The title of my research is "The analysis of magazine's family and home model in
home, family and women lifestyle magazines in 2003-2004". The main goal of the
research was to find out which is the representation of family and home in those
magazines. The magazines that belong to the sample are Pere ja Kodu, Kodukiri, Anne
and Eesti Naine.
To achieve that aim, I used different study methods. At first - standardized content
analysis, to find out the general qualities of typical home and family described in
magazines. The next method - qualitative analysis combined with elements of
Faircloughis critical discourse analysis - helped to describe the evaluation system of
typical magazine family. It shows what does a typical magazine family evaluate and what
does it condemn. The third method - qualitative analysis of pictures combined with
elements of Kressis and van Leeuwenis visual analysis - was used on the same purpose
as the previous method.
The main results of my research showed that typical magazine family is
nucleusfamily. It consists of two parents and two children. The family lives in city and
owns its own home - house or apartment.
The main values in typical family's evaluation system were career, private home and
children. Parents' everyday job was also a hobby for them. They earned enough for
convenient living and travelling as well in Estonia and in foreign countries. Typical home
in magazines was nicely decorated and fulfilled completely all demands of family.
Typical family loved its children very much and was really pleased with them. The ideal
number of children was two.
During my research it turned out that pictures of my analysed texts are very
expressive. Therefore, to get even thoroughgoing results for my research problem, it
would be effective to accomplish visual content analysis in further studies.


The strong repellency of hinokitiol (β-thujaplicine) to the cigarette beetle was reported in a previous paper. In this study, the practicability of using hinokitiol as a repellent against the beetle was evaluated. The effect of hinokitiol on the behavioral response of the beetle to food-attractant lure was observed with a video system. The frequency of the beetle approaching the hinokitiol-treatment filter paper on which a food-attractant lure was placed was much less than that to the control filter paper. The resident time on the treatment paper was also much less than that on the control paper. Filter paper tapes treated with hinokitiol prevented the beetles from entering the sticky trap with food-attractant lure when the tapes were attached near the entrance of the trap. Furthermore, repellency of hinokitiol was evaluated in a semi-field test. Tapes treated with hinokitiol attached around the openings of the cardboard boxes containing cured tobacco leaves prevented the beetles from entering the boxes. The number of beetles entering the treatment boxes was less than half that of the control boxes. It appears that hinokitiol is a useful repellent against the cigarette beetle.


The world market for herbal medicines is around US$ 40 billion, whereas in Brazil it is estimated to be around US$ 1 billion. Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that more than a half of the world population makes use of some type of medicinal herb searching for relief for painful or unpleasant symptoms. From that total at least 30% are provided by medical prescription (WHO, 1978).


Understanding the representations of different languages in multilingual language models is essential for comprehending their cross-lingual properties, predicting their performance on downstream tasks, and identifying any biases across languages. In our study, we analyze the geometry of three multilingual language models in Euclidean space and find that all languages are represented by unique geometries. Using a geometric separability index we find that although languages tend to be closer according to their linguistic family, they are almost separable with languages from other families. We also introduce a Cross-Lingual Similarity Index to measure the distance of languages with each other in the semantic space. Our findings indicate that the low-resource languages are not represented as good as high resource languages in any of the models


A cancer genome therapy is one kind of the precision medicine, which is an idea to analyze a patient's genetic information and optimize medical treatment for each patient. To evaluate the analyzed tissue includes the information of the cancer gnome, quantitative evaluation of the ratio of cancer cells to normal cells in the tissue is required. However, evaluation conventionally takes more than two days because formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) blocks are firstly prepared, which was followed by dyeing.


Oestrogen is a metabolite of testosterone, but its role in spermatogenesis is ill-defined. Oestrogen may exert its effects on spermatogenesis, as oestrogen receptor (ER)-beta has been localised to both germ and somatic cells. This study sought to establish whether the restoration of early germ cell numbers in spermatogenesis by high-dose exogenous testosterone was influenced by its metabolite, oestrogen. The ER antagonist (ICI 182780) was administered, at a dose known to impair oestrogen action in the male reproductive tract, during testosterone treatment of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-immunised rats, and germ cell numbers were determined. GnRH-immunised adult Sprague-Dawley rats (n=7-8 per group) received two doses of testosterone, either as a Silastic implant (24 cm (T24 cm)) or an injectable ester for 10 days alone or in combination with ICI 182780 (2 mg/kg, s.c. injection daily). Control rats received vehicle alone. Testes were perfusion-fixed and germ cells were quantified by the optical disector technique. GnRH-immunisation reduced (P<0.001) both type A/ intermediate spermatogonial and type B spermatogonial/ preleptotene spermatocyte number (56% of control) and leptotene/zygotene spermatocyte number (63% of control). Pachytene spermatocyte and round spermatids were reduced to 12% and l% (P<0.01) of control respectively. Testosterone treatment did not increase type A/intermediate spermatogonial number compared with GnRH-immunised controls over the 10-day study period. Treatment with testosterone-esters increased type B spermatogonial/preleptotene spermatocytes and leptotene/zygotene spermatocyte numbers (both being ~83% of control, P<0.05), while T24 cm treatment did not significantly increase their numbers (~73% of control) compared with GnRH-immunised controls. Both treatments increased pachytene spermatocyte and round spermatid numbers to 55% and 8% of control respectively. Co-administration of ICI 182780 had no effect on any of these germ cell numbers. We conclude that oestrogen action plays no role in the short-term restoration of spermatogenesis by testosterone in the GnRH-immunised rat.


Two pressures toward religious pluralism are the variety of religious traditions which seem equally successful in the transformation of human lives and that apparently sincere and equally capable truth-seekers reach divergent conclusions about the nature of ultimate reality. I discuss Hick's Kantian explanation of these phenomena. I argue that his account is: neither the only nor the best account; furthermore that more reasonable accounts allow for the members of competing traditions to affirm the truth of their religious beliefs; and if Hick's explanation were accepted it would undermine the salvific power of the respective religious traditions.


The ultrafast dynamics in vibrationally hot S1 electronic excited state in cyclopentanone molecule was discovered with time resolved spectroscopy. Investigation of the geometry change upon the S1←S0 excitation and D0←S1 ionization has shown that the dihedral angle between the C=O bond and the plane given by the carbonyl and the α-carbons is 180° either in S0 or D0 state and is reduced to 145.8° by out-out-plane deformation of the oxygen in S1 state according to the theoretical calculation. The time domain experiments with femtosecond resolution have given rich insights into the energy transfer of the cyclopentanone molecule. The molecules are excited to the vibrationally hot S1 (n,  π(∗)) state following absorption of one 267-nm photon. It is found that the population of the S1 (n, π(∗)) state undergoes ultrafast internal conversion to the highly vibrationally hot S0 state within 80 fs and nonradiative deactivation by intersystem crossing to triplet T1 (n, π(*)) state occurring in 3.14 ps. Several Rydberg states have worked as stepping stones during the ionization. The available energy was distributed in the symmetric methylene group wagging and the symmetric skeletal ring breathing modes in D0 state.


Purpose
Asset pricing dynamics in a multi-asset framework when investors' trading exhibits the disposition effect is studied. The purpose of this paper is to explore asset pricing dynamics and the switching behavior among multiple assets.

Design/methodology/approach
The dynamics of complex financial markets can be best explored by following agent-based modeling approach. The artificial financial market is populated with traders following two heterogeneous trading strategies: the technical and the fundamental trading rules. By simulation, the switching behavior among multiple assets is investigated.

Findings
The proposed framework can explain important stylized facts in financial time series, such as random walk price dynamics, bubbles and crashes, fat-tailed return distributions, absence of autocorrelation in raw returns, persistent long memory of volatility, excess volatility, volatility clustering and power-law tails. In addition, asset returns possess fractal structure and self-similarity features; though the switching behavior is only allowed among the asset markets.

Practical implications
The model demonstrates stylized facts of most real financial markets. Thereafter, the proposed model can serve as a testbed for policy makers, scholars and investors.

Originality/value
To the best of knowledge, no research has been conducted to introduce the disposition effect to a multi-asset agent-based model.


IEEE 802.11p hardware is hard to find. Previous research efforts often relied on project-specific prototype implementations which are characterized by a high cost and are not always available to the entire research community. Commercially available turnkey implementations are rare and quite expensive compared to commercial of-the-shelf (COTS) IEEE 802.11a/b/g hardware. However, the difference between the IEEE 802.11p amendment and the other IEEE 802.11 standards is quite small. It can be seen as a combination of the IEEE 802.11a and IEEE 802.11e standards, with some specific adjustments. This paper presents how an approximation of the IEEE 802.11p standard can be implemented using COTS IEEE 802.11a hardware and some specific software adjustments. This way, vehicular test infrastructures can be established in a much more cost effective manner, and existing IEEE 802.11 wireless testbeds can be used to support VANET research.


Endangered cranes migrate to the Demilitarized Zone in Korea in search for habitat and food during winter. While cranes have the potential to influence soil biogeochemical processes via dropping, foraging, and walking, few studies have investigated ecological roles of migrating birds in the new habitat. Here, we explored how cranes alter resource landscape (the amount and quality of carbon) and microbial community in soil. We set up control (fenced, no crane access) and treatment (free crane activities) plots (n = 6, respectively) in a rice paddy, and collected soils at 0–15 cm three months after the crane migration. Soils were tested for total carbon, total nitrogen, water extractable organic carbon, and Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy, along with microbial parameters (biomass, respiration, community composition). The wintering crane activity significantly increased total carbon and nitrogen contents, but decreased the ratio of CH (aliphatic) to COO (carboxylic) in soil. Also, both microbial biomass and respiration was greater in soils under crane activities. Bacterial and fungal community composition differed with or without crane activities, with treatment soils harboring more diverse microbial communities. Our results demonstrate that crane migration created a distinct system with altered resource landscape and microbial community, highlighting beneficial effects of migratory cranes on the soil biogeochemical processes in rice paddies. This study may help encourage more farmers, local governments, and the public to participate in crane conservation campaigns targeted at rice fields.


In this article we assess the effect of market imperfections and income inequality on rural production efficiency. The analysis is carried out using the notion of stochastic conditional efficiency computed in terms of free disposal hull (FDH) efficiencymeasurements. Free disposal hull and conditional FDH are output oriented with variable returns to scale. They are evaluated for rural production at the county level, considering the rank of rural gross income as the output and the ranks of land expenses, labor expenses, and expenses on other technological factors as inputs. The conditional frontier is dependent on income inequality and other indicators related to market imperfections. The econometric approach is based on fractional regression models and the generalized method of moments (GMM). Overall, the market imperfection variables act to reduce performance, and income dispersion is positively associated with technical efficiency.


The precise formulation of disclosure of origin as an attempt of international publication and recognition still faces big challenges. In addition to comprehending the philosophical values contained in the traditional knowledge, the evidence of historical originality of the traditional knowledge must be presented. The objectives of this research were to build the community empowerment model and legal awareness of promoting and protecting Indonesian traditional knowledge (first year) and to suggest a form of legal protection as well as national and international publications of disclosure of origin of Indonesian traditional knowledge (second year). The research method used was normative using sociological approach. Based on the research result, it was concluded that to precisely formulate the disclosure of origin, the Indigenous community must be a proactive subject as well as an agent to promote and protect. The legal protection for traditional knowledge could be realized by accommodating the traditional knowledge into the intellectual rights as a geographical indication and international recognition for the indigenous community communal ownership of the traditional knowledge since the developed countries tended to see it as a common heritage of mankind.


s of articles written in other languages have been selected, papers published in the last 5 years, from January 2011 to November 2015, using all the combinations between the key words brain or cerebral abscess and: S. anginosus, S. constellatus, S. intermedius or S. milleri. The anginosus streptococci may produce cerebral abscess by contiguous spread from a focal infection, such as: dental infections, sinusitis, mastoiditis, otitis media.7, 8 The frontal lobe is the main location of the brain abscess in most patients9, but the temporal lobe is more affected in case of otitis media complications10 Pansinusitis may lead also to subperiosteal scalp abscess, epidural abscess and other intracranial abscess.11 However, some brain abscesses develop as posttraumatic complications, including neurosurgery and other cranial trauma followed by wound infection and cerebritis. Another possibility of bacterial dissemination is the haematogenic spread at distance from the oral cavity, respiratory or gastrointestinal tract. These streptococci, like other microorganisms belonging to the normal oropharyngeal flora, may produce bacteremia also after common tooth brushing or dental procedures. As opposed to the contiguous dissemination which usually leads to solitary abscess, the bacteraemia frequently generates multiple abscesses, produced in different internal organs. Many papers showed that the anginosus streptococci as the most common microorganisms involved in brain abscess pathogenesis, followed by the anaerobic bacteria. Thus, a consecutive case series study from Pakistan indicated that S. milleri was the most frequent etiological agent (20.7%) of the brain abscess cases investigated, closely followed by the anaerobic isolates (15.1%).9 Each of the 3 species may be the single etiological agent of the brain abscess, but usually they are isolated in association with other microorganisms, especially with the anaerobic bacteria. The S. anginosus group causes infections mainly in an immunocompromised host, but there are many articles describing life-threatening infections in previously healthy subjects too. Sometimes the evolution might be fatal, as happened in a Figure 1. The most frequent clinical signs and symptoms found in brain abscess cases Figure 2. Classification of the intracranial abscesses ORAL MICROBIOLOGY


Understanding the features and the determinants of individual price setting behaviour is important for the formulation of monetary policy. These behavioural mechanisms play a fundamental role in influencing the characteristics of aggregate inflation and in determining how monetary policy affects inflation and real economic activity. The Inflation Persistence Network, a collaborative research effort of the Eurosystem, analysed a large number of panel data sets of individual price records and conducted surveys of price-setting managers in many euro area countries. This paper discusses to what extent the extensive evidence coming from those two data sources provides support for some basic elements of the New Keynesian perspective. It analyses the implications of the micro evidence for distinguishing between competing theories of price stickiness and provides some brief reflections about the lessons for monetary policy.


In the Netherlands, crossing borders to study comprehensive schools was an important strategy in the 1970s, a decisive period for the start and the end of the innovation. According to policy-borrowing theory, actors that engage in debating educational issues are framing foreign examples of comprehensive schooling to convince their audiences. Framing therefore became the leading concept behind our study of the intellectual debate, examined through the leading Dutch scientific journal Pedagogische Studiën (Educational Studies), and the public debate, examined through recordings of television programmes. Assuming that those debates were influential in the political middle school process, our analyses show that foreign examples indeed functioned as a framing device in the form of legitimisation, glorification, sensationalisation and caution. However, the impact of framing differed. In the phase of cross-national attraction, the reform-minded perspective in the scholarly debate had a stimulating effect on the development of the plans, but little influence on the governmental decision-making process. This contrasts with the frames that were brought forward by television programmes. Although the negative frames, such as "a factory-made sausage", were rejected by the programmes, such frames could linger in people's minds as a means to interpret ideas about middle schools. At the end of the 1970s, the middle school was reduced to a minor feature of educational policy and, eventually, the middle school experiments were brought to a close. As a result, the foreign solution of introducing comprehensive education was never transferred to the Netherlands.


Propensity rules for radiative transitions are given in terms of approximate molecular orbital quantum numbers of doubly excited states. The rules are derived from selection rules for the two-electron centre-of-mass motion linearized around the saddle point of the potential. Two different versions of propensity rules proposed by Sadeghpour and Greene (1990) and Gou et al. (1991) are shown to be special cases of the more general rules presented in the paper.


This study was aimed to determine the impact of Conocarpus erectus L. compost fertilizer, and some micronutrients on growth and production of potato. This research was conducted at one of the fields of the College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences University of Baghdad. The experiment was implemented using factorial arrangement (4X3X3) within randomized complete block design with three replicates. Conocarpus fertilizer was represented the first factor with three levels (7.5, 15, 30 ton.ha -1 ), which symbolized (C2, C3, C4). Chemical fertilizer as recommended dose as a control, which symbolized (C1). The second factor was foliar spraying with three levels of iron (0, 100, 200 mg.L -1 ), which symbolized (F0, F1, F2). The third factor is foliar spraying with three levels of boron (0, 50, 100 mg.L -1 ), which symbolized (B0, B1, B2). The statistical analysis showed superiority of C3 in producing significant values of the studied traits such as, leaf area (154.77, 187.93 dcm 2 ) for fall and spring seasons respectively, plant yield (649.7 gm.) for fall season only. Also the results revealed the significant impact of F2 treatment in producing high leaf area (153.63, 177.22 dcm 2 ) for fall and spring seasons respectively. B2 treatment demonstrated significant values in producing high starch percentage (10.09%, 10.85%) for fall and spring seasons respectively, The results that obtained from triple interaction exhibited significant superiority of treatments C1F1B2 and C3F2B0 in producing the highest plant yield (811 g, 1239.2 g.) for both seasons respectively.


Local political elites in post-Soeharto Indonesia have become increasingly diverse, challenging the dominant characterizations of them as leftovers of the old regime or political opportunists. Existing literature on Indonesia's local politics tends to focus on top-tier elected officials, such as provincial governors, district regents and municipal mayors. Political elites and elite aspirants at intermediate and lower levels of governance have received less attention. Field-study data collected in Pontianak, the regional capital of West Kalimantan, serves as the basis for analysis of the changing profiles of local elites and elite aspirants and for scrutiny of their efforts and tactics to acquire and retain power. The analysis demonstrates that local political elites in Indonesia consist not only of "holdovers" from the New Order era, but also new and diverse "risers". "Old" elites remain, as some survived the political transition and as young generations have inherited the resources and constituencies of their forbears. But at the same time "new" elites have entered the local political scene from various socio-economic and cultural backgrounds by taking advantage of new opportunities, resources and strategies. This local political diversification does not, however, necessarily indicate the level of the country's democratic maturity.


The iLCM project pursues the development of an integrated research environment for the analysis of structured and unstructured data in a "Software as a Service" architecture (SaaS). The research environment addresses requirements for the quantitative evaluation of large amounts of qualitative data with text mining methods as well as requirements for the reproducibility of data-driven research designs in the social sciences. For this, the iLCM research environment comprises two central components. First, the Leipzig Corpus Miner (LCM), a decentralized SaaS application for the analysis of large amounts of news texts developed in a previous Digital Humanities project. Second, the text mining tools implemented in the LCM are extended by an "Open Research Computing" (ORC) environment for executable script documents, so-called "notebooks". This novel integration allows to combine generic, high-performance methods to process large amounts of unstructured text data and with individual program scripts to address specific research requirements in computational social science and digital humanities.


Resistance of one hundred commercialized cultivars of chili pepper to four isolates of Phytophthora capsici was evaluated under controlled environmental conditions. The cultivars are commercialized as resistant (59%) and susceptible (41%) to Phytophthora blight in Korea. Mean disease severities of the cultivars on P. capsici MY-1, KPC-1, JHAI1-7, and KPC-7 isolates were 37, 55, 60, and 74%, respectively. In addition, 38 for MY-1, 48 for KPC-1, 56 for JHAI1-7, and 76 cultivars for KPC-7 showed susceptibility. To P. capsici MY-1, the weakest pathogenicity isolate among them, 59 cultivars represented high resistance. By contrast, only six cultivars showed high resistance to P. capsici KPC-7, the strongest isolate. Furthermore, resistance of most cultivars except for three cultivars was negatively correlated with the virulence of P. capsici isolates. And isolate-specific resistance of the chili pepper cultivars could not be found. Among them, six cultivars showing resistance to all the tested isolates were selected for further study. The development of Phytophthora blight on the six cultivars according to inoculum density (5 × 10 4 to 1 .5 × 1 0 6 sporangia/pot) and incubation temperature (25 to 30°C) after inoculation of P. capsici was tested. Resistance of the cultivars to P. capsici KPC-1 and JHAI1-7, moderately pathogenic isolates, was hardly affected. But to KPC-7 isolate, the highly resistant cultivars showed susceptiblility or moderate resistance when the seedlings were inoculated with inoculum density o f 1 .5 × 1 0 6 sporangia/pot and incubated at 28 to 30°C. From these results, it is likely that resistance of chili pepper cultivars to Phytophthora blight is affected by the virulence of P. capsici isolate.


To date, most of the studies of androgen replacement have been done with healthy older men (age ≥55 years), and almost no data are available for frail elderly individuals. Treatment effects that make a relatively small difference in younger, more robust individuals may have a greater effect on the elderly, whose improvement in functioning and level of activity may be more dramatic. However, the frail elderly individual is also more vulnerable to adverse effects from treatment, and these potential risks and benefits must be weighed.


A modified adaptive line enhancer is proposed. We use feedback to convert original adaptive line enhancement (ALE) filter to a pole-zero system. Recursive Least squares algorithm is used to minimize the performance index. The performance of the filter is elaborated by showing some simulation results. The proposed filter is used to cancel out the background noise from heart sounds.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of the study was to compare the values of the antegonial index (AI), mental index (MI), panoramic mandibular index (PMI) and mandibular cortical index (MCI) in the panoramic radiographs of normal males and male patients with osteoporosis.

METHODS
In panoramic radiographs obtained from 40 male individuals (20 normal and 20 with osteoporosis), the mean was calculated for MI, AI, PMI and MCI index values measured in the right and left mandibles. The MI, AI and PMI index values were evaluated using the paired t-test, and MCI values were analysed using the chi(2) test.

RESULTS
MI (P < 0.001), AI (P < 0.01) and PMI (P < 0.05) values were significantly smaller in the group with osteoporosis; however, MCI (P > 0.05) was not significantly different.

CONCLUSION
MI, PMI and AI values, as radiomorphometric indices, were found to be smaller among male patients with osteoporosis, compared with normal patients in this study. It is suggested that these indices, used as an ancillary method in the diagnosis of osteoporosis in women, could also be useful for male patients. Further studies, of larger groups are needed on this subject, including of the MCI, which in this study showed no significant difference.


Within the bilingual education context, the role of professional identity, widely studied across several areas of educational research, is scarcely explored in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). According to the literature, few studies address the analysis of the pre‑service teachers' professional identity in CLIL. Understanding the role of professional identity is vital for teachers' professional development and even to adapt training programmes for CLIL teacher education. Thus, this study presents the design of a question‑ naire aiming at analysing the professional identity of pre‑service teachers in CLIL. The questionnaire was validated through a panel of experts and applied to 73 pre‑service language teachers of primary education. Results demonstrated a valid and reliable instrument. Differences in tests administered to participants were statistically significant. Hence, the designed instrument serves as a starting point to evaluate the pre‑service teachers' professional identity


Aim of study: The goal of this paper is to analyse the importance of the main contributing factors to the occurrence of wildfires. Area of study: We employ data from the region of Galicia during 2001-2010; although the similarities shared between this area and other rural areas may allow extrapolation of the present results. Material and Methods: The spatial dependence is analysed by using the Moran's I and LISA statistics. We also conduct an econometric analysis modelling both, the number of fires and the relative size of afflicted woodland area as dependent variables, which depend on the climatic, land cover variables, and socio-economic characteristics of the affected areas. Fixed effects and random effect models are estimated in order to control for the heterogeneity between the Forest Districts in Galicia. Main results : Moran's I and LISA statistics show that there is spatial dependence in the occurrence of Galician wildfires. Econometrics models show that climatology, socioeconomic variables, and temporal trends are also important to study both, the number of wildfires and the burned-forest ratio. Research highlights: We conclude that in addition to direct forest actions, other agricultural or social public plans, can help to reduce wildfires in rural areas or wildland-urban areas. Based on these conclusions, a number of guidelines are provided that may foster the development of better forest management policies in order to reduce the occurrence of wildfires. Keywords: Cause-effect relationship; climatology; spatial and temporal indicators; fixed effects; random effects; socio-economic factors.


The raw material for riboflavin was tested for preparation of the "Riboflavin Reference Standard (Control 921)". Analytical data obtained were as follows: melting point, 283.8 degrees C (decomposition); specific absorbance, E1%1 cm = 852 (267 nm), 275 (373 nm), 325 (446 nm); infrared spectrum, the same as that of JP Riboflavin Reference Standard; optical rotation [alpha]20D = 138.5 degrees; thin-layer chromatography, no impurities were detected up to 6 micrograms; high-performance liquid chromatography, a small amount of 9 impurities were detected; loss on drying, 0.16%; assay, 100.3% by spectrophotometry. Based on the above results, the raw material was authorized as the Japanese Pharmacopoeia Reference Standard (Control 921).


Active citizenship related to neighborhood governance is dependent on the political and governance structures of its context, and is therefore different in the Global North and the Global South. Local active citizenship is often presented from a North-western perspective, with its own active culture of engagement. In contrast, it is often shaped by an unfamiliar culture of engagement in parts of the Global South. This difference questions the applicability of the leading literature in understanding Global South realities. The paper aims to answer this question by reviewing the literature on local activism in both contexts. This review elaborates on the commonality of "context"; while highlighting the variation of "right-based vs. need-based" and "state-citizen collaboration vs. selective state-citizen collaboration" as central dimensions of local activism in both worlds. In result, we conclude that the leading literature on active citizenship in the context of neighborhood governance is limited in its explanation of local activism found in parts of the Global South. Finally, this review paper contributes to inform future empirical research on how to better understand neighborhood activism in contexts of the Global South. In this regard, the deduced commonalities and variations offer a starting point to scholars and offer dimensions which could be investigated to improve our understanding of active resident groups, and eventually contribute to more effective local activism.


This paper reports a new method for identifying a set of constructs which can be applied to intra-family relationships by members of different families. Two written versions of a story about an imaginary family were prepared in which relationship-describing words were missing. Missing words were supplied by 54 subjects with each version. Ten positive and 10 negative constructs were used sufficiently frequently to be considered meaningful to members of different families. The missing words technique may also aid the elicitation of constructs for individual grids.


Antagonist-like engagement of the TCR has been proposed to induce T cell selection in the thymus. However, no natural TCR ligand with TCR antagonist activity is presently known. Using a combination of bioinformatics and functional testing we identified the first self-peptide that can both deliver antagonist-like signals and promote T cell selection in the thymus. The peptide is presented by appropriate MHC class I molecules in vivo. Thus, endogenous antagonist peptides exist and may be involved in TCR repertoire selection.


This discourse is a comprehensive look at the offence of "rape" as a legal concept, taking into consideration, the premodial, mythical and legal beliefs and meanings associated therewith. It analysed recent statutory changes and developments in this area of the law, particularly under the English common law in contradistinction from the almost static provisions of some African penal statutes relating to the offence of rape. The propelling aim was to appreciate the difficulties associated with efforts to convict persons accused of committing the offence of rape and the legality of calling in aid corroboration in amelioration of these difficulties. It was observed that, the statutory ingredients of the offence do not accommodate such a practice. It became significant that the myths and traditional beliefs surrounding the claim of an alleged victim of rape imported the burden of a rebuttal on the accused. It was observed that sympathy on the part of the courts for alleged rape victims sway their decisions in favour of such victims. This emotional consideration by the courts may have informed he demand for corroborative evidence to seal all escape routes for the accused even when not statutorily provided for. Absence of corroborative evidence may on the reverse, favour the accused though the prosecutrix may concoct one to secure conviction. It was concluded that rape cases should be determined on the basis of the dry provisions of the relevant penal statutes devoid of extraneous considerations, such as corroboration.


Purpose – This paper aims to investigate processes of how RFID‐enabled systems affect consumers' trust and acceptance of u‐commerce, emphasizing a feedback loop where consumers' post‐transaction trust affects their initial trust.Design/methodology/approach – A simulation model using system dynamics (SD) is developed to show the importance of trust issues involving RFID technology, decomposing complex processes of trust building in u‐commerce into a set of feedback loops with a causal‐loop diagram.Findings – The results of simulation runs indicate that well‐established policies, especially for current privacy issues, should be in place to increase consumers' acceptance of u‐commerce.Originality/value – The research provides insights into the development of RFID‐based consumers' trust in u‐commerce, and policies to increase consumers' trust in u‐commerce. The research model was developed and verified using SD.


Background Initial staging of esophageal cancer relies on EUS in addition to FDG-PET/CT. It is our hypothesis that with the advancement of FDG-PET/CT staging, endoscopic ultrasound may not be required for initial staging in all cases. The purpose of this study is to analyze whether EUS affects initial treatment stratification in patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer. Methods A retrospective database at the University of Virginia was queried for patients diagnosed with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma who underwent EGD with EUS and FDG-PET/CT at their initial evaluation from 10/2013 to 5/2017. Two thoracic surgeons were asked to determine appropriate management for each case. Options included surgical resection, neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by resection, definitive chemoradiotherapy, or chemotherapy with or without palliative radiation. Both surgeons received the FDG-PET/CT report along with the EGD report. For each case, one or both surgeons were randomly allocated to review EUS results in addition to the clinical information. The treatment decisions of each thoracic surgeon were compared to determine if EUS reports impacted clinical management. Simple and weighted correlation coefficients (kappa) were calculated to compare agreement of treatment choices between the two surgeons using McNemars test. Conditional logistic regression was used to assess the influence of EUS on the treatment recommendations. Results A total of 50 patients (44 male and 6 female) were enrolled and data was collected. The thoracic surgeons agreed on treatment decisions in 39 cases and disagreed on 11 cases. Agreement between surgeons was good despite lack of EUS information for one surgeon on each case (weighted Kappa =0.73, 95% CI: 0.57–0.89). Using conditional logistic regression, EUS did not have a statistically independent association with agreement on treatment plan (P for model =0.17). Conclusions EUS did not have a statistically independent association with agreement on treatment plan for newly diagnosed esophageal cancer (P for model =0.17). Our findings suggest that EUS may not be necessary in the algorithm for the initial staging of every case of esophageal cancer. Selective, rather than mandatory use of EUS seems warranted.


The study was to evaluate psychological and physiological changes of simulator sickness in the controlled condition of driving a car (1 hr. at speed of 60 km/h) in a graphic simulator. Simulator sickness was measured and analyzed every 5 min using both subjective responses(i.e., Simulator Sickness Questionnaire) and Physiological signals(EEG, HRV, Skin Temperature, GSR). The results showed that there was significant differences in subjective response 10 min after the main experiment. From 10 min after the driving, the level of subjective simulator sickness increased significantly, relative one of the rest condition. There also was significant differences in physiological responses between the rest and the 5 min af- ter from the start of driving ġfor EEG, Dz and Ƕ at Fz area increased, while ǯ decreased; the averaged R-R interval and skin temperature decreased; LF/HF and GSR increased. The results indicated that simulator sickness was induced by acti- vation of the autonomic nerves and inactivation of the central nerves.


The Didache leaves the impression that the community had more to be feared from wayward prophets than to receive from true ones. After investigating the internal logic of the text, this paper concludes that prophets were principally cherished for their ability to offer spontaneous and inspiring eucharistic prayers; yet, such prayers were not allowed to supplant the canonical prayers whereby the community took charge of its weekly Eucharist. In like fashion, the training offered by prophets was to be honorably received if and only if it supported and built upon the community standards detailed in the Didache. Prophets could freely act out the radical demands of their own calling. If they presumed to require these standards for householders, however, they were to be rebuffed. In brief, the framers of the Didache fully expected to maintain the "way of life" revealed by the Father as the ultimate standard of perfection.


There is limited data regarding percutaneous ventricular support in chronic total occlusion angioplasty in terms of population, procedure, and outcomes. This is the largest report to date showing promising results in terms of technical and procedural success in this highly comorbid population. This study encourages more research in the area and its use in large volume and experienced centers.


In this paper a two-input, two-output (TITO) fractional order mathematical model of a laboratory prototype of a hydraulic canal is proposed. This canal is made up of two pools that have a strong interaction between them. The inputs of the TITO model are the pump flow and the opening of an intermediate gate, and the two outputs are the water levels in the two pools. Based on the experiments developed in a laboratory prototype the parameters of the mathematical models have been identified. Then, considering the TITO model, a first control loop of the pump is closed to reproduce real-world conditions in which the water level of the first pool is not dependent on the opening of the upstream gate, thus leading to an equivalent single input, single output (SISO) system. The comparison of the resulting system with the classical first order systems typically utilized to model hydraulic canals shows that the proposed model has significantly lower error: about 50%, and, therefore, higher accuracy in capturing the canal dynamics. This model has also been utilized to optimize the design of the controller of the pump of the canal, thus achieving a faster response to step commands and thus minimizing the interaction between the two pools of the experimental platform.


In the UK, the prevalence of drug misuse has risen in the last decade. Otorhinolaryngological surgeons need to be aware that small amounts of illegal substances, such as heroin, cannabis and cocaine, may be hidden in the external auditory meatus. We report, for the first time, concealment of heroin in the external auditory meatus. The medico-legal and ethical considerations are also discussed.


BACKGROUND/AIMS
Frank intrabiliary rupture (IBR) is a serious complication that occurs in 3-17% of patients. The aim of this study was to identify independent predictors of frank IBR of hepatic hydatid cysts (HHC).

METHODOLOGY
Some 741 patients with HHC underwent surgery for HHC between 1965 and 2000. Patient and cyst characteristics were subjected to univariate and multivariate analysis to identify independent predictors of frank IBR.

RESULTS
Frank IBR was associated with significantly older age (median, 41 vs. 37 years,p =0.025), more male subjects (40% vs. 32%, p = 0.024), longer duration of symptoms (16 vs. 6 months, p < 0.001), larger cysts (median, 12 vs. 9cm, p < 0.001) and higher incidence of solitary (86% vs. 62%, p < 0.001), multivesicular (89% vs. 39%, p < 0.001), left lobar (38% vs. 13%, p < 0.001) and infected cysts (78% vs. 24%, p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis identified cyst size (> or =10 cm), cyst infection, multivesicular content, solitary cysts and location in the left lobe of liver as well as long duration of symptoms as independent predictors of frank IBR.

CONCLUSIONS
Patients with large (> or =10 cm), multivesicular, solitary, left lobar or infected HHC as well as those with prolonged history are at increased risk of frank IBR and should be offered early surgery.


Striking variations exist, across individuals, in the internal and external geometry of the brain. Such normal variations in the size, orientation, topology, and geometric complexity of cortical and subcortical structures have complicated the problem of quantifying deviations from normal anatomy and of developing standardized neuroanatomical atlases. This paper describes the design, implementation, and results of a technique for creating a three-dimensional (3D) probabilistic surface atlas of the human brain. We have developed, implemented, and tested a new 3D statistical method for assessing structural variations in a data-base of anatomic images. The algorithm enables the internal surface anatomy of new subjects to be analyzed at an extremely local level. The goal was to quantify subtle and distributed patterns of deviation from normal anatomy by automatically generating detailed probability maps of the anatomy of new subjects. Connected systems of parametric meshes were used to model the internal course of the following structures in both hemispheres: the parieto-occipital sulcus, the anterior and posterior rami of the calcarine sulcus, the cingulate and marginal sulci, and the supracallosal sulcus. These sulci penetrate sufficiently deeply into the brain to introduce an obvious topological decomposition of its volume architecture. A family of surface maps was constructed, encoding statistical properties of local anatomical variation within individual sulci. A probability space of random transformations, based on the theory of Gaussian random fields, was developed to reflect the observed variability in stereotaxic space of the connected system of anatomic surfaces. A complete system of probability density functions was computed, yielding confidence limits on surface variation. The ultimate goal of brain mapping is to provide a framework for integrating functional and anatomical data across many subjects and modalities. This task requires precise quantitative knowledge of the variations in geometry and location of intracerebral structures and critical functional interfaces. The surface mapping and probabilistic techniques presented here provide a basis for the generation of anatomical templates and expert diagnostic systems which retain quantitative information on intersubject variations in brain architecture.


The IEEE WLAN 802.11a/g standard requires short time interval (5.6μs) for automatic gain control (AGC) convergence during reception of the preamble in each data packet. Due to this stringent settling time requirement, most of the AGC is implemented after the baseband filter, which leads to high power consumption in the baseband filter. In this paper, we present syllabic companding using switched capacitor (SC) ciruits as a solution to achieve gain control in the baseband filter without sacrificing any of the AGC settling time. A 5th order syllabic companding, Chebyshev type, SC filter with a cut-off frequency of 10 MHz is implemented in IBM's 1.2V, 130nm CMOS technology. The filter consumes a total power of 45 mW. It is estimated that companding by a factor of 4 achieves 12 dB improvement in dynamic range and a reduction in power consumption by a factor of 4.3 with respect to conventional filters.


This study aimed to identify the effect of compensation in reducing the feeling of work alienation among administrators working in government hospitals in the governorate of Irbid. The researcher used the descriptive analytical approach to deal with the data describing the researched community and the questionnaire in collecting data related to the study variables and analyzing them by the Statistical Package for Social Sciences program. (SPSS). The questionnaires were distributed over the sample using the comprehensive survey method, where the sample consisted of (164) administrators. The study found a statistically significant effect of financial compensation in its dimensions (direct and indirect) combined on work alienation in its dimensions (isolation, disability, non-normality, and self-estrangement). The study recommended the necessity of achieving justice in accordance with the principles and standards when distributing financial compensation, as well as recommending self-development courses.


The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship of information asymmetry, implementation of good corporate governance and earnings management practices in Indonesian Stock Exchange. Information asymmetry measured by using bid ask spread, whereas the practice of good corporate governance proxies by the proportion of independent board, audit committee existence and audit quality. This study is an econometric study by using panel data that taken from the Indonesian Stock Exchange with 22 companies from the property and real estate subsector during the period 2012, 2013 and 2014 as samples which were selected by using purposive sampling method. Moreover, the analysis method of this study is multiple regression. Hypothesis testing results showed there is a significant negative relation between audit quality and earnings management practices. It means that the higher quality audit performed by the independent auditor may reduce the earnings management practices in the company. Furthermore, information asymmetry, the proportion of independent board and audit committee has not proven a significant relation with earnings management practices. Keywords: Earnings management, asymmetry information, good corporate governance, the proportion of independent board, audit committee, audit quality


In New Caledonia, indigenous knowledge was traditionally anchored in a substantive appreciation of the natural environment. Substantive, in this case, refers to the Weberian concept of substantive or value rationality characterized by a belief in the intrinsic value of an object or action. When New Caledonia was annexed by France, the imposition of capitalist relations of production through settler colonialism, mineral exploitation and ranching introduced instrumental or formal rationality characterized by conscious reasoning that an action or object is a means to a particular ends. The natural environment became a means and an instrument to carry out conscious projects for the anticipated benefit of the colonizers. At the same time, the majority of the Kanaks continued to appreciate the intrinsic value of nature because they were excluded from the capitalist sector of the New Caledonian economy, living in native reserves and continuing in subsistence activities which made light use of the environment. However, within the past twenty years an emerging Kanak elite has adopted a value of nature as a means to achieve a particular end - independence from France. Rational use of the environment is now perceived as a way to achieve a specific goal, for example, owning nickel mines to achieve economic independence. Maintaining the tension between Weberian concepts of substantive and formal rationalism, this paper traces the emergence of rationalist thought about the environment among Kanak independence leaders.


In this paper we report about the first results of a novel multichannel oil sensor system, which is able to analyze the deterioration of technical fluids in continuous action. The sensor system is based on a miniaturized measurement cell with a commercial infrared light source and four thermopile detectors with different narrow bandwidth filters. The goal is to provide a small sensor system to use the full lifetime of the technical fluids without any danger of damaging the machine or hydraulic system. The main approach to achieve this goal is to develop a system able to measure the changes in the infrared spectrum of many technical fluids. Therefore the characteristic wavelength of the spectral bands of the technical fluids which are representative for deterioration were analyzed and determined to configure a thermopile sensor with corresponding narrow band filters. The functionality was tested using artificially aged hydraulic fluids and aged oil taken from a combined heat and power unit (CHP). The paper describes the set-up of the sensor system and shows results of characterization tests and first test cycles with mineral and synthetic oils.


Author(s): Hester, Kyle Thomas | Advisor(s): Barricelli, Marc | Abstract: Ian McKellen describes how, early in his career, instead of inhabiting a character, he would instead walk alongside of it, showing the audience his creation, pointing out interesting details about it to them, but never truly losing himself, never being. For so many years, this too had been my experience. Not until working on Streamers did I first taste what it could be like to begin to relax my death-hold grip and abandon myself to a character, to "jump out of the airplane", as one of my professors put it. Streamers was unlike anything I had done before: violent, intense, always demanding, occasionally terrifying. The technique and rigor I was learning in my Voice, Speech and Movement classes melded with the simple, unending exhortations in Shakespeare to merely "listen and respond", culminating in a sweet and unexpected breakthrough: walking, speaking, dreaming, heartbeat-ing as this sad, beautiful, damaged creature: Billy, whom I felt quietly waking up inside of me and for whom I found myself suddenly feeling deeply and inexplicably responsible. As J.R.R. Tolkien wrote of Bilbo, "the tremendous things that happened afterwards were as nothing compared to it." Peter's simplicity and confidence in Strange Men, Ray's "unbitted lusts" in What of the Night?, Iago's precision-improvisation and fireworks-creativity; any modicum of success I had in these processes had its engendering in Streamers. "I used to bang my head against doors like a sledgehammer until they would open," says Mark Rylance. "Now, I just play. I look for the joyful thing."


Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia is generally treated with alkylating agents, purine analogs and monoclonal antibodies, alone or in combination. We report the outcomes of 82 patients (median age 61 years) treated with the RFC combination. Twenty‐five patients were treatment‐naive. RFC was administered every 4 weeks, for a median of five cycles. At treatment discontinuation, the overall response rate was 85.4%. The responses improved after treatment discontinuation in 25 patients, with a median time to best response achievement of 10.8 months, raising the major response rate (PR, VGPR and CR) from 64.6% to 76.8%. With a median follow‐up of 47 months, the median progression‐free survival time had not been reached (67% PFS at 48 months) and was influenced by age and treatment status before RFC. Likewise, the median time to next therapy had not been reached. Two cases of myelodysplastic syndrome/AML and 3 cases of transformation to aggressive lymphoma occurred. Thirteen patients died. The 3‐year overall survival rate was 90%. Long‐lasting cytopenias occurred in 19 patients. The RFC combination thus gave a high response rate and durable responses, even in heavily treatment‐experienced patients. The high incidence of long‐lasting cytopenia might be reduced by giving fewer courses and thereby minimizing myelotoxicity. Am. J. Hematol. 91:782–786, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Backward cylindrical leaky waves radiating in the direction of their central axis represent an efficient solution for generating nondiffracting Bessel-like beams. The structures proposed so far to support such waves, constituted by concentric metal rings printed on a grounded dielectric slab, ensure the formation of nondiffractive field patterns with preset unchangeable configurations at a given frequency. Here, we propose the adoption of subwavelength spiral filaments with controlled patterning of the envelope figure by dynamic mechanical deformations, in order to achieve spatial tuning of the nondiffractive region in its size and shape. Precise guidelines and examples are provided to describe the proposed design technique and underline the inherent advantages of this alternative technological solution.


Staphylococcus aureus is a common food pathogen and has a strong tolerance to environmental stress. Here, the biofilm formation of S. aureus strains after cold stress for 24 weeks were investigated. It was found that the biofilm formation of S. aureus CICC 21600, CICC 22942, W1, W3, and C1 cells was enhanced after cold stress for 20 weeks. What is more, the mRNA levels of the clfA, icaA, icaB, icaC or icaD genes in these strains were increased for >2-fold. The increased gene transcription levels were consistent with the increase in the polysaccharide content in the biofilm matrix of these S. aureus strains after cold stress. Meanwhile, hydrophobicity and the adhesion proteins also played a role in the formation of biofilms. The biofilm of S. aureus cells can be effectively degraded by snailase and proteinase K (125 µg/mL + 20 µg/mL) mixture. In summary, S. aureus frozen at −20 °C for 12 to 20 weeks is still a potential hazard. Food factory equipment should be cleaned in a timely manner to avoid outbreaks of foodborne pathogenic bacteria due to contamination.


During the final stage of production, several errors and inaccuracies were introduced in this article without the authors' approval or knowledge. These errors were introduced while testing a new proofing system: On page 161, an erroneous author name and corresponding author affiliation were added to the correct lists of authors and affiliations. The correct names and affiliations are shown above.On page 162, reference 13 was cited twice when it should have been cited only once.On page 169, erroneous final sentences were added to the Conclusion and Author Contributions sections.On page 170, an erroneous final reference was added to the References section.
 The online version of the article (https://doi.org/10.2337/ds22-0031) has been updated to reflect these changes.
 The American Diabetes Association regrets these errors and apologizes to the authors of the article and the readers of Diabetes Spectrum.


The vibration responses of tall flexible tool (or equipment) platforms subjected to floor excitations at the platform base are considered more crucial than those of the short ones. This study examined the microvibration control performance of the proposed active piezoelectric mass damper (APMD) or driver for tall platforms subjected to internal automated guided vehicle- (AGV-) induced floor vibrations with larger intensity and broader bandwidth in liquid-crystal-display (LCD) fabrication factories (fabs). The APMD did not require auxiliary spring and damping elements to tune the natural frequency and reduce the stroke of the mass block as required by typical active tuned mass dampers (ATMDs). The motion equation of the proposed analytical model including a continuous three-span beam (or floor) system and an active-controlled tool platform under the action of the AGV moving forces was derived. The APMD, consisting of piezoelectric stacks and a mass block, was installed on the platform subjected to the base rotation excitation, which could be attributed to the uneven vertical floor vibrations induced by AGVs. Moreover, the direct output feedback control algorithm was adopted to determine the optimal feedback gain matrix for calculating the active control force. Time history analyses of the continuous beam-platform model under different AGV weights moving at the same speed were performed, and the corresponding velocity vibration spectra of the floor and platform were further obtained through one-third octave band spectrum analysis. Numerical simulation results revealed that the microvibrations of the platform without APMD generally exceed the VC-A level regardless of the AGV weight. Significant reductions of over 90% on the platform microvibrations could be achieved after the platform was implemented with the APMD, and vibrations met the desired vibration limit (VC-B). Moreover, the APMD exhibits comparable microvibration control performance to the ATMD and requires less mass of the mass block, stroke, and applied voltage under the same active control force. In real-life high-tech production fabs, AGV-induced platform microvibrations occur all the time; therefore, the proposed APMD with less power consumption could be an economical and feasible approach for persistent microvibration control of tall platforms in LCD fabs.


Current political objectives and requirements on both the national and EU level aim at raising significantly the share of renewable energy sources in energy supply. High expectations are mainly tied to the use of biomass for energy, in particular of biogenic residues and waste. The main focus here is on reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases. Against this background, a systems analysis was conducted by ITAS - funded by the German Federal Ministry of Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture (BMVEL) - with the objective to analyse and assess the chances of utilisation of biogenic residues and waste for energy. Based on the results, recommendations for a modification of the given framework conditions and promotion strategies are developed. Initially, volumes and compositions of the biogenic residues and waste that are available in Germany and suitable for energy use, were estimated, supplemented by corresponding analyses of EU member states. This was followed by detailed process chain analyses of the supply (gathering, conditioning, transport, storage) and use of biogenic residues and waste for heat and electricity production. In Germany, the annual volume of biogenic residues and waste available for energy use amounts to about 75 million Mg of dry organic matter (dom), above all wood residues from forestry and industry, waste wood, cereal straw and liquid manure. Furthermore, 5 to 15 million Mg dom from agriculture and industry could be made accessible. The amount of 75 and 90 million Mg dom corresponds to about 9 and 11 % of the present primary energy consumption, respectively, and is far from being marginal. Comparison of the different technologies reveals that the present production costs of heat and electricity from biogenic residues and waste are not yet competitive with those of fossil alternatives. Apart from co-combustion and co-gasification in hard coal power plants, the large biogas and sewage gas plants may be the first to achieve competitiveness. In comparison to other instruments of CO 2 reduction, the achievable CO 2 mitigation costs of the technologies considered in this study, such as biogas and sewage gas utilisation as well as the combustion and gasification of biogenic residues and waste, are very interesting. Although the achievable employment effects are acknowledged as positive spin-off, they cannot be given as a major reason for promoting the use of biogenic residues and waste for energy supply.


With new technologies and various software solutions readily available for utilization in business environment, the main driver for achieving the competitive business advantage is becoming the quality of service. The quality of service expectations is very often managed by established service level agreement (SLA). Behind SLA, there is a real software, infrastructure, organization, culture, and people that maintain it. Therefore, it is very important to take in consideration the complexity of the software solution that is the basis of the given service, probability of an error occurrence, and all costs, and risks that will be associated with operating the service. In this paper, the important elements of the quality of the software that is considered as a service to a business function are analyzed. The proposal for the classification within specific portfolio of software services is given. The logical scoring of preferences (LSP) method is proposed to be utilized for services elementary preferences estimates and overall services comparison within each rank of services. The main objective is in achieving better quality of service within the given rank by recognizing and then emphasizing elements in the services that positively influence overall estimates of the observed services in comparison to the others in the rank. An example of the method utilization on one selected use case is given as well.

 Key words: Software quality, software services, software development,  improvement.


This paper gives a detailed derivation of the surface of a tri-axial ellipsoid. The general result is in terms of the elliptic integrals of the first and second kind. It is in checked for all special cases included and the corresponding simplified formulae are given. Next, expressions for the mean and Gaussian curvature are derived. These curvatures depend only on: a) the three axes, and from the point under consideration, b) its distance to the centre and c) the length of the perpendicular from centre to the tangent plane of that point. Finally, it is noticed that at the four umbilic points of an ellipsoid, where the cicular sections degenerate to a point, the two principal curvatures are equal and have the simple expression (a c / b^3)where a>b>c are the half-axes.


Our goal is to study the inhibition effect of polyphenols extracted from vegetable olives of a press system crushing unitonthe corrosion of carbon steelin HCl 1.0 M. The inhibition efficiency of polyphenols has been investigated by different methods, weight loss method, potentiodynamic polarization measurementsand electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).The effect of the temperature on the inhibition of acid hydrochloric corrosion of carbon steel by the addition of polyphenols was studied. Also the activation energy as other thermodynamic parameters for the inhibition process was calculated. The results obtainedconfirm that the polyphenols extracted from olive mill waste water collected from a press system acted as an efficient corrosion inhibitor as well as polyphenols from a three phase system. The inhibition efficiency increased with the inhibitor concentration but decreases with rise in temperature reaching a maximum of 94.4 % at a concentration of 1.5 (g/ L) of polyphenols.


Antinuclear autoantibodies (ANAs) are important markers to diagnose autoimmune diseases, very serious and also invalidating illnesses. The benchmark procedure for ANAs diagnosis is the indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) assay performed on the HEp-2 substrate. Medical doctors first determine the fluorescence intensity exhibited by HEp-2 cells, and then report the staining pattern for positive wells only. With reference to staining pattern recognition, in the literature we found works recognizing five main patterns characterized by well-defined cell edges. These approaches are based on cell segmentation, a task that should be harder than the classification itself. We present here a method extending the panel of detectable HEp-2 staining patterns, introducing the centromere and cytoplasmic patterns, which do not show well-defined cell edges, and where a segmentation-based classification may fail. We apply a local approach which extracts SIFT descriptors and then classifies an image through the bag of visual words approach. This permits to represent complex image contents without applying the segmentation procedure. We test our approach on a dataset of HEp-2 images with large variability in both fluorescence intensity and staining patterns. Despite the large skew of the a-priori class distribution, our system correctly recognizes the 98.3% of samples, with a F-measure equal to 92.3%, 95.2% and 99.0%, for each class.


We show that the Ultraviolet/Infrared mixing of noncommutative field theories with the Gronewold-Moyal product, whereby some (but not all) ultraviolet divergences become infrared, is a generic feature of translationally invariant associative products. We find, with an explicit calculation that the phase appearing in the nonplanar diagrams is the one given by the commutator of the coordinates, the semiclassical Poisson structure of the non commutative spacetime. We do this with an explicit calculation for represented generic products.


Twenty-four Nigerian children whose ages ranged from five to twelve years (study group) were examined for mirror movements. Twenty-four Nigerian children with a similar age range matched as controls were also examined for mirror movements. None in the study group had mirror movements demonstrated but two out of twenty-four (8.5 per cent) children in the control group had demonstrable mirror movements. There were no abnormal neurological findings elicited when the children with mirror movements were examined. Their electroencephalographs and vertebrae and skull radiographs were also normal. Family studies revealed no evidence of the disorder. The mirror movements however disappeared within two years of observation. Mirror movement is alleged to be rare in Negroes. The reason why this is so deserves further study.


After World War II, George Kennan became the State Department's first director of policy planning. Secretary of State George Marshall's initial advice to Kennan: above all, ""avoid trivia."" Concentrate on the forest, not the trees, and don't lost sight of the big picture. Easier said than done. Avoiding Trivia critically assesses the past, future, and future role and impact of long-term strategic planning in foreign policy. Strategic planning needs to be a more integral part of America's foreign policymaking. Thousands of troops are engaged in combat while homeland security concerns remain. In such an environment, long-term coordination of goals and resources would seem to be of paramount importance. But history tells us that such cohesiveness and coherence are tremendously difficult to establish, much less maintain. Can policy planners --in the Pentagon, the State Department, Treasury, NSC, and National Intelligence Council --rise to the challenge? Indeed, is strategic planning a viable concept in 21st century foreign policy? These crucial questions guide this eye-opening book. The contributors include key figures from the past few decades of foreign policy and planning --individuals responsible for imposing some sort of order and strategic priority on foreign policy in a world that changes by the minute. They provide authoritative insight on the difficulties and importance of thinking and acting in a coherent way, for the long term. Contributors: Andrew P. N. Erdmann, Peter Feaver, Aaron L. Friedberg, David F. Gordon, Richard N. Haass, William Inboden, Bruce W. Jentleson, Steven D. Krasner, Jeffrey W. Legro, Daniel Twining, Thomas Wright, Amy B. Zegart.


2-C-Methyl-D-erythritol-2,4-cyclodiphosphate (MEcDP) is an intermediate of the plastid-localized 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol-4-phosphate (MEP) pathway which supplies isoprenoid precursors for photosynthetic pigments, redox co-factor side chains, plant volatiles, and phytohormones. The Arabidopsis hds-3 mutant, defective in the 1-hydroxy-2-methyl-2-(E)-butenyl-4-diphosphate synthase step of the MEP pathway, accumulates its substrate MEcDP as well as the free tetraol 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol (ME) and glucosylated ME metabolites, a metabolic diversion also occurring in wild type plants. MEcDP dephosphorylation to the free tetraol precedes glucosylation, a process which likely takes place in the cytosol. Other MEP pathway intermediates were not affected in hds-3. Isotopic labeling, dark treatment, and inhibitor studies indicate that a second pool of MEcDP metabolically isolated from the main pathway is the source of a signal which activates salicylic acid induced defense responses before its conversion to hemiterpene glycosides. The hds-3 mutant also showed enhanced resistance to the phloem-feeding aphid Brevicoryne brassicae due to its constitutively activated defense response. However, this MEcDP-mediated defense response is developmentally dependent and is repressed in emerging seedlings. MEcDP and ME exogenously applied to adult leaves mimics many of the gene induction effects seen in the hds-3 mutant. In conclusion, we have identified a metabolic shunt from the central MEP pathway that diverts MEcDP to hemiterpene glycosides via ME, a process linked to balancing plant responses to biotic stress.


A 70 year old Caucasian female had been prescribed alendronate for osteopenia 4 years earlier. While on an overseas vacation, the day after enjoying an ocean swim, she experienced a sudden displaced fracture of her right femur while walking across a room. This fracture was treated locally with a femoral nail but failed to heal and remained a source of pain. Ten months after the initial fracture, the rod was replaced. Teriparatide subcutaneous injections were begun and resolution of the pain and healing followed. At the end of her 24 month course of teriparatide, she was started on denosumab twice yearly injections for a total of 5 injections. About 6 weeks before the 5 injection, she experience a fall from a standing height, but her X-ray evaluation revealed no fracture. Three months after the injection, the pain increased and additional studies were done, eventually demonstrating an insufficiency fracture of the left femoral shaft. Six weeks later, another plain film still showed an "undisplaced insufficiency fracture" and a femoral nail was placed the next day. Subsequently, she started on a second course of teriparatide which is still ongoing. She has not had any subsequent fractures. Case Study Hinshaw and Schneider; IJMPCR, 8(3): 1-6, 2016; Article no.IJMPCR.31352 2


A method was developed for the determination of MTMC, MIPC, BPMC, IPMC, furadan, pirimicarb and carbaryl carbamate residues in apples using headspace solid-phase micro-extraction (HS-SPME) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The respective optimal conditions for HS-SPME and GC-MS analysis were determined. All 7 analytes exhibited good linearity over a wide concentration range, with a correlation coefficient ranging between 0.996 and 0.999. The relative standard deviations of precision for 5 replicates were between 3.6% and 8.2%. The limits of detection of the method for a total of 7 analytes were between 0.00016 mg/kg and 0.0019 mg/kg. The method proved to have the advantages of rapidity, sensitivity, accuracy and less reagent consumption and meet the requirements for the determination of carbamate pesticide residues in vegetables and fruits duo to good figures of merit.


This paper discusses activities related to mesoscale product development in preparation for the GOES-R satellite to be launched in 2012. These new image products will feature improved spatial, temporal, spectral, and radiometric resolution compared to current GOES imagery. Emphasis in this paper is on simulations of GOES-R data using observations from existing operational and experimental satellites.


Abstract A simple empirical model was set up to evaluate monthly sunshine duration on the basis of the mean daily cloudiness. A linear regression on monthly sunshine versus the number of clear, cloudy and over-cast days was fitted by a least-squares method for several years of observations at six sites in Italy, chosen as one from each 2° of latitude. Coefficients found in such a way were used to evaluate monthly sunshine duration for 16 years of observations in 35 sites well distributed over Italy. A very good agreement between observed and calculated values of hours of sunshine was found. The method seems, therefore, a suitable tool for evaluating actual sunshine in similar climates and at sites where it is not observed or to fill gaps in sets of observed data.


For the early recognition of the ankylopoietic spondylarthritis subjective and objective criteria are explained and the importance of X-ray-morphological, cytological, biochemical, immunogenetic and coagulation-physiological investigations are explained. By accentuation of two types of constellation of the course the possibility of an early diagnosis is given still before the appearance of severe irreparable X-ray-morphological changes in about half the cases of disease. Further observations and controls of courses are necessary for the confirmation of evidence.


SnO2 is a promising material for photovoltaic and photocatalytic applications because it exhibits high electron mobility, its conduction band lies at a convenient energy to act as an electron acceptor, and it can be easily grown in a variety of different nanostructures including nanoparticles, nanorods, and nanosheets. However, strategies for surface functionalization of SnO2 are much less well developed than alternative oxides. Here, we demonstrate the growth and subsequent chemical functionalization of SnO2 nanorods to enable the chemically directed assembly of SnO2 nanorod–TiO2 nanoparticle heterojunctions, and we characterize the charge-transfer properties using time-resolved surface photovoltage measurements. Vertically aligned SnO2 nanorods were grown via a high-pressure chemical synthesis method. The SnO2 nanorods were square in cross-section, exposing sidewalls consisting of {110}-type crystal planes. Functionalization via photochemical grafting with butenol yielded nanorods terminated with a high density of –OH groups that were converted to azide groups. The azide groups were linked with alkyne-modified TiO2 nanoparticles via the Cu(I)-catalyzed Azide–Alkyne Cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction, a form of "click" chemistry, thereby covalently grafting the TiO2 nanoparticles to the SnO2 nanorods. Time-resolved surface photovoltage measurements of the resulting adducts showed that the covalent bonding of TiO2 nanoparticles to the SnO2 nanorods enhances the interfacial charge transfer compared to the unmodified SnO2 nanorods, leading to an increased accumulation of holes at the surface.


The Roman fort at Schlogen was one of the smaller posts on the limes of north-western Noricum, which followed the Danube from its confluence with the Inn at Boiodurum to Lauriacum on the Enns mouth where the fortress of the Leg. II Italica was built after the Marcomannic War. At Schlogen the Danube, already winding deeply between unbroken wooded hills, sweeps round a hairpin bend and enters a sinuous gorge which runs for 27 kilometres to Aschach, where the next post was established. There was barely room for Schlogen's o • 65 ha. fort at the head of the hairpin bend on a low alluvial shelf between two small tributary streams, to the west of which there was just sufficient space for the canabae. The north wall of the fort lay within thirty-five metres of the Danube, about ten to eleven metres above the ancient water level. In recent years the level has risen through regulation of the banks and the erection of a dam lower down which has affected Schlogen, causing the disappearance of an island just above the fort which in antiquity provided a secluded harbour out of sight of the opposite bank; a photograph (Taf. II, 3) shows how convenient the island must have been, Eckhart's careful excavations have revealed two successive forts, an earlier one of wood and earth, a later one of stone. The pottery (to be published in a later volume) dates the wood and earth fort to the second century, but whether it was built under Hadrian or after the Marcomannic War is uncertain. It was completely destroyed by fire soon after A.D. 300. The stone fort was built after an interval, immediately above the earlier one, as was necessary in such a very narrow space. It follows the long-familiar plan of the standard forts of the middle empire but it had no ditches for which there was not room. It had rounded corners but no corner towers or wall towers, as far as can be seen, but there was a substantial principia, the first to have been excavated in an auxiliary fort of the Norican limes. The porta principalis sinistra led directly to the river and there are remains of a quay. Eckhart found traces outside the gate of what he considers may be a slipway so that boats could be dragged up to the fort and he suggests that a substantial building between the gate and the principia, evidently a workshop of some sort, may have been a repair shed for boats. In the difficult country where the fort stood, patrolling by boat was an obvious necessity. From the east gate, the porta praetoria, a roadway led up the hill and cross-country, south-east, to Haibach and so to Aschach. This was the main frontier-road, cutting out the bends of the gorge. The westwards branch of the road turned past the south wall of the fort and ran on past the civil settlement, keeping close to the Danube until it reached Boiodurum. No clear evidence of the units which furnished the garrison of the fort of either period has been found. The stone fort was probably held by a detachment from the Leg. II Italica and perhaps another from an unspecified cohort. Since the discovery of the fort 130 years ago its name has been sought in vain. Efforts have been made to identify it with Joviacum, but this does not fit, and instead Eckhart shows good reasons why Joviacum should probably be located at Aschach. Nameless Roman Schlogen may still remain, but thanks to the skill of its excavators and the interest of its remains it now has a secure place in Roman frontier studies.


Receptor tyrosine kinases of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor family regulate essential cellular functions such as proliferation, survival, migration, and differentiation but also play central roles in the etiology and progression of tumors. We have identified short peptide sequences from a random peptide library integrated into the thioredoxin scaffold protein, which specifically bind to the intracellular domain of the EGF receptor (EGFR). These molecules have the potential to selectively inhibit specific aspects of EGF receptor signaling and might become valuable as anticancer agents. Intracellular expression of the aptamer encoding gene construct KDI1 or introduction of bacterially expressed KDI1 via a protein transduction domain into EGFR-expressing cells results in KDI1·EGF receptor complex formation, a slower proliferation, and reduced soft agar colony formation. Aptamer KDI1 did not summarily block the EGF receptor tyrosine kinase activity but selectively interfered with the EGF-induced phosphorylation of the tyrosine residues 845, 1068, and 1148 as well as the phosphorylation of tyrosine 317 of p46 Shc. EGF-induced phosphorylation of Stat3 at tyrosine 705 and Stat3-dependent transactivation were also impaired. Transduction of a short synthetic peptide aptamer sequence not embedded into the scaffold protein resulted in the same impairment of EGF-induced Stat3 activation.


Fetal thyroid complications in pregnancy are uncommon, and are commonly related to the passage of substances through the placenta. The excessive iodine intake during the pregnancy is a well-known mechanism of fetal thyroid enlargement or goiter, and invasive procedures have been proposed for the treatment of fetal thyroid pathologies. In the present report, we demonstrate two cases from different centers of prenatal diagnosis of fetal thyroid enlargement and/or goiter in three fetuses (one pair of twins, wherein both fetuses were affected, and one singleton pregnancy). The anamnesis revealed the ingestion of iodine by the patients, prescribed from inadequate vitamin supplementation. In both cases, the cessation of iodine supplement intake resulted in a marked reduction of the volume of the fetal thyroid glands, demonstrating that conservative treatmentmay be an option in those cases. Also, clinicians must be aware that patients may be exposed to harmful dosages or substances during pregnancy.


Islam provides a basis and guideline for living one's life. Within this, there is a very detailed concept of ethical and social behaviour which allows us to deduce that the concept of social responsibility automatically has a role in Islam. This is a critical point that must be firstly understood as the role of moral ethics has been underpinned in Islam for over 1400 years whilst the concept of CSR remains relatively new for businesses today. The scope of this book is to briefly outline some of the major aspects of Islam which give consideration for businesses and their push towards Corporate Social Responsibility. It considers the belief system of Islam and how this belief has a significant underpinning of social behaviour


Knowledge-based visual question answering (KVQA) task aims to answer questions that require additional external knowledge as well as an understanding of images and questions. Recent studies on KVQA inject an external knowledge in a multi-modal form, and as more knowledge is used, irrelevant information may be added and can confuse the question answering. In order to properly use the knowledge, this study proposes the following: 1) we introduce a novel semantic inconsistency measure computed from caption uncertainty and semantic similarity; 2) we suggest a new external knowledge assimilation method based on the semantic inconsistency measure and apply it to integrate explicit knowledge and implicit knowledge for KVQA; 3) the proposed method is evaluated with the OK-VQA dataset and achieves the state-of-the-art performance.


The transient reflecting grating method has been used to characterize ion-implanted silicon layers. The signal intensity and relaxation constant were measured as functions of ion dose. The results suggested that damage induced by ion-implantation suppresses thermal diffusion even under a light dose condition.


A phytochemical analysis of the dichloromethane extract from the flowers of a subspecies of Tanacetum vulgare growing in Sicily was carried out. Five known sesquiterpene lactones with the eudesmane skeleton have been isolated and the cytotoxic activity of these compounds was tested in vitro on A549 (human lung carcinoma epithelial-like) and V79379A (Chinese hamster lung fibroblast-like) cells using the tetrazolium salt reduction (MTT) assay. All of tested compounds induced high time- and concentration-dependent cytotoxic effects.


The paper focuses on the perspectives of the 1985 stabilization that could not be envisaged at the time by its planners, led by Michael Bruno. One of these aspects is the extension of the disinflation process over many years. It turned out that the dramatic reduction of inflation in 1985 was only a first step in a long-term process. The paper analyzes the reasons for the slow process of disinflation. We view the inflation and disinflation process in the context of chronic high-inflation economies which failed to disinflate in the 1970s and the 1980s but succeeded in the 1990s. This success has to be viewed in the context of the process of globalization which prevailed in the 1990s and the growing recognition of the advantages of market-oriented regimes. We also distinguish between the short-term measures of stopping inflation (like the heterodox features of the stabilization program) and the long-term process of securing price stability. We conclude with some remarks concerning the changes which could have been made – with the benefit of hindsight – in the 1985 program.


Despite the frequent inclusion of fluid therapy in the treatment of many conditions in horses, there are limited studies available to provide evidenced-based, species-specific recommendations. Thus, equine fluid therapy is based on the application of physiology and extrapolation from evidence in other veterinary species and human medicine. The physiologic principles that underly the use of fluids in medicine are, at first glance, straightforward and simple to understand. However, in the past 20 years, multiple studies in human medicine have shown that creating recommendations based on theory in combination with experimental and/or small clinical studies does not consistently result in best practice. As a result, there are ongoing controversies in human medicine over fluid types, volumes, and routes of administration. For example, the use of 0.9% NaCl as the replacement fluid of choice is being questioned, and the theoretical benefits of colloids have not translated to clinical cases and negative effects are greater than predicted. In this review, the current body of equine research in fluid therapy will be reviewed, connections to the controversies in human medicine and other veterinary species will be explored and, where appropriate, recommendations for fluid therapy in the adult horse will be made based on the available evidence. This review is focused on the decisions surrounding developing a fluid plan involving crystalloids, synthetic colloids, and plasma.


Introduction and objectives People with cystic fibrosis (CF) are prone to airway infection with non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) including M. abscessus, M. avium and M. intracellulare. Routine NTM screening is recommended for all patients at least once a year.1 In patients not able to produce sputum, cough swabs are often sent for NTM analysis. Anecdotally, we observed that several patients cared for in our centre had cultured NTM in sputum having previously been culture-negative from cough swabs. The objective of this observational study was to examine the diagnostic yield of cough swabs and sputum samples from CF adults with known NTM infection. Methods We identified all CF patients being cared for in our large regional adult CF centre that had cultured any NTM species from cough swabs or sputum samples and are currently attending our NTM clinic. Demographics, clinical parameters and microbiology results were recorded and analysed. Results 26 patients (19 male) were included: median age 24 years, 92% chronically infected with P. aeruginosa, 100% pancreatic insufficient, 62% CF-related diabetes, 27% ABPA. 381 sputum samples and 55 cough swabs were analysed. 251 (66%) sputum samples and 4 (7%) cough swabs cultured NTM (see Table 1). In the 4 cough swabs that cultured NTM, sputum samples also cultured the same species. Conclusions Cough swabs have a very low diagnostic yield and their use did not contribute to identification of NTM infection in our adult CF patient population. We have therefore stopped sending cough swabs for NTM culture in our centre and our data suggests that cough swabs should not be used to screen for these organisms. Reference 1 Mycobacterium abscessus Suggestions for infection prevention and control. CF Trust, 2013


Pure values are expected to be applied in all areas of human lives including the scope of entrepreneurship. Specifically, pure values are a part of the important component in the activity of entrepreneurship. This article attempts to explain the practice of pure values among successful entrepreneurs of MARA, Perlis (Malay for Indigenous People's Trust Council; commonly abbreviated as MARA) is a Malaysian government agency. The research method for this paper is mainly based on the application of literature review. In addition to that, a broad research in Perlis was also conducted by means of purpose sampling which includes an interview among important individuals like entrepreneurs and MARA employees who are in the position to provide related information and data. The collected data are analyzed qualitatively. The results of the research discovered that success enjoyed by the entrepreneurs of MARA Perlis is closely related with the understanding of pure values practiced along the framework of the entrepreneurs.


Dermoscopy is a diagnostic tool widely used in clinical practice for the detection of skin tumors, especially early stages of melanoma. Recent studies have shown that different dermoscopic features are associated with important prognostic parameters of melanoma, such as BRAF mutational status and sentinel lymph node status. More than half of all melanomas harbor a mutation in the BRAF oncogene. The current management of advanced-stage melanomas is greatly determined by the presence or absence of a mutation in this gene, as targeted therapy with BRAF kinase inhibitors is one of the first therapeutic choices for these patients. Sentinel lymph node status is one of the most significant predictors of a melanoma patient's survival. Recent studies have shown that different dermoscopic patterns are also associated with sentinel lymph node status. This short article reviews studies that investigated correlations between dermoscopic features, BRAF mutation status and sentinel lymph node status.


OBJECTIVE: To investigate the biological origin of injectable unfractioned heparin available in Brazilian market by discussing the impact of the profile of commercial products and the changes in heparin monograph on the drug safety. METHODS: The Anvisa data base for the Registered Products of Pharmaceutical Companies and the Dictionary of Pharmaceutical Specialties (DEF 2008/2009) were searched. A survey with industries having an active permission for marketing the drug in Brazil was conducted. RESULTS: Five companies were granted a permission to market unfractioned heparin in Brazil. Three of them are porcine in origin and two of them are bovine in origin, with only one explicitly showing this information in the package insert. The effectiveness and safety of heparin studied in non-Brazilian populations may not represent the Brazilian reality, since most countries no longer produce bovine heparin. The currently marketed heparin has approximately 10% less anticoagulant activity than that previously produced and this change may have clinical implications. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence about the lack of dose interchangeability between bovine and porcine heparins and the unique safety profile of these drugs indicates the need to follow the treatment and the patients' response. Events threatening the patient's safety must be reported to the pharmacovigilance system in each particular country.


The use of high frequency power converters to enhance power density and energy efficiency has become widely used in grid-connected hybrid DC microgrids. This article presents a new modularized high frequency DC-link integration methodology that connects multisource renewable energy sources involving battery energy storage system (BESS) to the AC-grid. A grid-tie-inverter with a line inductor is introduced to control the active-reactive power flow. To minimize the converter physical size with improved system efficiency, a high frequency-based front-end multisource bridgeless boost (MBB) architecture is proposed here. A direct-mount decoupling snubber capacitor and a soft switching are used to reduce the switching losses resulting from the high-frequency operation. The performance of the proposed system is investigated. A direct digital approach is used to design the system controller in MATLAB/Simulink R2022a environment. To validate the system performance, a 10 kW multi-source grid-connected experimental setup with dSPACE-1104 controller is constructed, tested, and compared with other conventional topologies. The test results verify the proposed topology effectiveness for hybrid grid-connected renewable energy resources integration.


An electronic structure of ferroelectric PbZr1/2Ti1/2O3 is presented. The full potential linearized augmented plane wave method is used and the exchange correlation effects are treated by the generalized gradient approximation. In order to understand the ferroelectricity of PbZr1/2Ti1/2O3, the density of states, charge density distribution and band structure are calculated. The results show that the atoms Pb and Ti act similarly as in pure PbTiO3. Like other perovskite ABO3 ferroelectrics, there is a hybridization between the Ti d and O p states, which is responsible for the tendency to ferroelectricity.


ACKGROUD & OBJECTIVE: The present study highlights the effect of various nitrogen supplements responsiblefor the growth and production of microbial cytokinin. METHODOLOGY: During the experimental process it iscompared with the production of cytokinin by different organisms, viz; Rhizobium sp, Bacillus subtilis BC1,Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 and E.coli K12. The microbial cytokinin thus produced was tested for its effect on plantgrowth and shoot induction in a test plant, Phylodendron xanadu. RESULTS: According to the results observed E.coliK12 synthesized 0.186 mg/L amount of cytokinin in PM2. On the other hand, Bacillus subtilis BC1 showed the leastproduction of cytokinin as compared to the other two. For this organism the amounts produced were 0.044 mg/L in PM1and 0.0075 mg/L in PM2. CONCLUSION: The conclusion may be drawn as that PM1 is good for Rhizobium sp andBacillus subtilis BC1. More shoot numbers was obtained in case of cytokinin sample from E.coli K12 with a heightmeasuring to 3.5 cm in media with activated charcoal and 2.3 cm in media without activated charcoal. Similarly, PM3,PM4, PM5, and PM6 were also tried with various enrichment factors incorporated into the medium and the productionwas compared for cytokinin production.


Thermally conductive adhesives provide many advantages over traditional mechanical fastening techniques. Specifically, they use less material and space and are more amenable to automation than existing solutions. The thermal and mechanical properties of these materials are well understood but little work has been done to characterize and understand their toughness and fracture behavior. This paper presents the effects of filler loading as well as matrix composition on the fracture toughness of thermally conductive silicone adhesives. It was observed that the fracture toughness of these materials increased significantly with initial filler loading, and that the mechanical properties and fracture toughness depended on the molecular architecture of the matrix used.


Generalised stochastic Petri nets (GSPN) are the most common state-space model types used in dependability modelling. The great complexity of GSPN models, even for simple repairable systems, makes it necessary to use a less complex model. Combining the GSPN properties and high level Petri nets facilities, a structural simplified model logical explicit stochastic Petri nets (LESPN), having the same modelling power as GSPN, is built. Primitive architectural modules are used in repairable power systems dependability modelling. The paper presents a comparative analysis of different LESPN models associated to the longitudinal coupler used in power systems.