There is good evidence that the centers of massive early-type galaxies have a bottom-heavy stellar initial mass function (IMF) compared to that of the Milky Way. Here we study the radial variation of the IMF within such galaxies, using a combination of high-quality Keck spectroscopy and a new suite of stellar population synthesis models that cover a wide range in metallicity. As in the previous studies in this series, the models are fitted directly to the spectra and treat all elemental abundance ratios as free parameters. Using newly obtained spectroscopy for six galaxies, including deep data extending to ∼ 1 R e for the galaxies NGC 1407, NGC 1600, and NGC 2695, we find that the IMF varies strongly with galactocentric radius. For all six galaxies the IMF is bottom-heavy in the central regions, with average mass-to-light ratio "mismatch" parameter α ≡ ( M / L ) / ( M / L ) MW ≈ 2.5 at R = 0. The IMF rapidly becomes more bottom-light with increasing radius, flattening off near the Milky Way value ( α ≈ 1.1 ) at R > 0.4 R e . A consequence is that the luminosity-weighted average IMF depends on the measurement aperture: within R = R e we find 〈 α 〉 L = 1.3 – 1.5 , consistent with recent lensing and dynamical results from SLACS and ATLAS 3 D . Our results are also consistent with several earlier studies that were based on analyses of radial gradients of line indices. The observed IMF gradients support galaxy formation models in which the central regions of massive galaxies had a different formation history than their outer parts. Finally, we make use of the high signal-to-noise central spectra of NGC 1407 and NGC 2695 to demonstrate how we can disentangle IMF effects and abundance effects.


This article argues that an understanding of professional and popular science writers' goals provides a basis for both explaining and evaluating their language use. Rhetoricians fault scientists for unnecessarily stilted language; scientists fault popularists for inaccuracy and sensationalism. Although these charges are sometimes justified, they deflect attention from the obstacles writers face and the ways in which they use language to overcome these obstacles.


The main obstacle for success after heart transplantation is graft rejection, since is mainly asymptomatic and diagnosed by endomyocardial biopsy (EMB). New echocardiographic technologies could bring benefits to that population if subtle changes in heart mechanics were related to an incipient state of rejection.

 To quantify echocardiographic parameters of right ventricle strain and volumes by a semi-automated offline software and to identify the presence of any relation between those findings and the histopathologic diagnose of rejection.

 a prospective cohort of 35 postoperative heart transplant patients who were submitted to echocardiographic evaluation up to six hours after EMB, including two-dimensional chamber quantification of left ventricular (LV) volumes and ejection fraction; conventional and tissue Doppler measurements were used for flow and functional analysis. Offline assessment of the right ventricle (RV) was made by TOMTEC software, with the acquisition of RV volumes (EDV, ESV, SV) and ejection fraction, TAPSE, FAC and three-dimensional(3D) RV free wall and septal strain using speckle tracking. EMB results were classified as positive for cellular rejection if graded as 2R (two or more interstitial infiltrate spots and myocyte damage) and positive for humoral rejection if they show any response by immunofluorescence assay.

 We studied 35 patients, aged 50 ±11, 21 male (67%), totaling 58 examinations, and then we made two analysis of EMB: one in two groups regarding cellular rejection (53 negative and 5 positive) and other regarding humoral rejection (50 negative and 8 positive). RVEDV was higher in the cellular rejection group (112,5 ± 29,6 ml) compared to those with negative biopsy (86,8 ± 24,7 mL; p = 0,01). RV stroke volume showed a similar behavior (53,5 ± 22,3 mL vs. 34,5 ± 11,3 mL; p < 0,01). Regarding humoral rejection by immunofluorescence, patients who tested positive showed lower RVEDV (79,5 ± 10,5 mL vs. 90,57 ± 27,31 mL; p = 0,02) and RVESV (45,53 ± 6,33 mL vs. 53,87 ± 19,87 mL; p = 0,01). RV free wall strain was lower in the group with positive immunofluorescence (-18,35 ± 2,79% vs. -15,34 ± 5,35%; p = 0,01). Regarding 2D measurements , interventricular septal (11,5 ± 1,06 mm vs. 10,56 ± 1,38 mm; p = 0,02) and left ventricular posterior wall (10,75 ± 1,03 mm vs. 10,04 ± 1,1 mm; p = 0,05) were also thicker in the group with positive immunofluorescence for rejection.

 Both cellular and humoral rejection after heart transplantation are associated to increased 3D RV volumes whereas a decrease in RV free wall strain is only observed in humoral rejection; in patients with positive immunofluorescence results a significant increase is seen for septal and posterior wall thickness.


Inspired by Bill Trippe's weblog, I thought I'd try creating an Atom feed that had ads in it, so there's now a link to it in the lower right: http://www.snee.com/sneetard/sneetard-pheedo.atom. The dot com that makes it possible is called Pheedo.....


In this paper,the VB.NET technology is combined with SQL Server2000 database to build the sports equipment system of secondary schools.The detailed information on sports equipment entry,inquiry,maintenance of functional design,and implementation of key technologies are discussed.


PROTHONOTARY WARBLER (PROTONOTARIA CITREA) PLUMAGE AS AN INDICATOR FOR INFECTION: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HAEMOSPORIDIA INFECTION AND BREAST FEATHER REFLECTANCE IN A NEOTROPICAL MIGRANT PASSERINE By Robert Fithian, B.S. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2009 Major Director: D. C. Ghislaine Mayer Assistant Professor, Department of Biology Yellow avian plumage is a direct result of carotenoid pigments obtained in a bird's diet and may act as an indicator for individual health, parasite resistance, and status. This study describes breast feather reflectance of adult Prothonotary Warblers (Protonotaria citrea) (n=169), insectivorous Neotropical migrant passerines, throughout the Ultraviolet (UV) and human visible light spectra and examines the relationship between Haemosporidia (pathogen causing Avian Malaria) infection and feather reflectance (n=41). Reflectance was characterized using a Principle Component Analysis evaluating Intensity, Brightness, Hue, UV Intensity, UV Brightness, and UV Chroma. UV and visible light reflectance was higher in birds sampled


The article deals with the appearance and development of design, its value in a modern life. The author pays attention to the formation of design as a vocation in secondary vocational education and the role of a designer's socialaxiological attitude to his vocation.


of thesis entitled: Online Supervisory and Optimal Control of Complex Building Central Chilling Systems Submitted by : Ma Zhenjun For the degree of : Doctor of Philosophy at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in April, 2008 Building Heating, Ventilation, and Air-conditioning (HVAC) systems are the major energy consumers in buildings. Operation and control of HVAC systems have significant impacts on energy or cost efficiency of buildings besides proper system designs and selection and maintenance of individual components. Although a great deal of research has been carried out on the proper control of HVAC systems and various cost effective control strategies have been developed for individual components in HVAC systems, not much research has concentrated on the online supervisory and optimal control of the overall building HVAC systems, and the research on developing online supervisory and optimal control strategies for complex building HVAC systems, still seems missing. This thesis presents the online supervisory and optimal control strategies for complex building central chilling systems to enhance their energy efficiency. The software tools and implementation guidelines for applying these strategies for energy efficient control and operation of complex building central chilling systems are


PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION
To correlate serum CA125 at relapse with survival in ovarian cancer patients who achieved a complete response after primary cytoreduction and paclitaxel- and platinum-based chemotherapy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study was conducted in 104 patients.

RESULTS
The 25%, 50%, and 75% quantiles of CA125 levels at relapse were 46, 118, and 190 U/ml. By log-rank test, survival after recurrence was related to consolidation treatment (p = 0.046), platinum-free interval (PFI) (p < 0.000005), number of recurrence sites (p = 0.03), treatment at recurrence (p = 0.002), and serum CA125 taking 118 U/ml as cut-off (p = 0.013). On multivariate analysis, consolidation treatment (p = 0.007), PFI (p = 0.0001), treatment at recurrence (p = 0.01), and serum CA125 taking 118 U/ml as cut-off (p = 0.04) were independent prognostic variables for survival.

CONCLUSIONS
Serum CA125 at relapse was an independent prognostic variable. Patients with serum CA125 > 118 U/m had 1.943 higher risk of death than those with lower antigen value.


The utility model relates to a micro-dose flow velocity regulator. The micro-dose flow velocity regulator comprises an upper shell body, a core body and a lower shell body. The upper shell body is provided with a liquid inlet pipe. The upper shell body is provided with a check ring, and the check ring is located under the liquid inlet pipe. Annular grooves are formed in the check ring, the bore diameters of the grooves gradually increase, and the heads of the grooves and the tails of the grooves are not communicated. A liquid passing hole is formed in the core body. The liquid passing hole and the annular grooves are communicated or closed through the mutual rotating between the upper shell body and the lower shell body. A liquid outlet pipe which is communicated with the liquid passing hole is formed in the lower shell body. The cross section of the upper shell body is in a regular polygon shape. An outer ring which is arranged on the lower shell body contacts, matches with the upper shell body and is in a regular polygon shape. The upper shell body is provided with marking lines. Each edge of the regular polygon of the lower shell body is marked with corresponding flow velocity marks. The micro-dose flow velocity regulator is capable of accurately controlling the flow velocity and avoiding faulty operation. The regular polygons are designed to be distributed according to the characteristics of the flow velocity. When the upper shell body rotates and two polygons match with each other, the flow velocity is the scale mark value which corresponds with the marking line. The micro-dose flow velocity regulator is safe and reliable to use.


Part 1 Basic principles of research: research design and statistics - some basic concepts questionnaires, surveys and sampling the nature of the data techniques of descriptive statistics testing hypotheses designing your study sources of error in research matching the research design to statistical test putting the theory into practice writing up the research for publication reading published research critically. Part 2 Statistical tests: non-parametric tests for same- and matched-subject designs parametric tests for same- and matched-subject designs non-parametric tests for different-subject designs parametric tests for different-subject designs non-parametric and parametric tests for correlational designs. Part 3 Estimation. Appendices: basic mathematical principles statistical probabilty tables answers to activities.


Abstract In this paper, we use qualitative research data to explore the phenomenon of the boundaryless work-life interface during the COVID-19 pandemic as perceived by working parents. We define a boundaryless work-life interface as the weak or virtually absent boundary between work and life domains. We look closer at the relations between space, time, emotions, roles and the boundaryless work-life interface among working parents. The first two subsections introduce the linkages between the boundaryless work-life interface, focusing primarily on time and space in what we call 'collapsed role boundaries'. The second subsection examines the issues related to mental and emotional tensions the perceived boundarylesness has caused during the pandemic. The paper's final subsection provides a summary with interpretations and conclusions.


By incorporating a Sagnac birefringence loop composed of a 3.9- or 5.2-cm-long polarization-maintaining photonic crystal fiber, we demonstrated a temperature-insensitive polarimetric fiber strain sensor with a reduced length of the sensing fiber. The sensing fiber is shortened by more than two times compared with the shortest sensing fiber used in other previous works for localized sensing and sensor compactness. With a 3.9-cm-long sensing fiber, a strain sensitivity of ∼2.34 pm/µε was obtained in a measurement range of 0–10 mε. Temperature sensitivity was measured as ∼21.7 pm/°C, significantly lower than that of the conventional PMF.


The Lokomat is a robotic device that has been widely used for gait rehabilitation in several neurological disorders, with a positive effect also in the chronic phase. We describe the case of a 54-yearold female with post-stroke moderate-to-severe chronic hemiplegia, whose force, gait and balance significantly improved after intensive training with Lokomat Pro. We also noted a positive impact of Lokomat on mood and coping styles. This may be partly related to the task-oriented exercises with computerized visual feedback, which in turn can be considered an important tool for increasing patients' motor output, involvement and motivation during gait training. Augmented feedback during robot-assisted gait appears to be a promising way of facilitating gait and physical function, but also of improving psychological and cognitive status.


In this study, we compared coupled and uncoupled land surface model simulations of surface soil moisture (SM) with passive microwave remote sensing observations of SM over the contiguous US (CONUS). For this purpose, we used the following: (i) the European Space Agency's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite retrieved L3 surface SM; (ii) the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) SM derived using LPRM; and (iii) the coupled and uncoupled ORCHIDEE land surface model. The comparison was achieved by computing the temporal mean difference between the normalized remotely-sensed and the model-SM datasets. It was found that both coupled and uncoupled models are drier than the remotely sensed data (particularly the SMOS data) over the principal aquifers of the CONUS. These aquifers are known as one of the places where irrigation is intensive. Therefore, the reason behind this model' dryness could be the fact that the models do not take into account the irrigation activities, which can be monitored by the remotely-sensed observations. Time series of SM over irrigated pixels also showed that SMOS was wetter than the models mainly during the irrigation period.


Hypertensive disorders associated with severe abruption placentae To evaluate the development of placental anchoring villi of the basal plate in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy associated with abruption placentae severe. Twenty placentas were examined. Seventeen patients with hypertensive disorders and three of normal pregnancy during the third trimester of gestation applying a protocol in order to determine types of villi according to their development and degenerative changes found with light microscopy. We found 91% of stem villi, 92% of intermediate mature villi, 28% of intermediate immature villi, 47% of terminal villi, 92% with peripheral and 44% vascular sincitial membrane and 44% central vascular sincitial membrane also remarkable degenerative changes, as fibrinoide deposits and trophoblastic necrosis in 100%, fibrous stroma 96%, edema 88% and hemorrhage 74%; moreover 92% off thrombosis, vascular congestion and changes vessel wall and mayor six vessel in 52%. Intervellous space have important changes as fibrin deposits in 84%, intervellous thrombosis 76% and intervellous attach 56%. All degenerative changes are statistically significant. Conclusion: An accelerated development of placental anchor villi or of other villous types near to basal plate were seen with simultaneous processes indicative of degeneration as extensive hypoxic villous damage and abnormal development.


The single-channel Jost function is calculated with the computational R-matrix on a Lagrange-Jacobi mesh, in order to study its behaviour at complex wavenumbers. Three potentials derived from supersymmetric transformations are used to test the accuracy of the method. Each of these potentials, with s-wave or p-wave bound, resonance or virtual states, has a simple analytical expression for the Jost function, which is compared with the calculated Jost function. Siegert states and Siegert pseudostates are determined by finding the zeros of the calculated Jost function. Poles of the exact Jost function are not present in the calculated Jost function due to the truncation of the potential in the R-matrix method. Instead, Siegert pseudostates arise in the vicinity of the missing poles.


This chapter aims to discuss the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) – especially of the so-called Big Data – in the innovation of public service delivery. After reviewing the relevant literature on innovation and innovation diffusion in the public sector, the chapter presents a narrative of the case of the adoption and implementation of predictive policing in Kent County Police, the UK, as an instance of (early) application of Big Data in public sector organizations. On the whole, the analysis of the case suggests that past conditions and adoption strategies play an important role in the introduction and acceptance of innovative work practices that exploit the potentials of contemporary ICTs.


Academic procrastination is a form of task avoidance that occurs due to the inability to complete a task. One of the effects of academic procrastination on students is that it causes students to have limitations in learning mathematics, which is often referred to as math anxiety. This study aims to determine the effect of academic procrastination on math anxiety experienced by junior high school students facing the dynamics of the transition of learning from online to offline. This study used a quantitative approach with a survey and the subjects of this study were seventh grade junior high school students in one of the cities in Bekasi. The instruments in this study used valid instruments and had gone through expert testing with a total of 11 indicators and 28 items for math anxiety and 4 indicators and 16 items for academic procrastination. This study describes a descriptive quantitative measure measured by RASCH model using Winstep and SPSS software. The results showed that the person correlation coefficient was 0.312 with a Sig, (2-tailed) = 0.004 <0.05, indicating a correlation between variables of 9.7%, which means that math anxiety may underlie academic procrastination, which is classified as weak. Since the regression coefficient is positive, the conclusion is that math anxiety has a positive effect on academic procrastination.


Background: Debriefing is used in clinical settings to support interprofessional staff, improve processes, and identify educational needs. Nurses who lead debriefing sessions are empowered to improve processes. Problem: Nurse leaders identified the need for debriefing outside the critical care areas due to the rising acuity levels. Approach: Two nurse leaders developed a debriefing initiative in one urban teaching hospital following rapid responses, codes, and stressful situations. Nurses developed a Debriefing Facilitation Guide to collect qualitative aspects of clinical emergencies to improve processes, education, and team dynamics. Outcomes: Following each debriefing session, we deductively purposively coded the qualitative data into 3 a priori themes: the American Heart Association's team dynamics, process improvement, and educational opportunities. We identified opportunities for improvement for these themes during our first 54 debriefing sessions. Conclusions: Following each debriefing session, the debriefing nurse leader intervened on all educational and process improvement opportunities identified and facilitated positive team dynamics.


Cerasus laoshanensis D.K. Zang, sp. nova (Rosaceae) is described from Mt. Laoshan (Shandong Province, China). It resembles C. serrulata, but differs from it by its distinct leaves that are obovate or wide elliptic with a truncate or emarginate apex, sparsely serrate sepals, elliptic petals, and red drupes. Cerasus laoshanensis was found in a roadside ditch and at forest margins.


GLP‐1 analogues are licensed for add‐on therapy for patients with type 2 diabetes who have sub‐optimal glycaemic control on other glucose lowering agents. Their use in patients with type 1 diabetes has been evaluated in primarily research settings. We investigated the effect of adding GLP‐1 analogues on weight and glycaemic control in our patients with type 1 diabetes.


Using vibronic exciton theory we evaluate the absorption and CD spectra of lutein and lutein diacetate aggregates, which have previously been described as card-packed H-aggregates and head-to-tail J-aggregates, respectively. The dramatically different spectral line shapes for both aggregates are shown to arise from strongly and weakly coupled H-aggregates consisting of helical arrays of chromophores. For lutein, the aggregates consist of tightly packed stacks of individual carotenoid molecules, while lutein diacetate aggregates resemble nematic liquid crystals. For both aggregates the agreement between experiment and theory is excellent. Analytical expressions for the absorption and CD spectra are presented, highlighting the spectral signatures of weakly coupled H (and J)-aggregation arising from distortions in the single-molecule Franck-Condon progression.


Anthocyanins are the coloured end products of the flavonoid pathway,and their biosynthesis must be catalyzed by many enzymes which are organized into membrane-associated multienzyme complex in the cytoplasm of plant cells.The multienzyme complex has important implications for the overall efficiency,specificity and regulation of the anthocyanins biosynthetic pathway.In this paper we sums up the subcellular localization of the enzymes catalyzing anthocyanins biosynthesis,including the organizing models and the existent problems of the models.Establishment of the multienzyme complex catalyzing anthocyanins synthesis will help to deduct a new "three-dimensional view" about cellular metabolism,which should create more effective means for the rational regulations and controls on the metabolic engineering of anthocyanin production.


We live in interesting times. It used to be that mantle phase transitions were so few in number that even a child could become an expert—but my childhood is long past. Now even seismologists invoke obscure phase transitions to elicit favorable publishing decisions whenever an unexpected wiggle arises in a seismogram, and even mineral physicists routinely discuss seismic anisotropy. (Note to self: good reason not to drop optical mineralogy from a syllabus.) This surprising broadening of knowledge arose from the singular alliance of large-scale facilities provided by synchrotron light sources, supercomputers, and seismological data facilities like IRIS. Kei Hirose, John Brodholt, Thorne Lay, and David Yuen marshal the forces of this effort in their collection of papers, Post-perovskite, The Last Mantle Phase Transition, which highlights the knowns and unknowns of the Pbnm to Cmcm transition in MgSiO3 perovskite (pv) to post-perovskite (ppv). One known is that the seismic features in D″ are largely attributable to it. Oh, D″? That's the bottom of the Earth's mantle, a place where Birch's famous warning applies: "Language undergoes a transformation to high pressure forms." Now reread the prepenultimate sentence.

Possible hype notwithstanding, the editors provide a nice disciplinary packaging of the papers: experimental and theoretical mineral physics, seismology, and dynamics. The experimental section begins with two histories of high-pressure experimentation, a more general one by Yagi on mantle phase transitions, and a more ppv-centric one by Hirose. Their thrill of discovery is evident. While reading, I kept wondering what Ringwood would say. "You mean, you didn't investigate analogues first ?" was my surmise (but I imagine less politely put).

Graff Jewelers (Bond Street, London) report that wealthy Russian shoppers prefer yellow diamonds (source: International Herald Tribune ). This is good …


This paper presents the new objectives and revises the last volume evolution, analysing factors like prestige, quality, diffusion and social responsibility in science. It exposes a qualitative analysis of the maturity state like example of open access journal.


Modernity is based on the uplift of human subjectivity and freedom as well as on the conquest,rule and domination of nature.Therefore,the thought of Marxian alienated labor has got the modernistic critical implications when people,in the alienated labor and under the domination of instrumental rationality,treat nature as a complete object,consider the relations between humans and nature from a practical perspective,and then criticize the destructive exploitation of nature.


Despite the occasional downfall, stocks have proven to be good investments. However, making money in stock requires a great deal of research. With just under 7,000 stocks listed in the US alone, picking the right stock at the right time can be a daunting task. There are many metrics by which to rate the prospects of a given stock and seasoned investors typically weight these by their own experience to decide on an acquisition. In this poster we describe a visual analytics system purposed to aid in this task.


Abstract : Britain established in 1940 the first national nuclear weapons program in the world, and this gave Britain credibility in participating in the U.S.-led Manhattan Project during World War II. Despite the interruption in U.S.-U.K. nuclear cooperation in 1946-1958 owing to the McMahon Act, since 1958 the United States and the United Kingdom have worked closely in the nuclear domain. Indeed, since the 1962 Nassau Summit, the United States has sold submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and support systems to the United Kingdom. In 1980 and 1982, London chose to modernize its nuclear deterrent with Trident SLBMs. The British made a similar decision in 2006, and it may be reconfirmed in 2016 with legislation to construct a new fleet of Trident nuclear ballistic missile submarines. Britain has been motivated to remain a nuclear weapons state in order to protect its own national security interests and to contribute to the security of its NATO allies in an unpredictable international security environment.


Research on English teaching reform and model design is the focus of the current society. It is a novel idea to use artificial intelligence algorithm to design an English teaching platform, which combines the current field of English teaching reform with the field of artificial intelligence network. The current method is to use the sincent algorithm in artificial intelligence to design the model. Its defect is that the single network education learning makes the learners feel boring. In order to solve these problems, this paper proposes an English blended education method based on artificial intelligence, which aims to study the integration of the network teaching platform and traditional education. This paper uses the artificial intelligence sincent algorithm to establish a teaching platform framework and simulate application strategies for the development of blended education. Through the investigation process of blended English teaching, the results show that the proportion of students who are generally satisfied with English teaching has reached 53.67% and the proportion of students who feel generally satisfied has reached 27.83%. The results of this survey indicate that the majority of students approve of this type of English blended education method.


'Slippery Slope Arguments' are arguments from consequences, which arise in biomedical ethical issues so frequently. It is characteristic of all slippery slope arguments that a dangerous outcome of some contemplated course of action is warned of. But the slippery slope arguments is more than just a warning. The dangerous outcome is put forward as a reason for not taking a first step in the contemplated course of action, on the grounds of the consequences that may follow. Despite the major role slippery slope arguments have always played in prudential, moral, political and legal argumentations, they have a bad philosophical reputations. Some texts even refer to them as 'slippery slope fallacies', or 'the slippery slope fallacy'. Slippery slope arguments are open to criticism for logical unclarity and heap of argumentations. After characterizing 'slippery slope arguments' and analyzing the pattern of that arguments, I then explore its implications. We can devide slippery slope arguments into two versions of logical and empirical(psychological). Logical versions of slippery slope arguments have the burden of proof which is hard to clear out. I conclude that when we use slippery slope arguments to appose to allow A, we ought to be very sincere so as not to be vulnerable to 'fallacy of heap' or 'fallacy of generalizations'. A slippery slope arguments that is not in accord with the goals of dialogue is an incorrect or faulty slippery slope arguments. But it is not necessarily a fallacious slippery slope arguments. We have to deal with slippery slope arguments in the context of dialogue about practical issues. If we focus on purely logical contexts in understanding and using slippery slope arguments, that is incorrect approach.


The concept of experiential learning is particularly useful when students are required to create database entries as part of an ongoing, real-life, online experience. A METRO grant in 2005 resulted in an opportunity to use students to create a CONTENTdm database, which, with the continued software support from METRO, has continued and evolved until the present. This case study chapter describes the experience of both faculty and students in the Queens College Graduate School of Library and Information Studies course entitled "Introduction to Digital Imaging." Sections include a review of related literature, the background, technical issues, and implications for teaching, project procedures and workflow, successes and lessons learned, challenges, next steps, and emerging trends. Of particular interest is the use of out of copyright postcards and the metadata that has resulted from intensive student study and evaluation of the data contained on these cards. Those contemplating a digitization project of their own will be able to learn much about best practices, project planning, management, and the advantages/disadvantages of the CONTENTdm software. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-2991-2.ch012


Abstract Bovine casein micelles were isolated from raw uncooled skim milk by ultracentrifugation, washing, and resuspending in simulated milk ultrafiltrate. They were reacted with soluble and immobilized neuraminidase in studies on the kinetics of release of sialic acid. Almost all of the sialic acid was released with soluble neuraminidase whereas only 88% was released with immobilized neuraminidase. After casein solubilization is accounted for, its appears that at least 75% of the glyco- κ -casein in on the micelle surface.


Introduction: Serological surveys are valuable tools to evaluate the extent of disease transmission, measuring preventive effectiveness and proportion of asymptomatic individuals. This age-stratified, serological survey was aimed to measure the COVID-19 distribution and determinants in district Islamabad of Pakistan. Methodology: Three-stage cluster sampling, using population proportionate to size technique, starting with a random number was used. A structured, pretested questionnaire was used after taking informed written consent, to gather demographic, risk factor information. Results: Seroprevalence was found 16.5% (AR: 16.5%/100,000). The mean age was 35 (sd:16 Years). The majority were male (64%), self-employed (29%), and had primary level education (33%). The highest seroprevalence was found in the 21-30 years age group (24.8%) while the 41-50 years age group showed the highest attack rate (112.9/100,000 population). The proportion of the population tested that were asymptomatic was 69% (n=711) while the most frequently reported sign/symptom was cough (99%) followed by fever (20%). No known co-morbidity was reported in 86% (n=884) of respondents while hypertension remained the most reported condition (8%). High seroprevalence was observed in urban areas (12.3%) compared to rural union councils (6.4%). Visiting a house where COVID-19 case was isolated (OR 2, CI 1.38-2.84, P< 0.001), history of contact with a known case of COVID-19 (OR 1.42, CI 1.11-1.82, P=0.005), and attending a mass gathering (OR 1.21, CI: 1.02-1.42, p=0.02) were significant risk factors associated with contracting an infection. A Chi-Square test of independence showed significant protection while using regular hand hygiene practices (6.5; p<0.05) and regular usage of face masks (8.6; p<0.05). Conclusion: Seroprevalence gives a direct estimation of population groups exposed to the virus. A remarkable difference in prevalence is found in urban and rural areas, extreme age groups, and socioeconomic statuses, suggesting targeted public health interventions. Sero-studies are affordable counterparts of molecular testing where quick estimation, prevention effectiveness, and data-driven public health policies are priorities.


64 INTERNATIONAL DENTISTRY SA VOL. 12, NO. 2 Although colour as an entity should be regarded as being only one of the many building blocks necessary in the achievement of an aesthetic restorative result, a discordant colour scheme can probably be more devastating to the overall effect than many of the other factors present. It is for this reason that so much time, research and expense has gone into the 'colour matching' properties of contemporary aesthetic restorative materials. The manufacturers of aesthetic restorative materials have inadvertently added to the challenge of accurate colour matching. Although producing wonderful aesthetic materials, there still remains a lack of total standardisation within the productive process and separate batches of the same material often display completely different colour properties. The shade guide remains the traditional method of recording colour matching, and for the most part this is totally inadequate as the guide is not unique to the chosen material. The objective of this paper is to present an understanding of the nature of colour and to provide a simple roadmap technique that eliminates much of the uncertainty of colour matching (Figures 1 & 2).


We present the first observations of Mercury's plasma mantle, a primary region for solar wind entry into the planetary magnetosphere, located in the high‐latitude magnetotail. MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) observations from two orbits on 10 November 2012 have been analyzed. The main plasma mantle features are (1) a steady decrease in proton density as MESSENGER moved deeper into the magnetotail; (2) frequent flux transfer events throughout the magnetosheath and into the magnetotail, suggesting that these events are the primary source for solar wind plasma injection; (3) a diamagnetic depression, due to the presence of plasma, as pressure balance is maintained; and (4) a clear proton velocity dispersion, resulting from lower‐energy protons being transported deep into the magnetosphere as higher‐energy protons escape downtail. From these velocity dispersions we infer cross‐magnetosphere electric potentials of 23 kV and 29 kV, consistent with estimates determined from measurements of magnetopause reconnection rate and tail loading and unloading events.


Retirees worry about depleting their portfolio, but a greater concern could be how long they might live without income from that portfolio. A retiree may accept a 4% probability of portfolio depletion, but object to the possibility of living five or six years afterwards without that income. Thus, a retirement portfolio's exhaustion is not a terminal event, but rather is only the beginning of a retiree's living in poverty. This analysis simulates not only the event of financial ruin, but also its duration during the retiree's remaining lifetime.

This paper analyzes withdrawing a constant percentage of the portfolio, gender, initial asset allocation, asset allocation rebalancing methods, and low investment return environments to determine their relative impact on withdrawal strategies.


Since European settlement, considerable changes in land cover and land management have occurred in the Liverpool Plains as a response to agricultural expansion and development. As a consequence, erosion gullies have been initiated and subsequently have developed into extensive networks. Streams, erosion gully networks, rills, land cover and land management have been mapped and digitized on to a GIS using a number of aerial photographic time-slices. Information derived from the GIS-generated maps includes: (a) measurement of temporal and spatial changes in the fluvial and gully networks, and land use and land management practices; and (b) assessment of changes in the connectivity of gullies to streams. It has been shown that revegetation and erosion control works decreased the density of erosion gullies from 1943 to 1994. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


In 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) as a common standard of achievement and called upon every individual and organ of society to promote the rights enshrined in the document. The UDHR has been applied in many ways around the world, including by the international Human Rights Cities movement, which began in Rosario, Argentina, in 1997. Today more than two dozen Human Rights Cities have formed around the globe, including at least nine in the United States (Washington, DC; Eugene, OR; Pittsburgh, PA; Chapel Hill, NC; Columbus, IN; Jackson, MI; Seattle, WA; Mountain View, CA; and Boston, MA). Human Rights Cities are communitybased initiatives in which people learn about their human rights and how to use human rights frameworks to advance social justice in their communities. While locally created and directed, Human Rights Cities are also linked to an international network of cities working to advance social justice and sustainable development based upon the UDHR. In 2011, the Boston City Council proclaimed Boston a Human Rights City. To date, no published research has examined the impact, if any, of this proclamation. In this light, this research project has two main purposes: (1) To map perceptions of academic faculty of an urban public university and various communitybased organizations regarding their familiarity with and use of human rights frameworks since Boston became a Human Rights City. (2) To form relationships for co-creating knowledge and action between researchers and activists through human rights-based approaches on a range of interconnected political, economic, and social issues that are affecting the communities of Boston. In this presentation, the researchers present the history of the Boston Human Rights City movement as well as preliminary findings on the impacts of the resolution based on interviews with academics and leaders of community-based organizations. About the presenters: Konstantinos Koutsioumpas is a PhD candidate in the School for Global Inclusion and Social Development at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Maggie Schneider is earning a master's in the School for Global Inclusion and Social Development at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Matthew Annunziato is earning a master's in the School for Global Inclusion and Social Development at the University of Massachusetts Boston.


BACKGROUND
Isoastilbin (IAB) has been shown to have antioxidative and anti-apoptotic functions. A recent study found that IAB can reduce oxidative stress in Alzheimer's disease. However, whether the antioxidative function of IAB is also protective in other brain diseases remains unknown.

OBJECTIVES
To investigate the roles and underlying mechanisms of IAB in middle cerebral artery occlusion-reperfusion (MCAO/R) in rats.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: sham group, MCAO/R group, and 3 MCAO/R groups groups administered IAB (20 mg/kg, 40 mg/kg or 80 mg/kg) once a day for 3 days. Infarction size, modified Neurological Severity Score (mNSS), oxidative stress markers, and neuronal apoptosis markers were used to assay the function of IAB.

RESULTS
Compared with the MCAO/R group, administration of IAB reduced the infarction size and mNSS scores in MCAO/R rats. Isoastilbin also decreased the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) and enhanced the activity of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX). Isoastilbin treatment attenuated MCAO/R-induced neuronal apoptosis compared with the MCAO/R group, as indicated by the results of terminal deoxynucleotide transferase-mediated X-dUTP nick end (TUNEL) and western blot assays. Isoastilbin also reversed MCAO/R-induced downregulation of SIRT1/3/6 protein expression.

CONCLUSIONS
These observations suggest that IAB protects against oxidative stress and neuronal apoptosis in rats following cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury through the upregulation of SIRT1/3/6, indicating that IAB might be a promising therapeutic agent for cerebral I/R injury.


Abstract : The need for knowledge of wind effect and its variability is well known to all who have worked in the field of unguided missiles. To meet this need, a study of mountain lee waves is now being conducted at White Sands Missile Range. The basic observational technique consists of releasing superpressure balloons, with radar targets and radiosondes attached, at points west of the range and following their trajectories with radars while simultaneously recording temperatures on the GMD's. The balloons are assumed to follow isopycnic surfaces as they float across the range and to trace out the shape of the lee wave. Two balloons are usually released to float simultaneously over the range at two heights and yield a vertical profile of the wave.


ABSTRACT International military cooperation in disaster relief has become a useful illustration of Asia-Pacific regional order building in action. This is because contemporary Asia-Pacific order-building involves constant renegotiation of the existing regional hierarchy, so that states engaging in disaster relief are also competing for international standing. We should expect that disaster cooperation establishes standing because it lets these states at once demonstrate material power, establish practical international ties, and build legitimacy. These are each key building-blocks of international order. A case study of the contributions of Japan and China in response to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in 2013 shows disaster responses mirroring patterns of status-seeking that have been highlighted in recent IR literature. Japan's disaster contribution may have clarified and strengthened its role as a security partner in South-East Asia, while China has since worked to raise its profile as a provider of international humanitarian assistance.


Orally dispersable dosage forms are pharmaceutical products that disintegrate and dissolve rapidly in saliva when placed in the mouth. There are several types of formulations and manufacturing technologies, which may be used to produce orodispersibles. This work investigates different generic 10 mg olanzapine orodispersible products commercially available in Spain and the innovative Zyprexa Velotab manufactured by Eli Lilly & Co. Several aspects such as the shape and size, qualitative formulation, in vitro disintegration time in artificial saliva and packaging are analyzed. Among all the products tested Zyprexa Velotab showed an ultra fast disintegration in 3 seconds and the lowest dispersion.


The diatom species Synedra berolinensis has been placed in the genus Synedra , Fragilaria , Staurosira , Staurosirella as well as its own monotypic genus, Belanostrum . It is recently returned to Staurosirella . This prompts a pertinent question: Why is Synedra berolinensis so hard to classify? One answer may be the inappropriateness of the evidence (data). Another may be the approach to classifying the organism, especially the use of monotypic taxa for problematic groups. I will address both aspects, concentrating more on the latter: How do we classify?


Recently a series of large scale model tests were performed in the Deltaflume of Delft Hydraulics to investigate two important aspects of the stability of block revetments: 1. Influence of ageing: Three test series, one with a revetment of rough natural stone (granite blocks) and two with rectangular concrete blocks 2. Influence of the spectrum of the wave attack: A revetment with rectangular blocks. The most important aspect of ageing of block revetments is the washing in of silt and sand. This leads to a considerable reduction of the permeability of both the cover layer and filter layer. For the periodic safety assessment of the revetments in the Netherlands it is necessary to be able to calculate the stability of these structures.


BaPbO3 powder was fabricated with solid inorganic reaction at low temperature of 800℃and low Pb/Ba mole ratio of 1∶1. Cubic perovskite structure of BaPbO3 was determined with XRD (X ray Diffraction), which possessed 0.427~0.428nm of lattice parameter. The X photon absorption ability of BaPbO3 powder was investigated at 75kV. A kind of composite absorption material, which consists ofBaPbO3 with different mass contents and a kind of adhesion polymer, was prepared. The absorption rate and the Lead Equivalence of one kind of absorbing materials which contains 60%(wt) of BaPbO3 powder and with a thickness of 0.64mm, is 86.82%and 1.3845 respectively. But for another absorbing material with a thickness of 0.68mm, which consists of equivalence un reacted source materials PbOand BaCO3,the rate of absorption and the Lead Equivalence is only 44.43%and 0.3748 respectively. The difference might result from the overlap of extra nuclear electron cloud and the extend of extra nuclear valence electron in multi valence orbitals of absorption atom in BaPbO3 material. The molecular orbitaland the overlap population of the octahedron configuration center occupied by Pb atom were studied by EHMO (Extended Hukel Molecular Orbital). It is the contribution of electron cloud expansion that makes up for the decline of absorptionability as material density decreasing. The relationship between X photon absorption ability and the electrical structure of BaPbO3 material was primary theoretically analyzed.


Transcriptome data are widely used for functional analysis of genes. De-novo assembly of transcriptome gives a large number of unigenes. A large proportion of them remain unannotated. Efficient computational methods are required for identifying genes and modeling those for regulatory and functional roles. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used in a novel approach to shortlist genes, independently of annotation in genome expression data, taking seed development in Arabidopsis thaliana as a representative case. PCA was applied to published genome expression data from four lines of Arabidopsis, mutated in seed development. The PC separating all the developmental stages between a mutant and its respective wild type was selected for shortlisting genes as functionally more important. The shortlisted genes identified by PCA belong to a number of biological functions. The genes reported to give sensitivity to desiccation were identified in PCA analysis also in desiccation intolerant lines only. With respect to the network of 98 genes targeted by ABI3, a higher number of genes was identified as important in the mutants abi 3-5, fus 3-3 andlec 1-1 in comparison to abi 3-1. Ontological analysis and comparison with earlier studies suggest that PCA of genome expression data is useful for shortlisting functionally important genes.


In this paper we describe K-Ar radiometric ages and oxygen isotope ratio measurements of illite cements from eolian sandstone samples of the Permian lower Leman Sandstone Formation (Rotliegendes Group). The samples come from a large (about 100 × 100 km) part of the Southern North Sea basin (Village Fields area) and from a range of burial depths (2.8-3.4 km subsea bed). Mean illite ages in the gas fields of Ravenspurn North (164 Ma ± 20.1 [2^sgr], n = 11), Hyde (161 Ma ± 12.3, n = 7), Cleeton (155Ma ± 20.2, n = 3), and Hoton (152 Ma ± 14.0, n = 14) fields, and in two wells located in Block 47/5A (162 Ma ± 16.1, n = 4) are all in the Middle to Late Jurassic, apart from two Early Cretaceous ages considered to represent unreliable analyses. The m an for all ages is 158 Ma ± 18.6 [2^sgr], n = 39. We largely avoided contamination with (old) detrital K-bearing minerals by careful sample selection and monitoring. To a first approximation, the assumptions of K-Ar dating appear to be fulfilled, so the measured ages are likely to date illite cement precipitation. Oxygen isotope ratios measured on the dated illite samples show small but significant variations among fields and a weak correlation with depth during the Middle Jurassic when illite grew. Both K-Ar dating and oxygen isotope ratios are compatible with a regional Middle to Late Jurassic phase of illite growth during which the mineral precipitated over a large area and over a range of temperatures governed by the depth of the formation at that time. The age of illite cementa ion coincides with rifting, which ultimately may have caused illite growth by driving pore-water flow.


This paper presents the application of the modified method of Nowacki to solving the boundary-value problem of a cantilever plate, account being taken of the shearing forces and rotary inertia. This method can be used in dynamic problems of rectangular plates with arbitrary boundary conditions. Advantage of this method consists in the possibility of increasing the convergence of the series for the displacements and internal stresses.


Introduction Respiratory disease is a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. In most developing countries including Nigeria, the burden of respiratory disease is largely unknown; however the burden of infectious and non-infectious respiratory disease appears to be on the increase. This article aims to review current available literature on infectious and non-infectious respiratory disease among Nigerians with a view to identifying major causes of morbidity and mortality, and highlighting where gaps in knowledge exist that require new studies for their elucidation. Nigeria is a nation of over 130 million diverse people occupying a land mass of 923 766 km2 . It is the fourth largest exporter of crude oil. Despite the huge gains made over the years from petroleum, the nation's people are largely impoverished. With a GDP of US$1116 in 2007, Nigeria ranked 165 in the world (South Africa ranked 57 and Malawi 177).1 The percentage of persons living on less than 1US$ per day is 71.2 The under-5 mortality rate was 197/1000 live births in 2007 which is still a far cry from the Millennium Development Goal target of <70/1000 by 2015.2


Single phase, c-axis oriented thin films of Y-type magnetoplumbite (Ba2Co2Fe12O22; Co2Y) with a very large c-axis length as 43.5 Å were grown successfully by pulsed laser deposition technique. The key points were high temperature deposition and the use of CoO buffer layer inserted between the film and MgAl2O4(111) substrate. From the transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis, the CoO buffer layer was consumed to make an atomically sharp interface of Co2Y and substrate. Superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer was used to verify the high magnetic properties of the epitaxial thin films.


If G is a group and ? (G, E) is an appropriate space of bounded measurable functions on G, a representation is obtained for the alge- bra of norm-continuous multipliers on ?e(G, E) as an algebra of bounded addi- tive set functions on G. If G is a locally compact group, a representation of the norm-continuous multipliers on the quotient space L??(G) is obtained in terms of a quotient algebra of bounded additive set functions on G.


A rapid and accurate method of determining preferred orientation in the surface of thick samples was devised using a reflection technique on the Geiger‐counter spectrometer. By presenting the specimen face to all possible angles with respect to the incident x‐ray beam, through use of a special fixture, and recording the intensity of diffraction on a potentiometer recorder, the relative number of planes of a given set at each orientation can be determined. The change of intensity due to the positioning of the specimen face away from the Bragg angle is taken care of by a correction formula which is experimentally verified. The method is especially valuable for dealing with thin layers on thick specimens.


The South Indian musical style is one of the two prominent styles of classical music styles in India whose roots can be traced back to hundreds of years in the past. The South Indian musical scale is said to have evolved from a set of seven primary notes on the basis of 22 intervals. Present day practice is to use 12 intervals in an octave. A scale is divided in to 12 intervals with fixed values that constitute the basis of musical notes. South Indian classical musical intervals are melodic and are therefore flexible. Compared to the twenty two interval scheme, the 12 interval scheme allows the freedom to perturb the fixed frequency values around their defined positions. In this study, pitch analysis of audio samples is carried out to investigate the deviations from fixed frequency values of musical intervals. Departures from theoretically calculated acoustical values will be demonstrated and discussed. The intervals vary dynamically depending on the artistic individuality and the musical context.


Given point setsA and B in R whereA and B have equal size n for some constant dimension d and a parameter ε > 0, we present the first deterministic algorithm that computes, in n · (ε−1 logn) (d) time, a perfect matching between A and B whose cost is within a (1 + ε) factor of the optimal under any lp -norm. Although a Monte-Carlo algorithm with a similar running time is proposed by Raghvendra and Agarwal [J. ACM 2020], the best-known deterministic ε-approximation algorithm takes Ω(n3/2) time. Our algorithm constructs a (refinement of a) tree cover of R , and we develop several new tools to apply a tree-cover based approach to compute an ε-approximate perfect matching. ACM Reference Format: Pankaj K. Agarwal, Hsien-Chih Chang, Sharath Raghvendra, and Allen Xiao. 2022. Deterministic, Near-Linear ε-Approximation Algorithm for Geometric Bipartite Matching. In Proceedings of the 54rd Annual ACM SIGACT Symposium on Theory of Computing (STOC '22), June 20–24, 2022, Rome, Italy.ACM, New York, NY, USA, 17 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/3519935.3519977


The challenges and complexity in university teaching, which has been so much discussed recently, have generated great debates around specific knowledge and training to work in this segment of education. The context of professional qualification and the new configurations of the organization of pedagogical work in teaching at the university, among other aspects, point to the need for reflection on this practice and the way in which the teacher organizes these didactic and pedagogical elements. In this sense, this article presents an excerpt from a research developed in the Graduate Program in Education Stricto Sensu Level, of the State University of Feira de Santana Bahia, in which the relations between the experience of pedagogical training and practice were analyzed. educational level of the participants. Specifically, we identified in this work the issues related to the conception, instruments, criteria and implications of the evaluation process experienced in this experience and the consequences in the formation and pedagogical practice of these teachers. The methodology was conducted in a qualitative approach of a descriptive character, having the semistructured interview as data production and the method of analysis the Thematic Analysis, by Bardin (1977) outlined by the Content Analysis. The evaluative processes and instruments experienced and discussed in the formative experience sought to establish a process of self-regulation and selfevaluation, allowing teachers to analyze their practices, reflect and act on it, seeking to permanently review their actions in an attempt to find meanings (BÉLAIR, 1998; CONTRERAS, 2011; SHÖN, 2000, ANASTASIOU and ALVES, 2007). Based on this reflection-in-action and about action, it was possible to use evaluative instruments such as the reflective diary, portfolio and portfolio in their classes, following the way each student learns concepts, procedures and attitudes. From the testimonies, it is possible to observe that the teachers reflected on the pedagogical issues, on the need for innovations in the way of teaching and evaluating, providing successful experiences in their practices. The experience of more dialogical, democratic and participative evaluation instruments allowed a two-way dialectical experience, both in understanding the act of learning and teaching, taking as a reference the students' role in the evaluation process, as well as the epistemic and methodological advance in the role of mediation of knowledge and human formation during this educational process. The training contributed to the qualification of teaching through reflection, research and collaborative work, making them understand university teaching as an activity that requires technical and specific training in the didactic-pedagogical field.


Abstract This study attempted to determine not only the change in health knowledge evidenced by 62 participants in a three-week health education workshop but also the relationship between each student's knowledge and the rating of his contribution to a workshop situation, as measured by staff and fellow workshop members. It was concluded that there was considerable gain in health knowledge. However, although there was substantial agreement between instructor and fellow student ratings as to the contribution of a particular individual to the workshop, there was apparently little relationship between his knowledge as measured by standardized test scores and the above ratings.


For the purpose of industrial application, some new synthetic methods of 3-sulfanilyl-6-alkoxypyridazine were examined and the reaction of 3-(p-acetamidophenylsulfonamido)-6-chloropyridazine with sodium alkoxide in the corresponding alcohol was found to produce 3-sulfanilyl-6-alkoxypyridazine and the corresponding alkyl ester of acetic acid in both excellent yields. To investigate the mechanisms of this reaction, 3-(p-acetamidophenylsulfonamido)-6-chloropyridazine, 3-(p-acetamidophenylsulfonamido)-6-methoxypyridazine and 3-sulfanilyl-6-chloropyridazine were reacted with sodium methoxide in methanol under various conditions, and estimated the percentages of deacetylation and methoxylation by determining the amount of ester and sodium acetate and chlorine ion. From these results, it was found that the deacetylation and the methoxylation proceeded simultaneously in this reaction of two points, and the objective compound 3-sulfanilyl-6-methoxypyridazine was produced in a good yield. Thus, this method was found available for the industrial production of 3-sulfanilyl-6-methoxypyridazine.


1.2. DEFINITION. By vector function and operator function we will understand functions defined on Ω and taking values in H and B(H) respectively. A vector function x(ω) is measurable if for each y in H, the function (y, x(ω)) is measurable. An operator function A(ω) is measurable if for e a c h x,y in H, t h e f u n c t i o n (A(o))x, y) is measurable. Obviously A(co) is measurable if and only if A(ω)x is a measurable vector function for each x in H.


THE BUSINESS WORLD. The U.S. Business System. The Business Economy. Meeting Social Responsibilities. Forms of Business Organization. Small Business and Franchises. MANAGEMENT. The Managerial Process. The Internal Organization. Human Relations in Business. Human-Resource Management. Labor-Management Relations. Production and Operations Management. MARKETING MANAGEMENT. The Marketing Process. Promotional Strategies. Distribution Management. Pricing Strategies. FINANCE. Money in the Financial System. Securities Markets. Financing Businesses. Risk and Insurance. MANAGING INFORMATION. Computers and Data Processing. Computer-Based Information Systems and Business Analysis. FURTHER DIMENSIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES. The Legal and Tax Environment. International Business. Opportunities in Tomorrow's Business World. Index.


Our research project is currently to develop an Automatic Meaning Extraction (AME) System which automatically extracts concepts and their relationships across texts in all domains of knowledge. Concept Relational Tree (CRT) is one of the text analyzer applications used in the AME System to automatically extract concepts and their relationships in a document. To check on the correctness of the extraction of concepts and their relationships, the PTree is designed to reconstruct the text by reverse input. In this paper we present the PTree tool to test the accuracy of the automatic tagging and tree structure created by CRT from texts. The PTree tool is implemented from Java Universal Network/ Graph Framework (JUNG) libraries. This tool provides a few functions to allow for flexibility in drawing relational trees for concepts. Due to its flexibility and dynamic features, PTree can be further extended for use in the deconstruction of highly complex texts.


Human ether‐á‐go‐go related gene (hERG) potassium (K+) channels play a critical role in cardiac action potential repolarization. This is due, in large part, to the unique gating properties of these channels, which are characterized by relatively slow activation and an unusually fast and voltage‐dependent inactivation. A large number of structurally diverse compounds bind to hERG and carry an unacceptably high risk of causing arrhythmias. On the other hand, drugs that increase hERG current may, at least in principle, prove useful for treatment of long QT syndrome. A few blockers have been shown to increase hERG current at potentials close to the threshold for channel activation – a process referred to as facilitation. More recently, a novel group of hERG channel activators have been identified that slow deactivation and/or attenuate inactivation. Structural determinants for the action of two different types of activators have been identified. These compounds bind at sites that are distinct from each other and also separate from the binding site of high affinity blockers. They reveal not only novel ways of chemically manipulating hERG channel function, but also interactions between structural domains that are critical to normal activation and inactivation gating.


This paper discusses Eric Voegelin's writings on Austrian politics during the 1930s under the authoritarian state (called Austrofascism) focusing on his theory of democracy and his claim that the authoritarian state was "the best possible defense of democracy". His theory of democracy has two important characteristics: to emphasize the existence of a demos as the precondition of democracy and to set limits to democracy. Firstly, for Voegelin, the most serious problem in Austrian politics was the nonexistence of a demos from the time of the Habsburg Empire. He had a positive estimation of the Austrofascist regime as the founder of the Austrian demos. Secondly, Voegelin set limits to democracy and justified the exclusion of the National Socialist Party (the Nazis) and the Social Democratic Party from the Austrian parliament. He believed that the radical ideologists who imposed their unitary worldview could not be seen as democrats. However, his argument has some problems. Firstly, in relation to his contemporary political situations, the regime which he supported had a fascist or authoritarian character like the Nazis. Secondly, he emphasized a preexisting order or limits in his theory of democracy and marginalized the democratic decision of the people. Although Voegelin or the leaders of the Austrofascist regime opposed the Nazis, we cannot say that they were the defender of liberal democracy in the Austrian politics.


We relied on ab initio calculations and density functional theoryto study thelattice constant, elastic constant, bulk modulus,epitaxial softening,and transition state of diffusion barrierfor(AlCrTiZr)Nhigh-entropy alloys.In addition, the elastic properties and preferred orientation of AlN, TiN, CrN, ZrN, TaN, and TiC were calculated and compared with those of (AlCrTiZr)N high-entropy alloys. This study shows that bulk modulus and epitaxial softening were very similar for TiN, ZrN, TiC, and (AlCrTiZr)N high-entropy alloys. Furthermore, three different pathways about how Cu atoms diffuse through barrier within (AlCrTiZr)N high-entropy alloys were proposed in this work. The corresponding calculations imply that Cu atoms could either migrate over barrier or be stuck in the transition state.


The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of smoking and physical activity on lung function. There were used the research method of three groups: smokers, non-smokers and sportsmen. Nine spirometric variables were used to evaluate the pulmonary function and differences between groups. Significance of the differences was tested by ANOVA and Canonical Discriminant Analyses. Sportsmen had significantly higher values of forced expiratory volume in 1 second and expiratory vital capacity, whereas the smokers lower. Non-smokers and sportsmen had similar lung capacity, but better than smokers. Factor Analyses had revealed two latent factors. The first factor explained 64.9% of the total variance and inform about lung capacity. The second factor explained 12.96% of the total variance and inform about air-flowing during respiration. The differences between groups in latent structure were significant. This investigation revealed the effects of smoking and physical activity on decreasing, respectively increasing of respiratory abilities.


We measure impacts of agricultural intensification on environmental outcomes in the Philippines. We develop models of labor demand outside a forest zone and labor allocation and asset accumulation inside a forest zone to study household response to technical change. Using household data from 1995-2000 we estimate a series of dynamic econometric models to trace the impacts of irrigation development to changes in incomes and activities at the forest margin.


This paper investigates precautionary saving under liquidity constraints in Pakistan using household panel data. In particular, while we estimates Kimball's (1990) prudence parameter, we deviate from Dynan's (1993) framework by explicitly considering liquidity constraints, as in Zeldes (1989). By doing so, we attempt to differentiate the standard precautionary saving caused by uncertainty from the one due to liquidity constraints. Furthermore, endogenous liquidity constraints are considered to resolve issues of selection biases. In this study, we document substantial evidence of the presence of precautionary saving in Pakistan. More specifically, the estimated prudence is significantly higher for liquidity-constrained households as compared with unconstrained ones. The results support the emerging view that facilitating saving may often be more important than finding better ways of lending to the poor.


As several intercultural communicative competence studies integrated telecollaboration, this practice has become popular in academia and other relevant disciplines such as bridging cultural differences. Nevertheless, most of such research has been conducted in South Asian countries such as China, Japan and Taiwan, as well as in North America and Europe, with the focus mainly on European languages, specifically English. The driving force of this research was because there has been a rapid increase in the number of learners of English and Arabic as foreign languages, who have rarely interacted together, either because of an existing limited understanding or narrow cultural awareness of each other's cultures and perhaps languages. Accordingly, the researcher presented a comparative analyses of language learners' insights prior to and after their engagement in a telecollaborative experience. The research indicated that, in the past, there have been limited studies conducting similar investigations of those two settings, due to the tremendous differences in both the languages and cultures. The findings have shown the necessity of participants to understand each other's needs and interests to result in successful telecollaboration during ICC process.


The study of nonequilibrium phenomena in correlated lattice systems has developed into one of the most active and exciting branches of condensed matter physics. This research field provides rich new insights that could not be obtained from the study of equilibrium situations, and the theoretical understanding of the physics often requires the development of new concepts and methods. On the experimental side, ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopies enable studies of excitation and relaxation phenomena in correlated electron systems, while ultracold atoms in optical lattices provide a new way to control and measure the time evolution of interacting lattice systems with a vastly different characteristic time scale compared to electron systems. A theoretical description of these phenomena is challenging because, first, the quantum-mechanical time evolution of many-body systems out of equilibrium must be computed and second, strong-correlation effects which can be of a nonperturbative nature must be addressed. This review discusses the nonequilibrium extension of the dynamical mean field theory (DMFT), which treats quantum fluctuations in the time domain and works directly in the thermodynamic limit. The method reduces the complexity of the calculation via a mapping to a self-consistent impurity problem, which becomes exact in infinite dimensions. Particular emphasis is placed on a detailed derivation of the formalism, and on a discussion of numerical techniques, which enable solutions of the effective nonequilibrium DMFT impurity problem. Insights gained into the properties of the infinite-dimensional Hubbard model under strong nonequilibrium conditions are summarized. These examples illustrate the current ability of the theoretical framework to reproduce and understand fundamental nonequilibrium phenomena, such as the dielectric breakdown of Mott insulators, photodoping, and collapse-and-revival oscillations in quenched systems. Furthermore, remarkable novel phenomena have been predicted by the nonequilibrium DMFT simulations of correlated lattice systems, including dynamical phase transitions and field-induced repulsion-to-attraction conversions.


This article uses administrative data from seven states to examine repeat use in the U.S. unemployment insurance (UI) system in 2003, a period of moderate unemployment. Findings show that more than half of recipients on temporary layoff and nearly a third of displaced recipients became repeat users, that is, started a new UI claim within a year of the end of their initial claim. Repeat use was more prevalent for workers with weak prior attachment to the workforce, those employed in cyclical sectors or blue-collar jobs, low-education workers, and older workers. Further analysis shows that repeat users collected substantially higher benefit amounts than nonrepeat users, causing a substantial burden on the UI Trust Fund. Finally, the article presents evidence that providing reemployment assistance to displaced recipients may be an effective policy for reducing repeat use and alleviating its burden on the UI Trust Fund.


Heavy-alkali post-deposition treatments (PDTs) utilizing Cs or Rb has become an indispensable step in producing high-performance Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells. However, full understanding of the mechanism behind the improvements of device performance by heavy-alkali treatments, particularly in terms of potential modification of defect characteristics, has not been reached yet. Here, we present an extensive study on the effects of CsF-PDT on material properties of CIGS absorbers and the performance of the final solar devices. Incorporation of an optimized concentration of Cs into CIGS resulted in a significant improvement of the device efficiency from 15.9 to 18.4% mainly due to an increase in the open-circuit voltage by 50 mV. Strong segregation of Cs at the front and rear interfaces as well as along grain boundaries of CIGS was observed via high-resolution chemical analysis such as atomic probe tomography. The study of defect chemistry using photoluminescence and capacitance-based measurements revealed that both deep-level donor-like defects such as VSe and InCu and deep-level acceptor-like defects such as VIn or CuIn are passivated by CsF-PDT, which contribute to an increased hole concentration. Additionally, it was found that CsF-PDT induces a slight change in the energetics of VCu, the most dominant point defect that is responsible for the p-type conductivity of CIGS.


Copland recognized the year 1939 as concluding an epoch of experiment in modern music. This was initiated, he asserts, at the end of the nineteenth century, and passed by way of Mussorgskian realism, French impressionism, embracing, to a certain extent, the traditionalism imposed by Strauss, Scriabine, Sibelius and others. The period includes the expressionist audacity of a Schönberg and a Satie, the dynamism of an early Strawinsky, the politonality of a Bartók (prior to 1908), and flows finally into the complexities of the post-(1914–18) war world. It is precisely during this epilogue that the young Copland himself emerges as a personality, at the disadvantage, on the one hand, of not having taken part in the first acts of the drama, and enjoying, on the other, all the advantages of not having been a protagonist in so involved a historical process. Moreover, his own country, from the time of his birth in a grey Brooklyn street, had followed a scarcely less complicated course.


Critical kernels constitute a general framework settled in the category of abstract complexes for the study of parallel thinning in any dimension. The most fundamental result in this framework is that, if a subset Y of X contains the critical kernel of X , then Y is guaranteed to have "the same topology as X ". Here, we focus on 2D structures in spaces of two and three dimensions. We introduce the notion of crucial pixel which permits to make a link with the framework of digital topology. Thanks to simple local characterizations, we are able to express thinning algorithms by the way of sets of masks. We propose several new parallel algorithms, which are both fast and simple to implement, to obtain symmetrical or non-symmetrical skeletons of 2D objects in 2D or 3D grids. We prove some properties of these skeletons, related to topology preservation, to minimality and to the inclusion of the topological axis which may be seen as a generalization of the medial axis. We also show how to use critical kernels in order to prove very simply the topological soundness of existing thinning schemes. At last, we make clear the link between critical kernels, minimal non-simple sets, and P-simple points.


Abstract : The goal of the funded work was to establish the NRH Neuroscience Research Center (NRC) whose mission is to promote and accomplish rehabilitation-related basic and applied neuroscience research. Funding supported the development of research studies in the areas of neurobehavioral and neuromotor assessment, traumatic brain and spinal cord injury, stroke, and Parkinson's disease. Research supported by the USAMRMC occurred in five research areas. They are as follows: a) High Resolution and Neuromotor Assessment; b) Mechanisms Underlying Recovery from Neurological Illness and Injury; c) Treatment of Neurological Diseases and Injury; d) Pilot Projects; and e) Annual Conference and Expert Panel Projects. Funding supported agenda-setting conferences in stroke rehabilitation and neuroprotection. Funding also supported the building of selected infrastructure including space and research databases. One clinician researcher obtained NIH training funds and a second has applied.


The subject of the article are the problems of transformation on the basis of breakthrough digital technologies of activity on information support of management and use of accounting information in managerial decision-making. The authors in the course of the research analyze the current state of management accounting and prove that only a factor information model is able to ensure the implementation of the functions of the actual management of the object, allowing observation based on operational, technical, accounting, statistical and data integration requirements. On the example of the system of productivity indicators (qualitatively defined quantity), it is demonstrated that it is possible to implement such requirements for this factor as the object, accuracy and specificity of the work; and an example of a system of indicators for fixed assets — harmonies the functions performed for the object. The article also substantiates the conclusion that the solution of the problems of digital transformation of speech can be provided by an information system functioning based on the platform using Big Data and cloud technologies — DaaS interacting with active elements of the Internet community. In the course of the study, in generalization of modern concepts of management of economic systems, directions of development of digital technologies and their implementation in the processes of information management, methods of system and comparative analysis were used.


MurG is an essential bacterial glycosyltransferase that catalyses the GlcNAc-transformation of lipid I to lipid II during peptidoglycan biosynthesis. Park's nucleotide has been a convenient biochemical tool to study the function of MraY and MurG, however, no fluorescent probe has been developed to differentiate individual processes in the biotransformation of Park's nucleotide to lipid II via lipid I. Herein, we report a robust assay of MurG using either the membrane fraction of a M. smegmatis strain or a thermostable MraY and MurG of Hydrogenivirga sp. as enzyme sources, along with Park's nucleotide or Park's nucleotide-N-C6-dansylthiourea and UDP-GlcN-C6-FITC as acceptor and donor substrates. Identification of both the MraY and MurG products can be performed simultaneously by HPLC in dual UV mode. Conveniently, the generated lipid II fluorescent analogue can also be quantitated via UV-Vis spectrometry without separation of the unreacted lipid I derivative. The microplate-based assay reported here is amenable to high-throughput MurG screening. A preliminary screening of a collection of small molecules has demonstrated the robustness of the assays, and resulted in rediscovery of ristocetin A as a strong antimycobacterial MurG and MraY inhibitor.


It uses STM32F103C8T6 microcontroller as the core processor and AFE4400 integrated analog front-end as the signal conditioning section.OLED12864 displays the measurement results. Dedicated pulse oximeter analog front-end chip simplifies the system and improves the measurement accuracy.


Over the past decade, the rapid growth of trade between Guangdong and Russia, the average annual growth rate is 20%. Marine transportation is an important freight between Guangdong and Russian, the paper make correlations analysis with trade between Guangdong and Russian and the Russian port cargo throughput. Results show that: Vostochny,St. Petersburg port is the main channel maritime transport of trade between Russia and Guangdong. Prediction about Orient Harbor and St. Petersburg port cargo throughput and total import and export trade between Guangdong and Russia, studies show that: the current design of the east port handling capacity will not meet future traffic growth, that will make a significant impact on the future of the marine transportation trade between Guangdong and Russia.


There are so many health problems that affect humans. One of them is depression. Depression is a mental health disorder that would trigger suicidal tendencies if not treated carefully. People who are depressed tend to have less concentration and productivity. However, detecting depression is not easy due to the self-denial of some patients, and they keep depression untreated and undiagnosed. Some factors of untreated or undiagnosed depression are poor knowledge and recognition in many places the patient is shy to talk to a psychologist, and the stereotypes in public that say people who come to a psychologist are "insane." Depression symptoms of a user can be shown in social media posts, and these symptoms can be detected using a machine learning algorithm. These Machine learning algorithms can be an alternative for detecting depression or as a supporting document for psychologist diagnoses. The algorithm obtains accurate that varies depending on the dataset. For this reason, we conducted a systematic literature review to find out which machine learning has the best accuracy in detecting depression. We also provide information about stable algorithms to detect a given dataset and the popular dataset used in previous studies based on the most frequent text that is easy to test. In conclusion, the greatest accuracy is obtained from Logistic Regression with an accuracy value of 99.80%. Stable algorithms are obtained by LR and SVM because the machine learning method obtains values above 70%. The most popular dataset used in previous studies is the Twitter dataset.


During the late Messinian post evaporitic phase, in the eastern region between the Alps and the Aral Sea, the Paratethys was reduced to a number of large independent basins (Pannonian Basin, Pontic Basin and Caspian-Aral Basin) separated by vast continental regions. At the same time, in the Paleomediterranean region, discontinuous shallow-water basins were formed on the existing substrate. In these basins predominantly siliciclastic sediments were deposited consisting of gravels, sands, marls and silts, and containing continental oligohaline faunas. These sedimentary facies, which are largely exposed in Italy and in other Mediterranean regions, are called "Lago-Mare". These sediments overlapping the Messinian evaporitic layers in apparent conformity have already been reported from western Sicily. Now they have been sampled and analyzed in five different localities in eastern Sicily. These sedimentary facies are called "Congeria" strata (marl containing oligohaline faunas) and "Arenazzolo" (reddish arkosic sands containing brackish or freshwater ostracods). From these levels, which correspond to two different sedimentation environments, an oligotypic ostracod fauna was extracted consisting of species belonging to the genera Tyrrhenocythere, Loxoconcha and Cyprideis. Among them, Loxoconcha muelleri (Mehes, 1908) and Cyprideis anlavauxensis Carbonnel, 1979, are reported for the first time from Sicily. Two other species are new to science; one is described as Tyrrhenocythere pulcherrima sp. nov. herein, whereas, the other one is left in open nomenclature as Loxoconcha n. sp. Francesco Sciuto. Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Science, University of Catania, Corso Italia 55, 95129 Catania, Italy. email@example.com Angela Baldanza. Department of Physics and Geology, University of Perugia, Via Pascoli, 06123 Perugia, Italy. firstname.lastname@example.com Rim Temani. Office National des Mines, 24, rue de l'énergie, 2035 La Charguia, Tunis, Tunisia. firstname.lastname@example.com Giovanni Privitera. Technical Study of Energy and Environment, Via Municipio, Misterbianco, Catania. email@example.com http://zoobank.org/DA7F28E3-631B-4F93-B5B9-91A4B6CAB46E Sciuto, Francesco, Baldanza, Angela, Temani, Rim, and Privitera, Giovanni. 2018. New reports of Paratethyan ostracods affinity from the Mediterranean Basin (Sicily, Italy). Palaeontologia Electronica 21.1.12A 1-19. https://doi.org/10.26879/800 palaeo-electronica.org/content/2018/2174-paratethyan-ostracods Copyright: April 2018 Palaeontological Association. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), which permits users to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, provided it is not used for commercial purposes and the original author and source are credited, with indications if any changes are made. creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ SCIUTO ET AL.: PARATETHYAN OSTRACODS


Treatment with beta-blockers is associated with high aortic but not brachial blood pressure and with cardiac hypertrophy in men with type 2 diabetes


To the Editor: I read with great interest the article by Khalid et al in which they reported the results of a cost-effectiveness analysis of traditional (palpation-guided) fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) versus ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (USGFNAB) in the diagnosis of solitary thyroid modules. My interest in the article was driven primarily by 2 aspects. First, as a practitioner of technology assessment, I appreciate efforts made by medical journals to highlight and discuss the economic considerations relevant to the practice of their readerships. Second, as a professor of technology assessment, I am always on the lookout for examples of various analytical approaches in the published literature to share with my students. When preparing assignments for upcoming courses, I examine the recent literature for examples of cost-effectiveness analysis which use decision trees and for which the published manuscripts contain both depictions of the decision trees and lists of parameters used in the analyses. I also look for deceptively simple evaluations that will challenge my students. In this case, the Khalid et al article met all of these criteria. In particular, the approach used by the authors is seemingly quite straightforward, but in actuality is more complex than one might be led to believe by reading the article or by examining the decision tree in Figure 1 of the manuscript. As appropriate to the provider perspective of the study, the authors defined the effectiveness of the biopsy strategies '': : :as correct classification of malignant or benign disease.'' In other words, the diagnosis must be both adequate (so as to avoid potentially unnecessary surgery) and correct. As my students and I discovered, this measure of effectiveness is difficult to identify from the decision tree provided in the manuscript because there are no pathways to explicitly demonstrate whether a diagnosis is both adequate (''conclusive'' as shown in the original decision tree, but described in the text as adequate) and correct. In itself, structuring the tree in this way is not incorrect. The error enters when the effectiveness of each pathway is calculated. Per the authors' decision tree, the effectiveness of the top-most pathway (FNAB, conclusive, benign) should consider only the proportion of all biopsies characterized as benign that truly are benign; ie, the number of true-negatives out of the population of all those diagnosed as benign, which includes both the true-negatives and the false-negatives. In calculating this proportion, the authors, and my students, incorrectly specified the numerator as 1 minus the prevalence of malignancies. The latter calculation introduces the false-negatives into the numerator, inflating the effectiveness of the pathway. The authors similarly repeated the error with the malignant pathways, the end result being that the effectiveness is now simply an adequate result, without consideration of Head & Neck 32: 821–823, 2010 Published online 19 April 2010 in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hed.21394


Moderation is a core tenet of Islam. Moderate Islam is a religious understanding that is very relevant in the context of diversity in all aspects, both religion, customs, ethnicity and the nation itself. Educational institutions have a strategic role to break the chain of violence in the name of religion. An educational approach for all students that can be implemented in peace education which is integrated with the school curriculum. Thus, religious moderation is very necessary to be instilled in students in order to create a harmonious relationship between teachers, students, the community and the surrounding environment so as to create a peaceful and safe environment. of various threats to a peaceful Indonesia. This research is a research that uses qualitative research methods, where the research method describes and describes matters relating to Religious Moderation in Indonesia. Researchers describe and describe the data from the opinions of experts. It is hoped that this qualitative method will allow the research to comprehensively explain the facts regarding Religious Moderation in Indonesia.


In this paper, acceptance sampling plans (ASPs) are proposed for the new Weibull-Pareto distribution (NWPD) percentiles assuming truncated life tests at a pre-determined time. The minimum sample sizes essential to assert the specified percentile are calculated for a given consumer's risk. The operating characteristic function values of the developed ASPs and producer's risk are provided. A real data set related to the breaking stress of carbon fibers data are presented for illustration.


Scorn and idealization represent two dominant orientations in the exoticiza- tion of indigenous communities that host tourists. These two orientations also appear as dominant tropes in the tourism imaginary, shaping the negotiation of expectations during the tourism encounter. In this chapter, I argue that these two types of exoticization often coexist in parallel in the tourist imagination, producing contradictions that set in motion the imagination of local hosts. The host communities gradually develop their own versions of exoticization, as they categorize and stereotype the tourists. Thus, at any given moment, parallel layers of exotization participate and inspire any given tourism imaginary. This realization can help us escape from a limiting vision of indigenous hosts as passive recipients of tourism imagination; it can also help us ap- preciate the agency of hosts in renegotiating their self-identity during the tourism encounter. In this chapter, I explore these propositions in the context of Embera indigenous tourism. I use as a case study the development of tourism in Parara Puru, an Embera community in the Chagres National Park in Panama. Tourism has provided the Embera with opportunities to investigate the expectations of their guests and, in an effort to satisfy those expectations, respond to contradictory types of exoticization. These range from idealization, an attitude that reflects nostalgia for the idealized "vanishing savage" and lost worlds unaffected by (Western) civilizing processes, to scorn, irony, and negative stereotyping, an attitude to which I refer as an "unintentional primitivization."


Formation waters of oil and gas fields contain several elements and compounds which can be used in combination with other indexes as exploration guides. Iodine, bromine, ammonia, and naphthenic acids are important here. Bromine content an mineralization. Its content PK Formation 34.1 mg/l. values Neftyanyye Kamni salinity


Thirty sites were sampled in different habits in Jinhua suburb. Sixtyseven bryophyte species were recorded. Among them, fiftyfour main species were surveyed to obtain their coverages. Their niche overlaps and width were calculated. Based on their niche overlaps, the ordination plot of Principal Axes Analysis (PAA) and the Minimal Spanning Tree (MST) were drawn. The main results are as follows: (1)The main ground bryophytes could be divided into three ecological groups; (2)The relationship between the number of bryophyte species (N) and their niche width (B) are as follows: N = 27.304 e11.425 B(R2=0.991 5). Obviously, most bryophyte species have very narrow niche width.


Image processing is used in the forest products industry to detect various defects on wood surfaces. Normally, several different sensors are needed, which makes the systems complicated and expensive. In this paper we present a highly integrated sensor system for wood defect detection based on a single MAPP2200 smart sensor. Five different measuring principles are simultaneously utilized to detect surface grayscale, surface roughness, deviating grain direction, 3D-profile and surface density. Using a pixel resolution of 1/spl times/0.5 mm, the sensor permits scanning of boards at the speed of several meters per second.


The main aim of this paper is to forecast the future values of the exchange rate of the USD. Dollar (USD) and Pakistani Rupee (PR). For this purpose was used the ARIMA model to forecast the future exchange rates, because the time series was stationary at first difference.  Data reported to five years ranging from the first day of April 2014 to 31st March 2019. The results proved that ARIMA (1,1,9) is the most suitable model to forecast the exchange rate. The difference between the forecasted values and actual values are less than 1%; therefore, it was found that the ARIMA is robust and this model will be helpful for the government functionaries, monetary policymakers, economists and other stakeholders to identify and forecast the future trend of the exchange rate and make their policies accordingly.


Hospital is one of the healthcare facilities, in the rapid technological development and increasingly fierce competition Hospital is required to continue to improve the quality of services that meet the needs of patients. This study aims to determine the effect of service quality on patient loyalty with patient satisfaction as mediation of hospitalized patients at Dewi Sartika Kendari General Hospital.The research method used was associative, with a cross-sectional design. Sampling technique used purposive sampling. Samples used were 83 respondents inpatients at Dewi Sartika Kendari General Hospital with data analysis using SPSS with path analysis method.The results showed that: a) Service quality had a positive and significant effect on patient satisfaction, the value of the effect was 0.583 and a significance of 0.000 <0.05. b) Quality of service does not have a positive and significant effect on patient loyalty, the value of the influence is 0.164 and the significance is 0.106> 0.05. c) Patient satisfaction has a positive and significant effect on patient loyalty, the value of the influence is 0.575 and a significance of 0.000 <0.05. d) Service quality has a positive and significant effect on patient loyalty with patient satisfaction as a mediating variable with a direct influence value of 0.164


Based on analysis of field data,the characteristics of water and sediment transport and evolution of erosion and deposition in the Xiaobeiganliu reach of the Yellow River are discussed in the paper.It is found that the river channel experienced silting in flood periods and scouring in non-flood periods.The erosion and deposition had close relationship with the incoming runoff and sediment load.Besides,a model based on BP neural networks has been developed to calculate the scouring-silting quantity and gives the most economical water volume for sediment transport.


In 1948, the Republic of Korea was founded as a democratic nation. Since then, Korea had gone through vast social and political changes, including the three-year war, student revolution, military coup by the beginning of 1960s. From 1962, however, the government aggressively pursued economic growth through the implementation of 5-year economic development plans. The successful accomplishments of the plans had transformed Korea from an agriculture-based society to a manufacturing-based industrial society. The needs for health care services and the context for health care delivery also changed in association with such societal transformation. Reflecting those situational changes, the fourth 5-year economic development plan for 1977-1981, gave emphasis on social development as well. Thereafter the government increased policy efforts and investment for the improvement of health care sector. Consequently, public health also was expanded in terms of organizational network, human resources and programs. The issues for public health and the priority among them also changed. Now major concerns and challenges facing public health are chronic degenerative diseases, newly emerged infectious diseases, disparity in health status among socioeconomic classes, and environmental pollution that involve very diverse and complex factors. In order to cope with these challenges, public health requires close cooperation with and effective coordination of health related policies and programs of many other sectors than health. Thus the political support is important for the development of public health.