With the method of planting cotton by stages at the sites from Yangtze valley to north Xinjiang, this paper studied the effects of air temperature and sunlight on cotton fiber quality in 2002 approximately 2003. The results showed that with increasing latitude, fiber length increased, while micronaire value and soluble sugar content (SSC) decreased. An ecological model describing the relationships of fiber strength, micronaire value and SSC with air temperature and sunlight was built to determine the optimal range and critical value of air temperature during boll development period. If a high quality fiber (length > or = 27 mm) was targeted, the daily mean temperature (DMT) and minimum temperature (Tmin) during this period should be 21.3 approximately 29.7 and 10.7 approximately 21.3 degrees C, respectively, and the daily temperature difference (DTD) should not be > 15.2 degrees C. Fiber length was the longest when the DMT was 25.4 degrees C. If the lowest fiber length was > or = 25 mm, DMT and Tmin should not be lower than 15.5 and 10.7 degrees C, respectively, and DTD should not be over 17.9 degrees C during boll development period.


The circular economy applied to the urban context is linked to sustainability objectives focused on environmental performances overlooking socio-political implications, in order to achieve a circular balance within the neoliberal paradigm of business-nature-society in a continuous growth scenario. This paper discusses this criticality, articulating a counter perspective based on the debate of degrowth, circularity and technology through the analysis of three cases of socio-technical assemblages: Transition Towns; Repair Cafes; Community Gardens. The research individuates the effectiveness of urban practices in which the circularity is implemented beyond purely economic interactions or eco-efficiency parameters, defining the potentialities of a degrowing circular city based on inclusiveness, social justice and reciprocity.


— We present a list of datasets and their best models with the goal of advancing the state-of-the-art in object detection by placing the question of object recognition in the context of the two types of state-of-the-art methods: one-stage methods and two stage-methods. We provided an in-depth statistical analysis of the five top datasets in the light of recent developments in granulated Deep Learning models - COCO minival, COCO test, Pascal VOC 2007, ADE20K, and ImageNet. The datasets are handpicked after closely comparing them with the rest in terms of diversity, quality of data, minimal bias, labeling quality etc. More importantly, our work extends to provide the best combination of these datasets with the emerging models in the last two years. It lists the top models and their optimal use cases for each of the respective datasets. We have provided a comprehensive overview of a variety of both generic and specific object detection models, enlisting comparative results like inference time and average precision of box (AP) fixed at different Intersection Over Union (IoUs) and for different sized objects. The qualitative and quantitative analysis will allow experts to achieve new performance records using the best combination of datasets and models.


Farmers continuously acquire and gather new information to keep with the emerging trends and technologies in their sector in order to realize increased outputs. They store and share this knowledge amongst themselves and with other interested parties. Access to information that is processed to generate the knowledge is therefore a key factor to farmers. This access is achieved through employment of the information and communication technology (ICT) tools. However, rapid developments in the field of ICT in an economy can create a gap, between those individuals or farmers that are early adopters'and those that are late adopters, which is commonly referred to as digital divide. It is the gap between those with regular and effective access to digital technologies particularly the internet, and those without. The purpose of this study wasto empirically examine the effects of digital divide on information accessibility among sugar cane farmers in Migori County. This was done by identifying information sources and tools whereby a combination of company extension agents and neighbours were the main sources and mobile phones were the most popular ICT tool. To accomplish this study, a survey research was employed in gathering information from the sample population, adopted semi structured questionnaire which was administered to sugar cane farmers in Awendo and Uriri Districts of Migori County. The study found out that digital divide exists among sugar farmers and it is enhanced by factors such as reduced interaction with extension agents and input suppliers. Inadequate communication channels such as television, radios and mobile phones as well as low or no access to internet also increase digital divide. Solutions to the digital divide require actions from various agencies and stakeholders, and the commitments of the government as well as NGOs which can be achieved through public private partnerships.


We have calculated the optical gap of small oxygenated Si nanocrystals with diameters in the range between 2 and 10 Å using the Density Functional Theory (DFT) with the hybrid nonlocal exchange correlation functional of Becke and Lee, Yang and Parr (B3LYP), which includes partially exact Hartree–Fock exchange. The optical gap is obtained from the B3LYP HOMO-LUMO gap by a well established correlation relation. Our results are in very good agreement with experimental measurements in oxygen containing samples, and confirm out earlier conclusions [Phys. Rev. Lett. 87 276402 (2001)] for the role of oxygen in the optical gap of Si nanocrystals.


This research deals with low molecular weight-phenol formaldehyde (LMW–PF) impregnation on sepetir (Sindora spp), nyatoh (Palaquium spp.), and pisang putih (Mezzettia spp.) woods to determine the effect of different anatomical structure on weight percent gain and dimensional stability improvement. The wood samples were impregnated using LMW–PF solutions with 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11% of concentrations (w/w), vacuum-pressured (–98 kPa, 15 min, 350 kPa, 4 h), and re-immersed in 80°C for 3 h. According to the findings, LMW–PF impregnation reduced coefficient of swelling by 9.64–29.95%, and increased anti-swelling efficiency by 12.24–29.91%. Additionally, the water absorption and thickness swelling reduced by 2.43–38.75% and 15.94–34.21%, respectively, indicating the improvement of dimensional stability. Microscopy and NIR analysis revealed the presence and reaction of LMW–PF within porous wood matrix. The effect of diverse anatomical structures caused complexity on LMW–PF impregnation. Sepetir-treated wood with fewer anatomical barriers resulted in better dimensional stability improvement than others.


Dramatically improved survival associated with tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy has transformed the disease model for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) to one of long‐term management, but treatment success is challenged with poor medication adherence. Many risk factors associated with poor adherence can be ameliorated by close monitoring, dose modification, and supportive care. Controlling risk factors for poor adherence in combination with patient education that includes direct communication between the health care team and the patient are essential components for maximizing the benefits of TKI therapy. Am. J. Hematol. 87:687–691, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


For aficionados of strong drink and a good story, there are quite a few books published on the subject of absinthe, and most of them have been published in the last ten years.(1) Perhaps it is a function of millennialism that interest has been stimulated in a drink formulated over two hundred years ago and demonised as the ruin of modern French civilisation. In the most recent of publications on absinthe, Jad Adams's Hideous Absinthe: a History of the Devil in a Bottle, we confront the drink in all its guises – as antimalarial agent for French soldiers in early nineteenth-century France, as a gin-equivalent for the poor, as symbol of ascendancy for the middle class, as muse for the bohemian and decadent, and as the scourge of the temperance movements in the latter part of the nineteenth century. Much has been attributed to the wormwood drink – madness, genius, social disorder, infertility, epilepsy – but, as Adams argues, the potent image of absinthe has been articulated for different purposes since its recipe was handed over to Mr. HenriLouis Pernod for distilling in 1797:


Parametric down conversion in a strongly non-degenerate regime with output terahertz (THz) and optical beams is investigated. The theoretical approach based on the concept of independent Schmidt modes is developed and the shapes and weights of optical and THz Schmidt modes are analyzed both in a far-field and near-field regions. Analytical approximation for examined radial Schmidt modes is found. Strong azimuthal correlations between optical and THz photons are established. THz photons are shown to be involved simultaneously both in parametric down conversion and sum frequency generation processes. Photons in THz, Stocks and anti-Stocks channels are demonstrated to be strongly entangled. Methods to examine the properties of the THz radiation by measuring the correlations between generated Stocks and anti-Stocks components are suggested.


The article is devoted to the study of the current state of scientific and educational relations between Russia and the states of the Eurasian Economic Union. The current mechanisms of cooperation in this area are studied, conjunctural and systemic barriers to integration are identified, taking into account deep changes in the geopolitical and geo-economic sense, and the prospects for overcoming them are assessed. Special attention is paid to the study of promising cooperative projects that, according to the author, can not only give a "fresh" impetus to the general practice of scientific and educational interaction in the EAEU, but also bring the cooperation of the states of the region to a new level of interaction, provide the much-needed complexity to the entire project of Eurasian integration. In conclusion, the author attempts to build further projections of integration in the field of education, science and training in the Eurasian direction.


We estimate the impact of cartel organizational features, as well as macroeconomic fluctuations and industry structure, on cartel duration using a data set of contemporary international cartels. We estimate a proportional hazards model with competing risks, distinguishing factors that increase the risk of "death by antitrust" from those that affect natural death, including defection, dissension, and entry. Our analysis indicates that the probability of cartel death from any cause increased significantly after 1995, when competition authorities expanded enforcement efforts toward international cartels. We find that fluctuations in firm-specific discount rates have a significant effect on cartel duration, whereas market interest rates do not. Cartels with a compensation scheme—a plan for how the cartel will handle variations in demand—are significantly less likely to break up. In contrast, retaliatory punishments in response to perceived cheating significantly increase the likelihood of natural death. Cartels that have to punish are not stable cartels.


PURPOSE
To perform a comparative analysis of clinical and functional results and efficiency of corneal astigmatism correction after femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) with implantation of toric intraocular lens (TIOL) and in combination with arcuate keratotomy (FL-AC).

MATERIAL AND METHODS
The examination included 60 patients (60 eyes). The first group consisted of 30 patients (30 eyes) who underwent FLACS with implantation of TIOL (Acrysof IQ Toric, Alcon, U.S.A.); the second group consisted of 30 patients (30 eyes) who underwent FLACS in combination with FL-AC. The examination was carried out before the operation, on the 3rd day and 3 months after surgery. Corneal astigmatism correction efficiency was analyzed using the Alpins method and graphical vector analysis.

RESULTS
Uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) indices increased to 0.70±0.24 and 0.66±0.31 in the FLACS with TIOL and FLACS with FL-AC groups, respectively, without statistically significant differences between the groups (p=0.03). The value of the residual cylinder was significantly lower in the FLACS with TIOL group (-0.77±0.58 and -0.80±0.39) compared with FLACS with FL-AC (-1.08±0.81 and -1.18±0.63) both on day 3 (p=0.02), and 3 months after surgery (p=0.02). In the FLACS with TIOL group, a higher correction index (0.99±0.18) and a smaller difference vector (0.77±0.64) were achieved compared to the FLACS with FL-AC group (0.78±0.35 and 1.05±0.76, respectively). Corneal higher-order aberrations (HOA) significantly differed on the 3rd day after surgery in the 3.0 mm (p=0.04) and 5.0 mm (p=0.04) zones between the groups. Endothelial cells density was 2460.50±328.40 and 2526.125±196.74 cl/mm2 after 3 months of observation in the FLACS with TIOL and FLACS with FL-AC groups, respectively (p=0.61).

CONCLUSION
Both methods had comparable visual acuity results (p=0.03). FLACS with TIOL provided more effective correction of the cylindrical component of refraction to 3.0 D.


We reared the oval squid Sepioteuthis lessoniana in pens from June 3 to July 31 1992. The eggs spawned by these squid were reared in a tank to hatch. A female reared with a male in a pen spawned 11 times at intervals of 1-9 days from June 11 to July 30. This female laid 1, 540 egg capsules containing 7, 780 eggs in total (55 to 302 capsules containing 231 to 1, 388 eggs at one spawning). The hatchability of the eggs at each spawning ranged from 66.7 to 97.8%. Another female reared without a male in a pen spawned more than four times, but the hatchability rate of the eggs was lower than the former female. The female with a male had spermatophores when she died, while the female without a male had no spermatophores after several spawnings (both females had spermatophores at the beginning of the experiment). These results suggest that the oval squids copulated over the period from the previous spawning to the next. The number (Y) of eggs in one capsule was related to the water temperature (X, °C) on the day of spawning. This relation was expressed by the following equation. Y=15.1-0.426X.


This keynote address on Trianon was to be presented at the treaty's 100th anniversary in 2020 at the Pécs Conference of AHEA. Because of Covid 19 the conference was not held. It was organized a year later in 2021 via virtual internet presentations. Thus, the new title for the keynote became "Trianon: 101 Years Later." The address focuses on the historical background of this event and on the demographic, cultural, economic and political consequences for Hungarians and East-Central Europe. The analysis begins with the punitive nature of this dictated and imposed treaty and sets out to look at the causes which made this a lasting decision. Without attempting to blame solely the major powers or the immediate neighbors of Hungary, which became the successor states, the analysis also focuses on the major blunders of Hungarian leaders on the Left and on the Right. The devastating consequences for all the peoples of the region, but particularly for the Hungarians who became minorities in their own homelands in the successor states, requires a look at exit strategies from this quagmire. During the past 101 years nationalists, communists, fascists and liberal capitalists have all proposed solutions but to this day the problems remain. Although the root causes of the problem have been described by such outstanding scholars as Pál Teleki, Zsombor Szász, C.A. Macartney, and more recently Nándor Bárdi, Balázs Ablonczy, László Szarka, Zoltán Kántor and many others, the political will to work for solutions has not been present. The intent of this keynote is not to rehash the past but to provoke a re-thinking about the entire region's interests and future.


BACKGROUND
This analysis evaluates improvement in symptoms of depression in patients with schizoaffective disorder administered oral paliperidone extended-release by accounting for the magnitude of direct and indirect (changes in negative and positive symptoms and worsening of extrapyramidal symptoms) treatment effects on depressive symptoms.

METHODS
Data for this post hoc analysis were drawn from two six-week, randomized, placebo-controlled studies of paliperidone extended-release versus placebo in adult subjects with schizoaffective disorder (N=614; NCT00412373, NCT00397033). Subjects with baseline 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression scores of 16 or greater were included. Structural equation models (path analyses) were used to separate total effects into direct and indirect effects on depressive symptoms. Change from baseline in 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score at the Week 6 end point was the dependent variable; changes in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale positive and negative factors and Simpson-Angus Scale (to evaluate extrapyramidal symptoms) scores were independent variables.

RESULTS
At baseline, 332 of 614 (54.1%) subjects had a 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score of 16 or greater. Path analysis determined that up to 26.4 percent of the paliperidone extended-release versus placebo effect on depressive symptoms may be attributed to a direct treatment effect, and 45.8 percent and 28.4 percent were mediated indirectly through improvements on positive and negative symptoms, respectively. No effects were identified as mediated through extrapyramidal symptoms changes (-0.7%).

CONCLUSION
RESULTS of this analysis suggest that paliperidone's effect on depressive symptoms in subjects with schizoaffective disorder participating in two six-week, randomized, placebo-controlled studies is mediated through indirect effects (e.g., positive and negative symptom changes) and a direct treatment effect.


From the content of spirit and treating spirit in traditional culture and Taoist culture, the implication of treating spirit in the Internal Classic is discussed, which is by long-time exercises, the body and mental status could achieve a high level of tranquility and calmness, not the mutual spirit focus of patients and physicians during acupuncture. It is emphasized that treating spirit is a long-time basic training for acupuncturist before acupuncture.


Effects of selenium on certain indicators of sheep reproductive success and on Se level in the sheep's blood serum were studied in 2001-2002 on 100 Polish merino sheep ewes kept in a Western Pomeranian sheep farm. The 100 ewes were picked out on random and divided into two equal groups: treatment and control. The blood samples for serum Se assays were collected prior to administration of sodium selenide (before servicing) and 7 days after the treatment. The study was aimed at determining Se effects on the reproductive success (fecundity) of ewes and on selected indicators of lamb utility in a Se-deficient area. Se administration prior to servicing enhanced the herd's reproductive success. The treatment group's litter size was by 0.38 lamb per ewe higher than that of the control. The control group lamb body weight was lower than that of the treatment group by an average of 0.23 kg on birth and 0.31 kg 33 days later.


OBJECTIVES
to build and validate educational technology, of the video type, aimed at teaching about the perioperative period of robotic surgery.

METHODS
methodological development study, following the integrative review phases: pre-production, production, post-production, and validation. The video was evaluated for content and appearance by 14 judges. Content validity (CVI) and appearance (AVI) and agreement (CI) indices were calculated, and the exact binomial test was applied, considering p>0.05 and a proportion of 0.80 of agreement.

RESULTS
the video included 13 themes, with a duration of seven minutes and 33 seconds. The items of the three dimensions evaluated presented excellent CVI, ranging between 0.86 and 1.00 (p>0.05), with a total CVI of 0.95, VAT of 0.94 and CI equal to 61.5%.

CONCLUSIONS
the video included 13 themes, with a duration of seven minutes and 33 seconds. The items of the three dimensions evaluated presented excellent CVI, ranging between 0.86 and 1.00 (p>0.05), with a total CVI of 0.95, VAT of 0.94 and CI equal to 61.5%.


The motion of a vortex near two circular cylinders of arbitrary radii—a problem of geophysical significance—is studied. The fluid motion is governed by the two-dimensional Euler equations and the flow is irrotational exterior to the vortex. Two models are considered. First, the trajectories of a line vortex are obtained using conformal mapping techniques to construct the vortex Hamiltonian which respects the zero normal flow boundary condition on both cylinders. The vortex paths reveal a critical trajectory (i.e. separatrix) that divides trajectories into those that orbit both cylinders and those that orbit just one cylinder. Second, the motion of a patch of constant vorticity is computed using a combination of conformal mapping and the numerical method of contour surgery. Although the patch can deform, the results show that when the islands have comparable radii the patch remains remarkably coherent. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the trajectory of the centroid of the patch is well modelled by a line vortex. For the limiting case when one of the cylinders has infinite curvature (i.e. it becomes a straight line or wall) it is shown that the vortex patch, which propagates under the influence of its image in the wall, may undergo severe deformation as it collides with the smaller cylinder, with portions of the vortex passing around different sides of the cylinder.


Mixed-signal systems offer advantages over multichip systems but are more difficult and complex. A comprehensive design-testing plan could increase the viability of SoCs.


Introduction Medical and public health societies advocate that healthcare providers (HCPs) counsel at-risk patients to reduce firearm injury risk. Anonymous online media comments often contain extreme viewpoints and may therefore help in understanding challenges of firearm safety counseling. To help inform injury prevention efforts, we sought to examine commenters' stated opinions regarding firearm safety counseling HCPs. Methods Qualitative descriptive analysis of online comments posted following news items (in May–June, 2016) about a peer-reviewed publication addressing when and how HCPs should counsel patients regarding firearms. Results Among 871 comments posted by 522 individuals, most (57%) were generally negative toward firearm discussions, 17% were positive, and 26% were neutral/unclear. Two major categories and multiple themes emerged. "Areas of agreement" included that discussions may be valuable (1) when addressing risk of harm to self or others, (2) in pediatric injury prevention, and (3) as general safety education (without direct questioning), and that (4) HCPs lack gun safety and cultural knowledge. "Areas of tension" included whether (1) firearms are a public health issue, (2) counseling is effective prevention practice, (3) suicide could/should be prevented, and (4) firearm safety counseling is within HCPs' purview. Conclusion Among this set of commenters with likely extreme viewpoints, opinions were generally negative toward firearm safety conversations, but with some support in specific situations. Providing education, counseling, or materials without asking about firearm ownership was encouraged. Engaging firearm advocates when developing materials may enhance the acceptability of prevention activities.


The study examined the effects of Improvised Instructional Material Enhanced Biology Achievement among Secondary School Students in Lapai, Niger State. Quasi-experimental design which involved pretest, posttest, experimental and control group. A total of eight five (85) Senior Secondary two (SSII) students randomly selected from two sampled schools formed the sample size of the study. The instrument used for data collection was a researchers' designed Biology Achievement Test (BAT). The instrument was validated, and pilot tested and yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.75. Two research questions were raised, and two corresponding null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study, the null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significant. The result of the study showed among others a significant difference in achievement score of the experimental and control groups in favor of the experimental group. The finding also showed that both male and female students' achievements were enhanced equally. It was recommended among others that Biology teachers should be encouraged to improvise instructional materials for effective teaching and learning of Biology.


Recent high-speed DRAMs adopt the architecture known as DDR (Double Data Rate) in which data are sent out at both rising and falling edges of the system clock. In order to capture the incoming data, the 90-degree phase shifter is used to shift the phase of the system clock to the center of the data period. Conventional 90-degree shifters have been organized from the PLL. In this paper, the 90-degree phase shift is achieved without a PLL. This shifter is also able to reduce the influence of the clock duty error.


Background Cancer is a major public health problem in many parts of the world. The present study aimed to compare the quality of life, anxiety and depression in in children with cancer and healthy children. Materials and Methods In this descriptive and causal-comparative study, the statistical population consisted of cancer patients visiting Mohammad Kermanshahi Hospital based in Kermanshah, Iran, in the summer of 2016. Moreover, 60 samples were selected through the convenience sampling. For data collection, three questionnaires were utilized: WHO Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF), Children's Depression Scale (CDS), and the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS). Furthermore, data were analyzed through the descriptive (frequency, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA)) using the SPSS Statistics Software Version 23.0. Results The results of the present study demonstrated that there were significant differences between the cancer and healthy children in terms of all coping styles. The results also revealed that the mean scores of depression and anxiety of cancer children exceeded those of healthy children, while the mean score of cancer children's quality of life was lower than that of healthy children. Conclusion According to the results of the present study, it can be concluded that emotional-behavioral changes are the strongest and most stable elements that make a difference in  cancer and healthy children. Hence, giving full consideration to Factors is of special importance.


In this paper, we investigate the problem of radio resource allocation with fairness constraints in distributed wireless communication systems (DWCS), based on orthogonal frequency division multiplexing access (OFDMA) technology. Two kinds of scenario are considered including the optional antenna system (OAS) and the fix-area antenna system (FAS). The graph theoretical approaches are proposed for them, in which, optimal solution can be achieved by transforming the resource allocation problems into generated graphs. The suboptimal heuristic algorithms are given as purpose of comparison and simulation results demonstrate the better performance of our algorithms.


This paper examines the introduction of premiums into the SCHIP program in Kentucky. Kentucky introduced a $20 monthly premium for SCHIP coverage for children with family incomes between 151 percent and 200 percent of the federal poverty level in December 2003. Administrative data between 2001 and 2004 is used to estimate a Cox proportional hazard model that predicts enrollment duration in this premium-paying category. The results suggest that a premium reduces the length of enrollment, with the impact concentrated in the first three months after the introduction of the premium. Similar results are not found for the non-premium-paying category.


We give an explicit geometric argument that Artin's braid group Bn is rightorderable. The construction is elementary, natural, and leads to a new, effectively computable, canonical form for braids which we call left-consistent canonical form. The left-consistent form of a braid which is positive (respectively negative) in our order has consistently positive (respectively negative) exponent in the smallest braid generator which occurs. It follows that our ordering is identical to that of Dehornoy [6], constructed by very different means, and we recover Dehornoy's main theorem that any braid can be put into such a form using either positive or negative exponent in the smallest generator but not both. Our definition of order is strongly connected with Mosher's normal form [13] and this leads to an algorithm to decide whether a given braid is positive, trivial, or negative which is quadratic in the length of the braid word. AMS Classification numbers Primary: 20F60, 06F15, 20F36 Secondary: 57M07, 57M25


Multivariate regression trees (MRT) are a new statistical technique that can be used to explore, describe, and predict relationships between multispecies data and en- vironmental characteristics. MRT forms clusters of sites by repeated splitting of the data, with each split defined by a simple rule based on environmental values. The splits are chosen to minimize the dissimilarity of sites within clusters. The measure of species dis- similarity can be selected by the user, and hence MRT can be used to relate any aspect of species composition to environmental data. The clusters and their dependence on the en- vironmental data are represented graphically by a tree. Each cluster also represents a species assemblage, and its environmental values define its associated habitat. MRT can be used to analyze complex ecological data that may include imbalance, missing values, nonlinear relationships between variables, and high-order interactions. They can also predict species composition at sites for which only environmental data are available. MRT is compared with redundancy analysis and canonical correspondence analysis using simulated data and a field data set.


The Omani higher education system has enlarged noticeably since 1970 both in the number of students and in the infrastructure. As a result, there has been a wide investment to provide quality higher educational institutes capable of providing suitable graduates to fulfill the requirements of both public and private sectors with a focus on females to assure equal gender educational and career opportunities chances. Therefore, graduates" readiness for employability has become a major issue for Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) in Oman due to the growing concern from governments and industries on the quality of the graduates. Therefore, the main objective of the current study is to develop a conceptual framework for the graduate readiness for employability and incorporates the graduate attributes including human capital attributes, social capital attributes, individual attributes, institution-related attributes, and active learning attributes moderated by gender, career, and moral mindset among Engineering Graduate in Oman. The study uses available sources of existing literature based on the four main keywords "higher education", "graduate attributes "or "readiness for employability, and "skills gaps in https://www.cribfb.com/journal/index.php/ijafr International Journal of Accounting & Finance Review Vol. 5, No. 3; 2020 17 Oman". The study also justified by the following theories which are human capital; education and economy development; behavior theory; and motivation theory. The literature utilized for this study covers the latest literature (from 2013 to 2020) extracted from Google Scholar, ProQuest, and Scopus, and other online resources. Based on the summary findings, the study develops a framework that analyses the effects of influential factors on the graduate readiness for employability that will be considered as an empirical study on the graduates of the engineering colleges in Oman. Moreover, the study also concluded that there are moderating effects of gender, moral mindset, and career mindset on the influence factors and the graduate readiness for employability among Omani engineering colleges" students. The results of the study will fill the gap in understanding the main factors affecting the attainment of graduates" readiness for employability skills in Oman. The study recommends justifying this conceptual framework by empirical data from the Engineering Graduate in the Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) and draws a policy guideline for ensuring of readiness of engineering graduates for employability in the HEIs in Oman.


The natural forest vegetation in the territory of the western provinces of Sicily (Palermo, Trapani and Agrigento) has almost completely disappeared. This area coincides with the ancient administrative territorial unit that precedes the division into three "valleys" of the most inhabited island of the Mediterranean: it is the Val di Mazara, remembered by archaeologists as "Punic Eparchy". As a seat of important Greek cities (Himera, Solunto, Entella, Agrigento, Gela, Eraclea Minoa, Segesta, Selinunte, Erice, Lilibeo, Mozia, etc.), it was a Punic domain before being abandoned. Due to the lack of a marked relief and the benefit of climate, agriculture was practiced for three millennia. In the last centuries – first in extensive and then intensive way – this form of agriculture was progressively occupying all practicable spaces and the cultivation of woody plants replaced the natural vegetation the scrub and the Mediterranean evergreen forest thus determining a landscape with a strong agricultural imprint, devoid of forest formations; from almond groves, olive groves and vineyards of classic cultivations it has been passed to modern, more rational woody plants which mainly make up the two extreme provinces, the most important wine and olive cultivation area of Sicily. The study of the remains of the natural vegetation that have been re-ignored – almost always small surviving plant communities in the less suitable spaces for traditional agricultural activities – presently allows us to reconstruct the potential vegetation of the area, partly referring to phytocoenosis of the Oleo-Ceratonion (PistaciaRhamnetalia alaterni) and Erico-Quercion ilicis (Quercetalia ilicis). In this scenery the cork oak (Quercus suber) plays an important role, considering its presence as isolated plants or rather open stands, mainly in the westernmost provinces of the Island. These elements of the local natural heritage can be assessed as important relics of the destroyed climacic vegetation of the extensive area stretching from the northern Tyrrhenian coast to the southern one, in contact with the African sea.


One approach to meet the challenges of deep lifelong reinforcement learning (LRL) is careful management of the agent's learning experiences, to learn (without forgetting) and build internal meta-models (of the tasks, environments, agents, and world). Generative replay (GR) is a biologically inspired replay mechanism that augments learning experiences with self-labelled examples drawn from an internal generative model that is updated over time. We present a version of GR for LRL that satisfies two desiderata: (a) Introspective density modelling of the latent representations of policies learned using deep RL, and (b) Model-free end-to-end learning. In this paper, we study three deep learning architectures for model-free GR, starting from a na\"ive GR and adding ingredients to achieve (a) and (b). We evaluate our proposed algorithms on three different scenarios comprising tasks from the Starcraft-2 and Minigrid domains. We report several key findings showing the impact of the design choices on quantitative metrics that include transfer learning, generalization to unseen tasks, fast adaptation after task change, performance wrt task expert, and catastrophic forgetting. We observe that our GR prevents drift in the features-to-action mapping from the latent vector space of a deep RL agent. We also show improvements in established lifelong learning metrics. We find that a small random replay buffer significantly increases the stability of training. Overall, we find that"hidden replay"(a well-known architecture for class-incremental classification) is the most promising approach that pushes the state-of-the-art in GR for LRL and observe that the architecture of the sleep model might be more important for improving performance than the types of replay used. Our experiments required only 6% of training samples to achieve 80-90% of expert performance in most Starcraft-2 scenarios.


A conflict of interest is a set of conditions in which professional judgment concerning a primary interest (patient's welfare, research integrity, ethics, education) tends to be influenced by a secondary interest. Among secondary interests are intellectual conflicts of interest that include the desire for faculty advancement, competition for sponsored research funding, to win prestigious research prizes, as well as financial conflicts of interest that arise when medical investigators own equity in a company that sponsors the study they conduct or when they serve as consultants to companies or are members of the company's advisory boards. Ethical conflicts of interest predominate in undeveloped countries. Known consequences of conflicts of interests include compromising health, death, minimization of adverse reactions, lower research quality, the probability to favor the sponsor's product, and delayed publication when results obtained are not the expected. Medical consciousness should be corrected to avoid moral duality that could harm both patients and medical ethics.


Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a very common sleep and breathing disorder that occurs in worldwide. It is important to develop a more effective treatment for OSA to overcome lung cell apoptosis during intermittent hypoxia (IH). A mitochondrial separation protein inhibitor (Mdivi-1) has been demonstrated to be a powerful tool for inhibiting apoptosis. In the present study, the protective effect and possible mechanism of apoptosis in lung cells during IH was investigated using in vivo and in vitro experiments. Following IH exposure for 4 weeks, the lung tissues of Sprague Dawley rats exhibited interstitial lesions, while Mdivi-1 reduced these pulmonary interstitial lesions. B-cell lymphoma (Bcl)-2 mRNA and protein expression levels were decreased however caspase-3, caspase-9 and dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp-1) mRNA and protein expression levels were increased. Following Mdivi-1 intervention, Bcl-2 mRNA and protein expression levels were increased while caspase-3, caspase-9 and Drp-1 mRNA and protein expression levels were decreased (P<0.05). After exposure to IH for 12 h, the apoptosis rate of WTRL1 cells in rats increased gradually with the IH time (P<0.05). Bcl-2 mRNA and protein expression levels were decreased, whereas caspase-3, caspase-9, cytochrome C (Cyt-C) and Drp-1 mRNA levels were increased, and caspase-3, caspase-9 and Drp-1 protein expression levels were increased. After Mdivi-1 intervention, Bcl-2 mRNA and protein expression levels were increased but caspase-3, caspase-9, Cyt-C and Drp-1 mRNA levels were decreased along with caspase-9, Cyt-C and Drp-1 protein expression levels which were decreased (P<0.05). The results of the present study suggest that Mdivi-1 may be a potential agent for treating OSA because it inhibits the mitochondrial pathway and reduces apoptosis.


1. Twelve specimens of serum from nine adult male monkeys failed to neutralize the virus of poliomyelitis. 2. Ten samples of serum obtained from three adult female monkeys at various phases of the menstrual cycle likewise proved incapable of neutralizing the virus. An eleventh serum, drawn from a fourth female 32 days postpartum, gave irregular results. It neutralized once and failed to do so on second test. This is the only suggestion in our experiments that a physiological factor may play a part in poliomyelitis immunity. 3. Fourteen sera from ten immature monkeys caused to menstruate by treatment with anterior pituitary extract were devoid of virucidal property. This treatment failed also to induce a systemic resistance to intracerebral injections of virus in the nine monkeys of the same group available for test. 4. We were unable to demonstrate in our monkeys a correlation between virucidal capacity of the serum and maturity or physiological variations as exemplified by menstruation.


Practical operation shows that the overall reliability and durability of vehicles is affected, to large extent, by the starting characteristics of combustion engine, and also by the power and energy characteristics of the starting system. The starting system means a starter, electromagnetic switch, and storage battery.


A single-crystal lithium niobate dtalon suitable for high-spectral-resolution studies has been operated successfully. This étalon with a 5-cm clear diameter and a gap equivalent to 2 cm in air has been found to have very linear response in wave number as a function of voltage. The combined advantages of adjustment-free operation, linearity in operation, and high luminosity in a small size (as a result of the μ(2) gain in the instrumental throughput caused by the large index of refraction of the lithium niobate substrate) make for a rugged instrument that is ideal for long-term unattended field operation.


The roots and rhizomes of licorice ( Glycyrrhia ) species have been used extensively as natural sweeteners and herbal medicines. The aim of this work was to determine the in vitro anti-inflammatory effects of glycyrrhizic acid (GA) and 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (18βGA) from licorice in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophage model. The results showed that treatment with 25-75 μM GA or 18βGA did not reduce RAW 264.7 cell viability but did significantly inhibit the production of LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Western blotting and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyses revealed that GA and 18βGA significantly reduced the protein and mRNA levels of iNOS and COX-2 in LPS-induced macrophages. Both GA and 18βGA inhibited the activation of NF-κB and the activities of phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) p110δ and p110γ isoforms and then reduced the production of LPS-induced tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-1β in a dose-dependent manner. In conclusion, these results indicate that GA and 18βGA may provide an anti-inflammatory effect by attenuating the generation of excessive NO, PGE(2), and ROS and by suppressing the expression of pro-inflammatory genes through the inhibition of NF-κB and PI3K activity. Thus, the results suggest that GA and 18βGA might serve as potential agents for the treatment of inflammatory-mediated diseases.


Two methods for estimating pulmonary diffusing capacity (steady-state O2 method of Lilienthal and Riley and steady-state CO method of Filley) were compared by applying them simultaneously in three normal young men at different levels of treadmill exercise with and without hypoxia. Cardiac output (indicator dilution) was estimated at the same time. Subjects were studied at each of four levels of exercise producing oxygen uptakes between 1 and 2 frac12/l/min. and cardiac outputs between 9 and 22 l/min. Diffusing capacity for CO increased progressively with increasing exercise in all subjects. It was higher during hypoxia than during air-breathing at the same level of exercise, as were total ventilation, tidal volume and cardiac output. This increase in Dco cannot be explained solely on the basis of increased affinity of hemoglobin for CO during hypoxia. Diffusing capacity for oxygen increased progressively until the cardiac output reached about 15/l/min. but did not increase significantly with further increase in cardiac output. The reasons for the difference in the shape of the curve of diffusing capacity versus cardiac output in the case of CO as opposed to O2 remain obscure but are believed to be related primarily to differences in the weighting of the many factors involved.

Submitted on April 24, 1958


Any abstract account of a field of law must make generalizations that are both faithful to the legal materials and appropriate to the subject matter's aims. The uniqueness and fluidity of the European Union's institutions makes such generalizations very difficult. A common theoretical approach to EU law (one that is often relied upon by the Court of Justice, the Parliament and the Commission) is to borrow directly from the theory of domestic constitutional law. The most recent manifestation of this tendency is the draft Treaty on the European Constitution, which includes many of the symbolic features of a domestic constitutional order. But the European Union is not a state and the constitutional analogy is in many ways problematic. In this article I defend the view that a more complex theory is more appropriate to the unique combination of ordinary politics with diplomatic conferences that constitutes the European Union. The key to these institutions is, in my view, a Kantian international ideal of liberal peace. The foundational constitutional principles of the EU, principles that both fit the current legal framework and offer its most attractive interpretation, require the qualified autonomy of member states in a union of republics that create collective institutions for the purposes of liberal peace.


Communication on Participation in Conflicts in an effort to reduce social conflict to overcome social problems in Riau Province, basically there are several things that are potentially conflict-prone in Riau, among others: Division of villages, sub-districts, districts and provinces. The issue of regional expansion is therefore necessary for monitoring and the main actors of horizontal conflict. While the potential for SARA conflict still occurs, namely internal and inter-religious conflict, this is due to the low level of tolerance with the refusal to build houses of worship. This research uses the Sipabio method and according to this method conflict mapping involves mapping conflict parties and various aspirations from existing parties. Mapping is a technique used to describe conflict graphically, connecting parties with problems and with other parties. The multidisciplinary conflict mapping model developed by sociologists from the United Nations-University for Peace, the SIPABIO model. SIPABIO is an abbreviation of Source, Issue. It is necessary to monitor and the main actors of horizontal conflict. S edangkan potential racial conflicts still occurred, ie internal conflict and inter-religious, this was due to the low level of tolerance with their rejection of the construction of houses of worship. The simultaneous local election stages of Riau Province entered the campaign period, which took the form of dialogical campaigns, limited meeting campaigns, and discussions on the market and house-to-house discussions. During the campaign situation


Abstract: Epidermoid cysts are rare, slow-growing, benign, developmental cysts that are derived from abnormally situated ectodermal tissue. Epidermoid cysts may grow anywhere on the body and about 7% of them are located in the head and neck region. They are usually asymptomatic over years but can be symptomatic due to secondary changes or the growing size. Clinically, the lesion presents as a slow-growing asymptomatic mass, usually located in the midline, above or below the mylohyoid muscle. Surgical excision from the floor of the mouth is indicated to relieve symptoms and prevent possible infection. This swelling on the floor of the mouth can sometimes cause serious problems with difficulty for swallowing and speaking. The purpose of this report is to present a case of sublingual epidermoid cyst of the floor of the mouth.


Background: Idiopathic trigeminal neuropathy is a peripheral neuropathy whose clinical signs include inability to close the mouth. A neurological examination reveals mainly flaccid paralysis of the masticatory muscles, which may be accompanied by atony/hypotonia of the masseter and temporalis muscles. Altered sensitivity may also be present in very rare cases. This article reports a case of idiopathic trigeminal neuropathy with involvement of the motor and sensory nerve fibers in a dog, describing the clinical symptoms, neurological findings, exclusion of other diseases, and evolution of the condition. Case: A 5-year-old bitch showing signs of difficulty in picking up food, swallowing water, and hypersalivation was taken to a veterinary clinic. According to her owner, these signs had started spontaneously 2 days earlier. A physical examination of the animal revealed only a persistently open mouth, although the mouth opening and closing movements could be performed manually by manipulating the jaw. The patient showed swallowing ability, and her tongue movements were intact. The neurological examination revealed that the animal also presented bilateral absence of nasal sensitivity and absence of palpebral reflex. The animal's blood test results showed changes only in the CK and AST levels, which were 1,182.60 U/L (reference: 1.5 to 28.4 U/L) and 87.1 IU/L (reference: 6.2 to 13 IU/L), respectively. The animal tested negative for distemper, leishmaniasis, toxoplasmosis and neosporosis. Abdominal ultrasound and thoracic radiography were performed to investigate neoplasia, as well as radiography of the temporomandibular joints, and none of these imaging tests revealed any alterations. A cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis was also within the normal range of reference parameters. In view of the possibility of idiopathic trigeminal neuropathy, prednisolone (Prediderm® 10 mg) was prescribed, to be administered orally in a dose of 0.5 mg/kg at 12 h intervals for 2 days. In addition, the owner was told to provide supportive care by feeding the animal a pasty diet placed directly in the back of its mouth, using a syringe if necessary. An examination of the animal in a follow-up visit to the veterinary clinic 14 days later found that she had recovered completely from her initial condition. Discussion: Among the most common causes of neurogenic flaccid paralysis of the masticatory muscles is idiopathic trigeminal neuropathy, although trigeminal neuropathy secondary to neoplasms and infectious or parasitic diseases may also occur. Because its etiology is of unknown origin, it is essential to exclude other causes of peripheral neuropathies. Moreover, this disorder is characterized by its self-limiting evolution, with spontaneous cure of the clinical condition within two weeks, as was observed in the case reported here. The absence of nasal sensitivity is not usually found in dogs diagnosed with idiopathic trigeminal nerve paralysis. In this case, however, there was involvement of the motor and sensory fibers, since, in addition to flaccid paralysis of the masticatory muscles, nasal sensitivity was also found to be affected. The condition can be treated with corticosteroids when it first appears, simply in order to hasten the animal's recovery from the disorder. In addition, given the animal's inability to close its mouth, it is essential to provide supportive care by feeding it with pasty foods and water by hand to ensure it receives adequate nutrition during the course of the disorder.


Technology evolution in data storage industry is not only driven by the continuous scaling down of devices, but also by an increasing complexity of the critical elements in the devices, e.g., sensors, magnetic head in data storage industry. Physical characterization of these elements is required to support advanced product design and process development to produce such devices. However, for three dimensional and geometry sensitive features, conventional 2D techniques may only provide partial results that are less relevant or misleading due to the limitation of the information extracted from the feature in arbitrary perspective or in projection. The third dimension information is accessible by 3D imaging. Therefore, 3D quantitative analysis becomes increasingly important and essential in providing holistic and accurate information [1-3]. Focused ion beam (FIB) scanning electron microscope (SEM) tomography can enable characterization a device over its entire volume, while maintaining the resolution of SEM. In this study, we will introduce the quantitative 3D tomography technique developed in the data storage industry to specifically address the industrial process development needs. In details, the methodology of 3D reconstruction will be introduced, key parameters will be reviewed, and the steps for a successful 3D tomography will be described. Typical applications of 3D analysis for device design and process development are presented to illustrate the benefits and unique learning opportunities.


Objectives To compare DNA synthesis in isolated arteries of normotensive and hypertensive rats and to evaluate whether removal of the endothelium affects this process. Design Carotid and renal artery segments were isolated from normotensive Wistar, Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) and Sprague-Dawley rats, and from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), transgenic Sprague-Dawley rats harbouring the mouse Ren-2 gene and from WKY rats rendered hypertensive by aortic coarctation. Methods Artery segments were exposed in vitro to serum with or without previous gentle removal of the endothelium. Nuclear incorporation of the thymidine analogue 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine was visualized by immunocytochemistry and the percentage of labelled medial nuclei was determined. Results In both types of artery, obtained from 6-week-old WKY rats and from 6-week-old SHR, removal of endothelium increased the percentage of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine-labelled medial nuclei (L%). Also, in the arteries of 20-week-old Wistar rats, WKY rats and WKY rats rendered hypertensive by aortic coarctation and in vessels of 11-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats and Sprague-Dawley rats harbouring the mouse Ren-2 gene, removal of endothelium increased L%. Conversely, in the arteries of 20-week-old SHR removal of the endothelium did not alter L%. Furthermore, maximally stimulated DNA synthesis was considerably smaller in de-endothelialized arteries of adult SHR than in denuded vessels from the other strains and models. Conclusion These findings confirm that the endothelium can reduce DNA synthesis in the intact rat arterial smooth muscle. This effect is not modified by hypertension, but is selectively reduced in the arteries of adult SHR.


Chest wall mesenchymal hamartoma is an extremely rare benign tumor. Approximately 80 cases have been reported in the literature. Most tumors are manifested at birth with a painless palpable mass of the chest wall, usually unilateral. Respiratory symptoms result from extrinsic compression of the pulmonary parenchyma, and the severity of the symptoms will depend on the size and location of the lesion. Imaging features are characteristic, but definitive diagnosis is histological. Herein, a case is described of a four month old infant with diagnosis of chest wall mesenchymal hamartoma, manifested at birth. Different treatment options are described, including expectations from tumor management, the possibility of spontaneous regression, and the morbidity associated with the surgical option.


Project overview: Physical activity (which generally takes place out of doors) may be associated with increased sun exposure. Sun exposure increases risk of skin cancer. The Cancer Council of Australia has now identified physical inactivity as an important risk factor for colon and breast cancer. Cancer organisations would not wish to promote a new preventive behaviour (physical activity), while at the same time increasing exposure to another established cancer risk (sun exposure). Physical activity habits during young adulthood (18 to 30 years) are important; they can influence habitual physical activity during subsequent adult life and, consequently, have significant implications for long-term risk of colon and breast cancer. This project will identify attributes of the sporting settings in which sun exposure takes place for physically active young adults. It will examine the interrelationships of physical activity and sport participation with sun exposure in young adults. It will identify the social attitudes and the social networks (particularly sporting clubs and less-formal groups), through which sun protection behaviours might be influenced. Study outcomes will help form recommendations on sport settings approaches that can be used to influence the sun exposure habits of young adults.


In this article results of a Finnish study on frequent attender patients of public primary health care are reported. These patients (n = 96) were compared with other patients (n = 466) attending the same surgeries. Frequent attender patients tended to have lower vocational training and to belong to lower social groups than other patients. The frequent attender patients also had more physical diseases, were more often on disability pension and had more mixed (physical-psychiatric) complaints than the control patients. The results indicate that many frequent attender patients complaints form a complicated network departing from different levels (physical, psychological and social). The implications of the findings are discussed.


For an ion of known formula, there are some ambiguous formulas with respect to its product ions in tandem mass spectrometry in many cases. Researchers determined them mainly by high resolution mass spectrometer combing database searching. Here, we presented an innovative method to enhance the assignment possibility of the elemental composition of the product ion by exploiting the tandem mass spectra of isotopic peaks from the precursor ion such as [M+H+1]+, [M+H+2]+ and [M+H+3]+. This approach involved a process of excluding low match formulas for product ion stepwise until the final formula with the highest match. It also facilitated the deduction of the fragmentation pathway for the precursor ion in tandem mass spectrometry. The isotopic proportions of product ions possessed a good repeatability. Additionally, this method could be performed fast and conveniently on variety of instruments, which offers an alternative determination tool for the elemental composition of product ion in tandem mass spectrometry.


Wafer-scale graphene devices processed entirely in a standard 200 mm silicon fab are demonstrated for the first time. New embedded gate structures enable full saturation of the drain current in graphene FETs with sub-μm channels, resulting in high intrinsic voltage gain. In addition, passive devices were monolithically integrated with graphene transistors to form the first GHz-range graphene IC using large-scale CVD graphene. The demonstration of high performance graphene FETs and IC fabricated using a 200 mm platform is a major step in transitioning this promising material from a scientific curiosity into a real technology.


The characterization of plasmas gives much more insight if the results of modeling are compared with those of experiments. In the past, several modeling-experiment studies were performed on the microwave plasma torch (MPT). For the modeling a Global Plasma Model (GPM) was employed and for the experiment Thomson scattering (TS) was used. The same GPM-TS comparison was successfully applied to several other, more robust plasmas. However for the MPT it was found that the comparison led to severe discrepancies. The most salient feature was that the value of the electron temperature, Te, found by TS, was substantially higher than what GPMs predicted. Several attempts were undertaken to solve this problem by refining the model and its most important input: the gradient of the electron density. The attention for the model implied that the TS technique was not scrutinized sufficiently. Recently it was discovered that the outcome of TS is very sensitive to the spectral fitting procedure. In the past this was carried out by employing the calibrated intensity using Gaussian fitting. However, a procedure based on the fitting of the spectral shape by using modified Gaussian fitting gives better results and leads to a lower Te value, more in the range of the GPM results. This paper discusses the background of the GPM and gives the basis of TS fitting procedures and an analysis of the systematic error that can be made when TS is performed on filamentary MPT-like plasmas.


Summary The results presented here are consistent with the hypothesis that histamine is the major neurotransmitter released by photoreceptors of locust ocelli. 1. When histamine is injected by ionophoresis into the locust ocellar neuropile, large second-order neurones (L-neurones) hyperpolarize in a dose-dependent manner, and responses to light in these neurones are diminished in amplitude. Both histamine and the illumination of ocellar photoreceptors caused an outward current across the membrane. 2. Hyperpolarizing potentials in L-neurones evoked by histamine had the same reversal potential as hyperpolarizing potentials evoked by photoreceptor illumination. 3. When applied ionophoretically in the ocellus, other biogenic amines, including octopamine, dopamine and noradrenaline, had no effect on the L-neurones. Both gamma-aminobutyricacid and acetylcholine, however, depolarized L-neurones and diminished responses to light. 4. Curare blocked the L-neurone's responses to histamine and light. The histamine response recovered fully. The initial peak hyperpolarizing response to increased light recovered, but the more sustained plateau hyperpolarizing potential did not. 5. Hexamethonium bromide prolonged the response of an L-neurone to histamine, and increased the tonic component of the response to light.


This study explores the dynamic mechanical properties (e.g., storage shear modulus, loss tangent and shear viscosity) and formability of a polyimide film by visco-elasticity measurement and hot-embossing tests. The variations of storage shear modulus, tangent delta and the shear viscosity were measured as a function of the temperature for two frequencies. As a polyimide goes through its glass transition, it exhibits dramatic decreases in shear modulus and viscosity as well as the peak of tangent delta, and continues to show strong dependence on frequency and temperature. Moreover, the filling characteristics (e.g., surface appearance, replicated depth and surface roughness) of polyimide were investigated by hot-embossing tests at different temperatures using a mold with an aspect ratio of 2.5:1.


Intimate partner violence is detrimental to women and children's health and social outcomes. In order to identify the complex factors that shape help-seeking behaviour and what places women at highest risk of recurrence of violence and shelter use, it is critical to examine how individual and systemic factors influence shelter use. The Healing Journey Project was a longitudinal study conducted across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba to identify the experiences of women who were victims of intimate partner violence. A total of 665 women who had previously experienced IPV were interviewed biannually over a four-year period. Descriptive statistics informed probit regressions that then identified several factors that differentiate single frequency shelter users from high frequency users. The results emphasize the importance of using intersectionality theory to recognize the interplay of multiple factors to showcase the complexity of IPV and how it affects shelter use. The results also emphasize how colonialism's lasting effects are pervasive, alongside the impacts of poverty, intergenerational abuse and structural barriers to housing and childcare. Implications require changes to policy and government funding to enhance access to gender and culturally safe housing with trauma-informed supports to both intervene and potentially prevent multiple experiences of violence.


With the development of high resolution techniques, magnetic resonance imaging has become a valuable diagnostic tool for evaluating temporomandibular joint disorders.


The paper proposes a new approach to efficiently control a three-dimensional overhead crane with six degrees of freedom (DoF). In addition to five usual output variables including three positions of the trolley, bridge and pulley and two swing angles of the hoisting cable, it is proposed to consider elasticity of the hoisting cable, which causes oscillation in the cable direction. That is, there exists $6^{th}$ under-actuated output in the crane system. To design an efficient controller for the six-DoF crane, it first employs the hierarchical sliding mode control approach, which not only guarantees stability but also minimizes sway and oscillation of the overhead crane when it transports a payload to desired location. Moreover, the unknown and uncertain parameters of the system caused by its actuator nonlinearity and external disturbances are adaptively estimated and inferred by utilizing the fuzzy inference rule mechanism, which results in efficient operations of the crane in real time. More importantly, stabilization of the crane controlled by the proposed algorithm is theoretically proved by the use of the Lyapunov function. The proposed control approach was implemented in the synthetic environment for the extensive evaluation, where the obtained results demonstrate its effectiveness.


PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance the execution performance for field construction of a sliding door raising suppression member 1 for burying the space between the groove bottom of the guide groove 71 of a head jamb 70 and a door neck member 20 of the sliding door 90. SOLUTION: The sliding door raising suppression member 1, which buries the space between a head jamb 70 and the door neck member 20 of a sliding door 90 guided in the guide groove 71 of the head jamb 70, includes a mounting plate 2 fixed to the groove bottom of the guide groove 71, a plurality of adjusting plates 3 detachably stacked on the mounting plate 2, and a bonding structure 4 detachably bonding between the mounting plate 2 and adjusting plate 3 and between respective adjusting plates 3. The sliding door raising suppression member 1 is formed longer than the assist length of a slide assisting device 10. COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT


The issue of the appropriate exchange rate regime for individual countries has been perennially lively, and the role played by international capital flows and domestic financial systems in determining the performance of these regimes has gained prominence in the policy debate. Using recent advances in the classification of exchange rate regimes, the key message in this paper is that, as economies and their institutions mature, the value of exchange rate flexibility increases. This study assesses the historical durability and performance of alternative exchange rate regimes, with special focus on developing and emerging market countries. It describes trends in the distribution of regimes and examines the transitions between regimes. It also reviews the performance of exchange rate regimes in terms of inflation and business cycles.


Headwater systems often comprise alluvial rivers interrupted by reaches with partly or entirely rock beds, indicate a local change in bedload conveyance relative to sediment supply. Detailed knowledge of sediment dynamics in bedrock-alluvial systems is crucial for a better understanding of bedrock incision and sediment delivery downstream, but field evidence is lacking. This thesis reports a field investigation in this topic. Coarse bedload transport was studied in alluvial, semi-alluvial and bare rock segments of Trout Beck in North England by monitoring two sets of 270 magnet-tagged pebbles over a period of nineteen months. At-a-station hydraulic geometry, flow resistance and shear stress were estimated using stage recorders, water surface profiles and salt-wave measurements in five short sub-reaches. Thresholds of motion were investigated using tracer-pebble data and bedload impact counts. Tracers seeded in the upstream alluvial channel moved more slowly. Tracers seeded in a bare rock gorge dispersed quickly at first but accumulated in a coarse-sediment zone at the start of the next partial cover. Bedload transport was size selective over alluvial or semi-alluvial segments but not over bare rock. Flow resistance, as quantified by Manning's n or Darcy-Weisbach f, varies considerably with both discharge and bed character. The estimated bedload conveyance is highest in reaches with entirely or mainly rock bed, and lowest in alluvial and boulder-rich segments. The boulder-rich segment has high shear stress, but presumably its threshold stress is also high due to form drag from boulders, as evidenced by very high values of n and f. No standard resistance law describes flow in Trout Beck accurately from measured bed D84. This study demonstrates how bedrock reaches control sediment processes and how they are different from alluvial reaches.


Serological and immunopathological studies were carried out in five patients during and after repeated allogeneic and xenogeneic liver perfusions for hepatic coma. Patients received from 1 to 16 perfusions, each lasting 5–52 hr, using 24 livers obtained from four animal species and two human cadavers. All patients recovered consciousness; three survived for 1, 4, and 11 weeks, and two are alive and well 3 years after treatment. Before, and at intervals after treatment, patients' sera were examined for changes in the titer of preformed species-specific antibodies, cross reacting heterologous antibodies, the presence of heterologous serum proteins and antibody to these proteins, changes in the level of serum immunoglobulins and complement, and the development of antibodies to human transplantation antigens. Sections of the perfused livers and biopsies of patients' own livers and kidneys were examined histologically and by immunofluorescence. All perfusions were accompanied by rapid absorption of preformed heterologous antibody. After porcine liver perfusions, there followed a marked rise in the titer of species-specific antibodies, heterologous cross reacting antibodies, human anti-A and anti-B isoantibodies, and porcine serum protein antibody. Repeated baboon perfusion gave rise to only small elevations in the titer of heteroantibody but was not accompanied by clinical reactions and did not give rise to antibaboon serum protein antibody. Rising titer of cytotoxic antibody to human lymphocytes was observed in one patient who had also received blood and platelet transfusions. Examination of the perfused organs showed acute humoral xenograft rejection in all pig livers, but only mild or absent cell-mediated rejection in the baboon livers and in the human cadaver livers. Immunoglobulin deposition was not seen in patients' own livers or kidneys. These findings should have important implications in human heterotransplantation because they suggest that an accelerated liver homograft rejection may not occur when patients supported by hepatic perfusion subsequently receive orthotopie liver allografts.


Metanephric adenoma has morphologic similarities to papillary renal cell neoplasms. Cytogenetic studies of papillary renal cell carcinoma and papillary adenoma have shown frequent gains of chromosomes 7 and 17 and loss of the Y chromosome. Some cytogenetic studies have supported the hypothesis that metanephric adenoma is related to papillary renal cell neoplasia; others have not. Seven metanephric adenomas were studied with fluorescence in situ hybridization in paraffin sections using centromeric probes for chromosomes 7, 17, and Y diluted 1:100 with tDenHyb1 buffer. The signals in 100 to 200 nuclei were counted in each tumor. Samples of histologically normal renal cortical tubule epithelium were used as controls. In all seven metanephric adenomas, the results for chromosomes 7 and 17 were similar: a high percentage of nuclei with two signals (range, 75 to 85%; median, 79%). Normal kidney showed similar results (range, 78 to 88%; median, 84%). The Y chromosome was present in all three of the tumors from males (range, 86 to 89% of nuclei; median, 87%). Normal kidney gave similar results (range 82% to 91%, median 84%). The presence of chromosomes 7, 17, and Y in metanephric adenomas is similar to their presence in normal kidney. Metanephric adenoma lacks the frequent gains of chromosomes 7 and 17 and losses of the Y chromosome that are typical of papillary renal cell neoplasms, supporting the notion that metanephric adenoma is not related to papillary renal cell carcinoma and papillary adenoma. Genetic analysis of chromosomes 7, 17, and Y may facilitate discrimination of metanephric adenoma from papillary renal cell carcinoma in difficult cases.


Companies must be aware of increasingly intense competition, so as not to lose their quality human resources who are important assets for company growth. This study aimed to evaluate the implementation of Talent Management (TM) practices in one of the Indonesian State-Owned Enterprises (SOE), Adhi Karya Ltd. Kalimantan Construction Division V. Specifically, this study examined the effect of TM components, namely Talent Retention, Talent Attraction, Learning and Development, and Career Management on Organizational Commitment and Turnover Intention of employees at Adhi Karya Ltd.
This study used Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) data analysis techniques for the final number of 107 respondents. The results showed that Talent Retention, Talent Attraction, Learning and Development, and Career Management had positive effects on Organizational Commitment. Proper TM implementation showed that the company's willingness to invest in human resource management would increase employees' commitment to the company. This study also found that the practices of TM had adverse effects on Turnover Intention. In this case, the better the implementation of TM, the lower the Turnover Intention level.
The implication for managers of SOEs is that they need to pay attention to their human resources management strategy, especially in handling potential employees.


Computational approaches have previously been introduced to predict compounds with activity against multiple targets or compound combinations with synergistic functional effects. By contrast, there are no computational studies available that explore combinations of targets that might act synergistically upon small molecule treatment. Herein, we introduce an approach designed to identify synergistic target pairs on the basis of cell-based screening data and compounds with known target annotations. The targets involved in forming synergistic pairs were analyzed through a novel network propagation algorithm for rationalizing possible common synergy mechanisms. This algorithm enabled further analysis of each synergistic target pair and the identification of "interactors", i.e., proteins with higher propagation scores than would be expected by adding the individual contributions of each target in the synergistic pair. We detected 137 synergistic target pairs including 51 unique targets. A global network analysis of these 51 targets made it possible to derive a subnetwork of proteins with significant synergy. Furthermore, interactors were identified for 87 synergistic target pairs upon individual analysis of the network propagation of each pair. These interactors were associated with pathways related to cancer and apoptosis, membrane transport, and steroid metabolism and provided possible explanations of synergistic effects.


Acute cerebral hemorrhage accounts for approximately 25% of strokes for elderly patients. Consequently, treatments to improve prognosis should be identified. The aim of the present study was to examine the clinical values of the application of clinical nursing pathway for patients with acute cerebral hemorrhage. Between January 2013 and January 2015, 92 patients diagnosed with acute intracerebral hemorrhage were enrolled in the study based on the guidelines recommended for providing appropriate surgical or conservative treatment and the sequence of admission. The 92 patients were randomly divided into the control and observation groups. Patients in the control group underwent routine nursing mode prior to and after admission, and underwent clinical nursing path model (hierarchical partitioning prior to admission to hospital plus general professional program of nursing in hospital) was applied to the observation group. Barthel index scores for the observation group were significantly higher than that of the control group. The length of hospital stay for patients in the observation group was significantly lower while the average score for patients' satisfaction on nursing care while in hospital was significantly higher than that of the control group, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). The incidence of complications such as fever, infection, bedsore, gastrointestinal function, electrolyte disturbances, and malnutrition, in the observation group was significantly lower, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). The functional independence measure (FIM) and Fugl-Meyer scores after 6 months for the observation group were significantly higher, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). In conclusion, application of the clinical nursing pathway for patients with acute cerebral hemorrhage significantly improved the clinical effects and nursing satisfaction, reduced adverse reactions, and had a greater clinical application value.


In this paper, we focus on three different topics. They are "Predictive performance of Bayesian diagnoses", "A preliminary evaluation about health guidance" and "The impact of the shape of the underlying distribution of observations on test results". The main results of this study are as follows: Predictive performance of Bayesian diagnoses. In a framework of Bayesian approach, though we have an advantage which we select various prior distributions according to the situation, the number of the model which we have to evaluate is very large. When we make model diagnoses, previously we need to confirm whether the model diagnoses meet our intended purpose of model selection. We are often interested to data which will be gained in future. So we consider two diagnostic methods that focus on prediction: Bayesian predictive information criterion (Ando, 2007), prior and posterior predictive checking approach (Box, 1980; Rubin, 1984; Gelman, Meng and Stern, 1996; Daimon and Goto, 2007). We try to clarify the characteristics of these approaches and express the situations of effective diagnosis. As the result, models with strong prior information gave lower BPIC than models with weak prior information totally. It means that BPIC prefer to models with strong prior information. Conversely, in the framework of predictive checking approach, models with weak prior information gave higher predictive checking probability than models with strong prior information. It means that predictive checking probability prefer to models with weak prior information. In our simulations, these findings were unaffected by whether prior mean was true or not. So we have a concern that it has possibilities of selecting not models with true prior mean but models with no true prior mean in several situations. Therefore, to select model appropriately, it is important to clarify the characteristics of these predictive model diagnoses in application situation and consider how to find the operational characteristics of the diagnoses (including combination) before model evaluation.


dition, and differential effects on outcomes should be attributed to this factor. The children's fatness was reduced because of the exercise programs offered to those groups. Mediation analysis (ie, testing factors posited to be in the causal pathway) can suggest how those changes may have occurred based on contemporaneous, collinear data with varying precision. Mediation analyses on these data are in progress. As expected, puberty (ie, thelarche or gonadarche stage) was a predictor in the insulin resistance models (insulin area under the curve, P .001; fasting insulin, P .001; Matsuda index, P=.002). The adrenarche variable was not significant in any model. At the request of Short, we conducted an analysis of the interaction of thelarche or gonadarche stage (classified as Tanner I, II, or III and above) with the group time interaction in the insulin resistance models, adjusting for cohort, sex, and race. An interaction was detected only for fasting insulin, such that differential change from baseline to posttest between exercise groups and control was detected only in Tanner stage III or above. In more developed children, similar decreases in fasting insulin were seen in the low-dose (adjusted mean difference, 18.2 [95% CI, 25.8 to 10.6] U/mL) and high-dose ( 15.8 [95% CI, 23.0 to 8.5] U/mL) exercise groups (each P .001 vs the control group). Thus, more developed children might be more responsive to exercise. However, of 3 insulin resistance indicators, only 1 showed evidence of pubertal moderation. These exploratory analyses provide scant support for the hypothesis that pubertal stage affects the benefits of aerobic training in obese children. Conclusions should be tempered by the exploratory nature of these additional analyses.


Being one of the vital categories for all living beings on earth, space determines the
boundaries for all humans in general as well as for an individual in particular. To define
such boundaries, people employ a specific code that consists of the symbols of space. The latter are distinctly manifested in one of the most archaic forms of oral folk literature, the genre of folktale, which is imbued with the elements of the mythological worldview of primitive people, their mentality and mode of existence.
One of the groups of symbols that foreground the symbolism of space in folktales is
the symbols of border. They designate the boundary between 'our' and 'their' space in
folktales as well as in daily life. Despite relatively extended research in the field of folktale symbols, there are few studies devoted to the issue of conveying the symbols of border into the target language. The goals of the article include the highlighting of the ways of rendering the symbols of border taken from English and Ukrainian folktales and the assessment of the adequacy of their reproduction in the target language. According to the results of the research, it can be concluded that due to its universal character, the symbols of border are easily rendered into the receiving linguocultures. However, an adequate reproduction of the symbols of border requires the identification of their role in a certain folktale text, and, consequently, the importance of their rendering into the target language.
Moreover, it is essential to note, that elimination or change of the symbols of border may cause the violation of the integrity of the symbolic picture of the folktale and at the same time lead to the inadequate perception of the text by the receiving culture.
Keywords: adequate translation, folktale, symbols of space, symbols of border,
universal symbols.


The structure of tree communities in tropical forests depends on environmental filters and biotic interactions such as competition and facilitation. Many ecotone forests in Northern Amazonia are intriguingly populated by tree assemblages characterized by distinct abundances of a single species, Peltogyne gracilipes (Leguminosae). It is unclear whether this pattern solely reflects environmental filters or also antagonistic interactions among species with similar habitat requirements. The aim of this study was to determine the response of species richness and composition to environmental filters, and analyze the role of P. gracilipes in structuring tree communities in ecotone forest areas of the Northern Brazilian Amazonia. We sampled 129 permanent plots along a hydro-edaphic gradient. All arboreal individuals with stem diameter ≥10 cm were measured and identified. Multiple regressions were performed to test the effects of environmental filters, and abundance of P. gracilipes on the tree species richness and composition. Species richness and composition responded to the same filters which, in turn, affected species composition directly and indirectly, through the abundance of P. gracilipes. Our results indicate that both abiotic filters and biotic interactions shape the studied tree communities. P. gracilipes can be considered an indicator species of hydro-edaphic conditions, but also is itself a driver of tree community structure.


Engineered nanoparticles (ENP) very often occur in form of agglomerates built up from spherical primary particles and sintered aggregates. The properties of materials making use of ENPs depend on the distributions of the structural properties of agglomerated/aggregated ENPs. The amount and structural properties of accidentally released ENPs are also of interest with regard to their transport and environmental effects. We report on the possibilities of using extended SMPS-technology with the addition of an Aerosol Particle Mass Analyzer (APM) and/or an Electrical Sensor (ES), as well as the results of recently developed sintering models, to describe the structures of agglomerates and aggregates. Proposals are made for suitable data evaluation procedures to yield accurate property distributions.


In recent years, with the enormous explosion of web based learning resources, personalization has become a critical factor for the success of services that wish to leverage the power of Web 2.0. However, the relevance, significance and impact of tailored content delivery in the learning domain is still questionable. Apart from considering only interaction based features like ratings and inferring learner preferences from them, if these services were to incorporate innate user profile attributes which affect learning activities, the quality of recommendations produced could be vastly improved. Recognizing the crucial role of effective guidance in informal educational settings, we provide a principled way of utilizing multiple sources of information from the user profile itself for the recommendation task. We explore factors that affect the choice of learning resources and explain in what way are they helpful to improve the pedagogical accuracy of learning objects recommended. Through a systematical application of machine learning techniques, we further provide a technological solution to convert these indirectly mapped learner specific attributes into a direct mapping with the learning resources. This mapping has a distinct advantage of tagging learning resources to make their metadata more informative. The results of our empirical study depict the similarity of nominal learning attributes with respect to each other. We further succeed in capturing the learner subset, whose preferences are most likely to be an indication of learning resource usage. Our novel system filters learner profile attributes to discover a tag that links them with learning resources.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
The current study examined relationships between psychopathology and individual domains of executive functioning (EF) amongst adults. While previous studies have examined these relationships using diagnostic groups, we compared factor structures of both dimensional psychopathology and EF and used an approach to better isolate EF-specific task variance within each domain.

METHODS
This study analyzed the data of 722 individuals between the ages of 18-59 years, who took part in the Nathan Kline Institute (NKI)-Rockland project. Confirmatory factor analyses were used to derive a three-factor model of EF (i.e., inhibition, shifting, and fluency) proposed by Karr et al. (2019) with scores primarily from the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS), as well as a three-factor model of psychopathology (i.e., internalizing, externalizing, and thought disorder symptoms) from the Adult Self-Report (ASR) and Peter's et al. Delusions Inventory (PDI). These models were compared using structural equation modeling.

RESULTS
Results demonstrated an adequate fit for both model structures and indicated that internalizing and externalizing psychopathology had positive and negative relationships with different factors of EF, while thought disorder traits were not related to EF.

LIMITATIONS
This study examines pathological traits within a non-clinical sample that excluded individuals with severe mental illness. Additionally, analyses were limited by the availability of certain variables, and potential shared method variance within factors.

CONCLUSIONS
Patterns of associations with EF were unique to all three aspects of dimensional psychopathology. When examined together, different dimensions of psychopathology were related to both better and worse EF performance.


The steam engine was the first practical means of producing mechanical power from the heat of combustion of a fuel, and its introduction was a vital factor in the progress of the Industrial Revolution. For many years the development of the steam reciprocating engine continued apace, but in the early years of the present century introduction of the steam turbine and internal combustion engine made available alternative methods of power production. From then on interest in the steam reciprocating engine tended to slacken and, although it has shown a number of notable improvements, far more spectacular advances have been made in other power units.


We present the discovery of 11 new T dwarfs, found during the course of a photometric survey for mid-to-late T dwarfs in the 2MASS Point Source Catalog and from a proper-motion-selected sample of ultracool dwarfs in the 2MASS Working Database. Using the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility SpeX spectrograph, we obtained low-resolution (R ∼ 150) spectroscopy, allowing us to derive near-infrared spectral types of T2-T8. We also present improved signal-to-noise ratio SpeX low-resolution spectroscopy of the near-infrared T0 standard SDSS J120747.17+024424.8 and T1 standard SDSSp J083717.22-000018.3. One of these new T dwarfs, 2MASS J13243559+6358284, was also discovered independently by Metchev et al. This object is spectroscopically peculiar and possibly a binary and/or very young (<300 Myr). We specifically attempted to model the spectrum of this source as a composite binary to reproduce its peculiar spectral characteristics. The latest type object in our sample is a T8 dwarf, 2MASS J07290002-3954043, now one of the four latest type T dwarfs known. All 11 T dwarfs are nearby given their spectrophotometric distance estimates, with one T dwarf within 10 pc and eight additional T dwarfs within 25 pc, if single. These new additions increase the 25 pc census of T dwarfs by ∼14%. Their proximity offers an excellent opportunity to probe for companions at separations closer than are possible for more distant T dwarfs.


[structure: see text]. The first synthesis of 2'-C-beta-trifluoromethyl pyrimidine ribonucleosides is described. 1,2,3,5-Tetra-O-benzoyl-2-C-beta-trifluoromethyl-alpha-D-ribofuranose (3) is prepared from 1,3,5-tri-O-benzoyl-alpha-D-ribofuranose (1) in three steps and converted to 3,5-di-O-benzoyl-2-C-beta-trifluoromethyl-alpha-D-1-ribofuranosyl bromide (5). The 1-bromo derivative (5) is found to be a powerful reaction intermediate for the synthesis of ribonucleosides. The reaction of silylated pyrimidines with (5) in the presence of HgO/HgBr2 affords exclusively the beta-anomers (6-8). Deprotection of (6-8) with ammonia in methanol yields the 2'-C-beta-trifluoromethyl nucleosides (9-11).


Abstract The single pellet reaching task is commonly used in rodents to assess the acquisition of fine motor skill and recovery of function following nervous system injury. Although this task is useful for gauging skilled forelimb use in rodents, the process of training animals is labor intensive and variable across studies and labs. To address these limitations, we developed a single pellet reaching paradigm for training and testing group housed mice within their home cage. Mice enter a training compartment attached to the outside of the cage and retrieve millet seeds presented on a motorized pedestal that can be individually positioned to present seeds to either forelimb. To identify optimal training parameters, we compared task participation and success rates between groups of animals that were presented seeds at two different heights (floor vs mouth height) and at different intervals (fixed-time vs trial-based). The mouth height/fixed interval presentation style was most effective at promoting reaching behavior as all mice reached for seeds within 5 d. Using this paradigm, we assessed stroke-induced deficits in home-cage reaching. Following three weeks of baseline training, reaching success rate was ∼40%, with most trials performed during the dark cycle. A forelimb motor cortex stroke significantly decreased interaction with presented seeds within the first 2 d and impaired reaching success rates for the first 7 d. Our data demonstrate that group-housed mice can be efficiently trained on a single pellet reaching task in the home cage and that this assay is sensitive to stroke induced motor impairments.


This paper provides a preliminary investigation to- wards the definition of a general framework for the comparison of extension-based argumentation semantics with respect to the notion of skepticism. We identify seven justification states for arguments and define two alternative skepticism relations between semantics, which induce a partial order on the justification states, reflecting the relevant levels of commitment.


It is necessary for encapsulants to have not only a suitable coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) compatible to IC devices and a low dielectric constant to reduce the device propagation delay, but also a high thermal conductivity to dissipate large amounts of heat from power-hungry, high-speed IC and high-density packages. Fillers such as silica have been mixed with polymers to improve their properties. Aluminum nitride (AlN) is considered as an alternative one, because it has a higher theoretical thermal conductivity of ∼320 W/mK 1 , a compatible CTE with silicon chips and a low dielectric constant. Commercial AlN fillers are angular in shape, because they are prepared via grinding coarse AlN powders synthesized by direct nitridation of aluminum metal and classification. The angular AlN are not expected to have high fluidity when mixed with polymers and hence low packing density. Recently, we successfully obtained single-crystalline spherical AlN fillers. Furthermore, polymer composites filled with the spherical AlN showed excellent thermal conductivity (>8 W/mK) as encapsulants for dissipating the heat generated in electronic devices.


Reducing and redressing the effects of deforestation is a complex public policy challenge, and evaluating the efficacy of such policy efforts is crucial for policy learning and adaptation. Deforestation in high-income nations can contribute substantially to global forest loss, despite the presence of strong institutions and high policy capacity. In Queensland, Australia, over 5 million hectares of native forest has been lost since 1988. Successive regulatory policies have aimed to reduce deforestation in Queensland, though debate exists over their effect given the influence of other drivers of forest loss. Using a hierarchical Bayesian statistical framework, we combine satellite imagery of forest loss with macroeconomic, land tenure, biophysical and climatic variables to collectively model deforestation for 50 local government areas (LGAs) across Queensland. We apply the spatially explicit bent-cable regression model to detect trend change that may signal a regulatory policy effect. We find that annual % growth in GDP was the only clear driver of LGA-specific deforestation after adjusting for other covariate effects. Our model shows strong evidence of spatial contagion in deforestation across Queensland, and this effect is influenced by the dominant land tenure type within each LGA. We find our model exhibits a "bend" mostly between 2000 and 2007, consistent with expectations, but the signal is not particularly strong due extreme variation in deforestation trends between and within LGAs. Our results demonstrate that the bent-cable model is a promising technique for detecting system changes in response to policy interventions, but future work should be conducted at a national scale to provide more data points, and incorporate more LGA-specific data to improve model goodness-of-fit.


W e have now entered a new era in hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapeutics. Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapies directly inhibit specific steps in the HCV viral life cycle, with targets including the HCV NS3 protease, the NS5B polymerase, and the NS5A phosphoprotein, as well as host cell proteins involved in HCV replication (e.g., cyclophilin inhibitors). All have potent antiviral effects in vitro. Unfortunately, monotherapy is associated with the rapid selection of resistant HCV variants and virological breakthrough. Therefore, the clinical efficacy of the firstgeneration DAAs will be reliant on combination with a pegylated interferon (pegIFN) and ribavirin (RBV) backbone. The first agents are the NS3 inhibitors boceprevir (BOC) and telaprevir (TVR), both recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The relevance of IL28B polymorphism to DAA treatment regimens is not yet clear. The key questions for the field relate to IL28B genotype as a predictor of on-treatment virological response rates, overall sustained virological response (SVR) rates, the emergence of antiviral resistance, and necessary treatment duration in the context of first-generation triple therapy regimens, as well as future interferon-free regimens. Treatment-Naive Patients