In this Article, Professor Jonathan Macey argues that current anti-takeover laws waste corporate assets, fail to protect the shareholders' interests and present a significant threat to our national economy. Professor Macey asserts that takeovers maximize shareholder wealth and produce corporate efficiency by forcing lower prices and improvements in productivity. Conversely, anti-takeover laws harm firms because the laws create uncertainty for shareholders. Professor Macey attacks public interest arguments raised in favor of these laws which suggest that shareholders need the protection of the laws. He says that shareholders are not victims of coercion in a legitimate takeover attempt, but rather enjoy the profits of an auction market for their stock. The problem of collective action on the part of shareholders is best solved at the firm level through intrafirm agreements or anti-takeover devices adopted through normal intra-firm decision-making. Professor Macey then rejects the local interests justification for these laws, arguing that takeovers result in at most a geographic shifting of wealth. He also disputes the notion that these laws prevent management from focusing on short-term gains, because he sees no tension between maximizing firm value for the present and for the future. Finally, Professor Macey predicts adverse consequences for the national economy as a result of the current wave of state anti-takeover legislation. Shareholders will no longer realize the maximum value for their shares and the market for corporate investment will be chilled. Professor Macey also concludes that the problems inherent in state laws are equally present in federal laws. He argues that the only laws necessary are enabling legislation permitting intra-firm agreements between shareholders and management for responding to tender offers.


The effects of dietary selenium deficiency and excess on N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine-(NMBA) induced esophageal neoplasia in rats and forestomach tumors in mice and the effects of dietary selenium on DNA adduct formation and on the activities of DNA adduct-repairing enzyme and oncogene expression in rat esophagus were investigated. The esophageal and forestomach tumors were induced by administration of NMBA by gavage with a total dose of 39 mg/kg body wt in rats and 12 mg/kg body wt in mice. Neither selenium dietary deficiency (Se < 0.02 ppm) nor selenium excess (2.0 ppm) showed any significant effect on the incidence of tumors or number of tumors per tumor-bearing animal. For the DNA adduct formation studies, rats were given a dose of NMBA intraperitoneally after six weeks on the different selenium-containing diets. No significant difference in the amount of the DNA adduct O6-methyldeoxyguanosine was found among the different selenium-treated groups. In a parallel group of rats that did not receive NMBA, the levels of esophageal O6-methyldeoxyguanosine DNA methyltransferase were not significantly altered by dietary selenium levels. The c-myc oncogene expression in rat esophagus was induced by the administration of NMBA (3 mg/kg body wt) by gavage once a week for eight weeks. Dietary selenium did not show any effects on its expression. On the basis of the results of these studies, dietary selenium has no effects in the NMBA-induced tumor model.


Pieces of intact or degenerated sciatic nerves autografted into contact with transected neurosecretory axons within the hypothalamus were invaded by neurophysin-positive axons. With increasing time after grafting, increasing numbers of axons were present in both types of grafts, but grafts of degenerated sciatic nerves always contained more axons. At the fine-structural level typical neurosecretory as well as nonneurosecretory axons were usually associated with basal lamina-enclosed neurolemmocyte processes; occasional axons occurred among collagen fibrils or within basal lamina scaffolds. Profiles with the fine structural characteristics of axon terminals were present by 20 days after transplantation.


The relationship between habitat physical structure and motile epifauna community associated to a Seagrass bed dominated by Thalassia testudinum was study over the isobaths of 1 and 3 m, in terms of species diversity, organisms density, micro habitat use and multivariate species pattern in association with Seagrass biomass, shoot and leaf density, leaves long and wide, epiphytic and rizophytic algae biomass, sponges biomass and sediment grain size.  Seagrass features showed significant differences between depths, instead epiphytic and rizophytic algae, sponges biomass and sediment grain size did not. Though differences exhibited by Seagrass, epifaunal species diversity and organism density neither were different between depths. In the same way none Seagrass feature showed strong correlations with faunal descriptors, tending even to be negative instead positive.


The present invention provides a projection apparatus for microlithography for imaging an object field, the objective portion and, in one or more for operating one objective portion or a plurality of optical elements manipulator and one or for adjusting or controlling a plurality of manipulators a memory including a control unit and an objective portion at least one or the upper limit and / or upper limit, as well as the motion one objective portion or on a plurality of specifications of the manipulator according to the determination device for determining a plurality of the imaging aberration, imaging aberrations and it includes, the imaging aberration one of overshooting and / of of the upper limit by one or at most 30000 ms, or 10000ms, or 5000 ms, or 1000 ms, or 200 ms, or 20 ms, or 5 ms, or at least one in 1 ms one of the adjustments of the manipulator or the upper limit according to one of the manipulator according to the movement control of the overshooting When determining, there is provided a projection apparatus which is under-shooting of the upper limit can be performed.


Abstract The control of tuberculosis (TB) in cattle and farmed deer in New Zealand has been greatly influenced by the existence of a wildlife reservoir of Mycobacterium bovis infection, principally the Australian brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula). The reduction in possum numbers in areas with endemic M. bovis infection through vigorous vector control operations has been a major contributor to the marked reduction in the number of infected cattle and farmed deer herds in the past two decades. Management of TB in cattle and farmed deer in New Zealand has involved a combination of vector control, regionalisation of diagnostic testing of cattle and deer herds, abattoir surveillance and movement control from vector risk areas. Accurate diagnosis of infected cattle and deer has been a crucial component in the control programme. As the control programme has evolved, test requirements have changed and new tests have been introduced or test interpretations modified. Subspecific strain typing of M. bovis isolates has proved to be a valuable component in the epidemiological investigation of herd breakdowns to identify whether the source of infection was domestic livestock or wildlife. New initiatives will include the use of improved models for analysing diagnostic test data and characterising disease outbreaks leading to faster elimination of infection from herds. The introduction of the National Animal Identification Tracing programme will allow better risk profiling of individual herds and more reliable tracing of animal movements. TB in cattle and farmed deer in New Zealand can only be controlled by eliminating the disease in both domestic livestock and the wildlife reservoir.


Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyzer of Mars Orbiter Mission measures the neutral upper atmospheric constituents of Mars. Martian lower atmosphere predominated by CO2, which photo-dissociates into [O] that plays a significant role, invoking stronger O 2 in Martian ionosphere. Initial measurements from NGIMS instrument on MAVEN estimated these crossover altitude between ≈225 km to 240 km during solar maximum with peak solar illuminations. The primary photo-dissociative species CO2, crossover its neutral abundance with [O] in the heterogeneous atmosphere with varying local solar conditions. MENCA sampled the neutral atmospheric species, below the exobase upto periareion of ≈160 km, under low solar active conditions during June 2018. Observations of partial pressures of CO2 and [O] in subsequent orbits reveals that solar inputs are crucial in quantifying these crossing points, where [O]/CO2 remain unity, alongside influences from temperature. The multi-spacecraft measurements of the direct influences of solar wind charged particle fluxes and velocity on the daily variation of neutral thermospheric/exospheric compositions were observed on the local evening hours of Mars and presented. This study is first of its kind to observe direct interaction of solar radiation on martian atmosphere, contibute for the steady escape and increase in population of [O] in the exosphere.


This paper intends first to give a brief overview of the rise and growth of some of those separatist groups, with a special focus on the Nagas, the Mizos and the Assam movement. An analysis of the degeneration of these sub-nationalist movements into mere criminal groups has been proposed in this paper. With the Indian Armed Forces having more and more capacities and discretionary power of action, insurgency has radicalised its forms and activities. The criminalisation process will be broached by focusing the study on few separatist groups that have dropped their original revolutionary and lofty ideals to concentrate their struggle on easy money and underground activities, in spite of the fact that individualised interests, internecine rivalries and indiscriminate violence have often turned the population against those outfits. Finally, how has the externality of the insurgency influenced this phenomenon? The third part of the paper will propose an overview of the rapid externalisation of all the insurgent groups. The linkages they have established across borders enabled them to obtain friendly support (Pakistan), funding (China, LTTE) and strategic shelter (Burma, Bangladesh). Finally there will be an attempt to demonstrate how these external connections fuelled the instability in the Northeast and conceptualised their struggle and survival. [Occasional Paper No. 16]


Understanding player positional roles are important for match-play tactics, player recruitment, talent identification, and development by providing a greater understanding of what each positional role constitutes. Currently, no analysis of competition technical skill data exists by player position in the Australian Football League Women's (AFLW) competition. The primary aim of the research was to use data-driven techniques to observe what positions and roles characterise AFLW match-play using detailed technical skill action data of players. A secondary aim was to comment on the application of clustering methods to achieve more interpretable, reflective positional clustering. A two-stage, unsupervised clustering approach was applied to meet these aims. Data cleaning resulted in 165 variables across 1296 player seasons in the 2019–2022 AFLW seasons which was used for clustering. First-stage clustering found four positions following a common convention (forwards, midfielders, defenders, and rucks). Second-stage clustering found roles within positions, resulting in a further 13 clusters with three forwards, three midfielders, four defenders, and three ruck positional roles. Key variables across all positions and roles included the field location of actions, number of contested possessions, clearances, interceptions, hitouts, inside 50s, and rebound 50s. Unsupervised clustering allowed the discovery of new roles rather than being constrained to pre-defined existing classifications of previous literature. This research assists coaches and practitioners by identifying key game actions players need to perform in match-play by position, which can assist in player recruitment, player development, and identifying appropriate match-play styles and tactics, while also defining new roles and suggestions of how to best use available data.


Abstract : One of the many challenges facing weapon developers is the requirement for a highly lethal, lightweight, and compact large caliber gun system. One concept recently investigated by the U.S. Army is that of a swing-chamber gun, necessitating the use of telescoped ammunition. Such ammunition not only reduces the volume available for the propellant change, but also places severe geometric constraints on both the distribution of the propellant and the location and functionality of the ignition system. Lumped parameter codes cannot capture the influence of these configurational complexities on the processes of flame spreading and the formation of ensuing pressure waves. One-dimensional, two-phase flow interior ballistic simulations reveal the likelihood of such waves and raise the concern for possible damage to the ammunition (projectile). Multidimensional, two-phase interior ballistic simulations provide quantitative predictions of the flow in the annular region between the sidewall of the telescoped projectile and the cartridge case, also show the formation of pressure waves, and further the concern over projectile damage. Initial results are shown from ongoing work to couple an interior ballistics code with a gun/projectile structural dynamics code. Pressure waves in the charge produce a very demanding environment for the projectile which necessitates the use of a more substantial structure, with the attending sharp reduction in cargo capacity, or the use of exotic materials in order to insure a successful launch.


The present thesis sought to investigate the precise relationship between the cognitive and
psychophysiological profiles of developing readers, of established readers and of failed
readers. Phonological processing tasks and visuospatial tasks were used to assess
relevant auditory and visual cognitive skills; handedness and EEG measures were used to
provide indices of cortical organisation and activation.
A 21/2 year longitudinal investigation of some 150 pre-readers provided evidence of
mutually facilitative relationships between and within specific types of phonological skill
and phonological memory. Early significance of visual skills was subsequently
superseded by the importance of these phonological skills. The acquisition of early
reading skills was associated with a shift towards increased dextrality as measured by
hand skill and hand preference; this relationship was not evident in subsequent stages.
Cross-sectional studies comparing dyslexic children with chronological- and reading-age
matched controls extended these findings. The dyslexic readers displayed impaired
phonological processing and phonological memory skills relative to chronological-age
matched competent readers; similarities were observed between dyslexics and reading-age
matched controls. Visual perceptual skills failed to differentiate between the
chronological-age matched competent and impaired readers, although both out-performed
younger control readers. ERP measures consistently demonstrated diffuse patterns of
bilateral activation in dyslexic readers as opposed to asymmetric activity lateralised to the
left hemisphere in control readers. Between group comparisons of inter-hemispheric
activity revealed greater levels of right-hemisphere involvement in the dyslexic samples;
between group comparisons of intra-hemispheric activity revealed evidence of greater
involvement of fronto-central regions in the dyslexic samples.
It is proposed that these data provide supportive evidence for the central involvement of
phonological processing skills in the development of reading, underpinned by the normal
development of asymmetric patterns of cortical lateralisation. Children where this
development is delayed or deficient will display the reading difficulties characteristic of
developmental dyslexia.


Cell formation deals with grouping of machines and parts in manufacturing systems according to their compatibility. Manufacturing processes are surrounded with an abundance of complex constraints which should be considered carefully and represented clearly for obtaining high efficiency and productivity. Constraint programming is a new approach to combinatorial optimization and provides a rich language to represent complex constraints easily. However, the cell formation problems are well suited to be solved by constraint programming approach since the problem has many constraints such as part-machine requirements, availabilities in the system in terms of capacity, machine and worker abilities. In this study, the cell formation problem is modeled using machine, part processing and worker flexibilities via resource element–based representation. Resource elements define the processing requirements of parts and processing capabilities of machines and workers, which are resource-independent capability units. A total of 12 case problems are generated, and different search phases of constraint programming are defined for the solution procedure. The cell formation problem is modeled in both constraint programming and integer programming, and a comparative analysis of constraint programming and integer programming model solutions is done. The results indicate that both the models are effective and efficient in the solution of the cell formation problem.


The siting of cellular phone towers (CPBSs) is of particular public concern due to fears of potential health hazards from the electromagnetic fields (EMFs) that these devices emit. The unsightliness of these structures and fear of lowered property values are other regularly voiced concerns about the siting of CPBs. This paper outlines the results of further research to show the effect that distance to a CPBS has on residential property prices in New Zealand (NZ). The results of this research will be of interest to valuers when valuing properties in close proximity to CPBSs and for determining compensation, if any, to affected property owners.


Expanding housing finance to the underserved in South Asia, a first regional effort on the topic, examines housing needs and shortages in South Asia, and outlines shortcomings of the market for home mortgages. The primary purpose of this book is to pull together housing and housing finance information for the countries of South Asia. Housing and housing finance data have been scarce in most countries in the region, preventing policy makers, private sector businesses, and financial sector stakeholders from enabling and improving these markets. The book presents illustrations of best practices and country-specific examples that can enable builder/ developers, mortgage lenders, and land administrators to create foreclosure and other relevant regulations that will strengthen home ownership in South Asia. Special emphasis is accorded to innovative solutions for low-income housing. Finally, the book draws attention to regional challenges to efficient and effective housing and housing finance markets and suggests an agenda for the future.


Abstract : This fourth edition of the Common Sense Guide to Mitigating Insider Threats provides the most current recommendations of the CERT Program (part of Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute), based on an expanded database of more than 700 insider threat cases and continued research and analysis. It introduces the topic of insider threats, explains its intended audience and how this guide differs from previous editions, defines insider threats, and outlines current patterns and trends. The guide then describes 19 practices that organizations should implement across the enterprise to prevent and detect insider threats, as well as case studies of organizations that failed to do so. Each practice includes features new to this edition: challenges to implementation, quick wins and highimpact solutions for small and large organizations, and relevant security standards. This edition also focuses on six groups within an organization - human resources, legal, physical security, data owners, information technology, and software engineering - and maps the relevant groups to each practice. The appendices provide a revised list of information security best practices, a new mapping of the guide's practices to established security standards, a new breakdown of the practices by organizational group, and new checklists of activities for each practice.


The non-enzymatic browning known as the Maillard reaction has been the subject of extensive investigation for decades. Studies have focused on areas such as changes in flavour, colour, texture, and the nutritional properties of food materials as a result of this reaction. However, this complex reaction between the amino acids in proteins and reducing sugars in carbohydrates, is still not fully understood, especially the reaction mechanisms and potential impacts on health.Skim milk powder (SMP), is a multi-functional and extremely popular ingredient in the food industry, and is used in infant formulas, reconstituted and fermented dairy products, frozen desserts, bakery products, coffee whiteners, and even processed meat products. Despite the apparent good stability of SMP, it is prone to the Maillard reaction and its consequences, due to its composition, as well as the application of various kinds of thermal processing, and subsequent prolonged shelf life.The aims of this work were thus to improve our understanding of the occurrence of the Maillard reaction in SMP after the application of different drying techniques, and during subsequent storage under realistic conditions, in order to be able to predict and to control the reaction. Previous studies have mainly been conducted on model food systems at the conditions applicable to processing, i.e. at temperatures above 40 oC. In the present work, changes in two indicators of the early and advanced stages of the Maillard reaction, namely the available lysine and carboxymethyl lysine (CML), respectively, were monitored during storage.To obtain a better understanding of the impact of processing on the progression of the reaction, three different drying techniques were studied and compared on pilot scale: freeze-drying, spray-drying and drum-drying. The extent of the reaction during prolonged storage for 200 days was studied, considering three storage variables: temperature, relative humidity (RH) and time.The kinetics of the available lysine in a commercial, industrially produced SMP was subsequently established over 30 days (the maximum recommended period for the consumption of opened packages) under conditions normally encountered during domestic storage. Furthermore, theearly and advanced stages of the reaction were studied in selected infant formulas available on the Swedish market.The results of these studies showed that the drying technique had a significant impact on the initiation of the Maillard reaction. Furthermore, the storage variables (temperature, RH and time) were also crucial factors in the gradual progression of the reaction during storage. The pattern of the decrease in the available lysine content during 200 days of storage was similar, regardless of the type of SMP. After storage at 52% RH and 30 oC, a 39.2 – 45.9% decrease in the available lysine content was seen after 200 days. The corresponding value following storage at 52% RH and 20 oC was 21.2 – 31.8%, indicating the importance of the storage temperature. Storage at 33% RH and 30 oC caused a 5.2 – 22.4% decrease in the available lysine content, while no significant decrease in the available lysine content was seen after storage at 33% RH and 20 oC, thus it was considered to be the ideal storage conditions for SMP.Studies of the advanced phase of the Maillard reaction using CML revealed that twice as much CML was formed in the spray-dried powders, than in the freeze-dried samples, after 200 days. The corresponding value in the drum-dried samples was 1.6 times that in the freeze-dried samples.The findings of this work have practical implications for SMP and SMP-based products in the food industry, and can be used to predict and control the Maillard reaction during storage, in order to ensure the safety of these products on the market.


ABSTRACT Introduction: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a potentially severe tick-borne viral disease endemic in several regions of Europe, Africa, and Asia. Rapid and reliable diagnosis is essential for early initiation of patient's treatment and for prompt implementation of appropriate precaution and infection control measures to prevent further spread of the disease. Areas covered: A literature search was undertaken on available approaches for laboratory diagnosis of CCHF infections, and the advantages and limitations of the assays are discussed. Expert opinion: Given that the genetic variability among CCHFV strains is high, attention has to be paid on the molecular protocols to detect all currently known genetic lineages of the virus as the emergence of CCHFV strains belonging to various lineages in new environments is not unexpected. In severe cases, the antibody production may be delayed or absent. It is important that the laboratories involved in CCHFV diagnostics to run quality control assays. Standardized assays and point-of-care tests with high sensitivity and specificity are needed. It is expected that the application of next-generation sequencing will be a powerful tool for CCHF diagnostics. Awareness, preparedness, and surveillance are required for prompt detection of CCHF cases.


Background The present study aimed to assess the prevalence and intensity of catastrophic health-care expenditures (CHE) relating to type 2 diabetes mellitus care and inequality in facing such expenditures in Iran. Methods A total of 1065 type 2 diabetes patients were included in this cross-sectional study. A multistage sampling method was used to select the samples. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, economic status, health and diabetic costs were collected using a self-constructed questionnaire. We used capacity to pay (CTP) of households to calculate the incidence of CHE due to diabetic care at four different thresholds. The mean positive overshoot (MPO) and overshoot were used to assess the intensity of CHE. The relative concentration index and slope index of inequality (SII) were used to measure socioeconomic-related inequalities in incidences of CHE. In addition, decomposition methods were used to identify the main factors affecting observed inequality in CHE. Results The incidence of CHE at the 10, 20, 30, and 40% of CTP thresholds for type 2 diabetes mellitus care was 57.5, 28.9, 16.5, and 11.4%, respectively. The results of CI and SII indices for CHE due to diabetic care indicated that the incidence of CHE was more prevalent among patients with lower socioeconomic groups. The decomposition analysis showed that the socioeconomic status, marital status and gender of patients were the main factors contributing to socioeconomic inequality in incidence of CHE among the poor. Conclusion Our study demonstrated that the incidence and intensity of CHE due to diabetic care were relatively high, particularly among socioeconomically disadvantaged patients. Modification to the present health care financing strategies is recommended in order to protect lower socioeconomic groups against the financial burden of diabetic care.


The aim of this study is to assess and compare the effectiveness and safety of nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-PTX) and solvent-based PTX (sb-PTX) as treatment options for advanced gastric cancer. This meta-analysis was reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. We carried out a comprehensive search of PubMed, Google Scholar, and EMBASE from inception to June 15, 2023. The search strategy included the following keywords: "Nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel," "solvent-based paclitaxel," and "advanced gastric cancer," along with their synonyms and medical subject heading (MeSH) terms. In this meta-analysis, the primary outcome was the comparison of overall survival and progression-free survival between the two groups. For safety purposes, we compared the risk of hematological and non-hematological events between the two groups. Four studies were included in this meta-analysis enrolling 1052 patients (483 received nb-PTX and 569 received sb-PTX). In terms of efficacy, nab-PTX showed favorable trends in overall survival and progression-free survival, despite no statistically significant differences being reported. The subgroup meta-analysis showed that nab-PTX seemed to have a better effect on peritoneal metastasis compared to sb-PTX. Regarding safety, the number of patients with neutropenia and leucopenia was significantly higher in the nab-PTX group compared to the sb-PTX group. However, the difference was statistically insignificant. Future research should focus on conducting more robust studies to further validate these findings and establish a stronger evidence base for the use of nab-PTX in this patient population.


Background Early marriage and maternity prevalence rates among adolescent girls remain alarmingly high in West and Central Africa (WCA). This study aims to explore the associations between socio-economic factors and the prevalence of early marriage and maternity, thus contributing to the identification of girls at risk of early pregnancy or marriage. Methods We pooled data from national representative surveys (1986 – 2017) for 23 countries in WCA to examine associations between wealth, educational attainment, religious affiliation, and place of residence with adolescent marriage and maternity. We decomposed the wealth and education gradients for individual countries, while controlling for common characteristics of the local environment via the use of primary sampling unit fixed-effects. The pooled sample provides information on 262 721 girls (age 15-19 years). Survey weights and population share weights were used in the estimations. Results The prevalence of adolescent maternity and marriage exhibited a wealth and education gradient. Prevalence of marriage in the poorest wealth quintile was 41.1% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 38.8%-43.5%) and 10.5% (95% CI = 9.5%-11.6%) in the richest. For maternity it was 38.3% (95% CI = 36.4%-40.3%) in the poorest quintile and 12.7% (95% CI = 11.5%-13.9%) in the richest. Marriage/maternity is three/two times more likely to occur among girls with incomplete primary or no formal education than in those with at least primary. Maternity and marriage among adolescents exhibit a geographical pattern and differences between religious groups. Adolescent marriage prevalence was 34.4% (95% CI = 32.9%-35.8%) in rural areas compared to 13.3% (95% CI = 12.3%-14.2%) in urban areas. Adolescent maternity prevalence was 32.8% (95% CI = 31.7%-33.9%) in rural compared to 16.3% (95% CI = 15.3%-17.3%) in urban areas. Finally, the prevalence of adolescent marriage was substantially higher among Muslims compared to all other religious groups. Conclusions Our results highlight the disparities in the prevalence of adolescent marriage and maternity and confirm the existence of wealth and education gradients. These findings can help to improve targeting of vulnerable adolescents and to identify areas for policy implementation.


tical, well referenced and simple to use." The authors succeed reasonably well in these goals. The monograph takes the reader through the steps of identifying the need for an alochol problems project, establishing interest among and links to community resources, specifying objectives, gathering information, applying information gathered to developing and implementing responses to alcohol problems, and, finally, monitoring and assessing those responses. These steps are considered in brief sections with frequent descriptions of possible difficulties the investigator may confront. Emphasis is given throughout the monograph to the necessity of working with key individuals and organizations within the community at all stages of project development, implementation, and assessment. Although the original project's goal was to develop guidelines for investigating alcohol problems, the general principles covered could apply to investigating diverse problems in developing countries. The methodology employed emphasizes community involvement in developing responses to problems, at the possible expense of rigorous research methodology. This approach is preferred because of the belief that communities often will not become involved with methodologically rigorous studies because they are frequently too expensive, too cumbersome. and too neutral towards the community's perceived needs. This willingness to sacrifice scientific rigor to the need for community action and involvement may bother some readers. In summary, this book is intended as an initial guide to those involved in developing "action" research for alcohol problems in developing countries. It is broad enough, however, to be of use to anyone responsible for devising and implementing research programs investigating various problems in any community. It is also of value to those who have wondered how such projects are approached and activated.


PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to analyze a participatory approach to occupational safety and health, and to examine the possibility of applying the concept to the practice and research of occupational safety and health.

METHODS
According to Rodger's method, descriptive data concerning antecedents, attributes and consequences were qualitatively analyzed. A total of 39 articles were selected for analysis.

RESULTS
Attributes with a participatory approach were: "active involvement of both workers and employers", "focusing on action-oriented low-cost and multiple area improvements based on good practices", "the process of emphasis on consensus building", and "utilization of a local network". Antecedents of the participatory approach were classified as: "existing risks at the workplace", "difficulty of occupational safety and health activities", "characteristics of the workplace and workers", and "needs for the workplace". The derived consequences were: "promoting occupational safety and health activities", "emphasis of self-management", "creation of safety and healthy workplace", and "contributing to promotion of quality of life and productivity".

CONCLUSIONS
A participatory approach in occupational safety and health is defined as, the process of emphasis on consensus building to promote occupational safety and health activities with emphasis on self-management, which focuses on action-oriented low-cost and multiple area improvements based on good practices with active involvement of both workers and employers through utilization of local networks. We recommend that the role of the occupational health professional be clarified and an evaluation framework be established for the participatory approach to promote occupational safety and health activities by involving both workers and employers.


The aim of our study is to present the tetanus pediatric cases for almost 24 year period. We analyzed epidemiologically, clinico-biologically and the treatment from the patients' files. In above mentioned period were admitted 8 children with tetanus, 4 cases in 1980-1990; 5 patients were female, mainly came from suburban area; 12-15 year old group of age was mainly involved-3 cases. A point of entry was certified in 7 cases, the mean incubation period was 9.2 days, all the cases had a typical form of the disease. The complications were: bronchopneumonia, ileus (1 case). The performed treatment--antitetanic serum, antibiotics, sedatives, curare for 3 patients; no patient died. A rare disease for the pediatric age, tetanus could be a severe disease, with severe complications.


La0.7Ca0.3MnO3/CaO (LCMO/CaO) multilayers were deposited on (100) LaAlO3 substrates by pulsed injection metal organic chemical vapour deposition. The samples were characterised by X-ray diffraction, transport and magnetization measurements. An anomalous behaviour of the electrical resistance under applied magnetic field and an exchange bias effect for the magnetization are observed for the multilayers with thinner LCMO layers. These results suggest the existence of a short range antiferromagnetic coupling at the layer interfaces.


Charitable nonprofit organizations are entrusted with financial resources to ensure they are able to fulfill their mission. It is imperative that these resources are well managed and that the nonprofit organization maintains a sound financial condition. It is also important for nonprofits to consider the financial aspect of their strategic plan to ensure there will be enough financial resources to deliver on future programmatic plans. This case requires students to do a thorough assessment of the financial condition of a nonprofit organization and to consider how each of their primary programs fit both with their mission as well as with their financial resources.


A patient is described with the bird‐egg syndrome who experienced an anaphylactic reaction after eating some of her parrot's food (pine nuts: Pinus pinea). Specific IgE against this nut and another pine nut (P cembra) was demonstrated by RAST. Cross‐reactivity between these botanically related seeds was shown by RAST inhibition. Besides avian antigens, bird food antigens should be taken into consideration when symptoms of allergy occur on exposure to birds.


Abstract Release methods used in species restoration can affect the success of establishment and survival of released animals. We evaluated the effect of age at release and sex on the length of the dependence period of hacked captive-bred juvenile Harpy Eagles (Harpia harpyja). Between 2002 and 2007, we released 34 (19 males and 15 females) young eagles in Panama and Belize. To test the effect of age, these eagles were divided into two age classes: younger age class 1 (5–7 mo old) and older age class 2 (18–22 mo old). Survival (hacking success) was lower for the younger release age (70%) compared to the older release age (100%; Z  =  −2.05, P  =  0.040). This difference in hacking success was attributed to the extended period of dependence on provisioned food by the younger (18.9 ± 1.3 mo [SE]) compared to older eagles (1.5 ± 0.8 mo). Between-sex comparisons showed that the average length of the dependence period was longer for males of age class 1 (males  =  21.8 mo vs. females  =  14.3 mo) and for females of age class 2 (females  =  2.7 mo vs. males  =  0 mo). Cox regression models indicated that the interaction of age at release and sex had a significant effect on the dependence period, and that age at release was the most influential variable. Eagles released at 18 mo or older showed increased survival and shorter dependence periods. Hacking can be used to successfully release captive-bred Harpy Eagles into the wild, but this technique was more efficient when delayed from fledging age (when falconers traditionally hack falcons) to nearer the Harpy Eagle's age of independence.


This article reports on a W-Band (75-110 GHz) Schottky diode based balanced envelope detector in microstrip technology, featuring a transition from WR-10 to microstrip. The manufactured detector provides 20 GHz of input RF bandwidth within the W-band. A video bandwidth between 4GHz and 6GHz is achieved for input RF frequencies between 75 GHz and 88 GHz, allowing error free transmission of signals up to 12 Gbit/s.


Letter from W. M. Yandell to his aunt Maud Fentress, regarding why he is in Texas. He also mentions family news and his brother David's practice in Memphis. He also asks to come and visit Maud. He asks about Maud and her husband's health and how his cousin David Fentress is doing. The last page is an ad about Dr.David W. Fentress and his services and an ad to sell Fentress's land and animals.


Purpose: This study was done to examine effects of task performance style, communication ability and their interaction on problem-solving ability and nursing competency of nursing students participating in a nursing management practicum. Methods: The study was a non-equivalent control group non-synchronized design. Participants were 56 fourth year nursing students (25 in the cooperative task group and 31 in the individual task group) and data were collected from March to September 2010. Additionally, two groups were classified based on communication ability of students and four groups were classified by their task performance style and communication ability. Problem-solving ability and nursing competency were measured pre- and post-test and compared between groups. Data were analyzed using SPSS Windows 17.0 program. Results: Neither problem-solving ability and nursing competency were statistically significantly different according to task performance style. Nursing competency was statistically significantly higher in the high communication group compared to the low communication group. Problem-solving ability was significantly different among the four groups classified by task performance style and communication ability. Conclusion: Nursing educators may need to improve students' communication ability to improve nursing competency and also assign different tasks based on communication ability of nursing students to improve problem-solving ability.


Car-sharing companies have shown increasing support in the adoption of fuel-efficient cars to reduce CO2 emissions and to meet heterogeneous demand. In this paper, we consider location design and relocation problems for sharing a mixed fleet of cars and propose integer linear programs that incorporate both one-way and round-trip demand and operations. To model car movements, we use a minimum-cost flow model on a spatial–temporal network given time-based demand. We maximize the total profit of renting cars minus the cost of relocation and maintenance, subject to limited budget for purchasing cars and given a CO2 emission limit. In addition, we enforce the first-come, first-served principle to eliminate denied trips. We conduct computational studies based on 2014 Zipcar data in Boston to provide insights for fleet location, car-type designs, and their environmental impacts. Our results show high utilization of cars and low demand losses and denied trips. Although the CO2 emission limit may lower car-sharing...


Consider the following proposition: We live in a global marketplace. US based Intel, the world's largest chip maker, competes with South Korea's Samsung. In the global cell phone market, Nokia (Finland), Ericsson (Sweden), Motorola (United States), and Samsung are key players. Appliances from Whirlpool and Electrolux compete for precious retail space with products manufactured and marketed by China's Haier Group and LG of South Korea. Now consider a second proposition: We live in a world in which markets are local. In China, for example, Yum Brand's new East Dawning fast-food chain competes with local restaurants such as New Asia Snack. France's domestic film industry generates about 40 percent of local motion picture box office receipts; U.S. - made movies account for about 50 percent. For example, American auto industry giants General Motors and Ford Motor Company are locked in a competitive struggle with Toyota, Hyundai Motor Company, and other global Asian rivals as well as European companies such as Volkswagen.


My laboratory studies the structures of membrane proteins that are important in maintaining homeostasis in the brain. Understanding structure (and hence function) requires scientists to build an atomic resolution map of every atom in the protein of interest, that is, an atomic structural model of the protein of interest captured in various functional states. In 2013 we unveiled the method Microcrystal Electron Diffraction (MicroED) and demonstrated that it is feasible to determine high-resolution protein structures by electron crystallography of three-dimensional crystals in an electron cryo-microscope (CryoEM). The CryoEM is used in diffraction mode for structural analysis of proteins of interest using vanishingly small crystals. The crystals are often a billion times smaller in volume than what is normally used for other structural biology methods like x-ray crystallography. In this seminar I will describe the basics of this method, from concept to data collection, analysis and structure determination, and illustrate how samples that were previously unattainable can now be studied by MicroED. I will conclude by highlighting how this new method is helping us discover and design new drugs; shedding new light on chemical synthesis and small molecule chemistry; and showing us unprecedented level of details with important membrane proteins such as ion channels and G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) at atomic resolutions [1-4].


Complications may arise during pregnancy, labour or in the postpartum period which may be life threatening and require intensive care. Obstetric p atients with these complications are better served by early admission and optimal management in the in tensive care unit (ICU). The objective of this study was to ascertain the prevalence, indications for admission, interventions and outcome of critically ill obstetric patients admitted in the i ntensive care unit. The study design was a retrospe ctive collection of data and it was carried out at the IC U in the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) from February 2007 to January 2012. The intensive care unit records and case files of all obstetric patients admitted to the ICU during t he 5-year study period were used to extract the relevant data. Data collected included demographic characteristics of the patients, indications for admission, interventions and outcome.


Abstract In French Guiana, inselbergs in the form of granite outcrops rise abruptly from the surrounding rain forest. They constitute isolated islands of a special type of vegetation restricted to this peculiar substrate. Shrub granitic vegetation, organized in thickets on open exposed rocks of inselbergs, are described using the Braun-Blanquet method combined with Correspondence Analysis. This phytosociological study revealed only one particular shrub community on each inselberg, including predominantly evergreen and sclerophyllous shrubs, especially microphanerophytes, belonging to the Clusiaceae, Myrtaceae and Bombacaceae. These outcrop communities exhibit species endemic to the Guianas region and also species rare in French Guiana. Affinities with flora of other inselbergs and vegetation types in South America are examined and discussed. Reasons for observed floristic and structural changes in each community are also discussed. Abbreviation: CA = Correspondence Analysis. Nomenclature: Boggan et al. (1997).


[full article, abstract in English; abstract in Lithuanian]
This paper discusses Xenophon's political philosophy and its Greek context. One of the major themes running through Xenophon's works is leadership, which he tackles implicitly or explicitly in virtually all of his writings (be it his philosophical, historical or literary writings). For Xenophon, the leader was important not only as an individual leading the armed forces, but as a leader of a city or a community as well. Bearing in mind the importance of leadership and the role of leaders for Xenophon, the author of this paper tries to show that Xenophon's political philosophy can be seen as part of his Panhellenic program. The aim of this program is to politically unite the Greeks by making them enter into an alliance in the name of a common Panhellenic crusade against Persia.


The aim of the paper is to identify essential effects of e-commerce on company's business processes and structure. The main focus is on b-to-b wholesaler environment; however, more general implications will also be presented. The data, mostly qualitative by nature, have been collected through a case study. E-business might just be ordinary business that utilizes the modern tools of information technology in streamlining and re-engineering business processes. But it does not have to limit to that. Evolution tends to be tender for structures; revolution, however, breaks the walls that have been considered as fundamental. The turning point towards e-business, respectively, besides of steps of evolution may also include revolutionary elements. B-to-b e-commerce between companies has increased evidently during the recent years. Electronic commerce challenges the traditional channels of buying and selling and thereby influences simultaneously the internal processes of companies. Essentially, this is only aesthetics – scratching a surface. E-business has also potential to alter the fundamental structures of companies. Developing e-business requires advanced and innovative solutions e.g. in logistics and supply-chain management. Often the whole structure of a company has to be – or should be – adjusted to the novel mode of operation.


This paper propose the design, calculation and feasibility study of a reversible hydroelectric plant located in the island of Gran Canaria, with the support of a solar power plant to cover a part of the energy demand of the pumping of water from a lower reservoir to a higher one. This work is motivated in order that the island of Gran Canaria has the first hydroelectric power station in its history, and has energy storage to cover peak hours of demand between 18 and 22 hours. At the same time, it is intend to increase the installed capacity of renewable sources to the detriment of fossil fuels. Finally, this paper conclude with an economic study where a budget and its corresponding prefeasibility study are estimated, considering a construction period of 4 years and a useful life of the installation of 25 years.


Tattoos with blue/black ink show good lightening of pigment after treatment with 1064 nm Q‐switched (QS) neodymium‐doped yttrium–aluminium–garnet (Nd:YAG) laser. In this randomized trial, we compared the efficacy of a novel three pass, one session procedure (R15 method) with a conventional method for treating blue/black tattoos in darker skin types. Tattoos were treated with 1064 nm QS Nd:YAG Laser with a spot size of 4 mm, fluence of 5 J/cm2 and frequency of 5 Hz. The tattoo pigment lightening was comparable with both methods. Thread‐like tattoos had significantly better pigment lightening with fewer side effects than the broad band‐like tattoos. We would like to recommend the R15 method of the QS Nd:YAG laser for thread‐like tattoos, which can save patients' time, cut short the frequency of their hospital visits and, more importantly, decrease the cost involved in it.


Spectral differences among varieties of American English have been widely studied, typically recognizing three major regionally diagnostic vowel shift patterns [Labov, Ash, and Boberg (2006). The Atlas of North American English: Phonetics, Phonology and Sound Change (De Gruyter, Berlin)]. Durational variability across dialects, on the other hand, has received relatively little attention. This paper investigates to what extent regional differences in vowel duration are linked with spectral changes taking place in the Northern, Western, and Southern regions of the U.S. Using F1/F2 and duration measures, the durational correlates of the low back vowel merger, characteristic of Western dialects, and the acoustic reversals of the front tense/lax vowels, characteristic of Southern dialects, are investigated. Results point to a positive correlation between spectral overlap and vowel duration for Northern and Western speakers, suggesting that both F1/F2 measures and durational measures are used for disambiguation of vowel quality. The findings also indicate that, regardless of region, a durational distinction maintains the contrast between the low back vowel classes, particularly in cases of spectral merger. Surprisingly, Southerners show a negative correlation for the vowel shifts most defining of contemporary Southern speech, suggesting that neither spectral position nor durational measures are the most relevant cues for vowel quality in the South.


Contrastive Learning is a paradigm for learning representation functions that recover useful similarity structure in a dataset based on samples of positive (similar) and negative (dissimilar) instances. The quality of the learned representations depends crucially on the degree to which the strategies for sampling positive and negative instances reflect useful structure in the data. Typically, positive instances are sampled by randomly perturbing an anchor point using some form of data augmentation. However, not all randomly sampled positive instances are equally effective. In this paper, we analyze strategies for sampling more effective positive instances. We consider a setting where class structure in the observed data derives from analogous structure in an unobserved latent space. We propose active sampling approaches for positive instances and investigate their role in effectively learning representation functions which recover the class structure in the underlying latent space.


The atomic bomb ended the war against Japan in 1945 and became the centerpiece of U.S. and Soviet military strategy for the next 45 years. In the late 1940s the debate over whether the atomic bomb was the ultimate arbitrator of international differences led to the infamous carrier-versus-B-36 controversy in American defense policy; American school children in the 1950s practiced "duck and cover" as we feared an atomic attack against American cities; and billions were spent to develop and procure vast fleets of B-36, B-47, and B-52 nuclear bombers, that led to a still-alive legacy that is seen in the current B-1 and the B-2 stealth bomber controversies. At the battlefield level the U.S. Army developed the 280-mm atomic cannon, atomic demolitions, and the infamous Davy Crockett atomic "grenade" launcher--the last intended to give battalion commanders their own nuclear arsenal. Similarly, the U.S. Navy entered the atomic world to obtain a carrier-based nuclear strike capability, to compete with the U.S. Air Force. Subsequently, a vast variety of naval weapons were developed, from the ASTOR nuclear torpedo to 16-inch nuclear projectiles for the four Iowa-class battleships. And, within the United States air-defense fighters carried aloft nuclear missiles and rockets, while nuclear-armed surface-to-air missiles ringed major U.S. cities and military bases. The U.S. nuclear arsenal peaked at some 31,500 warheads in the mid-1960s.


Summary.
Parties to the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change are
expected to agree on a new international
climate agreement applicable to all
countries from 2020 at the Paris climate
summit in December 2015. This Policy
Brief investigates the possible role of the
European Union (EU) towards the 2015
Paris climate agreement. It argues for
renewed efforts by the EU at coalition
building with progressive developing
countries, leadership by example and
a more prominent, complementary
role of individual EU member states. It
also argues for a Paris agreement that
provides a strong "signal" and "direction",
and discusses what this may entail.


This work presents a novel method for determining Young's modulus of thin films with compact micromachined test structures and without using any extra load. The test structures comprise of a pair of micro-strain gauges and a cantilever beam. An analytical model is derived to extract the Young's modulus of test structures. Notably, both Young's modulus and residual stress can be simultaneously determined; thus we can correlate Young's modulus and residual stress. The micromachined test structures employed in the measurement are made of low-pressure chemical-vapor deposition (LPCVD) undoped polycrystalline silicon films. A conventional surface-sacrificial layer micromachining technique with one mask is used to fabricate the structures. The obtained Young's modulus is reduced a little as residual stress increases. The average value of the obtained Young's modulus is 169 G Pa, and the residual stress calibrated from the strain gauge is 211 MPa.


10 children aged 15 years, who presented with anti-mumps antibodies of < 3 PEI (Paul Ehrlich Institute) despite documented mumps vaccination in the past, were boosted with Triviraten Berna (Rubini mumps strain) and the antibody response was assessed after 7, 28 and 90 days. All 5 children boosted with the same vaccine (Rubini mumps strain) had a titer rise as early as day 7 persisting for 3 months. The 4 children primed with the Jeryl Lynn mumps strain showed a primary immune response, i.e. a rise of the antibody titer after 28 days only, which did not persist well. The child originally primed with the Urabe mumps strain did not show any significant immune response on day 28, which means a negative result. Children apparently susceptible to mumps cannot be differentiated from immune children by measurement of antibody titers. Reexposure to the homologous vaccine virus elicited a persisting immune response: however, revaccination with a heterologous vaccine virus elicited an immune response directed against different antigenic epitopes, followed by limited persistence of circulating antibodies. The efficacy of a second dose of mumps vaccine was demonstrated in 9/10 children. Only by using a two-dose immunization schedule is it possible to effectively avoid the occasionally serious complications of this viral infection, as has been achieved in Finland.


The main purpose of this study was to determine if fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum l.) seeds extract (Fse) and lucerne (Medicago sativa l.) extract (lDe) modulate post-challenge carbohydrate metabolism in type 2 diabetes animal model. Type 2 diabetes was induced in the Wistar rat neonates by intraperitoneal administration of streptozotocin. experimental animals (60) were divided into following groups: normal rats treated with Fse or lDe, diabetic rats treated with Fse or lDe or glibenclamide or vehicle and given orally examined substances for 4 weeks. Glycaemia was controlled prior to the administration of test substances and at time points of 2 h and 4 h, thereafter at 1st, 7th and the last day of experiment. insulin serum concentration was measured at time 0 at the same days. The present study demonstrates the ability of Fse and lDe to decrease postprandial glycaemia in type 2 diabetic and non-diabetic rats. it seems that this effect mediated by enhancing insulin secretion is related only for lDe-treatment and observed only in n5-sTz rats.


LoRa is an advanced technology investigated and applied widely to the IoT field because of its power efficiency and wireless connection. Therefore, a development kit supporting LoRa technology is a vital device that helps engineers to develop a faster and more stable IoT – LoRa-based system. The development kit not only requires a small size to be easily integrated into other systems but also has a low power consumption to adapt to the requirement of IoT devices. In this paper, we propose a development kit for an IoT platform using LoRa technology. The power consumption and Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) of this kit are addressed. The development kit works well, as anticipated.


In the present study was designed to evaluate antimicrobial, anthelminthic activity and phytochemical analysis of different extracts of Sida cordata (Burm. f.) borssum root rxtract was prepared using different solvents like chloroform, petroleum ether, ethylacetate, ethanol, and water (aqueous extract). By using agar well diffusion method, the antibiotic activity of different extract was evaluated and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) by 96 well resazurin based microtiter dilution the test organisms were Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Lacto bacillus Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger. Among the different the extracts (ethanolic and aqueous) showed significant antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Lacto bacillus, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger. Against S.aureus, aqueous extract showed better activity (20mm, MIC 0.187 mg/ml) followed by Ethanol extract (15mm with MIC 0.390 mg/ml), further the aqueous extract showed activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, (15mm, MIC 1.5 mg/ml) followed by Ethanol extract (12mm with MIC 0.375 mg/ml) and same was observed for Lactobacillus (19mm). In terms of anthelmintic activity against Pheretima posthuma (Indian earthworm) aqueous extract of the root exhibited significant activity in the concentration of 100mg/ml with 22.0 and 39 minutes for paralysis and death, respectively and that of standard drug Albendazole was 20 and 38.00 minutes. The aqueous extract showed significantly better effect comparable to standard and hence higher anthelmintic activity.

Keywords: Sida cordata, Antimicrobial Resazurin, Anthelminthic, Pheretima posthuma.


Abstract This paper summarises an investigation into the potential advantages to the precast concrete industry of using a new 'seeding' type of chemical admixture in Portland cement (PC) based concrete mixes. Results indicated that the addition of 2–4% nanocrystal seeding chemical (NCS) admixture by weight of PC can provide a doubling of early strength, particularly at 6 and 12 h. This strength gain could lead to the turnover of moulds in precast concrete plants being completed twice in 24 h, thus increasing production capacity. Isothermal conduction calorimetry, X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis techniques were used to investigate the reasons for the improvement in compressive strength development. Results indicated that the increase in early compressive strength is due to an acceleration of early hydration of PC in presence of the NCS. Indeed, after 6 h, the degree of hydration was more than 50% greater when NCS was used. This paper also highlights the possibility of the NCS chemical admixture being used in conjunction with supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) in PC blended concrete mixes. 2% NCS was added to a blend containing 70% PC and 30% ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS). Results indicated that early strength values were greater compared to the blend without NCS and comparable to the 100% PC mix.


World Birds Atlas : is an atlas that covers in brief many of the diverse group of birds according to their classification. With around 10,000 living species, the book goes through examples of each class of birds. Starting with general information about birds then moving forward into more detailed information regarding each class, followed by as many great images of birds under the different classes within the same context and arrangement of the literature above. Bird watching is the fastest growing recreational pursuit in the United States. Adding all wildlife watching equipment together, America as a nation spends on bird watching nearly 20 billion dollars! The book comes in 601 pages trying to cast the light on what is once reported by US volunteers as being (the majority of wildlife observations). It is the world of birds.


NOTICE This Technical Report does not necessarily represent final EPA decisions or positions. It is intended to present technical analysis of issues using data that are currently available. The purpose in the release of such reports is to facilitate an exchange of technical information and to inform the public of technical developments.


With the widespread consumption of milk, the complete characterization of the constituents of milk and milk products is important in terms of functionality and safety. In this study, a novel nonreducing carbohydrate was separated from powdered skim milk and was identified using electron spray ionization-mass spectrometry (m/z 385.1[M + H(+)]), ¹H, ¹³C, ¹H¹H-correlation spectroscopy, and heteronuclear single quantum-nuclear magnetic resonance spectra. The carbohydrate was identified as a lactose derivative of urea, N-carbamoyl-o-β-D-galactopyranosyl-(1-4)-D-glucopyranosylamine (lactose ureide, LU). For the HPLC analysis of LU in milk and milk products, benzoylated LU, hepta-o-benzoyl lactose ureide (melting point 137-139°C; m/z 1,113 [M + H⁺]; wavelength of maximum absorption, λ(max), 229 nm; molar extinction coefficient, ε, 8.1037 × 10⁷), was used as a standard. The crude nonreducing carbohydrate fraction from raw milk, thermally processed milk, and milk products such as powdered milks were directly benzoylated and subjected to HPLC analysis using an octadecylsilyl column to determine the quantity of LU. The content of LU in 10% solutions of powdered skim milk and powdered infant formula (5.0±1.1 and 4.9±1.5 mg/L, respectively) were almost 3-fold higher than that of UHT milk (1.6±0.5 mg/L) and higher than that of low-temperature, long-time-processed (pasteurized at 65°C for 30 min) milk (1.2±0.3 mg/L) and the fresh raw milk sample (0.3±0.1 mg/L). A time-course of the LU content in raw milk during heating at 110°C revealed that LU increased with time. From these results, it is likely that LU is formed by the Maillard-type reaction between the lactose and urea in milk and milk products. Because the concentration of LU in milk increased with the degree of processing heat treatment, it could serve as an indicator of the thermal deterioration of milk. Although it is known that the human intestine is unable to digest LU, the gastrointestinal bacteria in human subjects are able to digest and utilize urea nitrogen in formation of essential amino acids that are available to the host human. These findings suggest that LU in milk might have a functional role in human health.


The educational practice known as inclusion, which is based on values of equal opportunity and diversity, enables students with disabilities to attend the same general education classes as typically developing peers. Inclusion is a legal requirement in the United States and South Korea, but factors facilitating inclusion likely differ across countries. The purpose of the study was to examine PreK-6 school teachers' beliefs about inclusive practices in the United States and South Korea and to present a more informed direction for the future of inclusive education in both countries. Seventy-four teachers from the US and 54 from South Korea participated via email for this study employing surveys. Teachers provided their beliefs about inclusion items on the My Thinking About Inclusion (MTAI) scale, a 28-question instrument, and also provided information about their own gender, years of experience, education level, and teaching practices. A statistically significant difference was found between the teachers of the two nations for the full survey scale. The teachers' training area (i.e., general education or special education) in the US was significantly associated with the belief toward inclusion, and special education teachers in both countries were more agreeable to inclusion than general education practitioners were as shown by the MTAI scale. A strong relationship between accommodation and preparedness for disabilities was found. Most of the barrier factors to practicing inclusive education were considered substantial obstacles, but more so for South Korea teachers than US teachers. University coursework was the least preferred method for improving inclusive practices according to teachers in both countries. Based on the outcomes of the two nations' teachers' beliefs about inclusion, the author suggests that supportive practices, including collaboration between educators, professional development, partnerships with parents and families, and peer supports, be implemented within the two countries for the upkeep of inclusive practices.


The MSc Intelligent Systems (IS) and the MSc Intelligent Systems and Robotics (ISR) programmes at De Montfort University are Masters level courses that are delivered both on-‐site and by distance learning. The courses have been running successfully on-‐site for 11 years and are now in the 8 th year with a distance learning mode. In this paper we discuss some of the techniques adopted to overcome the challenges of delivering a practical course to both distance and on-‐site students. Information collected from student case studies is used to enhance our observations about the delivery methods, the backgrounds of those that join the course and the value it can add to their employment opportunities. We present the course as a case study illustrating: possible approaches for distance and e-‐learning; the range of people (and their employment) to which it is relevant.


Abstract The purpose of this pilot study was to identify, measure and document an effect on the subjective multiple sclerosis symptoms and compare it to any objective data changes in the neuromuscular system of the head and neck, following the correction of the jaw position using a neuromuscular orthotic. The hope is to provide clinical evidence of improvement in the disease long-term without relying on the subjective evidence of remissions and exacerbations reported by the patient. The evidence found in the current pilot study measured improvement of head position, jaw position, jaw function, and airway in the neuromuscular bite position, which correlated with the improvement of subjective symptoms of craniomandibular dysfunction and multiple sclerosis. Studies show that the bite affects blood flow in the brain, which may explain the improvement of the patients in the current study.


The urban transfer by using ropeways can produce impacts and externalities which, if well-managed, can trigger processes reliever, sustainable development and promoting tourism inside the city. The article starts from the consideration of urban transport by ropeways as a viable, effective alternative to the collective transfer among different areas of the city, particularly in those cities characterized by unique morphological or hydrographic territory which are fit for being overcome by mobility systems at high altitude. These features, in many international urban contexts, also contribute to enhance the amenity and the urban appeal. The paper intends to underline how the ropeways can become an efficient urban transport system between urban sites, often placed at different heights and for which there is a less accessibility by ground, and at the same time, a fascinating way of tourist mobility that allow people to observe the city from above (moving on it), in a sort of dynamic view. This interesting functional convergence has been often highlighted in the studies conducted on this mode of transportation, ,which in the past was considered one  of the real possibilities for urban moving. Many cities are characterized by this type of mobility and within which existing systems of lifts, oblique connections between parts of the city are provided by urban systems, lifts, cable cars, escalators, moving walkways, etc.. A focus is also provided in relation to the ropeways, currently operating in many cities around the world, highlighting the effectiveness of mobility solutions at high altitude, although not necessarily intended for the slope, taken in metropolitan contexts outside of Europe since the Seventies. Furthermore a specific attention it is payed to the plants currently disused in Turin and in Naples with a special regard to the possible recovery prospects in a new urban mobility system. For the city of Naples it is presented also a new project for a rope way between the two famous museums: the Archeological Museum, which is located inside the inner city, and the Capodimonte one which is at top if the hill of Capodimonte inside the well known area of the royal palace. Finally some new projects are presented regarding the cities of Rome and Milan. For the two biggest Italian cities there are two ropeways designed that will, in the case of Milan, link urban areas along a path that includes interchanges and stations in major urban hubs, starting from the airport; in the case of Rome the "link" will cross the river Tevere in order to connect two large districts of the city: the EUR and Magliana, historically splitted by the barrier river".


The article discusses the rules of appointing a defense lawyer in criminal proceedings. The author analyzes the regional chambers of lawyers practice; based on the analysis of the disciplinary practice, the author identifi es the main problems that appear in the activities of defense appointed lawyers while using the automated systems for distributing assignments between appointed lawyers by the bodies of inquiry, investigation or court, and possible ways to solve them. The article draws attention to the fact that the introduction of automated systems for appointing lawyers as defenders in criminal proceedings by regional chambers of lawyers have generally resolved such problems as transparency, efficiency, fair and even distribution of cases between lawyers appointed by the bodies of inquiry, investigation or court, as well as providing a defender by appointment under the control of the lawyers' self-government bodies at any stage of the proceedings. Based on the analysis of the disciplinary practices of the chambers of law, the author identifi es the problems in using digital technologies during the process of appointing a defender in criminal proceedings. In particular, attention is drawn to the lingering problem of «double defense», the emerging problem of initiating the conclusion of a defense lawyer agreement for one procedural action by the prosecution in order to circumvent the procedure for appointing a defense lawyer established by regional chambers of lawyers, as well as the problem of formation of the several applications in one criminal case against one person in the automated system made by the bodies of inquiry or investigation in order to be able to choose the most «convenient» lawyer. The solution to mentioned problems is possible by introducing the functionality into the automated information systems for the appointment of a lawyerdefender that obliges initiators (interrogators, investigators or the court) to enter information about the presence or absence of a lawyer by agreement and / or about previously appointed participating) lawyers, as well as indicate the reasons for the formation of an electronic application during fi lling out an electronic application. The article substantiates the need for constant monitoring of the work of automated systems for appointing a lawyer-defender based on the analysis of disciplinary practices of lawyer's chambers in order to unify the use of digital technologies for appointing a lawyer in criminal proceedings and minimize the abuse of the right both by lawyers and by the bodies of inquiry, investigation or court.


Songket is one of weaving creations produced in various countries in Indonesia. The process of making Songket is not easy. It is a difficult and thorough process and needs a long time. Therefore it requires great care and diligence. One area where artisan Songket come from is Nagari Pandai Sikek (Pandai Sikek village) in West Sumatra. Besides Pandai Sikek, there are some other villages such as Silungkang, Koto Gadang, Kubang, Tanjung Sungayang and Batipuh. But the craft of weaving in Pandai Sikek has existed and developed since 1850. Songket weaving skill in Nagari Pandai Sikek still owned by the older generation to the younger generation. These skills cannot be passed on to generations out of Nagari Pandai Sikek, because this is the message left by the ancestors of village communities. In the process of passing on the skill, they are still using methods that have been taught by their ancestors for hundreds of years ago namely by using handloom (Not Weaving Machine Tools). This paper would like to explain about the history of the birth of weaving Songket of Pandai Sikek, processes and manufacturing techniques and values contained in the motives generated in its weaving Songket.


Abstract The exponentiated Gompertz (EGZ) distribution has been recently used in almost all areas of human endeavours, starting from modelling lifetime data to cancer treatment. Various applications and properties of the EGZ distribution are provided by Anis and De (2020). This paper explores the important properties of the EGZ distribution under Bayesian discipline using two informative priors: the Gamma Prior (GP) and the Inverse Levy Prior (ILP). This is done in the framework of five selected loss functions. The findings show that the two best loss functions are the Weighted Balance Loss Function (WBLF) and the Quadratic Loss Function (QLF). The usefulness of the model is illustrated by the use of real-life data in relation to simulated data. The empirical results of the comparison are presented through a graphical illustration of the posterior distributions.


Noise has arisen as one of the main restrictions for the deployment of wind turbines in urban environments or in sensitive ecosystems like oceans for offshore and coastal applications. An LES model, adequately planned and resolved, is useful to describe the noise generation mechanisms in wind turbine airfoils. In this work, a wall-resolved LES model of the turbulent flow around a typical wind turbine airfoil is presented and described in detail. The numerical results obtained have been validated with hot wire measurements in a wind tunnel. The description of the boundary layer over the airfoil provides an insight into the main noise generation mechanism, which is known to be the scattering of the vortical disturbances in the boundary layer into acoustic waves at the airfoil trailing edge. In the present case, 2D wave instabilities are observed in both suction and pressure sides, but these perturbations are diffused into a turbulent boundary layer prior to the airfoil trailing edge, so tonal noise components are not expected in the far-field noise propagation. The results obtained can be used as input data for the prediction of noise propagation to the far-field using a hybrid aeroacoustic model.


Stratigraphic, sedimentological and palaeoenvironmental constraints on the rise of the Urgonian platform in the western Swiss Jura, correlation with the Helvetic Zone of the Alps and the Northern Subalpine Chains (Chartreuse, Vercors). T. Adatte, A. Godet, K.B. Föllmi, S. Bodin, E. De Kaenel, A. Arnaud-Vanneau & H. Arnaud.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Urgonian carbonate platform to Vocontian Basin correlation (France SE) by means of biostratigraphy. H. Arnaud, A. Arnaud-Vanneau, F. Bastide, G. Massonnat, J. Vermeulen & A. Virgone. . . . . . . . . . . .3 Expression of the oceanic Anoxic Event 2 in carbonate platform and in hemipelagic basin, example from Mexico and Tibet. B. Bomou, T. Adatte, K.B. Föllmi, A. Arnaud-Vanneau, M. Caron, A. Tantawy, D. Fleitmann, V. Matera & Y. Huang. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Impact of meteoric diagenesis on microporous carbonates of the Middle-East. Example from the Mishrif Fm. (Cenomanian Lower Turonian) of Qatar. M. D. De Périère, C. Durlet, E. Vennin, B. Caline, L. Lambert, R. Bourillot, C. Maza, E. Poli & C. Pabian-Goyheneche. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 The fluvial-marine transition in genetic sequences of the uppermost Albian ("Vraconnian") of the Morocccan Atlantic Margin (Agadir area). B. Essafraoui, D. Groshény, N. Icame, S. Ferry, M. Masrour, M. Aoutem, L. Bulot & C. Lecuyer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Sequential organization of a fluvial to marine sedimentary wedge (Upper Hauterivian of the Moroccan Atlantic margin). S. Ferry, M. Masrour & O. Parize. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Facies partitioning in the prograding genetic sequences of the Subalpine Urgonian carbonate platform. Their relationship to the significance given the Urgonian Rudistid facies. S. Ferry, D. Quesne & M. Khaska . . . 8 Stratigraphic ranges of some Tithonian-Berriasian benthic foraminifers and dasycladales. Re-evaluation of their use in identifying this stage boundary in carbonate platform settings. B. Granier & I.I. Bucur. . . 9 New data on the Hawar, Shu'aiba, Bab, and Sabsab regional stages of the Lower Cretaceous in the United Arab Emirates and in Oman. B. Granier, R. Busnardo & B. Pittet. . . . . . . . . 11 The Cenomanian-Turonian transition on a W-E transect of the Moroccan Atlantic margin (Agadir). Isotope geochemistry and sequence stratigraphy. M. Jati, D. Grosheny, S. Ferry & D. Desmares. . . . . .14 The RGF program (Geologic Reference Map of France): A geodynamic geologic map. E. Lasseur, L. Beccaletto, Y. Callec, R. Couëffé, F. Paquet, J.-P. Platel, O. Serrano & I. Thinon. . . . . . . . 15 OAE1a: late Early or early Late Bedoulian event? M. Moullade, W. Kuhnt, G. Tronchetti, P. Ropolo & B. Granier. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 The Cretaceous carbonate series of the Oman mountains. P. Razin & C. Grélaud. . . . . . 18 Boletín del Instituto de Fisiografía y Geología 79-81, 2011. 2 Grosheny, Granier & Sander Platform to basin correlations in Cretaceous times. Stratigraphic, sedimentological and palaeoenvironmental constraints on the rise of the Urgonian platform in the western Swiss Jura, correlation with the Helvetic zone of the Alps and the northern Subalpine chains (Chartreuse, Vercors) Thierry ADATTE, Alexis GODET, Karl B. FÖLLMI, Stéphane BODIN, Eric De KAENEL, Annie ARNAUD-VANNEAU & Hubert ARNAUD Urgonian-type carbonates are a characteristic feature of growth, a second drowning phase occurred during the latest many late Early Cretaceous shallow-marine, tropical and Hauterivian and Early Barremian, which was accompanied subtropical environments. The presence of typical by important platform erosion and sediment reworking. photozoan carbonate-producing communities including The Late Barremian witnessed the renewed installation of a corals and rudists indicates the prevalence of warm, carbonate platform, which initiated with a phase of oolite transparent and presumably oligotrophic conditions in a production, which progressively evolved into an Urgonianperiod otherwise characterised by the high density of type carbonate production under the inclusion of corals and globally occurring anoxic episodes. Of particular interest, rudists. This phase terminated at the latest in the middle therefore, is the exploration of relationships between Early Aptian, due to a further drowning event. The Urgonian platform growth and palaeoceanographic evolution of this particular platform segment is compatible change. In the French and Swiss Jura Mountains, the onset with that of more distal and well-dated segments of the and evolution of the Urgonian platform have been same northern Tethyan platform preserved in the Helvetic controversially dated, and a correlation with other, better zone of the Alps and in the northern subalpine chains dated successions is correspondingly difficult. It is for this (Chartreuse, Vercors). reason that a series of recently exposed sections were sampled (Éclépens, Vaumarcus, Neuchâtel), in addition to


A new antenna array is proposed in order to improve the sensitivity and complexity of microwave imaging diagnostics systems such as a microwave imaging reflectometry, a microwave imaging interferometer, and an electron cyclotron emission imaging. The antenna array consists of five elements: a horn antenna, a waveguide-to-microstrip line transition, a mixer, a local oscillation (LO) module, and an intermediate frequency amplifier. By using an LO module, the LO optics can be removed, and the supplied LO power to each element can be equalized. We report details of the antenna array and characteristics of a prototype antenna array.


Touch-screen displays in cell phones and tablet computers are now pervasive, making them an attractive option for vision testing outside of the laboratory or clinic. Here we describe a novel method in which subjects use a finger swipe to indicate the transition from visible to invisible on a grating which is swept in both contrast and frequency. Because a single image can be swiped in about a second, it is practical to use a series of images to zoom in on particular ranges of contrast or frequency, both to increase the accuracy of the measurements and to obtain an estimate of the reliability of the subject. Sensitivities to chromatic and spatio-temporal modulations are easily measured using the same method. A prototype has been developed for Apple Computer's iPad/iPod/iPhone family of devices, implemented using an open-source scripting environment known as QuIP (QUick Image Processing, http://hsi.arc.nasa.gov/groups/scanpath/research.php). Preliminary data show good agreement with estimates obtained from traditional psychophysical methods as well as newer rapid estimation techniques. Issues relating to device calibration are also discussed.


We evaluated an eye-nose goggle to determine its usefulness in reducing nosocomial RSV infection in patients and staff members on our infant ward. During a community outbreak of RSV in 1984, infection was assessed by biweekly routine viral cultures on all ward personnel and patients and also by seroconversion in personnel. For three weeks staff members wore the goggles; two (5%) adults and one (6%) child acquired nosocomial infection. During the subsequent three-week study period, goggles were not used and 34% of personnel and 43% of susceptible infants became infected. The use of the disposable eye-nose goggles was associated with a significant decrease in nosocomial RSV infections (P less than .003 for staff and P less than .05 for contact infants).


This book is a synopsis of recent investigations on the performance of promoted molybdenum carbide catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) referring to the reaction between carbon monoxide and hydrogen for producing an alternative and green fuel to replace petroleum-based energy. A comprehensive literature review about the current advanced FTS technology and detailed experimental set-up are provided in this book. "State-of-the-art" characterization techniques and a modern computer-controlled fixed bed reactor are implemented for characterizing and evaluating promoted Mo carbide catalysts previously synthesized using a systematic catalyst design for optimal long chain hydrocarbon selectivity and FT activity. The correlation between physicochemical attributes and FT catalytic performance is also determined for catalyst optimization. Detailed methodology for kinetic studies, catalyst stability evaluation and catalytic deactivation modelling are also discussed in this book.


Objectives The transplantation of bone-marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to ischaemic myocardium is considered to be a useful therapeutic approach to ischaemic heart disease, but the MSCs delivery efficacy still can't meet the needs for therapy. Recently, ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) has been utilised in the targeted delivery of stem cells. In this study, we tested the effects of myocardial micro-environment changes induced by ultrasound target microbubble destruction on promoting the MSCs homing to the ischaemic myocardium. Methods In order to optimise the ultrasonic parameters and to explore the biological effects of different intensities of ultrasound mediated microbubble destruction to the myocardium of canine, 9 mongrel dogs were randomly divided into three groups. Three groups were treated with frequency of 1 MHz ultrasonic irradiation, but the intensity of ultrasonic irradiation was different in each group. Group 1 was treated with intensity of 0.5 W/cm2, group 2 was treated with intensity of 1.0 W/cm2 and group 3 was treated with intensity of 1.5 W/cm2. The myocardium was harvested for hematoxylcne & eosin (HE) staining and Transmission electron microscope (TEM) detection to observe the tissue microstructures. The ultrasound parameters were optimised according to the results of TEM and HE staining results. Then, ultrasound with optimised parameters was used to investigate the cardiac micro-environment change induced by ultrasound mediated microbubble destruction. Twenty mongrel dogs were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group after the establishment of animal models of myocardial infarction. One-week later, dogs in treatment group were treated by ultrasonic microbubble destruction for three times in 1 week, no treatment for the dogs in the control group. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and interleckin-1β (IL-1β) levels of the myocardium were measured by Real time PCR and western blot analyses in half of the dogs in each group after 2 weeks. The other half of the remaining dogs (n=10) in each group were transplanted with 5 ml DAPI labelled MSCs (2.45×107 cells/ml) with via coronary ostium by intervention technique under digital subtraction arteriography (DSA) monitor. Five-days later, the myocardium was harvested from the margin of the infarcted area. Laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM) was used to observe the distribution of the stem cells. Results The 1 MHz ultrasound at the intensity of 1.0 W/cm2 provoked pertinent inflammatory reaction with mild myocardial damage. Real time PCR and western blot analyses showed that the expression of VEGF, SDF-1, VCAM-1 and IL-1β in the treatment group were much higher than that in the control group. By laser scanning confocal microscope, we found that the distribution of MSCs in pretreatment myocardium was significantly wider than that in the control group. Conclusions Ultrasound targeted microbubble destruction improved myocardial microenviroment changes might promote MSCs homing to the ischaemic myocardium. This noninvasive technique might be a promising method for the cardiac cell transplantation therapy.


Some strains of nitrogen fixing bacteria, besides fixing the N2, can produce phytohormones, control pathogens, act in solubilization of minerals containing phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), contributing to plant growth. However, the solubilization of minerals containing K has been little exploited. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate potassium solubilization (K) of phonolite rock by strains of associative nitrogen fixing bacteria supplied with two different carbon sources. Twelve bacterial strains were cultured for seven days at 25°C in Aleksandrov medium supplemented with phonolite rock powder. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized factorial design, 13 x 2 (12 bacterial strains and a control without inoculation) and two carbon sources (glucose and sucrose) with four repetitions. After the growth, the supernatant was separated by centrifugation and analyzed for the final pH value and the content of K. All diazotrophic bacteria strains contributed to increase the release of K when compared to the control treatment. The strain UNIFENAS 100-94 solubilized 130 mg L-1 K in the presence of the two carbon sources, indicating the potential use of these diazotrophic bacterial strains for K solubilization from minerals.


The link between tumor genetic variations and immunotherapy benefits has been widely recognized. Recent studies suggested that the key biological pathways activated by accumulated genetic mutations may act as an effective biomarker for predicting the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy. Here, we developed a novel individual Pathway Mutation Perturbation (iPMP) method that measures the pathway mutation perturbation level by combining evidence of the cumulative effect of mutated genes with the position of mutated genes in the pathways. In iPMP, somatic mutations on a single sample were first mapped to genes in a single pathway to infer the pathway mutation perturbation score (PMPscore), and then, an integrated PMPscore profile was produced, which can be used in place of the original mutation dataset to identify associations with clinical outcomes. To illustrate the effect of iPMP, we applied it to a melanoma cohort treated with ICIs and identified seven significant perturbation pathways, which jointly constructed a pathway-based signature. With the signature, patients were classified into two subgroups with significant distinctive overall survival and objective response rate to immunotherapy. Moreover, the pathway-based signature was consistently validated in two independent melanoma cohorts. We further applied iPMP to two non-small cell lung cancer cohorts and also obtained good performance. Altogether, the iPMP method could be used to identify the significant mutation perturbation pathways for constructing the pathway-based biomarker to predict the clinical outcomes of immunotherapy. The iPMP method has been implemented as a freely available R-based package (https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=PMAPscore).


The volume is introduced with a schedule of the conference sessions held in May 1998 in Moscow, and a vita of Kurosh (1908-1971), a forefather of modern algebra affiliated with Moscow State U. The names of the six sessions offer a sense of the diversity of participant interests: group theory; theory of rings and modules, homological algebra, and K-theory; Lie groups and Lie algebras, invariant theory, and algebraic groups; algebraic geometry, algebraic number theory, commutative algebra; algebraic systems; and computer algebra, and algorithmic problems. A sampling of the 32 titles by the international contributors includes: Strictly stratified algebras; Randomness: algebraic, statistical and complexity theory aspects; Codimension growth and graded identities; Birational correspondences of a double cone; Modular Lie algebras: new trends; and Some notes on universal algebraic geometry. Lacks an index.


Rhopalosiphum padi virus (RhPV) is a member of the Dicistroviridae. The genomes of these viruses contain two open reading frames, each preceded by distinct internal ribosome entry site (IRES) elements. The activity of the RhPV 5' IRES element has previously been demonstrated in mammalian, insect and plant translation systems. It has also been shown that the RhPV 5' IRES forms 48S initiation complexes in vitro with just the mammalian initiation factors eIF2, eIF3 and elFl. It is also possible to delete large regions of the 5' IRES without affecting initiation complex formation. We have now defined the minimal sequences required for directing internal initiation in mammalian, plant and insect translation systems. Fragments of around 130 nt from the 3' portion of the 5'untranslated region (UTR) can direct translation in each of these systems. Thus, the 3' region within the 5'UTR seems to be critical for IRES function. Interestingly, this region is mainly unstructured, making the RhPV 5'IRES unique among viral IRES elements. The RhPV IRES was also compared to the 5'UTR of the insect iflavirus Kakugo virus (KV). Iflaviruses had been initially classified as insect picoma-like viruses alongside the Dicistroviridae. The KV 5'UTR was shown to contain an IRES element similar in function to that of RhPV. Since IRES elements have been shown to require trans-acting factors (ITAFs) for their activity, in addition to the canonical initiation factors, we investigated the interactions of the RhPV IRES with cellular proteins of mammalian, plant and insect origin. In our preliminary studies we identified proteins with a potential role as ITAFs. The potential advantages of the RhPV IRES in biotechnology were assessed in conjunction with a Sindbis virus-based expression system. Like the RhPV 5'IRES, this system is able to function in mammalian and insect systems. However, our preliminary experiments in mammalian cells were not able to clearly establish the advantages of the RhPV 5'IRES in such a system.


This paper extends the "generalized sampled-data hold functions" approach of [1] to the control of linear time invariant systems with unknown parameters. The idea of the generalized sampled-data hold functions approach is to periodically sample the plant output and define the control as the sampled output plus a discrete time reference, each multiplied by an individual modulating function. Such a control allows us to assign an arbitrary discrete time transfer function for the sampled closed loop system and does not make assumptions on the plant other than controllability and observability. In the present paper we propose an indirect adaptive controller which is based on this approach and estimates the modulating functions on line. In particular, the control is modified so that persistent excitation of the continuous time plant is ensured without making an assumption on the reference signal, and discrete time asymptotic model following is nevertheless obtained. The only assumptions we make on the plant are minimality, for the continuous and sampled plant, and known order.


At present, computer science teaching exists critical problems. Emerging technologies of information and communication have been attracting the attention of teachers and researchers in recent years. Constructivism is a learning theory found in psychology which explain how people might acquire knowledge and learn. It therefore has direct application to education. Based on constructivism this paper practices blog in computer science teaching.


The concepts of an equivalent electrical circuit and maximum power transfer are difficult for some students to comprehend. A laboratory exercise is presented that facilitates the teaching of Thevenin's equivalent circuit and maximum power transfer through the use of a black box equipped with two external terminals. The laboratory exercise has improved students' understanding of these important electrical engineering concepts.