In most of the structures of the public sector in the Republic of Congo, the quality of services provided to the general public has never been of good quality as perceived by the population. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to understand the root cause of inefficiency in the public sector of the Republic of Congo. A descriptive survey was designed for this purpose. Gill et al. (2008) argument on the most preferred use of interviews questionnaires in qualitative research was utilized to gather data from the sampled respondents. The data obtained from the individual's interviews were analysed using SPSS software. The traditional approaches of employee's performance management were analysed and plotted. The results of the study revealed that many employees were not adequately trained to perform their duties; in the meantime, most of these employees have not received any training in the last 10-15 years. Furthermore, it was also revealed that the top management doesn't undertake performance management appraisal and also the latter doesn't promote career development. Therefore, the employees suggested capacity building training. Revision of the salary scale and improvement of working conditions as the things that needs to be changed to improve their performance. Finally, the researcher concluded that among others actions that can be taken there is need to initiate a restructuration of the public sector in the Republic of Congo e.g. by re-introducing an entrance to the public sector examination, introduce performance appraisal management system and establish a career development systems for all categories of employment, to promote the culture of excellence in its structures and improve employee's performance. The novelty of the present study is the fact that the effectiveness of most of the services rendered to the general public in the Republic of Congo has never been investigated using scientific approaches. This study has therefore established the relation between the decisions taken by the top management and their impacts on employee's performance. In the meantime, the study has provided also the evidence on the correlation between the organization's culture and the decisions taken by the top management.


The electron Green function is studied under the assumption that only electrons out of the Fermi sphere is scattered by a localized spin and that the ground state is the singlet bound state. It is suggested that the theory of the s-d problem must be modified by two steps. First, we must take account of the process in which an injected electron is exchanged with the bound electron. Secondly, the fact that the target state is non-degenerate must be taken into account.


Abstract The nonlocal symmetries for the coupled (2 + 1)-dimensional Burgers system are obtained with the truncated Painlevé expansion method. The nonlocal symmetries can be localized to the Lie point symmetries by introducing auxiliary dependent variables. The finite symmetry transformations related with the nonlocal symmetries are computed. The multi-solitary wave solution of the (2 + 1)-dimensional coupled Burgers system are presented. By using the consistent tanh expansion method, many interaction solutions among solitons and other types of nonlinear excitations of a (2 + 1)-dimensional coupled Burgers system can be obtained, which include soliton-cnoidal waves, multiple resonant solutions, soliton-error function waves, soliton-rational waves, and soliton-periodic waves.


It is no longer news that we're facing a major shortage of social workers in the fields of oncology, geriatrics, and palliative care. People are living longer with multiple chronic and advanced illnesses, and the psychosocial supportive care needs of patients and family members are widely documented. The need to train and retain qualified clinicians in palliative social work is significant, as is our duty to pass down the collected wisdom of an aging generation of leaders who have pioneered the field over the last 35 years. Social work education can only do so much to prepare the next generation of clinicians to address the complex psychosocial needs of seriously ill and dying individuals and their families. The training and cultivation of skilled oncology and palliative care social workers is our collective professional responsibility. Formal mentorship programs have shown promise in promoting professional and personal development in related disciplines (i.e., medicine, nursing, teaching), but the literature on mentorship lacks methodological and conceptual consistency, and has yet to fully unpack mentorship, identify what works and what doesn't, and measure the utility of various models. The Zelda Foster Studies Program of the New York University Silver School of Social Work provides training to social workers in palliative and end-of-life care. This training is based on the mentoring model and is designed to meet the needs of social works at all stages of their professional development (see http:// socialwork.nyu.edu/academics/zelda-foster-studies.html).


Nuclear isomers are the metastable excited states of nuclei. The isomers can be categorized into a few classes including spin, seniority, K, shape and fission isomers depending upon the hindrance mechanisms. In this paper, we aim to present an overview of seniority isomers, which is a category related to the seniority quantum number. The discussion is mainly based on the concepts of seniority and generalized seniority. Various aspects of seniority isomers and their whereabouts have been covered along with the situations where seniority mixing prevents the isomerism.


H2 binding energy in disordered boron-substituted graphitic carbon was investigated by nuclear magnetic resonance equipped with in situ high pressure hydrogen loading. On the basis of selective adsorption isotherm measurements, a significantly enhanced H2 binding energy of 11.4 kJ/mol was observed in such boron-substituted carbon, consistent with theoretical predictions. In support of the observed high binding energy at room temperature, H2 diffusion is shown to be slow at 100 K, preventing H2 from accessing the nanopores at low temperatures.


A B S T R A C T The promotion of perithecial initials in the imperfect fungus Monacrosporium doedycoides is enhanced by the addition of the RNA synthesis inhibitor 6-methyl purine (6-MP). The addition of two other RNA inhibitors (8-azaguanine and actinomycin-D) causes the promotion of initials but not at the magnitude observed with 6-MP. Application of a protein synthesis inhibitor (cycloheximide), a base analog (5-fluorouracil), or an amino acid analog (p-fluorophenylalanine) are not promotive on initial formation and can be inhibitory. The apparent cause for the promotion of perithecial initials in the imperfect fungus is that sexual structures are inhibited by mRNA's synthesized by the organism and the addition of 6-MP prohibits their synthesis.


Computer graphics is a fun course for both teachers and students. The topics are filled with interesting images and animations, there is a wealth of support material available, and students are motivated to express creativity in projects. There are also underlying math concepts and algorithms that some students find challenging to fully understand. At our institution, we teach a computer graphics course to junior and senior-level computer science majors as an elective. To assist their understanding of fundamental concepts and algorithms, we created and employed a collaborative learning approach using locally developed interactive tools during each lecture. The Think-Pair-Share model was used to facilitate collaborative interaction between students. The results of this approach were measured through in-class feedback questions and student performance on individual exam questions. Students enjoyed using the tools, highly rating them on the feedback forms, but were less enthusiastic about the classroom methodology used to present them. These results along with lessons learned will be addressed.


We report a smart wearable glove that can wirelessly control the robotic hand. The developed Miura-ori structured AgNWs embedded conductive elastomer wire shows good stretchability (~50%), low resistivity (0.00075 $\Omega\cdot \text{cm})$, and good resistance reliability. The integrated formed bending sensor and the wires make the sensing unit more robust than traditional bonded metal wires. The further development of circuit design and Bluetooth transmission successfully build the human-machine interfaces (HMIs) between humans and robots.


Computer system utilization in business has increased in recent years. Computer systems are commonly an integral part of accounting, finance, management, marketing, and production information systems. These computer systems in conjunction with the major business functions have developed into information systems, decision support systems, and business data processing applications. These systems for decision support were routinely developed by data processing (and computer science) personnel. As more systems were developed and system utilization increased, problems in system acceptability and performance have surfaced.


Online job bank has been an important recruitment approach for both job seekers and recruiters. However, the online job banks in Taiwan's private and public organizations, many researches showed that the disabled job seekers were unable to find right vacancies and the recruiters couldn't find disabled candidates either. As a result, to develop the disabled job seeker centered online job bank becomes the issue of conern in this research.
The research was analyzed according to three aspects of Information Architecture, which are context, content, and user. Four domestic and foreign disabled online job banks were selected as the research case, which are Taiwan's 104 Job Bank and TaianJobs, and United Kingdom's Evenbreak and United States' GettingHired.
The qualitative research and semi-constructed interview were employed with researcher's assist to collect user's behavior of creating resume, searching job, and posting jobs, and discussed the differences between four job banks by the organization system, navigation system, search system, and labeling system. Three major conclusions of the study are as follows:
1.Context aspect: (1) For job seeker's intent, it is necessary to build up an online job bank for the disabled job seekers. (2) For recruiter's intent, the job bank should be compatible with promoting the benefits and awareness of disabled recruitment.
2.Content aspect: (1) Simplify the organization system of the resume content and add additional contents such as the requirements of accessible working environment to improve the quality of resume. (2) Improve the navigation system to enhance the visibility of common functions such as searching jobs. (3) Simplify the searching interface and add disabled related search boxes. (4) Build up the the labeling system of disabled classification criteria to meet the reality of the people with disabilities and increase the awareness to recruiters.
3.User aspect: (1) Assist job seekers with physical impairment to know the accessible working environment. (2) Follow web accessibility guideline and support assistive tools for people with visual impairment.


One of the most important municipal taxes paid annually is the urban property tax, the collection of which will be of great contribution to pay for public works that a community demands. The research was carried out with the objective of analyzing the collection of urban property tax that contributes to the public finances of the Decentralized Autonomous Government of Isidro Ayora canton, therefore, the factors that had been presented to influence its collection were diagnosed. The methodology used is non-experimental and uses a mixed quali-quantitative approach with descriptive, correlational and empirical methods, and the techniques used were a survey of 358 taxpayers and an interview with the head of revenue, which showed that there is a strong relationship between property tax and public finances, There are also internal factors that are based on the collection processes, on the other hand, external factors such as the low tax culture and economic resources that the users have, in conclusion, the property tax is important within the public finances to pay for the works in a community, there are also negative factors that influence the compliance with the payment based on the urban property tax.


Abstract Kābôd-YHWH is a technical term designating the radiance of the god of Israel. Such a phenomenon is specifically identified in the Bible with three physical realities: volcanic lava, solar activity and molten metal. The antique representation of the sun as molten metal, and the volcanic symbolism of the furnace reveal that these three expressions of kābôd-YHWH are interrelated. Among them, it appears here that kābôd-YHWH refers first of all to molten metal. This introduces a fundamental difference between radiance, specifically related to YHWH through molten metal, and brilliance (and by extension glory, wealth, strength and vitality) of gods and mortals derived from properties of solid state metals. Beyond the status and powers of supreme deity conferred by this metallurgical radiance, identification of kābôd-YHWH as shapeless molten metal also clarifies the origin of one of the most singular characteristic of ancient Yahwism: the strict interdiction of figuration of the god.


PURPOSE: A hinge device for a kimchi refrigerator capable of reducing the abrasion among spare parts is provided to improve the durability and product quality of the kimchi refrigerator. CONSTITUTION: A hinge device for a kimchi refrigerator comprises the following: a housing(10) including a dividing film(14) on the center for equally dividing a hollow space inside the housing; a slider(30) connected to a hinge shaft(40), including internal protrusions on the center of two inclined surfaces; and a bushing bearing(50) installed on the outer surface of the hinge shaft for preventing the abrasion of spare parts when opening and closing a door.


It is well known that the breastplates of many armours from the later 16 th century and the 17 th century bear the hemispherical dents generally known as proof marks. It has been taken as axiomatic that these marks were made in order to demonstrate the armours' effectiveness against firearms. If however some of these dents are compared with dents which are the result of battle damage, it appears that they were made by energy levels of a different order of magnitude, and offer little guarantee as to the "proof" of the armour.


Bruce works at Robinson River Health Centre. He is a highly experienced Aboriginal Health Worker, having commenced his training in 1972. Bruce began his career when he was chosen by the local Borroloola community members to be their male Aboriginal Health Worker and attended regular training courses at old Darwin, East Arm and Katherine Hospitals. He graduated in 1984 and became registered in 1986. Bruce has seen many changes for the better since commencing as a trainee and continues to enjoy undertaking new AHW training. When he first started as an AHW he had to deliver babies, attend road accidents and provide ongoing health services, often being the only health practitioner in his community. He is known for his suturing skills and taught many AHWs, nurses and doctors how to suture. Bruce continues to participate in up-skilling programs to keep him up to date with clinical skills. Bruce is widely recognised and respected for the many years of AHW service he has given and is a person who demonstrates a high level of commitment and excellence as well as outstanding personal qualities at all times during his work in and out of the Health Centre.


We aimed to explore the burden of frequent premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) associated with myocardial dysfunction in patients with outflow tract arrhythmia (OTA). We hypothesized that this threshold is lower than the previously suggested threshold of 24 000 PVCs/24 h (24%PVC) when systolic function is assessed by strain echocardiography. Furthermore, we aimed to characterize OTA patients with malignant arrhythmic events.


A brain-computer interface (BCI) is a system that conveys messages and commands directly from the human brain to a computer. The BCI system described in this work is based on the P300 wave. The P300 is a positive peak of an event-related potential (ERP) that occurs 300 ms after a stimulus. One of the best-known and most widely used P300 applications is the P300 speller designed by Farwell-Donchin in 1988. The Farwell-Donchin paradigm has been a benchmark for P300 BCIs. In this paradigm, a 6 X 6 matrix of letters and numbers is displayed, and the subject focuses on a target character while rows and columns of characters flash. Through detection of P300 for one row and one column, the target character can be identified. In this paper, it is shown that there is a human perceptual error in the Farwell-Donchin paradigm. To eliminate this error, a new region-based paradigm is presented. Using experimental results, it is shown that the new paradigm has several advantages over the Farwell-Donchin paradigm and achieves better accuracy.


The article examines the problem of diagnosing disturbances of the haemostasis system in patients with osteoarthrosis of large joints at different stages of the disease with help of the following laboratory tests: prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, fibrinogen, fibrinolytic activity, soluble fibrin monomer complex and protein C. It was revealed that progression of osteoarthrosis from stage I to IV caused gradual elevations in the levels of fibrinogen and soluble fibrin monomer complexes in the patients' blood, as well as an increase of fibrinolytic activity, thereby demonstrating significant disturbances in the system of fibrinolysis. In patients at stages III–IV of the disease their level of C protein decreased, and it could be one of the causes of thromboembolic complications in elderly people. Thus, it should be noted that patients with osteoarthrosis of large joints had significant disturbances in their haemostasis system.


Abstract : This report develops estimations of capture rates for enemy prisoners of war (EPW) for use in the Headquarters, Department of the Army (HQDA) Total Army Analysis (TAA) process. It covers data developed from Small Scale Contingency Operations including land, air, and naval elements.


The contemporary market is in demand of more power with expenditure of as less amount of energy as possible. Hence the scientists nowadays have shifted their concentration to design processes to meet this need. In this paper, the use of HP PC LEDs have been proved to be more efficient and environment friendly and have better scope of improvement in future than other lighting sources. The paper also focuses on the results of Quantitative Accelerated Lifetime Test and useful life estimation of LEDs making use of LM 80 and TM-21 has been done to facilitate the knowledge of users about the specifications of a particular company and comparison has been done to understand the trend of different companies. Thus this paper will facilitate the readers for making a choice of lighting source. This also opens the scope for further development of the LEDs by examining the reason of the degradation and finding the percentage contribution of each component element in the degradation to enhance its performance.


In the noninvasive. nonradioactive xenon/CT method of blood (low measurement, xenon gas is inhaled, and the temporal changes in radiographic enhancement produced by the inhalation are measured by sequential CT; time-dependent xenon concentration within various tissue segments is then used to derive local blood How maps. The usefulness of the method in the assessment of local cerebral blood How has been documented. In this paper we explore its application to blood How measurement in the human liver. In our preliminary clinical studies, hepatic blood How ranged from 50 to 120 ml/100 cc/min in normal and adequately supplied tissue, and lower flow values were observed in tissue with abnormal function. The advantages and limitations of the method in such applications are discussed.


Maximum latewood density (MXD) is a strong proxy of summer temperatures. Despite this, there is a paucity of long MXD chronologies in the Northern Hemisphere, which limits large-scale tree-ring-based reconstructions of past temperature which are dominated by ring-width (RW) data – a weaker temperature proxy at inter-annual time-scales. This paucity likely results from the relative expense of measuring MXD and the lack of laboratories with the facilities to measure it. Herein, we test the ability of a relatively new, less expensive, tree-ring parameter, Blue Intensity (BI), to act as a surrogate parameter for MXD. BI was measured on Engelmann spruce samples from British Columbia where MXD had previously been measured to allow direct comparison between the two parameters. Signal strength analyses indicate that 8 MXD series were needed to acquire a robust mean chronology while BI needed 14. Utilising different detrending methods and parameter choices (RW + MXD vs RW + BI), a suite of reconstruction variants was developed. The explained variance from the regression modelling (1901–1995) of May–August maximum temperatures ranged from 52% to 55%. Validation tests over the earlier 1870–1900 period could not statistically distinguish between the different variants, although spectral analysis identified more lower frequency information extant in the MXD-based reconstructions – although this result was sensitive to the detrending method used. Ultimately, despite the MXD-based reconstruction explaining slightly more of the climatic variance, statistically robust reconstructions of past summer temperatures were also derived using BI. These results suggest that there is great potential in utilising BI for dendroclimatology in place of MXD data. However, more experimentation is needed to understand (1) how well BI can capture centennial and lower frequency information and (2) what biases may result from wood discolouration, either from species showing a distinct heartwood/sapwood boundary or from partly decayed sub-fossil samples.


Missense variants analyzed in this study and domain structure of p105/p50 (Upper panel) Amino acid changes localizing to the N-terminal half of p105 affect both the precursor and the mature p50. Blue, variants tested in p105 and p50; black, variants tested in p50 only. The panel comprises all p50 variants enrolled in the Tuijnenburg and Lorenzini studies, except R231H (underlined). The deleterious variant Y350C has previously been described (23) and was included as a prototypical control. (Lower panel) The protein domain structure of the p105 precursor (long horizontal arrow) with the Rel-homology domain (RHD; red), glycine-rich region (GRR; blue), Ankyrin-repeat domain (ANK; yellow) and death domain (DD; green). Removal of the Cterminal half by limited proteolysis generates the mature transcription factor subunit p50 (short horizontal arrow). Numbers denominate amino acid positions. The position of the nuclear localization sequence (NLS) is indicated by an arrow. Credit: Frontiers in Immunology (2022). DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.965326


A test method useful in determining the effects of polymer additives upon water carry-over (WCO) in water quenched, cast film extrusion is presented. Data from this test is obtained on film specimens based in a Spherilene process HDPE resin individually doped with 250 and 500 ppm of six various primary and secondary antioxidants and acid scavengers. Water contact angles and film surface tension data is also presented. The WCO test is reproducible and data may be applied to commercial production. Different additives that carry out the same function in the polymer may have greatly varying WCO properties; these differences are not detected by equilibrium goniometry.


Several authors have reported successful fabrication of high‐energy product (15–20 MGOe) Co5R‐type cobalt‐samarium permanent magnets. In earlier papers we have described preparation of such magnets by a liquid‐phase sintering process sequence which includes powder preparation, magnetic alignment, pressing, sintering, and magnetizing. We have also described preparation of ternary compositions, primarily Co–Sm–Pr, by this process. In an effort to utilize more abundant rare‐earth metals, the cobalt‐mischmetal‐samarium system has been studied. Initial results indicate that a substantial fraction of the samarium may be replaced with mischmetal and still obtain high magnetic properties (BHmax 20 MGOe). Complete documentation of magnetic properties, i.e., saturation, remanence, coercive force, intrinsic coercive force, (BH)max, and temperature coefficients are presented along with a discussion of the fabrication techniques utilized for preparation of the samples.


A communication method for reducing Radio Resource Control(RRC) connection setup time in an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) includes the step of using an inclusive Signalling Radio Bearer (iSRB) in place of a plurality of individual Signalling Radio Bearers (indSRBs) for transferring signals from Radio Resource Control (RRC) to Medium Access Control (MAC). A Protocol Discriminator (PD) is added to the tail (right side) of each indSRB at the RRC for allowing the MAC to identify each indSRB as received in the iSRB. ThePD is needed because the MAC would otherwise be unable to place each indSRB into the appropriate prioritizing queue for trans-mission to the physical layer. The PD is stripped off at the MAC. A preferred embodiment uses the iSRB in place of four individual indSRBs (SRB1, SRB2, SRB3 and SRB4), but in an alternative form the Unacknowledged Mode SRB (SRBl) would not be present in the system and therefore not included in the iSRB.


We examined the interfacial charge transfer effect on photocatalysts using a patterned CuO thin film deposited on a rutile TiO2 (110) substrate. Photocatalytic activity was visualized based on the formation of metal Ag particles resulting from the photoreduction of Ag+ ions under visible-light illumination. Ag particles were selectively deposited near the edge of CuO film for several nanometer thick CuO film, indicating that interfacial excitation from the valence band maximum of TiO2 to the conduction band minimum of CuO plays a key role in efficient photocatalytic activity of CuO nanocluster-grafted TiO2 systems with visible-light sensitivity.


We report the synthesis of spin crossover 69 nm spherical nanoparticles of [Fe(NH2-trz)3](Br)2.3H2O.0.03(surfactant) (NH2trz = 4-amino-1,2,4-triazole, surfactant = Lauropal), prepared by the reverse micelle technique, which exhibit at room temperature a thermal hysteresis characterized by magnetic, diffuse reflectivity and Raman studies.


ABSTRACT This paper re-visits Kenyan history at the point of transition to independence but this time, with a focus on women's history. It examines the political careers of the first African women in colonial Kenya to be nominated to Kenya's colonial-era LEGCO (Legislative Council). They were nominees of the country's governor. The process that led to their nominations was neither transparent nor consultative, their terms were short and the extent to which they fostered broader working alliances with women outside the LEGCO was equally limited. These were the consequences of a nomination process that served the cosmetic interests of the state in the absence of a bolder effort to address the lack of women in the LEGCO, and the broader structural problems that cultivated gender inequalities which were then manifested in the low-level of women's involvement in the country's political arena.


VITEK® MS* consists of a MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer for microbial identification and a database recognizing unique fingerprints. Mycobacterial species require inactivation and protein extraction due to their pathogenicity and lipid rich cell wall. The study describes a sample preparation method using mechanical disruption and chemical treatment tested f rom multiple growth media for spectral database development. Most of the 37 mycobacterial species, tested with an average of 8 strains per species, were clearly differentiated except the M. tuberculosis complex and M.fortuitum/M.porcinum. The identification results obtained using this sample preparation method and the mycobacteria database indicated a 100% species match for 34 species and 94-98% for the remaining 3 species. The VITEK® MS platform offers rapid, reliable, and robust microbial identification with high throughput. INTRODUCTION An accurate identification of mycobacteria species is essential for epidemiology, proper diagnosis, and administration of appropriate antimicrobial therapy. Identification of mycobacteria species represents a technical challenge for sample preparation due to cellular structure and pathogenicity. The processing procedure must ensure that organisms are rendered nonviable for safe handling outside of a biosafety level-3 environment and that both hydrophobic and hydrophilic cellular proteins are made accessible for subsequent ionization. This study describes a mycobacterial sample preparation method for use with VITEK® MS that ensures organism inactivation and extraction of proteins from cultures grown on solid (LJ and 7H11 agar) and in liquid (BacT/ALERT® MP and BACTECTM MGITTM 960) media. The inactivation and extraction method is suitable for routine laboratory work where simplification of workflow and safety are key factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS Drug-susceptible and resistant strains of M. tuberculosis and nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) were used for the inactivation study. Optimal inactivation is achieved using mechanical disruption (bead beating for 5 min or vortexing for 15 min) with 0.5 mm glass beads in a pre-sterilized vial containing 70% ethanol (Figure 1). After disruption, the sample is incubated for 10 min at room temperature in the same tube, and then centrifuged. The pellet is reconstituted with formic acid then acetonitrile is added. After centrifugation, the supernatant is placed on the target slide and overlain CHCA matrix. Figure 2 shows the steps of the sample processing method. For protein extraction, 2-20 strains per species (an average of 8 strains) of mycobacteria were grown on solid (LJ/Coletsos and 7H11 agar) and in liquid media (BacT/ALERT® MP and BACTECTM MGITTM 960). For the purpose of database development, all spectra were checked visually for quality and those with 80-200 peaks were considered. Cluster analysis was performed for each species of mycobacteria to assess intra-species diversity. DNA sequencing (16S or rpoB) was performed on all outlier strains for confirmation or inclusion/exclusion of spectra. Multidimensional analysis was conducted to evaluate the differentiation of species (Figure 3 is an example with a subset of the 37 species). Figure 1: Fluorescent staining results with bead beating, horizontal vortexing, and without mechanical disruption Yellowish green live cells on red background Red background with cell debris VITEK® MS has not been cleared by the United States FDA for sale in the USA and is therefore not yet commercially available in the USA.


Chinese orthopaedics and tranmstology(CO) is fracture of combined treatment of traditional Chinese and western medicine,it comes from Chinese medicine and western medicine,it surpasses Chinese medicine and western medicine.CO emphasizes harmonious collaboration between patients and doctors which was formed as an important principle.This principle accords with the advanced developing trends in medicine,it implies doctors,duty,it pays attention to the initiative of patients in clinical activity,it illuminates the advantage of harmonious collaboration between patients and doctors deeply and propels the development of integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine.


Jim Garrison's article (Garrison 2012, in this issue) critiques current reforms in the United States for fostering a harmful "standardization" in schooling, which threatens to further undermine the country's democratic heritage and to prepare many students for servitude in an oppressive social order. John Dewey is cited throughout, as befits Professor Garrison's scholarly background, although the argument consequently often proceeds from authority rather than evidence. It offered as a critical treatise and a broad historical thesis about the genesis and nature of the current reform regime. With respect to the latter, a number of assertions are made about "the new structural feudalism," with "money managers" occupying positions of control in a globalizing economy. These are strong words, and they invite critical engagement regarding contemporary social, economic, and political conditions and the functions of schooling. One can ask, for instance, just what makes the current situation different from the past, when others made similar remarks. Observations about the commodification of people date at least to Karl Marx, and complaints about "moneyed" interests have resonated loudly in American history (Morris 2006). Indeed, Dewey expressed similar concerns in the 1920s, as Professor Garrison notes. How are today's circumstances distinctive? The article's principal object, of course, is standardization, although this too is never carefully defined. All schooling, after all, entails some degree of standardizing, as putting students into classrooms generally means a common curriculum and approach to learning. Factories influenced the early development of schools, and bureaucratic systems of control eventually came to


This paper deals with development of novel single-frequency tunable diode laser with fiber-optic output for gas-analysis applications. The approach we proposed is convenient, simple and cheap solution for spectroscopy of a single absorption lines of any gases having absorption bands in the optical fiber transparency window (0,7 ÷ 1,7 μm). The presence of fiber-optic output is an additional advantage for remote sensing applications. The laser operation was demonstrated in the case of the line R7 of methane absorption band 2v3 at wavelength λ=1,645 μm. The mode-hop-free tuning range of 35 GHz (1,2 sm-1) was achieved.


Urbanization - sewage and storm water industrialization - chemical contaminants intensive farming - fertilizers and pesticides case studies - the Rhine and the Great Lakes prevention legislation and economic policies introduction to ecological technologies soil-based systems water-based systems rethinking water carriage groundwater - the special issues.


The present paper deals with the ultrastructure of the amelogenesis of the upper major incisor of the rabbit. Ultrastructural changes in the enamel organ of the rabbit incisor, compared to those of the rat incisor, are described on the basis of a classification into six zones/ stages, ranging from the growing end to the junctional epithelium, as follows: proliferation, differentiation, secretion, early maturation, late maturation and regression. The inner enamel epithelial cells of the proliferation stage had wide intercellular spaces with the mitochondria located distally towards the dental papillary cell. The metabolic pathway was therefore considered to be established through this distal site. During the differentiation and secretion stages, the nucleus and mitochondria were located on the basal side (towards the stratum intermedium), but the r-ER and Golgi apparatus were on the distal side. The intercellular spaces became narrower and terminal webs were found on both the basal and distal sides. Numerous secretory granules were formed in the well-developed Golgi apparatus. The Tomes' process disappeared in the early maturation stage, and the enamel matrix began to be absorbed. In the late maturation stage, respective groups of ruffle-ended and smooth-ended ameloblasts were found one after the other three or four times. Intracellularly, a network arrangement of tonofibrils was observed in the regression stage. The cells of the stratum intermedium in both the differentiation and secretion stages prolonged their cellular processes, being interconnected by many desmosomes, and surrounded the basal cone-like projection of the ameloblasts. In the early and late maturation stages, flat-arranged papillary cells in contrast to those of the rat, contacted the blood capillaries. In the regression stage, the tonofibrils ran along the cell axis and the half desmosomes paralleled the basement membrane facing the surrounding connective tissue. The stellate reticulum began to decrease suddenly in the differentiation stage and finally disappeared in the middle of the secretion stage. The outer enamel epithelial cells were transformed into a cylindrical, cubical and flattened shape in the proliferation stage, and arranged in a wavy course, holding fenestrated blood capillaries in the differentiation and secretion stages. The enamel formation of the rabbit incisor ended within a short period, in accordance with a shorter, early maturation and longer, late maturation, as well as other characteristic features of the enamel organ.


In 1991-92 Vermont initiated a statewide portfolio assessment program in mathematics and writing in grades 4 and 8. An evaluation of the program found mixed results -although the portfolio scores were unreliable for individual or school-level reporting and teachers had concerns about implementation, the assessment had marked positive effects on instruction. This paper describes the implementation and impact of the second year of the assessment in 1992-93. Issues addresred include time spent on mathematics portfolios and best pieces, inservice uraining and support, changes in curriculum and instruction, portfolio preparation and scoring practices, teacher and student attitudes toward the portfolios and student performance.


ABSTRACT We prove the existence of time-periodic solutions representing breathing patterns in general nonlinear Hamiltonian finite-size lattices with global coupling. As a first step the existence of localised solutions of a two site segment, where one oscillator performs larger-amplitude motion compared to the other one, is established. To this end the existence problem is converted into a fixed point problem for an operator on some appropriate function space which is solved by means of Schauder's Fixed Point Theorem. For isoenergetic states the degree of localisation can be tuned in a wide range by changing the initial data and the coupling strength. Subsequently, it is proven that a related localised state can be excited in the extended nonlinear lattice forming a breathing pattern with a single site of large amplitude against a background of uniform small-amplitude states. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that also spatial patterns are possible that are built up from any combination of the small-amplitude state and the large-amplitude state.


On the basis of analyzing exposed signature of amphibian armored vehicle in millimeter wave and familiar countermeasures,the artificial water fog screen is put forward.Analyze the relationship of spray quantity,water fog radius and extinction characteristics by the Mie scattering theory.It deduces that the larger the radius of a single fogdrop,the larger the extinction section,while the lower the temperature,the larger the extinction section.Furthermore,the performance of the millimeter wave attenuation based on artificial water fog is proved by simulation count.The method is proved feasibly by the result.


In light of the "Two-level Game" theory,which is an important theory about formation mechanism of international trade policies,this paper conducts an analysis on the non-restricted(open trade) policy of China's higher education consumptions abroad,focusing on the policy formation and its influencing factors.This paper argues that China's policies concerning higher education exports are determined by both domestic and international factors.On one hand,the "objective function" of primary power units,such as the government,universities and the general public,as well as the gaming relationship between these groups all work to establish a "win-set" in formulation of policies concerning China's higher education exports.On the other hand,considering the international situation and China's negotiation capabilities,China has participated in the international cooperative game for reaching an agreement to achieve both objective function and benefit maximization of the country.


searchers, many more should still serve as source materials for those interested in the Plains Indians. But the book is also delightful to the ordinary reader for its presentation of a people whose honest expressions are recorded in all the freshness of their unpolluted, unrefined state. Reading them, one can, as Ruth L. Bunzel said of Grinnell's Cheyenne tales, " . . . smell the Buffalo grass and the wood fires, feel the heavy morning dew on the prairie."


August 2018 • Volume 127 • Number 2 www.anesthesia-analgesia.org e33 critical mediator of RIPC-induced protection against ischemic injury in human myocardium.4 It is noteworthy that STAT5 activation also mediates classical ischemic preconditioning.4 Whether STAT5 activation is also involved in volatile anesthetic-induced preconditioning is unknown, but this assertion seems likely because ischemic preconditioning and anestheticinduced preconditioning share virtually indistinguishable intracellular mechanisms. From our perspective, the current and previous results are particularly interesting because they may provide an additional explanation for differences in cardiovascular outcome between volatileand propofol-based anesthetic techniques in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.4 Several clinical trials and a number of meta-analyses showed that the use of a volatile anesthetic decreases myocardial necrosis and preserves left ventricular function compared with propofol-based anesthesia in cardiac surgery patients. These findings were interpreted as clinical evidence for volatile anesthetic-induced myocardial protection, providing a rationale for the use of volatile anesthetics in these patients.4 The current results by Behmenburg et al1 and others suggest that a detrimental effect of propofol (mediated through STAT5 inhibition) may also have made a contribution to the findings.


An all-optical analog-to-digital converter capable of sampling at 50GS/s is described. The ADC works in the frequency domain. The RF signal is sampled by electro-optically steerable gratings and quantized by a set of detectors with scalable apertures.


In this paper, we introduce a novel mobile robotic platform that is capable of navigating rough terrains. The proposed design utilizes an active angular swivel steering mechanism to perform wide-range steering as well as obstacle climbing. We extend the previously conducted kinematic analysis and develop dynamic models of the proposed platform to showcase its locomotive capabilities. Finally, we introduce a simple step-climbing path planning method.


Abstract In order to approach optimal micropropagation of Hypericum perforatum, it will be necessary to optimize shoot proliferation stage in in vitro culture. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different concentrations of B group vitamins; Thiamine HCl, Pyridoxine HCl, Nicotinic acid (control and 100 fold of MS) and Sucrose (30 and 40 g.l−1) on shoot proliferation. For this purpose, Stems with one node were taken from in vitro shoots and cultured on MS medium. All cultures kept at 16h light/8h photoperiod and 25 ±2 °C in growth chamber. Results showed that the highest number of shoots and leaves were achieved when explants cultured in media containing 40 g.l−1 sucrose with 100 fold of MS vitamins. The highest shoots and leaf length were obtained with medium supplemented with 30 g.l−1 sucrose. Nicotinic acid concentrations had an important role in length of the leaves. The highest number of nodes achieved in the media containing 40 g.l−1 sucrose with both concentrations of Nicotinic acid. After two month growing plantlets, light (LGN) and dark glands number (DGN) were counted. Maximum number of LGN was observed in the media containing 30 g.l−1 sucrose with 100 fold of Thiamine and Pyridoxine. However, The Highest number of DGN achieved in the media containing 40 g.l−1 sucrose with 100 fold of Thiamine or Pyridoxine. Increasing of sucrose and vitamins concentrations were efficiently improved in vitro proliferation and some morphological attributes without negative side effects. Therefore, use of high levels of sucrose and vitamins were useful on micro-propagation of Hypericum perforatum.


First paragraphs: The early 20 th -century Italian social theorist and revolutionary, Antonio Gramsci, argued that in struggling for socialism, the working class pursued two strategies. The crucial, decisive clash, the frontal attack between workers and the state, Gramsci characterized as the "war of maneuver." In contrast, he characterized the "war of position" as struggles in civil society in which the working class organizes itself and works to gain power and influence. In many ways, Kristin Reynolds' and Nevin Cohen's Beyond the Kale , an analysis of the grassroots urban farming and gardening movement in New York City, describes the movement as a "war of position." Urban gardening, in the analysis of the authors and many of their informants, is not just about growing food, but also about defining and defying the deeper structures of oppression in a race- and class-based society, and about achieving environmental justice and liberation. While for many farms and gardens the point is simply to grow nutritional food, Reynolds and Cohen focus on the activists for whom growing food is a starting point to dismantle oppression "at its core" (p. 14).


The Movement Control Order (MCO) for Covid-19 safety measure caused worry and anxiety among university students, especially those stranded in their university hostels or rental accommodation. Universities' staffs helped their basic living and study needs. This study aims to determine the emotional challenges among these students and examine the association between their emotional score across the university's welfare. Based on a survey of 284 respondents, the findings show that there is a significant difference between their emotions and stranded locations. Residential facilities, information updates, and food provided are substantial to their emotional scores.


What advantages and disadvantages does the heterodox strategy offer to stabilization programs in countries with chronic high inflation? heterodox stabilization programs, in our definition, are those that support orthodox policies that is, tight fiscal policy and a fixed exchange rate-with the initial, temporary use of incomes policies-that is, price and wage controls. This evaluation, based on several heterodox programs, successful and unsuccessful, from the 1960s and 1980s in Latin American countries and Israel.


Unmanned aerial vehicles are applied to many different fields such as surveillance, search, and monitoring. However, a critical issue for unmanned aerial vehicles is that they suffer from short flight time. To address this, perching becomes a new necessary capability for unmanned aerial vehicles. However, before perching on the desired surface, usually the orientation of the UAV needs to be adjusted to make the perching mechanism to firmly attach to the surface. In this paper, a vision algorithm is introduced to estimate the surface slope of the perching object. Equipped with a distance sensor and a monocular camera, the surface slopes in both X and Y directions can be estimated simultaneously. A bunch of experiments with different slope combinations are carried out. Combined with a Kalman Filter, the experiment results show this algorithm is much better compared with the previous algorithms especially when the main movement of the unmanned aerial vehicle is along the camera optical axis.


Based on the questionnaire survey of farmers in Nanjing city,the paper analyzes the influencing factors of farmers' willingness joining professional cooperatives with Binary Logistic model.Results show that variable factors such as: labors,degrees of education,levels of awareness,development of judgments,have positive relation to the willingness of farmers joining professional cooperatives;gender and financial demands are negative related to willingness of farmers joining professional cooperatives;variable factors,such as ages,degrees of education,numbers of farmers,scale of land,generation experience,specific investment and fluctuations of prices,the estimated parameters of which are not significant.At last,the paper points out that the 2 important ways in accelerating the development of professional cooperatives are: the first is to accelerate the capital accumulation of advanced farmers and strengthen the scaled degrees of agricultural management.The second is to promote the information and techniques accumulation speed of professional farmers to strengthen people's awareness and confidence.


Objective To explore the clinical value of 16-slice CT target reconstruction in carotid artery plaque.Methods Target reconstruction at bilateral carotid sinus were performed to 30 patients with carotid artery CT angiography(CTA).all images were analyzed by two experienced radiologists independently,and compared with the images of conventional reconstruction.The number of soft plaque,hard plaque and mixed plaque were calculated respectively.The sensitivity,accuracy,specificity,positive predictive value and negative predictive value of conventional reconstruction were calculated by the standard of target reconstruction.Results The spatial resolution and density resolution of target reconstruction were superior to conventional reconstruction,it was more sensitive in the detection of carotid sinus plaque than conventional reconstruction(P0.05),and it was more clearly in the display of small calcification and mixed plaque.Conclusion Target reconstruction can be used as a necessary complement technique to CTA examination of carotid artery.


This paper presents a review of the new work English Rhetoric, written by Professor Hu Shuzhong. Composed in English, this work provides a thorough view of the discipline by combining the traditional rhetoric with the modern one. Meanwhile, this work presents some important new issues, hence reflects the developing tendencies in the field. This paper, therefore, presents a brief comment of the work, as well as a review of the new ideas of each chapter.


According to the plain definition using in computer vision the depth of a point M is the distance between the optical centre of the camera lens and the plane containing point M and being perpendicular to the camera optical axis. The set of all depth values related to the individual points of an image constitutes a depth map. Obviously depth is closely related to disparity measured on the image planes of a stereoscopic pair of cameras. Nevertheless, in the course of research, development, design and implementations of the practical 3D video systems and computer vision systems, various definitions of depth are used.


Article history Received 22/07/201 Available online 06/08/2014 To compare anti diabetic effect of Methanolic extract of Insulin plant (Costus pictus) leaves (MECP) and its silver nanoparticle (MECPAgNPs) by various in vitro screening methods. Preliminary phytochemical screening, Vitamin C, total phenolic and flavonoid content were determined by standard procedure. TLC and HPTLC (quantitative) analysis of MECP was done by using Quercetin as a standard. Screening of in vitro anti diabetic activity was done by Inhibition of α-amylase & α-glucosidase enzyme assay, Glucose uptake in yeast cells and Non-enzymatic glycosylation of Hemoglobin assay. Preliminary phytochemical screening showed the presence of carbohydrates, triterpenoids, proteins, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, flavonoids, sterols and volatile oil. Phenolic, Flavonoid content and Vitamin C of MECPAgNPs was higher than MECP. TLC analysis of MECP confirmed the presence of Quercetin and its amount was found to be 115.41mg/g by HPTLC. Non-enzymatic glycosylation of Hemoglobin assay, MECPAgNPs exhibited higher inhibition of glycosylation as compared with the MECP at a concentration of 200-1000µg/ml. In α- amylase and α-glucosidase enzyme inhibition assay, the results showed MECPAgNPs had efficiently inhibit both enzymes, in vitro in dose dependent manner than MECP at a concentration of 200-1000µg/ml. It can be concluded that the leaves of C.pictus D. Don can be a good source for synthesis of silver nanoparticle which shows potent anti oxidant and anti diabetic activity than the MECP. The important outcome of the study will be the development of value added product from medicinal plant Costus pictus D. Don for biomedical and nanotechnology based industries. Furthermore, in vivo studies are required for providing scientific information on the plant.


We study a series of one-dimensional discrete-time quantum-walk models labeled by half integers $j=1/2, 1, 3/2, ...$, introduced by Miyazaki {\it et al.}, each of which the walker's wave function has $2j+1$ components and hopping range at each time step is $2j$. In long-time limit the density functions of pseudovelocity-distributions are generally given by superposition of appropriately scaled Konno's density function. Since Konno's density function has a finite open support and it diverges at the boundaries of support, limit distribution of pseudovelocities in the $(2j+1)$-component model can have $2j+1$ pikes, when $2j+1$ is even. When $j$ becomes very large, however, we found that these pikes vanish and a universal and monotone convex structure appears around the origin in limit distributions. We discuss a possible route from quantum walks to classical diffusion associated with the $j \to \infty$ limit.


Radiology: Volume 280: Number 3—September 2016 n radiology.rsna.org 949 1 From the Section of Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiology (V.S.S., E.N.P., J.P.E., K.T.B., A.M.C., W.A., L.A.B., S.B.S., C.T.S.), Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (M.G.), Pathology (D.S.K.), Radiology (R.K.G.D., A.R.G.), Molecular Cytology (A.B., K.O.M.), Surgery (R.P.D.), and Medicine (N.E.K.), Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Ave, New York, NY 10065; and Department of Pathology, University of Southern California University Hospital, Los Angeles, Calif (L.M.P.). Received May 1, 2015; revision requested June 23; revision received October 27; accepted December 17; final version accepted December 23. Address correspondence to C.T.S. (e-mail: email@example.com).


Skin aging is a complex natural phenomenon characterized by a progressive loss of structural integrity and physiological function of the skin. These changes manifest as visible wrinkling and loss of elasticity in the skin. This study aims to assess the anti-aging effectiveness of red spinach extract on increasing levels of collagen, elasticity, hydration, sebum, and pigment in male rats. A total of 25 rats were divided into 5 groups, each of which consisted of 5 white rats; control group (ointment base), red spinach extract ointment group 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10%. The results of phytochemical examination showed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins and glycosides, with the total content of phenols, tannins, and flavonoids from the methanol extract of spinach leaves, respectively 20.22 GAE mg / gram extract, 0.09 QE mg / gram extract, and 20.83 TAE mg / gram extract. Changes in the level of skin hydration before and after treatment showed a significant change (P value less than 0.05) with the highest change found at a concentration of 10%, namely 64.84%. Changes in skin collagen levels before and after treatment showed significant changes (P value less than 0.05) with the highest change found at a concentration of 10%, namely 56.25%. Changes in the level of skin elasticity before and after treatment showed significant changes (P value less than 0.05) with the highest change found at a concentration of 10%, namely 46.30%. Changes in the level of skin pigmentation before and after treatment showed a significant change (P value less than 0.05) with the highest change found at a concentration of 10%, namely 35.97%. The highest percentage of decrease in sebum level among all groups given red spinach methanol extract ointment was indicated by the highest concentration of 10%, which was 40%. From the results of this study, it can be concluded that the red spinach leaf extract ointment has quite good anti-aging activity.


The embodiment of the invention discloses a method and a device for prompting the distance between a user and a screen. An instruction of starting on distance protection, which is triggered by the user, is received; the distance between the user and the screen of a mobile terminal is obtained through a distance sensor; the distance between the user and the screen of the mobile terminal is compared with prestored distance; if the distance between the user and the screen of the mobile terminal is less than or equal to the prestored distance and is kept for preset time, a prompting message is started, and the prompting message is used for reminding the user to be far from the screen of the mobile terminal, so that the problems that the user is reminded to be far from the mobile terminal when the user uses the mobile terminal at short distance and the vision of the user is damaged because the user uses the mobile terminal at short distance are solved.


By analyzing the energy-momentum tensor and equations of state of ideal gas, scalar, spinor and vector potential in detail, we find that the total mass density of all matter is always positive, and the initial total pressure is negative. Under these conditions, by qualitatively analyzing the global behavior of the dynamical equation of cosmological model, we get the following results: (i) K=1, namely, the global spatial structure of the universe should be a three-dimensional sphere S3; (ii) 0≤Λ<10−24ly−2, the cosmological constant should be zero or an infinitesimal; (iii) a(t)>0, the initial singularity of the universe is unreachable, and the evolution of the universe should be cyclic in time. Since the matter components considered are quite complete and the proof is very elementary and strict, these conclusions are quite reliable in logic and compatible with all observational data. Obviously, these conclusions will be very helpful to correct some popular misconceptions and bring great convenience to further research other problems in cosmology such as the properties of dark matter and dark energy. In addition, the macroscopic Lagrangian of fluid model is derived.


This study was on the challenges for improved sorghum production among women farmers in southern Yobe, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to examine the socio demographic characteristics of the respondents, determine factors influencing the adoption of improved sorghum production by respondents and make recommendations on ways to encourage improved sorghum production. Data for the study were obtained from 120 respondents selected through multistage random sampling procedure. Descriptive statistical techniques such as frequency distribution and percentages were used for the analysis. Similarly, inferential statistical technique namely logit regression analysis was used to establish relationship between socio-economic characteristics of the respondents and challenges for improved sorghum production. The study revealed that majority (91.5%) of the respondents fell within the age bracket of 50 years and below. It is also evident from the study that 65.8% of the respondents were married and 67.4% had one form of education or the other, while 71.6% had less than 1 hectare as farm land. The result further showed that farm size, age of respondents, educational level, cost of technology, extension contact, access to credit and expected benefit from use of improved production technologies are the factors that significantly influenced improved sorghum production among women farmers in the study area. It is recommended that policies should be formulated to take advantage of the factors that positively influence women's improved production of sorghum and to mitigate the negative ones. Key words: Challenges, Sorghum production, Women farmers, Yobe, Technology


Hymenaea courbaril is a tree species belonging to the genus Hymenaea and family Fabaceae. This study aimed to extract the essential oil from the fruit peel and evaluate the physicochemical characteristics and bacterial activity. The fruits were collected in the municipality of Santa Helena de Goiás, Goiás, Brasil. The bark was crushed and the powder obtained used in the extraction of the essential oil in the Clevenger-type system. The physical-chemical evaluation was performed for organoleptic analysis, refractive index, relative density, optical rotation and solubility in 70% hydroethanolic solution. The chemical profile was evaluated by gas chromatography with a coupled mass emitter. The antibacterial assay was performed in a Petri dish at different oil concentrations and the antibiosis halo (mm) when present was evaluated with the aid of a caliper. The essential oil of the peel of the fruit of H. courbaril was aromatic, clear, slightly aromatic, presenting physicochemical characteristics similar to the several essential oils of plants. It demonstrated a chemical profile rich in molecules and effective antibacterial action.


Since the late eighties, Spanish bank markets have been undergoing major changes that have affected both their structure and the nature of strategic interaction among Spanish banks. These changes have been a natural outcome of the heightening competitive pressure exerted on all countries' banks by processes such as deregulation, globalisation of financial and economic activities, the development of new technology and the prospects of greater integration of European financial markets.


Introduction. Parkinson's disease is considered to be one of the most severe neurodegenerative disorders. It is caused by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and striatal dopamine deficiency. The disease leads to progressive gradual limitation of the motor, cognitive, and physical function of the patient. Aim. To determine the effect of physiotherapy on the objective and subjective assessment of the condition of patients with Parkinson's disease undergoing rehabilitation. Material and methods. The study group consisted of 42 patients aged 59-75 years with Parkinson's disease, staying at a care and treatment facility. The study was conducted using a diagnostic survey questionnaire and evaluated patient functioning and the severity of depression before and after rehabilitation. The assessment was conducted with the international Barthel index and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Results. The analysis conducted shows that rehabilitation has a positive impact on the level of depression in the patients and on their functioning. Duration and stage of the disease and the age of the patients all influence their functioning. The research also shows that the therapeutic effect of physical therapy and rehabilitation does not depend on the patient's gender, place of residence, level of education, marital status, and length of stay at the care and treatment facility. Conclusions. 1. Parkinson's disease is a very difficult therapeutic problem. 2. Rehabilitation has a positive impact on the level of depression in the patients and on their functioning. 3. Duration and stage of the disease and the age of the patients all influence their functioning. 4. The therapeutic effect of physical therapy and rehabilitation does not depend on the patient's gender, place of residence, level of education, marital status, and length of stay at the care and treatment facility. (Gerontol Pol 2017; 25; 88-94)


Increased arterial pressure affects the accuracy of clinical conclusions in a number of cardiac pathologies, including valvulopathies. We investigated the influence of increased blood pressure in the assessment of multiple echo variables in patients with significant aortic stenosis of different physiologies.

 Seventy two patients (33 women, aged 72 ± 12 years old, EF: 56 ± 9%) with significant aortic stenosis [18 (25%) with low flow low gradient (LFLG) and 7 (10%) with paradoxic LFLG (PLFLG) physiology] and arterial systolic pressure ≥140 mmHg on admission, were assessed with a full 2D and Doppler echocardiographic study including non-invasive assessment of pressure recovery and valvuloarterial impedance (z). Echo study was performed on two occasions during their hospitalization, on admission and after normalization of blood pressure. Arterial pressure was controlled by any therapeutic means at the discretion of the referring physician. Significant serial changes between echo variables were assessed by the Student paired t-test.

 Arterial pressure and heart rate were significantly lowered between the two studies (from 152 ± 13 to 116 ± 11 mmHg and 78 ± 7 to 73 ± 5, p< 0,001 respectively). Differences between the echo variables are depicted in the following table.

 Small but significant changes were noticed in several echo parameters after lowering blood pressure in patients with significant aortic stenosis. These patients should always be assessed after normalization of their blood pressure since the degree of stenosis can be erroneously overestimated and affect clinical decision.
 p < 0,001
 Echo variable 1st study 2nd study Stroke vol index (i) (ml/m2) 37,1 ± 9,5 44,1 ± 10* Mean gradient (mmHg) 42 ± 6,2 44 ± 5,8 * Pressure recovery (mmHg) 8,4 ± 2,5 9,5 ± 2,7* Z (mmHg/mL * m2) 5,4 ± 1,5 3,8 ± 1,1* AVAi (cm2/m2) 0,44 ± 0,06 0,49 ± 0,06*


A mountain brush vegetation typified by Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii) and serviceberry (Amelanchier ittahensis) dominates the uplands of Mesa Verde National Park. There is evidence that this brush element is a successional stage that has been maintained by repeated natural fires in a large part of the Mesa Verde landscape. This study was conducted to determine the role of fire in the region's ecology, the nature of the climax pinyon pine (Piiius edulis) and Utah juniper (Junipenis osteosperma) vegetation, and the major successional stages that lead to the climax condition. Three postburn plant communities and two climax stands overlying residual soils at elevations of about 7,500 feet were studied. The successional stands had been burned through natural causes in 1873, 1934, and l^S^. The earliest date was determined by crossdating trees affected by the fire with the Mesa Verde master chronology, since the fire antedated any written records of the region. Pith dates from pinyon pines in the climax forest stands indicated an age of about four centuries. Permanent sample plots representative of each stand were established, and the vegetation was analyzed using a modification of the line intercept and macro plot methods. The vascular species that occurred in each sample were noted, and their cover value and frequency were summarized. Plant succession proceeds rapidly from a pioneer stage of the shade and competition intolerant weeds. Helianthus annuus and Chenopodium pratericola, to a meadow stage dominated by the native grasses, Oryzopsis hymenoides, Sitanion hystrLx. and Poa fendleriana. In the most recent burn, several species of perennial exotic grasses have been introduced to check


The structures of the title compounds, C9HI4N405 and CgH15N4OsP. H20, have been determined. The nucleoside is monoclinic with a = 10.783 (3), b = 10.206 (3), c = 5.037 (2) A, fl = 94.1 (2) ° , Z = 2, space group P2 r The nucleotide is orthorhombic, space group P212121, with a = 4.777(2), b = 17.259(3), c = 17.077 (3) ,/k, Z = 4. Both structures were solved by direct methods and refined to R = 0.039 and 0.058 for the nucleoside and nucleotide respectively. Ribose puckerings are C(2')-endo,C(3')-exo in the nucleoside and C(2')-exo,C(3')-endo in the nucleotide. The conformation about C(4 ' ) -C(5 ' ) is gauche-gauche and both molecules exist in the preferred anti form. The nucleotide exists as a zwitterion with N(3) protonated. In both molecules, the 4-carboxamide residue is oriented such that a strong intramolecular hydrogen bond is formed to the amino group at position 5 of the heterocycles. In the crystal structures, all the donor and acceptor groups of the heterocycles are further involved in intermolecular hydrogen bonds.


In the treasures of the development of astronomy and the method of reckoning in Indonesia, there are several classical Islamic astronomy (falak) books with various methods such as the book Sulam an-Nayyirain, Syamsul Hilal, Durus al-Falakiyyah, Nurul Anwar, and so on. One of the interesting things to study is the book Ad-Dur al-Aniq by KH. Ahmad Ghozali Muhammad Fathullah, an expert in astronomy who came from Madura, the book which is declared as a modern Islamic astronomy book with the method of reckoning tahqiq bi at-tadqiq. This method of reckoning tahqiq bi at-tadqiq is the most accurate because it has a long process and there are many interpolations. The calculation of reckoning for the beginning of the Hijri month in this book goes through 4 main stages, namely the calculation of ijtima, the time of sunset, the position of the sun, and the moon at sunset, and the conclusion of the reckoning. At each stage, it also consists of several counting processes and ta�dil. Through the calculation process, it can be proven that the calculation method in the book ad-Dur al-Aniq is included in the category of the tahqiqi bi at-tadqiq method with a very long algorithm and several corrections so that it gets very accurate results. The theory and calculation system are based on modern astronomical formulas (spherical trigonometric theory) and use a scientific calculator or computer as a calculation tool. After comparing the calculation results using the Jean Meeus algorithm and NASA SKYCAL, the result is that the average difference between the three calculations is no more than 2 minutes.


Scattering cross‐sections for the interpretation of the scattering‐absorption contrast of microscopical images of amorphous biological specimens are calculated. The constituent atoms are treated as independent particles and their atomic potential is approximated by a modified Lenz‐Wentzel potential. Both elastic and inelastic scattering processes are considered. Formulas of the effective elastic and inelastic atom scattering cross‐sections are derived for both a CTEM with hollow‐cone illumination and a STEM using an annular detector. The scattering‐absorption contrast is plotted as a function of the atomic number for a CTEM applying parallel illumination and a STEM using a dark‐field detector with maximum collection efficiency. The presented results are valid for acceleration voltages U in the range 20 kV


Mitral annular calcification (MAC), a noninflammatory chronic degenerative change of the fibrous support structure of the mitral valve, 1 occurs more commonly in elderly women 2 and patients with chronic renal failure. 3 Although the causative relationship remains unclear, MAC is considered to double the risk of stroke 2 and is known to be an uncommon cause of cardioembolic infarction. 4 In this case, serial sonographic findings showed that MAC was a definite embolic source in a patient with recurrent calcified cerebral emboli (CCEs).


The present paper presents a review of condensation heat transfer across smooth and enhanced horizontal surfaces due to its significance in refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump applications. The emphasizes is on the recent understanding of experimental as well as the semi-empirical correlations to investigate the heat transfer phenomena during condensation associated with enhanced geometries. An effort has been made to submit freeconvection condensation effects outside of single tubes and the tube bundle with the influence of tube geometries, condensate retention and gravity on film condensation; however, comparison of forced convection is also presented. Alternative of conventional refrigerants in condensation process by low-global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants is addressed as well due to increase in atmospheric burden affected by hydro-fluoro-carbons (HFCs). Although many researchers have reviewed the condensation impact across enhanced surfaces, a few of them revised its behavior across pin-fin tubes. The effects of geometry, surface wettability, and operating conditions on the location, amount and form of condensate film are discussed. Various theoretical models prediction with the new experimental data across pin-fin tubes is also revealed. This review is distributed into two main sections: the first section focuses on condensation across enhanced tubes, sub dividing the study into integral-fin and pin-fin tubes based on theoretical and experimental investigations. It covers the geometrical effects concerning three dimensional (3D) surfaces, fin density, fin spacing and fin thickness. The later part of the paper concentrates on condensation behavior across the tube bundle incorporating the effects of fin density and refrigerant mixtures highlighting both theoretical and experimental knowledge. Recent research shows an agreement between theoretical and experimental models in the defined area; though, a considerable amount of work on semi-empirical correlation formulation is visible in the literature. The strength of this paper is the latest findings on condensation against different geometrical parameters of extended surfaces specifically across pinfin tubes and the tube bundle. Finally, theoretical enhancement factors along with many heat transfer correlations are presented and recommendations are suggested for the future work.


In order to measure the distortion pattern of a large two-dimensional Position Sensitive silicon Detector (PSD), we tried a simple method using a light pulser instead of high energy particles from an accelerator. The obtained distortion pattern is quite similar to that from accelerator beams. We conclude that a light pulser can be used for this measurement. This simple method is relatively very easy considering the tight accelerator machine-time.


Here, we report the draft genome sequences of six severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) strains. SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, which started at the end of 2019 in Wuhan, China. The isolates were obtained from nasopharyngeal swabs from Moroccan patients with COVID-19. Mutation analysis revealed the presence of the spike D614G mutation in all six genomes, which is widely present in several genomes around the world. ABSTRACT Here, we report the draft genome sequences of six severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) strains. SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, which started at the end of 2019 in Wuhan, China. The isolates were obtained from nasopharyngeal swabs from Moroccan patients with COVID-19. Mutation analysis revealed the presence of the spike D614G mutation in all six genomes, which is widely present in several genomes around the world.


Most sludents of Javanese socicty are familiar with Geertz's classification of the Javanese in threc religious streams, namely,priyayi, santri, and abangan (1960)1. Whereas this tripartite classification has often been criticized (e.g. Koentjaraningrat 1963, Cruikshank 1972, Bachtiar 1973), the dichotomy between faithfully practising and nominal Muslims {santri versus abangan) is still considered to be valid. As a reification of social reality it guides the thinking of many scholars as if life in Java were static and not subject to change. Nowadays there are good reasons to doubt the heuristic value of the santri abangan cleavage. Moreover, and this is often insufficiently appreciated, all Javanese, whatever their degree of Islamization, share in Javanese culture. That culture is not necessarily religiously expressed and contains a common vision of man, socicty, and the ethical conduct of life. In the first part of this article it will be described how the two mainstreams in Javanese culture seem to converge at present, at least as it appears at the level of the urban educated middle class. The religious cleavage that was elaborated in Geertz's The Religion of Java seems to belong to a former structure of society that has vanished rapidly over the past twenty years. The ensuing changes in social relationships are expressed by a new weighting of the concepts of rukun and laras that serve to evaluate everyday experience. These changes are analyzed in the second part of this article. The purpose of the article is therefore to amend some tenacious conceptualizing about Javanese society. This will be done by presenting a summary analysis of two cultural processes in order to indicate trends that can only be elaborated in book * 1


CIIII D with an acute form of disseminated A liistiocytosis X (Letterer-Siwe's disease) lias recently been treated in this hospital with multiple doses of radioactive colloidal gold. Studies made of the concentration of the radioactive colloid in the tissues of this patient, who had a rapidly fatal clinical course, will be presented and discussed. Therapy of the various conditions that have been grouped together under the name "histiocytosis X" by Lichtenstein has been unif ormly unsatisfactory, except in those instances in which radiation therapy was used for the control of localized evidence of the disease, as in cases of eosinophilic granuloma of bone and in some patients with Hand-SchiillerChristian disease. The subject of roentgenray treatment of these diseases has been sumrnariped by Childs and Kennedy. In the case to be described here, the suggestion was made by Ralph Jones, Jr., that, since the disease process appears to be an inflammatory proliferative reaction of histioc ytes, the abnormal cells might possibly retain the capacity to phagocytose colloidal particles. I he intravenous administration of a radioactive colloid might, therefore, result in a suflirien tly high concentration of the radioactive material in the diseased tissue to pro>


According to the fact that "The Three Norths" regional power grid contains a large proportion of thermoelectric units, and the peaking task is mainly assumed by condensing units, a peaking cost calculation method is proposed. An optimal dispatching model is built up based on the modeling of the condensing units and thermoelectric units. In this model, power load will be balanced by units in whole network, while heat load will be balanced on the spot by each thermal power plant. By solving the power outputs of all units in two different modes, the peak-regulating capacity of all units can be analyzed. Peaking cost is defined as the difference of power profit among depth peaking intervals of non thermoelectric units. The reasonableness of the calculation method is shown by an example.


Lepeophtheirus cuneifer sp. nov. (Copepoda: Caligidae) is described and illustrated. This copepod is a parasite of marine fishes off the coast of Alaska, its hosts including Raja binoculata and Hexagrammos lagocephalus. Other possible hosts are Leptocottus armatus and Theragra chalcogramma.


The present invention relates to a device for treating the hair, comprising: -two arms (5, 6) that are able to move relative to one another between a moved-together configuration for treating the hair and a spaced-apart configuration for inserting hair to be treated between said arms, one of the arms (5) comprising a base having a housing and an external flap (18) that pivots on the base between an open position for access to the housing and a closed position preventing access to the housing, -a refill comprising a reservoir (23) containing a product to be applied, said refill being disposed in a removable manner in the housing.


Todays world already suffering with lot of newer and newer problems related to water, petroleum's, climate change, CHG and Global Warming, air pollution, water pollution, carbon and toxic gases emission, foods and grains, energy secrecy and so on. And with inclusion in those " Soil pollution due artificial chemical fertilizers" which may increase crops, seeds & nuts, fruits, flowers, grains, cotton production, but in each farming attempt damaged soil in percent and responsible to change agricultural area into "non agricultural area".Hence one of the excellent practices is need to find out new strategies of "production and utilization of organic fertilizers for organic farming" .Fertilizer products supplement the nutrients already in the soil. Man-made (non-organic) fertilizers are concentrated and quick acting. Organic fertilizers release nutrients slowly and usually contain many trace elements your plants need that are not found in most chemical formulations. Not all organic fertilizers are useful to plants immediately. The soil must be warm enough for organic fertilizers to break down and nutrients to be released. For a quick response, try fish emulsion or seaweed extracts. These are water soluble and instantly available to plants. For early season feeding use foliar sprays. Too much fertilizer can burn plants and leach into the groundwater, causing pollution problems. Organic fertilizers are safer to use because they are not as concentrated as chemical fertilizers. This paper we prepared with the intention to permute organic fertilizers for organic farming and to save agriculture land for long time[1,3,7].


Acute childhood malnutrition leads to greater risk of death or disability from common paediatric illnesses such as pneumonia and diarrhoeal disease, and it shapes long term health by compromising physical and intellectual development. The condition carries a case fatality rate of 5-60%.4 5 This review describes how best to manage cases of acute childhood malnutrition in light of recent changes in standard recommendations.


This paper introduces briefly the application facts,economic and social benefits of the expert system successfully developed by the authors for setting protection in Sichuan 110~500 kV transmission network.It is revealed through over one year's practice that this expert system is worth employing and popularizing.


Pot experiments were conducted with maize-wheat rotation and soybean-wheat rotation to study the effects of soil residual Se and Zn on wheat yields and nutritional quality. Obtained results showed that effects of soil residual Se and Zn on wheat biomass and yield were different with rotation systems. In maize-wheat rotation,soil residual Se and Zn did not show the trend to increase wheat biomass and yields,but significantly increased the wheat biomass and yields in soybean-wheat rotation; Soil residual Se and Zn could change the composition of elements in crops. In maize-wheat rotation,N,K,S,Ca,Fe,Zn,Se,and Cu contents of wheat grain were significantly increased by soil residual Se and Zn. In soybean-wheat rotation,grain K,S,Mg,Fe,Zn,Se,Cu and B contents significantly increased,but N,P,Ca and Mn contents decreased.


In this paper, some characteristics of a new defining dictionary of Swedish, Nationalencyklopedins ordbok (NEO; The dictionary of the National Encyclopedia), are presented. The three-volume dictonary, comprising about 62 000 lemmas, will appear in 1995-96. Partly, it is based on another dictionary of Swedish, Svensk ordbok (SOB; A dictionary of Swedish). However, there are several new -or partly new -informational categories in the NEO, accounted for in the paper. These categories are (1) etymologies (for about half of the lemmas) and years of the first known occurrence (for every lemma and every numbered sense ); (2) valency; (3) morphological analysis; ( 4) word formation; (5) musical accent, and (6) references to synonyms, antonyms, co-hyponyms, etc.


Taking the 721 spectrophotometer as an example,this article introduced how to use Flash CS4 to make simulation software of chemical analysis instrument. In simulation software,PV3D and 3D technology are used to show the instrument appearance with interactive,and ActionScript3. 0 is used to simulate the operation of 721 spectrophotometer. Users can do pre-operation before the real experimentation,and the simulation software can even replace the real experimentation.


Preliminary results from the IVth Leucocyte Culture Conference have classified the monoclonal antibody (MoAb), YTH 71.3.2, as CD66. Two other MoAbs, YPC 2/12.1 and CE6/2D3.1, share a common cellular specificity, reacting with cells of the neutrophil series and colonic epithelium. The YTH 71.3.2 and CE6/2D3.1 MoAbs both recognize a similar CD66 defined epitope that is distinct from that identified by YPC 2/12.1. By Western blotting, these antibodies react with different molecular species from cells of different lineages. The antibodies identify 50- to 55-Kd, 80- to 100-Kd, and 130- to 200-Kd components present in a semi-purified carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) preparation from colonic adenocarcinomas and a 90- to 130-Kd molecule from HL-60 cells. With the colonic cell line, LS174T, YPC2/12.1 stains diffuse bands of 160 to 200 Kd and 90 to 130 Kd with equal intensity, whereas the binding of CE6/2D3.1 and YTH 71.3.2 is biased toward the lower molecular weight set of molecules. Remarkably, all three antibodies recognize CEA-related molecules. Defined analyses using HeLa cells transfected with CEA, NCA(NCA-50/90), and CGM6(NCA-95) cDNAs show that the three MoAbs identify CEA to varying degrees. While YTH 71.3.2 and CE6/2D3.1 also bind to NCA-50/90, YPC 2/12.1 recognizes an epitope expressed by both the NCA-50/90 and NCA-95 molecular species.


The Hotel industry in India has evolved remarkably over the decade and in effect parading quite a wide spectrum of benefits and opportunities for players of the service industry. The industry is statistically proven to have performed creditably countrywide and among its major cities. It is considered to a larger extent that the hotel industry flourishes on the wings of the tourism Industry. The Hotel and Tourism sector is considered among the top ten sectors in India. As a results of its contribution, the Hotel and Tourism sector attracted around US$ 9.2 billion of FDI between April 2000 and March 2016 as released by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). The demand for travel and tourism in India is expected to grow annually by 8.2% which is expected to put India third in the world. Travel and tourism in India also accounted for 49,086,000 jobs in 2010 (about 10% of total employment) and is expected to rise to 58,141,000 jobs (10.4% of total employment) by 2020. According to the Economic Survey of India the Indian Hotel industry accounts for USD 17 billion, 70% (USD 11.85 billion) which take their origin from the unorganized sector and the remaining 30% (USD 5.08 billion) from the organized sector. In 2000, India hosted only 2.6 million international visitors. By 2009, the figure had already increased to 5.13 million arrivals. Over the years, a sustained increase in the tourism industry with increase in number of foreign and domestic tourists has serve as a booster to the Hotel industry. This study makes an exploratory attempt to study the Hotel industry as it relates to India and analyses its contributory effects on the economy on the heels of the various reforms that have hit the country. The objectives of the study are to analyze and assess the performance of the Hotel Industry in India and to identify the challenges and setbacks of the industry. Data will be collected primarily from secondary sources. The findings of the study reveal that there have been a substantial growth in operating performance indicators such as revenue and a decreased countrywide departmental expenses. It is therefore concluded that India's hotel sector has unequivocally entered the next up-cycle with impressive performance suggesting that players of the industry have the onerous responsibility and duty to capitalize on this and make the best out of the industry.


DOI:€10.1378/chest.129.6.1424 Chest 2006;129;1424-1431 Peter Neumann Onnen Moerer, Sven Fischer, Michael Hartelt, Bahar Kuvaki, Michael Quintel andRespiratory System: A Lung Model Study Invasive Ventilation on the Mechanical Properties and Performance of a Influence of Two Different Interfaces for Noninvasive Ventilation Compared toThis information is current as of October 4, 2006 http://www.chestjournal.org/cgi/content/full/129/6/1424 located on the World Wide Web at: The online version of this article, along with updated information and services, is


Review of  Politics of Post-Civil Society: Contemporary History of Political Movements in India . By Ajay Gudavarthy. Delhi: Sage Publications, 2013. Pp.262.ISBN: 978-81-321-1041-5 (HB)


generally the manner in which such editorials are read. (Mr. Buchwald's columns, for instance, only come out thrice weekly.) Remember, too, that satire is a most indirect form of persuasion and that it can be either not understood or misunderstood. And, to be satire, it must exaggerate, even hyperbolize some cognition, either an evaluation or a concept, already possessed by the reader. If one is not aware of the evaluation or concept exaggerated in a piece, its witwork does not work. An understanding of satire, theoretically at least, dictates that, as regard for a person goes up, appreciation of the humorousness of the satire attacking that person should go down, and vice versa. The negative correlations between ethos measures and humorousness in the case of "Little Dickey Nixon" seem to confirm that notion. Appreciation of that editorial's humorousness correlated quite negatively with ratings of President Nixon's authoritativeness, especially. On the other hand, for neither group did negative correlations between ethos measures and ratings of "Old Nixon" occur. Apparently the subjects appreciated the "Old Nixon" piece quite independently from their generally high regard for President Nixon. It may even be that a substantial number of those reading the "Old Nkon" editorial failed to perceive Mr. Buchwald's intent. Perhaps the youngsters who read the editorial were largely insufficiently experienced and knowledgeable of recent U.S. political history even to know what Mr. Buchwald meant by "the Old Nixon." Even further, perhaps the allusion made that "the Old Nixon" and Spiro Agnew have much in common, and that mentioning Nixon's service as Vice President under the beloved Dwight Eisenhower were interpreted by the young subjects of this study as laudatory, or at least not deprecatory, statements. The "Old Nixon" editorial is certainly a great deal more history-and contentin Brief 131


We propose a generalization of the parallelogram identity in any dimension N  ≥ 2 , establishing the ratio of the quadratic mean of the diagonals to the quadratic mean of the faces of a parallelotope. The proof makes use of simple properties of the exterior product of vectors.


Most men engaging in homosexual sex have been socially construed as pariahs for much of human history, and women engaging in such sex in the modern age are subject to similar social disapproval. Same-sex marriage has, therefore, been similarly disapproved, and there are several arguments offered in objection to it. The thesis of this essay is that those arguments are not rationally probative and that they are, in fact, cloaks to hide the emotion of revulsion toward homosexual sex. We consider that emotion of revulsion, neuroscientific data related to it, and the arguments of the Catholic Church against homosexual acts, and conclude that those arguments arise, at least in part, from that emotion of revulsion and are not rationally probative.


Reinforced concrete (RC) precast shear walls are commonly used in building structures. For transportation ease, large walls are divided into smaller segments and assembled at the construction site with various connection methods. This study focussed on the RC precast shear wall assembled using steel shear keys, which is simply called the steel shear key wall (SSKW) in this paper. Three SSKW specimens were designed and built by considering different sizes and numbers of shear keys. Quasi‐static cyclic loading tests were performed to investigate the strength and stiffness of the assembled SSKWs and the behaviour of the wall segments and floor slab. We found that adding strength and more shear keys gradually increased the lateral resistance and stiffness of the specimens and decreased the distortion and damage to the floor slabs. However, the specimens also exhibited lower ductility and energy dissipation with increasing link strength. Finally, an appropriate coupling ratio for SSKWs was suggested for their design in practical engineering.


This work is in the context of the theory of linear Systems in the dioids. The initial motivation of this study was to contribute to the analysis and control of max-plus linear systems, specifically using a geometric approach. The contribution of this thesis focuses on two issues. The first part is dedicated to study of the relationship between the concepts of controlled invariance and dynamic state feedback controlled invariance in a semi-ring. This relationship allows us to show the equivalence of these two concepts. The second part relates to a new problem in the theory of max-plus linear systems, it is the synthesis, with a geometric approach, of a static state feedback control law, in order to satisfy a set of specifications that apply to the state space of the system. This is specifically to control of discrete event systems described by a linear model in max-plus. We define and characterize the set of admissible initial conditions, which are the cause of non-decreasing solutions. Temporal restrictions on the system state space are described by the semi-module defined by the image of the Kleene star of the matrix associated with time restrictions. The geometric properties of this semi-module are studied. Sufficient conditions for the existence of a causal control law by static feedback are presented. Calculating causal control laws is also presented. To illustrate the application of this approach, two control problems are presented.


This paper examines venture capital firms' investment patterns in the biomedical sector in the Stockholm Uppsala region from 1996 to 2002. The investments that venture capital firms make form network patterns around the biomedical firms. The investment network illustrates a rather dense network with several overlapping ownership ties between firms. The paper discusses effects of investment networks and how venture capital firms use these networks. The argument is that the most central venture capital firms combine and connect resources in their network in order to increase the value of their portfolio firms. The venture capital firms function as "bridges" in the network and use their network position when possible to combine the resources. This might for example lead to consolidating activities between biomedical firms, having the same owners, encouraging firms to use the same suppliers, and recruiting CEOs to serve on the other portfolio firms' boards etc.


This conference is a flagship event of IEEE Region 10 which has been held since 1980. The theme of the conference on "Sustainable Development through Humanitarian Technology" is reflective of the topical issues facing us engineers and the conference will provide a focussed deliberation and an exciting program that should be both enlightening and enriching. A distinguished team of eminent plenary speakers has also been assembled to give expert insights into the related topics. TENCON 2012 also includes a special track which serves as the 8th Engineering Research and Development for Technology Conference.


Broadening effects in the spectra of spin-½ nuclei, A, coupled to fast relaxing spin-½ nuclei, X, have been related to the T1 value of X and hence provide a new method for measuring this parameter at high field on account of enhanced relaxation by the chemical shift anisotropy mechanism.


The energy sector has been navigating rapid technology innovation, slowing demand, and rising electricity prices. A steady shift towards renewable energy products is also exacerbating the disruption of utility business models. This article outlines the drivers of disruption for electricity utilities, and explores potential risks and opportunities should traditional business models evolve to embrace innovative technologies going forward. ã 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc.


P-T paths computed from zoned garnets in pelitic schist, New Hampshire indicate that prograde metamorphic devolatilization reactions proceeded during cooling, suggesting a decrease in P (H20) relative to P(rock). It is proposed that the mechanisms for lowering P(H20) relative to P(rock) is for the rocks to leak. Fluids leave rocks at a rate that is determined by the local pressure gradient and permeability. Fluids are generated in rocks at a rate that is dictated by the P-T path, the heating rate and the reactions that are encountered. Calculations show that for (1) reasonable permeabilities, (2) a heating cycle along a model P-T path typical for crustal thickening and (3) a pressure gradient determined by the difference in lithostatic and hydrostatic pressure. At this point, the rocks begin to dry out with the following consequences: 1) P(H20) decreases relative to P(rock) eventually reaching a value that is near hydrostatic. 2) Devolatilization reactions will continue even after the rocks begin to cool. 3) Metamorphic isograds will progress through the crust in a steady state thermal environment. 4) Fluid inclusions that trap late fluids will record P(fluid) < P(rock), which will result in an underestimation of the depth of burial at the timemore » of entrapment if the pressure is assumed to be lithostatic.« less