Botnets, networks of infected machines controlled by an attacker, are a widespread and dangerous threat over the Internet, since they are used to perform most of the malicious activities such as distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS), phishing or spamming. This project aims at detecting botnet infected machines (bots) by analysing high level network tra c features (NetFlow data). Specifically, our main goal in this scenario is to detect previously known botnets, and to cluster together similar kinds of them. We approach the problem by using Conformal Clustering, a clustering method based on Conformal Prediction, where significance level is used to trim the hierarchy of clusters. This report introduces a few novel aspects to previous research, such as a substantial and motivated increase of the feature set, a feature evaluation algorithm to apply before clustering (SIM-DIFF ), an algorithm for periodicity detection by using Partial Autocorrelation Function (PACF) instead of Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT), and the use of Purity as an accuracy criterion for Conformal Clustering. The use of NetFlow informations makes our approach reliable even when the tra c within the botnet is encrypted. This report also documents the creation of a Python package as an implementation of our work. This code has a structure which can be easily used and extended for future research.


To achieve the objectives of continuous improvement programs, construction managers must link the achievement of quality with cost. This paper aims to associate project management success (PMS) with cost of control (COC) activities in an empirical manner. Thus, the purpose is to determine the extent to which COC activities impact PMS. Quantitative method was adopted to collect data from Malaysian building companies using postal and email surveys. Hypothesis is tested using correlation and simple linear regression analysis. The findings of this study indicate that COC activities are positively associated with the PMS. The empirical evidences obtained from this research, provides financial justification for all quality improvement efforts. This can assist building contractors to enhance the success of project management by reducing the level of business failures due to poor quality, cost overruns, and delays.


Objective: To evaluate the role of the cardiovascular surgical technique in the radical treatment of renal or adrenal tumor with the inferior vena cavatic thrombosis involvement. Methods: From June 1999 to September 2000, 8 cases of renal or adrenal malignancy with thrombosis involving the inferior vena cava were completely resected with or without cardio pulmonary bypass. Results: All the operated cases had good outcomes and follow ups (3 15 months). Conclusion: Good outcomes could be obtained in well selected and adequately prepared cases with firm cooperation with multiple departments.


A recent visit to the Potwar Plateau of northern Pakistan suggests a new interpretation of the nature and dating of Paleolithic industries in this area of Asia. This paper presents a history of past research in the area and reports on the results of an investigation carried out by the author during the winter of 1976 in collaboration with the Geological Survey of Pakistan-Yale University and University of Peshawar-Dartmouth College geological and paleontological research groups,


Abstract—The roles of foreign language in Indonesia has
become the debates among linguists, politicians, and
policymakers. We argue that the development of any foreign
language policy in Indonesia has been shaped and influenced by the political ties and interests of the central government. This political drives impact on the choice and the roles of foreign languages within educational contexts. Thus, this influences the roles of foreign languages in Indonesian education can be seen from primary to university levels. All preferred foreign language in Indonesia becomes the subjects in Indonesian education. This paper recommends that people to people relati onship between Indonesians and the people who are the natives of the language
should be facilitated by the government to sustain the roles of the language


Quantum field theories (QFTs) reconcile special relativity and quantum mechanics. We discuss the computational complexity of these theories. In particular, we present the recently-devised algorithm of Jordan, Lee, and Preskill which gives an efficient simulation of φ4 theory in d = 1, 2, and 3 spatial dimensions with a non-relativistic quantum computer, allowing for the computation of scattering probabilities. The algorithm's run time is polynomial in the desired precision, the number of incoming particles, and their energy. The fastest known classical algorithm is exponentially slower when we desire high precision or when the φ4 coupling constant is large.


Once infected with Trichinella spiralis, rats become refractory to the establishment of a secondary or challenge inoculum. Resistance to reinfection is expressed locally in the small intestine and is directed against infective (L,) stage larvae (stage designated according to Despommier, 1983. In Trichinella and Trichinosis, W. G. Campbell (ed.). Plenum Press, New York, p. 80). Striking features of this host response are the rapidity with which it is expressed and its efficacy. As early as 15 min after L1 larvae enter the small intestine, there is a dramatic reduction in the number of parasites successfully establishing in "immune" as compared with "nonimmune" rats (Russell and Castro, 1979, J. Inf. Dis. 139: 304-312). Larvae that are prevented from establishing suffer no irreversible, detrimental effect and are expelled from the small intestine in a viable state (Hessel et al., 1982, J. Parasit. 68: 202-207). The rapid rejection reaction and a phenomenon termed rapid expulsion have been carefully defined in the rat (Russell and Castro, 1979, J. Inf. Dis. 139: 304-312; Bell and McGregor, 1979, Exp. Parasitol. 48: 42-50; Bell et al., 1982, Int. Arch. Allergy Appl. Immunol. 69: 73-80) and apparently represent a similar expression of resistance viewed at different time intervals, i.e., 15 min versus 4 to 24 hr, respectively, after a challenge inoculation. These phenomena appear to be characteristic of the species of Rattus norvegicus regardless of the strain (McCoy, 1940, Am. J. Hyg. 32: 105-116; Castro et al., 1976, J. Nutr. 106: 1484-1491; Love et al., 1976, Immunology 30: 7-15). In contrast, rapid expulsion in the mouse appears to be host strain specific (Wakelin and Lloyd, 1976, Parasitology, 72: 173182). During experimentation in our laboratory, inquiring into the physiological mechanism underlying the rapid rejection response, the guinea pig was considered as a host animal. Since no information is available on the capacity of this species to express rapid rejection, this report entails a description of experiments performed to clarify this point. Outbred, male, Hartley strain guinea pigs (Dutchland, Denver, PA) weighing 275-400 g at the time of primary infection, served as hosts. T. spiralis larvae used for inoculation of guinea pigs were obtained from the same species. The strain of T. spiralis was one maintained for more than 10 years in our laboratory by serial passage through mice. Larvae were recovered from skeletal muscle by established methods (Castro and Fairbairn, 1969, J. Parasit. 55: 51-58). Guinea pigs were immunized by inoculation with 2 x 103 larvae administered orally in saline. Counterparts from the same initial lots of animals, inoculated only with saline, served as nonimmunized controls. Challenge infection was with larvae administered orally or intraduodenally to guinea pigs 6 wk after the immunizing inoculation (Table I). Specific inoculation procedures are described below. Worms were recovered from the small intestine of challenged hosts by direct microscopic examination of mucosal scrapings cleared with NaOH. Three different experimental designs were employed in studies with guinea pigs. In the first experiment resistance to establishment of secondarily inoculated larvae was assessed by comparing intestinal worm burdens in immune and nonimmune animals 24 hr postchallenge with 5 x 103 larvae. Results presented in Table I revealed the presence of significantly fewer worms in the mucosa of previously infected hosts as compared with controls. The number of intestinal worms in immune guinea pigs was only 7.9% of that in nonimmune counterparts. Analogous studies in rats (Russell and Castro, 1979, J. Inf. Dis. 139: 304-312) produced an immune host: nonimmune host worm recovery mean ratio of approximately 19%.


Shakespeare's two Venetian plays are dominated by the discourse of embarrassment. The Merchant of Venice is a comedy of embarrassment, and Othello is a tragedy of embarrassment. This nomenclature is admittedly anachronistic, because the term "embarrassment" didn't enter the language until the late seventeenth century. To embarrass is to make someone feel awkward or uncomfortable, humiliated or ashamed. Such feelings may respond to specific acts of criticism, blame, or accusation. "To embarrass" is literally to "embar": to put up a barrier or deny access. The bar of embarrassment may be raised by unpleasant experiences. It may also be raised when people are denied access to things, persons, and states of being they desire or to which they feel entitled. The Venetian plays represent embarrassment not merely as a condition but as a weapon and as the wound the weapon inflicts. Characters in The Merchant of Venice and Othello devote their energies to embarrassing one another. But even when the weapon is sheathed, it makes its presence felt, as when Desdemona means to praise Othello and express her love for him: "I saw Othello's visage in his mind" (1.3.253). This suggests, among other things, that she didn't see it in his face.


The intramolecular reaction serves as an alternative to the double alkylation of ketone enolates to afford the spirocyclic products with excellent yields [cf.


This article explains the networked sociality of young Wa migrant workers made possible through the use of mobile phones and social media when these youths are on the move. Troubled by poor economic conditions in their rural homelands in southwest China, many Wa youth seek work in the urban manufacturing districts in southeast China. Most now rely on mobile phones to connect with the social media, QQ. Mobile networks promote a set of networked socialities which are integral to the continuity and development of Wa migrants' ethnic ties. Their networking practices show both the constraints they face and the potentiality they develop for voicing social inequality and reconfiguring the dominant Chinese language ideology in urban work environments. Their networked sociality is virtual and yet rooted in their real-world activities involving fragmented engagements with mobile devices and everyday language use. The sociality that emerges is partly a matter of free-will and partly structure-constrained.


Low-energy (≤ 200 eV) ion irradiation during crystal growth from the vapor phase can be used to provide new chemical reaction pathways, modify film-growth kinetics, and, hence, controllably alter the physical properties of films deposited by a variety of techniques. The latter includes sputter deposition, ion plating, plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition (PA-CVD), primary-ion deposition (PID), and molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) using accelerated beam sources. Ion/surface interaction effects such as ion-induced chemistry, trapping, recoil implantation, preferential sputtering, collisional mixing, enhanced diffusion, and alteration in segregation behavior are used to interpret and model experimental results concerning the effects of low-energy particle bombardment on nucleation and growth kinetics, elemental incorporation probabilities, compositional depth distributions, and the growth of metastable phases. Review articles on various aspects of ion irradiation during film growth including effects on nucleation and growth kinetics [1-4], microstructural evolution [4], preferred orientation and stress [2], elemental incorporation probabilities [1-3], dopant incorporation and depth distributions [5], and the synthesis of metastable semiconducting alloys [1-3,6] are available. Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics growth simulations have also been reviewed [4]. In this extended abstract, some of the key features of low-energy ion/surface interactions are outlined and new results are described.


MLj is an extension of the Standard ML language which allows interoperation with Java. It has a type system which combines ML's parametric polymorphism and type inference with Java's subtyping (class hierarchy) and arbitrary overloading of methods. In this paper, we discuss some of the difficulties in implementing type inference for MLj and outline our progress on the implementation. In particular we note that MLj programs do not necessarily have principal type schemes and that a branching constraint solver is required.


A vertex $z$ in a connected graph $G$ \textit{resolves} two vertices $u$ and $v$ in $G$ if $d_G(u,z)\neq d_G(v,z)$. \ A set of vertices $R_G\{u,v\}$ is a set of all resolving vertices of $u$ and $v$ in $G$. \ For every two distinct vertices $u$ and $v$ in $G$, a \textit{resolving function} $f$ of $G$ is a real function $f:V(G)\rightarrow[0,1]$ such that $f(R_G\{u,v\})\geq1$. \ The minimum value of $f(V(G))$ from all resolving functions $f$ of $G$ is called the \textit{fractional metric dimension} of $G$. \ In this paper, we consider a graph which is obtained by the comb product between two connected graphs $G$ and $H$, denoted by $G\rhd_o H$. \ For any connected graphs $G$, we determine the fractional metric dimension of $G\rhd_o H$ where $H$ is a connected graph having a stem or a major vertex.


Raman scattering of single-crystal RuTe2 has been carried out with good frequency resolution and wide wavelength coverage. In this article, our results are presented and compared with those for other ruthenium dichalcogenides ( RuSe2, and RuS2) reported previously. We found a good linear relationship between all Raman shifts and the reciprocal chalcogen mass. We also observed resonant scattering related to inter-electronic-band transitions.


This article makes comparative research between hospital administration and mature hotel management and then puts forward some suggestions: ①to cancel the limit of visit to a patient; ②to strengthen liaison and propaganda; ③to intensify the whole staff systematic and regular training; ④to make scientific rational working procedure and working process of hospital administration; ⑤to keep instruments in good repair and maintenance; ⑥ to adopt the idea of showing respect for patients and to strengthen professional morality.


The author of the article has taken up the issue of conditions for the professional development of kindergarten teachers, with particular emphasis on the role of the director in this area. The aim of the professional development controlled by the director of the kindergarten is primarily to improve the work of the teacher, and indirectly to improve the work of the kindergarten. Therefore, it is important for the Director to create appropriate conditions conducive to the achievement of these objectives. These are common goals and can only be achieved jointly. Skilful management of teacher training by the director of the educational institution is a prerequisite for modern pedagogical supervision.


The atypia of undetermined significance or follicular lesion of undetermined significance (AUS/FLUS) category in the Bethesda System of reporting thyroid fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) includes various cytological findings considered to have a low risk of malignancy. It is still unclear if any particular subset of the cytological findings within this category carries a higher risk for malignancy requiring a more aggressive treatment plan.


Increasing sophistication and ubiquity of digital devices is creating potential for the development of new kinds of actuated interfaces. In this paper, we explore the design space around movement as a form of gestural communication for information output, in simple actuated desktop devices. We were curious as to how people might envision interacting with autonomous technology in the office. Accordingly, we focused our attentions on one prevalent desktop object, an interactive lamp, with three actuated joints, which allowed us to explore the interaction space of such devices. We invited 13 participants to design and enact movements with the lamp to communicate 20 simple messages. We explored a subset of these generated gestures, using the lamp as a personal cueing device in an office setting with 14 new participants. We present our qualitative findings from both studies that let users imagine the usage of an interactive desktop lamp through actuation.


The red squirrel ( Sciurus vulgaris ) has been in decline in Great Britain for decades and numbers are presently estimated at 160,000, in various locations, with approximately 120,000 of these resident in Scotland. The role of the grey squirrel ( Sciurus carolinensis ) in this decline, as a vector


Abstract The low energy part of spectra delayed neutrons and the group's energies from precursor's of 87Br of the thermal fission 235U are presented.


Objective:The method of repairing front teeth' s corona and nub is probed into by P F M..Methods:The technology takes effect with the help of founding core post.Results:Following 128teeth of 98cases for three years,most of patien ts are satisfied with shapes and colo rs of the repaired teeth,only two coronas falling off,one post fallin g off,two porcelains collapsing and nine related gingivitis appearing.Con-clusion:To get ideal result,remains of the te eth are preserved as much as possible.satisfied effects have been achieved and aforesaid technology can be popularized in clinic.[


Rice plant associated microorganisms both Pseudomonas spp. and Bacillus spp. were isolated and tested for antagonism against the rice blast fungus Pyricularia oryzae Cav. Field test of four selected strains in an upland rice farm in the Philippines afforded significant leaf blast reduction with rice var. UPLRi-5. Strain 7-14, identified as P. fluorescens was most effective. The crude extract prepared from this strain provided 70-100% inhibition of conidial germination at 1.0ppm. The antiblast extract also protected IR 50 rice seedlings from infection of P. oryzae. Evidence suggested that siderophore was unlikely to be involved in the mechanism of strain 7-14 in its antagonism against the rice blast fungus. In vitro test showed that inhibition of P. oryzae by strain 7-14 was not reversed by Fe amendments. Thus, the antiblast antibiotic, instead of siderophore production from Pseudomonas strain 7-14 protected rice seedlings from infection by P. oryzae.


To develop a free‐breathing cardiac self‐gated technique that provides cine images and B1+ slice profile–corrected T1 maps from a single acquisition.


The aim of this study was to identify predictive factors for emergent surgical interventions in patients with ovarian endometriomas hospitalized for pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).


Seven new "crowned" porphyrin compounds 3a-g and their intermediates 2a-g were synthesized from meso-asymmetric monohydroxyl-porphyrin compounds 1a- d. Some metal complexes of these compounds are effective catalysts for the epoxidation of olefins. Their structures have been demonstrated by elemental analysis, IR, UV and 1H NMR spectra.


The past 30 years have seen develop, flower, and then disappear a rich assortment of theories and strategies dedicated to language teaching. The author offers a panoramic view of these pedagogical approaches and argues in favor of a method to join literature and language from the first weeks of study. Art changes the blood, and the art of a people is most thoroughly transmitted in its language. He analyzes a series of texts that demonstrate how Spanish literature holds out to us a new and different world, giving us new and uncommon options to understand ourselves and our circumstances.


Two different conditional culture media of mouse granulosa cells were used either for stimulating sperm aerosome reactor or for early embryos cultured in vitro.The resluts showed that the developing condition of granulosa cells in vitro in our laborotry was the same as in other reports.The induce of Protein,Estradiol 17b biosynthesis and Progesterone was stable , the capacity of Estradiol 17b biosynthesis made no significant difference.


The arbitrary waveform generator is developed based on DDS(direct digital synthesizer)technology. Its timing and logic function is fulfilled by CPLD. The software is based on a special Virtual Instrument Software Development Kit-LabWindows/CVI. So this generator has a friendly GUI and can operates expediently. The waveform produced is of low distortion, wide frequency range and high frequency resolving ability.


The formation of quantum dots (QDs) induced by electron beam irradiation onto a highly strained CdSe layer on ZnSe (001) is investigated. In situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction is used for dual purposes: QD formation by electron beam irradiation and monitoring the progress of surface morphology. QD formation is confirmed by observation of nanoscale three-dimensional islands using transmission electron microscopy. It is also verified by imaging of an isolated single QD emission at room temperature by photoluminescence microscopy. Electron beam irradiation increases QD size both in height and lateral directions, resulting in the shift of emission from green to yellow spectral region.


In the last decades bioresorbable and biodegradable polymers have gained a very good 21 reputation both in research and in industry thanks to their unique characteristics. They are, indeed, 22 able to ensure high performances and biocompatibility, at the same time avoiding post-healing 23 surgical interventions for devices removal. In the medical device industrial use of such 24 biopolymers, it is widely known that product formulation and manufacturing need to follow 25 specific procedures in order to ensure both proper mechanical properties and desired degradation 26 profile. Moreover, also the sterilization method is crucial and its impact on physical properties is 27 generally underestimated. In this work we focused our attention on the effect of different terminal 28 sterilization methods on two commercially available poly(L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) with 29 equivalent chemical composition (70% PLA and 30% PCL) and relatively similar initial molecular 30 weight, but different chains arrangement and crystallinity. Results obtained show that crystallinity 31 plays a key role, helping in preserving the narrow distribution of chains and, as a consequence, 32 defined physical properties. These statements can be used as guidelines for a better choice of the 33 most adequate biodegradable polymers in the production of resorbable medical devices. 34


[Objectives] Studies of As_2O_3 on inducement of apoptosis in K_(562) cells.[Methods]Using typanblue-as-say,Hoechst 33342 and propidium iodine (PI)fluoroscerce test,and fluorescence sepectrophotometer. [Results]Apoptosis cells appeared after 12 h treatment with As_2O_3. The number of apoptosis cells increased with the prolong of treatment time.[Conclusions]Hoechst 33342 an effective way of checking apoptosis.


Women rights in Islam remain a controversial subject since decades partly contributed by misconceptions in translating the law into practical reality. In another dimension, many cultural practices as commonly practiced by Muslims, particularly in Muslim countries often reflect negative treatments towards women. Therefore, this chapter will focus on fundamental aspect of women rights based on the premise that Islamic law has a comprehensive set of legal frameworks regulating women in elevating and determining their status in the society. The study includes contextual analysis of these principles when examining their practicality in the modern context


With China taking its reform and opening policy, the private economy has been developed rapidly now, especially going public. It is discovered that there are two ways of entering China's stock market: one is direct listing, the other is in-direct listing. Private enterprise studies in this paper exclude state-owner economy. Since 1996 in China, the number of private listing corporations have been going increased year by year, and in-direct listing has become the main form of private enterprises' access to stock market. In the paper, the author made a substantial evidence analysis on the 53 private corporations which have entered China's stock market by the end of 1998. By means of the SHAZAM regression test analysis, the author draws a surprising conclusion: as far as private listing companies are concerned, state-ownership enterprise's efficiency is more satisfied than private ones. This indicates that improving the management of private enterprise has already been on the agenda.


We measured the association between a history of incarceration and HIV positivity among people who inject drugs (PWID) across Europe.This was a cross‐sectional, multi‐site, multi‐year propensity‐score matched analysis conducted in Europe. Participants comprised community‐recruited PWID who reported a recent injection (within the last 12 months).Data on incarceration history, demographics, substance use, sexual behavior and harm reduction service use originated from cross‐sectional studies among PWID in Europe. Our primary outcome was HIV status. Generalized linear mixed models and propensity‐score matching were used to compare HIV status between ever‐ and never‐incarcerated PWID.Among 43 807 PWID from 82 studies surveyed (in 22 sites and 13 countries), 58.7% reported having ever been in prison and 7.16% (n = 3099) tested HIV‐positive. Incarceration was associated with 30% higher odds of HIV infection [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.32, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.09–1.59]; the association between a history of incarceration and HIV infection was strongest among PWID, with the lowest estimated propensity‐score for having a history of incarceration (aOR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.47–2.16). Additionally, mainly injecting cocaine and/or opioids (aOR = 2.16, 95% CI = 1.33–3.53), increased duration of injecting drugs (per 8 years aOR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.16–1.48), ever sharing needles/syringes (aOR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.59–2.28) and increased income inequality among the general population (measured by the Gini index, aOR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.18–1.51) were associated with a higher odds of HIV infection. Older age (per 8 years aOR = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.76–0.94), male sex (aOR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.65–0.91) and reporting pharmacies as the main source of clean syringes (aOR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.59–0.88) were associated with lower odds of HIV positivity.A history of incarceration appears to be independently associated with HIV infection among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Europe, with a stronger effect among PWID with lower probability of incarceration.


Average normal sodium intake in space as well as high NaCl intake in ambulatory test subjects may lead to osmotically inactive sodium retention (Drummer et al. J Clin Invest 2000, Heer et al. AJP 2000). To test if head‐down bed rest (HDBR), a model to simulate some physiological changes of microgravity, mimics the effect of spaceflight, we conducted a 14 day HDBR‐study with low and high NaCl intake. 8 male test subjects (mean age: 26.3 ± 3.5 years; body weight (BW) 78.0 ± 4.3 kg) were examined in a cross‐over design during high (7.7 mEq /kg BW per day) and low (0.7 mEq /kg BW per day) NaCl diet. At the end of the HDBR‐period, body weight was decreased by 2.24 ± 0.20 kg with low and by 1.30 ± 0.16 kg with high NaCl intake (p = 0.002). During HDBR with low NaCl intake the volunteers lost 95 ± 21 mEq Na+ while they gained 335 ± 94 mEq Na+ in the high NaCl intake phase (p < 0.001). Potassium was almost balanced in the low NaCl‐HDBR phase (−32 ± 20 mEq K+),while in the high NaCl intake phase potassium was significantly lost (−206± 13 mEq K+; p < 0.001). Therefore, 79 % of the retained sodium were compensated by fluid retention and increased potassium excretion. The remaining 21% of the sodium were retained in an osmotically inactive form in HDBR. Negative potassium balances induced by high NaCl intake –as usually seen in astronauts‐ may increase the risk of developing tachycardia and arrhythmia during long‐term space flight.


How does being with the sea change how we write about the sea? This article is constructed as a reflective/reflexive consideration of being at sea as part of an experimental week-long symposium held on board an 80-foot yacht in the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand, in early 2016. The event focused on the ways society lives with the sea in the 21st century – how awareness is raised and action is instigated – in light of growing threats to ocean spaces worldwide. While generating conversation on this theme, the location of the symposium was also pivotal in generating embodied knowledge of the topic under investigation. This article follows the afterthoughts of the symposium organiser (an outdoor educator and professional yacht skipper) and an attendee (a geographer of the sea, non-swimmer and first-time sailor). It investigates how academic events that take place in place – in this case at sea – may generate unique knowledge on conference themes, and for academic work more generally, by opening up new experiential worlds.


A high-precision photonic based instantaneous frequency measurement system driven by machine learning is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. A three-layer deep neural network is used to tackle device nonlinearity and system noise, resulting in absolute error <50 MHz and 1.1 MHz root mean square error.


The primary purpose of the present essay is to survey the biopolitics represented in Deranged (or Yeongasi), which is often called the first Korean contagion film. A plague or pandemic contagion is an interesting critical topic since, as a God's scourge, it has been regarded as an expression of the divine sovereignty; however, it has been also a useful rhetorical device to represent the dysfunction or failure of governmentality. In either case, biocalyptical visions of pandemic destruction always evoke not only the issue of 'body' but also that of 'body politic.' In that sense, the biopolitical narrative of Deranged is endlessly fascinating, since it allegorically associates a widely disseminating parasitical contagion with transnationally developing capitalism in the time of globalization and thus derived extreme social mobility. By reprocessing various socially antagonistic discourses and anxieties circulating in reality, what the movie demonstrates is that the transnational capital has now become the new sovereignty, which invades human life (bios) as such, and it controls human wills, desires, and even affects, just as the deathly parasite-nematomorpha (Yeongasi), the title motif of the film-functions. Thus Yeongasi is a very well devised political allegory: it labors to articulate the problem of omnipresent multi or transnational capital that even reigns over the constitutional sovereignty of a nation state and consumes human lives and affects. The film thus offers a "cognitive map" of the transnationally developing exploitive relations in the era of multinational capitalism.


31P NMR of living 32D cl23 cells and 1H NMR of cell extracts were used to study the metabolic effects of interleukin 3 (IL3). When IL3 was removed from 32D cl23 for 9–10 hours 31P spectra showed a decrease in sugar phosphate, γATP/ADP, αATP/ADP/NAD, and βATP resonances which declined progressively over a time period of up to 16 hours. By comparison, ATP measurements using the luciferin/luciferase method resulted in the decline of ATP levels from 12 hours in the absence of IL3. At this time, viability of the cells was unaffected. For 1H NMR experiments cells were grown in the presence and absence of IL3 for 4 and 24 hours, after which acid cell extracts were prepared. These spectra revealed a four‐fold decrease in lactate 4 hours post‐IL3 removal. Alanine levels were unchanged but glycine was elevated 1.5‐fold whilst various other amino acids were elevated slightly. After 24 hours without IL3, only 22% of cells were viable which was reflected in a general decline of most resonance intensities. These findings suggest that IL3 exerts its effect primarily on glucose metabolism and has a delayed secondary effect on maintenance of ATP levels in the cell. We have demonstrated the applicability of high resolution 1H and 31P NMR to the study of cellular metabolism in hemopoietic cells.


variation between the various publications, from the Daily Express showing an equal number of front-page stories written by women and men to the Independent where male by-lines outnumbered female by almost 10 to one. In her analysis, she suggests that young women are entering journalism but at a certain point leave the profession, which means that the journalism workforce is proportionally younger than other professions, confirming the existence of a Sliding Glass Door Syndrome rather than a glass ceiling syndrome. This is a term coined by Jan Howarth, another City University scholar, in her study on radio journalism in the United Kingdom. Franks backed the analysis with interviews to find out how women work, how they survive on the news desk, how they move up the lack and how they juggle career with family duties. One of the most interesting findings, based on interviews, is women's worry about abuse and attacks, particularly in online spaces. In fact, she notes that women using new media, such as blogging, Facebook and Twitter, are more subject to online abuse or Internet trolling than their male counterparts. While Franks acknowledges that the hurdles women working in journalism face cannot be disentangled from wider social contexts – for example, it is clear that in some countries and places it is difficult for mothers to fully participate in the workforce – she argues that some of the disparities facing women need to be tackled. She suggests that some of the solutions including a well-regulated workplace that offers equal pay audits and non-transferable parental leave would be useful. Another solution would be to increase awareness of the typecasting of women in public life, which would help narrow the gender divide. Overall, Women and Journalism provides an excellent analysis of the conditions of women journalists in the United Kingdom, using previous studies and empirical material. However, it does not delve deep into the cultures of journalism, the reasons behind the persistence of the gender divide or the structures of power that have normalised journalistic practices and led to the acceptance of the status quo.


An electrical connector comprising an insulating housing having a mating face, located within the housing is provided a plurality of openings for the pair of aligned openings, and means for receiving therein a plurality of internal socket modules. A plurality of electrically conductive contacts positioned within the housing, a portion of each conductive contact member extends into one of said plurality of openings, for engaging a contact member of a mating connector. At least one shield member is located between said electrically conductive socket module and extending to define a plurality of module receiving cavities substantially toward the mating face.


Highly efficient electron emission of 48.5% was demonstrated by a graphene/oxide/semiconductor (GOS) structure. The main factors contributing to this performance were investigated by analyzing the ...


Transient electronics are designed to operate for programmed life times and then degrade leaving little to no trace behind. The initial work on transient electronics has been focused on biomedical applications in which the electronics are implanted, but eventually degrade and resorb into the body after the treatment is complete [1]. Biomedical transient electronics typically use a water soluble substrate, such as silk that slowly degrades as water diffuses into the substrate. However, the ability to more precisely program the lifetime of electronics and utilize other degradation stimuli would enable new applications in a variety of industries. Essential to this effort is the development of a new class of degradable substrates that can be triggered to degrade by exposure to a variety of environmental stimuli (e.g., mechanical stress, UV light, pH). In this study, we present a photodegradable transient substrate made of cyclic poly(phthalaldehyde) (PPA) doped with a photo-acid generator (PAG). Exposing the substrate to UV light generates acid through reaction of the PAG which then promotes the cleavage of the acetal backbone of PPA, leading to rapid fi lm degradation. We monitored the degradation of the fi lm using dynamic mechanical analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Results demonstrate that the polymer degrades into monomer and that the degradation rate is controlled by varying the concentration of PAG and the intensity of the UV source. In addition, electronic transistors, diodes, and resistors were fabricated from magnesium and silicon nanomembranes using our newly designed substrate. A combination of transfer-printing and electron-beam evaporation were used to demonstrate lithographic compatibility. We demonstrate electronic transience of a Mg resistor in as fast as 20 minutes with substantial physical degradation in 72 hours. REFERENCE [1] Hwang, S.-W., et. al. Science. 2012, 337, 1640.


Address decoders are typically built using regular logic gates. A novel Memristive Perfect Induction gate replaces standard NAND, allowing for storing the address alongside data and comparing it to the input address, thus transforming the address decoder into CAM and enabling fully associative access. Applications include fully associative TLB, cache, and virtually addressable memory.


Metal-reinforced Al{sub 2}0{sub 3}-matrix composites were prepared using reactive hot pressing. The volume fraction of the reinforcing phase was controlled by the stoichiometry of the particular displacement reaction used. Dense Al{sub 2}0{sub 3}-Ni and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-Nb composites were fabricated using this technique. The best combination of strength, 610 MPa, and toughness, 12 MPam{sup 1/2}, was found for the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-Ni composites. Indentation cracks and fracture surfaces showed evidence of ductile deformation of the Ni phase. The Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}-Nb composites had high strength, but the toughness was lower than expected due to the poor bonding between the Nb and A1{sub 2}0{sub 3}phases.


A question that a patient with colorectal cancer will naturally ask is, "Will my chances of being alive in two years' time be enhanced by my choice of surgeon?" Intuitively we feel that this is so, and that the patients of a more experienced surgeon will have less chance of dying or having complications after the operation and greater long term survival. If this is the case, there are wider implications in terms of training in the subspecialty of colorectal surgery and the concentration of treatment in larger centres with high volumes of patients. Such concentration of activity, however, has its downside because these centres may be more remote, making treatment less accessible and increasing the cost for patients and relatives. Most, but not all, publications support a positive relation between increased activity (volume) and outcome for colorectal cancer. Not all studies, however, adjust for case mix or severity of illness, but Kee et al's paper attempts to do so. The relation between the number of operations that a surgeon performs and the outcome is unlikely to be linear throughout. The threshold for experience to influence outcome (learning curve) must vary according to the operative procedure—lower for colonic cancer and higher for rectal cancer, where the surgical requirements are more demanding, to preserve anal sphincters in low lesions and to reduce the chances of local recurrence by mesorectal excision. The authors found no relation between survival and the site of the tumour. The authors are the prisoners of their experimental design because inherent variability is such that there is little chance of showing statistical differences between the groups and subgroups that they analyse. For example, by focusing on mortality at 2 years the authors have combined the 30 day hospital mortality (which will be largely influenced by the type of surgery and postoperative complications—for example, anastomotic leakage) and longer term survival, which will probably be influenced by such factors as the biology of the tumour and the use of adjuvant treatment, of which radiotherapy, in the case of rectal cancer, is important. Combining surgical and non-surgical factors, which could influence mortality at 2 years, introduces too much variability into the analysis. The fact, however, that no statistical difference can be shown does not mean that a real difference does not exist. No information is given on how many of the surgeons had received specialist training in colorectal surgery. Indeed, since in each case it was the name of the consultant surgeon in charge of the case that was recorded, we do not know if the operations were performed by consultants, by surgeons in training, or by both. This could be a factor of importance in emergency operations. The experience of the surgeons was measured by the number of years on the medical register, surely a rather crude indicator of specialist experience. The number of years as a consultant surgeon would perhaps be a more accurate marker of post-training experience and could presumably be easily obtained in a circumscribed community such as that in Northern Ireland. The worst survival in those hospitals that treated 33-54 cases a year defies explanation and must be a statistical oddity. The value of analysing hospital data is questionable. A separate study is required to determine if hospital volume can serve as a surrogate for surgeon volume for achieving good outcomes in colorectal cancer. The problem with Kee et al's study is that, with the comparatively small numbers in the various groups and high variability, it becomes statistically impossible to show that surgeons with small caseloads are better or worse than those with higher caseloads. The results must not give the green light to those who wish to defend small volume workload or to encourage the surgeon who does colorectal surgery only occasionally. The paper is interesting because it tackles an important subject and invites further study. Much depends on the resolution of the volume-outcome controversy, not only for the individual patient but also for surgical training and the provision of colorectal cancer services.


The literature on volatility modelling and option pricing is a large and diverse area due to its importance and applications. This paper provides a review of the most significant volatility models and option pricing methods, beginning with constant volatility models up to stochastic volatility. We also survey less commonly known models e.g., hybrid models. We explain various volatility types (e.g., realised and implied volatility) and discuss the empirical properties.


The Receptor for Advanced Glycation Endproducts (RAGE) is a transmembrane receptor that belongs to the immunoglobulin superfamily of cell surface molecules. It is thought to play a role in Alzheimer's disease (AD) by mediating the influx of circulating amyloid-β (Aβ) into the brain as well as amplifying Aβ-induced pathogenic responses. While a Tc monoclonal antibody and F labeled S100 protein targeting RAGE have been reported, neither crosses the BBB. Currently, there is no known brain permeable radiotracer for RAGE. To address this gap, Cary et al. (DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.5b00319) synthesized [F]RAGER as the first small molecule radiotracer, based upon a known RAGE inhibitor. The authors report the synthesis of [F]RAGER and docking studies to propose a likely binding interaction with RAGE and initial preclinical evaluation using autoradiography with AD brain samples and in vivo imaging in rodent and nonhuman primate. [F]RAGER autoradiography showed colocalization with RAGE identified by immunohistochemistry in AD brain samples, and [F]RAGER microPET confirmed CNS penetration and increased uptake in areas of the brain known to express RAGE. This first generation radiotracer represents initial proof-of-concept and a promising first step toward quantifying CNS RAGE activity using PET.


An accurate model of the high frequency behavior of a power cable is required for the precise simulation of the propagation of partial discharges in such a system. A cable model consists of the transmission line parameters: characteristic impedance, attenuation coefficient and propagation velocity. The semi-conducting screens of an XLPE power cable have a significant influence on the pulse propagation along the cable. Unfortunately, the dielectric properties of these layers are usually unknown and can vary hugely between cable types. This paper shows how the characteristic impedance and propagation velocity can be estimated using the cable geometry and the dielectric properties of XLPE. Typical uncertainties in the input parameters result in an uncertainty of a few percent in the approximation of the characteristic impedance and propagation velocity.


Research suggests that effective teaching is a significant, if not the most significant, indicator of student success (Darling-Hammond, 2000, 2006a; Sanders, 1998). However, because teaching has become an increasingly challenging profession (Bransford Darling-Hammond, & LePage, 2005; Darling-Hammond, 2006b), school reformers have advocated that educational practices be based on evidence of student learning (e.g., Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1999; Fallon, 2007; Goodlad, 1994), suggesting that teachers should develop a stance toward inquiry. To define teacher inquiry, we rely on Cochran-Smith and Lytle's (1990) working definition--that is, "systematic and intentional inquiry carried out by teachers" (p. 3). Inquiry as a stance moves beyond formal research and involves "consistent positioning or way of seeing, rather than a single point in time or a single activity" (Barnatt et al., p. 43). Teachers with a stance toward inquiry are able to make "diagnostic and strategic judgment to address the needs of those whom they serve" (Bransford, Darling-Hammond, et al., 2005, p. 9). The call for teachers to become more critical, or at least more systematic, inquirers caused us to reflect on teacher education programs in general, and our university's Integrated Bachelor's/Master's (IB/M) teacher preparation program (TPP) in particular, in terms of influences on preservice teachers' (PSTs) development of such a stance. Our TPP, where inquiry is a major theme in the final, master's year, provided a useful forum for an initial investigation. Specifically, we reasoned that a focused look at influences of this inquiry-oriented year on a stance toward inquiry may provide a foundation for future investigations of TPPs and what may occur as PSTs move into their careers as teachers. Although legislation (e.g., No Child Left Behind Act, 2002) has compelled schools to focus attention heavily on standardized assessment scores, our vision of teachers having a stance toward inquiry is more holistic in nature (cf. cites above). We envision such teachers as having a general research cast-of-mind when making instructional decisions. They gather multiple forms of data, analyze them accordingly, and come to decisions that they recognize have some limitations. They are capable of making decisions based on evidence that positions them with a professional point-of-view. To help us better understand influences that may impact a stance toward inquiry, and those of the final year of our TPP in particular, we first turned to the literature to explore practices that help make teachers more capable of having such a stance. Numerous researchers (Bransford, Darling-Hammond, et al., 2005; Burnaford, Fischer, & Hopson, 2001; Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1990, 1999; Darling-Hammond, 2006b; Hammerness et al., 2005; Henson, 2001; Hopkins & Stern, 1996; Hubbard & Power, 1999; Stigler & Hiebert, 1999) have suggested that conducting action research, investigating classroom and school-wide issues, and/or making decisions based on evidence may enhance a teacher's ability to take a stance toward inquiry. Our five-year TPP includes experiences that may promote an inquiry-based perspective throughout the program, but it focuses explicitly on inquiry in the final, master's year primarily through a school-based inquiry project, much like other TPPs (e.g., Barnatt, Cochran-Smith, Friedman, Pine, & Baroz, 2007; Mule, 2006; Rich & Hannafin, 2008). While inquiry projects seem laudable, there has been little empirical evidence about their impact on helping PSTs develop a stance toward inquiry (Barnatt et al.). Thus, we investigated PSTs' changes in their confidence related to a stance toward inquiry in their final, master's year prior to and after completing an inquiry project. As noted previously, there have been increasing calls not only for teachers to base their practices on research but also for them to participate in inquiry and to act as researchers themselves (Barnatt et al. …


The financial industry is developing rapidly, and risk management is an important part of the internal management of financial institutions. In order to accurately estimate international financial risks, improve the risk management performance of financial institutions, and ensure the sustainable development of the international financial market, an international financial risk estimation model based on improved genetic algorithms was designed, the value-at-risk model VAR model was selected to estimate the international financial risk by measuring the degree of economic loss, and the improved genetic algorithm was adopted to the seven parts of immature convergence to quickly obtain the VAR value of international financial risks, including initialize the population, real number coding, determine fitness function, selection operator, crossover operator, mutation operator and predict and process. Results show that the rapid estimation of international financial risks was realized, the designed model can achieve accurate estimation of international financial risks, and the time cost of financial risk estimation under different sample sizes is less than 500 ms.


Epitaxial polymerization/crystallization of poly(p-oxybenzoate) (POBA) from p-acetoxybenzoic acid vapors on friction-transferred PTFE substrates is demonstrated. Depending on the reaction conditions, two different morphologies are observed. At low temperatures (180 °C < T < 210 °C) and short reaction times, highly oriented and uniform thin films are formed, while at higher temperatures and/or longer reaction times, small crystallites grow and orient on top of the POBA films formed initially. Both morphologies correspond to phase II of POBA. The composite electron diffraction patterns of the PTFE/low temperature deposit clearly show that the POBA thin films grow epitaxially, the (100)POBA plane contacting the (010)PTFE substrate surface. This epitaxy is achieved with a very good lattice mismatch of 0.4%, corresponding to the difference between the bPOBA and aPTFE cell parameters. The POBA crystallites/POBA film mutual orientation with (001)crystallite//(100)film and [010]crystallite//[010]film, is analyzed...


The problems of testing the planarity of a graph and of embedding a planar graph in a plane arise in many applications. This paper presents a simple linear algorithm for the latter problem. the algorithm is based on the "vertex-addition algorithm" of Lempel, Even and Cederbaum for planarity testing and is a slight modification of Booth and Lueker's implementation of the testing algorithm using a PQ-tree. Compared with the embedding algorithm known as the "path-addition" algorithm of Hopcroft and Tarjan, our algorithm is conceptually simple and easy to understand or implement.


Phenol oxidase (EC: 126.96.36.199) was purified from the prophenol oxidase (pro- PO) system of freshwater crab, Barytelphusa cunicularis. The column chromatography purification on Sepharose 4B resulted in high specific activity of PO and high purification. The Km was found to be 1.21mM and Vmax 16.31x10 by 4 2 phenoloxidases (PO) plays an important role in cuticular circulatory system of the crab for three minutes. After sclerotization and in defense against pathogens and three minutes the hemolymph was collected from the parasites by insects and crustaceans (1-3). PO catalyses chelicerae. The hemolymph was diluted and the diluted hydroxylation of monophenols to O-diphenols and the sample was centrifuged at 800xg for 15 minutes. The oxidation of O-diphenols to quinines. The quinines take resulting pellet was washed twice with 2ml of CAC buffer part in sclerotization and tanning of the cuticle and serve (0.01M sodium cacodylate buffer pH 7 containing 5mM as precursors for the synthesis of melanin. PO is calcium chloride and 0.25M sucrose) and homogenized in synthesized in arthropods as an inactive zymogen, glass homogenizer. The cell homogenate was centrifuged prophenol oxidase (proPO), which is activated by at 28000xg for 15 minutes and the resulting supernatant proteolytic cleavage at a specific site near the proteins was used as a source of prophenol oxidase system. All amino terminus. In the present study an attempt was made experiments were carried out at 4°C. to purify and to study the kinetic properties of the PO enzyme from freshwater crab, Barytelphusa cunicularis Enzyme Purification: The HLS was subjected to salt (West- Wood).


Didemnum lahillei Hartmeyer, 1909 from Europe, Didemnum vexillum Kott, 2002 from the eastern coast of New Zealand and Didemnum vestum sp.nov. from the Atlantic coast of the USA, have similar three dimensional growth forms and are found attached to vertical and undersurfaces. These three species have been informally proposed as conspecific and invasive, but are found to have significant differences from one another and from some other species that share some of their characteristics. Although the New Zealand species appears not to have been observed before populations were found in Whangamata Harbour late in 2001, both the European and the newly described North American species have been known from the vicinity of their type locations (but not elsewhere) since 1872 and 1921 respectively. Significant taxonomic investigations of the American ascidian fauna have not been pursued since the publication of Van Name's monograph (1945) in which, despite the diversity of this vast continent, only nine Didemnum spp. are documented. Access to previously unexplored habitats and regions will undoubtedly result in the discovery of undescribed indigenous taxa and reflect an urgent need for taxonomic work to reveal their biology .and relationships.


Tim Jost begins his new book with a bold comparison. The devastating attacks on September 11, 2001, killed 3,056 people and caused huge economic losses. Within days, political leaders and the American people responded forcefully with new governmental and private initiatives and resolve. At the same time, the nation was experiencing what Jost calls "another disaster" (1): over 41 million Americans without public or private health insurance. Jost sees this too as a "national crisis" (2) that kills an estimated 18,000 Americans per year, and diminishes the lives and productivity of many more, with vast economic consequences. Yet in contrast to the events of September 11, "this threat to our national security has not resulted in resolute, unified, and effective national action" (3), even though models for how to provide universal health coverage at acceptable cost are readily available from the experience of many other nations. Most shocking of all, our existing incomplete and often inadequate health care entitlements are now "threatened by a powerful movement to reverse the progress we have made—a movement toward disentitlement" (4). Disentitlement? seeks to expose the "fundamental flaws" (viii) in this movement and argue for both "an expansion and strengthening of our health-care entitlements" (6) as well as a "recasting of their legal characteristics to support their long-term sustainability" (ibid.). Jost, a distinguished law professor who has written widely on both American and other nations' health care law and policy, structures his argument in a fashion characteristic of legal scholarship in general and advocacy of universal health care in particular. Echoing many others, such as Robert Kuttner in Everything for Sale (1996: 110), Jost looks to our current law and practices and discerns a fair degree of consensus about the ultimate goals of health policy: broad access to needed care even for those unable to pay fully or at all and a reasonable amount of cost containment. He then critiques the movement for disentitlement for not being able to achieve these goals as an empirical matter. In a chapter on "Why Entitlements Matter," Jost makes the effective point that most other forms of Books 529


A fully integrated 2.4GHz 0.25/spl mu/m low noise amplifier available to Bluetooth has been reported in TSMC 0.25 /spl mu/m CMOS process. Design procedure and simulation results are presented and measurement results are achieved. With 2.5V supply voltage, the LNA achieves gain and noise figure of 16.95dB and 2.96dB, respectively. The power dissipation is 17.5mW. The values measured agreement with those of the simulation. The die area is 0.81 mm/sup 2/ (including pads).


In this paper,corn starch sugar(CSS) microfibers were produced by electrospinning.The edible CSS is raw material and the alcohol is solvent.Stability and flexibility reinforced through HTD Heated,and reduces solubility in the water.The CSS microfibers were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD) pattern,Fourier transform infrared(FTIR) spectroscopy,and Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) images.The result indicates that CSS reacted with alcohol by acetalation.This research will provide meaningful foundation for the application of the CSS microfibers in textiles,industrial and agricultural production and lives in future.


Information systems designs are increasingly concerned with entity relationships and technical programmatic approaches to solutions architecture as opposed to semantic based, business focused information architecture that places business definitions at the centre of the information system design and implementation. The disconnect between information technology and business is perpetuated by an overly prescriptive information technology technical design method that fails to incorporate qualitative and normative aspects of business, where information is structured and delivered according to business. The paper will discuss various decision support and semantic approaches to information design and delivery and argue that the traditional modes of solution delivery do not include meaning making of the data elements which are essential to business information reporting and analytics. The meaning making aspect identified is linked to data dictionary or business data glossary that allows for the discovery of semantic meaning from the SQL Server. Using Christian Fürber's methodology on semantic programming, the analytics team developed a semantic model that enabled detailed definition of fields and the discovery of information using semantic search functionality embedded in the SQL Server. The project provided semantic data framework that provided business with the capability for semantic reconciliation and data sets that were further integrated with Tableau visualization and SQL auto processes.


It is well established that dietary limitation of sulfur amino acids (SAAs) produces a series of physiological responses leading to improved metabolic health. Dietary SAA restriction (SAAR) reduces adiposity, increases energy expenditure, and improves insulin sensitivity in various animal models (1). Long-term SAAR leads to lifespan extension and is associated with reductions in aging-related diseases and disorders across different species (2). A recent clinical study supports the translational potential of SAAR in humans because a low SAA intake for 7 d induced changes along the lines of beneficial effects detected in preclinical studies (3). The mechanisms underlying the physiological consequences of SAAR are poorly understood at the molecular level. In the current issue of The Journal of Nutrition , Jonsson et al. (4) explored the mechanisms linking dietary SAAR to its metabolic consequences. Before we comment on their novel findings, we would like to briefly summarize some key concepts about the adaptation to amino acid (AA) availability.


The use of technology in special education technology has evolved considerably in the 1990s. Therefore, it is somewhat surprising that literature searches using the descriptors "assistive technology" and "mild disabilities" yield few articles (Behrmann, 1994; Bryant, Bryant, & Raskind, 1998, Raskind, Higgins, Slaff, & Shaw, 1998), book chapters (Okolo, 2000), and conference papers (Edyburn, 1996), given the prevalance of assistive technology and the fact that mild disabilities are high-incidence. Despite the explosion of products and developments in the marketplace, the profession to date, has been slow to recognize the need to integrate state-of-the-art technology into special education programs and services for students with mild disabilities. One possible explanation for the limited attention to assistive technology and mild disabilities is that the area is still in its infancy. This perspective can be supported from a historical viewpoint as well as a policy perspective. Historically, assistive technology devices and services have been associated with individuals who have physical and sensory impairments and moderate or severe needs. As special educators were introduced to assistive technology in the forms of alternative keyboards, switches, and Braille printers, it is understandable that the application of these tools for students with mild disabilities were not readily apparent. New language in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Amendments of 1997 (Public Law 105-17) however, now requires that assistive technology be considered when planning the individualized education program (IEP) of all students with disabilities. Thus, the 1997 reauthorization of IDEA serves as a marker event defining a new era relative to mild disabilities and assistive technology. The purpose of this article is to provide an in-depth review of research, policy, and practice relative to the use of assistive technology by students with mild disabilities. It is organized into four sections.


Formulation of complementary diets is an alternative to ready‐made canned foods from local available staples to cut cost and improve nutritional status of the Nigerian child. Dried ground flours from plantain and processed soybean were mixed with either roasted ground millet or maize flours to formulate two Blends‐A (maize only) and B‐(millet only) both at ratio 10: 30: 60. Another blend mixed at ratio 10: 30:30:30 named C from the four composite flours were also prepared. The blends were prepared into porridges for sensory evaluation thereafter. The crude fibre contents of processed soya bean, millet, maize and plantain were 4.75%, 8.5%, 6.0%, and 8.75% respectively. Ash content was 2.37%, 1.13%, 0.80% and 2.5% respectively following the sequence above. Crude protein in soybean was highest with 9.50%, millet 8.55%, maize 8.50% and plantain 4.50%. Crude fat was highest in soybean with 25.13%, 7.0% in millet, 7.5% in plantain and lowest in maize 5.75%. Six of the ten students who evaluated the porridges made from the three blends found blend B most acceptable. This they attributed to the malty taste of blend B which has a higher volume of millet because of its unusual taste, thickness and color. The blends can therefore be used as complementary foods to improve the nutritional status of children and as a substitute for common traditional pap made solely from maize.


The chirality of an achiral benzophenone-based rhodium complex can be controlled by chiral diamines to afford significantly high enantioselectivity in the catalytic asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of ketones (up to 99% ee, 99% yield).


FalconSAT-7 (FS-7), a 3U CubeSat solar telescope, is the first-ever on-orbit demonstration of a lightweight deployable membrane primary optic that is twice the size of the host spacecraft. The telescope payload consists of the deployment structure, optical, electronic subsystems and occupying 1.5 U, while the rest of the volume is used for the bus, including satellite power, control, communications with the ground, etc. The deployment subsystem provides membrane deployment, positioning and tension with high precision for proper imaging, while the optical subsystem includes secondary optics with a camera to record images of the Sun at H-alpha. The electronics subsystem is used to control the primary optics deployment, focusing, image storage and transfer to the bus etc. We conducted an end-to-end flight optical subsystem test and a series of tests of the corrosion of the photon sieve due to atomic oxygen. The flight model build will be completed by October 2015with a launch date set for September 2016.


Disclosed is a medicinal broth for treating lower leg muscle spasm and its preparing process, wherein the medicament is prepared from the following raw materials (by weight ratio): root of herbaceous peony 25-30g, cassia twig, pawpaw, and prepared licorice root each 12-15 parts.


This paper reports the use of Conceptual Graphs and Peirce Logic by enterprise architects, who need to capture conceptual context represented in business terms, which differ conceptually from the same terms used in the medical context. For example, in a UK Mobile NHS case study the medical context drug-drug refers to interactions in a health treatment regime of two or more drugs, where the effects of one drug on another can be increased or decreased, or can produce a new effect that neither produces alone. In a business context drug-drug refers to an economic event and resource impact alert in a patient record database that suggests a new or replacement drug that changes the cost of treatment. The paper explains how TrAM automation can capture typical canonical use, focused on economic events and associated resource impacts, and can provide exploration of the Resource, Events, and Agents of the Transaction Model through use of Transaction Graph ontology.


This paper seeks to clarify the educational role and effects of hermeneutic practice. The argument is that far from becoming irrelevant to the ever changing needs of the social economy, the humanities and especially the hermeneutic practices on which they depend, are vital to intensifying those processes of social and cultural renewal upon which the well-being of a community depends.


This article discusses the views of three liberal theologians, L. Cady, D. Brown, and S. G. Davaney, on the place of the past in theological construction. They all attempt to keep in balance both a historicist view of epistemology as well as an insistence on the continued usefulness of the past for theology. In the process, the meaning of the past gets radically altered. I argue that Cady fails to make coherent her notion of "creative extension" because of the unity she ascribes to the whole of tradition. Brown deconstructs this unity, but to such an extent that tradition becomes a mere generic term for whatever "authors" human identities. Finally, Davaney's radicalizing of Brown ends up identifying theology with ethnography, surrendering its distinctiveness.


The bird and amphibian communities of Puerto Rico have high levels of diversity and endemism. Although Puerto Rico has a very high density of roads and high levels of noise pollution, presently 40% of the island is covered in forest. I will address the following questions: Do high levels of anthropogenic noise change species composition of amphibians and birds? Are amphibians and birds modifying the time of calling and/or characteristics of their vocalization in response to anthropogenic noise? I collected sound recordings in two habitats. For recordings I used the automated recording devices developed by our research group. Each recording device was programmed to record for 7 consecutive days; 1 min every 20 min. Previous results showed that noise influences the bird community composition in secondary lowland forest sites, but not in karst forest. Another possibility is that bird and amphibian use other strategies to minimize the effect of noise. This can involve evolutionary changes in signal characteristics, as a long term adaptation or the species may be adjusting signal traits in response to variations in noise levels as a short term adaptation. I will answer these questions when I do analyzing all data.


Let $\Omega$ be a bounded and smooth domain of $\mathbb{R}^{N}$, $N\geq2$, and consider the eigenvalue problem: $-\Delta_{p}u=\lambda\left| u\right| _{L^{q}(\Omega)}^{p-q}\left| u\right| ^{q-2}u$ in $\Omega,$ $u=0$ on $\partial\Omega,$ where $p>1$, $1\leq q<p^{\star}$ and $p^{\star}$ is the critical exponent of the Sobolev embedding $W_{0}^{1,p}(\Omega)\hookrightarrow L^{q}(\Omega)$. Two sequences, $\left( \lambda_{n}\right)_{n\in N}% \subset(0,\infty)$ and $\left(w_{n}\right) _{n\in N}\subset W_{0}^{1,p}(\Omega)$, are built by means of an inverse iteration scheme starting from an arbitrary function $u_{0}\in L^{q}(\Omega)\backslash\left\{ 0\right\} $. It is shown that $\left( \lambda_{n}\right) _{n\in N}$ converges monotonically to an eigenvalue $\lambda\geq\lambda_{q}$, with $\lambda_{q}$ denoting the first eigenvalue. It is also proved that there exists a subsequence $\left( w_{n_{j}}\right) _{j\in\mathbb{N}}$ converging in $W_{0}^{1,p}(\Omega)$ to an eigenfunction $w$ corresponding to $\lambda$. The advantage of this method is that it can be used to find eigenvalues other than $\lambda_{q}$.


The role of the Staff Training and Development Committee of the Durban University of Technology Library is to facilitate both general and specific on-the-job-training for all library staff. The members of this Committee have been involved in training and development of library staff; LIS students and also other library professionals for many years. This exposure has highlighted a number of challenges both within the DUT Library and the LIS sector workplace, generally. One of major concerns is that the gap between academic qualification and professional skills needed in the workplace is increasing; this can be attributed to the pace at which academic librarianship is evolving and the failure of the library school curricula to adjust appropriately. Further, as in the case of the DUT, the high turnover of library professionals in recent years has necessitated an environment of continuous training and retraining. This paper deliberates the preparedness of LIS professionals entering the workplace and considers the burden placed on institutions to train, retrain and develop these professionals. It takes a pragmatic approach, with the authors offering a number of recommendations that could steer libraries away from being 'on-the-job training centres' to become learning organisations. This could be achieved through collaboration with the South African professional body LIASA, and library schools. Citing the example of Singapore's PDS (Professional Development Scheme) certification point system – and the Australian professional body ALIA's Professional Development scheme for recognition and licensing of librarians – and the need for carefully monitored and mentored post-graduate internships in the workplace – this paper could serve as the basis for a formal proposal to research and overhaul the approach to determining the bases for recognising professionals and professionalism within the sector. The issue of the individual's commitment to investing in their own professional development, whilst touched on, is another topic that merits a separate paper entirely....and research in its own right!


Blood stream infections (BSI) frequently cause morbidity and mortality in allogeneic (allo) hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) recipients. Characteristics of causative organisms shortly before death have not been previously described. Early treatment with antimicrobial agents targeting the recent surge in multidrug‐resistant (MDR) pathogens may lead to better outcomes.


Data from the 16 PF test, used routinely with middle level managers, are compared with business executive scores from Cattell and with the general results from Eysenck and Harrell. While Eysenck makes the generalized observation that businessmen tend towards stable introversion, the evidence from Harrell and from this study suggests that at least some particular samples of managers tend to show significantly above average extraversion.


Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) opens up possibilities toward the formation of value-added products, while CO2 reduction performance remains largely restricted in view of low ener...


Although carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) occurs due to intrinsic or extrinsic causes, the idiopathic group outnumbers the rest by far. Compression of the median nerve may be due to mechanical or ischemic causation. The cause of idiopathic CTS is thought to be intermittent compression of the median nerve in predisposed people, especially working females, producing ischemia of the nerve. Reperfusion injury may occur during periods of recovery. Intermittent perfusion of the cellular tissue following ischemia releases free oxygen radicals. With continued oxidative stress, the normal antioxidant system is overwhelmed and cellular injury ensues, affecting both nerve and synovial cells. This is confirmed by changes seen locally in nerve and synovial tissue both serologically and histologically. These changes are reverted or checked by the use of antioxidants in vitro. Simulated compression of the nerve in laboratory animals also confirms these findings, further corroborating the pathophysiology and suggesting means of preventing idiopathic CTS. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. Microsurgery 25:44–46, 2005.


Today, the Internet of Things (IoT) is becoming an essential player in creating a new smart era. The communication through the Internet to IoT devices enables new applications in multiple environments, including smart buildings and cities. The IoT market is projected to grow to 75.4 billion connected devices by 2020. Within the IoT ecosystem, smart home technology is also improving at an exponential rate.


The studies and explorations of the Polish Geological Institute after World War II of the area between Vistula and San rivers (northern Carpathian Foredeep, southern Poland) resulted in the discovery of new native sulphur deposits. The documented giant resources became a basis for the development of sulphur mining and processing. Presented here, in chronological order, is the history of the investigation and discovery of sulphur deposits during the last fifty years (1937- 1987).


A field experiment was conducted at National Seed Project, UAS, GKVK, Bengaluru during the year 2018-19, to know the effect of new insecticide molecule called chlorantraniliprole on quality attributes in maize inbred line CAL 1443. The experiment was laid out in RCBD, replicated three times with ten treatment combinations, Chlorantraniliprole 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 ml / kg (ST) Chlorantraniliprole 0.1 ml 0.2, 0.3 ml / kg (ST)and spray with chlorpyrifos 2 ml at 45 DAS, Chlorantraniliprole 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 ml / kg (ST)and spray with quinolphos 2 ml at 45 DAS, Control. The results revealed that Chlorantraniliprole 0.3 ml / kg (ST)and spray with quinolphos 2 ml at 45 DAS recorded least per cent leaves damage and highest Seed quality attributesviz, least percent leaves damage at 60 DAS (7.37 %),Seed germination (93.00 %), mean seedling length (33.65 cm), mean seedling dry weight (56.10 mg), seedling vigour index I (3103) and seedling vigour index II (5216) over control (90.33 %,23.40 %, 31.91 cm, 55.41 mg, 2914, 5005 respectively).


In this paper,the structure and programming of 3D rigid and plastic finite element simulation system are studied,and a software for 3D rigid and plastic finite element simulation is developed.Precision forging of spur gear has been simulated by the system,which indicates that the developed software is feasible.


In order to identify mutations in the low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) gene in primary hypercholesterolemia, we screened 100 unrelated German individuals with elevated plasma LDL‐C (LDL‐C > 4,7 mmol/l) for mutations in the 18 exons and their flanking intronic sequences including the promoter region of the LDL‐R gene using a combination of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and direct sequencing. In addition we tested all patients for the presence of mutations in codons 3456 – 3553 of the gene encoding apolipoprotein B‐100. In 56 individuals we detected 37 different mutations affecting the LDL‐R gene, 16 of which, designated C122R, C127Y, C163W, F179L, R236W, E296X, R553C, V618D, T721I, V785D, G1358+2A, 257delTCTGGAGGT, 657delC, 676insACGGTATGGACTGCAdelGACG, C1205delTCT, 2420delTCCTTCT, have not yet been reported. One proband was a compound heterozygote showing two separate sequence variations (E207X and T705I). Seven patients were heterozygous for the mutation R3500Q within the apoB‐100 gene. These results demonstrate that there is a broad spectrum of mutations in the LDL‐R gene and that the R3500Q mutation is a frequent cause of hypercholesterolemia in the German population. Hum Mutat 18:165–166, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Epidemiologic analysis of the 1999 dengue fever epidemic in Nicaragua by James Frank Smith B.A. (University of California, Berkeley) 1996 A thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Health and Medical Sciences in the GRADUATE DIVISION of the UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY Committee in charge: Eva Harris, Chair William C. Reeves John Swartzberg Spring 2000


Fatigue crack growth tests have been performed on micro-sized Ni-P amorphous alloy specimens to investigate the size effects on fatigue crack growth behavior of such micro-sized specimens. Two types of cantilever beam type micro-sized specimens with different breadth (10 (B) × 12 (W) × 50 (L) μm and 30 (B) × 12 (W) × 50 (L) μm) were prepared from an electroless plated Ni-P amorphous alloy thin film by focused ion beam machining. Notches with a depth of 3 μm were introduced in the specimens. Fatigue crack growth tests were performed using a newly developed fatigue testing machine for micro-sized specimens in air at room temperature under constant load amplitude and stress ratios of 0.1, 0.3, 0.5 and 0.7. Striations were observed on the fatigue fracture surfaces and fatigue crack propagation rates were estimated by careful measurements of the striation spacings. The fatigue crack growth rates at stress ratios of 0.3 and 0.5 were higher than that at 0.1. This suggests that crack closure may occur even in such micro-sized specimens. The fatigue crack growth resistance is also dependent on the specimen breadth. This suggests that the stress state ahead of the crack may affect the crack growth behavior. The results obtained in this investigation provide basic guidelines for designing actual MEMS devices.


The presented study presents results of research conducted in 2015 within the project of the Ministry of education, Science, research and Sport of the Slovak republic VEGA No. 1/0244/15 Detection and Resolving Cyber-Bullying. The aim of the research was to find out and analyze levels of cyber-bullying severity. Participants in the research were 1118 respondents 11 – 18 years old (average age 15.25, Sd 2.55) across the Slovak republic. The severity of cyber-bullying was assessed through the GrM (Graded response Model). The most severe forms of cyber-bullying were posting a mean video, creating a hurtful web-page and threats of bodily injury sent through a text message. The least severe forms were mean comments on the Internet, spreading rumours and posting mean or hurtful photographs of others.


We have developed a system for automatically sketching patterns on the surface of porcelain using a Slit-light method which is one type of three-dimensional image measurement. This system has two parts. One is a measurement system of the three-dimensional shape of porcelain piece, and the other is an automatical sketching system of patterns by using the result of three-dimensional measurement. Since we classified porcelain pieces into two types according to their shape, two three-dimensional measurement systems were developed. In these measurement systems, we proposed a calibration method using bilinear interpolation in order to calculate values of three-dimensional coordinates simply and speedily. This calibration could absorb errors such as lens distortion and mechanical errors. The automatical sketching system was realized by linking three-dimensional measurement systems and a three-dimensional CAD system.


Infrared probes composed of different hollow fibers were designed,fabricated,and optimized.Remote measuring system using the probe was set up with a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer(FTIR).The experimental results showed that the transmission efficiency reached 17.6% when tapered fiber was used as the receiving fiber in the probe.Infrared spectral features were measured for films such as polycarbonate(PC) and Poly vinylidene fluoride(PVDF),as well as liquid-phase films such as ethanol and toluene.Quantitative measurements were carried out for the mixed liquid of ethanol and toluene using the characteristic absorption peak of toluene at the wavenumber of 1605 cm-1.A number of mixed liquid with various concentration ranging from 5% to 50% were made to build the quantitative model and evaluate the effect of the measurement.The results showed that RMSEP was 3.356 and the correlation coefficient was 0.9200.The system can be used in remote sensing of spectral features for solid and liquid phase films.


Biodegradable metallic materials represent a new class of biocompatible materials for medical applications based on numerous advantages. Among them, those based on zinc have a rate of degradation close to the healing period required by many clinical problems, which makes them more suitable than those based on magnesium or iron. The poor mechanical properties of Zn could be significantly improved by the addition of Mg and Y. In this research, we analyze the electro-chemical and mechanical behavior of a new alloy based on Zn3Mg0.7Y compared with pure Zn and Zn3Mg materials. Microstructure and chemical composition were investigated by electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The electrochemical corrosion was analyzed by linear polarization (LP), cyclic polarization (CP) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). For hardness and scratch resistance, a microhardness tester and a scratch module were used. Findings revealed that the mechanical properties of Zn improved through the addition of Mg and Y. Zn, Zn-Mg and Zn-Mg-Y alloys in this study showed highly active behavior in SBF with uniform corrosion. Zinc metals and their alloys with magnesium and yttrium showed a moderate degradation rate and can be considered as promising biodegradable materials for orthopedic application.


PURPOSE: To make a synthesizer on an audio responding device side small-sized by analyzing inputted text data and writing voice data consisting of rhythm information and pronunciation information in a storage element. CONSTITUTION: A document is inputted through a text data input means consisting of a keyboard and other document input means. Its text data me converted by a document analyzing means 8 into the voice data consisting of the rhythm information (c) and pronunciation information (d) by a text synthesizing method according to a word dictionary and a rule, and the converged voice data are further encoded into, for example, a bar code by a voice data writing means 9 and written on printed matter, e.g. a teaching material, etc., to obtain the storage element 1. An IC card is usable as the storage element 1. Thus, the synthesizer on the audio responding device can be made small-sized. COPYRIGHT: (C)1989,JPO


The aim of the study was to develop a neural model enabling classification of fruit spray dried powders, on the basis of graphic data acquired from a bitmap received in the process of spray drying. The neural model was developed with multi-layer perceptron topology. Input variables were expressed in 46 image descriptors based on RGB, YCbCr, HSV (B) and HSL models. Sensitivity analysis of input variables and principal component analysis determined the significance level of each attribute. The optimal model with the lowest error value root mean square, at the level of 0.04 contained 46 neurons in the input layer, 11 neurons in the hidden layer, 10 neurons in the output layer. The results allowed to show that dyeing force (color features) had influence on effective differen-tiation of the research material consisting of spray-dried powders of rhubarb juice with various dried juice content levels: 30, 40 and 50% as well as high (''H'') and low (''L'') level of saccharification a chosen carrier (potato maltodextrin).


The objective of this study was to determine the effect of nutrition instruction, using the curriculum Nutrition In a Changing World, A Curriculum for Home Economics, Grades 7-9, on improving the nutrition knowledge, selected food/nutrition attitudes, and dietary behavior of junior high home economics students. There were three groups of students, one experimental and two control groups, at each grade level (seven through nine). The experimental group was pretested, taught the nutrition curriculum and posttested. One control group was only posttested to measure the effect of the pretest on posttest performance. A second control group was pretested and posttested. Neither control group received nutrition instruction until after the study was completed. Three instruments were used to collect data: a nutrition knowledge test, a food/nutrition attitude instrument, and a food frequency form. The results indicate that, at all grade levels, the experimental group had significantly improved knowledge scores. Little change in attitude scale scores was noted in grades seven and eight, while ninth grade experimental students scored significantly higher on the posttest for all attitude scales. Little improvement was seen in the posttest food frequency scores.


Peritoneal loose bodies are a rare condition. They are caused by the peritoneal appendages that become inflamed and cause a buildup of material in the peritoneal cavity. This can be hard to spot because it's so rare. The availability of CT scans makes this diagnosis easier. A 77-year-old patient with hypertension and diabetes underwent peritoneal mouse challenge. The patient suffers from acute intestinal sub obstruction. CT scan revealed a mobile calcified density lesion approximately 5 cm in diameter in the peritoneal cavity. Peritoneal loose bodies are a rare complication of omental appendages that have distorted due to ischemic conditions. Laparoscopy excised a firm mass suggestive of primary omental appendicitis. Diagnostic terms for acute or chronic abdominal pain can be found in the general medical literature. Photographs of the affected individual's body show a large greasy or chalky substance.


The purpose of this paper is to investigate the nature and scope of the differences between the Data Sharing Project conducted by the Physician Insurers Association of America ("PIAA") and the National Practitioner Data Bank ("NPDB"), which is operated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. These data collection and dissemination projects are similar in the sense that they were both designed to capture codified information regarding medical malpractice claims. However, they are very different in their purposes and in the nature of the data captured. The NPDB was originally developed to help identify "problem practitioners" on a national basis. This purpose differs greatly from the purpose of the PIAA Data Sharing Project, which was designed to provide clinical loss prevention data for use in physician education programs. Indicative of the wide difference between the two systems, of the seventy-six data fields found in these two data bases, only seven are common to both. The PIAA Data Sharing Project is utilized extensively by the insurance company members of the Association and others to provide evidence of the medical conditions, procedures, and practices that give rise to medical malpractice claims. It relies on a complex code system incorporating the International Classification of Diseases, 9th. Clinical Modification (ICD-9), to identify medical conditions and treatments, and on other systems of specialized codes to account for medico-legal issues. Importantly, it does not identify individual practitioners. In addition to medical malpractice payment data, the NPDB captures information regarding hospital privilege restrictions and revocations, licensure, and other disciplinary actions taken by regulatory authorities. The NPDB collectively refers to these as "adverse actions." Adverse actions encompass only


The reaction of ethyl linoleate (1) with NO(2)(-) in different air-equilibrated acidic media resulted in the formation of complex patterns of products, some of which could be isolated by repeated TLC fractionation and were formulated as the nitroalkenes 2-5, the novel (1E, 5Z)-3-nitro-1,5-hexadienes 6/7, the novel (E,E)-1, 5-dinitro-1,3-pentadiene derivatives 8 and 9, and the nitro alcohols 10/11 and 12/13 by extensive GC-MS and 2D NMR analysis, as aided by 1D Hartmann-Hahn proton mapping experiments. Similar reaction of methyl oleate gave mainly nitroalkene (14/15) and allylic nitro derivatives (16/17). Formation of 2-13 may be envisaged in terms of HNO(2)-mediated nitration pathways in which regioisomeric beta-nitroalkyl radical intermediates derived from attack of NO(2) to the 1,4-pentadiene moiety of 1 evolve through competitive H-atom abstraction and free radical combination routes.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between drug use and offending by using the concept of critical moments as an analytical tool.

Design/methodology/approach
In total, 41 semi-structured individual interviews with young people (15–25 years) using drugs and in touch with the criminal justice system (CJS) were conducted.

Findings
Analysing critical moments in young people's drug use contributes to explaining some of the multiple, possible links between drug use and offending. Institutional factors emerged as important, as well as social and economic inequality. This was in particular clear when comparing students' and immigrants' trajectories.

Research limitations/implications
Limitations are due to the difficulties in getting access to prisoners and young people in touch with the CJS and the possibility to meet them only once with time limits due to the setting.

Practical implications
Prevention intervention addressed to this target group could take young people's social contexts and everyday life situation into consideration.

Social implications
To decrease both offending and drug use, structural measures aimed at decreasing social inequalities would be more effective than punishment.

Originality/value
The study proposes a practical way to analyse narratives of young people who have experienced both drug use and offending and to show the importance of socially structured patterns without reducing the complexity of the topic.


The media, governments, and academics throughout the world are focusing progressively on social entrepreneurship as it becomes an increasingly significant global phenomenon. Similarly, the past literature declares that firm's approaches to social responsibility could vary, but they always place a greater emphasis on satisfying and shaping the expectations of stakeholders. In a similar vein, it is evident that organizations face a unique problem that goes far beyond balancing their interests and demands with those of their stakeholders. Thereby, the underlaying aim of this study is to explore the role of stakeholder pressure interventions in social entrepreneurship. Further, this paper shed light on the future growth of the stakeholder pressure in social enterprise research agenda and how to entice new researchers to participate to it. This is primarily a conceptual study using a qualitative approach to the topic at hand. A comprehensive literature review and the considerations garnered from informants given. According to our views, the conceptual and empirical scope of the stakeholder pressure in social entrepreneurship area must be redefined and further explored. The insights discussed in this paper aid in resolving and explaining some of the arguments and conceptual and practical obstacles that have impeded the growth of the stakeholder pressure in social enterprise research agenda.


On the condition of educational modernization and joining the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Bologna process, Yasawi International Kazakh-Turkish University points out as one of its main problems the usage of information technologies in highly qualified training of the specialists of international level in the sphere of pedagogy and increasing the quality of their professional training, because the use of information technologies emphasizes practical-oriented education, its professional, pragmatic, subject-professional aspect. Including some elements of well-known approaches in pedagogical sciences such as systematic, personalRESUMEN: Sobre la condición de la modernización educativa y la adhesión a la República de Kazajstán al proceso de Bolonia, Yasawi Internacional Kazajo-la Universidad turca señala como uno de sus principales problemas el uso de las tecnologías de la información en la formación altamente cualificada de los especialistas de nivel internacional en el ámbito de la pedagogía y el aumento de la calidad de su formación profesional, ya que el uso de las tecnologías de la información enfatiza la educación orientada hacia la práctica , su aspecto profesional, pragmático, sujeto-profesional. Incluyendo algunos elementos de enfoques conocidos en las oriented and synergetic and others, the significance of information technologies as one of necessary bases to develop the XXIst century's competencies and professional training of future specialists is stressed, because it has humanistic, professional, pragmatic and practical features, which show its integration and systematic advantages. Accepted as one of new scientific approaches, the use of information technologies is one of the most effective means to develop methodological, critical and creative thinking activity, professional and cultural norms of behavior, orientation values based on the educational system, and to change activities according to the principles of innovative approaches in higher education's academic process. The results obtained through the use of information technologies show improvements in formation of the XXIst century's competencies in future specialists. The use of information technologies in teaching system tends to increase, which points to a significant improvement and higher achievements. The improvement is also represented in higher average grades of the experimental group and showing the efficiency of the information technologies' use in formation of the XXIst century competencies of future specialists.


Preliminary design studies on high conversion pressurized water reactors (HCPWRs) have been completed, and plant design studies are currently being performed to improve the feasibility of HCPWRs. The present status of the feasibility studies is covered, and the related validation tests to be conducted in the coming years are reviewed.


The square lattice with central forces between nearest neighbors is isostatic with a subextensive number of floppy modes. It can be made rigid by the random addition of next-nearest-neighbor bonds. This constitutes a rigidity percolation transition which we study analytically by mapping it to a connectivity problem of two-colored random graphs. We derive an exact recurrence equation for the probability of having a rigid percolating cluster and solve it in the infinite volume limit. From this solution we obtain the rigidity threshold as a function of system size, and find that, in the thermodynamic limit, there is a mixed first-order–second-order rigidity percolation transition at the isostatic point.


Within reptiles, lizards cover less area across the globe than snakes do. One out of every seven known species of lizards in the world is found only in its type locality. Acanthodactylus harranensis Baran, Kumlutaş, Lanza, Sindaco, Ilgaz, Avcı & Crucitti, 2005, is one of these species. It is an endemic lizard species in Turkey with a very small area of occupancy and is listed in the critically endangered category (CR) by the IUCN. Here we document the age structure and body size of A. harranensis using skeletochronological methods for the first time and aim to point out current problems and contribute to an understanding of its demography. The mean age of males was found to be significantly higher than that of females. The maximum life span was 10 years in males while it was 9 years in females. The 8-year-old age group contained a higher number of individuals than any other age group. The mean snout-vent length of specimens was not significantly different between the sexes. As in many other lizards, A. harranensis exhibits a low-level male-biased sexual dimorphism. Acanthodactylus harranensis also displayed a considerably bigger body size than other studied lacertids from Şanlıurfa province. The data presented in this study may contribute to future conservation efforts for this endangered species.