Title of Document: GENETIC ANALYSIS OF TROPODITHIETIC ACID BIOSYNTHESIS IN MARINE BACTERIA Haifeng Geng, PhD, 2011 Directed By: Dr. Robert Belas Department of Marine Biotechnology University of Maryland Baltimore County, and Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology Members of the Roseobacter clade of alphaproteobacteria are among the most abundant and ecologically relevant marine bacteria. The antibiotic tropodithietic acid (TDA) produced by roseobacters is hypothesized to be a critical component of the roseobacter-phytoplankton symbiosis. TDA production is influenced by environmental conditions. Specifically, in the lab, TDA activity is highest when bacteria are cultured in standing liquid nutrient broth, whereas cells produce negligible TDA in nutrient broth with shaking. Random mutagenesis was used to construct loss-of-function mutants defective in TDA activity (Tda). Twelve genes were identified as required for Tda activity. Six tda genes, tdaA-F, are physically linked and are carried on pSTM3, a ca. 130-kb plasmid, while the remaining 6 genes are located on the sequenced genome. Genetic and molecular biological evidence demonstrates that tdaA and tdaB form a bicistronic message, tdaCDE are part of a separate operon, and tdaF is likely a part of a third operon. The expression of tdaAB is constitutive, whereas tdaCDE and tdaF mRNA are regulated, showing significantly increased levels when cells are grown in standing liquid broth compared to shaking liquid culturing. Expression of tdaCDE is lost in Tda strains, but could be restored– tdaA and tdaH failed to respond – by placing wild-type Tda strains in close proximity or by adding exogenous TDA to the mutant. These results indicate that TDA acts as an autoinducer of its own synthesis and suggest that roseobacters may use TDA as a quorum signal. Next, I focused attention on the only known regulatory protein, TdaA, involved in tda expression. Disruption of tdaA results in loss of tdaCDE expression, and expression of tdaA in an Escherichia coli background is sufficient to transcribe tdaCDE. Transcriptional activation of the tdaC promoter by TdaA is supported by data from electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) showing that purified TdaA protein binds specifically to a fragment of DNA containing the tdaC promoter. These results support a hypothesis that TdaA is a positive transcriptional regulator of tdaCDE gene expression whose function requires binding to the tdaC promoter region. One of the mechanisms used by TM1040 to regulate TDA biosynthesis is therefore through TdaA regulator. GENETIC ANALYSIS OF TROPODITHIETIC ACID BIOSYNTHESIS IN MARINE BACTERIA


This note proposes a method of predicting the resistance factor for a given combination of flow and roughness properties. The only pattern considered in this study is the staggered pattern because of its common usage. Based on study results, the writers determined that more data on the development of the friction factor for flexible roughness are needed for further analysis.


1 School of Material Science & Engineering, Research Institute for Energy Equipment Materials, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130, China 2 Tianjin Key Laboratory of Materials Laminating Fabrication and Interface Control Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300130, China 3 Synergy Innovation Institute of GDUT, Heyuan, Guangdong Province, China 4 Peter the Great Saint-Petersburg Polytechnic University, Saint-Petersburg, 195221, Russia * E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


An agar-degrading bacterium was isolated from north-eastern sea of Jeju island and cultured in marine agar 2216 media. Biochemical and morphological characteristics and 16S rRNA gene revealed that isolated strain was member of Agarivorans genus, and named Agarivorans sp. JA-1. Agarase was produced as growth-related and expressed regardless of agar presence. Optimal pH was 8 at 50 mM Glycine-NaOH buffer, and activity was maximum at 40℃. Enzymatic activity was maintained over 80% at 60℃ and 70% at 80℃, which is thermotolerant. Hence isolated novel Agarivorans sp. JA-1 strain and its beta-agarase could be used for the production of functional oligosaccharide from agar in solution state.


Trace element incorporation into fish otoliths varies among samples collected at different sites. If otolith elemental composition (the elemental "fingerprint") somehow reflects the characteristics of the ambient water, the elemental fingerprint of the otolith nucleus could serve as a natural marker of fish hatched at different sites. To test this hypothesis, Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) otoliths collected from five spawning grounds in the northwest Atlantic were tested for differences in elemental and isotopic composition. Laser ablation – inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (LA-ICPMS) was used to assay the concentration of 14 isotopes (nine elements) in otolith nuclei. The sensitivity of the laser ablation system exceeded that of the electron microprobe by 2–4 orders of magnitude, with an average CV of 21% for any given isotope. Most isotopic concentrations were consistent between left and right otoliths of a given fish, and most differed significantly among sample sites; there were no significa...


Oil, corresponding in amount to 6-14% of the original nut weight, was extracted from intact macadamia kernels by immersing them in petroleum ether for 48 hours at room temperature. Drying the extracted nuts in a vented oven at 55°C for 24 hours removed the odor and taste of the solvent and their flavor seemed to equal or excel that of nonextracted nuts. Oil thus recovered and marketed could provide additional revenue to the macadamia industry. Nuts of M. tetraphylla and of M. integrifolia were equal in oil content (74.9%) with an iodine value of 71.8 and 75.4, respectively. Macadamia oil had outstanding stability. The 8 major fatty acids in the oil and their mean percentages in the 2 species and their F1 and F2 hybrids were: myristic (0.60), palmitic (8.7), palmitoleic (22.1), stearic (3.6), oleic (59.1), linoleic (1.8), arachidic (2.2), and eicosenoic (1.5). The mean protein content in the lipid free meal of the parental and F1 populations was 36.5%. Arginine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, and leucine made up about 52% of total amino acids recovered in each of the 2 species and the F1 generation.


In this paper, we derive a model of transportation demand and the interrelated supply decisions of agricultural shippers over a geographic space. These shippers use prices to both procure grain and to make output, mode, and market decisions. These decisions are each affected by the characteristics of the region and the level of spatial competition between the shipper and its rivals. We integrate each of these factors into our model of derived demand and spatial competition. The model is applied to data representing barge elevators on the Upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers to estimate transportation demands and gathering areas. The results provide demand elasticity estimates for annual volumes between -1.3 to –1.9, estimates which are sizably larger than previous estimates of similar traffic. The results also indicate that inbound transportation rates to the barge shipper has a significant influence on annual volumes as does the distance to the nearest competitor. A second model, explaining the size of the market area of elevators is also estimated. We find that the rates of alternative modes that compete for barge traffic have a strong influence on market areas as does the distance to the nearest competitor. The results provide for a strong argument that transportation demands are elastic and that spatial market areas vary substantially with transportation rates.


The invention provides an automotive brake pad with high graphite content and high friction property and stability. The automotive brake pad is prepared from potassium hexatitanate whisker, carbon fiber, phenol formaldehyde resin, fluorine rubber, calcined petroleum coke, graphite, flake graphite, grain graphite with the fineness of 16 meshes to 20 meshes, grain graphite with the fineness of 20 meshes to 40 meshes and filling. The invention further provides a preparation method of the automotive brake pad; the preparation method comprises the following steps after metering all the components in percentage by weight, putting the components into a stirrer and stirring and sufficiently mixing; weighing and adding raw material powder into a mold and putting the mold into a hot press; carrying out mold pressing and molding, pressure keeping and cooling; after de-molding, putting a product into a baking oven and carrying out heat treatment; carrying out heat treatment for 6h to 10h at the temperature of 120 DEG C to 160 DEG C; grinding through a grinding machine and spraying to obtain the automotive brake pad with the high graphite content and the high friction property and stability. The automotive brake pad provided by the invention has the characteristics of low noises, low heat fading, extremely stable friction coefficient, extremely low abrasion rate, uneasiness of damaging coupled parts and the like.


This essay presents and discusses the results of a qualitative evaluation of the management process during the implementation of active teaching-learning methods. The following issue was checked: the behavior of management, teachers and students and its relation to the effectiveness of the pro- cess. The analysis pointed out the following themes relative to shared management: understanding of the concept, the expected results and institutional learning in relation to its implementation.


In this paper, a novel binarization technique is introduced for natural scene text, which can be applied after the text location step in order to improve OCR recognition. At the first step, an "optimum" conversion from color image to grayscale image is performed by minimizing L1 - Norm distance between original color image and reconstructed image on corresponding optimum projection vector. Based on it, at the second step, an approach is developed to classify scene text into two categories: "simple" and "complex", for the purpose of optimizing the processing speed and preserving performance. At the last step, binarization is performed with different methods for "simple" and "complex" scene text. Results on word images from the challenging ICDAR 2003 dataset show that our scheme can gain higher performance compared with state-of-the-art methods in OCR accuracy.


Hard landing, as one of the most frequent flight safety incidents during the landing stage, is highly concerned by the aviation industry. Recently, the popularization of Quick Access Recorder (QAR), a modern flight data recording system, has made it possible to collect large volume of flight parameters and incorporate state-of-the-art AI technologies to improve flight safety. However, due to the complex, multivariate, and highly specialized nature of QAR data, most existing studies either suffer from information loss caused by rough feature extraction methods, or rely solely on black-box models with no interpretations, making themselves difficult to achieve satisfactory performance in terms of prediction and explainability. To address this issue, we propose a novel attention-driven model named SDTAN (Scalable Deep Time-Aware Attention Network), which can accurately predict hard landing events and provide interpretable insights to help reveal the possible reasons leading to the events. Specifically, SDTAN fully captures information to learn the local representations of parameters, and leverages the time-interval attention mechanism to focus on the entire temporal pattern of flight over the relevant time intervals. It further re-encodes the representations of parameters in a global view and learns the global effect of parameters on the predicted output to uncover the ones which strongly indicate the flight safety status, enabling both high prediction accuracy and qualitative interpretability. We conduct experiments on real-world QAR datasets of 37,920 Airbus A320 flight samples. Experimental results demonstrate that SDTAN outperforms other state-of-the-art baselines and provides effective interpretability by visualizing the importance of parameters.


The "old" and the "new" United States economies are both real and here to stay, buoyed by an unprecedented entrepreneurial, private-sector, market-driven process that has been little appreciated. Since 1982, the U.S. has created some 12 million new businesses and 80 million new jobs, of which 70 percent to 90 percent, depending on the year, were generated by companies with fewer than 20 people. This remarkable phenomenon fortunately more than offset the simultaneous loss, also since 1982, of 40 million jobs (three times the number lost during the 1930s Great Depression) through downsizing and restructuring of many large businesses. The entrepreneurial process responsible for averting what otherwise would have been another serious Depression, was jump-started by the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981, which reduced taxes by $500 billion over the next four years, but even more importantly, also reduced the capital gains tax from 70 percent in early 1980 to 20 percent. This stimulated the creation of $35 billion of venture capital, "almost overnight," and began an explosion of new business formations, from about 200,000 to 800,000 per year. Europeans, who have had a net loss of jobs over the same period, have called this phenomenon the "American Miracle." Moreover, it is a self sustained--and indefinitely self sustaining--process, which has continued, almost without pause, for two decades, through several economic down-turns and the 1990-92 recession. The unprecedented nature of this economic surge is illustrated by the Industrial Production Index (Figure 1 ), and by the continuous rise in after-tax corporate profits since 1982 (Figure 2). Moreover, it is also little appreciated that only about 5 percent of 18 million U.S. businesses are publicly traded--the tip of an iceberg. It is the other largely-invisible 95 percent that have been, and are now, primarily responsible for the great growth, strength and diversity of the U.S. economy. For example, in 1999, about 800,000 new businesses were formed with 2.9 million new jobs, against 700,000 that were lost, netting out at a plus 2.2 million jobs. Each new job of course, contributes to the demand for food, clothing, housing, healthcare, and all other necessities embodied in the "old" economy, resulting in its slow but sustained growth. On top of this "old" economy is a "new" technology-- intensive economy, which now is generating a never-ending array of new businesses. The entrepreneurial explosion of new businesses that followed in the wake of the Economic Recovery Tax Act, has been further augmented by a number of pervasive forces of change. One of these involves a demographic shift, in which the dissolution of the Marxist-Socialist paradigm has released billions of people to compete in the global marketplace. A second has involved a virtual explosion of advanced technology which, since about 1970, has produced some 90 percent of all known scientific knowledge. This knowledge base likely will double again in the next 15 years, generated by about 90 percent of all the scientists and engineers who have ever lived and are now living and working. Roots of the New Economy This "goldmine" of advanced technology was previously bottled up by bureaucratic regulations and laws. In 1982, there were some 29,000 U.S. government patents, of which only about 4 percent had ever been licensed. Based on the enormous expenditures that had been made, this number should have been perhaps 10 times higher. However, there were no incentives to patent new discoveries, and there were onerous regulations under which licenses could be acquired. The 1984 and 1986 Technology Transfer Acts finally released this technology for either exclusive or non-exclusive licensing to private-sector companies, and established the CRADA process, for cooperative development and commercialization programs. The U.S. has a commanding and growing lead in generating advanced technology. …


The role of convention repair of episiotomy has come under scrutiny in recent years.This procedure has nowbeen modified from interrupted suturing earlier to continuous stitching of episiotomy.Aim &objectives :-This study was done to evaluate the patient comfort & post-op complications betweenconventional repair & continuous repair of episiotomy .Methodology:-This prospective study was conducted in the department of Gyne & obstr of Rama medicalcollege, Hapur from July 2018 to June 2019 on 200 patients who were randomly divided into two groupsof 100 patients each . In Group A (study group), episiotomy repair was performed by continuous stitching &group B underwent conventional interrupted suturing repair. Post operatively the efficacy of both proceduresanalysed on the basis of outcome in form of pain & other complications.Result :- Majority of patients of episiotomy were in age group of 18 to 26 years. Mean gestational periodwas 38.4+0.6 & 38.4+0.5 for the study & control group. The mean suturing time was also significantlyshorter for study group.Pain score was significantly less after 48 hrs. Resumption of sexual activity wassignificantly shorter in study group.Conclusion :- The success rate was significantly better in continuous repair group in the form of lessprocedure time, suture material , postpartum pain & early resumption of sexual activity


Simplified methods to predict the flow between vertical plates cannot be applied to predict the flow patterns in active facades. Due to the presence of blinds and asymmetric inlet or outlet openings and heat transfer through the glazed surfaces (e.g. sun radiation), the flow is much more complex. This research provides an onset for a model that is capable of predicting the airflow in the cavity of an active facade (without any heat transfer). Therefore measurements and simulations are performed. The airflow is measured with two-dimensional Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and one-dimensional hot-film anemometry (HFA) under isothermal conditions. The measurements show some distinct flow features and low-frequency large-scale instationary behaviour and illustrate that the boundary conditions (e.g. dimensions of the inlet) have a major influence on the flow pattern in the facade. The results of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations are compared with the experimental results. It is shown that the two-dimensional CFD model is capable of predicting the general tendencies of the flow. The measurements suggest that the airflow in the facade is three-dimensional, which could not be confirmed by the steady three-dimensional simulations performed in this study.


Profiles ten NZers who were involved in the anti apartheid protests during the Springboks 1981 tour of NZ. Details the roles they played, how they now view the event, and what they are doing now. Talks to lawyer Rob Moodie, Unite Union head John Minto, student Lisa Sacksen, Graham Atkin, builder Marx Jones, Wellington city councillor Ray Ahipene-Mercer, Allan Hewson, detective Grant O'Fee, former MP Ross Meurant, and radio commentator Brendan Telfer.


The incremental launching of box culvert tunneling under Ci-Lai railway is the critical control engineering of the relocation project in Xintai urban area in 205 national road. Through broad in-depth investigations and research,aborative design,scientific monitoring,reasonable construction,applying a series of effective measures in the process of incremental launching construction,the safety reliability of incremental launching construction is realized,ensuring the Ci-Lai railway traffic not to be interrupted. After completion of incremental launching,the various indexes all meet the requirements of standard,and providing first-hand data of the aspects of construction,monitoring and emergency treatment measures of incremental launching of box culvert tunneling under railway for reference in similar situation such as ultra-shallow covering soil,super long span,pipe shed support,and so on.


In his recent article (cf. JL 3 (I967). 103-I i8), Peter Rosenbaum has attempted to show 'that the theory of English syntax contains at least two phrase structure rules [. . .] which introduce sentences. The first of these exemplifies the principle of NOUN PHRASE COMPLEMENTATION by which a sentence is introduced under the immediate domination of a noun phrase (NP). The second is VERB PHRASE COMPLEMENTATION, involving the introduction of a sentence under the immediate domination of a verb phrase (VP).' The purpose of the present paper is to show that a separate rule for verb phrase complementation is unmotivated and an unnecessary complication of the grammar of English. The relevant phrase structure rules are as follows (ibid.):


Marine pearl is the most important bioproduct of gem value. It is revered from ancient times mostly for sentimental aesthetic importance, although it has no resale value like gold. When compared to the quality, value etc. the fresh water pearls now available plenty in India have no comparison with marine pearls.


pH value of the nutrient media always changes in the course of experiments: when azotobacter alone exist the medium considerably acidifies, and when soil protozoa coexist it slightly acidifies, while in the single existence of soil protozoa it alkalifies in all cases. It seems to the authors that the soil protozoa and azotobacter live in the state of disjunctive symbiosis or of metabiosis in the strict sense : in other words, the presence of soil protozoa decreases the acidity of the nutrient media, resulting the vigor of growth -and increased fixation of azotobacter, consequently giving favorable effect on the protozoa themselves to increase the vigorosity and multiplication, thereby keeping the active state of protozoa for a longer period.


Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of absorbable mini archors in the reconstruction of extensor tendon terminal rupture.Methods Twenty cases with extensor tendon terminal avulsion were reconstructed with mini anchors,and the curative effect was observed.Results After 6 to 24 months follow up,tendon re-rupture and finger disfunction were not occurred.According to Dargen scale,the good rate was 95%.Conclusion Using mini anchors for the reconstruction of extensor tendon terminal rupture is simple,reliable and effective.It is worthy of wide clinical applicaton.


The architecture of a data acquisition system utilizing the processing capability of a DSP chip has existed for many years. The ability to do this in a local loop in real time is available today with chips such as the Texas Instruments'1 floating-point TMS320C6713. The advantages of such an approach for real-time processing are many. But also of great interest is the ability for users to stream fast data rates to a host in an economical way. The new standard of USB2 2.0 allows high speed data transfer between such a DSP peripheral or standalone and a host PC.


Cytoplasmic streaming is one among the vital activities of the living cells. In plants cytolplasmic streaming could clearly be seen in hypocotyls of growing seedlings. To observe cytoplsmic streaming and its correlated intracellular trafficking an investigation was conducted in legumes in comparison with GFP-AtRab75 and 35S::GFP:δTIP tonoplast fusion protein expressing arabidopsis lines. These seedlings were observed under confocal microscopy with different buffer incubation treatments and under different stress conditions. GFP expressing 35S::GFP:δTIP tonoplast lines were looking similar to the control lines and differ under stress conditions. Movement of cytoplasmic invaginations within the tonoplast and cytoplasmic sub vesicle or bulb budding during cytoplasmic streaming was observed in hypocotyls of At-GFP tonoplast plants. We found the cytoplasmic bulbs/ vesicles or sub vesicle formation from the plasma membrane. The streaming speed also depends on the incubation medium in which the specimen was incubated, indicating that the external stimuli as well as internal stimuli can alter the speed of streaming


Synthetic aperture radar tomography (SARTom) is the natural extension of SAR interferometry to solve for multiple phase centers within a resolution cell and obtain the 3-D representation of a scene. This paper deals with the determination of the minimum number of tracks required to perform SARTom. Through the prolate spheroidal wave functions, the number of equivalent targets of a volumetric source is derived, and from it, the minimum number of observations required to apply subspace superresolution methods is computed. The minimum tomographic aperture length is also investigated. The results are validated on real data acquired in L-band by the experimental SAR system of the German Aerospace Center.


The invention discloses a device for testing interference fit force between an inner water jacket and a stator. The device comprises a stator fixing device and a torsion jacket. The stator fixing device is used for fixing the stator. The torsion jacket comprises a head and a torsion arm. The head is used for being fixed to the inner water jacket in a sleeved mode. According to the device for testing interference fit force between the inner water jacket and the stator, the stator fixing device serves as a static part, and the torsion jacket serves as a moving part. In the process of use, the stator is fixed through the stator fixing device, the inner water jacket fixed to the outer edge of the stator in an interference mode is sleeved with the torsion jacket, and then force is transmitted. Pressure is slowly applied to the torsion arm of the torsion jacket till the torsion jacket rotates, the maximum value of pressure applied to the torsion arm is recorded, and the maximum torque generated by interference fit force between the inner water jacket and the stator can be calculated by multiplying the maximum pressure value by the arm of force. The device for testing interference fit force can conveniently and quickly detect interference fit force between the inner water jacket and the stator.


Background: Both surfactant (SF) deficiency, anomalies in synthesis and inactivation are major pathophysiological features of neonatal RDS. We previously could show, that tracheal aspirates from preterm infants with RDS containing increased amounts of proteins exhibit abnormal surface properties in the pulsating bubble model (1).Aim: We therefore aimed to quantify inhibition of surface properties by various proteins in-vitro using the pulsating bubble surfactometer (PBS).Methods: Bovine surfactant (Alveofact®) was diluted with 0.9% saline to a 1 mg/ml phospholipid-concentration and further incubated with various concentrations of albumin, fresh plasma, α2,-macroglobulin and α1,-antitrypsin (n = 4 at each concentration). The surfactant-protein samples were examined in the PBS, surface properties were evaluated after 150 pulsating cycles.Results: Data for γ max. (maximum surface tension;mN/m) are given as mean/SD in table 1.Conclusions: Inhibition of SF-function was most obvious following incubation with α2-macroglobulin, which is of particular importance for mechanisms of inactivation and further development of SF-preparations resistant to inactivation.1) Gortner, L. et al. Pediatr Res 32: 635 A (1992)


Ombudspersons for Future Generations have helped to reinforce and implement constitutional environmental rights. Drawing upon the example of the Hungarian office of Parliamentary Commissioner for Future Generations, we intend to explore their role as prima faciae constitutional Guardians, protecting a complex mix of constitutional rights, including the right to a healthy environment, for now, and for those in the future. The office in Hungary was established in 2008, as part of an overarching statute that created an ombudsperson for civil rights, in order to reinforce advocacy for the natural environment and to safeguard intergenerational justice. The Commissioner's key task is "to ensure the protection of the fundamental right to [a] healthy environment." Through interviews with the first Commissioner, and drawing upon relevant research, we will establish that the office possessed a wide range of powers: serving as a consultative body to the Parliament regarding environmental legislation, able to initiate proceedings at the Constitutional Court or intervene in court litigations in the interest of future generations and the enforcement of the right to a healthy environment. An examination of their interventions will demonstrate their unique value in revealing and clarifying many aspects of environmental conflicts which had been pending for several years or even decades. We will conclude that the task of the Commissioner in addition to responding to citizen complaints, is to monitor the enforcement of legal provisions of constitutional environmental rights, to influence local and national legislation and participate in domestic enforcement of international and EU conventions and procedures.


I had to translocate myself to really think about this poem. Where we live near York, in wheatbelt Western Australia, there are many birds. Mainly birds resident the year round, but some migratory waders appear around the Avon River and farm dams, and every now and again there are irruptions of birds from elsewhere in the state. There is much that is uncanny about the place, but the uncanny dilutes with expectation and familiarity, and what has been lost to memory is reintroduced as a notion of 'lost', so trying to reconfigure a sense of the uncanny into the place heightens awareness.


This paper presents SnappView, an open-source software development kit that facilitates end-user review of graphical user interfaces for mobile applications and streamlines their input into a continuous design life cycle. SnappView structures this user interface review process into four cumulative stages: (1) a developer creates a mobile application project with user interface code instrumented by only a few instructions governing SnappView and deploys the resulting application on an application store; (2) any tester, such as an end-user, a designer, a reviewer, while interacting with the instrumented user interface, shakes the mobile device to freeze and capture its screen and to provide insightful multimodal feedback such as textual comments, critics, suggestions, drawings by stroke gestures, voice or video records, with a level of importance; (3) the screenshot is captured with the application, browser, and status data and sent with the feedback to SnappView server; and (4) a designer then reviews collected and aggregated feedback data and passes them to the developer to address raised usability problems. Another cycle then initiates an iterative design. This paper presents the motivations and process for performing mobile application review based on SnappView. Based on this process, we deployed on the AppStore "WeTwo", a real-world mobile application to find various personal activities over a one-month period with 420 active users. This application served for a user experience evaluation conducted with N1=14 developers to reveal the advantages and shortcomings of the toolkit from a development point of view. The same application was also used in a usability evaluation conducted with N2=22 participants to reveal the advantages and shortcomings from an end-user viewpoint.


The medium-energy beam-transport line (MEBT) plays an important role in reducing beam loss in the JAERI/KEK project. A MEBT was designed two years ago, with good beam matching and lower beam loss. To further reduce beam loss during the transient time of the chopper to meet the new requirement from the DTL, a medium-energy beam-transport line with an anti-chopper has been designed. The 3.5 m long transport line consists of nine quadrupole magnets, three bunchers and four chopper/anti-chopper cavities. It accomplishes two tasks: matching the beam from the RFQ to the acceptance of the DTL and chopping the beam to produce gaps for injection into the rapid-cycling ring, which follows the linac. A RF Chopper and an anti-chopper have been adopted in the lattice, resulting in a clean chopping effect and no beam losses during the transient time. Details of the beam dynamics analysis are given.


This study was undertaken to know the effect of fat diet (for eight weeks) on changes of inflammatory markers [tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2)] and blood coagulation system [platelet aggregation function (PAF), prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT)] in rats. Serum TNF-α, PGE2, biochemical markers, PAF, PT, aPTT, and body weight were measured and compared between the control (normal diet-rats) and the fat group (fat diet-rats). The weights in the fat group were higher than those of the control group. TNF-α, PGE2, glucose, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and creatinine levels were greater in the fat group compared with the control group. The degree of platelet aggregation was lower, whereas PT and aPTT levels were longer in the fat group than in the control group. These findings have shown that fat diet may cause inflammatory response, diabetes, liver and renal dysfunction, and disturbances of fibrinolysis and coagulation system.


The present invention provides novel low temperature ther mal, solventless silicone release coatings for temperature sen sitive films. The invention utilizes novel hydridosiloxane crosslinking fluid and hydrosilylation catalyst in conjunction with standard additives, which produce curable polysiloxane release coatings on temperature sensitive films.


Holt-Oram syndrome is an autosomal dominant condition characterized by morphological abnormalities of upper limbs and congenital cardiac defects. We report a case of 6-week-old infant with morphological alterations of upper limbs (absent radius and hypoplastic ulna) since birth and multiple congenital cardiac defects (atrial septal defects and ventricular septal defects), who presented with congestive cardiac failure. This case report illustrates that neonates with anomalies of thumb or upper limbs should be evaluated for possible congenital heart defects.


This thesis is about how power electronics can be implementing on embedded system program. Major in power electronics and controlling using embedded system is what the purpose of this project. This battery charger is supposed to be the fastest charging time among chargers that have nowadays. By using power electronics component that can handle big current and voltage this battery charger should be charging battery faster. Methodology that was use is SMPS topology that is Switch Mode Power Supply and using MOSFET as switching frequency. A switched-mode power supply, switching-mode power supply or SMPS, is an electronic power supply unit (PSU) that incorporates a switching regulator. The SMPS rapidly switches a power transistor between saturation and cutoff with a variable duty cycle whose average is the desired output voltage. The main advantage of this method is greater efficiency because the switching transistor dissipates little power in the saturated state and none in the off state. Other advantages include smaller size and lighter weight from the elimination of low frequency transformers and lower heat generation from the higher efficiency. Disadvantages include greater complexity, the generation of high amplitude, high frequency energy that the low-pass filter must block to avoid EMI, and a ripple voltage at the switching frequency.


Accurate flux estimation and control of stator flux by the flux control loop is the determining factor in effective implementation of DTC algorithm. In this paper a comparison of voltage model based flux estimation techniques for flux response improvement is carried out. The effectiveness of these methods is judged on the basis of Root Mean Square Flux Error (RMSFE) and Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) of stator current. The theoretical aspects of these methods are discussed and a comparative analysis is provided with emphasis on digital signal processor (DSP) based controller implementation. Further the effect of operating flux on the performance of induction motor drive in terms of dynamic response, torque ripple and efficiency of operation is carried out. The proposed investigation is experimentally validated on a test drive.


X-ray crystallographic analysis of mono- and di- 2-bromoimidazolium cations as salts with bromide, hexafluorophosphate, or as double salts of the two, have indicated a tendency for disorder around the imidazolium...


instance of his baroque "sensitivity". De Meyer fully succeeds in her attempt to present a comprehensive analysis of Digby's complex and multifaceted philosophical system. She offers a compelling study of immense learning that will be of interest to specialists in the fields of early modern science and philosophy. Her work is an important contribution to the mapping of Digby's significance in English and cross-Channel intellectual networks. Her sensitivity, throughout the volume, to the baroque dimension of Digby's philosophy is also bound to appeal to readers with a more general interest in the period's literary and cultural history.


Environmental factors may cause synchronous density variations between populations. A better understanding of the processes underlying synchrony is fundamental to predicting resilience loss in metapopulations subject to environmental change. The present study investigated the determinants of synchrony in density time series of three age groups of resident brown trout (Salmo trutta) (0+, 1+, and adults) in 36 stream reaches. A series of Mantel tests were implemented to disentangle the relative effects on trout synchrony of geographical proximity, environmental synchrony in key environmental variables affecting trout dynamics (discharge, water temperature, hydraulics, and spawning substrate mobility), and density-dependent dispersal. Results indicated that environmental synchrony strongly explained trout synchrony over distances less than 75 km. This effect was partly due to a negative influence on 0+ trout of strong discharges during the emergence period and a more complex influence of substrate mobility d...


This paper focus on the difficulty of the frequency control system of alternating-current driven mining machines.It proposes modification and improvement of the system by applying flexible driven oil film clutch.Associated design key points are presented.


Spoken dialog systems help users achieve a task using natural language. Noisy speech recognition and ambiguity in natural language motivate statistical approaches that model distributions over the user's goal at every step in the dialog. The task of tracking these distributions, termed Dialog State Tracking, is therefore an essential component of any spoken dialog system. In recent years, the Dialog State Tracking Challenges have provided a common test-bed and evaluation framework for this task, as well as labeled dialog data. As a result, a variety of machine-learned methods have been successfully applied to Dialog State Tracking. This paper reviews the machine-learning techniques that have been adapted to Di-alog State Tracking, and gives an overview of published evaluations. Discriminative machine-learned methods outperform generative and rule-based methods, the previous state-of-the-art.


Websites designed to promote risky activities provide a novel context for studying the role of emotional appeals and message sensation value (MSV) in risk messages in order to ultimately understand the type of messages that motivate people to engage in risk behaviors. Framed in theories of message design and emotion, this study investigates representations of threat, efficacy, and the extent to which risk messages appeal to a range of positive and negative emotions through the examination of 53 shark diving websites using content analysis and computer generated linguistic analysis. Results indicate that few websites provide explicit threat information (i.e. severity and susceptibility) but many do present implicit threats. Efficacy-related messages were present on all websites. Positive emotion was more common than negative emotion and there is little representation of the traditional components of MSV. Implications for theory development and communication about risk-seeking are addressed.


Galvalume alloy and a method of preparing rare earth-containing and magnesium, the surface of hot dip technical field belongs, to solve the conventional alloy hot-dip formability difference plate, blackening resistance problem of poor coating, the present invention firstly provides a containing rare earth and magnesium galvalume alloy, comprising the following percentages by weight of component content: 54-59% aluminum, 1.2-1.8% silicon, 0.05-0.15% rare earths, 0.3 to 0.7% magnesium, the balance being zinc and unavoidable impurities; wherein the rare earth is cerium or lanthanum or means misch cerium to lanthanum. The present invention further provides a process for preparing such an alloy: adding magnesium, lanthanum or cerium or cerium misch metal and lanthanum in Galvalume alloy melt, the melt obtained is poured into a mold to obtain rare earth-containing hot-dip aluminized and magnesium zinc alloy. Product of the present invention improves the corrosion resistance of the hot-dipped, formability and blackening resistance, coating surface spangle refinement.


In order to maintain the submarine equipment, autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is usually assigned to track the submarine cables or pipes. The capabilities of navigation and control are critical to track the target accurately. Ultra-short baseline (USBL) is essential equipment for AUV, which uses sound waves for positioning. Unfortunately, due to the low frequency of USBL, it inevitably limits the frequency of control and ultimately affects the tracking effect. In order to improve the aforementioned issue and achieve better tracking tasks, intelligent collaborative navigation and control (CNaC) was herein proposed in this article. First, we proposed nonlinear state reconstruction neural network navigation, which used the neural networks to reconstruct the state between two adjacent USBL valid values online. Combined with the valid USBL and reconstructed states, the online process model generated by neural networks are applied to give the estimate position for AUV. At last, intelligent CNaC use the estimated position and valid USBL as inputs to control AUV to achieve tracking tasks. This strategy makes the control frequency free from the limitation of the USBL frequency. The proposed intelligent CNaC is demonstrated by simulation and real experiments. Compared to mechanically combining the traditional navigation and control algorithm, the tracking accuracy of intelligent CNaC improves by 81.96%.


For most of the twentieth century, disorders of the cardiovascular system have been the leading cause of death in developed countries; this burden will be magnified as traditional cultures become more westernized. Cardio vascular disorders , like those that affect virtual ly all other organs systems, are comprised of many rare conditions and far fewer relatively common ones. The rare disorders become evident over a wide age spectrum, but often emerge early in life, and many are congenital. Teratogen exposures, defects in single genes and chromosome aberrations, account for the majority of early-onset cardiovascular diseases. The common disorders, on the other hand, are more likely to be diagnosed in adulthood and to have no single identifiable cause. For decades the familial predisposition to common dis orders such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, and diabetes mellitus has been well appreciated. While relatives share environment and experiences, which could account for exaggerated familial risks, considerable evidence from studies of nuclear pedigrees and twins has pointed to genes as the principal determinants of familial predispositions. Given that about 500 genes, or nearly 10% of all human genes catalogued, have been associated with human cardiovascular phenotypes (76), it is likely that all diseases of the heart and


We study $B\to J/\Psi \eta^{(\prime)}$ decays and suggest two methods to determine the $\eta-\eta^{\prime}$ mixing angle. We calculate not only the factorizable contribution in QCD facorization scheme but also the nonfactorizable hard spectator corrections in pQCD approach. We get the branching ratio of $B\to J/\Psi \eta$ which is consistent with recent experimental data and predict the branching ratio of $B\to J/\Psi \eta^{\prime}$ to be $7.59\times 10^{-6}$. Two methods for determining $\eta-\eta^{\prime}$ mixing angle are suggested in this paper. For the first method, we get the $\eta-\eta^{\prime}$ mixing angle to be about $-13.1^{\circ}$, which is in consistency with others in the literature. The second method depends on less parameters so can be used to determine the $\eta-\eta^{\prime}$ mixing angle with better accuracy but needs, as an input, the branching ratio for $B\to J/\Psi \eta^{\prime}$which should be measured in the near future.


High volume low speed (HVLS) fans are configured as large diameter paddle fans with 10 foils
(blades). The foils range from 4-12' long making the diameter of the fan approximately 8-24' in
diameter. The foils are positioned horizontally attached to a hub mounted on a ¾-1 hp motor shaft.
The fan operates at a speed of between 117 and 50 rpm (8-24' diameter). The fans have been used
in industrial buildings to circulate ventilation air at a low velocity (3 mph). The fans have also
been used in poultry and livestock barns to provide supplemental cooling of the animals by
increasing air circulation and air velocity in the barn. Horizontal velocity data at the cow level (5'
from floor) was collected on several dairy farms where the HVLS fans have been installed to
document velocities achieved with different fan arrangements.


We analyze the dynamics of ultracold atoms in optical lattices induced by a sudden shift of the underlying harmonic trapping potential. In order to study the effect of strong interactions, dimensionality, and lattice topology on transport properties, we consider bosonic atoms with arbitrarily strong repulsive interactions on a two-dimensional square lattice and a hexagonal lattice. On the square lattice we find insulating behavior for weakly interacting atoms and slow relaxation for strong interactions, even when a Mott plateau is present, which in one dimension blocks the dynamics. On the hexagonal lattice the center of mass relaxes to the new equilibrium for any interaction strength.


1 - Transitional water ecosystems constitute extremely complex and productive environments, a preferred route of migrating birds and optimal nursery locations for many fish species. In these interesting environments, descriptors of trophic relationships between species in a web have been suggested as potential integrative and sensitive endpoints for anthropogenic pressure. 2 - To better understand the effects of environmental disturbance on the resident macroinvertebrate assemblage structure, we analysed food webs in three neighbouring transitional water ecosystems located along the Thyrrenian coastal area of Central Italy (Lake Caprolace, Lake Fogliano and Lake Sabaudia), which are affected by different inputs of nitrates from agricultural, farming and urban activities. 3 - Macrozoobenthos, aquatic macrophytes and attached macroalgae, leaf detritus from sediments and suspended organic matter in the water column were sampled at four sites in each ecosystem and stable isotope analysis (C and N) was carried out in order to describe trophic pathways and the food web structure. 4 - a15N values of macroinvertebrates increased from Caprolace to Sabaudia according to increasing nitrate concentration derived from organic sources. Macrozoobenthic assemblages varied in species composition with the lowest biodiversity found in Sabaudia, the most polluted ecosystem. Also proportion of primary consumers, predators and omnivorous species varied, with cascade effects on food web topology and nutrient flow pathways. 5 - In particular, omnivorous and generalist predators were more numerous in Sabaudia, where food chains were longer and webs less compartmentalised than in Caprolace and Fogliano. In Sabaudia a lower level of web robustness to species loss was also observed. 6 - These results suggest that nitrogen pollution can be responsible of evident changes in the architecture of biodiversity between ecosystems, determining less robust trophic structures with strong implication for biodiversity management and conservation.


The intention of this course is to provide guidance and tools necessary to carry out an analytical design of a simple accelerator magnet. Basic concepts and magnet types will be explained as well as important aspects which should be considered before starting the actual design phase. The central part of this course is dedicated to describing how to develop a basic magnet design. Subjects like the layout of the magnetic circuit, the excitation coils, and the cooling circuits will be discussed. A short introduction to materials for the yoke and coil construction and a brief summary about cost estimates for magnets will complete this topic.


In order to collect the data of the air quality,control the disease in animals,and provide the scientific basis for protecting animals' health,the air quality of animals' houses in Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo was continuously detected.The air was collected from rooms of parrots,peacocks and kangaroos.The ammonia concentrations in spring,summer,autumn and winter were as following: 2.69,4.61,3.07 and 5.48 mg/m3 in the parrots' room;1.66,0.98,0.66 and 1.15 mg/m3 in the peacocks' room;1.66,2.51,1.47 and 2.20 mg/m3in the kangaroos' room,respectively.The hydrogen sulphide concentrations in spring,summer,autumn and winter were: 0.015 9,0.016 3,0.017 0 and 0.027 3 mg/m3for parrots;0.029 4,0.077 6,0.050 7 and 0.036 1 mg/m3 for peacocks;0.004 2,0.0051,0.0095 and 0.0074 mg/m3 for kangaroos,respectively.The bacteriual counts in spring,summer,autumn and winter were 15.40×103,21.53×103,20.91×103 and 7.73×103 cfu/m3 for parrots;25.20×103,42.61×103,42.18×103 and 29.40×103 cfu/m3 for peacocks;10.70×103,19.8×103,2.86×103 and 4.34×103 cfu/m3 for kangaroos,respectively.These founding indicated that the air quality was influenced by temperature,humidity,and wind speed,but also by feeding practice,animal density and feed quality.


Key Points As of October 2021, more than 1500 autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) patients have signed up to participate in the ADPKD Registry, which collects patient-reported data. The Registry is a valuable tool for dissemination of information about studies for which individuals may qualify—seven studies so far. By incorporating two validated outcome measures, the ADPKD-IS and ADPKD-PDS, the Registry holds unique data on a national scale. Visual Abstract Background Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common form of inherited kidney disease worldwide. Over the past five years, the therapeutic pipeline for ADPKD has expanded, leading to a growing need for patient enrollment in clinical trials and improved understanding of patient-centered outcomes that can be used in trial design. To advance these goals, the Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation (PKDF) established a national web-based ADPKD Registry. Methods The ADPKD Registry is hosted on a secure, HIPAA-compliant, online platform (IQVIA, oc-meridian.com/pkdcure). Participants are consented through the online system and complete a series of modules. The Core Questionnaire includes patient-reported diagnosis, latest creatinine values, and comorbidities. Additional modules include surveys of family history, diet, quality of life, extrarenal manifestations, and attitudes surrounding research participation. Results As of October 2021, 1563 ADPKD patients across the United States have registered and completed the Core Questionnaire. Participants have a median age of 44 years and are 72% women, 93% White, with 4% self-identifying as Hispanic/Latino and 2% as Black. All CKD stages are present, including post kidney transplant. To date, seven clinical studies have used the Registry as a recruitment tool. Additionally, quality-of-life burden scores revealed a correlation with disease stage as determined by kidney function. Conclusions The Registry described here is the only one of its kind and is a valuable longitudinal research tool encompassing all stages of ADPKD. The registry will allow investigators to pursue a range of research questions related to the management of ADPKD, including definition of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes and recruitment for a variety of observational and therapeutic clinical protocols.


In the present paper, we consider a wave system that is fixed at one end and a boundary control input possessing a partial time delay of weight (1 � µ) is applied over the other end. Using a simple boundary velocity feedback law, we show that the closed loop system generates a C0 group of linear operators. After a spectral analysis, we show that the closed loop system is a Riesz one, that is, there is a sequence of eigenvectors and generalized eigenvectors that forms a Riesz basis for the state Hilbert space. Furthermore, we show that when the weight µ> 1 , for any time delay, we can choose a suitable feedback gain so that the closed loop system is exponentially stable. When µ = 1 ,w e show that the system is at most asymptotically stable. When µ< 1 , the system is always unstable.


The line shape of the NMR signals of protons bonded to nitrogen shows that the longitudinal relaxation of 14N (T1N) is much faster for di-tert-butylpyridinium ions (DTBPH+) than for pyridinium (PyH+) in solution. The relaxation times for ring carbons (T1C) indicate that the difference comes from a different rate of tumbling in solution, rather than from a difference in the electric field gradient. Computer modeling gives ratios of relaxation times (T1N = 1/R1N) of 10−20. Ion pairing has an opposite effect upon the two ions:  it accelerates the relaxation of PyH+ but slows down the relaxation of DTBPH+. In the absence of electrostatic interactions with the solvent, ion pairing should increase the correlation time τc (decrease T1) for the anion positioned in the plane of the ring and should have only a small effect on τc for the anion perpendicular to the ring (along the z axis). The anion in the ion pair of PyH+ is positioned on the x axis (the C2 axis of the ring) for maximum hydrogen bonding with the N−H...


The effects of chemical composition and micro-structure on the heavy metal migration quan- tity were studied.It indicated that Austenitic can transfer to Martensite partly because of stretching deforma- tion,which increases migration quantity of heavy metal in return.The effects of temperature and concentra- tion of acetic acid were also studied.The results were signification in manufacture and process of stainless steel household utensils.


Acknowledgements: The following notes are developed from an original set written by and generously gifted to me by my friend and mentor Mark Nasisse, DVM, DACVO. I have modified and updated them biennially; however, the core content (as well as my fascination with FHV-1) is due entirely to Mark and I am deeply indebted to him. I am also thankful to Dr. Eric Ledbetter for his assistance with the section on canine herpesvirus. Throughout, any errors are mine and I would be grateful if you brought them to my attention.


A review of our work on all-optical gas sensors is presented with an emphasis on the development of both new infrared (IR) sources and IR to visible converters. Many radicals spectroscopic signatures associated to gases of interest are in the 2.5 -15 μm spectral range (4000-350 cm-1). This spectral domain matches rare-earth ions emissions when embedded into chalcogenide glasses which are well- known for having low phonon energies. We present here results concerning the development of IR sources and IR to visible converters based on rare earth doped chalcogenide fibers. The development of all-optical gas sensors in the 3 to 5 µm spectral range is described showing IR signal conversion into visible light using specific excited state absorption mechanisms in rare earth doped materials. This wavelength conversion enables the use of silica fibers to transport the "gas" signal over large distances considerably increasing the scope of possible applications. An example of all-optical sensor using this photon conversion is presented in the case of CO2 detection. The implementation of this type of sensor for different gases such as methane is finally discussed. This all-optical sensor can be typically used over a kilometer range, with sensitivity around hundreds of ppm with cost effective detection heads, making this tool suitable for field operations. Finally, the photon conversion at the heart of this all-optical sensor is discussed as a general mean to detect infrared radiations avoiding the use of infrared detectors for a large span of applications.


The 2013 curriculum is now being implemented by the government. The goal of the 2013 curriculum is for pupils to have 4C and HOTS competencies. HOTS accomplishment indicators can be seen in relation to 4C abilities, which demand critical thinking from pupils. Students' mindsets will be trained to deal with complicated challenges by developing critical thinking abilities. However, real-world situations in schools demonstrate that pupils' critical thinking skills are still relatively low; the reason for this is that the 2013 curriculum has not been applied adequately in schools. As a result, the solution to this problem is to use problem-solving-based Student Worksheets as instructional resources in the learning process. The purpose of this study is to see how using problem-solving-based Student Worksheets on dynamic fluid content for class XI SMA affects students' critical thinking skills.Post-test Only, Non-Equivalent Control Group Design is a quasi-experimental research design used in this study. For the purpose of this study, the population consisted of students in class XI Natural Sciences. The example used is from class XI (Natural Sciences 1 and 2). This study just looks at the aspect of knowledge. Normality, homogeneity, and hypothesis testing were used to examine the research data at a significance level of 0.05..Based on the findings of the data analysis, it can be determined that the Problem Solving Model Student Worksheet has a stronger impact on critical thinking abilities in class XI Natural Sciences 2 than in class XI Natural Sciences 1.


The engine environment causes chemical degradation of the oil over a period of time. In addition, the oil is exposed to sources of internal and external contamination. Therefore, the measured parameters relate to both chemical degradation of the oil and to contamination, both of which can cause loss in provides information on the state of the oil itself and the engine from which it comes. The analysis is performed by obtaining the spectrum of a used oil and comparing it with a spectrum of the same oil when it was new. Since the type of oil, engine design, and operating conditions have a significant effect on the infrared results, one should exercise caution when interpreting the results. The trend observed from a series of samples taken at regular time intervals from the same engine have a much higher diagnostic value than the results from a lone sample. Indicators of Chemical Degradation


The invention discloses a smart home-oriented security protection cooperative control method and belongs to the data processing field in the smart home field. The smart home-oriented security protection cooperative control method is characterized in that the method comprises the following steps that: (1) a home gateway performs information configuration for acquisition terminals according to the types and the actual installation locations of the security protection acquisition terminals; (2) the security protection acquisition terminals acquire security protection data, and transmit acquired security protection data to the home gateway according to different types through a wireless mode or a wired mode; (3) the home gateway analyzes received security protection data and generates a final decision; and (4) the home gateway reports alarms required to be reported to a security protection service center and a home client mobile phone according to the final decision. The method is applicable to the cooperative control of a plurality of acquisition terminals of a security protection system in a smart home. With the smart home-oriented security protection cooperative control method adopted, the false negatives and false positives of security protection warning can be decreased, and the security protection system can better complete a security protection warning function, and the intelligent degree of the smart home can be improved.


How can you tell if depression treatment is working in children and adolescents? Despite the only modest treatment effects, with 30 to 50% of youth not responding to treatment, there are ways to track change, new research has found. Using measurement‐based care (MBC) can help. Their study produced reliable change indices (RCIs) per Jacobson and Truax (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2002127) for the Patient Health Questionnaire‐9 items, Modified for Adolescents (PHQ‐9A), and the Short Moods and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ), two commonly used tools to assess outcomes in treatment of youth depression. They validated the tool with their RCI.


Summary The theoretical scattering of a plane ocean wave of great wave length by a cylindrical island is developed. The pattern of the predicted maximum wave heights about the periphery of the island is found to be approximately that observed around the island of Kauai during the tsunami of April 1, 1946.


In this continuation of our exposition and expansion of Grothendieck's 'Résumé,' we broach the subject of bilinear forms and operators of type α, where α is a tensor norm, and follow that up with the closely related subject of α-nuclearity.


This study developed from an interest in the possibilities of applying Feldman's ideas in his two books (Becoming Human Through Art: Aesthetic Experience in the School and Varieties of Visual Expressions: Art as Image and Idea) to the introductory survey course in art history at North Carolina Central University, which used Janson1s A Basic History of Art as a text. Through cooperation of the art history instructor, it became possible to modify the course midway in the academic term and to introduce Feldman's ideas. This cooperation enabled the investigator to accomplish three things: to confer with the instructor about the existing course; to share modestly in the planning of the "Feldman" phase; and to act as a participant observer in the class meetings. The problem for the study then became one of descrip tion. Four main questions were established: (1) What were the major admin istrative and "structural aspects" of the course?; (2) Who were the students and what was their "readiness" for a college course in art history?; (3) What was the nature of the course as "planned instruction" before and after the course was modified to include the Feldman type art criticism?; (4) What was the course as a "Iearning experience" for the students?


From 1993 through 1995 the Quality Assurance Project (QAP) supported the adaptation and integration of quality assurance methods within the Tahoua Health Department one of nine health administrative regions in the Republic of Niger. The QAP has provided technical and financial inputs designed to improve the quality of primary health care management and delivery throughout the departments eight districts. A national conference was held in the regional capital in December 1995 to share the process and outcomes of the three-year effort and to obtain objective feedback from those outside the department. More specifically the conference served to demonstrate the quality assurance methodology and tools present the departments quality-oriented supervision design describe the use of standards and data to monitor quality in service delivery demonstrate the relationship between quality assurance and decentralization present examples of integration of vertical services as a response to client demand and elicit recommendations from conference participants on how to improve extend and sustain the quality assurance approach in Niger. The conference was attended by approximately 120 people including representatives from the central and regional Ministry of Health representatives from the major donor organizations and nongovernmental organization partners active in the health sector.


Stock seems to evolve over time in a structure similar to what is proposed by the Dow Theory. The investigation of intra-day investor behaviour suggests that the return characteristics are different from previous research around market close. It is most likely due to Sweden being a small and open economy affected by the global financial markets. The findings correspond to what is expected in terms of investors behavior from previous research and the reviewed sciences.


Abstract Drawing on anthropological theories of play, deep play and games, as well as sociological interaction theories of risk, this paper develops a theory of consequential games. This paper suggests that in the United States much expert or entrepreneurial activity can be seen as a competition over creating the rules of games that others must play. In turn, whatever peril lies in these consequential games is the province of the saps that have to play, and whatever reward or prize comes from the game is captured by the expert or entrepreneur. The perspective that this paper advances, in turn, renders domains of life often seen as discrete (say private equity investing and biotechnological tinkering) comparable and in fact similar types of phenomena, all caught up in the crazy apocalyptic vitality that is contemporary capitalism.


In the past 5 years, the Riata lead family of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) electrodes have generated significant concerns because of their poor performance records. Reports of perforation associated with these leads have been mounting. Currently, different screening strategies are used by physicians prior to extraction of the failed Riata lead and implantation of a new lead system. Despite the fact that fluoroscopy and X-ray imaging are not optimal to show wall perforation, there is no consensus yet as to which screening method is to be used. We present a case of Riata lead with electrical and structural component failure. The patient was referred to our center for lead extraction and replacement of an undiagnosed, subclinical ventricular wall perforation.


Dr. Luc Montagnier has been given permission by French health officials to proceed with a phase II/III trial of SPV-30, an herbal treatment derived from the European boxwood tree. The product, available as an over-the-counter dietary supplement, is not considered a drug and therefore does not require approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Preliminary data suggest that SPV-30 is effective in increasing CD4 and CD8 counts while decreasing viral load in patients with HIV. About 200 HIV-positive Americans have already enrolled in the U.S. study. Those interested may receive a free six-month supply of SPV-30 in exchange for filling out a questionnaire and sending in complete blood work and a battery of tests. For more information about the trial, contact Boston AIDS activist David Stokes at (614) 424-9195.


Although they were pervasive in the noble society of early modern France, patron-client ties and networks have not been studied much until recently.' Historians have been slow to study kinship as well.2 Robert Muchembled observed that "the notion of kinship, in the first place, covers a multiform reality only the broad outlines of which historians have as yet explored."3 Extended families, large households, and formal clientage have disappeared from modern western societies, making it more difficult to understand the function of these relationships in early modern societies. Even the characteristics of modern family and patron-client relationships have changed.4 We know that


Artificially modifying the skull was widespread among the pre-Hispanic Maya, who used different head styles during their long cultural past. We examine the distribution and evolution of skull shapes along Quintana Roo's east coast, a cultural region  defined by its own pictorial style, sculpture, and architecture, which peaked during the Postclassic. Here, we examine 222 documented skulls from eight pre-Hispanic coastal and island sites. With the idea that specific, diagnostic head shapes should identify differentiated cultural associations and perhaps even the ethnicity of their human carriers, we explore the population contexts of the documented head styles and their changes during three occupation periods. Our results are discussed in terms of replacement of shapes with cultural, possibly ethnic implications. The tendencies confirm current interpretations on the increase in commercial activities and with them, the political, ideological and population reorganization of Yucatan after the ninth and tenth centuries.


The metamorphosed volcanic-sedimentary sequences of the Wudang Group belong to an important rock unit of the basement in the South Qinling block.Formation ages and geochemical features of the Wudang Group can provide essential information for understanding of the tectonic evolution of the Qinling orogenic belt.In this study,we report whole-rock Sm-Nd and zircon Lu-Hf isotopic composition of sedimentary rocks in the upper part and volcanic rocks in the lower part of the Wudang Group,and provide discussion on petrogenesis of the volcanic rocks and source characteristics of the sedimentary rocks.Zircon grains from the Wudang sedimentary rocks give initiale_(Hf) values ranging from-30 to+10,corresponding to model age values(t_(DM2)) between about 1.0Ga and 3.2Ga,initiale_(Nd) values of whole-rocks vary from-4.0 to-6.0.The sedimentary sources originated from basement rocks of a Yangtze-affinity and volcanic rocks of the lower part of the Wudang Group.Initiale_(Hf) values of zircon grains from the volcanic rocks vary from-35 to+15,corresponding to t_(DM2) values of about 0.8Ga to 3.5Ga,but clustering around 1.5~1.8Ga and 2.2~2.4Ga. Initiale_(Nd) values of two quartz-keratophyre samples of volcanic rock are-9.2 and-10.7,different from the reported values for the Wudang basaltic-andesitic rocks exposed in Hubei Province,where most of the volcanic rocks have positivee_(Nd) values.Therefore, different origins can be proposed for different volcanic rock types of the Wudang Group.Those volcanic rocks characterized by low initiale_(Nd) ande_(Hf) values originated mainly from re-melting crustal material,while others have a broad range of initiale_(Hf) values(-35 to+15) or positive initiale_(Nd) values,which indicate significant contribution of mantle material or juvenile crustal rocks together with old crustal rocks to the magma(s) of the Wudang volcanic rocks.Evidence of Nd-Hf isotopic compositions and detrital zircon age patterns of the Wudang Group suggests that the South Qinling terrane of Yangtze-affinity probably underwent multi-stage history of crustal accretion and reworking during the Proterozoic time.


The invention relates to a molded part and granules for the production thereof. The granulate contains a matrix material of an engineering plastic and an adhesion promoter. In the matrix material parts of cellulose fiber are integrated. Admitting shaft profile of a molded article produced from this granulate corresponds substantially to that of PC / ABS molding parts, said molded part according to the invention, however, expensive to produce, better recyclable and also processable at lower temperatures.


The present invention shows a high affinity for the CD16 receptor of the immune system effector cells, not only can induce high ADCC, cytokine and interleukin can increase the ADCC activity of effector cells, particularly the secretion of IFNγ inducing properties also indicates, therefore can be used to treat infections caused by cancer and pathogens, relates to a humanized or human chimeric monoclonal antibody produced by the selected cell lines.


The formation of t h e intermediate anion liberates the a-amino acrylic moiety to react with the €-amino group of Iysine to form LAI,. Cysteine is formed from the disulfide anion by loss of sulfur and subsequent protonation and is available for reaction with unreactcd a-amino acrylic acid to form Lan. If such a mechanism were correct, every mole'of L=\L produced would be accompanied by the formation of a mole of combined cysteine. T h e sum of Lan, CySOsH, (CyS)?, and CySH expressed as pnioles/g, would, therefore, still remain constant even if the L.AL did derive from (CyS)?. With reference to Table I1 in reference [2] (unstretched fibers), i t may be assumed tha t the wool used in this esperiment was of very similar amino acid composition t o t h a t used in the preparation of Table I (native fibers). A t zero reaction time, therefore, 457 pmolcs/g of (CyS), were present, 29 pnioles/g of CySH, and 1 pmoles/g of Lan. T h e cysteic acid content. may be ignored.as i t remains substantially unaltered during the alkali treatment. After 32 hr reaction time, 303 pmoles/g of Lan have been produced and 368 pmoles/g of (CyS), have disappeared. (The assumption is made tha t 10 pmolesjg of CySH remain after 32 hr.) Assuming t h a t a @-elimination type of reaction occurs, 65 pmoles/g of (CyS) could possibly have contributed towards the formation of L..\L. Since 109 pmoles/g of L:\L have been produced, 597, could derive from (CyS)?. I n view of the assumptions made, this agrees fairly well with Corfield et al. [l] who showed u n equivocally t h a t during alkali treatment (0.1 N Na2C03 at 35OC for 18 hr) the majority of L.AL does derive from (CyS),. From the foregoing, however, i t is difficult to understand the figures quoted in Table I of reference [Z] since, after each reaction time quoted, the increase in 1,an content consistently exceeds the concomitant loss in (CyS)?. This would, indeed, indicate t h a t the L-41and also Lan derived from a soiirce other than (CyS)?. ;\laybe Dr. AIellet would like to comment on these inconsistencies. I t might also be mentioned t h a t at least two arithmetical errors have been made in this table. 2. AIellet, P., Influence of Alkali Treatment on Sat ivc and Denatured Proteins, Textile Res. J . 33, 977 (1968). M. J. Williams Department of Textiles Ontario Research Foundation Sheridan Park Ontario, Canada


Microelectromechanical system (MEMS)-based thermal emitter is a key component in an optical sensor to provide broadband emission at mid-infrared wavelengths, where a lot of molecules have their unique absorption profile. However, the thermal emission from a MEMS emitter is typically fixed at a specific spatial coordinate. In this work, a MEMS thermal emitter with piezoelectric actuation to realize active tuning is demonstrated. Thermal emission comes from a doped silicon layer acting as a resistive heater. Piezoelectric actuation is enabled by an aluminum nitride layer on a designed cantilever. The devices are fabricated on a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible process line. The fabricated thermal emitter at the tip of the cantilever generates broadband MIR thermal emission with spectrum peaked around 10 μm wavelength, and piezoelectric actuation with a displacement of more than 20 μm. The work paves the way towards self-adaptable MEMS directional emitter for various applications including chemical/gas sensing.


The bachelor thesis deals with the issue of teachers and stress. The work includes theoretical and practical part. The theoretical part deals with a teaching profession, stress, causes of stress and implications and coping with stress. The practical part focuses on current awareness to determine and compare to resistance of teachers to various factors (stressors), which affect them. A quantitative research was chosen as an adequate methodology in the form of a questionnaire survey, which provides basis for hypotheses and statistical verification. Research points out the degree of high school teachers' resistance towards stress divided by specific criterions.


House mice living in enclosures (barns, granaries, corn ricks) form small breeding units called demes (reviews in Anderson, 1970; Reimer and Petras, 1967; Selander, 1970). A question still remains however whether small mammals living in feral conditions also are subdivided into demes. Anderson (1970) implies that the results of studies of enclosed house mouse populations can be used in interpretations of the population structure of feral populations of other small mammals. However Tamarin and Krebs (1969) and Gaines and Krebs (1971) failed to find evidence for genetic substructuring of Microtus populations. The best way to determine the generality of the picture of house mouse population structure revealed from studies of barn populations is to investigate the same species, Mus musculus, living in feral conditions. House mice live in grasslands in the vicinity of Berkeley, California (De Long, 1967), and it is possible to make this comparison by studying a feral population here. Several thousand acres of suitable house mouse habitat exist on the 8,000 acre Grizzly Island Duck and Game Preserve in Solano County, California. Fields are plowed and planted in barley approximately every three years. Barley and grasses provide food and cover for the house mice and populations live year around in these fields. Although this area is an island, it is separated from the mainland only by a narrow slough and a bridge connects the two land bodies. Therefore, the situation approaches a mainland one because there is ample opportunity for interchange with the mainland mouse populations, and the island is sufficiently large and heterogeneous to provide a variety of habitats. One of the genetic traits which has been important in previous studies of house mouse populations is a polymorphism at the T locus. Almost all populations of house mice tested have been found to be polymorphic at this locus (Dunn et al., 1960). The t alleles are either lethal or malesterile when in the homozygous condition. Although these alleles are very detrimental and are under strong negative selection, they are maintained by the transmission of very high propor-


The paper presents a critical study of the Ph4AsPh4B assumption, as for verification of its plausibility, that the standard free energies of transfer for the electrolyte from water to organic solvents, às"G°, can be divided equally, or almost equally, between the cation and anion. Discussion is made on the basis of a model treating the solvation energy of an ion being a composite of electrostatic and non electrostatic contributions. The physical parameters relevant to theoretical consideration of microscopic ion solvent interactions are carefully evaluated or semiempirically determined. They are the average molecular sizes, considered as effective spherical hard cores, of solvents, the effective charge of the reference ion, the quadrupole moments of some solvent molecules, and other parameters. Based on these data and others from the literature, the electrostatic parts of standard free energies of transfer are calculated, which accounts for interactions between the charges of ions and multiples of solvent molecules. The theoretical calculation shows a reasonable accordance with experiment for 13 solvents under investigation. For discussion, the neutral parts of standard free energies of transfer are replaced by the experimental values obtained with Ph4Ge and Ph4C, which are proved to be, by their sizes and structures, the neutral analogues of the reference cation and anion, respectively. The sums of the electrostatic and neutral contributions are then compared with the corresponding values from experiment and reasonable agreements are observed. The results from the present study corroborate the Ph4AsPh4B assumption, which enables the determination of thermodynamic quantities for single ions, with the reservation that an asymmetric partition, with a constant partition factor for all solvents, is clearly preferred to the equal partition practised in the literature.


The calculation of eigenvalues including propagation constants and cutoff wavelengths of longitudinal section electric and magnetic modes of different orders (LSE/sub nm/ and LSM/sub nm/ modes) in homogeneous and inhomogeneous lossless dielectric-slab-loaded rectangular waveguides using a modified variation-iteration method is presented. The initial eigenvalues used in the iteration are selected on the basis of a physical consideration. As shown in numerical examples, this method is very efficient for finding all the eigenvalues of LSE/sub nm/ and LSM/sub nm/ modes by a given free-space propagation constant calculation and a given lower bound of the cutoff wavelength for the cutoff wavelength calculation. In addition, the importance of the adaptive update factor in preventing the possibility of missing existing eigenvalues is also discussed. >


The bi-oleothermal© process (combination of oil and heat treatment) is a well mastered alternative method for wood protection. However, the fire behavior and resistance to decay of bi-oleothermally treated wood are not good enough to ensure performance which meets the service standards for outdoor applications such as cladding or decking expected by the market. The aim of the present research project has been to improve this performance by optimizing the linseed oil formulations used at the impregnation stage. Different formulations combining linseed oil, fungicides, insecticides and/or fire retardants were tested under laboratory conditions in order to assess the resistance of oil-treated wood to molds, decay fungi, longhorn beetles, subterranean termites and fire. The results showed that the investigated biological organisms exhibit different levels of susceptibility to oil based formulations. Additionally, the collected data suggested that some inhibition processes might occur between the oil and the active ingredients, lowering the biocide effect of the final formulation. Subsequently, chemical analyses were performed in order to identify the active ingredients both in the oil formulations used for the second bath and inside the treated wood. The measured concentrations of active ingredients were then compared to the expected target values to determine the possible fate of the biocides in the oil formulations (degradation, migration into wood, interaction between the different components). (Resume d'auteur)


We describe a robust and accurate algorithm, nicknamed AffTrack, to track selected features of a rigid 3D object in a video recording, given a canonical image of each feature and its position on the object. AffTrack uses a synergistic combination of a multiscale feature finder and a flexible camera calibrator. This synergy between the two modules allows, AffTrack to recover features after occlusions of arbitrary duration. Compared to other solutions to this problem, AffTrack can handle videos with variable zoom, and variable lens distortion, does not require a complete geometric model of the object, and does not require the selection of key frames. Tests indicate that AffTrack is more robust and accurate than the popular object trackers include in H. Kato's ARToolKit and in the OpenCV library.


We collect some classical results about holomorphic 1-forms of a reduced complex curve singularity. They are used to study the pull-back of holomorphic 1-forms on an isolated complete intersection curve singularity under the normalization morphism. We wonder whether the Milnor number $\mu$ and the Tjurina number $\tau$ of any isolated plane curve singularity satisfy the inequality $3\mu <4\tau$.


This is the first reference book to sort out and define more than 1,100 trademarks and brand names used in the water and wastewater treatment industry. It includes a cross-referenced list of more than 300 manufacturers, complete with addresses, phone numbers, and fax numbers. Listings also include current, obsolete, and dormant product names. Presented in a format similar to a conventional dictionary, Dictionary of Water and Wastewater Treatment Trademarks and Brand Names is easy to use.


Provided is a vacancy calculation device capable of calculating the vacancy of an establishment by merely inputting the number of customers and table identification information that indicates a single table among a plurality of tables at which customers are seated when a plurality of tables is combined to receive customers. The vacancy calculation device is provided with an establishment information storage unit for storing the table identification information, the number of people that can be seated at each table, and combination information that indicates a plurality of table combinations capable of being grouped. The vacancy calculation device receives the table identification information of tables at which customers are seated and the number of customers, and determines whether the number of customers exceeds the number of people that can be seated at a table. When the number is exceeded, the vacancy calculation device determines whether another table capable of being combined with the table indicated by the received table identification information is vacant, and when the table is determined to be vacant, the vacancy calculation device stores the table identification information of the other table at which customers will be presumed to be seated, together with the received table identification information.


Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has developed into a mature technology over the past several years, and is currently being exploited for the treatment of a variety of cancerous tumors, and more recently for age-related wet macular degeneration of the eye. However, there are still some unresolved problems with PDT that are retarding a more general acceptance in clinical settings, and thus, for the most part, the treatment of most cancerous rumors still involves some combination of invasive surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatment, particularly subcutaneous tumors. Currently approved PDT agents are activated in the Visible portion of the spectrum below 700 nm, Laser light in this spectral region cannot penetrate the skin more than a few millimeters, and it would be more desirable if PDT could be initiated deep in the Near-infrared (NIR) in the tissue transparency window (700-1000 nm). MPA Technologies, Inc. and Rasiris, Inc. have been co-developing new porphyrin PDT designed to have greatly enhanced intrinsic two-photon cross-sections (>800 GM units) whose two-photon absorption maxima lie deep in the tissue transparency window (ca. 780-850 nm), and have solubility characteristics that would allow for direct IV injection into animal models. Classical PDT also suffers from the lengthy time necessary for accumulation at the tumor site, a relative lack of discrimination between healthy and diseased tissue, particularly at the tumor margins, and difficulty in clearing from the system in a reasonable amount of time post-PDT. We have recently discovered a new design paradigm for the delivery of our two-photon activated PDT agents by incorporating the porphyrins into a triad ensemble that includes a small molecule targeting agent that directs the triad to over-expressed tumor receptor sites, and a NIR one-photon imaging agent that allows the tracking of the triad in terms of accumulation and clearance rates. We are currently using these new two-photon PDT triads in efficacy studies with two breast cancer cell lines, both in vitro and in vivo. Both of these cell lines have been transfected with luciferase genes that allow implanted tumor growth and PDT efficacy to be monitored in living mouse models over time by following the rise and decay of the bioluminescence signals.


The Carnegie Foundation published in 2007 its ground-breaking book titled Educating Lawyers: Preparation for the Profession of Law, in which it pointed out significant pedagogical imbalance in legal education. In particular, the Carnegie report said that law schools should infuse their curricula with more practical and ethical training. How a law school ought to accomplish the Carnegie aim is another challenge, one that this paper squarely addresses. Traditional legal education is sorely imbalanced. A law student receives rigorous training in legal doctrine and analytical skills—he learns to "think like a lawyer"—but is left with little training in practical skills or his ethical role in society. Moreover, law schools rely almost exclusively on the ineffectual pedagogy of the casedialogue method. Several factors explain this entrenched imbalance, most notably the academy's top-down power structure and its budget constraints. Toward the aim of enriching and improving law students' educational experience, I advocate implementing into the doctrinal classroom three specific, workable pedagogies long in use in clinical legal education and in undergraduate English classrooms: using group learning models, using writing as a learning tool, and


We consider the use of distributed storage (DS) to reduce the communication cost of content delivery in wireless networks. Content is stored (cached) in a number of mobile devices using an erasure correcting code. Users retrieve content from other devices using device-to-device communication or from the base station (BS), at the expense of higher communication cost. We address the repair problem when a device storing data leaves the cell. We introduce a repair scheduling where repair is performed periodically and derive analytical expressions for the overall communication cost of content download and data repair as a function of the repair interval. The derived expressions are then used to evaluate the communication cost entailed by DS using several erasure correcting codes. Our results show that DS can reduce the communication cost with respect to the case where content is downloaded only from the BS, provided that the repairs are performed frequently enough. If devices storing content arrive to the cell, the communication cost using DS is further reduced and, for a large enough arrival rate, it is always beneficial. Interestingly, we show that maximum distance separable codes, which do not perform well for classical DS, can yield a low overall communication cost in wireless DS.


Abstract. Sutami, Purwanto, Rosariastuti R. 2021. A salt tolerant Sphingosinicella microcystinivorans A3 isolated from soil contaminated with mercury in traditional gold mining of Jendi Village, Wonogiri District, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 3785-3791. Isolation and characterization of indigenous bacteria from the soil of traditional gold mining contaminated with mercury is the first step in a series of research to explore and utilize indigenous bacteria in Jendi's area. This study was aimed to determine the characteristics and identity of bacterial isolates from soil of traditional gold mining in Jendi Village, Wonogiri contaminated by mercury. The methods used in this study included bacterial isolation, media preparation, phenotypic identification including; morphological and physiological tests and genotyping tests. The results showed that the bacterial isolate A3 grew optimally in media with the addition of 10% NaCl, at a temperature of 27°C, and pH 9. There were negative reactions to the observations of gram staining, acid production from glucose, indole production, catalase and urease, and positive reactions to oxidation. A neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence showed that the A3 strain was closely related to Sphingosinicella microcystinivorans strain Y2T (JCM 13185T) with 100% Query coverage and a maximum identity of 99.56%.


Introduction: Currently obesity at international, national and regional levels is an important part of a challenge to solve. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention in the nutritional status and knowledge level about food and physical activity in school. Methodology: Quantitative study, descriptive, cross-sectional, quasi-experimental. The sample consisted of 368 schoolchildren from 12 schools in the nutritional status. For the knowledge level the sample was 352 students, it was a simple random sampling using the formula for finite populations. RESULTS: The results showed that the educational intervention was able to reduce the rates of low birth weight but increased overweight and obesity. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was present in both male and females, it was 43.3 % before the intervention to 44 % post-inter vention, manifesting mostly in boys than in girls. The T-tests indicated significant differences in the IMC in the control group and in girls in the study group, but no significant difference in the study group were found in children. The level of nutrition knowledge after the educational intervention increased proportionally by 83.59 % for the study group and 263.44 % in the control group. Conclusions: The educational intervention can be effective in increasing knowledge of nutrition and induce children to significant changes in health habits. Greater parental involvement is suggested for best results.


Abstract : The effect of processing variables on the creep resistance of Ti-5Al-5Zr-0.5Si was studied at 1000F (811K). Variables studied included solution temperature, cooling rate from the solution temperature, time at solution temperature, and metal working processes of cold swaging and hot rolling. The effects of these variables on both creep resistance and alloy stability (post-creep ductility) were evaluated. Optimum parameters for creep resistance with attendant residual ductility proved to be a solution temperature of 2192F (1473K)0.5 hr followed by an air cool. In addition, it was shown that the creep rate controlling mechanism goes through a transition at approximately 0.00005/hr creep rate. This transition is marked by an increase in apparent activation energy at creep rates above 0.00005/hr. The creep rate controlling mechanism at low creep rates ( 0.003/hr were shown to have a lasting effect on subsequent steady state creep rates.


For many faculty developers, 2020's challenges changed our approach to our work. We found that by expanding our networks and relying on our collaborative spirit, we were able to adapt quickly and effectively to changing events. Each member of our four-person Learning + Teaching Center (LTC) team brings expertise and skills for faculty development. We employ a holistic approach to faculty development that not only provides programming for teaching improvement but also addresses the social and emotional needs of faculty and staff. The challenges of 2020 forced faculty and staff to work remotely, which necessitated more programming in how to use online technology. In addition, many faculty and staff were deeply troubled by the racial inequities brought to nationwide attention during the spring and summer. During these crises, we moved all of our programming online. We found that participation numbers increased online, but social interaction decreased. We recommend faculty developers continue offering online workshops in addition to in-person opportunities, work with faculty to adapt to new teaching opportunities, build up networks to bring in internal and external experts, and adopt an ethic of care for others and oneself.


Aim: In this record based retrospective study, we aimed at comparing the laparoscopic and conventional open inguinal hernia repair procedures in the population over 65 years of age. Materials and methods: The medical data of 108 patients over 65 years of age who presented with inguinal hernia and underwent surgical treatment between 1 st january 2012 and 31 st December 2015 in a tertiary Hospital, General Surgery Department were considered. Results: The mean age of patients in the open procedure group (n=75) and in the laparoscopic group (n=33) was 82 and 81 years, respectively. The mean American Society of Anaesthesiologists score was 2-7 in the open group and 2-4 in the laparoscopic group (P<0.005). There was no statistically significant difference between the groups with respect to perioperative complications. There was no mortality. Conclusion: Similar to the outcome of open procedure, laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair can safely be performed without an increase in morbidity and mortality in the advanced age population.