsu Flashwave 9500 PS was used to provide the data signal, which was sent through the switch and received by a second Flashwave node. We successfully transmitted an HD video stream through a switched channel without any measurable data loss.


Criticized for providing a simplified depiction of a post-9/11 United States, contemporary American "War on Terror" fiction has been largely neglected by critical discourse. In this dissertation, I ...


Photograph of the Area Five Texas News team for NBC 5. From left to right: Boyd Matson, Chip Moody, Ward Andrews, Russ Bloxom and Harold Taft.


Abstract Prompt identification and correct management of late onset small-for-gestational age newborns can reduce perinatal morbidity and mortality. Given the limitations of current monitoring methods, additional strategies are needed. Besides ultrasound to monitor fetal growth, third trimester Doppler and serum measurement of angiogenic biomarkers, such as soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 and placental growth factor, have been proposed as promising predictors of late onset small-for-gestational age fetuses. Objective To find a multivariate model for predicting small-for-gestational age newborns at 36 weeks' gestation by using clinical, biochemical and ultrasound measurements. Materials and Methods We evaluated 564 low-risk pregnant women and recorded maternal age, maternal body mass index, maternal mean blood pressure, soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (multiples of the median), placental growth factor (multiples of the median), soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1/placental growth factor ratio, estimated fetal weight centile and mean uterine artery pulsatility index at 36 weeks. Binary logistic regression was used. Statistical significance was set at 95% level (p < 0.05). Results We found three multivariate models showing relatively small differences in predictive capability. Model 1 only included estimated fetal weight centiles (area under the curve [AUC] 0.86; R2 = 0.42; p < 0.0001), Model 2 estimated fetal weight centiles and placental growth factor (multiples of the median) (AUC 0.87; R2 = 0.44; p < 0.0001) and Model 3 estimated fetal weight centiles, placental growth factor (multiples of the median) and mean uterine artery pulsatility index (AUC 0.88; R2 = 0.45; p < 0.0001). Conclusion Small-for-gestational age at delivery may be predicted by using a multivariate formula. The inclusion of parameters other than estimated fetal weight centile at 36 weeks' gestation modestly improves the predictive capability of the model. Clinical decisions should consider whether or not these slight differences deserve a change in current strategies.


Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Nationalist Challenges, Imperial Dilemmas 2. The Moscow Riots 3. Nationalizing the Commercial and Industrial Economy 4. Nationalizing the Land 5. Forced Migration Conclusion Appendix: Wartime Leaders Notes Archival Sources Index


A frequency domain technique for the optimization, sensitivity, and robustness analysis of a large high-speed lossy multiconductor transmission line networks in VLSI regimes is presented. The technique is used to demonstrate the superiority of closed-loop topologies in terms of their electrical performance. To demonstrate this superiority, the numerical frequency domain results are validated by independent time domain simulations and measurements.<<ETX>>


Humans enjoy stories, so it is not surprising that binge-watching shows is an enjoyable new pastime. Media marathoners breeze through entire seasons in under a week, use stories to work through issues vicariously, and often form communities around series. They can also become addicted and fall into the show hole, an experience of withdrawal only relieved by finding new series to watch. The effects of binge-watching can lead to lost time living our own stories and developing our character. This article explores binge-watching, its positive and negative effects, and offers suggestions for balancing life and watching habits.


The article presents empirical data of the project aimed at the study of the migration situation in Russia. The authors describe the current value system of the Russians and hierarchy of its basic life attitudes relying on both mass survey and expert estimates on the situation in Moscow and the Moscow Region. The article provides a sociological description of the content and levels of the system of values that are most important for the Russians; identifies its structuring function for the Russians' mass consciousness. Before focusing on the identity of the Moscow Region's natives (as it is perceived by the Russians), the authors consider the social-cultural situation in the metropolitan agglomeration. The quantitative sociological study relied on a wide set of criteria to study the identity, which included both the respondents' value system and their personal life attitudes. The authors believe that the cultural model of Russian identity is capable of ensuring a broader and more diverse field of social relations for a peaceful and constructive ethnic interaction of the Russians with other nations than the ethnic model. However, the cultural model of Russian identity differs from the Western model of multicultural and multiconfessional society, which has already proved its inefficiency under the contemporary crisis conditions. The value landscape of the Moscow Region's Russian population reflects both the necessity to preserve the Russian character's traditional features and a desire for values of civil society. The sociological data allow authors to argue that today the ethnic identity of the Russians interacts with the strengthening civic identity on the basis of relevant values and ideas and goals that unite the nation. The article aims at better understanding of the Russians' ethnic identity and of the communicative potential of the cultural model of identity.


We present our experience teaching the subject 'Astrobiology 101' ("Introducción a la Astrobiología", in Spanish), given in the University of Baja California at Ensenada, Mexico, since 2004 up to the present. The place of Astrobiology in Mexico, as well as the local academic context in Baja California are presented, as we consider that the multidisciplinary academic environment plays an important role in the motivation of our students. We describe the course itself, its materials, and resources. The course was designed based on classical books as well as news, academic papers, and internet sources. After seven editions of the course, we have noted that making practical experiments improves the understanding of concepts, ideas, and also strengths the interaction among students with different majors. This course has received support by means of an educational grant which objective is to compile all the experimental and hands-on activities in two manuals: one for students and the other for the teachers These manuals will be available to all the Spanish-speaker teachers who want to teach the full course or part of it, as well as those only interested in the hands-on activities. Locally, the establishment of the new Astrobiology Laboratory, in the Institute of Astronomy (UNAM, Campus Ensenada), surely will help us to increase the opportunities on research and education for our students, as well as visiting students and teachers.


An association between chronic rhinosinusitis ( CRS ) and gastroesophageal reflux disease ( GERD ) has been previously reported. GERD shares several similarities with the pathophysiology of CRS and atopy. CRS and GERD both can present with local infiltration of eosinophils. Furthermore, pro-inflammatory cytokines and eotaxins are highly expressed in both GERD and CRS. Despite these observations, the pathophysiological links between GERD and CRS remain to be clarified. Moreover, the association of GERD with CRS phenotypes has not been previously evaluated.


In this paper I examine relationships between multiple semiotic modes used to construct hierarchy, and I show the importance of going beyond our traditional notion of language to look at how social actors employ a range of semiotic resources in organizing and interpreting social relations. Using examples from Pohnpei, Micronesia, I show how notions of superior and inferior are compounded through several sign systems—spatial relations, food sharing, the body, and language. These systems act oppositionally as well as cooperatively to produce situated ideas of social inequality, ideas built out of disequilibrium of bodies in space, of referents in language, and distribution of resources, as well as contradictions in the interactions of these signs. The compounding of signs not only recruits multiple sensory modes and perspectives in the exposition of hierarchical relations, but entails a notion of the contradictory nature of status relations. Using examples from a Pohnpeian feast, I explore the creative interplay of sign systems in the construction of "moments" of hierarchy in a large, public setting and discuss how through the practice of title-giving, which virtually every adult member of the society participates in, a particular idea of social inequality, built out of multiple sign systems, is mapped onto each body, [language, interaction, politics, Oceania, social stratification, hierarchy]


The paper deals with gray box identification of flexible structures and active vibration suppression from a robust control perspective. First, the linearized mathematical model of an N‐storey flexible structure is presented. Next, the generalized mathematical model is particularized for the investigated three‐storey flexible structure. The considered flexible structure is identified based on black box and gray box identification methods and the model's parametric uncertainties are deduced. Furthermore, control constraints are presented for the design problem, in case of velocity as well as acceleration feedback, from a robust control perspective. Finally, the effectiveness of the control system is tested through experiments, when the input disturbance is assumed to be a sinusoidal one as well as a historical earthquake record (1940 El Centro record). Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Rhewum high-performance screens are specially designed for the production of multiple size fractions in a single pass. As the requirements for new final products are constantly increasing and changing ever faster, Rhewum offers various types of screen that can be quickly adapted to changing product properties. A test facility with all sizing machines supports optimal screen selection.


With the current outrage at the arbitrary method of censorship applied by the board of film certification in India, it was pertinent to understand and take a closer look at the methods and principles which guide the method of censorship in India, this is also an attempt to understand why censorship is a vital tool to ensure peace and unity in India. The paper also looks at the past and present of censorship, in the form of how it came to be, why it came to be and also what role it plays in society today. In order to get a bigger picture of censorship an attempt has been made to understand censorship in the United States of America, which is a champion of democracy and also in the People's Republic of China which uses censorship to shepherd its populace in the other direction. The effects both schools have on censorship have been explored in this paper. India being a mixture of both influences has the right to expression subject to certain instances and therefore must understand that even though the right of free speech is indeed a requirement in these times and places, but why censorship as a necessary evil as well in India.


The paper introduces the Open Source Content Management System Joomla!,Include The layered structure and the design ideas of expended development,development patterns and the processes of building WEB application in Joomla!.And explained Joomla! Framework component extension mechanism in the Web Application System Implementation through analysis of components of Xuzhou Normal University library development.


Self-healing behavior of engineered cementitious composites (ECC) with superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) was investigated in this paper. Four point bending tests were used to precrack ECC specimens at the age of 7 and 28 days, respectively. The precracked samples were then cured in 99%RH curing and 99%RH/room air cycle curing to promote the occurrence of self-healing behavior and in room air curing for control. The addition of SAPs help tighten the crack width, resulting in enhanced flexural stiffness for the 99%RH cured and 99%RH/room air cycle cured samples. Furthermore, the effect of SAPs also promotes a larger degree recovery of deformation capacity, despite of much lower the initial deformation capacity for ECC2. The self-healed samples were observed by environment scanning electron microscope (ESEM) to reveal the products of self-healing behavior. DOI 10.21012/FC9.049 Hanwen Deng, Shunzhi Qian


Scaffolding instruction,as one teaching mode guided by the constructivism theory,can help to handle the relations between teaching and learning.Based on the related theories of scaffolding instruction,several practical experiences on how to stimulate the students' interest of study and how to use scaffolding instruction in graphic design courses have been summarized in this paper by teaching the cases studies.


This report presents a model-constructing satisfiability calculus (MCSAT) for (quantifier-free) first-order logic modulo a generic combination of disjoint theories. We determine the requirements that the theories and their decision procedures need to satisfy for an MC-SAT combination, thus generalizing the MCSAT calculus of De Moura and Jovanovic, that was introduced for one generic theory and extended to a combination of specific disjoint theories. We prove soundness, completeness, and termination of the generalized calculus.


Through the "brand" consciousness of the ancestors, combined with relevant words such as "yellow", "concubine", "female", "first" and "qiu", this paper interprets the aesthetic consciousness and aesthetic image of the ancestors, combs the synchronicity of context, hoping to inspire creativity for IP culture.


The formation of isoaspartate peptide bonds is a major form of protein post-translational damage in vivo . The accumulation of isoaspartate damage is normally restricted by the activity of protein isoaspartyl methyltransferase (PIMT); a methylation enzyme that triggers restoration of a normal peptide bond. Alcohol consumption of 4 …


Great attention is paid to the research on the resonant PWM soft-switched converters because of its high operating frequency, high efficiency, low electromagnetic interference, and a good property of control and regulation. The comparison between two kinds of buck resonant PWM soft-switched converters is made in the aspects of circuit topolgy, switching losses, voltage and current stress, comparison results will help the application of Buck PWM soft-switched converters.


The Everest Apartments are situated in the resort of Stalis close to the resort restaurants, bars and shops.Complex facilities include swimming pool, children's pool, bar, gardens, luggage room, children's playground, pool and table tennis tables.Apartment..


Remarks on the Methodology of Private Law Studies: The Use of Latin Maxims as Exemplified by nemo plus iuris The use of principles in the legal practice, which are quite often expressed in Latin, is associated with various intentions. What is important is that they should be used, both in research and in the professional practice, in full awareness of their origin and context. The Latin maxims, legal maxims or rules emphasize the Roman origin of the European private law. One of such maxims is nemo plus iuris ad alium transferre potest, quam ipse haberet. Its original context was associated with inheritance law. The Justinian's compilers endowed it with the value of a universal rule. The adage is associated above all with private law, although it was also made use of in the sphere of public law. It occurred in many different variations; in order to find its original wording, one has to consult the 17th Title in the 50th Book of Justinian's Digest. In order to make good use of the maxims one has to take into consideration their wider context – the legal system at the time of Ulpian differed considerably from the one used during the Justinian's era. Nemo plus iuris had also played a significant role in the law of obligations. In classical Roman law and in the times of empreror Justinian, the maxim was a rule of law and as such it allowed of no exceptions. For the correct interpretation and use of maxims it was also necessary to take under consideration the related maxims. In the case of nemo plus iuris such a maxim was nemo sibi ipsum causam possessionis mutare potest. The Latin legal maxim is often used in Polish legal discourse, although it is not directly expressed in statutory law.


[Objective] To investigate the value of spleen and pancreatic tail thorax translocation.[Method] 10 patients with esophageal carcinoma after gastrectomy were enrolled in this study.Lesions were removed through left thoracotomy and residual stomach was fully mobilized,with short gastric artery being reserved.spleen and pancreatic tail were dissected from the back of peritoneum and transposed into thorax.Residual stomach esophagus anastomosis supra or infra aortically was performed.[Results] All the operation was successfully performed.Patients were recovered prosperously and a relatively good prognosis was acquired.Late leakage and pleural effusion happened in one case respectively,but these complications were cured through conservative management without operative mortality.[Conclusion] Residual stomach is an ideal candidate for the replacement of esophagus and residual stomach esophagus anastomosis is a simple operative alternative with slight trauma and good results for the treatment of esophageal carcinoma after gastrectomy.


Professor Barabanova Svetlana, Doctor of Juridical Science, is vice-director of the Institute of Additional Professional Education of the Kazan National Research Technological University (KNRTU). She was born on January 4, 1962 in Kazan, Russian Federation. In 1983 she graduated the Faculty of Law of the Kazan State University named after V.I. Ulianov-Lenin. From 1986 till present prof. Barabanova has been working at Kazan National Research Technological University. Prof. Barabanova is Honorable Higher Education Employee. She was awarded a medal "In Commemoration of the 1000th Anniversary of Kazan" She is Certified Expert of the Federal Agency of Supervision in Education and Science. Prof. Barabanova is educator and advisor on protection of rights and legal interests of educational process parties. Research interests are education law and challenges of the engineering education. Prof. Barabanova is author of more than 130 scientific papers. Main publications are following: Educational Management in the Republic of Tatarstan. Kazan, , 2000. 100 p. (coauthor.); Evolution of the Educational System of the Republic of Tatarstan. "White Book" of Russian Education. Part 2. Moscow, 2000. (coauthor); State Regulation of Higher Education in Russian Federation: Administrative and Legal Issues. Kazan, 2004; Problems and Gaps of the Law Responsibility Regulation in Education. Year Book of the Russian Education Law. Volume 3, 2008. Issue 2; Additional and Continuing Education: in the Context of The Bologna Process. Year Book of the Russian Education Law. Volume 5, 2010. Issue 2. (coauthor) Problems and Prospects of Educational Legislation in the Context of International Integration and Globalization. Law and Education. 2012; Engineering Education after GATT ratification (consequences of Russia's Accession to the WTO) (coauthor).


Psalm 133 is the penultimate psalm of a collection within the Psalter entitled the "Songs of Ascents." Its idyllic picture of community comes at the close of a collection of hymns and prayers in which the reader is invited to praise, lament, contemplate the past, and gather together for worship. In considering the issue of polarization in the church and in society, this psalm collection offers one model for dwelling together in a world in which fracturing is the easier path, arguing that in order to dwell together, we must first do the difficult work of journeying together.


In this piece, Kelsey Headden offers a synthesis of scholarship surrounding domestic violence issues. As you read, you might pay attention to the careful way Kelsey crafts her argument through the smooth integration of research. Can you identify her claims? How does her outside research support these claims? Does she consider multiple sides to the issues at stake? In what ways might her global issue connect to local sites in our community?


In liver transplantation, matching donor and recipient is a problem that can be solved using machine learning techniques. In this paper we consider a liver transplant dataset obtained from eleven Spanish hospitals, including the patient survival or the rejection in liver transplantation one year after it. To tackle this problem, we use a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm for training generalized radial basis functions neural networks. The obtained models provided medical experts with a mathematical value to predict survival rates allowing them to come up with a right decision according to the principles of justice, efficiency and equity.


Transfer learning - i.e., further fine-tuning a pre-trained model on a downstream task - can confer significant advantages, including improved downstream performance, faster convergence, and better sample efficiency. These advantages have led to a proliferation of task-specific fine-tuned models, which typically can only perform a single task and do not benefit from one another. Recently, model merging techniques have emerged as a solution to combine multiple task-specific models into a single multitask model without performing additional training. However, existing merging methods often ignore the interference between parameters of different models, resulting in large performance drops when merging multiple models. In this paper, we demonstrate that prior merging techniques inadvertently lose valuable information due to two major sources of interference: (a) interference due to redundant parameter values and (b) disagreement on the sign of a given parameter's values across models. To address this, we propose our method, TRIM, ELECT SIGN&MERGE (TIES-Merging), which introduces three novel steps when merging models: (1) resetting parameters that only changed a small amount during fine-tuning, (2) resolving sign conflicts, and (3) merging only the parameters that are in alignment with the final agreed-upon sign. We find that TIES-Merging outperforms several existing methods in diverse settings covering a range of modalities, domains, number of tasks, model sizes, architectures, and fine-tuning settings. We further analyze the impact of different types of interference on model parameters, and highlight the importance of resolving sign interference. Our code is available at https://github.com/prateeky2806/ties-merging


Platelet functions are related to bone resorption and formation. This present study aimed to study the impact of mean platelet volume (MPV) and platelet distribution width (PDW) on bone mineral density (BMD) values and their relationship with the prevalence of osteoporosis in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). A total of 882 elderly hospitalized T2DM patients (242 patients with osteoporosis, 323 patients with osteopenia, and 317 control subjects) undergoing BMD measurement were enrolled. Different biochemical and hematological parameters including MPV and PDW were determined, and the relationship between MPV and PDW, BMD, and osteoporosis was analyzed. There was a progressive increase in MPV and PDW levels from normal BMD subjects (11.20±1.16 fl and 14.68±2.63%, respectively) to osteopenia (11.46±1.23 fl and 15.30±2.91%, respectively) and osteoporosis (11.50±1.29 fl and 15.42±2.65%, respectively) patients (all P<0.01). Partial correlation analysis demonstrates that MPV and PDW concentrations are all negatively associated with BMD values at the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and total hip in all participants after adjustment for potential confounders (all P<0.05). Furthermore, T2DM patients in the highest quartile of MPV and PDW had significantly lower BMD values at the femoral neck and total hip, and higher prevalence of osteoporosis compared with those in the lowest MPV and PDW quartile (P<0.01 or P<0.05). Higher MPV and PDW levels were related to lower BMD values at the femoral neck and total hip and a higher prevalence of osteoporosis in T2DM patients.


Low-temperature epitaxial growth of multicomponent alloy-based thin films remains an outstanding challenge in materials science and is important for established fundamental properties of these complex materials. Here, Cantor nitride (CrMnFeCoNi)N thin films were epitaxially grown on MgO(100) substrates at low deposition temperature by magnetic-field-assisted dc-magnetron sputtering, a technique where a magnetic field is applied to steer the dense plasma to the substrate thereby influencing the flux of Ar-ions bombarding the film during growth. Without ion bombardment, the film displayed textured growth. As the ion flux was increased, the films exhibited epitaxial growth. The epitaxial relationship between film and substrate was found to be cube on cube (001)film||(001)MgO, [100]film||[100]MgO. The epitaxy was retained up to a thickness of approximately ∼100 nm after which the growth becomes textured with a 002 out-of-plane orientation. The elastic constants determined by Brillouin inelastic light scattering were found to be C11 = 320 GPa, C12 = 125 GPa, and C44 = 66 GPa, from which the polycrystalline Young's modulus was calculated as 204 GPa and Poisson's ratio = 0.32, whereas available elastic properties still remained very scarce.


Recent changes in head and neck cancer epidemiology have created a need for improved lymph node prognostics. This article compares the prognostic value of the number of positive nodes (pN) with the value of the lymph node ratio (LNR) and American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) N staging in surgical patients.


N-and p-type doped NiPS 3 crystals grown by chemical vapor transport have been investigated for their electrical and photoelectrochemical properties. The photocurrent-voltage characteristics, differential capacitance, and spectral response were measured in 0.5MH 2 SO 4 . The current-voltage curves of both types of electrodes indicate significant recombination


In this paper, a new strategy of visualizing Pareto front points is proposed when solving multi-objective optimization problems. A problem of graphical representation of the Pareto front points arises when the number of objectives is larger than 2 or 3, because, in this case, the Pareto front points are multidimensional. We face the problem of multidimensional data visualization. The visualization strategy proposed is based on a combination of clustering and dimensionality reduction. Moreover, in the obtained projection of the Pareto front points onto a plane, the points are marked according to the Euclidean distance of multidimensional points, corresponding to the points visualized, from the ideal point. In the experimental investigation of the paper, neural gas is used for data clustering, and multidimensional scaling is applied to dimensionality reduction, as well as to visualizing multidimensional data. The strategy can be implemented in a decision support system and it would be useful for a decision maker, who needs to review and evaluate many points of the Pareto fronts, for example, obtained by genetic algorithms. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.itc.42.4.3209


We present a physical model to explain the behavior of long‐term, time series measurements of chloride, a natural passive tracer, in rainfall and runoff in catchments [Kirchner et al., Nature, 403(524), 2000]. A spectral analysis of the data shows the chloride concentrations in rainfall to have a white noise spectrum, while in streamflow, the spectrum exhibits a fractal 1/f scaling. The empirically derived distribution of tracer travel times h(t) follows a power‐law, indicating low‐level contaminant delivery to streams for a very long time. Our transport model is based on a continuous time random walk (CTRW) with an event time distribution governed by ψ(t) ∼ Aβt−1−β. The CTRW using this power‐law ψ(t) (with 0 < β < 1) is interchangeable with the time‐fractional advection‐dispersion equation (FADE) and has accounted for the universal phenomenon of anomalous transport in a broad range of disordered and complex systems. In the current application, the events can be realized as transit times on portions of the catchment network. The travel time distribution is the first passage time distribution F(t;l) at a distance l from a pulse input (at t = 0) at the origin. We show that the empirical h(t) is the catchment areal composite of F(t;l) and that the fractal 1/f spectral response found in many catchments is an example of the larger class of transport phenomena cited above. The physical basis of ψ(t), which determines F(t;l), is the origin of the extremely long chemical retention times in catchments.


Recent controversy about the ease of constructing and reading graphical program representationsis of interest to us because of our work on graphical programming applications for training. We apply cognitive complexity analysis to graphical and textual programs, and confm the empirical findings of other researchers. We also apply cognitive complexity analysis to graphical programs from our own work. The analysis suggests that, when optimized for a speciilc task, both textual and graphical programs can carry the same information with similar cognitive complexity. The selection of graphical and textual representations for comparison in real-world training applications remains problematic.


The coming into force of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) in the mid-1990s led to a massive strengthening of intellectual property rights in the global South. This was particularly controversial concerning restrictions on access to medicines and set the stage for spirited debates concerning the impacts of medical patents on the realisation of the right to health in the context of the HIV/AIDS crisis. Efforts to reconcile the right to health and medical patents led to a minor amendment of the TRIPS Agreement that has hardly had any impact on the ground while further strengthening of patent protection was obtained, for instance, through bilateral agreements. In the human rights field, attempts to strengthen the protection afforded by the right to health have been partly diluted by efforts to strengthen the claims of inventors under human rights law. At this juncture, two main elements need to be taken forward. The first is to revisit our understanding of the human right to health to ensure, for instance, that there is no compromise in the liberal promise of universality, in particular access to medicines for every person who needs them. The second element is the need to rethink the way in which legal incentives are given to innovate. In a context where patents are the only recognised legal incentive to innovate in the medical field, this discourages the development of medicines for diseases that may affect mostly poor patients, since companies need to recoup their investments. Further, it militates against giving attention to other systems of medicine whose innovations can usually not be protected under the patent system, even where treatments are effective.
 Keywords: TRIPS Agreement, Access to Medicines, Right to Health, ICESCR


This article presents the effects of welding electrode geometries during resistance spot welding. The optimized electrode geometry creates best results for welding copper braids into copper alloy substrates by reducing defects generated on the joints. The new electrode geometry can benefit multiple applications, where lower energy is needed to join the parts. A mechanical cycling test was conducted to validate the welding joint produced by the new electrode geometry. The microstructure of the joint showed that the new electrode geometry improves mechanical properties of the weld by changing the distribution of the heat affected zone and by consequence, the new electrode geometry changes the hardness of the weld zone and in turn results in less fragile weld joint.


My undergraduate class of 1971 at the University of the South Pacific (USP) included Brij Lal and Kesaia Seniloli (both of whom later completed their PhD studies at ANU, and Brij would later become a distinguished professor at ANU), Rajesh Chandra (former vice chancellor of USP) and Justice Daniel Fatiaki (former chief justice of Fiji and currently judge of the Supreme Court in Vanuatu). Among our lecturers in subsequent years were Professor Ron Crocombe and Dr Ahmed Ali, both of whom had ANU connections. Studying Pacific history and societies, Pacific Islands development and migration, and ethnicity in Fiji meant that from my undergraduate days I was exposed to the scholarly writings of Jim Davidson, E. K. Fisk, Gerry Ward, Harold Brookfield, Ken Gillion, Neil Gunson, Deryck Scarr, Dorothy Shineberg and Oskar Spate .


Chinese jujube is a perennial fruit tree, famous for its nutritional and medicinal value. However, there is a lack of information on its growth cycle. The study was carried out in Portales, New Mexico, from 2018-2019, to define the Phenophases of Chinese jujube according to BBCH scale. We observed eight major growth stages for Chinese jujube: Bud growth, leaf formation, leaf growth, shoot growth, formation of inflorescence, flowering, fruit formation, growth and development, fruit maturation, and winter dormancy.


The partition function F(θ) is of fundamental importance in the theory of the specific heat of gases. Once it is known, the rotational specific heat of a perfect gas is given by where R is the gram-molecular gas constant, and θ bears the relation to the absolute temperature T, k being Boltzmann's constant.


We derive a method for evaluating the distribution of the phase noise in phase and differential phase modulated systems. The method considers both SPM and XPM induced phase noise and accounts for fiber dispersion. The noise distribution can be used to estimate arbitrarily small bit-error rates for PSK and DPSK systems. The theoretical analysis agrees with Monte Carlo simulations of WDM systems.


The key objective of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs), like any other business organization is to maximize profits. However, the increased rates of non-performing loans (NPLs) hinder microfinance institutions from achieving their main objective.  This study aimed to examine the effect of credit risk analysis on the quality loan portfolio of Microfinance Institutions in Rwanda. The credit risk analysis was measured using collection policy, loan policy and client credit appraisal. On the other hand, the loan quality portfolio was measured by Non-performing Assets (NPAs).  A descriptive research design was used to describe the relationship between the study variables. A total of 30 respondents consisting of managers and credit officers were purposively selected. Data was collected from primary and secondary sources using questionnaires and financial reports.  Data was analyzed by using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The results from the survey indicated that all aspects of credit risk management have got an effect on the quality loan portfolio, as evidenced by an R-square of 34.8% and a P-value of 0.01. Findings further revealed that poorly formulated Credit policy and lack of monitoring of loans through inadequate loan appraisal and loan collection procedures were identified as the main causes of Non-Performing Loans (NPLs), at 43.3%; 66.7%; 53.3%, respectively, further evidenced by the P-values of 0.01,0.012 and 0.000. The researchers further found that management decisions, conditions, and procedures have the greatest effect on non-performing loans at M=4.30; SD .887; and M=4.23; SD= .679, respectively. To address the danger of non-performing loans in the MFIs, the following measures were recommended to the management of COPEDU LTD. Effective monitoring of loans, credit training programs, tight security requirements and seeking the services of credit reference bureau and committed debt collectors.


An Autoencoder is a multilayer neural network that is used as a powerful tool to perform dimensionality reduction. Due to its structure, is possible to find low-dimensional representations of high-dimensional data in its most hidden layer. In this paper, a deep autoencoder is used to perform a compact representation of the time response of linear systems. The parameters of deep autoencoder are trained using gradient descent and backpropagation. The proposed method is validated with five different first-order systems and six of second order. Results show that is possible to use a deep autoencoder to capture the dynamical behavior of a dynamical system in its latent layer.


We were interested to read the short communication by Kardamakis and Berry (1987a) on the use of low-dose total body irradiation (TBI) in refractory rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We recently published a similar anecdotal study of six patients with refractory RA treated with low-dose TBI (Crook et al, 1986).The patients of Kardamakis and Berry and ours all received a total dose of 150 cGy, but we gave 10 fractions over 35 days, compared with their 10 or 15 fractions in 16–23 days. In both studies the patients had previously received many disease-modifying agents.


Eight of the more commonly used cephalometric analyses are presented in their basic form and used to assess the antero-posterior skeletal discrepancy of an individual. Tables of results and an appraisal for each method are provided. An attempt has been made to itemize the salient features of each.


Basketball is an inherently social sport, which implies that social dynamics within a team may influence the team's performance on the court. As NBA players use social media, it may be possible to study the social structure of a team by examining the relationships that form within social media networks. This paper investigates the relationship between publicly available online social networks and quantitative performance data. It is hypothesized that network centrality measures for an NBA team's network will correlate with measurable performance metrics such as win percentage, points differential and assists per play. The hypothesis is tested using exponential random graph models (ERGM) and investigating correlation between network and performance variables. The results show that there are league-wide trends correlating certain network measures with game performance, and also quantifies the effects of various player attributes on network formation.


BACKGROUND: Cricket game sustain injuries Cricket is the one of the most popular game in India played by men and women of all ages and these players need some fitness such as flexibility and balance.1 Cricketers sustain back and trunk injuries by 14 to 18%, lower limb injuries is25 to 30% has reported2 the major cause of injuries was found to be bowling 38% of young school boy bowlers3 and 65.7% of provincial bowlers2 suffer from back injuries these are mostly lower back injuries. The greatest risk of injury is for younger players with bowlers mean age 16.8 years showing increased vulnerability to injury because their growth process could not have been completed10 injuries were thought to occur as a result of sudden unexpected movements, such as slips or falls, because the neuromuscular system overreacts, and in the process, soft tissues containing nociceptors and proprioceptors are damaged.678910


The binding of advanced glycation end products (AGE) to the receptor for AGE (RAGE) is known to deteriorate various cell functions and is implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic vascular complications. Here we show that AGE, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and 17β-estradiol (E2) up-regulated RAGE mRNA and protein levels in human microvascular endothelial cells and ECV304 cells, with the mRNA stability being essentially invariant. Transient transfection experiments with human RAGE promoter-luciferase chimeras revealed that the region from nucleotide number −751 to −629 and the region from −239 to −89 in the RAGE 5′-flanking sequence exhibited the AGE/TNF-α and E2 responsiveness, respectively. Site-directed mutation of an nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) site at −671 or of Sp-1 sites at −189 and −172 residing in those regions resulted in an abrogation of the AGE/TNF-α- or E2-mediated transcriptional activation. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays revealed that ECV304 cell nuclear extracts contained factors which retarded the NF-κB and Sp-1 elements, and that the DNA-protein complexes were supershifted by anti-p65/p50 NF-κB and anti-Sp-1/estrogen receptor α antibodies, respectively. These results suggest that AGE, TNF-α, and E2 can activate the RAGE gene through NF-κB and Sp-1, causing enhanced AGE-RAGE interactions, which would lead to an exacerbation of diabetic microvasculopathy.


This study examined diurnal and nocturnal activity patterns from 40 hours of continuous activity recordings of individually caged resident and migrant Silvereyes Zosterops lateralis. Elevated night activity (= Zugunruhe) was displayed by migrants in autumn and spring but not by residents. Zugunruhe commonly commenced in the dark portion of the morning and continued to about 2-3 h beyond the onset of light. Migrants were more night restless than residents in winter and in the migratory seasons of autumn and spring. They were also more diurnally active in the winter months than residents. The increase in diurnal activity in the latter period is related to winter migratory movements.


Shadow removal from color images is considered as a challenging task during last decades. Several approaches have been introduced to address and improve this task. A major breakthrough in this area is projecting the correct direction that minimizes the entropy to get rid of the lighting effect. In this work, we reduce the computational time of entropy minimization up to 52% and decrease the number of integrations by a factor of three using genetic algorithm. The first population is generated by considering the distribution of training images. Then, crossover and mutation are applied and after few generations, the algorithm can reach to the minimum entropy. In the second contribution, another system is proposed based on genetic algorithm that pave the way for finding a real number, instead of integer number, for entropy minimization. Thanks to the new method, the result shows that a real number for the angle can be accurately found on the reasonable time.


The hemiparasite-host interaction is rather complex, acting as parasitism belowground and as competition for light aboveground. Studies modelling this interaction are rare. The most recent model of the hemiparasite-host interaction was developed from the well-known Rosenzweig-MacArthur predator-prey model by Fibich et al. (2010). Here, I modied the light availability function of the model into a more general form and examined the hemiparasite-host coexistence along a productivity gradient of the environment. The behaviour of presented and analyzed model was shown to depend particularly on parameter g scaling light availability for hemiparasites at high host biomasses. While it suggested the host-hemiparasite coexistence only at intermediate productivities under low g, species could coexist even at high productivities under higher g.


This graduation theses explores general problems connected with defining the conception microregion and attends to possible process of financing developing intention within these units. Main part contains analysis selected projects, which was realised in the territory of microregion called Hornolidecsko. Sense of this work is to valorize usefulness of regional support from EU in this microregion and sketch possible resolution realized tasks.


* Corresponding author, e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Tahar Bouchemet * Faculty of Letters and Languages Department of Foreign Languages University of Mentouri Constantine I (Algeria) The purpose of the present study is to examine the interactional metadiscourse features in the introduction and conclusion sections of the Master dissertations written by Algerian students at the University of Constantine 1. The analysis is based on a corpus of 20 Master dissertations introductions and conclusions from Applied Language Studies Discipline. This study seeks to show the distribution of interactional metadiscourse in students' dissertations sections and the differences in the use of these features. The analysis of this study shows that the distribution of Interactional metadiscourse signals differs in the two sections. The findings of this study may have some pedagogical implications for teaching writing in academic disciplines and genres especially to EFL learners.


This chapter distils from the previous four chapters seven key areas which are identified as crucial for developing a contemporary Christian doctrine of salvation. The 'shape' of salvation is presented as an exposition of what one is saved from and for, by whom/what one is saved, and what one is saved into. In filling in this 'template' the seven areas which need exploring are: a broad definition of sin; the affective dimension of salvation; salvation is a present (and not just a post-death) experience; whether human action contributes to the experience of salvation; social salvation; institutional forms of social salvation; the hiddenness of God.


suppressive treatment he was on for ulcerative colitis was a significant risk factor for deepseated fungal infection and, in retrospect, the diagnosis could perhaps have been suspected earlier. Prompt treatment and early diagnosis is critical, but as this case illustrates, it can be very difficult. Apart from oral candidiasis, there was nothing to raise the suspicion of a fungal peritonitis. Without the third laparotomy, the diagnosis would not have been considered until Candida was demonstrated from peripheral sites seven days later. Serodiagnosis of candidal infection can be difficult. Candida antigen detection is specific, and can help distinguish colonised from systemically infected patients, but sensitivity can be low.4 Confirmation of systemic candidiasis requires isolation from blood cultures or an otherwise sterile site except urine, or histological evidence of yeast or mycelial forms in tissues from an 'at risk' patient.5 which can take time. Amphotericin B is recommended for the treatment of deep Candida infections, with fluconazole being a second-line treatment.5 Conventional amphotericin B is nephrotoxic and should not be administered in a dosage exceeding 1.5 mg/ kg/day. Liposomal amphotericin has a significantly shorter infusion time than conventional amphotericin B and is reported as giving a rise to less systemic toxicity and renal impairment,6 enabling the administration of a much higher dosage than with conventional amphotericin. Amphotericin B causes hypokalaemia, and although liposomal amphotericin B has been reported as causing hypokalaemia in up to 18% of cases, our patient tolerated the liposomal amphotericin well, with rapid clinical improvement. The possibility of candidal peritonitis, although very rare, should be considered in any patient potentially at risk. Empirical antifungal treatment should be considered pending the results of other investigations such as serology and peripheral cultures. We suggest that clinicians consider liposomal amphotericin as a useful alternative to conventional amphotericin B in these patients.


The euro zone crisis illustrates the insufficiency of adjustment mechanisms in a monetary union characterized by a large heterogeneity. Firstly, the paper gives an evaluation of exchange rate misalignments inside the euro zone, using a FEER approach (Jeong, Mazier and Saadaoui, 2010). Using panel econometric techniques over the period 1994-2010, we confirm that the exchange rate misalignments in the euro zone have diverged, reflecting unsustainable evolutions. Secondly, we use a "stock-flow consistent" model of a monetary union with two countries along the lines of Godley and Lavoie (2007) and Duwicquet and Mazier (2010). A federal budget is introduced with federal expenditures and social transfers financed by federal taxes and euro-bonds issuing. The stabilizing role of such a federal budget is confirmed facing asymmetric shock or the negative impact of exchange rate misalignments inside the monetary union. Similarly, the stabilizing role of euro-bonds used to finance European investment projects is illustrated.


The Atlantic Forest is a biome with very high reptile diversity and endemism, but despite being the best studied biome in Brazil basic information about many reptiles inhabiting it is still scarce (Marques and Sazima, 2004). This is probably related to the difficulty of observing them, as several reptiles remain motionless most of the time and show low population densities (Passos et al., 2015). In Brazil, the Leiosauridae family consists out of 15 species, 10 of these belonging to the genus Enyalius (Costa and Bérnils, 2015). Lizards of the genus Enyalius (Wied, 1821) are restricted to forested areas and are distributed throughout eastern South America, mainly in the Atlantic Forest (where most species of this genus are endemic), but also with one species in the Amazon (Etheridge, 1969; Jackson, 1978; Ávila-Pires, 1995; Rodrigues et al., 2006). While the ecology of ground dwelling lizards as e g. the members of the genera Ameiva, Ameivula and Tropidurus has been intensively studied (Fialho et al., 2000; Van Sluys et al., 2004a; Rocha and Siqueira, 2008; Siqueira et al., 2010; Siqueira et al., 2013; Passos et al., 2015; Santos et al. 2015), little is known about the ecology of lizards living on shrubs and trees as e.g. members of the genus Enyalius (Van Sluys et al., 2004b). Studied species of the genus Enyalius feed mainly on terrestrial arthropods (Sousa and Cruz, 2008). For Enyalius catenatus, Vanzolini (1972) reported a diet composed of Blattaria, larval Coleoptera, Gryllidae, Diplopoda, Chilopoda, Opiliones and Oligochaeta for 42 individuals of a population from Santa Teresa, Espírito Santo state, and Boraceia, Caraguatatuba and São Sebastião Island in São Paulo state. However, the Index of Relative Importance (a metric proposed by Pinkas et al. (1971) only one year before Vanzolini ́s work was published) and frequency of each prey was not reported by this author and thus it was not possible to assess how much each prey category contributed to the diet. Enyalius catenatus (Figure 1) is distributed in the northeastern portion of the Atlantic Forest, north of the Jequitinhonha River to the state of Rio Grande do Norte Herpetology Notes, volume 11: 227-232 (2018) (published online on 28 March 2018)


In this article a method of improvement of corrosion resistance of car details is proposed. Nanomaterials based on oxide bronzes of titanium, molybdenum, tungsten are prepared by means the self-propagating high-temperature synthesis and the mechanical-chemical interactions. Enamels with additions of these materials are effective anticorrosive coatings. We have shown saving of electrical conductivity of car details after application of anticorrosion coatings.


We discuss the need for devoting time in differential equations courses to modelling and the completion of the modelling process with efforts to estimate the parameters in the models using data. We estimate the parameters present in several differential equation models of chemical reactions of order n, where n = 0, 1, 2, and apply more general parameter estimation approaches to an optimization problem involving the production chemical reaction A → B → C.


Interview with Regis Debray, sociologist at the Sorbonne. In this interview, the ex-guerrilla, converted to midiology, revised the myth Che Guevara, silenced Fidel Castro, relativized the value of utopias and needed his political choices. In his view, capitalist dynamics need a state capable of redistributing the wealth produced. The new technologies of communication, which fascinate him, will not, however, serve to establish a virtual and universal democracy.