We model the evolution of spin frequency's second derivative $\ddot\nu$ and braking index $n$ of radio pulsars with simulations within the phenomenological model of their surface magnetic field evolution, which contains a long-term decay modulated by short-term oscillations. For the pulsar PSR B0329+54, the model can reproduce the main characteristics of its $\ddot\nu$ variation with oscillation periods, predicts another $\sim 50$ yr oscillation component and another recent swing of the sign of $\ddot\nu$. We show that the "averaged" $n$ is different from the instantaneous $n$, and its oscillation magnitude decreases abruptly as the time span increases, due to the "averaging" effect. The simulation predicted timing residuals agree with the main features of the reported data. We further perform Monte Carlo simulations for the distribution of the reported data in $|\ddot\nu|$ versus characteristic age $\tau_{\rm c}$ diagram. The model with a power law index $\alpha=0.5$ can reproduce the slope of the linear fit to pulsars' distributions in the diagrams of $\log|\ddot\nu|-\log\tau_{\rm c}$ and $\log|n|-\log\tau_{\rm c}$, but the oscillations are responsible for the almost equal number of positive and negative values of $\ddot\nu$, in agreement with our previous analytical studies; an oscillation period of about several decades is also preferred. However the range of the oscillation amplitudes is $-11.4\lesssim\log f\lesssim-10.2$, slightly lager than the analytical prediction, $\log f\simeq-11.85$, because the "averaging" effect was not included previously.


In hybrid polymer photovoltaics, conjugated polymers are combined with wide bandgap metal oxide semiconductors like TiO2 or ZnO. Reported maximum power conversion efficiencies (PCE) at AM1.5G conditions for a hybrid polymer bulkheterojunction device are up to 1.6 %. In this paper we report on the current-voltage characteristics of bi-layer devices consisting of TiO2 and a conjugated polymer. Several polymers with different optical bandgap were studied. The maximum External Quantum Efficiency (EQE) of the devices is comparable, but the PCE differs considerably (0.2-0.5%). The differences can for a large part be explained by the differences in optical bandgap of the polymers. It is shown that a low band gap is beneficial for the short circuit current, but does not automatically result in a high PCE as relative shifts of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy levels of the polymers reduce the open circuit voltage (Voc). The calculations show that a PCE up to ~ 19 % can be achieved using the maximum possible Voc and a fill factor of 80%. Judicious engineering of material combinations is required to achieve such a power output, and it expresses the need for a continuing search on potentially low cost, efficient metal oxide/polymer BHJ structures.


Introduction Cyclophosphamide (CP) is alkylating agent and the most commonly used chemotherapeutic drug for various types of cancer; it causes severe toxicity. The aim of the research was to assess the protective effect of lemon fruit extract (LFE) against the side effects of the anti-cancer drug "cyclophosphamide" (CP). Methods This experimental study was conducted in 2015. Thirty male mice were divided into six groups: group A (control): intraperitoneal injection of saline, group B: oral LFE (10ml/kg), group C: intraperitoneal injection of CP (10 mg/kg), group D: intraperitoneal injection of CP (20 mg/kg), group E: intraperitoneal injection of CP (10 mg/kg) and oral LFE (10 ml/kg), and group F: intraperitoneal injection of CP (20 mg/kg) and oral LFE (10 ml/kg). All groups were treated daily for five consecutive days. Results The results of the group treated with the drug C and D was that, in their intestines, the effect was uneven between a severe to a sharp effect, and there was a lack of dense connective tissue and its collagen fibers and fat cells, the intestinal glands or crypt of Lieberkühn appeared few in number and distorted in composition when compared with control A, as the pancreas appeared divided into several lobes containing small numbers of pancreatic Acini, padded with secretory pyramid-shaped cells, although some of them appeared exaggerated. While treatment in group E and F resulted in the intestines and pancreas appearing to be semi-normal; regarding the pancreas, it showed an observed improvement more than the response of the intestines. Conclusion The results support the protective effect of lemon fruit extract against CP-induced intestinal and pancreatic injury.


As traditional knowledge systems are also innovation systems, this book analyses the relationship between intellectual property and indigenous innovation. The contributors come from different disciplinary backgrounds including law, ethnobotany and science. Drawing on examples from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, each of the contributors explores the possibilities and limits of intellectual property when it comes to supporting innovation by indigenous people.


monocyte-derived macrophages treated with defined cytokine the phenotype of in vivo-derived macrophages is understood. Affymetrix-based transcriptomic analysis of macrophages from the resolution phase of a zymosan-induced peritonitis. with macrophages a nature as well as macrophages the uninflamed peritoneum, resolution-phase macrophages (rM) to monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs), CD209a but CD11c. They for processing/ enriched for cell cycle/proliferation genes as well as Alox15, Timd4, and Tgfb2, key systems in the termination of leukocyte trafficking and clearance of inflammatory cells. Finally, comparison with in vitro-derived M1/M2 shows that rM are nei-ther classically nor alternatively activated but possess aspects of both definitions consistent with an immune regulatory phenotype. We propose that macrophages in situ cannot be rigidly categorized as they can express many shades of the inflammatory spectrum determined by tissue, stimulus, and phase of inflammation. ( Blood . 2011; 118(26):e192-e208)


Abstract Tamandua mexicana (Saussure, 1860) is a medium-sized anteater commonly known as the northern tamandua or oso hormiguero. It has an elongated head and is toothless, with a slender and sticky tongue and a prehensile tail. Its fur has a black patch across the back like a vest worn backward against a pale yellow background. It is present from southern Mexico to the northwest Andes in South America; it also lives in many different forested ecosystems including transformed areas. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources classifies T. mexicana as "Least Concern" because it has a wide distribution, presumably large population, and because it is represented in protected areas, as well as anthropogenic ecosystems. In some areas local laws protect T. mexicana from exploitation and habitat destruction.


We welcome Miriam Tuohy writing her first article as our regular author of the new Synergy section 'New Zealand Landscapes'. We look forward to learning from our colleagues in New Zealand. In this article Miriam discusses the responses from their library community to the recent restrictions and outlines what we can take away from these most unusual experiences.


The study examined the role student, teacher/classroom, and school characteristics play on the "digital divide" in access and utilization of various technology tools among elementary school students. Survey data was collected from 1,027 fourth- and fifth-grade students in 48 classrooms in northeastern Ohio. A two -level hierarchical linear model (Raudenbush & Bryk, 2002) was used to examine the extent to which teacher/classroom, school, and home variables can predict the average classroom usage of specific technology tools. Data analysis in this study by specific type of computer tools showed that, in general, students tend to use technology tools for individual/personal practices rather than for instructional activities. Students' usage of word processing, interactive, and productivity tools was significantly lower in schools located in urban and rural areas than those in suburban communities. The results also indicated that school location, school technological support, and teachers' beliefs about technology were significant predictors of the classroom student usage-gap of productivity tools between those who have and those who do not have access to computers at home. Teachers' level of experience was also found to relate significantly to the students' usage of computer tools.


This paper presents solution of optimal power flow (OPF) problem of a power system via an Ant Colony Optimization Meta-heuristic method. The objective is to minimize the total fuel cost of thermal generating units and also conserve an acceptable system performance in terms of limits on generator real and reactive power outputs, bus voltages, shunt capacitors/reactors, transformers tap-setting and power flow of transmission lines. Simulation results on the Algerian Electrical Network show that the Ant Colony Optimization method converges quickly to the global optimum.


We have investigated the effects of phosphate fertilization and inoculation with isolates of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi Scutellospora heterogama SCT120E, Gigaspora decipiens SCT304A, Acaulospora koskei SCT400A, Entrophospora colombiana SCT115, and an assemblage (Mix) of all four isolates on growth, development and oleoresin production of micropropagated Zingiber officinale. After 120 and 210 d of growth, the Mix and phosphorus addition significantly increased shoot height relative to control plants. Phosphorus addition was the only treatment resulting in significantly large shoot dry biomass relative to control after 120 d. No statistical differences were observed between treatments for shoot dry biomass after 210 d and for fine and coarse root biomass at both harvests. Inoculation with S. herogama and G. decipiens resulted in larger yields of oleoresin, corresponding to 3.48% and 1.58% of rhizome fresh biomass respectively. Based on retention index and mass spectrometry, we have characterized the following constituents present in ginger rhizomes: ar-curcumene, zingiberene, γ-cadinene, bisabolene, δ- or α-cadinene and farnesol. Two other constituents were characterized as possible members of the gingerol class. Results suggest that the screening and inoculation of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in ginger plants is a feasible procedure to increase the oleoresin production of Z. officinale and consequently increase the aggregate value of ginger rhizome production.


"The EC funded project CONNET (Construction Information Service Network, at http://www.connet.org/) has developed a set of Internet-based information services for Europe. These services are linked through a European gateway for the construction industry which provides a ""virtual technology park"", accessible to the whole industry regardless of national boundaries. The gateway provides mechanisms to link all information services for the construction industry, and to establish national gateways to services which can then inter-operate across Europe. The CONNET consortium is moving to establish the existing services in all European nations, and to encourage further existing or planned information services to be linked.

 A suite of five Internet based services has initially been developed, comprising: a technical information centre; a waste exchange centre; manufactured product services; a calculation and software centre; and an electronic news service as described below:
 1. The Technical Information Centre provides a single point of entry to locate technical information from quality providers, initially in the UK. The centre draws upon information held by the major publishers in the UK, with over 200 identified to link into the service. Once a publication is identified a user is able to place an order to purchase, or browse, the item. An automated notification service for users, based on their areas of interest, is also available as part of this centre.
 2. The Waste Exchange Centre extends the current UK based system to better enable the disposal and reuse of site waste across organisations Nationally and in Europe. Availability of, and requests for, waste materials are automatically matched in order to broker greater reuse of materials.
 3. The Manufactured Product Service enables Finnish and export-market users to identify manufactured products which match their design specification by incorporating product attributes into the selection system. Users are able to identify certified products and drag-and-drop CAD information into their designs.
 4. The Calculation and Software Centre provides the European entry point for information on all software products available for the civil engineering domain (over 3,900 collated to date). Online demonstrations, online purchase, and even pay-per-use software is available.
 5. The Electronic News Service enables members of the construction industry to register an interest in specific topics and to be notified of any Internet published news that matches their interest. The news sources are drawn from the main information providers and professional institutes in the industry, both within the UK and Internationally. Currently over 14,300 Internet sites have been identified and indexed for this service.

 This paper describes the infrastructure which has been developed for the European gateway and the benefits it can offer to linked services within a single nation, or across Europe. The virtual technology park infrastructure developed in CONNET provides for user identification, centralised user profiling and profile management, automated and periodic user profile servicing, classification system management and mapping, discussion groups, secure communication and service validation, etc. The way in which these technology park services are able to be used and adapted in independent, but linked, national services is highlighted in the paper. The five individual services are also described briefly, highlighting the benefits they offer to the European construction industry and the possibilities they offer in terms of ensuring national services are inter-operable across all of Europe."


Abstract. The concept of diffusion in collisionless space plasmas like those near the magnetopause and in the geomagnetic tail during reconnection is reexamined making use of the division of particle orbits into waiting orbits and break-outs into ballistic motion lying at the bottom, for instance, of Levy flights. The rms average displacement in this case increases with time, describing superdiffusion, though faster than classical, is still a weak process, being however strong enough to support fast reconnection. Referring to two kinds of numerical particle-in-cell simulations we determine the anomalous diffusion coefficient, the anomalous collision frequency on which the diffusion process is based, and construct a relation between the diffusion coefficients and the resistive scale. The anomalous collision frequency from electron pseudo-viscosity in reconnection turns out to be of the order of the lower-hybrid frequency with the latter providing a lower limit, thus making similar assumptions physically meaningful. Tentative though not completely justified use of the κ distribution yields κ a 6 in the reconnection diffusion region and, for the anomalous diffusion coefficient, the order of several times Bohm diffusivity.


This paper surveys studies of the operation of the classical gold standard published subsequent to the appearance of Alec Ford's The Gold Standard 1880-1914: Britain and Argentina in 1962. Contributions tend to fall under two headings: those which emphasize stock equilibrium in money markets (examples of the so-called "monetary approach") and those which emphasize instead stockflow interactions in bond markets. The paper then addresses the perennial question of how the gold standard worked. A central element of my explanation for the stability of the gold standard at the center is the credibility of the official commitment to gold. Knowing that policymakers would intervene in defense of the gold standard, markets responded in the same direction in anticipation of official action. Hence the need for actual intervention was minimized. Credibility derived from the fact that the commitment to the gold standard was international. Central banks like the Bank of England could rely on foreign assistance in times of exceptional stress. Again, the need for actual assistance was minimized because the commitment to offer it was fully credible. Thus, international cooperation is a central element of my explanation of how the classical gold standard worked.


In extreme value theory, the so-called extreme-value index is a parameter that controls the behavior of a distribution function in its right tail. Knowing this parameter is thus essential to solve many problems re- lated to extreme events. In this paper, the estimation of the extreme-value index is considered in the presence of a random covariate, whether the conditional distribution of the variable of interest belongs to the Frechet, Weibull or Gumbel max-domain of attraction. The pointwise weak consis- tency and asymptotic normality of the proposed estimator are established. We examine the finite sample performance of our estimator in a simulation study and we illustrate its behavior on a real set of fire insurance data.


The application of heterostructure lasers to video disk systems is described. The buried heterostructure diode laser is used as a light source of the optical pickup for the optical video disks. This pickup enables video signals to be reproduced with a SNR of more than 40 dB. These lasers can be not only used as a light source to read out the signal from the disk but also as a detector of the reflected light.


Conceptual and methodological divergence in defining the issue of energy poverty (i.e. the inability of households to afford adequate access to energy services) has made it difficult to assess the problem at a European level using a standardized approach. Moreover, existing research raises concerns with regard to socio-economic and environmental differences between European states that may have a significant impact on this phenomenon. The current paper builds upon a set of newly proposed econometric methods for the trans-national measurement of energy poverty and for the study of its determining factors – the Compound Energy Poverty Indicator. The research shows that Southern and Eastern European countries present peculiar socio-economic traits that distort the impact of predicting variables, such as the tenure status of households. The results imply that a cautious approach is needed when attempting to measure and predict energy poverty at a trans-national level based on macroeconomic indicators. Regionally specific policy measures and indicators may be needed in order to assess the problem in a truly functional, accurate and more efficient. Keywords: energy poverty; Compound Energy Poverty Indicator; sustainability; tenure status


This thesis examines the role of the Anzac myth in the imagining of Australian nationhood. It considers the historical poetics out of which the Anzac myth
emerged, together with the contemporary social structures in which it continues to flourish.
Due to the scale and variety of the subject matter, the thesis is catho1ic in its use of theoretical methodology. It likewise visits a broad range of data: from
newspaper comment to historical monographs; from manuscript archive to official propaganda; from. political speeches to fiction and poetry.
The first half of the thesis pursues a critical study of myth theory, and the sorts of myth models that accompany narratives of nationhood. I examine how
the Anzac myth appropriated many existing Australian myths into itself, and I illustrate how Anzac is an abundant field for mythic readings.
The second half of the thesis analyzes the central text of the Anzac story, C.E.W. Bean's Official history of Australia in the Great War, 1914- 1918. I look at
the range of Bean's writings to highlight the themes which pervade all his work. I analyse the tropes of style and form in the text, as well as the influence
on Bean of his historiographical exemplars. Lastly I discuss the structural
archaeology of the text, and recover the traces of Homer's Illiad that mould and colour the Official History.
The two parts of the thesis are bookended by chapters that combine the various ands 'myth', 'history' and 'nation', and at the same time examine the place of Bean's Official History in contemporary Australian culture. I analyze the
portrayal of Anzac in various literary and filmic texts. In particular, I discuss the way Prime Ministers Keating and Howard have harnessed Anzac imagery to express their conceptions of Australian politics and values.
Lastlv, I look to the silences of the Anzac myth - the stories it suppresses,
and those it does not tell; and I consider the question of whether Anzac should
continue to claim its pre-eminent position as the myth of nation forming for
Australia.


Chukotka, located in Russia's far northeast, is one of several territories of the Russian North where reindeer
herding is the main occupation of indigenous residents. In the Soviet period, reindeer herding was collectivized and centrally managed within sovkhozy (state farms). With the collapse of the Soviet Union came the application of Russia's privatization program to these sovkhozy, and many small privatized reindeer herding enterprises were created. However, these enterprises were unable to survive independently, and their failure triggered a collapse of reindeer herding in Chukotka, which had dire consequences
for the rural residents that depended on it for their living. One of the solutions proposed by indigenous
advocates in the 1990s was to give rural residents more local control by allowing them to form obshchiny, or "ancestral communities," a special category of land tenure defined in Russian federal law.
Although obshchiny had been established by indigenous groups in other parts of the Russian North, Chukotkan regional authorities were more reluctant to give up centralized control of local production and administration, and so opposed the formation of obshchiny there. Instead, they developed a plan to regain control of privatized reindeer herding enterprises by forcing them to convert into municipal property.
This paper follows the case of one of the few obshchiny established in Chukotka in the early 1990s. An examination of how and why it was formed, and how it was treated by regional authorities, highlights the contested nature of land, property and local autonomy in Chukotka.


Background/Context All organizations face turnover in their workforce; however, in schools high turnover can interfere with the effectiveness and efficiency of the school. While past research has examined school-related factors linked to teacher turnover, few studies have examined how external contextual factors are related to teacher turnover. This study examines the role of two external contextual factors in teacher turnover: economic downturns and changes in state curricular policy (the Michigan Merit Curriculum [MMC]). Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study This study asks the extent to which the economic crisis of 2009 and the implementation of the MMC are related to school-level teacher turnover rates and whether those relationships vary by school locale and within the school year. Population/Participants/Subjects The data include full-time high school teachers in the state of Michigan aggregated to the school level. Research Design Using eight years of statewide longitudinal data from Michigan, the study employs school fixed effects models to account for possible differences in unobservable school characteristics that are constant over time and may be related to teacher turnover. The study examines teacher turnover at both the mid-year and the end of the year as teachers leave schools at various points during the school year. Additionally, this study considers how turnover is experience differentially by urbanicity. Findings/Results Between 3.2% and 15.5% of teachers left their school over the eight-year period. The rates of turnover varied by the time of the school year with more teachers leaving at the end of the year than during mid-year. There was a significant increase in teacher turnover rates around the announcement of the MMC as well as the economic downturn. While all locations were impacted by the announcement of the MMC, the largest amount of turnover occurred in urban areas and the lowest for suburban areas. In terms of the economic downturn, towns were impacted the most, followed by rural and suburban schools. Urban areas did not see a significant increase in teacher turnover related to the recession. Conclusions/Recommendations The authors conclude that external contextual factors are related to increases in teacher turnover independent of each other. How these factors relate to teacher turnover does depend on school locale. While this study was based in Michigan, all states have their own policy and economic pressures to consider in related to school-level decision making and teacher turnover.


Pursued on the avowed premise that 'tax avoidance, like tax evasion, seriously undermines the achievements of the public finance objective of collecting revenues in an efficient, equitable and effective manner', the intent underlying the General Anti-Avoidance Rules of GAAR has found unequivocal resonance with the Government of India and its publicly stated desire to position GAAR as a pivotal ingredient of the direct tax laws of the country. While the Indian judiciary remains unfazed with the heated debate on 'substance versus form' or 'doctrine of commercial substance' and continues to pursue the Duke of Westminster principle, the Indian Parliament has chosen to adopt a head-on stand and has legislated GAAR in the Indian income tax law. Even though the implementation of GAAR has been deferred for the time being, like the Damocles sword, the GAAR provisions continue to occupy an overarching position in the law and sooner or later will come to haunt the subjects of these tax laws. In the wake of these developments this paper makes an attempt to examine the judicial acceptability of GAAR in the event the overriding powers vested with the tax-administration in terms of these rules is subjected to challenge before the country. The principle hypothesis of this paper is to examine, upon an appraisal of the statutory provisions as existing in the income tax law of India (amended as lately as in 2013), whether GAAR would run foul of the 'rule of law' which has been declared as an inviolable tenet of the constitutional ethos permeating the Indian legal system. The paper is dividend into ten parts. The first part is the introduction and sets out the relevant considerations to put the appraisal exercise in context. The second part revisits the attributes of the legal system perceived as restraint by the tax-administration to appraise the factors pressing the need for GAAR. The third part examines the factors surrounding the first unveiling of GAAR in the Indian context to note the facets of the GAAR introduced as a part of the draft Direct Tax Code Bill in 2009 culminating in the Direct Tax Code Bill 2010. The fourth part examines threadbare the statutory provisions relating to GAAR as introduced (with corresponding amendments) in the Income Tax Act, 1961. The fifth and sixth parts revisit the foundational elements of the 'rule of law' regime generally and in the Indian legal system specifically in their respective content. The seventh part examines the relevant 'rule of law' considerations appropriate for testing the permissibility of action in terms of GAAR. In the eight and ninth part this paper examines, albeit briefly, the legal position relating to GAAR in Canada and New Zealand respectively to cull out their experience with GAAR of these similarly placed commonwealth jurisdictions. Based on a holistic appraisal of these factors the tenth and the last part to draw the conclusions thereon.


RESIDUE STUDIES: Use of pesticides is steadily rising in Pakistan' agriculture. Rice is the second highest export of Pakistan earning sizeable foreign exchange. With a view to aver possibility of contamination of this commodity with undesirable quantities of pesticide residues which may adversely affect country's foreign trade. studies were undertaken with there pesticides popularly used on this crop; viz., diazinon (an organophosphate). Lindane (an organochlorine) and carbaryl (a carbamate) . Results obtained indicated that residues of all the three insecticides do fall to negligible levels (Nil to 0.6, Ni to 0.46 and Nil to 0.5 ppm respectively) within a month 0 application on the crop.

Gamma BHC is commonly used for pest control in the region. Studies on behaviour of the insecticide from folia surfaces was studied in the laboratory and it was found that under summer conditions the insecticide is readily volatilize, from the leaves within few hours. Similar studies were undertake on DDT's fate from fallow agricultural area around Karachi Sindh. sprayed with the insecticide. In this case also it was: found that the insecticide is dissipated comparatively much slowly from plots covered with polythene sheet than from plot: left uncovered under local harsh summer conditions. Result: obtained on both these products/aspects have been incorporated in this dissertation.

Rice is cultivated in Pakistan initially as a nursery wherefrom plants are transplanted to grow to maturity to yield the grain. Early-season pest attack from insects cause callous damage to the crop. To protect the crop from ravages of pests, preventive spraying with insecticide(s)is administered. Investigation were undertaken to see if the consumers are exposed to any health hazards if they feed on rice which had beer treated with DDT and fenitrothion in the nursery stage. It was found that DDT residues fell to 2.0 3.2 ppm level by the end of one week when 3 nursery treatments were made. With fenitrothion zero level of residues was reached in a week when three applications here made to rice nursery.

Environmental pollution is caused by non-target crop spraying with persistent insecticides like DDT. An ,assessmen1 made in the agricultural areas of Punjab and NWFP had revealed, that residues of DDT were present upto 5 ppm in soil samples collected from sugarcane, tobacco, cotton and vegetable growing areas of the enumerated provirces. Subsequently, an experimen1 was conducted to investigate as to how contamination of soil in agricultural fields occurs. A paddy growing area in Baluchistan which had aerially been sprayed with a DDT formulation was selected for the study. Results obtained revealed that though DD' residues, ten days after spraying, fell by 39.11 and 84.66%n from paddy straw and pannicles respectively, they increased by 18.36% in the adjacent soil , revealing the fashion in which non-target fall-out does pollute the environment.

Though known as a non-systemic insecticide, some results included in the present dissertation reveal in-ward movement of the DDT. Firstly it has been proved that application of the insecticide to cotton by ground spraying as well as b) aerial application. DDT and its metabolites are translocated to the seed-oil. Which is an item of human diet in Pakistan. Secondly an investigation conducted on mustard plant with radio-labelled DDT revealed that residue did get absorbed from the foliar surfaces.

Success achieved in developing a cheap and authentic vapour-phase separation technique to be used in conjunction with as chromatography for determination of sub-nanogram levels of residues of a few OP pesticides in certain fruits 1ind vegetables has also been described in the present thesis.

A trend has been established in Pakistan to use combinations of expensive synthetic pyrethroids (SPs) with comparatively cheaper organophosphate (OP) insecticides. An investigation conducted by the present researcher established that this practice does not have much positive edge over conventional combinations of OC's (organochlorines) and OP's. Results obtained have been included in the present document. In another study it has been proved that residues of monocrotophos, fenitrothion fell to non-detectable level within a week while none were pres'3nt after a fortnight in case of endosulfan in the cotton crop which receives foliar application with these products.

Granular application of systemic OP's are made to cotton crop in its early stage to save the crop against early season pest attack. An investigation conducted with phorate and disulfoton proved that this practice does provide enough residue of these products to save it effectively against pest attack. It has been found that one-third residues of these pesticides were present in the crop even six weeks after their application.

A number of investigations were conducted fruit and vegetable plants to study behaviour of residues of certain OP and OC's and also to evolve techniques to provide effective protection against pest attack without an occupational risk t(workers and also to end users of the produce, averting, simultaneously, any environmental hazards. Results0: development of such novel techniques have also found a place in this presentation.

STABILITY OF PESTICIDES: Very little printed information is available regarding stability of pesticides from tropical and sub-tropical regions o. the world where their formulations are exposed to extremes o. climate. An effort was. therefore. made to investigate shelf-life. of twelve selected OC and 01' pesticides under accelerated storage conditions recommended by FAO and also by subjecting them for 2. months storage under field conditions prevailing in four different ecological conditions of Pakistan. Results obtained. have also been included in this dissertation.


A description is given of a technique called middle-out reasoning for the control of search in automatic theorem proving. The authors illustrate it use in the domain of automatic program synthesis. Programs can be synthesised from proofs that their logical specifications are satisfiable. Each proof step is also a program construction step. Unfortunately, a naive use of this technique requires a human or computer to produce proof steps which provide the essential structure of the desired program. It is hard to see the justification for these steps at the time that they are made; the reason for them emerges only later in the proof. Such proof steps are often call eureka steps. Middle-out reasoning enables these eureka steps to be produced, automatically, as a side effect of non-eureka steps.


This book is a study of the "jurisdictional gap" that existed for 40 years as a result of a United States Supreme Court decision in 1955. This decision determined that U.S. military veterans could not be prosecuted by court martial for crimes that they had committed beyond the nation's borders and which were not detected until the suspects were separated from the military services. Because of the territorial limitations on the jurisdiction of U.S. civilian courts, this meant that there was no court in which veteran suspects could be tried for war crimes. Consequently, numerous American citizens literally got away with murder. This article traces the legislative history of the attempts to close the jurisdictional gap from 1955 to 2000, when the U.S. Congress vested jurisdiction over such crimes and suspects in federal district courts; it assesses the reasons for the years of failure to pass remedial legislation, as well as the pressures that ultimately led to the passage of the law that plugged the jurisdictional gap; and it analyses the verdicts and implications of the first two cases in which U.S. veterans of the war in Iraq were tried for crimes against Iraqi civilians.


3Sergey Levine is with Google Brain, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. We present a policy search method for learning complex feedback control policies that map from high-dimensional sensory inputs to motor torques, for manipulation tasks with discontinuous contact dynamics. We build on a prior technique called guided policy search (GPS), which iteratively optimizes a set of local policies for specific instances of a task, and uses these to train a complex, high-dimensional global policy that generalizes across task instances. We extend GPS in the following ways: (1) we propose the use of a model-free local optimizer based on path integral stochastic optimal control (PI2), which enables us to learn local policies for tasks with highly discontinuous contact dynamics; and (2) we enable GPS to train on a new set of task instances in every iteration by using on-policy sampling: this increases the diversity of the instances that the policy is trained on, and is crucial for achieving good generalization. We show that these contributions enable us to learn deep neural network policies that can directly perform torque control from visual input. We validate the method on a challenging door opening task and a pick-and-place task, and we demonstrate that our approach substantially outperforms the prior LQR-based local policy optimizer on these tasks. Furthermore, we show that on-policy sampling significantly increases the generalization ability of these policies.


China has 50% of the worldwide hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cases, and the HBV-related cases accounts for approximately 85%. Over the past few decades, although a series of standardized management methods for HCC has been implemented in China, most HCC patient in China still suffered from advanced-stage disease, in consequence, reducing the opportunity of curable treatment that can be offered to achieve long-term disease-free survival for HCC patient. Accordingly, strategies including screening and diagnose HCC at an earlier stage are urgently needed in China. In this study, the current status, challenges, and prospects of early detection of HCC in China have been analyzed. The result indicated the need for using multi serum biomarkers for early HCC detection. During the past ten years, the research on the clinical usefulness of novel serum biomarkers of des-γ-carboxy-prothrombin (DCP), Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) and Midkine (MDK) in early HCC detection for Chinese patients found that the novel serum biomarker can complete the measurement of α-fetoprotein (AFP) in the diagnosis process of HCC, particularly for the patient with negative AFP with/or at an early stage. More large-scale, multi-center studies are expected to be performed in China to provide further evidence, and using novel and reliable serum biomarkers to complement AFP as a new trend is expected to be extensively used in clinical practice to facilitate early detection for those patients with HCC in China.


Despite the high prominence of homelessness on the housing policy agenda and evidence that a disproportionate number of people affected by homelessness come from black and minority ethnic (BME) communities, little is known about patterns of access and use of homelessness services in these communities. This paper seeks to fill the gap, by drawing on qualitative and quantitative research recently conducted in Scotland, and relevant literature. First, it considers some of the major factors that contribute to homelessness in black and minority ethnic communities as a basis for considering the level and type of support needed. Second, it examines the extent to which people affected by homelessness are able to draw on informal support. Third, the use of homelessness services is examined, including their accessibility and appropriateness for people from BME communities. The implications of the study for developing culturally sensitive homelessness policies and strategies are considered, including (a) the need to recognise and respond to specific vulnerabilities and varying forms of homelessness between and within communities; (b) the need for mainstream and specialist BME service provision and multi-agency working; (c) the case for culturally sensitive allocation policies, including the potential afforded by choice-based allocations and common housing registers; and (d) mechanisms for providing culturally responsive services to diverse communities, particularly where they are present in small numbers. The paper concludes by considering the contribution of the present study to theories of homelessness.


Common cold sufferers frequently report sleep disruption during the symptomatic period of infections. We examined the effects of treatment with a topical aromatic pharmaceutical ointment (Vicks VapoRub®), on associated sleep disturbances. The effects of Vicks VapoRub® versus placebo (petrolatum ointment) on subjective and objective measured sleep parameters were assessed in an exploratory study of 100 common cold patients, in a randomized, single blind, controlled, two-arm, parallel design study. The primary efficacy variable was subjective sleep quality measured with the SQSQ (Subjective Quality of Sleep Questionnaire). Additional measures included, ease of falling asleep and depth of sleep (measured with a post-sleep Visual Analog Scale), total sleep time, sleep onset latency, activity score, percentage of sleep, sleep efficiency (measured with actigraphy and SQSQ) and sleep quality index measured with a modified Karolinska Sleep Diary (KSD). The primary endpoint, "How was the quality of your sleep last night?" showed a statistically significant difference in change from baseline in favour of VapoRub treatment (p = 0.0392) versus placebo. Positive effects of VapoRub versus placebo were also observed for "How refreshed did you feel upon waking up?" (p = 0.0122) (SQSQ), "Did you get enough sleep?" (p = 0.0036) (KSD), "How was it to get up?" (p = 0.0120) (KSD) and "Do you feel well-rested?" (p = 0.0125) (KSD). No statistically significant changes from baseline versus placebo were detected in the Actiwatch endpoints. Vicks VapoRub® when applied before retiring to bed can reduce subjective sleep disturbances during a common cold. The results of this exploratory study support the belief among patients that the use of VapoRub improves subjective sleep quality during common cold which was associated with more refreshing sleep.


Many pelagic seabirds moult their feathers while at sea, which is an energetically costly behaviour. Mortality rates during moult can be high, so spatial and trophic ecology during this critical period is important for understanding demographic patterns. Unfortunately, individual foraging behaviours specifically linked to at-sea moult are commonly unclear. This paper combines two different approaches to geolocation: data from bird-borne geolocation loggers and stable-isotope assignment using carbon and nitrogen isotope maps (isoscapes). Coupling two geolocation processes allows some uncertainties associated with isotope-based assignment to be constrained. We applied this approach to quantify species-specific foraging locations and individual trophic variability during feather regrowth in three sympatric auk populations breeding on the Isle of May, Scotland (common guillemot (Uria aalge), razorbill (Alca torda) and Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica)). Inferred foraging areas during moult differed between species and feather types. Guillemots likely underwent moult within the southern North Sea, razorbills along the east coast of England and into the southern North Sea and puffins off the east coast of Scotland. Estimates of individual trophic position varied considerably within feather types (up to 1 trophic level difference between individuals), among feather types grown during different time periods, and across the three species, with guillemots consistently foraging at higher trophic positions than razorbills and puffins. Used in combination, these methods better constrain foraging areas during moult, as well as providing a technique to explore individual differences and flexibility in foraging strategy, which is valuable information for both seabird conservation and marine spatial planning.


The cDNAs and genes encoding the intron lariat-debranching enzyme were isolated from the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe based on their homology with the Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene. The cDNAs were shown to be functional in an interspecific complementation experiment; they can complement an S. cerevisiae dbr1 null mutant. About 2.5% of budding yeast S. cerevisiae genes have introns, and the accumulation of excised introns in a dbr1 null mutant has little effect on cell growth. In contrast, many S. pombe genes contain introns, and often multiple introns per gene, so that S. pombe is estimated to contain approximately 40 times as many introns as S. cerevisiae. The S. pombe dbr1 gene was disrupted and shown to be nonessential. Like the S. cerevisiae mutant, the S. pombe null mutant accumulated introns to high levels, indicating that intron lariat debranching represents a rate-limiting step in intron degradation in both species. Unlike the S. cerevisiae mutant, the S. pombe dbr1::leu1+ mutant had a severe growth defect and exhibited an aberrant elongated cell shape in addition to an intron accumulation phenotype. The growth defect of the S. pombe dbr1::leu1+ strain suggests that debranching activity is critical for efficient intron RNA degradation and that blocking this pathway interferes with cell growth.


The upper part of the figure depicts an aperture-coupled L-band antenna comprising patterned metal conductor films supported on two thin polyimide membranes separated by an air gap. In this antenna, power is coupled from a microstrip line on the lower surface of the lower membrane, through a slot in a metal ground plane on the upper surface of the lower membrane, to a radiating metal patch on the upper surface of the upper membrane. The two-membrane configuration of this antenna stands in contrast to a three-membrane configuration heretofore considered as the basis for developing arrays of dual-polarization, wideband microwave antennas that could be thin and could be, variously, incorporated into, or supported on, thin structures, including inflatable structures. By reducing the number of membranes from three to two, the present design simplifies the problems of designing and fabricating such antennas or arrays of such antennas, including the problems of integrating such antennas or arrays with thin-membrane-mounted transmit/ receive modules. In addition, the use of aperture (slot) coupling eliminates the need for rigid coaxial feed pins and associated solder connections on thin membranes, making this antenna more mechanically reliable, relative to antennas that include coaxial feed pins. This antenna is designed for a nominal frequency of 1.26 GHz. The polyimide membranes are 0.05 mm thick and have a relative permittivity of 3.4. The radiating patch is square, 8.89 cm on each side. This radiating patch lies 1.27 cm above the ground plane. The feeding microstrip line is 0.12 mm wide and has a characteristic impedance of 50 . The aperture-coupling slot, etched in the ground plane, is 0.48 mm wide and 79.5 mm long. In order to maximize coupling, the microstrip line is extended beyond the middle of the slot by a length of 36 mm, which corresponds to a transmission- line electrical length of about a quarter wavelength. The other end of the microstrip line is transformed to a 50-Ohm coplanar waveguide line, which is used for connection to a transmit/receive module. Some plated-through vias are added to the outer conductors of the coplanar waveguide to suppress parallel-plate modes. The measured and calculated 10-dB-return-loss bandwidth of the antenna is 100 MHz. By eliminating the radiating patch and the upper membrane that supports it, and performing two other simple modifications, one can convert the two-membrane antenna described above to a paper-thin single-membrane antenna, shown in the lower part of the figure. One modification is to increase the slot length to 104.95 mm; the other is to extend the microstrip to 36.68 mm past the middle of the slot. With these modifications, the slot now becomes a half-wavelength radiator with a nearly omnidirectional radiation pattern. In one potential use, such a paper-thin antenna could be pasted on an automobile window to enable omnidirectional communication.


There is an urgent need for specific antiviral drugs directed against SARS-CoV-2 both to prevent the most severe forms of COVID-19 and to reduce viral excretion and subsequent virus dissemination; in the present pandemic context, drug repurposing is a priority. Targeting the nucleoprotein N of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in order to inhibit its association with viral RNA could be a strategy to impeding viral replication and possibly other essential functions associated with viral N. The antiviral properties of naproxen, belonging to the NSAID family, previously demonstrated against Influenza A virus, were evaluated against SARS-CoV-2. Naproxen binding to the nucleoprotein of SARS-CoV2 was shown by molecular modeling. In VeroE6 cells and reconstituted human primary respiratory epithelium models of SARS-CoV-2 infection, naproxen inhibited viral replication and protected the bronchial epithelia against SARS-CoV-2 induced-damage. The benefit of naproxen addition to the standard of care is tested in an on-going clinical study.


The economic impact of the growth dynamic of standards is often described from a macroeconomic point of view, employing network effect theory and models dealing with externalities. Game-theoretic models try to depict and predict the situation on the microeconomic side. We follow a new approach, which simulates the system's behavior based on the modeling of a set of individual conduction rules, and their interaction in a closed environment. Implementing such an agent based computational economics approach, using a simulation environment called SWARM, we assume the existence of three firm sizes combined with three types of standards. Each standard has an optimal fit to a firm size, which results in reduced costs according to standardization benefits, whereas other combinations lead to lower savings respectively. In addition we postulate initial standardization cost for internal restructuring measures and different scopes of communication fitted to the three firm types. Each firm can repeatedly decide to standardize in various simulation passes depending on an expected standardization benefit. As an outcome of various simulations, we observe a dominance of the communication standard preferred by the large companies as a function of growing network density. For an increasing communication range the same behavior emerges for all firm types. The model underpins the well-known concentration tendency in real worlds' technology markets.


Confronted by more and more global sustainabilityrelated challenges, society is increasingly aiming for a circular economy. Wouldn't it be ideal if we could contribute to an economic model with closed loops, where products and materials that are at the end of their functional life are reused in new products and systems? As the Netherlands aims to have a fully circular economy (i.e., zero net waste) by 2050, circularity is also a critical theme for the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area. 'Circular City' is one of the main urban challenges of the Urban Technology research programme of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS). Its chair of Circular Design & Business and its research group on Digital Production collaborate with companies, lecturers and students on a range of applied research projects in order to advance the knowledge around circular design and business model strategies making use of digital production to encourage the local reuse of discarded urban materials. Amsterdam ArenA, home base of the Ajax football team and a major concert and events venue, is replacing all stadium seats in the run-up to the European Football Championship in 2020 (UEFA Euro 2020), and wishes to do so in a socially responsible manner. With that purpose, Amsterdam ArenA engaged the expertise of the Urban Technology research programme at the AUAS to study the viability reusing the old seats in a circular manner. The research started from the assumption that these discarded seats not only form a large and relatively homogeneous waste stream, but also have an emotional value that can potentially raise their economic value, beyond that of the material alone. For the AUAS this was an important case study, because the Amsterdam ArenA aspires to be a stage for sustainable innovations, reduce its environmental impact and stimulate the local economy. This project could serve as an example for other stadiums and public buildings with substantial waste streams on how to handle discarded products, and rethink how they can prevent waste in the future. With this mission, the AUAS lined up a team of experts on circular design, digital production, business modelling and impact studies to carry out a comprehensive multi-disciplinary study.


A method for self-assembly of cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanochains (NCs) was proposed by direct deposition of CdS on unfixed DNA (DNA) template with 2-aminoethanethiol as a capping agent. The fractal alignment of CdS NCs on meniscus was then addressed utilizing droplet dewetting. The morphologies of CdS NCs were characterized with transmission electron microscopy, and their luminescent behaviors were investigated by photoluminescence and electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL). The presence of DNA scaffolds resulted in perfect surface status and efficient ECL of CdS NCs. The ECL mechanism and the heterogeneous nucleation process were also discussed. Adjusting the molar ratio of DNA to cadmium cation for synthesis could efficiently control the eventual NCs fractal on meniscus during the droplet dewetting and the properties of obtained NCs. The preferred pattern was formed at the molar ratio of 1:1. The present strategy provides a new way to synthesize and align nanowire devices without fixation of DNA and presynthesis of quantum dots (QDs) and has a potential applicability in pattern manufacture in natural way.


Abstract This article analyzes the evolution of voter preferences in the 2012 presidential election cycle. It also examines the influence of specific events, in order to help explain the dynamics we observe over the course of the campaign. I find considerable evidence of campaign-event effects on aggregate voter preferences in 2012, reinforcing the notion that events help to shape campaign dynamics.


This paper addresses the important issue in explanation-based learning of generalizing number. Most research in explanation-based learning involves relaxing constraints on the variables in an explanation, rather than generalizing the number of inference rules used. However, many concepts require generalizing the structure of the explanation. An explanation-based approach to the problem of generalizing to N is presented. The fully-implemented BAGGER system analyzes explanation structures and detects extendible repeated, inter-dependent applications of rules. When any are found. the explanation is extended so that an arbitrary number of repeated applications of the original rule are supported. The final structure is then generalized and a new rule produced. An important property of the extended rules is that their preconditions are expressed in terms of the initial state - they do not depend on the results of intermediate applications of the original rule. To illustrate the approach. portions of several situation calculus examples from the blocks world are analyzed. The approach presented leads to the acquisition of efficient plans that can be used to clear an object directly supporting an arbitrary number of other objects. build towers of arbitrary height. and unstack towers containing any number of blocks.


The United States Supreme Court dealt a significant blow to abortion opponents in Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, but the 2016 ruling did not dampen their resolve. Just days after Texas lost the Hellerstedt battle, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) returned to the fight and proposed regulations requiring health care facilities to inter or cremate the remains of aborted and miscarried fetuses. Undeterred by a preliminary injunction entered against those regulations once they became final, the Texas legislature enacted a law with similar effect in June 2017. The Texas law, however, proved to be good ground for yet another victory for those who advocate choice. Having already found the DSHS regulations wanting, the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas enjoined the new statute, concluding that it was unlikely to survive the undue burden test that the Supreme Court set out in Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey. The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has now followed suit with respect to an Indiana law regulating the disposition of fetal remains. But rather than applying Casey's undue burden test, the appeals court determined that the Indiana statute could not survive even the very deferential rational basis standard of review. Importantly, the decisions of both the Texas district court and the Seventh Circuit conflict with a 1990 decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit to uphold a Minnesota fetal remains disposition law—in a case tried before Roe v. Wade's demanding trimester framework gave way to Casey's more lenient undue burden standard. Thus, three federal courts are now in conflict, and the Supreme Court may need to step in yet again to decide who is right. Unfortunately, Hellerstedt provides no easy answer to the question of whether fetal remains disposition requirements like those enacted in Texas and Indiana can survive constitutional challenge. The Texas legislation at issue in Hellerstedt purportedly advanced the state's interest in safeguarding maternal health, and thus one questions how the Hellerstedt Court's interpretation of Casey's undue burden standard will apply to abortion regulations that are founded on the state's interest in protecting potential life. What is certain, though, is that the Hellerstedt Court did not overrule its decision either in Casey or in Gonzales v. Carhart, both of which upheld measures aimed at encouraging a woman to choose childbirth over abortion. This Article thus contends that, when viewed in light of Casey and Gonzales, Hellerstedt's interpretation of the undue burden test leaves states with a great deal of latitude to regulate abortion in a manner aimed at protecting potential life. As a result, efforts to regulate the method of disposing of fetal remains should pass constitutional muster.


Modern aquaculture is a major new development at the interface of science, technology and commerce. Extrapolating from recent practical achievements this paper looks ahead to the 1980s and beyond to the likely course and rate of progress of this new industry. These developments, which are seen as consequences of the interaction of economic pressures, scientific endeavour and advanced technology, are examined in some detail. The major arguments presented in the paper centre on the cultivation of marine fish and shellfish for food, though reference is also made to other facets of aquaculture. Particular attention is given to the problems of species selection and the criteria which influence selection are discussed, and the impact which modern advances in science and technology is likely to have on the critical commercial decisions is considered. The technological options are described and illustrated in a practical way by detailed reference to the salmon farming process. Drawing on existing experience, the factors which could become important in future debate on the priorities and levels of effort appropriate to aquacultural development are examined in the light of commercial and socio-economic objectives. Continuing with a short analysis of the factors which could influence the course and rate of development during the next 15 years, the paper concludes by indulging in a speculative examination of the possibilities for aquaculture at the turn of the century.


The thesis consists of an introductory part and three self-contained papers. Paper [I] studies the determinants of the differences in expenditure on services for functionally impaired individuals among municipalities in Sweden. A spatial autoregressive model is used in order to test whether the decisions on the expenditure level in a neighboring municipality affect the municipality's own expenditure. The results show of spatial interaction among neighbors, possible due to mimicking. However, when controlling for differences among counties there is no evidence of spatial interaction. Therefore, the positive interaction first found can be interpreted either as a result of differences in the way county councils diagnose individuals or due to interaction among the neighbors in the same county. Paper [II] takes advantage of a new intergovernmental grant in two ways. First, the grant is used to study the effect on municipal spending related to the grant. Second, the grant is used to test a hypothesis of spatial interaction among municipalities due to mimicking behavior. The data used pertains to the periods before and after the introduction of the grant. A fixed-effects spatial lag model is used to study the spatial interactions among municipalities. The results show that before the grant, municipalities interact with their neighbors when setting the expenditure level, while there is no evidence of interaction in the second period. This would support the hypothesis that the grants provide information to the municipalities and the need for mimicking diminishes with the grant. Paper [III] examines whether local public expenditures on services to functionally impaired individuals crowd out other local public expenditures in Sweden. The hypothesis is tested on five different spending areas using a two-stage least squares (2SLS) fixed-effects model. While the results give no support for crowding out in the areas of social assistance, culture & leisure, and childcare & preschool, a negative relationship on spending for elderly & disabled care and on spending for education is found, suggesting that crowding out indeed occurs within the municipal sector. The negative relationships are significant both in a statistical and an economic sense.


In American Culture, American Tastes, Michael Kammen leads us on an entertaining, thought-provoking tour of America's changing tastes, uses of leisure, and the shifting perceptions that have accompanied them throughout our nation's history. Starting at the point in time that late-nineteenth-century popular culture began to evolve into post-WWII mass culture, Kammen charts the influence of advertising and opinion polling; the development of standardized products, shopping centers, and mass marketing; the separation of youth and adult culture; the relationship between "high" and "low" art; the commercialization of organized entertainment; and the ways in which television has shaped mass culture and consumerism has reconfigured it. In doing so, he draws from sources as varied and rich as the work of esteemed cultural theorists, "The Simpsons," jigsaw puzzles, Walter Winchell's gossip columns, Whitman's poetry, Warhol's art, "Sesame Street," and the Book-of-the-Month Club.With wit and ingenuity Kammen traces the emergence of American mass culture and the contested meanings of leisure, taste, consumer culture, and social divisions that it has spawned.


We consider the context of "stochastic recursions," that is, recursions that involve quantities needing to be estimated using a stochastic simulation. Examples include certain stochastic adaptations of fixed-point recursions, line search recursions, and trust-region recursions obtained by replacing function and derivative values appearing within the recursion by their Monte Carlo counterparts. The primary motivating settings are Simulation Optimization and Stochastic Root Finding problems, where the low-point and the zero of a function are sought, respectively, with only Monte Carlo estimates of the functions appearing within the problem. We ask how much Monte Carlo sampling needs to be performed within stochastic recursions in order to ensure that the resulting iterates remain consistent, and more importantly, efficient, where "efficient" implies convergence at the fastest possible rate. Answering these questions involves trading-off two types of error inherent in the iterates: the deterministic error due to recursion and the "stochastic" error due to sampling. As we demonstrate through a characterization of the relationship between sample sizing and convergence rates, efficiency and consistency are intimately coupled with the speed of the underlying recursion, with faster recursions yielding a wider regime of "optimal" sampling rates. The implications of our results to practical implementation are immediate since they provide specific guidance on optimal simulation expenditure within a variety of stochastic recursions.


Background: Herbal Essential Oils (EOs) are natural, volatile, and complex compounds that are defined by a strong odor. This study was conducted to investigate and compare antioxidant and antifungal properties of EO extracted from flowers and leaves of Origanum vulgare ssp. gracile from Iran. Methods: EOs of leaves and flowers of O. vulgare ssp. gracile were extracted using a modified Clevenger apparatus and hydro-distillation method. In vitro antioxidant properties of the EOs were evaluated by 2,2diphenyl-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethyl benzo thiazoline-6-sulphonic acid, ABTS + ) assays and their antifungal properties were assessed against Aspergillus flavus and A. niger by agar disk diffusion and micro well dilution methods. The EOs exhibited both fungistatic and fungicidal activity against tested fungal species. Statistical analysis of data was performed using SPSS, Inc, Chicago, IL software (v.16.0). Results: Minimum Fungicidal Concentration (MFC) values for A. niger and A. flavus were 200 and 100 μg/ml, respectively; however, the MFC values for the mentioned fungi were 400 and 200, respectively. The flower EOs had significantly (p<0.05) higher inhibitory activities against both fungal species comparing to leave EOs. Also, it was found that A. flavus was significantly (p<0.05) more susceptible to EOs than A. niger. Remarkable antioxidant capacity was observed in both EOs, but it was significantly (p<0.05) lower than Butylated Hydroxy Toluene (BHT) as a synthetic antioxidant. Conclusion: Although, antioxidant as well as antifungal efficacy of flowers EO was significantly higher than the leaves EO, both leaves and flowers EOs could be recommended as an antifungal preservative in food industries for their application in hurdle systems.


Background: Prior literature established that different fair value levels disclosed in terms of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) 7 are value relevant.Setting: This study investigates the market pricing of the different fair value levels, as well as the market reaction towards the fair value hierarchy levels reported in terms of IFRS 7.Aim: Prior research found inconsistencies in the market pricing of fair value levels. This study seeks to contribute to this debate. It also focuses on the period after comprehensive guidance on how to measure fair value levels was issued.Methods: Data from 2009 to 2015 were collected from the financial sector companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The study uses the statement of financial position and the Ohlson model to investigate the market pricing of the different fair value levels disclosed in terms of IFRS 7.Results: The results of the study show that the fair value of assets level 1, 2 and 3, as well as the fair value of liabilities level 3 are value relevant while the fair value of liabilities level 1 and 2 are not value relevant. Furthermore, the market pricing of level 2 and 3 fair value assets and liabilities is not lower for companies with a high debt equity ratio than for companies with a low debt equity ratio. The results further reveal that the pricing of level 3 assets improved with the introduction of IFRS 13 and post the 2008 financial crisis.Conclusion: Fair value assets across different hierarchy levels are value relevant. On the contrary, fair value liabilities are priced differently across the different hierarchy levels.


As a part of the multidisciplinary project "Dynamics of Mid-latitude/Mediterranean climate in Northern Anatolia/Black Sea region during the last 150 kyr", this research presents new pollen and organic-walled dinoflagellate cyst records from the SE Black Sea for the penultimate deglaciation – Eemian (134-119 ka), last glacial (64-23 ka) and last deglaciation – Holocene (18 ka – present) periods. The reconstruction is based on the records from the sediment cores 22-GC3, 22-GC8 and 25-GC1, and provides information on vegetation successions in Northern Anatolia and on changes in the Black Sea sea-surface conditions.
The pollen data reveal the dominance of Artemisia steppe in Northern Anatolia during glacial stadials, suggesting rather dry/cold conditions. Temperature and humidity increased during the last and penultimate deglaciations and the last glacial interstadials, which is clearly indicated by development of oak and pines forests. This development can be explained by northwards movement of the summer position of westerlies. The onset of the interglacial conditions in Northern Anatolia is reflected by establishment of euxinian forests. The main difference in both interglacial pollen records is the relatively high amount of the submediterranean Ostrya-type during the Eemian, indicating warmer summer temperatures, compared to the Holocene. The wide distribution of Fagus in Northern Anatolia during the Eemian contrasts with the European records and could be explained by climatic and genetic factors. Pollen assemblages indicate a reduction in forest cover after 5 ka BP, possibly caused by an increased anthropogenic pressure on the vegetation.
The dinocyst record indicates lacustrine conditions in the Black Sea during the glacials and shows a change from freshwater/brackish assemblages (Pyxidinopsis psilata, Spiniferites cruciformis) to more marine assemblages (Lingulodinium machaerophorum, Spiniferites ramosus complex) in the Eemian and the Holocene, due to the inflow of saline Mediterranean water. Dinoflagellate cyst assemblages (Tuberculodinium vancampoae, Spiniferites pachydermus, S. mirabilis, Bitectatodinium tepikiense) suggest relatively high sea-surface salinity (~28-30) and sea-surface temperatures during the Eemian, comparing to the Holocene (~15-20). The establishment of high sea-surface salinity during the Eemian correlates very well with relatively high global sea-level and is explained as a combined effect of increased Mediterranean supply and increased evaporation at the beginning of the last interglacial.
The first results of the comparison of pollen spectra from surface of the Black Sea core 22-GC3 with such from surface samples collected in Northern Anatolia suggest that the main pollen source area for cores 22-GC3/8 is the adjacent coastal regions of Northern Anatolia and adjacent northern slopes of the Pontic Mountains.


We present an experimental dashboard for microservice monitoring and management. The dashboard can be adapted to different stakeholder needs and it supports the integration of different monitoring infrastructures for collecting microservice runtime data. Aside from runtime information, the dashboard also supports the integration of other information sources for providing static information about microservices and microservice development. We describe the main motivation for developing the dashboard, explain the basic concepts and present important usage scenarios and views currently supported in the dashboard.


Nowadays, libraries are passing challenging time in providing quality services for its users. Libraries are service organizations dedicated to their users and Quality management is the basis for library management in general. Libraries and librarians are required to demonstrate to top management of the university that they are getting a good return on their investments in the library. This paper highlights the importance of total quality management in university libraries, deals with TQM objectives, aims to focus on how they can provide better quality services to its users with limited resources in using TQM effective management tools and principles. As such, a conceptual view has been built for the utilization of TQM in university libraries.


Abstract. Tripitaka is the world's most comprehensive version of Buddhist sutra. There are limited numbers of Tripitaka currently preserved, most of them present various patterns of degradation. As little is known about the materials and crafts used in Tripitaka, it appeared necessary to identify them, and to further define adapted conservation treatment. In this work, a study concerning the paper source and dyestuff of the Tripitaka from approximate 16th century was carried out using fiber analysis and thin-layer chromatography (TLC). The results proved that the papers were mainly made from hemp or bark of mulberry tree, and indigo was used for colorizing the paper. At the end, we provide with suggestions for protecting and restoring the ancient Tripitaka.


Present study was intended to explore the relationship among career decidedness, resilience and stress among adolescents. The study was conducted on six hundred senior secondary school students' age ranging from 15 to 19 years with a mean age of 17 years. These subjects were selected from various schools of Haryana state following randomized technique. They were tested by administering Career Decidedness Scale, Resilience Scale and Perceived Stress Scale. The obtained data were analyzed by using hierarchical multiple regression in order to test the stated speculation. It was observed that resilience found to be moderated the relationship between career indecision and stress depression among subjects. These reported findings were discussed in the light of relevant literature.


The automotive industry has recently developed the embedded software standard AUTOSAR, which is now being introduced widely in production vehicles. The standard structures the application into reusable components that can be deployed in a specific vehicle using a configuration scheme. However, this configuration takes place at design time, with no provision for dynamically installing components to reconfigure the system. In this paper, we present the conceptual design of a dynamic component model that extends an AUTOSAR based control unit with the possibility to add plug-in components that execute on a virtual machine. This concept is intended to give benefits in terms of much shorter deployment time for new functions, even into vehicles that have already been produced. Further, it creates opportunities for vehicles to take part in federated embedded systems together with other products. It also opens up a market for third-party developers, and fosters open innovation in an ecosystem around the automotive software business.


Theropods form a taxonomically and morphologically diverse group of dinosaurs that include extant birds. Inferred relationships between theropod clades are complex and have changed dramatically over the past thirty years with the emergence of cladistic techniques. Here, we present a brief historical perspective of theropod discoveries and classification, as well as an overview on the current systematics of non-avian theropods. The first scientifically recorded theropod remains dating back to the 17 and 18 centuries come from the Middle Jurassic of Oxfordshire and most likely belong to the megalosaurid Megalosaurus. The latter was the first theropod genus to be named in 1824, and subsequent theropod material found before 1850 can all be referred to megalosauroids. In the fifty years from 1856 to 1906, theropod remains were reported from all continents but Antarctica. The clade Theropoda was erected by Othniel Charles Marsh in 1881, and in its current usage corresponds to an intricate ladder-like organization of 'family' to 'superfamily' level clades. The earliest definitive theropods come from the Carnian of Argentina, and coelophysoids form the first significant theropod radiation from the Late Triassic to their extinction in the Early Jurassic. Most subsequent theropod clades such as ceratosaurs, allosauroids, tyrannosauroids, ornithomimosaurs, therizinosaurs, oviraptorosaurs, dromaeosaurids, and troodontids persisted until the end of the Cretaceous, though the megalosauroid clade did not extend into the Maastrichtian. Current debates are focused on the monophyly of deinonychosaurs, the position of dilophosaurids within coelophysoids, and megaraptorans among neovenatorids. Some recent analyses have suggested a placement of dilophosaurids outside Coelophysoidea, megaraptorans within Tyrannosauroidea, and a paraphyletic Deinonychosauria with troodontids placed more closely to avialans than dromaeosaurids. Historical background


In this concise and engaging analysis of rock music, music theorist Ken Stephenson explores the features that make this internationally popular music distinct from earlier music styles. The author offers a guided tour of rock music from the 1950s to the present, emphasizing the theoretical underpinnings of the style and, for the first time, systematically focusing not on rock music's history or sociology, but on the structural aspects of the music itself. What structures normally happen in rock music? What theoretical systems or models might best explain them? The book addresses these questions and more in chapters devoted to phrase rhythm, scales, key determination, cadences, harmonic palette and succession, and form. Each chapter provides richly detailed analyses of individual rock pieces from groups including Chicago; the Beatles; Emerson, Lake, and Palmer; Kansas; and others. Stephenson shows how rock music is stylistically unique, and he demonstrates how the features that make it distinct have tended to remain constant throughout the past half-century and within most substyles. For music students at the college level and for practicing rock musicians who desire a deeper understanding of their music, this book is an essential resource.


Molecular processes regulating the gain of NMDA receptors modulate diverse physiological and pathological responses in the CNS. Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs), which neighbor NMDA receptors and which can be coactivated by synaptically released glutamate, couple to several different second messenger pathways, each of which could target NMDA receptors. In CA3 pyramidal cells we show that the activation of mGluR1 potentiates NMDA current via a G-protein-independent mechanism involving Src kinase activation. In contrast, mGluR5-mediated enhancement of NMDA current requires G-protein activation, triggering a signaling cascade including protein kinase C and Src. These results indicate that one neurotransmitter, glutamate, can activate two distinct and independent signaling systems to target the same effector. These two pathways are likely to contribute significantly to the highly differentiated control of NMDA receptor function.


For many centuries, Kashgar has been a major crossroads between East Asia, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Its location in the heart of the Silk Road has led to a diverse cultural heritage, and subsequently there exists a variety of cultural heritage sites, including Buddhist stupas, mazars (Islamic cemeteries), mosques, irrigation canals, and artifacts. Nowadays, the cultural heritage sites of Kashgar are under-explored and under threat of destruction. This thesis aims to produce new knowledge that would lead to a better understanding, and therefore better protection and preservation opportunities, for the cultural heritage sites of Kashgar. This is achieved by providing new information about the spatial distribution of the existing cultural heritage sites of Kashgar, establishing the relationships between the locations of the cultural heritage sites and their surrounding landscapes, and mapping and modeling the likelihood of the distribution of cultural heritages in the region through integrating Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and spatial modeling techniques. The thesis also aims to evaluate the modeling and predictive power of Weights of Evidence (WoE) - a GIS based predictive modeling method - for cultural resource management (CRM).
Initially, a database of the cultural heritage sites of Kashgar was constructed by obtaining data from Chinese sources and fieldwork. The data were used to perform a site-landscape analysis that quantified the relationship between the occurrence or absence of sites and the landscape features. This information was then used to create probability models, mapping the relative likelihood of site occurrence. The information derived from the analysis and modeling can be used by local Chinese development authorities for CRM. The predictive modeling involves identifying landscape features which have significant spatial associations with the observed cultural heritage sites by WoE, and then producing probability maps of potential cultural heritage sites based on the identified landscape features by both WoE and Logistic Regression (LR). The results produced by both methods were assessed and compared.
The site-landscape analysis using WoE shows how strongly different landscape features or factors are associated with the occurrences of cultural heritage sites in Kashgar. It is found that while in the oasis regions cultural heritage sites are closely related to urban and rural centers and their agricultural fields and canals, in the non-oasis regions they are correlated with grazing areas and natural rivers.
The predictive models result in maps showing the probabilities of areas being of cultural significance. Such areas are in the heart of the oasis regions within the reach of canals and in the valleys of the Tashkurgan area. Model validation shows improvements in site prediction abilities of the models compared to random prediction, and suggests the combined use of WoE and LR methods to achieve better modeling outcomes. It concludes that LR generates more accurate results than WoE. However, WoE is powerful in establishing the relationships between landscape features and site occurrences and identifying the landscape features with predictive powers. Predictive modeling increases our capability of defining site-sensitive areas, a necessary step in improving prospects for site preservation and other future CRM issues. The findings from this research are also valuable for those who wish to learn about the geographic distribution of culturally significant sites in Kashgar, either as an independent landscape or as a part of the Silk Road.


High resolution cell-attached patch-clamp recordings are used to analyze the kinetics of exo- and endocytosis in yeast. This technique is based on the fact that physical properties of cell membranes are comparable to the properties of a RC-circuit, consisting of a resistor and a capacitor in parallel. This means that changes in the plasma membrane surface, resulting from fusion and fission of vesicles, can be measured as changes in the membrane capacitance. Application of cell-attached patch-clamp recordings to Saccharomyces cerevisiae facilitates detection of exo- and endocytotic events, as discrete changes in the membrane capacitance at high temporal and spatial resolution. The results show four different kinetic modes of exo- and endocytosis in yeast, which were already reported from other eukaryotes. These modes include transient and permanent fusion and fission of vesicles. The measured capacitance changes were predominantly in the range of 0.2 - 1 fF, which corresponds to vesicle diameters of 90 - 200 nm. The vesicle size distribution showed a median of about 132 nm for endocytotic and 155 nm for exocytotic vesicles. Under well-defined nutrient conditions endocytotic and exocytotic events occurred at frequencies of 8.1 and 12.3 events per hour, respectively. In comparison, protoplasts deprived of glucose showed lower frequencies with nearly four events/h for exocytotic, and two events/h for endocytotic events. This result indicates energy requirement for exo- and endocytosis in yeast. Via capacitance measurements it was feasible to examine exo- and endocytosis frequencies, to determine vesicle sizes and to detect fusion pores in yeast cells. Because of the latter it was also possible to establish a rough classification of fusion pores conductance and diameters.
A temperature sensitive SEC mutant sec6-4 inhibited in the secretory pathway revealed a direct relationship between recorded capacitance changes in the plasma membrane and exocytotic events. In this context cells of the aforementioned mutant were incubated at the restrictive temperature of 37 °C resulting in an accumulation of vesicles in the cytosol. After incubation 71.6 exocytotic and 16 endocytotic events/h were measured. As a control sample, cells were incubated at the permissive temperature of 25 °C. The measured frequencies were comparable to the reference strain BY4741, which results in 15.1 events/h for exocytotic and 9.2 events/h for endocytotic events. This demonstrates that event frequencies can be modulated.
Through this study it was possible to demonstrate that capacity measurements can be applied to yeast cells for the detection of single fission and fusion events. Analyses on yeast protoplasts suggest that this system can be used for the investigation of exo- and endocytosis via capacity measurements. This provides a new tool for analyzing both processes in yeast.


This article aims to contribute to the recent efforts of ISUF to bring closer and ultimately integrate the academic research on urban morphology and urban planning practice. Methodological differences between schools of urban morphology are a barrier to integration between research and practice. Qualitative schools focus on the historicogeographical approach of MRG Conzen and the process typological approach based on the work of Muratori (Oliveira, 2016)). Quantitative schools include Space Syntax (Hillier, 1996) and various spatial analysis methods primarily popularised by Michael Batty (2013). Each school brings its value to the urban morphology research, but even the academics may not always be able to appropriately select the methods according to particular problems they are trying to address (Oliveira and Medeiros, 2016). There is a need for a unified approach to the study of urban morphology. Oliveira (2013) proposed such an approach (Morpho) on a street scale, later Oliveira and Medeiros (2016) demonstrated its application at the city scale. Building upon the Morpho methodology this paper assesses the urban form in Moscow using seven morphological measures. It then explores the effects of physical urban form in Moscow on urban vitality (where "vitality is what distinguishes successful urban areas from the others" (Montgomery, 1998)) characterised by (a) intensity of use of urban space (through analysis of mobile phone data and locations of businesses) and (b) land value (through residential rental rates – Xiao (2017) explored links between housing market and urban morphology extensively, but only in relation to a set of Space Syntax measures).


Abstract:This article revisits debates about agency: what and where are the forces and agents that might bring about change? In the past liberals and socialists broadly shared a belief in social enlightenment and progress, but liberals believed that this could be achieved gradually, through education, while Marxists believed that self-organisation by the working class was the way forward. A third, more recent, approach argues that changes in information technology are making it possible for society to shift from hierarchical to lateral patterns of connection. These three different approaches to agency are critically discussed. Among the thinkers discussed are Karl Marx, Raymond Williams, Eric Hobsbawm, Robin Murray, Manuel Castells, Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri. The rethinking and renewal of institutions that modern societies now need calls for deep engagement with these issues, and both 'new' and 'old' conceptions of agency are relevant to this task.


The key motivation behind this study is to explore the many patterns of interactions between economic and non-economic factors in sub-Saharan Africa (hereafter referred to as Africa) in order to map out a typology of different types of country situations and thus, corresponding future options to develop strategies to end hunger and poverty in the region. The study builds on the earlier work of Irma Adelman and Cynthia Morris who argued that economic development is a dynamic, multi-faceted, nonlinear, and malleable process, a process explained by the many complex interactions between social, economic, political and institutional changes. As in Adelman and Morris, we use factor analysis to reduce a large number of variables into a manageable set of key factors. Next, using the newly developed classification and regression tree technique (CART), we link the outcome variables, such as per capital GDP and the prevalence of child malnutrition, with this smaller set of factors. This overcomes the limitations of Adelman and Morris. work that mixed the outcome and explanatory variables in their analysis. The analysis helps identify the most important factors for each outcome indicator, which provides guidance for defining the development of a typology and exploring future strategy options associated with each country type.


Design-Build is rapidly becoming one of the most commonly used project delivery methods in the facility construction industry. The United States Air Force and the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) are expected to establish a target of 75% of all Military Construction (MILCON) projects delivered using the Design-Build method. The use of this delivery method will bring significant changes in the relationships between the various parties associated with facility project delivery when compared to the traditional Design-Bid-Build method. This paper demonstrates that Design- Build delivery with a best value selection is an important tool in accomplishing AFRC's cost efficient, rapid response transformation goals applicable to facility construction. Three hundred thirty two projects in program years 2002 through 2006, constructed using both traditional Design- Bid-Build or Design-Build delivery methods, were examined. Parameters used for comparisons were construction cost and schedule growth, project cost, vertical versus horizontal construction, and number of days required to prepare solicitation documents, advertise and accomplish construction award. This research reveals significant project schedule advantages with Design- Build best value selection delivery. The advantages are apparent in both pre and post construction award activities. Potential Design-Build cost advantages are hindered by Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations requiring firm fixed price contracts at construction award.


Protein folding is one of the most challenging problems in science. How can polymers memorize and fold into unique conformations? How can they recognize molecules, catalyze chemical reactions, transfer molecular information, and create motions! The principle behind these mechanisms lies in the concept of thernodynamically stable phases of heteropolymers. Recent theories predict that the collapsed phase should be further classified into three phases: freely fluctuating like liquid, frozen in degenerate conformations, and frozen in a unique conformation. This yields a clue on how one can attempt creation artificial polymers capable to mimic some of the protein properties and functions. The reversible adsorption of target molecules is suggested as a primary means to achieve this goal. Target molecules with multiple adsorption sites play a twofold role. First, they mediate specific interactions between monomers and thus serve as "gluons". Second, monitoring the adsorption provides the experimental possibility to test directly on monomer contacts, which is directly related to observation of the order parameter associated with heteropolymer freezing transition. A slight change in the backbone conformation alters the spacial arrangement of the group, allowing for reversible adsorption and release. Polymer gels are developed that can reversibly change their affinity to target molecules by orders of magnitude. The gels are made of copolymers of backbone monomers that can reorganize themselves through thermal volume phase transition and of monomers that can attract the target at multiple contact points. Further the gels "imprinted" with the target showed a marked increase in the affinity, thus mimicing a protein-like ability to memorize and recognize certain target.


Context The Paediatric Assessment Unit (PAU) in our District General Hospital arose out of necessity and occupies a small space with limited privacy. Acute attendances continue to rise and demand for PAU increases. Problem Some children wait an unacceptable time for senior paediatric review and flow through the unit is poor. Longer stays (>4–6 h) are inappropriate. Consultant input is variable and junior rotas are understaffed. Parental questionnaires stated dissatisfaction with waiting times and facilities. Assessment of problem and analysis of its causes A working group (consultant and trainee Paediatricians, senior nurses) aimed to standardise and improve quality of care, specifically, improving waiting times and patient flow. To assess the scale of the problem we: Formally audited current practice against national standards from RCPCH's Back to Facing the Future (2013). Held consultation sessions with multidisciplinary PAU team. An assessment proforma including timings, observations, history, examination and predicted outcome was designed to aid data collection. Areas identified for improvement included: Consultant cover at peak times Facilities and space Waiting times to see a decision maker Early discharge/admission planning Parental information Intervention Some improvements were more challenging to tackle than others. We are exploring relocation of PAU to a more fit for purpose area. Consultants are reviewing working patterns to provide cover during peak activity. In the meantime we carried out simpler interventions: Following feedback we developed the integrated assessment proforma improving assessment efficiency and focussing professionals towards planning for likely outcome. Prescription boxes and prompts will encourage early interventions (such as antipyretics, dioralyte). A junior doctor dedicated to PAU should meet nursing team at shift start ensuring names +/- photos are on the PAU board. A full time trust doctor employed for consistent middle grade PAU cover (although sometimes fills rota gaps). Consultants to attend PAU after morning ward rounds and evening handover to discuss +/- review patients. Expected waited times standardised o Seen by doctor within 1 h o Seen by senior within 4 h Patient/parent information leaflet distributed, outlining what to expect from a visit to PAU. Study design Not applicable Strategy for change We produced Standard Operating Procedures outlining the above expectations. This was presented and e-mailed to all staff. Three months were allowed for changes to be embedded before re-audit. Measurement of improvement The results of our original and re-audit are summarised in the following Table1: Abstract G567(P) Table 1 Results of original and re-audit March 2014n = 72 July 2014n = 96 % presenting out of hours (5 pm–9 am) 47% 51% Seen by doctor within 1 h 57% 75% Senior review within 4 h 59% 73% % of patients seen by a consultant 12% 23% % of admitted patients seen by consultant within 24 h 33% 48% Correct prediction of outcome made at initial assessment 69% 69% There was an 18% increase in patients seen within 1 h and a 14% increase in patients seen by a senior within 4 h, bringing us closer to national levels. Although consultant input doubled with our initial interventions, it is clear that planned review of consultant working patterns is necessary for us to achieve national standards. Effects of changes These improvements led to reduced waiting times and earlier decision making and discharge from PAU. There is a tangible sense of improved parental satisfaction, although this is to be formally assessed. Lessons learnt/Message for others To produce adequate, consistent improvement requires a longer process of workforce planning and service relocation/development. However, we have shown that significant improvements can be made by going 'back to basics'. Formalising and communicating expected standards, more efficient paperwork and maximising medical staffing, has been the mainstay to achieving improvement within our service. It can be difficult to obtain agreement for service developments from all involved, but we found involving all parties early in the process was beneficial. Please declare any conflicts of interest below We have no conflicts of interest to declare.


Microencapsulation is a technique or process of wrapping very small gas particles, gases, or active solid content with a coating material/membrane to protect the active particles (core) from environmental influences like unwanted effects such as light, moisture, and oxygen to increase shelf life of the product. Microencapsulation proposes to protect sensitive food components, reduce nutritional losses, expand the usefulness of sensitive food components, add certain food to other food, protect flavors and fragrances, convert liquid food components to more convenient solids handled, and protect materials from environmental influences. Product microcapsulation can be used as raw material for the food industry, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals using bioactive compounds. From the results of the curcuminoid content testings, it can be observed that an increase of drying temperature produces lower amount of curcuminoid contents, which is caused by the inability of curcuminoid compounds to be preserved by maltodextrin, as the microencapsulant. The best temperature to preserve curcuminoid compounds is at 110°C, in which 10.52% is preserved. Hence, for Aloe vera processing, the optimum drying temperature was 120°C which maintained the active component of Aloe vera powder such as Aloenin (B) , Aloeresin A , and Chrysophanol .