A cause for degradation of polymer light-emitting diodes is the oxidation of the polymer by oxygen diffusing out of the indium-tin-oxide ~ ITO ! anode. This problem can be solved by the introduction of an organic hole-injecting film, poly-~ 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene ! ~ PEDOT ! doped with poly ~ styrenesulfonate ! ~ PSS ! , between the ITO and the emissive polymer. Indeed, a dramatic improvement of the lifetime and also the luminous efficiency has been observed. However, our Rutherford backscattering ~ RBS ! studies show that the ITO/PEDOT:PSS interface is not stable. In as prepared glass/ITO/PEDOT:PSS samples 0.02 at. % indium was found in the PEDOT:PSS film. Annealing in a nitrogen atmosphere at 100 °C during 2500 h increased the indium concentration to 0.2 at. %. Upon exposure to air much faster degradation of the ITO/PEDOT:PSS interface was observed; after several days in air the amount of indium reached a saturation concentration of 1.2 at. %. The degradation of the interface can be explained by etching of the ITO due to the strong acidic nature of PEDOT:PSS. © 2000 American Institute of Physics. @ S0003-6951 ~ 00 ! 05040-3 # The stability of interfaces in polymer light emitting diodes ( p -LEDs) is considered crucial for the device performance. For devices in which the electroluminescent polymer is deposited on an indium-tin-oxide ~


Introduction: Tuberculosis is a disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis germs. The bacteria are most commonly found in the lungs but can also harm other sections of the body. Worldwide about 1.5 million people died from tuberculosis (TB) in 2020 (including 214 000 people with HIV). TB is the 13th leading cause of death worldwide and the second leading infectious killer after COVID-19 (above HIV/AIDS). This study aims to determine TB patients' knowledge and healthcare-seeking behavior attending Mogadishu- Somalia, in some selected TB centers.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among tuberculosis patients in five TB management units in Mogadishu, Somalia. The data collection tools used to collect data were close-ended self-administrated questionaries from May to June 2022. The target population of this study was TB patients registered and taking treatment during data collection. The sample size of this study was 384 respondents. We used logistic regression analysis to identify the factors associated with knowledge about TB and healthcare-seeking behavior among TB patients.
Results: The study found that the mean score for all knowledge of tuberculosis was 22.7. 209 (54.4%) of the 384 TB patients had good knowledge of the disease, compared to 175 (45.6%) who had poor knowledge. The average score for TB patients' healthcare-seeking behavior was 6.67. 200(52.1%) of the 384 respondents reported good healthcare-seeking behavior about TB, compared to 184 (47.9%) of the respondents who had bad healthcare-seeking behavior
Conclusion: TB patients had good knowledge of the signs and symptoms of TB, the transmission of TB, treatment of TB, and healthcare-seeking behavior of TB, but their knowledge of the cause of TB and the method of prevention of TB was not adequate. This study also revealed that the healthcare-seeking behavior of TB patients was good.


The decisions of a company affects a wide range of people from creditors, shareholders, employees, the general public; that is the consumer and even the government.One of such decisions includes a Merger, Acquisition or Take-over. The main reason why companies enter into a merger or an acquisition agreement is to consolidate their powers and control over government and markets. This may have diverse effect for other stakeholders of the company. The two major groups which will be considered by this research are the consumers and employees of two merging companies. Consumers are protected by the prevention of monopolistic tendencies or undue restriction of business enterprises which leads to rise in goods or services and the consumer paying more. The consumer is thereby left at the mercy of the company. The employees are protected by automatic transfer of employment or compulsory redundancy package in the event the new company cannot take all of all of them. This research analysis the extent to which the Laws regulating mergers and acquisitions in Nigeria has protected this two groups of people.


In this paper deformation of a Bernoulli beam resting on Winkler's soil is reviewed in light of the mixed finite-element methodology. While the stiffness matrix of the Bernoulli beam problem utilising the standard displacement-based approach, in which only the displacement field is interpolated, may be alternatively obtained using a mixed-type approach to the absolutely shear-stiff second-order Timoshenko beam (in which the rotation and shear-stress resultant fields are additionally interpolated), the two approaches lead to different Winkler-type soil-stiffness contributions. Furthermore, extending the mixed-type formalism into both of these elements by additionally interpolating the distributed soil-reaction field, the soil-stiffness contributions differ additionally. In this way four different elements are obtained, with one, two, three or four independently interpolated fields, in which the beam stiffness matrix is equal, but the soil stiffness matrices are different. It is demonstrated that the displacement-based one-field element is the least convergent, while the mixed-type element with four interpolated fields is the most convergent.


Marx's theory of historical materialism uses the evolution of productive forces and class struggle to explain history. With the fall of communism in the 20 century, many components of historical materialism have come under fire. This paper is a defense of the validity of historical materialism and concludes that some of the arguments against Marx's theory are unfounded, while others still hold weight. What remains is a broad view of history that still has value.


The formation and liquid-liquid extraction of ion-association complexes between gallium(III)-4-(2-pyridylazo)resorcinol (PAR) anionic chelates and cations of four ditetrazolium chlorides (DT2+) were studied: Neotetrazolium chloride (NTC), Blue Tetrazolium chloride (BTC), Nitro Blue Tetrazolium chloride (NBT) and Tetranitro Blue Tetrazolium chloride (TNBT). The optimum extraction-spectrophotometric conditions, composition of the extracted species {1:2:1 and/or 1:2:2 (Ga:PAR:DT)}, some equilibrium constants {constants of association (beta), constants of distribution (KD and constants of extraction (Kex)} and analytical characteristics {molar absorptivity (epsilon), Sandell's sensitivity, intervals of adherence to Beer's law, etc.} were found. Relationships involving the number of nitro groups in DT2+ (Nnitro; DT2+ = BT2+, NBT2+ and TNBT2+) or molecular mass of DT2+ (MM; DT2+ = NT2+ and BT2+) were discussed: Log beta =f(Nnitro), Log KD =f(Nnitro), Log Kepsilon=f(Nnitro), Log epsilon =f(Nnitro) and Log beta = f(Log MM).


It has often been observed that there is substantial spatial variation in criminality, i.e. criminality clusters in neighborhoods. Differences in neighborhood characteristics are one possible reason, social interactions another. In this paper we use detailed data on the residential location of criminals to disentangle the effects of individual characteristics, neighborhood characteristics and social interaction on criminality. Our basic model is an individual binomial logit model for the probability of being a criminal which we use to extract neighborhood effects. In a second stage, we model neighborhood effects, where we use as explanatory variables physical and social neighborhood characteristics such as characteristics of the housing stock and the demographic composition. We also include the share of criminals to be able to measure a social interaction effect. Note that this approach takes into account unobserved neighborhood characteristics. Since these may affect the criminality rate we instrument for this variable in a two stage estimation procedure.


We have determined that a cationic rhodium(I)/Segphos complex catalyzes an enantio- and diastereoselective intermolecular [2+2+2] cycloaddition of 1,2-bis(arylpropiolyl)benzenes with various monoalkynes at room temperature to give axially chiral 1,4-teraryls possessing an anthraquinone structure in good yields with good enantio- and diastereoselectivities. We have also determined that a thermal intramolecular [4+2] cycloaddition of 1,2-bis(arylpropiolyl)benzenes proceeds at 60 degrees C to give aryl-substituted naphthacenediones in moderate to good yields.


Introducing electronegative species into organic constituents was considered to be one effective strategy for adjusting crystal symmetry and designing new nonlinear optical (NLO) materials. By substitution of C4 in piperidine (C5H11N) with electronegative oxygen, organic morpholine (C4H9NO) was easily obtained. Therefore, to design NLO crystals, we focused on combinations of stereochemically active lone-pair (SCALP) cation (Pb2+)-based chloride and bromide with morpholine molecules. In this work, two lead halide hybrid perovskite (C4H10NO)PbX3 (X = Cl, Br, abbreviated as MPbCl3 and MPbBr3, respectively) single crystals with moderate nonlinear optical properties were synthesized by a slow evaporation method. The two title crystals belong to orthorhombic space group P212121 with one-dimensional (1D) chainlike perovskite structures. Theoretical calculations revealed that the second harmonic generation (SHG) responses mainly originate from distorted {PbX6} octahedrons of the inorganic framework. Remarkably, moderate phase-matching SHG effects of about 0.70 and 0.81 times KH2PO4, large birefringences of 0.098 and 0.111 at 1064 nm, and large laser damage thresholds (LDTs) of 19.94 and 46.82 MW/cm2 were estimated for MPbCl3 and MPbBr3, respectively. This work provides a novel strategy for new purpose-designed hybrid NLO crystals by adjustment and modulation of chemical modification.


As rifampicin can cause the induction and inhibition of multiple metabolizing enzymes and transporters, it has been challenging to accurately predict the complex drug–drug interactions (DDIs). We previously constructed a physiologically‐based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model of rifampicin accounting for the components for the induction of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A/CYP2C9 and the inhibition of organic anion transporting polypeptide 1B (OATP1B). This study aimed to expand and verify the PBPK model for rifampicin by incorporating additional components for the induction of OATP1B and CYP2C8 and the inhibition of multidrug resistance protein 2. The established PBPK model was capable of accurately predicting complex rifampicin‐induced alterations in the profiles of glibenclamide, repaglinide, and coproporphyrin I (an endogenous biomarker of OATP1B activities) with various dosing regimens. Our comprehensive rifampicin PBPK model may enable quantitative prediction of DDIs across diverse potential victim drugs and endogenous biomarkers handled by multiple metabolizing enzymes and transporters.


We investigate multicritical phenomena in O(N)+O(M) models by means of nonperturbative renormalization group equations. This constitutes an elementary building block for the study of competing orders in a variety of physical systems. To identify possible multicritical points in phase diagrams with two ordered phases, we compute the stability of isotropic and decoupled fixed point solutions from scaling potentials of single-field models. We verify the validity of Aharony's scaling relation within the scale-dependent derivative expansion of the effective average action. We discuss implications for the analysis of multicritical phenomena with truncated flow equations. These findings are an important step towards studies of competing orders and multicritical quantum phase transitions within the framework of functional renormalization.


Abstract The paper presents results of a geophysical survey conducted in Crikvenica, a town located at the north-eastern Adriatic Sea coast in Croatia. The main aim was to identify extent of a Roman pottery workshop discovered to the north of the present town, at the site known as "Igralište". The performed magnetic and GPR surveys within the area of the modern playground in Crikvenica revealed a large number of anomalies that may be connected with anthropogenic activity during different periods, both in modern and ancient times. The first group consists of anomalies generated by remnants of the modern underground infrastructure. Magnetic and ground-penetrating radar maps revealed anomalies in the north-western part of the modern playground that can be very likely interpreted as remains of a large ceramic kiln dated back to the Roman Period, similar to the kiln discovered during the excavations located further to the north. Finally, the survey performed within the Crikvenica football stadium clearly indicates that the integration of different Ground Penetrating Radar and magnetic methods allows for a detailed and effective identification of buried archaeological structures in large areas.


We have outlined some of the reasons why retrospective research is generally considered inferior to prospective research and have explained some of the rationale for this view. Despite the problems, there are ethical and practical reasons for conducting retrospective research. Indeed, we have argued that there are times when retrospective research may produce more valid data. We hope that these ideas will contribute to ongoing discussions about oncology research designs.


Porous-coated acetabular components can provide long-term biologic fixation to bone. However, the periacetabular stress patterns and mechanisms by which different types of cementless acetabular cups obtain initial stability is not clear. In the current study, periacetabular stresses produced by different cementless acetabular cup geometries were quantitated using a three-dimensional photoelastic model. The cup geometries consisted of trispiked, finned, hemispherical, and nonhemispherical (wider than a hemisphere at the periphery) geometries. The cup models were loaded incrementally in the photoelastic material to simulate periacetabular stress distributions at the time of implantation during surgery rather than under physiologic weightbearing loads. The peripheral stress distributions and their magnitudes induced by the trispiked and oversized hemispherical cups were similar, but the trispiked cup induced localized high stress regions where the spikes penetrate the bone model. The fins separated the periacetabular material into quadrants, which was associated with decreased peripheral stresses. A nonhemispherical geometry with a wider diameter at the rim than a hemisphere increased peripheral stresses more than an oversized hemispherical geometry and required less force to seat the implant. Although various cementless acetabular cups can perform well clinically, they produce different periacetabular stresses and appear to obtain initial fixation by different mechanisms.


This paper presents an active vision based space-positioning robot (AVBSPR) for surgical navigation applications. The development of the proposed navigation robot consists of a five-axis SCROBOT-ER VII Robot, a stereoscopic based eye-in-hand image capture module and a set of infrared (IR) based surgical marker emitters. To increase the navigation space and to determine the best image capture orientation, a fuzzy inference engine is constructed to dynamically track the moving surgical markers. On the other hand, the stereoscopic image coordinates are used to calculate the 3D space coordinates of the surgical markers for surgical navigation applications. Finally, a prototype system had been implemented, and several experimental tests had been done. The experimental results showed that the robot tracks the surgical markers well, and the positioning error is around 5 mm within 2000 mm distance operating ranges.


Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic continues to disproportionately impact people with cancer. Mortality estimates among cancer patients vary and are influenced by numerous factors including cancer type, treatment, disease stage, and patient demographics. To date, attempts to explore these associations have been limited by small cohorts. Methods: Here, we present a meta-analysis of data available through the Reboot: COVID-Cancer Project, a living and freely available resource that includes published clinical studies that report outcomes for cancer patients with COVID-19. Studies were identified using targeted search queries in PubMed, MedRxiv, BioRxiv, and the SSRN eLibrary, followed by rule-based approaches and extensive manual validation and data extraction. The data is updated monthly and can be explored through an interactive dashboard as well as downloaded. Case fatality rates (CFR;the number of deaths per 100 confirmed cases during the study period) were calculated using a random-effects model. Study heterogeneity and sample size bias was assessed using the Egger regression test. Results: As of December 18, 2020, the resource contained 225 publications comprising 21,839 cancer patients with COVID-19. Of these, there was sufficient sample size to quantify CFRs for 22 cancer types across 19,147 patients from 109 publications. The pooled CFR among all cancer patients was 27% (95% CI: 25-30%). For solid tumors and hematological malignancies, the CFRs were 23% (95% CI: 20-25%) and 30% (95% CI: 27-33%), respectively. Within solid tumors, patients with lung (CFR: 32%, 95% CI: 27-36%), prostate (CFR: 30%, 95% CI: 17-43%), and central nervous system (CFR: 27%, 95% CI: 18-36%) malignancies had relatively high CFRs, whereas patients with breast (CFR: 10%, 95% CI: 7-14%) and thyroid (CFR: 5%, 95% CI: 1-11%) malignancies had relatively low CFRs. Among patients with hematological malignancies, CFRs ranged from 10% (95% CI: 3-18%) in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia to 39% (95% CI: 20-57%) in patients with acute myeloid leukemia. Discussion: We observed significant heterogeneity of COVID-19 CFRs between cancer subtypes. This may in part reflect differences in patient demographics, treatment history, or disease state. Subtype-specific analysis can stratify cancer patients by risk for COVID-19 mortality and advise management strategies. The Reboot: COVID-Cancer Project provides an accessible means to evaluate subtype-specific COVID-19 fatality rates on a by-publication basis.


If spectrum of a Schr\"{o}dinger oparator with a non-Hermitian potential contains a spectral singularity (SS), the latter requires exact matching of the parameters characterizing the potential. We provide a necessary and sufficient condition for a potential to have a SS at a given wavelength. It is shown that potentials with SS at prescribed wavelengths can be obtained by a simple and effective procedure. In particular, the developed approach allows one to obtain potentials with several SSs or with SSs of the second order and potentials obeying a given symmetry, say, PT-symmetric potentials. Also, the problem can be solved when it is required to obtain a potential obeying a given symmetry, say, $\mathcal{PT}-$symmetric potential. We illustrate all opportunities with examples. We also describe splitting of the SSs of the second order, under change of the potential parameters, and discuss possibilities of experimental observation of SSs of different orders.


A study was conducted to determine the effect of different parasite control programs on weight gain and other measurements for stocker beef calves during the grazing season and subsequent feedlot phase of production. One hundred eighty recently weaned beef steers were purchased from a Mississippi sale barn and were allocated by restricted randomization on pretreatment weight to three treatments: (1) no anthelmintic treatment; treated only with a topical organophosphate (OP) during processing into the feedlot; (2) one benzimidazole (BZD) treatment at initiation of grazing, and a second given at the time of processing upon arrival at the feedlot, along with a topical OP; and (3) ivermectin sustained-release (SR) bolus administered at initiation of grazing, with no further treatment given at the feedlot. The cattle grazed separately by treatment for 125 days, with six replicated pastures per treatment; then were penned according to the same groupings after entry into the feedlot on day 127. Cattle were individually weighed at approximately 2-month intervals, and feed consumption was measured during the 167 days in the feedlot. Fecal nematode egg counts were individually monitored for all animals during both phases of the trial. Carcass weight, quality grade, yield grade, and the incidence of liver abscesses were recorded for each animal at slaughter. Cattle treated with the ivermectin SR bolus gained significantly (P < .05) more weight through the grazing period and from the start of grazing through the end of the feedlot phase than the controls or the cattle treated with BZD products. There were no significant differences in feed efficiency between any of the groups. Mean carcass weight for cattle treated with boluses was significantly (P < .05) greater than that of the controls and the group treated with BZD. Dressing percentage and quality grade were significantly (P < .05) higher for the BZD and bolus groups, and yield grade was slightly (but not significantly) better for each of these groups than for controls. Significantly (P < .05) fewer livers of cattle treated with boluses had abscesses at slaughter than did livers of controls or cattle treated with BZDs. During both phases of the trial, fecal egg counts were significantly (P < .05) lower for the group treated with boluses than for the untreated group or the group treated with BZD. These data indicate that treatment with boluses for parasite control at the beginning of the grazing period had beneficial effects on weight gain as compared to no anthelmintic treatment or treatment with a BZD at the start of grazing and again at the time of introduction into the feedlot. These bolus benefits were sustained through the feedlot phase of production and provided further improvements with significantly (P < .05) increased carcass weights. The bolus is a tool that can significantly increase the efficiency of production for cattle producers who retain ownership into the feedlot phase of production or feedlot operators who graze stockers before feedlot entry.


Parental involvement is mentioned more than one hundred times in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). In this article, John Rogers argues that President Bush and former U.S. secretary of education Rod Paige have promoted policy narratives of test accountability, choice, and parental involvement that describe how poor parents can spur educators to have higher expectations and to work harder. What is missing from these policy narratives, Rogers argues, is a fundamental understanding of the problems facing poor communities: a lack of both resources and tools for collective action. Through the case study of a grassroots nonprofit organization, Parent- U-Turn, Rogers demonstrates how parents can create what he calls public power by responding to structural and systemic educational problems through shared inquiry and collective action. Rogers holds up this case as an example of how parents might become true forces for accountability in public education and outlines ways in which the lessons of this example migh...


The context-dependent nature of kin discrimination was examined in larvae of the marbled salamander, Ambystoma opacum. In a graphical analysis, relationships between aggression and social and ecological factors were explored. Increasing relatedness between individuals was predicted to reduce aggressive encounters, except when correlates of fitness (e.g. body size) diVered between individuals and/or when environmental conditions increased the profitability of aggression. These predictions were tested in a multifactorial experiment in which genetic relatedness, food quantity, relative body size and the potential for physical encounters were manipulated. The eVects of each factor and their interactions on larval aggression and correlates of fitness (body size and timing of metamorphosis) were examined. Frequency of aggression depended upon an interaction between kinship, food quantity and relative larval size. Thus, in accordance with our graphical model, kinship-based aggression varied in a context-dependent fashion. Low food level reduced body size and increased the time required to reach metamorphosis. When larvae were not separated by a barrier, growth was inhibited in the smaller, but not the larger, individual of a pair. Moreover, the larval period was significantly shortened in chambers where barriers were absent. Neither kinship nor initial relative size, either alone or in combination with the other factors, significantly aVected larval performance. These results show that the frequency of larval aggression in A. opacum depends upon prevailing social and environmental conditions; however, the influence of aggression on larval growth and metamorphosis remains unclear. Previous inferences regarding context-dependent kin discrimination in amphibians have been based on independent, interspecific studies or concurrent, intraspecific comparisons between individuals of alternative mor- phologies. The present results provide direct evidence that simultaneous variation in multiple socio- ecological factors may alter aggression in a single amphibian species in which kin discrimination is known to occur. ? 1996 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour


Women who seek high-level administrative leadership positions in various sectors of higher education continue to meet a variety of barriers (Eagly & Carli, 2007). These challenges are especially evident among the 105-member Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU), an association of faith-based liberal arts institutions. Seeking to identify, equip, and encourage more women to enter high-level positions of leadership, in 1998 the CCCU launched a series of year-long leadership programs, each of which began with a five-day Women's Leadership Development Institute (WLDI). During four institutes held between 1998 and 2004, the WLDI involved 71 "emerging leaders" in a multifaceted leadership development program specifically intended for women. Survey responses from 53 of the 71 participants were used to assess which experiences in the one-year WLDI project had been most significant in encouraging and preparing participants for higher-level administrative leadership. Multiple regression analyses indicated that the experiences perceived as most beneficial by the participants were the shadowing/mentoring experience on another campus, the WLDI participation restriction to women, and the informal conversations and networking with other women. The shadowing/mentoring experience had the greatest influence on increasing the participants' confidence in themselves as academic leaders and changing their thinking about their own leadership potential. Participation in a leadership program that was limited to women was frequently cited as a source of encouragement for these participants to remain in Christian higher education. More than half of the survey respondents moved into broader leadership responsibilities within one year of participating in the WLDI.


In disaster areas, rescue work by humans is extremely difficult and dangerous. Therefore, rescue work using rescue robots in place of humans is attracting attention. This study specifically examines peristaltic crawling, the movement technique used by earthworms, because it can enable movement through narrow spaces and because it can provide stable movement even in various difficult environments. Moreover, we designed each part of the robot based on required specifications and developed a real robot. We present results of motion experiments conducted with robot movement on level ground.


The transport of unprocessed gas streams in production and gathering pipelines is becoming more attractive for new developments, particularly those is less friendly enviroments such as deep offshore locations. Transporting gas, oil, and water together from wells in satellite fields to existing processing facilities reduces the investments required for expanding production. However, engineers often face several problems when designing these systems. These problems include reduced flow capacity, corrosion, emulsion, asphaltene or wax deposition, and hydrate formation. Engineers need a tool to understand how the fluids travel together, quantify the flow reduction in the pipe, and determine where, how much, and the type of liquid that would from in a pipe. The present work provides a fundamental understanding of the thermodynamics and hydrodynamic mechanisms of this type of flow. We present a model that couples complex hydrodynamic and thermodynamic models for describing the behavior of fluids traveling in near-horizontal pipes. The model incorporates: • A hydrodynamic formulation for three-phase flow in pipes. • A thermodynamic model capable of performing two-phase and three-phase flow calculations in an accurate, fast and reliable manner. • A new theoretical approach for determining flow pattern transitions in three-phase (gas-oil-water) flow, and closure models that effectively handle different three-phase flow patterns and their transitions. The unified two-fluid model developed herein is demonstrated to be capable of handling systems exhibiting two-phase (gas-water and gas-oil) and three-phase (gas-oil-water) flow. Model predictions were compared against field and experimental data with excellent matches. The hydrodynamic model allows: 1) the determination of flow reduction due to the condensation of liquid(s) in the pipe, 2) assessment of the potential for forming substances that might affect the integrity of the pipe, and 3) evaluation of the possible measures for improving the deliverability of the pipeline.Copyright © 2007 by ASME


(1) Background: Mid-stromal isolated Bowman layer transplantation aims to reduce and stabilize corneal ectasia in patients with advanced, progressive keratoconus. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of this new surgical technique. (2) Methods: Following the PRISMA statement and checklist, we searched Medline, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, and Embase and used a broad systematic search strategy according to the Cochrane Collaboration. (3) Results: Eight studies with a total number of 120 eyes of 106 patients met our inclusion criteria. One month after Bowman layer transplantation, patients with keratoconus showed a significant decrease in the measured simulated keratometry (−4.74 D [95% CI −6.79 to −2.69]) and the maximum keratometry (−7.41 D [95% CI −9.64 to −5.19]), which remained significant one year postoperatively (−2.91 D [95% CI −5.29 to −0.53] and −5.80 D [−8.49 to −3.12]). Intra- and postoperative complications were observed in 3% and 9% of the patients, respectively. An estimated success rate of 75% to 85% was achieved by experienced surgeons at 5 to 8 years postoperatively. (4) Conclusions: Bowman layer transplantation may be an effective and safe treatment option in patients with advanced, progressive keratoconus. Additional multicenter prospective interventional studies are needed to confirm these preliminary findings.


Controllable microstrip transmission line phase shifters employing the membrane actuated ground plane are investigated. Simulated data are included for a uniform air gap transmission line phase shifter, as well. A single 10.4 mm diameter membrane had showed phase shifts of 37.07/spl deg/ and 55.48/spl deg/ at 11.01 GHz and 14.25 GHz, respectively, which can be further duplicated and put as an array to cover the desired length of the microstrip line, to achieve a desired phase shift in a particular application. This phase shifter may find applications in phased arrays, and as discrete phase shifter components.


The story of Lijjat offers an opportunity to challenge students to think about what a business is for. It can be used to explore students' cultural intelligence starting point and discover what they need to learn from others who are different from them. The material lends itself to explore the concepts of missions, visions, values, strategies, and goals in the context of a highly successful business in India. For many years, members of the same family—mothers, daughters, sisters, and mothers-in-law—worked side by side producing Lijjat papads in India. All had started out underprivileged. Lijjat existed to improve the quality of each woman's life. Yet Lijjat was a business and market leader. President Swati R. Paradkar knew it had to continue to grow and was unwilling to do so at the expense of what made the organization unique—it was built on the labor of women who had little except a desire for self-dignity. Paradkar and her team had plans to increase production by opening facilities in nonmetro regions that suited the company's business model. But what would they do about replicating the model outside of India?
Excerpt
UVA-OB-1091
Dec. 7, 2015
Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad: It's A Women-Only Business
You could call it an institution. You could call it an organization. You could call it a society. But anyone who called Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad (Lijjat) a company was quickly corrected by its president, Swati R. Paradkar. For those who didn't know better, Lijjat seemed to look like many other successful companies. Its products could easily be found on food shelves throughout India and around the world. Yet a closer look from the outside revealed some major differences. Even before Sam Walton called his employees associates, the group of women making up Lijjat referred to themselves as lady members rather than employees. They treated the organization like a sacred place—much like a temple, church, or mosque. And any economic activity was for the goal of improving the lives of those in need. That included those who joined and worked at producing Lijjat's products—the business. All lady members were impoverished when they started.
Over its 56 years, Lijjat had grown from an investment of INR80 (~USD16.8) to annual sales of INR1,200crore (~USD183.6 million). The brand had been built by women's empowerment. In the minds of many consumers in India, the papad—a seasoned dough, flattened and cooked crispy with dry heat—was synonymous with Lijjat. Indeed, the words "papad" and "Lijjat" were used interchangeably.
As with anything successful, imitation was sure to follow. So when it was discovered that fake Lijjat papads were hitting markets worldwide, the lady members had to do something. While original packaging had the trademarked photo of a child called Babla eating a papad, a pink rabbit was added in the 1980s in hopes of making identification of the real thing more readily visible (see Exhibit 1).
. . .


In recent years, the frequency of antidepressant drug–induced sexual dysfunction has increased, along with the use of new drugs for the treatment of erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation. It has thus become common for pharmacists to counsel patients about sexual issues. Pharmacists must not only become knowledgeable about these drugs and their indications, but they must also become skilled and comfortable with counseling patients and answering questions from both patients and other health care providers. In addition to therapeutic information, pharmacists' discussions with patients should take into account factors that contribute to treatment nonadherence and treatment failure. Patient education is essential to ensure optimum outcomes for pharmacologic treatments for both erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation. Improper use of phosphodiesterase‐5 inhibitor drugs for erectile dysfunction accounts for most nonresponsiveness and discontinuation of treatment. Drug‐induced sexual dysfunction is common with some psychotropic drugs. Up to 50% of men will experience delayed ejaculation, and at least 30% of men and women will experience anorgasmia from antidepressant drugs with serotonin agonist activity. Trazodone is the drug most commonly associated with the rare but very serious adverse effect of priapism. The pharmacist who is both competent and comfortable discussing sexual function and dysfunction with patients can make positive contributions to their therapeutic outcomes as well as their quality of life.


The objective of this ground based study is to test the hypothesis that shear thinning (the non-Newtonian response of viscosity to shear rate) is a viable mechanism to explain the observation of enhanced glass formation in numerous low-g experiments. In 1-g, fluid motion results from buoyancy forces and surface tension driven convection. This fluid flow will introduce shear in undercooled liquids in 1-g. In low-g it is known that fluid flows are greatly reduced so that the shear rate in fluids can be extremely low. It is believed that some fluids may have weak structure in the absence of flow. Very small shear rates could cause this structure to collapse in response to shear resulting in a lowering of the viscosity of the fluid. The hypothesis of this research is that: Shear thinning in undercooled liquids decreases the viscosity, increasing the rate of nucleation and crystallization of glass forming melts. Shear in the melt can be reduced in low-g, thus enhancing undercooling and glass formation. The viscosity of a model glass (lithium di-silicate, L2S) often used for crystallization studies has been measured at very low shear rates using a dynamic mechanical thermal analyzer. Our results are consistent with increasing viscosity with a lowering of shear rates. The viscosity of L2S may vary as much as an order of magnitude depending on the shear rate in the temperature region of maximum nucleation and crystal growth. Classical equations for nucleation and crystal growth rates, are inversely related to the viscosity and viscosity to the third power respectively. An order of magnitude variation in viscosity (with shear) at a given temperature would have dramatic effects on glass crystallization Crystallization studies with the heavy metal fluoride glass ZBLAN (ZrF2-BaF2-LaF3-AlF3-NaF) to examine the effect of shear on crystallization are being initiated. Samples are to be melted and quenched under quiescent conditions at different shear rates to determine the effect on crystallization. The results from this study are expected to advance the current scientific understanding of glass formation in low-g and glass crystallization under glass molding conditions and will improve the scientific understanding of technological processes such as fiber pulling, bulk amorphous alloys, and glass fabrication processes.


We use Bayesian inference to derive the rate coefficients of a coarse master equation from molecular dynamics simulations. Results from multiple short simulation trajectories are used to estimate propagators. A likelihood function constructed as a product of the propagators provides a posterior distribution of the free coefficients in the rate matrix determining the Markovian master equation. Extensions to non-Markovian dynamics are discussed, using the trajectory "paths" as observations. The Markovian approach is illustrated for the filling and emptying transitions of short carbon nanotubes dissolved in water. We show that accurate thermodynamic and kinetic properties, such as free energy surfaces and kinetic rate coefficients, can be computed from coarse master equations obtained through Bayesian inference.


Neuromuscular complications of critical illness are common and can be severe and persistent in some patients. Neuromyopathy from critical illness and disuse atrophy from prolonged immobility contribute to muscle weakness acquired while in the intensive care unit. Although various risk factors (eg, severity of illness, corticosteroids, neuromuscular blocking agents) have been implicated in critical illness neuromyopathy (CINM), the evidence supporting these associations is inconsistent. Hyperglycemia may be an important risk factor for CINM, with tight glycemic control through intensive insulin therapy reducing the incidence of CINM. Early mobility in the intensive care unit may minimize disuse atrophy and possibly CINM, through exercise training and its anti-inflammatory effects. Although emerging data have demonstrated the safety, feasibility, and benefit of early mobility in critically ill patients, randomized controlled trials are needed to thoroughly evaluate its potential benefits on patients' muscle strength, physical function, and quality of life. Future studies are needed to elucidate the multiple mechanisms by which immobility, CINM, and other aspects of critical illness lead to muscle loss and neuromuscular dysfunction.


We study the scattering of an acoustic wave by an object composed of several adjacent sub-domains with different material properties. For this problem we derive an integral formulation of the first kind. This formulation involves two Dirichlet data and two Neumann data at each point of each interface of the diffracting object. This formulation is immune to spurious resonances, and it satisfies a stability property that ensures quasi-optimal convergence of conforming Galerkin boundary element methods. Besides, the operator of this formulation satisfies a relation similar to the standard Calderon identity.


The new, interdisciplinary IASLC/ATS/ERS classification of lung adenocarcinoma has achieved a considerable impact since its publication in the year 2011. It separates tumours into preinvasive, minimally invasive and invasive subtypes. The preinvasive lesions atypical, adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH) and adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) together with the minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA), have an excellent prognosis after complete resection with 100 % survival. It enables a reproducible tumour grading by the determination of the predominant histological growth pattern which could be confirmed in several follow-up studies. Thereby the mixed subtype was eliminated which formerly represented about 80 % of all adenocarcinomas. Similarly, the terms bronchioloalveolar adenocarcinoma and bronchioloalveolar tumour growth were eliminated because they represented several distinct entities, specifically the in-situ lesions AAH and ACIS as well as the non-in-situ/invasive tumours like minimally invasive adenocarcinoma, lepidic predominant adenocarcinoma (LPA) and invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma (IMA). Although the classification is based on data from tumour resections it accommodates the fact that most tumours are diagnosed on biopsies and cytological specimens and includes recommendations for an efficient work-up to preserve tissue for molecular testing. Furthermore, the morphological analysis may provide hints for molecular changes including mutations with therapeutic relevance that may enable targeted molecular diagnostics. This review presents essentials facts of the new classification that will be part of the next WHO classification of lung tumors and its follow-up publications.


A low and highly variable bioavailability is often the main reason for the failure of the development of a drug intended for oral delivery. Focusing on absorption instead of bioavailability from oral administration enables the identification and understanding of key causes of low and erratic absorption to improve drug performance in early development. In the work carried out as part of this thesis, the in silico estimation of drug absorption (fa*fg) was carried out. The use of a population pharmacokinetic approach was proposed, as implemented in NONMEM, to estimate fa*fg and variability from phase I clinical studies (AstraZeneca database). This work enabled the identification of the rate limiting step in oral drug absorption, and allowed for comparisons of fa*fg and inter-subject variability for different drug formulations. Solubility/dissolution and permeability were investigated in vitro in terms of their variability for two model drugs – dipyridamole and furosemide. Physiological parameters such as bile salt concentrations and pH were simulated in vitro to understand their effects on the absorption process. Dipyridamole saturated solubility and dissolution are pH and bile salt dependent. However, when both dissolution and permeability were tested simultaneously, it was found that pH plays an important factor in the permeation of dipyridamole rather than bile salt concentration. This can explain to some extent the variability between individuals in the absorption of dipyridamole. Furosemide solubility experiments showed that pH, buffer capacity and, to a lesser extent, bile salt concentration affect its saturated solubility. Surprisingly, almost complete drug release was observed under all simulated conditions with a clinical dose. Similarly, the permeation of furosemide did not differ under different conditions. It was suggested that with this clinical dose, other physiological parameters contribute to variability in furosemide absorption, such as gastric emptying time. Moreover, the efficacy of three formulations (solid dispersion, Self Micro Emulsifying Drug Delivery systems and nano-particles) in increasing solubility\ dissolution in vitro and in vivo in the rat model was compared. Lack of IVIVC was observed. It was suggested that the missing link is the human absorption estimation that can be resolved by the proposed population pharmacokinetics approach presented herein.


INTRODUCTION Micro miniaturization of analytical procedures will have a significant impact on all aspects of diagnostic testing as we move into the 21st century. It will enable highly complex clinical testing to be miniaturized, and hence permit testing to move from the central laboratory into non-laboratory settings. These new personal laboratories will enable relatively unskilled operators to perform highly complex clinical tests, once only available from large specialized central laboratories. Many factors will determine the extent of the implementation of this type of testing, including prevailing regulations that govern laboratory testing, costbenefit considerations, and the interest by members of the general public in performing self-testing. This article briefly reviews the current state of the micro technology that would underlie the development of personal laboratories


Background In recent years, with the rapidly development of economic globalization, residents' dietary structure has undergone major changes, and diet have emerged as an important environmental factors linked to the increased incidence of obesity. Therefore, evaluating the overall dietary quality and structure of residents, further clarifying the main dietary factors that lead to disease occurrence, is of great practical significance for disease prevention and control. Methods Baseline data from the China Multi-Ethnic Cohort study (CMEC), Han people living in high-altitude and cold regions of Yunnan Province, which was 1518 participants. In this study, the dietary balance index (DBI-16) was used (i) To evaluate the dietary quality of Han nationality residents 30–79 years old in the Yunnan plateau; (ii) To analyze the correlation between the dietary quality and overweight/obesity; (iii) And to provide reference basis of nutritional intervention for local residents and explore the main dietary factors affecting their health status. Results The dietary structure of the Han nationality residents in the cold regions of Yunnan plateau is unreasonable. Firstly, the intake of cereals, fruits, dairy, eggs and fishes is insufficient to varying degrees, while the intake of beans, poultry, and cooking oil is relatively high. Secondly, the dietary patterns of normal groups, the overweight and obese groups obeyed the A, E, H and I dietary patterns, and the serum Leptin and adipocyte fatty acid binding protein (A-FABP) levels of the overweight and obese group were higher than the normal group between the different dietary patterns (P < 0.05, r > 0). Additionally, excessive dietary intake was positively correlated with a higher serum UCP1 level (P < 0.05, r > 0). In comparison, insufficient dietary intake was positively correlated with a higher serum A-FABP level (P < 0.05, r > 0). Conclusion Through the DBI-16, it is found that the dietary structure of the Han nationality residents in the cold regions of Yunnan plateau was in a serious imbalance state, and nutritional guidance and intervention should be further strengthened.


This article challenges the belief that strong sense of community is limited to the traditional classroom and proposes that the virtual classroom has the potential of building and sustaining sense of community at levels that are comparable to the traditional classroom. Drawing on research literature, the concept of learning community is applied to the virtual classroom by taking on the issue of how best to design and conduct an online course that fosters community among learners who are physically separated from each other. Course design principles are described that facilitate dialogue and decrease psychological distance, thereby increasing a sense of community among learners. Key Terms
Distance education, community, spirit, trust, interaction, learning, persistence, attrition, ALN, online


The rheological properties of erythrocytes: elongation and the aggregation, as well as basic peripheral blood parameters: RBC number, hematocrit, MCV, MCH, MCHC reticulocytes, fibrinogen level, ESR, and glucose level were studied in a group of erysipelas patients. The concentration of malonyl dialdehyde (MDA) in erythrocytes was also measured, as an indicator of oxidative stress exerted. The study involved 18 erysipelas patients and 18 healthy subjects. The rheological properties and the aggregation of erythrocytes were studied with the use of a LORCA instrument (Laser-assisted Optical Rotational Cell Analyser). Differences were found in elongation index (EI) between the blood control (C) and patients (P), with an increase of this value only at 0.58 Pa shear stress and at 1.13 Pa shear stress. Upstroke were used as the indexes of RBC deformability, and the following aggregation parameters: intensity of light scattering in the prior disaggregation (Isc dis) - C - 43.0 au (arbitrary units), P - 44.8 au, time when cells are round and not aggregated (Isc top) - C - 51.6 au, P - 49.3 au, the amplitude of aggregation, the difference between Isc max and Isc min (AMP) - C - 39.9 au, P - 28.7 au, aggregation index (AI) - C - 64.6%, P - 70.0%, time for reach one half of the maximum aggregation (t(1/2)) - C - 2.0 s, P - 1.5 s, threshold shear stress, the lowest force that breaks the aggregation formed (Y(thr)) in P exceed 170% control group were measured. A decrease in the elasticity of erythrocytes in erysipelas patients was associated with the simultaneous increase of MDA - C - 0.08 nM/mgHb, P - 0.11 nM/mgHb content in the membranes of red blood cells. Basic peripheral blood parameters studied in patients with erysipelas did not differ significantly from the control group except for WBC, fibrinogen (C - 3.8 g/l, P - 7.8 g/l), and ESR (C - 6.1 mm/h, P - 45.4 mm/h) which were significantly higher.


Zen meditation, or zazen, has attracted the interest of many psychotherapists. The teachings and practices of the Soto Zen tradition are understood as encouraging important areas of both psychological and spiritual development. Zen, like the relational psychoanalytic theories, encourages its practitioners to become aware of the fundamentally distorted aspects of an overly individualistic view of human experience. As a spiritual practice, zazen increases the practitioner's tolerance and appreciation of the Wholeness that Buddhists refer to as Emptiness. As a psychological practice, it helps us to be more flexibly and intimately present with our patients. An effective therapeutic process, even of the most secular type, will often contain elements of the meditative process of zazen, and failure to actualize this in psychotherapy can have a negative impact on our ability to understand and help our patients.


BOMBOLO is our instrument proposal for covering a series of scientific cases, in the not-so-explored time window of tens of seconds to minutes exposures, to be installed at the SOAR observatory. BOMBOLO is a wide field imager, capable of simultaneous, synchronous and independent observations in three different bands of the near-UV and visible wavelengths. BOMBOLO will be located at one of the Bent Cassegrain focal stations. Given its length, weight and mounting limitations, we discuss the current mechanical and opto-mechanical design of the instrument, given flexures caused by a changing gravity vector. In order to validate our designs, a Monte-Carlo simulation is used to explore different observing conditions, as the starting point for static and dynamic studies of the structure using Finite Element Analysis tools. A quick update on the current state of the instrument related to the optical design and manufacturing as well as the CCD cameras is included.


The paper presents several circuit-theory approaches for analysing the qualitative behaviour of nonlinear networks containing one or two energy-storage elements. The main concept consists in the transformation of a dynamic-network problem into an equivalent resistive-network problem. In particular, it is shown that any 1st-order nonlinear network can be analysed by obtaining the solution waveforms of an associated resistive constant-slope network. For 2nd-order autonomous nonlinear networks, it is shown that their isoclines are identical to the transfer-characteristic plots of an associated resistive isocline network. Many qualitative properties are shown to be derivable from this network. The classical approach for finding singular points, separatrices, and limit cycles is shown to have simple circuit-theory interpretations. The paper concludes with the presentation of three symmetry theorems useful for analysing 2nd-order nonlinear networks.


An influential neurobiological model of personality is the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory, which postulates how basic motivational systems (behavioral activation system [BAS], behavioral inhibition system [BIS]) can help account for the development and expression of individual differences in personality. Earlier research has documented a link between psychopathic personality and the BIS/BAS scale (Carver & White, 1994), which was developed to measure the behavioral inhibition and activation systems. However, no studies have examined how latent BIS/BAS factors and the 4 empirically derived Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) psychopathy factors (Hare & Neumann, 2008) are associated across different cultures. In the current study, structural equation modeling was used to determine how the 4 PCL-R factors were able to predict BIS/BAS factors using 2 large independent samples of male offenders (North American N = 908; Swedish N = 242). The results were in line with theory and revealed a negative relationship between the PCL-R Affective factor and the BIS factor as well as positive relationships between the PCL-R Antisocial and Lifestyle factors with the BAS factor. Overall, the results of the current study provide evidence of cross-cultural generalizability for the associations between the PCL-R factors and the BIS-BAS factors. Taken together, the PCL-R psychopathy factors were able to account for meaningful variance in the BIS-BAS factors and further support a dimensional approach to understanding the psychopathy construct across cultures.


The development path of resource-based cities is different from that of any other cities, for the particularity of natural endowment determines industries' various reliance on resources. After a close look at the literature relevant to the studies on the development path of resource-based cities both at home and abroad, this article has obtained the following major findings. First of all, some Chinese researchers have engaged in the study on the sustainable development of resource-based cities. This line of research mainly focuses on society, economy, resources and environment and chooses related indexes as the evaluative standards, while regardless of the unique attribute of the resource-based cities. The second finding is that many studies on the development of resource-based cities centered on the macro development of the cities, but paid little heed to the mechanism concerning the transformation of the resource-based cities. The next finding is with regard to the research methods. Generally speaking, descriptive and qualitative research methods dominated the whole body of literature in this field, while quantitative studies could be hardly seen. What has also been found is that research in this domain is of a uni-dimensional flavor, centering mainly on the economic factors and ignoring the social and ecological perspectives. In the last part of this article, we propose that future studies should put more emphasis on the sustainable development of the resource-based cities and adopt a wide range of research methods such as a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods, ecology-oriented methods, comprehensive evaluation method of index system and the theory of dissipative structure, with an aim to enrich and diversify the study methods in this line of research and to evaluate and guide the sustainable development of the resource-based cities in a more systematic manner.


OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there is a bidirectional relationship between pain and insomnia symptoms over the course of a year.

DESIGN
A longitudinal design with a 1-year follow-up was used.

METHODS
From a randomly selected sample of the adult general population (N= 3,000), 1,746 individuals filled out a baseline and 1-year follow-up survey on pain, insomnia symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and depressive symptoms.

RESULTS
Pain (OR = 1.64) and anxiety symptoms increased the risk for the incidence of insomnia symptoms (R(2) = .125) and pain (OR = 1.98), anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms were related to the persistence of insomnia symptoms (R(2) = .212). Gender and anxiety symptoms increased the risk for the incidence of pain (R(2) = .073); and age, insomnia symptoms (OR = 1.49), anxiety symptoms, and depressive symptoms were associated with the persistence of pain (R(2) = .187).

CONCLUSION
While pain was linked to future insomnia symptoms and insomnia symptoms to the persistence of pain over the course of a year, insomnia symptoms was not associated with the incidence of pain. The results, thus, partly argue against bidirectionality between pain and insomnia symptoms.


Every clinician has experienced the frustration of the gingival tissues retracting or changing shape. Meritorious work has been done to cope with these changes and to promote a healthy periodontium and normal papillae. But, so far, there is no explanation for why these changes occur. In this paper, a theory is presented that may clarify the process. The inner vacuum in the mouth, present at each act of swallowing, applies the soft tissues of the tongue, lips, and cheeks against the hard tissues of the bones and teeth. This action molds the soft tissues, adapting them in accordance to the architecture of teeth and embrasures; therefore, the oral vacuum has the capability to adapt, enhance, or impede gingival tissue growth.


The paper considers how to decrease the concentration of nitrogen oxides in gas emissions of bakery enterprises. Nitrogen oxides (NOx) formed in the course of burning natural gas are responsible for more than 90% of an enterprise's hazard category. So, it has been determined how much NOx is contained in exhaust gases emitted at different loadings on the floor of the oven at an enterprise, this parameter being the main characteristic of the effectiveness of ovens and their impact on the environment. The paper presents the results of experiments that have allowed determining the regression equations describing how the NOx quantity per unit of output in an enterprise's exhaust gases depends on the amount of the fuel consumed and on the loading on the floor of baking ovens. The procedure of the experiments has been described, and the numerical results have been presented and analysed. It has been established that when making a loaf of wheat-flour oven-bottom bread weighing 0.9 kg, with 70% loading on the floor of an oven (PPC1381), the nitrogen oxides concentration in combustion products is 212.00 μg/m, and the specific NOx formation is 292.25 μg/kg. The nitrogen oxides concentration is 152.00 μg/m, and the specific formation is 306.00 μg/kg when the oven floor loading is 40%. If a similar range of products is baked in ovens Minel100 with the maximum-loaded and half-loaded oven floor, the production is accompanied by specific nitrogen oxide emissions of 239.50 μg/kg and 247.80 μg/kg respectively. When enriched buns of 0.1 kg are baked in ovens BN50 with the maximum-loaded and half-loaded oven floor, the process is accompanied by specific nitrogen oxide emissions of 209.20 μg/kg and 265.96 μg/kg respectively. The nitrogen oxides content in gases withdrawn from bakery ovens has been instrumentally measured. This has allowed obtaining regression equations of dependence of the specific NOx weight in gas emissions on the amount of fuel consumed and on the oven floor loading. It has been found that in the ovens considered, the nitrogen oxide formation per output unit decreased when the oven floor loading increased, because less fuel is needed to make up for the loss of heat accompanying the emission of fumes. The contributions of the argument parameters have been determined according to the regression model to estimate the quantitative dependence. The amount of nitrogen oxides depends on the oven floor loading. A mathematical model has been developed describing how nitrogen oxide formation depends on the oven floor loading and fuel consumption. The model can be used to introduce an industry standard of quantification of nitrogen oxides formed when manufacturing a unit of output.


The resistive switching effect in ZnxTiyHfzOi nanocomposite film, grown by pulsed laser deposition technique, was investigated. It was shown that ZnxTiyHfzOi film surface had a granular structure with 0.8±0.4 μm grain size and 7.3±5.1 nm grain height. Resistive switching from high resistance state (HRS) to low resistance state (LRS) was occurred at 0.9±0.4 V, and from LRS to HRS at 1.5±0.2 V. HRS/LRS ratio was 2.6. The results can be used for nanocomposite-metaloxide-film RRAM fabrication.


It is odd that discussions on what are usually called 'inequalities in child health' have been concerned mainly with mortality and morbidity and relatively little with health. This is particularly curious when the great improvements in child health achieved since the NHS began have considerably reduced the proportion of children who are nowadays seriously ill. Generally in such discussions health itself is taken to be shown by height, or by the rate of height growth, or by the absence of illness, but these are now scarcely sufficiently discriminating indicators for population studies. Recent thinking about the development of adult chronic illness shows why the measurement of child health should be developed to a point where we could differentiate degrees of health in childhood and see whether they were distributed evenly across all social groups, and we could therefore ask whether the proportion of the most healthy is increasing or not. It is well documented that height, one of the traditional measures of child health, varies considerably with social class in childhood,1 and that the tempo of height growth is similarly varied, being slowest in the lowest social classes and greatest in the highest classes.2 It is also well documented that height is related to health in later life, in the sense that shortness of stature is associated with higher mortality at any given adult age.3 But although depletion or enhancement of quality of skeletal structure and of stature may occur during adult life through eating, exercise, and smoking habits, the limits of growth in height may be achieved only during a relatively short period of time in childhood. Therefore social inequality in achievement of height growth is indicative of risk of social inequality in health in adult life. This example brings together the important notions of a critical period, during which partially inherited potential is developed through environmental influences, particularly those involving individual choice, in this case choice of food and exercise. During childhood, when these choices are largely a matter for the child's mother, she may well be influencing both the extent of fulfilment of developmental potential and the child's taste in such habits now and possibly even in later life. The relative contribution of these elements to the observed social class differences in growth rates and in height is so far not known. It begins now to look as if there are other aspects of childhood health that, like height, may well have long term implications for health. Although few other areas of development are quite so circumscribed in time as physical growth, the model of a potential in which the degree of fulfilment is affected by environmental factors has been often used in other aspects of child development, although the inclusion of habit behaviour as part of the environment has been relatively rare, even though it is likely to be of considerable importance. In the study of obesity, where research into habit behaviour is of relevance, it seems now that early adult onset is far more common than childhood obesity,4 and may even prove to be a greater risk for chronic illness than childhood onset obesity. Although the dynamics of the aetiology of obesity are still by no means clear, there is no doubt that the secular trend in prevalence is rising in childhood and in adult life, and that it is rising fastest in the lower social groups." Childhood and adult obesity each carry appreciable risks to health.6 Blood pressure also looks as if it may prove to follow a pattern of childhood establishment to a certain extent.7 It too has an intrafamilial element and the blood pressure measurements of each individual tend to 'track' from some, as yet undefined, point in childhood or adolescence into adult life,8 and blood pressure is strongly associated with such environmental choice factors as eating and exercise, with which it is also related through its association with obesity. Blood pressure is appreciably higher in the manual social classes, but seems likely to be reduced in those from lower socioeconomic families of origin who achieve a relatively high standard of education.9 Adult respiratory capability may also fit with the notion of a critical or particularly sensitive period in childhood, during which time adverse environmental factors may have a long term influence. Childhood chest illness and poor home circumstances have been found to be associated with relatively poor respiratory function in adult life. These early life experiences were found to be independently associated with adult respiratory function, and they were aggravated in their effect by poor home circumstances in adult life and by cigarette smoking. The risk of this chain of problems is much higher in families in the lowest social classes and in the poorest home environments. 10 11 Recent epidemiological work that uses national


Social Sciences and Health Service Development in India: Sociology of Formation of an Alternative Paradigm by D Banerji; Lok Paksh, New Delhi, DEBABAR BANERJI (hereafter DB) is the most prominent.social scientist in India concerned full-time with issues of health and illness, health services development and health policy. His international reputation is considerable. He regularly takes part in WHO consultations and other forums where he provides a non-official Indian perspective. He has published in a wide variety of foreign and Indian journals. Some of his early writings


On my office wall hang several quotes from the Rev Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. That is probably not surprising, considering that much of my work involves youth violence prevention. No one in American history has spoken more passionately or eloquently than Dr King on the evils of violence. One of the quotes from Dr King on my wall, however, is not found in books of famous quotations, nor has it become part of the lexicon of American history as have so many of his words. Yet, as I work on youth violence prevention, this is often the quote I find most inspirational:

"Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think".

At times of crises, it is especially important to listen to Dr King's message. For US schools, never had there been a crisis on the scale of what happened in Columbine High School last year. On 20 April 1999, two students at this high school in Colorado killed 12 students and one teacher and injured 21 others, before committing suicide. This followed several school shootings during the previous school year. After the tragedy at Columbine, parents, government officials, and the news media called for immediate solutions to school violence. Proposed solutions included restricting access to campuses so that students and others could not enter or leave during the school day, posting armed police officers in schools, increasing the use of metal detectors, tightening gun control legislation, and trying young perpetrators in adult courts. Loud cries were heard for the development of "warning signs" to identify students who might perpetrate such crimes in the future. Security companies began offering their …


The number of cells in an organ is a major factor that specifies its size. However, the genetic basis of cell number determination is not well understood. To obtain insight into this genetic basis, three grandifolia-D (gra-D) mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana were characterized that developed huge leaves with two to three times more cells than the wild-type. Genetic and microarray analyses showed that a large segmental duplication had occurred in all the gra-D mutants, consisting of the lower part of chromosome 4. In the duplications, genes were found that encode AINTEGUMENTA (ANT), a factor that extends the duration of cell proliferation, and CYCD3;1, a G(1)/S cyclin. The expression levels of both genes increased and the duration of cell proliferation in the leaf primordia was extended in the gra-D mutants. Data obtained by RNAi-mediated knockdown of ANT expression suggested that ANT contributed to the huge-leaf phenotype, but that it was not the sole factor. Introduction of an extra genomic copy of CYCD3;1 into the wild-type partially mimicked the gra-D phenotype. Furthermore, combined elevated expression of ANT and CYCD3;1 enhanced cell proliferation in a cumulative fashion. These results indicate that the duration of cell proliferation in leaves is determined in part by the interaction of ANT and CYCD3;1, and also demonstrate the potential usefulness of duplication mutants in the elucidation of genetic relationships that are difficult to uncover by standard single-gene mutations or gain-of-function analysis. We also discuss the potential effect of chromosomal duplication on evolution of organ size.


This paper proposes a new method of dual-Doppler radar analysis based on a variational approach. In it, a cost function, defined as the distance between the analysis and the observations at the data points, is minimized through a limited memory, quasi-Newton conjugate gradient algorithm with the mass continuity equation imposed as a weak constraint. The analysis is performed in Cartesian space. Compared with traditional methods, the variational method offers much more flexibility in its use of observational data and various constraints. Using the radar data directly at observation locations avoids an interpolation step, which is often a source of error, especially in the presence of data voids. In addition, using the mass continuity equation as a weak instead of strong constraint avoids the error accumulation and the subsequent somewhat arbitrary adjustment associated with the explicit vertical integration of the continuity equation. The current method is tested on both model-simulated and observed datasets of supercell storms. It is shown that the circulation inside and around the storms, including the strong updraft and associated downdraft, is well analyzed in both cases. Furthermore, the authors found that the analysis is not very sensitive to the specification of boundary conditions and to data contamination. The method also has the potential for retrieving, with reasonable accuracy, the wind in regions of single-Doppler radar coverage.


This study aimed to evaluate the obstruction of non-pressure compensating emitters using treated sewage effluent (TSE) for irrigation. A drip irrigation system with six models of emitters (encoded) was installed in level field conditions. TSE coming from a sewage treatment station was used as irrigation water after being filtered through a disc filter (120 mesh). Seven flow rate evaluations of drippers operating at 100kPa were performed (0, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 and 600h of operation). The experimental design was randomized in a 6×7 factorial arrangement (6 models and 7 times), with four repetitions, and Tukey's test was used to compare means. Relative flow rate (Qr), the flow rate coefficient of variation (CVQ) and degree of clogging (GE) were determined. There was a reduction in flow rate in five dripper models, which are susceptible to clogging. The model with rated flow stood out against the others, showing a Qr of 100.52%, CVQ of 2.76% and GE of 0.49%. The use of TSE changed the Qr of the drippers after 600h of operation.


Positioning stereotactic navigation system (PSNS) is a mechanical system to make a 3D coordinate metallic frame for guiding minor targets in the brain to do biopsy, injection where the treatment is needed. A PSNS head frame is fixed to skull by specially designed pins to keep the head from touching within the frame until the surgery completed. There are although complications in establishing a dependable frame of position, such as bone area that bear a fixed spatial liaison to soft tissues. The fixation or positioning techniques of head frame have been explained in various publications, but related research of mechanical stress/strain analysis about PSNS and pins has not been reported in literature. As a result, the study was undertaken to explore the PSNS head frame and pins by commercial CAD/CAM and ANSYS software packages. The research aim was to develop a three dimensional finite element model and von-Mises criteria model to calculate the mechanical behavior response for the stress distribution around PSNS and related material involving physical surface contact flexural and compressive loading mechanisms. Static analyses were carried out to find the generated stresses and deformation on each part of the studied model. The outcomes reveal that the finite element engineering applied to PSNS model may be employed to calculate the regional distribution of stress-strain-deformation growth in the skull. The knowledge gained from the study points toward some of the engineering advances that are beneficial to stereotactic frame design and mechanical engineers.


The interflavanyl bond in profisetinidins 1, 4 and 6, and methyl ethers 3, 5, 28 and 29 and procyanidins 24 and 26, and their methyl ethers 25 and 27 is readily subject to cleavage with sodium cyanoboranuide in trifluoroacetic acid at 0 °C. This method will contribute significantly to the structure elucidation of the 5-deoxy (A-ring) proanthocyanidins from important commercial sources. Boltzmann-averaged heterocyclic ring coupling constants as determined by a conformational global search routine (GMMX) and NOE difference spectroscopy were used to assign unequivocally the diastereotopic methylene protons in the 1H NMR spectra of flavan-3-ols, a prerequisite for corroboration of the cleavage mechanism.


The advent of flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FOB) has had a dramatic impact on the practice of pulmonary medicine. This procedure is easily performed in widely varied clinical settings,1provides maximal visualization of the tracheobronchial tree,2results in an exceedingly low complication rate,3,4and does not require general anesthesia. Consequently, flexible FOB has emerged as the procedure of choice for the diagnosis and management of most bronchopulmonary disorders requiring bronchoscopic examination and has completely replaced bronchoscopy using the rigid tube, except perhaps in some cases of exceedingly brisk hemoptysis or the aspiration of a large foreign body. See also p 30. Practically all studies of the flexible FOB have thus far been performed in hospitalized patients. Donlan et al, in a preliminary report on 318 flexible FOB procedures in theArchives(138:698-699), first documented the safety and effectiveness of the procedure performed on an outpatient basis. In this


In order to develop a large animal model for platelet-targeted gene therapy of Hemophilia A, we transduced normal canine bone marrow with a lentivirus vector under the transcriptional control of integrin αIIb gene promoter driving expression of human BDD-FVIII. Bone marrow was collected from normal dogs and transduced in the presence of recombinant canine c-SCF, c-IL-6, human h-TPO, and h-flt-3/flk-2 ligand differentiation factor. Immunofluorescence analysis using antibodies against human FVIII, and the megakaryocyte-specific marker integrin αIIb revealed synthesis of FVIII within tissue cultured megakaryocytes derived from lentivirus transduced bone marrow cells. This result appeared similar to synthesis, trafficking and storage of FVIII trafficked to α-granules of the murine "small animal" model for hemophilia A and human megakaryoyctes in vitro. To examine the effect of FVIII expression in platelets, in vivo , FVIII-transduced canine bone marrow was xenotransplanted into immune-compromised "NOD-SCID" mice treated with a sublethal dose (350 cGy) of irradiation. Flow cytometric analysis using antibodies specific for canine glycoproteins Ibα and integrin αIibβ3 revealed that circulating canine platelets comprised approximately 20–30% of the total platelet population in whole blood isolated from the mice within four weeks after xenotransplant. Immunofluorescence confocal microscopy detected a punctuate staining for FVIII that co-localized with a platelet α–granule protein, P-selectin, within a subpopulation of canine platelets isolated from murine whole blood. In contrast, FVIII was not detected in platelets from control samples. In addition, chromogenic analysis of platelets isolated from mice transplanted with FVIII-transduced bone marrow demonstrated the presence of a biologically active form of FVIII, FVIII:C at 2 mU/ml/lysate of 1×10 8 platelets. These results indicate that canine megakaryocytes are able to synthesize and store a biologically active form of FVIII that can be retained within progeny platelets. We speculate that dogs affected with hemophilia A should serve as an ideal "large animal" model to test if FVIII can undergo regulated release from platelets following physiologic hemostatic response to vessel injury. This raises the possibility of developing a locally inducible secretory pool of FVIII in platelets of patients with Hemophilia A following autologous transplantation of FVIII-transduced hematopoietic stem cells.


We demonstrate experimentally that several classes of phase functions are capable of enhancing the amount of three-photon fluorescence from molecular iodine by at least a factor 3 with respect to an unshaped pulse. The investigated functions include third-order Taylor expansions, π-steps and highly structured forms identified by an evolution strategy. The mechanism of the observed control is investigated using wavepacket simulations and found to be due to a time-delay in the second resonance of the excitation ladder.


A total of 450 serum samples were collected from commercial chicken of 25 farms in different areas in Khartoum State (210 layers and 240 broilers) in 2012. the samples were analysed for chicken anaemia virus antibodies using indirect enzyme linked immuno-sorbant assay The overall prevalence rate of CAV antibodies was 73.3% and that of layers and broiler flocks were 95.7% and 53.8% respectively. The highest value (85.1) was recorded in the Omdurman Governate and Ombada locality (100%) while the lowest (43.2) recorded in Khartoum governate in Jabelawlia. The governate, locality, type of production, breeds, age, poultry population, husbandry system, body condition, source of poultry, floor type and vaccinations were the risk factors that significantly associated with CAV antibodies. These factors were analysed using logistic regression. It is found that, the increased risk of odds of being CAV positive was associated with governate, type of production, poultry population, husbandry system, source of poultry and vaccination (p≤0.05). Urgent need therefore exists to initiate a realistic programe for surveillance, control and eradication of this disease in Sudan especially the use of suitable vaccines for safeguarding poultry health and production in the country. Keywords : chicken anaemia virus, prevalence, risk factors,Khartoum-Sudan


Protein methylation is receiving increasing attention for its important role in regulating diverse biological processes, including epigenetic regulation of gene transcription, RNA processing, DNA damage repair, and signal transduction. Proteome level analysis of protein methylation requires the enrichment of various forms of methylated peptides. Unfortunately, immunoaffinity purification can only enrich a subset of them due to the lack of pan‐specific antibodies. Chromatography‐based methods, however, can enrich methylated peptides in a global manner. Here we present a chromatography‐based approach for highly efficient enrichment of methylated peptides. Protocols for the of high pH SCXtip preparation and methyl‐peptide purification are described in detail. Key points such as cell culture in hM‐SILAC medium and protein digestion by multiple endopeptidases are also presented. This technique allows the simultaneous analysis of both lysine and arginine methylation and improved performance for methyl‐arginine identification. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


With water as the working medium, this paper has investigated into the factors which affect the onset points of flow instability in the natural circulation system with subcooled boiling. Study finds that the increase of entrance subcoolling and pressure in the system can improve system stability. Increasing threshold heat flux can make the subcooling boundary area of density wave oscillation bigger. Both entrance subcooling and system pressure have significant influence on the position where ONB appears at stability boundary. According to dimensionless analysis of two-phase flow differential equations, this paper has put forward an semi-empirical formulae that can forecast the onset conditions of density wave oscillation.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


ACE inhibitors have provided a major advance in cardiovascu lar therapeut ics . The rat ionale for their use in hypertension and heart failure, and their cardiac effects are well documented. Further information is required on the relevance of their direct myocardia l and other t issue effects, and it is l ikely that their use in hypertension and heart failure will increase further over the next several years.


Neural Architecture Search has proven an effective method of automating architecture engineering. Recent work in the field has been to look for architectures subject to multiple objectives such as accuracy and latency to efficiently deploy them on different target hardware. Once-for-All (OFA) is one such method that decouples training and search and is able to find high-performance networks for different latency constraints. However, the search phase is inefficient at incorporating multiple latency targets. In this paper, we introduce two strategies (Top-down and Bottom-up) that use warm starting and randomized network pruning for the efficient incorporation of multiple latency targets in the OFA network. We evaluate these strategies against the current OFA implementation and demonstrate that our strategies offer significant running time performance gains while not sacrificing the accuracy of the subnetworks that were found for each latency target. We further demonstrate that these performance gains are generalized to every design space used by the OFA network.


In order to develop an effective deicing device using mechanical deformation of substrates, the adhesive and/or cohesive strains of ice at rupture were measured for three different modes of solicitation: tensile, twisting and bending. A total of 108 icing/deicing tests were conducted with aluminum and nylon samples covered with hard rime ice deposits 2, 5, and 10 mm thick strained at various strains rates in brittle regime at −10°C. Real time deformation was precisely monitored using a strain gage fixed to the A1 interface, and force by means of load cells and a torque-meter. Deicing strain was determined at the time of ice detachment, which corresponds to a visible, instant change in the slope of stress-strain curves. The mean values of deicing strains, e %, measured in tensile, torsion and bending experiments are respectively, 0.037 ± 0.015%, 0.043 ± 0.023% and 0.004 ± 0.003% As for adhesion strength, the highest values were obtained in tension, 4 MPa ± 50%, and the lowest in bending, 0.014 MPa ± 36%. In torsion, the value was intermediary, at 1.26 MPa ± 67%. Measurements also showed that deicing stress and strain tended to increase with substrate roughness, whereas they decrease with increasing ice thicknesses. In summary, this work points out the effects of two major factors on ice adhesion strength, the solicitation mode and the ice thickness. Finally these results suggest that the first criteria for a mechanical deicing device has to satisfy to be effective is to have the capacity to generating a strain at around 0.04% ice/substrate interface.Copyright © 2009 by ASME


OBJECTS
The aim of this study was to explore the pathogenesis of typical pituitary apoplexy in different periods, to help to formulate a reasonable treatment program and to select the correct operation time.

METHODS
Forty-four cases with pituitary apoplexy were diagnosed by the clinical presentation, pathological examination and surgical findings. Clinical manifestation, imaging features, surgical and pathological findings, as well as their relationships with the courses of this disease were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTS
The course of typical pituitary apoplexy was divided into two stages (the early hemorrhagic infarct stage and the late necrosis stage). The total removal rates in the early and late stage were 87.5% (14/16) and 100% (28/28), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
Typical pituitary apoplexy is mainly caused by hemorrhage secondary to necrosis after infarction. The staging of this disease provides an important guidance value to diagnosis and treatment. The surgical outcomes in the late stage were significantly better than those in the early stage. The patients without significant symptoms can be conservatively treated by hormone substitution therapy.


String similarity models are vital for record linkage, entity resolution, and search. In this work, we present STANCE–a learned model for computing the similarity of two strings. Our approach encodes the characters of each string, aligns the encodings using Sinkhorn Iteration (alignment is posed as an instance of optimal transport) and scores the alignment with a convolutional neural network. We evaluate STANCE's ability to detect whether two strings can refer to the same entity–a task we term alias detection. We construct five new alias detection datasets (and make them publicly available). We show that STANCE (or one of its variants) outperforms both state-of-the-art and classic, parameter-free similarity models on four of the five datasets. We also demonstrate STANCE's ability to improve downstream tasks by applying it to an instance of cross-document coreference and show that it leads to a 2.8 point improvement in Bˆ3 F1 over the previous state-of-the-art approach.


Abstract The dearth of baseline, near-surface (<20 m) geoscience knowledge represents a practical and economic limitation to seismic exploration and petroleum development in remote and northern sedimentary basins of Canada. The compilation of 343 989 seismic shothole drillers' logs from continental Northwest Territories and northern Yukon, in database and GIS formats, provides a large new source of lithostratigraphic data. Use of this previously disregarded data has enabled reconstructions and models of potential granular aggregate resources, massive and ground ice occurrences, geohazards, muskeg and drift thicknesses, and till facies. This information can be readily utilized to improve the efficiency and focus of environmental assessments, address issues of weathered zone static inferences for seismic exploration, better identify potential geohazards, and support the sustainable design and development of regional infrastructure.


The Victorian Child Death Review Committee (VCDRC) in Australia is a multidisciplinary Ministerial Advisory Committee established to review the deaths of children either currently child protection clients or known to the statutory child protection system. The Committee provides advice about each child death as well as insights into what are the surrounding patterns and issues. Key to this role is examining the contribution of the service sectors to the protection of children and the routine practices that are in place to respond to children and vulnerability. This paper provides a snapshot of the cases referred to the VCDRC and the key messages for practice drawn from them. What emerges is that often the threshold for when statutory child protection services must be involved in child and family matters can be ambiguous and that agreement about intervention, the level and nature of need or risk, and when cumulative harm and neglect require statutory responses are not always shared between agencies. It is clear that the lack of common frameworks about what constitutes child protection intervention challenges services. It is recommended that there be and used agreed definitions and frameworks to ensure shared understandings and collaborative responses across the service and legal systems.


This paper analyzes the costs and benefits of controlling groundwater pollution from agricultural use of nitrogen fertilizer in southwestern Ontario. The Village of Hensall, where nitrate concentrations have been observed above 10 mg/L in recent years, is selected as the study site.'The CREAMS simulation model is used to estimate the effect of reducing nitrogen fertilizer on nitrate leaching and consequently on nitrate groundwater pollution. Estimates of the value of groundwater are obtained from the literature and are used to calculate the off-farm cost of groundwater contamination. This procedure results in a wide range of values for the benefits of reducing nitrate pollution. Estimated annual benefits of improved ground-water quality range from less than $1,000 to more than $30,000 for the village. The off-farm benefits of nitrate groundwater pollution abatement outweigh the cost of using bottled water and also exceed the on-farm cost of reducing nitrogen fertilizer application rates. Placing a tax on nitrogen fertilizer would reduce the level of nitrogen applications, but the farm cost of compliance to a nitrogen tax policy is substantially higher than the compliance cost under a regulatory policy that imposes a quantitative ceiling on nitrogen application rates over the part of the aquifer from which the village draws its water supply.


Health care quality falls far short of its potential nationally. Because care is delivered locally, improvement strategies should be tailored to community needs. This analysis from the Community Quality Index (CQI) study reports on a comprehensive examination of how effectively care is delivered in twelve metropolitan areas. We find room for improvement in quality overall and in dimensions of preventive, acute, and chronic care in all of these communities; no community was consistently best or worst on the various dimensions. Having concrete estimates of the extent of the gap in performance should stimulate community-based quality improvement efforts.


Abstract Ecological and evolutionary processes commonly result in morphological variation among larval amphibians. Variation in head shape plays a critical role in both food capture and predation risk in gape-limited salamanders, yet in situ studies of head shape variability are rare outside of cannibal morph assessments. We examined allometry differences in larval head width (HW) and snout–vent length (SVL) among three sympatric species of ambystomatid salamanders from 166 ponds in Missouri, USA: Ringed Salamander (Ambystoma annulatum), Marbled Salamander (A. opacum), and Spotted Salamander (A. maculatum). We also tested whether several abiotic and biotic factors would predict HW after accounting for SVL. We found that larval HW and SVL were strongly correlated for all species but that the strength of this relationship varied among species. For early-stage larvae, Marbled Salamanders showed isometric scaling relationships, whereas both Spotted Salamanders and Ringed Salamanders were allometric. For late-stage larvae, all three species showed allometric patterns. At a small SVL, HW of small Ringed Salamanders was greater than the other species. As larvae increased in SVL, Marbled Salamander HW increased most rapidly and eventually exceeded both Ringed Salamanders and Spotted Salamanders of a similar size. We also found that both abiotic and biotic factors predicted significant differences in HW corrected for SVL among species, including predator density, competitor density, and hydroperiod. Overall, variability in scaling relationships may provide ecological advantages to each species at different points in ontogeny and different biotic and abiotic factors may induce such variation in asymmetric ways among species.


We show that the exact wave function for two electrons, interacting through a Coulomb potential but constrained to remain on the surface of a D-sphere (D >or= 1), is a polynomial in the interelectronic distance u for a countably infinite set of values of the radius R. A selection of these radii and the associated energies are reported for ground and excited states on the singlet and triplet manifolds. We conclude that the D = 3 model bears the greatest similarity to normal physical systems.


The auxin-Tike properties of potassium naphthenates (KNap), and the e f f e c t of these compounds on indoleacetic acid (IAA) biosynthesis and degradation were examined. Chapter I. The auxin-like properties of KNap. Cucumber seeds were treated with. 1000 ppm KNap and a s i g n i f i c a n t (at the 0.05 level) i n h i b i t i o n of root growth (91%) , compared with control seedlings was obtained. The e f f e c t s of KNap and indolebutyric acid on the i n i t i a t i o n of roots by stem cuttings of Phaseolus vulgaris L. were examined. The treatments with 10 and 100 ppm of both compounds s i g n i f i c a n t l y stimulated root i n i t i a t i o n . Root i n i t i a t i o n of azalea stem cuttings was s i g n i f i c a n t l y augmented by 10, 100, and 1000 ppm KNap. The elongation of dark-grown Alaska pea stem segments was stimulated by 1.0 ppm KNap (279% over the c o n t r o l ) . Surprisingly, t h i s stimulation did not d i f f e r s i g n i f i c a n t l y from that caused by 0.1 ppm IAA (339% over the c o n t r o l ) . KNap at 100 and 1000 ppm, applied to the d i s t a l end of debladed peti o l e s , did not a f f e c t abscission. The times required for 50% abscission of petioles treated with 10 and 1000 ppm cyclohexanecarboxylic acid were s i g n i f i c a n t l y greater than that for abscission of control p e t i o l e s , but not from that required by pet i o l e s treated with 100 ppm naphthaleneacetic acid. Chapter II. The e f f e c t of KNap on IAA biosynthesis and degradation. When the seeds' of Phaseolus vulgaris L. were soaked for 12 hours i n a solution of 100 ppm KNap immediately p r i o r to sowing, there was a s i g n i f i c a n t increase (140% over control plants) i n the content of IAA i n the a p i c a l 5-8 cm of the stems of 14-day-old plants. The immersion of the root systems of 13-day-old darkgrown bean plants i n a solution of 100 ppm KNap for 24 hours resulted i n a s i g n i f i c a n t stimulation (4% over the control) of the a c t i v i t y of the IAA oxidase system. The evidence presented i s interpreted as supporting the view that KNap has some auxin-like properties. The v a l i d i t y of t h i s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n i s discussed.


Consequently, lot of discussion and the approach adopted during the practice of ablution unlawful. Ironically, most of the facilities in the mosque were designed without accommodating the Muslims need in performing ablution, especially the importance of hygienically, conveniently and efficiently when perform the wudhu'. This research focuses on the design of the wudhu' facility to accommodate the Muslim needs in performing ablution by considering the design that it can be adapted to the compact, simple and budget. It is also environment-friendly design and safety sanitary standard. The methodology that will be used in this study is ergonomic approach with the involvement of competence users. It is aimed at obtaining a design based on user's expectations as well as safety and comfort. Finally, the study found that the practice of ablution has sparked a variety of architectural ablution place since time immemorial. Therefore, this research will cover the design of a place to take ablution and suitability of use in terms of Islamic law. A conceptual study on the ergonomic of a product development moreover will discuss about the wudhu' facility to accommodate the Muslim needs in performing ablution.