Introduction 1. The Origins of Peasant-Friendly Research in Germany 2. The Movement for Peasant-Friendly Plant-Breeding, 1880-1905 3. Research, Development and Extension at the South German Stations 4. Success Breeds Trouble: the Controversy over Public-Sector Breeding, 1902-1933 5. The Fate of Peasant-Friendly Breeding under National Socialism 6. The Green Revolution and its Critics 7. Reforming the Revolution: Peasant-Friendly Innovation, 1970 -2010 8. Three Conclusions


The purpose of this study is to explore the relationships financial ratios and corporate governance strucutre to dividen policy. This study also based on agency theory, signalling theory, life cycle theory, and pecking order theory to explain influence of independent variables to dependent variable.
This study uses secondary data. The population consists of non-financial firms listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange. This study uses purposive sampling and takes some criterias. Firms included in this study are being listed in Indonesian Stoc kExchange before 2012, provides annual reports from 2012 until 2014 in national currency, and also paying dividend among 2012-2014. This research used 349 observations based on the criterias. In this research use multiple linear regression to be analysis technique.
The result of this study show that firms that profitability, leverage, and historical growth significant negative to dividend policy thus the results support pecking order theory, signalling theory, and life cycle theory. While the mpct of the expected growth is postive significan to dividend policy so the result support life cycle theor . And the others are insignificant.


The effects of Cr content on the catalyst structure and catalytic activities have been investigated over Cr/MSU-1 catalyst for oxidative dehydrogenation of propane to propylene with CO2. The wCr/MSU-1 catalysts [w=2.0, 4.0, 6.0, 8.0, 10.0, the quality fraction in the percentage (calculated in Cr2O3)] were evaluated and characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), diffuse reflectance UV-Vis and X-ray spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. The activity investigation results show that the best catalytic activity, 62.6% of propane conversion with 22.1% of CO2 conversion, were obtained on 6.0Cr/MSU-1 catalyst at 600 degrees C. The XRD characterization found that Cr/MSU-1 catalysts could maintain good MSU-1 pore structure and the high dispersion of Cr on catalyst surface. With increasing the Cr content the Cr2O3 crystal was detected on the catalyst surface. UV-Vis characterization results confirmed that Cr in the low content on the catalyst surface existed mainly in the form of Cr6+ whereas it existed mainly in the form of Cr3+ in the high Cr content catalysts. The characterization results of XPS for the fresh and used catalyst further confirmed that the content of Cr6+ had a good relationship with the catalytic activity. Based on these studies, Cr6+ was considered the active sites for this reaction.


Results of an experimental investigation of flash evaporation from turbulent planar and axisymmetric water jets are reported. In the range of jet thicknesses tested, for planar jets, due to shattering, evaporation if found to be nearly independent of the jet thickness. Evaporation from the planar jets was found to be dependent on the initial level of turbulence in the water supply manifold. An approximate analysis to model the evaporation process based on the physical phenomena and experimental observations is outlined. Comparisons between the experimental data and analytical predictions of the liquid temperature variation along the jet are included. Use of screens in the water jet are shown to be effective for enhancing evaporation.


Strong Goss texture ({110}〈001〉) was successfully developed by secondary recrystallization in Fe81Ga19 sheets without conventional application of inhibitor or surface energy effect as grain-oriented silicon steel. Goss grains cover 90% surface area of annealed sheet, and the magnetostriction coefficient reaches up to 262 ppm. The primary recrystallization microstructure and texture provide the prerequisites for nucleation and abnormal grain growth of secondary Goss grains. The dispersedly distributed Goss grains do not exhibit an evident advantage in grain size and number, and the normal grain growth of matrix grains can be inhibited by low-angle grain boundaries before onset of secondary recrystallization. The existence of low-angle grain boundaries is proposed to be an important factor for the occurrence of secondary recrystallization in binary Fe-Ga sheets based on grain boundary character distribution analysis.


The production of badea with the application of liquid organic fertilizers was carried out in the Parish El Carmen, Canton La Mana, (Geographic Location WGS 84: Latitude SO ° 56'3.804 "Longitude W 79 ° 13'23.844. Analyzing the agronomic response of the badea, evaluating the fertilizers in relation to the production and evaluating the benefit / cost ratio of the production of badea. The experimental design used was the completely randomized design (DCA), were used The following variables were taken into account: plant height, number of flowers, number of fruits, length of fruits, equatorial diameter of fruits and weight of fruits. The following results: the highest value in the plant height recorded the treatment based on algae extract with 19.98 and 105.40 cm at 30 days and 60 days. As for the number of fruits, the highest results were for the treatment Extract of algae at 90, 120 and 150 days with values from 17.00 to 90, 25.40 at 120 and 33.60 at 150 days. In the harvest the treatment based on seaweed showed higher values in the length of the fruit with 33.07 and 34.45 centimeters, while in the second crop the highest average occurred with the biol with 31.19 cm. The length of the fruit with higher values was the extract treatment of algae with 33.07 and 34.45 centimeters, followed by the chemical fertilizer that obtained averages of 30.10 cm in the first harvest, while in the second crop the highest Averaged with the biol with 31.19 cm. The highest weight of fruits reached corresponds to the treatment Extract of algae with 13074.40 grams per treatment, likewise in the second harvest the highest average was recorded in the extract of algae with a total weight of 13773.00 grams per treatment.


The present invention relates to a device and a display unit. The device comprising: a substrate; a metal layer region is formed on a portion of the substrate; and a first insulating film which is disposed on the substrate and the metal layer, and comprising disposed corresponding to said trench is not provided all of the location area or part of the metal layer.


Aim The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of quercetin in
COVID-19 treatment. Methods This was a single-centre, prospective
randomised controlled cohort study. Routine care versus QCB (quercetin,
vitamin C, bromelain) supplementation was compared between 447 patients
with at least one chronic disease and moderate-to-severe respiratory
symptoms. Demographic features, signs, laboratory results and drug
administration data of patients were recorded. The endpoint was that QCB
supplementation was continued throughout the follow-up period from study
baseline to discharge, intubation, or death. Results The most common
complaints at presentation were fatigue (62.4%), cough (61.1%),
anorexia (57%), thirst (53.7%), respiratory distress (51%) and chills
(48.3%). The decrease in CRP, procalcitonin and ferritin levels was
higher in the QCB group (all Ps were <0.05). In the QCB group,
an increase in platelet and lymphocyte counts were higher (all Ps were
<0.05). QCB did not reduce the risk of events during
follow-up. Adjustments for statistically significant parameters,
including the lung stage, use of favipiravir and presence of comorbidity
did not change the results. While there was no difference between the
groups in terms of event frequency, QCB group had more advanced
pulmonary findings. QCB supplement is shown to have a positive effect on
laboratory recovery. Conclusion We suggest that suboptimal
bioavailability of QCB may explain this. So, we conclude that if a
stable blood level can be achieved for QCB, it may make a difference in
the treatment of COVID-19.


[Introduction/Motivation:] In breast cancer research, the intraductal mouse model offers a valuable alternative for the classical fat pad inoculation route [1]. Understanding the tumor immunity and inflammation associated with the progression of intraductally inoculated triple-negative mammary tumors is key for immunotherapeutic target identification and treatment evaluation.
[Methods:] Py230 mammary tumor cells, derived from a spontaneous tumor of MMTV-PYMT mice [2], were inoculated in the mammary ducts of lactating and syngeneic C57BL/6 mice that carry a luciferase reporter gene regulated by NF-kappaB [3], which has a major role in aggressive breast cancers [4]. In vivo imaging was used to monitor NF-kappaB-derived luminescence in the tumor-bearing mice. Proliferation of primary tumors and invasive breakthrough of the ductal epithelial barrier was determined through immunohistochemistry. Immune cell changes in the tumor microenvironment were also investigated immunohistochemically and confirmed by flow cytometry. Local cytokine profiles were investigated by multiplex assays and ELISA.
[Results and Discussion:] Py230 cells grew exponentially and remained located in the mammary ducts, characteristic for the ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) stage, up to 3 weeks post-inoculation (p.i.). At 6 weeks p.i., tumor cells had invaded the mammary fat pad, characteristic for the invasive breast cancer stage. NF-kappaB-regulated luminescence increased exponentially over time in the tumor-bearing mice and was exclusively found in the primary tumor area and axillary lymph nodes. The progression from DCIS to invasive breast cancer was associated with an increase of innate (macrophages, neutrophils) and adaptive (CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells) tumor-associated immune cell populations. Whereas most of the selected cytokines decreased over time, the NF-kappaB-related cytokines TGF-β1 and BAFF [5, 6] increased exponentially in primary tumors. Overall, our study provides a profiling of breast tumor immunity and inflammation-associated NF-kappaB activity from early to late breast cancer stages, which is likely also of relevance for inflammatory breast cancer.
References:
[1] Steenbrugge J, Breyne K, Denies S, Dekimpe M, Demeyere K, De Wever O, et al. Comparison of the Adipose and Luminal Mammary Gland Compartment as Orthotopic Inoculation Sites in a 4T1-Based Immunocompetent Preclinical Model for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia. 2016;21(3-4):113-22.
[2] Bao L, Cardiff RD, Steinbach P, Messer KS, Ellies LG. Multipotent luminal mammary cancer stem cells model tumor heterogeneity. Breast Cancer Res. 2015;17(1):137.
[3] Carlsen H, Moskaug JO, Fromm SH, Blomhoff R. In vivo imaging of NF-kappa B activity. J Immunol. 2002;168(3):1441-6.
[4] Van Laere SJ, Van der Auwera I, Van den Eynden GG, van Dam P, Van Marck EA, Vermeulen PB, et al. NF-kappaB activation in inflammatory breast cancer is associated with oestrogen receptor downregulation, secondary to EGFR and/or ErbB2 overexpression and MAPK hyperactivation. Br J Cancer. 2007;97(5):659-69.
[5] Neil JR, Schiemann WP. Altered TAB1:I kappaB kinase interaction promotes transforming growth factor beta-mediated nuclear factor-kappaB activation during breast cancer progression. Cancer Res. 2008;68(5):1462-70.
[6] Baud V, Karin M. Is NF-kappaB a good target for cancer therapy? Hopes and pitfalls. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2009;8(1):33-40.


The aim of the present study was to explore features associated with glycemic control in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients undergoing care by specialist clinics.


Comparative study of pharmacokinetics and bioequivalence of preparations containing nitisinone: Nitisinone, capsules 10 mg (ZAO Obninsk Chemical-Pharmaceutical Company (ZAO OCPC), Russia) and Orfadin®, capsules 10 mg ("Apotek Production and Laboratory AB", Sweden) with a single capsule taken on an empty stomach by healthy volunteers. An open randomized cross-examination included 36 healthy volunteers. As a novel strategy the drugs (the test and the comparison drug) were administered once, followed by blood sampling for 72 hours. The "washout" period between study periods was 14 days. Nitisinone concentration in blood plasma samples was quantitatively determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS). The boundaries of the estimated 90% confidence intervals for the ratios of the mean values of the analyzed parameters (Cmax, AUC0-72) are within 80-125% according to the existing guidelines. Nitisinone is bioequivalent to Orfadin. Comparable drugs were also comparable in safety indicators.


Reaction of benzamides of type (I) with DBU results in efficient formation of the title structures depending on the nature of the propargyl substituent.


ABSTRACT A detailed analysis of efficiency of operational work in conditions of reforming of the national economy and railways (1992-2017) is carried out. The need for a significant increase in efficiency based on implementation of technologically and economically sound innovative solutions in the long term to 2030 is emphasized. It is noted that freight transportation is the main income-generating business of the industry and, at the same time, a large part of the operating costs of railway transport is also falling on them, that is why the level of organization of work in cargo traffic is of crucial importance for economically efficient and sustainable operation of railways. It is concluded that in order to further enhance the efficiency of their operational activities, new dynamics of innovations in the framework of the general innovation-oriented development of the industry is required. Keywords: railway transport, innovation-focused development, efficiency of operational work, train weight, section speed, technical speed, train performance, coefficient of usefulness of train operation.


The article has the scope to present the leave literature academic the historical dialectical method and the discourse analysis as assumptions to structure the researches in educational policies. The objective is the approach of both methods in order to favor an analytical density for the researches in the field of educational policies. The indications are result of a theoretical bibliographical research about the epistemological groundings of the historical dialectical method and the discourse analysis applied to the field. Therefore, it is possible to assess that the method historical dialectical, articulated with the discourse analysis, is promising and effective as scientific procedure for the study of the education field, mainly when it is about a field research and documental analysis in educational policies


It is critical that computer usage be integrated into assignments that involve the application of basic concepts in electrical engineering. Digital simulation of systems of first-order differential equations can be viewed as an appropriate use of the computer in simulation of physical systems. Some recent results demonstrating the usefulness of the control theory approach will be discussed to provide more insights into the problem of digital simulation. Then new techniques, based on estimation and adaptive filtering, will be presented and shown to be superior to other popular methods, especially for real-time simulation of physical systems.


Swallowing involves 55 muscles, five cranial nerves and two cervical nerve roots. When the coordination of this reflex is disturbed, dysphagia occurs. Dysphagia refers either to the difficulty someone may have with the initial phases of a swallow or to the sensation that the foods or the liquids are being obstructed in their passage from the mouth to the stomach. The objective of the study was to identify the diagnosis of patients attending Speech Therapy clinic, in Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, and to identify the demography of dysphagic patients. From the 406 patients that came during the study period, 139 patients (34.2%) were diagnosed with dysphagia, followed by developmental language disorders (33.3%). Of the 139 patients diagnosed with dysphagia, most of them are within the 41 to 60 (43.2%) and above 60 (42.2%) age groups. The majority were males (66.2%). A total of 81 (58.3%) patients with dysphagia had a history of cerebrovascular accident. Dysphagia is a common disorder among patients attending Speech Therapy Clinics at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kota Kinabalu. Training of Speech Therapists and early dysphagia intervention leads to a better outcome.


Dana Kaplan and Eva Illouz's What Is Sexual Capital? is a clearly written, "accessible" book which leverages previous work by the two authors, and other sociological and feminist literature, to extend the availability of knowledge about sex and sexuality in contemporary capitalist societies beyond academic circles. The care the authors take to define employed concepts is admirable: the short Chapter 3, itself titled "What is sexual capital?," discusses sex, capital, and sexual capital. The book's key notion of neoliberal sexual capital is clearly presented from its first pages, although the concept is deepened throughout the volume. It is once more from its very start that the book distinguishes sexual capital from Hakim's "erotic capital," which Kaplan and Illouz criticize along agreeable lines and taking a similar approach as that found in previous critical readings. This is a relevant distinction for two reasons. First, and obviously, because of the semantic terrain the sexual and the erotic share. Second, because "capital" is the actual core of the concept explored in the book. In fact, it is "through the lens of capital" that the authors "offer a detailed analysis of the effects of neoliberal capitalism on sex and sexuality" [4]. Capital is also at the roots of the historical dimension of the analysis, a dimension which is missing in Hakim's "asociological" theory:


The new constellation of COSMO -SkyMed (CSK) satellites, which carry on board a SAR-X instrument, offers a unique opportunity for the study of sea ice distribution in polar regions and for the detection of drifting icebergs. To exploit this new class of SAR images, a specific processing scheme, consisting of 4 sequential blocks, was developed. The 4 blocks perform: i) ingestion of the raw image into a commercial software for precise geo-location; ii) extraction from the full scene of image subsets containing iceberg infested areas; iii) speckle filtering; iv) segmentation by different algorithms taken from a "free and open source software" (FOSS) library. The results of the application of this processing scheme to a CSK image of Antarctica containing icebergs are presented and discussed.


Computer animation of American Sign Language (ASL) has the potential to remove many educational barriers for deaf students, because it provides a low-cost, effective means for adding sign language translation to any type of digital content.


For the first time, a novel analytical model of contact resistance (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{\text{contact}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) in vertically stacked nanosheet FETs (NSHFETs) with a silicide/Si (100) contact for a sub-3-nm node is presented. Generally, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{\text{contact}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> consists of the interface resistance (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{\text{interface}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) and spreading resistance (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{\text{spread}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>). Herein, a new model of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{\text{interface}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> of silicide/Si (100) contact, which simultaneously considers the source/drain (S/D) doping concentration (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${N}_{\text{si}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>), Schottky barrier height (SBH), and SBH lowering, is demonstrated simultaneously. In addition, a new model of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{\text{spread}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> that divides S/D into multiple resistance components for vertically stacked NSHFETs is suggested. In vertically stacked NSHFET with 3-nm node, for TiSi2/n-Si (100) and NiPtSi2/p-Si (100) contacts, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{\text{spread}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> shows more than ~50.0% higher values compared to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{\text{interface}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. On the other hand, 3-nm node FinFET with TiSi2/n-Si (100) and NiPtSi2/p-Si (100) contacts, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{\text{spread}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> shows more than ~53.7% lower values compared to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{\text{contact}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. The results show that <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{\text{spread}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> becomes dominant in <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{\text{contact}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> compared to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{\text{interface}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> when using NSHFETs, in contrast to the conventional FinFETs in which <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{\text{interface}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is dominant in <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{\text{contact}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. The high <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{\text{spread}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> of the NSHFET is mainly caused by the low nanosheet thickness and vertical pitch between the nanosheets. This study provides critical insights into the design of the source/drain of NSHFET for sub-3-nm CMOS technology.


This paper studies the influence of the machine tool adjustment parameter error on the tooth surface error of the spiral bevel gear wheel processed by the double helix method. Based on the gear meshing principle, MATLAB software was used to establish the error tooth surface equation, and the analytical formula of the discrete point error of the tooth surface containing the machine tool adjustment parameter errors was derived. The topological map of the concave and convex tooth surface errors corresponding to the machine tool adjustment parameter errors was obtained and analyzed. The mapping relationship between machine tool adjustment parameter errors and tooth surface errors is determined, and the adjustment parameters that have a greater influence on the tooth surface errors are determined. With the help of the approximate expression of the topological diagram of the tooth surface error by the second-order surface, the influence weight of the machine tool adjustment parameter error on the tooth surface error is obtained. Based on the tooth surface error and the two-tooth surface error sensitive matrices, a tooth surface error correction model was established. The least square method of the generalized inverse matrix was used to transcend the equations to obtain the correction amount of the machine tool adjustment parameters. Finally, an example is used to verify the correction effect of the error tooth surface. The results show that the error of the tooth surface on the concave and convex sides after the correction is greatly reduced.


Atlases have a long tradition of showing and linking information for the exploration of various mostly spatially related topics. The Atlas of the Ageing Society is an interactive platform illustrating age related data. It enables individuals to explore facts and information related to age and the ageing society. To support content representation as well as a diverse audience, we developed the "story network principle", which embeds annotated visualizations into a network of information in order to allow storytelling with data. Enabling the exploration of such a multifaceted and highly interconnected data landscape, however, posed some technical challenges. This paper describes and discusses a back-end implementation that meets the requirements of the story network principle from a technical perspective. We detail and exemplify the design and implementation of the atlas infrastructure to enable others to benefit from our developments and approaches to the challenges. The story network principle is potentially applicable to a range of applications such as other atlases or digital portfolios.


Data collected through interviews, observation, and questionnaires. The study population was a civil servant at the Civil Service Police Unit Member of Denpasar. Samples taken in startified random sampling as much as 81 respondents. The analysis technique used to answer the problem of this research is the technique of path analysis with SPSS for Window 21. The results of this study indicate that 1) the education variable positive and significant effect on the variable organizational commitment; 2) variable work experience positive and significant effect on organizational commitment; 3) organizational commitment variable and not significant positive effect on job performance; 4) education variable positive and significant effect on work performance and 5) variable work experience and significant positive effect on work performance.


The pioneering work of Zabusky and Kruskal (1965) on one-dimensional soliton solution of the Korteweg-de-Vries (KdV) equation, ushered in a new era in studying novel features of science as solitons played a fundamental role in modelling nonlinear phenomena in various branches of science. Solitons are localized pulseshaped stable nonlinear objects arising out of a delicate balance of dispersion by nonlinearity and they further retain their shape, identity and energy in mutual collisions. Washimi and Taniuti (1966), using reductive perturbation method (RPM), were the first to derive Korteweg de-Vries (KdV) equation for ionacoustic solitons in plasma. Later on, it was established that a large class of nonlinear partial differential equations possessed special soliton solutions. The first experimental observation of ion-acoustic solitons was made by Ikezi et . al .


Primary hepatic tuberculosis is a very rare manifestation of tuberculosis. The diagnostic criteria for primary hepatic tuberculosis include evidence of a recent tuberculosis infection, demonstration of tuberculosis in the liver and the absence of old or current tuberculous lesions elsewhere, with clinical and radiological exclusion of extrahepatic tuberculosis. We experienced a patient who presented with a fever of unknown origin. Laparoscopic liver biopsy showed noncaseating granulomas and stains for AFB, and the results of PCR for tuberculosis were negative. We examined the possible causes of hepatic granulomas but could not find evidence of any other cause. Considering the high prevalence of tuberculosis and positive PPD tests in Korea, we tried to treat our patient with an antituberculous agent. After the treatment, his fever and other symptoms rapidly subsided and the abnormal findings on liver tests returned to normal. After about 3 months of treatment, a percutaneous liver biopsy was taken, and the histology revealed the disappearance of hepatic granulomas.(Korean J Med 73:S925-S929, 2007)


The development of electronic technology in the direction of improving its performance and speed, accompanied by the decrease of its dimensions and mass. This trend requires a new generation of electrical connectors differing from the basic models of a large number of contacts and density of placement on the insulator, having low contact resistance and high insulation resistance, high reliability and long life. The article describes the way of practical application of statistical methods for quality control of contact pairs of electrical connectors. The objects of study of effectiveness of statistical methods of quality management selected two typical details contact pairs received by turning on automatic lathes: pin and socket. The article considers the process of collecting statistical information about the technological process automatic turning of parts of the contact pairs. Shows the results of processing statistical information about the quality of the details of the contact pairs. The use of statistical methods for quality control of contact pairs of electrical connectors allows to correctly configure technological equipment according to the results of making a test batch of parts. Recommendations are made to improve the quality of the contact pairs of connectors. Compiled by technique of quality management of contact pairs according to the results of the statistical analysis of technological processes of their manufacture.


iv CHAPTER 1. DISSERTATION OVERVIEW 1 CHAPTER 2. ANTICIPATED AFFECT AND BEHAVIOR 2 CHAPTER 3. AFFECT AS SOCIAL INFORMAITON 6 CHAPTER 4. POSITIVE VERSUS NEGATIVE AFFECT FUNCTION 9 CHAPTER 5. INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS AND SELF-REGULATION 11 CHAPTER 6. MODERATION EFFECTS 14 CHAPTER 7. THE PRESENT RESEARCH 17 CHAPTER 8. STUDY 1 20 Method 23 Participants and design 23 Materials and procedure 24 Anticipated emotion measure 25 Target's motivation level measure 25 Participants' personal emotion measures 26 Relational‐interdependent self‐construal scale 26 Perspective‐taking scale 26 Results 27 Overview of analyses 27 Manipulation check 28 Target's motivation levels in parents‐related conditions 29 Relationship type: Friends versus parents 32


To the best of our knowledge, there are no previous univocal data on how CCT can accurately describe morphological variants and subtypes of congenital coronary artery abnormalities. Taking into consideration the extensive application of CCT in clinical practice in the last decades, it is not uncommon to have a congenital coronary artery anomaly detected at CCT. Thus, the study aim is to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic impact of specific cardiac CT parameters in subjects with a diagnosis of congenital coronary artery anomalies.

 This is an intermediate evaluation of a prospective clinical registry on a population of subjects who underwent a cardiac computed tomography imaging evaluation in the period between January 2007 and October 2015 and were diagnosed to have a congenital coronary abnormality. For the present preliminary analysis only coronary anomalies of origin have been considered and 92 patients have been included. Follow-up have been collected either through a structured telephonic interview or through the evaluation of clinical records of subsequent hospitalization or ambulatory visits.

 The population enrolled in the present study has an average age of 63,0 ± 12,8 years (range 34 to 85 years), with a male prevalence of 69,6%. The left main artery is missing in 46 individuals (50%), with separate origin of LAD and LCX. Only two duplications (2.2%), one for the left coronary artery and one for the right coronary artery, have been discovered. Six participants (6.5%) had a non-coronary artery origin abnormalities and pulmonary artery was the site of origin in the majority of cases. 51 subjects (55,4%) have an anomalous origin of the coronary artery from a different coronary sinus and 50 subjects had also an anomalous course with the retro-aortic being the most common (30,4%). 11 participants (12,0%) displayed also an intramural segment and 16 (17,4%) had abnormal ostial morphology. The high take-off of the vessel was uncommon (3,3%). Age appears to be the only relevant characteristic; indeed, it displays a significant correlation both to MACE (OR 95% CI 1.03, 1.01-1.07; p=0.0349) and to all-cause of death (OR 95% CI 1.14, 1.02-1.27; p=0.0151). None of the traditional cardiovascular risk factors were found to be significantly linked with adverse outcomes in this study sample of coronary anomalies.

 The result of this intermediate evaluation is that cardiac CT can be successfully used to define the anatomy and features of CAA. However, it demonstrated that in middle-aged patients, the tomographic finding of an abnormality of coronary origin might not have a meaningful, strong negative prognostic value in terms of major cardiovascular events and all-cause of death. This means that probably, in the majority of the cases, once the diagnosis is performed later on in life, no further systematic assessment is needed but a personalized approach should be suggested.


Two modified canonic ladder realisations of IIR digital filters are proposed. They are better than those suggested by Neuvo and Mitra for realisability, although the realisations are also derived using modified continued-fraction expansion procedures.


The transition to lead-free wave soldering has brought with it many challenges. As with any new manufacturing technology entering a production environment, many of the associated challenges are anticipated and prepared for in advance, but other challenges cannot be addressed until production volumes are high enough to flush out all the issues and provide data and insight to their resolution. So the engineering community learns as production ramps up.


Through this research the aim was to know the present situation in which each of the hardware stores are going through, to analyze the relationship with the economy of the La Mana Canton, it determines the main financial indicators of this economic activity having as main objective to analyze the marketing and profitability to suggest improvements in the economy of the business owners, the work began with a description of the definitions of economy , financial indicators and marketing of building materials .


This study aims to show that four maps in a b-metric space that satisfy pairwise weak compatibility have common fixed points under certain conditions. In the main results of this paper, (CLR) property is employed, and common fixed points for four weakly compatible mappings are established. All our findings are backed up by befitting examples. Our results generalize and extend certain previous findings in the literature.


Entrepreneurship is currently seen as an important activity because it is able to create jobs, creativity and economic strength for a country. Entrepreneurship delivered through education aims to foster entrepreneurial interests, skills, and competencies. This study aims to analyze the extent to which entrepreneurship education at universities plays a role in improving students' entrepreneurial competence. From a sample of 97 students, this study has found that entrepreneurship education has a significant influence in fostering student competence.


Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography, as well as the therapeutic possibility of extracorporeal biliary tract drainage and insertion of an endoprosthesis are discussed in this paper. The results are presented of 19 patients treated by extracorporeal drainage and of 12 patients treated by insertion of an endoprosthesis, with a successful outcome in each group. The clinical parameters, the reduction in bilirubin values after treatment and improvement in the patient's condition and general well-being are discussed.


The aim of this study was to assess padel facilities and its characteristics in the Autonomous Community of Extremadura according to the number of inhabitants. The totality of the padel courts built in this area was registered considering property, structure, the pavement surface and the location. The results show a total of 649 padel courts in Extremadura (409 in province of Badajoz and 240 in province of Caceres). Public facilities account for the 50% of the total, however we found large differences between the provinces (44,25% in Badajoz and 57,92% in Caceres). Likewise, similar density were observed between provinces but not when comparing districts. Regarding court profile, 93,05% had an artificial turf ground, 68,26% had a glass enclosure and 69,34 had an outdoor location.


Magnetic refrigeration uses the temperature- and field-dependence of the entropy of some magnetic materials to accomplish cooling. Because of the intrinsically high efficiency of the magnetization and demagnetization process and because of the potential for excellent heat transfer between solids and fluids, magnetic refrigerators promise to have higher efficiency than existing gas-cycle refrigerators. Many ground-based and space-based applications could benefit significantly from the cost savings implied by higher efficiency. Other attributes of these devices are high reliability and low volume and mass per unit cooling power. The development of these refrigerators is underway at several places around the world, including the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The progress to date has been encouraging but some problems have been clearly identified. The arguments for high efficiency and the problems that will need to be solved to achieve this goal are discussed.


Au-Ag nanoflowers were prepared by gold nanoflowers as the seeds and the mixture of AgNO3 and ascorbic acid as the growth solution.With increasing the molar ratio of Ag/Au from 0∶1 to 0.3∶1,the surface plasmon band of the Ag-Au nanoflowers shifted from 592 nm to 518 nm.When the molar ratio was higher than 0.3∶1,there was obvious self-nucleation of Ag and the resulting Ag-Au composite particles became spherical-like in shape.Surface enhanced Raman scattering(SERS) measurements by p-mercaptobenzoic acid(p-MBA) indicated that the Au-Ag nanoflowers exhibited improved SERS activity than the gold ones.


A model for managing strategic alignment and dynamic capabilities (DC) of Supply Chain Management (SCM) information systems (IS) has been developed and applied to a traditional German steel company and a highly innovative Austrian steel company. Different concepts of leading researchers have been combined to get a holistic and detailed view of IS capabilities' impact on strategic fit. The model enables companies to identify ideal levels to strategic fit needed from SC integration and its antecedents for predefining architectural artefacts as sources for dynamic capabilities. The study contributes to new insights into the IT productivity paradox, where possibilities from IS investments remain unused. Essential concepts for optimising SC performance by reducing SC complexity and increasing SC agility have been identified and integrated. The study highlights value enabler and Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods of digital SC models and how the model's ontology can be used to increase alignment autonomy. Finally, the approach supports organisational learning and development of cognitive profiles through collective assimilation and sensemaking effects.


The current study was conducted to investigate the effect of early feed restriction (FR, 8 to 14 d of age) on growth performance and immune function in broiler chickens. Birds were fed corresponding diets from 3 to 35 d of age, which consisted of three phases: starter (3 to 7 d of age), FR (8 to 14 d of age) and re-alimentation (15 to 35 d of age) phases. During the FR period, each group of birds was fed the basal diet ad libitum (CON), 85% (EN85) and 70% (EN70) of lower calorie diet ad libitum (qualitative FR), and 85% (FI85) and 70% (FI70) of voluntary intake on a daily basis (quantitative FR). As a result, there was no statistical difference in weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio between the CON and quantitative or qualitative FR groups during the entire (3 to 35 d) periods. In particular, the EN85 group resulted in a significant (p<0.05) increase in weight gain compared with the EN70, FI85 and FI70 groups. Plasma total protein and albumin at 14 d of age (during FR) were significantly (p<0.05) lower in the quantitative and qualitative FR groups, but these parameters at 35 d of age (after re-alimentation) were higher (p<0.05) in the EN85 and EN70 groups than in the CON group. Plasma IgG level was unaffected by dietary FR procedure. In cytokines, there was no significant difference in the expression of lymphocytic IL-4 and IFN-y at 14 d of age between the FR and the CON groups, whereas lymphocytic IL-6 and iNOS expression were significantly (p<0.05) lower in FI85 and FI70 groups. Moreover, lymphocytic iNOS was also significantly (p<0.05) lower in birds fed qualitative and quantitative diets compared with those fed ad libitum. In the thymus, IL-4 expression was higher (p<0.05) in FI85 and FI70 groups, whereas IL-6 expression was lower (p<0.05) in the FI85 and FI70 groups than in the CON group. Thymic iNOS was significantly (p<0.05) lower in birds fed qualitatively and quantitatively restricted diets compared with those fed ad libitum. At 35 d of age, there was no difference in the expression of IL-4, IL-6 and IFN-y of lymphocytes and thymus between the FR and CON groups. In conclusion, 85% of quantitative and qualitative FR would have a beneficial effect on the expression of some cytokines including IL-4 and iNOS without change in growth performance of birds.


A thermal transfer model for Al2O3 ceramics during micro-detonation of striking arc machining(MDSAM) was established.Based on the finite element theory,the temperature field of Al2O3 ceramics during MDSAM was simulated with the aid of the ANSYS software.Combined with the material properties,the simulated cavity dimension was compared with the machining experimental result and the effects of the machining parameters on the temperature field were analyzed.The simulated results show that the highest temperature of Al2O3 ceramics during MDSAM can reach 13 435 ℃ with the given machining parameters.The heat-affected zone is quite small and the machining test is consistent with the simulated results.With the increase of the pulse width and the working current,the temperature of the processing region and the radius and depth of the cavity increase.The temperature decreases with the increase of the nozzle radius,whereas the diameter-to-depth ratio of the cavity increases.The simulated results can provide an important reference for the prediction of the surface topography,the disclosure of the material removal mechanism,and the optimization of the machining parameters for Al2O3 ceramics during MDSAM.


Premediation: Affect and Mediality After 9/11 is primarily an account of the American media experience of the 2001 terrorist attacks and the subsequent military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq. Richard Grusin situates his analysis in the United States sociopolitical context during the Bush administration years. The book begins by precisely analyzing the different ways in which the significance of this media event has been elaborated, taking on arguments from Baudrillard, Zizek, and David Simpson. The main criticism Grusin raises against these accounts is that by focusing on the event's spectacular dimension and its derealization effects they exclude 'the materiality or agency of mediation' (19), as well as its historic specificity


This paper presents an agent-based approach to evaluating the economic effects of a parking guidance information (PGI) system by modeling drivers' behavior under different parking guidance conditions: with PGI and without PGI. An agent-based model (ABM) is established to explicitly capture car-following behavior and driver searching behavior under the condition of knowing the characteristics of alternatives and receiving information by PGI system. The parking search process is modeled by using MNL model. The study may be regarded as one of the few studies to integrate multi-agent activities of parking choice process, Poisson distribution, GIS, and a detailed traffic micro-simulation for economic evaluation of with and without PGI system. The simulation results of the number of lost agent, average searching time of all agents can be applied to evaluate the economic benefit of PGI system.


The freight loading question belongs to the layout question with restriction,which not only consider reasonable using the vehicles' carrying capacity and available capacity,but also consider the balance of cargo.The article has established a mathematical model taking the maximized vehicles loading rate as its goal.For the model,we use the equal relations between objective function and the energy function of nerve network to design the Hopfield nerve network's structure,and use simulation anneal method to find the bin-loading scheme,finally giving a bin-loading example.Computation indicated that vehicles use effective,position data of each cargo which satisfy the restriction are correct.


In a steel plant,large- area and uniform blistering phenomenon was found on the surface of welded pipe after pickling and hot- dip galvanizing. The blistering phenomenon was detected and analyzed by analyzing the chemical composition,metallurgical structure,morphology and composition of the inclusions through means of scanning electron microscopy( SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometer( EDS). Results showed that in the welded pipe there were many inclusions distributed in strip shape along the rolling direction,and most of the inclusions were Mn S; due to lots of hydrogen were brought into the welded pipe during the processes of smelting,welding and pickling,these hydrogen would be accumulated in the interface of Mn S inclusions and α-Fe or other defects,thus the blistering phenomenon was caused.


The disruptions wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic on food systems worldwide have endangered food and nutrition security for many consumers. The resource-poor, especially those in urban areas, are more susceptible to pandemic-related disturbances. This study uses primary data collected from 2,465 households located in and outside of informal settlements (slums) in Nairobi, Kenya to assess how COVID-19 and related public-health measures have influenced diets of urban consumers, their purchasing patterns and overall food security. Questions about food security and consumption behavior, including household dietary diversity scores, were used to capture the pre- and mid-pandemic situation. The data show that low-income households in the informal settlements were more affected than middle-income households. About 90% of slum households reported dire food insecurity situations, including being unable to eat preferred kinds of food, eating a limited variety of foods, consuming smaller portions than they felt they needed, and eating fewer meals in a day. With a score of four food groups out of nine, household in the informal settlements have lower dietary diversity than middle-income households, whose score is five out of nine. The consumption of nutritious foods, including fruits, vegetables, and animal products, fell among people living in slums during the pandemic. In addition to assessing dietary changes, this study highlights the factors associated with quality food consumption during the pandemic period such as household income levels and male-vs-female headed households. Our research demonstrates the need to attend to slums and vulnerable, poor consumers when enacting mitigation measures or designing and implementing policy.


ABSTRACTActions of sitting and rising from the ground are nega-tively affected by overweightPhysical inactivity is common in overweight individu-als. The objective of this study was to identify the acuteeffect of body weight increase on the performance of sit-ting and rising actions from the ground, and to verifythe influence of some morphologic and functional vari-ables on these movements. Initially (E1), 33 soldiers,aged 20 ± 1.4 years (mean ± sd) and with similar valuesof BMI (22 ± 1.0 kg/m2) and BF % (5.3 ± 2.3), were ran-domly divided into three groups of 11 subjects. The Sit-ting-Rising Test ( SRT ) was applied in a latin square orderwithout artificial increment in the weight (A0), and with10% (A10), and 20% of increment (A20), simulated by theuse of sand vests placed in the trunk. In the second study(E2), 24 pubescent and post-pubescent soccer players (15.4± 1.1 years), randomly divided into four groups of six andwith similar general flexibility, measured by the Flexitest,were submitted to


e12546 Background: Carriers of a germline TP53 mutation have a substantial lifetime risk of developing cancer. We sought to update our evaluation of a comprehensive surveillance protocol for indivi...


IMU) signals and clinical evaluation scales for Parkinson's disease were correlated. The study included 16 patients diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Each subject was evaluated based on Korean Mini-Mental State Examination (KMMSE), Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) part 3, New Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (NFOGQ) parts 2 & 3, and Hoehn & Yahr Scale (H&Y). All subjects performed the Time Up and Go test by attaching IMU sensors to both ankles and torso. Based on the tilting angle of torso and the time of first step, the freezing and non-freezing windows were determined. Seven IMU features involving the ankle signals were calculated in the specific window. Spearman's correlation analysis of clinical evaluation scales was performed. As a result, the freezing index and power of locomotion band (0.3-3 Hz) were recommended to determine UPDRS part 3. Also, the intensity of the locomotion band facilitated evaluation of NFOGQ part 3 regardless of freezing of gait.


The Danish national flag, Dannebrog, is a central symbol for Danes, and its myth of origin is civil religious. The article will show that the present use of the flag places it inside Danish civil religion on some occasions and outside at other. The traditional parading of Dannebrog on the 15th of June (the national flag day) is a civil religious event organised jointly by civil society and the state, and it can be analysed by regarding the Durkheimian and the Rousseauian perspective on civil religion as complementary to each other. The 15th of June tradition is on the wane, but the flag is increasingly displayed on other occasions, including commercial ones. Danes use the flag in public and in private on the most different occasions, and the flag is a central symbol in the present intensified discourse on national Danish identity. Various uses of Dannebrog today are investigated from a range of primary data, including participant observations. The contemporary use of Dannebrog indicates that in addition to state and civil society the market is beginning to influence the use of Dannebrog as a symbol waving in and out of Danish civil religion.


In this superbly researched and written book, Carlos Aguirre initiates the reader into the fascinating details of the penal and criminal world of Lima, a world that had to negotiate the tension between an "authoritarian and exclusionary" modernization process and a continuation of "traditional forms of social domination" (p. 217). The state's inability to implement true prison reform, because of lack of funds and personnel, and the challenges posed by inmates skillful at negotiating and resisting regulations, formed part of the modern/traditional tension. As background, Aguirre examines the development of the criminal question in Peru, looking at the growth of scientific criminology and the making of a criminal class, whose incarceration and ability to work benefited the modernizing state. The author then turns to Lima's various penal institutions and the prison population, pointing out how new penal facilities coexisted with a "network of private, informal, and illegal forms of punishment" (p. 88).


In patients with uveitis of infectious etiology, a significant increase in the index of intoxication and acute inflammation (the Leukocyte Intoxication Index -LII), by 3.4 times on average, was observed. At the same time, this increase in the LII index, in our opinion, was due to the decrease in the percentage of eosinophils in the blood, which in turn increased the number of segmented neutrophils and a decrease in the number of lymphocytes. Rheumatic uveitis and systemic disease were accompanied by a significant increase in the IgE levels, not only in the serum, by 2.9 times, on average, but in the LF as well, by 3.5 times, on average. This study revealed that endogenous uveitis of infectious etiology is characterized by high levels of the Leukocyte Intoxication Index and Sensitization Index in the lacrimal fluid.


The amino acid and lipid analysis on blood and liver and the amino acid analysis on urine gave irregular values for each determination. Therefore, the average values which were presented in the 1966 Technical Progress report (C00-1449-2) were not considered valid and were not submitted for publication. However, experiments on the in vivo conversion of 75 Se-labeled selenite-Se to urinary metabolites led to the observance of an unknown metabolite. This metabolite, which was different from the ordinary selenium analogues of sulfur, was designated as "U-1" (C00-1449-3). The use of the 59 Fe was involved in the study of the anemia of chronic selenium toxicity. The findings because of the labeled iron led to the conclusion that the anemia was from massive hemolysis (C00-1449-3).


Loop closure based on camera images provides excellent results on benchmarking datasets, but might struggle in real-world adverse weather conditions like direct sun, rain, fog, or just darkness at night. In automotive applications, the sensory setups include 3D LiDARs that provide information complementary to cameras. The presented article focuses on the evaluation of camera-based, LiDAR-based, and joint camera-LiDAR-based loop closures applying a similar processing pipeline consisting of a neural network under varying weather conditions using the newly available USyd dataset. The experiments performed on the same trajectories in diverse weather conditions over 50 weeks prove that a 16-line 3D LiDAR can be used to supplement image-based loop closure to increase loop closure performance. This proves that there is a need for more research into loop closures performed with multi-sensory setups.


Pomegranates are one of the most important fruits in the Kandahar
province of Afghanistan, which is famous for its pomegranates around the world.
Pomegranates play a vital role in the socio-economic life of those who grow them.
This study empirically analyzed the value chain of pomegranate production in
Kandahar using primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected from
200 pomegranate growers in the Dand, Panjwai, and Daman districts of
Kandahar province. These growers were selected using a random sampling
method and the data was collected using a structured, pre-tested questionnaire.
The secondary data was collected from traders, local collectors, and exporters of
pomegranates involving 30 pomegranate selling companies. The value chain
analysis shows that from the main four chains of pomegranate production
(farmer, collector, trader, and exporter), the main actors are the exporters who
process pomegranate and add the greatest value by investing in marketing,
shipment, and warehousing and receive highest profit margin among the
stakeholders. Exporters of pomegranates to Europe earn an average of 66 Afghani
per kg. The next greatest beneficiaries are the growers or farmers who earn an
average of 23 AFN on each kg. Local collectors who buy pomegranates from
farmers earn the least, at an average of 13 AFN per kg over the costs of
processing and transportation.


BACKGROUND
This study compared the effects of plyometric training (PT) and virtual training (VT) on physical and functional performance.

METHODS
Fifty-five moderately-trained women participated in this randomized, controlled, prospective study. The subjects were randomly assigned to VT (n=20), PT (n=18), and control (CG, n=17) groups. The VT was performed using the Your Body Shape Fitness Evolved 2012TM exergame in an Xbox360/KineticTM environment. The PT was based on the methods used in previous studies. Both interventions were performed 3 times per week for 8 weeks. Participants in the CG were not submitted to any type of intervention. Physical performance (fitness and athleticism levels) was assessed using the Nike+ Kinetic TrainingTM exergame in an Xbox360/KineticTM environment. Functional performance was assessed using the shuttle run (SR), triple hop test (THT), and six-meter timed hop test (STHT).

RESULTS
Post-intervention fitness and athleticism levels were significantly greater in VT (P < 0.001 and P = 0.009) and in PT (P < 0.001 and P = 0.003) than baselines values. Only VT post-intervention fitness level was significantly greater compared to CG (P = 0.03). Postintervention SR values were significantly lower than baselines values in all groups (P <0.001). VT (P = 0.08) and PT (P = 0.006) post-intervention values were significantly lower compared to CG. Post-intervention THT values were significantly greater than baselines values in VT and PT (P < 0.001). VT (P = 0.04 - dominant limb) and PT (P = 0.003 -dominant limb and P = 0.03 - non-dominant limb) post-intervention values were significantly greater compared to CG. Post-intervention STHT values were significantly lower than baselines values in VT (P < 0.001), PT (P < 0.001) and CG (P = 0.01-0.02). PT post-intervention dominant (P = 0.01) and non-dominant (P = 0.03) limb values were significantly lower compared to CG.

CONCLUSIONS
Both VT and PT are beneficial for improving physical and functional performance. Therefore, VT might be a new tool that can be used for physical exercise practice and conditioning training in moderately-trained women.


Recently, particularly in metropolitan cities we are witnessing a fast change through implementation of mega projects. On the one hand, physical formation of cities are going through a change, on the other, new behaviour patterns and consumer moulds are emerging. All these are able to define two different structures which characterise both integration and disintegration between the locals. In this paper, the aim is to discuss the role of urban projects as a political tool as part of this paradoxical process. Therefore, current urban projects in Istanbul's agenda will be referred to as examples and integration and disintegration concepts will be discussed with reference to the urban space.


In this study, activator, metakaolin, and silica fume were used as a compound activator to improve the activity of steel slag powder. The influence of activator, steel slag powder, metakaolin, and silica fume on the resulting strength of steel slag cement mortar was investigated by orthogonal experiments. For four weight fractions of steel slag powder (10%, 20%, 30%, 40%), the experimental results indicate that the compressive strength of mortar can reach up to more than 85% of the control group while the flexural strength can reach up to more than 90% of the flexural strength of the control group. Through orthogonal analysis, it is determined that the activator is the primary factor influencing the mortar strength. According to the result of orthogonal analysis, the optimal dosages of activator, steel slag powder, metakaolin, and silica fume are suggested. The GM (0, N) prediction model of compressive strength and flexural strength was established, and the compressive strength and flexural strength of mortar with the optimal dosage combinations were predicted. The prediction results show that by using the optimal dosage combination, the mortar strength can reach the level of P·O·42.5 cement. Considering the different strength and cost requirements of cementitious materials in practical engineering, the economic benefits of replacing cement with steel slag powder activated by compound activator in various proportions and equal amounts were presented. The results show that the method proposed in this study can reduce the cost of cementitious materials.


The de novo DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) 3A is mutated in 50% of patients with mixed phenotype acute leukemia, 20% with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and 18% with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). The mechanisms through which mutant DNMT3A contributes to hematologic malignancy are poorly understood. In mice, deletion of Dnmt3a in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) leads to abnormal DNA methylation and inhibition of differentiation, but is insufficient for leukemic transformation. To study the role of Dnmt3a in leukemia, we combined Dnmt3a-deletion with the activated FLT3 proto-oncogene (FLT3-ITD), a frequent co-mutation with DNMT3A in AML patients, to establish a murine model of Dnmt3a-associated malignancy.

In mice transplanted with Dnmt3a-knockout (KO) or wild-type (WT) bone marrow cells transduced with a FLT3-ITD retrovirus, Dnmt3a-loss dramatically impacted the disease phenotype. Dnmt3aKO/ITD transplanted mice had significantly shortened survival (79 days vs. 116 days) and increased rate of acute leukemia compared to mice with ITD alone. The mice developed CD4+CD8+ Notch activation-associated T-ALL or myeloproliferative disease (MPD), or concurrently both, consistent with previous studies of FLT3-ITD in mice. To determine the leukemia-initiating population, we transplanted sorted HSC, myeloid, and lymphoid progenitors transduced with FLT3-ITD. All mice transplanted with HSC and myeloid progenitors succumbed to both malignancies.

To uncover the mechanisms by which Dnmt3a-deletion accelerated acute leukemia, we analyzed changes in DNA methylation in T-ALL blasts by whole genome bisulfite sequencing. Compared to Dnmt3aWT/ITD, Dnmt3aKO/ITD blasts exhibited global hypomethylation, particularly at distal enhancer sites. These hypomethylated enhancer sites were associated with genes in signaling pathways, transcription regulators, and metabolic pathways in cancer (KEGG and GO Analysis). Transcriptome analysis showed that relative to Dnmt3aWT/ITD, the Dnmt3aKO/ITD blasts had 1577 significantly differentially expressed genes positively related to cancer, cellular growth, and proliferation, and negatively to apoptosis by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA). Surprisingly, we observed increased expression of genes related to HSCs and myeloid function and decreased expression of genes related to lymphocyte function. Human AML signature genes (Oncomine) were also upregulated in our mouse model. Predicted activated pathways include Myc, Nfe2l2, Eif4e, E2f1, Csf2, Cebpb, Vegf, Rxra, Ezh2, and Brd4 and inhibited pathways include tumor suppressors Rb, let7, Cdkn2a, and Tob1 (IPA). We did not observe changes in genomic copy number variation by chromosomal comparative hybridization (cCGH).

To test whether Dnmt3a-deletion could functionally bestow stem cell properties on pre-leukemic cells, we examined self-renewal capabilities of malignant cells of Flt3+/ITD knock-in mouse (an ITD mutation knocked in to the endogenous murine Flt3 allele causing MPD). Remarkably, when Dnmt3aKO; Flt3+/ITD bone marrow cells were serially transplanted, MPD was seen in all recipients, compared to none in Dnmt3aWT; Flt3+/ITD transplanted mice (n=7). Further, we transplanted sorted CLP, CMP, GMP, MPP, ST-HSC, LT-HSC populations and observed myeloproliferation in transplanted non-stem (CMP, GMP, ST-HSC) and stem cell (LT-HSC) populations. This strongly suggests that Dnmt3aKO synergized with Flt3-ITD to confer stem cell self-renewal abilities to transformed progenitor and stem cells.

Increasingly, decitabine is being used to treat patients with AML and MDS, but whether patients with DNMT3A mutations could benefit is unclear, so we examined the impact of decitabine treatment on the retroviral transduced Dnmt3aKO/ITD mice. Monthly treatment led to significantly increased survival of Dnmt3aKO/ITD mice from T-ALL and MPD and reduced presence of ITD-transduced KO cells.

Together, we demonstrate that Dnmt3aKO accelerated malignancies induced by FLT3-ITD in mouse and may shed light on how DNMT3A mutations contribute to lymphoid and myeloid disease in patients. Dnmt3a deletion ignited multilineage and stem cell programs at the expense of lymphoid programs to accelerate disease, but was extinguishable by decitabine therapy. The findings from our mouse model can be used for the development and testing of targeted epigenetic therapy for DNMT3A -associated malignancies.

Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


FIELD: organic chemistry, biochemistry, pharmacy. SUBSTANCE: invention relates to arylpiperazines of the general formula (I): wherein B is phenyl, pyridyl or pyrimidyl; each R 3 is hydrogen, halogen atom, NO 2 , COOR wherein R is hydrogen atom, C 1-6 -alkyl, CN, CF 3 , C 1-6 -alkyl, -S-C 1-6 -alkyl, -SO-Cl-C 1-6 -alkyl, SO 2 -Cl-C 1-6 -alkyl, C 1-6 -alkoxy-group and up to C 10 -aryloxy-group; n = 1, 2 or 3; p is direct bond; A is piperazinyl; X 1 and X 2 mean nitrogen atom; Y means -SO 2 -; Z means N(OH)- CHO; Q means -CH 2 -; R 1 means hydrogen atom, C 1-6 -alkyl, C 5-7 -cycloalkyl up to C 10 -aryl, up to C 10 - heteroaryl, up to C 1-2 -aralkyl, up to C 12 -heteroarylalkyl; R 4 means hydrogen atom, C 1-6 -alkyl and others; R 2 means hydrogen atom, C 1-6 -alkyl, or in common with R 1 it forms carbocyclic or heterocyclic spiro 5-, 6- or 7- membered ring comprising at least one heteroatom taken among N, O or S; group Q can be linked with either R 1 or with R 2 to form 5-, 6- or 7-membered alkyl or heteroalkyl ring comprising one or some atoms of O, S or N. Piperazines of the formula (I) are used as inhibitors of metalloproteinases, especially as inhibitors of MMP- 13. EFFECT: improved preparing methods, valuable biochemical properties of compounds. 8 cl, 22 ex


Regular monitoring of client progress has been shown to enhance psychotherapy outcomes, yet this is not common in everyday practice. Regular monitoring allows for the examination of individual change trajectories, which provides important information about when change is occuring and can predict deterioration in outcome early in treatment. This paper presents two case studies of individuals who participated in a guided self-help low intensity cognitive behavioural intervention (LI-CBI); Overcoming Depression and Low Mood (Williams, 2012). Differing trajectories of change are demonstrated in the case studies. The outcomes are reviewed in terms of change in depression (PHQ-9), psychological distress (CORE-10), and quality of life (QLES-SF). The case studies have been anonymised to protect the identity of the individuals.


Demand systems that are normally used in the empirical demand literature are static, in the sense that consumers are assumed to adjust instantly to the new equilibrium following changes in expenditure or prices. In reality this assumption may be incorrect because in many cases consumers' reaction to change in price or expenditure may be gradual, there may be a partial adjustment. In this paper a dynamic Rotterdam model is developed; extending the existing static version.


This study examines the effect of fi nancial integration on growth, total factor productivity, and capital accumulation using a dynamic panel system-GMM for a dataset consisting of 43 Asian economies from 1995 to 2015. The impact of de jure fi nancial openness on output, productivity, and capital stock growth is signi fi cant, while the effect of de facto fi nancial integration is fuzzy. The disaggregate asset classes (namely, in fl ows of foreign direct investment and debt) are found to facilitate higher output while derivative in fl ows yield an undesirable effect. For developing countries, fi nancial openness signi fi cantly boosts productivity and capital accumulation while for less developed countries it only enhances productivity. The negative impact of the currency crisis on growth and capital accumulation is found to be signi fi cant for more open economies. The currency crisis is more prominent for developed economies, partially effective for less developed countries, and partially ineffective for developing economies in Asia. between integrated economies. We will alternatively use fi nancial openness, fi nancial liberalization, capital account liberalization, and fi nancial integration through-out the paper.


We have chosen this research topic because we believe that critical thinking has a key role in the formation and development of self-assessment capacity. Critical thinking takes information, evaluates it and processes it so that it can be understood and form its own point of view. In order to develop this type of thinking for young school-age students, it is necessary to approach the activities specific to this age, activities that are understandable to students, that will arouse their interest. The student who forms his critical thinking will more easily understand mathematical problems, understand a text and analyze it without having to resort to mechanical memory. Because through critical thinking new information and knowledge is accumulated, voluntarily, thus, an own opinion will be formed. If the student comes to have his own opinion which he supports through valid arguments, he will become able to decide for himself.


Experimental heat transfer studies were carried out in 50.8 mm diameter packed beds of glass beads percolated by water and heated from the wall. The tube-to-particle diameter ratio (D/dp) ranged from 1.72 to 13.7 and the water flow rate from 1.1 to 9.9 l/min. Bed heights ranged from 100 mm to 700 mm. The radial temperature was measured above the bed surface by five aligned sheathed thermocouples. Variations in angular temperature were observed, independent of both radial position and particle diameter. Results of repeated tests with the same packing and with repacking did not differ statistically. The radial temperature profile at the bed entrance, measured by a ring-shaped sensor, was uniform except very close to the tube wall.


Wave power at sea, providing offshore natural energy utilization system comprising a natural energy conversion device and and storage, transportation and recycling method of electric energy using wind and solar. And maternal, a swingably connected movable vanes in the matrix, along with being located in the sea surface oscillates in response to vertical movement of the waves, the to correlate wind passing through the sea surface to the swing a movable blade up and down motion of the movable blade has to be amplified, and a pump for generating pressurized fluid from vertical movement of the movable blades being connected to said movable blade is driven by the pressurized fluid from the pump comprising a that generator, offshore natural energy conversion device.


Many concepts have been proposed for exploring space. In early 2010 presidential direction called for reconsidering the approach to address changes in exploration destinations, use of new technologies and development of new capabilities to support exploration of space. Considering the proposed new technology and capabilities that NASA was directed to pursue, the single crew module (SCM) concept for a more streamlined approach to the infrastructure and conduct of exploration missions was developed. The SCM concept combines many of the new promising technologies with a central concept of mission architectures that uses a single habitat module for all phases of an exploration mission. Integrating mission elements near Earth and fully fueling them prior to departure of the vicinity of Earth provides the capability of using the single habitat both in transit to an exploration destination and while exploring the destination. The concept employs the capability to return the habitat and interplanetary propulsion system to Earth vicinity so that those elements can be reused on subsequent exploration missions. This paper describes the SCM concept, provides a top level mass estimate for the elements needed and trades the concept against Constellation approaches for Lunar, Near Earth Asteroid and Mars Surface missions.


Water is scarce commodity now. Recycling of municipal wastewater, industrial and mineral processing effluents require treatment with the inorganic or organic flocculants. Both synthetic and natural polymers are used as flocculants. Natural polymers are biodegradable and are effective at very large dosages but are very shear stable. The synthetic polymers are highly effective flocculants at very small dosages and have high tailorability, but have poor shear stability. In the authors' laboratory, a novel polymeric flocculant has been developed by grafting polyacrylamide onto the backbone of carboxymethyl tamarind (CMT-g-PAM). Various grades were developed to optimize the best flocculant. The grafted polymers were characterized by various characterization techniques such as intrinsic viscosity measurement, FTIR spectroscopy, 13 C-NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis etc. The flocculation studies were carried out using turbidity test as well as settling test. The optimized CMT-g-PAM was then compared with some of the commercial flocculants available in national and international markets in colloidal suspensions and it has been found that our synthesized flocculant surpasses most of the commercial flocculants in performance.


ABSTRACT This article, based on a slightly edited transcript of a lecture delivered by the author at the Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS), London on 7 March 2022, offers a wide-ranging survey of the Commonwealth's contributions to the maintenance of the international legal order against the backdrop of recent developments, including the military action launched by Russia in Ukraine.


Researchers and clinicians have become increasingly interested in how patients and their loved ones communicate about illness and pain. Extending this line of inquiry to fibromyalgia, Lyons and colleagues [8] have investigated the degree to which patients and their spouses provide similar reports about various aspects of the patients' illness. While couples, on average, did not differ in their reports of patients' pain and impairment, each partner's perceptions of illness-related communication correlated with the extent to which couples were incongruent in their reports of patient functioning. We believe that this paper makes a substantial contribution to the literature and would like to comment on 3 issues: analytic approach, communication measurement, and congruence research. Lyons and colleagues are to be commended for their multilevel modeling approach, which allowed them to answer unique questions about the interpersonal context of fibromyalgia that other types of analysis cannot. Multilevel modeling, also called hierarchical linear modeling and mixed effects modeling, is an analytical approach that allows researchers to account for the nonindependence or correlation of observations found in nested data (eg, dyads, longitudinal studies). Too often, researchers analyze nested data by conducting separate analyses for each dyad member, resulting in reduced power and the increased likelihood of Type I error. Granted, not every hypothesis involving dyads can or should be answered with multilevel analyses, but this analytical strategy should be considered when researchers plan to repeat the same set of analyses on 2 or more individuals within a group. As the authors also show, multilevel techniques are an excellent choice when examining whether dyads are congruent on average and whether there are predictors of dissimilar ratings between dyad members. While we believe that patient–other congruence is an interesting area of study, a lingering question is whether patient–partner, patient–parent, or patient–physician congruence on perceptions of the patients' functioning relates to important outcomes. However, little is known about the extent to which congruence on pain and functional impairment relate to better individual (eg, pain) and interpersonal (eg, relationship satisfaction) outcomes over time. Similarly, the relative importance of congruence on perceptions of general functioning vs situational congruence that might elicit helping behaviors or the prescription of medications is unknown. Addressing these gaps in the literature is necessary to support the justification of continued congruence research. The study by Lyons and colleagues also raises intriguing questions about conducting research on interpersonal communication in the context of chronic pain. For this study, the authors adapted


The Nigerian power system is one plagued with incessant load shedding due to inadequate generation and transmission capacities. Currently, less than 40% of the population is connected to the nation ...


Objective To strengthen the preventive consciousness of our hospital staff. Methods A self-designed questionnaire was used to investigate the individual prevention among the hospital staff. Results 196 questionnaires were distributed and 178 collected, taking up 90.8%. Among them, 57.3% of the staff did not take preventive measures, just because of less infectious patients and less stress on it mentally. 25.8% were right in washing hands or sterilizing hands; 92.7% used hand driers or the like; 4.5% knew how to use disinfectants; 95.5% considered it necessary to strengthen learning how to perform personal prevention; 88.2% regarded it necessary to strengthen the monitoring of infection control. Conclusion We should strengthen education of personal prevention knowledge,practise preventive technique skillfully, complete the rules of personal prevention knowledge and reinforce the monitoring of execution of preventive measures.


Creatine (Cr) plays an important role in muscle energy homeostasis via the Cr phosphokinase reaction (ATP + Cr ↔ ADP + CrP). Previous experimental models designed to investigate the importance of Cr and CrP content in skeletal muscle have used competitive inhibitors of Cr transport such as β-guanidinoproprionic acid (β-GPA) (Shoubridge et al. 1985) or have utilized whole body gene knockout of guanidine acetate methyltransferase (GAMT) (Schmidt et al. 2004), the second of two enzymes required for endogenous Cr biosynthesis. In both these models skeletal muscle Cr and CrP content is essentially absent, but both models are imperfect examples of blocking energy supply from the Cr phosphokinase reaction. For instance, β-GPA can be phosphorylated and utilised for energy partly compensating for a lack of PCr. Similarly, in the GAMT knockout model, guanidinoacetate (GAA) accumulates and this molecule can also be phosphorylated and utilised for energy by skeletal muscle. Recently, Skelton et al. (2011) generated a whole body Cr transporter knockout mouse model which resulted in depletion of skeletal muscle and brain Cr content. The utility of this model for precise regulation of skeletal muscle Cr content is currently questionable given that muscle may be able to synthesise its own Cr in situations where Cr content is compromised (McClure et al. 2007).

In an article in this issue of The Journal of Physiology, the problem of the unwanted side reactions from β-GPA and GAMT knockout models was ingeniously resolved by Nabuurs et al. (2013) by generating a whole body arginine-glycine amidinotransferase (AGAT) gene knock out mouse model. AGAT catalyses the first reaction involved in Cr synthesis and when eliminated no endogenous Cr biosynthesis is possible. The only available source of Cr for these knockout animals is from the diet. Furthermore, no accumulation of GAA and its subsequent effects occur because GAA is produced by AGAT. With this model the researchers were able to manipulate the Cr and CrP content of skeletal muscle and the brain by simply altering the period in which the mice were fed a Cr free diet.

The findings reported by Nabuurs et al. (2013) clearly demonstrate that skeletal muscle devoid of Cr and CrP is severely affected. In summary, they found that Cr deficient muscle was characterised by atrophy and decreased force production, and exhibited major metabolic disturbances including decreased resting ATP content, elevated inorganic phosphate levels, increased intramyocellular lipid droplets and mitochondrial dysfunction. Importantly, all these muscle disturbances could be reversed reasonably rapidly when the AGAT knockout mice were fed a diet supplemented with Cr. Another interesting part of the work reported by Nabuurs et al. (2013) was the research into the rates of Cr accumulation and loss from skeletal muscle and brain in the AGAT knockout mice. Their results clearly showed that Cr accumulation into Cr deficient skeletal muscle was surprisingly rapid occurring within 24 h, whilst brain Cr stores took up to 20 days to fully recover. On the flip side, the rate of Cr loss from skeletal muscle and brain in AGAT knockout mice pre-loaded with Cr and then starved of dietary Cr appeared to be similar taking several months to be completely lost from these tissues.

The work by Nabuurs et al. (2013) has important implications for future research into the effects of Cr content on the function of various organs. For the first time there is an animal model in which tissue Cr content can be easily manipulated from depleted to fully loaded without the interference of side reactions. For example, the AGAT knockout mouse model could be used to titrate Cr and CrP content in brain to establish dose–function relationships for this organ. In addition, the AGAT knockout model could be employed to investigate the effect of manipulating Cr content on other Cr containing tissues such as the heart and testes. In summary, the AGAT knockout mouse model will provide an important tool to advance our current knowledge of the effects of Cr content on the in vivo regulation and function of Cr containing tissues.


niost suitable, in the light of present experience, for providing the best mechanical properties, resistance to corrosion, and physiological compatibility with living tissues. In the case of implants made of metal, it is important to ensure that the components are made of material of the same composition. The ideal material has yet to be found. It should be electrolytically inert in the body, free from corrosion in body fluids, readily available, easy to fashion by usual engineering methods, of adequate strength for the forces encountered, and economically acceptable. The search for the ideal metal goes on. Each one of those in the British Standard has both advantages and disadvantages. We need strength, hardness and lightness with complete freedom from corrosion and, if possible, a metal


In this work, we studied molybdenum (Mo) and its conductive oxides (MoO x ) for p-type metal gate application. Three compositions of MoO x have been investigated. The resistivity of Mo/MoO x was found to significantly increase with the oxygen incorporation. A clear phase separation of all MoO x compositions was observed after high-temperature thermal treatment. The incorporation of oxygen was found to be effective to increase the work function (WF) of Mo. However, after full device integration, a significant WF decrease of MoO x was observed, which may be induced during the high-temperature junction activation process. This high-temperature process also led to a significant interfacial silicon oxide layer growth for MoO x gated stacks. The equivalent oxide thickness dependent flatband voltage roll-off behavior and gate leakage will also be discussed.


AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
This study aims to explore the current state of self-management behaviors among persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Solomon Islands and to discuss the factors influencing these behaviors.

BACKGROUND
The prevalence of diabetes and diabetes complications is increasing in the Solomon Islands. However, the effective diabetes prevention and care are not provided in the country.

DESIGN
This is a cross-sectional study.

METHODS
A convenience sample of 150 persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus was recruited from a hospital in the Solomon Islands from August 2017 to September 2017. Self-report questionnaires were used to measure the self-management behaviors, diabetes knowledge, and illness perception. In addition, the study adhered to the EQUATOR checklist, STROBE (See Supplementary File 1).

RESULTS
The overall score for self-management was 56.9±13.2 and diabetes knowledge and illness perception, as influencing factors of self-management, earned total scores of 13.3±4.0 and 55.8±12.0, respectively. Stepwise regression analysis identified illness perception, diabetes knowledge, and smoking as significant influencing factors, explaining 20.8% of the total variance in self-management.

CONCLUSIONS
The level of diabetes self-management behaviors demonstrated by persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus in this study was rated as less than ideal. Diabetes knowledge and illness perception were the two main factors influencing patient self-management in the Solomon Islands.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE
The study addressed the current state of the self-management behaviors of persons with diabetes and discuss the factors influencing these behaviors. The findings indicated that knowledge and illness perception of diabetes were the two main factors and provided baseline information for policymakers, health planners, and health care providers highlighting diabetes as an important issue in Solomon Islands.


Homogeneous hydrations of unsaturated nitriles such as acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, and crotononitrile to the corresponding unsaturated amides have been carried out in water at 80°C by use of colloidal copper dispersions as catalysts. The dispersions are prepared by reduction of copper(II) sulfate, copper(II) chloride, and copper(II) acetate with sodium tetrahydroborate in the presence of various polymers. The dispersions with poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone), poly(vinyl alcohol), methylamylopectin, methylcellulose, ethylcellulose, and (2-hydroxyethyl)cellulose exhibit much larger catalytic activities than the copper precipitates prepared by reduction of the copper salts with sodium tetrahydroborate in the absence of the polymers. For all the catalytic reactions with the colloidal dispersions, selectivity for the unsaturated amides is 100% and formation of any by-products is not detected at all. Electron microscopy shows that no significant structural change occurs in the dispersions during the catalytic ...


The results of study on Penaeus japonicus in the past years are summarized in this paper in such aspects as protein, amino acid, lipids, vitamins, minerals, outer hormones and environmental factors. The study is expected to offer reference for the culture of P. japonicus in the future.


In the "Cleaning and drying" section of ginneries, the impact of the distance between the rollers and pile-rail drums of the machine 1XK, which cleans the cotton from fine contaminants, was analyzed and researched. Conclusions and recommendations were given. Dirty mixtures are divided into passive or inert and active types in terms of adhesion to seed cotton. Passive or inert mixtures are on the surface of the seed cotton husks and are easily separated from the seed cotton when lightly shaken. It will be difficult to separate the active compounds from the seed cotton. To separate the active compounds from the seed cotton, they must first be made passive.


We report a development of analytical techniques and a portable high selective analyzer for measuring mercury content in the atmosphere, water, soil and biological objects to use them in ecological monitoring and to control technological processes with mercury and the compounds thereof. Provision of mercury monitoring is made from background to maximum permissible concentration (MPC).


The investigated area, that is so called Padangsidempuan depression has been filled up by unconsolidated fluvial sediments. The sediments can be distinguished into five different environments, these are flood basin deposit, flood plain deposit, palaeo channel deposit, swamp deposit and colluvium deposit. To understand the influence of tectonic activities on lithological succession of the studied area several profiles were made. It reveals, that lithological successions have been disturbed by tectonic activities such as subsidence and uplifted. Subsidence can be identified by alternating of swamp facies deposit within different stratigraphic position and superimposed of the Batang Toru river on the palaeo channel deposit three (Ch-3). Further more the effect of uplifting caused palaeo channel deposit shifting horizontally. The data show that the tectonic activities in the studied area are not so very intensive. Keywords: quarternary tectonics, palaeo channels, pull-apart basin, sedimentary sequences


For the mathematician, an alphabet is a set of symbols and a language is a set, finite or infinite, of strings formed from that alphabet. A grammar is a finite system that characterizes a language. Customarily, grammars work by substitution (i.e. by production). Take the alphabet (or, as it is usually called, the terminal alphabet) of the language VT, add a nonterminal alphabet VN, and a special symbol S that belongs to neither VT, nor VN. A production or rule of substitution, R, is an ordered pair of strings, R = T1 → T2. A grammar is a system, G = 〈 VN, VT, P, S 〉, where P denotes the set of allowable productions. To use the grammar, start with S and find a rule (i.e. a production) S → T1 and substitute T1 for S. Find another rule S1 → T2, such that S1 matches part or all of T1, and substitute T2 for the matched part of T1. Continue with any member of P until the result is a string that contains only terminal symbols. This sequential process is called the derivation of the string, and the final string belongs to the language. The language consists of exactly the strings that can be so derived.


General health conditions of a patient may influence the healing of periapical lesions and therefore the outcome of the root canal treatment. Both systemic and tooth-based factors can have a negative impact on the success of the endodontic treatment. The aim of this literature review is to investigate the impact of systemic health factors on the outcome of endodontic treatment. A review of related literature has been conducted in order to determine which systemic diseases can negatively influence the healing of periapical lesions. The outcome of treating endodontic infections might be poorer by patients with general medical conditions such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, renal diseases, immunosuppressive conditions, etc.


Adhesion strength between metal and epoxy resin is well-known to reduce significantly in a moist environment. To theoretically understand its mechanisms, we calculate the shear strength of the interfacial adhesion between the surface oxidized Al and bisphenol A epoxy resin with a varying number of water molecules or hydroxide ions inserted inbetween using the hybrid quantum-classical simulation method. The quantum region in the hybrid method, which is composed of about thousand atoms at the interface, is treated by the electronic density-functional theory implemented to calculate on a real-space grid. It is thereby found that the adhesion strength reduces more significantly as the degree of the moisture content increases, in accordance with the experimental observations. Microscopic analyses find the following key features: (i) The interatomic Al–O bond between the Al atom of the oxide and the O atom of the epoxide group in the epoxy resin contributes substantially to the strength of the interfacial adhes...


Opponents of affirmative action and similar redistributive measures often argue that they proceed in defiance of the merit principle--the idea that scarce resources, such as places in a law school class, ought to go to those who most deserve them. Since affirmative action's beneficiaries (usually minorities from poor backgrounds) often lack traditional indicators of merit, such as top grades and test scores, it is said, giving them an edge in the competition for law slots violates the merit principle. This chronicle subjects this argument to critical analysis, examining the history and current functioning of conventional merit and noting a number of drawbacks associated with it.


Objective - to study the microbial composition of the intestinal mucosa in patients with seborrheic dermatitis. Materials and research methods. We examined 67 patients with seborrheic dermatitis aged 18-57 years; the average age of the patients was 29.5 years. Patients with seborrheic dermatitis having been examined represented by 45 (67.2 %) men and 22 (32.8 %) women. Among the patients examined by us, in 37 (55.2 %) the pathological process was localized only on the skin of the scalp, and in 30 (44.8 %) the pathological process spread to other areas of the skin. The duration of the disease ranges from 1 year to 15 years. Assessment of the microbiological state of the mucous membrane of the large intestine was carried out according to standard bacteriological methods for the study of feces. We also applied non-invasive methods for the specific diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori. Results and its discussion. A comprehensive examination of 67 patients with seborrheic dermatitis made it possible to identify Helicobacter pylori in 48 (71.6 %). In the examined patients with seborrheic dermatitis, the number of Bifidobacterium spp., Enterocjccus spp. and E. coli - respectively in 19 (59.4 %), 20 (62.5 %) and 21 (65.7 %), and Lctobacterius spp. and Bacteroides spp. - in 29 (90.6 %) and 23 (71.9 %). Among the opportunistic microorganisms detected in the cultures of the patients examined by us it was found: Staphyloclccus spp. in 23 (71.8%), Staphylococcus aureus - in 8 (25%), Klebsiella spp. - in 4 (112.5%), Candida with an average log (CUE) within the permissible norm - in 19 (59.4%) and being in a concentration exceeding normal values - in 5 (15.6%) patients with seborrheic dermatitis we observed. Conclusions. The revealed changes in the microbiosis of the intestinal mucosa in patients with seborrheic dermatitis in a certain way indicate the significance of the number of microorganisms in the development of the pathological position, which must be taken into account when examining and planning treatment for patients with seborrheic dermatitis.


A 30 cm diameter divergent magnetic field ion thruster, developed for mercury operation at 2.7 kW, was modified and operated with xenon propellant at a power level of 10 kW for 567 h to evaluate thruster performance and lifetime. The major differences between this thruster and its baseline configuration were elimination of the three mercury vaporizers, use of a main discharge cathode with a larger orifice, reduction in discharge baffle diameter, and use of an ion accelerating system with larger acceleration grid holes. Grid thickness measurement uncertainties, combined with estimates of the effects of reactive residual facility background gases gave a minimum screen grid lifetime of 7000 h. Discharge cathode orifice erosion rates were measured with three different cathodes with different initial orifice diameters. Three potential problems were identified during the wear test: the upstream side of the discharge baffle eroded at an unacceptable rate; two of the main cathode tubes experienced oxidation, deformation, and failure; and the accelerator grid impingement current was more than an order of magnitude higher than that of the baseline mercury thruster. The charge exchange ion eroison was not quantified in this test. There were no measurable changes in the accelerator grid thickness or the accelerator grid hole diameters.


The origin and homeland of the major linguistic groupings in Africa, has been a subject of controversy since the first tentative attempts to classify the more than 2000 languages of the continent. Although most scholars are now agreed on the assignment of most languages to one or other of the phyla present in Africa, the intemal arrangement of the subgroups within each phylum is very much open to discussion. Models of interna1 structure influence the historical interpretation of ethnolinguistic diffusion; if one branch of a phylum is considered especially close to another then historical models must account for its speakers' contiguity at some time in pi-ehistory.


The earliest industrial monuments in Britain are the Neolithic flint mines, dating to around 4000 bce. These mining shafts, which tunnel deep into chalk geologies, evidence the extremes that ancient Britons were willing to resort to in order to obtain valuable raw materials. Numerous scholars, marvelling at the excavation processes and hand tools used to aid the extraction of flint, have studied the flint-mining industry. Recognition of a toolset including antler picks, scapula shovels and possibly woven baskets has led to multiple experiments into artefact replication and testing, with the least emphasis on the scapula shovel. This article explores the results of an experiment designed to bridge the gaps in the understanding of the scapula shovel, as well as active and future research aims, in an attempt to bring this neglected artefact type out of its current obscurity.


Abstract The parthenogenesis in Tityus trivittatus Kraepelin 1898, is confirmed for the first time, based on the progeny of three virgin females raised in isolation since their birth. The possible and occasional introduction of this species into Uruguay is discussed.


For machines working in an integrated way, as is the case of automated mining systems, the challenge is to design the control system to ensure implementation of all the functions required both for individual machines and ensure their proper interaction. While the requirements for machines of a given type are defined in relevant standards, the requirements for the linkage among them within mining systems, controlled in an automatic mode, are not always sufficiently specified in regulations and standard documents. Safety related to the control system of mining systems depends on the proper design of each machine and device, the realisation of technological interlocks and interdependencies among them within the complex, as well as on the proper design of the master control system. The master control systems, using digital transmission, enable a remote parameterisation of the control system, a parameterisation of electrical circuit protection settings and deactivation and activation of any input and output signals that are used in the control algorithm. On the basis of the experience gained during the evaluation of such systems, the principles that should be applied in order to avoid the occurrence of a hazard or risk increase associated with the use of master control systems are briefly discussed. This article reviews currently binding technical requirements for machines and their control systems and indicates a number of issues that should be taken into account in the process of designing control systems in order to ensure the required level of safety while using machines operating in an integrated manner within automated mining systems.