In order to investigate the mechanism for the intergranular fatigue crack propagation of a low carbon steel in a low pressure hydrogen gas environment, two kinds of examinations were carried out. One examined the effect of the cyclic pre-strain on the crack growth behavior. The other was the in-situ observation of intergranular fatigue crack propagation in a hydrogen gas environment. The main results are as follows. (1) SEM observation of the specimen surface morphology of a plain specimen fatigued in hydrogen gas showed that a gap at the grain boundary was induced by slip behavior, but not in nitrogen gas. (2) A specimen cyclic-prestrained in hydrogen gas showed slight influences on the increase in the crack propagation rate. (3) Mating intergranular facets on the fatigue fracture surfaces showed the matching of a striation-like pattern in the manner anticipated from the damage mechanism of (1). (4) The environment-change test from hydrogen to nitrogen during the fatigue test showed that intergranular facets appeared even in nitrogen. Results (3) and (4) suggests that the damaging process of (1) is valid in an actual fatigue crack. (5) In-situ observation of the crack propagation behavior in hydrogen gas showed that a crack propagated faster along the grain boundary. However, no visible discontinuous crack advances appeared as a large number of load repetitions was required. Phenomena considered to be a damage process (1) appeared ahead of a crack tip. Based on these results, a convincing mechanism for the intergranular fatigue crack propagation process is as follows. Grain boundaries just ahead of a crack tip are damaged due to the large number of hydrogen-enhanced slip repetitions, therefore, the fatigue crack becomes easier to propagate along the grain boundary in hydrogen.


A patient receiving a standard dose of imipramine developed a drug-induced delirium. Her plasma antidepressant level was in the low therapeutic range. Thus, tricyclic-induced delirium may in some cases be an idiosyncratic phenomenon unrelated to plasma drug concentration.


It is important for MMD patients to receive repeated life-time follow-up examinations for evaluation of bypass patency and collateral formation from neovascularization after bypass surgery. In this study we evaluated the clinical value of high-resolution (0.4 × 0.4 × 0.4 mm3 isotropic) CS TOF-MRA for assessment of STA-MCA bypass and neovascularization by using CTA as the reference. We found that high-resolution CS TOF-MRA could provide better visualization for both STA-MCA bypass and neovascularization than traditional CTA within a clinically reasonable time in MMD patients after surgical revascularization.


A vesicle-to-ribbon transition has been observed in extremely dilute 1-O-(L-arginyl)-2, 3-O-di-decanoyl-sn-glycerol dichlorohydrate (1010R) surfactant systems by means of static light scattering. At concentration as low as 0.005 mM the solutions scattered significantly. From the angular dependence and molecular weight of the aggregates a vesicular structure is suggested. Increasing surfactant concentration in water induces the vesicle-to-ribbon transition at concentrations as low as 0.5 mM. This transition is accompanied by a strong decrease of scattered intensity and change in angular dependence. Lowering the pH at a fixed concentration can induce the same transition. Both parameters change the protonation of the surfactant, inducing an increase in preferred surfactant head-group area. Those findings are congruent with the observed surface tension behaviour as a function of surfactant concentration and suggests an explanation for the widely different critical micellar concentration (c.m.c.) as determined by different techniques.


In 1809 the radical English philosopher, novelist, and historian William Godwin published Essay on Sepulchres—a proposal to mark the burial sites of the morally great with a simple wooden cross. This paper explores Godwin's essay in terms of his evolution as moral philosopher and historian. While Godwin is commonly renowned as a utilitarian rationalist given to optimistic assertions on human perfectibility, this essay demonstrates the extent to which his moral theory depended on emotion and intuition and how he came to posit an alternative mode of historical perception which queried the progressivist assumptions of 'Enlightenment' historiography.


How to improve the performance of content searching in peer-to-peer (P2P) systems is a challenging issue. In this paper we attack this problem by proposing a new decentralized P2P architecture – ontology-based community overlays. The system exploits the semantic property of the content in the network to cluster nodes sharing similar interest together to improve the query and searching performance. Specifically, a distributed hash table (DHT) based overlay is constructed to assist peers organizing into communities. Those peers in the same community form a Gnutella-like unstructured overlay. This architecture helps reduce the search time and decrease the network traffic by minimizing the number of messages propagated in the system. Moreover, it retains the desirable properties of existing unstructured architectures, including being fully decentralized with loose structure, and supporting complex queries. We demonstrate by simulation, that with this architecture, peers can get more relevant resources faster and with less traffic generated.


The mechanism of D1 protein degradation was investigated during photoinhibitory illumination of isolated photosystem II core preparations. The studies revealed that a proteolytic activity resides within the photosystem II core complex. A relationship between the inhibition of D1 protein degradation and the binding of the highly specific serine protease inhibitor diisopropyl fluorophosphate to isolated complexes of photosystem II was observed, evidence that this protease is of the serine type. Using radiolabeled inhibitor, it was shown that the binding site, representing the active serine of the catalytic site, is located on a 43-kDa polypeptide, probably the chlorophyll a protein CP43. The protease is apparently active in darkness, with the initiation of breakdown being dependent on high light-induced substrate activation. The proteolysis, which has an optimum at pH 7.5, gives rise to primary degradation fragments of 23 and 16 kDa. In addition, D1 protein fragments of 14, 13, and 10 kDa were identified. Experiments with phosphate-labeled D1 protein and sequence-specific antisera showed that the 23- and 16-kDa fragments originate from the N- and C-termini, respectively, suggesting a primary cleavage of the D1 protein at the outer thylakoid surface in the region between transmembrane helices D and E.


The soil of unmanaged cork oak forests located both in Sardinia and in Tunisia was characterized. Soil samples were collected in both areas at the depth of 0-10 cm, to determine the pedologic characteristics [humidity, pH, total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (N) and texture] and the fungi community. The data were tested for significance with analysis of variance (ANOVA) techniques. The soils of the two studied areas were significantly different as far as pH, TOC % and Sand content are concerned. The texture of Sardinia soil was mainly classified as "sandy-loam" and the Tunisian ones as "sandy-clay-loam". Concerning the fungi community in Sardinia soil, the most frequent fungi genera were Trichoderma, Penicillium and Paecilomyces. In Tunisian soil the dominant genus was Penicillium followed by the genus Aspergillus.


Due to the different sampling depth, the total electron yield (TEY) is sensitive to the surface and near surface region, while the fluorescence yield (FLY) probes the information of the bulk. Thus the combined use of TEY and FLY provides a powerful evidence for identifying the whole sample whether or not it is a nanoscale material, and is a supplement of the conventional methods for characterizing nanoscale materials, such as TEM and XRD. With analyses of X-ray absorption spectra recorded in TEY and FLY mode, it could be used for studying the mechanism of growth, orientation, chemical bonding, defect and helicity of nanowires and nanotubes exactly and reliably. Therefore, it is believed that X-ray absorption spectroscopy is a powerful characterization tool for the study of nanoscale materials, which has some super advantages over conventional methods.


Objective: To examine the associations between muscular strength and all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality among men. Design: Cohort study that followed a subgroup of participants in the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study (ACLS). Setting: Cooper Clinic, Dallas, Texas, with a baseline of 1980 to 1989, and follow-up to December 31, 2003. Participants: Male participants in the ACLS, aged 20 to 90 years, were included after a clinical examination unless they failed to achieve $85% of agepredicted maximal heart rate during a treadmill test; had an abnormal resting or exercise electrocardiogram, a history of myocardial infarction, stroke, or cancer; or had a body mass index ,18.5 kg/m. The subcohort included 8762 (85%) of 10 265 men who were predominantly white, well educated, and in the middle and upper socioeconomic strata. Assessment of risk factors: Muscular strength in the upper and lower body was measured on variable-resistance weight machines using a standardized strength testing protocol. Upper body strength and lower body strength were defined by a 1-repetition maximum supine bench press and seated leg press, respectively, after adding weights at successive trials. A measurement of strength was derived from the mean of the standardized scores for upper and lower body strength. Participants were divided into thirds by strength. Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed by a maximal treadmill test to volitional exhaustion. Main outcome measures: The main outcome measures were the associations between muscular strength and all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality. Mortality and causes of death were ascertained from the National Death Index and death certificates. Main results: During a mean follow-up of 18.9 years and 165 251 person years, 503 deaths (5.7%) occurred, 145 (28.8%) from cardiovascular disease and 199 (39.6%) from cancer. Age-adjusted death rates per 10 000 person years were 38.9 for the least strong third, 25.9 for the middle third and 26.6 for the strongest third. The stronger two-thirds of participants had lower mortality hazard ratios (HR) in 3 progressively adjusted models [adjustment for all variables including cardiorespiratory fitness, middle third, HR, 0.74 (95% CI, 0.59–0.91) and strongest third, HR, 0.80 (CI, 0.64– 0.996); P for linear trend, 0.03]. HR for death from cardiovascular disease were not significant after multivariable adjustment [age-adjusted HR, middle third, 0.63 (CI, 0.43–0.93) and strongest third, HR, 0.55 (CI, 0.37–0.82); P for linear trend, 0.003]. For cancer mortality, risk remained lower in the multivariable model for the stronger two thirds [HR, middle third, 0.71 (CI, 0.50–0.996) and HR, strongest third, 0.67 (CI, 0.47–0.96); P for linear trend, 0.02]. Rates of allcause mortality were higher for the least strong third in the age group ,60 years as well as for men older than 60 years (P = 0.001 and P = 0.005 for linear trend, respectively), as were rates of cancer mortality (P = 0.02 and P = 0.007 for linear trend, respectively). Strength was inversely related to mortality among men with body mass index of , 25 kg/m and$ 25 kg/m (P for linear trend, ,0.05). Conclusions: Muscular strength was independently inversely related to allcause and cancer mortality among men. The association persisted in younger and older men and normal weight and overweight men. Death from cardiovascular disease was linearly but not independently inversely related to strength. COMMENTARY The study by Ruiz et al highlights the value of muscular strength beyond the known benefits related to function, particularly among older adults. Although these results are from a select subset of the population (educated white men of middle to upper socioeconomic status), they provide insight as to how muscular strength and cardiorespiratory fitness contribute to all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality. This is extremely important because we are unlikely to obtain the detailed clinical measures described here on a large general population. Because these men, healthy at the time of the clinic visit (which occurred an average of 18.9 years before death or the end of the study) appear to be similar to samples in studies of other populations, their experience is valuable and may ultimately prove to apply to women, low socioeconomic groups, and ethnically diverse groups. One of the takeaway messages of this analysis is that resistance training should not be ignored as health and fitness goals are developed. The most obvious benefits appear to accrue among those aged 60 years and older, but these data reflect age at death and the measurement of strength and fitness may have occurred much earlier. Previous health recommendations focused on cardiorespiratory fitness, but, if the data from this study hold, it may be important to consider adding muscular strength recommendations, not only for older adults, but for all adults. In fact, in 2008 the US Department of Health and Human Services issued new Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans that encourage adding strengthening exercises for both adults and children. Whereas fitness may be more important than strength for cardiovascular mortality, the combination of strength and fitness is important for cancer and all-cause mortality. However, it appears as if the lower levels of fitness (bottom 20% of population) and/or strength (bottom 33% of population) are at particular risk. The encouraging part of this story is that reductions in mortality occur with at least a moderate level of fitness and/or strength, which should be an attainable goal for most people. Source of funding for the original study: National Institutes of Health, Spanish Ministry of Education, the Margit and Foke Pehrzon Foundation, the European Union, the American Heart Association, and the American College of Sports Medicine Paffenbarger-Blair Fund. Correspondence about the original study: J.R. Ruiz (e-mail: email@example.com).


We report a case of localized nodular synovitis of the infrapatellar fat pad impinging on the patellofemoral joint causing limitation of extension. Arthroscopy involved use of a superolateral portal because location of lesion hindered access via a conventional anterior portal. The infrapatellar mass impinged in the patellofemoral joint upon knee extension and retracted upon flexion. Superior-superior triangulation allowed for complete excision of the mass.


This Report has been produced as part of the Executing Agency Agreement between the African Development Bank and the International Water Management Institute for implementation of the Collaborative Program on "Investments in Agricultural Water Management in Sub Saharan Africa: Diagnosis of Trends and Opportunities."


Parametrically excited spin waves in magnetic spheres of yttrium iron garnet give rise to complex multistable behaviour, which occurs for special experimental conditions at room temperature, but vanishes at helium temperature. This is in contrast to what one expects from the decreasing damping of the spin waves with temperature, which should result in an even more complex multistability at low temperature. We conclude that, in addition to the well-known nonlinear dipolar couplings, a temperature-induced nonlinearity occurs, which is only effective at higher temperature. This novel effect in solid-state physics can be qualitatively understood from the special form of the Hamiltonian of this system.


This paper discusses the use of digital art in international development, the thesis being that digital art can be used as kind of experience design. First some lesson learnt from a development project in Ghana is outlined and a general model for experience design is presented. From this a schema for working with meaningful experience design is suggested. Secondly, this is related to the use of digital art, which is described as observational tool in a global polycentric hypercomplex society. As such it would seem well suited for developmental and didactic purposes. The paper ends with the conclusion that using digital art as experience design for international development demands a concurrent and mature focus on meaning and intentionality, combined with a critical stance against idealism and a deep sense of ethics. The discussion draws on theories of systemic art, emergence, experience economy, experience design, communication for development and business ethics.


Introduction: Population explosion is one of the important issues in all around the world and more specifically in a developing country like Bangladesh. Contraceptives are devices, techniques and methods used to prevent fertilization thereby population explosion.The present study is an attempt to assess the prevalence of contraceptive use among married women of reproductive age in a selected rural area in Bangladesh.Objectives: To assess the prevalence of contraceptive use among married women of reproductive age group (15-49 years) in a rural area of Bangladesh.Materials and Methods: This descriptive type of cross sectional study was conducted from February 2012 to June 2012 in Mulaid village of Gazipur district, Bangladesh. Purposive sampling technique was followed. Data were collected in a structured questionnaire through face to face interview. Study population was all married women of reproductive age group. Sample size was 420. Results: Among 420 respondents, 62.3% were using contraceptive methods at the time of study and rest, 37.7% were not using due to some reasons, such as pregnancy, breast feeding etc. A mostly used contraceptive method among current users (69%) was oral contraceptive pill. Conclusion: This study revealed the awareness about contraceptive used among the married women. More health education on reproductive health through school health clinic, family planning services and mass media can improve the health and family planning situation of our country. Government should provide more fund for research purposes in order to raise the awareness and control population explosion. Keywords: Contraceptive Methods, Reproduction, Bangladesh.


Background and Aim: The most undesirable consequence of pregnancy is intrauterine fetal death (IUFD) which causes a lot of emotional and medical distress for which medical induction of labor, by routinely used prostaglandins, is recommended. Therefore, the main aim of the study was to determine the management of IUFD using misoprostol alone and mifepristone-misoprostol combination. Materials and Methods: The study included 57 women of gestational age >24 weeks with IUFD, who were divided into two groups. Women between 24–34 and >34 weeks of gestation received 200 μg and 100 μg of misoprostol, respectively. Group A received misoprostol alone and Group B received oral mifepristone (200 mg), 24 h prior to receiving misoprostol. IUFD duration, number of misoprostol doses, induction-delivery interval (IDI), and bishop score were recorded. A majority of 23 patients in Group A had a bishop score <3 while 28 in Group B had a score between 4 and 6 at 0 h. The IUFD duration varied between 1 and 2 weeks in both the groups. Results: Group A received 4 doses and Group B received 1 dose of misoprostol (P < 0.001). Delivery induction was successfully achieved between 3.3–5 h (48.27%) and 5–8.3 h (51.72%) in Group B and between 11.6 and 16.6 h (57.1%) in Group A (P < 0.001). IDI was found to be shorter with increasing gestational age. Conclusion: It was observed that a lesser number of misoprostol doses and shorter duration of IDI in the combination therapy of mifepristone-misoprostol was a more effective and safer approach to induce labor than misoprostol alone in women with IUFD.


Expenditure on health and safety is a substantial part of GDP, but public agencies in many countries, including Australia, have only qualitative views about the value of life and health. Also, despite considerable work by economists on the value of life and health in recent years, some important issues, such as the value of a healthy life-year, remain unresolved. This paper presents a framework for valuing life and health. It then draws on international and Australian research to estimate possible values for life, healthy life-years, and various chronic and acute health states for public policy purposes in Australia.


This paper illuminates the social world of Japanese coalminers, with special attention given to women miners as told through their oral accounts and work songs, which historians have not used before. These coalmining women constituted the second largest single occupational category in the early part of the 20th century, yet they still continue to receive little scholarly attention. This investigation has led to a new concept of the world of women coalminers, the so-called 'reversible world', which operated in a specific social and economic context—the dark underground world of the mine and the light world above of conventional society. Uncovering this underground world has enormous significance in fleshing out the identity and spirit of the miners. It challenges historians' stereotypes of the miners as apolitical, apathetic and unaware of the inequities in their work situation. Mining women created their own world under the ground where normal gender roles were partially reversed.


OBJECTIVE
The objective of this guideline is to promote safe conscious sedation technique.

OUTCOME
(I) The use of safe conscious sedation techniques with endpoints of patient comfort and anxiolysis without loss of protective reflexes; (II) the use of drugs with a wide margin of safety that will protect against unintended oversedation.

EVIDENCE
Based on existing consensus statements and some research reports.

VALIDATION
Relevant organisations involved in conscious sedation were asked to select a representative to participate in the MASA Conscious Sedation Working Group. All participants represented organisations. The working group met in January 1996 to consider a draft guideline. The document was amended and circulated to working group members, representative organisations and 35 interested persons for endorsement and comment using a modified Delphi technique. All respondents endorsed the guideline (with or without minor corrections.) The national organisations endorsing the guidelines are listed.

RECOMMENDATIONS
The use of drugs, equipment and personnel as directed in such a way that enhances the safety of the patient. Pre-sedation screening for at-risk patients. Intra-sedation monitoring, especially the use of a pulse oximeter. Post-sedation care and discharge instructions for the patient.


We report on our monitoring of the strong-field magnetar-like pulsar PSR J1846−0258 with the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) and the timing and spectral evolution during its outburst in 2020 August. Phase-coherent timing solutions were maintained from 2017 March through 2021 November, including a coherent solution throughout the outburst. We detected a large spin-up glitch of magnitude Δν/ν = 3 × 10−6 at the start of the outburst and observed an increase in pulsed flux that reached a factor of more than 10 times the quiescent level, a behavior similar to that of the 2006 outburst. Our monitoring observations in 2020 June and July indicate that the flux was rising prior to the Swift announcement of the outburst on 2020 August 1. We also observed several sharp rises in the pulsed flux following the outburst and the flux reached quiescent level by 2020 November. The pulse profile was observed to change shape during the outburst, returning to the preoutburst shape by 2021. Spectral analysis of the pulsed emission of NICER data shows that the flux increases result entirely from a new blackbody component that gradually fades away while the power law remains nearly constant at its quiescent level throughout the outburst. Joint spectral analysis of NICER and simultaneous NuSTAR data confirms this picture. We discuss the interpretation of the magnetar-like outburst and origin of the transient thermal component in the context of both a pulsar-like and a magnetar-like model.


This case illustrates how averaging point forecasts harnesses the wisdom of crowds. Students access data from the Survey of Professional Forecasters (SPF) and compare the performance of the crowd (i.e., the average point forecasts) to the average performance of the individual panelists and the best performer from the previous period.The case is intended for use in a class on forecasting, and the instructor can present it in three ways: with all necessary SPF data cleaned and preprocessed in a student spreadsheet (UVA-QA-0805X, provided with the case); with code (also provided in the student spreadsheet) written by the case authors in R, the statistical computing package, as well as a supplementary handout (UVA-QA-0805H, also provided with the case), which walks students through R code, explaining how to clean and analyze the SPF data; or as a team project to be worked on over several days, providing neither the spreadsheet nor the supplement.
Excerpt
UVA-QA-0805
Rev. Apr. 7, 2014
SURVEYING PROFESSIONAL FORECASTERS
Since 1981, the Wall Street Journal surveyed economists for point forecasts of economic indicators such as gross domestic product (GDP), inflation, and unemployment. These forecasts were scored and ranked annually based on their accuracy. The top-ranked forecasters were celebrated in a special announcement of the complete ranking on the Journal's website, typically followed by a press release by the top forecasters' employers.
In 2012, the Journal decided for the first time to average all the forecasts for each indicator and present that set of forecasts as an additional panelist. The economists' average forecast, or "the crowd," was then ranked alongside the actual panelists.
How had the economists' average forecast performed? How did the crowd compare to "chasing the expert"? Among the 49 panelists, it ranked 12th in 2012. Yet Don Leavens and Tim Gill, the top-ranked team in 2011, came in 5th in 2012 (see Exhibits 1 and 2). What did this say about the wisdom of the crowd?
. . .


Brazil is the largest holder of biological diversity in the world and has also a significant number of local communities and indigenous people who hold great knowledge of their habitats. This study aimed to identify the potential of commercial rights appropriation of native Brazilian plants raised in a ethnobotany research in two communities in the mountainous region of the state of Rio de Janeiro by searching patent databases. The monitoring of patent documents allows the search of several kinds of information, including indicators of technological researches of countries. This research was conducted using native plants cited by communities during 2009 and 2010, for its scientific and common names. This search was carried out in the documents of the following offices: European Patent Office, Japan Patent Information Organization, States Patent and Trademark Office, Word Intellectual Property Organization and the Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial. It was found that the number of patent applications involving Brazilian plants is great. It is necessary to establish biodiversity management plans to ensure national sovereignty in terms of access to genetic resources. Furthermore, conservation programs of flora and endangered species should be prioritized.


Nanotechnology is commonly used for delivery of small and large drug molecules to the particulate targeted area. Nanoparticles have been used to improve the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of various drug molecules. Several methods have been developed like Solvent evaporation method, Spontaneous emulsification or solvent diffusion method, Double emulsification method, Salting out technique and Polymerization method to make nanoparticles. Advantages and disadvantages of these methods will be presented so as to facilitate selection of an appropriate method according to a particular application. In recent years, the number of patents and products in this nanotechnology field is increasing significantly.


The knowledge of the Leaf Area Index (LAI) variation during the whole crop cycle is essential to the modeling of the plant growth and development and, consequently, of the crop yield. Sugarcane LAI evolution models were developed for different crop cycles, by adjusting observed LAI values and growing degree-days summation data on a power-exponential function. The resultant equations simulate adequately the LAI behavior during the entire crop cycle. The effect of different water stress levels was calculated in different growth periods, upon the LAI growth The LAI growth deficit was correlated with the ratio between actual evapotranspiration and maximum evapotranspiration, and a constant named kuu was obtained hi each situation. It was noticed that the kLAI must be estimated not Just for different growth periods, but also for different water stress levels in each growth period.


Agus Luthfi Mubarok. Reg. Number 58430483." The Comparative Study between the
Student's Ability In English Speaking By Giving Task Based Instruction And
Without Task Based Instruction At Eight Year Student Of SMPN 1 Cigugur".
Thesis. Cirebon: Faculty of Tarbiyah, English Education Departement of IAIN Syekh Nurjati
Cirebon, July 2012.
Task based language instruction has proven to be highly effective, but
surprisingly underutilized. Can only go so far and hands-on experience can greatly
speed and enhance the learning of a second language. Nineteen talented instructors
who have successfully implemented task based instruction programs explain the
principles behind the programs, discuss how problems were resolved, and share
details on class activities and program design. Each chapter takes the reader through
the different stages in designing and setting up such programs, adjusting them, and
appraising and testing them in normal classroom conditions.
The aims in this research are to know the application of task based instruction
technique become more active to the students, to know the students' competence in
speaking and to know the positive and significant the effect of task based instruction
technique on students' ability in speaking at eight year student of SMPN 1 Cigugur.
In this research, the method used is a quantitative one. The place of the
research in SMPN 1 Cigugur and began to do research on Mei-July 2012. Because
the population at the eight year students of SMPN 1 Cigugur more than 100, so the
researcher take 25% from 164 (total population) are 60 students. To know the
students' competence in the application of task based instruction technique, the writer
presented the test to students and to find out the quantitative data of result of test on
speaking by the students who are taught with the application of task based instruction
technique, the writer used the formula of T-test by Arikunto analysis the data and
formula to know the hypothesis of this researcher is weather refused or accepted.
This investigation in intended to get data the process of teaching in classroom
of SMPN 1 Cigugur and in doing this investigation the writer has used descriptive
method, while the technique used are: 1) The techniques of collecting data are
divided into : a) Test, and The Technique of Analyzing Data divided into : a) Scoring
technique, b) Independent T-test. In collecting the data about the class A and B, The
writer gave the test as pre Test and Post Test.
The result of in this investigation is performed and calculated statistically, it is
gained that the experiment class by giving Task Based Instruction have a 84.3 in
speaking which are categorized "Very Good", whereas the result of the control class
without giving task based instruction have a 74.1 which are categorized "Good".
From the statistic calculation, it is obtained that the application of task based
instruction on teaching speaking at the eight year students of SMPN 1 Cigugur is
success, it is proved by the progress of the students marks after they get task based
instruction. The pretest and post test score is different, and it shows the improvement.


Emergency parathyroidectomy effected a successful cure of a patient with severe hypercalcemia due to acute hyperparathyroidism. This patient experienced a spontaneous remission of probable acute hyperparathyroidism nine months prior to surgery. It is noted that painful hemorrhage into a parathyroid adenoma coincident with the clinical symptoms of acute hypercalcemia is exceedingly rare.


Germany has a large persistent Gender Pay Gap of 21 %; although this gap is not constant across occupations. The question arises why some occupations have large Gender Pay Gaps while others have only small gaps. Using data from the Structural Earnings Study merged with occupational task information provided by the Federal Labor Office, this paper aims to uncover the relationship between occupational characteristics and the Gender Pay Gap. To do so, I apply a two-step approach, where the first step uses individual characteristics to estimate the adjusted occupation-specific Gender Pay Gaps. In the second step, these gaps are regressed on occupational characteristics. I find that wage differences between men and women are lower in occupations with linear earnings and in occupations with a large share of public firms. Moreover, we observe that an increasing share of persons with supervisory power is linked to larger wage differences between men and women, which indicates the presence of a glass ceiling. Finally, the Gender Pay Gap is higher in occupations with routine tasks. Moreover, the findings suggest that the more that employees can be substituted with other employees, the lower is the Gender Pay Gap. Hence, this study extends previous findings on occupation-specific Gender Pay Gaps by linking them to occupational characteristics on a more general level.


Two separate field experiments were conducted with sugar beet and green bean, at Ankara, Turkey during the 2005 growing season. Different amounts of irrigation water were applied, and various levels of water stress and vegetation occurred. Spectral reflectance, infrared canopy temperature, and some parameters related to crop evapotranspiration (ET c) were observed. Daily ET c values were calculated based on energy balance and soil water balance residual. The fraction of reference ET (ETrF), which is essentially the same with the crop coefficient (K c), was determined, and relationships between spectral vegetation indices (SVIs) were analysed. Under water stress conditions, the ET c and ETrF values estimated by means of energy balance were relatively high. In order to improve the correlation between ETrF and SVIs and for correction of ET c for water‐stressed irrigation treatments, a modification ratio was calculated based on SVIs. Although all three SVIs have a significant relationship with ETrF, the correctness of the modification with a Simple Ratio (SR) was higher. As a consequence, ETrF or crop coefficient (K c) could be estimated by SR, and this information could be used for irrigation water management of large‐scale agricultural lands.


Biomass is considered one of the prospective alternatives to energy and environmental challenges. The use of biomass as bioenergy has gained global interest due to its environmentally benign, renewable, and abundant characteristics. Numerous conversion technologies have been developed over time to convert biomass into various energy products. This review presents a summary of the different biomass conversion technologies used for bioenergy production. These include thermochemical, biological, physical, biochemical, and hybrid system technologies. It summarizes the production of different bioenergy products such as bio-oil, biodiesel, and fuel via various conversion technologies. The competitive advantages, potential environmental impacts, and challenges of these biomass conversion technologies are discussed. The recycling of biomass can solve a lot of current energy challenges. However, conversion technologies exhibit some challenges relative to upscaling and commercialization due to their immense operational and investment expenses and high energy usage.


This research seeks to investigate the effect of Geopolitical Risks on Foreign Direct Investment. Data are from all sixteen countries in West Africa. This research uses the Generalized linear model to examine the effect of geopolitical risk on Foreign Direct Investment. The findings reveal that although geopolitical risk(s) have an impact on Foreign Direct Investment, however, not all the components of Geopolitical risk(s) have the same relationship with Foreign Direct investments. The implication for this is that investors need to have sufficient information on Geopolitical Risk(s) to do a risk assessment and see whether the Geopolitical Risk(s) is within their risk appetite and risk culture. This research adds to the literature of decision theory, which states that the client must have sufficient knowledge about issues and topics of interest before


The use of plastics in horticulture is reviewed with respect to its sustainability based on the traditional criteria of triple Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycling) plus a re-place strategy, taking into account possible alternatives. Hail (and insect) nets made of HD-PE, with their long-term use mostly on apple and polytunnels of LD-PE for cherry and strawberry as well as solarisation mulches (reuse), were found to be relatively sustainable solutions for their needs and are currently without alternatives. In contrast, standard black mulch, with its largest share among horticultural plastics, had the widest range of sustainable alternatives, ranging from biodegradable to spray mulch; few sustainable alternatives are available for fleeces and reflective mulches. For the third sustainable option, pilot recycling schemes were examined, such as PolieCoTM (Italy), MAPLATM (Spain), and ERDETM (Germany); they collect 30–50% of the agricultural plastics used in their respective areas, with a successful retrieval growth rate of ca. 20% per year in the case of ERDETM. For the fourth new R option (replace), future sustainability perspectives for the predominant black mulch are research into and development of better, biodegradable, non-fossilbased plastics, sprayable mulch; microbes for the digestion of deployed polyolefins and, for a certain limited range (on shade tolerant crops or in high-light intensity environment), hail nets and polytunnels that are equipped/substituted by/with solar panels ("agri pv") for the concomitant sustainable production of green renewable energy.


Fe films with thickness varying between 5 and 100 nm were grown on flat MgO(001) substrates while rotating the substrates. Hysteresis loops with one step and two steps were observed and interpreted in terms of a magnetization reversal mechanism with either two successive or two separate 90 domain wall (DW) nucleations, respectively. This recently introduced, novel mechanism for 180 magnetic transitions was used to quantitatively evaluate both the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy (UMA), which accompanies the intrinsic fourfold in-plane magnetic anisotropy, and the DW nucleation energy. The strength of both the UMA and the DW nucleation energy turns out to be inversely proportional to the thickness of the Fe layers for Fe/MgO(001). This suggests that the extra UMA and the DW nucleation/propagation for Fe layers are pure interface related effects. By comparing six 15 nm thick Fe/MgO(001) films deposited under different conditions, it is found that these interface related effects originate from the presence of atomic steps due to the substrate miscut and from the presence of strain relaxation resulting from lattice mismatch. New Journal of Physics 11 (2009) 063003 1367-2630/09/063003+12$30.00 © IOP Publishing Ltd and Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft


Simulation of an Automatic Phase Changer (APC) circuit was performed in this project. The simulation was carried out using Proteus 8. Automatic Phase Changer (APC) automatically changes the phase as the name suggests. In three phase power system 3 inputs of APC circuit are connected to three phases of the system and its three outputs are connected to three different loads. These three loads always need their normal rated voltage for proper operation. Results observed that if voltage of any phase goes below the nominal rating the loads may malfunction. Here, Automatic Phase Changer comes into action. When a phase voltage goes below its nominal rating, APC provides correct level of voltage to the load connected to that phase.


Summary

Reference intervals (RIs) for haematology and serum biochemistry for donkeys in a temperate climate have been previously published using blood sample results from the resident population of a large donkey shelter in the UK. Periodic review of reference intervals is recommended to ensure their applicability to the patient population and changes in laboratory methods and technologies. The current study aimed to revise the previously published haematology and serum biochemistry values for the adult domestic donkey (Equus asinus) in the UK in the light of a change in analytical equipment at the Donkey Sanctuary laboratory, but also to refine the demography of the sample population with respect to age, physiology and clinical history. Clinical pathology results from 138 clinically healthy mature (4–24 years inclusive) female and castrated male donkeys selected from the resident population of the Donkey Sanctuary, were analysed retrospectively. The animals were blood sampled during the period February 2008 to June 2011 as part of a routine health screen prior to rehoming. Results for a total of 38 biochemical and haematological parameters were analysed including 3 previously unreferenced parameters in addition to those assessed in the previous study. The new reference intervals and median values show very poor transferability with recently derived reference intervals for non-Thoroughbred horses and only limited transferability with reference intervals previously published for donkeys in the UK. Of particular note is a marked reduction in the upper reference limit for triglycerides of 2.8 mmol/l (from 4.3 mmol/l) since this parameter is used to decide when donkeys are at risk of developing hyperlipaemia. This study demonstrates the value of intermittent review of reference intervals and refinement of study populations. Notwithstanding the caution with which reference interval data from different laboratories should be compared, the lack of transferability of results between donkeys and horses highlights the importance of use of species-appropriate reference intervals for clinical decision-making.


A rational method is developed for the complete design of a transmission line. The most economical conductor diameter together with the most economical transmission line voltage are found from Kelvin's Law applied so as to include all cost factors which vary with the conductor area. Rational formulas are developed for finding conductor spacings for both single circuit and double circuit towers. A method is developed for finding the most economical tower heights and spacings. The influence of this method of design upon the line constants is pointed out. A worked out problem is presented to illustrate the use of the method proposed, and vector diagrams are included, showing the complete line performance at both the generator and receiver ends of the line.


Background Acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) causes a substantial burden for health care systems. Data to rationally define the need for hospitalization or the appropriate length of stay (LOS) is limited. Our aim was to personalize length of stay in patients admitted to hospital for acute decompensated heart failure. Methods Consecutive patients with ADHF presenting to our emergency department were prospectively followed. We daily conducted a multidisciplinary risk assessment and compared proposed with actually observed triage decisions. Results At presentation, all patients required hospitalization. Median LOS was 11 days including 1 day after reaching medical stability. In 42.7% of patients, hospitalization was prolonged after medical stability mainly for nursing and organizational reasons. Within 30 days of enrollment, 7 (9.3%) patients were rehospitalized, 3 of them for persisting or relapsing heart failure. Conclusions There appears to be potential to shorten inhospital stay in patients with ADHF mainly by providing post discharge ambulatory nursing care in order to improve resource utilization and to diminish "hospitalization-associated disability".


Diabetic pregnancies are characterized by chronic metabolic insults, including iron deficiency, that place the developing brain at risk for memory impairment later in life. A behavioral recall paradigm coupled with electrophysiological measures was used to assess the longevity of these effects in 40 3½-year-old children. When memory demands were high, recall was significantly impaired in the at-risk group and correlated with perinatal measures of iron. Electrophysiological results suggested both encoding and retrieval processes were compromised. These findings support the hypothesis that prenatal iron deficiency leads to alterations in neural development that have a lasting impact on memory ability.


The biphosphonates are becoming well established as effective agents for the treatment of metabolic bone diseases. Etidronate disodium is the only biphosphonate approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Accepted indications for etidronate therapy are symptomatic Paget's disease, heterotopic ossification and hypercalcemia of malignancy. An unapproved, but apparently successful use is treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Both oral and intravenous preparations are available. Newer biphosphonates, which may be more efficacious and less toxic than etidronate, are being studied.


Broiler chickens frequently become colonized by Campylobacter species. As a consequence, Campylobacter, can enter the poultry meat supply chain and represents a significant risk for human public health. A number of on-farm biosecurity and processing measures are used to mitigate the load of Campylobacter on chicken meat. In many countries, chlorine is commonly used as a biocide in processing plants to reduce bacterial loads on poultry carcasses but there is limited evidence of its effectiveness on Campylobacter. In this study, 116 Campylobacter isolates (89 C. jejuni and 27 C. coli) were isolated from poultry meat carcasses prior to the inside/outside wash step and used in in vitro assays exploring the efficacy of chlorine. A high proportion of isolates exhibited MIC and MBC values of 128 ppm but organic material present in the broth likely affected this result. Thus, additional bactericidal assays (time kill and chlorine inactivation) were used to characterize the response of C. jejuni isolates to different concentrations of chlorine. At 106 CFU, C. jejuni was found to be highly sensitive to concentrations of chlorine and was inhibited at low concentrations (0.2–2.0 ppm). At a higher bacterial load (108 CFU), variation in the response of different C. jejuni isolates was observed. One isolate was growth inhibited at 1.8 ppm while another required 16 ppm. At 108 CFU, C. jejuni could be resuscitated following exposure to chlorine highlighting a potential limitation of chlorine use. Analysis of UV leakage indicated that high chlorine concentrations resulted in increased 280 nm absorbance values suggesting bacterial membrane damage. Scanning electron and transmission electron microscopy were performed to characterize the morphological effects of chlorine exposure. Some effects of chlorine exposure included changes in shape (coccoid, or elongated), cellular degeneration, and shriveled bacterial cells. Interestingly, C. jejuni cells with normal morphology were also observed in the chlorine exposed group and represent a population of cells that could be resuscitated. This study is useful for the chicken meat industry and provides data for future optimization of chlorine use in reducing Campylobacter loads.


2,2,7-trimethylguanosine (TMG) binding proteins from human cells were purified through TMG-affinity columns. TMG synthesis was improved and the TMG obtained was shown to be similar to the TMG in the 5' cap of the UsnRNAs. The eluates obtained with TMG-affinity chromatographies were very different from those isolated with m7G-affinity columns, thus suggesting that specific TMG-binding proteins were obtained. The fraction may be enriched with factors associated with import and/or hypermethylation of UsnRNPs.


In this paper, active noise control (ANC) of a Volterra system with a nonlinear secondary path is proposed in the presence of a linear acoustic feedback, whereby the conventional ANC of a linear system with online acoustic feedback-path modeling is further extended to ANC of a Volterra system with a linear acoustic feedback path. In particular, the proposed ANC system consists of two adaptive Volterra filters (for nonlinear noise control and nonlinear adaptive noise cancellation) and one feedback-path modeling filter. Simulation results show that the proposed approach yields more effective reduction of disturbances arising from the acoustic feedback, in addition to high nonlinear ANC performance.


Despite the centrality of moral assumptions to defining environmental crises and solutions, research in discursive political ecology has paid inadequate attention to conservation's moral dimensions. Conservation-related resettlement is a problem for people working and living in protected areas across the globe, around which diverse ideas, meanings, and narratives emerge and circulate. Drawing from participant observation and interview data, I assess the interactions between two 'moral narratives' that emerged in Mozambique's Limpopo National Park (LNP) where international wildlife translocations were ongoing and resettlement is underway. LNP residents employed a 'moral narrative of protection' to achieve their objective of living free from conflict with wildlife. Conservation managers employed a 'moral narrative of choice' to advance their goal of achieving a voluntary resettlement programme. These divergent narratives reflect these actors' morally defined standards and expectations regarding people's responsibilities towards the environment, other species, and/or other people. Taken together they reveal important contradictions to the state's claim that the resettlement programme is voluntary. Instead, they indicate that resettlement processes are taking place in a displacement context wrought by conflict with wildlife, elephants in particular. My findings advance understandings of the moral dimensions of conservation discourse and the complex relationship between displacement and volition.


Traditional landscapes could be considered as one of the most apparent carriers of local identities. They have witnessed previous human activities. On the one hand, local people are keen to keep the existing landscape patterns that indicate their feeling of belonging. On the other hand, there is a desire to introduce new patterns dictated by new technologies and economic conditions. Rapid tourism, sports and recreation development, including big international events in some regions cause conflicts between the environment and human activities that need new approaches and sustainable solutions. The intense development of ecological and rural tourism is also affecting traditional landscapes by challenging environmental capacity, the need for landscape 'improvement' (new parking lots, hostels, roads, cellular phone towers etc) and agricultural use. Processes of globalization, such as tourism, create standardized landscapes so that regional diversity and identity are wiped away. This paper focuses on landscape development in the era of globalization what kind of and at what rate the development of landscape sustains the identity of landscape? Furthermore, we discuss what is the role of tourism in landscape changes; to what rate and how are the meaning systems of landscape changing and how they could be sustained.


Brushless DC motors have been widely used as actuators in mechatronic systems. A non-dynamic motor inverse model, which neglects the electrical dynamics of the motor, is usually employed to achieve torque control of the motor. Variations of the motor parameters due to environmental factors, temperature, build variations, aging, etc. directly impart inaccuracies in the inverse motor model, and thus the dynamic performance of the system suffers. A multi-parameter estimation scheme is proposed in this paper. Improvements for the dynamic performance of the estimator are discussed. Comparison of closed loop simulations for voltage control BLDC motor in an electric power steering system confirms a lower bound of error of the estimated parameter and faster adaptation with the proposed improved estimation scheme.


Embedded computing devices are used on a large scale in the emerging internet of things (IoT). However, their wide deployment raises the incentive for attackers to target these devices, as demonstrated by several recent attacks. As IoT devices are built for long service life, means are required to protect sensitive code in the presence of potential vulnerabilities, which might be discovered long after deployment. Tagged memory has been proposed as a mechanism to enforce various fine-grained security policies at runtime. However, none of the existing tagged memory schemes provides efficient and flexible compartmentalization in terms of isolated execution environments. We present TIMBER-V, a new tagged memory architecture featuring flexible and efficient isolation of code and data on small embedded systems. We overcome several limitations of previous schemes. We augment tag isolation with a memory protection unit to isolate individual processes, while maintaining low memory overhead. TIMBER-V significantly reduces the problem of memory fragmentation, and improves dynamic reuse of untrusted memory across security boundaries. TIMBER-V enables novel sharing of execution stacks across different security domains, in addition to interleaved heaps. TIMBER-V is compatible to existing code, supports real-time constraints and is open source. We show the efficiency of TIMBER-V by evaluating our proofof-concept implementation on the RISC-V simulator.


Maintaining the pH of drilling fluid with suitable additives is one of the important operation for efficient drilling operations.  However, commercial hydroxides are mostly used to control the pH of the drilling fluid. This paper evaluates locally sourced pH additives of burnt plantain heads (BPH), burnt ripe burnt ripe plantain peels (BRPP), and burnt banana plantain peels (BBPP) in comparison with conventional potassium hydroxide (KOH) and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as suitable agents to control pH of drilling fluid. The drilling fluid as prepared with bentonite and local clay in different concentrations of KOH, NaOH, BPH, BRPP and BBRPP including Traona. The result of the study showed that pH of the drilling improved with respective use of conventional KOH, NaOH, BPH, BRPP and BBRPP as additives. In addition, KOH showed the maximum percentage of degree (%) of improvement on the drilling fluid with 38.46-45.45% compared with 27.2-40% for NaOH. On the other hand, BRPP achieved 27.2-41.2%, followed with 20-33% and 20-29.4% for BPH and BBPP respectively. Thus, the locally sourced additives could be used to enhance the pH and properties of drilling fluid.


This research addressed the neglect of teacher educators' voices in the discourses surrounding teaching and teacher education. In this study, five Queensland university teacher educators articulated, through the narratives of their professional lived experience, their thoughts and concerns about current and future education policy and practice.

Evidence of the neglect of teacher educator voices was found by a search of the literature on teaching and teacher education. A number of reports were found that scrutinised classroom teaching and teacher education in Australia and the United Kingdom and across Europe. These reports make comment on and recommendations about the current and future practice in teacher education but do not indicate the ways in which teacher educators have or have not been involved in the discussion of and preparation of the reports.

Narrative Inquiry (NI) was used as both methodology and method in the study. Multiple conversations between the researcher and each participant led to the final five co-constructed narratives of the participants. The narratives told of the professional lived experience of the participants and how that experience has led them to articulate their thoughts and concerns about education today and in the future.

Five common themes emerged from the analysis of the narratives: the way in which initial teacher education (ITE) students are recruited; the influence of government policy on the ways in which the curriculum and testing are delivered in schools; the qualifications and experience of teacher educators; the need for a closer working relationship between schools and universities; and the process of transition from teaching in school to teaching in the university. These themes formed the basis of how the researcher made meaning of the participants' narratives.

The nature of NI is such that the researcher becomes a partner in the research and this results in participation in a personal learning journey that leads to the articulation of the researcher's own lived experience. In the thesis, my learning journey is evidenced in the prologue and the epilogue. There are also personal reflections at points throughout the study.

The study adds to our knowledge and understanding of the theoretical and methodological underpinnings of NI. A new dimension, the generative space, was added to enhance the understanding of how the commonplaces of NI work together to enable deep reflection on the past, present and possible future lived experience.

Policy and practice in teacher education were scrutinised through the lenses of the teacher educators' narratives and led to the development of the recommendations regarding the role and status of teacher educators, made in the final chapter.

In essence, this study has evolved into being about the things that matter to the five participants. Each is a highly qualified and experienced professional expressing the positives, negatives and frustrations that they experience in their current professional lives. They are five individuals with a passion for education as a whole and for the education of teachers in particular.


Sodium and potassium contents of marrow cells, blood cells, and plasma were measured in normal rabbits and rabbits injected subcutaneously with phenylhydrazine to determine if small quantities of this chemical affected the ability of the blood and marrow cells to maintain their normal levels of these ions. There was a decrease in potassium content of red blood cells within 24 hr after administration of the compound, followed subsequently by a slight rise in plasma potassium. Apparently any effect was closely related to the time of blood sampling after the last injection, recovery occurring within several days if injections were not repeated at frequent intervals. The sodium and potassium analyses of normal bone marrow cells revealed differences in ionic concentration dissimilar to normal blood cells, the average sodium concentrations being higher and potassium concentrations lower in the former cells. Separation of marrow cells into three groups by prolonged centrifugation demonstrated a progressive increase in sodium and a decrease in potassium concentration from the lower to the upper stratum, possibly indicating a greater degree of ionic pumping in the more dense cells.


Despite a century-old patent, and wide application at lower energies, the fabrication of thick anti-scatter "Bucky" grids for application at megavolt energies has been an elusive goal. We discuss the design, fabrication and testing of a 45 cm-diameter grid with a focal length of 525 cm for use at the 20 MeV DARHT flash radiography facility. The predominant difficulties overcome were: (1) understanding the performance of such grids prior to fabrication, and (2) the precision fabrication itself. To understand the former, we employed a specially modified version of the MCNP Monte Carlo code run on the ASC blue-mountain supercomputer at Los Alamos to explore and optimize the parameter space. These calculations were benchmarked at the Los Alamos microtron facility using a small prototype grid. To have useful scatter rejection at megavolt energies, grid ratios of several hundred-to-one are required. State-of-the-art grids used in medical radiography have grid ratios of ten-to-one. We demonstrate a unique casting technology capable of accurately manufacturing large grids with very high grid ratios. Promising initial test results are also presented. It is our belief that similar grids will prove useful in a wide range of potential applications including: megavolt NDE radiography, Compton scatter radiography, balloon-born gamma-ray astronomy, medical therapy, and in the intended application of flash radiography at Los Alamos' DARHT facility


Complete dislocation of the talus not accompanied by a fracture is a very rare injury. The injury is encountered as a closed one even more rarely. Reviewing the literature we found that proposed treatments for total talus dislocation varied from primary talectomy or arthodesis (to avoid complications) to closed reduction and an under knee cast. Most importantly, there was no agreement among authors about the method of reduction (open/closed). We report our experience with two cases of closed total talus dislocation not accompanied by a fracture, and review the literature to retrieve evidence on whether a closed or open treatment should be preferred for this type of injury.


In this study, the anti-cholinesterase activities of different extracts of Achillea lycaonica, A. vermicularis and A. nobilis L. subsp. neilreichii (Kerner) Formanek species were examined and then trace elements (Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Cd, and Pb) of the plants were analysed by ICP-MS. The pharmacokinetic properties of the phenolic compounds of these plants previously analyzed by us and the ADME-Tox (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity) profiles of the trace elements we identified in this study were estimated. According to the data obtained, it was determined that all three plants showed high acetyl-cholinesterase inhibition activity. The concentration of trace elements was lower than that declared by WHO, except for the A. lycaonica. It was determined that V, Cr, Fe, Co, and As metals in A. lycaonica exceeded the limit values determined by WHO. According to ADMET estimates, it is thought that the toxic values of all three plants are not high, and therefore the use of A. nobilis and A. vermicularis plants does not pose any health risk but A lycaonica should be used carefully due to the heavy metals.


U-Pb analyses of zircons from the Ennerdale granitic intrusion and Eskdale Granite (English Lake District) give ages of 452 ± 4 Ma and 450 ± 3 Ma respectively. These data confirm the sub-volcanic association of these intrusions, and show that previously published Rb–Sr whole-rock and K–Ar mineral ages do not correspond to the emplacement and cooling of these igneous bodies. The new ages show that only two phases of acid magmatism can now be linked to the exposed parts of the Lake District batholith. The Caradoc (late Ordovician) phase was caused by the subductionrelated processes which gave rise to volcanism, and was followed by a separate early Devonian phase of granite emplacement.


Aggregate and organic carbon distribution influenced by agroecological handling. The objective of this study was to verify the influence of agroecological handling in the distribution of stable aggregates in water and in the levels of aggregate organic carbon under different vegetable covers. Five areas were selected: agroflorestal system; fig cultivation (Ficus carica L.); passion fruit (Passiflora edulis S.) and Desmodium sp. consortium; bean cultivation (Phaseolus vulgaris L), under conventional system; and corn (Zea mays), in no-tillage system. In each area, undisturbed samples were collected, in 0-5 and 5-10 cm depths, and water aggregate distribution and organic carbon of aggregate (OCAGR) were quantified. The highest aggregate mass was observed in the 2.00 mm aggregate class, in both depths, except for the bean cultivation area. In both depths, the class with greater diameter showed the highest OCAGR values for the area of passion fruit – Desmodium sp. consortium.


The permanent deformation of a pavement due to vehicle load is one of the important factors affecting the design life as well as the maintenance cost of a pavement. For the purpose of obtaining a cost-effective design, it is advisable to predict the traffic-loadinduced permanent pavement deformation. The permanent deformation in pavements (i.e. rutting) can be classified into three categories, including the wearing of the asphalt layers, compaction, and shear deformations. In the present study, discrete element analyses have been performed to predict the permanent deformation of a pavement when subjected to moving wheel loads. Note that the wearing of the asphalt layers has been disregarded.

DEM biaxial test simulations have been carried out in terms of both unbonded and bonded granular materials. The typical stress-strain response, as well as the volumetric strain development, have been reproduced, in qualitative agreement with the experimental results. The factors affecting the mechanical behaviour of granular materials have been investigated, e.g. particle stiffness, sample compaction and parallel bond strength. In addition, the elastic properties, initial yield stress, strength parameters and so on have been analysed. These compression tests provided guidance for the selection of the particle parameters for the subsequent pavement simulation.

The permanent deformation in unbonded pavements was represented under moving wheel loads, and proved to be qualitatively consistent with the laboratory tests. The initial self-weight stress had a significant effect on rutting. When the initial gravity stress was relatively high, both shakedown and surface ratchetting phenomena were observed for different loading levels. However, the accumulation of permanent deformation was continual for pavements with low gravity stress, even if the wheel pressure was small. Other factors affecting the rutting have been taken into consideration, e.g. specimen preparation, interparticle friction, etc. In the case of the single-layered pavement, permanent deformation ceased after the first wheel pass. Plastic deformation increased with the decrease in the self-weight stress. For the double layered pavement, the permanent deformation continually increased with wheel passes, probably owing to compaction of the bottom unbound layer. The pavement shakedown phenomenon was not observed prior to wheel pass 300. The permanent deformation increased augmentation of wheel pressure as well as decrease in the sample density and upper layer thickness.

The residual stresses in both vertical and horizontal directions can be obtained using the measurement circle. For all the pavements in the current simulations, the vertical residual stress is nearly always zero, consistent with the equilibrium condition. In the case of the unbonded pavement, the large horizontal residual stress depends on the high initial gravity stress, instead of high wheel pressure or wheel pass number. For the single-layered pavement, the peak of the horizontal residual stress was observed near the pavement surface. The residual stress rises with the augmentation of the wheel pass number and the wheel pressure. In the double-layered pavement, the residual stresses are discontinuous at the interface between different pavement layers. The peak appears near the pavement surface and increases with the reduction in the upper layer thickness as well as the rise in wheel passes and wheel pressure. Nevertheless, residual stress is not apparent in the granular base.

The probability density distribution was investigated in terms of the contact and bond forces. For the normal contact force, a peak generally appeared at small contact forces, followed by a drastic decrease and, after that, the probability density progressively approached zero. For the tangential contact force as well as the bond forces, in general, a peak of the probability distribution was observed at small contact forces, and then a sharp drop followed from the two flanks of the peak point. Finally, there was a gradual decrease until the probability density decayed to zero. The factors, e.g. pavement layer, wheel pass number and wheel pressure, mainly affect the probability distribution of the small contact or bond forces. For both single- and double-layered pavements, the absolute extrema of the bond forces in the top layer increased with the augmentation of the wheel pass number and the wheel pressure.

For the unbonded pavement, the sliding contact ratio was studied and it was significantly affected by the pavement layer, initial gravity stress and sample compaction. The distribution of the pavement particle displacements were demonstrated. In the unbonded pavement, factors, such as wheel pressure and initial gravity, not only affect the distribution of the relatively large particle displacements but also increase the magnitude of the particle displacements. The directions of the large displacement vectors are diverse as the large gravity acceleration is assigned to the particles but are almost downward when the self-weight stress is small. In the single- or double layered pavement, factors, such as wheel pass number and wheel pressure, merely increase the values of the particle displacements. The distribution of the displacements is hardly affected. For the single-layered pavement, the large displacements were observed near the pavement surface and their directions are almost contrary to the movement direction of the wheel. In the double-layered pavement, relatively large particle displacements are widely distributed in the pavement. Their directions are in an almost vertical direction.


The ability of mental construction of easily verbalized geometric figures was studied in 20 healthy subjects by means of recording of the evoked potentials of the cerebral cortex. Fragments of geometric figures were presented with the intervals of 80 and 500 ms. To one half of the subjects the stimuli were presented unilaterally (both fragments to one and the same visual field, to the left or to the right one) and to the second half of the subjects--bilaterally (the first fragment--to one visual field and the second one--to the other). It was established that the latency of the wave P300 was shorter and the amplitude--greater at correct decisions of the visual-spatial task than at false ones, both at unilateral and bilateral fragments presentation. At a great interval (500 ms), when the effects of masking became significantly weaker, a predominant activation of the left hemisphere was observed: the latency of the late components was shorter and the amplitude--greater, when the information came "directly" to the left hemisphere. The obtained results testify once more to a great variability, dynamic interhemispheric relations, impossibility of connecting the realization of some functions with one of the hemispheres.


ABSTRACT Polymeric ultrafiltration (UF) membranes often used in membrane bioreactor (MBR) prone to be fouled by fouling agents. Therefore, in this paper, the antifouling characteristics of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) UF membranes for wastewater treatment are improved through modifying membranes by O-carboxymethyl chitosan (OCMCS)-functionalized Fe3O4 nanoparticles (OCMCSFe3O4). The modifier agent was manufactured by the adsorption of OCMCS on Fe3O4 nanoparticles, which were synthesized via co-precipitating method. Antifouling performance of membranes was assessed by permeation tests done using activated sludge suspension as a biological foulant, then the calculation of the pure water flux recovery ratio (FRR) and fouling resistance parameters. Also, to investigate the protein rejection of membranes, permeation tests were conducted by the bovine serum albumin (BSA) solution. According to the obtained results, surface hydrophilicity of the embedded membranes was improved in the low concentrations of the modified nanoparticles. However, the high quantity of the OCMCS-Fe3O4 nanoparticles (>0.1 wt. %) in the casting solution lessened membrane performance owing to the agglomeration of the nanoparticles in the polymer matrix. Although, the 1 wt. % OCMCS-Fe3O4 membrane revealed considerably higher PWF and permeation than that of the other membranes. It was because of defects and cracks in the membranes. The 0.05 wt. % OCMCS-Fe3O4/PVDF membrane exhibited the highest FRR (95.7%) and protein rejection value (48%) and the lowest irreversible fouling resistance (Rir) value (4.2%). It is concluded that the blended membranes with modified nanoparticles resulted in a high-flux ultrafiltration membrane comparable with microfiltration membrane, while its separation properties remained similar to UF membrane. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT


Site-directed mutation of serine 110 (Ser(3.35)) and serine 114 (Ser(3.39)) in the human melatonin MT(1) receptor to alanine residues reduced ligand binding affinities of seven known melatonin receptor agonists and partial agonists by 3- to 15-fold. These mutants also displayed a relative reduction in their affinities for melatonin-mediated functional responses of 30- and 14-fold, respectively. In contrast to the observed effects of the agonists and partial agonists, the melatonin receptor antagonist luzindole was found to bind to mutants Ser(3.35)Ala and Ser(3.39)Ala with affinities equivalent to that determined for the wild-type melatonin MT(1) receptor. Luzindole was subsequently confirmed as an antagonist of melatonin-mediated functional responses for both mutant receptors. These studies have identified that in the human melatonin MT(1) receptor, Ser(3.35) and Ser(3.39), in transmembrane domain 3, are critical for the formation of the high-affinity ligand binding site for agonists and partial agonists but not for the antagonist luzindole.


The objective of this study was to analyze the difference in residual setup errors between 6D ExacTrac and 3D cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) image-guided systems in spinal stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). We investigated 76 patients with spinal tumors who received SBRT using Novalis Tx at our institution between January 2013 and September 2020. A Vac-lok (EZ-FIX®, Arlico Medical Company, South Korea) fixture and an assistive device, based on the region involved, were used to immobilize patients and to increase the inter-fractional setup reproducibility. The difference in the root mean square (RMS) between the 6D ExacTrac and 3D CBCT was -0.75 mm, 0.45 mm, 0.16 mm, and -0.03°; the RMS value was 1.31 mm, 1.06 mm, 0.87 mm, and 0.64°; and the standard deviation was 0.80 mm, 0.72 mm, 0.62 mm, and 0.44° for lateral, longitudinal, vertical, and yaw directions, respectively. The difference in the average RMS between ExacTrac and CBCT was <1.03 mm in the translation direction and <0.47° in the rotational direction; the results were statistically significant in the lateral, longitudinal, and vertical directions, but not in the yaw direction. Thus, it is necessary to verify the ExacTrac image according to the CBCT image.


Ultracapacitors (UCs) are promising energy storage devices that can enhance fuel economy and performance of electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in electric vehicles (PHEVs) by means of assisting primary energy source in peak power demands and capturing regenerative braking energy. This manuscript introduces another merit of UCs which is utilizing the UC as an active power filter in PHEV charging process. With the proposed simple control scheme, UC ensures constant battery charging current where unity power factor operation is provided by AC/DC charger. As a result, the DC/DC power stage in conventional charger structure is eliminated. The analyses show that battery current ripple less than 4%, total harmonic distortion (THD) less than 1.5% and power factor (PF) higher than 0.996 can be achieved with the proposed power electronic structure and active filtering control scheme.


Digital divide is a concept which is used to define the state that societies cannot utilize Information and Communication Technologies equally. As the antithesis of digital divide, the state of the Networked Readiness is a concept assessed by the World Economic Forum in the Global Information Technologies Report2015 through comprehensively bearing in mind the issues such as Information and Communication Technology artefacts and related national capacities gained. In this research, the effects of the national networked readiness level on worker rights violations, gender inequality, corruption, income inequality levels. It is found that the national networked readiness level reduces significantly the levels of these four adverse variables which are considered harmful for the development of countries. Especially, the negative significant association between the level of national networked readiness level and worker rights violations level is new and original finding which is considered as a valuable contribution to literature.


This paper proposes a new market-based distributed planning algorithm for multi-agent systems under uncertainty, called MIRA (Marketbased Iterative Risk Allocation). In large coordination problems, from power grid management to multi-vehicle missions, multiple agents act collectively in order to optimize the performance of the system, while satisfying mission constraints. These optimal plans are particularly susceptible to risk when uncertainty is introduced. We present a distributed planning algorithm that minimizes the system cost while ensuring that the probability of violating mission constraints is below a user-specified level. We build upon the paradigm of risk allocation [13], in which the planner optimizes not only the sequence of actions, but also its allocation of risk among each constraint at each time step. We extend the concept of risk allocation to multi-agent systems by highlighting risk as a good that is traded in a computational market. The equilibrium price of risk that balances the supply and demand is found by an iterative price adjustment process called tâtonnement (also known as Walrasian auction). The simulation results demonstrate the efficiency and optimality of the proposed distributed planner.


This study was performed to characterize the inhibitory effects of terbutaline on pancreatic secretion. In experiments with pancreatic fistula dogs, intravenously administered terbutaline significantly reduced pancreatic juice volume, bicarbonate concentration, bicarbonate output, and protein output evoked by secretin or the octapeptide of cholecystokinin but had no effect on protein concentration. Subcutaneously administered terbutaline significantly reduced meal-stimulated pancreatic juice volume, bicarbonate concentration, bicarbonate output, and protein output and increased protein concentration in a dose-related manner. In other experiments, terbutaline had no effect on amylase release from dispersed guinea pig pancreatic acini. These observations suggest that the primary effect of terbutaline on the in vivo exocrine pancreas is inhibition of water and bicarbonate secretion; reduced output of pancreatic protein may be secondary to decreased flow of pancreatic juice.


I enjoyed reading Dr. Dalakas' extensive report on chronic idiopathic ataxic neuropathy [I], a disorder referred to by most neurologists as idiopathic or (if associated with carcinoma) carcinomatous sensory neuropathy (or neuronopathy). In regard to Dr Dalakas's presentation, I disagree with two points. First, although most patients do not respond to aggressive immunosuppressive therapy, occasional patients do. We recently treated two patients, a 47-year-old woman and a 61yea-old man, with intensive immunosuppression, including plasmapheresis plus either azathioprine or cyclophosphamide and prednisone. The woman became asymptomatic and the man was able to walk again after several months. The responses of these patients to intensive immunosuppression suggests an inflammatory or autoimmune cause. Perhaps the rare patient capable of responding to such therapy has reversible disease of the dorsal root ganglia and peripheral nerves, rather than complete destruction of sensory cytons or peripheral nerves, which would make recovery impossible. There may be a narrow window of time during the illness when therapy can be effective, after which the damage is too extensive to allow recovery. Of course, alternately, the mechanism of the neuropathy may be different in those patients who are able to recover. My second point of disagreement with Dr Dalakas is the inclusion of patients who had myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG)-reactive IgM serum monoclonal proteins with other idiopathic sensory neuropathy patients who did not have gammopathies. Although superficially similar, these conditions differ clinically, electrophysiologically, and pathologically. Clinically, the patients with gammopathy usually have evidence of motor involvement, which can become striking as the neuropathy increases in severity [2, 33. These patients also have striking slowing of motor nerve conduction velocities with dispersed compound muscle action potentials and markedly increased distal latencies, features suggestive of a prominent demyelinating component and never seen in the sensory neuronopathy syndrome 12, 4). Nerve biopsy in the anti-MAG-reactive cases, including electron microscopy and immunofluorescent studies, reveals evidence of demyelination and axonal loss, adherence to the myelin sheaths of the IgM-kappa monoclonal protein, and a peculiar splitting of the intraperiod lines of the outer lamellae of rnyelin, features seen only in MAG-reactive IgM gammopathies [ 5 ] . In addition, the gammopathy patients often respond to immunosuppression [3]. They likely suffer from a rnyelin sheath disorder, not the relatively pure axonopathy or neuronopathy of the primary sensory neuronopathy syndrome. For these reasons, I think that these disorders should be regarded as separate until they are better understood.


Extemporaneous drug formulation is essential to provide optimal pharmaceutical care to infants, children, and other special patient populations when medications are not available in a suitable dosage form. This study examined the prescription patterns of extemporaneously compounded preparations from representative sites on the Delmarva Peninsula. Professional pharmacy students assigned to community pharmacy and hospital clinical sites were asked to collect the following data at their respective rotation sites: a list of the most commonly prescribed extemporaneously compounded products to include: drug indication, generic name, dosage form, stability dating, dose regimen, route of administration, and age group. A database was constructed and each compounded prescription was allocated to a therapeutic category based on the American Hospital Formulary Service. Data was obtained from a total of 555 prescriptions, available from 113 entries. The most frequently prescribed therapeutic categories were gastrointestinal agents, skin and mucous membrane agents, and anti-infective agents, accounting for 41%, 26%, and 14% of all prescriptions, respectively. Community pharmacies accounted for 54%, 76%, and 27% of prescriptions in the gastrointestinal, skin care, and anti-infective agents' individual categories, respectively. Hospital pharmacies accounted for 46%, 24%, and 73%, of prescriptions in the gastrointestinal, skin care, and anti-infective agents' individual categories, respectively. Prescriptions containing lidocaine along with other active ingredients, mainly gastrointestinal cocktail and magic mouthwash, were the most commonly filled prescriptions in the gastrointestinal category. Overall, suspensions were the most dispensed extemporaneously compounded dosage form at both community and hospital sites. In an era of personalized medicine, extemporaneous compounding for specialized needs will continue to play an important role in patient therapy.


The performance of the energy degrader in terms of beam properties directly impacts the design and cost of cyclotron-based proton therapy centers. The aim of this study is to evaluate the performances of different existing and novel degrader materials. The quantitative estimate is based on detailed GEANT4 simulations that analyze the beam-matter interaction and provide a determination of the beam emittance increase and transmission. Comparisons between existing (aluminum, graphite, beryllium) and novel (boron carbide and diamond) degrader materials are provided and evaluated against semi-analytical models of multiple Coulomb scattering. The results showing a potential in emittance reduction for novel materials are presented and discussed in detail.


Physical activity is well-known to be an important factor for a healthy and balanced lifestyle, whereas physical inactivity increases the chance of noncommunicable diseases. Physical inactivity has therefore been indicated as a major public health challenge (Donaldson, 2004). According to the Fogg Behaviour Model (Fogg, 2009), people can be influenced using technology (e.g. to make them more physically active) if one (1) is sufficiently motivated, (2) has the ability, and (3) is triggered to engage in physical activity. However, despite that the Fogg Behavior Model (Fogg, 2009) has become well-known as a behavioural change model, the proposed interplay between the three key factors on behaviour has barely been investigated empirically. Also, most of the earlier research that has investigated how physical activity can be stimulated, has only utilized a single persuasive strategy as an intervention method (i.e. either motivational, ability-enhancing, or trigger-related) to stimulate physical activity (e.g. Chan et al., 2004; Dantzig et al., 2013; Evans et al., 2012). The current research made a step toward an empirical assessment of the Fogg Behaviour Model (Fogg, 2009) by investigating two of its key factors, while at the same time investigating the effectiveness of combining two persuasive strategies to stimulate physical activity. That is, we investigated the effect of motivating people or not, and providing triggers or not, on physical activity. In contrast to our expectations, the findings indicated that participants who were motivated to engage in physical activity did not engage in more physical activity than the participants who were not motivated. Also contrary to our expectations, the physical activity of participants was not greater when they were provided with triggers to remind them to engage in physical activity. However, yet also not confirming the expectations, an interaction effect was found that indicated a significant increase in physical activity when triggers were provided to participants who were not motivated to engage in physical activity. In contrast, no significant increase in physical activity was found when triggers were provided to participants who were motivated to engage in physical activity. The current research raises questions with regard to the distinctiveness and independence of the key factors of the Fogg Behaviour Model (Fogg, 2009). That is, in the present study, the triggers could have served as motivational triggers, and the motivational strategies could have served as triggers. Future research should investigate under which conditions it is best to utilize either a single-, or rather multiple manipulations for motivational and trigger-related strategies in order to stimulate physical activity.


In a multilingual country like India, multilingual Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) systems have much scope. Multilingual ASR systems exhibit many advantages like scalability, maintainability, and improved performance over the monolingual ASR systems. However, building multilingual systems for Indian languages is challenging since different languages use different scripts for writing. On the other hand, Indian languages share a lot of common sounds. Common Label Set (CLS) exploits this idea and maps graphemes of various languages with similar sounds to common labels. Since Indian languages are mostly phonetic, building a parser to convert from native script to CLS is easy. In this paper, we explore various approaches to build multilingual ASR models. We also propose a novel architecture called Encoder-Decoder-Decoder for building multilingual systems that use both CLS and native script labels. We also analyzed the effectiveness of CLS-based multilingual systems combined with machine transliteration.


Sweet′s syndrome is characterized by erythematous tender nodules and plaques over face and extremities. Fever, leukocytosis with neutrophilia, and a neutrophilic infiltrate in the dermis are characteristic features. Neutrophilic dermatosis of dorsal hands is a rare localized variant of Sweet′s syndrome occurring predominantly over dorsa of hands. Various degrees of vascular damage may be observed on histopathology of these lesions. Both Sweet′s syndrome and its dorsal hand variant have been reported in association with malignancies, inflammatory bowel diseases, and drugs. We report a patient with neutrophilic dermatoses of dorsal hands associated with erythema nodosum. He showed an excellent response to corticosteroids and dapsone.


Prorenin (PR) is present in high concentrations in the follicular fluid (FF) of the preovulatory follicle. It is the predominant form of renin detected in FF. Its biosynthesis and secretion from the ovary are regulated by gonadotropins. In the present study we measured PR and steroid levels in FF from 136 follicles. Follicular fluids were obtained, 36 h after hCG injection, from 41 ovarian-stimulated patients who underwent follicle puncture and oocyte retrieval for in vitro fertilization. We related FF PR to steroid levels and to the stage of oocyte-cumulus complex maturation. PR levels in 62 FF containing mature healthy fertilized oocytes averaged 2620 +/- 157 (+/- SE) ng/mL.h (728 +/- 44 ng/L.s; range, 1020-6880 ng/mL.h, 283-1911 ng/L.s). A subgroup of 16 of these follicles containing mature oocytes were from 7 women who conceived, in which PR levels spanned only the lower range from 1030-2720 ng/mL.h (286-756 ng/L.s). No patient conceived with FF PR above 2800 ng/mL.h (778 ng/L.s), yet one third of all mature follicles were above this range. Lower levels of PR were detected in FF containing immature oocytes (germinal vesicle stage) associated with either compact (1665 +/- 480 ng/mL.h; 463 +/- 133 ng/L.s; n = 22; P less than 0.02) or expanded (1785 +/- 193 ng/mL.h; 496 +/- 54 ng/L.s; n = 24; P less than 0.005) cumulus mass; a subgroup (n = 5) of follicles with immature oocytes and compact cumulus had very high levels of FF PR, ranging from 3830-7520 ng/mL.h (1064-2089 ng/L.s), while the remainder had levels less than 1300 ng/mL.h (361 ng/L.s). Progesterone and estradiol (E2) were lower in FF surrounding immature oocytes associated with compact (P less than 0.005) or expanded (P less than 0.02) cumulus, than in those containing mature oocytes. Testosterone (T) and androstenedione were measured in only a fraction of the samples; there were no apparent differences between follicles containing mature and immature oocytes. However, T and androstenedione levels were high in the subgroup of follicles containing immature oocytes and very high levels of PR. Of the hormones measured, T revealed the most striking relationship with PR (r = 0.62; n = 49; P less than 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


National borders are a big hurdle to the expansion of the open economy. Integration today remains imperfect because national borders translate into trading costs, including differences in monetary regimes. Political borders shelter many goods and services from external competition and, consequently, represent a critical exogenous force in the integration process. Borders are thicker for the small countries than the large countries. Regional trade arrangements have softened or, in some cases, pushed outward national borders, but in the process new borders have emerged. Borders affect also finance and monies. While the speed of financial integration suggests currency consolidation and a decline in the ratio of independent monies to sovereign nations, the formation of multilateral monetary unions pushes the ratio towards unity.


PLATO (PLATeau Observatory) is the third-generation astronomical site-testing laboratory designed by the University of New South Wales. This facility is operating autonomously to collect both scientific and site-testing data from Dome A, the highest point on the Antarctic plateau, at an elevation of 4093m. We describe the power generation and management system of PLATO. Two redundant arrays of solar panels and a multiply-redundant set of small diesel engines are intended to provide 1-2kW of electrical power for a full year without refueling or other intervention. An environmental chamber has been constructed to study the high-altitude performance of the diesel engines, and suitable cold-starting procedures and engine lubrication techniques have been developed. PLATO's power system is an innovative solution with wide applicability to small astronomical facilities on the Antarctic plateau, offering minimum environmental impact and requiring minimal human intervention.


This investigation tested the hypotheses that (1) physical workstation dimensions are important determinants of operator posture, (2) specific workstation characteristics systematically affect worker posture, and (3) computer operators assume "neutral" upper limb postures while keying. Operator head, neck, and upper extremity posture and selected workstation dimensions and characteristics were measured among 379 computer users. Operator postures were measured with manual goniometers, workstation characteristics were evaluated by observation, and workstation dimensions by direct measurement. Considerably greater variability in all postures was observed than was expected from application of basic geometric principles to measured workstation dimensions. Few strong correlations were observed between worker posture and workstation physical dimensions; findings suggest that preference is given to keyboard placement with respect to the eyes (r = 0.60 for association between keyboard height and seated elbow height) compared with monitor placement with respect to the eyes (r = 0.18 for association between monitor height and seated eye height). Wrist extension was weakly correlated with keyboard height (r = -0.24) and virtually not at all with keyboard thickness (r = 0.07). Use of a wrist rest was associated with decreased wrist flexion (21.9 versus 25.1 degrees, p < 0.01). Participants who had easily adjustable chairs had essentially the same neck and upper limb postures as did those with nonadjustable chairs. Sixty-one percent of computer operators were observed in nonneutral shoulder postures and 41% in nonneutral wrist postures. Findings suggest that (1) workstation dimensions are not strong determinants of at least several neck and upper extremity postures among computer operators, (2) only some workstation characteristics affect posture, and (3) contrary to common recommendations, a large proportion of computer users do not work in so-called neutral postures.


A high-barrier polyimide (2,7-CPI) was synthesized through the polymerization of pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) and a novel diamine (2,7-CDA) containing carbazole moiety. The synthesized diamine and polyimide were fully characterized by elemental analyses, FTIR and NMR. The 2,7-CPI displays very attractive barrier performances, with oxygen transmission rate (OTR) and water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) low to 0.14 cm3·m−2·day−1 and 0.05 g·m−2·day−1, respectively. Meanwhile, 2,7-CPI also exhibits exceptional thermal stability with a glass transition temperature (Tg) of 467 °C, 5% weight-loss temperature (Td5%) of 550 °C under N2 and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of 3.4 ppm/K. The barrier performances of 2,7-CPI are compared with those of a structural analogue (2,7-CPPI) and a typical polyimide (Kapton). Their barrier performances with respect to microstructure were investigated by molecular simulations, wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS). The results show that 2,7-CPI possesses better coplanar structure and more number of intermolecular hydrogen bonds among the three PIs, which result in tight chain packing and thereby high crystallinity, low free volume, and decreased chains mobility. That is, the high crystallinity and low free volume of 2,7-CPI reduce the diffusion and solubility of gases. Meanwhile, the poor chains mobility further decreases the gases diffusion. The reduced diffusion and solubility of gases consequently promote the improvement of barrier properties for 2,7-CPI. The polyimide has a wide application prospect in the field of flexible electronic packaging industries.


The aim of this article is to elaborate upon afflictions and difficult situations amongst women sentenced to long-term in prison. First part of the article is a theoretical foundation. Firstly, the author discussed difficult situations and afflictions experienced by people imprisoned, jointly for both genders. However, perceptible elements of the described collection of complaints as well as their levels of complexity are personal for every condemned person; and their activation is dependent not only on a one's personality, situation before being incarcerated and type of correctional facility but also on the sentenced person's gender. Thus undertaken problematic aspects required a separate presentation of issues bound up with incarcerated women experiencing afflictions due to their sentence. Second part of the study is an analysis of author's research, conducted in the Prison no. 1 in Grudziądz. Article ends with the author's conclusions, concerning difficulties of women serving long-term sentences in prison.